cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Citrullination: A Specific Target for the Autoimmune Response in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was one of the first diseases to be classified as autoimmune, based on the prevalence of an autoantibody, rheumatoid factor, which was first identified in the 1940s. However, the diagnostic value and pathogenic significance of rheumatoid factor have been constrained by its
Effects of beta-adrenergic blockade on ventilation and gas exchange during the rest to work transition.

The purpose of these experiments was to determine the effects of acute beta-blockade on the kinetics of oxygen uptake (VO2), expired carbon dioxide (VCO2), and expired ventilation (VE) in the transition from rest to submaximal exercise. Six male subjects exercised for 6 min on a cycle ergometer (60 W) initiated as a square wave from rest on two occasions. The beta-blockade experiment began 60 min after the subject ingested propranolol hydrochloride (1 mg.kg-1 BW) while the second experiment served as control with the treatment order counterbalanced. Ventilation and gas exchange were monitored by open circuit techniques and the data were modeled with a single-component exponential function using a time delay. No differences existed (p greater than 0.05) in the steady state VO2, VCO2, or VE nor the kinetics of VCO2 and VE between treatments. However, the rate of adaptation of VO2 toward steady state was significantly slowed (p less than 0.05) with beta-blockade. These data suggest that acute beta blockade results in diminished VO2 kinetics in the transition from rest to steady-state exercise. We hypothesize that the mechanism to explain this finding is a slowed time course of cardiac output adjustment at the beginning of exercise.
Aortic valve calcium content does not predict aortic valve area.

Background and aim of the study Aortic stenosis (AS) is a common clinical problem which frequently necessitates aortic valve replacement (AVR). The traditional view of progressive AS is a 1:1 inverse relationship between valve calcium content and aortic valve area (AVA). However, this assumption has been based on subjective estimates of calcification on chest X-radiographic images. The study aim was to evaluate the relationship between AVA as measured with echocardiography compared to calcium quantification using electron beam computed tomography (EBT). Methods Sixty-one patients with an AVA between 0.7 and 2.0 cm2 underwent an EBT scan to evaluate the aortic valve calcium content. Results The mean (+/- SD) aortic valve Agatston calcium score was 1,458.4 +/- 1,362.2, and for the aortic valve volume score was 1,178.8 +/- 1,066.0. The aortic valve Agatston score did not correlate strongly with AVA (r = -0.34, 95% CI -0.54, -0.09; p = 0.007). The data pattern appeared curvilinear, with the poorest correlation noted for those patients with moderate and severe aortic valve calcification. Conclusion The study findings support the hypothesis that the aortic valve orifice area decreases not only due to calcium accumulation but also to sclerotic processes.
Choice of technologies and dynamic values efficiency order

In the previous Chapter we established both the potential and the limits of the dynamic physical efficiency order. Even in the simpler case, in which the determination of the order is achieved with the comparison of techniques employing the same Npmp, this Oe cannot be resolved when: a) the technologies have the same uniform rates of net product, but non-orderable residuals (Chapter VII, § 7); b) the technologies have the same uniform rates of net product, but the commodity that can be entirely accumulated by the two technologies is different (Chapter VIII, § 8); c) the technologies have different uniform rates of net product (except for some particular cases discussed in Chapter VII, § 9)
From Invisibility to Marginality: women's history in Romania

This essay enhances the broad context in which Karen Offen's argument is framed by addressing the question of how the humanities are faring today in relation to academic research and learning. I ex...
Highly linear temperature sensor using GaN-on-SiC heterojunction diode for Harsh environment applications

In this work, high temperature diode sensors for harsh environment applications are fabricated and comprehensively characterized. The design of the sensors is based on gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon carbide (SiC) heterojunction structures. The GaN layer was grown by the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on an n-type SiC substrate. P-type doping of the GaN was achieved using the atomic magnesium (Mg) as a dopant. The heterojunction devices were fabricated using a concentric ring geometry with the diameters ranging from 400 μm to 1000 μm. Temperature dependent characteristics (Vf — T) of these heterojunction devices as well as their sensitivity (mV/K) are comprehensively characterized in a temperature range from 300 K to 650 K using reduced temperature steps. High temperature electrical measurements have demonstrated that these heterojunction devices have highly linear temperature dependent characteristics and are potentially usable as reliable temperature sensors up to at least 650K. Dedicated programs were used to extract the electrical parameters of the devices designed to operate as a temperature sensor.
MVA-Based Probabilistic Model of Shared Memory with a Round Robin Arbiter for Predicting Performance with Heterogeneous Workload

Memory access contention can be a cause of performance problems and should be assessed at early stages of development. We devised a probabilistic model of shared memory for performance estimation. The calculation time is polynomial in the number of processors. The model is applicable for the region of high and heterogeneous bandwidth utilization. A round-robin arbiter is modeled using Mean Value Analysis MVA based approximations and incorporating non-linear dependence to the bandwidth utilization. To evaluate our model, estimated execution time is compared with the measured execution time of benchmark programs with memory access contention. We find a maximum error of 4.2% for the round-robin arbitration when we compensate for the burstiness of accesses.
Disabilities and sexual expression: A review of the literature

Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, scholars have sought to advance a more nuanced and robust understanding of the sexual lives of disabled people. In doing so, these scholars have identified some of the barriers to sexual expression that disabled people face as well as some of the positive and pleasurable aspects of disabled people's sexual lives. This article reviews research regarding the sexual expression and activity of disabled people as well as some of the challenges to sexual expression that people with disabilities experience. Persons with disabilities—whether they are acquired, congenital, intellectual, physical, and/or sensorial impairments—continue to encounter alienation, stigmatization, and discrimination, particularly in terms of their sexuality. However, I argue that if proper laws, policies, and adequate supports are in place, people with disabilities can further challenge and push past these barriers to engage in a wide array of sexual and erotic acts. Furthermore, although the amount of disability-sexuality-related research has increased over past decades, I argue that many intersections of disability and sexuality remain under-studied and that further research in this field is necessary.
Sonallah Ibrahim: Rebel with a Pen

Paul Starkey's monograph, Sonallah Ibrahim: Rebel with a Pen, is a lucid introduction to one of the Arab world's signal novelists. It is the first book-length study of Ibrahim in English, and it ai...
The Intergenerational Transmission of Violence and Dissociation

Anecdotal evidence points to a tendency for dissociative identity disorder/multiple personality disorder (DID/MPD) to run in families. This article reports on the prevalence of dissociation and other psychopathology in the families of 11 children with DID/MPD and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified. It describes the perpetuation of violent behaviors and dissociative defenses from one generation to the next.
Mining cinematic knowledge: work in progress [an extended abstract]

This paper presents the blueprint of an on going effort underway at George Mason University to create a movie mining system that uses already existing content detection technology. The emphasis of this project is to examine the suitability of existing concepts in data mining to multimedia, where the semantic content is time sensitive and constructed by fusing data obtained from component streams. Methods used for this purpose have a non zero probability of being incorrect. We discussed the issues involved in mining knowledge from or about movies and propose some solutions.
Pathology of coronary arteries, myocardium, and great arteries in supravalvular aortic stenosis: Report of five cases with implications for surgical treatment

Abstract Among five patients with supravalvular aortic stenosis in whom autopsy tissues were available, all were male, 1 ½ to 39 years old (mean 10 years, median 3 years), and the four children had Williams-Beuren syndrome (two familial, two sporadic). Medial thickening and dysplasia (disorganization) characterized the aortic sinotubular junction of three patients with discrete disease and the entire ascending aorta and arch branches of the two with diffuse disease. Medial dysplasia also involved the pulmonary arteries in each case, but less severely than the aorta. Dysplasia of coronary arteries was observed in all five hearts and was more obstructive proximally than distally, in cases with diffuse than discrete aortic disease, and in the adult than in the two children with discrete supravalvular aortic stenosis. All major epicardial arteries were involved, without predilection for any particular vessel. In contrast to the great arteries, coronary artery dysplasia involved all three layers, not just the media. To varying degrees, vessels showed intimal hyperplasia, fibrosis, and disorganization (dysplasia); disruption and loss of the internal elastic membrane, with indistinct intimal-medial junctions; medial hypertrophy and dysplasia; and adventitial fibroelastosis. In severe cases, the microscopic structure resembled that of the ductus arteriosus. Acute intramedial dissections were observed in the ascending aorta and distal right coronary artery in one patient each. Chronic microfocal ischemic fibrosis was identified in the subendocardium and papillary muscles of the left ventricle in four patients, and the adult patient also had an acute myocardial infarction. In summary, these findings emphasize the extraaortic extent of supravalvular aortic stenosis and the development of ischemic heart disease even in childhood. The presence of severe coronary obstruction in the adult with discrete aortic disease suggests that chronic high pulsatile coronary blood pressure may favor the proliferation of dysplastic tissue. Early surgical intervention may minimize the degree of proliferation, as well as allow regression of left ventricular hypertrophy, thereby lessening the risk of myocardial ischemia and aortic dissection. (J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG 1994;108:21-8)
Fritz Kaufmann’s Aesthetics

Fritz Kaufmann belongs to the group of students whom Husserl attracted to Gottingen between 1901 and the beginning of World War I. Particularly from 1905 on, many advanced students came to Husserl from other notable philosophical centers in Germany. Adolf Reinach, Johannes Daubert, Moritz Geiger, Theodor Conrad, Dietrich von Hildebrand and Hedwig Conrad-Martius came to Husserl from Munich where Theodor Lipps and Alexander Pfander were teaching. Others at Marburg University, particularly after the war, expressed their adherence to phenomenology. Among them were Martin Heidegger, Karl Lowith, and Hans-Georg Gadamer. Still others came either from various German universities or from abroad. This group consisted of Alexander Koyre, Jean Hering, Roman Ingarden, William Ernest Hocking, Edith Stein, Fritz Kaufmann, and Helmut Plessner. The core of the Gottingen circle had formed around Husserl by 1907. Most of its members followed Husserl to Freiburg when he accepted a chair at that university in 1916.
Noise Analysis of Iterative Algorithm for Lower Iteration Number and Weighting Effects

It has been observed by many researchers that low intensity regions of images reconstructed by iterative or analytical algorithms tend to have low noise and high intensity regions tend to have high noise. This phenomenon in fact can be predicted by a closed-form mathematical expression. However, when the number of iterations is small this observation may not hold, especially when some weighting functions are used1.
Amalgam Strength Resistance to Various Contaminants

Clinical Relevance This study provides understanding of the potential compromise of amalgam strength after maximum contamination exposure during clinical placement.
Studying democratic innovations: toward a problem-driven approach to case study research

ABSTRACTHajer and Wagenaar (2003. Deliberative Policy Analysis: Understanding Governance in the Network Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, xiv, 16) advanced a conception of policy anal...
X-Linked IRAK1 Polymorphism is Associated with Sex-Related Differences in Polymorphonuclear Granulocyte and Monocyte Activation and Response Variabilities.

ABSTRACTCommon X-linked genetic polymorphisms are expected to alter cellular responses affecting males and females differently through sex-linked inheritance pattern as well as X chromosome (ChrX) mosaicism and associated ChrX skewing, which is unique to females. We tested this hypothesis in ex vivo
Should governments continue lockdown to slow the spread of covid-19?

Until we have a meaningful alternative, lockdown is the only thing we can do to prevent further catastrophic spread of the virus, says Edward R Melnick. But John PA Ioannidis argues that any benefits of lockdown depend on its effectiveness and the covid-19 burden—and that the harms are multifarious
Sediment Budget Estimates for a Highly Impacted Embayment with Extensive Wetland Loss

External sediment supply is an important control on wetland morphology and vulnerability to storms, sea-level rise, and land use change. Constraining sediment supply and net budgets is difficult due to multiple timescales of variability in hydrodynamic forcing and suspended sediment concentrations, as well as the fundamental limitations of measurement and modeling technologies. We used two independent observational campaigns and one hydrodynamic modeling effort to estimate the sediment supply to Jamaica Bay, New York, USA, an urbanized embayment with a history of extensive wetland loss. We found that all three estimates indicate a net import to the system, ranging from 36 to 74 kt/year, with a mean estimate of 55 kt/year ± 31 kt/year, which is consistent with a prior estimate derived from radionuclide tracers. Net sediment import is controlled by flood-ebb asymmetry in bed shear stress, which results in higher suspended sediment concentrations on flood tide relative to ebb. This indicates a seaward source of sediment that is resuspended by waves in the coastal ocean, likely offshore marine deposits or potentially from the adjacent Hudson River estuary. Despite the net sediment import, a simple sediment budget suggests that the rate of supply is not sufficient to maintain the present geomorphic planform of the system relative to sea-level rise. The convergent estimates from independent methods provide reasonable guidance as context for sediment-based restoration efforts.
Adverse Early Life Environment Restricts Growth and Increases Hepatic Lipid Content

Background: Children exposed to adverse early life environment (AELE) carry increased risk of growth restriction and metabolic disease, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD occurs in animal models of maternal Western diet. Animal models of perinatal stress demonstrate disordered maternal behaviors and psychological sequelae in offspring but have not evaluated risk of hepatic disease. Our group combined the exposures of maternal Western diet and perinatal stress in a …
Structural Characterization of Oscillations in Brain Networks with Rate Dynamics.

Among the versatile forms of dynamical patterns of activity exhibited by the brain, oscillations are one of the most salient and extensively studied, yet are still far from being well understood. In this paper, we provide various structural characterizations of the existence of oscillatory behavior in neural networks using a classical neural mass model of mesoscale brain activity called the linear-threshold model. Exploiting the switched-affine nature of linear-threshold dynamics, we obtain various necessary and/or sufficient conditions for the existence of oscillations in (i) two-dimensional excitatory-inhibitory networks (E-I pairs), (ii) networks with one inhibitory but arbitrary number of excitatory nodes, (iii) purely inhibitory networks with an arbitrary number of nodes, and (iv) networks of E-I pairs. Throughout our treatment, and given the arbitrary dimensionality of the considered dynamics, we rely on the lack of stable equilibria as a system-based proxy for the existence of oscillations, and provide extensive numerical results to support its tight relationship with the more standard, signal-based definition of oscillations in computational neuroscience.
The journey from france to france: the spiritual moves of muslim youth from marseille

Based on long-term ethnographic research with youth who were born to North, West, and East African families in northern Marseille, this article explores the common experience of alienation that practicing Muslims from Marseille report as they endeavor to live piously in their hometown, together with the mobility-oriented strategies they have devised to achieve belonging. Following these Muslim-Marseillais young adults longitudinally, it emerges that some relied on physical migration away from France (religiously conceived as hijrah) as a means of remaining pious and finding belonging. Others, meanwhile, navigated towards pious personhood and finding home in ways that still involved movement but transpired within France. Significantly, individuals who have chosen to remain in France carve out pious belonging by engaging in domestic movements to particular places in France, by pursuing occupational mobility, and by making advantageous use of prestigious linguistic registers like Standard French and Modern Standard Arabic. As such, the article suggests that hijrah is but one—and the most transnational—among various kinds of movement to which young Muslim-Marseillais turn as they grapple with discrimination, seek to improve themselves, and ascertain how best to belong.
EGFR exon 20 Insertion NSCLC and Response to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy.

Abstract Introduction In classical EGFR mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy yields better outcomes than platinum-based chemotherapy. However, EGFR exon 20 insertion (ex20ins) NSCLC is relatively resistant to currently available EGFR TKIs. Though platinum-based chemotherapy is the frontline standard of care for EGFR ex20ins NSCLC, its efficacy is not fully described. Study Design A retrospective, single-center, case series Methods Patients were identified through an electronic research database at a single institution and included if they had advanced EGFR ex20ins NSCLC, received platinum-based chemotherapy for metastatic disease, and had scans evaluable for response. Each patient's demographics, tumor characteristics, and clinical course were recorded. Treatment response was evaluated using RECIST v1.1 criteria, and the PFS was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results Among 27 patients identified with EGFR ex20ins NSCLC at our institution, 18 (67%) received platinum-based chemotherapy for metastatic disease and had scans evaluable for response. These patients received platinum-based chemotherapy in the first-line (N = 17, 94%) and second-line settings (N = 1, 6%). The objective response rate (ORR) to platinum-based chemotherapy was 39% (7 of 18 patients; 95% confidence interval [CI] 16-61). The median PFS with platinum-based chemotherapy was 7.1 months (95% CI, 6.3 -13.7), and the median overall survival was 3.2 years (95% CI, 1.92 – NR). Conclusions The efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy in EGFR ex20ins NSCLC is similar to that expected for TKI sensitive EGFR mutant NSCLC. Novel agents designed to specifically target ex20ins mutant EGFR should additionally improve outcomes.
Force-Deflection Relations From Dynamic Tests

A method is developed for determining the dynamic force-deflection relation of a one-degree of freedom hysteretic structure from the steady-state response to sinusoidal excitation. The data needed are the resonant frequency and the equivalent viscous damping factor, as defined in the paper, as functions of the amplitude of steady-state response. The method is applicable to oscillators of the Masing type, a classification which includes the more common models of yielding behavior (e.g., elasto-plastic, bilinear hysteretic). Examples of the application of the method to mathematical models of hysteretic structures and to dynamic test data are given.
Lifting the Curtain: A Serbian-American Memoir

IF YOU'VE NEVER READ AN ESSAY by a Serbian-American about be ing Serbian-American, that might be because there aren't many of us, and we tend not to say much, or rather, write much. If my experience growing up among them is any indication, that's because Serbs tend not to reflect much, especially on themselves. Those I knew discouraged in their children anything resembling self-preoccupation, warning of its threats to one's spirit or sanity. My father told the story of the Serbian scientist who thought to calculate how many times in his life he'd change his clothes. The total so horrified him he killed himself. This was less a story than a parable. We?for I am as Serbian as I am American, a cultural hybrid, a true hyphenate?are traditionally a fatalistic people. My father's circle of immi grant Serbs, made up mostly of displaced persons and political refugees al most all of peasant background, voiced this fatalism as acceptance of God's will. My father, born in the village of Krnjevo, in Serbia, in 1919, spent 1941 to 1945 as a slave laborer in a German prisoner of war camp. Over the twenty-five years his lifespan matched mine he said within my hearing per haps five sentences about it. The past was past. Trained as a blacksmith after an eighth-grade education, his youth lost to war, displaced to the U.S. in 1950 and employed thereafter in a foundry and factories to support four American-born daughters, he had a hard enough time trying to manage the present. He also hoped, I think, to spare us nightmares and what he may have considered a crippling sense of victimization?I think he was some how actually ashamed of his enslavement?and for so graciously sparing us, at an unknown cost to himself, I thank him. In all this he was typical of the men in his circle, which centered on the Serbian Orthodox church they founded in our city; in fact he was often voted their leader. I was, as it happened, among the first of the American children born into that circle, and so thoroughly socialized in its ways that I was all of twenty five years old before I first thought to look back on life, and felt stupen dously enlightened to see there, instead of fate and chaos, patterns and cycles forming a narrative, a drama. This came courtesy of psychotherapy, product of another, an enemy, culture. So overpowering had been the unspoken
Sinonasal extramedullary plasmacytoma: a systematic review of 175 patients

Background This study reviews the published literature related to extramedullary sinonasal plasmacytomas. Clinical presentation, demographics, treatment, and outcomes of this uncommon disease are reported. Methods A systematic review of studies for sinonasal plasmacytomas from 1950 to 2012 was conducted. A PubMed database search, both for articles related to this condition along with bibliographies of those selected articles, was performed. Articles were examined for patient data that reported disease outcome. Results Sixty-seven journal articles were included in this analysis, comprising a total of 175 cases. Radiotherapy was the most common treatment modality, used in 89 cases, followed by a combination of surgery and radiotherapy, and surgery alone. A total of 71.8% of patients were alive after a median follow-up of 39 months, independent of treatment modality. A combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy was rarely used but had the best treatment outcome, with 88.9% of patients (8/9 patients) alive. Of the 3 most common treatment modalities, a combination of radiotherapy and surgery had the most favorable outcomes. Sixteen patients (9.1%) converted to multiple myeloma, with the majority of these patients (75.0%) receiving radiotherapy alone as their treatment modality. Conclusion This review contains the largest pool of sinonasal plasmacytoma patients to date and suggests aggressive radiotherapy is the most common treatment modality for this condition. Of the 3 most common treatment modalities, a combination of surgery and radiotherapy was shown to have the best survival outcomes.
The model-integrated computing tool suite

Embedded system software development is challenging, owing to a tight integration of the software and its physical environment, profoundly impacting the software technology that can be applied for constructing embedded systems. Modeling and model-based design are central to capture all essential aspects of embedded systems. Vanderbilt University's Model Integrated Computing tool suite, driven by the recognition of the need for integrated systems and software modeling, provides a reusable infrastructure for model-based design of embedded systems. The suite includes metaprogrammable model-builder (GME), model-transformation engine (UDM/GReAT), tool-integration framework (OTIF), and design space exploration tool (DESERT). The application of the MIC tool suite in constructing a tool chain for Automotive Embedded System (VCP) is presented.
Rule Extraction for Transfer Learning

This chapter discusses transfer learning, which is one practical application of rule extraction. In transfer learning, information from one learning experience is applied to speed up learning in a related task. The chapter describes several techniques for transfer learning in SVM-basedreinforcement learning, and shows results from a case study.
FMCW optical ranging technique in turbid waters

The performance of a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) hybrid lidar-radar system will be presented in the context of an underwater optical ranging application. In adapting this technique from the radar community, a laser is intensity-modulated with a linear frequency ramp. A custom wideband laser source modulated by a new wideband digital synthesizer board is used to transmit an 800 MHz wide chirp into the underwater channel. The transmitted signal is mixed with a reference copy to obtain a “beat” signal representing the distance to the desired object. The expected form of the return signal is derived for turbid waters, a highly scattering environment, indicating that FMCW can detect both the desired object and the volumetric center of the backscatter “clutter” signal. This result is verified using both laboratory experiments and a realistic simulation model of the underwater optical channel. Ranging performance is explored as a function of both object position and water turbidity. Experimental and simulated results are in good agreement and performance out to ten attenuation lengths is reported, equivalent to 100 meters in open ocean or 5 meters in a turbid harbor condition.
Knowledge and Meaning: Chaos and Complexity

What are models good for? Taking a largely pedagogical view, the following essay discusses the semantics of measurement and the uses to which an observer can put knowledge of a process’s structure. To do this in as concrete a way as possible, it first reviews the reconstruction of probabilistic finite automata from time series of stochastic and chaotic processes. It investigates the convergence of an observer’s knowledge of the process’s state; assuming that the process is in, and the observer also uses for internal representation, that model class. The conventional notions of phase and phase-locking are extended beyond periodic behavior to include deterministic chaotic processes. The meaning of individual measurements of an unpredictable process is then defined in terms of the computational structure in a model that an observer built.
Automated and Participative Decision Support in Computer-aided Credibility Assessment

History has shown that inaccurate assessments of credibility can result in tremendous costs to businesses and society. This study uses Signal Detection Theory (SDT) to improve the accuracy of credibility assessments through combining automated and participatory decision support. Participatory decision support is also proposed to encourage acceptance of the decision aid’s recommendation. A new hybrid decision aid is designed to perform automated linguistic analysis and elicit and analyze perceptual cues (i.e., indirect cues) from an observer. The results suggest that decision aids that collect both linguistic and indirect cues perform better than decision aids that collect only one type of cue. Users of systems that collect linguistic cues experience improved credibility assessment accuracy; yet, users of systems that collect both types of cues or only indirect cues do not experience higher accuracy. However, collecting indirect cues increases the user’s acceptance of decision-aid recommendations.
The Language of Power: Hidden Transcripts in the Story of Vatel's Death

Absent encryption conveniently practicable in everyday life, and given ubiquitous informers and treachery by trusted recipients, even privileged courtiers of Louis XIV were at constant risk of losing royal favor – and worse – unless they strictly observed the language and spin reflective of how 17th century absolutist sovereigns, but most prominently Louis XIV, pleased events to be projected. Such royal concern for uniform interpretation and presentation was an early implicit admission of one reality that, two sovereigns later, led to the revolution of 1789: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Not until the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century was theatrical, politically correct use of language and strict observance of party lines in ‘public transcripts’ of comparable importance to socio-political survival. The same was true of speech and of behavior in communication between different social classes. Understandably, this could not serve the purposes of meaningful and factually accurate communication. It needed to be supplemented by ‘hidden transcripts’ that at least conferred the information that the ‘public transcript’ was for official consumption only and deviated significantly from the truth, in matters that served royal or other dominant interests. Sophisticated analytical skills and contextual knowledge became requisites de rigueur to accurately read whatever was conveyed, where omissions became just as significant as affirmative statements. At the same time, constant negotiation flowed between public and hidden transcripts, increasing transaction cost in terms of time and accuracy of interpretation, presaging the events of 1879 with some inevitability. This paper shows these contrasts by the example of two letters of Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sevigne, to her daughter, Mme de Grignan, about a royal visit to Chantilly.
Giambattista Basile's The Tale of Tales, or Entertainment for Little Ones

Reviewed Medium: book Translators: Nancy L. Canepa Year: 2007 Pages: 463 Publisher: Wayne State University Press ISBN: 978-0-8143-2866-8 (soft cover).
Improved Thermoelectric Osmometer

The original osmometer described by Goyan and Johnson was improved, resulting in a 10-fold increase in sensitivity and greater convenience in use. A concentration change of 0.001 molal is easily detected in aqueous solutions; however, the instrument may be used without modification for nonaqueous solvents. A new measuring circuit and a new temperature control system are described. The original features for introduction and removal of samples are retained. Solutions contact only glass and platinum. Valuable compounds may be recovered unchanged by evaporation. The instrument may be used in various analytical applications, ranging from the study of complex formation to the determination of concentrations of known solutes. It is useful for the determination of molecular weights and for direct measurement of osmotic properties of solution.
Comparison of minirhizotrons and the soil-water-depletion method to determine maize and soybean root length and depth

Abstract Root length density of maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], measured with minirhizotrons, was compared with soil-water depletion, measured with neutron probes, to determine whether the soil-water-depletion method could indicate root length density and root depth in a stratified soil. The study was carried out in southeast Kansas, USA, on a Parsons silt loam soil (Mollic Albaqualf fine, mixed, thermic) overlying clay (a claypan). Measurements were taken during two dry periods, one in 1983 and one in 1984, to a depth of 1.35 m for soil water and to a depth of 1.15 m for root length density. At the beginning of the dry period, average soil water content for both crops throughout the profile was 0.47 m3 m−3 in 1983 and 0.42 m3 m−3 in 1984. During both dry periods, roots died back in the surface soil because the silt loam dried out; it was drier than the clay. The claypan inhibited root growth. In the clay, roots of both crops increased in root length density in the water year (1983) or decreased in root length density in the drier year (1984). In both years, the depth of maximum water depletion in the soil profile for maize (0.45 m in 1983, 0.90 m in 1984) corresponded well with the depth of maximum root length density measured with minirhizotrons (0.50 m in 1983, 0.80 m in 1984). The depths of maximum depletion for soybean (0.15 m and 0.30 m in 1983, and 0.60 m in 1984) also corresponded relatively well with the zones of maximum root length density (0.15 and 0.50 m in 1983, and 0.40 m in 1984). Depth of rooting was not evident from the soil-water measurements. Root length densities for both crops were low (less than about 1000 and 300 mm−3 for maize and soybean, respectively) at bottom depths of the profile.
Protein turnover studies using in vivo labeling and immunoprecipitation.

Abstract A preliminary evaluation suggests that immunoprecipitation of proteins from plasma or serum samples may be a useful method of protein isolation in turnover studies following in vivo radiolabeling. This method may be advantageous particularly for proteins which are difficult to purify and label in vitro without denaturation.
Diversion of the inferior vena cava following repair of atrial septal defect causing hypoxemia.

Atrial septal defects (ASDs) are a common congenital abnormality, and operative repair is a routine, safe procedure. Diversion of the inferior vena cava (IVC) into the left atrium is an unusual complication following ASD closure. We report a case that illustrates the problem created by this right-to-left shunt. A middle-aged woman underwent ASD repair. She developed hypoxemia postoperatively. A transthoracic echocardiogram confirmed a right-to-left shunt, found only with agitated saline injected into the femoral vein, not into the basilic vein. Surgical reexploration revealed a residual ASD diverting IVC flow into the left atrium, which was repaired with a pericardial patch. Echocardiography with agitated saline injected from the femoral vein is an easy method to diagnose this uncommon complication. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 21, May 2004)
Angiocentric Lesions of the Head and Neck

Angiocentric lesions of the head and neck encompass a variety of benign and malignant lesions. Not unexpectedly the sequelae of an angiocentric process independent of its benign or malignant nature is one of tissue ischemia with a potential for either breakdown or reparative fibrosis. Therefore, the clinical presentations can be very similar despite a varied pathogenesis. Among the benign reactive infiltrates that will be considered are angiocentric eosinophilic fibrosis, Wegener’s granulomatosis, microscopic polyangiitis and cocaine associated mid line facial destruction. We will discuss other conditions which enter into the differential diagnosis either clinically or histologically including Erdheim Chester disease and mid line facial undermining unrelated to an angiocentric event specifically in the context of trigeminal trophic ulcer and relapsing polychondritis. The two main neoplastic conditions exhibiting angiocentricity are in the context of lymphomatoid granulomatosis and NK/T cell lymphoma; hence these two particular hematologic dyscrasias will be discussed in some detail in this review.
Light guided lumpectomy: is continuous wave or frequency domain more accurate

Improving the success of lumpectomies would reduce the number of procedures, cost, and morbidity. A light source could be placed in a lesion to assist in finding and removing the lesion. A quantitive measurement of the distance between such a light source and a detector would further aid in the procedure by providing surgeons with easy to use intra-operative guidance to the lesion. Two methods, continuous wave and frequency domain, of accomplishing this measurement were compared. Within one radio frequency experimental system, the amplitude at 15MHz was taken to represent the continuous wave signal and the phase at 100MHz was taken to represent the frequency domain signal. For the continuous wave method, data at source-detector separation distances of 20, 30 & 50mm were used to predict other distances of 10, 20, 30, 40, & 50 mm. Data at source-detector separation distances of 20 & 40mm was used to predict distances for the frequency domain method. When the difference between the predicted distance and the actual distance was compared to zero the continuous wave method was significantly different (student's t-test, p = 0.03) while the frequency domain method was not statistically different from zero (student'st-test, p > 0.05). The frequency domain method was more accurate at predicting the source-detector separation distance between 10 & 50 mm. This frequency domain method of measuring distance may be useful in locating and removing lesions during lumpectomy procedures.
Cross-National Attitudes and Perceptions Concerning Software Piracy: A Comparative Study of Students from the United States and China

Students' attitudes and perceptions regarding the use of unlicensed software are important to educators and businesses. Students have a proven propensity to pirate software and other intellectual property. By understanding how attitudes and perceptions toward software piracy differ among university students in a cross-national context, educators and business leaders will be better at communicating acceptable usage polices to protect valuable intellectual property in a global information technology environment.
Energy-based mechanistic approach for damage characterization of pre-flawed visco-elasto-plastic materials

Abstract Damage characterization plays a significant role in producing durable and high performance structural materials. However, it is somewhat complicated because of the particular characteristics of many materials, such as pre-existing flaws, time-dependent behaviors, and coexistence of cracking and permanent deformation. This kind of materials is pre-flawed visco-elasto-plastic material. In order to characterize damage in such materials, this paper proposes an energy-based mechanistic (EBM) approach that provides a complete solution to these problems. As typical pre-flawed visco-elasto-plastic materials, asphalt mixtures are selected to demonstrate the principles and applications of the EBM approach. When an asphalt mixture is not damaged, the pre-existing flaws are air voids, characterized by the average air voids size and number of air voids calculated by the EBM approach. The calculated values are more accurate than those measured by the X-ray Computed Tomography system. Due to the increased accuracy, it is discovered that the air voids becomes smaller when the mixture is aged, which serves as an evidence of the change of the internal structure of the material due to aging. When an asphalt mixture is damaged, the damage includes cracking and permanent deformation. The cracking damage is a multitude of randomly distributed cracks. A new concept, distributed continuum fracture (DCF), is introduced to model the distributed cracks in the EBM approach. Development of cracking damage is quantified by the evolution of damage density, average crack size and number of cracks. The damage densities of eight different mixtures are proven to correctly reflect the effect of mixture composition and aging. New features of number of cracks discovered lead to new definitions of cracking history in pre-flawed materials. The energy for permanent deformation is separated from that expended for cracking in the same asphalt mixture. Such a separation acknowledges the fact that cracking and permanent deformation always occur simultaneously. The separated energy for cracking is used to define a cracking energy dissipation rate, a direct indicator of cracking susceptibility of asphalt mixtures. In a word, the EBM approach is able to characterize damage in asphalt mixtures under various conditions using one type of test on one specimen. It requires simple inputs: stress, strain, and time, and all the calculations are performed automatically by the Excel. Using this approach to analyze the test data is more efficient than some alternative methods because of less testing effort and more informative results with improved accuracy.
Is primary hyperaldosteronism a risk factor for aortic dissection

Primary hyperaldosteronism is a rare (<1%) and underdiagnosed cause of secondary hypertension. We present a case of aortic dissection in a patient with primary hyperaldosteronism. To our knowledge, there are six other reported cases of aortic dissection in patients with primary hyperaldosteronism. Our case strengthens the hypothesis that primary hyperaldosteronism is a potential independent risk factor for aortic dissection.
Establishing a familial basis for papillary thyroid carcinoma using the Utah Population Database.

Importance Determining if relatives of patients diagnosed as having papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are at increased risk of developing the same cancer—and if so, which relatives and to what degree—would help identify those who require closer clinical attention. This could lead to earlier cancer detection and improved prognoses. Objective To define the familial risk of PTC using a unique population research database. Design, Setting, Participants Retrospective review at a tertiary care facility using the Utah Population Database, which is linked to medical records and the Utah Cancer Registry, from 1966 through 2011. The study population comprised 4460 patients diagnosed as having PTC in Utah between 1966 and 2011 and their first- through fifth-degree relatives and spouses. These patients were compared 5:1 with matched, population-based controls. Main Outcomes and Measures Statistically significant increased risk of PTC in any first- through fifth-degree relatives or spouses of patients diagnosed as having this cancer. Results First-, second-, and third-degree relatives of PTC probands had a significant increased risk of developing this cancer compared with population controls. First-degree relatives of probands were at a 5.4-fold increased risk ( P −15 ) of being diagnosed as having this cancer themselves. Second- and third-degree relatives had a 2.2-fold ( P −11 ) and 1.8-fold increased risk ( P −8 ), respectively. Siblings of probands were at highest risk (odd ratio, 6.8; P −15 ). There was no significant increased risk observed in spouses of probands. Conclusions and Relevance In the largest population study to date, a high risk of PTC is confirmed in first-degree relatives. Furthermore, significant increased risk extends to second- and third-degree relatives but not to spouses of probands. Translational studies are needed to better define the genetic predisposition to familial papillary thyroid cancer and for the development and implementation of optimal screening approaches.
Dynamic Modification of Separations Using Electrochemically Modulated Liquid Chromatography

A new method for modifying and fine-tuning liquid chromatographic separations without manipulating the mobile phase composition is discussed. This method, termed electrochemically modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC), is based on the electrochemical manipulation of the capacity factors (k' values) of analytes both prior to and during their elution from a column packed with nonporous glassy carbon (GC) spheres. The GC spheres are connected as the working electrode in the three-electrode electrochemical cell. Improvements in the separation of a mixture of aromatic sulfonates (ASFs) obtained at open circuit are demonstrated by the application of several fixed voltages (E[sub app]) as well as voltage and charge ramps to the column. A comparison of these separations to those obtained at various mobile phase combinations suggests that EMLC offers some potentially useful differences in retention that are not easily gained through compositional alterations of the mobile phase. 53 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs.
Intertemporal substitution in labor supply: Micro evidence from rural India

Abstract This paper tests the hypothesis of intertemporal substitution in labor supply using time allocation data on adult male and female members of agricultural households in India. The robustness of the results with respect to functional form specification and credit constraints is examined. The female intertemporal elasticity of substitution is found to be significant but low, similar to estimates from the US. Elasticity estimates for males are negative or zero. Tests of symmetry and additive separability proved inconclusive as they are quite sensitive to functional form. In addition, the empirical analysis revealed significant differences in the elasticity of substitution of females depending on land ownership and whether the period of reference falls during planting and harvesting or after harvesting. These differences suggest that credit constraints limit the possibilities of substitution of labor supply across time.
Unconscious Affective Reactions to Masked Happy Versus Angry Faces Influence Consumption Behavior and Judgments of Value

The authors explored three properties of basic, unconsciously triggered affective reactions: They can influence consequential behavior, they work without eliciting conscious feelings, and they interact with motivation. The authors investigated these properties by testing the influence of subliminally presented happy versus angry faces on pouring and consumption of beverage (Study 1), perception of beverage value (Study 2), and reports of conscious feelings (both studies). Consistent with incentive motivation theory, the impact of affective primes on beverage value and consumption was strongest for thirsty participants. Subliminal smiles caused thirsty participants to pour and consume more beverage (Study 1) and increased their willingness to pay and their wanting more beverage (Study 2). Subliminal frowns had the opposite effect. No feeling changes were observed, even in thirsty participants. The results suggest that basic affective reactions can be unconscious and interact with incentive motivation to in...