cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endogenous chloride channels of insect sf9 cells. Evidence for coordinated activity of small elementary channel units.

The endogenous Cl- conductance of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells was studied 20-35 h after plating out of either uninfected cells or cells infected by a baculovirus vector carrying the cloned beta-galactosidase gene (beta-Gal cells). With the cation Tris+ in the pipette and Na+ in the bath, the reversal potential of whole-cell currents was governed by the prevailing Cl- equilibrium potential and could be fitted by the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation with similar permeabilities for uninfected and beta-Gal cells. In the frequency range 0.12 50% of the total variance of whole-cell current fluctuations was accounted for by the low frequency Lorentzian (fc = 0.40 +/- 0.03 Hz, n = 6). Single-Cl- channels showed complex gating kinetics with long lasting (seconds) openings interrupted by similar long closures. In the open state, channels exhibited fast burst-like closures. Since the patches normally contained more than a single channel, it was not possible to measure open and closed dwell-time distributions for comparing single-Cl- channel activity with the kinetic features of whole-cell currents. However, the power density spectrum of Cl- currents of cell-attached and excised outside-out patches contained both high and low frequency Lorentzian components, with the corner frequency of the slow component (fc = 0.40 +/- 0.02 Hz, n = 4) similar to that of whole-cell current fluctuations. Chloride channels exhibited multiple conductance states with similar Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz-type rectification. Single-channel permeabilities covered the range from approximately 0.6.10(-14) cm5/s to approximately 6.10(-14) cm3/s, corresponding to a limiting conductance (gamma 150/150) of approximately 3.5 pS and approximately 35 pS, respectively. All states reversed near the same membrane potential, and they exhibited similar halide ion selectivity, P1 > PCl approximately PBr. Accordingly, Cl- current amplitudes larger than current flow through the smallest channel unit resolved seem to result from simultaneous open/shut events of two or more channel units.
GENERAL COST FACTORS FOR MULTIPLE‐VALUED LOGIC DESIGN OF ARITHMETIC UNITS

This paper is a survey and classification of a number of factors that relate directly to cost in the computer engineering design of arithmetic units. The general factors considered are inputs, gates, thresholds, algebras, inputs versus gates, values, reliability, implementability, and complexity. The paper contains some recent logic calculations by the author on gate versus input counts and reduction of complexity in the case of ternary logic.
Electron microscope studies of grain boundary dislocation behavior

Abstract A review is given of various grain boundary dislocation (GBD) phenomena which have been observed during the last few years in thin-film bicrystal specimens containing grain boundaries possessing different controlled geometries. All of the observations were made by transmission electron microscopy using gold bicrystals which were prepared by welding thin single-crystal films together face-to-face under predetermined conditions. The review begins with a discussion of a number of formal geometrical aspects of GBD's which constitutes a necessary background for the description of the experimental results. Experimental determinations of the equilibrium GBD structure of a variety of twist, tilt and mixed low and high angle grain boundaries are then described. Following this, a number of observations of grain boundaries containing excess non-equilibrium GBD's are presented. Several observations involving GBD behavior during plastic straining and GBD climb phenomena during the exposure of grain boundaries to non-equilibrium point defect concentrations are then discussed. Finally, some comments are made about possible grain boundary migration mechanisms.
Simvastatin therapy prevents brain trauma‐induced increases in β‐amyloid peptide levels

Elevations in β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) levels after traumatic brain injury (TBI) may confer risk for developing Alzheimer's disease in head trauma patients. We investigated the effects of simvastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor, on hippocampal Aβ burden in a clinically relevant head injury/intervention model using mice expressing human Aβ. Simvastatin therapy blunted TBI-induced increases in Aβ, reduced hippocampal tissue damage and microglial activation, and improved behavioral outcome. The ability of statins to reduce post-injury Aβ load and ameliorate pathological sequelae of brain injury makes them potentially effective in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in TBI patients. Ann Neurol 2009;66:407–414
Composite Fermions in the Quantum Hall Regime

Recent progress in the understanding of the two-dimensional electron system under the influence of a strong magnetic field is reviewed. This system is characterized by the existence of a particle called the composite fermion, which manifests itself in several dramatic experimental observations.
Performance comparison of 2D assignment algorithms for assigning truth objects to measured tracks

The processing time requirements of several algorithms for solving the 2-d (also called single frame) linear assignment problem are compared, along with their accuracy given either random or biased measurement errors. The specific problem considered is that of assigning measurements to truth objects using costs that are the chi-squared distances between them. Performance comparisons are provided for the algorithms implemented both in a compiled language C or FORTRAN) as well as the interpretive MatLab language. Accuracy considerations show optimal assignment algorithm is preferred if biased measurement errors are present. The Jonker-Volgenant-Castanon (JVC) algorithm is the preferred approach considering both average and maximum solution time. The Auction algorithm finds favor due to being both efficient as well as easy to understand, but is never faster and often much slower than the JVC algorithm. Both algorithms are dramatically faster than the Munkres algorithm. The greedy nearest neighbor algorithm is an ad hoc solution to provide a sub-optimal but unique solution more cheaply than the optimal assignment algorithms. However, the JVC algorithm is as fast as the greedy for simple problems, marginally slower at hard problems, and is vastly more accurate in the presence of measurement biases.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Experiences with electronic health records: early adopters in long-term care facilities.

Background: Electronic health records (EHRs) are becoming a required technology across the health care sector. Long-term care (LTC) facilities have lagged other settings in adopting health information technologies but represent an area where significant care coordination benefits might be realized. Nevertheless, managers face many of the same challenges implementing EHRs that exist in other environments when implementing enterprise-wide systems. Purposes: This study was conducted to provide a description of the early users' experiences with EHRs in LTC facilities. Methodology: Semistructured interviews were conducted. The 10 sites were all the "freestanding" LTC facilities using an EHR as of July 2008 in Texas. The interview respondents included administrators, nursing managers, nurses, certified nurse aides, and other system users. Semistructured interviews across multiple stakeholders were used to assess constructs critical to EHR adoption and implementation. Findings: The LTC facility employees who work with EHR systems on a daily basis were positive about their experiences. In particular, operational improvements were achieved through increased access to resident information, cost avoidance, increased documentation accuracy, and implementation of evidence-based practices. Practice Implications: Overall, administrators believed that the systems improved care quality and employee satisfaction and were cost effective and that the EHR made a positive return on investment. Electronic documentation led to both increases in charge capture related to resource utilization group documentation, significant savings in pharmacy waste, and reductions in nursing overtime as medical record management became more automated. Quality improvement came from computer-aided monitoring of the certified nurse aide's attendance to residents' activities of daily living.
The R^2 Dirichlet Problem

It is shown how an approximate solution to a Dirichlet problem-a real-valued continuous function g being given on the boundary of a bounded domain \(D\) without holes-can be constructed using any one function \(f(z)\), not a polynomial, which has a convergent power series at some point. (And it is shown that if \(f\) is a polynomial, the result is false.) The proof uses the Hahn-Banach Theorem. If the function \(f\) is taken to have a power series convergent about zero, the solution, harmonic in \(D\) and approximating \(g\) on the boundary, is the real part of a finite sum of terms of the form \({c_n}(f({a_n}(z + {b_n}))\). In applications the real parameters \(a_n\), \({b_n}\), \({c_n}\), \(n\) = 1, 2, . . . ,\(M\) are obtained by computer minimization of the error of the fit to the given function \(g\) on the boundary of the domain. The proof depends on the Walsh-Lebesgue Theorem, which is shown to be equivalent to the complex variable approximate boundary value result as stated in this chapter. Note that the approximation is to the boundary function \(g\) on the boundary of the domain, the approximating functions satisfy the Laplace equation exactly in \(D\) .
Some evidence for the validity of the noise-temperature inequalityθ ≥T in the relaxation approximation of the one-dimensional electron transport problem in high electric fields

The conjecture that “noise” is always smallest in an equilibrium system is made quantitative for a transport problem by identifying “noise” with the noise temperatureθ. In equilibrium the external fieldF=0, and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem gives θ= T, the temperature. In a strong fieldF the Boltzmann equation in the constant relaxation approximation is used to calculate the driftu(F, T) the diffusion constantD(F, T), and the noise temperatureθ(F, T) for piecewise linear one-dimensional band structuresE(k). The validity of the noise inequalityθ ≥T has been shown for a large variety of band parameters and for all fields and temperatures.
Interprofessional education and service learning: a model for the future of health professions education

The implementation of interprofessional education for healthcare professionals has been lackluster, at best, since it was recommended by the Institute of Medicine. There have been various attempts in institutions of higher learning to meet this goal with mixed results. Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University has developed the Green Family NeighborhoodHELP™ (GFNHelp) program to meet this challenge. GFNHelp is an interprofessional, longitudinal, service-learning program for healthcare students. Through participation in this program medical students team up with students from other professions, such as nursing, social work, and law, and collaborate to improve health outcomes for medically underserved families in the community. This educational program emphasizes the Core Competencies of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative through community-based service-learning, allowing student teams to engage firsthand and address the impact of social determinants on health.
MicroRNA-22 promotes cell survival upon UV radiation by repressing PTEN

DNA damage response upon UV radiation involves a complex network of cellular events required for maintaining the homeostasis and restoring genomic stability of the cells. As a new class of players involved in DNA damage response, the regulation and function of microRNAs in response to UV remain poorly understood. Here we show that UV radiation induces a significant increase of miR-22 expression, which appears to be dependent on the activation of DNA damage responding kinase ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated). Increased miR-22 expression may result from enhanced miR-22 maturation in cells exposed to UV. We further found that tumor suppressor gene phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression was inversely correlated with miR-22 induction and UV-induced PTEN repression was attenuated by overexpression of a miR-22 inhibitor. Moreover, increased miR-22 expression significantly inhibited the activation of caspase signaling cascade, leading to enhanced cell survival upon UV radiation. Collectively, these results indicate that miR-22 is an important player in the cellular stress response upon UV radiation, which may promote cell survival via the repression of PTEN expression.
Influence of climate on the population of three milkweed bugs in South India (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae)

The population trend of three milkweed bugs,Spilostethus pandurus (Scop.),Spilostethus hospes (Fabr.) andCaenocoris nerii (Germar) are studied in relation to climatic condtions over a period of two years on their principal hostCalotropis gigantea (L.). Of these milkweed bugs.Spilostethus pandurus is and occasional pest of several food and cash crops in India. All the three species are noted on the milkweed throughout the year. Their abundance shows regular seasonal variation.Spilostethus pandurus andCaenocoris nerii are abundant during the hotter months (March-August) and contrastinglySpilostethus hospes is more numerous during colder seasons (January–February and October–December). The variation in the population due to environmental factors is statistically highly significant. Of the various environmental factors maximum temperature is an important limiting factor in the population levels and distribution of all these three species.
Distinguished Lecture on Economics in Government: The Economist vs. Madmen in Authority

This lecture, given to the Society of Government Economists in January 1995, examines the influence of research on policy and vice versa using three widely believed propositions. The first is that government spending is wasteful or ineffective and can readily be cut back in order to reduce the deficit; the second is that welfare should be time limited and made conditional on people's behavior; the third is that education and training are (more than ever) the ticket to individual and national prosperity. The paper explores the interplay of facts of economic analysis with political and institutional constraints and public values.
Panic disorder: Response to sodium lactate and treatment with antidepressants

Effective drugs for mental disorders have been found by serendipitous findings not supported by knowledge of psychopharmacology. Drug are assigned labels, such as "antidepressant" without knowledge that such a label delimits the utility of such agents. Many double-blind controlled studies have shown that imipramine effectively ameliorates panic attacks and agoraphobia. Epidemiological data show a relationship between Panic Disorder and Depression. Relatives of probands with Major Depression plus an Anxiety Disorder were at greater risk for both Major Depression and for an Anxiety Disorder. Panic Disorder, as a subcategory of Anxiety Disorder was associated with the greatest increased risk. Intravenous sodium lactate reliably produces anxiety attacks clinically indistinguishable from those occurring in Panic Disorder, in subjects with that disorder. Panic Disorder is characterized by response to imipramine, an epidemiological link to Affective Disorder, and is similar to panic induced by infusion of sodium lactate.
Literacy for Children with Moderate to Severe Disabilities: Taking Account of Diversity

The call for practice on the basis of evidence is slowly impacting the link between research and practice. Accompanying the call for evidence-based practice, concerns have been raised about constructing research questions that address the reality of applied settings, as well as arguments for including additional measures to ensure the internal and external validity of intervention studies. Because intervention research continues to evolve, now may be an appropriate time to begin posing questions about considerations of racial and ethnic diversity in this body of work. Validity is one of the most significant aspects of research and there seem to be few definitive notions about children with moderate to severe disabilities from diverse backgrounds. In an attempt to explore this issue, we chose a small part of the extant literature, specifically, the development of literacy, in an effort to examine how scholars report on diversity (e.g., race, ethnicity, culture). In this article we offer commentary on takin...
Provocative Looks Gang Appearance and Dress Codes in an Inner-City Alternative School

We examine how the appearance of students in an inner-city US high school is articulated and contested by staff and students. Implemented to battle distractions of student culture that are thought ...
RbSr ages and Nd isotopic compositions of melt inclusions from the Bishop Tuff and the generation of silicic magma

RbSr ages of melt inclusions in quartz have the potential to provide a unique and illuminating record of the differentiation and accumulation history of silicic magmas. Here we report the first Sr and Nd isotopic measurements of melt inclusion bearing quartz (MIBQ), extracted from the Bishop Tuff (BT), representing what is arguably the world's most controversial yet classic zoned silicic magmatic system. Early erupted BT airfall pumice, representing material from the top of the magma chamber, yields individual quartz crystals with Rb/Sr > 70 and variable apparent differentiation ages of 1,420 ± 80 ka, 2,100 ± 100 ka, 2,150 ± 150 ka and 2,500 ± 200 ka. A bulk quartz separate has an apparent age of 1,900 ± 300 ka, while a quartz separate from an individual airfall pumice has an apparent age of 1,330 ± 80 ka. These ages are similar to the RbSr differentiation ages (2,047-1,894 ka) and k-Ar eruption ages (2,100-1,300 ka) of the adjacent early pre-caldera rhyolites at Glass Mountain (GM), indicating that the upper portions of the BT magma chamber included components that episodically differentiated over the same time interval as early Glass Mountain volcanism. However, at this stage the magmatic systems were separate, as indicated by eNd of −1 for airfall melt inclusion, similar to the BT and late GM rhyolites, compared to eNd of −3 for early GM rhyolites. In contract to BT airfall, melt inclusions from intermediate and later erupted BT ignimbrite pumice, from deeper levels of the magma chamber, give younger apparent differentiation ages: 1,040 ± 140 ka (late erupted), 1,180 ± 80 ka (intermediate erupted clast 1), and 1,060 ± 110 ka, 1080 ± 110 ka (intermediate erupted clast 2, two quartz size fractions). These ages are indistinguishable from the RbSr differentiation age of the late pre-caldera GM rhyolites, 1,140 ± 80 ka. The eNd of intermediate and late erupted melt inclusions is −1, the same as BT airfall melt inclusions. These data are consistent with an early episodic development of the evolved upper portions of the BT magma chamber. However, we find no evidence that most of the differentiation took place at around 2 Ma, as recently suggested on the basis of 40Ar39Ar dating. Most of the Bishop Tuff magma, particularly the later erupted portions, differentiated in major events at around 1.0–1.2 Ma. Early differentiated melts repeatedly accumulated in the upper portions of the chamber concomitantly with differentiation, accumulation and eruption in the nearby Glass Mountain magma reservoir, which possibly represented a separate cupola to a larger complex system. By ∼ 1.2 Ma the Bishop Tuff magmatic system expanded to include the Glass Mountain region. We find no evidence for differentiation younger than ∼ 1.0 Ma in any samples from the Bishop Tuff (or Glass Mountain), confirming the view that over the > 300,000 years that elapsed before eruption of the Bishop Tuff, the stratified magmatic system remained largely stable.
Reoperative minimal access aortic valve surgery: Minimal mediastinal dissection and minimal injury risk

Objective Minimizing surgical access in reoperative cardiac surgery allows limitation of dissection, trauma, and manipulation of patent bypass grafts. We report an 11-year experience with reoperative minimal access aortic valve surgery through an upper hemisternotomy. Methods From July 1996 to June 2007 at our institution, 146 patients underwent reoperative minimal access aortic valve surgery, 109 of whom had undergone previous coronary artery bypass grafting and 93 of whom had a patent left internal thoracic artery graft. In patients with a patent left internal thoracic artery graft, the graft remained undissected. Myocardial protection was achieved with hypothermia, cold cardioplegia, and systemic hyperkalemia. Early and late outcomes were analyzed. Results Median age was 76 years, and 43 patients (29%) were 80 years or older. Nineteen patients(13%) underwent concomitant procedures, such as coronary artery bypass grafting, mitral valve repair, and ascending aortic replacement. Median cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic crossclamp times were 150 and 80 minutes, respectively. Four patients (2.8%) had conversion to full sternotomy. Operative mortality was 4.1% (6/146). The incidences of reoperation for bleeding and blood transfusion were 0.7% (1/146) and 83.6% (122/146), respectively. No patient had left internal thoracic artery or aortocoronary graft injury. Median stay was 8 days, and 56% (79/140) were discharged home. Five-year actuarial survival was 85%. Conclusion An upper hemisternotomy approach for reoperative aortic valve surgery is safe and feasible. This approach minimizes tissue dissection and trauma, thereby reducing the risk of injury to patent grafts and mediastinal organs.
Validating behavioral models for reuse

When using a model to predict the behavior of a physical system of interest, engineers must be confident that, under the conditions of interest, the model is an adequate representation of the system. The process of building this confidence is called model validation. It requires that engineers have knowledge about the system and conditions of interest, properties of the model and their own tolerance for uncertainty in the predictions. To reduce time and costs, engineers often reuse preexisting models that other engineers have developed. However, if the user lacks critical parts of this knowledge, model validation can be as time consuming and costly as developing a similar model from scratch. In this article, we describe a general process for performing model validation for reused behavioral models that overcomes this problem by relying on the formalization and exchange of knowledge. We identify the critical elements of this knowledge, discuss how to represent it and demonstrate the overall process on a simple engineering example.
Endovascular Therapies for Primary Postpartum Hemorrhage: Techniques and Outcomes

Interventional radiologists are often consulted for acute management of hemorrhagic complications in obstetric and gynecologic patients. The aim of this article is to review the common indications for vascular embolization in obstetric and gynecologic emergencies, specifically in the setting of primary postpartum hemorrhage, and to discuss the technique and outcomes of endovascular treatment.
By the book

Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd edn. Three volumes. By J. Sambrook E. F. Fritsch T. Maniatis. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: 1989. Spiral bound $115.
A uniaxial nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model with damage for M30 gun propellant

Abstract The nonlinear viscoelastic mechanical response of a conventional tank gun propellant, M30, is modeled using a “modified superposition integral” that incorporates the effects of microstructural fracture damage. Specifically, a linear, time-dependent kernel is convolved with the first-time derivative of a power-law function of stress and a damage “softening” that accounts for damage evolution by a microcrack growth mechanism. The microcrack damage function is a master curve formed from shifted isothermal, compressive, uniaxial constant strain rate (0.01 s −1 to 420 s −1 ) data on solid, right-circular cylinders of M30 gun propellant. An attractive feature of the model is its ability to predict work-softening behavior under conditions of monotonically increasing deformation. Time-dependent predictions of stress versus time, failure stress versus failure time, and failure stress versus strain rate, quantitatively agree with experimental results from constant strain rate tests on the propellant. Theoretical predictions of time-dependent stresses for Heaviside and “ballistic-like” strain histories are also provided.
A SEQUENCED QUESTIONING PARADIGM AS A GENERAL FACILITATOR OF PRESCHOOLERS' ASSOCIATIVE FLUENCY

To investigate the extent to which free play vs a sequenced questioning paradigm were general facilitators of preschoolers' associative fluency 36 children (15 girls and 21 boys, Mage. = 52.52 mo.; SD = 9.197 mo.) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, free play, questioning, or control. In the first two conditions children interacted with two conventional objects, randomly chosen from a set of four. Children in all conditions were asked to articulate novel uses for conventional objects they had not interacted with during their respective treatments. The condition significantly affected creative responses. Responses in the questioning condition were significantly greater than in the other conditions; there was no significant difference between play and control conditions.
Cross-chronotope alignment in Senegalese oral narrative

Abstract While oral self-narratives are often presumed to be deictically anchored as ‘past’ by default, speakers routinely create more complex and varied temporalization effects, including tropic effects that are this article’s focus. One of the most well-known tropic temporalization effects is the so-called ‘historical present’, where speakers use non-past deixis to frame ‘past’ events. This juxtaposition of temporalization effects can be used to align the spatio-temporal universe of the story (the denotational text) and the here-and-now storytelling event (the interactional text) as ‘coeval’, as if they were part of the same spatio-temporal or ‘chronotopic’ frame. This article examines a Senegalese oral narrative practice that tends to co-occur with the historical present, but which is even more striking in the way it aligns interactional and denotational texts as coeval. In this practice the narrator discursively recruits audience members to serve as denoted characters in the story, a process referred to as ‘participant transposition’. Drawing on Bakhtin and on Agha’s notion of ‘cross-chronotope alignment’, this article shows how participant transposition functions together with deictic transposition to align the story and storytelling event as coeval, and it examines how these forms of alignment are used to revise interactional history.
Estimates of Free and Bound Indole-3-Acetic Acid and Zeatin Levels in Relation to Regulation of Apical Dominance and Tiller Release in Oat Shoots*

Oat stem segments containing quiescent lateral (tiller) buds during times of strong apical dominance, and growing buds released from this inhibition, were collected for analysis of native auxin and cytokinins. Free IAA and IAA conjugates were determined by a14C-IAA and14C-IBA double isotope dilution assay. Free zeatin (Z), zeatin riboside (Z-r), and their glucoside conjugates were purified from butanol-soluble fractions by means of a cellulose phosphate exchanger and thin-layer chromatography. Hormones were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results of these analyses indicate that changes in free and bound IAA within the stem do not correlate well with the release of tiller buds (as brought about by decapitation, gravistimulation, or the emergence of the inflorescence). However, increases in Z-r levels are well correlated with tiller release. The glucoside conjugate of Z-r may act as a storage form of cytokinin in quiescent tiller buds. In light of these results, we find that the auxin-cytokinin ratio in oat stem segments is shifted during tiller
"Roll Calls, Party labels, and Elections"

We develop a model of legislative policymaking in which individual legislators are concerned with both policy and reelection. Legislators’ preferences are private information, and they have two means of communicating their preferences to voters. First, they each have a “party label” that credibly identifies an interval within which their ideal points must lie. Second, their roll call votes may convey additional information about their preferences. Each legislator must therefore tailor his or her votes to his or her district in order to forestall a reelection challenge from the opposing party. In equilibrium, nonsincere voting records will occur mostly in moderate districts, where extreme incumbents are vulnerable to challenges from relatively centrist candidates. In those districts, the most extreme legislators may even choose to vote sincerely and retire rather than compile a moderate voting record. Thus, both roll call scores and candidate types will be responsive to district type. An empirical test of shifts in roll call scores of retiring House members in moderate districts confirms these findings.
Pathology and International Systems

The cybernetic approach makes a distinction between systems that are viable and systems that are pathological. The discussions of Bismarck, Rosecrance and McClelland indicate that the distinction between viable international systems and pathological systems should be made clearer. When is an international political system pathological? Are there symptoms of pathology that can be identified ahead of time?
Fraud Education for Accounting Students

Abstract Most accounting educators agree that their students need to learn about fraud. In fact, Peterson and Reider (1999) reported that 74% of the 215 accounting educators responding to a survey strongly disagreed with the following statement: “It is unlikely that students will encounter fraud in their career.” Accounting students presently are receiving very little, if any, education in the area of fraud (Peterson & Reider, 2001). In this article, the author describes the status of fraud education today, explores possible reasons for its scarcity, and provides suggestions for content and materials that instructors can use to develop a fraud course.
Comparison of Three Serial Blood Sampling Techniques on Plasma Hormone Concentrations in the Laying Hen

Serial blood samples were drawn at 2 hr intervals for 6 hr by either heart puncture (HP), venipuncture (VP), or via a chronic wing vein cannula (WVC) to assess the effects of sampling technique on plasma hormone and hematocrit concentrations. Data for plasma concentrations of corticosterone (B), LH, testosterone (T), progesterone (P4), and the hematocrit (Htc) were analyzed by a split-plot design and analysis of variance making orthogonal comparisons among times and treatments. Results indicate that plasma B was significantly increased and LH and T decreased subsequent to the first sampling in the VP and HP groups compared to the WVC group. In addition, plasma P4 was decreased subsequent to the first sample drawn by HP compared to the WVC group. The Htc was not different between the HP and VP groups; however, a significant time interaction indicates a decrease in the Htc with repeated samplings in both groups. In contrast, for the WVC group, in which red cells were replaced, the Htc measured in the first and last sample was essentially unchanged. Finally, no differences were found in plasma concentrations of B, LH, T, P4, and the Htc when venous blood was compared to arterial blood. It is concluded that blood sampling via a WVC, preadapting the bird to handling, and red blood cell replacement as described herein minimize sampling-induced perturbation in hormone concentrations.
Gonadal hormones and cognitive aging: a midlife perspective.

Gonadal steroids affect a variety of brain processes. Cognitive consequences of hormonal changes associated with menopause are of scientific interest and of relevance to public health. Natural menopause is a normal physiological process that can only be directly studied through observational research. Similarly, surgical menopause in humans is rarely directly amenable to experimental research. Causality with respect to cognitive outcomes is, therefore, difficult to infer. Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings from the Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Project, the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation and other midlife cohorts suggest that cognitive consequences of the natural menopausal transition are probably small, at least during midlife and at least for episodic memory, which is a key cognitive domain. The data for episodic memory are the most robust. Midlife episodic memory performance is similar both shortly before and after natural menopause, and serum estradiol concentration in midlife is ...
INTERVENTION STUDIES AND THE DEFINITION OF DOMINANT TRANSMISSION ROUTES

A common approach to assessing the relative importance of different transmission routes is to eliminate transmission through one route and assume that the ratio "number of cases eliminated:number of residual cases" measures the relative importance of the eliminated route vis-a-vis the residual transmission route. A quantitative model is used to generate synthetic data similar to those analyzed by epidemiologists. These data are analyzed using this conventional procedure and the inferences drawn from the synthetic data compared with the causal relationships structured into the model. The implications for the analysis of real-world data are analyzed by examining data on the importance of water and other transmission routes for cholera in Bangladesh.
Telecommunications demand analysis in transition

The paper focuses on the problems and challenges to applied demand analysis in the telecommunications industry that have been posed by technological change, deregulation and competition. Challenges discussed include the development of new sources of data, estimation of price elasticities which apply to firms and users, the modelling of choice of carrier, and the emergence of the Internet.
Nebulized Isotonic Saline Versus Water Following a Laryngeal Desiccation Challenge in Classically Trained Sopranos

Purpose To examine the effects of nebulized isotonic saline (IS) versus sterile water (SW) on self-perceived phonatory effort (PPE) and phonation threshold pressure (PTP) following a surface laryng...
Three-dimensional photoacoustic tomography based on the focal-line concept

A full ring ultrasonic array-based photoacoustic tomography system was recently developed for small animal brain imaging. The 512-element array is cylindrically focused in the elevational direction, and can acquire a two-dimensional (2D) image in 1.6 s. In this letter, we demonstrate the three-dimensional (3D) imaging capability of this system. A novel 3D reconstruction algorithm was developed based on the focal-line concept. Compared to 3D images acquired simply by stacking a series of 2D images, the 3D focal-line reconstruction method renders images with much less artifacts, and improves the elevational resolution by 30% and the signal-to-noise ratio by two times. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm was first validated by numerical simulations and then demonstrated with a hair phantom experiment and an ex vivo mouse embryo experiment.
Framing Dynamics and Political Gridlock: The Curious Case of Hydraulic Fracturing in New York

Abstract‘Fracking’ was on New York's agenda since 2008, yet no decision was made about it until late 2014. The gridlock is an intriguing puzzle given that the Marcellus shale is considered a ‘world class’ energy supply, and development has been aggressive in other US states. While policy scholars typically conceptualize gridlock as policy stability, this paper examines it as a dynamic process by which competing discourse coalitions engage in interactive framing processes that (re)structure the discussion. This suggests that the interaction between contending coalitions influences gridlock. Yet, we lack knowledge about interactive framing between competing coalitions during policy controversies. Our main finding is that a central mechanism of gridlock is the production of conflict through interactive framing dynamics that deny a shared discursive space capable of ushering in a consensus, or reasoned agreement. In New York, this contest evolved from a policy consensus about the economic benefits of fracking...
Is there a role for PET/CT parameters to differentiate thyroid cartilage invasion from penetration?

Abstract Background Assessment of thyroid cartilage invasion (tumor extension through inner cortex) and thyroid cartilage penetration (tumor involving both the inner and outer cortices of thyroid cartilage) may be challenging with CT (Computed Tomography) and MR imaging (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) is a non invasive imaging modality that provides both anatomic and metabolic information. Quantitative data obtained from PET/CT, also known as PET/CT parameters, include maximum, mean or peak standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVmean, SUVpeak), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), standardized added metabolic activity (SAM) and normalized standardized added metabolic activity (NSAM). Our aim was to examine if FDG PET/CT parameters could differentiate thyroid cartilage invasion from penetration. Methods 50 patients who underwent PET/CT before laryngectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, had SUVmax, SUVmean, SUVpeak, TLG, MTV, SAM and NSAM calculated on a dedicated workstation. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed. ROC analysis was used to determine the ability of PET/CT parameters to predict pathologically proven thyroid cartilage invasion or penetration. Results Of the 50 patients, 50% (25/50 patients) had history of prior radiation therapy. Among the previously irradiated group, 24% had thyroid cartilage invasion and penetration. 8% of the patients in this group had thyroid cartilage invasion only. Among the non-irradiated group, 76% had thyroid cartilage invasion and penetration, 8% had thyroid cartilage invasion without penetration. ROC analysis revealed that none of the PET/CT parameters had enough power to predict thyroid cartilage penetration, but TLG, MTV and SAM had enough power to predict thyroid cartilage invasion in non-irradiated patients. TLG, MTV, SAM and NSAM had enough power to predict thyroid cartilage invasion and penetration in irradiated group. Conclusion TLG, MTV and SAM have enough power to predict thyroid cartilage invasion and penetration in irradiated patients. PET/CT parameters do not have enough potential to differentiate thyroid cartilage invasion from penetration.
The War Within: A Personal Account of Coping with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Coping with a serious illness is a hardship both for patients and their loved ones. In this article, insight into the seriously ill patient is provided through the chronicle of a sufferer of systemic lupus erythematosus. It is presented here for the benefit of social workers and health care professionals who may aid such patients.
Exciton Lifetime in PbS Quantum Dots in Glass

We report experimental measurements and analysis of HOMO-LUMO transition photoluminescence and photoinduced bleaching magnitude and decay kinetics in lead sulfide quantum dots in glass. We find that the radiative lifetime is independent of temperature from 77K to 500K. The lifetime of the HOMO-LUMO state decreases dramatically for T>300K, indicating thermally activated nonradiative recombination. The excitation decay time is much greater than the radiative lifetime and increases monotonically with decreasing temperature with decay times of 2 μs at room temperature and 4-10 μs at 77K.
Opening the Black Box of Play: Strategy Analysis of an Educational Game

A significant issue in research on educational games lies in evaluating their educational impact. Although game analytics is often leveraged in the game industry, it can also provide insight into player actions, strategy development, and the learning process in educational games separate from external evaluation measures. This paper explores the potential of game analytics for learning by analyzing player strategies of an educational game that is designed to support algorithmic thinking. We analyze player strategies from nine cases in our data, combining quantitative and qualitative game analysis techniques: hierarchical player clustering, game progression visualizations, playtraces, and think-aloud data. Results suggest that this combination of data analysis techniques provides insights into level progression and learning strategies that may have been otherwise overlooked.
Christian Religious Traditions

Simply to specify, much less to assess the religious dimensions of business ethics, or of business activity in this country, is to undertake a complex task that can only be sketched here. Given the currently dominant approaches to business ethics that are based on cases and philosophically articulated modes of analysis and reasoning, one is tempted to say that the shift to religious dimensions is, among other things, a shift of focus from ethics to ethos. The difficulty of isolating an ethos, especially in a pluralistic society such as ours, helps explain the complexity of our task.
THE YCBA HISTORIC FRAME COLLECTION: USING SEMANTIC WEB TECHNOLOGY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SCHOLARSHIP OF BRITISH ART

Na sequencia de uma avaliacao tecnica da coleccao de molduras historicas, o Yale Center for British Art tem vindo a catalogar as suas molduras tao extensivamente quanto a sua coleccao de arte, e agora partilha esse trabalho atraves de paginas web, quer para utilizadores humanos quer atraves de formatos especificos (LIDO XML, CIDOC-CRM RDF) para agregadores de dados. Este artigo propoe uma estrategia para a gestao de informacao e para um modelo de disseminacao que assenta em protocolos de comunicacao e no Linked Open Data para assegurar que o rico conteudo cultural pode ser reutilizado por academicos e contribuir para o estudo das molduras e da arte britânica em geral.
The Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Hijack of Host Proteins by the 1918 Spanish Influenza Virus

The 1918 Spanish influenza A virus (IAV) caused one of the most serious pandemics in history. The nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of the 1918 IAV hijacks the interaction between human CrkII and JNK1. Little is, however, known about its molecular mechanism. Here, we performed X-ray crystallography, NMR relaxation dispersion experiment, and fluorescence spectroscopy to determine the structural, kinetic, and thermodynamic mechanisms underlying the hijacking of CrkII by 1918 IAV NS1. We observed that the interaction between a proline-rich motif in NS1 and the N-terminal SH3 domain of CrkII displays strikingly rapid kinetics and exceptionally high affinity with 100-fold faster kon and 3300-fold lower Kd compared to those for the CrkII–JNK1 interaction. These results provide molecular insight into the mechanism by which 1918 IAV NS1 hijacks CrkII and disrupts its interactions with critical cellular signaling proteins.
Increased Proximal Aortic Diameter is Associated With Risk of Cardiovascular Events and All-Cause Mortality in Blacks The Jackson Heart Study.

Background Enlargement of the proximal aorta is associated with aortic wall tissue remodeling, including fragmentation of the elastin fibers, increased synthesis of collagen, and calcification, all of which are associated with aortic wall stiffening. We hypothesized that the proximal aortic diameter (AoD) is associated with cardiovascular events in a community‐based cohort of blacks. Methods and Results We investigated the associations between AoD and cardiovascular events among 3018 black participants (mean age, 55.9 years; 69% women) without past history of cardiovascular disease in the Jackson Heart Study. AoD was measured using echocardiography at the level of the sinuses of Valsalva at end diastole. Cardiovascular event was defined as incident myocardial infarction, fatal coronary artery disease, stroke, or heart failure hospitalization. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association between baseline AoD and cardiovascular events. Over a median follow‐up of 8.3 years, there were 258 cardiovascular events (incident rate, 10.5 per 1000 person‐years). After adjustment for traditional risk factors, increased AoD was significantly associated with cardiovascular events (hazard ratio per 1‐cm increase, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.10–2.69; P P Conclusions Greater AoD was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events in a community‐based cohort of blacks. AoD may be useful as a predictor of incident cardiovascular events and further investigation is warranted.
Cardiac Stem Cells and Progenitors: Developmental Biology and Therapeutic Challenges

Discovery of embryonic and adult stem cells holds great promise for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Embryonic stem (ES) cells differentiate into cardiac myocytes as well as multiple other cell lineages in vitro and when transplanted into the heart. However, their clinical application is limited by their pleuripotent nature, capacity to form teratomas and ethical concerns. Several groups have reported that bone marrow-derived cells differentiate into cardiac myocytes, though these findings remain controversial requiring further examination. Nevertheless, injection of bone marrow-derived cells in the setting of experimental models of myocardial infarction has demonstrated functional benefit. Similarly, small phase I/II clinical trials of bone marrow derived mononuclear cell infusions in the setting of acute myocardial infarction have generally demonstrated short term functional benefit. Most recently, several distinct populations of resident stem cells have been identified in the heart. Further elucidation of cardiovascular stem cell biology is a crucial first step in translating the promise of cardiac stem cells and progenitors into the clinical reality.
Applying Evidence From Clinical Trials: Need for Pediatric Learning Health System Research

* Abbreviations: MDD — : major depressive disorder PCOR — : Patient-Centered Outcomes Research RCT — : randomized controlled trial Nationally, the lifetime and 12-month prevalences of adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) have been reported to be 11.7% and 8.2%, respectively.1,2 Recent data have also shown increases in prevalence from 2004 to 2015.3 These trends, coupled with a limited availability of pediatric and adolescent mental health specialists, have resulted in an increased demand for frontline pediatric providers to manage depression. Clinical management involves the use of pharmacological and psychotherapy interventions. Decisions on the most appropriate treatment course for a specific patient are typically based on the biomedical knowledge base composed of research studies as well as the judicious application of clinical experience and wisdom. Findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were rigorously performed and transparently reported in peer-reviewed medical journals are the most influential type of evidence, affecting both clinical decision-making and guideline development. The RCT has the reputation of being the gold standard for evidence generation because of its capacity to balance confounders (both measured and unmeasured) between groups, thereby strengthening the validity of treatment effect estimation. However, even this powerful study design has limitations of which practicing clinicians should … Address correspondence to Kamila B. Mistry, PhD, MPH, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 5600 Fishers Ln, Room #06N03, Rockville, MD 20857. E-mail: kamila.mistry{at}ahrq.hhs.gov