cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alcohol Use Is Associated With Intestinal Dysbiosis and Dysfunctional CD8+ T-Cell Phenotypes in Persons With Human Immunodeficiency Virus

BACKGROUND Inflammation persists among persons with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) despite effective antiretroviral therapy and may contribute to T-cell dysfunction. Alcohol use is prevalent among PWH and promotes intestinal leak, dysbiosis, and a proinflammatory milieu. Whether alcohol use is associated with T-cell late differentiation remains to be investigated. METHODS Data and samples from PWH (N = 359 of 365) enrolled in the New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV Study were used. Alcohol use was assessed by self-report (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; lifetime alcohol exposure; 30-day Alcohol Timeline Followback) and phosphatidylethanol (PEth) quantitation. In a subset of participants, fecal bacterial content was assessed by ribosomal 16S marker gene deep sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Intestinal leak was assessed by fecal-to-plasma α-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ratio. Peripheral T-cell populations were quantified by flow cytometry. RESULTS Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test scores were positively associated with activated-senescent, exhausted, and terminal effector memory CD45RA+CD8+ but not CD4+ T cells (cells/μL) after confounder adjustment (P < .050). Phosphatidylethanol was positively associated with A1AT (P < .050). The PEth and activated-senescent CD8+ were associated with bacterial β-diversity (P < .050) and positively associated with the relative abundance of coabundant Prevotellaceae members (q < .100). CONCLUSIONS Alcohol use among PWH is associated with CD8+ T-cell late differentiation, intestinal leak, and dysbiosis. Alcohol-associated dysbiosis is implicated in CD8+ T-cell senescence.
Mass timber building material in the U.S. construction industry: Determining the existing awareness level, construction-related challenges, and recommendations to increase its current acceptance level

Abstract Timber has been considered as a promising building material because of its structural rigidity, environmental sustainability, and renewability nature. In Europe and Australia, timber materials have been used for many different types of construction such as residential, commercial, education, and industrial. However, in the U.S., the familiarity of timber products is gaining momentum. The construction practitioners are still reluctant to consider mass timber as a mainstream building material. A limited number of case study projects make it difficult for industry personnel to evaluate the actual construction feasibility of mass timber. As a result, a significant knowledge gap has been created that hindering the progress of mass timber material in the U.S. construction industry. To help solve the problem, this study aims to identify the existing awareness level among the U.S. building constructors regarding mass timber building materials. It further determines some of the major construction-related difficulties of mass timber buildings and recommendations overcome those difficulties to increase the acceptance of this material. The study performed a semi-structured questionnaire survey to carry out statistical analysis regarding mass timber building material. Analysis of descriptive statistics suggested that the level of awareness and involvement by the U.S. construction practitioners in mass timber building is still significantly low as 55% of the participants indicated no experience on mass timber building construction projects. Qualitative data analysis suggested that lack of experience in timber construction, poor coordination among the project parties, design-related difficulties, and high cost of mass timber panels are the biggest construction-related barriers to adopt this product. To overcome the existing difficulties, the study proposed an increasing number of timber building projects and manufacturing plants, effective early collaboration among the project parties, developing skilled workers, and a nation-wide promotion by the owners and the architects. The outcomes of this study will be helpful for the industry practitioners and the owners to adopt mass timber as a mainstream building material. The study will further increase the acceptance of this material in the U.S. construction industry.
Approximate and Exact Merging of Knapsack Constraints with Cover Inequalities

This paper presents both approximate and exact merged knapsack cover inequalities, a class of cutting planes for knapsack and multiple knapsack integer programs. These inequalities combine the info...
Response inhibition deficits in women with the FMR1 premutation are associated with age and fall risk

One in 113-178 females worldwide carry a premutation allele on the FMR1 gene. The FMR1 premutation is linked to neurocognitive and neuromotor impairments, although the phenotype is not fully understood, particularly with respect to age effects. This study sought to define oculomotor response inhibition skills in women with the FMR1 premutation and their association with age and fall risk. We employed an antisaccade eye-tracking paradigm to index oculomotor inhibition skills in 35 women with the FMR1 premutation and 28 control women. The FMR1 premutation group exhibited longer antisaccade latency and reduced accuracy relative to controls, indicating deficient response inhibition skills. Longer response latency was associated with older age in the FMR1 premutation and was also predictive of fall risk. Findings highlight the utility of the antisaccade paradigm for detecting early signs of age-related executive decline in the FMR1 premutation, which is related to fall risk. Findings support the need for clinical prevention efforts to decrease and delay the trajectory of age-related executive decline in women with the FMR1 premutation during midlife.
Indirect Transactions at a Global Scale

This paper advances theory on arm’s length transactions by considering their causes and consequences in a novel context- global trade transactions. The study is made possible by merging comprehensive bilateral trade data from the United Nations (UNCOMTRADE) with a propriety dataset capturing bilateral payments provided by the Society of Worldwide Interbank Financial Transfers (SWIFT). The resulting dataset reveals that more than two-thirds of bilateral trade relationships are structured indirectly- African countries export their products to a trade partner, but that importing partner does not pay the exporter directly. My analysis reveals the attributes of country-level transaction relationships that use this indirect payment structure, what the performance implications are for indirect payments ties, and why countries that initially use indirect payments ties subsequently switch to direct payments (the triad closes) or vice versa. Results show that indirect payments are more likely when countries have higher gravity-based distances, dissimilar administrative institutions, weaker governance institutions, and trade in more substitutable goods. Indirect transactions, however, are associated with lower stability and lower growth in all these relationships with the exception of those with weaker governance institutions, where intermediaries are a benefit to the transacting parties. Overall, the evidence strongly suggests that direct, embedded transactions at a global level are associated with similar positive benefits that scholars have found at local, inter-firm levels. A concluding discussion highlights five important questions for future research to consider than cannot be answered by this study.
Multiple layers’ effects on OCD measurement

OCD (Optical Critical Dimension) is a sufficiently accurate and reliable metrology used in semiconductor industry. Understanding how to setup a proper library will not only help to give the measurements that is needed, it will also prevent unnecessary downtime to the wafer fab factory. In this paper, a multiple layer stack, Poly-ONO-Poly, was seen performing according to the usual baseline until there was a downward shift seen on an OCD parameter SWA (Side Wall Angle). We took some readings off the suspected processes, ETCH trim time and tool’s dependency and LITHO’s resist thickness correlation to try to understand more on their effects on SWA. However, there is little correlation seen from them to the effects on SWA. Simulations were then done to show the spectra’s relationship to the changes in the parameters: SWA, CD, HEIGHT. SWA was seen to have the least sensitivity to raw spectra versus CD and HEIGHT. This led to the suspicion that there was some changes in the spectra that caused the change in SWA, and thus leading us off the ETCH and LITHO into diffusion that could have changed the stack during ONO formation. It was thus found that ONO thickness has shifted. Once the thickness was tuned back to its original intent, SWA followed suit to recover to its measured units. This shows us that there’s a need to fully understand the library/spectra involved when using OCD.
Prescription of Direct Oral Anticoagulants following Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (1974)

Objective: To compare patients discharged on warfarin versus direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). Background: CVST is a rare etiology of stroke with limited large-scale evidence to guide management decisions. Warfarin remains the mainstay of therapy given paucity of data for DOACs. Design/Methods: We retrospectively identified CVST patients in a prospectively collected stroke registry between January 2012–June 2019 at our center. Patient demographics, clinical, radiographic and prescription data was collected. Patients without post-hospitalization follow up were excluded. Chi Square and Fischer exact tests were used to compare baseline characteristics, risk factors and outcomes across the two treatment groups with an alpha of 0.05. Results: Forty-one cases of CVST were identified. Baseline demographics, presenting symptoms, and CVST etiology did not differ between the two groups. Thirteen (32.5%) cases were discharged on DOACs. Apixaban was the most commonly used DOAC (n=9), followed by rivaroxaban (n=3) and dabigatran (n=1). Patients with an unfavorable discharge mRS (3–6) were more likely to be discharged on a DOAC than warfarin (61 vs. 25%, p=0.04). On follow up within a year, 77% of the DOAC group and 75% of cases treated with warfarin had a favorable mRS (0–2). Clot resolution was achieved in 35% of patients on warfarin and 38% of patients on DOACs (p=0.7). No CVST recurrence was reported with DOAC use. There was 1 case of recurrent CVST, one DVT/PTE and one ischemic stroke on warfarin. Additional radiographic and clinical outcome comparisons to be presented. Conclusions: In our sample, we found increasing use of DOACs for post-hospitalization anticoagulation in CVST. Interestingly, although DOAC patients had higher discharge mRS, long term mRS did not differ, nor did rates of clot resolution or subsequent thrombotic events. Given the relative ease of DOAC use over warfarin, ongoing research is needed to establish safety and efficacy in larger samples. Disclosure: Dr. Humayun has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schmitt has nothing to disclose. Dr. Humayun has nothing to disclose. Dr. Somani has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gropen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bakradze has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lyerly has nothing to disclose.
THE HUSBANDS OF MARGARET FELL: AN ESSAY ON RELIGIOUS METAPHOR AND SOCIAL CHANGE

(1987). THE HUSBANDS OF MARGARET FELL: AN ESSAY ON RELIGIOUS METAPHOR AND SOCIAL CHANGE. The Seventeenth Century: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 55-71.
Affinity analysis: methodologies and statistical inference

Affinity analysis (AA) is a group of methods for the study of the variation of degrees of compositional relatedness among all of the communities in a landscape. AA cab be used with statistical inference to compare mosaic diversities (89-1) among different landscapes, identify unusual sites within a landscape, and determine when a pair of sites are significantly different from each other. These procedures were done with a set of samples from meadows in the Danube River Valley near Ulm by using random simulations to provide expectations of the summary statistics. The sampling and statistical limitations of AA were discussed.
Panalyst: privacy-aware remote error analysis on commodity software

Remote error analysis aims at timely detection and remedy of software vulnerabilities through analyzing run-time errors that occur on the client. This objective can only be achieved by offering users effective protection of their private information and minimizing the performance impact of the analysis on their systems without undermining the amount of information the server can access for understanding errors. To this end, we propose in the paper a new technique for privacy-aware remote analysis, called Panalyst. Panalyst includes a client component and a server component. Once a runtime exception happens to an application, Panalyst client sends the server an initial error report that includes only public information regarding the error, such as the length of the packet that triggers the exception. Using an input built from the report, Panalyst server performs a taint analysis and symbolic execution on the application, and adjusts the input by querying the client about the information upon which the execution of the application depends. The client agrees to answer only when the reply does not give away too much user information. In this way, an input that reproduces the error can be gradually built on the server under the client's consent. Our experimental study of this technique demonstrates that it exposes a very small amount of user information, introduces negligible overheads to the client and enables the server to effectively analyze an error.
On the mechanism of ray closure in comet tails.

The folding phenomenon of the comet tail rays is explained by means of an electric drift due to convectional electric fields. This mechanism results in an angular rate of closure which reduces to that obtained by Ness and Donn (1966) if the velocity profile across the tail is linear and the plasma conductivity is ideal. Observations of both the ray closure and the disconnection events point to the phenomenon of anomalous resistivity. Magnetic field of about 30–40γ in the coma and of 10γ in the distant tail (at 1 AU) is estimated from the MHD momentum equation.
Cr 5 + in K H 2 As O 4 : A Halperin-Varma-Type Center

The electronic wave function of ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{5+}$ ($3{d}^{1}$) in K${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$As${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ and K${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$P${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ is identified as ${d}_{{x}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{y}^{2}}$. Its symmetry property in the hydrogen-bonded tetrahedron allows a rotational motion of ${d}_{{x}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{y}^{2}}\ensuremath{\perp}c$ which breaks the symmetry in the Halperin-Varma sense. We show that its local coupled relaxation time is one order of magnitude longer than the slow ferroelectric cluster dynamics which can be identified with the same center independently and that the motion perpendicular to the $c$ axis must be the cause.
Adolescence and Stress

The stress that adolescents experience is different from that experienced by adults because they spend their lives in different social spheres than adolescents do. Research on adolescent stress and risk tends to follow an ecological model, which emphasizes the importance of social contexts for shaping youths’ well-being. Three commonly discussed contexts are family, peers, and school. Stress manifests within each of these domains, but the domains are also interconnected. Stress may spill over from one context to another, and the social support youth receive in one sphere may help them cope with stress from other spheres. Keywords: adolescence; children; family; stress
How Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Programs Prepare Students for the Workforce and for Life.

Although science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and vocational training programs are presented as today's community college students' gateway to entry-level positions in the workforce, liberal arts instruction plays a critical role in their training, by providing these students the skills that many employers require and that make them competitive workers, ready to live full lives. These are the requisite skills, and this chapter describes some of the ways certain liberal arts programs help community college students develop and refine them.
Action of Deflocculating Agents on Saccharomyces cerevisiae Class III Brewer's Yeast

Abstract Earlier work with a fluorescent aid indicated that flocculent brewer's yeast may have more surface lipids than nonflocculent types. Organic solvents were checked against flocculent Gilliland yeasts. It was found that those reagents which affect “free” lipids had no dispersive action, and those which remove “bound” fats had a powerful dispersive action against such yeasts. There was no indication that such an action could be correlated with other physical properties of the solvents. The uranyl ion is known for its ability to complex with phospholipids, and it was found to have a powerful dispersive action on Gilliland yeasts. Its effect was compared with that of glucose in its dispersion of yeast flocs, and possible cell “sites” were suggested. This, along with other work, suggests the possibility that lipids are directly or indirectly involved in yeast flocculation.
Development and oral bioavailability assessment of a supersaturated self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) of albendazole.

Objectives Albendazole's (ABZ) poor aqueous solubility is a major determinant of its variable therapeutic response (20–50%). The purpose of this study was to develop and optimize the composition of a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) of ABZ and assess its oral pharmacokinetics in rabbits. Methods A D-optimal mixture design of experiments was used to select the levels of constraints of the formulation variables. The predicted composition was optimized using four responses: dispersion performance, droplet sizes, dissolution efficiency (DE) and time for 85% drug release (t85%). Key findings The optimal composition of the ABZ-SMEDDS formulation, with approximately 5 mg/g drug loading of ABZ, was predicted to be Cremophor EL (30% w/w), Tween 80 (15% w/w), Capmul PG-8 (10% w/w) and acidified PEG 400 (45% w/w). An increase of 63% in the relative bioavailability compared with the commercial suspension was obtained with ABZ-SMEDDS as measured by albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO) plasma levels. The area under the curve (AUC024h) and the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of ABZ-SMEDDS was higher than those obtained with the commercial suspension by 56% and 52%, respectively. Conclusions This study demonstrates a strategy for the development of a supersaturated SMEDDS formulation of a drug with low aqueous solubility.
Dinitrophenol-Stimulated Adenosine Triphosphatase Activity in Extracts of Desulfovibrio gigas

A dinitrophenol (DNP)-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) has been found in both the soluble and particulate fractions of the anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfovibrio gigas. As the soluble ATPase was labile to storage, only the particulate enzyme was studied in detail. It was optimally stimulated by DNP at 4 mm, and activity was insensitive to inhibition by ouabain. The ATPase was stimulated by both Ca2+ and Mg2+, but the magnitude of the stimulation was dependent upon pH. In the presence of Ca2+ the optimum pH was 6.5, whereas, in the presence of Mg2+ the pH optimum was 8.0. However, under optimal conditions the activity was the same with either Mg2+ or Ca2+. Both adenosine triphosphate and guanosine triphosphate were hydrolyzed, but activity toward guanosine triphosphate was only one-tenth that observed with adenosine triphosphate.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of glipizide after once-daily and divided doses.

Study Objective. To determine the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of glipizide given as a single, oral, 20-mg dose, versus three different divided-dose regimens totaling 20 mg each. Design. Randomized (in order of dosing regimens), open-label, crossover study. Setting. University medical center clinical research center. Patients. Six subjects with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Interventions. Patients were studied on four separate occasions separated by at least 3 days. The divided-dose regimens were designed to simulate delayed absorption of the drug over 2, 4, and 8 hours. Blood samples for measuring glipizide, glucose, and C-peptide were obtained over 24 hours. Measurements and Main Results. Glipizide peak concentrations and time to peak differed significantly with the dosage schedule; when smaller doses were administered more often, peak concentrations were lower and more delayed. The mean values for area under the curve from time zero to infinity (range 7240.7–10,001.8 μg·L-1·hr−1; 16,226-22,414 nmol·L−1·hr−1), clearance (0.44-0.64 ml·min−1·kg−1; 0.07-0.11 ml·sec−1·kg−1), post-distribution phase volume (0.17-0.25 L·kg−1), and half-life (4.2–5.4 hrs) were not significantly different among regimens. Neither morning fasting glucose nor maximum and minimum times and concentrations of glucose and C-peptide over 24 hours were statistically different among regimens. Similarly, no significant differences were found in area under the concentration-time curve for glucose and C-peptide measured over 2.5 hours after each meal and from time zero to 24 hours. Conclusions. The timing of a glipizide dose in relation to a meal and simulated delayed or prolonged absorption appear to have little influence on the drug's pharmacodynamic effects.
Ventricular mechanics in patients with aortic valve disease: longitudinal, radial, and circumferential components.

Background Reduced long-axis shortening despite enhanced global function has been reported in aortic stenosis. We sought to improve the understanding of this phenomenon using multi-dimensional strain analysis in conjunction with the evaluation of left ventricular rotation and twist - ventricular torsion - using tissue Doppler techniques. Methods A total of 57 patients with variable severity of aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, or mixed aortic valve disease, subdivided into six groups, were studied. Ventricular morphology was assessed using long-axis/short-axis and mass/volume ratios, afterload using end-systolic meridional wall stress, and global performance using ejection fraction. The circumferential and longitudinal strain was measured from two-dimensional images, and left ventricular rotation and twist were estimated as the difference in rotation between the base and apex of the ventricle. Results Aortic stenosis was associated with higher mass/volume, ejection fraction, circumferential strain and left ventricular rotation and twist, significantly lower end-systolic wall stress, and a trend towards lower longitudinal strain compared with normal. Myocardial mechanics in aortic regurgitation were normal despite ventricular dilation. Mixed aortic valve disease showed findings similar to aortic stenosis. Left ventricular rotation and twist correlated with midwall circumferential strain (r = 0.62 and p 0.05). Conclusions Myocardial mechanics are normal in patients with aortic regurgitation, independent of abnormalities in cardiac geometry. Conversely, in aortic stenosis and mixed aortic valve disease, significant alterations in the patterns of fibre shortening are found. The effects of stenosis on cardiac function seem to dominate the effect of ventricular remodelling.
Gangrene of bladder

Abstract Gangrene of the bladder is rare and has a high mortality rate. The thirteenth case of bladder gangrene to be reported in the past four decades is presented.
Absorption lines in quasi-stellar objects with Zabs > Zem.

OF the approximately twenty-five quasi-stellar objects which are known to have absorption lines1,2, six have absorption lines with larger redshifts than the corresponding emission lines. In each case, 0.01≲Zabs–Zem Zem are then interpreted as resulting from clouds which have a peculiar inward velocity that exceeds the mean outward motion of the system of clouds. In spite of the extremely large velocity dispersion required among the clouds to bring about this situation, it is conceivable that it might occasionally occur. But the relatively common occurrence of lines for which zabs>Zem suggests that the assumption that the usual state of a QSO is one in which matter is flowing outward may not be entirely valid.
A multivariate probabilistic method for comparing two clinical datasets

We present a novel method for obtaining a concise and mathematically grounded description of multivariate differences between a pair of clinical datasets. Often data collected under similar circumstances reflect fundamentally different patterns. For example, information about patients undergoing similar treatments in different intensive care units (ICUs), or within the same ICU during different periods, may show systematically different outcomes. In such circumstances, the multivariate probability distributions induced by the datasets would differ in selected ways. To capture the probabilistic relationships, we learn a Bayesian network (BN) from the union of the two datasets. We include an indicator variable that represents the dataset from which a given patient record is obtained. We then extract the relevant conditional distributions from the network by finding the conditional probabilities that differ most when conditioning on the indicator variable. Our work is a form of explanation that bears some similarity to previous work on BN explanation; however, while previous work has mostly focused on justifying inference, our work is aimed at explaining multivariate differences between distributions.
Coordinated Collaboration between Heterogeneous Distributed Energy Resources

A power distribution feeder, where a heterogeneous set of distributed energy resources is deployed, is examined by simulation. The energy resources include PV, battery storage, natural gas GenSet, fuel cells, and active thermal storage for commercial buildings. The resource scenario considered is one that may exist in a not too distant future. Two cases of interaction between different resources are examined. One interaction involves a GenSet used to partially offset the duty cycle of a smoothing battery connected to a large PV system. The other example involves the coordination of twenty thermal storage devices, each associated with a commercial building. Storage devices are intended to provide maximum benefit to the building, but it is shown that this can have a deleterious effect on the overall system, unless the action of the individual storage devices is coordinated. A network based approach is also introduced to calculate some type of effectiveness metric to all available resources which take part in coordinated operation. The main finding is that it is possible to achieve synergy between DERs on a system; however this required a unified strategy to coordinate the action of all devices in a decentralized way.
Enhancement of monocyte-mediated tumoricidal activity by multiple interferon-α species

Abstract Twenty-one interferon (IFN)-α species were evaluated for their ability to enhance monocyte-mediated lysis of the human melanoma cell line, A375. A wide variation in the potency of the different species in inducing monocyte tumoricidal action was observed. In addition, many IFN-α species were found to induce as much or more tumoricidal activity than recombinant IFN-γ. The degree of monocyte activation induced by the various species generally correlated with their antiviral activity. Those which were better at inducing monocyte tumoricidal action also gave the highest antiviral specific activities. Studies were conducted to determine if the relative potency of the IFN-α species could be changed by altering certain parameters of the cytotoxicity assay. All IFN-α species tested required only 30 min in culture with the monocytes to induce activation. There were no changes in the relative potency of the species when cytotoxicity was measured at different times, nor when the effector:target ratio was altered. Competitive binding studies revealed that those IFN-α species which induced little activity in the bioassays were also generally poor in their ability to bind the IFN-α receptor on human monocytes, while the IFN-α species which induced relatively more activity in the bioassays were better able to bind to the IFN-α receptor. These data indicate that there are dramatic differences in activities among the IFN-α species which may, in part, be explained by different binding affinities. In addition, the differences observed among the IFN-α species demonstrate the need for further functional and structural characterization of the individual IFN-α species which could lead to a more effective clinical application of IFN-α.
Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Prostate Cancer Screening in the United States

Purpose: Obesity is associated with more advanced disease and worse outcomes in men with prostate cancer. To our knowledge the relationship between obesity and prostate cancer screening behavior in men 40 or older is unknown. Thus, we examined associations between body mass index and prostate cancer screening behavior.Materials and Methods: We used the 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to study prostate cancer screening in a representative sample of 57,827 men 40 years or older. Primary outcomes were the proportion of men ever screened and the proportion screened in the last year for prostate cancer.Results: Obese men were more likely than normal weight men to have had a prostate specific antigen test (62.1% vs 56.1%, p <0.001) and to have had a prostate specific antigen test in the last year (44.2% vs 38.2%, p <0.001). After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics obese men remained more likely than normal weight men to have had a prostate specific antigen test (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.3...
Free breathing myocardial perfusion MRI with SW-CG-HYPR using motion correction

Introduction The diagnostic value of first-pass perfusion MRI is limited by the low spatial coverage, resolution, SNR, and motion artifacts. Sliding-Window Conjugate-Gradient HYPR [1] (SW-CG-HYPR) has been proposed to acquire perfusion images with increased spatial coverage, better spatial resolution, and improved SNR [2]. However, this method is sensitive to the respiratory motion and thus limited to the breath hold. Motion correction may be useful to reduce motion artifacts and allow for free-breathing first-pass perfusion.
Rigorous entropy-energy arguments

We present a method for making rigorous various arguments which predict that certain situations are unstable because of a balance of energy vs. entropy. As applications, we give yet another proof that the two-dimensional plane rotor has no spontaneous magnetization and we make rigorous Thouless' arguments on the one-dimensional Ising model with couplingJ/n2.
Information security in networked supply chains: impact of network vulnerability and supply chain integration on incentives to invest

Recent supply chain reengineering efforts have focused on integrating firms' production, inventory and replenishment activities with the help of communication networks. While communication networks and supply chain integration facilitate optimization of traditional supply chain functions, they also exacerbate the information security risk: communication networks propagate security breaches from one firm to another, and supply chain integration causes breach on one firm to affect other firms in the supply chain. We study the impact of network security vulnerability and supply chain integration on firms' incentives to invest in information security. We find that even though an increase in either the degree of network vulnerability or the degree of supply chain integration increases the security risk, they have different impacts on firms' incentives to invest in security. If the degree of supply chain integration is low, then an increase in network vulnerability induces firms to reduce, rather than increase, their security investments. A sufficiently high degree of supply chain integration alters the impact of network vulnerability into one in which firms have an incentive to increase their investments when the network vulnerability is higher. Though an increase in the degree of supply integration enhances firms' incentives to invest in security, private provisioning for security always results in a less than socially optimal security level. A liability mechanism that makes the responsible party partially compensate for the other party's loss induces each firm to invest at the socially optimal level. If firms choose the degree of integration, in addition to security investment, then firms may choose a higher degree of integration when they decide individually than when they decide jointly, suggesting an even greater security risk to the supply chain.
Effect of cocaine, nomifensine, GBR 12909 and WIN 35428 on carbon fiber microelectrode sensitivity for voltammetric recording of dopamine.

Abstract Electrochemical measurements using voltammetry or amperometry at carbon-fiber microelectrodes have been used in vitro and in vivo to examine regulatory mechanisms for the central dopamine system. In many of these experiments, dopamine efflux concentrations under control conditions are determined followed by their alterations in response to a drug treatment. The present study demonstrates that some drugs can affect dopamine measurements, not only by their expected pharmacological action but also by directly altering the microelectrode responsivity. The commonly used reuptake inhibitors GBR 12909 (10 μM) and nomifensine (5 μM) drastically reduce electrode sensitivity and, in the case of nomifensine, increase the time to reach a plateau in response to dopamine boluses (i.e. reduced ‘frequency response’). Cocaine (10 μM) and WIN 35428 (2 μM) have negligible effect on these indices. This decrease in sensitivity was found in both nafion and non-nafion coated electrodes. Further, the reduction in sensitivity seen in non-nafion coated electrodes was not prevented by increasing the reversal potential (from +1.0 to +1.3 V) and voltage scan rate (from 350 to 450 V/s). These data suggest that care must be taken when interpreting data from voltammetric or amporometric experiments using carbon electrodes where GBR 12909 or nomifensine are used, especially at high concentrations. Furthermore, wherever possible, direct effects of a drug on electrode sensitivity and frequency response should be determined.
J Waves of Osborn Revisited

![Figure][1] In 1953, Joseph Osborn examined the physiologic effects of hypothermia and defined typical associated changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG), now known as J waves of Osborn. There is a subtlety, however: Osborn's J waves were absent in hypothermic animals whose pH was maintained
An Examination of Assistant Professors' Project Management Practices.

Purpose– The purpose of this research was to identify factors that influence the use of project management in higher education research projects by investigating the project management practices of assistant professors. Design/methodology/approach – Using a grounded theory approach that included in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with 22 assistant professors across 13 US states, this study uncovered how participants used project management processes and tools and factors that enabled, motivated, and/or inhibited the use of project management in research projects. Findings – From the nearly 200 codes that were documented, 11 major categories emerged that led to the development of a grounded theory appropriate for participants of this study. Research limitations/implications – The primary limitation of this study was the sampling strategy (purposive and convenience sampling), which may limit broad generalizability. To ensure that the sampling strategy enabled a grounded theory to emerge from the data, theoretical sampling was used. Additional research is needed to describe the experiences of professors in other disciplines as well as others who are directly involved in research projects. Originality/value – While a single study of this topic cannot provide a universal basis for explaining how project management is used in higher education, this study suggests that there are several ways that professors and universities can increase the likelihood of research project success. Training in project management, broader and deeper research support services, and systematic processes to engage assistant professors in research support services are three recommendations for improving how professors manage their research projects.
Individualizing HCV treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin: what needs to be done?:

While we continue to wait for small molecule hepatitis C virus (HCV) lifecycle inhibitors to truly increase sustained viral response (SVR) rates and enlarge the pool of potential treatment candidates, we are obliged to investigate other means to improve outcomes with the therapies currently at hand. Improved outcomes may take many forms, as follows: improved SVR rates with higher doses of interferon or ribavirin; shortened treatment duration with similar SVR rates; earlier stopping rules to lessen the burden of therapy in those unlikely to respond; lengthening treatment duration to decrease relapse rates in those with a slow response to treatment; unique approaches for those who are difficult-to-treat, such as those with cirrhosis and obesity/insulin resistance. Each of these goals is potentially achievable and impacts the way we approach patients with chronic hepatitis C infection. What is the evidence supporting these modes of treatment? The key to unlocking the evidence for individualized therapy came not from identifying better pre-treatment predictors, but rather from an improved understanding of how HCV responds during the first few weeks of treatment, and then studying the downstream effects on treatment outcome. Clearly, genotype and viral load affect initial responses, but it is the early viral kinetics that ultimately drives subsequent response rates. Fried and colleagues recently confirmed this in a retrospective analysis of a large multinational HCV database [Fried et al. 2008a]. Shiffman et al. [2008] showed that time to HCV RNA unde-tectability was more important than baseline factors in predicting SVR in genotype-1 patients. Regardless of genotype or viral load, the ability to achieve rapid virologic response (RVR, undetectable HCV RNA at week 4) was the most important predictor of subsequent SVR [Fried et al. 2008a]. Across all genotypes, RVR was associated with a high SVR rate [Fried et al. 2008a]. It has been the ability to utilize this information to develop improved strategies for HCV treatment that has led to the concept of individualized therapy, or ‘response-directed therapy’.
The role of metabolism in the antioxidant function of vitamin E.

Vitamin E (α-tocopherol), the principal chain-breaking antioxidant in biological membranes, prevents toxicant- and carcinogen-induced oxidative damage by trapping reactive oxyradicals. Although α-t...
Utility of Routine Admission Serum Chemistry Panels in Adult Trauma Patients

Objectives: To determine the frequency of abnormal serum chemistries and whether they provide clinically useful information regarding trauma patients. To identify clinical criteria associated with critical serum chemistry values (CSCVs). Methods: The records of all trauma patients admitted to one urban, Level I Trauma Center were retrospectively reviewed for the period (July 1-December 31, 1989). All trauma patients who had had serum chemistry determinations at hospital admission and at least once more prior to discharge were studied. The CSCVs were determined by a panel of experts prior to record review. Serum chemistry values, patient demographics, mechanisms of injury, and outcomes were statistically analyzed. Results: Most (814/913; 89%) trauma patients had abnormal serum chemistry values. However, only 54/913 (6%) had CSCVs and only six of these CSCVs had prompted a change in resuscitation or treatment (therapeutic K+ infusions). Age > 50 years, a history of hypertension therapy, and a Glasgow Coma Scale score ± 10 were associated with CSCVs; and CSCVs were correlated with increased mortality and critical care unit admission. Conclusion: Routine-admission serum chemistry values, while frequently abnormal for major trauma patients, generally do not provide clinically useful information in the resuscitation and treatment of trauma patients. Hypoglycemia and metabolic acidosis were more rapidly determined using bedside glucose determination and arterial blood gas evaluation. The routine-admission serum chemistry panel described in the study lacked utility for most trauma patients. Selective chemistry panel ordering should be used at the time of hospital admission for major trauma patients.
Inadequacies Not Just Obstacles

(1988). Inadequacies Not Just Obstacles. Counselling Psychology Quarterly: Vol. 1, No. 2-3, pp. 291-294.
Hypermutation in Shark Immunoglobulin Light Chain Genes Results in Contiguous Substitutions

Among 631 substitutions present in 90 nurse shark immunoglobulin light chain somatic mutants, 338 constitute 2-4 bp stretches of adjacent changes. An absence of mutations in perinatal sequences and the bias for one mutating V gene in adults suggest that the diversification is antigen dependent. The substitutions shared no patterns, and the absence of donor sequences, including from family members, supports the idea that most changes arose from nontemplated mutation. The tandem mutations as a group are distinguished by consistently fewer transition changes and an A bias. We suggest this is one of several pathways of hypermutation diversifying shark antigen-receptor genes--point mutations, tandem mutations, and mutations with a G-C preference--that coevolved with or preceded gene rearrangement.
Nonlocal-exchange effects in elastic photon scattering from low-Z elements

Abstract We investigate the importance of using nonlocal versus local exchange in describing the elastic scattering of photons from low-Z elements in the range 2≤Z≤18. Correction factors are given that can be used to account for nonlocal exchange effects starting from a cross section evaluated using local exchange, as, for example, in local independent-particle-approximation S-matrix calculations. The correction factors are derived using the form-factor approximation, and are therefore only applicable in the above-threshold regime where the beyond-form-factor-approximation anomalous scattering amplitudes are comparatively small. However, it is seen that even well above threshold, the nonlocal correction can be as large as ≈10% or more for low-Z elements, as has recently been demonstrated experimentally for the case of neon.
The pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) properties of a lipid mixture from a marine copepod, Calanus plumchrus: Implications for buoyancy and sound scattering

The density of a lipid mixture composed of nearly 85% wax esters and isolated from the copepod Calanus plumchrus was determined at 5.13, 14.49, and 23.65°C and at pressures up to 783 bars. At atmospheric pressure, the density was determined at temperatures between 1.64 and 15.54°C. The experimental isotherms and isobars were fitted to several equations of state and these were used to calculate coefficients of thermal expansion and compressibility. The wax ester mixture visibly melted as a function of temperature at atmospheric pressure. The high pressure isotherms show a volume discontinuity as a function of pressure that suggests a first-order liquid-solid phase transition. The coefficient of thermal expansion at atmospheric pressure is quite large (up to ten times that of water) and is apparently due in part to the phase change and its concomitant volume change. The coefficient of compressibility at atmospheric pressure is larger for the more solid form of the wax ester mixture than for the more liquid form. The contribution of wax esters to the buoyant properties of organisms is discussed. The buoyant force on the wax ester in seawater changes more as a function of temperature than as a function of pressure. The data also have implications to understanding sound scattering by wax ester-containing organisms. At depths defined by the pressure-temperature curve for the phase change, the wax ester mixture is on the verge of either melting or freezing. This results in a large coefficient of compressibility and may result in distinctive sound scattering by organisms containing wax esters and swimming at such depths. Furthermore, sound scattering should be different in organisms with solid wax ester mixtures than in those with liquid mixtures.
Influence of Coating Type on Retention of Dummy Transmitters Implanted in Rainbow Trout

Abstract The retention of surgically implanted dummy transmitters in tests with rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was influenced by outside coatings. Transmitters with a beeswax coating were rarely expelled (3%), whereas those with paraffin coatings were more often expelled (13%), and those with silicone coatings were commonly expelled (40%). Gross tissue response to the different types of transmitter coatings varied, but beeswax-coated transmitters usually were encapsulated, whereas others often were free in the body cavity. We were unable to detect a relationship between dummy transmitter size and expulsion rate.
Histopathological evaluation of laser thermocoagulation in the human prostate: Optimization of laser irradiation for benign prostatic hyperplasia

Abstract We have previously shown in a canine prostate model that a noncontact low power neodymium: YAG laser regimen of 15 watts for 180 seconds yields a larger volume of coagulation necrosis than the currently recommended high power regimen of 50 watts for 60 seconds. These 2 regimens have not yet been compared in humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate histopathologically the thermocoagulation effect of these 2 laser regimens in the human prostate and the effect of the spatial distribution of the laser lesions on the extent of coagulation necrosis. The study was conducted in 10 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy or cystoprostatectomy. The laser treatment was given transurethrally 1 hour before removal of the specimen. There were no fractures of the prostate. The coagulation necrosis did not reach the peripheral zone and it was minimal in areas rich in fibromuscular tissue, such as the bladder neck. At times, nodular benign prostatic hyperplasia was unaffected. A 4-quadrant treatment in the same plane often yielded small nonconfluent lesions. Confluent lesions in the same plane yielded approximately 30 percent greater depth of coagulation necrosis, which was achieved when 3 or 4 lesions were created on each side of the prostate (per single transverse plane). Likewise, coagulation necrosis observed with 15 watts for 180 seconds was approximately 40 percent greater than that noted with the 50 watts for 60 seconds regimen. Our findings suggest that noncontact laser prostatectomy is a safe procedure that can be improved by modifying the laser regimen and the spatial distribution of lesions.
Usefulness of predischarge defibrillation testing after defibrillator implantation in hospitalized patients.

1 (0.3%) Sarcoid 1 (0.3%) Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia 1 (0.3%) Amyloid 1 (0.3%) Left ventricular ejection fraction 36 16% (10-80) *These patients had syncope and subsequent inducible ventricular tachycar- dia or a family history of sudden cardiac death.
Left atrial involvement in acute pulmonary edema

Abstract The incidence of the ECG finding of left atrial involvement was evaluated during the acute episode and on days 4 and 7 in 50 patients admitted with acute pulmonary edema. During the acute episode of pulmonary edema 38 (76 per cent) of the patients had left atrial involvement on the initial ECG. On day 4 only 16 (38.1 per cent) of 42 patients who were available for follow-up ECG's still had left atrial involvement (p