cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vascular Rhythms and Adaptation: Do Your Arteries Know What Time It Is?

The notion that the clinical manifestations of cardiovascular disease do not occur randomly throughout the course of the day has been accepted for >4 decades. Cohort studies documenting the time of chest pain onset demonstrated a morning predilection for the presentation of myocardial infarction.1 At the time, however, it was difficult to discern a morning rise in the incidence of myocardial infarction from the simple realization of longstanding nocturnal symptoms on awakening. With the advent of studies to limit myocardial infarct size, it became possible to accurately identify the myocardial infarction onset by the time-dependent increase in circulating creatine kinase levels, and these data confirmed a distribution roughly peaking in the hours between 6 am and noon.2 It soon became clear that other manifestations of cardiovascular disease, such as sudden cardiac death, stroke, and myocardial ischemia all exhibited similar time-of-day dependence, as reviewed by Muller.3 If one corrects for individual variations in the time of sleep cessation, the preponderance of events occur within the first 3 hours after awakening.4 Article p 1510 The clustering of cardiovascular events to a specific time of day prompted considerable investigation into potential causes, with particular attention to phenomena that exhibit a preference for the morning hours. Arterial pressure was noted to have a rhythmic pattern characterized by a nadir at 3 am followed by a rise to peak pressures before noon. Because heart rate exhibits a similar pattern, one could suppose increased adrenergic tone might contribute to the morning clustering of cardiovascular disease events. Indeed, platelets are more susceptible to stimulation soon after awakening when circulating catecholamine levels are greatest.5 Several circulating factors such as cortisol and tissue-type plasminogen activator6 exhibit rhythmic variation that could, in principle, contribute to the onset of cardiovascular disease. In fact, most aspects …
Rayon flock: a new cause of respiratory morbidity in a card processing plant.

Background Following employee respiratory concerns, we investigated the health effects of rayon flock exposure at a card manufacturing plant. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey including environmental evaluation, standardized questionnaires, spirometry, carbon monoxide diffusing capacity testing, and methacholine challenge testing. Results From a total of 239 participants, 146 (61%) reported working at least 1 hr per week in areas where flock-coated cards are processed (“flock workers”) and 47 (20%) reported cleaning equipment with compressed air. These workers had generally higher prevalences of respiratory symptoms. Flock workers and employees with longer tenure at areas where flock-coated cards are processed were more likely to have restrictive impairment of lung function. Although dust and fiber samples were largely below the detection limits, peak exposures to airborne particulate occurred during cleaning with compressed air. Conclusions Working with rayon flock and cleaning with compressed air were associated with health effects in workers at this plant. Am. J. Ind. Med. Published 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc
Internationalising the Executive Education Curriculum at General Electric: A Case Study of Trends in the 1980s

Some background on General Electric and its executive education operation in the US is provided. The review process and its major findings are described, followed by some of the major recommendations and action taken. Finally, a retrospective evaluation is offered.
Serum cholesterol levels are underevaluated and undertreated

We reviewed data from 147 patients followed at a Veterans Administration hospital regarding management of hypercholesterolemia. Less than one half of patients with lipid analysis who met Adult Treatment Panel II/National Education Cholesterol Program guideline criteria for initiation of medical therapy received lipid-lowering agents in 1 year of follow-up.
Xl: an efficient network routing algorithm

In this paper, we present a new link-state routing algorithm called Approximate Link state (XL) aimed at increasing routing efficiency by suppressing updates from parts of the network. We prove that three simple criteria for update propagation are sufficient to guarantee soundness, completeness and bounded optimality for any such algorithm. We show, via simulation, that XL significantly outperforms standard link-state and distance vector algorithms - in some cases reducing overhead by more than an order of magnitude - while having negligible impact on path length. Finally, we argue that existing link-state protocols, such as OSPF, can incorporate XL routing in a backwards compatible and incrementally deployable fashion.
Use of classification trees for association studies.

We propose the use of classification trees for association studies. This approach is applied to a data set from Genetic Analysis Workshop 9 (GAW9), and our analysis precisely identified two disease alleles. Our purpose is to demonstrate the great potential of tree-based analyses for genetic studies, and discuss some issues that warrant further investigation.
Reflections on a path to sexual commitment.

IT was with some self-consciousness that I accepted an invitation to reflect on my own work, a long Genetics article that appeared 20 years ago entitled, “Autoregulatory Functioning of a Drosophila Gene Product That Establishes and Maintains the Sexually Determined State” (Cline 1984). This article was a milestone in a line of work that began with an intriguing maternal effect and led ultimately to an understanding of the fly's sex-determination signal and the self-propagating response of that signal's target. The invitation to reflect on that 1984 article has given me an opportunity to make more explicit the lines of argument that I had not always made clear, writing at a time when authors stressed data presentation and expected readers to infer more of the logic and significance of the arguments. In relating the story of this article, I also emphasize two general points about experimental science. First, the shortest distance between two points is often not the straight line that one might have initially imagined. I certainly did not set out to “solve” fly sex determination. Second, although research stories often appear inevitable in retrospect, the humbling fact is that they almost always involve a great deal of irony and luck. While both of these points have been made by others, I hope an additional illustration might be useful, or at least entertaining.
Phospholipids are needed for the proper formation, stability, and function of the photoactivated rhodopsin-transducin complex.

Heterotrimeric G proteins become activated after they form a catalytically active complex with activated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and GTP replaces GDP on the G protein α subunit. This transient coupling can be stabilized by nucleotide depletion, resulting in an empty-nucleotide G-protein-GPCR complex. Efficient and reproducible formation of conformationally homogenous GPCR-Gt complexes is a prerequisite for structural studies. Herein, we report isolation conditions that enhance the stability, and preserve activity and proper stoichiometry of productive complexes between the purified prototypical GPCR, rhodopsin (Rho), and the rod cell-specific G protein, transducin (Gt). Binding of purified Gt to photoactivated Rho (Rho*) in n-dodecyl-β-maltoside (DDM) examined by gel filtration chromatography was generally modest and purified complexes provided heterogeneous ratios of protein components, most likely because of excess detergent. Rho*-Gt complex stability and activity was greatly increased by addition of phospholipids such as DOPC, DOPE and DOPS, and asolectin to detergent-containing solutions of these proteins. In contrast, native Rho*-Gt complexes purified directly from light-exposed bovine ROS membranes by sucrose gradient centrifugation exhibited improved stability and the expected 2:1 stoichiometry between Rho* and Gt. The above results strongly indicate a lipid requirement for stable complex formation wherein the likely oligomeric structure of Rho provides a superior platform for coupling to Gt, and phospholipids likely form a matrix to which Gt can anchor through its myristoyl and farnesyl groups. Our findings also demonstrate that the choice of detergent and purification method is critical for obtaining highly purified, stable, and active complexes with appropriate stoichiometry between GPCRs and G proteins needed for structural studies.
Thermal decomposition of energetic materials. 55. Metal Complexes of Diamioglyoxime as Potential Burn Rate Modifiers in composite propellants

Metal complexes having the potential to modify the burn rate of rocket propellants are described. These are the diaminoglyoxime (DAG) complexes: Co(DAG–H)2·DAG, Cu(DAG–H)2·DAG, Ni(DAG–H)2 and Pd(DAG–H)2. The thermal decomposition was characterized by DSC, TGA and IR spectroscopy at a heating rate of 5°C/min, and by fast thermolysis/FTIR spectroscopy at 100–250°C/s. The M(DAG–H)2 complexes are more thermally stable than M(DAG–H)2·DAG. However, all of the compounds produce highly thermally stable residues which would be expected to retard the heat and mass transfer at a burning surface. The residues most closely resemble coordination complexes of the metal and polymeric cyclic azine compounds. The crystal and molecular structure of the previously unreported complex Ni(DAG–H)2·HCL is described.
Interferon-α treatment of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder in recipients of solid organ transplants

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) has been treated with decreased immunosuppression, antiviral medications, anti-B lymphocyte agents, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy. However, a standardized stepwise approach to treatment has not been previously evaluated. In the present study, 19 consecutive patients presenting to a single institution with newly diagnosed PTLD were treated according to a sequential protocol that consisted of (1) a reduction in immunosuppressive medications plus, if feasible, resection or definitive radiation therapy of localized disease, (2) interferon-α, and (3) systemic chemotherapy. Of the 3 patients presenting exclusively with localized disease, two were treated with resection of pulmonary parenchymal nodules and one was treated with radiation therapy to a paraspinous mass, without evidence of recurrence at a mean follow-up of 31 months (range, 8 to 46 months). Sixteen patients presented with PTLD not amenable to local therapy, and they were treated daily with 3×10 6 units/m 2 subcutaneous interferon-a. Total regression of PTLD (defined as disappearance of the tumor mass by physical examination or computed tomography scanning) was found in 8 of 14 patients who received at least 3 weeks of interferon therapy. Interferon-α therapy was continued for 6 to 9 months in the eight patients judged to be responders. None of these patients have relapsed to date with the same neoplastic clone. Two patients, however, developed new neoplastic clones. Seven patients received systemic chemotherapy with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) (n=1), EPOCH (etoposide, vincristine, and doxorubicin administered as a continuous infusion, with an intravenous bolus of cyclophosphamide and oral prednisone) (n=4), or EPOCH followed by DHAP (dexamethasone, cytarabine, and cisplatin) (n=2) after failure of interferon-a; five patients had a complete response. Only 1 of the 19 patients died of uncontrolled PTLD. These results suggest that the majority of solid organ transplant recipients who develop PTLD can be safely and successfully treated using a sequential approach to therapy.
The employment effects of trade in manufactured products between developed and developing countries

This paper examines prospective changes in employment associated with the expected expansion of trade in manufactured goods between the developed and developing countries over the next decade. It appears that on balance, the developed countries would experience net employment creation as a result of this trade, and there would be only a relatively small decline of employment in their import-substituting industries. In turn, the developing countries would gain employment through increased exports that would further contribute to their economic growth, with favorable indirect effects on employment.
What Does Government Regulation Really Mean

The terminology used to describe healthcare's regulatory environment can be daunting and often confusing. Idioms such as accreditation, certification, registration, and licensure are often erroneously interchanged and used in the wrong context. While standardized language within individual states is an important first step, standardization would be even more effective if it were incorporated in every state for the regulation and licensure of all health professions. The lack of uniformity in language between different healthcare professions limits effective professional practice and mobility, as well as adding confusion to legislators, professionals, and the public. This article will define and analyze the close nexus between the terminology used in regulating the healthcare field and how these terms specifically apply to the profession of sonography.
A general exact reconstruction for cone-beam CT via backprojection-filtration

In this paper, we prove a generalized backprojection-filtration formula for exact cone-beam image reconstruction with an arbitrary scanning locus. Our proof is independent of the shape of the scanning locus, as long as the object is contained in a region where there is a chord through any interior point. As special cases, this generalized formula can be applied with cone-beam scanning along nonstandard spiral and saddle curves, as well as in an n-PI window setting. The algorithmic implementation and numerical results are described to support the correctness of our general claim.
Thyroglobulin-positive, radioiodine-negative thyroid cancer

599 THE TREATMENT PROTOCOL of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is reasonably well agreed on by most thyroidologists as long as their disease follows the usual biological pattern. Detection of residual or recurrent disease is part of the ongoing monitoring process for each individual patient. As long as the remaining thyroid cancer cells are able to concentrate radioactive iodine, produce thyroglobulin (Tg), or are detectable with imaging studies (ultrasound, computed tomography [CT], or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]), detection is often possible leading to the accepted procedures of surgical removal and/or radioactive iodine ablation. In fact, radioactive iodine scanning detects residual or recurrent disease in approximately 75% of patients who have presumed disease. In the vast majority of the other patients, disease is suspected by either a palpable mass, detectable metastases on imaging studies, the presence of an elevated serum thyroglobulin concentration, and possibly by the presence of Tg antibodies. Therefore the presence of an elevated concentration of Tg (either basal or after thyrotropic rh-TSH stimulation) and possibly the presence of Tg antibodies only suggest the presence of residual or recurrent disease and do not provide clues to the location of the disease when the postradioactive iodine scan fails to show uptake. Patients who are referred to the thyroidologist nowadays often come in well informed. They are often intelligent and have had access to information on the Internet, some of which is excellent and has provided them with information about many of the new developments in the field. Such a case is presented as well as three approaches to further treatment.
Delayed Hypersensitivity in Hepatitis B: Clinical Correlates of in Vitro Production of Migration Inhibition Factor

Delayed hypersensitivity to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBAg) in patients with disease from the clinical spectrum of hepatitis and in controls was examined by an indirect assay of macrophage migration inhibitory factor. Activity was demonstrated in cases of acute or persistently active hepatitis. Steroids and pregnancy had a suppressive effect. Samples from a patient with transfusion-related HBAg hepatitis were also assayed. A broad clinical spectrum of disease is associated with the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBAg) in the blood. It has been suggested that the host's immune response is related to the clinical type of disease [1-4]. Delayed hypersensitivity, a cellular immune response to antigenic stimulation, is recognized as an important immunological phenomenon in the pathogenesis and/or prevention of many diseases. Skin testing has been the classical method of studying delayed hypersensitivity to many anti
Movement patterns of Rhyssomatus lineaticollis Say (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) within and among Asclepias syriaca (Asclepiadaceae) patches in a fragmented landscape

. 1. Dispersal capabilities of organisms are critical in determining the landscape population structure of species as well as their likelihood of survival in fragmented landscapes. Using mark–recapture techniques on the monophagous weevil Rhyssomatus lineaticollis Say (Curculionidae), within- and between-patch dispersal capabilities, landscape level population structure, and the role of beetle density and host patch characteristics in setting distances, amounts, and timing of dispersal were studied. 2. The data indicate that R. lineaticollis is sedentary, with 50% of recaptured beetles moving < 1 m and the maximum distance moved < 1 km. Within- and between-patch movement of beetles was unrelated to host plant patch characteristics and beetle densities. 3. Despite limited dispersal, R. lineaticollis probably functions as a patchy population in east-central Iowa, U.S.A. because dispersals between patches are common and because all host patches surveyed contained this herbivore, indicating a lack of suitable vacant patches, a prerequisite for metapopulation structure. 4. Between-patch distances are well within the dispersal capabilities of R. lineaticollis, although this may be the result of an increase in the density of patches of its host, Asclepias syriaca, in the landscape over the last 150 years as a result of human disturbance and this species' weedy habit. 5. Metapopulation structure in monophagous prairie herbivores may be most likely in species whose non-weedy host plants form highly predictable resources in space and time, but which are now widely scattered in habitat fragments.
The effects of reducing frequency of negative thoughts on the mood of depressed patients — tests of a cognitive model of depression

Cognitive theories of depression propose that depressed mood is caused by depressing cognitions (negative thoughts). In two studies of depressed patients, presentation of external information at a high rate was used to reduce the frequency of negative thoughts, and the subsequent effect on depressed mood examined. Single-case designs were employed in both studies. In the first study, significant reduction in negative thoughts and depressed mood was achieved in each of two selected patients. In the second study, the same procedure produced reduction in negative thoughts which was individually significant for seven of 13 unselected depressed patients, and also significant for the 13 patients as a group. However, this led to little improvement in depressed mood. This appeared to be due to the small extent of thought reduction achieved. Reduction in negative thought frequency correlated significantly with score on the Newcastle diagnosis scale, being greater for neurotic compared to endogenous depression. Mean depressed mood and mean negative thought frequency were significantly positively correlated across subjects.
The Consequences of Child Soldiering

Abstract Little is known about the impacts of military service on human capital and labor market outcomes due to an absence of data as well as sample selection: recruits are self-selected, screened, and selectively survive. We examine the case of Uganda, where rebel recruitment methods provide exogenous variation in conscription. Economic and educational impacts are widespread and persistent: schooling falls by nearly a year, skilled employment halves, and earnings drop by a third. Military service seems to be a poor substitute for schooling. Psychological distress is evident among those exposed to severe war violence and is not limited to ex-combatants.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of reprogramming

Despite the profound and rapid advancements in reprogramming technologies since the generation of the first induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in 2006[1], the molecular basics of the process and its implications are still not fully understood. Recent work has suggested that a subset of TFs, so called "Pioneer TFs", play an important role during the stochastic phase of iPSC reprogramming [2-6]. Pioneer TFs activities differ from conventional transcription factors in their mechanism of action. They bind directly to condensed chromatin and elicit a series of chromatin remodeling events that lead to opening of the chromatin. Chromatin decondensation by pioneer factors progressively occurs during cell division and in turn exposes specific gene promoters in the DNA to which TFs can now directly bind to promoters that are readily accessible[2, 6]. Here, we will summarize recent advancements on our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying reprogramming to iPSC as well as the implications that pioneer Transcription Factor activities might play during different lineage conversion processes.
Novel α-tubulin mutation disrupts neural development and tubulin proteostasis

Mutations in the microtubule cytoskeleton are linked to cognitive and locomotor defects during development, and neurodegeneration in adults. How these mutations impact microtubules, and how this alters function at the level of neurons is an important area of investigation. Using a forward genetic screen in mice, we identified a missense mutation in Tuba1a α-tubulin that disrupts cortical and motor neuron development. Homozygous mutant mice exhibit cortical dysgenesis reminiscent of human tubulinopathies. Motor neurons fail to innervate target muscles in the limbs and show synapse defects at proximal targets. To directly examine effects on tubulin function, we created analogous mutations in the α-tubulin isotypes in budding yeast. These mutations sensitize yeast cells to microtubule stresses including depolymerizing drugs and low temperatures. Furthermore, we find that mutant α-tubulin is depleted from the cell lysate and from microtubules, thereby altering ratios of α-tubulin isotypes. Tubulin-binding cofactors suppress the effects of the mutation, indicating an important role for these cofactors in regulating the quality of the α-tubulin pool. Together, our results give new insights into the functions of Tuba1a, mechanisms for regulating tubulin proteostasis, and how compromising these may lead to neural defects.
A Century of Topographic Surveying and Mapping

The tremendous progress that has been made in providing adequate mapping coverage of the United States is a tribute to the men and organizations that prevailed against many obstacles. The earliest ...
Persuasion: Theory and Applications (Book Review)

This essay reviews Lillian L. Beeson, Persuasion: Theory and Applications (OUP 2014). This undergraduate survey book provides helpful background for those interested in legal rhetoric, but ultimately its utility is limited. Beeson's project has a modest scope which reflects the desuetude of rhetoric in contemporary higher education. She is more interested in arming her students to protect themselves from rhetorical manipulation than in empowering them to engage in persuasive discourse. The book accomplishes the significant goal of tying the long tradition of rhetorical theory to the teachings of modern social science. Unfortunately, the chapter of legal rhetoric is limited to the use of persuasion in court.I conclude that Beeson's book provides a helpful introduction to the primary elements of rhetorical theory. With six chapters providing specific applications of rhetorical theory-covering politics, law, religion, art and cinema, advertising, and public relations-the reader can gain a broad perspective on rhetoric in contemporary society. But because the chapter on law is so brief and narrowly focused, it provides only a bare introduction to themes that likely will interest a legal audience. This is not a failing of the book, but rather follows from the intended undergraduate audience. The book can provide a basis for to understand the complex relationships of law and rhetoric, and how lawyers can learn to be effective rhetors, but additional reading will be required.
Manipulation of the glycan‐specific natural antibody repertoire for immunotherapy

Natural immunoglobulin derived from innate-like B lymphocytes plays important roles in the suppression of inflammatory responses and represents a promising therapeutic target in a growing number of allergic and autoimmune diseases. These antibodies are commonly autoreactive and incorporate evolutionarily conserved specificities, including certain glycan-specific antibodies. Despite this conservation, exposure to bacterial polysaccharides during innate-like B lymphocyte development, through either natural exposure or immunization, induces significant changes in clonal representation within the glycan-reactive B cell pool. Glycan-reactive natural antibodies (NAbs) have been reported to play protective and pathogenic roles in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. An understanding of the composition and functions of a healthy glycan-reactive NAb repertoire is therefore paramount. A more thorough understanding of NAb repertoire development holds promise for the design of both biological diagnostics and therapies. In this article, we review the development and functions of NAbs and examine three glycan specificities, represented in the innate-like B cell pool, to illustrate the complex roles environmental antigens play in NAb repertoire development. We also discuss the implications of increased clonal plasticity of the innate-like B cell repertoire during neonatal and perinatal periods, and the prospect of targeting B cell development with interventional therapies and correct defects in this important arm of the adaptive immune system.
Toward Understanding the Radicalness of Surrender

The article seeks to isolate three meanings of the radicalness of surrender, which, undifferentiatedly, is the state and the relation of cognitive love, entailing total involvement, suspension of received notions, pertinence of everything, identification, and risk of being hurt. Building above all on the second of these characteristics, the suspension of received notions (which is being compared with the phenomenological suspension), the three meanings of the radicalness of surrender result as, first, the surrenderer's being in the world; second, surrender as an element in a theory of society; and third, surrender as a criterion of maximum or optimal research. Before dealing with the radicalness of surrender, I must first try to say what I mean by surrender itself. I mean by it, undifferentiatedly, a state and a relation, which can be a relation to anybody, including oneself, and to anything, but the state and the relation are not, to repeat, differentiated. This much to categorize surrender, as the sort or type of thing it is-a strange thing, state and relation undifferentiated. But what state and relation? Seminally it is the state and relation of cognitive love-seminally, because whatever other meanings it may have flow from it. Among them are total involvement, suspension of received notions, pertinence of everything, identification, and risk of being hurt.1 To surrender means to take as fully, to meet as immediately as possible whatever the occasion may be. It means not to select, not to believe that one can know quickly what one's experience means, hence what is to be understood and acted on: thus it means not to suppose that one can do justice to the experience with one's received notions, with one's received feeling and thinking, even with the received structure of that feeling and thinking: it means to meet, whatever it be, as much as possible in its originariness, its selfness. The term "surrender" itself, with its ironical military connotation, polemicizes against the official Western and potentially worldwide consciousness of the relation to the world, both nature and man's world and even man himself, which is not surrender but mastery, control, efficiency, handling, manipulating. Similarly, a synonym of "surrender," "total experience," which indicates the undifferentiatedness of the experience, polemicizes against totalitarianism, which is so closely and fatally related to that consciousness which "surrender" fights. As to the meanings of surrender that I mentioned-total involvement, suspension of received notions, pertinence of everything, identification, and risk of being hurt, I can talk only about the second, the suspension of received notions, because it is the meaning which may give the most direct access to the radicalness of surrender. It is immediately apparent that it is related to the phenomenological bracketing, but it is more radical. For
Regulación del medio ambiente y competitividad

Las regulaciones en materia ambiental pueden afectar la productividad de diversas maneras: desviando insumos a los denominados usos no productivos u originando procesos de produccion menos eficientes. Las regulaciones ambientales adecuadas deberian generar beneficios que superen sus costos a pesar de que no todos los beneficios se pueden traducir en el incremento del producto. Environmental regulations can affect productivity in various ways: diverting inputs to the so-called non-productive uses or originating less efficient production processes. Adequate environmental regulations should generate benefits that exceed their costs, although not all benefits can be translated into the increase of the product.
Cooperative relative localization for moving UAVs with single link range measurements

This paper describes a method for estimating the relative pose of a pair of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) using noisy measurements from ranging radios and each aircraft's on board navigation system. In this method, there is no prior information needed about the relative pose of each UAV. During the estimation of the relative pose of two traveling UAVs, only a single range measurement between UAVs is needed at each location. To augment this limited information, motion is used to construct a graph with the range measurements and displacement in position over multiple locations. First, the analytical solution is derived for the pose from the constructed graph assuming the system is free of noise. Then, the relative heading and bearing are estimated from noisy range measurements and the displacement in position using nonlinear least squares. The sensitivity to the geometry and measurement noise are then analyzed for various trajectories. For this paper, the problem is analyzed for the two-dimensional case where the UAVs are traveling at equal altitudes.
Suppression of Vapor Explosions in a Water-Molten-Tin System by Augmentation of the Void Fraction

Experiments were performed to determine the likelihood of a vapor explosion when injecting an inert gas (nitrogen) and a coolant (water) into a pool of molten metal (tin) in a large-scale chamber ({approximately}20 kg fuel). The injection flow rates of the water and nitrogen gas were the principal experimental variables, with average water flow rates up to 0.05 x 10{sup {minus}3} m{sup 3}/s and gas flow rates ranging from 0.33 x 10{sup {minus}3} to 1.67 x 10{sup {minus}3} m{sup 3}/s. Of 35 successful experiments, 11 resulted in an explosive interaction, as determined by audible signals, videotape, and accelerometer data. The main objective of the investigation was to determine the existence of a boundary between explosive and nonexplosive regions in the water-gas flow rate plane: Such a boundary was indeed identified and approximated by a straight line. Two experiments in which explosive interactions were obtained in the low water/gas flow regions after a relatively long time of coolant injection ({approximately}5 to 10 s) demonstrate the hitherto undervalued importance of the temporal variable.
Estimating the Long-Term Impact of the Great Chinese Famine (1959–61) on Modern China

Summary This research analyzes the long-term impact of the Great Chinese Famine (1959–61) on the modern Chinese economy, and shows that areas in which famine was most severe have significantly lower per capita GDP today. The Great Famine coincided with the Chinese Communist Party’s industrialization and agriculture modernization plan, the Great Leap Forward (GLF). To remove omitted variable and endogeneity problems, a unique relationship between the Communist army’s takeover of mainland China (1946–50) and the degree to which subnational leadership was willing to enforce GLF policies to the detriment of rural citizens’ well-being is exploited via instrumental variable (IV) estimation. Specifically, areas liberated later had a higher density of zealous administrators by the start of the GLF in 1958, and in turn experienced stricter enforcement of GLF policies which resulted in greater famine severity. As a result, this research finds a relatively pronounced impact of politically-triggered famine captured by the IV approach, which strengthens the growing outlook that famine is a consequence of inadequate food entitlement, as opposed to being simply food shortages.
LTE-Xtend: scalable support of M2M devices in cellular packet core

M2M (machine-to-machine) communications are bringing new challenges in the cellular networks as billions of such devices will need to be supported but at a fraction of the cost of today's smartphones. Analysis shows that while many of these devices generate little data load on the network, their control signaling load and memory/CPU resource consumption due to tunnel maintenance in the cellular core could still be significant. To address this scalability issue, we propose a modified packet core architecture for LTE networks called LTE-Xtend that customizes control message handling and tunnel management for M2M traffic. Evaluations using OpenAirInterface demonstrates significant scalability benefits in using LTE-Xtend.
The chemometrics revolution re-examined

A historical perspective of the development of chemometrics as a field is given. Special attention is given to early workers in the analysis and modeling of chemical data in an effort to show how the field evolved from a broad, mostly statistical discipline to a more narrowly focused field focused on multivariate predictive analysis. A discussion of the relationships of chemometrics with statistics, chemical modeling, and analytical chemistry is provided to show how early conflicts have shaped and continue to shape the field. The author considers the state of the field now and makes suggestions for the way in which chemometrics should change to remain vital in the rapidly changing area of data analysis.
Hepatic Kaposi sarcoma: A case report and review of the literature

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is an aggressive cancer caused by human herpesvirus-8, primarily seen in immunocompromised patients. As opposed to the well-described cutaneous manifestations and pulmonary complications of KS, hepatic KS is rarely reported before death as most patients with hepatic KS do not manifest symptoms or evidence of liver injury. In patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, hepatic involvement of KS is present in 12%-24% of the population on incidental imaging and in approximately 35% of patients with cutaneous KS if an autopsy was completed after their death. Patients with clinically significant hepatic injury due to hepatic KS usually have an aggressive course of disease with hepatic failure often progressing to multi-organ failure and death. Here we report an unusual presentation of acute liver injury due to hepatic KS and briefly review the published literature on hepatic KS.
Advances in Antithetic Time Series Analysis : Separating Fact from Artifact

The problem of biased time series mathematical model parameter estimates is well known to be insurmountable. When used to predict future values by extrapolation, even a de minimis bias will eventually grow into a large bias, with misleading results. This paper elucidates how combining antithetic time seriesâ€™ solves this baffling problem of bias in the fitted and forecast values by dynamic bias cancellation. Instead of growing to infinity, the average error can converge to a constant.
Abstract NTOC-101: INTRAPERITONEAL (IP) THERAPY FOR ADVANCED STAGE EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER (EOC): THE CURRENT SPOTLIGHT IS ON CARBOPLATIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE

PURPOSE: First-line treatments for (EOC) have been platinum-based for more than three decades; 16 years ago the landmark Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG158) non-inferiority trial for optimal stage III patients led to the universal adoption of IV carboplatin/paclitaxel as the standard systemic regimen. However, IV cisplatin-based doublets were the comparators in the first 3 GOG studies assessing IP cisplatin-based regimens. Our purpose is to describe recent randomized trials that have assessed IP carboplatin and highlight quality of life (QOL) findings. METHODS: Gynecology Oncology Group (GOG) studies comparing IP to IV cisplatin regimens formed the basis of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) 2005 Clinical Announcement that considered IP cisplatin-based therapy as a new standard for optimally debulked EOC. Recently, randomized trials with IV carboplatin/paclitaxel-based regimens as comparators have been part of preliminary reports: 1) GOG252 on March 2016 at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO), completing accrual in 2015, and 2) OV21/PETROC neoadjuvant randomized ‘pick the winner’ study at the June 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Beyond 2016, additional data is expected from the ongoing randomized study by the Japan GOG of IP versus IV carboplatin, --both with IV paclitaxel. RESULTS: GOG252, the largest Phase III study of IV versus IP platinum-based therapy for the first line treatment of ovarian cancer, is the first IP GOG trial with a IV carboplatin-based control arm. None of the 3 arms differed in median progression-free survival. However, the companion QOL study, --contrary to prior GOG studies utilizing IV cisplatin-based controls—showed a clear advantage for the two non-cisplatin arms (not different whether IV or IP). In the OV21/PETROC trial, adverse toxicities coupled with no obvious therapeutic advantage led to dropping the IP cisplatin arm. With additional accrual in the two remaining arms, IP carboplatin was superior to IV carboplatin in time to progression. CONCLUSIONS: Cisplatin has an unfavorable impact on QOL in women with ovarian cancer whether given IP or IV relative to carboplatin. With IV carboplatin as part of the comparator, unfavorable effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy are further highlighted. IP carboplatin randomized studies and their final publications are awaited. On the other hand, revisiting the role of IP cisplatin at this time is not warranted. Citation Format: Franco Muggia MD, Lari Wenzel, PhD. INTRAPERITONEAL (IP) THERAPY FOR ADVANCED STAGE EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER (EOC): THE CURRENT SPOTLIGHT IS ON CARBOPLATIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 12-13, 2016; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2017;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr NTOC-101.
Reproduction by Peromyscus maniculatus: Size and Compromise

Breeding records from a laboratory colony of Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii were used to examine patterns of covariation among variables describing reproduction, size, age, parity, and survival. Litter size was strongly negatively correlated with average weights of young at birth and at weaning, but positively related to the total mass of young. Mother's weight was correlated with the number of young in a litter and the average and total weights of young at birth and weaning, though the strength of the correlation varied according to when young were weighed. Weight gained by young during the nursing period also was positively related to mother's size. Parity strongly affected litter sizes and birth weights; however, this effect was attributable to continuing growth of the mother. Similarly much, but not all, of the effect of parity on weaning weights and growth rates was attributable to mother's weight. Female age (independent of weight and parity) was important in determining the number of young born (but not their birth weight), the rate of growth of young during the nursing period, and the average weights of individual young at laboratory weaning. The size of young at birth and their number of littermates was clearly related to their probability of surviving the nursing period, and size differences among young at weaning persisted well into adult life. Parity had no effect on the survival of young. The duration of gestation also was related to the weight of a mother and to the weight of her previous litter; the size of the litter in utero had no significant effect on gestation length. These relationships are discussed from the points of view of (1) the advantage to females and their young of large size, (2) the compromises a female makes in determining the number, size, and timing of birth of her offspring, and (3) the implications of these patterns of covariation for investigations of the evolution of reproductive patterns.
Outcomes for thoracoscopic versus open repair of small to moderate congenital diaphragmatic hernias.

Abstract Introduction Indications for thoracoscopic versus open approaches to repair congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) are unclear as the variability in defect size, disease severity and patient characteristics pose a challenge. Few studies use a patient and disease-matched comparison of techniques. We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of open versus thoracoscopic repairs of small to moderate sized hernia defects in a low risk population. Methods All neonates receiving CDH repair of small (type A) and moderate (type B) size defects at an academic children's hospital between 2006 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Patients Results The 51 patients receiving thoracoscopic (35) and open (16) repairs were similar in patient and hernia characteristics, with median 2-year follow-up for both groups. Patients with thoracoscopic repair had shorter hospital stay (16 vs. 23days, p=0.03), days on ventilator (5 vs. 12, p=0.02), days to start of enteral feeds (5 vs. 10, p Conclusions In low risk patients born with small to moderate size defects, a thoracoscopic approach was associated with decreased hospital length of stay, mechanical ventilation days, and time to feeding; however, there was a trend towards higher recurrence rates. Level of evidence Level III.
Grip strength measurement for frailty assessment in patients with vascular disease and associations with comorbidity, cardiac risk, and sarcopenia

Abstract Objective Frailty is associated with adverse events, length of stay, and nonhome discharge after vascular surgery. Frailty measures based on walking-based tests may be impractical or invalid for patients with walking impairment from symptoms or sequelae of vascular disease. We hypothesized that grip strength is associated with frailty, comorbidity, and cardiac risk among patients with vascular disease. Methods Dominant hand grip strength was measured during ambulatory clinic visits among patients with vascular disease (abdominal aortic aneurysm [AAA], carotid stenosis, and peripheral artery disease [PAD]). Frailty prevalence was defined on the basis of the 20th percentile of community-dwelling population estimates adjusted for age, gender, and body mass index. Associations between grip strength, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI), and sarcopenia (based on total psoas area for patients with cross-sectional abdominal imaging) were evaluated using linear and logistic regression. Results Grip strength was measured in 311 participants; all had sufficient data for CCI calculation, 217 (69.8%) had sufficient data for RCRI, and 88 (28.3%) had cross-sectional imaging permitting psoas measurement. Eighty-six participants (27.7%) were categorized as frail on the basis of grip strength. Frailty was associated with CCI (odds ratio, 1.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.34-2.57; P = .0002) in the multivariable model. Frail participants also had a higher average number of RCRI components vs nonfrail patients (mean ± standard deviation, 1.8 ± 0.8 for frail vs 1.5 ± 0.7 for nonfrail; P = .018); frailty was also associated with RCRI in the adjusted multivariable model (odds ratio, 1.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-2.64; P = .008). Total psoas area was lower among patients categorized as frail vs nonfrail on the basis of grip strength (21.0 ± 6.6 vs 25.4 ± 7.4; P = .010). Each 10 cm2 increase in psoas area was associated with a 5.7 kg increase in grip strength in a multivariable model adjusting for age and gender (P Conclusions Grip strength is useful for identifying frailty among patients with vascular disease. Frail status based on grip strength is associated with comorbidity, cardiac risk, and sarcopenia in this population. These findings suggest that grip strength may have utility as a simple and inexpensive risk screening tool that is easily implemented in ambulatory clinics, avoids the need for imaging, and overcomes possible limitations of walking-based measures. Lower mean psoas diameters among patients with PAD vs other diagnoses may warrant consideration of specific approaches to morphomic analysis.
A Wolfram Language Primer for Bioinformaticians

Mathematica [9] was released in 1988 by Wolfram Research (founded in 1987 by Steven Wolfram). The core of Mathematica is built on the Wolfram Language [7] which can be used to code programs. The Wolfram Language has broad applicability in multiple areas.
Scalable cryogenic readout circuit for a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector system

The superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) is a leading technology for quantum information science applications using photons, and is finding increasing uses in photon-starved classical imaging applications. Critical detector characteristics, such as timing resolution (jitter), reset time, and maximum count rate, are heavily influenced by the readout electronics that sense and amplify the photon detection signal. We describe a readout circuit for SNSPDs using commercial off-the-shelf amplifiers operating at cryogenic temperatures. Our design demonstrates a 35 ps timing resolution and a maximum count rate of over 2 × 107 counts per second, while maintaining <3 mW power consumption per channel, making it suitable for a multichannel readout.