cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Foaming Characteristics of BOF Slags

Slag foaming measurements were carried out for BOF type slags that exist during the first half of the blowing period in order to better understand slopping of slag. The foam index (Σ) decreases with increasing FeO up to about 20% FeO content and is almost constant for FeO from 20 to 32 % FeO. This is believed tobe because above about 25% FeO, the viscosity is nearly constant. The foam index shows a minimum value at basicity[5(CaO1MgO)/(SiO2+Al2O3 )] of 1.4 at 1 713 K; it increases at higher basicities due to the precipitates such as 2CaOSiO2 or (Fe, Mg)O which stabilizes the foam. The effect of TiO2 and MgO on foam index was also evaluated. An empirical equation for the foam index obtained by the previous researchers was applied to the present experimental results. The foaming during the first half of the blowing in BOF process was described based on the empirical relationship and the foam height was estimated for a BOS converter as a function of decarburization rate.
Chronic Mucogingival Defects in Miniature Swine

Controversy surrounds the importance of keratinized gingiva in maintaining periodontal health. A well-defined animal model system is necessary to evaluate longitudinally the role of keratinized gingiva when plaque control is inadequate or where dental procedures (restorative, prosthetic or orthodontic) alter the periodontal environment. Facial gingiva was excised from eight primary incisors in miniature swine. Contralateral teeth were used as controls. The experimental teeth exhibited mucogingival defects at 3 and 6 month observation periods. The secondary teeth erupting into the experimental regions also exhibited recession and chronic mucogingival defects. The marginal tissue in regions devoid of keratinized gingiva demonstrated clinical signs of inflammation. No progressive gingival recession was present. Excision of keratinized gingiva to produce mucogingival defects in swine provides a convenient model system for evaluating the effect of dental procedures on periodontal health where little or no kera...
Factors contributing to the demise of tung production in the United States

Complete disappearance of commercial tung acreage has not occurred as yet; but it is almost a certainty. Less than thirty years ago, viable tung holdings were dispersed across the Southeast from Louisiana in the west to Georgia in the east. Presently, tung groves in northern Florida are really the sole support of American production (Fig. 3); and these holdings are quickly disappearing (12). It may be possible, if the remaining Florida groves are not damaged by weather, and if several thousand acres are replanted in Mississippi and Louisiana with new variety clones, that the industry may buy itself an extended life span. This will provide the time that researchers need to discover new and better uses for the oil. Perhaps with patience and an extraordinary amount of perseverance, tung growers may survive the rigors of competition, climatic problems, and rising costs; but it is, alas, highly improbable. Tung oil production in the United States will never be more than a token agricultural activity, a curiosity on the landscape, a relic of past endeavors.
Evidence that the gluconeogenic pathway is confined to an enriched Müller cell fraction derived from the amphibian retina.

An enriched Muller cell fraction was prepared from bullfrog retina, employing the endoprotease bromelain to digest the retina, and iso-osmotic Percoll gradient centrifugation to resolve the retinal digest. The Muller cell was the most resistant of all retinal cells to bromelain digestion, thus large numbers of morphologically intact cells were produced. The only other retinal cells that survived bromelain digestion were cones and some bipolar cells. The enriched Muller cells were incubated in 10 mm lactate Ringer containing U-[14C]lactate and the amount of [14C]glucose synthesized was used as the biochemical endpoint for assessing the rate of gluconeogenesis. There was no incorporation of [14C]glucose into Muller cell glycogen: however, 2·8 nmol glucose (mg Muller cell protein × hr)−1 was released to the medium. The synthesis and release of glucose to the medium was increased four- to sixfold by glucagon, vasoactive intestinal peptide or a mixture of forskolin/IBMX. In addition, glycolytic flux of isolated intact retina was determined with 3-[3H]glucose. In lactate-free and lactate-containing Ringer, glycolytic flux was 92·5 and 67·9 nmol (mg protein × hr)−1, respectively. In the presence of 100 nm vasoactive intestinal peptide, glycolytic flux in lactate-free and lactate-containing Ringer was reduced by 50 and 66%, respectively. These data strongly suggest that a Cori-like cycle exists in the amphibian retina and the Muller cell may be the predominant site for the gluconeogenic pathway. In addition, vasoactive intestinal peptide may serve both as a gluconeogenic and antiglycolytic neurohormone in the amphibian retina.
A pediatric case of Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis

Gram negative endocarditis is relatively rare in pediatrics but when they occur they are most frequently caused by one of the HACEK (Haemophilus species, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, C. hominis, Eikenella corrodens and Kingella kingae) group of microorganisms. Within the HACEK group of microorganisms there have been approximately 100 cases of Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis reported in the literature, but only 2 previous cases of endocarditis and one case of pericarditis have been reported in children. In this report, we present a case of a 12-year-old boy with a right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit for Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia who presented at an annual cardiology examination with a 3 week history of fatigue and was found to have a vegetation on routine echocardiogram. Subsequent blood cultures grew Cardiobacterium hominis and the patient was treated successfully with 6 weeks of appropriate antibiotic therapy. We present this case and a review of the literature of the HACEK group of microorganisms in pediatrics.
Prolonged myelosuppression with clofarabine in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory, aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma

We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the purine nucleoside analogue, clofarabine, in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Six patients with DLBCL (n = 5) or MCL (n = 1) and a median age of 68 years were treated with 40 mg/m(2) clofarabine IV over 2 h for 5 days, repeated every 28 days, for 1-2 cycles. The overall response rate was 50% (complete response = 1, complete response unconfirmed = 1, partial response = 1). Median progression-free survival was 3.5 months (range 1.5-10 months) and the median overall survival was 7.8 months (range 3-31 months). Grade 3-4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia was universal, with a median of 34 (range 19-55) and 77 (range 0-275) days required for neutrophil and platelet recovery. Grade 3 non-hematologic toxicities included transaminitis, febrile neutropenia, non-neutropenic infections and orthostatic hypotension. Further accrual to the study was terminated due to prolonged Grade 3-4 myelosuppression and orthostatic hypotension in five of six patients. Clofarabine exhibits evidence of single agent activity in relapsed or refractory DLBCL. However, further study with novel administration schedules that maintain this efficacy and limit toxicity is warranted.
Manufacturing strategy: Defining the missing link

Summary The primary objective of strategy is to develop and support a lasting competitive advantage. In manufacturing industries, substantial focus has been given during the early eighties to the importance of the manufacturing function's contribution to overall corporate success, and yet the apparent lack of attention (historically) to achieving that potential contribution. In this article, characteristics of competitive advantage in manufacturing firms are described, a general framework for relating such advantage to corporate, business and functional levels of strategy is given, and an approach for pursuing that potential is outlined.
Thermochemistry of uranium compounds XI. Standard enthalpy of formation of γ-UO3

Abstract The standard enthalpy of formation of γ-UO 3 , ΔH o f (UO 3 , c, γ, 298.15 K), has been measured by HF solution calorimetry. The value obtained, −(1224.1 ± 2.6) kJ mol −1 , is in excellent agreement with results from other solution-calorimetric determinations and a study of the high-temperature decomposition of γ-UO 3 . The disagreement discussed by Cordfunke et al. , between the result for γ-UO 3 obtained by earlier HF solution calorimetry and that derived from other sources, has been resolved by a revision in the value for ΔH o f (UF 6 ).
On modeling turbulent exchange in buoyancy-driven fronts

Abstract Our primary objective is to quantify the uncertainty in the solution space associated with mixing and stirring in ocean general circulation models (OGCMs) due to common modeling choices, namely the spatial resolution, tracer advection schemes, Reynolds number and turbulence closures. In many cases the assessment of errors is limited by the observational data set, therefore, large eddy simulations from a spectral element Boussinesq solver are taken as ground truth. First, the lock-exchange problem is used to quantify the temporal evolution of mixing from shear-driven stratified overturns. It is found that mixing in an OGCM is more sensitive to the choice of grid resolution than any other parameters tested here. The results do not monotonically converge towards the ground truth as the resolution is refined. Second, stirring of a passive tracer by submesoscale eddies generated by surface density fronts is considered. We find that using a second-order turbulence closure leads to an accurate representation of the restratification in the mixed layer.
Interaction of muscle pyruvate kinase with 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonate☆

Abstract The interaction of the fluorescent probe 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonate with rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase is reported. Four moles of 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonate interact per mole of the 4-subunit enzyme with a dissociation constant of 1.7 × 10−4 m at 30 °. The interaction is not competitive with substrates ADP and phosphoenolpyruvate, with cations K+ and Mg2+, nor with effector phenylalanine.
A sampler for concentrating radionuclides from natural waters

Abstract A sampler which permits concentration of both particulate and dissolved radionuclides from large volumes of ocean and freshwater has been developed and tested. The water sample passes through a filtration section for particle removal, then through a sorption section where the radionuclides of interest are removed on sorption or ion exchange beds. Components of the sampler which contact the water are of polyvinyl chloride construction, and flow rates of about 40 l./min are employed. This sampler has been successfully employed in concentrating some twenty radionuclides from ocean and fresh waters.
Assessing the impact of AIDS on the growth path of the Malawian economy.

Abstract A modified Solow growth model is used to simulate the impact of the AIDS epidemic on output capacity and other key macroeconomic aggregates in Malawi. Comparing a counterfactual no-AIDS scenario to ‘medium’ and ‘extreme’ AIDS projections suggests that average real GDP growth over the 1985–2010 period will be 0.2–0.3 (1.2–1.5) percentage points lower in the medium (extreme) case, relative to the no-AIDS case. As a result, the size of the economy by the year 2010 will be reduced from a real GDP of 5.03 billion (constant 1985) Kwacha without AIDS to 4.81–4.77 (3.80–3.46) billion Kwacha in the medium (extreme) scenario.
Global and Multidimensional Self-Concept as a Predictor of Health Practices in Middle Adolescents

OBJECTIVE. To describe the relationship between global and multidimensional aspects of self-concept and the health practices of adolescents. METHODS. A total of 195 adolescents, ages 14-17, who attended two Senior high schools within rural county in a Southeastern state completed research questionnaires. RESULTS. The adolescents in this sample scored average or slightly above average for global self-concept on the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale. Adolescents scored lowest in the health-related behavior of time spent eating a balanced diet and highest in the area of safety. The single highest correlation between self-concept and self-care practices was between the total health practice score and global self-concept. CONCLUSIONS. The results suggest that an individual's knowledge, feelings of worth related to status at school, and level of anxiety and stress are important predictors of health behavior.
Plantar Pressure Distribution During Walking: Comparison of Subjects with and without Chronic Low Back Pain

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate changes during walking in plantar pressure distribution on both the affected and unaffected sides of patients with chronic low back pain (LBP). [Subjects] Sixty subjects were included in this study, including 30 patients with chronic low back pain and 30 healthy individuals as the control group. [Methods] The plantar foot pressure and the trajectory of the center of pressure (COP) of both groups were measured using the F-scan System while they walked at a comfortable speed. The F-scan system was used to determine the plantar pressures of both feet with data captured during three strides. [Results] Plantar pressure distribution differences between the left and right sides of the back pain group showed greater increases in anteroposterior (AP) displacement of COP than the control group. [Conclusion] Patients with chronic low back pain walked with a shorter AP displacement of COP, perhaps due to a compensatory action in trying to avoid pain. The foot pressure distributions in the back pain group provide evidence of alterations of the gait pattern in patients with chronic low back pain.
War Initiation in a Changing World

The fundamental issue dividing war studies scholars is the relation between power and war. Proponents of the balance of power (Wright, 1964; Brodie, 1959; Morgenthau, 1960; Waltz, 1979; Intriligato...
Ultrastructure of Red‐Sore Lesions on Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides): Association of the Ciliate Epistylis sp. and the Bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila*

Epizootic outbreaks of red-sore disease in several reservoirs in the southeastern United States have been reported to cause heavy mortality among several species of fish having sport and commercial value. The etiologic agent is said to be the peritrich ciliate Epistylis sp.; secondary infection by the gram-negative bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila produces hemorrhagic septicemia which results in death. However, in recent studies on the largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, Epistylis sp. could be isolated from only 35% of 114 lesions from 114 fish, while A. hydrophila was found in 96% of the same lesions. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy of lesions associated with red-sore disease indicate that neither the stalk nor the attachment structure of Epistylis sp. have organelles capable of producing lytic enzymes. Since other investigators have shown that A. hydrophila produces strong lytic toxins, and in absence of evidence to the contrary, it is concluded that Epistylis sp. is a benign ectocommensal and that A. hydrophila is the primary etiologic agent of red-sore disease.
Distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunoreactive afferents to the cerebellum differs between species

The indirect antibody peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique was used to determine the laminar and lobular distribution of catecholaminergic afferents in the adult mouse, opossum, and cat cerebellum. A monoclonal antibody to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) revealed a plexus of thin varicose fibers that exhibited a different density and distribution pattern for each species. In the cat, TH-immunoreactive fibers were sparsely distributed to all laminae, lobules, and nuclei of the cat cerebellum except for an area of elevated density in the ventral folia of lobules V and VI. In the opossum, TH-positive fibers were uniformly and densely distributed in the granule and Purkinje cell layers; they were more abundant in vermal lobules V–VI than in more anterior and posterior lobules, particularly I and X. Numerous TH-immunoreactive fibers were found in all four cerebellar nuclei of the opossum. In the mouse, TH-positive fibers formed a dense plexus within all cerebellar lobules, laminae, and nuclei. The mouse also exhibited numerous TH-immunoreactive Purkinje cells that were localized predominantly within vermal lobules VI–X, the paraflocculus, and flocculus. In addition to the interspecies differences in the distribution of catecholaminergic fibers within the cerebellum, comparison of this plexus to that previously described for serotonin in these species reveals that the relative densities and distribution patterns of catecholaminergic and serotoninergic fibers also vary between species. It is thus hypothesized that in each species a given monoamine has a unique net effect on cerebellar output that is determined by its effects on different neuronal populations within the cerebellum. J. Comp. Neurol. 379:443–454, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Upper bounds on lepton-number violating processes

We consider four lepton-number violating ($\mathrm{L\ensuremath{\llap{\not\;}}}$) processes: (a) neutrinoless double-beta decay $(0\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\beta})$, (b) $\ensuremath{\Delta}L=2$ tau decays, (c) $\ensuremath{\Delta}L=2$ rare meson decays and (d) nuclear muon-positron conversion. In the absence of exotic $\mathrm{L\ensuremath{\llap{\not\;}}}$ interactions, the rates for these processes are determined by effective neutrino masses $⟨m{⟩}_{{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{1}{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{2}}$, which can be related to the sum of light neutrino masses, the neutrino mass-squared differences, the neutrino mixing angles, a Dirac phase and two Majorana phases. We sample the experimentally allowed ranges of $⟨m{⟩}_{{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{1}{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{2}}$ based on neutrino oscillation experiments as well as cosmological observations, and obtain a stringent upper bound $⟨m{⟩}_{{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{1}{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{2}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.14\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$. We then calculate the allowed ranges for $⟨m{⟩}_{{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{1}{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{2}}$ from the experimental rates of direct searches for the above $\ensuremath{\Delta}L=2$ processes. Comparing our calculated rates with the currently or soon available data, we find that only the $0\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\beta}$ experiment may be able to probe $⟨m{⟩}_{ee}$ with a sensitivity comparable to the current bound. Muon-positron conversion is next in sensitivity, while the limits of direct searches for the other $\ensuremath{\Delta}L=2$ processes are several orders of magnitude weaker than the current bounds on $⟨m{⟩}_{{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{1}{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{2}}$. Any positive signal in those direct searches would indicate new contributions to the $\mathrm{L\ensuremath{\llap{\not\;}}}$ interactions beyond those from three light Majorana neutrinos.
Circulating irisin levels are not affected by coffee intake: a randomized controlled trial.

Irisin, secreted by skeletal muscle and possibly fat, is hypothesized to play an important role in modulating energy expenditure, obesity and metabolism. Coffee consumption also increases energy expenditure and leads to positive metabolic effects, but whether these effects are mediated by irisin remains unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the association between baseline irisin levels and the metabolic profile in humans and to investigate whether consumption of caffeinated coffee alters irisin levels. To this end, a secondary analysis was performed investigating irisin levels at baseline and after eight weeks in 32 healthy, overweight coffee drinkers who were randomized to consumption of 5 cups per day of instant caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, or water. Spearman correlation and analysis of covariance analyses were performed to identify possible associations. Irisin levels were positively correlated with waist circumference (r = 0.41, p = 0.02), fat mass (r = 0.44, p = 0.01) and CRP (r = 0.47, p = 0.007). Though there was a trend towards increased levels of irisin over time in the caffeinated coffee group (+1.8%) when compared to the placebo group (−4%) this did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.75 for the trend). This first randomized trial failed to reveal any effects of coffee consumption on irisin levels, but a larger trial, appropriately sized on the basis of data provided by this study, is needed to conclusively investigate such a relationship. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00305097","term_id":"NCT00305097"}}NCT00305097
Don't hate the player, hate the game: The racialization of labor in World of Warcraft

This article examines the racialization of informational labor in machinima about Chinese player workers in the massively multiplayer online role playing game World of Warcraft. Such fan-produced video content extends the representational space of the game and produces overtly racist narrative space to attach to a narrative that, while carefully avoiding explicit references to racism or racial conflict in our world, is premised upon a racial war in an imaginary world—the World of Azeroth. This profiling activity is part of a larger biometric turn initiated by digital culture's informationalization of the body and illustrates the problematics of informationalized capitalism. If late capitalism is characterized by the requirement for subjects to be possessive individuals, to make claims to citizenship based on ownership of property, then player workers are unnatural subjects in that they are unable to obtain avatarial self-possession. The painful paradox of this dynamic lies in the ways that it mirrors the ...
Understanding Forgiveness as Discovery: Implications for Marital and Family Therapy

This article explores the concept of forgiveness in relationship systems and examines various conceptualizations and definitions found in the literature. Forgiveness is described as a complex psychological and relational process that is more a discovery than an act of will. A rationale for viewing forgiveness in a contextual, historical, and relational attachment paradigm is presented, and the association of forgiveness with empathy and emotional intelligence is discussed. Marital and family therapists are encouraged to attend to contextual family of origin issues and to facilitate an empathic relational environment where ambivalence is expected and tolerated for enhancing the process of forgiveness. Relevant clinical cases are shared to illustrate the process of forgiveness as discovery.
Solution-focused brief therapy in schools: A review of the outcome literature

Abstract The application of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) with students and in school settings has grown over the past 10 years and has been applied to a number of behavioral and academic problems. This review of the research literature examined the most rigorous outcome studies on SFBT conducted in schools, given its promise within this specific setting and population. In addition, effect size estimates were calculated to further examine the effectiveness, thereby providing more quantitative information for each study. This review found mixed results but SFBT did show promise as a useful approach in working with at-risk students in a school setting, specifically helping students reduce the intensity of their negative feelings, manage their conduct problems, and externalizing behavioral problems.
Approval voting in subset elections

Approval voting is designed to be “insensitive to numbers” of voters, and likely to elect a Condorcet candidate. However, the result of an election among one group of candidates gives no information about the results of elections among any other groups, even if every voter follows the recommended utility-maximizing strategy, which places strong restrictions on the individual voter's subset ballots. Thus the addition of a single candidate could completely reverse the outcome of an election, or a Condorcet candidate could finish last.
New York State Department of Transportation Rock Slope Rating Procedure and Rockfall Assessment

The New York State Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Geotechnical Engineering Bureau has significant responsibilities in the field of rock and soil mechanics. Not the least of these is minimizing rockfalls and landslides and quickly responding when they occur. The Geotechnical Engineering Bureau has a long history of gathering and managing information about rock and soil slopes to anticipate needs and allocate resources. In 1988, the New York State DOT began to maintain rock slope, earth slope, and rockfall databases. Potential rockfall sites were identified and evaluated according to procedures presented by FHWA. In 1992, the New York State DOT devised its own rock slope rating system. To date, more than 2,800 rock slopes have been evaluated using the New York State DOT rating procedures. In addition, more than 475 rockfall incidents have been cataloged and incorporated into the New York State DOT databases. These databases have been integrated into a geographic information system environment.
INSECT PARASITES OF THE SADDLED PROMINENT, HETEROCAMPA GUTTIVITTA (LEPIDOPTERA: NOTODONTIDAE), IN THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

Samples of the egg, larval, and pupal stages of the saddled prominent, Heterocampa guttivitta (Walker), were obtained from infestations of this defoliator in six northeastern states. Seventeen species of primary parasites were recovered, 11 are new records for this host. A key to adult parasites is presented.Apparent parasitism of the egg stage by Telenomus coelodasidis Ashm. and Trichogramma minutum Riley varied from 30 to 76% and 1 to 20% respectively. Aggregate apparent mortality ranged from 40 to 78%. As a rule, egg parasitism was highest in the upper crown of both sugar maple and beech. The developmental stages of parasitized eggs are described and illustrated.Two species of larval parasites were recovered: Phobocampe pallida (Cush.) from instar III and Eulophus anomocerus (Crawford) from instar V. Parasitism by each species was always less than 1%.Cratichneumon sublatus (Cress.) was the only pupal parasite found in all of the infestations examined. Parasitism ranged from 1 to 17% under outbreak conditions to as much as 32–57% the year following a collapse of the host population. A new species of Patelloa (Tachinidae) was recovered from pupae in Maine and New York. Parasitism by the latter ranged from 3 to 7%. Ten species of Ichneumonidae and one species of Sarcophagidae were also recovered from the pupae.
Generalization of the Mantel–Haenszel Estimating Function for Sparse Clustered Binary Data

We extend the Mantel-Haenszel estimating function to estimate both the intra-cluster pairwise correlation and the main effects for sparse clustered binary data. We propose both a composite likelihood approach and an estimating function approach for the analysis of such data. The proposed estimators are consistent and asymptotically normally distributed. Simulation results demonstrate that the two approaches are comparable in terms of bias and efficiency; however, the estimating equation approach is computationally simpler. Analysis of the Georgia High Blood Pressure survey is used for illustration.
ANTS for Human Exploration and Development of Space

The proposed Autonomous Nano-technology Swarm (ANTS) is an enabling architecture for human/robotic mission envisaged by NASA's mission for the Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS). ANTS design principles draw on successes observed in the realm of social insect colonies, which include task specialization and sociality. ANTS spacecraft act as independent, autonomous agents for specific functions, while cooperating to achieve mission goals. For example, the Prospecting ANTS Mission (PAM) is a long-term mission concept for the 2020-2025 time frame involving individual spacecraft agents that are optimized for specific asteroid prospecting functions. The objective of PAM is to characterize at least one thousand asteroids during each year of operations in the main belt. To achieve this objective, PAM spacecraft, individually and as a group, must achieve a high level of autonomy. This high degree of autonomy opens the possibility of a new kind of interaction between humans and these spacecraft, where human explorers and developers could interact with ANTS enabled resources by communicating high-level goals and data products. Thus ANTS enables new kinds of missions in which human and robotic agents work together to achieve mission goals. In this paper we review and discuss the ANTS architecture in the context of the HEDS mission.
Selected Blood Chemistry and Hematologic Characteristics in Milk-Fed and Conventionally Fed Calves

Abstract Effects of diet and age on selected blood chemistry and hematologic characteristics were studied in 20 Holstein bull calves. Milk-fed calves (treatment 1) were maintained exclusively on a milk-replacer diet. Conventionally fed calves (treatment 2) were provided a calf-starter diet and alfalfa hay beginning at 2 wk of age and were weaned from milk replacer at 7 wk of age. Blood samples were collected by jugular puncture from all animals just before the morning feeding at 6, 7, 9, and 11 wk of age. Milk-fed calves had greater glucose concentration in blood serum. Urea nitrogen of blood increased in conventionally fed calves from 6 through 11 wk and decreased in milk-fed calves. Hemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume decreased in calves receiving milk-replacer diet. Total protein and albumin concentrations were greater in the conventionally fed group. Treatment differences also existed for calcium and cholesterol concentrations and in alkaline phosphatase activity.
Hypertension in Childhood

1. Leonard G. Feld, MD, PhD* 2. Howard Corey, MD† 1. *Editorial Board 2. †Director, Pediatric Nephrology, Goryeb Children's Hospital, Atlantic Health System, Morristown, NJ After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the practical approach to confirming the diagnosis of hypertension. 2. Delineate the differential diagnosis and diagnostic approach for a child who has significant hypertension. 3. Discuss the role of the pediatrician in advising the parents and child/adolescent on the nonpharmacologic approach to treating hypertension. 4. List the primary classes of antihypertensive medications to treat hypertension in childhood. David is a 10-year-old boy who complains of frequent headaches. He generally is healthy, but he is overweight and has an anxiety disorder. There is a strong family history of hypertension. On physical examination, the seated blood pressure (BP) using a child-size cuff and an automated noninvasive blood pressure monitor is 140/85 mm Hg. Suspecting hypertension as the cause of the headache, his physician refers David to a pediatric nephrologist for additional investigation . On the initial physical examination, the seated BP reading using an adult-size cuff and a manual aneroid manometer is 135/80 mm Hg. A second reading, taken 15 minutes later, is 122/72 mm Hg. His body mass index (BMI) exceeds the 95th percentile for age. The remainder of the physical examination findings are unremarkable . Subsequently, a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) reveals that 35% of the daytime readings exceed the 95th percentile for age, sex, and height, confirming the diagnosis of hypertension. Echocardiography reveals mild left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), but otherwise shows normal results, as do blood chemistries, urinalysis, plasma renin activity, catecholamine measurement, and renal ultrasonography. However, the plasma uric acid concentration is mildly elevated at 6.6 mg/dL (0.39 mmol/L) . In the 3 decades since the first Report of the Task Force on Blood Pressure Control in Children , the guidelines for pediatric hypertension have been clarified, diagnostic evaluation has been refined, and therapeutic options have been expanded. Increasing …
Autonomous transmembrane segment S4 of the voltage sensor domain partitions into the lipid membrane

The S4 transmembrane segment in voltage-gated ion channels, a highly basic alpha helix, responds to changes in membrane potential and induces channel opening. Earlier work by others indicates that the S4 segment interacts with lipids in plasma membrane, but its mechanism is unclear. Working with synthetic tryptophan-labeled S4 peptides, we characterized binding of autonomous S4 to lipid membranes. The binding free energy (5.2 +/- 0.2 kcal/mol) of the peptide-lipid interaction was estimated from the apparent dissociation constants, determined from the changes in anisotropy of tryptophan fluorescence induced by addition of lipid vesicles with 30 mol% phosphatidylglycerol. The results are in good agreement with the prediction based on the Wimley-White hydrophobicity scale for interfacial (IF) binding of an alpha-helical peptide to the lipid bilayer (6.98 kcal/mol). High salt inhibited the interaction, thus indicating that the peptide/membrane interaction has both electrostatic and non-electrostatic components. Furthermore, the synthetic S4 corresponding to the Shaker potassium channel was found to spontaneously penetrate into the negatively charged lipid membrane to a depth of about 9 A. Our results revealed important biophysical parameters that influence the interaction of S4 with the membrane: they include fluidity, surface charge, and surface pressure of the membrane, and the at helicity and regular spacing of basic amino-acid residues in the S4 sequence.
Hospice Use Among Urban Black and White U.S. Nursing Home Decedents in 2006

Purpose: Medicare hospice is a valuable source of quality care at the end of life, but its lower use by racial minority groups is of concern. This study identifi es factors associated with hospice use among urban Black and White nursing home (NH) decedents in the United States. Design and Methods: Multiple data sources are combined and multilevel logistic regression is utilized to examine hospice use among urban Black and White NH residents who had access to hospice and died in 2006 ( N = 288,202). Results: In NHs, Blacks are less likely to use hospice than Whites (35.4% vs. 39.3%), even when controlling for covariates, interactions, and clustering of decedents in NHs and counties (adjusted odds ratio = 0.81, 95% confi dence interval = 0.77-0.86). Variation in hospice use is greater among subgroups of Blacks than between Blacks and Whites, and these variations are predominantly due to individuallevel factors, with some infl uence of NH-level factors. Hospice use is higher for Blacks versus Whites with do-not-resuscitate orders and lower for Blacks versus Whites with congestive heart failure (CHF). Additionally, hospice use is greater among Blacks with versus without do-not-resuscitate or donot-hospitalize orders or cancer and those in low-tier versus other NHs. There was also lower hospice use among Blacks with versus without CHF. Implications: Efforts to reduce racial differences in hospice use should attend to individual-level factors. Heightening use of advance directives and targeting Blacks with CHF for hospice could be particularly helpful.
Chronic hypoxia increases the gain of the hypoxic ventilatory response by a mechanism in the central nervous system

We studied the effects of the ventilatory stimulant doxapram to test the hypothesis that chronic hypoxia increases the translation of carotid body afferent input into ventilatory motor efferent output by the central nervous system. Chronic hypoxia (inspired Po2 = 70 Torr, 2 days) significantly increased the ventilatory response to an intravenous infusion of a high dose of doxapram in conscious, unrestrained rats breathing normoxic or hypoxic gas. The in vitro carotid body response to hypoxia increased with chronic hypoxia, but the response was not increased with a high dose of doxapram. Similarly, the phrenic nerve response to doxapram in anesthetized rats with carotid bodies denervated did not change with 7 days of chronic hypoxia. The results support the hypothesis that chronic hypoxia causes plasticity in the central component of the carotid chemoreceptor ventilatory reflex, which increases the hypoxic ventilatory response. We conclude that doxapram provides a promising tool to study the time course of changes in the central gain of the hypoxic ventilatory response during chronic hypoxia in awake animals and humans.
Myopathy associated with megaloschizonts of Haemoproteus meleagridis in a wild turkey from Florida.

Necropsy of an emaciated adult wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo osceola) that died in captivity soon after capture revealed numerous macroscopic 1–2 mm white cysts in the pectoral muscles. Microscopic, aseptate protozoan megaloschizonts, 50–150 μm in diameter, corresponded to the cysts in histological sections. The megaloschizonts were surrounded by a thick, hyaline wall and packed with spherical merozoites <1 μm in diameter. Muscle fibers surrounding most of the megaloschizonts exhibited early signs of dystrophic calcification. The fibers were swollen, pale and hyaline and contained scattered basophilic granules. The megaloschizonts were morphologically distinct from sarcocysts of Sarcocystis sp. and Besnoitia sp. and the thin-walled tissue cysts of Toxoplasma gondii. They were identical in structure and host reaction to the second-generation megaloschizonts of Haemoproteus meleagridis, reported previously from experimentally infected domestic turkeys. While the precise cause of death of the wild turkey ...
Relationships between perception of engagement with health care provider and demographic characteristics, health status, and adherence to therapeutic regimen in persons with HIV/AIDS.

The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to examine the relationships between perception of engagement with health care provider and demographic characteristics, health status, and adherence to therapeutic regimen in persons with HIV/AIDS. The convenience sample of 707 non-hospitalized persons receiving health care for HIV/AIDS was recruited from seven U.S. sites. All measures were self-report. Perception of engagement with health care provider was measured by the newly developed Engagement with Health Care Provider scale. Adherence to therapeutic regimen included adherence to medications, provider advice, and appointments. Health status was measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (MOS SF-36), Living with HIV scale, CD4 count, and length of time known to be HIV-positive. There were no significant relationships between engagement with health care provider and age, gender, ethnicity, and type of health care provider. Subscales of the MOS SF-36 and Living with HIV explained a sig...
Intelligent fusion of evidence from multiple sources for text classification

Automatic text classification using current approaches is known to perform poorly when documents are noisy or when limited amounts of textual content is available. Yet, many users need access to such documents, which are found in large numbers in digital libraries and in the WWW. If documents are not classified, they are difficult to find when browsing. Further, searching precision suffers when categories cannot be checked, since many documents may be retrieved that would fail to meet category constraints. In this work, we study how different types of evidence from multiple sources can be intelligently fused to improve classification of text documents into predefined categories. We present a classification framework based on an inductive learning method---Genetic Programming (GP)---to fuse evidence from multiple sources. We show that good classification is possible with documents which are noisy or which have small amounts of text (e.g., short metadata records)---if multiple sources of evidence are fused in an intelligent way. The framework is validated through experiments performed on documents in two testbeds. One is the ACM Digital Library (using a subset available in connection with CITIDEL, part of NSF's National Science Digital Library). The other is Web data, in particular that portion associated with the Cade Web directory. Our studies have shown that improvement can be achieved relative to other machine learning approaches if genetic programming methods are combined with classifiers such as kNN. Extensive analysis was performed to study the results generated through the GP-based fusion approach and to understand key factors that promote good classification.
Effect of Sodium Dehydrocholate (Decholin) on Bile Salt, Chloride and Cholesterol of Bile in Dogs

SummaryFeeding sodium dehydrocholate to dogs with biliary fistula? resulted in an increase in volume of bile excreted in a 24-hour period. Associated with the increase in bile volume there was an increase in the chloride excretion and in 4 of 5 dogs an increase in the cholate excretion. There was no significant change in 24-hour excretion of cholesterol.
Curvilinear approach to flight path reconstruction from recorded radar data

When an airplane crashes, one of the most useful elements of accident reconstruction evidence is a set of recorded radar data from which the performance of the airplane can be reconstructed. The current analysis approach is to treat the flight path as a series of straight lines between smoothed radar return, a rectilinear approach. This approach is very powerful; however, it results in an underestimation of the bank angle and airspeed if the airplane is in a turn. To address this shortcoming, the authors propose a curvilinear approach in which the flight path is assumed to be an arc of a circle formed by three successive radar returns. This paper presents the mathematical foundation of the curvilinear approach and a comparison of flight paths reconstructed using the two approaches. It is shown that as the rate of heading change increases, the curvilinear approach is increasingly superior to the rectilinear approach. It is also shown that the results from the curvilinear approach are generally noisier than those from the rectilinear approach, so using the curvilinear approach requires more effective smoothing of the radar data. To address this issue, the authors propose an advanced radar data smoothing technique.
Antimicrobial Treatment and Prevention of Meningitis

The efficacy of the conjugate polysaccharide H influenzae type b vaccine has resulted in a reduction in the number of cases of meningitis. Physicians will manage fewer cases of meningitis but they must maintain skills in diagnosis and treatment of the cases that do occur. In addition, to a continuing experience with meningitis due to S pneumoniae and N meningitidis, physicians must be aggressive in obtaining materials for specific diagnosis of aseptic meningitis since many of the infections are treatable with antimicrobial agents. Appropriate treatment of meningitis in children requires knowledge of agents for initial therapy, dosage schedules, changes in the regimen that may be required once the organism is isolated and results of susceptibility tests are available, knowledge of the drugs that require monitoring of serum concentrations to determine safety and efficacy, and antimicrobial prophylaxis for contacts.
Negative interpretation bias as a mechanism of the relationship between rejection sensitivity and depressive symptoms

Rejection sensitivity and negative cognitive biases have been identified as important risk factors for depression. Rejection sensitivity is defined as the tendency to anxiously anticipate, easily perceive, and overreact to rejection. Although prior studies have found an association between one component of rejection sensitivity, the tendency to anxiously anticipate rejection, and depression, little is known about the mechanisms through which anxious anticipation of rejection might confer depression risk. One possibility is that rejection anticipation leads to negatively biased interpretations, a cognitive risk factor for depression. Results from two studies (one cross-sectional, one longitudinal) indicate that negative interpretation biases mediate the association between the anxious anticipation of rejection and depressive symptoms. These findings indicate that interpretation biases represent a mechanism through which anxious anticipation of rejection confers risk for depression, and suggest that interventions designed to challenge negative interpretations may help to decrease depression risk among individuals who anticipate rejection.
Posterior Urethral Valves: Current Concepts in Diagnosis and Treatment

Since 1969 we have treated 10 pediatric cases of posterior urethral valves. Of these patients 5 underwent early upper tract diversion and 5 underwent valve resection and observation. There were no deaths and no patients with permanent urinary diversion. All patients in whom blood pressure was recorded were hypertensive preoperatively and normotensive postoperatively. Creatinine clearances stabilized or improved in all but 1 case, although the urogram findings did not correlate well with improved clearance. Dilatation of the upper tracts resolved slowly in all cases. The current treatment should include early valve resection or fulguration followed by observation with emphasis on renal function, blood pressure and infection as opposed to the urographic appearance of the collecting system.
A Hybrid-Agent-Based Approach for Block Break Definition Using Fuzzy Logic

This paper presents a hybrid-agent-based methodology for defining block breaks using fuzzy logic mechanisms for agent preference representation and mediation. The concept of a hybrid agent is defined, and the fuzzy-logic-based mechanisms for defining the preferences of individual agents and then deriving joint preferences are described. Working examples are given for defining blocks and associated breaks in the hold area and engine room of the notional fast sealift ship PD-337. The agents jointly defining the block breaks in these examples are a structure manufacturing planner, a structure assembly planner, and an outfitting planner. Excel spreadsheets are used in these examples to execute the fuzzy-based operations. This methodology has proven to be straightforward, to provide useful results, and to have the potential to improve the efficiency and optimality of block definition. The methodology could be effectively integrated into the detail/production design process and could also be applied to the definition of other planning units, such as outfit units and on-board outfitting zones. Areas of further research include exploring within the hybrid agent and fuzzy-based context (1) the ability to define breaks in all three dimensions simultaneously rather than sequentially where simultaneous three-dimensional optimization is necessary, (2) dynamic break definition where a break location is dependent to some extent on the location of adjacent breaks, (3) the simultaneous consideration of preferences from lifting/weight and planning/work content agents that use block attributes other than location to determine if breaks are satisfactory, and (4) the development of an integrated and user-friendly tool for block break definition for use in the production planning or build strategy development process.
Trained Immunity and Susceptibility to HIV

In this issue of Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, K. Jensen et al. (Clin Vaccine Immunol 24:e00360-16, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00360-16) describe a dual-purpose attenuated Mycobacterium tuberculosis-simian immunodeficiency virus vaccine (AMTB-SIV). Interestingly, immunized infant macaques required fewer oral exposures to SIV to become infected relative to nonimmunized animals. The authors hypothesized that augmented susceptibility to SIV was due to activation of CD4+ T cells through trained immunity. This commentary explores the possible relationship between trained immunity, enhanced CD4 T cell responses, and increased susceptibility to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).