cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Profile of the Ammonium Acid Urate Stone Former Based on a Large Contemporary Cohort.

Objective To evaluate and profile ammonium acid urate (AAU) stone formers utilizing a large contemporary cohort. Materials and methods A retrospective review of all patients with documented AAU urolithiasis on stone analysis was performed from 1995 to 2013. A stone was considered AAU if it contained at least 10% of the total composition on stone analysis. Results Of 12,421 stones, a total of 111 AAU stones were identified in 89 patients. Seventy-two patients (81%) had mixed composition stones. Of the 89 AAU patients, 10 (11%) had chronic kidney disease, 12 (13%) had recurrent urinary tract infections, 8 (9%) had diabetes mellitus, 25 (28%) had a history of ileostomy or bowel resection, and 11 (12%) had significant diarrhea or inflammatory bowel disease. Additionally, 20 (22%) had prior prostate surgery with bladder neck contracture and 8 (9%) were managed with a chronic indwelling catheter. Surgical intervention was required in 74 patients (83%). At the median follow-up of 4.9 years, 19 patients (21%) had stone recurrence with a median time to recurrence of 22 months (interquartile range: 10.5-42.0). Conclusion AAU stones are rare. In addition to previously described risk factors for AAU stone formation, patients with prior prostate surgery and bladder neck contracture or a surgically altered bladder may be at increased risk for formation. Furthermore, the long-term follow-up provided by this large AAU cohort demonstrates a significant risk for stone recurrence.
Constraint-driven dynamic adaptation of mobile applications for quality of service

Modern mobile applications are executed in a variety of execution environments by users with different preferences for energy savings, performance efficiency, reliability, and privacy. Offloading a mobile application's functionality to execute at a remote server has become an important energy and performance optimization technique. Mobile applications, however, executed over networks with divergent latency/bandwidth characteristics, access cloud-based servers that offer different levels of performance, availability, and privacy. An effective offloading mechanism must consider all these factors when determining which functionality should be offloaded to which server. In this paper, we present a novel approach to configurable, adaptive offloading for mobile applications that is driven by constraint solving. The programmer annotates energy intensive functionality at the method boundary. The end user, via a configuration menu, specifies how to prioritize energy savings, performance efficiency, server availability, and privacy. The specified priorities are then automatically translated into constraints used at runtime to drive an adaptive offloading runtime system. Applying our approach to third-party applications enhanced them with adaptive offloading capabilities, thereby optimizing their respective energy and performance efficiencies. These results indicate that our approach presents a promising direction in improving the quality of service of mobile applications.
How Students, Collaborating as Peer Mentors, Enabled an Audacious Group‐Based Project

We discuss how a professor worked with six students to design and implement a complex teaching strategy for a course, and used the students’ assistance to create a sustainable model for future iterations of the course.
Monte Carlo simulations of time-of-flight PET with double-ended readout: calibration, coincidence resolving times and statistical lower bounds.

This paper demonstrates through Monte Carlo simulations that a practical positron emission tomograph with (1) deep scintillators for efficient detection, (2) double-ended readout for depth-of-interaction information, (3) fixed-level analog triggering, and (4) accurate calibration and timing data corrections can achieve a coincidence resolving time (CRT) that is not far above the statistical lower bound. One Monte Carlo algorithm simulates a calibration procedure that uses data from a positron point source. Annihilation events with an interaction near the entrance surface of one scintillator are selected, and data from the two photodetectors on the other scintillator provide depth-dependent timing corrections. Another Monte Carlo algorithm simulates normal operation using these corrections and determines the CRT. A third Monte Carlo algorithm determines the CRT statistical lower bound by generating a series of random interaction depths, and for each interaction a set of random photoelectron times for each of the two photodetectors. The most likely interaction times are determined by shifting the depth-dependent probability density function to maximize the joint likelihood for all the photoelectron times in each set. Example calculations are tabulated for different numbers of photoelectrons and photodetector time jitters for three 3 × 3 × 30 mm3 scintillators: Lu2SiO5:Ce,Ca (LSO), LaBr3:Ce, and a hypothetical ultra-fast scintillator. To isolate the factors that depend on the scintillator length and the ability to estimate the DOI, CRT values are tabulated for perfect scintillator-photodetectors. For LSO with 4000 photoelectrons and single photoelectron time jitter of the photodetector J = 0.2 ns (FWHM), the CRT value using the statistically weighted average of corrected trigger times is 0.098 ns FWHM and the statistical lower bound is 0.091 ns FWHM. For LaBr3:Ce with 8000 photoelectrons and J = 0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.070 and 0.063 ns FWHM, respectively. For the ultra-fast scintillator with 1 ns decay time, 4000 photoelectrons, and J = 0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.021 and 0.017 ns FWHM, respectively. The examples also show that calibration and correction for depth-dependent variations in pulse height and in annihilation and optical photon transit times are necessary to achieve these CRT values.
Relational Freedom and Its Political Consequences

Probably the most pervasive doctrine of freedom today has roots extending back at least to Descartes and Hobbes. But it reached its full development during the French Enlightenment and now still dominates both popular and scholarly thought. According to this dominant doctrine, the basic characteristic and measure of freedom is autonomy. Each person is said to be free precisely insofar as he is independent of every Other.1
A prospective randomized controlled trial to identify the optimal postoperative pain management in shoulder arthroplasty: liposomal bupivacaine versus continuous interscalene catheter.

Background Shoulder arthroplasty is the fastest growing joint replacement surgery in the United States, and optimal postoperative pain management is critical to optimize outcomes for these surgeries. Liposomal bupivacaine (LB) has gained popularity for its potential to provide extended postoperative pain relief with possibly fewer side effects. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of LB compared with continuous interscalene nerve block (CISB) in terms of postoperative pain control, outpatient pain scores, and patient-reported and functional outcomes after shoulder arthroplasty surgery. Methods A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial compared consecutive patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty treated with CISB vs. LB with a single bolus interscalene block. The primary outcome measures included pain assessment up to 24 hours after surgery; in addition, all doses and times of narcotics administered during the inpatient stay were recorded. Patient-reported outcome measures for pain, satisfaction, and functional outcomes were recorded postoperatively. Results A total of 70 of 74 consecutive patients who underwent shoulder arthroplasty were included in the study. The LB group had equivalent narcotic use, pain scores, and time to first narcotic rescue compared with the CISB group within the first 24 hours (P > .05). The LB group had higher American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score and Penn Shoulder Score at final follow-up. There was an increased number of complications and cost for the CISB group. Conclusion This prospective randomized controlled trial demonstrated that LB provides excellent postoperative pain relief for shoulder arthroplasty patients. In addition, LB had fewer complications and lower cost, making it a promising addition to a multimodal pain regimen for shoulder arthroplasty.
Unruly Arguments: The Body Rhetoric of Earth First!, Act Up, and Queer Nation

This essay advocates the necessity of considering the body when attempting to understand the effects of many forms of public argument, especially social protest rhetoric. Close readings of the unru...
A Peek at the Future

Reports suggest that the credit situation in several countries is bad, and traditional retail business is in deep trouble. And while growth is slowing for the fifth year in a row, neither the World Bank nor central banks have ideas to address the debt crisis or contain inequalities. Since our world has become so complicated, tools used in the past have become largely useless; putting “experts” in charge of an evolving situation amounts to recycling unrecyclable ideas and talent, and using unusable tools. Two more factors will affect growth negatively: an emerging state of equilibrium in several industrial states, where domestic demand grows at a slow pace; and a state of diminishing expectations in other states, where people expect less in the future and are resigned to accept the less to come.
Positivism and the Science of Religion

It is difficult to over estimate the impact of science and the empirical method on the study of philosophy and religion during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One need only mention the names of Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill and Charles Darwin to get some sense of the growing trend away from the ideal world to the empirical world. The image of the empirical world was also changing. The static universe of the eighteenth century, which had been widely challenged, received a death blow in 1859 with the publication of Darwin’s Origin of the Species. The sense of development or evolution, when combined with the growth of the sciences and the rejection of metaphysical inquiry, produced thinkers who looked more to science than religion or speculative philosophy to solve human problems. Some of the leading thinkers during this period were not philosophers in the usual sense of the word. They were physiologists, biologists and social scientists. Some were narrowly positivistic and some were less so.
Maintenance electroconvulsive therapy for chronic mentally ill patients: a case series

Objective Maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (maintenance ECT) has emerged as an alternative treatment for patients who relapse repeatedly or cannot tolerate psychotropic medications. The pattern of maintenance ECT use in two university-affiliated hospitals was surveyed to evaluate its effectiveness in treating several disorders, establish treatment guidelines, and identify adverse side effects. Methods Records of 161 patients who received ECT from 1976 through 1988 were reviewed retrospectively. Nine patients who received maintenance ECT--prophylactic ECT treatments administered for longer than six months--were identified. The presence of target symptoms and behaviors in the periods before and after administration of maintenance ECT was compared. Results All nine patients experienced a complete or a significant partial remission of target symptoms. Six of the nine patients were ready for transfer to less restrictive settings. Given the small number of patients, treatment guidelines could not be established; however, patients with mood disorder required less frequent treatments than patients with thought disorder. Adverse effects were documented for two of the nine patients, but they were not severe enough to discontinue treatment. Conclusions For this sample, maintenance ECT was a safe, efficacious, and well-tolerated treatment with minimal side effects. Further, controlled studies are warranted.
What explains tick proliferation following large-herbivore exclusion?

Our study [1] explored the effects of large-herbivore exclusion on tick abundance and tick-borne pathogens across a rainfall gradient, using a replicated long-term (5–6 years at the time of our study) size-selective exclosure experiment in Kenya. During our 13-month study, we found that tick abundance varied across time and among tick species, but that the total number of questing adult ticks was significantly greater within exclosures than in unfenced control plots (and increased with each successive level of large-herbivore removal). This effect was the strongest in the driest locations (cf. [2]), indicating that climatic context and wildlife removal can interact to affect tick abundance; we interpreted our results as being driven by increases in smaller mammalian hosts in the absence of megafauna and concluded by suggesting that the prevention of wildlife loss might help to prevent an escalation in the number of questing ticks infected with zoonotic pathogens. Esser et al. [3] and Buck & Perkins [4] suggest a different interpretation for our results, namely that they might be an artefact of our experimental plot sizes (each 1 ha), and that in the absence of final hosts, ticks might have dispersed into the exclosure plots via rodent hosts. Specifically, these authors propose that immature ticks were imported into the plots, leading to a proliferation of questing adult ticks that were not subsequently ‘removed’ by final hosts and were therefore present to be picked up in our drag samples. If this is the case, then the observed pattern is scale-dependent, and ticks might not proliferate following large-scale large-mammal extirpation scenarios because final hosts are entirely lost. Such scale dependence has been observed in North American deer exclosures [5]. Available data are not sufficient to establish the relative support for these two …
A comparative study of state emulation in functional programming languages: student paper

The purpose of this paper is to examine the methods of emulating state in functional languages. We will examine the languages J, Scheme, and Haskell; the latter two will be representative of the Lisp and ML families, respectively. In specific, we will provide example code for state emulation in terms of object-orientation and compare this to object-oriented programming without use of state.
Observations on multinucleation of rhabdomyosarcoma and neonatal muscle cells in vitro.

Abstract Observations on the mechanism of multinucleation in primary monolayer cultures of neonatal rat muscle and rat rhabdomyosarcomas are reported. Mononuclear cells were often seen aligned with multinuclear cells in the fashion characteristic of fusing myoblasts. Mitotic figures were scattered throughout the monolayer. A vast majority of the dividing nuclei were found in mono-nuclear cells but occasionally mitoses were seen within the strap cells in both types of culture. Evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that although multinucleation of myotube-like cells in both muscle and rhabdomyo-sarcoma cultures is mainly due to fusion of cells it can also be accomplished by mitosis within the myotube.
Star Formation and Stellar Populations in Ring Galaxies

Colliding ring galaxies provide a remarkable testbed for the study of star formation in perturbed galaxies. In the process of passing through a disk system, a small perturbing galaxy generates a density wave of stars and gas which expands into the host disk. This triggers a wave of star formation. As the star forming wave passes through the host galaxy, progressively older burst populations may be found interior to the ring. As part of a multiwavelength study of ring galaxies, we have performed optical and infrared imaging using the Kitt Peak 2.1m telescope. These images are used to explore the relation between stellar density wave amplitude and star formation rate. Color gradients are searched for which would indicate the presence of an aging burst population interior to the ring.
Uredinales of Guatemala based on collections by E.W.D. Holway: Introduction, Coleosporiaceae and Uredinaceae

Guatemala, the largest of the Central American republics, and with much more than one third of their total population, is a land of great charm for the traveler and the naturalist. The hot, low lands near the coast, especially on the Atlantic side, with their dense tropical growth, the extensive plateau of the interior, ranging from 8,ooo feet elevation in the north to half that altitude in the south, thus supplying a temperate climate, and the many high mountains with their pineclad summits and cool breezes, give a wonderful range for all forms of vegetation. The large proportion of Indians among the population, the many cities of twenty-five to seventy-five thousand inhabitants, the diversity of landscape, and the enjoyable climate lend a special fascination to the task of the explorer. The rusts of Guatemala have been made known through the efforts of two tireless collectors of superior botanical attainments, who gave the Uredinales their first attention, endeavoring to take ample specimens to illustrate both the rust and its host, but who gathered also other fungi, as well as higher forms, especially phanerogams. Not a dozen collections of Guatemalan rusts are known from all other sources taken together. Professor W. A. Kellerman made four visits to Guatemala at the beginning of the years I905, i906, I907 and I908, and was so enamored of the country and its interesting vegetation that upon returning from his third trip in April, I907, he laid plans for a peripatetic school of tropical botany. On his next visit he took with him a few students from the University of Ohio. The program for this visit had been completed and arrangements made for departure homeward when a brief illness terminated the career of a zealous and undaunted collector. The larger part of the rich material secured during these four years yet remains unstudied. Two papers dealing with the rust por325
Obedient Gentiles and Jealous Jews: A Fresh Interpretation of Paul’s Aim in Romans 11.11-141:

Scholars have long been perplexed by Paul’s statement in Rom. 11.11-14 that he magniﬁes his ministry to make Jews jealous and thus save some of them. After all, why would law-observant Jews be jeal...
Transfiguring the Arts and Sciences: Knowledge and Cultural Institutions in the Romantic Age

Introduction Part I. Questions of the Arts and Sciences: 1. From the age of projects to the age of institutions 2. The administrator as cultural producer: restructuring the arts and sciences 3. Wild bibliography: the rise and fall of book history in the nineteenth century 4. Print and institution in the making of art controversy 5. History and organization in the Romantic-age sciences Part II. Questions of the Literary: 6. The Coleridge Institution 7. Dissension in the arts and sciences Epilogue: transatlantic crossings Bibliography Notes.
Male Hormonal Contraception.

The economic and public health burdens of unplanned pregnancies are evident globally. Since the introduction of the condom >300 years ago, assumptions about male willingness to participate in contr...
Striatal histamine mechanism in the pathogenesis of restless legs syndrome.

Author(s): Lai, Yuan-Yang; Hsieh, Kung-Chiao; Cheng, Yu-Hsuan; Chew, Keng-Tee; Nguyen, Darian; Ramanathan, Lalini; Siegel, Jerome M | Abstract: Study objectivesRestless legs syndrome (RLS) has been hypothesized to be generated by abnormal striatal dopamine transmission. Dopaminergic drugs are effective for the treatment of RLS. However, long-term use of dopaminergic drugs causes adverse effects. We used iron-deficient (ID) and iron-replacement (IR) rats to address the neuropathology of RLS and to determine if a histamine H3 receptor (H3R) antagonist might be a useful treatment. Histamine H3R antagonists have been shown to decrease motor activity.MethodsControl and ID rats were surgically implanted with electrodes for polysomnographic recording. After 3 days of baseline polysomnographic recordings, rats were systemically injected with the H3R agonist, α-methylhistamine, and antagonist, thioperamide. Recordings were continued after drug injection. Striatal H3R levels from control, ID, and IR rats were determined by western blots. Blood from control, ID, and IR rats was collected for the measurement of hematocrit levels.Resultsα-Methylhistamine and thioperamide increased and decreased motor activity, respectively, in control rats. In ID rats, α-methylhistamine had no effect on motor activity, whereas thioperamide decreased periodic leg movement (PLM) in sleep. Sleep-wake states were not significantly altered under any conditions. Striatal H3R levels were highest in ID rats, moderate to low in IR rats, and lowest in control rats. Striatal H3R levels were also found to positively and negatively correlate with PLM in sleep and hematocrit levels, respectively.ConclusionsA striatal histamine mechanism may be involved in ID anemia-induced RLS. Histamine H3R antagonists may be useful for the treatment of RLS.
Consumer Purchase Journey, Ad Wearout, and Privacy Choices

Advertising to a consumer moves her further along the purchase journey, and tracking the consumer's online activities enables the advertiser to infer her purchase journey stage and target her accordingly. However, many consumers dislike being tracked, and repeated advertising leads to ad wearout. Under these considerations, we investigate the impact of regulations that endow a consumer with the choice to opt in to have her activity be tracked or opt out of tracking. A consumer's opt-in decision balances two aspects of privacy: its intrinsic value (protect privacy for its own sake) and its instrumental value (compromise privacy if doing so leads to utility-enhancing outcomes). Consumers opt in or out of tracking under different conditions. For instance, when ad effectiveness is intermediate, such that repeated ads would be useful for the advertiser, consumers opt in. This is because tracking reveals the consumer's purchase journey stage, which increases advertising efficiency and thus reduces ad repetition than if the consumer had opted out. Due to the opt-in/-out choice, and compared to the pre-regulation benchmark of consumer data being tracked, consumer surplus weakly increases and the advertiser's and the ad network's profits weakly decrease. Interestingly, the advertiser's and the ad network's profits may decrease in ad effectiveness.
What Happens When You Combine High School and College? The Impact of the Early College Model on Postsecondary Performance and Completion.

Early colleges are a new model of schooling in which the high school and college experiences are merged, shortening the total amount of time a student spends in school. This study uses a lottery-ba...
251 – Metallocarboxypeptidase D

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the activity, specificity and structural chemistry of metallocarboxypeptidase D. It is found that when the cDNA encoding gpl80 was cloned and sequenced, it became apparent that this protein represented a 180 kDa member of the metallocarboxypeptidase family. Carboxypeptidase D (CPD) removes C-terminal +Lys or + Arg residues from a variety of substrates, with no detectable activity towards nonbasic residues. It prefers an Ala in the penultimate position. In comparing N-terminally blocked small peptides, CPD shows lower activity with dipeptides than with tripeptides. The optimal pH for CPD activity is 5–7. CPD is stimulated by millimolar concentrations of Co2+ and inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline. The enzyme is partially inhibited by some thiol-directed reagents, such as 7-chloromercuriphenylsulfonate or HgCl2. CPD is a single-chain protein that exists in several forms, with the major form being 180 kDa. It is likely that CPD contains 2–3 mol of zinc per mol of protein based on the homology between CPD and other metallocarboxypeptidases. CPD contains three carboxypeptidase domains of about 390 amino acids, which are followed by a transmembrane domain and a short 60 residue sequence that forms the cytosolic tail.
Increased motor vehicle fatalities Tuesday through Thursday during the US Thanksgiving holiday (1980-2018).

Abstract Traffic crashes remain a leading cause of death in the United States; holidays are known to have increased travel and traffic fatalities. Our purpose was to determine which days during Thanksgiving had the highest crash fatality risk compared to non-holiday periods. Using time series and binomial approximations, we analyzed Fatality Analysis Reporting System data (1980–2018) with a Monday-Sunday holiday and matching comparisons the weeks before and after. Fatalities included 31,263 during the holiday, 30,361 the previous week, and 29,399 the following week. Deadliest days during the holiday were Saturday (16.7% of fatalities) and Wednesday (16.0%), but odds of a traffic fatality (vs. non-holiday) were highest Wednesday [odds ratio (OR) 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29–1.40], Thanksgiving (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.13–1.23), and Tuesday (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.06–1.17). The 35 excess holiday fatalities per year may have limited practical significance considering increased holiday travel.
Utility of YAP1 and NUT immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of porocarcinoma.

Background Porocarcinoma is the malignant counterpart of poroma, a benign tumor derived from the eccrine or apocrine units. In contrast to poroma, porocarcinoma is rare and its diagnosis may be challenging. Recent work has identified YAP1-associated gene fusions in most poromas, and a subset of porocarcinomas. These included YAP1-MAML2 and YAP1-NUTM1, the latter being enriched in porocarcinomas over poromas. Methods We studied YAP1 C-terminus and NUT immunohistochemistry in a cohort of 12 porocarcinomas, 10 poromas, 10 squamous cell carcinomas, and 6 hidradenocarcinomas. Results Seven of 12 (58%) porocarcinomas showed loss of YAP1 C-terminus expression, consistent with a YAP1 fusion. Of these seven, five showed NUT positivity, implying the presence of the YAP1-NUTM1 fusion. One of 12 (8%) cases showed NUT positivity, but retention of YAP1 C-terminus expression, consistent with a non-YAP1 NUT-associated fusion. Eight of 10 (80%) poromas showed loss of YAP1 C-terminus expression and negative NUT staining, consistent with non-NUT YAP1 fusions. All squamous cell carcinomas and hidradenocarcinomas retained YAP1 C-terminus expression and were negative for NUT. Conclusion YAP1 C-terminus and NUT immunohistochemistry may be helpful in the diagnosis of porocarcinoma, with the combination of YAP1 C-terminus loss and NUT positivity being particularly informative.
Whether and How Knowledge Moderates Linkages between Parent–Child Conversations and Children’s Reflections about Tinkering in a Children’s Museum

This study is a collaborative project between university researchers and museum practitioners investigating ways to advance STEM learning opportunities for young children and their families in muse...
Writing-to-Learn in Elementary Classrooms: A National Survey of U.S. Teachers

We contacted a random sample of 900 elementary teachers (grades K-5) in the United States to inquire about their use of writing to support students’ learning of classroom content or concepts. Characteristics (i.e., grade level, public v. private school, school locale, school enrollment) of the 150 teachers who responded to our survey were not statistically different from the entire sample surveyed. More than two-thirds (67%) of responding teachers reported receiving minimal to no college preparation on how to use writing to support their students’ learning. Although at least one-half reported using 30 of the 50 writing-to-learn activities included on the survey in at least one subject area, there were subject area differences. Teachers reported using a significantly greater number of writing-to-learn activities in English/language Arts (ELA) than in math, science, or social studies classes (all p < .001) and a significantly greater number of writing-to-learn activities in science compared to math (p < .01). The most commonly reported writing-to-learn activities involved little writing and little critical thinking or analysis. We further found that increases in teachers’ grade level and educational level were associated with increased use of writing-to-learn activities in all subject areas. Teachers’ beliefs about the use of writing to support learning in different subject areas was a significant predictor (p < .01) of their use of writing-to-learn activities in math and social studies, while their perceptions of having the skills and resources to use writing-to-learn predicted their increased use of writing activities in ELA and math (p < .05). Finally, we found that teachers commonly used best practices to directly teach their students to use writing-to-learn strategies. We discuss implications of our findings for both pre-service and in-service teacher preparation as well as classroom practice.
Arrhythmia Recurrence After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Impact of Warfarin vs. Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants.

Both warfarin and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have pleiotropic effects including anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties. This study aims to explore whether arrhythmia recurrence after AF ablation is influenced by the choice of oral anticoagulant. We retrospectively studied all patients who underwent primary AF ablation between 2011 and 2017 and divided them into two groups according to the anticoagulant used: Warfarin vs. NOACs. The primary endpoint was atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence after ablation. Of the 1106 patients who underwent AF ablation in the study period (median age 62.5 years; 71.5% males, 48.2% persistent AF), 697 (63%) received warfarin and 409 (37%) received NOACs. After a median of 26.4 months follow-up, arrhythmia recurrence was noted in 368 patients in warfarin group and 173 patients in NOACs group, with a 1-year recurrence probability of 35% vs. 36% (log rank P = 0.81) and 5-year recurrence probability of 62% vs. 63% (Log rank P = 0.32). However, NOACs use was associated with a higher probability of recurrence (46% for 1 year, 68% for 5 years) in patients with persistent AF compared with those taking warfarin (34% for 1 year, 63% for 5 years; log rank P = 0.01 and P = 0.02 respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated that in patients with persistent AF, use of NOACs was an independent risk factor of atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence after ablation (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.07–1.81, P = 0.013). In this large contemporary cohort, overall AF recurrence after ablation was similar with NOACs or warfarin use. However, in patients with persistent AF, NOACs use was associated with a higher probability of arrhythmia recurrence and was an independent risk factor of recurrence at long-term follow-up.
Desmond's Law: A Novel Approach to Animal Advocacy

In May of 2016, the Connecticut Legislature passed Public Law 16-30, informally called Desmond's Law. This law allows courts to appoint supervised law students or volunteer lawyers to advocate for the interests of justice in animal cruelty cases. Desmond's Law institutes a novel approach to animal cruelty cases-advocates support the prosecution and sentencing of individuals charged with animal cruelty offenses and promote enforcement of historically under-utilized anti-cruelty laws. Based upon the author's personal experience conceiving and implementing Desmond's Law, this Article aims to aid legislators, judges, and advocates in creating legislation modeled on Connecticut's Desmond's Law. This Article also aims to support the implementation of legislation modeled on Desmond's Law by providing guidance for the creation of animal advocacy programs within law schools. This Article is the first of two articles about Desmond's Law. A second article will evaluate its successes and limitations. The second article will also present data analyzing use of the law, impact of the law on outcomes in cruelty cases, and significance of the law on broader criminal justice issues.
Analysing the Sway of Cash Instruments in the Indian Financial Market Context

There are basically four types of financial instruments viz. a bank deposit, a bill of exchange, a bond, and equity. As a result of a steady stream of financial innovations in today’s time, the market landscape is far less sparse-and far more complex to evaluate. Financial instruments are termed as the financial products which are tradable as packages of capital, each having their own unique characteristics and structure. The wide collection of financial instruments in today's marketplace allows for the efficient flow of capital amongst the world's investors. Financial instruments are legal documents that embody monetary value. There are a number of different types of documents that are properly identified as a financial instrument. There are different types of financial instrument, like cash instruments or derivative instruments.
Performance, popular culture, and piety in Muslim Southeast Asia, edited by Timothy P. Daniels

Performance, popular culture, and piety in Muslim Southeast Asia joins the growing scholarly literature interested in the Muslim public sphere, arguing that Indonesia and Malaysia, which together a...
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the polymorphic forms of syndiotactic polystyrene

Infrared spectra of syndiotactic polystyrene exhibiting various crystalline forms and modifications, and in the amorphous state, are reported in this contribution. In addition to strong conformational effects, the spectra demonstrate striking effects of chain packing. Several infrared spectral differences also exist between the two crystalline forms which present a trans-planer conformation of the chains. Spectral changes are also reported for solution-crystallized samples, which depend on the solvent present in the clathrate compound formed with the polymers.
SAMPLE SIZE : PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS OF MUNDANE CALCULATIONS

Controversies in the design of clinical trials excite a small but feisty group of academicians. On one side of the controversy is a group I call the "rigorists," who argue that clinical medicine must be based only on facts that are established by scientifically rigorous clinical trials.1,2 Arguments for scientific rigor have an attractive purity about them that is both mathematical and moral. The simple certainties of statistical science can lead one to believe that, if only we would live by them, we would achieve not only low P values but universal peace and harmony as well. Thus, it may be considered not just good science but an ethical requirement of good research that studies be of sufficient size to give statistically significant results. No moral argument can confront such assertions head on. Nobody argues, for example, that studies ought to be of insufficient size to give meaningful results. Instead, on the other side of this debate we find a group whom I call "apologists," who make arguments about why, even though scientific rigor is the highest good, other considerations sometimes dictate that medical practice be based on knowledge that falls short of the highest scientific standards. These arguments can be based on the physician9s primary loyalty to his or her patient,3-5 to the difficulties in deciding whether or not a sufficient state of uncertainty about the relative merits of two treatments exists to ethically justify clinical trials,6,7 or on the special difficulties in obtaining informed consent or randomizing patients in particular populations.8-10
Determination of the Fracture Parameters in a Stiffened Composite Panel

A modified J-integral, namely the equivalent domain integral, is derived for a three-dimensional anisotropic cracked solid to evaluate the stress intensity factor along the crack front using the finite element method. Based on the equivalent domain integral method with auxiliary fields, an interaction integral is also derived to extract the second fracture parameter, the T-stress, from the finite element results. The auxiliary fields are the two-dimensional plane strain solutions of monoclinic materials with the plane of symmetry at x(sub 3) = 0 under point loads applied at the crack tip. These solutions are expressed in a compact form based on the Stroh formalism. Both integrals can be implemented into a single numerical procedure to determine the distributions of stress intensity factor and T-stress components, T11, T13, and thus T33, along a three-dimensional crack front. The effects of plate thickness and crack length on the variation of the stress intensity factor and T-stresses through the thickness are investigated in detail for through-thickness center-cracked plates (isotropic and orthotropic) and orthotropic stiffened panels under pure mode-I loading conditions. For all the cases studied, T11 remains negative. For plates with the same dimensions, a larger size of crack yields larger magnitude of the normalized stress intensity factor and normalized T-stresses. The results in orthotropic stiffened panels exhibit an opposite trend in general. As expected, for the thicker panels, the fracture parameters evaluated through the thickness, except the region near the free surfaces, approach two-dimensional plane strain solutions. In summary, the numerical methods presented in this research demonstrate their high computational effectiveness and good numerical accuracy in extracting these fracture parameters from the finite element results in three-dimensional cracked solids.
POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE REPLACEMENT FOR LYE (SODIUM HYDROXIDE) IN TOMATO PEELING

Lye (sodium hydroxide [NaOH]) peeling is the most common method for peeling tomatoes in the Midwest U.S. With the rise in the cost of NaOH and the associated disposal problems, alternative methods for peeling need to be examined. Solutions of NaOH, potassium hydoxide (KOH) and calcium hydroxide (Ca[OH] 2 ) at different concentrations were compared to determine their efficacy as peeling agents. Ca(OH) 2 was ineffective as a peeling agent because of its low solubility. KOH produced peeling equivalent to NaOH, but at half the normality. A lower normality is needed because of the increased reactivity of KOH compared to NaOH. This is further demonstrated by the addition of salts to the solution. The use of KOH instead of NaOH may result in cost savings and decreased waste disposal problems.
Fluorescence and protein structure. XVI. Detergents bound to muscle proteins.

Abstract 1. 1.|Equilibrium dialysis experiments established that the detergents dodecyl sulfate and cetyldimethylethylammonium bromide were bound to paramyosin and tropomyosin. Both electrostatic and hydrophobic forces seemed to make important contributions, and as much as 2 3 of the protein surface may have been covered by detergent. 2. 2.|The bound detergents increased the fluorescence from Tyr residues of these proteins without shifts of activation or emission peaks. The increased fluorescence was ascribed to changes in the environment of Tyr residues by detergent molecules bound at the same region on the protein surface. 3. 3.|Additional evidence that the detergents were bound close to the Tyr residues came from increased values of pK for titration of Tyr residues and from difference spectra on binding the detergent that were similar to difference spectra for buried Tyr residues. 4. 4.|The fact that fluorescence increased upon binding the detergent would suggest that the bound detergent did not disrupt the α-helical conformation. Indeed, stability was increased by bound detergent as shown by greater resistance to thermal denaturation and protection from trypsin digestion.
The Duality of TIme and Information

The states of a computing system bear information and change time, while its events bear time and change information. We develop a primitive algebraic model of this duality of time and information for rigid local computation, or straightline code, in the absence of choice and concurrency, where time and information are linearly ordered. This shows the duality of computation to be more fundamental than the logic of computation for which choice is disjunction and concurrency conjunction.
Role of Mn2+ and Compatible Solutes in the Radiation Resistance of Thermophilic Bacteria and Archaea

Radiation-resistant bacteria have garnered a great deal of attention from scientists seeking to expose the mechanisms underlying their incredible survival abilities. Recent analyses showed that the resistance to ionizing radiation (IR) in the archaeon Halobacterium salinarum is dependent upon Mn-antioxidant complexes responsible for the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by radiation. Here we examined the role of the compatible solutes trehalose, mannosylglycerate, and di-myo-inositol phosphate in the radiation resistance of aerobic and anaerobic thermophiles. We found that the IR resistance of the thermophilic bacteria Rubrobacter xylanophilus and Rubrobacter radiotolerans was highly correlated to the accumulation of high intracellular concentration of trehalose in association with Mn, supporting the model of Mn2+-dependent ROS scavenging in the aerobes. In contrast, the hyperthermophilic archaea Thermococcus gammatolerans and Pyrococcus furiosus did not contain significant amounts of intracellular Mn, and we found no significant antioxidant activity from mannosylglycerate and di-myo-inositol phosphate in vitro. We therefore propose that the low levels of IR-generated ROS under anaerobic conditions combined with highly constitutively expressed detoxification systems in these anaerobes are key to their radiation resistance and circumvent the need for the accumulation of Mn-antioxidant complexes in the cell.
Interaction of GAL4 and GAL80 gene regulatory proteins in vitro

The GAL80 protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, synthesized in vitro, bound tightly to GAL4 protein and to a GAL4 protein-upstream activation sequence DNA complex, as shown by (i) coimmunoprecipitation of GAL4 and GAL80 proteins with anti-GAL4 antiserum, (ii) an electrophoretic mobility shift of a GAL4 protein-upstream activation sequence DNA complex upon the addition of GAL80 protein, and (iii) GAL4-dependent binding of GAL80 protein to upstream activation sequence DNA immobilized on Sepharose beads. Anti-GAL4 antisera were raised against a GAL4-URA3 fusion protein, which could be purified to homogeneity in a single step with the use of an affinity chromatographic procedure for the URA3 gene product.
Growth and fatty acid metabolism in experimental intrauterine growth retardation: effect of postnatal nutrition in rat.

Rats, 3 1/2 to 4 d of age, were used to study weight gain and fatty acid (FA) metabolism as a function of degree of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and of postnatal nutrition. The IUGR, quantified postnatally as mild and severe, was produced by uterine artery ligation on d 17 of gestation, and controls were shamoperated. Food intake was manipulated by varying the litter size; i.e., pup number per dam was 4 or 5 for overfeeding, 8-10 for normal feeding and 13-15 for underfeeding. Fatty acid synthesis rate (FASR) (determined by tritiated water incorporation in FA) and contents were determined in selected organs at 84 to 96 h of age. The initial weights (grams) at 2 to 12 h of age were: 5.88 +/- 0.74 (mean +/- SD) for controls, 5.18 +/- 0.11 for mild IUGR and 4.18 +/- 0.24 for severe IUGR. During the first 96 h of life, weight gain was less in underfed control pups while overfeeding resulted in the same weight gain as in normally fed pups. Pups with mild IUGR showed the same effect of under- or overfeeding as control pups. In the severe IUGR groups, weight gains were similar in all three feeding groups. In the carcass, the fatty acid content was reduced as a result of both prenatal and postnatal undernutrition. Although the underfed control group had a high FASR, underfeeding had no effect on the FASR of groups with IUGR. In the liver, the FA content was also lower in the underfed controls and in IUGR groups, without any difference in FASR. Feeding did not influence the FASR of liver.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Nonrandom distribution and frequencies of genomic and EST-derived microsatellite markers in rice, wheat, and barley

Earlier comparative maps between the genomes of rice (Oryza sativa L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were linkage maps based on cDNA-RFLP markers. The low number of polymorphic RFLP markers has limited the development of dense genetic maps in wheat and the number of available anchor points in comparative maps. Higher density comparative maps using PCR-based anchor markers are necessary to better estimate the conservation of colinearity among cereal genomes. The purposes of this study were to characterize the proportion of transcribed DNA sequences containing simple sequence repeats (SSR or microsatellites) by length and motif for wheat, barley and rice and to determine in-silico rice genome locations for primer sets developed for wheat and barley Expressed Sequence Tags. The proportions of SSR types (di-, tri-, tetra-, and penta-nucleotide repeats) and motifs varied with the length of the SSRs within and among the three species, with trinucleotide SSRs being the most frequent. Distributions of genomic microsatellites (gSSRs), EST-derived microsatellites (EST-SSRs), and transcribed regions in the contiguous sequence of rice chromosome 1 were highly correlated. More than 13,000 primer pairs were developed for use by the cereal research community as potential markers in wheat, barley and rice. Trinucleotide SSRs were the most common type in each of the species; however, the relative proportions of SSR types and motifs differed among rice, wheat, and barley. Genomic microsatellites were found to be primarily located in gene-rich regions of the rice genome. Microsatellite markers derived from the use of non-redundant EST-SSRs are an economic and efficient alternative to RFLP for comparative mapping in cereals.
Completing the Circuit: Direct-Observe 13C,15N Double-Quantum Spectroscopy Permits Sequential Resonance Assignments near a Paramagnetic Center in Acireductone Dioxygenase

Acireductone dioxygenase (ARD) is a 179-residue enzyme containing a paramagnetic Ni+2 ion in the active site. Because of electron−nuclear spin interactions, 1H resonances within ∼9 A of the Ni+2 are broadened beyond detection. For this reason, 1H-detected multidimensional NMR experiments are not suitable for structural characterization of the active site of ARD, and no isostructural diamagnetic homologue is available. Rapid recycle two-dimensional direct 13C detection NMR methods previously allowed correlation of carbonyl (13C‘) carbons with directly bonded 13Cα and 15N spins in ARD (Kostic, M.; Pochapsky, S. S.; Pochapsky, T. C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 9054−9055), but not 15N with 13Cα, a critical connection for sequential assignment of backbone resonances. It is now shown that complete sample deuteration combined with direct 13C detection using a cold probe/preamplifier permits the one-bond 13Cα−15N correlation to be made via a four-pulse double-quantum experiment CAN. Combined with data from other...
Major and Minor Follicular waves During the Equine Estrous Cycle

Summary Follicular waves were characterized by a mathematical method for estrous cycles occurring during the fall (n=9) and spring (n=20) in mares of pmnarily Quarter Horse and Appaloosa breeding. Waves were classified as major (diver- gence of follicles of a wave into dominant and subordinates) and minor (no divergence). The major waves were sub- grouped into secondary waves (emerging during esmls or early diestrus and giving origin to a dominant anovulatory follicle or a diestrous ovulation) and primary waves (emerg- ing during diestms and giving origin to the primary or estrous ovulation). The primary waves originated on mean Day 7.4±0.5 (ovulation=Day 0) when the follicles were a mean of 12.l±0.5mm. Day of emergence of primary waves was positively correlated (P