cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acetoacetate and ethyl acetoacetate as novel inhibitors of bacterial biofilm

Acetoacetate (AAA) was identified as a biofilm inhibitor in a previous study, where the effect of 190 carbon and nitrogen sources on biofilm amounts by Escherichia coli O157:H7 was determined. With this study, we tested the effect of AAA on growth and biofilm amounts of Cronobacter sakazakii, Serratia marcescens and Yersinia enterocolitica. AAA reduced growth and biofilm amounts of the three pathogens, albeit at rather high concentrations of 10 to 35 mg ml-1 . Acetoacetate at a concentration of 5 mg ml-1 reduced Y. enterocolitica mRNA transcripts of the flagellar master regulator operon flhD, the invasion gene inv, and the adhesion gene yadA. Transcription of the regulator of plasmid-encoded virulence genes virF, the plasmid-encoded virulence gene yopQ, and ymoA were largely unaffected by AAA. Importantly, AAA did not cause an increase in transcription of any of the tested virulence genes. As a more cost efficient homologue of AAA, the effect of ethyl acetoacetate (EAA) was tested. EAA reduced growth, biofilm amounts and live bacterial cell counts up to 3 logs. IC50 values ranged from 0·31 mg ml-1 to 5·6 mg ml-1 . In summary, both AAA and EAA inhibit biofilm, but EAA appears to be more effective. Significance and impact of the study Bacterial biofilms are communities of bacteria that form on surfaces and are extremely difficult to remove by conventional physical or chemical techniques, antibiotics or the human immune system. Despite advanced technologies, biofilm still contributes to 60 to 80% of human bacterial infections (NIH and CDC) and cause problems in many natural, environmental, bioindustrial or food processing settings. The discovery of novel substances that inhibit biofilm without increasing the virulence of the bacteria opens doors for countless applications where a reduction of biofilm is desired.
EpiX: A 3D Measurement Tool for Heritage, Archeology, and Aerial Photogrammetry

There has been an increased focus on the multi-dimensional reconstruction from variety of cultural heritage images, archeological artifacts and heritage sites. The risk due to climate change which is one of the factors in imaging specific sites located in coastal areas identified to be in danger. Most of the approaches significantly rely on accurate and precise metadata information, which however is difficult to obtain and is more prone to errors. We present an open, cross-platform, effective and extensible GUI annotation tool named EpiX, exploiting the geometric features of epipolar lines, for large photogrammetric imagery analysis. This paper focuses on the use of EpiX for multiple research purposes, including ground truth collection and 3D distance measurement in both high-resolution, high-throughput wide-area format video also known as wide-area motion imagery (WAMI), applicable to acquire airborne images of archeological and heritage sites. We present our experimental results using EpiX, and demonstrate that users could collect useful information and validate original metadata in a much shorter time compared to other techniques accessible to archeologists and photogrammetrist, at present.
RAB when the Objective Function Changes

In Chapters 5 through 7, we examined how people behave in resource-allocation situations under various conditions. In Chapter 5 we saw how participants perform under conditions of Certainty, Risk, and Uncertainty. In Chapter 6 we saw how they would perform in Harsh and Benign Environments. And in Chapter 7 we saw how they perform when Gains and Losses are possible. In the remaining chapters of this book we will examine how they perform in both professional resource-allocation tasks and tasks of everyday life, in tasks that involve social issues, how they solve resource-allocation problems in three dimensions, and we will examine some of the cognitive strategies people use when making resource-allocation decisions. In all these chapters we manipulate the availability of resources to construct resource-allocation scenarios and we examine how people solve these resource-allocation problems to achieve the maximum number of meals, helicopter hours, boat hours, and humanitarian projects, as examples of goals to be achieved in the allocation of resources and as calculated using Linear Programming to determine the optimum solution.
Political Issues that Spread: Understanding Retweet Behavior During the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

We present preliminary results from analysis of what topics presidential candidates tweeted about and the public's response to those tweets in the form of retweets. Using exploratory data analysis and simple correlations to explore the 4,754 tweets posted by U.S. presidential candidates over the last 3 months of the 2016 Election, we find a mismatch between the topics that candidates tweet about the most and the topics that the public retweets the most. We discuss the possible reasons for the mismatch and outline future work that will include a similar analysis with Facebook data and a breakdown by party.
Disparities in Postoperative Therapy for Salivary Gland Adenoid Cystic Carcinomas

Objectives The patterns of care for salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) are unknown. We sought to assess predictors of receiving postoperative radiation and/or chemotherapy for patients with nonmetastatic, definitively resected ACC, as well as report unexpected nodal disease. Methods The National Cancer Data Base was queried for definitively resected nonmetastatic ACC from 2004 to 2014. Logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox proportional-hazard models were utilized. Propensity-score matched analysis was employed to reduce confounding variables. Results A total of 3,136 patients met entry criteria: 2,252 (71.8%) received postoperative radiation, with 223 (7.4%) also receiving concurrent chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 4.87 years. In clinically lymph node negative (cN0) patients, 7.4% had pathologically positive lymph nodes (pN) + after elective neck dissection. Patients who lived closer to their treatment facility and had positive margins were more likely to receive postoperative radiation. Black patients and uninsured patients were less likely to receive radiation. Older age, male sex, advancing stage, and positive surgical margins were associated with worse overall survival (OS). With limited follow-up, receipt of radiation or chemotherapy was not associated with OS. Conclusion Postoperative radiation was frequently given for resected ACC, with a minority receiving chemotherapy. Black patients and uninsured patients were less likely to receive radiation. Postoperative radiation and/or chemotherapy had no association with OS but were given in greater frequency in more advanced disease, and our series is limited by short follow-up. The disparity findings for this rare disease need to be addressed in future studies. Level of evidence 2c Laryngoscope, 129:377-386, 2019.
Near-Zone Mediation of RET by One and Two Proximal Particles

The effect of two inert, electric dipole polarizable molecules in relaying electronic excitation energy resonantly between a donor-acceptor pair is studied within the framework of molecular QED theory. Since transfer is efficacious when the coupled particles are close to one another, the matrix element is calculated in the near-zone approximation by employing static dipolar interaction potentials and third-order diagrammatic perturbation theory. For isotropic species, the Fermi golden rule exchange rate exhibits a Forster-like inverse sixth power dependence on each pair separation distance, is proportional to the modulus squares of the transition electric dipole moments of donor and acceptor, and depends on the polarizabilities of the two mediators. Comparison is made with direct (2-body) and third-body mediated near-zone transfer. Matrix elements for these last two processes are used to evaluate contributions to the rate due to 2-body-3-body, 2-body-4-body, and 3-body-4-body interference terms. In each of these cases, an inverse cubic dependence on each of the relative particle displacements is found.
Economists’ “Irrational Passion for Dispassionate Rationality”

Economists have sometimes described themselves as having an “irrational passion for dispassionate rationality,” a sentiment widely attributed to the late antitrust economist John Maurice Clark (with the original source, to my knowledge, not traceable). Indeed, few would dispute that rationality is firmly lodged at the core of contemporary neoclassical microeconomic theory and in neo-Keynesian macroeconomics and financial economics through the premises of rational expectations and the efficient-market hypotheses. By rationality, economists generally accept three levels of meaning. The first level is the simplest and least constrained: rational people act purposefully. People who do not act with a preconceived purpose – that is, who behave as they do because they have no other options or because their actions are determined by external, genetic, and historical influences (as was assumed by, say, the late Harvard behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner and his followers) – can be said to be nonrational (which describes actions that are mere chemical and mechanical responses with no guiding evaluations of conditions or consequences), if not irrational (which describes actions that are contrary to welfare-enhancing cost–benefit calculations of people making considered judgments Otherwise, people who make decisions consciously with some sense of purpose or intent are rational (which describes actions made with deliberate, conscious, and careful consideration of the relative value, or the costs and benefits, of alternative courses of action).
Students’ Mathematical Reasoning, Communication, and Language Representations: A Video-Narrative Analysis:

PurposeLearning mathematics is a complex process, requiring many conceptual lenses and rich data sources to document and understand students’ construction of knowledge. The purpose of this article ...
Temporal Course of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Extremely Premature Infants

Background: Although the benchmark ROP studies (CRYO-ROP, ET-ROP, etc.) included extremely premature infants, none included a dedicated analysis of the differences of the temporal course of ROP between extremely premature and premature infants. The aim of this study is to compare the temporal course of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in premature …
Mitigating Measurement Artifacts in TOF-SIMS Analysis of Perovskite Solar Cells.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is one of the few techniques that can specifically distinguish between organic cations such as methylammonium and formamidinium. Distinguis...
Averaged and Small-Signal Models for Modular Multilevel Converter with Square-wave Modulation

In this paper, an averaged model and a small-signal model of a DC-DC converter built with back-to-back modular multilevel converters (MMC) operating with a square-wave modulation with low total device rating and passive component size are derived for a breakerless MVDC system application. The simulation verifications show the validity of the developed models.
The evolution of the heart-healthy diet for vascular health: A walk through time

The rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality reduction in the United States has plateaued recently, despite the development of novel preventive pharmacotherapies, increased access to care, and healthcare spending. This is largely due to American's poor dietary patterns and practices causing increasing trends in the prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. For decades, dietary guidelines on 'healthy diets' to reduce CVD risk, grounded in epidemiological research, have been nationally distributed to Americans. In this review, we highlight landmark events in modern nutrition science and how these have framed past and current understandings of diet and health. We also follow the evolution of dietary recommendations for Americans throughout the years, with an emphasis on recommendations aimed to reduce risk for CVD and mortality. Secondly, we examine how the low-fat ideology came to dominate America in the last decades of the 20th century and subsequently contributed to an excess intake of refined carbohydrates which, in the context of an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, may have fueled the obesity epidemic. We then examine the current major evidence-based dietary patterns and specific dietary approaches to reduce CVD risk, reviewing the literature surrounding nutritional components of the heart-healthy diet and discussing the dietary patterns proven most effective for CVD prevention: the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, the Mediterranean diet, and the healthy vegetarian diet. Finally, we discuss emerging dietary trends, considerations for nutrition counseling, and future directions within the important field of nutrition, with the ultimate goal of improving vascular health.
Discrimination between strain and temperature effects of a single fiber Bragg grating sensor using sidelobe power

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is one of the most common and widely used fiber optic sensors. One main issue when using a FBG-based sensor is that it is simultaneously sensitive to both the strain and the temperature, and compensation for the temperature and strain effects is necessary to measure these parameters. The available compensation techniques mean that the interrogation of FBG sensor systems is complex and make sensor networks bulky by increasing the number of sensors. Several of these compensation techniques are not feasible in in situ applications. In this paper, we propose a method for discriminating between the strain and the temperature by measuring the change in the single Bragg wavelength. Our proposed technique is based on measuring the sidelobe power, which appears adjacent to the main Bragg peak due to the strength of the interference between the forward and backward propagating waves of the Bragg grating sensor. We demonstrate by experiments that the proposed methodology can discriminate between the strain and temperature effects, making the interrogation system less complex with a very reasonable hardware cost.
Developmental expression of amyloid precursor protein in normal and trisomy 16 mice.

Down Syndrome (DS) or Trisomy 21 (Ts21) is the most common genetic cause of mental retardation in human newborns 1. While some DS individuals manifest cognitive decline as they age, those DS individuals who survive to become adults invariably have the neuropathologic stigmata of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at autopsy 2. Overexpression of individual genes on human chromosome 21 (HSA 21) may contribute to the pathogenesis of these neuropathologic changes in both DS individuals and in AD patients 3. To explore this possibility, we study a model system, the trisomy 16 (Ts16) mouse. Mouse chromosome 16 (MMU 16) and HSA 21 exhibit significant genetic homology for a cluster of genes whose overexpression as a result of triplication is thought to contribute to the phenotypic characteristics of DS 4.
Characterizing the mathematical problem-solving strategies of transitioning novice physics students

Students need explicit guidance to build proficiency in the reasoning strategies that allow them to make sense of their answers to physics problems.
Nonliteral language processing across the lifespan.

Abstract Studies investigating the effects of aging on nonliteral language processing have mainly focused on one sensory modality, for example written vignettes. In the current study, we used a video-based task to examine the effect of healthy aging on social communication perception using a novel database called RISC (Relation Inference in Social Communication). By means of an online recruitment platform, we asked young, middle-aged, and older adults between the ages of 18 and 76 (N = 100) to evaluate videos of actors using different forms of literal and nonliteral language, such as sarcasm or teasing. The participants' task was to infer the speakers' belief and the speakers' intention. Older participants demonstrated lower accuracy in discriminating nonliteral from literal interactions compared to younger and middle-aged groups. When evaluating speaker intentions, older adults judged sarcasm as friendlier compared to literal negative utterances. We also found that the older the participant, the more difficulty they have identifying teasing as insincere. Our results expand on age-related similarities and differences in evaluating speaker intentions and demonstrate the practicality of the RISC database for studying nonliteral language across the lifespan.
Circularly Polarized Wideband Yagi-Uda Array on a Kresling Origami Structure

In this paper, a circularly polarized, wideband, high gain antenna supported by an origami structure is presented. This antenna consists of a Yagi-Uda inspired end-fire array of crossed bowties. An ideal phase shift was implemented to obtain a circular polarization. Each element of the proposed array is printed on FR-4 substrate and inserted in different sections of a Kresling origami pattern. The proposed antenna exhibits wideband operation from 200 to 350 MHz (54.5%), where S11≤ −10 dB and axial ratio≤ 3 dB are maintained. High gain (7 to 9 dBc) is achieved by such an array of parasitic elements. The origami structure allows a compact stowage (i.e, packaging efficiency of ~95%) as well as fast and easy deployment. The antenna design procedure and analysis are also discussed in this paper.
Comparison Between Flexible Loads and Grid-Scale Battery Energy Storage for Value-Added Services

Control of flexible loads and battery energy storage are two of the major technologies characterizing the smart grid revolution. It has been established that for a battery system installation to provide optimal returns, it is essential to use the battery system for multiple value-added services. However, flexible loads could also be used for such services. As such, should a load serving entity (LSE) consider investing in a battery storage system or the control of flexible loads for an array of services? This paper examines this question using a simple methodology considering three services - energy arbitrage, peak shaving and frequency regulation. The flexible loads of interest are residential heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) units and electric water heaters. Case studies based on real market prices and simulated load data are presented. The results show that the control of flexible loads, if available, could yield better returns for the LSE compared with the battery depending on the compensations paid to the resource owners.
Early Identification of Extubation Failure Using Integrated Pulmonary Index and High-Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND: Early detection and prevention of extubation failure offers the potential to improve patient outcome. The primary aim of this study was to compare the predictive ability of the Integrated Pulmonary Index and presence of high-risk factors in determining extubation failure. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study of intubated adult subjects receiving mechanical ventilation for > 24 h was conducted at an academic medical center. The primary outcome was extubation failure, defined as the need for re-intubation or rescue noninvasive ventilation within 48 h after planned extubation. RESULTS: Among 216 subjects, 170 (78.7%) were successfully extubated, and 46 (21.3%) failed extubation. Extubation failure group had higher body mass index (26.21 vs 28.5 kg/m2, P = .033), rapid shallow breathing index during spontaneous breathing trial (43 vs 53.5, P = .02), and APACHE II score (11.86 vs 15.73, P 12 on extubation day (odds ratio 2.98 [95% CI 1.22–7.27], P = .02), and Integrated Pulmonary Index decrease within 1 h after extubation (odds ratio 7.74 [95% CI 3.45–17.38], P CONCLUSIONS: Among subjects receiving mechanical ventilation for > 24 h, decreasing Integrated Pulmonary Index within the first hour postextubation was a predictor of extubation failure and was superior to other weaning variables collected in this retrospective study. The presence of ≥ 3 high-risk factors was also independently associated with extubation failure. Future clinical studies are required to prospectively test the ability of postextubation Integrated Pulmonary Index monitoring to guide additional interventions designed to reduce re-intubation rates and improve patient outcome.
Natural soil microbiome variation affects spring foliar phenology with consequences for plant productivity and climate-driven range shifts.

Identifying the potential for natural soil microbial communities to predictably affect complex plant traits is an important frontier in climate change research. Plant phenology varies with environmental and genetic factors, but few studies have examined whether the soil microbiome interacts with plant population differentiation to affect phenology and ecosystem function. We compared soil microbial variation in a widespread tree species (Populus angustifolia) with different soil inoculum treatments in a common garden environment to test how the soil microbiome affects spring foliar phenology and subsequent biomass growth. We hypothesized and show that soil bacterial and fungal communities vary with tree conditioning from different populations and elevations, that this soil community variation influences patterns of foliar phenology and plant growth across populations and elevation gradients, and that transferring lower elevation plant genotypes to higher elevation soil communities delayed foliar phenology, thereby shortening the growing season and reducing annual biomass production. Our findings show the importance of plant-soil interactions that help shape the timing of tree foliar phenology and productivity. These geographic patterns in plant population × microbiome interactions also broaden our understanding of how soil communities impact plant phenotypic variation across key climate change gradients, with consequences for ecosystem functioning.
Is a 4-Week Long Functional Training Program Able to Improve Physical Fitness Components in University Faculty and Staff?

Introduction: The physical wellbeing of university faculty and staff is often overlooked. Exercise improves physical fitness and could indirectly lead to benefits such as enhanced work productivity and mood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a short duration high-intensity functional training (HIFT) program on essential components of physical fitness in university faculty and staff members. Methods: Eighteen university faculty and staff members (age 35.4 ± 11.7 years) participated in the study. Prior to training, they completed five assessments: cardiorespiratory fitness (submaximal VO2), muscular strength (one repetition maximal leg press [1RM]), muscular endurance (push-ups), body composition (body fat percentage [BF%]), and trunk flexibility (sit and reach). Tests were repeated after four weeks (three sessions per week) of multi-modal HIFT. Paired samples t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-training data. Results: There were significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (p=0.009), 1RM leg press (p<0.01) and push-ups completed (p<0.01). No significant changes were shown in BF% (p=0.581) or trunk flexibility (p=0.199). Conclusions: Four weeks of training improved cardiorespiratory fitness as well as muscular strength and endurance. HIFT programs represent a time-efficient and effective training method for improving multiple components of physical fitness in university faculty and staff, despite a relatively short duration.
TESTING OF HYPOTHALAMO-PITUITARY AXIS

The development of sensitive and specific hormone assays largely obviated the need for the dynamic testing of various endocrine axes. The principle of the negative feedback regulation allows one to compare the simultaneous levels of the trophic (pituitary) and the target (peripheral gland) hormones to gain accurate knowledge about the integrity of the system as well as the location of the pathological process. We no longer perform a TSH-stimulated thyroid uptake study to diagnose primary hypothyroidism or a TRH stimulation test to diagnose thyrotoxicosis. Measurement of plasma IGF-I in an appropriate clinical context replaced glucose suppression of GH as a test to diagnose active acromegaly. Accurate ACTH assay often differentiates between Cushing’s disease, ectopic ACTH secretion and adrenal cortisol-producing tumor obviating the elaborate ritual of the “low dose/high dose” dexamethasone suppression tests. Nevertheless, the dynamic tests still play a significant role in endocrine diagnosis. Simultaneously-elevated plasma ACTH and cortisol may be seen in Cushing’s disease or may just be a manifestation of a perfectly physiological secretory pulse. Only dexamethasone suppression test will reliably distinguish between the two. While GnRH stimulation test is not needed for the diagnosis of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, it is required to select the candidates for pulsatile GnRH therapy. Insulin tolerance or metyrapone testing are necessary to identify patients with diminished ACTH reserve.
Clinical breast cancer and estrogen

Endocrine therapy, targeting estrogen production or the estrogen receptor, is a crucial component in the treatment of breast cancer. This has been recognized for over a century. Ovarian ablation is the oldest form of endocrine therapy, first used in 1896. This presentation will review: the history of endocrine therapy in the treatment of breast cancer; endocrine strategies in premenopausal and postmenopausal women; data on the use of endocrine therapy in early breast cancer; new directions in the endocrine therapy of metastatic breast cancer; and clinical implications of HER2-neu status and endocrine therapy.
Rationality and Context-Dependent Preferences

The standard theory of rational choice in economics considers an agent’s choices to be rational if and only if the agent makes her choices in different choice situations on the basis of a fixed preference ordering defined over the set of all possible options. This implies that a rational agent’s preferences cannot be context-dependent. This paper outlines a simple framework for defining context-dependence of preferences and for discussing relationships between context-dependent preferences and the notion of rationality.
Multimedia Content Encryption: Techniques and Applications

How to Design a Secure Multimedia Encryption Scheme The widespread use of image, audio, and video data makes media content protection increasingly necessary and urgent. For maximum safety, it is no longer sufficient to merely control access rights. In order to fully protect multimedia data from piracy or unauthorized use, it must be secured through encryption prior to its transmission or distribution. Multimedia Content Encryption: Techniques and Applications presents the latest research results in this dynamic field. Examines the Latest Encryption Techniques The book begins with the history of multimedia encryption and then examines general performance requirements of encryption and fundamental encrypting techniques. It discusses common techniques of complete, partial, and compression-combined encryption; as well as the more specialized forms, including perception, scalable, and commutative encryption. In addition, the author reviews watermarking and joint fingerprint embedding and decryption. Later chapters discuss typical attacks on multimedia encryption, as well as the principles for designing secure algorithms and various applications. An exploration of open issues, up-and-coming topics, and areas for further research rounds out the coverage. Shiguo Lian is the author or co-author of more than fifty peer-reviewed journal and conference articles covering topics of network security and multimedia content protection, including cryptography, secure P2P content sharing, digital rights management (DRM), encryption, watermarking, digital fingerprinting, and authentication. By following the techniques outlined in this book, users will be better able to protect the integrity of their multimedia data and develop greater confidence that their data will not be misappropriated.
Superresolution imaging with standard fluorescent probes.

For more than 100 years, the ultimate resolution of a light microscope (∼200 nm) has been constrained by the fundamental physical phenomenon of diffraction, as described by Ernst Abbe in 1873. While this limitation is just as applicable to today's light microscopes, it is the combination of high-end optics, clever methods of sample illumination, and computational techniques that has enabled researchers to access information at an order of magnitude greater resolution than once thought possible. This combination, broadly termed superresolution microscopy, has been increasingly practical for many labs to implement from both a hardware and software standpoint, but, as with many cutting-edge techniques, it also comes with limitations. One of the current drawbacks to superresolution microscopy is the limited number of probes and conditions that have been suitable for imaging. Here, a technique termed bleaching/blinking-assisted localization microscopy (BaLM) makes use of the inherent blinking and bleaching properties of almost all fluorophores as a means to generate superresolution images. Curr. Protoc. Cell Biol. 60:21.8.1-21.8.17. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: superresolution; BaLM; microscopy; bleaching; blinking
SOM and MCODE methods of defining functional clusters in MRI of the brain

Recent advances in analysis of fMRI have established the existence of functional sub-networks in the human brain that are active during the performance of visual, motor, language, and other tasks. We describe two computational methods of delineating functional sub-networks that are active when an individual performs an approach-avoidance paradigm. The paradigm consisted of presentation of images of pleasant and unpleasant faces that were shown to nine volunteers for 10 seconds after a preceding rest period of 50 seconds during which a green computer screen was displayed. The subjects were instructed to squeeze a ball with their right hand if they judged the face to be unpleasant, in which case the unpleasant face would disappear. An fMRI BOLD activation was created and used as input for two different kinds of clustering method: The MCODE algorithm based on graph-theoretical analysis and a Conscious Self-Organizing Map (CSOM). Clustering obtained with both methods was based on the temporal variations of the fMRI BOLD signal activity. Both methods identified distinct regions in the brain which were separated by long-range connections. The MCODE algorithm was supplied with time-courses for activated voxels when performing the paradigm, while the CSOM clustering used all voxels in the brain. Both yielded similar clusters for activated voxels. The combination of MCODE and CSOM presents a new approach in identifying functional subunits in the human brain and warrants further investigation into the subject.
Prolonged neuromuscular blockade and ventilatory failure after renal transplantation and cyclosporine.

In a retrospective one-year study, we documented respiratory failure or prolonged neuromuscular blockade in eight of 65 patients with chronic renal failure who had received either vecuronium (four of 29 patients) or atracurium (four of 36 patients) during anaesthesia for kidney transplantation. We reviewed the charts of the patients and recorded all aspects of medication and anaesthesia to try to determine whether there might be a single factor associated with this high incidence (12 per cent) of respiratory failure. Anaesthesia for all patients was induced with thiopentone, isoflurane, and N2O/O2. Tracheal intubation was facilitated with muscle relaxants in a single bolus of vecuronium, 0.07 to O.1 mg · kg−1, or atracurium, 0.3 to 0.5 mg · kg−1. Additional doses were given according to neuromuscular activity, which was monitored visually by response to train-of-four and tetanic stimulation. Anaesthesia was maintained with fentanyllisoflurane and N2O/O2. After induction of anaesthesia, each patient received methylprednisolone, cefazolin, mannitol infusion for 24 hr beginning at the start of renal artery anastomosis, and either azathioprine (n = 57) or cyclosporine (n = 8). Relaxation was evaluated toward the end of the operation by train-of-four stimulation. Neuromuscular blockade was reversed with edrophonium (0.75-1 mg · kg−1) or neostigmine (0.06–0.08 mg · kg−1). The eight patients with prolonged neuromuscular blockade received ventilatory support for one to three hours after operation. Respiratory failure was significantly more frequent inpatients who received cyclosporine (P < 0.05).
A clinical study of the first derivative of the brachial pulse. Normal standards and abnormalities encountered in heart disease

Abstract Records of the first derivative of the brachial pulse have been secured in over 175 subjects, 68 of whom were healthy persons, and the rest of whom were ambulatory hospital patients. Such records emphasize certain features of the conventional pulse, such as angles, notches, and slurs, and suppress other features, such as the slow movements of the base line. From data secured in the healthy subjects, normal standards have been defined for contour, for amplitude of the chief deflection, and for the durations of the main waves on the base line. As age advances, the main wave of the pulse derivative diminishes in amplitude and becomes broader on the base line, even though health commensurate with one's age is retained. Conspicuous abnormalities of the contour of the pulse derivative were identified by inspection in 43 hospital patients, in all of whom conventional hospital studies gave strong evidence of cardiac abnormality. Four persons who believed themselves to be healthy showed similar abnormalities of the pulse derivative contour. The amplitude of the main wave of the pulse derivative indicates the maximum rate at which blood pressure rises on the advancing pulse wave front. Amplitudes greater than normal were found in 25 patients. No one was encountered who had an amplitude less than normal; the reason for this is discussed. Abnormalities of wave duration were identified in a small number of patients—the exact number depended on whether this duration was expressed as time or as per cent of the cardiac cycle. Changes in the amplitude and duration of the main wave of the pulse derivative permit one to identify aspects of the cardiac performance which change as age advances. These indicate the “normal” weakening of the myocardium as one grows older. Abnormalities of contour of the pulse derivative indicate an incoordination of the cardiac contraction.
Mutant query plans

Abstract We propose a flexible and robust framework for distributed query processing based on mutant query plans (MQP). A MQP is an XML representation of a query plan that can also include verbatim XML data, references to resource locations (URLs), or abstract resource names (URNs). Servers work using local, possibly incomplete knowledge, partially evaluate as much of the query plan as they can, incorporate the partial results into a new, mutated query plan and transfer it to some other server that can continue processing. We have implemented an initial version of this framework, and present preliminary performance results.
Changes in global gene expression in response to chemical and genetic perturbation of chromatin structure.

DNA methylation is important for controlling gene expression in all eukaryotes. Microarray analysis of mutant and chemically-treated Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings with reduced DNA methylation revealed an altered gene expression profile after treatment with the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-aza-2′ deoxycytidine (5-AC), which included the upregulation of expression of many transposable elements. DNA damage-response genes were also coordinately upregulated by 5-AC treatment. In the ddm1 mutant, more specific changes in gene expression were observed, in particular for genes predicted to encode transposable elements in centromeric and pericentromeric locations. These results confirm that DDM1 has a very specific role in maintaining transcriptional silence of transposable elements, while chemical inhibitors of DNA methylation can affect gene expression at a global level.
Gender, Race, and Class: Differences in Levels of Feminist Orientation

This article focuses on the differences in feminist orientation occurring by gender, race, and class. The author derives 11 propositions from a review of the literature and tests them at four different levels of feminist reference: public, family, interpersonal, and self. Examining a sample of 1,735 boys and girls born after the onset of the women's movement, the author interprets the findings as degrees of responsiveness to an order that is equalitarian with regard to gender and links these findings to one or more of the strata considered. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for various feminist strategies.
Global well-posedness for discrete non-linear Schrödinger equation

We consider the initial value problem for the discrete non-linear Schrodinger equation in weighted l 2-spaces. Under quite general assumptions we prove that the problem is globally well-posed. The proof is based on simple general facts on abstract evolution equations.
A residence time probability analysis of sulfur concentrations at grand Canyon national park

Abstract A statistical method is developed to determine the locations of major pollutant sources affecting a distant downwind receptor, provided that air trajectories can be estimated. Probability density functions are estimated which indicate 1. (1) the overall residence time of air parcels over a given geographic region as they travel toward a receptor and 2. (2) residence time for the case of high pollutant concentrations at the receptor. These functions are used to estimate a conditional probability function which indicates the potential for a source region to contribute to high air pollution concentrations. Finally, a source contribution function is formulated to indicate the relative contribution of different source regions to high concentrations at the receptor. The method is tested using data collected at Grand Canyon National Park in 1980. The dominant pathway for air masses arriving at Grand Canyon during this period was southern California. A lesser pathway was from the border of Utah and Colorado and a minor pathway was from southern New Mexico. The potential source regions of sulfur particles were (in descending order) southern New Mexico, southern California and eastern Nevada. The source contribution function, however, shows that southern California contributed the most high sulfur concentration episodes in 1980, followed by eastern Nevada and southern New Mexico.
Caste and democratization in postcolonial India: an ethnographic examination of lower caste politics in Bihar

This article examines the case of lower-caste politics in the populous north Indian state of Bihar in order to show the ways in which the liberal democratic model fails to capture the realities of democracy in postcolonial India. In order to explain the rise of lower-caste politics, I examine the ways in which relationships between state institutions, caste networks and locally dominant groups shape contemporary political possibilities, necessitating a re-evaluation of the relationship between liberalism and democracy in India. With state institutions being unable to effectively enforce rights, a caste-based notion of popular sovereignty became dominant – as an idea (the lower-caste majority should rule) and as the everyday rough-and-tumble of an electoral politics that ultimately revolves around the force of numbers. It is inadequate, and actually unhelpful, to simply point out the obvious fact that the enforcement of rights is routinely and systematically undermined in practice and to call for more effe...
HDL deficiency in genetically engineered mice requires elevated LDL to accelerate atherogenesis.

Abstract In humans, a low HDL concentration is one of the strongest indicators of increased risk for coronary heart disease. Apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) synthetic defects result in extremely low HDL levels and are frequently although not invariably associated with premature atherosclerosis. To investigate atherosclerosis susceptibility associated with HDL deficiency alone and in combination with other risk factors, such as high levels of LDL, we have quantified diet-induced atherogenesis in a series of genetically engineered mice, including mice with low HDL levels due to targeted disruption of both apo A-I alleles (AI KO mice), mice with high LDL levels due to expression of a human apolipoprotein B transgene (Btg mice), and mice with combined high LDL and low HDL levels due to the presence of the human apo B transgene and apo A-I knockout alleles, respectively (AI KO/Btg mice). After exposure to an atherogenic diet, AI KO and control mice had negligible lesions. All mice expressing the apo B transgene developed extensive lesions, but AI KO/Btg mice developed significantly larger lesions than Btg mice: 56, 260±4630 μm2 for AI KO/Btg (n=27) versus 38, 120±3350 μm2 for Btg mice (n=19) ( P <.02). Results of this study, consistent with several human epidemiological studies, indicate that HDL deficiency in the mouse does not by itself lead to the development of atherosclerosis but does increase atherosclerosis susceptibility when accompanied by other risk factors, in this case elevated LDL.
Effect of a textured insole on balance and gait symmetry

Asymmetry of standing balance and gait is common in individuals with neurological disorders, and achieving symmetrical stance and gait is an important goal of rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a novel discomfort-induced approach (that is based on using a single textured insole) on the alteration in the symmetry of gait and balance. Eleven healthy subjects (6 females and 5 males, mean age of 28.0 ± 4.1 years) were tested using the Computerized Dynamic Posturography and GaitRite systems when standing or walking while wearing standard footwear with the textured insole positioned either in the left or in the right shoe, and without the insole. Significant immediate effect of the textured insole was seen in the outcome measures of static (weight bearing) and dynamic (weight symmetry index, strength symmetry) balance tests (p < 0.05) as well as in gait symmetry (single support and swing phases) (p < 0.05). The results of the study indicate that a textured insole can significantly modify the symmetry of stance and gait in healthy individuals. Pilot data from individuals with stroke also showed a reduction in the asymmetry of gait when walking with the single textured insole in the shoe on the unaffected side. This outcome provides support for future studies on the efficacy of the textured insole in minimizing asymmetry of gait and posture in individuals in need.
Mechanical deformation model of the western United States instantaneous strain-rate field

SUMMARY We present a relationship between the long-term fault slip rates and instantaneous velocities as measured by Global Positioning System (GPS) or other geodetic measurements over a short time span. The main elements are the secularly increasing forces imposed by the bounding Pacific and Juan de Fuca (JdF) plates on the North American plate, viscoelastic relaxation following selected large earthquakes occurring on faults that are locked during their respective interseismic periods, and steady slip along creeping portions of faults in the context of a thin-plate system. In detail, the physical model allows separate treatments of faults with known geometry and slip history, faults with incomplete characterization (i.e. fault geometry but not necessarily slip history is available), creeping faults, and dislocation sources distributed between the faults. We model the western United States strain-rate field, derived from 746 GPS velocity vectors, in order to test the importance of the relaxation from historic events and characterize the tectonic forces imposed by the bounding Pacific and JdF plates. Relaxation following major earthquakes (M > 8.0) strongly shapes the present strain-rate field over most of the plate boundary zone. Equally important are lateral shear transmitted across the Pacific‐North America plate boundary along ∼1000 km of the continental shelf, downdip forces distributed along the Cascadia subduction interface, and distributed slip in the lower lithosphere. Post-earthquake relaxation and tectonic forcing, combined with distributed deep slip, constructively interfere near the western margin of the plate boundary zone, producing locally large strain accumulation along the San Andreas fault (SAF) system. However, they destructively interfere further into the plate interior, resulting in smaller and more variable strain accumulation patterns in the eastern part of the plate boundary zone. Much of the rightlateral strain accumulation along the SAF system is systematically underpredicted by models which account only for relaxation from known large earthquakes. This strongly suggests that in addition to viscoelastic-cycle effects, steady deep slip in the lower lithosphere is needed to explain the observed strain-rate field.
Voting power in municipal annexation elections

In many American states, municipal annexation and consolidation require concurrent majority votes of all affected jurisdictions. The effectiveness and fairness of this voting procedure have been criticized on the grounds that a small minority of voters can frustrate the preferences of the overall majority. This paper investigates the extent to which the relative ability of voters in large and small jurisdictions to influence voting outcomes in procedures requiring concurrent majorities is influenced by jurisdictional size. The Banzhaf index, which counts the number of case4s in which a given voter could reverse the overall group decision by changing positions on an issue, is applied to this problem of concurrent voting majorities. Mathematical analysis indicates that the ratio of power between voters in small and large jurisdictions approximately equals the inverse of the square root of the ratio of their population size.
The evolutionary relationships of man and orang-utans

Man shares uniquely few morphological features with either the chimpanzee or the gorilla, whereas there are many features that suggest affinities between man and the orang-utan, to whom the fossil Sivapithecus appears to be closely related. If these are unique features, inclusion of Sivapithecus, man and the orang-utan in a single clade, distinct from that containing the African apes, is justified but contrary to current opinion.
Circulation and representation: Jews, department stores and cosmopolitan consumption in Germany, c.1880s–1930s

This essay looks at the problem of Jews and cosmopolitanism from the perspective of consumer culture in modern Germany. It focuses on German department stores, the great majority of which were owned by Jews, and which were stationary sites for the convergence of goods, styles, people and capital from all over the world. The essay then traces discourses on and representations of circulation across a variety of media and genres, including department store advertisements, economic writings, anti-department store propaganda and fiction, showing how department store owners and their harshest critics drew on a common set of terms and symbols to represent modern mass consumption. While department stores used cosmopolitanism to promote their goods and create enticing product displays and consumer spectacles, their critics charged that these stores, because of their cosmopolitanism, were insufficiently rooted in German traditions and mores and represented a threat from the Jewish East.