cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrated Characterization of Carbonate Ramp Reservoirs Using Permian San Andres Formation Outcrop Analogs

The San Andres Formation (Permian, Guadalupian) of the Permian basin is representative of carbonate ramp reservoirs in that it has highly stratified character, complex facies and permeability structure, and generally low recovery efficiencies of 30% of original oil in place. The approach used here to describe carbonate ramp reservoirs such as the San Andres Formation produces detailed reservoir models based on integration of sequence stratigraphic analysis, petrophysical quantification through definition of rock fabric flow units, and fluid flow simulation. Synthesis of these subdisciplines clarifies which aspects of the geologic-petrophysical model are most significant in predicting reservoir performance and ultimately in understanding the location of remaining oil satur tion. The San Andres Formation crops out along the Algerita escarpment, a long, oblique-dip, continuous shelf-to-basin exposure in the central Guadalupe Mountains. These outcrops provide a unique opportunity to study lateral relationships in geologic and petrophysical structure analogous to those occurring between wells in subsurface reservoirs. On the basis of sequence stratigraphic analysis, three scales of cyclicity are recognized: depositional sequences, high-frequency sequences, and cycles. Examination of the cycles in two detailed window areas provides a practical scale for petrophysical quantification and fluid flow simulation. An understanding of cycle position within the high-frequency sequence framework also provides predictive information. Petrophysical analysis revealed six rock fabric groups dominated by intergranular, separate vug, or dense intercrystalline pore types. Comparison of these rock fabric groups with facies descriptions produced a rock fabric flow unit model that honors the geologic structure of the cycle and sequence framework. Permeability data were averaged within rock fabric flow units using a geometric mean approach based on fine-scale fluid flow modeling of deterministic and stochastically generated permeability fields. Two-dimensional black oil fluid flow models illustrate that (1) major differences in sweep efficiency and fluid flow performance are predicted when linear interwell interpolations are compared with actual interwell-scale geologic structure as determined by outcrop geologic and petrophysical mapping, (2) an understanding of static geologic/petrophysical conditions provides only a partial understanding of reservoir performance defined by the interaction of these static properties and dynamic properties of fluid flow interaction within the flow unit architecture, and (3) because of the orderly distribution of high- and low-permeability facies within cycle stacks of high-frequency sequences, this larger scale of geologic description can give a reasonable first-order approximation of fluid flow patterns and early breakthrough. End_Page 181------------------------------
Evaluation of Vessel Sealing Performance Among Ultrasonic Devices in a Porcine Model

Background. As new technologies emerge, it is imperative to define which new devices are most likely to provide a reproducible, effective result for the patient and surgeon. The purpose of our study was to analyze 3 commercially available ultrasonic energy devices; the Sonicision (SC), the Harmonic ACE (HA), and the THUNDERBEAT (TB). Material and Methods. Eight female Yorkshire pigs were used for data collection and vessel harvest. Three devices were evaluated and compared with each other with respect to seal failure and cutting speed in vivo. After vessel harvest, one end of the fragment was sent for histological evaluation, and the other was used for burst pressure measurement testing in a blinded fashion. The coagulation and cut levels of all the generators were set up at a similar and constant level. Results. Eighty-four vessels (47 arteries and 37 veins) were tested. Mean vessel diameter was equal among the groups. Cutting speed was significantly faster with TB (3.4 ± 0.7 seconds) than SC or HA (5.8 ...
Does knowledge about sexuality prevent adolescents from developing rape-supportive beliefs?

Believing that rape is acceptable in some situations may account for adolescent boys' perpetration of forced sex on girls. This study was intended to examine two hypothesized cognitive factors of adolescents' rape-supportive beliefs: general knowledge, measured with grade point average (GPA); and specific knowledge about sexuality, measured with a newly devised questionnaire. Fourteen-year-old adolescents (N = 248) participated in a short-term longitudinal study. They completed questionnaires designed to assess sexual knowledge and rape-supportive beliefs, and six months later completed them again. Sexual knowledge increased sharply between Time 1 and Time 2, whereas rape-supportive beliefs decreased during the same time. Boys obtained higher rape-supportive belief scores than girls. Regression analyses showed that sexual knowledge significantly predicted the level of rape-supportive beliefs six months later, independent of GPA and sex of participants. GPA accounted for a greater part of the variance in r...
Reduced Growth Rate and Changes in Cell Wall Proteins of Plant Cells Adapted to NaCl

Plant cells which are exposed to sufficient osmotic stress will lose turgor and stop growing. However, within limits plant cells will osmotically adjust to such stress and restore turgor but growth remains inhibited. We have hypothesized that osmotically adapted cells have restricted growth rates because of alterations in cell wall metabolism. We demonstrate here that the amounts of hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins are greatly reduced in adapted cells and, hence, cannot be involved in restricted growth. Adapted cells do have an altered pattern of ionically-bound cell wall proteins and proteins released outside of the cell. Any role of these protein changes in restricting cell growth remains to be proven. Plants regenerated from adapted cells exhibit a genetically stable reduction in leaf cell enlargement rate. Alterations in cell wall properties of these leaf cells remain to be determined.
The ecology and emergence of diseases in fresh waters

SUMMARY 1. Freshwater ecosystems, including ponds, lakes, streams and rivers, represent an interaction nexus between environmental change and a wide variety of infectious diseases, including human malaria, salmonid whirling disease, amphibian chytridiomycosis, crayfish plague and many others. However, few studies have explicitly examined patterns of disease in fresh waters and how they are changing over time. 2. Freshwater environments can function as transmission foci for pathogens because of (i) the importance of fresh water for organism survival, (ii) the aquatic life histories of many vectors and intermediate hosts, (iii) the concentrated aggregations of species – both freshwater and terrestrial – in and around freshwater habitats and (iv) the highly altered condition of freshwater ecosystems, which can affect species interactions and disease pathology. 3. To determine whether water-related diseases in wildlife are increasing, we used generalised additive models to quantitatively assess trends in the scientific literature (1970–2009) for major freshwater groups, including amphibians, molluscs, crayfishes, fishes, mammals, reptiles and birds. We further examined what types of pathogens were primarily responsible for observed patterns and whether recurrent groups or transmission modes could be identified. 4. After correcting for research effort and temporal autocorrelation, we find that reports of disease varied over time and across freshwater taxa, with significant increases in amphibians, fishes and crayfishes, a significant decrease in molluscs, and no significant change in freshwater reptiles, birds or mammals. The types and diversity of pathogens varied considerably among groups. Reports of infection in amphibians were dominated by helminths and a chytridiomycete, in crayfishes by viruses and fungi, in molluscs by digenetic trematodes, in birds, fishes and mammals by viruses, protists and helminths and in reptiles by helminths and bacteria. 5. These results provide some of the first quantitative evidence indicative of a long-term increase in disease-related research for freshwater taxa. Managing freshwater ecosystems to reduce or minimise human and wildlife disease risk – arguably one of the most significant ecosystem services – will require enhanced incorporation of ecological approaches alongside medical and veterinary tools.
Isolation and Characterization of Rhodobacter capsulatus Mutants Affected in Cytochrome cbb3 Oxidase Activity

ABSTRACT The facultative phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus contains only one form of cytochrome (cyt)c oxidase, which has recently been identified as acbb3-type cyt c oxidase. This is unlike other related species, such as Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Paracoccus denitrificans, which contain an additional mitochondrial-likeaa3-type cyt c oxidase. An extensive search for mutants affected in cyt c oxidase activity in R. capsulatus led to the isolation of at least five classes of mutants. Plasmids complementing them to a wild-type phenotype were obtained for all but one of these classes from a chromosomal DNA library. The first class of mutants contained mutations within the structural genes (ccoNOQP) of the cytcbb3 oxidase. Sequence analysis of these mutants and of the plasmids complementing them revealed thatccoNOQP in R. capsulatus is not flanked by the oxygen response regulator fnr, which is located upstream of these genes in other species. Genetic and biochemical characterizations of mutants belonging to this group indicated that the subunits CcoN, CcoO, and CcoP are required for the presence of an active cytcbb3 oxidase, and unlike inBradyrhizobium japonicum, no active CcoN-CcoO subcomplex was found in R. capsulatus. In addition, mutagenesis experiments indicated that the highly conserved open reading frame 277 located adjacent to ccoNOQP is required neither for cytcbb3 oxidase activity or assembly nor for respiratory or photosynthetic energy transduction in R. capsulatus. The remaining cyt c oxidase-minus mutants mapped outside of ccoNOQP and formed four additional groups. In one of these groups, a fully assembled but inactive cytcbb3 oxidase was found, while another group had only extremely small amounts of it. The next group was characterized by a pleiotropic effect on all membrane-bound c-type cytochromes, and the remaining mutants not complemented by the plasmids complementing the first four groups formed at least one additional group affecting the biogenesis of the cyt cbb3oxidase of R. capsulatus.
El sujeto exiliado y la construcción de la memoria colectiva en Quanta, quanta guerra… de Mercè Rodoreda

Considering Michel de Certeau's ideas about spatial stories, my objective is to analyze the exiled subject and the construction of collective memory (in Maurice Halbwachs's terms) in Merce Rodoreda's Quanta, quanta guerra… (1980). I first analyze the exiled subject taking into account how the novel, in the tradition of the Bildungsroman, narrates the travel story of its protagonist, Adria Guinart, from his departure from home to his return as the mythic hero in search of a truth, or as the picaresque antihero of the Quest-Romance. Concurrently, I study the construction of collective memory from the protagonist's individual memory, as he passes from infancy—when he runs away from home to go to war—to adulthood—when the war ends—where he undergoes a wide range of experiences to become a man.
Developmental Differences in Acute Ethanol Withdrawal in Adolescent and Adult Rats

Background: Withdrawal from an acute high ethanol dose induces behaviors reminiscent of withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure. While such “hangover”-related anxiety has previously been shown to be considerably less pronounced in adolescent compared to adult male rats, ontogenetic studies are limited and few experiments have directly compared sex- and age-related differences in sensitivity to ethanol hangover. Methods: The current experiments examined consequences of a previous ethanol challenge (4.0 g/kg i.p. injection, 20% v/v) on anxiety and exploratory behavior in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and holeboard (HB) tests, respectively, in adolescent and adult male and female Sprague–Dawley rats. Results: In Exp. 1, evidence of hangover-related anxiety and withdrawal-induced hypoactivity emerged at both ages and in both sexes. As several procedural variables were changed in Exp.1 relative to previous studies from our laboratory showing age-related differences in these hangover measures, Exp. 2 explored the possible contribution of 2 variables to ontogenetic expression of withdrawal-induced anxiogenesis: (1) isolation vs. social context during the postchallenge recovery period and (2) EPM testing alone or immediately following a 5 minute HB test. Results of Exp. 2 revealed few significant interactions of these variables with age- and ethanol exposure-related anxiety measures, although sequential testing (HB before EPM) notably suppressed activity in the EPM and altered the major underlying component of EPM behavior from anxiety to activity as revealed in factor analyses of these data. Additional analyses conducted on animals tested only in the EPM revealed attenuations in withdrawal anxiogenesis among adolescents, along with withdrawal-related decreases in activity at both ages. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggest that adolescents do show an attenuated sensitivity to hangover-induced anxiogenesis in the EPM, an age difference not evident under other pretest conditions. Therefore, caution should be exerted when using the EPM to index anxiety across age. The robustness of withdrawal-related hypoactivity at both ages suggests that adolescents may not be globally insensitive to the consequences of previous binge-like exposure to ethanol, but rather less likely to express certain hangover-related consequences.
Remarkable Preservation of a New Genus and Species of Limuline Horseshoe Crab from the Cretaceous of Texas, U.S.A.

: A single specimen, part and counterpart of a carapace, of a horseshoe crab from the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Glen Rose Formation in north-central Texas, forms the basis for the definition of a new genus and species, Crenatolimulus paluxyensis. The discovery represents only the fifth limuline known from the Cretaceous. Its preservational style is remarkable in that the carapace exterior is faithfully replicated by a massive overgrowth of serpulid worms.
Recognition of early emphysema by pulmonary function tests.

One hundred and fifty tuberculous patients received pulmonary ventilatory tests prior to lobectomy for removal of residual disease or cavity. Patients were selected whose removed specimen yielded an "ideal biopsy" of the lung. The presence or absence of chronic obstructive emphysema was determined on the basis of gross inspection of the cut lung. The most sensitive indication of early emphysema was a combination of positive findings on all three ventilatory tests, TVC of 90 per cent or less, elevation of the MBC spirogram to hyperinflation level and single breath O 2 test of 2 per cent or greater. It was possible to predict correctly whether or not generalized emphysema was present in 93 per cent of the patients examined. A follow-up study on 94 of these patients showed no significant reversibility of the three ventilatory screening tests within an average period of six months postoperative. Only six patients appeared to develop emphysema within the six months following lobectomy.
Hot-carrier-degradation characteristics for fluorine-incorporated nMOSFET's

Fluorine was implanted into the polysilicon gate and diffused into the gate oxide by annealing at 1000 degrees C. Transconductance (g/sub m/) for the devices with high dosages of fluorine implantation decreased linearly in stress time, while g/sub m/ for devices without fluorine and with low implantation dosages decreased by almost the square root of stress time. Device lifetime, defined as 10% g/sub m/ reduction, for devices implanted with high dosages of fluorine was shorter at high drain voltage stress than that for those without or with low dosage of fluorine, but longer at low voltage stress. As to the relationship between device lifetime and substrate current, the fluorine-incorporated device had higher critical energy to create interface traps by hot-carrier injection than the device without fluorine. High-temperature annealing in hydrogen ambient increased device degradation. However, the fluorine incorporation had the advantage of hot-carrier immunity for the hydrogen annealing. >
Japan's persistent trade surplus: Policies for adjustment

Abstract While part of the recent increase in the Japanese trade surplus can be attributed to the Japanese recession, the surplus has widened despite the appreciation of the yen and enactment of policies to open Japanese markets. We review the trade surplus issue in the light of theories of trade and current account adjustment. We evaluate the potential for exchange appreciation and Japanese fiscal policy to reduce the imbalance, estimating their effects using simulations of the NIRA-LINK model of the US - Japan-world economy. The simulations show that moderate use of macropolicies would not be sufficient to eliminate the trade imbalance.
Stress and Health: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinants

Stressors have a major influence upon mood, our sense of well-being, behavior, and health. Acute stress responses in young, healthy individuals may be adaptive and typically do not impose a health burden. However, if the threat is unremitting, particularly in older or unhealthy individuals, the long-term effects of stressors can damage health. The relationship between psychosocial stressors and disease is affected by the nature, number, and persistence of the stressors as well as by the individual's biological vulnerability (i.e., genetics, constitutional factors), psychosocial resources, and learned patterns of coping. Psychosocial interventions have proven useful for treating stress-related disorders and may influence the course of chronic diseases.
Heparin stimulates proteoglycan synthesis by vascular smooth muscle cells while supressing cellular proliferation

Abstract We studied the effect of heparin on proteoglycan synthesis by bovine aortic smooth muscle cells in culture. Confluent, growth-arrested cells were incubated with [ 35 S]sulfate, [ 3 H]glucosamine or [ 3 serine in the presence of 0–600 μg/ml heparin. Metabolically labeled proteoglycans secreted into the culture medium and associated with the cell layer were analyzed. In cultures treated with heparin there was a dose-dependent increase in [ 35 S]sulfate incorporation into secreted proteoglycans which reached a maximum (35% above controls) at 100 μg/ml heparin. At higher concentrations of heparin, the stimulatory activity declined and finally disappeared. Radioactivity in cell-associated proteoglycans increased significantly (16% above controls) only in cultures treated with 100 μg/ml heparin. Heparin also produced similar increases in the incorporation of [ 3 H]glucosamine and [ 3 H]serine into secreted and cell-associated proteoglycans. While chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate were elevated in the media, only chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate were increased in the cell layer. Heparin did not alter the degradation of proteoglycans. Heparin, while inhibiting the proliferation of subconfluent smooth muscle cells, also stimulated to a greater extent the incorporation of [ 35 S]sulfate into proteoglycans. Other glycosaminoglycans, such as heparan sulfate, dermatan sulfate, heparin hexasaccharide and Sulodexide caused a significant but lesser stimulation of proteoglycan synthesis, while chondroitin sulfates and hyaluronic acid had no effect. Gel filtration chromatography of proteoglycans and their constituent glycosaminoglycans from heparin-treated and untreated cultures showed no differences in their molecular size. The results indicate that heparin can stimulate proteoglycan synthesis by vascular smooth muscle cells irrespective of their state of proliferation. This might have implications in vessel wall repair and arterial wall lipid deposition.
On the reality of the conjunction fallacy.

Attributing higher “probability” to a sentence of formp-and-q, relative top, is a reasoning fallacy only if (1) the wordprobability carries its modern, technical meaning and (2) the sentencep is interpreted as a conjunct of the conjunctionp-and-q. Legitimate doubts arise about both conditions in classic demonstrations of the conjunction fallacy. We used betting paradigms and unambiguously conjunctive statements to reduce these sources of ambiguity about conjunctive reasoning. Despite the precautions, conjunction fallacies were as frequent under betting instructions as under standard probability instructions.
Juvenile specimens of Eusthenopteron foordi Whiteaves, 1881 (osteolepiform rhipidistian, Pisces) from the Late Devonian of Miguasha, Quebec, Canada

ABSTRACT A size series of thirty-five specimens of Eusthenopteron foordi Whiteaves, 1881, shows isometric and allometric changes. As in Recent fishes, the main difference between small (juvenile) and large (adult) specimens is the relative size of the orbit and of the head. The large relative decrease of the orbit diameter from 31% to 12–7% of head length (b = 0.632) explains the positive allometric growth of bones surrounding the orbit, i.e., the change from a palaeoniscoid-like juvenile to a typical rhipidistian with an elongated postorbital region. With the exception of the caudal prolongation, all fin positions remain isometric to standard length.
An Empirical Test Of The View Of Inventory As A Liability In Explaining Financial Distress: A Reply

This study reports a first attempt in a financial distress context to test the extreme JIT and TOC view that inventory is a liability. We compared inventory levels and the change in inventory for healthy and financially distressed manufacturing firms. We also compared the explanatory power of logistic regression models including traditional accounting ratios to that of models including accounting ratios created by viewing inventory as a liability. We found some support for the extreme view of some JIT and TOC proponents that traditional inventory should be considered a liability.
An S $$\ell _1$$ ℓ 1 LP-active set approach for feasibility restoration in power systems

We consider power networks in which it is not possible to satisfy all loads at the demand nodes, due to some attack or disturbance to the network. We formulate a model, based on AC power flow equations, to restore the network to feasibility by adjusting load at demand nodes or power production at generators, but doing so in a way that minimizes a weighted measure of the total power adjustment, and affects as few nodes as possible. Besides suggesting an optimal response to a given attack, our approach can be used to quantify disruption, thereby enabling “stress testing” to be performed and vulnerabilities to be identified. Optimization techniques including nonsmooth penalty functions, sequential linear programming, and active-set heuristics are used to solve this model. We describe an algorithmic framework and present convergence results, including a quadratic convergence result for the case in which the solution is fully determined by its constraints, a situation that arises frequently in the power systems application.
Fecal Glucocorticoid Levels of Endangered San Joaquin Kit Foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) in Natural and Urban Habitats

Abstract. Animals that are exposed to environmental stressors may experience chronically elevated glucocorticoid (GC) levels, which can lead to deleterious effects such as immune and reproductive system suppression. Such effects are of special concern in rare species. We measured fecal GC concentrations in endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes mocrotis mutica) to assess stress responses in natural and urban habitats. Basal GC levels were significantly higher (P < 0.01) among urban foxes (5.3 ± 2.2 ng cortisol/g dry feces; n = 32) than among foxes in natural habitats (4.7 ± 0.5 ng cortisol/g dry feces; n = 179). In the natural habitat, potential stressors included predation risk, particularly in areas with shrubs where coyote (Canis latrans) abundance was higher. In the urban habitat, the primary stressors were anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., human activity, vehicles). Foxes in natural habitats exhibited acute stress responses when trapped, but exhibited similar mean GC levels between areas of high an...
Integration of Big Data Using Semantic Web Technologies

In order to realize the promise of Big Data, applications will have to consider the integration of many disparate data sources. Due to data heterogeneity, this task presents a number of challenges that may not be completely resolved with existing Extract-Transform-Load (ETL)-based frameworks. In this paper, we explore the potential of Semantic Web Technologies as a means of integration and development of Big Data applications. In demonstration, a usage case study is presented examining supplier chain operations. Additionally, we review the overall challenges of data integration in this area.
Surgical correction of a case of common atrium with anomalous systemic and pulmonary venous drainage

A case of common atrium with anomalous systemic and pulmonary venous connections and pulmonary stenosis is described. Surgical correction was performed by pulmonary valvotomy and the insertion of an intra-atrial pericardial baffle. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of surgical correction of total anomalous connections of both systemic and pulmonary veins. The embryologic development of this condition is discussed.
Detecting hybridization using ancient DNA

It is well established that related species hybridize and that this can have varied but significant effects on speciation and environmental adaptation. It should therefore come as no surprise that hybridization is not limited to species that are alive today. In the last several decades, advances in technologies for recovering and sequencing DNA from fossil remains have enabled the assembly of high-coverage genome sequences for a growing diversity of organisms, including many that are extinct. Thanks to the development of new statistical approaches for detecting and quantifying admixture from genomic data, genomes from extinct populations have proven useful both in revealing previously unknown hybridization events and informing the study of hybridization between living organisms. Here, we review some of the key recent statistical innovations for detecting ancient hybridization using genomewide sequence data and discuss how these innovations have revised our understanding of human evolutionary history.
Racial inequality and the implementation of emergency management laws in economically distressed urban areas

Abstract This study examines the use of emergency management laws as a policy response to fiscal emergencies in urban areas. Focusing on one Midwestern Rust Belt state, we use a mixed methods approach – integrating chronology of legislative history, analysis of Census data, and an ethnographic case study – to examine the dynamics of emergency management laws from a social justice perspective. Analysis of Census data showed that emergency management policies disproportionately affected African Americans and poor families. Analysis indicated that in one state, 51% of African American residents and 16.6% of Hispanic or Latinos residents had lived in cities that were under the governance of an emergency manager at some time during 2008–2013, whereas only 2.4% of the White population similarly had lived in cities under emergency management. An ethnographic case study highlights the mechanisms by which an emergency manager hindered the ability of residents in one urban neighborhood, expected to host a large public works project, to obtain a Community Benefits Agreement intended to provide assistance to residents, most of whom were poor families with young children. We conclude with a discussion of how emergency management laws may impact social service practice and policy practice in urban communities, framed from a social justice perspective. We argue that these are not race neutral policies, given clear evidence of race and ethnic disparities in their implementation.
An Efficient Force Prediction Strategy in Single Point Incremental Sheet Forming

Incremental sheet forming is a flexible forming process where a tool is programmed to follow predetermined tool paths to create sheet metal parts. It is ideal for rapid prototyping and low-volume production. Modeling incremental sheet forming and predicting forming forces can significantly benefit product design and process development. Existing force prediction methods are either inaccurate or too time consuming. The goal of this research is to identify an efficient force prediction strategy based on experimental observations of forming forces. It was found that by creating a near-finished part geometry as a starting point of numerical simulation, forming forces can be predicted with satisfactory accuracy and efficiency. The proposed strategy was validated and further demonstrated in forming of parts having different geometries. As the simulation strategy can be completed in a fraction of the full simulation time, it can be adopted to guide the development of incremental sheet forming parts.
Response to: ‘Is optimizing gout treatment the key to closing the mortality gap in gout patients?’ by Brinck et al

We thank Dr Ten Brinck and colleagues for their comments.1 Regarding the first comment, we have stated in our manuscript discussion that we did not have sufficient detail on the cause of death in our data set, precluding investigations …
‘I am assumed to be someone who doesn’t have to deal with diversity’: countering the denial of diversity in rural teacher education

In this article, the researchers examine the role of diversity in a pre-service teacher education programme in a predominately white public university in the United States rural north-west region. ...
ENERGY CONSERVATION PLANNING FOR AN EXTENDED ECONOMIC HORIZON: KUWAIT

ABSTRACT The importance of the export price of energy versus the domestic price for Kuwait is discussed in terms of its effect on optimal long run energy efficiency for the country. The detrimental effects of subsidation of domestic energy is shown and suggestions made for Kuwait to move toward removal of such subsidies.
Diagnosis and treatment of the acute scrotum.

Testicular torsion must be considered in any patient who complains of acute scrotal pain and swelling. Torsion of the testis is a surgical emergency because the likelihood of testicular salvage decreases as the duration of torsion increases. Conditions that may mimic testicular torsion, such as torsion of a testicular appendage, epididymitis, trauma, hernia, hydrocele, varicocele and Schonlein-Henoch purpura, generally do not require immediate surgical intervention. The cause of an acute scrotum can usually be established based on a careful history, a thorough physical examination and appropriate diagnostic tests. The onset, character and severity of symptoms must be determined. The physical examination should include inspection and palpation of the abdomen, testis, epididymis, scrotum and inguinal region. Urinalysis should always be performed, but scrotal imaging is necessary only when the diagnosis remains unclear. Once the correct diagnosis is established, treatment is usually straightforward.
FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY STUDIES IN EXPERIMENTAL MALARIAS. II. SIMIAN-HUMAN MALARIA ANTIBODY RELATIONSHIP

Publisher Summary This chapter describes fluorescent antibody (FA) studies in experimental malarias focusing on Simian–Human malaria antibody relationship. The six patients analyzed were infected only with P. falciparum or P. malariae. The FA responses are average values from 3 to 7 serum samples from each patient, adjusted so that the highest titer against the human parasite is equal to 100. The first three patients had P. falciparum only; it was seen that there were significant titers when P. fieldi antigen was used, as well as other minor cross reactivity. The three patients with P. malariae only also showed significant titers to P. fieldi, and even higher titers to P. brasilianum. This latter is of considerable interest, in that both P. malariae and P. brasilianum are quartan parasites and P. brasilianum has been shown to be infective to humans under experimental conditions. This immunologic cross-reactivity appears to be further indication of a close relationship between these two species. Minor cross-reactions with the other simian and human species were also seen.
School-Based Suicide Prevention Laws in Action: A Nationwide Investigation of Principals’ Knowledge of and Adherence to State School-Based Suicide Prevention Laws

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth aged 10–24 in the USA. In response to the high rate of youth suicide, teen suicide has gained national attention and, as a result, state governments have created legislation regarding youth suicide prevention in schools. States hold the power to instruct their schools in how to address suicide prevention, but little research has explored the relationship between state laws about school-based suicide prevention and schools’ actual practice of suicide prevention or about the effectiveness of different types of laws. The current study examined this relationship by surveying a nationally representative sample of high school principals. It assesses their knowledge of and compliance with state laws about suicide prevention, adherence to best practices for school-based suicide prevention, and variables that predict their schools’ suicide prevention program comprehensiveness. Results indicated that only about 25% of principals (N = 656) accurately identified their states’ laws about school-based suicide prevention, and 66.1% reported that their schools’ suicide prevention programs are in complete compliance with their states’ laws. Principals in states with the most stringent laws reported having the most comprehensive suicide prevention programs. Having funding, perceived support, student socioeconomic status, and having a student in their current school die by suicide were all significantly related to suicide prevention program comprehensiveness. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.
The Arc of Learning framework: An ergonomic resource for design and enactment of problem-based curriculum

Abstract This article explores students’ development of deep, connected mathematical understanding through the lens of curriculum design and teacher enactment of problem-based curriculum materials. Rather than emphasizing student learning as passively watching and imitating a set of isolated skills, the Arc of Learning framework highlights ways that student learning can evolve from informal knowledge to more sophisticated reasoning over time. It is an ergonomic resource for curriculum design and use that makes explicit the intentions of the curriculum designers about how students engage in the learning of mathematics over time. Using examples from a problem-centered curriculum, we report on the student learning opportunities provided by connected sequences of problems. We also discuss how it can be used by various stakeholders.
Creativity, Technology, and Learning: Theory for Classroom Practice

Creativity, Technology, and Learning provides a comprehensive introduction to theories and research on creativity in education and, in particular, to the role of digital-learning technologies in enabling creativity across classroom learning environments. Topical coverage includes play, constructionism, multimodal learning and project-/problem-based learning. Creativity is uniquely positioned throughout the book as an integral component of the educational process and also as a foundational aspect of self-actualization, thriving communities, and humane societies.Through in-depth, empirically based discussions of the philosophical, curricular and pedagogical elements of creativity, Sullivan demonstrates how creativity can be fostered across the curriculum through the use of digital-learning technologies in design, personal expression and problem-solving activities.
Entropy stable artificial dissipation based on Brenner regularization of the Navier-Stokes equations

Abstract In contrast to conventional shock-capturing methods that introduce dissipation based on smoothness of a discrete solution, we propose to regularize the compressible Navier-Stokes equations by adding an artificial dissipation operator introduced by Howard Brenner. This regularization satisfies the first and second law of thermodynamics, ensures positivity of thermodynamic variables, and preserves the translational and rotational invariance at the continuous level. In this paper, we present a new class of artificial dissipation spectral collocation operators of arbitrary order of accuracy, that mimic some key properties of the continuous Brenner-Navier-Stokes diffusion operator at the discrete level. The new artificial dissipation operator preserves superconvergence of the corresponding baseline spectral collocation scheme, satisfies the summation-by-parts property and discrete entropy inequality, thus facilitating a nonlinear L 2 -stability proof for the symmetric form of the regularized Navier-Stokes equations. Numerical results demonstrating accuracy and non-oscillatory properties of the new schemes are presented for both continuous and discontinuous flows.
The importance of sleep in selecting neuronal circuitry; programmed cell death/apoptosis

Abstract Once a given brain region makes its initial synaptic connections, neurons making inappropriate ones must be removed. A key component of this removal is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep during which time all movement ceases except that of the eyes. However, the neuronal circuitry rapidly fires, releasing trophic factors including neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. Cells that have made correct synapses receive their trophic requirements; those that don’t die by apoptosis. Human fetuses are in REM sleep almost all the time, although some persists throughout life. Another major function of all phases of sleep, including REM and slow wave sleep, is to remove toxic molecules through channels that form the glymphatic system. Also memory consolidation occurs during sleep; ordinary memories during slow wave sleep and emotional memories during REM sleep. In birds and mammals, because of its enormous circuitry, the brain must eliminate incorrectly wired neurons. REM sleep stresses the neurons causing inappropriately connected ones to commit suicide. The mechanism through which neuronal death occurs is called apoptosis. This mechanism exists in all multicellular organisms. Apoptotic cells have several distinct features. Their cell bodies become dark and granular and their nuclear membranes and chromosomes are destroyed. Ultimately, the cell fragments into small vesicles that are engulfed by microglia without releasing various toxic compounds. Three families of proteins play key roles in apoptosis. Caspases are enzymes that when activated proteolyze almost all cellular proteins. Apaf-1 binds to a caspase, activating it. Members of the Bcl-2 family either negatively or positively regulate apoptosis. Intrinsic apoptosis occurs when damage to mitochondria occurs. Extrinsic apoptosis results when a neuron is deprived of trophic support. A cascade of events results from either form of apoptosis, beginning with oligomerization of Bcl-2 family members, leading to cytochrome C release and caspase activation.
Anti-CTLA-4 Activates Intratumoral NK Cells and Combined with IL15/IL15Rα Complexes Enhances Tumor Control.

Antibodies targeting CTLA-4 induce durable responses in some patients with melanoma and are being tested in a variety of human cancers. However, these therapies are ineffective for a majority of patients across tumor types. Further understanding the immune alterations induced by these therapies may enable the development of novel strategies to enhance tumor control and biomarkers to identify patients most likely to respond. In several murine models, including colon26, MC38, CT26, and B16 tumors co-treated with GVAX, anti-CTLA-4 efficacy depends on interactions between the Fc region of CTLA-4 antibodies and Fc receptors (FcRs). Anti-CTLA-4 binding to FcRs has been linked to depletion of intratumoral T regulatory cells (Tregs). In agreement with previous studies, we found that Tregs infiltrating CT26, B16-F1, and autochthonous BrafV600EPten-/- melanoma tumors had higher expression of surface CTLA-4 (sCTLA-4) than other T cell subsets, and anti-CTLA-4 treatment led to Fc/FcR-dependent depletion of Tregs infiltrating CT26 tumors. This Treg depletion coincided with activation and degranulation of intratumoral NK cells. Similarly, in NSCLC and melanoma patient-derived tumor tissue Tregs had higher sCTLA-4 expression than other intratumoral T cell subsets, and Tregs infiltrating NSCLC expressed more sCTLA-4 than circulating Tregs. Cutaneous melanoma patients who benefited from Ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting CTLA-4, had higher intratumoral CD56 expression, compared with patients who received little to no benefit from this therapy. Furthermore, using the murine CT26 model we found that combination therapy with anti-CTLA-4 plus IL15/IL15R-alpha complexes enhanced tumor control compared to either monotherapy.
The Effects of Cost Sharing on Cancer Screening and Price Shopping: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality, but the cost-sharing environment for colonoscopies, the preferred form of screening, is complex. This paper combines a machine learning-based double-selection algorithm to perform principled covariate selection with differential exposure to the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that insurers fully cover cancer screening services as an instrumental variable to estimate the effect of cost sharing on colonoscopy utilization and price-shopping. The reduced form results show that the ACA’s requirements increased the use of colonoscopies by 1.7% and the IV results imply a price elasticity of 0.09. I do not find a price shopping response.
Double-profile intersection (DoPIo) elastography: a new approach to quantifying tissue elasticity

Tissue elasticity can be measured by applying an acoustic radiation force (ARF) excitation and tracking mechanical responses like deformation or shear wave propagation via displacement tracking. However, tissue displacements tracked by ultrasound is underestimated due to the shearing of scatterers under the tracking point-spread function. While such displacement underestimation is a source of error in conventional elasticity approaches, we herein present an alternative method that exploits displacement underestimation: double-profile intersection (DoPIo) elastography. We hypothesize that DoPIo can quantify material elasticity in silico.
Open to Interpretation: Confronting the Challenges of Understanding the Current State of Body-Worn Camera Research

In only five years, both the implementation of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) and the evidence base evaluating the technology has diffused at a breakneck pace. As the number of studies has increased, so too has the uncertainty surrounding BWCs and their impact on various outcomes. In this commentary, we bring together the differing viewpoints on the five existing summaries of the BWC literature, highlight the key sources of contention, and make recommendations for BWC scholars and consumers moving forward.
Antibiotics shift the temperature response curve of Escherichia coli growth

Temperature variation—through time and across climatic gradients—affects individuals, populations, and communities. Yet how the thermal response of biological systems is altered by environmental stressors is poorly understood. Here we quantify two key features—optimal temperature and temperature breadth—to investigate how temperature responses vary in the presence of antibiotics. We use high-throughput screening to measure growth of Escherichia coli under single and pairwise combinations of 12 antibiotics across seven temperatures that range from 22°C to 46°C. We find that antibiotic stress often results in considerable changes in the optimal temperature for growth and a narrower temperature breadth. The direction of the optimal temperature shifts can be explained by the similarities between antibiotic-induced and temperature-induced damage to the physiology of the bacterium. We also find that the effects of pairs of stressors in the temperature response can often be explained by just one antibiotic out of the pair. Our study has implications for a general understanding of how ecological systems adapt and evolve to environmental changes.
Determination of the Fe-rich portion of the Fe-Ni-C phase diagram

The iron-rich portion of the Fe-Ni-C phase diagram has been determined in the composi-tion range from 0 to 20 wt pct Ni and 0 to 6.67 wt pct C for four temperatures, 773, 873, 923 and 1003 K. Long term heat treatments were used to grow the ferrite plus austenite assemblages, while slow cooling heat treatments (25 K/h) were used to grow the metal plus carbide assemblages. Other types of heat treatments produced metal plus graphite. The two phase tie-lines and three phase tie-triangles were measured using electron mi-croprobe techniques. In samples where bulk equilibration had not been achieved, tie-lines were obtained by using extrapolated interface compositions, on the assumption of local equilibrium at the interface. The tie-lines lie at higher Ni contents than the equilibrium tie-line through the bulk composition. The tie-line shift was required to produce match-ing growth rates of Ni and C for the carbides. The addition of Ni slightly reduces the solubility of carbon in austenite and decreases the stability of the carbide phase. In addi-tion, the carbide is always Ni-poor relative to the coexisting metal phase(s).