cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New drift chamber electronics for high energy gamma ray telescopes

Abstract The next generation gamma ray telescope is envisioned as a “2 meter class” instrument, a picture type detector using large area (2 m × 2 m) drift chambers for the imaging detector. Low power amplifier, discriminator and time-to-digital converter (TDC) circuits are crucial to the development of large area drift chambers for use in space where power is limited. We discuss the design for an amplifier, discriminator and quad TDC which will operate within an estimated power budget of 200 mW per anode for an instrument using large area drift chambers. The amplifier has a discriminator has a 12 ns propagation time, 15 ns rise time, 25 ns pulse width and 25 mW power. The quad TDC has a power of 95 mW, 12 bit resolution and RMS error less than 0.2% full scale.
A lower bound on the length of a sequence containing all permutations as subsequences

Abstract A lower bound on the length of a sequence containing n symbols that has every permutation of those symbols as a subsequence, is obtained. The bound is of the form n 2 − cn 7 4+ϵ , for ϵ > 0; the best examples have length n2 − 2n + 4. The method is inductive.
Effects of Baclofen on Cocaine Self-Administration: Opioid- and Nonopioid-Dependent Volunteers

Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that GABAB receptor agonists selectively decrease cocaine use. The behavioral mechanism for the interaction between baclofen and cocaine in humans is not known, nor have its effects been characterized in individuals dependent on both cocaine and methadone. The objective of this study is to determine how maintenance on baclofen influences smoked cocaine's reinforcing and subjective effects, mood and cocaine craving prior to and after the initiation of cocaine use in cocaine-dependent volunteers with and without concurrent opioid dependence. Nontreatment-seeking volunteers (10 nonopioid dependent; seven methadone maintained), residing on an in-patient research unit for 21 days, were maintained on each baclofen dose (0, 30, 60 mg po) for 7 days. A smoked cocaine dose-response curve (0, 12, 25, 50 mg) was determined twice: on days 3-4 and days 6-7 of each baclofen maintenance condition. Cocaine sessions began with a sample trial, when participants smoked the cocaine dose available that session, and five choice trials, when participants chose between smoking the available cocaine dose or receiving one 5 dollars merchandise voucher. The results show that in the nonmethadone group, baclofen (60 mg) decreased self-administration of a low cocaine dose (12 mg). In the methadone group, baclofen decreased craving for cocaine. In both groups, baclofen decreased cocaine's effects on heart rate. Baclofen did not alter cocaine's robust subjective effects (eg 'High,' 'Stimulated') for either group. The results from this laboratory study appear consistent with clinical evidence showing that baclofen decreases cocaine use in nonopioid-dependent patients seeking treatment for cocaine dependence. The distinct pattern of effects in methadone-maintained participants suggests baclofen may not be effective in opioid-dependent cocaine users.
Comparative Scavenging of Yttrium and the Rare Earth Elements in Seawater: Competitive Influences of Solution and Surface Chemistry

Distribution coefficients were obtained for yttrium and the rare earth elements (YREEs) in aqueous solutions containing freshly precipitated hydroxides of trivalent cations (Fe3+, Al3+, Ga3+, and In3+). Observed patterns of log i K S–, where i K S = [MS i ][M3+]−1[S i ]−1, [MS i ] is the concentration of a sorbed YREE, [M3+] is the concentration of a free hydrated YREE ion, and [S i] is the concentration of a sorptive solid substrate (Fe(III), Al, Ga, In)– exhibited similarities to patterns of YREE solution complexation constants with hydroxide (OH β 1) and fluoride (F β 1), but also distinct differences. The log i K S pattern for YREE sorption on Al hydroxide precipitates is very similar to the pattern of YREE hydroxide stability constants (logOH β 1) in solution. Linear free-energy relationships between log i K S and logOH β 1 showed excellent correlation for YREE sorption on Al hydroxide precipitates, good correlation for YREE sorption on Ga or In hydroxide precipitates, yet poor correlation for YREE sorption on Fe(III) hydroxide precipitates. Whereas the correlation between log i K S and logF β 1 was generally poor, patterns of log( i K S/F β 1) displayed substantially increased smoothness compared to patterns of log i K S. This indicates that the conspicuous sequence of inflections along the YREE series in the patterns of log i K S and logF β 1 is very similar, particularly for In and Fe(III) hydroxide precipitates. While the log i K S patterns obtained with Fe(III) hydroxide precipitates in this work are quite distinct from those obtained with Al, Ga, and In hydroxide precipitates, they are in good agreement with patterns of YREE sorption on ferric oxyhydroxide precipitates reported by others. Furthermore, our log i K S patterns for Fe(III) hydroxide precipitates bear a striking resemblance to predicted log i K S patterns for natural surfaces that are based on YREE solution chemistry and shale-normalized YREE concentrations in seawater. Yttrium exhibits an itinerant behavior among the REEs: sorption of Y on Fe(III) hydroxide precipitates is intermediate to that of La and Ce, while for Al hydroxide precipitates Y sorption is similar to that of Eu. This behavior of Y can be rationalized from the propensities of different YREEs for covalent vs. ionic interactions. The relatively high shale-normalized concentration of Y in seawater can be explained in terms of primarily covalent YREE interactions with scavenging particulate matter, whereby Y behaves as a light REE, and primarily ionic interactions with solution ligands, whereby Y behaves as a heavy REE.
Satellite radar altimetry aids seafloor mapping

The connection between gravity and oceanic water depth was realized more than a century ago. In 1859, J. H. Pratt derived a formula relating anomalous vertical deflection and sea level height on the coast of India to the depth of the adjacent Indian Ocean. Because the predicted deflections (5′–20′ for a mean depth of 4.8 km) were not measurable, Pratt later (in 1871) inferred an excess of mass below the ocean basins, thus prefiguring the concept of isostasy in marine geology. With the accurate measurement of marine gravity on submarines by F. A. Vening Meinesz in the 1920s and 1930s, isostasy was verified and later [e.g., Watts and Ribe, 1984] related to the thickness and flexural rigidity of mechanical lithosphere.
Political‐economic and professionalistic barriers to community control of mental health services: A commentary on Nassi

Nassi (1978) described the limits of community control in community mental health centers. This problem can be further understood by exploring the growth of professional dominance and psychiatric expansionism in the 1960s. One consequence was a 'social movement' ideology which psychologized political and economic phenomena, while actually opposing any effective mobilization for community control. Professionals have largely remained unaware and/or unresponsive to these tendencies. Likewise, they have failed to grasp the system of chaos which characterizes mental health policy in the U. S. Mental health care is increasingly falling under professional medical control, State-sponsored rationalization and efficiency planning, and private-profit concerns such as insurance companies and nursing homes. In this way, professionalism and capitalism coincide in their efforts to further their own efforts, while stemming community control in favor of social control.
Alert Modality and Behavioral Compliance during Virtual Combat

Effectively transmitting alert information to soldiers on patrol is important and challenging. Such signals must be covertly presented, yet must effectively represent appropriate levels of urgency....
The use of blunt needles does not reduce glove perforations during obstetrical laceration repair.

Objective The objective of the study was to compare the rate of glove perforation for blunt and sharp needles used during obstetrical laceration repair. A secondary aim was to assess physician satisfaction with blunt needles. Study Design This was an institutional review board–approved, randomized, prospective trial. Patients with obstetric lacerations were randomized to repair with either blunt or sharp needles. Patient demographics, operator experience, and other clinical variables were collected. Physicians reported any percutaneous injuries and were surveyed regarding satisfaction with the assigned needles. Glove perforation was determined using a validated water test method. Results There were 438 patients enrolled in the trial: 221 in the control group and 217 in the study group. There was no statistical difference between groups in patient demographics, clinical variables, severity of laceration, or experience level of the surgeon. There was no difference in the glove perforation rate between blunt and sharp needles (risk ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-2.95). There was poor correlation between reported perforations and those detected by water test (R2 = 0.33). The physicians reported that blunt needles were more difficult to use than sharp needles (P = .0001). Conclusion There was no difference in the rate of surgical glove perforation for blunt, compared with sharp, needles used during vaginal laceration repair. Physicians also reported increased difficulty performing the repair with blunt needles.
First passage times of birth-death processes and simple random walks

Abstract It is known that the first passage time of a birth death process from n to n +1 has a completely monotone density, however, the discrete analogue for a simple random walk does not hold. In this paper, first passage times of simple random walks from n to n +1 and from 0 to n are characterized. This discrepancy between the first passage time structures of birth-death process and simple random walks is also analyzed.
Labor market outcomes of non-formal training for male and female workers in Peru

Abstract This paper attempts to measure the effect of non-formal training on the employment and earnings of Peruvian male and female workers. The main findings are: (i) workers with limited educational attainment face limited training opportunities; (ii) training significantly improves the employment probabilities, but not the earnings, of private-sector employed or self-employed women; (iii) while training does not affect the employment probabilities of men, it affects significantly wage gains of those employed in the private sector and; (iv) regardless of gender, training does not increase the earnings of self-employed workers.
Tissue Engineering of Tendon

We studied the feasibility of creating new tissue engineered tendons, using bovine tendon fibroblasts (tenocytes) attached to synthetic biodegradable polymer scaffolds in athymic mice. Calffore- and hind-limbs were obtained from a local slaughterhouse within 6 hours of sacrifice. Tenocytes were isolated from the calf tendons. Cells were seeded onto an array of fibers composed of polymer (PGA) configured either as a random mesh of fibers, or as an array of parallel fibers. Fifty cell-polymer constructs were implanted subcutaneously in athymic mice and harvested at 3, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks. Grossly, all excised specimens resembled the tendons from which the cells had been isolated. Histologic sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson’s trichrome showed cells arranged longitudinally within parallel collagen fibers in the periphery. Centrally, collagen fibers were more randomly arranged, although they seemed to attain a parallel arrangement of cells and fibers over time. By 10 weeks, specimens showed very similar histologic characteristics to normal tendon. Histologically, 12-week samples were virtually identical to normal tendon. When longitudinal polymer fibers seeded with cell had been implanted, the collagen fibers seen in the neo-tendons became organized at an earlier interval of time. Biomechanical tests demonstrated linear increase in tensile strength of the neo-tendons over time. Eight-week specimens showed 30% the tensile strength of normal tendon samples of similar size. By 12 weeks, tensile strength was already 57% that of normal bovine tendon.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Ultrasound Assessment of Synovitis and Erosions

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, frequently progressive autoimmune disease that can at times be difficult to diagnosis radiographically at its earlier stages. Early treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs can decrease the extent of joint damage; therefore early, accurate diagnosis is essential. Ultrasound can directly evaluate the synovium, and can assess for erosive changes that may be radiographically occult. This article reviews the role of ultrasound in evaluating synovitis and bone erosions of the hands and feet in the diagnosis and management of these patients.
HIV Epidemiology Update and Transmission Factors: Risks and Risk Contexts—16th International AIDS Conference Epidemiology Plenary

The contexts in which the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic is occurring are increasingly diverse. Individual-level risks for HIV infection are at the core of these epidemics and are powerfully impacted by social, structural, and population-level risks and protections. The emerging epidemics among injection drug users across Eurasia are largely the result of needle sharing, but the drivers of disease spread include increases in opiate availability, limited HIV infection prevention and programs for drug users, and undermining policy environments. An emerging epidemic of HIV infection among men who have sex with men in developing countries is primarily spread through unprotected anal intercourse but is also driven by limited HIV infection prevention services, social stigma, and the lack of human rights protection. The epidemic in southern Africa, which is spreading largely through heterosexual exposure, is driven by high rates of labor migration, concurrent sexual partnerships, gender inequalities, and the limited availability of male condoms. We need to do much more to control HIV infection, and social and structural risks are crucial intervention targets.
Radio-Frequency Power Measurements with the Quadrant Electrometer

This paper presents the mathematical theory and practical difficulties involved in the adaptation of the quadrant electrometer to radio-frequency power measurements. Two modified electrostatic wattmeter circuits are described and the limitations in their use are given. Data on typical measurements between 20 and 150 watts at 655 kilocycles are presented with the corresponding degree of accuracy for each case.
INHIBITION OF 5′-NUCLEOTIDASE IN RAT BRAIN BY METHYLXANTHINES

—Rat brain 5′-nucleotidase (EC 3.1.3.5) is inhibited by methylxanthines such as theophylline. Inhibition of the 5′-nucleotidase by theophylline appears more efficient than the inhibition of cAMP phosphodiesterase by this drug. A similar inhibition is observed with caffeine, theobromine, 7′-methyl-xanthine and 1-methylxanthine.
Introduction to Full Factorial Designs with Two-Level Factors

Factorial experiments with two-level factors are used widely because they are easy to design, efficient to run, straightforward to analyze, and full of information. This chapter illustrates these benefits. The standard regression models for summarizing data from full factorial experiments are introduced, and an example is given to illustrate the interpretability and use of such models. Some statistical analysis is introduced here for the simplest case, although most analysis tools are deferred to the next chapter.
Toward Synthesizing Our Knowledge of Morphology: Using Ontologies and Machine Reasoning to Extract Presence/Absence Evolutionary Phenotypes across Studies

The reality of larger and larger molecular databases and the need to integrate data scalably have presented a major challenge for the use of phenotypic data. Morphology is currently primarily described in discrete publications, entrenched in noncomputer readable text, and requires enormous investments of time and resources to integrate across large numbers of taxa and studies. Here we present a new methodology, using ontology-based reasoning systems working with the Phenoscape Knowledgebase (KB; kb.phenoscape.org), to automatically integrate large amounts of evolutionary character state descriptions into a synthetic character matrix of neomorphic (presence/absence) data. Using the KB, which includes more than 55 studies of sarcopterygian taxa, we generated a synthetic supermatrix of 639 variable characters scored for 1051 taxa, resulting in over 145,000 populated cells. Of these characters, over 76% were made variable through the addition of inferred presence/absence states derived by machine reasoning over the formal semantics of the source ontologies. Inferred data reduced the missing data in the variable character-subset from 98.5% to 78.2%. Machine reasoning also enables the isolation of conflicts in the data, that is, cells where both presence and absence are indicated; reports regarding conflicting data provenance can be generated automatically. Further, reasoning enables quantification and new visualizations of the data, here for example, allowing identification of character space that has been undersampled across the fin-to-limb transition. The approach and methods demonstrated here to compute synthetic presence/absence supermatrices are applicable to any taxonomic and phenotypic slice across the tree of life, providing the data are semantically annotated. Because such data can also be linked to model organism genetics through computational scoring of phenotypic similarity, they open a rich set of future research questions into phenotype-to-genome relationships.
When More May Be Less: The Effects of Regulatory Focus on Responses to Different Comparative Frames

We examined the consequences of regulatory focus on exposure to two types of comparative advertising frames—a maximal claim (“brand A is superior to brand B”) and a minimal claim (“brand A is equivalent or similar to brand B”)—in three experiments. In experiment 1, we manipulated these frames, basing the sponsor brand's claim on comparison with an existing brand. In experiment 2, we operationalized the frames using a comparison featuring a sponsor brand targeting an established standard (Food and Drug Administration guidelines). A third experiment provided convergent evidence for the process underlying these effects. Consistent with theoretical reasoning, we found that promotion-focused individuals were more persuaded by maximal comparisons while prevention-focused individuals were either equally persuaded by the two frames or more persuaded by minimal frames. For prevention-focused individuals, maximal frames represented either a “no loss” or a “deviation from the norm.” The no loss representation led to maximal and minimal frames being equally persuasive. The deviation from the norm representation led to greater negative elaboration on maximal frames, making them less persuasive than minimal frames. For promotion-focused people, a maximal frame simply represented a gain over a minimal frame, and hence it induced more favorable elaboration and greater persuasion.
Structure of variant 2 scorpion toxin from Centruroides sculpturatus Ewing

Centruroides sculpturatus Ewing variant 2 toxin (CsE-v2) is a neurotoxin isolated from the venom of a scorpion native to the Arizona desert. The structure of CsE-v2 was solved in two different crystal forms using a combination of molecular replacement and multiple isomorphous replacement techniques. Crystals of CsE-v2 display a temperature-dependent, reversible-phase transition near room temperature. At lower temperature the space group changes from P3221 to P3121 with an approximate doubling of the C-axis. The small-cell structure, which has one molecule per asymmetric unit, has an R factor of 0.229 at 2.8 A resolution. The large-cell structure has two molecules per asymmetric unit and was refined at 2.2 A resolution to an R factor of 0.255. CsE-v2 is a rigid, compact structure with four intrachain disulfide bonds. The structure is similar to other long-chain β neurotoxins, and the largest differences occur in the last six residues. The high-resolution structure of CsE-v2 corrects an error in the reported C-terminal sequence; the terminal tripeptide sequence is Ser 64-Cys 65-Ser 66 rather than Ser 64-Ser 65-Cys 66. Comparison of CsE-v2 with long-chain α toxins reveals four insertions and one deletion, as well as additional residues at the N and C termini. Structural alignment of α and β toxins suggests that the primary distinguishing feature between the two classes is the length of the loop between the second and third strands in a three-strand β sheet. The shorter loop in α toxins exposes a critical lysine side chain, whereas the longer loop in β toxins buries the corresponding basic residue (either arginine or lysine).
Structure and Similarity of Helminth Communities of Six Species of Australian Turtles

Patterns of infracommunity structure and infra- and component community similarity were examined for helminths of 6 species of turtles, each collected from a single locality in Australia in 1993 and 1994. Elseya latisternum (N = 11) and Emydura kreffti (N = 16) were collected from northern Queensland, Emydura macquarii macquarii (N = 11) from southern Queensland, Emydura macquarii dhara (N = 11) and Chelodina longicollis (N = 11) from northern New South Wales, and Chelodina oblonga (N = 5) from Western Australia. Local parasite species richness was not correlated with host geographical range. Differences in parasite diversity among host species were related primarily to differences in evenness, a pattern attributed to local habitat characteristics, rather than species-specific differences in colonization potential. Ordination and analysis of similarity demonstrated the patterns of infracommunity structure of Chelodina spp. to be distinct from those of the other host species sampled, which showed considera...
Control of Turbulent Boundary Layers using FXLMS Feedforward Architectures

We present numerical results from an idealized model simulation which implements the Least Mean Square (LMS) and the Filtered-X-Least-Mean-Square (FXLMS) control algorithms as applied to adaptive feedforward control of wall-bounded turbulent shear flows. The LMS algorithm is found to work well, except that it is extremely sensitive to delays in the error path. These are compensated for by the use of the FXLMS architecture which introduces a phase delay in the control system to match that found in the physical plant. The FXLMS system is found to work extremely well, eectively controlling the model system which includes phase delays, multiple sensor inputs, high levels of noise and nonlinearities in the forward system.
Predictors of neoplastic disease in children with isolated pituitary stalk thickening

Background The significance of pituitary stalk thickening (PST) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often unclear. We evaluated presenting symptoms, MRI findings, clinical course, and outcome predictors of patients with PST. Procedure We used a computerized search of the medical record from 1995 to 2008 to identify patients with PST without pituitary mass on MRI. Baseline and follow-up MRIs were reviewed in a blinded fashion. Relevant clinical data were abstracted. Results 69 patients with reported PST and adequate imaging for review were identified; 42 met study criteria. Median age at first abnormal MRI was 13.6 years (range: 0.8–19.7); 43% were male. Median follow-up was 3.4 years (range 0–12.8). Patients with diabetes insipidus (DI) were significantly more likely to have a neoplastic process than those without (P = 0.0008). Of 16 patients with DI, 8 (50%) had a neoplastic process, including germ cell tumor (n = 4), Langerhans cell histiocytosis (n = 3), and lymphoma (n = 1). Among patients with DI, 7 (44%) also developed anterior pituitary hormone dysfunction (APD), either at presentation or on pre-biopsy follow-up, including 6/8 patients with stalk neoplasm and only 1/8 patients with non-neoplastic PST (P = 0.04). Twenty-six patients presented without DI; none was found to have neoplasm of the stalk except one patient with craniopharyngioma. Progression of PST on follow-up imaging was significantly associated with a subsequent neoplastic diagnosis (P = 0.04). Conclusion Patients with PST without DI are unlikely to have a neoplastic process. Among patients with DI, APD or progressive stalk increase over time are predictive of neoplasia. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013;60:1630–1635. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Sensitivity profiles from an array of coils for encoding and reconstruction in parallel (SPACE RIP).

A new parallel imaging technique was implemented which can result in reduced image acquisition times in MRI. MR data is acquired in parallel using an array of receiver coils and then reconstructed simultaneously with multiple processors. The method requires the initial estimation of the 2D sensitivity profile of each coil used in the receiver array. These sensitivity profiles are then used to partially encode the images of interest. A fraction of the total number of k-space lines is consequently acquired and used in a parallel reconstruction scheme, allowing for a substantial reduction in scanning and display times. This technique is in the family of parallel acquisition schemes such as simultaneous acquisition of spatial harmonics (SMASH) and sensitivity encoding (SENSE). It extends the use of the SMASH method to allow the placement of the receiver coil array around the object of interest, enabling imaging of any plane within the volume of interest. In addition, this technique permits the arbitrary choice of the set of k-space lines used in the reconstruction and lends itself to parallel reconstruction, hence allowing for real-time rendering. Simulated results with a 16-fold increase in temporal resolution are shown, as are experimental results with a 4-fold increase in temporal resolution. Magn Reson Med 44:301-308, 2000.
2004 Presidential Election: An Introduction

This special issue on the 2004 presidential election marks the second time that Presidential Studies Quarterly has devoted an issue to articles on the most recent election. This journal plans to make this a quadrennial tradition, recognizing the crucial importance of elections in the study of the presidency. Although scholars of the presidency naturally focus primarily on presidential actions, much of what presidents do is influenced by how they made it into the office. This issue covers some of the many aspects of who voted to reelect Bush and why. Whether one approves or disapproves of George W. Bush's politics, his controversial handling of the job has proved to be a boon to the study of the presidency. The Bush presidency has certainly stimulated more public interest in politics, as evidenced by public participation in the 2004 presidential election. The first two articles in this issue address two important aspects of this phenomenon. First, Alan Abramowitz and Walter Stone examine the increase in election turnout and political activism in 2004. They argue that the polarization over George W. Bush's presidency was largely responsible for the surge in public participation in electoral activities. Another aspect of participation in the election that increased markedly involved financial contributions to presidential campaigns. Costas Panagopoulos and Daniel Bergan compare 2000 and 2004 data from the Federal Election Commission and employ the National Election Studies to examine the types of people who contributed. After every presidential election, analysts want to know the makeup of the party coalitions and how patterns of voting behavior are changing. Harold Stanley and Richard Niemi examine the nature of group support for the parties in 2004 and put these recent data into historical perspective. Kate Kenski and Russell Tisinger focus specifically on Hispanic voters, a topic of special interest given that the Hispanic population of the U.S. citizenry is projected to increase substantially in the coming decades. Two articles in this issue are devoted to the topic of voting behavior by religious groupings. The 2004 election was the first since 1960 to have a member of the Catholic faith nominated by one of the two major parties for president. Mark Gray, Paul Perl, and Mary Bendyna examine the Catholic vote in 2004 and show how Catholicism was much less related to the vote than during the Kennedy-Nixon contest of 1960. …
Intraspecific Variation and Geographic Isolation in Idotea Balthica (Isopoda: Valvifera)

Abstract There is often more genetic diversity in a given ecosystem than is represented by current taxonomy. Historical patterns of isolation among populations play an important role in studying the variation in behavior, habitat, and other ecological interactions among different populations of a species or species group. Idotea balthica (Isopoda: Valvifera) is a common intertidal grazer of the North Atlantic which has been well-studied in Europe for intraspecific differentiation. Using DNA sequence data from a mitochondrial protein-coding gene (cytochrome c oxidase I), I studied the relationships among different populations of I. balthica in European and American coastal populations. It is apparent that there are at least three historically isolated populations of I. balthica on the North American coast, while the European Atlantic coast contains populations that are closely related to each other and to one of the North American populations. It appears that populations of I. balthica on the North America...
A Case Report of the Impact of Maternal Decision to Breastfeed Her Premature Surgical Infant

The importance of providing human milk for the premature infant is well supported in current literature. Neonates born prematurely with congenital anomalies requiring surgery prior to initiation of oral or enteral feeds present an additional challenge to the already complex breastfeeding dyad. As human milk has been proven to be the best source of nutrition for premature infants, the goal of discharging patients home on breastmilk/breastfeeding needs to become a priority. Literature suggests the maternal decision to breastfeed is key in the initiation and duration of a mother’s milk supply. This case report reviews the outcome of maternal decision and lactation support provided to a mother of a premature infant requiring surgical intervention for esophageal atresia with tracheal esophageal fistula within the first few days of life.
Sanguinaria canadensis L. (Sanguinarius): In Vitro Culture and the Production of Benzophenanthridine Alkaloids

Sanguinaria canadensis L. (Fig. 1) is a low perennial with mostly white flowers and thick rhizomes containing an acrid red-orange juice from whence the plant was named (sanguinarius, bleeding). This monotypic genus is a member of the Papaveraceae family, known to contain a diversity of isoquinoline alkaloids, including the protoberberine and benzophenanthridine alkaloids which are found in many species of this family (Berlin et al. 1983). The synonymous Latin binomials for S. canadensis are claimed to be Chelidonium maximum canadense, Sanguinaria acaulis, and Sanguinaria vernalis. Moreover, a number of vernacular names of S. canadensis have been used, some examples include: bloodroot, Indian paint, red root, snakebite, and sweet slumber.
Fecal Indicator Bacteria Dynamics in a Surface Flow Constructed Wetland in Southwestern Illinois, USA

Constructed wetlands have been used to treat wastewater because of their efficiency at removing fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), their low cost, and their ease of maintenance. This study investigates the ability of a surface-flow wetland (0.03 ha in size), constructed in the rural village of Elsah, Illinois, to treat FIB pollution. The objectives of this study were to: 1) compare mean FIB concentrations (specifically thermotolerant coliforms [TTC] and enterococci [ENT]) in the wetland during low versus high precipitation conditions; 2) compare mean FIB levels among different sampling locations along the wetland’s treatment gradient; and 3) determine whether FIB and other environmental variables were significantly correlated. Both TTC and ENT levels increased during storm events, likely due to increased mobilization of sediment. Both TTC and ENT were significantly lower in zones located further from the inflow point. The strongest correlation was observed between TTC and ENT, and both parameters were strongly correlated with precipitation.
Experimental Study of Natural Convection Heat Transfer in a Vertical Pipe With Stationary Inserts

Enhancement of natural and forced convectional heat transfer rate has been the subject of several academic and industrial studies. Air blenders, mechanical agitators, and static mixers have been developed to increase the forced convectional heat transfer rate in compressible and incompressible flows. Stationary devices can be efficiently employed as heat transfer enhancement tool in the natural convection systems with compressible flow. Generally, a stationary heat transfer enhancement insert consists of a number of equal motionless units, placed on the inside of a pipe or channel in order to control flowing fluid streams. These devices have low maintenance and operating costs, low space requirements and no moving parts. A range of designs exist for a wide range of specific applications. The shape of the elements determines the character of the fluid motion and thus determines thermal effectiveness of the heat transfer enhancement insert. There are several key parameters that may be considered in the design procedure of a heat transfer enhancement insert, which lead to significant differences in the performance of various designs. An ideal heat transfer enhancement insert for natural conventional heat transfer of compressible flow applications provides a higher rate of heat transfer and a thermally homogenous fluid with minimized pressure drop and required space. This paper presents the outcomes of the experimental studies by the authors on two industrial stationary inserts and illustrates how a heat transfer enhancement insert can improve the heat transfer in a buoyancy driven compressible flow. Using different measuring tools, the global performance of the inserts are studied in order to choose the most effective design.© 2008 ASME
The Development of a Complex Control Methodology for an Intelligent Stamp Forming Die

This paper describes the development and implementation of closed-loop control for an oval stamp forming die using Matlab® ’s Simulink® and the dSPACE® ControlDesk® . A traditional PID controller was used for the blank holder pressure and an advanced controller utilizing fuzzy logic combining a Linear Quadratic Gauss controller and a Bang-Bang controller. The draw beads were used to control local forces near the draw beads. The blank holder pressures were used to control both wrinkling and local forces during forces. It was demonstrated that a complex, advanced controller could be modeled using Matlab’s Simulink and implemented in dSPACE ControlDesk. The resulting control systems for blank holder pressures and draw beads were used to control simultaneously local punch forces and wrinkling during the forming operation resulting in a complex control strategy that could be used to improve the robustness of stamp forming dies.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Effects of Freeze-thaw Treatment on Product Quality of Hot Air Drying for Sweet Potato

In order to explore the effects of freeze-thaw treatment on the qualities of sweet potato by hot air drying, the gelatinization properties of sweet potato, changes in conductivity and anthocyanins, and the apparent density, rehydration character, color and hardness of the dry products were investigated. The results show that the sweet potatoes at different freeze-thaw processing were different in gelatinization properties curve, conductivity and anthocyanin content. When treated by one time freeze-thaw cycle, the sweet potato conductivity was the minimum, and anthocyanin content was the highest. With the times of freeze-thaw cycles increasing, the rehydration character of dried products improved, apparent density decreased, and the better color was presented. The products presented the minimum hardness after two times freeze-thaw cycles. This research can provide a theoretical basis for elaborating the mechanism of the freeze-thaw processing to the hot air drying quality changes of the sweet potato.
Factors predictive of overall health over the course of the disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus from the LUMINA cohort (LXII): use of the SF-6D.

Objective Health related quality of life (HRQOL) over course of the disease was ascertained in SLE patients from LUMINA, a multiethnic US cohort, using the SF-36-derived utility measure, the SF-6D. Methods All available visits were examined to predict HRQOL using either variables from the baseline or enrollment visits or from the preceding visits. The physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS, respectively) measures of the SF-36 were also examined. A total of 2662 visits from 588 SLE patients were included; 90% of the patients were women, 19% Hispanic-Texans, 17% Hispanic-Puerto Ricans, 35% African Americans and 29% Caucasians. The patients' mean (SD) SF-6D was 0.6 (0.1). Results In multivariable analyses, Hispanic-Texan ethnicity and higher levels of social support were predictors of HRQOL whereas older age, poverty, greater disease activity and damage and higher levels of fatigue, helplessness and abnormal illness-related behaviors were negative predictors. Prior SF-6D was the strongest variable predictive of subsequent HRQOL, when included. The analyses in which the PCS and MCS were examined as end-points were, overall, consistent with the SF-6D results. Conclusion We conclude that the SF-6D index provides an adequate measure of self-perceived HRQOL and that patients' self-perception of HRQOL is influenced by disease and non-disease related factors.
Factors controlling hemopoiesis: thrombopoietic and leukopoietic effects of "anemic" plasma.

Abstract Normal rats given multiple daily doses of phenylhydrazine-induced anemic rabbit plasma developed leukocytosis and thrombocytosis. The leukocytosis reflected a proportional increase in all types of white cells and was accompanied by myeloid granulocytic hyperplasia. The agent (or agents) responsible for the leukopoietic and thrombopoietic activity of the anemic plasma was thermostable and active by oral and parenteral routes. These findings provide further support for the thesis that all aspects of hemopoiesis may be subject to humoral regulatory control. On the basis of available data, it is suggested that a single factor may affect, although not to the exclusion of other mechanisms, the proliferation of all blood cell precursors and may explain the leukocytosis and thrombocytosis in certain types of hemolytic anemia, after acute hemorrhage, and in patients with polycythemia vera.
C. D. Broad's Review of J. M. Keynes's A Treatise on Probability and the Role of William Ernest Johnson in that Book

C. D. Broad presents an excellent, overall view of how the A Treatise on Probability (1921) was written and constantly checked by internationally recognized and acclaimed philosophers and mathematical logicians, such as Bertrand Russell, Alfred North Whitehead, John Nevile Keynes, C. D. Broad himself, and especially William Ernest Johnson.Broad was the only reviewer to explicitly reveal the substantial role played by the applied mathematician and philosopher W. E. Johnson.Broad also carefully assessed Keynes’s weight of the argument (evidence) criteria in Chapter 6 of the A Treatise on Probability, as did F. Y. Edgeworth. Neither of them found any errors.
Criteria-based parallelism for multiobjective problem solving

Computer scientists typically solve problems that require the optimization of some objective function. Given more than one objective to be simultaneously optimized, the problem becomes a Multicriteria Optimization Problem. Whereas the single objective version of a problem may be solved by use of well researched and studied algorithms, the Multicriteria version of the problem is typically not so quickly and easily solved. In fact, typically there is no polynomial-time algorithm for solving the multicriteria version, and the solution is not a single solution but rather a Pareto-Optimal set of solutions. In some cases it is possible to find an approximation of the solution set by solving Reduced Criteria Subproblems, then merging the solutions. This paper provides an overview of this approach, presents a parallel computing solution based on merging reduced-criteria subproblems, and gives consideration to the limitations of this methodology.
Improved survival with radiation therapy in early pancreatic adenocarcinoma

15036 Background: Although chemoradiation is often used following pancreatic cancer resection, recent studies have questioned the role of radiation therapy in this setting. The objective of this st...
CALCULATIONS OF BIOELECTRIC POTENTIALS : VI. SOME EFFECTS OF GUAIACOL ON NITELLA.

Values have been calculated for apparent mobilities and partition coefficients in the outer non-aqueous layer of the protoplasm of Nitella. Among the alkali metals (with the exception of cesium) the order of mobilities resembles that in water and the partition coefficients (except for cesium) follow the rule of Shedlovsky and Uhlig, according to which the partition coefficient increases with the ionic radius. Taking the mobility of the chloride ion as unity, we obtain the following: lithium 2.04, sodium 2.33, potassium 8.76, rubidium 8.76, cesium 1.72, ammonium 4.05, ½ magnesium 20.7, and ½ calcium 7.52. After exposure to guaiacol these values become: lithium 5.83, sodium 7.30, potassium 8.76, rubidium 8,76, cesium 3.38, ammonium 4.91, ½ magnesium 20.7, and ½ calcium 14.46. The partition coefficients of the chlorides are as follows, when that of potassium chloride is taken as unity: lithium 0.0133, sodium 0.0263, rubidium 1.0, cesium 0.0152, ammonium 0.0182, magnesium 0.0017, and calcium 0.02. These are raised by guaiacol to the following: lithium 0.149, sodium 0.426, rubidium 1.0, cesium 0.82, ammonium 0.935, magnesium 0.0263, and calcium 0.323 (that of potassium is not changed). The effect of guaiacol on the mobilities of the sodium and potassium ions resembles that seen in Halicystis but differs from that found in Valonia where guaiacol increases the mobility of the sodium ion but decreases that of the potassium ion.
Cosolutes, Crowding, and Protein Folding Kinetics.

Long accepted as the most important interaction, recent work shows that steric repulsions alone cannot explain the effects of macromolecular cosolutes on the equilibrium thermodynamics of protein stability. Instead, chemical interactions have been shown to modulate, and even dominate, crowding-induced steric repulsions. Here, we use 19F NMR to examine the effects of small and large cosolutes on the kinetics of protein folding and unfolding using the metastable 7 kDa N-terminal SH3 domain of the Drosophila signaling protein drk (SH3), which folds by a two-state mechanism. The small cosolutes consist of trimethylamine N-oxide and sucrose, which increase equilibrium protein stability, and urea, which destabilizes proteins. The macromolecules comprise the stabilizing sucrose polymer, Ficoll, and the destabilizing globular protein, lysozyme. We assessed the effects of these cosolutes on the differences in free energy between the folded state and the transition state and between the unfolded ensemble and the tr...
The Effect of Stimulus Valence on Lexical Retrieval in Younger and Older Adults.

Purpose Although there is evidence that emotional valence of stimuli impacts lexical processes, there is limited work investigating its specific impact on lexical retrieval. The current study aimed...
Sex and age factors in neuroleptic malignant syndrome diagnosis frequency

Introduction It is not known whether sex and age are risk factors for neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Objectives To examine sex and age distributions in NMS patients based on a systematic review of the literature. Aims Estimate the sex-specific relative risk of an NMS diagnosis. Methods EMBASE and PubMed databases were searched in November 2014 using broad, unrestricted criteria to identify any published observation of NMS. Any physically (online or hard copy) accessible and interpretable (using language translation software) report published from January 1, 1998 through November 1, 2014 was considered for inclusion. Secondary sources (e.g., reviews) were included when primary sources could not be accessed. All cases for which the patient's sex or the sample's sex distribution was provided were included, except for redundant reports and cases in which NMS was not the most likely clinical diagnosis. Sex ratio and age distributions were examined using standard graphical techniques and measures of association. Results Twenty-eight independent NMS sex ratio estimates were included. Most sex ratio estimates (75%) indicated male preponderance, with a median of 1.47 (95% CI: 1.20–1.80). NMS incidence peaked at age 20–25 years and declined steadily thereafter; males consistently outnumbered females at all age intervals. Major study limitations are the heterogeneity of case ascertainment procedures and the potential for publication bias. Conclusions NMS patients are 50% more likely to be males, and NMS is most likely to occur in young adulthood. Men, and all young adults, appear to be at increased risk for NMS.
Zika virus: An emerging infectious disease with serious perinatal and neurologic complications

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus that is primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti, the mosquito vector also important in transmission of the flaviviruses responsible for dengue fever, yellow fever, and chikungunya. Because of occurrence in the same geographic regions, serologic cross-reactivity, and similar but often less severe clinical manifestations, such as dengue and chikungunya infections, ZIKV infection likely has gone undetected, misdiagnosed, or both for many years. ZIKV is somewhat unique among flaviviruses in its ability to also be transmitted through sexual contact, nonsexual body fluids, and perinatally. The relatively recent detection of the link between ZIKV infection and Guillain-Barre syndrome and fetal neurological defects, including microcephaly, has prompted intense efforts aimed at the development of new and specific diagnostic tests. Infection with ZIKV has been postulated to lead to a more severe clinical course from other structurally related viruses, especially dengue, and vice versa because of a phenomenon termed antibody-dependent enhancement. Inactivated whole virus, DNA, RNA, and vectored vaccine approaches to prevent ZIKV infection are in development, as are treatments for active disease that are safe in pregnant women. Here we summarize the important epidemiologic and clinical features of ZIKV infection, as well as the progress and challenges in developing rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests and vaccines to prevent disease. We used electronic databases to identify relevant published data regarding ZIKV MeSH searches.