cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The velocity of the arterial pulse wave: a viscous-fluid shock wave in an elastic tube

Background: The arterial pulse is a viscous-fluid shock wave that is initiated by blood ejected from the heart. This wave travels away from the heart at a speed termed the pulse wave velocity (PWV). The PWV increases during the course of a number of diseases, and this increase is often attributed to arterial stiffness. As the pulse wave approaches a point in an artery, the pressure rises as does the pressure gradient. This pressure gradient increases the rate of blood flow ahead of the wave. The rate of blood flow ahead of the wave decreases with distance because the pressure gradient also decreases with distance ahead of the wave. Consequently, the amount of blood per unit length in a segment of an artery increases ahead of the wave, and this increase stretches the wall of the artery. As a result, the tension in the wall increases, and this results in an increase in the pressure of blood in the artery. Methods: An expression for the PWV is derived from an equation describing the flow-pressure coupling (FPC) for a pulse wave in an incompressible, viscous fluid in an elastic tube. The initial increase in force of the fluid in the tube is described by an increasing exponential function of time. The relationship between force gradient and fluid flow is approximated by an expression known to hold for a rigid tube. Results: For large arteries, the PWV derived by this method agrees with the Korteweg-Moens equation for the PWV in a non-viscous fluid. For small arteries, the PWV is approximately proportional to the Korteweg-Moens velocity divided by the radius of the artery. The PWV in small arteries is also predicted to increase when the specific rate of increase in pressure as a function of time decreases. This rate decreases with increasing myocardial ischemia, suggesting an explanation for the observation that an increase in the PWV is a predictor of future myocardial infarction. The derivation of the equation for the PWV that has been used for more than fifty years is analyzed and shown to yield predictions that do not appear to be correct. Conclusion: Contrary to the theory used for more than fifty years to predict the PWV, it speeds up as arteries become smaller and smaller. Furthermore, an increase in the PWV in some cases may be due to decreasing force of myocardial contraction rather than arterial stiffness.
Web-Based Reanalysis Intercomparison Tools (WRIT) for Analysis and Comparison of Reanalyses and Other Datasets

While atmospheric reanalysis datasets are widely used in climate science, many technical issues hinder comparing them to each other and to observations. The reanalysis fields are stored in diverse file architectures, data formats, and resolutions. Their metadata, such as variable name and units, can also differ. Individual users have to download the fields, convert them to a common format, store them locally, change variable names, regrid if needed, and convert units. Even if a dataset can be read via the Open-Source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (commonly known as OPeNDAP) or a similar protocol, most of this work is still needed. All of these tasks take time, effort, and money. Our group at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado and affiliated colleagues at the NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory Physical Sciences Division have expertise both in making reanalysis datasets available and in creating web-based climate analysis tool...
Devolution of the Small Cities CDBG Program in Mississippi

In 1982 responsibility for HUD's Small Cities Community Development Block Grant program was transferred to state governments as part of President Reagan's New Federalism initiatives. Devolution was designed to (1) implement a new vision of American federalism, (2) shift control over a significant source of financial resources for nonmetropolitan areas, and (3) end the bypassing of state government officials in community development decisionmaking. This article uses the eleven year (1975-1985) history of Small Cities CDBG awards in Mississippi to assess the consequences of the program's devolution. Changes in the pattern of state CDBG awards indicate that the program's devolution produced a policy redirection that channeled CDBG funds to a larger number of the smallest municipalities and permitted more local discretion in project design. As a result, HUD no longer dictated community development policy to small cities. Instead, community development priorities in Mississippi emerged out of an award process that involved interaction among state and local officials.
Effect of Abiotic Factors on Initiation of Red Flour Beetle (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Flight

Traps baited with pheromones are used to monitor the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera-Tenebrionidae), populations in flour mills to aid in making pest management decisions, but the factors that influence T. castaneum movement are not fully understood. We investigated the impact of photoperiod, light intensity, temperature, and relative humidity on flight initiation. The percentage of adults initiating flight reached a maximum at 30 -35 degrees C, and then fell to zero at 22.5 and 45 degrees C. Only 2% of beetles flew in complete darkness, and the number of beetles initiating flight increased to 41% under 18 h of light and then decreased slightly to 37% under 24 h of light. Rates of flight initiation did not vary with light intensities from 1,784 to 4,356 lux or relative humidities from 25 to 85%. Thus, temperature and photoperiod are the main abiotic factors tested that impact flight initiation in T castaneum, which have broad ranges of temperatures and photoperiods over which they can fly. The current results should be useful in helping to interpret trap catches based on abiotic conditions during the trapping period, and the results should be useful in helping to understand T. castaneum movement outside grain storages and processing facilities and their potential to infest structures.
Evaluation of nitrogen dioxide photolysis rates in an urban area using data from the 1997 Southern California Ozone Study

Abstract The photolysis of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde are two of the most influential reactions in the formation of photochemical air pollution, and their rates are computed using actinic flux determined from a radiative transfer model. In this study, we compare predicted and measured nitrogen dioxide photolysis rate coefficients ( j NO 2 ). We used the Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV) radiation transfer model to predict j NO 2 values corresponding to measurements performed in Riverside, California as part of the 1997 Southern California Ozone Study (SCOS’97). Spectrally resolved irradiance measured at the same site allowed us to determine atmospheric optical properties, such as aerosol optical depth and total ozone column, that are needed as inputs for the radiative transfer model. Matching measurements of aerosol optical depth, ozone column, and j NO 2 were obtained for 14 days during SCOS’97. By using collocated measurements of the light extinction caused by aerosols and ozone over the full height of the atmosphere as model input, it was possible to predict sudden changes in j NO 2 resulting from atmospheric variability. While the diurnal profile of the rate coefficient was readily reproduced, j NO 2 model predicted values were found to be consistently higher than measured values. The bias between measured and predicted values was 17–36%, depending on the assumed single scattering albedo. By statistical analysis, we restricted the most likely values of the single scattering albedo to a range that produced bias on the order of 20–25%. It is likely that measurement error is responsible for a significant part of the bias. The aerosol single scattering albedo was found to be a major source of uncertainty in radiative transfer model predictions. Our best estimate indicates its average value at UV-wavelengths for the period of interest is between 0.77 and 0.85.
Lower stroke risk with lower blood pressure in hemodynamic cerebral ischemia

Objective: To determine whether strict blood pressure (BP) control is the best medical management for patients with symptomatic carotid artery occlusion and hemodynamic cerebral ischemia. Methods: In this prospective observational cohort study, we analyzed data from 91 participants in the nonsurgical group of the Carotid Occlusion Surgery Study (COSS) who had recent symptomatic internal carotid artery occlusion and hemodynamic cerebral ischemia manifested by ipsilateral increased oxygen extraction fraction. The target BP goal in COSS was ≤130/85 mm Hg. We compared the occurrence of ipsilateral ischemic stroke during follow-up in the 41 participants with mean BP ≤130/85 mm Hg to the remaining 50 with higher BP. Results: Of 16 total ipsilateral ischemic strokes that occurred during follow-up, 3 occurred in the 41 participants with mean follow-up BP of ≤130/85 mm Hg, compared to 13 in the remaining 50 participants with mean follow-up BP >130/85 mm Hg (hazard ratio 3.742, 95% confidence interval 1.065–13.152, log-rank p = 0.027). Conclusion: BPs ≤130/85 mm Hg were associated with lower subsequent stroke risk in these patients. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that control of hypertension ≤130/85 mm Hg is associated with a reduced risk of subsequent ipsilateral ischemic stroke in patients with recently symptomatic carotid occlusion and hemodynamic cerebral ischemia (increased oxygen extraction fraction).
Does political reform increase wealth?: or, why the difference between the Chicago and Virginia schools is really an elasticity question*

This paper shows that contrary to Becker' work there is no innate tendency for political competition to reduce the total cost of government wealth transfers. Simple examples demonstrate how the effects of government policies on total wealth boil down to the elasticities of the marginal support and opposition curves. Disagreements between the Chicago and Virginia schools of political economy can be understood as a disagreement about these elasticities. The broader implications for this argument in terms of the efficiency of the common law are also discussed.
Application note: Verification of mass transfer simulation with CFD using highly accurate solutions

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool used for a wide range of simulations for industry processes and agricultural operations that typically involve some sort of fluid flows. In this application note, we demonstrated how we employed a commercial CFD package (FLUENT^(R) 6.0 with GAMBIT^(R) 2.0) to set up a prediction model of the solute concentration distribution in the liquid boundary layer of a slit pervaporation membrane channel and verified the numerical methodology with the analytical solution to a classic diffusion problem. The general principle of our approach is applicable to any mass transfer simulation with commercial CFD software packages.
Changes in Auditory Threshold During and after Long Duration Noise Exposure: Species Differences

Because noise exposure causes physiological changes within the cochlea which cannot be investigated directly in humans, animal models must be used to study the effects of noise on human hearing. However, in choosing an animal model, one must be aware of species differences in the reaction of the cochlea to noise exposure. These differences are reflected in the behavioral temporary threshold shifts (TTS) which result from the noise exposure.
“Litterers” How Objects of Physical Disorder Are Used to Construct Subjects of Social Disorder in a Suburb

How do people get constructed as “litterers” through objects of litter on the ground? Middle- and working-class white and black homeowners of the suburb under ethnographic study believe that litter is a significant problem in their community. Despite rarely seeing anyone actually litter, they develop folk theories that blame this problem on black, poor renters moving into the suburb. This article documents the structural features that sustain litter accumulation across different spaces. It then examines how longtime residents interpret these patterns and use their own behavior toward litter (picking it up) to claim a moral status for themselves as community insiders while constructing those they perceive as outsiders as disreputable litterers. The author considers the relationship between physical and social disorder as they construe it and the consequences of this process for theories of ecological contamination and the reinforcement of racial and class distinctions.
Is initiation of atorvastatin for employees a good buy for employers

The continually increasing share of US economic resources spent on health care has once again placed health care reform at the top of the domestic policy agenda of the Obama administration and Congress. Most of the current debate in Congress and the public press has been concerned with ways to increase health insurance coverage among uninsured individuals and has had little to do with restructuring the US health care delivery system. Fortunately, during the past 5 years, a number of new policy initiatives have attempted to improve the quality of care and the dollar value of health services purchased. One of the more promising of these efforts has focused on improving physician-patient decisions on the choice of treatment when several alternative interventions have been shown to be safe; this type of analysis is known as comparative effectiveness research. This approach was endorsed in an Institute of Medicine report that supports better decision making in health care.1 Comparative effectiveness research received financial support with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which allocated more than $1 billion to conduct studies in this area. Since President Obama signed this act, several federal funding agencies, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, have published prioritized lists of clinical areas for comparative effectiveness research and requested proposals to conduct studies.
Topographically selective reinnervation of adult mammalian skeletal muscles

In 2 rat muscles, serratus anterior and the diaphragm, the rostrocaudal axis of the motor pool is mapped onto the rostrocaudal axis of the muscle's surface (Laskowski and Sanes, 1987a). One possible basis for this orderly topography is that motor axons and intramuscular structures bear labels that favor connectivity among positionally matched partners. To test for the existence of such labels, we asked whether axons would selectively reinnervate appropriate portions of the muscles following nerve transection. We found that, on average, rostral and caudal halves of each muscle were preferentially reinnervated by axons from the rostral and caudal halves of its motor pool, respectively. In the serratus anterior, reinnervation was more selective following denervation in neonates than following denervation in adults, although in neither case was the normal pattern of innervation reestablished completely. These results show that motor axons can selectively reinnervate adult rat muscles, and support the idea that positional cues play a role in organizing neuromuscular topography.
The Usual Monkey Business: A Case of Repetition and Reform. A Response to Cheryl Craig’s“The Relationships Between and Among Teachers’ Narrative Knowledge, Communities of Knowing, and School Reform: A Case of ‘The Monkey’s Paw’”

From "The Monkey's Paw" to monkey business, the story of reform at T. P. Yeager Middle School told by Cheryl Craig highlights both the tragic and frivolous elements of many school improvement efforts. But she is after even more. She seeks to tell this story through the words and metaphors of 4 characters-Howard, Charles, Bob, and Daryl-as a solution to the "crisis of explanation" that bedevils many attempts to understand why school reform efforts fail. She implies that well-known analyses like those of Tyack and Cuban (1995) and Ravitch and Vinovskis (1995) leave her unsatisfied because they do not go deep enough in helping readers understand the roots of the challenges to reforming schools. But, in the end, it is far from clear whether the kind of narrative inquiry that she and colleagues like Clandinin and Connelly (1999) pursue can provide a more effective explanation or simply another way of thinking about reform and the experiences of those who work on it. In either case, the question in the end is whether readers end up in a better position to conceptualize, produce, understand, or critique reform efforts.
Invited Commentary: Cross-Cultural Influences on Sleep—Broadening the Environmental Landscape

Recognition among epidemiologists of the adverse health consequences of sleep habits and sleep disorders has flourished in recent years. Identifying and understanding the cross-sectionally defined environmental factors that are associated with individual differences in habitual sleep duration represents an important line of inquiry. Because of the complexity of sleep as a behavior, traditional measures such as socioeconomic and marital status, health habits, and education may require supplementation with types of data that are both novel and less conventional. Studies across cultures offer one such possibility, although it may be necessary to broaden the view of the environment at both the macro level (e.g., seasonal, geographic, and climatic variation) and the micro level (the bedroom milieu and factors that affect it) in order to fully understand the scope of such influences.
Rufinamide: A New Antiepileptic Medication for the Treatment of Seizures Associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

ObjectiveTo review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of rufinamide in the treatment of epileptic seizures and describe its potential place in therapy.Data sourcesMEDLINE (1966–January 2010) and PubMed (1966–January 2010) literature searches were conducted to identify primary literature investigating rufinamide. References from selected publications discussing rufinamide, as well as the package insert, were reviewed.Study selection and data extractionPublished controlled trials describing the efficacy and safety of rufinamide were given preference. Available abstracts were also reviewed. Four published trials were identified and included and a retrospective review of the clinical use of rufinamide was also analyzed. The remainder of the information described is from 4 abstracts.Data synthesisRufinamide is a new antiepileptic agent that differs structurally from other antiepileptic drugs and is approved as adjunctive therapy for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). It presumably provides it...
An electrospray technique for hyperquenched glass calorimetry studies: Propylene glycol and di-n-butyl phthalate

We describe an electrospray technique for in situ preparation, for differential scanning calorimetry study, of samples of molecular liquids quenched into the glassy state on extremely short time scales (hyperquenched). We study the cases of a hydrogen-bonded liquid, propylene glycol, PG and a Van der Waals liquid, di-n-butyl phthalate DBP. Using a fictive temperature method of obtaining the temperature dependence of enthalpy relaxation, we show that the electrospray method yields quenching rates of � 10 5 K/s, while the more common method, dropping a sealed pan of sample into liquid nitrogen, yields only 120 K/s. These hyperquenched samples start to relax, exothermically, far below the glass temperature, at a temperature (0.75Tg) where the thermal energy permits escape from the shallow traps in which the system becomes localized during hyperquenching. This permits estimation of the trap depths, which are then compared with the activation energy estimated from the fictive temperature of the glass and the relaxation time at the fictive temperature. The trap depth in molar energy units is compared with the ‘height of the landscape’ for PG, the quasi-lattice energy of the liquid based on the enthalpy of vaporization, and the single molecule activation energy for diffusion in crystals. The findings are consistent with the mechanism of relaxation invoked in a current model of relaxation in glassforming liquids. In the case of di-n-butyl phthalate we investigate the additional question of sub-Tg annealing effects. We find the ‘shadow’ glass transition, (an annealing prepeak) seen previously only in multicomponent mineral and metallic glasses. The phenomenon is important for understanding microheterogeneities in viscous liquid structures.
Product Marketing on the Internet

In this chapter, we discuss product marketing using the Internet, particularly the use of Internet for product promotion and new consumer processes. Internet advertising, virtual storefronts, and virtual communities are explained with examples and our views. We then present new consumer processes on the Internet and show how they enhance the fulfillment of the consumer purchase needs and also support interactive marketing. We discuss the challenges of measuring Web advertisements and close the chapter with a summary of our views on Internet and marketing.
Role of type 2 immunity in intestinal inflammation.

Purpose of review Type 2 (Th2) immune responses play important roles in intestinal immunity by contributing to the maintenance of mucosal homeostasis, not only conferring protection against helminthic infection but also participating in pro-inflammatory pathways in chronic intestinal inflammatory disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease. The current review focuses on recent developments regarding the role of Th2 responses in intestinal inflammation. Recent findings Th2 gut mucosal responses are promoted by mediators that are released following injury to the epithelium, and act as alarmin-type danger signals. Interleukin (IL)-33 is prominent among such factors and demonstrates a dichotomous function, exerting either protective or pro-inflammatory effects, depending on its cellular compartmentalization. The pool of type 2 effector cells has been enriched recently to include not only classical CD4+ Th2 lymphocytes but also a subset of innate lymphocytes (ILC2s) that express the transcriptional factor GATA binding protein 3 and secrete IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13. ILC2s play important roles during infection with helminths and bi-directionally interact with Th2 CD4+ lymphocytes, thus establishing a transition from innate to adaptive immunological pathways. Th2 responses are also involved in pro-inflammatory pathways at the intestinal mucosa, and neutralization of the pivotal cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 has been shown to regulate experimental intestinal inflammation. In striking contrast, however, neutralization of human IL-13 had no therapeutic effect in patients with ulcerative colitis. Summary Further studies will be required to delineate the specific mechanisms of type 2 mucosal immunity in inflammatory bowel disease and examine the applicability of Th2-targeted therapies for intestinal inflammation.
Intracerebroventricular Administration of Antisense Oligodeoxynucleotide against GLUT2 Glucose Transporter mRNA Reduces Food Intake, Body Weight Change and Glucoprivic Feeding Response in Rats

The GLUT2 glucose transporter, which may play a glucose-sensing role in hepatocyte and islet beta cells because of its low affinity and high Km for glucose, has been identified in some discrete brain areas that are related to feeding behavior and energy metabolism. We tested the hypothesis that brain GLUT2 may play a role in the control of food intake by antisense technology loss-of-function analysis. Antisense oligonucleotides directed against GLUT2 mRNA were administered intracerebroventricularly to eight rats daily for 13 days. Another eight rats were administered intracerebroventricularly with missense oligonucleotides as the control. Food intake was monitored by a computerized feeding system. Data were analyzed using a one-way general linear model or Mann-Whitney U test when appropriate. Cumulative food intake and body weight change in antisense-treated rats were significantly lower (18 and 160%, respectively) in the group treated with antisense oligonucleotides than in the group treated with missense control oligonucleotides. There was no increase in cumulative food intake in response to 2-deoxyglucose challenge in rats treated with antisense oligonucleotide, but in those treated with missense control oligonucleotide, cumulative food intake was fivefold greater in response to 2-deoxyglucose. These data suggest a possible role of brain GLUT2 in the regulation of food intake and body energy stores.
Looking into Software Transparency

A recent Volkswagen emissions incident has raised calls for greater transparency of the software on which much of modern life depends. The argument posed is that if the emissions control system code had been available for public scrutiny, someone would have seen the relevant segment and blown the whistle. However, this reasoning is faulty.
Determination and applications of rock quality designation (RQD)

Abstract Characterization of rock masses and evaluation of their mechanical properties are important and challenging tasks in rock mechanics and rock engineering. Since in many cases rock quality designation (RQD) is the only rock mass classification index available, this paper outlines the key aspects on determination of RQD and evaluates the empirical methods based on RQD for determining the deformation modulus and unconfined compressive strength of rock masses. First, various methods for determining RQD are presented and the effects of different factors on determination of RQD are highlighted. Then, the empirical methods based on RQD for determining the deformation modulus and unconfined compressive strength of rock masses are briefly reviewed. Finally, the empirical methods based on RQD are used to determine the deformation modulus and unconfined compressive strength of rock masses at five different sites including 13 cases, and the results are compared with those obtained by other empirical methods based on rock mass classification indices such as rock mass rating (RMR), Q-system (Q) and geological strength index (GSI). It is shown that the empirical methods based on RQD tend to give deformation modulus values close to the lower bound (conservative) and unconfined compressive strength values in the middle of the corresponding values from different empirical methods based on RMR, Q and GSI. The empirical methods based on RQD provide a convenient way for estimating the mechanical properties of rock masses but, whenever possible, they should be used together with other empirical methods based on RMR, Q and GSI.
Genital Tumors among Men with Psoriasis Exposed to Psoralens and Ultraviolet A Radiation (PUVA) and Ultraviolet B Radiation

Abstract Squamous-cell cancer occurs only rarely on the male genitalia. In a 12.3-year prospective study of 892 men in a cohort of patients with psoriasis who had been treated with oral methoxsalen (8-methoxypsoralen) and ultraviolet A photochemotherapy (PUVA), we identified 14 patients (1.6 percent) with 30 genital neoplasms. The standard morbidity ratio (which was used as a measure of the risk of a genital neoplasm) comparing morbidity among patients treated with PUVA with that expected on the basis of population incidence data was 95.7 (95 percent confidence interval, 43.8 to 181.8) for invasive squamous-cell carcinoma of the penis and scrotum, and 58.8 (26.9 to 111.7) for invasive and in situ penile tumors. In patients exposed to high levels of PUVA, the incidence of invasive squamous-cell carcinoma was 286 times that in the general population and 16.3 times that in patients exposed to low levels (P<0.001 for both comparisons). After controlling for the level of exposure to PUVA, we found that patient...
Three-dimensional flow field around and downstream of a subscale model rotating vertical axis wind turbine

Three-dimensional, three-component mean velocity fields have been measured around and downstream of a scale model vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) operated at tip speed ratios (TSRs) of 1.25 and 2.5, in addition to a non-rotating case. The five-bladed turbine model has an aspect ratio (height/diameter) of 1 and is operated in a water tunnel at a Reynolds number based on turbine diameter of 11,600. Velocity fields are acquired using magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV) at an isotropic resolution of 1/50 of the turbine diameter. Mean flow reversal is observed immediately behind the turbine for cases with rotation. The turbine wake is highly three-dimensional and asymmetric throughout the investigated region, which extends up to 7 diameters downstream. A vortex pair, generated at the upwind-turning side of the turbine, plays a dominant role in wake dynamics by entraining faster fluid from the freestream and aiding in wake recovery. The higher TSR case shows a larger region of reverse flow and greater asymmetry in the near wake of the turbine, but faster wake recovery due to the increase in vortex pair strength with increasing TSR. The present measurement technique also provides detailed information about flow in the vicinity of the turbine blades and within the turbine rotor. The details of the flow field around VAWTs and in their wakes can inform the design of high-density VAWT wind farms, where wake interaction between turbines is a principal consideration.
Research on Supply Chain Management Problems of Our Petroleum Industry

Foreign oil firms enhance economic performance by setting up perfect supply management system,while our petroleum industry is under sub-health condition,which mainly exists the problems of unreasonable business process,Absent horizontal integration,low informatization level,unreasonable organization structure,and imperfect supply chain evaluation system,etc.The article proposes the suggestions,such as restructuring enterprises and reengineering their business processes,increasing horizontal integration of supply chain,optimizing supply chain with information system,and establishing new performance evaluation system of supply chain.
5-fluorouracil and low-dose leucovorin in the treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma. A phase II trial of the Gynecologic Oncology Group.

Twenty-one patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma not amenable to cure with further surgery or radiotherapy were entered into a Phase II trial utilizing i.v. leucovorin at 20 mg/m2 followed by i.v. 5-fluorouracil at 425 mg/m2 administered daily for 5 days every 4 weeks for the first two courses and then every 5 weeks. Twenty-one patients were entered. Of these, 20 were eligible for toxicity assessment and 19 for response. Five had received prior radiotherapy, and all had received prior cisplatin-based chemotherapy. There was one patient response (5.3%; 95% confidence intervals for response of 0% to 26%). Toxicity was moderate with 5 of 20 (25%) grade 3 or 4 leukopenia, 12 of 20 (60%) grade 3 or 4 granulocytopenia, 1 of 20 (5%) grade 3 thrombocytopenia, 5 of 20 (25%) grade 3 GI toxicity, and 2 of 20 (10%) grade 3 neurotoxicity. There was one toxic death in a patient who developed granulocytopenia and pneumonia after her third course of treatment. This dose schedule of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin has minimal activity in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma who have received prior cisplatin chemotherapy.
Patient and lesion-specific characteristics predict risk of major adverse cardiovascular events among patients with previous percutaneous coronary intervention undergoing noncardiac surgery.

Objectives To identify predictors of major adverse cardiovascular outcomes (MACE) among patients with prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) who require noncardiac surgery. Background Patients with prior PCI who undergo noncardiac surgery have an increased risk of postoperative MACE, but few studies have examined the association of PCI lesion characteristics with subsequent operative risk. Methods Patients were identified using the VA Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking (CART) program. Patients who underwent noncardiac surgery within 2 years after stent placement were linked to VA and non-VA surgical records. A multivariable logistic regression model was developed to identify predictors of postoperative MACE. Results Among 12,621 patients with a history of prior PCI who underwent subsequent noncardiac surgery, 570 (4.5%) developed postoperative MACE. The median time from stent placement to surgery was 368 days (IQR 181–528). The strongest predictors of postoperative MACE were urgency of the operation, revised cardiac risk index, the indication for the prior PCI, and timing of the surgery after the PCI. Lesion characteristics independently associated with postoperative MACE included PCI to a distal (AOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.11–1.83) or ostial lesion (AOR 1.52, 95% CI 1.11–2.08), and lesion calcification (AOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.03–1.61), but stent length and target vessel were not independently associated with outcomes. Placement of a bare metal stent was also an independent predictor of MACE after noncardiac surgery (AOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.06–1.57). Conclusions While patient and operative characteristics are the strongest predictors of MACE after noncardiac surgery, specific lesion characteristics including ostial or distal lesion location and calcification are novel risk factors for postoperative MACE. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Age Structuring and the Rhythm of the Life Course

Age is important from the perspectives of societies, groups, and individuals. For societies, the meanings and uses of age are often formal. For example, age underlies the organization of family, educational, work, and leisure institutions and organizations. Many laws and policies structure rights, responsibilities, and entitlements on the basis of age, whether through explicit age-related rules or implicit judgments about the nature of particular life periods. At the same time, members of a society, or large subgroups of the population, may share informal ideas about the changes that occur between birth and death, and how these changes are significant. For example, age may be tied to common notions about appropriate behavior or the proper timing and progression of experiences and roles.
Abstract 369: Cd36 Sensing of Metabolic Danger Signals is a Common Mechanism of Nlrp3 Inflammasome Activation

Atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are associated with low-grade systemic inflammation characterized by increased expression of cytokines, particularly interleukin-1β (IL-1β), yet the molecular mechanisms of immune activation remain unclear. Recent studies identified cholesterol crystals and the fibrillar proteins Aβ and IAPP as novel activators of the NLRP3 inflammasome in atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and T2D, respectively. Notably, the scavenger receptor CD36 has also been implicated in these sterile inflammatory conditions. We now show that CD36 binding of soluble endogenous ligands that accumulate in these diseases (oxLDL, soluble Aβ and IAPP) initiates cooperative signaling via the newly described TLR4/TLR6 heterodimer to prime the inflammasome, including induction of Il1α, IL1β and Nlrp3 mRNAs. Importantly, the unregulated ligand uptake characteristic of CD36 promotes the intracellular formation of inflammasome activators by transforming these soluble ligands into crystalline or fibrillar danger signals. Using combined confocal reflectance microscopy we show that whereas WT macrophages incubated with oxLDL exhibit intracellular crystal formation and lysosomal rupture, these pathologic events are absent in Cd36-/- macrophages. Furthermore, atherosclerotic Apoe-/- mice lacking Cd36 are protected from plaque cholesterol crystal accumulation, caspase-1 activation and serum IL-1β elevation. Via an analogous mechanism, CD36 uptake of soluble Aβ or IAPP leads to intracellular thioflavin-positive fibril formation, lysosomal disruption and inflammasome activation. These findings indicate a shift from the current paradigm that such endogenous crystalline/fibrillar ligands are generated extracellularly and identify CD36-mediated ligand uptake as a shared mechanism by which the NLRP3 inflammasome is triggered in metabolic diseases.
Aseptic myonecrosis following intramuscular benzathine penicllin G injection: a novel syndrome

We report a novel syndrome of aseptic myonecrosis in a child occurring after intramuscular (IM) benzathine penicillin G injection for the treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis. Common side effects of IM injection, including transient injection site pain and inflammation, are common and well described. However, isolated myonecrosis following IM injection in the pediatric patient has not been previously reported. Only one similar case, following IM diclofenac injection, has been discussed in the adult literature.
Features of hepatocellular carcinoma in Hispanics differ from African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites

Features of hepatocellular carcinoma in Hispanics differ from African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites
More on Experimental Designs

This chapter considers split plot designs briefly and reviews the ten designs considered in Chapter 5 – Section 9.1. The one and two way Anova designs, completely randomized block design, and split plot designs are the building blocks for more complicated designs. Some split plot designs can be written as a linear model, \(Y = \mathbf{x}^{T}\boldsymbol{\beta } + e\), but the errors are dependent with a complicated correlation structure.
The Normal Pediatric Chest

Clinical symptoms for patients with respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease often overlap. One of the first tests for patients with respiratory distress is a chest radiograph. A chest film frequently can distinguish primary lung disease and congenital heart disease. The purpose of this chapter is to understand the appearance of a normal chest radiograph and which abnormalities point to cardiovascular disease. This chapter provides a simple approach in the use of a chest radiograph to distinguish patients with cardiovascular disease as the cause of their respiratory symptoms so that further appropriate testing can be performed. There are two major differences in the infant’s upper airway that differ from older children and adults. They are an exaggerated change in diameter of the intrathoracic trachea from inspiration to expiration and a change in course and configuration of the extrathoracic trachea from inspiration to expiration.
Metabolism in time and space – exploring the frontier of developmental biology

Despite the fact that metabolic studies played a prominent role in the early history of developmental biology research, the field of developmental metabolism was largely ignored following the advent of modern molecular biology. Metabolism, however, has recently re-emerged as a focal point of biomedical studies and, as a result, developmental biologists are once again exploring the chemical and energetic forces that shape growth, development and maturation. In May 2017, a diverse group of scientists assembled at the EMBO/EMBL Symposium ‘Metabolism in Time and Space’ to discuss how metabolism influences cellular and developmental processes. The speakers not only described how metabolic flux adapts to the energetic needs of a developing organism, but also emphasized that metabolism can directly regulate developmental progression. Overall, and as we review here, this interdisciplinary meeting provided a valuable forum to explore the interface between developmental biology and metabolism.
Insect Vision: A Neuron that Anticipates an Object's Path.

Summary Dragonflies are superb aerial predators, plucking tiny insect prey from the sky. This ability depends on a visual system that has fascinated scientists for decades, and now one of its visual-target-detecting neurons has been shown to anticipate the image path of prey.
Diurnal variations in intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness and the correlation between these factors in dogs

Objective To study the diurnal variation in intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) in healthy Beagles by rebound tonometry and ultrasonic pachymetry, respectively, in addition to determining whether a correlation exists between these two variables. Animals studied Twenty eyes from 10 healthy Beagle dogs were included in the study. Procedures The IOP and CCT were measured by rebound tonometry and ultrasonic pachymetry, respectively, at 2-h intervals over an 8-hour period between 10:00 and 18:00. Results The mean values (± SD) of IOP obtained were 11.45 ± 2.96 at 10:00, 10.00 ± 1.89 at 12:00, 8.25 ± 1.62 at 14:00, 7.05 ± 1.05 at 16:00, and 6.55 ± 1.36 at 18:00. The mean values (± SD) of CCT obtained were 554.95 ± 72.41 at 10:00, 549.20 ± 69.10 at 12:00, 566.15 ± 80.56 at 14:00, 545.45 ± 70.19 at 16:00, and 538.30 ± 73.33 at 18:00. The IOP and CCT of dogs were found to decrease progressively from the first to the last measurement. There were statistically significant differences between the IOP (P = 0.000) and CCT values (P = 0.032) measured at different times of the day. There was no effect or interaction between gender and eye with the dependent variables. The IOP and CCT were found to be positively correlated (r = 0.213, P = 0.034). The regression equation demonstrated that for every 100 μm increase in CCT, there was an elevation in IOP by 0.8 mmHg. Conclusions The CCT and IOP values were lower in the afternoon/evening than in the morning, and these were positively correlated. Both findings are important for the diagnostic interpretation of IOP values in dogs.
A Two-Stage Deep Neural Network Framework for Precipitation Estimation from Bispectral Satellite Information

AbstractCompared to ground precipitation measurements, satellite-based precipitation estimation products have the advantage of global coverage and high spatiotemporal resolutions. However, the accu...
Horizontal saccades and the central mesencephalic reticular formation.

Publisher Summary The superior colliculus (SC) plays an important role in directing orientation of gaze. SC has the appropriate neural activity and requisite anatomic connections to sense peripheral targets and to initiate saccades and head movements in all directions. However, destruction of SC has a relatively minor effect on the generation of saccades, suggesting that other areas in the cerebrum may also participate in their production. In agreement with this, combined SC and frontal eye field lesions produce a more profound deficit in eye movements. This chapter describes other facets of organization between the collicular output, the MRF and saccade-generating portions of the pontine reticular formation. The data indicate that the central MRF is an area that can contribute to the production of saccades and gaze movements in the horizontal plane.
Antibody-Producing Cells in Division

Cells producing antibody were detected by a modified Jerne plaque technique. Of plaques initially containing a single central cell, 2.6 percent (45/1742) later had two. Mitosis of cells producing a...
Advocating for Children, Youth, and Families in the Policymaking Process

Policymaking happens in a context that is dynamic and complex, but not unknowable. Policymakers are influenced by many factors. These include budget, constituents, science, experts, anecdotes, recent news, and the campaign/election cycle, among others. The weight of each of these factors will vary depending on the issue and on how much the various factors are in alignment or conflict. Advocating on behalf of children and youth can be particularly challenging because most people feel they already know a lot about children. Furthermore, children and youth, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, typically do not have a voice of their own in policy decisions that affect them. Thus, it is incumbent upon those who have knowledge about and care for children to advocate on their behalf.
Intention, supervenience, and aesthetic realism

Adoptant une position negative dans le debat sur la survenance des proprietes esthetiques, l'A. defend le caractere intrinseque de celles-ci, et montre que sa redefinition du terme intrinseque a la lumiere du lien entre intentions et survenance lui permet de repondre a l'objection soulevee par J. Bendler. Analysant la notion d'intention dans son cadre esthetique et dans son cadre conversationnel chez N. Carroll, G. Iseminger et B. Rosebury, l'A. defend la these d'un realisme esthetique sans survenance et etablit une analogie entre la justification de l'attribution d'une propriete esthetique a une oeuvre d'art et la justification des interpretations
Workforce/Population, Economy, Infrastructure, Geography, Hierarchy, and Time (WEIGHT): Reflections on the Plural Dimensions of Disaster Resilience

The concept of resilience and its relevance to disaster risk management has increasingly gained attention in recent years. It is common for risk and resilience studies to model system recovery by analyzing a single or aggregated measure of performance, such as economic output or system functionality. However, the history of past disasters and recent risk literature suggest that a single-dimension view of relevant systems is not only insufficient, but can compromise the ability to manage risk for these systems. In this article, we explore how multiple dimensions influence the ability for complex systems to function and effectively recover after a disaster. In particular, we compile evidence from the many competing resilience perspectives to identify the most critical resilience dimensions across several academic disciplines, applications, and disaster events. The findings demonstrate the need for a conceptual framework that decomposes resilience into six primary dimensions: workforce/population, economy, infrastructure, geography, hierarchy, and time (WEIGHT). These dimensions are not typically addressed holistically in the literature; often they are either modeled independently or in piecemeal combinations. The current research is the first to provide a comprehensive discussion of each resilience dimension and discuss how these dimensions can be integrated into a cohesive framework, suggesting that no single dimension is sufficient for a holistic analysis of a disaster risk management. Through this article, we also aim to spark discussions among researchers and policymakers to develop a multicriteria decision framework for evaluating the efficacy of resilience strategies. Furthermore, the WEIGHT dimensions may also be used to motivate the generation of new approaches for data analytics of resilience-related knowledge bases.
Evolution of bond formation and fracture process of ultrasonic spot welded dissimilar materials

Ultrasonic spot welding was applied for dissimilar lap welding of aluminium alloy and steel sheets. With a combination of heat and force input during the welding process, the welded interface at aluminium/steel interface was formed. A graphical model was established to represent the weld formation process. The thickness of top aluminium sheet was reduced with an increase in welding time, which led to the failure mode switching from debonding failure to pullout failure. The intermetallic at the welded interface was verified by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy on the surface of the fractured specimen. In addition, the vibration direction of the sonotrode during ultrasonic spot welding influenced joint strength by changing the alignment of micro bonds at the welded interface.