cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Booster requirements for Advanced Photon Source I-nm emittance upgrade lattices

In recent years, we have explored various upgrade options for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring that would provide the user community with higher brightness. Increased brightness would be accomplished by reducing the emittance of the storage ring as well as increasing the stored beam current from 100 mA to 200 mA. Two upgrade lattices were developed that reduce the effective beam emittance to 1 nm from the present 2.7 nm. These lattices have reduced dynamic aperture compared to the present ring lattice, which may require a reduced emittance booster to minimize injection losses. This paper describes injection tracking simulations that explore how high the booster emittance can be and still have no losses at injection for the 1-nm ring upgrade lattices. An alternative booster lattice is presented with reduced emittance compared to the present booster lattice (65 nm).
OSTEOID-TISSUE-FORMING TUMOR SIMULATING ANNULAR SEQUESTRUM

A group of cases is presented in which diagnosis has not previously been made correctly. This condition is characterized by pain, swelling, and an unusual x-ray picture. The lesion appears to belong in the class of benign osteoblastic osteoid-tissue-forming tumors and should be treated by complete excision.
Incremental schedulability analysis of hierarchical real-time components

Embedded systems are complex as a whole but consist of smaller independent modules minimally interacting with each other. This structure makes embedded systems amenable to compositional system design. Compositional design of real-time embedded systems can be done using hierarchical systems which consist of real-time components arranged in a scheduling hierarchy. Each component consists of a real-time workload and a scheduling policy for the workload. To simplify schedulability analysis of hierarchical systems, analysis can be done compositionally using interfaces that abstract the timing requirements of components. Associative composition will facilitate analysis of systems in which components are modified on the fly. In this paper, we propose efficient algorithms to abstract the resource requirements of components in the form of periodic resource models. Each component interface consists of a set of periodic resource models for different values of period, which allows the selection of a periodic interface that minimizes the collective real-time requirements of hierarchical components. We also describe an interface composition algorithm which accounts for context switch overheads incurred by components and is associative.
A modest proposal for some stress on scholarship in graduate training

(1954). A modest proposal for some stress on scholarship in graduate training. Quarterly Journal of Speech: Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 15-23.
Leading engineering teams: leader behaviors related to team performance

The author examines the relationship between leader behaviors and engineering team performance. Data were collected for 18 engineering teams (nine research, nine nonresearch) from manufacturing and aerospace organizations located in Rocky Mountain, Midwest, and East Coast regions of the United States. Results indicate that both team members and leaders believed that providing autonomy and initiating structure were important leader behaviors; however, neither of these behaviors was significantly correlated with team performance as evaluated by managers external to the team. Members also believed that leaders should exhibit personal commitment to the team goal and show consideration for team members. Specific leader behaviors were significantly correlated with team performance only for those teams with a research purpose. For such teams, public relations activities performed by leaders were important. >
Foraging by the Herbivorous Parrotfish Sparisoma Radians

The foraging behavior of the bucktooth parrotfish Sparisoma radians was studied in seagrass beds off St. Croix, US Virgin Islands and in laboratory preference tests. Thalassia testudinum was the dominant item in the field diet with the epiphytized distal portion of the blades most favored. Other seagrasses, Syringodium filiforme and Halodule wrightii, were taken in relation to their abundance. Several algae were also eaten, particularly Halimeda spp. and Penicillus spp. Although abundances of the algae varied, the fish maintained a steady mixture of plant species in their diet. Laboratory feeding tests for various plants presented in pairs showed clear preferences in nearly all cases. The preference hierarchy was (1) T. testudinum with epiphytes, (2) H. wrightii, (3) T. testudinum without epiphytes, (4) S. filiforme, and the algae, (5) Dictyota divaricata, (6) Enteromorpha flexuosa, (7) Caulerpa mexicana, (8) Halimeda incrassata and (9) Penicillis pyriformis. Preference did not vary significantly with satiation. The “catch per unit effort” (kilocalories absorbed per bite) was calculated for each plant, using (a) absorption values calculated for S. radians fed the different plants, (b) the calorific values for tested plants, and (c) an estimate of the amount of material taken per bite. The ranking of catch per unit effort closely paralleled the preference hierarchy with the exception of C. mexicana which has a toxin. Fish fed diets of single plants, mixed plant diet, and starved controls showed differential survival which paralleled the preference hierarchy, the most preferred plants leading to longest survival. Comparison of laboratory results with field feeding behavior shows that inclusion of plants in the diet is not related directly to preference rank, availability or survival value, but that the fish deliberately eat a variety of plants presumably which maintains balanced diet. This result indicates that models of optimal foraging for herbivores should include nutrient constraints and avoidance of toxins in order to predict accurately the behavior of an animal in the field.
Metropolitan Development as a Complex System: A New Approach to Sustainability

A major national debate is under way about the effects of the regulation of development and land use patterns on metropolitan economies. Because this is often framed around whether sprawling development patterns are harmful or beneficial to the economy and environment, we are seemingly presented with an either/or choice. This article asserts that the debate misses the reality that metropolitan development occurs as part of a complex system. If we view metropolitan development as a complex system, there is no fundamental conflict between environmental goals and economic development. Examining the case of California, the authors demonstrate how the relationship between these is part of a larger system involving fiscal policy, governance structure, infrastructure policy, and other factors. The authors propose three strategies for improving metropolitan system performance to ensure sustainable metropolitan economies and environments: developing and using indicators for self-organizing urban systems, collabora...
Seroprevalence of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection among children diagnosed with protein-calorie malnutrition in Nigeria

Excessive weight loss due to protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) is a significant problem in Nigerian children. This syndrome may be difficult to differentiate from the wasting disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. We studied 70 children admitted to the Baptist Medical Center in Ogbomosho, Nigeria in 1990 with PCM for prevalence of antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2. The cohort was from low-risk mothers and had a median age of 25 months (range, 4 months-9 years) with a weight deficit of at least 20% of the theoretical weight for age. Two sera were positive for anti-HIV-1 by both ELISA and Western blot (WB). A high prevalence of samples negative for HIV-1 antibody by ELISA were repeatedly reactive (11%, 8/70) or indeterminate (46%, 32/70) by WB. None of the sera was positive for antibody to HIV-2. There was no correlation of ELISA positivity or extent of WB banding with successful recovery from malnutrition. These results indicate a relatively low but significant prevalence of HIV-1 infection in Nigerian children with PCM. The high prevalence of indeterminate reactions in WB assays for HIV-1 suggests that other procedures may be necessary for confirmatory diagnosis of HIV-1 infection in this African population.
Utility of fully buried horizontal mattress sutures

Abstract Background Deep absorbable stitches should provide a firm closure, hemostasis, and good wound-edge eversion, but this is not always achieved with standard techniques. Objective We sought to investigate alternative techniques that can rapidly and reliably achieve these results. Methods We evaluated the fully buried horizontal mattress suture. We compared this technique with the previously described fully buried vertical mattress, partially buried mattresses, and standard reticular dermal and subcutaneous sutures. Results The fully buried horizontal mattress can provide excellent wound-edge approximation and eversion. It is particularly useful for shallow defects and narrow spaces where a deep stitch is required but technically difficult to insert. Overall, this method offers excellent final cosmesis, and individual sutures can be quickly and reproducibly placed with minimal practice. For very deep defects that require dead-space closure, the fully buried vertical mattress may be preferable. Conclusions The buried horizontal mattress suture has wide applicability as the buried stitch in a bilayer repair.
The δ - sensitivity and its application to stochastic optimal control of nonlinear diffusions

We provide optimal control laws by using tools from stochastic calculus of variations and the mathematical concept of δ-sensitivity. The analysis relies on logarithmic transformations of the value functions and the use of linearly solvable Partial Differential Equations(PDEs). We derive the corresponding optimal control as a function of the δ-sensitivity of the logarithmic transformation of the value function for the case of nonlinear diffusion processes affine in control and noise.
Capriccio: scalable threads for internet services

This paper presents Capriccio, a scalable thread package for use with high-concurrency servers. While recent work has advocated event-based systems, we believe that thread-based systems can provide a simpler programming model that achieves equivalent or superior performance.By implementing Capriccio as a user-level thread package, we have decoupled the thread package implementation from the underlying operating system. As a result, we can take advantage of cooperative threading, new asynchronous I/O mechanisms, and compiler support. Using this approach, we are able to provide three key features: (1) scalability to 100,000 threads, (2) efficient stack management, and (3) resource-aware scheduling.We introduce linked stack management, which minimizes the amount of wasted stack space by providing safe, small, and non-contiguous stacks that can grow or shrink at run time. A compiler analysis makes our stack implementation efficient and sound. We also present resource-aware scheduling, which allows thread scheduling and admission control to adapt to the system's current resource usage. This technique uses a blocking graph that is automatically derived from the application to describe the flow of control between blocking points in a cooperative thread package. We have applied our techniques to the Apache 2.0.44 web server, demonstrating that we can achieve high performance and scalability despite using a simple threaded programming model.
Six Guidelines for Interesting Research

There are many guides on proper psychology, but far fewer on interesting psychology. This article presents six guidelines for interesting research. The first three—Phenomena First, Be Surprising, and Grandmothers, Not Scientists— suggest how to choose your research question; the last three—Be The Participant, Simple Statistics, and Powerful Beginnings—suggest how to answer your research question and offer perspectives on experimental design, statistical analysis, and effective communication. These guidelines serve as reminders that replicability is necessary but not sufficient for compelling psychological science. Interesting research considers subjective experience; it listens to the music of the human condition.
The protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid induces defects in cytokinesis and organellar genome segregation in Trypanosoma brucei

Mitosis and cytokinesis are events that are highly coordinated in most eukaryotic cell cycles. African trypanosomes possess a single mitochondrion and must additionally coordinate the organellar division cycle. Here we report that okadaic acid, a potent and specific inhibitor of protein phosphatases PP1and PP2A, uncouples these cycles in living trypanosomes. Cell cycle analysis of treated cells revealed elevated DNA content. Microscopic examination indicated that okadaic acid treatment yielded multinucleate cells with a single mitochondrial network indicating these cells have undergone mitosis but failed to complete cytokinesis. Immunofluorescence analysis of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine incorporation demonstrated that the mitochondrial DNA was replicated but did not segregate. The dose response curve for inhibition of the normal cell cycle paralleled that for the in vitro inhibition of protein phosphatase activities with IC50s of approximately 20 nM okadaic acid. These results suggest the involvement of a PP1/PP2A-like activity in coordinating mitosis, mitochondrial DNA division and cytokinesis in trypanosomes.
Random Numbers: The Need, the History, the Generators

Today simulation and Monte Carlo studies play an important and ever more significant role in virtually every field of human endeavor, and such studies often consume large amounts of computer time. Nearly every such study requires, for its execution, a source of random numbers (i.e. numbers which appear to be independent uniform random variables on the range 0.0 to 1.0). Historically statisticians have attempted to provide quality random numbers in quantity in various ways, the most common today being via numeric algorithms executed within a digital computer. Statistical testing can (although it has not yet) rank these algorithms on speed and goodness.
Fulfilling an Unmet Need: Roles for Clinical Pharmacists in Preconception Care

Preconception care refers to a set of interventions that identify and address biomedical, behavioral, and social risks to a woman's health that may negatively impact a future pregnancy. A great need for preconception care currently exists in the United States, and women's attitudes about discussions with health care providers about healthy and safe pregnancies are positive. Clinical pharmacists are well positioned to work with other health care and public health professionals to ensure that all women of childbearing potential have access to preconception care. As part of the collaborative health care team, clinical pharmacists can directly provide services or support and referrals to other members of the health care team or to community resources through clinical-community linkages. Specifically, clinical pharmacists can provide education, counseling, and/or services to women to address family planning, medication and disease state management, immunizations, screenings, health promotion, and substance use. Clinical pharmacists can also impact preconception care through drug information services, advocacy, and research. Preconception care services can be incorporated into daily pharmacy practice, and there are potential means for reimbursement. Multiple roles exist for clinical pharmacists to fulfill unmet needs in preconception care.
A comparative study of dilute VOCs treatment in a non-thermal plasma reactor

Abstract Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is an emerging technology for the treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in polluted point source air streams. Here, a dielectric barrier discharge NTP was used to evaluate the treatment efficiency of several common VOCs at constant experimental conditions (gas residence time of 0.016 s in the plasma zone, 95–100 ppm v average inlet VOC concentration in air). When treated as single pollutant with a specific input energy (SIE) of 350 J L −1 , the removal efficiency of the VOC followed the following sequence: methyl ethyl ketone (50%), benzene (58%), toluene (74%), 3-pentanone (76%), methyl tert-butyl ether (80%), ethylbenzene (81%), and n-hexane (90%). The effects of pollutant structure on VOC removal efficiency were investigated. The highest removal efficiencies were observed for compounds with the highest percentage of hydrogen in their molecular structures. During treatment of toluene and ethylbenzene vapors, a dark brown, tar-like deposit formed inside the plasma reactor. The deposit formation rate depended on both treated VOCs as well as on experimental conditions such as VOC concentration, and SIE.
Erratum to: ‘MicroRNA target prediction using thermodynamic and sequence curves’

Unfortunately, the original version of this article [1] contained an error. Figures 6 and ​and77 were incorrect with the wrong captions. The figures have been corrected in the original article and is also included correctly below. Fig. 6 Scatter plot of frequencies of various types of seed alignment patterns in set of positive miRNA-mRNA interactions for Mouse (x-axis) and Human (y-axis). Among the top-10 most frequently occurring patterns, only two, namely, the 6-mer and 7-mer, are canonical ... Fig. 7 ROC curves for 10-fold cross-validation performance of Avishkar in different regions of the gene in the human dataset
A Wartime Adventure in Business Self-Regulation: The Retail Declaration of Policy:

HE so called "Retail Declaration of Policy" was one of the highly interesting developments in the field of marketing during the war. It was interesting from two standpoints. First, it represented in some degree an attempt at the equitable distribution of textile and furniture products. Second, it involved an attempt by a trade to regulate itself for the benefit of the trade, the ultimate consumer, and the war effort.
A Simple Iterative Solution for Certain Simultaneous Quadratic Equations

(1951). A Simple Iterative Solution for Certain Simultaneous Quadratic Equations. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 58, No. 9, pp. 609-613.
Advanced Glaucoma Surgery: An Overview

The current era in glaucoma surgical care has led to transformative treatment strategies for patients with late stages of the disease as well as those experiencing persistent complications in the postoperative period. Targeted micro-bypass stenting of Schlemm’s canal with multiple devices may soon offer an effective method for reliable intraocular pressure lowering. A novel use of ab-interno trabeculectomy procedure (Trabectome; Neomedix, Inc.) may assist in the management of angle-closure glaucomas. Lensectomy may play a pivotal role in the treatment paradigm for angle-closure glaucomas, as demonstrated by anterior chamber imaging studies. Gonioscopy-Assisted Transluminal Trabeculotomy offers an innovative ab-interno approach to trabeculotomy, with encouraging results demonstrated after 12 months of follow-up. A novel gel implant allows for access to the subconjunctival space and bypass of physiologic aqueous outflow routes via an ab-interno approach. Nonpenetrating glaucoma surgery may allow for safer outcomes when compared to trabeculectomy, but involves a longer learning curve. Treatment of the posterior ciliary processes with endocyclophotocoagulation allows for the treatment of plateau iris and angle closure. The Ex-Press Mini-Glaucoma Device may offer advantages to trabeculectomy in the treatment of complex glaucomas. The treatment of normal-tension glaucoma often necessitates surgical intervention with trabeculectomy and administration of an antifibrotic agent. A combined approach for Boston Keratoprosthesis, glaucoma drainage implant, and pars plana vitrectomy surgery may allow for better long-term outcomes in patients with corneal blindness. The Modified Schocket procedure provides an effective option for surgical management of glaucoma occurring after scleral buckling surgery. Ab-interno bleb needling procedures offer logistical, financial, and psychological advantages over conventional transconjunctival approaches. When managed appropriately, drainage of choroidal effusions and hemorrhage allows for a successful postoperative outcome. Surgical techniques offer definitive therapy for malignant glaucoma and include anterior or posterior iridozonulohyaloidotomy and anterior chamber reformation with intraocular lens pushback.
Design, Participation, and Social Change: What Design in Grassroots Spaces Can Teach Learning Scientists.

ABSTRACTWhile a science of design (and theory of learning) is certainly useful in design-based research, a participatory design research framework presents an opening for learning scientists to rethink design and learning as processes. Grounded in the autoethnographic investigation of a grassroots organization's design of a local campaign, the author traces the successive transformations of design artifacts, delineating a narrative character to design within grassroots spaces. One major lesson is that centering the question of participation is not just about including historically marginalized peoples at the core of design; it has the potential to “desettle” projects at a fundamental level, challenging dominant epistemologies that inform the practices of learning scientists, and thus transforming the field in ways that have yet to be systematically explored. More broadly, this study highlights the need for future research on design practices as they take form within understudied spaces, such as grassroots...
Carcinoma of the Rectum: Current Management

In recent years, various approaches have been used to improve survival and the quality of life in patients after surgical treatment of rectal carcinoma. These approaches include earlier detection, sphincter-saving procedures, and adjuvant therapy, intraoperative therapy for locally advanced tumors, and a more aggressive approach for locally recurrent or distal but isolated spread of the disease.
Mary Robinson’s Paralysis and the Discourse of Disability

This chapter re-reads a celebrated and contested life from Romantic-era public life. In the summer of 1783, while still in her mid-twenties, the former actress and royal courtesan Mary ‘Perdita’ Robinson began to suffer from progressive lower-limb paralysis. Brewer examines the contemporary reception of Robinson’s impairment within the context of the Romantic-era debate about how disability should be responded to and interpreted. Robinson’s obituary and other sympathetic postmortem accounts offer redemptive narratives in which Robinson’s immobility, physical and mental sufferings, stoicism, and literary achievements expiate her scandalous life. Brewer argues that Robinson understood disability as a social construction: she regarded herself as abled as long as her financial resources and care-givers permitted her to have a social life, write prolifically, and visit London’s cultural sites. According to the posthumous and not entirely reliable ‘Continuation’ of The Memoirs of the Late Mrs Robinson (1801), her paralysis motivated her to embark on an astoundingly productive literary career. Physical disability inspired compositional hyperability.
Environmental Causes of Human Spongiform Encephalopathy

This chapter reviews all proven or highly probable cases of environmentally acquired human spongiform encephalopathy (cannibalism, neurosurgical procedures, corneal and dura mater homografts, and native pituitary hormone therapy), and evaluates potential but as yet unverified environmental sources of disease, such as peripheral tissue homografts, organ transplants, administration of blood, blood products, and other biologicals, occupational exposures, and zoonotic infections. Implicit in this breviary of known and putative origins of environmentally acquired disease are laboratory and epidemiologic methods for recognizing and if possible preventing subsequent cases both from present and future sources of infection. Like so much else in the field of human spongiform encephalopathy, it all began with kuru. Long before Carleton Gajdusek introduced this exotic New Guinea Highlands neurologic disease to the medical community in 1957 (1), local missionaries, district officers, bush pilots, and bartenders were already speculating that kuru was being "caught" as a result of ritual cannibalism. Indeed, despite the absence of any clinical or neuropathological signs of an inflammatory process, Gajdusek's first priority was to explore its contagious (and presumably viral) character, for which he initiated an extensive program of inoculation studies involving countless rodent species and tissue culture cell lines. All failed to reveal an mfectious agent, because no precedent existed in human virology for experiments to be continued beyond the 1—2 mo periods when most of these studies were terminated. Genetic, endocrine, and toxic causes of kuru were also being explored, but they too failed to yield the answer, and attention turned to the possibility of a noninflammatory parasitic or fungal infection, with a new set of inoculated
Experimental and numerical investigation of the horizontal ribbon growth process

Experimental and numerical results are presented on the process of horizontal ribbon growth (HRG) of single-crystal silicon. Experimental data on the leading edge position of the growth front as a function of pull speed is compared to model predictions with and without solidification kinetic effects. Without kinetics, the numerical results predict leading edge positions which are completely different than that observed in the experiment. With kinetics, the leading edge position is predicted typically within 1 mm and the change in position with pull speed also is well predicted. Conclusions from the kinetic model are that the growth occurs through a faceted process where the leading edge is a {111} facet that requires significant supercooling to maintain the growth. An outcome of the model is that the leading edge position versus pull speed response shows a turning point beyond which there are no steady growth solutions. This is consistent with all previously reported experiments on this process, which have reported maximum attainable pull-speeds. These results directly contradict previous conclusions from the “wedge” model of horizontal ribbon growth, which predicts that a large area wedge-shaped growth region exists and that increasing pull speeds simply result in a narrower wedge angle.
Novel electrical modelling and measurement technique of hybrid package (FusionQuad) for characterization of RF and high speed signals

This paper discuss electrical characterization of new developed hybrid package, FusionQuad, that is converging QFN and TQFP type package to have good electrical performance with high I/O pin counts. Precise electrical modelling from wire-to-motherboard is performed by using simple organic based test die with de-embedding technique to cope with limits of assembly process. Measurements are done in the frequency domain to extract S-parameter up to 10 GHz.
Credentialing in the CSET education change process

Efforts have been made to improve technical and professional skills in engineering graduates, but little widespread change in pedagogy has occurred within U.S. engineering education institutions. Our group studied the genesis and implementation of an innovative engineering curriculum (Iron Range Engineering) through a series of interviews with a wide range of stakeholders. Using a grounded theory approach, we found that to “shoehorn” an innovative curriculum into a traditional university setting required ad hoc solutions - almost akin to hacking a system. The findings in the study of this process also showed that the most common barriers to widespread educational innovation can be framed as credentialing issues, whether as excuses for not implementing change or as legitimate obstacles. At the root of the credentialing issue is the ubiquitous standard unit of effort—the credit hour, which was originally designed simply to measure faculty workload rather than student learning. This paper seeks to describe the breadth of credentialing in terms of scope and groups involved. Finally, we propose conversations that change agents in CSET education can use to turn credentialing into a lever for systemic curricular transformation.
The Chronology of Certain Sound Changes in Common Slavic as Evidenced by Loans from Vulgar Latin

(1961). The Chronology of Certain Sound Changes in Common Slavic as Evidenced by Loans from Vulgar Latin. WORD: Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 105-127.
Electrical Conduction in Molten Cu-Fe Sulphide Mattes

Using a new alternating-current potentiometer circuit and a specially designed four-terminal cell, the specific conductance of molten Cu2S−FeS mattes was measured as a function of temperature, from the liquidus to 1500°C, over the complete range of composition. The high conductivities, about 1500 ohm−1 cm−1 for FeS and 100 ohm−1 cm−1 for Cu2S, indicate that the conduction is electronic rather than ionic. Molten FeS has a negative temperature coefficient of specific conductance, resembling metallic conduction. Molten Cu2S has a positive temperature coefficient, resembling semiconduction. The binary roughly follows an additive rule of mixtures with respect to both magnitude and temperature coefficient of specific conductance. Metallic bonding in the liquid is postulated to explain these phenomena.
Lack of Cultural Competency in International Aid Responses: The Ebola Outbreak in Liberia.

A cornerstone of effective disaster management is that response should always begin and end at the local level (1). The response to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in Liberia, West Africa, was a combination of independent efforts by many nations and organizations. Many of these independent efforts ignored or were not able to work with the local levels of emergency management in Liberia. This oversight occurred because of the Liberian’s mistrust of both their government and foreign aid groups, as well as the lack of cultural competency demonstrated by the aid groups. The healthcare and emergency management infrastructure in Liberia appeared to be nonexistent at the beginning of the EVD outbreak. However, there were resources available at the community level: The Liberians and their culture. Although these resources were rarely used, there were some instances in which communities were included in response efforts. It was in these instances that possible improvements to international disaster response protocol were found.
Diuretic Strategies in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

The burden of heart failure in the United States is growing rapidly to epic proportions with serious clinical implications for patients and economic strain for healthcare systems. One of the most common reasons for hospitalization in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is excess volume accumulation which leads to untoward symptoms including dyspnea,orthopnea, and edema. Over the past several decades, there has been great interest in exploring various decongestive strategies in order to achieve symptomatic improvement and favorable clinical outcomes. These include different modalities of loop diuretic administration, the adjunctive use of non-loop diuretics, and other diuretic sparing strategies. Herein, we provide an appraisal of these decongestive strategies and discuss novel concepts predicting clinical outcomes based on diuretic response and decongestive adequacy while discussing commonly encountered problems such as worsening renal function in ADHF.
Amending Article V

The thesis of this article is that the procedure for amending the American Constitution in Article V is defective and should be changed. The Constitution created a federal government of limited and enumerated powers. Unfortunately, the Constitution of 1787 is not working as it was designed to work. In many key areas, the charter has been reinterpreted so as to allow the federal government to expand beyond the limited powers in the original design. By making the Constitution difficult to amend, the framers thought they could preserve its integrity, but that plan has obviously failed. In light of the erosion of the original understanding of the Constitution, how can anyone be confident that other constitutional safeguards will not be lost? This article maintains that the difficult amendment procedure laid out in Article V is primarily responsible for our current predicament. An easier amendment process would help to bridge the gulf that presently exists between the constitutional text and the government we actually have. Instead of the two-thirds vote necessary for Congress to propose amendments or for the states to call a convention, we should consider lowering the threshold to a simple majority. And instead of the three-fourths vote necessary for the states to ratify an amendment, we should consider lowering that threshold to two-thirds.
R1ρ dispersion and sodium imaging in human calf muscle.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the magnitude of chemical exchange effects and R1ρ dispersion in muscle and their relationship to tissue sodium levels with aging. Methods Seven healthy volunteers (aged 24 to 87 years, median age 47) underwent MRI to assess tissue sodium levels and water T1ρ values at different spin-locking frequencies in calf muscles. T1ρ values at each locking field were computed based on a three-parameter mono-exponential model to fit signals obtained at different locking times, and R1ρ (= 1/T1ρ) rates were compared at different locking fields. In particular, the dispersion of R1ρ (ΔR1ρ = R1ρ(0 Hz) − R1ρ(500 Hz)) was examined as a function of subject age. Muscle sodium content was calculated by comparing signal intensities between tissues and reference standards within the same image. The variations of ΔR1ρ with age and sodium were analyzed by linear regression. Results T1ρ values and sodium content both increased with age. R1ρ dispersion also increased with age and showed a strong linear correlation (correlation coefficient r = 0.98, P = 0.000578) with sodium content. Conclusion ΔR1ρ reports on the contribution of labile protons such as hydroxyls which may be associated with macromolecule accumulation in the extracellular matrix (ECM). An increase of sodium signal suggests an enlarged ECM volume fraction and/or an increase in sodium concentration, which occurs during normal aging. The strong correlation between ΔR1ρ and sodium is likely the consequence of increased ECM and density of total charged sites within the matrix from molecules such as collagens and proteoglycans. The results from this study show the potential use of R1ρ dispersion and sodium imaging in the assessment of pathological changes in muscle such as fibrosis.
Sinorhizobium meliloti Chemotaxis to Multiple Amino Acids Is Mediated by the Chemoreceptor McpU.

The legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti is chemoattracted to compounds exuded by germinating seeds of its host alfalfa. This response is mainly mediated by the S. meliloti chemoreceptor McpU. McpU also has a prominent contribution in sensing a synthetic amino acid (aa) mixture mimicking the amounts and composition observed in seed exudate. Here, we used the hydrogel capillary assay to quantify chemotactic responses of S. meliloti to individual aa exuded by germinating alfalfa seeds and to define the role of McpU in this behavior. S. meliloti exhibited positive chemotaxis responses to all proteinogenic aa, except for aspartate, and to citrulline, cystine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and ornithine. Wild-type responses were diverse in intensity, while a strain lacking mcpU displayed strongly diminished responses. Differential scanning fluorimetry demonstrated interaction of the purified periplasmic region of McpU (McpU-PR) with the aa, except glutamate and aspartate. We additionally tested organic acids and ...
Genetic structure of brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) in the northern Gulf of Mexico in the context of human management and disturbance

Environmental disturbances, both natural and anthropogenic, have the capacity to substantially impact animal behavior and abundance, which can in turn influence patterns of genetic diversity and gene flow. However, little empirical information is available on the nature and degree of such changes due to the relative rarity of longitudinal genetic sampling of wild populations at appropriate intervals. Addressing this knowledge gap is therefore of interest to evolutionary biologists, policy makers, and managers. In the past half century, populations of the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) in the southeastern United States have been exposed to regional extirpations, translocations, colony losses, and oil spills, but potential impacts on genetic diversity and population structure remain unknown. To investigate the cumulative impacts of recent disturbances and management actions, we analyzed seven microsatellite loci using genetic samples collected from 540 nestlings across twelve pelican colonies from two time periods, corresponding to before (n = 305) and after (n = 235) the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Pre-2010 populations in Texas were significantly differentiated from Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida populations to the east, with reintroduced populations in southeastern Louisiana having less genetic diversity than sites in Texas, consistent with a recent bottleneck. In contrast, there was no evidence of a geographic component to genetic structure among colonies sampled after the spill, consistent with increased dispersal among sites following the event. This pattern may be associated with reduced philopatry in response to colony abandonment in the areas most heavily impacted by the Deepwater Horizon event, though other factors (e.g., rehabilitation and translocation of oiled birds or colony loss due to erosion and tropical storms) were likely also involved. Future monitoring is necessary to determine if bottlenecks and loss of genetic variation are associated with the oil spill over time, and is recommended for other systems in which disturbance effects may be inferred via repeated genetic sampling.
Constraining the stellar mass function from the deficiency of tidal disruption flares in the nuclei of massive galaxies

The rate of tidal disruption flares (TDFs) per mass of the disrupting black hole encodes information on the present-day mass function (PDMF) of stars in the clusters surrounding super massive black holes. We explore how the shape of the TDF rate with black hole mass can constrain the PDMF, with only weak dependence on black hole spin. We show that existing data can marginally constrain the minimum and maximum masses of stars in the cluster, and the high-mass end of the PDMF slope, as well as the overall TDF rate. With of order 100 TDFs expected to be identified with the Zwicky Transient Facility, the overall rate can be highly constrained, but still with only marginal constraints on the PDMF. However, if less than of order 10% of the TDFs expected to be found by LSST over a decade (of order 1000 TDFs) are identified, then precise and accurate estimates can be made for the minimum stellar mass (within a factor of two) and the average slope of the high-mass PDMF (to within ~10%) in nuclear star clusters. This technique could be adapted in the future to probe, in addition to the PDMF, the local black hole mass function and possibly the massive black hole binary population.
Phenotypic Correlations of X-Chromosome Loss

Publisher Summary The phenotype associated with X-chromosome monosomy in humans can be summarized by (1) overwhelming fetal lethality, possibly associated with severe lymphedema; (2) a high incidence of short stature and gonadal dysgenesis; and (3) diverse dysmorphic and dysfunctional features of variable expression. Early phenotype-karyotype correlations from a series of patients revealed that X-chromosome loss with mosaicism results in a reduced frequency of major manifestations in comparison with X monosomy. Molecular assessment for the presence of mosaicism in spontaneous abortions has suggested absolute, fetoprotective effect of mosaicism. Loss of the short arm, determined cytogenetically, has been associated with short stature, whereas loss of the long arm almost universally results in ovarian dysgenesis of variable degrees. The overlap in features of long and short arm deletions remains perplexing, and the genes responsible for Turner syndrome have been difficult to localize. Novel banding methods and DNA techniques, while adding details to phenotype mapping of the X, have reinforced the marked phenotypic diversity associated with similar translocation or deletion breakpoints.
The reality of getting old.

Life expectancy around the world has increased steadily for nearly 200 years. This Focus Issue of Nature Reviews Cardiology features five insightful Review articles that describe numerous facets of the latest research on cardiovascular ageing.
A Multisystemic Approach to the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect

Families experiencing physical abuse and/or neglect are at risk of continued difficulties that may involve long-term monitoring by Child Protective Services (CPS) and perhaps even removal of the child. Interventions needed to help the family remain intact safely and reduce both the clinical challenges they are experiencing and risk of further maltreatment will need to meet the multiple needs of all family members and involve a positive, collaborative working relationship with CPS. If services that are typically provided at outpatient clinics are used, the CPS case worker may be tasked with linking the family to many providers. When the family cannot make all the appointments, they are at further risk of removal of their child. In this article we present Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN), an ecologically based treatment for families experiencing physical abuse and/or neglect in which research-supported mental health services are delivered in the home by one clinical team to families who have serious clinical needs. To date, MST-CAN has been implemented with families experiencing the most serious levels of risk, but application is feasible for families with lower risk levels. Among high-risk families, MST-CAN has been shown effective for reducing out-of-home placement, abusive or neglectful parent behavior, and parent and child mental health difficulties and for increasing natural social supports. Two specialty population programs based on MST-CAN are also presented. These are MST – Building Stronger Families, a specialty program for parents who are experiencing abuse or neglect co-occurring with substance abuse, and MST for Intimate Partner Violence for families experiencing abuse or neglect and intimate partner violence. All models are based on the core Standard MST model. We trace the history of model development to dissemination.
Rac1 Activity Is Modulated by Huntingtin and Dysregulated in Models of Huntington's Disease.

Background Previous studies suggest that Huntingtin, the protein mutated in Huntington's disease (HD), is required for actin based changes in cell morphology, and undergoes stimulus induced targeting to plasma membranes where it interacts with phospholipids involved in cell signaling. The small GTPase Rac1 is a downstream target of growth factor stimulation and PI 3-kinase activity and is critical for actin dependent membrane remodeling. Objective To determine if Rac1 activity is impaired in HD or regulated by normal Huntingtin. Methods Analyses were performed in differentiated control and HD human stem cells and HD Q140/Q140 knock-in mice. Biochemical methods included SDS-PAGE, western blot, immunoprecipitation, affinity chromatography, and ELISA based Rac activity assays. Results Basal Rac1 activity increased following depletion of Huntingtin with Huntingtin specific siRNA in human primary fibroblasts and in human control neuron cultures. Human cells (fibroblasts, neural stem cells, and neurons) with the HD mutation failed to increase Rac1 activity in response to growth factors. Rac1 activity levels were elevated in striatum of 1.5-month-old HD Q140/Q140 mice and in primary embryonic cortical neurons from HD mice. Affinity chromatography analysis of striatal lysates showed that Huntingtin is in a complex with Rac1, p85α subunit of PI 3-kinase, and the actin bundling protein α-actinin and interacts preferentially with the GTP bound form of Rac1. The HD mutation reduced Huntingtin interaction with p85α. Conclusions These findings suggest that Huntingtin regulates Rac1 activity as part of a coordinated response to growth factor signaling and this function is impaired early in HD.
Economic Ideas Crossing Borders: The Transnational Turn in Soviet Economic History

This review examines four new works that explore how economic ideas crossed the borders of the Soviet Union. Historians are increasingly realizing that Soviet economists participated in substantial exchanges of ideas with experts from other countries, and that these exchanges shaped Soviet intellectual and political history. Via formal and informal exchanges, new ideas from other countries played a major role in Soviet thinking. Soviet economists used foreign ideas to legitimize and mobilize support for new policies that they were advocating. From planning to taxation, from enterprise reform to economic development, people in the Soviet Union—and not only economists—were regular participants in a broader economic conversation that included economic experts from the West, from other socialist countries, and from the Third World.
Understanding of pre-lithiation of poly(acrylic acid) binder: Striking the balances between the cycling performance and slurry stability for silicon-graphite composite electrodes in Li-ion batteries

Abstract Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) is widely used as a polymer binder for high capacity silicon (Si) anodes in Li-ion batteries. When used, the carboxyl ( CO2H) groups of PAA can be partially lithiated (known as pre-lithiation treatment), which is believed to facilitates lamination process, especially for production on a large scale. However, such treatment impacts numerous physico-chemical properties of the PAA binder that affect the cycling performance of the electrode. Here we seek to quantify the pre-lithiation treatment effect on Li-ion cells containing Si-graphite composite electrodes. The electrochemical cycling results indicated that such pre-lithiation treatment of PAA can undermine the cycling performance, as more capacity loss was observed when pre-lithitated PAA binders were used. On the other hand, the same pre-lithiation practice is indeed beneficial for the lamination process, as it increases the viscosity of aqueous slurries at low shear rates (slows down sedimentation) and prompts the shear thinning (so that the slurries can be more easily mixed). Thus, there is an uneasy balance between the electrochemical performance that suffers from the pre-lithiation of PAA and the quality of slurry processing which benefits from the same practice. An alternative approach to slurry treatment would be desired to achieve better cycling performance without undermining the stability of slurry suspensions.
Lead and Arsenic in Shed Deciduous Teeth of Children Living Near a Lead-Acid Battery Smelter

Lead (Pb) is a potent neurotoxicant with no safe level of exposure. Elevated levels of Pb and arsenic (As) are found in the air and soil near facilities that recycle lead-acid batteries in the Unit...