cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevention and treatment of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis with the lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor gossypol

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic and irreversible scarring disease in the lung with poor prognosis. Few therapies are available; therefore it is critical to identify new therapeutic targets. Our lab has previously identified the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDHA) as a potential therapeutic target in pulmonary fibrosis. We found increases in LDHA protein and its metabolic product, lactate, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Importantly, we described lactate as a novel pro-fibrotic mediator by acidifying the extracellular space, and activating latent transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β1) in a pH-dependent manner. We propose a pro-fibrotic feed-forward loop by which LDHA produces lactate, lactate decreases pH in the extracellular space and activates TGF-β1 which can further perpetuate fibrotic signaling. Our previous work also demonstrates that the LDHA inhibitor gossypol inhibits TGF-β1-induced myofibroblast differentiation and collagen production in vitro. Here, we employed a mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis to test whether gossypol inhibits pulmonary fibrosis in vivo. We found that gossypol dose-dependently inhibits bleomycin-induced collagen accumulation and TGF-β1 activation in mouse lungs when treatment is started on the same day as bleomycin administration. Importantly, gossypol was also effective at treating collagen accumulation when delayed 7 days following bleomycin. Our results demonstrate that inhibition of LDHA with the inhibitor gossypol is effective at both preventing and treating bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and suggests that LDHA may be a potential therapeutic target for pulmonary fibrosis.
Analyzing Distribution Transformers at City Scale and the Impact of EVs and Storage

Electric vehicles (EV) are rapidly increasing in popularity, which is significantly increasing demand on the distribution infrastructure in the electric grid. This poses a serious problem for the grid, as most distribution transformers were installed during the pre-EV era, and thus were not sized to handle large loads from EVs. In parallel, smart grid technologies have emerged that actively regulate demand to prevent overloading the grid's infrastructure, in particular by optimizing the use of grid-scale energy storage. In this paper, we first analyze the load on distribution transformers across a small city and study the potential impact of EVs as their penetration levels increase. Our real-world dataset includes the energy demand from 1,353 transformers and charging profiles from 91 EVs over a 1 year period, and thus provides an accurate snapshot of the grid's current state, and allows us to examine the potential impact of increasing EV penetrations. We then evaluate the benefits of using smart grid technologies, such as smart EV charging and energy storage, to mitigate the effects of increasing the EV-based load.
Prevention of Bacterial Endocarditis

Antimicrobial prophylaxis for bacterial endocarditis in select patients has become the standard of medical care in the United States. This practice exists despite the fact that there are no randomized controlled human studies in patients with underlying structural heart disease that definitely establish that antibiotic prophylaxis provides protection against endocarditis during procedures that induce bacteremia. This chapter is based on the recommendations formulated and published by the American Heart Association (AHA) in 1997 (1). When the AHA published the recommendations, it was expressly stated that the document was meant as a guideline and is “not intended as the standard of care or as a substitute for clinical judgment.” The 1997 guidelines represent an update from recommendations published by the AHA in 1990.
An Expandable Mechanopharmaceutical Device (3): a Versatile Raman Spectral Cytometry Approach to Study the Drug Cargo Capacity of Individual Macrophages

To improve cytometric phenotyping abilities and better understand cell populations with high interindividual variability, a novel Raman-based microanalysis was developed to characterize macrophages on the basis of chemical composition, specifically to measure and characterize intracellular drug distribution and phase separation in relation to endogenous cellular biomolecules. The microanalysis was developed for the commercially-available WiTec alpha300R confocal Raman microscope. Alveolar macrophages were isolated and incubated in the presence of pharmaceutical compounds nilotinib, chloroquine, or etravirine. A Raman data processing algorithm was specifically developed to acquire the Raman signals emitted from single-cells and calculate the signal contributions from each of the major molecular components present in cell samples. Our methodology enabled analysis of the most abundant biochemicals present in typical eukaryotic cells and clearly identified “foamy” lipid-laden macrophages throughout cell populations, indicating feasibility for cellular lipid content analysis in the context of different diseases. Single-cell imaging revealed differences in intracellular distribution behavior for each drug; nilotinib underwent phase separation and self-aggregation while chloroquine and etravirine accumulated primarily via lipid partitioning. This methodology establishes a versatile cytometric analysis of drug cargo loading in macrophages requiring small numbers of cells with foreseeable applications in toxicology, disease pathology, and drug discovery.
On Some Series Dependent on a Parameter Which Generalize Euler’s Constant

Series which depend on a parameter and generalize the constant discovered by Euler are introduced and studied. Convergence results are established. An infinite series expansion is obtained from these generalized formulas which can be used to evaluate the generalized constant. Euler’s constant can be obtained as a special case. Some asymptotic results are formulated and limits of some closely related sequences are given at the end.
Double Transit Echo Suppression of Surface Acoustic Waves in a Passive Wireless Reflective Delay-Line Device Employing a 3 rd Harmonic Optimized Single Phase Transducer and a Tunable Antenna

The unwanted double transit echo (DTE) of a passive wireless reflective delay-line SAW device is efficiently suppressed by using a 3rd harmonic-operating single phase unidirectional transducer (SPUDT). The frequency dependence of the DTE suppression level is shown by comparing devices with a Walsh-Hadamard-like reflector and a single-frequency Bragg reflector. A tunable dipole antenna is used to precisely tune the impedance required for the echo suppression.
The impact of a short-term stay abroad on L2 Spanish syntactic complexity development in narratives

Abstract Given the notable increase in participation in short-term (e.g., eight weeks or less) study abroad, especially in the US, recent empirical work on the role of context in second language (L2) learning has sought to investigate the impact of a short-term stay abroad on language development. The present study examined English-speaking learners’ syntactic complexity development in oral narratives after a four-week stay abroad. With regard to three measures of syntactic complexity (length of analysis of speech [AS]-units, number of clauses per AS-unit, length of clause), findings revealed that the study abroad group demonstrated no statistically significant change over the study period. However, individual-level analyses revealed that over half of the study abroad learners increased complexity in narratives in terms of clause length. Further, half of the study abroad learners exhibited increases in syntactic complexity on at least two of the three syntactic complexity measures examined.
The Heat Shock Response in Plants: Short-Term Heat Treatment Regimes and Thermotolerance

The heat shock (HS) response is one of the most highly conserved biological systems known. It appears to be universal, having been observed in organisms ranging from eubacteria to archebacteria, from lower eukaryotes to plants and man. Almost every cell and tissue type including cultured cells of plants and animals undergo the HS response. The HS response is characterized by a number of interesting regulatory phenomena. Transcription of HS genes is rapidly activated and HS mRNAs accumulate to high levels. The initial transcriptional activation slows, and cessation of HS gene transcription occurs after about two hours of continuous HS. This shutdown of HS mRNA transcription under HS conditions has been referred to as self-regulation or autoregulation (DiDomenico et al., 1982; Key et al., 1983). There is also a rapid slowing of normal mRNA translation (Ashburner and Bonner, 1979; Key et al., 1981); the normal mRNAs persist during HS from near normal levels to much reduced levels depending upon the specific mRNA (Mirault et al., 1978; Key et al., 1985). Various aspects of the HS response have been recently reviewed for eukaryotes (Nover et al., 1984; Craig, 1985; Lindquist, 1986), for prokaryotes (Neidhardt et al., 1984) and for plants (Nagaoet al., 1986; Nagao and Key, 1988).
Band Offset and Electron Affinity of Monolayer MoSe 2 by Internal Photoemission

The electron energy band alignment of the monolayer MoSe2/oxide/Si system is characterized by internal photoemission spectroscopy, where the oxide is Al2O3 or SiO2. Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopic measurements confirm the high quality of monolayer MoSe2 exfoliated with gold film as medium. At the oxide flat-band condition, the band offset from the monolayer MoSe2 valence band maximum to the Al2O3 and SiO2 conduction band minimum are measured to be (4.10 ± 0.05) eV and (4.80 ± 0.05) eV, respectively. By referencing the recently reported band gap value of 2.18 eV for monolayer MoSe2, we obtain the electron affinity of monolayer MoSe2 to be (3.8 ± 0.1) eV on Al2O3/Si and (3.5 ± 0.1) eV on SiO2/Si. It is believed that the results from this study will help accelerate the design of electronic and optoelectronic devices that employ this class of two-dimensional materials.
Mesochronous Marechera: African Aesthetics, Violence, and Temporality in The House of Hunger

This article theorizes a new temporal category, the mesochronous (or “middle time”), via analyzing The House of Hunger (1979), the debut novella by Zimbabwean author Dambudzo Marechera. Marechera's vulgar, irreverent aesthetic has expanded the definition of postcolonial African writing while at times prompting his categorization as a cosmopolitan or global modernist author. Within postcolonial literary studies, questions of political commitment or individual identity often accompany aesthetic categorization: for instance, to what extent does an author's stylistic choices reflect an individual or collective narrative of national struggle? Marechera’s fictional and essayistic writings disallow easy assignation as local or universal, African or Western. Rather than considering his work as reflective of a hybrid identity, I argue that it proposes a mesochronous, coeval relation between Western and African aesthetic and material worlds in the post-War era. Marechera enacts this historico-aesthetic relation through representing 1970-80s Zimbabwe with violence and vulgarity—which, in turn, confronts and subverts the dialectical fashioning of Africa as outside history, modernity, and the universal. I read The House of Hunger (1979) as a theorization of this mesochronous relation between Africa and its others, rather than merely a realist depiction of a violent postcolony.
Developing and Implementing an Entrustable Professional Activity Assessment for Pharmacy Practice Experiences.

Objective. To develop, implement, and validate an entrustable professional activity (EPA) assessment tool that could be used to calculate course grades for experiential students in all practice environments. Methods. An EPA assessment tool was developed and directly mapped to 18 EPAs, and a criterion, or passing score, for each EPA was established for all practice experiences. The EPA assessment tool was implemented in the college’s experiential program during summer 2018 and comparative outcomes and reliability of the EPA assessment tool were assessed within the core advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Results. The EPA assessment tool reliability was strong (Cronbach’s alpha=0.93), with preceptor-suggested grades and grades calculated using the EPA assessment tool equivalent in 95% of completed APPEs. All nonequivalent calculated-preceptor grade pairs were evenly split between one grade higher than scored and one grade lower than scored. Conclusion. The EPA assessment tool is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing EPA achievement in the APPE year. Future work should focus on determining the longitudinal utility of the EPA tool by comparing outcomes in introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences.
Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy of the photodecarbonylation of photo-oxadibenzocyclooctyne (photo-ODIBO).

The ultrafast dynamics of photo-OxaDiBenzocycloOctyne (photo-ODIBO) photo-dissociation was studied using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Steady-state UV–Vis, time-dependent density functional theory, and 350 nm and 321 nm transient absorption studies are reported. Photo-ODIBO excitation with 321 nm and 350 nm light-induced photodecarbonylation of the cyclopropenone functional group results in the formation of ODIBO. The presence of the photoproduct was confirmed by the results of steady-state photolysis experiments and the observation of absorption signatures of ODIBO in the photo-ODIBO transient absorption spectra. Analysis of the latter revealed the underlying photochemical mechanisms and associated time constants, following excitation of the samples. The dynamics show a multi-exponential decay process, following the dissociation of photo-ODIBO into an excited state of the photoproduct ODIBO within <294 fs after 321 nm excitation. 350 nm excitation, on the other hand, is shown to produce ground state ODIBO via an intermediate species. Additional transient absorption measurements were performed directly on the photoproduct ODIBO to help distinguish spectral signatures associated with these processes.
Venous thromboembolism in benign esophageal surgery patients: potential cost effectiveness of Caprini risk stratification

The Caprini risk assessment model (RAM) stratifies surgical patients for prescription of post-discharge extended heparin prophylaxis to reduce post-operative venous thromboembolism (VTE) events. The average cost for treatment of a VTE event is $15,123. The 30-day post-operative VTE rate after benign esophageal procedures is < 0.8% per the Society of Thoracic Surgeons database. We hypothesized that the financial cost of selective extended prophylaxis in patients undergoing surgery for benign esophageal disease would exceed the cost of treating these rare events and therefore use of risk stratification for extended prophylaxis would not be beneficial. All patients undergoing operations for benign esophageal pathology from July 2014 to May 2019 were reviewed. Patients designated as moderate or high risk for VTE were prescribed a 10- or 30-day post-operative course of extended prophylaxis with low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH). VTE and adverse bleeding events were recorded for the 60-day post-operative period. The cost of LMWH was provided by the institution pharmacy. Records from 154 patients were eligible for review. Caprini RAM was used for all patients with the following distribution of risk categories: low = 64.9% (100/154); moderate = 31.8% (49/154); and high = 3.2% (5/154). The average cost of extended prophylaxis at discharge for the moderate-risk group was $121.23, while the high-risk group was $446.46. There were no 60-day VTE or adverse bleeding events recorded. The majority of patients undergoing surgical therapy were at low risk of post-operative VTE event, with only 35% requiring extended VTE prophylaxis at time of discharge. When compared with the average cost of treatment for a VTE event, the cost of extended prophylaxis per patient in moderate or high-risk groups is substantially lower. In the era of cost-containment, risk stratification and extended prophylaxis may reduce healthcare costs and warrant future investigations.
Work-Life Conflict of Distributed Software Development Personnel: An Empirical Investigation Using Border Theory

While the motivation for globally distributed software development (GDSD) is to harness appropriate human capital, scant attention has been paid toward addressing the human resource issues faced by the IT professionals involved in this context. One particularly challenging human resource issue is that of Work-Life Balance (WLB) of the IT professionals involved in GDSD, who routinely experience overlaps and conflicts between their work and personal life domains. While WLB is an issue in the contemporary contexts on computer-mediated work in general, the GDSD context adds many layers of challenges arising from time differences, requirements instability, and diversity. Recent research argues that WLB is “no longer simply an individual concern,” but also “an organizational imperative” (Poelmans et al. 2009, p. 207). In order to develop a deeper understanding of these recognized challenges, we theoretically develop and empirically test a model of organization-related and distributed ISD-related antecedents of WLB as well as consequences of the lack of WLB. We utilize a sequential multi-stage, multi-method empirical approach, first involving an exploratory case study, followed by theory development based on the literature and the findings from the exploratory case study, then a full-scale professionally conducted survey of 1000 GDSD workers in three countries. The study provides a more complete, credible, and theoretically-informed understanding of the antecedents and consequences of WLB within distributed settings in general, and within GDSD settings, in particular, where the existing literature offers limited guidance. We further show a moderating effect of culture and gender on these linkages. We believe that our findings help assess and improve the “working conditions” of employees involved in offshoring, and provide insights on how organizations can structure GDSD arrangements that enable its stakeholders to be most productive and satisfied.
Constructing the Dynamo of Dixie: Race, Urban Planning, and Cosmopolitanism in Chattanooga, Tennessee: by Courtney Elizabeth Knapp, Chapel Hill, NC, The University of North Carolina Press, 2018, 262 pp., $29.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-4696-3727-3/ $90.00 (hardcover), ISBN 978-1-4696-3726-6

In May 2020, a group of protestors in Chattanooga, Tennessee joined hundreds of others across the US in defacing celebratory confederate statues in public spaces. The next day, an interracial, mult...
Potential for individual tree monitoring in ponderosa pine dominated forests using unmanned aerial system structure from motion point clouds1

Characterization of forest structure is important for management-related decision making, monitoring, and adaptive management. Increasingly, observations of forest structure are needed at both fine...
Early-Season Weed Competition in Corn

Introduction Protecting crop yields and preventing increases in weed populations are the primary reasons for controlling weeds. Weed management systems that rely on postemergence control assume that crops can tolerate competition for certain periods of time without suffering yield losses. However, once competition between the crop and weeds begins, the magnitude of yield loss increases rapidly as weed control is delayed. Our inability to accurately predict when weeds first begin to affect yield will always create a level of risk when relying on total postemergence weed control programs. Preemergence herbicides greatly reduce this risk by reducing the populations of weeds that emerge with the crop. The objective of this research was to quantify yield losses associated with delays in controlling weeds that emerge with or shortly following corn.
Body image flexibility contributes to explaining the link between body dissatisfaction and body appreciation in White college-bound females

Limited research has provided a theoretically-driven accounting of the association between negative and positive body image occurring within persons nor clarified what factors may contribute to explaining this relationship. To address this gap in the existing literature, the present study, guided by an overarching affect regulation theoretical framework, evaluated the potential indirect effect of body dissatisfaction on body appreciation via body image flexibility in a college-bound sample of 84 White older adolescent females. Participants provided self-reported height and weight, which were used to calculate body mass index (BMI) and completed the Body Image-Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (BI-AAQ; Sandoz, Wilson, Merwin, & Kellum, 2013) as a measure of body image flexibility and the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS; Avalos, Tylka, & Wood-Barcalow, 2005). Body dissatisfaction was operationalized as three types of body size discrepancy scores (i.e., current minus personal ideal, current minus cultural ideal, current minus typical female ethnic peer) using Pulvers’ Figure Rating Scale (Pulvers et al., 2004). In all models tested, body image flexibility partially mediated the associations between body dissatisfaction and body appreciation. Results were retained controlling for BMI. Preliminary findings suggest that at this developmental juncture, bolstering body image flexibility affect regulation skills may be an optimal target for supporting body appreciation when body dissatisfaction is elicited by internal and external body image threats.
Nocturnal Polyuria: What We Need to Know in 2015

Nocturnal polyuria (NP) is a prevalent yet underdiagnosed condition due to a lack of complete understanding of NP and its precise definition. The International Continence Society (ICS) defines NP as the production of an abnormally large volume of urine during sleep with normal 24-h urine production. The NUP90 definition was shown to have more discriminative power and be a stronger predictor of nocturia than the current ICS definition resulting in debate. The etiology of NP is multifactorial. Two etiologies of primary NP include increased free water clearance and high solute concentration. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is also associated with NP with severity of symptoms increasing with severity of apnea. The primary treatment for NP is desmopressin, which works by decreasing urine production. Recently, a meta-analysis showed no difference between low versus high doses, suggesting that starting with a 50 μg dose may decrease the risk of side effects without compromising efficacy.
Fathers Matter: Family Therapy's Role in the Treatment of Paternal Peripartum Depression

Peripartum depression is a major health issue for parents and their children. This problem is often thought to be endemic to peripartum mothers, and in some cases have led to fatal outcomes. However fathers may also bear this burden, and paternal peripartum depression is beginning to receive warranted attention. This conceptual paper focuses on peripartum fathers and their experiences in the context of their relationships with their intimate partners, children, and healthcare providers. Family therapists are in a position to provide systemic assessment and approaches to treatment within various environments, a maximal impact platform for fathers and families affected by paternal peripartum depression. This paper will describe how peripartum depression manifests in men and how this problem might be assessed and treated through a systems lens. A multi-disciplinary model will be offered, with special attention given to the role of the family therapist. Clinical considerations and implications for future studies will also be discussed.
Open rotator cuff repairs in patients 70 years and older

Background: Symptomatic rotator cuff tear is a commonly diagnosed problem in patients over the age of 70; however, there is controversy regarding the management of this condition. We set out to investigate whether this group has satisfactory results with operative management of their rotator cuff tears. Methods: Retrospective review of one surgeon's patients who have undergone an open rotator cuff repair at age 70 or older. Outcome assessment included history of work and recreational activities, review of medical records, clinical examination, the Simple Shoulder Test (SST) and the Constant Shoulder Score (CSS). Results: A total of 96 patients (104 shoulders) underwent open rotator cuff repair during the study period. Sixteen patients (16 shoulders) were lost to follow-up leaving 80 patients (88 shoulders) for review. Mean duration of symptoms was 18.3 months, mean age at surgery was 74.2 years and mean time to follow-up was 40.8 months. The mean SST and CSS scores were 9.8 and 80.1, respectively. In both tests, patients scored best in the pain relief categories and worst in strength-measuring areas. A total of 73 patients (92.7%) reported satisfaction with their surgery. None of these were limited by their shoulders in returning to pre-injury independence, work or recreations. They were either completely pain free or had only mild symptoms. Conclusion: Patients in our study reflected a high satisfaction rate of 92.7% as well as excellent pain relief and a high level of function when related to their daily activities, independence and recreations or work. Level of evidence: Level IV (observational study without control – retrospective study).
IDENTIFICATION OF BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL MECHANISMS BY POWER SPECTRAL ANALYSIS

SUMMARY 1 Blood pressure and organ perfusion are controlled by a variety of cardiovascular control systems, such as the baroreceptor reflex and the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), and by local vascular mechanisms, such as shear stress-induced release of nitric oxide (NO) from the endothelium and the myogenic vascular response. Deviations in arterial blood pressure from its set point activate these mechanisms in an attempt to restore blood pressure and/or secure organ perfusion. However, the response times at which different cardiovascular mechanisms operate differ considerably (e.g. blood pressure control by the RAS is slower than blood pressure control via the baroreceptor reflex). 2 Owing to these different response times, some cardiovascular control systems affect blood pressure more rapidly and others more slowly. Thus, identifying the frequency components of blood pressure variability (BPV) by power spectral analysis can potentially provide important information on individual blood pressure control mechanisms. 3 Evidence is presented that the RAS, catecholamines, endothelial-derived NO and myogenic vascular function affect BPV at very low frequencies (0.02–0.2 Hz) and that low-frequency (LF) BPV (0.2–0.6 Hz) is affected by sympathetic modulation of vascular tone and endothelial-derived NO in rats. In humans, LF BPV (0.075–0.15 Hz) is affected by sympathetic modulation of vascular tone and myogenic vascular function. The impact of the RAS and endothelial-derived NO on BPV in humans requires further investigation. 4 In conclusion, power spectral analysis is a powerful diagnostic tool that allows identification of pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, heart failure and stroke, because it can separate slow from fast cardiovascular control mechanisms. The limitation that some cardiovascular control mechanisms affect the same frequency components of BPV requires the combination of blood pressure spectral analysis with other techniques.
Matrix-Dominated Stress/Strain Behavior in Polymeric Composites: Effects of Hold Time, Nonlinearity, and Rate Dependency

In order to understand matrix dominated behavior in laminated polymer matrix composites, an elastic/viscoplastic constitutive model was developed and used to predict stress strain behavior of off-axis and angle-ply symmetric laminates under in-plane, tensile axial loading. The model was validated for short duration tests at elevated temperatures. Short term stress relaxation and short term creep, strain rate sensitivity, and material nonlinearity were accounted for. The testing times were extended for longer durations, and periods of creep and stress relaxation were used to investigate the ability of the model to account for long term behavior. The model generally underestimated the total change in strain and stress for both long term creep and long term relaxation respectively.
Comparison of plasmid profiles, phage types, and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella enteritidis isolates in the United States.

To evaluate the laboratory techniques for subtyping isolates of Salmonella enteritidis, we compared the plasmid profiles (PP), phage types (PT), and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns (AS) of two nationally representative samples of sporadic human S. enteritidis isolates from 1979 (n = 28) and 1984 (n = 37), 43 isolates from 20 outbreaks of S. enteritidis infections between 1983 and 1987, and 46 animal isolates selected from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services Laboratory in 1986 and 1987. Sporadic and outbreak isolates from humans showed similar rates of resistance to at least one of a panel of antimicrobial drugs (23 and 14%, respectively), PT (91 and 98%, respectively), and PP (97 and 100%, respectively). Sixteen different PP were identified in sporadic, outbreak, and animal isolates; two PP accounted for 76% of sporadic and outbreak isolates. Sporadic human isolates were of PT 8 (42%), of PT 13a (37%), nontypeable (9%), of PT 14b (8%), of PT 9a (3%), and of PT 13 (2%). Outbreak human isolates had similar distributions of PT. PT 8 was associated with poultry: 58% (7 of 12) of the poultry isolates but only 24% (8 of 34) of the isolates from other animals were of PT 8 (P less than 0.04). Although antimicrobial susceptibility patterns do not appear as useful as an epidemiologic marker, PP and PT effectively subtyped S. enteritidis.
Functional and emotional dimensions: Method to measure through data collection instruments for new products in healthcare

The development of equipment for the healthcare industry requires systematic management as, according to the standard of usability for medical equipment IEC 62366:2010 (Application of Usability Engineering to Medical Devices), functional and non-functional data should be considered, in that order, aiming to develop safer and more effective products. However, non-functional requirements such as emotions caused to users and usability aspects have not been fully covered, as tests are usually conducted under the technical vision and not in the real environment in which devices will be used. In this context, it is essential to emphasize the importance of an evaluation that expands in two dimensions, seeking technological solutions that meet the conditions of field use (assessed by functional metrics) as well as the emotional aspects (measured by scale of emotions), concerning the usability of the product. This work aims to development a method to measure functional and emotional dimensions through data collection instruments by assessing users who are able to evaluate the dimensions of usability in medical equipment. The users are patients on dialysis and their nursing staff. Analyses suggested for future research include: descriptive analysis, factor analysis, clustering and MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Variance).
International Interest-Rate Transmission and the “German Dominance Hypothesis” Within EMS

This article investigates whether the German Dominance Hypothesis is valid within the context of nominal short-term interest rates. The approach taken to address this hypothesis is based on the notion that German interest rates should convey valuable information to other countries' rates or that there exist significant multidirectional volatility spillovers from the Bundesbank to other nations' central banks. These transfers can be analyzed within a multivariate framework of an Exponential GARCH model capable of capturing the potential asymmetries of the volatility spillover mechanism. The results, basically, do not support the idea of a German predominance within the system, in a strict sense, since Germany's rates are also affected, for the most part, by actions from its partners.
An Integerated Estimation and Control Scheme for Piece-Wise Linear Systems using Neural Networks

Identification of the parameters and the structure of nonlinear discrete-time system models, in the joint frequency-position space, is investigated by using neural networks. A dynamical neuron model is first introduced. The neuron characteristic function NCF of the model, at higher values of signal to noise ratio SNR, resembles Gabor basis fuctions GBF. A simplification to the GBF's is also presented, where the spatial Gaussian envelope of GBF's is replaced with a triangular one. The neuron model is then encompassed in a three-layered neural net for parameter and structure identification. Simulation results, necessary modifications to improve convergence of the network, and possible extensions for this work are provided.
Diet and Theophylline

The recent article by Feldman et al1 demonstrating the effect of diet on theophylline elimination is qualitatively consistent with a previous report in adults2 but contains quantitative inaccuracies that distort the clinical relevance of the data. Specifically, the apparent volumes of distribution and the half-life of elimination were inappropriately determined, resulting in specious values that are not consistent with the more appropriately calculated clearance values. The authors state that the apparent volume of distribution was calculated by dividing the serum concentration extrapolated to zero time into the dose of the drug.
All Knowledge Is Local

Putting Science in Its Place Geographies of Scientific Knowledge. David N. Livingstone. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2003. 246 pp. $27.50, £19.50. ISBN 0-226-48722-9. Using numerous examples, Livingstone offers a concise, accessible demonstration of geography9s influence on the development and reception of scientific knowledge.
Frequency-dependent response of nanoscale thermocouples using temperature oscillations produced by nanoscale heaters

Frequency-dependent response of nanoscale thermocouples (NTCs) is studied by using a temperature oscillation produced by a nanoscale heater. The thermal response of the NTC and the heater is measured as a function of heater-current frequency by the 2ω and the 3ω method, respectively.
Approximate reasoning in strength logic

The author defines a modal logic SL (strength logic) to reason about beliefs in an AI system. SL is a refinement of J. Halpern and M. Rabin's likelihood logic (LL) (1987). As in LL, the powers of a modal operator S are used in SL to denote various degrees of certainty of beliefs. However, the axiomatization of SL is different from that of LL. Formulas in SL admit normal forms, and decision procedures of SL can be effectively constructed. The author defines a model of SL as an extension of Herbrand models for the propositional logic. This interpretation of SL is sharply different from the conventional semantics of modal logics. The thrust behind this research is to provide a natural and rigorous logic for designing, implementing, and verifying AI systems capable of approximate reasoning. >
Adaptive Parallelism in the Bulk-Synchronous Parallel Model

The Bulk-Synchronous Parallel (BSP) model is a universal abstraction of parallel computation that can be used to design portable parallel software. Advances in processor architecture and network communication enable clusters of workstations to be used as parallel computers. This paper focuses on using the idle computing power of a network of workstations to run parallel programs. The transient nature of the processors causes straightforward execution of synchronous BSP programs to perform poorly in such an environment. In this paper, we propose a scheme, based on the eager replication of state data and lazy replication of processes, that allows BSP programs to run efficiently on transient processors. The scheme is integrated into the Oxford BSP library.
Using avatars to model weight loss behaviors: participant attitudes and technology development.

Background: Virtual reality and other avatar-based technologies are potential methods for demonstrating and modeling weight loss behaviors. This study examined avatar-based technology as a tool for modeling weight loss behaviors. Methods: This study consisted of two phases: (1) an online survey to obtain feedback about using avatars for modeling weight loss behaviors and (2) technology development and usability testing to create an avatar-based technology program for modeling weight loss behaviors. Results: Results of phase 1 (n = 128) revealed that interest was high, with 88.3% stating that they would participate in a program that used an avatar to help practice weight loss skills in a virtual environment. In phase 2, avatars and modules to model weight loss skills were developed. Eight women were recruited to participate in a 4-week usability test, with 100% reporting they would recommend the program and that it influenced their diet/exercise behavior. Most women (87.5%) indicated that the virtual models were helpful. After 4 weeks, average weight loss was 1.6 kg (standard deviation = 1.7). Conclusions: This investigation revealed a high level of interest in an avatar-based program, with formative work indicating promise. Given the high costs associated with in vivo exposure and practice, this study demonstrates the potential use of avatar-based technology as a tool for modeling weight loss behaviors.
Trade, Globalization and Economic Policy

This article places international trade law in the context of the rapid increase in economic growth and globalization over the last 60 years that is reducing poverty and expanding the middle class in most nations of the world. This economic and cultural integration of markets and peoples has been stimulated by two major factors: first, the increase in technological innovation in transport, information technology and manufacturing processes and second, the removal of legal barriers to the flow of goods, capital and knowledge around the globe stimulated by successive rounds of trade negotiations at the GATT and later the WTO.The arguments for and against globalization are analyzed within the context of the history of economic ideas and with an understanding that there are tradeoffs because not all people benefit from these rapid changes. While technological innovation spurs economic growth, the full benefits cannot be realized unless technology and the resulting products are widely available through trade. The world trade regime has evolved to significantly remove barriers to trade, provide a forum to settle trade disputes, and develop uniform legal standards to resolve disputes. The chapter forecasts a further increase in the trend toward one world market, the convergence of wage rates for manufactured products and many services, the continued rise of the middle class in emerging economies and a movement toward greater international governance driven by increased pressure for uniform laws to reduce uncertainty and for international forums to reduce inconsistency in application.
The Powerful and Pervasive Effects of Ownership on M&A

Ownership dispersion is a first-order determinant of M&A practices. Firms with dispersed ownership are more salient, and tend to be larger, but dispersion varies significantly among even large US businesses, and affects M&A deal size, duration, techniques, contract terms, and outcomes. These effects arise directly from the economics of dispersion, but also from interactions between economics and law. Dispersion creates transaction costs and heterogeneous beliefs and preferences that have straightforward effects on M&A deal size, techniques, and some contract terms. But dispersion also has less intuitive, indirect, and important effects as mediated through laws that among other things compensate for agency costs and collective action problems. Each key body of law for M&A – contract law, corporate law, securities law, and antitrust law – is shaped in practice by ownership of target firms. These effects are tested in 20 hypotheses on how ownership dispersion affects M&A, with comprehensive M&A data from the 1990s and 2000s, and a new detailed hand-coded matched sample of 120 recent public and private target M&A contracts. The data show the importance of ownership to M&A deal structure, choice of consideration, bid duration, completion rates, risk-allocation, and dispute resolution. Appreciation of how pervasive and powerful the effects of ownership are on M&A should improve contracting and has implications for investment bankers, boards, courts, and researchers in choosing comparable transactions for valuation, benchmarking, doctrinal analogies, drafting models, teaching M&A in business and law schools, and econometric modeling of M&A.
Experimental wideband multi-channel cancellation performance

For future radars with a wideband capability, effective electronic protection algorithms are required to perform target detection and discrimination. The Radar Division of Naval Research Laboratory has developed a flexible, adaptive wideband (400 MHz) multi-channel digital receiver/canceller test bed to investigate a radar's capability to reject interference. The effects of varied inter-channel hardware mismatches and intra-channel analog-to-digital aliasing on wideband cancellation performance are investigated. It is found that 23 dB of self-cancellation can be achieved with a proper combination of receiver implementation and cancellation configuration.
Exercise training improves the defective centrally mediated erectile responses in rats with type I diabetes.

Introduction Erectile dysfunction is a serious and common complication of diabetes mellitus. Apart from the peripheral actions, central mechanisms are also responsible for the penile erection.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Neuropsychological and Behavioral Features

Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure can cause alterations to the developing brain. The resulting neurobehavioral deficits seen following this exposure are wide-ranging and potentially devastating and, therefore, are of significant concern to individuals, families, communities, and society. These effects occur on a continuum, and qualitatively similar neuropsychological and behavioral features are seen across the spectrum of effect. The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) has been used to emphasize the continuous nature of the outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure, with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) representing one point on the spectrum. This paper will provide a comprehensive review of the neuropsychological and behavioral effects of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure, including a discussion of the emerging neurobehavioral profile. Supporting studies of lower levels of exposure, brain-behavior associations, and animal model systems will be included when appropriate.
Strongly almost disjoint functions

Two total functionsf, g fromω 1 toω are called strongly almost disjoint if {α<ω 1:f(α)=g(α)} is finite. We show that it is consistent with ZFC to have families of pairwise strongly almost disjoint functions of arbitrary prescribed size.
The Effect of Liposome-Encapsulated PGE1 on Systemic Oxygen Delivery and Consumption in Patients With the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

The goal of this study was to determine the effect of liposome-encapsulated prostaglandin E1(PGE1) on oxygen delivery and consumption and hemodynamics in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Mechanically ventilated patients with ARDS and pulmonary artery catheters who were in the intensive care unit (ICU) were enrolled within 24 hours of diagnosis. Treatment consisted of either liposomal PGE1or placebo every 6 hours in a dose-escalating fashion for up to 7 days. Cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), oxygen delivery (D2) and consumption (VO2), and oxygen extraction ratio were determined every morning before and after the dose of study drug using arterial and mixed venous blood gases and standard formulas. No significant differences in any of the variables were observed over time or between groups. Liposomal PGE1administered in this fashion does not alter hemodynamic parameters or oxygen transport variables in patients with ARDS.
The aromatic amine carcinogens o-toluidine and o-anisidine induce free radicals and intrachromosomal recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Aniline-based aromatic amine carcinogens are poorly detected in short-term mutagenicity assays such as the Salmonella reverse mutation (Ames) assay. More information on the mechanism of toxicity of such Salmonella-negative carcinogens is needed. Aniline and o-toluidine are negative in the Ames assay, but induce deletions (DEL) due to intrachromosomal recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with an apparent threshold. We show here that the DEL assay also detects the genotoxic activity of another aromatic amine carcinogen, o-anisidine, which is also negative in the Salmonella assay. We also show that the DEL assay distinguishes between o-anisidine and its non-carcinogenic structural analog 2, 4-dimethoxyaniline. We have investigated whether the ability of the DEL assay to detect the carcinogens and to distinguish between the carcinogen/non-carcinogen pair is linked to rises in intracellular free radical species following exposure to the carcinogens. Toxicity induced by all three compounds was reduced in the presence of the free radical scavenger and antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine, recombination induced by o-anisidine and o-toluidine was also reduced by N-acetyl cysteine. All three compounds induced oxidation of the free radical-sensitive reporter compound dichlorofluorescin diacetate. Superoxide dismutase-deficient strains, however, were hypersensitive to cytotoxicity induced by o-toluidine and o-anisidine but not by the non-carcinogen 2,4-dimethoxyaniline, indicating a different potential for generating superoxide radical between the carcinogens and the non-carcinogen analog. The results indicate that the yeast DEL assay is a useful tool for investigating the genotoxic activity of aromatic amine carcinogens.
On the So‐called Mantle Muscle Scars on Shells of the Margaritiferidae (Mollusca, Pelecypoda), with Observations on Mantle‐Shell Attachment in the Unionoida and Trigonioida

Mantle attachment scars on the inner surface of shells of the Margaritiferidae have been traditionally regarded as sites of mantle muscle attachment; however, the actual occurrence of muscle tissue at points of attachment has never been verified. Mantle attachment scars occur on shells of seven examined species of margaritiferids. Gross and histological investigation of the mantle of five species reveals that mantle attachment involves modification of mantle epithelial cells and associated connective fibers within the mantle. The connective fibers within the mantle do not appear to have contractile properties, but along with the attachment cells probably provide support for the mantle. Mantle-shell attachment scars similar to those of margaritiferids also occur in shells of recent trigonids, thus strengthening arguments for a phylogentic link between the Unionoida and Trigonioida.