cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OxyContin in Ontario: the multiple materialities of prescription painkillers.

Abstract Background In the past decade, OxyContin diversion and misusehave been firmly established in Ontarian public discourse as serious problems requiring major intervention.This article contextualizes and theorizesthe processes through which the marketing of the prescription opioid and its subsequent problematization occurred. Theanalysis refuses the impossible choice between the ‘deserving pain patient' and the ‘undeserving addict,' between the war on pain and the war on drugs, and between a notion of OxyContin as either miracle panacea or destructive poison. Rather than falling in step with these binaries, OxyContinis theorized across them, or multiply , with the aim of moving beyond established moral and theoretical registers for exploring embodied consumption. Methods This discursive study is based on a broad range of texts collected between 2009-2013: Hansard reports from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; newspaper, magazine, and internet coverage of OxyContin; and policy documents, research reports, and position papers and news releases produced by government agencies, advocacy organizations, professional bodies, think tanks, tribal councils, and law enforcement agencies. Results Pharmaceutical industry and state actors have attempted to dualistically parse disparate materializations of OxyContin, a tactic that intensified as media pressure helped produce the notion of a public health crisis and, implicitly, a crisis of welfare dependence. By focusing on the (impossible) task of stratifying proper from improper use, the drug's advocatessought to secure the integrity of opioid painkillers and to protect their materialization as vehicles for maintaining a body that is normal, stable, and in control, as opposed to a body of excess that threatens to expose the consumerist logic of contemporary medicine. Conclusion Attempts to contain the multiplicity of OxyContin result in the further entrenchment of privatized and individualized approaches to pain and painkilling and serve to undermine rather than secure public health and safety.
Dissolution Testing of Acetaminophen Suspension Using Dialysis Adapter in Flow-Through Apparatus: A Technical Note

Dissolution testing is an important tool during drug development, characterization, and quality control of both immediate- and controlled-release formulations. It has been used for evaluating candidate formulations and for understanding possible risks related to specific gastrointestinal factors, potential for dose dumping, food effects on bioavailability, and interaction with excipients (1,2). Recently, dissolution testing has been increasingly used to test dosage forms such as suspensions, soft gelatin capsules, creams and transdermal systems. To test these special dosage forms, special accessories are sometimes required. SOTAX Inc. recently introduced a dialysis adapter for release testing of solution and semisolid formulations. This device, as shown in Fig. 1, facilitates the use of dialysis tubing to sequester a sample in the center of the USP 4 standard 22.6 mm flow cell. The applications with this dialysis adapter are mainly for in vitro release testing of dispersed dosage forms. One publication by Burgess’ group using this method compared dexamethasone release from extruded and non-extruded liposomes (3). Results showed that the USP apparatus 4 method with this dialysis adapter could discriminate between solution, suspension, and liposome formulations of dexamethasone. Fig. 1 Dialysis adapter from Sotax Inc The objective of this study was to evaluate this new dialysis adapter. An acetaminophen suspension drug product and various concentration acetaminophen solution samples were used to compare the flow-through method with and without the dialysis adapter, as well as to compare two different sizes of dialysis membranes. Other parameters such as flow rate, dissolution media, and medium ionic strengths were also studied.
Designing and implementing a cyberwar laboratory exercise for a computer security course

The development of a cyberwar laboratory exercise for a computer security course raises many pedagogical and management issues relating to the structure of the laboratory, its network and the exercise itself. We have designed, implemented and given such an exercise, and faced many of these issues. Evaluation of this exercise leads to multiple insights about the proper goals, structure and implementation of such an exercise.
Chronic Abdominal Pain Secondary to Mesh Erosion Into Ceacum Following Incisional Hernia Repair: A Case Report and Literature Review

Incisional hernias following abdominal operations are a common complication. Mesh is frequently employed in repair of these hernias. Mesh migration is an infrequent occurrence. We present the case of transmural mesh migration from the abdominal wall into the ceacum presenting as chronic abdominal pain. Given the popularity of minimally invasive surgery utilizing polypropylene mesh for incisional hernia repair, related complications such as postoperative hematoma and seroma, foreign body reaction, organ injury, infection, mesh rejection and fistula are increasingly being noted. Most of the mesh migrations reported in the literature involve the urinary bladder. We present a case of delayed mesh migration into the ceacum. Mesh migration is a rare and peculiar complication that is rarely reported in the literature. A review of the literature shows that there are no other cases of mesh migration into ceacum several years after open type incisional hernia repair.
Graph-based Generalized Latent Semantic Analysis for Document Representation

Document indexing and representation of term-document relations are very important for document clustering and retrieval. In this paper, we combine a graph-based dimensionality reduction method with a corpus-based association measure within the Generalized Latent Semantic Analysis framework. We evaluate the graph-based GLSA on the document clustering task.
Effect of Ferroelectricity on Electron Transport in Pt / BaTiO 3 / Pt Tunnel Junctions

Based on first-principles calculations, we demonstrate the impact of the electric polarization on electron transport in ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs). Using a $\mathrm{Pt}/{\mathrm{BaTiO}}_{3}/\mathrm{Pt}$ FTJ as a model system, we show that the polarization of the ${\mathrm{BaTiO}}_{3}$ barrier leads to a substantial drop in the tunneling conductance due to changes in the electronic structure driven by ferroelectric displacements. We find a sizable change in the transmission probability across the $\mathrm{Pt}/{\mathrm{BaTiO}}_{3}$ interface with polarization reversal, a signature of the electroresistance effect. These results reveal exciting prospects that FTJs offer as resistive switches in nanoscale electronic devices.
A Planar Quasi-Static Constraint Mode Tyre Model

The fast-paced, iterative, vehicle design environment demands efficiency when simulating suspension loads. Towards that end, a computationally efficient, linear, planar, quasi-static tyre model is developed in this work that accurately predicts a tyre's lower frequency, reasonably large amplitude, nonlinear stiffness relationship. The axisymmetric, circumferentially isotropic, stiffness equation is discretised into segments, then parameterised by a single stiffness parameter and two shape parameters. The tyre's deformed shape is independent of the overall tyre stiffness and the forces acting on the tyre. Constraint modes capture enveloping and bridging properties and a recursive method yields the set of active constraints at the tyre–road interface. The nonlinear stiffness of a tyre is captured by enforcing unidirectional geometric boundary conditions. The model parameters are identified semi-empirically; simulated cleat test loads match experiments within 7% including nonlinear stiffness when simulating ...
Integrated multimodal interaction using texture representations

In this paper, we explore texture mapping as a unified representation for enabling realistic multimodal interaction with finely detailed surfaces. We show how both normal maps and relief maps can be adopted as unified representations to handle collisions with textured rigid body objects, synthesize complex sound effects from long lasting collisions and perform rendering of haptic textures. The resulting multimodal display system allows a user to see, hear, and feel complex interactions with textured surfaces. By using texture representations for seamlessly integrated multimodal interaction instead of complex triangular meshes otherwise required, this work is able to achieve up to 25 times performance speedup and reduce up to six orders of magnitude in memory storage. We further validate the results through user studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of texture representations for integrated multimodal display. Graphical abstractDisplay Omitted HighlightsWe present a system displaying fine details of visuals, haptics, and audio.We present a new method for rigid-body physics on normal-mapped surfaces.Multimodal interaction with texture maps reduces sensory conflict.Users prefer multimodal relief map interaction over normal maps.
Synthesis of 24-heteroatom-substituted cholestanols

Short syntheses of 24-thia-5 alpha,20 xi-cholestan-3 beta-ol, 24-methyl-24-aza-5 alpha,20 xi-cholestan-3 beta-ol, and 24-nor-5 alpha,20 xi-cholan-3 beta-ol from 3 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnan-20-one are described. The products and synthetic intermediates have been fully characterized by the results of proton NMR, infrared, and high and low resolution mass spectral studies.
Comparison of pseudorandom modulated and pulsed lidars

Pseudorandom-modulated (PRM) cw lidars have the potential to replace more costly and complex lidar systems based on pulsed lasers. However, a PRM lidar is limited in sensitivity in some situations because the atmospheric return signal from one altitude acts as noise in retrieving signals from other altitudes.1 Retrieving small signals in a return with a large dynamic range requires much more signal accumulation than is necessary for the pulsed lidar. Atmospheric-lidar returns typically have adequate dynamic range, especially for zenith-pointed lidars. However, there are many potentially useful applications for PRM lidars, including target ranging and short-range atmospheric measurements.2
Preparation of Students for Marketing Research

There appears to be a substantial difference between the attitudes of professors of marketing and marketing research and those of practitioners on the kind of training necessary to prepare students for careers in marketing research. Recent research shows that many professors still have the same attitudes found in a 1957 study by the subcommittee on the teaching of marketing research of the American Marketing Association. In the meantime, marketing research has taken on new dimensions that require an even broader background in the social sciences.
Light and electron microscopic studies of meiosis and basidium ontogeny in Clavicorona pyxidata

Basidial development in Clavicorona pyxidata was examined using light and electron microscopy. Nuclear morphology from prekaryogamy to spore production was studied with particular emphasis on the s...
Aerodynamic and Thrust Force Modeling for a Propulsion Assisted Control Aircraft Test Bed

This paper presents the modeling of the aerodynamic and thrust forces for the West Virginia University (WVU) Propulsion Assisted Control (PAC) unmanned research aircraft. Specifically, a state space model of the aircraft was estimated from flight data, and the stability and control derivatives were extracted and optimized to determine the aerodynamic forces and moments. Dynamic thrust was modeled using wind tunnel experiments to evaluate its dependencies upon wind speed, RPM, and angle of attack. This was used to incorporate differential thrust into the aircraft model. The effects of differential thrust were analyzed through flight tests, where prolonged failures required active compensation from the pilot to keep the aircraft along its original flight path. This suggests that successful implementation of differential thrust could lead to an extra degree of freedom in compensating for lateral-directional failures within a fault tolerant flight control system.
Real-Time Spectroscopic Ellipsometry of Sputtered CdTe Thin Films: Effect of Ar Pressure on Structural Evolution and Photovoltaic Performance

In this study, 1 μm thick polycrystalline CdTe films were deposited by magnetron sputtering using a variable argon pressure, 2.5 ≤ pAr ≤ 50 mTorr, and a fixed substrate temperature, Ts = 230°C. Real time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE) was performed during deposition in order to analyze the nucleation and coalescence, as well as the evolution of the surface roughness thickness ds with bulk layer thickness db and the depth profile in the void volume fraction fv. A linear correlation was found between the final ds value measured by RTSE at the end of deposition and the root-mean-square (rms) surface roughness measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) ex situ after deposition. A monotonic decrease in RTSE-determined roughness thickness is observed with decreasing Ar pressure from 18 to 2.5 mTorr. The lowest pressure also leads to the greatest bulk layer structural uniformity; in this case, fv increases to 0.04 with increasing CdTe thickness to 1 μm. The photovoltaic performance of CdTe films prepared with the lowest pressure of pAr = 2.5 mTorr is compared with that of previously optimized CdTe solar cells with pAr = 10 mTorr.
POPULATION BIOLOGY OF CHAMAELIRIUM LUTEUM, A DIOECIOUS LILY. I. SPATIAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF MALES AND FEMALES.

The present series of papers considers the population biology of the dioecious herb Chamaelirium luteum (L.) Gray (Liliaceae) with special reference to the impact of sexual dimorphism on spatial distribution, resource allocation, life history, and sex ratios. This species is a perennial forest floor herb found typically on slopes of mesic hardwood forests. Its range extends from southwestern Massachusetts, as far west as Illinois and throughout the southeastern United States into northern Florida (Fernald, 1950; Radford et al., 1968). The plant consists of a basal rosette which does not undergo vegetative reproduction. It flowers from late April through May. The infloresence is produced from the center of the rosette and is an upright spike with leaves along 2/3 to 3/4 of its length and flowers on the remaining apical portion. There is a marked morphological sexual dimorphism: females have tall persistent inflorescences with many leaves whereas males have shorter inflorescences with fewer leaves. The male inflorescence withers away in late spring shortly after flowering, but the female inflorescence persists until the fall when the fruits mature. In many animal groups sexual dimorphism has been demonstrated in feeding behavior (Morse, 1968; Jackson, 1970), habitat choice (Feduccia and Slaughter, 1974), and, in some extreme cases, in geographical range (Bartholomew, 1970). Sexual dimorphism has also been documented in many dioecious plant species (see Lloyd and Webb, 1977, for recent review); and, since plants are nonmotile, it seems likely that ecological consequences of sexual dimorphism should be reflected in the relative distribution patterns of male and female plants. Studies into distribution of the sexes in dioecious plant species have either looked at nearest neighbor effects (Bawa and Opler, 1977; Melampy and Howe, 1977), or have examined the distribution of males and females along environmental gradients (Davey and Gibson, 1917; Harris, 1968; Dzhaparidge, 1969; Rathore, 1969; Freeman et al., 1976; Brockman and Bocquet, 1978; Opler and Bawa, 1978; Grant and Mitton, 1979). None of these studies used mapping techniques to follow the histories of individual plants in order to analyze in detail the influence of sexual dimorphism on the ecology and evolution of dioecious plant populations. In this paper, I address the problem of spatial patterns in the distribution of males and females in four populations of the markedly sexually dimorphic C. luteum with regard to the following questions. What is the scale of pattern in populations of this species? What factors might bring about differences in the distributions of the two sexes? Are the spatial distributions of males and females influenced by differences in microhabitats? What are the evolutionary consequences of differences in the distribution of males and females in a plant population?
The Role of Annular Lipids in the Mechanism of Membrane Protein Solubilization and Formation of Functionally Competent Proteomicelles

The “solubilization” procedure in which membrane proteins are extracted from their native lipid membranes and transferred into detergent micelles (proteomicelles) is a critical step in the purification of the protein for subsequent structure/function studies. In some notable examples it has become clear, however, that the properties of the proteins in proteomicelles depend on the detergent type and its concentration relative to the residual membrane lipids originating from the preparation. To reveal the molecular mechanism of the solubilization process and the effect of various lipid-to-detergent (L-D) ratios on the properties of the system, we performed extensive atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. We previously explored the properties of micelles formed by dodecyl-β-maltoside (DDM) detergent around the leucine transporter (LeuT), a bacterial homolog of the neurotransmitter:sodium symporter family, and showed how the DDM concentration determines the extent of detergent penetration into the functionally relevant secondary substrate (S2) binding site in LeuT. Here we present computational studies of LeuT embedded in proteomicelles at different L-D ratios exploring configurations of LeuT proteomicelles at different stages of the protein solubilization process. Our results reveal that at a sparse lipid annulus around the transporter, consisting of no more than ∼10 lipids, DDM partitions into the LeuT, engaging with the residues in the S2 site. Higher lipid concentrations protect the S2 site from DDM penetration. In contrast to DDM, MNG-3 (lauryl maltose-neopentyl glycol) detergent, an amphiphile known to better stabilize membrane proteins, does not penetrate the transporter even in the absence of lipids. Parallel experimental measurements of ligand binding to LeuT in the presence of increasing MNG-3 concentrations revealed that the functionality of the S2 site was fully preserved even at the highest (0.5%) MNG-3 concentration probed.
Effects of Photoperiod and Thermoperiod on Growth of Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Effects of temperature, photoperiod, and thermoperiod on growth of the black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), were investigated. No evidence of a periodically regulated larval or pupal diapause was obtained. Using 12:12 (L:D) photoperiods at different constant temperatures, developmental threshold temperatures were estimated for each of the postembryonic developmental stages (first instar to adult). Thermoperiods were shown to stimulate larval growth (weight and head width). Thermoperiods also tended to result in lower developmental threshold temperatures and in shorter stadia than did comparable constant temperature photoperiods. However, the percentage of the total larval developmental period represented by each stadium was found to be independent of both photoperiod and thermoperiod. No evidence was obtained that suggested a differential response to temperatures among successive instars. Results are discussed regarding developmental and seasonal biology of the species.
Iron addition to soil specifically stabilized lignin

The importance of lignin as a recalcitrant constituent of soil organic matter (SOM) remains contested. Associations with iron (Fe) oxides have been proposed to specifically protect lignin from decomposition, but impacts of Fe-lignin interactions on mineralization rates remain unclear. Oxygen (O2) fluctuations characteristic of humid tropical soils drive reductive Fe dissolution and precipitation, facilitating multiple types of Fe-lignin interactions that could variably decompose or protect lignin. We tested impacts of Fe addition on 13C methoxyl-labeled lignin mineralization in soils that were exposed to static or fluctuating O2. Iron addition suppressed lignin mineralization to 21% of controls, regardless of O2 availability. However, Fe addition had no effect on soil CO2 production, implying that Fe oxides specifically protected lignin methoxyls but not bulk SOM. Iron oxide-lignin interactions represent a specific mechanism for lignin stabilization, linking SOM biochemical composition to turnover via geochemistry.
Discovery of a Family of Desaturase-Like Enzymes for 1-Alkene Biosynthesis

1-Alkenes are important platform chemicals that are almost exclusively produced from fossil hydrocarbons. Bioproduction of 1-alkenes can mitigate our dependence on declining petrochemical resources, thereby representing an important step in the field of green chemistry. Here, we report the discovery of a new family of membrane-bound desaturase-like enzymes that convert medium-chain fatty acids (10–16 carbons) into the corresponding 1-alkenes through oxidative decarboxylation. We further show that these desaturase-like enzymes could be efficient in transforming lauric acid to 1-undecene in E. coli compared to the existing 1-alkene biosynthetic enzymes. This work expands the enzyme inventory for the transformation of fatty acid precursors to hydrocarbons and promotes the industrial production of medium-chain 1-alkenes through microbial fermentation.
Effect of Xuezhikang and Atorvastatin in the Treatment of Senile Hyperlipidemia Efficacy

Objective Observation of Xuezhikang and atorvastatin on old clinical therapeutic effect on hyperlipemia.Methods The hospital in 2011 June-2012 year in June admits the aged hyperlipidemia patients with 56 cases,were randomly divided into treatment group and control group,the control group was given Xuezhikang treatment,the treatment group was based on combined with atorvastatin treatment,were compared between two groups before and after treatment the clinical curative effect and blood lipid.Results The treatment group total effective rate was 92.9%(26/28),the control group in the total effective rate was 82.1%(23/28),there was significant difference between two groups(P0.05),with statistical significance.After a course of treatment,comparison group,treatment group TC decreased and HDL-C increased were better than the control group(P0.05).Conclusion In the aged hyperlipidemia in clinical treatment,combined with Xuezhikang and atorvastatin efficacy of ideal,worthy of further promotion and the application.
The plain style in early anti-slavery discourse: Reassessing the rhetorical beginnings of Quaker and Puritan advocacy

ABSTRACTThe two earliest public protests against slavery in British North America—the Germantown Quakers’ petition and Samuel Sewall’s The Selling of Joseph—are primarily discussed as rhetorical failures and have been largely reduced to entries on an anti-slavery timeline. The texts are further diminished for their lack of intensity compared with later abolitionist discourses. This essay reassesses these germinal protests as dynamic texts that engage and challenge two distinct conceptualizations of the plain style. In so doing, the texts and the plain style are both given renewed significance in the rhetorical history of the anti-slavery movement.
Laser Ultrasound Imaging of Lamb Waves in Thin Plates

Laser ultrasound offers many advantages over conventional piezoelectric ultrasound including the potential for rapid wide-area scanning, non-contacting (no couplant) generation and sensing, and large bandwidth [1,2]. Ultrasonic surface waves may be easily generated by a laser and can travel extended distances when the part is not immersed and loss to a surrounding water bath is eliminated. In addition, the geometric attenuation is significantly less as the sound energy spreads out in a circular annulus rather than in a spherical shell giving rise to an amplitude decay proportional to r −1/2.We have shown that synthetic focusing of laser ultrasound data [3] permits us to use this information to create images of near-surface defects outside the scan area. A single scan line can be used to image the complete surface of part with high speed, resolution, and sensitivity (Figure 1).
Commonsense Reasoning Using Unstructured Information

Structured information is information that computers can easily understand and reason with, such as algebraic expressions, logical formulas, frames, and database tables. Unstructured information is information that is not represented in such a form and is difficult for computers to understand. Examples of unstructured information include natural language text, audio, images, and video. Because unstructured information is so easy for humans to create, it is abundant. Much of the world’s data is unstructured. Given that there is so much unstructured information available, the question arises of how we might be able to use it for automated commonsense reasoning. We discuss the use of unstructured information, specifically natural language text, for commonsense reasoning. First, we describe attempts to use natural language as a programming language. We then review several restricted versions of English for reasoning, including reasoning in the event calculus. Then we discuss automated reasoning directly using natural language. Next, we describe the Watson system for natural language question answering and the WatsonPaths system built on top of Watson, which use unstructured information as a source of knowledge for reasoning. Finally, we compare the various natural language reasoning systems and methods.
Vibrational Stark Effects of Carbonyl Probes Applied to Reinterpret IR and Raman Data for Enzyme Inhibitors in Terms of Electric Fields at the Active Site.

IR and Raman frequency shifts have been reported for numerous probes of enzyme transition states, leading to diverse interpretations. In the case of the model enzyme ketosteroid isomerase (KSI), we have argued that IR spectral shifts for a carbonyl probe at the active site can provide a connection between the active site electric field and the activation free energy (Fried et al. Science 2014, 346, 1510–1514). Here we generalize this approach to a much broader set of carbonyl probes (e.g., oxoesters, thioesters, and amides), first establishing the sensitivity of each probe to an electric field using vibrational Stark spectroscopy, vibrational solvatochromism, and MD simulations, and then applying these results to reinterpret data already in the literature for enzymes such as 4-chlorobenzoyl-CoA dehalogenase and serine proteases. These results demonstrate that the vibrational Stark effect provides a general framework for estimating the electrostatic contribution to the catalytic rate and may provide a metr...
The changing definition of China in middle school history textbooks

Inspired by the dichotomous understanding of nationhood contributed by Brubaker (1992), this paper explores how Chinese nationhood is constituted by particular symbols in middle school historiography since the 1950s. In response to the analysis on the high school textbooks done by Baranovitch (2000), this study finds that the narratives in the middle school history textbooks have a similar transition from equating China to Han to defining China as a multi-ethnic nation. However, the analysis also demonstrates that the transition of the middle school history textbooks is not as complete and absolute as that of their high school counterparts. A textbook may follow different principles in nationhood configuration simultaneously. In the textbook narratives before the change, the jus sanguinis logic was dominant over the jus soli logic; in those in the textbooks after the change, Chinese nationhood was constituted by the jus soli principle and the jus sanguinis principle complementarily. This study questions the perception that a nation only consistently follows one philosophy in the symbolic consolidation of nationhood, and casts doubt on the understanding that jus sanguinis or jus soli logic is deeply rooted in the historical development of a nation and cannot change.
A New Clustering Algorithm for Processing GPS-Based Road Anomaly Reports With a Mahalanobis Distance

This paper considers a new clustering algorithm for processing time-evolving road anomaly reports. Two cluster categories, main and outlier, are defined to deal with outliers as well as to capture the evolving nature of road anomalies. The Mahalanobis distance is exploited to quantify the similarity between a new report and the existing clusters. The clusters are maintained online and the Woodbury matrix inverse lemma is used for their recursive updates. The proposed clustering algorithm can localize isolated anomalies and compress information for densely distributed anomalies. A simulation is presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
A comparison study between the saturation-recovery-T1 and CASL MRI methods for quantitative CBF imaging

The saturation-recovery (SR)-T1 MRI method for quantitatively imaging cerebral blood flow (CBF) change (ΔCBF) concurrently with the blood oxygenation level dependence (BOLD) alteration has been recently developed and validated by simultaneous measurement of relative CBF change using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in rats at 9.4T. In this study, ΔCBF induced by mildly transient hypercapnia and measured by the SR-T1 MRI method was rigorously compared with an established perfusion MRI method-continuous arterial spin labeling (CASL) approach in normal and preclinical middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) rat models. The results show an excellent agreement between ΔCBF values measured with these two imaging methods. Moreover, the intrinsic longitudinal relaxation rate (R1int) was experimentally determined in vivo in normal rat brains at 9.4T by comparing two independent measures of the apparent longitudinal relaxation rate (R1app) and CBF measured by the CSAL approach across a wide range of perfusion. In turn, the R1int constant can be employed to calculate the CBF value based on the R1app measurement in healthy brain. This comparison study validates the fundamental relationship for linking brain tissue water R1app and cerebral perfusion, demonstrates the feasibility of imaging and quantifying both CBF and its change using the SR-T1 MRI method in vivo.
An unusual case of jaundice: Biliary tumor thrombus in fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Background Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FL-HCC) is a rare and unique variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) whose presentation remains inadequately described. We present a resectable case of FL-HCC which involved tumor thrombus of the common bile duct. Presentation A 27 year-old male presenting with jaundice, abdominal pain, vomiting, hepatic dysfunction and hyperbilirubinemia was found to have a large liver mass and lymphadenopathy on preoperative imaging. A right hepatectomy with perihepatic lymph node dissection and cholecystectomy was performed. Intraoperative cholangiogram demonstrated common bile duct (CBD) obstruction. CBD exploration revealed biliary tumor thrombus relieved with biliary thrombectomy. Discussion FL-HCC can initially present with invading obstructing biliary tumor thrombus of the CBD causing jaundice. Conclusion Preoperative surgical approach should consider CBD exploration on an individual basis for underlying obstructive biliary tumor thrombus.
Securing Split Manufactured ICs with Wire Lifting Obfuscated Built-In Self-Authentication

Hardware Trojan insertion and intellectual property (IP) theft are two major concerns when dealing with untrusted foundries. Most existing mitigation techniques are limited in protecting against both vulnerabilities. Split manufacturing is designed to stop IP piracy and IC cloning, but it fails at preventing untargeted hardware Trojan insertion and incurs significant overheads when high level of security is demanded. Built-in self-authentication (BISA) is a low cost technique for preventing and detecting hardware Trojan insertion, but is vulnerable to IP piracy, IC cloning or redesign attacks, especially on original circuitry. In this paper, we propose an obfuscated built-in self-authentication (OBISA) technique that combines and optimizes both technique so that they complement and improve security against both vulnerabilities. Performance of the proposed OBISA technique is presented with experimental implementation on same benchmark circuits as used in the existing wire lifting technique. The security performance is evaluated with the most popular split manufacturing security metrics.
Development of a Clinically Viable Heroin Vaccine

Heroin is a highly abused opioid and incurs a significant detriment to society worldwide. In an effort to expand the limited pharmacotherapy options for opioid use disorders, a heroin conjugate vaccine was developed through comprehensive evaluation of hapten structure, carrier protein, adjuvant and dosing. Immunization of mice with an optimized heroin-tetanus toxoid (TT) conjugate formulated with adjuvants alum and CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) generated heroin “immunoantagonism”, reducing heroin potency by >15-fold. Moreover, the vaccine effects proved to be durable, persisting for over eight months. The lead vaccine was effective in rhesus monkeys, generating significant and sustained antidrug IgG titers in each subject. Characterization of both mouse and monkey antiheroin antibodies by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) revealed low nanomolar antiserum affinity for the key heroin metabolite, 6-acetylmorphine (6AM), with minimal cross reactivity to clinically used opioids. Following a series of heroin cha...
Establishment of NF-κB sensing and interleukin-4 secreting mesenchymal stromal cells as an “on-demand” drug delivery system to modulate inflammation

Chronic inflammation is associated with up-regulation of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and excessive inflammatory cytokine secretion by M1 macrophages. The anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-4 converts pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages into an anti-inflammatory and tissue-regenerative M2 phenotype, thus reducing inflammation and enhancing tissue regeneration. We have generated NF-κB responsive, or constitutively active IL-4 expression lentiviral vectors transduced into murine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). MSCs with a constitutively active IL-4 expression vector produced large quantities of IL-4 continuously, whereas IL-4 secretion was significantly induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the NF-κB sensing MSCs. In contrast, LPS had no effect on MSCs with IL-4 secretion driven by a constitutively active promoter. We also found that intermittent and continuous LPS treatment displayed distinct NF-κB activation profiles, and this regulation was independent of IL-4 signaling. The supernatant containing IL-4 from the LPS-treated MSCs suppressed M1 marker (inducible nitric oxide synthase [iNOS] and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNFα]) expression and enhanced M2 marker (Arginase 1, CD206 and IL1 receptor antagonist [IL1Ra]) expression in primary murine macrophages. The IL-4 secretion at the basal, non-LPS induced level was sufficient to suppress TNFα and enhance Arginase 1 at a lower level, but had no significant effects on iNOS, CD206 and IL1Ra expression. Finally, IL-4 secretion at basal or LPS-induced levels significantly suppressed osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. Our findings suggest that the IL-4 secreting MSCs driven by NF-κB sensing or constitutive active promoter have great potential for mitigating the effects of chronic inflammation and promoting earlier tissue regeneration.
EH (E = N, O) bond activation by a nucleophilic palladium carbene

Abstract E H bond cleavage by [{PC(sp2)P}Pd(PMe3)] (1, PC(sp2)P = iPr2P C6H4 C C6H4 PiPr2) of alcohols led to a series of new square-planar tridentate palladium alkoxides, [{PC(sp3)HP}Pd(OiPr)] (3), [{PC(sp3)HP}Pd(OtBu)] (4), and [{PC(sp3)HP}Pd(OPh)] (5, PC(sp3)HP = bis[2-(di-iso-propylphosphino)phenyl]methyl). The analogous reaction with amines led to the formation of [{PC(sp3)HP}Pd(NPh2)] (6) and [{PC(sp3)HP}Pd(NHMes)] (7). The molecular structure of 7 was further probed by a CO2 insertion reaction into the Pd N bond, yielding the corresponding carbamate 8. The molecular structures of 3–8 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and conform to the corresponding solution structures as determined by NMR spectroscopy. The reactivity of carbene 1 towards alcohols and amines is dictated by the nucleophilic/basic character at the carbene backbone carbon atom, the pKa and bond dissociation energy of the E H bond (E = N, O), and the steric properties of the organic substrates used.
Silicone Metacarpophalangeal Arthroplasty for Osteoarthritis: Long-Term Results

Purpose To demonstrate that silicone metacarpophalangeal (MCP) arthroplasty provides excellent long-term outcomes with a low complication rate in osteoarthritis patients. Methods A consecutive cohort of 35 patients with osteoarthritis of 1 or more MCP joints undergoing anatomically neutral silicone MCP arthroplasty was followed over a 15-year period. Functional outcomes including strength and range of motion (ROM), as well as complications, were recorded. All patients were available for long-term assessment including radiographs and outcomes questionnaire. Results Average follow-up for the cohort of 35 patients (40 implants) was 8.3 years (range, 2–17 years). Average age was 58 years (range, 42–80 years) with 22 men and 13 women. In 31 patients, a single MCP joint was involved (middle finger, 20; index finger, 10; little finger, 1). The dominant hand was involved in 23 patients. Seven (of 14) patients had a concomitant RCL reconstruction of the index finger MCP joint; no other digit had a collateral ligament reconstruction. Average final visual analog scale pain score was 0.3 of 10. Average final active ROM arc was from 4° (range, 0°–20°) to 73° (range, 50°–90°) of flexion. One patient had a revision MCP arthroplasty for a 97% clinical survivorship. Radiographs demonstrated fractured implants in 5 of 40 (12.5%) implants, but none exhibited instability, pain, or ROM deterioration. Average Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire score was 82 (of 100) at final follow-up. Conclusions Silicone arthroplasty is effective in the treatment of primary MCP osteoarthritis. Implant survivorship is 97% (clinical) and 88% (radiographic) in long-term follow-up. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Systems-Thinking and Beef Cattle Production Medicine: Issues of Health and Production Efficiency

Abstract Beef cattle production is done within a system that includes grazing on large amounts of land per cow; being fed high-calorie diets for a few months in large populations immediately prior to slaughter; long gestation and growth periods so that animals are sold for food 2-3 years from the time they were conceived; and, in most situations, more than two changes of ownership from birth to being sold for food. Because of the long time lags and multiple changes in ownership between intervention decisions and health and economic outcomes, a systems approach is necessary to accurately evaluate numerous potential management interventions to optimize animal health and productivity.
Neural crest and the patterning of vertebrate craniofacial muscles

Patterning of craniofacial muscles overtly begins with the activation of lineage-specific markers at precise, evolutionarily conserved locations within prechordal, lateral, and both unsegmented and somitic paraxial mesoderm populations. Although these initial programming events occur without influence of neural crest cells, the subsequent movements and differentiation stages of most head muscles are neural crest-dependent. Incorporating both descriptive and experimental studies, this review examines each stage of myogenesis up through the formation of attachments to their skeletal partners. We present the similarities among developing muscle groups, including comparisons with trunk myogenesis, but emphasize the morphogenetic processes that are unique to each group and sometimes subsets of muscles within a group. These groups include branchial (pharyngeal) arches, which encompass both those with clear homologues in all vertebrate classes and those unique to one, for example, mammalian facial muscles, and also extraocular, laryngeal, tongue, and neck muscles. The presence of several distinct processes underlying neural crest:myoblast/myocyte interactions and behaviors is not surprising, given the wide range of both quantitative and qualitative variations in craniofacial muscle organization achieved during vertebrate evolution.
Targeting Astrocytes With Viral Gene Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia worldwide, results from the accumulation of amyloid plaques within the brain parenchyma and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles within degenerating neurons. While neuronal degeneration is the major consequence of the disease, leading to memory loss, cognitive decline, and eventual death, other cell types within the central nervous system contribute to disease pathogenesis. In this chapter, we examine the essential role of astrocytes in normal brain physiology and in AD pathogenesis. Furthermore, we explore astrocyte-specific mechanisms that provide potential targets for intervention with novel viral gene transfer technologies that provide specific and efficient astrocyte transduction. Finally, we review several preclinical studies that illustrate the possibility that astrocytes can be selectively targeted to attenuate and potentially reverse disease progression.
METABOLISM OF PYRAZOLE IN THE RAT1

Hydrolysis and chromatography of urine from male Sprague-Dawley rats injected with pyrazole-3,4−14C (PC14), and comparison with authentic material, have shown that the major metabolite of pyrazole (P) in rats is 4-hydroxypyrazole, excreted in hydrolyzable conjugated forms. Urinary unchanged P is usually less than 10% of the injected dose. The distribution of PC14 in 20 tissues 4 hours after IP injection of 1 mmole/kg PC14 showed low levels in fat (0.4 mM) and skin (0.9 mM) and high levels in stomach (4.4 mM); other tissues had levels of about 1 mM. Kinetics of P's disappearance from blood are complicated; the curves (after IP doses of 0.2, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mmoles/kg) are sigmoidal and may indicate induction of a hydroxylating enzyme. When an IP dose of 2.0 mmoles/kg PC14 was given at various blood levels of ethanol (maintained by infusion), not only was alcohol metabolism greatly slowed, but P oxidation was essentially stopped at high (300 mg/100 ml) blood levels of ethanol; under these circumstances, the percentage of unchanged urinary P rose to 75%.
Stimulation via Electric and Magnetic Fields

Electromagnetic (E-M) fields are ubiquitous in modern society. Radio frequency fields, for example, are produced by a variety of communications devices. Extremely low-frequency fields are produced by power transmission and distribution lines, as well as by home wiring and appliances. Some environmental exposures can result in measurable short-term reactions. The electric fields from high-voltage transmission lines, for example, can provide the opportunity for electric shock under some circumstances. The new generation of magnetic resonance imagers press the limits where perceptible effects might be caused by their time-varying gradient fields. Numerous research efforts have focused on biological effects associated with both short-term and chronic exposure to low-level E-M fields. Although chronic exposure issues are beyond the intended scope of this book, biophysical mechanisms proposed to account for chronic effects are treated briefly in Chapter 11.
The effect of DFMO induced uptake of [3H] putrescine on human glioma cells.

Polyamine synthesis inhibitors, such as α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), inhibit tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. However, upon cessation of treatment, tumor growth resumes. We hypothesized that incorporation of radioactive polyamines might kill the growth-arrested cells. This hypothesis was previously tested in rat 9L brain tumor cells in which DFMO increased both the uptake and the retention of [3H] putrescine. In these rat cells, DFMO-induced retention of high-specific-activity [3H] putrescine for 20 days resulted in several logs killing. In the present studies all of the 5 different human glioma cell lines tested with DFMO treatment also showed enhanced uptake of exogenous [3H] putrescine, reduced cell counts and enhanced killing of colony forming cells (CSF). Extending the time of DFMO treatment of cells that had taken up high-specific-activity (80 Ci/mmol) [3H] putrescine further increased the killing. A 10-day extension resulted in a 10,000-fold reduction in cumulative cell growth. A 5-day extension resulted in a 2–3 log decrease in numbers of surviving CFC. These data further support the hypothesis and suggest that DFMO-induced cell cycle arrest enhances cellular retention of [3H] putrescine, increasing the effective internal radiation dose enough to cause proliferative death. In a clinical setting, the short (∼ 1 μm) path-length of the tritium β particle should limit effects to the tumor cells and spare adjacent normal cells. These results support the concept that treatment with the combination of polyamine inhibitors and radioactive polyamines might be a useful adjunct to current therapies for glioblastoma multiforme.
Special Considerations For LWR Neutron Dosimetry Experiments

Characterization of the irradiation environments for operating boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor (PWR) power plants is essential for the proper analysis and application of research and power reactor test and surveillance program results.
Upper and Lower Integrals

Throughout this chapter, unless specified otherwise, we assume that (X, F, μ) is a general measure space. That is, X is a nonempty set, F is a σ-algebra of subsets of X, and \(\mu : {\bf F} \to [0,\;\infty )\)
Undergraduate students’ attitudes toward and perceptions of hospitality careers in mainland China

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to identify and evaluate factors that influence Chinese hospitality students’ career decision-making processes based on a modified perception importance analysis approach. ...
Neuromodulator for the Treatment of Congenital Unilateral Lower Lip Palsy.

Introduction:Congenital unilateral lower lip palsy is an infrequently encountered condition that manifests as lower lip asymmetry during smiling, laughing, and crying. Treatment options are not wel...