cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular mechanisms of urea transport in health and disease

In the late 1980s, urea permeability measurements produced values that could not be explained by paracellular transport or lipid phase diffusion. The existence of urea transport proteins were thus proposed and less than a decade later, the first urea transporter was cloned. The family of urea transporters has two major subgroups, designated SLC14A1 (or UT-B) and Slc14A2 (or UT-A). UT-B and UT-A gene products are glycoproteins located in various extra-renal tissues however, a majority of the resulting isoforms are found in the kidney. The UT-B (Slc14A1) urea transporter was originally isolated from erythrocytes and two isoforms have been reported. In kidney, UT-B is located primarily in the descending vasa recta. The UT-A (Slc14A2) urea transporter yields six distinct isoforms, of which three are found chiefly in the kidney medulla. UT-A1 and UT-A3 are found in the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD), while UT-A2 is located in the thin descending limb. These transporters are crucial to the kidney's ability to concentrate urine. The regulation of urea transporter activity in the IMCD involves acute modification through phosphorylation and subsequent movement to the plasma membrane. UT-A1 and UT-A3 accumulate in the plasma membrane in response to stimulation by vasopressin or hypertonicity. Long-term regulation of the urea transporters in the IMCD involves altering protein abundance in response to changes in hydration status, low protein diets, or adrenal steroids. Urea transporters have been studied using animal models of disease including diabetes mellitus, lithium intoxication, hypertension, and nephrotoxic drug responses. Exciting new genetically engineered mouse models are being developed to study these transporters.
Roughness Progression Model for Asphalt Pavements Using Long-Term Pavement Performance Data

AbstractA reliable pavement performance prediction model is needed for road infrastructure asset management systems or pavement management systems. In this study, the data on roughness progression of asphalt pavements in the long-term pavement performance (LTPP) database was analyzed in order to develop such a model. The international roughness index (IRI) is a reasonable measure of the ride comfort perceived by occupants of passenger cars and hence used as the basis for the pavement performance prediction model developed in this research. A quantitative relationship between roughness progression and accumulative traffic load, structural number, annual precipitation, and freezing index was developed and validated. Five pavement performance levels were developed to express the extent of asphalt pavement deterioration. This is coupled with a reliability analysis based on the Weibull model to estimate the remaining service life of asphalt pavements. Effective treatments of pavements at the project level for ...
Cuba and the United States: Intervention and Militarism, 1868-1933

When Cuba threw off the yoke of Spanish rule at the end of the nineteenth century, it did so with the help of another foreign power, the United States. Thereafter, the United States became involved in Cuban affairs, intervening twice militarily (1898-1902 and 1906-1909). What was the effect of U.S. intervention? Conventional wisdom indicates that U.S. intervention hindered the rise of militarism in Cuba in the early years of statehood. This pathfinding study, however, takes just the opposite view. Jose M. Hernandez argues that while U.S. influence may have checked the worst excesses of the Independence-war veterans who assumed control of Cuba's government, it did not completely deter them from resorting to violence. Thus, a tradition of using violence as a method for transferring power developed in Cuba that often made a mockery of democratic processes. In substantiating this innovative interpretation, Hernandez covers a crucial phase in Cuban history that has been neglected by most recent U.S. historians. Correcting stereotypes and myths, he takes a fresh and dispassionate look at Cuba's often romanticized struggle for political emancipation, describing and analyzing in persuasive detail civil-military relations throughout the period. This puts national hero Jose Marti's role in the 1895-1898 war of independence in an unusual perspective and sets in bold relief the historical forces that went underground in 1898-1902, only to resurface a few years later. This study will be of interest to all students of hemispheric relations. It presents not only a more accurate picture of the Cuba spawned by American intervention, but also the Cuban side of a story that too frequently has been toldsolely from the U.S. point of view.
Simplified nonlinear descriptions of two-phase flow instabilities in vertical boiling channel

A constant-property homogeneous-flow model is developed to generate the limit cycles of pressure-drop and density-wave oscillations in a single-channel upflow boiling system operating between constant pressures, with upstream compressibility introduced through a surge tank. In the model, thermodynamic equilibrium conditions are assumed and the effects of the wall heat storage and the variation of the fluid properties are neglected. Satisfactory agreement with the experimental cycles is noted for the pressuredrop oscillations. As for the density-wave oscillations, the agreement with the experiments is reasonably good regarding the periods of the oscillations, but not so good for the amplitudes.
Long term cryostorage of UC blood units: ability of the integral segment to confirm both identity and hematopoietic potential

Background With the maturation of UC blood banking, cord blood (CB) units stored for years prior to use in transplantation present a new set of issues in clinical transplantation, including interval improvements in immune typing and confirmation of product identity and viability. A preliminary analysis of the transplants supported by the St Louis Cord Blood Bank looking for an impact of length of CB storage time and transplant outcome was performed. We evaluated the utility of an integral segment containing an aliquot of cryopreserved product that has been exposed to the same post-processing storage conditions as the unit as a quality control tool for CB banking.Methods Engraftment and survival following unrelated donor UC blood transplant were evaluated based on length of CB product storage at the St Louis Cord Blood Bank. A strategy of routine testing of the contiguous segment for high-resolution HLA typing (also confirming identity) and CFU analysis was tested in 283 consecutive CB searches. Comparison...
Dispersal of a defensive symbiont depends on contact between hosts, host health, and host size

Symbiont dispersal is necessary for the maintenance of defense mutualisms in space and time, and the distribution of symbionts among hosts should be intricately tied to symbiont dispersal behaviors. However, we know surprisingly little about how most defensive symbionts find and choose advantageous hosts or what cues trigger symbionts to disperse from their current hosts. In a series of six experiments, we explored the dispersal ecology of an oligochaete worm (Chaetogaster limnaei) that protects snail hosts from infection by larval trematode parasites. Specifically, we determined the factors that affected net symbiont dispersal from a current “donor” host to a new “receiver” host. Symbionts rarely dispersed unless hosts directly came in contact with one another. However, symbionts overcame their reluctance to disperse across the open environment if the donor host died. When hosts came in direct contact, net symbiont dispersal varied with both host size and trematode infection status, whereas symbiont density did not influence the probability of symbiont dispersal. Together, these experiments show that symbiont dispersal is not a constant, random process, as is often assumed in symbiont dispersal models, but rather the probability of dispersal varies with ecological conditions and among individual hosts. The observed heterogeneity in dispersal rates among hosts may help to explain symbiont aggregation among snail hosts in nature.
Evidence for a biological dawn and dusk in the human circadian timing system.

Sometimes, investigators who study human circadian physiology use sine functions to model circadian rhythms, as if they were inherently continuous and sinusoidal. Many investigators, however, recognize that human circadian rhythms exhibit discontinuous changes and seem to be governed by multiple processes that require more complex models and methods of analysis. In this regard, a series of observations in our laboratory led us to propose a specific model for the human circadian system in which two states, one diurnal and one nocturnal, alternate with one another, and in which transitions between the states are switch-like and are separately entrained to dawn and dusk. Although circadian rhythms are generated within the organism and persist in the absence of external input, it is obvious that the temporal programme outlined above mirrors the contours of the external day-night cycle, in effect creating a ‘day within’ (Pittendrigh, 1988). This parallel has obvious functional implications. It seems likely that this programme enables humans to anticipate and to adapt automatically to the contrasting conditions of their daytime and night-time worlds (Rusak, 1989). This interpretation is consistent with the fact that the circadian pacemaker entrains the transitions between diurnal and nocturnal states to dawn and dusk, and the fact that it can adjust the length of the interval between these transitions to accommodate seasonal changes in day length (Pittendrigh & Daan, 1976; Illnerova & Vanecek, 1982; Wehr et al. 1993; Elliott & Tamarkin, 1994). Conceptually, this model of the human circadian system is similar to the classic Pittendrigh-Daan model of the rodent circadian system (Pittendrigh & Daan, 1976). In rodents, the model appears to describe the behaviour of processes that take place in the circadian pacemaker itself, in addition to the rhythms that the pacemaker regulates (Sumova et al. 1995; Mrugala et al. 2000). Although these processes cannot be measured directly in humans, the observations in rodents suggest that the temporal organization of overt rhythms in humans is likely to reflect the temporal organization of processes that take place in their pacemaker, too.
Effects of gaze on amygdala sensitivity to anger and fear faces

The amygdala is thought to be part of a neural system responsive to potential threat ( [1][1] ). Consistent with this is the amygdala's well-documented sensitivity to fear faces. What is puzzling, however, is the paucity of evidence for a similar involvement of the amygdala in the processing of
Putting Occupation Into Practice: Occupation as Ends, Occupation as Means

This article addresses a difficulty that many occupational therapists experience: maintaining occupation as the core of their therapeutic intervention. This difficulty not only results from but also contributes to occupational therapy's struggle with professional identity. Current manifestations of the problem are described as component-driven practice and the narrowing of occupation to basic activities of daily living. The concepts of occupation as ends and occupation as means are proposed as a practical solution to guide treatment planning and merge remediation and adaptation within a single occupational session. Each concept is investigated in terms of its history within the profession and its usefulness for analyzing and solving therapeutic problems. These concepts are discussed as useful guidelines to help occupational therapists not only in their clinical decision making but also in their understanding and expression of the field's unique expertise. A case example, applying occupation as ends and occupation as means to evaluation and treatment, is presented.
The Protective Effect of Immunologic Boosting against Zoster: An Analysis in Leukemic Children Who Were Vaccinated against Chickenpox

Whether reexposure of varicella-immune persons to varicella-zoster virus would protect against or predispose to development of zoster was analyzed. The rate of zoster in 511 leukemic recipients of varicella vaccine who had 1 or > 1 dose of varicella vaccine and in those who did or did not have a household exposure to varicella was determined. A Kaplan-Meier life-table analysis revealed that the incidence of zoster was lower in those given > 1 dose of vaccine (P 1 dose of vaccine were highly protective (P < .01) against zoster. Thus, the risk of zoster is decreased by reexposure to varicella-zoster virus, either by vaccination or by close exposure to varicella.
Analysis and optimization of switched diversity systems

We evaluate and optimize the performance of switch and stay diversity systems which have the advantage of offering one of the least complex solutions to mitigating the effect of fading. We study the impact of fading type and severity, unbalanced branches, fading correlation, and imperfect channel estimation on the performance of these systems, and compare this performance with that of more complex diversity schemes such as maximal-ratio combining and selection combining. We also propose, analyze, and optimize the performance of a generalized switched diversity scheme. In summary, the presented results offer a simple, generic, and useful analytical tool for the accurate performance evaluation and optimization of switched diversity systems.
Present Status of the Rheumatoid Factor

(1971). Present Status of the Rheumatoid Factor. CRC Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 173-209.
ACUTE TRAUMATIC CERVICAL EPIDURAL HEMATOMA FROM A STAB WOUND

Cervical spinal epidural hematoma is an infrequent entity that usually requires emergency decompressive therapy because of rapid neurologic dysfunction. We present the case of a 34-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with minimal symptomatology after a stab wound to the neck. A computed tomography myelogram of the cervical spine revealed a cervical spinal epidural hematoma. This case illustrates an unusual presentation as well as etiology of cervical spinal epidural hematoma.
The Jinn and the Computer Consumption and identity in Arabic children’s magazines

One of the fundamental problems facing middle-class Egyptian parents is the problem of how to ensure that their children are simultaneously modern and Egyptian. Arabic children’s magazines offer a window into the processes by which consumption links childhood and modernity in the social imaginations of children and their parents as they construct social futures. Arabic children’s magazines offer Egyptian children and their families models of the modern Arab child as someone who is familiar with the history of Islamic heroes, is computer-literate and knowledgeable about technology, and is familiar with worldwide popular children’s fads. Above all, these magazines construct children as consumers. Buying the magazine offers, through both advertising and articles, a world of other things to imagine buying, from technological gadgets to trips to theme parks. Through such media, Egyptian children may enter into an imagined community of other children like themselves playing and consuming, both elsewhere in the ...
How Unique is South African Military Integration

The study of civil war since the end of the Cold War has uncovered several interesting, counter-intuitive facts. The first is that civil wars do end. Depending on how one counts, there have been 100–200 such wars since 1945. [i] There are now fewer than ten, and some of them are new rather than old. Of course, some of these may break out again (a gentleman on a flight to Atlanta once explained to the author that the American Civil War was not yet over), but it is not likely that most will, let alone all. Indeed, every major power has had one or more civil wars which have ended: the French, Russians and Chinese after their revolutions; Germany, after the wars of unification (or the Thirty Years War, if you want to go back that far); the British, after the War of the Roses and its Civil War. The United States has done it twice: after the American Revolution and after the American Civil War. But it is fair to say that we do not really understand how large numbers of people who have been killing one another with considerable skill and enthusiasm are somehow able to create working political communities. [i] Themne’r, L & Wallensteen, P. Armed Conflicts 1946-2013. Journal of Peace Research 51/4, 2014, 541.
Cold Tolerance of the Southern Green Stink Bug (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Diapausing and nondiapausing adults of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), had supercooling points in the range from -10.4 to -11.7°C. Lethal exposure times of adult stink bug are given for -5.0, -7.5, and -10.0°C. No difference in cold tolerance was found between diapausing and nondiapausing stink bugs. Overwintering survival of confined adults at Charleston, SC, was high or 0 depending on severity of low temperatures.
Grouts and Concretes for the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP)

The Structures Laboratory of the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station has conducted research on cement-based composites for the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) since 1977, in cooperation with Sandia National Laboratories. Field testing requirements guided initial development of grouts. Concurrent and later laboratory studies explored the chemical stability and probable durability of these mixtures. Beginning in 1985, a series of small-scale seal performance tests at the WIPP prompted development of an expansive salt-saturated concrete. Important lessons learned from this ongoing work include: (1) carefully tailored mixtures can tolerate phase changes involving Ca, A1, and SO4, without loss of structural integrity; (2) handling and placement properties are probably more crucial to the mixtures than is exact phase composition; and (3) for the environment of a geologic repository, demonstrated chemical durability will be the best indicator of long-term performance.
Optimizing outcomes for patients with severe haemophilia A.

Haemophilia A is an inherited, sex-linked disorder inwhich coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) is deﬁcient orabsent [1]. The hallmark of the severe form of thedisease, deﬁned as plasma FVIII level of <1% ofnormal [2], is early, recurrent bleeding into softtissues and joints [3]. Intra-articular bleeding (haem-arthrosis) accounts for more than 90% of all seriousbleeding events in patients with severe haemophilia,and 80% of these bleeds involve the knees, elbowsand ankles [1]. An acute haemarthrosis is typiﬁed byrapid joint swelling that may be preceded by aprodrome of tingling, stiffness and pain (Fig. 1)[4,5]. Recurrent bleeding over time into the samejoint (a target joint) results in progressive jointdamage and the development of haemophilicarthropathy, characterized by synovial hypertrophy,cartilage damage, loss of joint space and bonychanges (Fig. 2) [6,7]. Decreased use of a target jointleads to ongoing muscle atrophy, ankylosis, osteo-porosis, bone cysts, and eventually, crippling arthri-tis by young adulthood [3,7].Thedevelopmentofarthropathyisdirectlylinkedtothe number of joint bleeding episodes [8,9]. In thelandmark Orthopaedic Outcome Study, which en-rolled 378 patients with severe haemophilia A,Aledortet al.reportedthePetterssonradiologicscoresincreased 1 point for every 40 joint bleeds [8]. Asubsequent evaluation by Fischer et al. of 117 severehaemophiliapatientsfoundthatfarfewerbleeds–just13 – were necessary to cause a 1 point increase in thePettersson score [9]. Yet even this lower number maybe an overestimate. A major limitation to the use ofplain ﬁlm radiographs as a tool for assessing arthro-pathy is their ability to visualize only gross arthriticalterations [1]. When magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) was performed on children with haemophiliawho had no obvious clinical signs of arthropathy,early changes in the soft tissues (e.g., synovium andcartilage) were demonstrated [1]. These MRI ﬁndingsindicate that incipient joint damage may occur aftervery few bleeding episodes.On-demand therapy (episodic factor replacementin response to acute bleeding events), while effectivein controlling acute haemorrhage, cannot halt theongoing joint destruction many patients with severehaemophilia A experience [10]. An epidemiologicsurvey conducted by the French Study Group of 116haemophilia patients treated almost exclusively frombirth with on-demand therapy found that at a meanage of 23 years, only 3.7% had normal joints byradiographic examination and 54.3% had undergoneorthopaedic procedures [11]. Similarly dismal long-term outcomes were reported by Blanchette. Amongpatients with severe haemophilia managed in Canadawith on-demand therapy, approximately 50% hadevidence of joint disease by age 13 years; and by age18, 24% of the 54 patients had undergone surgicalsynovectomy of at least 1 joint [12].For children with severe haemophilia A and noevidence of inhibitors, the musculoskeletal compli-cations that follow repeated joint bleeding can beeffectively prevented with the early initiation ofprophylaxis, the routine scheduled replacement ofFVIII with the goal of maintaining FVIII trough
Power plant performance indices in new market environment: IEEE standard 762 working group activities and GADS database

As the electric power industry moves towards a new market environment, it became necessary to review and modify existing indicators of power plant performance. Thus, the IEEE created a review team of power plant experts to review and update IEEE standard 762, "definitions for use in reporting electric generating unit reliability, availability, and productivity" to meet the needs of the industry. This paper highlights some key (not all) activities of the IEEE standard 762 working group over the last three years. It also highlights how the North American Electric Reliability Council's (NERC) generating availability data system (GADS), a big supporter and user of IEEE 762, uses these new modifications in its reports and training of data reporters. A short discussion of why commercial availability and market monitoring were discussed by the working group but not included in the revised standard 762 is presented.
Explicet: graphical user interface software for metadata-driven management, analysis and visualization of microbiome data

Summary: Studies of the human microbiome, and microbial community ecology in general, have blossomed of late and are now a burgeoning source of exciting research findings. Along with the advent of next-generation sequencing platforms, which have dramatically increased the scope of microbiome-related projects, several high-performance sequence analysis pipelines (e.g. QIIME, MOTHUR, VAMPS) are now available to investigators for microbiome analysis. The subject of our manuscript, the graphical user interface-based Explicet software package, fills a previously unmet need for a robust, yet intuitive means of integrating the outputs of the software pipelines with user-specified metadata and then visualizing the combined data. Availability and Implementation: Explicet is implemented in C++ via the Qt framework and supported in native code on all major operating systems (Windows, Macintosh, Linux). The source code, documents and tutorials are freely available under an open-source license at www.explicet.org. Contact: ude.revnedcu@knarf.leinad
Regulation in a Multi-Sectored Financial Services Industry: An Exploratory Essay

This essay reviews differences in regulatory structure across sectors of the financial services industry in the United States and then explores the difficulties these differences pose to our current system of regulation and also to proposals for financial modernization. The Essay begins with a description of a range of financial transactions from simple contracts to pooled investment vehicles to complex financial intermediaries. After reviewing the policy justifications underlying regulation across the financial services industry, the Essay summarizes the distinctive regulatory structures that characterize U.S. oversight of each major sector of the industry: private contract, securities regulation, futures contracts, investment companies, depository institutions, insurance companies, and employee benefit plans. The essay then reviews the legal definitions that are used to classify which regulatory structure applies to which financial transactions. Distinctions are drawn between formal and functional definitions of financial products, and the Essay claims that functional definitions, which suffer from both overinclusion and indeterminacy, are typically bounded by four types of limitations: de minimus exceptions, sophisticated investor exclusions, institutional carve-outs, and extra-territorial exemptions. The Essay continues to review a series of recent legal disputes in which private parties and government regulators have disagreed over the application of this system of classifying financial products. The Essay then draws some preliminary conclusions as to why disputes over legal classifications of financial products are so common and concludes by exploring the implications of the foregoing analysis for recent proposals to modernize the U.S. system of financial regulation.
Berta, A. 2012. Return to the Sea: the Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals. University of California Press, Berkeley, California, 205 pp. ISBN 978-0-520-27057-2, price (hardbound), $31.26

A. Berta 2012. Return to the Sea: the Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals. University of California Press, Berkeley, California, 205 pp. ISBN 978-0-520-27057-2, price (hardbound), $31.26. Annalisa Berta is probably best known for having written Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology , the leading textbook and reference for her field, now in its 3rd edition. That book treats its subject matter exhaustively and forms a prime reference for the serious professional and student of marine mammal science. Dr. Berta's new book, reviewed here, aims at a different audience. As stated in its preface, the need for it became clear while teaching nonbiology college majors. In order to appeal to that crowd, one needs to skip the jargon, emphasize concepts and major points, be well illustrated, and have clear examples. Berta is ideally qualified to write a book for undergraduates on this subject. Her research is carried out on the interface of the study of modern and fossil marine mammals, and she has taught undergraduate audiences for 30 years. …
Gas-Solid Chromatography: Application, Uniqueness and Versatility

Gas Solid Chromatography (GSC) has been applied to the separation of mixtures of hydrogen isotopes, isomers, proteins and viruses. This interest and development has been due to: 1) Control of Homogeneity and specificity of molecular sorbents, i.e., synthesis of absorbents or modification of their surfaces. 2) Expansion of temperature range of chromatographic columns (500°C). 3) Use of strongly adsorbable carrier gases which can be used at high pressures. 4) Control of the nature and degree of porosity of adsorbents. 5) Development of non-swelling molecular and macromo-lecular sieves. 6) Importance as a tool in physicochemical investigations of solid surfaces, studies of isotherms, determination of heat capacity of adsorption systems and determination of heats and entropies of adsorption.
Option Pricing and Market Efficiency

This article dispels the common belief that option pricing and market efficiency are independent concepts, only weakly related at best. It shows that risk-neutral valuation, the standard approach for pricing derivatives, is true if (and only if) the market for the underlying asset is efficient with respect to the information set generating the price process’s evolution. The article explores implications of this insight for standard derivative-pricing models, including the need to test for asset price bubbles before using such models.
Polarization of Counterions in a Strongly Coupled Coulombic System: DNA

Stellwagen, Elias and Eden and Diekmann et al. have used transient electric birefringence and electric dichroism to analyze the characteristics of DNA fragments as a function of salt concentrations and field strengths. At low field strengths, the Kerr law is satisfied, and for short fragments the polarizability is proportional to the square of the length of DNA. Elias and Eden find the polarizability to scale, instead, as the chain length cubed. Diekmann et al. find that for small numbers of base-pairs, the orientation can be explained by an induced dipole moment mechanism, and in low fields, the polarizability goes as L2.3 To describe the orientation data for larger DNA fragments, a constant dipole moment mechanism is needed. Experimental data on the polarization of DNA is usually interpreted via a classic model due to Mandel. In this approach, a DNA is viewed as a charged cylinder with counterions bound to it. The charges come from the phosphate groups only. Electrostatic interactions between the counterions and between the counterions and the negative phosphate charges are assumed negligible. The fluctuations of the bound counterions and the phenomenon of counterion condensation have been taken into account by Oosawa and Manning, respectively. As a result of the external field, the counterions along the contour length of the DNA are not distributed in a homogeneous way. This was implemented based on the assumption that the total number of counterions that are bound to the DNA does not change with variations in the electric field. However, the response of the counterions and the DNA due to the Debye atmosphere was ignored. In both models, the dipole moment is proportional to at low fields. Fixman-Jagannathan analyzed the effects due to the ion atmosphere and the hydrodynamic interactions on the polarizability of short rods. 8 The analysis shows that the polarized counterions lead to relaxation of the Debye atmosphere. 8 By solving a steady state non-linear diffusion equation with an approximate coupling between the Debye atmosphere and the delocalized condensed counterions, Rau and Charney argued that the dipole moment attains a maximum and then decreases with increasing electric field.
The interplay of bronze and ritual in ancient China

Over the last twenty years, there has been a discernable increase in the number of scholars who have focused their research on metal production, working and use in antiquity, a field of study which has come to be known as archaeometallurgy. Materials scientists and conservators have worked primarily in the laboratory while archaeologists have conducted fieldwork geared to the study of metal technology in a cultural context with laboratory analysis as one portion of the interpretive program.
Erosion Potential of Tooth Whitening Regimens as Evaluated with Polarized Light Microscopy.

AIMS Tooth whitening is a widely utilized esthetic treatment in dentistry. With increased access to over-the-counter (OTC) systems concerns have been raised as to potential adverse effects associated with overuse of whitening materials. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate enamel erosion due to different whitening regimens when used in excess of recommended guidelines. MATERIALS AND METHODS Extracted human teeth (n = 66) were randomly divided into 11 groups (n = 6/group). Specimens were exposed to OTC products: Crest Whitestrips and 5-minute natural white and a do-it-yourself (DIY) strawberry whitening recipe. Within each regimen, groups were further divided per exposure time: specimens receiving the recommended product dosage; 5 times the recommended dosage; and 10 times the recommended dosage. Negative and positive controls were treated with grade 3 water and 1.0% citric acid, respectively. Specimens were nail-varnished to limit application to a 1 × 4 mm window. Following treatment, specimens were sectioned and erosion (drop in μm) measured using polarized light microscopy. Two-sample t-test was used to detect difference in amount of enamel erosion between negative and positive groups, while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by post hoc Dunnett's test was used to detect difference between set of treatment groups and negative control groups or among all experimental groups. RESULTS There was significant difference in mean amount of enamel erosion (p 0.05 for all instances), except for Natural White_10 times treatment group (p < 0.0001) that was significantly greater than the negative control group (14.82 vs 2.65 μm). CONCLUSION Caution is advised when using certain over-the-counter products beyond recommended guidelines as there is potential for enamel erosion. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Enamel erosion due to the overuse of whitening products varies for different modalities and products. Therefore, caution is advised when using certain over-the-counter products beyond recommended guidelines, as there is potential for enamel erosion.
Thérapeutiques ciblées dans les tumeurs de l'os et des tissus mous : vers une prise en charge individualisée

Les sarcomes sont des tumeurs rares caracterisees par une grande heterogeneite clinique et biologique. Malgre un traitement locoregional bien conduit, pres de 40 % des patients vont developper une rechute metastatique. La doxorubicine represente le standard therapeutique de premiere ligne chez les patients atteints d’un sarcome des tissus mous metastatique avec un benefice tres modeste. Le ciblage des anomalies moleculaires caracteristiques des sarcomes pourrait toutefois aboutir a une amelioration de la survie des patients comme cela a pu etre demontre pour les tumeurs stromales gastro-intestinales et les dermatofibrosarcomes. Plusieurs essais cliniques evaluant de nouveaux agents tels que des inhibiteurs du cycle cellulaire ou des antiangiogeniques sont actuellement en cours. Les molecules ciblant les anomalies epigenetiques des sarcomes representent aussi une classe prometteuse. Enfin, l’implementation des nanotechnologies ouvre de nouvelles voies therapeutiques originales en cours d’evaluation clinique, notamment en association avec la radiotherapie.
Corynebacterium vaginale vaginitis in pregnant women.

A total of 1,008 women attending a public clinic for pregnancy, postpartum care, and gynecologic complaints was studied for the presence of Corynebacterium vaginale (Haemophilus vaginalis) . The overall incidence was 18.9%. In the pregnant group, those with vaginitis had an isolation rate of 44.0%, compared with a rate of 10.4% among those without vaginitis. Statistical analyses of the data strongly suggests that C. vaginale is a common causative agent of vaginitis. There is a higher incidence of Corynebacterium vaginale in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women.
Reduced Glutamatergic Currents and Dendritic Branching of Layer 5 Pyramidal Cells Contribute to Medial Prefrontal Cortex Deactivation in a Rat Model of Neuropathic Pain.

Multiple studies have demonstrated that neuropathic pain is associated with major reorganization in multiple brain areas. In line with the strong emotional salience of chronic pain, involvement of the limbic system appears particularly important. Within the past few years, it has become clear that the functional deactivation of the prefrontal cortex is critical for both the cognitive/emotional and the sensory components of pain. However, at the cellular level, details of this deactivation remain in large part unclear. Here we show that one week after a peripheral neuropathic injury (Spared Nerve Injury model) pyramidal cells in layer 5 of the rat medial prefrontal cortex show responses to excitatory glutamatergic inputs that are reduced by about 50%, as well as reduced frequency of spontaneous excitatory synaptic currents. Additionally, these cells have reduced membrane capacitance and increased input resistance. All these findings are consistent with decreased dendritic length, thus we performed a detailed morphological analysis on a subset of the recorded neurons. We found that the apical dendrites proximal to the soma (excluding the tuft) are shorter and less complex in SNI animals, in agreement with the reduced capacitance and glutamatergic input. Finally, we used in-vivo microdialysis to compare the basal concentrations of glutamate and GABA in the prefrontal cortex of sham and SNI rats and found that ambient glutamate is decreased in SNI rats. Taken together, these data show that impaired glutamatergic transmission contributes to the functional deactivation of the mPFC in neuropathic pain. Additionally, the reduced branching of apical dendrites of layer 5 pyramidal neurons may underlay the gray matter reduction in chronic pain.
Gender differences in tolerance to lower body negative pressure.

BACKGROUND Previous studies suggest that women have lower tolerance than men do to lower body negative pressure (LBNP). The mechanism(s) responsible has not been determined. HYPOTHESES Women would be less tolerant to presyncopal LBNP than men as determined by several indices of LBNP tolerance. Additionally, men and women, regardless of LBNP tolerance, would have similar cardiovascular responses to LBNP as presyncope was reached. METHODS The subjects were 18 men and 18 women (average age 25) of similar fitness levels who volunteered for the study. A step-wise LBNP protocol to presyncope was employed. HR, stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (Q), BP, and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) were measured before and throughout the LBNP stress. Data from women were compared with those from all men, and to men with similar and higher LBNP tolerance. RESULTS Women had significantly less LBNP tolerance than men regardless of index used: 30% less by duration of LBNP, 21% less by maximal LBNP tolerated, 44% less by a cumulative stress index, and 27% less by a linear tolerance index. Cardiovascular responses to LBNP were similar for women and men as presyncope was approached, whether the men were low-tolerant (LT) or high-tolerant (HT). In the 2 min pre-presyncope, HR increased by 80 +/- 6% in women, 72 +/- 7% in LT men and 96 +/- 14% in HT men; Q decreased by 47 +/- 3% in women, 52 +/- 6% in LT men and 55 +/- 2% in HT men. Similar comparisons occurred for the decline in BP and the rise in SVR. CONCLUSION Women have lower LBNP tolerance than do men, although there is considerable gender overlap in tolerances. The cardiovascular response to LBNP is similar regardless of gender or tolerance level as presyncope is approached. Understanding the gender differences in LBNP tolerance may lie in determining how the LBNP stress is translated into a "trigger" for cardiovascular decompensation.
Application specific optimization: Rethinking protocol layering and standards

There is a confluence of recent trends involving data center technology, software defined networks (SDN), and network function virtualization (NFV) that may open a way for general purpose networks to support application specific optimization (ASO). While traditional communications protocol architecture mandates layering where the lowest layers are application agnostic, research in cross layer design attests to the inefficiencies inherent in the “dumb pipes” networking paradigm. This paper investigates the potential of significant performance gains possible over the access network by departing from the traditional layered protocol approach and using a software defined protocol in conjunction with subscriber and application partitioning to provide ASO over the access network, while still maintaining a TCP/IP protocol stack to provide connectivity to the rest of the Internet. As a case study, we examine the potential performance gains provided by ASO of video streaming over the ADSL access network.
U–Pb detrital zircon evidence of transcontinental sediment dispersal: provenance of Late Mississippian Wedington Sandstone member, NW Arkansas

ABSTRACTU–Pb ages of detrital zircons from the Wedington Sandstone member in northwest Arkansas provide evidence for Late Mississippian westward transcontinental sediment transport from the Appalachian foreland. The Late Mississippian Wedington Sandstone member of the Fayetteville Shale is a fine- to medium-grained quartzarenite. It separates the Fayetteville Shale into informal lower and upper intervals, and was deposited as a small constructive delta complex that prograded towards the south and southeast during the Late Mississippian. As a major influx of clastic sediments, the Wedington Sandstone member records the sediment source and dispersal in the mid-continent during the Late Mississippian. A total of 559 detrital zircon grains from six Wedington samples were recovered for U–Pb detrital zircon geochronological analysis. Results show that age distributions can be subdivided into six groups: ~350–500, ~900–1350, ~1360–1500, ~1600–1800, ~1800–2300, and > ~2500 Ma, and are characterized by a prominent...
Assessment of a Revised Management Strategy for Patients With Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms Involving the Main Pancreatic Duct.

Importance According to the 2012 International Consensus Guidelines, the diagnostic criterion of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) involving the main duct (MD IPMNs) or the main and branch ducts (mixed IPMNs) of the pancreatic system is a main pancreatic duct (MPD) diameter of 5.0 mm or greater on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, surgical resection is recommended for patients with an MPD diameter of 10.0 mm or greater, which is characterized as a high-risk stigma. An MPD diameter of 5.0 to 9.0 mm is not an indication for immediate resection. Objectives To determine an appropriate cutoff (ie, one with high sensitivity and negative predictive value) of the MPD diameter on CT or MRI as a prognostic factor for malignant disease and to propose a new management algorithm for patients with MD or mixed IPMNs. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study included 103 patients who underwent surgical resection for a preoperative diagnosis of MD or mixed IPMN and in whom IPMN was confirmed by surgical pathologic findings at a single institution from July 1, 1996, to December 31, 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures Malignant disease was defined as high-grade dysplasia or invasive adenocarcinoma on results of surgical pathologic evaluation. An appropriate MPD diameter on preoperative CT or MRI to predict malignant disease was determined using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The prognostic value of the new management algorithm that incorporated the new MPD diameter cutoff was evaluated. Results Among the 103 patients undergoing resection for an MD or mixed IPMN (59 men [57.3%]; 44 women [42.7%]; median [range] age, 71 [48-86] years), 64 (62.1%) had malignant disease. Diagnostic accuracy for malignant neoplasms was highest at an MPD diameter cutoff of 7.2 mm (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.59-0.81). An MPD diameter of 7.2 mm or greater was also an independent prognostic factor for malignant neoplasms (odds ratio, 12.76; 95% CI, 2.43-66.88; P = .003) on logistic regression analysis after controlling for preoperative variables. The new management algorithm, which included an MPD diameter of 7.2 mm or greater as one of the high-risk stigmata, had a higher sensitivity (100%), negative predictive value (100%), and accuracy (66%) for malignant disease than the 2012 version of the International Consensus Guidelines (95%, 57%, and 63%, respectively). Conclusions and Relevance In this single-center, retrospective analysis, an MPD diameter of 7.2 mm was identified as an optimal cutoff for a prognostic factor for malignant disease in MD or mixed IPMN. These data support lowering the accepted criteria for MPD diameter when selecting patients for resection vs surveillance so as not to overlook cancer in IPMN.
Application of Adult Learning Theory in Teaching Evidence Based Medicine to Residents

Background and Purpose: Adequate evidence based medicine (EBM) knowledge and skills are required to provide up-to-date, high quality medical care to patients. Unfortunately, achieving these skills and knowledge requires a prolonged learning process and constant exposure to EBM concepts. The adult learning theory holds the assumption that adults learn better in a problem based and collaborative environment, with more equality in between the teacher and the learner. We aimed to evaluate EBM learning outcomes one year after the implementation of a longitudinal EBM curriculum into an internal medicine residency program.Methods: An EBM curriculum based on the adult learning theory was developed. It included five specific components that addressed all five steps of the EBM cycle (ask, acquire, appraise, apply and assess). A voluntary, anonymous, 27-question survey was distributed to all residents prior to and at the end of the one year of EBM training to self-assess competencies in EBM.Results: Of the 60 eligible residents, 10 pre-course and 13 post-course completed the survey with a response rate of 17% and 22%, respectively. Self-reported conceptual understanding improved for: relative risk 14%, odds ratio 14%, confidence intervals 27%, and number needed to treat 12%. Comfort with meta-analysis appraisal improved, from 30% to 38%. Routine appraisal sheet use increased by 31%. A 17% increase in satisfaction with the EBM curriculum was reported.Conclusions: Our intervention successfully increased residents’ comfort with EBM concepts and self-reported application of EBM skills and knowledge about patient care. The results of the implementation of the EBM curriculum were promising and suggested valuable implications for EBM faculty to further collaborate with residents in continuous improvement of the EBM learning experiences for advancing the quality of patient care.Keywords: EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE, ADULT LEARNING THEORY, RESIDENTS, CURRICULUM
Automotive Lithium-Ion Batteries: Dangers and Safety Measures

Due to various economic, environmental, and political pressures, the automotive industry is be-ginning to put greater research eorts towards developing alternative energy storage technologies forvehicles, with a particular focus on lithium-ion batteries. This new technology poses new dangerswhich requires new technology to mitigate these dangers. Current and immediately next-generationsafety concerns and technologies are reviewed.
Flexural performance evaluation of NSM basalt FRP-strengthened concrete beams using digital image correlation system

Abstract This study investigates the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with near surface mounted (NSM) basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars. A total of five concrete beams with a length of 2100 mm were prepared with different internal longitudinal reinforcement and strengthening reinforcement ratios. Four-point bending tests were conducted under monotonic loading. A digital image correlation (DIC) technique was used to monitor full-field displacement and strain contours as well as mid-span deflections. The strains in the BFRP bars were recorded using strain gauges. The force-displacement curves, longitudinal strains in NSM reinforcement, and crack widths were computed and used to evaluate the performance of the strengthened beams. Results indicate that the NSM BFRP bars can successfully restore the original capacity of a concrete beam with a corroded internal reinforcement while providing a more ductile behavior. In addition, the ultimate load capacity of the reinforced concrete beams can be augmented using NSM BFRP bars but in an expense of smaller deflection capacity.
Spinoza’s translation of Margaret Fell and his portrayal of Judaism in the Theological-Political Treatise

The English Quaker Margaret Fell worked hard to have her conversionist pamphlets to Dutch Jews translated into Hebrew, and Richard Popkin has suggested that Spinoza was Fell’s translator. This arti...