cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Decline of the

Since the initiation of its economic reforms in 1978, China has undergone both a rapid development in its industrial production and a major structural change in its economy, resulting in a decline in the share of output being produced by state-owned enterprises (SOEs). These two simultaneous events appear related to one another. Specifically, it is postulated that the remarkable growth exhibited by the non-state sector seem to be the driving force behind this emerging economy. This paper attempts to explain what has been at the root of the productivity growth disparities between state and non-state enterprises. The first part of this study presents some background for understanding the Chinese economy and its reform process. Part II considers certain technical, intuitional, and other reasons why SOEs could be relatively slower to develop. It concludes that specific differences between the state and non-state enterprises’ institutional features may explain this disparity. It also considers the notion that the non-state sector's productivity growth rate could be somewhat exaggerated, due to its "catchup to the technologically sophisticated SOEs in some sectors, and its neglect for product quality. By using an elaborated version of the Cobb-Douglas production function, Part III of this study tests whether these disparities in productivity growth are simply due to differences in efficiency. Due to the fairly conclusive evident which shall be presented, this theory appears to be confirmed
Active B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Measured by Mass Spectrometry and Response to Sacubitril/Valsartan.

Abstract Background B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) immunoassays (BNPia) do not differentiate active and inactive forms. Inactive NT-proBNP is used to track heart failure (HF) during treatment with sacubitril/valsartan, which inhibits BNP degradation. Mass spectrometry (MS) may better assess effects of HF treatment on biologically active BNP1-32. Methods and Results We developed a MS assay with immediate protease inhibition to quantify BNP1-32 over a linear range, using labeled recombinant BNP standard. In 4 healthy volunteers, BNP1-32 by MS (BNPMS) increased from below the 5 pg/mL detection limit to 228 pg/mL after nesiritide. In patients with HF, BNPMS was measured in parallel with BNP and NT-proBNP immunoassays before and during sacubitril/valsartan treatment. BNPMS was 4.4-fold lower than BNPia in patients with HF. Among patients not taking sacubitril/valsartan and without end-stage renal disease, BNPMS correlated with BNPia (rs = 0.77, P Conclusions Active BNP measured by MS accounts for only a small amount of BNP measured by immunoassays. Although decreased BNP production was anticipated to be masked by inhibition of degradation, levels of active BNP decreased during chronic sacubitril/valsartan treatment.
A Note on the Development of Management Communication in Graduate Business Schools

An overview of the development of management communication in MBA programs. Excerpt A Note on the Development of Management Communication in Graduate Business Schools History The study of communication in graduate business schools has a long history but can also be seen as a fairly recent development. It is, at the same time, interdisciplinary and a separate field of inquiry. Generations of Harvard Business School graduates have memories of the “Written Analysis of Cases” (WAC) requirement. Tuck, at Dartmouth and the oldest MBA program in the United States, has had a communication course since it was founded; so too, one of the first faculty members at the Darden School of the University of Virginia, a business historian, established a course called Analysis and Communication. The study of cases links writing to logical analysis; the practical application of public speaking is coterminous with the advent of management as a pedagogical discourse. As organizations grew large enough to need a profession of management—an idea advocated by Alfred Sloane and Peter Drucker at different times and described by Alfred Chandler—managers needed new levels of communication skills. Originally, management communication found its roots in composition and rhetoric, topics that would become closely associated with the departments of English and Speech Communication in university curricula. Modern universities artificially divided “creative writing,” something that more or less could not be taught without special gifts, and composition, a requirement designed to meet the modest needs of the college essay. Public speaking often became the analogous introductory or across-the-curriculum course in communication departments that also embraced a wide range of topics such as broadcasting and mass media. . . .
Podiatric Resident Performance on a Basic Competency Examination in Musculoskeletal Medicine

A basic competency examination in musculoskeletal medicine has previously been administered to residents across a variety of medical specialties and has demonstrated that medical school preparation in musculoskeletal medicine might be inadequate. The objectives of the present study were to assess podiatric surgical resident performance on this examination and to assess podiatric surgical residency director opinions of the level of importance of the test subject areas. A total of 117 podiatric surgical residents from 15 residency programs completed the 25-question examination. The residents scored a mean ± standard deviation of 60.32% ± 12.60% (range 22.00% to 92.00%). On the 7 questions rated by podiatric residency directors as ≥8 on a 10-point scale of relative importance, this score improved to 84.92% ± 11.93% (range 39.29% to 100.0%). Senior level residents did not outperform junior level residents (60.76% versus 60.44%; p = .898), and those who had completed a general orthopedics rotation at some point in their education did not outperform those who had not (61.12% versus 58.64%; p = .370). The podiatric residency directors assigned a mean ± standard deviation importance score of 6.97 ± 2.07 out of 10 for the 25 questions and suggested a mean ± standard deviation passing score of 69.14% ± 9.03% for the examination. The results of the present investigation provide original data on podiatric surgical resident performance on a basic competency examination in musculoskeletal medicine. Although the residents scored well for some specific test areas, the overall performance was similar to that of previous iterations of the examination given to general surgery and internal medicine residents. The lower scores compared with those from the orthopedic and physical therapy specialties might indicate a need for improved general musculoskeletal medicine education within the podiatric curriculum.
HEAT AND SOCIAL STRESS EFFECTS ON PIG IMMUNE MEASURES

Forty-eight domestic pigs were used to evaluate the effects of heat and social stress on immune indices. Pigs were brought together in groups of three per pen and video-taped for the first 72 h. Video tapes were viewed to determine time spent in aggressive and submissive behaviors. Social status of each pig was determined from outcomes of agonistic interactions. Pens of pigs were housed in either a thermoneural (control, 24 degrees C) or heat-stress (33 degrees C) air temperature. Immune measures were determined from blood samples obtained on d 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after grouping. Social status had an effect (P < .05) on lymphocyte proliferation in response to pokeweed mitogen: socially intermediate pigs had a higher proliferative response than socially dominant or subordinate pigs. Many immune measures showed a significant interaction between heat and social stress over days of the study. Generally, socially dominant or submissive pigs had alterations in immune function (elevated numbers of neutrophils, decreased antibody production) compared with socially intermediate pigs. In conclusion, heat and social stress interact in their effect on the pig's immune system. Although one might have predicted immunosuppression among submissive pigs, there also seemed to be immunological costs to dominant pigs as well. These data also have implications in design of stressor research in that social behavior should be measured or controlled.
Modeling Dependency in Prediction Markets

In the last decade, prediction markets became popular forecasting toolsin areas ranging from election results to movie revenues and Oscarnominations. One of the features that make prediction marketsparticularly attractive for decision support applications is that theycan be used to answer what-if questions and estimate probabilities ofcomplex events. Traditional approach to answering such questionsinvolves running a combinatorial prediction market, what is not alwayspossible. In this paper, we present an alternative, statistical approachto pricing complex claims, which is based on analyzing co-movements ofprediction market prices for basis events. Experimental evaluation ofour technique on a collection of 51 InTrade contracts representing theDemocratic Party Nominee winning Electoral College Votes of a particularstate shows that the approach outperforms traditional forecastingmethods such as price and return regressions and can be used to extractmeaningful business intelligence from raw price data.
Borrelia burgdorferi HtrA may promote dissemination and irritation.

Four recent publications in Molecular Microbiology have begun to address the importance of a putative protease, BB0104, in the physiology and pathogenesis of Borrelia burgdorferi. BB0104 is a member of a large family of serine proteases designated as the high-temperature requirement (HtrA) protease family (reviewed in Singh et al., 2011; Hansen and Hilgenfeld, 2013). Members of this group have some homology at the amino acid level and similar architecture. All form oligomers (6–24 subunits) and have a central chymotrypsin-like protease domain followed by one or two PDZ (substrate binding and oligomerization) domains. Some HtrA homologues have a N-terminal signal peptide and a trans-membrane domain. In general, these proteases in prokaryotes are responsible for maintaining an operational bacterial proteome by turning over damaged or incorrectly folded proteins generated during abortive cellular localization or under conditions of cell stress (e.g. heat stock, oxidative stress etc.). Additionally, these critical proteases act as chaperones to correctly promote the folding of proteins as they are being translocated from the cytosol to the membranes or to the extracellular milieu. Data also suggest that this chaperone function is required to maintain the correct levels of target proteins in bacterial membranes, thus promoting a bacterial membrane environment that is required for optimal membrane function. This is accomplished by the HtrA binding to specific, target proteins and, if the protein is not able to be inserted in the membrane in a time-dependent fashion, HtrA will transition from chaperone function to protease function and turnover the bound protein. By biochemically ‘sensing’ the integrity of membrane proteins, HtrA proteases provide a monitoring system that allows the cells to adapt readily to changing environmental conditions. As a result of these functions, HtrA proteases play a significant role in the overall physiology of the bacteria.
Recursive method to extract rectangular objects from scans

In scanning photographs, receipts or other small objects users will often scan many at a time. It would be convenient to automatically detect that the scanned image consists of many small objects rather than a single large one, and segment appropriately. We present a simple, efficient and robust way of doing this.
Symmetry of Finite Objects

A large proportion of the materials that exist in the solid state is crystalline, at least to some degree. Everything that is crystalline, along with many things that are not, possesses symmetry, which means that some operation —a rotation, a mirror reflection, an inversion, a translation, or some combination of these—brings it to a state that is indistinguishable from its original state. The mathematical treatment of symmetry makes extensive use of the theory of groups. A group is defined, quite arbitrarily, as a set of operations that combine1 in such a way as to satisfy four postulates.
Expression profiling of in vivo ductal carcinoma in situ progression models identified B cell lymphoma-9 as a molecular driver of breast cancer invasion

There are an estimated 60,000 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) each year. A lack of understanding in DCIS pathobiology has led to overtreatment of more than half of patients. We profiled the temporal molecular changes during DCIS transition to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) using in vivo DCIS progression models. These studies identified B cell lymphoma-9 (BCL9) as a potential molecular driver of early invasion. BCL9 is a newly found co-activator of Wnt-stimulated β-catenin-mediated transcription. BCL9 has been shown to promote progression of multiple myeloma and colon carcinoma. However BCL9 role in breast cancer had not been previously recognized. Microarray and RNA sequencing were utilized to characterize the sequential changes in mRNA expression during DCIS invasive transition. BCL9-shRNA knockdown was performed to assess the role of BCL9 in in vivo invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and canonical Wnt-signaling. Immunofluorescence of 28 patient samples was used to assess a correlation between the expression of BCL9 and biomarkers of high risk DCIS. The cancer genome atlas data were analyzed to assess the status of BCL9 gene alterations in breast cancers. Analysis of BCL9, by RNA and protein showed BCL9 up-regulation to be associated with DCIS transition to IDC. Analysis of patient DCIS revealed a significant correlation between high nuclear BCL9 and pathologic characteristics associated with DCIS recurrence: Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) negative, high nuclear grade, and high human epidermal growth factor receptor2 (HER2). In vivo silencing of BCL9 resulted in the inhibition of DCIS invasion and reversal of EMT. Analysis of the TCGA data showed BCL9 to be altered in 26 % of breast cancers. This is a significant alteration when compared to HER2 (ERBB2) gene (19 %) and estrogen receptor (ESR1) gene (8 %). A significantly higher proportion of basal like invasive breast cancers compared to luminal breast cancers showed BCL9 amplification. BCL9 is a molecular driver of DCIS invasive progression and may predispose to the development of basal like invasive breast cancers. As such, BCL9 has the potential to serve as a biomarker of high risk DCIS and as a therapeutic target for prevention of IDC.
On word-initial voicing: converging sources of evidence in phonologically disordered speech.

The purpose of this study is to bring related sources of data, i.e., phonological and acoustic phonetic, to bear on the characterization of two children's disordered phonological systems. Auditorily-based phonological analyses indicated that the children exhibited a superficially similar pattern of error involving the voice contrast in word-initial obstruent stops, even though both children accurately produced the voice contrast in post-vocalic stops. Acoustic phonetic analyses indicated, however, that one of the children systematically effected the voice distinction using closure duration and voice onset time, whereas the other child did not. Despite the similarity of their errors as assessed by auditorily-based phonological analyses, the children had very different productive knowledge of word-initial voicing in stops. These findings have implications for the clinical assessment and treatment of children with phonological disorders.
A Bayesian Approach to Test Market Selection

A model that addresses the problem of selecting test units for test marketing is described. The model is based on Bayesian procedures and utilizes data on the relationships between test unit sales and equilibrium market performance. An illustrative application incorporates the use of historical data in a Bayesian decision framework.
Technology in the classroom: Burning the bridges to the gaps in gender-biased education?

This review introduces the concepts of gender bias and technology in education. It discusses the interaction between the two in the educational setting and the effects this interaction may have on teachers, students and materials used in the classroom. It is argued that areas in the educational setting that have been focused on as materials and practices that are biased have also been translated into the use of educational technology that is biased. This review makes the point that biases that have been pointed out and studied within the educational system have not been solved by the use of technology (as some had hoped). In fact, the biases have simply been converted into a new form and may have actually served to undo some the bias-eliminating practices that had been starting to take place in classrooms. Implications and suggestions for change are discussed.
Variational Methods in Design Optimization and Sensitivity Analysis for Two-Dimensional Euler Equations

Variational methods (VM) sensitivity analysis employed to derive the costate (adjoint) equations, the transversality conditions, and the functional sensitivity derivatives. In the derivation of the sensitivity equations, the variational methods use the generalized calculus of variations, in which the variable boundary is considered as the design function. The converged solution of the state equations together with the converged solution of the costate equations are integrated along the domain boundary to uniquely determine the functional sensitivity derivatives with respect to the design function. The application of the variational methods to aerodynamic shape optimization problems is demonstrated for internal flow problems at supersonic Mach number range. The study shows, that while maintaining the accuracy of the functional sensitivity derivatives within the reasonable range for engineering prediction purposes, the variational methods show a substantial gain in computational efficiency, i.e., computer time and memory, when compared with the finite difference sensitivity analysis.
Membrane-permeant, DNA-binding agents alter intracellular trafficking and increase the transfection efficiency of complexed plasmid DNA

Nuclear delivery of extracellular DNA by nonviral vectors is inhibited by a series of cell membrane and compartmental barriers. Certain cationic amphiphiles that partition through cellular membranes to bind genomic DNA can enhance nuclear delivery of plasmid DNA. Specifically, delivering plasmid DNA complexed to the DNA-binding dye Hoechst 33258 produces cellular transfection levels similar to those achieved by cationic liposome:DNA complexes (CLDC), with less toxicity. Incorporating Hoechst into CLDC or polyethyleneimine:DNA complexes significantly increased reporter gene expression, as well as the percentage of cells transfected. Hoechst:CLDC significantly improved transfection of nondividing cells and efficiently transfected cells in the presence of anionic molecules that block cellular uptake of and transfection by CLDC alone. Hoechst:CLDC also increased gene expression in mouse tissues following intravenous delivery. Delivery of fluorescently labeled plasmid DNA via Hoechst altered its intracellular trafficking by both minimizing lysosomal sequestration and accelerating delivery into the nucleus. Agents such as Hoechst constitute a novel class of nonviral carriers that can confer their membrane-permeant properties on complexed DNA, thus redirecting its intracellular trafficking. In addition, binding of Hoechst 33258 to specific chromosomal DNA target sequences and its ability to modulate transcription may further enhance the expression of delivered genes.
Analysis of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase(s) by radioimmunoassay

Abstract A high-affinity form of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, purified to apparent homogeneity from dog kidney, was labeled with 125 I using a solid-state lactoperoxidaseglucose oxidase system and its purity confirmed by acrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. Sheep anti-cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase immunoglobulin fraction was analyzed for 125 I-enzyme binding and covalently bound to agarose A 1.5m for isotopically labeled antigen displacement. Anti-phosphodiesterase antiserum was purified by Sepharose 4B-cAPDE affinity chromatography and used for a radioimmunoassay employing second-antibody precipitation. The specificity of the anti-cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase antibody was established by its use as a covalently bound affinity ligand for cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase purification and analysis of sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel extracts of partially purified and purified dog kidney supernatants. Radioimmunoassay using a monospecific antibody preparation demonstrated the similarity of high-affinity cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase forms of different tissues and species that had been separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Various purified preparations of calmodulin, as well as brain calcineurin, did not cross-react in the high-affinity cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase radioimmunoassay. However, higher molecular weight cyclic GMP/lower affinity cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase enzyme forms, partially purified by anion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and Cibacron blue adsorption, were shown to cross-react in the high-affinity cAMP phosphodiesterase radioimmunoassay. These studies suggest immunological similarities between the major forms of this enzyme system and the possibility of higher molecular weight complexes containing both cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP hydrolytic sites.
Response and reliability of secondary systems in yielding structures

Abstract The response and reliability of a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) linear secondary system mounted on a SDOF yielding primary structure subject to a Gaussian white noise ground acceleration excitation is investigated by using equivalent linearization and digital simulation. It is shown that the effect of primary structure yielding on the response and reliability of the secondary system mainly depends on the ratio ν of the natural frequency of the secondary system to that of the primary structure. For ν near and larger than 1·0, the response improves and reliability increases significantly upon yielding of the primary structure. For ν less than but not near 1·0, the response and reliability after the primary structure yielding remain approximately the same as those before yielding except that, under severe loading, the response deteriorates and reliability decreases significantly within certain range of ν values which depends on the ratio of post-yield to pre-yield stiffness and the intensity of excitation.
Defining Social Justice in a Socially Unjust World

ONE OF THE IRONIES OF THE EARLY twenty-first century is that ideological struggles between and within nations have intensified a decade after the end of the Cold War. Today, proponents of diametrically opposed visions of society, secular and religious, march under the banner of social justice. As desirable social and political goals are depicted in starkly different forms, labels like “good” and “evil” become interchangeable and the meaning of social justice becomes obscured. As it has been for millennia, the concept of social justice is now used as a rationale for maintaining the status quo, promoting far-reaching social reforms, and justifying revolutionary action. If liberals and conservatives, religious fundamentalists, and radical secularists all regard their causes as socially just, how can we develop a common meaning of the term?
Primary structure of the canine CD4 antigen

After PCR amplification two overlapping cDNA clones encoding the dog homologue of the human CD4 glycoprotein were identified. This internal fragment of the mature protein including the complete extracellular domains, consists of 1297 bp with a deduced amino acid sequence of 432 residues. The dog CD4 molecule differs from the corresponding protein of other species including human in the second domain. We found nine extra residues in the beginning of that domain, a cysteine at position 138, usually involved in a disulfide bridge, is substituted by tryptophan, and three new glycosylation sites are present.
Hereditary limitations of the infectious and transmissible nature of experimental dental caries.

Abstract We have confirmed that dental caries is an infectious and transmissible disease in albino rats. However, the transmission of this disease was significantly demonstrated only with rats which were genetically susceptible. Rats bred for susceptibility to caries showed an increase in caries activity after depressing the penicillin-sensitive flora and reinoculating with faeces. Rats bred for resistance to caries did not show a significant increase in caries activity after depressing the penicillin-sensitive flora and reinoculating with faeces. This confirms the view that the genotype of a rat is one factor in determining its resistance to dental caries. Faeces from either caries-susceptible or caries-resistant rats induced caries to the same extent in susceptible rats. This indicates that caries-resistant rats were naturally exposed to a caries-active flora, but failed to develop this disease extensively.
Break-Even Analysis: A Practical Tool In Farm Management

Break-even charts provide managers with a simple method for exploring a range of production possibilities for a given farm plant. The charts may also help the manager evaluate machinery combinations and plant sizes.
Feature selection for support vector machines using Generalized Benders Decomposition

Abstract We propose an exact method, based on Generalized Benders Decomposition, to select the best M features during induction. We provide details of the method and highlight some interesting parallels between the technique proposed here and some of those published in the literature. We also propose a relaxation of the problem where selecting too many features is penalized. The original method performs well on a variety of data sets. The relaxation, though competitive, is sensitive to the penalty parameter.
Threshold electron excitation of azulene

Abstract Intense energy absorption at 2.44 eV is observed in the threshold electron excitation spectrum of azulene vapor. Direct excitation of triplet states or an electron-molecule resonance may account for this striking feature.
Pericardial patch grafts in glaucoma implant surgery

Purpose: The authors determine the safety and effectiveness of pericardial patch grafts in glaucoma implant surgery.Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on all patients who underwent a glaucoma implant procedure with the use of a pericardial patch graft to cover the subconjunctival po
An antiarrhythmic drug experience in 941 patients resuscitated from an initial cardiac arrest between 1970 and 1985.

Abstract Survival rates and antiarrhythmic drug use were determined in 941 consecutive patients resuscitated from prehospital cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation between March 7, 1970, and March 6, 1985. Of these patients, 18.7% were treated for at least a portion of the period with quinidine, 17.5% with procainamide, and 39.4% received no antiarrhythmic agent. Beta blockers were prescribed for 28.3% of the patients. Unadjusted comparisons of survival estimates showed dramatically lower survival rates for patients who received antiarrhythmic drugs independent of β-blocker therapy and significantly improved survival for patients receiving β-blocker therapy independent of antiarrhythmic use. Patients for whom antiarrhythmic therapy was prescribed also had more adverse baseline risk factors, whereas patients taking β blockers had fewer such risk factors. After adjustment for these baseline risk factors, the use of antiarrhythmics was weakly (p
Autonomous firing of low-threshold spike interneurons in the striatum

Specific striatal neuronal subtypes are classified as either phasically or tonically active. Of the four major neuronal subtypes of the striatum, the firing patterns of three have been studied in detail. Spiny projection neurons and fast-spiking interneurons fire phasically in response to synaptic input and are silent when input is absent. Cholinergic (ACh) interneurons are tonically active even in the absence of synaptic input. These ACh interneurons were the only known tonically active neurons in the striatum until recently. We have found that the low-threshold spike (LTS) interneurons also belong to this classification of striatal tonically active neurons, presenting a new aspect to the striatal oscillatory network. Striatal LTS interneurons are GABAergic interneurons that also contain neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), neuropeptide Y (NPY), and somatostatin. We used transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under control of the nNOS or NPY promoters to help identify LTS interneurons. GFP positive neurons were examined using whole-cell and cell-attached recording techniques to investigate firing patterns and possible mechanisms of such activity. GFP positive neurons displayed the morphological properties characteristic of LTS interneurons, and fired strong rebound bursts at the offset of hyperpolarizing current pulses. LTS interneurons were spontaneously active and this activity persisted in the presence of synaptic blockers. When compared with ACh interneurons, LTS interneurons fired at higher rates and with less regularity. Similar to ACh interneurons, LTS interneurons were capable of firing in a variety of firing patterns, including regular single spiking, irregular single spiking, and bursting combined with periods of regular and irregular single spiking. LTS interneurons were observed spontaneously shifting between these firing patterns. Whole-cell voltage clamp recordings revealed a tetrodotoxin-sensitive region of negative slope conductance in the subthreshold range consistent with a persistent sodium current. An absence of a zero current crossing in the I-V curve combined with a linear F-I curve suggest these interneurons possess a Hodgkin’s class 1 oscillation mechanism. Tonically active neurons in the striatum have been shown to become strongly synchronized with the beta oscillation seen in Parkinson’s disease. These strongly synchronized neurons may include LTS interneurons. In addition, both ACh and LTS interneurons are capable of endogenous oscillations in the beta frequency range. Our findings place LTS interneurons in the subtype of tonically active neurons in the striatum and in turn change our understanding of how synchronization may occur in the striatum.
Pediatric Post-Operative Intussusception In The Minimally Invasive Surgery Era: An 11-Year, Single Center Experience

BACKGROUND: Postoperative intussusception (POI) is a sporadic complication whose mechanisms and risk factors remain poorly understood. Its epidemiology in the minimally invasive surgery era has yet to be well described, particularly in children. We sought to examine risk factors, demographics, and anatomic patterns of pediatric POI in recent years. STUDY DESIGN: This was a 13-year retrospective review from a single tertiary pediatric center. Variables analyzed included patient demographics, time of occurrence, type of intussusception, type of anesthesia, and triggering surgical procedure. The latter variable was divided into 2 groups: abdominal and nonabdominal interventions. Statistical analysis was by 2-tailed Fisher’s exact test with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Among 822 cases of intussusception in 718 patients, 22 documented cases of POI were identified. Twelve of them occurred after abdominal procedures; there was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of POI after open surgery (0.091%; 11 of 12,126) when compared with minimally invasive interventions (0.013%; 1 of 7,610; p ¼ 0.036). As expected, ileoileal and jejunojejunal intussusceptions were the most common forms of POI after abdominal operations (12 of 12; 100%); however, ileocolic intussusceptions were common forms of POI after nonabdominal cases (5 of 10; 50%; p ¼ 0.01). Epidural anesthesia did not appear to be a risk factor for POI. CONCLUSIONS: Although rare, postoperative intussusception can occur after a multitude of interventions, including those performed at a distance from the abdomen. Although small bowel intussusception is the predominant variant of this complication after abdominal procedures, ileocolic intussusception is prevalent after other interventions. Minimally invasive abdominal access may protect against postoperative intussusception in children. (J Am Coll Surg 2013;216: 1089e1093. � 2013 by the American College of Surgeons)
Anharmonic Vibrational Properties of Explosives from Temperature-Dependent Raman

Raman spectra from 50 to 3500 cm-1 and 4−296 K are analyzed for molecular crystal powders of the explosives pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), β-octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (...
A critical approach to noncardiac chest pain: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment

Approximately 30% of coronary angiograms performed in this country are negative for significant coronary artery disease. These patients are classified as having noncardiac or unexplained chest pain (UCP). Despite the good overall prognosis, this condition has significant morbidity and costs. The pathophysiology of this condition is likely caused by overlapping cardiac, esophageal, and psychiatric abnormalities with visceral hyperalgesia playing a central role. Gastroenterologists are often consulted in the evaluation of these patients because esophageal disorders are among the most common conditions associated with UCP. However, clinical symptoms are unreliable in differentiating between esophageal and cardiac causes of UCP. Gastroesophageal reflux disease, not esophageal motility disorders, is the most common esophageal disorder present in patients with UCP. The most useful diagnostic test in the evaluation of UCP is 24-h pH monitoring. An initial empiric trial of high-dose acid suppression is the most cost-effective intervention in the management of these patients. A clinical algorithm is suggested for the evaluation and treatment of UCP.
Commotio Cordis in Children, Including a Translation of the First Paper That Describes the Condition

A nonpenetrating blow to the chest may cause sudden death to children engaged in sports, such as baseball, hockey, etc. This condition is known as commotio cordis. The circulatory arrest associated with commotio cordis is due to atrioventricular block or ventricular fibrillation because the projectile struck the chest during the ventricular vulnerable period. Therefore, all medical personnel who encounter a child with circulatory arrest should be aware of commotio cordis as the causative factor and be prepared to apply CPR immediately. The cause for the circulatory arrest can only be confirmed by the ECG demonstrating ventricular fibrillation.
Parametrizing and graphing nonsingular cubic curves

Abstract Elliptic functions are used to parametrize and graph nonsingular cubic curves. First, a sequence of transformations is derived that reduces a third degree equation to a standard equation. A parametrization in terms of elliptic functions is given for the graph of the standard equation. The transformations convert this parametrization to a parametrization of the graph of the given equation. The details of using this parametrization for computer graphing are presented.
Morphology, mechanics, and locomotion: the relation between the notochord and swimming motions in sturgeon

To examine the relation between morphology and performance, notochordal morphology was correlated with notochordal mechanics and with steady swimming motions in white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus. In a still-water tank, motions of four sturgeon varied with changes in swimming speed and axial position along the body. For a 1..34 m sturgeon, slow and fast swimming modes were distinguished, with speeds at the fast mode more than two times those at the slow mode without changes in tailbeat frequency. This increase in speed is correlated with an increase in the body's maximal midline curvature (m−1), suggesting a role for curvature-related mechanical properties of the notochord. Maximal midline curvature also varied with axial position, and surprisingly was uncorrelated with axial changes in the notochord's cross-sectional shape - as measured by height, width, inner diameter, and lateral thickness of the sheaths. On the other hand, maximal midline curvature was negatively correlated with the axial changes in the notochord's angular stiffness (N m rad−1) and change in internal pressure (% change from baseline of 58.6 kPa), both of which were measured during in vitro bending tests. In vivo curvature and in vitro angular stiffness were then used to estimate the bending moments (Nm) in the notochord during swimming. In the precaudal notochord, the axial pattern of maximal stiffness moments was congruent with the pattern of maximal notochordal curvature in the precaudal region, but in the caudal notochord maximal angular stiffness was located craniad to maximal curvature. One interpretation of this pattern is that the precaudal notochord resists bending moments generated by the muscles and that the caudal notochord resists bending moments generated by hydrodynamic forces acting on the tail.
A new probe technique for the identification of serial learning processes

We describe a new serial learning probe technique which permits identification of functional stimuli for each individual item immediately following the trial on which it has been learned. Some empirical evidence indicating the validity of the serial probe technique is also presented. The potential superiority of the probe technique over alternative experimental methods for determining the basic processes involved in serial learning is noted.
Model stability, resilience, and management of an aquatic community.

A community model may be considered stable when, in the absence of exogenous variation, all population trajectories encircle or asymptotically approach equilibrium. In this paper, community models in which, in the absence of analytical indications of stability, all populations either
SOME COMMENTS ON PEDERSEN AND TOPHAM "PERCEPTION OF ENCLOSURE EFFECTS OF ARCHITECTURAL SURFACES IN A LARGE SCALE INTERIOR SPACE" (1990)'

Even the simplest of drawings can convey a great deal of information. On the other hand, it is possible to misinterpret a drawing. While hscussing their drawings, architecture students are often told that they are seeing what they are saying, not saying what they are seeing, or some variation thereof. Unfortunately, Pedersen and Topham (1990) do not provide us with a sample drawing which they used as a stimulus, thereby leaving a great deal to speculation. If, as their title suggests, they are dealing with an "interior space," this suggests that this space is defined by a wire frame. The lines of this frame are the result of [he ~ntersection of the five enclosing ~Ianes. If thls is the case, their SEES (Space Establishing Elements) are present in all the drawings presented and the variable is merely a difference In the treatment of the SEES. Alternatively, if the wire frame is not present, two problems arise to confound interpretation. Firstly, even the existence of one SEE implies the existence of three additional planes. These are the planes indicated by the edge lines of the SEE which are the result of the intersection with them. What differentiates them from the SEE is the degree of definition. Secondly, if the drawings are modeled after Thiel, Harrison, and Alden (19861, the designation of "interior" is suspect. There, the null SEE space is exterior, complete with horizon line,
Production of human active BPA from TCGF independent T cell lines that do not excrete HTLV: proof of direct action of MLA-144 derived BPA using purified BFU-E.

Summary. Burst promoting activity (BPA) and colony stimulating activity (CSA) were measured in the supernatants from six T-cell lines which are IL-2 independent and do not excrete human T-cell leukaemia virus. Two cell lines were shown to produce high levels of BPA, namely MLA-144 and the Jurkat cell line. MLA-144 is a gibbon T-cell line which can proliferate and produce BPA in serum free HB101TM medium. The BPA from this line was shown to act directly on BFU-E by studies using highly purified peripheral blood derived BFU-E. The Jurkat CM had far less activity against purified progenitors. These cells lines will be of value in the study of erythropoietic regulation.
The erosion-corrosion of tubing steels in combustion boiler environments

Abstract A review of the behavior of materials exposed to elevated-temperature, combined erosion corrosion environments, such as occur in combustion boilers, is presented. The effects of such system variables as erodent particle composition and physical characteristics, gas-particle flow behavior, temperature and exposure duration on the behavior of various compositions of boiler steels as well as various types of protective coatings on them are discussed. The rates and mechanisms of material wastage determined from in-service tubes are compared to laboratory-test results and similarities and differences are discussed.
Strong Optical Limiting of Silver-Containing Nanocrystalline Particles in Stable Suspensions

Metal and metal sulfide nanoparticles are prepared using a method that is based on the rapid expansion of supercritical fluid solution (RESS) into a liquid solution and characterized using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The nanoparticles form solution-like stable suspensions in the presence of a stabilization agent such as poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) polymer. The stable suspensions allow systematic nonlinear optical measurements. The nanocrystalline silver metal and silver sulfide particles in PVP polymer-stabilized ethanol suspensions of high linear transmittance exhibit excellent optical limiting properties, with the optical limiting responses toward nanosecond laser pulses at 532 nm being much stronger than those of benchmark materials [60]fullerene and chloroaluminum phthalocyanine in solution. A comparison of the results with those of stable suspensions of other nanoparticles including cadmium sulfide, lead sulfide, and nickel suggests that the optical limiting ...
A method for calculating the reduction in stress intensity factor due to an elastic foundation

Abstract Stress intensity factors for an edge-cracked beam of rectangular cross section on a Winkler foundation are calculated for free, pinned and clamped end conditions. The solution is an approximation, valid for slender beams. The method which is used requires that the intensity factors be known for the beam without a foundation. The same technique may be used for various crack geometries, beam cross sections and types of foundation.
Peer Education: A Viewpoint and Critique

Abstract Peer education has been promoted by college health service health education programs for many years. This Viewpoint questions some assumptions that underlie the use of peer health educators and highlights some of the problems of training peers as paraprofessionals.
The Effect of High-Frequency Pulsing of a Welding Arc

Pulsed and nonpulsed nonconsumable electrode welding arcs are compared on the basis of equal average power input. A relationship is developed between the pressure of the high-frequency (typically greater than 5 kHz) pulsed arc and a dc arc with equal power input. It is shown that the arc pressure, and hence arc stiffness, of the pulsed arc may be as much as ten times that of the equivalent dc arc. As expected, the pressure ratio of the pulsed arc to nonpulsed arc decreases as the form factor of the pulsed arc decreases.
Network Security Policies: Verification, Optimization and Testing

Summary form only given. The importance of network security has been significantly increasing in the past few years. However, the increasing complexity of managing security polices particularly in enterprise networks poses real challenge for efficient security solutions. Network security perimeters such as Firewalls, IPSec gateways, intrusion detection and prevention systems operate based on locally configured policies. Yet these policies are not necessarily autonomous and might interact between each other to construct a global network security policy. Due to manual, distributed and uncoordinated configuration of security polices, rules conflicts and policy inconsistency are created, causing serious network security vulnerabilities. In addition, enterprise networks continuously grow in size and complexity, which makes policy modification, inspection and evaluation nightmare. Addressing these issues is a key requirement for obtaining provable security and seamless policy configuration. In addition, with growth in network speed and size, the need to optimize the security policy to cope with the traffic rate and attacks is significantly increasing. The constant evolution of policy syntax and semantics make the functional testing of these devices for vulnerability penetration is a difficult task. This tutorial is divided into three parts. In the first part, we will present techniques to automatically verify and correct firewall and IPSec/VPN polices in large-scale enterprise networks. In the second part, we will discuss techniques to enhance and optimize the policy structure and rule ordering in order to reduce packet matching and improve significantly firewall and IPSec performance. In the third part, we will present techniques that can be used by users, service provider as well as vendors to test their security devices efficiently and accurately
WHEN TO BEAR FALSE WITNESS: AN EVOLUTIONARY APPROACH TO THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF HONESTY AND DECEIT AMONG COMMERCIAL FISHERS

. This paper uses an evolutionary perspective to identify variables influencing compliance with moral codes about honest communication. Data on over one thousand radio conversations among lobster fishers in two harbors in Maine are compared in regard to the sharing of information. The sharing of accurate information is found to be significantly more frequent in the harbor that is more integrated by reciprocally altruistic relationships. This is consistent with the view that moral systems are systems of indirect reciprocity, but it also suggests that humans have evolved to base their compliance with moral codes on cues from their social environment.
The Social Context of Infant Intention Understanding.

Traditional looking-time paradigms are often used to assess infants' attention to sociocognitive phenomena, but the link between these laboratory scenarios and real-world interactions is unclear. The current study investigated hypothesized relations between traditional social-cognitive looking-time paradigms and their real-world counterparts in caregiver–infant social interaction. Seventy-five 10- to 12-month-old infants participated in a structured play session with their caregiver, as well as a traditional looking-time paradigm targeting intentional action. Infants' ability to quickly parse intentional displays correlated with several key qualities of their everyday interactions. In particular, caregiver and infant interaction quality, maternal supportiveness, caregiver and infant joint engagement skill, and social attentiveness in infants correlated with faster habituation to looking-time displays. These results support a linkage between social-cognitive looking-time laboratory paradigms and more natur...