cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of an Infected Silicone Right Atrial Catheter with Combined Fibrinolytic and Antibiotic Therapy: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Tunnelled silicone rubber right atrial catheters are commonly used to administer long-term total parenteral nutrition (TPN), cancer chemotherapeutic agents, and antimicrobial agents. The indwelling devices potentiate platelet-fibrin thrombi formation, providing a nidus for infection. Although many episodes of sepsis associated with thrombotic tunnelled catheters respond to antimicrobial therapy alone, a significant number require catheter removal. Evidence from case studies and small clinical trials suggests that fibrinolytic agents may increase the response rate and prevent removal of the device when combined with antimicrobial therapy. We present the first case reported of bacterial sepsis secondary to a thrombotic indwelling Hickman catheter for long-term TPN successfully treated with a combination of streptokinase and antibiotic therapies.
How Do I Score Thee? Let Me Count the Ways. Or Some Different Methods of Categorizing Rorschach Responses

The controversy over the merit of Exner's (1986) Comprehensive System (CS) has unfortunately led to a confusion of the CS with all methods of scoring responses to inkblots. Six other widely used Rorschach scoring methods and representative examples of the research they have generated are described. Objective tests of personality ask participants to acknowledge explicit motives, whereas projective tests sample implicit needs participants may not recognize. Projective methods provide unique means of studying personality dynamics. The CS, whatever its merits and limitations, is but 1 of a number of systems of categorizing Rorschach responses.
Hydrothermal degradation study of phenolic polymer coatings by advanced analytical methods

Resolve-type phenolic polymer coatings were deposited on carbon steel panels, and then were exposed for 15 days to a simulated geothermal brine with pH 1.6 at 150°, 175°, and 200°C. The phenolic polymers were hydrothermally oxidized. To comprehensively understand the mechanisms of this oxidative degradation of the coatings, the modern analytical techniques of XPS, contact angle, TGA, SEM-EDX, and EIS were used in combination. The oxidative degradation of polymer took place in the three-step oxidation routes: first, the bridging methylene linkages in the network polymer structure were replaced by the benzlhydrol-type linkages; second, the benzlhydrol-type linkages were transformed into the benzophenone-type linkages; and finally, the C-C-C linkage in the benzophenone derivative ruptured to form salicylic acid derivatives as the ultimate degradation products. Hydrothermal temperatures of >175°C promoted the degree of such oxidative degradation, causing the coating surface to become susceptible to moisture, to absorb more brine, and also to allow corrosive electrolytes to permeate easily. Consequently, iron oxides as the corrosion products from the underlying steel were yielded at a critical interfacial zone between the coating and steel. The excessive growth of iron oxides led to the generation of internal stress-induced cracks in the coating film, thereby resulting in the failure of these corrosion-preventing barriers.
Analyzing the performance of distributed algorithms

A large class of problems in multiagent systems can be solved by distributed constraint optimization (DCOP). Several algorithms have been created to solve these problems, however, no extensive evaluation of current DCOP algorithms on live networks exists in the literature. This paper uses DCOPolis---a framework for comparing and deploying DCOP software in heterogeneous environments---to contribute an analysis of two state-of-the-art DCOP algorithms solving a number of different problem types. Then, we use this empirical validation to evaluate the use of both cycle-based runtime and concurrent constraint checks.
Intertemporal pricing with boundedly rational consumers

Flexible pricing plans are commonly observed in service industries. In this article, we argue that the presence of flexible pricing plans can be attributed to consumers being boundedly rational – these consumers do not always select the best available option; rather, they select better options more often. In our model, the seller faces consumers who are heterogeneous in their degrees of intertemporal inconsistency – their ultimate actions can be different from their intended actions. We show that, in response to these boundedly rational consumers the seller may be able to extract more profit by setting different prices in different periods and allowing the consumers to self-select which period to pay. Moreover, a single pricing plan may emerge as an optimal pricing scheme even when the consumers are heterogeneous in their degrees of rationality and the seller is not fully aware of the consumers’ types. We further show that the pricing patterns depend primarily on the relative discounting factor between the seller and the consumers.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE LOW-TEMPERATURE IRRADIATION OF MILK.

Abstract Irradiation of milk in the fluid state to a dose of 4.5 megarad promoted extreme browning and caramelization. When the milk was irradiated in the frozen state at −80 and −185 C an extremely bitter flavor resulted. All of the irradiated milks were regarded as unacceptable by the flavor panelists. The fractionation of irradiated milk containing the bitter flavor suggests that the bitter component was a protein or a non-dialyzable protein fragment.
Ultrasound-guided diffuse optical tomography of shallow target with reflection boundary

In this paper, we propose a partially reflecting boundary method for diffusive optical imaging of shallow targets in turbid media. An appropriate range of the effective reflection coefficient R eff has been suggested between 0.0 and 0.7, in which the extrapolated boundary condition can be used to simplify the forward model. For a shallow target of approximately 0.5 cm deep from the surface, experimental data acquired with a reflecting boundary of R eff ≈ 0.6 lead to significant improvement in the image quality compared with that from an absorbing boundary of R eff ≈ 0.
Pulsed electron-nuclear-electron triple resonance spectroscopy

Abstract A new experimental technique, pulsed electron-nuclear-electron triple resonance spectroscopy, is demonstrated. It is based on a modification of the pulse sequence for electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) in which two EPR and one NMR transition are irradiated. The irradiation of one EPR transition is detected via a second EPR transition. The nuclear hyperfine coupling, which separates these EPR transition frequencies, is the irradiated NMR transition. The major advantages of triple resonance spectroscopy include the ability to resolve overlapping nuclear resonances in the ENDOR spectrum and a more direct quantitative assignment of nuclear hyperfine and quadrupole couplings. The triple resonance experiment is an alternative to the recently proposed method of employing rapid magnetic field jumps between microwave pulses for generating hyperfine selective ENDOR spectra.
Surgical correction of an aural-temporomandibular joint fistula with a temporalis flap

blastoma. A case report and review ofthe literature. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2 1:40, 1992 9. Mintz S, Anavi Y, Sabes W: Peripheral ameloblastoma of the gingiva. A case report. J Periodontol6 1:649, 1990 10. Monson ML, Postgate J, Bowe R, et al: Pedunculated soft-tissue mass on the alveolar gingiva. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 48: 13 11, 1990 11. Baden E. Doyle JL, Petriella V: Malignant transformation of peripheral ameloblastoma. Oral Surg 75214, 1993 12. Simpson HE: Basal cell carcinoma and peripheral ameloblastoma. Oral Surg 38:233, 1974 13. Anneroth Cl, Johansson B: Peripheral ameloblastoma. Int J Oral Surg 14:295, 1985 14. Ueno S. Nakamura S. Mushimoto K. et al: A clinicouatholoeic study of ameloblastoma. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 44i36 1, 1986 15. Frankel KA. Smith JD. Frankel LS: Soft tissue ameloblastoma in a 92 year old woman. Arch Otolaryngol 103:499, 1977 16. Ng KH, Siar CH: Peripheral ameloblastoma with clear cell differentiation. Oral Surg 70:2 10, 1990 17. Lin SC, Lieu CM, Hahn LJ, et al: Peripheral ameloblastoma with metastasis. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 16:202, 1987 18. Edmondson HD, Browne RM, Potts AJC: Intraoral basal cell carcinoma. Br J Oral Sung 20~239, 1982 19. McClatchey KD, Sullivan MJ, Paugh DR: Peripheral ameloblastic carcinoma: A case report of a rare neoplasm. J Otolaryngol 18:109, 1989 20. Woo B, Smith-Williams JE, Sciubba JJ, et al: Peripheral ameloblastoma of the buccal mucosa. Oral Surg 63:78, 1987 2 1. Schroeder HE, Listgarten MA: Fine structure of the developing epithelial attachment of human teeth, in Wolsky A (ed): Monographs in Developmental Biology, ~012. Base], Karger, 1971, pp l-134 22. Wysocki GP, Brandon RB, Gardner DG, et al: Histogenesis of the lateral periodontal cyst and gingival cyst of the adult. Oral Surg 501327, 1980 23. Spouge JD: Odontogenic tumors. Oral Surg 24:392, 1967 24. Greer ROJ, Hammond WS: Extraosseous ameloblastoma. Light and ultrastructural observations. J Oral Surg 36:553, 1978 25. Sciubba JJ: Comments on El-Mofty SK, Gerard HO, Farish SE, Rodu B: Peripheral ameloblastoma: A clinical and histologic study of 11 cases. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 49:970, 199 1
The vibrational overtone spectrum of fluoroform in the Δν=4 CH stretching region

Abstract The vibrational overtone spectrum of fluoroform in the Δν=4 CH stretching region was recorded by intracavity photoacoustic spectroscopy at room temperature and at 166 K with a resolution limited by Doppler broadening. Of the three bands observed, only one shows clearly resolved J rotational structure.
Food Cost Disparities in Rural Communities

Promotion of healthy eating is an effective public health strategy to prevent chronic disease incidence and progression. However, food prices can impede healthy eating, especially in rural communities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether food costs are associated with nutritional quality, geographic location, and month of year. The Overall Nutritional Quality Index and cost of 92 foods were assessed four times over a 10-month period in the primary grocery stores in four Kentucky counties, two rural and two urban. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess differences in food costs by nutritional quality, county, and month. Among more nutritious food items, costs were lower in urban areas. This was particularly true among foods in the highest quartile of nutritional quality. Across all counties, there was a pattern of highest per-serving costs in the second quartile of nutritional quality, whereas more nutritious foods were less expensive. Strategies that help individuals improve the ability to identify and prepare less costly foods with high nutritional value may be effective in improving dietary habits, particularly in rural, impoverished food deserts.
Taking away the fear: A grounded theory study of cooperative care in the treatment of head and neck cancer

Cooperative care is a relatively new treatment model that seeks to improve quality, conserve resources, and manage chronic conditions by providing patient and carepartner education in a homelike setting. Support from health care professionals is immediately available as patients and carepartners learn the skills needed to manage a disease and its treatment. This study sought to describe the effect of cooperative care on the treatment of head and neck cancer. Grounded theory methodology and focused interviews of 21 participants were used to answer three research questions: (1) Do the patients, carepartners, and providers involved in cooperative care perceive the potential psychosocial and self-care benefits? (2) How does the cooperative care treatment model affect the achievement of self-care for patients with surgical treatment of head and neck cancer? (3) What are appropriate theories regarding the benefits of cooperative care in the treatment of head and neck cancer that can be tested with quantitative methods? Results indicate that providers perceived cooperative care as a time-consuming process that resulted in less anxious, more communicative patients who required fewer post-discharge resources. Patients and carepartners perceived cooperative care as an experience that took away their fear by providing self-care education within a caring community.
Applications of PathFinder Network Scaling for Improving the Ranking of Satellite Images

Content-based image retrieval techniques, although promising for handling large quantities of geospatial image data, are prone to creating overfitted models. This is due to the fact that supervised models most often capture patterns of existing observations and not those related to the whole population. This results in models that do not generalize well to new, undiscovered images. This article proposes a methodology to reduce overfitting when ranking high-resolution satellite images by domain semantics. Our approach uses PathFinder Network Scaling ensemble methods. We generate cross-fold co-occurrence measures for relevance of feature subspaces to each semantic. Each matrix is then reduced using the PathFinder network scaling algorithm. Irrelevant nodes are removed using node strength metrics resulting in an optimized model for ranking by semantic that generalizes better to new images. The results show that, when using this approach, the quality of ranking by semantic can be significantly improved. Mean Average Precision (MAP) of ranking over cross-fold experiments increased by 13.2% while standard deviation of MAP was reduced by 16.8% relative to experiments without PathFinder network scaling.
Cohabitation Expectations Among Young Adults in the United States: Do They Match Behavior?

Cohabitation continues to rise, but there is a lack of knowledge about expectations to cohabit and the linkage between expectations and subsequent cohabitation. We capitalize on a new opportunity to study cohabitation expectations by drawing on the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY79) main youth and two waves (2008 and 2010) of the NLSY young adult (YA) surveys (n = 1,105). We find considerable variation in cohabitation expectations: 39.9 % have no expectation of cohabiting in the future and 16.6 % report high odds of cohabiting in the next 2 years. Cohabitation expectations are associated with higher odds of entering a cohabiting relationship, but are not perfectly associated. Only 38 % of YAs with certain cohabitation expectations in 2008 entered a cohabiting union by 2010. Further investigation of the mismatch between expectations and behaviors indicates that a substantial minority (30 %) who entered a cohabiting union had previously reported no or low expectations, instances of what we term “unplanned cohabitation.” Our findings underscore the importance of considering not only just behavior but also individuals’ expectations for understanding union formation, and more broadly, family change.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy reduces late salivary toxicity without compromising tumor control in patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma: a comparison with conventional techniques.

Abstract Background and purpose : Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) offers superior dosimetric conformity for normal tissue sparing in patients with oropharyngeal cancer. In this study, acute and late toxicity, and tumor control were compared between conventional beam arrangement (CRT) and IMRT. Materials and methods : Between January 1970 and December 1999, 430 patients with carcinoma of the oropharynx were treated at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology. There were 260 patients with tonsil primary tumors and 170 patients with tumors arising from the base of the tongue. Twenty-four (6%) patients had stage I disease, 88 (20%) had stage II, 128 (30%) had stage III, and 190 (44%) had stage IV disease. Patients were divided into five treatment groups. Group I consisted of 109 patients who received preoperative CRT. Group II consisted of 142 patients who received postoperative CRT. Group III consisted of 153 patients who received definitive CRT. Inverse planning IMRT (Peacock, NOMOS) was used to treat 14 patients postoperatively (Group IV) and 12 patients definitively without surgery (Group V). Acute and late normal tissue side-effects were scored according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group radiation morbidity criteria. The median follow-up was 3.9 years. Results : The 2-year local–regional control values for the five studied groups were 78, 76, 68, 100 and 88%, respectively. The 2-year disease-free survival values for the five studied groups were 68, 74, 58, 92 and 80%, respectively. IMRT significantly reduced the incidence of late xerostomia. Conclusions : When IMRT was compared with conventional techniques, the dosimetric advantage of IMRT did translate into a significant reduction of late salivary toxicity in patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma. No adverse impact on tumor control and disease-free survival was observed in patients treated with IMRT.
The Pfaff/Cauchy derivative identities and Hurwitz type extensions

More than 200 years ago, Pfaff found two generalizations of Leibniz’s rule for the nth derivative of a product of two functions. Thirty years later Cauchy found two similar identities, one equivalent to one of Pfaff’s and the other new. We give simple proofs of these little-known identities and some further history. We also give applications to Abel-Rothe type binomial identities, Lagrange’s series, and Laguerre and Jacobi polynomials. Most importantly, we give extensions that are related to the Pfaff/Cauchy theorems as Hurwitz’s generalized binomial theorems are to the Abel-Rothe identities. We apply these extensions to Laguerre and Jacobi polynomials as well.
Improved performance of blind equalization using prior knowledge of transmitter filter

Recent progress by several groups around the world shows that moving average linear time-invariant channels that distort digital communication signals can be identified using only second-order statistics, provided that certain conditions on the channel and data are met. In this paper, a subchannel response matching channel identification method is modified to exploit prior knowledge of the pulse-shaping filter. Computer simulations demonstrate the method's performance as a channel estimator and as an equalizer compared to appropriate lower bounds on the normalized channel estimation error and the bit error rate. >
Inversion Domain Boundaries in GaN Grown on Sapphire

Inversion domain boundaries (IDBs) in GaN grown on sapphire (0001) were studied by a combination of high resolution transmission electron microscopy, multiple dark field imaging, and convergent beam diffraction. Films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), metalorganic vapor deposition (MOCVD), and hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) were investigated and all found to contain IDBs. Inversion domains (IDs) that extended from the surface to the interface were found to be columnar with facets on the [10-10] and {l_brace}11-20{r_brace} planes. Other domains ended within the film that formed IDBs on the (0001) and {l_brace}1-102{r_brace} planes. The domains were found to grow in clusters and connect at points along the boundary.
Spatial Delineation and Environmental Economics: Discussion

Acknowledging the importance of spatial delineation seems like yesterday's news to environmental economists. From transport coefficients to travel cost models, researchers have recognized how the spatial story affects the design of environmental policies. However, this session's papers suggest the research terrain is more complex than previously appreciated. Nonetheless, their story is an optimistic one with prospects for substantial advances by combining geographical information systems (GIS), spatial econometrics, and structural models.
Convincing management to think future

There is almost unanimous agreement among futurists that without strong support from the top of the organization, a futures group cannot survive. But it is difficult to enlist top management's support for futurism: tunnel vision and shortsightedness (the antitheses of futurist thinking), carefully managed and nurtured, have, in the past, been forces propelling executives to the top.
Situated Dialogic Action Research: Disclosing ‘‘Beginnings’’ for Innovative Change in Organizations

I want to discuss a version of collaborative action research oriented toward exploring, and verbally articulating, the real possibilities for making an innovative next step in a specific situation in a particular organization. There are many situations in organizational life in which people express, either very general concerns—for example, a need for people to be more innovative, to trust each other more, and so on—or simply feelings of disquiet, of ‘‘something being not quite right’’ needing to be changed ... although they do not know what that ‘‘something’’ is! The research we are often asked to do is precisely to make these vague concerns sufficiently determinate to inform new (or at least modified) practices. But this task, as I see it, following Wittgenstein (1980), entails resolving a difficulty of orientation or of relating rather than solving a problem. Below, the author discusses a dialogically structured action research practice precisely tailored to these orientational needs, along with the th...
Higher Treadmill Training Intensity to Address Functional Aerobic Impairment after Stroke.

Background Peak aerobic capacity (VO 2 peak) is severely worsened after disabling stroke, having serious implications for function, metabolism, and ongoing cardiovascular risk. Work from our laboratory and others has previously shown that modest improvements in VO 2 peak are possible in stroke participants with aerobic exercise training. The purpose of the current investigation was to test the extent to which greater enhancements in VO 2 peak after stroke are possible using a treadmill protocol with far greater emphasis on intensity progression compared with a protocol without such emphasis. Methods Using a randomized design, we compared stroke survivors engaged in higher intensity treadmill training (HI-TM, 80% heart rate reserve [HRR]) with those undergoing lower intensity treadmill training (LO-TM, 50% HRR). Measured outcomes were change in VO 2 peak, 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), 30-ft walk times (30WT), and 48-hour step counts (48SC). LO-TM participants trained for a longer period of time per session in an effort to approximately match workload/caloric expenditure. Participants were randomized with stratification according to age and baseline walking capacity. Results HI-TM participants (n = 18) had significantly greater gains in VO 2 peak (+34%) than LO-TM participants (n = 16; +5%) across the 6-month intervention period ( P = .001, group × time interaction). Conversely, there was no statistical difference between groups in the changes observed for 6MWD, 30WT, or 48SC. Conclusions HI-TM is far more effective than LO-TM for improving VO 2 peak after disabling stroke. The magnitude of relative improvement for HI-TM was double compared with previous reports from our laboratory with probable clinical significance for this population.
Object-based semantic real-time concurrency control

This paper presents a technique that is capable of supporting two major requirements for concurrency control in real-time databases; data temporal consistency, and data logical consistency, as well as tradeoffs between these requirements. Our technique is based upon a real-time object-oriented database model in which each object has its own unique compatibility function that expresses the conditional compatibility of any two potential concurrent operations on the object. The conditions use the semantics of the object, such as allowable imprecision, along with current system state, such as time and the active operations on the object. Our concurrency control technique enforces that allowable concurrency expressed by the compatibility function by using semantic locking controlled by each individual object. The real-time object-oriented database model and process of evaluating the compatibility function to grant semantic locks are described. >
DIVIDED WE STAND, UNITED WE FALL: THE HUME-NORTH-JONES MECHANISM FOR THE RISE OF EUROPE*

The “great divergence” in incomes between Europe and the rest of the world occurred relatively recently. Why was it that Western Europe, once a backward outpost on the fringes of the Eurasian continent, able to dominate in terms of income and technology the previously successful Eastern economies? Several mechanisms have been identiÞed to account for the rise of Europe. This paper formalizes one important mechanism, the intellectual origins of which can be traced back to Hume and Weber and which was fully, though informally, articulated by E.L. Jones. This mechanism emphasizes the contrast between the European states-system and the Eastern empires. Political competition for a mobile tax-base in a states-system forces rulers to expropriate less from their subjects and to supply relatively more “public services”. By effectively limiting the “exit” options of the ruled, an empire rewards its ruler with a captive tax-base that can be subjected to relatively higher levels of expropriation without a similar rise in “public services” provided. The states-system thus encourages higher levels of capital accumulation, while the empire stises it. The successes of the Eastern empires in their consolidation phase are due to the competition they initially faced from neighboring states. Since Europe escaped such consolidation, the process of accumulation there never faced the impediments its Eastern counterparts did. The paper, thus, also provides a structural explanation for the emergence of institutions in Europe that led to relatively secure property rights.
A paleoclimate reconstruction for southwestern Texas using oxalate residue from lichen as a paleoclimate proxy

A calcium oxalate rock coating is ubiquitous on limestone surfaces inside dry rock shelters and under rock overhangs within the canyons of the southwestern Edwards Plateau in southwestern Texas. The oxalate was likely produced by epilithic lichens that #ourished in these niches during dry climate regimes. During wet climate conditions the productivity of the lichen would be severely reduced due to physiological response to moisture regime. Thus, lichen productivity and the production of calcium oxalate may have changed through time in response to wet}dry climate#uctuations. Twenty-"ve AMS radiocarbon ages of rock crust samples collected from 14 sites demonstrate that oxalate was produced episodically during the middle and late Holocene. The occurrence of oxalate is correlated with periods of dry climate, whereas gaps in the record of oxalate deposition coincide with more mesic climate intervals. The results of this study demonstrate the potential for obtaining paleoclimate data from biogenic residues on rock surfaces. ( 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
A Logistic Approach To Predicting Student Success In Online Database Courses

This paper examines the affects of reading comprehension on the performance of online students in a beginning database management class. Reading comprehension is measured by the results of a Cloze Test administered online to the students during the first week of classes. Using data collected from 2002 through 2008, the significance of the Cloze Test score is analyzed with respect to the three different assessment methods used in the class as well as to the overall average score of the students in the class. The data are tested using a binary logistic model that analyzes the data on a success (improvement) or failure (no improvement) basis. The analysis finds that reading comprehension has a significant impact on the scores students earn on examinations and on the final class average. However, the reading comprehension score has no significant impact on assessments that are more under the control of the student such as online open-book quizzes and projects.
H-infinity model reduction with guaranteed suboptimality bound

A family of new polynomial time algorithms is introduced for optimization of reduced order models of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems. It is proven that, as a suboptimal approach to the task of minimizing H-infinity norm of model reduction error, some of these algorithms have important advantages over the classical Hankel optimal model reduction technique: they produce better lower bounds for achievable H-infinity approximation error, and generate reduced models with a guaranteed a-priori relative error bound which depends on dimension of the reduced system only. The new approach has several advantages in practical large scale model reduction as well. It works with a black box oracle capable of measuring or estimating quality of reduced model candidates, and hence does not require full knowledge of a state space model of the system to be reduced. It can also be applied in the case when the system to be reduced is represented by a finite number of samples of its frequency or time domain response.
Homonuclear Magnetization Transfer Experiments Using Isotropic and Nonisotropic Mixing Schemes

The principles of homonuclear magnetization transfer via isotropic and non-isotropic mixing schemes are discussed. Practical aspects of such experiments concern the minimization of the generation of multiple quantum coherence, minimization of rf power requirements, suppression of NOEs during mixing and minimization of relaxation losses. The analogy between these experiments and heteronuclear decoupling is briefly discussed. The efficiencies of several mixing schemes are compared and it is demonstrated experimentally that the resolution and sensitivity of the homonuclear cross polarization methods can be superior to the conventional COSY experiment.
Arterial blood gases, electrolytes, and metabolic indices associated with hemorrhagic shock: inter- and intrainbred rat strain variation.

We have previously shown interstrain variation (indicating a genetic basis), and intrastrain variation in survival time after hemorrhage (STaH) among inbred rat strains. To assist in understanding ...
MicroRNA Pharmacoepigenetics: Posttranscriptional Regulation Mechanisms behind Variable Drug Disposition and Strategy to Develop More Effective Therapy

Knowledge of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) or pharmacokinetics properties is essential for drug development and safe use of medicine. Varied or altered ADME may lead to a loss of efficacy or adverse drug effects. Understanding the causes of variations in drug disposition and response has proven critical for the practice of personalized or precision medicine. The rise of noncoding microRNA (miRNA) pharmacoepigenetics and pharmacoepigenomics has come with accumulating evidence supporting the role of miRNAs in the modulation of ADME gene expression and then drug disposition and response. In this article, we review the advances in miRNA pharmacoepigenetics including the mechanistic actions of miRNAs in the modulation of Phase I and II drug-metabolizing enzymes, efflux and uptake transporters, and xenobiotic receptors or transcription factors after briefly introducing the characteristics of miRNA-mediated posttranscriptional gene regulation. Consequently, miRNAs may have significant influence on drug disposition and response. Therefore, research on miRNA pharmacoepigenetics shall not only improve mechanistic understanding of variations in pharmacotherapy but also provide novel insights into developing more effective therapeutic strategies.
Does PPP Hold Globally? Serial Correlation is More than You Think

Recent literature reports that in estimating the purchasing power parity, potential biases may significantly modify the half-life of means reverting of long-run real exchange rates. This paper considers three kinds of potential biases on which empirical researchers focused most. In addition, we accept Levin, Lin and Chu (2002) dynamic panel data estimation method which is alternative to the classical dynamic panel data estimating approach. Instead of using the same length of all regressors, this modification allows each time series to choose the number of lagged terms independently according to the time series data itself. In other words, we check the significance of regression coefficients to let each time series tell how many lagged terms it need to eliminate the serial-correlation which is common in most macro-economics data. We reexamine 77 world major countries and economies’ CPI based real exchange rates for post Bretton Wood period. With a bias adjusted half-life estimation of approximate 8 months, this paper illustrates an interesting phenomenon that serial-correlation could be an important resource of the PPP puzzle.
Degradative Effects of Guayule Resin on Natural Rubber. II. Kinetic Studies

Abstract Qualitative studies reported earlier and the kinetic studies reported here indicate that the unsaturated fatty acids in guayule resin are primarily responsible for the ability of guayule resin to accelerate the oxidative degradation of natural rubber. These unsaturated fatty acids apparently oxidize to form peroxide compounds which function as initiators of rubber oxidation.
Impact of Total Ionizing Dose on a 4th Generation, 90 nm SiGe HBT Gaussian Pulse Generator

We investigate the effects of total ionizing dose (TID) on a Gaussian pulse generator implemented in IBM's new 9HP SiGe BiCMOS platform, which combines 300 GHz fT SiGe HBTs and 90 nm CMOS. Total dose effects were examined using a 10-keV X-ray source. The effects of TID on the performance of the pulse generator were investigated with the pulse generator exhibiting a tpw variation of less than 7% for total dose of up to 3.0 Mrad. This circuit is intended for low-power autonomous high-altitude and space-based imaging radars.
Robust Testing and Evaluation (T&E) of Systems

Using “robust” testing and evaluation (T&E) components will ensure system T&E success despite unanticipated resource and schedule shocks. Selected tools for building robust T&E plans, methods, and analysis components are described. These robust tools provide a beginning framework that the practitioner can build upon to achieve successful T&Es.
Robust Feature Detection, Acquisition and Tracking for Relative Navigation in Space with a Known Target

Copyright © 2013 by the authors. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.
iGRaND: an invariant frame for RGBD sensor feature detection and descriptor extraction with applications

This article describes a new 3D RGBD image feature, referred to as iGRaND, for use in real-time systems that use these sensors for tracking, motion capture, or robotic vision applications. iGRaND features use a novel local reference frame derived from the image gradient and depth normal (hence iGRaND) that is invariant to scale and viewpoint for Lambertian surfaces. Using this reference frame, Euclidean invariant feature components are computed at keypoints which fuse local geometric shape information with surface appearance information. The performance of the feature for real-time odometry is analyzed and its computational complexity and accuracy is compared with leading alternative 3D features.
Dopaminergic regulation of extrarenal potassium metabolism.

The effect of the dopaminergic system on renal and extrarenal potassium metabolism has been poorly characterized. To examine this problem, 2-hour renal clearance studies were performed in 7 healthy men. Each subject served as his own control and participated in three studies. Subjects received (a) a 2-hour potassium chloride (0.75 mEq/kg) intravenous infusion; (b) the same KCl infusion with dopamine (4 micrograms/kg . min), and (c) the same KCl infusion with the dopaminergic blocker metoclopramide (10 mg i.v. bolus). The rise in plasma potassium during the KCl infusion was significantly lower in the subjects receiving metoclopramide compared to the controls who received KCl alone (0.29 +/- 0.07 vs. 0.52 +/- 0.06 mEq/l, p less than 0.005). During the first 2 h after metoclopramide the increase in UKV and total potassium excretion was slightly, although not significantly, lower than in the KCl-alone group (154 +/- 15 vs. 168 +/- 15 mEq/min, NS). Since the increment in plasma K concentration following metoclopramide was less than in the controls despite a slightly reduced rate of KCl excretion, the improvement in potassium tolerance resulted from an enhanced translocation of potassium from the extra- to intracellular compartment (86 +/- 2 vs. 77 +/- 3%, p less than 0.01). There were no significant differences in venous pH, serum bicarbonate concentration or plasma insulin as compared to the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Development of a Theory of Wisdom-in-Action for Clinical Nursing

Nurses published dialogues on wisdom; yet, a conceptual model is unavailable. We present the development process for a theory of wisdom-in-action for clinical nursing developed in 3 phases: (1) a deductively derived model using derivation and synthesis; (2) inductively, a constructivist grounded theory captured the experience of wisdom in nursing practice; and (3) the 2 theories were synthesized into a nascent theory. The theory describes 2 antecedent dimensions, person-related and setting-related factors, and 2 types of wisdom, general and personal. The theory provides a framework for translating wisdom in nursing practice, depicting both the science and art of nursing.
Electrophysiological Analysis of Neuronal and Muscle Function in C. elegans

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans provides numerous experimental advantages for the identification and characterization of genes required for the function of the nervous system. These advantages include forward and reverse genetic tractability, a relatively simple body plan with an invariant cellular lineage, and a fully sequenced and well-annotated genome. However, one limitation of C. elegans is the relative scarcity of electrophysiological data from excitable cells. To address this limitation, high-resolution cellular techniques for probing the roles of specific gene products in the C. elegans nervous system have been recently developed. This chapter will provide an overview of the technical requirements for patch-clamp electrophysiological analysis of C. elegans neurons and muscle cells, as well as provide some illustrative examples of insights gained from the pairing of electrophysiological techniques with molecular and genetic analysis.
Inflammatory Biomarkers in Post-infarction Heart Failure and Cardiac Remodeling

Abstract Inflammatory cascades are critically implicated in the pathogenesis of adverse remodeling and in progression of heart failure following myocardial infarction. However, the role of inflammatory biomarkers as predictors of heart failure and remodeling following infarction is less convincingly established. This chapter discusses the clinical evidence on the role of biomarkers of inflammation as prognostic indicators for patients with myocardial infarction. Biomarkers of systemic inflammation (such as C-reactive protein), cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and cytokine receptors (including ST2, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, interleukin-6, and growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15), indicators of matrix remodeling, and markers of cellular activation may serve to identify patient subpopulations with distinct pathophysiologic defects, thus predicting development of heart failure in patients with acute infarction. Assessment of these biomarkers may also have therapeutic implications by identifying patients that may benefit from targeted anti-inflammatory approaches. Approaches combining circulating biomarkers and imaging studies may allow development of personalized treatment strategies to prevent heart failure and adverse remodeling in patients surviving an acute myocardial infarction.
Exercise as Medicine

We have spent the past several decades proving that physical activity is a powerful tool to improve human health and that the focus should now turn to delivering this health-enhancing intervention ...
Abstract 3068: Integrative tcga analyses identify key microRNAs involved in chemoresistance

Objective. High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most common and lethal type of ovarian carcinoma. Our study aims to identify key microRNAs (miRs) that are responsible for promoting chemoresistance in HGSOC. Methods. We developed fast and robust computational algorithm to identify miRs that are significantly associated with improved or worsened survival in HGSOC patients. We subsequently used this algorithm to mine The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) ovarian cancer database to identify miRs that are up-regulated in tumors from patients whose cancer had progressed within 6 months of diagnosis (chemoresistant group) compared to tumors from patients who had no disease progression for more than 2 years (chemosensitive group). We also constructed miRNA-mRNA functional networks for the key miRs identified. The biological roles of selected miRs were subsequently examined in multiple chemoresistant (SKOV3-TR, HeyA8-MDR, and A2780-CP20) ovarian cancer cell lines. Results. From our integrative analyses, we identified several miRs being highly up-regulated or down-regulated in chemoresistant HGSOC (p Citation Format: Fangrong Shen, Sehgal Vasudha, Sherry Wu, Ehsanipour, Ehsan A, Olson Robert C, Ivan, Cristina, Baggerly, Keith A, Ram, Prahlad, Sood, Anil K. Integrative tcga analyses identify key microRNAs involved in chemoresistance. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3068. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3068
Book reviewWriting Southern Politics: Contemporary Interpretations and Future Directions, Robert Steed, Laurence W. Moreland, University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky (2006), 314 pages

Comprising an introductory essay, 11 chapters, and a conclusion, Steed and Moreland's Writing Southern Politics is an edited collection of literature reviews written by leading scholars of American...
A new architectural approach for dynamic adaptation of components-based software using multi agent system

Component-based development has become a commonly used technique for building complex software systems by assembling a set of existing components. In general adapting an application means stopping the application and restarting it after the adaptation. This approach is not adapted for a large classes of software systems in which continuous availability is a critical requirement, hence the need of adapting the application at run-time. In the paper we present an architecture based approach for dynamic adaptation in component-based software. We are interested in the dynamic adaptation independently of the nature of the system to be adapted. Also in the case, we use an agent based system to perform the adaptation. The agent system is guided by an architectural description of the adapted application. The adaptation mechanism is implemented in the connectors using the flexibility offered by the Java Scripting programming technique.
Delivery of Clinical Services: Mobilizing Advanced Practice Providers to Enhance Patient Care.

Advanced practice providers (APPs) are increasingly being used in a variety of healthcare settings to provide care, treatment, and services to patients with cancer. They are also being deployed to acute oncologic settings to enhance patient care delivery and address the ever-evolving needs of patients in academic medicine. In response, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center developed a series of innovative clinical programs staffed by acute care APPs. These provide an opportunity to rapidly adapt to the acute care needs of patients with cancer while fostering the professional development of APPs within the full scope of their oncologic clinical practice. .
News Values, Cognitive Biases, and Partisan Incivility in Comment Sections

Partisan incivility is prevalent in news comments, but we have limited insight into how journalists and news users engage with it. Gatekeeping, cognitive bias, and social identity theories suggest that journalists may tolerate incivility while users actively promote partisan incivility. Using 9.6 million comments from The New York Times, we analyze whether the presence of uncivil and partisan terms affects how journalists and news users engage with comments. Results show that partisanship and incivility increase recommendations and the likelihood of receiving an abuse flag. Swearing increases the likelihood of a comment being rejected and reduces the chances of being highlighted as a NYT Pick. These findings suggest that journalists and news users interact with partisan incivility differently, and that some forms of incivility may be promoted or tacitly accepted in comments.
Effect of diverse weathering conditions on the physicochemical properties of biodegradable plastic mulches

Abstract The effect of simulated and agricultural weathering in two diverse US regions: Tennessee (TN) and Washington (WA), on the physicochemical properties of three commercially available biodegradable plastic mulch films (BDMs), and an experimental polylactic acid/polyhydroxyalkanoate (PLA/PHA) mulch was investigated to assess the potential impact of weather on mulch performance in specialty crop production. The tensile strength and thermostability of PLA/PHA increased by weathering, suggesting the formation of cross-links between the polyesters and inorganic filler. The decrease of mechanical properties for the commercially available BDMs differed slightly: simulated weathering > TN > WA. Chemical bonding changes due to photodegradative, hydrolytic, and oxidative reactions followed the order: TN > WA > simulated weathering. The differences reflect the higher moisture and temperature for TN compared to WA, and that simulated weathering did not mimic many secondary environmental factors, since ultraviolet radiation exposure was nearly equal between weathering treatments.
Chromatin remodeling and epigenetic regulation of oligodendrocyte myelination and myelin repair

Oligodendrocytes are essential for the development, function, and health of the vertebrate central nervous system. These cells maintain axon myelination to ensure saltatory propagation of action potentials. Oligodendrocyte develops from neural progenitor cells, in a step-wise process that involves oligodendrocyte precursor specification, proliferation, and differentiation. The lineage progression requires coordination of transcriptional and epigenetic circuits to mediate the stage-specific intricacies of oligodendrocyte development. Epigenetic mechanisms involve DNA methylation, histone modifications, ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling, and non-coding RNA modulation that regulate the chromatin state over regulatory genes, which must be expressed or repressed to establish oligodendrocyte identity and lineage progression. In this review, we will focus on epigenetic programming associated with histone modification enzymes, chromatin remodeling, and non-coding RNAs that regulate oligodendrocyte lineage progression, and discuss how these mechanisms might be harnessed to induce myelin repair for treatment of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Backscattering from a rough, high dielectric constant surface: an application for radar sensing of ocean clutter

Physical scale modeling of the electromagnetic backscatter behavior of static sea states using dielectric models and indoor compact radar ranges has the potential to offer a unique and advantageous method to probe ocean scattering phenomenology not feasible using conventional radar measurements on dynamic sea surfaces. As an initial step towards developing such modeling techniques, the millimeter-wave backscatter of a static, simplified rough surface made from a material that electromagnetically models the X-band dielectric properties of seawater has been measured. Computational electromagnetic modeling of the surface was performed using Xpatch and is compared with compact range measurements. By starting with simplified sea-state surfaces, the aim is to develop a reliable scale modeling approach capable of studying the backscattering behavior of realistic ocean surfaces.