cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive aligned sequence construction for automated design of effective probes (CASCADE-P) using 16S rDNA.

Motivation: Prokaryotic organisms have been identified utilizing the sequence variation of the 16S rRNA gene. Variations steer the design of DNA probes for the detection of taxonomic groups or specific organisms. The longterm goal of our project is to create probe arrays capabl eo fidentifying 16S rDNA sequences in unknown samples. This necessitated the authentication, categorization and alignment of the >75 000 publicly available ‘16S’ sequences. Preferably, the entire process should be computationally administrated so the aligned collection could periodically absorb 16S rDNA sequences from the public records. A complete multiple sequence alignment would provide a foundation for computational probe selection and facilitates microbial taxonomy and phylogeny. Results: Here we report the alignment and similarity clustering of 62 662 16S rDNA sequences and an approach for designing effective probes for each cluster. A novel alignment compression algorithm, NAST (Nearest Alignment Space Termination), was designed to produce the uniform multiple sequence alignment referred to as the prokMSA. From the prokMSA, 9020 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were found based on transitive sequence similarities. An automated approach to probe design was straightforward using the prokMSA clustered into OTUs. As a test case, multiple probes were computationally picked for each of the 27 OTUs that were identified within the Staphylococcus Group. The probes were incorporated into a customized microarray and were able to correctly categorize Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis into their correct OTUs. Although a successful probe picking strategy is outlined, the main focus of creating the prokMSA was to provide a comprehensive, categorized, updateable 16S rDNA collection useful as a foundation for any probe selection algorithm. Availability: http://greengenes.llnl.gov/16S/
Common liability to drug addictions: Theory, research, practice

The etiology of drug addiction is an intensively studied field. Researchers seek to understand the mechanisms of the development of this debilitating and socially destructive disorder in order to formulate effective prevention and treatment intervention. The complexity of the disorder hinders achievement of this elusive goal. A theory that could organize and reduce this complexity to guide research and practice could help these, often dissociated, areas to coalesce. Such a role has been assigned to the “gateway theory”, also known as “gateway hypothesis “(GH) (Kandel, 2003), -without competing theories. The GH posits a developmental process underlying involvement with the variety of drugs, both licit and illicit (Kandel, 1975). Importantly, as recently as in 2002 (RAND News Release, December 2), it was noted that most policy makers’ beliefs are grounded in the GH, in spite of findings contradicting GH’s prime assertion that marijuana’s use after initiation of using tobacco and alcohol, followed by other illicit drugs, comprise consecutive progressive stages of drug use initiation. Equally important to note is that GH does not extend beyond initiation, to drug use disorders.
Discovering the ‘true form:’ Hooke's Micrographia and the visual vocabulary of engraved portraits

This essay uses Robert Hooke's Micrographia to examine the intersection of visual conventions for portraiture with the viewing of the microscopic world. In the preface to his Micrographia , Robert Hooke asserts that he has discovered ‘a new visible World’ through the help of newly invented optical devices that add ‘artificial Organs to the natural’. I claim that Hooke was also aided by the visual vocabulary developed by engravers for translating a three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional representation of it, and that his awareness of these conventions sets his illustrations apart from his predecessors.
Notes on Nutritional Properties of Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms

ABSTRACT: Increasingly, mushrooms are being investigated for their role as nutritional foods. How-ever, few studies have been published on their nutritional proﬁ les. Th e author grew and submitted 20 species for thorough nutritional proﬁ ling. In addition, the eﬀ ect of sunlight on the production of vitamin D of indoor-grown mushroom while drying was explored with Lentinus eddoes (Berk.) Singer (shiitake mushroom), Ganoderma lucidum (W. Curt.:Fr.) Lloyd (reishi), and Grifola frondosa (Dicks.:Fr.) S.F. Gray (maitake). Six to eight hours of sunlight exposure stimulated the production of vitamin D from low levels of 134, 66, and 469 IU, respectively, to 46,000, 2760, and 31,900 IU vitamin D, respectively. Th e most vitamin D was produced in Lentinus edodes, whose spore-producing lamellae were exposed to the sun. Dried mushrooms also elicited vitamin D production subsequent to sunlight exposure. Vitamin D is proven as essential for immune function and has now been identiﬁ ed as a major mitigating factor in many diseases, so the sunlight-activated biosynthesis of vitamin D from ergosterols within mushrooms has substantial implications for the mushroom industry in the context of worldwide health.
Clinical and molecular characteristics of congenital glioblastoma

Congenital glioblastoma (cGBM) is an uncommon tumor of infancy with a reported variable but often poor cure rate, even with intensive therapy. Five patients with cGBMs, arising de novo and not in familial tumor predisposition kindreds, were studied for histological and biological features, using Affymetrix microarray. Tumors were large, often associated with hemorrhage, extended into the thalamus, and often bulged into the ventricles. One patient died acutely from bleeding at the time of operation. The 4 surviving patients underwent surgery (1 gross total resection, 3 subtotal resections or biopsies) and moderate intensity chemotherapy without radiation, and remain progression-free at a median time of 36 months (range, 30–110 months). Affymetrix microarrays measured gene expression on the 3 cGBMs from which frozen tissue was available. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of cGBMs versus 168 other central nervous system tumors demonstrated that cGBMs clustered most closely with other high-grade gliomas. Gene expression profiles of cGBMs were compared with non-congenital pediatric and adult GBMs. cGBMs demonstrated marked similarity to both pediatric and adult GBMs, with only 31 differentially expressed genes identified (false discovery rate, <0.05). Unique molecular features of cGBMs included over-expression of multiple genes involved in glucose metabolism and tissue hypoxia. cGBMs show histological and biological overlap with pediatric and adult GBMs but appear to have a more favorable outcome, with good response to moderate intensity chemotherapy with only subtotal resection or biopsy. Further study may determine whether identified gene expression differences contribute to the improved survival seen in these tumors.
PrP-C and PrP-Sc at the Fetal-Maternal Interface

Scrapie is a naturally occurring prion (PrP) disease causing a fatal neurodegenerative disorder in sheep and goats. Previous studies suggest that scrapie is transmitted naturally through exposure to the scrapie agent in wasted placentas of infected ewes. This study determined the distribution and biochemical properties of PrP cellular (PrP-C) and the distribution of PrP scrapie (PrP-Sc) in reproductive, placental, and selected fetal tissues and fetal fluids in sheep. Glycosylated, N-terminally truncated, proteinase K-sensitive PrP-C with apparent molecular masses of 23-37 kDa was present in reproductive, placental, and fetal tissues and fetal fluids. PrP-C was low or undetectable in intercotyledonary chorioallantois, amnion, urachus, amniotic fluid, and fetal urine. In pregnant ewes, cotyledonary chorioallantois, allantoic fluid, and caruncular endometrium contained higher levels of PrP-C than did intercaruncular endometrium, myometrium, oviduct, ovary, fetal bladder, or fetal kidney. Caruncular endometrial PrP-C was up-regulated during pregnancy. Despite the wide distribution of PrP-C in reproductive, placental, and selected fetal tissues and fetal fluid, PrP-Sc was detected only in caruncular endometrium and cotyledonary chorioallantois of pregnant scrapie-infected ewes. The embryo/fetus may not be exposed to scrapie in utero because it is separated physically from PrP-positive allantois and chorioallantois by PrP-negative amnion.
A theory of neural integration in the head-direction system

Integration in the head-direction system is a computation by which horizontal angular head velocity signals from the vestibular nuclei are integrated to yield a neural representation of head direction. In the thala-mus, the postsubiculum and the mammillary nuclei, the head-direction representation has the form of a place code: neurons have a preferred head direction in which their firing is maximal [Blair and Sharp, 1995, Blair et al., 1998, ?]. Integration is a difficult computation, given that head-velocities can vary over a large range. Previous models of the head-direction system relied on the assumption that the integration is achieved in a firing-rate-based attractor network with a ring structure. In order to correctly integrate head-velocity signals during high-speed head rotations, very fast synaptic dynamics had to be assumed. Here we address the question whether integration in the head-direction system is possible with slow synapses, for example excitatory NMDA and inhibitory GABA(B) type synapses. For neural networks with such slow synapses, rate-based dynamics are a good approximation of spiking neurons [Ermentrout, 1994]. We find that correct integration during high-speed head rotations imposes strong constraints on possible network architectures.
How cells grow

The kinetics of cell growth and product generation is the combined effects of cell metabolism and cell replication. Metabolic pathways, cell physiology, and replication are all important in the overall kinetic behavior. The complete description of the kinetic behavior requires system-wide analysis (e.g., computational systems biology). In normal applications, we deal with balanced (or pseudosteady state) growth or metabolism and thus simplification can be made. Multiple substrates are required by a cell, however, there are normally many substrates in excess as compared with others. The simplest growth and product formation rate equations for the case limited by a single substrate follow the Monod equation. The extracellular product generation needs not be directly associated with growth since the growth can be limited or diminished by the lack of one or more growth required nutrients. During batch cultivation, a population of cells typically exhibits several different growth phases. The first phase is the lag phase, during which the cell attempts to establish pseudosteady state metabolic functions. Once pseudo-steady state or balanced growth is established, the maximum growth phase starts. During maximum growth, the chemical composition of the cell population is nearly constant. Total cell mass increases exponentially with time. When substrate is nearly exhausted or when toxic metabolic by-products have built to a critical level, the growth rate begins to drop rapidly, causing significant changes in biosynthetic pathways. In the stationary phase, there is no net growth; cells now reorient their metabolic machinery to increase the probability for long-term survival. At some point, some cells can no longer obtain enough energy from their reserves or enough of another critical resource, and the culture enters the death phase. Dead cells do not have an energized membrane and often lyse. Products formed by cells can be related to this batch-culture growth cycle. Primary products are growth associated. Secondary products are are made in the stationary phase and/or death phase. Batch cultivations are commonly applied in pharmaceutical and food productions. Strict quality control up to the detailed process flow sheet by FDA, and the commonly low production rate are the main reasons for batch operations, among others.
The Role Of Flextime Appeal On Family And Work Outcomes Among Active And Non-Active Flextime Users: A Between Groups And Within Groups Analysis

The influence of schedule flexibility, including flextime, on work-family balance and job outcomes has been of great interest to both members of academia and practitioners. However, the role that the desirability of flextime has on such constructs has been largely ignored in past literature. Additionally, relatively few studies have investigated differences between work-family balance and job satisfaction among those who are actively using flextime and those who are not currently using flextime. Results of this study strengthen the need for an increased understanding of the role that flextime appeal serves in work-family balance and job satisfaction, and the impact that flextime has on enhancing these important work-related constructs. Other meaningful differences between flextime users and non-flextime users, including the roles of gender and the presence of children living at home are also explored.
Search User Interfaces: The Design of Search User Interfaces

Keeping the Interface Simple The job of the search user interface is to aid users in the expression of their information needs, in the formulation of their queries, in the understanding of their search results, and in keeping track of the progress of their information seeking efforts. However, the typical search interface today is of the form type keywords- in-entry-form, view-results-in-a-vertical-list. A comparison of a search results page from Google in 2007 to that of Infoseek in 1997 shows that they are nearly identical (see Figure 1.1). Why is the standard interface so simple? Some important reasons for the relative simplicity and unchanging nature of the standard Web search interface are: Search is a means towards some other end, rather than a goal in itself. When a person is looking for information, they are usually engaged in some larger task, and do not want their flow of thought interrupted by an intrusive interface. Related to the first point, search is a mentally intensive task. When a person reads text, they are focused on that task; it is not possible to read and to think about something else at the same time. Thus, the fewer distractions while reading, the more usable the interface. Since nearly everyone who uses the Web uses search, the interface design must be understandable and appealing to a wide variety of users of all ages, cultures and backgrounds, applied to an enormous variety of information needs.
Coagulation of Iron Oxide with Alum

Coagulation of dilute iron-oxide suspensions with alum has been studied at different pH values and coagulant concentrations. Measurements of pH, mobility, and particle concentrations in different size ranges were made as functions of time for a period of 2 hr. A kinetic model in good agreement with the data has been proposed for the agglomeration of particles in size ranges of 1–2μm and 2–3μm. The constants in the model are correlated with pH and coagulant concentration in a way consistent with the chemical characteristics of the system. The mobility changes from positive to negative as pH increases from acidic to alkaline values, suggesting that metal hydroxides rather than metal ions are involved in the coagulations process under the experimental conditions investigated.
Polyphenol-Mediated In Vivo Cellular Responses during Carcinogenesis

Polyphenols are a large family of natural compounds widely distributed in plants and are the most studied chemopreventive agents. The biological activities and mechanism(s) of chemopreventive effects of polyphenols have been extensively studied. Therefore, this review focuses mainly on the evidence relating to chemopreventive efficacy of polyphenols and describing their mechanism(s) of anti-initiating, anti-promoting and anti-progressor action(s) in different in vivo experimental systems. Studies employing in vivo experimental rodent models have demonstrated several polyphenols to modulate incidence, multiplicity, latency period of carcinogen-induced tumors at various organ sites and tumor angiogenesis, metastasis and behavior of transplanted tumors/xenografts. The observed in vivo anti-initiating, anti-promoting and anti-progressor activity of polyphenols in chemical and genetic models involve modulation of signaling kinases ultimately leading to effects on genes and cell signaling pathways at multiple levels. Overall, the mechanism(s) implicated in the polyphenol(s)-mediated inhibition are diverse and involve effects on multiple molecular pathways and genes.
β-Sheet-like Hydrogen Bonds Interlock the Helical Turns of a Photoswitchable Foldamer To Enhance the Binding and Release of Chloride

Inspired by halorhodopsin’s use of photoisomerization to regulate chloride, aryltriazole-based foldamers have been created to “catch and release” chloride ions upon light irradiation of end-appended azobenzenes. The proposed mode of stabilization exploits a β-sheet-like hydrogen-bonding array to cooperatively interlock the ends of a foldamer together with its helical core. We find that the hydrogen-bonding array has a greater influence on stabilizing the helix than the π-stacked seam under the conditions examined (50:50 MeCN/THF). Thus, we show how it is possible to enhance the difference between Cl– binding and release using light-dependent control over the foldamer’s degree of helix stabilization. Making and breaking three π–π contacts with light caused an 8-fold change in chloride affinity (40 300 M–1 ⇄ 5000 M–1), five π–π contacts produced a 17-fold change (126 000 M–1 ⇄ 7400 M–1), and strategically located hydrogen-bonding units enabled a greater 84-fold differential (970 000 M–1 ⇄ 11 600 M–1). The i...
Effect of Electrically Induced Convulsions on Rate of Alcohol Metabolism in Man

It is well established that the rate of metabolism of alcohol, as assessed from its rate of disappearance from the blood stream, is peculiarly resistant to change in a given individual. However, certain substances, notably insulin,1 some amino acids,2 and pyruvic acid3 have been shown to exert an appreciable acceleration of alcohol metabolism, the increase in rate ranging upwards to 50%. Because of the considerable metabolic changes incidental to electrically-induced convulsions,4 it was felt that the effect of this procedure on the rate of alcohol metabolism warranted investigation.To this end, the rate of alcohol metabolism in 6 patients suffering from functional mental disease was studied prior to and immediately after institution of treatment with electric shock. The dose of alcohol was 1.5 cc per kg of body weight, administered intravenously as a 20% solution in normal saline, a period of one hour being required for the injection into a cubital vein. Two hours were then allowed to elapse to insure eq...
Valproic Acid and Other HDAC Inhibitors Upregulate FGF21 Gene Expression and Promote Process Elongation in Glia by Inhibiting HDAC2 and 3

Background: Fibroblast growth factor 21, a novel regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism, has robust protective properties in neurons. However, its expression and function in glia are unknown. Valproic acid, a mood stabilizer and anticonvulsant, is a histone deacetylase inhibitor and a dynamic gene regulator. We investigated whether histone deacetylase inhibition by valproic acid and other inhibitors upregulates fibroblast growth factor 21 expression and, if so, sought to identify the histone deacetylase isoform(s) involved and their role in altering glial cell morphology. Methods: C6 glioma or primary cortical glial cultures were treated with histone deacetylase inhibitors, and fibroblast growth factor 21 levels and length of cell processes were subsequently measured. Histone deacetylase 1, 2, or 3 was also knocked down to detect which isoform was involved in regulating fibroblast growth factor 21 mRNA levels. Finally, knockdown and overexpression of fibroblast growth factor 21 were performed to determine whether it played a role in regulating cell process length. Results: Treatment of C6 cells or primary glial cultures with valproic acid elevated fibroblast growth factor 21 mRNA levels, extended cell process length, and markedly increased acetylated histone-H3 levels. Other histone deacetylase inhibitors including pan- and class I-specific inhibitors, or selective knockdown of histone deacetylase 2 or 3 isoform produced similar effects. Knockdown or overexpression of fibroblast growth factor 21 significantly decreased or increased C6 cell process length, respectively. Conclusions: In glial cell line and primary glia, using pharmacological inhibition and selective gene silencing of histone deacetylases to boost fibroblast growth factor 21 mRNA levels results in elongation of cell processes. Our study provides a new mechanism via which histone deacetylase 2 and 3 participate in upregulating fibroblast growth factor 21 transcription and extending process outgrowth in glia.
Body mass index influences palpability but not stage of breast cancer at diagnosis.

Body mass index (BMI) is associated with breast cancer risk, but its relationship with stage at diagnosis is unclear. BMI was calculated for patients in the North American Fareston and Tamoxifen Adjuvant trial, and was correlated with clinicopathologic factors, including stage at diagnosis. One thousand eight hundred fourteen patients were enrolled in the North American Fareston and Tamoxifen Adjuvant study; height and weight were recorded in 1451 (80%) of them. The median BMI was 27.1 kg/m2 (range, 14.7-60.7). The median patient age was 68 years (range, 42-100); median tumor size was 1.3 cm (range, 0.1-14 cm). One thousand seven hundred ninety-three (99.0%) patients were estrogen receptor positive, and 1519 (84.7%) were progesterone receptor positive. There was no significant relationship between BMI (as a continuous variable) and nodal status (P = 0.469), tumor size (P = 0.497), American Joint Committee on Cancer stage (P = 0.167), grade (P = 0.675), histologic subtype (P = 0.179), or estrogen receptor status (P = 0.962). Patients with palpable tumors, however, had a lower BMI than those with nonpalpable tumors (median 26.4 kg/m2 vs 27.5 kg/m2, P or =30). Increased BMI does not lead to a worse stage at presentation. Obese patients, however, tend to have nonpalpable tumors. Mammography in this population is especially important.
Reversal of Erythema Multiforme Major with Cyclophosphamide and Prednisone

ObjectiveTo report a case of erythema multiforme (EM) major treated with cyclophosphamide and prednisone.SettingGeneral medicine and dermatology consult services, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.Case SummaryA 44-year-old man with C4–C5 quadriplegia developed a skin reaction characterized by a painful, generalized maculopapular rash, bullae, ulceronecrotic lesions, and mucosal and epidermal sloughing after taking trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The patient was treated with intravenous cyclophosphamide 150 mg infused over 1 hour every 24 hours and oral prednisone 15 mg every 6 hours. After two doses of cyclophosphamide, formation of bullae and epidermal sloughing had ceased, and the erythema was markedly diminished. Cyclophosphamide was discontinued before the third dose because of evolving leukopenia. Prednisone therapy was continued until the patient was discharged on hospital day 5, at which time the dosage was tapered.DiscussionCyclophosphamide has been used extensively for other dermatolog...
Current colorectal cancer screening strategies: overview and obstacles to implementation.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death but is largely preventable. Current strategies to prevent colorectal cancer vary considerably with regard to effectiveness, up-front costs, risks, and invasiveness. Current levels of participation in colorectal cancer screening in the U.S. population are low. Both physician and patient attitudes contribute to low levels of screening uptake. New colorectal cancer tests are one mechanism to improve adherence. Virtual colonoscopy may have an important impact if techniques to perform it without bowel preparation can be developed. Stool-based DNA testing is likely to be the most effective entirely noninvasive strategy and will be easier for patients to perform than fecal occult blood testing. The potential for improvements in the technology are substantial, and data from second-generation assays have already been reported. The cost-effectiveness of new strategies needs further evaluation.
War and Societal Defense

Ideally, all human beings would live without nation-states or national armies, so that there would be no need for national defense. But this happy state of affairs could not be expected to come about all at once; we must assume a transitional period in which an anarchic society coexists with state-dominated societies. Could the two kinds of society coexist, or would the one inevitably overtake the other?
Environmental participation in the shadow of the Chinese state

AbstractChina’s environmental governance reforms are simultaneously strengthening state enforcement measures and encouraging citizen participation in monitoring and enforcement processes. State control over environmental protection and citizen participation appear to be in tension with each other. In discussing environmental governance under democracies, Borzel and Riesse, however, theorise that opportunities for citizen participation increase as a state increases its enforcement capacity, at least until the state becomes very strong. This article analyses changes in the regulatory field that have strengthened state coercive capacity to enforce environmental law, and two aspects of citizen participation: civil society monitoring of polluters and participation in environmental public interest lawsuits. The early evidence on citizen participation since the revised Environmental Protection Law took effect on 1 January 2015 is mixed. Civil society organisations have been allowed to serve as plaintiffs in a sm...
The ApoE receptors Vldlr and Apoer2 in central nervous system function and disease.

Abstract The LDL receptor (LDLR) family has long been studied for its role in cholesterol transport and metabolism; however, the identification of ApoE4, an LDLR ligand, as a genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease has focused attention on the role this receptor family plays in the CNS. Surprisingly, it was discovered that two LDLR family members, ApoE receptor 2 (Apoer2) and VLDL receptor (Vldlr), play key roles in brain development and adult synaptic plasticity, primarily by mediating Reelin signaling. This review focuses on Apoer2 and Vldlr signaling in the CNS and its role in human disease.
A Combinatorial Proof of an Identity of Andrews

We give a combinatorial proof of an identity originally proved by G. E. Andrews in [1]. The identity simplifies a mock theta function first discovered by Rogers. 1 Background and Definitions First we review the basics of partition theory. Definition 1.1. A partition λ of a positive integer n is a finite nonincreasing sequence of positive integers λ1, λ2, . . . , λr such that ∑ r i=1 λi = n. The λi are called the parts of the partition and the notation λ ⊢ n denotes “λ is a partition of n.” We call n the size of λ and λi the size of the i th part. Here we will expand this definition so that λ may include parts of size 0. Graphically, a partition λ can be represented as a left-justified array of boxes called a Ferrers shape where the k row contains λk boxes. For example, the partition λ = (6, 3, 2, 1, 1) of 13 can be represented by the Ferrers shape shown in Figure 1. 1 Figure 1: Ferrers shape for λ = (6, 3, 2, 1, 1) We use standard generating functions as well as the standard notation for basic hypergeometric series as defined by Andrews in [2]: Definition 1.2. (a; q)n = (1− a)(1− aq) · · · (1− aq ), (a)0 = 1. 2 Introduction We begin with the identity
Mussolini's Nation-Empire : Sovereignty and Settlement in Italy's Borderlands, 1922-1943

Roberta Pergher transforms our understanding of Fascist rule. Examining Fascist Italy's efforts to control the antipodes of its realm - the regions annexed in northern Italy after the First World War, and Italy's North African colonies - she shows how the regime struggled to imagine and implement Italian sovereignty over alien territories and peoples. Contrary to the claims of existing scholarship, Fascist settlement policy in these regions was not designed to solve an overpopulation problem, but to bolster Italian claims to rule in an era that prized self-determination and no longer saw imperial claims as self-evident. Professor Pergher explores the character and impact of Fascist settlement policy and the degree to which ordinary Italians participated in and challenged the regime's efforts to Italianize contested territory. Employing models and concepts from the historiography of empire, she shows how Fascist Italy rethought the boundaries between national and imperial rule.
The effectiveness of cerebral oxygenation monitoring during arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the beach chair position: a randomized blinded study

Background Beach chair positioning for shoulder surgery is associated with measurable cerebral desaturation events (CDEs) in up to 80% of patients. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology allows real-time measurement of cerebral oxygenation and may minimize the frequency of CDEs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of CDEs when anesthetists were aware of and blinded to NIRS monitoring and to determine the short-term cognitive effects of surgery in the beach chair position. Methods NIRS was used to monitor cerebral oxygenation saturation in 41 consecutive patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the beach chair position. Patients were randomized to 2 groups, anesthetists aware of or blinded to NIRS data. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to assess cognitive function preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, and at 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively. Results Overall, 7 (17.5%) patients experienced a CDE, 5 (25%) in the aware group and 2 (10%) in the blinded group. There was no significant difference in MoCA scores between the aware and blinded groups preoperatively (27.9.1 vs. 28.2; P = .436), immediately postoperatively (26.1 vs. 26.2; P = .778), 2 weeks postoperatively (28.0 vs. 28.1; P = .737), or 6 weeks postoperatively (28.5 vs. 28.4; P = .779). There was a correlation of NIRS with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.448), diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.708), and mean arterial pressure (r = 0.608). Conclusion In our series, the incidence of CDEs was much lower than previously reported and was not lowered by use of NIRS. Patients did not have significant cognitive deficits after arthroscopic surgery in the beach chair position, and there was a correlation between NIRS and intraoperative brachial blood pressure.
¿Enseñamos historia? Reflexiones sobre la práctica pedagógica

El presente texto pretende problematizar la ensenanza de la historia, proponiendo como hipotesis que la especificidad de la historia, en tanto disciplina (historiografia), es diluida en las estrategias ‘didacticas’ mas extendidas entre los profesores. Este extravio es digno de investigar no por un mero celo disciplinario, sino debido a las consecuencias que puede tener en las valoraciones, decisiones y acciones futuras de los alumnos. Se plantea que la construccion de una representacion del mundo historico, como la que se delinea a partir de las actuales practicas pedagogicas, no hace mas que reforzar ciertas ideas arraigadas en el sentido comun, impidiendo cualquier cambio conceptual y desestimando la historicidad de los propios estudiantes.
Relationship of Diffusion Pump Performance to the Thermodynamics of the Pumping Fluid

Theoretical consideration of the thermodynamics of the processes occurring in the pump fluid of a diffusion pump has contributed to the understanding of pump operation. Many of the anomalous results observed by experimenters in this field can be clarified when analyzed from the thermodynamic point of view. Preliminary experimental data have confirmed the validity of the theoretical reasoning. Application of the fundamental thermodynamic principles to typical diffusion pumps has markedly improved performance with regard to pumping speed, ultimate base pressure, and fore-pressure tolerance. Detailed experimental results are presented. Promising possibilities for extension of this work and further improvement in pump design and performance are discussed.
Scaling NC-FinFET to Sub-3 nm Nodes

Scaling the ferroelectric thickness to around 1 nm is essential for its introduction in replacement metal gate process. Negative capacitance FinFET should be optimized for ultra-thin ferroelectrics. In this work, we optimize NC-FinFET for sub-5 nm nodes considering 1 nm thick ferroelectric layer. We show that the fin width of the NC-FinFET can be relaxed by $\sim 1.5\mathrm {X}$ for the same short-channel performance. We explore the design space for a 1 nm ferroelectric film and show that the film with remnant polarization of ~10 μC/cm2 and coercive field of $\sim 1.5 - 2$ MV/cm will be required to achieve the target performance for 3 nm node.
Cholecystokinin cholecystography in the diagnosis of chronic acalculous cholecystitis and biliary dyskinesia. A cirtical appraisal.

Now that the active fragment of the cholecystokinin molecule has been made available for use in clinical practice, reports on the value of cholecystokinin cholecystography must be re-evaluated to determine if the procedure is worthwhile in patients with persistent symptoms and a normal conventional oral cholecystogram. Such an analysis discloses that there is no uniform agreement on what constitutes an abnormal examination and raises serious questions concerning the scientific validity of much of the data. It is apparent that there is no immutable evidence to date to indicate that cholecystokinin cholecystography is an accurate technique to determine which patients in this category will benefit from cholecystectomy.
Team Approach: Emergencies in Patients with Skeletal Metastases.

Understanding the potential complexities and emergencies involved in the management of skeletal metastases, as well as the role of a carefully coordinated multidisciplinary care team to help to mitigate and manage these concerns, is essential in preventing potentially devastating complications when
Preventive Therapies for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Current Guidelines

While cataract and glaucoma are the most common causes of blindness among blacks, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause in whites in the USA. Although no evidence-based nutritional recommendations exist in the management of glaucoma or age-related cataracts research has supported nutritional treatment strategies for AMD. This chapter will focus on nutritional therapy for AMD.
The Effect of Systematic Prompting on the Acquisition of Five Muscle-Strengthening Exercises by Adults With Mild Intellectual Disabilities.

Adults with intellectual disability have significantly lower musculoskeletal fitness than their peers without a disability. Appropriate instructional strategies are needed to facilitate their acquisition and maintenance of musculoskeletal fitness. In this multiple-baseline across-participants single-subject study, the authors evaluated the effects of a multicomponent package that included a video-enhanced system of least-to-most prompts on the acquisition of 5 muscle-strengthening exercises in 3 women with mild intellectual disability, age 24–37 yr. Results show substantive gains in correct and independent performance of steps in the 5 exercises during the treatment condition. The improved performance was maintained 2 wk after the last treatment session and in a large YMCA gym. The study suggests that use of the video-enhanced system of least-to-most prompts can lead to improved acquisition and maintenance of muscle-strengthening exercises by adults with mild intellectual disability
Measurements to determine the mixing state of black carbon emitted from the 2017–2018 California wildfires and urban Los Angeles

Abstract. The effects of atmospheric black carbon (BC) on climate and public health have been well established, but large uncertainties remain regarding the extent of BC’s impacts at different temporal and spatial scales. These uncertainties are largely due to BC’s heterogeneous nature in terms of its spatiotemporal distribution, mixing state, and coating properties. Here, we seek to further understand the mixing state evolution of BC emitted from various sources and aged over different timescales using field measurements in the Los Angeles region. We measured refractory black carbon (rBC) with a single-particle soot photometer (SP2) on Catalina Island, California (~ 70 km southwest of downtown Los Angeles) during three different time periods. During the first campaign (September 2017), westerly winds dominated and thus the sampling location was upwind of the dominant regional sources of BC (i.e., urban emissions from the Los Angeles basin). In the second and third campaigns (December 2017, November 2018), atypical wind conditions caused measured rBC to include important contributions from large wildfires in California and urban emission from the Los Angeles basin. We observed a larger number fraction of thickly coated particles (fBC) and increased coating thickness (CTBC) during the first campaign (~ 0.27 and ~ 36 nm, respectively), and during portions of the third campaign when we suspect that rBC was transported long-range from the Camp Fire in Northern California (~ 0.35 and ~ 52 nm, respectively), compared to other time periods. In contrast, during periods when we suspect that measured rBC was dominated by Southern California fires or urban emissions, both fBC and CTBC were significantly lower, with a mean fBC of ~ 0.03 and median CTBC ranging from ~ 0 to 10 nm. From our rBC measurements and meteorological analyses, we conclude that an aging timescale on the order of ~ hours is not long enough for rBC to become thickly coated under the range of sources sampled and atmospheric conditions during this campaign. On average, we found that measured rBC had to age more than a day to become thickly-coated. Aging timescales for developing thick coatings were found to be longer in this study relative to a number of previous observational studies conducted with an SP2, suggesting that rBC aging is heavily impacted by regional atmospheric context.
IRS: the Infrared Spectrograph on SIRTF

The Infrared Spectrograph (IRS)is one of the three instruments on board the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) to be launched in December 2001. The IRS will provide high resolution spectra R~600 from 10--37microns and low resolution spectra R~60 from 5.3--40microns Its high sensitivity and ``spectral mapping-mode'' make it a powerful instrument for observing both faint point-like and extended sources.
Safe, Fast Sharing of memcached as a Protected Library

Memcached is a widely used key-value store. It is structured as a multithreaded user-level server, accessed over socket connections by a potentially distributed collection of clients. Because socket communication is so much more expensive than a single operation on a K-V store, much of the client library is devoted to batching of requests. Batching is not always feasible, however, and the cost of communication seems particularly unfortunate when—as is often the case—clients are co-located on a single machine with the server, and have access to the same physical memory. Fortunately, recent work on protected libraries has shown that it is possible, on current Intel processors, to amplify access rights quickly when calling into a specially configured user-level library. Library instances in separate processes can then share data safely, even in the face of independent process failures. We have used protected libraries to implement a new version of memcached in which client threads execute the code of the server themselves, without the need to send messages. Compared to the original, our new version is both significantly simpler, containing 24% less code, and dramatically faster, with a 11–56 × reduction in latency and a roughly 2 × increase in throughput.
Numerical Investigation of the nanofluid mixed convection on two layers enclosure with rotating cylinder: High Darcy Number Effects

The present study, numerically investigated of mixed convection in a square enclosure with two layers, with Al2O3–water nanofluid (upper layer) and nano-porous medium (lower layer) with an adiabatic rotating circular cylinder at the center of the enclosure. The top and bottom walls are assumed adiabatic, while the left sidewall is heated, and the right sidewall kept cooled. Numerically, COMSOL code based on the Galerkin finite element method used for solved the dimensionless governing equations. The non-dimensional parameters that used in this study are: Rayleigh number (Ra) ranged from 103 up to 106, Darcy number (Da) equal to 10−3, the angular rotational velocity (Ω) ranged (0 and 6000), the solid volume fraction (ɸ=0.06), and the inner circular cylinder radius as (R = 0.2). The results showed that when Rayleigh numbers increase, a noticeable increase in the flow intensity and the steep temperature gradient, while the values increase when the cylinder rotates. The value of the local Nusselt number was high in the upper half of the cavity. The effect of the cylinder rotates is greater on the value of the local Nusselt number when using the low Rayleigh Numbers.
The impact of supply disruption risk on a retailer’s pricing and procurement strategies in the presence of a substitute product

Abstract Retailers often experience stockouts when a supplier fails to deliver an order. In this paper, we identify the optimal procurement policy of a multi-product retailer in the presence of possible supply disruptions. Our analysis reveals that, in anticipation of potential supply disruptions, a retailer would typically benefit from ordering more units from a reliable supplier and fewer units from an unreliable one. Furthermore, the total number of units ordered may increase when there is supply disruption risk. As a result, the retailer may overstock some items. However, there are situations in which a retailer would optimally respond to supply uncertainty by consolidating its selling strategy around the unreliable supplier’s product. Under such a strategy, we find the surprising result that the retailer reduces the amount it orders from a reliable supplier as an unreliable seller becomes even less reliable. We also explore how supply disruptions can affect a retailer’s optimal pricing strategy. We find that under certain conditions, it is beneficial for a retailer to lower its price of a substitute product when one supplier fails to deliver its product. Finally, we find that, on net, consumers may benefit from supply uncertainty even though supply disruptions eliminate access to a desirable product.
Differences in Health Characteristics of Geographic Subgroups of Arab Americans in a Northern California Health Plan

Arab Americans are a diverse ethnic group originating from a large geographic area in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We aim to characterize differences in health between Arab Americans from different geographic subgroups within MENA. We used cross-sectional electronic health record (EHR) data for a subset of 4913 Arab Americans aged 20–84 in a 2016 Northern California health plan study cohort who could be assigned to one of 4 geographic subgroups (Gulf, African, Levant, and Other) based on EHR ethnicity data. We calculated age-adjusted prevalence estimates for men and women and used generalized linear models to compare Gulf, African, and Other subgroups to Levant Arabs on risk factors (obesity and smoking), chronic conditions (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and asthma), and mental health (depression and anxiety). Among women, prevalence of smoking was lower among Gulf, African, and Other Arabs than Levant Arabs. Among men, prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia was lower among Gulf, African, and Other Arabs than Levant Arabs, while prevalence of depression was higher for these subgroups than Levant Arabs. We found substantial differences in health characteristics across Arab Americans from different geographic subgroups. Our results suggest that more detailed race and ethnicity information should be collected on Arab Americans to better understand their diverse health risks.
Anesthetic Management for Conventional Myocardial Revascularization

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) utilizing the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) machine is a common surgery for patients who have myocardium at risk. An important anesthetic goal during this procedure is to manage oxygen supply and demand of the myocardium. Understanding the surgical steps, the intensity of surgical stimulation and the goals of hemodynamic management will help develop a successful anesthetic plan for management of this surgery.
Information Power: The Information Society from an Antihumanist Perspective

This short essay, written for a book about globalization and information policy, argues that globalized information networks create new forms of power that transcend people's deliberate design. Digital information technologies enmesh individuals, groups, and nations in proliferating networks of power that they neither fully understand nor fully control, and that are controlled by no one in particular. These promote the proliferation of information production, information technologies, and information control mechanisms whether or not this serves human values.The essay offers three ways of looking at this phenomenon: through the theory of memetics, through the metaphor of a single global entity or organism, and through a Foucauldian proliferation of power model. Each perspective suggests that larger forces of technological development and information production are reshaping and possibly even sacrificing human values and human interests to serve goals that no human being in particular seeks. The goal of this essay is not to deny the role that human agency plays in creating the world we inhabit. Nor does it reject the importance of human values and interests as goals of information policy. Quite the contrary: It identifies features of our current condition that we might otherwise overlook. If we care about promoting human freedom and human flourishing in a globalized information society, we need to think about all the various forces that might affect them.
Out of the lab and into the fray: towards modeling emotion in everyday life

We conducted a 19 participant study using a system comprised of wireless galvanic skin response (GSR), heart rate (HR), activity sensors and a mobile phone for aggregating sensor data and enabling affect logging by the user. Each participant wore the sensors daily for five days, generating approximately 900 hours of continuous data. We found that analysis of emotional events was highly dependent on correct windowing and report results on synthesized windows around annotated events. Where raters agreed on the timing and quality of the emotion we were able to recognize 85% of the high and low energy emotions and 70% of the positive and negative emotions. We also gained many insights regarding participant's perception of their emotional state and the complexity of emotion in real life.
Modeling Chemistry in Lean NOx Traps Under Reducing Conditions

A set of elementary surface reactions is proposed for modeling the chemistry in a lean NOx trap during regeneration (reduction of stored NOx). The proposed reaction mechanism can account for the observed product distribution from the trap over a range of temperatures and inlet gas compositions similar to those expected for realistic operation. The mechanism includes many reactions already discussed in the literature, together with some hypothesized reactions that are required to match observations from temperature programmed reactor experiments with a commercial lean NOx trap catalyst. Preliminary results indicate that the NOx trap regeneration and byproduct formation rates can be effectively captured by using a relatively compact set of elementary reactions.