cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lysophosphatidylcholine and Reactive Oxygen Species Mediate the Synergistic Effect of Mildly Oxidized LDL With Serotonin on Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation

Background—Mild oxidation of LDL enhances its atherogenic potential and induces a synergistic interaction with serotonin (5HT) on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. Because of its complex chemical nature, the mitogenic components of mildly oxidized LDL (moxLDL) remain unclear. Methods and Results—We examined both the effects of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a donor of reactive oxygen species, as major components of moxLDL and their interactions with 5HT on VSMC proliferation. Growth-arrested VSMCs were incubated with different concentrations of moxLDL, LPC, H2O2, or LPC with H2O2 in the absence or presence of 5HT. DNA synthesis in VSMCs was examined by [3H]thymidine incorporation. MoxLDL, LPC, H2O2, and 5HT stimulated DNA synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. MoxLDL had a maximal stimulatory effect at a concentration of 5 μg/mL (211%), LPC at 15 μmol/L (156%), H2O2 at 5 μmol/L (179%), and 5HT at 50 μmol/L (205%). Added together, moxLDL (50 ng/mL) and 5HT (50 μm...
Do the Kids Think They're Okay? Adolescents' Views on the Impact of Marriage and Divorce

A sample (N = 365) of middle school and high school students from both divorced and intact families were surveyed with regard to their opinions about the impact of their parents' relationships (divorced or married) on a variety of areas of their lives. Adolescents from separated or divorced (S/D) families tended to rate their parents' relationships and impact on them more negatively than adolescents from living together or married (L/M) families. However, both groups consistently rated their parents in the same direction on a variety of topics. Gender was not a factor in the responses of either group. However, age (middle school vs. high school) was related to significant differences in adolescents' views about parents.
The input admittance of a TEM excited annular slot antenna

The admittance problem solution of a TEM excited annular slot antenna embedded in an infinite perfectly conducting ground plane is accomplished in the rigorous Maxwell equation-boundary value sense. The net result is a complete closed form solution for the admittance which includes the effects of all beyond-cutoff higher order TM modes. Infinite integrals related to the TEM admittance and to perturbations produced by the presence of higher order TM modes are solved in an approximate manner. The TEM admittance solution obtained is shown to compare favorably with admittance values accurately determined by numerical integration. The presence of beyond-cutoff higher order TM modes is shown to produce a minor effect to the annular slot admittance. The form of the admittance solution reported upon herein is such that the results may be readily applied in estimating the input admittance of physical annular slot antennas without recourse to the usual infinite integral reduction problem.
The Distinction Between Completing a Suicide and Assisting One: Why Treating a Suicide Attempt Does Not Require Closing the “Window of Opportunity”

This target article by Samuel Brown and colleagues (2013) comes to what sound like reasonable and defensible conclusions, but frames them in an overly timid way. The reason may be the authors’ over...
Quantitative phase-shifting DIC using programmable spatial light modulators

A quantitative phase-shifting Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) system is built using a programmable spatial light modulator (SLM). Our system offers halo-free phase gradient images with low illumination coherence and very good axial sectioning. Results are presented for standard polystyrene micro-beads and live cells.
Emerging properties of animal gene regulatory networks

Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) provide system level explanations of developmental and physiological functions in the terms of the genomic regulatory code. Depending on their developmental functions, GRNs differ in their degree of hierarchy, and also in the types of modular sub-circuit of which they are composed, although there is a commonly employed sub-circuit repertoire. Mathematical modelling of some types of GRN sub-circuit has deepened biological understanding of the functions they mediate. The structural organization of various kinds of GRN reflects their roles in the life process, and causally illuminates both developmental and evolutionary process.
Propagation of the threatened staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis: methods to minimize the impacts of fragment collection and maximize production

Coral reef restoration methods such as coral gardening are becoming increasingly considered as viable options to mitigate reef degradation and enhance recovery of depleted coral populations. In this study, we describe several aspects of the coral gardening approach that dem- onstrate this methodology is an effective way of propa- gating the threatened Caribbean staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis: (1) the growth of colonies within the nursery exceeded the growth rates of wild staghorn colonies in the same region; (2) the collection of branch tips did not result in any further mortality to the donor colonies beyond the coral removed for transplantation; (3) decreases in linear extension of the donor branches were only temporary and donor branches grew faster than control branches after an initial recovery period of approximately 3-6 weeks; (4) fragmentation did not affect the growth rates of non-donor branches within the same colony; (5) small branch tips experienced initial mortality due to handling and trans- portation but surviving tips grew well over time; and (6) when the growth of the branch tips is added to the regrowth of the fragmented donor branches, the new coral produced was 1.4-1.8 times more than new growth in undisturbed colonies. Based on these results, the collection of small (2.5-3.5 cm) branch tips was an effective propagation method for this branching coral species resulting in increased biomass accumulation and limited damage to parental stocks.
Image reconstruction with two-dimensional piecewise polynomial convolution

This paper describes two-dimensional, non-separable, piecewise polynomial convolution for image reconstruction. We investigate a two-parameter kernel with support [-2,2]/spl times/[-2,2] and constrained for smooth reconstruction. The performance reconstructing a sampled random Markov field is superior to the traditional one-dimensional cubic convolution algorithm.
Time-interleaved switched-capacitor filter for reconfigurable triple-band delta-sigma converter

A time-interleaved switched-capactior filter design for a reconfigurable triple-band delta-sigma (/spl Delta//spl Sigma/) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is discussed. The proposed filter design utilizes time multiplexing of sampled data to capacitors, and it is useful in implementing a dual-band (low-pass and high-pass) delta-sigma converter, or a single-band band-pass delta-sigma converter. Either of these two configurations can be selected in real time by changing clock signals and output downsampling filters. The basic reconfigurable triple-band filter can be applied directly to many higher-order delta-sigma architectures. Behavioral simulations of first-order and second-order time-multiplexed dual-band (low-pass and high-pass) converters, and second-order and fourth-order band-pass converters are presented. The proposed triple-band filter is useful for the implementation of a sensor micro system-on-a-chip with communication capability.
Spectral effects in interferometry

The influence on the fringe intensities of sources with known spectral energy density functions is analyzed both theoretically and experimentally for double beam interferometers of the Mach-Zehnder type. Simple relations between the spectrum and the fringe intensity and extent of the fringe field are presented. Special attention is given energy sources consisting of a primary source used with a monochromator. Experimental confirmation is demonstrated.
Effects of approach to teaching on student achievement, retention, and attitude

The purpose of this study was to determine which approach, problem solving or subject matter, was the most effective in teaching high school vocational agriculture students as measured by which approach produces higher levels of student achievement test scores, better retention of student learning, and better student attitudes toward instruction upon completion of the instructional unit. The problem solving approach is a student-centered approach to teaching where the central and essential characteristic is solving problems (Binkley and Tulloch, 1981). Students participate in the learning process by contributing problems, analyzing the factors associated with the problems, developing possible solutions to the problems, placing the solution(s) into action, and evaluating the results of the solution. The subject matter approach is a teacher-centered approach to teaching where students are more passive participants in the learning process. Students listen to the information, participate in limited discussion, take notes, and retrieve or recall the information for evaluation purposes. With the subject matter approach the focus is more on acquisition of information than on group driven problem solving.
Aortic Intramural Hematoma and Its Complications

> It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.1 > > Sherlock Holmes to Dr Watson > > —Arthur Conan Doyle, > > The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: A Case of Identity. Case Presentation: A 70-year-old woman with hypertension presents for evaluation of a single episode of nonexertional chest pain of moderate intensity, atypical for myocardial infarction. Clinical signs of acute aortic dissection and cardiac tamponade are absent. A 12-lead ECG and blood test for troponin are negative for acute myocardial infarction. M-mode transthoracic echocardiogram of the aortic root shows dense echoes anteriorly and posteriorly at the level of the aortic valve and a large pericardial effusion (Figure 1A). After discussing a diagnosis of acute aortic syndrome, she asks, “What other tests will I need to confirm the diagnosis? Will I undergo surgery?” Figure 1. A and B , M-mode echocardiogram at the level of the aortic valve. Dense echoes along right and noncoronary sinuses caused by periaortic hematoma from a perforated aortic ulcer (white arrows, A ) compared with a normal echo ( B ). C , Cardiac computed tomography angiography orthogonal view equivalent to transthoracic echocardiographic parasternal long-axis view. This view is optimized to visualize (white arrow) perforated ulcer in the ascending aorta, hemorrhagic pericardial effusion with blood collection along right and noncoronary aortic sinuses correlating with M mode echo at the level of the aortic valve. AV indicates aortic valve; LA, left atrium; LV, left ventricle; PA, pulmonary artery; and RV, right ventricle. Intramural hematoma (IMH) is a life-threatening aortic disease included within acute aortic syndrome, together with aortic dissection and penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU).2,3 IMH is a contained aortic wall hematoma with bleeding within the media but without initial intimal flap formation (Figure 2).3 Its natural history is variable; it may be reabsorbed …
Higher-order spectral analysis of burst patterns in EEG

Burst suppression patterns in electroencephalograms (EEG's) have been observed in a variety of situations including recovery of a subject from a traumatic brain injury. They are associated with grave prognostic outcomes in neonates. The authors study power spectral parameters and bispectral parameters of the EEG at baseline, during early recovery from an asphyxic arrest (EEG burst patterns) and during late recovery after EEG evolves into a more continuous activity. The bicoherence indexes, which indicate the degree of phase coupling between two frequency components of a signal, are significantly higher within the /spl delta/-/spl theta/ band of the EEG bursts than in the baseline or late recovery waveforms. The bispectral parameters show a more detectable trend than the power spectral parameters. In the second part of the study, the authors looked into the possibility of higher (>2)-order nonlinearities in the EEG bursts using the diagonal slices of the polyspectrum. The diagonal elements of the polyspectrum reveal the presence of self-frequency and self-phase coupling of orders higher than two in majority of the EEG bursts studied. The bicoherence indexes and the diagonal elements of the polyspectrum strongly indicate the presence of nonlinearities of order two and in many cases higher, in the EEG generator during episodes of bursting. This indication of nonlinearity in EEG signals provides a novel quantitative measure of brain's response to injury.
Who Do Voters Blame for Policy Failure? Information and the Partisan Assignment of Blame:

How do people assign blame in the wake of significant government failures? If the role of the citizenry in a representative democracy is to discipline elected officials for failing to meet collecti...
Value Added Tax and Inflation: A Graphical and Statistical Analysis

The US has been considering introducing a National Consumption Tax federally. This would be in addition to the states’ sales taxes. Since a consumption tax would be an added cost to the consumer, it would be expected that inflation would be increased. This paper uses graphs and statistical methods to ascertain whether inflation in the UK and Canada was affected by the
Non‐functional flowers in Catasetum orchids (Catasetinae, Orchidaceae)

ROMERO, G. A., 1992. Non-functional flowers in Catasetum orchids (Catasetinae, Orchidaceae). Plants of the genus Catasetum generally produce unisexual, dimorphic flowers but occasionally bear intermediate, polymorphic flowers. Staminate (male) flowers are commonly produced both in cultivation and in nature. Within the genus, the morphology, texture, resupination, and colour of male flowers are extremely variable. Pistillate (female) flowers, in contrast, are rarely produced in cultivation and in nature and have relatively constant morphology, texture, resupination and colour. Intermediate, polymorphic flowers are extremely rare, ranging in morphology from male-like to female-like, often combining characters of both. Some are bilaterally half male and half female. Intermediate flowers have previously been regarded as functionally hermaphroditic but evidence presented here shows that in Catasetum male and female functions appear to be mutually exclusive. Intermediate flowers that approach the morphology of female flowers may bear seeds but do not have functional pollinaria; those that approach male flower morphology do not have functional stigmas and seldom have functional pollinaria. The vast majority of Catasetum intermediate flowers are sterile. The absence of truly hermaphroditic flowers in Catasetum is important in the interpretation of evidence for gender choice in this genus, as flowers and/or plants can be unequivocally scored as either functionally male or female.
Improved performance of a near grazing incidence grating continuously tunable CO(2) laser.

Improvement in laser performance characteristics are reported for a continuously operated CO/sub 2/ laser operated with a three-mirror near grazing incidence grating configuration. The laser linewidth is narrowed by a factor of seven. (AIP)
"(Dis)Embodied Voices" and (Dis)Appearing Dialects: Staging a Living Historiography of Early African American Women

The performance project (Dis)Embodied Voices documented and vivified long-forgotten Early American black women’s experiences by devising a living historiography from personal letters, memoirs, diaries, court records, poems, and newspapers. The nine original monologues became the play I Will Speak for Myself , which recovers sixteen women who lived between 1649 and 1865 from Vermont to New Orleans. By crafting performance through a rigorous investment in the historical evidence and a commitment to truthful depiction in every word and sound, the play enacts life as a free woman, as an indentured servant, and as a former slave. This paper explores the transformation of written texts into the (Dis)Embodied Voices performance script and, specifically, the development of each woman’s distinctive sound. In many ways, these women exemplify the origination of the American sound and each case posed unique issues of evidence, language construction, and dialect choices. Crafting credible identities required striking a delicate balance between scholarly rigor and artistic license, bringing historical research and performance together so that what begin as disembodied voices become distinctive characters that more accurately shape our understanding of the abolitionist movement, life after slavery, and the fight for women’s education and equality.
In Vitro Assessment of Blastocyst Differentiation

It is generally agreed that one of the most critical periods of embryonic development in mammals occurs during the first weeks of gestation. During this early window of development, which is characterized by embryo cleavage, blastulation and gastrulation events, up to 60 percent of pregnancies fail, either totally (uniparous animals) or in part (multiparous animals), depending on species. Hammond (1914) first reported that a significant proportion of pig and rabbit embryos die during early intrauterine development. It was suggested that embryonic death reflected nature’s evolutionary selection process by favoring those embryos which possessed a more competent genetic character. More recently Biggers (1983), in re-evaluating earlier data of Hertig et al. (1959) concerning embryonic mortality in humans, concluded that the intrauterine mortality rate is highest (42–55%) during the period of preimplantation development. Similarly, on average, greater than 33% of fertilized pig embryos do not survive the first 3 weeks of gestation (Day et al., 1959; Perry and Rowlands, 1962; Hafez, 1974; Hafez et al., 1965; Anderson, 1978). Since the incidence of fertilization is high in most mammals (90 to 100%), it is generally agreed that a significant percentage of pregnancy loss is due to early embryonic death. Thus, while our overall understanding of the mechanisms that regulate embryogenesis has increased markedly over the years, the direct relationship between specific cellular processes and embryo mortality/ survivability rates in vivo have not, as yet, been clearly delineated.
A tale of three aspirations: foreign bodies in the airway.

Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration is a serious medical problem, with clinical manifestations ranging from acute asphyxiation to insidious lung damage, as demonstrated by the three presented cases. Patient 1 aspirated during dinner, emergency bronchoscopy retrieved pieces of food, and she fully recovered the following day. Patient 2 presented with recurrent pneumonia and a right lower lobe lung abscess. After right lower lobectomy, pathology revealed a foreign object in the right main stem bronchus, a peanut aspirated one year earlier. Patient 3 became unresponsive several days after spinal surgery. The differential diagnosis included myocardial infarction, stroke, and foreign body aspiration. The patient died and necropsy revealed a foreign body in the right main stem bronchus (cooked meat). Thus, foreign body aspiration is not always suspected clinically, and the pathologist may play an important role in making the diagnosis. Histological identification of the aspirated material may be necessary for definitive diagnosis. Therefore, sections of commonly aspirated foods are presented, together with a 10 year history of aspirated objects received by this institution’s surgical pathology department.
Time-resolved reflectivity studies of coherent longitudinal acoustic phonon pulses in bulk III-nitride semiconductors

An interferometric technique employing femtosecond pump-probe reflectivity measurements has been used to study the direct generation, propagation, and detection of coherent longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonon pulses in bulk GaN and AlGaN thin films at frequencies in the 100 to 200 GHz range. Photoreflectance and resonant Raman studies suggest that the dominant mechanism in the generation of the LA phonon pulse is photoexcited carrier transport-induced screening of the near-surface electric field associated with residual strain in the incompletely relaxed GaN or AlGaN epilayers. This field screening component in the strain pulse generation can be as much as two orders of magnitude larger than the deformation potential component, in contrast to theoretical calculations for the multiple quantum well (MQW) case, for which the two components are of comparable magnitude. The technique has been used to directly measure the sound velocity in GaN and AlGaN of various Al contents. The results are in good agreement with those calculated from elastic moduli.
WOLBACHIA ENDOSYMBIONTS IN FLEAS (SIPHONAPTERA)

Intracellular endosymbionts, Wolbachia spp., have been reported in many different orders of insects and in nematodes but not previously in fleas. This is the first conclusive report of Wolbachia spp. within members of the Siphonaptera. Using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene, we screened for Wolbachia spp. in fleas collected from 3 counties in Georgia and 1 in New York. The prevalence of Wolbachia spp. detected varied among the 6 different species screened: 21% in the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis (n = 604), 7% in the dog flea C. canis (n = 28), 25% in Polygenus gwyni (n = 8), 80% in Orchopeas howardi (n = 15), 94% in Pulex simulans (n = 255), and 24% in the sticktight flea Echidnophaga gallinacea (n = 101). Wolbachia spp. infection in fleas was confirmed by sequencing positive PCR products, comparing sequenced 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) with Wolbachia spp. sequences in GenBank using BLAST search, and subjecting sequence data to phylogenetic analysis. For further confirmation, 16S rDNA-positive samples were reamplified using the wsp gene.
Molecular biology: Mediating transcription and RNA export.

The finding that the Mediator protein complex contributes to messenger RNA export from the nucleus in yeast adds to a growing list of roles for the complex in regulating transcriptional processes.
“We are of the Sea!”: Masterless Identity and Transnational Context in Daborne’s A Christian Turned Turk

The figure of the renegade has been widely discussed in the field of early modern literary studies, with scholars situating rogue behavior within discourses of race, religion, and nationalism. However, these perspectives have not adequately addressed how domestic discourses of class and labor also shaped representations of renegades. My paper fills this gap by paying particular attention to English anxieties about vagrancy, a domestic phenomenon that manifested itself in new forms abroad, among pirates, apostates, and other traitors operating outside the geographical boundaries of the English state. Specifically, I examine the figure of Captain John Ward in Robert Daborne’s play A Christian Turned Turk (pub. 1612), in order to demonstrate previously overlooked connections between Ward’s reputation and his actual background as a lowly fisherman and conscripted sailor. This paper, by closely examining how the play and its sources construct Ward as a masterless man, sheds new light on the neglected issues of class and labor in the construction of the early modern English renegade.
European Dictatorships: A Comparative History of the Twentieth Century. By Gerhard Besier and Katarzyna Stoklosa. (Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge Scholars, 2013. Pp. vii, 683. $118.99.)

Much of Europe after the Great War abandoned the steps towards democracy taken during the nineteenth century. The majority of states, as they coped with the massive problems that the Great War had ...
Magnetic transfer devices for use in solid-phase radioimmunoassays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

A method was developed for the simultaneous transfer of large numbers of solidphase adsorbents in radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Specially coated ferromagnetic spheres (beads) were used as the solid phase. These beads were transferred from a reaction mixture through a rinse bath to another reaction mixture by magnetic probes. The quality of results obtained with this new methodology compared favorably with that obtained when solid-phase adsorbents were handled individually. The magnetic transfer system provided a high degree of mechanization, thus permitting many more tests to be performed at one time, under almost identical conditions. Certain mechanical features of the test and the micro scale of the reactions provided substantial economy in time and consumption of valuable reagents. The sensitivities of the RIA and ELISA for detection of viral antibody were about the same. An important advantage in using magnetic devices for transfer of beads is that the immune and enzymesubstrate reactions can be started and stopped instantly in either system.
Effect of Lyxoflavin on Growth of Baby Pigs Fed a Synthetic Diet

Summary1. The addition of 4 μg of synthetic 1-lyxoflavin per g of dry matter consumed in 3 experiments significantly increased the rate of gain and efficiency of feed utilization of baby pigs fed a low fat basal ration including 0.01% protamine. 2. Using a differential assay procedure for lyxoflavin it was found that approximately 67% of the lyxoflavin intake was excreted in the urine. 3. In vitro studies of heart and liver tissue did not indicate any conversion of riboflavin into lyxoflavin.
A comparison of insulin binding by liver plasma membranes of rats fed a high glucose diet or a high fat diet

The interaction of (125)I-labeled insulin with purified liver plasma membrane from rats fed a high fat (L) diet or a high glucose (G) diet was studied with respect to specific binding, insulin degradation, binding site degradation, and rate of hormone association and dissociation. Scatchard analysis suggested the presence of high and low affinity binding sites for membranes of both G and L diet-adapted rats. However, liver plasma membrane from rats fed the high glucose diet bound 50% more insulin than did membrane from rats fed the high fat diet. Diet did not change insulin binding site degradation. The results suggested that an apparently reduced number of insulin binding sites (G = 10.2 +/- 2.45 x 10(-12) mol/mg membrane protein, L = 4.5 +/- 1.73 x 10(-12) mol/mg membrane protein) associated with fat feeding as compared to glucose feeding was responsible for the reduced insulin binding by membrane from rats fed the high fat diet. The effects of concanavalin A (Con A) on insulin binding to liver plasma membranes were also investigated. Con A enhanced the specific binding of insulin to liver plasma membranes from rats fed either diet at concentrations lower than 50 micro g/ml, whereas at concentrations higher than 50 micro g/ml Con A inhibited insulin binding to these membranes. The stimulatory effect of Con A on insulin binding at low concentrations was greater and inhibition of binding at high concentration was less in the case of membrane prepared from L diet-adapted animals. These results suggested that diet can modify the plasma membrane glycoproteins.
Severe acute interstitial nephritis after combination immune-checkpoint inhibitor therapy for metastatic melanoma

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors are emerging as revolutionary drugs for certain malignancies. However, blocking the co-inhibitory signals may lead to immune-related adverse events, mainly in the spectrum of autoimmune diseases including colitis, endocrinopathies and nephritis. Here, we report a case of a 75-year-old man with metastatic malignant melanoma treated with a combination of nivolumab (anti-PD1-antibody) and ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4 antibody) who developed systemic rash along with severe acute tubulointerstitial nephritis after two doses of combination therapy. Kidney biopsy and peripheral blood immune profile revealed highly proliferative and cytotoxic T cell features. Herein, we discuss the pathophysiology and management of immune checkpoint blockade-related adverse events.
STUDY ON STERILIZATION EFFECT AND INFLUENCE FACTORS OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE LOW-TEMPERATURE PLASMA STERILIZER

Objective To study sterilization effect and influence factors of hydrogen peroxide plasma sterilizer.Methods Carrier qualitative sterilization test and two kinds of index spores were used to observe the sterilization effects of hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilizer and its influencing factors.Results Under single cycle antiseptic processing of hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilizer,packing by the standardization of the suture needle,silicon tube,cavity mirrors,electron knife etc.all can reach the sterilization required.But cotton fabric,paper class,powder,agent after sterilization are not qualified.Wet or not thoroughly dried metal pipe and plastic piping cannot be sterilized.Material contaminated with organic cannot be sterilized.Hydrogen peroxide low temperature plasma have the same sterilization effect to Bacillus stearothermophilus spores SSIK31 and ATCC 7953.And have better effect of B.stearothermophilus spores ATCC 12980.Conclusion The sterilization effect of hydrogen peroxide low temperature plasma sterilizer was significantly affected by resorption property of material,not thoroughly dried and organic carry.Different strains of B.stearothermophilus spores had different resistance to hydrogen peroxide low temperature plasma.
Notes for Gravity's Rainbow

To open Gravity's Rainbow is to step within a vast, satirically leveling flux of languages. Part 3 of the novel represents it as a "Zone," a skeptical field where the pre-War hierarchy of discourse has been pulverized. Certainly that condition is characteristic of the novel as a whole, and it thus represents a remarkable challenge to narrative stylistics. Mikhail Bakhtin, who has emerged since his death in 1975 as one of the most engaging theorists of narrative art, described that multi-languaged power of the genre, the "heteroglossia" of novels, as a primary defining characteristic. He argued that by incorporating into their fictions a plenitude of voices, each embodying a particular time and place (Bakhtin called it the "chronotope" of a discourse), novelists create radically decentered , open-ended artworks.
Matemáticos como Educadores

Los profesionales de las ciencias matematicas se encuentran en una fase de transicion de la cual pueden salir mejor organizados, academicamente reducidos o dispersos. No somos una especie en peligro de extincion pero nuestro bienestar depende de ser capaces de trascender nuestra tendencia historica hacia el aislamiento y al desapego de nuestros pares academicos y de otras comunidades cientificas. Este clamor, aunque de diversas formas, esta siendo ampliamente atendido. La cultura matematica interna continua sus profundas investigaciones sobre las estructuras fundamentales del numero, espacio, dinamica… y ahora, con el soporte analitico de los modernos procesos tecnologicos. Esas investigaciones se basan parcialmente en intereses puramente intelectuales, pero tambien en su relacion directa con las ciencias naturales a las cuales les delinea su lenguaje, conceptos, analisis, modelos, simulaciones…
ASTHMA IN INFANTS AND SMALL CHILDREN

The wheezy young child is a particularly challenging patient to treat. This article focuses on a diagnostic approach and some of the treatment issues peculiar to this age group. Specifically addressed are (1) the problem of differentiating asthma from wheezy bronchitis in babies and the clinical implications of this ; (2) general concepts of treating babies in whom many commonly used drugs are not FDA approved ; (3) inhalation therapy, especially the use of metered-dose inhalers with spacers ; (4) the standard asthma drugs and their beneficial and adverse effects, with particular reference to inhaled steroids ; and (5) the nonpharmacologic management of asthma. A brief discussion of long-term outcome is also included.
Deferring allogeneic transplantation for adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia: is there a second chance?

Chemotherapy to induce remission in patients with adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) yields complete remission rates 75–90% using either adult protocols or pediatric-inspired multiagent regim...
Mechanical characterization of SAC305 lead free solder at high temperatures

The mechanical properties and constitutive behaviors of lead free solders are highly dependent on temperature. Properties of high interest include the initial effective elastic modulus, yield stress, ultimate tensile strength, and secondary creep strain rate. Prior work on mechanical characterization of lead free Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solders has emphasized stress-strain and creep testing at temperatures from 25 to 125 °C. Characterization of solder material behavior at higher temperatures from 125 to 200 °C is needed to support several harsh environment electronics applications in the automotive, avionics, and oil exploration industries, as well as for military uses. In the current work, we have extended our previous studies to explore mechanical properties for SAC305 solder at temperatures from 125–200 °C (e.g. 125, 150, 175, and 200 °C). For each elevated temperature, stress-strain curves were measured at three strain rates (0.001, 0.0001, 0.00001 sec−1), and the mechanical properties were extracted. The stress-strain data measured at eight temperatures over the range 25–200 °C and at three strain rates were then compared to the predictions of the Anand constitutive model. Our results show that mechanical properties of SAC305 solder are reduced significantly at higher temperatures. For example, the yield stress and ultimate tensile strength of SAC305 typically drop by 60–80% from T = 25 °C to T = 200 °C. Correlations of the predictions of the Anand model with the experimental stress-strain data show that it can represent the experimental data accurately over a wide range of temperatures and strain rates.
The impact of team formation processes on curriculum alignment in communication courses in an international context

This paper reports on research into instructional practices aimed at developing undergraduates’ team competencies in communication courses at an engineering university in the Arabian Gulf. Following reports from students of several difficulties, the research set out to investigate the team work experience from students’ perspectives. Qualitative data were gathered via several instruments from 42 teams and were analyzed and synthesized to optimize opportunity for familiarization, understanding and comparison via collation and annotation. It was found that team formation processes can have a major effect on the quality of the student experience of teamwork. While self-selection was identified as the most popular approach among students and instructors, the influence of several classroom management factors frequently results in teams that are not fully self-selected. This can lead to unevenness in task completion, with motivated students compensating for others’ lack of effort. In this situation, some students find themselves overloaded to the detriment of their overall performance, while others are able to sidestep or participate less fully in some key course components. For some students therefore, instruction, assessment and outcomes are not fully integrated. Following Biggs’ (1999) concept of the “constructively aligned” curriculum, in which all components serve the same goals and support each other, recommendations aimed at enhanced curriculum alignment are made, while accounting for cultural dimensions identified in the context.
Automated synthesis of low-rank control systems from sc-LTL specifications using tensor-train decompositions

Correct-by-design automated construction of control systems has attracted a tremendous amount of attention. However, most existing algorithms for automated construction suffer from the curse of dimensionality, i.e., their run time scales exponentially with increasing dimensionality of the state space. As a result, typically, systems with only a few degrees of freedom are considered. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm based on the tensor-train decomposition that solves stochastic optimal control problems with syntactically co-safe linear temporal logic specifications. We show that, under certain conditions, the run time of the proposed algorithm scales polynomially with the dimensionality of the state space and the rank of the optimal cost-to-go function. We demonstrate the algorithm in a six-dimensional problem instance involving a simple airplane model. In this example, the proposed algorithm provides up to four orders of computational savings when compared to the standard value iteration algorithm.
Abstract MP031: Prospective Association of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk Factors with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and Not Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction in Postmenopausal Women

Background: The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and heart failure (HF) has been under-researched especially in postmenopausal women. We therefore evaluated relationship between O...
Specific heat of LiCl at low temperatures

Abstract Experimental values of the specific heat have been determined in the liquid helium temperature range by use of a vacuum calorimeter. We determine the Debye θ0 = 422 ± 6°K. The results lend support to the vibrational frequency distribution calculated by Karo and Hardy.
Regulation of the Cell Cycle and Inflammatory Arthritis by the Transcription Cofactor LBH Gene

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) display unique aggressive behavior, invading the articular cartilage and promoting inflammation. Using an integrative analysis of RA risk alleles, the transcriptome and methylome in RA FLS, we recently identified the limb bud and heart development (LBH) gene as a key dysregulated gene in RA and other autoimmune diseases. Although some evidence suggests that LBH could modulate the cell cycle, the precise mechanism is unknown and its impact on inflammation in vivo has not been defined. Our cell cycle analysis studies show that LBH deficiency in FLS leads to S-phase arrest and failure to progress through the cell cycle. LBH-deficient FLS had increased DNA damage and reduced expression of the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase α. Decreased DNA polymerase α was followed by checkpoint arrest due to phosphorylation of checkpoint kinase 1. Because DNA fragments can increase arthritis severity in preclinical models, we then explored the effect of LBH deficiency in the K/BxN serum transfer model. Lbh knockout exacerbated disease severity, which is associated with elevated levels of IL-1β and checkpoint kinase 1 phosphorylation. These studies indicate that LBH deficiency induces S-phase arrest that, in turn, exacerbates inflammation. Because LBH gene variants are associated with type I diabetes mellitus, systemic lupus erythematosus, RA, and celiac disease, these results suggest a general mechanism that could contribute to immune-mediated diseases.
A new species of the Lower Ordovician pliomerid trilobite Pseudocybele and its biostratigraphic significance

A low diversity trilobite fauna consisting entirely of new species occurs at several horizons in the Blackhillsian Stage (Floian), in a narrow stratigraphic interval high in the Fillmore Formation in the southern Confusion Range, Ibex area, Millard County, western Utah. This is the type section of the Blackhillsian Stage, the highest of the four stages with comprise the Ibexian Series, the Laurentian Lower Ordovician. The interval occurs between the underlying Presbynileus ibexensis Zone and the overlying "Pseudocybele nasuta Zone". Previous studies assigned the interval to the P. nasuta Zone, but new collections show that the fauna is unique and shares no species with either the underlying or overlying assemblages. It was recognized in 2009 as the Pseudocybele paranasuta Zone, but the name bearer was not formally described. Pseudocybele paranasuta n. sp. is a distinctive pliomerid trilobite with diagnostic features including: clusters of granules on the frontal lobe of the glabella and the middle body of the hypostome; maculae along the lateral branches of the middle furrow of the hypostome; a short, slender median hypostomal spine; and a strong, W-shaped impression in the terminal piece of the pygidium.
Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a rare disease associated with breast implants. We present the case of a woman who had had breast augmentation and multiple revisions over a period of 13 years and...
Research on power saving and energy efficiency for data-centric computing on production HPC systems

Energy consumption has become one of the four key challenges when Department of Energy (DOE) plans to deploy its first exascale supercomputer by 2021. With advanced power management technologies, building a power-saving and energy-efficient exascale computer with faster computing capability becomes possible. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to characterize the power and energy consumption on modern computer hardware and runtime systems. In my dissertation research, I configure the execution environment in various settings and profile and characterize the power and energy consumption on Intel Haswell Enterprise processor, which is currently used in the new Trinity supercomputer hosted at Los Alamos National Laboratory. I also study the power and energy characteristics of a data-centric HPC runtime system, i.e., the Legion runtime and applications, jointed developed by Stanford University and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The experimental results show that the settings of P-States and hyperthreading have a significant impact on the power and energy consumption. Additionally, the data-centric Legion runtime and applications achieve better energy efficiency compared with the MPI computing paradigm.
A Skorohod - like representation in infinite dimensions

Every discrete parameter Banach space-valued martingale may be embedded in a continuous parameter martingale which has continuous sample paths and is adapted to the σ-fields generated by one-dimensional Brownian motion.
Personal and Professional Values

One of the first things a nurse is taught is to leave personal matters at home and out of the work situation. Why, then, should a book about nurse-patient relationships begin with a discussion of the nurse’s personal and professional values?
Urea, glucose and alanine kinetics in man: effects of glucose infusion

1. The simultaneous effects of an intravenous glucose infusion on plasma urea, glucose and alanine kinetics were investigated in normal post-absorptive man. 2. The primed constant intravenous infusion of compounds labelled with stable isotopes, [15N2]urea, [6-2H]glucose and [3-13C]alanine, was used. 3. The rate of appearance of glucose and urea in the plasma was rapidly reduced by the 17.7 mumol min-1 kg-1 glucose infusion. 4. In contrast, during the glucose infusion there was an increased rate of appearance of alanine in the plasma, and an increased percentage of glucose carbon atoms derived from alanine. 5. Reduced production of glucose and urea during the glucose infusion was not due to decreased gluconeogenesis from alanine.
Role Theory and Teacher Education

Possible relationships between groups of teachers and their role performances are investigated. Teachers are grouped on the basis of their pupils’ socio-economic status, teacher's age, length of te...
Give credit where? The incidence of child care tax credits

Abstract The cost of child care can affect a family’s employment, location, and commuting decisions. Child care tax credits are intended to relieve the financial burden of child care for working families, yet the benefit incidence may fall on child care providers if they increase prices in response to credit generosity. Using policy-induced variation in the Child and Dependent Care Credit, this paper presents evidence of substantial pass-through: over half of every dollar is passed through to providers in the form of higher prices and wages. Increased non-refundable credit generosity may have the unintended effect of making child care less affordable for low-income families, a result with distributional and spatial implications due to income sorting of families within an urban area.
Diagnostic flexible versus rigid bronchoscopy for the assessment of tracheomalacia in children

Objective This project compares the degree of tracheal collapse determined by rigid and flexible bronchoscopy in paediatric patients with tracheomalacia. Methods A total of nine patients with tracheomalacia underwent both rigid and flexible video bronchoscopy. All patients were breathing spontaneously. Cross-sectional images of the airway were processed using the ImageJ program and analysed via colour histogram mode technique in order to delineate the luminal area. Paired t-tests (conducted using Stata software version 13.0) quantified differences between rigid and flexible bronchoscopes regarding the ratios of luminal pixels at maximum airway collapse to expansion. Correlation between both techniques in terms of airway collapse to expansion ratios was determined by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient (R). Results The difference in ratios of maximum collapse to expansion between rigid and flexible bronchoscopy was not statistically significant (p = 0.4656) and was positively correlated (R = 0.523). Conclusion The ratios suggest that rigid and flexible bronchoscopy are equally efficacious in assessing tracheomalacia severity, and may be used interchangeably in a clinical setting.
Sex-specific stress tolerance, proteolysis, and lifespan in the invertebrate Tigriopus californicus.

Abstract Because stress tolerance and longevity are mechanistically and phenotypically linked, the sex with higher acute stress tolerance might be expected to also live longer. On the other hand, the association between stress tolerance and lifespan may be complicated by tradeoffs between acute tolerance and long-term survival. Here we use the copepod Tigriopus californicus to test for sex differences in stress resistance, proteolytic activity and longevity. Unlike many model organisms, this species does not have sex chromosomes. However, substantial sex differences were still observed. Females were found to have superior tolerance to a range of acute stressors (high temperature, high salinity, low salinity, copper and bisphenol A (BPA)) across a variety of treatments including different populations, pure vs. hybrid crosses, and different shading environments. Upregulation of proteolytic capacity — one molecular mechanism for responding to acute stress — was also found to be sexually dimorphic. In the combined stress treatment of chronic copper exposure followed by acute heat exposure, proteolytic capacity was suppressed for males. Females, however, maintained a robust proteolytic stress response. While females consistently showed greater tolerance to short-term stress, lifespan was largely equivalent between the two sexes under both benign conditions and mild thermal stress. Our findings indicate that short-term stress tolerance does not predict long-term survival under relatively mild conditions.
MNDN: scalable mobility support in named data networking

In this paper, we present MNDN (Mobile NDN), a scalable design for mobility support of producers in the Named Data Network (NDN) architecture. The approach in this work is to separate concerns of scalability and mobility, noting that there are two aspects to mobility: 1) discovery that a part of the namespace can be mobile; 2) discovery of where that part of the namespace is currently attached to the network. This separation leads to the observation that the information for these two aspects have different performance requirements, driving us to a partitioned design, basing the scalability component of the design on NDN's SNAMP and the mobility support on MobilityFirst's DMap. The combination of these two components yields a mobility solution that allows NDN's forwarding to operate and scale in the face of mobile clients and producers.