cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anisotropic chemical strain in cubic ceria due to oxygen-vacancy-induced elastic dipoles

Accurate characterization of chemical strain is required to study a broad range of chemical–mechanical coupling phenomena. One of the most studied mechano-chemically active oxides, nonstoichiometric ceria (CeO2−δ), has only been described by a scalar chemical strain assuming isotropic deformation. However, combined density functional theory (DFT) calculations and elastic dipole tensor theory reveal that both the short-range bond distortions surrounding an oxygen-vacancy and the long-range chemical strain are anisotropic in cubic CeO2−δ. The origin of this anisotropy is the charge disproportionation between the four cerium atoms around each oxygen-vacancy (two become Ce3+ and two become Ce4+) when a neutral oxygen-vacancy is formed. Around the oxygen-vacancy, six of the Ce3+–O bonds elongate, one of the Ce3+–O bond shorten, and all seven of the Ce4+–O bonds shorten. Further, the average and maximum chemical strain values obtained through tensor analysis successfully bound the various experimental data. Lastly, the anisotropic, oxygen-vacancy-elastic-dipole induced chemical strain is polarizable, which provides a physical model for the giant electrostriction recently discovered in doped and non-doped CeO2−δ. Together, this work highlights the need to consider anisotropic tensors when calculating the chemical strain induced by dilute point defects in all materials, regardless of their symmetry.
Interaction of pirenzepine with bovine serum albumin and effect of β-cyclodextrin on binding: A biophysical and molecular docking approach

Abstract Studying the interaction of therapeutic molecules with serum albumin is important to understand their biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics and toxicity as well as their relation with the structure and function of protein. The biomolecular interaction of an anti-spasmodic drug, pirenzepine with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated using multi-spectroscopic, calorimetric and docking studies. Fluorescence quenching of BSA on interaction with pirenzepine revealed the static mode of quenching. Pirenzepine exhibited a moderate binding to serum albumin with the binding constant value in the order of 104 M−1. Based on the Forster's non-radiative energy transfer theory, the average binding distance between BSA and pirenzepine was calculated. Competitive site marker experiments demonstrated that pirenzepine binds to the sudlow site III located in subdomain IB of BSA. Circular dichroic spectroscopy indicated secondary structural changes in BSA while three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy showed the microenvironmental perturbations in the structure of BSA on interaction with pirenzepine. Moreover, thermodynamic parameters obtained from isothermal titration calorimetry suggested that the interaction between pirenzepine and BSA was spontaneous and hydrophobic interactions played the major role in stabilizing the complex. Additionally, the effect of inclusion compound, β-cyclodextrin on pirenzepine-BSA interaction was studied. As pirenzepine is involved in drug-drug interactions, β-cyclodextrin forms an inclusion complex with pirenzepine and prevents drug-drug interactions, thereby, enhancing the therapeutic effect of pirenzepine. Some common metal ions have also been found to interfere with pirenzepine-BSA interaction. The above experimental results further corroborated the molecular modelling studies.
Magnetic Heads: Special Designs

As magnetic recording has developed, many different kinds of heads have been used or proposed. Some are quite different from standard designs and have worthwhile advantages. Why weren’t they used more widely? Some were forgotten and some never publicized. Some required materials or techniques that weren’t available. Some didn’t have enough advantages; some had advantages that weren’t needed and some were too costly. Recent concepts are still under development, with problems yet unsolved. However, all of these are useful in stimulating thoughts for new designs or unusual applications.
From stack traces to lazy rewriting sequences

Reasoning about misbehaving lazy functional programs can be confusing, particularly for novice programmers. Unfortunately, the complicated nature of laziness also renders most debugging tools ineffective at clarifying this confusion. In this paper, we introduce a new lazy debugging tool for novice programmers, an algebraic stepper that presents computation as a sequence of parallel rewriting steps. Parallel program rewriting represents sharing accurately and enables debugging at the level of source syntax, minimizing the presentation of low-level details or the effects of distorting transformations that are typical for other lazy debuggers. Semantically, our rewriting system represents a compromise between Launchbury's store-based semantics and an axiomatic description of lazy computation as sharing-via-parameters. Finally, we prove the correctness of our tool by showing that the stepper's run-time machinery reconstructs the expected lazy rewriting sequence.
Studies on the Immunoregulatory Activities of Non-Toxic Synthetic Polyribonucleotides

ABSTRACT The synthetic, non-toxic polyribonucleotide complex of polyadenylic acid with polyuridylic acid (poly A:U) has been characterized as a potent regulator substance for the immune response, both in animals and humans. Activation of both a helper subpopulation of thymus influenced T cells when poly A:U was given with or near antigen, or a suppressor T subpopulation when given 1-2 days prior to antigen, appeared to be major phases of its action. Activated helper cells caused an increased number of identifiable specific antibody forming cells and doubled the amount of immunoglobulin synthesised by normal human peripheral blood leucocytes as well as PBL from patients with late onset immunodeficiency disease. PBL from patients with congenitally acquired hypogammaglobulinemia did not respond to poly A:U. In addition, this adjuvant increased the natural cytotoxicity of normal humans PBL against tumor cells in culture.
The Influence of AAC Device Type, Dynamic vs. Static Screen, on Peer Attitudes:

This study examined how children's attitudes toward a peer who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) were influenced by type of AAC device accessed by the child for communication. S...
Chapter 13 – Supplemental Processes

In food processing it is not uncommon to require specialized processes to achieve desired objectives. Separation of solid particles from liquid streams is accomplished using filtration. Mathematical expressions are used to describe constant rate or constant pressure filtration. These expressions are also useful in designing filtration systems. When solids are separated from liquid streams using gravitational forces, the process is called sedimentation. Stoke’s law is useful in describing the movement of the solid particles. In centrifugation, centrifugal force is applied to enhance the rate at which solid particles are separated from liquid. Another complex process to describe, but commonly encountered in food processing, is mixing. Agitation equipment is designed to accomplish mixing of solids, solids in liquid or one liquid in another liquid stream. Common equipment includes impellers, propellers, paddles and turbines. The power requirement of an agitation system is obtained using dimensionless analysis. Dimensionless numbers including Froude number, Reynolds number and Power number are used in such computations.
Medical English and Latin

Most prescriptions are now written in English but many are still written in Latin. The nurse who does not know Latin is presented with no particular problem, for the Latin is hardly ever of such a nature that special knowledge is required. The Latin used in instructions is standardized and often written in well-known abbreviations (Table 5). The latter are so frequently used that it is essential for the nurse to know them well. The designation of drugs in Latin is no great hardship, because virtually all important drugs have identical or such closely similar names in Latin and in English that they are readily identified without any knowledge of Latin at all. It is amusing to note that the few drugs that have decidedly different names in the two languages, for the most part, are not important or potent drugs, but older drugs, flavors or oils which can be readily identified by the patient by smell or taste. For example water is aqua, honey is mel, castor oil is oleum ricini and whiskey is spiritus frumenti, while morphine, penicillin and strychnine have identical official names in Latin and English. Table 6 lists some of the drugs which have different names in the two languages. A quick glance will indicate how few of these represent important drugs. Virtually all new drugs are now given identical names in Latin and English.
History of Pleural Surgical Treatment

Surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma has an interesting history and in select patients remains vital for best outcome. Due to the nature of the pleural malignancy, at best, resection that is possible with “curative intent” is a macroscopic complete resection (MCR), which can leave microscopic residual tumor. These surgeries are extensive procedures and were fraught with very high morbidity and mortality which overshadow any potential benefit. With improvement in surgical techniques and experience, anesthetic, and critical care management, the morbidity and mortality are significantly reduced to appreciate the benefits. The maximum benefit is seen in a multimodality treatment setting in centers with the appropriate surgical expertise. The optimal surgical procedure and various multimodal protocols are in flux, but the principles that are critical include a complete MCR either by pleurectomy and decortication or extrapleural pneumonectomy with neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. Considering the overall survival and quality of life, pleurectomy and decortication is at present the preferred approach for MCR in majority of patients with MPM.
Effectiveness of education aid revisited: Country-level inefficiencies matter

Abstract It is well demonstrated in the literature that education aid does not necessary produce the expected results in developing countries. The current paper explores the role of country level inefficiencies in the relationship between aid and education outcomes. Applying a Stochastic Frontier approach, it shows that the efficiency in education aid utilization varies across developing countries and seems to be positively correlated with good governance, political stability, and stronger national commitment to finance education. These findings imply that improving aid effectiveness requires donors to use innovative modalities for aid allocation that will take into consideration recipient countries’ needs and their ability to translate aid into educational outcomes while contributing to addressing inefficiency issues.
M-natural-Convexity and its Applications in Operations

M-natural-convexity, one of the main concepts in discrete convex analysis, possesses many salient structural properties and allows for the design of efficient algorithms. In this paper, we establish several new fundamental properties of M-natural-convexity and its variant SSQM- natural-convexity (semistrictly quasi M-natural-convexity). We show that in a parametric maximization model, the optimal solution is nonincreasing in the parameters when the objective function is SSQM- natural-concave and the constraint is a box, and illustrate when SSQM- natural-convexity and M-natural-convexity are preserved. A sufficient and necessary characterization of twice continuously differentiable M- natural-convex function is provided. We then utilize them to analyze two important operations models: a classical multi-product dynamic stochastic inventory model, and a portfolio contract model where a buyer reserves capacities in blocks from multiple competing suppliers. We illustrate that looking from the lens of M-natural-convexity allows to simplify the complicated analysis in the literature for each model and extend the results to more general settings.
Management of pediatric radiation dose using Canon digital radiography.

A Canon CXDI-11 digital radiography (DR) system has been in use at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida for the past 2 1/2 years. A first clinical implementation phase was utilized to develop imaging protocols for adult patients, with a second phase incorporating pediatric chest and abdominal studies a few months later. This paper describes some of the steps taken during the modality implementation stages, as well as the methodologies and procedures utilized to monitor compliance by the technologists. The Canon DR system provides the technologist with an indication of the radiation exposure received by the detector (and thus of the patient dose) by means of an indirect exposure level number called the reached exposure (REX) value. The REX value is calculated by the system based on the default grayscale curve preselected for a given anatomical view and used by the system to optimize the appearance of the image. The brightness and contrast of the image can be modified by the user at the QC/control screen for the purpose of improving the appearance of the image. Such changes modify the actual grayscale curve (position and slope, respectively) and thus the calculated REX value. Thus, undisciplined use of the brightness and contrast functions by the technologist can render the REX value meaningless as an exposure indicator. The paper also shows how it is possible to calibrate AEC (phototimer) systems for use with the Canon DR system, and utilize the REX value as a valuable dose indicator through proper training of technologists and strict, disciplined QC of studies. A team consisting of the site’s medical physicist, radiologists, and technologists, as well as Canon engineers, can work together in properly calibrating and setting up the system for the purposes of monitoring patient doses (especially pediatric) in DR studies performed in a Canon DR system.
Abstract P428: A Polyexposomic Risk Score for Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Using External Exposome Data

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are one of the most common pregnancy complications that lead to increased maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. While effective prevention of HDP ca...
L'éveil politique de la société algérienne: Révoltes, soumission, assimilation et nationalisme, 1830–1936: by Abla Gheziel, preface by Guy Pervillé, Paris, L'Harmattan, 2018, 342 pp., €35 (softcover), ISBN 978-2-343-14574-7

Explaining how and why France lost Algeria was a burning question among historians in the four decades that followed the end of the Algerian war, and in many ways still looms large. Closer to the p...
Associations between husbands’ weight bias and related concerns and husbands’ and wives’ psychological and relationship outcomes

The study examines married men's weight stigma, internalized weight bias (IWB) and other weight-related concerns/criticisms directed toward their wife, their perceptions of their wife as an ideal mate, and husbands' and wives' psychological distress and relationship satisfaction. The sample consisted of 209 married men and women in a heterosexual relationship. Participants were drawn from an online survey platform (Qualtrics, Provo, UT) that approximated the US population on age, race, and region of the country. Measures assessed husbands': (1) IWB, (2) weight stigma, (3) weight-related concerns/criticisms directed toward his wife, (4) relationship satisfaction, (5) sexual intimacy, (6) self-esteem, (7) depressive symptoms, and (8) perceived mate value. Husbands' weight stigma, IWB, weight-related concerns/criticisms, and perceived mate value were significantly associated with husbands' and wives' depressive symptoms, self-esteem, relationship satisfaction, and sexual intimacy. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that husbands' weight stigma and IWB were indirectly linked to husbands' and wives' relationship satisfaction and sexual intimacy through weight-related concerns/criticisms and, to a lesser extent, perceived mate value. This investigation suggests that husbands' weight stigma, IWB, and other weight-related concerns/criticisms, suggestions, and mate perceptions are strongly associated with both husbands' and wives' psychological and relationship outcomes.
Superman Holey Weenie and the Sick Man of Asia

Building on a common metaphor for China since that emerged in the late nineteenth century, a local discourse about the “sick man of Asia” reflects the interest, in early twentieth-century China, in importing a variety of modern medical conceptual paradigms—which, in China, were typically coded as “Western”—and using them to advance a local agenda of national strengthening. At the same time, however, many of these same paradigms had rather ambiguous implications when they were transposed into a cultural metaphors, suggesting that the process of targeting sociopolitical “pathogens” could easily slip into a process of attacking nominally “healthy” elements of the Chinese body politic itself. The essay then concludes with a consideration of Taiwan author Luo Yijun’s 2018 novel Superman Kuang (Kuang chaoren), which is a story about a very sick man in contemporary Taiwan.
Enzyme functionalized microgels enable precise regulation of dissolved oxygen and anaerobe culture.

Abstract Anaerobes are a major constituent of the gut microbiome and profoundly influence the overall health of humans. However, the lack of a simple, cost-effective, and scalable system that mimics the anaerobic conditions of the human gut is hindering research on the gut microbiome and the development of therapeutics. Here, we address this gap by using glucose oxidase and catalase containing gelatin microparticles (GOx-CAT-GMPs) to precisely regulate dissolved oxygen concentration [O2] via GOx-mediated consumption of oxygen. Fluorescence images generated using conjugated polymer afterglow nanoparticles showed that [O2] can be tuned from 257.9 ​± ​6.2 to 0.0 ​± ​4.0 ​μM using GOx-CAT-GMPs. Moreover, when the obligate anaerobe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron was inoculated in media containing GOx-CAT-GMPs, bacterial growth under ambient oxygen was comparable to control conditions in an anaerobic chamber (5.4 ​× ​105 and 8.8 ​× ​105 colony forming units mL−1, respectively). Finally, incorporating GOx-CAT-GMPs into a bioreactor that permitted continuous radial diffusion of oxygen and glucose generated a gut-mimetic [O2] gradient of 132.4 ​± ​2.6 ​μM in the outer ring of the reactor to 7.9 ​± ​1.7 ​μM at the core. Collectively, these results indicate that GOx-CAT-GMPs are highly effective oxygen-regulating materials. These materials can potentially be leveraged to advance gut microbiome research and fecal microbiota transplantation, particularly in low-resource settings.
Wolbachia cifB induces cytoplasmic incompatibility in the malaria mosquito

Abstract Wolbachia infections are a fascinating example of reproductive parasitism with strong potential to combat vector-borne diseases, due to their combined ability to spread in insect populations and block pathogen replication. Though the Wolbachia factors mediating the notable reproductive manipulation cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) have now been identified as prophage WO genes cifA and cifB, the relative role of these genes is still intensely debated, with different models claiming that CI requires either both factors or cifB alone. Here we investigated whether cifA and cifB are sufficient to induce conditional sterility in the major malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, a species that appears to have limited susceptibility to invasion by Wolbachia. We report that CI can be fully recapitulated in these mosquitoes, and that cifB is sufficient to cause this reproductive manipulation. cifB-induced sterility is fully rescued by high levels of cifA expression in females. Surprisingly, however, when cifA is highly expressed in males alongside cifB, the CI phenotype is attenuated. cifB strongly impairs fertility also when expressed in the female germline, again mitigated by cifA. These data support a system whereby cifB and cifA must be fine-tuned to exercise CI and rescue, respectively, possibly explaining the limited success of Wolbachia at invading Anopheles. Our findings pave the way towards facilitating Wolbachia infections in anopheline vectors, for use in malaria control strategies.
Elastic Weight Consolidation (EWC): Nuts and Bolts.

In this report, we present a theoretical support of the continual learning method \textbf{Elastic Weight Consolidation}, introduced in paper titled `Overcoming catastrophic forgetting in neural networks'. Being one of the most cited paper in regularized methods for continual learning, this report disentangles the underlying concept of the proposed objective function. We assume that the reader is aware of the basic terminologies of continual learning.
Holocaust survivorship and trauma: agency and coping

Determination, ingenuity, education, and religiosity have been associated with agency and resilience during trauma. Studies indicate that agency may be related to socioeconomic background and schem...
First-principles study of the effect of Al and Hf impurities on Co3W antiphase boundary energies

Abstract The effects of Al and Hf impurities on the (111) antiphase boundary (APB) energy of metastable FCC Co 3 W are investigated via ab initio calculations. Cluster expansions are used to predict the total energies of supercells containing non-dilute concentrations of impurities using Monte Carlo simulations at relevant temperatures, giving APB energies as a function of impurity concentration and temperature for each ternary system. The cluster expansions are validated by comparing with direct energy calculations of supercells of pure L1 2 Co 3 W and the effects of each impurity are compared. Two sets of compositions are explored for each system — constant ratio (constant ratio between Co and W) and sacrificial W (constant Co). It is found that sacrificial W compositions stabilize the L1 2 structure over a wider range of compositions than constant ratio compositions (given the restriction to the FCC lattice) in both systems and should be preferred. In sacrificial W compositions, Hf increases the APB energy far more than Al, particularly at higher concentrations of the impurity, and both systems exhibit little variation with respect to temperature. It is further shown that at higher concentrations of Hf, and most noticeably for Co 3 (W 0.5 Hf 0.5 ), Hf and W tend to segregate into alternating planes, unlike the corresponding Co 3 (W 0.5 Al 0.5 ), which explains the different impacts of the two impurities on the APB energy. Finally, the ratio of (111) to (100) APB energies is studied for sacrificial W compositions to understand cross slip behavior in both ternary systems.
Family and consumer sciences secondary school teachers' orientations toward distance education technology for curriculum delivery

The purpose of this study was to identify the family and consiomer sciences secondary school teachers' self-reported knowledge, ability, interests, feelings, and teaching preferences toward the use of interactive teleteaching technology. Analyses were conducted to determine: a) if there were differences among family and consumer sciences secondary school teachers' levels of knowledge, ability, interests and feelings when compared to their years of experience (years as an educator); b) if there were differences among family and consumer sciences secondary school teachers' levels of knowledge, ability, interests and feelings when compared to their education (highest degree held). Results indicated no significant differences among family and consumer sciences secondary school teachers' knowledge, ability, interests and feelings when compared to their years of experience. Further, results indicated no significant differences between family and consiimer sciences teachers' levels of knowledge, ability, and feelings when compared to their education. However, significant differences were revealed between family and consumer sciences secondary school teachers' interests when
Anti-Acetylcholine Receptor CD4+ T Cells in Myasthenia Gravis: Epitope repertoire and T cell receptor gene usage

Although the symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG) are due to the binding of auto-antibodies to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) at the neuromuscular junction (reviewed in [1]), the anti-AChR CD4+T cells have been intensely investigated, because they may be the prime movers in the pathogenesis of MG. Furthermore, specific immunosuppressive treatments targeted on the autoimmune CD4+ cells have proven successful in experimental autoimmune diseases, including the experimental model of MG, mouse experimental autoimmune MG (EAMG) ([2–4] and references therein).
The Impact of Packetization in Wormhole-Routed Networks

Packetization is used in a variety of commercial multicomputers because of its potential performance advantages: higher throughput and a better distribution of message latencies. However, packetization has two significant drawbacks, 1) fragmentation and reassembly overhead and 2) increased traffic volume for routing and sequencing information. In this paper, we examine the performance benefits of packetization in existing dimension-order routed networks and in likely future router designs including adaptive routing and virtual lanes.
Image Retrieval Using a Hierarchy of Clusters

The goal of this paper is to describe an efficient procedure for color-based image retrieval. The proposed procedure consists of two stages. First, the image data set is hierarchically decomposed into disjoint subsets by applying an adaptation of the k-means clustering algorithm. Since Euclidean measure may not effectively reproduce human perception of a visual content, the adaptive algorithm uses a non-Euclidean similarity metric and clustroids as cluster prototypes. Second, the derived hierarchy is searched by a branch and bound method to facilitate rapid calculation of the k-nearest neighbors for retrieval in a ranked order. The proposed procedure has the advantage of handling high dimensional data, and dealing with non-Euclidean similarity metrics in order to explore the nature of the image feature vectors. The hierarchy also provides users with a tool for quick browsing.
A Study of Values

(1995). A Study of Values. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 69, No. 1, pp. 56-58.
Electric Images; Green’s Function

In the closing section of Chapter VII, we saw an example of a case in which a potential with certain requirements as to its normal deriva- tives on a plane could be represented on one side of the plane by the potential of a point charge on the opposite side of the plane. This is an example of the use of electric images.
Abstract P019: Association Between Hypertension and Kidney Function Trajectory: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, increases the risk of kidney disease progression. The relationship between hypertension and change in kidney function has not been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that hypertension is associated with faster kidney function decline. Methods: Hypertension status was assessed among Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study participants at baseline (1987-89) and defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140, diastolic blood pressure ≥90, or anti-hypertensive medication use in the last two weeks. Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using creatinine measured at baseline and follow-up study visits (1990-92; 1996-98; 2011-13) and an eGFR value of 15 mL/min/1.73 m 2 was imputed for incident end-stage renal disease cases. Results: After excluding those with missing baseline measurements of blood pressure, missing serum creatinine, and prevalent end-stage renal disease, there were 15,622 study participants. Baseline mean age was 55 years, 55% were female, 26% were black, and 35% had hypertension. Mean annual eGFR decline was 1.98 mL/min/1.73 m 2 per year among those with hypertension and 1.54 mL/min/1.73 m 2 per year among those without hypertension, after adjusting for demographic characteristics and co-morbidities (Figure, p 2 ) was 55.3% and 44.5%, stage 3B (eGFR 2 ) was 24.3% and 19.1%, stage 4 (eGFR 2 ) was 9.2% and 7.7%, and stage 5 (eGFR 2 ) was 3.9% and 3.5%. Conclusion: Hypertension status was associated with faster kidney function decline. Absolute risk increase was greater for earlier kidney disease stages.
Tagging Spallation Backgrounds with Showers in Water-Cherenkov Detectors

Cosmic-ray muons and especially their secondaries break apart nuclei (``spallation'') and produce fast neutrons and beta-decay isotopes, which are backgrounds for low-energy experiments. In Super-Kamiokande, these beta decays are the dominant background in 6--18 MeV, relevant for solar neutrinos and the diffuse supernova neutrino background. In a previous paper, we showed that these spallation isotopes are produced primarily in showers, instead of in isolation. This explains an empirical spatial correlation between a peak in the muon Cherenkov light profile and the spallation decay, which Super-Kamiokande used to develop a new spallation cut. However, the muon light profiles that Super-Kamiokande measured are grossly inconsistent with shower physics. We show how to resolve this discrepancy and how to reconstruct accurate profiles of muons and their showers from their Cherenkov light. We propose a new spallation cut based on these improved profiles and quantify its effects. Our results can significantly benefit low-energy studies in Super-Kamiokande, and will be especially important for detectors at shallower depths, like the proposed Hyper-Kamiokande.
Does Combination Therapy with Tamsulosin and Tolterodine Improve Ureteral Stent Discomfort Compared with Tamsulosin Alone? A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Purpose: Ureteral stent discomfort is a significant postoperative problem for many patients. Despite the use of narcotics and α-blockers patients often experience bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms and pain, which impair daily activities. We compared combination therapy with an α-blocker and an anticholinergic to monotherapy with an α-blocker.Materials and Methods: A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was performed from December 2012 to April 2014. A total of 80 patients were randomized, including 44 to the combination group (tamsulosin 0.4 mg and tolterodine early release 4 mg) and 36 to the monotherapy group (tamsulosin 0.4 mg and placebo). Patients with preexisting ureteral stent placement or current anticholinergic therapy were excluded from study. Patients completed USSQ (Urinary Stent Symptom Questionnaire) before stent placement on the day of surgery, the day after stent placement, the morning of stent removal and the day after stent removal. The questionnaire included questions regard...
Leptin-induced decrease in food intake is not associated with changes in gastric emptying in lean mice

Chronic treatment with leptin regulates body weight and energy balance and reduces food intake in obese and lean mice. In 18- to 20-h fasted lean mice (C57BL/6, +/+), we examined the acute effect of a single intraperitoneal injection of recombinant mouse leptin (0.12 mg/kg) on food intake and gastric emptying. Leptin reduced food intake, with a peak inhibition at the 5th h postinjection (69 +/- 12%/h), although there was no change in food consumption at the 1st h. Leptin did not alter the 4-h rate of gastric emptying of a solid nutrient meal (free access to Purina chow for either 1-, 2-, or 4-h period). In normal Sprague-Dawley rats fasted for 18-20 h, a single intraperitoneal injection of recombinant mouse leptin (0.2 or 1.2 mg/kg) did not modify the 7-h cumulative or hourly food intake. These results show that a single intraperitoneal injection of recombinant mouse leptin reduces food intake within 5 h while not influencing gastric emptying of ingested food in lean mice. Sprague-Dawley rats are unresponsive to the food intake-reducing effect of a single intraperitoneal injection of mouse leptin at a dose 10-fold higher than that shown to be effective in mice within the first 4-7 h postinjection.
Evaluation of Drying Methods and Toxicity of Rayless Goldenrod (Isocoma pluriflora) and White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) in Goats

White snakeroot and rayless goldenrod cause “trembles” and “milk sickness” in livestock and humans, respectively. The toxin in white snakeroot and rayless goldenrod was identified in 1927 and 1930, respectively, as tremetol. It was reported that the toxin in white snakeroot disappears as it is dried and that completely dried plants were incapable of producing trembles or milk sickness. Conversely, it has been reported that the rayless goldenrod toxin was not destroyed by drying and that the plant is toxic either fresh or dry. In this study the concentrations of tremetone, dehydrotremetone, and structurally similar compounds were determined in white snakeroot and rayless goldenrod before and after various drying conditions. Tremetone, dehydrotremetone, and structurally similar compounds in rayless goldenrod and white snakeroot are most stable upon freeze-drying, followed by air-drying, and least stable upon oven-drying (60 °C). Also demonstrated is that tremetone is stable and that dried white snakeroot an...
Synaptonemal complexes in antheridia of Achlya ambisexualis E87.

This is the first report of longitudinal sections of synaptonemal complexes in oomycetous fungi. These indicators of meiosis were observed in antheridial nuclei of Achlya ambisexualis E87. They were attached to a platelike structure at the inner membrane of the nuclear envelope. The lateral elements were separated from each other by an average distance of 160 nm. These results provide new ultrastructural evidence for gametangial meiosis in Oomycetes.
Characteristics of the Kepler target stars

The Kepler Mission successfully launched March 6, 2009, beginning its 3.5-year mission to determine the frequency of Earth-size planets in the habitable zones of late-type stars. The brightnesses of over 100,000 stars are currently being monitored for transit events with an expected differential photometric precision of 20 ppm at V=12 for a 6.5-hour transit. The same targets will be observed continuously over the mission duration in order to broaden the detection space to orbital periods comparable to that of Earth. This paper provides an overview of the selection and prioritization criteria used to choose the stars that Kepler is observing from the > 4.5 million objects in the 100 square degree field of view. The characteristics of the Kepler targets are described as well as the implications for detectability of planets in the habitable zone smaller than 2R⊕.
A randomized, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy and safety of sertraline in the treatment of the behavioral manifestations of Alzheimer's disease in outpatients treated with donepezil.

Objective To examine the safety and efficacy of sertraline augmentation therapy in the treatment of behavioral manifestations of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in outpatients treated with donepezil. Methods and materials Patients with probable or possible AD, and a Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) total score >5 (with a severity score ≥2 in at least one domain), were treated with donepezil (5–10 mg) for 8 weeks, then randomly assigned to 12 weeks of double-blind augmentation therapy with either sertraline (50–200 mg) or placebo. Primary efficacy measures were the 12-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and the Clinical Global Impression Improvement (CGI-I) and Severity (CGI-S) scales. Results 24 patients were treated with donepezil+sertraline and 120 patients with donepezil+placebo. There were no statistically significant differences at endpoint on any of the three primary efficacy measures. However, a linear mixed model analysis found modest but statistically significantly greater improvements in the CGI-I score on donepezil+sertraline. Moreover, in a sub-group of patients with moderate-to-severe behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, 60% of patients on sertraline vs 40% on placebo (p = 0.006) achieved a response (defined as ≥;50% reduction in a four-item NPI-behavioral subscale). One adverse event (diarrhea) was significantly (p < 0.05) more common in the donepezil+sertraline group compared to the donepezil+placebo group. Conclusion Sertraline augmentation was well-tolerated in this sample of AD outpatients. In addition, post hoc analyses demonstrated a modest but statistically significant advantage of sertraline over placebo augmentation in mixed model analyses and a clinically and statistically significant advantage in a subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A High Level Programming Environment for Accelerator-based Systems☆

Abstract Some of the critical hurdles for the widespread adoption of accelerators in high performance computing are portability and programming difficulty. To be an effective HPC platform, these systems need a high level software development environment to facilitate the porting and development of applications, so they can be portable and run efficiently on either accelerators or CPUs. In this paper we present a high level parallel programming environment for accelerator-based systems, which consists of tightly coupled compilers, tools, and libraries that can interoperate and hide the complexity of the system. Ease of use is possible with compilers making it feasible for users to write applications in Fortran, C, or C++ with OpenACC directives, tools to help users port, debug, and optimize for both accelerators and conventional multi-core CPUs, and with auto-tuned scientific libraries.
Electroosmotic Injection and Chemical Kinetics in Micro Reactors

The study of fluid flow in microchannels is of significant interest due to its application in a wide area of fields ranging from microscale flow injection, cooling of microchips, fuel vaporizer and micro reactors for chemical and biological systems. Design of effective electrokinetic micro reactors requires in-depth understanding of the electrokinetic phenomena and bulk reactions of species in the micro reactor. Although electrokinetic flows are popularly used for applications in the field of capillary electrophoresis (CE) [1], the phenomena of electroosmosis can be conveniently used for bulk transport and mixing of reagents. Electroosmosis occurs when the electrical double layer (EDL) near a solid-liquid interface is created by an external electric field. The uniqueness of electroosmotic flow (EOF) is characterized by plug velocity profile having uniform flow. Devasenathipathy et al. [2] showed that EOF offers a number of significant advantages over conventional pressure driven flow like reduced sample diffusion and controlled sample movement.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Effects of Leaf Shape and Boundary Layer Thickness on Photosynthesis in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

In upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) certain varieties are available with the mutant character “okra” leaves. These deeply lobed leaves were found to have thinner boundary layers than their normal analogues. Apparent photosynthesis and transpiration measurements were made in field-grown stands under a variety of light intensities and carbon dioxide levels to assess the effect of leaf boundary layer diffusion resistance on photosynthetic efficiency. The thinner boundary layers associated with deeply lobed “okra” cotton failed to euhance carbon fixation rates per unit land area. It was concluded that the leaf boundary layer resistance under field conditions is small compared with the total CO2 diffusion resistance.
DIAGNOSTIC STUDY OF A TROPICAL DISTURBANCE

Abstract An area of disturbed weather over the Bahamas is studied in detail for the 3-day period, Aug. 9–11, 1966. The coupling of an upper level cold-core cyclone with an approaching low-level wave was largely responsible for the considerable increase in cloudiness and weather observed on August 9 and 10. Warm anomalies in the lower stratosphere were even larger than the cold anomalies of the upper troposphere, strongly suggesting the existence of large-scale vertical motions at both levels. Results from a diagnostic numerical model show that the Laplacian of thermal advection was the single most important forcing function contributing to tropospheric vertical motion. Agreement between observed cloudiness and calculated vertical motion was generally good.
Progression of age changes in mature mouse motor nerve terminals and its relation to locomotor activity.

There is indirect evidence for morphologic ‘turnover’ of motor nerve terminals, but the consequences in terms of changing nerve terminal structure throughout mature lifetime are unknown. Therefore, quantitative morphometry of nerve terminals stained with zinc iodideosmium was carried out in soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of CBF-1 mice at various ages from 5 to 32 months. Because of previous questions as to the role of disuse in producing age changes in nerve terminal structure, locomotor activity was recorded for an average of 20 days continuously in mice spanning the same ages.
Stability of forage yield and quality in pearl millet hybrids heterogeneous for rust resistance

The susceptible pearl millet hybrid ‘Tifleaf 1’, the resistant hybrid ‘Tifleaf 2’, and two experimental 3-way hybrids with different proportions of resistant and susceptible plants were evaluated for rust resistance and forage yield and quality in 1990, 1991, and 1992. Different environmental conditions were obtained by varying planting date, planting density, and fungicide applications across three years of evaluation in the field. Rust severity of forage was negatively correlated with late season green yield, dry matter yield, in vitro dry matter digestibility, and digestible dry matter yield. The stability across environments of the 3-way hybrids was intermediate between resistant ‘Tifleaf 2’ and susceptible ‘Tifleaf 1’ for rust severity and the yield and quality measurements negatively correlated with rust severity. Mixtures of resistant and susceptible plants would probably provide greater control of rust than measured in these small-plot experiments. Although a mixture of resistant and susceptible plants appears to provide an alternative to monogenic control of rust in forage pearl millets, identification and utilization of additional sources of resistance would be beneficial to improve the performance of 3-way hybrids.
A note on the cybernetics of segregation.

The results of a preceding paper (Progress in Biocybernetics,2, Elsevier, 1965) are generalized to express the intensity of anti-Negro feelings, and of the segregation index as functions of the percentage of Negroes in the population. Previous results are applied to effects of migration of Negroes from regions of strong racial prejudice to regions of lesser racial prejudice.
Do International Institutions Matter

Locating the Proper Authorities: The Interaction of Domestic and International Institutions. Edited by Daniel W. Drezner. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002. 240 pp., $52.50 (ISBN: 0-472-11289-9). Within international relations, interest in the interplay between international and domestic politics dates from at least the 1960s and the development of “across-systems-theory” (Rosenau 1969; Wilkenfield 1973). However, it has only been in the past fifteen years that the field of international relations has placed any real emphasis on including domestic factors in its explanations of international behavior. In the past decade, for example, constructivists have advocated the importance of agents as well as structure in explaining politics, redirecting attention away from purely structural explanations of international politics and opening the door for the analysis of the interaction between the international system and substate actors (Koslowski and Kratochwil 1994; Kubalkova, Onuf, and Kowert 1998; Ruggie 1998). Foreign policy analysts, similarly, have asserted a need to account for both international and domestic politics when explaining the actions of decision makers (Holsti and Rosenau 1988; Karvonen and Sundelius 1990; Anderson, Hermann, and Hermann 1992; Carlsnaes 1992; Hagan 1994; Foyle 1997). To a large degree, this heightened interest in the interaction between domestic and international factors dates from the publication of Robert Putnam's (1988) article “Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games.” Putnam argued that the outcomes of international negotiations are determined by decision makers' efforts to reconcile the competing political demands of the international arena and critical domestic constituents. Specifically, the ability to reach an agreement with another state is contingent on a leader's ability to craft a proposal that is not only acceptable to the opposing government but can also be ratified domestically. Although very simple in design, Putnam's model is powerful in that it provides a way to link activities at the international and domestic levels and to account for their interaction. Putnam's work inspired further research on the …
Preterm infant nutrition, gut bacteria, and necrotizing enterocolitis

Purpose of review Provide research that relates the developing intestinal microbiome, nutrition, and the subsequent host response to the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), one of the most common and deadliest diseases seen in newborn infants. After nearly 50 years of little to no progress in this area, we are finally beginning to obtain evidence that is likely to lead to better understanding of both pathophysiology and prevention of the disease.
Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis in obese patients.

Background: Obesity is a relative contraindication to performing restorative proctocolectomy. The aim of this study was to assess the morbidity and functional results after restorative proctocolectomy in obese patients as compared to a matched cohort of non-obese patients. Methods: 334 patients who had restorative proctocolectomy were reviewed; obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2. 31 obese patients were matched to 31 non-obese patients for age, gender,steroid use, and diagnosis. Operative time, length of hospitalization, and both perioperative ( 6 weeks), especially sepsis, were evaluated. Results: The BMI was significantly higher in the obese group (33.7 vs 23.2) (p<0.0001), and no difference was found between the obese and non-obese groups relative to the matched parameters of age, gender, steroid use and diagnosis.There was no difference in the rate of mucosectomy performed between the obese and non-obese patients (9.6% vs 3.2%, p=NS). 16% of the obese patients underwent one stage restorative proctocolectomies as compared to 10% in the non-obese group. Operative time was longer in the obese group (229 min vs 196 min; p=0.02), but overall hospital length of stay was similar (9.7 days vs 7.7 days; p=0.13). Perioperative morbidity was higher in obese patients (32% vs 9.6%, p=0.058). However, there was no statistical significance in long-term morbidity (23% vs 32%, p=0.57) at a mean follow-up of 51 months in the obese group and 53 months in the non-obese group. Obese patients had more stomal complications (10 vs 0%) and incisional hernias (13 vs 3%) (p=NS). Overall the pelvic sepsis-rate was significantly higher in the obese group (16 vs 0%; p<0.05). 60% of the obese patients who developed pelvic sepsis had pouchanal anastomosis performed without proximal fecal diversion. Mean bowel movements/24 hours, pad use, nocturnal evacuation, accidents/24 hours and incontinence scores were not statistically significant between the groups. Conclusion: Obese patients have a higher rate of pelvic sepsis and peri-operative morbidity when compared to a matched non-obese cohort of patients; however,the functional outcome of restorative proctocolectomy in obese patients is not significantly different than in non-obese patients.