cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Renal receptors and effects of atrial natriuretic factor in compensatory renal hypertrophy

Renal receptors and effects of atrial natriuretic factor in compensatory renal hypertrophy. In the present study we investigated the in vivo and in vitro renal responsiveness to ANF, and the adaptation of ANF receptors in compensatory renal hypertrophy in the rat. One week after left nephrectomy (UNx), plasma levels of immunoreactive ANF, blood pressure (MAP), hematocrit (Hct), and urine flow rate (V) were unaltered compared to control (C) rats. Baseline GFR and potassium excretion (U K V) were significantly higher, and sodium excretion (U Na V) tended to be elevated in UNx rats. Administered ANF led to similar dose-related decreases in MAP and increases in Hct in UNx and C rats. However, at each dose of infused ANF, absolute values and the increase in GFR and U Na V were higher in UNx than in C rats. Hypertrophied (H) kidneys were removed from UNx and perfused in vitro to determine distribution and density of ANF receptors, responsiveness to ANF, and receptor-mediated organ clearance of 125 I-ANF 1-28 . The density of ANF receptors in cortex, outer medulla, and papilla of H kidneys was not significantly different from that in C kidneys. In H isolated kidneys, ANF led to dose-related increases in GFR, V, U Na V, and U K V that were indistinguishable (P > 0.05) from those in C kidneys. Receptor-mediated organ clearance of 125 I-ANF 1-28 in isolated H kidneys was 2.8 ± .02 ml/min, a value not significantly different (P > 0.05) from that in C kidneys. The results demonstrate that the number of renal receptors of ANF increases in proportion to kidney weight in compensatory hypertrophy, leading to a normal intrarenal distribution and receptor density, as well as preserved responsiveness to ANF and receptor-mediated clearance of the hormone. This adaptation, together with systemic factors that lead to the enhanced responsiveness to ANF in vivo, may contribute importantly to the preservation of sodium volume homeostasis in compensatory hypertrophy.
Model for quantitative tip-enhanced spectroscopy and the extraction of nanoscale-resolved optical constants

Near-field infrared spectroscopy by elastic scattering of light from a probe tip resolves optical contrasts in materials at dramatically subwavelength scales across a broad energy range, with the demonstrated capacity for chemical identification at the nanoscale. However, current models of probe-sample near-field interactions still cannot provide a sufficiently quantitatively interpretation of measured near-field contrasts, especially in the case of materials supporting strong surface phonons. We present a model of near-field spectroscopy derived from basic principles and verified by finite-element simulations, demonstrating superb predictive agreement both with tunable quantum cascade laser near-field spectroscopy of SiO2 thin films and with newly presented nanoscale Fourier transform infrared (nanoFTIR) spectroscopy of crystalline SiC. We discuss the role of probe geometry, field retardation, and surface mode dispersion in shaping the measured near-field response. This treatment enables a route to quantitatively determine nanoresolved optical constants, as we demonstrate by inverting newly presented nanoFTIR spectra of an SiO2 thin film into the frequency dependent dielectric function of its mid-infrared optical phonon. Our formalism further enables tip-enhanced spectroscopy as a potent diagnostic tool for quantitative nanoscale spectroscopy. © 2014 American Physical Society.
Chain conformation in ultrathin polymer films

Using Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS), we present the first quantitative measurements of the 3-dimensional conformation of macromolecules in thin polymer films of D < RG,Bulk, where D is the film thickness and RG,Bulk is the bulk radius of gyration. For D approximately equals 0.5 RG,Bulk, the molecular size along the film normal is less than 0.5 RG,Bulk, while relatively small changes are observed parallel to the surface. The observed changes in molecular size agree with predictions of molecular dynamics simulations of polymers confined in thin films, resulting from increased molecular orientation rather than chain distortion. Segregation of molecular centers of mass to the film center facilitates molecular packing while minimizing chain distortion. Estimates of length scales relating to the onset of chain distortion and chain orientation in thin film resists are D approximately equals 0.1 RG,Bulk and D approximately equals N(sigma ) respectively, where D is the film thickness, N is the number of chain segments, and (sigma) is the persistence length.
On the two classes of multivariable reactance functions

Abstract In this paper we will show that there is an essential physical difference between the two classes of homogeneous and non-homogeneous reactance functions. The former type obey to a certain form of Foster reactance alternate character for their critical points.
Hamster refractoriness: the role of insensitivity of pineal target tissues

Hamsters exposed to short days undergo gonadal collapse followed by recrudescence and insensitivity to the regressive effects of such photoperiods. This refractoriness may be due to exhaustion of the pineal gland or desensitization of its target. Hamsters whose gonads had spontaneously recrudesced were injected with melatonin (25 micrograms per injection) once daily (known to induce regression in intact hamsters) or twice daily (reported to arrest reproduction in pinealectomized hamsters) for 7 weeks. In neither case did refractory hamsters respond to melatonin treatment. The gonads of intact hamsters treated with melatonin for 21 weeks regressed and spontaneously recrudesced along a normal time course. These results indicate that gonadal refractoriness is due to insensitivity of the target tissues of the pineal gland and imply that melantonin participates in photoperiodic regulation of reproduction in the golden hamster.
Determination of nanogram quantities of mercury by the reduction-aeration method and atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry

Abstract An atomic fluorescence measurement in conjuction with the reduction-aeration method for the determination of mercury is described. The detection limit is 3 ng Hg (0.06 p.p.b.). The technique is useful for analysis of samples containing 15–600 ng Hg. The results of determinations in water, sediment, and rock samples are described, and the atomic fluorescence and atomic absorption techniques are compared.
Composition and Integrity of PAHs, Nitro-PAHs, Hopanes, and Steranes in Diesel Exhaust Particulate Matter

Diesel exhaust particulate matter contains many semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) of environmental and health significance. This study investigates the composition, emission rates, and measurement integrity of 25 SVOCs, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitro-PAHs (NPAHs), and diesel biomarkers hopanes and steranes. Diesel engine particulate matter (PM), generated using an engine test bench, three engine conditions, and ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD), was collected on borosilicate glass fiber filters. Under high engine load, the PM emission rate was 0.102 g/kWh, and emission rates of ΣPAHs (10 compounds), ΣNPAHs (6 compounds), Σhopanes (2 compounds), and Σsteranes (2 compounds) were 2.52, 0.351, 0.02–2 and 1 μg/kWh, respectively. Storage losses were evaluated for three cases: conditioning filters in clean air at 25 °C and 33 % relative humidity (RH) for 24 h, storing filter samples (without extraction) wrapped in aluminum foil at 4 °C for up to 1 month, and storing filter extracts in glass vials capped with Teflon crimp seals at 4 °C for up to 6 months. After conditioning filters for 24 h, 30 % of the more volatile PAHs were lost, but lower volatility NPAHs, hopanes and steranes showed negligible changes. Storing wrapped filters and extracts at 4 °C for up to 1 month did not lead to significant losses, but storing extracts for 5 months led to significant losses of PAHs and NPAHs; hopanes and steranes demonstrated greater integrity. These results suggest that even relatively brief filter conditioning periods, needed for gravimetric measurements of PM mass, and extended storage of filter extracts, can lead to underestimates of SVOC concentrations. Thus, SVOC sampling and analysis protocols should utilize stringent criteria and performance checks to identify and limit possible biases occurring during filter and extract processing.
Spectrally-invariant synthetic discriminant signature for hyperspectral target detection using spectral fringe-adjusted joint transform correlation

A practical challenge that designers of hyperspectral (HS) target detection algorithms must confront is the variety of spectral sampling properties exhibited by various HS imaging sensors. Examples of these variations include different spectral resolutions and the possibility of regular or irregular sampling. To confront this problem, we propose construction of a spectral synthetic discriminant signature (SSDS). The SSDS is constructed from q spectral training signatures which are obtained by sampling the original target signature. Since the SSDS is formulated offline, it does not impose any burden on the processing speed of the recognition process. Results on our HS scenery show that use of the SSDS in conjunction with the spectral fringe-adjusted joint transform correlation (SFJTC) algorithm provides spectrallyinvariant target detection, yielding area under ROC curve (AUROC) values above 0.993.
Antiestrogenic Effects of the Novel Sphingosine Kinase-2 Inhibitor ABC294640

Alterations in sphingolipid metabolism have been shown to contribute to the development of endocrine resistance and breast cancer tumor survival. Sphingosine kinase (SK), in particular, is overexpressed in breast cancer and is a promising target for breast cancer drug development. In this study, we used the novel SK inhibitor ABC294640 as a tool to explore the relationship between SK and estrogen (E2) receptor (ER) signaling in breast cancer cells. Treatment with ABC294640 decreased E2-stimulated ERE-luciferase activity in both MCF-7 and ER-transfected HEK293 cells. Furthermore, the inhibitor reduced E2-mediated transcription of the ER-regulated genes progesterone receptor and SDF-1. Competitive receptor-binding assays revealed that ABC294640 binds in the antagonist ligand-binding domain of the ER, acting as a partial antagonist similar to tamoxifen. Finally, treatment with ABC294640 inhibited ER-positive breast cancer tumor formation in vivo. After 15 d of treatment with ABC294640, tumor volume was reduced by 68.4% (P < 0.05; n = 5) compared with control tumors, with no marked weight loss or illness. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that this novel SK inhibitor, which had not previously been known to interact with E2 signaling pathways, has therapeutic potential in treating ER-positive breast cancer via inhibition of both SK and ER signaling.
Fluorescence determination of sulphobutylether-β-cyclodextrin sodium in human plasma and urine by size-exclusion chromatography with inclusion complex formation

HPLC methods with fluorescence detection have been developed for the determination of sulphobutylether-β-cyclodextrin sodium (SBECD), a novel excipient for use with drugs of limited aqueous solubility, in human plasma and urine. SBECD contains no chromophore or fluorophore but can be detected by size-exclusion HPLC using excitation and emission wavelengths of 290 and 360 nm when 1-naphthol is included in the mobile phase. The guest-host inclusion complex SBECD forms with the 1-naphthol restores the quenched fluorescence in the mainly aqueous environment of the mobile phase. Using simple solid phase extraction, recoveries of 41% were obtained using aminopropyl cartridges for urine and of 69% using end-capped cyclohexyl cartridges for plasma. These extracts were analysed using size exclusion HPLC. Both methods were precise, accurate and simple to perform. The working ranges were 4 to 200 μg mL−1 and 50 to 1500 μg mL−1 for plasma and urine respectively. The lower limits of quantification were 4 μg mL−1 for plasma and 50 μg mL−1 for urine. The methods were also selective; no significant interferences were observed in six different sources of plasma or urine, or from a range of likely co-medicants.
Rational drug discovery: what can we learn from regulatory networks?

Abstract To enable the list of genes and proteins contained within genomic databases to be useful for drug discovery, we need to understand how the genome maps into the phenome. An essential, but not explicitly listed ingredient of the genome is the regulatory interactions between genes and proteins that form a genome-wide network. How can the concept of regulatory networks increase our understanding of living systems? Networks are more than just static ‘wiring diagrams’. Gene interactions impose dynamic constraints, which, although obvious in emergent phenotypic properties, are not captured by traditional one-gene-one trait approaches. Understanding the nature of these constraints in gene-activation state space will pave the way to a holistic yet formal and genomics-based approach to rational drug development.
Instructional Organization Patterns of Fourth Grade Teachers

(1979). Instructional Organization Patterns of Fourth Grade Teachers. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 18, The Complex Classrooms: A Research Focus, pp. 170-173.
The Emerging Jurisprudence of Human Dignity

Dignity Rights: Courts, Constitutions, and the Worth of the Human Person. By Erin Daly. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012. 272 pp., $69.95 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-812-24440-3). Generally speaking, the first four decades of the contemporary international human rights era (1945–1985) were primarily consumed with standard-setting and initial institutional development. The next 15 years (1985–2000) witnessed an explosion in the emergence of international, regional, and national human rights NGOs; an emerging body of human rights jurisprudence; and reinvigorated scholarly activity regarding the nature and scope of human rights in the contemporary era of globalization—exemplified most notably in the “universality-versus-relativism” debate (see Donnelly 2007) and discussions about the indivisibility and interdependence of human rights (for example, International Commission of Jurists 1987; Scott 1989; Dankwa, Flinterman, and Leckie 1998; Leckie 1998; Nickel 2008; and Whelan 2010). Since the early 2000s, all three of these activities have continued apace. However, with a growing armamentarium of case law at our disposal, contemporary human rights scholarship is increasingly concerned with the actual impact that human rights advocacy and law have on the welfare of communities and individuals. This new direction in human rights research has led to a more sophisticated understanding of the nature and scope of state obligations and responsibilities for the protection and promotion of all human rights, especially those enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the two International Covenants on Civil and Political, and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It is within this context that Erin Daly offers a timely and welcome contribution to the literature. Dignity Rights is a comprehensive and sweeping survey of the emergence of dignity as a central right or value instantiated in constitutional law and focuses in particular on how national constitutional (supreme) courts have adjudicated dignity rights throughout the world. To my knowledge (I am not a constitutional scholar), Daly's work is the first of its kind—and a significant undertaking in this understudied area of …
TU‐C‐204B‐05: First Clinical Development of a Failure Detection‐Based Online Repositioning Strategy for Prostate IMRT — Experiments, Simulation, and Dosimetry Study

Purpose: To implement and evaluate clinic‐ready protocols for failure detection‐based online patient repositioning using treatment MV beam imaging with minimal usage of on‐board kV imaging during prostate IMRT.Methods and Materials: We propose a two‐step decision‐making strategy: (1) to detect marker/target motion potentially beyond a pre‐defined threshold through cine‐MV imaging and online‐updated characterization of prostate motion and (2) to assess over‐threshold displacement and as‐needed reposition the patient based on paired MV‐kV 3D target localization. Two levels of clinical implementation were evaluated: (1) field‐by‐field based motion correction for present‐day linacs, i.e., with an MV‐kV pair and possible repositioning done directly before the next field if an over‐threshold event is detected in the current field; (2) instantaneous repositioning, for new‐generation linacs with capabilities of simultaneous MV‐kV imaging and remote automatic couch control during treatment delivery. Experiments were performed on a Varian Trilogy linac in clinical mode using a 4D motion phantom programmed with typical patient prostate motion trajectories. Dosimetric impact was examined using a 2D ion chamber array. Simulations were done using 536 trajectories from 17 patients. Results: Compared to no intervention, despite deterioration of marker detection efficiency caused by MLC blockage, the field‐by‐field repositioning protocol halved (23% to 10%) the mean percentage of time that target displacement exceeded a 3mm threshold, at minimal cost in additional imaging (one MV‐kV pair per 2–3 treatment fractions) and with a very small number of repositionings (once every 4–5 fractions). The instantaneous repositioning approach reduced the over‐threshold time tenfold (to <2%), also with low kV usage (2.5/fraction). Information acquired for repositioning using combined MV‐kV data was found to have sub‐millimeter accuracy. Conclusions: This work demonstrated in current clinical setup, significant reduction of any adverse effects of intrafraction prostate motion. The method incurs minimal imaging dose to the patient as compared with other stereoscopic imaging techniques.
Inductive theory in economic development: A tribute to Wassily Leontief on his 90th birthday

Abstract Leontief's main analytical contributions lie in the formulation of inductive theory, which begins with the facts, then rises to the more general, and finally returns to the facts. Such theorizing is increasingly warranted in the field of economic development because countries remaining poor now look for insights into how to trigger growth in successful late-industrializing country experience rather than in abstract models. This paper attempts to outline an inductive approach to understanding the government's role in East Asia's economic transformation.
Great Galway Goslings: Organizational Context of Managerial Accounting*

This case seeks to enhance student understanding of the relationship between accounting information and the order fulfllment and production activities of a manufacturing frm, Great Galway Goslings. Great Galway Goslings manufactures goose sculptures and has been suffering losses in recent years. Students draw on the skills they learned in financial accounting to analyze the company's order fulfllment activities, identify economic transactions, and prepare journal entries. The case provides a link to managerial accounting topics as students use segment financial statements to create contribution margin income statements, perform break-even analyses, and recommend whether Great Galway Goslings should keep its retail business segment. Students will become familiar with the key features of business process management (BPM) and the extensive, real-world activities that a manufacturing entity engages in to fll an order. Students will analyze the company's existing order fulfllment process and apply their knowledge of BPM to recommend process improvements for Great Galway. This case contributes to the accounting case literature by serving as a bridge from financial accounting to managerial accounting, intertwining many topics from managerial accounting into one cohesive case, and providing real-world business process knowledge. Student feedback indicates that, overall, the case met its stated learning objectives. Great Galway Goslings is appropriate for an undergraduate introductory managerial accounting course but can be adapted to the equivalent graduate-level course or an accounting information systems course.
A JPEG Decoder in SHIM

Image compression plays an important role in multimedia systems, digital systems, handheld systems and various other devices. Efficient image processing techniques are needed to make images suitable for use in embedded systems. This paper describes an implementation of a JPEG decoder in the SHIM programming language. SHIM is a software/hardware integration language whose aim is to provide communication between hardware and software while providing deterministic concurrency. The paper shows that a JPEG decoder is a good application and reasonable test case for the SHIM language and illustrates the ease with which conventional sequential decoders can be modified to achieve concurrency.
Posterior hypothalamic modulation of light-evoked trigeminal neural activity and lacrimation

Enhanced light sensitivity is a common feature of many neuro-ophthalmic conditions and some chronic headaches. Previously we reported that the bright light-evoked increases in trigeminal brainstem neural activity and lacrimation depended on a neurovascular link within the eye (Okamoto et al., 2012). However, the supraspinal pathways necessary for these light-evoked responses are not well defined. To assess the contribution of the posterior hypothalamic area (PH), a brain region closely associated with control of autonomic outflow, we injected bicuculline methiodide (BMI), a GABAa receptor antagonist, into the PH and determined its effect on the encoding properties of ocular neurons at the ventrolateral trigeminal interpolaris/caudalis transition (Vi/Vc) and caudalis/upper cervical cord junction (Vc/C1) regions and on reflex lacrimation in male rats under isoflurane anesthesia. BMI markedly reduced light-evoked (>80%) responses of Vi/Vc and Vc/C1 neurons at 10 min with partial recovery by 50 min after injection. BMI also reduced (>35%) the convergent cutaneous receptive field area of Vi/Vc and Vc/C1 ocular neurons indicating that both intra-ocular and periorbital cutaneous inputs were affected by changes in PH outflow. Light-evoked lacrimation was reduced by >35% at 10 min after BMI, while resting mean arterial pressure increased promptly and remained elevated (>20 mmHg) throughout the 50-min post-injection period. These results suggested that PH stimulation, acting in part through increased sympathetic activity, significantly inhibited light- and facial skin-evoked activity of ocular neurons at the Vi/Vc and Vc/C1 region. These data provide further support for the hypothesis that autonomic outflow plays a critical role in mediating light-evoked trigeminal brainstem neural activity and reflex lacrimation.
Body fat distribution and job stress in Mexican-American men of the Hispanic health and nutrition examination survey

A positive relationship between psychosocial stress and central body fat distribution has been hypothesized. To test this hypothesis, two indices derived from principal components analysis of four skinfold measurements were studied in relation to imputed job stress characteristics (decision latitude, skill discretion, decision authority, and psychological demands) in Mexican-American men of the U.S. Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). The two indices were fatness and central body fat distribution. Fatness was not significantly associated with any of the job stress characteristics before controlling for education. Once education was included in the equations, however, the relationship between fatness and two of the four job stress variables (decision authority and psychological demands) became statistically significant. Thus, for a given level of education, increasing job stress was associated with increasing fatness. Three of the four job stress characteristics were significantly associated with central body fat distribution before controlling for education. However, after education was entered into the regression equations as a proxy for social class, the relationships between central body fat distribution and the job stress variables were no longer significant. It thus appears that aspects of social class other than job stress are of equal or greater importance in predicting body fat distribution. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Methods to Combine Estimated Breeding Values Obtained from Separate Sources

Separate estimates of breeding value can be combined using meta-analysis if a combined analysis of all data is not possible or efficient. Computation is fast but not exact if the reliabilities of the separate estimates are approximate, if the extent of overlap of the datasets is unknown, or if selection has occurred across the datasets. Selection index methods were used to combine single-trait evaluations into approximate multitrait evaluations for productive life and to combine singlecountry rankings into multicountry rankings for yield traits. The same methods are used for males and females. To avoid iteration, parent evaluations were included in the data and combined before progeny evaluations. A little information is lost because foreign progeny contribute to domestic parents but not to domestic grandparents. Exchange of sire and dam evaluations provides a closer connection between national and international evaluations and may be more accurate than the current sire-maternal grandsire model used internationally. Correlations of the two evaluation methods were about 0.99 for 35,414 bulls from eight countries. The estimated breeding value of each bull was adjusted separately for information from foreign parents and foreign progeny. Reliabilities of the animal, its sire, and its dam were used to determine how much information came from the parents of the animal versus from its progeny and records. Multitrait reliabilities for productive life were higher than single-trait reliabilities by a mean of 7% for recent bulls and 3% for recent cows. Selection index methods may allow current multitrait across-country evaluations for bulls to be improved and to be extended to cows.
Medicolegal Aspects of Sports Medicine

Legal issues in sports medicine are rapidly developing and establishing an important body of jurisprudence that defines the legal rights and duties of all those involved with protecting the health and safety of athletes. The law makes important distinctions between the relevant duty of care owed to high-school, college, and professional athletes because of the differing legal relationships that arise out of athletic participation at different levels of competition.
To Build Proportions in Time, or Tie Knots in Space? A Reassessment of the Renaissance Turn in Architectural Proportions

Since Alberti, and most critically since Wittkower’s Architectural Principles , architectural theory has tended to construe ‘proportions’ in plenary, static terms. The dimension of time and change that relentlessly affects all human endeavor is not accommodated by the celebrated Albertian ideal of immutable design perfection, so perfect in all respects that once attained ‘nothing can be added, taken away, or altered, but for the worse’. This article, drawing on the author’s recent book, Building-in-Time from Giotto to Alberti and Modern Oblivion (Yale, 2010), outlines the antithetical, dynamic proportional methodology of the pre-Albertian architectural regime. Its point of departure was the author’s concept of durational aesthetics, according to which perfected architectural form is produced by a process of incessant revision. What distinguished this process from related ancient or neo-antique doctrines was above all its dynamic modality and participation in the fluid orientation and processes of ‘building-in-time’.
An assumed covariant strain based 9‐node shell element

A new shell element, which is free from serious locking problems and which does not possess hourglass modes, is proposed. Solutions obtained with this element exhibit good convergence and are satisfactorily insensitive to mesh distortion. The element also exhibits good convergence for plates with variable thickness. This element is based on the use of assumed covariant strains which are obtained from the covariant strain field defined with respect to the element natural co-ordinate system. Only the linear version for thin shell cases is considered. The element performance is tested by application to several standard plate and shell problems. A problem involving variable thickness is also presented.
Potential health impacts of heavy metals on HIV-infected population in USA.

Article Authors Metrics Comments Related Content Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusion Author Contributions References Reader Comments (0) Media Coverage (0) Abstract Purpose Noninfectious comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases have become increasingly prevalent and occur earlier in life in persons with HIV infection. Despite the emerging body of literature linking environmental exposures to chronic disease outcomes in the general population, the impacts of environmental exposures have received little attention in HIV-infected population. The aim of this study is to investigate whether individuals living with HIV have elevated prevalence of heavy metals compared to non-HIV infected individuals in United States. Methods We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010 to compare exposures to heavy metals including cadmium, lead, and total mercury in HIV infected and non-HIV infected subjects. Results In this cross-sectional study, we found that HIV-infected individuals had higher concentrations of all heavy metals than the non-HIV infected group. In a multivariate linear regression model, HIV status was significantly associated with increased blood cadmium (p=0.03) after adjusting for age, sex, race, education, poverty income ratio, and smoking. However, HIV status was not statistically associated with lead or mercury levels after adjusting for the same covariates. Conclusions Our findings suggest that HIV-infected patients might be significantly more exposed to cadmium compared to non-HIV infected individuals which could contribute to higher prevalence of chronic diseases among HIV-infected subjects. Further research is warranted to identify sources of exposure and to understand more about specific health outcomes.
The Politics of Apollonius Rhodius' Argonautica : The bones of Apsyrtus

The influence of tragedy The murder of Apsyrtus is the central crisis of the voyage of the Argo. The ambush and its consequences, especially the alienation of the Argonauts from Zeus, illustrate the limits of mortal knowledge and divine retribution, both of which have been considered in Chapter 5. But the ambush also raises questions about the representation of Jason and Medea, the central characters of a poem that is in many ways patterned on Homeric epic and is often responsive to the expectations generated by it. Although the relative prominence of Jason and Medea makes them comparable to figures like Achilles, Odysseus, or Penelope, they are, unlike their Homeric counterparts, involved in the treacherous murder of a family member. The narrator is careful to explain the circumstances of the murder in the first section of Book 4: Jason and Medea are under the influence of Eros, and the Argonauts have been surrounded by a much larger Colchian force that seeks to return Medea to Aeetes. Still, even with these justifications it is difficult to understand how the fatal trap set by Medea for her own half-brother can appear in a favorable, let alone heroic, light. What accounts for such a dramatic shift in the characterization of the epic hero? The circumstances of the ambush are as follows.
A BEM for the Propagation of Nonlinear Planar Free-surface Waves

A Boundary Element Method (BEM) model for the propagation of non- linear free-surface waves is described and its application to the study of the hydrodynamic characteristics associated with the roll-motion of 2-D hull sec- tions is presented. The roll-motion of the hull section is modeled as a mixed boundary value problem and solved using a higher-order (linear strength dis- tribution) BEM coupled with a Mixed-Eulerian-Lagrangian (MEL) scheme for the time-dependent free-surface boundary conditions. Applications, that in- clude the propagation of fifth-order Stokes waves and waves generated by a piston wave-maker, used to validate the BEM scheme prior to its application to the hull roll-motion are also described.
COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDY OF MARINE DIATOMS AND DINOFLAGELLATES IN RELATION TO IRRADIANCE AND CELL SIZE. II. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHOTOSYNTHESIS, GROWTH, AND CARBON/CHLOROPHYLL a RATIO1,2

Photosynthetic rates, growth rates, cell carbon, cell protein, and chlorophyll a content of two diatom and two dinoflagellate species were measured. The microalgae were chosen to have one small and one large species from each phylogenetic group; the two size categories differed from each other by 1.5 orders of magnitude in terms of cell carbon or cell protein. The cultures for the experiments were grown under continuous light at an irradiance high enough for the light-saturation of growth for all four species. The four species were found to have similar maximum photosynthetic rates per unit chlorophyll a. The diatom species showed lower carbon/chlorophyll a ratios and higher photosynthetic rates per unit carbon than the dinoflagellates. The higher growth rates of the diatoms were shown to be related to their higher photosynthetic rates per unit carbon. The ecological significance of the physiological difference between these two groups of microalgae is discussed.
A simple and fast extraction method for organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in small volumes of avian serum.

Abstract A solid-phase extraction (SPE) method was developed using 8 M urea to desorb and extract organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from avian serum for analysis by capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC–ECD). The analytes were efficiently extracted from the denatured serum–lipoprotein–analyte complex by one passage through an Oasis® hydrophilic–lipophilic-balanced (HLB) SPE cartridge. No further clean-up was necessary, the entire extraction procedure and GC–ECD analysis can be accomplished in less than 3 h. Serum volumes ranged from 100 μL to 1 mL with absolute recoveries of 90–101% for PCBs and 74% to 101% for the OC pesticides.
Designing a home of the future

An interdisciplinary team is developing technologies and design strategies that use context-aware sensing to empower people by presenting information at precisely the right time and place. The team is designing a living laboratory to study technology that motivates behavior change in context.
Generating evidence for best nursing practice: getting your grooves.

Grooves are developmental pathways along the journey to discover new directions in our ever-evolving nursing careers. This is my story of how I got my grooves in wound and foot care and the various pathways taken toward the attainment of groovy—the generation of evidence for best practice nursing. I started to work on my first groove in 1984 after I became a gerontological clinical nurse specialist. Much to my delight, that groove has taken various twists and turns, ups and downs, with an occasional rut here and there. The journey has been most pleasurable and rewarding!
EEG-based communication: prospects and problems

Current rehabilitation engineering combines new prosthetic methods with recent developments in personal computers to provide alternative communication and control channels to individuals with motor impairments. Despite these advances, all commercially available systems still require some measure of voluntary motor control. Thus, these systems are not useful for individuals who are totally paralyzed. Electroencephalographic (EEG) activity may provide the basis for a system that would completely bypass normal motor output. EEG-based communication technology might provide assistive devices for individuals who have little or no reliable motor function. This paper reviews the prospects for and problems of EEG-based communication. It summarizes current approaches to development of this new technology, describes the major problems that must be resolved, and focuses on issues critical for its use by those with severe motor disabilities.
Imaging the anterior eye with dynamic-focus swept-source optical coherence tomography

A custom-built dynamic-focus swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) system with a central wavelength of 1310 nm was used to image the anterior eye from the cornea to the lens. An electrically tunable lens was utilized to dynamically control the positions of focusing planes over the imaging range of 10 mm. The B-scan images were acquired consecutively at the same position but with different focus settings. The B-scan images were then registered and averaged after filtering the out-of-focus regions using a Gaussian window. By fusing images obtained at different depth focus locations, high-resolution and high signal-strength images were obtained over the entire imaging depth. In vivo imaging of human anterior segment was demonstrated. The performance of the system was compared with two commercial OCT systems. The human eye ciliary body was better visualized with the dynamic-focusing SS-OCT system than using the commercial 840 and 1310 nm OCT systems. The sulcus-to-sulcus distance was measured, and the result agreed with that acquired with ultrasound biomicroscopy
Expense Preference Behavior by Managers in Casino Resorts

The main goal of management in the United States is to maximize the wealth of shareholders. Managers, though, sometimes make decisions that benefit them more than the shareholders. When this occurs they are considered to be exhibiting expense preference behavior. This study evaluates expense preference behavior by managers of Nevada casinos. Using ordinary least squares regression, significant positive results show that for each 1% increase in revenue, employees increase 0.88%, salaries and wages increase 0.98%, and total payroll increases 1.01%. Also during the biggest economic downturn to hit Nevada casinos, management significantly decreased employees 14.7%, salaries and wages 4.9%, and total payroll 3.9%. Since managers are able to decrease payroll-related expenses after controlling for the change in business volumes, they are most likely operating inefficiently during good economic times. These additional expenses equate to a lower net income, which decreases owners' residual income and increases the...
Silicon—carbon multiple-bonded (PPπPπ) intermediates

Abstract Reactions of [R 2 SiCH 2 ] (R  Me, Ph), generated by thermolysis of the corresponding 1,1-disubstituted silacyclobutane at 611°C, with Ph 2 CS are described. A Wittig-like reaction takes place, yielding Ph 2 CCH 2 and what are believed to be the first examples of transient [R 2 SiS].
Case 19-2012: A Premature Newborn Boy with Respiratory Distress

A premature newborn boy was admitted to the hospital because of respiratory distress. On his sixth day of life, sudden clinical deterioration and multiorgan system failure developed, and he died on his seventh day. An autopsy was performed.
Compartmentalized regulation of CFTR chloride channel function in apical Epithelia

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a chloride channel that is located primarily at the apical plasma membrane of polarized epithelial cells, plays a crucial role in transepithelial fluid homeostasis. Tight regulation of CFTR function is critical, as either hypofunctioning or hyperfunctioning of CFTR activity may result in life-threatening disorders. Accumulating evidence has suggested that the regulation of CFTR channel function is highly compartmentalized, i.e., CFTR function is tightly fine-tuned in localized microdomains, in which CFTR-containing multiprotein complexes play a critical role. A growing number of proteins has been reported to interact directly or indirectly with CFTR, implying that CFTR is coupled functionally and/or physically to a wide variety of interacting partners including ion channels, receptors, transporters, scaffolding proteins, enzyme molecules, signaling molecules, and effectors. In this review article, I summarized the most recent studies that characterize the compartmentalized regulation of CFTR function coupled to some interacting proteins such as receptors (i.e., adenosine receptor, beta adrenergic receptor, and lysophosphatidic acid receptor), transporters (i.e., cAMP efflux pump MRP4), and enzyme molecules (i.e., protein kinases, protein phosphatase, cAMP-specific phosphodiesterases, etc). These compartmentalized and dynamic interactions modulate not only the channel function, but also the localization and processing of CFTR protein within cells.
Reliability and reliability sensitivity analyses of cutting precision based on a lathe spindle's dynamic responses

The effects of a spindle's forced vibration on cutting precision reliability and reliability sensitivity of random parameters were studied in consideration of random factors. The forced vibration of the lathe spindle took place under the action of dynamic cutting force in the cutting process. The frequency response of the spindle was calculated with the finite element method. The randomness of cutting parameters was considered and the frequency responses were calculated under different parameters based on the random sampling. The relation expression between frequency responses and random parameters was fitted by using the neural network training method. The reliability performance function of the cylindricity error caused by the forced vibrations of the spindle during cutting process was established,and the reliability and reliability sensitivity were calculated with the linear second order moment method.
Review: exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation reduces all-cause and cardiac mortality in coronary heart disease.

Source Citation Taylor RS, Brown A, Ebrahim S, et al. Exercise-based rehabilitation for patients with coronary heart disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am...
Classification of processing asparagus sections using color images

Computer vision and pattern recognition tool to determine asparagus sections.Essential information to sort asparagus based on their section is offered.Method that could be applied in an in-line quality sorter of asparagus. Impartial classification of Asparagus sections (Asparagus officinalis L.), for the purpose of obtaining desired tip to stem pieces ratio in final product, is extremely important to the processing industry. Thus, there is a need to develop a technique that is able to objectively discern between tip and stem pieces, after asparagus has been processed (cut). In this article, a computer vision methodology is proposed to sort asparagus into three classes: tips, mid-stem pieces and bottom-stem pieces. Nine hundred and fifty-five color images from 50mm length asparagus pieces (cuts) for the three different classes were acquired, using a flat panel scanner. After preprocessing, a total of 1931 color, textural, and geometric features were extracted from each color image. The most relevant features were selected using a sequential forward selection algorithm. Forty-three features were found to be effective in designing a neural-network classifier with a 4-fold cross-validated overall performance accuracy of 90.2% (ź2.2%). Results showed that this method is an accurate, reliable, and objective tool to discern between asparagus tips, mid-stem and bottom pieces, and might be applicable to in-line sorting systems.
Information Assurance in the Twenty-First Century (Supplement to Computer Magazine)

In the early and mid 1990s, telecommunications networks and the Internet drove business growth in the United States. The growing dependence on such networks, however, also increased US vulnerability to cyber exploitation. Indeed, by the end of the twentieth century, the US had become more vulnerable than any other nation to cyber attacks aiming to interrupt, degrade, or destroy vital services such as electrical power, banking, or stock trading. A determined terrorist group with cyber tools and knowledge gleaned from publicly available information could threaten the very money supply on which a free market depends.
Biomechanical Comparison of Acute Hill-Sachs Reduction and Remplissage to Treat Complex Anterior Instability The Potential Benefits Of Anatomic Reconstruction

Objectives:Acute Hill-Sachs (HS) reduction represents a potential alternative method to remplissage for the treatment of an engaging HS lesion. The purpose of this study is to biomechanically compa...
Leadership—Organizational Styles and Types

Healthcare organizations in the 21st century vary in a wide range of ways, including size, sector, private versus public, etc. Those variables create a variety of leadership challenges. However, they also vary in another set of factors that are very important for our leadership discussions in this book, in that they differ in terms of the organizational structure and the types of leadership that are encouraged and tolerated within the organization. Leaders in training will therefore sometimes have to adjust their style in order to succeed or if they cannot adapt then perhaps consider a lateral move to an organization for which they are a better fit.
Use of Risk Model for Assessment of Residents' Perception of Complexity of Surgical Steps: Example of Modular Component Steps of Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery.

BACKGROUND Quality improvement projects increasingly emphasize standardization of surgical work flow to optimize operative room efficiency. Removing special cause variability resulting from nonsurgical waste is an obvious target; however, resident surgical education must be maintained, even in the setting of process improvement. OBJECTIVE To describe the impact of resident-identified "risky" or "uncomfortable" procedural steps on operative time during transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). METHODS TLIF procedure steps were defined. An 8 2-part questions survey regarding comfort level and perceived risk assessment at each step was developed and completed by junior (17) and senior residents (10), and by faculty (6) from orthopedic, and neurological surgery. A risk matrix was constructed defining 2 zones: a "danger zone"; responses were high risk (3-5) and low comfort (1-3), and a "safe zone"; responses were low risk (1-2) and high comfort (4-5). One-tailed Chi-square with Yates correction was performed. RESULTS Risk matrix analysis showed a statistical difference among "danger zone" respondents between junior resident and faculty groups for exposure, pedicle screw placement, neural decompression, interbody placement, posterolateral fusion, and hemostasis. A radar graph identifies percent of respondents who fall within the "danger zone". CONCLUSION Resident perception of surgical complexity can be evaluated for procedural steps using a risk matrix survey. For TLIF, residents may assign more risk and may be less comfortable performing steps in a training-level-dependent manner. Identification of particular high-risk or uncomfortable steps should prompt strict faculty oversight to improve patient safety, monitor resident education, and reduce operative time.
Iron Bars DOTH a Prison Make: Description of a Correctional Setting

This paper presents a description of environmental contingencies in a maximum security correctional setting and includes an examination of the behavioral interactions between security, case managers and inmates. How problems are generated by the physical environment, how court-mandated changes in staff activities affect the work itself, and how verbal and nonverbal environmental events interact in this setting to produce serious problems for those living/working in such a setting are described .