cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on melt spinning. VII. Elongational viscosity and fiber morphology of multiphase polymer systems

Melt spinning experiments were carried out to investigate the elongational behavior and fiber morphology of multiphase polymer systems. Materials chosen for study were blends of calcium carbonate-filled polypropylene with general-purpose polystyrene and blends of calcium carbonate-filled polypropylene with high-impact polystyrene. The former is a three-phase system in which the CaCO3 particles are dispersed, and the latter is a four-phase system in which CaCO3 particles are dispersed, together with rubbery butadiene particles. Note that polypropylene is incompatible with the matrix of high-impact polystyrene. The experimental technique described in part I of this series was used to determine the elongational viscosity. With the four-phase system, the apparent elongational viscosity tends to increase as the stretch ratio is increased above a certain critical value which appears to be ca. 25. This transition does not occur with the three-phase system and is attributable to elongation of the suspended rubber particles. The addition of small amounts of HIPS to PP-CaCO3 increases spinnability in general, whereas larger amounts decrease spinnability.
A Unified Framework for Link Recommendation Using Random Walks

The phenomenal success of social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, has revolutionized the way people communicate. This paradigm has attracted the attention of researchers that wish to study the corresponding social and technological problems. Link recommendation is a critical task that not only helps increase the linkage inside the network and also improves the user experience. In an effective link recommendation algorithm it is essential to identify the factors that influence link creation. This paper enumerates several of these intuitive criteria and proposes an approach which satisfies these factors. This approach estimates link relevance by using random walk algorithm on an augmented social graph with both attribute and structure information. The global and local influences of the attributes are leveraged in the framework as well. Other than link recommendation, our framework can also rank the attributes in the network. Experiments on DBLP and IMDB data sets demonstrate that our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods for link recommendation.
Monomeric and dimeric complexes of group IIIA metal alkyls with piperidine effect of coordination on the carbon-metal bond☆

Abstract Complexes of the type R3Mpip and (R2Mpip′)2(pip  H NCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 C H22; pip′  - NCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, molecular weight determinations (in a few cases), i.r., mass, and NMR spectroscopy. Analysis of i.r. and NMR spectral data seems to suggest that CM bond polarity in R3Mpip is enhanced inductively by coordination. On the other hand, the exchange of an XM bond for one covalent CM bond more than compensates for this inductive enhancement due to coordination. The inductive effect seems to be more influenced by the size of the metal atom and possible participation of the d-orbitals in bonding rather than electronegativity of the metal atom.
Neutrophil elastase induces mucin production by ligand-dependent epidermal growth factor receptor activation

Neutrophil products are implicated in hypersecretory airway diseases. To determine the mechanisms linking a proteolytic effect of human neutrophil elastase (HNE) and mucin overproduction, we examin...
Parallelizing a PDE solver: experiences with PISCES-MP

The paper presents a methodology for adapting dusty deck PDE solvers for parallel execution. Our approach minimizes changes to existing code and data structures, thereby preserving the value captured within dusty decks. This scheme uses the single program multiple data programming paradigm on message passing distributed memory architectures. To demonstrate the viability of our methodology the commercially available, dusty deck semiconductor device modeling program, PISCES, has been adapted for parallel execution. Simulating realistic complex device structures, we have achieved excellent performance gains over high performance serial workstations. Also, the scalability of the parallel simulator allows the simulation of structures too large for our existing serial computers. >
MLK3 promotes metabolic dysfunction induced by saturated fatty acid-enriched diet

Saturated fatty acids activate the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway, resulting in chronic low-grade inflammation and the development of insulin resistance. Mixed-lineage kinase 3 (MLK3) is a...
Distinguishing Effects of Game Framing and Journalistic Adjudication on Cynicism and Epistemic Political Efficacy

An online experiment tested the influence of “he said/she said” coverage versus active adjudication of factual disputes, as well as strategy versus policy framing in postdebate news coverage. Adjudication in policy-framed stories increased epistemic political efficacy (EPE), a measure of confidence in one’s own ability to determine the truth in politics. However, adjudicated policy stories also elicited greater cynicism than passive policy framing. This suggests a caveat for the spiral of cynicism, calling into question its assumption that all policy framing behaves similarly in reducing cynicism. Results also provide several forms of evidence that effects of adjudication on EPE differ from spiral of cynicism effects while further validating the EPE construct as distinct from the reverse of political cynicism. Adjudication also positively affected evaluations of the coverage as interesting and informative.
Revisiting the culprit lesion in non–Q-wave myocardial infarction: Results from the VANQWISH trial angiographic core laboratory

Abstract Objectives We sought to determine the underlying coronary anatomy and characterize the culprit lesion after non–Q-wave myocardial infarction (NQWMI). Background Although the culprit lesion and infarct-related artery often are easily identified with coronary angiography after Q-wave MI, the culprit lesion after NQWMI has not been well characterized. Small retrospective studies have suggested that the absence of Q-waves on an electrocardiogram is due to incomplete occlusion of the infarct-related artery. Methods Coronary angiograms from 350 patients randomized to the early invasive strategy in the Veterans Affairs Non–Q-Wave Infarction Strategies in-Hospital (VANQWISH) trial were systematically analyzed in an angiographic core laboratory. A consensus panel identified the culprit lesion and the infarct-related artery using prespecified criteria for complex lesion morphology and acute versus chronic occlusions. Severity of angiographic disease and left ventricular function also were analyzed. Patients with a single identified culprit lesion were compared with those who had multiple apparent culprits and those without an identifiable culprit lesion. Results A single culprit lesion was identified in only 49% of patients undergoing early angiography after NQWMI. The majority of patients either had no identifiable culprit (37%) or multiple apparent culprit lesions (14%). A single incomplete occlusion of the infarct-related artery was found in only 36% of patients, and an isolated acute occlusion of the infarct-related artery occurred in 13%. Patients without an identifiable culprit lesion had severe coronary disease (obstructive coronary artery disease [CAD] in 84%) but no complex lesion morphology. There was no difference in angiographic severity of disease comparing patients with and without identifiable culprit lesions. Patients with a single incomplete occlusion of the infarct-related artery were more likely to undergo percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty than other patients, whereas patients with multiple culprit lesions were more frequently treated with coronary artery bypass grafting. Conclusions Coronary angiography early after NQWMI frequently identifies severe obstructive CAD, but a single identifiable culprit lesion was identified in
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase: a common human polymorphism and its biochemical implications.

Methlenetetrahydrofolate (CH2-H4folate) is required for the conversion of homocysteine to methionine and of dUMP to dTMP in support of DNA synthesis, and also serves as a major source of one carbon unit for purine biosynthesis. This review presents biochemical studies of a human polymorphism in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, which catalyzes the reaction shown below. The mutation decreases the flux of CH2-H4folate into CH3-H4folate, and is associated with both beneficial and deleterious effects that can be traced to the molecular effect of the substitution of alanine 222 by valine.
Theory of Diatomic Photodissociation to Atomic Hyperfine Structure States

We present a general theory of the photodissociation of diatomic molecules to the hyperfine sublevels of open-shell atomic fragments. The hyperfine interactions affect the fragment hyperfine sublevel populations, polarizations, etc., either when the fragment atomic hyperfine sublevels are optically resolved, when resonances possess hyperfine splittings, or both. The case of hyperfine splittings in resonances is of particular interest for states whose principle parentage is singlet, but which exhibit hyperfine splitting due to nonadiabatic mixing with close-lying triplet states. Such resonances have been observed in the photodissociation of SiH+ (Sarre, P.J. et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London, 1988, A324: 233). We also show how our nonadiabatic theory in the presence of hyperfine interactions reduces to the general theory of diatomic photodissociation to open-shell atoms of Singer et al. (J. Chem. Phys., 1983, 79: 6060) when resonance hyperfine splittings or hyperfine structure states of the fragments are not resolved in particular experiments.
Optimal mean-square prediction of the mobile-radio fading envelope

Long-range prediction of the mobile-radio fading envelope is an enabling technology for many fading compensation approaches. Because the fading envelope is well modeled as a bandlimited process, it has special predictability properties. In this paper, we find a linear predictor that is optimal in the mean-square sense when the predictor impulse response is energy constrained. This solution may be used to determine the minimum mean squared error of a prediction based on past values that are corrupted with estimation errors.
The Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Summary David Finkelhor examines initiatives to prevent child sexual abuse, which have focused on two primary strategies—offender management and school-based educational programs. Recent major offender managment initiatives have included registering sex offenders, notifying communities about their presence, conducting background employment checks, controlling where offenders can live, and imposing longer prison sentences. Although these initiatives win approval from both the public and policy makers, little evidence exists that they are effective in preventing sexual abuse. Moreover, these initiatives, cautions Finkelhor, are based on an overly stereotyped characterization of sexual abusers as pedophiles, guileful strangers who prey on children in public and other easy-access environments and who are at high risk to re-offend once caught. In reality the population is much more diverse. Most sexual abusers are not strangers or pedophiles; many (about a third) are themselves juveniles. Many have relatively low risks for re-offending once caught. Perhaps the most serious shortcoming to offender management as a prevention strategy, Finkelhor argues, is that only a small percentage of new offenders have a prior sex offense record that would have involved them in the management system. He recommends using law enforcement resources to catch more undetected offenders and concentrating intensive management efforts on those at highest risk to re-offend. Finkelhor explains that school-based educational programs teach children such skills as how to identify dangerous situations, refuse an abuser’s approach, break off an interaction, and summon help. The programs also aim to promote disclosure, reduce self-blame, and mobilize bystanders. Considerable evaluation research exists about these programs, suggesting that they achieve certain of their goals. Research shows, for example, that young people can and do acquire the concepts. The programs may promote disclosure and help children not to blame themselves. But studies are inconclusive about whether education programs reduce victimization. Finkelhor urges further research and development of this approach, in particular efforts to integrate it into comprehensive health and safety promotion curricula.
Hierarchical spike coding of sound

Natural sounds exhibit complex statistical regularities at multiple scales. Acoustic events underlying speech, for example, are characterized by precise temporal and frequency relationships, but they can also vary substantially according to the pitch, duration, and other high-level properties of speech production. Learning this structure from data while capturing the inherent variability is an important first step in building auditory processing systems, as well as understanding the mechanisms of auditory perception. Here we develop Hierarchical Spike Coding, a two-layer probabilistic generative model for complex acoustic structure. The first layer consists of a sparse spiking representation that encodes the sound using kernels positioned precisely in time and frequency. Patterns in the positions of first layer spikes are learned from the data: on a coarse scale, statistical regularities are encoded by a second-layer spiking representation, while fine-scale structure is captured by recurrent interactions within the first layer. When fit to speech data, the second layer acoustic features include harmonic stacks, sweeps, frequency modulations, and precise temporal onsets, which can be composed to represent complex acoustic events. Unlike spectrogram-based methods, the model gives a probability distribution over sound pressure waveforms. This allows us to use the second-layer representation to synthesize sounds directly, and to perform model-based denoising, on which we demonstrate a significant improvement over standard methods.
Increased Apical Rotation in Severe Aortic Stenosis is Associated with Reduced Survival: A Speckle-Tracking Study

Background Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) are known to have increased left ventricular apical rotation (ApRot) during systole, but its clinical relevance is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the association of ApRot with patient symptoms and total mortality. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 82 patients (mean age, 77 ± 14 years; 40% men) with newly diagnosed severe AS with indexed aortic valve areas ≤ 0.6 cm 2 /m 2 and left ventricular ejection fractions ≥ 50%. Sixty-three percent of patients were symptomatic. ApRot was calculated using speckle-tracking echocardiography. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of ApRot: high ApRot (>4.0°, n = 41) and low ApRot (≤4.0°, n = 41). Results There were 33 deaths and 30 aortic valve replacement procedures after 33 ± 17 months of follow-up. Patients in the high-ApRot group had smaller indexed aortic valve areas ( P = .021) and increased valvuloarterial impedance ( P = .014). There was no difference in overall symptoms, but the low-ApRot group experienced more syncope ( P = .020). Patients in the high-ApRot group had reduced survival with medical therapy (log-rank P = .018) after aortic valve replacement (log-rank P = .039) and overall (log-rank P = .009). Asymptomatic patients with low ApRot had the best survival, while asymptomatic patients with high ApRot had similar survival to that of symptomatic patients (log-rank P = .008). On adjusted Cox regression, ApRot ≥ 6.0° was independently associated with death (hazard ratio, 3.06; P = .003). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, ApRot added incremental prognostic value to indexed aortic valve area, symptom status, and aortic valve replacement status. Conclusion Increased ApRot is independently associated with poor survival and may represent a compensatory mechanism to preserve cardiac output against severe obstruction to flow and high systolic load.
Lumbar Spine Capsule Strain After Total Disc Replacement

Degenerative disc disease is a common cause for low back pain, and sometimes requires surgical treatment. Total disc replacement (TDR) is one such surgical option performed to remove the painful disc and preserve segmental motion. However, TDR clinical results are not always satisfactory. Altered kinematics and residual low back pain have been reported as frequent poor outcomes. The facet joint is a pure articular joint and can be a pain generator. Although the effect of TDR on ROMs (ranges of motion) and facet contact force is relatively well studied, the influence of TDR on facet capsules has not been clarified yet. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of TDR on facet joint capsule strain.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Design of optimal multioutput sampling schedules: Computation of gradients and Hessians

The design of optimal sampling schedules in a dynamic experiment is often accomplished by maximization of a scalar function of the Fisher information matrix, using complex optimization algorithms. In this note exact analytic expressions for the gradients and Hessians of two common design criteria ( D - and L -optimality) are derived. The results allow the use of a wealth of efficient gradient search techniques in such designs.
The psychotic child.

Psychosis in children and adolescents is a relatively rare entity, with a plethora of possible origins. Appropriate evaluation and treatment can stem only from a complete understanding of the differential diagnosis of psychotic presentations in children. Once the acute presentation is stabilized and the cause for the psychosis accurately identified, the child can be referred appropriately to ongoing psychiatric care or substance abuse treatment, or he or she can be handed over to another medical specialty to further treat the underlying cause when there is a medical cause for the psychosis.
Neural network pruning with Tukey-Kramer multiple comparison procedure

Reducing a neural network's complexity improves the ability of the network to generalize future examples. Like an overfitted regression function, neural networks may miss their target because of the excessive degrees of freedom stored up in unnecessary parameters. Over the past decade, the subject of pruning networks produced nonstatistical algorithms like Skeletonization, Optimal Brain Damage, and Optimal Brain Surgeon as methods to remove connections with the least salience. The method proposed here uses the bootstrap algorithm to estimate the distribution of the model parameter saliences. Statistical multiple comparison procedures are then used to make pruning decisions. We show this method compares well with Optimal Brain Surgeon in terms of ability to prune and the resulting network performance.
Immediate chromatin immunoprecipitation and on-bead quantitative PCR analysis: a versatile and rapid ChIP procedure

Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) studies have brought significant insight into the genomic localization of chromatin-associated proteins and histone modifications. The large amount of data generated by these analyses, however, require approaches that enable rapid validation and analysis of biological relevance. Furthermore, there are still protein and modification targets that are difficult to detect using standard ChIP methods. To address these issues, we developed an immediate chromatin immunoprecipitation procedure which we call ZipChip. ZipChip significantly reduces the time and increases sensitivity allowing for rapid screening of multiple loci. Here we describe how ZipChIP enables detection of histone modifications (H3K4 mono- and trimethylation) and two yeast histone demethylases, Jhd2 and Rph1, which were previously difficult to detect using standard methods. Furthermore, we demonstrate the versatility of ZipChIP by analyzing the enrichment of the histone deacetylase Sir2 at heterochromatin in yeast and enrichment of the chromatin remodeler, PICKLE, at euchromatin in Arabidopsis thaliana.
On a realization and related algorithm for adaptive prediction

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization predictor realization, and also to present an adaptive algorithm to update its coefficients (weights). Experimental results pertaining to this algorithm are included, along with corresponding results obtained via some existing adaptive predictor algorithms.
2 To 12v, Single Supply, 40mhz, Video Operational Amplifier With Rail To Rail Input And Output Operation

achieve 0.03% & 0.03” Differential Gain & Phase performance on a single 3V supply. The op-amp was fabricated on a 4GHz, Dielectrically Isolated (DI), Complementary Bipolar Process. The op-amp employes a fully differential NPN & PNP input stage that can swing 300mV beyond either supply rail. A novel output stage is used to achieve Rail to Rail performance with common emitter output devices having Rsat < 10R The circuit has biasing that compensates for thermal self-heating and early-voltage effects of transistors in the absence of degeneration. PSRR is maintained at 64dB down to 2V single supply operation. A 40MHz operational amplifier (op-amp) has been built to
Effect of intravenous silica on the course of Nocardia asteroides pneumonia.

Abstract Silica, a known toxin of mononuclear phagocytes, was administered intravenously to mice during Nocardia asteroides pneumonia. Mice that received silica had a sevenfold decrease in the number of peripheral blood monocytes and developed more severe N. asteroides pneumonia than control mice. Lung histology in mice that received silica resembled that of mice with impaired cell-mediated immunity. These results are most consistent with the explanation that silica injures blood monocytes and impairs their contributions to pulmonary host defense.
Simplified Approach for Representing Part-Whole Relations in OWL-DL Ontologies

The correct representation of hierarchy in ontologies is a crucial requirement to infer the true knowledge. OWL is a widely used language for building web ontologies. However to represent partonomic relations, unlike the generalization-based taxonomy (is-a relations), OWL does not provide any built-in primitives neither a straight-forward procedure for part-whole relations [1]. However, although, OWL-DL contains sufficient power to describe such relations, it still requires extra work to make full use of this power. The current approach (best practices recommended by w3.org) uses that power through manual implementations of the underlying steps, which could introduce an error-prone process and may cause confusion in some cases. In this paper, we propose a simplified approach to represent part-whole relations in a similar way to subClassOf. Our method utilizes OWL-DL's power through automated generation of the relation's restrictions. We make use of OWL's annotation properties to capture the relations constraints, then apply our method to automatically generate the equivalent OWL-DL representations. The evaluation of our representation shows that the classification results and the inferred model (safe reasoning) are the same as those of the current standard approach described in [1].
TRAIL apoptotic pathway-targeted therapies for NSCLC

The global burden of lung cancer is a death every 4 seconds, round the clock, 365 days a year, with a global incidence estimated at 1,350,000 in 2002 (1). Lung cancers are classified into two major types: Small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC constitutes 75% of primary lung cancers and the prognosis for patients with NSCLC is poor. Less than 25% of new NSCLC cases present with local stage I or II disease treatable by surgical resection and chemotherapies; however, up to 50% of these stage I and II cases develop recurrence regardless of the treatments (2).
Traumatic Brain Injury by a Closed Head Injury Device Induces Cerebral Blood Flow Changes and Microhemorrhages.

Objectives: Traumatic brain injury is a poly-pathology characterized by changes in the cerebral blood flow, inflammation, diffuse axonal, cellular, and vascular injuries. However, studies related to understanding the temporal changes in the cerebral blood flow following traumatic brain injury extending to sub-acute periods are limited. In addition, knowledge related to microhemorrhages, such as their detection, localization, and temporal progression, is important in the evaluation of traumatic brain injury. Materials and Methods: Cerebral blood flow changes and microhemorrhages in male Sprague Dawley rats at 4 h, 24 h, 3 days, and 7 days were assessed following a closed head injury induced by the Marmarou impact acceleration device (2 m height, 450 g brass weight). Cerebral blood flow was measured by arterial spin labeling. Microhemorrhages were assessed by susceptibility-weighted imaging and Prussian blue histology. Results: Traumatic brain injury rats showed reduced regional and global cerebral blood flow at 4 h and 7 days post-injury. Injured rats showed hemorrhagic lesions in the cortex, corpus callosum, hippocampus, and brainstem in susceptibility-weighted imaging. Injured rats also showed Prussian blue reaction products in both the white and gray matter regions up to 7 days after the injury. These lesions were observed in various areas of the cortex, corpus callosum, hippocampus, thalamus, and midbrain. Conclusions: These results suggest that changes in cerebral blood flow and hemorrhagic lesions can persist for sub-acute periods after the initial traumatic insult in an animal model. In addition, microhemorrhages otherwise not seen by susceptibility-weighted imaging are present in diverse regions of the brain. The combination of altered cerebral blood flow and microhemorrhages can potentially be a source of secondary injury changes following traumatic brain injury and may need to be taken into consideration in the long-term care of these cases.
Demonstrating Democracy: Speech, Communication and Protest

This paper argues that we should distinguish between speech and communication. It further suggests that performative speech implies a relationship to some moral community which is one of its distinctions from communication, and that the concept of performative speech changes when it ceases to be individual and enters the public realm via mass demonstrations. The paper uses empirical material from the Egyptian uprising of 2011-2014 as the basis for discussion.
Performance analysis for parallel programs from multicore to petascale

Cutting-edge science and engineering applications require petascale computing. Petascale computing platforms are characterized by both extreme parallelism (systems of hundreds of thousands to millions of cores) and hybrid parallelism (nodes with multicore chips). Consequently, to effectively use petascale resources, applications must exploit concurrency at both the node and system level — a difficult problem. The challenge of developing scalable petascale applications is only partially aided by existing languages and compilers. As a result, manual performance tuning is often necessary to identify and resolve poor parallel and serial efficiency. Our thesis is that it is possible to achieve unique, accurate, and actionable insight into the performance of fully optimized parallel programs by measuring them with asynchronous-sampling-based call path profiles; attributing the resulting binary-level measurements to source code structure; analyzing measurements on-the-fly and postmortem to highlight performance inefficiencies; and presenting the resulting context- sensitive metrics in three complementary views. To support this thesis, we have developed several techniques for identifying performance problems in fully optimized serial, multithreaded and petascale programs. First, we describe how to attribute very precise (instruction-level) measurements to source-level static and dynamic contexts in fully optimized applications — all for an average run-time overhead of a few percent. We then generalize this work with the development of logical call path profiling and apply it to work-stealing-based applications. Second, we describe techniques for pinpointing and quantifying parallel inefficiencies such as parallel idleness, parallel overhead and lock contention in multithreaded executions. Third, we show how to diagnose scalability bottlenecks in petascale applications by scaling our our measurement, analysis and presentation tools to support large-scale executions. Finally, we provide a coherent framework for these techniques by sketching a unique and comprehensive performance analysis methodology. This work forms the basis of Rice University's HPCTOOLKIT performance tools.
Major Consumer Markets Based on 1980 Census Data

Criteria for defining the boundaries of consumer markets were established in an earlier paper. Since that time several changes have been made in SMSA’s, SCSA’s and NECMA’s and 1980 census data are available. In this paper new rankings of the major consumer markets are established based on the revisions and the new data. Growth rates for these major markets are examined and the size of 1985 major markets are estimated.
Altered circadian hemodynamic and renal function in cirrhosis.

Background Given that alterations in systemic hemodynamics have a profound influence on renal function in patients with cirrhosis, it is surprising that circadian variations in blood pressure (BP) and renal electrolyte excretion have scarcely been studied. Our aims were to define the relationship of 24-h ambulatory BP changes with renal tubular function and to determine the influence of endotoxemia on BP and urinary parameters. Methods Forty healthy controls served as a comparator to 20 cirrhotic patients. They underwent 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring and 24-h urine collection. Results Subjects with cirrhosis demonstrated significant diurnal variations in urinary excretion of sodium (57.7 µmol/min day versus 87 µmol/min night) and creatinine (826 µg/min day versus 1202 µg/min night). Increasing severity of cirrhosis was associated with a progressive reduction in ambulatory awake systolic (P-trend = 0.015), diastolic (P-trend < 0.001) and mean BP (P-trend < 0.001). In patients with cirrhosis, the magnitude of change in BP from awake to sleep state was blunted for systolic BP (5% reduction, P = 0.039) and pulse rate (2% reduction, P < 0.001). The amplitude of variation in pulse rate was blunted with increasing severity of cirrhosis (controls 6.5, Child-Pugh Class A 5.3, Child B 3.4, Child C 1.2, P = 0.03) and the acrophase was right-shifted with increasing severity of cirrhosis. Compared with sleep state, during the awake state, endotoxin was associated with less sodium excretion and a lower systolic BP. Compared with the awake state, endotoxin was associated with a higher sleeping pulse rate (P < 0.001). Conclusions Patients with cirrhosis have altered diurnal profiles in renal tubular function and blood pressure that appear to be related to endotoxemia. Determining whether endotoxemia is causally related to these perturbations will require interventional studies.
Laparoscopic Varix Ligation

Varicocele, dilated veins in the pampiniform plexus, is frequently a contributing factor in male infertility. We performed outpatient laparoscopic varix ligation in 14 patients (5 bilaterally) with clinically evident varices and persistent oligospermia and/or asthenospermia. The spermatic artery was identified and preserved in all but 1 varix ligation. Mean interval to resumption of preoperative activity levels was 3.4 days. On average, patients consumed 8.4 tablets of acetaminophen (325 mg.) with codeine (30 mg.) during the recovery period. The procedure is effective and decreases postoperative morbidity.
Mapping Glycosaminoglycan–Hydroxyapatite Colloidal Gels as Potential Tissue Defect Fillers

Malleable biomaterials such as Herschel–Bulkley (H–B) fluids possess shear responsive rheological properties and are capable of self-assembly and viscoelastic recovery following mechanical disruption (e.g., surgical placement via injection or spreading). This study demonstrated that the addition of moderate molecular weight glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as chondroitin sulfate (CS) (Mw = 15–30 kDa) and hyaluronic acid (HA) (Mw = 20–41 kDa) can be used to modify several rheological properties including consistency index (K), flow-behavior index (n), and yield stress (τy) of submicrometer hydroxyapatite (HAP) (Davg ≤ 200 nm) colloidal gels. GAG–HAP colloidal mixtures exhibited substantial polymer–particle synergism, likely due to “bridging” flocculation, which led to a synergistic increase in consistency index (KGAG-HAP ≥ KGAG + KHAP) without compromising shear-thinning behavior (n < 1) of the gel. In addition, GAG–HAP colloids containing high concentrations of HAP (60–80% w/v) exhibited substantial yield s...
An Investigation of Techniques for Occasional Numeric Data Entry

This work tested six techniques for the occasional entry of unstructured numeric data in the context of a primarily mouse-based, cursor-positioning, human-computer dialogue. Two of the techniques used a separate keypad for numeric data entry. The other four techniques used the mouse already being used for the cursor positioning dialogue. The keypad techniques were more efficient than the mouse techniques for all of the numeric sequence lengths considered. There were no significant differences in efficiency between the two keypad techniques. Among the mouse-based techniques, an approach based on a displayed image of a calculator keypad was consistently among the most efficient.
Optimizing peer review of software code.

In their Policy Forum “Troubling trends in scientific software use” (17 May, p. [814][1]), L. N. Joppa et al. make a case for increased education of scientists in computer programming skills and requirements for peer review of scientific software code. We agree in principle but believe that some
The Lawrence D. Dorr Surgical Techniques & Technologies Award: Differences in Postoperative Outcomes Between Total Hip Arthroplasty for Fracture vs Osteoarthritis

Abstract Background Hip fracture is an increasingly common expanded indication for total hip arthroplasty (THA) and warrants outcome analysis so as to best inform risk assessment models, public reporting of outcome, and value-based reimbursement schemes. Methods The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data file from 2011 to 2014 was used to identify all patients undergoing THA via current procedural terminology code 27130. Propensity score matching in a 1:5 fashion was used to compare 2 cohorts: THA for osteoarthritis and THA for fracture. Primary outcomes included Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reportable complications, unplanned readmission, postsurgical length of stay, and discharge destination. χ 2 tests for categorical variables and Student t test for continuous variables were used to compare the 2 cohorts and adjusted linear regression analysis used to determine the association between hip fracture and THA outcomes of interest. Results A total of 58,302 patients underwent elective THA for osteoarthritis and 1580 patients underwent THA for hip fracture. Rates of CMS-reported complications (4.0% vs 10.7%; P P P P Conclusion Our findings support recent advocacy for the exclusion of THA for fracture from THA bundled pricing methodology and public reporting of outcomes.
A Systematic Approach to the Evaluation and Management of the Failed Artificial Urinary Sphincter.

In men with post-prostatectomy incontinence, persistent or recurrent urinary leakage following artificial urinary sphincter placement is a frustrating complaint. Surgical failure can be classified as occurring early in the post-operative period vs. late—following a period of established continence—and should be managed according to the time course and severity of urinary leakage. We present a systematic approach for the evaluation and treatment of the failed artificial urinary sphincter. After considering the patient’s individualized treatment goals and impact on quality of life, the clinician can more appropriately advise patients on a management strategy for their recurrent or persistent urinary incontinence following artificial urinary sphincter placement.
Improved Photodynamic Therapy Efficacy of Protoporphyrin IX-Loaded Polymeric Micelles Using Erlotinib Pretreatment

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted widespread attention in recent years as a noninvasive and highly selective approach for cancer treatment. We have previously reported a significant increase in the 90-day complete response rate when tumor-bearing mice are treated with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor erlotinib prior to PDT with the photosensitizer benzoporphyrin-derivative monoacid ring A (BPD-MA) compared to treatment with PDT alone. To further explore this strategy for anticancer therapy and clinical practice, we tested whether pretreatment with erlotinib also exhibited a synergistic therapeutic effect with a nanocarrier containing the clinically relevant photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). The PpIX was encapsulated within biodegradable polymeric micelles formed from the amphiphilic block copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)–polycaprolactone (PEG–PCL). The obtained micelles were characterized systematically in vitro. Further, an in vitro cytotoxicity study showed that PDT wi...
Opportunity and Overrides: The Effect of Institutional Public Support on Congressional Overrides of Supreme Court Decisions:

Existing theories of legislative-judicial relations emphasize the role of public support for the judiciary on the likelihood of legislative compliance. Although Congress can strengthen or weaken the Supreme Court’s decisions after initial compliance, the role of public support for the judiciary on subsequent legislative action is unclear. We develop a theory of legislative-judicial interactions, which suggests that Congress considers the court’s current level of public support when determining whether to override a Supreme Court decision. We test our theory using data on congressional overrides of US Supreme Court decisions, finding that high levels of public support for the court shield the court from hostile congressional action. The results underscore the vital role played by the public in interbranch relations, suggesting that public support plays a role in the legacy of a judicial decision beyond ensuring initial compliance.
Enhancing Mindfulness in Practice Prescriptive Thinking

The authors focus on the judgment process involved in determining the appropriateness of interventions for client problems and client groups. To enhance specificity, accuracy, and “mindfulness,” th...
The multifaceted allosteric regulation of Aurora kinase A

The protein kinase Aurora A (AurA) is essential for the formation of bipolar mitotic spindles in all eukaryotic organisms. During spindle assembly, AurA is activated through two different pathways operating at centrosomes and on spindle microtubules. Recent studies have revealed that these pathways operate quite differently at the molecular level, activating AurA through multifaceted changes to the structure and dynamics of the kinase domain. These advances provide an intimate atomic-level view of the finely tuned regulatory control operating in protein kinases, revealing mechanisms of allosteric cooperativity that provide graded levels of regulatory control, and a previously unanticipated mechanism for kinase activation by phosphorylation on the activation loop. Here, I review these advances in our understanding of AurA function, and discuss their implications for the use of allosteric small molecule inhibitors to address recently discovered roles of AurA in neuroblastoma, prostate cancer and melanoma.
Esophageal Motility During Food Ingestion: A Physiologic Test of Esophageal Motor Function

Abstract It is unknown whether esophageal motility, as assessed by standard motility testing, bears close relationship to motility occurring during food ingestion. Certainly, many patients, while reporting symptoms during food ingestion, are asymptomatic during standard motility testing; thus, a direct link between abnormal motility and symptomatology is often lacking. Twelve normal subjects and 5 patients with symptomatic esophageal motility disorders, therefore, underwent motility testing during upright ingestion of a meal which consisted of beef cubes and gravy. In normals, contraction parameters during food ingestion could not have been predicted by values obtained during standard testing ( r = 0.2, p > 0.05). All 5 patients, although asymptomatic during standard testing, reported dysphagia during food ingestion. Evidence of abnormal motility could be observed simultaneously. Patterns of abnormality included nonperistaltic contractions (7.2 ± 2.5 episodes per meal), instances of incomplete lower esophageal sphincter relaxation (2.8 ± 0.8 episodes per meal), and instances of lack of complete lower esophageal sphincter relaxation during ongoing esophageal contractions (4.6 ±1.0 episodes). These abnormalities were significantly more frequent in patients than in controls (p
Electronic Resource Review: Coursera, www.coursera.org

Coursera is a MOOC or Massive Online Open Course platform founded in 2012 by Stanford computer science professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng. Since then, according to their Web site, Coursera has ...
Topological Entanglement and Its Relation to Polymer Material Properties

In this manuscript we review recent results that show how measures of topological entanglement can be used to provide information relevant to dynamics and mechanics of polymers. We use Molecular Dynamics simulations of coarse-grained models of polymer melts and solutions of linear chains in different settings. We apply the writhe to give estimates of the entanglement length and to study the disentanglement of polymer melts in an elongational flow. Our results also show that our topological measures correlate with viscoelastic properties of the material.
Primitive divisors, dynamical Zsigmondy sets, and Vojtaʼs conjecture

A primitive prime divisor of an element an of a sequence (am)m⩾0 is a prime p that divides an, but does not divide am for all m<n. The Zsigmondy set Z of the sequence is the set of n such that an has no primitive prime divisors. Let f:X→X be a self-morphism of a variety, let D be an effective divisor on X, and let P∈X, all defined over Q¯. We consider the Zsigmondy set Z(X,f,P,D) of the sequence defined by the arithmetic intersection of the f-orbit of P with D. Under various assumptions on X, f, D, and P, we use Vojtaʼs conjecture with truncated counting function to prove that the set of points fn(P) with n∈Z(X,f,P,D) is not Zariski dense in X.
Natural history of diminished ovarian reserve

There are two proposed models for oocyte endowment in females. Both fixed cell and stem cell models acknowledge the depletion of oocyte pool with female aging. The ovarian cortical tissue-based models suggest that there is a very high number of primordial follicle loss in early life from birth to puberty. After the age of 20 years, the average number of follicles lost decreases with the lowest level observed as women approach menopause. It is believed that there is no specific female age after which the oocyte loss accelerates further. Actually, clinical evidence suggests that the decline in ovarian reserve after the peak loss point of around the age of 20 years is followed by gradual loss over the years. As the ovarian reserve decreases further, the number of primordial follicles lost may also decrease. Individual variation in menopausal age may also provide some clues that diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) may be due to a shift of the primordial or nongrowing follicle depletion curve to earlier age, which can be due to many genetic and environmental factors yet to be determined. The decrease in oocyte quality in parallel to ovarian reserve decline with female aging may be skewed in younger females with DOR. Therefore, age may still dictate the quality of oocytes regardless of the ovarian reserve. It is still not clear if fertility patterns are associated with the longevity or if DOR is a direct reflection of general aging.
Chromium, manganese, nickel, and cobalt mobility and bioavailability from mafic-to-ultramafic mine spoil weathering in western Massachusetts, USA

Fragmented ultramafic bodies in New England were important mineral resources until the early twentieth century, yet few studies have addressed their potential to release trace metals to terrestrial and aquatic environments. Here, we evaluate the release of four trace metals (Cr, Co, Mn, and Ni) from a historic serpentine–talc “soapstone” quarry in Blandford, MA, USA. Soil pits, sediment and rock samples, and stream water samples were collected from upslope undisturbed areas, within the mine spoils and mine face, and downslope of the mine. In order to provide a bottom-up approach for understanding metal release, careful petrographic analysis, electron-dispersive spectroscopy, and wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy were employed to provide first-order insight into the mineralogy of the deposit and a determination of potential metal-bearing phases. Trace metals were primarily observed in ultramafic sheet silicates, primary Fe-oxides, and interstitial weathering-related sulfates. Bulk rock concentrations were Cr (1550 mg kg−1), Co (230 mg kg−1), Mn (1100 mg kg−1), and Ni (1960 mg kg1); Cr, Co, and Ni were elevated relative to the surrounding country rock. However, soils and sediments total concentrations were comparable to background soil concentrations: Cr (119 mg kg−1), Co (73 mg kg−1), Mn (894 mg kg−1), and Ni (65 mg kg−1). Moreover, < 0.5% of the total concentrations were bioavailable (0.1 M ammonium acetate extraction), implying that metals are present as insoluble forms. However, ~ 20% of the total Cr, Mn, Ni, and Co concentrations were strong acid extractable, suggesting mobilization over the coming decades. Stream water concentrations of Mn and Cr were < 50 µg L−1, below concentrations outlined by USEPA drinking water standards, and WHO water guidelines for Ni. These results suggest that transport of Cr, Mn, Ni, and Co from the serpentine–talc as dissolved compounds or sediments is limited by retention within silicate and oxides.