cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
REDUCTION OF ANXIETY AND POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIC REQUIREMENTS BY AUDIOVISUAL INSTRUCTION

Abstract Patients shown an audiovisual presentation about perioperative care (the study group) needed significantly less narcotic analgesia in the first 24 h postoperatively than did patients who were visited by an anaesthetist preoperatively (the control group). Anxiety fell by 25% in the study group, compared with 11 1% in the control group. Patients were generally pleased with the audiovisual presentation. It is suggested that audiovisual instruction would be a useful supplement to the visit of the anaesthetist for patients about to undergo surgery.
Purification of recombinant proteins from Escherichia coli at low expression levels by inverse transition cycling.

A crucial and challenging problem in proteomics is purification, identification, and characterization of proteins, some of which are expressed at very low levels. The preferred method for purification of low abundance proteins exploits multiple affinity purification tags on a single recombinant protein e.g. tandem affinity purification (TAP) [1]. However TAP is both experimentally lengthy, involving many sequential binding, washing and elution steps and costly, requiring two different and expensive resins to recover the purified recombinant protein. Hence processing large amounts of cell lysate makes it prohibitively expensive especially for scale-up. Here we present a new and simple strategy to purify soluble recombinant proteins from E. coli at a protein concentration that approaches the limit of a single protein molecule per cell. This method utilizes the unique aggregation properties of elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) to capture recombinant fusion proteins composed of a target protein and an ELP tag from cell lysate. ELPs are artificial, genetically encodable polypeptides composed the repeating pentapeptides sequence VPGXG, where the guest residue (X) can be any naturally occurring amino acid except Pro [2,3]. ELPs exhibit a unique reversible inverse phase transition behavior; below a critical transition temperature (Tt) ELPs are highly soluble in aqueous solution, however at temperatures even a few degrees Celsius above Tt, ELP will undergo a solubilityinsolubility phase transition, leading to aggregation of the polypeptide [4]. The Tt of an ELP is a function of a number of variables including identity and stoichiometry of the guest residue, molecular weight, ELP and salt concentration in aqueous solution [5–9]. The environmental sensitivity and reversible solubility of ELPs are retained when expressed as recombinant fusions with proteins. This feature can be exploited for non-chromatographic purification of recombinant proteins by inverse transition cycling (ITC) [10]. In ITC, an ELP fusion protein is selectively separated from other contaminating biomolecules in cell lysate by the sequential and repeated steps of aggregation, centrifugation, and resolubilization of the fusion protein [10,11]. A number of different proteins have been purified by this method using either centrifugation [11–18] or micro-filtration [19]. The direct purification of ELPs has also been extended to the capture of native proteins by ELP-tagged capture reagents [14–17]. Proteins expressed at the level of micrograms per liter of culture are difficult to purify by chromatography because of the losses associated with non-specific and irreversible adsorption of the target protein to chromatography resins as well as the relative increase in contamination from host proteins that are non-specifically adsorbed to the chromatography resin are subsequently eluted with the target protein. We demonstrate a new variant of ITC that solves
Electrophilic radiofluorination of aryltrimethylsilanes as a general route to 18F-labeled aryl fluorides

Abstract The reactions of a variety of aryltrimethylsilanes with elemental fluorine and acetyl hypofluorite have been studied with the aim of developing a general method for labeling aromatic compounds with fluorine-18. Extensive 18 F incorporation into the aromatic ring of the selected aryltrimethylsilanes was invariably observed, leading to the ipso ( 18 F-for-Si) electrophilic substitution products together with variable yields of other ( 18 F-for-H) electrophilic substitution products. The relative extent of the 18 F substitution processes [(C-Si/C-H)subst.] is found to depend largely upon the substituent group on the aromatic ring of the substrate, the leaving moiety, and the radiofluorination procedure used. The utility of aryltrimethylsilyl derivatives as precursors for the rapid synthesis of high specific activity of 18 F-labeled radiopharmaceuticals is discussed.
Radial diffusion and ion partitioning in the IO torus

A model is presented for radial diffusion and charge state partitioning of sulfur and oxygen ions in the Io torus, including effects of electron impact and charge exchange. When applied to Voyager 1 radial profiles of total ion flux tube content, the model shows that the ion residence time in the torus, tau(D), as defined in spectroscopic studies of ion partitioning, is related to the radial diffusion coefficient, D(LL), at L = 7 by tau(D) approximately 8/D(LL)(7). This result appears to bring spectroscopic estimates of the ion residence time (tau/D/ greater than about 60 to 100 days) into reasonable agreement with estimates of D(LL) from magnetospheric diffusion studies, D(LL) equals approximately 10 to the -6th/s.
Merleau-ponty's political passage

Scholarship on the work of Merleau-Ponty is confined to a small and somewhat incestuous collection of commentators who bear in common several fundamental assumptions. The first and most cardinal presumption is, of course, that Merleau-Ponty was a great philosopher who produced finished and finely crafted philosophical works in contrast to some of his more visible contemporaries such Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.
Marketing Perspectives for the 1990s

A recent survey sent to 500 environmental consulting firms across the United States has helped document specific promotional vehicles used within the environmental consulting industry, as well as highlighted a wide spectrum of attitudes toward adopting a formalized marketing function within a technically oriented firm. The population of study, from which a 22 percent response rate was received, consisted of scientific, engineering, and combination firms providing hydrogeologic, environmental assessment, natural resource, and hazardous waste management services. The study, conducted for a master's thesis in business administration, was supported in part by Hofstra University of Hempstead, New York. The study indicated that consultants' resistance toward professional services marketing was directly proportional to the amount of referral work they received; that environmental consultants promote themselves significantly more often through commercial rather than non-commercial vehicles; and that scientific firms were significantly more resistant to adopting a marketing function than engineering or combination scientific/engineering firms.
Gender Gaps in Human Capital and Economic Growth in Developing Countries

This paper examines the impact of gender gaps in human capital on economic growth in developing countries. Based on data from the World Bank for the 1990-2010 period and a sample of seventy-eight developing economies, we find that the growth rate of GDP per capita is dependent on gross capital formation, the changes in both male and female life expectancy, the change in the gap between male and female life expectancy, the change in the proportion of the population having access to improved sanitation services, population growth, and the GDP per capita in 2000. It is observed that the estimated coefficient of one explanatory variable, namely, the change in female life expectancy, does not have the expected positive sign, possibly due to the collinearity between this variable and the change in male life expectancy as well as gross capital formation. Statistical results of such empirical examination will assist governments in developing countries identify areas that need to be improved upon reduce gender gaps in human capital—specifically those that address female life expectancy—in order to foster economic growth.
Invited Commentary: Broadening the Evidence for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Education in the United States

Scientific research has made major contributions to adolescent health by providing insights into factors that influence it and by defining ways to improve it. However, US adolescent sexual and reproductive health policies—particularly sexuality health education policies and programs—have not benefited from the full scope of scientific understanding. From 1998 to 2009, federal funding for sexuality education focused almost exclusively on ineffective and scientifically inaccurate abstinence-only-until-marriage (AOUM) programs. Since 2010, the largest source of federal funding for sexual health education has been the “tier 1” funding of the Office of Adolescent Health’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative. To be eligible for such funds, public and private entities must choose from a list of 35 programs that have been designated as “evidence-based” interventions (EBIs), determined based on their effectiveness at preventing teen pregnancies, reducing sexually transmitted infections, or reducing rates of sexual risk behaviors (i.e., sexual activity, contraceptive use, or number of partners). Although the transition from primarily AOUM to EBI is important progress, this definition of evidence is narrow and ignores factors known to play key roles in adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Important bodies of evidence are not treated as part of the essential evidence base, including research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth; gender; and economic inequalities and health. These bodies of evidence underscore the need for sexual health education to approach adolescent sexuality holistically, to be inclusive of all youth, and to address and mitigate the impact of structural inequities. We provide recommendations to improve US sexual health education and to strengthen the translation of science into programs and policy.
Task and resource assignment in distributed real-time systems

In this paper, we propose an efficient algorithm to statically assign tasks and logical resources to the processors, taking into account the blocking times due to resource contention. We formulate the assignment problem using an assignment graph where the weights on the edges of the graph represent the desirability of assigning the tasks (connected by the edges) to the processors. These weights are computed based on the resource usages, communication costs, and the priorities of the tasks. An efficient clustering and graph-bisection algorithm is used to find an assignment of the tasks and resources such that the total communication costs and total blocking time are minimized, subject to the constraint that the tasks are schedulable after the assignment. Experimental results indicate the effectiveness of our algorithm. >
Pyruvate metabolism by homogenates of human brain: effects of phenylpyruvate and implications for the etiology of the mental retardation in phenylketonuria.

— The effect of phenylalanine and phenylpyruvate on the metabolism of pyruvate by homogenates of human brain was investigated. In the presence of 5 mM pyruvate as substrate homogenates of human cerebral cortex fixed about 1 μmol of H14CO3-- per g of tissue in 30 min. Phenylpyruvate at a concentration of 5 raw inhibited the fixation of H14 CO3-- by homogenates of human brain by approximately 50 per cent, whereas 5 mM phenylalanine had no effect. The inhibition of pyruvate carboxylation by phenylpyruvate was dependent upon the concentration of the inhibitor. The activity of pyruvate carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.1) in human cerebral cortex was 02–0.4 units, with a Km for pyruvate of about 0.2 mM. Homogenates of human cerebral cortex decarboxylated [1-14C]pyruvate to 14CO2 at a rate of about 5 μmol per g of tissue per 15 min, with a 20–50 per cent reduction in the presence of 5 mM phenylpyruvate; phenylalanine at the same concentration had no effect. The possible toxic effect of phenylpyruvate on the metabolism of pyruvate in the brains of untreated phenylketonuric patients is discussed.
Mosaic methylation in clonal tissue.

Abstract Current models suggest that de novo methylases add methyl groups to mammalian DNA early in development, establishing cell-specific patterns of methylation, and that these patterns are maintained by maintenance methylases that copy them onto newly replicated DNA strands. To test the prediction that clonal populations of histologically homogeneous cells should, therefore, have homogeneous methylation patterns, we studied methylation in leiomyomas. Despite the clonality and histological homogeneity of these solid tumors, we found that cells were heterogeneously methylated at a number of genomic sites. The heterogeneity was not caused by random methylation events within the leiomyomas because methylation patterns were similar in the core and periphery of a given tumor, and similar also among samples of independent leiomyomas and surrounding myometrial tissues extracted from a single uterus. Our results also showed that methylation of a site in the YNZ22 locus—in leiomyomas and in smooth muscle—was determined independently from the methylation of a neighboring site. Similar results were obtained for the IGH locus in colon and in several tumor tissues. These data indicate that methylation patterns are not identical in progeny cells, as current models suggest. Instead, it seems likely that methylation of a specific site reflects an equilibrium frequency defined by a continual loss and gain of methyl groups. Hence, the specificity found for the methylation of mammalian tissues is not achieved by strictly determining the methylation fate of individual cells, but by determining the overall methylation frequencies for individual sites.
Galectin-3 Shapes Antitumor Immune Responses by Suppressing CD8+ T Cells via LAG-3 and Inhibiting Expansion of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells

Galectin-3 is a 31-kDa lectin that modulates T-cell responses through several mechanisms, including apoptosis, T-cell receptor (TCR) cross-linking, and TCR downregulation. We found that patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) who responded to a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-secreting allogeneic PDA vaccine developed neutralizing antibodies to galectin-3 after immunization. We show that galectin-3 binds activated antigen-committed CD8(+) T cells only in the tumor microenvironment. Galectin-3-deficient mice exhibit improved CD8(+) T-cell effector function and increased expression of several inflammatory genes. Galectin-3 binds to LAG-3, and LAG-3 expression is necessary for galectin-3-mediated suppression of CD8(+) T cells in vitro. Lastly, galectin-3-deficient mice have elevated levels of circulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells, which are superior to conventional dendritic cells in activating CD8(+) T cells. Thus, inhibiting galectin-3 in conjunction with CD8(+) T-cell-directed immunotherapies should enhance the tumor-specific immune response.
Attitude Organization in the General Public: Evidence for a Bidimensional Structure

T7his paper examines interrelationships among attitudes toward a wide range of political and social topics. The issue under investigation is whether, and howv, social attitudes are organized or structured among the general public. While many assume that attitudes are organized in terms of a single underlying ideology of liberalism/conservatism, others argue that attitudes show little organization, or that attitude structure is bidimensional. To address this issue, this study analyzes data from two separate national surveys, each containing information about a large number of attitude topics. In both data sets, confirmatory factor analyses support a bidimensional model. Social and political attitudes are organized along at least two uncorrelated dimensions: economic welfare policy, on the one hand, and individual liberty, on the other. Results point to qualifications in Kerlinger's (1984) criterial referents theory of attitude structure.
Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 Tax Induction of Biologically Active NF-κB Requires IκB Kinase-1-mediated Phosphorylation of RelA/p65

Activation of the NF-kappaB/Rel family of transcription factors proceeds through a catalytic complex containing IkappaB kinase (IKK)-1 and IKK2. Targeted disruption of each of the IKK genes suggests that these two kinases may mediate distinct functions in the activation pathway. In our studies of the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax oncoprotein, we have uncovered a new function of IKK1 required for complete activation of the NF-kappaB transcriptional program. In IKK1(-/-) murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), Tax normally induced early NF-kappaB activation events. However, NF-kappaB induced by Tax in these IKK1(-/-) cells was functionally impaired. In IKK1(-/-) (but not wild-type) MEFs, Tax failed to activate several different kappaB reporter constructs or to induce the endogenous IkappaBalpha gene. In contrast, Tax normally activated the cAMP-responsive element-binding protein/activating transcription factor pathway, leading to full stimulation of an HTLV-1 long terminal repeat reporter construct in IKK1(-/-) cells. Furthermore, reconstitution of IKK1(-/-) cells with kinase-proficient (but not kinase-deficient) forms of IKK1 restored the Tax induction of full NF-kappaB transactivation. We further found that the defect in NF-kappaB action in IKK1(-/-) cells correlated with a failure of Tax to induce phosphorylation of the RelA/p65 subunit of NF-kappaB at Ser(529) and Ser(536). Such phosphorylation of RelA/p65 was readily detected in wild-type MEFs. Phosphorylation of Ser(536) was required for a complete response to Tax expression, whereas phosphorylation of Ser(529) appeared to be less critical. Together, these findings highlight distinct roles for the IKK1 and IKK2 kinases in the activation of NF-kappaB in response to HTLV-1 Tax. IKK2 plays a dominant role in signaling for IkappaBalpha degradation, whereas IKK1 appears to play an important role in enhancing the transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB by promoting RelA/p65 phosphorylation.
Who is a Modeler

Many standard philosophical accounts of scientific practice fail to distinguish between modeling and other types of theory construction. This failure is unfortunate because there are important contrasts among the goals, procedures, and representations employed by modelers and other kinds of theorists. We can see some of these differences intuitively when we reflect on the methods of theorists such as Vito Volterra and Linus Pauling on the one hand, and Charles Darwin and Dimitri Mendeleev on the other. Much of Volterra's and Pauling's work involved modeling; much of Darwin's and Mendeleev's did not. In order to capture this distinction, I consider two examples of theory construction in detail: Volterra's treatment of post-WWI fishery dynamics and Mendeleev's construction of the periodic system. I argue that modeling can be distinguished from other forms of theorizing by the procedures modelers use to represent and to study real-world phenomena: indirect representation and analysis. This differentiation between modelers and non-modelers is one component of the larger project of understanding the practice of modeling, its distinctive features, and the strategies of abstraction and idealization it employs.
Algal Mats and Insect Emergence in Rivers Under Mediterranean Climates: Towards Photogrammetric Surveillance

Summary 1. In a nitrogen (N)-limited river subject to Mediterranean summer drought hydrology, the colour of macroalgal proliferations changed with successional and seasonal changes in epiphyte assemblages. New growth of the dominant macroalga, Cladophora glomerata, was green, as were proliferations of Oedogonium, Mougeotia and Spirogyra, which did not become heavily colonized with diatoms. Green Cladophora turned yellow as Cladophora filaments became colonized by diatoms that were not N fixers, and turned rust-coloured as later-successional epiphyte assemblages became dominated by dense Epithemia turgida and E. sorex, which both contain N-fixing cyanobacterial endosymbionts. 2. The rate and composition of insect emergence from floating algal mats differed among proliferations of different colour. The rates of emergence (individuals day−1 500 cm−2) of nematoceran flies were three to 25 times greater from yellow or rusty-coloured Cladophora mats than from green Cladophora, Oedogonium or Mougeotia mats that had lower epiphyte densities. Biomass emergence from Cladophora mats that were rusty in colour was eight to 10 times greater than from yellow Cladophora mats, because larger nematocerans dominated in rusty mats (Chironominae versus Ceratopogonidae in yellow mats). 3. Proliferations of Epithemia-infested Cladophora occur at and above drainage areas of about 100 km2 (channel widths of 25–30 m) in this river network, coinciding with the drainage area threshold where a step increase in concentration of total dissolved N is observed during summer. 4. In rivers under Mediterranean climate regimes, algal succession during the prolonged low flow season is less subject to stochastic interruption by spates than in rivers under more continental climates. Under these summer drought conditions, photogrammetric detection of colour changes in algal proliferations may help us track reach or basin-scale change in their ecological functions.
Electron Scattering from Nuclei

The description of nuclei at distances on the order of a fermi or less poses a difficult challenge for theoretical physicists. At larger distances the traditional description of the nucleus as a collection of interacting nucleons has been quite successful and substantial progress has been made in recent years in describing few-nucleon systems using this ap- proach. However, it has been known for several decades that the nucle- ons themselves are composite objects which are believed to described by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). QCD is a complicated nonlinear strongly interacting field theory which can only be used for calculation in special circumstances. Due to the property of asymptotic freedom ex- hibited by QCD, perturbative calculations of QCD can be made at large momentum transfers and have achieved substantial success for a variety of processes. Understanding the transition from traditional pictures of nuclei to QCD is a substantial challenge. As an example of this problem, this paper describes recent calculations of elastic electron-deuteron scattering based on a relativistic extension of the traditional nuclear physics approach. The results of this work are compared to new data obtained at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory and to the predictions of perturbative QCD.
The influence of larval diet on adult feeding behaviour in the tobacco hornworm moth, Manduca sexta.

Abstract Lab-reared sphingid and noctuid moths appear to feed less than wild moths, and often are starved to enhance responsiveness in feeding assays. To measure the impact of larval nutrition on adult feeding, we raised a model sphingid species, Manduca sexta , on control or modified diets (reduced sugar, protein or water, supplemented β -carotene) or cut tobacco leaves, then conducted feeding assays with artificial flowers. Behaviour was scored and analysed in a double-blind manner. Larval diet affected adult eclosion time, size and fat content, the latter of which was inversely proportional to moth approaches to the floral array in a flight cage. In contrast, behaviours refractory to feeding (sitting, escaping) were associated with sex and barometric pressure, but not with diet or fat content. Frequency of floral approaches and probing was not associated with any variable. However, moths reared on β -carotene-supplemented diet were 2–3 times more likely to feed, and significantly less likely to sit or show “escape” behaviour than were moths from most other treatments. Our results suggest that decreased visual sensitivity, rather than increased fat content, accounts for reduced adult feeding by lab-reared M. sexta .
A unified statistical model for the identification of English baseNP

This paper presents a novel statistical model for automatic identification of English baseNP. It uses two steps: the N-best Part-Of-Speech (POS) tagging and baseNP identification given the N-best POS-sequences. Unlike the other approaches where the two steps are separated, we integrate them into a unified statistical framework. Our model also integrates lexical information. Finally, Viterbi algorithm is applied to make global search in the entire sentence, allowing us to obtain linear complexity for the entire process. Compared with other methods using the same testing set, our approach achieves 92.3% in precision and 93.2% in recall. The result is comparable with or better than the previously reported results.
Established neointimal hyperplasia in vein grafts expands via TGF-β-mediated progressive fibrosis

In weeks to months following implantation, neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) in vein grafts (VGs) transitions from a cellularized to a decellularized phenotype. The inhibition of early cellular prolifer...
A New Proof of the Likelihood Principle

AbstractI present a new proof of the likelihood principle that avoids two responses to a well-known proof due to Birnbaum ([1962]). I also respond to arguments that Birnbaum’s proof is fallacious, ...
Single-Screw Extrusion Processing of Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS)-Based Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) Feeds

Increases in global aquaculture production, com- pounded with limited availabilities of fish meal for fish feed, has created the need for alternative protein sources. Twin- screw extrusion studies were performed to investigate the production of nutritionally balanced feeds for juvenile yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Five isocaloric (~3.06 kcal/g) ingredient blends, adjusted to a target protein content of 36.7% db, were formulated with 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) at an initial moisture content of 5-7%db, with appropriate amounts of fish meal, fish oil, whole wheat flour, corn gluten meal, and vitamin and mineral premixes. During processing, varying amounts of steam (6.9-9.7 kg/h) were injected into the conditioner and water (6.7-13.1 kg/h) into the extruder to modulate the cohesiveness of the final extrudates. Extrusion cooking was performed at 226-298 rpm using a 1.9 mm die. Mass flow rate and processing temperatures generally decreased with progressively higher DDGS content. Mois- ture content, water activity, unit density, bulk density, expansion ratio, compressive strength and modulus, pellet durability index, water stability, angle of repose, and color were extensively analyzed to quantify the effects of varying DDGS content on the physical properties of the final extrudates. Significant differences (P<0.05) among the blends were observed for color and bulk density for both the raw and extruded material, respectively, and for the unit density of the extruded product. There were also significant changes in brightness (L), redness (a), and yellowness (b) among the final products when increasing the DDGS content of the blends. Expansion ratio and compressive strength of the extrudates were low. On the other hand, all extruded diets resulted in very good water stability properties and nearly all blends achieved high pellet durability indices. In summary, each of the ingredient blends resulted in viable extrudates.
Design and analysis of ultrasonic horn for USDC (ultrasonic/sonic driller/corer)

In-situ sampling and analysis is one of the major objectives of future NASA exploration missions. Existing drilling techniques are limited by the need for large axial forces, holding torques, and high power consumption. Lightweight robots and rovers have difficulties accommodating these requirements. These requirements are becoming increasingly tougher to meet as the need for drilling techniques is expanding to reach deeper into the subsurface. To address these key challenges to the NASA objective of planetary in-situ rock sampling and analysis, a drilling technology called ultrasonic/sonic driller/corer (USDC) was developed. The USDC uses a novel driving mechanism, transferring ultrasonic vibration to sonic frequency impacts with the aid of a free-flying mass block (free-mass). The free mass then drives the drill bit. The actuator consists of a stack of piezoelectric disks with a horn that amplifies the induced vibration amplitudes. To meet the need for deep driller the USDC was modified to form the Ultrasonic/Sonic Gopher. Drilling to the depth of several meters in ice or hard rocks requires the optimization of the amplification of the vibration displacement and velocity that are generated by the piezoelectric materials. For this purpose, various horn designs were examined analytically. Conventional and new designs of the horn were analyzed using finite element modeling and the results allow for the determination of the control parameters that can enhance the tip displacement and velocity. The results of the modeling are described and discussed in this paper.
The 207Pb(,t)206Pb Reaction Using 15-MeV Vector Polarized Deuterons

The structure of 206Pb has previously been studied by the 207Pb(d,t)206pb 1) and the 207Pb(p,d)206Pb 2) reactions, using cross section measurements and 9m rules to establish nuclear configurations. We have studied the 207Pb(,t)206Pb reaction using 15-MeV vector-polarized deuterons to obtain cross section and vector analyzing power (VAP) distributions in 5° steps from 25° to 110° for approximately 10 levels below 3.12-MeV excitation.
The Study of Optical and Electrical Properties of a-SiC:H for Multi-junction Si Thin Film Solar Cell

Studies have shown that wide bandgap material is required for high efficiency multi-junction solar cell applications. Here, we address proper deposition condition for high quality a-SiC:H films. In high power high pressure regime, we observed that the defect density get much lowered to the similar defect level of a-Si:H film with high H2 dilution. Single junction solar cells fabricated with the optimized condition show high open circuit voltage and low LID effect. The degradation after the LID test was only 13 % reduction of the efficiency indicating that a-SiC:H could be promising material for multi-junction solar cells.
Structural Constraints and Starting Points: The Logic of Systemic Change in Ukraine and Russia

It may be highly desirable for the Soviet Union's successor states to construct markets, democratic regimes, the rule of law, and civil societies as quickly as possible, but is the desirable possible?' For those former Soviet republics that were an integral and thoroughly communized part of the USSR since the 1920s, the answer is no.2 Rapid, fundamental, and comprehensive change, in a word, revolution, is impossible because the structural legacy of the USSR's collapse effectively precludes the successful pursuit of revolutionary change.3 Faute de mieux, protracted and sequential or simply evolutionary change however unspectacular and dull is the only alternative.4 My case rests on the proposition that the Soviet Union's collapse failed to generate two (of doubtless many) necessary conditions of revolutionary change. One such condition, absent in all the non-Russian successor states under consideration, was a revolutionary elite. Another, absent in all the states, including Russia, was the requisite capacity to pursue revolutionary policies. It follows logically that, in the absence of conditions that make attempted revolution possible, attempted revolution and thus revolution is impossible. I support my argument with a conceptually grounded analysis of the post-Soviet legacy in Ukraine and Russia. Although they are but two of twelve comparable successor states, Ukraine and Russia are especially vivid and, arguably, paradigmatic examples of the diametrically opposed paths that the USSR's successor states can follow. Post-Soviet Ukraine is a case of evolutionary change; post-Soviet Russia, of attempted revolutionary change. Until 1994 Ukraine appeared merely to stagnate, perhaps even to teeter on the edge of collapse, while Russia seemed destined to rush to democracy and the market.5 By 1995-1996 the tables appeared to have turned. Ukraine seemed stable and committed to reform, while Russia came across as fractious, polarized, and increasingly hostile to reform. This reversal of roles was not accidental, nor was it the consequence of elite choice, except perhaps in a trivial sense. Rather, the structural legacy of the USSR's collapse, in particular, the kinds of elites Ukraine and Russia inherited and the resource endowments of those elites, kept Ukraine on the path of evolutionary change and propelled Russia down the path of revolutionary change. Ukraine inherited an impoverished elite with an existential interest in evolutionary change. Russia inherited a revolutionary elite too weak to impose its will on an antirevolutionary
Video Imaging—a Computer Facilitated Approach to Communication and Planning in Orthognathic Surgery

A case report is presented in order to illustrate the benefits of computerized video imaging in orthognathic surgery. It is suggested that superimposition of the cephalogram on the video image is helpful in treatment planning and in communication with the patient. Computerized video imaging techniques help clinicians and patients discuss the aesthetic impact of orthognathic surgery. The superimposition of the cephalogram and profile image, coupled with algorithmic predictions, allow the clinician to plan the surgery to closely match the desired result. This paper presents the planning and counselling of a patient using contemporary computerized video imaging techniques.
Political Science and the Juristic Point of View

In the August, 1926, number of this journal, Professor W. W. Willoughby presented some conclusions regarding the conception of sovereignty and the range of its applicability in political science, together with some interesting suggestions for the clarification of political theory. His article is devoted primarily to an exposition and criticism of the juristic theories of Professor H. Krabbe, and the gist of his criticism is that Krabbe, in common with the translators of his Modern Theory of the State and with Duguit, fails to distinguish between ethical and legal validity. Krabbe's attack upon the conception of sovereignty is therefore due to a confusion: The legal supremacy which the analytical jurist attributes to the state for purely legal purposes is taken as including also an assertion of moral supremacy. Accordingly, the fact that a legally valid law may be criticized as opposed to moral sentiment or to public interest is turned into an objection against the view that the state, for juristic purposes, may be regarded as a legally sovereign will. Professor Willoughby implies that clarity can be introduced into the whole discussion simply by avoiding this confusion. The justice or utility of a law is a wholly proper question for the moralist, but it is quite irrelevant to the juristic problem, which concerns merely the legal competence of the agency enacting or enforcing the law. “We find in Krabbe, and also in his translators, …. that same mistaken idea which is to be discovered in Duguit, that an inquiry into the idealistic or utilitarian validity of law, as determined by its substantive provisions and purposes sought to be achieved by its enforcement, has a relevancy to, and that its conclusions can affect, the validity and usefulness of the purely formalistic concepts which the positive or analytic jurist employs.”
Analysis on laboratory test results of clinically diagnosed hand,foot and mouth disease,Ningyang county,2010-2014

Objective To understand the laboratory test results of clinically diagnosed HFMD cases in medical institutions at all levels in Ningyang county,so as to provide the basis for better carrying out the work of HFMD prevention and control. Methods Analysis was made on the laboratory test results of 668 clinically diagnosed HFMD cases in Ningyang county,2010-2014. Results The positive rate of laboratory confirmed cases of HFMD in Ningyang county was87.72%(586/668),among them the positive rate of mild HFMD cases was 86.71%(124/143),typical HFMD cases was88.27%(429/486),and severe HFMD cases was 84.62%(33/39)(P 0.05). Conclusion The laboratory confirmed positive rate of HFMD in Ningyang county is higher,indicating that the clinical misdiagnosis rate of HFMD in Ningyang county is low.
Paraffin and urea-formaldehyde resin microcapsules mechanical test of the capsule shell

Application of multi-functional nano-materials test tester, nano-probe with paraffin and urea-formaldehyde resin microcapsules capsule shell material to indentation experiments. Calculated by nonlinear fitting to get a micro-capsule and the capsule shell material and mechanical properties and observed that urea-formaldehyde resin in a micro-state with its macro-state has a different nature.
Laparoscopic repair of intraperitoneal bladder perforation

Abstract Most intraperitoneal bladder injuries require a formal laparotomy for repair. With the rapid assimilation of laparoscopic techniques into urological surgery, procedures that otherwise would have included a standard open operation are now being performed on an endo-cavitary basis. A case is described of an intraperitoneal bladder rupture incurred during endoscopic surgery, which was successfully managed laparoscopically with significant benefits to the patient.
Hormone Profiles with Valproate Monotherapy

Androgen, insulin, and lipid profiles were compared in young women and men treated with valproate (VPA) monotherapy and matched with controls taking lamotrigine (LTG), in a study at Western Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland.
The Evolution of Television Technology

The historical evolution and progression of television technology is reviewed as a framework for understanding the developments that are occurring today in television technology. New developments in television technology—such as high definition, wide-screen, digital, and interactive—are described. The various technological uncertainties that will help shape the future of television technology are discussed
CHAPTER 21 – Cardiac Na+/K+ Pump

This chapter focuses on the Na + /K + pump, which is a vital component in the surface membrane of all excitable cells. It is directly or indirectly responsible for setting up and maintaining the ion gradients necessary for excitation and contraction in the heart. Its structure and mechanism of action are complex, consisting of multiple isoforms and assuming multiple conformations during the transport cycle. The Na + /K + pump exists in the cell membrane as a heterodimer of an α and a β subunit. Evidence shows that these heterodimers come together as a tetramer, but the dimer is the functional unit for carrying out ion transport. As with other membrane proteins, there are multiple isoforms of each subunit of the Na + /K + pump with three α isoforms and two β isoforms being common in mammalian cardiac myocytes. Unlike ion channels that operate passively and gate in response to membrane potential or ligand binding, the Na + /K + pump is an active and energy-requiring mechanism. The Na + /K + pump utilizes the energy stored in ATP to drive the conformational changes necessary for ion translocation against their electrochemical gradients. Although involved in basic homeostatic mechanisms of the cell, it is highly regulated by a number of physiological, pathological, and pharmacological mechanisms. The activity of the Na + /K + pump, directly or indirectly, sets up and maintains the ionic gradients necessary for the proper generation of action potentials and contraction. The direct actions of the Na + /K + pump are to use the energy stored in ATP to transport Na + out of the cell in exchange for transporting K + into the cell.
Is increased colorectal screening effective in preventing distant disease

Background Screening in the average risk population for colorectal cancer (CRC) is expected to reduce the incidence of distant (i.e., metastatic) CRCs at least as much as less advanced CRCs. Indeed, since 2000, during which time colonoscopy became widely used as a screening tool, the overall incidence of CRC has been reduced by 29%. Objective The purpose of the current study was to determine whether the reduction of incidence rates is the same for all stages of disease. Methods We evaluated incidence data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program from 2000-2014 for Localized, Regional, and Distant disease. Joinpoint models were compared to assess parallelism of trends. Data were stratified by race, age, tumor location, and sex to determine whether these subgroupings could explain overall trends. Results Inconsistent with the expectations of a successful screening program, the reduction in incidence rates of distant CRCs from 2000-2014 has been slower than the reductions in incidence rates of both regional and localized CRCs. This trend is evident even when the data are stratified by age at diagnosis, sex, race, or tumor location. Conclusions The slower decrease in the incidence rate of distant disease is not consistent with a screening effect, that is, CRC screening may not be effective in preventing many distant CRCs. As a consequence, distant CRCs represent an increasing fraction of all CRCs, accounting for 21% of all CRCs in 2014. The analysis indicates that inadequate screening does not explain the slower decrease in incidence of distant CRCs. Consequently, we suggest that a subtype of CRC exists that advances rapidly, evading detection because screening intervals are too long to prevent it. Microsatellite unstable tumors represent a known subtype that advances more rapidly, and we suggest that another rapidly advancing subtype very likely exists that is microsatellite stable.
Abstract B023: Identification and biochemical validation of piperlongumine as a potent therapeutic against neuroendocrine prostate cancer

Introduction and Objectives: Recent studies have highlighted the existence of a highly lethal and drug-resistant variant of prostate cancer (PCa) termed neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). We have used a genomics-based drug-repositioning approach to identify piperlongumine, a natural product constituent of the fruit of the long pepper (Piper longum), as a potential therapeutic against NEPC. The efficacy of this drug was tested in the NEPC cell line model NCI-H660 and compared to several other PCa cell lines in a modified WST-1 assay. Preclinical testing in mouse xenograft models of NEPC was also undertaken. Finally, the ability of piperlongumine to inhibit p-STAT3 signaling and promote apoptosis in cell lines and extracted tumors were measured by Western blot analyses. Methods: PCa cell lines (LNCaP, 22Rv1, Du145, PC3, H660, and RWPE) were grown in complete media (RPM1 10% FBS, Advanced DMEM 5% FBS, or Keratinocyte-SFM) and treated with piperlongumine for 3 or 7 days. IC50 values were generated from WST assay data using Prism6. Nude mice (n=5) were injected with 1.5x106 H660 cells on each flank, and intraperitoneally administered with either 2.5mg/kg piperlongumine (n=3) or DMSO (n=2) daily for 3 weeks after tumors formed 200mm3 in volume. Tumor volume was measured daily with calipers. Western blot analyses were performed on protein lysates extracted from tumors and PCa cells treated with 0-10 μM of drug. Results: Piperlongumine was highly effective in inhibiting the growth of H660 cells (IC50 = 0.4 μM) compared to LNCaP, 22Rv1, Du145, PC3, and RWPE cells. On average, the growth rate of untreated tumors was 2.7 times greater than those treated was piperlongumine. Treated H660 cells exhibited significant inhibition of p-STAT3 and increases in cPARP1 levels while other cell lines displayed little to no fluctuation. Conclusions: Using drug-repositioning approaches we have identified a lead compound that inhibits the growth of the highly drug-resistant NEPC cell line NCI-H660. Remarkably, piperlongumine happens to be a water-soluble plant product with no known side effects. Citation Format: Kamlesh K. Yadav, Khader Shameer, Jennifer A. Stockert, Cordelia Elaiho, Ben Readhead, Shalini S. Yadav, Joel Dudley, Ashutosh K. Tewari. Identification and biochemical validation of piperlongumine as a potent therapeutic against neuroendocrine prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Prostate Cancer: Advances in Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research; 2017 Dec 2-5; Orlando, Florida. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(16 Suppl):Abstract nr B023.
Incarcerated Uterus Presenting as Short Cervix and Placenta Previa

Introduction. Incarcerated uterus is a rare complication of pregnancy, usually associated with retroversion. Case. A 26-year-old woman presents at 19 4/7 weeks for evaluation of a short cervix and placenta previa. On ultrasound scan, the placenta was considered previa and the cervix was not visualized. The cervix was not identified by pelvic examination and the presumptive diagnosis of short cervix was done. The patient was followed up closely and remained asymptomatic. Retrospective analysis of the ultrasound images showed a retroverted uterus with an elongated cervix compressed towards the anterior vaginal wall. At 26 weeks of gestation, ultrasound showed a cervical length of 41 mm and a fundal placenta and the diagnosis of spontaneous correction of an incarcerated uterus was made. The patient had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery at 39 3/7 weeks. Comment. Identification and close follow-up of incarcerated uterus may potentially help in avoiding serious obstetrical and surgical complications.
Populist anger, Donald Trump, and the 2016 election

The election of Donald Trump as president in 2016 arguably represents the most unanticipated election outcome in contemporary American politics. Using three nationally representative surveys of the...
Planting Cedar: An Open Source Linked Data Vocabulary Manager at the University of Houston Libraries

AbstractThis article describes the rationale for creating and maintaining Cedar, a linked data controlled vocabulary management system for the University of Houston (UH) Libraries, including the systems that support and extend its functionality. It also discusses the design process for Cedar, its interfaces, the vocabulary generation and management process, and how Cedar is utilized by UH Libraries systems and workflows. The article concludes with a discussion of issues encountered during application development, questions remaining to be answered around establishing policies for local term creation, lessons learned, and future plans for Cedar use and development.
Shake Table Test of Large-Scale Bridge Columns Supported on Rocking Shallow Foundations

AbstractThis paper presents the results of a series of shake table tests of two 460-mm-diameter columns supported on 1.5-meter-square shallow rocking foundations. The tests were conducted using the Large Outdoor High-Performance Shake Table of the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation at the University of California at San Diego. The first specimen was aligned with the uniaxial direction of shaking, and the second was positioned in a skew configuration. The specimens were placed inside a soil-confining box 10.1 m long and 4.6 m wide with a 3.4-m height of clean sand compacted at 90% relative density. Three series of tests were performed; each had different groundwater and backfill conditions. The test protocols included up to six historical ground motions and resulted in peak drift ratios up to 13.8%. For peak drift ratios up to 6.9%, the rocking foundations performed very well, with residual drift ratios between 0.5 and 0.9% depending on the backfill conditions and with minimal settlements and no...
Does L5-S1 Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Improve Sagittal Alignment or Fusion Rates in Long Segment Fusion for Adult Spinal Deformity?:

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objectives:To assess whether the addition of L5-S1 anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) improves global sagittal alignment and fusion rates in patients un...