cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Time Scales of Porphyry Cu Deposit Formation: Insights from Titanium Diffusion in Quartz

Porphyry dikes and hydrothermal veins from the porphyry Cu-Mo deposit at Butte, Montana, contain multiple generations of quartz that are distinct in scanning electron microscope-cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) images and in Ti concentrations. A comparison of microprobe trace element profiles and maps to SEM-CL images shows that the concentration of Ti in quartz correlates positively with CL brightness but Al, K, and Fe do not. After calibrating CL brightness in relation to Ti concentration, we use the brightness gradient between different quartz generations as a proxy for Ti gradients that we model to determine time scales of quartz formation and cooling. Model results indicate that time scales of porphyry magma residence are ~1,000s of years and time scales from porphyry quartz phenocryst rim formation to porphyry dike injection and cooling are ~10s of years. Time scales for the formation and cooling of various generations of hydrothermal vein quartz range from 10s to 10,000s of years. These time scales are considerably shorter than the ~0.6 m.y. overall time frame for each porphyry-style mineralization pulse determined from isotopic studies at Butte, Montana. Simple heat conduction models provide a temporal reference point to compare chemical diffusion time scales, and we find that they support short dike and vein formation time scales. We interpret these relatively short time scales to indicate that the Butte porphyry deposit formed by short-lived episodes of hydrofracturing, dike injection, and vein formation, each with discrete thermal pulses, which repeated over the ~3 m.y. generation of the deposit.
Electrochemical properties of lanthanide metals in relation to their application as shark repellents

Keywords: Bycatch Elasmobranch Electroreception Longline a b s t r a c t Sharks comprise a large portion of unwanted bycatch in longline fisheries worldwide and various technologies have been proposed to reduce elasmobranch bycatch without impacting the catch of target species. Recently, the naturally electrogenic lanthanide metals have been introduced as an elasmobranchspecific repellent. We quantified the voltage produced by six lanthanide metals in seawater, compared their dissolution rates, and performed a behavioral assay to determine their efficacy against two coastal shark species. We found that there was no difference in the voltage produced by the six tested metals and the voltage decayed as a power function (approximately x−1.5) with distance from the metal sample. We calculated that sharks should detect a sample of neodymium from a distance of 65–85 cm in seawater. Voltage was greatest in freshwater and decreased logarithmically with increasing salinity but did not differ above salinities greater than 10 ppt. The dissolution rate for the lanthanides varied from −1.6 to −0.2 g h −1 and as the metals dissolved, the voltage remained constant. In a behavioral assay, neodymium was ineffective at repelling bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) tested individually and in groups, and juvenile lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) in groups. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Insulin resistance: current concepts

Insulin sensitivity varies greatly within the general population; factors contributing to this variability include genetic pre-disposition, obesity, unfavorable body fat distribution, and lack of physical activity. Impaired insulin sensitivity may lead to impaired glucose tolerance and, even in individuals with modest insulin deficiency, to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Of equal concern in patients with impaired insulin sensitivity is the development of the insulin resistance syndrome, in which hypertension, dyslipidemia, and impaired glucose tolerance form a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Treatment of insulin resistance includes metformin and the thiazolidinedione troglitazone. Both drugs have been shown to be effective in the treatment of insulin resistance, one of the central abnormalities in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study was to review the current understanding of insulin resistance and its implications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. To do this, a MEDLINE search of the clinical literature was conducted and the content analyzed.
Antigenic Characterization of Helicobacter pylori Strains from Different Parts of the World

Although Helicobacter pylori is considered to be relatively homogeneous at the phenotypic level, our aim was to describe its antigenic heterogeneity and to examine differences in host response. Whole-cell lysates of H. pylori strains originally isolated from persons from Africa, the People's Republic of China, Japan, Peru, Thailand, or the United States or from monkeys were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Immunoblots were performed by using sera from H. pylori-infected persons from different areas of the world and rabbit immune sera against H. pylori antigens. Specific H. pylori antibody responses in persons from the United States and the People's Republic of China were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with antigens prepared from U.S. or Chinese strains. Despite diverse origins, the strains showed conserved major bands of 84, 60, 56, 31, and 25 kDa. Although there were clear differences in minor bands, there was no obvious geographic pattern. The anti-CagA serum recognized 120- to 140-kDa bands in cagA+ strains from around the world. Although antigenic preparations from individual U.S. or Chinese strains were not optimally sensitive for serologic detection of infection in the heterologous country, use of pools of strains largely overcame this phenomenon. We conclude that conserved H. pylori antigens exist and are recognized by sera from persons from many parts of the world. The heterogeneity of H. pylori antigens and the serological responses of infected hosts is not fully explained by geographic differences. Use of pools may allow development of antigens for serologic testing in any country.
Autism: Review of neurochemical investigation

The neurochemistry of autism, the most well-validated childhood neuropsychiatric disorder, has been studied extensively over the past three decades. Autism is of interest neurochemically because it represents a relatively homogeneous disorder with a triad of social, communicative, and intellectual developmental disturbance. Because a sufficient animal model has been lacking and relatively few diagnosed people with autism have died, most investigation has been of peripheral fluids and tissues. The most consistent finding has been that over 25% of autistic children and adolescents are hyperserotonemic. However, after 29 years of investigation, the mechanism of hyperserotonemia has not been determined. Hyperserotonemia has been found to be familial. Elevated plasma norepinephrine has also been a replicated finding. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) opiate activity has been found to be elevated in two studies. Plasma cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) has been found to be elevated in autistic children. A high rate of nonsuppression after dexamethasone and blunted or delayed growth hormone response to L-dopa have been found Abnormal cell-mediated immunity has been replicated consistently in autism. Although several pharmacological trials have been conducted and shown promise in initial open trials, only “typical” antipsychotic drugs have shown replicable chronic ameliorating effects in double-blind trials. However, chronic neurotoxicity (tardive dyskinesia) has also been revealed. Findings of morphological changes in the cerebellum have been replicated. Findings in need of replication include diminished platelet function, increased baseline CSF homovanillic acid, decreased nerve cell adhesion molecule serum fragment, blunted prolactin response to fenfluramine, amelioration of symptoms by naltrexone and bromocriptine, reduced electroretinographic (ERG) b-wave amplitude, and morphological changes in the hippocampus, amygdala, and septal nuclei. In addition to refining and replicating past findings, future directions that may be fruitful include investigation of neurochemical aspects of platelet function, of interactions between monoaminergic systems, of phosphatidylinositides, and of pharmacological response to “atypical” antipsychotic agents and relatively selective serotonin receptor subtype agonists or antagonists.
Enhancement of Dissolution Rate of Probenecid in Phospholipid Correcipitates

AbstractThe coprecipitates of probenecid (PBC) with various phospholipids (PL) were prepared and their dissolution characteristics were determined by use of a Vanderkamp dissolution test apparatus. Probenecid exhibited significantly improved dissolution rates in all the PL preparations compared to either the physical mixtures or the pure PBC. Among them, the combination of PBC:Egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) (1O:l) as a carrier for the coprecipitate resulted in the fastest dissolution of PBC. A 13.7 fold greater initial dissolution rate and 7.5 fold greater limiting concentration was achieved. Dissolution studies of probenecid suggested that less than 1 to 10 ratio of PBC to PL was required to disperse amorphous PBC completely in the carrier. Increasing the lecithin content further did not improve the release of the drug to any significant extent. Phospholipids with phase transition temperature higher than the experimental temperature exhibited significantly less increase in dissolution compared to other ph...
Recombinant antigen-enterotoxin A2/B chimeric mucosal immunogens differentially enhance antibody responses and B7-dependent costimulation of CD4+ T cells

The ADP-ribosylating enterotoxins, cholera toxin (CT) and the Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin (LT-IIa), have been shown to enhance mucosal and systemic antibody (Ab) responses to coadministered antigens. The purpose of the present study was to compare the ability of the nontoxic A2/B subunits of these toxins, which have distinct targeting properties, to augment the immunogenicity of a genetically coupled protein antigen. Structurally similar chimeric proteins were generated by genetically replacing the toxic A1 subunit of CT or LT-IIa with the saliva-binding region (SBR) from the streptococcal adhesin AgI/II. Intranasal immunization of BALB/c mice with either chimeric protein induced significantly higher plasma and mucosal anti-SBR immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG Ab responses than SBR alone. Moreover, compared to SBR-LT-IIaA2/B, SBR-CTA2/B elicited significantly higher levels of plasma IgG1 and salivary IgA anti-SBR Ab responses. Ex vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that SBR-CTA2/B selectively up-regulated B7-2 expression on murine B cells isolated from both the nasal associated lymphoid tissue, cervical lymph nodes, and spleen. In contrast, SBR-LT-IIaA2/B had little effect on B7-1 or B7-2 expression on B220(+), CD11b(+), or CD11c(+) cells. Analysis of the functional costimulatory activity of SBR-CTA2/B-treated B cells revealed a significant enhancement in anti-CD3-stimulated CD4(+) T-cell proliferative responses, and this proliferation was significantly reduced by treatment with anti-B7-2 but not with anti-B7-1 or isotype control Abs. Thus, SBR-CTA2/B and SBR-LT-IIaA2/B exhibit distinct patterns of antibody responses associated with differential effects on B7-2 expression and subsequent costimulatory effects on CD4(+) T cells.
Does bariatric surgery reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events? A retrospective cohort study of morbidly obese surgical patients

Abstract Background Morbid obesity is associated with the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Several studies have shown that bariatric surgery results in risk factor reduction; however, studies correlating bariatric surgery to the reduced rates of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death have been limited. Methods We conducted a large retrospective cohort study of bariatric (BAR) surgical patients (n = 4747) and morbidly obese orthopedic (n = 3066) and gastrointestinal (n = 1327) surgical controls. Data were obtained for all patients aged 40–79 years, from 1996 to 2008, with a diagnosis code of morbid obesity and a primary surgical procedure of interest. The data sources were the statewide South Carolina Universal Billing Code of 1992 inpatient hospitalization database and death records. The primary study outcome was the time-to-occurrence of the composite outcome of postoperative myocardial infarction, stroke, or death (all-cause). Results The 5-year Kaplan-Meier life table estimate of the composite index of event-free survival in the BAR, orthopedic, and gastrointestinal cohorts was 84.8%, 72.8%, and 65.8%, respectively. After adjusting for baseline differences and potential confounders, the Cox proportional hazards ratio was .72 (95% confidence interval .58–.89) for BAR versus orthopedic and .48 (95% confidence interval .39–.61) for BAR versus gastrointestinal. Conclusion Bariatric surgery was significantly associated with a 25–50% risk reduction in the composite index of postoperative myocardial infarction, stroke, or death compared with other morbidly obese surgical patients in South Carolina.
Editorial Foreword Vol.3(2)

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jepsl.v3i2.7841 Journal of Environmental Professionals Sri Lanka: 2014 Vol. 3 No. 2
‘Hurrah for the missing link!’: a history of apes, ancestors and a crucial piece of evidence

In the nineteenth century the idea of a 'missing link' connecting humans with the rest of the animal kingdom was eagerly embraced by professional scientists and popularizers. After the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species in 1859, many tied the idea and subsequent search for a crucial piece of evidence to Darwin and his formulation of the theory of evolution by natural selection. This article demonstrates that the expression was widely used and that the framework for discussions about human's relation to the apes and gaps in the fossil record were well in place and widely debated long before Origin of Species became the standard reference for discussing human evolution. In the second half of the century the missing link gradually became the ultimate prize in palaeoanthropology and grew into one of the most powerful, celebrated and criticized icons of human evolution.
Desiccation increases the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for stored-grain pest insect control

The effect of desiccation stress on the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for controlling stored-product insects was investigated in laboratory bioassays. The mortality of B. bassiana-treated Plodia interpunctella larvae was greater at a vapor pressure deficit (VPD) of 2.42 or 1.87 kPa than at 1.06 kPa. Moisture also had significant effects on the mortalities of adult rice weevils, Sitophilus oryzae and maize weevils, Sitophilus zeamais. Mortality of S. zeamais was higher at 2.42 and 1.87 kPa than at 1.06 kPa, while mortality of S. oryzae was higher at 1.87 kPa than at either 2.42 or 1.06 kPa. Higher control mortality at the higher two VPDs indicated that S. zeamais was less desiccation tolerant than S. oryzae. The mortalities of B. bassiana-treated adult Cryptolestes ferrugineus, larval Lasioderma serricorne and larval Oryzaephilus surinamensis were not significantly affected by VPD. These results demonstrate that dry stored-grain conditions are favorable for B. bassiana efficacy. r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Exogenous OX40 stimulation during lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection impairs follicular th cell differentiation and diverts CD4 T cells into the effector lineage by upregulating Blimp-1

T cell costimulation is a key component of adaptive immunity to viral infection but has also been associated with pathology because of excessive or altered T cell activity. We recently demonstrated that the TNFR family costimulatory molecule OX40 (CD134) is critically required to sustain antiviral T cell and Ab responses that enable control of viral replication in the context of chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection. In this study, we investigated whether reinforcing OX40 stimulation through an agonist Ab had the potential to prevent LCMV persistence. We observed that anti-OX40 injection early after LCMV clone 13 infection increased CD8 T cell–mediated immunopathology. More strikingly, OX40 stimulation of virus-specific CD4 T cells promoted expression of the transcriptional repressor Blimp-1 and diverted the majority of cells away from follicular Th cell differentiation. This occurred in both acute and chronic infections, and resulted in dramatic reductions in germinal center and Ab responses to the viral infection. The effect of the OX40 agonist was dependent on IL-2 signaling and the timing of OX40 stimulation. Collectively, our data demonstrate that excessive OX40 signaling can result in deleterious consequences in the setting of LCMV infection.
Validity of the chi‐square test in dichotomous variable factor analysis when expected frequencies are small

This paper presents a comparison of results from two methods for estimating and testing a model for the factor analysis of dichotomous variables. For k manifest dichotomous variables, the data can be crossclassified to form a vector of 2 k frequencies, and nonlinear methods that use the full information in these 2 k frequencies are available for factor analysis. In addition, another method that uses only the limited information in the first-, and second-order marginal frequencies is available for the same model. As k becomes larger, substantial differences between the full-information and limited-information methods become apparent in results from the test of fit. For large k, Type I and Type II error rates may be higher in the fullineormation approach, because as the vector of 2 k frequencies becomes sparse, the chi-square approximation for the distribution of the goodness-offit test statistic becomes poorer
Improving scalability and per-core performance in multi-cores through resource sharing and reconfiguration

Increasing the number of cores in a multi-core processor reduces per-core performance. On the other hand, providing more resources to each core limits the number of cores on a chip. In this paper, we propose a mechanism to improve the per-core performance while maintaining the scalability.In particular, we integrate a Reconfigurable Hardware Unit (RHU) in the resource-constrained cores to improve their performance. The RHU executes the frequently encountered instructions to increase the core's overall execution bandwidth, thus improving its performance. The RHU has low area overhead, and hence has minimal impact on scalabilityof the number of cores. To further limit the area overhead of this performance improving mechanism, generation of the reconfiguration bits for the RHUs of multiple cores isdelegated to a single core. Our experiments show that the proposed architecture improves the per-core performance by an average of about 23% across a wide range of applications, while incurring a small per-core area overhead.
Distinct CCR2+ Gr1+ Cells Control Growth of the Yersinia pestis ΔyopM Mutant in Liver and Spleen during Systemic Plague

We are using a systemic plague model to identify the cells and pathways that are undermined by the virulence protein YopM of the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis. In this study, we pursued previous findings that Gr1+ cells are required to selectively limit growth of ΔyopM Y. pestis and that CD11b+ cells other than polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are selectively lost in spleens infected with parent Y. pestis. When PMNs were ablated from mice, ΔyopM Y. pestis grew as well as the parent strain in liver but not in spleen, showing that these cells are critical for controlling growth of the mutant in liver but not spleen. In mice lacking expression of the chemokine receptor CCR2, wild-type growth was restored to ΔyopM Y. pestis in both organs. In spleen, the Gr1+ cells differentially recruited by parent and ΔyopM Y. pestis infections were CCR2+ Gr1+ CD11b+ CD11cLo-Int MAC3+ iNOS+ (inducible nitric oxide synthase-positive) inflammatory dendritic cells (iDCs), and their recruitment to spleen from blood was blocked when YopM was present in the infecting strain. Consistent with influx of iDCs being affected by YopM in spleen, the growth defect of the ΔyopM mutant was relieved by the parent Y. pestis strain in a coinfection assay in which the parent strain could affect the fate of the mutant in trans. In a mouse model of bubonic plague, CCR2 also was shown to be required for ΔyopM Y. pestis to show wild-type growth in skin. The data imply that YopM's pathogenic effect indirectly undermines signaling through CCR2. We propose a model for how YopM exerts its different effects in liver and spleen.
New Words The Communication of Students with Autism

People with autism have a variety of communication difficulties that have been assumed to be related to cognitive deficits. The communication difficulties include an inability to speak words, speaking with echolalia or repetition of words or phrases previously heard, pronomial reversals, seeming inattentiveness, problems with social interaction, and lack of responsiveness to external events. This study reports on the effects of a method called facilitated communication in helping students with autism to unlock their ideas and to communicate through typing. The 21 students in this study reveal unexpected literacy and numeracy skills. The content and form of their communication challenges traditional assumptions about autism, especially the ability of people with autism to analyze and use language.
Mitochondrial DNA deletions in coronary artery bypass grafting patients

Objective: Mitochondrial DNA (mitoDNA) deletions have been shown to increase with aging and ischemia and have been suggested to contribute to myocardial dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and specificity of mitoDNA deletions in coronary artery bypass patients. Methods: Right atrial appendix tissue from 51 cardiac surgical patients (30 ‐ 93 years; mean 64 ^ 14 years) was obtained during cardiopulmonary bypass cannulation (Control), just prior to the removal of the venous cannula (Ischemia, 169 ^ 38 min) and following removal of the cannula (Reperfusion) and used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence analysis. Results :A novel mitoDNA deletion (approximately 7.3 kb, mitoDNA7.3) was found in three unrelated, male patients (53, 67, 75 years old). All mitoDNA7.3 deletion breakpoints were found downstream of the ATP synthase 8 genes and at the 3 0 end of the cytochrome b genes. The prevalence of the mitoDNA7.3 deletion was significantly increased (P , 0:05) following ischemia and reperfusion. Clinical data indicated that postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction was lower (38.3 vs. 46.4%), and the incidence of previous myocardial infarction higher (1.7 vs. 0.6) in patients exhibiting mitoDNA deletions. Conclusion: Our results reveal a novel mitochondrial DNA deletion occurring within the genome region coding for the mitochondrial genes of oxidative phosphorylation that is significantly increased during ischemia and reperfusion. The incidence and prevalence of mitoDNA7.3 deletions in patients with clinical indications of poor recovery suggests that mitoDNA7.3 deletions may provide an important indicator to surgical outcome in the cardiac surgical patient. q 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Histologic and immunohistochemical characterization of pheochromocytoma in 6 cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus).

Pheochromocytomas are uncommon neoplasms of the adrenal medulla that are most frequently reported in rats and select mouse strains. In many cases, especially those in man, pheochromocytoma is assoc...
KINDS AND CONSCIOUS EXPERIENCE: IS THERE ANYTHING THAT IT IS LIKE TO BE SOMETHING?

In this article I distinguish the notion of there being something it is like to be a certain kind of creature from that of there being something it is like to have a certain kind of experience. Work on consciousness has typically dealt with the latter while employing the language of the former. I propose several ways of analyzing what it is like to be a certain kind of creature and find problems with them all. The upshot is that even if there is something it is like to have certain kinds of experience, it does not follow that there is anything it is like to be a certain kind of creature. Skepticism about the existence of something that it is like to be an F is recommended.
Silicon-on-Insulator Microring Add-Drop Filters With Free Spectral Ranges Over 30 nm

We demonstrate highly compact optical add-drop filters based on silicon-on-insulator microring resonators. The microring resonators have a small radius of 2.5 mum and a very large free spectral range ~ 32 nm at the 1.55 mum communication band. The propagation loss in such small micoring resonators was experimentally determined and shown to be extremely important in designing microring add-drop filters with low add-drop crosstalk, low drop loss, and maximally flat drop passband. For box-like channel dropping responses, second-order optical add-drop filters with two coupled microring resonators are designed and demonstrated, and the simulation matches well with the experiment. Devices were patterned with electron-beam lithography. Two fabrication procedures utilizing different polarity of resists were introduced and compared, and the process with negative resist resulted in much smaller sidewall roughness of waveguides, thus reducing the propagation loss in microring resonators.
Recording invertebrate nerve activation with modulated light changes.

Optical scattering techniques have the potential to provide noninvasive measurements of neural activity with good spatial and temporal resolution. We used the lobster nerve as a model system to investigate and record event-related optical signals with a modulated light source and heterodyne detection system. We observed changes in the transmitted birefringent light intensity, corresponding with electrophysiological measurements of the action potential. The photon delay was below the detection threshold, in part due to the small size of the nerve bundle. Our system allowed us to place an upper bound on the magnitude of the phase change of 0.01°. The physiological stability of the preparation allows comprehensive characterization of biological and instrumentation noise sources for testing optical measurement systems.
Disruptive technologies and neurally-inspired architectures

Conventional shrinking methods to improve VLSI chip performance by continual scaling of device and interconnect geometries may allow CMOS juggernaut to reach about 22 nm nodes. During the post-shrinking era, a slew of mesoscopic and nanoscale technologies such as quantum tunneling devices, plasmon based transistors, ionic transport based crossbar structures, nanomagnetic logic, grapheme FET's, self-assembled array of quantum dots, and molecular devices are likely to emerge as commercially viable technologies in order to sustain the demands for exponential economic growth throughout the first quarter of the 21st Century.Quantum tunneling in nanometric devices augurs a revolutionary shift of paradigm for circuit and CAD tools design that must account for quantum effects as well as local interactions between self-assembled circuit elements. These circuit elements may consist of a 2-dimensional array of self-organized quantum dots that can be instrumented to perform cellular automata class of algorithms or a 3-dimensional array of self-organized nanowires to perform a random Boolean network (RBN) class of algorithms. The talk will also briefly introduce neuromorphic nanoarchitectures consisting of 2-D array of amorphous-Silicon based memristor devices and also THz digital systems deploying surface plasmon polariton (SPP).
Fashions and Methodology

I attempt in this chapter to build on prior empirical work where I compared who and what was being published in top law reviews in three different jurisdictions: the United States, Britain, and France. Part I begins by discussing the key empirical findings of a research project that analyzed a sample of legal publications in the United States, Britain, and France. As discussed, the work proceeded in two phases: first, identifying what “top” journal and “elite” law school might be in each jurisdiction; second, analyzing each article according to author characteristics, legal method employed, and subject matter. Part II then draws implications from this preliminary work, attempting to relate the empirical results to the academic legal culture in each jurisdiction. Put simply, can one try to find meaning in these results?After having surveyed what is being published in “top” law journals across three different jurisdictions, as well as trying to explore links between these results and legal culture, Part III tries to draw some implications. At least two important points emerge. First, that as legal academics we need to pay more attention to quality and how to measure it. Yet existing quality metrics — journal rankings, peer review, bibliometric citations, and the like — are by themselves at best incomplete and at worst misleading. As such, I argue that quality cannot be understood without the threshold concept of methodology. Entering the dangerous territory of linking methodology with quality becomes all but inevitable if we hope to begin improving the state of legal research. Ironically, what is deeply missing in this literature is a focus on methodology. While it becomes extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, to generalize across jurisdictions there remains a central question of what Americans may learn from Europeans when it comes to legal research and vice-versa? Methodology can begin to provide a framework to address this question.
Inhibition by Acetylcholine of Malpighian Tubule Muscle of the Cockroach Periplaneta americana

In many insects the chief excretory organs, the malpighian tubules, show a constant, slow rhythm of contraction which often appears as a coiling and uncoiling (Palm 1946). Little attention has been given to the physiology of this contraction, although there have been many studies of the excretory physiology of insects.
Prevention and control measures of market risk for banana in China

This paper mentions the existing market risk of banana on bargain sales after harvest,sales monopoly and rumors in our country,and puts forward the countermeasures resisting banana market risk.By combining the advantage region distribution banana production in our country and the actual demand of market,we can divide banana industrial park,improving banana production mode,improving banana fertilization,promoting banana cultivation techniques,prohibiting use of banned pesticide banana production,establishing the banana production and marketing tracing system,giving play to the role of banana production cooperatives,building the interaction mechanism of the government and farmer,in order to achieve development of intensive production management,produce high quality,ensure the quality,improve the level of fresh fruit fresh fruit,promote production and marketing level,reduce the risk,prevent market sales risks,and enhance product market competitiveness.
Relationship of admissions for false labor to perinatal outcome.

While false labor is a common clinical problem, little information exists for correlating hospital visits (for false labor) with the subsequent labor course or perinatal outcome. We evaluated the obstetric and perinatal outcomes in 112 consecutive patients with one or more hospital visits for false labor and compared them with those in matched controls. The only statistically significant difference was the incidence of oxytocin induction following premature rupture of the membranes in the false-labor group (16 vs. 6, chi 2 = 5.05, P less than .05). This study suggests that a previous false-labor admission does not increase the risk of a labor abnormality or suboptimum perinatal outcome.
Identifying economic regimes: Reducing downside risks for university endowments and foundations

One of the most durable patterns in market behavior involves contagion—increases in correlation and volatility—during crash periods such as 2008. This condition can cause major problems for an investor when markets severely contract and anticipated diversification benefits vanish. To address contagion, the authors implement a machine-learning algorithm, trend filtering , to capture distinctive economic conditions. Over long horizons, they find that a multiregime simulation provides more accurate estimates of downside risk compared with traditional static portfolio models and can help in evaluating strategies for reducing the worst-case outcomes. The approach readily applies to nonprofit institutions that depend upon their endowment capital to fund liabilities and meet goals.
Rationale and Development of a Scale to Communicate Environmental and Other Community Risks

Efforts to secure any community from environmental and other community risks must be able to convincingly argue that: 1. The Stressors impact the community’s well being. 2. The community is ultimately responsible in the mitigation of these Stressors. 3. Limited resources must be committed to manage this risk to an acceptable level. Assuming any community has a fixed quantity of risk management funding, environmental security must compete for resources traditionally allocated to other well-recognized risks of war, terrorism, and natural disasters. Even if the quantity of funding is flexible, it must convincingly argue for the reallocation of scarce resources from the activities of consumption to investment. Economists refer to this discussion as “Guns or Butter.”
Assessing the influence of the Columbine shooting on federal sentencing outcomes

AbstractSchool shootings are not a new phenomenon in the United States or internationally. In comparison to other acts of violence experienced by youth, such tragedies are uncommon but garner extensive media attention. The Columbine High School shooting received more attention across a broader range of issues than any other school shooting, with only the Sandy Hook tragedy rivaling it for media attention. In the aftermath of the Columbine shooting, public sentiment regarding violence in schools became a central point of contention that bred fear and panic. Given the embeddedness of judges within the larger community context and the effects of community characteristics on sentencing outcomes, we wondered if the Columbine shooting – via moral panic and community upheaval – might have had an impact on judges imposing criminal sentences. To assess the effect of the Columbine shooting on judicial decision-making outcomes, the current study uses United States Sentencing Commission data from 1998 through 2001. I...
Risk factors for readmission in patients admitted for febrile neutropenia.

e17733 Background: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a common and serious complication among cancer patients, which often requires costly and hospital admissions and time away from home. In this study, w...
Prevalence of Gabapentin Abuse: Comparison with Agents with Known Abuse Potential in a Commercially Insured US Population.

Despite international calls to make gabapentin a controlled substance, studies of gabapentin use/abuse patterns are limited to small/high-risk samples and adverse event reports. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic assessment of the abuse potential/prevalence of gabapentin in a large sample. Truven Health MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters database, years 2013–2015. Patients with two or more claims for one or more abusable drugs and ≥12 months’ continuous enrollment were sampled for Lorenz curve analysis. Prevalence analysis was limited to those with ≥120 days of therapy. Abuse potential was measured as Lorenz-1 (consumption of drug supply by top 1% of users) of ≥15%. Dose thresholds were morphine milligram equivalent (MME) standards for opioids, and maximum labeled doses in milligrams (mg) for other drugs. Lorenz-1 values were 37% opioids, 19% gabapentin, 15% pregabalin, 14% alprazolam, and 13% zolpidem. The top 1% gabapentin users filled prescriptions for a mean (median) 11,274 (9534) mg/day, more than three times the recommended maximum (3600 mg). Of these, one-quarter used or diverted ≥12,822 mg/day. The top 1% opioid and pregabalin users filled prescriptions for a mean (median) 180 (127) MMEs and 2474 (2219) mg/day, respectively. Of patients using opioids + gabapentin simultaneously, 24% had three or more claims exceeding the dose threshold within 12 months. Established threshold criteria for gabapentinoid abuse are uncertain. Indications for gabapentinoid use (e.g. hot flashes, restless legs syndrome) were not measured. Gabapentin use patterns are similar to those of other abusable medications. High daily doses pose safety and/or diversion concerns, and investigation of the medical consequences of gabapentin abuse is needed.
A volumetric three-dimensional digital light photoactivatable dye display.

Volumetric three-dimensional displays offer spatially accurate representations of images with a 360° view, but have been difficult to implement due to complex fabrication requirements. Herein, a chemically enabled volumetric 3D digital light photoactivatable dye display (3D Light PAD) is reported. The operating principle relies on photoactivatable dyes that become reversibly fluorescent upon illumination with ultraviolet light. Proper tuning of kinetics and emission wavelengths enables the generation of a spatial pattern of fluorescent emission at the intersection of two structured light beams. A first-generation 3D Light PAD was fabricated using the photoactivatable dye N-phenyl spirolactam rhodamine B, a commercial picoprojector, an ultraviolet projector and a custom quartz imaging chamber. The system displays a minimum voxel size of 0.68 mm3, 200 μm resolution and good stability over repeated ‘on-off’ cycles. A range of high-resolution 3D images and animations can be projected, setting the foundation for widely accessible volumetric 3D displays. Despite living in a three-dimensional world, almost all information in our society is conveyed in a two-dimensional format. Here, the authors provide a technique for the generation of spatially accurate and high-resolution three-dimensional images using fluorescent photoswitch chemistry.
Poster: Investigating Doppler Effects on Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication: An Experimental Study

Doppler effects on vehicular communication have been theoretically modeled by many researchers. However, very limited experimental studies have been conducted to investigate the impact of Doppler shift on the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication range and reliability with high-speed mobility. The current work-in-progress research aims to quantify the impact of Doppler effects on V2V communication reliability, range, and reachability using single-hop Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) between two opposite traffic. We conducted our experiments by mounting the after-market DSRC onboard units on the dashboard of two vehicles that cross each other from opposite directions with constant relative speeds on a real interstate freeway. Our preliminary results indicate that the communication time and range drop to approximately 70% and 40% after the two vehicles cross and start moving away from each other with the average relative speeds of 110 and 140 mph, respectively. Similarly, the packet delivery ratio is also drastically reduced after the vehicles start moving away from each other. Apparently, these results indicate that there might be a strong effect of Doppler phenomena on the transmission range, packet delivery rate and the duration of the communication.
High-speed, efficient, mm-Wave power-mixer-based digital transmitters

The demand for high-speed wireless communication, both in short- and long-range applications has led to the development of millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) (30 GHz f carrier <300 GHz) integrated systems. At the same time, aggressive scaling in CMOS technology has improved the transistor cut-off frequencies beyond 200 GHz, thereby enabling low-cost, fully integrated, scalable mm-Wave systems with integrated high-speed baseband circuitry. In addition to reaping benefits simply because of the large bandwidth available at these higher carrier frequencies, the use of complex modulation schemes is essential for optimum utilization of the available spectrum. We have seen these spectrally efficient modulation schemes at work in the Wi-Fi standards where complex, non-constant envelope modulation schemes, such as 256-QAM or even 1024-QAM, are utilized to provide data rates of a few hundreds of megabytes within a relatively narrow bandwidth. In recent years, this trend has continued into the mm-Wave systems where several transmitters utilizing a wide variety of modulation schemes have been reported in recent literature.
Physical connectivity between Pulley Ridge and Dry Tortugas coral reefs under the influence of the Loop Current/Florida Current system

Abstract The Pulley Ridge and Dry Tortugas coral reefs are among the most pristine, but also fragile, marine ecosystems of the continental United States. Understanding connectivity processes between them and with surrounding shelf and deep areas is fundamental for their management. This study focuses on the physical processes related to the connectivity of these reefs. Unprecedented in situ time series were used at these specific reef locations, together with satellite observations and numerical simulations, to investigate the dynamics controlling local circulation on the Southwestern Florida Shelf (SWFS) under oceanic influence. The approach of the Loop Current and Florida Current (LC/FC) system to the SWFS slope can induce 0.5 to 1 m/s offshore flows impacting the Pulley Ridge and Dry Tortugas reefs. On the other hand, when the LC/FC system retreats from the slope, onshore flows can carry open-sea waters over the coral reefs. Local formation of cyclonic eddies is possible near the Dry Tortugas reefs in the LC approach case and passage of upstream LC Frontal Eddies is possible in the LC retreat case. Offshore currents ∼1 m/s over the SWFS slope were also found during periods of anticyclonic LC Eddy separation. A novel finding is the shedding and northward propagation of mesoscale anticyclonic eddies from the core of the LC along the West Florida Shelf. Eddy shedding may have a broader effect on the dynamics of the shelf around the study reef areas. Long periods of LC/FC domination over these coral reefs (reaching several weeks to months) are characterized by strong (∼1 m/s) along-shelf currents and continuous upwelling processes, which may weaken the slope stratification and bring colder, deeper waters over the shelf-break and toward the shallower shelf region.
Predictive value of preoperative serum albumin levels on outcomes in patients undergoing LVAD implantation.

BACKGROUND We performed a single-center retrospective analysis to determine whether preoperative serum albumin levels were associated with postoperative adverse events and short- and long-term survival in patients who underwent continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation. METHODS From November 2003 through March 2016, 526 patients underwent CF-LVAD implantation. Patients whose preoperative serum albumin level was normal (≥3.5 g/dL) were compared to patients with preoperative hypoalbuminemia (<3.5 g/dL), which was further categorized as moderate (2.5-3.5 g/dL) or severe (<2.5 g/dL). These groups were compared regarding preoperative demographics, incidence of postoperative complications, and long-term survival. RESULTS Patients with hypoalbuminemia had higher serum levels of liver enzymes (P < 0.05) and total bilirubin (P < 0.001) and significantly lower platelet counts (P = 0.02) and prealbumin levels (P < 0.001) than patients with normal preoperative albumin levels. Survival in patients with moderate and severe preoperative hypoalbuminemia was significantly decreased compared with patients with normal preoperative serum albumin levels (P < 0.001). Preoperative hypoalbuminemia was also associated with higher incidences of postoperative infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, neurological dysfunction, and acute kidney injury (P ≤ 0.01 for all) but did not affect the success of bridge to transplantation or survival after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrated that there is a significant association of preoperative low serum albumin levels with postoperative adverse outcomes and lower survival rates. This highlights the importance of a patient's preoperative nutritional status on postoperative outcomes after CF-LVAD implantation.
Wafer-scale, stretchable nanomeshes from an ultrathin-support-layer assisted transfer

Metal nanomeshes possess unique electrical and mechanical properties for next-generation stretchable electronics. However, a critical unmet need lies in producing stretchable conductive nanomeshes at large scale with high uniformity and intactness. Here, we present a wafer-scale nondestructive transfer method by utilizing an ultrathin polyimide layer. This polyimide support layer allows etchant vapor to transmit through to etch the sacrificial layer underneath, while being continuous to support the nanomeshes during transfer before being removed completely after the transfer. From this simple yet effective method, we developed 4-in.-wafer-scale gold nanomeshes with low sheet resistance of 8.35 Ω/◻, good transparency of 65% at 550 nm, and stretchability of 70%. Detailed vapor transmission studies reveal that etchant vapor indeed transmitted through the support layer, with realistic sacrificial etching time needed for transfer. Together, these results provide a practical pathway towards fabricating large-scale nanomesh based stretchable electronics, with applications ranging from on-skin electronics to implantable biomedical devices. We also expect this ultrathin support layer approach to be generally applicable to the processing of many other nanomaterials at large scale.
Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of composites for marine structures: detecting flaws using infrared thermography (IRT)

Abstract: This chapter discusses the detection of flaws in marine structures using infrared (IR) thermography. The equipment, measurement devices, different samples and methods used are described and the effectiveness of infrared thermography in detection is assessed.
Returning Tribal Government to the Traditional Wisdom of the People: Applying Traditional Principles Appropriately for the Twenty-First Century

Today, a great many Indian Nations are struggling to overcome inappropriate forms of government that were directly or indirectly imposed by the U.S. government. These alien modes of governance conflict with traditional tribal culture and values, causing ineffective governance, and contributing greatly to community disharmony. Among the most interesting recent and current attempts to improve tribal government, are the application of an inclusive participatory community planning process by the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, in the 1990s, and the ongoing process of government development at Navajo Nation. Both of these efforts, along with those of a number of other Indian nations, involve movements to reinculcate traditional values into tribal political institutions, in ways that are appropriate for the conditions of the current and unfolding era.
Injection Therapy for Hemostasis of Bleeding Peptic Ulcers: Techniques and Results of Randomized Prospective Trials

One of the most serious sequelae of peptic ulcer disease is active gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Numerous endoscopic modalities have been developed to control bleeding. A simple, inexpensive, readily available means of treating hemorrhage is injection of the lesion with a sclerosant or other hemostatic agent. The authors review the current status, technique, and types of injectable agents and provide analysis of prospective trials on injections therapy for peptic ulcer disease.