cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blood Urea Nitrogen and Serum Creatinine Not Married in Heart Failure

Klein and colleagues1 have retrospectively analyzed results derived from the prospective, randomized Outcomes of a Prospective Trial of Intravenous Milrinone for Exacerbations of Chronic Heart Failure (OPTIME-CHF) study and contribute an interesting article to this inaugural issue of Circulation: Heart Failure . Their analysis provides further evidence that the level of renal function in patients with worsening heart failure and impaired systolic function is an important predictor of rehospitalization for cardiovascular events and death within 60 days of discharge. Renal function was assessed at admission. Change during hospitalization was recorded for blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Estimated GFR was calculated with the 4-variable equation of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study, which depends on serum creatinine, age, and sex.2 Of interest, the BUN on admission and change in BUN during the hospital stay (independent of the admission value) was a statistically better predictor of the 60-day death rate and days of rehospitalization than was estimated GFR. Because BUN is affected by protein intake, catabolism, and tubular reabsorption of urea, it is not as reliable an index of renal function as GFR. Thus, this observation by Klein et al1 is of particular interest and deserves explanation. Article p 25 Serum creatinine is freely filtered at the glomerulus, not reabsorbed, but undergoes tubular secretion. Thus, creatinine clearance exceeds inulin clearance, the gold standard for GFR. In contrast, urea is freely filtered, not secreted, but is reabsorbed by the renal tubules. This reabsorption of urea is flow dependent so that more urea is reabsorbed at lower urine flow rates (Figure 1).3 Most importantly, the reabsorption of urea in the collecting duct is mediated by the effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on the urea transporter in the collecting …
Ion mobility detection following liquid chromatographic separation

Coronaspray ion mobility spectrometry was used in sample detection following reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation. Samples were introduced by coronaspray using a fused silica transfer line that was inserted through a stainless steel needle. Ion mobility spectra and chromatographic responses via monitoring of reactant-ion depletion in the software second gate mode were shown for esters of para-hydroxy benzoic acid, isomers of nitroaniline, and a mixture of acetaminophen, caffeine, and phenacetin.
The Confluence of Domestic and International Interests: U.S. Policy Toward Cuba, 1998–2001

This article examines the confluence of forces at work to shape U.S. policy toward Cuba since the late 1990s. Our approach examines four key factors involved in policymaking toward Cuba in this period: (1) the entry of new interest groups into the Cuba policy process and an “entrepreneurial” Congress; (2) the executive’s constitutionally based interests; (3) bureaucratic interests; and (4) pressure from outside the United States. We examine U.S.–Cuba policy by describing each determinant in isolation and then by looking at the dynamic interaction among them, showing how they are linked together. In doing so, we argue that an analysis including multiple factors better explains U.S. policy toward Cuba than one that focuses on a single factor such as the power of the Cuban-American community.
A Syllable-Level Probabilistic Framework for Bird Species Identification

In this paper, we present new probabilistic models for identifying bird species from audio recordings. We introduce the independent syllable model and consider two ways of aggregating frame level features within a syllable. We characterize each syllable as a probability distribution of its frame level features. The independent frame independent syllable (IFIS) model allows us to distinguish syllables whose feature distributions are different from one another. The Markov chain frame independent syllable (MCFIS) model is introduced for scenarios where the temporal structure within the syllable provides significant amount of discriminative information. We derive the Bayes risk minimizing classifier for each model and show that it can be approximated as a nearest neighbour classifier. Our experiments indicate that the IFIS and MCFIS models achieve 88.26% and 90.61% correct classification rates, respectively, while the equivalent SVM implementation achieves 86.15%.
Longitudinal Tracking Methods in a Study of Adult Women Sexual Assault Survivors

Standard methods of tracking participants longitudinally are discussed in the context of the experience of one research team studying the impact of sexual assault on victims over time. The researchers considered implementing standard tracking methods used in population-based studies to retain participants over time, but chose to adapt and modify such methods in an effort to build trust and rapport with sexual assault victims recruited from the community. Issues related to methodological decision making and implementation in longitudinal studies are discussed, including effects tracking methods might have on participants and the reality of studying and retaining participants from sensitive populations.
United States foreign policy toward Africa : incrementalism, crisis, and change

In this book Peter Schraeder offers the first comprehensive theoretical analysis of US foreign policy toward Africa in the postwar era. He argues that though we often assume that US policymakers 'speak with one voice', Washington's foreign policy is, however, derived from numerous centres of power which each have the ability to pull policy in different directions. The book describes the evolution of policy at three levels: Presidents and their close advisors; the bureaucracies of the executive branch; and Congress and African affairs interest groups. Most importantly, the evidence presented demonstrates that the nature of events in Africa has itself affected the operation of the US policymaking process, and the substance of US policy. Drawing on over 100 interviews, and detailed case studies in Zaire, Ethiopia-Somalia and South Africa, this book provides a unique analysis of the historical evolution of US foreign policy towards Africa from the 1940s to the 1990s.
Parasites of Bloater Coregonus hoyi (Salmonidae) from Lake Michigan, U.S.A

In total, 158 bloaters Coregonus hoyi collected in September and October 2011 from 4 Lake Michigan, U.S.A., ports were examined for parasites. The ports included Waukegan (WK), Illinois; Port Washington (PW) and Sturgeon Bay (SB), Wisconsin; and Saugatuck (SG), Michigan. Parasites found in bloaters by port were cestodes Cyathocephalus truncatus (WK, PW, and SB) and Eubothrium salvelini (WK, PW, SB, and SG); the nematode Cystidicola farionis (WK, PW, SB, and SG); acanthocephalans Acanthocephalus dirus (WK and PW), Echinorhynchus salmonis (WK, PW, and SB), and Neoechinorhynchus tumidus (SB); and the copepod Salmincola corpulentus (WK and PW). Gravid individuals of all parasite species were found except for E. salvelini and A. dirus. Cystidicola farionis had the highest prevalence at each port, and the highest mean intensity and mean abundance at PW. The numbers of C. farionis at PW were significantly higher than those at WK and SB. Echinorhynchus salvelini had the highest mean intensities and mean abundances at WK, SB, and SG. The values for parasite species richness in bloaters were similar among ports. The total numbers of parasites were similar between WK and PW, but they were higher at these ports than at SB. The parasite faunas of bloaters were characterized by autogenic helminth species.
Long-Term Enteral Nutrition: Flexible Management of Hyperkalemia

Management of hyperkalemia in patients receiving enteral tube feeding is often challenging, particularly in the presence of chronic organ dysfunction. We present a case report describing successful reduction of serum potassium concentration with a tube feeding regimen involving nocturnal infusion of a mixture of Deliver 2.0 (Mead Johnson Nutritionals, Evansville, IN) and sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) powder. The patient described in this report has maintained acceptable serum potassium concentrations without significant alteration of other serum electrolyte parameters. Subsequent in vitro evaluation of Nutren 1.0/SPS (Clintec Nutrition Co, Deerfield, IL) and Deliver 2.0/SPS admixtures revealed that SPS in a concentration of 15 g/L produces a nearly 50% reduction in the potassium content of these enteral feeding formulations. A 30-g/L SPS concentration reduces potassium content by almost two thirds. This decrease in potassium content is accompanied by a reduction in magnesium content and an increase in sodium content.
INFLATION AND GOVERNMENT DEFICITS

There is a pronounced positive correlation of inflation andgovernment deficits in the United States since World War II.The purpose of this paper is to test the three leading explanationsof this correlation. These three explanations are: (a) a deficitincreases prices through a wealth effect; (b) a deficit results inthe Federal Reserve purchasing debt, thus increasing the moneysupply and prices; and (c) expected inflation increases the deficit(which is the change in the nominal value of bonds). No supportis found for either of the first two hypotheses. The results indi-cate that expected government deficits have no significance forfuture inflation.Since World War II, the United States has experienced large federal-government deficits and a sustained peacetime inflation. Three differentconnections between the deficits and inflation are prominent in theliterature.The most direct connection between government deficits and inflationis that by increasing the real value of outstanding bonds and perceived netwealth, a deficit can raise total spending and the price level. This connec-tion is also the most long-standing and is suggested by Metzler (1951) andPatinkin (1965) for example.Monetarists generally and Buchanan and Wagner (1977) in particularhave emphasized a different link between deficits and inflation. They sug-gest that the Federal Reserve purchases government bonds when the Trea-sury sells bonds, thus increasing high-powered money, the money supply,and the price level. The Federal Reserve might behave this way, for exam-ple, because it is attempting to hold down interest rates on governmentsecurities when deficits occur.Recently, Barro (1978, 1979) has put forward a hypothesis that deficitsare a result of inflation, rather than inflation being a result of deficits. Thegovernment deficit is the change in the nominal value of outstanding gov-ernment bonds. If the anticipated inflation rate increases, then the nomi-nal value of bonds must increase, i.e., the government will run a deficit, tokeep the same anticipated real amount of bonds.All three of these possible connections between government deficitsand inflation are consistent with the observed positive correlation of defi-cits and inflation. The implications, however, are strikingly different con-
Colonization of wounded peanut seeds by soil fungi: selectivity for species from Aspergillus section Flavi

Soil is a source of primary inoculum for Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, fungi that produce highly carcinogenic aflatoxins in peanuts. Aflatoxigenic fungi commonly invade peanut seeds during maturation, and the highest concentrations of aflatoxins are found in damaged seeds. A laboratory procedure was developed in which viable peanut seeds were wounded and inoculated with field soil containing natural populations of fungi, then incubated under different conditions of seed water activity and temperature. Densities of Aspergillus section Flavi in soil used for inoculating seeds were low relative to the total numbers of filamentous fungi (<1%). Aspergillus species from section Flavi present in soil included A. flavus morphotypes L and S strains, A. parasiticus, A. caelatus, A. tamarii and A. alliaceus. Wounding was required for high incidences of fungal colonization; viability of wounded seeds had little effect on colonization by Aspergillus species. Peanut seeds were colonized by section Flavi species as well as A. niger over broad ranges of water activity (0.82-0.98) and temperature (15-37 C), and the highest incidences of seed colonization occurred at water activities of 0.92-0.96 at 22-37 C. A. parasiticus colonized peanut seeds at lower temperatures than A. flavus, and cool soil temperatures relative to temperatures of aerial crop fruits might explain why A. parasiticus is found mostly in peanuts. Other fungi, dominated by the genera Penicillium, Fusarium and Clonostachys, colonized seeds primarily at water activities and temperatures suboptimal for section Flavi species and A. niger. Eupenicillium ochrosalmoneum frequently sporulated on the conidial heads of section Flavi species and showed specificity for these fungi. The inoculation of wounded viable peanut seeds with soil containing natural populations of fungi provides a model system for studying the infection process, the interactions among fungi and those factors important in aflatoxin formation.
Psychological Profile, Salivary Cortisol, C-Reactive Protein, and Perceived Health of Grandmothers With Childrearing Responsibility:

Grandmothers with primary responsibility for raising grandchildren are increasing, particularly among African Americans (AA). These caregiving grandmothers were compared with AA grandmothers who did not have such responsibility (N = 30) for levels of stress, anxiety, depression, burden, and coping. Furthermore, the association between these psychobehavioral factors and salivary cortisol, C-reactive protein (CRP), and perceived health and the feasibility of collecting six saliva samples over 2 days were assessed. Grandmother caregivers had higher stress than noncaregiving grandmothers, but the difference was not statistically significant. The two groups did not differ in anxiety, depression, and coping. Grandmother caregivers, however, reported significantly poorer perceived health than their age cohort (p = .007). There was a clear increase from morning to bedtime CRP (p = .02), which was more prominent in grandmother caregivers. The cortisol levels for the combined grandmother groups were inversely corre...
It’s not just who you are but where you live: An exploration of community influences on individual HIV status in rural Malawi

Approximately 1 million people are infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Malawi. Despite efforts aimed at changing individual risk behaviors, HIV prevalence continues to rise among rural populations. Both previous research and the Political Economy of Health framework suggest that community-based socio-economic factors and accessibility may influence HIV transmission; however, these community factors have received little empirical investigation. To fill this gap, this research uses data from a nationally representative probability sample of rural Malawians combined with small area estimates of community socio-economic and accessibility data in logistic regression models to: 1) reveal relationships between community factors and individual HIV status; 2) determine whether these relationships operate through individual HIV risk behaviors; and 3) explore whether these associations vary by gender. Community socio-economic factors include relative and absolute poverty; community accessibility factors include distance to roads, cities, and public health facilities. Individual HIV risk behaviors include reported condom use, sexually transmitted infections, multiple partnerships, and paid sex. Results show that higher community income inequality, community proximity to a major road, and community proximity to a public health clinic are associated with increased odds of HIV for women. For men, community proximity to a major road and community proximity to a public health clinic are associated with increased odds of HIV infection. These direct relationships between community factors and individual HIV status are not mediated by individual HIV risk behaviors. The Political Economy of Health frames the discussion. This study provides evidence for expanding HIV prevention efforts beyond individual risk behaviors to consideration of community factors that may drive the HIV epidemic in rural Malawi.
Reproducibility of breast biopsy.

As a global public health problem, breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with a rather unpredictable outcome, ranging from an indolent tumor to a rapidly progressive disease with the ability to claim the life of an individual. Characterization of a breast cancer based on morphology and biology of each case forms the foundation of planning and the delivery of an effective personalized cancer care. This process involves pathologists who fulfill the critical role of providing accurate and timely diagnostic and prognostic/predictive information. Breast pathology revolves around the precise recognition of abnormalities that are associated with spectrum of changes seen in benign, and atypical proliferative disease, precursor lesions and malignant breast disease. This is a critical task and if it is not done properly, the clinicians are misled and the patients will subsequently suffer from an inappropriate treatment. Regrettably, the contribution of a pathologist in the process of delivery of appropriate care has remained under recognized among medical community and the public. Patients often do not understand the role of pathologists in their care and the clinicians rely upon the findings on pathology reports. The significance of pathology as a critical discipline becomes apparent only when the patient becomes aware of a mistake in the diagnosis of their disease or a clinician realize a significant discrepancy between the clinical presentation and the pathologic diagnosis. This is when the review process highlights the necessity of paying attention to the quality of breast pathology [1].
Commentary on State-Level Economic Development in New York: A Strategy to Enhance Effectiveness

Effective state-level economic development requires an understanding of several factors. These include the nature of economic activity within the state, the limitations of economic development agency resources, and the use of techniques that have sufficient reach to influence large numbers of corporate decision makers. New York’s economic development agency, Empire State Development Corporation (ESD), uses industry cluster analysis as an organizing concept to guide its marketing, business assistance, and infrastructure development efforts. In addition, ESD has emphasized activities in these areas that offer greater “reach” than traditional one-on-one economic development techniques. Among the approaches used by ESD to maximize the effects of its business assistance programs is the provision of assistance to groups of firms collaborating to improve their competitiveness.
Seeing pink elephants: fourteen-month-olds' interpretations of novel nouns and adjectives.

Words from different grammatical categories (e.g., nouns and adjectives) highlight different aspects of the same objects (e.g., object categories and object properties). Two experiments examine the acquisition of this phenomenon in 14-month-olds, asking whether infants can construe the very same set of objects (e.g., four purple animals) either as members of an object category (e.g., animals) or as embodying a salient object property (e.g., four purple things) and whether naming (with either count nouns or adjectives) influences infants' construals. Results suggest (1) that infants have begun to distinguish count nouns from adjectives, (2) that infants share with mature language-users an expectation that different grammatical forms highlight different aspects, and (3) that infants recruit these expectations when extending novel words. Further, these results suggest that an expectation linking count nouns to object categories emerges early in acquisition and supports the emergence of other word-to-world mappings.
Dose‐response analysis of the effects of fenoldopam, dopamine‐1 receptor agonist, on renal function

The present study was carried out to perform a dose-response analysis of the effect of fenoldopam, a DA-1 receptor agonist, on renal sodium excretion. Infusions of fenoldopam for 30 min at doses of 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 μ/kg/min in four separate groups of pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs cused dose-dependent hypotension and renal vasodilation. The reflex tachycardic response was not dose-dependent and seen only with the three higher doses. There was no change in glomerular filtration with any of the four doses of fenoldopam. At the doses of 0.25 and 0.5 μ/kg/min fenoldopam caused significant increases in urine volume, urinary sodium excretion, and fractional excretion of sodium during the infusion as well as during the first recovery period of 30 min. At the highest dose of 1 μ/kg/min no diuresis or natriuresis was seen during the infusion; however, significant increases in urine volume and sodium excretion were seen during the two recovery periods. At the lowest dose (0.125 μ/kg/min) fenoldopam caused minimal hemodynamic changes but produced maximum increases in urine volume and urinary sodium excretion. These effects of fenoldopam were antagonized by the DA-1 receptor antagonist, SCH 23390. The results of our study show that the tublar effects of fenoldopam leading to increased renal sodium excretion are evident at doses lower than those required to cause changes in systemic and renal hemodynamics. In addition, at higher doses when the magnitude of hypotension is very pronounced, this effect may limit the increase in sodium excretion produced by fenoldopam.
Review focus on inorganic nitrite and nitrate in cardiovascular health and disease.

This editorial refers to the following review articles in the issue which are part of a Review Focus on Inorganic Nitrite and Nitrate: M. Gilchrist et al .[7][1], pp. 492–498 ; J.W. Calvert[10][2], pp. 499–506; R.P. Patel et al .[12][3], pp. 507–515; Q. Yu et al .[16][4], pp. 516–524; J.O. Lundberg et al .[17][5], pp. 525–532; C.B. Patillo et al .[19][6], pp. 533–541; B.S. Zuckerbraun et al .[23][7], pp. 542–552; A. Cauwels and P. Brouckaert[24][8], pp. 553–559. Reviews and original articles in this focused issue of Cardiovascular Research address the topic of inorganic nitrite and nitrate in cardiovascular pathophysiology. It is well accepted that nitric oxide (NO) is a critical regulator of cardiovascular health that is routinely depleted during vascular disease and dysfunction.1,2 Since the original discovery of NO as a mediator of cardiovascular health, thousands of studies have focused on mechanisms of NO generation and function, largely addressing NO synthase (NOS) activity and NO-dependent signalling responses (e.g. soluble guanylate cyclase and nitrosylation reactions).3,4 From the beginning, a physiological role for inorganic nitrite or nitrate in mediating the biological effects of NO was briefly considered; however, early experimental data did not support a compelling role for these molecules in participating in NO physiology. Over the last decade, a handful of investigators have challenged this dogma through studies re-examining the relationship between NO, nitrite, and nitrate and have elucidated the newly described nitrite/nitrate/NO endocrine system. In the current review papers, the authors discuss how nitrite/nitrate serve as an important reservoir for NO and detail how under specific conditions nitrite/nitrate can be reduced back to NO to increase its bioavailability independent of classical NOS activity. The importance and mechanisms of this unique feature of nitrite/nitrate anion are further detailed with respect to cardiovascular health and potential therapeutic uses. Historical and new, emerging evidence … [1]: #ref-7 [2]: #ref-10 [3]: #ref-12 [4]: #ref-16 [5]: #ref-17 [6]: #ref-19 [7]: #ref-23 [8]: #ref-24
Targeting the glucocorticoid receptor in breast and prostate cancers

Steroid receptors for androgens and estrogens have essential roles in prostate and breast cancers. Recently, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity has also been proposed as having an important role in these cancers. Underscoring the cooperative nature of nuclear receptor activity, data now suggest that GR function in prostate and breast cancers is dependent on the tumor's concomitant androgen or estrogen receptor activity.
Statistical-noise reduction in correlation analysis of high-energy nuclear collisions with event-mixing

Abstract The error propagation and statistical-noise reduction method of Reid and Trainor for two-point correlation applications in high-energy collisions is extended to include particle-pair references constructed by mixing two particles from all event-pair combinations within event subsets of arbitrary size. The Reid–Trainor method is also applied to other particle-pair mixing algorithms commonly used in correlation analysis of particle production from high-energy nuclear collisions. The statistical-noise reduction, inherent in the Reid–Trainor event-mixing procedure, is shown to occur for these other event-mixing algorithms as well. Monte Carlo simulation results are presented which verify the predicted degree of noise reduction. In each case the final errors are determined by the bin-wise particle-pair number, rather than by the bin-wise single-particle count.
Cardiac Arrhythmias in Chronic Marijuana Smokers during Regional Anesthesia

마리화나(Marijuana) 흡연이 심전도에 영향을 미친다는 보고가 있으나 그 정확한 기전은 알려져 있지 않다. 우리는 최근 많은 마리화나흡연자 마취중 4예에서 국부마취시행시 심전도에 이상소견을 경험하였다. 마리화나가 심장에 독작용이 있음이 입증되지 않았으나 마리화나흡연자 마취시에는 항상 주의하여야 하며 부정맥 발생에 대한 적절한 처치를 시행하여야 한다.
Suppression of constitutive cytochrome P-450 gene expression in livers of rats undergoing an acute phase response to endotoxin.

Administration of purified bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to male rats suppressed the constitutive hepatic expression of the male-specific cytochrome P-450 [AH, reduced flavoprotein:oxygen oxidoreductase (RH hydroxylating), E.C.1.14.14.1] isozyme P-450h (P450IIC11) to about 35% of control levels within 24 hr. The mRNA for P-450h was more rapidly and more profoundly suppressed than was the protein, indicating (a) that the decrease in the mRNA was responsible for the suppression of the protein and (b) that other mechanisms work to maintain expression of P-450h apoprotein in the face of repression of its mRNA. Suppression of P-450h expression was maximal at an endotoxin dose of 30-100 micrograms/kg, indicating that P-450 suppression is concomitant with the acute-phase response of hepatic secretory proteins. The female-specific cytochrome P-450 isozyme, P-450i (P450IIC12), was suppressed to 17% of control levels by LPS administration in female rats. Suppression of the P-450i apoprotein by LPS, and recovery of its expression, was more rapid than was suppression of P-450h in males. P-450i protein and mRNA levels were concomitantly suppressed by LPS, indicating that although there is a pretranslational component to the suppression, other mechanisms may also contribute. Calculations based on estimations of the microsomal contents of P-450h and P-450i relative to the total cytochrome P-450 in untreated rat livers indicate that suppression of these forms contributes significantly to the decreases in total microsomal P-450 after LPS treatment. In these studies, hepatic microsomal NADPH-cytochrome c reductase (TPNH2-cytochrome c reductase, E.C.1.6.2.4) activities and content of cytochrome b5 were decreased by LPS administration in both male and female rats. Like its effects on cytochrome P-450 expression, endotoxin suppression of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activities and cytochrome b5 levels was more rapid in female rats than in males. The production of a local inflammatory response in male rats by subcutaneous injection of turpentine caused effects on cytochrome P-450, P-450h expression, and cytochrome b5 that were similar to those of endotoxin but were less rapidly achieved.
Grain Boundary Structure as a Function of Aluminum Level in Ni3Al

Understanding the boron effect in Ni3Al currently centers on determining thestructure of the region near grain boundaries, especially the presence of a disordered lj phase. In this study, a series of alloys was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as a function of aluminum level, boron level, and cooling rate for thepresence of any grain boundary phases. The base alloy series all contained 0.5 at. % Hf. At 21.5 at. % Al,lj formed in the matrix as expected. However, in slowly cooled specimens with 22 and 22.5% Al, a second phase with thicknesses from 25 to 50 nm formed on some of the grain boundaries. At higher aluminum levels no evidence of any second phase was observed. The minimum width of grain boundary images formed by normal diffraction contrast imaging was generally 0.5 to 1 nm for grain boundaries that presumably had no second phase and were parallel to the electron beam. Therefore, a second phase with a thickness of 1 nm or less would not be discernable by TEM. High resolution Z-contrast imaging by scanning TEM of a very low angle boundary in directionally solidified (DS) material also showed no evidence of disordering, but did show a surprising amount of non-planarity of the boundary. Whereas slower cooling rates might be expected to aid the formation of any grain boundary phase and thereby increase the ductility, the ductility was slightly lower for the more slowly cooled alloys than for the furnace cooled alloys. From 21.5 to 24% Al, the tensile elongations remain fairly constant with values ranging from 45 to 52%. Above 24%, the ductility drops off rapidly but is still much higher for the boron-doped material than for the undoped material. At 25.2% Al, the ductility is still 4% as compared to essentially zero for undoped material. Therefore the ductility improvements in boron-doped Ni3Al do not require the presence of any grain boundary disordered phases discernable by TEM.
Propagation of a bipartite entangled state through a negative refractive index medium

We generate entangled twin beams using four-wave-mixing and investigate its propagation through a negative refractive index medium. Anomalous dispersion is generated near a gain line induced by a pump beam in an atomic vapor.
Correlation of the Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with Reduced Soybean Yields in North Carolina

The impact of Solenopsis invicta Buren on soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., seed yields in Brunswick County, N.C., was investigated in 1979 and 1980 in the context of environmental variables known to affect yield. Standard correlation and multiple regression techniques were used to analyze the data. Many factors, including fire ants, were significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) correlated with seed yields. Fire ants were negatively correlated with seed yields in 1979 (r = −0.485) and 1980 (r = −0.643). Linear models developed from the data explained a large portion of observed variations in seed yield. Fire ants contributed significantly to an explanation of soybean seed yield variations in the models.
DICE:Database of Ion Channel Electrophysiology

DICE(Database of Ion Channel Electrophysiology) is a database developed to hold electrophysiological and pharmacological data of interactions between ion channels and their modulators.These data were historically scattered among literatures and hard to mine.DICE collected and integrated the electrophysiological and pharmacological data,together with sequence and structure information of individual ion channels and modulators.DICE provides data submission,storage,query and download to facilitate further data integration and data mining.DICE can be accessed through the following website: http://biodb.sgst.cn/DICE.
Information Capability Appraise of Command Information System

It is becoming more and more increasingly for the demand of the information capability of command information system in information battle under the high-tech conditions.It is an important problem how to estimate the acquirement of the information superiority and information dominance in information battles,and find the bugs of the information capability of the command information system through the evaluation of the information ability.In this paper,some multilevel appraise indexes are constructed by research and analysis.Adopting the method of AHP determines the relative weight between the indexes.Using an evaluation model of multi-factor connection number for the set pair analysis completes comprehensive evaluation for the information capability of the command information system.The model based on multi-factor connection number for the set pair analysis is impersonal and strict,the evaluation result is reasonable,authentic and viable.It is worthy for evaluating information capability of command information system.
Rectal carcinoma. Abdominoperineal and anterior resections.

Unless a patient with rectal cancer is near death from metastatic cancer or concurrent disease of a major organ system, the rectal neoplasm should be removed whenever possible, because aggressive removal of colorectal cancers, even those with local lymph node metastases, seems to increase the survival rate.
THE ROLE OF MR IMAGING IN THE SELECTION OF THERAPY FOR PROSTATE CANCER

Combined modality staging is a methodology in which all of the pretreatment clinical factors that are found to have independent prognostic significance on multivariable analysis for predicting a given outcome (e.g., pathologic stage) are used to determine the initial management. This method of staging provides an optimized assessment of the pathologic extent of local disease prior to management, and therefore is better able to define those patients in whom local only therapy is likely to be curative. Knowing more about the pathologic extent of disease prior to therapy provides a rationale for patient selection in clinical trials that test new management strategies against the current standards. The preoperative endorectal coil MR imaging study results have been shown on multivariable analysis (which included PSA, clinical stage, and biopsy Gleason score) to provide statistically independent prognostic information about the outcomes of pathologic stage, margin status, postoperative PSA failure, and the prediction of local only failure in the positive margin patient.
Intergenerational education mobility and depressive symptoms in a population of Mexican origin.

Abstract Purpose Low educational attainment has been associated with depression among Latinos. However, few studies have collected intergenerational data to assess mental health effects of educational mobility across generations. Methods Using data from the Ninos Lifestyle and Diabetes Study, we assessed the influence of intergenerational education on depressive symptoms among 603 Mexican-origin individuals. Intergenerational educational mobility was classified: stable-low (low parent and/or low offspring education), upwardly mobile (low parent and/or high offspring education), stable-high (high parent and/or high offspring education), or downwardly mobile (high parent and/or low offspring education). High depressive symptoms were defined as scoring ≥10 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD-10). We examined prevalence ratios (PRs) for depressive symptoms with levels of educational mobility. We used general estimating equations with log-binomial models to account for within-family clustering, adjusting for age, gender, and offspring and parent nativity. Results Compared with stable-low participants, the lowest prevalence of CESD-10 score ≥10 occurred in upwardly mobile (PR = 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.39–0.78) and stable-high (PR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.44–0.87) participants. Downwardly mobile participants were also less likely to have a CESD-10 score ≥10 compared with stable-low participants (PR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.38–1.11), although the estimate was not statistically significant. Conclusions Sustained stress from low intergenerational education may adversely affect depression. Latinos with stable-low or downwardly mobile intergenerational educational attainment may need closer monitoring for depressive symptoms.
Characteristics and Proximal Outcomes of Calls Made to Suicide Crisis Hotlines in California.

Abstract. Background: Suicide hotlines are commonly used to prevent suicides, although centers vary with respect to their management and operations. Aims: To describe variability across suicide prevention hotlines. Method: Live monitoring of 241 calls was conducted at 10 suicide prevention hotlines in California. Results: Call centers are similar with respect to caller characteristics and the concerns callers raise during their calls. The proportion of callers at risk for suicide varied from 3 to 57%. Compliance with asking about current suicide risk, past ideation, and past attempts also ranged considerably. Callers to centers that were part of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) were more likely to experience reduced distress than callers to centers that were not part of the NSPL. Conclusion: Because callers do not generally choose the center or responder that will take their call, it is critical to promote quality across call centers and minimize the variability that currently exists. Accre...
The Shifting Balance of Economic Power

In an interdependent world, nations still struggle to defend and expand national security and prosperity. But power flows, not out of gun barrels, but from bank vaults, laboratories, boardrooms, factory floors and classrooms. Nations tip the balance of power in their favor, not with vast military forces, but with vast trade surpluses. Armies are equipped with business suits, calculators, and flowcharts rather than khaki, rifles and tanks. Superpower rests on corporate rather than nuclear power.
Spike train encoding of analog signals in a graphene fiber ring laser

Spiking neural networks (SNN) have inherent advantages over traditional computing architectures for many computational problems such as adaptive control, sensory processing, and pattern recognition. Recently, a graphene-based fiber laser has been shown that demonstrates all the key properties of spike processing: logic-level restoration, cascadability and input-output isolation, in one device[1]. Here, we show that this device is able to perform unique nonlinear operations on analog input signals, including the ability to convert those signals into spike train outputs. This represents a stepping stone towards practical implementations of laser devices that can perform spike-based operations on high frequency analog signals.
Characterization of CdS/CdSe window layers in CdTe thin film solar cells

Thin film CdTe solar cells devices are fabricated using bi-layer stacks of CdS and CdSe with the intent of increasing the photocurrent generated within the CdTe layer. Variations in device spectral response with varying thickness of the CdS layer within the bi-layer stack are examined. Also, the impacts of processing conditions used for CdTe deposition and CdCl 2 annealing treatments are studied with respect to the CdS/CdSe/CdTe interface characteristics.
Pain in Low Resource Environments

Adequate pain management in low resource settings is rarely available due to a number of disparate barriers. With the increase in non-communicable diseases worldwide, suitable resources for the delivery of palliative care as well as essential surgery and anesthesia are lacking. In recent years, international organizations have highlighted more specific barriers and opportunities to address pain in these settings. Medical, nursing, and allied health training in pain management is generally missing from standard curricula, and this fosters the under treatment of pain. Despite a legal framework meant to ensure availability of opioids for medical purposes, they are non-existent or practically unavailable in many low resource settings due to high cost, over regulation, or underutilization. Pain treatment in low resource settings is discussed in the context of the availability of resources and education within a complex regulatory framework.
Morphology and taxonomy of Klamath Basin suckers (Catostomidae)

We examined morphology of 4 sucker species (Catostomidae) from Klamath and Rogue River basins, Oregon and California. Different pairs of these species have been suspected of hybridizing, and field biologists have experienced difficulty identifying individuals in some areas. The suite of morphological characters used for initial identification was poorly supported by other morphometric characters but well supported by meristic characters, especially when analyses were restricted geographically. In some species sexual dimorphism was evident, with males having longer pectoral fins and females having longer pre-anal counts and measurements. Each species showed geographic differentiation, either between the Lost River subbasin and other Klamath subbasins or between Klamath and Rogue basins. Classification was most difficult for Catostomus snyderi , which was frequently misclassified as all other species, but especially as Chasmistes brevirostris . Despite this, the 2 species are ecologically segregated in the upper subbasins with lake-spawning Ch. brevirostris spatially segregated and river-spawning Ch. brevirostris temporally segregated from river-spawning C. snyderi . We discuss the possibility that a large-headed, thin-lipped species has become extinct in Upper Klamath Lake and alternatively suggest that the form could represent an ecophenotype of Ch. brevirostris that is no longer produced in hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake.
Frozen in Time: The Fagel Collection in the Library of Trinity College Dublin: , edited by Timothy R. Jackson, Dublin, Lilliput Press, 2016, € 50.00, ISBN: 9781843516750

Libraries have often enough been transformed by the acquisition of a single collection: the British Museum by George III's gift of the King's Library in 1828 is a good example. The purchase of the ...
INHALED NITRIC OXIDE DOES NOT ACTIVATE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN PREMATURE LAMBS. † 1709

Inhalation of nitric oxide may be toxic, yet it is being increasingly used as a pulmonary vasodilator in infants with severe lung disease. To determine if inhaled nitric oxide (INO) causes an increase in systemic inflammatory markers, we measured neutrophil respiratory burst (NRB), spontaneous blastogenesis (SB), hemiallogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactivity (stimulation index; MLR-SI), and plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) in premature lambs randomized to receive either INO or control gas. We studied six sets of premature lamb twins (119-126 days gestation, ≅ 0.8 term). Arterial and venous catheters, and tracheal tubes were placed and modified natural surfactant(beractant) was given prior to mechanical ventilation. Lambs were delivered, stabilized and mechanically ventilated for approximately two hours prior to obtaining samples for baseline inflammatory marker measurements. One twin was randomly assigned to receive 20 ppm INO while the other received control gas(Control) for the next four hours. Blood samples for inflammatory marker measurements were collected at two, three, and four hours of the study. There were no significant differences in the systemic inflammatory marker measurements between the INO and Control groups. Data intable are mean ± SE at baseline and two or four hours. We conclude that four hour INO administration does not cause systemic inflammatory marker activation in preterm lambs. These results may reflect the non-stimulated, immunosuppressed state of the surgically-delivered preterm animals.
Parallel Construction of Suffix Trees and the All-Nearest-Smaller-Values Problem

A Suffix tree is a fundamental and versatile string data structure that is frequently used in important application areas such as text processing, information retrieval, and computational biology. Sequentially, the construction of suffix trees takes linear time, and optimal parallel algorithms exist only for the PRAM model. Recent works mostly target low core-count shared-memory implementations but achieve suboptimal complexity, and prior distributed-memory parallel algorithms have quadratic worst-case complexity. Suffix trees can be constructed from suffix and longest common prefix (LCP) arrays by solving the All-Nearest-Smaller-Values(ANSV) problem. In this paper, we formulate a more generalized version of the ANSV problem, and present a distributed-memory parallel algorithm for solving it in O(n/p +p) time. Our algorithm minimizes the overall and per-node communication volume. Building on this, we present a parallel algorithm for constructing a distributed representation of suffix trees, yielding both superior theoretical complexity and better practical performance compared to previous distributed-memory algorithms. We demonstrate the construction of the suffix tree for the human genome given its suffix and LCP arrays in under 2 seconds on 1024 Intel Xeon cores.
Strains, functions and dynamics in the expanded Human Microbiome Project

The characterization of baseline microbial and functional diversity in the human microbiome has enabled studies of microbiome-related disease, diversity, biogeography, and molecular function. The National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Project has provided one of the broadest such characterizations so far. Here we introduce a second wave of data from the study, comprising 1,631 new metagenomes (2,355 total) targeting diverse body sites with multiple time points in 265 individuals. We applied updated profiling and assembly methods to provide new characterizations of microbiome personalization. Strain identification revealed subspecies clades specific to body sites; it also quantified species with phylogenetic diversity under-represented in isolate genomes. Body-wide functional profiling classified pathways into universal, human-enriched, and body site-enriched subsets. Finally, temporal analysis decomposed microbial variation into rapidly variable, moderately variable, and stable subsets. This study furthers our knowledge of baseline human microbial diversity and enables an understanding of personalized microbiome function and dynamics.
Analysis of structural measurements in correlation networks built from gene expression data across different tissue types in Mus musculus

Big data analysis has been pervasively adopted as a method to analyze the tremendous amount of daily generated high throughput data in an efficient and accurate manner. Among the series of tools available in the field of big biomedical data, correlation networks are one of the most powerful tools for modelling gene expression, which is important in the study of disease and ageing. With the help of the correlation networks, insightful research has been done, such as distinguishing target genes for study within gene co-expression data. However, the utility of this model has not been thoroughly investigated as it pertains to applicability across and within tissue types. In this project, we address this gap in knowledge by investigating the range of outputs from analyzing correlation networks constructed from gene expression data. A total of 43 correlation networks were built using the gene expression data from 5 different tissues in Mus musculus. Then we compared a number of network measurements (degree distribution, assortativity coefficient, and clustering coefficient) across tissues to identify the span of possible ranges of each measure. We find that the average assortativity coefficient over all the networks is significantly different for networks between series, while the remainder of the parameters show no difference in average measure. Finally, we summarize the overall measurement ranges for number of nodes, number of edges, assortativity coefficient, clustering coefficient, and network density. This work is an investigation into the ability of the correlation network to represent gene expression data accurately, and the results that there are some common structural characteristics of data built across different tissues.