cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A corporate partner in the endoscopic ambulatory surgery center. Is it worth the cost

In the preceding article of this two-part polemic on the advisability of a corporate partner in the endoscopic ambulatory surgery center (EASC), the advantages of such a partner were discussed and criteria given for judging its performance. Alternatives to the corporate partner were discussed. In that article, the corporate partnership in the EASC is a positive development yielding many benefits and few disadvantages to the physicians and the center. In this article, the balance tilts the other way.
Studying low-density lipoprotein-monoclonal antibody complexes using dynamic laser light scattering and analytical ultracentrifugation.

Monoclonal antibody complexes have proven very useful in the study of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs). Thus, complexes composed of two different monoclonal antibodies, selected from a panel of 11 different antibodies, and LDL have been employed to map apolipoprotein B (apoB) on the surface of the LDL. In this way, apoB was found to surround the LDL as a ribbon with a bow [Chatterton, J. E., et al. (1995) J. Lipid Res. 36, 2027−2037]. Moreover, monoclonal MB19, which recognizes a polymorphic site, has been employed to quantitate the two different allelic forms of apoB found on LDL in human sera, and in this way, we assessed the effect of most of the known common polymorphisms of this protein as well as detected the depletion of the normal allele product in two forms of familial defective apoB-100 [Chatterton, J. E., et al. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 9571−9580; Pullinger, C. R., et al. (1995) J. Clin. Invest. 95, 1225−1234]. In this paper, these studies have been extended by examining by dynamic light scatteri...
BODY SIZE OF INSULAR LIZARDS: A PATTERN OF HOLOCENE DWARFISM.

Until recently there have been scant historical data available to test and supplement studies on the evolution of body size within insular lizards. However, there is now an accumulating fossil record from islands which shows that numerous species have declined in average maximum body size since the beginning of the Holocene, regardless of phylogenetic afffinities, habits, or even size of the species itself. Coincident with decline in body size, human colonization of islands has permanently altered insular environments, with the consequence that native flora and fauna have been depleted. Indeed, the fossil record documents high extinction rates among insular vertebrates during the past few thousand years. It follows that resource deterioration may have led to the reduction of lizard body size, as expressed genotypically in selection for corresponding smaller dimensions, and phenotypically through arrested growth and development leading to compression of the age-class structure. The effect of human settlement on small islands has been underestimated, and although the consequences do not render completely in vain the attempts to understand ecological processes on them, they are of sufficient magnitude to stress caution in any assessment of a modern insular biota.
Specific internalization of estrogen and binding to nuclear matrix in isolated uterine cells.

Abstract Fractionation of rat uterine cells incubated at 22 °C with 0.2 nM [ 3 H]-estradiol-17β (E2β) was performed to analyze the subcellular distribution of internalized hormone. The postnuclear supernatant of homogenates was resolved in Percoll® density gradients into six major fractions defined by enzyme markers. Within 10 s, E2β concentrates at the density of plasma membranes and also at a more buoyant density (ϱ = 1.052 ± 0.001) with peak accumulation of hormone by 2 min. Thereafter, binding in the latter fraction declines concomitantly with appearance of a portion of hormone at higher densities corresponding to Golgi and lysosomes. E2β exhibits preferential accumulation in nuclear matrix from 5 to 60 min. Microfiltration and scanning electron microscopy of the buoyant 2-min peak fractions reveal organelles, 50–200 nm. These may represent endocytotic vesicles that serve as vehicles for nuclear transfer of hormone.
Advanced practice nursing: reflections on the past, issues for the future.

Purpose/objectives To provide a comprehensive historical review of advanced practice nursing, describe the development of the professional role of oncology advanced practice nurses (APNs), and document the current status of major issues. Data sources Published articles, research findings, position papers and statements, conference proceedings, books, newsletters, newspaper articles, executive summaries, standards and guidelines, and personal communications. Data synthesis The oncology APN role has evolved over the past 100 years in response to the healthcare needs of society and available educational opportunities. Trends in health care and education continue to influence the expansion of the professional APN role. Conclusions Oncology APNs are prepared to practice in a variety of roles, providing expert clinical, educational, emotional, and supportive care to patients with cancer. Several major professional issues have been identified and addressed. Oncology APNs must document the influence of expert nursing care on patient outcomes and organizational efficiency.
A Model for International Collaborative Development Work in Schools

This paper discusses the establishment of an international collaborative program focused on school improvement in Brazil and the United States. Two qualitative research studies were conducted on the development work conducted by faculty, students, and local K‐12 school stakeholders. The design and implementation of collaborative student projects focused on multicultural education and the use of educational technologies. A model for international collaborative projects is presented that can serve as a framework for future projects following similar principles. Un modele pour un travail de developpement collaboratif international dans les ecoles Cet article examine la creation d’un programme collaboratif international centre sur l’amelioration des ecoles au Bresil et aux Etats‐Unis. Deux recherches qualitatives ont porte sur le travail de developpement mene par les enseignants, les eleves et les responsables du systeme scolaire de la maternelle a la Terminale. La conception et la mise en œuvre des projets c...
USING THE ASPIRATION CORE TO PREDICT COALITION FORMATION

This work uses the defining principles of the core solution concept to determine not only payoffs but also coalition formation. Given a cooperative transferable utility (TU) game, we propose two noncooperative procedures that in equilibrium deliver a natural and nonempty core extension, the aspiration core, together with the supporting coalitions it implies. As expected, if the cooperative game is balanced, the grand coalition forms. However, if the core is empty, other coalitions arise. Following the aspiration literature, not only partitions but also overlapping coalition configurations are allowed. Our procedures interpret this fact in different ways. The first game allows players to participate with a fraction of their time in more than one coalition, while the second assigns probabilities to the formation of potentially overlapping coalitions. We use the strong Nash and subgame perfect Nash equilibrium concepts.
Drought- and salt-tolerant plants result from overexpression of the AVP1 H+-pump

Transgenic plants overexpressing the vacuolar H+-pyrophosphatase are much more resistant to high concentrations of NaCl and to water deprivation than the isogenic wild-type strains. These transgenic plants accumulate more Na+ and K+ in their leaf tissue than the wild type. Moreover, direct measurements on isolated vacuolar membrane vesicles derived from the AVP1 transgenic plants and from wild type demonstrate that the vesicles from the transgenic plants have enhanced cation uptake. The phenotypes of the AVP1 transgenic plants suggest that increasing the vacuolar proton gradient results in increased solute accumulation and water retention. Presumably, sequestration of cations in the vacuole reduces their toxic effects. Genetically engineered drought- and salt-tolerant plants could provide an avenue to the reclamation of farmlands lost to agriculture because of salinity and a lack of rainfall.
Acquired Aortic Insufficiency with 2nd Versus 3rd Generation Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device

Purpose Aortic insufficiency (AI) in patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is detrimental to LVAD function, functional capacity, and mortality. There is increasing evidence of acquired AI after implantation of 2nd generation LVADs. We compare the incidence of acquired AI in patients implanted with 2nd versus 3rd generation LVADs. Methods and Materials Sixty four patients implanted with LVADs from 2008-2012 and supported for at least six months were included. There were 46 patients (72%) with 2nd generation (axial flow) LVAD – Group A, and 18 patients (28%) with 3rd generation (centrifugal flow) LVAD – Group B. Echocardiograhic data was compared between groups at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Average support time was 19.8±9.5 and 21.9±10.6 months for Group A and Group B, respectively (p=0.43). Pre-implant LVEDD and LVESD for Group A and Group B were: 7.0±1.2 cm and 6.8±1.1 cm (p=0.58), 6.4±1.2 cm and 6.3±1.0 cm (p=0.71), respectively. Freedom from mild-moderate or greater AI at 6, 12, and 18 months post implant, in Group A and Group B was: 83% and 94% (p=0.40), 82% and 92% (p=0.69), 77% and 80% (p=0.77), respectively. Severity of mitral regurgitation was similar between groups at all time points. Lower BSA was the only characteristic predictive of developing mild-moderate or greater AI. Conclusions There does not appear to be a difference in the incidence of late aortic insufficiency in patients implanted with 3rd generation versus 2nd generation LVADs. Lower BSA continues to be associated with development of AI after LVAD.
An analysis of the supply of housing characteristics by builders within the Rosen framework

Abstract This paper presents parameter estimates of the builder's supply function for various new single-family housing attributes. Rosen's implicit price model is employed using the now-standard two-step procedure. A suggested econometric procedure that utilizes data from multiple time periods within a single market is implemented to eliminate the simultaneity problem. The results indicate that marginal prices decrease with quantity for several dwelling attributes including dwelling size. Cost differences were also found between builders of different size and product specialization.
Semiclassical Description of Electronic Excitation Population Transfer in a Model Photosynthetic System

Recently, Fleming’s group observed direct evidence that the electronic excitation energy (and population) transfers coherently rather than through incoherent hopping motions in the Fenna−Mathews−Olson pigment−protein complex. Ishizaki and Fleming further developed a hierarchy equation approach to describe this excitation population transfer dynamics in a model photosynthetic system. Here, we treat this same model system via the linearized approximation to the semiclassical (SC) initial value representation (IVR) for time correlation functions, in combination with the Meyer−Miller−Stock−Thoss model for the electronic degrees of freedom. Our approach is able to describe the long-lived quantum coherent dynamics, in excellent agreement with Ishizaki−Fleming’s results. Moreover, the advantage of the linearlized SC-IVR approach is that it can be applied to any molecular model for which classical MD simulations are feasible, all the way up to a full all-atom MD simulation, while at the same time treating the ele...
Translocation of Cationic Amphipathic Peptides Across Phospholipid Bilayers

We have developed a method to measure translocation of amphipathic peptides across lipid membranes that uses giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) containing inner vesicles. When the GUVs are added to a peptide solution containing a water-soluble fluorescent dye, permeabilization of the membrane of the outer vesicle by the peptide results in the appearance of fluorescence in its lumen. The inner vesicles remain dark if the peptide does not translocate. However, the appearance of dye in the inner vesicles indicates peptide translocation across the outer membrane of the GUVs. This is because to cause dye flux into the inner vesicles, the peptide must have crossed the membrane of the outer vesicle. The method does not require that the peptide itself be fluorescently labeled; but if it is, this approach can be used to measure the kinetics of translocation. Initially we tested the method with three peptides derived from each class of antimicrobial, cytolytic, and cell-penetrating peptides. Those three peptides also had very different Gibbs energies of insertion into the bilayer, approximated by the difference between the Gibbs energy of binding to the membrane and the Gibbs energy of transfer from water to octanol. The initial measurements appeared to indicate that the probability of translocation was inversely correlated with the Gibbs energy of insertion. Now we extended this study to several variants of the original peptides. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) The probability of translocation simply decreases as the Gibbs energy of peptide insertion increases; (2) The probability of translocation increases if the distribution of positively charged residues along the peptide sequence is such that the inserted peptide has similar probabilities of returning the outside and crossing the membrane, to the inside of the vesicle. The results of these new tests are discussed.
Technological intervention to eliminate back injury risks for nailing

“Ergonomics” is derived from the Greek words “ergon”, meaning work, and “nomos”, meaning natural laws. Thus, one can interpret ergonomics as the “natural laws of work.” As documented in the literature, ergonomics has long been ignored by management and workers in construction alike. Unfortunately, a sore back in the evening is not always the effect of healthy hard work at the jobsite, made apparent by the staggering cost of workers’ compensation. Occupational back injuries result in more lost workdays than any other illness, second only to the common cold. In addition, manufacturers of construction tools have started to redesign their products because of liability concerns. This paper describes an effort that considers the health epidemic of back injuries as an opportunity. The basic premise is to apply the “natural laws of work” in a scientific manner to reach and treat the root of the problem and not its symptoms. Pneumatic nailing of subfloors is used to explain that back pain and the risk of back injuries for the average construction worker can be decreased while, at the same time, maintaining short-term productivity and increasing long-term productivity.
Food Insecurity Is Associated with Chronic Disease among Low-Income NHANES Participants

Food insecurity refers to the inability to afford enough food for an active, healthy life. Numerous studies have shown associations between food insecurity and adverse health outcomes among children. Studies of the health effects of food insecurity among adults are more limited and generally focus on the association between food insecurity and self-reported disease. We therefore examined the association between food insecurity and clinical evidence of diet-sensitive chronic disease, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Our population-based sample included 5094 poor adults aged 18–65 y participating in the NHANES (1999–2004 waves). We estimated the association between food insecurity (assessed by the Food Security Survey Module) and self-reported or laboratory/examination evidence of diet-sensitive chronic disease using Poisson regression. We adjusted the models to account for differences in age, gender, race, educational attainment, and income. Food insecurity was associated with self-reported hypertension [adjusted relative risk (ARR) 1.20; 95% CI, 1.04–1.38] and hyperlipidemia (ARR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.09–1.55), but not diabetes (ARR 1.19; 95% CI, 0.89–1.58). Food insecurity was associated with laboratory or examination evidence of hypertension (ARR 1.21; 95% CI, 1.04–1.41) and diabetes (ARR 1.48; 95% CI, 0.94–2.32). The association with laboratory evidence of diabetes did not reach significance in the fully adjusted model unless we used a stricter definition of food insecurity (ARR 2.42; 95% CI, 1.44–4.08). These data show that food insecurity is associated with cardiovascular risk factors. Health policy discussions should focus increased attention on ability to afford high-quality foods for adults with or at risk for chronic disease.
Effect of grid voltage unbalance on operation of a bi-directional converter

This paper describes the modeling of a 3-phase AC-DC-AC converter with two back to back space vector modulated voltage source inverters connected to a DC link. The converter allows four-quadrant operation in the P-Q plane and can be used to connect regenerative loads. A decoupled P-Q controller to regulate the DC link voltage is implemented using MATLAB/SIMULINK, and the effect of variations in grid side voltage on converter performance is examined.
Dynamic modeling of nitrogen losses in river networks unravels the coupled effects of hydrological and biogeochemical processes

The importance of lotic systems as sinks for nitrogen inputs is well recognized. A fraction of nitrogen in streamflow is removed to the atmosphere via denitrification with the remainder exported in streamflow as nitrogen loads. At the watershed scale, there is a keen interest in understanding the factors that control the fate of nitrogen throughout the stream channel network, with particular attention to the processes that deliver large nitrogen loads to sensitive coastal ecosystems. We use a dynamic stream transport model to assess biogeochemical (nitrate loadings, concentration, temperature) and hydrological (discharge, depth, velocity) effects on reach-scale denitrification and nitrate removal in the river networks of two watersheds having widely differing levels of nitrate enrichment but nearly identical discharges. Stream denitrification is estimated by regression as a nonlinear function of nitrate concentration, streamflow, and temperature, using more than 300 published measurements from a variety of US streams. These relations are used in the stream transport model to characterize nitrate dynamics related to denitrification at a monthly time scale in the stream reaches of the two watersheds. Results indicate that the nitrate removal efficiency of streams, as measured by the percentage of the stream nitrate flux removed via denitrification per unit length of channel, is appreciably reduced during months with high discharge and nitrate flux and increases during months of low-discharge and flux. Biogeochemical factors, including land use, nitrate inputs, and stream concentrations, are a major control on reach-scale denitrification, evidenced by the disproportionately lower nitrate removal efficiency in streams of the highly nitrate-enriched watershed as compared with that in similarly sized streams in the less nitrate-enriched watershed. Sensitivity analyses reveal that these important biogeochemical factors and physical hydrological factors contribute nearly equally to seasonal and stream-size related variations in the percentage of the stream nitrate flux removed in each watershed.
Safe and appropriate intravenous fluids for children

Intravenous fluids in children are ubiquitous; however, the evidence base to support the current type of fluid administered and the rate at which to administer is being challenged. Standard fluids (0.45% sodium chloride with 5% glucose) and volumes of administration may give children too much parenteral free water, which has been implicated in fatal iatrogenic hyponatraemia. The UK National Patient Safety Agency mandated action by healthcare organisations to mitigate the risks posed by hypotonic fluids by effectively banning 0.18% sodium chloride with 4% glucose in children, but has not considered other hypotonic fluids. As a result of the attention this issue has received, there is an improved understanding of the physiological mechanisms of water homeostasis in children, notably the action of antidiuretic hormone and the effect that physical illness and medical therapy has on it, but also the effect of chloride in prolonging physical illness and worsening the metabolic disturbance associated with critical illness. There is also a renewed emphasis on the importance of robust clinical research in this subject. Some are considering a physiological approach to fluid therapy. The use of balanced crystalloids like compound sodium lactate or Plasmalyte-148 in children is hampered by the lack of glucose-containing balanced crystalloids suitable for younger children and infants, and an absence of controlled clinical studies in the literature. Balanced crystalloids are being used cautiously in children and are proposed to have economic benefits for healthcare organisations, but definitive research to robustly demonstrate this is needed.
Analysis of systems with combined time invariant/time varying structured uncertainty

Robustness analysis is considered for systems with structured uncertainty involving a combination of linear time-invariant and linear time-varying perturbations. An exact /spl mu/ test for analysis is presented, based on a finite augmentation of the original problem. Sufficient conditions based on scaled small-gain are considered for this case, and the class of perturbations for which these conditions become necessary is characterized.
Vulnerability of water quality in intensively developing urban watersheds

Abstract As cities grow they first impose substantial stress on their surrounding water environment, but then, as comprehensive wastewater infrastructure is installed, much of that stress is removed. It becomes possible to talk of rehabilitated watersheds, in which the river network, with its re-invigorated ecological health, passes through the urban landscape of (now) potentially intense polluting activities. Surface water quality becomes vulnerable to the transient pollution events arising from all manner of accidents, faults, failures, and contaminated-runoff events associated with the city's metabolism, including unreliability in the performance of its wastewater infrastructure. The paper examines the role of High-Performance Integrated Control (H-PIC)—a combination of real-time control (RTC) and Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM)—as an approach essential to managing water quality in such intensively developing watersheds. Rather than promoting H-PIC as the logical stage of operations that will follow planning, design, and construction in the life cycle of an infrastructure, discussion is set in the context of the sustainability of cities, in particular, in association with a measure of sustainability expressed in terms of the frequency spectrum of disturbances to which the aquatic environment is subject. In this more strategic setting, it is argued that control engineering (for achieving H-PIC) should be seen as having relevance beyond merely its conventional interpretation of closed-loop unit-process automation, e.g., in opening up analyses of the stability and ecological resilience of an entire urban water infrastructure. It is acknowledged that “integration”, as in IUWM and H-PIC, is likely to be realized in practice, because of the need for it expressed in the highest political circles of the sustainability debate. Given this, the paper examines the implications of the ongoing shift—from the technocracy of the past century to the democracy of stakeholder participation in the present century—for the more widespread use of information and communication technologies in managing water quality in urban water environments.
Random effects models for assessing diagnostic accuracy of traditional Chinese doctors in absence of a gold standard

Two common problems in assessing the accuracy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctors in detecting a particular symptom are the unknown true symptom status and the ordinal-scale of the symptom status. Wang et al. (Biostatistics 2011; DOI: 10.1093/biostatistics/kxq075) proposed a nonparametric maximum likelihood method for estimating the accuracy of different TCM doctors without a gold standard when the true symptom status is measured on an ordinal-scale. A key assumption of their work is that the diagnosis results are independent conditional on the gold standard. This assumption can be violated in many practical situations.In this paper, we propose a random effects modeling approach that extends their method to incorporate dependence structure among different tests or doctors. The proposed method is illustrated on a real data set from TCM, which contains the diagnostic results from five doctors for the same patients regarding symptoms related to Chills disease. The same data set was analyzed by Wang et al. under the conditional independence assumption. In addition, we also discuss an ad hoc test for the model fitting and a likelihood ratio test on the random effects.
Results on ground penetration SAR phenomenology from June 1993 Yuma experiment

Considerable interest has been expressed in the use of radar to detect underground targets both small (e.g., antipersonnel mines) and large (e.g., buried vehicles). Particular interest has been directed at airborne SAR for this purpose. Several important issues requiring study include the scattering signature of objects buried in soil media, the attenuation and scattering of radar energy in inhomogeneous soils, and the impact of clutter (and particularly the impact of surface clutter layover) on subsurface target detection and recognition. To address these issues, a radar ground penetration experiment was conducted in the desert near Yuma, AZ from June 4-15, 1993. In this experiment a number of large and small targets of various shapes were buried at depths up to 3 m, and data was collected using several air- and ground-based radars using both real and synthetic aperture data processing. The variety of radars available covered the range from 20 to 1500 MHz. The data collected was calibrated with sufficient accuracy to permit the measurement of in situ radar signatures, allowing the calculation of ground penetration losses. Data from this test have been analyzed to develop a phenomenological understanding of soil penetration losses and clutter backscattering, and to investigate the characteristic signatures of specific buried targets. These data are compared to laboratory soil measurements and modeling studies. This paper describe the results of the modeling and SAR data analysis.
HATCHING RHYTHMS OF UCA THAYERI: EVIDENCE FOR PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY

Abstract Fiddler crabs (Uca thayeri) on Florida's east and west coasts show temporally distinct hatching rhythms, correlated with differences in tidal form. Our purpose in this study was to determine whether these differences were fixed or could change in response to variation in the tides. West coast crabs (but not east coast crabs) showed seasonal variation in their hatching rhythms correlated with seasonal variation in the tides. In the spring, they released larvae at night. In the summer, hatching occurred during the day. West coast crabs transferred to Florida's east coast within four weeks released larvae at night in a rhythm similar to resident crabs but different from the spring nocturnal rhythm shown at their home beach. We conclude that this species has a flexible hatching rhythm that changes under natural, as well as under experimental, conditions. Such flexibility may permit the crabs to time larval release optimally over a range of tidal forms. This study and others published recently suggest...
Gap junction-mediated intercellular diffusion of Ca2+ in cultured human corporal smooth muscle cells

Ratio imaging using the calcium-sensitive probe fura-2 was employed to study intracellular calcium concentrations and intercellular calcium flux through gap junctions in homogeneous vascular smooth muscle cell cultures derived from the human corpora cavernosa. Microinjection techniques demonstrated that fura-2 free acid was freely diffusible through gap junctions between cultured cells. The resting intracellular calcium level in fura-2-loaded cells was 176.9 +/- 10.5. A robust increase in intracellular calcium was seen in response to both phenylephrine and the calcium ionophore A23187. Microinjection of Ca2+ into individual smooth muscle cells always resulted in significant, although temporally delayed, increases in intracellular calcium levels in adjacent cells; this intercellular calcium flux was reversibly blocked by inhibition of gap junctional communication with 2 mM heptanol. However, although microinjection of D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] into individual smooth muscle cells always produced significant increases in intracellular calcium levels in the injected cell, the intercellular spread of Ca2+ in response to Ins(1,4,5)P3 was more variable than for Ca2+ injections. These studies demonstrate that Ca2+, and perhaps Ins(1,4,5)P3 as well, can diffuse between smooth muscle cells through gap junction channels.
Pareto's Distribution and the Laws of Network Organization

Free-Market theories of economics date back to the latter half of the eighteenth century. In his book, Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith introduced the concept of the “invisible hand” and with that, he revolutionized economic thinking. Although Smith’s “invisible hand” is the very center of Western economic thinking, a new approach has recently emerged, one that addresses the complexities of economic reality rather than pushing them into the background to simplify the mathematics. The field of behavioral economics, which acknowledges the existence of human irrationality and tries to found economic theories on a more realistic appraisal of people’s behaviors, is becoming more popular among economists. These economists are stimulated by the realization that in large networks of interacting agents, the intricacies of people’s behavior may have little effect on some of the most basic economic realities. For example, economists for centuries have tried to explain Vilfredo Pareto’s pattern of unequal distribution of wealth through classical explanations of wealth distribution. From a mathematical point of view, such explanations have not been satisfactory. Physicists Jean-Philippe Bouchaud and Marc Mezard of the University of Paris formulated a set of equations trying to explain Pareto’s distribution through the laws of network organization. Bouchaud and Mezard have discovered that economic life is highly influenced by the organizational feature of a network, and that it is the network that contributes to the inequality in wealth distribution. Such a model can serve as an important tool to test political arguments of policies designed to create greater equality.
Beta-blockade in the management of chronic heart failure. Another step in the conceptual evolution of a neurohormonal model of the disease

Although heart failure has been viewed primarily as a haemodynamic disorder, the development of pharmacologic agents that address the haemodynamic derangements has not proved to be a successful approach to its management. Consequently, attention in recent years has shifted to the development of neurohormonal antagonists in the hope that prolonged interference with the renin-angiotensin system and the sympathetic nervous system would have favourable effects on the natural history of heart failure. Both converting-enzyme inhibitors and beta-adrenergic blockers have been shown to produce long-term haemo dynamic and clinical benefits in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction in controlled clinical trials. For both classes of drugs, the improvement evolves gradually over several months, although initiation of therapy may be accompanied by undesirable (but usually transient) haernodynamic effects. This pattern of response contrasts sharply with the response pattern seen with direct-acting vasodilators that stimulate neurohormonal systems (e.g. flosequinan). Initiation of treatment with fiosequinan produces inimediate clinical benefits due to the haemodynamic actions of the drug, but this improvement may disappear within weeks as a result of neurohormonal activation, which also may contribute to the increased risk of death seen during long-term administration of the drug. Recognition of the prognostic importapce of neurohormonal activation has led to the hope that long-term treatment with beta-blockers might reduce mortality in heart failure, in a manner similar to that seen with converting-enzyme inhibitors. Large-scale, long-term studies are being planned to evaluate this possibility.
Microstructural Dependence of the Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy in Co-Pt Alloys

To establish the structural origins of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Co-Pt alloys, a variety of magnetic and structural characterization techniques have been utilized. We have determined that the development of out-of-plane magnetization in these alloys, strongly depends on growth temperature and in contrast to Co/Pt multilayers, the highest anisotropics and coercivities are observed in polycrystalline alloys with negligible preferred crystallographic orientation. Lattice strain measurements, surface roughness determination and crystal growth studies indicate that contributions from magnetostrictive and magnetostatic contributions to the perpendicular anisotropy in these alloys are not significant. HRTEM and synchrotron-based x-ray diffraction experiments, on the other hand, confirm the existence of ordered CoPt3 at elevated temperatures. We suggest that the strong temperature dependence of the perpendicular anisotropy is correlated to the onset of spontaneous chemical ordering during the growth which results in anisotropic pair ordering. A tentative model explaining this strong temperature dependence is described.
Dehydrogenation kinetics and long term cycling behavior of Titanium doped NaAlH4

The development of light weight hydrogen storage systems with high volumetric and gravimetric hydrogen densities is indeed essential for the on-board fuel cell vehicular applications. Titanium doped NaAlH 4 is right now considered as the potential hydrogen storage system, which satisfies the said criteria. The dehydrogenation of NaAlH 4 consists of two consecutive steps of decomposition at 220 and 250° C with the total hydrogen release of 5.6 wt.%. However, doping a few mole concentrations of selected transition metal complexes to the host hydride reduces significantly the decomposition temperatures to 100 and 185° C (equilibrium H 2 pressure ∼1 MPa) respectively. This breakthrough has been followed by a great deal of effort to develop NaAlH 4 as a practical hydrogen storage material. For an ideal hydrogen storage material, the dehydrogenation kinetics and the cycling stability are important properties to be evaluated. Keeping these points to ponder, we have studied the dehydriding kinetics of the Ti-doped NaAlH 4 over a number of dehydrogenation and rehydrogenation cycles. Besides, the Ti-doped NaAlH 4 has been prepared from the hydrogenation of NaH and Al using the solvent mediated milling method. Comparing the initial and final cycling stages of Ti doped (NaH + Al), the synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction profiles exhibit, a growing resistance to the hydrogenation of Na 3 AlH 6 to NaAlH 4 .
Online Workforce Development in Community Colleges Connection With Community, Institutional, and Governance Factors

This study examined community and institutional factors that influence offering online workforce development programs in community colleges. The study included a random sample of 321 community coll...
Non-Equilibrium Two-Dimensional Model of Excimer-Laser Melting and Solidification of Thin Si Films on SiO2

We have developed a two-dimensional numerical model of excimer-laser melting and solidification that properly takes into account the non-equilibrium and transient nature of the process. The model incorporates a novel explicit finite difference scheme for efficiently solving the heat conduction equation and an algorithm that incorporates the interface response function for properly simulating the evolution of phase domains. The model provides space- and time-resolved information regarding the thermal profile and phase domains from which nearly all of the important solidification details can be extracted (e.g., interface location, solidification velocity, interfacial undercooling, etc.). For the simple partial-melting-and-vertical-regrowth scenario, results from the model converge with the results from the well-established one-dimensional model. As a result of its two-dimensional and non-equilibrium formulation, which also respects the amorphous and inert nature of the underlying oxide surface, the model is unique in its capability for properly simulating those solidification scenarios that involve extensive lateral growth of solids, as for example those behind the super-lateral growth phenomenon and various artificially controlled super-lateral growth processes.
Yield of Subsequent Crop When Tree Shaking is Used to Remove Mummy Almonds for Navel Orangeworm (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) Control

Nuts that remain on the tree from the previous crop, “mummies,” which harbor the navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Walker), can be effectively and economically removed from dormant almond trees with a trunk shaker on foggy, winter days. Some fruit bud removal also occurs during this operation. However, in this experiment, there was no measurable loss of subsequent yield when trees were shaken during the period from mid-December to late-January. At harvest the mean weight of kernels per shaken tree was 18.4 kg for the ‘Nonpareil’ cultivar and 17.5 kg for the ‘Merced’ cultivar. Mean weight of kernels from unshaken trees was 18.1 kg and 17.0 kg, respectively.
Triggering of the Ms = 5.4 Little Skull Mountain, Nevada, earthquake with dynamic strains

Abstract We have developed an approach to test the viability of dynamic strains as a triggering mechanism by quantifying the dynamic strain tensor at seismogenic depths. We focus on the dynamic strains at the hypocenter of the M s = 5.4 Little Skull Mountain (LSM), Nevada, earthquake. This event is noteworthy because it is the largest earthquake demonstrably triggered at remote distances (∼280 km) by the M s = 7.4 Landers, California, earthquake and because of its ambiguous association with magmatic activity. Our analysis shows that, if dynamic strains initiate remote triggering, the orientation and modes of faulting most favorable for being triggered by a given strain transient change with depth. The geometry of the most probable LSM fault plane was favorably oriented with respect to the geometry of the dynamic strain tensor. We estimate that the magnitude of the peak dynamic strains at the hypocentral depth of the LSM earthquake were ∼4 μstrain (∼.2 MPa) which are ∼50% smaller than those estimated from velocity seismograms recorded at the surface. We suggest that these strains are too small to cause Mohr-Coulomb style failure unless the fault was prestrained to near failure levels, the fault was exceptionally weak, and/or the dynamic strains trigger other processes that lead to failure.
Epidemiological survey and management for one case of afferent ogawa cholera

Now this paper reports that an ogawa cholera outbreak occurred after dinner may be due to overseas travel caused by afferent reported cases,in August 2013 in Jian City.Another cholera outbreak in the past six years for the city.At last the epidemic situation has been effectively controlled,the summary disposal measures provided valuable experience again in response to outburst public health incidents under new situations,especially overseas afferent outbreak of disposal.The outbreak incident dues to insufficient food hygiene and safety supervision and unreasonable preventive measures of tourists,and it provides a new direction for the management and study of major infectious diseases in the future.
The behavior of spatially distributed evolutionary algorithms in non-stationary environments

Traditional EAs lose diversity fairly quickly due to the strong selection pressures used to achieve good optimization performance, and thus have difficulty with non-stationary environments (fitness landscapes) unless significant algorithmic changes are made. Decentralized and spatially distributed EAs intuitively appear to be more robust in their ability to perform well in both stationary and non-stationary problem domains. We explore this hypothesis with a set of empirical studies that, although preliminary in nature, supports this claim and provides some additional insights into properties of spatially distributed EAs.
Exploiting rRNA operon copy number to investigate bacterial reproductive strategies.

The potential for rapid reproduction is a hallmark of microbial life, but microbes in nature must also survive and compete when growth is constrained by resource availability. Successful reproduction requires different strategies when resources are scarce and when they are abundant1,2, but a systematic framework for predicting these reproductive strategies in bacteria has not been available. Here, we show that the number of ribosomal RNA operons (rrn) in bacterial genomes predicts two important components of reproduction—growth rate and growth efficiency—which are favoured under contrasting regimes of resource availability3,4. We find that the maximum reproductive rate of bacteria doubles with a doubling of rrn copy number, and the efficiency of carbon use is inversely related to maximal growth rate and rrn copy number. We also identify a feasible explanation for these patterns: the rate and yield of protein synthesis mirror the overall pattern in maximum growth rate and growth efficiency. Furthermore, comparative analysis of genomes from 1,167 bacterial species reveals that rrn copy number predicts traits associated with resource availability, including chemotaxis and genome streamlining. Genome-wide patterns of orthologous gene content covary with rrn copy number, suggesting convergent evolution in response to resource availability. Our findings imply that basic cellular processes adapt in contrasting ways to long-term differences in resource availability. They also establish a basis for predicting changes in bacterial community composition in response to resource perturbations using rrn copy number measurements5 or inferences6,7. The number of ribosomal RNA operons in bacterial genomes is positively related to maximum reproductive rate and negatively related to carbon use efficiency, and can also predict traits such as chemotaxis and genome streamlining.
Split-Belt Treadmill Walking Alters Lower Extremity Frontal Plane Mechanics

Interventions that manipulate gait speed may also affect the control of frontal plane mechanics. Expanding the current knowledge of frontal plane adaptations during split-belt treadmill walking could advance our understanding of the influence of asymmetries in gait speed on frontal plane mechanics and provide insight into the breadth of adaptations required by split-belt walking (SBW). Thirteen young, healthy participants, free from lower extremity injury walked on a split-belt treadmill with belts moving simultaneously at different speeds. We examined frontal plane mechanics of the ankle, knee, and hip joints during SBW, as well as medio-lateral ground reaction forces (ML-GRF). We did not observe alterations in the frontal mechanics produced during early or late adaptation of SBW when compared to conditions where the belts moved together. We did observe that ML-GRF and hip moment impulse of the fast limb increased over time with adaptation to SBW. These results suggest this modality may provide a unique therapy for individuals with gait pathologies, impairments, or compensation(s).
Low-pressure Hydrocephalus in Children: A Case Series and Review of the Literature

Background Low-pressure hydrocephalus (LPH) is a rare phenomenon characterized by a clinical picture consistent with elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) and ventricular enlargement, but also a well-functioning shunt and low or negative ICP. Objective To report our experience in evaluating this challenging problem. Methods Patients with LPH were identified from several sources, including institutional procedural databases and personal case logs. Electronic medical records were reviewed to collect demographic, clinical, surgical, and radiographic data to determine the presence of LPH. Each patient's clinical course, including presentation, management, and outcome, is reported. Results Thirty instances of LPH were identified in 29 patients. Eleven cases (37.9%) of LPH were after lumbar puncture (LP), and 19 cases (62.1%) occurred without any preceding spinal procedure. Among the post-LP patients, conservative measures alone were successful in 3 cases (27%); lumbar blood patch was successful in 2 cases (18%); and 6 cases (55%) required external cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage. Of the spontaneous cases, 5 patients did not receive the full spectrum of treatment because of terminal prognosis. Of the remaining 14 patients, 11 (78.6%) required external CSF drainage. Post-LP patients required fewer days of external CSF drainage (median, 4 [range, 0-12] vs median, 11 [range, 0-90]) and had a shorter hospital stay (median, 2 [range, 2-16] vs median, 8 [range, 0-26]). Conclusion This study represents the largest series of LPH. Although its pathophysiology remains a mystery, there are a variety of management options. Multiple procedures and a protracted hospital stay are often required to successfully treat LPH.
The nature and level of learner–learner interaction in a chemistry massive open online course (MOOC)

Similar to other online courses, massive open online courses (MOOCs) often rely on learner–learner interaction as a mechanism to promote learning. However, little is known at present about learner–learner interaction in these nascent informal learning environments. While some studies have explored MOOC participant perceptions of learner–learner interactions, research is still lacking regarding the content and level of such interactions. Using the interaction analysis model (IAM) as a theoretical framework and social network analysis methods, the present study investigates the nature and level of learner–learner interaction within a popular Chemistry MOOC from Coursera. Findings suggest that learner–learner interaction: was limited to lower phases of the IAM framework (e.g., sharing and comparing information); changed (decreased) over time; and was heavily dependent on a few highly-engaged learners. Potential implications for the design of future MOOCs are discussed.
Cycles of resource nationalism: Hegemonic struggle and the incorporation of Bolivia and Indonesia

Scholars often see resource nationalism as either a strategy to protect national interests or an opportunistic tactic to take advantage of capitalist market upswings. However, resource nationalism ...