cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ewe productivity of Booroola Merino–Rambouillet crossbred sheep during early stages of the introgression of the FecB allele into a Rambouillet population

Abstract Productivity of F1 Booroola Merino (BM)×Rambouillet (R) ewes, ewes from the first and second backcrosses to R rams, and purebred R ewes were compared during the early stages of an introgression scheme to introduce the FecB allele into the R population. Fec genotype was estimated by counting corpora lutea during a laparoscopic examination of a ewe’s ovaries at 17 to 19 months of age. One copy of the FecB allele increased (P
Assessing distance learning student's performance: a natural language processing approach to analyzing class discussion messages

In classes supported by electronic messaging systems, students are required or encouraged to discuss the class topics and share their knowledge by posting text messages and replying to others. When the amount of messages is large, it is difficult for the instructor to read through all messages and evaluate student's performance. We apply natural language processing techniques to analyze the course messages to assess student's performance. Students are evaluated from three aspects: knowledge learned from the class, effort devoted to the class, and the activeness of their participation; three measures $keyword density (KD), message length (ML), and message count (MC), are derived from the text messages for each evaluation aspect respectively. The three measures are then combined to compute an overall performance indicator (PI) score for each student. The experiment shows that there is a high correlation between the PI scores and the actual grades; the rank order of students by the PI scores and that by the actual grades are highly correlated as well.
Copper/zinc superoxide dismutase transgenic brain accumulates hydrogen peroxide after perinatal hypoxia ischemia

Unlike the mature animal, immature mice transgenic for copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SODI) have greater brain injury after hypoxia-ischemia than their wild-type nontransgenic littermates. To assess the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of this injury, we measured histopathological damage, lipid peroxidation products, enzymatic activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase, and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) concentration in these animals before and after hypoxic-ischemic injury. Lipid peroxidation products were significantly increased 2 hours after the insult in both transgenic and nontransgenic brains in hippocampus, the most damaged brain region. Catalase activity did not increase in response to SOD1 overexpression or injury in either group. However, glutathione peroxidase activity, unchanged in response to overexpression, decreased significantly 24 hours after injury in both groups. At 24 hours after injury, greater H 2 O 2 accumulation was observed in transgenic brains. Because SOD1 dismutates superoxide to H 2 O 2 , overexpression of SOD1 in the presence of developmentally low activities of the catalytic enzymes glutathione peroxidase and catalase leads to an increased production of H 2 O 2 , and may explain the increased brain injury observed after hypoxia-ischemia in neonatal SOD1 mice.
Mesenchymal Deficiency of Notch1 Attenuates Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis

Notch signaling pathway is involved in the regulation of cell fate, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis in development and disease. Previous studies suggest the importance of Notch1 in myofibroblast differentiation in lung alveogenesis and fibrosis. However, direct in vivo evidence of Notch1-mediated myofibroblast differentiation is lacking. In this study, we examined the effects of conditional mesenchymal-specific deletion of Notch1 on pulmonary fibrosis. Crossing of mice bearing the floxed Notch1 gene with α2(I) collagen enhancer-Cre-ER(T)–bearing mice successfully generated progeny with a conditional knockout (CKO) of Notch1 in collagen I–expressing (mesenchymal) cells on treatment with tamoxifen (Notch1 CKO). Because Notch signaling is known to be activated in the bleomycin model of pulmonary fibrosis, control and Notch1 CKO mice were analyzed for their responses to bleomycin treatment. The results showed significant attenuation of pulmonary fibrosis in CKO relative to control mice, as examined by collagen deposition, myofibroblast differentiation, and histopathology. However, there were no significant differences in inflammatory or immune cell influx between bleomycin-treated CKO and control mouse lungs. Analysis of isolated lung fibroblasts confirmed absence of Notch1 expression in cells from CKO mice, which contained fewer myofibroblasts and significantly diminished collagen I expression relative to those from control mice. These findings revealed an essential role for Notch1-mediated myofibroblast differentiation in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis.
CHANGES IN CIRCULATING EOSINOPHILS IN WOMEN DURING THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE AND REPRODUCTION

VARIATIONS in the number of circulating eosinophils were noted as early as 1910 by Dunger (1) who first devised an accurate method for counting these cells. A marked rise in the number of eosinophils is associated with many pathologic conditions. However, a decrease in the eosinophil count has been regarded as of little importance. As an example, the recently published textbook on disorders of the blood by Whitby and Britton (2) attaches no significance to eosinophil counts under 400 per cubic millimeter. However, Schilling (3) described an eosinopenia in the course of acute infections and regarded the failure of the eosinophils to return to the circulating blood as a grave sign. Renewed interest in circulating eosinophils followed the report of Dougherty and White (4), who demonstrated that pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) injected into rats produced an increase in the circulating neutrophils and a decrease in lymphocytes. They induced similar changes by the injection of 11-dehydroxy and 17-h...
Adaptation of plum pox virus to a herbaceous host (Pisum sativum) following serial passages.

Plum pox virus (PPV) populations from peaches are able to adapt consistently to herbaceous hosts, characterized by a reduction in time to symptom development, increases in inoculation efficiency and increased titres. PPV adaptation was studied by using pea (Pisum sativum) as an alternative host. Two isolates of PPV from peaches were inoculated and passaged in peas ten times using either aphid or mechanical inoculation, generating four independent passage lines. Mechanical-transmission efficiency from peach to pea improved from 3 % at passage 1 to 100 % by serial passage 4 on peas. Inoculation using aphid vectors required six to ten serial passages in pea to reach a peak of 50–60 % transmission efficiency. Sequence analyses of all four PPV population lines inoculated sequentially to pea identified a specific mutation occurring consistently in the NIb gene when compared with the same PPV isolates passaged in parallel in peach. The mutation allowed PPV to replicate up to 20 times faster in the new host. Pea-adapted strains of PPV at every passage were also tested for their ability to infect the original host, peach. Regardless of the number of previous passages, all pea-adapted PPV strains consistently infected peach at low levels using aphid inoculation.
Converting Semi-structured Clinical Medical Records into Information and Knowledge

Clinical medical records contain a wealth of information, largely in free-textual form. Thus, means to extract structured information from free-text records becomes an important research endeavor. In this paper, we propose and implement an information extraction system that extracts three types of information - numeric values, medical terms and categorical value - from semi-structured patient records. Three approaches are proposed to solve the problems posed by each of the three types of values, respectively, and very good performance (precision and recall) is achieved. A novel link-grammar based approach was invented to associate feature and number in a sentence, and extremely high accuracy was achieved. A simple but efficient approach, using POS-based pattern and domain ontology, was adopted to extract medical terms of interest. Finally, an NLPbased feature extraction method coupled with an ID3 based decision tree is used to classify and extract categorical cases. This preliminary approach to categorical fields has, so far, proven to be quite effective.
Exposing the Role of Gender in the Performance of Founding Entrepreneurs

Using a sample of 114 entrepreneurs, predictors of financial performance outcomes were tested related to founding status and gender. Significant differences were found for founding status indicating that entrepreneurs who founded their ventures were more likely to experience higher financial performance than non-founding entrepreneurs. Hypotheses relating to gender with founding status and financial performance were not supported. Further, gender was not supported as a moderator of the relationship between founding status and financial performance. Implications of these findings are discussed and avenues for future research on this topic are offered.
Synergistic Interactions Between In-Hive Miticides in Apis mellifera

The varroa mite, Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman, is a devastating pest of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., that has been primarily controlled over the last 15 yr with two in-hive miticides: the organophosphate coumaphos (Checkmite+), and the pyrethroid tau-fluvalinate (Apistan). Both coumaphos and tau-fluvalinate are lipophilic compounds that are absorbed by the wax component of the hive, where they are stable and have the potential to build up over repeated treatments such that bees could be exposed to both compounds simultaneously. Although these compounds were chosen as in-hive miticides due to their low toxicity to honey bees, that low toxicity depends, at least in part, on rapid detoxification mediated by cytochrome P450 monooxygenase enzymes (P450s). In this laboratory study, we observed a large increase in the toxicity of tau-fluvalinate to 3-d-old bees that had been treated previously with coumaphos, and a moderate increase in the toxicity of coumpahos in bees treated previously with tau-fluvalinate. The observed synergism may result from competition between miticides for access to detoxicative P450s. These results suggest that honey bee mortality may occur with the application of otherwise sublethal doses of miticide when tau-fluvalinate and coumaphos are simultaneously present in the hive.
Better Regulation for Freer Trade

Changes in the way the world trades have increased the importance of regulation in international commerce. Fewer goods and services originate “from” any one place or any one supplier, but rather consist of components and tasks from multiple suppliers scattered across several countries. Consistent, adequate, and predictable regulation is essential to the success of these global supply chains, but remains elusive. Without international coordination, national regulations and private standards have proliferated. The resulting cacophony has done little to promote U.S. exports or effective regulatory oversight. The United States should pursue regulatory integration on a regional basis and in the areas where the interests of trade officials, national regulatory authorities, and exporting nations overlap. A new White House initiative on international regulatory cooperation launched this month provides the opportunity to implement this strategy.
RQ and Endogenous Firm Growth

R&D has historically been believed to be the engine of firm and economic growth. However the formal link between R&D and growth at the macro level wasn’t explicated until 1990, and it has been even...
Clinical chemistry determinations for a biracial cohort of 1,605 normal and hyperlipidemic schoolchildren aged 6 to 17.

Distributions of nine clinical chemistry determinations (serum bilirubin, globulin, creatinine, thyroxine, alkaline phosphatase, hematocrit, aspartate aminotransferase, uric acid, and plasma glucose) were assessed for 1,605 schoolchildren aged 6 to 17 years, in the Cincinnati Lipid Research Clinic’s Princeton School District study. Nine hundred and sixteen children were randomly recalled, and 689 were recalled by virtue of elevated (top decile) plasma cholesterol or triglyceride or both. For each clinical chemistry measurement, the following factors were considered: random and hyperlipidemic recall groups, age, sex, and race. The data were arrayed to provide the fifth percentile, the median, and the ninety-fifth percentile levels, as well as the 90% confidence interval of about the fifth and ninety-fifth percentile estimates. These data allow black-white, age and sex, and normal-hyperlipidemic comparisons of commonly measured clinical chemistry determinations among a large population of children. This study also provides, for the methods used, accurate estimations of age-, sex-, race-, and recall group-specific percentile distributions for selected clinical chemistry determinations for children.
Cardiac structure and function and leisure-time physical activity in the elderly: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Aims Adults who engage in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) have a reduced risk of developing heart failure. We hypothesized that high levels of LTPA are associated with diminished adverse age-related changes in cardiac structure and function. Methods and results We studied 4342 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study participants free of cardiovascular disease who underwent standardized echocardiography. In a cross-sectional analysis, we related LTPA (poor, intermediate, or ideal) to cardiac structure and function. We also related cumulative average LTPA over 24 years and changes in LTPA categories to echocardiographic measures. Cross-sectional analysis demonstrated that ideal LTPA, compared with poor LTPA, was associated with better diastolic function [prevalence of normal diastolic function: 39.8% vs. 31.5%, P < 0.001; mean E/E′ ratio (95% CI): 9.8 (9.6, 9.9) vs. 10.4 (10.2, 10.5), P = 0.001] and better systolic function [left-ventricular (LV) longitudinal strain: −18.3 (−18.4, −18.2) vs. −17.9 (−18.0, −17.8), P < 0.001] after adjusting for age, sex, race, and centre. Higher cumulative average LTPA over 24 years or an improvement in LTPA category were also, respectively, related to a more favourable E/E′ ratio ( P < 0.0001, P = 0.004) and longitudinal LV strain ( P = 0.0002, P = 0.002). Conclusion Ideal LTPA, higher average levels of LTPA over a 24-year period, and an improvement in LTPA even later in life were associated with more favourable indices of LV diastolic and systolic function in older adults. Sustaining higher levels of LTPA, and even increasing physical activity later in life, may be beneficial for older adults in attenuating expected age-related changes in cardiac structure and function.
A Study on Concept of Agriculture Format, Classification and Formation Mechanism of Agriculture New Format

Format concept originated in the retail sector, and gradually expands to other industries. The agricultural format refers to the form that is shown by the combination of different agricultural products(services), agricultural management methods and organizational forms. The connotation of agricultural new format is a new agricultural format which has sustainability and stable growth, and can reached a considerable scale. From the perspective of integration of agriculture and other industries, induced four types of agricultural new formats such as agriculture and services integration types, agriculture different sub-industries integration types, types of high and new technology permeating into agriculture, types of comprehensive converging among different industries. The dynamic mechanism of its formation is the interaction from the market demand, market competition, industry transformation and upgrading, extension of industrial chain and related industries, the progress of science and technology, agricultural policy.
Enterovirus serotype analysis of hand-foot-mouth disease in Xi'an 2009 and the genetic characteristics of enterovirus 71

Objective To observe the main serotypes of the enteroviruses causing hand-foot-mouth disease in Xi'an in 2009,evaluate the availability of IgM assay in EV71 infection and investigate the genetic characteristics of EV71.Methods Total of 185 samples were collected from urban and suburban hospitals in Xi'an respectively to identify the serotypes of enteroviruses.EV71 IgM antibody of 63 serum samples from confirmed EV71 infected patients was assayed.Isolated EV71 strains VP1s were sequenced and phyletic evolution was analyzed.Results The enterovirus RNA positive rate of pharynx swabs was 84.32%,72.4% of viral serotyping was EV71 and 17.3% was CA16.Of the serum samples,71.43% were tested EV71 IgM positive,and the serotype of EV71 was C4.Conclusion EV71 was the main pathogen of HFMD in Xi'an 2009 and EV71 had a close relation with C4 serotype.EV71 IgM antibody can be used in early diagnosis of EV71 infection.
Comparison Between the Security of Managing Structure in Chinese and Foreign Banks

After China's entry into the WTO,the competition between Chinese and foreign banks is not only from the aspect of managing activities in financial market,but the competition of managing structure is even more decisive.There are some defects in Chinese state-owned banks of commerce concerning about the company managing structure,which lower the competitive competence and managing efficiency and aggravate the insecurity.Comparing the managing structure of the banks,the paper analyzes the main problems and reasons for the secure problems,based on which the paper proposes the possible way for constructing managing structure for Chinese banks.
Relationships between pig birth weight and expression of the immediate early gene EGR-1 in umbilical cord Wharton's jelly

Citation: Morton, J. M., Rathbun, T., & Davis, D. L. (2016). Relationships between pig birth weight and expression of the immediate early gene EGR-1 in umbilical cord Wharton's jelly. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 149-149. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-317
Steroid and thyroid hormone receptors.

Steroid and thyroid hormone receptors are hormone-dependent regulators of gene transcription. These nuclear proteins are structurally related and have similar functions: hormone binding, target gene recognition, and transcriptional activation. Hormone and target-gene specificities of individual receptors are determined by differences in gene expression and primary amino acid sequence. The molecular mechanisms by which hormone-receptor-target gene interactions regulate gene expression in normal and pathologic states are just beginning to be understood.
Major nutrients in the Type A lunch. II. Amounts consumed by students.

Plate waste from Type A school lunches was collected during the period that fifth, seventh, and tenth grade students ate lunch. Twelve elementary, three junior high, and seven high schools distributed among three geographic regions of North Carolina were included in the sample. Nutrients served and nutrients in plate waste were determined by laboratory analyses of two five-day composites of meals and of waste from each school. Nutrients consumed were determined by difference. Relative to the Type A goal, protein intake was highest; riboflavin and vitamin A values were consumed in satisfactory (one-third or more of the allowances) amounts. Younger students consumed adequate iron and calcium, and calcium intake approached adequacy among older students. High school students consumed only 69 per cent of their goal for iron and 75 per cent of the goal of energy value; among the three groups, however, this was the highest percentage of the goal for energy value consumed. Ascorbic acid intake was least satisfactory for fifth and seventh grade students. Overall, fifth graders consumed a significantly (P less than .01) lower percentage of the nutrients served than the two older groups. With a few exceptions, students consumed 80 to 90 per cent of the various nutrients which were served: 62 to 66 per cent of the vitamin A value served was consumed; fifth grade students consumed only 77 per cent of the iron served; and the two younger groups consumed only 69 per cent of the ascorbic acid served. Although the most marked regional differences in nutrients consumed occurred with vitamin A and ascorbic acid, overall elementary students in the eastern region consumed a significantly (P less than .01) higher percentage of nutrients served than did those in other two regions.
The fish that cried wolf: the role of parental care in novel predator recognition in juvenile convict cichlids ( Amatitlania siquia )

This study tested if convict cichlids (Amatitlania siquia) with prior predator experience could socially transfer their predator knowledge to their offspring. Prior to reproduction, pairs were assigned to either an experimental or control associative learning treatment, and given novel predator odour from a wolf cichlid (Parachromis dovii) paired with either alarm cue or water respectively. We hypothesized that upon re-exposure to the odour, experimental pairs would socially transfer their acquired predator knowledge to their naive offspring, which in turn would exhibit antipredator behaviour. While fry from both treatment groups did not show a difference in shoal formation, there is some evidence to suggest a trend in the experimental group regarding parental ability to transfer information to offspring and influence shoal behaviour. When tested individually, experimental fry decreased their activity more than control fry in the presence of the predator odour. This study provides evidence of a unique form of predator learning between parents and offspring, suggesting that biparental care may also serve to provide offspring with information about the habitat into which they are born.
John von Neumann: the fastest brain in the West

AT THE age of six, John von Neumann could multiply eight-digit numbers in his head and converse in Greek with his father. A child prodigy who could solve almost any mathematical problem, he had a quick mind and a near photographic memory, for which he was famous throughout his life. Indeed, he later went on to design the fastest thinking machine of his age: the world's first stored-program electronic digital computer.
Universal Design for Learning in Teaching Large Lecture Classes

To augment traditional lecture with instructional tools that provide options for content representation, learner engagement, and learning expression, we followed the Universal Design for Learning (...
Graphical Views of Louisiana Death Sentenced Cases and their Outcomes

Ten graphics that present facts about the 241 Louisiana homicide cases resulting in a verdict of death, within the context of Louisiana and national homicides.
Post-Surgical Cerebellar Mutism

Mutism immediately following removal of a large midline posterior fossa medulluloblastoma and a cerebellar arteriovenous malformation is reported in 2 children from the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainsville, FL.
Wafer Topography Simulation

As dimensions of the “classical” planar process are reduced the device features in the third dimension pose major fabrication and performance problems. Establishing techniques to characterize and optimize these non-planar device features is a major goal of research on modeling and simulation. Lithography, etching and deposition models have been established which agree well with experiment. In many cases the dominant physical mechanism is a surface reaction process which can be simulated by a surface advancing algorithm such as the cell, string or ray approach. Prime examples of the usefulness of simulation are in understanding projection printing, step coverage in deposition, wafer planarization and linewidth bias and control for composite process sequences. Simulations for individual IC fabrication processes are being combined in a user oriented program for Simulation And Modeling of Profiles in Lithography and Etching (SAMPLE).
Biomechanical Analysis of Latarjet Screw Fixation: Comparison of Screw Types and Fixation Methods.

Purpose To compare the initial fixation stability, failure strength, and mode of failure of 5 different screw types and fixation methods commonly used for the classic Latarjet procedure. Methods Thirty-five fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulder specimens were allocated into 5 groups. A 25% anteroinferior glenoid defect was created, and a classic Latarjet coracoid transfer procedure was performed. All grafts were fixed with 2 screws, differing by screw type and/or fixation method. The groups included partially threaded solid 4.0-mm cancellous screws with bicortical fixation, partially threaded solid 4.0-mm cancellous screws with unicortical fixation, fully threaded solid 3.5-mm cortical screws with bicortical fixation, partially threaded cannulated 4.0-mm cancellous screws with bicortical fixation, and partially threaded cannulated 4.0-mm captured screws with bicortical fixation. All screws were stainless steel. Outcomes included cyclic creep and secant stiffness during cyclic loading, as well as load and work to failure during the failure test. Intergroup comparisons were made by a 1-way analysis of variance. Results There were no significant differences among different screw types or fixation methods in cyclic creep or secant stiffness after cyclic loading or in load to failure or work to failure during the failure test. Post-failure radiographs showed evidence of screw bending in only 1 specimen that underwent the Latarjet procedure with partially threaded solid cancellous screws with bicortical fixation. The mode of failure for all specimens analyzed was screw cutout. Conclusions In this biomechanical study, screw type and fixation method did not significantly influence biomechanical performance in a classic Latarjet procedure. When performing this procedure, surgeons may continue to select the screw type and method of fixation (unicortical or bicortical) based on preference; however, further studies are required to determine the optimal method of treatment. Clinical Relevance Surgeons may choose the screw type and fixation method based on preference when performing the Latarjet procedure.
2017 Report of the President and Chair of the Board: ASHP's journey to discovering pharmacy's true north.

> As pharmacists, we must demonstrate excellence in our practice and our medication knowledge that is second to none. > > ![Figure][1] It is hard for me to believe that it has been a year since I was installed as ASHP’s president. I still recall sitting at the Whitney dinner when it hit me
The assembly of regularly spaced nucleosomes in the Xenopus oocyte S-150 extract is accompanied by deacetylation of histone H4

Histone proteins, which were assembled into chromatin using the Xenopus oocyte S-150 extract, were analyzed on acid-urea gels and Triton-acid-urea gels to determine their state of modification. We find that histone H4, which is present in a diacetylated form in the oocyte S-150, gradually loses its acetate groups as the DNA is packaged into chromatin. Thus, this process parallels the one observed in vivo during chromatin formation in growing eucaryotic cells. Histone H4 deacetylation in the oocyte S-150 is a DNA-dependent reaction. This reaction is blocked when butyrate (an inhibitor of histone deacetylase) is added at the onset of the chromatin assembly process. When butyrate is added at the end of the assembly process, no de novo acetylation of the nucleosomal histone H4 is observed. Chromatin with regularly spaced nucleosomes, displaying periodicities ranging from 160 to 220 base pairs, can be assembled in vitro with the oocyte S-150 (Rodriguez-Campos, A., Shimamura, A., and Worcel, A. (1989) J. Mol. Biol., in press). This chromatin may contain either deacetylated histone H4 when assembled under standard conditions or diacetylated H4 when assembled in the presence of butyrate. Both types of chromatin display identical structures upon digestion with nucleases. The potential applications of this system toward the study of the naturally occurring diacetylated histone H4 are discussed.
An analysis of an impulsive stage structured integrated pest management model with refuge effect

Abstract Integrated pest management (IPM) utilizes a combination of control methods in order to control pest populations in agricultural systems. Here, we construct a stage structured impulsive integrated pest management with added prey refuge. By considering the ability of pests to hide from management strategies, we establish properties for pest eradication and permanence of the proposed system. Simulations of eradicated and permanent solutions are also included in order to illustrate the behavior of pest and predator populations.
IgA Nephropathy and IgA Vasculitis (Henoch-Schönlein Purpura)

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy was first described by the pathologist Jean Berger [1, 2] and thus is sometimes called Berger’s disease. IgA nephropathy is defined by the presence of IgA-dominant or codominant mesangial immunoglobulin deposits (Fig. 6.1) [3, 4]. Lupus glomerulonephritis, which may have IgA-dominant or codominant deposits, is excluded from this diagnostic category. IgA nephropathy also should be distinguished from IgA-dominant postinfectious glomerulonephritis (see Chap. 5) [5]. IgA nephropathy occurs as a primary (idiopathic) disease; as a component of IgA vasculitis (Henoch-Schonlein purpura), secondary to liver disease (especially alcoholic cirrhosis); and associated with a variety of inflammatory diseases including ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, Reiter’s disease, uveitis, enteritis (e.g., Yersinia enterocolitica infection), inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis, and HIV infection [6–10].
Survivors of the Nazi Holocaust

Homo homini lupus... man is wolf to man. The bloody chronicles of recorded history have, time and again, demonstrated the truth of this bitter adage but never more clearly than in the treatment of the Jews of Europe in the unrelenting grasp of the German Nazis of the Hitlerian Reich.
Biochemical Interactions of Ethanol with the Arachidonic Acid Cascade

A rapidly increasing scientific literature now supports the possibility of an alcohol-prostaglandin interaction. This chapter reviews evidence for both direct and indirect biochemical interactions between ethanol and the metabolism of arachidonic acid and several related compounds. Much of the present data is based on pharmacological manipulation of prostaglandin (PG) levels by potent nonsteroid anti-inflammatory agents such as indomethacin. Indomethacin markedly alters the behavioral response to ethanol, particularly in the mouse model. These data suggest that PGs are involved in the behavioral response to acute ethanol exposure in the mouse. In other animal models, alcohol has been reported to alter blood platelet metabolism of arachidonic acid, to suppress the enzymatic degradation of PGs, and to alter the response of the adenyl cyclase system to several hormones including PGs of the “E” series. In humans, both the stimulation and inhibition of PG synthesis is reported to aid the treatment of various aspects of alcoholism. Further, PGs are reported to protect against alcohol-induced fatty liver, and both PGs and arachidonic acid protect the gastric mucosa against ethanol-induced lesions. Certainly the residual consequences of acute, excessive ethanol consumption are commonly treated with a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor. The material in this chapter is an attempt to review the data and to discuss the molecular mechanism underlying these observations.
Two Efferent Systems: Potential for Late-Life Changes

This chapter will attempt to define a conceptually useful model of efferent function and to consider certain lines of speculation relating behavioral change to aging events in the nervous system. The physiologist appears to view neural control of muscle tonus and the regulation of movement under a single conceptual umbrella. Motor cortex is believed to initiate commands which are transmitted down the pyramidal pathway, but modified at appropriate junctures by successively lower structures in the motor hierarchy.
HIGH DIVERSITY AND STRATIGRAPHIC AGE OF THE MAZON CREEK FLORA

ABSTRACT The Mazon Creek Flora is characterized by a large number of species, great variability in size of common species, and excellent preservation. The high diversity is due to ideal living conditions in a number of sub-environments of a fluvial-deltaic system, widespread “natural sampling” of the plants living in these environments by storms, mixing in transport, and rapid burial. Very similar conditions were responsible for the formation and accumulation of many other compression floras which do not differ in their composition or dominance pattern from the flora of the Francis Creek Shale. The apparently higher diversity in the Mazon Creek Flora seems to be the result of intensive collecting in large areas by numerous collectors through decades which increased the chance to find rare forms. The age of the Mazon Creek Flora has been given in the literature variously as Westphalian C to Stephanian A. The occurrence of Neuropteris ovata together with more than 10 species of Pecopteris and the occurrence of Stephanian species higher in the section shows that the deposit is of Upper Westphalian D age.
Phantom limb pain: peripheral neuromodulatory and neuroprosthetic approaches to treatment

Post-amputation phantom limb pain (PLP) is a widespread phenomenon that can have physical, psychological, and functional impacts on amputees who experience the condition. The varying presentations and mechanisms of PLP make it difficult to effectively provide long-term pain relief. Multiple neuromodulatory approaches to treating PLP have focused on electrical stimulation of the peripheral nervous system, with varying degrees of success. More recently, research has been done to study the effects of neuroprosthetic approaches on PLP. Neuroprosthetics combine the use of a functional prosthetic with stimulation to the peripheral nerves in the residual limb. Although many of the neuroprosthetic studies focus on improving function, several have shown preliminary evidence for the reduction of severity of PLP. In this review we provide an overview of the current understanding of the neurological mechanisms that initiate and sustain PLP, as well as the neuromodulatory and neuroprosthetic approaches under development for treatment of the condition. Muscle Nerve 59:154-167, 2019.
Representation by standard terminologies of health status concepts contained in two health status assessment instruments used in rheumatic disease management.

Health and functional status data have been shown to have clinical utility in predicting outcome. Various metadata registries in the form of patient self-administered health assessment questionnaires have been incorporated into routine clinical care and clinical research of patients with rheumatic disease. Examples of such health assessment instruments are the Clinical Health Assessment Questionnaire (CLINHAQ) and the Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (MHAQ). These instruments contain concepts that are an integral part of the health and functional status domain. Using an automated indexing tool we examined the clinical content coverage by SNOMED RT and the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus for health and functional status concepts identified in the MHAQ and CLINHAQ. Significant differences existed between the overall representational ability of SNOMED and UMLS for concepts identified in the MHAQ (49%, vs. 77% respectively, p < .005) and for concepts identified in the CLINHAQ (30% vs. 64% respectively p < .005). Representational capability by SNOMED-RT and UMLS for concepts in a given health assessment instrument was carried across four semantic classes of "attitudes", "symptoms", "activities", and "social attributes". The conceptual content coverage of health status assessment concepts contained in the MHAQ and CLINHAQ by SNOMED-RT and UMLS was incomplete but better for UMLS with its panoply of vocabulary sources. This observed overall improved representation by UMLS appeared to be due to better representation of concepts in "activities" and "social attributes" semantic classes. Representation of health or functional status concepts in a computerized medical record should be founded on a universally agreed concept model of that domain. Established functional and health status metadata registries can serve as important sources for concepts and candidate classes within that domain.
Problematic Eating Behaviors and Eating Disorders Associated with Bariatric Surgery.

Bariatric surgery candidates often report problematic and/or eating disordered behaviors. For most patients, these eating behaviors improve after surgery. A subset, however, experience a recurrence or new onset of problematic eating behaviors as early as 2 months to 18 months after surgery, which can result in compromised weight loss/excessive weight regain. Those most at risk are individuals with comorbid psychopathology (ie, loss-of-control eating or depression) after surgery. For some, such problems are present before surgery. Therefore, it is critical to monitor patients closely after surgery so that appropriate psychiatric treatments can be provided if indicated.
Migrating to Full Text Finder: A Case Study

University Libraries at The University of Alabama implemented EBSCO’s Discovery Service (EDS) in 2011. This integration added to the use of EBSCO as our serials vendor and provider for usage data. ...
Against the Received Wisdom: Why the Criminal Justice System Should Give Kids a Break

Professor Gideon Yaffe’s recent, intricately argued book, The Age of Culpability: Children and the Nature of Criminal Responsibility, argues against the nearly uniform position in both law and scholarship that the criminal justice system should give juveniles a break because on average they have different capacities relevant to responsibility than adults. Professor Yaffe instead argues that kid should be given a break because juveniles have little say about the criminal law, primarily because they do not have a vote. For Professor Yaffe, age has political rather than behavioral significance. The book has many excellent general analyses about responsibility, but all are in aid of the central thesis about juveniles, which is the central focus of this essay review. After addressing a few preliminary issues, the essay discusses Professor Yaffe’s negative argument against the validity of the behavioral difference rationale for giving juveniles a break. If the negative case fails, which the essay argues it does, then the only issue is whether the book’s alternative is desirable. Again, the essay argues that it is not, and concludes by offering three positive arguments for the traditional rationale: (1) coherence and simplicity; (2) a benignly definitional argument that survives the negative argument and supports giving juveniles a break in the exceedingly unlikely event that the empirical assumptions of the traditional rationale are proven incorrect; and (3) a proposal for individualization of the culpability assessments of juveniles so that the criminal justice system blames and punishes them proportionately to their culpability.
Impact of bubble size on the integral characteristics of bubble plumes in quiescent and unstratified water

Abstract We present an experimental study to investigate the impact of bubble size on behavior of bubble plumes from the integral point of view. Two distinct types of bubble plume were generated under the same volumetric gas flow rate: many small bubbles using an air-stone diffuser and a few large bubbles using a single-orifice diffuser. Using Particle Image Velocimetry, we measured the velocity field in the plumes, and derived the integral characteristics for comparison, including the evolution of plume width, centerline velocity, volume flux, momentum flux, momentum amplification factor, and the entrainment coefficient. The measurement data show that the evolution of all the parameters in the plumes are influenced strongly by the different bubble sizes and population. The plumes with many small bubbles behave closer to the single-phase coherent plumes, showing a linear growth of plume width and a decreasing centerline velocity. These characteristics are modified in the plumes with fewer but larger bubbles. With the same total initial buoyancy flux from the source, fewer but larger bubbles give rise to weaker mean flow characteristics, i.e., smaller plume velocity and weaker fluxes of volume and momentum. This modification is attributed to the different mechanisms in fundamental transport of energy and momentum between mean and fluctuating components. In the single-orifice cases, the plumes are influenced by stronger but less frequent bubble wakes, compared to those more coherent bubble plumes in the air-stone cases. Higher momentum amplification factors were found in bubble plumes with fewer but larger bubbles, indicating a stronger ratio of turbulence to mean in these plumes. Despite the modification, all bubble plumes support a typical shear entrainment process within 40 cm height-of-rise. Hence, the integral model and the universal scaling using the plume length scale D and the bubble slip velocity Ws were found to describe the integral behavior of bubble plumes generally well in the range of our experimental parameters, regardless of the different bubble sizes and population.
Eustachian Tube Quality of Life and Severity of Disease in Patients With Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

BackgroundChronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has long been a suspected risk factor for Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD). However, there have been few studies quantifying the presence of ETD in CRS patie...
Graph Learning from Multi-Attribute Smooth Signals

We consider the problem of estimating the structure of an undirected weighted graph underlying a set of smooth multi -attribute signals. Most existing methods for graph estimation are based on single-attribute models where one associates a scalar data variable with each node of the graph, and the problem is to infer the graph topology that captures the relationships between these variables. An example is image graphs for grayscale texture images for modeling dependence of a pixel on neighboring pixels. In multi-attribute graphical models, each node represents a vector, as for example, in color image graphs where one has three variables (RGB color components) per pixel node. In this paper, we extend the single attribute approach of Kalofolias (2016) to multi -attribute data. An alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm is presented to optimize the objective function to infer the graph topology. Numerical results based on synthetic as well as real data are presented.
SIMPLIFIED MYELOPEROXIDASE STAIN USING BENZIDINE DIHYDROCHLORIDE.

THE DEMONSTRATION of leukocyte peroxidase activity has been of practical value to the hematologist since the beginning of the present century. Many technics have been described based on the use of benzidine base as an indicator. 1. , 2. , 3. , 4. , 5. , 6. , 7. This compound when oxidized precipitates as brown or blue insoluble crystals or granules.
Rethinking Collective Action: The Co-Evolution of the State and Institutional Entrepreneurs in Emerging Economies:

Why do groups form to influence policy outcomes? Classic notions of collective action tell us that a small number of homogeneous individuals are more likely to organize and thus achieve their preferred policy outcomes. Yet, this is not always reflected in the empirical record as external factors, such as the state, influence the costs of organizing. Instead, the traditional collective action literature largely assumes a purely rational or passive state. While the institutional entrepreneurship literature highlights the key role these actors can play in shaping institutions and, at times, organizational fields, it does not seek to explain why change agents appear in some instances and not others. This article seeks to fill this theoretical gap by drawing on the co-evolution literature, which helps explain the variation in group formation by underscoring how the state and institutional entrepreneurs shape one another. Utilizing rich qualitative data from the microfinance industry in Brazil and Mexico, this ...
Matric Analysis of Statically Indeterminate Trusses

Equations are more conveniently derived when only internal forces are used as redundants; input data for digital computer may be quickly assembled by noting flexibility of each member, shape of truss, and given values of joint forces, support settlements, and small initial changes in length of members; output will be values of internal forces in all members and of all reactions.
Dependence of the ocean-atmosphere partitioning of carbon on temperature and alkalinity

ocean alkalinity. This idealized situation is probably most relevant on intermediate timescales of hundreds to thousands of years. Our results show that atmospheric pCO2 depends approximately exponentially on the average ocean temperature, since the chemical equilibria involved have an exponential (Arrhenius‐type) dependence. The dependence of pCO2 on alkalinity is more complicated, and our theory suggests several regimes. The current ocean‐atmosphere system appears to have an exponential dependence of pCO2 on global mean ocean alkalinity, but at slightly higher alkalinities, the dependence becomes a power law. We perform experiments with a numerical physical‐biogeochemical model to test the validity of our analytical theory in a more complex, ocean‐like system: in general, the numerical results support the analytical inferences.
Incorporation in vitro of labeled amino acids into bone marrow cell proteins.

Nearly all experiments on the incorporation of labeled amino acids into tissue proteins in vitro have been done on tissues whose cell structure has been partially or completely disintegrated, e.g. tissue slices, segments, or homogenates. Since cell destruction reduces or abolishes the uptake of labeled amino acids (1), it seemed worth while to carry out studies on intact cells in vitro. Bone marrow cells were found to be suitable for this purpose. The labeled amino acids used were glycine-1-C14, L-leucine-1-C14, L-lysine-1-C14, and L-lysine-6-C14.
Evolution of body mass in the Pan-Alcidae (Aves, Charadriiformes): the effects of combining neontological and paleontological data

Abstract. Hypotheses regarding the evolution of many clades are often generated in the absence of data from the fossil record and potential biases introduced by exclusion of paleontological data are frequently ignored. With regard to body size evolution, extinct taxa are frequently excluded because of the lack of body mass estimates—making identification of reliable clade specific body mass estimators crucial to evaluating trends on paleontological timescales. Herein, I identify optimal osteological dimensions for estimating body mass in extinct species of Pan-Alcidae (Aves, Charadriiformes) and utilize newly generated estimates of body mass to demonstrate that the combination of neontological and paleontological data produces results that conflict with hypotheses generated when extant species data are analyzed in isolation. The wing-propelled diving Pan-Alcidae are an ideal candidate for comparing estimates of body mass evolution based only on extant taxa with estimates generated including fossils becaus...