cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND OF ECONOMIC HISTORY: RECENT TRENDS IN THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY

A decade has passed since I surveyed the first 50 years of the Journal of Economic History . Whaples, “Quantitative History.” This note picks up that story by documenting changes in the “supply” of economic history since 1990—the topics of the J OURNAL'S articles, who has had articles published in its pages, and how rankings of economic-history programs are reflected by recent publications. In addition, I use data on articles published in the J OURNAL to examine the “demand” for economic history—which articles have been cited the most often and what types of articles are most likely to be cited.
The challenge and importance of standardizing pre-analytical variables in surgical pathology specimens for clinical care and translational research

The introduction of targeted cancer therapies into clinical practice, in which patients are selected for novel treatments based on results of companion molecular testing of their tumor specimens, has created significant new challenges for the surgical pathology laboratory. These include standardization of tissue handling and sample preparation with accurate documentation to ensure optimal quality of clinical samples to reduce the risk of errors in molecular biology tests. The assay of tumor tissues for biomarkers that can provide predictive data for prognosis or treatment should enable selection of the most appropriate therapies (Yaziji et al. 2008, Hicks and Kulkarni 2008). Major advances have been made in the ability to profile clinical samples for research at the DNA, RNA and protein levels. To translate this new information into the clinical setting, however, the quality of the starting material, in this case the tumor tissue, determines the accuracy and reliability of companion diagnostic assay results and therefore optimal therapeutic strategies. Inaccurate results owing to compromised tissue quality can lead to false positive or false negative results with therapeutic consequences that can harm patients and affect their eventual outcome.
Modeling the interaction of parties, activists and voters: Why is the political center so empty?

The formal stochastic model of voting should be the theoretical benchmark against which empirical models can be gauged. A standard result in the formal model is the 'mean voter theorem' stating that parties converge to the electoral center. Empirical analy- sis based on the vote-maximizing premise, however, invalidates this convergence result. We consider both empirical and formal models that incorporate exogeneous valence terms for the parties. Valence can be regarded as an electorally perceived attribute of each party leader that is independent of the policy position of the party. We show that the mean voter theorem is valid for empirical multinomial logit and probit models of a number of elections in the Netherlands and Britain. To account for the non-centrist policy positions of parties, we consider a more general formal model where valence is also affected by the behavior of party activists. The results suggest that non-convergent policy choice by party leaders can be understood as rational, vote-maximizing calculation by leaders in response to electoral and activist motivations.
Experimental Comparison of Conventional and Optical Current Transformers

Several manufacturers offer optical current transformers (OCTs) to replace the conventional magnetic current transformers (CTs). This paper compares the performances of some commercially available optical and conventional CTs. The steady state and transient responses of the two systems are compared in a laboratory. Field records are also obtained and evaluated to verify that the optical systems can replace conventional instrument transformers. In addition, OCT step response as well as the impact of ambient temperature on the OCT performance has been investigated. Results show that optical CTs are more than suitable for replacing conventional CTs. Further, the results also show that OCT has better frequency response than conventional CT. Differences found in the field and laboratory measurements are within experimental errors. Unlike the conventional CT, the OCT can have a digital output according to the IEC 61850 standard. The digital output of the OCT is tested for its frequency-amplitude characteristic. Results confirm that digital output has a narrower bandwidth than the low energy analog output of the OCT due to the limited sampling rate prescribed in a UCA guide to IEC-61850-9-2.
Strategic Interactions of Monetary Policymakers and Wage/Price Bargainers: A Review with Implications for the European Common-Currency Area

This paper reviews recent work on macroeconomic management with varying organization of wage/price bargaining and degrees of credible monetary conservatism. The emerging literature synthesizes and extends theory and empirics on central bank independence (CBI) and coordinated wage/price bargaining (CWB), arguing that the degrees of CBI and CWB interact with each other and with other political-economic conditions (sectoral composition, international exposure, etc.) to structure the incentives facing actors involved in monetary policy and wage/price bargaining. The core implication, theoretically surprising but empirically supported, is that even perfectly credible monetary conservatism has long-run, equilibrium, on-average real effects, even with fully rational expectations, and that these effects depend on the organization of wage/price bargaining. Conversely, wage/price-bargaining structure has real effects that depend on the degree of credible conservatism reflected in monetary-policy rules. Each also has interactive nominal effects though this is less surprising. Some disagreement remains over the precise nature of these interactive effects, but all emerging theory and evidence agree that a common, credibly conservative European monetary policy has nominal and real effects that depend on the Europe-wide institutional-structural organization of wage/price bargaining. Indeed, the one specific piece of theoretical and empirical agreement suggests that, for many member countries, the nominal gains from monetary-policy delegation to a credibly conservative European Central Bank will worsen these bargaining-policy interactions.
Ultra low-power receiver design for dense optical interconnects

With the increasing bandwidth requirements of computing systems and limitations on power consumption, optical signaling for chip-to-chip interconnects has gained a lot of interest. Hybrid integration of optical devices with electronics has been demonstrated to achieve high performance [1]–[4], and recent advances in silicon photonics have led to fully integrated systems [5]. These approaches pave the way to massively parallel optical communications. Dense arrays of optical detectors require very low-power, sensitive, and compact optical receiver circuits. Existing designs for the input receiver, such as TIA, require large power consumption to achieve high bandwidth and low noise, and can occupy large area due to bandwidth enhancement inductors. In this work, a compact low-power optical receiver that scales well with technology has been designed to explore the potential of optical signaling for future chip-to-chip and on-chip communication. In most optical receivers, the photodiode current is converted to a voltage signal. A simple resistor can perform the I-V conversion if the resulting RC time constant is in the order of the bit interval (T b ) [5]. However, for a given photodiode capacitance and target SNR, the RC limits the bandwidth and hence the data rate. To avoid this problem, TIAs are commonly employed, which are highly analog, power hungry, and do not scale well with technology. One alternative is the integrating front-end to eliminate the need for resistance and breaking the bandwidth trade-off. However, this technique suffers from voltage headroom limitations, and requires short-length DC-balanced inputs [6]. The proposed receiver resolves this problem by employing an integrating RC front-end along with dynamic offset modulation technique that decouple the bandwidth/data-rate and integration/headroom trade-offs [7].
A simulation study of TCP performance in ATM networks

The paper presents a simulation study of TCP performance over congested ATM local area networks. The authors simulated a variety of schemes for congestion control for ATM LANs, including a simple cell-drop, a credit-based row control scheme that back-pressures individual VCs, and two selective cell-drop schemes. The simulation results for congested ATM LANs show the following: (1) TCP performance is poor under simple cell-drop, (2) the selective cell-drop schemes increase effective link utilization and result in higher TCP throughputs than the simple cell-drop scheme, and (3) the credit-based flow control scheme eliminates cell loss and achieves maximum performance and effective link utilization.
Socialization to National Identification Among Turkish Peasants

At least until very recently, candor would have compelled many empirically oriented social scientists to make a similar declaration when dealing with the topic of nationalism. They would agree with Leonard Doob's contention that "nationalism is unquestionably one of the most important problems, if not the most important one, of this century."' They would perhaps concur with Robert Hess and Judith Torney in maintaining that "the emotional attachment of an individual to his country and its leaders is one of the most profound, powerful, and complex ties in human experience."2 But they would also accept Rupert Emerson's judgment that "what we do not know (about nationalism) or have taken for granted without adequate evidence adds up to an impressive body of ignorance and uncertainty which is all the more dismaying be-
Carbon dioxide induced separation of ionic liquids and water

Both hydrophobic and hydrophilic room-temperature ionic liquids can be separated from aqueous solutions with relatively low-pressure gaseous carbon dioxide.
Two sides of the same coin? Rare and pest plants native to the United States and Canada

Plant biodiversity is at risk, with as many as 10% of native species in the United States being threatened with extinction. Habitat loss has led a growing number of plant species to become rare or threatened, while the introduction or expansion of pest species has led some habitats to be dominated by relatively few, mostly nonindigenous, species. As humans continue to alter many landscapes and vegetation types, understanding how biological traits determine the location of species along a spectrum from vulnerability to pest status is critical to designing risk assessment protocols, setting conservation priorities, and developing monitoring programs. We used boosted regression trees to predict rarity (based on The Nature Conservancy global rankings) and pest status (defined as legal pest status) from data on traits for the native vascular flora of the United States and Canada including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (n ' 15 000). Categories were moderately to highly predictable (AUCpest ¼ 0.87 on 25% holdout test set, AUCrarity ¼ 0.80 on 25% holdout test set). Key predictors were chromosome number, ploidy, seed mass, and a suite of traits suggestive of specialist vs. generalist adaptations (e.g., facultative wetland habitat association and phenotypic variability in growth form and life history). Specifically, pests were associated with high chromosome numbers, polyploidy, and seed masses ranging from 0.1 to 100 mg, whereas rare species were associated with low chromosome numbers, low ploidy, and large (.1000 mg) seed masses. In addition, pest species were disproportionately likely to be facultatively associated with wetlands, and variable in growth form and life history, whereas rare species exhibited an opposite pattern. These results suggest that rare and pest species contrast along trait axes related to dispersal and performance in disturbed or novel habitats.
Comment: Too much of a good thing may still be good for your brain.

Approximately 5 million Americans live with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD). Age adds a layer of complexity to disease management not present with younger adults, as older adults have a greater likelihood of multiple chronic conditions that can diminish their capacity to function independently. Chronic disease burden increases risk of MCI, while certain lifestyle factors may reduce MCI risk.1 This implies that preventive strategies for MCI may need to begin in midlife and persist throughout late life.
Direct measurements of presynaptic calcium and calcium-activated potassium currents regulating neurotransmitter release at cultured Xenopus nerve-muscle synapses.

The understanding of neurotransmitter release at vertebrate synapses has been hampered by the paucity of preparations in which presynaptic ionic currents and postsynaptic responses can be monitored directly. We used cultured embryonic Xenopusneuromuscular junctions and simultaneous pre- and postsynaptic patch-clamp current-recording procedures to identify the major presynaptic conductances underlying the initiation of neurotransmitter release. Step depolarizations and action potential waveforms elicited Na and K currents along with Ca and Ca-activated K (KCa) currents. The onset ofKCa current preceded the peak of the action potential. The predominantly ω-CgTX GVIA-sensitive Ca current occurred primarily during the falling phase, but there was also significant Ca2+ entry during the rising phase of the action potential. The postsynaptic current began a mean of 0.7 msec after the time of maximum rate of rise of the Ca current. ω-CgTX also blocked KCa currents and transmitter release during an action potential, suggesting that Ca andKCa channels are colocalized at presynaptic active zones. In double-ramp voltage-clamp experiments,KCa channel activation is enhanced during the second ramp. The 1 msec time constant of decay of enhancement with increasing interpulse interval may reflect the time course of either the deactivation of KCa channels or the diffusion/removal of Ca2+ from sites of neurotransmitter release after an action potential.
The biological effects of radioactive waste

The discharge of radioactive waste into the marine environment is, in general, limited by the requirement that the resulting increments of dose to members of the general public are within internationally agreed limits. The implicit assumption is made that when this require­ment is met the fauna and flora of the marine ecosystem, which are generally less radiosensitive than man, are not at risk. The data relating to the effects of both acute and chronic irradiation on marine species are reviewed and the dose rates which can occur in contaminated environments due to the recon­centration of activity, either by the animals themselves or by some component of their habitat, e. g. silt, are indicated. From this it is possible to predict that present waste disposal practices are unlikely to have any observable effect in the natural environment. Nevertheless, further research is necessary to find more sensitive indicators of damage at both the individual and population levels.
Radioresistance of bone marrow stromal and hematopoietic progenitor cell lines derived from Nrf2-/- homozygous deletion recombinant-negative mice.

AIM We determined whether bone marrow from Nrf2(-/-) compared with Nrf2(+/+) mice differed in response to the oxidative stress of continuous marrow culture, and in radiosensitivity of derived stromal and interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent hematopoietic progenitor cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Hematopoiesis longevity in Nrf2(-/-) was compared with Nrf2(+/+) mice in long-term bone marrow cultures. Clonogenic irradiation survival curves were performed on derived cell lines. Total antioxidant capacity at baseline in nonirradiated cells and at 24 hours after 5 Gy and 10 Gy irradiation was quantitated using an antioxidant reductive capacity assay. RESULTS Long-term cultures of bone marrow from Nrf2(-/-) compared to Nrf2(+/+) mice demonstrated equivalent longevity of production of total cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells forming multi-lineage hematopoietic colonies over 26 weeks in culture. Both bone marrow stromal cell lines and Il-3-dependent hematopoietic progenitor cell lines derived from Nrf2(-/-) mouse marrow cultures were radioresistant compared to Nrf2(+/+)-derived cell lines. Both DNA repair assay and total antioxidant capacity assay showed no defect in Nrf2(-/-) compared to Nrf2(+/+) stromal cells and IL-3-dependent cells. CONCLUSION The absence of a functional Nrf2 gene product does not alter cellular interactions in continuous marrow culture, nor response to dsDNA damage repair and antioxidant response. However, lack of the Nrf2 gene does confer radioresistance on marrow stromal and hematopoietic cells.
Recovery Rates of Human Fetal Skeletal Remains Using Varying Mesh Sizes

Human fetal skeletal elements of different gestational ages were screened with multiple mesh sizes (6.4 mm [1/4 inch], 3.2 mm [1/8 inch], 2.0 mm, and 1.0 mm) to determine their recovery rates. All remains were previously macerated, and no significantly damaged elements were used. The 6.4 mm mesh allowed a large loss of elements (63.2% overall), including diagnostic elements, while no diagnostic elements were lost when the 1 mm mesh (0.2%) was used. When using the 3.2 mm mesh, 16.2% of the bones were lost, including some diagnostic elements (primarily tooth crowns), while 7.5% were lost using the 2.0 mm mesh. The authors recommend that the potential loss of information incurred when utilizing larger mesh sizes be taken into consideration when planning recovery methods where fetal remains may be encountered and that a minimum of 1.0 mm mesh be utilized in recovery contexts known to include fetal remains.
Feminists Or “Postfeminists”? Young Women’s Attitudes toward Feminism and Gender Relations

In contrast to popular presumptions and prior research on women ofthe “postfeminist” generation, this study found anappreciation for recent historicalchanges in women’s opportunities, and an awareness of persisting inequalities and discrimination. The findings reveal support for feminist goals, coupled with ambiguity about the concept offeminism. Although some of the women could be categorized alonga continuum of feminist identification, half were “fence-sitters” or were unable to articulate a position. There were variations in perspectives amongthose with different life experiences, as well as by racial and class background.
Distribution of transforming growth factor-β isoforms in human immunodeficiency virus-1 encephalitis

The transforming growth factor-β family of polypeptides includes three related isoforms with pervasive effects on immune system function. In this study, the authors evaluated human brains with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 encephalitis for transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)1, TGFβ2, and TGFβ3 immunoreactivity using isoform-specific polyclonal antibodies and avidin-biotin immunohistochemistry. Normal brains and those with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, toxoplasma encephalitis, and cryptococcal meningitis were used as controls. In normal controls, TGFβ1, TGFβ2, and TGFβ3 immunoreactivity were confined to arachnoid cells and blood vessels. In 9 of 10 cases of HIV-1 encephalitis, all three isoforms were also detected in arachnoid cells. In addition, variable, predominantly TGFβ2 and TGFβ3 immunoreactivity were also detected in reactive astrocytes and mononuclear cells of white matter lesions. Extensive TGFβ3 immunoreactivity was also detected in multinucleated giant cells in one case. In a case of cryptococcal meningitis, all three isoforms were detected in arachnoid cells and macrophages. Lesions of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and toxoplasma encephalitis also exhibited TGFβ1, TGFβ2, and TGFβ3 immunostaining in reactive astrocytes. These findings suggest that TGFβ isoforms are present in HIV-1 encephalitis and may participate in the pathogenesis of this and other inflammatory central nervous system (CNS) lesions associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
High-Resolution Faunal Gradient Analysis and an Assessment of the Causes of Meter-Scale Cyclicity in the Type Cincinnatian Series (Upper Ordovician)

Abstract The origin of meter-scale cyclicity in the type Cincinnatian Series has long been debated. Some models hypothesize that changes in water depth driven by sea-level fluctuations were responsible for producing meter-scale alternations of shale-rich and limestone-rich intervals. Other models link meter-scale cyclicity to changes in storm intensity and frequency, with no change in water depth. Previous interpretations have relied upon lithological variations, which have proven to be ambiguous with respect to meter-scale cyclicity. Here, the role of water depth in producing meter-scale lithologic patterns is assessed using gradient analysis of high-resolution fossil abundance data from the Kope and lower Fairview Formations. Studies have demonstrated that the distribution of biota in this interval is controlled by environmental variables correlated to water depth. Therefore, a direct comparison of stratigraphic variations in faunal composition to meter-scale lithologic alternations is an appropriate te...
Effects of blood processing and sample storage on the stability of biotherapeutics and anti-drug antibodies.

Background: Pre-analytical factors such as sample processing, handling or storage could affect the stability of biotherapeutics and anti-drug antibodies in clinical samples, potentially impacting the pharmacokinetic and immunogenicity assessments. Methods: We used sarilumab, a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody, and evaluated the stability of sarilumab (both functional and bound forms) and anti-sarilumab antibodies in blood samples during serum collection and the impact of various processing conditions on the analyte stability in serum for long-term storage. We also assessed the incurred sample stability of these analytes in samples from clinical studies. Conclusion: Assessment of analyte stability can provide relevant information about sample stability under different pre-analytical conditions and improve the confidence in the validity of bioanalytical data generated.
Deep Learning, Sparse Coding, and SVM for Melanoma Recognition in Dermoscopy Images

This work presents an approach for melanoma recognition in dermoscopy images that combines deep learning, sparse coding, and support vector machine SVM learning algorithms. One of the beneficial aspects of the proposed approach is that unsupervised learning within the domain, and feature transfer from the domain of natural photographs, eliminates the need of annotated data in the target task to learn good features. The applied feature transfer also allows the system to draw analogies between observations in dermoscopic images and observations in the natural world, mimicking the process clinical experts themselves employ to describe patterns in skin lesions. To evaluate the methodology, performance is measured on a dataset obtained from the International Skin Imaging Collaboration, containing 2624 clinical cases of melanoma 334, atypical nevi 144, and benign lesions 2146. The approach is compared to the prior state-of-art method on this dataset. Two-fold cross-validation is performed 20 times for evaluation 40 total experiments, and two discrimination tasks are examined: 1 melanoma vs. all non-melanoma lesions, and 2 melanoma vs. atypical lesions only. The presented approach achieves an accuracy of 93.1% 94.9% sensitivity, and 92.8% specificity for the first task, and 73.9% accuracy 73.8% sensitivity, and 74.3% specificity for the second task. In comparison, prior state-of-art ensemble modeling approaches alone yield 91.2% accuracy 93.0% sensitivity, and 91.0% specificity first the first task, and 71.5% accuracy 72.7% sensitivity, and 68.9% specificity for the second. Differences in performance were statistically significant p $$<$$ 0.05, suggesting the proposed approach is an effective improvement over prior state-of-art.
Editorial overview: Neuroscience: How nervous systems generate behavior: lessons from insects

The bulk of the current insect neurobiological research enterprise is focused on a single insect species, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. However, the scientific history of using diverse insect species for neurobiological studies is old and rich [1,2]. Accordingly, the diversity of unique behavioral adaptations offered by insects has served as an excellent model for studies of neuronal functions in the context of comparative ethology and the evolution of behavior. In this issue, eight reviews describe diverse and timely facets of modern insect neurobiology, which provide novel insights into their complex and intriguing behaviors.
The Impact of Isolation on the Job Satisfaction of New Principals

Professional isolation has hampered the quality of the work experience for employees inside and outside public education for decades. This study explores the role that isolation plays in predicting...
Abstract TP87: Comparative Analysis of 3-Dimensional Rotation Angiography versus 3-Dimensional Computed Tomography Angiography for Intracranial Aneurysm Treatment Detection and Planning

Introduction: 3D Rotational Angiography (3DRA) is the gold standard for intracranial aneurysm (IA) detection, but is invasive and time consuming. While 3DCTA has shown to be sensitive for IA detection, no published studies have compared 3DRA to 3DCTA in guiding clinical management. Our aim was to compare suggested treatment for IA based on 3DRA and 3DCTA vs actual final treatment and outcome. Hypothesis: Management recommendations based on blinded review of 3DRA and 3DCTA for IA do not differ significantly. Methods: Prospective blinded review of contemporaneous 3DRA and 3DCTA was performed for patients with suspected IA. Two interventionalists and two neuroradiologists performed blinded, prospective review of 3DRA or 3DCTA, respectively. IA size, location, and morphology were assessed. After IA characterization, each observer independently recommended optimal therapy (conservative, coil, surgery, combined/other) while blinded to other reviewers’ decisions. Findings were analyzed with Spearman, and agreement coefficient 1 (AC1) inter-rater reliability statistics. Results: 41/52 enrolled patients had IA confirmed by 3DRA (52 IA total). 50/52 (96%) IA were initially identified by 3DCTA (both false negatives seen retrospectively). Average IA sac and neck size measured by 3DRA and 3DCTA correlated closely (p Conclusions: Recommendations for IA treatment based on 3DCTA correlate closely with those based on 3DRA, as well as with actual treatment in a majority of patients. 3DCTA holds promise as a primary imaging tool for IA detection and clinical decision making.
Semi-Parametric Specification Tests for Probability Models of the Claim Frequency in an Insurance Portfolio

Loss functions play an important role in analyzing insurance portfolios. A fundamental issue in the study of loss functions involves the selection of probability models for claim frequencies. In this article, we propose a semi-parametric approach based on the generalized method of moments (GMM) to solve the specification problems concerning claim frequency distributions. The GMM-based testing procedure provides a general framework that encompasses many specification problems of interest in actuarial applications. As an alternative approach to the Pearson x2 and other goodness-of-fit tests, it is easy to implement and should be of practical use in applications involving selecting and validating probability models with complex characteristics.
Low Power Depth and Velocity from a Passive Moving Sensor

We present an opportunity for the visual sensing of depth and 3D velocity using a passive sensor that has extremely low power requirements. This opportunity comes from a new mathematical constraint, which we derive, that relates depth and velocity to spatial and temporal derivatives of image values captured by a coded-aperture camera that observes a moving scene. The constraint exploits the fact that there are two causes of brightness change in this situation: features move across the image due to motion, and contrast changes because of time-varying optical blur. The sensor that could be realized from this constraint is called a focal flow sensor. We analytically characterize the working volume of such a sensor in relation to its size, and we provide simulation results that affirm its viability.
Clarification Failure Control Strategies

Two solids inventory control strategies for prevention of clarification failure in the activated sludge process are considered. Recycle rate control is shown to be effective for a certain class of operational situations. This control algorithm, however, is not applicable to situations in which an activated sludge system is experiencing severe hydraulic surges. In such situations clarification failure can be effectively controlled only through the application of the step-feed strategy in which the location of the feed to the aeration basin is shifted downstream in a multipass basin.
Enhancement of hematopoietic action of hydrocortisone by cobalt in adrenalectomized rats.

SummaryIn the rat, hydrocortisone prevented the anemia of adrenalectomy and in one experiment caused a moderate increase in total red cell volume. Hydrocortisone and cobalt injected concurrently in adrenalectomized rats produced a marked elevation in hematocrit, rbc count, hemoglobin and total red cell volume. This joint action of cobalt and hydrocortisone at least equalled the sum of the separate effects.
Adapting diesel large-eddy simulation spray models for direct-injection spark-ignition applications

Direct-injection spark-ignition engines are a promising technology to achieve high efficiency and low emissions for automotive applications. Robust operation of direct-injection spark-ignition engi...
Mathematical Models: A Sketch for the Philosophy of Mathematics

(1981). Mathematical Models: A Sketch for the Philosophy of Mathematics. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 88, No. 7, pp. 462-472.
Magnetic correlates in electromagnetic consciousness

ABSTRACTWe examine the hypothesis that consciousness is a manifestation of the electromagnetic field, finding supportive factors not previously considered. It is not likely that traditional electrophysiological signaling modes can be readily transmitted throughout the brain to properly enable this field because of electric field screening arising from the ubiquitous distribution of high dielectric lipid membranes, a problem that vanishes for low-frequency magnetic fields. Many reports over the last few decades have provided evidence that living tissue is robustly sensitive to ultrasmall (1–100 nT) ELF magnetic fields overlapping the γ-frequency range often associated with awareness. An example taken from animal behavior (coherent bird flocking) lends support to the possibility of a disembodied electromagnetic consciousness. In contrast to quantum consciousness hypotheses, the present approach is open to experimental trial.
Studies on the protective effect of diphenylhydantoin against alloxan diabetes in mice.

SummaryThe protective effects of D–glu–cose and diphenylhydantoin (DPH) against alloxan–induced diabetes have been compared. Diphenylhydantoin, at intraperitoneal doses of either 10 or 45 mg/kg and D–glucose at an intravenous dose of 1.0 g/kg were found to afford complete protection against alloxan. An intravenous dose of 0.2 g/kg of D–glucose afforded only partial protection. Since the lower dose of D–glucose produced a greater increase in blood glucose than did the lower dose of DPH, it was concluded that the protective effect of DPH against alloxan can not be explained solely on the basis of the DPH–induced hyperglycemia. The 3–methyl analog of DPH was found to be ineffective in blocking the diabetogenic effect of alloxan. This finding suggests that the interaction between DPH and alloxan may be a reflection of a competition between the two agents for a common binding site on the pancreatic beta cell.
LARGE DIAMETER CARBON FILAMENTS FROM MESOPHASE PITCH FOR THERMAL MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS

Mesophase pitch based carbon fibres can have high thermal conductivity due to the highly extended graphitic crystalline structure along the fibre axis. In this paper we report preliminary results from a study designed to develop high thermal conductivity graphitic materials. Large diameter carbon filaments of 15 μm～50 μm diameters were produced from naphthalene derived mesophase pitch. The mechanical properties of carbon filaments were shown to decrease with the increase of diameters. The electrical resistivity of carbon filaments was measured to estimate the possible thermal conductivity, which suggests that the thermal conductivity of carbon filament increase as the diameter of carbon filament increases.
Roles of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors: lessons from knockout mice.

In the field of molecular genetics, analysis of mutant organisms has long been a powerful tool to understand the physiological function of a gene. Owing to the development of sophisticated vector systems, in combination with the establishment of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, targeted mutagenesis of a mouse gene is now widely used to “knock out” any gene of interest to obtain knowledge of its function. This review focuses on the approaches using knockout mice to understand the physiological function of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors.
Balloon Valvuloplasty to Predict X-ray Projection Angles that are Perpendicular to Cardiovascular Structures: A TAVI Patient Feasibility Study.

The purpose of this work is to describe methods to measure the 3D angular orientation of cardiovascular structures based on a planar image of a valvuloplasty balloon. These methods facilitate X-ray beam alignment with respect to the anatomy of interest.X-ray beam projections which are perpendicular to the long axis of cardiovascular structures are required to support interventional procedures, including transcatheter aortic valve implant (TAVI).During the TAVI procedure, the 3D angular orientation of the LVOT of 10 patients was measured from a single planar image of an aortic valvuloplasty balloon and the continuous range of X-ray projection angles which are aligned with the aortic valve plane were calculated (research method). Misalignment of the X-ray beam and TAVI valve frame was measured from images of the deployed valve. The accuracy of the research method was compared to clinical standard method to determine appropriate X-ray projection angles, which utilized CT and aortography.Using the clinical standard method, the median misalignment of the X-ray beam and TAVI valve frame was 8.6° (range 2.6° to 21°). Misalignment was reduced to 2.5° (range 0° to 10°) using the research method.The 3D angular orientation of cardiovascular structures can be measured accurately from a single X-ray projection image of a known cardiovascular device contained within the anatomy of interest. For TAVI procedures, improved X-ray beam alignment may help facilitate procedural success. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Uncertainty in Monotone Codesign Problems

This work contributes to a compositional theory of “codesign” that allows to optimally design a robotic platform. In this framework, the user describes each subsystem as a monotone relation between “functionality” provided and “resources” required. These models can be easily composed to express the codesign constraints among different subsystems. The user then queries the model to obtain the design with minimal resources usage, subject to a lower bound on the provided functionality. This letter concerns the introduction of uncertainty in the framework. Uncertainty has two roles: First, it allows to deal with limited knowledge of the models; second, it also can be used to generate consistent relaxations of a problem, as the computation requirements can be lowered, should the user accept some uncertainty in the answer.
Current-induced damping of nanosized quantum moments in the presence of spin-orbit interaction

Motivated by the need to understand current-induced magnetization dynamics at the nanoscale, we have developed a formalism, within the framework of Keldysh Green function approach, to study the current-induced dynamics of a ferromagnetic (FM) nanoisland overlayer on a spin-orbit-coupling (SOC) Rashba plane. In contrast to the commonly employed classical micromagnetic LLG simulations the magnetic moments of the FM are treated quantum mechanically. We obtain the density matrix of the whole system consisting of conduction electrons entangled with the local magnetic moments and calculate the effective damping rate of the FM. We investigate two opposite limiting regimes of FM dynamics: (1) The precessional regime where the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) and precessional frequency are smaller than the exchange interactions and (2) the local spin-flip regime where the MAE and precessional frequency are comparable to the exchange interactions. In the former case, we show that due to the finite size of the FM domain, the ``Gilbert damping'' does not diverge in the ballistic electron transport regime, in sharp contrast to Kambersky's breathing Fermi surface theory for damping in metallic FMs. In the latter case, we show that above a critical bias the excited conduction electrons can switch the local spin moments resulting in demagnetization and reversal of the magnetization. Furthermore, our calculations show that the bias-induced antidamping efficiency in the local spin-flip regime is much higher than that in the rotational excitation regime.
Repurposing Hsp90 inhibitors as antibiotics targeting histidine kinases

To address the growing need for new antimicrobial agents, we explored whether inhibition of bacterial signaling machinery could inhibit bacterial growth. Because bacteria rely on two-component signaling systems to respond to environmental changes, and because these systems are both highly conserved and mediated by histidine kinases, inhibiting histidine kinases may provide broad spectrum antimicrobial activity. The histidine kinase ATP binding domain is conserved with the ATPase domain of eukaryotic Hsp90 molecular chaperones. To find a chemical scaffold for compounds that target histidine kinases, we leveraged this conservation. We screened ATP competitive Hsp90 inhibitors against CckA, an essential histidine kinase in Caulobacter crescentus that controls cell growth, and showed that the diaryl pyrazole is a promising scaffold for histidine kinase inhibition. We synthesized a panel of derivatives and found that they inhibit the histidine kinases C. crescentus CckA and Salmonella PhoQ but not C. crescentus DivJ; and they inhibit bacterial growth in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains.
The next step for literacy

The world community committed to support universal access to basic education in 1990. Since then, schools have been built and teachers hired and trained. Twenty years later, many more students were in primary school, but learning assessments showed that most were not learning how to read well enough to use reading to learn. The world community turned its attention to improving instruction. As instruction improved, more students could decode words and read with improved speed and accuracy. However, reading comprehension was still low. Now is the time for the world community to come together and make a commitment that all students will learn to read with sufficient comprehension to use reading to learn.
Stress Imaging in Heart Failure: Physiologic, Diagnostic, and Therapeutic Insights

See Article by Matsumoto et al When interviewing a patient with heart failure (HF), the medical student will ask the patient whether they are short of breath. The patient, resting comfortably in the examination room, will reply in earnest that they are not. The student will conclude from this encounter that HF is absent. After hearing the student’s report, the seasoned clinician will then return to the room with the student and ask the patient how they feel when ascending a flight of stairs, or walking to the mailbox, or bathing, or eating breakfast. To the horror and dismay of the student, the patient will then confide that they are in fact extremely short of breath during these activities. After assuaging the student that their grade will not be jeopardized, the seasoned clinician will then (hopefully) take advantage of this learning opportunity to emphasize how important it is to evaluate symptoms that are elicited by stress rather than questioning about rest alone in the evaluation of HF. The normal cardiovascular system copes with stressors so effectively that they rarely rise to the level of conscious thought. Thermal stress when ambient temperature changes, orthostatic stress when body position changes, and of course, exercise stress, where heightened oxygen requirements in skeletal muscle call for an increased delivery of blood flow. In order for the heart to pump more blood, there must first be greater venous return to the heart to augment ventricular preload. The inability of the heart to accommodate this increase in preload appropriately is a fundamental and defining characteristic of HF. Just as the student’s medical history was enhanced by asking the patient about stress reserve, our functional assessments of the cardiovascular system are optimized by directly observing the heart during stress.1–4 The question is how best …
The Milky Way: March-April

We are now entering some very spectacular areas in the Milky Way that contains equally spectacular objects. It is a cruel twist of fate that observers in the northern hemisphere are unable to see these objects, so my advice to these observers would be either to plan an observing trip to the southern skies, or do the next best thing and stay at home and read this book.
Nonreversible loss of platelet aggregability induced by calcium deprivation.

Platelets lose their ability to aggregate when deprived of divalent cations. This usually was studied by incubating human citrated platelet- rich plasma with EDTA or EGTA and then adding enough CaCl2 to combine with the chelating agent. Incubation for 5–7 min at 37 degrees C caused irreversible loss of the platelets' ability to adhere to glass and to aggregate with ADP, epinephrine, A23187, vasopressin, or serotonin or upon rewarming after chilling and markedly reduced aggregation with collagen or thrombin. Control samples incubated with saline, CaEDTA, or CaEGTA were not inhibited. Untreated platelets washed and incubated in solutions treated with resins that remove divalent cations lost their ability to aggregate in 30 min. More than about 0.26 mM Mg2+ partially protected the platelets. Unlike aggregation, ADP-induced shape change, clot retraction caused by thrombin or ADP plus reptilase, and thrombin- induced 14C-serotonin release were not inhibited after incubation. Aggregability was not restored by prolonged incubation with CaCl2, adding normal plasma, or washing the platelets. Its loss was temperature and pH dependent, occurring in 2 min at 43 degrees C but not in 7 min at 30 degrees C, and at pH 7.8 but much less at pH 7.2. The defect was not associated with an increase in platelet cyclic AMP, a decrease in metabolic ATP, or the presence of free ADP.
Small RNA-mediated gene silencing in neurospora

Neurospora crassa is a filamentous fungus that serves as a eukaryotic model system for the study of many important biological processes. One of the earliest known examples of RNA silencing was discovered in Neurospora, and it has become an important experimental system for analyses of the mechanisms of RNA interference and small RNA biogenesis. Neurospora possesses two small RNA-based genome defense mechanisms, quelling and meiotic silencing of unpaired DNA. The known biogenesis pathways of small RNAs, including microRNA and DNA-damage-induced small RNAs, are surprisingly diverse. The studies of RNAi pathways and small RNA production in Neurospora have provided important insights into our understanding of small RNA-mediated gene silencing mechanisms in eukaryotic organisms.
End-of-Life Care in Skilled Nursing Facilities

End-of-life care for patients with cardiovascular illness living in skilled nursing facilities (SNF) is associated with challenges related to prognosis and symptom management. This chapter provides an overview of the components of end-of-life care for patients with cardiovascular disease. It includes advanced care planning, shared decision making, symptom management, and bereavement appropriate for this complex population. Among approximately two million SNF residents, cardiovascular disease is the largest diagnostic category and heart failure is common. Symptoms of heart failure are burdensome and negatively affect quality of life. Symptom management with maximized medical guideline-based therapy as tolerated is important from time of diagnosis to end-of-life. As determining prognosis among patients with heart failure is difficult, using uncontrollable symptoms as a trigger for end-of-life care may be prudent. An interdisciplinary approach using the skills of nursing, medicine, social work, chaplains and volunteers is recommended for resident and family satisfaction with end-of-life. End-of-life care focuses on needs of the resident and family by encouraging and supporting shared decision-making.
Multiscale nonlocal effective medium model for in-plane elastic wave dispersion and attenuation in periodic composites

Abstract This manuscript proposes a multiscale nonlocal homogenization and a nonlocal effective medium model for in-plane wave propagation in periodic composites accounting for dispersion and attenuation due to Bragg scattering. The nonlocal effective medium model is developed based on the spatial-temporal nonlocal homogenization model that is formulated to capture dispersion within the first Brillouin zone with particularly high accuracy along high symmetry directions. The homogenization model is derived by employing high order asymptotic expansions, extending the applicability of asymptotic homogenization to short wavelength regime, to capture wave dispersion and attenuation. The effective medium model is in the form of a second order PDE with a nonlocal effective moduli tensor that contains the nonlocal features of the homogenization model. The proposed models are derived and numerically verified for in-plane elastic wave propagation in two-dimensional periodic composites. It is shown that the dispersion curves of the spatial-temporal nonlocal homogenization model capture the acoustic branch, the first stop band and the optical branch of longitudinal and shear wave modes. The nonlocal effective medium model predicts transient elastic wave propagation in periodic composites and captures wave dispersion and attenuation within the limits of separation of scales.
Introducing e-consents in a clinical setting

Preeclampsia (PE) is a multiorgan hypertensive-disorder in pregnancy that causes significant maternal-fetal mortality and morbidity. The diagnostics and therapeutics for PE are limited due to its unclear etiology. Using the UI Maternal Fetal Tissue Bank, our lab has demonstrated that copeptin is robustly predictive of PE. To investigate copeptin further, we developed the Rule Out Pre-Eclampsia Study (ROPE). The ROPE study recruits women admitted to Labor and Delivery for evaluation of PE. Women are admitted for PE evaluation at all hours. Research team members are not available at all times to obtain consent which limits recruitment. Our project aimed to develop an electronic informed consent (e-IC) that is compliant with the Federal Regulation for Human Research Protection and is easy to use and readily understood by study participants. After obtaining IRB approval, simulated patients were given an iPad on which to read and evaluate the e-IC using a validated questionnaire, the Quality of Informed Consent (QuIC). Based on the QuIC, the e-IC was modified and re-tested. Participants demonstrated good comprehension of the e-IC as evidence by QuIC scores ranging from 61 to 96. Based on our results, the e-IC is an effective and efficient method for the Informed Consent process.