cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Auf dem Weg zu LBQ

Teile und herrsche! Ich weis fast sicher, dass Ludwig der Elfte von Frankreich das um 1480 herum ausgesprochen hat, aber einige Altere unter uns prahlen damit, es schon von Casar gehort haben zu wollen. Das Prinzip ist: Gib jedem Provinzfursten ein wenig Macht und herrsche oben druber uber sie alle. Spiele sie eben ein wenig gegeneinander aus, das hilft.
The computation of biomarkers in pharmacokinetics with the aid of singular perturbation methods

In pharmacokinetics, exact solutions to one-compartment models with nonlinear elimination kinetics cannot be found analytically, if dosages are assumed to be administered repetitively through extravascular routes (Tang and Xiao in J Pharmacokinet Pharmacodyn 34(6):807–827, 2007). Hence, for the corresponding impulsed dynamical system, alternative methods need to be developed to find approximate solutions. The primary purpose of this paper is to use the method of matched asymptotic expansions (Holmes Introduction to Perturbation Methods, vol 20. Springer Science & Business Media, Berlin, 2012), a singular perturbation method (Holmes, Introduction to Perturbation Methods, vol 20. Springer Science & Business Media, Berlin, 2012; Keener Principles of Applied Mathematics, Addison-Wesley, Boston, 1988), to obtain approximate solutions. With this method, we are able to rigorously determine conditions under which there is a stable periodic solution of the model equations. Furthermore, typical important biomarkers that enable the design of practical, efficient and safe drug delivery protocols, such as the time the drug concentration reaches the peak and the peak concentrations, are theoretically estimated by the perturbation method we employ.
Stress-activated pyrolytic carbon nanofibers for electrochemical platforms

Author(s): Holmberg, S; Ghazinejad, M; Cho, EB; George, D; Pollack, B; Perebikovsky, A; Ragan, R; Madou, M | Abstract: Carbon's electrochemistry depends on its type and microstructure, and how these affect the electrode's electronic density of states. We demonstrate how pyrolysis of electro-mechanically stressed Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers, infused with carbon nanotubes, will result in a unique graphitic electrode, which possesses enhanced and multifaceted electrochemical behavior. As corroborated by materials characterization, the microstructure of the stress-activated pyrolytic carbon (SAPC) characteristically contains a high proportion of disorders in the forms of edge planes and embedded heterogeneous nitrogen atoms. These disorders introduce a range of energy states near the Fermi level, yielding enhanced kinetics in the as-synthesized SAPC electrodes. A comprehensive electrochemical study of the SAPC electrode in surface sensitive ([Fe(CN)6]3-/4-), surface insensitive ([IrCl6]2-/3-), and adsorption sensitive (dopamine) redox probes demonstrates 5–14-fold increases in its heterogeneous electron transfer rate compared to regular PAN-based carbon electrodes. The fast kinetics of SAPC electrodes in adsorption sensitive analytes translates into its capability for simultaneous detection of dopamine, uric acid, and ascorbic acid. The results point to a new class of pyrolytic carbon electrodes with an attractive electrocatalytic capacity, geared toward electrochemical sensing platforms.
Engaging the Community Through Places: An User Study of People’s Festival Stories

Peoples lived experiences, stories, and memories about local places endow meaning to a community, which can play an important role in community engagement. We investigated the meaning of place through the lens of peoples memories of a local arts festival. We first designed, developed, and deployed a web application to collect peoples festival stories. We then developed our interview study based on 28 stories collected through the web app in order to generate rich conversations with 18 festival attendees. Our study identifies three parallel meanings that a place can hold based on the following types of festival attendees: experience seekers, nostalgia travelers, and familiar explorers. We further discuss how information technology can facilitate community engagement based on those parallel meanings of place.
Mediate Auscultation, the Stethoscope, and the “Autopsy of the Living”: Medicine's Acoustic Culture

The practice of mediate auscultation—listening to the body through a stethoscope—was at the center of new articulations of medical thought and practice in the 19th century. During that period, the stethoscope became the hallmark of medical modernity. This article offers a detailed examination of the work of RTH Laennec and other important writings on the stethoscope in order to argue for the centrality of a distinctive orientation toward listening in modern medicine. The development of mediate auscultation applied medical and scientific reason to listening, just as a particular practice of hearing the body became integral to everyday functioning of medicine. Mediate auscultation was thus an artifact of a new approach to reason and the senses, one based in a scientific mindset and a logic of mediation.
Divine Justice and the Library of Babel: Or, Was Al Capone Really Punished for Tax Evasion?

A criminal defendant enjoys an array of legal rights. These include the right not to be punished for an offense unless charged, tried, and proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; the right not to be punished disproportionately; and the right not to be punished for the same offense more than once. I contend that the design of our criminal legal system imperils these rights in ways few observers appreciate. Because criminal codes describe misconduct imprecisely and prohibit more misconduct than any legislature actually aspires to punish, prosecutors decide which violations of the code merit punishment, and judges decide how much punishment specific violations warrant. In making these decisions, prosecutors and judges rely on evidence beside that which is necessary to sustain a conviction, including evidence of an offender’s extraneous transgressions. This practice calls into question whether offenders are being punished for the offenses of which they’re formally convicted or instead for the extraneous transgressions that inform the exercise of official discretion. As I argue, theory and common sense alike suggest that the offense an offender is punished for is determined less by the formal features of the criminal process than by that process’s social meaning, which itself is determined at least in part by the motivations of the participating legal actors. Because we lack a sound basis to resolve these matters, we may not know how often our legal system dishonors the rights it proclaims sacrosanct.
The baseline resolution of Aldo-monosaccharide enantiomers: Simplified GC-MS analyses using acetal-trifluoroacetyl derivatives for complex samples.

Abstract A variety of scientific and technical fields rely on the analysis of monosaccharides (sugars). However, the multiple isomer forms of individual monosaccharides have long hampered their analyses in complex samples: significant chromatographic co-elution often leads to the loss of information on individual compounds. In addition, the chromatographic enantiomer resolution of monosaccharides has of course received less attention than molecular resolution. This would be expected in the case of rare monosaccharides, but enantiomer resolution of erythrose and threose have also received relatively little attention in the literature. Methods that are capable of the simultaneous molecular and enantiomer resolution/identification of suites of monosaccharides in single complicated mixtures are desirable. Here we report the results of attempts to resolve mixtures of the enantiomers of all three‑carbon (3C) to six‑carbon (6C) aldehyde (aldose) monosaccharides as acetal-trifluoroacetyl (acetal-TFA) derivatives by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS); glyceraldehyde (3C) is included as its TFA-only derivative. After a relatively simple derivatization procedure, the analyzed acetals are in the ethyl-, 2-propyl- and 2-butyl-TFA forms. Using chiral (cyclodextrin) and non-chiral (DB-17) GC columns we show that these enantiomer pairs can be baseline resolved - depending on the derivative/GC column combination - and that any single acetal/TFA combination can resolve the majority of enantiomers in a single run. Importantly, ribose and lyxose form only one significant (in abundance) stereoisomer with all derivative combinations while other monosaccharides form a maximum of only two significant stereoisomers: this greatly reduces obfuscation due to crowding on a given chromatogram. We conclude that GC–MS of acetal-TFA derivatives is the best (overall) analytical technique, to date, for the analysis of aldose-monosaccharide enantiomer ratios and reduces chromatogram clutter by favorably restricting the proliferation of monosaccharide isomers.
Prognosis and Management of Thick and Ultrathick Melanoma.

Objectives Thick melanomas, defined as ≥4 mm in thickness, represent ~5% of new melanoma diagnoses and have been associated with poor overall survival (OS). Ultrathick melanomas, those lesions ≥8 mm in thickness, have been associated with worse survival. We sought to compare prognostic factors for thick and ultrathick melanoma. Methods Retrospective analysis of a prospective database of all patients receiving an operation for melanoma, June 2005 to December 2016 was performed. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of progression-free survival (PFS) and OS. Results Of 95 patients with thick melanoma, 37 (39%) had ultrathick tumors (≥8 mm thick). Thick and ultrathick lesions were not significantly different on the basis of tumor location, ulceration, mitotic rate, lymphovascular invasion, or performance or positivity of sentinel node biopsy or therapeutic lymphadenectomy. Disease recurrence was identified in 38 patients overall (40%), more commonly in ultrathick disease (55% vs. 29%, P=0.008). Serum neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was available for 36 patients, of whom 23 (64%) had high NLR (>3.0). Decreased PFS was independently associated with ultrathick tumors (HR, 2.9; P=0.003), head/neck location (HR, 2.6; P=0.023), and positive lymph nodes (HR, 3.3; P=0.004). Decreased OS was independently associated with high NLR (HR, 5.0; P=0.042). Conclusions Disease progression was higher in the ultrathick melanoma group. Thicker tumors, head/neck location, and positive lymph nodes were associated with decreased PFS. High NLR was associated with decreased OS. Ultrathick melanomas represent advanced malignancy; however, patients may derive benefit from surgical treatment to achieve locoregional control.
Fiber selection for broadband, ultrashort pulse propagation

Propagation of broadband, ultrashort pulses through a few meters of standard silica fiber can severely distort and broaden the pulse due to dispersion and nonlinearity. Choice of fiber and dispersion compensation can reduce these effects.
IMAGINARIOS ESPACIALES DEL SUR EN LA POESÍA DE JAIME HUENÚN E IVONNE COÑUECAR

Resumen: El objetivo de este articulo es identificar cuales serian los imaginarios espaciales mas relevantes que se manifiestan en la poetica de Jaime Huenun e Ivonne Conuecar. Al respecto, se plantea, como hipotesis, que las producciones escriturales de ambos autores son originadas a partir de un locus geografico de enunciacion especifico, en el que se manifiestan una serie de representaciones simbolicas espaciales que estarian en tension con el imaginario social instituyente de la nacion. Frente a esas representaciones, concebidas como imaginarios espaciales del sur y como una interrelacion compleja entre experiencia, espacio e imaginario, los/as sujetos poeticos/as de ambos autores se presentan como subjetividades en conflicto. Palabras clave: Poesia mapuche; sur; imaginarios; espacio; experiencia. Abstract: The objective of this article is to identify which would be the most relevant spatial imaginaries manifested in the poetry of Jaime Huenun and Ivonne Conuecar. In this regard, it is suggested, as a hypothesis, that the scriptural productions of both authors are originated from a geographical locus of specific enunciation, in which a series of spatial symbolic representations are manifested that would be in tension with the instituting social imaginary of the nation. Faced with these representations, conceived as spatial imaginaries of the South and as a complex interrelation between experience, space and imagination, the poetic subjects of both authors present themselves as conflicting subjectivities.. Keywords: Mapuche poetry; south; imaginary; space; experience.
Dear Reviewer 2: Go F’ Yourself

Objectives The objective of this study was to empirically test the wide belief that Reviewer #2 is a uniquely poor reviewer. Methods The test involved analyzing the reviewer database from Political Behavior. There are two main tests. First, the reviewer's categorical evaluation of the manuscript was compared by reviewer number. Second, the data were analyzed to test if Reviewer #2 was disproportionately likely to be more than one category below the mean of the other reviewers of the manuscript. Results There is no evidence that Reviewer #2 is either more negative about the manuscript or out of line with the other reviewers. There is, however, evidence that Reviewer #3 is more likely to be more than one category below the other reviewers. Conclusions Reviewer #2 is not the problem. Reviewer #3 is. In fact, he is such a bad actor that he even gets the unwitting Reviewer #2 blamed for his bad behavior.
Debate: Student mental health matters - the heightened need for school-based mental health in the era of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing gaps in school-based mental health services and created new and urgent needs to address student mental health. Evidence from early in the pandemic already suggests that preexisting educational and mental health disparities have increased under the stress of the current health crisis. School mental health professionals are essential to help address anxiety, to promote social adjustment in the 'new normal', and to address trauma, grief, and loss. Schools will also need to creatively support teachers during this unprecedented time. Such efforts will require adequate funding and advocacy for the inclusion of school-based mental health supports within governmental COVID-19 aid packages.
Musculoskeletal imaging manifestations of beta-thalassemia

Beta-thalassemia is a heterogeneous group of anemic disorders caused by the absence or defective production of beta-globin chains. Their clinical manifestations vary from asymptomatic to severe symptoms leading to a transfusion-dependent anemic state. The genes that cause thalassemia are prevalent in Asian and African populations, particularly concentrated in the Middle East, Mediterranean region, parts of India, and South East Asia. Over time, the disease causes various musculoskeletal abnormalities with complex pathophysiology secondary to chronic anemia. The compensatory mechanisms result in diffuse marrow hyperplasia, yellow to red marrow reconversion, osteopenia, and pathologic fractures. Inability to remove excess iron and inevitable iron overload as a result of multiple blood transfusions in patients with thalassemia major and intermedia is another face of the disease. Musculoskeletal manifestations include osteopenia, coarse trabeculae, bone expansion, synovitis, joint effusion, and metaphyseal dysplasia. These complications have long-lasting effects on the skeletal growth pattern resulting in bone deformity, short stature, premature closure of physes, and predisposition to infection. Additionally, there are radiologic features of iron-chelator therapy, which are unique and unrelated to the disease process itself. Familiarity of radiologists with the imaging features of beta-thalassemia is crucial in both diagnosis and timely management of the disease and its complications.
Distributed Simulation of Heterogeneous Mission Subsystems Through the Black Lion Framework

This paper describes the design and implementation of Black Lion, a purely software-based, distributed environment for integrated testing of independent spacecraft mission models. The Black Lion si...
Neuropsychology, Criminalization in Frontotemporal Syndromes and Impaired Sense of Agency (P5.194)

Objective: To alert clinicians of the marked dissonance that may occur between cognition and behavior in frontal lobe syndromes. Background: Criminalization in the context of frontotemporal syndromes has been reported in up to 25% of cases. Design/Methods: A 49-year old information technologist with 4 years of college training, presented for neurological evaluation on account of adult onset seizures, attributed to a right frontal arteriovenous malformation (AVM), removed by craniotomy. Within 4 months, the family noted altered personality traits, behavioral changes and many instances of social ineptitude followed, including public indecency for which he was incarcerated. Results: Neuropsychological testing (NPT) was performed at the request of his attorney, concerned about the possibility of so called organic brain disease. These tests recorded to be within normal range with a number of domains in the superior range. On the basis of these tests he was told that there was “nothing wrong with his brain” and he was duly readmitted to incarceration to complete his sentence. Subsequent behavioral neurological testing delineated profound abnormalities with a diagnosis of frontotemporal lobe syndrome made according the Rascovsky et al criteria, Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI) and Frontal Systems Behavior Examination (FRSBE). Both the FBI and FRSBE scores were markedly abnormal, corroborated by neuroimaging evidence of the a large, right inferior frontal encephalomalacea related to the AVM and its surgical removal. A treatment plan was devised for his cognitive rehabilitation and monitoring and he was released from incarceration on the basis of loss of sense of self, relating to his FT syndrome. Conclusions: There may be a marked cognitive and behavioral neurological dissonance with frontal lobe lesions that may lead to overlooking organic brain disease Frontotemporal syndromes are associated with varying degrees of loss of sense of self disorders that may pose moral and ethical dilemmas and at times may obviate a criminal sentence. Study Supported by: N/A Disclosure: Dr. Hoffmann has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rossi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rodriguez has nothing to disclose.
Gut Microbiota Modulation and Fecal Transplantation: An Overview on Innovative Strategies for Hepatic Encephalopathy Treatment

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a major complication of cirrhosis, which is associated with gut microbial composition and functional alterations. Current treatments largely focus on gut microbiota using lactulose, rifaximin and other agents. However, despite these treatments, patients with HE have a high rate of readmission, morbidity and cognitive impairment. Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) involves introduction of a donor microbiota into a recipient and is currently mainly used for recurrent C. difficile infection (rCDI). The role of FMT in cirrhosis and HE is evolving. There have been two randomized clinical trials (RCT) and several case reports/series in cirrhosis. Both RCTs were safety-focused phase 1 trials. One involved pre-FMT antibiotics and FMT enema versus standard of care, while the other involved 15 FMT capsules versus placebo without pre-FMT antibiotics. There was evidence of safety in both trials and the FMT group demonstrated reduction in hospitalizations compared to the non-FMT group. Changes in microbial function centered around short-chain fatty acids, bile acids and brain function showed improvement in the FMT groups. Long-term follow-up demonstrated continued safety and reduction in the antibiotic-resistance gene carriage. However, larger trials of FMT in HE are needed that can refine the dose, duration and route of FMT administration.
End-stage renal disease in a child with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis associated with a homozygous NUP93 variant.

This report highlights that the genetic causes of FSGS, including NUP93 gene variant, such as the one described in this report, progress to end-stage renal disease rapidly and that the risk of recurrence post-renal transplantation is less likely.
Serving Elders in the Public Sector

Community care of the older adult cannot be conducted in isolation. Whether the community mental health provider orchestrates the care or works as a member of a team, it is important to understand the underlying principles of geriatric psychiatry and be familiar with the resources necessary to provide comprehensive care. The aim of this chapter is to provide the community practitioner with these basic principles, to describe the key community resources for older adults and to present several innovative model programs for addressing mental health needs in later life.
On the determination of physical properties of composite materials by a three-dimensional finite-element procedure

In this work the effective moduli of a composite material have been found by employing the finite-element method. The correspondence between the actual composite and its equivalent homogeneous anisotropic material is established on the requirement of equality of the total strain energies for the two media. The method is applied to the unidirectional fiber composites, the short unidirectional fiber composite, and the lamellar composite, and the results compare satisfactorily with available analytical data.
On the algorithmic and implementational aspects of a Discontinuous Galerkin method at finite strains

In this work, algorithmic modifications are proposed and analyzed for a recently developed stabilized finite strain Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method. The distinguishing feature of the original method, referred to as VMDG, is a consistently derived expression for the numerical flux and stability tensor that account for evolving material and geometric nonlinearity in the vicinity of the interface. Herein, the proposed modifications involve simplifications to the residual force vector and tangent stiffness matrix of the VMDG method that lead to formulations similar to other existing DG methods but retain the enhanced definition for the stability parameters. The primary objective is to reduce the costs associated with implementing the method as well as executing simulations while retaining accuracy and flexibility, thereby making the formulation amenable to boarder material classes such as inelasticity. Each simplification has associated implications on the mathematical and algorithmic properties of the method, such as L 2 convergence rate, solution accuracy, continuity enforcement, and stability of the nonlinear equation solver. These implications are carefully quantified and assessed through a comprehensive numerical performance study. The range of two and three dimensional problems under consideration involves both isotropic and anisotropic materials. Both triangular and quadrilateral element types are employed along with h and p refinement. The ability of the proposed methods to produce stable and accurate results for such a broad class of problems is highlighted.
Thematic Approach to Curriculum Development.

(1976). Thematic Approach to Curriculum Development. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 140-143.
A Spatial Dance to the Music of Time in the Leks of Long-Tailed Manakins

Abstract Long-tailed manakins (Aves, Pipridae) have a lek mating system with obligate dual-male courtship display. Temporal and spatial factors shape many aspects of male social organization. At daily, seasonal and lifetime temporal scales, the life history schedules of males are “stretched,” such that males attain partner status only when they are eight or older, and female choice assesses a long term running average of dual-male performance at the scale of months or years. Relative invulnerability to predation may explain some differences between long-tailed manakins and other lek-mating species. Male and female use of space affects male–female and male–male relationships. I propose that male–male cooperation may be favored by either or both of two mechanisms. The first is that the spatial acuity of female choice and consequent unanimity of female choice may restrict options for young males and favor delayed benefits derived from enhancing a lek's reputation. The second is that stable long term associations of males, at stable, predictably located lek arenas, may shift the balance from tolerance of neighbors and mutualistic antipredator avoidance to active cooperation in courtship.
Evaluating a Community Based Homelessness Prevention Program: A Geographic Information System Approach

Abstract This article introduces and illustrates the application of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to examine patterns of social services use in community-based interventions. By integrating management information system data from human service agencies and publicly accessible data from the U.S. Census within a spatially-referenced framework, the study illustrates that GIS analysis could help managers and planners of social services to assess the extent to which program implementation reflects adherence to a program concept and identify geographical areas with the greatest unmet service needs. The article demonstrates the application of GIS technology, based on an analysis of a citywide community-based homelessness prevention program in Philadelphia.
Race Scheduling Controls for Object Systems

Concurrent object-oriented computing, a relatively new and rapid growing field, is the inevitable integration of object-oriented programming and concurrent computing technology. Concurrent Object-Oriented Programming is a programming methodology in which the system to be constructed is modeled as a collection of concurrently executable objects interacting by means of message passing. It is a powerful design methodology for modeling and implementing complex, concurrent systems [2,16,17,22]. Concurrency usually introduces non-deterministic behavior to concurrent computation within object systems. A synchronization mechanism is often required to ensure the proper coordination of communicating software components and to determine what operations can be done at a given time. It permits the specification of conditions by which all the concerned parties can perform their designated tasks in a synchronized fashion.
Hyperaminoacidemia eliminates the influence of body fat and insulin sensitivity on fractional synthesis rate and myostatin regulation in humans (1168.3)

Multiple conditions are linked to perturbed skeletal muscle protein (SMP) metabolism, including excess adiposity and insulin resistance. Here we delineate the precise roles of body fat and insulin sensitivity on SMP metabolism, and test the hypothesis that hyperaminoacidemia can eliminate the influence of these factors. Six healthy individuals underwent a DEXA scan to determine percent body fat (%BF; 16.3-29.4%) and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to evaluate insulin sensitivity via Matsuda index (MI; 1.21-12.0). Subjects received a primed, continuous infusion of L-[2,3,3,4,5,5,5,6,6,6-2H10]leucine to determine SMP fractional synthesis rate (FSR) in biopsies from the vastus lateralis. Myostatin (MSTN) mRNA, a marker of muscle wasting, was quantified in similar biopsies, and MSTN activation was assessed in plasma as the percent of active over latent protein. To evaluate the effect of hyperaminoacidemia, samples were collected before and during infusions of high amino acids (AA). In our subjects, %BF ...
The rise of digital curation and cyberinfrastructure: From experimentation to implementation and maybe integration

Purpose – The terms “digital curation” and “cyberinfrastructure” have been coined in the last decade to describe distinct but related concepts of how data can be managed, preserved, manipulated and made available for long‐term use. This paper aims to examine these.Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers the origins of both terms and the communities that have been engaged with each of them, traces the development of the present digital environment in the USA and considers what this may mean for the future.Findings – The paper reveals that each term has important attributes that contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the digital knowledge universe.Originality/value – The paper reveals information about the development of digital preservation.
Manufacturing Flexibility: Assessing Managerial Perception and Utilization

This paper presents an empirical study of how consumer electronics companies in Brazil deal with the issue of manufacturing flexibility. The main purpose is to provide an understanding into how flexibility is being perceived and utilized in a newly industrialized country. It begins by explaining the relevance of this study. The participation of Brazil in the world economy is important. Here, companies can be very flexible, based on low cost and an abundant skilled work force, yet flexibility has not been addressed. The paper explains how indicators were established to obtain an analytical structure with which to assess the managerial perception and the actual industrial use of flexibility. Finally, we show the most relevant results of our investigation of 16 leading firms in Brazil, including multinational ones. The findings are divided according to managerial perception of flexibility and effective utilization of flexibility in the organization. The paper concludes that firms in the consumer electronics industry in Brazil do not use flexibility practices in the same proportion that they perceive its importance.
Immediate hypersensitivity reactions to corticosteroids.

Abstract Objective To review the literature on immediate hypersensitivity reactions to corticosteroids and classify them according to manifestations, routes of exposure, causative preparations, diagnostic tests, and management. Data Sources PubMed search for English-language publications from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2014 using search terms corticosteroid, glucocorticoid, or steroid combined with hypersensitivity, allergy, or anaphylaxis. Study Selection Only reports of immediate hypersensitivity reactions that occurred sooner than 24 hours after administration of a corticosteroid were included. Excluded were reports on patients with delayed reactions, including contact dermatitis. Results Forty-eight articles fulfilled the criteria, reporting 120 reactions in 106 patients 2 to 90 years of age (55 male and 51 female). The most commonly reported manifestation was anaphylaxis in 60.8% (73 of 120) followed by urticaria and/or angioedema in 26.7%. Exposure to corticosteroid was through any route, with intravenous being the most common (44.2%, 53 of 120), followed by oral in 25.8% and intra-articular in 11.7%. Methylprednisolone was the most commonly implicated (40.8%) followed by prednisolone (20.0%). Some reacted to more than 1 preparation. Pharmacologically-inactive ingredients were implicated in 28.3%. Diagnosis was based primarily on medical history and in most cases was confirmed by challenge testing. Skin tests were positive in 74.1%. The vast majority of patients tolerated at least 1 alternative preparation, and very rarely desensitization was required. Conclusion Corticosteroids seem to be rare causes of immediate hypersensitivity reactions but possibly are misdiagnosed or under-reported relative to their worldwide use. Physicians should be cognizant of this entity and identify safe alternative preparations.
Grain growth and loss of texture during annealing of alloys, and the translation of Earth’s inner core

[1] The Earth's inner core is seismically anisotropic, with the direction parallel to the rotation axis both fast and more attenuating. There is also increasing evidence that the inner core is asymmetric, with the western hemisphere exhibiting slower direction-averaged P wave velocity, less overall attenuation, and greater elastic anisotropy. It was recently suggested that the hemispherical variations might result from convective translation, whereby enhanced solidification in the western hemisphere leads to a net eastward translation of inner core material, with melting occurring in the east. Annealing accompanies this eastward movement. This study examines experimentally a previously unobserved sequence of grain growth and loss of texture during the annealing of a directionally solidified alloy. The growth of newly nucleated grains results because the original grains that resulted from directional solidification have a high energy associated with intragranular interphase boundaries, and because the minor element has a very low solubility in the primary phase so that a more traditional sequence of coarsening is not possible. This supplies a physical mechanism for the loss of texture that is suggested seismically.
Water Quality Management and Nonpoint Source Control

Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water. Nonpoint source pollutants include (1) excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas; (2) oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production; (3) sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding stream banks; (4) salt from irrigation practices and acid drainage from abandoned mines; (5) bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septic systems; and (6) atmospheric deposition and hydromodification are also sources of nonpoint source pollution. NPS pollution is widespread because it can occur any time activities disturb the land or water. Agriculture, forestry, grazing, septic systems, recreational boating, urban runoff, construction, physical changes to stream channels, and habitat degradation are potential sources of NPS pollution. Careless or uninformed household management also contributes to NPS pollution problems. The most common NPS pollutants are sediment and nutrients. These wash into waterbodies from agricultural land, small and medium-sized animal feeding operations, construction sites, and other areas of disturbance. Keywords: water quality; water quality management; nonpoint source control; best management practices; management measures; watershed management; total maximum daily load (TMDL); TMDL implementation; stormwater management
Has racial difference in cause-specific death improved in older patients with late-stage breast cancer?

Abstract Background Research on temporal mortality trends for stage IV breast cancer is limited, especially among older patients by race. We evaluated factors associated with overall, breast cancer-specific and other-cause mortalities using contemporary population data. Patients and methods Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare linked data, we identified older women (≥66 years) with stage IV breast cancer diagnosed in 2002–2009. Overall mortality was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method, compared by log-rank tests, and modeled by Cox models. Competing risk analysis was used to evaluate breast cancer-specific and other-cause mortalities. Results The median overall survival time for non-Hispanic blacks improved from 8.6 months in 2002–2003 to 9.9 months in 2007–2009, whereas that for non-Hispanic whites improved from 12.1 to 14.8 months. In the multivariate model, the risk of breast cancer-specific death for patients diagnosed in 2007–2009 was significantly lower (P = 0.02), whereas the risk of other-cause mortality changed little (P = 0.88) compared with those risks for patients diagnosed in 2002–2003. Non-Hispanic blacks had the higher risk of both mortality types compared with non-Hispanic whites; a diagnosis time–race interaction term was not statistically significant for either cause of death. Conclusion Breast cancer-specific mortality among older women modestly improved from 2002 to 2009 across all races, but not other-cause mortality. Racial disparity in mortality persisted, but did not widen in this period. Efforts should be devoted to improving other-cause mortality for all women, with special attention toward decreasing breast cancer mortality for non-Hispanic black women.
A Comparison of Several Conjugated Body Fluid Proteins in Three Species of Mites

Several conjugated proteins in the body fluids of the North American house dust mite, Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes, the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus utricae Kock, and the chicken mite, Dermanyssus gallinae DeGeer, were compared using disc electrophoresis. The phospholipids, sterols, glycoproteins, and lipoproteins were studied using various differential staining procedures with amido-Schwartz being used to identify proteins. Seventeen general protein bands were detectable in both the house dust mite and the twospotted spider mite while only 16 were detectable in the chicken mite. Seventeen detectable conjugated proteins were identified in the house dust mite, 14 in the chicken mite, and 12 in the twospotted spider mite. In all mites some general protein bands did not respond to any of the differential stains.
A characterization of locally finite varieties that satisfy a nontrivial congruence identity

We show that a locally finite variety satisfies a nontrivial congruence identity if and only if it satisfies an idempotent Mal'tsev condition that fails in the variety of semilattices.
A highly safe self-stabilizing mutual exclusion algorithm

Conventional self-stabilizing algorithms cannot be used for safety-critical systems due to the period of vulnerability that exists after a transient failure occurs till the system stabilizes. In this paper, we consider a highly safe self-stabilizing system where the vulnerability problem is tackled. The design principles we use to achieve this goal include sobriety test and processor specialization. Sobriety test is used to prevent the system from performing incorrect actions when the system state is faulty. Specialization disables individual processors from making faulty moves. We have developed a self-stabilizing mutual exclusion algorithm that guarantees mutual exclusion with a very high probability even in the presence of failures.
Atomic resolution STM imaging of a twisted single-wall carbon nanotube

We present atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy images of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT's) embedded in a crystalline nanotube rope. Although they may be interpreted as of a chiral nanotube, the images are more consistently explained as an achiral armchair tube with a quenched twist distortion. The existence of quenched twists in SWNT's in ropes might explain the fact that both as-grown bulk nanotube material and individual ropes have insulatorlike conductivity at low temperature.
DNA Methylation Profiling in Asthmatic and Non Asthmatic Nasal Epithelial Cells During Respiratory Virus Infection

S U N D A Y 487 DNA Methylation Profiling in Asthmatic and Non Asthmatic Nasal Epithelial Cells During Respiratory Virus Infection Peter McErlean, PhD, Silvio Favoreto, Jr, , PhD, Fabricio Costa, PhD, Junquing Shen, PhD, Assel Biyasheva, PhD, Maria de Fatima Bonaldo, PhD, Denise Scholtens, PhD, Hehuang Xie, PhD, Marcelo B. Soares, PhD, Pedro C. Avila, MD, FAAAAI; Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, Childrens Memorial Hospital Research Center, Chicago, IL, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL. RATIONALE:Mechanisms underlying the development of virus-induced asthma exacerbations remain unclear. To investigate if epigenetic mechanisms could be involved in virus-induced asthma exacerbations, we undertook DNA methylation profiling in asthmatic (n510) and non asthmatic (n510) nasal epithelial cells during respiratory virus infection in vitro. METHODS: Nasal Epithelial cells were obtained adults (60% female, 10% atopic, median age 22.5 yrs) and infected with Human Rhinovirus-16 (MOI52) or medium control for 48hrs. Global and gene specific methylation profiles were determined via Alu element methylation status and Infinium Human Methylation 450 array respectively. RESULTS: Differences in global and gene-specific methylation were identified between groups in both control and infected cultures. Global methylation was significantly increased in asthmatics (p50.04) but decreased in non asthmatics (p50.64) during infection. Changes in gene-specific methylation profiles were most evident during infection for both groups. However a number of immune (CXCR4, HLA-H), cell adhesion (CD47) and cell structure-associated (TUBB2B) genes exhibited significant differential methylation (p5<0.001) between groups during infection. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has identified that respiratory virus infection impacts DNA methylation in nasal epithelial cells. In addition, we have discovered that differential methylation exists between asthmatic and non asthmatics during respiratory virus infection, suggesting the epigenetic mechanisms may play a role in virus-induced asthma exacerbations.
The effect of disaggregating land use categories in cellular automata during model calibration and forecasting

Abstract Spatial models of urban growth have the ability to play an important role in the planning process; if not in aiding in policy decisions, then in processes such as visioning, storytelling, and scenario evaluation. One question that has not adequately been addressed is to what degree does disaggregating land use types from urban/non-urban categories add to these simulations? This paper aims to answer this question by modeling urbanization in San Joaquin County (CA) using the SLEUTH urban growth model with two equal, but different datasets; one with urban/non-urban data, and the other with the same data, but the non-urban data disaggregated in nine land uses. The results show that there is an explicit link between the likelihood of urbanization, and the type of land use that will be converted to urban, and suggest that future exercises using spatial models should not ignore the impact of aggregating individual land use categories into urban–non-urban classes.
Exploring Approaches to Layered Image Registration

Image registration is an important fundamental process, which has many useful applications to Tracking, Automatic Target Recognition (ATR), and Sensor Fusion to name a few. Recent publications illustrate the Air Force's desire to exploit the benefits of a layered (altitude) sensing environment. In such an environment, data from different sensors, of different modalities, at different elevations of the same scene are fused to gain a better understanding of the operational environment. This research, sponsored by the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), builds on classical registration techniques to explore novel registration algorithms applied to data under the new layered sensing environment. Our main focus, herein, is to register large-scale aerial Electro Optical (EO) images collected from cameras at different altitudes. Particularly we propose a method to jointly segment and register the same object in two layered images. A multiphase, region-based active contour method, together with an adapted joint segmentation-registration technique, are combined to provide a way of registering layered sensing images. This method provides a Level 0 mechanism in data fusion hierarchy to preprocess (segment) and align data for future fusion stages. In this paper, theories of multi-view geometry is reviewed for understanding the possible form of registration, our proposed method is illustrated and substantiating examples and results are provided as well.
Peasantries and Elites without Urbanism: the Civilization of Ethiopia

Agricultural or nonindustrial civilization is customarily defined by social scientists in terms of urbanism and a dual social organization. Such a definition is not recent and, like many other concepts in Western thought, can be traced back to the Greeks, to Strabo for example, if one wishes to do so. Another way of considering the definition is in terms of two complementary societal components, neither existing without the other. One component is an elite in an urban setting with an elaborate high culture or Great Tradition based on literacy, and the second is a large rural peasantry with a Little Tradition or illiterate folk manifestation of the Great Tradition. However, civilization with its elite and peasants is also found when cities are absent, as in Mayan Mesoamerica; nonexistent or not vital, as in early Dynastic Egypt; or atrophied into uninhabitable ruins, as in Ethiopia. Indeed, cities were neither numerous nor large throughout the time of Bronze Age civilizations. Cities and civilizations are thus not always related. As shown above, the latter may exist without the former, and in preliterate western Africa urbanism existed without civilization.
Proximate cues for predator searching: a quantitative analysis of hunger and encounter rate in the ladybird beetle, Coccinella septempunctata

Many mobile predators use different foraging behaviours depending on whether prey are clumped or uniformly distributed in space. It is believed that predators can increase foraging efficiency on patchily distributed prey if they alternate intensive searching (slow speeds and frequent, acute turns) with extensive searching (high speeds and infrequent, shallow turns). We used Fourier transforms, fractal dimension analysis and traditional single-value measures of movement to determine which proximate cue caused these changes in behaviour: frequency of encounter or degree of satiation. Over a range of encounter rates and levels of hunger, we found that larval ladybird beetles showed intensive search behaviour for varying levels of encounter frequency, but did not alter their behaviour when hunger level was manipulated. We provide a conceptual model that explains why encounter frequency is more likely than hunger level to determine search behaviour. We discuss the relative merits of Fourier transforms in relation to fractal dimension and single-value measures.
Unimolecular Decomposition of the FCO Radical

The kinetics of the unimolecular decomposition of the FCO radical has been studied experimentally in a heated tubular flow reactor coupled to a photoionization mass spectrometer. Rate constants for the decomposition were determined in time-resolved experiments as a function of temperature (951−1051 K) and bath gas density ((6−12) × 1016 molecules cm-3) in two bath gasesHe and N2. The rate constants are in the low-pressure limit under the conditions of the experiments and can be described by the following expressions: k°1(He) = 10-8.74±0.28 exp(−(14169 ± 653 K)/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1 (from the fitting of experimental data) and k°1(N2) = 10-8.71 exp(−14154 K)/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1 (evaluated from comparison of data obtained in nitrogen and helium bath gases). The thermochemistry of the reaction was analyzed on the basis of the data available in the literature and those obtained in the current study. An upper limit estimate was obtained for the rate constant of the reaction of FCO radicals with O2 at the tem...