cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of action potential duration restitution in vulnerability to reentry in a mathematical model of canine ventricle

ionic cell model of the porcine action potential. The model accurately reproduces the action potential shape, threshold for excitation, and maximum upstroke velocity, as well as the steady-state action potential duration restitution curve and the conduction velocity restitution curve measured experimentally. No regional variations in ionic currents were incorporated because experiments have shown little change in action potential morphology in young porcine ventricles. The cell model was combined with an anatomically realistic porcine ventricular model that includes fiber orientation data. Results: As in experiments, the simulations in tissue do not develop electrical alternans at fast pacing rates despite APD restitution slope greater than one over a broad range of cycle lengths. Therefore, induction of ventricular fibrillation (VF) was not possible in this model of the porcine ventricles by any fast pacing protocol. However, as in experiments, it was possible to initiate VF by applying a premature stimulus during the Twave. The dominant frequency (6.3 Hz) and wavelength during the first several seconds of VF matched those of experiments, and wall-thinning simulations corresponding to removal of the endocardium by freezing converted VF to tachycardia. Conclusions: In the model, the relatively large electrotonic effects during repolarization due to the specific shape of the porcine action potential in conjunction with conduction velocity restitution produces a stabilizing effect that suppresses alternans in tissue despite APD restitution slope greater than one. Our model provides an explanation for the lack of alternans found experimentally in porcine ventricles subject to fast pacing, while successfully reproducing VF initiation by shock and VF termination by wall thinning.
Discretized streams: an efficient and fault-tolerant model for stream processing on large clusters

Many important "big data" applications need to process data arriving in real time. However, current programming models for distributed stream processing are relatively low-level, often leaving the user to worry about consistency of state across the system and fault recovery. Furthermore, the models that provide fault recovery do so in an expensive manner, requiring either hot replication or long recovery times. We propose a new programming model, discretized streams (D-Streams), that offers a high-level functional programming API, strong consistency, and efficient fault recovery. D-Streams support a new recovery mechanism that improves efficiency over the traditional replication and upstream backup solutions in streaming databases: parallel recovery of lost state across the cluster. We have prototyped D-Streams in an extension to the Spark cluster computing framework called Spark Streaming, which lets users seamlessly intermix streaming, batch and interactive queries.
Investing in Chapter 11 Stocks: Trading, Value, and Performance

This paper addresses several questions about Chapter 11 stocks regarding their trading environment, fundamental value, and performance. First, we show that there exists active trading for Chapter 11 stocks throughout the duration of the bankruptcy process. Second, applying option theory to the valuation of bankrupt equity, we find that equity value of bankrupt firm after filing is positively related to asset value, asset volatility, risk-free rate, and expected duration, and it is negatively related to liabilities. Furthermore, similar to the payoff of out-of-money calls, the return correlation between bankrupt stocks and their matching samples exhibits strong non-linearity: significantly positive when the matching sample performs well and zero otherwise. Third, we find that investing in Chapter 11 stocks incurs large losses. Consistent with the theories of heterogeneous beliefs and limits-to-arbitrage, stocks with higher levels of information uncertainty and more binding short-sale constraints experience more negative returns during the Chapter 11 process.
Selected nutritional and biochemical changes during the production of baked and fried arepas

Arepa is an unleavened bread made of corn, kneaded with salt and water, commonly consumed either baked or fried by the Venezuelan population. Their use in specialty restaurants and by Venezuelans living in other countries is on the increase. However, little is known about the nutritional quality of this product, particularly as affected by processing. Arepas are prepared by adding salt and water to corn flour, mixing until a consistent dough is formed, shaping into a flat disc (3–4 in. in diameter) and either baked or fried until golden brown. The baked and fried arepas contained 54.81 and 26.82 percent moisture, 0.74 and 13.26 percent fat, 4.26 and 6.28 percent protein, 1.09 and 2.03 percent ash, 0.83 and 0.85 percent fiber, 38.27 and 48.96 percent carbohydrate and 168.5 and 340.3 kcal/100 g, respectively. Calcium, Cu, K, Mg and Zn increased during processing. Changes in water activity (Aw ) and pH were not significantly pronounced.
Collaborative scheduling using JMS in a mixed Java and .NET environment

A collaborative framework/environment was prototyped to prove the feasibility of scheduling space flight missions on NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) in a distributed fashion. In this environment, effective collaboration relies on efficient communications among all flight mission and DSN scheduling users. Therefore, messaging becomes critical to timely event notification and data synchronization. In the prototype, a rapid messaging system using Java Message Service (JMS) in a mixed Java and .NET environment is established. This scheme allows both Java and .NET applications to communicate with each other for data synchronization and schedule negotiation. The JMS approach we used is based on a centralized messaging scheme. With proper use of a high speed messaging system, all users in this collaborative framework can communicate with each other to generate a schedule collaboratively to meet DSN and projects tracking needs.
Linewidth reduction and frequency stabilization of semiconductor lasers using dispersive losses in an atomic vapor

The effects of a dispersive loss on the linewidth and chirp of a semiconductor laser are discussed. A van der Pol analysis is used to obtain expressions for linewidth reduction and chirp reduction in an arbitrary optical feedback configuration. Specifically, the use of an atomic cesium vapor as a dispersive loss mechanism is considered. The dominant factor in reducing the linewidth and chirp is shown to be the frequency-dependent phase change from the atomic vapor. However, it is shown that under certain operating conditions the frequency-dependent amplitude changes from the atomic vapor also contribute to the reduction. The results are shown to be in agreement with a detailed rate equation calculation. >
Insulin production and glucose tolerance in patients with granuloma annulare.

Summary.— Ten patients with granuloma annulare were studied for evidence of carbohydrate intolerance. By traditional criteria, 2 had an abnormal glucose tolerance test. Of the remaining 8,3 had an abnormal cortisone-glucose tolerance test. The findings indicate a higher incidence (50%) of glucose intolerance in these patients than is found in the average population. In the cortisone-glucose tolerance test, plasma insulin response to glucose loading was significantly lower in the population of 10 patients with granuloma annulare than in a normal control group. The remaining 4 granuloma annulare patients with normal glucose values in both the standard and cortisone-induced glucose tolerance tests were aiso evaluated by measuring plasma insulin response to glucose loading. These 4 patients, when evaluated as a group, demonstrated also a significantly lower insulin response to glucose than the control population. These results suggest a decreased pancreatic beta cell sensitivity to glucose stimulation in patients with granuloma annulare.
Bacterial Otitis Media, the Chinchilla Middle Ear, and Biofilms

Otitis media in children has a significant impact on heath care and health-care economics [1]. It is the number one reason children are seen in physicians' offices and the most common reason children are given antibiotics [2]. The economic impact was estimated in 1998 to be between $3 billion and $5 billion per year in the United States. This estimate does not take into consideration the indirect costs associated with lost time at work for the
A CASE OF HYPERINSULINISM TREATED WITH INSULIN

Hyperinsulinism has been recognized as a clinical entity for only a few years. This recognition has resulted from the intensive studies of blood sugar levels, which have been stimulated during the past decade, by the discovery of insulin. Abnormal hypoglycemia, usually constant, is the laboratory finding in these cases. The patients complain of nervousness,attacks of weakness,perspiration, tachycardia and sinking spells,which may even lead to unconsciousness. Hyperinsulinism may have either a functional or an organic basis. In the first type, the insulogenic apparatus produces more insulin than is needed, which in turn leads to hypoglycemia and the characteristic symptoms. This hypoglycemia may be due either to hyperfunction of the islands of Langerhans, or to an irregularity in the nervous mechanism of control. In some cases, there is carcinoma or adenoma of the islands which results in increased secretion of insulin, or, as has been pointed out by some writers, the secretion of the adenoma—itself not in...
Performance analysis of conformal conical arrays for airborne vehicles

Conformal array apertures have great potential for providing high performance, low weight systems with little or no impact to the aerodynamic design of the air vehicle. A performance analysis of conformal conical arrays for a national airborne radar application is presented. The conical array geometry is chosen for its similarity to an aircraft or missile nosecone. Performance capabilities are analyzed for a number of antenna performance parameters including scan volume, sidelobe levels, grating lobes, beamwidth, directivity, element count, and cross-polarization
Myths and Realities of Idi Amin Dada's Uganda

Like several previous publications, the central theme of the books under review is their concern about the violation of human rights in Idi Amin Dada's Uganda. Unlike some of the earlier publications, however, these authors have unquestionable credentials for the task they embarked on. Although, for instance, Gwyn and the Meladys are foreigners, they lived in Uganda and studied Amin at close quarters. Kyemba, on the other hand, was born and raised in Uganda and worked as a cabinet minister in Amin's government before defecting. Respectable as these authors are, however, the question which still remains unanswered is: what portion of their writings is a myth and what can be taken as a reality? While raising this question may be like hair splitting where there is no hair to split, note should be taken that although Amin is generally portrayed as a ruthless dictator, there are individuals who believe that such an assessment is due to bias rather than the realities of the Ugandan situation (N. Y. Amsterdam News, 7 May 1977). Furthermore note should be made of the fact that even some serious academic works on contemporary Uganda have been criticized for lack of depth. For example, able as Ali Mazrui is, his writings on Uganda have been questioned on grounds that they are not an "empirically disciplined explanation of the African process (Yeager, 1977: 293) or "because Mazrui seldom develops his arguments in any detail before moving on to another area, nor does he attempt to gather the necessary empirical support for his hypotheses" (Ravenhill, 1976: 725). Given the existence of such doubtful views on interpretations of recent Ugandan history, this paper will focus on the question of myth versus reality in examining the subthemes of Amin's rise to power, his expulsion of Asians, the killings that followed, and the world reaction to these events.
GLC Assay for Lidocaine in Human Plasma

A simple, rapid, and highly sensitive method for the GLC analysis of plasma lidocaine is described. Mepivacaine hydrochloride is added as the internal standard; the plasma is deproteinated and centrifuged, and the supernate is alkalinized and extracted into a small volume of carbon disulfide. The column is connected to a flame-ionization detector, and the column oven temperature is programmed from 130 to 260°. Plasma lidocaine concentrations between 0.04 and 8.0 μg/ml can be measured accurately, and there is no interference from the monoethylglycinexylidide or glycinexylidide metabolites of lidocaine or from many commonly used drugs and diagnostic agents. The sensitivity, simplicity, and speed of this assay are important in pharmacokinetic studies of lidocaine.
Physical Biology in Cancer. 2. The physical biology of circulating tumor cells

The identification, isolation, and characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) promises to enhance our understanding of the evolution of cancer in humans. CTCs provide a window into the hematogenous, or “fluid phase,” of cancer, underlying the metastatic transition in which a locally contained tumor spreads to other locations in the body through the bloodstream. With the development of sensitive and specific CTC identification and isolation methodologies, the role of CTCs in clinical diagnostics, disease surveillance, and the physical basis of metastasis continues to be established. This review focuses on the quantification of the basic biophysical properties of CTCs and the use of these metrics to understand the hematogenous dissemination of these enigmatic cells.
Telephone-delivered physical activity intervention for individuals with serious mental illness: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is prevalent in individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of a telephone-delivered physical activity (PA) intervention for outpatients with serious mental illness to maintain PA and to explore the preliminary efficacy of the intervention on health status. DESIGN: This study used a randomized experimental design. The treatment group received pedometers and eight weekly phone calls; the control group received written information regarding PA. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data collected at baseline and 8 weeks. RESULTS: Twenty-two subjects with SMI (mean age = 44.09 ± 7.6 years; 54.5% were male) were recruited and 16 subjects completed the study in 8 weeks. PA (z = −2.37, p = .02) increased in the treatment group (n = 8) whereas the control group (n = 8) maintained baseline PA level (z = −1.61, p = .11). Health outcomes were not changed (ps > .05). CONCLUSION: Telephone-delivered intervention is feasibl...
Predicting The Outcome Of NASCAR Races: The Role Of Driver Experience

As national interest in NASCAR grows, the field of sports economics is increasingly addressing various aspects of this sporting contest. The outcome of NASCAR races is of particular interest to fans and thus, models describing and predicting the outcome of NASCAR races are beginning to emerge. This paper builds a model predicting the outcome of NASCAR races using NASCAR data. The outcome is hypothesized to depend on a set of variables and looks in particular, at the importance of driver experience. The findings of this paper conclude that driver years of experience do in fact play a significant role in predicting the outcome of NASCAR races.
Visualization and interpretation of geologic data in 3D virtual reality

We have developed an argument and evidence from our experiences for the utility of 3D virtual reality (3DVR) systems in the interpretation of 3D geologic data. Interpretation of 3D data by geoscientists is performed in “the mind.” Visualization of 3D data in 3DVR environments is an efficient method of getting the data into the mind. Descriptions of visualization and interpretation of several different geologic data sets in 3DVR environments illustrate the advantages of 3DVR. Despite the advantages of visualization in 3DVR, several reasons exist for the present limited use of 3DVR by geoscientists. With the relatively recent availability and affordability of smaller hardware and software systems, we believe 3DVR should become commonplace on the desktops of geoscience interpreters.
Methylene Blue Selectively Inhibits B Cell Development and E2A Activity

Introduction E2A, a basic helix loop helix transcription factor, is essential for B lymphocyte proliferation, survival and differentiation. Mutations in E2A are associated with B cell leukemia and lymphomas. Our preliminary data suggests that E2A activity is altered by HSP70 and since HSP70 ATPase activity is inhibited by methylene blue (MB), we hypothesized that MB will alter E2A activity and thus alter B cell development. Methods We studied the effects of MB on normal and leukemic B cells compared to its effect on myeloid cells. The cell lines used were REH, NALM-6 and BAF3-p185 cells compared to myeloid cell lines, CCRF and CMK for the proliferation assay. To study MB effect on normal B and myeloid progenitors, methylcellulose colony formation assays with murine bone marrow cells (strain 129S1/SVImJ, 8-12 weeks old mice) were performed. We also treated mice with MB in their drinking water (1000 μM) up to 16 weeks to study the in-vivo effect on B cells as compared to granulocyte, macrophages, T cells and NK cells in the peripheral blood by flow cytometry analysis. To understand the mechanisms by which MB alters B cell proliferation, we examined the effects of MB on cell cycle progression, apoptosis and E2A activity in B cells. For cell progression NALM-6 cells were treated with 4 μM MB for 0, 6, 12 and 24 hrs and assayed using BRDU staining by flow cytometry analysis. Further, apoptosis was measured using Annexin V staining by flow cytometry analysis in NALM-6 cells up to 48hrs post treatment with MB. Lastly, E2A activity was measured using an E2A-specific luciferase reporter assay in 293T cells. Results MB decreased the proliferation of precursor B cell lines, REH, NALM-6 and BAF3-p185 cells compared to myeloid cell lines, CCRF and CMK. Similar effects of MB were also seen with normal B and myeloid progenitors as assayed by methylcellulose colony formation assays with murine bone marrow cells. Similarly, there is a significant decrease in peripheral B cells as compared to granulocytes, macrophages, T cells and NK cells when the mice were treated with 1000 μM of methylene blue in their drinking water as compared to those that remained untreated. MB caused apoptosis and decreased the S phase fraction of treated NALM-6 cells. In addition, we found that MB inhibited E2A activity using an E2A-specific luciferase reporter assay. Conclusion Our findings suggest that MB is a specific inhibitor of B cell proliferation, survival and development. This effect may be mediated by the inhibition of E2A activity by methylene blue. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Capitalism in Southeast Asia through the Lenses of Corporate Finance: What We Know and What We Don't

This study looks at capitalism in Southeast Asia through the lenses of modern corporate finance, based on contract and ownership theories of the firm. The paper limits its survey to recent literature that uses firm-level micro data of Southeast Asia corporate firms. Three major common issues of Southeast Asian capitalism that have shaped the modern corporate sector of the region are explored: overseas Chinese businesses, business groups, and government-business relations. The paper also shows that, despite the growing interest in the region, the literature is still very sparse and many questions remain unanswered.
Class and Party in Partisan and Non-Partisan Elections: The Case of Des Moines

In a recent monograph, Professor Heinz Eulau begins his analysis by quoting two “evidently antagonistic formulations” of the theoretical underpinnings of voting behavior in the United States: 1. “A person thinks, politically, as he is socially.” 2. Crucial among the elements in the electoral decision are “traditional or habitual partisan attachments.” These rival conceptions of primacy among politically relevant variables are often summarized by the terms “class” and “party.” As Eulau points out, “from Aristotle to Harold J. Laski, the relationship between class and party has been one of the ‘grand problems,’ so-called, of speculation about political systems. It has also remained one of the most neglected areas of systematic theory and of empirical analysis.” Data drawn from Survey Research Center surveys have recently been used to explore the relative importance and specify the interdependence of class and party in American voting. Generally, they show party to be more immediately relevant to the voting decision than class, though class position clearly shapes and sets limits to possible party identification and party-related perspectives. Difficult problems are involved in attempting to sort out and define the two postulated independent variables. The extent to which, in some sense, class determines party orientation is perhaps the most difficult. For example, even when it is found that a certain portion of the working class prefers the Republican party, it may still be that a generation or two earlier the families of this group were Republican on class grounds, and have perpetuated the identification through the socialization process. Campbell et al. , conclude that party identification has a “conserving influence,” inhibiting or, at least, slowing down the political manifestation of changes in class position. Their dat a strongly suggest that in any immediate situation class will be much less highly correlated with the vote than party preference. Campbell et al. , do not attempt to control for class in relating party identification to the vote, although they do explore the separate effect of class. Eulau deals with this problem at length, but his focus is rather different. He does not attempt to specify the relative weight of each independent variable in predicting the vote, but concentrates on exploring the interrelationships of the two variables.
IMMUNOLOGICAL DETECTION AND SUBCELLULAR LOCALIZATION OF HSP70 AND HSP60 HOMOLOGS IN TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS

Heat shock protein (Hsp) homologs of Trichomonas vaginalis belonging to Hsp70 and Hsp60 families with Mr 72 and 58 kDa, respectively, were detected by cross-reacting polyclonal antibody to DnaK of Escherichia coli. polyclonal antibody to Hsp60 of Heliothis virescens, and polyclonal antibody to GroEL/Hsp60 of cyanobacteria. A diffuse and finely granular intracellular staining of T. vaginalis was obtained with anti-DnaK on frozen 4-micron sections of the parasite as revealed by light microscopy. This antibody also recognized T. vaginalis antigen(s) present mainly in the Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, and hydrogenosomes, as demonstrated by immunoelectron microscopy. Both antibodies against Hsp60 variants localized a homolog antigen in light microscopic granules, corresponding to hydrogenosomes of T. vaginalis.
Getting Involved With the Digital Humanities in Theology, Biblical Studies, and Religious Studies

It is of particular interest to my intentions here — encouraging theological and religious studies libraries and librarians to become more involved with the digital humanities — that the generally recognized pioneer of this movement was a theologian, and his project was theological in nature. Father Roberto Busa, an Italian Jesuit priest, developed in 1949 a computerized linguistic concordance of the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Busa’s Index Thomisticus1 took thirty years to complete, and early-on he recognized he would need assistance with this ambitious and momentous undertaking. “In 1946...I started to think of an Index Thomisticus, a concordance of all the words of Thomas Aquinas, including conjunctions, prepositions and pronouns, to serve other scholars for analogous studies....It was clear to me...that to process texts containing more than ten million words, I had to look for some type of machinery.”2
In-situ Mechanical Characterization of a 100 Nanometer Thick Freestanding Aluminum Film in TEM Using MEMS Force Sensors

We present a new experimental method for mechanical characterization of freestanding thin films with thicknesses on the order of nanometers to micrometers. The method utilizes MEMS force sensors and allows, for the first time, both quantitative and qualitative observation of materials response under uniaxial tension in SEM and TEM. Cofabrication of the specimen with force sensors eliminates problems related to gripping and force misalignment, and reduces the setup size. We demonstrate the method on a 100 nanometer thick freestanding Aluminum film inside a TEM. Preliminary results obtained indicate the applicability of the method as a tool for understanding the fundamentals of materials behavior in the micro/nano scale.
Ranolazine and Microvascular Angina by PET in the Emergency Department: Results From a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Purpose Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is a common but underdiagnosed cause of chest pain. Literature is scant regarding effective treatments. We explored the effect of ranolazine on coronary flow reserve (CFR) among symptomatic patients with CMD. Methods This pilot double-blinded randomized controlled trial included emergency department patients with chest pain and CMD admitted to an observation unit between June 2014 and November 2015. Participants were assessed by cardiac Rb-82 positron emission tomography and computed tomography imaging at baseline and 30 days. CMD was defined as CFR Findings We enrolled 31 patients (71% female, mean [SD] age 50 [6] years) with CMD (mean [SD] corrected CFR 1.6 [0.3]). Ranolazine improved CFR at 30 days by 17% ( P = 0.005) compared with 0% with placebo ( P = 0.67). However, there was no significant difference in the primary outcome as measured by mean change in CFR (0.27 ranolazine compared with 0.06 placebo; 95% CI, −0.08 to 0.62). Implications The emergency department offers a unique venue to diagnose CMD with acute symptoms. In an exploratory randomized controlled trial of symptomatic patients with CMD and no coronary artery disease, promising results were seem with ranolazine and CFR improving at 30 days. Large robust clinical trials are needed to verify improvement of CMD in a sex-specific model. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02052011.
Derailed Values: Planning Education, External Funding, and Environmental Justice in New Orleans Rail Planning:

Studio courses can transform practice and impart planning values, but increasing university expectations around revenue generation could create barriers for these objectives. To understand how fund...
Understanding a Vicious Cycle: Do Out-of-School Suspensions Impact Student Test Scores?

A vast body of research has proven the correlation between exclusionary discipline (out-of-school suspensions and expulsions) and student outcomes such as lower test scores, dropout, grade retention, and involvement in the juvenile justice system, but there is no consensus on the causal impacts of exclusionary discipline. This study uses six years of de-identified demographic, achievement, and disciplinary data from all K-12 public schools in Arkansas to estimate the causal relationship. We conduct dynamic panel data models incorporating student fixed effects using Anderson-Hsiao (1981) estimation. We find, counter-intuitively, a null to positive impact of out-of-school suspensions on test scores. Therefore, while policymakers may have other reasons to limit exclusionary discipline, we should not expect academic gains to follow.
Quantifying the Family-Life Cycle

The author demonstrates, with data for more than 14,000 life-insurance agency applicants, how one can develop a quantified life-cycle score based on age, marital status, and number of dependents.
Insurrections djihadistes en Afrique de l’Ouest : idéologie mondiale, contexte local, motivations individuelles

La recente montee en puissance de mouvements jihadistes en Afrique de l’Ouest, comme Boko Haram dans la region du lac Tchad et Al-Qaida au Maghreb islamique et ses affilies dans la region sahelo-saharienne, a surpris les observateurs. La propagation de l’ideologie jihadiste, la facilite de recrutement au sein des populations locales, de meme que la capacite a conquerir et administrer des territoires sont des phenomenes sans precedent. La note eclaire sur les facteurs et processus qui contribuent a l’emergence de ces mouvements. Ce travail avance que les insurrections jihadistes en Afrique de l’Ouest decoulent de processus a l’oeuvre aux niveaux mondial, local et individuel. Au niveau mondial, une ideologie internationale du jihadisme s’est formee et propagee, conceptualiseepar des activistes musulmans et des theologiens tenant d’une interpretation particuliere de l’islam. Au niveau local, l’appropriation de l’ideologie jihadiste par des « islamistes » et son utilisation au service d’un discours qui instrumentalise des revendications sociales et politiques sont un facteur cle. L’affaiblissement des capacites de l’Etat et les conflits locaux creent des conditions propices a l’emergence de mouvements d’insurrection jihadistes. Au niveau individuel, le processus par lequel des Africains decident de rejoindre des groupes jihadistes releve de motivations ideologiques, strategiques ou conjoncturelles, favorisees par la deterioration des conditions de vie dans des regions en marge.
Impact of nanosecond pulsed electric fields on primary hippocampal neurons

Cellular exposure to nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) are believed to cause immediate creation of nanopores in the plasma membrane. These nanopores enable passage of small ions, but remain impermeable to larger molecules like propidium iodide. Previous work has shown that nanopores are stable for minutes after exposure, suggesting that formation of nanopores in excitable cells could lead to prolonged action potential inhibition. Previously, we measured the formation of nanopores in neuroblastoma cells by measuring the influx of extracellular calcium by preloading cells with Calcium Green-AM. In this work, we explored the impact of changing the width of a single nsPEF, at constant amplitude, on uptake of extracellular calcium ions by primary hippocampal neurons (PHN). Calcium Green was again used to measure the influx of extracellular calcium and FM1-43 was used to monitor changes in membrane conformation. The observed thresholds for nanopore formation in PHN by nsPEF were comparable to those measured in neuroblastoma. This work is the first study of nsPEF effects on PHN and strongly suggests that neurological inhibition by nanosecond electrical pulses is highly likely at doses well below irreversible damage.
Concordance analysis of paired cancer antigen (CA) 15-3 and 27.29 testing.

Cancer antigens (CA) 15-3 and 27.29 are used in the clinical management of many breast cancer patients. Given that immunoassays for CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 target epitopes on the same glycoprotein—Mucin 1 (MUC1)—the present analysis was conducted to evaluate the potential concordance of tumor marker results when both tests were ordered by providers on the same specimens. A retrospective limited dataset of paired CA 15-3 (Roche Diagnostics) and CA 27.29 (Siemens Diagnostics) test results was obtained from a national clinical reference laboratory. Concordance according to reference interval (RI) status and percent (%) change between consecutive test results was analyzed. 37,652 paired results from 12,470 distinct patients were obtained. The correlation between CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 results was high (correlation coefficient: Pearson, 0.967), although across the dataset a significant difference between CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 results was observed (P < 0.05). RI concordance between CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 results was observed in 93.7% of pairs (35,280 of 37,652). Correlation was also observed in the % change of CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 results between consecutive specimens for individual patients. Using doubling or halving thresholds (i.e., 100% increase or 50% decrease), concordance in % change was observed between CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 in approximately 90% of cases. Individual patient results trended similarly across both markers over time. While generally concordant, CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 results should not be used interchangeably. The present report provides no evidence for added value in performing both tests routinely for individual patients.
Speedy standing wave design and simulated moving bed splitting strategies for the separation of ternary mixtures with linear isotherms.

Abstract Simulated Moving Bed (SMB) has advantages over batch chromatography in terms of productivity and solvent efficiency. However, SMB applications in large scale production are still limited because of the many design parameters that must be specified and the multiple splitting strategies that can be implemented. To overcome these barriers, this study extends the Speedy Standing Wave Design (SSWD) method of Weeden and Wang for binary linear systems to ternary linear adsorption systems. The dimensionless operating parameters, sorbent productivity, and solvent efficiency can be quickly calculated without process simulations. SSWD also gives an overview of the productivity and solvent efficiency as a function of two key dimensionless groups. This overview can be used for optimization of separation costs and for comparison of splitting strategies. The SSWD method was verified using rate model simulations for the separation of three amino acids. The simulated yields agree with the SSWD target yields within 1% for all components. The example was also used to illustrate the key design rules for ternary separations. High productivity and solvent efficiency can be achieved with a large difference in the retention factors of the heavy key and light key, which are the components that define the split of the feed between extract and raffinate products. For ternary ideal systems, solvent efficiency is inversely proportional to the largest difference in retention factors. For this reason, minimizing the overall range of retention factors can significantly improve the solvent efficiency and product concentration without sacrificing productivity. If more than one SMB is needed, the easiest split should be done first for higher productivity, solvent efficiency, and product concentration. In the example case study, both the productivity and solvent efficiency were about an order of magnitude higher when the easiest split was done in the first ring. The SSWD method can be used to design a wide array of multi-component separations with high yield, productivity, and solvent efficiency.
No detriment in taste response or expression in offspring of mice fed representative levels of sucrose or non-caloric sucralose while pregnant

Recent studies in mice indicate that consumption of acesulfame K (a high intensity sweetener) while pregnant, can lead to deficits in taste or enhanced sweet consumption in the offspring, leading to concerns the same may be common in human populations. However, this work employed a relatively unpopular sweetener, fed in quantities amounting to over 20× the FDA's Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). The aims of this study were to test the effects of sucralose, the USA's most popular high intensity sweetener, along with sucrose, on the taste system of the offspring of mice supplemented at a level commensurate with ADIs while pregnant. The hypothesis was that feeding a dam intensely sweet solutions would produce offspring with enhanced response to sweet taste, when compared to offspring of dams given only water. Females were mated following a 4-week period in which one group was given a measured ration of sucrose or sucralose in addition to chow and water, with the control group given chow and water only. Sucrose and sucralose solutions were removed two weeks after parturition to prevent direct consumption by the offspring. The offspring at 8weeks of age for both the sucrose and sucralose supplementation showed no change in their taste response to sucrose or sucralose. No effect of maternal sweet supplementation was detected at the taste bud level, with fungiform taste bud density and taste bud gene expression remaining unchanged. Overall, this study suggests that sucrose and sucralose consumption at human-relevant levels during pregnancy and lactation do not produce any long-term changes to the offspring's peripheral taste system.
Isomorphic Indicators in Theological and Psychological Science

The culture split between science and theology by which theology tends to abandon the concrete observable world to science, while science tends to dismiss questions of ontology (God), is presented ...
Hermeneutics versus stupidities of all sorts

Das provokative und vielgelobte Buch Rorty's, des inzwischen international bekannten Ordinarius aus Princeton, stellt das gesamte Unternehmen der abendlandischen Philosophie in Frage. Zentrales Thema vonPhilosophy and the Mirror of Nature sind Krise und Niedergang der analytischen Philosophy, wie wir sie seit Descartes, Locke und Kant kennen. Wahrend Descartes und Locke die Seele (mind) als Auge modellierten, das die ausere Welt als inneres Bild wahrnimmt und vermittelt, verfeinerte Kant diese okulare Metapher durch Einfuhrung des transzendentalen Subjekts. Gleichzeitig gab Kant der professionalen Philosophie die Aufgabe, uber die Legitimitat intellektueller Anstrengungen zurichten. Legitimitat aber kann nur gegrundet sein in objektiven Kriterien und Regeln daruber, welche Reprasentationen der Welt als die wahren anzuerkennen sind. Nach Rorty fuhrt dieser Ansatz die Philosophie unabdingbar auf den verhangnisvollen Weg der Reduktion auf Epistemologie. Die damit auftretenden erkenntnistheoretischen Probleme gilt es jedoch nicht zulosen, sondernaufzulosen, zum Verschwinden zu bringen. Eine Besserung fur die Sache der Philosophie sei zu erhoffen nur von einer historischen Kehrtwende zur Geschichte als Therapie. An dieser Stelle werden Wittgenstein, Heidegger und Dewey als Neuerer einer hermeneutisch orientierten philosophischen Pragmatik vorgestellt. Das Buch endet mit einer Skizze, wie das Unternehmen Philosophie in Zukunft menschlicher, dilettantischer, sozialer und damit insgesamt relevanter gestaltet werden kann. — Nicht so sehr Rorty's Verdikt uber die Fruchtlosigkeit der analytischen Tradition — das weite Teile der analytischen Philosophy in Sophisterei und Langeweile ausgeartet sind, ist bekannt — als vielmehr Rorty's Methode soll hier untersucht werden, sein Stil, seine professionellen Argumente als Beispiel einer ebenso zeitlosen wie vielgesichtigen Vorgehensweise in der abendlandischen Philosophie, die Rorty neu orientieren will: Philosophie, der der Atem ausgeht uber der Arbeit am Begriff, hat die Tendenz, eine Atempause in der Historie zu suchen oder das Philosophieren durch metaphilosophische Prolegomena zu einer zukunftigen neuen Metaphysik zu ersetzen. Rorty liefert beides: Kritik der Tradition und Versprechen einer besseren Zukunft. Allerdings sind seine de-konstruktiven Partien der professionellen Auseinandersetzung mit der analytischen Nachfolge Kants ungleich brillanter als sein Pladoyer fur eine Symbiose von Gedanken des humanistischen neunzehnten Jahrhunderts mit Sokratischer Polypragmatik und Wittgensteinschen Therapien. Rosina: You are always insulting our poor century.
ALife Using Adaptive, Autonomous, and Individual Agent Control

This is a review of three, agent control algorithm, replication experiments. In the 1948 essay, Intelligent Machinery, the English mathematician Alan Turing described an algorithm for constructing a machine that he claimed was capable of cybernetic (or steered feedback) self-organization. There are few, if any, references in either the historical or the technical literatures to instantiations made of this algorithm. Turing named the machine the P-Type Unorganized Machine. Considering the lack of replication evidence in the literature, three hypotheses motivated this review: 1) Turing did not describe the algorithm with sufficient detail so as to make it possible to instantiate, or that 2) if the algorithm could be instantiated it would not operate as Turing stated, or 3) both. The three replication experiments reviewed here proved the hypotheses qualitatively false when unique P-Type machines were instantiated. Each instantiation functioned as an adaptive, autonomous, and individual agent controller.
A conceptual model of the axiomatic usability evaluation method

This paper describes a new usability evaluation method developed for consumer electronics. This method, Axiomatic Evaluation, is based on Axiomatic Design theory, a formalized methodology that can be used to represent a variety of design problems. From this perspective, to generate a design that meets the perceived needs, designers should first specify the design goals of "what we want to achieve", and then start the design process with a clear description of "how we will achieve it", so that the recursive "design/build/test" cycle could be reduced.
The Iceman murder: one of a series of contract murders

A body with a gunshot wound to the head was discovered in a wooded area in mid September 1983 wrapped with about 20 consecutive layers of plastic garbage bags and rope. Examination of the body revealed a bullet hole in the occipital-parietal region and a peculiar decomposition of the body. Following a forensic reconstruction of our autopsy findings, microscopic studies and other ancillary factors, we concluded that the body had been frozen for about 2 and one-quarter years prior to its being dumped along a mountain road here in Rockland County. The means by which we concluded that the victim had been frozen for about 2 and one-quarter years and other important aspects of this case are fully discussed.
Barriers to Accurate Blood Pressure Measurement in the Medical Office.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of blood pressure (BP) measurement errors in the outpatient setting, little is known about why primary care clinics struggle to achieve consistently accurate...
African American women’s relationship with their mobile phone, and what they want in a mobile delivered physical activity intervention: guidance for intervention development

Background: Mobile phone text messaging is an emerging platform in physical activity (PA) interventions with African American (AA) women. Research on the relationship that AA women have with their mobile phone as well as their views about text messaging as a potentially viable platform to help them acquire and maintain regular PA is central in advancing this field of research. Both self-report measures and qualitative interviews may be helpful in this endeavor. Methods: In the current study, a sample of 42 generally physically inactive AA women (mean age =35, SD =10.25) completed the Mobile Phone Affinity Scale (MPAS), which consists of six subscales that represent both positive (Connectedness, Productivity, Empowerment) and negative (Continuous Use, Anxious Attachment, Addiction) cognitions and behaviors that are associated with mobile phone use patterns. A subgroup of twenty participants completed a semi-structured qualitative interview that explored their views of text messaging technology as a potential platform to help become and remain physically active. Quantitative analyses included frequency and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and assessed mobile phone use patterns and demographic differences based on age, marital status and education on the MPAS. Qualitative content analysis was conducted on participants’ verbatim responses. Results: Results indicated that participants overall endorsed the positive MPAS subscales at a higher frequency compared to the negative subscales. Demographic differences were noted only for age and marital status for some of the MPAS subscales. Younger participants reported higher mean scores for the MPAS subscales Connectedness (P=0.005), Empowerment/Safety (P=0.04), Continuous Use (P=0.04), and Addiction (P=0.004) in comparison to older participants. Significant results for marital status showed single participants were higher on the Connectedness (P=0.02) and Productivity (P=0.01) subscales compared to married participants. Qualitative data showed that 19 of the 20 participants (95%) viewed text messaging as an appealing platform to deliver daily motivational messages to increase PA engagement. Participants stated a text messaging PA intervention would be “convenient” and “motivating”. However, most participants suggested that other mobile phone technology applications in addition to text messaging would facilitate self-monitoring PA behaviors (e.g., goal setting, activity tracking) in mobile phone delivered (mHealth) PA interventions targeting AA women. Conclusions: The study findings provide guidance in the development of mHealth intervention approaches for PA promotion that are likely to appeal to AA women, increase engagement, and behavior change among this group.
Seeking neurophysiological manifestations of speech production: An ERP study.

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the neurophysiological correlates of speech production by elucidating pertinent ERP components. Such examination can pave way for investigations on typical and atypical speech neuromotor control. Participants completed a speech task by saying a specific word (speaking condition) or withholding the verbal response (non-speaking condition) based on the color of a frame placed around a fixation cross that were displayed on a computer screen. They also completed a simple hand motor task by pressing a button with the right or left index finger based on the color of a frame. The hand motor task was administered to verify that neural activity specific to motor preparation was detectable. Two ERP components emerged from the multichannel principal component analysis (PCA) as distinguishing between the speaking and no speaking conditions: a posterior negative component, and a left lateralized positive component. The morphology of the posterior negative component, as well as the correlation between its magnitude and mean response time suggest that this component is closely associated with speech motor control. The left-lateralized component was interpreted as reflecting a process possibly mediated by the speech dominant left hemisphere.
A Picture of Society with Critical Tax Theory As Its Interpreter

This essay reviews Anthony Infanti's book Our Selfish Tax Laws: Toward Tax Reform that Mirrors Our Better Selves (MIT Press, 2018). Professor Infanti's work has long explored issues of bias and difference in the U.S. context, and with this book, he places his study of U.S. tax law in a comparative context with Canada, France and Spain. He uses the lenses of housing policy and the taxable unit to illustrate each country’s different values. Professor Infanti’s book illustrates the myriad ways that the U.S. tax law both supports and is a constituent part of a discriminatory legal system that treats people differently because of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, gender identity, and disability. In that way, the tax laws are a “mirror” of the society we currently have. But Professor Infanti goes a step further and calls readers to see, in the reflection of the tax laws, the possibility of our “better selves.” Professor Infanti recognizes the extraordinary expressive value of the tax law; he imagines a system of collection, enforcement and public spending that benefits all people and reflects the nation’s highest and best values of equal opportunity, human dignity and shared community.