cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Explaining the difference in prostate cancer mortality rates between white and black men in the United States

Abstract Objectives. Black men have a twofold increased risk of dying of prostate cancer compared to white men. We assessed the extent to which differences in stage and grade at diagnosis, age, multiple primary cancers, and the first course of cancer-directed therapy influence the likelihood of prostate cancer death among diagnosed cases. Methods. Incidence-based mortality (IBM) is a method that involves tracking disease cases from diagnosis to death, such that the mortality event is linked to factors identified with the disease at the time of diagnosis (eg, tumor stage and grade). We applied the IBM method to prostate cancer data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. Results. Of men diagnosed with prostate cancer, blacks have a significantly greater chance of dying from the disease than do whites. However, once adjustment has been made for stage and grade at diagnosis, age, number of primary cancers, and initial treatment, no difference in the likelihood of prostate cancer mortality between the two races was found. Differences in stage and grade at diagnosis, age, number of primary cancers, and initial treatment each contributed significantly to the greater chance of dying of prostate cancer for black men than for white men. Conclusions. The results of IBM analysis suggest that black men do not have a statistically greater chance of prostate cancer mortality than white men after adjusting for differences in stage and grade, age, number of primary cancers, and treatment. Later stage at diagnosis is the primary reason for the higher likelihood of prostate cancer mortality among black men compared to white men.
Postprandial metabolic events and fruit-derived phenolics: a review of the science

There is increasing evidence that the postprandial state is an important contributing factor to chronic disease. The role of fruit phenolic compounds to protect health and lower disease risk through their actions in mitigating fed-state metabolic and oxidative stressors is of interest and the topic of the present paper. Two main questions are posed: first, what is the role of plant foods, specifically fruits rich in complex and simple phenolic compounds in postprandial metabolic management; and second, does the evidence support consuming these fruits with meals as a practical strategy to preserve health and lower risk for disease? This review provides an overview of the postprandial literature, specifically on the effect of fruits and their inherent phenolic compounds in human subjects on postprandial lipaemia, glycaemia/insulinaemia and associated events, such as oxidative stress and inflammation. Among the identified well-controlled human trials using a postprandial paradigm, >50 % of the trials used wine or wine components and the remaining used various berries. Notwithstanding the need for more research, the collected data suggest that consuming phenolic-rich fruits increases the antioxidant capacity of the blood, and when they are consumed with high fat and carbohydrate 'pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory' meals, they may counterbalance their negative effects. Given the content and availability of fat and carbohydrate in the Western diet, regular consumption of phenolic-rich foods, particularly in conjunction with meals, appears to be a prudent strategy to maintain oxidative balance and health.
Interaction between ethanol and stress on ACTH and beta-endorphin secretion.

The intraperitoneal infusion of ethanol (EtoH) (1 g/hr/kg body weight for 3 hr) to intact rats blunted the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and beta-endorphin induced by a subsequent 10-min exposure to mild, inescapable electroshocks (1.5 mA; 2 sec; four shocks/min) or by corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). Conversely, administration of the shocks for 3 hr diminished the pituitary response to an acute i.p. injection of EtoH. While we have previously shown (Rivier C, Vale W: Endocrinology 121:1320-1328, 1987) that prolonged stress induces a loss of pituitary responsiveness due to the depletion of pituitary ACTH stores, the infusion of EtoH did not cause statistically significant changes in pituitary ACTH content. In adrenalectomized rats, the infusion of EtoH caused an elevation of ACTH plasma levels that was significantly (p less than or equal to 0.01) larger than intact animals. These rats also showed a blunted pituitary response to the acute injection of CRF, possibly because they were already secreting ACTH at a maximal rate. These results support the hypothesis that CRF, stress, and alcohol do not potentiate each other on pituitary ACTH and beta-endorphin secretion.
Cervical mucus sperm penetration in women on oral contraception or with an IUD In situ

Penetration of cervical mucus by spermatozoa was observed in cycling and infertile women, in women on sequential or combination oral contraceptive medication, and in women with an IUD in situ. _Sperm penetration of cervical mucus varied from women not using contraceptives and from infertile women, to patients taking sequential conception control pills. In cycling women penetration was low in the early proliferative phase, high at mid-cycle, and low again in the luteal phase. The infertility patients, studied around mid-cycle, had high penetration. Patients on the sequential pill had moderate to high penetration throughout the cycle. Patients using IUD's had higher than anticipated sperm penetration, especially during the luteal phase of the cycle (p<O.O5), but also from Days 11-19, perhaps due to a local effect of the IUD on mucus production. Patients taking the low dose combination conception control pills had unexpectedly high penetration. During midcycle, when ovulation usually occurs, sperm penetration did not differ significantly from that in cycling women.
Treating patients with medically resistant epilepsy

Recent evidence suggests that medically resistant epilepsy can be identified if seizures persist despite adequate doses of 2 appropriate first-line antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Patients with medically resistant epilepsy should have their seizures carefully characterized in order to confirm their diagnosis, select treatment, and assist in determining prognosis. Patients should be counseled about factors that aggravate epilepsy and the importance of adhering to treatments. Physicians should carefully inquire about side effects and alter therapy to eliminate or minimize these symptoms. Uncontrolled seizures cause injuries, disability, and increased mortality, so surgery should be considered as soon as seizures are proven to be medically resistant. Patients with incomplete response to AEDs and who are not surgical candidates may benefit from additional medication trials or from palliative nonmedical therapies, such as vagal nerve stimulation.
Behind the Screen: Visuality, Law, and New Media

The article analyzes the 2011 Supreme Court decision in which video games were granted full First Amendment protection. By comparing this case with earlier ones dealing with computer code, the article points to inconsistencies in how the courts are approaching digital media. These inconsistencies are symptomatic of a focus on the screen or the treatment of digital media as commodities. This status and the pervasive logic of commodity fetishism are what, in our current legal and economic environment, enabled the protection of games as pure speech. In actuality, the decision protected corporate rights and speech.
"Soft-decision" decoding of Chinese remainder codes

Given n relatively prime integers p/sub 1/ , where m/sub i/=m(mod p/sub i/). The soft-decision decoding problem for the Chinese remainder code is given as input a vector of residues r/spl I.oarr/=(r/sub 1/,...,r/sub n/), a vector of weights , and an agreement parameter t. The goal is to find all messages m /spl isin/ M such that the weighted agreement between the encoding of m and r/spl I.oarr/(i.e., /spl Sigma//sub i/ w/sub i/ summed over all i such that r/sub i/=m(mod pi)) is at least t. Here we give a new algorithm for solving the soft-decision problem for the CRT code that works provided the agreement parameter t is sufficiently large. We derive our algorithm by digging deeper into the algebra underlying the error-correcting algorithms and unveiling an "ideal"-theoretic view of decoding. When all weights are equal to 1, we obtain the more commonly studied "list decoding" problem. List decoding algorithms for the Chinese Remainder Code were given recently by O. Goldreich et al. (1999), and improved by D. Boneh. Their algorithms work for t/spl ges//spl radic/(2knlogp/sub n//logp1) and t/spl ges//spl radic/(knlogp/sub n//logp/sub 1/), respectively. We improve upon the algorithms above by using our soft-decision decoding algorithm with a non-trivial choice of weights, solve the list decoding problem provided t/spl ges//spl radic/(k(n+/spl epsi/)), for arbitrarily small /spl epsi//spl ges/0.
Recent investigations of Thiem's method for determining permeability of water‐bearing materials

This paper presents results obtained in an investigation of the ground-water resources of the Platte River Valley that is being conducted in cooperation between the Conservation and Survey Department of the University of Nebraska and the United States Geological Survey. Most quantitative ground-water studies are concerned with the amount of water that percolates into the discharge-area of an investigated region from the recharge-area in order to determine the amount of water that can be safely withdrawn from the discharge-area without an excessive lowering of the ground-water level. D'Arcy found that the quantity of water discharged through a column of water-bearing material was proportional t o the hydraulic gradient, the cross-sectional area, and a constant which depends upon the material. If these three factors are known, the discharge through any cross section of a water-bearing formation may be computed.
Distributed broad-band frequency translator and its use in a 1-3-GHz coherent reflectometer

We present the first frequency translator based on a nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) phase shifter and demonstrate its application in a coherent reflectometer, giving a performance comparable to a commercial network analyzer. Rather than forming shock waves on the NLTL with large signal excitation, we use its voltage-variable delay together with both amplitude and phase linearization to modulate the phase of a small 0.5-3.0-GHz microwave signal. The resultant single sideband modulator exhibits >45 dBc carrier and spurious suppression. This new approach has significant applications in both instrumentation and sensing, particularly because it offers a clear path toward complete integration of a coherent measurement system.
Stress Echocardiography using Exercise-Simulating Techniques

The choice of techniques for inducing ischemia at stress echocardiography corresponds to that for the scintigraphic methods, and involves a fundamental distinction between exercise and non-exercise approaches. The latter include exercise-simulating methods (including sympathomimetic and pacing stresses), which increase myocardial oxygen demand, and vasoactive agents (principally dipyridamole and ergonovine stresses), which primarily influence myocardial blood supply. This chapter will examine the exercise-simulating techniques, and explore whether their use is justifiable in preference to exercise stress. The following chapter will deal with the vasoactive stress agents.
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary interventions: an update on recent developments.

Purpose of reviewEndoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biliary drainage procedures can be utilized in patients with biliary obstruction and incomplete drainage with prior interventions, in those whose ampulla is inaccessible (i.e. from surgically altered anatomy and malignant luminal obstruction), or i
Effects of neuraminidase on the regulation of erythropoiesis

In this article, we present evidence that sialic acid-containing surface components play a role in the regulation of erythropoiesis. A 1- hr exposure of mouse bone marrow cells to high concentrations of neuraminidase reduced erythroid colony formation. Coculture of 10(6) untreated thymocytes with neuraminidase-treated bone marrow cells restored erythroid colony growth. Neuraminidase-treated thymocytes retained their ability to suppress erythroid colony formation by untreated marrow cells, but lost their ability to enhance erythroid colony formation. Continuous exposure to low concentrations of neuraminidase enhanced erythroid bone marrow cell colony growth in response to a suboptimal dose of erythropoietin.
A framework for investigating large-scale patterns as an alternative to precipitation for downscaling to local drought

Global Climate Model (GCM) projections suggest that drought will increase across large areas of the globe, but lack skill at simulating climate variations at local-scales where adaptation decisions are made. As such, GCMs are often downscaled using statistical methods. This study develops a 3-step framework to assess the use of large-scale environmental patterns to assess local precipitation in statistically downscaling to local drought. In Step 1, two statistical downscaling models are developed: one based on temperature and precipitation and another based on temperature and a large-scale predictor that serves as a proxy for precipitation. A key component is identifying the large-scale predictor, which is customized for the location of interest. In Step 2, the statistical models are evaluated using NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis data. In Step 3, we apply a large ensemble of future GCM projections to the statistical models. The technique is demonstrated for predicting drought, as measured by the Palmer Drought Severity Index, in South-central Oklahoma, but the framework is general and applicable to other locations. Case study results using the Reanalysis show that the large-scale predictor explains slightly more variance than precipitation when predicting local drought. Applying future GCM projections to both statistical models indicates similar drying trends, but demonstrates notable internal variability. The case study demonstrates: (1) where a large-scale predictor performs comparably (or better) than precipitation directly, then it is an appealing predictor choice to use with future projections, (2) when statistically downscaling to local scales, it is critical to consider internal variability, as it may be more important than predictor selection.
AMENDMENT ON THE LIFE TABLE AND RELEVANT DATUM INDICATORS OF GIANT PANDA

The life table of the giant panda was suggested by WEI Fu Wen in 1989,who mainly based on the skull specimen collected in field and the result of age determination through incisor sections of known age panda specimen.However,in a review of recent literature.We noted 3 errors in analyses,all of which may lead to erroneous inferences (Harris et al .,1993),Therefore.According to the data on the age structures of wild giant pandas in Mingshan and Qinglai Mountains,and the age structure derived from the analysis on the skull specimen as well as the stable age structure in the giant panda populations in the two mountains,the proportions of the giant panda in different classes are calculated by using the relative equation of distribution density function on the ages of animal populations: f ( x )=βe -β x (Hou et al .,1998).Then,the life table of the giant panda and its relevant numerical indexes were amended through synthesizing the research data and the main conclusions as follows: The mean life expectancy:3 995 years.After a half year of living.The mean life span increase to (10 36±1 15) years.The net reproductive rate ( R 0):1 05734.The mean time of per generation ( T ):12 156 years.The intrinsic rate of natural increase ( r m):0 00459033.The finite rate of increase (λ):1 00460040.
Isolation of endophyte fungi in Narcissus tazetta var.chinensis and their antimicrobial and antitumor activities

Objectives To isolate endophytic fungi from the roots and stems of Narcissus tazetta var.chinensis,and to determine their antimicrobial and antitumor activities.Medthods After isolating the endophytic fungi,the antimicrobial activity from the isolated endophytic fungi was detected using filter paper method with Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Klebsiella pneumoniae as indicator microorganisms.And the antitumor activity on HepG2 was detected by MTT assay.Results A total of 18 strains of the endophytic fungi were isolated.The ethyl acetate extracts of the fermentation broth had the significant antibiotic activity on almost all the indicator microorganisms,and had the apparent antitumor activity on HepG2.Among these,the antibiotic activity of strains SX-R202 and SX-S102 against E.coli and P.aeruginosa were the highest,with the inhibiting zone diameters of 18 and 20 mm,respectively,at the concentration of 10 mg/mL.And at the extracts concentration of 1 mg/mL,the inhibitory rates(IR) of strains SX-R201,SX-R202,SX-R203,and SX-R204 on HepG2 were(86.0 ± 1.1)%,(89.8 ± 1.3)%,(62.9 ± 0.9)%,and(90.6 ± 1.0)%.With the identification by morphology and molecular biology,strain SX-R201 was determined to belong to the genus Fusarium sp.,and SX-R202 and SX-R203 to Penicillium sp.,SX-R204 and SX-S102 to Aspergillus sp.,respectively.Conclusion The results indicate that the endophytic fungi of N.tazetta var.chinensis are potential antimicrobial and antitumor resource,which deserves further studies.
Central corneal opacification resulting from recent chemotherapy in corneal donors.

PURPOSE Ocular surface disease following penetrating keratoplasty has been shown to increase patient morbidity and adversely affect graft survival. Five cases of dense central subepithelial opacification were noted in keratoplasty patients who received tissue from donors who had chemotherapy prior to death. Cancer-related deaths account for approximately 20% of the cornea donor pool. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of recent systemic antimetabolite therapy on donor corneas. METHODS Eye bank donor charts of 120 consecutive penetrating keratoplasty donors were retrospectively reviewed for cancer-related deaths. Donors who received chemotherapy prior to death were identified. Recipient records of those patients receiving tissue from donors that had recently undergone systemic chemotherapy were reviewed. Corneal clarity and postoperative ocular surface disease were noted by the surgeon. RESULTS Twenty-nine of 120 cornea donors (24%) had a cancer-related cause of death. Five of these 29 donors (17%) had undergone systemic chemotherapy with antimetabolite drugs (which inhibit microtubule formation) within the previous 8 weeks. All 5 recipients postoperatively developed central subepithelial opacification in spite of temporary tarsorrhaphy performed at the time of keratoplasty. Central corneal opacification was severe enough in 3 patients to require regrafting for visual improvement. Histopathology showed abnormality of the central epithelial basement membrane, apoptosis of basal epithelial cells, and thinning of the epithelial cell layer. CONCLUSION Corneas from donors who received a full course of recent systemic antimetabolite therapy are associated with central subepithelial scarring following keratoplasty. Corneal surgeons should be aware of the potential for severe ocular surface disease when using donor tissue from patients with metastatic cancer.
Component Model in Discourse Analysis.

Automated text analysis tools such as Coh-Metrix and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) provides overwhelming indices for text analysis, so fewer underlying dimensions are required. This paper developed an underlying component model for text analysis. The component model was developed from large English and Chinese corpora in terms of results from Coh-Metrix, and English and Chinese Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC).
Perceptions and Behavior of Minority Consumers Toward Generic Consumer Products

This study reports the findings of a survey of ethnic consumers’ perceptions toward no brand (i. e., generic brand) consumer products. Regarding the perceptions of generic’s compared to manufacturer’s brand, the data revealed that generics are viewed as moderately different with respect to various brand attributes. Implications from these findings are drawn for manufacturers and retailers.
Transposon-related sequences in the Triticeae

The purpose of this work was to determine whether sequences homologous to maize transposable elements exist in wheat and its relatives. Genomic Southern blots of Triticeae members were used to detect copy number of homologues to the major open reading frames of the maize Ac and En transposases, and MudrB, a regulator of transposition. The number of similar sequences was the least with Ac, intermediate with Mu, and the greatest with En. Maize transposons at the nucleotide and amino acid level were used in EST and genomic database searches. Nucleotide identity between maize and wheat was 58% for Ac, 59% for Mu, and 61% for En. Protein homologues were found for Ac and Mu in wheat and barley, and for En in barley.
Stability of Catalyzed Magnesium Hydride Nanocrystalline During Hydrogen Cycling. Part I: Kinetic Analysis

Magnesium hydride is widely recognized as a promising material for hydrogen storage and thermal energy storage. Cyclic stability of the kinetics of catalyzed MgH2 was systematically investigated in this study. Three systems including MgH2–TiH2, MgH2–TiMn2, and MgH2–VTiCr were prepared by high energy ball milling. Volumetric hydrogen desorption and absorption cycles were performed using the pressure–composition–isothermal (PCI) method. Results show that the kinetics of high-temperature (300 °C) hydrogenation and dehydrogenation maintained a good stability during 100 hydrogen cycles. However, when testing the hydrogenation kinetics at the low-temperature range from 25 to 150 °C, a severe degradation was observed after hydrogen cycles. Among the three materials, the MgH2–VTiCr system shows better cyclic performance. The degradation of low-temperature kinetics can be mainly related to the hydrogenation–dehydrogenation cycling reactions.
A Comprehensive Typology of Prepurchase, External Information Searchers

Various studies in the information search literature in the past have uncovered differing sets of prepurchase external-information search patterns exhibited by individuals. However, across all these studies there has been little consistency not only in these reported patterns, but also in the terminology used to describe each of them. This paper seeks to address this major gap in the literature. Based on an exhaustive review of the prior empirical literature on prepurchase information search patterns, for the first time in the literature, a comprehensive supertypology is proposed in this paper that accounts for all the searcher types reported in this prior literature. Further, also for the first time in the literature, this paper seeks to explain these searcher types using an accepted theoretical framework. As must be pointed out, all of the prior searcher types uncovered (and reviewed in this paper) were empirically driven and devoid of theory. In this paper, also for the first time in the literature, testable, theory-based propositions are developed for each searcher type in the proposed typology. Finally, this paper concludes with a discussion as to why this typology is needed and how it could be used by practitioners and theoreticians in marketing.
Strong vertex-magic and edge-magic labelings of 2-regular graphs of odd order using Kotzig completion

Abstract Let G be a 2-regular graph with 2 m + 1 vertices and assume that G has a strong vertex-magic total labeling. It is shown that the four graphs G ∪ 2 m C 3 , G ∪ ( 2 m + 2 ) C 3 , G ∪ m C 8 and G ∪ ( m + 1 ) C 8 also have a strong vertex-magic total labeling. These theorems follow from a new use of carefully prescribed Kotzig arrays. To illustrate the power of this technique, we show how just three of these arrays, combined with known labelings for smaller 2-regular graphs, immediately provide strong vertex-magic total labelings for 68 different 2-regular graphs of order 49.
Automatic generation of hints for symbolic traversal

Recent work in avoiding the state explosion problem in hardware verification during breath-first symbolic traversal (BFST) based on Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs) applies hints to constrain the transition relation of the circuit being verified [14]. Hints are expressed as constraints on the primary inputs and states of a circuit modeled as a finite transition system and can often be found with the help of simple heuristics by someone who understands the circuit well enough to devise simulation stimuli or verification properties for it. However, finding good hints requires one to constrain the transition system so that small intermediate BDDs arise during image computations that produce large numbers of reachable states. Thus, the ease of finding good hints is limited by the user's ability to predict their usefulness. In this paper we present a method to statically and automatically determine good hints. Working on the control flow graph(s) of a behavioral model of the circuit being analyzed, our algorithm extracts sets of related execution paths. Each set has a corresponding enabling predicate which is a candidate hint. Program slicing is employed to identify execution paths. Abstract interpretation and model checking are used to ascertain properties along these paths. Hints generated automatically using our technique result in orders-of-magnitude reductions in time and space requirements during state space exploration compared to BFST and are usually as good as those produced by someone who understands the circuit.
Adapting Assessment Tasks To Support Three-Dimensional Learning

As chemists, we understand that science is more than a set of disconnected facts. It is a way of investigating and understanding our natural world that involves things like asking questions, analyzing data, identifying patterns, constructing explanations, developing and using models, and applying core concepts to other situations. This paper uses the concept of three-dimensional (3D) learning, presented in A Framework for K-12 Science Education, to reconceptualize and develop assessment items that require students to integrate chemistry core ideas with scientific practices and crosscutting concepts. Developing 3D assessments from scratch is time-consuming and beyond the scope of most faculty work. Here we present an alternate approach: We provide a detailed description of ways in which instructors can take current assessment questions and modify them to align with three-dimensional learning by focusing on the evidence that is sought about what students know and can do with their knowledge.
Fourier analysis and evaluation of DG, FD and compact difference methods for conservation laws

Abstract Large eddy simulation (LES) has been increasingly used to tackle vortex-dominated turbulent flows. In LES, the quality of the simulation results hinges upon the quality of the numerical discretizations in both space and time. It is in this context we perform a Fourier analysis of several popular methods in LES including the discontinuous Galerkin (DG), finite difference (FD), and compact difference (CD) methods. We begin by reviewing the semi-discrete versions of all methods under consideration, followed by a fully-discrete analysis with explicit Runge–Kutta (RK) time integration schemes. In this regard, we are able to unravel the true dispersion/dissipation behavior of DG and Runge–Kutta DG (RKDG) schemes for the entire wavenumber range using a combined-mode analysis. In this approach, we take into account all eigenmodes in DG and RKDG schemes. The physical-mode is verified to be a good approximation for the asymptotic behavior of these DG schemes in the low wavenumber range. After that, we proceed to compare the DG, FD, and CD methods in dispersion and dissipation properties. Numerical tests are conducted using the linear advection equation to verify the analysis. In comparing different methods, it is found that the overall numerical dissipation strongly depends on the time step. Compact difference (CD) and central FD schemes, in some particular settings, can have more numerical dissipation than the DG scheme with an upwind flux. This claim is then verified through a numerical test using the Burgers' equation.
Analysis of Immune Response Induced by Tumors Engineered to Secrete Cytokines

One of the most critical questions in cancer biology is why the immune system fails to eliminate tumors that arise de novo. Recent studies have provided strong evidence that this failure owes to an inability to respond to tumor-specific antigens, rather than an absence of tumor-specific T cells. Over the past few years, our group has been analyzing the immune response induced by immunization with tumors engineered to secrete cytokines locally. Immunization of animals bearing small amounts of established renal cell carcinoma were in fact able to be cured of their disease by the systemic immune response induced by syngeneic tumor cells transduced with a murine interleukin-4 gene (1). More recently, in collaboration with Richard Mulligan’s laboratory, we have evaluated the immune responses generated by tumors transduced with retroviral vectors carrying the GM-CSF gene. In this model of paracrine cytokine production, GM-CSF stood out as the most effective lymphokine in inducing systemic immune responses against the poorly immunogenic F10 variant of B16 melanoma. Histologic analysis of the inflammatory infiltrate within the GM-CSF transduced tumor cells revealed a large number of activated macrophage-like cells together with a moderate number of granulocytes. The systemic immune response generated by immunization with GM-CSF transduced tumor cells was found to be dependent both on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (2).
Genetic Paths Leading to Blindness in Astyanax Mexicanus

The nature of the genetic controls of the eye and its development is still a largely unexplored field. Embryologists postulate that lens development is initiated by a process of inductive interaction of the developing eye cup and the surface ectoderm. Little light has been shed, however, on the action of genetic controls in this process, and particularly on the degree of independence of the controls of the various eye components.
Regulation of Neuropeptide Levels in Sensory Receptors and Autonomic Ganglia

In recent years, several laboratories have identified the neuropeptides, substance P (SP) and met- and leuenkephalin (ME, LE) in the carotid bodies of several species (Lundberg et al., 1979: Wharton et al., 1980). Immunohistochemical techniques used in these studies have localized the enkephalins to the type I cells, while SP-like immunoreactivity (SPLI) was found in both nerve fibres (see also Jacobowitz and Helke, 1980) and 20% of the type I cells (Cuello and McQueen), 1980). The role of these peptides in carotid body function is not presently known (see recent review by McQueen, 1984): however, in other nervous tissue (e.g., substantia nigra [Hanson et al., 1981], spinal cord and sympathetic ganglia [Otsuka et al., 1982], and other structures [Chesselin et al., 1981],) these neuropeptides have been postulated to function as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators of synaptic action.
Random Eigenvalues and Structural Dynamic Models

A review of the literature is provided of the study of structural vibration problems with random parameters. There have been several approaches to this problem. These have been encapsulated in this paper for the benefit of those who need to assess such possibilities.
Recent Reforms of the Finances of the International Monetary Fund: An Overview

Under its charter, the International Monetary Fund with its near universal membership of 187 countries – is charged with “oversee[ing] the international monetary system.” This chapter discusses the measures taken by the International Monetary Fund to reform its income model and to improve its financing capacity. It also touches on related developments, in particular International Monetary Fund governance reform, which is inextricably linked to the financing reform through the link of quota share and voting power in the International Monetary Fund, and the reform of the International Monetary Fund's financing facilities, i.e., the modalities through which the International Monetary Fund provides financing to its members, which also influence the size of the International Monetary Fund.
Linking Quality Improvement Practices to Knowledge Management Capabilities

Researchers examine the relationship of quality management to knowledge management and the effect on patient safety.
FXR1 Is an IL-19-Responsive RNA-Binding Protein that Destabilizes Pro-inflammatory Transcripts in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

This work identifies the fragile-X-related protein (FXR1) as a reciprocal regulator of HuR target transcripts in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). FXR1 was identified as an HuR-interacting protein by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The HuR-FXR1 interaction is abrogated in RNase-treated extracts, indicating that their association is tethered by mRNAs. FXR1 expression is induced in diseased but not normal arteries. siRNA knockdown of FXR1 increases the abundance and stability of inflammatory mRNAs, while overexpression of FXR1 reduces their abundance and stability. Conditioned media from FXR1 siRNA-treated VSMCs enhance activation of naive VSMCs. RNA EMSA and RIP demonstrate that FXR1 interacts with an ARE and an element in the 3' UTR of TNFα. FXR1 expression is increased in VSMCs challenged with the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-19, and FXR1 is required for IL-19 reduction of HuR. This suggests that FXR1 is an anti-inflammation responsive, HuR counter-regulatory protein that reduces abundance of pro-inflammatory transcripts.
Interventional Oncology: Keeping Out of Trouble in Ablation Techniques

Interventional radiologists provide an essential role in the therapy and management of cancer patients. Computed-tomography (CT) guided percutaneous procedures have enabled interventionalists to treat multiple solid organ malignancies with minimal risk, however, certain lesions may present challenges to physicians due to a difficult approach, or their close proximity to other vital structures. The following presents a brief summary of tips and tricks the interventionalist may use to provide their patients with safe and effective therapy.
Enhanced A1 adenosine receptor-induced vascular contractions in mesenteric artery and aorta of in L-NAME mouse model of hypertension.

Abstract L-NAME-induced hypertension is commonly used to study endothelial dysfunction and related vascular effects. It has been reported that genetic deletion of A1 adenosine receptor (AR) reduces blood pressure (BP) increases in mice and thus, suggesting the involvement of A1AR. Thus, we sought to determine whether A1AR-induced vascular responses were altered in this mouse model of hypertension. L-NAME (1 mg/ml) was given in the drinking water for 28 days to mice. The BP was monitored using non-invasive tail-cuff system. Muscle tension studies were performed using DMT for mesenteric arteries (MAs) and organ bath for aorta. Protein expression was analyzed by western blot. Significantly, higher systolic and mean arterial blood pressure was noted in L-NAME mice. In MAs, higher 2-Chloro-N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CCPA, selective A1AR agonist) induced contractions in hypertensive mice were observed. This enhanced contraction was inhibited by HET0016 (Cytochrome 450 4A inhibitor, 10 µM, 15 min). Contrary, 5′-(N-Ethylcarboxamido) adenosine (NECA, non-selective AR agonist) induced vascular responses were comparable in both groups. Pinacidil (KATP channel opener) induced relaxation was significantly increased in hypertensive mice. In aorta, CCPA-induced contractions were enhanced and inhibited by HET0016 in hypertensive mice. Notably, NECA-induced contractions in aorta were enhanced in hypertensive mice. Higher expressions of A1AR and Cyp4A were noted in MAs of hypertensive mice. In addition, in aorta, higher A1AR and comparable Cyp4A levels were observed in hypertensive mice. A1AR-induced vascular contractions were enhanced in hypertensive mice aorta and MAs. Cyp4A plays a role in altered vascular responses in MAs.
Brief Report: Sexual Wellbeing in Heterosexual, Mostly Heterosexual, and Bisexually Attracted Men and Women.

Objective: To assess differences in sexual wellbeing among men and women with exclusively heterosexual, mostly heterosexual, and bisexual attractions. Method: An anonymous online survey in a conven...
Late Breaking Results: Predicting DRC Violations Using Ensemble Random Forest Algorithm

At leading technology nodes, the industry is facing a stiff challenge to make profitable ICs. One of the primary issues is the design rule checking (DRC) violation. In this research, we cohort with the DARPA IDEA program that aims for “no-human-in-the-loop” and 24-hour turnaround time to implement an IC from design specifications. In order to reduce human effort, we introduce the ensemble random forest algorithm to predict DRC violations before global routing, which is considered the most time-consuming step in an IC design flow. In addition, we identified features that critically impact the DRC violations. The algorithm has a 5.8% better F1-score compared to the existing SVM classifiers.
Do Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Treatment Vary With Underlying Mental Health

A long line of studies document substantial and persistent racial and ethnic disparities in the use of mental health services. Many recent studies follow the Institute of Medicine's definition of disparities, adjusting only for differences in health and mental health status across groups. However, controlling for mental health may mask important changes in the magnitudes of disparities at different levels of mental health need. We extend the previous literature by explicitly estimating how differences in treatment use across groups change at different levels of psychological distress. We used detailed data on sociodemographic characteristics, health insurance coverage, treatment, and the K6 psychological distress scale from the 2010 to 2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to estimate nonlinear models of ambulatory and prescription drug mental health treatment. We find that in contrast to physical health treatment, Black-White and Hispanic-White disparities in any mental health treatment use widen with higher levels of psychological distress.
Excluded-volume model for quarkyonic matter: Three-flavor baryon-quark mixture

The single-flavor excluded-volume model based on the effective size of baryons reproduces the hard-soft density evolution of the equation of state (EoS) required by the recent studies of GW170817. This phenomenological model basically realizes the concept of quarkyonic matter which is introduced from large-${N}_{c}$ gauge theory for dense matter. Enhanced nucleon interactions and dynamically generated quark degrees of freedom can reproduce the hard-soft evolution of the EoS. In this paper, we extend the excluded-volume model to a three-flavor system by considering electromagnetic charge and possible weak equilibrium in order to obtain a proper description for the hard-soft behavior of the EoS inferred from the gravitational waves observations.
The Evolution of Therapeutic Communities

Aside from isolated voices in the Greco-Roman period and such as John Weyer’s in the Middle Ages, history tells us almost nothing of systematic or planned humane treatment of the mentally ill until late in the 18th Century. The one exception in this void of care is the humane treatment accorded the mentally ill at Gheel in Belgium on religious grounds since the 14th Century. This, however, was foster-family care and not hospital- or institution-based. (1)
Conflict and Co-ordination in the Aftermath of Oracular Statements

Can victims of the oracle paradox, which is known primarily through its unexpected hanging and surprise examination versions, extricate themselves from their difficulties of reasoning? No. For they do not, contrary to recent opinion, commit errors of fallacious elimination. As I shall argue, the difficulties of reasoning faced by these victims do not originate in the domain of concepts, propositions and their entailment relations; nor do they result from misapprehensions about limitations on what can be known. The difficulties of reasoning flow, instead, from conflicts that arise in the practical dimension of life. The oracle paradox is in this way more evocative of problems faced in the theory of computation than it is like the celebrated Russell’s paradox.
Feminist periscoping in research on border enforcement and human rights

Border and immigration enforcement is a key contemporary site for human rights concerns. The policies and practices of enforcement are notoriously difficult to research. In our work as feminist pol...
The Relationship Between English Placement Assessments and an Institution: From Challenge to Innovation for an Intensive English Program in the USA

The chapter discusses the institutional processes, assessment development, and English language proficiency in relation to university expectations of international students. Balancing the relationship between best practices for achievement for English skills, campus academic programs, and a pathway provider is a whole-institution initiative. Higher education decision-making utilizing assessments is subject to controversy, since they are at risk of operating unfairly for students expecting uniform assessment treatment and institutions expecting uniform indications of linguistic readiness. The chapter highlights issues emerging from practices identified from the past five founding years of a university-based ESL program in the USA and international pathway provider. The issues highlighted include: (1) stakeholder relations, (2) student language skills, (3) assessment development, and (4) testing innovations. Rather than a cure-all for the complexities and maladies, the chapter presents details of assessment design and implementation for dealing with the challenges that emerge, in order for other institutions to develop deeper insights into their own language testing relationships that in turn determine student trajectories, institutional connections, and missions of programs.
How Biosimilar Disparagement Violates Antitrust Law

Biologic manufacturers have disparaged biosimilars, raising foreboding safety warnings that have hampered their adoption in the U.S. marketplace. In this short piece, I explain how this violates antitrust law.
Financial Efficiency and the Lucas Puzzle

I present a model that provides a theoretical solution to the Lucas Puzzle using Financial Efficiency, which is a time-varying component of TFP. The model predicts that a financially underdeveloped economy is to benefit from financial integration through FDI capital inflow only if it experiences faster technological growth, or faster Financial Development than the developed economy. Fitting the model to the data of India, I find that a sharp increase in India’s Financial Efficiency since 1990 provides a test for the theoretical prediction above and its congruence with the empirical part of the model. Increases in India’s capital per worker and Foreign Direct Investment capital inflow during the same period serve as external validation of the model.
A More Optimal Stochastic Extremum Seeking Control Using Fractional Dithering For A Class of Smooth Convex Functions

Abstract Adaptive control such as extremum seeking control (ESC) can be a very useful tool to optimize problems with smooth convex functions. However, some systems can be noisy or contain non-convex regions where the solution may result in a local minimum or maximum. Using perturbation based ESC with appropriate amplitude, one can overcome local regions to find the global extremum. This work introduces fractional dithering noise into stochastic ESC to improve performance for a class of smooth convex functions. Noise with long range dependent behavior can yield a more optimal solution.
Taking a side between the United States and the People’s Republic of China: Strategic hedging of South Korea and India:

This paper explores how South Korea and India have taken positions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China over diverse foreign policy issues. By adopting dual engagement and s...
Swaying in Three Directions: Ilya Galant in Russian/Ukrainian-Jewish Historiography

This article explores the life and work of an important but little-known Jewish-Russian-Ukrainian historian and political liberal, Ilya Galant, and examines his vision of Jewish history in Ukraine. Galant wanted to legitimize the rights of Jews in Russia and “normalize” their presence in Ukraine. To accomplish this goal he interpreted history creatively, demonstrating Jewish-Ukrainian friendship as well as Jewish contributions to Ukraine. He also appealed to the Russian intelligentsia to foster a liberal coalition of forces in favor of Jewish rights. This essay illuminates contexts that have not received proper scholarly attention: Jewish historiography on Ukraine, Jewish liberals in Russia, the development of Russian-Jewish historiography, the image of Jews in Polish-Ukrainian history, and Jewish scholarship in Soviet Ukraine.
Distinctive Flow Cytometric and Mutational Profile of Acute Myeloid Leukemia With t(8;16)(p11;p13) Translocation

Objectives Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with t(8;16)(p11;p13) abnormalities is a rare, aggressive, and diagnostically challenging subtype that results in KAT6A-CREBBP gene fusion. Methods To investigate their immunophenotype and genomic features, we identified 5 cases of AML with t(8;16) through a retrospective review of the databases at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL, and Washington University Medical Center, in St Louis, MO. Results In all, 4 of 5 cases were therapy related and 1 was possibly therapy related. The leukemic blasts showed distinctive features, including bright CD45 expression and remarkably high side scatter that overlapped with maturing myeloid elements, making the blasts difficult to identify on initial examination. They were positive for CD13, CD33, and CD64 and negative for CD34 and CD117. Next-generation sequencing profiling of 4 cases revealed pathogenic ASXL1 (2 cases), FLT3-tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) mutations (2 cases), and other pathogenic mutations. In 3 patients, t(8;16) was the sole cytogenetic abnormality; additional aberrations were found in 2 patients. Single nucleotide polymorphism microarray revealed 1 case with 7q deletion as a secondary clone. Conclusions Our data highlight the distinctive immunophenotypic profile of AML with t(8;16), which, along with its unique morphology, often presents a diagnostic challenge. We showed that mutations of either ASXL1 or FLT3-TKD are seen in most cases of this leukemia.
The Cambridge Introduction to Herman Melville

Despite its indifferent reception when it was first published in 1851, Moby Dick is now a central work in the American literary canon. This introduction offers readings of Melville's masterpiece, but it also sets out the key themes, contexts, and critical reception of his entire oeuvre. The first chapters cover Melville's life and the historical and cultural contexts. Melville's individual works each receive full attention in the third chapter, including Typee, Moby Dick, Billy Budd and the short stories. Elsewhere in the chapter different themes in Melville are explained with reference to several works: Melville's writing process, Melville as letter writer, Melville and the past, Melville and modernity, Melville's late writings. The final chapter analyses Melville scholarship from his day to ours. Kevin J. Hayes provides comprehensive information about Melville's life and works in an accessible and engaging book that will be essential for students beginning to read this important author.