cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ecological and social constraints on conspecific brood parasitism by nesting female American coots (Fulica americana)

Summary 1 In a population of American coots (Fulica americana) breeding in central British Columbia, Canada, some females pursued a reproductive strategy that combined nesting with laying parasitic eggs in the nests of conspecifics. To understand why only one quarter of the nesting females laid parasitically, I examined social and ecological factors that could potentially constrain nesting females from engaging in brood parasitism. 2 Variation among females in each of three prerequisite conditions essential for adaptive parasitism to occur – host availability, access to host nests and a benefit to allocating eggs to parasitism – helps explain why not all females are parasitic. 3 Due to limited spatiotemporal patterns of parasitism, an estimated 23% to 39% of non-parasitic females completely lacked potential hosts to parasitize when they began breeding. In theory, females could avoid host limitation by delaying breeding to wait for hosts, but timing of breeding comparisons did not support this idea. Relative to the vegetation density on their territories, parasites and non-parasites began laying eggs on the same date but, due to the time taken to lay parasitic eggs, parasites initiated their own nests later. 4 Brood parasitism was less likely to occur between dyads of females where the potential host female was substantially larger than the potential parasitic female, which suggests that antagonistic social interactions between hosts and parasites may constrain some females from parasitism. 5 Comparisons of two classes of non-parasitic females, those with and without hosts, revealed smaller clutch sizes in the former, suggesting that limited fecundity may have constrained some of these females from laying parasitic eggs. Additionally, brood parasites were older and laid more total eggs than non-parasitic females and, among parasites, older females laid more parasitic eggs. Together, these patterns suggest that variation in egg-laying capacity may determine whether females benefit from allocating eggs to parasitism. 6 The large number of correlates of parasitism indicates that parasitism by nesting females is a conditional reproductive tactic, not part of a stochastic mixed evolutionary stable strategy.
Opening the Doors of Perception: Priming Altered States of Consciousness Outside of Conscious Awareness

Two studies are reported in which participants' reports of altered states of consciousness (ASC) were manipulated using priming methods. Study 1 used both subtle and blunt supraliminal priming methods, while Study 2 used a subliminal priming method. Across the two studies, two different methods for inducing ASC were used. In both studies a direct and an indirect measure of ASC was employed in order to separate the more nonconscious and spontaneous (indirect) from the more conscious and directive (direct) reports of ASC. As predicted, results indicated that the indirect measures of ASC were consistent with the ASC primes participants received. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Reduction of a model of an excitable cell to a one-dimensional map

We use qualitative methods for singularly perturbed systems of differential equations and the principle of averaging to compute the first return map for the dynamics of a slow variable (calcium concentration) in the model of an excitable cell. The bifurcation structure of the system with continuous time endows the map with distinct features: it is a unimodal map with a boundary layer corresponding to the homoclinic bifurcation in the original model. This structure accounts for different periodic and aperiodic regimes and transitions between them. All parameters in the discrete system have biophysical meaning, which allows for precise interpretation of various dynamical patterns. Our results provide analytical explanation for the numerical studies reported previously.
Cholera: Calamitous Past, Ominous Future

From the pandemics of the 19th century to the recent disaster in Goma, Zaire, cholera has left an indelible mark on human and medical history. Cholera pandemics in the 19th and 20th centuries drove the development of epidemiology as a serious science. Cholera has continued to press advances in the concepts of disease ecology, basic membrane biology, and transmembrane signaling and in the application of scientific information to treatment design. Furthermore, the lessons learned from the study of pandemic cholera are likely to provide insights into the best means of stopping other pandemics. In spite of tremendous scientific and clinical progress, however, the seventh pandemic has lasted 33 years, and the eighth pandemic appears to have started.
Continuous Value Enhancement Process

The demand for sustainable buildings is an important emerging trend in the building industry. However, the task of delivering these facilities is more difficult than for traditional projects and existing project management techniques struggle to handle the high levels of complexity present. A process-based model, called the continuous value enhancement process (CVEP), was developed to systematically generate and evaluate project alternatives leading to high performance solutions that improve project performance and increase levels of sustainability. Developed specifically to address the challenges facing the Pentagon renovation—which will become the world’s largest green office renovation—CVEP is tested to research its ability to support project management decision making in ways that elevate sustainability and project performance. The key contributions of this model include the integration of sustainable objectives into project management practices, and the development of a metric for measuring the quali...
Genomic advances and their impact on clinical trial design

Medical treatment for patients has historically been based on two primary elements: the expected outcome for the patient, and the ability of treatment to improve the expected outcome. The advance in genomic technologies has the potential to change this paradigm and add substantial value to current medical practice by providing an integrated approach to guide patient-specific treatment selection using the genetic make-up of the disease and the genotype of the patient. Specifically, genomic signatures can aid in patient stratification (risk assessment), treatment response identification (surrogate markers), and/or in differential diagnosis (identifying who is likely to respond to which drug(s)). Several critical issues, including scientific rationale, clinical trial design, marker assessment methods, cost and feasibility have to be carefully considered in the validation of biomarkers through clinical research before they can be routinely integrated into clinical practice. Here, we highlight the impact of genomic advances on various aspects of clinical trial design.
Vester, Shari. 2012. Degrees of Courage. Minneapolis, MN: Mill City Press. 574 pp.

Vester, Shari. 2012. Degrees of Courage . Minneapolis, MN: Mill City Press. 574 pp. Reviewed by Klara Papp, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA
How Desirable Are Your IC50s? A Way to Enhance Screening-Based Decision Making

Dose-response curves, resulting in estimates of endpoints such as the IC(50), are fundamental to drug discovery. However, some estimates are more reliable than others. It is important to know just how reliable an estimate is if we want to base decisions on it or use it in further modeling. In this study, the authors propose a new measure of endpoint reliability, based on the concept of desirability first introduced by Harrington. The solution is not dependent on the application used to analyze the experimental data, provided a number of parameters to characterize the dose-response curve are available. The authors show how this score can be used as an objective and consistent measure to rank screening results, combine information from groups of experiments, and determine optimal levels of characterization of a compound's biological activity.
Commentary: Revising Behavioral Family Systems Therapy to Enhance Treatment Adherence and Metabolic Control in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsj105 Advance Access publication March 1, 2006 Journal of Pediatric Psychology vol. 31 no. 9 © The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org Commentary: Revising Behavioral Family Systems Therapy to Enhance Treatment Adherence and Metabolic Control in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes
The F-system distribution as an alternative to multivariate normality: An application in multivariatemodels with qualitative dependent variables

Though multivariate normality is the warranted distributional form in linear models, its usefulness and simplicity is drastically curtailed when one has to evaluate the multivariate normal cumulative. In this paper we examine a number of unconventional alternatives derived from a general class of multivariate distribution systems. We will show that these distribution systems are flexible and closely emulate multivariate normality. Our study focuses primarily on multivariate models that include censored or qualitative dependent variables. However, these findings are extendable to any other application that requires an evaluation of the multivariate normal cumulative distribution.
Identifying Specific Factors Underlying Attitudes Toward Change: Using Multiple Methods to Compare Expectancy‐Value Theory to Reasons Theory1

This study used multiple methods to compare expectancy-value theory (EVT) to reasons theory for identifying specific factors underlying attitudes toward a planned organizational change. Reasons theory utilizes an accessible reason construct within a decision-making framework. Study 1 used the correlational method to statistically identify the strength of specific factors underlying attitudes according to each theory. The value and accessible reason factors demonstrated the strongest associations with attitudes toward change. The strength of specific factors was then manipulated experimentally according to each construct to examine the impact on potential change in Study 2. The interventions developed from expectancy and accessible reason factors were evaluated most positively by individuals in the target organization, with accessible reasons having the strongest effect. Unexpectedly, interventions based on the value and expectancy value factors had less efficacy in Study 2. Implications for applied research are discussed.
Detection and adaptive estimation of stable processes with fractional lower-order moments

An important class of statistical models for nonGaussian phenomena is that of so-called heavy-tailed distributions, whose density functions decay in the tails less rapidly than the Gaussian density function. These distributions tend to produce large-amplitude excursions from the average value more frequently than the Gaussian distribution. Among all the heavy-tailed distributions, the family of stable distributions has been found to provide useful models for phenomena observed in many diverse fields, such as economics, physics and electrical engineering. It is capable of modeling a wide variety of nonGaussian phenomena, from those similar to the Gaussian to those similar to the Cauchy. This paper presents some preliminary results on signal detection and estimation under the nonGaussian stable assumption. >
Pulmonary embolism and Takotsubo syndrome as comorbidities versus employing mere pulmonary embolism to model the Takotsubo syndrome pathophysiology.

neoplasms, infections, or other inflammatory disorders. It often causes sub-acute tissue damage and can lead to organ failure [1]. IgG4-RD is a corticosteroid-responsive disorder and immunosuppressive agents have been used in corticosteroid-refractory disease, however, treatment data is limited. IgG4-RD epidemiological data is scarce, however 62 to 83% patients are men and older than 50 years of age. 40% of patients with IgG4-RD have a history of allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma, chronic sinusitis, or seasonal allergies as seen in the patient presented. The pathophysiologic mechanism of IgG4-RD remains unknown. Autoimmunity, infectious agents, and molecular mimicry are thought to be potential triggers for disease development. Type-2 helper T cell immune-mediated responses are pathogenic [2]. In the case presented, recent Mycoplasma and Coxsackie B infections as well as autoimmunity, as evidenced by anti-nuclear antibody seroconversion, may have initiated the development of IgG4-RD. IgG4-RD with effusive–constrictive pericarditis, tamponade, and hepatopathy with normal serum IgG4 concentrations is a novel presentation of IgG4-RD. Increased awareness of this disease entity could potentially mitigate morbidity and improve patient outcomes. The authors report no relationships that could be construed as a conflict of interest.
Education, income inequality, and mortality: a multiple regression analysis

Abstract Objective: To test whether the relation between income inequality and mortality found in US states is because of different levels of formal education. Design: Cross sectional, multiple regression analysis. Setting: All US states and the District of Columbia (n=51). Data sources: US census statistics and vital statistics for the years 1989 and 1990. Main outcome measure: Multiple regression analysis with age adjusted mortality from all causes as the dependent variable and 3 independent variables—the Gini coefficient, per capita income, and percentage of people aged ≥18 years without a high school diploma. Results: The income inequality effect disappeared when percentage of people without a high school diploma was added to the regression models. The fit of the regression significantly improved when education was added to the model. Conclusions: Lack of high school education accounts for the income inequality effect and is a powerful predictor of mortality variation among US states. What is already known on this topic Aggregate studies have shown a positive relation between income inequality and mortality and three possible explanations have been suggested (relative deprivation, absolute deprivation, and aggregation artefact) Income inequality may reflect the effects of other socioeconomic variables that are also related to mortality What this study adds Multiple regression analysis of the 50 US states and District of Columbia for 1989-90 indicates that the relation between income inequality and age adjusted mortality is due to differences in high school educational attainment: education absorbs the income inequality effect and is a more powerful predictor of variation in mortality among US states Lack of high school education seems to affect mortality by economic resource deprivation, risk of occupational injury, and learnt risk behaviour. It may also measure the lifetime, cumulative effect of adverse socioeconomic conditions
Pacific Shallow Meridional Overturning Circulation in a Warming Climate

AbstractBy analyzing a set of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) climate model projections of the twenty-first century, it is found that the shallow meridional overturning of the Pacific subtropical cells (STCs) show contrasting trends between two hemispheres in a warming climate. The strength of STCs and equivalently the STC surface-layer transport tend to be weakening (strengthening) in the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere as a response to large-scale surface wind changes over the tropical Pacific. The STC pycnocline transport convergence into the equatorial Pacific Ocean from higher latitudes shows a robust weakening in the twenty-first century. This weakening is mainly through interior pathways consistent with the relaxation of the zonal pycnocline tilt, whereas the transport change through western boundary pathways is small and not consistent across models. It is found that the change of the western boundary pycnocline transport is strongly affected by the shoaling of the pycnocl...
Long-term follow-up results of a pilot trial of a fluocinolone acetonide implant to treat posterior uveitis.

Purpose To investigate the safety and efficacy of a fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant in the treatment of noninfectious posterior uveitis. Design Noncomparative interventional case series, dose randomized, dose masked, prospective. Participants Thirty-six eyes of 32 patients with a history of recurrent noninfectious posterior uveitis. Methods Patients were randomized to receive either a 0.59-mg or a 2.1-mg fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant. Patients were observed every 4 to 6 weeks for the first 3 months and then every 3 months thereafter. Main Outcome Measures Preoperative and postoperative ocular inflammation, visual acuity (VA), antiinflammatory medication use, and safety. Results Mean follow-up duration was 683±461 days (range, 204–1817). Mean baseline visual acuity for the device-implanted eyes was +1.1 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) units (20/250), which improved significantly to +0.81 logMAR units (20/125) at 30 months ( P P P = 0.005). Filtering procedures were performed in 7 (19.4%) eyes. Four of the 8 phakic eyes, each of which had some level of cataract at device implantation, subsequently underwent cataract extraction. There were no device explantations or patients lost to follow-up during the investigation. Conclusion The fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant effectively controlled intraocular inflammation in the studied population. Elevated IOP and cataracts that occurred in fluocinolone device-implanted eyes were managed by standard means. The fluocinolone acetonide sustained drug delivery implant seems to be promising in patients with posterior uveitis who do not respond to or are intolerant to conventional treatment.
The hyberbolic singular value decomposition and applications

A new generalization of the singular value decomposition (SVD), the hyperbolic SVD, is advanced, and its existence is established under mild restrictions. The hyperbolic SVD accurately and efficiently finds the eigenstructure of any matrix that is expressed as the difference of two matrix outer products. Signal processing applications where this task arises include the covariance differencing algorithm for bearing estimation in sensor arrays, sliding rectangular windowing, and array calibration. Two algorithms for effecting this decomposition are detailed. One is sequential and follows a similar pattern to the sequential bidiagonal based SVD algorithm. The other is for parallel implementation and mimics Hestenes' SVD algorithm (1958). Numerical examples demonstrate that like its conventional counterpart, the hyperbolic SVD exhibits superior numerical behavior relative to explicit formation and solution of the normal equations. Furthermore, the hyperbolic SVD applies in problems where the conventional SVD cannot be employed. >
A study on the movement capability of robot manipulators

A method is presented for characterizing the workspace and arranging the layout of a path for a robot manipulator from the viewpoint of movement speed performance. To measure the movement capability of a manipulator, the concept of speed radius is introduced. This index is defined on the basis of the relationship between the forces/torques exerted at joint actuators and the local geometric characteristics of the manipulator. Some properties of this measure are established. It is shown that the magnitude of the speed radius is not only constrained by the dynamics of the manipulator but also determined by the geometry of the path traced by the end-effector of the manipulator. To demonstrate the proposed scheme, a two-link planar manipulator is analyzed and its best posture is obtained by the developed measure for the movement speed capability. Applications of this scheme for path planning and workspace specification are presented. Simulations on several major issues are provided. >
ERAB CONTAINS A PUTATIVE NONCLEAVABLE SIGNAL PEPTIDE

The 42-residue amyloid beta protein (Abeta42) has been shown to be toxic to neurons and is believed to play a key causative role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). A search for Abeta binding proteins that can mediate its toxicity resulted in the identification of the endoplasmic-reticulum (ER) associated Abeta binding protein (ERAB) which was also shown to be involved in Abeta induced apoptosis. The primary report indicated that a signal sequence is absent in ERAB suggesting that it is bound to the cytoplasmic aspect of cellular membranes. Abeta is generated in the lumen of secretory organelles and released into the medium resulting in its separation from ERAB by a membrane barrier. After computer analysis of the ERAB sequence, we have detected a putative signal peptide that can direct the protein into the secretory pathway. This signal sequence was found in human, rodent, and bovine ERAB suggesting that it is a type II integral membrane protein in vertebrates. This topology can explain the binding of Abeta to ERAB. Our finding that an integral membrane form of ERAB can bind to Abeta in the lumen of transport vesicles and other cytoplasmic receptors provides a basis for understanding its role in AD.
Overexpression of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Attenuates the Myocyte Renin-Angiotensin System in Transgenic Mice

Abstract—Constitutive overexpression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in myocytes protects them from apoptosis and interferes with myocyte hypertrophy in the normal and pathological heart. Conversely, angiotensin II (Ang II) triggers cell death and promotes myocyte hypertrophy. Moreover, activation of p53 upregulates the cellular renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Therefore, IGF-1 overexpression in FVB.Igf+/− mice may downregulate the local RAS through the attenuation of p53 and p53-inducible genes. On this basis, p53 DNA binding activity to angiotensinogen (Aogen), bax, and the AT1 receptor was determined in left ventricular myocytes from FVB.Igf−/− and FVB.Igf+/− mice. The quantity of Bax, Bcl-2, Aogen, and AT1 receptor in these cells was evaluated. The presence of Mdm2-p53 complexes was also established. Finally, Ang II levels in myocytes were measured. Upregulation of IGF-1 in myocytes was associated with a protein-to-protein interaction between Mdm2 and p53, which attenuated p53 transcriptional a...
Validity of self-reports of adolescent cigarette smoking.

Self-reports of cigarette-smoking behavior are typically used for estimating the number of smokers in a population, identifying the correlates of smoking behavior, and evaluating smoking cessation and prevention programs. The validity of self-reports by adolescents is frequently questioned but has received minimal empirical attention. Using air carbon monoxide as the criterion measure, self-reports of recency of cigarette smoking by ninth graders were found to be valid.
Determining Causal Ordering

Determining the direction of causality may be straightforward when only two variables are involved, but real-world marketing systems are often so complex that the causal chains cannot be easily established a priori. For example, in competitive markets, causal relations may exist in many directions among the following variables: product sales, industry sales, market share, profits, marketing efforts, competitive marketing efforts, and environmental conditions. Although in this case we would have a good idea of the elements in the information set (level 0), it would be difficult to posit one structural marketing model from prior insight alone.
Hybrid Coronary Revascularization: A New Treatment Paradigm for Selected Patients With Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease∗

In this issue of JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, Gąsior et al. [(1)][1], from the Medical Center of Silesia, Poland, are to be congratulated for their landmark contribution of the first randomized, controlled trial of hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR), supporting the safety and efficacy
Noncontingent exposure to the unconditioned stimulus attenuates state-dependent memory loss

Animals trained on an aversively motivated one-trial passive avoidance task were given pretraining administration of either hypothermia or a novel drug state (15.0 mg/kg pentobarbital). Both of these exposures produced marked deficits for training memory, relative to controls, at a 24-h test. These memory deficits were alleviated by pretest noncontingent exposure to the training footshock. However, in the case of the state-dependent retention produced by pentobarbital, successful alleviation of the amnestic effects required an increase in the intensity and number of reminder presentations and/or compounding noncontingent exposure to the unconditioned stimulus with an additional exposure to the training apparatus. These results further support the notion that the memory impairments produced by pharmacological state-dependent retention may be characteristically similar to those produced by anterograde hypothermia. The results are discussed in terms of traditional notions of pharmacological state dependency, which contend that memory deficits can be reduced only by reintroduction of the drug state that is present at training.
Gambling with Source Code

Tech companies required to comply with controversial regulations in foreign countries as a cost of doing business there must trade off the potential economic benefits with the risk of long-term harm.
Theory of Stress Distribution in Granular Materials: the Memory Formalism

A theoretical approach to the description of stress distribution in granular compacts is presented on the basis of a memory function formalism. Experiments which have motivated the approach are mentioned. The formalism is shown to provide an explanation of observed features of stress distribution in compacts, and to lead to existing theories in extreme limits, thereb y providing a unification of the theories. The memory functions are shown to be intimately related to characteristic spatial correlations in the granular system and are discussed on the basis of stochastic considerations.
A Madonna and Child by Diego de Siloe

Prominent among the Spanish artists of the Renaissance trained in Italy was Diego de Siloe of Burgos1 whose sojourn in the Italian peninsula is even documented, for we know that he collaborated with his fellow townsman, the sculptor Bartolome Ordonez, upon the altarpiece of the Epiphany in S. Giovanni a Carbonara in Naples (circa 1517).2 In this work both men reveal themselves as sons of the Italian Renaissance, and neither gives any hint of his Spanish birth. Ordonez maintained his workshop in Italy until 1520, when death overtook him at an early age in Carrara where he was engaged with numerous assistants upon the tombs of the Cardinal Cisneros and of Felipe and Juana, parents of Charles V.3 Diego de Siloe, on the other hand, returned to Burgos presumably in 1519, and the style of his early sculpture in Spain attests to his years of study and work in Italy, and it proves that he must have lived not only in Naples but surely in Florence and Rome as well. His young mind was filled with the wonders of Ital...
Super-resolution Imaging with Airy Beams

We demonstrated a self-bending point spread function (SB-PSF) based on self-accelerating Airy beams for three-dimensional (3D) super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. The approach offers several-fold improvement over previously reported 3D imaging methods.
Family fun or cultural free-for-all? A critique of the 2015 National Football League Super Bowl commercials

Background: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to enumerate and describe violent and risky behaviors as well as other general health behaviors exhibited in the advertisements during the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl 2015. Methods: Commercials during the NFL Super Bowl 2015 were assessed for violent and risky behaviors. Additional health behaviors were indicated such as the advertisement of unhealthy food, promotion of physical activity, and sexual content. Results: A total of 110 commercials were documented, accounting for 64 minutes of broadcast time. Commercials promoting automobiles, television shows, food, and movies were the most prevalent, representing just over half (53.7%) of all of the advertisements featured. Depictions of unsafe driving were found in 10.9% (n = 12) of the commercials. All 12 commercials contained some sort of risky or wild driving behavior, and speeding was observed in 11 of the 12 commercials. A total of 32 (29.1%) of the commercials were coded as including violent content.Physical activity behavior was present in 3 (2.7%) of the commercials. Conversely, substance use was observed in 3 (2.7%) of the commercials, none of which included health promotion messaging. Of the 110 commercials aired during the 2015 Super Bowl, 12.7% (n = 14) included sexual content. Conclusion: Parents should consider the possibility that their children may observe acts of violence or conflicting safety messages during commercial breaks.
Inherited renal carcinomas

Hereditary forms of kidney carcinoma account for 5-8% of all malignant kidney neoplasms. The renal tumors are often multiple and bilateral and occur at an earlier age. Each of the hereditary kidney carcinoma syndromes is associated with specific gene mutations as well as a specific histologic type of kidney carcinoma. The presence of associated extrarenal manifestations may suggest a hereditary kidney cancer syndrome. Radiology is most commonly used to screen and manage patients with hereditary kidney cancer syndromes. This manuscript reviews the clinical and imaging findings of well-defined inherited kidney cancer syndromes including von Hippel-Lindau disease, Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, hereditary papillary renal carcinoma syndrome, hereditary leiomyomatosis and RCC syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex, and Lynch syndrome.
Radiographic appearances in lumbar disc prolapse

The pre-operative lumbar spine radiographs of 200 consecutive patients who had undergone discectomy for prolapsed intervertebral disc were reviewed. Prolapse was recognized as bulging or sequestration of the disc with consequent root compromise. Measurement of the lumbar level of the interiliac line was shown to correlate with the level of disc prolapse and the incidence of transitional vertebrae at the lumbosacral junction was significantly higher than normal. A pathological value for the lumbosacral angle could not be identified.
Structural hierarchy and dynamic deformation and fracture of solids

Materials(rock,metals and etc.) have complex structural hierarchy which influences the mechanical properties of materials and their deformation and fracture processes.The dynamic deformation and fracture of materials were researched from the angle of the structural hierarchy.The research shows that there exists close relationship between spatial and temporal scales of deformation and fracture of materials.Generally slow processes take place at macroscopic structural levels and quick processes are related to meso-or micro-structural levels.The plastic or brittle property of deformation and fracture of materials depend on whether the vacancy disc at the tip of main crack develops to the critical size and transforms into dislocation ring before the growth of the main crack.If the vacancy disc has time to grow to the critical size before the growth of the main crack,then the deformation and fracture of materials demonstrate plastic property,and other wise,the deformation and fracture of materials will be brittle.It is for this reason that the ductile-to-brittle and brittle-to-ductile transitions under dynamic loading with the increase of strain rate arise.Under highly excited state the rearrangement of potential pattern and spectrum of collective excitation of material particles take place,and correlated motion of particles arises.It is the correlated motion that causes the appearance of eddies of different sizes in material and the decrease of viscosity with the increase of intensity of external loading,.
Comparative Study on Issuance of Listed Companies Targeted Pricing

In recent China,using directional and newly issued shares to refinance has become hotspots,after which the listed companies and investors in our securities market are all running all the time.Issuance price is the key link in the process of the directional and newly issued shares.Investors should pay more attention to how to analyse and judge the issuance price.And also it is the core element of this article.
The Cauchy Integral Theorem

Theorem. Let D be a domain in the complex plane, f(z) an analytic function in D, C a closed curve that is described by a continuously differentiable function z(s) (0 < s < 1) with z(0) = z(l) and zf(0) = z'(\). Suppose that C is homotopic in D to a point, meaning that there is a continuous function z(s, t) (0 < s < I, 0 < t < 1) with z(0, t) = z(l, t) for all t such that z(s, 0) = z(s) for all s, and z(s, 1) is independent ofs. Then
Differential ventricular ischemic injury: an experimental model of right ventricular failure with a variable degree of left ventricular dysfunction

The hemodynamic manifestations of right ventricular dysfunction after ischemic injury depend not only on the severity of injury but also on the degree of coexistent left ventricular dysfunction. A better understanding of right ventricular failure and of optimal therapies has been hindered in part by lack of suitable experimental models of selective and differential ventricular injury. Therefore, we developed a technique of differential ventricular myocardial protection during a period of global cardiac ischemia and examined the effect of such an injury on intrinsic right and left ventricular myocardial function, metabolism, and regional blood flow. Twenty-six dogs were subjected to 30 minutes of ischemia while being supported by cardiopulmonary bypass. During ischemia, right and left ventricular myocardial temperatures were independently varied by selective ventricular endomyocardial thermal regulation. Nine dogs underwent right and left ventricular normothermic ischemia, eight underwent right and left ventricular hypothermic ischemia, and nine underwent right ventricular normothermic and left ventricular hypothermic ischemia. In both ventricles, normothermic ischemia resulted in greater depression of ventricular ability to generate stroke work as a function of end-diastotic dimension (p
Application of quantum jumps: the accurate determination of quenching rates for a single trapped barium ion

Recent experiments on single trapped ions1-3 show the quantum nature of the system through the observation of what is popularly called quantum jumps. By monitoring the emitted light from the trapped ion subject to excitation by laser radiation, the presence or absence of fluorescence indicates whether the ion exists in a nonfluorescing metastable state. We have observed the quenching of the 2D5/2 state in Ba+ under the influence of a number of atomic and molecular gases at ultrahigh vacuum (10−6−10−8 Pa) by the observation of changes in the quantum jump statistics.
Avoiding Dogmatic Traps in Creativity and Education Through Awareness of Worldviews and Visual Metaphor

This chapter explores how misguided school reformers, the policymakers and citizens who believe those reformers, and the school systems and teachers obeying reform mandates often become trapped within a single worldview and think they are being creative. They might be creative to an extent but they are limiting their creativity by confining their thinking within a single root metaphor. The chapter discusses ways in which awareness of the worldviews and the use of visual metaphors can provide an opportunity for broader and deeper creative understanding of educational improvement.
Estimating extraction fraction and blood flow by combining first-pass myocardial perfusion and T1 mapping results.

Background: Quantifying myocardial perfusion is complicated by the complexity of pharmacokinetic model being used and the reliability of perfusion parameter estimates. More complex modeling provides more information about the underlying physiology, but too many parameters in complex models introduce a new problem of reliable estimation. To overcome the problem of multiple parameters, we have developed a technique that combines knowledge from two different cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques: dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and T1 mapping. Using extracellular volume (ECV) estimates from T1 mapping may allow more robust model parameter estimates. Methods: Simulations and human scans were performed. The myocardial perfusion scans used an ungated saturation recovery prepared TurboFLASH pulse sequence. Four short-axis (SA) slices were acquired after a single saturation pulse with a saturation recovery time of ~25 ms before the first slice. Gadoteridol was injected and ~240 frames were acquired over a minute with shallow breathing and no electrocardiograph (ECG) gating. This was followed 20±5 minutes later by an injection of regadenoson to induce hyperemia. The data were acquired using an under-sampled golden angle radial acquisition. Modified look-locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) T1 mapping was performed in 3 slices pre- and post-contrast. The pre- and post-contrast T1 maps were used for ECV estimation. Quantification of perfusion was done using a 4-parameter model with additional information about ECV supplied during model fitting. Phase contrast scans of the coronary sinus (CS) were acquired at rest and immediately after the stress perfusion acquisition to estimate global flow. Results: Without ECV information, the 5-parameter model fails to converge to a unique solution and often gives incorrect estimates for the perfusion parameters. The myocardial blood flow (MBF) estimates during rest and stress were 0.9±0.1 and 2.3±0.6 mL/min/g, respectively. The extraction fraction estimates were 0.49±0.04 and 0.34±0.05 during rest and stress, respectively. Conclusions: These results show that it is possible to successfully fit a dynamic perfusion model with an extraction fraction parameter by using information from T1 mapping scans. This hybrid approach is especially important when the 5-parameter model alone fails to converge on a unique solution. This work is a good example of exploiting information overlaps between various cardiac MR imaging techniques.
Following Nature’s Lead

Research into the shared leadership paradigm has been rich and varied. This chapter contributes to those conversations using the underlying concept of deep ecology and the science of ecosystems. Using the metaphors of ecological systems, the chapter explores patterns linking concepts of ecological systems and organizational systems together, questioning how shared leadership is reflected in the metaphors. This chapter focuses on four ecological principles: interconnectedness, porous boundaries, stability, and synergy. First, both biology and social systems exhibit intricate webs with both linear and non-linear pathways of connectivity. Second, both systems have diffuse boundaries, which allows for interconnections and for the movement of materials, energy, and organisms. Third, both healthy ecological and social systems tend to flow toward stability, a dynamic property supported by the foundations of resilience and resistance. Fourth, both systems rely on synergy as a means to success. Finally, I note that change is the thread that runs through them all. By looking at these ecological and organizational systems in parallel provides an opportunity to find new ways of thinking about the shared leadership paradigm that can provide practical as well as theoretical insight.
Abstract 356: Adhesion of Staphylococcus Epidermidis to Fibrinogen Alters Clot Formation Kinetics and Ultimate Stiffness

Bacterial infection is known to increase the risk for thromboembolism. The mechanism underlying this correlation remains largely unknown. We recently showed that the common pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis retards clot formation, increases clot elasticity and generates a heterogeneous clot structure that remodels over time. Here, we elucidate the mechanism of this process by evaluating the capacity for S. epidermidis to bind to fibrinogen as a function of its growth phase. We hypothesized that the effect of S. epidermidis on a fibrin clot is related to its propensity toward biofilm formation. Therefore, stationary phase (biofilm-like) S. epidermidis will have a more robust effect on clot kinetics and elasticity than exponential phase (planktonic). Furthermore, this difference is mediated by increased adhesion to fibrinogen. Rheometry was used to evaluate the formation and resultant elasticity of fibrin clots with exponential or stationary phase S. epidermidis . A functional in vitro model was developed to evaluate adhesion of S. epidermidis to a fibrinogen coated surface in a continuously flowing environment. Fluorescent labeled exponential and stationary phase S. epidermidis were visualized flowing through a parallel plate microfluidic chamber past immobilized fibrinogen. Images were obtained every 3 seconds for 30 min. Bacterial deposition rate and mean adhesion time were quantified by automated image analysis. A paired Student’s t-test was used for statistical analysis. Stationary phase S. epidermidis retards clot formation and increases resultant elasticity while exponential phase only slightly reduces elasticity. The bacterial deposition rate onto fibrinogen was significantly (p=0.03) greater for stationary phase (1741 ± 1513 cells/cm 2 · sec -1 ) vs exponential phase (676 ± 270 cells/cm 2 · sec -1 ). The average adhesion time however was similar for exponential and stationary phase cells. Coagulation proteins can provide a framework for bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation and infection. In turn infected thrombi with (biofilm-like) bacteria are stiffer which correlates to more frequent bacterial binding to fibrinogen. This provides a potential molecular mechanism for infection mediated thromboembolic events.
An Overview of Myocardial Blood Flow

There are inherent difficulties in measuring myocardial blood flow because of several unique features of the coronary circulation. First, coronary blood flow is phasic, depending on phasic aortic pressure and the varying degree of resistance to flow offered by the myocardium during systole. Second, oxygen extraction of the myocardium is high while flow is relatively low, thus making coronary flow extremely sensitive to changes in myocardial oxygen requirements. Third, flow requirements and oxygen supply mechanisms can be simultaneously affected, often in opposite directions, by a single variable. Fourth, distribution of myocardial blood flow is not homogeneous across the ventricular wall. Since intramyocardial pressure exceeds intracavitary pressure, steadily increasing from the epicardium to the endocardium, coronary flow to the left ventricle occurs predominantly during diastole. Therefore, either prolonged systole or increased cardiac rate can encroach upon left ventricular coronary flow. The differences in the distribution of subendocardial and subepicardial flow can be accentuated under a variety of physiologic and pathologic conditions. Changes in perfusion pressure or in intramyocardial wall tension can alter these distribution patterns and render some layers of the myocardium more susceptible to tissue hypoxia.
Emotion and Innovation

The word “innovation” is attracting wide attention these days. It is pointed out in this chapter that quality becomes increasingly difficult to be recognized with its improvement. Quality in its original meaning means segments. Therefore innovation and pursuit of quality concurs on the point unless new sectors are explored, customers do not feel their expectations are met and they will not be satisfied. In the old days, product lifecycle were much longer so people could make decisions whether to buy or not based upon their use experience or upon observations of foregoing customers. But today product lifecycles are getting shorter and shorter so people have to make decisions as soon as new products come up on the market. But such new products are not only experienced before, but also developed with new technologies they do not know. So people feel very much uneasy when they buy innovative products. How we can reduce their anxieties is very much important for our innovative products to be accepted by them. Therefore, true innovation is more emotional than technical. How we can make our innovation more emotional and acceptable is discussed with illustrative cases.
How Long does it Take to Get a “Do not Resuscitate” Order?:

UNLABELLED Less than 50% of physicians know the resuscitation wishes of their patients and only a small fraction of patients have completed "do not resuscitate" (DNR) orders before death. One of the common reasons given by physicians is that the process of "getting a DNR" takes too long, and some authorities have suggested that additional reimbursement is needed. The purpose of this study is to assess how long the DNR education and consent process actually takes in practice. Our study group was a convenience sample of consecutive patients seen by experienced oncologists in a community and academic practice setting. Physicians were asked to record the time spent in DNR discussions with patients, the outcomes, and their comments. DNR orders were obtained on 16 of 22 patients with a single interview lasting a mean time of 16 minutes. Additional DNR orders were obtained on two more patients after a second interview of 6 patients, mean time 17.5 minutes. After a third interview of 4 patients, mean time 23 minutes, only 2 of 22 patients would not allow DNR orders. Of these two, one died intubated in the intensive care unit and the other underwent continued unsuccessful induction therapy for acute leukemia before dying. CONCLUSION DNR orders can be obtained on nearly all patients within the time frame of an inpatient or outpatient visit. Time is not the main obstacle to DNR discussions, and additional reimbursement for additional time is not necessary. A small subset of patients continue to refuse DNR orders. Physician and patient reluctance to broach the subject may be a bigger impediment than time.
Benevolence and Effectiveness: Persuasive Technology's Spillover Effects in Retail Settings

Results point to perceived store benevolence and staff effectiveness as important spillover effects in the use of persuasive technologies in the retail setting. The comparison of customer exit interviews, conducted at control stores and at test stores, before and after the introduction of video displays playing advertising and promotion messages, documented that customers noticed the displays, recalled the content and were influenced toward the desired effect. Additionally, significant attitudinal differences related to customer perception of staff and stores were also noted. Product marketers, brand managers, retailers, and academicians can draw actionable insights for the use of persuasive technologies by understanding the impact of persuasive technologies on relational exchanges.