cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultra heavy cosmic rays: The next generation

Abstract Ultra-heavy galactic cosmic rays have been of great interest for the last several decades since a knowledge of their elemental and isotopic abundances yields important information relevant to their origin, the nucleosynthesis processes in which they were created, their selection and injection into the cosmic ray beam, their acceleration and propagation to earth, their age, and to the evolution of galactic matter. In this paper the current status of ultra-heavy measurements is described, an approach to taking the next experimental step is discussed, and the knowledge that can be galned from such an investigation is outlined.
Integrity of craniofacial plating systems after multiple sterilization procedures.

Purpose To determine the effect of multiple autoclave sterilization cycles on the integrity of titanium plates and screws used in craniofacial reconstruction. Materials and Methods Torque to fracture was evaluated for 36 titanium 6AL-4V (Ti 6/4) screws divided evenly into 3 groups and tested as machined (control), after 10 cycles of autoclaving or after 50 cycles of autoclaving. Sterilization was carried out by autoclaving for 15 minutes followed by 8 minutes of drying at 270° to 272°F. The maximum torque attained before fracture was recorded. Rotating beam specimens were crafted from single lots of Ti 6/4, commercially pure titanium grade 4 (CP4) and commercially pure titanium grade 2 (CP2), and then subjected to testing in a standard rotating beam device as machined (control), after 10 cycles of autoclaving or after 50 cycles of autoclaving. The cycles required to fracture the specimen at a given applied stress were recorded for each material and for the number of autoclavings carried out before testing. Results Although there was a trend toward decreased strength and increased ability to fracture with increased number of autoclave cycles, this did not reach statistical significance. Torque to fracture testing for 7 mm Ti 6/4 screws showed no significant difference in the maximum torque reached before fracture between controls, those screws that had been autoclaved 10 times ( P P Conclusions Repeated cycles of autoclaving had no significant effect on the integrity of titanium plates and screws routinely used in craniofacial surgery.
Physician strikes and trust.

Physician strikes in the United States have been relatively rare, although this has not been the case in other countries nor with other members of the healthcare community, such as nurses. This situation, however, could change. More physicians are either joining unions or seriously discussing doing so. The National Guild for Medical Providers, for example, is actively trying to expand its membership of 11,000 doctors in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire into Illinois, California, New Jersey, Colorado, Texas, and South Carolina. The Federation of Physicians and Dentists, with 2,500 members in Florida and Connecticut, is trying to establish itself in Seattle, Las Vegas, Tucson, and Philadelphia. Although unions are neither necessary nor sufficient conditions for strikes, if physician unions do become more prevalent, the potential for collective work actions, including strikes, increases.
Pharmacology and Toxicology of Nav1.5-Class 1 Antiarrhythmic Drugs

Although cardiac sodium channel blocking drugs can exert antiarrhythmic actions, they can also provoke life-threatening arrhythmias through a variety of mechanisms. This review addresses the way in which drugs interact with the channel, and how these effects translate to clinical beneficial or detrimental effects. A further understanding of the details of channel function and of drug-channel interactions may lead to the development of safer and more effective antiarrhythmic therapies.
Families With Children With Diabetes: Implications of Parent Stress for Parent and Child Health

Objective To examine the relation of parent stress to parent mental health and child mental and physical health. Methods We interviewed children with type 1 diabetes (n ¼132; mean age 12 years) annually for 5 years and had one parent complete a questionnaire at each assessment. Parents completed measures of general life stress, stress related to caring for a child with diabetes, benefit finding, and mental health. Child outcomes were depressive symptoms, self-care behavior, and glycemic control. Multilevel modeling was used to examine concurrent and longitudinal relations. Results Greater parent general stress and greater parent diabetes-specific stress were associated with poorer parent mental health. Overall, greater parent general stress was associated with poorer child outcomes, whereas greater parent diabetes-specific stress was associated with better child outcomes. Conclusions Families with high levels of general life stress should be identified as they are at risk for both poor parent and child health outcomes.
Critical water potentials for germination of wheat cultivars in the dryland Northwest USA

Low soil water potential limits or prevents germination and emergence of rainfed winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in the winter wheat‐summer fallow region of the US Inland Pacific Northwest, where wheat is routinely sown deep to reach moisture with 12‐15cm of soil covering the seed. Wide differences in seedling emergence among winter wheat cultivars have been reported,butfewpreviousexperimentshaveexamined germination differences among cultivars as a function of water potential. The objective of our laboratory study was to quantify seed germination of five commonly sown winter wheat cultivars (Moro, Xerpha, Eltan, Buchanan and Finley) at seven water potentials, ranging from 0 to 21.5MPa. Germination was measured as a function of time for a period of 30d. At higherwaterpotentials(0to20.5MPa),allcultivarshad germination of more than 90%. At the lowest water potentials (21.0 to 21.25MPa), however, Moro consistently exceeded the other cultivars for speed andextentofgermination,withtotalgerminationof74% at 21.0MPa and 43% at 21.25MPa. Since its release in 1966, Moro has been sown by farmers when seedzone water conditions are marginal. Scientists have long known that coleoptile length is an important factor controlling winter wheat seedling emergence from deep sowing depths. In addition to having a long coleoptile, our data suggest that Moro’s known excellent emergence ability from deep sowing depths in dry soils can also be attributed to the ability to germinate at lower water potentials than othercultivars.
De-embedding intrinsic parameters of high-Q dielectric resonators from noisy measurements

The low losses of electromagnetically coupled dielectric resonators render the measured scattering parameters very sensitive to background “noise” contributed by the coupling mechanism, package modes, radiation, and so forth. It becomes important to properly calibrate out this parasitic influence in order to accurately measure the unloaded Q. We report a robust software calibration procedure based on a state-space spectral estimation method, which filters out the background noise and facilitates linear extraction of the unloaded Q. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 1453–1458, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21730
Source coding with feedforward using the posterior matching scheme

This paper considers the problem of source coding with feedforward, where an encoder compresses an i.i.d. source into a message, and the decoder takes this message, along with causal noiseless side information, to construct an estimate of the source. The posterior matching scheme is an optimal feedback communication scheme for memoryless channels that results in the channel outputs being i.i.d. The duality between channel coding with feedback and source coding with feedforward motivates the idea of dualizing posterior matching for this setting. We demonstrate, using a Lyapunov exponent approach, that such a scheme attains the rate-distortion function.
Missing links: mechanisms of protean agonism.

The concept of pharmacological efficacy has been much discussed recently with significant interest both in inverse agonists and in protean agonists (i.e., compounds with functional selectivity for different effector responses). Although first proposed in the mid-1990s, the pharmacological and therapeutic importance of these concepts is now receiving wider support. Two articles in recent issues of Molecular Pharmacology, Lane et al. (p. 1349, current issue) and Galandrin and Bouvier (Mol Pharmacol70:1575–1584, 2006), provide new mechanistic information on functionally selective ligands at the pharmacologically important D2 dopamine receptor and the β1 and β2 adrenergic receptors. Each article bridges a gap between recent biophysical studies showing distinct receptor conformations produced by different ligands and the increasing number of reports of discordant outputs by a single ligand to two effector readouts. The Lane et al. study clearly demonstrates G protein-specific actions of D2 dopamine receptor ligands. These range from equivalent responses for Gαo and Gαi activation by norapomorphine and 7-hydroxy-2-dipropylaminotetralin to S-(–)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-propylpiperidine, which is an agonist for Gαo activation and an inverse agonist at Gαi1 and Gαi2. Likewise, Galandrin and Bouvier describe a two-dimensional Cartesian efficacy approach in which propranolol is an agonist for extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation, probably through β-arrestin, while functioning as an inverse agonist for adenylyl cyclase activation. Thus, these two important articles further solidify the concepts of functional selectivity and protean agonism and begin to define the first postreceptor step in actions of protean agonist ligands.
Detection and isolation of Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 from a small backyard swine herd in Colorado

Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 A(H1N1)pdm09 was first confirmed in pigs in the United States in October 2009. In November 2010, lungs and intestines from 2 York piglets from a small, privately owne...
SUPERCUSPIDAL REPRESENTATIONS OF GL(n) DISTINGUISHED BY A UNITARY SUBGROUP

When E=F is a quadratic extension of p-adic elds, with p6 , and H 0 is a unitary similitude group in GL(n;E) ,i t is shown that for every irreducible supercuspidal representation of GL(n;E) of lowest level the space of H 0 -invariant linear forms has dimension at most one. The analogous fact for the corresponding unitary group H also holds, so long as n is odd or E=F is ramied. When n is even and E=F is unramied, the space of H-invariant linear forms on the space of may have dimension two.
Control of a high precision linear robot workcell using state steering

This work deals with feedforward control of a New England Affiliated Technologies (NEAT) four-axis positioning system which is designed for single mode optical fiber alignment applications. Due to the presence of a velocity deadzone with variable boundaries, a model reference feedforward control is implemented to improve the transient response. The algorithm is efficient in execution while robust to plant and deadzone boundary uncertainties. Both simulation and experimental results confirm the viability of the proposed method
Health Care Delivery Crisis In Corporate America

This paper examines the health care delivery crisis that has emerged in corporate America. Health care costs now account for 17% of the total GDP with the United States spending two trillion in health care costs (Herzlinger, 2007). The paper also discusses the major strategies that business leaders have implemented to reduce health care delivery costs while maintaining quality care for their employees. The effectiveness of these strategies to contain health care costs will also be addressed.
Comprehensive evaluation of fatty acids in foods. IV. Nuts, peanuts, and soups.

In this fourth article of a series, the authors update figures on fatty acid composition of more foods.
Formulation and Computational Implementation of Constitutive Models for Cardiovascular Soft Tissue Simulations

Predictive computational modeling of the cardiovascular system has often been utilized as a powerful investigative tool. Motivated by the need for a deeper understanding of the underlying physiology, the identification of pathological initiators, as well as the development of bioprosthetic devices, a broad variety of modeling approaches have been introduced into the literature. Central to system- and organ-level functional simulations is the need for robust and physiologically meaningful constitutive models of the underlying soft tissue structures. While studied for many decades, Y.C. Fung popularized the field of soft tissue mechanics through a set of influential books which demonstrated the unique challenges involved in the mathematical characterization of living tissue mechanical behaviors. Overall, his main contribution was to establish constitutive relationships for the purpose of examining biological tissues in a continuum mechanics framework. Particular challenges in soft tissue constitutive modeling are encountered due to their complex mechanical behavior. For example, because of their oriented fibrous structures, they often exhibit pronounced mechanical anisotropy, nonlinear stress–strain relationships, large deformations, viscoelasticity, poroelasticity, and strong mechanical coupling. Taken as a whole, soft biological tissues defy simple material models. The focus of this chapter is the description and computational application of relevant biomechanical constitutive theories. Throughout this chapter, we will utilize the assumption of hyperelastic behavior as fundamental to soft tissue biomechanics, utilizing the concept of pseudo-elasticity, so that the loading response is modeled only.
Cautious versus desperado males: predation risk affects courtship intensity but not female choice in a wolf spider

Understanding the decisions that animals make in the presence of predation risk can reveal their assessment of current and future reproductive options. The wolf spider, Pardosa milvina, has a conspicuous courtship display that is an indicator of male quality. In an initial experiment, we determined that male courtship was highly repeatable and correlated with symmetry. We then used symmetry as an indicator of quality to explore the reactions of males when presented with simulated predation risk and an attractive virgin female. There were no differences in courtship features between risk and no risk treatments unless we took into account male quality. High-quality males reduced courtship intensity under risk conditions suggesting that they estimated their long-term fitness prospects as strong. This response is consistent with the asset protection principle, which suggests that animals with high value traits should behave cautiously. Low-quality males courted at high levels under predation risk, which seemed to be reckless attempts to attract females. This response is analogous to the "desperado effect," which is one explanation for vigorous fighting by inferior animals in contests. Although females used behavior to select males when no predator information was present, they seemed to use symmetry in the presence of predator cues. The ability of females to select the most attractive males suggests that they can accurately assess male quality under laboratory conditions. High courting "desperado" males may occasionally be selected in more complex environments and/or when they are in competition with other males.
Federal Sentencing Guidelines and United States v. Booker Social Context and Sentencing Disparity

The United States v. Booker decision rendered Federal Sentencing Guidelines advisory rather than mandatory. In the context of this decision, this study examines both the direct influence of aggrega...
Teaching Note -Taking Skills to Underachieving College Students

AbstractThe present study attempted to develop a note-taking program that would teach college students to recognize and record the most important information from lectures. In addition, a method was developed for reliably evaluating the accuracy of students" notes. A non-graded university course was created in which the subject matter was sexual behavior. Three groups of students, two experimental and one control group, attended the course lectures. The two experimental groups received a note-taking program, the key features of which were: modeling, discrimination training, practice, prompting, shaping, fading, and positive feedback. The results showed that the two experimental groups increased the percent of critical lecture points in their notes from baseline to posttraining by 23 and 18 percent, whereas the control group’s percent of critical lecture points decreased by 9 percent. During a one-lecture generalization probe (a different instructor gave the lecture) the experimental groups averaged 60 and...
Principles of Coarse-Graining and Coupling Using the Atom-to-Continuum Method

In this chapter we develop a basis for atom-continuum coupling simulation: (a) consistent upscaling/coarse-graining of the atomic state, (b) multiscale governing balances, (c) consistent continuum surrogate models, and (d) atomistic control schemes. In particular, from the established continuum balances and a general formulation for coarse-graining, we derive estimators for mechanical fields such as stress and displacement, thermal quantities such as heat flux and temperature, and electrostatic fields such as polarization. In addition, we formulate mechanical and thermal coupling schemes including specific algorithms for atomic regulation to achieve field consistency and flux conservation. Lastly, we demonstrate these concepts with a range of example simulations.
Carbon trading and circular economy

The financial market of Carbon trading(greenhouse gas emissions trading)is already formed at home and abroad,while is just beginning to take shape in china,because of the domestic enterprise information asymmetry and lack of professional knowledge,carbon trading has a serious underestimate value phenomenon.The paper introduces the background of carbon trading,the financial markets of carbon trading,at the same time,the energy transition direction and strategy are introduced in this paper,the carbon trading market's arrival promotes not only energy economy but also the development of economy,low carbon economy is a kind of economic form which complies with a carbon trading market,while circular economy is a way to realize.Both circular economy and low carbon economy are coordinated development,which accelerates economic development.
A Study on Long-term Optimal Dispatch for Parallel-serial Reservoirs of Dadu River

Aiming at the parallel-serial hydropower stations and reservoirs of Dadu river as research object,a long-term optimal dispatch model with target of maximum power output in different situations of firm power is established.The POA and an improved algorithm of POA based on search with variable area and step size are used to solve the model.The results show that the time consumption of improved algorithm is 90 times shortens than that of traditional POA under the precondition of total power output increase.In addition,under the different firm power situations,the average annual power output of cascade and whole power output increase 241 and 309 GW·h respectively than that of single reservoir.
Danazol suppression of luteinizing hormone secretion: a role for danazol-androgen receptor interaction within the brain-pituitary complex

We investigated the relationship between intracellular androgen and estrogen receptors within the brain-pituitary complex and danazol suppression of luteinizing hormone secretion in castrated rats. Danazol did not influence 3H-estradiol-estrogen receptor interactions within the brain and pituitary but did suppress 3H-dihydrotestosterone-androgen receptor interactions within this neuroendocrine complex. To study the significance of these danazol-androgen receptor interactions, the drug was administered to androgen receptor-deficient pseudohermaphrodite or flutamide-treated male rats. In both instances, danazol suppression of luteinizing hormone release was markedly attenuated or absent. These findings point to danazol-androgen receptor interactions within the brain-pituitary complex as a key step in this drug's antigonadotropic actions. Whether the active drug form is danazol itself or a metabolite is subject to further study.
Pneumocystis infection alters the activation state of pulmonary macrophages

Recent studies show a substantial incidence of Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization and infection in patients with chronic inflammatory lung conditions. However, little is known about the impact of Pneumocystis upon the regulation of pulmonary immunity. We demonstrate here that Pneumocystis polarizes macrophages towards an alternatively activated macrophage-like phenotype. Genetically engineered mice that lack the ability to signal through IL-4 and IL-13 were used to show that Pneumocystis alternative macrophage activation is dependent upon signaling through these cytokines. To determine whether Pneumocystis-induced macrophage polarization would impact subsequent immune responses, we infected mice with Pneumocystis and then challenged them with Pseudomonas aeruginosa 14 days later. In co-infected animals, a higher proportion of macrophages in the alveolar and interstitial spaces expressed both classical and alternatively activated markers and produced the regulatory cytokines TGFβ and IL-10, as well as higher arginase levels than in mice infected with P. aeruginosa alone. Our results suggest that Pneumocystis reprograms the overall macrophage repertoire in the lung to that of a more alternatively-activated setpoint, thereby altering subsequent immune responses. These data may help to explain the association between Pneumocystis infection and decline in pulmonary function.
Men, Warriorism, and Mourning: the Development of Unconventional Warriors

In this article, I consider the interrelation between the warrior ethos, warriorism, and mourning. More specifically, the question I seek to answer is how a young man moves from warriorism—an uncritical acceptance of warrior ethos—to being an unconventional warrior who, while remaining attached to the warrior ethos, is critical toward a government that uses its military to further the aims of political and economic elites. I rely on psychology of religion perspectives to understand the warrior ethos and warriorism because they have many parallels to religion. In addition, I find Nathan Carlin’s discussion of religious mourning helpful in framing this process of change. Finally, to illustrate my claims, I discuss the life of Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler.
The Politics of Corporate Political Choices

Corporations are under increasing social pressure to avoid political donations. Yet campaign contributions remain an important mechanism to earn economic favors. We argue that this conflict between...
Education and Leadership in Schools Today

In this chapter, I propose to sketch the aims of the school in light of a cosmopolitan philosophy of education. The first section that follows provides a summary account of what I take cosmopolitanism to mean. The second section frames a philosophy of education that stems from this account. The third and penultimate section sketches a conception of the school and its moral and ethical aims in light of this philosophy of education.
SEARCH FOR A “SODIUM EFFECT” IN THE ACTION OF OPIATES ON HUMAN PLASMA CHOLINESTERASE

Summary The interaction of dihydromorphinone and of dihydromorphinone-meperidine mixtures with human plasma cholinesterase in the presence of 0.1-molar sodium chloride was studied in order to determine whether the opiate receptor in the enzyme - like the opiate receptor in the brain - displays the sodium effect (decreased affinity of agonists and increased affinity of antagonists). The results were completely negative: the enzyme receptor displays no sodium effect, thus paralleling the behavior of isolated subunits of the brain receptor in contrast to that of the oligomeric receptor in situ . The present study thus supports a recently proposed model of the opiate receptor which attributes the sodium effect to ionophores associated with the receptor in the membrane.
Enhanced Electrochemical Lithium-Ion Charge Storage of Iron Oxide Nanosheets

Iron oxides are appealing cathode materials for low-cost electrochemical energy storage, but iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit very low capacities, particularly at fast charging and discharging times, which are increasingly important for numerous applications. We report that synthesis and stabilization of iron oxide in nanosheets results in significantly improved lithium-ion charge storage capacities compared to those of iron oxide NPs at both slow and fast charging/discharging times. The iron oxide nanosheets have lateral dimensions of ∼50 nm and thicknesses of ∼1 nm and are composed of smaller crystallites. The structure of the nanosheets is consistent with maghemite, γ-Fe2O3, which contains cation defects. The γ-Fe2O3 phase is not typically observed within a nanosheet form, and γ-Fe2O3 nanosheets transform to NPs at a relatively low temperature of 200 °C. The transformation of γ-Fe2O3 from a nanosheet to an NP occurs in conjunction with removal of structural H2O. The γ-Fe2O3 nanosheets exhibited l...
Determinism and advances in neuroscience.

Neuroscience's associations between localized brain activity and specific cognitive tasks is not sufficient evidence for rejecting the notion of free will and absolving individuals of responsibility for their behavior.
Characterization of the gene encoding mouse serum amyloid P component. Comparison with genes encoding other pentraxins.

Abstract A CBA/J-strain mouse serum amyloid P component (SAP) genomic clone was isolated and analysed. The clone contains the entire SAP gene and specifies a primary transcript of 1065 nucleotide residues. This comprises a first exon of 206 nucleotide residues containing the mRNA 5'-untranslated region and sequence encoding the pre-SAP leader peptide and the first two amino acid residues of mature SAP separated by a single 110-base intron from a 749-nucleotide-residue second exon containing sequence encoding the bulk of the mature SAP and specifying the mRNA 3'-untranslated region. The overall organization is similar to that of the human SAP gene, and the coding region and intron sequences are highly conserved. The SAP RNA cap site was defined by primer extension analysis of polyadenylated acute-phase liver RNA. The 5'-region of the mouse SAP gene contains modified CAAT and TATA promoter elements preceded by a putative hepatocyte-nuclear-factor-1-recognition site; these structures are in a region that is highly homologous to the corresponding region of the human SAP gene. Comparisons of the mouse SAP gene structure and derived amino acid sequence with those of other mammalian pentraxins were made.
THE EQUIVALENCE OF SIMPLE MODELS FOR RADIATION-INDUCED IMPULSE*

A number of models that predict the blowoff impulse generated in solid targets by short high-intensity radiation loads are described. It is shown that the impulse is insensitive to the details of the energy deposition and interaction processes. Thus with the proper nondimensionalization and normalization, all the models are shown to be very nearly equivalent.
Sperm Motility: Patterns and Regulation

Spermatozoa are the only cells destined to be exported from the body. Thus, motility is an essential property of fertile spermatozoa. It enables ejaculated spermatozoa to traverse the female reproductive tract and reach the site of fertilization; it is also essential for penetration of the outer investments of the oocyte including the zona pellucida. This chapter will describe the following aspects of mammalian sperm motility: structure of the flagellum, development of motility in the epididymis, changes in sperm movement patterns following ejaculation and during fertilization, biochemical mechanisms regulating sperm kinetic activity, methods to quantitate sperm motility, and a brief outline of the methods available to alter sperm motility in vitro.
Effects of Gender, Pregnancy, and Anesthesia on the Pharmacokinetics of Zidovudine in Rats

Purpose. The effects of gender, pregnancy and anesthesia on the pharmacokinetics of zidovudine (AZT) were studied in rats. Methods. Unanesthetized male (MR), female (FR) and pregnant (day 20, PR) rats received 50 mg/kg AZT via a jugular vein cannula. Female (FRA), pregnant (day 20, PRA) and pregnant (day 20, PRR) rats maintained under ketamine: acepromazine:xylazine anesthesia also received 50 mg/kg AZT. Two fetuses were removed at each sampling time from the PRR group. Plasma samples were collected and analyzed by RIA. Results. With the exception of a lower non-renal clearance in female rats, there were no gender differences in the disposition of AZT. No significant differences were noted in total clearance, non-renal clearance or volume of distribution between pregnant and female rats, however, significant differences in renal clearance values were evident. Anesthesia resulted in decreased total, renal and non-renal clearances in female and pregnant rats. The removal of fetuses during the experiments did not alter the total clearance of AZT in pregnant rats, however, renal clearance and volume of distribution were decreased by cesarian section. Conclusions. The rat appears to be a suitable laboratory animal model for investigating AZT disposition during pregnancy. However, results of pharmacokinetic studies when animals are maintained under anesthesia with ketamine :acepromazine:xylazine must be interpreted with caution.
Edge-Readout Detectors for PET

We have developed a novel edge-readout detector design for PET, which can easily provide sub-millimeter inplane spatial resolution together with DOI information with resolution determined by the thickness of the crystal layers. Our simulation shows that for 511 keV photons, a slab of LYSO crystal of dimensions 50:8mm × 50:8mm × 3mm with 20 SiPMs coupled to its four edges can provide an in-plane spatial resolution of 0.62 mm (FWHM) when patterned with optical barriers. Our experiments show that for 662 keV photons, a slab of CsI(Tl) crystal of dimensions 27:4mm × 27:4mm × 3mm with 16 SiPMs can provide an in-plane spatial resolution of 0.39 mm (FWHM). The CsI(Tl) detector shows an energy resolution of 6.4% at 662 keV.
Rare Cardiac Emergencies: Aortic Dissection, Pulmonary Hypertensive Crisis, and Pulmonary Embolism

Abstract There are a few very rare pediatric cardiac problems not clearly related to the heart in which the cardiologist is usually called to make the diagnosis and help in management. Aortic dissection and pulmonary embolism are so rare in children that many providers have not encountered these problems. Pulmonary hypertension shares pathophysiology with pulmonary embolism, although emergency presentations are also extremely rare. In this review, we describe the presentation and latest practices in the evaluation, triage, and emergency department management strategies.
Evil Twins and the Multiverse: Distinguishing the World of Difference between Epistemic and Physical Possibility

Physicists Brian Greene and Max Tegmark both make variants of the claim that if the universe is infinite and matter is roughly uniformly distributed that there are infinitely many “people with the same appearance, name and memories as you, who play out every possible permutation of your life choices.” In this paper I argue that, while our current best theories in astrophysics may allow one to conclude that we have infinitely many duplicates whose lives are identical to our own from start to finish, without either further advances in physics or advances in fields like biology, psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, Greene’s and Tegmark’s claims about the ways in which our duplicates lives will differ from our own are not a consequence of our best current scientific theories. Rather, I argue that Greene and Tegmark’s conclusions rely on philosophically imprecise usages of the language of “possibility.”
Implications of the Interface Modeling Approach on the Heat Transfer across Graphite–Water Interfaces

In this investigation, the thermal transport across graphite–water interfaces was studied by means of nonequilibrium classical molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations. The main focus of this work was...
The state of Microsoft?: the role of corporations in international norm creation

This research seeks to understand the role that corporations can play as global cyber norm entrepreneurs via a case study of tech giant Microsoft’s engagement in emergent international cybersecurit...
Aberrant salience predicts psychotic-like experiences in daily life: An experience sampling study.

Abstract Individuals at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders tend to make atypical attributions of significance to unimportant stimuli. This experience of heightened significance, known as aberrant salience, is thought to contribute to psychotic symptoms. The Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI) was designed to capture subclinical and clinical manifestations of the construct, and scores on the scale are associated with schizophrenia-like symptoms and behaviors in laboratory studies. Experience sampling methodology (ESM) studies have assessed momentary experiences of aberrant salience in daily life, but to our knowledge no study has examined real-world outcomes using the ASI as a trait measure of aberrant salience. The current study assessed the expression of aberrant salience in undergraduates oversampled for positive and negative schizotypy using ESM. Overall, findings of the expression of aberrant salience in daily life were similar to previous findings with positive schizotypy. Aberrant salience was associated with psychotic-like and disorganized symptoms, suspiciousness, and social impairment in daily life. It was unassociated with negative symptoms, stress, or affect in the moment. Aberrant salience did not moderate daily life associations of stress with schizotypic symptoms. The ASI subscales showed differential patterns of associations in daily life. These findings support the construct validity of the ASI and suggest that aberrant salience traits are relevant for real-world outcomes in schizotypy-spectrum psychopathology.
A Case of Congenital Lymphedema Complicated by Chronic Chylous Effusions and Recurrent Pericardial Effusion Requiring Pericardial Window.

We are presenting a case of primary lymphedema (PL) complicated with a repeated need for thoracentesis and pericardiocentesis. Our patient is a 24-year-old male with primary lymphedema that is manifested in the left hand and right lower limb. The patient presented to the emergency department (ED) for recurrent right lower lobe cellulitis that had failed repeated attempts with outpatient antibiotic therapy. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit due to signs of cardiac tamponade that were discovered on the physical examination. Pericardial tamponade was confirmed by echocardiography. The patient underwent thoracentesis and multiple pericardiocenteses and required a pericardial window. Pericardial and pleural fluids appeared milky and biochemical analysis was consistent with chylopericardium and chylothorax.
Effects of H2A.B incorporation on nucleosome structures and dynamics

The H2A.B histone variant is an epigenetic regulator involved in transcriptional upregulation, DNA synthesis, and splicing that functions by replacing the canonical H2A histone in the nucleosome core particle. Introduction of H2A.B results in less compact nucleosome states with increased DNA unwinding and accessibility at the nucleosomal entry and exit sites. Despite being well characterized experimentally, the molecular mechanisms by which H2A.B incorporation alters nucleosome stability and dynamics remain poorly understood. To study the molecular mechanisms of H2A.B, we have performed a series of conventional and enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulation of H2A.B and canonical H2A containing nucleosomes. Results of conventional simulations show that H2A.B weakens protein/protein and protein/DNA interactions at specific locations throughout the nucleosome. These weakened interactions result in significantly more DNA opening from both the entry and exit sites in enhanced sampling simulations. Furthermore, free energy profiles show that H2A.B containing nucleosomes have significantly broader free wells, and that H2A.B allows for sampling of states with increased DNA breathing, which are shown to be stable on the hundreds of nanoseconds timescale with further conventional simulations. Together, our results show the molecular mechanisms by which H2A.B creates less compacted nucleosome states as a means of increasing genetic accessibility and gene transcription.
Management issues of congenital talipes equinovarus in the neonatal intensive care unit: A systematic review.

Abstract Background The Ponseti method is the standard of care for managing idiopathic congenital talipes equinovarus (clubfoot) in the outpatient setting, but there are no clinical guidelines for inpatient treatment. Children in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with clubfoot often delay treatment initiation due for medical reasons. Methods We systematically reviewed literature related to the treatment of clubfoot in the NICU, non-idiopathic clubfoot, and older infants, as well as barriers to care. Results In a mixed NICU population of syndromic and idiopathic clubfoot, the Ponseti method has good functional outcomes with minimal interference with medical management. The Ponseti method has good functional outcomes with reduced need for extensive surgical procedures in non-idiopathic clubfoot and idiopathic clubfoot with delayed presentation (under one year of age). Conclusions It is possible to begin Ponseti treatment in the NICU without compromising medical management. It is not clear if this confers an advantage over waiting for outpatient casting.
21 Years of Distributed Denial-of-Service: A Call to Action

We are falling behind in the war against distributed denial-of-service attacks. Unless we act now, the future of the Internet could be at stake.
CHEMICAL IONIZATION GC-MASS SPECTROMETRY IN THE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SACCHARIDE CHAINS

An improvement in the sensitivity for the gas chromatographic analysis of derivatized sugars can be obtained by using a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) as a selective detector. The currently most used volatile derivatives of saccharides for gas chromatography are the alditol acetates (Sawardeker, et al. , 1965, Anal. Chem . 37, 1602). the partially methylated alditol acetates (Bjorndal, et al. 1970, Angew . Chem. Int. Ed . 9 , 610), and the trimethylsilyl methyl glycosides (Sweeley et al. , J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85 , 2497). The alditol acetates can be monitored in CIMS by the abundant [MH-60] + ion which comprises a majority of the total ion current when methane is used as reagent gas (Laine, et al. , 1977, J. Supramol. Struct. Suppl . 15 , 31). When isobutane is used as the reagent gas, a mixture of [MH] + , [MH-32] and [MH-60] + ions are produced (Hancock, et al. , 1976, Carbohyd. Res . 49 , 351), and the pattern of these three ions can be used to identify specific epimers (McNeil and Albersheim, 1977, Carbohyd. Res . 56, 239). The products of Smith degradation in linkage analysis of sugars can also be followed as the acetates of the polyols (Hsieh, et al. , 1978, Biochemistry 17 , 3575). The trimethylsilyl derivatives give a strong ion as [MH] + using isobutane as a reagent gas (Roboz, et al. , 1978, Anal. Biochem . 87 , 195) or as [MH-16] + using methane as reagent gas. Negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry (NICIMS) may prove to be a promising method to gain further sensitivity since trifluoroacetyl derivatives can be synthesized from either the alditols or the methyl glycosides. An [M] - ion at m/e 758 is seen for mannitol and at m/e 578 for methyl glucoside as trifluoroacetates.
Standardized microfluidic assessment of red blood cell-mediated microcapillary occlusion: Association with clinical phenotype and hydroxyurea responsiveness in sickle cell disease.

Objectives We present a standardized in vitro microfluidic assay and Occlusion Index (OI) for the assessment of red blood cell (RBC)-mediated microcapillary occlusion and its clinical associations in sickle cell disease (SCD). Methods Red blood cell mediated microcapillary occlusion represented by OI and its clinical associations were assessed for seven subjects with hemoglobin-SC disease (HbSC), 18 subjects with homozygous SCD (HbSS), and five control individuals (HbAA). Results We identified two sub-populations with HbSS based on the OI distribution. HbSS subjects with relatively higher OIs had significantly lower hemoglobin levels, lower fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels, and lower mean corpuscular volume (MCV), but significantly higher serum lactate dehydrogenase levels and absolute reticulocyte counts, compared to subjects with HbSS and lower OIs. HbSS subjects who had relatively higher OIs were more likely to have had a concomitant diagnosis of intrapulmonary shunting (IPS). Further, lower OI associated with hydroxyurea (HU) responsiveness in subjects with HbSS, as evidenced by significantly elevated HbF levels and MCV. Conclusions We demonstrated that RBC-mediated microcapillary occlusion and OI associated with subject clinical phenotype and HU responsiveness in SCD. The presented standardized microfluidic assay may be useful for evaluating clinical phenotype and assessing therapeutic outcomes in SCD, including emerging targeted and curative treatments that aim to improve RBC deformability and microcirculatory health.
Cyclic Pseudoelastic Training and Two-way Shape Memory Behavior of a NiTi Alloy with Small Irrecoverable Plastic Strains:Numerical Modeling

Abstract Novel applications of shape memory alloys (SMAs) in various fields of medicine and engineering necessitate theoretical models that can capture non-inherent material behaviors such as the two-way shape memory effect (TWSME). Most often, this requires the use of completely different sets of models or parameters to distinguish the “virgin” material exhibiting the fundamental behaviors like superelasticity (also known as pseudoelasticity), pseudoplasticity, and one-way shape memory effect, from the “trained” alloy showing the TWSME. Although using a single model (or set of parameters) can provide much insight on the changes within the material during various loading paths and histories from the initial virgin state to the trained state, it is quite challenging. In this study, an attempt was made to use a developed general multi-mechanism material model and a single set of parameters to predict both the inherent pseudoelastic behavior and non-intrinsic two-way shape memory effect characteristics of a NiTi shape memory alloy. To this end, several simulations were carried out to investigate the effect of pseudoelastic training conditions on the corresponding actuation strain, cyclic stability, and transformation temperatures of the NiTi under zero-load TWSME. Whilst previous studies considered external indicators such as the magnitude of plastic or irrecoverable strain as a prerequisite for TWSME, the present model focused primarily on internal stresses. Based on the magnitude of the zero-load actuation strain (measured from the trained material under no external load), the model results indicated that the magnitude of the pseudoelastic training strain (in comparison to the training temperature, and the number of training cycles) has a pronounced effect on the cyclic TWSME actuation characteristics. Moreover, observations from the internal state (hidden) variables of the model, representing the intrinsic residual stress state in the trained material (under zero observable/external stress) showed the possibility for an SMA to generate TWSME even if there is no significant accumulation of permanent strains.
Rabbi Salim Shabazi and Sufism: Synthesis or Juxtaposition?

In eighteenth-century Yemen, Jews began to write paraliturgical poetry using the Arabic language or alternating stanzas of Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew. This form of poetry is identified with one semi-legendary rabbi, Salim Shabazi (1619-c. 1679) and is labeled “Shabazian style” after him. There are two schools of thought in Jewish literary history as to the reasons for the emergence and efflorescence of “Shabazian style” in Yemen. The dominant school of thought holds that Lurianic Kabbalah, which emerged at roughly the same time, was responsible for the innovation, which emerged solely from within Hebrew literature. It has also been argued that the Sufi poetry of the Jews’ Muslim neighbors constituted a much more likely vector of influence for Shabazian poetry. Using a new database consisting of the works of Yemeni Sufi poets and Arabic material from two early Shabazi manuscripts, this chapter addresses the larger question of how the poetry of Shabazi and his successors made use of Sufi concepts, themes, and motifs in order to popularize Kabbalistic-sephirotic concepts. It argues that Shabazi’s poetry does not synthesize particular Sufi and Kabbalistic ideas in a seamless manner but rather that its juxtaposition of, and alternation between, sharply contradictory modes of anthropomorphism provides the momentum for a medium that sought to spread Kabbalistic concepts among Arabophone Jews.
Design and Modeling of a Coded-Interleaving System in the Presence of Fading

Future deep space links are migrating towards higher frequency bands such as Ka-band and optical. These links are susceptible to non-linear effects (e.g. cloud coverage, atmospheric turbulence, scintillation, antenna mis-pointing, jitter, relative motion, etc.) that cause various degrees of fading loss over various time scales. We consider a channel experiencing block fading where the channel coherence time is a lot longer than the length of a codeword. As long as the fading duration is not excessive, an interleaver can be used in a coded-communication system that randomizes the fades among symbols of multiple codewords. This achieves an “averaging” effect that spreads the signal energy more evenly among the codewords, and improves the likelihood that each of them can be decoded correctly. For simplicity, we consider a block interleaver where adjacent symbols of a codeword have a fixed delay (or separation) with each other, and investigate the error-rate performance of a coded-interleaving system (with fixed and finite interleaving depth) in the presence of block fading. Unlike prior research which assumes theoretical channel coherence models, we aim to build upon our analysis using empirical spacecraft signal measurements obtained with the Deep Space Network, and to use the fundamental theories of probability and statistics (e.g. variations of Law of Large Numbers) to quantify the error-rate performance of the coded-interleaving system. We propose to utilize these results in the design of a two-dimensional coded-interleaving system for fading channels.
The nation-state and its minorities: some questions on reading Madhav Khosla, India’s Founding Moment

Madhav Khosla’s book reads as a celebration of India and its constitution: ‘The historical conditions of India’s creation should encourage us to see it as the paradigmatic democratic experience of ...