cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The partial isolation and function of salivary factors which interact with the complement system: a possible role in mucosal immunity.

Penetration of oral bacterial substances, coated with salivary constituents, into damaged mucosa and subsequent contact with serum complement components is an example of the potential for saliva-complement reactions. These interactions may affect not only the production of the potent complement-generated anaphylatoxins and chemotactic factors, C3a and C5a, but also other immunological responses which depend to varying extents on complement activation. These include stimulation of the differentiation of B lymphocytes to become antibody-producing plasma cells, B-cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and stimulation of macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes to release lysosomal proteolytic enzymes. Stimulation of these cells is thought to occur as a result of the attachment of complement-coated antigens to specific C3b and C5b receptors on B lymphocytes, macrophages, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Furthermore, saliva-coated oral antigens may contact the functional complement components in the crevicular fluid (1) prior to tissue penetration.
The chasm between public health and reproductive research: what history tells us about Zika virus

Zika transmission from mother to fetus and its possible sexual transmission have become a media focus in the past months as a major public health concern. While mother-to-fetus transmission, fetal neurologic manifestations or sexual transmission have never been documented for this virus before, other viruses that belong to the same family are very well known to reproductive health workers, clinicians, and researchers. As a member of Flaviviridae family, including hepatitis C and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), Zika's pathogenesis may have some parallels with these infections which may pose future questions for public health and research. Vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus from mother to child is known to occur in up to 10 % of pregnancies. BVDV, a member of Pestivirus genus of Flaviviridae family is not known to be transmitted to humans but is known for its vertical transmission in cattle. BVDV infection at different stages of gestation may lead to a spectrum of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including pregnancy loss and neurologic manifestations (including deformations such as hydrocephalus and microcephaly) in the offspring. Similar to hepatitis C, which is a virus of Hepacivirus genus, BVDV is capable of persistent infection, meaning that virus may stay in mother and future generations of calves may be infected as well, which may, in turn, result in persistence of infection in offspring. Would this be a case with Zika virus? Along with mother-to-fetus transmission, sexual transmission is a concerning implication for Zika virus. Would woman become a persistent career or male be able to persistently carry virus with its sperm is yet unknown; yet, there is a concern for the reservoir of infection. Animal models of the disease are urgently needed not only to demonstrate the mother-to-fetus transmission and confirm the fetal neurologic manifestations but also to address the effects of virus on life-long host's immunity and reproductive health. Along those lines, women desiring pregnancies who are identified to travel, have a partner traveling to, or living in the areas of Zika infections should be encouraged to have a preconception consultation with maternal-fetal medicine.
Plaque formation by myxovirus parainfluenza type 2 in grivet monkey kidney cells.

SummaryA method has been described for plaque formation of parainfluenza type 2 virus in grivet kidney monolayer cell culture. The method has shown utility in the assay of virus infectivity. The plaquing technique should also be useful for cloning of this virus for genetic studies.
Tubeless gastric analysis; evaluation of a technic using a dye-resin compound.

A new dye-resin compound for the tubeless gastric analysis has been shown to reproduce the results obtained with the quinine compound, Diagnex, in approximately 96 per cent of patients tested with both substances. The technic with this azure A-resin is simpler than with the quinine substance and has a comparable accuracy. Numerous technical factors in the azure A-resin procedure have been discussed.
Biochemical and physiological characteristics of cold tolerance for roots in dongxiang wild Rice at the seedling stage

With sandy culture,the effect of different low-temperature stress on physiological activity of rwt in rice seedlings of four varieties was analyzed.The results showed that their root physiological activity have changed clearly after different chilling stress lasting 3 days at seedling.The root activity and CAT activity and POD activity of Dongxiang wild rice and Dongye1 which have stronger tolerance to cold show off a trend which decrease at first and then increase while decrease in the end.The root activity and CAT activity of.two cold-sensitive indica varieties show a declining trend and their POD activity increase at first and then decease.The MDA content of four rice varieties is increasing with the rising of low-temperature stress while the MDA content of two cold-tolerant cultivars are less severely than the sensitive.The CAT activity and POD activity of sensitive varieties are not probably less than the strong ones.Therefore, we argue that root activity and MDA content are better appraisal method of cold tolerance.
Intravascular microaggregation and the respiratory distress syndromes.

This discussion provides evidence for the occurrence of intravascular microaggregation and pulmonary microembolism in the settings of shock, sepsis, trauma, and transfusion, and for the possibility that altered capillary permeability and diminished reticuloendothelial clearance may magnify their defects. The syndromes of acute respiratory distress usually may be anticipated, sometimes may be prevented, and often may be treated. The success of therapy depends upon understanding both the mechanisms of the disease and the tools with which it may be treated.
Carnegie Mellon’s System Architect’s Workbench

Carnegie Mellon University’s System Architect’s Workbench is the successor to the first and second Carnegie Mellon University Design Automation (CMU-DA) systems. The Workbench supports three synthesis paths: a general synthesis path, using the transformations, APARTY, CSTEP, and EMUCS; a pipelined-instruction-set-processor-specific synthesis path,using SAM; and a microprocessor-specific synthesis path, using SUGAR. See also Carnegie Mellon’s (First) CMU-DA System and Carnegie Mellon’s (Second) CMU-DA System, the predecessors of this system.
Topos Theoretic Approach to Space and Time

At the level of the Planck scale (around \(10^{-33}{\text {cm}} \)) and beyond, i.e., a sub-Planckian domain (less than \(10^{-43}\) s after so called big bang), the usual concept of space and time becomes uncertain where the gravitational field might be simply a quantum fluctuation of a vacuum. Elementary particles or strings, the fundamental entities for our universe, are difficult to be considered at such a microcosm level. An emergence occurs when a physical phenomenon is the consequence of organization from the given local information data. Namely, we cannot tell any difference between electrons in a human brain and in an apple. This is just as we cannot tell any difference between a note in a piece by Mozart and a note in a piece by Bach. We use the concept of a sheaf as the device from local to global transition. In order to formulate space and time for those microcosm domains in terms of sheaves providing a background free notion in the sense of quantum gravity, the notions of the associated (pre)sheaves of time, space, and matter are introduced in the following sense. For a particle \(\overline{m}\), we assign an associated presheaf m with \(\overline{m}\). A presheaf is by definition a contravariant functor from a site (i.e., a category with a Grothendieck topology) to a product category. This is the notion of the temporal topos theory abbreviated as t-topos theory developed in [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. For space and time, we associate a combined sheaf \(\omega =\left( \kappa ,\tau \right) \) where space sheaf \(\kappa \) and time sheaf \(\tau \) are considered to be t-entangled in the sense that both sheaves behave as one sheaf. With the notions of sheaves and categories, we will give the formulations for the uncertainty principle, particle-wave duality, and t-entanglement together with the relativistic concept of a \(t \) -light cone (or an ur-light cone) valid in macrocosm and microcosm. As a consequence of the topos theoretic formulations, the possible scenario of pre and primitive stages of a universe, i.e., ur-big bangs in terms of t-topos theory will be provided. The main concepts to formulate these notions are coming from categorical notions of a micro-decomposition of a presheaf and a micro-covering of a t-site object.
Polynomials as Polygons

This column is a place for those bits of contagious mathematics that travel from person to person in the community, because they are so elegant, surprising, or appealing that one has an urge to pass them on. Contributions are most welcome.
On the dependence of FET noise model parameters on ambient temperature

A generally accepted noise model of a FET without gate leakage current requires the knowledge of the elements of an equivalent circuit and three temperatures: physical temperature Ta and equivalent temperatures, Tg of intrinsic gate resistance and Td of drain conductance. Experimental confirmations have been published for III-V FETs and HEMTs and also for MOSFETs. There is, however, still a disagreement whether Tg and Td are merely fitting parameters or possess physical meaning. It is generally accepted that Tg ≈ Ta and Td ∝ Id/mm, but the dependence of Td on physical temperature Ta has not been established. This paper provides evidence that for a wide range of cryogenic temperatures the drain noise is independent of physical temperature Ta, and therefore is not “thermal”, and also confirms that the gate noise represented by Tg is of purely thermal origin, and therefore may not be “induced” by the drain noise.
Evaluating a Fire Management Plan for Fire Regime Goals in a Florida Landscape

ABSTRACT: Fire management plans (FMP) are complex documents that receive little evaluation of whether their objectives are met. We evaluate the Archbold Biological Station (ABS) FMP for goals related to the fire regime (area burned, seasonality, severity, and fire return intervals). The goals include increasing the area burned with prescribed fires, burning more areas during the May–September natural (lightning) fire season, and maintaining variation in fire severity. The ABS FMP is based on the concept of modal fire-return intervals (FRI) for each vegetation type that allow for variation in FRI in space and time. Our analysis uses detailed spatial data (5-m grid) on vegetation, fire extent, and severity. From 1967 to 2014, ABS increased area burned with prescribed fires. Over time, a greater proportion of ABS was burned with lightning-season fires. Burns had variable but mainly high severity. Fire severity varied with vegetation but was consistent over time. Vegetation slated for frequent burns tended to...
Pre-surgery evaluations by telephone decrease travel and cost for families of children with cerebral palsy.

Introduction:Children with cerebral palsy need highly specialized care. This can be very burdensome for families, particularly in large rural states, due to the need for long-distance travel to app...
Towards optimization of ACRT schedules applied to the gradient freeze growth of cadmium zinc telluride

Abstract Historically, the melt growth of II-VI crystals has benefitted from the application of the accelerated crucible rotation technique (ACRT). Here, we employ a comprehensive numerical model to assess the impact of two ACRT schedules designed for a cadmium zinc telluride growth system per the classical recommendations of Capper and co-workers. The “flow maximizing” ACRT schedule, with higher rotation, effectively mixes the solutal field in the melt but does not reduce supercooling adjacent to the growth interface. The ACRT schedule derived for stable Ekman flow, with lower rotation, proves more effective in reducing supercooling and promoting stable growth. These counterintuitive results highlight the need for more comprehensive studies on the optimization of ACRT schedules for specific growth systems and for desired growth outcomes.
Real Time Video Stitching by Exploring Temporal and Spatial Features

Although image stitching has been investigated for years, realtime video stitching still lacks of e cient methods to meet the required frame rate for satisfactory human vision experience. This work pro- poses e cient video stitching solutions by exploiting both temporal and spatial features among video frames. As a result, the stitching speed is signi cantly improved with two techniques by exploiting: (1) the dimmension of distance (spatial) by focusing only on the region of frame overlap and (2) the dimmension of time (tempo- ral) by reusing homography information across multiple frames. Based on these two techniques, this paper presents three solutions to determine submiages for rapid stitching the video frames from side-by-side cameras. This work implements these solutions into a video stitcher. The evaluation over video streams shows that the proposed solutions can stitch the video at 6.5 frames per second (fps) in contrast to 1.5 fps in conventional imaging stitching approaches, which is over 400% improvement on stitching speed performance, but at the cost of a marginal drop in accuracy.
A theory of unsupervised speedup learning

Speedup learning seeks to improve the efficiency of search-based problem solvers. In this paper, we propose a new theoretical model of speedup learning which captures systems that improve problem solving performance by solving a user-given set of problems. We also use this model to motivate the notion of "batch problem solving," and argue that it is more congenial to learning than sequential problem solving. Our theoretical results are applicable to all serially decomposable domains. We empirically validate our results in the domain of Eight Puzzle.
MICROSTRUCTURE DESIGN OF ADVANCED MATERIALS THROUGH MICROELEMENT MODELS: WC-Co CERMETS AND THEIR NOVEL ARCHITECTURES

Design and development of advanced materials for superior strength and toughness is a perpetual effort in meeting the material needs for demanding applications. The WC-Co cermet is one of the truly advanced materials, due to its unique combination of properties. Although such cermets are widely used, further improvements require a good mechanistic understanding of the microstructural aspects that govern the mechanical properties. The broad goal of this research is to establish such a mechanistic basis that enables a sound explanation of their excellent properties. The origins of the unique mechanical properties of traditional and novel cermets are closely examined using some microstructure-based models. It is shown that the superior properties arise as a result of the spatial arrangement of WC grains within Co, the strength and stiffness of WC and the constrained plastic deformation behavior of ductile Co layer binding the WC grains. It is also shown that the high toughness of “functional” cermets with hierarchical microstructures can be understood on the basis of the microstructure-based mechanistic models. The microstructure-based models illustrate the key aspects in traditional WC-Co microstructures that make them unique as well as the pathways for designing advanced composites materials following the architecture of WC-Co cermets.
Application of Moire Interferometry to Strain Analysis of PCB Deformations at Low Temperatures

Microelectronics packaging has been developing rapidly over the past ten years due to the demands for faster, lighter and smaller products. Printed circuit boards (PCBs) provide mechanical support and electrical interconnection for electronic devices. Many types of composite PCBs have been developed to meet various needs. Recent trends in reliability analysis of PCBs have involved developing of the structural integrity models for predicting lifetime under thermal environmental exposure; however the theoretical models need verification by the experiment.
Assessing the Effect of Corporate International Diversification on Shareholder-Bondholder Value

This study investigates whether international diversification, measured as foreign assets and foreign sales increase shareholder value while decreasing bondholder value (i.e., whether there is a diversification discount). Events such as foreign expansion may indeed increase shareholder value while decreasing bondholder value (hypothesis). The study also considers the extent to which debt-size in a firm’s capital structure plays a role in valuation of foreign assets and foreign sales. Using foreign assets and foreign sales data, the study reports three important results. First, shareholder value is positively related to foreign involvement, casting doubt on global discount, consistent with evidence in Santos et al. (2003), suggesting that significant wealth gains accrue to shareholders of international diversified firms. Second, bondholder value is inversely associated with foreign sales whereas foreign assets are positively related to bondholder value, implying that foreign operations are in part externally financed. Furthermore, high-leverage, medium-leverage and relatively low-leverage firms are positively associated with shareholder value, with medium-size debt enjoying greater capitalization. Overall, the results confirm that increased foreign expansion appears to increase shareholder value, consistent with the multinational network framework predicting a positive influence on value.
Prescription opioid and benzodiazepine misuse is associated with suicidal ideation in older adults

Objectives Suicide in older adults is a major public health issue. Past research across the US adult population has linked prescription medication misuse with suicidal ideation. No work has evaluated associations between prescription opioid or benzodiazepine misuse and suicidal ideation in older adults, and this work aimed to address that gap. Methods/design Data were from adults 50 years and older participating in the 2015 to 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 17 608). Design-based logistic regression evaluated links between any past-year prescription opioid or benzodiazepine use without misuse or prescription misuse and past-year suicidal ideation, after controlling for sociodemographic, physical health, mental health, and substance use correlates associated with suicidal ideation. Results After controlling for all correlates, past-year use without misuse of prescription opioids or benzodiazepines was not associated with past-year suicidal ideation in older adults. In contrast, past-year opioid misuse (AOR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.07-3.19) and benzodiazepine misuse (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.01-3.94) were significantly associated with past-year suicidal ideation, even after controlling for all covariates. While 2.2% of US older adults not engaged in either opioid or benzodiazepine misuse reported past-year suicidal ideation, 25.4% of those who misused both medication classes endorsed such suicidality (AOR = 4.73, 95% CI = 2.07-10.79). Conclusions Both past-year prescription opioid and benzodiazepine misuse are associated with past-year suicidal ideation in US older adults. Clinicians encountering older adult patients at-risk for or engaged in prescription medication misuse also should screen for suicidality.
Detecting Secular Trends in Clinical Treatment through Temporal Analysis

Medical treatments change over time for multiple reasons, including introduction of new treatments, availability of new scientific evidence, change in institutional guidelines, and market efforts by pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Monitoring and analyzing these secular trends will also inform the evaluation of evidence based practice as well as outcome research. Using a large national clinical dataset from the United States Veterans Health Administration (VHA), we measured the change in prevalence of all diseases, medications, and procedures by year from 2001 to 2014. To assess statistical significance, we used a generalized linear model. Among the large number of changes that were observed, multiple significant changes were related to diabetes mellitus type II (DM2). Prevalence of DM2 in the VHA increased after 2001 but plateaued by 2008; blood sugar testing by glycosylated hemoglobin increased consistently while glucose testing decreased; and the trend of insulin and metformin use was consistent with the trend in DM2 prevalence, while glyburide and rosiglitazone use dropped sharply.
Microvascular imaging of the skin

Despite our understanding that the microvasculature plays a multifaceted role in the development and progression of various conditions, we know little about the extent of this involvement. A need exists for non-invasive, clinically meaningful imaging modalities capable of elucidating microvascular information to aid in our understanding of disease, and to aid in the diagnosis/monitoring of disease for more patient-specific care. In this review article, a number of imaging techniques are summarized that have been utilized to investigate the microvasculature of skin, along with their advantages, disadvantages and future perspectives in preclinical and clinical settings. These techniques include dermoscopy, capillaroscopy, Doppler sonography, laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and perfusion imaging, laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), optical coherence tomography (OCT), including its Doppler and dynamic variant and the more recently developed OCT angiography (OCTA), photoacoustic imaging, and spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI). Attention is largely, but not exclusively, placed on optical imaging modalities that use intrinsic optical signals to contrast the microvasculature. We conclude that whilst each imaging modality has been successful in filling a particular niche, there is no one, all-encompassing modality without inherent flaws. Therefore, the future of cutaneous microvascular imaging may lie in utilizing a multi-modal approach that will counter the disadvantages of individual systems to synergistically augment our imaging capabilities.
IT TAKES TIME TO MATURE: A CASE OF A LEFT INTERNAL MAMMARY ARTERY MATURING 9 YEARS AFTER CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING

The internal mammary artery (IMA) is the preferred conduit for bypassing the left anterior descending (LAD) artery in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) due to high patency rates. In few cases they are atretic, and in even rare cases they mature years later. 76 year old male
Nitrogen Fertilizer and Irrigation Effects on Seed Yield and Oil in Camelina

Interest is growing in camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) as a biofuel feedstock. However, there has been little camelina research in irrigated arid systems. A 2-yr field study in Maricopa, AZ, under an overhead sprinkler irrigation system determined the effects of 10 water levels (irrigation fraction 0.5–1.1) and five N fertilizer rates (38–150 kg N ha–¹) on seed yield, seed oil content, and N use efficiency. Cultivar Robinson was planted in December 2012 and 2013. Nitrogen fertilizer (urea ammonium nitrate) was applied in three split applications. Irrigation amounts were from 125 to 380 mm, and in-season rain was 70 and 50 mm, in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Camelina seed yields were maximum at water level 7 (irrigation fraction 0.93) in 2013 at 1800 kg ha–¹. Maximum seed yields were 1600 kg ha–¹ at water level 6 (irrigation fraction 0.83) in 2014. These highest seed yields were achieved with 150 kg N ha–¹ in both years. Oil content (maximum 41%) decreased with N rate but increased with water level. Seed N increased with N rate but decreased with irrigation level. Recovery efficiency of N fertilizer by camelina ranged from 12 to 72%. The results indicate that good high-oil camelina yields can be produced in the southwestern United States with 320 to 380 mm irrigation plus rain and N fertilizer rates of 150 kg N ha–¹.
Utility of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Differentiating Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak from Middle Ear Effusion.

ObjectiveTo demonstrate the clinical utility, sensitivity, and specificity of standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences in differentiating temporal bone cerebrospinal fluid leaks from all...
Multi-isotopologue laser absorption spectroscopy of carbon monoxide for high-temperature chemical kinetic studies of fuel mixtures

Abstract A laser absorption diagnostic technique, probing the mid-infrared vibrational bands of 12C16O and 13C16O near 4.9 µm, was developed for sensitive multi-isotopologue temperature and concentration measurements in high-temperature gaseous systems. Transitions in each of the P-branches of the fundamental bands of 12C16O and 13C16O were chosen based on absorption linestrength, relative spectral isolation, and temperature sensitivity. Five total rovibrational transitions are spectrally-resolved over a ∼ 1.2 cm − 1 domain using a 50 kHz triangle scan function with a distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser, yielding a 100 kHz effective measurement rate of both isotopologues and respective temperatures, independent of mixture composition. In addition, relevant broadening parameters for the P(0,22) transition of 13C16O near 2007.8767 cm − 1 were measured to enable higher time resolution ( > 1 MHz) measurements using fixed-wavelength methods. Time-resolved multi-isotopologue thermometry performance was validated in a shock tube over a range of temperatures (1100–2400 K) relevant to combustion kinetics investigations. The technique is utilized in shock-heated oxidation experiments with isotopically labeled fuel mixtures, simultaneously measuring both carbon monoxide isotopologues throughout the reactions. To the authors’ knowledge, these results demonstrate the first use of carbon isotope labeling with laser absorption spectroscopy to observe distinct competitive oxidation among different fuel components.
Heat Flux for Many-Body Interactions: Corrections to LAMMPS

The virial stress tensor-based instantaneous heat flux, which is used by LAMMPS, is only valid for the small subset of simulations that contain only pairwise interactions. For systems that contain many-body interactions using 3- or 4-body potentials, a more complete derivation is required. We have created a software patch to LAMMPS that implements the correct heat flux calculation approach for 3- and 4-body potentials, based on the derivation by Torii et al. ( J. Chem. Phys. 2008 , 128 , 044504 ) Using two example systems, the error in the uncorrected code for many-body potential heat flux is shown to be significant and reaches nearly 100% of the many-body potential heat flux for the systems we studied; hence, the error of the total heat flux calculation is proportional to the fraction of the total heat flux transferred through the many-body potentials. This error may have consequences for thermal conductivities calculated using the Green-Kubo method or any NEMD method that uses the instantaneous heat flux. We recommend that all researchers using LAMMPS for heat flux calculations where significant heat is transferred via the many-body potentials adopt the corrected code.
Marijuana Use is Associated with Better Hospital Outcome in Patients with Acute Heart Failure: A Propensity Match Analysis from National Inpatient Database

Introduction Studies have shown conflicting data regarding the effect of marijuana use on heart failure patient. Its impact on the hospital course of patients admitted because of heart failure is largely unknown. Aim To evaluate the effect of marijuana use on heart failure patient from national database. Methods Adult patient with a principal diagnosis of acute heart failure (AHF) and their usage of marijuana were identified in the 2016 National Inpatient Sample database using disease-specific ICD-10 code. Both systolic and diastolic heart failure were included in the analysis. A propensity score-based match was used to generate a matched control group using age, sex, race, location, insurance, income, hospital type, hospital location, Charlsoncat comorbidity score. Prevalence, baseline characteristic of AHF patient with or without marijuana use was described and compared. Univariable logistic regression model was used to measure mortality, length of stay and total hospital charges. Results Marijuana use was found in 2.6% (4,224) of total AHF admissions (161,553). The mean presentation age of AHF with marijuana use was 50.6+0.4 years old. There is a male predominance noticed in marijuana use group (78.3%). Compared with marijuana group (3,764), the matched cohort group (3,764) has comparable age, sex, as well as the prevalence of comorbidities at baseline (Table 1). Marijuana use was associated with decreased inpatient mortality of patient who was admitted because of AHF (OR: 0.197 [0.046-0.833], p=0.0142). Subgroup analysis revealed a similar association between marijuana use and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (OR: 0.114 [0.014-0.904], P=0.0134), but not heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (OR: 0.616 [0.067-5.628], P=0.6644). In addition, reduced length of stay (4. 2±0.1 vs 4.8±0.2, P= 0.0038) and hospital cost (43.8±2.0 vs 50.9±2.7, P= 0.0394) was also noticed in the heart failure patient with marijuana use. Conclusion Marijuana use is associated with decreased inpatient mortality, length of stay and hospital cost of patients admitted because of acute heart failure
THE CONFLICTUAL CRAFT

Abstract Are contemporary philosophers to follow Pyrrho of Elis in adopting his skeptic craft or at least core aspects of it as a reaction to the fact that, since immemorial times, persons have been engaged in disputes in metaphysics? Over the last 2500 years or so, most Western philosophers have not done so in being more influenced by Aristotle’s dogmatic craft than by Pyrrho’s skeptic one. Over the last fifty years or so, a few Brazilian neo-Pyrrhonist philosophers, such as Oswald Porchat, Otavio Bueno and Plinio Junqueira Smith, have done the opposite in aiming to spell out the pertinence of Ancient Pyrrhonism to contemporary philosophy. On its part, this essay makes a case for the claim that one is to react to the stated fact by adopting a conflictual craft that promotes a synthesis of Pyrrho’s skeptic craft and the dogmatic craft. This synthesis: brings to light the core features of the skeptic and of the dogmatic craft; problematizes the dogmatic craft by means of the skeptic one and vice-versa so that the shortcomings of these crafts are avoided; and aims to keep certain positive aspects both of the skeptic craft and of the dogmatic one.
Case Start Time Affects Intraoperative Transfusion Rates in Adult Cardiac Surgery: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis.

Objective The goal of the study was to investigate the role time of day plays in perioperative outcomes. The authors examined intraoperative transfusion rates throughout the day in adult cardiac surgery patients. They hypothesized that the rate of transfusion changes with later case start times in scheduled cardiac surgery. Design Retrospective observational study. Setting Single academic medical center. Participants Adults undergoing cardiac surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results The primary outcome was a composite variable of transfusion. The association between the time of day and the rate of transfusion was explored with a multivariate logistic regression to fit the effect of starting time as a cubic spline. There were 1,421 cases that met inclusion criteria. There were 1,220 cases that were matched for modeling. The estimated probability of a patient receiving a transfusion changed significantly with later case start times in the multivariable model after adjusting for initial hemoglobin, age, sex, height, ideal body weight, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic cross clamp time, attending surgeon, and attending anesthesiologist (p = 0.032, C-statistic = 0.807, n = 1220). The estimated probability of receiving an intraoperative red blood cell transfusion increased with later case start times in the multivariable model (p = 0.027, C-statistic = 0.902, n = 1220). There was no difference in the probability of transfusion for plasma, cryoprecipitate, or platelets. Conclusions The observed rate of intraoperative blood product transfusion changed with later case start times in a multivariable model of scheduled cardiac surgery.
Interactions within and between parallel parietal-frontal networks involved in complex motor behaviors in prosimian galagos and a squirrel monkey.

Long trains of electrical pulses applied simultaneously to two sites in motor cortical areas (motor and posterior parietal cortices) have shown that interactions of functionally matched domains (ev...
Community-based in situ simulation: bringing simulation to the masses

Simulation-based methods are regularly used to train inter-professional groups of healthcare providers at academic medical centers (AMC). These techniques are used less frequently in community hospitals. Bringing in-situ simulation (ISS) from AMCs to community sites is an approach that holds promise for addressing this disparity. This type of programming allows academic center faculty to freely share their expertise with community site providers. By creating meaningful partnerships community-based ISS facilitates the communication of best practices, distribution of up to date policies, and education/training. It also provides an opportunity for system testing at the community sites. In this article, we illustrate the process of implementing an outreach ISS program at community sites by presenting four exemplar programs. Using these exemplars as a springboard for discussion, we outline key lessons learned discuss barriers we encountered, and provide a framework that can be used to create similar simulation programs and partnerships. It is our hope that this discussion will serve as a foundation for those wishing to implement community-based, outreach ISS.
Nitric oxide synthase inhibitors negatively regulate respiration in isolated rodent cardiac and brain mitochondria.

Existence and the role of nitric oxide synthases in the mitochondria are controversial. We report for the first time that mitochondrial nNOS positively regulates respiration in isolated heart and b...
The pitch vulnerability of a typical wave energy converter geometry based on Melnikov and Markov approaches

Many wave energy converter (WEC) designs emerging over the recent years are floating cylindrical geometries with position-keeping mooring system. However, the dynamic stability of these novel float...
Leptin—A Growth Factor in Normal and Malignant Breast Cells and for Normal Mammary Gland Development

Background: Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women. As body weight and fat mass increase, circulating leptin increases. Leptin is an adipocyte-derived cytokine that acts through the long form of its receptor, termed OB-Rb. To investigate whether leptin is associated with breast cancer, we determined the expression of OB-Rb in human breast epithelial HBL100 cells and human breast carcinoma-derived T-47D cells, determined whether leptin influenced the proliferation of these cells, and evaluated the structure of mammary tissue in genetically obese leptin-deficient Lep ob Lep ob and leptin receptor-deficient Lepr db Lepr db mice. Methods: Cell numbers and cell colony formation by HBL100 and T-47D cells were determined by anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent growth assays. OB-Rb expression was examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot analyses. Expression of leptin signaling pathway components was evaluated with immunoblot and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Mammary gland development in lean and obese mice was investigated in whole-mount studies. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Leptin enhanced anchorage-dependent proliferation by 138% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 108% to 169%) in T-47D cells and 50% (95% CI = 38% to 60%) in HBL100 cells. In both cell lines, OB-Rb was expressed, and leptin increased the expression of phosphorylated signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and transcript activator protein 1 (AP-1). However, leptin increased anchorage-independent cell growth only in the breast cancer cell line (by 81% [95% CI = 62% to 101%] compared with untreated cells). Obese Lep ob Lep ob and Lepr db Lepr db mice had minimal epithelial development in the mature mammary gland compared with their lean counterparts. Conclusions: Leptin appears to be able to control the proliferation of both normal and malignant breast epithelial cells. Consequently, the leptin pathway should be further studied as a target for interventions to treat or prevent breast cancer.
The estimation of fetal weight by computer-assisted analysis

The need for a quick and easy method for estimating fetal weight in utero has been clearly established. Estimates by abdominal palpation and fetal hormone production have proved to be of limited value. Eight-five patients, ranging from 17 to 41 weeks' gestation, were ultrasonically scanned within 48 hours of delivery. Statistical analysis and multiple multivariant linear regressions were performed employing the BMD statistical packages. Our results show that birth weight is a logarithmic function of fetal body parameters and that the abdominal circumference has the single best correlation with the log10 birth weight. Our best linear regression with the use of two fetal dimensions (abdominal circumference and biparietal diameter) had a standard deviation of 106 grams per kilogram fetal weight. Since this derived formula is very cumbersome to manipulate, tables have been prepared with computer assistance to read the estimated fetal weight directly. Prospective estimates in 32 cases of both normal and pathologic gestations have proved to be within our expected accuracy.
Homotopy Algorithm for Riccati Equations

The sections in this article are 1 Riccati Equations 2 Homotopy Algorithm Based on Ly's Formulation 3 Homotopy Algorithm Based on Overparametrization Formulation 4 Numerical Algorithms 5 The Distributed Homotopy Algorithm 6 Numerical Results and Discussion 7 Acknowledgment Keywords: Homotopy method; Riccati equation; LQG controller synthesis; H2/H∞ performance
17 – POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Publisher Summary Posters have become a major format for communicating at scientific meetings. The technique varies with different societies, but generally the poster can be on display for several hours, perhaps all day, and the authors can be present during a part of that time to discuss the subject with viewers. Presenting a poster is a good opportunity to build reputation as a confident, knowledgeable, and articulate scientist while exhibiting an attractive, informative display, and maintaining a professional demeanor. This chapter expounds on the use of posters to display large numbers of research reports. Posters offer advantages both for meeting arrangements and for communication efficiency. More posters can be scheduled in less space than can oral presentations, and those attending meetings have access to more research in the same amount of time. The physical qualities of a poster, such as its color, size, and shape is as important as its content. A good idea is to section the poster into modules based on the organization of the material, and space the sections in no more than four or five blocks or columns on the board.
Relation between stability and resilience determines the performance of early warning signals under different environmental drivers

Shifting patterns of temporal fluctuations have been found to signal critical transitions in a variety of systems, from ecological communities to human physiology. However, failure of these early warning signals in some systems calls for a better understanding of their limitations. In particular, little is known about the generality of early warning signals in different deteriorating environments. In this study, we characterized how multiple environmental drivers influence the dynamics of laboratory yeast populations, which was previously shown to display alternative stable states [Dai et al., Science, 2012]. We observed that both the coefficient of variation and autocorrelation increased before population collapse in two slowly deteriorating environments, one with a rising death rate and the other one with decreasing nutrient availability. We compared the performance of early warning signals across multiple environments as "indicators for loss of resilience." We find that the varying performance is determined by how a system responds to changes in a specific driver, which can be captured by a relation between stability (recovery rate) and resilience (size of the basin of attraction). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the positive correlation between stability and resilience, as the essential assumption of indicators based on critical slowing down, can break down in this system when multiple environmental drivers are changed simultaneously. Our results suggest that the stability-resilience relation needs to be better understood for the application of early warning signals in different scenarios.
Quantitive binding constants of H(+)-selective chromoionophores and anion ionophores in solvent polymeric sensing membranes.

Abstract The binding properties of neutral or charged chromoionophores and anion ionophores in solvent polymeric membranes were characterized in situ by the so-called sandwich membrane method. Acidity constants (pKa) of eight chromoionophores (ETH 5294, ETH 2439, ETH 5350, ETH 5418, ETH 5315, ETH 7061, ETH 7075, ETH 2412) were measured in bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate (DOS) and o-nitrophenyloctylether (NPOE) plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membranes commonly used in optical and potentiometric ion sensors. The pKa values of all chromoionophores in DOS membranes are by 2–3 orders of magnitude smaller than in NPOE membranes. The weak alkali metal ion binding properties with neutral H+-chromoionophore and anion binding with electrically charged chromoionophores were also studied quantitatively. The complex formation constants of the commercially available Co(III)cobyrinate nitrite ionophore and the organomercury chloride ionophore, ETH 9009, were also measured. The very low stability constant observed for ETH 9009 (log β2=3.60±0.03 in PVC–DOS and 3.61±0.01 in PVC–NPOE) was explained by the decomposition of the ionophore in contact with chloride samples. On the other hand, the electrically charged nitrite ionophore showed strong complexation with nitrite ions, with log β=10.58 and 10.59 in DOS and NPOE membranes, respectively. In contrast to cation ionophores, the stability constant of the NO2− ionophore does not change with different plasticizers.
Biodiversity and biotechnology

The maintenance of biodiversity is urged from many quarters and on grounds ranging from aesthetic considerations to its usefulness, particularly for biotechnology. But regardless of the grounds for preserving biodiversity, writers are generally in agreement that it should be preserved. But, in examining the various references “biodiversity,” such as species diversity, genetic diversity, and habitat diversity, it is apparent that we cannot aim to preserve biodiversityas such, since there are a number of conflicts in any such undertaking. In preserving one aspect of biodiversity, we damage another aspect. Five arguments which attempt to ground our moral concern for biodiversity are reviewed and critiqued, not only for their consistency but also for their power to move us to action. The final section of the paper shows how conflicts in the values of personal and environmental health can impair ethical action and especially policy formation.
ENANTIOSELECTIVE CYCLOADDITIONS CATALYZED BY FACE RESOLVED ARENE CHROMIUM CARBONYL COMPLEXES

Abstract A new class of readily accessible enantioselective catalysts has been developed, and examined in the Diels–Alder cycloaddition of methacrolein. Analysis of potential transition state influences provides an insight for future modification and refinement.
H2155–304: a highly luminous BL Lac object

The radio source PKS2155–304 has recently been identified1 with a HEAO 1 X-ray source and a ∼14 mag object that has a featureless spectrum and is interpreted as a member of the BL Lac class. We describe here our optical spectroscopy of this object which reveals two weak emission features at λ 5,820 and 5,870 A. We suggest that these lines are [O III] λ 4,959, 5,007 redshifted by z = 0.17. This result supports the interpretation of H2155–304 as a highly luminous BL Lac object.
Representation and calculation of three liquid-phase equilibria of two ternary systems

Abstract Chakravarty, T., Sivasubramanian, M.S. and Babu, S.V., 1985. Representation and calculation of three liquid—phase equilibria of two ternary systems. Fluid Phase Equilibria , 19:221-231. Liquid-phase compositions for the two ternary systems, aniline—heptane—water (A—H—W) and glycol—lauryl alcohol—nitromethane (G—LA—NM), were calculated using the UNIQUAC equation and the van Laar equation developed by Chien and Null (1972), at two different temperatures using only binary data. The phase-splitting algorithm of Gautam and Seider (1979a,b) was used to minimize the free energy. Both models predict phase compositions that agree very well with each other and with the available experimental data (except for the lauryl alcohol-rich phase in the G—LA—NM system at 22 °C).
Psychiatric rehabilitation in schizophrenia: advances and challenges

Abstract Psychiatric rehabilitation for schizophrenia involves utilizing psychosocial interventions to assist persons with the illness to attain their highest level of independent functioning, strongest level of symptom control, and greatest level of subjective life satisfaction. The advent of newer, more well-tolerated antipsychotic medications may mean that more patients then ever are suitable for participation in concurrent psychiatric rehabilitation programs. In this article, the determinants of poor symptom control and social adjustment in schizophrenia are first discussed. Brief overviews of the procedures for the four most-well validated psychiatric rehabilitation strategies (family interventions, cognitive-behavior therapy, social skills training, and vocational rehabilitation) are then presented, with supporting data. Issues of relevance to recent-onset and older patients are then discussed. Finally, the role of individual psychotherapy in rehabilitation and opportunities for research and clinical integration of pharmacologic and psychosocial interventions are described.
Activation of adenosine A 1 receptors initiates short-term synaptic depression in rat striatum

High-frequency stimulation (HFS) of afferent fibers produced short-term depression (STD) and long-term depression (LTD) of corticostriatal synaptic transmission. Application of the non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist 1,3-dipropyl-8-p-sulfophenylxanthine (DPSPX) or the selective A1 antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX) blocked the induction of STD but not LTD. Application of adenosine or the selective A1 receptor agonist R(-)N6-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R-PIA) induced synaptic depression, while the A2a receptor agonist CGS 21680 did not consistently alter synaptic transmission. Depression induced by adenosine or R-PIA was not accompanied by changes in postsynaptic input resistance and appeared to involve a presynaptic depressant effect previously characterized at this synapse. These observations indicate that HFS leads to the production of endogenous adenosine that acts on presynaptic A1 receptors to initiate STD at corticostriatal synapses. Initiation and maintenance of LTD appear to be independent of A1 receptor activation.