cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Testing Refrigeration Trucks for the Emergency Evacuation of Companion Animals

The purpose of this study was to quantify the changes in oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in sealed refrigerator trucks scheduled to be used for transporting companion animals (dogs and cats) during an emergency evacuation. A total of 122 nonhuman animals (total weight = 1,248 kg) housed in individual crates were loaded into a 16-m refrigeration truck. Once they were loaded, the doors were closed and the percentages of O2 and CO2 were measured every 5 min by O2 and CO2 analyzers, and they were used to quantify the changes in gas pressure in the sealed truck. CO2 had a much higher-than-predicted increase, and O2 had a higher-than-predicted decrease. These 2 pressures in combination with the functionality of the respiratory system will limit the animal's ability to load O2, and over time, they will initiate asphyxia or suffocation. Over time, the partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) in the sealed truck will decrease, causing hypoxia, and the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2) will increase, causing hypercapnia.
Space Architecture Transition with Hosted Payloads

Technology advances, changes in the space environment, and fiscal pressures are spurring new interest in the evolution of operational National Security Space architectures. The evolution is often constrained by backward compatibility requirements and transition risks. In several recent development planning and architecture studies, The Aerospace Corporation incorporated transition risk considerations in the architecting and decision support process. The studies reviewed the role that hosted payloads can play in reducing architecture transition risks. Our experience in conceiving and developing the Commercially Hosted Infra Red Payload (CHIRP) has demonstrated that hosting new infrared sensors on commercial satellites can help retire numerous risks associated with fielding new technology in operational systems. This paper summarizes development planning examples in which hosted payloads were shown to facilitate the evolution of current operational architectures for overhead persistent infrared and space based environmental monitoring. The Aerospace Corporation teams employ an open-model decision support framework to address technical, programmatic, mission, and enterprise aspects of development planning.
Immune Response Following H1N1pdm09 Vaccination: Differences in Antibody Repertoire and Avidity in Young Adults and Elderly Populations Stratified by Age and Gender

BACKGROUND The H1N1 2009 influenza (H1N1pdm09) pandemic had unexpected features, including lower morbidity and mortality in elderly populations. METHODS We performed in-depth elucidation of antibody responses generated post-H1N1pdm09 vaccination in elderly (aged 66-83 years) and younger (aged 18-45 or 46-65 years) adults using H1N1pdm09 whole-genome-fragment phage display library and measured antibody isotype and affinity to antigenic domains within hemagglutinin (HA). RESULTS H1N1pdm09 vaccination induced 10-fold higher antibody levels in elderly compared with younger adults. These antibodies primarily targeted the HA1 globular domain, including neutralizing epitopes in the receptor-binding domain. Antibody epitope repertoire, isotype, and affinity maturation after H1N1pdm09 vaccination evolved independently for HA2, HA1, and HA1 N-terminus antigenic regions. Postvaccination serum samples from elderly subjects demonstrated substantially higher avidity than from younger subjects (>60% vs <30% resistance to 7 mol/L urea) and slower antibody dissociation rates using surface plasmon resonance. We also identified a gender difference in postvaccination antibody avidity (female < male subjects) in adults <65 years old. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study in humans that provides evidence for a qualitatively superior antibody response in elderly adults after H1N1pdm09 vaccination. These findings may help explain the age-related mortality observed during the H1N1pdm09 pandemic. The difference in gender specific avidity merits further exploration.
Chemosurgical Report: Indications for a Geometric Approach to Wound Closure following Mohs Surgery

Complex geometrically designed closures of defects following tumor removal by Mohs surgery are often utilized when simpler methods of direct tissue apo-sition would suffice. There are, however, specific advantages in certain instances of using a preplanned geometric closure. Utilization of the secondary defect created by movement of a rotation flap permits redirection of the forces of tension of wound closure. Preplanning of advancement flaps allows for selective placement of tissue dog ears and thereby allows for maximal camouflaging of excisional scars. The dynamics of these two flaps are discussed and specific examples illustrating the principles are reviewed.
A Bound and Approximation of Delay Distribution for Fixed-Length Packets in an Unslotted ALOHA Channel and a Comparison with Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)

This paper presents an approximate analysis of a pure unslotted ALOHA random access with fixed-length packets and computes percentiles of delay for various throughputs. It introduces the concept of the burst ratio (mean packet interarrival time/maximum delay) of a source which allows a precise comparison with time division multiplexing (TDM) and indicates when ALOHA is the preferred access technique. The paper presents two curves that should be sufficient for design along with a simple computational procedure. Results are verified and augmented using simulation.
The Effect of the Current Ira Program on Federal Debt

This article analyzes the long-term impact of the current individual retirement account (IRA) program on government debt. The initial work on this subject was conducted by Feldstein (1995), who argued that the traditional IRA has a favorable long-term effect on government debt. Yet, absent from the literature is any formal extension of Feldstein’s model to include the Roth IRA. Using modeling techniques similar to Feldstein, the Roth IRA is shown to have a negative long-term effect on government debt. The model includes personal and corporate tax revenue collections, the cost of government debt, the source of Roth IRA saving, the payment source of the taxes paid on Roth contributions, and optimal investment strategies. Aconceptual, newtype of IRA is proposed as a replacement for the Roth IRA.
Arsenic remediation by formation of arsenic sulfide minerals in a continuous anaerobic bioreactor

Arsenic (As) is a highly toxic metalloid that has been identified at high concentrations in groundwater in certain locations around the world. Concurrent microbial reduction of arsenate (As(V) ) and sulfate (SO4 (2-) ) can result in the formation of poorly soluble arsenic sulfide minerals (ASM). The objective of this research was to study As biomineralization in a minimal iron environment for the bioremediation of As-contaminated groundwater using simultaneous As(V) and SO4 (2-) reduction. A continuous-flow anaerobic bioreactor was maintained at slightly acidic pH (6.25-6.50) and fed with As(V) and SO4 (2-) , utilizing ethanol as an electron donor for over 250 d. A second bioreactor running under the same conditions but lacking SO4 (2-) was operated as a control to study the fate of As (without S). The reactor fed with SO4 (2-) removed an average 91.2% of the total soluble As at volumetric rates up to 2.9 mg As/(L · h), while less than 5% removal was observed in the control bioreactor. Soluble S removal occurred with an S to As molar ratio of 1.2, suggesting the formation of a mixture of orpiment- (As2 S3 ) and realgar-like (AsS) solid phases. Solid phase characterization using K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirmed the formation of a mixture of As2 S3 and AsS. These results indicate that a bioremediation process relying on the addition of a simple, low-cost electron donor offers potential to promote the removal of As from groundwater with naturally occurring or added SO4 (2-) by precipitation of ASM.
Effects of synthetic speech output in the learning of graphic symbols of varied iconicity.

Purpose: To examine the effects of additional auditory feedback from synthetic speech on the learning of high translucent symbols versus low translucent symbols. Method: Two adults with little or no functional speech and severe intellectual disabilities served as participants. A single-subject ABACA/ACABA design was used to study the relative effects of two treatments: symbol training in the presence and absence of synthetic speech output. Results: The results clearly indicated that the two treatments, rather than extraneous variables were responsible for gains in the symbol learning. Both participants learned either more low translucent symbols or reached their maximum learning of low translucent symbols in the speech output condition. Conclusions: The results of this preliminary study replicate and extend the iconicity hypothesis to a new set of learning conditions involving speech output, and suggest that feedback from speech output may assist adults with profound intellectual disabilities in coding pa...
Maze Performance and Personal, Social, and Economic Adjustment of Alaskan Natives

(1967). Maze Performance and Personal, Social, and Economic Adjustment of Alaskan Natives. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 73, No. 1, pp. 37-45.
The Ranking Of Terminal And Instrumental Values By Working Professionals In Thailand, Singapore And The United States: What Is Important And How Do They Impact Decision-Making?

The purpose of this study is to explore gender and cross-cultural gender differences with respect to individual values. This study will fill a gap in the research literature as few studies have explored male and female value differences in Thailand and few have explored sex differences between eastern values as compared to western values in the United States and another eastern nation, Singapore. An understanding of the attitudes, cultures and values in other countries becomes particularly significant given current globalization trends. Furthermore, researchers also need to understand different demographics to better anticipate the impact of socio-demographic variation in cross-cultural investigations.
Synthesis, structure, and magnetic and electrochemical properties of quasi-linear and linear iron(I), cobalt(I), and nickel(I) amido complexes.

Three potassium crown ether salts, [K(Et2O)2(18-crown-6)][Fe{N(SiMe3)Dipp}2] (1a; Dipp = C6H3-2,6-Pri2), [K(18-crown-6)][Fe{N(SiMe3)Dipp}2]·0.5PhMe (1b), and [K(18-crown-6)][M{N(SiMe3)Dipp}2] (M = Co, 2; M = Ni, 3), of the two-coordinate linear or near-linear bis-amido monoanions [M{N(SiMe3)Dipp}2]− (M = Fe, Co, Ni) were synthesized by one-electron reduction of the neutral precursors M{N(SiMe3)Dipp}2 with KC8 in the presence of 18-crown-6. They were characterized by X-ray crystallography, UV–vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and magnetic measurements. The anions feature lengthened M–N bonds in comparison with their neutral precursors, with slightly bent coordination (N–Fe–N = ca. 172°) for the iron(I) complex, but linear coordination for the cobalt(I) and nickel(I) complexes. Fits of the temperature dependence of χMT of 1 and 2 reveal that the iron(I) and cobalt(I) complexes have large negative D zero-field splittings and a substantial orbital contribution to their magnetic moments with L = 2, whereas...
The Dialectic of the Return in Eriugena's Periphyseon

The Periphyseon , the magnum opus of the Carolingian thinker Johannes Scottus Eriugena (810–877), is widely recognized as the most original work in the history of Christian thought between Augustine and Anselm. Set in the form of a dialogue between a Master and his Student, the Periphyseon presents a daring view of the universe, for which Eriugena coins the term natura . Instead of the traditional Christian dichotomy of God versus creation, Eriugena presents a unified view of reality, the intimidating whole of which he can only conceive by submitting it to a process of division. Hence the name Periphyseon or On the Division of Nature .
Isolation and characterization of diaminopimelic acid from culture filtrate of an Escherichia coli mutant.

SummaryA convenient procedure by which diaminopimelic acid may be readily isolated from the culture filtrate of an Escherichia coli mutant is described. The purified diaminopimelic acid resembles that isolated by Work(1) from bacterial hydrolysates with respect to water solubility and absence of significant optical activity. The diaminopimelic acid isolated may be presumed to be the internally compensated meso isomer. The possibility that a more water soluble L(+)-diaminopimelic acid may exist in once-crystallized preparations that show only one nin-hydrin reactive component was not excluded.
MgSO4 relaxes porcine airway smooth muscle by reducing Ca2+ entry

Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) is used clinically, but its mechanism of action is unknown. To determine whether MgSO4 relaxes airway smooth muscle and to investigate the pathways involved, we compared effects of MgSO4 in porcine tracheal and bronchial muscles contracted with either carbachol or KCl and measured the effects of MgSO4 on the concentration of intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i). Lungs were dissected after anesthesia and exsanguination. Tracheal strips and bronchial rings were suspended in tissue baths for measurement of isometric tension in the presence of different concentrations of MgSO4. In separate experiments, tracheal smooth muscle tension and [Ca2+]i were measured simultaneously, using the fluorescent dye fura 2. MgSO4 (1.2, 2.2, 9.2 mM) produced a concentration dependent rightward shift of contraction dose-response curves to KCl but not to carbachol. MgSO4 relaxed trachealis muscles precontracted with KCl or carbachol and simultaneously decreased [Ca2+]i. These findings indicate that MgSO4 directly relaxes airway smooth muscle and that the mechanism involves a decrease in [Ca2+]i. Because initiation and maintenance of contraction during KCl stimulation and maintenance of contraction during carbachol stimulation require Ca2+ entry through voltage-dependent calcium channels, MgSO4-induced relaxation may involve a decrease in Ca2+ entry via these channels.
Preparation and Quality Control of Compound Lincomycin Nasal Drops for Children

OBJECTIVE: To prepare compound lincomycin nasal drops for children and establish a quality control method for this preparation. METHODS: Compound lincomycin nasal drops for children were prepared using lincomycin hydrochloride as main component with its content determined by polarimetry. The content and stability of the preparation within 12mon under room temperature were investigated. Meanwhile irritating test of rabbits' nasal mucosa was conducted. RESULTS: The prepared eye drops were limpid colorless liquid and it met the related standards stated in China Pharmacopeia(2005 edition) in identification as well as tests etc. Lincomycin hydrochloride showed a good linear relation in the range of 3.2～20.0mg·mL-1(r=0.999 9), with average recovery at 100.6%(RSD=0.69%). This preparation showed a little irritation on nasal mucosa, and it was stable within 12mon under room temperature. CONCLUSIONS: This preparation is simple and feasible in preparation technology and controllable in quality.
Patterns of Comorbidity Among Girls With ADHD: A Meta-analysis

CONTEXT: Although children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at elevated risk for comorbid psychopathology, the clinical correlates of ADHD in girls are far less understood relative to boys, despite ADHD being one of the most common childhood disorders in girls. OBJECTIVE: To meta-analytically summarize rates of comorbid internalizing (anxiety, depression) and externalizing (oppositional defiant disorder [ODD], conduct disorder [CD]) psychopathology among girls with and without ADHD. DATA SOURCES: Literature searches (PubMed, Google Scholar) identified published studies examining comorbid psychopathology in girls with and without ADHD. STUDY SELECTION: Eighteen studies (1997 participants) met inclusion criteria and had sufficient data for the meta-analysis. DATA EXTRACTION: Odds ratios for each comorbid disorder were calculated from available data. Demographic (eg, age, race/ethnicity) and study characteristics (eg, referral source, diagnostic method) were also coded. RESULTS: Compared with girls without ADHD, girls with ADHD were significantly more likely to meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for each comorbid disorder assessed. Relative odds were higher for externalizing (ODD: 5.6×; CD: 9.4×) relative to internalizing disorders (anxiety: 3.2×; depression: 4.2×). Meta-regression revealed larger effect sizes of ADHD on anxiety for studies using multiple diagnostic methods, featuring younger children, and including clinic-referred (versus community-referred) girls; the effect of ADHD on ODD varied based on diagnostic informant. LIMITATIONS: Findings were derived from cross-sectional studies, precluding causal inferences. CONCLUSIONS: Girls with ADHD frequently exhibit comorbid externalizing and internalizing disorders. We discuss future research priorities and consider intervention implications for ADHD and comorbid psychopathology in girls.
Neuroprotection via Reduction in Stress: Altered Menstrual Patterns as a Marker for Stress and Implications for Long-Term Neurologic Health in Women.

Individuals under chronic psychological stress can be difficult to identify clinically. There is often no outwardly visible phenotype. Chronic stress of sufficient magnitude not only impacts reproductive function, but also concomitantly elicits a constellation of neuroendocrine changes that may accelerate aging in general and brain aging in particular. Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, a phenotypically recognizable form of stress, is due to stress-induced suppression of endogenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion. Reversal of functional hypothalamic amenorrhea includes restoration of ovulatory ovarian function and fertility and amelioration of hypercortisolism and hypothyroidism. Taken together, recovery from functional hypothalamic amenorrhea putatively offers neuroprotection and ameliorates stress-induced premature brain aging and possibly syndromic Alzheimer’s disease. Amenorrhea may be viewed as a sentinel indicator of stress. Hypothalamic hypogonadism is less clinically evident in men and the diagnosis is difficult to establish. Whether there are other sex differences in the impact of stress on brain aging remains to be better investigated, but it is likely that both low estradiol from stress-induced anovulation and low testosterone from stress-induced hypogonadism compromise brain health.
Long, Atomically Precise Donor-Acceptor Cove-Edge Nanoribbons as Electron Acceptors.

This Communication describes a new molecular design for the efficient synthesis of donor–acceptor, cove-edge graphene nanoribbons and their properties in solar cells. These nanoribbons are long (∼5 nm), atomically precise, and soluble. The design is based on the fusion of electron deficient perylene diimide oligomers with an electron rich alkoxy pyrene subunit. This strategy of alternating electron rich and electron poor units facilitates a visible light fusion reaction in >95% yield, whereas the cove-edge nature of these nanoribbons results in a high degree of twisting along the long axis. The rigidity of the backbone yields a sharp longest wavelength absorption edge. These nanoribbons are exceptional electron acceptors, and organic photovoltaics fabricated with the ribbons show efficiencies of ∼8% without optimization.
Internet worms and its detection

A worm is a standalone program, which is self-replicating malware that distributes itself to other computers and networks. An Internet worm can spread across the network and infect millions of computers in very little time. Damages caused by such attacks are considered very high. Worms affect the network packet and its performance. In this paper, different methods are analyzed to detect Internet worms. Algorithms like Bayesian Network, Back Propagation Neural Network etc., were used to develop some detection techniques. These techniques led to a better understanding of the spreading of worms and are also successful in identifying the internet worms. They were found to be effective in preventing network attacks with high accuracy. The proposed techniques are low cost and provide counter measures to control the spread of internet worms.
Trends in Cardiac Critical Care: Reshaping the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Coronary care units originated for the singular purpose of rapidly resuscitating patients from arrhythmic complications of acute myocardial infarction (MI) but have transformed into cardiac intensive care units (CICUs) that deliver comprehensive critical care for patients with cardiovascular diseases.1 Forged by a common clinical experience, recognition of this evolution by practitioners in the CICU preceded data that have quantified this transition.2 A series of single center and small multicenter studies, mostly in academic hospitals, have started to detail the progression of demographics, comorbid conditions, and procedures that characterize the contemporary CICU environment.3–6 Now, in this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes , Sinha et al7 extend this investigation to a national level. Their study contributes meaningfully to an expanding database that will facilitate evidence-based redesign of the structure, staffing, and organization of our CICUs. See Article by Sinha et al At its core, this transformation of the CICU has been marked by a progressive decline in the need for critical care among patients with acute MI and expansion of other patient populations requiring cardiac critical care (Figure). Quinn et al3 first called attention to the diminishing role of the CICU in the care of ST-segment–elevation MI (STEMI) and quantified a shift in early resuscitation and reperfusion from the CICU to the Emergency Department in the United Kingdom. Katz et al4 then described associated changes in CICU practice with substantially more granularity in a retrospective examination of 29 275 patients admitted between 1989 and 2006 to the CICU at Duke University Medical Center. By the end of this period, although the median age remained 63 years, the demographics had swung toward greater representation of women (41%) and minorities (38%). Key findings were a decline in admissions for STEMI, from ≈40% of admissions in …
Chapter 8 - Azobenzene photoisomerization: Two states and two relaxation pathways explain the violation of Kasha's rule

Azobenzene is a photochromic molecule, which undergoes trans-cis isomerization upon irradiation in the near-UV. The photo-isomerization reaction is ultrafast, efficient, and clean and has attracted much attention for its possible application in molecular electronics, data storage and nonlinear optics. In violation of Kasha's rule, the isomerization yields vary anomalously with the excitation wavelength. Two possible reasons have been proposed to explain the violation of Kasha's rule. Based on the investigation of quantum yields in substituted azobenzenes, Rau suggested a large deformation of the molecular structure along the torsional coordinate in S 2 , which would quench the isomerization reaction proceeding along the inversion coordinate in S 1 . Fujino et al. could not find evidence for torsional motion in time-resolved fluorescence and resonance-Raman spectra but observed ultrafast S 2 → S 1 internal conversion. To explain the violation of Kasha's rule, Fujino assumed that additional relaxation pathways for high vibrational levels in Si could quench the observed quantum yield after excitation of S2. The photoisomerization reaction was studied by time resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES). It proposes a new relaxation pathway, which can reconcile the two conflicting models. First results were recently published in a communication. This chapter presents an improved data analysis and a detailed discussion of the experimental data.
Expression Profiling of Differentiating Emerin-Null Myogenic Progenitor Identifies Molecular Pathways Implicated in Their Impaired Differentiation

Mutations in the gene encoding emerin cause Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD), a disorder causing progressive skeletal muscle wasting, irregular heart rhythms and contractures of major tendons. RNA sequencing was performed on differentiating wildtype and emerin-null myogenic progenitors to identify molecular pathways implicated in EDMD, 340 genes were uniquely differentially expressed during the transition from day 0 to day 1 in wildtype cells. 1605 genes were uniquely expressed in emerin-null cells; 1706 genes were shared among both wildtype and emerin-null cells. One thousand and forty-seven transcripts showed differential expression during the transition from day 1 to day 2. Four hundred and thirty-one transcripts showed altered expression in both wildtype and emerin-null cells. Two hundred and ninety-five transcripts were differentially expressed only in emerin-null cells and 321 transcripts were differentially expressed only in wildtype cells. DAVID, STRING and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis identified pathways implicated in impaired emerin-null differentiation, including cell signaling, cell cycle checkpoints, integrin signaling, YAP/TAZ signaling, stem cell differentiation, and multiple muscle development and myogenic differentiation pathways. Functional enrichment analysis showed biological functions associated with the growth of muscle tissue and myogenesis of skeletal muscle were inhibited. The large number of differentially expressed transcripts upon differentiation induction suggests emerin functions during transcriptional reprograming of progenitors to committed myoblasts.
Personalized preference elicitation in recommender systems using matrix factorization

Recommender systems are an effective way to find items of interest among the many available items for users based on their preferences. However, it is challenging to provide accurate recommendations for new users without any records in the system. We seek to provide a new method for building initial user profiles through personalized preference elicitations. In addition, to ensure limited amount of user effort involved in the preference elicitation process, matrix factorization approach is employed so that only a few representative latent factors are extracted to represent the massive amount of items available in the system. In comparison with another existing approach, our method significantly improves the accuracy of the initial user profile while requiring limited amount of user effort.
Intentions to use groupware: the influence of users' perceptions

Information technologies that support groups of individuals have become increasingly visible. While some of these, such as electronic mail, have become almost ubiquitous in many organizations, other groupware applications have not enjoyed similar acceptance. This study uses diffusion of innovation theory to investigate factors that may influence intentions to use a specific groupware application, Lotus Domino discussion databases. Findings indicate that intentions to use Domino discussion databases are impacted by perceptions of relative advantage, complexity, compatibility and result demonstrability. There was not a significant relationship between intentions to use and perceived trialability, visibility or voluntariness. Suggestions for positively impacting important perceptions are also offered. Those interested in increasing the use of groupware technologies may find these suggestions helpful in guiding their efforts.
A Multi-faceted OCR Framework for Artificial Urdu News Ticker Text Recognition

Content based information search and retrieval has allowed for easier access to data. While Latin based scripts have gained attention and support from academia and industry, there is limited support for cursive script languages, like Urdu. In this paper, we present the first instance of Urdu news ticker detection and recognition and take a micron sized step towards the goal of super intelligence. The presented solution allows for automating the transcription, indexing and captioning of Urdu news video content. We present the first comprehensive data set, to our knowledge, for Urdu news ticker recognition, collected from 41 different news channels. The data set covers both high and low quality channels, distorted and blurred news tickers, making the data set an ideal test case for any automatic Urdu News Recognition system in future. We identify and address the key challenges in Urdu News Ticker text recognition. We further propose an adjustment to the ground-truth labeling strategy focused on improving the readability of recognized output. Finally, we propose and present results from a Bi-Directional Long Short-Term Memory (BDLSTM) network architecture for news ticker text recognition. Our custom trained model outperforms Google's commercial OCR engine in two of the four experiments conducted.
In Defense of Listening

This paper makes a case for listening and its role in establishing and maintaining meaningful psychotherapeutic relationships. Further, it examines those factors that have contributed to the devaluation and current decline of listening in mental health care. These factors include the abuses of managed care, the marketing and misuse of psychotropic medications, the growth of brief, manualized, empirically supported treatments (ESTs), and the lack of appreciation for unconscious processes and countertransference in the appeal, development and delivery of these interventions.
Diurnal profile of plasma motilin concentrations during fasting and feeding in man

Oscillations in basal plasma levels of the pancreatic hormones; insulin, glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide have been reported previously. We now report on oscillations in circulating motilin-like immunoreactivity (MLI) in fasted and fed man. Six healthy subjects were studied during two 36-hour test periods, one while fasting and another with the regular ingestion of equicaloric meals at 0800, 1200 and 1800 hours. Blood was sampled every 30 min. from 0800 to 2400 and every 60 min. from 2400 to 0800 the next morning. In the fasting state the mean ±S.E. concentrations in plasma for the 6 subjects were: MLI, 180 ±19.4 pg/ml, insulin 4.4 ±1.1 μ/U/ml, pancreatic polypeptide (hpp), 119 ±25.0 pg/ml, and glucose 82 ±6.4 mg/dl. Large oscillations in plasma MLI were detected with 1/2 amplitude of 23.2 ±4.7% of mean, and a period of 159 min. which varied according to each subject. Plasma hpp levels fluctuated similarly, and a good correlation was found between MLI and hPP indicating a rhythmic secretion of these peptides by the gut and pancreas. MLI fluctuations were independent of insulin which revealed a significant oscillation with a period of 320 min. The ingestion of meals caused the expected increase in circulating levels of insulin, hPP, and glucose. In contrast a decrease in the concentration of MLI was observed. An inverse correlation was found between MLI and glucose and between MLI and insulin. Thus, fasting is associated with large oscillations of motilin, the gut motility hormone, which are suppressed by feeding. The increase in glucose and/or insulin may be important in suppressing motilin secretion during feeding.
Quantity and Price Competition in Static Oligopoly Models

We saw in the previous chapter that there are two types of oligopoly models, those that assume cooperative behavior and those that assume noncooperative behavior. In Chaps. 10 and 11, we develop the classic models of oligopoly where firms behave noncooperatively. These models represent the most abstract material that is found in the book. Here you will see how some of the great figures in history have thought about the oligopoly problem.
EUS-Guided Celiac Plexus Block and Celiac Plexus Neurolysis

Abdominal malignancy or Chronic pancreatitis can present with symptom of abdominal pain. In this review chapter, we will briefly understand the pathophysiology of abdominal pain related to celiac plexus, indications, treatment options, modality of treatment options, and technique of celiac plexus block or neurolysis.
Association of State Dense Breast Notification Laws With Supplemental Testing and Cancer Detection After Screening Mammography.

Objectives. To evaluate the association of state dense breast notification (DBN) laws with use of supplemental tests and cancer diagnosis after screening mammography.Methods. We examined screening ...
Is Regional Lymph Node Metastasis of Head and Neck Paraganglioma a Sign of Aggressive Clinical Behavior: A Clinical/Pathologic Review.

Background:Head and neck paraganglioma is a rare neoplasm of the paraganglia. It accounts for <1% of all head and neck tumors. It usually has benign clinical course; however, malignant paragangliom...
B-Lymphocyte Stimulator (BLyS) Is Highly Expressed in Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia.

Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia is a serious and frequently fatal illness, however many of the mechanisms leading to this disease are not yet known. It is clear, however, that there is dysregulation of the balance between cell proliferation and programmed cell death. BLyS (B-lymphocyte stimulator) is a newly identified TNF family member expressed by monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. BLyS has been shown to be critical for maintenance of normal B cell development and homeostasis, and has been found to stimulate lymphocyte growth. BLyS is overexpressed in a variety of B-cell malignancies and has been shown to inhibit apoptosis in malignant B-cells. Studies of the effects of BLyS on B cell physiology have shown that it also regulates immunoglobulin secretion. To determine the relevance of the BLyS receptor-ligand system in Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, we examined malignant B cells from 5 patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia for their ability to bind soluble BLyS and for the expression of the known BLyS receptors, TACI, BAFF-R, or BCMA. The malignant B cells were found to bind BLyS and express BAFF-R and TACI. BCMA expression was undetectable. We then determined the expression of BLyS in bone marrow specimens from 5 patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia by immunohistochemistry and compared it to the expression in 5 normal bone marrow specimens. The lymphoplasmacytic cell infiltrate in the bone marrow of patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia showed significantly increased BLyS expression. We further determined the serum BLyS levels by ELISA in stored serum specimens from patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (n=20), and compared them to serum BLyS levels in other patients with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma without elevated immunoglobulin levels (n=10) and to serum levels in normal controls (n=50). Serum BLyS levels in Waldenstrom’s patients (mean: 49.6ng/ml) as well as those in patients with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (mean; 46.7ng/ml) were significantly higher than normal controls (mean 12.6ng/ml). In conclusion, we have demonstrated that malignant B cells from patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia express the receptors for BLyS and can bind soluble BLyS. Furthermore, we have found that serum BLyS levels are significantly elevated in patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia when compared to controls. Strategies to inhibit BLyS may potentially have significant therapeutic efficacy in Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia.
Cost-Effectiveness of MRI-Based Identification of Presymptomatic Autism in a High-Risk Population

Biological siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have increased risk of receiving an ASD diagnosis. In the U.S., most children with ASD are diagnosed after the optimal age to initiate early intervention which can reduce symptom severity and improve outcomes. Recent evidence suggests magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the first year of life can predict later diagnostic status in high-risk siblings. We investigated whether MRI-based screening is a cost-effective method for assigning early intervention. A hybrid decision tree/Markov model was used to evaluate two MRI-based screening strategies at 6 and 12 months of age. Primary outcomes were costs in U.S. dollars and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Results were reported as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Costs were estimated from societal, health care, and educational perspectives. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. From a societal perspective, the ICER for MRI-based screening at 6 months was $49,000 per QALY when compared to the status quo, implying that such screening is cost-effective at willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds of $50,000-$100,000 per QALY. From the health care and educational perspectives, the ICERs were larger at $99,000 and $76,000 per QALY, respectively. Sensitivity analysis identified that the parameters most influential in affecting cost-effectiveness were the prevalence of ASD and/or co-occurring intellectual disability. MRI specificity also has significant impacts which add to the uncertainty of the results. Future work is needed to determine the sensitivity and, in particular, the specificity of MRI with more certainty. Notably, the cost of the MRI-based screening had the least impact.
Information theory for ranking and selection

We study the classical ranking and selection problem, where the ultimate goal is to find the unknown best alternative in terms of the probability of correct selection or expected opportunity cost. However, this paper adopts an alternative sampling approach to achieve this goal, where sampling decisions are made with the objective of maximizing information about the unknown best alternative, or equivalently, minimizing its Shannon entropy. This adaptive learning is formulated via a Bayesian stochastic dynamic programming problem, by which several properties of the learning problem are presented, including the monotonicity of the optimal value function in an information‐seeking setting. Since the state space of the stochastic dynamic program is unbounded in the Gaussian setting, a one‐step look‐ahead approach is used to develop a policy. The proposed policy seeks to maximize the one‐step information gain about the unknown best alternative, and therefore, it is called information gradient (IG). It is also proved that the IG policy is consistent, that is, as the sampling budget grows to infinity, the IG policy finds the true best alternative almost surely. Later, a computationally efficient estimate of the proposed policy, called approximated information gradient (AIG), is introduced and in the numerical experiments its performance is tested against recent benchmarks alongside several sensitivity analyses. Results show that AIG performs competitively against other algorithms from the literature.
Black Africans in Arabic Sources: A Critical Assessment of Method and Rhetoric

Blacks of African background played a pioneering role in the intellectual and political life of pre-Islamic Arabia. Their presence weighs heavily on some of the illustrative language of the Quran as well as on the historical timeline used in Al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya of Ibn Hishām, the first biography about the life and time of Prophet Muhammed. Blacks were also widely represented in the first generation of soldiers and military commanders that spearheaded the Muslim conquests of Egypt. However, this situation changed with the expansion of the Arab Muslim empire. As the quest for knowledge increased in the centuries that followed the birth of Islam, Arab armies, traveler historians, duʿāt (preachers), and traders used the existing knowledge to access Bilād al-Sūdān (the Land of Blacks) or to acquire new knowledge on Africa as they promoted Islam among its inhabitants. In this new era of expansion in Africa, many Arabic sources perpetuated held stereotypes and learned prejudices about blackness, which they subsequently equated with slavery. Faced with this challenge, Black poets and writers vigorously resisted and crafted their personal narratives of triumph, resistance, and resilience.
Dynamic Changes in Dorsal Horn Neurons

The responses of dorsal horn neurons to somatosensory stimulation can be altered under a variety of circumstances. For example, somatosensory responses of spinal cord dorsal horn neurons can be decreased by 1) habituation following repeated stimulation of the excitatory receptive field;46 2) stimulation of an inhibitory receptive field;30 3) activity in descending inhibitory pathways81 and 4) pathological changes leading to loss of primary afferent fibers.13 Conversely, somatosensory responses can be increased by such manipulations as 1) repeated stimulation of fine calibre primary afferent fibers (“wind-up”);47 2) spatial summation of excitatory inputs from different parts of the receptive field;49 3) volleys in excitatory pathways descending from the brain;80 and 4) sensitization of primary afferent fibers37 or of dorsal horn neurons as a consequence of damage to peripheral tissue or peripheral nerves.19,57
The effects of precipitation, tree phenology, leaf area index, and bark characteristics on throughfall rates by urban trees: A meta-data analysis

Abstract Rainfall partitioning by urban tree canopies plays an important role in urban hydrological cycles and, potentially, on stormwater runoff. While the body of research to quantify rainfall partitioning processes by urban trees is growing, there has not yet been a concerted effort to quantitatively synthesize these data. This meta-data analysis attempts such synthesis to deepen understanding of urban tree throughfall processes in response to rainfall depth, leaf type and phenological periods, bark texture, and leaf area index (LAI). Nearly 400 precipitation partitioning events observed across 8 different studies were evaluated. Rainfall depth was a strong predictor for canopy throughfall, though tree characteristics also influenced throughfall response. Most notably, leaf type significantly affected throughfall rates, with the lowest rates observed for needleleaf evergreen trees (regression slope = 0.56). Deciduous leafless trees exhibited a lower threshold for throughfall generation than deciduous leafed or broadleaf evergreen trees; however, the slope of the regression line among these leaf types (0.8 to 0.86) was not significantly different. The effects of bark roughness were most evident for deciduous-leafless trees. Throughfall rates below rough-barked leafless trees were significantly lower than under their smooth-barked counterparts. Throughfall rates also tended to decrease as LAI increased; however, the effects of precipitation depth remained more influential across the range in precipitation events examine. Comparison to interception rates reported for rural forests suggests overlapping but potentially higher interception rates in urban tree canopies. By quantifying the influence of factors such as precipitation depth and tree characteristics on precipitation partitioning by urban trees, the outcomes of this synthesis can inform future efforts to more explicitly account for reductions in incipient rainfall and associated runoff by urban trees in stormwater management policies.
Numerical and analytical study of stainless steel beam-to-column extended end-plate connections

Abstract Based on a shell finite element modeling protocol developed and verified by the first author in a previous study, a comprehensive investigation on stainless steel extended end-plate beam-to-column connections was carried out. A total of 180 connection configurations were numerically investigated, to establish a thorough understanding of the influence of a wide range of geometrical parameters on the behavior of this connection type commonly-used in earthquake-resistant steel structures. The initial stiffness; ultimate moment; rotation capacity; dissipative energy; ductility index; and failure patterns were compared and discussed. Furthermore, based on the data acquired from this parametric study, a simple analytical method, for predicting the moment-rotation (M-Φ) characteristics of stainless steel extended end-plate connections, was developed and validated. The results demonstrate that stainless steel extended end-plate connections can be designed to have substantial ductility and rotation capacity, more than satisfactory for beam-to-column joints of structures in seismic zones. In particular, connections with end-plate stiffeners displayed superior performance with enhanced ultimate moment and energy dissipation capacity. The recommended analytical method for M-Φ response of the joints is accurate, with an average error of less than 4% for the ultimate resistance and is robust as evidenced by its prediction of M-Φ response for models that were withheld from its initial calibration. The proposed equations provide, for the first time, a powerful analytical tool that can predict the complete moment-rotation curves of unstiffened and stiffened stainless steel extended end-plate joints, using easy-to-obtain geometric and material properties.
Optimization of Sensor Placement in a Bridge Structural Health Monitoring System

This paper presents an optimal sensor placement (OSP) technique designed to be implemented on Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems. A steel bridge was modeled in ANSYS environment and four load values were applied at pre-identified locations to generate data. Each experiment yielded an array of data that contains the location, as well as corresponding deformation and safety factors. Measurements were taken at 1,000,000 positions on the bridge and a library of a similar number of failure modes was created for each experiment. Each data library was processed as a multi-dimensional matrix by applying the average filtering algorithm. Local extrema were identified in terms of the corresponding deformation and safety factors by removing repeated values at nearby locations. The results provided a list of 100 locations with maximum deformation or minimum safety factors, containing the optimized positions on the bridge for placement of sensors. The final developed system that includes this placement algorithm capable of simulating multiple load conditions on structures, identifying possible failure points, and detecting and predicting failure scenarios. Both hardware and software implementations of a model of a bridge were performed as a pilot project to validate the proposed system.
Trait Association and Prediction Through Integrative K-mer Analysis

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been widely used to explore genetic controls of phenotypic traits. Here we employed an GWAS approach using k-mers, short substrings from sequencing reads. Using maize cob and kernel color traits, we demonstrated that k-mer GWAS can effectively identify associated k-mers. Co-expression analysis of kernel color k-mers and pathway genes directly found k-mers from causal genes. Analyzing complex traits of kernel oil and leaf angle resulted in k-mers from both known and candidate genes. Evolution analysis revealed most k-mers positively correlated with kernel oil were strongly selected against in maize populations, while most k-mers for upright leaf angle were positively selected. In addition, phenotypic prediction of kernel oil, leaf angle, and flowering time using k-mer data showed at least a similarly high prediction accuracy to the standard SNP-based method. Collectively, our results demonstrated the bridging role of k-mers for data integration and functional gene discovery.