cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevention of carotid angioplasty-induced bradycardia and hypotension with temporary venous pacemakers.

OBJECTIVE: Carotid angioplasty with stent placement is becoming an established treatment modality for patients with high-risk carotid stenosis. Unlike carotid endarterectomy, angioplasty causes direct mechanical dilation of the stenotic carotid artery and bulb. Stimulation of the sinus baroreceptors induces a reflexive response that consists of increased parasympathetic discharge and inhibition of sympathetic tone, which results in bradycardia and subsequent cardiogenic hypotension. METHODS: At a single institution, the experience with 43 patients treated from November 1994 to January 2000 with 47 angioplasty and stent procedures for occlusive carotid artery disease was retrospectively reviewed. Prophylactic temporary venous pacemakers were used to prevent hypotension from possible angioplasty-induced bradycardia. Pacemakers were set to capture a heart rate decrease below 60 beats per minute. Variables analyzed included demographics, etiology of disease, side of the lesion, the presence of symptoms, history of coronary artery disease, percent stenosis, type of stent used, number of dilations, pressure of dilation, and angioplasty balloon diameter. RESULTS: Ten patients were excluded because pacemakers were not used during their angioplasty procedures, and these included three emergencies and a lesion that was unrelated anatomically to the carotid sinus (petrous carotid). The remaining 37 procedures were performed in 33 patients with a mean age of 67 years, and consisted of 17 men, 16 women, 20 right and 17 left-sided lesions. The pacemakers maintained a cardiac rhythm in 23 (62%) of the 37 procedures and in no case did the pacemaker fail to respond when activated. Recurrent (56%; 10 of 18), radiation-induced (78%; 7 of 9), and medically refractory carotid stenosis (67%; 6 of 9) required intraprocedural pacing. Two patients with recurrent stenosis became hypotensive despite the aid of the pacing device but were not symptomatic. Seventy-nine percent (15 of 19) of symptomatic lesions and 57% (8 of 14) of nonsymptomatic lesions required pacing, which was statistically significant (P = 0.049). No patient experienced an operative morbidity or mortality as a consequence of the temporary pacing devices. CONCLUSION: Angioplasty-induced bradycardia is a common condition, and it is more prevalent in radiation-induced stenosis and with symptomatic lesions. Temporary venous demand pacing is a safe procedure and may prevent life-threatening, baroreceptor-induced hypotension.
Cardiac Biomarkers for Risk Stratification of Patients With Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) present with a wide spectrum of clinical acuity that necessitates different therapeutic strategies. Most patients maintain normal systolic arterial pressure and normal right ventricular function. With therapeutic levels of anticoagulation, they will likely have a benign clinical course. Unfortunately, some PE patients suffer rapid clinical deterioration with adverse clinical events, including death from right ventricular failure or the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, or administration of pressors for systolic arterial hypotension. Selected patients will benefit from thrombolysis or surgical embolectomy in addition to anticoagulation.1,2 Severe dyspnea, cyanosis, and syncope indicate life-threatening PE. The clinical examination may reveal signs of acute right ventricular dysfunction, including tachycardia, a low arterial blood pressure, distended neck veins, an accentuated P 2, or a tricuspid regurgitation murmur. On the ECG, T-wave inversion or a pseudoinfarction pattern (Qr) in the anterior precordial leads indicates right ventricular dilation and dysfunction.3 Chest computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging may not only confirm PE but also demonstrate right ventricular dilation. Echocardiography has emerged as the principal tool for risk stratification in acute PE. From a prognostic point of view, echocardiography helps to classify patients with PE into 3 groups: Low-risk PE (no right ventricular dysfunction), with a hospital mortality of <4%, submassive PE (right ventricular dysfunction and a preserved arterial pressure), with a hospital mortality of 5% to 10%, and massive PE (right ventricular dysfunction and cardiogenic shock), with a hospital mortality of approximately 30%.4 Right ventricular dysfunction on the echocardiogram is an independent and powerful predictor of early death in patients with acute PE.5 Indirect signs are systolic pulmonary …
Towards semantics-based prefetching to reduce Web access latency

Prefetching is an important technique for tolerating Web access latency. Existing prefetching algorithms are mostly based on URL graphs. While they have been demonstrated to be effective in prefetching of documents that are often accessed, few of them can prefetch documents whose URLs have never been accessed. We propose a semantics-based prefetching technique to overcome the limitation. It predicts future requests based on semantic preferences of previously retrieved documents. We apply this technique to news reading activities and prototyped a client-side prefetching system, NewsAgent. The system extracts document semantics by identifying keywords in their URL anchor texts and relies on neural networks over the keyword set to predict future requests. We cross-examine the system in daily browsing of ABC News, CNN, and MSNBC News sites for three months and demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique.
Density of Molten Sodium Aluminosilicates

In order to address controversial discrepancies among earlier measurements, the densities of eight sodium aluminosilicate melts were measured at 1100/sup 0/ to 1550/sup 0/C. The double-bob Archimedean method was used; it is the most accurate available technique and one not used in previous density measurements in this system. The results of a regression of molar volume with temperature and composition in terms of oxides are presented. The variation of molar volume with composition is linear within the range of the data. The standard error of the fit is <0.2%.
Functional Neuroimaging Information: A Case for Neuro Exceptionalism?

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has built on a number of technologies, including electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography, positron emission tomography, and single-photon emission computed tomography, to become one of the decade's most powerful tools for mapping sensory, motor, and cognitive function. Scientists also are using fMRI to study the neural correlates of a range of conditions, characteristics, and social behaviors, including schizophrenia, addiction, racial evaluation, deception, cooperation, and sexual preferences. Now poised to move outside the research context, functional neuroimaging raises a number of confidentiality, privacy, and identity issues. In this Article, I examine whether special, or heightened, confidentiality, privacy, and informed consent provisions are needed to respond to developments in functional neuroimaging. En route to arguing that advances in fMRI renew the call for broad-based privacy protections in the employment and insurance contexts and require an expanded notion of informed consent, I address the proper roles and responsibilities of scientists, physicians, lawyers, and ethicists in the public and neuroethics arenas
Power system stability agents using robust wide area control

Conventional power system stabilizers (PSSs) are major local damping controllers acting through generator excitation systems. There are studies that suggest that remote signals could increase damping beyond that attainable by local signals. In this paper, a supervisory level power system stabilizer (SPSS) using wide area measurements is proposed. The robustness of the proposed controller is capable of compensating for the nonlinear dynamic operation of power systems and uncertain disturbances. The coordination of the robust SPSSs and local PSSs is implemented based on the principles of multiagent system theory. This theory is an active branch of applications in distributed artificial intelligence (DAI). The performance of the robust controller as a power system stability agent is studied using a 29-machine 179-bus power system example.
Comparison of standardized versus individualized caloric prescriptions in the nutritional rehabilitation of inpatients with anorexia nervosa

Objective Sparse research informs how caloric prescriptions should be advanced during nutritional rehabilitation of inpatients with anorexia nervosa (AN). This study compared the impact of a standardized caloric increase approach, in which increases occurred on a predetermined schedule, to an individualized approach, in which increases occurred only following insufficient weight gain, on rate, pattern, and cumulative amount of weight gain and other weight restoration outcomes. Method This study followed a natural experiment design comparing AN inpatients consecutively admitted before (n = 35) and after (n = 35) an institutional change from individualized to standardized caloric prescriptions. Authors examined the impact of prescription plan on weekly weight gain in the first treatment month using multilevel modeling. Within a subsample remaining inpatient through weight restoration (n = 40), multiple regressions examined the impact of caloric prescription plan on time to weight restoration, length of hospitalization, maximum caloric prescription, discharge BMI, and incidence of activity restriction and edema. Results There were significant interactions between prescription plan and quadratic time on average weekly weight gain (p = .03) and linear time on cumulative weekly weight gain (p < .001). Under the standardized plan, patients gained in an accelerated curvilinear pattern (p = .04) and, therefore, gained cumulatively greater amounts of weight over time (p < .001). Additionally, 30% fewer patients required activity restriction under the standardized plan. Discussion Standardized caloric prescriptions may confer advantage by facilitating accelerated early weight gain and lower incidence of bedrest without increasing the incidence of refeeding syndrome. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:50–58).
One dimensional nanostructure/nanoparticle composites as photoanodes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) show potential as a low cost alternative to silicon solar cells. Power conversion efficiencies exceeding 12% have been achieved for DSCs. Typical DSCs are based on TiO2 nanoparticle photoanodes, which have numerous grain boundaries, surface defects and trap states as electrons transport from one particle to the other. Such defects and trap states increase back charge transfer (charge recombination) from the photoanode to electrolyte. One dimensional (1D) nanostructures such as nanofibers, nanorods, nanowires, and nanotubes can offer direct and fast electron transport to the electron collecting electrode. However, these 1D nanostructures have a major disadvantage of having insufficient surface area and inefficient dye attachment. To solve this challenge, mixtures of TiO2 nanoparticles and 1D nanostructures (e.g. nanofibers, nanorods, nanowires, and nanotubes) are used to take advantage of the large surface area of nanoparticles and efficient charge transport of 1D nanostructures. In this article, we review the recent developments in using mixtures of 1D nanostructures and nanoparticles as photoanodes for efficient DSCs. Various randomly oriented and vertically aligned 1D nanostructures and their composites with nanoparticles are discussed. Future increase of efficiency in DSCs using 1D nanostructure/nanoparticle composites will rely on the optimization of diameters of 1D nanostructures, control of ratios of 1D nanostructures and nanoparticles, increase of crystallinity, and reduction of surface defects on the 1D nanostructures. This work will provide guidance for designing and growing appropriate 1D nanostructures, and combining them with nanoparticles at an optimal ratio for efficient DSCs.
Can work groups be made more effective? YES!

The article discusses research pertaining to effective work group design. The research indicated that the way in which the team is designed has an important impact on work group productivity. The significance of the task, the ability to see a project through to the end, and the extent to which members participated in decisions had an important bearing on the effectiveness of a work team. Through these characteristics work teams seem to acquire a sense of personal responsibility and task ownership.
Show your cards: the results section and the poker game.

In 5-Card Draw, one of the most popular versions of poker, you start with a specific question: “Can I win with the cards I have decided to play?” The final answer is yes or no. After looking at your initial cards (initial findings) you can be satisfied with what you have (preliminary data) or seek some new cards (new experiments). But in the end you must openly “show your cards” (results). Your cards give you the answer. You cannot hide a card, nor can you add an undealt card to make your hand look better. Playing poker and writing the Results section of a scientific paper have similarities, as I will point out in this article. In poker, how you present your cards affects how your competitors grasp the importance of the cards. One winning set of cards in poker is the straight , defined as 5 consecutively sequenced cards (e.g., 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). You may have this group of cards, but if you present them as 6, 10, 8, 7, 9, your straight is not immediately evident. The worth of cards when presented in a logical manner is clearer and easier to grasp. The same holds true for your Results section. Your important results may be better understood if presented in a certain order. There are several options for the presentation order of results (Table 1⇓ ); one may work better than another for the type of study being reported. The most straightforward approach is to use a chronological order with subheadings that parallel the methods and their sequence presented earlier in the paper. This order allows readers to more easily go back and refer to the methods associated with a given result. View this table: Table 1. Options for presentation order of results. A second approach is to group results …
How Does Ecological Opportunity Influence Rates of Speciation, Extinction, and Morphological Diversification in New World Ratsnakes (Tribe Lampropeltini)?

Ecological adaptive radiation theory predicts an increase in both morphological and specific diversification when organisms colonize new environments. Accordingly, bursts of morphological diversification, characterized by low within-subclade morphological disparity, may be associated with these increases in speciation rates. Conversely, increasing species density, reduction in available habitat, or increasing extinction rates are expected to cause rates of diversification to decline. We test these hypotheses by examining the tempo and mode of speciation in the lampropeltinine snakes, a morphologically variable group that colonized the New World approximately 24 million years ago and radiated throughout the Miocene. We show that specific diversification increased early in the history of the group, and that most morphological variation is partitioned among, rather than within subclades. These patterns provide further evidence for the hypothesis that morphological variation tends to be strongly partitioned among lineages when clades undergo early bursts of species diversification. A reduction in speciation rates may be indicative of density dependent effects due to a saturation of available ecological opportunity, rather than increases in extinction rates at the onset of the Pleistocene/Pliocene glacial cycles. This evidence runs counter to the general Pleistocene species pump model.
Comparative ecology of Varanus in the Great Victoria Desert

The ecologies of seven desert species of monitor lizards (Varanus), which are very variable in size, are described and compared. Data are reported on abundance, anatomy, behaviour, body temperature relationships, daily activity patterns, diet, growth, habitat and microhabitat, prey size, reproduction, seasonal patterns of activity, sexual dimorphisms, and tracks. As many as six of the seven species occur together in sympatry at one study site. New results reported here are merged with extensive data collected over the past quarter of a century to provide a comprehensive and detailed overview of numerous aspects of the natural history and ecology of the seven species in the Great Victoria Desert. One species of pygmy monitor has evolved large clutch size for unknown reasons. A food web for 40 species of desert lizards is presented. Hutchinsonian ratios of head lengths (larger/smaller) are significantly greater in two observed assemblages of sympatric varanids than in a null model consisting of all possible pairs of species of all Australian varanids. Evolution of body size and the two adaptive radiations of Varanus in Australia are discussed.
An Architecture for Tool Integration

The Illinois Software Engineering Program (ISEP) is an effort directed towards the design, development and exploration of software tools, techniques and environments. The primary objective of this program is to develop a set of interrelated and integrable software tools. These tools will facilitate the design, development and maintenance of more reliable and robust software systems and support their systematic reuse. To facilitate the integration of all tools, a general open systems architecture is under development.
Modification of TOUGH2 to Include the Dusty Gas Model for Gas Diffusion

The GEO-SEQ Project is investigating methods for geological sequestration of CO{sub 2}. This project, which is directed by LBNL and includes a number of other industrial, university, and national laboratory partners, is evaluating computer simulation methods including TOUGH2 for this problem. The TOUGH2 code, which is a widely used code for flow and transport in porous and fractured media, includes simplified methods for gas diffusion based on a direct application of Fick's law. As shown by Webb (1998) and others, the Dusty Gas Model (DGM) is better than Fick's Law for modeling gas-phase diffusion in porous media. In order to improve gas-phase diffusion modeling for the GEO-SEQ Project, the EOS7R module in the TOUGH2 code has been modified to include the Dusty Gas Model as documented in this report. In addition, the liquid diffusion model has been changed from a mass-based formulation to a mole-based model. Modifications for separate and coupled diffusion in the gas and liquid phases have also been completed. The results from the DGM are compared to the Fick's law behavior for TCE and PCE diffusion across a capillary fringe. The differences are small due to the relatively high permeability (k = 10{sup -11} m{sup 2}) of the problem and the small mole fraction of the gases. Additional comparisons for lower permeabilities and higher mole fractions may be useful.
Race differences in prevalence of chronic kidney disease among young adults using creatinine-based glomerular filtration rate-estimating equations

Background. Despite a higher incidence of end-stage renal disease (stage 5), blacks have been shown to have the same or lower prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD stages 3 and 4). Current creatinine-based glomerular filtration rate (GFR)-estimating equations may misclassify young, healthy blacks. Methods. Among 3501 young adults (mean age 45), we comparedtheprevalence ofCKDinblacksandwhitesusing the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and the CKD Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations. In addition, we used measured creatinine excretion rates to determine the actual excretion ratio for CARDIA (race coefficient 12%) and applied this to the CKD-EPI equation. We also studied the prevalence of CKD risk factors among black and white participants near the CKD threshold cut-off (eGFR CKD-EPI 60–80 mL/min/1.73 m 2 )t o estimate the relativelikelihood of misclassification in blacks and whites. Results. Using the MDRD equation, prevalence of CKD stages 4 and 5 was higher for blacks compared with whites (0.6% vs. 0.1%, P-value 0.05). In contrast, prevalence of eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 was significantly higher for whites (3.6%) compared with blacks (1.9%), due to higher prevalence of stage 3 among whites. Prevalence of CKD was similar for blacks and whites using CKD-EPI equation (1.2%), but was higher among blacks when using the CARDIA-derived race coefficient (1.6% vs.1.2%, P-value = 0.03). Among persons with eGFR by CKDEPI of 60–80 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , blacks had higher levels of albuminuria, uric acid, systolic blood pressure and higher diabetes prevalence. Conclusions. CKD classification among young blacks is verysensitivetotheracecoefficients.Despitewhiteshaving higher rates of CKD stage 3, blacks with eGFRs just above the CKD threshold had higher rates of CKD risk factors. Current equations used to define CKD may systematically miss a high-risk group of blacks at a time in the disease course when interventions are crucial.
A New Coal-Permeability Model: Internal Swelling Stress and Fracture–Matrix Interaction

We have developed a new coal-permeability model for uniaxial strain and constant confining-stress conditions. The model is unique in that it explicitly considers fracture–matrix interaction during coal-deformation processes and is based on a newly proposed internal swelling stress concept. This concept is used to account for the impact of matrix swelling (or shrinkage) on fracture-aperture changes resulting from partial separation of matrix blocks by fractures that do not completely cut through the whole matrix. The proposed permeability model is evaluated using data from three Valencia Canyon coalbed wells in the San Juan Basin, where increased permeability has been observed during CH4 gas production, as well as using published data from laboratory tests. Model results are generally in good agreement with observed permeability changes. The importance of fracture–matrix interaction in determining coal permeability, demonstrated in this study using relatively simple stress conditions, underscores the need for a dual-continuum (fracture and matrix) mechanical approach to rigorously capture coal-deformation processes under complex stress conditions, as well as the coupled flow and transport processes in coal seams.
Register pointer architecture for efficient embedded processors

Conventional register file architectures cannot optimally exploit temporal locality in data references due to their limited capacity and static encoding of register addresses in instructions. In conventional embedded architectures, the register file capacity cannot be increased without resorting to longer instruction words. Similarly, loop unrolling is often required to exploit locality in the register file accesses across iterations because naming registers statically is inflexible. Both optimizations lead to significant code size increases, which is undesirable in embedded systems. In this paper, the authors introduce the register pointer architecture (RPA), which allows registers to be accessed indirectly through register pointers. Indirection allows a larger register file to be used without increasing the length of instruction words. Additional register file capacity allows many loads and stores, such as those introduced by spill code, to be eliminated, which improves performance and reduces energy consumption. Moreover, indirection affords additional flexibility in naming registers, which reduces the need to apply loop unrolling in order to maximize reuse of register allocated variables
Immobilization of α1-acid glycoprotein for chromatographic studies of drug-protein binding II. correction for errors in association constant measurements

A new method for the immobilization of α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) in HPLC columns was recently described for applications such as drug binding studies. Part of this earlier work used self-competition zonal elution studies to measure association equilibrium constants between immobilized AGP and R- or S-propranolol. It was later found that analysis of these data by a common equation derived for linear elution conditions gave erroneous values for experiments actually conducted under nonlinear conditions. This report discusses the nature of this error and uses frontal analysis to estimate the true binding strength between R- and S-propranolol and HPLC columns containing immobilized AGP.
Tritium and deuterium exchange-labeling of aromatic and organometallic compounds in heptafluorobutyric acid

The use of heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA) as a solvent/reagent for tritiation (or deuteration) or aromatic organic and organometallic compounds is described. Typically the substrate (0.1–1 mmole) and tritium oxide (5–25 μl, 5 Ci/g) are dissolved in 0.3–1 ml HFBA and heated at 130–145° for 4–7 days. Aromatic compounds bearing electron-donating substituents are tritiated much more readily than those bearing electron withdrawing substituents. Substrate decomposition was minimal, and good to excellent yields of relatively pure tritiated materials are obtained simply by cooling, neutralization, and extraction. Detailed studies of deuterium exchange in HFBA-d under analogous conditions are also reported.
Improving occupancy grid FastSLAM by integrating navigation sensors

When an autonomous vehicle operates in an unknown environment, it must remember the locations of environmental objects and use those object to maintain an accurate location of itself. This vehicle is faced with Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), a circularly defined robotics problem of map building with no prior knowledge. The SLAM problem is a difficult but critical component of autonomous vehicle exploration with applications to search and rescue missions. This paper presents the first SLAM solution combining stereo cameras, inertial measurements, and vehicle odometry into a Multiple Integrated Navigation Sensor (MINS) path. The FastSLAM algorithm, modified to make use of the MINS path, observes and maps the environment with a LIDAR unit. The MINS FastSLAM algorithm closes a 140 meter loop with a path error that remains within 1 meter of surveyed truth. This path reduces the error 79% from an odometry FastSLAM output and uses 30% of the particles.
Whole Blood Collected on Filter Paper Provides a Minimally Invasive Method for Assessing Human Transferrin Receptor Level

Iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide, and transferrin receptor (TfR) level has been identified as an important measure of iron status that is not confounded by inflammation. However, logistical constraints associated with sample collection and processing have limited efforts to measure TfR, particularly at the community level. Standardized filter paper provides a relatively convenient and minimally invasive means for collecting and transporting samples of whole blood from simple finger pricks, and we present results of our validation of an improved method for quantifying TfR in dried blood spots. The method is based on commercially available reagents and uses capillary blood that is applied directly from the finger to filter paper, eliminating the need for premeasurement at the collection site. The blood spot TfR assay is precise and reliable, agrees well with plasma TfR, and can be performed at any facility with a microplate reader and basic laboratory equipment. Concentrations of TfR remain stable for at least 4 wk when blood spots are stored at room temperature, but begin to deteriorate after 3 d of exposure to higher temperatures. The advantages and disadvantages of the blood spot TfR method are discussed, as well as its potential contribution to future field-based studies of iron deficiency.
A 140-GHz fundamental mode voltage-controlled oscillator in 90-nm CMOS technology

Fundamental mode voltage-controlled oscillators in F-band (90-140GHz) were fabricated using the UMC 90-nm logic CMOS process. The maximum operating frequencies of these three oscillators are 110, 123, and 140GHz, respectively. The 140-GHz voltage controlled oscillator provides -22 to -19-dBm output power, a frequency tuning range of 1.2GHz and phase noise of -85dBc/Hz at 2-MHz offset from the carrier, while consuming 8mA from a 1.2-V supply
Display and reaffirmation of affect bond and relationship: Invited guessing in Chinese telephone conversations

This article examines an interactive strategy of invited guessing in Chinese telephone conversations. Oriented toward affect bonding between the participants, invited guessing both indexes and strengthens their relationship. Caller identification, typically perceived as a procedural component in telephone conversation, is shown to be constructed as an interactive process serving social functions as well as a discourse-structural function. Its primary purpose is to signify and enhance rapport-building. The observed interactions present patterns of variation from the proposed universal sequence of telephone conversation openings, suggesting that this discourse structure can respond to variables such as the purpose of the interaction and the relationship between participants in the Chinese context. Finally, invited guessing indicates that relationship constitutes an important cultural variable shaping discourse and interaction in Chinese society. (Discourse analysis, Chinese, culture, functions of language, telephone conversation, affect)*
Image-Based Rendering of Synthetic Diffuse Objects in Natural Scenes

We present a method for solving the global illumination problem for synthetic diffuse objects. The approach generates realistic shading for applications where a synthetic object is to be inserted in a natural scene. Using only a few images of the surroundings of the object, we first build an environment map for representing the ambient light. We then model the global illumination integral using Chebyshev polynomials. We show that due to the orthogonality of 2D Chebyshev moments, the global illumination integral can reduce to the inner product of two vectors, representing the irradiance and the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF). The Chebyshev moments of these two functions are computed off-line and stored in the memory. The rendering of the object in the scene then becomes a simple problem of computing the inner product of the two vectors for each point.
Security in User-Assisted Communications

Today, companies called service providers enable communications and control the related infrastructures. However, with increased computing power, advanced wireless technologies and more standardized terminals, users in the future will be able to take more control of communications. In this paper, we define and discuss a disruptive communication model called user-assisted communications (UAC), which allows users to assist other users to establish communications, and propose a method for managing trust and security, which are the most challenging variables in UAC and must be addressed before UAC can be implemented successfully. A social network based trust establishment (SN-TE) is proposed for UAC implementation.
Drivers of Variation in Aboveground Net Primary Productivity and Plant Community Composition Differ Across a Broad Precipitation Gradient

Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) is a key integrator of C uptake and energy flow in many terrestrial ecosystems. As such, ecologists have long sought to understand the factors driving variation in this important ecosystem process. Although total annual precipitation has been shown to be a strong predictor of ANPP in grasslands across broad spatial scales, it is often a poor predictor at local scales. Here we examine the amount of variation in ANPP that can be explained by total annual precipitation versus precipitation during specific periods of the year (precipitation periods) and nutrient availability at three sites representing the major grassland types (shortgrass steppe, mixed-grass prairie, and tallgrass prairie) spanning the broad precipitation gradient of the U.S. Central Great Plains. Using observational data, we found that precipitation periods and nutrient availability were much stronger predictors of site-level ANPP than total annual precipitation. However, the specific nutrients and precipitation periods that best predicted ANPP differed among the three sites. These effects were mirrored experimentally at the shortgrass and tallgrass sites, with precipitation and nutrient availability co-limiting ANPP, but not at the mixed-grass site, where nutrient availability determined ANPP exclusive of precipitation effects. Dominant grasses drove the ANPP response to increased nutrient availability at all three sites. However, the relative responses of rare grasses and forbs were greater than those of the dominant grasses to experimental nutrient additions, thus potentially driving species turnover with chronic nutrient additions. This improved understanding of the factors driving variation in ANPP within ecosystems spanning the broad precipitation gradient of the Great Plains will aid predictions of alterations in ANPP under future global change scenarios.
The Pituitary Portal System

By 1970, the picture seemed to be complete. Wislocki and King (1936) had first accurately described the portal system in 1936 after injecting monkeys, cats, and rabbits with India ink. They reported that superior hypophyseal arteries supplied the capillary bed of the median eminence. Its capillaries coalesced into long portal “venules” which passed between the median eminence and the pars distalis, where they then arborized into a secondary capillary bed. These capillaries in turn coalesced into lateral and inferior hypophyseal veins, which passed to the adjacent cavernous sinus. E. Scharrer and B. Scharrer (1940, 1944) had proposed the concept of neurosecretion, and ample evidence was forthcoming to support it as the means by which the brain controls posterior pituitary (neural lobe) function (Verney 1947; Vigneaud et al. 1953; VanDyke 1955; Palay 1955, 1960; Sloper et al. 1960; Bargmann 1966).
Official Elitism or Institutional Self Interest? 10 Reasons Why UC-Davis Should Abandon the LSAT (and Why Other Good Law Schools Should Follow Suit)

Because of conservative challenges to affirmative action, standardized testing today is emerging as the chief barrier to the educational ambitions of minorities and the poor. The same conservatives who have been attacking affirmative action strenuously support standardized testing, equating test scores with the objective merit that affirmative action is said to ignore. A host of critics take issue with that equation.I outline here the case against standardized testing. But before I begin, I would like to note that many of us are deeply invested in test scores, having done well on standardized tests and seen them open doors for us as we have gone through life. Yet, I would like to give you some reasons to start thinking about those scores in a different light. And, toward the end, I will address the reaction that many listeners have on hearing arguments like these, that is, what is the use, things will never change. I provide a series of alternatives to the LSAT and ways to assure that these alternatives receive attention.
Sublethal Effects of Cypermethrin on Chemical Communication, Courtship, and Oviposition in the Cabbage Looper (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Sublethal doses of cypermethrin had multiple deleterious effects on reproductive activities in the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner). Cypermethrin-treated female moths were less likely to show calling behavior than control moths. However, no differences were observed between treated and control females in the pheromone emission rates or pheromone blend ratios from forcibly extruded glands. Thus, those treated females that did call probably emitted sufficient pheromone to attract mates. Pheromone-mediated flight was reduced in males treated with cypermethrin, which would result in a reduction in successful mate location by affected males. In observations of courtship, treatment of males with cypermethrin reduced their mating success, but identical treatment of females had no effect. Results of this research are compared with previous studies of the effects of sublethal doses of chlordimeform and methoprene on reproductive events in T. ni .
Sociological phenomena as multiple nonlinearities: MTBI's new metaphor for complex human interactions

Mathematical models are well-established as metaphors for biological and epidemiological systems. The framework of epidemic modeling has also been applied to sociological phenomena driven by peer pressure, notably in two dozen dynamical systems research projects developed through the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute, and popularized by authors such as Gladwell (2000). This article reviews these studies and their common structures, and identifies a new mathematical metaphor which uses multiple nonlinearities to describe the multiple thresholds governing the persistence of hierarchical phenomena, including the situation termed a ``backward bifurcation'' in mathematical epidemiology, where established phenomena can persist in circumstances under which the phenomena could not initially emerge.
499 CLINICAL AND IMAGING FEATURES OF A CASE OF HEMORRHAGIC CHOLECYSTITIS WITH PERFORATION

Background Hemorrhagic cholecystitis is a rare complication of acute cholecystitis that carries a high mortality rate and may be clinically indistinguishable from uncomplicated cases. Accurate recognition is necessary to allow for prompt, appropriate intervention and avoid gallbladder perforation. Though not traditionally utilized in evaluation of acute gallbladder disease, CT serves as a valuable adjunct to sonography and scintigraphy in evaluation of gallbladder pathology. Methods We review the clinical and imaging features of a case of acute cholecystitis complicated by hemorrhage and perforation. A 37 year-old male with hepatitis C and alcoholic cirrhosis presented to the ED with a one-week history of right upper quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Laboratory evaluation was significant for thrombocytopenia and elevated liver and pancreatic enzymes. An abdominal sonogram demonstrated findings consistent with acute calculous cholecystitis. The patient underwent ERCP and was managed medically with intravenous antibiotics for two days before discharge home on oral antibiotics. The patient returned to the ED three days later with worsening abdominal pain and peritoneal signs on physical examination. Results Triphasic contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen revealed a perforated gallbladder with inflammation and active hemorrhage into the gallbladder and adjacent peritoneal space. At laparotomy, the inflamed, ruptured gallbladder was found adherent to the hepatic flexure of colon with a large hemoperitoneum. Cholecystectomy was performed and pathologic evaluation was consistent with features of acute and chronic cholecystitis with perforation. The patient recovered fully following a brief course in the intensive care unit and was discharged home one week later. Conclusion Complications of acute cholecystitis include hemorrhage and perforation. CT imaging serves as a valuable adjunct in accurate recognition of such complications, allowing for prompt, appropriate intervention.
Modeling of special power load based on time-varying current injection method

As special power load exerts large impact on the stability of power system,the power quality and the safety of power equipment,its suitable modeling is essential in power system analysis. With the measured data of ferrosilicon load as an example,the self-varying characteristics of special power load are analyzed. Based on the UPI function of PSASP and user program,the time-varying current injection method is adopted in the modeling of special power load,which represents different electrical characteristics of load in the form of injection currents by circuit calculation. The model of the ferrosilicon load of a region in Ningxia is built according to its measured data,the comparison between simulative curves and measured data verifies the effectiveness and feasibility of the established model.
Lactate is essential for maintenance of euglycemia in iron-deficient rats at rest and during exercise

To evaluate the hypothesis that lactate supply is essential to maintain euglycemia during iron deficiency, female Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to iron-sufficient (50 mg Fe2+/kg diet, +Fe), or iron-deficient (15 mg Fe2+/kg diet, -Fe) dietary groups and were injected with a specific beta 2-adrenergic inhibitor, ICI 118,551 (1.0 mg/kg body wt). Rats were studied at rest or after 30 min of running at 13.4 m/min 0% grade. Dietary iron deficiency decreased hemoglobin concentration 38%, but resting arterial concentrations of glucose ([Glc]), lactate ([La]), or alanine ([Ala]) were unaffected. Administration of ICI 118,551 (beta 2-blockade) decreased [La] and [Glc] 52 and 32% in resting -Fe rats, respectively. beta 2-Blockade attenuated the exercise-induced rise in [La] and decreased [Glc] 31% in exercising -Fe rats. [Ala] were unaffected by iron deficiency or exercise but decreased 24 and 18% because of beta 2-blockade in resting and exercising +Fe rats. Iron deficiency depleted resting liver glycogen concentration 45%, with no additional effect of exercise or beta 2-blockade. beta-Blockade decreased arterial insulin and increased arterial glucagon concentrations in resting -Fe and +Fe rats. During exercise glucagon concentration increased significantly more in -Fe than +Fe rats. Decreased arterial [La] with a corresponding decrease in arterial [Glc] in response to beta 2-blockade support the contention that lactate supply is critical to maintenance of euglycemia in -Fe rats at rest and during exercise.
ϵ-Lysine acylase

Abstract An enzyme system in rat kidney has been observed which hydrolyzes ϵ-acetyl- l -lysine, and which, through two or three purification steps, has been concentrated in activity approximately 100 times. The enzyme is more highly active in phosphate than in other buffer mixtures studied, possesses a pH optimum at 7.0–7.2, and is not appreciably affected by most bivalent cations. It is somewhat more active toward ϵ-chloroacetyl- l -lysine than toward ϵ-acetyl- l -lysine and completely or nearly completely inactive toward ϵ-acetyl- d -lysine, ϵ-carbobenzoxy- l -lysine, biocytin, and δ-chloroacetyl- l -ornithine. The enzyme is seemingly active toward α,ϵ-dichloroacetyl- l -lysine, but because of a trace of acylase I in the preparation this observation is not altogether certain. Because of its apparent specificity requirements, the enzyme has been tentatively given the designation of “ϵ-lysine acylase.” Growth studies on rats fed a nearly chemically defined diet including all essential l -amino acids except l -lysine were performed. Supplementation of this diet with ϵ-acetyl- l -lysine led to growth, in accord with the earlier observations of Neuberger and Sanger, and explicable now in part at least in terms of the presence of the ϵ-lysine acylase in the tissues of the rat. Supplementation of the diet with acetyl- d -lysine led to loss of weight which was distinctly less than when the diet was supplemented with d -lysine, and the possibility of a slow inversion of the former compound to the corresponding l -isomer was expressed.
Classical Rhetoric at Salem: Daniel Webster and the Murder of Captain White

Daniel Webster’s famous prosecution speech in the Salem Murder Trial (1830) has been both praised and condemned. Celebrated as a masterpiece of forensic eloquence it is also criticized as contributing to a miscarriage of justice. This essay examines that address to the Salem jury in the context of Webster’s own classical training in rhetoric. Specifically, the paper discusses the elements and details of Webster’s persuasive strategy as they are drawn from his Ciceronian rhetorical sensibility. Ethical condemnations of Webster’s address cannot be sustained when that trial speech is reviewed from the vantage of classical forensic rhetoric. In fact, Webster’s performance may be one of the last great expressions of the classical forensic paradigm in American courtroom oratory.
Resolution of Bacteriuria in Infectious Stone Patients: Comparison of Results Employing Newer Treatment Modalities

One hundred forty-five patients with a history consistent with infectious stones were treated by either percutaneous nephrostolithotomy (PCNL), extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), or a combined approach. The results in the small combined group compare favorably with those reported for anatrophic nephrolithotomy. When PCNL was compared with ESWL in patients without indwelling tubes or diversions, bacteriuria was resolved in a significantly higher percentage (86% to 56%, p < 0.5, chi-square test). Although controlled, prospective, randomized studies will be needed to confirm this result, our data suggest that PCNL is more effective in eradicating both stones and infection in this category of patients.
Scope and partitivity of plural indefinite noun phrases in Spanish

It has been argued that European Spanish plural indefinite noun phrases including algunos convey a partitive effect because the restrictor alg- provides additional properties. The reason that algunos implicates a “non-all-things” effect is because it refers only to an indeterminate part of the whole. The scope of bare plurals and unos , in contrast, does not exhibit this characteristic. This article argues that, contrarily to this claim, the scope of bare plurals and unos also induces partitivity because occurrences of these words include unarticulated constituents. Therefore, European Spanish indefinite noun phrases pragmatically presuppose the relevant part of what the speaker intends to refer, which is also shared by the audience since it is part of the common ground both occupy. Hence, bare plurals and unos are always contextually restricted, since a covert (optional) variable present in the logical form cannot capture this contextual restriction.
Increase in endothelial cell glutathione and precursor amino acid uptake by diethyl maleate and hyperoxia.

Diethyl maleate (DEM, 0.025-0.10 mM) increased glutathione (GSH) levels in calf pulmonary artery endothelial cells up to fivefold in 12-24 h of incubation. Parallel increases occurred in the rates ...
Mitral valve surgery for complications of endocarditis (Figs. 11–21)

Endocarditis is defined as microbial infection of the endothelialized surface of the heart. Vegetation, ulceration, perforation, dissection, abscess or rupture may occur after inefficient treatment [26].