cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasma amino acid response to graded levels of escape protein.

A trial was conducted to examine the potential of using plasma amino acid responses to graded levels of escape protein to determine limiting amino acids in cattle. Growing calves (n = 120; i BW = 220 f 21 kg) were fed a basal diet of corncobsorghum silage (61:39) and were individually supplemented with distillers' dried grains (DDG), heat-damaged DDG (H-DDG), feather meal (FTH), or urea. The urea supplement was mixed with DDG and H-DDG to allow 0,20, 35, 50, 65, or 80% of the supplemental CP to come from distillers' protein and maintain an 11.5% CP diet. Urea supplement was mixed with FTH to allow 0, 22, 39, 56, 73, or 90% of the supplemental CP to come from FTH. Dietary CP ranged from 11.5% at the 0% level to 17.3% at the 90% level. Plasma concentration of most essential plasma amino acids responded (P < .lo) linearly and(or1 quadratically to increased escape protein. The brokenline response of plasma methionine at low DDG intake suggested that methionine was limit- ing at low levels of escape protein. An initial decrease followed by a plateau fit by a broken line indicated that histidine became limiting in FTH diets, and lysine eventually became limiting for DDG, H-DDG, and FTH diets before maximum BW gain was reached. Results indicate that plasma amino acid responses may identify amino acids that become limiting with increasing escape pro- tein.
Compositional sorting dynamics in coexisting lipid bilayer phases with variations in underlying e-beam formed curvature pattern

Nanometer-scale curvature patterns of an underlying substrate are imposed on lipid multibilayers with each pattern imparting distinctly different sorting dynamics to a metastable pixelation pattern of coexisting liquid ordered (Lo)–liquid disordered (Ld) lipid phases. Therefore, this work provides pathways toward mechanical energy-based separations for analysis of biomembrane-associate species. The central design concept of the patterned sections of the silica substrate is a square lattice pattern of 100 nm projected radius poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) hemispherical features formed by electron beam lithography which pixelates the coexisting phases in order to balance membrane bending and line energy. In one variation, we surround this pattern with three PMMA walls/fences 100 nm in height which substantially slows the loss of the high line energy pixelated Lo phase by altering the balance of two competing mechanism (Ostwald ripening vs. vesiculation). In another walled variation, we form a gradient of the spacing of the 100 nm features which forces partitioning of the Lo phase toward the end of the gradient with the most open (400 nm spacing) lattice pattern where a single vesicle could grow from the Lo phase. We show that two other variations distinctly impact the dynamics, demonstrating locally slowed loss of the high line energy pixelated Lo phase and spontaneous switching of the pixel location on the unit cell, respectively. Moreover, we show that the pixelation patterns can be regenerated and sharpened by a heating and cooling cycle. We argue that localized variations in the underlying curvature pattern have rather complex consequences because of the coupling and/or competition of dynamic processes to optimize mechanical energy such as lipid diffusion, vesiculation and growth, and phase/compositional partitioning.
All-optical Mach-Zehnder-Interferometer-based demultiplexer-a computer simulation study

An all-optical demultiplexer based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is simulated using a realistic simulation engine. A novel scheme is proposed that utilizes the active interferometer arms in a bidirectional regime for simultaneous pre-amplification of the control light pulses and for differential nonlinear control of the interferometer balance. The device design incorporates an on-chip delay line as well as fine-tuning of the control pulse powers for optimal extinction ratio. This leads to a more compact device and an improved performance at speeds of up to 200 Gb/s.
Bounds on spin-dependent Lorentz violation from inverse Compton observations

Some of the best bounds on possible Lorentz violation in the electron sector come from observations of high-energy astrophysical phenomena. Using measurements of TeV inverse Compton radiation from a number of sources, we place the first bounds - at the 10{sup -15} level - on seven of the electron d coefficients.
A method for calculating the mean absorption time of drugs undergoing reversible and first-pass metabolism

A method has been derived for calculating the mean absorption time of an oral drug and its interconversion metabolite which is generated from the drug systemically and presystemically. The method evolves from the convolution integral and requires plasma AUC and AUMC values after separate intravenous administration of the drug and its interconversion metabolite and oral administration of the drug. It can also be used to calculate the mean input time of a drug undergoing reversible metabolism and administered by any other extravascular route. Results of a simulation study using both errorless and errant data indicate that, when the absorption rate constant of a drug or its interconversion metabolite is not much larger than the apparent elimination rate constant, the proposed method performs satisfactorily. However, when the absorption rate constant of a drug or its interconversion metabolite is much larger than the apparent elimination rate constant, the proposed method appears to be inaccurate.
Mutual information based non-rigidmouse registration using a scale-space approach

We propose a scale-space based approach to non-rigid small animal image registration. Scale-space theory is based on generating a family of images by blurring an image with Gaussian kernels of increasing width. This approach can be used to extract features at varying levels of detail from an image. We define the scale-space feature vector at each voxel of an image as a vector of intensities of the scale- space images at that voxel. We generate scale-space images of the target and template images, and extract their corresponding scale- space feature vectors at each voxel. The extracted feature vectors are aligned using mutual information based non-rigid registration to simultaneously align global structure as well as detail in the images. We represent the displacement field in terms of the discrete cosine transform (DCT) basis, and use the Laplacian of the displacement field as a regularizing term. The DCT representation of the displacement field simplifies the Laplacian regularization term to a diagonal, thus reducing computational cost. We apply the scale-space registration algorithm on mouse images obtained from two time points of a longitudinal study, and compare its performance with that of a hierarchical multi-scale approach. The results indicate that scale- space based registration gives better skeletal as well as soft tissue alignment compared to the hierarchical multi-scale approach.
Not Even if You Were the Last Person on Earth! How Marital Search Constraints Affect the Likelihood of Marriage

Using the 1987-1988 and 1992-1994 waves of the National Survey of Families and Households, the authors measure the association between Wave 1 responses to 12 questions on whom respondents would be “most willing to marry” and the likelihood of marriage by Wave 2. Preliminary analysis indicated that some questions about partner preferences are more predictive of marriage than others. Two hypotheses are developed to explain the pattern of effects. One is that being more willing to marry someone with characteristics that are less desirable to one’s same-sex peers increases the likelihood of marriage. The second hypothesis takes into account the preferences of the opposite sex. Both men and women are most willing to marry someone with more education or who earns more than they. Supporting the second hypothesis, analyses show that men who are willing to marry women with less education or who earn less are more likely to marry.
ROTATIONAL RESONANCE TICKLING: ACCURATE INTERNUCLEAR DISTANCE MEASUREMENT IN SOLIDS

Accurate distance measurements between pairs of nuclear spins can provide detailed information about molecular structure in the solid state. The rotational resonance (R 2 ) technique, in particular, has been used to measure internuclear distances in a variety of compounds, often between pairs of 13 C nuclei where the outer range is 5- 6A . Recent studies have revealed that the spin dynamics at rotational resonance are influenced by zero-quantum line shape parameters including T2 zq and the dispersion in isotropic chemical shift differences. Errors in the estimation of these parameters are often the limiting factor in determining the accuracy of a distance measurement. Here we present a modification of R 2 , termed "rotational resonance tickling" (R 2 T), which uses a ramped rf field to induce fast passage through the dipolar resonance condition, thereby greatly reducing the dependence of the spin dynamics on zero-quantum parameters. Extraction of distance information from the resulting exchange curves is approximately a single-parameter fit, with accuracies in model systems that appear to be on the order of (0.1 A or better. An additional feature of the technique is that it does not demand the very high-power 1 H decoupling fields typically required in other recoupling experiments to limit signal loss during mixing. We demonstrate the technique in a pair of 13 C2-labeled model compounds, tyrosine ethyl ester and glycylglycine hydrochloride, with effective internuclear distances (including intermolecular effects) of 5.05 and 4.3 A, respectively.
Plasmon-induced enhancement of intra-ensemble FRET in quantum dots on wrinkled thin films

We demonstrate increased intra-ensemble energy transfer (ET) in monodispersed semiconducting quantum dots (QDs), mediated by localized plasmons on metallic thin films with nano-scale wrinkles. The increased ET results in a net spectral red-shift, up to three-fold increase in emission intensity, and a faster radiative recombination rate of the ensemble. The extent of the red-shift is dependent on QD size, and is largest for the QDs where the absorption spectrum overlaps the plasmonic resonance of the film. This effect has a uniform, macroscopic manifestation and may provide an inexpensive option of improving performance of QD based photovoltaic devices.
Efficacy of olfactory training in patients with olfactory loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background Olfactory loss is a challenging clinical problem with few proven therapeutic options. Early experimental results with olfactory training suggest that this novel therapy may be an effective intervention for olfactory dysfunction of multiple etiologies. The aim of this study was to systematically review currently available studies that assess the efficacy and outcomes of olfactory training in patients with olfactory loss. Methods A comprehensive systematic literature review was performed with the assistance of a reference librarian using the PubMed, PsycInfo, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and Proquest databases. Eligible studies were extracted based on defined inclusion criteria and the effect of olfactory training on objective olfactory function was evaluated qualitatively and by meta-analysis. Results A total of 10 studies with 639 patients were identified and systematically reviewed. Sufficient data for meta-analysis was available for 3 studies. Patients receiving olfactory training experienced a statistically significant improvement in the Threshold, Discrimination, Identification (TDI) score compared to control patients (mean difference [MD] 3.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.28 to 5.26). Improvement in olfactory function was observed in discrimination (MD 1.92; 95% CI, 1.13 to 2.71) and identification (MD 1.61; 95% CI, 0.55 to 2.68), but not in olfactory thresholds (MD −0.01; 95% CI, −0.42 to 0.39). Conclusion Olfactory training is a promising modality for the treatment of olfactory dysfunction. Results of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that it may be an effective treatment for olfactory dysfunction due to multiple etiologies. Additional high-quality studies are needed to define indications, outcomes, and duration of therapy for this novel therapy.
Test-Retest Reliabilities of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in an Academic Setting

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1970) is based on state-trait conceptualization of anxiety as consisting of two separate concepts, state anxiety ( A-State) and trait anxiety (A-Trait) . State anxiety is considered a transitory emotional state that is characterized by consciously perceived feelings of tension and apprehension. Trait anxiety refers to relatively stable individual differences in anxiery proneness. This study assessed the reliability of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory administered to 48 male and 7 6 female students in three sections of an undergraduate educational psychology course before and after a previously announced classroom examination over both lectures and textbook.
Relationship between hog cholera virus and virus diarrhea virus of cattle.

SummaryPigs inoculated with VD (virus diarrhea) virus survived inoculations of virulent HC (hog cholera) virus that killed littermates that had not received VD virus. Survival was signalized by accelerated antibody production both to HC and VD viruses. In reciprocal tests, HC virus produced secondary response in calves. Reciprocal neutralization tests between VD virus and HC virus showed they did not share a common antibody. Protection appeared related to accelerated antibody production that resembled the secondary response induced by inactivated viral antigen.
Recurrent Clostridium difficile infection associates with distinct bile acid and microbiome profiles

Summary Background The healthy microbiome protects against the development of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), which typically develops following antibiotics. The microbiome metabolises primary to secondary bile acids, a process if disrupted by antibiotics, may be critical for the initiation of CDI. Aim To assess the levels of primary and secondary bile acids associated with CDI and associated microbial changes. Methods Stool and serum were collected from patients with (i) first CDI (fCDI), (ii) recurrent CDI (rCDI) and (iii) healthy controls. 16S rRNA sequencing and bile salt metabolomics were performed. Random forest regression models were constructed to predict disease status. PICRUSt analyses were used to test for associations between predicted bacterial bile salt hydrolase (BSH) gene abundances and bile acid levels. Results Sixty patients (20 fCDI, 19 rCDI and 21 controls) were enrolled. Secondary bile acids in stool were significantly elevated in controls compared to rCDI and fCDI (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0007 respectively). Primary bile acids in stool were significantly elevated in rCDI compared to controls (P < 0.0001) and in rCDI compared to fCDI (P = 0.02). Using random forest regression, we distinguished rCDI and fCDI patients 84.2% of the time using bile acid ratios. Stool deoxycholate to glycoursodeoxycholate ratio was the single best predictor. PICRUSt analyses found significant differences in predicted abundances of bacterial BSH genes in stool samples across the groups. Conclusion Primary and secondary bile acid composition in stool was different in those with rCDI, fCDI and controls. The ratio of stool deoxycholate to glycoursodeoxycholate was the single best predictor of disease state and may be a potential biomarker for recurrence.
Guide to managing digitalis intoxication.

The first thing to do for a patient with digitalis intoxication is to discontinue the digitalis. If toxicity is severe, the patient belongs in the intensive care or coronary care unit. Potassium is an effective antiarrhythmic agent when used according to strict rules. Among the many other agents given for digitalis-induced arrhythmias, diphenylhydantoin is probably the safest and most effective.
Reimagining Transnational Identities in Lahiri's The Namesake

[Abstract: This essay demonstrates that Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake goes beyond conventional wisdom about immigrant experiences in so far as it explores how the South Asian diaspora participates in transnational connections, shaping and transforming the notion of American identity in the contemporary global era. Lahiri’s novel offers us a striking account of transnational identity in which South Asian immigrants and their American-born children import practices from their country of origin, which they adapt in the new environment and, in turn, adopt practices from the new environment, which they adapt in innovative ways to help them feel more at ease.] 1 owards the second-half of Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, Gogol Ganguli celebrates his twenty-seventh birthday at his girlfriend Maxine’s parents’ lake house in New Hampshire, for the first time without his own parents. Maxine and her mother Lydia organize a special dinner to celebrate his birthday. At the dinner, Gogol encounters Pamela, a white woman, who persists in calling him an Indian, despite his polite reminder that he is from Boston. Pamela comments that Gogol “must never get sick” when he travels to India. When Gogol replies “we get sick all the time” in India, she asserts, “but you’re an Indian…I’d think the climate wouldn’t affect you, given your heritage” (156). Lydia corrects Pamela, saying “Pamela, Nick’s American…He was born here.” But in the end, Lydia evinces her uncertainty when she asks—despite knowing Gogol for several months—if he was really born in the United States (157).
Study on Pharmacodynamic of Ketamine Hydrochloride for Intranasal Administration by Adding Different Absorption Enhancers

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the formulation of ketamine hydrochloride for intranasal administration that was of effective anesthetic effect.METHODS: Using ketamine hydrochloride injection as basic preparation,various nasal absorption enhancer or viscosity modifiers(0.5%,1% and 2% azone,EDTA,carbomer,2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin,carboxymethyl cellulose) were added to make different nasal drops.After intranasal administration,the anesthetic effect was evaluated to find the optimum formulation.The behavior of anesthetic induction period and anesthetic index were used to evaluate the anesthetic effect.RESULTS: The perfect anesthetic effect was achieved when the formulation was prepared by adding 1% azone in ketamine hydrochloride injection(at a dose of 10 mg·kg-1).The anesthetic time was long.The muscle relaxing time,eyelid reflecting disappearing time,pain disappearing time and righting reflecting disappearing time were(21.4±7.1) min,(11.4±4.6) min,(15.6±5.7) min and(12.0±4.8) min,respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Optimal formulation of ketamine hydrochloride for intranasal administration was obtained when 1% azone was added as an absorption enhancer.
Establishment and assessment of graded early warning system for dengue fever in Zhongshan,China

Objective To establish a graded early warning system for dengue fever and assess its effect of early warning and to reduce the risk of dengue fever outbreak in Zhongshan,China Methods A graded early warning system for dengue fever was established based on relevant literature and the data of vector surveillance and human case surveillance in Zhongshan from 1990 to 2007.The system was used for graded early warning in Zhongshan from 2008 to 2011.The outbreak scales before and after the system was established were compared based on the data on dengue fever outbreaks in Zhongshan from 1990 to 2011 to assess the graded early warning system.Results The graded early warning system for dengue fever was established according to the following indices:mosquito and oviposition positive index(MOI),human cases,and month of year;the system divided the probability of dengue fever outbreak into 5 grades,i.e.,0:almost no probability;1:little probability;2:probability;3:high probability;4:outbreak.The system sent grade 2 early warning signals 5 times,grade 3 early warning signals twice,and grade 4 early warning signals once from 2008 to 2011.From 2008 to 2011,there was only one outbreak of dengue fever involving 3(1.20%) of 250 persons,which lasted for 20 d;from 1990 to 2007,there were 7 outbreaks of dengue fever involving 14-195(median,37)(0.84%-14.88%,median 3.81%) of all individuals,which lasted for 16-64 d(median,42 d).Conclusion After the graded early warning system for dengue fever was established,the outbreak scale of dengue fever decreased significantly during 2008-2011,as compared with those during 1990-2007.The graded early warning system plays an important role in reducing the risk of dengue fever outbreak in Zhongshan.
Automatic triage for a photo series

People often take a series of nearly redundant pictures to capture a moment or scene. However, selecting photos to keep or share from a large collection is a painful chore. To address this problem, we seek a relative quality measure within a series of photos taken of the same scene, which can be used for automatic photo triage. Towards this end, we gather a large dataset comprised of photo series distilled from personal photo albums. The dataset contains 15, 545 unedited photos organized in 5,953 series. By augmenting this dataset with ground truth human preferences among photos within each series, we establish a benchmark for measuring the effectiveness of algorithmic models of how people select photos. We introduce several new approaches for modeling human preference based on machine learning. We also describe applications for the dataset and predictor, including a smart album viewer, automatic photo enhancement, and providing overviews of video clips.
How Do Microtubule Dynamics Relate to the Hallmarks of Learning and Memory

It is well known that the hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory. In the fear conditioning procedure, whereas the amygdala is central to tone–shock association, the hippocampus is critical for contextual associations ([Calandreau et al., 2005][1]; [Trifilieff et al., 2006][2
Evidence-Based Medicine

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) uses the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to help make clinical decisions at the bedside. Patients, specialty governing boards and regulatory bodies including insurance companies, have emphasized and expect the use of EBM in patient management and guidelines have been created for many disease processed based on EBM.
Practice Patterns in Postoperative Echocardiographic Surveillance after Congenital Heart Surgery in Children: A Single Center Experience.

Objectives To review current institutional practice and describe factors contributing to variation in inpatient postoperative imaging surveillance after congenital heart surgery. Study design We reviewed records of all children who underwent congenital heart surgery from June to December 2014. Number and primary indications for postoperative transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs), providers involved, cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) and total hospital length of stay, and Risk-Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery-1 scores were recorded. Results A total of 253 children (age at surgery: 8 months [2 days-19 years]) received 556 postoperative TTEs (median 1 TTE/patient [1-14]), and 23% had ≥3 TTEs. Fifteen of 556 TTEs (2.7%) revealed a new abnormal finding. The majority of TTEs (59%) were performed in the CVICU (1.5 ± 1.1 TTEs/week/patient), with evaluation of function as the most common indication (44%). Attending physician practice >10 years was not associated with fewer TTEs ( P = .12). Patients with ≥3 TTEs had higher Risk-Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery-1 scores ( P = .001), longer CVICU lengths of stay (22 vs 3 days; P P P P = .0004). Conclusions There was wide intra-institutional variation in echocardiographic use among similar complexity surgeries. Frequency of postoperative echocardiographic surveillance was associated with degree of surgical complexity and severity of postoperative clinical condition. Few studies revealed new abnormal findings. These results may help establish evidence-based guidelines for inpatient echocardiographic surveillance after congenital heart surgery.
DCEP (Dexamethasone, Cyclophosphamide, Etoposide, Cisplatin) Followed by High-Dose G-CSF Is a Highly Efficient and Safe Regimen for Stem Cell Mobilization for Multiple Myeloma.

High dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue remains a standard therapy for multiple myeloma patients who can tolerate it. A mobilizing regimen for multiple myeloma should ideally allow for a high yield of CD34 + cells, provide anti-myeloma activity, be well tolerated, and have predictable kinetics regarding initiation of collection of stem cells. Higher numbers of infused autologous CD34 + cells allow for more rapid engraftment and lower incidence of transplant-related morbidity and mortality. The goal for patients with myeloma is to harvest enough CD34 + cells to provide at least two autologous transplants. Previous mobilization regimens utilized G-CSF alone or high-dose cyclophosphamide with G-CSF. However, high-dose cyclophosphamide (4–7g/m 2 ) has only modest efficacy against myeloma and is associated with significant morbidity and up to 1–2% treatment-related mortality. DCEP (dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, cisplatin) is a well established regimen with good efficacy as salvage treatment for myeloma. Additionally, the use of DCEP with G-CSF for mobilization in myeloma has previously been reported to provide an average yield of approximately 6x10 6 CD34 + cells. We report our experience with DCEP and high-dose G-CSF in mobilizing 88 multiple myeloma patients since 2006. Our regimen consisted of 40 mg dexamethasone IV over 15 minutes x 4 days, cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m 2 , etoposide 40 mg/m 2 (capped at 75 mg), and cisplatin 15 mg/m 2 (capped at 25 mg), all continuous IV infusions over 24h x 4 days, with G-CSF starting 24–48h after completion of chemotherapy, administered SQ at 5 mcg/kg x 6 days followed by 10 mcg/kg daily until pheresis is completed. Over 80% of our patients were ready to initiate collection on day 14. Our goal for collection is 10–12x10 6 CD34 + cells to allow for two or three transplants using at least 4x10 6 CD34 + cells per transplant. Yields were excellent with a mean yield of 27x10 6 CD34 + cells, with a range of 7.3–130.5x10 6 CD34 + cells. 37/88 (42%) of patients required only one day of pheresis, with a mean yield of 34x10 6 CD34 + cells. 38/88 (43%) of patients required two days of pheresis. Only 15% of patients required more than two days of pheresis. Only 3 patients yielded fewer than 10x10 6 CD34 + cells (3%), and none yielded fewer than 5x10 6 CD34 + cells. In conclusion, this regimen is highly efficacious, offers excellent stem cell yields and predictable collection kinetics, can be administered on an outpatient basis, and is safe and well tolerated.
Investigation into the superposition of multiple mode shape composed traveling waves

Structural traveling waves have potential applications in numerous areas such as propulsion and skin friction drag reduction. Recent research has shown that via the two-mode excitation method, traveling waves can be generated in both one- and two-dimensional structures via the use of low-profile piezoelectric actuators. Traveling waves on a one-dimensional beam propagate in a single direction, while those on a two-dimensional structure, such as a plate, do not necessarily propagate uniformly across the surface. The propagation patterns can include unidirectional traveling waves with spatial phase shifts, wave fronts moving in opposing directions, or even rotationally moving waves. These propagation patterns depend on the participating modes and vary based on the excitation frequency, thus if multiple frequency traveling waves are generated on a plate, multiple propagation patterns are superimposed. In this study, traveling waves were generated in a plate at two different frequencies. Those frequencies were then simultaneously excited on the plate to generate a propagation pattern containing traveling waves at both frequencies. The superimposed propagation pattern was then analyzed by comparing it with a numerical combination of the individual frequency patterns. The experimentally superimposed traveling waves were found to be a linear combination of the individual frequency waves. In addition, by combining multiple frequency waves, the percentage of the plate containing traveling waves increased.
Nutrient Inadequacy Among Nutritionally Vulnerable Populations in the US

ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of inadequacy of selected nutrients among participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); participants in the ...
Active Sperm Production after Cancer Chemotherapy with Doxorubicin

The sperm production of 14 cancer patients who received doxorubicin was examined after cessation of therapy. Doxorubicin was used in several multiple-drug protocols for the treatment of various malignancies. Seven patients also received radiotherapy to different sites. Total cumulative doses of doxorubicin ranged from 145 to 625 mg./m.2. Sperm concentration, motility, morphology and the frequency of quinacrine-stained sperm with 2 fluorescent bodies (2F sperm) were measured 7 to 79 months after discontinuation of doxorubicin. Of the patients 6 remained azoospermic, 3 were oligospermic and 5 were normospermic. Sperm motility among the 8 patients with sperm ranged from 20 to 80 per cent. Morphology and 2F sperm distributions were not significantly different from controls. We conclude that, in contrast with the mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisone protocol, active sperm production within relatively short recovery times is possible after treatment with protocols that include doxorubicin.
Designing Indirect-Direct Bandgap Transitions in Double Perovskites

A general design strategy is presented for tuning the convergence of direct and indirect bandgaps based on chemical adjustment of the s- and p-orbital character of the conduction band minimum. To demonstrate the viability of the design strategy, we successfully synthesized a family of double perovskites: Cs2AgSbCl6 with an indirect bandgap and Cs2AgInCl6 with a direct bandgap and the solid solutions between the two.
Dairy Consumption and Age-Related Vascular Dysfunction

In the present review, we describe the dysfunction in arteries that occurs with advanced aging and review how increased dairy product consumption ameliorates age-related arterial dysfunction and lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as type 2 diabetes. High consumption of low- and nonfat dairy products is inversely related to key markers of arterial dysfunction, including elevated blood pressure, arterial stiffening, and endothelial dysfunction. Importantly, adoption of a diet that is high in low- and nonfat dairy products is able to lower blood pressure and reduce arterial stiffness and ameliorate endothelial dysfunction in humans. More importantly, simply adding nonfat dairy products to the normal routine diet results in the amelioration of age-related arterial dysfunction. Consumption of a diet that is high in dairy products is also inversely related to risk of type 2 diabetes, which itself is a major risk factor for the development of CVD. Indeed, there is a substantial overlap of risk factors between type 2 diabetes and CVD, most of which are affected by age-related arterial dysfunction. These risk factors also appear to be ameliorated by high consumption of low- and nonfat dairy products. Nevertheless, the information pertaining to the relation between dairy intake and arterial dysfunction is currently limited, and it is clear that more research is warranted.
Increasing Prevalence of Hepatitis C among Hospitalized Children Is Associated with an Increase in Substance Abuse.

Objective To evaluate the impact of substance abuse on pediatric hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence, we examined geographic and demographic data on inpatient hospitalizations in children with HCV. Study design We examined hospitalizations in children using the Kids' Inpatient Database, a part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. We identified cases using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition, codes for HCV infection during 2006, 2009, and 2012. Nonparametric tests for trend were used to calculate trend statistics. Results From 2006 to 2012 nationally, the number of hospitalizations of children with HCV increased 37% (2.69 to 3.69 per 10 000 admissions; P Conclusion The increases of HCV in hospitalized children are largely in teenagers, highly associated with substance abuse, and concentrated in Northeast and Southern states. These results strongly suggest that public health efforts to prevent and treat HCV will also need to include adolescents.
STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN ENGLISH MASTERY FOR AGRICULTURE STUDENT

Agriculture students need to be aware not only of their present and of future needs during the course of Agriculture English but also of difficulties and problems they possess concerning the knowledge of general English. The aim of the study was to collect and analyze students’ errors as markers that would point to the areas of English where additional teaching and instruction is needed in order to be able to participate in the course of agriculture English. The study was carried out in 2016 at the Faculty of Agriculture in UMTS included 150 first - year agriculture students. It relies on data obtained from grammar-based placement test and from conversations with the students. Although an intermediate level of general English is necessary for participating in the course of agriculture English, the results show that there are areas of language that present problems to the students and need to be particularly emphasized and practiced. Students’ errors and comments on their problems may serve as useful diagnostic markers. Using these data, along with information obtained in direct communication with the students, the teachers may develop a plan, which would help broaden the knowledge and enable the students to become more confident in professional communication in English. It is very important and useful to take advantage of the agriculture context because it presents a source of great motivation for the students. Key words: English for agriculture purposes, error analysis, context-based teaching
Community Outreach to African-Americans: Implementations for Controlling Hypertension.

The purpose of this review is to examine the impact and effectiveness of community interventions for controlling hypertension in African-Americans. The questions addressed are as follows: Which salient prior and current community efforts focus on African-Americans and are most effective in controlling hypertension and patient-related outcomes? How are these efforts implemented and possibly sustained? The integration of out-of-office blood pressure measurements, novel hypertension control centers (i.e., barbershops), and community health workers improve hypertension control and may reduce the excess hypertension-related complications in African-Americans. Several community-based interventions may assist effectiveness of clinical care teams, decrease care barriers, and improve adherence. A multifaceted, tailored, multidisciplinary community-based approach may effectively reduce barriers to blood pressure control among African-Americans. Future research should evaluate the long-term benefits of community health workers, barbershops as control centers, and out-of-office blood pressure monitoring upon control and eventually on morbidity and mortality.
Three Practical Ways to Improve Your Network

This paper presents three simple techniques for improving network service using relatively unknown features of many existing networks. The resulting system provides greater reliability, enhanced security, and ease of management. First, it addresses the application of IP anycast to provide reliable recursive DNS service. Next, it explains the use of unicast reverse path forwarding and its usefulness in preventing local nodes from originating packets with spoofed source addresses. Finally, it explains how unicast reverse path forwarding can be used to quickly and easily apply source address filters on your network. As an added benefit, some of these features provide mechanisms to conform a network to Best Common Practices (BCP) of network operators.
Is there a standard of care for relapsed AML

Despite advances in treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the prognosis for patients with relapsed disease is extremely poor. The median overall survival for patients with relapsed AML ranges from 4-6 months and long-term survival from the time of relapse ranges from 5%-20%. Much of the difficulty in establishing a standard of care for relapsed AML is that the disease is clinically and genomically diverse. Nevertheless, significant progress has been made over the past 12 months with the approval of several agents, and the expectation is that additional therapies will be available soon. A brief review follows on the progress made in establishing a standard of care for relapsed AML.
Prevalence and Effects of Hypertension and Tachycardia after Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Background Hypertension and tachycardia (H/T) are frequently found after hemopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and are often underrecognized and undertreated. Maintenance of appropriate hemodynamic parameters after HCT may prevent cardiac dysfunction and other adverse cardiovascular outcomes. We sought to determine trends of H/T after HCT as well as the resolution of H/T after hemodynamic medication (HM) and the association between H/T and significant adverse cardiac events (CE). Methods We performed a retrospective review of all patients undergoing non-autologous HCT from 2015 through 2017 at a pediatric cancer hospital, examining vital sign data before HCT and at specified intervals within 100 days of HCT. H/T were determined by published criteria, and records were queried for the use of HM—ace inhibitor, beta blocker, or calcium channel blocker—and the presence of CE during the study period. Results 140 patients were examined [79 male, median age: 9.33]. Hypertension (HTN) was found in 107 (76.4%) patients. Tachycardia (TAC) was found in 97 (68.8%) patients. Figure 1 demonstrates the trend of H/T in the sample. Of patients who experienced HTN, 68 (70%) also experienced TAC. Hypertensive patients were more likely to be male and were 2.2 years younger than the median age, Tachycardic patients were more likely to be male and were 1.7 years older than the median age. 71% of the sample received HM during the study period. The table examines the effects of H/T in treated and untreated patients, showing the proportion of H/T resolution, the median time to resolution, and the presence of CE within each group. Patients who underwent treatment for TAC were more likely to have resolution than those without treatment (OR=3.68, 95%CI: 1.49-9.07, p=0.005). TAC resolution occurred 29.9 days sooner in the treated vs untreated group (p=0.003). The lower likelihood of HTN resolution in the treated vs. untreated groups and the shorter duration of such did not reach statistical significance. Given low event rates, there were no associations between groups and CEs. Conclusions In this pediatric HCT sample, H/T were common. Patients treated for TAC had higher rates of TAC resolution and resumption of normal vitals in a shorter duration of time. In this highly treated sample, cardiac events were rare. Careful surveillance and treatment of H/T after HCT may allow for prevention of cardiovascular complications.
Blunt Cardiac Injury

Blunt cardiac injury (BCI) should be considered in any patient with history of anterior chest wall trauma (e.g., broken steering column). Work-up includes routine trauma labs, chest x-ray, echocardiogram (EKG), troponins, and detailed past medical history. Specific management will depend on results of EKG and troponins and whether the patient is hemodynamically stable or unstable. If troponins and EKG are normal, BCI can be ruled out, and continued trauma work-up should be guided by chief complaint and other injuries. Any patient with abnormal EKG or troponin should be evaluated by cardiology and admitted for observation on continuous telemetry, and an echocardiogram should be considered. In hemodynamically unstable patients, initial management should be guided by advanced trauma life support (ATLS) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) protocols. Cardiology should be consulted and echocardiogram should be performed. If any structural defect is found, cardiothoracic surgery should be consulted immediately for possible operative repair. Placement of a pulmonary artery catheter may be considered to guide fluid resuscitation. Finally, it is important to maintain a high degree of suspicion for underlying cardiac disease and myocardial infarction in any patient presenting with blunt trauma.
Comparison of Conservation Behavior in Several Variationally Derived Implementations for Simulating Electromagnetic Plasmas

Variational techniques based on Low's Lagrangian formulation have demonstrated significant improvement in conservation properties as compared to traditional particle-in-cell (PIC) algorithms. Previous work showed that equations derived from a discretized Lagrangian preserve a discretized version of the connection between Lagrangian symmetries and conservation laws, i.e., Noether's theorem. Specifically, a thorough analysis of energy conservation within the new system explained the absence of “grid heating” phenomena. In the present work, variationally derived implementations in a gridded periodic domain were compared to analogous implementations using Fourier bases. Since the Fourier basis allows for exact momentum conservation, this approach enables us to compare the relative merits of exact and approximate momentum conservation. To establish a tangible comparison for numerical methods, we investigate two simple physical examples; (1) the coupling of an electrostatic and electromagnetic plasma wave and (2) an equilibrium supporting Weibel instability.
Computational Approaches to Model Evaluation

The induction problem of inferring a predictive function (i.e., model) from finite data is a central component of the scientific enterprise in cognitive science, computer science and statistics, and yet the problem is fundamentally ill posed. Many models can often provide equally good fits to a given observed data set but they may differ considerably in their ability to generalize to new, as yet unseen, data sets generated from the same underlying process. To make this inductive inference problem well posed one needs to define a justifiable measure of generalizability and then use the measure to choose among a set of competing models. Many such measures have been proposed in the past, notably by scientists in the fields of machine learning and algorithmic coding theory. A representative list of such approaches includes the structural risk minimization method and Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension, the regularization theory, and the minimum description length principle. This article presents a review of these computational approaches to model evaluation. Also discussed are the interesting connections between the computational approaches and some of the statistical approaches to model evaluation such as the Akaike information criterion, the Bayesian information criterion and Bayesian model selection.
N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of comorbid alcohol use disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder: Design and methodology of a randomized clinical trial.

Abstract Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are two prevalent psychiatric conditions in the U.S. The co-occurrence of AUD and PTSD is also common, and associated with a more severe clinical presentation and worse treatment outcomes across the biopsychosocial spectrum (e.g., social and vocational functioning, physical health) as compared to either disorder alone. Despite the high co-occurrence and negative outcomes, research on effective medications for AUD/PTSD is sparse and there is little empirical evidence to guide treatment decisions. The study described in this paper addresses this knowledge gap by testing the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in reducing alcohol use and PTSD symptoms. Animal studies and prior clinical research suggest a role for NAC in the treatment of substance use disorders and PTSD via glutamate modulation. NAC is a cysteine pro-drug that stimulates the cystine-glutamate exchanger, normalizes glial glutamate transporters, and restores glutamatergic tone on presynaptic receptors in reward regions of the brain. Moreover, NAC is available over-the-counter, has a long-established safety record, and does not require titration to achieve the target dose. This paper describes the rationale, study design, and methodology of a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of NAC (2400 mg/day) among adults with co-occurring AUD and PTSD. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) are utilized to investigate the neural circuitry and neurochemistry underlying comorbid AUD/PTSD and identify predictors of treatment outcome. This study is designed to determine the efficacy of NAC in the treatment of co-occurring AUD/PTSD and provide new information regarding mechanisms of action implicated in co-occurring AUD/PTSD.
MACRONUCLEAR VARIABILITY OF BLEPHARISMA ASSOCIATED WITH GROWTH

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the macronuclear variability of Blepharisma associated with growth. Ten different strains of the genus Blepharisma were selected for comparative studies of their nuclear and cytoplasmic growth from the twenty different strains in culture in the laboratory. A cyst-producing strain from Hingham, Massachusetts, was included among the ten strains. The different species, when grown at 18°C and fed upon bacteria, are morphologically distinguishable as species. The two strains of B. undulans, while they are distinctively different physiologically, are not sufficiently morphologically different to separate them at present into different species. Studies of the effects of different types of nutrition, combined with exposures to 5°C and 36°C, showed that at the high and low temperatures, although there were at first differences in reaction, ultimately all of the species were so drastically altered that they became morphologically indistinguishable. Organisms that were exposed to the 5°C again exhibited their characteristic morphology when returned to 18°C. Adaptation to 36°C of some of the organisms of one species fed on Tetrahymena occurred. That species was B. seshachari. The adapted individuals maintained their species characteristics.
The evolution of purchasing power parity

Abstract A large body of literature in international finance has attempted to estimate the speed of convergence between countries’ aggregate price indices to those levels predicted by purchasing power parity (PPP). This paper takes a novel approach by considering how this speed of convergence itself has evolved over time. Using a dynamic common correlated effects (DCCE) framework from Chudik and Pesaran (2015) applied to a panel of countries’ real exchange rates over the years 1960–2015, we find an average half-life of around 3 years. Moreover, we show that the estimated half-life fell by about 2 years over the course of the past five decades, suggesting that the so-called PPP puzzle ( Rogoff, 1996 ) may abating over time. Our results also serve to contextualize past estimates by demonstrating a high degree of sample selection sensitivity in this literature. Furthermore, we propose explanations for the observed increase in the speed of international price adjustments, focusing primarily on the increasingly tradable nature of the composition of the U.S. consumer price index (CPI). We build a measure of tradability of the CPI and show that, despite an increase in the proportion of services in the average consumer’s basket, the CPI has become more tradable over time, thus offering a potential explanation for the observed increase in adjustment speed.