cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polydipsia induced by a schedule of brain stimulation reinforcement

Abstract Rats pressed a lever for a signaled brain stimulation reinforcement on either fixed-interval or fixed-ratio schedules. Both schedules induced polydipsia, with a median water intake of 22.5 ml (about four times the control level) in 3-hr sessions. The stimulation did not directly elicit drinking or other behaviors. In a second experiment, two out of four rats became polydipsic during extinction following a continuous schedule of brain stimulation reinforcement. The results were compared with previous attempts to induce polydipsia with a schedule of brain stimulation reinforcement and were discussed in terms of polydipsia as a model of human “compulsive” behaviors.
Direct Measurement of the Triplet Quantum Yield of Poly(3-dodecylthiophene) in Solution

The photophysics, including radiative and nonradiative quantum yields and decay rates, of regioregular poly-(3-dodecylthiophene) (P3DT) in benzene were studied by means of UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, photothermal beam deflection (PBD), photoacoustic calorimetry (PAC), and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. We observe the fluorescence quantum efficiency to be 0.30 ′ 0.01 and the internal conversion (from S 1 to S 0 ) quantum yield of 0.59 ′ 0.02 as well as the intersystem crossing (from S 1 to T 1 ) quantum yield of 0.11 ′ 0.01. By measuring the fluorescence lifetime of ca. 490 ps, we estimate a radiative lifetime of 1.64 ns for the singlet excitons and nonradiative decay rate constants of k i c = 1.21 ns - 1 and k i s c = 0.22 ns - 1 for internal conversion and intersystem crossing, respectively. The nature and photophysics of triplet states in poly(3-dodecylthiophene) are well characterized using PBD and PAC, and the result suggests that internal conversion plays a major role in energy depletion.
Studies on elephant aortic elastic tissue Part I. The histochemistry and fine structure of the fiber

Abstract Elephant arterial elastic laminae were shown to be refractory to staining by orcein or the resorcin dyes, both normally regarded as routine elastic tissue stains. To investigate this more thoroughly, elastin was isolated from arterial tissue by alkaline hydrolysis and studied in vitro . Compared to elastin from other species, elephant elastin was found to resist alkaline hydrolysis to a greater extent, to possess a greater UV absorption at 275 nm, and to show an unusual fluorescence at 415 nm. Electron micrographs of elastic fibres in situ demonstrated the presence of large amounts of a microfibrillar sheath surrounding the amorphous core. These results are interpreted to indicate the presence, in elephant arterial elastic tissue, of unusually large amounts of a nonelastin component which interferes with the normal staining reactions.
There is more than meets the eye with varicoceles: current and emerging concepts in pathophysiology, management, and study design

Varicoceles are known to be associated with male infertility, but the mechanism of infertility and the true effect of varicocele repair remain controversial due to a lack of proper studies and the difficulty of performing proper studies. Other than infertility treatment, varicocele repairs also may performed for a variety of reasons, including testicular pain, hypogonadism, and in adolescents who are not yet trying to conceive.
FUNDAMENTALS OF FRACTURE : A 1993 PROLOGUE, AND OTHER COMMENTS

Abstract In the first part of this paper, I discuss the trends in fracture science as it is in the paper given at this and the past three conferences on the fundamentals of fracture. In the second part of the paper, I present some results carried out by myself and collaborators on certain atomic aspects of fracture in a simple-dimensional hexagonal lattice, i.e. the dislocation emission criterion, the non-local shift in the emission criterion caused by the shielding of dislocations already present, and the structure and some properties of the interfacial crack.
The Dynamic Inverse Method for Thermal Resistance of Cooling Device

A dynamic inverse method for measuring the thermal resistance of cooling device is described. The cooling device is held on a heat capacity block and heating the block higher than environment 50°C, then the thermal resistance of cooling device is deduced from the exponential decay in the temperature difference between the heat capacity block and the environment. This technique is different from conventional measurement in two ways. First, the thermal resistance is usually measured under steady state and always required much time, thus the dynamic measuring technique is needed. Second, the power of heater is always needed to control at a certain value exactly but it isn’t in inverse method. The result reveal that the test time is reduced from several tens minutes to few minutes and made to an accuracy of about ±2%. This rapid and reliable measurement technique is possible used in-line testing of cooling devices for industrial application.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Strain-induced birefringence in GaAs /

We present the results of density-functional calculations of the dielectric function and the photoelastic tensor---the susceptibility for strain-induced birefringence---in GaAs for photon frequencies below the direct band gap. These calculations were performed in the Kohn-Sham local-density approximation in a pseudopotential/plane-wave scheme which includes local-field effects and self-energy corrections. We find that traditional special-points integration methods are inadequate for performing the Brillouin-zone integrals involved in computing the photoelastic tensor. Very high resolution of the critical point at {ital k}=0 is needed to obtain even the correct {ital qualitative} behavior of the photoelastic tensor. Accurate expansions of the integrand in spherical harmonics for small {ital k} and plane waves elsewhere in the Brillouin zone were obtained and an integration approach which correctly integrates the expansions was used. Dramatic improvement in the qualitative frequency dispersion of the photoelastic tensor, in comparison with experiments, is obtained despite a large (50%) shift of the static value away from the measurement. We also present the result of a calculation of the internal strain relaxation associated with strains along the bonding [111] direction. These results are in excellent agreement with two previous {ital ab} {ital initio} calculations and with recent measurements.
Decrease of lichens in Arctic ecosystems: the role of wildfire, caribou, reindeer, competition and climate in north-western Alaska

We review and present a synthesis of the existing research dealing with changing Arctic tundra ecosystems, in relation to caribou and reindeer winter ranges. Whereas pan-Arctic studies have documented the effects on tundra vegetation from simulated climate change, we draw upon recent long-term regional studies in Alaska that have documented the actual, on-the-ground effects. Our review reveals signs of marked change in Arctic tundra ecosystems. Factors known to be affecting these changes include wildfire, disturbance by caribou and reindeer, differential growth responses of vascular plants and lichens, and associated competition under climate warming scenarios. These factors are interrelated, and, we posit, unidirectional: that is, they are all implicated in the significant reduction of terricolous lichen ground cover and biomass during recent decades. Lichens constitute the primary winter forage for large, migratory caribou and reindeer herds, which in turn are a critical subsistence resource for rural residents in Alaska. Thus, declines in these lichens are a major concern for rural people who harvest caribou and reindeer for subsistence, as well as for sport hunters, reindeer herders, wildlife enthusiasts and land managers. We believe a more widely distributed and better integrated research programme is warranted to quantify the magnitude and extent of the decline in lichen communities across the Arctic.
Classification of Heart Failure in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study: A Comparison of Diagnostic Criteria

Background—Population-based research on heart failure (HF) is hindered by lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria. Framingham (FRM), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Modified Boston (MBS), Gothenburg (GTH), and International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code criteria, do not differentiate acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) from chronic stable HF. We developed a new classification protocol for identifying ADHF in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and compared it with these other schemes. Methods and Results—A sample of 1180 hospitalizations with a patient address in 4 study communities and eligible discharge codes were selected. After assessing whether the chart contained evidence of possible HF signs, 705 were fully abstracted. Two independent reviewers classified each case as ADHF, chronic stable HF, or no HF, using ARIC classification guidelines. Fifty-nine percent of cases met ARIC criteria for ADHF and 13....
A computer model of dual AV nodal pathways: evidence for electrotonic interactions

In patients with atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentrant tachycardia, there exist two functional conducting pathways: a fast pathway with a larger effective refractory period, and a slow pathway with a shorter refractory period. Elimination of the slow pathway cures patients of their arrhythmia. It has been observed clinically that elimination of the slow pathway results in shortening of the effective refractory period of the fast pathway, the mechanism of which is not known. In a computer model of the AV nodes, the authors successfully tested the hypothesis that concealed conduction in the late-activating slow pathway exerts an electrotonic influence on the fast pathway, such that elimination of the slow pathway results in shortening of fast pathway action potential duration. The model consisted of resistively coupled elements exhibiting ionic current kinetics of calcium-driven action potentials. >
Faster algorithms for construction of recovery trees enhancing QoP and QoS

Medard et al. proposed an elegant recovery scheme (known as the MFBG scheme) using red/blue recovery trees for multicast path protection against single link or node failures. Xue et al. extended the MFBG scheme and introduced the concept of quality of protection (QoP) as a metric for multifailure recovery capabilities of single failure recovery schemes. They also presented polynomial time algorithms to construct recovery trees with good QoP and quality of service (QoS). In this paper, we present faster algorithms for constructing recovery trees with good QoP and QoS performance. For QoP enhancement, our O(n + m) time algorithm has comparable performance with the previously best O(n2(n + m)) time algorithm, where n and m denote the number of nodes and the number of links in the network, respectively. For cost reduction, our O(n + m) time algorithms have comparable performance with the previously best O(n2(n + m)) time algorithms. For bottleneck bandwidth maximization, our O(m log n) time algorithms improve the previously best O(nm) time algorithms. Simulation results show that our algorithms significantly outperform previously known algorithms in terms of running time, with comparable QoP or QoS performance.
Intracristal crystalline inclusions in mitochondria of a neuroblastoma.

Mitochondrial inclusions were found in a neuroblas-toma of the paranasal tissues in a 23–year-old male. They were present in almost every cell, were intracris tal in location, and had a helical substructure. They are similar to previously reported intramitochondrial crvstalline inclusion bodies.
Stepping, strain gating, and an unexpected force-velocity curve for multiple-motor-based transport.

Summary Background Intracellular transport via processive kinesin, dynein, and myosin molecular motors plays an important role in maintaining cell structure and function. In many cases, cargoes move distances longer than expected for single motors; there is significant evidence that this increased travel is in part due to multiple motors working together to move the cargoes. Although we understand single motors experimentally and theoretically, our understanding of multiple motors working together is less developed. Results We theoretically investigate how multiple kinesin motors function. Our model includes stochastic fluctuations of each motor as it proceeds through its enzymatic cycle. Motors dynamically influence each other and function in the presence of thermal noise and viscosity. We test the theory via comparison with the experimentally observed distribution of step sizes for two motors moving a cargo, and by predicting slightly subadditive stalling force for two motors relative to one. In the presence of load, our predictions for travel distances and mean velocities are different from the steady-state model: with high motor-motor coupling, we predict a form of strain-gating, where—because of the underlying motor's dynamics—the motors share load unevenly, leading to increased mean travel distance of the multiple-motor system under load. Surprisingly, we predict that in the presence of small load, two-motor cargoes move slightly slower than do single-motor cargoes. Unpublished data from G.T. Shubeita, B.C. Carter, and S.P.G. confirm this prediction in vivo. Conclusions When only a few motors are active, fluctuations and unequal load sharing between motors can result in significant alterations of ensemble function.
Gα11 Signaling through ARF6 Regulates F-Actin Mobilization and GLUT4 Glucose Transporter Translocation to the Plasma Membrane

The action of insulin to recruit the intracellular GLUT4 glucose transporter to the plasma membrane of 3T3-L1 adipocytes is mimicked by endothelin 1, which signals through trimeric Gαq or Gα11 proteins. Here we report that murine Gα11 is most abundant in fat and that expression of the constitutively active form of Gα11 [Gα11(Q209L)] in 3T3-L1 adipocytes causes recruitment of GLUT4 to the plasma membrane and stimulation of 2-deoxyglucose uptake. In contrast to the action of insulin on GLUT4, the effects of endothelin 1 and Gα11 were not inhibited by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin at 100 nM. Signaling by insulin, endothelin 1, or Gα11(Q209L) also mobilized cortical F-actin in cultured adipocytes. Importantly, GLUT4 translocation caused by all three agents was blocked upon disassembly of F-actin by latrunculin B, suggesting that the F-actin polymerization caused by these agents may be required for their effects on GLUT4. Remarkably, expression of a dominant inhibitory form of the actin-regulatory GTPase ARF6 [ARF6(T27N)] in cultured adipocytes selectively inhibited both F-actin formation and GLUT4 translocation in response to endothelin 1 but not insulin. These data indicate that ARF6 is a required downstream element in endothelin 1 signaling through Gα11 to regulate cortical actin and GLUT4 translocation in cultured adipocytes, while insulin action involves different signaling pathways.
Nesting Characteristics of the Texas Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus sennetti) On Mustang Island, Texas

The nests of nine Texas seaside sparrows (Ammodramus maritimus sennetti) collected from a mixed mangrove marsh on Mustang Island, Texas, were examined to determine details of the architecture and placement of nests. Nests were somewhat larger than those described for other seaside sparrow subspecies and were found higher off the ground. They were composed of woven dried grass and typically lacked a canopy. Placement of nests within the marsh seemed to be driven by proximity to the appropriate types of nesting materials in sufficient quantities.
Lysophosphatidic Acid Induces Early Growth Response Gene 1 Expression in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: CRE and SRE Mediate the Transcription

Objective— Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), one component of oxidized low-density lipoprotein, is a potent bioactive phospholipid. Early growth response gene-1 (Egr-1), an important transcription factor, regulates expression of an array of genes involved in vascular diseases. Whether and how LPA regulates the transcriptional machinery of Egr-1 gene is unknown and is addressed in this study. Method and Results— We found that LPA markedly induces Egr-1 mRNA and protein in aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs). RNA stability and nuclear run-on assays reveal that LPA-induced Egr-1 gene expression is controlled at the transcriptional level. Reporter gene analyses have shown that the −141 to +20 nt region of the Egr-1 promoter contains regulatory elements. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays reveal that the DNA-binding activities of both CREB and SRF to the CRE and SRE motifs of the Egr-1 promoter are markedly elevated in response to LPA. The increased binding activity depends on the phosphorylation of CREB and SRF. Luciferase assays of a series of deleted or mutated Egr-1 promoter-reporter gene constructs, along with dominant negative CREB transfection analysis revealed that the 2 CRE sites and the 2 proximal SRE sites in the Egr-1 promoter are required for maximal LPA-induced Egr-1 gene expression. Conclusions— Our data reveal that LPA regulates Egr-1 expression via transcription factors CREB and SRF. These results establish a novel role for CREB in mediating LPA-induced gene expression. Our results imply that elevated LPA levels may, through activation of Egr-1, which regulates an array of atherogenic genes, exacerbate atheromatous lesions.
RECENT BIOACOUSTIC PUBLICATIONS (1997 and earlier)

(1999). RECENT BIOACOUSTIC PUBLICATIONS (1997 and earlier) Bioacoustics: Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 73-95.
Wiyáx̣ayx̣t/ Wiyáakaa'awn/ As Days Go By: Our History, Our Land, Our People - The Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla

Reviewed Medium: book Year: 2006 Pages: 320 Publisher: University of Washington Press ISBN: 0-295-98623-9 (soft cover). Prices: $23.95 USD(soft cover).
The effect of initial spatial correlations on late time kinetics of bimolecular irreversible reactions

Abstract We study anomalous kinetics associated with incomplete mixing for a bimolecular irreversible kinetic reaction where the underlying transport of reactants is governed by a fractional dispersion equation. As has been previously shown, we demonstrate that at late times incomplete mixing effects dominate and the decay of reactants follows a fundamentally different scaling comparing to the idealized well mixed case. We do so in a fully analytical manner using moment equations. In particular the novel aspect of this work is that we focus on the role that the initial correlation structure of the distribution of reactants plays on the late time scalings. We focus on short range and long (power law) range correlations and demonstrate how long range correlations can give rise to different late time scalings than one would expect purely from the underlying transport model. For the short range correlations the late time scalings deviate from the well mixed t − 1 and scale like t − 1 / 2 α , where 1 α ≤ 2 is the fractional dispersion exponent, in agreement with previous studies. For the long range correlation case it scales like t − β / 2 α , where 0 β 1 is the power law correlation exponent.
Trends in racial disparities for asthma outcomes among children 0 to 17 years, 2001-2010

Background Racial disparities in childhood asthma have been a long-standing target for intervention, especially disparities in hospitalization and mortality. Objectives Describe trends in racial disparities in asthma outcomes using both traditional population-based rates and at-risk rates (based on the estimated number of children with asthma) to account for prevalence differences between race groups. Methods Estimates of asthma prevalence and outcomes (emergency department [ED] visits, hospitalizations, and deaths) were calculated from national data for 2001 to 2010 for black and white children. Trends were calculated using weighted loglinear regression, and changes in racial disparities over time were assessed using Joinpoint. Results Disparities in asthma prevalence between black and white children increased from 2001 to 2010; at the end of this period, black children were twice as likely as white children to have asthma. Population-based rates showed that disparities in asthma outcomes remained stable (ED visits and hospitalizations) or increased (asthma attack prevalence, deaths). In contrast, analysis with at-risk rates, which account for differences in asthma prevalence, showed that disparities in asthma outcomes remained stable (deaths), decreased (ED visits, hospitalizations), or did not exist (asthma attack prevalence). Conclusions Using at-risk rates to assess racial disparities in asthma outcomes accounts for prevalence differences between black and white children, and adds another perspective to the population-based examination of asthma disparities. An at-risk rate analysis shows that among children with asthma, there is no disparity for asthma attack prevalence and that progress has been made in decreasing disparities in asthma ED visit and hospitalization rates.
Autoantigenicity of Ro/SSA antigen is related to a nucleocapsid protein of vesicular stomatitis virus.

Abstract The fine specificity of a reference human anti-Ro/SSA autoantibody-containing serum has been analyzed by using sequential overlapping octapeptides from the human 60-kDa Ro/SSA antigen. From preliminary data, the most antigenic octapeptide in the carboxyl-terminal 120 amino acid residues of Ro/SSA shares seven of eight amino acids with the nucleocapsid (N) protein from the Indiana serotype of vesicular stomatitis virus. A sequence comparison of Ro/SSA and N has unexpectedly revealed six small peptides shared by Ro/SSA and N. Fine specificity analysis with 531 octapeptides from the Ro/SSA sequence demonstrates that five of the six shared small peptides are bound by anti-Ro/SSA (P = 0.00017). A more powerful association is not present in 12,476 protein sequences similarly evaluated. In addition, the inclusion of single-residue gaps in Ro/SSA enlarges the sequence similarity of Ro/SSA and N for three of the five small shared antigenic peptides. This additional level of sequence similarity between Ro/SSA and N is unlikely to be the result of chance (P less than 0.0002). While a number of models may explain these data, including independent immune responses to N and Ro/SSA, these results are also consistent with anti-Ro/SSA autoantibodies being the consequence of a specific viral exposure.
A Nurse Establishes Prenatal at Med-School Clinic

Prenatal services at an outpatient OB clinic on the Pacific Coast were greatly improved by a Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist. Among the objectives she formulated and implemented were better patient access to care, prenatal classes, personalized patient care and education, in service education for staff nurses and improved education for nursing students, better utilization of nursing time, and a more efficient clinic structure. She also helped to devise new forms for diet histories, public health department referrals, and a Maternal‐Child Nursing Assessment Care Plan. The forms are included with the article.
Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay: terminating erroneous gene expression

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay is a surveillance pathway that reduces errors in gene expression by eliminating aberrant mRNAs that encode incomplete polypeptides. Recent experiments suggest a working model whereby premature and normal translation termination events are distinct as a consequence of the spatial relationship between the termination codon and mRNA binding proteins, a relationship partially established by nuclear pre-mRNA processing. Aberrant termination then leads to both translational repression and an increased susceptibility of the mRNA to multiple ribonucleases.
Neuro emission controller for minimizing cyclic dispersion in spark ignition engines

A novel neural network (NN) controller is developed to control spark ignition (SI) engines at extreme lean conditions. The purpose of neurocontroller is to reduce the cyclic dispersion at lean operation even when the engine dynamics are unknown. The stability analysis of the closed-loop control system is given and the boundedness of all signals is ensured. Results demonstrate that the cyclic dispersion is reduced significantly using the proposed controller. The neuro controller can also be extended to minimize engine emissions with high EGR levels, where similar complex cyclic dynamics are observed. Further, the proposed approach can be applied to control nonlinear systems that have similar structure as that of the engine dynamics.
Progression of Renal Disease and Renal Hypertrophy

Growth of residual renal tissue in response to loss of other renal tissue is usually termed compensatory hypertrophy. This process occurs not only when unilateral nephrectomy is performed with the contralateral organ increasing its mass but also when undamaged nephrons within a kidney undergo enlargement as other nephron units in that same kidney are destroyed either by natural disease or experimentally (34, 41, 49, 51). Allhough compensatory hypertro­ phy is a standard term for this phenomenon, it deserves some further clarifi­ cation. Hyperplasia (often experimentally defined as an increase in DNA content) as well as hypertrophy (often defined as an increase of proteinIDNA ratio) underlie compensatory hypertrophy. Although the compensatory nature of the response seems obvious, the exact physiologic functions of the kidney targeted for compensation are undefined. Furthermore, it is possible that com­ pensatory growth and associated functional alterations, despite mitigating the fall in renal function for the organism, have long-term deleterious conse­ quences for these residual nephrons. Along with structural enlargement, the residual nephrons take on a large number of functional adaptations, most notably, an increase in single-nephron filtration rate and net reabsorption of solutes and water (32). Other metabolic processes presumably associated with heightened transport, such as oxygen consumption, increase in remaining nephrons as do synthetic pathways such as ammoniagenesis (32, 40, 56). Undoubtedly, structural growth and functional
Parallel multitarget tracking particle filters using Graphics Processing Unit

This paper presents design, implementation, and performance evaluation results of parallel multitarget tracking particle filters using a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) as a parallel computing environment. Since the resampling step is a bottleneck in parallel particle filtering two parallel tracking algorithms are implemented and compared — with centralized resampling and with distributed resampling using proportional allocation, respectively. Performance evaluation and comparison between both parallel implementations, and with a fully centralized implementation are provided based on experimental data obtained from several simulated multitarget tracking scenarios.
Rate of return to pitching and performance after Tommy John surgery in Major League Baseball pitchers.

Background Medial ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction is a common procedure performed on Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers in the United States. Purpose To determine (1) the rate of return to pitching (RTP) in the MLB after UCL reconstruction, (2) the RTP rate in either the MLB and minor league combined, (3) performance after RTP, and (4) the difference in the RTP rate and performance between pitchers who underwent UCL reconstruction and matched controls without UCL injuries. Study design Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods Major League Baseball pitchers with symptomatic medial UCL deficiency who underwent UCL reconstruction were evaluated. All player, elbow, and surgical demographic data were analyzed. Controls matched by age, body mass index, position, handedness, and MLB experience and performance were selected from the MLB during the same years as those undergoing UCL reconstruction. An "index year" was designated for controls, analogous to the UCL reconstruction year in cases. Return to pitching and performance measures in the MLB were compared between cases and controls. Student t tests were performed for analysis of within-group and between-group variables, respectively. Results A total of 179 pitchers with UCL tears who underwent reconstruction met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Of these, 148 pitchers (83%) were able to RTP in the MLB, and 174 pitchers were able to RTP in the MLB and minor league combined (97.2%), while only 5 pitchers (2.8%) were never able to RTP in either the MLB or minor league. Pitchers returned to the MLB at a mean 20.5 ± 9.72 months after UCL reconstruction. The length of career in the MLB after UCL reconstruction was 3.9 ± 2.84 years, although 56 of these patients were still currently actively pitching in the MLB at the start of the 2013 season. The revision rate was 3.9%. In the year before UCL reconstruction, pitching performance declined significantly in the cases versus controls in the number of innings pitched, games played, and wins and the winning percentage (P Conclusion There is a high rate of RTP in professional baseball after UCL reconstruction. Performance declined before surgery and improved after surgery. When compared with demographic-matched controls, patients who underwent UCL reconstruction had better results in multiple performance measures. Reconstruction of the UCL allows for a predictable and successful return to the MLB.
Effect of Probenecid on Penetration of Oxacillin into Fibrin Clots In Vitro

Probenecid significantly enhanced the in vitro penetration of oxacillin into fibrin clots suspended in rabbit serum or normal saline.
A First Szegő’s Limit Theorem for a Class of Non-Toeplitz Matrices

We compute the limiting statistical distribution of the eigenvalues of sequences of matrices whose entries satisfy what we call a vanishing mean variation condition and are \(\mu \)-distributed for some probability measure. As an application of our results, we extend the well-known class of Kac–Murdock–Szegő generalized Toeplitz matrices to sequences of matrices whose diagonal entries are modeled by Riemann integrable functions.
Sampling Strategies in Forest Hydrology and Biogeochemistry

Many aspects of forest hydrology have been based on accurate but not necessarily spatially representative measurements, reflecting the measurement capabilities that were traditionally available. Two developments are bringing about fundamental changes in sampling strategies in forest hydrology and biogeochemistry: (a) technical advances in measurement capability, as is evident in embedded sensor networks and remotely sensed measurements and (b) parallel advances in cyberinfrastructure and numerical modeling that can help turn these new data into knowledge. Although these developments will potentially impact much of hydrology, they bring up particular opportunities in forest hydrology (Bales et al. 2006). New sensor technology for most biogeochemical components has lagged that for water and energy, advances in measuring forest–atmosphere exchange of carbon by eddy correlation being an exception.
Contextualizing constitutional Islam: The Malayan experience

The incorporation of references to Islam and Islamic law (such as the establishment of Islam as the state religion, or the “establishment clause”) in modern constitutions is now a recognized phenomenon. The scholarship on these clauses has been focused on an examination of their judicial interpretations, with some attention to the historical contexts of their adoptions. A deeper contextual inquiry into the adoption, or rejection, of these clauses promises a more meaningful understanding of the phenomenon of constitutional Islam—in historical and contemporary settings—than has yet been achieved. This article proposes a contextual approach to constitutional Islam and uses it to examine the making of the Federation of Malaya independence Constitution of 1957. In examining both the dynamics within the country and the international context in which the constitutional drafting process took place, this article shows that the establishment clause was attached to debates about many other constitutional issues and that its adoption was ultimately an attempt to provide another avenue of constitutional advantage for ethnic Malays.
Structural Evolution of Reduced Graphene Oxide of Varying Carbon sp2 Fractions Investigated via Coulomb Blockade Transport

We investigate the structural evolution of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets with carbon sp2 fractions varying from 55 to 80% using low-temperature Coulomb blockade (CB) transport. At 4.2 K, all RGO sheets exhibit a complete suppression of current (CB) below a threshold voltage Vt, the value of which decreased from 3.34 to 0.25 V with increasing carbon sp2 fraction. From the temperature-dependent Vt, we calculate an effective charging energy and individual graphene domain size of 160 meV and 1.34 nm at 55% carbon sp2 fractions, respectively. These values are 20 meV and 4.18 nm at 80% carbon sp2 fractions, respectively. This implies that with increasing reduction, newly formed sp2 domains increase the effective size of the graphene domain. For an applied voltage V > Vt, the current I follows a scaling law I ∼ [(V – Vt)/Vt]α where the scaling parameter α increases from 2.11 to 3.40 with increasing sp2 fraction, suggesting that increasing sp2 fraction creates more topological defects on the RGO. Our report...
Mesoscale elucidation of the influence of mixing sequence in electrode processing.

Mixing sequence during electrode processing affects the internal microstructure and resultant performance of a lithium-ion battery. In order to fundamentally understand the microstructure evolution during electrode processing, a mesoscale model is presented, which investigates the influence of mixing sequence for different evaporation conditions. Our results demonstrate that a stepwise mixing sequence can produce larger conductive interfacial area ratios than that via a one-step mixing sequence. Small-sized cubical nanoparticles are beneficial for achieving a high conductive interfacial area ratio when a stepwise mixing sequence is employed. Two variants of multistep mixing have been investigated with constant temperature and linearly increasing temperature conditions. It is found that the temperature condition does not significantly affect the conductive interfacial area ratio. The homogeneity of binder distribution in the electrode is also studied, which plays an important role along with the solvent ev...
Impact Assessment of Health Education on Schistosomiasis among High School Students in Wanzhou Area of Three Gorges Reservoir

Objective To learn the impact of health education on schistosomiasis among high school students in Wanzhou area of Three Gorges Reservoir,and to evaluate its effects.Methods The stratified multi-level cluster randomized sampling was used to survey 566 high school students in Wanzhou and Yunyang areas,and the questionnaire was used to investigate their recognition of schistosomiasis.Results After one-year health education on schistosomiasis,the passing rate of the knowledge about schistosomiasis prevention among high school students in demonstration area raised from 9.43% to 98.87%(χ2=463.46,P=0.000),which was higher than that of the inside and outside control areas(χ2=312.92,P=0.000);the passing rate of the attitude and belief of schistosomiasis prevention were 98.12%,which was higher than that of the inside and outside control areas(χ2=109.49,P=0.000);56.02% of high school students in demonstration area had no susceptible behavior of schistosomiasis,which was higher than that of the inside and outside control areas(χ2=237.53,P=0.000).Conclusion Health education on schistosomiasis can efficiently improve the awareness of schistosomiasis prevention among high school students,and has important meanings for controlling potential epidemics and spread of schistosomiasis in Wanzhou area of Three Gorges Reservoir.
Traumatic laceration of uterine support: The clinical syndrome and the operative treatment

Abstract A series of 28 cases has been presented in detail to illustrate the syndrome of the “universal-joint” cervix. A complete evaluation has been recorded of the presenting complaints, history of associated obstetrical misfortunes, and pelvic pathology encountered at laparotomy. The simple surgical detail necessary to alleviate symptoms has been described and pictured. Finally, a detailed postoperative evaluation of results obtained concludes the study.
Fine structure of oncocytes in human salivary glands.

Oncocytes, cells displaying marked cytoplasmic acidophilia and granularity, are present in the acini and ducts of normal human salivary glands. These cells apparently originate by a process of sequential transformation of normal epithelial cells. In the early forms, there is a great increase in the number of mitochondria, which are typical in morphology. In later oncocytes, these organelles undergo striking changes in form and size. These mitochondrial changes are accompanied by the gradual disappearance from the oncocyte of other cytoplasmic membrane systems and of plasmalemmar specializations. It is suggested that the structurally modified mitochondria are biochemically deficient.
Plant water relations of selected species in wet and dry tropical lowland forests in Costa Rica

The water relations of early and late-successional plant species of pre-montane wet forest and lowland dry forest in Costa Rica were compared during the dry season. Early-successional species had higher stomatal conductances (g) than late-successional species at both sites. The same pattern did not hold for plant water potentials (ψ). A wide array of daily patterns of ψ and g was found among species of the same successional status. Midday stomatal closure was found in more than half of the wet forest species and nearly all of the dry forest species examined. Despite the absence of substantial rainfall for several months, all species in the dry forest with expanding leaves at the time of sampling had predawn ψ values that were above -1.0 MPa, indicating available sources of soil water.
Genetic dissection of sorghum grain quality traits using diverse and segregating populations

Coordinated association and linkage mapping identified 25 grain quality QTLs in multiple environments, and fine mapping of the Wx locus supports the use of high-density genetic markers in linkage mapping. There is a wide range of end-use products made from cereal grains, and these products often demand different grain characteristics. Fortunately, cereal crop species including sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] contain high phenotypic variation for traits influencing grain quality. Identifying genetic variants underlying this phenotypic variation allows plant breeders to develop genotypes with grain attributes optimized for their intended usage. Multiple sorghum mapping populations were rigorously phenotyped across two environments (SC Coastal Plain and Central TX) in 2 years for five major grain quality traits: amylose, starch, crude protein, crude fat, and gross energy. Coordinated association and linkage mapping revealed several robust QTLs that make prime targets to improve grain quality for food, feed, and fuel products. Although the amylose QTL interval spanned many megabases, the marker with greatest significance was located just 12 kb from waxy (Wx), the primary gene regulating amylose production in cereal grains. This suggests higher resolution mapping in recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations can be obtained when genotyped at a high marker density. The major QTL for crude fat content, identified in both a RIL population and grain sorghum diversity panel, encompassed the DGAT1 locus, a critical gene involved in maize lipid biosynthesis. Another QTL on chromosome 1 was consistently mapped in both RIL populations for multiple grain quality traits including starch, crude protein, and gross energy. Collectively, these genetic regions offer excellent opportunities to manipulate grain composition and set up future studies for gene validation.
Exercise Enhances Cognitive Capacity in the Aging Brain

The aging brain undergoes several changes, which result in cognitive decline and memory impairments. However, this does not mean that the aged brain has lost its capablility of learning and remembering. There are means to achieve successful brain aging specifically via physical exercise. Physical exercise triggers several molecular and cellular cascades which support and maintain brain plasticity over time and lead to the improved cognitive capacity of the brain. By understanding the mechanisms by which exercise can improve cognitive function allows for causal and conclusive indicators about the effects of exercise on learning and memory in the aged brain. In this chapter, we discuss what changes in the aging brain result in cognitive decline and then explore how exercise primes the brain to access mechanisms that can improve cognitive faculties in the aging brain.
The Impact of Incumbent Scandals on Senate Elections, 1974-2008

Conventional wisdom is that one of the few things that can counter the incumbency advantage in congressional elections is when an incumbent is embroiled in a scandal. However, there is little research that directly examines the impact of incumbent scandals on the electoral process. This paper intends to provide a basic foundation upon which future research can proceed. I categorize the types of scandals; their effect on campaign expenditures; the quality of challengers they attract; and their effect on the percentage of the vote received by incumbents.
Compassionate care: Enhancing physician–patient communication and education in dermatology : Part II: Patient education

Patient education is a fundamental part of caring for patients. A practice gap exists, where patients want more information, while health care providers are limited by time constraints or difficulty helping patients understand or remember. To provide patient-centered care, it is important to assess the needs and goals, health beliefs, and health literacy of each patient. This allows health care providers to individualize education for patients. The use of techniques, such as gaining attention, providing clear and memorable explanations, and assessing understanding through "teach-back," can improve patient education. Verbal education during the office visit is considered the criterion standard. However, handouts, visual aids, audiovisual media, and Internet websites are examples of teaching aids that can be used as an adjunct to verbal instruction. Part II of this 2-part series on patient–physician interaction reviews the importance and need for patient education along with specific guidelines and techniques that can be used.
Angry, Passionate, and Divided: Undecided Voters and the 2016 Presidential Election:

During the primary and general election, researchers Schill and Kirk collected focus group insights on how undecided voters came to make choices in the 2016 election. As consultants for CNN’s election coverage, the team researched voters from across the nation—in the early primary states to the conventions and general election. After a review of factors that influence vote choice, this article focuses on the dominant expressions of attitude (pain, loss, joy, nostalgia, pleasure, belonging, and anger) during 2016 election period and explains how voter attitudes toward those themes affected voter choice. Not only were these themes manifested in (un)civil discourse, they were often fueled by the campaigns. Importantly, these assessments come from the voters themselves and provide insights as to how the campaigns unfolded and how campaign messages attempted to influence voters.
Hands-free control of heterologous gene expression in batch cultures

Background: Autonomous cell-based control of heterologous gene expression can simplify batch-culture bioprocessing by eliminating external monitoring and extrinsic control of culture conditions. Existing approaches use auto-induction media, synthetic cell-cell communication systems, or application-specific biosensors. A simpler, resource-efficient, and general-purpose expression control system responsive to common changes during batch culture would be useful. Results: We used native E.coli promoters and recombinase-based switches to repurpose endogenous transcription signals for control of heterologous gene expression. Specifically, natural changes in transcription from endogenous promoters result in recombinase expression at different phases of batch culture. So-expressed recombinases invert a constitutive promoter regulating expression of arbitrary heterologous genes. We realized reversible and single-use switching, reduced static and dynamic cell-to-cell variation, and overall expression amplification. We used “off-the-shelf” genetic parts and abstraction-based composition frameworks to realize reliable forward engineering of our synthetic genetic systems Conclusion: We engineered autonomous control systems for regulating heterologous gene expression. Our system uses generic endogenous promoters to sense and control heterologous expression during growth-phase transitions. Our system does not require specialized auto-induction media, production or activation of quorum sensing, or the development of application-specific biosensors. Cells programmed to control themselves could simplify existing bioprocess operations and enable the development of more powerful synthetic genetic systems.
Tropomodulin 1 controls erythroblast enucleation via regulation of F-actin in the enucleosome

Biogenesis of mammalian red blood cells requires nuclear expulsion by orthochromatic erythoblasts late in terminal differentiation (enucleation), but the mechanism is largely unexplained. Here, we employed high-resolution confocal microscopy to analyze nuclear morphology and F-actin rearrangements during the initiation, progression, and completion of mouse and human erythroblast enucleation in vivo. Mouse erythroblast nuclei acquire a dumbbell-shaped morphology during enucleation, whereas human bone marrow erythroblast nuclei unexpectedly retain their spherical morphology. These morphological differences are linked to differential expression of Lamin isoforms, with primary mouse erythroblasts expressing only Lamin B and primary human erythroblasts only Lamin A/C. We did not consistently identify a continuous F-actin ring at the cell surface constriction in mouse erythroblasts, nor at the membrane protein-sorting boundary in human erythroblasts, which do not have a constriction, arguing against a contractile ring-based nuclear expulsion mechanism. However, both mouse and human erythroblasts contain an F-actin structure at the rear of the translocating nucleus, enriched in tropomodulin 1 (Tmod1) and nonmuscle myosin IIB. We investigated Tmod1 function in mouse and human erythroblasts both in vivo and in vitro and found that absence of Tmod1 leads to enucleation defects in mouse fetal liver erythroblasts, and in CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, with increased F-actin in the structure at the rear of the nucleus. This novel structure, the "enucleosome," may mediate common cytoskeletal mechanisms underlying erythroblast enucleation, notwithstanding the morphological heterogeneity of enucleation across species.
Conclusion: The Prospect of a Sociological Theory Through Relation

Chapter 7 gives a summary of the key results of the book’s comparative inquiry about the five crucial debates in French sociology discussed in the book. These results are introduced in the form of six propositions which represents six structural steps of the author’s sociological theory through relation. These various propositions regarding the key assessments of the relational sociologists, as discussed in the introductory first chapter, are compared. The conclusion on the status of such a perspective in sociology is that it can be seen as a general purpose theory dealing with pervasive societal phenomena.