cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theoretical changes in seismic travel time with changes in stress at depth

Use is made of second-order elasticity theory to derive an estimate of the change in travel time with stress for compressional waves which propagate along the principal stress directions in a homogeneous layer of material. A particular stress system is chosen which can be expected to produce a strike-slip fault. Laboratory data for Barre, Vt. granite, interpolated for a depth of approximately 1 km, are used to obtain a numerical result. The change in travel time is found to be 0.075 milliseconds per km per bar. Since timing precision of better than ±1 millisecond can be achieved for refraction paths up to some 40 km in length, it is concluded that stress changes of several bars are within the range of detectability in carefully executed field experiments.
The First Main Theorem and Its Applications

Introduction In this chapter we present the First Main Theorem. This theorem gives a criterion for determining which processes in analysis and physics preserve computability and which do not. A major portion of this chapter is devoted to applications. Here by the term “process” we mean a linear operator on a Banach space. The Banach space is endowed with a computability structure, as defined axiomatically in Chapter 2. Roughly speaking, the First Main Theorem asserts: bounded operators preserve computability, and unbounded operators do not. Although this already conveys the basic idea, it is useful to state the theorem with a bit more precision. The theorem involves a closed operator T from a Banach space X into a Banach space Y. We assume that Tacts effectively on an effective generating set {e n } for X. Then the conclusion is: T maps every computable element of its domain onto a computable element of Y if and only if T is bounded. We observe that there are three assumptions made in the above theorem: that T be closed, bounded or unbounded as the case may be, and that T acts effectively on an effective generating set. We now examine each of these assumptions in turn. Consider first the assumption that T be bounded/unbounded. This assumption is viewed classically; it has no recursion-theoretic content. In this respect, the approach given here represents a generalization and unification of that followed in Chapters 0 and 1. In Chapters 0 and 1, we gave explicit recursion-theoretic codings —a different one for each theorem. The First Main Theorem also involves a coding, bujt this coding is embedded once and for all in the proof. In the applications of the Fitst Main Theorem, no such coding is necessary. Thus, in these applications, we are free to regard the boundedness or unboundedness of the operator as a classical fact, and the effective content of this fact becomes irrelevant. Consider next the assumption that T be closed. The notion of a closed operator is standard in classical analysis. It is spelled out, with examples, in Section 1. However, if the reader is willing to assume the standard fact—that all of the basic operators of analysis and physics are closed—he or she could simply skip Section 1.
Subclassification on the Propensity Score

INTRODUCTION In this chapter we discuss a method for estimating causal effects given a regular assignment mechanism, based on subclassification on the estimated propensity score. We also refer to this method as blocking or stratification . Given the assumptions of individualistic assigment and unconfoundedness, the definition of the propensity score in Chapter 3 implies that the super-population propensity score equals the conditional probability of receiving the treatment given the observed covariates. As shown in Chapter 12, the propensity score is a member of a class of functions of the covariates, collectively called balancing scores , that share an important property: within subpopulations with the same value of a balancing score, the super-population distribution of the covariates is identical in the treated and control subpopulations. This, in turn, was shown to imply that, under the assumption of super-population unconfoundedness, systematic biases in comparisons of outcomes for treated and control units associated with observed covariates can be eliminated entirely by adjusting solely for differences between treated and control units on a balancing score. The practical relevance of this result stems from the fact that a balancing score may be of lower dimension than the original covariates. (By definition, the covariates themselves form a balancing score, but one that has no dimension reduction.) When a balancing score is of lower dimension than the full set of covariates, adjustments for differences in this balancing score may be easier to implement than adjusting for differences in all covariates, because it avoids high-dimensional considerations. Within the class of balancing scores, the propensity score, as well as strictly monotonic transformations of it (such as the linearized propensity score or log odds ratio), have a special place. All balancing scores b ( x ) satisfy the property that if for two covariate values x and x ′, b ( x ′) = b ( x ′), then it must be the case that e ( x ) = e ( x ′).
Partisanship, Teacher Representation, and Access to Education Opportunities

Politics and structure clearly shape the access of African Americans to policy-making positions in public education. Chapter 3 demonstrated the interaction of both electoral structure and partisanship and their combined influence on the ability of African Americans to gain access to seats on the school board. Chapter 4 traced both of these factors on the ability of African-American school board members to hire African-American administrators and teachers. Although electoral structure mattered in both chapters, the most important substantive finding was how partisanship permeated the entire process. Partisanship permitted blacks to overcome the biases of at-large elections and make such a system work for them rather than against them. Similarly, partisanship created allies (friends) that black politicians could rely on to gain allocative responsiveness in the form of more African-American administrators and teachers. These political and representational processes matter, however, only to the extent that they affect the educational experiences of African-American students. This topic is the subject of Chapters 5 and 6. This chapter will examine a set of processes within schools that are often associated with second-generation educational discrimination – access to gifted classes, assignments to special education, and the use of discipline. Chapter 6 will continue this process into the era of No Child Left Behind and high stakes educational testing to look at student performance on standardized tests and other educational outcomes. In both chapters the key explanatory variable will be African-American representation. Similar to previous chapters, this chapter will continue to focus on both structure and partisanship; however, the focus on structure will shift from electoral structure to the broader structural dimensions of school district governance. Chapter 3 found that partisanship altered the intended influence of structures and that structural biases could be used to benefit African Americans when the partisan environment was favorable. Chapter 4 demonstrated that partisanship was more important than structure in enhancing the impact of political representation on allocative responsiveness. As analyses shift to policy outputs and outcomes, how school board members are elected has little direct influence on the representation process (other than by increasing the number of bureaucratic representatives). The structures more likely to matter are those of the independent school district; these structures create distinct roles for school board members, school administrators, and teachers. Further, these structures enhance or reduce the relative ability of the three sets of representatives to influence student outputs in predictable ways.
TI Europe — “Strategies for Excellence”

Texas Instruments Europe adopted the EFQM business excellence model in 1993, and in the same year its entire European operations underwent a Self assessment to the model’s criteria. The company applied for the European Quality Award for the first time in 1994 and achieved finalist status. In 1995, it was named winner of the European Quality Award.
Reference ranges for midupper arm circumference, upper arm muscle area, and upper arm fat area in US children and adolescents aged 1–20 y

BACKGROUND Midupper arm circumference (MUAC) has long been used in anthropometric assessments of nutritional status in field settings, especially in emergency situations, but percentile ranges for healthy, well-nourished children are currently unavailable. OBJECTIVE We developed reference curves for MUAC and derived measures of arm muscle area (AMA) and arm fat area (AFA) on the basis of the population used in the current CDC body mass index growth charts. DESIGN We analyzed cross-sectional MUAC and triceps (triceps skinfold thickness) data from 32,952 US children aged 1-20 y. Generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape were used to calculate semiparametric smoothed percentiles and L, M, and S coefficients needed for z-score estimation by age and sex. Equations were developed with the use of the height-for-age z score (HAZ) to adjust for the associations of stature with upper arm measures. RESULTS MUAC increased with age steadily throughout the growing period. For children <5 y old, lower percentile ranges varied markedly across age and sex such that the single cutoff (<11.5 or 12.5 cm) for field screening of acute malnutrition did not track along the same percentile. AFA and AMA growth patterns exhibited sex-specific trends including multiple distinct age-related inflections that were more pronounced in males for AFA-for-age than in females. HAZ and age were substantially and independently related with all arm measures. CONCLUSIONS The new reference percentile ranges for midupper arm measures for healthy children provide a useful nutritional assessment tool in a wide variety of settings. Height status (HAZ) has complex independent associations with arm measures irrespective of the distributional ranking by age and sex. Prediction equations that account for these effects further extend the practical use of the new curves.
A Contingency Approach to Competitive Response in the Corporate Responsibility Domain

In this paper I propose a model of key contingencies governing competitive response in the corporate responsibility (CR) domain. This theoretical contribution is grounded in the competitive dynamic...
Scale-up modeling for manufacturing nanoparticles using microfluidic T-junction

Nanoparticles have great potential to revolutionize industry and improve our lives in various fields such as energy, security, medicine, food, and environmental science. Droplet-based microfluidic ...
How Segregation Makes Us Fat: Food Behaviors and Food Environment as Mediators of the Relationship Between Residential Segregation and Individual Body Mass Index.

Objectives: Racial residential segregation affects food landscapes that dictate residents’ food environments and is associated with obesity risk factors including individual dietary patterns and behaviors. We examine if food behaviors and environments mediate the association between segregation and BMI. Methods: Non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks living in the St. Louis and Kansas City metro regions from 2012-2013 were surveyed on dietary behaviors, food environment and BMI (n=1495). These data were combined with the CDC’s modified retail food environment index and 2012 American Community Survey data to calculate racial segregation using various evenness and exposure indices. Multi-level mediation analyses were conducted to determine if dietary behavior and food environment mediate the association between racial residential segregation and individual BMI. Results: The positive association between racial segregation and individual BMI is partially mediated by dietary behaviors and fully mediated by food environments. Conclusions: Racial segregation (evenness and exposure) is associated with BMI, mediated by dietary behaviors and food environment. Elements of the food environment, which form the context for dietary behaviors, are potential targets for interventions to reduce obesity in residentially segregated areas.
Between Anatolia and the Balkans: Tracing Armenians in a Post-Ottoman Order

This chapter examines the experiences of Anatolian Armenians to offer critical perspectives on seeing and writing about post-Ottoman societies. Building on the literature of post-colonial studies, this chapter demonstrates the ways in which one cannot write Armenian history in Turkey without first considering the predicament of the Muslim populations of the Balkan and the Kurds in Anatolia. Such “intertwined histories and overlapping territories,” to use Edward Said’s words, contribute to the decolonization and denationalization of area studies.
Steady-State Models

The first section of this chapter deals with existence for the Dirichlet problem where the nonlinearity F(x, u) is a nonnegative function. The key result used is an existence theorem based on a priori knowledge of upper and lower solutions. We also analyze the spectrum of nonlinear eigenvalue problems and determine bounds on the critical eigenvalues.
Middle School Students' Perceptions of Social Dimensions as Influencers of Academic Engagement.

AbstractThis qualitative study investigates rural middle school students’ perceptions of academic engagement. Participant-produced drawings (Kearney & Hyle, 2003), integrated with a series of semi-structured interviews (Patton, 2002), served as the primary data collection techniques. Twenty middle school students participated, stratified for socioeconomic status, grade level, gender, history of academic achievement, and school type. Findings indicate students strongly perceived the social conditions of the classroom as influencing their academic engagement, positively through an authentic community and leadership opportunities; and negatively through distraction and the judgment of peers.
Eustachian tube foreign body undetected for 30 years: Case report

This case report describes the unexpected finding of a eustachian tube prosthesis placed 30 years earlier, after the patient had experienced years of chronic rhinorrhea.
Innovative Method for Enhancing Carbon Fibers Dispersion in Wet-Laid Nonwovens

Abstract The production of wet laid (WL) reinforcing fiber mats is adopted from the paper making industry to produce carbon fiber (CF) mats. The resulting mats are prone to defects induced by the mixing regime. This study explores a new mixer design that achieved fully dispersed mats with 20 minutes processing time using 25.4 mm long CF. The proposed mixing method is compared against the traditional method and the density distribution of fibers is characterized using Back Light Scattering (BLS) technique. The mats showed high consistency with less than 8% standard deviation from the data collected from different regions within the mats. The innovative mixer resulted in mats with fiber distribution 70% closer to the theoretical distribution than that of the traditional mixer. This innovative method of preparing nonwoven CF mats will create new opportunities for CF nonwoven composite applications.
Fluctuating Hydrodynamics and Debye-Hückel-Onsager Theory for Electrolytes

Abstract We apply fluctuating hydrodynamics to strong electrolyte mixtures to compute the concentration corrections for chemical potential, diffusivity, and conductivity. We show these corrections to be in agreement with the limiting laws of Debye, Huckel, and Onsager. We compute explicit corrections for a symmetric ternary mixture and find that the co-ion Maxwell-Stefan diffusion coefficients can be negative, in agreement with experimental findings.
Point of View Telemedicine at Point of Care

Introduction The use of telemedicine by deployed healthcare providers to improve patient care has been increasing in recent foreign conflicts and humanitarian missions. These efforts have mostly been limited to email consultation with long response lag times. The United States Military has developed several modalities of telemedicine for use in austere environments, ranging from video conferencing, email, and store-and-forward technology. As of now, these efforts have required large pieces of equipment and many technical support personnel and have a delayed response time. Our study aimed to test the overall feasibility of use, the effects on time to intervention, and user confidence in a highly portable, real-time video set-up to aid in teleconsultations at the early stages of care for a simulated traumatic injury. Materials and methods Subjects or operators taking direct care of the simulated patient were junior emergency medicine (EM) residents or military trained medics. Video teleconsultation was completed by either senior EM residents in their final year of training or board-certified EM physicians. The subjects taking direct care of the simulated patient were blinded to whether their video device was actively sending images or not. All participants communicated verbally using hand-held radios. The total number of interventions and time to event analysis was completed and survey data were collected, assessing confidence levels on procedures performed and patient care. Results We demonstrated the accessibility, ease of use, and overall practicality of this telemedicine platform. A trend was found towards decreased time to evacuation for patients with a live video feed. Alternatively, the data showed no significant difference in the addition of video as opposed to solely radio in terms of the number of interventions, time to interventions, or operator or teleconsultant confidence in the care delivered or procedures performed. Conclusions This study demonstrated the overall feasibility and ease of use of a highly portable telemedicine platform with live video capabilities. A trend was found toward earlier evacuation decisions when using the live video. Follow-up studies may consider examining more challenging simulations or prolonged field care utilization of this technology.
Is segmentectomy the future

The role of anatomic segmentectomy as an acceptable, lung parenchymal sparing alternative to pulmonary lobectomy for the small peripheral stage I lung cancer is under great scrutiny today. This is not a new consideration, particularly for the patient with impaired cardiopulmonary reserve where preservation of lung function may be a critical issue in deciding on surgical resection for local/regional control of their cancer. In this review, we discuss the oncologic issues along with past and present evidence supporting "anatomic" lung preservational surgery in the management of lung cancer.
Contemporary Peruvian cinema: history, identity and violence on screen

Against a majestic Andean backdrop, the revolutionary Camarada Carmen (Tatiana Astengo) teaches child recruits to cock and fire rifles. Eager to please her, a fresh-faced boy demonstrates the maneu...
Dynamic Intermediate Waters Across the Late Glacial Revealed by Paired Radiocarbon and Clumped Isotope Temperature Records

Paired radiocarbon and clumped isotope temperature records from U/Th‐dated Desmophyllum dianthus corals in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean provide unique information about the history of intermediate waters (∼1,500–1,700 m) across the late glacial and deglaciation (∼35–10 ka). These measurements allow for the construction of radiocarbon‐temperature crossplots, which help to identify water mass endmembers at different times across the deglaciation. Radiocarbon and temperature values from the late glacial fall outside the range of modern ocean data from near the sample collection sites. In the North Atlantic, radiocarbon values tend to be much older than the modern, while in the Southern Ocean, they are more often younger than the modern. Reconstructed temperatures vary around respective modern ocean values; however, warm waters are observed at the Last Glacial Maximum and across the deglaciation in the north and south. We interpret our data in the context of the modern hydrography of the Western North Atlantic and Southern Ocean, and we draw upon direct comparisons between sediment core‐derived reconstructions of ocean circulation from the South Indo‐Pacific and our deep‐sea coral data from the Southern Ocean. Our North Atlantic data support accepted patterns of reduced North Atlantic Deep Water formation during Heinrich Stadials 1 and 2. In the Southern Ocean, deep‐sea coral populations respond to changes in ocean structure that are also reflected in a depth profile of δ^(13)C data from New Zealand, and data indicate that there was less influence of Pacific Deep Water between 1,500 and 1,700 m south of Tasmania across much of the deglaciation.
Anterior chamber angle in aniridia with and without glaucoma

Purpose We performed a retrospective, comparative study to determine if patients with aniridia and glaucoma had open angles on high-resolution anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) and clinical gonioscopy. Patients and methods Forty-three patients (86 eyes) with aniridia had recorded anterior segment OCTs, gonioscopy, or both. Of these patients, 27 (54 eyes) were diagnosed with glaucoma and 16 (32 eyes) had no evidence of glaucoma. All patients had either anterior segment OCT, gonioscopy, or both. Results The 43 patients with aniridia had average age of 32±17 years, and 27 (62%) were female. Anterior segment OCT and gonioscopy were recorded in 25 (58%) of the patients and 18 (42%) of the patients had gonioscopy alone. Of the 54 eyes with aniridia and glaucoma, 4 (7%) eyes in 3 patients (11%) had partial or completely closed angles. Of the 32 eyes without glaucoma, all (100%) had open angles. The proportion of open angles in the aniridia with glaucoma eyes was not significantly different compared with the aniridia without glaucoma eyes (P=0.32). Of the 4 eyes with closed angles, all had a history of prior surgery for cataract, glaucoma, and/or keratopathy. The proportion of eyes with prior surgery was significantly higher in eyes with open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma compared with eyes without glaucoma (P<0.001 and P=0.002, respectively). Conclusion The majority of eyes with aniridia and glaucoma have open anterior chamber angles, similar to patients with aniridia without glaucoma. All eyes with aniridia and glaucoma that had closed angles had a prior history of ocular surgery.
Plasma Cystine and Nitrite Levels are Synergistic Determinants of Arterial Stiffness and Mortality in Heart Failure

Background Endothelial dysfunction plays a key role in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) pathogenesis, and is determined via the balance between oxidative stress (OS) and nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Higher cystine levels indicate increased OS. Nitrite is a major oxidative metabolite of NO. We sought to examine the relationship between OS, NO metabolism and vascular function, and their association with clinical outcomes in HFrEF patients. Methods Cystine, nitrite and vascular function were measured in 130 HFrEF patients (mean age: 54.6 ± 12.7 yrs, 59.2% black, 48.5% female). Plasma cystine was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. Plasma nitrite was determined by ion chromatography (ENO20 Analyzer, Eicom). Arterial stiffness was assessed as Augmentation index (Aix) using pulse wave analysis (SphygmoCor, AtCor Medical). Patients were categorized by median cystine (97.39 μM) and nitrite (0.26 μM) values. Linear regression was used to determine the association between cystine, nitrite and Aix, adjusting for age, gender, race, height, weight and mean arterial pressure. Cox regression was used to estimate the association of cystine, nitrite and Aix, with all-cause mortality, adjusting for age, gender, race, BNP and history of MI. Results: Cystine, nitrite and Aix Patients with higher levels of both cystine and nitrite (>median, n=31) had higher Aix (adjusted β =5.7, p=0.006, mean Aix= 27.6 ± 10.3) than those that had either elevated cystine (n=33) (p=0.1, mean Aix= 21.4 ± 7.9) or nitrite (n=33) (p=0.5, mean Aix= 18.9 ± 10.3), or neither (n=33) (P=0.9, mean Aix=22.1 ± 1.0). Cystine, nitrite and mortality There were 14 deaths during a median follow up of 375 (IQR 188.5, 696) days. Patients with higher levels of both cystine and nitrite (>median) had a higher mortality (adjusted HR=15.2, 95% CI: 1.8-129.7, p=0.01) than those with elevation of either cystine or nitrite, or neither (Figure 1). Cystine did not correlate with BNP (p=0.2), while nitrite had a weak positive correlation with BNP (r=0.21, p=0.04). Aix and mortality Higher Aix tended to be associated with mortality (adjusted HR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0-1.3, p=0.06), but was not a significant predictor when cystine and nitrite were added to the model (adjusted HR: 1.1, 95% CI: 0.9-1.2, p=0.5). Conclusions Higher levels of OS and NO metabolites are synergistic determinants of arterial stiffness, and are independent determinants of mortality in HFrEF even after adjusting for BNP.
The influence of enrichment on spatial pattern separation in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

For any animal, learning to distinguish between very similar spatial cues in the environment is a fundamental skill to acquire, because it can ultimately lead to a live or die situation. However, it is cognitively demanding to learn to discriminate between very similar spatial environments (as opposed to distinct ones). Spatial pattern separation is the cognitive process that keeps similar, overlapping memories distinct, and is thought to underlie many spatial tasks used in behavioral studies. In captivity, it has been shown that environmental enrichment can lead to enhanced spatial learning in fish, however, a task that utilizes spatial pattern separation has never been conducted on fish. In the current study, we used the delayed non-matching to place Radial Arm Maze (RAM) to determine if there were differences in spatial pattern separation in zebrafish (Danio rerio) housed with or without enrichment. In the delayed non-matching to place RAM, the animal has to discriminate between low spatially separated stimuli (near, similar) and high spatially separated stimuli (far, distinct). Our results show that environmental enrichment enhanced spatial learning at both low and high separation (i.e. at both spatially similar and distinct maze locations). Thus, enrichment did not selectively enhance zebrafish learning only at spatially similar cues as we expected, but rather zebrafish housed with enrichment were better learners overall. Given the growing use of zebrafish as a research model for behavioral research, these data will help us to understand how different housing and rearing methods influence spatial learning in captive lab fish, and ultimately will help to inform welfare guidelines on best practices for housing fish in captivity.
Detection of subclinical Harlequin syndrome in pediatric patients.

Background Harlequin syndrome presents as differences in facial coloring due to unilateral flushing. This is the result of the inability to flush on the affected side due to the disruption of vasomotor and sudomotor sympathetic activity. The neurologically intact side appears flushed. A 2°C temperature difference between the flushed and nonflushed sides of the face has been detected in patients presenting with Harlequin syndrome. This difference in temperature might be detectable even in the absence of unilateral flushing, and this subclinical manifestation of the syndrome may occur more often than realized. Aim To measure and compare the difference in the change in temperature on both sides of the face in patients with a thoracic epidural. Methods Fifteen pediatric patients receiving thoracic epidurals for the correction of pectus excavatum via Nuss procedure were enrolled. Temperature measurements on each side of the face were collected at three time points: prior to epidural placement in the holding area, one hour after epidural analgesia had been instituted, and after the patient awakened in the recovery area. The primary outcome is whether or not a temperature difference occurred between the two sides of the face over time. Results Comparing the pre-op temperature change to post-op temperature change for each side of the face, patient 2 had a large increase in temperature on the left side of the face with a decrease in temperature on the right side of the face. The largest observed difference between the changes in temperature from pre-op to post-op between the right and left sides of the face was 1.85°C in patient 2. This was more than two standard deviations from the mean difference in the patient population. Patient 15 also had a large difference in change in temperature from pre-op to post-op between the right and left sides of the face with an observed difference of 1.14°C, although this was not more than two standard deviations from the mean. None of the patients had unilateral facial flushing. Conclusion Asymmetric effects or distribution of local anesthetic used in thoracic epidurals may result in asymmetric blockade of efferent sympathetic nervous system activity. This may cause differences in temperature between the two sides of the face without unilateral flushing. This phenomenon has previously been termed subclinical Harlequin syndrome. Subclinical Harlequin syndrome may be more common than anticipated and may be detected by comparing temperature differences in patients.
Nicotine reduction does not alter essential value of nicotine or reduce cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking.

Abstract Reduction of nicotine content in tobacco products is a regulatory control strategy intended to decrease smoking dependence, and is hypothesized to produce gradual reductions of nicotine intake. Rats were initially trained to self-administer 0.06 mg/kg/infusion nicotine (Phase 1), which was followed by a threshold procedure to determine nicotine demand via a behavioral economics (BE) paradigm (Phase 2). Rats then either self-administered the training dose (high dose group), or were switched to a low dose of nicotine (0.001 mg/kg/infusion; low dose group) in Phase 3. Both groups then underwent a second threshold procedure and demand curves were re-determined (Phase 4). In Phase 5, responding for nicotine was extinguished over the course of 21 sessions. Cue-induced reinstatement was then evaluated (Phase 6). Rats in the low dose group maintained a steady amount of infusions, and thus, did not compensate for nicotine reduction. Rats in the low dose group also showed similar demand elasticity and nicotine seeking (Phase 6) compared to the high dose group, indicating that nicotine reduction did not decrease nicotine demand or seeking. Further, both groups displayed resistance to extinction, indicating that nicotine reduction did not facilitate extinction learning. These results suggest that although compensation of intake does not occur, decreasing the dose of nicotine does not alter nicotine reinforcement value or relapse vulnerability. Further, these results indicate persistence of nicotine-motivated behavior after self-administration of a low nicotine dose. Translationally, these results suggest that alternative strategies may be needed to achieve positive smoking cessation outcomes.
Scandium in Neutral and Positively Charged Ammonia Complexes: Balancing Between Sc2+ and Sc3+

High-level quantum chemical approaches are performed to study the stability and electronic structure of tri-, di-, mono-cationic, and neutral scandium ammonia complexes. The calculated binding ener...
Exploring Ovarian Cancer Cell Resistance to Rhenium Anticancer Complexes.

Rhenium tricarbonyl complexes have been recently investigated as novel anticancer agents. However, little is understood about their mechanisms of action, as well as the means by which cancer cells respond to chronic exposure to these compounds. To gain a deeper mechanistic insight into these rhenium anticancer agents, we developed and characterized an ovarian cancer cell line that is resistant to a previously studied compound [Re(CO)3(dmphen)(ptolICN)]+, where dmphen = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline and ptolICN = para-tolyl isonitrile, called TRIP. This TRIP-resistant ovarian cancer cell line, A2780TR, was found to be 9 times less sensitive to TRIP compared to the wild-type A2780 ovarian cancer cell line. Furthermore, the cytotoxicities of established drugs and other rhenium anticancer agents in the TRIP-resistant cell line were determined. Notably, the drug taxol was found to exhibit a 184-fold decrease in activity in the A2780TR cell line, suggesting that mechanisms of resistance towards TRIP and this drug are similar. Accordingly, expression levels of the ATP-binding cassette transporter P-glycoprotein, an efflux transporter known to detoxify taxol, were found to be elevated in the A2780TR cell line. Additionally, a gene expression analysis using the National Cancer Institute 60 cell line panel identified the MT1E gene to be overexpressed in cells that are less sensitive to TRIP. Because this gene encodes for metallothioneins, this result suggests that detoxification by this class of proteins is another mechanism for resistance to TRIP. The importance of this gene in the A2780TR cell line was assessed, confirming that its expression is elevated in this cell line as well. As the first study to investigate and identify the cancer cell resistance pathways in response to a rhenium complex, this report high-lights important similarities and differences in the resistance responses of ovarian cancer cells to TRIP and conventional drugs.
Perioperative neurological deficits following anterior lumbar interbody fusion: Risk factors and clinical impact

Abstract Introduction Anterior lumbar interbody fusion is a common and well-utilized approach to treatment of lower lumbosacral spondylolisthesis. The authors aim to assess the impact of perioperative neurological deficits on the in-hospital morbidity and mortality. As such, the clinical risk factors leading to perioperative neurological deficits in patients undergoing anterior lumbar interbody fusion are assessed in a large cohort sample from the national inpatient sample (NIS). Methods Data was collected from the NIS-HCUP, a stratified sample of 20% of all community hospital discharges from the years 1999–2011 was analyzed. Patients who underwent anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) as their primary procedure were included. Results The study cohort consisted of 67,900 patients with a mean age of 49.37 years. Approximately 54.96% of the patients were female, 83.60% were white, and 92.62% of the patients were operated on electively. The incidence of perioperative neurological deficit following ALIF was 1.02%. Perioperative neurological deficits were found to independently predict morbidity following ALIF in our multivariable analysis (OR 2.07; CI 1.688 – 2.541) but were not an independent predictor of mortality. Patients with increasing age (OR 1.034; CI 1.027–1.041) and high vWR 5–14 (OR 1.456; CI 1.065–1.990) had an increased risk of having perioperative neurological deficits. Conclusion Overall, perioperative neurological deficits following ALIF are rare (1.02%), and mortality is extraordinarily rare (0.15%). Patients with older age and higher comorbidities are at increased risk for of perioperative neurological deficit and consequently in hospital morbidity. As such, these results serve to further illuminate the importance of preoperative screening and proper patient stratification.
Benjamin, A. K. Let Me Not Be Mad: My Story of Unraveling Minds . New York, NY: Penguin Random House, 2019, 304 pp., $27.00 (hardcover).

A. K. Benjamin (a pseudonym) offers a view into his patients as a clinical neurologist whose specialty is in diagnosing and acute neurorehabilitation. Early on the author makes it clear that the id...
Developmental programming: Metabolic tissue-specific changes in endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial oxidative and telomere length status induced by prenatal testosterone excess in the female sheep

Prenatal testosterone (T) excess-induced metabolic dysfunctions involve tissue specific changes in insulin sensitivity with insulin resistant, oxidative and lipotoxic state in liver/muscle and insulin sensitive but inflammatory and oxidative state in visceral adipose tissues (VAT). We hypothesized that mitochondrial dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and premature cellular senescence are contributors to the tissue-specific changes in insulin sensitivity. Markers of mitochondrial number, function, and oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos), ER stress and cellular senescence (telomere length) were assessed in liver, muscle and 4 adipose (VAT, subcutaneous [SAT], epicardiac [ECAT] and perirenal [PRAT]) depots collected from control and prenatal T-treated female sheep at 21 months of age. Prenatal T treatment led to: (a) reduction in mitochondrial number and OxPhos complexes and increase in ER stress markers in muscle; (b) increase in fibrosis with trend towards increase in short telomere fragments in liver (c) depot-specific mitochondrial changes with OxPhos complexes namely increase in SAT and reduction in PRAT and increase in mitochondrial number in ECAT; (d) depot-specific ER stress marker changes with increase in VAT, reduction in SAT, contrasting changes in ECAT and no changes in PRAT; and (d) reduced shorter telomere fragments in SAT, ECAT and PRAT. These changes indicate insulin resistance may be driven by mitochondrial and ER dysfunction in muscle, fibrosis and premature senescence in liver, and depot-specific changes in mitochondrial function and ER stress without involving cellular senescence in adipose tissue. These findings provide mechanistic insights into pathophysiology of metabolic dysfunction among female offspring from hyperandrogenic pregnancies.
SHILPA: a high-level synthesis system for self-timed circuits

SHILPA is a system for the high-level synthesis of self-timed circuits. It takes behavioral descriptions in a process+functional language called hopCP and produces a netlist for the Actel field-programmable gate array (FPGA), supported by the VIEWlogic tools. hopCP descriptions are initially translated into an intermediate form based on hypergraphs called HFGs. SHILPA then applies action refinement, which is a technique for transforming HFGs into asynchronous hardware by a series of graph-based transformation rules. Action refinement is characterized by incremental resource allocation and control decomposition. The major contributions of the proposed work are given. >
Židé v českých zemích po šoa: identita poraněné paměti (Jews in the Bohemian Lands after the Shoah: The Identity of Wounded Memory): by Blanka Soukopová, Bratislava, Marenčin PT, 2016, 566 pp., ISBN: 9788081148422

Shortly after the end of the war in the Bohemian town of Kolin, Rabbi Richard Feder (1875-1970) sought to make sense of the new reality facing the remnants of his community that had survived the Ho...
Caring for Families Impacted by Opioid Use: A Qualitative Analysis of Integrated Program Designs.

Abstract Objective We sought to 1) identify models of integrated care that offer medical care and social services for children and families impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD) in the postpartum year; and 2) describe how each program was developed, designed, and sustained, and explore facilitators and barriers to implementation of a dyadic, two-generation approach to care. Methods In-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 23) were conducted with programs for women and children affected by OUD across North America. Using a phenomenologic approach, key program components and themes were identified. Following thematic saturation, these results were triangulated with experts in program implementation and with a subset of key informants to ensure data integrity. Results Five distinct types of programs were identified that varied in the degree of medical and behavioral care for families. Three themes emerged unique to the provision of dyadic care: 1) families require supportive, frequent visits with a range of providers, but constraints around billable services limit care integration across the perinatal continuum; 2) individual program champions are critical, but degree and reach of interdisciplinary care is limited by siloed systems for medical and behavioral care; and 3) addressing dual, sometimes competing, responsibilities for both parental and infant health following recurrence of parental substance use presents unique challenges. Conclusions The key components of dyadic care models for families impacted by OUD included prioritizing care coordination, removing barriers to integrating medical and behavioral services, and ensuring the safety of children in homes with ongoing parental substance use while maintaining parental trust.
Strichartz estimates for the Schrödinger flow on compact Lie groups

We establish scale-invariant Strichartz estimates for the Schrodinger flow on any compact Lie group equipped with canonical rational metrics. In particular, full Strichartz estimates without loss for some nonrectangular tori are given. The highlights of this paper include estimates for some Weyl-type sums defined on rational lattices, different decompositions of the Schrodinger kernel that accommodate different positions of the variable inside the maximal torus relative to the cell walls, and an application of the BGG-Demazure operators or Harish-Chandra’s integral formula to the estimate of the difference between characters.
A Second-Order Fast Huygens Sweeping Method for Time-Dependent Schrödinger Equations with Perfectly Matched Layers

The time-dependent Schrodinger equation is generally challenging to solve numerically since the problem is often defined in the infinite domain and the wavefunction is oscillatory. In order to tackle the problem, we extend the fast Huygens sweeping method (FHSM) in Leung et al. (Methods Appl Anal 21(1):31–66, 2014) by combining it with the perfectly matched layer (PML) method and Strang operator splitting techniques. Firstly, the PML approach is applied to limit the infinite domain to a bounded sub-domain of interest, where a modified Schrodinger equation is derived. Secondly, the modified Schrodinger equation is solved by the FHSM in the bounded sub-domain, where a Huygens’ principle based short-time propagator in the form of an integral with retarded Green’s functions is used to propagate the wavefunction, and the retarded Green’s function is approximated by the semi-classical limit approximations with the phase and amplitude terms obtained as solutions to the eikonal and transport equations, respectively. In the case of nonlinear Schrodinger equations, the Strang operator splitting approach will be utilized to transfer the modified equation into sub-problems such that one of them has analytic solutions and the other one is still an equation of Schrodinger type whose wavefunction can be propagated by the FHSM. Finally, an improved randomized procedure with the pivoted QR factorization is designed to construct appropriate low-rank approximations such that the resulting approximated integral can be evaluated with the fast Fourier transform. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the method.
Impact of physician practice on patient radiation dose during CT guided biopsy procedures.

PURPOSE Patient radiation dose during Computed Tomography (CT) guided biopsy procedures is determined by both acquisition technical parameters and physician practice. The potential effect of the physician practice is of concern. This study is to investigate the effects of those intangibles on patient radiation dose. METHODS Patient radiation dose from 252 patients who underwent CT guided biopsy from 2009 to 2010 were retrospectively studied. Ten physicians who used conventional intermittent shots, low mA dose saving feature, or both were included in the study. The patient dose reports were retrieved and the total dose length products (DLPs) were analyzed. Linear regression analysis performed between various variables and reported dose. Patient detriment index (PDI) was developed, which sets threshold (standard of practice) for comparing physician practice with their peers. Odds ratio was calculated to determine odds of a group of patients receiving dose above threshold when compared to another group. RESULTS Median DLP among ten physicians was 1194 mGy-cm. There was a significant difference (p 1) without the dose feature. Odds ratio estimate of 7.7 at 95% confidence level indicates that the odds of a group receiving a high dose depends on practitioner. CONCLUSION Adjustments of practice habits, use of dose saving features or both may be needed to improve patient care for CT biopsy.
Transcriptional co-activator CBP/p300 regulates chondrocyte-specific gene expression via association with Sox9

Chondrocytes are critical components for the precise patterning of a developing skeletal framework and articular joint formation. Sox9 is a key transcription factor that is essential for chondrocyte differentiation and chondrocyte-specific gene expressions; however, the precise transcriptional activation mechanism of Sox9 is not fully understood. Here we demonstrate that Sox9 utilizes CBP/p300 to exert its effects. Sox9 associates with CBP/p300 in chondrocyte cell line SW1353 via its carboxyl termini activation domain in a cell type-specific manner. In promoter assays, CBP/p300 enhances Col2a1, which encodes cartilage-specific type II collagen gene, the promoter activity via Sox9. Chromatin immunoprecipitation shows that p300 is bound to the Col2a1 promoter region. Furthermore, the CBP/Sox9 complex disrupter peptide suppresses Col2a1 gene expression and chondrogenesis from mesenchymal stem cells. These data demonstrate CBP/p300 functions as a coactivator of Sox9 for cartilage tissue-specific gene expression and chondrocyte differentiation.
Accounting Choice, Announcement Returns and Operating Performance in Stock-for-Stock Acquisitions

Until 2001, certain stock acquisitions could be accounted for as pooling-of-interests. There were concerns that pooling was associated with earnings fixation and weak corporate governance. I investigate the cross-sectional variation in the purchase-pooling choice and its association with acquisition-related performance.In a sample of 390 stock deals over 1993-1999, I find pooling is associated with earnings fixation and weak governance. CARs around pooling announcements are lower compared with purchase announcements. Pooling acquirers achieve earnings growth, but their revenue growth and operating efficiency decline. The evidence suggests the previously documented inferior performance of stock acquirers is largely contributed by pooling firms.
EXPERIENCE WITH THE MOLTEN-SALT REACTOR EXPERIMENT

The MSRE is an 8-MW(th) reactor in which molten fluoride salt at 1200°F circulates through a core of graphite bars. Its purpose was to demonstrate the practicality of the key features of molten-sal...
Basic Methods of Integration

In this chapter, we first collect in a more systematic way some of the integration formulas derived in Chapters 4–6. We then present the two most important general techniques: integration by substitution and integration by parts. As the techniques for evaluating integrals are developed, you will see that integration is a more subtle process than differentiation and that it takes practice to learn which method should be used in a given problem.