cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
STATIC COMPLIANCE IN INFANTS WITH HMD. EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PEEP

The measurement of lung compliance is useful in establishing the optimal PEEP in the treatment of adult RDS. This study was conducted to assess the value of this determination in infants with HMD. Six newborns (B.W. 1340 gm, Gest. age 31 weeks) who required mechanical ventilation because of severe HMD were studied. Airway pressure, tidal volume and esophageal pressure were recorded at different levels of PEEP and peak pressure (PIP) while the infant's respiration was controlled using a prolonged inspiration, so that tidal volume and airway pressure reached a plateau. The values of static compliance (ml/cm H2O) were: Lung compliance decreased as PEEP or PIP were increased, suggesting that no significant alveolar recruitment occurred. The pressure/volume curve did not show a linear part, but became progressively flatter as the PIP increased. The use of PEEP moved the tidal volume into this flatter part of the curve. The only exception to this was the decrease in CL seen at O PEEP and PIP of 10 cm H2O or less, indicating alveolar collapse. In conclusion, increasing PEEP produces a progressive decrease in CL and therefore this measurement is of no value in determining the optimal PEEP in infants with HMD.
A modified feeding Roux-en-Y jejunostomy in the neurologically damaged child.

Abstract Purpose: Feeding tube access with an antireflux procedure is frequently necessary in children with severe neurological deficits. Fundoplication in this particular group of patients has many complications and a reported failure rate of 40% to 50%. Recently, the use of a feeding Roux-en-Y jejunostomy has been advocated in this population. Methods: Since December 1993, over a 6-month period, the authors performed 12 Roux-en-Y jejunostomies. All children had documented gastroesophageal reflux. One patient had a prior failed Nissen fundoplication, and none of these patients were feeding significantly by mouth. Postoperative follow-up has been 12 months. Results: There were no deaths in this series. One patient required early revision of the stoma because of marked prolapse. One 11-month-old infant required reoperation 7 days postoperatively because of tube dislodgment. Eight of the 12 patients required out-patient procedures to unplug or replace the jejunostomy tube. Conclusion: The operation may be beneficial in a subset of neurologically impaired children who will never be able to ingest significant calories by mouth. It may also be useful after a failed fundoplication. The main postoperative complications were plugging and dislodgment of the jejunostomy tube, which if they occurred early, required x-ray confirmation for catheter placement.
On the possibility that the halo MACHO events and short gamma-ray bursts are due to primordial black holes

The possibility that the Universe contains significant amounts of primordial black holes (PBHs) with a fraction of a solar mass (~ 1032 g or less) is not excluded at present. Although there are limits on the number of low-mass PBHs (m ~ 1015 g), there is some evidence for their existence. We show that the recently observed MACHO events could be the result of PBHs, but they are unlikely to be due to either white dwarfts or low-mass stars (red dwarfs). The abundance of PBHs is not inconsistent with the fluctuation density in the early Universe, especially near the time of the quark-gluon phase transition. The observed mass spectrum would be MPBH−2/3, which is inconsistent with inflationary fluctuations. The galactic halo could contain large numbers of PBHs with masses from 1015 – 1032 g that could be sites for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs).
Antenna Placement for Minimizing Target Localization Error in UWB MIMO Noise Radar

An iterative approach is applied to estimate target location in an ultrawideband multiple-input-multiple-output noise radar system, and the lower bound of its performance is analyzed. The analysis clearly shows that target location estimation accuracy depends on the antenna locations. An approach to efficiently deploy the antennas is proposed. Simulations demonstrate that the root mean square error in target location estimation is inversely proportional to the square root of the product of the number of transmit and receive antennas numbers, and it is able to achieve the derived lower bound at high signal-to-noise ratios.
The importance of technology trust in Web services security

The Internet is changing the way businesses operate today. Firms are using the Web for procurement, to find trading partners, and to link existing applications to other applications. Web services are rapidly becoming the enabling technology of today’s e‐business, and e‐commerce systems. We are having a massive impact on the way businesses think about designing, developing, and deploying Web‐based applications. Web services may be an evolutionary step in designing distributed applications, however, they are not without problems. There are issues relating to security, transactions and scalability that need to be addressed. This paper addresses security concerns in Web services and the role of technology trust.
Lessons of the Lower Ninth: Methodology and epistemology of video ethnography

Abstract This essay is an account of use and advocacy of video ethnography as a social research method. We focus on the contemporary technology of digital video in contrast to prior methods of ethnographic data collection, using the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to describe the capture of an infrastructural context. The importance of audio is emphasized, including the sound of silence and natural sound. Comparing camcorders to still cameras, we argue that former are superior for methodological reasons, including vivacity and deflection (the process through which methodological tools construct the boundaries of interaction). We conclude by arguing that video ethnography has important epistemological consequences, representing an opportunity for the expansion of social scientific outputs, understanding, and public engagement.
The Prefrontal Cortex Regulates Lateral Amygdala Neuronal Plasticity and Responses to Previously Conditioned Stimuli

The amygdala plays a role in learning and memory processes that involve an emotional component. However, neural structures that regulate these amygdala-dependent processes are unknown. Previous studies indicate that regulation of affect may be imposed by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and its efferents to the amygdala. The presentation of conditioned affective stimuli enhances activity of neurons in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LAT), which is thought to drive conditioned affective responses. Moreover, plasticity of LAT neuronal responses to stimuli during the course of conditioning is believed to underlie affective learning. This study examines the role of the PFC in the regulation of affective behaviors by evaluating how the PFC affects LAT neuronal plasticity and activity that is evoked by previously conditioned stimuli. In vivo intracellular recordings were performed from the LAT of anesthetized rats during pavlovian conditioning and during the presentation of stimuli that were conditioned in the awake rat before recording. Train stimulation of the PFC suppressed LAT neuronal activity that was evoked by both previously conditioned and neutral stimuli. In addition, PFC stimulation blocked LAT neuronal plasticity associated with an affective conditioning procedure. These results indicate that the PFC has the potential to regulate affective processes by inhibition of the LAT. Patients with disruptions of the PFC-LAT interaction often display an inability to regulate affective responses. This may be attributable to the loss of PFC-imposed inhibition of the emotional response to a stimulus but may also include the formation or diminished extinction of inappropriate associations.
Inferior myocardial infarction complicated by mural thrombus and systemic embolization despite anticoagulation in progressive systemic sclerosis with normal coronary arteriograms.

6. Nguyen PT, Scheinman MM, Segar J. Polymorphous ventricular tachycardia: clinical characterization, therapy, and the QT interval. Circulation 1986;74:340-9. Waldo AL, Akhtar M, Brugada P, et al. The minimally appropriate electrophysiologic study for the initial assessment of patients with documented sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. PACE 1985;8:918-22. Tzivoni D, Keren A, Stern S. Torsades de pointes versus polymorphous ventricular tachycardia. Am J Cardiol 1983;52:639-40. Denes P, Gabster A, Huang SK. Clinical, electrocardiographic and follow-up observations in patients having ventricular fibrillation during Holter monitoring, Role of quinidine therapy. Am J Cardiol 1981;48:9-16. Roden DM, Thompson KA, Hoffman BF, Woosley RL. Clinical features and basic mechanisms of quinidine-induced arrhythmias. J Am Co11 Cardiol 1986;8:73A-78A. Lew WYW, Goldberger AL. Torsades de pointes and sudden death in a patient with a permanent pacemaker. Can J Cardiol 1986;2:86-7.
Spanning trees with many leaves

We show that if G is a simple connected graph with $$|E\;({\bf G})|\geq |V\;(\,G)|+{1 \over 2}t\,\;(t-1)$$ and $|V(G)| \,\neq\,t+2$, then G has a spanning tree with > t leaves, and this is best possible. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 37: 189–197, 2001
Interorganizational Relations Among Hospitals: A Strategy, Structure, and Performance Model

Contrasting theories of organization-environment relationships are used to consider current trends in relations among health care organizations in the United States. Chandler's well-known thesis is used to bridge the contrasting organization-environment theories. Revising and extending Chandler's thesis results in a recursive model of strategy, structure, and performance. Interviews, organizational documents, and administratively collected data were examined to determine the extent to which strategy, structure, and performance are linked in four different types of interorganizational structures known as multi-hospital systems: a consortium, a joint venture, a merger, and a corporate management system. Using Kendall's W measure of concordance, strategy and structure are found to be closely related; and strategy, structure, and performance are found to be generally interrelated in the four multi-hospital systems considered. While the relationship of strategy and structure is not one-to-one as in the industr...
The Use of Current Events as Assessment Tools

An important student learning outcome for students in biology courses is the ability to apply the information attained to “real life” situations. Newspaper articles covering course-related material provide an avenue for students to see how the material discussed in the course relates to life outside of the course. Assessment of students’ understanding of the articles provides an opportunity to measure how well students are able to apply information to situations outside of traditional coursework.
Real-space evolutionary annealing

Standard genetic algorithms can discover good fitness regions and later forget them due to their Markovian structure, resulting in suboptimal performance. Real-Space Evolutionary Annealing (REA) hybridizes simulated annealing and genetic algorithms into a provably convergent evolutionary algorithm for Euclidean space that relies on non-Markovian selection. REA selects any previously observed solution from an approximated Boltzmann distribution using a cooling schedule. This method enables REA to escape local optima while retaining information about prior generations. In parallel work, REA has been generalized to arbitrary measure spaces and shown to be asymptotically convergent to the global optima. This paper compares REA experimentally to six popular optimization algorithms, including Differential Evolution, Particle Swarm Optimization, Correlated Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategies, the real-coded Bayesian Optimization Algorithm, a real-coded genetic algorithm, and simulated annealing. REA converges faster to the global optimum and succeeds more often on two out of three multimodal, non-separable benchmarks and performs strongly on all three. In particular, REA vastly outperforms the real-coded genetic algorithm and simulated annealing, proving that the hybridization is better than either algorithm alone. REA is therefore an interesting and effective algorithm for global optimization of difficult fitness functions.
Proinflammatory vascular calcification.

See related article, pages 1248–1256 Vascular calcification occurs as part of atherosclerosis. It is caused by the deposition of basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals in what appears to be a highly regulated process resembling bone formation.1–4 Vascular calcification occurs in several forms,1–4 including small crystal deposits in the neointima and large calcified areas in more advanced atherosclerotic plaques, which frequently take on the appearance of ectopic bone. Media sclerosis (Moncke-berg disease) is a form of calcification associated with the elastic lamellae and is distinct from atherosclerotic calcification.1,3,4 It is common in diabetes mellitus and renal failure and is often seen in combination with atherosclerosis. Studies on the mechanism of vascular calcification have in most cases focused on similarities to bone formation1–3; however, there are likely to be unique characteristics in the regulation of each type of calcification.4 Furthermore, the potential relationship between the different types of calcification is poorly understood. The role of vascular calcification in atherosclerosis remains under discussion.1,4 Even though it is accepted as a marker for the atherosclerotic plaque burden in coronaries and has been associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,1–5 its activity in the disease process has been questioned. On the one hand, it may limit plaque growth and represent a response to injury similar …
Novel Use of Kaplan–Meier Methods to Explain Age and Gender Differences in Hypertension Control Rates

Despite 40 years of research demonstrating the efficacy of antihypertensive medications for lowering blood pressure and decreasing cardiovascular disease, hypertension control rates worldwide remain low. We explored here how both medication efficacy rates and patient/physician decision-making (discontinuation rates) affect overall hypertension control rates. To do this we introduced the use of Kaplan–Meier methodology to predict hypertension control rates separately within age strata. An important aspect of our analysis is the use of a “treatment intensity score,” including both the number of agent(s) and the percentage of maximal dose of agent(s). We investigated how blood pressure control rates vary with age, gender, and treatment intensity. Our analysis found that both efficacy and discontinuation rates at different treatment intensities vary with age and gender, so that for each increase in age by 1 decade, the log hazard of achieving controlled blood pressure at any given intensity decreases by 0.10 in men and 0.20 in women. Overall hypertension control rates ranged from 80.8% for persons age 15 to 39 years to only 42.1% for persons age ≥80 years. Our analysis more accurately represents achievable hypertension control rates, with differences by gender, than previous work, because we investigated the contributions of efficacy and treatment aggressiveness in the control of hypertension.
Coexistence in a variable environment: Eco-evolutionary perspectives

A central question in community ecology is the means by which species coexist. Models of coexistence often assume that species have fixed trait values and consider questions such as how tradeoffs and environmental variation influence coexistence and diversity. However, species traits can be dynamic, varying between populations and individuals and changing over time as species adapt and evolve, at rates that are relevant to ecological processes. Consequently, adding evolution to ecological coexistence models may modify their predictions and stability in complex or unexpected ways. We extend a well-studied coexistence mechanism depending on resource fluctuations by allowing evolution along a tradeoff between maximum growth rate and competitive ability. Interactions between favorable season length and the period of fluctuations constrain coexistence, with two species coexistence favored by intermediate season length and arising through evolutionary branching or non-local invasion. However, these results depend on the relative rates of ecological and evolutionary processes: rapid evolution leads to a complete breakdown of otherwise stable coexistence. Other coexistence mechanisms should be evaluated from an evolutionary perspective to examine how evolutionary forces may alter predicted ecological dynamics.
An offline foundation for online accountable pseudonyms

Online anonymity often appears to undermine accountability, offering little incentive for civil behavior, but accountability failures usually result not from anonymity itself but from the disposability of virtual identities. A user banned for misbehavior---e.g., spamming from a free E-mail account or stuffing an online ballot box---can simply open other accounts or connect from other IP addresses. Instead of curtailing freedom of expression by giving up anonymity, online services and communities should support accountable pseudonyms: virtual personas that can provide both anonymity and accountability. We propose Pseudonym parties, a scheme for creating accountable pseudonyms, which combine inperson social occasions (parties) with technical infrastructure (a pseudonymous sign-on service) to enforce the rule that one real person gets one virtual persona on any participating online service. Pseudonym parties enable the user to adopt different personas in different online spaces without revealing the connection between them, while ensuring that each user has only one accountable pseudonym in each space. Pseudonym parties can be started incrementally in a fully decentralized fashion, can run on volunteer labor with minimal funds, and may even be fun.
Parelaphostrongylus tenuis (Dougherty) in Maine. I. The parasite in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, Zimmerman).

Annual prevalence of Parelaphostrongylus tenuis for white-tailed deer in Maine varied from 63 to 80 percent during 1968-70. Prevalence was significantly lower (P<.01) in fawns than older deer. Adult females had a significantly higher (P<.01) prevalence of P. tenuis than adult males. Females also had a slightly greater average number of P. tenuis per infected animal. An area of relatively low deer density had the highest overall prevalence (81.2 percent), while a region of relatively high deer density had the lowest (59.1 percent). P. tenuis was most frequently found in the tentorium cerebelli, the falx cerebri and the dura mater. No significant differences in distribution were noted in deer of various sexes and ages. However, 2 percent of the P. tenuis found in does apparently had penetrated the neural parenchyma of the brain.
Distal Triceps Rupture

Distal triceps rupture is an uncommon injury. It is most often associated with anabolic steroid use, weight lifting, and laceration. Other local and systemic risk factors include local steroid injection, olecranon bursitis, and hyperparathyroidism. Distal triceps rupture is usually caused by a fall on an outstretched hand or a direct blow. Eccentric loading of a contracting triceps has been implicated, particularly in professional athletes. Initial diagnosis may be difficult because a palpable defect is not always present. Pain and swelling may limit the ability to evaluate strength and elbow range of motion. Although plain radiographs are helpful in ruling out other elbow pathology, MRI is used to confirm the diagnosis, classify the injury, and guide management. Incomplete tears with active elbow extension against resistance are managed nonsurgically. Surgical repair is indicated in active persons with complete tears and for incomplete tears with concomitant loss of strength. Good to excellent results have been reported with surgical repair, and very good results have been achieved even for chronic tears.
Head raising analysis and case revaluation

This paper shows that Basque relative clause construction follows the Head Raising Analysis: the CP of the relative clause is a complement to the external D and the Head of the relative clause, base-generated inside the TP, moves to the specifier position of the CP. This analysis predicts that the raised DPwill show a TP-internal Case. However, this is not the case, and the DP manifests the Case associated with the main clause. In order to address these Case inconsistencies, Precariousness Condition is proposed. This condition states that a D Case valued u-feature is precarious until it is sent to Spell-Out and therefore, the value is visible for further targeting by a c-commanding Probe. Evidence for this multiple Agree operation comes from a DP long distance extraction.
Lift and Drag Measurements of a Gull-Wing Configuration Aircraft

The tube-and-wing aircraft configuration has remained unchanged since the start of commercial aviation. The state of minimum induced drag is comprised of an elliptically loaded wing, which has a constant downwash profile. Interrupting this wing with a central, payload-carrying body costs downwash, but is essential in fulfilling practical flight objectives. Initial drag and lift estimates, streamwise velocity profiles, as well as sectional and quasi-3D parasite drag estimates have been produced using force balance and ParticleImaging-Velocimetry (PIV) measurement techniques on a novel aircraft configuration, called the Gull-Wing Configuration. The results here indicate it is possible to restore an estimated 59% of the lost downwash while incurring no measurable increase in drag because of induced drag reductions, despite increases in parasite drag.
Differentiation of Second and Third Stage Larvae of California Culex (Diptera: Culicidae)

Species identification on the basis of the fully grown larva has reached a state of perfection in mosquitoes hardly equalled by any other group of insects of comparable size. However, the substantial field of literature on larval taxonomy has included little on the earlier larval stages even though these are frequently collected in the field. It is not uncommon to find a mixture of larvae of all stages in a single pool. As climate has a variable influence on oviposition and eclosion in different species, such a mixture may contain fourth stage larvae of one species, third and second stages of another, and second and first stages of two more. Routine practice usually results in identification of the oldest larvae only.
Assessment of Subgrid-Scale Models and Shock-Confining Filters in Large-Eddy Simulation of Highly Compressible Isotropic Turbulence

Velocity fluctuations in highly compressible turbulent flows can lead to the formation of transient shocklets, while boundary conditions and flow geometries can result in stronger, more permanent shocks, as in shock-wave/turbulent boundary layer interactions. Thus, large-eddy simulation (LES) of these flows requires shock-capturing. Standard linear filters that are used in LES cause undesirable behavior such as smearing or Gibbs oscillations near shocks and other discontinuities. We assess a shock-confining filter (SCF) that behaves like a linear filter in smooth turbulent regions and adapts near discontinuities to avoid oscillations and lessen numerical smearing. Simulations of a shocktube problem and forced isotropic turbulence show the necessity of SCF. Compressible LES also requires the closure of more terms than incompressible LES, and models for compressible LES are less welldeveloped than their incompressible counterparts. We compare several closure models in highly compressible turbulence as a first step toward selecting a model for LES of interaction problems. Simulations of decaying isotropic turbulence show that certain models can be accurate while giving computational cost roughly 2.4 times that of DNS on the same coarse grid.
Cutaneous Manifestations of Hyperlipidemia and Uremia

With rare exceptions, xanthomas indicate a disorder of lipid metabolism. Recognition of the type of xanthoma (tendon, planar, tuberous or papulo-eruptive) can provide a clue to the underlying distu...
MP1: CORRECTING ATHEROGENIC EFFECTS OF LUPUS PLASMA ON MACROPHAGES WITH RESVERATROL AND MYCOPHENOLATE

Purpose of Study Premature atherosclerosis with coronary artery disease is a major cause of morbidity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). SLE patient plasma induces a pro-atherogenic profile of cholesterol transport genes in macrophages. A common immunosuppressive treatment for SLE, mycophenolate (MMF) reduces scavenger receptors thus reducing lipid influx. We have demonstrated atheroprotective properties of the polyphenol resveratrol on cholesterol efflux. This study determines whether MMF and resveratrol work synergistically to regulate cholesterol transport in macrophages exposed to pro-atherogenic SLE plasma. Methods Used THP-1 human macrophages (10 6 /ml) were incubated in 10% SLE plasma with: media (control); MMF (1 µg/ml); resveratrol (50 µM); and MMF+resveratrol. After 24 h incubation, total RNA and protein were isolated. Message level of scavenger receptors CD36, LOX1, and SRA1; and efflux proteins 27-hydroxylase, ATP binding cassette transporter (ABC)A1, and ABCG1 were evaluated by QRT-PCR and confirmed by immunoblot. Cholesterol efflux was measured by Amplex Red Cholesterol Assay kit run±cholesterol esterase. Summary of Results In 10% SLE plasma, MMF suppressed efflux genes ABCA1 and ABCG1 (58.38±3.5% and 72.98±3.3%) vs. SLE plasma alone (p Conclusions MMF and resveratrol exhibit complimentary effects on macrophages exposed to SLE plasma. Both agents combined restore cholesterol influx and efflux gene expression to that of cells treated with control plasma. Resveratrol additionally reverses cholesterol accumulation caused by SLE plasma. Further evaluation of resveratrol+MMF in atherosclerosis in SLE may lead to improved treatment.
Association of Children’s Urinary CC16 Levels with Arsenic Concentrations in Multiple Environmental Media

Arsenic exposure has been associated with decreased club cell secretory protein (CC16) levels in adults. Further, both arsenic exposure and decreased levels of CC16 in childhood have been associated with decreased adult lung function. Our objective was to determine if urinary CC16 levels in children are associated with arsenic concentrations in environmental media collected from their homes. Yard soil, house dust, and tap water were taken from 34 homes. Urine and toenail samples were collected from 68 children. All concentrations were natural log-transformed prior to data analysis. There were associations between urinary CC16 and arsenic concentration in soil (b = −0.43, p = 0.001, R2 = 0.08), water (b = −0.22, p = 0.07, R2 = 0.03), house dust (b = −0.37, p = 0.07, R2 = 0.04), and dust loading (b = −0.21, p = 0.04, R2 = 0.04). In multiple analyses, only the concentration of arsenic in soil was associated with urinary CC16 levels (b = −0.42, p = 0.02, R2 = 0.14 (full model)) after accounting for other factors. The association between urinary CC16 and soil arsenic may suggest that localized arsenic exposure in the lungs could damage the airway epithelium and predispose children for diminished lung function. Future work to assess this possible mechanism should examine potential associations between airborne arsenic exposures, CC16 levels, lung function, and other possible confounders in children in arsenic-impacted communities.
Sleep and genitourinary systems: physiology and disorders.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the sleep-related micturition, penile erection, and the changes associated with menstruation. Sleep disturbances associated with genitourinary factors is illustrated, including enuresis, nocturia, painful SREs, menstrual-related sleep disorder, and menopause-related sleep disorder. Treatments for these disorders are reviewed. In contrast to micturition, erection in men increases in activity level during sleep. In fact, the overall duration of erectile activity during sleep is greater than during wakefulness (except perhaps for teenage boys). It is a common misconception that sleep-related erections (SREs) are related to a nocturnal urge to void. This belief likely derives from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep-related arousal (when arousal threshold is lower than during slow-wave sleep) triggered by a need to urinate. The awakened sleeper misattributes the cause of the REM-coincident erection. In women, hormonal alterations occur in association with the menstrual cycle serving reproductive functions. Egg (ovum) production, release, destruction (if not fertilized), and disposal are accompanied by significant changes in hormonal secretion.
The role of Hoxa-3 in mouse thymus and thyroid development

Targeted disruption of Hoxa-3 results in a number of regionally restricted defects in tissues and structures derived from or patterned by mesenchymal neural crest. However, analysis of mutant embryos with injections of a carbocyanine dye or with molecular markers that label these cells indicates that neither the amount nor the migration patterns of this neural crest population are grossly affected. Therefore, it appears that the loss of Hoxa-3 affects the intrinsic capacity of this neural crest cell population to differentiate and/or to induce proper differentiation of the surrounding pharyngeal arch and pouch tissues. Hoxa-3 mutant mice are athymic and show thyroid hypoplasia. Thymus development is first evident as an expansion of mesenchymal neural crest in the posterior part of the 3rd pharyngeal pouch. Prior to this expansion, a marked reduction in pax-1 expression is observed in these cells in the mutant embryos. As pax-1 mutant mice also show thymic hypoplasia, these results suggest that Hoxa-3 may be required to maintain pax-1 expression in these cells and that the reduction of pax-1 expression is part of the athymic teleology in Hoxa-3 mutant mice. The thyroid gland is formed from the fusion of two structures of separate embryonic origin, the thyroid diverticulum, which is formed from endodermal epithelium in the floor of the pharynx, and the ultimobranchial body, formed from mesenchymal neural crest in the 4th pharyngeal pouch. Both of these sites express Hoxa-3 and are defective in mutant mice. Often a vesicle is observed in mutant mice that is exclusively composed of calcitonin-producing cells, suggesting the persistence of an ultimobranchial body. Both aspects of the thyroid phenotype show variable expressivity among mutant animals, even on the two sides of the same mutant animal. This variability suggests the presence of a compensating gene or genes, whose utilization is stochastic. A reasonable candidate for providing this compensatory function is the paralogous gene Hoxb-3.
FIFA — The Reform Charade Continues

No one was surprised when the U.S. Department of Justice indicted more than 40 parties in 2015 in a corruption probe of FIFA, the world “football” (soccer) agency. The only surprise was that it was the Americans, where football is only the third or fourth most popular sport, that actually did it.In contrast, everyone was surprised when in December 2010 FIFA announced that Russia and Qatar had been chosen as the venues for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup championship matches. The world media reacted with a maelstrom of trenchant commentary on these most unlikely choices. Could it be there was corruption involved? FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, responding to his “shock” that there might be corruption going on here, predictably and cynically, announced his “Roadmap for Reform.” This Roadmap was mere propaganda. Blatter had no interest in reform or in adopting international standards of corporate governance. Three separate resignations of independent parties (Transparency International, Michael Garcia and Alexandra Wrage) hired to help reform FIFA made “noisy” exits from this cynical process between 2011 and 2014.While Blatter was not indicted, the Department of Justice indictments ultimately led to Blatter’s resignation as President and to his being banned from football for six years. His successor, Gianni Infantino, was one of the seven candidates hoping to succeed Blatter. Each of these candidates, no surprise, was a man from within the incorrigibly corrupt FIFA ecosystem. Infantino, however has succeeded in having a new FIFA General Secretary elected. Big surprise, the new number two at the male-only FIFA is a woman, former UN official Samba Samoura. Is this the beginning of genuine reform within FIFA? Or will Samoura find it necessary to follow the others who have withdrawn from FIFA’s cynical “reform” process?While we await the resolution of this question, it augurs ill that in May 2016 the Chairman of FIFA’s nominally “independent” Audit and Compliance Committee, Domenico Scala, found it necessary to announce his own noisy withdrawal from FIFA after Infantino arranged for the FIFA Council to have the power to “swiftly remove” members of both the FIFA Audit and Compliance Committee and its Ethics Committee for “breaches of their obligations.” Such is the FIFA understanding of “independence.”Does the Infantino presidency mean more of the same for FIFA or will Samba Samoura be allowed to finally commence meaningful corporate governance reforms for the entity controlling the world’s most popular sport?Anyone betting “yes?”
Archaeology and the Social History of Ships: The archaeology of maritime infrastructure

S hips of all times and places operate within an infrastructure of harbors, canals, shipyards, coastal defences, ports, docks, and specialized cargo handling and processing facilities, all of which are as important as the ships themselves. The exploration and recording of these kinds of structures have been an important part of underwater archaeology for almost a century. French engineer Gaston Jondet pioneered the archaeological study of submerged port facilities at Pharos, near Alexandria, in the early 1900s, and Andre Poidebard, a French Jesuit priest and scholar, carried out similar research at Tyre in 1934–1936. Poidebard's studies influenced later research and introduced the concept of the protoharbor , applying it specifically to the pre-Roman ports of the Levantine coast (Frost, 1972b: 97). The coastline of the eastern Mediterranean, including that of modern Syria and Israel, lacks good natural harbors and is exposed to the full force of Mediterranean winds and waves. This stretch of coastline was close to important centers of land commerce in the ancient world, so there were powerful economic incentives for the development of trading ports along this coast from the Bronze Age on. The idea of the protoharbor was that the earliest ports along this coast would not have been built up in their entirety but instead would have depended on the presence of natural reefs, rock outcrops, and offshore islands that could be modified by flattening and shaping to provide good anchorages by extensive rock cutting.
The effects of vacancy defect on the fracture behaviors of zigzag graphene nanoribbons

Zigzag graphene nanoribbons with and without single vacancy defect are strained under uniaxial tension using molecular dynamics simulations. In order to understand the influence of vacancy defect on the damage mechanics, the graphene nanoribbons are categorized into six groups based on their width, ranging from 2.5 nm to 15 nm. In each group, the length of GRNGNR also varied from 2.5 nm to 15 nm. The comparison of the stress–strain relationship and the fracture behavior of pristine and defective graphene nanoribbon demonstrate that single vacancy defect has little influence on the elastic modulus and the ultimate strength of graphene nanoribbons. However, size effect does have an influence on the ultimate failure stress of the graphene nanoribbon.
Communication: Thermal unimolecular decomposition of syn-CH3CHOO: A kinetic study

The thermal decomposition of syn-ethanal-oxide (syn-CH3CHOO) through vinyl hydrogen peroxide (VHP) leading to hydroxyl radical is characterized using a modification of the HEAT thermochemical protocol. The isomerization step of syn-CH3CHOO to VHP via a 1,4 H-shift, which involves a moderate barrier of 72 kJ/mol, is found to be rate determining. A two-dimensional master equation approach, in combination with semi-classical transition state theory, is employed to calculate the time evolution of various species as well as to obtain phenomenological rate coefficients. This work suggests that, under boundary layer conditions in the atmosphere, thermal unimolecular decomposition is the most important sink of syn-CH3CHOO. Thus, the title reaction should be included into atmospheric modeling. The fate of cold VHP, the intermediate stabilized by collisions with a third body, has also been investigated.
Effects of Sex Hormones and Exercise on Adipose Tissue

Adipose tissue is an essential body organ that is profoundly affected by both exercise and female sex hormones. As the body’s major energy reservoir, adipose tissue is extremely sensitive to exercise. That is, exercise-mediated increases in circulating catecholamines are a major stimulus for adipocyte lipolysis, the process that allows for mobilization of the lipid stored in adipose tissue for use by other cells of the body. A major physiological and anatomical difference between sexes is that females have significantly more relative adipose tissue. This important difference is clearly mediated by female sex hormones (e.g., estrogen), which dictate body fat distribution patterns, and appear to also affect the physiological function of adipose tissue. For example, ovary-intact female adipose tissue appears to be more metabolically active and less susceptible to insulin resistance and inflammation compared to that from age-matched males. There are also important differences between males and females in brown adipose tissue (BAT) metabolism, such that females have more relative BAT than males and BAT from females appears more active. It is likely that the female hormone, estrogen plays a large role in those sex differences and estrogen receptor alpha appears to mediate those effects. Finally, there are many interesting similarities between how exercise and estrogen affect the function of adipose tissue. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the how exercise and estrogen affect adipose tissue physiology and function; this is done via a comprehensive overview of the most recent scientific literature on this topic.
Correlation Energy Extrapolation by Many-Body Expansion.

Accounting for electron correlation is required for high accuracy calculations of molecular energies. The full configuration interaction (CI) approach can fully capture the electron correlation within a given basis, but it does so at a computational expense that is impractical for all but the smallest chemical systems. In this work, a new methodology is presented to approximate configuration interaction calculations at a reduced computational expense and memory requirement, namely, the correlation energy extrapolation by many-body expansion (CEEMBE). This method combines a MBE approximation of the CI energy with an extrapolated correction obtained from CI calculations using subsets of the virtual orbitals. The extrapolation approach is inspired by, and analogous to, the method of correlation energy extrapolation by intrinsic scaling. Benchmark calculations of the new method are performed on diatomic fluorine and ozone. The method consistently achieves agreement with CI calculations to within a few mhartre...
Pathophysiology of Gastric NETs: Role of Gastrin and Menin.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) were initially identified as a separate entity in the early 1900s as a unique malignancy that secretes bioactive amines. GI-NETs are the most frequent type and represent a unique subset of NETs, because at least 75% of these tumors represent gastrin stimulation of the enterochromaffin-like cell located in the body of the stomach. The purpose of this review is to understand the specific role of gastrin in the generation of Gastric NETs (G-NETs). We review here the origin of enterochromaffin cells gut and the role of hypergastrinemia in gastric enteroendocrine tumorigenesis. We describe generation of the first genetically engineered mouse model of gastrin-driven G-NETs that mimics the human phenotype. The common mechanism observed in both the hypergastrinemic mouse model and human carcinoids is translocation of the cyclin-dependent inhibitor p27kip to the cytoplasm and its subsequent degradation by the proteasome. Therapies that block degradation of p27kip, the CCKBR2 gastrin receptor, or gastrin peptide are likely to facilitate treatment.
Dancing in the Hall

Originally written 30 years ago, this paper is an analysis of the central challenge of schooling—that of engaging fully the powers of students’ minds in classroom learning. This challenge maintains its relevance today. The work of engaging what John Dewey referred to as students’ “inner attention” becomes the focus of an investigation of students’ current ideas in a variety of subject matters. This investigation reveals areas in which their ideas diverge from the established curriculum. It uses the methodology of Critical Exploration, which was developed by Eleanor Duckworth as a teaching and research methodology that both reveals learners’ ideas and encourages their active creation of meaning. This methodology provides students with rich and complex curriculum materials for their own manipulation; it also provides them the freedom to express, however tentatively, their ideas, to take them seriously, and to follow them through. As a result of these studies of learning, I put forward the view that a significant part of the responsibility for students’ alienation from classroom learning lies with a conception of knowledge, often reflected in curriculum, that is too rigid to take their ideas into account. I elaborate this view in an analysis of the aspects of particular subject matters that alienate students if the students are not given adequate ways of entering them. I make the case that these same complexities can be used as compelling invitations into deeper knowledge.
Adiabatic Passage Control Methods for Ultracold Alkali Atoms and Molecules via Chirped Laser Pulses and Optical Frequency Combs

Abstract The adiabatic passage-based control methods have been developed to advance a cutting-edge research area of ultracold physics. We studied the controlled excitation of Rydberg atoms, population inversion within hyperfine states of alkali atoms, and the control of internal degrees of freedom in diatomic polar molecules. We have developed an optical frequency comb-based method for creation of ultracold molecules. These works are in demand due to an urgent need in the novel methods for the production of ultracold molecules and for ultracold quantum control. We make use of chirped pulses and optical frequency combs with modulation in the form of the sinusoidal function. This allowed us to achieve the adiabatic regime of excitations, which is a robust approach for experimental realization. The novelty of the implementation of optical frequency combs for the formation of ultracold molecules relies on the creation of a quasi-dark state leading to insignificant population of the transitional, vibrational state manifold and, thus, to efficient mitigation of decoherence in the system. Moreover, the parity of the chirp of the incident electromagnetic field was shown to be an important factor in achieving a predetermined quantum yield.
Epidemiology and national trends in prevalence and surgical management of metastatic spinal disease.

Abstract Surgical treatment for spinal metastasis has benefited from improvements in surgical techniques. However, the trends in treatment and outcomes for spinal metastasis surgery have not been well-established in a pediatric population. Patients
Why the Ohio Early Voting Case Is Not a Threat to Military Voting Accommodations

One of the most closely watched court battles of the 2012 presidential election was Obama for America v. Husted, the lawsuit through which the Obama campaign ultimately restored early in-person voting for all Ohio voters on the final three days before Election Day. The case revolved around the fact that new state laws called for an end to early voting at 6:00 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day for all but military voters. Because in the 2008 presidential election some 100,000 non-military Ohio voters had voted during the final three days before Election Day, and because the Obama campaign and its co-plaintiffs saw these voters as tending to vote Democratic, the lawsuit was seen as potentially critical to the outcome of a close Ohio race. Although the Equal Protection claim at the core of the OFA suit was initially greeted with skepticism by many knowledgeable observers, the federal district court, affirmed by the Sixth Circuit, issued a preliminary injunction requiring Ohio to offer all other voters the same early voting opportunities that it provided to military voters. A number of military organizations saw this case as a threat to all state accommodations for military voters, arguing that “state and local governments soon will stop offering such assistance, and the fundamental right to vote of the members of our Armed Forces will be undermined.” Fortunately, this is a highly unlikely result. As this analysis explains, the case provides very little reason to worry about the constitutionality of other military voting accommodations, notwithstanding many military organizations’ strong opposition to the outcome in this case.
Peptide-Conjugated Quantum Dots

Abstract Peptide-quantum dot conjugates have been prepared by attaching angiotensin II (Ang II) to cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide core-shell nanocrystals using an 1-[3-(Dimethyamino)propyl]-3-ethylcarbo diimide hydrochloride (EDC) coupling. These conjugates have been used to image angiotensin I-expressing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells in vitro. When CHO cells were incubated with Ang II before incubating with Ang II-conjugated quantum dots, we were able to block the binding of the dots. The Ang II-quantum dot conjugates did not bind to parental cells and showed similar staining patterns when compared with a commercially available Ang II Alexa 488 conjugate.
International Social Survey Programme

The International Social Survey Program (ISSP) studies societies in comparative and temporal perspective. Since its founding in 1984 by Australia, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States, the ISSP has grown to cover 49 countries. Substantive topics and specific measures are repeated at regular intervals and include such themes as the role of government, national identity, work orientation, and social inequality.
Parameterized Structure-Preserving Transformations of Matrix Polynomials

This paper examines the relationship between the companion forms of regular matrix polynomials with singular leading coefficients. When two such polynomials have the same underlying finite and infinite Jordan structures, it is shown that their companion forms are connected by a strict equivalence transformation that can be parameterized using the commutant of the companion forms' common Weierstrass canonical form. The process developed herein for generating such parameterized transformations is applied to the useful class of diagonalizable quadratic polynomials.
Medicare Advantage for Most

Policy Points Fixing the ACA requires real cost containment in addition to better subsidies. Private Medicare (Medicare Advantage) plans are uniquely empowered to control costs and deliver good care. Medicare Advantage plans should serve as the public option on the ACA Marketplace. Medicare Advantage plans can also be deployed to voluntarily raise minimum employer-sponsored benefits and contain their costs.