cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implications of secondary aortic intervention after thoracic endovascular aortic repair for acute and chronic type B dissection.

Abstract Background Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has become a mainstay of therapy for acute and chronic type B aortic dissection (TBAD). Dynamic aortic morphologic changes, untreated dissected aorta, and persistent false lumen perfusion have significant consequences for reintervention after TEVAR for TBAD. However, few reports contrast differences in secondary aortic intervention (SAI) after TEVAR for TBAD or describe their influence on mortality. This analysis examined incidence, timing, and types of SAI after TEVAR for acute and chronic TBAD and determined their impact on survival. Methods All TEVAR procedures for acute and chronic TBAD (2005-2016) were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with staged ( 30 days, chronic). SAI procedures were grouped into open (intended treatment zone or remote aortic site), major endovascular (TEVAR extension or endograft implanted at noncontiguous site), and minor endovascular (side branch or false lumen embolization) categories. Kaplan-Meier methodology was used to estimate freedom from SAI and survival. Cox proportional hazards were used to identify SAI predictors. Results TEVAR for TBAD was performed in 258 patients (acute, 49% [n = 128]; chronic, 51% [n = 130]). Mean follow-up was 17 ± 22 months with an overall SAI rate of 27% (n = 70; acute, 22% [28]; chronic, 32% [42]; odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.9-2.9; P = .07]. Median time to SAI was significantly less after acute than after chronic dissection (0.7 [0-12] vs 7 [0-91] months; P Conclusions SAI after TEVAR for TBAD is common. Acute TBAD has a higher proportion of early SAI; however, chronic TBAD appears to have ongoing risk of remediation after the first postoperative year. SAI types are similar between groups, and the occurrence of aorta-related reintervention does not affect survival. Patients' features and anatomy predict need for SAI. These data should be taken into consideration for selection of patients, device design, and surveillance strategies after TEVAR for TBAD.
Introduction to Nephropharmacology for the Clinician: A New CJASN Series

Drugs form the cornerstone of treatment for a plethora of diseases, including kidney disease and its common comorbid conditions. Patients with kidney disease are routinely prescribed numerous drugs simultaneously. For instance, patients with CKD not dependent on dialysis are prescribed a mean of six
Automatically Unaware: Using Data Analytics to Detect Physiological Markers of Cybercrime

Cybercrime investigation is reliant on availability of adequate and valid digital artifacts useable for reconstructing security incidents or triangulating other available information to make it useful. Various operational artifacts of computer systems, networks and software have been studied and gradually applied as forensic evidence. However the scope of studies on human-generated artifacts as forensic evidence has been limited mostly focusing on surveillance images, with DNA deposits being widely studied via older forensic fields. We present the case that further focus on human-centric evidence in form of physiological measurements is useful in triangulating other evidence as well as in making some direct inferences. In this concept paper: we pair electroencephalography (EEG) with change point detection algorithms to conceptually model the acquisition and processing of EEG signals into forensic artifacts; propose continuous data reduction and packaging to keep the system forensic-ready; suggest a schema for validating such artifacts towards their applicability as forensic evidence; and model a study to be used in testing the conceptual model. This work contributes to cybersecurity research by highlighting human-generated artifacts as a forensic big data resource and presenting a methodology for harnessing the data to turn it into useful information.
Prescriptive authority for advanced practice nurses: current and future perspectives

Purpose To present an overview of the issues related to prescriptive authority and advanced practice nurses (APNs) in oncology. Data sources Professional journals and books, print media, and professional and government releases. Data synthesis Discussion of issues related to complex political, educational, economic, and healthcare environmental factors. Strategies to achieve increased recognition for APN prescriptive authority include increasing APNs' knowledge about the effects of the political process on prescriptive authority, educating legislators and consumers, promoting standardization of pharmacology curricula, and encouraging formation of coalitions. Conclusions Failure to pass a national healthcare plan, escalating managed-care markets, and the reform efforts of individual states to forge their own healthcare initiatives will challenge the APN's ability to practice and prescribe. Implications for nursing practice The subject of prescriptive authority highlights the controversies and debates that APNs encounter in a dynamic healthcare environment. These include the complexity of state-to-state regulations, non-nursing professions making key decisions regarding scope of practice and prescriptive authority, and the challenge for APNs to carve out new roles while overcoming state regulatory inconsistencies and market-reform barriers. If not resolved, these issues will continue to prevent qualified APNs from providing appropriate and comprehensive care to patients with cancer.
Nature in the Ontopoiesis of Life: From the Cosmic Dissemination to the Human Cultivation of the Logos

After a period of considerable neglect the question of nature has reappeared forcefully as a focus of scientific as well as everyday reflection on life. This is because the culture of contemporary society has been very much informed by technological advance and for that very reason society now finds itself at a breaking point. Under the guise of discussing the environment, natural resources, ecological questions, even interplanetary investigations, we are at bottom asking this question: What is nature?
Dual Optimization of an H-Bridge SPWM Microinverter by an Optimal Switching Frequency Tracking Technique

The switching frequency is among many design parameters of grid-tied single-phase H-bridge sinusoidal pulsewidth modulation (SPWM) microinverters. The selection of the switching frequency is a tradeoff between improving the power quality by reducing the total harmonic distortion (THD) and improving the efficiency by reducing the switching loss. This paper proposes two algorithms to optimize both the power quality and the efficiency of the microinverter by using a frequency tracking technique that requires no hardware modification. The first algorithm tracks the optimal switching frequency for maximum efficiency at a given THD value, while the second maximizes the power quality of the H-bridge micro-inverter by tracking the switching frequency that corresponds to the minimum THD. Experimental verification followed by results evaluation are presented.
ApoE-associated modulation of neuroprotection from Aβ-mediated neurodegeneration in transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans

Allele-specific distinctions in the human apolipoprotein E (APOE) locus represent the best-characterized genetic predictor of Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. Expression of isoform APOEe2 is associated with reduced risk, while APOEe3 is neutral and APOEe4 carriers exhibit increased susceptibility. Using Caenorhabditis elegans, we generated a novel suite of humanized transgenic nematodes to facilitate neuronal modeling of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) co-expression in the context of distinct human APOE alleles. We found that co-expression of human APOEe2 with Aβ attenuated Aβ-induced neurodegeneration, whereas expression of the APOEe4 allele had no effect on neurodegeneration, indicating a loss of neuroprotective capacity. Notably, the APOEe3 allele displayed an intermediate phenotype; it was not neuroprotective in young adults but attenuated neurodegeneration in older animals. There was no functional impact from the three APOE isoforms in the absence of Aβ co-expression. Pharmacological treatment that examined neuroprotective effects of APOE alleles on calcium homeostasis showed allele-specific responses to changes in ER-associated calcium dynamics in the Aβ background. Additionally, Aβ suppressed survival, an effect that was rescued by APOEe2 and APOEe3, but not APOEe4. Expression of the APOE alleles in neurons, independent of Aβ, exerted no impact on survival. Taken together, these results illustrate that C. elegans provides a powerful in vivo platform with which to explore how AD-associated neuronal pathways are modulated by distinct APOE gene products in the context of Aβ-associated neurotoxicity. The significance of both ApoE and Aβ to AD highlights the utility of this new pre-clinical model as a means to dissect their functional inter-relationship.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Assessment and treatment of acute toxic inhalations.

Purpose of review Acute toxic inhalation exposures affect thousands of individuals worldwide each year. The acute evaluation of these inhaled exposures is often fraught with difficulty in identifying a specific agent, may involve multiple compounds, and a wide variety of responses are seen depending on the physical properties of the specific toxicant, the length of time of inhalation, and the concentration of the exposure. Recognizing key aspects of the most common acute toxic inhalations is useful in developing a diagnosis and treatment strategy. Recent findings Use of sequential observations with flexible bronchoscopy has been the standard of care for assessing airway injury, and virtual bronchoscopy using computed tomographic images in a three-dimensional reconstructed image can now better identify airway narrowing. Use of [F]-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake, as measured by PET, has the potential for early recognition of delayed acute lung injury in toxic inhalation exposures. Development of a standardized respiratory injury grading system is ongoing with a recent multicenter trial nearly complete, allowing for more accurate estimates of eventual outcomes and guide levels of intensity of care for patients with acute inhalation injury. Removal from the source of exposure and airway support remain the first critical aspect of treatment, and additional therapies have been studied recently that focus on altering molecular mechanisms of acute cellular injury, expanding potential treatments beyond other pharmacotherapeutic strategies utilized previously such as mucolytics, bronchodilators, and inhaled anticoagulants. Summary Although a prevalent source of airway injury, exposure to acute toxic inhalants is often difficult to assess and prognosticate, and challenging to treat.
The Role of the Laminin Peptide SIKVAV in the Revascularization of Ischemic Tissue

Angiogenesis is a processes of new capillary formation from preexisting vessels in response to cytokine stimuli. It involves the breakdown of the surrounding basement membrane, proliferation and migration of the endothlial cells which comprise the vessel wall toward the angiogenic stimulus, and subsequent secretion of basement membrane, leading to the formation of a new capillary branch. This process is dynamic, rather than occurring in discrete steps. Angiogenesis is necessary for many physiological (development, reproductive cycle) and pathological (tumor growth and metastasis, wound healing) processes. Previously, several investigators have explored the use of angiogenic agonists in the revascularization of ischemic tissue. We have recently examined in vivo the ability of SIKVAV (a peptide derived from the alpha chain of laminin-1) to revascularize ischemic tissue. In this manuscript, we review the work done with SIKVAV and its role in angiogenesis as it pertains to the revascularization of ischemic tissue.
A methodology to create prototypical building energy models for existing buildings: A case study on U.S. religious worship buildings

Abstract Prototypical building energy models are of great significance because they are the starting point in conducting analyses for various applications, such as building energy saving potential analysis, building design, building energy market evaluation, and building energy policy-making. However, current prototypical building energy models only represent limited types of buildings in certain countries. To fill the gap, this paper proposes a methodology to systematically create prototypical building energy models. First, a six-step methodology is introduced: model input identification, data collection, data cleaning, data conversion, model simulation, and model calibration. Then, the methodology is demonstrated by a case study of creating 30 prototypical energy models for U.S. religious worship buildings, representing buildings in 15 climate zones and 2 vintages (pre- and post-1980). Finally, to show the applications of the models, the building energy saving potentials from six efficiency measures are analyzed for pre-1980 U.S. religious worship buildings in three ASHRAE Climate Zones. The results show that the maximum energy saving potentials are approximately 30% for the religious worship buildings in all three climate zones investigated, indicating significant opportunities for energy savings in these buildings through their prototypical building model development.
Social Convos: A New Approach to Modeling Information Diffusion in Social Media

A common approach, adopted by most current research, represents users of a social media platform as nodes in a network, connected by various types of links indicating the different kinds of inter-user relationships and interactions. However, social media dynamics and the observed behavioral phenomena do not conform to this user-node-centric view, partly because it ignores the behavioral impact of connected user collectives. GitHub is unique in the social media setting in this respect: it is organized into “repositories”, which along with the users who contribute to them, form highly-interactive task-oriented “social collectives”. In this paper, we recast our understanding of all social media as a landscape of collectives, or “convos”: sets of users connected by a common interest in an (possibly evolving) information artifact, such as a repository in GitHub, a subreddit in Reddit or a group of hashtags in Twitter. We describe a computational approach to classifying convos at different stages of their “lifespan” into distinct collective behavioral classes. We then train a Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP) to learn transition probabilities between behavioral classes to predict, with high-degree of accuracy, future behavior and activity levels of these convos.
Kcnn3 as a target for treating aberrant behaviors in stressed, ethanol-dependent mice

Abstract Anxiety and mood disorders are often comorbid with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and are considered critical in the development, maintenance, and reinstatement of alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol-seeking behaviors. Because of this high comorbidity, it is necessary to determine shared and unique genetic factors driving heavy ethanol drinking and anxiety-related behaviors. We used a model of stress-induced escalation of drinking in ethanol dependent C57BL/6J mice to measure anxiety-like behaviors on the marble burying and novelty-suppressed feeding task (NSFT) during abstinence. In order to identify novel pharmacogenetic targets that may lead to more effective treatment, a targeted bioinformatics analysis was used to quantify the expression of K+ channel genes in the amygdala that covary with anxiety-related phenotypes in the well phenotyped and fully sequenced family of BXD strains. A pharmacological approach was used to validate the key bioinformatics finding in ethanol-dependent, stressed C57BL/6J mice during the NSFT. Amygdalar expression of Kcnn3 correlated significantly with just over 40 anxiety-associated phenotypes. Further examination of Kcnn3 expression revealed a strong eigentrait for anxiety-like behaviors in this family. Kcnn3 expression in the amygdala correlated negatively with binge-like and voluntary ethanol drinking. C57BL/6J mice treated with chronic intermittent ethanol exposure and repeated swim stress consumed more ethanol in their home cages and showed hypophagia on the NSFT during prolonged abstinence. Pharmacologically targeting KCNN3 protein with the KCa2 channel positive modulator 1-EBIO decreased ethanol drinking and reduced latency to approach food during the NSFT in ethanol-dependent, stressed mice. Collectively these validation studies provide central nervous system mechanistic links into to the covariance of stress, anxiety, and AUD in the BXD strains. Further this analytical approach is effective in defining targets for treating alcohol dependence and comorbid mood and anxiety disorders.
Sodium Metasilicate-Based Inorganic Composite for Heterogeneous Integration of Microsystems

Electronic microsystems are foundational to today’s computational, sensing, communication, and information processing capabilities, therefore impacting industries, such as microelectronics, chemical, healthcare, manufacturing, and aerospace. As demand grows for more capable microsystems to help address today’s rapidly growing needs, new packaging materials that are compatible with high-precision silicon microfabrication must be developed in order to enable the integration of individual and disparate components into systems with complex functionality. This article aims to demonstrate the potential for using a silicate-based inorganic composite to encapsulate and three-dimensionally integrate individual components into complex systems in a heterogeneous 3-D integration approach. Through the use of liquid alkali sodium silicate (water glass) and nanoparticle fillers, composites can be synthesized and cured at low temperatures into chemically, mechanically, and thermally (up to 400 °C) stable structures using high-throughput processing methods, such as spin and spray coating. This work demonstrates that this material can be processed into thick layers (tens to hundreds of micrometers), can fill high aspect ratio gaps (13:1), can withstand common microfabrication processes (wet process chemicals, photolithography, polishing, and thermal stability), and have its coefficient of thermal expansion tailored for compatibility with a variety of substrates. These demonstrations position this composite material for use in heterogeneous 3-D integration approaches that enable a wider range of complex microsystems.
A Simple Classification of Wellbore Integrity Problems Related to Fluids Migration

This work classifies in a simple form the wellbore integrity problems that cause fluids migration in oil and gas wells. This paper updates the categorization provided by Santos (Technology focus: well integrity. Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2015. https://doi.org/10.2118/0115-0100-JPT ), which classifies the wellbore integrity problems based on the time of manifestation. Santos (Technology focus: well integrity. Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2015. https://doi.org/10.2118/0115-0100-JPT ; Wilkins and Free A new approach to the prediction of gas flow after cementing. Society of Petroleum Engineers, 1989. https://doi.org/10.2118/18622-MS ; Bois et al. How to prevent loss of zonal isolation through a comprehensive analysis of microannulus formation. Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2011. https://doi.org/10.2118/124719-P ), and other researchers categorized the problems related to wellbore integrity similarly. These categorizations are found in multiple publications and are representative of most cements’ failures that may lead to fluids migration. However, the majority of these categorizations are too broad and do not clearly state and describe the wellbore failures. In addition, categorizing the failures based on the time of their appearance may not be enough to realize, recognize, and understand how connected the failures are. Well-integrity failures are continuously occurring and represent major issues in the oil and gas wells. Therefore, a new and simple classification that accounts for the potential locations of each failure, the causes of the failures, and methods to stop the failures is necessary. This paper aims to classify the failures that may occur in the wellbore into four main failures: (1) micro-annuli that form between the cement and its surroundings, (2) channels that create pathways through the body of the cement, (3) fractures/cracks in the cement sheath, and (4) cement chemical and mechanical degradation. Definition of these problems, causes of these problems, and solutions for those failures are summarized in this paper to clarify, understand, and provide a guideline to prevent and avoid such problems. Along with the classification, general considerations for the cement-testing methodologies against these failures are listed. This work also provides the oil and gas industry with some of the technologies that have been used to avoid oil cements failures.
Atypical clear cell sarcoma of the pleura presenting as large pleural effusion with 22q12 abnormality: A challenging case with twists and turns

Abstract Primary clear cell sarcoma of soft tissue (CCSST) arising from the pleura is an infrequent occurrence, with only two cases reported in the English literature. We report a rare case of pleural CCSST with unusual clinical features and unconventional morphology. A 68-year-old man presented with a large right pleural effusion that developed following a dental abscess. He was treated with thoracentesis and antibiotics for suspected empyema without significant improvement. A CT-guided biopsy was performed and showed a malignant epithelioid neoplasm with significant pleomorphism and melanocytic differentiation, highly suggestive of a melanoma. The diagnosis was subsequently amended to CCSST based on the combined genetic findings (i.e., chromosome 22 abnormality, microsatellite stable status, no evidence of ultraviolet mutational signature, and lack of BRAF or any other mutations commonly identified in melanoma). Apart from the peculiar location, the present case showed several atypical features, such as older age at onset, unusual clinical presentations mimicking an infection, and unconventional morphology with significant pleomorphism and brisk mitotic activity. As such, it may be better classified as atypical CCSST. This case highlights the challenges in diagnosing CCSST and emphasizes the importance of including CCSST in the differential diagnosis of an epithelioid tumor with melanocytic differentiation.
Characterization of triplet separation and diffusion in amorphous pentacene films via ultrafast infrared spectroscopy

The performance of photovoltaic and light-emitting devices that utilize singlet fission sensitization has been modest to date, despite spectroscopic measurements reporting high triplet exciton multiplication yields in the singlet fission active layer of these devices. This contrast highlights the need to characterize the factors that underpin device performance, such as triplet separation and diffusion. Here, we use ultrafast infrared spectroscopy to probe the dynamics and separation of correlated triplet pair intermediates following singlet fission in amorphous and crystalline pentacene films. The ultrafast vibrational measurements reveal that triplet-pair separation occurs on similar timescales in both types of films, despite differences in intermolecular coupling strength. Conversely, ultrafast electronic spectroscopy measurements of diffusion-controlled triplet-triplet annihilation reveal that triplet diffusion in the amorphous film is an order of magnitude lower than the crystalline analog. Together, these results suggest that sparse triplet traps limit the transport of triplet excitons in the amorphous film. Therefore, device developers should seek to identify the structural origins of these states to identify molecular structures that self-assemble in patterns that avoid triplet trap state formation.
Personality, Intelligence, and Neuropsychology in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Clinical Disorders

Historically clinicians and researchers have utilized theories drawn from research in personality or intelligence or neuropsychology in isolation, with less attention given to the interaction between these three fields in the evaluation of childhood and adult disorders. Although each paradigm provides essential information for understanding disorders, it is likely that used alone, the approaches will miss important information needed for both assessment and the development of appropriate interventions.
Categorizing Zipporah's Petition

Let me begin by expressing how much I enjoyed reading and hearing Melinde Sanborn’s fascinating essay on Zipporah’s case. I cannot emphasize enough how valuable work like Sanborn’s is to historians such as myself who try to write synthetic histories of colonial American law or colonial society more generally. We need to have access to as much archival material as possible in situations where considerations of time and resources make travel to every extant archive unfeasible. Three months ago I received an e-mail requesting that I “write . . . a few short pages on the context and significance of the case,” as well as “verify the legal statements of the author, who is not a lawyer, and to suggest any relevant historical sources . . . (specifically including your own) that should be cited.” So here goes. I begin with what I take to be the fundamental lesson of legal realism and of the first year of law school: that one cannot confidently extract law from a single statute or from a reading of a single case. Ambiguities always lurk in the interstices of statutes. To resolve those ambiguities and thereby determine the complete meaning of a statute, a lawyer needs to examine how the statute has been applied in a range of subsequent cases. Similarly, although a reading of a single case will show how the court decided that case and will offer a prediction about how judges will resolve analogous cases in the future, it will not reveal what constitutes an analogous case. The likeness of cases can be apprehended only by examining a range of cases, including both those which courts find analogous to a first case and those which they find distinguishable. I can express the same lesson in a different fashion. The law will almost never encompass and simply mirror a clear principle of either right or wrong. Rather the law will demarcate a line between right and wrong—between the permissible and the impermissible—a line riddled with twists and turns and exceptions. There is a reason why this is so— namely, that it is typically impossible to articulate a principle of right or wrong except in the context of background norms, and once one articulates a principle in such a manner, line-drawing is inevitable. Melinde Sanborn may not be a lawyer, but she understands the nature of law extraordinarily well. Thus, she has been extremely careful
Policy Makers’ Views of Obesity-Related Challenges Around the World

Obesity has raised public health and healthcare concerns through its contribution to many chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, among others. The burden of these diseases has become tremendous for Chinese public health and medical care. According to the Report on Chronic Diseases in China [1], from 2004 to 2010 there was a rising trend in the proportion of people in China, aged 18–69, who were overweight. The report also estimated that approximately 31 % of people in China between the ages of 18–69 were overweight in 2010 [2]. Mark McClellan (USA)
Polarography in Investigation of Equilibria and Kinetics of Some Reactions of Organic Compounds

Reasons for the current limited use of DC polarography, using the dropping mercury electrode, are discussed. One area, in which DC polarography is useful and promising, involves applications in physical organic chemistry. In this area polarography offers information about equilibria and rates, both of slow and fast reactions. For slowly established equilibria and for kinetics of slower reactions, diffusion controlled limiting currents are measured. Equilibrium constants of rapidly established acid-base equilibria are determined from shifts of half-wave potentials with pH. Values of rate constants of the orders between 10' to 10 10 L mol -1 s -1 can be obtained for reactions occurring in the vicinity of the electrode surface by measuring limiting kinetic currents. Examples of applications of DC polarography of each of the four categories in physical organic chemistry are given.
EPTUD: an eclipse plugin for testing UML designs

For model driven development approaches to succeed, there is a need for developing techniques for validating models. Studies show that many software faults occur in the design phase. Hence, it is essential to find and remove faults in design models. Currently, UML design models are typically evaluated using walkthroughs, inspections, and other informal types of design review techniques that are largely manual and consequently, tedious, error-prone and less effective.
A rule-based approach for the prediction of acute hypotensive episodes

The 2009 Physionet Computers in Cardiology Challenge is to develop an automatic technique for the prediction of acute hypotensive episodes. Such episodes if left untreated can lead to organ failure and death. However, acute hypotensive episodes can be treated depending on its cause, and if diagnosed in time. This study uses a rule-based approach for the prediction of the acute hypotensive episodes. The physionet challenge is divided into two parts. The first is the ability to distinguish between patients who have experienced acute hypotensive episodes and patients who do not. The second part of the challenge is to predict acute hypotensive episodes. The technique uses the mean arterial blood pressure signal as an indicator for predicting AHE. The records used for this challenge are from the MIMIC II database. The challenge dataset is divided into 60 records for training, 10 records for testing the first part of the challenge, and 40 records for testing the second part of the challenge. The score is calculated as the fraction of correct classifications. The final results on the challenge are 1 and 0.875 for part 1 andpart 2, respectively.
Denitrification associated with periphyton communities.

Scrapings of decomposing Cladophora sp. mats (periphyton) covering stream bed rocks produced N2O when incubated under N2 plus 15% C2H2. Denitrification (N2O formation) was enhanced by NO3− and was inhibited by autoclaving, Hg2+, and O2. No N2O was formed in the absence of C2H2 (air or N2 atmosphere). Chloramphenicol did not block N2O formation, indicating that the enzymes were constitutive. In field experiments, incubation of periphyton scrapings in the light inhibited denitrification because of algal photosynthetic O2 production. The diurnal periphyton-associated denitrification rate was estimated to be 45.8 μmol of N2O·m−2·day−1, as determined by averaging light, aerobic plus dark, and anaerobic rates over a 24-h period.
Progestins' rapid facilitation of lordosis when applied to the ventral tegmentum corresponds to efficacy at enhancing GABA(A)receptor activity.

Progestins may have actions in the midbrain though gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A/benzodiazepine receptor complexes (GBRs) that are relevant for sexual receptivity. The efficacy and time course of various progestins to enhance lordosis when applied to the ventral tegmental area (VTA), following progesterone to the ventral medial hypothalamus (VMH) was investigated. Ovariectomized, oestrogen-primed rats and hamsters with contralateral VMH/VTA cannulae were tested for lordosis before and after implants of P to the VMH and progestins to the VTA. The progestins were P, 5alpha-pregnan-3,20-dione (DHP), 5alpha-pregnan-3alpha-ol-20-one(3alpha,5alpha-TH P), 5alpha-pregnan-3alpha,21-diol-20-one (THDOC), 5beta-pregnan-3alpha-ol-20-one(3alpha,5beta-THP) , 17alpha-ol-6-methyl-4,6-pregnadiene-3,20-dione-17-acetate (megestrol acetate, MA), and 6-chloro-17-ol-4,6-pregnadiene-3, 20-dione-17-acetate (chlormadinone acetate, CA). Progestins' effects on GABA-mediated chloride influx and SR 95531 binding in cortical and midbrain tissue, respectively, were examined in rats and hamsters. 3alpha,5alpha-THP and THDOC implants to the VTA were the most effective at immediately facilitating lordosis of rats and hamsters. Two hours later all other progestins, except MA and CA, increased lordosis in rats; only P, 3alpha,5alpha-THP, and THDOC were effective in hamsters. The progestins' effectiveness at facilitating lordosis were similar to their effects on GABA-stimulated chloride influx and SR 95531 receptor binding (3alpha,5alpha-THP and THDOC>P>DHP>3alpha, 5beta-THP>MA and CA). These findings suggest that progesterone lordosis enhancing effects in the rodent VTA may be via GBRs.
Prediction of Expected Fatigue Lives of Fiber Reinforced Plastic Joints

This paper scrutinizes the accuracy of the application of the probability distribution functions for predicting the fatigue lives of different fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) joints under variable loading. Three different joint configurations (bonded, bolted, and bonded-bolted) were tested under constant- and variable-amplitude fatigue loading. The constant-amplitude fatigue test results were analyzed in both log-log and semi-log scales. From there, Rayleigh approximation and Gaussian cumulative functions were used to predict expected fatigue lives. This study shows that even though Rayleigh approximation provides better fatigue lives than Gaussian cumulative function for higher root-mean-square (RMS) levels, it falls behind in predicting fatigue lives in lower RMS levels. However, both methods are weak in approximating the experimental fatigue lives. Keywords: damage accumulation; fatigue life prediction; fatigue of composite; Rayleigh approximation; Gaussian cumulative function; S/N curve
Ampicillin-Associated Diarrhea: Effect of Dosage and Route of Administration

There were two errors in the above report. In Table I, the mean number of stools per day in intravenously treated patients ≤ 12 months should have been 1.4, not 5.4. The mean number of stools per day in the control group ≤ 12 months should have been 1.6 instead of 4.6.
Selective estrogen receptor modulation: a personal perspective.

Professor Paul Ehrlich is the father of experimental chemotherapy. During the first decade of the 20th Century, he reasoned that compounds could be synthesized to exhibit selective toxicity on a parasite without affecting the host. The synthesis, laboratory evaluation, and clinical development of
RemindU: A secure and efficient location based reminder system

Reminder applications are essential applications in mobile devices. Since most smart devices are equipped with accurate localization capabilities, location based reminders emerge in recent smart devices. A user could add a location based reminder which reminds the user to do something once she enters or leaves a location. Convenient as these applications are, a user can be easily tracked once she installs these applications. We propose a secure and efficient location based reminder system. In our system, the reminder location and reminder message are stored in the form of ciphertext on the cloud server. The cloud server is able to preform a private location match without knowing anything about the user's location information. We propose a novel method to represent the user's reminder area in order to save the storage space and computation time of both users and the cloud server. We demonstrate the efficiency of our system in our simulations.
Pathological α-Synuclein Transmission Initiates Parkinson-like Neurodegeneration in Nontransgenic Mice

Parkinson's disease is characterized by abundant α-synuclein (α-Syn) neuronal inclusions, known as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, and the massive loss of midbrain dopamine neurons. However, a cause-and-effect relationship between Lewy inclusion formation and neurodegeneration remains unclear. Here, we found that in wild-type nontransgenic mice, a single intrastriatal inoculation of synthetic α-Syn fibrils led to the cell-to-cell transmission of pathologic α-Syn and Parkinson's-like Lewy pathology in anatomically interconnected regions. Lewy pathology accumulation resulted in progressive loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, but not in the adjacent ventral tegmental area, and was accompanied by reduced dopamine levels culminating in motor deficits. This recapitulation of a neurodegenerative cascade thus establishes a mechanistic link between transmission of pathologic α-Syn and the cardinal features of Parkinson's disease.
Fixed-Point Implementation of Cascaded Forward–Backward Adaptive Predictors

Adaptive least mean square (LMS) predictors with independently low-order cascaded structures, such as the cascaded forward LMS (CFLMS) and cascaded forward-backward LMS (CFBLMS), have proven effective in combating the misadjustment and eigenvalue spread effects of linear predictors. Further developing this cascade structure, we study the fixed-point implementation of CFBLMS with applications to speech signals. Moreover, two groups of predictors with a total of six cases are compared. Group 1 employs the transversal structure for LMS, CFLMS, and CFBLMS algorithms. Group 2 employs the lattice structure for LMS, CFLMS, and CFBLMS algorithms. Experimental results show that, in group 1, the performance degradation of CFBLMS and CFLMS predictors becomes significant when the number of bits is reduced to 8, while that of the LMS predictor becomes significant when the number of bits is reduced to 9. On the other hand, in group 2, the performance degradation of CFBLMS and CFLMS predictors becomes significant when the number of bits is reduced to 5, while that of the LMS predictor becomes significant when the number of bits is reduced to 6. In both groups, the performances of CFBLMS and CFLMS are significantly superior to that of LMS, and CFBLMS is superior to CFLMS, in terms of the rate of convergence, misadjustment, and mean-square error (MSE).
Galton's Problem as network autocorrelation

Classical statistical inference procedures usually assume the independence of sample units. However, the assumption of independence is often unrealistic in cross-cultural research because societies in neighboring or historically related regions tend to be duplicates of one another across a wide variety of traits that are spread by historical fission, diffusion, or migration of peoples. A recent generalization of the usual regression model explicitly allows for networks of interdependencies among sample units as part of the model specification. Here, two new estimation procedures for this network autocorrelation model are compared to previously employed maximum likelihood procedures, and to the usual regression procedures which ignore interdependence. The results of comparisons based on simulated autocorrelation data and the reanalyses of two previously published empirical studies indicate that both of the procedures proposed here compare very favorably with the maximum likelihood approach, and both are vastly superior to the usual regression procedures when there is moderate to high autocorrelation (i.e., interdependence). [Galton's Problem, cultural diffusion, networks, cultural evolution, statistical methodology]
Adolescents’ Perceptions of Parenting Behavior: Validation of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire Adolescent Self Report

The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) is a well-validated instrument designed to assess parenting behaviors that may be associated with child conduct problems. The APQ’s original five factors were theoretically derived, encompassing positive parenting, corporal punishment, inconsistent discipline, parental involvement, and poor monitoring/supervision. To date several studies have used data-driven approaches in order to ascertain the factor structure of the child and parent report versions of the APQ, with three-, four-, and five-factor models proposed. The current study investigated the psychometric properties of the child report version of the APQ in a sample of 358 adolescents aged 11–18. Results of two separate factor analyses suggest four-factor solutions for mothers and fathers, though the factor titles and item content of these four factors differed between mothers and fathers. Follow-up individual item analyses reveal several strong correlations with child age, indicating that some APQ items may be inappropriate for an older adolescent sample. Implications of the differences in factor structures for mothers and fathers as well as strong age correlations are discussed.
International and domestic evaluation: Comparisons and insights

We expect to need heightened cultural sensitivity in designing international evaluations, but we may actually need to work harder at recognizing cultural variations in domestic evaluations, because we often are blind to cultural effects in our own familiar domestic settings.
Applicability of the shell model to the lattice vibrations of LiH

The “shell model” (1) has been successfully used to calculate the dynamic effective charge e* for crystals having ions with closed shell electron configurations. The experimental values of e * are obtained from the dielectric constants and infrared lattice vibration frequencies using the Szgeti relation. (2) It was of interest to test the shell model for LiH and LiD where the shell concept might not be strictly valid because of the large orbits of the hydride ion valence electron and because the second neighbor interaction associated with the overlap of two hydride ions may be appreciable. Using the model as originally proposed by D ick and O verhauser (1) we obtain e* = 0·3 e which is to be compared with a value of 0·52 e obtained from infrared and dielectric constant data.
Dialkyldimethylammonium halides as wood preservatives

Laboratory decay tests using brown, white and soft rot fungi on wood treated with a series of dialkyldimethylammonium halides show that maximum fungitoxicity is exhibited by compounds with alkyl chains of 10 and 12 carbon atoms. Both the cation and the anion appear to influence effectiveness with bromide salts showing greater activity values than chloride analogs. The anion presumably influences effectiveness through distribution, fixation, and availability of the compounds rather than directly by changes in fungitoxicity. Monobromination of one of the alkyl chains caused a decrease in fungitoxicity, though the alkyl chain length-fungitoxicity relationship was the same as for the unsubstituted series of compounds. Addition of certain copper or organic biocides to alkylammonium compound formulations increased activity, particularly against soft rot. While this result is a significant advance, the complex relationships involved in such formulations will demand considerable further research in respect of efficacy, fixation, leaching, treatability, and environmental aspects before such a product could be commercialized.
Three alternatively spliced mouse slow skeletal muscle troponin T isoforms: Conserved primary structure and regulated expression during postnatal development

Abstract We have cloned and sequenced full-length cDNAs encoding mouse slow skeletal muscle troponin T (sTnT). Alternative mRNA splicing-generated two high Mr isoforms and one low Mr sTnT isoform differing in the NH2-terminal primary structure have been identified by Western blotting, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and cDNA cloning/expression analyses. Together with a 5′-alternative exon that was also found in human sTnT encoding an 11-amino-acid acidic segment, the results revealed a novel alternative splicing pathway to include or exclude a three-base segment to generate additional sTnT isoforms with NH2-terminal charge variations. Overriding the phylogenetic divergence, primary structure of sTnT is better conserved between mammalian and avian species than that of cardiac, fast and skeletal muscle TnTs from one species. Western blots demonstrate four expression patterns of sTnT during postnatal skeletal muscle development: (1) a decrease to a non-detectable level in mouse masseter, (2) an increase to become the sole TnT in sheep masseter, (3) an increase of the total level as well as the proportion of the low Mr isoform in sheep diaphragm and, (4) no significant change in total level or high/low Mr isoform ratio in sheep gastrocnemius. The highly conserved primary structure and fiber type-specific and developmentally regulated expression of sTnT indicate a physiological importance of this under-studied member of the TnT gene family.
Importance of Vascular Changes in Selective Neurodegeneration with Thiamine Deficiency

These results demonstrate that early alterations in the BBB may underlie selective vulnerability in this model of chronic reduced oxidative metabolism. Changes in the BBB (IgG extravasation) precede alterations in APP processing and cell death. Since thiamine-dependent enzymes are also reduced in the brain in Alzheimer's disease, similar processes may be important in the pathophysiology of the disease.
Characteristics of Breast Cancer Survivors That Predict Partners' Participation in Research

Background Psycho-oncology couples' research frequently includes fewer than 50 % of those eligible.
Responses of patients with neoplastic diseases to influenza virus vaccine.

Little information is available concerning influenza immunization in patients with malignancies receiving chemotherapy. A large number of ambulatory patients are receiving chemotherapy for metastatic disease as well as adjuvant chemotherapy for microscopic disease, and they should be considered at higher risk for complications should they contract influenza. Seventeen oncology patients and 15 control subjects were given bivalent influenza vaccine (A/NJ/ 76-A/Vic/75) and their serologic responses were monitored. Although their responses were less than controls, nearly 50% of the oncology patients had a greater than fourfold rise in antibody titer, suggesting that a humoral antibody response could be achieved in spite of their underlying disease and immunosuppressive chemotherapy. No adverse reactions or deterioration of patient's clinical status were noted with vaccination. We conclude that significant antibody titer responses can be achieved in this population of patients. Cancer 42:2244–2247, 1978.
Artificial viscosity effects for SPH impact computations

This paper considers the effects of artificial viscosity for Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) computations. Results are presented for five different problems that each uses six different varieties of artificial viscosity. The results for some of the problems are significantly affected by the artificial viscosity.
Myocardial Infarction Associated with Adderall XR and Alcohol Use in a Young Man

Adderall, consisting of a mixture of amphetamine salts and dextroamphetamine salts, is a prescription drug for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Labeled or unlabeled use of Adderall is gaining popularity among young children and college students. Although it is rare, Adderall use is associated with myocardial infarction and even sudden death. We report a case of a young man with acute myocardial infarction after taking 2 15-mg tablets of Adderall XR with alcohol and discuss the clinical features, diagnosis, and management of the cardiovascular effect of amphetamine-containing drugs.