cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ecology of small mammals in tropical forest habitats of southern India

Five species of rodent ( Rattus rattus wroughtoni, Mus platythrix, Funambulus tristriatus, Cremnomys blanfordi and Golunda ellioti ) were live-trapped over a period of eight months in three different habitat types (moist evergreen forest, moist deciduous forest and teak plantation) in Anaimalais Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, India. Small mammal densities ranged between 16.3 individuals ha −1 and 20.7 ha −1 for the natural forest sites and were 10.4 ha −1 in the teak plantation. Moist deciduous forest had the highest species richness and diversity scores. Although the teak plantation site had the same mammal species richness as the moist evergreen forest, numbers of individuals and overall small mammal biomass in the plantation was far lower than on the natural forest sites. Compared to moist deciduous forest, species richness and diversity were significantly lower on the teak plantation. R. r. wroughtoni and M. platythrix were the two most common species captured on all three sites. R. r. wroughtoni was the most common small mammal species captured, reaching densities of 14.5 ha −1 in moist evergreen forest. G. ellioti was the least common species, present only in moist deciduous forest. Demographic patterns and microhabitat selection were examined for R. r. wroughtoni, M. platythrix , and F. tristriatus . Only M. platythrix appeared to show any distinct seasonality in reproduction, with an increase in capture of breeding individuals towards the end of the wet season. Discriminant analysis did not reveal any distinct microhabitat preferences for any of the species. However, R. r. wroughtoni showed a significant association with bamboo, and F. tristriatus was associated with areas of higher canopy height and density in moist deciduous forest.
The Axisymmetric Response of a Complete Cylindrical Shell to Shock Loads

Axisymmetric dynamic response of complete cylindrical shell to shock loads using bending theory of thin shells
Solvation Energies of Amino Acid Side Chains and Backbone in a Family of Host−Guest Pentapeptides

Octanol-to-water solvation free energies of acetyl amino amides (Ac-X-amides) [Fauchere, J.L., & Pliska, V. (1983) Eur. J. Med. Chem. --Chim. Ther. 18,369] form the basis for computational comparisons of protein stabilities by means of the atomic solvation parameter formalism of Eisenberg and McLachlan [(1986) Nature 319, 199]. In order to explore this approach for more complex systems, we have determined by octanol-to-water partitioning the solvation energies of (1) the guest (X) side chains in the host-guest pentapeptides AcWL-X-LL, (2) the carboxy terminus of the pentapeptides, and (3) the peptide bonds of the homologous series of peptides AcWLm (m = 1-6). Solvation parameters were derived from the solvation energies using estimates of the solvent-accessible surface areas (ASA) obtained from hard-sphere Monte Carlo simulations. The measurements lead to a side chain solvation-energy scale for the pentapeptides and suggest the need for modifying the Asp, Glu, and Cys values of the "Fauchere-Pliska" solvation-energy scale fro the Ac-X-amides. We find that the unfavorable solvation energy of nonpolar residues can be calculated accurately by a solvation parameter of 22.8 +/- 0.8 cal/mol/A2, which agrees satisfactorily with the AC-X-amide data and thereby validates the Monte Carlo ASA results. Unlike the Ac-X-amide data, the apparent solvation energies of the uncharged polar residues are also largely unfavorable. This unexpected finding probably results, primarily, from differences in conformation and hydrogen bonding in octanol and buffer but may also be due to the additional flaking peptide bonds of the pentapeptides. The atomic solvation parameter (ASP) for the peptide bond is comparable to the ASP of the charged carboxy terminus which is an order of magnitude larger than the ASP of the uncharged polar side chains of the Ac-X-amides. The very large peptide bond ASP, -96 +/- 6 cal/mol/A2, profoundly affects the results of computational comparisons of protein stability which use ASPs derived from octanol-water partitioning data.
Pair-copulas in infrastructure multivariate dependence modeling

Abstract This paper attempts to present the use of copulas and vines in infrastructure modeling, with an example from pavement condition data. The copula approach can be used to model dependence structure independently of different marginal distribution. The paper further discusses the general principles of hierarchical copulas and introduces vines copula as an approach in pair-copula construction. An example is presented using pavement condition data.
A FUZZY SUBSET CHARACTERIZATION OF A SITE‐SELECTION PROBLEM

This paper presents an application of fuzzy subsets to the problem of selecting sites for locating gas stations. Cost minimization and profit maximization models represent typical approaches to location decisions. These approaches are not well-suited to problems like site selection for gas stations because of the difficulty in identifying precise relationships, the uncertainties involved, and the qualitative and imprecise nature of much of the information used for decision making. This paper proposes the use of a model based on linguistic variables and a direct evaluation of the available alternatives via the use of fuzzy variables. Conclusions regarding the practical advantages and limitations of the approach are drawn based on the reported application.
Toward A Model For Nursing Informatics

Purpose: To propose a new model for the development of nursing informatics based on historical precedent. Significance: Nursing informatics is expanding rapidly. The proposed model aids in understanding the areas of research, relating them to each other, and it shows areas where work is missing or should be extended. Organizing Framework: Nursing informatics as the interaction of cognitive science, computer science, and information science resting on a base of nursing science. Implications: As this model is tested, it can act as an organizing framework to understand and relate studies of nursing informatics and give organization for future research, education, and development.
Teaching the Past Perfect: A Comparison of Two Approaches

This article discusses ways in which grammar teaching has been changing over the past few decades. Specialattention is given to recent scholarship focusing on teaching the Past Perfect, a challenging area of English grammarfor non-native speakers to master. A quasi-experimental case study is presented, comparing the effectiveness of twoapproaches—one using inductive techniques, and the other, a combination of inductive and deductive techniques.After a statistical analysis of the data collected, we conclude that the pedagogical grammar approach appears to besignificantly more efficient than the inductive approach alone.
Cbl enforces Vav1 dependence and a restricted pathway of T cell development.

Extensive studies of pre-TCR- and TCR-dependent signaling have led to characterization of a pathway deemed essential for efficient T cell development, and comprised of a cascade of sequential events involving phosphorylation of Lck and ZAP-70, followed by phosphorylation of LAT and SLP-76, and subsequent additional downstream events. Of interest, however, reports from our lab as well as others have indicated that the requirements for ZAP-70, LAT, and SLP-76 are partially reversed by inactivation of c-Cbl (Cbl), an E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets multiple molecules for ubiquitination and degradation. Analysis of signaling events in these Cbl knockout models, including the recently reported analysis of SLP-76 transgenes defective in interaction with Vav1, suggested that activation of Vav1 might be a critical event in alternative pathways of T cell development. To extend the analysis of signaling requirements for thymic development, we have therefore assessed the effect of Cbl inactivation on the T cell developmental defects that occur in Vav1-deficient mice. The defects in Vav1-deficient thymic development, including a marked defect in DN3-DN4 transition, were completely reversed by Cbl inactivation, accompanied by enhanced phosphorylation of PLC-γ1 and ERKs in response to pre-TCR/TCR cross-linking of Vav1-/-Cbl-/- DP thymocytes. Taken together, these results suggest a substantially modified paradigm for pre-TCR/TCR signaling and T cell development. The observed consensus pathways of T cell development, including requirements for ZAP-70, LAT, SLP-76, and Vav1, appear to reflect the restriction by Cbl of an otherwise much broader set of molecular pathways capable of mediating T cell development.
Status epilepticus-induced neuronal injury and network reorganization.

It is now evident that prolonged febrile seizures in childhood, or an episode of status epilepticus at any age, can produce the highly characteristic pattern of hippocampal cell loss and shrinkage that is seen later in life, when patients develop temporal lobe epilepsy. Seizure-induced and presumably excitotoxic pathology includes neuronal loss, reactive gliosis, aberrant synaptic reorganization of surviving cells, and hippocampal tissue shrinkage that may alter extracellular space and affect ionic homeostasis. Whether any of these pathological effects of prolonged excitation play a causal role in the epileptogenic process that ultimately leads to spontaneous afebrile seizures remains a subject of intense interest. Two hypotheses have been suggested to explain how seizure-induced neuronal loss might initiate the epileptogenic process. One hypothesis suggests that normal inhibition and excitability is maintained by vulnerable non-principal cells, and that their loss deactivates inhibitory neurons, rendering principal cells disinhibited and hyperexcitable. The other hypothesis regards the initial loss as a stimulus for normally unconnected principal cells to form aberrant recurrent excitatory connections. Additional influences undoubtedly include a kindling process that gradually overcomes polysynaptic inhibition, and changes in extracellular space that may facilitate synaptic and ephaptic depolarization. Identification of the suspected substrates of epileptogenesis will serve as a stimulus for future progress and provide direction for new experimental designs.
Mixed κ/μ Opioid Receptor Agonists: The 6β-Naltrexamines

Ligands from the naltrexamine series have consistently demonstrated agonist activity at κ opioid receptors (KOR), with varying activity at the μ opioid receptor (MOR). Various 6β-cinnamoylamino derivatives were made with the aim of generating ligands with a KOR agonist/MOR partial agonist profile, as ligands with this activity may be of interest as treatment agents for cocaine abuse. The ligands all displayed the desired high affinity, nonselective binding in vitro and in the functional assays were high efficacy KOR agonists with some partial agonist activity at MOR. Two of the new ligands (12a, 12b) have been evaluated in vivo, with 12a acting as a KOR agonist and therefore somewhat similar to the previously evaluated analogues 3−6, while 12b displayed predominant MOR agonist activity.
Blood pressure, gender, and parental hypertension are factors in baseline and poststress pain sensitivity in normotensive adults

We studied 38 men and 36 women to learn whether a brief speech stressor reduced normotensive humans thermal pain sensitivity, whether baseline and poststress pain threshold and tolerance varied with blood pressure (BP) and hemodynamic measures, and whether these relations differed by gender and parental hypertension (PH). PH-women with low resting BPs had lower baseline pain tolerance than did all other groups (ps < .05), and this group alone exhibited stress-induced analgesia (ps = .008). In women, pre- and poststress pain tolerance varied directly with rest and stress BP (ps < .05). In men, BP and pain measures were not related, but high cardiac index during stress was associated with low baseline pain tolerance (p < .01). The present findings support the hypothesis that pain sensitivity and cardiac stress response share a common mechanism, but they yield little support for the hypothesis that analgesic responses to acute stress contribute to hypertension etiology via an instrumental learning process.
Glyburide increases insulin sensitivity and responsiveness in peripheral tissues of the rat as determined by the glucose clamp technique.

The effect of chronic glyburide treatment on insulin sensitivity and responsiveness in vivo in unanesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats was determined by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp technique. Normal animals were surgically prepared for the clamp procedure and then gavaged with glyburide, 2 mg/kg/day, or with normal saline for 6-18 days. Basal plasma glucose concentrations were significantly lower in glyburide-treated animals compared to controls, but basal plasma insulin concentrations were the same. Rates of glucose disposal, calculated before and during insulin infusions of 2 to 40 mU/kg.min with plasma glucose concentration clamped at 125 mg/dl, were significantly greater in the glyburide-treated rats compared to controls. Insulin dose-response curves demonstrate that glyburide treatment increased both insulin sensitivity and responsiveness. Basal hepatic glucose production, estimated by D-[3-3H]Glucose infusion, was significantly greater with glyburide treatment; however the sensitivity of the liver to suppression by insulin infusions of 2 and 4 mU/kg.min was unchanged. These data suggest that the decreased basal plasma glucose concentration observed in rats chronically treated with glyburide is the result of increased glucose disposal in peripheral tissues and not associated with an increase in plasma insulin concentrations or a decrease in hepatic glucose production.
The Effects of Social Status and Social Dialect on Listener Responses

The findings of this experimental study indicate that the response to the dialect speech of another is not unidimensional and that dialect is more likely a determinant of speaker ethos for middle social status persons than for high or low social status persons.
Wear of aged dental composites

Abstract Surface morphology and wear characteristics of five dental composites subjected to accelerated aging were investigated. Aging conditions caused degradation of the surface as evidenced by the formation of microcracks and the exposure and loss of filler particles. Wear parameters such as track width, transition load and mode of surface failure caused by single-pass sliding were influenced by aging and by the composition of the composite.
Hair Breakage in Normal and Weathered Hair: Focus on the Black Patient

Hair breakage and fragility are a large problem for many patients as well as a treatment challenge to the dermatologist. Understanding the factors that lead to acquired hair shaft fragility and breakage is paramount to recommending appropriate treatment to affected patients. African or Black hair is known to be more affected by breakage with easily observed fragility in vivo. To date there are no known structural or chemical differences in Black hair as compared to Caucasian or Asian hair that explains this observed fragility. This review explores the impact of hair care practices on the development of hair breakage with a focus on patients of color. The examination and recommended ancillary testing for the process are discussed, and advances in the measurement of mechanical fracture of human hair are reviewed.
Improving the Efficiency of Stochastic Dominance Techniques Using Convex Set Stochastic Dominance

The advantages of convex set stochastic dominance (CSD) are discussed in terms of extending other stochastic dominance criteria in a way which will decrease Type II errors (large efficient sets) without increasing the Type I errors (inaccurate rankings). An empirical example ranking pest management strategies demonstrates the potential of CSD by reducing the efficiency set by almost 60% without imposing additional constraints on the preference set. It is suggested that CSD may permit more imprecise representations of risk preferences, avoiding utility measurement problems, and still identify efficient sets of acceptable sizes.
Analyzing the soft error resilience of linear solvers on multicore multiprocessors

As chip transistor densities continue to increase, soft errors (bit flips) are becoming a significant concern in networked multiprocessors with multicore nodes. Large cache structures in multicore processors are especially susceptible to soft errors as they occupy a significant portion of the chip area. In this paper, we consider the impacts of soft errors in caches on the resilience and energy efficiency of sparse linear solvers. In particular, we focus on two widely used sparse iterative solvers, namely Conjugate Gradient (CG) and Generalized Minimum Residuals (GMRES). We propose two adaptive schemes, (i) a Write Eviction Hybrid ECC (WEH-ECC) scheme for the L1 cache and (ii) a Prefetcher Based Adaptive ECC (PBA-ECC) scheme for the L2 cache, and evaluate the energy and reliability trade-offs they bring in the context of GMRES and CG solvers. Our evaluations indicate that WEH-ECC reduces the CG and GMRES soft error vulnerability by a factor of 18 to 220 in L1 cache, relative to an unprotected L1 cache, and energy consumption by 16%, relative to a cache with strong protection. The PBA-ECC scheme reduces the CG and GMRES soft error vulnerability by a factor of 9 × 103 to 8.6 × 109, relative to an unprotected L2 cache, and reduces the energy consumption by 8.5%, relative to a cache with strong ECC protection. Our energy overheads over unprotected L1 and L2 caches are 5% and 14% respectively.
Improved phonetically-segmented vector excitation coding at 3.4 kb/s

Several major modifications to the phonetically segmented vector excitation coding (PS-VXC) coder by the authors (1989, 1990) reported previously have resulted in enhanced speech quality while reducing the delay, complexity, and bit rate. Speech is segmented into variable-length phonetic classes and a VXC coding module is tailored to each class. Coding techniques include adaptive linear predictive coding (LPC) analysis and interpolation, two-stage excitation coding of onsets, comb filtering, modified perceptual weighting, and pitch contour smoothing. The improved PS-VXC coder operates at a peak rate of 3.4 kb/s with an average rate of 3.0 kb/s and has a subjective performance closely matching that of the 4.8 kb/s DoD CELP coder. >
Quantitative proteomic approaches for studying phosphotyrosine signaling.

Protein tyrosine phosphorylation is a fundamental mechanism for controlling many aspects of cellular processes, as well as aspects of human health and diseases. Compared with phosphoserine and phosphothreonine, phosphotyrosine signaling is more tightly regulated, but often more challenging to characterize, due to significantly lower levels of tyrosine phosphorylation (i.e., a relative abundance of 1800:200:1 was estimated for phosphoserine/phosphothreonine/phosphotyrosine in vertebrate cells). In this review, we outline recent advances in analytical methodologies for enrichment, identification and accurate quantitation of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins and peptides. Advances in antibody-based technologies, capillary liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and various stable isotope labeling strategies are discussed, as well as non-mass spectrometry-based methods, such as those using protein/peptide arrays. As a result of these advances, powerful tools now have the power to crack signal tra...
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition improves venous endothelial dysfunction in chronic smokers.

Objective In arteries and veins smoking is associated with impaired nitric oxide–mediated relaxation to endothelium-dependent agonists such as bradykinin. We investigated whether acute local angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE) inhibition, achieved by enalaprilat, could influence bradykinin-induced vasodilation in veins of smokers. Methods We studied 7 smokers and 7 nonsmokers with the hand vein technique. After preconstriction with phenylephrine was performed, endothelium-dependent and independent relaxations were assessed by infusing bradykinin (1 to 278 ng/min) and sodium nitroprusside (0.0001 to 3166 ng/min), respectively. Dose-response curves were constructed before and during enalaprilat coinfusion (1 μg/min for 40 minutes). Results Smokers had impaired venodilation to bradykinin compared with nonsmokers (P < .01). Apparent maximal relaxation induced by bradykinin was 78% ± 9% in the control group and 48% ± 9% in smokers (mean ± SD). ACE inhibition shifted the bradykinin dose-response curve to the left in both groups (P < .001) and was associated with a minimal increase in apparent maximal venodilation in nonsmokers (78% ± 9% to 83% ± 18%). In contrast, in smokers ACE inhibition augmented the magnitude of apparent maximal venodilation to values comparable to those observed in the control group (48% ± 9% to 102% ± 21%). In both groups the response to sodium nitroprusside was not affected by enalaprilat. Conclusions This study shows that acute local ACE inhibition restores bradykinin-induced relaxation in smokers to values found in nonsmokers. This observation suggests that increased vascular metabolism of bradykinin exists in veins of smokers and that the vascular renin-angiotensin system may play a key role in smoking-induced endothelial dysfunction. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1999) 65, 295–303; doi:
Nuclear Import of Bovine Papillomavirus Type 1 E1 Protein Is Mediated by Multiple Alpha Importins and Is Negatively Regulated by Phosphorylation near a Nuclear Localization Signal

Papillomavirus DNA replication occurs in the nucleus of infected cells and requires the viral E1 protein, which enters the nuclei of host epithelial cells and carries out enzymatic functions required for the initiation of viral DNA replication. In this study, we investigated the pathway and regulation of the nuclear import of the E1 protein from bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1). Using an in vitro binding assay, we determined that the E1 protein interacted with importins α3, α4, and α5 via its nuclear localization signal (NLS) sequence. In agreement with this result, purified E1 protein was effectively imported into the nucleus of digitonin-permeabilized HeLa cells after incubation with importin α3, α4, or α5 and other necessary import factors. We also observed that in vitro binding of E1 protein to all three α importins was significantly decreased by the introduction of pseudophosphorylation mutations in the NLS region. Consistent with the binding defect, pseudophosphorylated E1 protein failed to enter the nucleus of digitonin-permeabilized HeLa cells in vitro. Likewise, the pseudophosphorylation mutant showed aberrant intracellular localization in vivo and accumulated primarily on the nuclear envelope in transfected HeLa cells, while the corresponding alanine replacement mutant displayed the same cellular location pattern as wild-type E1 protein. Collectively, our data demonstrate that BPV1 E1 protein can be transported into the nucleus by more than one importin α and suggest that E1 phosphorylation by host cell kinases plays a regulatory role in modulating E1 nucleocytoplasmic localization. This phosphoregulation of nuclear E1 protein uptake may contribute to the coordination of viral replication with keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation.
Off-label use of second generation antipsychotics for post-traumatic stress disorder in the Department of Veterans Affairs: time trends and sociodemographic, comorbidity, and regional correlates

Purpose Second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are widely used for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), although without strong evidence base. With substantial numbers of veterans returning from Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts with PTSD, it is important to characterize the extent of SGA use and identify associated factors. Methods We determined time trends and patient characteristics associated with the use of SGAs in veterans with PTSD, without comorbid schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, using the Department of Veterans Affairs national administrative data 2003–2010. Results Among 732 085 veterans with PTSD, 27.6% received an intentional trial of an SGA in 2003–2010. The annual number treated with SGAs almost doubled (45 268 to 84 197, p Northeast; Midwest and West < Northeast; p < 0.0001); regional administrative units (veterans integrated service networks) contributed minimally to regional differences. Conclusions Post-traumatic stress disorder population growth is driving substantial increases in SGA use. Decreasing rates of the Department of Veterans Affairs prescribing may be due to integrated system-wide mechanisms (e.g., national practice guidelines), although regional variations remain prominent. These analyses provide foundational steps for identifying modifiable provider-level and organization-level determinants of SGA prescription in this growing population. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Characterization of barley starches of waxy, normal, and high amylose varieties ☆

Abstract Four varieties of barley starches, W.B. Merlin, glacier, high amylose glacier, and high amylose hull-less glacier, were isolated from barley seeds. Apparent and absolute amylose contents, molecular size distributions of amylose and amylopectin, amylopectin branch-chain-length distributions, and Naegeli dextrin structures of the starches were analyzed. W.B. Merlin amylopectin had the longest detectable chain length of DP 67, whereas glacier, high amylose glacier and high amylose hull-less glacier amylopectins had the longest detectable chain length of DP 82, 79, and 78, respectively. All the four starches displayed a substantially reduced proportion of chains at DP 18–21. Amylopectins of high amylose varieties did not show significantly larger proportions of long chains than that of normal and waxy barley starch. Onset gelatinization temperatures of all four barley starches ranged from 55.0 to 56.5°C. Absolute amylose contents of W.B. Merlin, glacier, high amylose glacier, and high amylose hull-less glacier were 9.1, 29.5, 44.7, and 43.4%, respectively; phospholipid contents were 0.36, 0.78, 0.79, and 0.97%, respectively.
Brief Measure of Student-Instructor Rapport Predicts Student Success in Online Courses

At all educational levels, researchers show a positive link between student-teacher rapport and student outcomes. However, few scales have been developed to measure rapport at the university level and no study has examined the link between student-instructor rapport and objective measures of student learning in online courses. We developed a brief, 9-item rapport scale, the Student-Instructor Rapport Scale-9 (SIRS-9), and administered it, along with an existing “connectedness” scale, to university students taking online courses.
Comparative Effectiveness of Diagnostic Testing Strategies in Emergency Department Patients With Chest Pain: An Analysis of Downstream Testing, Interventions, and Outcomes

Importance Patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain whose evaluation for ischemia demonstrates no abnormalities receive further functional or anatomical studies for coronary artery disease; however, comparative evidence for the various strategies is lacking and multiple testing options exist. Objective To compare chest pain evaluation pathways based on their association with downstream testing, interventions, and outcomes for patients in EDs. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective analysis of health insurance claims data for a national sample of privately insured patients from January 1 to December 31, 2011. Individuals with a primary or secondary diagnosis of chest pain in the ED were selected and classified into 1 of 5 testing strategies: no noninvasive testing, exercise electrocardiography, stress echocardiography, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, or coronary computed tomography angiography. Main Outcomes and Measures The proportion of patients in each group who received a cardiac catheterization, coronary revascularization procedure, or future noninvasive test as well as those who were hospitalized for an acute myocardial infarction (MI) during 7 and 190 days of follow-up. Results In 2011, there were 693 212 ED visits with a primary or secondary diagnosis of chest pain, accounting for 9.2% of all ED encounters. After application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 421 774 patients were included in the final analysis; 293 788 individuals did not receive an initial noninvasive test and 127 986 did, representing 1.7% of all ED encounters. Overall, the percentage of patients hospitalized with an MI was very low during both 7 and 190 days of follow-up (0.11% and 0.33%, respectively). Patients who did not undergo initial noninvasive testing were no more likely to experience an MI than were those who did receive testing. Compared with no testing, exercise electrocardiography, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, and coronary computed tomography angiography were associated with significantly higher odds of cardiac catheterization and revascularization procedures without a concomitant improvement in the odds of experiencing an MI. Conclusions and Relevance Patients with chest pain evaluated in the ED who do not have an MI are at very low risk of experiencing an MI during short- and longer-term follow-up in a cohort of privately insured patients. This low risk does not appear to be affected by the initial testing strategy. Deferral of early noninvasive testing appears to be reasonable.
Endovascular Repair of Thoracoabdominal Aneurysms

Background— Morbidity and mortality after conventional repair of thoracoabdominal aneurysms remain high. Alternative techniques have been proposed and are the subject of this report. Methods and Results— Endovascular grafts that have a means of incorporating the visceral vessels into the aortic repair were divided into devices with fenestrations and those with formal branches. Hybrid procedures whereby an extra-anatomic bypass procedure is used to provide inflow to the renal and mesenteric arteries followed by aortic relining with stent grafts were reviewed and tabulated. A description of the techniques and review of the current results are provided. Only 4 series with >10 cases of hybrid procedures have been published. The experience with such a procedure suggests feasibility, but most reports describe a persistently high risk of mortality (up to 25%). Larger series of fenestrated stent grafts to treat juxtarenal aneurysms have been published, and intermediate-term results confirm the safety and efficacy...
Manganese exposure inhibits the clearance of extracellular GABA and influences taurine homeostasis in the striatum of developing rats

Manganese (Mn) accumulation in the brain has been shown to alter the neurochemistry of the basal ganglia. Mn-induced alterations in dopamine biology are fairly well understood, but recently more evidence has emerged characterizing the role of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in this dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to determine if the previously observed Mn-induced increase in extracellular GABA (GABA(EC)) was due to altered GABA transporter (GAT) function, and whether Mn perturbs other amino acid neurotransmitters, namely taurine and glycine (known modulators of GABA). Extracellular GABA, taurine, and glycine concentrations were collected from the striatum of control (CN) or Mn-exposed Sprague-Dawley rats using in vivo microdialysis, and the GAT inhibitor nipecotic acid (NA) was used to probe GAT function. Tissue and extracellular Mn levels were significantly increased, and the Fe:Mn ratio was decreased 36-fold in the extracellular space due to Mn-exposure. NA led to a 2-fold increase in GABA(EC) of CNs, a response that was attenuated by Mn. Taurine responded inversely to GABA, and a novel 10-fold increase in taurine was observed after the removal of NA in CNs. Mn blunted this response and nearly abolished extracellular taurine throughout collection. Striatal taurine transporter (Slc6a6) mRNA levels were significantly increased with Mn-exposure, and Mn significantly increased (3)H-Taurine uptake after 3-min exposure in primary rat astrocytes. These data suggest that Mn increases GABA(EC) by inhibiting the function of GAT, and that perturbed taurine homeostasis potentially impacts neural function by jeopardizing the osmoregulatory and neuromodulatory functions of taurine in the brain.
Relative effects of reduced weight and increased physical activity on hemoglobin A1c: Suggestions for behavioral treatments

Behavioral treatments for diabetes have often been unsuccessful and may benefit from a better understanding of the relative effects of two common treatment foci - decreased weight and increased volume of physical activity - on blood glucose. Overweight and obese adults (N = 59; Mage = 60 years) with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values consistent with diabetes participated in a 6-month community-based behavioral treatment based on tenets of self- efficacy theory and social cognitive theory. The treatment was associated with significantly increased physical activity, reduced body mass index (BMI), and reduced HbA1c levels (ps < .001). Changes in BMI and physical activity accounted for a significant portion of the variance in change in HbA1c, R 2 = .13, p = .023. Change in volume of physical activity, β = −.36, p = .007, but not change in BMI, β = −.03, p = .792, significantly contributed to the variance in HbA1c change that was accounted for. There was no effect based on the sex of participants. Discussion focused on how findings might impact the efficacy, efficiency, and application of behavioral treatments for diabetes management.
Practice Variation in the Emergency Management of Croup

Objective. To explore the effect of physician training background on the emergency management of croup. Methods. Two community hospitals with a general emergency department (ED) staffed by board-certified emergency medicine (EM) practitioners were the setting for this study. At both sites, pediatricians (PED) or pediatric emergency medicine specialists (PEM) managed acute pediatric visits during evening and weekend hours. Retrospective patient cohorts (6 months to 6 years) with a primary discharge diagnosis of croup were identified from a 1-year period. Data abstraction was performed by a registered nurse who was blinded to the study hypothesis. Results. There were 229, 92, and 209 patients in the PED, PEM, and EM cohorts, respectively, reflecting the practice of 69 physicians (19 PED, 12 PEM, and 38 EM). The groups had similar rates of admission and prescription of steroids at discharge. In regression models that incorporated all recorded clinical variables, EM patients were more likely to have received a chest radiograph (odds ratio [OR]: 6.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.1–14), racemic epinephrine (OR: 6.5; 95% CI: 3.1–14), albuterol in the ED (OR: 3.0; 95% CI: 1.4–6.4), and parenteral steroids (OR: 3.6; 95% CI: 2.1–6.3) and were less likely to have received oral steroids (OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.26–0.64). For the EM cohort, adjusted mean length of ED visit was 40 minutes longer (95% CI: 6.8–72) and mean direct costs were $90 higher (95% CI: $27–$153). Regression models comparing the PEM and PED cohorts revealed no significant management differences. Conclusion. Compared with physicians with a pediatric background, rates of resource utilization were higher for EM-trained physicians who managed uncomplicated cases of croup.
Analysis of multi-phase hybrid ripple-based adaptive on-time control for voltage regulator modules

This paper presents the multi-phase hybrid ripple-based adaptive on-time control architecture for VRMs. Due to the ripple cancellation effects with multi-phase operations, ripple-based control may suffer from large jitter issues and instability issues when applying to VRMs with ceramic output capacitors. By utilizing the hybrid ripple concept, both inductor current ripple and compensated external ramp are fed back to the modulator to reduce jitter and improve stability. However, the system becomes more complicated with two different ramp compensations. A small-signal model is derived based on the describing function approach to analyze the proposed control architecture and to provide the design guideline for determining the external ramp compensations based on different load-line requirements. Moreover, a feedforward controller is presented to improve the reference tracking performance of the conventional ripple-based control. Both simulation and experimental results are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed control architecture for VRMs, and to show the fast load transient and fast reference tracking characteristic of the hybrid ripple-based control scheme.
Broadband metasurfaces for anomalous transmission and spectrum splitting at visible frequencies

The emergent ultrathin metasurfaces are promising optical materials to enable novel photonic functionality and miniature optical devices. By elaborately design the interfacial phase shift from discrete nanoantennas with distinctive geometries, metasurfaces have the potential to shape desired wavefronts and arbitrary steer light propagation. However, the realization of broadband transmission-mode metasurfaces that operates at visible frequencies have still been significant challenging. Because it is difficult to achieve drastic broadband optical response depending on discrete plasmonic resonators and the fabrication of such subwavelength-size resonators with high uniformity is also challenging. Here, we propose an efficient yet a simple transmission-mode metasurface design comprising of a single, quasi-continuous nanoantenna as the build block. Each nanoantenna consist of a trapezoid-shaped triple-layered (Ag-SiO 2 -Ag) plasmonic resonator which could induce drastic gradient phase shifts for transmitted light. We numerically demonstrated broadband (500–850 nm) anomalous transmitted propagation and spectrum splitting at visible frequencies and beyond. The average power ratio of anomalous transmission mode to the first-order diffraction mode was calculated to be ~1000. Such proposed metasurface design is a clear departure from conventional metasurfaces utilizing multiple discrete resonators, and suggests applications for achieving ultrathin lenses, high SNR spectrometers, directional emitters and spectrum splitting surfaces for photovoltaics.
Angular Momentum and the Validity of the Adiabatic Contraction Assumption

Adiabatic contraction is frequently used to model the effects of baryon condensation on dark matter halos. However, it has recently been shown that this model is not always accurate; authors including Gnedin et al. (2004) and Gustafsson et al. (2006) have found it to be inaccurate at the level of tens of percent. We have analyzed high resolution N-body simulations of dark matter halos, focusing specifically on the evolution of angular momentum, to assess the accuracy of the assumptions of the adiabatic contraction model. We investigate the validity of the assumptions using dark-matter-only halos, in order to provide a limit on how accurate we may expect the adiabatic contraction model to be once baryons are included. In brief, we find that not only is individual particle angular momentum not conserved, but the radial profile and distribution of angular momentum also varies over the age of the Universe by up to factors of a few. We find that torques from external structure are the most likely cause for this distribution shift. This variation implies that there is a fundamental limit on the possible accuracy of the adiabatic contraction model in modeling the response of DM halos to the growth of galaxies.
AIDS Should not Become a Talisman-An Analysis on Crime of HIV Infectors/AIDS Patients

Some HIV infectors/AIDS patients make use of people′s horror of AIDS to commit crime,and law enforcement agencies are faced with a series of problems.Based on analyzing the reasons and harm of the issues,the article made some suggestions including cracking down on such crimes legally,strengthening multi-department coordination,unifying relative legal system and regulations,providing AIDS knowledge training for law enforcement agencies,establishing AIDS occupational exposure compensation mechanism,and improving the management modes for the AIDS criminals in jails.
Switched Domain Topology Discovery Algorithm Based on Spanning Tree Protocol

Discovery of switched domain topology of the network is an important part of LAN network management tasks.This paper proposed a switched domain topology discovery algorithm relying on spanning tree protocol.The algorithm gets spanning tree status information of each switch in switched domain by SNMP.According to STP rules,switched domain topology of the network is derived.The algorithm is much easier and more accurate than other existing algorithms relying on FDB information.Now this algorithm is made application to network management in reality successfully.
The Anti-Tumor Activity of HepG2 Tumor Vaccine Transfected hGM-CSF Gene Mediated by HA Nanoparticles

Objective: To investigate the anti-tumor effects and mechanism of HepG2 tumor vaccine transfected hGM-CSF gene mediated by HA nanoparticles.Methods: Health human peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy donors and intraperitoneal injected into SCID mice at 2×107/ ml.Simultaneously,hepatocellular carcinoma cells were intracutaneously injected into SCID mouse at 2×107/ ml.When the xenografted to a 100 mm3,mice was randomly divided into 4 groups: Group 1,HepG2 cells transfected with GM-CSF Gene after 60Co irradiation group;Group 2,HepG2 cells after 60Co irradiation group;Group 3,normal saline group: Group 4,uninjected group.Every group had 5 mice.Cytotoxic rates were detected by using MTT assay.The level of IL-12 and IL-4 in serum was detected by ELISA method.Results: The activaty of CTL were significantly higher in group HepG2 tumor vaccine transfected hGM-CSF gene mediated by HA nanoparticles than those in other groups(P0.05);Serum level of Th1-type cytokine IL-12 increased after vaccination(P0.05),whereas Th2-type cytokine IL-4 showed no significant changes(P0.05).Conclusion: The HepG2 tumor vaccine transfected hGM-CSF gene mediated by HA nanoparticles can induce immune response.
Faculty Development for Fostering Clinical Reasoning Skills in Early Medical Students Using a Modified Bayesian Approach

ABSTRACTProblem: Clinical reasoning is a necessary skill for medical students to acquire in the course of their education, and there is evidence that they can start this process at the undergraduate level. However, physician educators who are experts in their given fields may have difficulty conveying their complex thought processes to students. Providing faculty development that equips educators with tools to teach clinical reasoning may support skill development in early medical students. Intervention: We provided faculty development on a modified Bayesian method of teaching clinical reasoning to clinician educators who facilitated small-group, case-based workshops with 2nd-year medical students. We interviewed them before and after the module regarding their perceptions on teaching clinical reasoning. We solicited feedback from the students about the effectiveness of the method in developing their clinical reasoning skills. Context: We carried out this project during an institutional curriculum rebuild...
Gotham unbound: the ecological history of Greater New York

Recent literature in urban studies tends to extol the environmental virtue of high density. New Yorker staff writer David Owen, for instance, uses New York as the example par excellence to support ...
FIRST GENERATION ONCE ANNEALED HIGHLY CROSS-LINKED POLYETHYLENE EXHIBITS LOW WEAR AT 12 YEARS

Background A first generation once annealed highly crosslinked polyethylene (HXLPE) was introduced in 1998. At 8 years it was reported to have a 78% reduction in wear compared with conventional polyethylene and no osteolysis. However, concerns regarding the long-term performance and oxidative resistance of this annealed material exist because of the presence of free radicals. Questions/purposes We therefore addressed the following questions: (1) Does the improvement in wear observed at earlier follow-up continue out to 15 years? (2) What is the incidence of osteolysis in this group of patients? Methods We retrospectively reviewed 48 prospectively followed patients who had 50 hips with a once annealed HXLPE and were followed an average of 12 years (15 years maximum). Linear head penetration and cup position were measured from AP radiographs at early, 1-year, 5-year, and most recent follow-ups. There were 26 females, 22 males, with an average age of 61 years. Results At average 12 years follow-up, annual linear wear was 0.018 mm (SD = 0.024). Average cup inclination was 50.2 degrees (SD = 5.1 range 48 to 64) and anteversion was 18.6 (SD = 8.3, range 3 to 35). No mechanical failure or osteolysis has been found on routine x-rays to date. Conclusions At 8 year follow this once annealed material had a reported linear wear rate of 0.031mm /year. We now report, at a 12 years average 15 years maximum follow-up, a further reduction in linear wear of 0.018mm/yr. and no mechanical failures or osteolysis (Figure-1).
Ventricular Function in Ischemia and Infarction and Following Reperfusion

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the effects of ischemia and infarction on the function of the ventricle. Normal or abnormal contraction and relaxation of cardiac muscle is determined, in a major sense, by adequacy or inadequacy of blood flow, apart from those circumstances in which recovery from a prolonged ischemic state is temporarily dependent on important cellular and interstitial metabolic and fluid adjustments. Regarding contractility, severely ischemic myocardium and infarcted myocardium are incapable of contraction; nevertheless, the behavior of the diastolic properties of the ventricle differs. Myocardial ischemia is by definition reversible, whereas myocardial infarction is irreversible. Adequacy or inadequacy of coronary blood flow is dependent not only on the absolute magnitude of flow but on regional distribution in a three-dimensional setting [1]. Nonuniform distribution of blood flow occurs not only through the depth of the myocardium from endocardium to epicardium, but also in a preference from base to apex. The phenomenon is a regional, as opposed to a global, abnormality of ventricular function, and under such circumstances, dysfunction may not be apparent from global measurements alone. Thus, dysfunction in one region may be accompanied by hyper-function in another, both in ischemic and in farcted states. For example, many patients with stable angina pectoris have normal ventricular filling pressures and outputs and normal ejection fractions under resting conditions. Although evidence of minor dysfunction may be apparent, a stressful stimulus may be necessary to demonstrate such changes in a convincing manner. The resulting abnormalities of ventricular function are listed in table 14–1.
Modulation of the Mechanical Properties of Hydrophobically Modified Supramolecular Hydrogels by Surfactant-Driven Structural Rearrangement

A combination of rheology and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments revealed the mechanism by which a surfactant can stiffen or soften physically cross-linked hydrogels. Here, the structure and rheological properties of a supramolecular hydrogel based on a random copolymer of N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and 2-(N-ethylperfluorooctane-sulfonamido)ethyl methacrylate (FOSM) were modified by the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The effect of SDS concentration on the microstructure and properties of the hydrogel was determined by two types of experiments: (1) adding SDS by time-dependent, radial diffusion and (2) using samples where uniform loadings, i.e., no concentration gradient, of the SDS were achieved. Nanodomains consisting of FOSM aggregates were responsible for the physical cross-links in the hydrogel, but the formation of an equilibrium supramolecular network of the hydrogel was limited by conformational pinning of the water-swollen polymer segments by the relatively immobile FOS...