cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cyclic Vomiting Presentations Following Marijuana Liberalization in Colorado

In November 2000, Colorado amended its constitution to allow for the use of medical marijuana in patients with debilitating medical conditions. However, few patients used medical marijuana until October 2009, when the U.S. Attorney General ceased its prosecution of marijuana users and suppliers nationwide,1 effectively liberalizing its use and sale in Colorado. As a result, the number of medical marijuana licenses in the state rose from 5,051 in January 2009 to 118,895 in January 2011 (unpublished data, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, January 2014). This sudden increase in marijuana availability represents an opportunity to study the adverse effects of cannabis use among patients in our emergency departments (ED). Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit substance in the United States, with 18.9 million users in 2012.2 Unfortunately, there is little information on the deleterious effects of chronic use and its implications for public health. Recently, a number of case reports have suggested a novel syndrome of cyclic vomiting associated with repeated marijuana use, termed cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). These reports describe patients with habitual marijuana use presenting with cyclic vomiting, abdominal pain, compulsive showering, and improvement of symptoms with cessation of cannabis.3–12 While these reports have generated interest in this phenomenon, there have been no epidemiologic studies associating marijuana use with CHS. This deficit is likely multifactorial due to the lack of formal diagnostic criteria for CHS, the relatively low prevalence of this syndrome, and the social stigma regarding marijuana use that discourages self-reporting. The recent liberalization of medical marijuana serves as an opportune natural experiment to study CHS. If CHS exists, one would expect an association between increased marijuana availability and an increase in the number of ED visits for cyclic vomiting. The primary objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of cyclic vomiting visits before and after the liberalization of medical marijuana in Colorado. The secondary objective of this study was to determine the odds of patient-reported marijuana use among cyclic vomiting visits for the same time periods.
Artificial Neural Network and the Financial Markets: A Survey

This study describes the structure and function of a new financial modeling technique, namely, the Artificial Neutral Network (ANN) in predicting financial markets’ behavior. With the advancement of the computer technology to date, ANN allows us to imitate human reasoning and thought processes in identifying the optimal trading strategies in the financial markets. The paper identifies the theory and steps involved in performing ANN and Generic Alogorithm in financial markets, the accuracy of the computer learning process, and the appropriate ways to use this process in developing trading strategies. It further discusses the superiority of ANN over traditional methodologies. The study concludes with the description of successful use of ANN by various financial institutions.
Variation in Space: An Introduction to Regionalized Variables

Regionalized variable theory provides a way for statistically estimating variation in a property sampled over a spatial domain. Regionalized variables, which are intermediate in behavior between purely random variables and deterministic functions, commonly occur in nature. Examples include variations in composition within ore bodies or concentrations of pesticides in soils. The degree of spatial continuity of a regionalized variable is expressed in the sernivariogram. Kriging is a procedure used to estimate values of regionalized variables at unsampled locations, and can be used to create a map of the expected values of a property. In addition, a map of the standard error of the estimates can be made.
Real time measurement of gene expression in living endocrine cells

The mechanisms underlying hormonal gene expression are complex, and key regulatory events are often temporally separated. Our understanding of these dynamic processes has been hindered in part by the lack of a method suitable for making dynamic measurements of gene expression. In an attempt to develop such a system, we modified conventional luciferase reporter technology to enable real time measurement of gene expression in living endocrine cells.
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity and the Special Education Workforce A Critical Overview

The need for special education teachers from culturally and/or linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds has become a national concern. The majority of school districts nationwide list the recruitment and retention of teachers from diverse backgrounds as a priority. Many cite difficulties with finding adequate personnel, a problem that is complicated by current special education teacher shortages. The authors of this article synthesize research findings on the current demographics of diverse teachers and the impact on student outcomes. They also summarize qualities of teacher preparation programs that successfully prepare CLD teachers according to the following themes: recruitment, retention, alternative certification, and post—teacher preparation. Recommendations for future research are provided.
A Bibliometric Review of the Contribution of Attribution Theory to Sales Management

Citation and reference analysis has been used to describe the rise and fall of paradigms, theories, and research specializations. This study examines research articles incorporating attribution the...
Functional expression of NOD2, a novel pattern recognition receptor for bacterial motifs, in primary murine astrocytes

There is growing appreciation that resident brain cells can initiate and/or regulate inflammation after trauma or infection in the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies from our laboratory have begun to shed light on the mechanisms by which astrocytes perceive bacterial challenges by demonstrating the functional expression of Toll-like receptors (TLR) in this cell type. In the present study, we demonstrate that astrocytes also express members of the novel nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD) family of proteins that can serve as cytosolic pattern recognition receptors. We show that isolated cultures of murine astrocytes constitutively express robust levels of NOD2, a molecule that can recognize a minimal peptidoglycan motif. Expression of NOD2 is significantly upregulated after exposure to two disparate and clinically relevant bacterial pathogens of the CNS, Borrelia burgdorferi and Neisseria meningitidis. Similarly, NOD2 protein expression is elevated after exposure to specific bacterial ligands for TLRs. Importantly, we show that astrocytes express Rip2 kinase, an essential downstream effector molecule for NOD-mediated cell responses, and demonstrate that this expression is upregulated after bacterial challenge. Furthermore, we confirm the functional nature of NOD2 in astrocytes by demonstrating that a specific ligand for this receptor induces significant inflammatory cytokine production and augments immune responses induced by TLR ligation. Taken together, the present demonstration that astrocytes express functional NOD2 proteins may represent a potentially important mechanism by which this glial cell type initiates either protective host responses within the brain or the progression of damaging CNS inflammation.
The impact of architectural trends on operating system performance

Computer systems are rapidly changing. Over the next few years, we will see wide-scale deployment of dynamically-scheduled processors that can issue multiple instructions every clock cycle, execute instructions out of order, and overlap computation and cache misses. We also expect clock-rates to increase, caches to grow, and multiprocessors to replace uniprocessors. Using SimOS, a complete machine simulation environment, this paper explores the impact of the above architectural trends on operating system performance. We present results based on the execution of large and realistic workloads (program development, transaction processing, and engineering compute-server) running on the IRIX 5.3 operating system from Silicon Graphics Inc. Looking at uniprocessor trends, we find that disk I/O is the first-order bottleneck for workloads such as program development and transaction processing. Its importance continues to grow over time. Ignoring I/O, we find that the memory system is the key bottleneck, stalling the CPU for over 50% of the execution time. Surprisingly, however, our results show that this stall fraction is unlikely to increase on future machines due to increased cache sizes and new latency hiding techniques in processors. We also find that the benefits of these architectural trends spread broadly across a majority of the important services provided by the operating system. We find the situation to be much worse for multiprocessors. Most operating systems services consume 30-70% more time than their uniprocessor counterparts. A large fraction of the stalls are due to coherence misses caused by communication between processors. Because larger caches do not reduce coherence misses, the performance gap between uniprocessor and multiprocessor performance will increase unless operating system developers focus on kernel restructuring to reduce unnecessary communication. The paper presents a detailed decomposition of execution time (e.g., instruction execution time, memory stall time separately for instructions and data, synchronization time) for important kernel services in the three workloads.
On tolerable and desirable behaviors in supervisory control of discrete event systems

In general terms, the supervisory control problem for discrete event systems consists of designing a controller such that the controlled system satisfies a given set of requirements that involve event ordering. In the problem formulation considered, the requirements for the behavior (i.e., set of traces) of the controlled system are specified in terms of a desired behavior and a larger tolerated behavior. Due to uncontrollable events, behavior outside of the ideal desired behavior may be tolerated if overall this results in achieving more of the desired behavior. The solution of this problem in both the general case and the nonblocking case is studied. While the general solution can be completely characterized using operations currently known in supervisory control theory, the nonblocking solution requires the study of another class of controllable languages. A discussion of this class is given. >
Plasma-induced effects on the thermal conductivity of hydride vapor phase epitaxy grown n-GaN/Sapphire (0001)

We have measured high spatial/depth resolution (2-3 [.proportional]m) thermal conductivity (κk) at 300K before and after plasma-induced effects on a series of n -GaN/sapphire (0001) samples fabricated by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) using a ThermoMicroscope'as scanning thermal microscope (SThM). The sample thicknesses were 50 ± 5 [.proportional]m and the carrier concentrations ~ 8 × 10 16 cm -3 , as determined by Hall effect measurements. The thermal conductivity before treatment was found to be in the 1.70 – 1.75 W/cm-K range, similar to that previously reported for HVPE material with this carrier concentration and thickness [D. I. Florescu et al. , J. Appl. Phys. 88, 3295 (2000)]. The samples were processed under constant Ar gas flow and pressure fora fixed period of time (5 min). The only variable processing parameter was the DC bias voltage (125 – 500 V). After the initial 125 V procedure κ exhibited a decrease linear in the DC voltage in the investigated range. At 125 V the thermal conductivity was only slightly less (κ ~ 1.65 W/cm-K) than the untreated case. κ had dropped to ~ 0.3 W/cm-K for the 500 V situation. The implications of these results for device applications in the area of high power opto-electronics and high power electronics will be discussed.
A Community‐Based Parish Nurse Intervention Program for Mexican American Women with Gestational Diabetes

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the effects of a Parish Nurse Intervention Program (PNIP) on maternal health behaviors, glycemic control, and neonatal outcomes among Mexican American women with gestational diabetes. Design A randomized controlled trial comparing care as usual (CAU) with a supplementary 1-hour education session for diabetes education reinforcement by a Parish Nurse. Setting An outpatient treatment clinic for gestational diabetes within a 250-bed tertiary care, non-profit hospital with a Parish Nurse partnership. Participants One hundred Mexican American women were included in the study with randomization into Parish Nurse Intervention Program (n=49) and care as usual (n=51) groups. Main Outcome Measures The Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) and two measures of glycemic control pre- and post-intervention, as well as newborn size, and days of maternal and neonatal hospitalization. Results Outcomes indicate significantly improved Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II scores in the Parish Nurse Intervention Program group post-intervention compared with the Care As Usual group. No significant differences between groups regarding glycemic control, macrosomia, or days of maternal or neonatal hospitalization were found. Conclusions A Parish Nurse Intervention Program for pregnant women of Mexican descent with gestational diabetes is effective in leading to improved self-reported health promoting behaviors.
Increase in Plasma Homocysteine Associated with Parallel Increases in Plasma S-Adenosylhomocysteine and Lymphocyte DNA Hypomethylation*

S-Adenosylmethionine andS-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), as the substrate and product of essential cellular methyltransferase reactions, are important metabolic indicators of cellular methylation status. Chronic elevation of SAH, secondary to the homocysteine-mediated reversal of the SAH hydrolase reaction, reduces methylation of DNA, RNA, proteins, and phospholipids. High affinity binding of SAH to the active site of cellular methyltransferases results in product inhibition of the enzyme. Using a sensitive new high pressure liquid chromatography method with coulometric electrochemical detection, plasma SAH levels in healthy young women were found to increase linearly with mild elevation in homocysteine levels (r = 0.73; p
Hexose and hexosamine content of purified chicken anti-2, 4-dinitrophenyl antibody by radiochromatographic analysis

Abstract Purified chicken anti-2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) and normal 7S immunoglobulins were analyzed by the radiochromatographic assay. Chicken anti-DNP antibody contained 23·6 mole hexosamine, 1·8 mole galactose and 26·3 mole mannose per mole of protein (170,000 mol. wt). Normal 7S contained 26·9 mole hexosamine, 3·4 mole galactose and 27·8 mole of mannose. Thus, chicken anti-DNP antibody contained 5·5% carbohydrate by weight compared to 6·0% for normal chicken 7S. Similar analyses of purified rabbit anti-DNP and normal IgG yielded values of 2·7 and 2·5 percent carbohydrate respectively, based on a mol. wt of 150,000.
The Sea-Scout: A Novel Multi-Mode Autonomous Vehicle

In this paper, we present preliminary results from an undergraduate research project involving the analysis and design of a lightweight multimode vehicle capable of driving on solid ground, swimming on the surface of the water, and easily transitioning between the two. Locomotion in and out of the water is provided by paddlewheels on each side of the vehicle. The physical design of the robot optimizes efficiency in and out of the water while accommodating the necessity for stealth, compactness, and minimal weight. This project has been designed with the expectation of possibly expanding to an autonomous version of the vehicle and also the potential addition of a mechanism for climbing up ferrous surfaces, such as the hull of a ship.
Replica analysis of large-system CDMA

We present some new results on large-system CDMA obtained through the replica method developed in statistical physics. We find the spectral efficiency of randomly spread CDMA subject to Gaussian noise and flat fading in the large-system limit under arbitrary input distributions. Both joint decoding and single-user decoding are considered. In the latter case, a conditional mean estimator is first applied to separate the users and it is found that the resulting single-user channel for every user is equivalent to a Gaussian channel. The multiuser efficiency of that Gaussian channel is the same for all users and satisfies a fixed-point equilibrium equation. The additive decomposition by Shamai-Verdu of optimum capacity in terms of single-user capacity is shown to hold for arbitrary input distributions.
Singular Solutions to the Shallow Shell Equations

Singular solutions to concentrated loads on shallow shell equations with quadratic middle surface
Network based sensor localization in multi-media application of precision agriculture Part 1: Received signal strength

We study the problem of sensor node localization for a hybrid wireless sensor network deployed in a precision agriculture farm, with nodes located both underground and above-ground. We consider received signal strength measurements from unmodulated signals transmitted between neighboring sensor nodes and between satellite nodes and sensor nodes for ranging purposes. While this paper studies the network based localization of sensors, placed in multiple media, based on the measurements of received signal strengths, in a companion paper we study the same problem based on the time of arrival measurements. The localization problem is formulated with the goal of parameter estimation of the joint distribution of the ranging measurements. First, we arrive at power fading models for the two communication scenarios in our network to model the received signal strength in terms of propagation distance and hence, the participating nodes' location coordinates. We account for various signal degradation effects such as fading, reflection, transmission, and signal interference. Then, we formulate maximum likelihood optimization problems to estimate the nodes' location coordinates using the derived statistical models. We also present a sensitivity analysis of the estimates with respect to the soil complex permittivity and magnetic permeability.
Accuracy of laser tracker measurements of the GMT 8.4-m off-axis mirror segments

ABSTRACT We have developed a metrology system that is capable of measuring rough ground and polished surfaces alike, has limited sensitivity to the nominal surface shape, and can accommodate surfaces up to 8.4 m in diameter. The system couples a commercial laser tracker with an advanced calibration technique and a system of stability references to mitigate numerous error sources. This system was built to gui de loose abrasive grinding and initial polishing of the off-axis primary mirror segments for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), and is also being used to guide the fabrication of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope primary and tertiary mirro rs. In addition to guiding fabrication, the system also works as a verification test for the GMT principal optical interferometric test of the polished mirror segment to corroborate the measurement in several low-order aberrations. A quantitative assessment of the system accuracy is presented, along with measurement results for GMT, including a comparison to the optical interferometric test of the polished surface. telescopes, optical fabrication, optical testing, laser metrology, aspheres
Influenza A virus preferentially snatches noncoding RNA caps

Influenza A virus (IAV) lacks the enzyme for adding 5' caps to its RNAs and snatches the 5' ends of host capped RNAs to prime transcription. Neither the preference of the host RNA sequences snatched nor the effect of cap-snatching on host processes is completely defined. Previous studies of influenza cap-snatching used poly(A)-selected RNAs from infected cells or relied on annotated host genes to define the snatched host RNAs, and thus lack details on many noncoding host RNAs including snRNAs, snoRNAs, and promoter-associated capped small (cs)RNAs, which are made by "paused" Pol II during transcription initiation. In this study, we used a nonbiased technique, CapSeq, to identify host and viral-capped RNAs including nonpolyadenylated RNAs in the same samples, and investigated the substrate-product correlation between the host RNAs and the viral RNAs. We demonstrated that noncoding host RNAs, particularly U1 and U2, are the preferred cap-snatching source over mRNAs or pre-mRNAs. We also found that csRNAs are highly snatched by IAV. Because the functions of csRNAs remain mostly unknown, especially in somatic cells, our finding reveals that csRNAs at least play roles in the process of IAV infection. Our findings support a model where nascent RNAs including csRNAs are the preferred targets for cap-snatching by IAV and raise questions about how IAV might use snatching preferences to modulate host-mRNA splicing and transcription.
Effects of Psoas Muscle Thickness on Outcomes of Lumbar Fusion Surgery

Backgound Lumbar arthrodesis is a surgical option for treatment of lumbar pathologies. Stability of the spinal construct partly depends on load-bearing support from back muscles. Despite the role of the psoas muscle in upright spinal stabilization, data describing its clinical significance are scarce. We evaluated the effects of the psoas muscle thickness on outcomes after lumbar fusion surgery. Methods A retrospective review was performed of hospital records (2007–2013) of adult patients undergoing lumbar fusion surgery. Patients ≥18 years old who had undergone ≥1 level of lumbar fusion with available preoperative magnetic resonance imaging scans and at least 1 year of follow-up were included. Axial psoas muscle thickness was measured at each lumbar intervertebral space. Psoas muscle thickness at each vertebral level was compared between patients with and without the occurrence of specific clinical outcomes. Results There were 257 patients included. The average age was 58.15 years; about 45% of patients were men. Most of the patients underwent a transforaminal interbody fusion surgery (58.4%). The average psoas muscle thickness ranged from 11.49 mm at L1-2 to 36.51 mm at L4-5. Patients with postoperative hip flexor weakness and increased time to ambulation had significantly smaller psoas muscle thickness. Also, patients with >50% improvement in visual analog scale pain score had significantly greater psoas muscle thickness. Conclusions This study shows that the psoas muscle can be beneficial in overall postoperative rehabilitation with early ambulation and greater improvement in functional outcomes. Given the role of the psoas muscle in spinal stabilization, the effect of psoas muscle thickness on postoperative functional outcomes warrants further investigation.
Optical Properties of Nematic Poly-γ-Benzyl-L-Glutamate

Poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate (PBLG) in certain solvents adopts an α-helical conformation and thus geometrically resembles a long, rigid rod with side chains containing benzyl radicals extending latterally outwards along the rod axis. As the refractive indices parallel and perpendicular to the helical axis are different, a-lignment of the macromolecule results in optical birefringence, The effect is dramatically seen by simply allowing a PBLG solution to flow between crossed polars. The rod shaped macromolecules tend to conform with hydrodynamic flow lines, producing a birefringent solution of remarkable color (streaming birefringence). The PBLG molecule itself has a positive dielectric and diamagnetic aniso-tropy, with the components of the dielectric and magnetic susceptibility tensor parallel to the long molecular axis larger than those perpendicular. In the presence of an electric or magnetic field individual PBLG molecules will also tend to align themselves, in this case such that their long axes are parallel to the direction of imposed field.
Determination of the Insideout to Rightsideout Ratio of: 1) Thylakoids Exposed to Phase Partition, 2) Thylakoids Washed with Edta, and 3) Detergent Derived PSII Membranes

In our laboratory, we use insideout (ISO) and rightsideout (RSO) thylakoids as affinity vectors for the isolation of polyclonal antibody libraries, useful in determining which proteins of the thylakoid membrane are exposed to the stroma and which proteins are exposed to the lumen (1,2). The quality of a stroma-specific or a lumen-specific polyclonal antibody library depends primarily on the purity of the affinity vector employed. If an ISO preparation is not 100% pure, the quality of affinity purified antibodies isolated from such an ISO preparation would be similarly reduced. These antibodies could not be used to unambiguously assign proteins exposed to the lumen of the thylakoid. Thus, we have found it necessary to develop techniques for determining the purity of our ISO and RSO preparations.
Critically re-evaluating a common technique: Accuracy, reliability, and confirmation bias of EMG.

Objectives: (1) To assess the diagnostic accuracy of EMG in radiculopathy. (2) To evaluate the intrarater reliability and interrater reliability of EMG in radiculopathy. (3) To assess the presence of confirmation bias in EMG. Methods: Three experienced academic electromyographers interpreted 3 compact discs with 20 EMG videos (10 normal, 10 radiculopathy) in a blinded, standardized fashion without information regarding the nature of the study. The EMGs were interpreted 3 times (discs A, B, C) 1 month apart. Clinical information was provided only with disc C. Intrarater reliability was calculated by comparing interpretations in discs A and B, interrater reliability by comparing interpretation between reviewers. Confirmation bias was estimated by the difference in correct interpretations when clinical information was provided. Results: Sensitivity was similar to previous reports (77%, confidence interval [CI] 63%–90%); specificity was 71%, CI 56%–85%. Intrarater reliability was good (κ 0.61, 95% CI 0.41–0.81); interrater reliability was lower (κ 0.53, CI 0.35–0.71). There was no substantial confirmation bias when clinical information was provided (absolute difference in correct responses 2.2%, CI −13.3% to 17.7%); the study lacked precision to exclude moderate confirmation bias. Conclusions: This study supports that (1) serial EMG studies should be performed by the same electromyographer since intrarater reliability is better than interrater reliability; (2) knowledge of clinical information does not bias EMG interpretation substantially; (3) EMG has moderate diagnostic accuracy for radiculopathy with modest specificity and electromyographers should exercise caution interpreting mild abnormalities. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that EMG has moderate diagnostic accuracy and specificity for radiculopathy.
Mechanical-optical properties of polycarbonate resin and some relations with material structure - Polycarbonate is an excellent model material, but heat treatment is required. Dependence of birefringence on time and wavelength is described by normalized creep and normalized retardation parameters. Dispersion of birefringence is related to the spectral transmittance

Polycarbonate resin possesses optical and mechanical properties which make it particularly suitable for certain experimental investigations, including two-and three-dimensional photoelastic analysis. The ductility and transparency of this material might be usefully employed in photomechanical investigations of plastic and viscoelastic response. The similarity of the stress-strain law of polycarbonate to that of mild steel could simplify the similitude problem. In addition, its spectral transmittance in visible and infrared makes polycarbonate useful for studies of material properties and structure. The optical creep of polycarbonate is respresented by a normalized creep coefficient. The relationship of this factor to the theory of viscoelasticity is discussed, and the conditions for a valid calibration of birefringent materials are reviewed. The wavelength dependence of relative retardation is represented by the normalized retardation, from which the dispersion of birefringence can be deduced. The stress-birefringence-time-wavelength characteristics of two brands of polycarbonate resin were determined. Because of residual birefringence, it was necessary to heat treat the resin at about 146°C, and properties of both annealed and unannealed resins are presented. Retardation was measured over the visible and near-infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum (407 nm to 1900 nm). There exists a definite relationship between dispersion of birefringence, which amounts to 14 percent in visible, and the infrared spectral transmittance, which is indicative of material structure.
ANNUAL HOSPITAL PROCEDURE VOLUME PREDICTS PERMANENT PACEMAKER IMPLANTATION AFTER SUPRAVENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA (SVT) ABLATION: AN ANALYSIS OF 11,224 ABLATIONS

Ablation of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), specifically AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, can result in injury to AV node requiring permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI). Few studies have looked at impact of hospital experience on PPI rates. We included adult patients from Nationwide Inpatient
Colorado Potato Beetle Resistance in a Wild Potato, Solanum berthaultii

Solanum berthaultii Hawkes was compared with cultivars of S. tuberosum L. for impact on the population dynamics of Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say). Oviposition of overwintered and newly emerged summer adults in the laboratory was reduced 98 and 96%, respectively, on S. berthaultii compared with S. tuberosum . Oviposition on a S. berthaultii × S. tuberosum hybrid (B227-63 from the Cornell breeding program) was reduced 78% compared with S. tuberosum . In the laboratory, adult survival was not affected by confinement on S. berthaultii , but larval survival was significantly reduced and developmental time was lengthened. Field evaluations indicated reduced oviposition, reduced larval survival, and increased developmental time on S. berthaultii compared with S. tuberosum .
Development in Cathode Materials LiFePO_4 for lithium-ion Battery

Olivine LiFePO_4 is a new kind of cathode material for lithium-ion battery. This material is cheap and environmentally friendly. It has a relatively large theoretical capacity of 170mA/g compared with other ironbased compound, no toxicity, good thermal stability in fully charged state and little hygroscopicity. So it has attracted particular interest. In this paper, the extraction-insertion mechanisms of Li-ions have been discussed. The reseach progess in LiFePO_4 in the world is also explained.
Hypothesis: Paroxetine, a G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 2 (GRK2) Inhibitor Reduces Morbidity and Mortality in Patients With Heart Failure.

The hypothesis that paroxetine decreases morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) is plausible but unproven. Basic research demonstrates that inhibition of G protein-coupled rece...
Action of 3-deazaguanine in Escherichia coli.

3-Deazaguanine is more inhibitory to E. coli B3 than purine analogues such as 8-azaguanine and 8-azaadenine, as measured by growth and viability. It inhibits DNA synthesis with little effect on RNA formation and results in aberrant morphology. Inhibition can be reversed or prevented by the presence of adenine or guanine during exposure to drug. A 3-deazaguanine resistant strain was isolated and found to be deficient in guanine phosphoribosyltransferase activity. The parent strain, E. coli B3, is slightly sensitive to 3-deazaguanosine but highly sensitive to 7-ribosyl-3-deazaguanine. The 3-deazaguanine resistant strain is completely resistant to both nucleosides. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors are indebted to Dr. Frances Arrighi for assistance in obtaining the photographs of Figure 2.
Event-level analyses of sex-risk and injection-risk behaviors among nonmedical prescription opioid users

ABSTRACTBackground: Nonmedical prescription opioid use has been linked to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among people who inject drugs and with using high dead space syringes that retain more blood and transfer more HIV if shared. Little is known regarding its effects on sex-risk behaviors. Objectives: This paper examines event-level associations between nonmedical prescription opioid use and sharing high dead space syringes (injection risk) and unprotected intercourse (sex risk) behaviors. Methods: We recruited 1,985 participants from two overlapping risk groups—drug users and men who have sex with men (MSM)—and their sex partners. Participants completed an interview that included event-level sex questions with recent sex partners and injection questions with recent injection partners. We used multivariable generalized estimating equations (GEE) to assess the associations between nonmedical prescription opioid use and unprotected intercourse during sexual encounters and sharing syringes during injecti...
Cold and Sick, Sick and Cold

This case discusses a pharmacokinetic interaction between dietary fiber and oral thyroid replacement therapy resulting in decreased absorption and lack of efficacy of thyroid hormone replacement.
Human factors in computer decision-making

This thesis investigates whether incorporating ideas from human decision-making in computer algorithms may help improve agents' decision-making performance, as either independent actors or in collaboration with humans. For independent actors, psychological cognitive appraisal theories of emotion are used to develop a lightweight algorithm that dynamically re-prioritizes their goals to direct their attention. In experiments in quickly changing and highly uncertain domains these agents are shown to perform as well as agents that compute expensive optimal solutions, and exhibit robustness with respect to the parameters of the environment. For agents interacting with humans, it is investigated whether expressing emotions has the ability to convey traits like trustworthiness and skill, and whether the appropriate emotional expression can help forge mutually beneficial relationships with the human. Finally, the theory of reasoning patterns [7] is leveraged to analyze games and make it possible to answer questions about a system's strategic behavior without having to compute an expensive, precise solution. This theory is also employed to the generate advice for human decision-makers in complex games. This advice has been experimentally shown to improve their decision-making performance.
Posterior approaches for symptomatic metastatic spinal cord compression

Surgical interventions for spinal metastasis are commonly performed for mechanical stabilization, pain relief, preservation of neurological function, and local tumor reduction. Although multiple surgical approaches can be used for the treatment of metastatic spinal lesions, posterior approaches are commonly performed. In this study, the role of posterior surgical procedures in the treatment of spinal metastases was reviewed, including posterior laminectomy with and without instrumentation for stabilization, transpedicular corpectomy, and costotransversectomy. A review of the literature from 1980 to 2015 was performed using Medline, as was a review of the bibliographies of articles meeting preset inclusion criteria, to identify studies on the role of these posterior approaches among adults with spinal metastasis. Thirty-four articles were ultimately analyzed, including 1 randomized controlled trial, 6 prospective cohort studies, and 27 retrospective case reports and/or series. Some of the reviewed articles had Level II evidence indicating that laminectomy with stabilization can be recommended for improvement in neurological outcome and reduction of pain in selected patients. However, the use of laminectomy alone should be carefully considered. Additionally, transpedicular corpectomy and costotransversectomy can be recommended with the expectation of improving neurological outcomes and reducing pain in properly selected patients with spinal metastases. With improvements in the treatment paradigms for patients with spinal metastasis, as well as survival, surgical therapy will continue to play an important role in the management of spinal metastasis. While this review presents a window into determining the utility of posterior approaches, future prospective studies will provide essential data to better define the roles of the various options now available to surgeons in treating spinal metastases.
The Interaction of Tunneling Electrons with Molecular Vibrations

Electrons can tunnel with appreciable probability from one metal electrode to the other in metal-insulator-metal tunneling junctions if the insulating layers are sufficiently thin ( ~ 30 A). If no energy is lost by the electrons in the transition, the tunneling is called elastic. Inelastic electron tunneling, in which electrons in filled states on one side of the metal lose energy to some excitation in the barrier region, but still have enough energy to finish up in a previously empty final state on the other side of the barrier, can also occur. The inelastic tunneling process occurs, for the low temperatures at which tunneling spectra are run, only if the bias energy eV is greater than the excitation energy ћω. Since the inelastic tunneling process represents an additional tunneling channel, the total conductance of the junction is greater for biases above the onset voltage V= ћω/e than below it. The conductance increases are quite small, so that second derivatives of the current-voltage characteristics of the junctions are taken: the steps in conductance then appear as peaks, each peak corresponding to the excitation of a particular vibrational mode of the barrier region.
Foucault and Weber on Leadership and the Modern Subject

I propose in this paper that Foucault’s interest in parrhesia as a “technique of the self,” particularly in his reading of Cynic parrhesia, can be fruitfully taken as an exemplar for new political thought on leadership. I make my case by comparing parrhesia with Weber’s charisma, which is the only force Weber allows for inserting new valuations into traditional and rational-legal legitimate dominations. I propose that charisma and parrhesia not only share several key characteristics, but express an overabundance of identities. Although it is rarely acknowledged, I propose that this should hardly be surprising given Foucault’s longstanding interest in Weber’s work. Foucault’s governmentality can be productively set next to Weber’s psycho-sociology of modern man, Menschentum , to reveal the parallel courses taken by these two thinkers on the modern predicament. Both share a critical curiosity – one that revolves around Kant’s presentation in “What is Enlightenment?” – about life, and about seeing how we have come to be how we are as a philosophical problem. Yet, even with all of their parallels, particularly on the subject of leadership, the staggering difference between Foucault and Weber is that while Weber approached charisma as a possible therapy to the problem of the Menschentum being unable to derive new valuations from his rational-legal calculations, Foucault approached parrhesia by looking for techniques for confronting disciplined and biopolitical subjects within society with dangerous truths. Whereas conventional wisdom may presume that it is at such points as Weber’s charismatic leadership that Weber and Foucault would part ways, careful study shows that leadership is a point of connection between these two thinkers.
Patterns of care and survival of adjuvant radiation for major salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS National Cancer Care Network guidelines suggest consideration of adjuvant radiation even for early stage adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands. We used the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) to analyze practice patterns and outcomes of postoperative radiotherapy for adenoid cystic carcinomas. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective NCDB review. METHODS Patients with nonmetastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma of the parotid, submandibular, or another major salivary gland from 2004 to 2012 were identified. Information was collected regarding receipt of postoperative radiation. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess overall survival and Cox regression analysis to assess impact of covariates. RESULTS There were 1,784 patients included. Median age was 57 years old and median follow up was 47.5 months. Of the patients, 72.4% of underwent partial/total parotidectomy and 73.6% received postoperative radiation. The 5-year survival was 72.5% for those receiving surgery alone compared to 82.4% for those receiving postoperative radiation (P < .001). On subgroup analysis, this survival difference favoring postoperative radiation was significant for pT1-2N0 (P < .001), pT3-4N0 (P = .047), pTanyN+ (P < .001), and for positive margins (P = .001), but not for negative margins (P = .053). On multivariable analysis, postoperative radiation remained associated with improved overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.63, 95% confidence interval: 0.50-0.80, P < .001). The utilization of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) increased from 16.9% in 2004 to 56.3% in 2012 (P < .001). There was no survival benefit for IMRT over three-dimensional radiation therapy (HR = 0.84, P = .19). CONCLUSIONS Postoperative radiation therapy for salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma was associated with improved survival even for those with early-stage disease. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 127:2057-2062, 2017.
Immunological Memory: Remembering Our Pathogens.

Acute viral infections induce long-term humoral and cellular immunity. However, the nature of T- and B-cell memory is different. Antiviral B-cell memory is usually manifested by continuous antibody production that lasts for many years after infection or vaccination. In contrast, the effector phase of the T cell response is short-lived (a few weeks), and “memory” in the T-cell compartment results from the presence of memory T cells, which are found at higher frequencies and can respond faster and develop into effector cells (i.e., CTL or cytokine producers) more efficiently than can naive T cells. In this talk, I will discuss the following aspects of immunological memory: Functional differences between naive and memory T cells; Memory T cell differentiation and memory cell subsets; and Protective immunity by memory CD8 T cells.
Full dispersion compensation of terahertz quantum cascade laser frequency combs

Utilizing a genetic algorithm, we optimized the dispersion compensation of terahertz quantum cascade laser frequency combs up to fourth-order. The fully dispersion-compensated device shows a larger dynamic range and a broader spectral coverage, exhibiting comb formation over 800 GHz.
Demographic histories of three predatory lady beetles reveal complex patterns of diversity and population size change in the United States.

Predatory lady beetles (Coccinellidae) contribute to biological control of agricultural pests, however, multiple species frequently compete for similar resources in the same environment. Numerous studies have examined ecological interactions among the native North American convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens) and two introduced species, the seven spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) and the Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis), in agricultural fields and described multi-year population dynamics. However, the evolutionary dynamics of these interacting species of predatory beetles are uncharacterized. We utilize publicly available multi-locus genotype data from geographically disjunct populations of these three species to estimate demography across North American populations. Coalescent analyses reveal (1) a recent (∼4–5 years) decline (> 12-fold) in microsatellite effective population size of H. convergens, while expanding (mutation scaled growth rate in 1/u generations = 2 910, SD = 362) over evolutionary time scales, (2) a massive (> 150-fold), and very recent, effective population size decline in Ha. axyridis, and (3) population size growth (mutation scaled growth rate = 997 SD = 60) over recent and evolutionary time scales in C. septempunctata. Although these estimates are based on genetic data with different mutation rates and patterns of inheritance (mitochondrial versus nuclear), these dynamic and differing population size histories are striking. Further studies of the interactions of these predatory lady beetles in the field are thus warranted to explore the consequences of population size change and biological control activities for evolutionary trajectories in North America. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Structure of the Cr 3+ -V 0 Centers in WO 3

Etude par le modele de superposition de Muller Berlinger avec Cr 3+ comme base. La structure est a peu pres identique a celle du centre Fe 3+ -Vo etudiee precedemment
Revisions to the Tumor, Node, Metastasis staging of lung cancer (8th edition): Rationale, radiologic findings and clinical implications

The Tumor, Node, Metastasis (TNM) staging system, adopted by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), has been recently revised, with the new 8th edition of the staging manual being published in January 2017. This edition has few but important evidence-based changes to the TNM staging system used for lung cancer. Radiologists should be aware of the updated classification system to accurately provide staging information to oncologists and oncosurgeons. In this article, we discuss the rationale, illustrate the changes with relevance to Radiology, and review the clinical implications of the 8th edition of the UICC/AJCC TNM staging system with regards to lung cancer.
Advance Care Planning Documentation Practices and Accessibility in the Electronic Health Record: Implications for Patient Safety

Abstract Context Documenting patients' advance care planning (ACP) wishes is essential to providing value-aligned care, as is having this documentation readily accessible. Little is known about ACP documentation practices in the electronic health record. Objectives The objective of this study was to describe ACP documentation practices and the accessibility of documented discussions in the electronic health record. Methods Participants were primary care patients at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, were ≥60 years old, and had ≥2 chronic/serious health conditions. In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the prevalence of ACP documentation, including any legal forms/orders and discussions in the prior five years. We also determined accessibility of discussions (i.e., accessible centralized posting vs. inaccessible free text in progress notes). Results The mean age of 414 participants was 71 years (SD ± 8), 9% were women, 43% were nonwhite, and 51% had documented ACP including 149 (36%) with forms/orders and 138 (33%) with discussions. Seventy-four participants (50%) with forms/orders lacked accompanying explanatory documentation. Most (55%) discussions were not easily accessible, including 70% of those documenting changes in treatment preferences from prior forms/orders. Conclusion Half of chronically ill, older participants had documented ACP, including one-third with documented discussions. However, half of the patients with completed legal forms/orders had no accompanying documented explanatory discussions, and the majority of documented discussions were not easily accessible, even when wishes had changed. Ensuring that patients' preferences are documented and easily accessible is an important patient safety and quality improvement target to ensure patients' wishes are honored.
Reputation and Stakeholders: How Stakeholder-specific Reputations Affect Controversial Actions

This study enhances our understanding of organizational reputation by exploring how a firm’s reputation in the eyes of different stakeholders influences the likelihood of its taking a controversial...