cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Bioethics of Care: Widows, Monastics, and a Christian Presence in Health Care

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, with vocations to the Christian religious orders of the West in marked decline, an authentic Christian presence in health care is threatened. There are no longer large numbers of women willing to offer their life labors bound in vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, so as to provide a real preferential option for the poor through supporting an authentic Christian mission in health care. At the same time, the frequent earlier death of men leaves a large number of widows, some in need of care and some able to provide care. Drawing on the role of widows sketched in I Timothy 2, one can envision Christian widows entering a life of prayer and service in health care settings. As female monastics, such widows could reintroduce a salient Christian presence in health care. How one ties this response to the message of I Timothy 2 will depend on one’s understanding of the status of Scripture, the significance of tradition, the nature of theological epistemology, the ...
A 20-GHz low-noise amplifier with active balun in a 0.25-/spl mu/m SiGe BICMOS technology

A 20-GHz low-noise amplifier (LNA) with an active balun fabricated in a 0.25-/spl mu/m SiGe BICMOS (f/sub t/=47 GHz) technology was presented by the authors in 2004. The LNA achieves close to 7 dB of gain and a noise figure of 4.9 dB with all ports simultaneously matched to 50 /spl Omega/ with better than -16 dB of return loss. The amplifier is highly linear with an IP/sub 1dB/ of 0 dBm and IIP/sub 3/ of 9 dBm, while consuming 14 mA of quiescent current from a 3.3-V rail, with temperature-compensated biasing. To the authors' knowledge, the LNA delivers the lowest reported noise figure and highest linearity for a silicon implementation of a combined active balun and LNA at 20 GHz, and is the first implementation of an active balun with an LC degenerated emitter-coupled pair. Here we expand on that work, with an analysis of the balun operation and noise optimization of the design.
Risk of Mortality and Heart Failure Exacerbations Associated With Inhaled β-Adrenoceptor Agonists Among Patients With Known Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction

Objectives Recent studies suggest that myocardial β 2 -adrenoceptors may be important in chronic heart failure. We sought to determine if use of selective β 2 -agonists was associated with hospitalization for heart failure and all-cause mortality. Methods We studied a cohort of patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). The outcome was the first hospitalization with a primary diagnosis of chronic heart failure or death from any cause. The exposure was the average number of β-agonist canisters filled per month in the 90 days prior to and 15 days after enrollment. Results Among 1,529 subjects, the relative risk (RR) of chronic heart failure hospital admission associated with inhaled β-agonists followed a dose-response relationship: RR for one canister per month, 1.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.9 to 2.0), RR for two canisters per month, 1.7 (95% CI, 1.2 to 2.5), and RR for three canisters per month, 2.1 (95% CI, 1.4 to 3.1). The RR of death demonstrated a similar finding: RR for one canister per month, 0.9 (95% CI, 0.5 to 1.5), RR for two canisters per month, 1.3 (95% CI, 0.9 to 2.1), and RR for three canisters per month, 2.0 (95% CI, 1.3 to 3.1). Adjusting for potential confounding factors did not affect the estimates. Conclusion Among subjects with LVSD, inhaled β-agonists were associated with an increased risk of heart failure hospitalization, and all-cause mortality. Clinicians should carefully consider the etiology of dyspnea when prescribing β-agonists to patients with LVSD.
Permanent improvement in deficient sensory inhibition in DBA/2 mice with increased perinatal choline

Rationale Schizophrenia patients and certain inbred mouse strains (i.e., DBA/2) show deficient sensory inhibition which has been linked to reduced numbers of hippocampal α7 nicotinic receptors and to underlying polymorphisms in the promoter region for the α7 gene. Increasing maternal dietary choline, a selective α7 agonist, during gestation has been shown to produce long-term changes in adult offspring behavior (i.e., improved learning and memory in rats). Objectives The objective of this study is to improve sensory inhibition in DBA/2 mice through maternal choline supplementation. Materials and methods DBA/2 dams were placed on normal (1.1 g/kg) or supplemented (5 g/kg) choline diet throughout gestation and lactation. Offspring were placed on normal diet at weaning and were assessed for sensory inhibition parameters at adulthood. Evoked EEG responses to identical paired auditory stimuli were compared. At the end of the study, the brains were collected for autoradiographic assessment of hippocampal levels of α-bungarotoxin binding to visualize α7 nicotinic receptors. Results Offspring mice which were choline supplemented during gestation showed significantly improved sensory inhibition compared to mice gestated on the normal choline diet. The improvement was produced by a significant reduction in the response to the second stimulus, demonstrating improved inhibition to that stimulus. There was a concurrent increase in α7 receptor numbers in both the CA1 and dentate gyrus regions of the hippocampus suggesting that this increase may be responsible for the improved inhibition. Conclusions These data show that gestational choline supplementation produces permanent improvement in a deficit associated with schizophrenia and may have implications for human prenatal nutrition.
Stones, Suppositions, and Science

Man is perhaps the most widely distributed species on earth. We know he made his way to the fertile American continent only after his earlier history was laid down in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Theory of the evolution of magnetic order in Fe 1+y Te compounds with increasing interstitial iron

We examine the influence of the excess of interstitial Fe on the magnetic properties of ${\mathrm{Fe}}_{1+y}\mathrm{Te}$ compounds. Because in iron chalcogenides the correlations are stronger than in the iron arsenides, we assume in our model that some of the Fe orbitals give rise to localized magnetic moments. These moments interact with each other via exchange interactions as well as phonon-mediated biquadratic interactions that favor a collinear double-stripe state, corresponding to the ordering vectors $(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\pi}/2,\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\pi}/2)$. The remaining Fe orbitals are assumed to be itinerant, giving rise to the first-principles derived Fermi surface displaying nesting features at momenta $(\ensuremath{\pi},0)/(0,\ensuremath{\pi})$. Increasing the amount of itinerant electrons due to excess Fe, $y$, leads to changes in the Fermi surface and to the suppression of its nesting properties. As a result, due to the Hund's coupling between the itinerant and localized moments, increasing $y$ leads to modifications in the local moments' exchange interactions via the multiorbital generalization of the long-range Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction. By numerically computing the RKKY corrections and minimizing the resulting effective exchange Hamiltonian, we find, in general, that the excess electrons introduced in the system change the classical magnetic ground state from a double-stripe state to an incommensurate spiral, consistent with the experimental observations. We show that these results can be understood as a result of the suppression of magnetic spectral weight of the itinerant electrons at momenta $(\ensuremath{\pi},0)/(0,\ensuremath{\pi})$, combined with the transfer of broad magnetic spectral weight from large to small momenta, promoted by the introduction of excess Fe.
The effect of induced hyperkalemia on the normal and abnormal electrocardiogram.

Abstract 1. 1. The effects of induced hyperkalemia on the normal T vector and various categories of T vector abnormality have been studied. 2. 2. When the T-vector abnormality is due to hemodynamic factors not related to heart disease, or is encountered in the course of some systemic noncardiac disorder, or when it occurs in persons with cardiac defect or other disease, potassium administration will temporarily completely normalize the T vector. 3. 3. When the T-vector abnormality is due to myocardial infarction, left ventricular ischemia, or left ventricular “strain,” potassium administration will not correct the T-vector abnormality. 4. 4. The incidence of severe toxic reactions to the potassium, including one fatality, makes it too dangerous for routine clinical use in differentiating functional and metabolic T-wave abnormalities from those associated with significant heart disease.
An Overview of Dementias

Dementia is a major public health concern that afflicts an estimated 24.3 million people worldwide. Great strides are being made in order to better diagnose, prevent, and treat these disorders. Dem...
Daily Intake of High Dietary Fiber Slows Accelerated Colonic Transit Induced by Restrain Stress in Rats

Background Stress and central corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) are contributing factors to the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It has been shown that restraint stress and central CRF stimulate colonic motility in rats. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced by bacterial fermentation from dietary fibers. It is controversial whether daily intake of dietary fiber is beneficial for patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS. We studied whether dietary fiber intake affects colonic transit and motility stimulated by restraint stress and central CRF in rats. Methods Corn starch is digested almost completely in the small intestine, while potato starch shows substantial resistance to α-amylase and its consumption leads to stimulation of large-bowel fermentation. Four weeks after a corn starch, potato starch, or usual diet (rat chow), colonic transit and motility stimulated by restraint stress and intracisternal (ic) injection of CRF were studied. Fecal concentration of SCFAs in the cecum was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results Four-week treatment with potato starch diet significantly increased cecal concentrations of SCFAs, compared to treatment with corn starch diet. Accelerated colonic transit induced by stress and ic injection of CRF (1 μg) were significantly attenuated in rats receiving potato starch diet compared to rats receiving corn starch diet. The incidence of unformed stool (diarrhea) induced by stress and CRF was also reduced in rats receiving potato starch diet compared to rats receiving corn starch diet and usual diet. Conclusion It is suggested that daily intake of a high-fiber diet may prevent stress- and CRF-induced acceleration of colonic transit and diarrhea. This study may contribute to treatment for the patients of diarrhea-predominant IBS.
Origin of new genes: evidence from experimental and computational analyses.

Exon shuffling is an essential molecular mechanism for the formation of new genes. Many cases of exon shuffling have been reported in vertebrate genes. These discoveries revealed the importance of exon shuffling in the origin of new genes. However, only a few cases of exon shuffling were reported from plants and invertebrates, which gave rise to the assertion that the intron-mediated recombination mechanism originated very recently. We focused on the origin of new genes by exon shuffling and retroposition. We will first summarize our experimental work, which revealed four new genes in Drosophila, plants, and humans. These genes are 106 to 108 million years old. The recency of these genes allows us to directly examine the origin and evolution of genes in detail. These observations show firstly the importance of exon shuffling and retroposition in the rapid creation of new gene structures. They also show that the resultant chimerical structures appearing as mosaic proteins or as retroposed coding structures with novel regulatory systems, often confer novel functions. Furthermore, these newly created genes appear to have been governed by positive Darwinian selection throughout their history, with rapid changes of amino acid sequence and gene structure in very short periods of evolution. We further analyzed the distribution of intron phases in three non-vertebrate species, Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Arabidosis thaliana, as inferred from their genome sequences. As in the case of vertebrate genes, we found that intron phases in these species are unevenly distributed with an excess of phase zero introns and a significant excess of symmetric exons. Both findings are consistent with the requirements for the molecular process of exon shuffling. Thus, these non-vertebrate genomes may have also been strongly impacted by exon shuffling in general.
Model-based analysis of distributed real-time embedded system composition

Key challenges in distributed real-time embedded (DRE) system developments include safe composition of system components and mapping the functional specifications onto the target platform. Model-based verification techniques provide a way for the design-time analysis of DRE systems enabling rapid evaluation of design alternatives with respect to given performance measures before committing to a specific platform. This paper introduces a semantic domain for model-based analysis of a general class of DRE systems capturing their key time-based performance measures. We then utilize this semantic domain to develop a verification strategy for preemptive schedulability using available model checking tools. The proposed framework and verification strategy is demonstrated on a mission-critical avionics DRE system case study.
Energetics and efficiency analysis of a cobaloxime-modified semiconductor under simulated air mass 1.5 illumination

We report on the energetics and efficiency of a p-type (100) gallium phosphide (GaP) semiconductor functionalized with molecular hydrogen production catalysts via polymer grafting. The catalysts belong to the cobaloxime class of compounds that have recently shown promise in electrocatalysis and solar-to-fuel applications. Attachment of the complex to a semiconductor surface allows direct photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements of performance. Under simulated air mass 1.5 illumination, the catalyst-modified photocathode yields a 0.92 mA cm−2 current density when operating at the equilibrium potential for the hydrogen production half reaction. The open circuit photovoltage (VOC) is 0.72 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and the fill factor (FF) is 0.33 (a 258% increase compared to polymer-modified electrodes, without cobaloxime treatment). The external quantum efficiency (EQE), measured under a reverse bias of +0.17 vs. RHE, shows a maximum of 67% under 310 nm illumination. Product analysis of the head-space gas yields a lower limit on the Faradaic efficiency of 88%. In addition, the near linear photoresponse of the current density upon increasing illumination indicates that photocarrier transport to the interface can limit performance. These results give insights into the design of improved photocatalytic constructs with additional performance gains.
The L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channel is the Ca2+ sensor protein of stimulus-secretion coupling in pancreatic beta cells.

L-type voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels (Cav1.2) mediate a major part of insulin secretion from pancreatic ‚-cells. Cav1.2, like other voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels, is functionally and physically coupled to synaptic proteins. The tight temporal coupling between channel activation and secretion leads to the prediction that rearrangements within the channel can be directly transmitted to the synaptic proteins, subsequently triggering release. La 3+ , which binds to the polyglutamate motif (EEEE) comprising the selectivity filter, is excluded from entry into the cells and has been previously shown to support depolarization-evoked catecholamine release from chromaffin and PC12 cells. Hence, voltage-dependent trigger of release relies on Ca 2+ ions bound at the EEEE motif and not on cytosolic Ca 2+ elevation. We show that glucose-induced insulin release in rat pancreatic islets and ATP release in INS-1E cells are supported by La 3+ in nominally Ca 2+ -free solution. The release is inhibited by nifedipine. Fura 2 imaging of dispersed islet cells exposed to high glucose and La 3+ in Ca 2+ -free solution detected no change in fluorescence; thus, La 3+ is excluded from entry, and Ca 2+ is not significantly released from intracellular stores. La 3+ by interacting extracellularlly with the EEEE motif is sufficient to support glucose-induced insulin secretion. Voltage-driven conformational changes that engage the ion/EEEE interface are relayed to the exocytotic machinery prior to ion influx, allowing for a fast and tightly regulated process of release. These results confirm that the Ca 2+ channel is a constituent of the exocytotic complex (Wiser et al. (1999) PNAS 96, 248-253) and the putative Ca 2+ -sensor protein of release.
Near‐fault measurement of postseismic slip associated with the 1989 Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake

Five small-aperture (0.5 to 7.7 m) quadrilaterals were installed across the San Andreas fault and newly formed extensional cracks shortly after the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta M7.1 earthquake. Two quadrilaterals were installed across the San Andreas fault near the southeast and northwest ends of the 1989 rupture, and three were installed across dominantly extensional cracks in the Summit Road area near the main-shock epicenter and off the San Andreas fault. Measurements of line-length changes from as early as 4 d up to 184 d after the earthquake in the nail quadrilaterals indicate a small amount of right-lateral postseismic slip on the San Andreas fault. The site near the southeast end of the 1989 afterstock zone on the San Andreas fault showed about 5±2 mm of postseismic right-lateral component of slip in addition to 23 mm of right-lateral coseismic movement. The site near the northwest end of aftershocks likewise showed about 5±2 mm of postseismic slip, but after only 5 mm of coseismic slip. Measurements at sites across extensional cracks indicate possible minor left-lateral postseismic slips, and possible extensional/contractional motion. No measurements were made of possible vertical movements. Sites on extensional cracks showed similarly small amounts of possible postscismic lateral slip, from ∼2 to 10 mm, even though coseismic lateral slips were much greater (up to 410 mm) than on the surface trace of the San Andreas fault. The small slip values, in spite of uncertainties, clearly show that the lack of coseismic surface slip associated with the earthquake was not followed by large postseismic slip.
Thermal phenomena in silicon-germanium molecular beam epitaxial growth

Thermally activated processes control nearly all steps in the cleaning, growth and doping of molecular-beam-grown epitaxial films. The temperature dependence of five such processes important in the emerging technology of MBE growth of silicon and germanium films is discussed: (1) SiO/sub 2/ removal in the initial cleaning of the substrate, (2) surface diffusion during normal MBE growth, (3) the 'sticking' coefficient of dopants evaporated during growth, (4) the process of solid phase epitaxial regrowth and (5) thermal relief of strain in Si-Ge strained superlattices. >
Effects of tropospheric ozone pollution on net primary productivity and carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems of China

[1] We investigated the potential effects of elevated ozone (O3) along with climate variability, increasing CO2, and land use change on net primary productivity (NPP) and carbon storage in China’s terrestrial ecosystems for the period 1961–2000 with a processbased Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM) forced by the gridded data of historical tropospheric O3 and other environmental factors. The simulated results showed that elevated O3 could result in a mean 4.5% reduction in NPP and 0.9% reduction in total carbon storage nationwide from 1961 to 2000. The reduction of carbon storage varied from 0.1 Tg C to 312 Tg C (a decreased rate ranging from 0.2% to 6.9%) among plant functional types. The effects of tropospheric O3 on NPP were strongest in east-central China. Significant reductions in NPP occurred in northeastern and central China where a large proportion of cropland is distributed. The O3 effects on carbon fluxes and storage are dependent upon other environmental factors. Therefore direct and indirect effects of O3, as well as interactive effects with other environmental factors, should be taken into account in order to accurately assess the regional carbon budget in China. The results showed that the adverse influences of increasing O3 concentration across China on NPP could be an important disturbance factor on carbon storage in the near future, and the improvement of air quality in China could enhance the capability of China’s terrestrial ecosystems to sequester more atmospheric CO2. Our estimation of O3 impacts on NPP and carbon storage in China, however, must be used with caution because of the limitation of historical tropospheric O3 data and other uncertainties associated with model parameters and field experiments.
Inflationary axion cosmology

If Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry is broken after inflation, the initial axion angle is a random variable on cosmological scales; based on this fact, estimates of the relic-axion mass density give too large a value if the axion mass is less than about 10 to the -6th eV. This bound can be evaded if the universe underwent inflation after PQ-symmetry breaking and if the observable universe happens to be a region where the initial axion angle was atypically small. Consideration of fluctuations induced during inflation severely constrains the latter alternative is shown.
Key Processes and Parameters in a Generic Clay Disposal System Model

Sensitivity analysis was performed with respect to various key processes and parameters affecting long-term post-closure performance of geologic repositories in clay media. Based on the detailed computational Clay Generic Disposal System Model (GDSM) developed by the Used Fuel Disposition (UFD) campaign [1], these results provide an overview of the relative importance of processes that affect the repository performance of a generic clay disposal concept model. Further analysis supports a basis for development of rapid abstracted models in the context of system level fuel cycle simulation. Processes and parameters found to influence repository performance include the rate of waste form degradation, timing of waste package failure, and various coupled geochemical and hydrologic characteristics of the natural system including diffusion, solubility, and advection.
Psychotherapy as law enforcement

Legal doctrines do not stand still, but instead evolve and tend to grow and to spawn what law school academicians fondly term progeny. Tarasoff is no exception. In an expanding list of court decisions, psychiatric patients are being convicted of crimes by virtue of actions by their psychiatrists or psychotherapists purportedly based on the duty to warn. One recent case has featured surreptitious evidence-gathering by a psychiatrist, the latest progeny of Tarasoff.
Nurse leaders and the innovation competence gap

Abstract Background Nurses are well-positioned for innovation in health care delivery, although innovation is not generally learned in formal educational programs. Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess critical competencies for innovation success among nurse leaders in academia and practice, the perceived gaps on those competencies, and teaching methods that would be helpful in developing competencies related to innovation. Method A Web-enabled descriptive survey design was used to capture nurse leaders' perceptions of important innovation competencies and how they assess their level of competence in the particular innovation domain. Preferred approaches for innovation pedagogy were also queried. Discussion Respondents indicated significant gaps in 18 of 19 innovation competencies. Implications are for inclusion of innovation competencies in formal and continuing nursing education. The most preferred innovation pedagogical approaches are case studies of failures and successes and project- and field-based approaches. Traditional lectures are the least preferred way to address innovation competency gaps. Conclusions There is a significant gap in innovation competencies among nurse leaders in practice and academia. The way we teach innovation needs to involve closer collaboration between academia and practice.
Network Recovery from Uniaxial Extension: I. Elastic Equilibrium

Abstract The elastic response of rubber has a direct and controllable dependence on structure. The behavior of the various networks described herein is seen to be consonant with the well-established roles of spatial fluctuations of crosslinks and the inhibition of this Brownian motion by steric and entanglement constraints from neighboring chains. Although elasticity also governs to a large extent the nonequilibrium mechanical response, interpretation of the latter in terms of network structure is obscured by viscoelasticity. The junctions of real networks, having some freedom to reconfigure themselves away from strictly affine displacement, exhibit lower equilibrium stresses than predicted by the statistical model for affine chains. To the extent that this overestimation of the model and the compressive component of the retraction response mimic the effect of departures from equilibrium, some conformance of network behavior during retraction to Equation (1) may be realized. It is such a fortuitous circum...
Multi‐State Mortality by Cause of Death: A Life Table Analysis

In this paper the multi-state life table model is adapted to describe the behaviour of individuals as they move through various situations called states of the process and its effect on cause-specific mortality. The model is illustrated by means of an analysis of marital-status-specific mortality by cause of death using 1970 data for North Carolina females. (EXCERPT)
Evaluation of Various Beamforming Algorithms for Wind Turbine Noise Measurement

Wind energy is one of the oldest and cleanest forms of energy and the most developed of the renewable energy sources. Noise made by wind turbines is of key interest for many reasons. The noise made by a machine is a measure of its inefficiency. Wind turbine that are associated with excessive noise and vibrations are wasting energy and are prone to structural damage. In addition, one of the major factors in certification of wind turbines and obtaining a site license is wind turbine noise. It is important to locate the source of wind turbine noise in order to study the noise generation mechanism in wind turbines. One of the emerging methods for acoustic source localization is the acoustic array beamformer. There are various beamforming algorithms that were developed for aeroacoustic measurements. This paper presents a comparison of four such beamforming algorithms namely; Frequency domain beamforming (FDBF), DAMAS2 (DMS2), CLEAN-SC (CLSC) and TIDY. The behavior of these algorithms when exposed to single source, multiple incoherent and coherent sources and an oscillating source are systematically studied to evaluate suitable beamforming algorithms for wind turbine applications.
Erythrocyte Survival in the Gat as Determined by Glycine-2-C14

SummaryA method for determination of the median erythrocyte survival times applicable to small laboratory animals is described. The mean median survival times of the eryth-rocytes of 4 cats using this method was found to be 72.6 days.
Aberrant intrinsic functional connectivity within and between corticostriatal and temporal-parietal networks in adults and youth with bipolar disorder.

Background Major questions remain regarding the dysfunctional neural circuitry underlying the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) in both youths and adults. In both age groups, studies implicate abnormal intrinsic functional connectivity among prefrontal, limbic and striatal areas. Method We collected resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from youths and adults (ages 10–50 years) with BD (n = 39) and healthy volunteers (HV; n = 78). We identified brain regions with aberrant intrinsic functional connectivity in BD by first comparing voxel-wise mean global connectivity and then conducting correlation analyses. We used k-means clustering and multidimensional scaling to organize all detected regions into networks. Results Across the brain, we detected areas of dysconnectivity in both youths and adults with BD relative to HV. There were no significant age-group × diagnosis interactions. When organized by interregional connectivity, the areas of dysconnectivity in patients with BD comprised two networks: one of temporal and parietal areas involved in late stages of visual processing, and one of corticostriatal areas involved in attention, cognitive control and response generation. Conclusions These data suggest that two networks show abnormal intrinsic functional connectivity in BD. Regions in these networks have been implicated previously in BD. We observed similar dysconnectivity in youths and adults with BD. These findings provide guidance for refining models of network-based dysfunction in BD.
Reduced renal perfusion pressure causes prostaglandin-dependent excitation of R2 chemoreceptors in rats

The activity of multiunit preparations of afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA) and single R2 chemoreceptors was recorded during graded reductions in renal perfusion pressure (RPP) produced by tightening an aortic snare in anesthetized rats. In 13 multiunit preparations an initial RPP reduction from 117 +/- 2 to 101 +/- 2 mmHg caused ARNA to increase 29 +/- 5% above control. Further reductions in RPP produced a 65 +/- 11% increase in ARNA at 80 +/- 1 mmHg, 87 +/- 24% at 59 +/- 1 mmHg, and 127 +/- 38% at 37 +/- 1 mmHg (P less than 0.01 ARNA vs. RPP). Renal blood flow was measured by pulsed Doppler flowmeter in these rats and showed good autoregulation and minimal reduction (-4 +/- 2%) during the initial pressure drop. Ten single R2 chemoreceptors increased their firing rate by 129 +/- 4% when RPP was reduced from 109 +/- 2 to 85 +/- 2 mmHg and showed a peak response of 494 +/- 105% at 27 +/- 2 mmHg. The activity of 11 R2 receptors increased from 3.7 +/- 1.0 to 6.8 +/- 0.8 impulses/10 s when RPP was reduced from 112 +/- 4 to 79 +/- 2 mmHg. Prostaglandin blockade with indomethacin (6 rats) or meclofenamate (7 rats) caused a decrease in basal activity in the same units to 1.8 +/- 0.5 impulses/10 s and eliminated their excitatory response to a similar reduction in RPP (108 +/- 4 to 75 +/- 3 mmHg). These data support a role for R2 chemoreceptors in neurocirculatory reflexes elicited by reductions in RPP.
Hydralazine-induced pauci-immune glomerulonephritis: intriguing case series with misleading diagnoses

Hydralazine has been used since the 1950s for the management of hypertension. Evidence for hydralazine-associated vasculitis dates to pre-ANCA (antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies) era. This abstract describes two cases of ANCA-positive pauci-immune glomerulonephritis (GN) in challenging scenarios where diagnosis was misconstrued. A comprehensive literature review was done to understand the pathogenesis of drug-induced pauci-immune GN. We have described key diagnostic features that are helpful in distinguishing idiopathic ANCA vasculitis from drug-induced vasculitis. Additionally, we have also described different treatments meant to provide therapy options with the least side effects. Keywords: hydralazine; renal limited; pauci-immune GN (Published: 25 April 2016) Citation: Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives 2016, 6 : 30632 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/jchimp.v6.30632
Analysis on contamination monitoring result of food in Mianyang in 2011

Objective:To understand the pollution status of lead,cadmium,mercury,chromium,aluminum,inorganic arsenic and pesticide residues in food and provide scientific bases for instituting effective measures to ensure the safety of public.Methods: Food samples were collected or purchased from supermarket and farm′s markets in Mianyang,Zhitong,Yanting,Pingwu,Santai and Anxian.All the samples were detected according to the methods of food hygienic inspection.Results: 210 food samples were detected,163 samples were qualified with the qualification rate of 77.62%.Chromium item was qualified in all samples,the unqualified items were lead,cadmium,mercury,aluminum,inorganic arsenic and pesticide residues in some samples among 23 tested indexes in 43 kinds of foods.Conclusion: The pollution levels of inorganic arsenic,aluminum and pesticides were high in food of Mianyang city.The departments concerned should take measures to reduce the contamination for protecting the public health.
Drug resistance of ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

OBJECTIVE To prevent the prevalence and spread of high level drug resistant strains,analyze the drug resistance characteristic of clinically isolated ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli(E.coli)and Klebsiella pneumoniae(K.pneumonia)in the hospitals of Zhuji and to provide reference for rational clinical application of antimicrobial drugs.METHODS A retrospective analysis were conducted on the drug sensitivity test results of 1585strains of E.coli and 1084strains of K.pneumoniain the hospitals of Zhuji from 2010to 2011.RESULTS The detection rates of ESBLs-producing E.coli and K.pneumoniain the clinical specimens were 68.83%and 56.09%from 2010 to 2011.The drug resistance rates of ESBLs-producing strains were 0.92%~23.03%respectively to carbapenems,ciprofloxacin and a part of complex antimicrobial drugs containingβ-lactamases inhibitor,but the drug resistance rates to the other antimicrobial drugs were 30.43%~100%,respectively.CONCLUSION E.coli and K. pneumoniashow different degrees of drug resistance to various antimicrobial drugs,and some of them have multidrug resistance,while carbapenems are still the most sensitive to them.The clinicians should attach importance to the drug sensitivity test results,strictly control the indications of medication to delay the drug resistance of the pathogens.
A Combined Computational and Genetic Approach Uncovers Network Interactions of the Cyanobacterial Circadian Clock

ABSTRACT Two-component systems (TCS) that employ histidine kinases (HK) and response regulators (RR) are critical mediators of cellular signaling in bacteria. In the model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, TCSs control global rhythms of transcription that reflect an integration of time information from the circadian clock with a variety of cellular and environmental inputs. The HK CikA and the SasA/RpaA TCS transduce time information from the circadian oscillator to modulate downstream cellular processes. Despite immense progress in understanding of the circadian clock itself, many of the connections between the clock and other cellular signaling systems have remained enigmatic. To narrow the search for additional TCS components that connect to the clock, we utilized direct-coupling analysis (DCA), a statistical analysis of covariant residues among related amino acid sequences, to infer coevolution of new and known clock TCS components. DCA revealed a high degree of interaction specificity between SasA and CikA with RpaA, as expected, but also with the phosphate-responsive response regulator SphR. Coevolutionary analysis also predicted strong specificity between RpaA and a previously undescribed kinase, HK0480 (herein CikB). A knockout of the gene for CikB (cikB) in a sasA cikA null background eliminated the RpaA phosphorylation and RpaA-controlled transcription that is otherwise present in that background and suppressed cell elongation, supporting the notion that CikB is an interactor with RpaA and the clock network. This study demonstrates the power of DCA to identify subnetworks and key interactions in signaling pathways and of combinatorial mutagenesis to explore the phenotypic consequences. Such a combined strategy is broadly applicable to other prokaryotic systems. IMPORTANCE Signaling networks are complex and extensive, comprising multiple integrated pathways that respond to cellular and environmental cues. A TCS interaction model, based on DCA, independently confirmed known interactions and revealed a core set of subnetworks within the larger HK-RR set. We validated high-scoring candidate proteins via combinatorial genetics, demonstrating that DCA can be utilized to reduce the search space of complex protein networks and to infer undiscovered specific interactions for signaling proteins in vivo. Significantly, new interactions that link circadian response to cell division and fitness in a light/dark cycle were uncovered. The combined analysis also uncovered a more basic core clock, illustrating the synergy and applicability of a combined computational and genetic approach for investigating prokaryotic signaling networks.
Public and Private Debt Markets in Disequilibrium Theory

We have modeled how financial markets trading capital assets can go into price disequilibrium and create financial bubbles. We next modeled how within an international financial grid, investment banks create the financial products of a financial market. And we saw how the unregulated networks in the grid produce and sell financial products of questionable quality and little public good. Next we modeled how the sovereign bonds of Greek nation went into price disequilibrium, triggering a financial crisis in Greece and a subsequent depression lasting over 5 years. But at the same time of the fiscal crisis in Greece, a fiscal crisis occurred in Spain. And after 2010, Spain’s fiscal crisis was solved but Greece’s was not solved. Why the difference between Spain’s solution and Greece’s lack of solution to their fiscal problems? It had to do with the different market sources of the crises, a private-debt market in Spain and a public debt-market in Greece.
All Things Must Pass The Rise and Fall of Tower Records

We review the documentary All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records as a teaching tool for Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management. Through celebrity and former employee interviews, the film covers the founding, expansion, and eventual failure of the Tower Records music retailer. This review highlights many of the film’s key concepts: entrepreneurial opportunity recognition, organizational growth, and industry decline from disruptive technologies. All Things Must Pass is a useful teaching tool that engages in ways that elude most written cases.
Wafer-level Charged Device Model testing

Charged Device Model (CDM) ESD testing is demonstrated on wafer level. With a custom probe-mounted printed-circuit board and a high-frequency transformer that captures fast CDM pulses, wafer-level CDM (WCDM) pulses are applied and monitored repeatably. Modeling of CDM and WCDM in the time and frequency domain illustrates the dominant effects, and shows that WCDM can reproduce all the major phenomena of package-level CDM testing.
Channel Aware Particle Filtering for Tracking in Sensor Networks

Due to recent advances in computation power, particle filtering has become a very promising tool for nonlinear non- Gaussian tracking applications. In this paper, a new framework for target tracking in a wireless sensor network using particle filtering is proposed. Under this framework, the imperfect nature of the communication channels between sensors and the fusion center is taken into account, and the channel information as well as inherent limitations of wireless sensors are incorporated in the tracking algorithm based on particle filters. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm.
Dyadic effects of gratitude on burden, conflict, and contribution in the family caregiver and sibling relationship

ABSTRACTFamily caregivers are a quickly growing population in American society and are potentially vulnerable to a number of risks to well-being. High stress and little support can combine to cause difficulties in health and personal relationships. Siblings are, however, a possible source of protection for the at-risk caregiver. This study examines the relationships between caregiver burden, relational conflict, individual contribution, and gratitude exchange between caregivers and their siblings as they attend to the issue of caring for aging parents. Dyadic data were collected through an online survey and were analyzed using a series of actor–partner interdependence models. Dimensions of gratitude related to reduced caregiver burden, improved care-related conflict, and promotion of greater contribution to caregiving.
Weighted A* algorithms for unsupervised feature selection with provable bounds on suboptimality

Identifying a small number of features that can represent the data is believed to be NP-hard. Previous approaches exploit algebraic structure and use randomization. We propose an algorithm based on ideas similar to the Weighted A* algorithm in heuristic search. Our experiments show this new algorithm to be more accurate than the current state of the art.
Sensitivity Analysis for Unmeasured Confounding: E-Values for Observational Studies

VanderWeele and Ding introduce the “E-value” as a simple measure of the potential for bias arising from unmeasured confounders in observational studies. Using an example of an observational study o...
Sprouting Pattern and B-50 Phosphorylation in Regenerating Sciatic Nerve Respond to ACTH Peptides

Nerve sprouting in regeneration occurs as a restorative process following nerve crush or section. During regeneration, the administration of ACTH or ACTH peptide fragments such as αMSH (ACTH 1–13), ACTH 4–10, or an analogue of ACTH 4–9 (Org. 2766), stimulates the formation of nerve sprouts. The accelerated return of motor and sensory function following treatment with ACTH peptides (Strand and Kung 1980; Bijlsma et al. 1983) is due to an earlier initiation of sprouting following crush denervation (Verhaagen et al. 1986 a). Reinnervated motor units formed under the influence of early peptide treatment are considerably smaller, thus permitting finer motor control, than in saline-treated animals (Saint-Come and Strand 1985, 1987). This suggests an organizational role for these peptides on the pattern by which regenerating axons reinnervate skeletal muscle.
Phonon participation in ultrafast nonradiative processes in Cr: Mg2SiO4 laser crystal

Ion-lattice coupling between different local (impurity)—phonon (lattice) modes is considered the main factor that determines the dynamics of nonradiative processes in impurity-doped solid-state lasers. Although critical, this problem is not yet completely understood. We have investigated the phonons involved in nonradiative processes in Cr:Mg2SiO4 by using time-resolved Raman scattering and upconverted hot luminescence. These results are correlated with data provided by resonance Raman spectra for Cr4+ local modes to obtain a criterion for local mode coupling to lattice modes.
X-Ray and Light Scattering Studies of Electrode Surfaces and Interfaces

We review and illustrate the application of specular X-ray reflection and laser Raman spectroscopy to the study of electrode surfaces “in situ” in aqueous solution environments. As example of the former, we present results of x-ray reflectivity studies of copper in borate buffer solution. Information on the development of surface and interface roughness, the formation and reduction of surface films, as well as the density and thickness of the oxide layer have been obtained as a function of applied potential. We also show how knowledge of the composition and structure of electrochemically formed thin surface films on metals maybe gained by laser Ramall scattering and demonstrate this with results of studies on the passive film on nickel.
A Survey of Some Results on Invariant Subspaces in Operator Theory

The subject of invariant subspaces is very broad and the present survey is intended primarily as an introduction to that part of the theory relating to compactness. And even here we are not complete: for example, no mention is made of operators on Hilbert space with compact imaginary part. For an account of the entire subject up to 1973 see the book of Radjavi and Rosenthal [34], where complete proofs are given. For more recent material see the lectures of C. Pearcy [32] (especially Sections 4 – 8).
The role of tolerance variation in vulnerability forecasting of insects

Quantifying the amount of climatic change organisms can withstand before exceeding their physiological tolerance is a cornerstone of vulnerability forecasting. Yet most work in this area treats tolerance as a fixed trait. We review recent work that quantifies variation in high temperature tolerance across bioclimatic gradients, and we explore the implications for vulnerability to climate change. For some sources of variation, including differences in the evolutionary potential of heat tolerance across latitude, the typical biogeographic pattern of high vulnerability in the tropics is exacerbated. For other sources of variation, including certain types of plastic variation in heat tolerance, the biogeographic pattern of high tropical vulnerability is diminished. As a consequence, thermal tolerance variation should not be ignored in vulnerability forecasting.
Research on Transformer Fault Diagnosis Method Based on Rough Set Optimization BP Neural Network

The intelligent transformer fault diagnosis method can timely and accurately discover the equipment fault, which plays an important role in the safe operation of the transformer. This paper analyzes the research status of transformer fault diagnosis, and creatively introduces rough set theory and BP neural network into the field of transformer fault diagnosis. The rough set is used to filter and clear the redundant data as the pre-component, and effective data is normalized and processed. Then BP neural network is trained by sample data and a new type of transformer fault diagnosis method is established. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method are verified by practical examples.
Artery targeted photothrombosis widens the vascular penumbra, instigates peri-infarct neovascularization and models forelimb impairments.

The photothrombotic stroke model generates localized and reproducible ischemic infarcts that are useful for studying recovery mechanisms, but its failure to produce a substantial ischemic penumbra weakens its resemblance to human stroke. We examined whether a modification of this approach, confining photodamage to arteries on the cortical surface (artery-targeted photothrombosis), could better reproduce aspects of the penumbra. Following artery-targeted or traditional photothrombosis to the motor cortex of mice, post-ischemic cerebral blood flow was measured using multi-exposure speckle imaging at 6, 48, and 120 h post-occlusion. Artery-targeted photothrombosis produced a more graded penumbra at 48 and 120 h. The density of isolectin B4+ vessels in peri-infarct cortex was similarly increased after both types of infarcts compared to sham at 2 weeks. These results indicate that both models instigated post-ischemic vascular structural changes. Finally, we determined whether the strength of the traditional photothrombotic approach for modeling upper-extremity motor impairments extends to the artery-targeted approach. In adult mice that were proficient in a skilled reaching task, small motor-cortical infarcts impaired skilled-reaching performance for up to 10 days. These results support that artery-targeted photothrombosis widens the penumbra while maintaining the ability to create localized infarcts useful for modeling post-stroke impairments.