cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corticosteroid-induced exophthalmos

We describe twenty-one patients on sustained corticosteroid therapy who presented with exophthalmos. Each patient received a complete ophthalmologic examination and further tests were conducted to rule out other causes of exophthalmos. Our data suggest that corticosteroid-induced exophthalmos is an entity more common than has been previously recognized.
Stupid Data Miner Tricks: Overfitting the S&P 500

This article originated over ten years ago as a set of joke slides showing silly spurious correlations. These statistically appealing relationships between the stock market and diary products and third world livestock populations have been cited often, in Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, the book “A Mathematician Looks at the Stock Market,” and elsewhere. Students from Bill Sharpe9s classes at Stanford seem to be familiar with them. The slides were expanded to include some actual content about data mining, and reissued as an academic working paper in 2001. Occasional requests arrive from distant corners of the world, so I thank the editors of the Journal of Investing for publishing this article. Without taking a hatchet to the original, the advice offered remains valuable, perhaps even more so now that there is so much more data to mine. Monthly data arrives as a single data point, once a month. It9s hard to avoid data mining sins if you look twice. Ticks, quotes, and executions arrive in millions per minute, and many of the practices which fail the statistical sniff tests for low frequency data can now be used responsibly. Nevertheless, fooling yourself remains an occupational hazard in quantitative trading.
Mostly-automated verification of low-level programs in computational separation logic

Several recent projects have shown the feasibility of verifying low-level systems software. Verifications based on automated theorem-proving have omitted reasoning about first-class code pointers, which is critical for tasks like certifying implementations of threads and processes. Conversely, verifications that deal with first-class code pointers have featured long, complex, manual proofs. In this paper, we introduce the Bedrock framework, which supports mostly-automated proofs about programs with the full range of features needed to implement, e.g., language runtime systems.The heart of our approach is in mostly-automated discharge of verification conditions inspired by separation logic. Our take on separation logic is computational, in the sense that function specifications are usually written in terms of reference implementations in a purely functional language. Logical quantifiers are the most challenging feature for most automated verifiers; by relying on functional programs (written in the expressive language of the Coq proof assistant), we are able to avoid quantifiers almost entirely. This leads to some dramatic improvements compared to both past work in classical verification, which we compare against with implementations of data structures like binary search trees and hash tables; and past work in verified programming with code pointers, which we compare against with examples like function memoization and a cooperative threading library.
On the Use of Micron-Sized Iron Oxide Particles (MPIOS) to Label Resting Monocytes in Bone Marrow

Purpose The use of MRI to monitor immune cell infiltration into various pathologies is well established. In an effort to boost the magnetic material within immune cells, this work attempted to label resting monocytes within bone marrow, in mice, by intravenous administration of micron-sized iron oxide particles (MPIOs), similar in fashion to the administration of (U)SPIO.
Adenosine-induced atrial fibrillation during fractional flow reserve measurement

We present the case of a 44 year-old man referred for coronary angiography with a history of coronary artery disease. Following administration of intra-coronary adenosine for fractional flow reserve (FFR) assessment, the patient developed atrial fibrillation (AF). While well described during non-invasive stress testing, this is the first description in the literature of AF following adenosine administration for FFR. The growing usage of FFR during diagnostic coronary angiography makes this an important side effect to consider. Our subsequent management and follow-up is presented.
A variable edge effect on trees of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, and its bearing on measurement parameters

Abstract With tropical forests under increased pressure from fragmentation and nascent effects of climate change, it is imperative to reliably predict change for timely reduction of impacts. This depends on measuring the right variables and analyzing them in ways that best detect change. I compared the usefulness of density, species richness, species diversity, and size in detecting edge penetration; and other parameters in revealing edge effect on tree species in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Trees were sampled in 104 1 km edge-interior transects set around the entire park. Density and species richness were better indicators of edge-width than girth size and diversity measurements, both showing edge penetration as most intense within 300 m, although effect was detectable up to 900–1000 m. This estimate compared closely with an earlier estimate of 300–350 m obtained using incidences of resource harvest. Among other measures, measures of tree species abundance and frequency showed significant response to the edge by both early succession and primary forest species; while analyses of density showed edge response primarily by forest interior species. Parameters of tree size and their derivatives showed edge response by the lowest number of species. These results suggest that to measure edge effects reliably, it is important to select the right parameters.
Heterochromatin structure: Lessons from the budding yeast

The eukaryotic genome can be roughly divided into euchromatin and heterochromatin domains that are structurally and functionally distinct. Heterochromatin is characterized by its high compactness and its inhibitory effect on DNA transactions such as gene expression. Formation of heterochromatin involves special histone modifications and the recruitment and spread of silencing complexes and causes changes in the primary and higher order structures of chromatin. The past two decades have seen dramatic advances in dissecting the molecular aspects of heterochromatin because of the identification of the histone code for heterochromatin as well as its writers and erasers (histone-modifying enzymes) and readers (silencing factors recognizing histone modifications). How heterochromatic histone modifications and silencing factors contribute to the special primary and higher order structures of heterochromatin has begun to be understood. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has long been used as a model organism for heterochromatin studies. Results from these studies have contributed significantly to the elucidation of the general principles governing the formation, maintenance, and function of heterochromatin. This review is focused on investigations into the structural aspects of heterochromatin in S. cerevisiae. Current understanding of other aspects of heterochromatin including how it promotes gene silencing and its epigenetic inheritance is briefly summarized.
How alignment strategies influence ERP project success

The purpose of the study was to conduct an analysis of ERP implementations to develop a grounded theory of why, when, and how the successful alignment of ERP-supported processes and business needs is achieved over time and to identify alignment strategies that enable organisations to achieve a ‘fit’ between ERP-supported processes and business needs. The alignment strategies which support the best practices revealed in the case studies include functional expertise, knowledge integration, liaison mechanisms, project governance, and the scope and integration of enterprise-wide processes.
Coordination of frontline defense mechanisms under severe oxidative stress.

Complexity of cellular response to oxidative stress (OS) stems from its wide-ranging damage to nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. We have constructed a systems model of OS response (OSR) for Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1 in an attempt to understand the architecture of its regulatory network that coordinates this complex response. This has revealed a multi-tiered OS-management program to transcriptionally coordinate three peroxidase/catalase enzymes, two superoxide dismutases, production of rhodopsins, carotenoids and gas vesicles, metal trafficking, and various other aspects of metabolism. Through experimental validation of interactions within the OSR regulatory network, we show that despite their inability to directly sense reactive oxygen species, general transcription factors have an important function in coordinating this response. Remarkably, a significant fraction of this OSR was accurately recapitulated by a model that was earlier constructed from cellular responses to diverse environmental perturbations—this constitutes the general stress response component. Notwithstanding this observation, comparison of the two models has identified the coordination of frontline defense and repair systems by regulatory mechanisms that are triggered uniquely by severe OS and not by other environmental stressors, including sub-inhibitory levels of redox-active metals, extreme changes in oxygen tension, and a sub-lethal dose of γ rays.
Nutlin3 Blocks Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Induction by Preventing the Interaction between Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1α and Hdm2

Hdm2 is elevated in numerous types of malignancies and is thought to impede the function of wild-type p53. Reactivation of p53 by disrupting the association with Hdm2 was the impetus for the development of Nutlin3. Although regulation of p53 has been the central focus of Hdm2 activity, it also binds other proteins through its p53-binding domain. Here, we show that hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF1alpha) binds to Hdm2 in the domain designated to bind p53. HIF1alpha and p53 share a conserved motif that is required to bind Hdm2. Distinct complexes form between Hdm2-HIF1alpha and Hdm2-p53 as determined by immunoprecipitation of nuclear extracts and in vitro. The Hdm2 antagonist Nutlin3 prevents the association between Hdm2 and HIF1alpha. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene is a transcriptional target of HIF1alpha, and under normoxic or hypoxic conditions, Hdm2 increases HIF1alpha activity to induce VEGF production. Blocking the association of Hdm2 and HIF1alpha by Nutlin3, or ablating Hdm2 expression, diminished the level of VEGF under conditions of normoxia or hypoxia. Our findings establish a unique role for Nutlin3 in attenuating VEGF induction by preventing the association of Hdm2 with HIF1alpha.
The prevalence of acne in adults 20 years and older

Background Acne, one of the most common skin diseases, is often mistakenly thought to affect exclusively the teenaged group. However, a significant number of patients either continue to experience acne or develop new-onset acne after the teenaged years. Objective A survey was designed to assess the prevalence of acne in the teenaged years, and aged 20 to 29 years, 30 to 39 years, 40 to 49 years, and 50 years and older. Methods Adults aged 20 years and older were asked to complete surveys distributed at various sites on our university campus and medical complex. Results Of 1013 participants aged 20 years and older, 73.3% (n = 744) reported ever having acne. After the teenaged years, women were more likely to report having acne than men, with the difference being statistically significant in all age groups. The prevalence of acne reported in women versus men was as follows: 20 to 29 years, 50.9% (n = 276) versus 42.5% (n = 201) ( P = .0073); 30 to 39 years, 35.2% (n = 152) versus 20.1% (n = 73) ( P P P = .0046). Limitations Our results are based on the participant's own perception of the presence or absence of acne rather than a clinical evaluation. Conclusions Acne continues to be a common skin problem past the teenaged years, with women being affected at higher rates than men in all age groups 20 years or older.
Joint synchronization and detection from samples taken through integrate-and-dump

The problem of sequence and timing error estimation for arbitrary baseband pulse shapes and arbitrary sampling rates in integrate-and-dump optical communications is studied. It is shown that the error probability due to timing error reduces to the same as that with perfect synchronization as the sampling rate goes to infinity, and a lower bound on the error probability is also derived. The general results are then applied to the popular cases of OOK and BPPM. The same problem is also studied for the Gaussian channel with samples taken by an integrate-and-dump filter. A lower bound on the error probability is also derived, and it is shown to be the same as the one with samples taken from the matched filter for NRZ signaling. >
Low-latency methods for wireless video transmission

This paper describes a technique for delivering real-time video over low-bandwidth wireless channels. The proposed approach transmits data at a fixed bit-rate specified by the encoder and provides an error correction mechanism for robust data transmission without the use of channel quality information. The performance of this technique in the presence of transmission errors is demonstrated.
On the performance of the MLE of adaptive array weights: a comparison

The maximum-likelihood (ML) adaptive weight vector is derived, and its performance is compared with those of the sample matrix inversion (SMI) method and the least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm. The ML adaptive weight vector and the SMI method achieve identical convergence rates for the average SNR. With the desired signal absent, they are superior to the LMS algorithm. However, when the desired signal is present and the optimum SNR which depends on the received SNR is large, they lose their superiority. For the average MSE performance, the convergence of the ML adaptive weights is the fastest when the optimum SNR is high enough. With a small optimum SNR, the SMI method performs better than the other algorithms. >
Electron-impact ionization of Li 2 using a time-dependent close-coupling method

Electron-impact ionization cross sections for H{sub 2} are calculated using a nonperturbative time-dependent close-coupling method. In a standard frozen-core approximation, the six-dimensional wave function for the valence target electron and the incident projectile electron is expanded in products of rotational functions. The time-dependent Schroedinger equation for the two-electron system is then reduced to a set of close-coupled partial differential equations for the four-dimensional expansion functions in (r{sub 1},{theta}{sub 1},r{sub 2},{theta}{sub 2}) center-of-mass spherical polar coordinates. The nonperturbative close-coupling results are found to be over a factor of 2 lower than perturbative distorted-wave results, but in excellent agreement with experimental measurements, at incident electron energies near the peak of the total integrated cross section.
Chemical vapor infiltration : dispersed and graded depositions for ceramic composites

A structured-geometry model for dispersed and graded deposits was developed for chemical vapor infiltration of multiply-woven substrates of carbon filters. An earlier model was modified to allow for two reactants in the feed. The model predicts gas-phase concentration profiles in the voids of substrates and deposition amounts of two reactants as a function of time and location. Results are shown for feeding reactant gases simultaneously for dispersed deposition and periodically for the study of the graded deposition for a typical substrate. The variation in relative contents of reactants in the feed with time shows how the composition of the deposit varies. Porosities and changes of dimensions with time everywhere in the substrate are also predicted. This is an advantage of the structured-geometry model vs. a simplified homogeneous geometry for the substrate. Such a simplification may preclude predicting failure, such as delamination, which would require a local description of the composite structure. Sensitivity to input parameters such as temperature, pressure, and reactant feed concentration is discussed, and two substrate geometries are compared. The behavior of the system is predicted to be dominated by the times to fill gaps between filaments at the ply surfaces and the outermost space between plies. Furthermore,more » faster kinetics and slower reactant diffusion favor deposition of one material near the surface of a ply or the matrix and the other near the center of the ply or matrix. By manipulating feed rates of reactants, uniformity of material and overall porosity of the composites are predicted to be enhanced.« less
Transient Switching Behavior in Silicon MOSFET RF Switches

Silicon MOS devices are seeing increased use in highly integrated RFICs. This paper shows the results of an investigation of the impact of the external gate bias resistance as well as the distributed RC gate effect on switching speed in these devices. A model is presented with both simulations and measured data used to verify the model. The model also shows that the optimal number of gate fingers in the 10 to 20 range.
Monitoring, reputation, and ‘greenbeard’ reciprocity in a Shuar work team

Summary A collective action (CA), i.e., a group of individuals jointly producing a resource to be shared equally among themselves, is a common interaction in organizational contexts. Ancestral humans who were predisposed to cooperate in CAs would have risked being disadvantaged compared to free riders, but could have overcome this disadvantage through ‘greenbeard’ reciprocity, that is, by assessing the extent to which co-interactants were also predisposed towards cooperation, and then cooperating to the extent that they expected co-interactants to reciprocate. Assessment of others’ cooperativeness could have been based on the direct monitoring of, and on reputational information about, others’ cooperativeness. This theory predicts that (1) CA participants should monitor accurately, and (2) perceived higher-cooperators should have better reputations. These predictions were supported in a study of real-life CAs carried out by a group of Shuar hunter-horticulturalists: (1) members accurately distinguished ‘intentional’ non-cooperators (who could have cooperated but chose not to) from ‘accidental’ noncooperators (who were unable to cooperate), and their perceptions of co-member cooperativeness accurately reflected more objective measures of this cooperativeness; and (2) perceived intentional cooperators had better reputations than perceived intentional non-cooperators. These results have direct applications in organizational contexts, for example, for increasing cooperativeness in self-directed work teams. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The evolution of cooperation/altruism (the two terms are often considered essentially synonymous in biology) is a central problem in behavioral biology. Many researchers agree that humans engage in cooperation to a degree that is beyond the explanatory reach of widely-accepted evolutionary theories of cooperation such as kin altruism (Hamilton, 1964; Williams & Williams, 1957) and dyadic reciprocal altruism (Trivers, 1971). Recent attention has focused on the origins of collective action (CA), defined here as multiple (not necessarily genetically related) individuals cooperating to produce some resource to be shared equally among themselves. The organizational behavior literature has focused on several forms of CA, most commonly on work teams, for example, a team of auto engineers designing
Proportional sEMG Based Robotic Assistance in an Isolated Wrist Movement

Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of robots for motor therapy. Surface electromyography (sEMG) is appealing for user intent detection as the signal relates the individual’s desired muscle contractile force. A drawback to sEMG interfaces is subject- and session-dependent calibration. We sought to investigate the effect of a simple sEMG assistive controller on user performance in the MAHI Exo-II, therapeutic exoskeleton. Agonist-antagonist muscles were related after normalization based on sub-maximal isometric contraction. Six subjects performed a target tracking task with four levels of assistance in wrist flexion-extension. Performance metrics were mean absolute position error and estimated muscular activity. In low levels of assistance, subject performance was not significantly affected, while increasing the assistance resulted in higher position errors. In characterizing the performance assistance trade-off, we better understand the capabilities of this simple controller. This investigation validates the feasibility of using a proportional control scheme for a therapeutic wrist exoskeleton system and motivates further testing with impaired subjects to optimize the system for use in a clinical setting.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Quartz pseudomorphs after coesite

Coesite has recently been described as a primary phase in a mantle-derived kyanite eclogite from the Roberts-Victor kimberlite, South Africa. An additional specimen from the same locality contains large polycrystalline aggregates of quartz, resembling the quartz rims on the coesite grains in the first specimen. The characteristic textures of these quartz pseudomorphs after coesite are described to aid in the identification of further specimens.
Integrated Current Sensing Technology for Synchronous Buck Converters

A lossless current sensing technique is proposed, which takes advantage of the on-resistance of the sync FET used in the buck converter to sense the current flowing through the device and to reconstruct an emulated version of the inductor current. The current sensing circuit is integrated into the MOSFET driver and co-packaged with a set of FETs in a stacked die arrangement with common lead-frame shared between driver and sync FET to enable accuracy equivalent to or better than DCR sensing. In addition to steady-state operation, modern multiphase controllers are required to drive the buck converter in other operating modes including: Diode Emulation Mode (DEM), body-braking, tri-state (phase off). These additional modes are also correctly emulated by the current sense logic.
Leasing: Chrysler Corporation - 1995

SUBJECT AREAS: Finance, time value of money, leasing, financing as a marketing tool. CASE SETTING: 1995, USA, Automotive Industry. Toyota has just introduced a low-priced leasing deal that has hurt sales of the Chrysler Cirrus. Steve Bartoli, a young MBA at Chrysler, needs to craft a response. This applied time value of money case introduces students to leasing in the context of a pricing case. Students explore the use of financing as a marketing tool as they calculate the present value of various promotional financing tactics, including low-interest-rate loans and discounted-lease deals. The case includes an introductory note on leasing, and is rich in institutional detail concerning the car buying process and how automotive lease payments are calculated.
Light Trapping for Managing Broadband Radiation: Sunlight and Thermal Emission

The processes of energy conversion between light and other forms of energy are heavily influenced by the photonic structures used. We will discuss some fundamental aspects regarding how photonic structures may influence light absorption and thermal emission efficiency. A new concept of thermal extraction will be also introduced.
Rarity of Donor-Derived Malignancy after Allogeneic BMT with High-Dose Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide

s / Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 20 (2014) S211eS256 S252 Data on adults included 644 (598 allo + 46 auto) evaluable patients out of total 835 patients reported. In pediatric cohort 165 patients suffered from malignancies, 356 patients were transplanted for non-malignant diseases; 437 underwent a first SCT, 87 had a subsequent transplant. In adult group 626 were treated for hematological malignancies and 18 for nonmalignant diseases (SAA or thalassemia). No data on autoSCT in adults were published after 2004. The majority of pediatric patients received treosulfan in dose 39-45 mg/m2 (332 patients, 62%). Most of adult patients treated after 2007 received dose of 42 mg/m2. Results: The main indications for treosulfan use in pediatric population were non-malignant diseases (68%) or second SCT, while among adults older age (>50 years) and/or comorbidities disqualifying from myeloablative conditioning. No correlation between the given treosulfan dose and the grade III/IV toxicity was observed both in children and in adults. No association between dose and GVHD, OS, DFS, relapse incidence and TRMwas found both in children and in adults. Conclusions: Treosulfan-based conditioning with its low toxicity profile and dose-dependent myelotoxicity is a good option in children treated with non-malignant diseases. Additionally, both children and adults not eligible for conventional transplant regimen can be offered this treatment with acceptable results. Toxicity and survival were similar in children and adults, while acute and chronic GVHD incidence were higher in adult population.
Can linking databases answer questions about paediatric heart failure

Numerous data sets collect information on patients with paediatric cardiovascular disease, including paediatric heart failure and transplant patients. This review discusses methodologies available for linking and integrating information across data sets, which may help facilitate answering important questions in the field of paediatric heart failure and transplant that cannot be answered with individual data sets or single-centre data alone.
Impaired gut contractility following hemorrhagic shock is accompanied by IL-6 and G-CSF production and neutrophil infiltration

Recovery from hemorrhagic shock (HS) is frequently accompanied by bowel stasis. The aim of this study was to examine whether or not HS initiates an inflammatory response that includes production of cytokines, specifically G-CSF and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and recruitment of leukocytes within the intestinal muscularis which contribute to impaired muscle contractility. Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to HS (MAP 40 mm Hg for 156 min) followed by resuscitation, and then they were killed at 4 hr. Shock animals demonstrated accumulation of PMNs in the jejunal muscularis and decreased spontaneous and bethanechol-stimulated muscle contractility. Semiquantitative RT-PCR demonstrated elevated levels of IL-6 and G-CSF mRNA in shock animals in full-thickness jejunum and in mucosa and muscularis layers compared to sham controls. Immunostaining demonstrated increased IL-6 protein production within the muscularis externa and submucosa. In situ hybridization studies localized G-CSF mRNA production to the submucosa. Gel shift assays revealed increased NF-κB and Stat3 activity in full-thickness jejunum and jejunal layers of shock animals. Activation of Stat3 also was demonstrated in normal muscularis tissue exposed to IL-6 and G-CSF in vitro. IL-6 and G-CSF are produced in the muscularis and mucosa layers of the gut in HS where they may contribute to PMN recruitment and smooth muscle dysfunction.
Approximate radial functions: I. First-row transition-metal 4s and 3d atomic orbitals

The approximate 4s and 3d radial wavefunctions of Richardsonet al. [J, chem. Physics 36, 1057 (1962)] for first-row transition-metal atoms and ions have been extended to additional electronic configurations. The results suggest several improvements in the 4s wavefunction parameters. Formulas are reported for extending the “double-ζ” 3d wavefunctions over the range of atomic orbitalsd1 throughd10. The results are intended for use in calculations of chemical bonding.
Using input feature information to improve ultraviolet retrieval in neural networks

In neural networks, the training/predicting accuracy and algorithm efficiency can be improved significantly via accurate input feature extraction. In this study, some spatial features of several important factors in retrieving surface ultraviolet (UV) are extracted. An extreme learning machine (ELM) is used to retrieve the surface UV of 2014 in the continental United States, using the extracted features. The results conclude that more input weights can improve the learning capacities of neural networks.
The Embodiment Dynamic over the Life Course: A Case for Examining Cancer Aetiology

In this chapter, we theoretically frame embodiment as a key concept to understanding how health is constructed over the life course. The background literature is described, and we put forward the embodiment dynamic as a way of understanding complex interactions between individuals and their environments over the life course. We then illustrate how this dynamic may be used to understand social-to-biological processes and socially patterned health outcomes. Taking the example of cancer aetiology, we examine some of the processes involved in the development of cancers over the life course.
Grief Reactions in the Suicide Bereaved

Suicide bereavement is common, can be life-altering, and has both societal and intergenerational implications and effects. Despite the fact that every bereaved person’s grief is unique, grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide adds layers of complexity to what can be an already profoundly painful experience. Suicide bereavement often is characterized by prominent symptoms of overwhelming guilt, confusion, shame, rejection, and anger. The experience of suicide bereavement is also often steeped in the context of stigma. Many aspects of suicide bereavement add to its complexity and set it apart from bereavement in general. This chapter will focus on these factors, delineating the unique context, qualitative features, sequelae, and treatment considerations for suicide bereavement.
Corrosion of Structural Alloys in High-Temperature Molten Fluoride Salts for Applications in Molten Salt Reactors

Hastelloy N®, a nickel-based alloy, and 316 stainless steel are among the candidate structural materials being considered for the construction of the molten salt reactor (MSR). Most of the proposed MSR concepts use molten fluoride salts as coolant which can be quite corrosive to structural alloys. The results of studies on the corrosion behavior of the two alloys in molten Li2BeF4 (FLiBe) salt at 700°C are discussed. This salt is being considered as the primary coolant for MSR designs featuring solid fuel particles, but the reported results also provide insights into the corrosion in MSR designs where the uranium fuel is dissolved in the molten fluoride salt. Corrosion was observed to occur predominantly by de-alloying of Cr from the alloy surface and into the molten salt, with more pronounced attack occurring along the grain boundaries than in the bulk grains. The magnitude and the mechanisms of corrosion were different for corrosion tests performed in graphite and metallic capsules, a result warranting recognition given the coexistence of structural alloys and graphite in the molten salt medium in the MSR.
Der Ertrag des investierten Kapitals und die Preispolitik

Der in der Investitionsrechnung ermittelte „Ertrag des investierten Kapitals“ (Return on Investment oder Return on Capital Employed) gibt — wie im 17. Kapitel gezeigt wurde — der Unternehmensfuhrung aussagefahige Unterlagen bei Investitionsentscheidungen. In diesem Kapitel wird die Anwendung dieser Kennzahl auf folgende Gebiete erweitert: (a) Kontrolle der Betriebstatigkeit, (b) Planung des Gewinnes, (c) Festsetzung der Verkaufspreise.
The effect of coronary reoperation on the survival of patients with stenoses in saphenous vein bypass grafts to coronary arteries

Does coronary artery reoperation improve the survival of patients with stenoses in saphenous vein bypass grafts to coronary arteries? To examine this question, we retrospectively reviewed 1117 patients who had coronary bypass grafting and then underwent a postoperative coronary angiogram that showed a stenosis (≥20%) of at least one vein graft. Reoperation within 1 month of the postoperative angiogram was performed for 394 patients (REOP group) whereas 723 patients MED group) received initial medical treatment (no reoperation or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty within 1 year). Compared with the MED group, patients in the REOP group were older, more symptomatic, more likely to have left main stenosis, and had fewer patent bypass grafts (all p<0.001)
EFFECTS OF BACTERIAL ENDOTOXIN ON METABOLISM II. PROTEIN-CARBOHYDRATE BALANCE FOLLOWING CORTISONE. INHIBITION OF INTESTINAL ABSORPTION AND ADRENAL RESPONSE TO ACTH

Urinary nitrogen excretion over a 17 hour period without food and water was determined for mice poisoned with endotoxin and for control mice with and without the subcutaneous injection of 5 mg. cortisone acetate. Endotoxin did not alter the quantity of nitrogen excreted, compared with that of control mice, but in both groups of animals cortisone increased urinary nitrogen by the same amount. A balance between the quantity of protein catabolized (as estimated by increased urinary nitrogen excretion) and the total carbohydrate stored as a result of cortisone administration was found in fasted and in fed mice but not in endotoxin-poisoned mice. Endotoxin inhibited the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and blocked the absorption of food. Injections of ACTH in normal mice increased protein degradation and carbohydrate synthesis. In endotoxin-poisoned animals, ACTH failed to alter urinary nitrogen excretion and carbohydrate reserves. ACTH increased susceptibility to endotoxin. The number of heat-killed cells of S. typhimurium required to block the increase in urinary nitrogen caused by an injection of ACTH was found to be 108. A partial block was found with 5 x 107 cells but not with 105 cells. Mice infected with S. typhimurium excreted less than the normal amount of urinary nitrogen in response to ACTH 6 to 23 hours postinfection while normal amounts of nitrogen were eliminated 54 to 71 hours postinfection. The number of viable cells in the mice during the earlier period was less than the number of dead cells required to alter the nitrogen output, while the reverse was true during the later period.
Post-resuscitation Care

Pediatric cardiac arrest is an infrequent but potentially devastating event. While return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is the immediate objective, the ultimate goal is survival with meaningful neurologic outcome. Once a perfusing rhythm is established, the pediatric cardiac arrest victim requires expert critical care to optimize organ function, prevent secondary injury, and maximize the child’s potential for recovery. Common post-resuscitation conditions include acute lung injury, myocardial dysfunction, hepatic and renal insufficiency, and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. This constellation is described by the term “post-cardiac arrest syndrome” and resembles the systemic inflammatory response seen in sepsis or major trauma. Children may have single organ failure or multi-organ dysfunction, and the need for critical care therapies may delay accurate evaluation of neurologic status and limit prognostic ability. Pediatric post-resuscitation therapies are not typically evidence-based given the paucity of randomized trials and heterogeneous nature of the patient population. Goals of care include normalizing physiologic and metabolic status, preventing secondary organ injury, and diagnosing and treating the underlying cause of the arrest. Therapeutic hypothermia has been shown to mitigate the severity of brain injury for adults following sudden arrhythmia induced cardiac arrest and neonates following resuscitation from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy at birth, but the role of targeted temperature control in pediatric post-arrest care is an area of active investigation. There is no single diagnostic test or set of criteria to accurately predict neurologic outcome, providing a challenging situation for critical care specialists and families alike.
Applying the Diagnosis Antisocial Personality to Imprisoned Offenders: Looking for Hay in a Haystack.

The usc of the diagnosis antisocial personality disorder with inmates is controversial because most inniates can qualify for the diagnosis. This study assesses differences between inmates diagnosed...
Method of Euthanasia Influences the Oocyte Fertilization Rate with Fresh Mouse Sperm

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is used to produce mouse embryos for a variety of reasons. We evaluated the effect of the method of euthanasia on the fertilization rate in 2 different IVF protocols. Oocytes collected from C57BL/6J female mice euthanized by CO2 inhalation or cervical dislocation were used in IVF with fresh sperm from either wild-type or genetically engineered C57BL/6J. Compared with CO2 inhalation, cervical dislocation improved the resulting rate of fertilization by 18% in an IVF method using Cook media and by 13% in an IVF method using methyl-B cyclodextrin and reduced glutathione. The lower fertilization rate due to euthanasia by CO2 inhalation was accompanied by changes in blood pH and body temperature despite efforts to minimize temperature drops. In our hands, euthanasia by cervical dislocation improved fertilization rates and consequently reduced the number of egg-donor mice required.
Tuning carbohydrate density enhances protein binding and inhibition by glycosylated β-sheet peptide nanofibers

Carbohydrate-modified biomaterials are attractive candidates for disrupting natural protein–glycan binding events because they present ligands in multivalent arrangements that can address the weak affinity of monovalent protein–carbohydrate interactions. However, protein binding depends on physical aspects of immobilized carbohydrate display, such as density and valency, which are often difficult to predict and can vary for different types of biomaterials. Here, we report on protein interactions with β-sheet peptide nanofibers with tunable immobilized carbohydrate content, which were prepared by co-assembling QQKFQFQFEQQ (Q11) with a glycosylated variant modified with N-acetylglucosamine (GQ11) at different molar ratios. The rate of protein binding increased as carbohydrate density decreased, with nanofibers having a GQ11 : Q11 molar ratio of 1 : 3 reaching equilibrium faster than formulations with a GQ11 mole fraction of 1. Larger proteins demonstrated a lower extent of binding than smaller proteins; however, the optimal range of carbohydrate densities was independent of the protein size. Nanofibers with the highest apparent protein binding affinity inhibited T cell death induced by wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) more effectively than did sub-optimal formulations, because they bound more protein within biologically relevant time frames (min to h). Collectively, these observations suggest that tuning carbohydrate density via co-assembly of glycosylated and non-glycosylated Q11 variants can maximize multivalent avidity effects while minimizing steric penalties. We anticipate that this approach will enable rapid iterative development of biomaterials with optimal activity for inhibiting the protein–glycan interactions implicated in disease progression.
Impact of proteins and polysaccharides on flavor release from oil-in-water emulsions during simulated cooking.

Abstract Our objective was to establish the influence of biopolymer additives on the flavor release profiles of model food emulsions during simulated cooking. Allyl methyl disulfide (AMDS), a volatile hydrophobic flavor found in garlic, was used as a model aroma. This type of flavor compound is easily lost from foods during thermal processing and so there is a need to identify effective strategies to improve its retention and modulate its release profile. The impact of protein (sodium caseinate and whey protein) and polysaccharide (maltodextrin, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, corn starch, methyl cellulose, and β-cyclodextrin) addition (0.5%) on the flavor retention profile of AMDS-loaded emulsions subjected to simulated cooking was determined. Corn oil was used as the oil phase to formulate the oil-in-water emulsions. Emulsions were heated from room temperature to boiling and then held for 30 min to establish the impact of biopolymer addition on their flavor retention profiles. The impact of biopolymer concentration on flavor retention was also studied using maltodextrin (0–40%) and xanthan gum (0–0.5%). The flavor retention profiles of the emulsions containing 0.5% maltodextrin, sodium alginate, whey protein, sodium caseinate, or corn starch, were the same as those as the control (no additives). Conversely, addition of 0.5% methyl cellulose, β-cyclodextrin, or xanthan gum led to faster flavor release during cooking. The thermal stability of the emulsions appeared to be the dominant factor determining their flavor release: additives that promoted coalescence during heating led to faster flavor release. Moreover, addition of high levels of maltodextrin and xanthan gum promoted depletion flocculation, which also led to faster flavor release during heating. In contrast, there appeared to be no correlation between emulsion viscosity and the flavor release profile. These results are important for designing emulsion-based food products, such as sauces and soups, with controlled flavor release profiles during cooking.
Retaining skilled employees: A human capital model with innovation and entrepreneurship

In his seminal paper, Becker argues that firms never invest in general human capital in a frictionless labor market. Nevertheless, empirical evidence shows the opposite. This paper sheds light on this puzzle by developing a principal–agent model with human capital investments. The novel feature of the model is that specific human capital increases the agent's probability to innovate. Innovation brings the opportunity of entrepreneurship, which means losing a skilled agent for the principal. The results show that higher entrepreneurial income increases the risk of employee departure and the principal may use general human capital investment for retention.
Hospitalization for Lactic Acidosis Among Patients With Reduced Kidney Function Treated With Metformin or Sulfonylureas

OBJECTIVE To compare the risk of lactic acidosis hospitalization between patients treated with metformin versus sulfonylureas following development of reduced kidney function. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This retrospective cohort combined data from the National Veterans Health Administration, Medicare, Medicaid, and the National Death Index. New users of metformin or sulfonylureas were followed from development of reduced kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] RESULTS The weighted cohort included 24,542 metformin and 24,662 sulfonylurea users who developed reduced kidney function (median age 70 years, median eGFR 55.8 mL/min/1.73 m2). There were 4.18 (95% CI 3.63, 4.81) vs. 3.69 (3.19, 4.27) lactic acidosis hospitalizations per 1,000 person-years among metformin and sulfonylurea users, respectively (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.21 [95% CI 0.99, 1.50]). Results were consistent for both primary discharge diagnosis (aHR 1.11 [0.87, 1.44]) and laboratory-confirmed lactic acidosis (1.25 [0.92, 1.70]). CONCLUSIONS Among veterans with diabetes who developed reduced kidney function, occurrence of lactic acidosis hospitalization was uncommon and not statistically different between patients who continued metformin and those patients who continued sulfonylureas.
Robotic Approach to Outpatient Inguinal Hernia Repair

Background Robotics offers improved ergonomics, visualization, instrument articulation, and tremor filtration. Disadvantages include startup cost and system breakdown. Surgeon education notwithstanding, we hypothesize that robotic inguinal hernia repair carries minimal advantages over the laparoscopic or open approach. Methods The 2009-2015 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-State Ambulatory Surgery and Services and American Hospital Association Annual Health data sets from Florida were queried for open, laparoscopic, and robotic inguinal hernia repairs. Hospital and patient demographic, financial, and comorbidity data (26 total variables) were evaluated. Data are presented as mean ± SEM; p Results We identified 103,183 cases (63,375 open, 38,886 laparoscopic, and 922 robotic). Patient characteristics were the following: male, white, aged 51 to 70 years, nongovernmental and not-for-profit hospitals, grouped Charlson Comorbidity Category = 0, private insurance coverage, median income quartile 3 (4 = highest), and routine discharge disposition (all, p Conclusions Robotic surgery has increased charges and is performed in sicker, higher-income patients. The open approach is more apt to be performed in black/Hispanic, self-pay patients, and for-profit hospitals. The role for robotic inguinal hernia repair is undefined.
Paying Our Way Out of a Crisis

Congress has appropriated trillions and the Federal Reserve has been buying trillions—all to deal with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Economists on both the left and the right have ...
Amphibians and Reptiles of Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake, Utah

Antelope Island, situated in Great Salt Lake, Utah, is predominantly grassland (~90%), which supports a variety of organisms from grazers to predators. The island is also home to multiple freshwater springs and rocky sagebrush highlands, as well as rolling sandy dunes. Reptiles are an oft overlooked, but incredibly important, contributor of local food webs. Lizards dominate dune habitats while snakes are often observed in rocky upland habitats searching for small mammals. This chapter seeks to describe the paleogeographic history of amphibians and reptiles in the western United States generally and in Utah specifically. It is also our goal to provide context to the rich herpetological research conducted in Utah over the last 75 years that has contributed to our current understanding. This chapter will also include the species accounts for the known amphibians and reptiles inhabiting Antelope Island as well as a dichotomous key for accurate field identification. Lastly, in addition to describing how these organisms have adapted to their current habitats, we will discuss how those populations may transform as a result of a changing climate.
Using Matrix Puzzles to Assess Student Understanding in Economics

Abstract A matrix puzzle is presented as an alternative method to assess student comprehension in economics. It uses rows to denote changes in an economic situation and columns to denote the outcomes affected by the changes. Students use Y (yes) or N (no) to answer each cell in the matrix, which requires students to relate the change to a particular outcome. Examples of matrix puzzles are provided with some results from university classes and suggestions for constructing other matrix puzzles. A major advantage of the matrix puzzle is its holistic approach to assessment that requires students understand what is caused and not caused by an economic change, as well as its compact presentation.