cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Precise Measurement of the Parameter δ Governing the Decay Spectrum of Polarized Muons

A precision measurement of the energy dependence of the asymmetry of the decay of the positive muon has been made with a wire spark-chamber spectrometer of large momentum acceptance. We find, as an average of runs at different fields and with different targets, $\ensuremath{\delta}=0.758\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.010$, in agreement with the two-component neutrino theory.
Ectocommensal protozoan infestations of gills of red swamp crawfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard), from commercial ponds

Abstract Crawfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard), collected from commercial ponds were examined microscopically to determine the presence of ectocommensal protozoans on the gills. The relation between the incidence of gill ectocommensal protozoans and pond water quality was examined. Ninety-four percent of crawfish sampled were infested, with sixty-five percent of the infested crawfish carrying more than 100 ectocommensals per gill filament. Protozoans observed were of the genera Epistylis, Acineta, Lagenophrys , and Cothurnia , the latter being the most prevalent. Significant correlations existed between gill ectocommensal incidence and water quality variables indicative of primary productivity.
Shock relaxation by a strain induced martensitic phase transformation

Abstract As an alternative to the relaxation of a uniaxial shock loaded state by slip or twinning, a model is developed for relaxation by a martensitic transformation. For the case of copper shocked in a 〈110〉 direction, the elastically loaded, body-centered–orthorhombic structure is shown to relax to an isostatically strained f.c.c. crystal by a shuffle-type martensitic transformation. The specific model agrees well with results from an atomistic computer simulation of the shock relaxation process.
Particle swarm optimization for antenna designs in engineering electromagnetics

This paper presents recent advances in applying particle swarm optimization (PSO) to antenna designs in engineering electromagnetics. By linking the PSO kernel with external electromagnetic (EM) analyzers, the algorithm has the flexibility to handle both real and binary variables, as well as multiobjective problems with more than one optimization goal. Three examples, including the designs of a dual-band patch antenna, an artificial ground plane of a surface wave antenna, and an aperiodic antenna array, are presented. Both simulation and measurement results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of applying the swarm intelligence to design antennas with desired frequency response and radiation characteristics for practical EM applications.
Behavior of Na+-Polystyrene Sulfonate at the Interface with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) and Its Implication to SWNT Suspension Stability

Abstract: The assembly of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (Na + -PSS) at the surface of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in pH 3 aqueous solution is described. Rather than forming linear or sheet-like chain morphologies over SWNT surfaces, Na + -PSS adopts a spherically collapsed conformation believed to be the result of cation (either Na + or H + ) condensation onto the ionized polymer chain. It is well reported that cations (and also anions) adsorb preferentially onto single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotube surfaces leading to an increased ion concentration in the near surface regions relative to the bulk solution. This work provides experimental evidence for preferentially absorbed cation condensation onto PSS anions until those cations are spaced at distances corresponding to the Bjerrum length ( B ), as defined by the Manning theory of ion condensation, at the SWNT surface. The resulting electrostearic repulsions allow the SWNTs to remain suspended for days. Furthermore , coulombic repulsion among SWNT bundles after cation adsorption alone is not sufficient to form stable suspensions—but rather the stearic repulsions associated with spherically collapsed PSS at the nanotube surface is responsible for suspension stability. It is believed that the ultrasonic agitation drives cations into the small spaces between SWNT bundles and coulombic potential attracts the PSS to those regions.
Mode 2 waves on the continental shelf: Ephemeral components of the nonlinear internal wavefield

[1] Shoreward propagating, mode 2 nonlinear waves appear sporadically in mooring records obtained off the coast of New Jersey in the summer of 2006. Individual mode 2 packets were tracked between two moorings separated by 1 km; however, packets could not be tracked between moorings separated by greater distances from one another (∼10 km). The inability to track individual packets large distances through the mooring array combined with detailed observations from a ship suggest that these waves are short lived. The evolution of the ship-tracked wave group was recorded using acoustic backscatter, acoustic Doppler current profilers, and turbulence profiling. The leading mode 2 wave quickly changed form and developed a tail of short, small-amplitude mode 1 waves. The wavelength of the mode 1 oscillations agreed with that expected for a copropagating tail on the basis of linear theory. Turbulent dissipation in the mixed layer and radiation of the short mode 1 waves contributed to rapid energy loss in the leading mode 2 wave, consistent with the observed decay rate and short life span of only a few hours. The energy in the leading mode 2 wave was 10–100 times smaller than the energy of mode 1 nonlinear internal waves observed during the experiment; however, the magnitudes of wave-localized turbulent dissipation were similar.
Kinetics of spontaneous and induced acrosomal loss in human sperm incubated under capacitating and noncapacitating conditions

The kinetics of spontaneous and induced acrosomal loss have been studied in human sperm incubated in capacitating and noncapacitating media. Acrosomal status was quantitated using indirect immunofluorescence with a monoclonal antibody. The response of sperm to induction by calcium ionophores was time dependent reaching a maximum after 6 hours of incubation under capacitating conditions. The inducible population slowly decreased in size through the balance of a 24-hour incubation. The time-dependent development of ionophore responsiveness by sperm exposed to capacitating conditions corroborates the idea that only capacitated cells can respond to undergo acrosomal loss in response to ionophore. In contrast, only a small, constant percentage of sperm incubated under noncapacitating conditions responded to ionophore. Substitution experiments involving the addition or deletion of human serum albumin suggest that albumin is not absolutely required for capacitation but is essential for the maintenance of motility. Polyvinyl alcohol can be substituted for serum albumin, but it does not support capacitation or motility as well as HSA. These studies may provide a basis for optimizing capacitating conditions for human sperm in vitro as well as for diagnosing fertility or fertility potential based on measurements of spontaneous and ionophore induced acrosomal loss under defined culture conditions.
Oxygen consumption by portal vein-drained organs and by whole animal in conscious growing swine.

A method was developed to measure simultaneously the 0, consumption (VO) by the whole animal and by the hepatic portal vein-drained organs (PVDO), including the gastrointestinal tract, spleen, and pancreas in conscious 3.5- to 4-month-old swine. The method was used to determine (i) the effect of feeding on hepatic portal vein blood flow rate (Qpv) and VO by PVDO and by the whole animal, and (ii) the significance of PVDO on the oxidative demand in the pig. Chronic cannulas were placed in the hepatic portal vein, carotid artery, and ileal vein. The Qpv was determined by an indicator dilution technique employing continuous constant infusion of 1% p-aminohippuric acid into the ileal vein. The VO, by PVDO was estimated by multiplying Qpv by arterial-portal vein 0, difference measured with an arterial-venous 0, difference analyzer connected to the carotid artery and portal vein cannulas. Whole animal VO, was measured with an open circuit indirect calorimeter. In seven pigs (3.5- to 4-month-old, 37.4 f 0.8 kg) trained to be fed once daily, feeding (1.2 kg of feed mixed with 1.2 liter of H,O) caused postprandial (6 hr) Qpv to increase more than 34 f 15% above the preprandial value of 34.5 f 4.2 ml. min-' . kg-' body wt. The postprandial VO, by PVDO was elevated more than 46 f 12% above the value of 1.52 f 0.20 ml.min-'.kg-' body wt observed during the preprandial period. Whole animal VO, increased 45 f 9 and 33 f 7% above the preprandial value of 6.23 f 0.57 ml. min-'. kg-' body wt for the first 6 hr and the 7 to 12 hr after feeding, respectively. Although PVDO represent only 5% of body weight, they used 25% of whole body VO,. The study clearly illustrates the significance of PVDO on the whole animal oxidative demand in conscious growing swine. (P.S.E.B.M. 1989, Vol 1901
Hierarchical Stochastic Image Grammars for Classification and Segmentation

We develop a new class of hierarchical stochastic image models called spatial random trees (SRTs) which admit polynomial-complexity exact inference algorithms. Our framework of multitree dictionaries is the starting point for this construction. SRTs are stochastic hidden tree models whose leaves are associated with image data. The states at the tree nodes are random variables, and, in addition, the structure of the tree is random and is generated by a probabilistic grammar. We describe an efficient recursive algorithm for obtaining the maximum a posteriori estimate of both the tree structure and the tree states given an image. We also develop an efficient procedure for performing one iteration of the expectation-maximization algorithm and use it to estimate the model parameters from a set of training images. We address other inference problems arising in applications such as maximization of posterior marginals and hypothesis testing. Our models and algorithms are illustrated through several image classification and segmentation experiments, ranging from the segmentation of synthetic images to the classification of natural photographs and the segmentation of scanned documents. In each case, we show that our method substantially improves accuracy over a variety of existing methods
Stable Isotopes Reveal Complex Changes in Trophic Relationships Following Nutrient Addition in a Coastal Marine Ecosystem

Complex links between the top-down and bottom-up forces that structure communities can be disrupted by anthropogenic alterations of natural habitats. We used relative abundance and stable isotopes to examine changes in epifaunal food webs in seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) beds following 6 months of experimental nutrient addition at two sites in Florida Bay (USA) with different ambient fertility. At a eutrophic site, nutrient addition did not strongly affect food web structure, but at a nutrient-poor site, enrichment increased the abundances of crustacean epiphyte grazers, and the diets of these grazers became more varied. Benthic grazers did not change in abundance but shifted their diet away from green macroalgae + associated epiphytes and towards an opportunistic seagrass (Halodule wrightii) that occurred only in nutrient addition treatments. Benthic predators did not change in abundance, but their diets were more varied in enriched plots. Food chain length was short and unaffected by site or nutrient treatment, but increased food web complexity in enriched plots was suggested by increasingly mixed diets. Strong bottom-up modifications of food web structure in the nutrient-limited site and the limited top-down influences of grazers on seagrass epiphyte biomass suggest that, in this system, the bottom-up role of nutrient enrichment can have substantial impacts on community structure, trophic relationships, and, ultimately, the productivity values of the ecosystem.
Asymptotic matrix theory of Bragg fibers

We developed a matrix theory that applies to any cylindrically symmetric fiber surrounded with Bragg cladding, which includes both the Bragg fibers and the recently proposed dielectric coaxial fibers. In this formalism, an arbitrary number of inner dielectric layers are treated exactly and the outside cladding structure is approximated in the asymptotic limit. An estimate of the radiation loss of such fibers is given. We compare the asymptotic results with those obtained from the finite difference time domain calculations and find excellent agreement between the two approaches.
Global Fund grant programmes: an analysis of evaluation scores

Summary Background The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria evaluates programme performance after 2 years to help decide whether to continue funding. We aimed to identify the correlation between programme evaluation scores and characteristics of the programme, the health sector, and the recipient country. Methods We obtained data on the first 140 Global Fund grants evaluated in 2006, and analysed 134 of these. We used an ordered probit multivariate analysis to link evaluation scores to different characteristics, allowing us to record the association between changes in those characteristics and the probability of a programme receiving a particular evaluation score. Findings Programmes that had government agencies as principal recipients, had a large amount of funding, were focused on malaria, had weak initial proposals, or were evaluated by the accounting firm KPMG, scored lowest. Countries with a high number of doctors per head, high measles immunisation rates, few health-sector donors, and high disease-prevalence rates had higher evaluation scores. Poor countries, those with small government budget deficits, and those that have or have had socialist governments also received higher scores. Interpretation Our results show associations, not causality, and they focus on evaluation scores rather than actual performance of the programmes. Yet they provide some early indications of characteristics that can help the Global Fund identify and monitor programmes that might be at risk. The results should not be used to influence the distribution of funding, but rather to allocate resources for oversight and risk management.
Choice of Methods for Soil Microbial Community Analysis: PLFA Maximizes Power Compared to CLPP and PCR-Based Approaches

Summary Polyphasic studies that used phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA) in conjunction with community level physiological profiling (CLPP) or PCR-based molecular methods were analyzed in order to evaluate the power of each strategy to detect treatment effects on soil microbial community structure (MCS). We found no studies where CLPP or PCR-based methods differentiated treatments that were not also differentiated by PLFA. In 14 of 32 studies (44%), PLFA differentiated treatments that were not resolved by CLPP analysis. In 5 of 25 studies (20%), PLFA differentiated treatments that were not resolved by PCR-based methods. We discuss PLFA, CLPP, and PCR-based methods with respect to power to discriminate change in MCS versus potential for characterization of underlying population level changes.
Finite element modeling and experimental validation of conventional and high speed shear testing in Pb-free environment

With the extensive use of Pb-free solder in electronic assemblies, there is a growing concern about the reliability of the solder joint. The need to identify the capability of high speed shear, to reveal brittle fracture failures, was the driving force behind this study. Shearing of 0603 resistors mounted on a PCB with Pb-free solder was considered as the test process setup for modeling and experimentation. Finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to replicate the process of shearing the solder joint. A comparison was drawn between the FEA results and the results obtained through the actual lab testing. The FEA results for the low speed shear test suggest that the failure would have a very high probability of occurrence in the bulk of the solder with the shear force ranging from 20-28 N. This range, predicted by FEA, was found to be 20% lower than the actual test results. Furthermore, FEA provides reasonable assurance about the capability of high speed shear to demonstrate brittle fracture at the intermetallic. Application of force in the range of 56-65 N would be required for this failure mode at the interface. Moreover, the results establish Finite Element Analysis as a reasonable approach to illustrate the changing stress patterns that a component undergoes when subjected to shear. On the whole, the results of the analysis substantiate high speed (high force) shear being a promising test to predict and detect the brittle fracture failure of the Pb-free interconnects.
Trapping genes expressed in the developing mouse inner ear

Identification of the genes involved in the development of the mouse inner ear and developmental studies of mice that bear mutations in these genes is an important approach to understanding genetically determined human auditory dysfunction. Towards this end, we initiated a gene trap screen designed to simultaneously mark and mutate genes in mouse embryonic stem cells by the insertion of a lacZ reporter gene. Expression of beta-galactosidase in gene trap cell lines was monitored both before and after the addition of factors that are known to affect inner ear development. Gene trap cell lines that expressed beta-galactosidase under one or more culture conditions were used to create chimeric mouse embryos for studies of reporter gene expression in vivo. A high proportion of these gene trap insertions were expressed in the developing inner ear, suggesting that this strategy provides an effective means of identifying genes that may be involved in inner ear development or function.
Virus-induced increases in airway mast cells in Brown Norway rats are associated with enhanced pulmonary viral replication and persisting lymphocytic infiltration

Brown Norway (BN) rats are more susceptible than Fischer 344 (F344) rats to parainfluenza virus-induced lung injury and to bronchiolar mast cell increases that are associated with persistent airway hyperresponsiveness. In this study, pulmonary viral replication as well as immune, inflammatory, and airway mast cell responses to Sendai virus infection were compared between neonatal BN and F344 rats. BN rats supported prolonged viral replication, and viral titers in BN rats were 5-fold higher (p < .05) than in F344 rats at 7 days after inoculation. F344 rats had 18-fold higher (p < .06) numbers of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid at 7 days after inoculation than did BN rats. Persisting bronchiolar aggregates of lymphocytes, plasma cells, and macrophages were more common, and increases in bronchiolar mast cells were greater in BN rats than in F344 rats. No strain differences were detected in bronchiolar intramural infiltrates of CD4 + or CD8 + cells. The greater susceptibility of BN rats to virus-induced increases in bronchiolar mast cells and airway responsiveness may be the result of their less efficient viral clearance mechanisms and more persistent bronchiole-centered inflammatory response.
Testing Antimicrobial Efficacy on Porous Materials

The efficacy of antimicrobial treatments to eliminate or control biological growth in the indoor environment can easily be tested on non-porous surfaces. However, the testing of antimicrobial efficacy
Quality of name resolution in the Domain Name System

The Domain Name System (DNS) is integral to today's Internet. Name resolution for a domain is often dependent on servers well outside the control of the domain's owner. In this paper we propose a formal model for analyzing the name dependencies inherent in DNS, based on protocol specification and actual implementations. We derive metrics to quantify the extent to which domain names affect other domain names. It is found that under certain conditions, the name resolution for over one-half of the queries exhibits influence of domains not expressly configured by administrators. This result serves to quantify the degree of vulnerability of DNS due to dependencies that administrators are unaware of. The model presented in the paper also shows that the set of domains whose resolution affects a given domain name is much smaller than previously thought. The model also shows that with caching of NS target addresses, the number of influential domains expands greatly, thereby making the DNS infrastructure more vulnerable.
Chlamydia pneumoniae expresses genes required for DNA replication but not cytokinesis during persistent infection of HEp-2 cells.

Chlamydia pneumoniae causes community-acquired pneumonia and is associated with several chronic diseases, including asthma and atherosclerosis. The intracellular growth rate of C. pneumoniae slows dramatically during chronic infection, and such persistence leads to attenuated production of new elementary bodies, appearance of morphologically aberrant reticulate bodies, and altered expression of several chlamydial genes. We used an in vitro system to further characterize persistent C. pneumoniae infection, employing both ultrastructural and transcriptional activity measurements. HEp-2 cells were infected with C. pneumoniae (TW-183) at a multiplicity of infection of 3:1, and at 2 h postinfection gamma interferon (IFN-γ) was added to the medium at 0.15 or 0.50 ng/ml. Treated and untreated cultures were harvested at several times postinfection. RNA was isolated and reverse transcribed, and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analyses targeting primary transcripts from chlamydial rRNA operons as well as dnaA, polA, mutS, minD, ftsK, and ftsW mRNA were done. Some cultures were fixed and stained for electron microscopic analysis, and a real-time PCR assay was used to assess relative chlamydial chromosome accumulation under each culture condition. The latter assays showed that bacterial chromosome copies accumulated severalfold during IFN-γ treatment of infected HEp-2 cells, although less accumulation was observed in cells treated with the higher dose. Electron microscopy demonstrated that high-dose IFN-γ treatment elicited aberrant forms of the bacterium. RT-PCR showed that chlamydial primary rRNA transcripts were present in all IFN-γ-treated and untreated cell cultures, indicating bacterial metabolic activity. Transcripts from dnaA, polA, mutS, and minD, all of which encode products for bacterial chromosome replication and partition, were expressed in IFN-γ-treated and untreated cells. In contrast, ftsK and ftsW, encoding products for bacterial cell division, were expressed in untreated cells, but expression was attenuated in cells treated with low-dose IFN-γ and absent in cells given the high dose of cytokine. Thus, the development of persistence included production of transcripts for DNA replication-related, but not cell division-related, genes. These results provide new insight regarding molecular activities that accompany persistence of C. pneumoniae, as well as suggesting requirements for reactivation from persistent to productive growth.
Overlapping community detection at scale: a nonnegative matrix factorization approach

Network communities represent basic structures for understanding the organization of real-world networks. A community (also referred to as a module or a cluster) is typically thought of as a group of nodes with more connections amongst its members than between its members and the remainder of the network. Communities in networks also overlap as nodes belong to multiple clusters at once. Due to the difficulties in evaluating the detected communities and the lack of scalable algorithms, the task of overlapping community detection in large networks largely remains an open problem.In this paper we present BIGCLAM (Cluster Affiliation Model for Big Networks), an overlapping community detection method that scales to large networks of millions of nodes and edges. We build on a novel observation that overlaps between communities are densely connected. This is in sharp contrast with present community detection methods which implicitly assume that overlaps between communities are sparsely connected and thus cannot properly extract overlapping communities in networks. In this paper, we develop a model-based community detection algorithm that can detect densely overlapping, hierarchically nested as well as non-overlapping communities in massive networks. We evaluate our algorithm on 6 large social, collaboration and information networks with ground-truth community information. Experiments show state of the art performance both in terms of the quality of detected communities as well as in speed and scalability of our algorithm.
Surface identification using satellite microwave radiometers

The use of satellite microwave radiometers for identifying natural surfaces is analyzed. A retrieval technique is developed by considering the related mixed-pixel problem where two or more surfaces are contained within the viewing area. At a given frequency omicron , the emissivity measurement epsilon ( omicron ) depends on the fractional amounts f/sub n/ and a priori emissivities epsilon /sub n/( omicron ) where epsilon ( omicron )= Sigma epsilon /sub n/( omicron )f/sub n/. In applications involving surface identification the fractional amounts act as discriminants to identify the most likely surface among the a priori candidates. In principle, the fractional amounts can be obtained using multispectral measurements of emissivity. However, due to the limited spectral characteristics of emissivity the maximum number of distinguishable surfaces is reduced to three. The fractional amounts are derived using dual-frequency emissivity measurements and the effects of errors in measurement and a priori values are analyzed. >
New sequencing technologies, the development of genomics tools, and their applications in evolutionary arachnology

Abstract Molecular genetic tools have been a boon to arachnologists for decades and used to study many unique aspects of arachnid biology including genomics, phylogenetics, population genetics, and biogeography. These tools have evolved over time and now provide myriad methods for exploring evolutionary questions. Early tools, while still useful under the proper circumstances, are giving way to a new generation of DNA sequencing technologies. These new platforms yield impressive amounts of data at a fraction of the cost of traditional techniques. Herein, we discuss the history and future of molecular evolutionary arachnology in terms of available genetic/genomic tools and their potential applications, strengths, weaknesses, and relative costs. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms are varied in their methods and potential uses, making high-throughput sequencing studies focusing on a wide array of questions tractable. To date, relatively few studies have employed NGS technologies using arachnids, but ...
Focus on . . . Pension Simplification

The law governing employer-provided retirement benefits is one of the most complex areas of federal tax law. Must it be so? A recent study by the Joint Committee on Taxation makes numerous suggestions for simplifying the federal tax system, including the law on qualified plans and other employee benefits. The author analyzes these suggestions and other simplification proposals, offers his own recommendations, and explains how the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) both simplifies and complicates pension law.
Legitimacy in the Balance: Hitler’s Rhetoric and British Foreign Policy, 1933-1938

In this essay, I develop an alternative explanation of British policy in the 1930s. I argue that it was Hitler’s legitimation strategies that undercut British balancing, and led to a policy of appeasement. As Hitler mounted his program of expansion and aggression, he justified Germany’s actions by appealed to shared norms of collective security, equality, and self-determination. While these legitimation strategies never convinced the British that Germany was a status quo or peaceful power, they nevertheless countered potential balancing efforts, and allowed for Germany’s unopposed rise in European politics.
The Law of Divorce and Relationship Dissolution

This chapter appears in a volume that treats the processes of divorce and relationship dissolution from the perspective of various disciplines. The focus in this chapter is on the legal aspects of dissolving a marriage or other adult relationship. The decision of spouses to terminate their marriage relationship marks a time of dramatic transition for the members of their family. The legal system, which generally respects the privacy of intact families, becomes involved with the various aspects of the family in the context of a marriage dissolution. Thus, the rules of law in each state govern the grounds for divorce, the economic rights of the spouses, and important child-related issues in the divorce context. In formulating these rules, state lawmakers must balance the sometimes conflicting interests of individual family members, the family as a unit, and the larger society. Given the importance of the interests at stake, the many and ongoing changes in modern family life, and public awareness of the laws in this field, the relevant rules of law are much discussed and often revised. The related topic of dissolution of unmarried, cohabiting relationships presents a different picture. Outside the limited but growing number of local and state domestic partnership laws, unmarried cohabitation is not a status recognized by the legal system. The courts generally become involved in the unwinding of a nonformalized cohabiting relationship only if the partners raise economic claims based on the existence of a contract or issues involving the welfare of their children. In this field, lawmakers must formulate rules that involve an appropriate degree of state involvement in the affairs of the family and most appropriate forms of regulation.
Lifetime measurements of cesium 5dthinsp{sup 2}D{sub 5/2,3/2} and 11sthinsp{sup 2}S{sub 1/2} states using pulsed-laser excitation

We report measurements of the $5d{}^{2}{D}_{5/2},$ $5d{}^{2}{D}_{3/2},$ and $11s{}^{2}{S}_{1/2}$ state lifetimes in the ${}^{133}$Cs atom to be 1281(9), 909(15), and 351(4) ns, respectively. A pulsed-dye laser selectively excites atomic Cs from the ground state, via a single-photon quadrupole transition, to the $5d$ states and, via a two-photon electric dipole transition, to the $11s$ state. A spectrometer-photomultiplier system detects the fluorescence from the decay of interest and a digitizing oscilloscope records the direct output of the photomultiplier. The data are fit to an exponential function to yield a value for the mean lifetime of the selected state.
Prognostic Value of the 24-Hour Neurological Examination in Anterior Circulation Ischemic Stroke: A post hoc Analysis of Two Randomized Controlled Stroke Trials.

Background: Early prognostication of long-term outcomes following ischemic stroke can facilitate medical decision-making. We hypothesized that the 24-hour National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) predicts 3-month clinical outcomes in anterior circulation stroke. Methods: Secondary analyses of the Interventional Management of Stroke 3 (IMS3) and intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) for acute ischemic stroke [National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) IV tPA] trials were performed. In participants with documented 24-hour NIHSS and 3-month Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), the predictive power of the 24-hour NIHSS and 24-hour NIHSS improvement for 3-month outcomes [mRS 0-2 and Barthel Index (BI) ≥95] was assessed. Percentages of good outcome (mRS 0-2 or BI ≥95) at 3, 6, and 12 months and mean quality of life (EQ5D™) index at 3 months across 24-hour NIHSS quartiles were compared. Results: The majority of the study participants were included (IMS3 n = 587/656, NINDS IV tPA n = 619/624). The 24-hour NIHSS was correlated with 3-month mRS (R = 0.73) with excellent predictive power for mRS 0-2 [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.91] and BI ≥95 (AUC = 0.9) in both cohorts. A model with the 24-hour NIHSS alone correctly classified 82-84% of patients in both cohorts. The percentages of good outcomes at 3-12 months across 24-hour NIHSS quartiles were similar in both cohorts. mRS 0-2 was achieved by 75.6-77.7% of patients with 24-hour NIHSS ≤11 but by only 1.4-3.6% with 24-hour NIHSS ≥20. The EQ5D index at 3 months varied among NIHSS 0-4 (mean 0.86 ± 0.16), 5-11 (0.77 ± 0.18), and 12-19 (0.59 ± 0.26) quartiles. Conclusions: The 24-hour NIHSS strongly predicts long-term stroke outcomes and is associated with quality of life. Its easy availability, reliability, and validity support its use as an early prognostic marker and surrogate of clinical outcome in ischemic stroke.
Finding a Signal in the Noise

The importance of BP as a risk factor for cardiovascular and renal disease is well established. In all BP trials, precise protocols are enforced when measuring BP to minimize extraneous factors that could obscure an individual’s true BP free from noise ([1][1]). However, despite these protocols,
Application of a small nuclear thermal/nuclear electric bimodal vehicle for planetary exploration

Results of a study of a small NTR/bitnodal propulsion system study are presented. Orbiter missions to Pluto, Neptune, and Jupiter are presented for a reactor and power conversion system that generates 1000 Ibf thrust and 20 to 40 kWe of electricity. Xenon ion electric propulsion is assumed to use the electrical output of the reactor. Results indicate that these outer planet missions are feasible and the masses delivered are quite in keeping with the current trends within NASA to develop new spacecraft that are much smaller, much lighter, and more autonomous.
Unreported complication of Bravo pH capsule dislodged into the pyriform sinus

We report an unexpected, previously unreported complication of Bravo pH capsule dislodgement. During Bravo pH testing of a 44-year-old man with gastroesophageal reflux disease, we were unable to endoscopically visualize the capsule attached to the esophageal wall after deployment. After multiple attempts to detect the capsule, it was visualized in the left pyriform sinus. As there was significant risk for pulmonary dislodgement, ENT and pulmonary physicians were immediately consulted to review options for safe removal. Ultimately, ENT successfully retrieved the capsule with a foreign body removal forceps. The Bravo pH test is generally a well-tolerated diagnostic tool used to confirm the presence of abnormal esophageal acid reflux. While few complications have been reported, technical difficulties can occur, including poor data reception, misplacement, and early dislodgement. Rarely, more serious complications can occur, ranging from esophageal wall trauma to capsule aspiration. Gastroenterologists performing this procedure should be aware of the low, but non-trivial, risk of complications.
Atresia of the left main coronary artery: repair with left internal mammary artery bypass.

The case of a 17-month-old child with atresia of the left main coronary artery and mitral insufficiency is presented. The child underwent two separate surgical procedures, the first being a left internal mammary-left anterior descending coronary artery bypass and plication of the mitral valve. During the follow-up period the mitral insufficiency progressed, and the child subsequently underwent mitral valve replacement with a Bjork-Shiley prosthesis. A selective study of the left internal mammary demonstrated excellent flow into the left coronary artery system. The report illustrates the use of the left internal mammary artery in a small child.
Dynamics over Local Fields: Bad Reduction

The study of the dynamics of polynomial and rational maps over ℝ and ℂ has a long history and includes many deep theorems, some of which were briefly discussed in Chapter 1. A more recent development is the creation of an analogous theory over complete local fields such as the p-adic rational numbers ℚ p and the completion ℂ p of an algebraic closure of ℚ p . The nonarchimedean nature of the absolute value on ℚ p and ℂ p makes some parts of the theory easier than when working over ℂ or ℝ. But as usual, there is a price to pay. For example, the theory of nonarchimedean dynamics must deal with the fact that ℚ p is totally disconnected and far from being algebraically closed, while ℂ p is not locally compact.
Thick orientation-patterned growth of GaP on wafer-fused GaAs templates by hydride vapor phase epitaxy for frequency conversion

Abstract Quasi-phase-matched (QPM) GaP layers up to 300 μm thick have been produced by low-pressure hydride vapor phase epitaxy (LP-HVPE) overgrowth on orientation-patterned GaAs (OPGaAs) templates fabricated using a wafer-fusion bonding technique. The growth on the OPGaAs templates resulted in up to 200 μm thick vertically propagating domains, with a total GaP thickness of 300 μm. The successful thick growth on OPGaAs templates is the first step towards solving the material problems associated with unreliable material quality of commercially available GaP wafers and making the whole process of designing QPM frequency conversion devices molecular beam epitaxy free and more cost-effective.
Postharvest Quality of Mechanically and Hand-harvested, Southern Highbush Blueberry Fruit for Fresh Market

Three southern highbush blueberry cultivars (Vaccinium corymbosum hybrids) were mechanically harvested (MH) or hand-harvested (HH) and commercially packed before storage for 14 days at 1 C in two successive years. MH fruit were softer, had lower ratings for overall appearance, and lost up to 20% more fresh weight than HH fruit after 14 days storage. MH ‘Meadowlark’ had fewer soft fruit (<35%) during storage than either ‘Sweetcrisp’ or ‘Farthing’; however, the latter two cultivars had lower incidences of shrivel and weight loss. Fruit in the 2010 season were more susceptible to bruising than those from the 2009 season; however, soluble solids content (SSC), total titratable acidity (TTA), and ascorbic acid concentration remained constant during storage and between seasons. ‘Meadowlark’ had the highest sugar to acid ratio (25.0). Successful implementation of MH of southern highbush blueberries for fresh market will only be commercially feasible if harvest impacts are further reduced.
Post-Craniotomy Pain Management: Beyond Opioids

Craniotomy pain may be severe and is often undertreated. Pain management following craniotomy is a balancing act of achieving adequate analgesia but avoiding sedation, respiratory depression, hypercapnia, nausea and vomiting, and hypertension. Opioids are a first-line analgesic therapy; however, concern that opioid-related adverse effects (sedation, respiratory depression) may interfere with neurologic assessment and increase intracranial pressure has limited use of these drugs for intracranial surgery. Non-opioid analgesics avoid these effects and may be useful as part of a multimodal regimen for post-craniotomy pain. Regional scalp blocks, paracetamol, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are beneficial in the early post-operative period. Recent studies suggest a role for novel analgesics: dexmedetomidine, gabapentinoids, and ketamine, though additional studies are necessary.
Establishing the distinctiveness of relationship variables using the Big Five and self-esteem

Abstract Relationship research has identified several key variables that predict the types of relationships individuals seek, the ways they engage partners, and how they see themselves. However, to date, little research has examined a novel variable, emophilia. Emophilia is defined as individual variation that exists with respect to how fast and frequently and individual falls in love. It is critical to establish emophilia as a unique construct in the field of relationship research. The present study explored the associations between various relationship variables and individual difference measures such as the Big Five and self-esteem. The results indicated that each variable had a different pattern of correlations with the Big Five and self-esteem, and that none of the relationship variables were redundant with each other. In particular, emophilia was distinct from both anxious attachment and sociosexuality indicating that it may predict unique variance in relationship research.
Narratives and Social Interaction

Scholarship on narratives and social interaction encompasses a broad spectrum of theoretical, paradigmatic, methodological, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the ways people tell stories in the context of interpersonal communication. The study of narratives and social interaction, at its core, concerns how people construct, make sense of, and negotiate identity, relationships, and meaning. Across approaches, narrative coherence, tone, truth, co-construction, and the functions of telling and listening to stories emerge as constructs central to understanding the communicative construction of narrative meaning. Keywords: family communication; interpersonal communication; narrative; storytelling
Uptake of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Among Commercially Insured Persons—United States, 2010–2014

BACKGROUND Daily, oral use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective strategy to prevent acquisition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It is important to monitor PrEP uptake at the national level to increase our understanding of trends in its utilization, but national HIV surveillance data do not include PrEP uptake. Our objective was to develop feasible methods to estimate PrEP uptake and to estimate uptake each year among commercially insured persons during 2010-2014. METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis of the 2010-2014 MarketScan database, a national sample of persons with commercial health insurance in the United States. We developed an algorithm to identify persons aged ≥16 years who were prescribed TDF-FTC for PrEP each year. We generated nationally representative estimates of prevalence of persons prescribed PrEP. RESULTS We found a significantly increasing trend in the proportion of persons prescribed TDF-FTC for PrEP during the study period, with 417 users in 2010 and 9375 in 2014 (P < .001); 97% of PrEP users were male and 98% lived in metropolitan areas in 2014. During the study period, the numbers of women prescribed PrEP were low. CONCLUSIONS Our analytic method provides the only feasible means to monitor PrEP uptake in the United States. Although a marked increasing trend in uptake was observed for men, the number of women who used PrEP remained very low during the study period. Interventions are needed to increase PrEP use by women at substantial risk of acquiring HIV infection.
Benefit on motor and non-motor behavior in a specialized unit for Parkinson’s disease

Treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease in specialized units is quite common in Germany. Data on the benefit of this hospitalization of patients with Parkinson's disease on motor and non-motor symptoms in conjunction with standardized tests are rare. Objective was to determine the efficacy of this therapeutic setting. We scored disease severity and performed clinical tests, respectively, instrumental procedures under standardized conditions in consecutively referred in-patients initially and at the end of their hospital stay. There was a decrease of motor and non-motor symptoms. The extent of improvement of non-motor and motor symptoms correlated to each other. Performance of complex movement sequences became better, whereas execution of simple movement series did not ameliorate. The interval for the timed up and go test went down. We demonstrate the effectiveness of an in-patient stay in a specialized unit for Parkinson's disease. Objective standardized testing supplements subjective clinical scoring with established rating scales.
Studies of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids: XI. Relation of plasma concentrations to urinary excretion in patients treated for rheumatic fever***

Summary 1. The relationships of plasma 17-OHCS concentrations to urinary 17-OHCS excretions were observed in children with active rheumatic fever treated with oral cortisone, ACTH gel, or salicylates. 2. Elevations of plasma 17-OHCSconcentrations and urinary 17-OHCS excretions, proportional to the dose of hormone, were observed during cortisone and ACTH gel therapy; no such elevations occurred during salicylate therapy. ACTH gel was more potent than cortisone, in terms of I.U. ACTH vs. mg. cortisone, in producing the increases in plasma and urinary 17-OHCS values. 3. A temporary relative adrenal cortical refractoriness was observed in patients treated for considerable periods of time with hormones. Because of this it is suggested that a cautious program of tapering the dose be employed.
How Downstream Retailer Merger Affects Upstream Manufacture and Downstream Retail Markets? A Generalized Theorem and Applications to Different Market Types

This paper studies how the merger of downstream retail firms shall affect the market structures in both the upstream manufacture and downstream retail markets. By allowing downstream retail firms to merge, this paper studies the upstream manufacture firms' endogenous choices of product qualities and downstream retail firms' endogenous choices of retail prices pre- and post-merger. The paper finds that the post-merger retail prices shall increase for both the merged and non-merging products. The market shares shall decrease for the merged products and shall increase for the non-merging products. The adjustments of post-merger product qualities shall depend on the pre-merger market shares, consumer's preference over product quality and upstream manufacture firms' marginal and fixed costs of production. A generalized theorem is provided to characterize conditions to predict all possible post-merger changes of market shares, product qualities and retail prices for both the merged and non-merging products, under the cases when retail firms sell either single or multiple products. The paper also applies the general theorem to study particular market types: information goods and service goods markets.
Monitoring of learning for emotional faces: how do fine-grained categories of emotion influence participants’ judgments of learning and beliefs about memory?

Researchers have evaluated how broad categories of emotion (i.e. positive and negative) influence judgments of learning (JOLs) relative to neutral items. Specifically, JOLs are typically higher for emotional relative to neutral items. The novel goal of the present research was to evaluate JOLs for fine-grained categories of emotion. Participants studied faces with afraid, angry, sad, or neutral expressions (Experiment 1) and with afraid, angry, or sad expressions (Experiment 2). Participants identified the expressed emotion, made a JOL for each, and completed a recognition test. JOLs were higher for the emotional relative to neutral expressions. However, JOLs were insensitive to the categories of negative emotion. Using a survey design in Experiment 3, participants demonstrated idiosyncratic beliefs about emotion. Some people believed the fine-grained emotions were equally memorable, whereas others believed a specific emotion (e.g. anger) was most memorable. Thus, beliefs about emotion are nuanced, which has important implications for JOL theory.