cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social Dominance and Milk Production in Holsteins

Abstract Social dominance values (DV) were determined quantitatively in three ways from dominance submission observations on 25 pairs of identical Holstein twins, 20 pairs of fraternal Holstein twins, 15 Holsteins without a twin, and eight Guernseys. When dominance values were calculated separately for the observations on each of three days, repeatability of the measures of dominance value ranged from 0.70 to 0.80. Correlations among the DV measures on one cow averaged over three days all exceeded 0.98. Thus, the three measures of social dominance gave practically identical evaluations of dominance. Weight was the only one of 11 traits with some predictive value for DV in a multiple regression analysis. Its predictive value was not high. Dominance value seems to have very little effect on milk production. Heritability of DV independent of the trait used in the prediction equations was found to be approximately 0.4. However, since the sample size was small, this estimate is subject to considerable sampling error.
Surgical anatomy of hepatic venous system

Surgeons are comfortable with nearly all the intraabdominal structures except the liver. The reason for this is an unfamiliarity with the large intrahepatic venous structures. This arises because current educational methods, illustrations, and prepared casts are relatively unhelpful. The intrahepatic anatomy is best studied by specially prepared dissections that show the vascular structures, with their interrelationships, and the routes of access to these vessels. Forty formalin-hardened livers were thus dissected. The fissures and portal and hepatic veins have been displayed to emphasize their relations to each other with a view to facilitating their exposure at surgery.
Detection of two growth hormone receptor mRNAs and primary translation products in the mouse

Abstract Two mouse growth hormone-receptor primary translation products of Mr 95,900 and 31,800 were identified from in vitro-translated late pregnant mouse liver mRNA. RNA isolated from mouse liver was translated in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system containing [35S]methionine, and the growth hormone receptor primary translation products were identified by immunoprecipitation with anti-mouse growth hormone receptor antiserum followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate/PAGE and fluorography. Detectable amounts of the Mr 95,900 and 31,800 proteins were not present in in vitro-translated nonpregnant mouse liver mRNA. This result is consistent with previous observations of the up-regulation of growth hormone receptors in the liver during pregnancy in the mouse. Northern (RNA) blot analysis of mouse liver and adipose tissue RNA with a rabbit growth hormone receptor cDNA probe revealed two hybridizing mRNAs of approximately 3.9 and 1.2 kilobases. These two RNAs were greatly up-regulated in liver, but not in adipose tissue, during pregnancy. The sizes of these mRNAs closely matched predictions of the sizes of the mRNAs coding for the proteins of Mr 95,900 and 31,800 made by in vitro translation of size-fractionated late-pregnant mouse liver poly(A)+RNA. These results suggest a mechanism for the generation of both the heterogeneous forms of the growth hormone receptor identified in mouse liver membrane preparations and the mouse serum growth hormone-binding protein.
Molecular Genetics of Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma of clear-cell type (ccRCC) is an enigmatic tumor type, characterized by frequent inactivation of the VHL gene (infrequently mutated in other tumor types), responsiveness to angiogenesis inhibitors, and resistance to both chemotherapy and conventional radiation therapy. ccRCC tumors exhibit substantial mutation heterogeneity. Recent studies using massively parallel sequencing technologies have implicated several novel driver genes. In VHL wild-type tumors, mutations were discovered in TCEB1, which encodes Elongin C, a protein that binds to VHL and is required for its function. Several additional tumor suppressor genes have been identified near the VHL gene, within a region that is frequently deleted in ccRCC on chromosome 3p: SETD2, BAP1, and PBRM1. Mutations in BAP1 and PBRM1 are largely mutually exclusive and are associated with different tumor biology and patient outcomes. In addition, the mTORC1 pathway is deregulated by mutations in MTOR, TSC1, PIK3CA, and PTEN in approximately 20% of ccRCCs. Mutations in TSC1, and possibly other genes, may predict for sensitivity to mTORC1 inhibitors. These discoveries provide insight into ccRCC development and set the foundation for the first molecular genetic classification of the disease, paving the way for subtype-specific therapies.
Dysregulation of leukocyte gene expression in women with medication-refractory depression versus healthy non-depressed controls

Depressive Disorders (DD) are a great financial and social burden. Females display 70% higher rate of depression than males and more than 30% of these patients do not respond to conventional medications. Thus medication-refractory female patients are a large, under-served, group where new biological targets for intervention are greatly needed. We used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to evaluate mRNA gene expression from peripheral blood leukocytes for 27 genes, including immune, HPA-axis, ion channels, and growth and transcription factors. Our sample included 23 females with medication refractory DD: 13 with major depressive disorder (MDD), 10 with bipolar disorder (BPD). Our comparison group was 19 healthy, non-depressed female controls. We examined differences in mRNA expression in DD vs. controls, in MDD vs. BPD, and in patients with greater vs. lesser depression severity. DD patients showed increased expression for IL-10, IL-6, OXTR, P2RX7, P2RY1, and TRPV1. BPD patients showed increased APP, CREB1, NFKB1, NR3C1, and SPARC and decreased TNF expression. Depression severity was related to increased IL-10, P2RY1, P2RX1, and TRPV4 expression. These results support prior findings of dysregulation in immune genes, and provide preliminary evidence of dysregulation in purinergic and other ion channels in females with medication-refractory depression, and in transcription and growth factors in those with BPD. If replicated in future research examining protein levels as well as mRNA, these pathways could potentially be used to explore biological mechanisms of depression and to develop new drug targets.
Youthful suicide and social support: Exploring the social dynamics of suicide-related behavior and attitudes within a National sample of US adolescents

Since the late-nineteenth century, scholars have investigated how structural elements within a community—what is now called social support—relate to suicide. However, social support has rarely been used to study adolescent suicide, particularly within a nationally representative sample. The current study, using the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health), explores the ties between social support mechanisms and adolescent expressions of suicide ideation and suicide attempts. Using the 2-level hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) technique, the current study found that such phenomena can be understood in terms of social support and certain individual factors, some common to both ideation and attempts, others unique to one or the other. Moreover, suicide ideation and attempts were linked to the risk-taking behaviors of the youths, their friends, and their family members. Feeling safe at school was one of the most consistent protective factors included in the study.
Insulin-like growth factor-I for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects both upper and lower motor neurons (MN) resulting in weakness, paralysis and subsequent death. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a potent neurotrophic factor that has neuroprotective properties in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Due to the efficacy of IGF-I in the treatment of other diseases and its ability to promote neuronal survival, IGF-I is being extensively studied in ALS therapeutic trials. This review covers in vitro and in vivo studies examining the efficacy of IGF-I in ALS model systems and also addresses the mechanisms by which IGF-I asserts its effects in these models, the status of the IGF-I system in ALS patients, results of clinical trials, and the need for the development of better delivery mechanisms to maximize IGF-I efficacy. The knowledge obtained from these studies suggests that IGF-I has the potential to be a safe and efficacious therapy for ALS.
Teaching of pulmonary auscultation in pediatrics: A nationwide survey of all U.S. accredited residencies

Structured teaching of pulmonary auscultation is greatly underrepresented during internal medicine (IM) or family practice (FP) training. It is not known, however, whether this underrepresentation applies to the other major field of primary care, pediatrics. To answer this question, we surveyed all accredited U.S. residencies in pediatrics by mailing a 1-page questionnaire to 174 pediatrics program directors, and by comparing results to those previously gathered from internal medicine and family practice residencies. Pediatrics directors' response rate was 62%. More pediatrics than family practice residencies offered structured teaching of pulmonary auscultation (21.5% vs. 9.7%, P < 0.004). When compared to internal medicine programs, this difference showed a trend toward significance (21.5% for pediatrics and 14.1%, for internal medicine, P = 0.08). Teaching modalities included: lectures (91.2%); audiotapes (13%); seminars (8.3%); and miscellaneous (21.7%). University-affiliated residencies taught auscultation significantly more frequently than nonuniversity-affiliated programs (25.4% vs.10.5%, P = 0.07). Pediatrics directors gave great importance to pulmonary auscultation, and wished for more time devoted to its teaching (5.52 ± 0.84 and 5.01 ± 1.07, respectively, on a 1–6 scale, with 6 indicating the highest value). They also attributed great clinical importance to 13 commonly encountered pulmonary auscultatory events (all rated, on average, between 4–5.8 on a 1–6 scale, with 6 indicating highest importance). In summary, training programs in pediatrics offered significantly more structured teaching of pulmonary auscultation than IM or FP residencies. Whether this difference in teaching may have a beneficial impact on the auscultatory proficiency of pediatric residents, as compared to internal medicine and family practice trainees, needs to be determined. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2003; 35:472–476. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
After It’s Too Late: Estimating the Policy Impacts of Black Mayors in U.S. Cities

Does a black mayor’s inauguration influence American cities’ policies? The heated rhetoric surrounding some black-white elections suggests that it might. Past research is divided. Yet this question has not been addressed in years or with many observations. This paper uses novel data sets including 167 elections and 108 black mayors to examine their impact on fiscal and employment policies. Empirically, it uses multiple approaches including regression discontinuity design. In most observable policy areas, the inauguration of a black mayor leads to policies that are indistinguishable from cities where black mayors do not govern. Police hiring represents an exception, with black mayors hiring more black officers. These results suggest a disconnect between the racially polarized elections that produce black mayors and the governance that follows. They raise concerns about the potential of city elections to induce accountability, and they reinforce the centrality of criminal justice as an urban political issue.
Interdomain Conformational Changes in Akt Activation Revealed by Chemical Cross-linking and Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Akt, a serine/threonine kinase, plays a critical role in cell survival. Upon growth factor receptor stimulation, cytosolic Akt is recruited to the plasma membrane by phospholipid binding and activated through phosphorylation at Thr308 and Ser473. Although crystal structures for the parts of Akt have been reported, neither the three-dimensional structure of the whole molecule nor sequential conformational changes during activation have been demonstrated. In this study, we demonstrated that Akt undergoes dramatic interdomain conformational changes during activation processes by probing the three-dimensional structure of full-length Akt in solution using chemical cross-linking and tandem mass spectrometry. The cross-linking results not only provided new structural information but also revealed distinctive spatial arrangements of individual domains in the Akt molecule in resting, membrane-interacted, phosphorylated, and substrate-bound states. Our data allowed a new model for stepwise interdomain conformational changes in Akt activation sequence, setting a stage for the further investigation on Akt-membrane, Akt-protein, and/or Akt-drug interactions in solution to understand molecular mechanisms involved in physiological and pathophysiological processes of cell survival.
Nutrient removal and bacterial communities in swine wastewater lagoon and constructed wetlands

Surface constructed wetlands, including marsh-pond-marsh (MPM) and continuous marsh (CtM) were used to treat swine wastewater in this study. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the surface constructed wetland effects on swine wastewater treatment, and to investigate bacterial distribution shifts along treatment flows. Water quality parameters and bacterial community diversity were analyzed in each section of the entire wastewater treatment system, which was from the anaerobic lagoons (La1 and La2), through the wetlands, to the storage lagoon (La3) receiving wetland effluent. The results of water quality parameters demonstrated that the concentration of TKN, NH+ 4, o-PO3− 4, and COD decreased significantly (P < 0.05) from La1 to La3. If ammonia volatilization is integrated for N removal in MPM wetland cell, then there was no difference between MPM and CtM cells. The total bacterial community in each section of the system was examined by using PCR-DGGE (polymerase chain reaction-denaturing grad...
Improving Cost-Effectiveness of and Outcomes From Drug Therapy in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation in Managed Care: Role of the Pharmacist

BACKGROUND: The medical care costs for procedures, medications, and testing associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) in the United States are high and projected to increase markedly in the future as the number of Americans affected grows. The burden on patient quality of life, the health care system, and society are pharmacoeconomic considerations in managing AF. OBJECTIVES: To identify key pharmacoeconomic considerations in managing AF and describe ways in which managed care pharmacists can improve the cost-effectiveness of and outcomes from drug therapy for AF. SUMMARY: The high medical care costs of AF are largely the result of the high cost of hospitalization and inpatient procedures. Recurrence of AF dramatically increases costs, especially for hospital care. Managed care pharmacists have many opportunities to provide costeffective care to and improve outcomes in patients with AF. Policy and process review, population management, and case management are key strategies for improving outcomes in patients with AF. Pharmacist input into policy and process review, including pharmacy benefits design, formulary management, and the use of information technology, can help ensure that the use of drug therapy for AF is cost-effective. Population management strategies, such as development of clinical pathways and patient registries, seek to improve the quality, consistency, and cost-effectiveness of care and the likelihood that desired therapeutic outcomes are achieved through targeted interventions. Case management strategies focus on longitudinal care for individuals in order to improve quality. Pharmacist-managed anticoagulation services and antiarrhythmic drug monitoring are the 2 most widely known case management strategies for patients with AF. Managed care pharmacists can screen patients with AF for the use of anticoagulation, which is needed to prevent embolic stroke but is under-used, even though recommended by evidence-based guidelines. The clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of pharmacist-managed anticoagulation services for patients with AF are well documented. Pharmacist-managed antiarrhythmic drug monitoring is a less well-known case management strategy that facilitates early detection and intervention to minimize toxicity.
Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of Group Prenatal Care: Perinatal Outcomes Among Adolescents in New York City Health Centers.

Objectives. We compared an evidence-based model of group prenatal care to traditional individual prenatal care on birth, neonatal, and reproductive health outcomes.Methods. We performed a multisite cluster randomized controlled trial in 14 health centers in New York City (2008–2012). We analyzed 1148 pregnant women aged 14 to 21 years, at less than 24 weeks of gestation, and not at high obstetrical risk. We assessed outcomes via medical records and surveys.Results. In intention-to-treat analyses, women at intervention sites were significantly less likely to have infants small for gestational age (< 10th percentile; 11.0% vs 15.8%; odds ratio = 0.66; 95% confidence interval = 0.44, 0.99). In as-treated analyses, women with more group visits had better outcomes, including small for gestational age, gestational age, birth weight, days in neonatal intensive care unit, rapid repeat pregnancy, condom use, and unprotected sex (P = .030 to < .001). There were no associated risks.Conclusions. CenteringPregnancy Pl...
Let's Annotate to Let Our Code Run in Parallel.

This paper presents an approach that exploits Java annotations to provide meta information needed to automatically transform plain Java programs into parallel code that can be run on multicore workstation. Programmers just need to decorate the methods that will eventually be executed in parallel with standard Java annotations. Annotations are automatically processed at launch-time and parallel byte code is derived. Once in execution the program automatically retrieves the information about the executing platform and evaluates the information specified inside the annotations to transform the byte-code into a semantically equivalent multithreaded version, depending on the target architecture features. The results returned by the annotated methods, when invoked, are futures with a wait-by-necessity semantics.
An Algorithmic Approach to the Diagnosis and Management of the Thrombotic Microangiopathies.

No clinical consult raises the heart rate of a transfusion medicine specialist quite like that involving thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) concerning for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). The differential diagnosis is complex and challenging, the patients tend to be very ill, and effective treatment requires providing therapy directed at the underlying pathology as quickly as possible. Clinical pathologists are well positioned to provide guidance in these cases since they are usually alerted to all patients in the hospital with suspected TTP and therefore have considerable experience to offer. In contrast, the consulting physician may be somewhat less experienced in formulating a diagnostic and therapeutic plan of care for these patients and might opt for therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) when in fact a more careful evaluation is merited and other therapies might be more effective. The article by Williams and Marques1 in this issue of the Journal highlights the key role played by the clinical pathologist in the care of patients with TMA, focusing on the important distinction between TTP, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and atypical uremic syndrome (aHUS) and providing a clear and logical approach to these disorders. TMA should be viewed as a manifestation of diverse pathologies involving either hemostasis (inappropriate platelet activation or thrombin generation) or the endothelium (exposure to Shiga toxin, uncontrolled complement deposition).2 Treatments differ depending on the underlying mechanism of disease. Whereas TPE is an effective treatment for TTP,3,4 eculizumab has emerged as an important new therapy for aHUS,5 providing superior renal survival in comparison to outcomes observed following treatment with TPE alone.6 The understanding that aHUS results from dysregulation of the alternative complement pathway and is associated with inherited mutations in complement regulatory proteins while TTP results from severe deficiency of the ADAMT13 enzyme caused by autoantibodies to this … Corresponding author: Robert S. Makar, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital Blood Transfusion Service, GRJ-148, 55 Fruit St, Boston, MA 02114; rmakar{at}mgh.harvard.edu.
A practical guide to evaluating sleep disturbance in concussion patients.

Abstract Purpose of review: To provide an introduction and review of sleep metrics appropriate for use with an outpatient concussed population. Recent findings: Although sleep issues are frequently identified in concussion, sleep disturbance is rarely assessed in outpatient settings. Given that sleep disturbance may be indicative of, or contribute to, delayed neurocognitive recovery, measurement tools for sleep, rest, and activity behavior may be of both practical and research utility. Summary: Because sleep disturbance symptoms may vary between or within an individual throughout the course of recovery, it is recommended that sleep be measured at regular intervals over the entirety of recovery. Included is a discussion on how to select appropriate measures based on patient symptomology in addition to common practical concerns. Additional clinical considerations, a review of traditional pencil and paper methods of continuous sleep behavior monitoring, as well as technologies for measuring sleep and activity behavior are also included.
Activity of Dehydrogenase Enzymes during the Metamorphosis of the Mealworm, Tenebrio Molitor Linnaeus

No evidence was found for formic, beta-hydroxybutyric, choline, or glutamic dehydrogenases in the larva; glutamic1 appeared towards the end of the pupal stage. Succinate and alpha-glycerophosphate did not require DPN for their oxidation, but its addition greatly stimulated utilization of the latter substrate. Alcohol, glucose, glutamic, and malic dehydrogenases could not act without DPN; isocitric dehydrogenase and malic enzyme required TPN. Lactic dehydrogenase did not require DPN in the larva; however, in the pupa and adult its addition increased the oxidation of lactate. Curves for the activities of malic and succinic dehydrogenases and the malic enzyme were U-shaped during metamorphosis. Since the activity of succinic dehydrogenase was lower than those of the other two enyzmes, it could be a determining factor in the U-shaped respiratory curve. The high activity of malic enzyme coupled with a low value for lactic dehydrogenase makes the accumulation of lactate unlikely, since the malic enzyme would convert pyruvate to malate under anaerobic conditions.
Effect of Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Homoptera : Aleyrodidae) on yield of fresh market tomatoes

Effect of the feeding of immature greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), and sooty mold contamination on tomato production was determined using small field plots. Total and grade-A fruit weights harvested were correlated negltively with cumulative immature greenhouse whitefly days (=pest-days). Effects of T. vaporariorum feeding on tomato yield were inlluenced by environmental factors. Percentages of fruit contaminated with sooty mold were correlated positively with cumulative immature greenhouse whitefly days. Cumulative immature greenhouse whitelly days were correlated positively with peak immature whitefly densities during the growth cycle of the plant. Results suggest that tomatoes grown in Hawaii may incur a 5% yield loss in grade-A fruit at about greenhouse whitefly levels as low as 70 cumulative greenhouse whitefly days per cm2 tomato leaflet (=a peak density of 0.7 immature greenhouse whitefly per cm2 tomato leaflet per day) due primarily to the consumption of plant assimilates by T. vaporariorum . Compared with direct greenhouse whitefly feeding, contamination of fruit with sooty mold was less important with respect to reducing overall crop yields. A 5% reduction in grade-A fruit due to sooty mold contamination was estimated at ≈300 cumulative greenhouse whitefly days per cm2 tomato leallet (=a peak density of 8.3 immature greenhouse whitefly per cm2 tomato leaflet).
Effect of Rammstedt Operation on Incidence of Ginchophen Ulcer

ConclusionThe Rammstedt operation decreases the incidence of gastritis, hemorrhagic erosions and ulceration that follows cinchophen administration in dogs. This indicates that pylorospasm plays a significant but not an all inclusive role in the genesis of cinchophen ulcers.
In vivo assessment of bone structure and estimated bone strength by first- and second-generation HR-pQCT

Bone strength is dependent on bone density and microstructure. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) can measure microstructure but is somewhat limited due to its resolution. We compared a new HR-pQCT scanner to existing technology and found very good agreement for most parameters. This study will be important when interpreting results from different devices. Recently, a second-generation HR-pQCT scanner (XCT2) has been developed with a higher nominal isotropic resolution (61 μm) compared to the first-generation device (XCT1, 82 μm). It is unclear how in vivo measurements from these two devices compare. In this study, we obtained and analyzed in vivo XCT1 and XCT2 measurements of bone microarchitecture and estimated strength. We scanned 51 adults (16 men and 35 women, age 44.8 ± 16.0) on both XCT2 and XCT1 on the same day. We first compared XCT1 and XCT2 measurements obtained using their respective standard patient protocols. In XCT1, microarchitecture parameters were derived, while XCT2 measurements were directly measured. We also compared XCT2-D with XCT1 by finding the overlapping regions of interest and using the standard patient protocol for XCT1. We obtained excellent agreement between XCT1 and XCT2 for most of the volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), trabecular and cortical measurements (All R 2 > 0.820) except for cortical porosity at the radius (R 2 = 0.638), trabecular number (R 2 = 0.694, 0.787) and trabecular thickness (R 2 = 0.569, 0.527) at both radius and tibia, respectively. XCT1 and XCT2-D measurements also had excellent agreement for most of the measurements (all R 2 > 0.870) except trabecular number (R 2 = 0.524, 0.706), trabecular thickness (R 2 = 0.758, 0.734) at both radius and tibia, respectively, and trabecular separation (R 2 = 0.656) at the radius. While some caution should be exercised for parameters that are more dependent on image resolution, results from our study indicate that second-generation scans can be compared to more widely available first-generation data and may be beneficial for multicenter and longitudinal studies using both scanner generations.
430 PLATELET ACTIVATING FACTOR INDUCES DE NOVO SYNTHESIS OF INFLAMMATORY PROTEINS BY HUMAN POLYMORPHONUCLEAR LEUKOCYTES ISOLATED FROM TERM CORD BLOOD

Background Many neonatal diseases are regulated by inflammation. This process is intricate and is balanced by pro- and anti-inflammatory arms. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are key inflammatory mediators because they are one of the first responders in microbial invasion and tissue injury. It is generally believed that PMNs control inflammation through rapid degranulation and release of preformed constituents. However, we have recently demonstrated that PMNs isolated from adults alter their phenotypic make-up by synthesizing new inflammatory proteins. Here, we determine if PMNs from term newborns have similar inflammatory potential. Methods PMNs were directly isolated from term, umbilical human whole blood by positive selection of CD15+ cells rather than standard Ficoll-Paque procedures. The cells were subsequently stimulated with platelet activating factor (PAF), a potent cellular agonist that is generated during neonatal inflammation. Interleukin-6 receptor alpha (IL-6Rα), IL-8, and retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) gene expression in PMNs was determined. Results With equivalent starting material, whole blood isolation of PMNs yielded a more homogeneous cell population and significantly greater number of PMNs (over 3-fold) compared to Ficoll-Paque procedures. Moreover, isolation time was reduced by 2 hours and basal protein expression was non-existent in PMNs from whole blood isolates. PAF markedly increased COX-2, IL-6Rα, IL-8, and RARα protein production in term PMNs, paralleling responses that we have previously seen in adult PMNs. Conclusions These results demonstrate that PMNs isolated from term newborns are capable of synthesizing new inflammatory protein products, consistent with the ability of term newborns to generate a “mature” inflammatory response to stave off infection. We predict that gene expression profiles will differ in pre-term PMNs where dysregulated inflammation is more prevalent.
The CAT theorem and performance of transactional distributed systems

We argue that transactional distributed database/storage systems need to view the impossibility theorem in terms of the contention, abort rate, and throughput, rather than via the traditional CAP theorem. Motivated by Jim Gray, we state a new impossibility theorem, which we call the CAT theorem (Contention-Abort-Throughput). We present experimental results from the performance of several transactional systems w.r.t. the CAT impossibility spectrum.
Response by Hubers and Brown to Letter Regarding Article, "Combined Angiotensin Receptor Antagonism and Neprilysin Inhibition".

We thank Rajapakse et al for expanding on our point about the role of neprilysin in amyloid-β degradation from our review article on combined angiotensin receptor antagonism and neprilysin inhibition.1 Rajapakse et al raised the concern that neprilysin inhibition may predispose patients to Alzheimer disease because of decreased degradation of amyloid-β, a key component of the neural plaques and deposits diagnostic of the disease. Therefore, it …
Catheter Drainage of Ascites

This section provides a comprehensive procedural report for catheter drainage of ascites procedure with up-to-date explanatory notes, synopsis of the indications and contraindications and potential complications in an organized and practical format.
Substance use references in college students’ diverse personal music libraries predicts substance use behavior

AbstractAims: Musical preferences have been associated with substance use, but research has not fully considered the effect of the changes in music consumption in the digital age. We examined the effect of self-chosen music on substance use behaviors. Methods: Sixty college-age students volunteered to participate in exchange for class credit. Self-reported substance use behavior, sensation seeking, and school commitment were measured through surveys. Music preferences were assessed through self-report of the top 20 most played songs from each participant’s digital music devices. Each song was evaluated for references to substance use. Findings: Song and genre choices in private digital collections varied widely. Listening to music with a greater number of references to substance use was associated with greater reported substance use behaviors. Conclusion: The relationship between substance use and music preference in this study of idiosyncratic music libraries remains consistent with previous research tha...
The morality-welfare circularity problem

Various moral theories are essentially welfare-involving in that they appeal to the promotion or the respect of well-being in accounting for the moral rightness of at least some acts. Further, various theories of well-being are essentially morality-involving in that they construe well-being in a way that essentially involves morality in some form or other. It seems that, for any moral theory that is essentially welfare-involving and that relies on a theory of well-being that is essentially morality-involving, a circularity problem may well arise, one where moral rightness will end up being accounted for partly in terms of well-being, which itself is already being accounted for partly in terms of moral rightness. In this paper I will elaborate on this last point. Then I will examine five responses to the circularity problem at issue, and I will argue that one of them appears to be at least slightly better than all of the others.
The Apicoplast: An ancient algal endosymbiont of Apicomplexa

The discovery of a chloroplast in the Apicomplexa came as a surprise as these are nonphotosynthetic parasites that historically had been the domain of zoologists. This organelle, the apicoplast is essential for parasite survival and its metabolism is intensively pursued as the source of new targets for antiparasitic drugs, in particular new antimalarials. The apicoplast has a remarkable evolutionary history, and this history is reflected in its complex structure and cell biology. A cyanobacterium and two eukaryotes have contributed to the genesis of this organelle and their contributions can still be traced today. This chapter sets out by briefly summarizing the studies that led to the discovery of the apicoplast followed by an overview of our most current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of apicoplast protein import, apicoplast division and replication and apicoplast metabolism.
Occupational Therapy Interventions to Improve Activities of Daily Living for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review.

Objective This systematic review aimed to synthesize the effects of interventions within the scope of occupational therapy to improve performance of activities of daily living (ADLs) in community-dwelling older adults. Method Searches were conducted in CINAHL, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and OTseeker. Empirical studies published between 1995 and 2015 were individually screened and appraised by two reviewers. Results Forty-three studies met the review inclusion and exclusion criteria. Physical exercise was the most common intervention approach. Physical exercise interventions for frail older adults showed a moderate benefit, but no benefits were found for older adults without noticeable difficulty in ADLs. For older adults with difficulty in ADLs, there was a high benefit of using home-based intervention. Conclusion The findings of this systematic review highlight the importance of addressing older adults' living environment in intervention to promote independence in ADLs.
Universal Expression for Blocking Cone Size in Low Energy Ion Scattering Based on MD Simulations

Calculations of blocking cone sizes for low energy ion scattering have been performed. By fitting calculated points in the space of the parameters of the interacting atomic species, a universal formula for calculating the blocking cone size for arbitrary energies and interacting species has been derived. The blocking cones in this low energy range are appreciably asymmetric with respect to the interatomic axis. At small interatomic distances and low projectile energies, the difference in the upper and lower halves of the blocking cone can be as large as 15%. The results of MD simulations using the Ziegler-Biersack-Littmark (ZBL) potential are in good agreement with experimental blocking cone sizes.
What Is a Proof and Why

A well-meaning mother was once heard telling her child that a mathematician is someone who does “scientific arithmetic.” Others think that a mathematician is someone who spends all day hacking away at a computer.
Clock Distribution Area Reduction Using a Multiple- Valued Clocking Approach*

Multi-phase clocking methods are well known and widely used in high-performance integrated circuit design. Such a scheme allows for relaxation of timing constraints among disjoint partitions of the logic circuitry since lower frequency local clocking is required as compared to the system clock frequency at the cost of increased clock distribution network area. The disadvantage is that multiple clock distribution trees are required, one for each clock domain or phase within the integrated circuit. Clock distribution networks have the highest fanout of any circuit within typical ICs and represent a significant amount of resource utilization. We devise a method that retains the advantages of multi-phase IC design, but utilizes a single global multiple-valued clock signal distribution network versus separate distribution networks for each phase in an ASIC or custom VLSI implementation. The technique requires a minimal amount of modification to existing multi-phase designs and is evaluated and compared to traditional multiphase designs. Furthermore, the approach is applicable to programmable logic (FPGA) implementations through distributing the multiple-valued clock signal using log 2 (N) distribution networks for an N-phase system. Experimental results are provided to validate and evaluate the approach.
Synthesis of pure, Cu and Zn doped CdO nanoparticles by co-precipitation method for supercapacitor applications

Abstract Pure, Copper and Zinc doped Cadmium oxide was incorporated by the co-precipitation method. In this preparation method cadmium chloride, copper chloride, zinc chloride has been utilized as a precursor material. X-Ray Diffraction pattern, Fourier Transform Infrared spectrum and, Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectrum have affirmed the presence of the copper and zinc doped cadmium oxide nanoparticles. Scanning Electron Microscope uncovered the surface morphology, Ultra Violet-Vis Near Infra analysis and the optical band gap of the materials were observed to be 2.48 eV for Pure CdO, 2.35 eV for Cu CdO and 2.28 eV for Zn CdO which were assessed from Tauc's plot. The predominant electrochemical capacitive execution using Cyclic Voltammetry which indicates that the material has the ability to form a capable electrode material for stable and high-performance electrochemical supercapacitors.
Inference about Causality from Cardiotocography Signals Using Gaussian Processes

In this paper, we propose a novel and simple method for discovery of Granger causality from noisy time series using Gaussian processes. More specifically, we adopt the concept of Granger causality, but instead of using autoregressive models for establishing it, we work with Gaussian processes. We show that information about the Granger causality is encoded in the hyper-parameters of the used Gaussian processes. The proposed approach is first validated on simulated data, and then used for understanding the interaction between fetal heart rate and uterine activity in the last two hours before delivery and of interest in obstetrics. Our results indicate that uterine activity affects fetal heart rate, which agrees with recent clinical studies.
Prediction of Clearance in Children from Adults Following Drug-Drug Interaction Studies: Application of Age-Dependent Exponent Model.

Pharmacokinetic drug–drug interaction (DDI) studies are conducted in adult subjects during drug development but there are limited studies that have characterized pharmacokinetic DDI studies in children. The objective of this study was to evaluate if the DDI clearance values from adults can be allometrically extrapolated from adults to children. Fifteen drugs were included in this study and the age of the children ranged from premature neonates to adolescents (30 observations across the age groups). The age-dependent exponent (ADE) model was used to predict the clearance of drugs in children from adults following DDI studies. The prediction error of drug clearances following DDIs in children ranged from 4 to 67%. Of 30 observations, 17 (57%) and 27 (90%) observations had a prediction error ≤ 30% and ≤ 50%, respectively. This study indicates that it is possible to predict the clearance of drugs with reasonable accuracy in children from adults following DDI studies using an ADE model. The method is simple, robust, and reliable and can replace other complex empirical models.
Bayesian Multiple Change-Point Detection with Limited Communication

Several modern applications involve large-scale sensor networks for statistical inference. For example, such sensor networks are of significant interest for Internet of Things applications. In this paper, we consider Bayesian multiple changepoint detection using a sensor network in which a fusion center can receive a data stream from each sensor. Due to communication limitations, the fusion center monitors only a subset of the data streams at each time slot. We propose a detection procedure that handles these limitations by monitoring the sensors with the highest posterior probabilities of change points having occurred. It is shown that the proposed procedure attains an average detection delay that does not increase with the number of sensors, while controlling the false discovery rate. The proposed procedure is also shown to be useful for unveiling the tradeoff between reducing the average detection delay and reducing the average number of observations drawn until discovery.
Plasma and Urinary (Poly)phenolic Profiles after 4-Week Red Raspberry ( Rubus idaeus L.) Intake with or without Fructo-Oligosaccharide Supplementation

Red raspberries (RRB) are high in anthocyanin- and ellagitannin- type (poly)phenols. This study aimed to investigate the effect of 4-week RRB supplementation on (poly)phenolic metabolism in adults with prediabetes and insulin-resistance (PreDM-IR); and whether adding fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), prebiotics, would augment the microbial metabolites of RRB (poly)phenols. In a randomized crossover clinical trial, subjects (n = 35: PreDM-IR, n = 25; healthy Reference group, n = 10) consumed 1 cup RRB (fresh weight equivalence) per day and RRB with 8 g FOS per day each for 4 weeks in random order separated by 4-week washout. Plasma and urinary (poly)phenolic metabolites were characterized after (0-24h) consuming a RRB-based test drink (2 cups RRB) at baseline/week 0 and again after 4-week supplementations. A total of 123 (poly)phenolic metabolites were quantified. After 4-week RRB supplementation, several metabolite groups were significantly increased (p < 0.05), including urolithins, phenyl-γ-valerolactones, and phenolic acids. Supplementing FOS with RRB for 4 weeks enhanced benzoic acid derivatives compared to the baseline (p < 0.05). Specific effects of supplementation by metabolic status indicated 4-week RRB supplementation significantly increased microbial metabolites that were lower in PreDM-IR group. Our results suggest alterations in the capacity of PreDM-IR group to metabolize and render bioavailable raspberry-derived (poly)phenols when consumed regularly.
Diagnosing Wilson’s Disease under the sword of Damocles

Introduction. Antos et al. [7] have reported a case of suspected uniparental disomy leading to an initial erroneous diagnosis of Wilson’s Disease on the basis of genetic testing. They discuss the usefulness of the 64Cu radioactive copper incorporation test as an often-overlooked diagnostic aid. Clinical reflections. Wilson’s Disease is difficult to diagnose because of its rarity, diverse clinical presentations, and the absence of a single fail-safe diagnostic test. The identification of mutations in the ATP7B gene has been an invaluable aid in the diagnosis, but genetic testing alone is not infallible, and should not be used as the sole diagnostic test in arriving at a diagnosis of Wilson’s Disease. Clinical implications. The diagnosis of Wilson’s Disease must be based on a combination of findings that includes clinical history, clinical examination, and diagnostic testing. Genetic testing alone is insufficient.
Dr. Gibbons et al. Reply.

We thank Kaufman et al.1 for their comprehensive review of the many commendable features of the Kiddie-Computerized Adaptive Test (K-CAT). We do wish to clarify what may be a misunderstanding of the intent of the K-CAT and our view of its role in treatment planning.
Time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory: Background and Pauli kernel approximations

Time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory (DFT) is an efficient method for calculating the dynamic properties of large-scale quantum systems due to the low computational cost compared to standard time-dependent DFT. We formalize this method by mapping the real system of interacting fermions onto a fictitious system of noninteracting bosons. The dynamic Pauli potential and associated kernel emerge as key ingredients of time-dependent orbital-free DFT. Using the uniform electron gas as a model system, we derive an approximate frequency-dependent Pauli kernel. Pilot calculations suggest that space nonlocality is a key feature for this kernel. Nonlocal terms arise already in the second-order expansion with respect to unitless frequency and reciprocal space variable ($\frac{\ensuremath{\omega}}{q\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{k}_{F}}$ and $\frac{q}{2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{k}_{F}}$, respectively). Given the encouraging performance of the proposed kernel, we expect it will lead to more accurate orbital-free DFT simulations of nanoscale systems out of equilibrium. Additionally, the proposed path to formulate nonadiabatic Pauli kernels presents several avenues for further improvements which can be exploited in future work to improve the results.
Local SDG Indicators for US Cities and Communities

The Global SDG Goals, targets and indicators have to be recommended to local policy, cultural and ecosystem contexts. We present this recommended list of locally recommended indicators for cities and communities in the USA; based on a review of the literature, our familiarity with small area US data sources; as well as our expertise in the field of sustainability planning. We also compared our recommended list with the indicators utilized in the Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s SDG Index for US metros (Espey et al., 2018; Schmidt-Traub et al., Nat Geosci 10: 547–556, 2017). The next iteration of this project will be a survey of a selected number of cities to seek consensus on a final list of local SDGs for US cities. We will develop this segment of the project in collaboration with the Brookings Institute, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability and the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
For The Public Benefit: Why Purpose-Driven Companies Should Adopt, Pursue and Disclose Locally Supportive Tax Strategies

This study develops and applies a tax ethics framework for purpose-driven multinational companies, particularly those that operate in the United States. The basic characteristics for such companies include public benefit and transparency. In applying the tax ethics framework, the following practices should be avoided: tax-induced transfer of intellectual property and borrowing; corporate inversions; aggressive tax positions; permanent reinvestment of cash overseas; and transactions with an appearance of impropriety.