cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A study of the clinical utility of a 20-minute secretin-stimulated endoscopic pancreas function test and performance according to clinical variables

Background and Aims Direct pancreas juice testing of bicarbonate, lipase, or trypsin after stimulation by secretin or cholecystokinin is used to determine exocrine function, a surrogate for diagnosing chronic pancreatitis (CP). Endoscopic pancreas function tests (ePFTs), where a peak bicarbonate concentration (PBC) ≥80 mEq/L in pancreas juice is considered normal, are now used more frequently. In this ePFT, aspirates start 35 minutes after secretin administration because pancreas output peaks 30 minutes after secretagogue administration. The performance of ePFT in a cohort of patients with a presumptive diagnosis of CP referred to a pancreas clinic for consideration of an intervention including total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation was studied, compared with EUS, ERCP, histology, and consensus diagnosis. The effect of sedation, narcotic use, aspirate volume, body mass index, age, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on test performance is reported. Methods After a test dose, synthetic human secretin was administered intravenously, and 30 minutes later sedation was achieved with midazolam and fentanyl or propofol. A gastroscope was advanced to the major papilla where 4 continuous aspiration samples were performed at 5-minute intervals in sealed bottles. PBC ≥80 mEq/L was normal. Results Eighty-one patients had ePFTs from August 2010 through October 2015. Twenty-seven patients (33%) were diagnosed with CP. Eighteen of the 27 patients with CP and 1 of the 54 patients without CP had an abnormal ePFT, producing a sensitivity of 66% (95% CI, 46.0-83.5), specificity 98% (95% CI, 90.1-99.9), positive predictive value 94.7% (95% CI, 74-99.9), and negative predictive value 85.5% (95% CI, 74.2-93.1). ERCP and PBC concordance was generally poor, but none of the patients without CP had major EUS changes, and only 3 patients with a PBC Conclusion A 20-minute ePFT after secretin administration had a marginal sensitivity for diagnosis of CP. The diagnosis of CP should not rely on a single study and certainly not a PFT. The duodenal aspirate volume did not correlate with the PBC, which contrasts with current secretin-enhanced MRCP knowledge; therefore, further studies on this subject are warranted. Neither type of sedation, BMI, nor age affected test performance. Narcotics and PPIs may affect the PBC, so borderline results should be interpreted with caution in these groups
Plantation Kingdom: The American South and Its Global Commodities

This concise and cogent volume joins four eminent scholars to produce up-to-date synthetic accounts of each plantation commodity of the United States South: rice, sugar, cotton, and tobacco. These ...
Leveraging Frame Aggregation for Estimating WiFi Available Bandwidth

WiFi has emerged as a pivotal technology for mobile devices offering the potential for exceptional connectivity speeds. Unfortunately, the performance of WiFi may vary significantly making WiFi link characterization (and more broadly the path characterization) an essential element of the user Quality of Experience (QoE). The key challenge that emerges with respect to link characterization is how to characterize performance in an efficient manner. In this paper, we explore how the existing frame aggregation mechanisms introduced by 802.11e can be leveraged to achieve such a goal. We show not only how frame aggregation breaks existing lightweight mechanisms for link characterization but also how to carefully construct packet sequences that induce frame aggregation to capture the WiFi available bandwidth. We construct a proof of concept system, AIWC (Aggregation Intensity based Wifi Characterization), to demonstrate the aforementioned concepts with significant improvements versus prior work.
Retention of External and Internal Markers by Southern Pine Beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) During Gallery Construction

If retained, markers used in mark-release-recapture studies of bark beetle dispersal could provide valuable tools in the determination of post-dispersal fate. Retention of the internal marker rubidium (Rb) and of the external marker fluorescent powder during egg gallery construction, oviposition, and feeding were quantified at intervals from 0 to 96 h by allowing marked Southern pine beetles, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, to carry out these activities in untreated host material. Significant differences in Rb concentrations were found between fed and unfed Rb-marked beetles at all intervals after 12 h. Unfed Rb-marked beetles were detectable at all intervals, whereas reliable detection of fed Rb-marked beetles declined with time. Over 90% of fed southern pine beetle marked with fluorescent powder were detectably marked after 96 h, while less than 50% of the Rb-marked beetles were detectable after 72 h. Neither marking technique adversely affected the gallery length or number of eggs produced by marked...
Mechanoregulation of SM22α/Transgelin

SM22α, also named transgelin, is an actin filament-associated protein in smooth muscle and fibroblasts. Three decades after its discovery, the biological function of SM22α remains under investigation. Here we report a novel finding that the expression and degradation of SM22α/transgelin are regulated by mechanical tension. Following a mass spectrometry identification of SM22α degradation in isolated and tension-unloaded mouse aorta, we developed specific monoclonal antibodies to study the regulation of SM22α in human fetal lung myofibroblast line MRC-5 and primary cultures of neonatal mouse skin fibroblasts. The level of SM22α is positively related to the mechanical tension in the cytoskeleton produced by the myosin II motor in response to the stiffness of the culture matrix. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that the expression of SM22α is regulated at the transcriptional level. This mechanical regulation resembles that of calponin 2, another actin filament-associa...
Forecasting the response of Great Lakes sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to barrier removals

A key uncertainty surrounding barrier removals in the Great Lakes is the response of invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations to realized increases in available habitat for adfluvial s...
Identifying Cellular Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay (NMD) Targets: Immunoprecipitation of Phosphorylated UPF1 Followed by RNA Sequencing (p-UPF1 RIP−Seq)

Recent progress in the technology of transcriptome-wide high-throughput sequencing has revealed that nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) targets ~10% of physiologic transcripts for the purpose of tuning gene expression in response to various environmental conditions. Regardless of the eukaryote studied, NMD requires the ATP-dependent RNA helicase upframeshift 1 (UPF1). It was initially thought that cellular NMD targets could be defined by their binding to steady-state UPF1, which is largely hypophosphorylated. However, the propensity for steady-state UPF1 to bind RNA nonspecifically, coupled with regulated phosphorylation of UPF1 on an NMD target serving as the trigger for NMD, made it clear that it is phosphorylated UPF1 (p-UPF1), rather than steady-state UPF1, that can be used to distinguish cellular NMD targets from cellular RNAs that are not. Here, we describe the immunoprecipitation of p-UPF1 followed by RNA sequencing (p-UPF1 RIP-seq) as a transcriptome-wide approach to define physiologic NMD targets.
Likelihood that expectations of informal care will be met at onset of caregiving need: a retrospective study of older adults in the USA

Background Ageing adults are likely to expect informal caregiving assistance from a friend or family member, reflecting the reality that most long-term care (LTC) is provided by family and friends. The purpose of the study was to determine the likelihood that expectations of care will be unmet at the onset of functional disability, and the factors that impact that likelihood. Methods Community-dwelling respondents from biannual repeated assessments (2006–2010) of the Health and Retirement Study over age 65 who expressed a caregiving expectation prior to need were included in the final analytical sample (n=1352). Logistic regression and change models were specified to address impact of variables on unmet expectations. Results Expectations of care were unmet for almost one-third (32%) of the sample, among whom 30% were not receiving needed care. Unmet expectations were associated with being unmarried, older and having a higher number of ADL deficits. Change over time in the number of predictor variables influenced the likelihood of unmet expectations. Conclusions Unplanned dependence on formal care systems and/or having unmet care needs places elders at risk of negative outcomes. Knowledge of factors that impact whether expected care is eventually received provides robust evidence for counselling individuals regarding the need to plan for additional LTC services.
Host Genes Controlling the Immune Response

As with any complex organ system, the immune system is controlled by a large number of genes regulating many discrete functions in the several different cell types that make up the system. Deliberate efforts to select animals for high or low antibody response to several different antigens have demonstrated quite clearly that the resultant high responder and low responder strains differ at least by ten or more genes (Biozzi, personal communication). These genes determine proliferation rates for cellular components of the immune system, and other immunologically nonspecific cellular functions.
On the Use of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index as an Indicator of Rainfall

The remotely sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, or NDVI, is being used operationally to evaluate rainfall and vegetation growth. It shows a good relationship to these variables in relatively dry locations, but the index saturates under humid conditions. Over much of Africa, the saturation takes place where annual rainfall is on the order of1000 to 1200 mm. Above this threshold, NDVI cannot be used with any degree of confidence to assess either rainfall or vegetation.
Six honest serving men.

The practice of medical-surgical nursing is "a dynamic, evolutionary process" and the proliferation of health care technology has been instrumental in its evolution. This proliferation and the goal of quality patient care in medical-surgical nursing practice are unlikely to change. However, the provision of quality care depends on the use of appropriate technology. Nurses and materiel managers working collaboratively can identify and promote the use of appropriate health care technology by applying the framework of technology assessment. This framework is analogous to Kipling's six honest serving men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who. The Elephant's Child What, Why, and When advise selective and judicious use of appropriate health care technology. How, Where, and Who reaffirm knowledgeable and proficient use with registered nurses, the patients' "link with the personal, human world within an impersonal, electronic world." Together, the six honest serving men emphasize that the primary purpose of health care technology is the improvement of human health "from the individual level through and including national health policy."
Intuitionistic formal systems

This chapter surveys Harvey Friedman's work on intuitionistic logic and intuitionistic arithmetic, most of which dates from 1971 through 1977. It was also around 1971 that Friedman took interest in set theories based on intuitionistic logic, a topic covered in the chapter by Andrej Scedrov. Proofs are outlined for the most important of Friedman's published theorems, as well as for some (but not all) of Friedman's unpublished results, available to date only in sketchy memoranda.
Some Insight into Intramolecular Electron Transfer of an Adrenodoxin Molecule

The question of whether or not an aromatic amino acid residue participates in the electron transfer reaction from the surface of protein molecule to the iron-sulfur cluster has been a subject of considerable interest and debate. In particular, heme and non-heme iron proteins have been extensively investigated by utilizing such varied approaches as chemical modification, comparison of the oxidized and reduced structures by means of X-ray crystallography, and kinetic pulse radiolysis studies. In bacterial ferredoxins, both 13-C nuclear magnetic resonance (1,2) and X-ray crystallography studies have revealed unequivocally the proximity of a tyrosine residue to the 4Fe-4S cluster. An elegant study by Rabinowitz’s group indicated that a modified ferredoxin from Clostridum M-E free of any aromatic residue is as active as the native ferredoxin from Clostridium acidi urici (5) in the phosphoroclastic reaction. They concluded that the aromatic residues do not participate in the intramolecular electron transfer reaction in the bacterial ferredoxin.
Hydrologic controls of controlled and free draining subsurface drainage systems

Abstract One of the strategies proposed for reducing nitrate losses from subsurface tile drain systems in Midwestern agricultural lands, controlled drainage, is known to reduce drain flow on an annual basis, but is not well understood for individual events. Understanding hydrologic controls that regulate outflow from free and controlled drainage systems during drainage events can offer improved insight on the overall functioning of these systems so that they can be better managed or retrofitted to increase their environmental benefits. This study used data from a monitoring site in east central Indiana to investigate the hydrology of 22 drainage events in free and controlled subsurface drainage systems. Relationships between event drainage volume, drain flow hydrograph metrics, column soil moisture, water table depth, and precipitation time series for each event were explored to determine the effect of precipitation characteristics and antecedent conditions on these metrics. Controlled drainage reduced event drainage volume and peak flows by 22% ± 12% and 29% ± 16% respectively, and increased the time to peak of drainage by 98% ± 52%. Higher total precipitation and precipitation time spread increased infiltration, while the average precipitation intensity did not correlate with drainage volumes in either system. Peak flow rate in free draining quadrants were positively affected by higher precipitation and average precipitation intensity, while in managed quadrants, the antecedent soil moisture appeared to be more influential in affecting peak flow rate than precipitation characteristics. Surface runoff potential increased with the increase in average precipitation intensity in all quadrants. Saturation excess ponding or possibly overland flow occurred in events that have a low average precipitation intensity, and a high precipitation time spread. Field observations indicate that saturation excess overland flow was more pronounced in controlled quadrants because water table levels rose higher than the water table levels of their free draining counterpart.
Investigating the environmental response to water harvesting structures: a field study in Tanzania

Abstract. Sand dams, a popular water harvesting structure employed by rural communities, capture and store water for use during the dry season in arid and semi-arid regions. Most sand dam research has been performed on the “ideal” sand dam, despite approximately 50 % of sand dams not functioning as intended. This research involves a 1-year long, in-depth field study of three sand dams in Tanzania, one of which is essentially non-functioning. The study investigated a sand dam's impact on macroinvertebrate habitat, vegetation, and streambank erosion and explored a sand dam's water loss mechanisms. Surveys of macroinvertebrate assemblage were performed each season. Vegetation surveys were performed every other month, and erosion was recorded semi-monthly. Water table monitoring wells were installed at each sand dam, and measurements were taken twice a day. The study found that sand dams are too homogeneous to provide the sustenance and refugia macroinvertebrates need at different life stages. The non-functioning sand dam has a thick layer of silt preventing infiltration of rainwater. The functioning sand dams store a significant amount of water, but most is lost to evapotranspiration within a few months of the last rainfall. Unlike the non-functioning sand dam, the functioning sand dams have a positive impact on local vegetation and minimal impact on erosion. Sand dams can increase the water security of a community, but site characteristics and construction methods must be strongly considered to maximize the sand dam's positive impact.
Exploring Suspension of Disbelief Among Graduate and Undergraduate Nursing Students

Abstract Background The nature and process of suspending disbelief is complex, subjective, and has not been well researched in clinical simulation. Methods A descriptive phenomenological approach with semistructured interviews explored student experiences of suspending disbelief during simulation-based learning. Results Among the 18 (69%) graduate students and 8 (31%) undergraduate students, three themes emerged from participant narratives including (1) frame of mind, (2) environment, and (3) tempo. Subthemes of frame of mind included cognitive focus, apprehension, and confidence. Conclusion Understanding nursing students' lived experiences of suspending disbelief can enhance the educator's ability to design and facilitate effective simulation, student development, and suspension of disbelief.
MDS/MPN-RS-T justified inclusion as a unique disease entity?

Abstract Myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative neoplasm with ring sideroblasts and thrombocytosis (MDS/MPN-RS-T) is a disease entity characterized by anemia, bone marrow dysplasia with ring sideroblasts and persistent thrombocytosis ≥450 × 109/L with proliferation of large and morphologically atypical megakaryocytes. Although initially recognized by the World Health Organization only as a provisional entity, next generation sequencing has identified recurrent somatic mutations in SF3B1, JAK2 and other genes providing further evidence of the clonal nature of this disease and the need to recognize it as a separate entity. Despite its overlapping features with MDS with ring sideroblasts and essential thrombocythemia, MDS/MPN-RS-T is characterized by specific clinical features and distinct survival outcomes. In the current review we will describe the morphological and genomic features of MDS-RS-T and the potential diagnostic challenges and distinction from other possible conditions. We will also review how the current evidence supports its recognition as an independent disorder.
Frame Analysis and Deviance Scholarship: Exploring Links through Drugs and Guns

Deviance scholarship and social movement scholarship share similar substantive interests such as changes to rules and laws, identity-based movements, and a focus on social change. This article cont...
Investigation of the adolescent female breast transcriptome and the impact of obesity.

Early life environmental exposures affect breast development and breast cancer risk in adulthood. The breast is particularly vulnerable during puberty when mammary epithelial cells proliferate exponentially. In overweight/obese (OB) women, inflammation increases breast aromatase expression and estrogen synthesis and promotes estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer. In contrast, recent epidemiological studies suggest that obesity during childhood decreases future breast cancer risk. Studies on environmental exposures and breast cancer risk have thus far been limited to animal models. Here, we present the first interrogation of the human adolescent breast at the molecular level and investigate how obesity affects the immature breast. We performed RNA-seq in 62 breast tissue samples from adolescent girls/young women (ADOL; mean age 17.8 years) who underwent reduction mammoplasty. Thirty-one subjects were non-overweight/obese (NOB; mean BMI 23.4 kg/m2) and 31 were overweight/obese (OB; BMI 32.1 kg/m2). We also compared our data to published mammary transcriptome datasets from women (mean age 39 years) and young adult mice, rats, and macaques. The ADOL breast transcriptome showed limited (30%) overlap with other species, but 88% overlap with adult women for the 500 most highly expressed genes in each dataset; only 43 genes were shared by all groups. In ADOL, there were 120 differentially expressed genes (DEG) in OB compared with NOB samples (padj < 0.05). Based on these DEG, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) identified the cytokines CSF1 and IL-10 and the chemokine receptor CCR2 as among the most highly activated upstream regulators, suggesting increased inflammation in the OB breast. Classical ER targets (e.g., PR, AREG) were not differentially expressed, yet IPA identified the ER and PR and growth factors/receptors (VEGF, HGF, HER3) and kinases (AKT1) involved in hormone-independent ER activation as activated upstream regulators in OB breast tissue. These studies represent the first investigation of the human breast transcriptome during late puberty/young adulthood and demonstrate that obesity is associated with a transcriptional signature of inflammation which may augment estrogen action in the immature breast microenvironment. We anticipate that these studies will prompt more comprehensive cellular and molecular investigations of obesity and its effect on the breast during this critical developmental window.
Development of an FhbB based chimeric vaccinogen that elicits antibodies that block Factor H binding and cleavage by the periopathogen Treponema denticola.

Treponema denticola is a proteolytic anaerobic spirochete and key contributor to periodontal disease of microbial etiology. As periodontal disease develops and progresses, T. denticola thrives in the hostile environment of the subgingival crevice by exploiting the negative regulatory activity of the complement protein, factor H (FH). FH bound to the cell surface receptor, FhbB (FH binding protein B), is competent to serve as a cofactor for the Factor I mediated-cleavage of the opsonin C3b. However, bound FH is ultimately cleaved by the T. denticola protease, dentilisin. As the T. denticola population expands, the rate of FH cleavage may exceed its rate of replenishment leading to local FH depletion and immune dysregulation culminating in tissue and ligament destruction and tooth loss. The goal of this study was to develop a T. denticola FhbB based-vaccine antigen that can block FH binding and cleavage and kill cells via antibody-mediated bactericidal activity. Tetra (FhbB-ch4) and pentavalent fhbB (FhbB-ch5) chimerics were engineered to have attenuated FH binding ability. The chimerics were immunogenic and elicited high-titer bactericidal and agglutinating antibody. Anti-Fhb-ch4 antisera blocked FH binding and cleavage by the T. denticola protease, dentilisin, in a dose dependent manner. Precedent for the use of attenuated FH binding proteins comes from the successful development of two FDA approved vaccines for type B Neiserria meningitidis. This study is the first to extend this approach to the development of a preventive or therapeutic vaccine (or monoclonal Ab) for periodontal disease.
Experimental sleep loss, racial bias, and the decision criterion to shoot in the Police Officer's Dilemma task.

Violent behavior, police brutality, and racial discrimination are currently at the forefront of society’s attention, and they should be. We investigated whether mild sleep loss—as typical for many adults throughout the work week—could aggravate the socio-emotional-cognitive processes contributing to violence and discrimination. In a sample of 40 healthy young adults, we either experimentally restricted participants’ sleep for four nights (6.2 h/night) or let participants obtain normal sleep (7.7 h/night)—and then had them complete the Police Officer’s Dilemma Task. In this computerized task, the participant must rapidly decide to shoot or not shoot at White and Black men who either are or are not holding a gun. Results showed significant racial biases, including more and quicker shooting of Black targets compared to White targets. Furthermore, signal detection analyses demonstrated that mild sleep restriction changed participants’ decision criterion, increasing the tendency to shoot, even when controlling for psychomotor vigilance, fluid intelligence, and self-reported desirability to behave in a socially acceptable manner. The increased tendency to shoot was also observed in participants who reported believing that they had adapted to the sleep loss. Future experimental research using trained police officers will help establish the generalizability of these laboratory effects. Importantly, sleep loss is modifiable via organization-level changes (e.g., shift scheduling, light entrainment) and individual-level interventions (e.g., sleep hygiene education, incentives for behavioral change), suggesting that if sleep loss is corrected, it could save lives—including Black lives.
Trustworthy Data Analysis and Sensor Data Protection in Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-Physical Systems are widely used in critical infrastructures such as the power grids, water purification systems, nuclear plants, oil refinery and compressor plants, food manufacturing, etc. Anomalies in these systems can be a result of cybersecurity attacks, failed sensors or communication channels. Undetected anomalies may lead to process failure, cause financial damage and have significant impact on human lives. Thus, it is important to detect anomalies at early stages and to protect data in Cyber-Physical Systems. In this paper, we propose the novel on-the-fly NIST-compliant key generation scheme for a secure data container used to transfer and store sensor data. The data container delivers data from the low-level field sensors to high-level data analysis servers in a protected form. It provides data confidentiality and integrity, as well as data origin integrity, a fine-grained role-based and attribute-based access control. As a result, the anomaly detector runs on trustworthy data sets, protected from unauthorized adversarial modifications. Our solution can be easily integrated with many existing Cyber-Physical Systems and IT infrastructures since our secure data container supports RESTful API and is implemented in two modifications: (1) signed, watermarked and encrypted spreadsheet file; (2) signed and encrypted JSON file. In addition, we implemented several machine learning models based on a Random Forest, a k-Nearest Neighbors, a Support Vector Machine and a Neural Network algorithms for the detection of various anomalies and attacks in a gas pipeline system. We will demonstrate that our anomaly detection models achieve high detection rate with an average accuracy of 97.7% for two industrial data sets collected by the Mississippi State University's Critical Infrastructure Protection Center and Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL)
A Dignitary Fourth Amendment Framework and Its Usefulness for Mobile Phone Searches

The Fourth Amendment is often described — sometimes lovingly — as a mess. Beginning as a concept of personal rights so closely held as to incite revolution, the fifty-four words comprising the Amendment have left much of search and seizure law up to the imagination of the country’s scholars and jurists. The resulting incoherence, compounding through and exacerbated by the common law, is ill-suited to keep up with (or even stay in the same race as) searches aided by modern technologies. This Note proposes an original Fourth Amendment framework that distills the jurisprudential noise into a simple melody, written in terms of the personal dignitary interests each search implicates. Part I retraces the path of Fourth Amendment caselaw and describes a hidden pattern, resembling a continuum, that the caselaw has long tracked. Part II sifts through the legal and practical realities of mobile phone searches to place such searches on that continuum, ultimately between searches of the home and searches of the body. Part III builds on the arguments presented in Parts I and II to advocate for mobile phone searches being designated sui generis, deserving of their own treatment, in Fourth Amendment law.
Neo-Integralism, Conciliar Traditions, and Political Representation

A curious lacuna exists in neo-integralist rhetoric online and in most writing related to fundamental questions of political regime. Quite simply, there is very little said at all about representative political institutions, electoral politics, or about democracy itself among neo-integralists at present. This is strange, as the intellectual predecessors of today’s neo-integralism often explicitly included representational bodies of one sort of another in their sociopolitical visions, even their outright authoritarian variants. Whether one is making an neo-integralist friendly case for moderate forms of illiberal, statist conservatism or more full-throated neo-integralist arguments proper, failing to treat political regime and institutions of representation seriously, especially within the context of the American republic, is a unhelpful omission that regrettably encourages suspicion rather than productive debate.
Oxidation behaviors of matrix-grade graphite during water vapor ingress accidents for high temperature gas-cooled reactors

Abstract Water ingress into cores of high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) can cause serious safety problems in graphitic components, especially for matrix graphite, which is more vulnerable than nuclear graphite. In this study, oxidation behaviors of a matrix-grade graphite, ARB-B1, were investigated under simulated water ingress accidental conditions. The oxidation tests were conducted in water vapor/helium mixed atmospheres at elevated temperatures up to 1200 °C. Oxidation rates and activation energy were evaluated by mass loss measurements. The activation energy was 121.5 kJ/mol in the considered temperature range, indicating only one oxidation regime−in-pore diffusion assisted by cracks. The cracks originated from the fabrication process, acting as penetration paths for the oxidant, played an important role in the oxidation behaviors. Ungraphitized binder oxidation occurred at all temperatures, while apparent oxidation of filler particles started from 1100 °C. Moreover, oxidation effects on compressive properties and hardness of the matrix graphite were discussed in terms of oxidized microstructures. This first detailed study on matrix graphite oxidation in water vapor provides important kinetics knowledge and microstructural and mechanical data for accidental scenarios of HTGRs as well as for development of new matrix graphite materials.
Wang, Robin R., Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture

No one who has spent much time reading traditional Chinese philosophy, religion, or science can be unaware of the ubiquity of the yinyang 陰陽 concept. The longer one engages with this tradition the more yinyang seems like the cogito ergo sum of Chinese thought—the fundamental building block—although less susceptible of refutation than Descartes’ principle. Yet its simplicity and obviousness can obscure both its ubiquity and its usefulness as a key to understanding Chinese thought and culture. Likewise, one would be mistaken to assume that this book has little to offer even to those already familiar with the concept of yinyang. Robin Wang treats yinyang as a “philosophical and cultural paradigm” (6) in the Kuhnian sense, going beyond the more well-known characteristics of yinyang thinking (complementarity, harmony, correlative cosmology) to dig out and illustrate the wealth of uses to which the concept has been put over the centuries. She draws on a very broad range of early texts, mostly from the Warring States (including the Guodian 郭店 texts) through the Han 漢 periods, but here and there extending into the Song 宋. Some of these texts, such as the Guiguzi 鬼谷子 (Master of Spirit Valley), are rarely used in English-language scholarship. She also makes excellent use of modern scholarship in both English and Chinese. Wang’s approach is primarily that of an intellectual historian, although she brings a philosopher’s eye to the material. It is not as consistently philosophical as A. C. Graham’s, in his short book Yin-Yang and the Nature of Correlative Thinking (Singapore: Institute of East Asian Philosophies, 1986), which focuses more thoroughly on the logic of yinyang and correlative thinking. Wang says: “I have tried not to impose an interpretation, especially those coming from Western terminologies, but rather let the texts themselves unfold the meanings of yinyang.... Although emphasizing historical developments, the purpose of this work is not primarily historical. Instead, it is meant to articulate conceptual positions.... The book is intended to be Dao (2013) 12:561–565 DOI 10.1007/s11712-013-9352-z
Assessment of Anticipatory Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations

Nausea and vomiting that occur before or during a chemotherapy infusion have been called conditioned or anticipatory nausea and vomiting (ANV). In this article, the three-systems model of emotion is proposed as a heuristic device for the development of assessment procedures for ANV and chemotherapy-related anxiety; this model could facilitate the matching of the response patterns of individual patients with available treatment interventions. The authors also discuss the construct, anxiety; introduce a mode-by-method matrix for classifying assessment procedures; review current assessment procedures for ANV; and present recommendations for future research.
Making the case for cost-effectiveness research

Cost-effectiveness research is a component of clinical outcomes that addresses both cost and outcomes simultaneously, providing an understanding of what incremental costs, if any, are required for better clinical outcomes. In the current health care climate, these analyses are increasingly performed, and critical, as practitioners must optimize patient care at lower costs. This review discusses cost effectiveness research, its utilization in surgical oncology, and future opportunities provided by its methodologies. J. Surg. Oncol. 2014 109:509–515. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Osteological change in the auricular surface: a comparison of two aging methods (LB37)

Senescence changes in the auricular surface are best described by the two vastly different techniques, Lovejoy et al. (1985) and Buckberry and Chamberlain (2002). While the Lovejoy et al. method co...
Threonine Deaminase from Bacillus subtilis I. PURIFICATION OF THE ENZYME

Abstract Threonine deaminase (l-threonine hydro-lyase (deaminating), EC 4.2.1.16) has been purified from crude extracts of Bacillus subtilis. The enzyme in crude extracts and after crystallization yielded substrate saturation curves which were hyperbolic unless the inhibitor, isoleucine, was present. Sigmoid substrate saturation curves were obtained in the presence of isoleucine. In crude extracts, the enzyme was stabilized in phosphate buffer at room temperature by pyridoxal phosphate. Under these conditions, however, the enzyme was cold labile. After treatment with brushite during the purification procedure the enzyme was cold stable. The enzyme had a molecular weight of about 200,000 and could be dissociated into half-molecules by urea, guanidine, and sodium lauryl sulfate. Electron microscopy suggested a dimeric structure.
Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting Analysis of Mitochondrial Content, Membrane Potential, and Matrix Oxidant Burden in Human Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines

Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) permits specific biologic parameters of cellular populations to be quantified in a high-throughput fashion based on their unique fluorescent properties. Relative quantitation of mitochondrial-localized dyes in human cells using FACS analysis allows sensitive analysis of a variety of mitochondrial parameters including mitochondrial content, mitochondrial membrane potential, and matrix oxidant burden. Here, we describe protocols that utilize FACS analysis of human lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) for relative quantitation of mitochondrial-localized fluorescent dye intensity. The specific dyes described include MitoTracker Green FM to assess mitochondrial content, tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) to assess mitochondrial membrane potential, and MitoSOX Red to assess mitochondrial matrix oxidant burden. Representative results of FACS-based mitochondrial analyses demonstrate the variability of these three basic mitochondrial parameters in LCLs from healthy individuals, as well as the sensitivity of applying FACS analysis of LCLs to study the effects of pharmacologic induction and scavenging of oxidant stress.
Chapter 6 Mass spectrometry: Isotope ratio mass spectrometry

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). IRMS determines the ratio of isotopes of a given element, such as H: 2 H and 12 C: 13 C present in a specimen. The total amount of each isotope also is determined. The amount of element derived from labeled drug in a specimen can be computed from the excess in labeled element isotope ratio and the total amount of element. IRMS offers the potential of detecting and quantitating added label in any whole biological matrix. It also offers simplicity and flexibility similar to radioactive tracer procedures without the administrative and safely concerns of radioactive studies. In continuous flow-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS), organic sample is introduced into the high temperature combustion chamber of an elemental analyzer and flash combusted with a pulse of oxygen. The oxidized combustion gases (CO 2 , N 2 , and H 2 O) are carried by a continuous stream of helium through clean-up phases to a gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) device.
The effect of hydrogen crossover on open-circuit voltage in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Abstract Even though the measured open-circuit voltage in a H2–O2 PEM fuel cell is invariably about 200–250 mV lower than that predicted from thermodynamics (1.229 V at 25 °C), there is no unequivocal explanation of this phenomenon available in the literature, although several hypotheses exist. Based on a theoretical model of mixed potential with a priori parameters, it is shown here that this voltage loss under open-circuit conditions can be attributed exclusively to hydrogen crossover and the resulting oxygen reduction reaction overpotential at the cathode. The analytical model predictions agree well with available experimental results.
Psychiatric nursing and the emergency setting

Nursing practice in the psychiatric emergency setting has changed because of the needs of high-risk groups among the severely mentally ill.
Long-Term Systemic Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment in a Population-Based Cohort

Objectives: Evidence suggests inflammation is associated with cognitive impairment, but previous epidemiological studies have reported conflicting results. Design: Prospective population-based cohort. Setting: Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study participants. Participants: Individuals without cognitive impairment in 1998–2000 (N = 2,422; 1,947 with necessary data). Measurements: Cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination score <24 or diagnosis of dementia) was ascertained in 1998–2000, 2003–2005, and 2009–2010. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured in 1988–1990, 1998–2000, and 2009–2010; tumor necrosis factor-alpha was measured from 1998–2000. Results: Participants with high CRP in 1988–1990 and 1998–2000 had lower risk of cognitive impairment than those with low CRP at both time points (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.26–0.80). Risk did not differ according to 10-year IL-6 profile or baseline inflammation category in the whole cohort. In sensitivity analyses restricted to statin nonusers, those with high IL-6 at both times had greater risk of cognitive impairment than those with low IL-6 at both times (HR = 3.35, 95% CI = 1.09–10.30). In secondary analyses, each doubling of IL-6 change over 20 years was associated with greater odds of cognitive impairment in 2009–2010 in the whole cohort (odds ratio (OR) = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.04–1.89), whereas a doubling of CRP change over 20 years was associated with cognitive impairment only in statin nonusers (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.06–1.65). Conclusion: With data collected over 20 years, this study demonstrated greater likelihood of cognitive impairment in individuals with repeated high or increasing IL-6. The inconsistent CRP findings may reflect effects of statin medications, survival effects, or adverse effects associated with chronically low CRP. Further studies of long-term inflammation and cognitive impairment are needed.
56Fe and 58Fe(n, p) cross sections for 14·4 MeV neutrons

Abstract The (n,p) cross sections of 56Fe and 58Fe for 14·4 MeV neutrons were measured to be 109±10 and 10·±1·0 mbarn, respectively. The 58Mn activity had a half-life of 65·3±0·7 sec.
Performance and Reliability of SiC MOSFETs for High-Current Power Modules

We address the two critical challenges that currently limit the applicability of SiC MOSFETs in commercial power conversion systems: high-temperature gate oxide reliability and high total current rating. We demonstrate SiC MOSFETs with predicted gate oxide reliability of >106 hours (100 years) operating at a gate oxide electric field of 4 MV/cm at 250°C. To scale to high total currents, we develop the Power Overlay planar packaging technique to demonstrate SiC MOSFET power modules with total on-resistance as low as 7.5 m. We scale single die SiC MOSFETs to high currents, demonstrating a large area SiC MOSFET (4.5mm x 4.5 mm) with a total on-resistance of 30 m, specific on-resistance of 5 m-cm2 and blocking voltage of 1400V.
Diazacholesterol myotonia: accumulation of desmosterol and increased adenosine triphosphatase activity of sarcolemma.

Myotonia induced in rats by 20,25-diazacholesterol is accompanied by accumulation of desmosterol in serum, fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum, and sarcolemma. Activities of (Na+,K+)- and Ca2+-stimulated adenosine triphosphatases of the sarcolemma are increased, but not the Mg2+-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase. The altered sterol composition of the sarcolemma may cause this type of myotonia by decreasing the chloride conductance of the membrane.
Characterization of epoxy novolac resins using phenyl-bonded phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Abstract Epoxy novolac resins can be characterized using a 5-μm phenyl-bonded phase column. Both reversed-phase (tetrahydrofuran—water) and normal phase (tetrahydrofuran—hexane and chloroform—hexane) elutions can be used to obtain a qualitative fingerprinting-type of identification and a quantitative measurement of molecular-weight distribution. The retention of epoxy novolac resins is proportional to the degree of polymerization and the mobile phase compositions.
A New Methodology for the General Multiparametric Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) Problems

In this paper, a general algorithm is developed to address the multiparametric mixed-integer linear programming (mpMILP) problem with uncertain parameters in the left-hand side (LHS), right-hand si...
The effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni–W/diamond composite coatings

Abstract Ni–W/diamond composite coatings were electrodeposited from the Ni–W plating bath containing diamond particles. The influences of current density on composition of the nanocomposite coatings were investigated. The dependence of physicochemical properties, including microstructure, microhardness, and wear resistance on the annealing temperatures was also systematically compared. The results show that the content of the codeposited diamond particles increases initially with the current density and reaches a maximum at 10 A/dm 2 . When current density is higher than 10 A/dm 2 , the volume percentage of the codeposited diamond particles decreases. The incorporation of diamond particles into Ni–W matrix leads to an increase in microhardness and wear resistance of the nanocomposite coatings and reduces the wear weight loss. In addition, the heat-treated Ni–W/diamond composite coating shows a better wear resistance than that of the as-plated one. The microhardness reached a maximum (1205 HV) after annealing at 600 °C due to the precipitation of the Ni 4 W phase.
Oliver Twist, textbook of child abuse

Oliver Twist , as everybody knows, is Dickens' novel about an orphaned boy who starts life in a workhouse and after trials on the streets of London in Fagin's “gang”, is eventually adopted by a middle class gentleman who has liberal and gentle ideas of parenthood. Roy Meadow, in the ABC of Child Abuse , defines child abuse as “treatment which is unacceptable in a given culture at a given time”.1 Clearly, what might have been acceptable in Victorian England was not acceptable to Dickens, who expresses his disapproval of much that he described. In terms of standards in Britain in the year 2001, many of the childcare practices described in Oliver Twist constitute child abuse. Illustration from Oliver Twist (reproduced by permission of the Dickens House Museum, London). Throughout the book, Dickens gives observations on childcare and parenting, both by society and by natural and substitute parents. He observes and describes many categories of child abuse, together with risk factors which modern research has identified in abusing parents. Institutional abuse is the first scene, as Oliver's mother dies in childbirth. She is attended by a drunken “midwife” and an uncaring doctor. The infant is turned over to a baby farm and later the workhouse itself. The children here are neglected, barely fed or clothed. Oliver Twist's ninth birthday found him “a pale thin child, somewhat diminutive in stature, and decidedly small in circumference” (chapter …
Relativistic klystron amplifier and its applications

Summary form only given. Amplifiers based on the relativistic klystron amplifier (RKA) mechanism are described in which the interaction between an intense relativistic electron beam (IREB) and a low-power external RF pulse results in the generation of coherent and phase stabilities. Parametric studies were performed on fully modulating annular IREBs with diameters of up to 13 cm, currents of 1-30 kA, voltages of 0.2-3.0 MV, durations of 10-300 ns, and diode impedances of 20-200 O. In a recent experiment a 13.2-cm-diameter annular IREB with a DC power of 8 GW and an impedance of 30 O was modulated by an external magnetron operating at 1.3 GHz and 0.5 MW power. The interaction of this modulated beam with an output structure generated a 3-GW RF pulse radiated into the atmosphere. A compact high-gradient accelerator powered by RKA has been built. Electrons were accelerated to 60 MeV in a 1-m-long structure, with a peak current of 200 A
HONE: the IBM marketing support system

The storage, retrieval, and dissemination of data pertaining to a large, complex product line is made possible by the Hands-on Network Environment (HONE) discussed in this paper. HONE provides on-line interactive support to marketing, systems, and administrative personnel, and, most recently, to customers. The evolution of HONE is presented. Discussed in detail are new HONE distributed processing capabilities now enabled under an advanced network architecture. In that environment, the processing power and data bases of HONE and other host systems will be interconnected and support the speed and processing autonomy of IBM Personal Computers as workstations.