cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Representation of Three-Center–Two-Electron Bonds in Covalent Molecules with Bridging Hydrogen Atoms

Many compounds can be represented well in terms of the two-center–two-electron (2c–2e) bond model. However, it is well-known that this approach has limitations; for example, certain compounds require the use of three-center–two-electron (3c–2e) bonds to provide an adequate description of the bonding. Although a classic example of a compound that features a 3c–2e bond is provided by diborane, B2H6, 3c–2e interactions also feature prominently in transition metal chemistry, as exemplified by bridging hydride compounds, agostic compounds, dihydrogen complexes, and hydrocarbon and silane σ-complexes. In addition to being able to identify the different types of bonds (2c–2e and 3c–2e) present in a molecule, it is essential to be able to utilize these models to evaluate the chemical reasonableness of a molecule by applying the octet and 18-electron rules; however, to do so requires determination of the electron counts of atoms in molecules. Although this is easily achieved for molecules that possess only 2c–2e bonds, the situation is more complex for those that possess 3c–2e bonds. Therefore, this article describes a convenient approach for representing 3c–2e interactions in a manner that facilitates the electron counting procedure for such compounds. In particular, specific attention is devoted to the use of the half-arrow formalism to represent 3c–2e interactions in compounds with bridging hydrogen atoms.
Interprofessional Master of Science in Palliative Care: On Becoming a Palliative Care Community Specialist.

Background: Palliative care (PC) is a limited resource in health care systems. Many providers develop a PC interest later in their careers when it is difficult to relocate and compete for a limited number of training positions. In communities without an academic tertiary medical center, interprofessional PC community specialists are poised to deliver high-quality accessible PC to patients/families with needs beyond what can be addressed by primary care providers. Objective: An interprofessional 36-credit Master of Science in Palliative Care (MSPC) provides evidence-based education to nurses, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, social workers, spiritual care providers, psychologists, counselors, and other allied health professionals. Design: The predominantly online curriculum, designed and taught by an interprofessional faculty, focuses on interdisciplinary teamwork, communication skills, and practical application of biomedical and psycho-sociocultural-spiritual-ethics content. The pedagogy is narrative based, emulating in-person clinical experiences, with patient cases progressing throughout the curriculum. We have enrolled four student cohorts. Measurements: Student self-assessments pre-mid-post program. Results: Students highly rate curriculum with demonstrated application of knowledge in case integration assignments, simulations with standardized patients, and Capstone Projects. Students' self-assessed skills on a 39-item scale increased on average to the highest level of 5 (able to perform independently and teach others). Conclusions: The inaugural student cohort reports high levels of engagement and satisfaction, including mastery and synthesis of didactic and experiential content through case integration projects. Students who worked in PC/hospice settings have advanced in their professions; others have transitioned to PC work. The MSPC has capacity to meet projected PC workforce gaps.
Traumatic brain injury increases plasma astrocyte-derived exosome levels of neurotoxic complement proteins.

Possible involvement of complement (C) systems in the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) was investigated by quantifying Cproteins in plasma astrocyte-derived exosomes (ADEs) of subjects with sports-related TBI (sTBI) and TBI in military veterans (mtTBI) without cognitive impairment. All sTBI subjects (n = 24) had mild injuries, whereas eight of the mtTBI subjects had moderate, and 17 had mild injuries. Plasma levels of ADEs were decreased after acute sTBI and returned to normal within months. Cprotein levels in ADEs were from 12- to 35-fold higher than the corresponding levels in neuron-derived exosomes. CD81 exosome marker-normalized ADE levels of classical pathway C4b, alternative pathway factor D and Bb, lectin pathway mannose-binding lectin (MBL), and shared neurotoxic effectors C3b and C5b-9 terminal C complex were significantly higher and those of C regulatory proteins CR1 and CD59 were lower in the first week of acute sTBI (n = 12) than in controls (n = 12). Most C abnormalities were no longer detected in chronic sTBI at 3-12 months after acute sTBI, except for elevated levels of factor D, Bb, and MBL. In contrast, significant elevations of ADE levels of C4b, factor D, Bb, MBL, C3b and C5b-9 terminal C complex, and depressions of CR1 and CD59 relative to those of controls were observed after 1-4 years in early chronic mtTBI (n = 10) and persisted for decades except for normalization of Bb, MBL, and CD59 in late chronic mtTBI (n = 15). Complement inhibitors may be useful therapeutically in acute TBI and post-concussion syndrome.
You, Me, and IoT: How Internet-Connected Consumer Devices Affect Interpersonal Relationships.

Internet-connected consumer devices have rapidly increased in popularity; however, relatively little is known about how these technologies are affecting interpersonal relationships in multi-occupant households. In this study, we conduct 13 semi-structured interviews and survey 508 individuals from a variety of backgrounds to discover and categorize how consumer IoT devices are affecting interpersonal relationships in the United States. We highlight several themes, providing large-scale exploratory data about the pervasiveness of interpersonal costs and benefits of consumer IoT devices. These results also inform follow-up studies and design priorities for future IoT technologies to amplify positive and reduce negative interpersonal effects.
The Agile Deployment Using Machine Learning in Healthcare Service

Hospitals are in search of industry-proven processes through which an increasing gamut of complicated operations can be managed most prudently and also reduce the operative costs to a considerable degree coupled with better care for quality. The Agile methodologies provide adequate in healthcare using machine learning. The Agile is now ubiquitous in many work and organization. The ‘Agile’ redesign deals with improving system responsiveness to the patient through an improvised source of flexibility and coordination. Machine learning help in healthcare to diagnose disease, recommend the treatment, online consultations improve, speeding up drug development and improve the training of doctor and medical student. In hospital healthcare services are good but the quality of service provided in rural areas as a comparison to urban is not up to the mark. In this research an actuarial model of healthcare system is build which is very cost efficient. The adoptions of a higher number of computerized tools have resulted in the advantage identified with the procedure for taking care of patient. According to W.H.O less than one (0.8) doctor assigned for 1000, patients that’s why heavy workload on doctors in India and has placed 112th position among 191 countries of the world. In this research work design smart and secure healthcare service for rural areas to provide better healthcare service and healthcare cost estimation using Agile Methodology in machine learning.
The Multiplicity of This World: Troubling Origins in Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing

Drawing on scholarship that critiques post-humanist and Anthropocene discourses, Chevalier shows that Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017) is a magical realist intervention of assumptions guiding these discourses that insists upon a commensurate revaluation of life devalued through systems of US capitalism: specifically black life, animals, and the earth itself. Simultaneously, Chevalier shows how Ward’s novel braids experiences of being through Afro-syncretic ritual, the human/animal, and black life and death in a critique of anti-black racism. By focusing on the Southern penal institution, the BP Gulf oil spill, and dominance over the non-human animal, the chapter illuminates Ward’s critique of historical systems that produce the racial, animal, and spiritual other.
Long-term dynamics of discrete-time predator–prey models: stability of equilibria, cycles and chaos

In [A.S. Ackleh, M.I. Hossain, A. Veprauskas, and A. Zhang, Persistence and stability analysis of discrete-time predator-prey models: A study of population and evolutionary dynamics, J. Differ. Equ...
"An Ideal Human": Expectations of AI Teammates in Human-AI Teaming

Driven by state-of-the-art AI technologies, human-AI collaboration has become an important area in computer-supported teamwork research. While human-AI collaboration has been investigated in various domains, more research is needed to explore human perceptions and expectations of AI teammates in human-AI teaming. To achieve an in-depth understanding of how people perceive AI teammates and what they expect from AI teammates in human-AI teaming, we conducted a survey with 213 participants and a follow-up interview with 20 participants. Considering the context-dependency of teamwork, we chose to study human-AI teaming in the context of multiplayer online games as a case study. This study shows that people have mixed feelings toward AI teammates but hold a positive attitude toward future collaboration with AI teammates in general. Our findings highlight people's expectations for AI teammates in a rapidly changing collaborative environment (e.g., instrumental skills for in-game tasks, shared understanding between humans and AI, communication capabilities, human-like behaviors and performance), as well as factors that impact people's willingness to team up with AI teammates (e.g., pre-existing attitudes toward AI, previous collaboration experience with humans). We contribute to CSCW by shedding light on how AI should be structured in human-AI teaming to support highly complex collaborative activities in CSCW environments.
Spent fuel management strategies for fluoride-cooled pebble bed reactors

Abstract Spent nuclear fuel from fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactors presents different set of storage and handling challenges than fuel from light water reactors and requires the implementation of new strategies. This study explores potential strategies involving pool storage (in helium or FLiNaK) and cask storage/transportation in sequential phases and assesses the feasibility of such strategies in terms of thermal-hydraulics, criticality safety and radiation shielding. The most demanding constraints to the design of the pool storage system are set by criticality safety and require distributing the spent fuel in separate containers. Subcriticality of the fuel in the casks can be maintained by mixing boron-doped graphite spheres with the spent pebbles. High dose rates at the cask surface impede immediate loading of the pebbles in storage/ transportation casks, but the use of steel and lead based overpacks offers effective radiation shielding and good thermal properties, and allows loading spent fuel in the casks after as few as two years of pool storage.
Constructing Cohesive Meaning: A Textual Analysis of Diseases in an 11th-Grade U.S. History Textbook

Social studies texts often pose a challenge for readers because of their complex linguistics features, which can cause comprehension issues. Drawing upon Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), this study examines how authors create cohesive messages and meaning in an 11th-grade U.S. history textbook in relation to the history of diseases. Findings reveal four main cohesive resources: (1) referring words, (2) ellipses, (3) lexical cohesion, and (4) text connectives, are utilized to construct a message that holds together and builds from clause to clause. Consequently, a responsibility is placed on the reader to track the participant(s) while also forcing them to track the events in the rest of the clause. Although the function of cohesive resources helps the writer to express their ideas, it may also impede novice readers, such as emergent bilinguals, from keeping track of all the participants and information. Implications provide ways social studies teachers can take up a role as a language teacher to support comprehension of social studies content and language development.
The Role of Faculty Advising, Mentoring, and Gatekeeping as Social Support for Undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders Students

Purpose Social support may be provided by undergraduate students' family and friends and by other members of the campus community, including faculty. The purpose of this review article was to revie...
Mitigation of magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth in a triple-nozzle, neutron-producing gas-puff Z pinch.

The gas-puff $Z$-pinch is a well-known source of x-rays and/or neutrons, but it is highly susceptible to the magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability (MRTI). Approaches to MRTI mitigation include density profile tailoring, in which nozzles are added or modified to alter the acceleration trajectory, and axial pre-magnetization, in which perturbations are smoothed out via magnetic field line tension. Here, we present two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of loads driven by an 850 kA, 160 ns driver that suggest these mitigation strategies can be additive. The initial axial magnetic field, ${B}_{z0}$, to stabilize a 2.5-cm-radius Ne gas liner imploding onto an on-axis deuterium target can be reduced from 0.7 T to 0.3 T by adding a second liner with a radius of 1.25 cm. Because MRTI mitigation tends to increasingly lower yield with higher ${B}_{z0}$, the use of a lower field is advantageous. Here, we predict a reduction in yield penalty from $g100\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$ with the single liner to $l10\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}$ with a double liner. A premagnetized, triple nozzle gas puff could therefore be an attractive source for intense neutrons or other fusion applications.
Atlantic Citizens: Nineteenth-Century American Writers at Work in the World

This is a rediscovery of the bold cosmopolitan activism and professional literary adventures of six antebellum writers. By looking beyond the familiar works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Grace Greenwood, Margaret Fuller and Frederick Douglass to their public commentaries in lectures, reviews, and newspaper columns, this study uncovers their startling contributions to transatlantic culture. Louise Eckel argues that writing American literature was only one among their many vocational pursuits and that their work was powerfully influenced by wide-ranging political engagements and transnational friendships. The book's chapters balance close readings of primary texts, both literary (poems, essays) and non-literary (newspaper articles, lectures) with critically informed discussions of writers' transatlantic experiences. While each focuses on a single author, each converses with other chapters on the subjects of nationalism, cosmopolitanism, creativity, and reform. It questions the 'American' identity of representative authors, even as they test the moral and geographical limits of American nationality. It demonstrates the political and commercial power of transatlantic networking. It illuminates literature's dependence upon other modes of professional creativity. It examines archival documents alongside familiar literary works.
Equivalent gain analysis for nonlinear operational amplifiers

For low-voltage, low-power circuit design, the linear model for operational amplifiers is insufficient to accurately predict the static and dynamic behavior of the circuit. This paper introduces a nonlinear model for operational amplifiers based on amplifiers' DC transfer characteristic. By using this nonlinear model, the behavior of an operational amplifier with feedback network can be described more accurately. Equivalent open-loop gains of the operational amplifier for several common closed-loop applications are studied. These equivalent gains can help identify the nonlinearities in the close-loop amplifier and determine the performance of the circuit.
Parallel Logic Programming

Introduction Prolog and FGHC small programs more small programs N-queens isomorphic trees and NAND circuits Triangle and Mastermind Instant Insanity and Turtles Puzzle and Waltz Semigroup and Pascal's Triangle BestPath.
Some considerations of surface tension

A discussion of some useful consequences of the Gibbs phenomenological theory of superficial phenomena is presented. This is followed by an examination of this theory on the basis of statistical mechanics.
Real-time operation of an autonomous fuzzy controller

The authors are developing a practical autonomous fuzzy logic controller. The controller is provided with basic knowledge which enables it to continuously observe plant performance while performing its control actions and to use the outcomes of its actions in shaping its control policy in real time. The controller remains dormant when the plant is operating satisfactorily, but it rapidly and autonomously initiates adaptation in real time when adverse performance is observed. The controller can effectively deal with individual variations in plant characteristics, compensate for component wear and tear, and handle dynamic interactions with the environment. The main features of the autonomous control algorithm, which has been thoroughly tested on a variety of simulated and real systems, are highlighted. The hardware implementation employs an Intel MCS-51 series microcontroller board incorporating an inexpensive 8-b Intel 8031 processor. >
Academic Motivation and Student Development During the Transition to College

Academic motivation has been shown to be related to retention to the sophomore year, and the goal orientation model of academic motivation has been widely evaluated in school transition settings. Academic motivation consists of self-efficacy, positive attributions, intrinsic motivation, and goal orientations. Mastery goal orientation focuses on new skills and competencies, while performance goals focus on competition with others and earning recognition. A performance orientation can be performance approach (potentially adaptive) or performance avoidance (a social defense mechanism). Academic motivation can be severely challenged during school transitions; a defensive response to this challenge could result in maladaptive behaviors by first-year students. Mastery approach goals have been shown to be related to more positive academic achievement; meanwhile, performance approach goals have mixed outcomes. Perhaps, performance approach orientations may morph into performance avoidance under the academic challenge of college-level course work. First-year students go through dramatic academic and social transitions, as well as significant developmental and identity issues, thus programs designed to enhance success of first-year students appear to require a mix of academic and social interventions. For example, class belonging of first-year students may be related to both self-efficacy and mastery orientation. Others have encouraged a “plus one” strategy of academic challenge well matched to students’ capabilities, and approach coping is favored over avoidant coping in exam preparation. Finally, a critical balance between challenge and support may be most important for students with potentially fragile academic motivation, for example, first generation students, ethnic minorities, and rural students.
Transcriptomics from single cells

New technologies are making it possible to measure gene expression from single cells. Reverse transcriptase is used to convert the few picograms of mRNA in a cell to cDNA. Next generation sequencing methods, such as SOLiD sequencing, provide a low cost means to sequence the cDNA allowing quantification as well as genotyping. Unlike RT-PCR which enables single cell measurement of one or a limited number of transcripts, the entire transcriptome can be accessed. It will be possible to discover new correlations between genes and their role in diseases. We have begun testing this method on a variety of cell types including cultured cancer cells and human stem cells. Methods are in development to test circulating cancer cells. Progress has also been made on a different technology that addresses genotyping of the genomic DNA from one cell. Whole genome amplification by a method called Multiple Displacement Amplification (MDA) provides sufficient DNA for use in sequencing and genotyping. This enables analysis of unexpressed regions of the genome which are lost in transcriptional studies. Together, single cell methods for transcriptomics and genotyping of the genomic DNA will be useful in studying disease processes at the level of the individual cell. It will be possible to isolated specific cell types based on their phenotypic characteristics and then determine their genetic and transcriptional signatures.
On the Difficulty of Finding Optimal Relational Decompositions for XML Workloads: A Complexity Theoretic Perspective

A key problem that arises in the context of storing XML documents in relational databases is that of finding an optimal relational decomposition for a given set of XML documents and a given set of XML queries over those documents. While there have been a number of ad hoc solutions proposed for this problem, to our knowledge this paper represents a first step toward formalizing the problem and studying its complexity. It turns out that to even define what one means by an optimal decomposition, one first needs to specify an algorithm to translate XML queries to relational queries, and a cost model to evaluate the quality of the resulting relational queries. By examining an interesting problem embedded in choosing a relational decomposition, we show that choices of different translation algorithms and cost models result in very different complexities for the resulting optimization problems. Our results suggest that, contrary to the trend in previous work, the eventual development of practical algorithms for finding relational decompositions for XML workloads will require judicious choices of cost models and translation algorithms, rather than an exclusive focus on the decomposition problem in isolation.
Pyrrole-Based Anion Sensors, Part II: Fluorescence, Luminescence, and Electrochemical Sensors

Abstract This review focuses on fluorescence and luminescence-based sensors as well as electrochemical sensors based on the pyrrole moieties. The fluorescence sensors include porphyrins and expanded porphyrins such as sapphyrins, calixpyrroles with covalently attached fluorophore moieties, and are – together with the colorimetric sensors – the largest growing group of pyrrole-based sensors. Similarly, the electrochemical sensors comprising pyrrole moieties are also becoming popular. They include calixpyrrole, porphyrin, and calixphyrin receptors combined with metallocene, as well as dipyrrolylquinoxalines and others. While the electrochemical signal transduction is at times difficult to interpret, they hold a promise for the development of sensitive ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) and other devices in the future.
The safety and tolerability of duloxetine in depressed elderly patients with and without medical comorbidity

Summary Aim and methods: The impact of medical comorbidity on the efficacy and tolerability of duloxetine in elderly patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) was investigated in this study. Data were obtained from a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 311 patients with MDD aged 65–89. The primary outcome measure was a prespecified composite cognitive score based on four cognitive tests: (i) Verbal Learning and Recall Test; (ii) Symbol Digit Substitution Test; (iii) 2-Digit Cancellation Test and (iv) Letter-Number Sequencing Test. Secondary measures included the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), 17-Item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD17), Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Scale, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Tolerability measures included adverse events reported as the reason for discontinuation and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). The consistency of the effect of duloxetine vs. placebo comparing patients with and without medical comorbidity (vascular disease, diabetes, arthritis or any of these) was investigated. Results: Overall, duloxetine 60 mg/day demonstrated significantly greater improvement compared with placebo for the composite cognitive score, GDS and HAMD17 total scores, CGI-Severity, HAMD17 response and remission rates, and some of the SF-36 and VAS measures. There were few significant treatment-by-comorbidity subgroup interactions for these efficacy variables, or for adverse events reported as the reason for discontinuation and common TEAEs. Conclusions: The present analyses suggested that the efficacy of duloxetine on cognition and depression in elderly patients, and its tolerability, were not largely affected by the comorbidity status. These results further support the use of duloxetine in elderly patients with MDD.
A narrow linewidth ( 35nm wavelength-tunable mid-IR fiber laser for spectroscopic sensing applications

We report successful demonstration of a sub-GHz linewidth > 35 nm wavelength-tunable mid-IR fiber laser capable of high-sensitivity optical sensing of several molecular species. The linewidth was 760 MHz (±100 MHz) and has a continuous wavelength tuning range over 35 nm (from 2785 nm~2820 nm) with a maximum output power of 25 mW. The measured linewidths and output powers remain stable over the entire tuning range.
Programming paradigms for networked sensing: a distributed systems’ perspective

Research in embedded networked sensing has primarily focused on the design of hardware architectures for sensor nodes and infrastructure protocols for long lived operation of resource constrained sensor network deployments. There is now an increasing interest in the programming aspects of sensor networks, especially in the broader context of pervasive computing. This paper provides a brief overview of ongoing research in programming of sensor networks and classifies it into layers of abstraction that provide the application developer with progressively higher level primitives to express distributed, phenomenon-centric collaborative computation. As a specific instance of a macroprogramming methodology, we discuss the data driven Abstract Task Graph (ATaG) model and the structure of its underlying runtime system. ATaG separates the application functionality from non-functional aspects, thereby enabling end-to-end architecture-independent programming and automatic software synthesis for a class of networked sensor systems. A prototype visual programming, software synthesis, functional simulation and visualization environment for ATaG has been implemented.
An Elderly Woman with an Uncommon Cause of Dysphagia

Question: A 68-year-old woman with a past medical history of asthma and vulvar lichen planus is referred to us for symptoms of dysphagia. Her dysphagia is to solids only. Symptoms started 1 year before presentation and have been progressive in nature. There was no associated odynophagia, regurgitation, unintentional weight loss, melena, or hematochezia. She has mild symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease that are well controlled with once daily proton pump inhibitor therapy. Her medications include daily maximum dose inhaled steroids for asthma. She has no history of smoking or alcohol abuse. On oral examination, no lesions including oral thrush were noted. Our patient underwent a barium esophagram that showed a distal esophageal stricture (Figure A, arrows). An upper endoscopy was pursued that showed significant mucosal changes with white plaques, ulcers, and scarring causing luminal narrowing and friability (Figure B–E). Multiple large unstained lesions on Lugol’s chromoscopy were noted (Figures F, G). Multiple biopsies were obtained from the proximal to the distal esophagus (Figure H, I). Grocott’s methenamine silver stain was negative for fungal pathogens. Based on the clinical scenario, endoscopic findings and pathology images, what is the most likely diagnosis? See the Gastroenterology web site (www.gastrojournal.org) for more information on submitting your favorite image to Clinical Challenges and Images in GI.
Controlling association kinetics in the formation of donor-acceptor pseudorotaxanes

Abstract We report a systematic investigation of size-complementary stoppering groups used to determine the kinetics of threading a cyclophane, namely cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene), onto a series of molecular dumbbells. We have identified a set of simple functionalized phenyl and biaryl groups that present activation energy barriers between 16.7 and 26.6 kcal mol−1 to threading the dumbbells. These barriers will be employed as ‘steric speed bumps’ to modulate kinetics in artificial molecular pumps that operate based upon a delicate balance of noncovalent bonding interactions.
Distribution, abundance, and vertical migrations of Leptodora kindtii in a mainstem Missouri River reservoir, Montana, USA

Leptodora kindtii, a large, mobile, predaceous cladoceran zooplankter has been shown to make diel vertical migrations in some localities. L. kindtii were sampled in summer in the headwaters of Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana, USA, to assess and compare their day/night abundance in three habitat types (riverine, transitional, and reservoir), to determine if L. kindtii mean size and abundance differed vertically and horizontally, and to determine if their distribution differed under different turbidities and water temperatures. L. kindtii were sampled in six periods from 22 July to 10 September 2002 using a bongo net towed at set depths. Abundance displayed a patchy, highly variable distribution among periods and habitat types and among samples within periods and habitat types. Greatest abundances were found within the reservoir habitat type. Diurnal phase was not significantly related to L. kindtii abundance at depth. Highest daytime abundances were found at 1.25 m or deeper for five of six sample periods. Hi...
Dietary Pattern and Hypertension: the Dash Study

A recent multicenter study, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), demonstrates that a diet emphasizing fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products that provides calcium, magnesium, and potassium at the 75th percentile of American intake produces an antihypertensive effect comparable to that achieved with many pharmacologic interventions.
The Prevalence of Occult Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Celiac Sprue

Background Iron deficiency complicating celiac sprue is usually attributed to the malabsorption of dietary iron or the loss of iron from the intestinal mucosa. There has been little investigation of the role of intestinal loss of blood in patients with this condition. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of occult gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with celiac sprue. Methods We tested one 48- or 72-hour stool collection from each of 8 patients with partial villous atrophy and 28 patients with total villous atrophy using a guaiac-impregnated card (Hemoccult). Serving as controls were 18 normal subjects, each studied before and during laxative-induced diarrhea; 17 patients with idiopathic chronic diarrhea; 63 patients with microscopic colitis; 23 patients with pancreatic steatorrhea; and 7 patients with treated celiac sprue who had normal intestinal histologic features. All the patients underwent a diagnostic workup that included esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, and barium ra...
Production and thickness determination of thin plastic scintillator foils

Abstract A method of making large thin plastic scintillator foils with good uniformity is presented. The use of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to test the foil uniformity and to establish an empirical thickness calibration curve is described.
Relationships Among Religiousness, Spirituality, and Health for Individuals with Stroke

The current study evaluated the relationships among spiritual beliefs, religious practices, physical health, and mental health for individuals with stroke. A cross-sectional analysis of 63 individuals evaluated in outpatient settings, including 32 individuals with stroke and 31 healthy controls was conducted through administration of the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality (BMMRS) and the Medical Outcomes Scale-Short Form 36 (SF-36). For individuals with stroke, the SF-36 General Mental Health scale was significantly correlated with only the BMMRS Religious and Spiritual Coping scale (r = .43; p < .05). No other BMMRS factors were significantly correlated with SF-36 mental or physical health scales. Non-significant trends indicated spiritual factors were primarily related to mental versus physical health. This study suggests spiritual belief that a higher power will assist in coping with illness/disability is associated with better mental health following stroke, but neither religious nor spiritual factors are associated with physical health outcomes. The results are consistent with research that suggests that spiritual beliefs may protect individuals with stroke from experiencing emotional distress.
Persistence and calcium-dependent ATPase staining of denervated fungiform taste buds in the hamster

Some fungiform taste buds in the hamster have been previously shown to persist for indefinite periods when deprived of their gustatory, chorda tympani (CT), innervation or both their CT and their trigeminal, lingual nerve, innervation (CT-L). The properties and numbers of persisting fungiform taste buds were examined 1 or 3 weeks after permanent CT or combined CT-L nerve cuts. The purpose was to reveal the status of taste buds at a time (3 weeks) when regenerating nerve fibres would normally be expected to reinnervate the epithelium. Denervated taste buds retain many normal characteristics including the pattern of histochemical staining for ectocalcium-dependent ATPase (Ca-ATPase). Taste-bud cells (including basal cells) have an intensely Ca-ATPase stained core surrounded by lightly stained peripheral cells. The Ca-ATPase stain was used to help identify and to define the size of the taste-bud core in denervated taste buds. Following CT-L or CT denervation most taste buds persisted; however the size of the taste-bud core was dramatically reduced. Fungiform taste buds differed in size based on their location in one of three tongue regions. The percentage decrease in size after denervation was also region specific and about the same for CT-L or CT cuts, suggesting that trigeminal fibres have no trophic effect on taste buds. However, trigeminal denervation caused a reduction in the number of persisting taste buds relative to CT denervation alone, which may be due to damage because of the loss of somatosensation.
Temperature Variation with Latitude in the Upper Solar Photosphere: Relevance to Solar Oblateness Measurements and Facular Models

Altrock and Canfield's observations of temperature variation with latitude in the upper solar photosphere refer to higher levels (smaller optical depths) than those to which Dicke and Goldenberg's solar oblateness observations refer. These higher levels account for only 1% of Dicke and Goldenberg's observed intensity. Thus Altrock and Canfield's observations are not inconsistent with models which have been proposed to account for solar oblateness observations by means of a brightness variation with solar latitude.
Zoning Los Angeles: A brief history of four regimes

This article explains how, through tools of land-use regulation, several groups of actors became particularly adept at shaping the form of Los Angeles and to what ends. Land-use regulation in Los Angeles, this article argues, represents the outcomes of battles pitting one political group against another, quite in disregard of the common purpose this regulation is intended to serve, with the most powerful usually winning at the expense of others. In Los Angeles, there have been distinct winners and losers, and these winners and losers have varied over time. In Los Angeles, there seem to be four distinct regimes characterizing the historical politics of land use. Rampant speculation defined the first, lasting from the advent of zoning in Los Angeles in 1921 into the Depression, government-sponsored big real estate the second, lasting from the Depression until the 1960s, and anti-growth advocates the third, lasting from the 1960s until 2000, with the fourth forming over the last decade and characterized by a...
Against the inalienable right to withdraw from research

In this paper I argue, against the current consensus, that the right to withdraw from research is sometimes alienable. In other words, research subjects are sometimes morally permitted to waive their right to withdraw. The argument proceeds in three major steps. In the first step, I argue that rights typically should be presumed alienable, both because that is not illegitimately coercive and because the general paternalistic motivation for keeping them inalienable is untenable. In the second step of the argument, I consider three special characteristics of the right to withdraw, first that its waiver might be exploitative, second that research involves intimate bodily access, and third that it is irreversible. I argue that none of these characteristics justify an inalienable right to withdraw. In the third step, I examine four considerations often taken to justify various other allegedly inalienable rights: concerns about treating yourself merely as a means as might be the case in suicide, concerns about revoking all your future freedoms in slavery contracts, the resolution of coordination problems, and public interest. I argue that the motivations involved in these four types of situations do not apply to the right to withdraw from research.
Scale-up precision synthesis of octa-arm polyisobutylene stars

This paper concerns the scale-up precision synthesis of octa-arm polyisobutylene (PIB) stars. Specifically, we have optimized to the 100–200 g scale the preparation of star polymers consisting of eight PIB arms radiating from a calix[8]arene core. The synthesis strategy involved the use of a calix[8]arene fitted with eight p-C(CH3)2OCH3 groups as the initiator in conjunction with mixed BCl3/TiCl4 coinitiators in hexanes/methyl chloride solvent systems at − 80 °C. Various possible side-reactions have been identified and means for their suppression/elimination were developed.
Chorda tympani nerve transection alters linoleic acid taste discrimination by male and female rats

Abstract Taste is intimately associated with food choice, yet little is known about the role of taste in preferences for dietary fat, a major component of many foods. We measured the taste threshold for linoleic acid (LA), an essential free fatty acid found in dietary fat, before and after bilateral transections of the chorda tympani nerve (CTX) in adult male and female rats. We conditioned a taste aversion to 88 μM LA and assessed the generalization of the aversion to lower LA concentrations to determine LA discrimination thresholds. We discovered that female rats had a lower LA discrimination threshold (∼ 2.75 μM LA) than did male rats (∼ 11 μM LA). In another set of animals, we performed CTX and found that CTX elevated LA threshold to the same level (∼ 22 μM LA) in male and female rats. Finally, we evaluated licking responses to 11, 22, 44 and 88 μM LA mixed in sucrose by male rats and ovariectomized (OVX) female rats treated with estradiol benzoate or oil vehicle. All rats increased licking to increasing LA concentrations, but OVX rats responded to a lower LA concentration (22 μM) than did males (44 μM) in 10-s trials. However, estradiol did not affect this outcome. Collectively, these experiments show that male and female rats use taste to discriminate LA and that the chorda tympani nerve, which innervates taste buds on the anterior tongue, plays a role in this discrimination. Furthermore, sex differences in fat preferences may depend on differences in fatty acid taste thresholds as well as on the taste stimuli with which fat is combined.
The dynamic nature of the kinome

Recent advances in proteomics have facilitated the analysis of the kinome ‘en masse’. What these studies have revealed is a surprisingly dynamic network of kinase responses to highly selective kinase inhibitors, thereby illustrating the complex biological responses to these small molecules. Moreover these studies have identified key transcription factors, such as c-Myc and FOXO (forkhead box O), that play pivotal roles in kinome reprogramming in cancer cells. Since many kinase inhibitors fail despite a high efficacy of blocking their intended targets, elucidating kinome changes at a more global level will be essential to understanding the mechanisms of kinase inhibitor pharmacology. The development of technologies to study the kinome, as well as examples of kinome resilience and reprogramming, will be discussed in the present review.
On the Foundations of Intertemporal Choice

In this paper, we consider intertemporal choice from an axiomatic perspective. By doing so, it is possible to discuss intertemporal choice rules in terms of the properties that characterize them. The long term hope of this approach is to interpret and select intertemporal choice rules that satisfy some axioms describing fairness of efficiency. Concepts of fairness often reduce symmetry requirements on the choice procedures and the axiomatic level is a useful one for considering alternative symmetry conditons. In the long run this approach may yield a more explicit idea of what is meant and what can be meant by the term intertemporal equity. Our purposes in this paper are more modest; they are, first, to establish the structural framework and reinterpret some previous results within this intertemporal choice context and, then, to show that, in a surprisingly strong fashion, the discounting rule fails a test of fairness.
Explicit phonetics instruction in L2 French: A global analysis of improvement

Abstract The present research investigates the efficacy of explicit phonetics and pronunciation instruction on learners of L2 French, by comparing the progress made by students enrolled in a phonetics course at a university with a control group of other advanced L2 French students who are not enrolled in phonetics. This study investigates the extent to which these findings apply to learners of French. Results indicate a positive effect of explicit instruction; a series of two-tailed t-tests showed no significant difference between groups on the pretest, but a significant difference between groups both on the posttest score and rate of improvement; a repeated-measures ANOVA showed an effect for time as a within-groups factor and an interaction of time × group. Both pretest and posttest measured the percent of syllables correctly pronounced in the respective recordings.
Reproductive function after conservative surgery and chemotherapy for malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary.

Abstract Objective To analyze the long-term effects on reproductive function of fertility-preserving treatment for malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary. Methods A case series analysis was performed on patients with malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary seen or consulted on at our institution between 1975 and 1995. Follow-up information regarding reproductive function was obtained by a mailed or telephone questionnaire. Results A total of 106 patients with malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary were included in the study. Twenty patients were excluded because of loss of follow-up or death. For the remaining 86 patients, the median follow-up was 122 months (24–384 months). Fertility-preserving surgery was performed in 64 patients. Thirty-eight have attempted conception and 29 have achieved at least one pregnancy (76%). Among the patients who conceived, 20 were International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I, one was stage II, and eight were stage III. Sixteen received vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide; three received cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin; three received bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin; one received etoposide and cisplatin; four did not receive any chemotherapy; and two were treated with other combinations. Among the nine patients who could not conceive, seven were FIGO stage I and two were stage III. Four of these patients received vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide; three received etoposide and cisplatin; one received cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin; and one patient received no chemotherapy. A total of 38 children were born to these women. Follow-up was available for 16 of these children, who have no evidence of congenital anomalies. Conclusion Fertility-preserving surgery followed by chemotherapy, even in advanced-stage malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary, is effective in conserving the reproductive function of women with malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary.
Policy‐based lending by the world bank

This chapter has two main objectives. The first is to present the basic logic of quick-disbursing adjustment lending by the World Bank.’ The second is to assess some of the broader implications of the experience with policy-based lending for the Bank’s other, and still dominant, form of project lending.
CT of unusual renal masses invading the pelvicaliceal system: potential mimics of upper tract transitional cell carcinoma

Two patients with renal cell carcinoma and one patient with metastasis to the kidney from colorectal cancer are reported because all three cases manifested at computed tomography (CT) as a renal mass invading the pelvicaliceal system and radiologically simulating transitional cell carcinoma. Recognition that the CT finding of a renal mass with invasion of the pelvicaliceal system is not always indicative of a transitional cell carcinoma broadens the differential diagnosis in this setting and might potentially alter the diagnostic and therapeutic approach.
Computer simulation of morphological evolution and coarsening kinetics of δ′ (Al3Li) precipitates in Al–Li alloys

Abstract The morphological evolution and coarsening kinetics of L12 ordered (Al3Li) precipitates (δ′) in a f.c.c. disordered matrix (α) were investigated using computer simulations based on microscopic diffusion equations. The effective interatomic interactions were fitted to the phase diagram using a two-neighbor mean-field model whereas the kinetic parameter in the microscopic diffusion equation was fitted to the chemical diffusion coefficient in the equilibrium disordered phase. The coalescence or encounter among precipitates which belong to any one of the four different antiphase domains of the L12 ordered phase is automatically taken into account. Volume fractions ranging from 20 to 65% were studied. Structure, scaling and particle-size distribution (PSD) functions were calculated. It is shown that the PSDs become increasingly broad and their skewness changes sign from negative to positive with increasing precipitate volume fraction. It is found that the cube of the average particle radius varies approximately linearly with time in the scaling regime for all the volume fractions studied, with the rate constant increasing with volume fraction. During coarsening, the volume fraction is not constant, approaching the equilibrium value asymptotically with time. The results are compared with existing analytical theories and experimental measurements.