cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Catecholamines and Diagnoses in Children

ABSTRACT Theoretically, noradrenergic (NA) function may be lower in subjects with undersocialized conduct disorder (CDU) and higher in subjects with anxiety/depressive disorder. To test this hypothesis, diagnostic and 24-hour urine catecholamine measures were compared between subjects with plasma dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DβH) activities less than 6 μmoles/min/ L (low DβH group) and greater than 15 μmoles/min/ L (high DβH group). Several measures relating to norepinephrine metabolism were lower in the low DβH group, and the low DβH group had more diagnoses of CDU and fewer anxiety and depressive disorder diagnoses. Comparisons between clinical and biological measures within each of the DβH groups were also consistent with the hypothesized relationship between NA function, CDU, and anxiety/depressive disorder.
Effect of High and Low Concentrations of Sugar Solutions Fed to Adult Male, Phormia regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae), on ‘Bubbling’ Behavior

‘Bubbling’ behavior, or the regurgitation of liquid from the crop through droplet formation on the proboscis, has been observed in many nonblood feeding dipterans. One factor that has been identified as a cause for ‘bubbling’ is the concentration of the solution flies ingest. The hypothesis presented in this paper states that male flies ingesting more dilute solutions will exhibit more bubbling behavior than those that ingest a less dilute solution. Concentrations tested were a high concentration of 80% sucrose solution and a low concentration of 20% sucrose solution. Males only were tested to avoid any confounding effect of the females need for energy sources for reproduction. Male flies that ingested the 80% sugar solution showed 45% of the flies tested bubbling, which was significantly different from the flies that ingested 20% solution, which had only 5% of the flies bubbling. No significant weight loss or percentage of weight loss was observed between bubbling and nonbubbling flies for either sugar solution concentration. Results comparing a high and low concentration of sucrose do not support the theory of elimination of excess water loss to concentrate dilute solutions or the “dilute solution hypothesis”. Other factors, not identified previously, that could contribute to bubbling, are changes in osmolality, utilization of blood sugar (i.e., trehalose), and the regulation of the proventricular valve.
Switching between stabilizing controllers

This paper deals with the problem of switching between several linear time-invariant (LTI) controllers-all of them capable of stabilizing a specific LTI process-in such a way that the stability of the closed-loop system is guaranteed for any switching sequence. We show that it is possible to find realizations for any given family of controller transfer matrices so that the closed-loop system remains stable, no matter how we switch among the controller. The motivation for this problem is the control of complex systems where conflicting requirements make a single LTI controller unsuitable.
Drug-Induced Lupus Associated with Synthetic Conjugated Estrogens

Objective:To report a case of drug-induced lupus (DIL) in a patient taking Cenestin, a combination product of synthetic conjugated estrogens.Case Summary:A 54-year-old white female presented with a 4 month history of bilateral arm pain that developed and progressively worsened after initiating Cenestin 0.625 mg daily. The patient's symptoms, findings on physical examination (eg, degenerative changes of the acromioclavicular joint), and laboratory test results (eg, antinuclear antibody titer 1–640 [normal <1–40]) were suggestive of DIL. Her symptoms rapidly resolved with discontinuation of Cenestin and promptly resumed with reinitiation of the drug. Laboratory test values also improved significantly with discontinuation of Cenestin. Based on these findings and the Naranjo probability scale score, this reaction was probably associated with Cenestin.Discussion:DIL differs from systemic lupus erythematosus in that it is caused by prolonged exposure at adequate doses to a drug rather than being an autoimmune r...
Televised Japanese Language Program: The First Year.

The Televised Japanese Language Program (TJaLP) is a system for providing Japanese long distance instruction by recycling videotapes of live classes. This system, supplemented by local coordinators and native-speaker tutors, has been in operation since the fall semester of 1984, and has been quite successful in terms of students' performance and program evaluation. At institutions where employment of a full-time instructor is not feasible, this system may prove to be the most effective and economical means of offering instruction in critical foreign languages.
Clients' Perspectives on a Technology-Based Food Assistance Application System

The expansion of e-government is reshaping how disadvantaged groups access the social safety net, yet very little is known about clients' experiences with modernized systems. We examine client experiences applying to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program in one state that has recently moved to an "online-only" system. Overall, more than half of the 26 applicants stated a preference for the traditional caseworker model, even though some of them identified benefits to the modernized, online system. Based on respondents' experiences, we identified four points where the system proved problematic for applicants: (a) Accessing the call centers; (b) completing an eligibility interview; (c) using the paperless system to submit documentation; and (d) obtaining personal assistance to complete the application materials. Findings are relevant for state administrators of social safety net programs, e-government researchers in the public management and public administration fields, and social stratification researchers interested in how institutional processes influence patterns of inequality.
Hashing Hyperplane Queries to Near Points with Applications to Large-Scale Active Learning

We consider the problem of retrieving the database points nearest to a given hyperplane query without exhaustively scanning the database. We propose two hashing-based solutions. Our first approach maps the data to two-bit binary keys that are locality-sensitive for the angle between the hyperplane normal and a database point. Our second approach embeds the data into a vector space where the Euclidean norm reflects the desired distance between the original points and hyper-plane query. Both use hashing to retrieve near points in sub-linear time. Our first method's preprocessing stage is more efficient, while the second has stronger accuracy guarantees. We apply both to pool-based active learning: taking the current hyperplane classifier as a query, our algorithm identifies those points (approximately) satisfying the well-known minimal distance-to-hyperplane selection criterion. We empirically demonstrate our methods' tradeoffs, and show that they make it practical to perform active selection with millions of unlabeled points.
Practical QoS network system with fault tolerance

In this paper, we present an 'emulation environment' for the design and planning of QoS-enabled IP networks. Specifically, QoS support for real-time traffic in future IP networks require 'fault tolerance' for mission-critical applications such as tele-medicine. Based on this premise, our goal is to design the QoS network system for the traffic management so that QoS requirements are satisfied. Routing is a key component of this architecture, in which it enables the efficient use of the provisioned bandwidth. Our approach is to make routers in the network capable of finding QoS paths in a distributed manner in response to changing traffic demands. As an extension of QoS routing, each router is able to compute 'multiple QoS paths' to the same destination. The multiple QoS paths are utilized in parallel making the entire network system less prone to network failures. In computing multiple QoS paths, practical issues such as computation latency and resource requirement must be considered. With the use of multiple QoS paths, our emulation environment permits us to design more reliable QoS network systems and to test various applications for feasibility before deployment. This paper presents the multiple QoS algorithms with notable enhancements and the system architecture for fault tolerance. The relevant experiment results have also been presented.
Targeting thioredoxin reductase 1 reduction in cancer cells inhibits self-sufficient growth and DNA replication.

Thioredoxin reductase 1 (TR1) is a major redox regulator in mammalian cells. As an important antioxidant selenoprotein, TR1 is thought to participate in cancer prevention, but is also known to be over-expressed in many cancer cells. Numerous cancer drugs inhibit TR1, and this protein has been proposed as a target for cancer therapy. We previously reported that reduction of TR1 levels in cancer cells reversed many malignant characteristics suggesting that deficiency in TR1 function is antitumorigenic. The molecular basis for TR1's role in cancer development, however, is not understood. Herein, we found that, among selenoproteins, TR1 is uniquely overexpressed in cancer cells and its knockdown in a mouse cancer cell line driven by oncogenic k-ras resulted in morphological changes characteristic of parental (normal) cells, without significant effect on cell growth under normal growth conditions. When grown in serum-deficient medium, TR1 deficient cancer cells lose self-sufficiency of growth, manifest a defective progression in their S phase and a decreased expression of DNA polymerase α, an enzyme important in DNA replication. These observations provide evidence that TR1 is critical for self-sufficiency in growth signals of malignant cells, that TR1 acts largely as a pro-cancer protein and it is indeed a primary target in cancer therapy.
RNA-transfected CD40-activated B cells as a vaccine strategy in canine malignancies

Introduction: Cell-based vaccine strategies using dendritic cells as cellular adjuvant have entered phase III trials in humans and have been found to be safe, feasible, and potentially efficacious. Canine patients are generally smaller than adult human patients, which makes production of canine dendritic cell (DC) vaccines problematic, given patient size and the small number of available DC precursors. Here we describe feasibility studies of a novel cell-based vaccine strategy which uses CD40-activated B-cells (CD40-B) loaded with RNA. This strategy is based on our observations that RNA-transfected human CD40-B can drive anti-tumor T cell responses. One advantage of using CD40-B cells is the ability to expand this cell population ex vivo, allowing for the numbers of cells required for therapeutic vaccines. Methods: Twenty milliliters of blood were drawn from 6 normal dogs and 5 canine lymphoma patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated by Ficoll centrifugation. Culture conditions for B cell activation were optimized using CD40-ligand, canine IL-4, and Toll-like receptor stimulus with CpGoligodinucleotides (ODN). Cyclosporine was added to eliminate peripheral T lymphocytes. Proliferation and activation of CD40-B cells were demonstrated by CFSE dilution of B cells quantified by flow cytometry. Gene transfer was achieved by mRNA electroporation. Results: Marked in vitro stimulation and proliferation of canine peripheral B cells were achieved with soluble trimeric CD40L, canine IL-4, and ODN. CD40-B cells showed dramatic upregulation of MHC class II molecules and CD21 (B-cell activation marker). After two weeks in culture, cells were negative for CD3 and CD4. Canine CD40-B cells were efficiently transfected with mRNA, with >60% of CD40-B expressing green fluorescent protein after GFP mRNA electroporation. Conclusion: RNA-transfected CD40-B cells can be efficiently generated from normal and tumor-bearing dogs. These results provide rationale to test tumor RNA-transfected CD40-B as a novel therapeutic approach to treating canine malignancies. Clinical trials in canine lymphoma have been proposed.
Are Fire Policies Fair When They Mandate the Use of Chemical Flame Retardants Without Mandating Their Safety Testing

FireandhealthpoliciesintheUnitedStatesappeartobe unbalanced. On the one hand, US regulations re-quiretheinclusionofchemicalflameretardants(CFRs)inmanyhouseholdandclothingitemswiththegoalofsavingfamiliesfromdeathandinjuryduetofires.Ontheother hand, there is no accompanying requirement toestablishthesafetyofthechemicalsusedtoachievethisgoal,despiteawealthofdatasuggestingtoxicity.
A slow approach to mechanizing a fast digital interpolation filter

A digital data processor is mechanized using a given technology operating near its maximum speed. In order to digitally modulate this signal, the sampling rate of the information channel is increased and the data are smoothed by passing them through an interpolation filter. The faster sampling rate and higher speed interpolation filter appear to demand a change to a higher speed technology. This correspondence demonstrates that the slower technology can be carried through the interpolation filter stage.
What do row and column marginals reveal about your dataset

Numerous datasets ranging from group memberships within social networks to purchase histories on e-commerce sites are represented by binary matrices. While this data is often either proprietary or sensitive, aggregated data, notably row and column marginals, is often viewed as much less sensitive, and may be furnished for analysis. Here, we investigate how these data can be exploited to make inferences about the underlying matrix H. Instead of assuming a generative model for H, we view the input marginals as constraints on the dataspace of possible realizations of H and compute the probability density function of particular entries H(i, j) of interest. We do this for all the cells of H simultaneously, without generating realizations, but rather via implicitly sampling the datasets that satisfy the input marginals. The end result is an efficient algorithm with asymptotic running time the same as that required by standard sampling techniques to generate a single dataset from the same dataspace. Our experimental evaluation demonstrates the efficiency and the efficacy of our framework in multiple settings.
Rapid Analysis of Cefazolin in Serum by High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography

A high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for the analysis of cefazolin in serum. Serum was deproteinized by the addition of 6% trichloroacetic acid and injected onto a reverse-phase column with a mobile phase of 10 to 15% methanol in 1% aqueous acetic acid. Cefazolin chromatographed without interference from ultraviolet-absorbing components of serum, with a retention time of 3.1 min. Standard curves comparing peak area with concentration prepared from dog or human sera were linear over a range of 1.6 to 200 μg/ml. Results from the HPLC assay were compared with microbiological assays (cylinder plate method) on both standard serum samples and sera from dogs and human subjects receiving intramuscular cefazolin. The HPLC method was somewhat more accurate in comparison with the microbiological assay performed on serum samples of known concentration. The comparison of results from an analysis of serum levels of dogs or human subjects receiving cefazolin indicated that the two methods would lead to identical conclusions concerning pharmacokinetics or the achievement of therapeutic serum levels. The HPLC assay method presents an alternative to conventional microbiological assays, with marked improvement in speed (30 min) and considerable potential for future development.
Design of Mechanisms Via Constrained Least-Squares Method and Its Variants

Conception d'un mecanisme articule par la methode des moindres carres avec contraintes et ses variantes
Persistent West Nile Virus Infection in the Golden Hamster: Studies on Its Mechanism and Possible Implications for Other Flavivirus Infections

Golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) experimentally infected with West Nile virus (WNV) developed chronic renal infection and persistent shedding of virus in urine for up to 8 months, despite initial rapid clearance of virus from blood and the timely appearance of high levels of specific neutralizing antibodies. Infectious WNV could be recovered by direct culture of their urine and by cocultivation of kidney tissue for up to 247 days after initial infection. Only moderate histopathologic changes were observed in the kidneys or brain of the chronically infected hamsters, although WNV antigen was readily detected by immunohistochemistry within epithelium, interstitial cells, and macrophages in the distal renal tubules. Comparison of WNV isolates from serial urine samples from individual hamsters over several months indicated that the virus underwent both genetic and phenotypic changes during persistent infection. These findings are similar to previous reports of persistent infection with tickborne encephalitis and Modoc viruses.
Stand- and landscape-scale selection of large trees by fishers in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Idaho

The fisher (Pekania pennanti; formerly known as Martes pennanti) is a North American endemic mustelid with a geographic distribution that spans much of the boreal forests of North America. In the Northern Rocky Mountain (NRM) fishers have been the focus of Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing decisions. Habitat studies of West Coast fishers in California have consistently identified late-successional forests as important, providing direct implications for forest management and fisher conservation. In the NRM range very little is known about the habitat selection patterns of fishers relative to forest age and species composition, yet ESA petitioners have repeatedly listed habitat loss and destruction as the primary threat to fisher persistence. Between 2002 and 2006 we studied NRM fishers in the Clearwater sub-basin and eastern slope of the Bitterroot-Selway Ecosystem in Idaho and Montana. We used radio-telemetry locations from collared fishers to document fisher habitat use. We developed candidate models describing tree size, species composition, canopy closure, structural diversity, and topography to assess patterns of habitat selection relative to topographic and vegetative predictor variables measured at both stand and landscape scales. Support for these models was evaluated using Akaike Information Criteria. Fishers disproportionately used both stand sites and regional landscapes characterized by large diameter trees and avoided areas with ponderosa (a shade-intolerant species characteristic of xeric sites in the NRM) and lodgepole pine according to our best supported model. These results are consistent with other studies in the western US and Canada where large trees were deemed important, although we show that this selection in the Rocky Mountains occurs at multiple scales. These results highlight the importance of late-successional forests, consistent with a recent conservation strategy for fishers, and the importance of both stand- and landscape-level factors when directing forest management of fisher habitat in the US Rocky Mountains. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Performance and resource cost comparisons for the CBT and PIM multicast routing protocols

Researchers have proposed the core-based trees (CBTs) and protocol independent multicasting (PIM) protocols to route multicast data an internetworks. We compare the simulated performance of CBT and PIM using the OPNET network simulation tool. Performance metrics include end-to-end delay, network resource usage, join time, the size of the tables containing multicast routing information, and the impact of the timers introduced by the protocols. We also offer suggestions to improve PIM sparse mode while retaining the ability to offer both shared tree and source-based tree routing.
The Multiple Sources of Mission Drift

This article examines Weisbrod's contention that nonprofits should avoid unrelated business activities, primarily because of their potential for mission drift. The conclusion reached is that commercial ventures are only one among several paths to mission drift, and not the most threatening. Furthermore, the bottom line retains its potential for mission drift, even in nonprofits that have no unrelated business activities. However, if mission drift has multiple sources, then the exclusion of one relatively minor source is not an adequate remedy.
Solubilization of cellulosomal cellulases by fusion with cellulose-binding domain of noncellulosomal cellulase engd from Clostridium cellulovorans.

Clostridium cellulovorans produces a cellulase complex (cellulosome) as well as noncellulosomal cellulases. In this study, we determined a factor that affected the solubility of the cellulosomal cellulase EngB and the noncellulosomal EngD when they were expressed in Escherichia coli. The catalytic domains of EngB and EngD formed inclusion bodies when expressed in E. coli. On the other hand, both catalytic domains containing the C-terminal cellulose-binding domain (CBD) of EngD were expressed in soluble form. Fusion with the CBD of EngD also helped increased the solubility of cellulosomal cellulase EngL upon expression in E. coli. These results indicate that the CBD of EngD plays an important role in the soluble expression of the catalytic domains of EngB, EngL, and EngD. The possible mechanisms of solubilization by fusion of the catalytic domain with the CBD from EngD are discussed.
Chemodectoma of the glomus intravagale (vagal-body tumor)

c HEMODECTOMAS (nonchromaffrn paragangliomas) arise in the sites of distribution of the chemoreceptor system. The chemoreceptor system consists of scattered structures composed of neura1, epitheIia1 and vascuIar eIements that, under stimuIation, act to increase the rate, depth and minute voIume of respiration. These structures are located in we11 defined anatomic sites. The Iong-recognized carotid body Iies on the media1 aspect of the common carotid artery at its bifurcation. The jugular body, or glomus jugmare, is found in the dome of the juguIar buIb in cIose association with the tympanic branch of the gIossopharyngeal nerve and the auricuIar branch and jugular ganglion of the vagus nerve. The glomus intravagaIe, or vagal body, Iies within the perineurium of the vagus nerve, usuahy just beneath the juguIar foramen at or near the nodose ganghon. The aortic body may be Iocated near the bifurcation of the innominate artery, at the puImonary end of the ductus arteriosus, or on the anterolatera1 aspect of the aortic arch. The ciIiary body is SO designated because of its Iocation within the orbit in proximity to the cihary gangtion. With the recent report of Korn and associates [I] concerning the occurrence throughout the Iung tissue of minute structures resembhng the carotid body, it shouId be admitted that, as yet, unrecognized sites of chemoreceptor tissue may exist.
Glucose intolerance following chronic metabolic acidosis in man

The effect of chronic metabolic acidosis (0.1 g/(kg . day) X 3 days) on carbohydrate metabolism was examined with the glucose-clamp technique in 16 healthy volunteers. Hyperglycemic clamp. Plasma glucose concentration is acutely raised and maintained 125 mg/dl above the basal level. Because the glucose concentration is held constant, the glucose infusion rate is an index of glucose metabolism (M). Following NH4Cl, M decreased from 8.95 +/- 1.12 to 7.35 +/- 0.76 (P less than 0.05) despite an increased plasma insulin concentration (I) 23 +/- 9%, P less than 0.05). Consequently the M/I ratio, an index of tissue sensitivity to insulin, decreased by 32 +/- 5% (P less than 0.005). Euglycemic clamp. Plasma insulin concentration is acutely raised and maintained 101 +/- 3 microU/ml above basal and plasma glucose is held constant at the fasting level by a variable glucose infusion (M). Following NH4Cl both M and M/I decreased by 15 +/- 4% (P = 0.005) and 15 +/- 5% (P = 0.01), respectively. Metabolic acidosis had no effect on basal [3-3H]glucose production or the percent of decline (91 +/- 4%) following hyperinsulinemia. Both hyperglycemic and euglycemic clamp studies indicate that impaired glucose metabolism following metabolic acidosis results from impaired tissue sensitivity to insulin.
Intracellular pH of astrocytes increases rapidly with cortical stimulation

Modulation of intracellular pH is widely implicated in the control of cell growth and metabolism, yet little is known about intracellular pH and brain function. To determine how stimulation of brain may affect the intracellular pH of mammalian glial cells, rat cortical astrocytes were studied for the first time in vivo using pH-sensitive electrodes of submicron caliber. Stimulation of the cortical surface caused a cytoplasmic alkaline shift of tenths of a pH within seconds. Cessation of induced electrical activity was followed by pH recovery and a small acid rebound. Recordings obtained during cortical-spreading depression revealed similar but generally larger intracellular pH shifts. Production of metabolic acids is known to occur when the brain is stimulated and has led to the long-held presumption that brain cells accordingly become more acidic. The observation that glia initially become more alkaline during electrical activity is thus paradoxical. The correlation of glial alkalinization with evoked electrical activity suggests that modulation of intracellular pH of glia may have important functional implications.
Dielectric Materials in Organic Thin Film Transistors

This work focuses on dielectric materials in organic thin film transistors. Silicon oxides whose surfaces are modified with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) and octyltriethoxylSilane (OTS) are investigated. Organic semiconducting materials are used in the transistors made within the scope of this work. Although the devices made using our procedures did not exhibit satisfactory performance, we explored and understood some chemical and engineering aspects of the relevant dielectric/semiconductor interfaces in organic thin film transistors. Understanding these systems would help with improvements of the electrical properties and performance of such systems when plastic substrates are used at the next stage of the project.
Neuromuscular and hormonal factors associated with knee injuries in female athletes. Strategies for intervention.

Female athletes who participate in jumping and cutting sports are 4 to 6 times more likely to sustain a serious knee injury than male athletes participating in the same sports. More than 30,000 serious knee injuries are projected to occur in female intercollegiate and high school athletics in the US each year. The majority of these injuries occur by non-contact mechanisms, most often during landing from a jump or making a lateral pivot while running. Knee instability, due possibly to decreased neuromuscular strength and coordination or increased ligamentous laxity, may underlie the increased incidence of knee injury in females. Neuromuscular training can significantly increase dynamic knee stability in female athletes. Female sex hormones (i.e. estrogen, progesterone and relaxin) fluctuate radically during the menstrual cycle and are reported to increase ligamentous laxity and decrease neuromuscular performance and, thus, are a possible cause of decreases in both passive and active knee stability in female athletes. Oral contraceptives stabilise hormone levels during the menstrual cycle and may function to either passively or actively stabilise the knee joint. The long term objective of clinicians and researchers should be to determine the factors that make women more susceptible than men to knee ligament injury and to develop treatment modalities to aid in the prevention of these injuries. The immediate objectives of this review are to examine how female and male athletes differ in neuromuscular and ligamentous control of the lower extremity. The review will examine the effects of neuromuscular training on knee stability. The effects of female hormone levels and oral contraceptives on neuromuscular control of the female athletes' knee will also be discussed.
Clinical Trials of Active Surveillance of Papillary Microcarcinoma of the Thyroid

Background The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing globally. This is mainly due to the increase in the detection of small papillary carcinomas, including papillary microcarcinomas (PMC) 1 cm or smaller. It was suggested recently that PMCs are overdiagnosed and overtreated.
The Dynamics of Alkane Adsorption on Metals

The dissociative adsorption of alkanes is the first and rate limiting step in several very important catalytic processes. In this review we summarize the current understanding of the dynamics of such adsorption for linear C1-C4 alkanes. The differences between precursor mediated adsorption, through both intrinsic and extrinsic states, and direct adsorption are discussed and a new model is presented which allows one to crudely predict when the precursor mediated process will dominate.
Reversal of the Perfusion Gradient in Nuclear Medicine Pulmonary Perfusion Imaging - How well does it indicate pulmonary venous hypertension?

382 Objectives Patients (Pts) with volume overload and/or pulmonary venous hypertension (PVHTN) may demonstrate a phenomenon known as reversal of the anterior-posterior perfusion gradient (RPG), which may be demonstrated in lung scintigraphy (VQ). However, it is not commonly included as part of the final interpretation. The correlation between its presence and clinical significance is not well documented. The aim of this study is to determine if there is a clinical correlation between the presence of RPG on VQ scans and other comorbidities such as heart failure (HF) and PVHTN. Methods A retrospective review of 103 VQ reports positive for RPG performed in our department between the years of 2011 and 2014 was done. Each patient’s medical record was reviewed to assess for changes in management and/or optimization of treatment based on VQ findings of RPG. The presence of pulmonary embolism (PE), HF and PVHTN was determined based on past medical history as well as the VQ, chest radiograph, CT and echocardiogram (ECHO) reports. A total of 103 chest radiographs, 20 chest CTs and 83 ECHOs were reviewed. Results 101/103 (98.1%) Pts had low probability VQ scans. Of the remaining two Pts, 1/103 had a high probability scan and 1/103 an intermediate probability scan. A change in management occurred in 12 Pts, mainly with the addition of intravenous diuresis. 84/103 (81.6%) Pts had history of HF. Of the total 83 ECHO reports reviewed, 60/83 (72.3%) showed findings consistent with left heart failure and PVHTN, 4/83 (4.8%) Pts had pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAHTN), 17/83 (20.5%) had nonspecific findings between PAHTN and PVHTN and 2/83 (2.4%) were normal ECHOS. Conclusions Patients with VQ scans positive for RPG are associated with a higher rate of HF with volume overload and PVHTN. Further investigation of the clinical utility of reversal of the perfusion gradient as demonstrated in VQs, is indicated in a larger clinical setting.
Revisiting Cornell West's Race Matters: 1993-2013

DESCRIPTION Cornell West has made comments regarding President Barack Obama that have stirred debate. For example, in a November 2012 interview with Democracy Now host, Amy Goodman, he called the President a “Republican in Blackface.” The goal of this student roundtable is not to delve into the current conscience of Professor West; rather it is to allow students to examine West’s 1993 publication, Race Matters in the context of the theme of the 2013 NCOBPS Conference Black Power Reconceptualized…” Our goal is to examine the concepts formulated by Professor West in 1993 and determine whether there are linkages that will enable students of today to infuse those concepts into discussions and strategies that take into account the complex dynamics of human interactions, current international economic and political realities, and the necessity for the students of today to prepare to become the leaders of tomorrow. PARTICIPANTS Our roundtable’s confirmed participants are students in the Texas Southern University School of Public Affairs and the College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences. Their areas of study include Political Science, Public Affairs and Sociology. This will be the first experience of this nature for them. As students all are eager to present what they have learned and learn from those who come to hear their presentations.
A Baptistery below the Baptistery of Florence

In memory of Millard MeissThe idea that the Baptistery of Florence is a Roman or Early Christian building is surely one of the oldest themes in European art history (Figs. 1, 2).1 It was supported by Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Poliziano, and a hundred other eminent writers from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century, when German scholars claimed that S. Giovanni was actually Romanesque. Since then, despite the conviction of a score of authors who felt that they had laid to rest the idea of an Early Christian Baptistery, the old specter periodically revives and even gains new adherents.2 Above all the thesis of a Romanesque S. Giovanni is actively resisted in Italy, where each year new documentary, stylistic, and archaeological arguments are published in support of an Early Christian date.3 These Italian studies underline the fact that the evidence on both sides of the question is scanty, inconclusive, and often maddeningly ambiguous.
A Block Processing Approach to CMA Equalization of SOQPSK for Aeronautical Telemetry

This paper presents the results of using the constant modulus algorithm (CMA) to recover a shaped offset quadrature-phase shift keying (SOQPSK)-TG modulated signal, which has been transmitted over an aeronautical telemetry channel using the iNET data packet structure. The iNET-packet structure contains known data bits (the preamble and asynchronous marker (ASM) bits) within each data packet, which can be used to determine the minimum mean square error (MMSE) and zero-forcing (ZF) equalizer. We present a block processing CMA equalizer which uses either the MMSE or the ZF equalizer for initialization, and compare its performance to the CMA equalizer with the usual method of center-tap initialization. These equalizers are shown to outperform the center-tap initialized CMA at higher SNRs, while providing a performance gain of about 1 dB to 3 dB over the fixed MMSE or ZF equalizer alone.
Virtual Walls Based on Oil-Repellent Surfaces for Low-Surface-Tension Liquids

Manipulating and controlling water-based aqueous solutions with the use of virtual walls is relatively simple compared to that of nonaqueous low-surface-tension liquids, which pose greater challenges to microfluidic devices. This letter reports a novel technique to form a virtual wall for various low-surface-tension liquids. A microfluidic channel with virtual walls has been made to guide low-surface-tension liquids by using a specially designed oil-repellent surface. Unlike generic superoleophobic surfaces, our oil-repellent surface exhibited strong repellency to the lateral flow of low-surface-tension liquids such as hexadecane and dodecane. A plasma-assisted surface micromachining process has been utilized to form the oil-repellent surface. The use of combined features of re-entrant geometries on the surface played an important role in promoting its repellence to the lateral flow of low-surface-tension liquids. We have successfully demonstrated how low-surface-tension liquids can be well confined by th...
Cellular Landscapes in Watercolor

The molecular structure of cells is currently not accessible to most experimental techniques, but a view may be synthesized from data on molecular structure and cellular ultrastructure. In this article, the authors present the preparation and process for creation of a painting that shows the molecular environment of a portion of a living cell.
A Study on Electrochemical Corrosion Induced by Delamination during Hydrothermal Aging in Plastic Encapsulated Power Device

Delamination failure of a specific TO252 plastic encapsulated power device occurred in 85 ℃/85RH hydrothermal aging test.It was to study the electrochemical corrosion behavior induced by the delamination.Fracture surface of the delamination was investigated by microscope,SEM and EDX,corrosion products with accumulated Pb was detected on the Cu substrate.Corrosion test was performed for Sn-Cu-Sn63Pb37 system.According to the polarization characteristics of the related metal materials and corrosion morphology of Cu-Sn63Pb37 galvanic couple,Pb-rich phase in eutectic SnPb solder was more susceptible to polarize and be dissolved into the water.The Pb ion migrated to the Cu surface and formed precipitate.The process and mechanism of this electrochemical corrosion have been proposed which agree well with the experiment results.The corrosion induced by the delamination must be taken into consideration for life predication of the plastic encapsulated device in high temperature high humidity aging test.
Breeding and Application of New Hybrid Rice Combination T You 597 with BLB Resistance

T You 597(T98A/Chuanghui 597) is a new indica hybrid rice combination developed by the China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center.It shows the characteristics of high yield,good grain quality,resistance to bacterial leaf blight(BLB) and moderate susceptibility to blast.In January,2005,it was examined and approved for commercial use by the Hunan Provincial Crop Variety Appraisal Committee.The breeding procedure,major characteristics,cultivation and seed production techniques were introduced in this paper.
Examination of antibiotic dosing practices for refractory rhinosinusitis in relation to body weight.

Objective Rhinosinusitis is a common condition that is frequently treated as an infectious disease with antibiotics. In general, antibiotic dosing in adults follows a flat scheme with no regard for body size. Wide variability in body weight raises concern whether this dosing scheme results in efficacious dosing for patients of various sizes. If not, larger patients with chronic rhinosinusitis may have avoidable morbidity from their disease, and surgery may be prematurely recommended. Our goal was to better understand the possible treatment implications of varying body size when prescribing antibiotics for chronic rhinosinusitis. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Otolaryngology referral center at a multispecialty medical center. Participants Patients (N = 180) with refractory chronic rhinosinusitis referred to an otolaryngologist for consideration of sinus surgery. Methods Main outcome measures included antibiotic usage, dosing, and body size metrics. Results There was wide variation in patient weight and body mass index. However, treatment guidelines for adults do not recommend dosage adjustments for variation in weight, and there was little variation in dosing strategies for each antibiotic prescribed. Therefore, per kilogram dosing varied widely between patients. Of the 9 antibiotics prescribed for chronic rhinosinusitis, the median per kilogram dose of only 1 antibiotic exceeded the minimum recommended per kilo-gram dose for children. Conclusion In the absence of weight-based guidelines for antibiotic administration, the potential for suboptimal dosing in patients seeking relief for chronic rhinosinusitis or other infectious diseases is great, and further study is needed to examine dosing practices.
Buying Power: Utility Dark Money and the Battle Over Rooftop Solar

As rooftop solar energy systems become an ever more attractive alternative to grid-supplied electricity, electric utilities are actively seeking for ways to protect themselves against this new form of disruptive innovation in their markets. One strategy that some utilities appear to be employing is that of using large “dark money” campaign contributions to influence public utility commission races and other state-level elections. Ambiguous campaign finance rules in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision have generated a hazardous degree of uncertainty regarding the extent of legal constraints on investor-owned utilities’ funding of the election campaigns of utility regulators. Accordingly, some utilities have begun interpreting the law as permitting them to secretly make unlimited campaign contributions and thereby exert unbounded influence over the regulatory structure that governs them. What legal theories or strategies might help to resolve or mitigate this troubling new trend of dark money politics in utility law? This Essay highlights the nation’s growing regulatory capture problems involving electric utilities and identifies some plausible means of addressing them.
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Findings Late After the Arterial Switch Operation.

Background— Despite its robust diagnostic capabilities in adolescents and adult patients after the arterial switch operation, little information is available on the cardiovascular magnetic resonance findings in this population. Methods and Results— The cardiovascular magnetic resonance findings of 220 consecutive patients evaluated in our center were retrospectively reviewed (median age at cardiovascular magnetic resonance, 15.4 years; 66.8% male sex). Compared with published normal values, left and right ventricular end-diastolic volume z scores were mildly enlarged (0.48±1.76 and 0.33±1.5; P =0.0003 and 0.0038, respectively), with 26% of patients having left ventricular dilatation and 20% having right ventricular dilatation. Left ventricular dysfunction was present in 21.5% of patients (mild in most), and only 5.1% of patients had mild right ventricular dysfunction. Myocardial scar was found in 1.8% of patients. Dilatation of the neoaortic root was common (76%), and root z score increased at an average rate of 0.03 points per year. By multivariable analysis, neoaortic root dilatation was associated with worse neoaortic valve regurgitation (OR, 5.29; P =0.0016). The diameters of the thoracic aorta distal to the root were near-normal in most patients, whereas the neomain pulmonary artery was typically oval shaped with decreased anteroposterior and normal lateral diameters. Conclusions— Although the majority of arterial switch operation patients have normal ventricular size and function and myocardial scar is rare, an important minority exhibits ventricular enlargement or dysfunction. Neoaortic root dilatation, which is present in most patients and progresses over time, is strongly associated with significant neoaortic valve regurgitation. The findings of this study provide reference values against which arterial switch operation patients can be compared with their peers.
Germanium-core borosilicate glass-cladded semiconductor fibers for mid-IR applications

40μm diameter, germanium-core, borosilicate glass-cladded optical fibers were fabricated by the ‘rod in tube method’. The fibers successfully transmitted mid-IR wavelengths, with a transmission loss of 61dB/cm at 6.1μm.
Convergence Analysis of a Weighted Barrier Decomposition Algorithm for Two Stage Stochastic Programming

Mehrotra and Ozevin [7] computationally found that a weighted primal barrier decomposition algorithm significantly outperforms the barrier decomposition proposed and analyzed in [11; 6; 8]. This paper provides a theoretical foundation for the weighted barrier decomposition algorithm (WBDA) in [7]. Although the worst case analysis of the WBDA achieves a first-stage iteration complexity bound that is worse than the bound shown for the decomposition algorithms of [11] and [6; 8], under a probabilistic assumption we show that the worst case iteration complexity of WBDA is independent of the number of scenarios in the problem. The probabilistic assumption uses a novel concept of self-concordant random variables.
Differentiating Study Guides

Study guides are a popular and frequently student-requested instructional support developed primarily by upper elementary, middle, and high school teachers to help students navigate through a cours...
Boundary tones and the phonetic implementation of tone in Chichewa

In Chichewa (Bantu, Malawi), there are three differences in fundamental frequency (f0) between questions and statements: (a) questions have a final rise, while statements have a final fall, (b) questions do not display the strong downdrift trend found in statements, and (c) questions are produced in a higher pitch range than statements. A quantitative model is proposed that captures these generalizations through a dependency of the bottom of the current pitch range on the boundary tone. It is argued that such a model accounts for the distinction between question and statement better than a model in which pitch range distinctions are encoded in the phonological representation.
Prior Restraints in Venezuela's Social Responsibility on Radio and Television Act: Are They Justified?

This paper examines Venezuela's Social Responsibility on Radio and Television Act's restrictions placed on content broadcasted in the media.
Landfill gas-powered atmospheric water harvesting for oilfield operations in the United States

Abstract Landfill gas accounts for 18% of US greenhouse gas emissions. The energy wasted via venting/flaring methane in landfill gas can be valued at 7.5 billion USD (annually). This work presents a novel utilization concept, wherein landfill gas-powered refrigeration enables large-scale atmospheric water harvesting, via dehumidification. This work analyzes the potential of landfill gas-powered atmospheric water harvesting towards meeting the water requirements of oilfields located near landfills. Heat and mass transfer-based analytical modeling is used to estimate the seasonal water harvest, and techno-economic analyses are presented to quantify the benefits for US oilfields. This technology is seen to be attractive for the Barnett Shale (Texas) and Kern County (California), which can be served by 30 landfills each, and are located in hot-humid and water-stressed areas. Results show that landfill gas-powered water harvesting can meet 34% of water requirements (hydraulic fracturing) in the Barnett Shale and 12–26% of water requirements (enhanced oil recovery) in Kern County oilfields, respectively. Landfill gas projects are economically more viable in the Barnett as compared to Kern County. The impact of landfill gas-powered water harvesting on CO2e emissions from landfills is quantified. Constraints and challenges associated with water harvesting are discussed. Importantly, this waste-to-value concept has worldwide relevance since landfills co-exist with population centers.
Retail Location Decision Making Using a Market Potential Approach: A Group Project

In the project, each student group chooses a particular type of store and constructs an index of market potential to help choose a new location for the store. In addition to gaining experience in making decisions based on limited information, students also are exposed to online data bases and gain practice using Lotus 1-2-3.
Weight gain in early pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus among Latinas

Abstract Aim To evaluate the association between gestational weight gain (GWG) in early pregnancy and incidence of abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among Latinas. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 2039 Latinas using pooled data from two medical centres in Massachusetts. Gestational weights were abstracted from medical records and GWG was categorized as low, appropriate and excessive according to 2009 Institute of Medicine Guidelines. Diagnosis of AGT and GDM was confirmed by study obstetricians. Results A total of 143 women (7.0%) were diagnosed with GDM and 354 (17.4%) with AGT. After adjusting for age and study site, women with low GWG up to the time of GDM screen had a lower odds of GDM ( OR : 0.51, 95% CI: 0.29–0.92). Among overweight women, women with excessive first-trimester GWG had 2-fold higher odds of AGT ( OR : 1.96, 95% CI: 1.17–3.30) and GDM ( OR : 2.07, 95% CI: 1.04–4.12) compared to those with appropriate GWG; however, these findings were not significant among normal weight or obese women. Conclusion Among Latinas, low GWG up to the time of GDM screen was associated with lower odds of AGT and GDM, while excessive GWG among overweight women was associated with higher odds. Findings highlight need for interventions in early pregnancy to help women meet GWG guidelines and to moderate GWG among overweight Latinas.