cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrogen sulfide improves resuscitation via non-hibernatory mechanisms in a porcine shock model.

Abstract Background Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been demonstrated to induce a “suspended animation-like” state in rodent models by reversible inhibition of cellular respiration and marked metabolic suppression and has been proposed as a potential pharmacologic adjunct to resuscitation from shock states. There are few data currently available about the mechanisms and efficacy of H2S in larger animals or humans. We examined H2S as a pharmacologic adjunct to resuscitation in a porcine model of severe traumatic shock. Methods Twenty-one adult swine were assigned to three study arms: sham, H2S, and saline vehicle controls (SC). All pigs underwent laparotomy and instrumentation, and the two study arms then underwent a 35% controlled hemorrhage followed by 50 min of truncal ischemia via aortic cross-clamp. H2S (5 mg/kg) or saline was administered immediately before reperfusion, followed by 6 h of resuscitation. Resuscitation requirements, laboratory parameters, end-organ histology, and inflammatory product gene expression (by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction) were measured and compared between groups. Results All animals survived to the 6-h postresuscitation time point. Both treatment arms demonstrated severe shock characterized by fluid and vasopressor requirements, metabolic acidosis, and hypotension compared with sham animals. Animals treated with H2S demonstrated significantly lower resuscitative requirements (total epinephrine 727 versus 3052 μg; P Conclusions Administration of H2S in a large-animal model of severe traumatic shock resulted in a significant decrease in resuscitative requirements, decreased metabolic acidosis, and less end-organ histologic injury compared with standard resuscitation. H2S did not induce profound metabolic suppression as seen in rodents, and appears to have alternative mechanisms of action in large animals.
INTRACELLULAR PHAGE PRECURSOR.

1. Staphylococci activated by rapid growth in the presence of excess O2 and subsequently brought to a resting state by storage in Locke's solution at 5°C. produce a significant rise in [phage] when added to phage-containing solutions. 2. For satisfactory activation the staphylococci require a period of active growth in the presence of oxygen. Activation proceeds best on the acid side of neutrality although variation in pH from 5 to 9 has relatively little effect. Activated cells retain their phage-augmenting property for from 4 to 24 hours, and this property may be destroyed by heating the cells at temperatures which do not kill them. The critical thermal increment for heat inactivation is 90,000 suggesting that the reaction involves protein denaturation. 3. The reaction between activated cells and phage has the following characteristics: A. It is complete in 1 to 2 minutes after mixing the reactants. B. The increase in phage does not depend upon bacterial growth nor does it involve any untoward effect on the titration system. C. Serum prepared by injecting rabbits with normal live staphylococci or with activated staphylococci when mixed with activated cells before the addition of phage will prevent the customary increase in [phage]. 4. The phage-producing reaction which follows the addition of activated cells to phage can be interpreted in terms of the precursor theory. It is likely that the precursor either is a protein or contains a protein as an essential component. 5. There is no way of deciding at present whether the reaction between phage and precursor represents the hydrolytic cleavage of a protein or whether it is the final step in a synthesis catalyzed by phage.
Distribution of total ferritin in intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes of horses after iron feeding.

Summary1. The distribution of total ferritin in the intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes in a control horse was compared with the corresponding distributions in 2 horses fed iron, using an immunochemical technic for determining the ferritin in extracts of the tissues in question.2. Ferritin was found to be present in the first 11.5 feet of intestine of the control horse as well as in the last 3 feet of intestine. Small amounts of ferritin were detected in the mesenteric lymph nodes of the control animal.3. Twenty-four hours after the oral administration of an amount of ferrous ammonium sulfate containing 30 g of iron to a second horse the total ferritin content was appreciably increased in the first 2.5 feet of intestine while 48 hours after feeding the same amount of ferrous ammonium sulfate to a third horse, there were notable increases in the amounts of total ferritin in the first 11.5 feet and in the last 3 feet of intestine.4. Twenty-four hours after feeding iron to a second horse there was approxima...
The DSM-III classification of the psychiatric disorders of infancy, childhood, and adolescence.

Abstract This paper reviews the basic features of DSM-III as a classification system for psychiatric disorders. In DSM-III there are many unique features such as the nonetiological descriptive approach, the systematic description of each disorder, diagnostic criteria, and the multiaxial classification. DSM-III contains many more possible codes in the section, Disorders Usually First Evident in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence, than in DSM-II. It also offers greater coverage of the psychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence than did its predecessor.
A(nother) Dark Side of the Protection Racket

This article builds on feminist readings of war and conflict generally and of the civilian immunity principle specifically to argue that gender is crucial to the story of how and why civilians are intentionally targeted by belligerents. It demonstrates that civilian victimization is directly linked to the gendered logic of the immunity principle. Particularly, we contend that civilian victimization is a logical extension of wars justified by protecting women and children, and that ‘civilian’ in ‘civilian victimization’ is a proxy for women. We make this argument in several steps. First, we introduce the literature about civilian victimization, acknowledging both its insights and its blindness to gender analysis. Second, we use feminist work on gender, war and militarism to present the case that civilian victimization in war is a product of gendered elements of the justificatory logics of war. We then provide examples of the gendered nature of civilian victimization (specifically targeting women in wars). ...
New software for quantifying incubation behavior from time-series recordings

Abstract Recordings of temperature fluctuations in the nests of birds can be used to infer incubation behavior such as the frequency and duration of off-bouts. Until recently, collecting temperature recordings from a large number of nests was limited by the size and expense of data logger equipment. In this paper, we describe software we developed to help simplify the analysis of recordings of temperature or mass fluctuations over time. The software program, called Rhythm, works in conjunction with Raven, a bioacoustical analysis program, to partially automate the measurement of incubation off-bout duration and related statistics such as percent constancy. This novel application of Raven combined with advances in data logger technology facilitates investigation in several areas of ecological and behavioral research.
What Makes a Helpful Review? A Study of Customer Reviews on Amazon.com

Customer reviews are increasingly available online for a wide range of products and services. They supplement other information provided by electronic storefronts such as product descriptions, reviews from experts, and personalized advice generated by automated recommendation systems. While researchers have demonstrated the benefits of the presence of customer reviews to an online retailer, a largely uninvestigated issue is what makes customer reviews helpful to a consumer in the process of making a purchase decision. Drawing on the paradigm of search and experience goods from information economics, we develop and test a model of customer review helpfulness. An analysis of 1,587 reviews from Amazon.com across six products indicated that review extremity, review depth, and product type affect the perceived helpfulness of the review. Product type moderates the effect of review extremity on the helpfulness of the review. For experience goods, reviews with extreme ratings are less helpful than reviews with moderate ratings. For both product types, review depth has a positive effect on the helpfulness of the review, but the product type moderates the effect of review depth on the helpfulness of the review. Review depth has a greater positive effect on the helpfulness of the review for search goods than for experience goods. We discuss the implications of our findings for both theory and practice.
Wrong Assumptions and Neglected Areas in Real-Time Systems

The real-time computing community uses the terms "predictability" and "determinism" - usually referring to timeliness - without defining them, or incorrectly as synonyms. That results in confusion, errors, and neglect of important mainstream real-time systems, especially dynamic distributed ones.
Influence of Bandstructure and Channel Structure on the Inversion Layer Capacitance of Silicon and GaAs MOSFETs

The influence of MOSFET channel material and channel structure on the inversion layer capacitance is examined. It is well known that the inversion layer capacitance depends strongly on the bandstructure of the channel, but we show that it also depends very strongly on the structure of the channel (e.g., bulk vs. ultrathin body, and the thickness of the body). These results provide some general insights into the channel material and structure tradeoffs that control the inversion layer capacitance-an increasingly important consideration as electrical oxide thicknesses continue to decrease and as new channel materials are considered.
Clinical manifestations of congenital insensitivity of the hand and classification of syndromes

Lesions of the upper extremity, particularly of the hand, are common in congenital insensitivity syndromes. Five cases are described with findings including fractures, infections, stiffness of fingers, self-mutilation, and traumatic amputations. The best form of treatment is preventative, since reconstructive surgery has little to offer. If conservative efforts are of no avail, amputation of the part is, unfortunately, the best way to obtain satisfactory results.
Iron Loading Increases Ferroportin Heterogeneous Nuclear RNA and mRNA Levels in Murine J774 Macrophages

The transmembrane protein ferroportin is highly expressed in tissue macrophages, where it mediates iron export into the bloodstream. Although ferroportin expression can be controlled post-transcriptionally through a 5# iron-responsive element in its mRNA, various studies have documented increased ferroportin mRNA levels in response to iron, suggesting transcriptional regulation. We studied the effect of iron loading on levels of macrophage ferroportin mRNA, as well as heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA), the immediate product of ferroportin gene transcription. J774 cells, a mouse macrophage cell line, were incubated for 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 h in medium supplemented or not with 200 mmol/L iron. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure steady-state levels of ferroportin mRNA and hnRNA. Ferroportin mRNA levels increased by 12 h after iron treatment, reaching 6 times the control levels after 24 h. Changes in ferroportin mRNA levels were paralleled by similar changes in the levels of ferroportin hnRNA. Time course studies of ferroportin mRNA and hnRNA abundance after incubating cells with the transcriptional inhibitor actinomycin D revealed that ferroportin mRNA has a half-life of ;4 h and that iron loading does not stabilize ferroportin mRNA or hnRNA. Collectively, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that iron increases macrophage ferroportin mRNA levels by inducing transcription of the
Intact Toll-like receptor 9 signaling in neutrophils modulates normal thrombogenesis in mice.

Background Deletion of Toll-like receptor 9 (Tlr9) signaling, which is important for sterile inflammatory processes, results in impaired resolution of venous thrombosis (VT) in mice. The purpose of this study was to determine if deletion of Tlr9 affected sterile necrosis, apoptosis, and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) production in VT. Methods Stasis and nonstasis murine models of VT were used in wild-type (WT) and Tlr9 −/− mice, with assessment of thrombus size and determination of NETs, necrosis, and apoptosis markers. Anti-polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) and antiplatelet antibody strategies were used to determine the cellular roles and their roles in WT and Tlr9 −/− mice. Results At 2 days, stasis thrombi in Tlr9 −/− mice were 62% larger (n = 6-10), with 1.4-fold increased uric acid levels, 1.7-fold more apoptotic cells, 2-fold increased citrullinated histones, 2-fold increased peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4), and 1.5-fold increased elastase and a 2.4-fold reduction in tissue factor pathway inhibitor compared with WT mice (all n = 4-7; P Tlr9 −/− mice (n = 4-6), and they did not have elevated necrosis or NET markers. Stasis thrombus size was not reduced at the 2-day time point in WT or Tlr9 −/− mice that received treatment with deoxyribonuclease I or in PAD4 −/− mice, which are incapable of forming NETs. In Tlr9 −/− mice undergoing PMN depletion (n = 8-10), stasis thrombus size was reduced 18% and was associated with 29-fold decreased citrullinated histones, 1.3-fold decreased elastase, and 1.5-fold increased tissue factor pathway inhibitor (all n = 6; P 90% reduction) did not significantly reduce stasis thrombus size in Tlr9 −/− mice. Conclusions These data suggest that the thrombogenic model affects Tlr9 thrombogenic mechanisms and that functional Tlr9 signaling in PMNs, but not in platelets or NETs, is an important mechanism in early stasis experimental venous thrombogenesis.
Cryptococcal Polysaccharides Bind to CD18 on Human Neutrophils

CD18, the beta chain of the beta 2 integrin family of adhesion molecules, is associated with three different alpha chains (CD11a, -b, and -c) and is expressed on the surface of all types of leukocytes. CD18-containing molecules are up-regulated on the surface of neutrophils (polymorphonuclear cells [PMN]) in response to chemotactic agents and are implicated in mediating adhesion to an inflamed endothelium, which is a prerequisite to migration of PMN into infected tissues. In a previous study, we found that a cryptococcal culture filtrate (CneF), when injected into the bloodstream of mice to simulate the antigenemia in cryptococcosis, inhibits PMN accumulation at the site of an inflammatory stimulus. In the present study, we assessed the ability of CneF and its individual components, i.e., glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), galactoxylomannan (GalXM), and mannoprotein (MP), to interact with CD18 on human PMN. CneF labeled with 14C was shown to bind to human PMN in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment of PMN with anti-CD18, but not an isotype-matched control monoclonal antibody (MAb) or anti-CD11a MAb, blocked the binding of 14C-labeled CneF to PMN. In addition, CneF, GXM, and GalXM but not MP significantly blocked the binding of the anti-CD18 MAb to CD18 on the surface of unactivated and formyl methionyl leucyl phenylalanine-activated PMN as determined by indirect immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometric analysis. In the same experiments, the cryptococcal polysaccharides did not affect the binding of an anti-CD11a or anti-L-selectin MAb to the surface of PMN at 4 degrees C. The results suggest that CneF and its components GXM and GalXM bind to CD18 on human PMN. Based on our findings, we propose that CD18 is a possible molecular target of cryptococcal polysaccharides and that binding of the polysaccharides to CD18 has the potential to inhibit leukocyte infiltration into inflammatory sites.
Considerations in designing and analyzing data from apo-B turnover studies.

The kinetics of apo-B transport through VLDL, IDL and LDL can be described by models developed from tracer data (1,2). From these models, one obtains estimates of metabolic parameters of interest such as (i) fractional catabolic rates, (ii) production rates, and (iii) transport from one lipoprotein class to another. The models, however, have assumptions built into them which affect the interpretation of the data and parameter estimates. With many new experimental procedures being developed, our knowledge of the structure and function of the plasma lipoproteins is rapidly increasing. Many of these new procedures lend themselves to turnover studies with the result that tracer data of increasing complexity are being generated. These include techniques to subfractionate the traditional lipoprotein populations (3,4) and the utilization of stable as well as radioactive isotopes (5,6). The interpretation of these data means that many of the previously developed models may have to be altered or changed altogether as the assumptions upon which they were based prove no longer to be valid. With tracer studies being used to elucidate altered metabolic pathways in pathophysiological conditions or in response to therapy, one runs a high risk of misinterpreting turnover data using models with underlying false assumptions.
The ENIAC's influence on business computing, 1940s-1950s

To put a finer point on the influence of the ENIAC on IBM, engineers from the Endicott, New York, plant, specializing in input/output card equipment, visited the ENIAC while it was under construction and observed the use of a card reader with it. But as a general statement, what the ENIAC did to the office appliance and electrical supply firms during World War II was to call out the possibility that a new class of hardware was emerging. In the years following - that is to say, from 1946 to roughly 1951/1952 - the system confirmed that development. Electrical engineers at IBM, NCR, Burroughs, and GE took notice; although as time passed, they focused greater attention on computers that followed ENIAC, as there were nearly two dozen such projects underway in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Historians have carefully documented the work of Eckert and Mauchly in the 1940s, recording that the experiences they gained in building the ENIAC directly and explicitly influenced their work on several subsequent systems: the EDVAC, BINAC, and Univac. Explicitly, the ENIAC taught Eckert and Mauchly their initial lessons about building computers, providing insights that carried over to future projects.
Radiation-Dependent Limit for the Viability of Bacterial Spores in Halite Fluid Inclusions and on Mars

When claims for the long-term survival of viable organisms are made, either within terrestrial minerals or on Mars, considerations should be made of the limitations imposed by the naturally occurring radiation dose to which they have been exposed. We investigated the effect of ionizing radiation on different bacterial spores by measuring the inactivation constants for B. subtilis and S. marismortui spores in solution as well as for dry spores of B. subtilis and B. thuringiensis. S. marismortui is a halophilic spore that is genetically similar to the recently discovered 2-9-3 bacterium from a halite fluid inclusion, claimed to be 250 million years old (Vreeland et al., Nature 407, 897-900, 2000). B. thuringiensis is a soil bacterium that is genetically similar to the human pathogens B. anthracis and B. cereus (Helgason et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66, 2627-2630, 2000). To relate the inactivation constant to some realistic environments, we calculated the radiation regimen in a halite fluid inclusion and in the Martian subsurface over time. Our conclusion is that the ionizing dose of radiation in those environments limits the survival of viable bacterial spores over long periods. In the absence of an active repair mechanism in the dormant state, the long-term survival of spores is limited to less than 109 million years in halite fluid inclusions, to 100 to 160 million years in the Martian subsurface below 3 m, and to less than 600,000 years in the uppermost meter of Mars.
Trade in International Maritime Services

Maritime transport costs significantly impede international trade. This article examines why these costs are so high in some countries and quantifies the importance of two explanations: restrictive trade policies and private anticompetitive practices. It finds that both matter, but the latter have a greater impact. Trade liberalization and the breakup of private carrier agreements would lead to an average of one-third lower liner transport prices and to cost savings of up to US$3 billion on goods carried to the United States alone. The policy implications are clear: there is a need not only for further liberalization of government policy but also for strengthened international disciplines on restrictive business practices. The authors propose an approach to developing such disciplines in the current round of services negotiations at the World Trade Organization.
Stand Age is Associated with Clonal Diversity, but Not Vigor, Community Structure, or Insect Herbivory in Chesapeake Bay Phragmites australis

Invasions are dynamic as both the invading organism and the invaded ecosystem change. Intrinsic changes to the invader (invasion process) can involve population level genetic and reproductive changes. Extrinsic changes (invasion effect) occur to the environment that is invaded (e.g., alterations to the physical environment), to the invaded plant community (e.g., changes in species diversity and composition or evolutionary changes), or to insect herbivory. To investigate how invasions change through time, we investigated both the process and effect of a Phragmites australis invasion by comparing young and old P. australis stands within two Chesapeake Bay subestuaries. We quantified clonal richness of P. australis stands, vigor of the invader, herbivore damage, and plant community composition. Our results indicate that only the population-scale genetics (clonal richness, genetic distance) changed over the course of 40 years. Clonal richness was lower in the old P. australis stands, likely due to intraspecific competition and/or initial colonization by fewer genotypes. The mean genetic distance among clones within old stands was lower than within young stands, suggesting that clones within old stands were mostly closely-related, while young stands were likely established by seeds from nearby stands and so were more representative of the local area. Clones in different old stands were genetically more distant from each other than those in young stands were from clones in other young stands. This pattern suggested that old stands were established by independent colonization events, while young patches were established by a mixture of seeds from local stands, which generated the lower average genetic distance between clones across young stands. We found that community composition, plant vigor, and herbivore damage to stems were similar across different age stands, which indicated that the effect of P. australis invasion becomes stable within a few decades. Over longer periods, the intrinsic invasion process may be more dynamic than the invasion effect.
Direct imaging through scattering media using efficient THG in organic materials

We report on real-time, time-gated, direct imaging through scattering media with an attenuation of 14 mean-free paths using THG in the eye-safe and telecommunication-compatible near-infrared spectral region (1550 nm).
The Tea Party and the Anti-Immigration Debate in 2010

Using an original survey collected by the authors, we examine how support for the Tea Party movement is independently related to holding strict anti-immigrant attitudes. Further, using content analysis of Tea Party websites and posts, we report the extent to which Tea Party members posted content related on their websites categorized as anti-immigrant, in comparison to content about the size of government. We argue that supporters of the Tea Party are more than just the conservative wing of the Republican party, and that the election of President Obama created an environment in which their power and status was waning against changing demographics in America.
Shared Homes as an Alternative to Nursing Home Care: Impact of VA’s Medical Foster Home Program on Hospitalization

Purpose of the study This study compares hospitalization rates for common conditions in the Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Foster Home (MFH) program to VA nursing homes, known as Community Living Centers (CLCs). Design and methods We used a nested, matched, case control design. We examined 817 MFH residents and matched each to 3 CLC residents selected from a pool of 325,031. CLC and MFH cases were matched on (a) baseline time period, (b) follow-up time period, (c) age, (d) gender, (e) race, (f) risk of mortality calculated from comorbidities, and (g) history of hospitalization for the selected condition during the baseline period. Odds ratio (OR) and related confidence interval (CI) were calculated to contrast MFH cases and matched CLC controls. Results Compared with matched CLC cases, MFH residents were less likely to be hospitalized for adverse care events, (OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.03-0.53), anxiety disorders (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.33-0.80), mood disorders (OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.42-0.79), skin infections (OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.10-0.51), pressure ulcers (OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.09-0.50) and bacterial infections other than tuberculosis or septicemia (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.31-0.92). MFH cases and matched CLC controls did not differ in rates of urinary tract infections, pneumonia, septicemia, suicide/self-injury, falls, other injury besides falls, history of injury, delirium/dementia/cognitive impairments, or adverse drug events. Hospitalization rates were not higher for any conditions studied in the MFH cohort compared with the CLC cohort. Implications MFH participants had the same or lower rates of hospitalizations for conditions examined compared with CLC controls suggesting that noninstitutional care by a nonfamilial caregiver does not increase hospitalization rates for common medical conditions.
Kinetics and inhibition during the decolorization of reactive anthraquinone dyes under methanogenic conditions

The objective of this study was to assess the biological decolorization of two reactive anthraquinone dyes (Reactive Blue 4, RB 4; Reactive Blue 19, RB 19) under methanogenic conditions. Using a mixed, methanogenic culture, batch assays were performed to evaluate both the rate and extent of color removal as well as any potential inhibition. The effect of initial dye, biomass, and organic feed concentration, as well as the effect of repetitive dye addition on color removal kinetics and culture inhibition were assessed. Overall, a lower rate and extent of color removal was observed in RB 4-amended cultures as opposed to the RB 19-amended cultures. For an incubation time of ca. 15 days and an initial dye concentration of 2000 mg/L, the extent of color removal was 50 and 95% for RB 4 and RB 19, respectively. Inhibition of acidogenesis and to a larger degree of methanogenesis, resulting in accumulation of volatile fatty acids, was observed in both RB 4- and RB 19-amended cultures. Although the degree of inhibition varied among the two dyes tested (RB 19 was more inhibitory than RB 4), an increase of inhibition was observed with increasing initial dye concentration. At an initial dye concentration of 500 mg/L or higher, methane production was lower than 6% of that of the control culture for both RB 4 and RB 19. However, color removal occurred despite culture inhibition.
Factors Affecting the Design and Performance of Upflow Anaerobic Filters

Anaerobic filters have been used for almost twenty years to treat a variety of industrial wastes, yet until recently little was known about the factors affecting their design and performance. Tests with laboratory and full-scale plants operated under a variety of conditions have identified hydraulic retention time as the most important design and performance parameter. Influent waste strength and reactor height have essentially no effect on treatment efficiency when operating at a given hydraulic retention time. Media specific surface area and the orientation of the media seem to have a minor effect on performance but the benefit generally is not sufficient to justify increasing the specific surface area beyond about 100 m 2 /m 3 . Effluent recycle provides only a small improvement in treatment efficiency but may be beneficial to reduce the need for adding chemicals for pH control. A performance model is presented that can be used for obtaining approximate reactor sizes.
Vision-targeted health related quality of life in older adults: patient-reported visibility problems in low luminance activities are more likely to decline than daytime activities

Commonly used vision-targeted health-related quality of life questionnaires almost exclusively focus items on vision under daytime conditions. Older adults even when in good eye health frequently report experiencing vision problems at night and under low environmental light levels, and psychophysical studies also document these visibility problems. Here we compare the progression of self-reported low luminance visibility problems and self-reported visibility problems under daytime conditions in older adults. Trained interviewers administered two questionnaires to older adults in normal eye health: the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire – 25 (NEI VFQ-25) where items are almost entirely focused on difficulties in daytime activities, and the Low Luminance Questionnaire (LLQ) where items are focused on difficulties seeing at night and under low luminance conditions. The following visual functions were also measured: visual acuity, low luminance visual acuity, low luminance deficit, contrast sensitivity, light sensitivity in the macula, and rod-mediated dark adaptation. The protocol was repeated 3 years later. Scores on the NEI VFQ-25 composite and its subscales were unchanged between baseline and 3-year follow-up, whereas scores on the LLQ composite and 5 of 6 subscales significantly decreased (corresponding to less functionality) at the 3-year follow-up. Participants were more likely to display a ≥ 5 point decrease on the LLQ composite than on the NEI VFQ-25 over 3 years. Visual functional tests were largely unrelated to changes in NEI VFQ-25 and LLQ scores from baseline to follow-up. Older adults’ vision-targeted quality of life as measured by questionnaire is more likely to exhibit a practically significant decrease over 3 years using a questionnaire that focused on low luminance activities (LLQ) than one focused on daytime activities (NEI VFQ-25). That the results of visual functional testing did not correspond to older adults’ decline in self-reported problems in low luminance activities emphasizes the importance of questionnaires in understanding visual difficulties from the patients’ own perspective.
Alcohol and Mental Development

In a prospective follow-up study at the University of Helsinki, Finland, 60 children exposed to alcohol in utero were assessed by a psychologist (Bayley Mental scale) and a speech therapist (Reynell Verbal Comprehension scale) at a mean age of 27 months.
Detrital zircon geochronology of the Alexander terrane, southeastern Alaska

U-Pb analyses of 101 detrital zircon grains from Paleozoic and Triassic clastic strata of the Alexander terrane indicate that most detritus in the terrane was derived from intraterrane igneous rocks, although the occurrence of 1.0–3.0 Ga grains in a Lower Devonian sandstone indicates proximity to a continental region during the Silurian–Devonian Klakas orogeny. Because these Precambrian grains are not the same age as grains that were accumulating along the western margin of North America, it appears unlikely that the terrane was in proximity to the Cordilleran margin during Early Devonian time. Continental regions that could have shed grains of the appropriate ages, and that also record Silurian–Devonian orogenic activity, include the paleo-Pacific margin of Australia and the Scandinavian portion of Baltica. Existing paleomagnetic data are consistent with either paleoposition, whereas previous biogeographic studies suggest closer ties with Baltica.
Randomized Exposure to Food Advertisements and Eating in the Absence of Hunger Among Preschoolers

BACKGROUND: Preschoolers in the United States are heavily exposed to unhealthy food advertisements. Whether such exposure promotes cued eating has not been documented in this age group. METHODS: Randomized experiment among 60 children, aged 2 to 5 years, recruited in 2015–2016 from New Hampshire and Vermont. Children completed the experiment at a behavioral laboratory. Children were provided with a healthy snack to consume upon arrival then randomized to view a 14-minute TV program embedded with advertisements for either a food or a department store. Children were provided 2 snack foods to consume ad libitum while viewing the TV program; 1 of those snacks was the food advertised. Eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) was operationalized as the kilocalories of snack foods consumed. t tests were used to compare EAH by advertisement condition; linear regression models assessed effect modification by the child’s age, sex, BMI percentile, and parental feeding restriction. RESULTS: Mean age was 4.1 (SD 0.9) years, 55% of children were male, 80% were non-Hispanic white, and 20% were overweight or obese. There were no differences in child or socioeconomic characteristics by advertisement condition. Child BMI was not related to EAH. Mean kilocalories consumed during the EAH phase was greater among children exposed to the food advertisements (126.8, SD: 58.5) versus those exposed to the nonfood advertisements (97.3, SD: 52.3; P = .04), an effect driven by greater consumption of the advertised food ( P < .01). There was no evidence of effect modification. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that food advertisement exposure may encourage obesogenic-eating behaviors among the very young.
Event-based fault diagnosis for an unknown plant

This paper presents an active-learning technique for constructing a fault diagnoser for an unknown finite-state Discrete Event System (DES). The proposed algorithm actively asks some basic queries from an oracle through which the algorithm completes a series of observation tables leading to the construction of the diganoser. The resulting diagnoser is a deterministic-finite-state automaton, which detects and identifies occurred faults by monitoring the observable behaviors of the plant. An illustrative example is provided detailing the steps of the proposed algorithm.
Quality carbon fibers from fractionated lignin

The application of lignin carbon fibers was hindered by their low quality and mechanical performance. We addressed this challenge by developing a new approach to fractionate and modify lignin to produce quality carbon fibers using an enzyme-mediator system, which derives lignin fractions with different molecular weights, functional groups, and interunitary linkages. The fractionated lignin in general improves the miscibility and spinnability of lignin. In particular, the insoluble lignin fraction renders carbon fibers with a significantly improved turbostratic carbon structure as revealed by XRD and Raman spectroscopy. The improvement in the carbon structure leads to the significantly improved elastic modulus. The results suggest that higher molecular weights, less –OH groups, and more linear structures may contribute to the improved crystallization and mechanical performance of lignin carbon fibers. The technical breakthrough produces lignin-based carbon fibers with a similar elastic modulus to commercial carbon fibers for the first time, and paves the path for replacing PAN with lignin for producing quality carbon fibers.
Inhibition of RhoA/Rho kinase pathway and smooth muscle contraction by hydrogen sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) plays an important role in smooth muscle relaxation. Here, we investigated the expression of enzymes in H2 S synthesis and the mechanism regulating colonic smooth muscle function by H2 S. Expression of cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE), but not cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS), was identified in the colonic smooth muscle of rabbit, mouse, and human. Carbachol (CCh)-induced contraction in rabbit muscle strips and isolated muscle cells was inhibited by l-cysteine (substrate of CSE) and NaHS (an exogenous H2 S donor) in a concentration-dependent fashion. H2 S induced S-sulfhydration of RhoA that was associated with inhibition of RhoA activity. CCh-induced Rho kinase activity also was inhibited by l-cysteine and NaHS in a concentration-dependent fashion. Inhibition of CCh-induced contraction by l-cysteine was blocked by the CSE inhibitor, dl-propargylglycine (DL-PPG) in dispersed muscle cells. Inhibition of CCh-induced Rho kinase activity by l-cysteine was blocked by CSE siRNA in cultured cells and DL-PPG in dispersed muscle cells. Stimulation of Rho kinase activity and muscle contraction in response to CCh was also inhibited by l-cysteine or NaHS in colonic muscle cells from mouse and human. Collectively, our studies identified the expression of CSE in colonic smooth muscle and determined that sulfhydration of RhoA by H2 S leads to inhibition of RhoA and Rho kinase activities and muscle contraction. The mechanism identified may provide novel therapeutic approaches to mitigate gastrointestinal motility disorders.
Outlook-based semantics

This paper presents and advocates an approach to the semantics of opinion statements, including matters of personal taste and moral claims. In this framework, ‘outlook-based semantics’, the circumstances of evaluation are not composed of a possible world and a judge (as in ‘world-judge relativism’); rather, outlooks replace possible worlds in the role of circumstance of evaluation. Outlooks are refinements of worlds that settle not only matters of fact but also matters of opinion. Several virtues of the framework and advantages over existing implementations of world-judge relativism are demonstrated in this paper. First, world-judge relativism does not actually explain the ‘disagreement’ of ‘faultless disagreement’, while a straightforward explanation suggests itself in outlook-based semantics. Second, outlook-based semantics provides an account of subjective attitude verbs that can capture lack of opinionatedness. Third, outlook-based semantics unproblematically explains the connection-building role of aesthetic discourse and the group-relevance of discretionary assertions, while capturing the same effects in world-judge relativism obviates the purpose of the judge parameter. Finally, because the proposed circumstances of evaluation (outlooks) are entirely analogous to possible worlds, the framework is easy to use and extend.
Variability of online available physical therapy protocols from academic orthopedic surgery programs for arthroscopic meniscus repair

Objectives: To evaluate the variability of arthroscopic meniscus repair rehabilitation protocols.Methods: Arthroscopic meniscus repair rehabilitation protocols from Accreditation Council for Gradua...
Valvular Disease and Heart Failure: Aortic Stenosis

A 74 year old male with a past medical history of hypertension, atrial fibrillation on warfarin and moderate aortic stenosis presented with recurrent admissions for decompensated heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. In addition to volume overload the patient complained of severe dyspnea on exertion; he denied exertional angina and syncope. He responded promptly to diuresis each hospitalization and was discharged on escalating doses of oral furosemide and beta-blockers for rate and blood pressure control. Repeat transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrated moderate concentric left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, small LV size, LV ejection fraction of 60%, aortic valve area (AVA) of 0.5 cm2/m2, mean gradient of 28 mmHg, and stroke volume index of 30 ml/m2. A dobutamine stress echocardiogram showed an increase in LV ejection fraction to 70% with stress in addition to a fixed AVA of 0.5 cm2/m2 and an increase in mean gradient to 32 mmHg. His aortic valve calcium score by multidetector computed tomography was 2146 AU.
Validation of Version 3.0 of the Breast Cancer Genetics Referral Screening Tool (B-RST™).

Despite increased awareness of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer among clinicians and the public, many BRCA1/2 mutation carriers remain unaware of their risk status. The Breast Cancer Genetics Referral Screening Tool (B-RST™) was created and validated to easily identify individuals at increased risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer for referral to cancer genetics services. The purpose of this study was to revise B-RST™ to maximize sensitivity against BRCA1/2 mutation status. We analyzed pedigrees of 277 individuals who had undergone BRCA1/2 testing to determine modifications to the B-RST™ 2.0 algorithm that would maximize sensitivity for mutations, while maintaining simplicity. We used McNemar’s chi-square test to compare validation measures between the revised version (3.0) and the 2.0 version. Algorithmic changes made to B-RST™ 2.0 increased the sensitivity against BRCA1/2 mutation analysis from 71.1 to 94.0% (P < 0.0001). While specificity decreased, all screen-positive individuals were appropriate for cancer genetics referral, the primary purpose of the tool. Despite calls for BRCA1/2 population screening, there remains a critical need to identify those most at risk who should receive cancer genetics services. B-RST™ version 3.0 demonstrates high sensitivity for BRCA1/2 mutations, yet remains a simple and quick screening tool for at-risk individuals.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome

The Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is the most common cause of acute neuromuscular paralysis in developed countries, affecting 1–2 people per 100,000 annually. The mortality is about 10%, and approximately 20% of patients are left with significant motor disability. Our understanding of GBS has evolved since Landry’s description of the clinical features of “acute ascending paralysis” in the late 1800s and Guillain and Barre’s recognition of the albuminocytological dissociation in the cerebrospinal fluid in the early 1900s. It is classically regarded an acute demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, characterized clinically by the acute onset of symmetric weakness and arreflexia with relatively minor sensory impairment. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis characteristically yields an elevated protein concentration but little or no pleocytosis, and the electrophysiology reveals evidence of demyelination. Over the years, however, unusual variants of this syndrome have been recognized, including an axonal form. Plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) have become the mainstay of therapy and steroids are thought not to be beneficial.
Drinking, Anthropology of

The anthropology of drinking has approached alcohol and drinking in two main ways: as aspects of social health problems, and as part of acceptable, mainstream social behavior. This article examines these approaches in three periods: 1930–60, 1960–90, and 1990 to the present. Today, anthropologists increasingly focus on alcohol and drinking as social and political processes related to culture and identity within local, national, and global contexts.
The role of graph theory in some sieve arguments of probability theory

1. Motivation of the problem. Let AI, A2, ..., A n be events in the sense of probability theory and let B r denote the event that exactly r of the A's occur. A frequent problem is to evaluate the probability P(Br) of B r in terms of the probabilities of products of the A's. As an example, consider the following problem. Let Y. 3 be the amount an insurance company has to pay out on the j-th day of the year. Evidently, Yj varies from day to day and the company should be able to pay the largest claim, but it is a loss in financial terms if a much larger amount is kept in the bank account of the company than needed for the operations. That is, the company is in= max(Y 1 Yn ) . = terested in the behaviour of Z n .... , . Let A 3 {Yj ~ X], where x is a given number. Then B 0 = {none of the Aj's occursl = [Yj < x for all j] = {Z n < x]. A similar situation arises if Y. denotes the time needed for servicing the j-th component of a 3 = {Yj machine, where j = i, 2 ..... n. Again, if Aj ~ x}, then B 0 = [Z n < x}. Evidently, Z n is the time needed for the completion of the service of the machine, if servicing starts on all components at the same time. In both cases, B 1 describes the behaviour of the second largest among the Y's, and in general, B r is related to the (r + l)-st largest of the Y's. Usually values of
Salvianolic acid B as an anti-emphysema agent II: In vivo reversal activities in two rat models of emphysema.

Abstract Emphysema progressively destroys alveolar structures, leading to disability and death, yet remains irreversible and incurable to date. Impaired vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling is an emerging pathogenic mechanism, thereby proposing a hypothesis that VEGF stimulation/elevation enables recovery from alveolar structural destruction and loss of emphysema. Our previous in vitro study identified that salvianolic acid B (Sal-B), a polyphenol of traditional Chinese herbal danshen, stimulated lung cell proliferation and migration, and protected against induced lung cell death, by virtue of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation and VEGF stimulation/elevation. Thus, this study examined Sal-B for in vivo therapeutic reversal of established emphysema in two rat models. Emphysema was induced with porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) and cigarette smoke extract (CSE), and established by day 21. Sal-B was then spray-dosed to the lung three times weekly for three weeks. Functional treadmill exercise endurance; morphological airspace enlargement and alveolar destruction; apoptosis, cell proliferation and tissue matrix proteins; phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) and VEGF expressions; neutrophil accumulation; and lipid peroxidation were determined. In both models, Sal-B at 0.2 mg/kg significantly reversed impaired exercise endurance by 80 and 64%; airspace enlargement [mean linear intercept (MLI)] by 56 and 67%; and alveolar destructive index (%DI) by 63 and 66%, respectively. Induced apoptosis activity [cleaved caspase-3] was normalized by 94 and 82%; and cell proliferation activity [proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)] was stimulated by 1.6 and 2.1-fold. In the PPE-induced model, Sal-B reduced induction of lung's matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and MMP-2 activities by 59 and 94%, respectively, and restored pSTAT3 and VEGF expressions to the healthy lung levels, while leaving neutrophil accumulation unchecked [myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity]. In the CSE-induced model, Sal-B elevated pSTAT3 and VEGF expressions both by 1.8-fold over the healthy lung levels, and normalized induced lipid peroxidation [malondialdehyde (MDA) activity] by 68%. These results provide an in vivo proof-of-concept for Sal-B as one of the first anti-emphysema agents enabling reversal of alveolar structural destruction and loss via local lung treatment by virtue of its STAT3 activation and VEGF stimulation.
Toward a Neuroscience-Informed Evaluation of Language Technology.

With the ever-increasing number of available language technology products, there is also a need to evaluate them objectively. Unsubstantiated beliefs about what language technology can and cannot d...
Cognitive skills in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia at 1 year adjusted and 2 years chronological age.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate for decline in cognitive scores from 12 to 24 months of age for preterm infants ≤32 weeks gestational age for those with and without bronchopu...