cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heart aging: a fly in the ointment?

Epidemiological studies have determined that age, per se, is the major risk for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and resultant chronic heart failure, which are the major diseases that affect our society. One interpretation of the marked effect of advancing age on the occurrence of these diseases is that aging is synonymous with these disease processes; another is that other defined risk factors for these diseases, eg, hypertension or diabetes, vary in number or severity with increasing age. Still another viewpoint posits that increasing age is the equivalent of an increased time at risk. A contrasting view is that cardiovascular structure and function change with time because of an aging process that alters the substrate on which pathophysiologic mechanisms interact.1 According to this view, age-associated changes become partners with these disease mechanisms to determine the threshold for clinical signs and symptoms, severity, and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases in older persons. In this regard, the enhanced risk for older persons is attributable to an interaction between age and time-of-disease presence. Researchers of heart disease mechanisms must “fess up” to the recognition of the reality of these age-disease interactions. In reality, interactions are more complex and involve age, disease, lifestyle (including environment), and the genetic components of each of these. We have begun to understand some aspects of the former three, but the latter likely involves complex genetic traits that by and large presently remain elusive. Quantitative information on cardiovascular structure and function in health to define specific phenotypic characteristics or biomarkers of cardiovascular aging is necessary for an in-depth analysis of genetic contributions to aging and disease. During the last three decades, a sustained effort has been applied to characterize the effects of aging on multiple aspects of cardiovascular structure and function in study populations, such as the Baltimore Longitudinal Study …
Concepts of single-paradigm object-oriented development, with application to a manufacturing information system

A major complexity in the development of many computerized information systems is the lack of an integrated framework and analysis structure to consolidate disparate types of information. Successful information system development in complex environments requires an approach that supports development of systems across all information areas and uses the same model for analysis, specification, prototyping, design and implementation. This paper presents a robust methodology for dealing with these needs. The method has a sound theoretical basis, yet is straightforward to understand and use. An application from computerized manufacturing is used to illustrate the method.
pp(macro)-->tt(macro)H: a discovery mode for the Higgs boson at the Fermilab Tevatron.

The production of a standard model Higgs boson in association with a top quark pair at the upcoming high luminosity run ( $15{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ integrated luminosity) of the Fermilab Tevatron ( $\sqrt{s}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}2.0\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\mathrm{TeV}$) is revisited. For Higgs masses below 140 GeV we demonstrate that the production cross section times branching ratio for $H\ensuremath{\rightarrow}b\overline{b}$ decays yields a significant number of events and that this mode is competitive with and complementary to the searches using $p\overline{p}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}WH,ZH$ associated production. For higher mass Higgs bosons the $H\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{W}^{+}{W}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ decays are more difficult but have the potential to provide a few spectacular events.
Coordination in Rapidly Evolving Disaster Response Systems: The Role of Information

Assessing the changing dynamic between the demand that is placed upon a community by cumulative exposure to hazards and the capacity of the community to mitigate or respond to that risk represents a central problem in estimating the community’s resilience to disaster. We present an initial effort to simulate the dynamic between increasing demand and decreasing capacity in an actual disaster response system to determine the fragility of the system, or the point at which the system fails. The results show that access to core information enhances efficiency of response actions and increases coordination throughout the network of responding organizations
FROM MICE TO MEN: Insights into the Insulin Resistance Syndromes

The insulin resistance syndrome refers to a constellation of findings, including glucose intolerance, obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, that promote the development of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other disorders. Defining the pathophysiological links between insulin resistance, the insulin resistance syndrome, and its sequelae is critical to understanding and treating these disorders. Over the past decade, two approaches have provided important insights into how changes in insulin signaling produce the spectrum of phenotypes associated with insulin resistance. First, studies using tissue-specific knockouts or tissue-specific reconstitution of the insulin receptor in vivo in mice have enabled us to deconstruct the insulin resistance syndromes by dissecting the contributions of different tissues to the insulin-resistant state. Second, in vivo and in vitro studies of the complex network of insulin signaling have provided insight into how insulin resistance can develop in some pathways whereas insulin sensitivity is maintained in others. These data, taken together, give us a framework for understanding the relationship between insulin resistance and the insulin resistance syndromes.
The Expectation Gap In The Legal System: Perception Differences Between Auditors And Judges

The expectation gap, and its related effects on auditor legal liability, has been presumed to be caused by diverging perceptions by the auditing profession and third party litigants regarding the professions role, responsibilities, and related performance. Prior research regarding the expectation gap has focused on diverging perceptions of different groups (i.e. financial analysts, bank loan officers, small business owners, and auditors). While this research has identified an expectation gap between auditors and certain third-parties, it has neglected examining the perceptions of judicial litigants. This absence is somewhat ironic given the current auditor legal liability situation. This study fills this void by comparing judges and auditors attitudes toward the auditing profession. Results revealed a large divergence in perceptions of auditors and judges regarding their expectations of the auditing profession.
AMPK Phosphorylates Urea Transporter A1 and Aquaporin 2 in Rat Inner Medullary Collecting Ducts

Individuals with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) cannot concentrate urine due to a defective vasopressin response. When this results from congenital defects in the vasopressin receptor, or fro...
UV–Vis Ratiometric Resonance Synchronous Spectroscopy for Determination of Nanoparticle and Molecular Optical Cross Sections

Demonstrated herein is a UV–vis Ratiometric Resonance Synchronous Spectroscopic (R2S2, pronounced as “R-two-S-two” for simplicity) technique where the R2S2 spectrum is obtained by dividing the resonance synchronous spectrum of a NP-containing solution by the solvent resonance synchronous spectrum. Combined with conventional UV–vis measurements, this R2S2 method enables experimental quantification of the absolute optical cross sections for a wide range of molecular and nanoparticle (NP) materials that range optically from pure photon absorbers or scatterers to simultaneous photon absorbers and scatterers, simultaneous photon absorbers and emitters, and all the way to simultaneous photon absorbers, scatterers, and emitters in the UV–vis wavelength region. Example applications of this R2S2 method were demonstrated for quantifying the Rayleigh scattering cross sections of solvents including water and toluene, absorption and resonance light scattering cross sections for plasmonic gold nanoparticles, and absorp...
Remarks on Collective Belief

The author develops and elaborates on her account of collective belief, something standardly referred to, in her view, when we speak of what we believe. This paper focuses on a special response hearers may experience in the context of expressions of belief, a response that may issue in offended rebukes to the speaker. It is argued that this response would be appropriate if both speakers and hearers were parties to what the authors calls a joint commitment to believe a certain proposition as a body. This joint commitment puts speakers under an obligation to refrain from speaking in certain ways, and gives hearers a correlative right to such refraining, and hence a basis for offended rebukes.
Civilization by Numbers: Indicators and Earlier Techniques of 'Standardization' in Global Governance

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, publicists of international law, among others, described the performance and states by reference to a ‘standard of civilization.’ The exclusive club of ‘civilizied' nations defined others and its standards were supposedly high, though these were unevenly defined. Can we compare two phases of 'standardization?': (1) the "standard of civilization" referred to within the European Public Law in this earlier period with (2) the modern method of indicators and benchmarking in global governance or governmentality? There is a competitive market in notions of civilization, today packaged as 'quanti-facts.'
Polyethylene as a nonvolatile solid cosolvent phase for catalyst separation and recovery.

The studies described here show that a relatively low molecular weight, narrow polydispersity polyethylene (PE) wax (Polywax) can serve as a nontoxic and nonvolatile alternative to alkane solvents ...
Transient volumetric pool boiling—I: Convex flux relations

Abstract An analysis of transient one-dimensional pool boiling due to volume heating developed previously is extended to non-convex relations between vapor-void fraction and vapor “drift” flux. The methods of kinematic wave and discontinuity analysis are applied to problems of boilup with foam formation. Detailed analysis of a flux relation with one inflexion point demonstrates a variety of propagation phenomena including: dissipation of the foaming pool top shock, boilup, boilover and boildown to residual steady boiling, delayed second shock formation with and without interaction between it and the pool top discontinuity at intermediate times, confluence of shocks, and their interactions with foam rarefaction. Conditions for the occurrence of such phenomena are presented and derived in detail.
Modeling the effects of MODIS land cover data on summer heat wave over the Yangtze River Delta

The Yangtze River Delta region is one of the most developed urban clusters in China,and this large-scale urbanization has modified land surface cover.To examine impacts of land cover data on the numerical simulation,this study used a mesoscale coupled model WRF/Noah/UCM and MODIS land cover data.The coupled model is used to investigate the impacts of land cover change,especially urban area expansion on the regional meteorological fields over the Yangtze River Delta during 25-27 July 2007.The results show that the use of MODIS land cover data has a significant impact on the heat wave event.When the land cover changed,the intensity and location of major temperature center increased.This result is close to observations.Hence the potential value of real-time land cover information for model initialization is substantial.
A Killer Immunoglobulin - Like Receptor Gene - Content Haplotype and A Cognate Human Leukocyte Antigen Ligand are Associated with Autism.

The killing activity of natural killer cells is largely regulated by the binding of class I human leukocyte antigen cognate ligands to killer cell immunoglobulin - like receptor proteins. The killer cell immunoglobulin - like receptor gene - complex contains genes that activate and others that inhibit the killing state of natural killer cells depending on the binding of specific human leukocyte antigen cognate ligands. It has been suggested in previous publications that activating human leukocyte antigen / killer - cell immunoglobulin - like receptor complexes are increased in people with autism. We present data, which suggests that an activating cB01 / tA01 killer cell immunoglobulin - like receptor gene - content haplotype and the cognate ligand human leukocyte antigen - C1k that activates this haplotype is significantly increased in autism. This is an important observation suggesting that the interaction between two proteins encoded on different chromosomes increases natural killer cell killing in autism.
Differential regulation of corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA in rat brain.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), a major hypothalamic component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, has been localized to both the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and cerebral cortex. A...
Effect of via-transitions on signal integrity using power transmission lines

Transmission lines carrying high-speed I/O signals that traverse through different metal layers in a printed circuit board suffer from return path discontinuities. As a result, significant amount of electromagnetic energy can couple to surrounding circuits and the power distribution network. In this work, we designed three printed circuit board (PCB) test vehicles using different power distribution topologies. One of them was based on a recently proposed power delivery method using power transmission lines (PTL). The other two were designed according to conventional power-ground plane pair approach. We show through measurement that PTL-based design provides less than −40dB of crosstalk between a signal line with multiple via-transitions and a nearby victim line. Measured data also showed that the PTL-based test vehicle had more than 68% of power supply noise reduction as compared to conventional designs.
Characterization of urinary keratin number 18 using a new assay.

AbstractThe levels of the low-molecular weight keratin 18 appearing in the voided urine of 130 healthy volunteers was studied using a new immunoradiometric assay for keratin 18 (IRMAK-18). Keratin 18 was detected in 79 urines with an average level of 2.5 ± 4.7ng./ml. The assay does not detect complex epidermal keratins or non-keratin intermediate filaments. Only 50% of the purified keratin added to urine could be recovered. The recovered keratin had the same molecular weight as the input molecules, implying that substances in the urine physically inhibited the assay rather than destroyed the keratin. The independent variables of cell count, dead cells, and protein concentration were not found to be important in evaluating the results. However, the urine concentration, as measured by creatinine, might be an important consideration for assessing the levels of keratin detected.
2D and 3D Iconography on Augmented Reality Interfaces

Given the increasing amount of studies about augmented reality environments and interface construction for this type of applications, the adequate use of icons in this context is gaining more and more relevance. The new forms of interaction used in augmented reality originate changes on the maneuver of digital elements, among them the iconic ones. This paper aims studying the use of icons in digital environments and discussing their correct use in augmented reality environments.
Liver Disease in Women

Publisher Summary The cyclical hormonal changes that occur in women are often a reason to exclude females from clinical and basic research studies. However, these very hormones may play a role in the pathogenesis of diseases in women. For this reason, it is important to consider gender when evaluating a patient. In hepatology, gender and sex hormones play a role in the epidemiology of autoimmune diseases (autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis), the effect of alcohol on the liver, the development of benign and malignant liver tumors, and of course on pregnancy-related liver diseases. This chapter discusses the impact of female gender on the development and/or progression of specific liver diseases. Liver diseases that may coincide with, but are unrelated to, pregnancy usually do not result in significant maternal or fetal mortality. However, in the case of pregnancy-specific liver disease, it is essential to accurately determine the gestational age, and the timing of the disease onset. Liver diseases unique to pregnancy include ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP), hemolysis–elevated liver enzymes–low platelets (HELLP) syndrome, and hepatic hemorrhage or rupture. OHSS is a potentially fatal iatrogenic complication associated with ovulation-induction therapy. The basic pathophysiologic hallmark of OHSS is an increase in capillary permeability that results in the leakage or exudation of protein-rich fluid from the ovaries or peritoneal surface to the third space compartments.
Trends in childhood vaccine purchase costs in the US public sector: 1996–2014

While vaccination remains as one of the most cost-effective preventive strategies, the cost of fully immunizing a child has grown considerably over the last few decades. This study examines trends in non-influenza childhood vaccine purchase costs in the public sector from 1996 to 2014. Non-influenza vaccine purchase cost per child for children aged 0 through 18years was calculated based on public-sector purchase prices. Purchase cost changes were then decomposed into changes attributable to recommendation updates and changes attributable to price variation. The study analyzed the growth rate of combination vaccine prices separately and compared these prices with the sum of prices of component vaccines. It is found that the average annual growth rate of non-influenza vaccine purchase cost per child during 1996-2014 was 12.6%. The growth rate attributable to price changes was 1.0% on average. Combination vaccine prices showed greater variation. The study concludes that vaccine price variation was one but a minor reason for purchase cost changes. Recommendation updates, particularly the introduction of new vaccines, played a much larger role in raising the purchase costs. If the 12.6% annual growth rate found during 1996-2014 in the study continues to apply, the purchase costs of childhood vaccines may more than double by 2020.
Lactation and the Working Woman: Understanding the Role of Organizational Factors, Lactation Support, and Legal Policy in Promoting Breastfeeding Success

This chapter explores the organizational factors shown to impact a woman’s ability to successfully combine breastfeeding and work. As such, we explore the role of support for breastfeeding at work, flexible work arrangements, organizational policies, and other work characteristics on women’s work attitudes and well-being, as well as on, breastfeeding initiation and/or duration. The chapter discusses interventions to overcome organizational barriers, with a focus on employer education efforts and workplace lactation programs, both of which promote breastfeeding continuation upon return to work while resulting in numerous corporate benefits. Last, we conclude with a timely overview and interpretation of the complex legal landscape surrounding this critical topic in the United States, including a discussion of recent changes in legislation intended to afford the lactating working mother additional protection in the American workplace.
Behavioral Problems in Learning Disabled Children

The relationships between learning difficulties (LD) and behavior problems (BP) in 11 to 12-year-old children was determined at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
Disparities in Global Surgical Access and Outcomes: Current Estimates and Models of Global Engagement

In this chapter, we will briefly outline some of the current initiatives in global surgery that focus on surgical care for vulnerable populations primarily in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). In the last year, global health focus has shifted from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals. Surgery as a part of global health initiatives has gained greater visibility through the work of the Lancet Commission on Surgery, Disease Control Priorities Project, and the World Health Assembly resolution on surgery. Recent estimates emphasize gross disparities in surgical access and outcomes globally. A wide range of implementation models exist to tackle these challenges, each with advantages and disadvantages, and these are discussed. Surgical providers must take an active role in addressing global inequities and continuing to make the case for the integral role of surgery in global health.
Patient Driven Service Delivery Models in Mental Health Care

Current service delivery models for mental health care (especially inpatient mental health care) frequently result in patient noncompliance and repeated admissions. This chapter addresses both the noncompliance and recidivism issues by exploring patient driven service model creation. Using socio-ethnographic tools such as concept mapping, patient led focus groups, and patient populated advisory groups, service delivery models which are more acceptable to patients, lower in cost, and higher in quality can be developed. These are characterized by a greater level of individualization to specific patient needs than is currently allowed by service calls used. Service delivery models developed under these protocols leverage community resources and non-traditional sources of patient support to create patient approved service delivery where costs, resources, and responsibilities are controlled through a distributed model. The chapter aims at creating a vision of future mental health care that is free of many of the barriers which now impede patient adherence, cost controlled services, and delivery of high quality care. The objectives of this chapter are to demonstrate such ethnographic approaches in a manner that can be used by both novice learners and those more experienced. Hands on examples in a case study are included in the chapter.
A Post-Digital Architectural Research Agenda to Address 21st Century Challenges

In 1995, Mitchell and McCullough posed the question, “What was computer-aided design?” as a provocation that a future generation of designers would have forgotten that design methods other than com...
Phosphate Reabsorption in the Distal Convoluted Tubule

Phosphate excretion by the mammalian kidney is subject to regulation by a number of factors including, but not limited to, dietary phosphorus intake, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and extracellular volume expansion. The primary quantitative importance of the proximal tubule in this regulation is well known, but the role of more distal nephron segments has been less clearly defined. It has long been recognized that the fraction of filtered phosphate delivered to distal convolutions accessible to micropuncture on the surface of the rat kidney may exceed fractional excretion, especially in phosphate retaining states, suggesting that further phosphate reabsorption occurs in the distal tubule and/or collecting duct (1). Early microinjection studies, however, failed to reveal significant distal phosphate reabsorption (2,3). Since the composition of the final urine reflects the pooled contributions of both superficial and deep nephrons, nephron heterogeneity, with more avid reabsorption in proximal tubules of juxtamedullary nephrons, was suggested as an alternative to distal reabsorption to explain the low urinary phosphate excretion (4). These two postulated mechanisms, distal reabsorption and nephron heterogeneity, need not of course be mutually exclusive.
Looking at Compassion Fatigue Differently: Application to Family Caregivers

Family caregivers provide a significant role in the provision of health care for their family members. In 2015, approximately 43.5 million people in the United States served as informal caregivers....
Prediction model for manure zinc excretion in laying hens.

The objective of this research trial was to compare 2 sources of zinc and different levels of supplementation on manure zinc excretion in laying hens. Bovan White Leghorn hens were used in this study and fed one of 6 dietary treatments. Treatments were in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with 2 sources of zinc (zinc sulfate or Availa®Zn) and 3 levels (40, 80, or 120 ppm) and were randomly assigned to 48 cages with 5 hens/cage and 8 replicates/treatment. Hens were housed in a tiered manure-belt housing system providing 627.1 cm2/hen and were given access to 110 g/hen/d of feed. Manure samples were collected, and manure zinc content was calculated at 10-week intervals. Data were analyzed using the Glimmix procedure in SAS. There was a significant overall effect of source (P < 0.0001) for zinc content, such that hens fed zinc sulfate had lower amounts of zinc excretion. There was also a significant level effect (P < 0.0001) in which hens fed 120 ppm zinc excreted the greatest amount of zinc. A significant source by level interaction was observed (P < 0.0001) for both the overall and individual analyses, such that 120 ppm Availa®Zn showed the highest zinc excretion, and both 40 ppm zinc sulfate and Availa®Zn showed the lowest zinc excretion. Based on these results, a prediction equation was written for an estimated amount of zinc excretion based on the amount of zinc provided in the diet.
The SunShot Initiative: Concentrating Solar Power

Concentrating solar power can collect and store thermal energy to generate electricity or process heat. This talk summarizes SunShot’s R&D portfolio of novel solar thermal technologies that lower costs, increase efficiency, and improve reliability.
Comparison of Contactless Testing Methodologies

An ideal contactless probing system would be relatively easy, inexpensive to operate, and compatible with the existing test equipment. It would not cause any perturbation on the circuit under test and would measure electric signals with minimum cross talk. The bandwidth of the test system for logic signals would be in GHz region, and the method would not be limited to certain materials. This chapter presents a review of state-of-the-art contactless testing methodologies that covered in this text and makes a comparison based on above properties. This will be valuable to readers as contactless probing is gaining more importance as fabrication technologies become smaller and more susceptible to the parasitic impact of mechanical probes.
Addressing the Lack of Mental Health Services for At-Risk Students at a Two-Year Community College: A Contemporary Review

The American Association of Community Colleges has determined over 40% of the population attending a post-secondary institution is enrolled in a two-year community college. The majority of this stu...
Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Abdominal Cerclage Placement During Pregnancy

Abstract Study Objective The objective of this study is to report our center's series of robotic-assisted laparoscopic abdominal cerclage (RALAC) placement during pregnancy. Design Descriptive study (Canadian Task Force classification III). Setting Single academic institution. Patients Patients undergoing RALAC placement during pregnancy. Interventions Eleven patients underwent RALAC. Measurements and Main Results Nine out of 11 (81.8%) primary RALAC procedures resulted in a viable live-born neonate; 8 (72.7%) were born at >34 weeks of gestation. Three patients (27.3%) had preterm premature rupture of membranes on postoperative day one, 2 of whom subsequently underwent a dilation and curettage, and 1 patient carried the pregnancy to 29 weeks and delivered a live-born neonate. Four patients had subsequent pregnancies after placement of a RALAC in the antepartum period, all of whom carried successfully beyond 36 weeks, for a total of 16 pregnancies. Fourteen pregnancies (87.5%) resulted in a live birth, and 13 pregnancies (81.3%) were delivered beyond 34 weeks. Conclusion RALAC is a minimally invasive procedure with an acceptable risk profile and comparable efficacy to traditional open abdominal cerclage. RALAC may be considered an acceptable alternative to open abdominal cerclage in pregnancy, and may be a particularly favorable option in certain settings.
Design and operation of a microfluidic chip for trapping, and off-chip collection of a few human sperm

We report a novel sperm trapping microfluidic chip that can trap sperm and then transfer entrapped sperm to individual collectors (cryotips) that can be detached from the chip. We were able to collect sperm in numbers ranging from 3–12 with good recovery of sperm from the cryotip after transfer. Based on our knowledge, this is the first time a microfluidic chip has been designed to enable entrapment of low numbers of cells while provisioning in the design the recovery and subsequent observation of those few cells off the chip. We also discuss the critical design and operational challenges that need to be taken into consideration for the chip to deliver its outcome. The chip has applications in non-invasive analysis and cryopreservation of a few sperm for treatment of severe cases of male infertility.
Wars as Dividing Lines? Rethinking the Significance of the Sino-Japanese War in Twentieth Century China

Historical periodization frequently takes wars as turning points—as ruptures that signify the end or beginning of an era. At the same time, front lines have often been taken as boundaries that contain the activities of one side or the other. Thus, discontinuity and disjuncture rather than continuity and fluidity have often been the points of emphasis among historians who have taken war events as turning points, or who have seen lines of combat as impermeable. A new focus on the Sino-Japanese War period has begun to reveal ways in which that moment served not as an interruption but as a part of longer term processes of change and development that characterized China’s mid-twentieth century. It also permits us to gain a deeper understanding of the fluidity of human movement and socio-economic interaction that frequently crossed both political and military boundaries and to think about similarities, linkages, and differences between various Chinese spaces. The aim of this paper is to consider ways in which the new generation of scholarship on the Sino-Japanese War period offers new ways of thinking about continuity, change, similarity and difference across both temporal and physical boundaries that have served as the parameters for much of the earlier scholarship on the period. To this end, the paper examines recent literature on the Sino-Japanese War period, as well as literature that crosses that period, to examine ways in which this historiography has challenged conventional periodizations and political and geographical delineations.
Isolation and characterization of luteinizing hormone from amphibian (Rana catesbeiana) pituitaries.

Abstract We report here the first isolation of an anterior pituitary hormone from an amphibian species, the bullfrog ( Rana catesbeiana ). Highly purified luteinizing hormone was isolated from alkaline extracts of bullfrog pituitaries by salt fractionation, chromatography on ion-exchangers and gel filtration. Characterization studies show the hormone to contain 9% carbohydrate and to possess an amino acid composition similar to ovine luteinizing hormone. Sedimentation-velocity experiments in the ultracentrifuge indicate that the bullfrog gonadotropin dissociates in acidic solution and is composed of subunits. Bullfrog luteinizing hormone is highly active in an in vitro toad ovulation assay and also ellicits testosterone production in vitro from isolated rat testis Leydig cells.
Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War

Review of: "Midnight Raising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War," by Tony Horwitz.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS

Fetal growth is assessed by anthropometric measurements of body weight, length, circumference (head, chest, abdomen), and weight/length ratio (or Ponderal Index = weight (grams)/[length (cm)] 3 ), as well as changes in body composition (e.g., fat to lean body mass ratio). Fetal growth is regulated by placental size and the rate of placental transfer of nutrients to the fetus; glucose provides most of the energy for growth and amino acids provide the structural components. Principal disorders of fetal growth and development include intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR; less than normal rates of growth, primarily of soft tissues) and macrosomia (larger than normal body size due to excess fat), both of which, interestingly, predispose the fetus to later-life obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.
OWL and rules

The relationship between the Web Ontology Language OWL and rule-based formalisms has been the subject of many discussions and research investigations, some of them controversial. From the many attempts to reconcile the two paradigms, we present some of the newest developments. More precisely, we show which kind of rules can be modeled in the current version of OWL, and we show how OWL can be extended to incorporate rules. We finally give references to a large body of work on rules and OWL.
Adaptive improved response surface method for reliability-based design optimization

Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) requires the evaluation of probabilistic constraints (or reliability), which can be very time consuming. Therefore, a practical solution for efficient r...
Medicare Beneficiaries' Exposure To Fraud And Abuse Perpetrators.

In the period 2012–15, 1,364 fraud and abuse perpetrators (FAPs) treated over 1.2 million Medicare beneficiaries and received more than $630 million in Medicare payments. Compared to beneficiaries ...
Linguistic Crisis Prediction: An Integration of the Linguistic Category Model in Crisis Communication:

Through two experiments, this study examines the relationship between linguistic choice and attribution perception in organizational crisis. Experiment 1 demonstrated that abstract (vs. concrete) l...
Moral error theory, explanatory dispensability and the limits of guilt

Recently, companions in guilt strategies have garnered significant philosophical attention as a response to arguments for moral error theory, the view that there are no moral facts and that our moral beliefs are thus systematically mistaken. According to Cuneo (The normative web: an argument for moral realism, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2007), Das (Philos Q 66:152–160, 2016; Australas J Philos 95(1):58–69, 2017), Rowland (J Ethics Soc Philos 7(1):1–24, 2012; Philos Q 66:161–171, 2016) and others, epistemic facts would be just as metaphysically problematic (or ‘guilty’) as moral facts. But since epistemic error theory is implausible, arguments for moral error theory prove too much and should be rejected. My aim is to argue that the success of this strategy is limited. In particular, the companions in guilt response fails against error-theoretic arguments motivated by concerns about explanatory dispensability, as recently developed by Joyce (The evolution of morality, MIT press, Bradford, 2005) and Olson (Moral error theory: history, critique, defence, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014: Ch. 7). To succeed, the response would require a prima facie plausible argument to the effect that epistemic facts are metaphysically dubious because they, too, are explanatorily dispensable. But, as I show, any such argument proves self-effacing: its premise commits us to believing in epistemic facts, while its conclusion forces us to deny their existence. Consequently, companions in guilt strategies don’t offer a panacea against arguments for moral error theory.
pO2-weighted imaging in vivo by delayed fluorescence of intracellular Protoporphyrin IX

In this Letter, we report on the imaging of tissue oxygen by means of time-gated wide-field lifetime imaging of the microsecond-scale delayed fluorescence from Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). PpIX is produced endogenously from a clinically used δ-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) by most cells. The lifetime of delayed fluorescence is lengthened by the absence of oxygen to quench its triplet state. Here, the images of the delayed emission from the human skin and the skin of nude mice were captured after topical application of 5-ALA, using a pulsed 635 nm excitation. Macroscopic lifetime-based images were found to be associated with the tissue oxygenation and obtained with a low light dose (∼10mJ/cm2) and “capture-times” of a few seconds.
Developing a mestiza consciousness theoretical framework

This article offers Gloria Anzaldua’s mestiza consciousness as an appropriate theorizing frame when analyzing lived experiences and perceptions of contradiction. First, I discuss the main theoretic...
Reduction of Finite Baer ∗-Rings

Throughout the chapter, including the exercises, A denotes a finite Baer ∗-ring such that LP(x)∼RP(x) for all x in A in the final section of the chapter, A is a finite AW∗-algebra.
Urban Removal: Reshaping Urban Landscapes through a Responsive Communitarian Lens

In the quest to build urban landscapes into utopias, we should not ignore historical lessons that illustrate how a dystopian reality often subverts our aspirations. The combined effects of private entities and individuals as well as federal, state, and local programs, policies, and practices in shaping racial segregation, displacement, discrimination, and poverty in urban communities nationwide are well-documented. However, current academic and policy conversations about gentrification discount these lessons. They suffer from a lack of explicit guiding principles and often avoid the inherent political, democratic, and moral contradictions. This article breaks new ground presenting a case study of urban renewal, interstate highway construction, and housing policies in Tampa, Florida, from 1950 to 1965. In addition to the academic literature, it draws from such rarely accessed primary sources as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) archives at the United States Library of Congress and interviews with longstanding Tampa residents, to capture the context of exclusionary practices and their impact. The Tampa story of urban removal is a cautionary tale that has salience for contemporary discussions of gentrification patterns affecting cities nationwide. It should inform present and future efforts by regulators, private interests, and especially community residents to mobilize and reshape urban environments. Drawing from lessons of the past, the article proposes a more balanced approach to reshaping urban environments, rooted in the concept of responsive communitarianism. Responsive communitarianism, a political philosophy that attempts to synthesize individual and community concerns, maintains that public and private actors have the power and choice to make modern cities more of, by, and for the people.
Tranexamic acid is associated with decreased transfusion, hospital length of stay, and hospital cost in simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty.

Tranexamic acid (TXA) reduces blood loss and transfusion rates in unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but there is limited data regarding its efficacy in bilateral TKA. This study reports the impact TXA has on clinical outcomes and hospital cost of care in simultaneous, primary bilateral TKA. The 449 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Primary outcomes included the rates of allogeneic and autologous blood transfusion. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay (HLOS), post-hospital discharge disposition, 30-day thromboembolic events (TEE), and mean hospital cost of care. Total direct medical costs were obtained from an institutional research database and adjusted to nationally representative unit costs in 2013 inflation-adjusted dollars. Our study revealed that in patients undergoing simultaneous bilateral TKA, TXA use was associated with reduced allogeneic (OR 0.181, 95% CI 0.090-0.366, p < 0.001) and combined allogeneic and autologous transfusion rates (OR 0.451, 95% CI 0.235-0.865, p = 0.017). TXA was associated with a HLOS reduction of 0.9 days (β-coefficient −0.582, 95% CI −1.008-−0.156, p = 0.008), an increased likelihood of hospital discharge over skilled nursing facility (SNF) (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.117-4.531, p = 0.023) and reduced total hospital cost of care by 6.45% (p < 0.001), room and board costs by 11.76% (p < 0.001), and transfusion costs by 81.65% (p < 0.001). In conclusion, TXA use in bilateral TKA is associated with lower blood transfusion rates, reduced hospital length of stay, reduced cost of hospital care and skilled nursing facility avoidance.
Can cinnamon spice down autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases are one of the dreadful group of human diseases that have always been of keen interest to researchers. Due to complex and broad-spectrum nature, scientists are not yet able to pinpoint the pathogenesis of and delineate effective therapy against this group of diseases. However, it is becoming clear that a decrease in number and function of T regulatory cells (Treg), an increase in autoreactive Th1/Th17 cells and associated immunomodulation and inflammation participate in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases. Cinnamon (Cinnamonum verum or Cinnamonum cassia) is a widely used natural spice and flavoring ingredient and its metabolite sodium benzoate (NaB) is a food-additive and FDA-approved drug against nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) and urea cycle disorders (UCD). Recent studies indicate that cinnamon either in powder or extract form and NaB are capable of modulating different autoimmune pathways as well as protecting animals from different autoimmune disorders. Here, we have made an honest attempt to delineate such pieces of evidence with available anti-autoimmune mechanisms and analyze whether cinnamon supplements could be used to control the fury of autoimmune disorders.
Bilateral thalamic infarction secondary to artery of Percheron occlusion: A rare cause of acute coma

An occlusion of the artery of Percheron (AOP) is a rare clinical condition that remains a diagnostic challenge for physicians given its variable presentation. This infarction is a result of an anatomical variant of a single vessel arising from the posterior cerebral artery. Occlusion of the AOP results in variable levels of alteration of consciousness, vertical gaze palsy, and memory impairment. Unfortunately, due to this variable presentation these strokes are often missed. We report a case of a 71 year-old-female who presented with sudden onset of unresponsiveness who was subsequently diagnosed with bilateral thalamic infarction with midbrain involvement secondary to AOP occlusion. Delayed diagnosis can result in poor neurologic outcomes as demonstrated in this case making it imperative to bring further awareness to this clinical syndrome.
ML-based NIDS to secure RPL from Routing Attacks

Low power and lossy networks (LLNs) devices resource-constrained nature make it difficult to implement security mechanisms to defend against RPL routing attacks. RPLs inbuilt security functions are not efficient in preventing a wide majority of routing attacks. RPLs optional security schemes can defend against external attacks, but cannot mitigate internal attacks. Moreover, RPL does not have any mechanism to verify the integrity of control messages used to keep topology updated and route the traffic. All these factors play a major role in increasing the RPLs threat level against routing attacks. In this paper, a comparative literature review of various researchers suggesting security mechanisms to mitigate security attacks aimed at RPL has been performed and methods have been contrasted.
Genetic and neurophysiological biomarkers of neuroplasticity inform post-stroke language recovery

Background: There is high variability in poststroke aphasia severity, and predicting language recovery remains imprecise. Standard prognostic measures do not include neurophysiological indicators or genetic biomarkers of neuroplasticity, which may be critical sources of variability. Objective: To evaluate whether a common polymorphism (Val66Met) in the gene for brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF; a gene related to neuroplasticity) contributes to variability in poststroke language recovery, and to assess whether BDNF polymorphism interacts with neurophysiological indicators of neuroplasticity (cortical excitability and stimulation induced plasticity in response to continuous theta burst stimulation [cTBS]) to improve estimates of aphasia severity. Methods: Saliva samples and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were collected from participants with chronic aphasia subsequent to a left hemisphere ischemic stroke. MEPs were collected prior to cTBS (index for cortical excitability) and 10 minutes following cTBS (index for stimulation induced neuroplasticity) to the left primary motor cortex. Analyses assessed the extent to which BDNF polymorphism interacted with cortical excitability and stimulation induced neuroplasticity to predict aphasia severity beyond established predictors. Results: Val66Val carriers showed less aphasia severity than Met allele carriers, after controlling for lesion volume and time poststroke. Furthermore, Val66Val carriers showed expected responses of strong effects of age on aphasia severity, and positive associations between both cortical excitability and stimulation induced neuroplasticity and severity. In contrast, Met allele carriers showed weaker effects of age and unexpected negative associations between cortical excitability, stimulation induced neuroplasticity and aphasia severity. Conclusions: Neurophysiological indicators and genetic biomarkers of neuroplasticity improved ability to predict poststroke aphasia severity. Furthermore, BDNF polymorphism interacted with cortical excitability and stimulation-induced neuroplasticity to predict aphasia recovery. These findings provide novel insights into mechanisms of variability in stroke recovery and may improve aphasia prognostics.
Effects of a workplace intervention on daily stressor reactivity

Heightened affective and physical reactions to daily stressful events predict poor long-term physical and mental health outcomes. It is unknown, however, if an experimental manipulation designed to increase interpersonal resources at work can reduce associations between daily stressors and physical and affective well-being. The present study tests the effects of a workplace intervention designed to increase supervisor support for family and personal life and schedule control on employees' affective and physical reactivity to daily stressors in different domains (i.e., work, home, interpersonal, and noninterpersonal stressors). Participants were 102 employed parents with adolescent children from an information technology (IT) division of a large U.S. firm who participated in the Work, Family, and Heath Study. Participants provided 8-day daily diary data at baseline and again at a 12-month follow-up after the implementation of a workplace intervention. Multilevel models revealed that the intervention significantly reduced employees' negative affect reactivity to work stressors and noninterpersonal stressors, compared to the usual practice condition. Negative reactivity did not decrease for nonwork or interpersonal stressors. The intervention also did not significantly reduce positive affect reactivity or physical symptom reactivity to any stressor type. Results demonstrate that making positive changes in work environments, including increasing supervisor support and flexible scheduling, may promote employee health and well-being through better affective responses to common daily stressors at work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).