cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Direct pharmacological comparison of the muscarinic receptors mediating relaxation and contraction in the rabbit thoracic aorta

The purpose of the present studies was to directly compare the pharmacology of the muscarinic cholinergic receptors coupled to carbachol-induced relaxation and contraction of the intact and the endothelium-denuded rabbit thoracic aorta, respectively. The order of potencies of agonists for producing relaxation in the intact aorta was similar to that for producing contraction in the denuded aorta. In both preparations, the partial agonists pilocarpine, McN-A-343, and RS86 functioned as antagonists, indicating a lack of receptor reserve in both preparations. Further, the pA2 values for antagonists in both tissues were virtually identical and were consistent with the pharmacology of M3 receptors.
Aortic Atherosclerosis and Embolic Events

Aortic plaques are a manifestation of the general process of atherosclerosis in which there is a progressive accumulation of cholesterol and other lipids in the intimal-medial layer of the aorta with secondary inflammation, repetitive fibrous tissue deposition, and eventually luminal surface erosions and appearance of often mobile thrombi protruding into the lumen of the aorta. Aortic plaques may give rise to two types of emboli: thromboemboli and atheroemboli (cholesterol crystal emboli). Thromboemboli are relatively large, tend to occlude medium to large arteries, and cause strokes, transient ischemic attacks, and renal infarcts and other forms of peripheral thromboembolism. Cholesterol crystal emboli are relatively minute, tend to occlude small arteries and arterioles, and may cause the blue toe syndrome, new or worsening renal insufficiency, gut ischemia, etc. Transesophageal echocardiography remains the gold standard for visualization of aortic plaques in the thoracic aorta. There are no proven therapies for aortic embolism per se; general atherosclerosis management strategies are recommended.
Single-band Hubbard model for the transport properties in bistable organic/metal nanoparticle/organic devices

The transport properties of bistable organic/metal nanoparticle/organic devices are investigated within the single-band Hubbard model. The effect of two electrodes on the molecules with the nanoparticles is taken into account by using the Newns' chemisorption theory. The Coulomb interactions between the electrons in the Hubbard model are treated by the spectral density approach. The transmission probabilities of the system are calculated as a function of the energy, the organic layers' thickness, and the hopping term for the organic layers. At small bias, the transmission probability is small near the Fermi level if no charges are trapped in the system, which corresponds to the low-conductance state of the device. Above a threshold bias, the electrons within the nanoparticles will tunnel resonantly from one side to the other side, and the resulting positive-negative charges are trapped at both sides of the nanoparticle layer, in which case the transmission probability increases tremendously near the Fermi level, resulting in the high-conductance state. The layer-dependent densities of states are used to investigate the phenomena in detail. The transmission probability decreases exponentially as the thickness of the organic layers increases.
Analysis of the accuracy-latency-energy tradeoff for wireless embedded camera networks

Wireless embedded smart cameras provide flexibility in camera deployment in terms of the locations and number of the cameras. However, these battery-powered embedded vision sensors have very limited energy, memory, and processing power. Energy consumption and latency are two major concerns in wireless embedded camera networks. In multi-camera tracking applications, the amount of data exchanged between cameras has an effect on the tracking accuracy, the energy consumption of the camera nodes and the latency. In this paper, we provide a detailed quantitative analysis of the accuracy-latency-energy tradeoff for overlapping and non-overlapping camera setups when different-sized data packets are transferred in a wireless manner. The experiments have been performed with an actual wireless embedded smart camera network employing CITRIC motes, and performing tracking of objects.
Growth Stocks and the Petersburg Paradox

At a time like the present, when investors are avidly seeking opportunities for appreciation, it is appropriate to consider the difficulties of appraising growth stocks. There is little doubt that when other things are equal the forward-looking investor will prefer stocks with growth potential to those without. But other things rarely are equal - particularly in a sophisticated market that is extremely sensitive to growth. When the growth potential of a stock becomes widely recognized, its price is expected to react favorably and to advance far ahead of stocks lacking growth appeal, so that its price-earnings ratio and dividend yield fall out of line according to conventional standards. Then the choice between growth and lack of growth is no longer obvious, and the astute investors must ask whether the market price correctly discounts the growth potential.
"Suspended animation," my mother's wife and cultural discernment: considerations for genetic research among immigrants.

One of the most difficult contemporary issues facing the bioethics of clinical research is balancing the maintaining of a universality of ethics standards with a sensitivity to cultural issues and differences. The concept of “vulnerability” for research subjects is especially apt for investigating the ethical and cultural issues surrounding the conduct of genetic research among new immigrants to the United States, using the Sudanese Nuer and Dinka tribes, recently settled in the Midwest, as an example. Issues of cultural vulnerability arise for some immigrants, related to relationship to the earth and to kinship issues, that threaten the narrative richness of a subject's life as well as the way she situates herself in the world.
Basal Ganglia and The Regulation of Movement

The basal ganglia (BG) is composed of several heavily interconnected nuclei at the base of the cerebrum. A series of anatomically distinct parallel circuits through the BG receive afferent projections from and project back to cortical regions that mediate skeletomotor, oculomotor, frontal associative, and limbic functions. All circuits share a common intrinsic organization captured largely by the heuristic model of direct and indirect pathways that link BG input stations to outputs. Activation of the direct pathway may facilitate movement whereas the indirect pathway may suppress movement. Neuromodulators such as dopamine have different effects on activity and synaptic plasticity in the two pathways. Clinical disorders that involve the BG are often associated with movement disorders. Although the actual roles of the BG in the control of movement are still actively debated, growing evidence suggests it acts as a reinforcement-driven tutor for learning automatic behavioural routines. Key concepts The BG is organized as anatomically segregated loop circuits that contribute to the control of movement, cognition and motivation. All BG circuits share a common basic organization. Input projections from cortex and thalamus terminate as excitatory synapses in the striatum and subthalamic nucleus. Output projections tonically inhibit target neurons in thalamic and brainstem nuclei. Direct and indirect pathways connect input and output nuclei of the BG. Activation of the direct pathway facilitates movement whereas activation of the indirect pathway suppresses movement. A variety of neuromodulators, such as dopamine, affect the activity of neurons in the direct and indirect pathways differently. Most BG-related clinical conditions (e.g. Parkinson disease) arise from imbalanced activation of direct and indirect pathways and involve abnormal discharge patterns in BG output neurons. BG circuits may regulate how an animal allocates time and effort to movements and actions and act as a tutor for new skill learning. Keywords: striatum; globus pallidus; dopamine; Parkinson disease; learning
Subject and citation indexing. Part I: The clustering structure of composite representations in the Cystic Fibrosis Document Collection

The presence of clustering structure in the cystic fibrosis (CF) Document Collection is evaluated as a function of the exhaustivity of five composite representations. The composite representations are constructed from two subject descriptions, based on Medical Subject Headings and subheadings, and two citation indexes, based on the complete set of references in and a comprehensive set of citations to each document. Experimental results reveal observable evidence for clustering structure at all exhaustivity levels of all composite representations but also show that the evidence for clustering structure diminishes as the exhaustivity of each representation is decreased. The representation composed of references and citations shows less evidence of clustering structure at the exhaustive level but more uniform evidence of clustering structure over a wide range of exhaustivity levels than composite representations that include subject descriptions. The structures imposed on the CF Document Collection by all composite representations satisfy the necessary condition for a meaningful clustering outcome. © 1991 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
African sacred groves: ecological dynamics and social change

African sacred groves: ecological dynamics and social change, edited by Michael J. Sheridan and Celia Nyamweru, Oxford, James Currey Press; Athens, Ohio University Press; Pretoria, UNISA Press, 200...
Assessing the reliability of silicon nitride capacitors in a GaAs IC process

A method is presented for predicting the lifetime of silicon nitride (SiN) capacitors for different voltages and temperatures. The method builds on techniques used for analyzing Si MOS capacitors. Measuring breakdown voltages at different ramp rates and temperatures allows fast on-wafer determination of the field (/spl gamma/) and temperature (Ea) acceleration parameters. Three different types of SiN were studied and were found to have similar values of /spl gamma/ and Ea, however intrinsic lifetimes varied by orders of magnitude.
Two-dimensional radiation MHD modeling of stainless steel and Cu wire array Z-pinch implosions

A two-dimensional radiation MHD model was recently developed and employed to investigate large diameter wire array Z-pinch experiments performed on the refurbished Z generator. This model incorporates into the Mach2 MHD code a self-consistent calculation for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium kinetics and ray trace based radiation transport1. This level of detail is necessary in order to model opacity effects and the high temperature state of K-shell emitting Z-pinch loads that can be fielded on the refurbished Z machine. In the present work, we use this model to compare 2D (R-Z) radiation MHD calculated K-shell radiation behavior with experimental results for a series of stainless steel and Cu double and triple wire arrays recently imploded on the refurbished Z machine. Results for the K-shell yield from both the simulations and previous scaling laws will be compared with recent data. We also investigate 2D behavior seeded by radiative losses and explore load designs that mitigate this behavior and improve K-shell radiating properties of the pinch
Experimental comparison on adaptive control schemes

A comparison is given between model-reference adaptive control (MRAC) and variable-structure adaptive control (VSAC). The two control schemes are implemented in a microprocessor-based DC drive system. Different control algorithms and experimental results are presented. It is shown that VSAC is more feasible and flexible than MRAC for the particular application. >
Control of Urine pH and Its Effect on Sulfaethidole Excretion in Humans

A technique is described whereby urine can be excreted by human subjects, at a pH near 5.0 or 8.0, with a variation of not more than 0.1 or 0.2 pH unit over periods of at least 15 hours. The significance of controlled urinary pH in humans with respect to the excretion kinetics of a weak acid, sulfaethidole, has been determined. The harmonic mean t1/2 for SETD at a controlled urinary pH of 5.0 is 11.4 hours; the t1/2 for this drug at a controlled urinary pH of 8.0 is 4.2 hours.
Mecholyl desensitization in the treatment of asthma

Abstract 1.1. Twenty-four patients with chronic asthma were studied. 2.2. These cases were divided into two groups. One group received increasing doses of mecholyl daily, and the other group, serving as a control, received saline solution. Of the seventeen patients who were given ten or more injections, eleven received mecholyl, and six saline. 3.3. Fifty-four per cent of the mecholyl treated cases reported improvement, whereas, 66 per cent of the saline series were improved. It is concluded that mecholyl is of little value in the hyposensitization treatment of asthma.
RDFKB: efficient support for RDF inference queries and knowledge management

RDFKB (Resource Description Framework Knowledge Base) is a relational database system for RDF datasets which supports inference and knowledge management. Significant research has addressed improving the performance of queries against RDF datasets. Generally, this research has not addressed queries against inferred knowledge. Solutions which do support inference queries have done so as part of query processing. Ontologies define the rules that govern inference for RDF datasets. These inference rules can be applied to RDF datasets to derive additional facts through methods such as subsumption, symmetry and transitive closure. We propose a framework that supports inference at data storage time rather than as part of query processing. The dataset is increased to include all knowledge whether explicitly specified or derived through inference with a negligible overhead. Queries against inferred data are simplified, and performance is increased.
Consumption of Economic Information in Agriculture

We develop a model of decision makers’ demand for agricultural economic information services. This modeltreats choice of externaldecision-support services as a function of actors’ assessment of how alternative investments in information complement their internal competencies. Data from a survey in four commodity systems are used to evaluate hypotheses as to how human capital, and functional role of actors in commodity systems affect demand for variously formatted information. By focusing on three axes of heterogeneity—diversity among decision makers, information service providers, and information—we are abl e to identify key structuraland functionalrel ationships in agricultural economic information systems.
Diagnosis of inferior myocardial infarction based on the paced QRS complex

A 58-year-old man who sustained an inferolateral myocardial infarction (MI) with possible posterior involvement presented with syncope 3 years later (Fig. 1). An electrophysiologic study was performed. The apex of the right ventricle was paced at a rate faster than the sinus rate to provide a base paced ventricular rate (120 ppm) for the introduction of programmed ventricular stimulation (Fig. 2).
Multi-controller design under uncontrolled and controlled switching

In this paper we consider the problem of designing a multi-controller K that consists of a family of stabilizing controllers {K m } m=1 n, where each controller K m belongs to a constrained set K m . Our goal is to determine the controllers {K m } m=1 n (and an associated switching trajectory if switching is controllable) to optimize the closed-loop system performance. Based on a special implementation of the multi-controller, the design problem under uncontrolled switching can be transformed into a sequence of convex programs, the solutions to which provide an approximate solution to the multi-controller design problem with an arbitrary given precision; while in the case of controlled switching, a heuristic method is proposed to find a suboptimal switching signal and the corresponding multi-controller. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithms.
Malate Utilization by a Group D Streptococcus: Regulation of Malic Enzyme Synthesis by an Inducible Malate Permease

Induction of an nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-specific malic enzyme and a malate entry system permits Streptococcus faecalis to grow at the expense of malate. Evidence is presented which shows that biosynthesis of the permease, but not of the malic enzyme, is subject to catabolite repression by glucose. In contrast to the malic enzyme, the catalytic function of the entry system does not appear to be inhibited by intermediate products of glycolysis. Although the induction of the entry system does not appear to be coordinated with the induction of the malic enzyme, the latter process is dependent upon the permease for the transport and accumulation of inducer.
Attitudes Toward the Diagnosis and Disclosure of Dementia Among Family Caregivers and Primary Care Physicians

Purpose: This study examined attitudes of caregivers and physicians toward assessing and diagnosing dementia, with an emphasis on how a diagnosis is disclosed. Design and Methods: Seventeen focus group interviews were conducted with caregivers or physicians from three sites; 52 caregivers participated in nine interviews (three each at the three sites), and 39 physicians participated in eight interviews (three each at two sites; two at one site). Structured interview protocols were used to assess diagnostic disclosure, first reactions, and suggestions for improving the diagnostic process. Results: Caregivers recounted a highly negative emotional response to the disclosure, whereas many physicians reported that families handled the information well. Caregivers expressed a range of preferences for how the diagnosis should have been disclosed, from a direct approach to having the physician ease them into the results. Implications: Whenever possible, physicians should consult with the patient and family at the outset of the diagnostic process to better understand their preferences for diagnostic disclosure. Addressing diagnostic disclosure as part of physician education programs on dementia is recommended.
Molecular and kinetic alterations of muscle AMP deaminase during chronic creatine depletion

We examined a possible mechanism to account for the maintenance of peak AMP deamination rate in fast-twitch muscle of rats fed the creatine analog β-guanidinopropionic acid (β-GPA), in spite of red...
Edging Closer to Early Optimal Patient Management With High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Assay

These are exciting times in the evolution of cardiac biomarkers. In the past 12 years, we have witnessed the transition from creatine kinase-MB to cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and T (cTnT) as the standard biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (MI). This is evidenced by the overwhelming endorsement through recommendations from laboratory medicine,1 cardiology,2 and emergency medicine.3 At present, the biomarker field is moving forward with an analytic advancement of technologies to be able to measure both cTnT and cTnI for the precise measurement at concentrations within normal reference subjects. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays show great promise for earlier diagnostic accuracy for detection of MI,4 improved triage of patients to allow for better outcomes assessment of low-risk acute coronary syndrome patients,5 and to address a role in primary prevention as a necessary tool to assist clinicians in all cardiovascular evaluations.6,7 What distinguishes these new high-sensitivity assays from their predecessors is the ability to measure very low cTnT and cTnI concentrations (1 to 20 pg/mL, which equals 0.001 to 0.020 μg/L, well below the limit of detection of the sensitive and contemporary assays used in clinical practice today), with an excellent imprecision (coefficient of variation ≤10%) at and below the assay's 99th percentile value. This added sensitivity allows high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays to reliably measure concentrations in almost 100% of healthy individuals. Contemporary assays can typically measure cardiac troponin values in only 10% to 20% of individuals from the general, apparently healthy population.8 Article see p 136 The role that the biomarker cardiac troponin occupies in assisting in the diagnosis of MI is further solidified in the findings presented by Reichlin …
Factors controlling phosphorus limitation in stream sediments1

Factors influencing the phosphorus limitation of benthic microorganisms were determined for four streams (two agricultural and two forested) in central New York State over an annual cycle. Phosphorus limitation was measured biweekly as specific alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) of sediment samples. Analysis of variance showed the forested streams (sites 2 and 4) to have significantly different sediment APA from the agricultural streams (sites 1 and 3), the higher APA for the forested sites indicating greater phosphorus limitation. Stream total reactive phosphorus concentrations showed no relationship with watershed type, with mean annual values of 10.5 and 6.0 pg liter-l for agricultural sites 1 and 3 and 4.1 and 9.6 for forested sites 2 and 4. With all sites grouped together, sediment APA had a low correlation with stream water phosphate (r = 0.184, n = 73). Phosphorus sorption isotherms showed sediments from agricultural streams to have higher phosphate sorption indices than forested sites and to sorb rapidly large amounts of phosphorus. This resulted in higher available phosphorus content for the agricultural sediments and lower sediment APA.
Vico, Llewellyn and the Task of Legal Education

Legal education fails students by not appreciating the rhetorical basis of legal reasoning and argumentation. I draw from Vico's "On the Study Methods of Our Time" and Llewellyn's legal realism; both argued that law and legal reasoning are exemplary sites of rhetoric. I suggest that contemporary cognitive studies of the metaphorical structure of human understanding and the initiatives of the "new legal realism" carry forward the insights of Vico and Llewellyn. This re-orientation corrects the shallow and instrumentalist outlook of most lawyers.
Puzzling Evidence From a Troubled Time: Rethinking State Promotion of Safe Work During the Bush Administration

Reviews of how federal agencies functioned during George W. Bush's presidency reveal many instances of regulatory capture by industry. One prototypical example is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the agency responsible for occupational safety and health (OSH) standard-setting and enforcement. In contrast, a broad array of stakeholders during the Bush years gave good marks to an entirely separate agency, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which conducts research and develops recommendations to prevent workplace injury and illness.This Article reviews the disparate performances of OSHA and NIOSH during the Bush administration, on the basis of the ideological orientation of agency leadership, each agency's adherence to its traditional mission, and the administration of the agencies' "soft law" efforts. In so doing, the Article sheds light on the OSH challenges facing employees in the new economy, highlights better ways of protecting workplace safety and health, and identifies sustainable practices worth preserving and strengthening. Review of the divergent records of these sister agencies suggests that when deregulation is ascendant, as during the Bush administration, agencies that lack enforcement powers may be better positioned to obtain substantive results than are their regulatory counterparts.This Article, presented in January 2010 at a panel on "The Future of OSHA" sponsored by the AALS Section on Labor Relations and Employment Law, is based on a much larger treatment of the issue, entitled "What We Learn in Troubled Times: Deregulation and Safe Work in the New Economy," 55 Wayne L. Rev. (forthcoming 2010), available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1487963.
Role of Farm Cooperatives in Efficient Distribution

Cooperative Objectives and Distribution A look at basic reasons why farmers organize and patronize cooperatives will help bring into perspective the contributions their organizations are making to efficiency in distribution. Increased net farm income is the motivating force back of the business activities of farmer cooperatives. These associations help members achieve this objective by getting them more for the products they sell and by savings on the production supplies and services needed in day-to-day farm operations. Cooperatives help farmers increase their net income in a number of ways. Marketing associations enable patrons to increase their bargaining power in the market place. Moreover, they help to reach and to expand existing markets and to develop new ones-something that often would be impossible if each acted as his own salesman. Marketing cooperatives also stress quality production, payments according to grade, and systematic (orderly) marketing practices. Through supply cooperatives farmers add to their net income by realizing for themselves the savings that result from providing their own production supplies. These associations also provide special types of production supply services such as spraying, painting, and distributing feed and fertilizer in bulk. Moreover, they make important contributions to increased farm income by handling supplies tailor-made to the specific production requirements of patrons. For much the same reason farmers look to their service cooperatives to provide a large and growing number of general farm services. These, among others, include insurance, irrigation, credit, electric power, and telephone. In setting up their own organizations to furnish these services, farmers seek either lower costs, or, what is even more important, assurance that these services will be available.
Magnetophoretic-based microfluidic device for DNA Concentration

Nucleic acids serve as biomarkers of disease and it is highly desirable to develop approaches to extract small number of such genomic extracts from human bodily fluids. Magnetic particles-based nucleic acid extraction is widely used for concentration of small amount of samples and is followed by DNA amplification in specific assays. However, approaches to integrate such magnetic particles based capture with micro and nanofluidic based assays are still lacking. In this report, we demonstrate a magnetophoretic-based approach for target-specific DNA extraction and concentration within a microfluidic device. This device features a large chamber for reducing flow velocity and an array of μ-magnets for enhancing magnetic flux density. With this strategy, the device is able to collect up to 95 % of the magnetic particles from the fluidic flow and to concentrate these magnetic particles in a collection region. Then an enzymatic reaction is used to detach the DNA from the magnetic particles within the microfluidic device, making the DNA available for subsequent analysis. Concentrations of over 1000-fold for 90 bp dsDNA molecules is demonstrated. This strategy can bridge the gap between detection of low concentration analytes from clinical samples and a range of micro and nanofluidic sensors and devices including nanopores, nano-cantilevers, and nanowires.
Impact Damage Assessment in Electrified Carbon Fiber Polymer Matrix Composites

In this work we present experimental and theoretical results on the low velocity impact of electrified carbon fiber polymer matrix unidirectional and cross-ply composites. A particular emphasis is given to the analysis of the influence of Joule heating on the alteration of the mechanical response of electrified composites. The results show that a short term current application leads to an increase in the impact resistance of electrified composites whereas a long term application of a DC current has a detrimental effect. A mathematical model to study the time dependent Joule heating in composites has been developed. The role of the current density and other material parameters has been elucidated.
Evaluation of Water to Water Heat Pump Model in Energy Plus Using Measurement Data

The purpose of this work is to find a protocol and a model that describes the behavior of a geothermal heat pump in an actual environment in order to determine the actual power consumption and capacity of the device. This paper focuses on the use of field measured data to derive the performance of the heat pump. The equation fit model is used as it does not demand very detailed input. The model employs the condenser and evaporator inlet temperatures as input data. The heat pump provides heating and cooling for the living and working area of the zero energy lab which is 1200 sq ft building and designed to intimate a small residence., and both cooling and heating were investigated. A model was generated for each case. Long operation periods were sought for model generating so two experiments were set in different seasons to collect the data for each mode and each experiment lasted for 10 days. Model results showed an error range of ±10% for the unit capacity and power consumption.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
The current state of pediatric hospital medicine fellowships: A survey of program directors.

BACKGROUND Pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) fellowship programs have grown rapidly over the last 20 years and have varied in duration and content. In an effort to standardize training in the absence of a single accrediting body, PHM fellowship directors now meet annually to discuss strategies for standardizing and enhancing training. OBJECTIVES To explore similarities and differences in curricular structure among PHM fellowship programs in an effort to inform future curriculum standardization efforts. METHODS An electronic survey was distributed by e-mail to all PHM fellowship directors in April 2014. The survey consisted of 30 multiple-choice and short-answer questions focused on various curricular aspects of training developed by the authors. RESULTS Twenty-seven of 31 fellowship programs (87%) responded to the survey. Duration of most programs was 2 years (63%), with 6, 1-year programs (22%) and 4 (15%) 3-year programs making up the remainder. The average amount of clinical time among programs was 50% (range approximately 20%–65%). In addition to general inpatient pediatric service time, most programs require other clinical rotations. The majority of programs allow fellows to bill independently for their services. Most programs offer certificate courses, courses for credit or noncredit courses, with 11 programs offering masters' degrees. Twenty-one (81%) programs provide a scholarship oversight committee for their fellows. Current fellows' primary areas of research are varied. CONCLUSION Though variability exists regarding program length, clinical composition, and nonclinical offerings, several common themes emerged that may help inform the development of a standard curriculum for use across all programs. This information provides a useful starting point if pediatric hospital medicine obtains formal subspecialty status. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine
Defining and distinguishing promotive and protective effects for childhood externalizing psychopathology: a systematic review.

Purpose We examine evidence for whether decreases in externalizing behaviors are driven by the absence of risk (e.g., lack of poor housing quality) or the presence of something positive (e.g., good housing quality). We also review evidence for whether variables have promotive (main) effects or protective (buffering) effects within contexts of risks.
Research of automatic speed shifting manual hydraulic clamp

A manual hydraulic clamp that speed can be automatically shifted according to the force is designed in order to resolving the confliction of speed and power in traditional manual instrument. In this type of clamp,a big bump,a small bump,a big oil jar and a small oil jar are originally manufactured as a part.The hydraulic system of this new type of clam can automatically change speed according to the load by the automatic internal hydraulic program changing.The purpose of high speed at light load and slow speed at heavy load is achieved.
Correlated Analysis of Epstein-Barr Virus Load and Changes of T Cell Subsets in Children with Infectious Mononucleosis

Objective To measure the expression level of T lymphocyte subsets in children with infectious mononucleosis(IM) during acute phase;To study the correlation of Epstein-Barr Virus load and changes of T cell subsets in children with IM.Methods T lymphocyte subsets and regulation T cells in peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry in 47 cases with acute infectious mononucleosis.The measured results were compared with that of 32 normal children.Results Compared with the following results in controls,CD3+,CD3+CD8+ were increased and CD3+CD4+,CD4+/CD8+ ratio,CD4+CD25+,CD4+CD25+CD127-were reduced in the IM patients at the acute stage.There was a positive correlation between EBV loaf and CD3+,CD8+ during acute phase.There was a negative correlation between EBV load and CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ratio,regulation T cells during acute phase.Conclusion There lies the immune dysfunctions in the children with acute infectious mononucleosis.The degree of immune dysfunction is relevant to EBV-DNA copy number.Meanwhile,regulation T cells of peripheral blood in the IM patients was diminished,they possible play an important role in the pathogenesis of IM.
Initial nitride formation during plasma-nitridation of cobalt surfaces

Nitridation of metal surfaces is of central importance in microelectronics and spintronics due to the excellent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of refractory nitrides. Here, we examine the chemical and structural modification of cobalt surfaces upon nitrogen plasma treatment, using in situ spectroscopic methods, as a method for synthesis of cobalt nitride thin films. We find that nitrogen is incorporated below the surface and forms an ultrathin film of CoN at temperatures as low as 50 °C. In addition, we observe the incorporation of oxygen and NO+ within the surface region. The nitrided cobalt surfaces are fully passivated by N, O, and NO+. These results provide a route for incorporation of cobalt nitride into a wide range applications.
The Receptor for Advanced Glycation Endproducts Drives T Cell Survival and Inflammation in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

The ways in which environmental factors participate in the progression of autoimmune diseases are not known. After initiation, it takes years before hyperglycemia develops in patients at risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D). The receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) is a scavenger receptor of the Ig family that binds damage-associated molecular patterns and advanced glycated endproducts and can trigger cell activation. We previously found constitutive intracellular RAGE expression in lymphocytes from patients with T1D. In this article, we show that there is increased RAGE expression in T cells from at-risk euglycemic relatives who progress to T1D compared with healthy control subjects, and in the CD8 + T cells in the at-risk relatives who do versus those who do not progress to T1D. Detectable levels of the RAGE ligand high mobility group box 1 were present in serum from at-risk subjects and patients with T1D. Transcriptome analysis of RAGE + versus RAGE − T cells from patients with T1D showed differences in signaling pathways associated with increased cell activation and survival. Additional markers for effector memory cells and inflammatory function were elevated in the RAGE + CD8 + cells of T1D patients and at-risk relatives of patients before disease onset. These studies suggest that expression of RAGE in T cells of subjects progressing to disease predates dysglycemia. These findings imply that RAGE expression enhances the inflammatory function of T cells, and its increased levels observed in T1D patients may account for the chronic autoimmune response when damage-associated molecular patterns are released after cell injury and killing.
MPTH-27A LARGE-SCALE UCLA GLIOMA TISSUE MICROARRAY IDENTIFIES EMP2 AS A NOVEL BIOMARKER FOR GBM THAT CORRELATES WITH OVERALL PROGNOSIS

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a deadly disease with a survival of approximately 15 months. Epithelial membrane protein 2 (EMP2) is correlated with advanced disease and adverse outcomes in several cancers and has recently been found to be expressed in GBM. Mechanistically, EMP2 promotes αvβ3 integrin surface expression, resulting in an activation of focal adhesion kinase and Src. The consequences of this activation are an increase in tumor growth, cell migration, and invasion. Our preliminary studies suggest that targeting EMP2 with anti-EMP2 antibody results in GBM cell death. METHODS: A custom large tissue microarray (TMA) containing glioma tumor samples from 184 consecutive patients at UCLA was stained for EMP2 expression using human EMP2 antisera. Staining intensity was quantified by an independent pathologist on a 0-3 histological score scale. EMP2 expression level for each sample was correlated with patients' clinical data and outcomes. RESULTS: In the large-scale glioma TMA, EMP2 was expressed strongly in over 90% of GBM samples. EMP2 expression level correlated with increasing grade of glioma, with GBM expressing the highest levels. Furthermore, EMP2 overexpression was significantly associated with increased tumor malignancy and statistically worse patient outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our data presents an extremely novel biomarker and therapeutic target for GBM. These finding suggest that EMP2 expression can be utilized with high validity to determine prognosis in patients with GBM and represents a highly attractive target for anti-glioblastoma therapies. Future prospective, multicenter studies are needed to further validate this large-scale UCLA tissue microarray analysis.
Taking My Talents to South Beach (And Back)

We study the local economic spillovers generated by LeBron James’ presence on a team in the National Basketball Association. Mr. James, the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft, spent the first seven seasons of his career at the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then moved to the Miami Heat in 2010, only to return to Cleveland in 2014. Long considered one of the NBA’s superstars, he has received the league’s MVP award four times, won three NBA championships, and been a part of two victorious US teams at the Olympics. We trace the impact a star of Mr. James’ caliber can have on economic activity by analyzing the impact his departures and arrivals had on business activity close to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat stadiums. We find that Mr. James has a statistically and economically significant positive effect on both the number of restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments near the stadium where he is based, and on aggregate employment at those establishments. Specifically, his presence increases the number of such establishments within one mile of the stadium by about 13%, and employment by about 23.5%. These effects are very local, in that they decay rapidly as one moves farther from the stadium.
A Rare Cause of Hemoperitoneum in a Patient with Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension

A 48-year-old man, diagnosed case of portal hypertension secondary to alcohol related cirrhosis of the liver, presented to the gastrointestinal (GI) Bleed Unit, with jaundice and worsening abdominal distension for a period of five days. Clinical examination revealed an emaciated patient in grade 2 hepatic encephalopathy with pulse rate 98 per minute and mean arterial pressure 66 mmHg in the right supine brachial region, with Child Pugh score 10 and Model for End Stage Liver Disease score 18. Upper GI endoscopic evaluation revealed small low risk esophageal varices without active bleeding or stigmata of recent hemorrhage and normal colonoscopy. Bedside diagnostic paracentesis revealed bloody aspirate with fluid hematocrit 17% and fluid red blood cell count of 35,000 per mm3 suggestive of hemoperitoneum. An urgent computed tomography (CT) angiography of the abdomen revealed shrunken dysmorphic liver with hyper dense free fluid and dependent clots in pelvis without active bleeding. Interestingly, multiple thread-like structures with contrast opacification in venous phase were noted in the distal duodenum and jejunal region [black arrows (Figure 1A, maximal intensity projection, CT coronal) and corresponding white arrows (Figure 1B, CT curved planar reformation, 3-dimensional)] along with multiple contrast opacified mesenteric and retroperitoneal vessels (Figure 1C, asterisk). Commencement of broad spectrum antimicrobials, blood transfusions, and terlipressin with serial hemoglobin monitoring, and abdominal girth charting was undertaken. The patient had an uneventful recovery from the bleeding episode and is currently listed in the deceased donor liver transplantation program.
Comparative analysis of neutropenia in patients receiving prolonged treatment with ceftaroline.

Objectives Ceftaroline is often used in durations greater than that studied in clinical trials. Several retrospective, non-comparative studies have suggested a higher than anticipated incidence of neutropenia in patients receiving prolonged treatment with ceftaroline. We sought to determine if ceftaroline was associated with neutropenia by comparing the incidence with ceftaroline treatment with treatment with several comparative antibiotics. Methods Patients receiving 14 or more consecutive days of treatment with ceftaroline were compared with patients receiving cefazolin, daptomycin, linezolid, nafcillin or vancomycin (control group). The primary outcome was the development of neutropenia. Multivariate logistic regression and propensity score weighting using inverse probability weights with regression adjustment were used to control for confounding variables. Results A total of 753 patients were included (53 that received ceftaroline and 700 that received a comparative antibiotic). Ceftaroline was associated with a greater incidence of neutropenia as compared with the control group (17.0% versus 3.9%, P Conclusions The results of this study suggest that prolonged treatment with ceftaroline is associated with a greater incidence of neutropenia as compared with other antibiotics that are often used for treatment of staphylococcal infections. Careful monitoring of absolute neutrophil count is recommended in patients receiving >14 days of ceftaroline.
Offensive vs. Defensive Opportunism in Marketing Channel Relationships: An Essay on Their Ethics

The main purpose of this paper is to stimulate some discussions on the ethics of opportunistic behaviors in marketing relationships. It proposes that the cause of opportunism may have some bearing on its ethicality. The central argument made in the paper is that while of fensive or proactive opportunistic behaviors are ethically wrong, defensive or reactive opportunistic behaviors aiming at restoring exchange equity and preserving the exchange party’s freedom may be ethically permissable.
A Toxic Bloom of Anabaena Flos-Aquae in Hebgen Reservoir Montana in 1977

Because of the volcanic nature of the Yellowstone Park area, waters draining it are highly mineralized. Consequently, Hebgen Lake is also mineralized, with a high concentration of nutrients. While the main lake is not highly productive, the Grayling Arm commonly produces algal blooms both early and late in the season. Predominating species in the early blooms are usually Anabaena spiroides and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. In June of 1977 a heavy bloom of Anabaena flos-aquae occurred which developed toxic characteristics. A number of cattle and dogs died as a result, and it was necessary to close the beaches and camp sites on the Grayling Arm. Stomach contents of the dead animals were toxic to mice, and anatoxin-a was isolated from algae samples by Wayne Carmichael, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. The bloom declined during July and was non-toxic by the end of the month.
The IR Vibrational Properties of Composite Solids and Particles: The Lyddane-Sachs-Teller Relation Revisited

Hot pressed zinc sulfide, dispersion hardened with diamond particles has turned out to be an ideal material in which to explore the optical complexity introduced by perhaps the simplest optical composite structure. Because the transverse vibrational mode of ZnS is IR active while that of diamond is IR inactive, the vibrational polarization properties of the resulting medium are extremely inhomogeneous at far infrared frequencies. This novel system has turned out to be extremely useful for identifying the important dynamical features underlying the optical properties of all transparent composites and complex dielectrics. One result of far ir measurements of the reststrahlen region of this system is the discovery of a generalized Lyddane-Sachs-Teller (LST) relation for solids and liquids. The characteristic dynamical frequencies are defined in terms of second moments of the relevant response functions, and very general causality arguments are used to obtain the generalized LST relation. The measured electronic excitation properties of silicon have been used to illustrate the generality of the resulting relation, which provides a useful connection between the long-wavelength dynamical behavior of nonmetallic condensed media and their static and high-frequency dielectric properties. When the characteristic vibrational frequencies of small disordered dielectric particles are described in terms of optical moments of the appropriate response functions, a generalized Frohlich relation follows which connects the second moment of the small particle response function to the dc dielectric properties of the particle. This result is then used to obtain a new representation for the Clausius-Mossotti relation. Finally, the frequency dependent extinction cross section of an ellipsoidal particle of arbitrary size is examined from the same perspective of sum rules and optical moments. A number of general results can be found. It is demonstrated here that an extinction strength sum rule exists which directly relates the effective number of oscillators in the scattering particle to the integral over the extinction cross section spectrum, independent of particle shape. In addition, the characteristic frequency for the extinction cross section spectrum has the interesting property of being independent of particle size. It is also shown that the frequency expression characterizing the extinction properties of an ellipsoid of arbitrary size has the same form as the Frohlich relation for small single crystal particles. The expression agrees with the generalized Frohlich relation that relates the squared frequency characterizing the absorption behavior of an ellipsoid in the Rayleigh limit with the small particle dielectric constant. The end result is that there is a much stronger connection between the scattering and absorptive properties of a large disordered particle and the absorptive properties of a small single crystalline particle than previously recognized.
Institutional Imbalance as a Force of Direction: The Implication of Institutional Anomie Theory in Stream Analogy of Lethal Violence

The current article explores the relationship between institutional imbalance (Institutional Anomie Theory) and the Stream Analogy of Lethal Violence (SALV). The stream analogy proposes that both h...