cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hemodynamic and electrocardiographic effects of hyperpotassemia. Differences in response to slow and rapid increases in concentration of plasma K.

Abstract The effects of slow and rapid rates of administration of potassium (K) on the electrocardiogram, intracardiac pressures, cardiac output, and left ventricular contractile force were studied in K-depleted and nondepleted dogs. The slow infusions of KCl were administered intravenously at a rate of 1.7 μEq per kilogram per second for 4 to 25 minutes, and the rapid infusions were administered into the pulmonary artery at a rate of 6 to 35 μEq per kilogram per second for 3 to 12 seconds. Comparable peak concentrations of arterial plasma K were produced by both methods. After rapid infusions, the typical electrocardiographic manifestations of hyperpotassemia were preceded by bradycardia, decreased QRS duration, and a marked shortening of the (QT-QRS) interval. These effects were more pronounced in K-depleted hypopotassemic dogs. Intracardiac pressures, cardiac output, and the force of left ventricular contraction remained unchanged when the concentration of plasma K was as low as 1.6 mEq. per liter or as high as 15.0 mEq. per liter. The ventricular systolic pressures, aortic diastolic pressure, cardiac output, and left ventricular dp dt were maximal within the range of plasma-K concentration of 7–9 mEq. per liter. Rapid infusions of K produced a depression of contractile force. The depression was followed by an overshoot. A greater and a longer depression was usually followed by a greater and a longer overshoot. The depression and the overshoot were not related to the changes in heart rate or the electrocardiographic pattern. The depression was more pronounced in K-depleted hypopotassemic dogs, and after pretreatment with acetyl strophanthidin or propranolol. The overshoot was not abolished by pretreatment with either acetyl strophanthidin or propranolol. The depression and the overshoot were absent during intoxication with quinidine. The depression and the overshoot were attributed to a direct effect of K on the contractile system. The combination of bradycardia and myocardial depression produced by a rapid increase in the concentration of plasma K should be considered to be a potentially lethal mechanism.
Constraints on oceanic N balance/imbalance from sedimentary 15 N records

Abstract. According to current best estimates, the modern ocean's N cycle is in severe deficit. N isotope budgeting provides an independent geochemical constraint in this regard as well as the only means for past reconstruction. Overall, it is the relative proportion of N2 fixation consumed by water column denitrification that sets average oceanic δ15N under steady-state conditions. Several factors (conversion of organic N to N2, Rayleigh closed and open system effects) likely reduce the effective fractionation factor (e) for water column denitrification to about half the inherent microbial value for eden. If so, the average oceanic δ15N of ~5‰ is consistent with a canonical contribution from water column denitrification of 50% of the source flux from N2 fixation. If an imbalance in oceanic N sources and sinks changes this proportion then a transient in average oceanic δ15N would occur. Using a simple model, changing water column denitrification by ±30% or N2 fixation by ±15% produces detectable (>1‰) changes in average oceanic δ15N over one residence time period or more with corresponding changes in oceanic N inventory. Changing sedimentary denitrification produces no change in δ15N but does change N inventory. Sediment δ15N records from sites thought to be sensitive to oceanic average δ15N all show no detectible change over the last 3 kyr or so implying a balanced marine N budget over the latest Holocene. A mismatch in time scales is the most likely meaningful interpretation of the apparent conflict with modern flux estimates. Decadal to centennial scale oscillations between net N deficit and net surplus may occur but on the N residence timescale of several thousand years, net balance is achieved in sum. However, sediment δ15N records from the literature covering the period since the last glacial maximum show excursions of up to several ‰ that are consistent with sustained N deficit during the deglaciation followed by readjustment and establishment of balance in the early Holocene. Since imbalance was sustained for one N residence time period or longer, excursions in ocean N inventory of 10 to 30% likely occurred. The climatic and oceanographic changes that occurred over this period evidently overcame, for a time, the capacity of ocean biogeochemistry to maintain N balance.
Modeling Security Vulnerabilities: A Constraints and Assumptions Perspective

Preventing exploits from compromising software applications requires a fundamental understanding of how they are being exploited, and then leveraging that understanding in the formulation of tests that reveal software application vulnerabilities. To advance that understanding this paper first presents a Process/Object Model of Computation that establishes a relationship between software vulnerabilities, an executing process, and computer system resources such as memory, input/output, and cryptographic resources. That relationship promotes the concept that a software application is vulnerable to exploits when it violates (a) constraints imposed by computer system resources or (b) assumptions made about the usage of those resources. Secondly, the Process/Object Model also serves as a foundation for the definition of a Taxonomy of Vulnerabilities. That is, the computer system resources (or objects) identified in the Process/Object Model form the categories and refined subcategories of the taxonomy. Vulnerabilities, which are expressed in the form of constraints and assumptions, are classified within the Taxonomy according to these categories and subcategories. This Taxonomy of Vulnerabilities is novel and distinctively different from other taxonomies found in literature, and is also outlined in this paper.
Avoiding a Clash of the Titans: A Literature- and Experience-Based Discussion of Considerations for Preventing and Managing Challenging Caregiver Behaviors Throughout Child-Focused Family Therapy

Presenting for a variety of reasons, a caregiver that exhibits behaviors that make them challenging to work with (e.g., stress, hostility, questioning, psychopathology) may prevent or impede gains when working within the context of a child-focused family therapy (i.e., therapy involving caregivers in the planning and implementation of child-centered treatments). Although some work has addressed the challenging patient, little research is available that has concisely translated such information into considerations, recommendations, and tips for preventatively facilitating strong rapport or managing any recognized challenging behaviors that the caregiver of the identified child patient may exhibit. For this reason, the current article aims to provide an integration of literature and clinician experience to provide practice-oriented considerations for those conducting child-focused behavioral or cognitive–behavioral family-based interventions. Discussion begins by outlining the initial contact and preparation with the family before reviewing techniques for ongoing treatment. Considerations for situations in which hostility, confrontation, or anger arises toward the clinician, as well as the patient (i.e., the child) are then discussed. Finally, clinician-focused factors to consider are examined. Effectively negotiating challenging caregiver behaviors within the context of a child treatment can enable clinicians to provide the often necessary and beneficial treatment that would otherwise not be possible. Through integration of proposed preventative and management considerations, a clinician may facilitate a strong relationship with the family, work to repair any ruptures in the relationship, and negotiate challenges brought forth by the challenging caregiver to avoid therapeutic disruptions or premature termination.
Factors Influencing the Lithium Extraction Rate in Layered Oxide Cathodes of Lithium Ion Cells

The lithium extraction rate and the rate capability of layered LiNi0.5−0.5yMn0.5−0.5yCoyO2 with 0 ≤ y ≤ 1 have been investigated, respectively, by chemically extracting lithium with the oxidizer NO2BF4 in acetonitrile medium and electrochemically discharging at various C-rates. Both the chemical lithium extraction rate and the electrochemical rate capability are found to increase with increasing Co content y in LiNi0.5−0.5yMn0.5−0.5yCoyO2. While no clear relationship is seen between electrical conductivity and the rate capability, increasing cation disorder between the lithium and transition metal planes with decreasing Co content is found to decrease the chemical lithium extraction rate and rate capability. The lithium extraction rate also influences the structure (P3 vs O1 vs O3) of the end members Ni0.5−0.5yMn0.5−0.5yCoyO2−δ obtained by extracting all the lithium with 100 % excess NO2BF4 in an acetonitrile medium.
Climate Change, Social Control and Violence in the US Southwest

A case study for one region of the USA is provided. The Southwest (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico) is a region defined by marginality for human habitation due to high- and low-altitude deserts, droughts, unpredictable rainfall, and a short growing season for crops. Yet, it was and still is home to many indigenous groups. This brief overview of studies conducted in the Southwest that take climate change back by 1,000 years or more, shows a persistent pattern that does not include increased violence. A pattern emerges that documents a range of human responses to droughts that include migration, cultural reorganization, increased networking, redistribution of resources, and in some cases, an increase in raiding and low-level warfare. For example, the inhabitants at Black Mesa were extremely flexible, as their social patterns were not entrenched in ideologies of building large permanent settlements or maintaining strict hierarchies and boundaries in access to resources. Patterns such as this suggest a range of behavioral options to drought. These longitudinal studies ably demonstrate that humans did not automatically turn to violence when confronted with an increasingly unpredictable and challenging environment. It is more scientifically sound to rely on empirical data that shows trends over time and compares different cultures within larger interactive regions than to do a shortsighted study that has no such depth or breadth. It is also ethically irresponsible to rely on popular media accounts of scientific studies in a way that makes unicausal and unsupported associations seem to be proof of causation.
Impact of a Compound Pendulum With a Surface Using a Nonlinear Contact Force

The coefficient of restitution for the impact of a compound pendulum with a flat surface is an important quantitative measure in contact analysis. The impact is analyzed for different lengths of the pendulum, different angles of impact, and different initial angular velocities of the pendulum. The impact with friction is studied using an elasto plastic force developed by Jackson and Green for the three phases of impact: elastic compression, elasto-plastic compression, and elastic restitution phase.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Long-lasting efficacy of micellaremulsion insecticides against mosquitoes and flies

Objective To study the continuous efficacy of 10% propoxur·beta-cypermethrin micellaremulsion against mosquitoes and flies. Methods Testing the efficacy of insecticides against mosquitoes and flies for 1,15,30,45,60 days,the dosage of glasses was 30 mg ai/m~2,and the dosages of paint and white lime were 50 mg ai/m~2. Results The KT_50 of mosquitoes and flies on glass were ranged from 7.3 to 9.6 min and from 5.1 to 8.3 min respectively,the 24 h mortality was 100%;the KT_50 of the pieces of paint were ranged from 8.3 to 10.0min and from 8.2 to 12.6 min respectively,the 24h mortality was ranged from 85% to 100%;the KT_50 of the pieces of white lime were ranged from 8.0 to 10.3 min and from 8.4 to 11.0 min respectively,the 24h mortality was 100%. Conclusion The 10% propoxur·beta-cypermethrin micellaremulsion had good long-lasting laboratory efficacy against mosquitoes and flies,its period of validity exceeded 60 days.
Coagulopathy of Renal Disease

Patients with renal disease demonstrate a complex clinical picture with respect to coagulation. The traditional view of the uremic bleeding diathesis is incomplete and, in fact, outdated. In the modern era, severe uremia is rare and the majority of renal disease presents as a chronic condition or an acute organ failure in the context of critical illness or injury. These patients display a paradoxical mixture of bleeding and thrombotic predispositions, which present significant management challenges. This chapter will review both the well-known risk of bleeding and the under-recognized risk of thrombosis in patients with renal disease, with an emphasis on diagnosis and prophylaxis. Complications related to hemodialysis and novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches will be discussed as well.
Alexander and his Successors

When in the spring of 334 B.C. a twenty-year-old Macedonian led an army of 35,000 across the Hellespont, in the opposite direction to Darius’ and Xerxes’ crossing, neither he nor anyone else could have foreseen that the map of the Near East was soon to be redrawn and the course of its history changed. The general’s name: Alexander the Great.
Comparison of General and Detailed HIV Risk Assessments Among Methamphetamine Abusers

Investigators have long focused on refining the accuracy of HIV risk assessment. One concern is that HIV risk measures either cover general risk behaviors or assess a few specific behaviors. We compared a standardized general measure (Risk for AIDS Behavior, RAB) and a recently developed behaviorally detailed measure (Behavioral Questionnaire-Amphetamine, BQA) in three samples of methamphetamine-dependent individuals in drug treatment in Southern California (76 gay men, 57 heterosexual men, and 33 heterosexual women). Our results indicate that RAB depicted gay men at significantly higher risk than either heterosexual men or women. However, RAB Total score failed to discriminate between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected gay men. By contrast, BQA discriminated between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men as measured by significantly more instances of unprotected anal receptive intercourse. General measures, e.g., RAB, may have utility for describing broad risk factors across heterogeneous groups of substance users. More detailed measures, e.g., BQA, may be necessary for distinguishing behavioral risk differences within high-risk populations such as substance-abusing gay men.
The Modern Prison Paradox: Politics and the Punitive Turn

The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison. Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (1850) Over the past half-century, the United States has vastly expanded its powers to punish, rapidly increasing institutional capacity, public expenditures, and personnel devoted to this task. The most obvious reflection of these changing trends in governance is the nation’s rising rate of incarceration. During the latter half of the 20th century, the prison admission rate skyrocketed. In 1960, there were roughly 330,000 prison and jail inmates in America; there were almost 2.3 million by 2010. Scholars have long argued that this precipitous growth in the correctional population was not purely a functional response to changes in the crime rate, however. In fact, rates of violent crime in the period from 1960 to 2004 increased most precipitously during the 1960s and 1970s, rising about 125 percent. The same is true of property crime, which increased roughly 100 percent from 1960 to 1969. In contrast, the number of adults under correctional jurisdiction remained relatively stable until the mid-1970s, and only then did it begin to rise. This growth subsequently continued during the mid-1990s and beyond. Even as crime rates began to fall, prison admissions continued to climb (see Figure 2.1).
Do stackable credentials reinforce stratification or promote upward mobility? An analysis of health professions pathways reform in a community college consortium

Career pathways, comprised of stackable credentials and a coherently aligned sequence of programmes of study, are being hailed as an effective means for promoting postsecondary attainment and upwar...
Algunos aspectos de la responsabilidad extracontractual del Estado por falta de servicio

Cuando la Comision encargada de la redaccion del proyecto sobre organizacion basica de la administracion publica propuso la incorporacion de a disposicion que posteriormente pasaria a constituir el articulo 44 de la Ley no°18575 Organica Constitucional de bases generales de la administracion del Estado, no pretendio introducir en Chile un injerto extrajerizante, sino que incorporar al derecho publico chileno el sistema de responsabilidad extracontractual del Estado elaborado por el derecho administrativo frances, principalmente a traves de la jurisprudencia del Consejo de Estado, que, en opinion de la mayoria de los autores, constituye a mejor solucion lograda por el derecho, para asegurar un debido equilibrio entre los derechos de los particulares y los intereses publicos.
Accommodative ET-High AC/A Ratio Esotropia: The Case for Glasses.

Background and purpose There is a continuing debate as to whether the patient optically correctable at distance to within 8 prism diopters of perfect alignment requires treatment for persisting overconvergence at near, and if treatment is indicated, what it should be. Patients and methods For the patient whose misalignment at distance is reduced to 8 or fewer prism diopters, my preference is for the full cycloplegic correction plus a bifocal in the first prescription, to discourage virtually all accommodation initially, with pull back later. Results Review of several reports indicates a continued lack of consensus on whether this causes disuse weakening of accommodation and premature presbyopia. Recent studies found that prolonged convergence tone at near can result in anatomic and physiologic alterations in the medial rectus muscles that threaten a satisfactory distance alignment as well, despite relief of the accommodative demand. Hypoaccommodative esotropia resembles the high AC/A variety. Conclusion Spontaneously improving over-convergence at near is not likely to occur in the hypoaccommodating patient either with observation alone or with surgery. I reserve surgery for the over-convergence at near for the unusual case of an extremely high distance-near disparity, and for the teenager or adult not showing likelihood that the condition will resolve.
Prognostic factors in follicular lymphoma: new tools to personalize risk

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common indolent lymphoma, and it has a long median overall survival (OS). However, the recent discovery of clinical and biological prognostic biomarkers in FL is shedding light on FL heterogeneity and the need for a precise and risk-stratified individual approach at diagnosis and relapse. Many FL patients who are asymptomatic with indolent disease can be vulnerable to the toxicity, emotional distress, and financial burden of overtreatment. Yet a subset of FL patients develop chemoresistance to standard chemoimmunotherapy, experience transformation to aggressive lymphoma and rapid progression, and represent the population most in need of novel therapies and curative approaches. Novel biomarkers that incorporate both clinical and genetic determinants of poor risk are being developed with the hope of identifying high-risk patients at diagnosis in order to offer biologically rational targeted therapies.
Buffer Layer Point Contacts for CIGS Solar Cells Using Nanosphere Lithography and Atomic Layer Deposition

Point contacts provide an interesting approach for reducing the buffer layer/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 interface recombination that typically limits Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cell performance when nontoxic alternatives to CdS buffer layers are used. In this study, we implement a scheme to create a point contact buffer layer on Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 solar cells using a combination of atomic layer deposition and nanosphere lithography. While we showcase these buffer layers using Al2O3 as the passivating material, ZnO as the conductive material, and a silica nanosphere size of 310 nm in diameter, this scheme is general and could readily be applied for other materials and other sphere sizes. The resulting solar cells with Al2O3 and ZnO point contact buffer layers demonstrate successful application of this scheme, yielding a higher conversion efficiency ( $6.58\,\pm \,0.58\% $ ) than either of the binary buffer layers Al2O3 (0%) and ZnO ( $5.15\,\pm \,0.57\% $ ). The improvement over ZnO is mainly due to an increased open circuit voltage, which is an indication of a reduced surface recombination.
Practical considerations for coordinate system rotations in mode-space

Coordinate system rotations performed in spherical mode-space are more accurate than the same rotations performed in field-space, since they alleviate all interpolation-related issues. This paper presents an easy-to-understand algorithm for performing rotations in spherical mode-space. This is followed by the presentation of a set of recurrence relations that can be used to efficiently compute the set of rotation coefficients. Finally, a set of relationships are derived which relate the Euler z-y′-z″ rotations to the more intuitive Az-over-El and El-over-Az rotations.
Long-Range Enhancement of β-Globin Gene Expression Is Dependent on Gt Motifs Residing in the HS3 Core Element of the Locus Control Region.

Abstract Normal expression of the human β-globin genes is dependent on a powerful regulatory element residing upstream of the globin gene cluster referred as the locus control region (LCR), physically characterized by five DNAseI-hypersensitive sites (HS1 to HS5). Of particular interest is HS3, which is characterized by a 225 bp core element region containing seven GT motifs (GT1 to GT7) that alternate with four GATA-1 binding sites. The GT motifs are bound by a family of Kruppel-like factors and are important for proper expression of many housekeeping and tissue-specific genes. We previously demonstrated in transgenic mice carrying a 248 kb human β-globin yeast artificial chromosome in which the GT6 motif (GT6m β-YAC) was mutated resulted in a decrease in e- and γ-globin gene expression during embryonic erythropoiesis and a decrease in γ-globin expression during definitive erythropoiesis, thus, providing evidence that a single transcriptional motif distantly located can have profound effects on gene expression. We have used the same β-YAC transgenic mouse model system to analyze the function of the remaining six GT motifs of the HS3 core element. Currently we have produced transgenic mice carrying either a mutation of GT1/2 (GT1 and GT2 motifs overlap) or GT3. Total RNA was isolated from yolk sac, liver and blood samples of transgenic F2 embryos at 12- and 14-day postconception and adult blood, and subjected to RNAse protection analysis. The GT1/2m β-YAC transgenic mice exhibited normal e- and γ-globin gene expression during embryonic erythropoiesis, but during definitive erythropoiesis γ-globin gene expression was reduced 4 to 5 fold in day 12- and day 14- fetal livers. In the two GT1/2m β-YAC transgenic lines produced, β-globin gene expression was reduced and levels varied from 12.3% ± 2.9% to 63.2% ± 5.8% of endogenouse murine α-globin indicating that β-globin expression is strongly influenced by the position of integration of the transgene. In contrast, the GT3m β-YAC transgenic mice the mutation to GT3 had no effect on globin gene expression during development. Our results suggest that multiple GT motifs within the same highly complex regulatory element contribute differently to the enhancement of the downstream genes.
Impact of the REACH II and REACH VA Dementia Caregiver Interventions on Healthcare Costs.

Objective Examine caregiver and care recipient healthcare costs associated with caregivers’ participation in Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregivers Health (REACH II or REACH VA) behavioral interventions to improve coping skills and care recipient management. Design RCT (REACH II); propensity-score matched, retrospective cohort study (REACH VA). Setting Five community sites (REACH II); 24 VA facilities (REACH VA). Participants Care recipients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their caregivers who participated in REACH II study (analysis sample of 110 caregivers and 197 care recipients); care recipients whose caregivers participated in REACH VA and a propensity matched control group (analysis sample of 491). Measurements Previously collected data plus Medicare expenditures (REACH II) and VA costs plus Medicare expenditures (REACH VA). Results There was no increase in VA or Medicare expenditures for care recipients or their caregivers who participated in either REACH intervention. For VA care recipients, REACH was associated with significantly lower total VA costs of care (33.6%). VA caregiver cost data was not available. Conclusion In previous research, both REACH II and REACH VA have been shown to provide benefit for dementia caregivers at a cost of less than $5/day; however, concerns about additional healthcare costs may have hindered REACH's widespread adoption. Neither REACH intervention was associated with additional healthcare costs for caregivers or patients; in fact, for VA patients, there were significantly lower healthcare costs. The VA costs savings may be related to the addition of a structured format for addressing the caregiver's role in managing complex ADRD care to an existing, integrated care system. These findings suggest that behavioral interventions are a viable mechanism to support burdened dementia caregivers without additional healthcare costs.
The effect of degree of knowledge of results on time estimation

144 Ss estimated 5, 10 or 15 sec. with no-knowledge, some-knowledge or full-knowledge of results. Estimations began when S closed a switch and ended when he opened it, which stopped a Klockounter to which the switch was connected. Performances were not differentiated by the two levels of knowledge of results. There were no differences in mean estimations between knowledge groups, but significant differences in average error between control and each knowledge group (p.<.05). Inconsistencies between mean estimations and average errors were attributed to absence of a constant error in estimating short intervals.
Health-care reform and its impact on African-American surgical specialists

Since 1960, numerous concepts of health-care reform have been submitted to the US Congress and the American public with different viewpoints and objectives. The priority for the US Congress to pass a bipartisan health-reform plan has been circumvented by the newly elected majority Republican Congress. Nevertheless, health-care cost containment, quality control, and health-care delivery concepts have been implemented gradually into the concept of competitive managerial health care. A few of the serious problems in the African-American community are the efficiency and quality of the health-care delivery system and the effects of managed care on African-American primary physicians and surgical specialists. The critical shortages of this group, especially the latter, may create a dilemma in the implementation of a quality surgical care delivery system. The Association of American Medical Colleges, the American College of Surgeons, and other affiliating organizations should become sensitized to the African-American community's health needs, deficiencies, and the rational institution of an equitable, efficient, comprehensive, and quality health-care plan coupled with a sustained and increasing supply of certified, diversified, and experienced African-American surgical manpower in company with family practice physicians and primary care physicians.
The current trend in genital herpes. Progress in prevention.

Recent serosurveys indicate that the prevalence of genital herpes has continued to increase even during the decade of HIV. Much of this continued transmission is due to the difficulty of identifying the subclinical carrier of HSV-2. The development of serologic assays that accurately distinguish HSV-1 from HSV-2 infection now allow such persons to be identified, and recent studies indicate almost all HSV-2 seropositives have symptoms and signs of reactivation HSV-2. Moreover, over 50% will shed virus subclinically in the genital tract. This underestimation of this reactivation rate appears to be another factor in the continued spread of the virus throughout the population
Shock-tube development for high-pressure and low-temperature chemical kinetics experiments

A new shock-tube facility targeting lower temperatures and long test times is described. The single-pulse shock tube uses either lexan diaphragms or die-scored aluminum disks of up to 4 mm in thickness. The modular design of the tube allows for optimum operation over a large range of thermodynamic conditions from 1 to 100 atm and between 600-4000 K behind the reflected shock wave. Test times up to 20 ms can be obtained using the proper driver-driven configuration featuring a longer driver section. The system includes a smart gas handling and vacuum system; high temporal and spatial resolution, multi-channel data acquisition boards; and the capability to apply several optical diagnostics. The new facility allows for ignition delay time, chemical kinetics, high-temperature spectroscopy, vaporization, atomization, and solid particulate studies. Details on the layout are presented, and the largest potential contributors to the overall uncertainty are identified.
Abstract TP386: Growing Intracranial Aneurysms in Older Patients Tend to Have Higher Annual Growth Rates

Introduction: Numerous previous studies have discussed the correlation between patient age and aneurysm rupture. However, the existing base of knowledge regarding the relationship between patient age and aneurysm growth, specifically growth rate, is significantly smaller. The objective of this study is to examine the correlation between patient age and aneurysm growth in order to help devise better clinical management strategies. Hypothesis: Growing aneurysms in older patients will exhibit a higher mean growth rate relative to those in younger patients. Methods: In this study, the records of 361 patients between the age of 40 and 97 at the time of initial diagnosis with unruptured intracranial aneurysms in the UCLA Medical Center between January 2005 and December 2015 were reviewed. These patients were continuously followed using CTA neurovascular imaging, ending when the patient either received surgical or endovascular treatment or discontinued follow-up visits. Results: A total of 496 UIA in the 361 pat...
Practical efficiency limits of electroluminescent cooling

Refrigeration is an intrinsic feature of light-emitting diodes, a fact that was recognized decades ago but has so far eluded direct experimental observation at practical power densities. The problem is insufficient external luminescence efficiency; for net cooling to occur, the losses in the device must be close to zero, and a sufficiently efficient LED has yet to materialize. We propose a possible structure for such an LED, and predict that with existing optoelectronic material quality and device processing, electroluminescent refrigeration is not only possible but is potentially more efficient than its solid-state alternatives, particularly at low temperature.
Genetic Algorithm for a class of Knapsack Problems.

The 0/1 knapsack problem is weakly NP-hard in that there exist pseudo-polynomial time algorithms based on dynamic programming that can solve it exactly. There are also the core branch and bound algorithms that can solve large randomly generated instances in a very short amount of time. However, as the correlation between the variables is increased, the difficulty of the problem increases. Recently a new class of knapsack problems was introduced by D. Pisinger called the spanner knapsack instances. These instances are unsolvable by the core branch and bound instances; and as the size of the coefficients and the capacity constraint increase, the spanner instances are unsolvable even by dynamic programming based algorithms. In this paper, a genetic algorithm is presented for spanner knapsack instances. Results show that the algorithm is capable of delivering optimum solutions within a reasonable amount of computational duration.
Effect of retinoic acid on the acylation of phospholipids in granulocytes in, vitro

Abstract The influence of retinoic acid on the incorporation of [1-14C]palmitic acid and [1-14C]arachidonic acid into phospholipids was examined in guinea pig peritoneal granulocytes. All- trans -retinoic acid inhibited the incorporation of both fatty acids into phsophatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol. However, it stimulated the incorporation of both fatty acids into phosphatidylcholine but not other phospholipids. All- trans -retinoic acid was more effective than 13- cis -retinoic acid. The influence of all- trans -retinoic acid on the acylation of phospholipids was concentration-dependent with significant effect occurring at 2.1 μM. The loss of labeled fatty acids from prelabeled phospholipids and the transport of labeled fatty acids into granulocytes were not responsive to the presence of retinoic acid in the incubation media. These results suggest that retinoic acid may affect the activities of acyltransferases involved in the synthesis of phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine.
Precision medicine and actionable alterations in lung cancer.

e20707Background: In recent years, healthcare centers have become more reliant on the advent of new technology, testing methods and a greater use of electronic medical records, which provide a plet...
Workforce Allocation in Motorcycle Transmission Assembly Lines: A Case Study on Modeling, Analysis, and Improvement

This letter presents a case study of workforce allocation in a gear assembly line at a motorcycle powertrain manufacturing plant. Through structural modeling of operators’ work flow and part flow, assembly system models with different configurations are developed. Using iterative aggregation techniques, the performances of such systems are analyzed, and the associated workforce allocation strategies are investigated. By identifying and mitigating system bottlenecks, improvement recommendations are obtained. Such a study provides an effective method for operator assignment in assembly systems.
Removing randomness from evolutionary algorithms

It is natural to think of Evolutionary Algorithms as highly stochastic search methods. This can also make Evolutionary Algorithms, and particularly recombination, quite difficult to analyze. One way to reduce randomness involves the quadratization of functions, which is commonly used by modern optimization methods, and also has applications in quantum computing. After a function is made quadratic, random mutation is obsolete and unnecessary; the location of improving moves can be calculated deterministically, on average in O(1) time. Seemingly impossible problems, such as the Needle-in-a-Haystack, becomes trivial to solve in quadratic form. One can also provably tunnel, or jump, between local optima and quasilocal optima in O(n) time using deterministic genetic recombination. The talk also explores how removing randomness from Evolutionary Algorithms might provide new insights into natural evolution. Finally, a form of evolutionary algorithm is proposed where premature convergence is impossible and the evolutionary potential of the population remains open-ended.
Switch-like control of helicase processivity by single-stranded DNA binding protein

Helicases utilize the energy of NTP hydrolysis to translocate along single-stranded nucleic acids (NA) and unwind the duplex. In the cell, helicases function in the context of other NA-associated proteins which regulate helicase function. For example, single-stranded DNA binding proteins are known to enhance helicase activity, although the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. F. acidarmanus XPD helicase serves as a model for understanding the molecular mechanisms of Superfamily 2B helicases, and previous work has shown that its activity is enhanced by the cognate single-stranded DNA binding protein RPA2. Here, single-molecule optical trap measurements of the unwinding activity of a single XPD helicase in the presence of RPA2 reveal a mechanism in which XPD interconverts between two states with different processivities and transient RPA2 interactions stabilize the more processive state, activating a latent "processivity switch" in XPD. These findings provide new insights on mechanisms of helicase regulation by accessory proteins.
Adaptive Mesh Refinement

One of the advantages of element-based Galerkin methods is that they are geometrically flexible. We define geometric flexibility as the capacity of a method to handle unstructured meshes. This is important if, say, we wish to develop a general partial differential equation (PDE) solver for use in arbitrary domains (e.g., on complex geometries such as shells [39], flow over an aircraft [256], or flow over complex terrain [162]). Unstructured meshes arise from having to solve real-world problems and often times the grids are generated by scanning a physical object (e.g., the surface of the human body, surface of the planet, etc.). However, geometric flexibility can also mean that a numerical method for solving PDEs is amenable to adaptive mesh refinement (AMR).
Reimaginando pelo afeto o feminismo negro na era da interseccionalidade

Resenha de: NASH, Jennifer C. Black Feminisms Reimagined: After Intersectionality . Durham: Duke University Press, 2019. 170 p.
Integrating the concept of cultural intelligence into health education and health promotion

Objectives:Since the 1990s, cultural competence and cultural humility have been advanced across health disciplines, including health education and promotion, as approaches to use to address the hea...
Edge counts for the auxiliary pair graph within the graphical unitary group approach

Closed-form expressions are presented for the numbers of edges in the auxiliary pair graphs (APGs) associated with non spin–orbit and spin–orbit Shavitt graphs for full configuration interaction ex...
Bayesian Nonparametric Intrinsic Image Decomposition

We present a generative, probabilistic model that decomposes an image into reflectance and shading components. The proposed approach uses a Dirichlet process Gaussian mixture model where the mean parameters evolve jointly according to a Gaussian process. In contrast to prior methods, we eliminate the Retinex term and adopt more general smoothness assumptions for the shading image. Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling techniques are used for inference, yielding state-of-the-art results on the MIT Intrinsic Image Dataset.
Interaction of Platelets, Tumor Cells and Subendothelial Surfaces

The metastatic dissemination of tumour cells in the circulation appears to involve at least four distinct stages 1: (i) the release of cells from the primary tumour; (ii) transportation within the circulation; (iii) attachment to a vessel wall at a distant site; and (iv) extravasation and subsequent proliferation of the secondary tumour. There is considerable evidence that platelets may have a major role in the last three of these stages; namely, the transportation of tumor cells within the circulation, their subsequent attachment to the vessel wall, and the growth of the secondary tumour 2. In fact, the possible role of platelets in the metastatic process was apparently first recognised from the histological observations of Billroth in 1878 and Schmidt in 1903 on the association of tumor cells with platelet aggregates and thrombi during postmortem examinations. The preferential formation of metastases has also been noted at sites of surgical intervention after removal of the primary tumor 1,3, and at sites of vessel damage.
Electrophysiology in Experimental Siderosis: a Follow-up Study after Removal of Intraocular Foreign Body

An iron foreign body was placed intravitreously in 19 rabbits. In 11 animals the foreign body was surgically removed after approximately 13 weeks and in 8 animals the extraction was performed after about 2 weeks.
Distinct patterns of intracerebral hemorrhage-induced alterations in NF-κB subunit, iNOS, and COX-2 expression

Transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), plays a key role in regulating inflammation in brain pathologies. The goal of this study was to characterize temporal changes in NF-kappaB activation, NF-kappaB subunit expression, and expression of selected NF-kappaB-regulated gene products [inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2], at the transcriptional and translational level in the brain after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Employing the intrastriatal injection of autologous blood in rats to model ICH, we demonstrated, using NF-kappaB-DNA binding assay, a robust and prolonged NF-kappaB activation, starting as early as 15 min after the onset of ICH. Consequently, we demonstrated that the mRNA and protein for p50, p52, p65, c-Rel, and RelB NF-kappaB subunits, as well as IkappaBalpha were all up-regulated, with a time course ranging from minutes to days following ICH, depending on the subunit. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to analyze mRNA and immunoblotting to analyze protein in ICH-affected tissue, we found robust induction of iNOS at both mRNA and protein levels that followed a time-course similar to changes in p65, p52, and RelB mRNA. Oddly, in contrast to iNOS, cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA and protein following an early transient increase demonstrated significant reduction in response to ICH. In summary, NF-kappaB activation occurs within minutes and persists for at least a week in response to ICH. This reaction utilizes different NF-kappaB regulatory subunits and is associated with the expression of selected target genes.
A mobile system for non-centralized target tracking in presence of dynamic interferences

This paper focuses on the application of particle filtering to tracking a single target by a network of mobile agents using measurements affected by dynamic interferences. The proposed solution is of general value and can be applied to systems with limited resources, and constraints on sensing modes, power and bandwidth utilization, and algorithm complexity. The highlight of the method is on its ability to handle multiple unknown dynamic sources of interference by compensation, which does not require prior information about the number of interferers, their locations, mobilities and powers, and does not attempt direct estimation of the number of interferers and their parameters and dynamics. The solution relies on a model that introduces a bias in the measurement equation that accounts for the interference contributions. We provide simulation results which demonstrate the performance of the proposed system.
The Costs of Being Public After Sarbanes-Oxley: The Irony of 'Going Private'

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 added numerous costs to the burden of being a public company. The most onerous of these, requiring inside and outside assessment of internal controls, is only now affecting the costs of remaining a public company. After reviewing the reports of increased compliance costs for larger companies, this paper reports on the increasing numbers of companies choosing to terminate reporting under the securities laws, and focuses on the costs reported for those (generally smaller) companies that disclose their actual compliance costs.
Prevalence of Chronic Pain in a Large Integrated Healthcare Delivery System in the U.S.A.

Background There is a paucity of published data on the prevalence of chronic pain conditions within large, integrated healthcare organizations in the U.S.A. Such data are essential to inform the development of appropriate treatment programs. Methods Twenty-five selected pain conditions were used to identify patients receiving care within the Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) who were enrolled in the Health Alliance Plan (HAP), a subsidiary of HFHS. Patients aged ≥ 18 years, enrolled in HAP in 2010, and having ≥ 2 encounters, ≥ 30 days apart, with an ICD-9-CM diagnosis code for a pain condition of interest during 2010 were counted. Variables included in the study were as follows: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and Charlson comorbidity conditions and index score. Results Altogether, 14,784 persons (11.6% of the total adult population) met the criteria for having a chronic pain condition. Overall, the study population was 64.4% female and had mean age (SD) of 61.2 (15.6) years and mean BMI of 31.4 (7.2) kg/m2. Musculoskeletal pain conditions were the most common diagnoses, comprising 75.4% of all pain diagnoses. Diabetes and chronic pulmonary disease were the most common medical comorbidities. Conclusions In this comprehensive analysis of 2 years of data from a large, vertically integrated metropolitan health system, chronic pain was identified in 12% of adult patients. Approximately 75% of chronic pain conditions were musculoskeletal. The triad of age ≥ 60 years, BMI ≥ 30, and female sex were the most salient demographic characteristics of patients with chronic pain conditions. These diagnostic and demographic data may be used to inform treatment program development.
Recombinant P4 bacteriophages propagate as viable lytic phages or as autonomous plasmids in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

We demonstrate the use of bacteriophage P4 as a molecular cloning vector in Klebsiella pneumoniae. A hybrid P4 phage, constructed in vitro, that contains a K. pneumoniae hisDG DNA fragment can be propagated either as a lytic viable specialized transducing phage or as an autonomous, self-replicating plasmid. Hybrid P4 genomes existing as plasmids can be readily converted into non-defective P4-hybrid phage particles by superinfection with helper phage P2. Infection of a K. pneumoniae hisD non-P2 lysogen with P4-hisD hybrid phage results in approximately 90% of the infected cells becoming stably transduced to HisD+. Because P4 interferes with P2 growth, high titre stocks of P4 hybrid phages are relatively free (≤10-6) of P2 contamination. The hisG gene product was detected in ultraviolet light irradiated host cells infected by the P4-hisDG hybrid phage. A mutant of P4 (P4sidl) that directs the packaging of P4 DNA into P2 sized capsids should permit the construction of hybrid phages carrying 26 kilobase inserts.
Book Review: Plastic Surgery, 3rd Edition. Volume 2: Aesthetic Surgery

Richard J. Warren , ed. Plastic Surgery, 3rd Edition. Volume 2: Aesthetic Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders, 2012. ISBN-10: 1455710539 Volume 2 of the third edition of the 6-volume set entitled Plastic Surgery focuses on aesthetics. The primary editor of this series is Dr Peter C. Neligan from Seattle, Washington (primarily a reconstructive surgeon), and the editor for this volume is Dr Richard J. Warren from Vancouver, British Columbia (who is also the Continuing Medical Education Editor for Aesthetic Surgery Journal ). The book is divided into 2 sections: Aesthetic Surgery of the Face and General Aesthetic Surgery. Section 1, Aesthetic Surgery of the Face, is quite extensive and wide-ranging. The section is highlighted by multiple chapters from several well-known authors describing their various techniques for facelifts and necklifts, as well as 5 consecutive chapters focused on the nose and nasal surgery, including separate chapters on open and closed rhinoplasty techniques. Other chapters are devoted to nonsurgical skin care, injectables, nonsurgical …