cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sex Stratification and Health Lifestyle: Consequences for Men's and Women's Perceived Health*

A representative national sample of 2,031 adults aged 18 to 90 was interviewed by telephone in 1990. Results showed that men report better health than women, but that the gap closes with age. We argue that a gender difference in labor and lifestyles explains sex differences in perceived health across the life course: gender inequality in paid and unpaid work and the subjective experience of inequality disadvantage women, whereas lifestyle disadvantages men. Women are less likely to be employed, and are more likely to work part-time, have lower incomes and more economic hardship, and to do more unpaid domestic labor than men, all of which except domestic labor are associated with poor health. Domestic labor improves health, up to doing 60 percent of the housework. Women also have more distress and fewer subjective work rewards, both of which are associated with poor health. If women had the same levels of paid work, household income, economic hardship, work rewards, and distress as men, their health would equal that of men's and surpass it by age 59. Although we expected to find an overwhelming male disadvantage in lifestyle, we did not. Men are more likely than women to walk and to exercise strenuously, both of which are associated with good health. If women's labor and leisure-time physical activity equalled men's, women over the age of 54 would experience better health than men. Men's lifestyle disadvantage comes from their greater tendency to smoke and to be overweight, both of which are associated with poor health.
Influence of pregnancy on thermoregulation of water snakes (Nerodia rhombifera)

Abstract 1. 1. We compared preferred body temperatures ( T b s ) of gravid, nongravid and postparturient diamondback water snakes ( Nerodia rhombifera ) in linear thigmothermal gradients 2. 2. Gravid females had a significantly higher mean preferred T b (27.7 ± 0.3°C) than nongravid (24.8 ± 0.8°C), postparturient winter (22.3 ± 2.2°C) and postparturient summer (24.1 ± 1.2°C) snakes 3. 3. Gravid snakes spent longer periods at higher temperatures and had no diel cycle in T b , but nongravid and postparturient winter snakes had higher T b in the scotophase than in the photophase 4. 4. The selected T b s of gravid snakes varied less than that of nongravid and postparturient groups
Reflective cholesteric display: principle and progress

Summary form only given. Cholesteric liquid crystals exhibit two stable states at zero field: the reflecting planar texture and non-reflecting focal conic texture. Because of the bistability, Ch liquid crystals can be used to make multiplexed displays on passive matrices. They do not need power-hungry backlights and reflect ambient light. Also because of the bistability, they do not need to be addressed constantly to display static images. Ch liquid crystals can also be encapsulated to make flexible displays with flexible plastic substrates, making the displays rugged and light-weight. Furthermore they can be fabricated in roll-to-roll process to make large area displays. Cholesteric reflective displays have the merits of energy-saving and low manufacturing cost.
Prospective Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing Sub-Epididymal Orchiectomy Versus Conventional Orchiectomy in Metastatic Carcinoma of Prostate

Androgen blockade (surgical or medical castration) is a standard procedure for patients with metastatic carcinoma prostate. Sub-epididymal orchiectomy involves removal of testis leaving behind epididymis. This epididymal stump over a period gives a pseudo testicular feel within the scrotum. We present a prospective randomized study to assess the functional utility of this procedure and compare it with total orchiectomy in terms of achieving castrate levels. From July 2005–Jan 2008, 60 patients with metastatic carcinoma prostate were alternately randomised and allotted to two groups, 30 underwent sub-epididymal orchiectomy (group A) and remaining 30 (group B) underwent total orchiectomy. Age: 56–80 years. Serum PSA: 55–268 ng/ml. Preoperative serum testosterone: Group A—300–650 ng/ml and group B—320–640 ng/ml. Postoperative serum testosterone: group A—2–18 ng\ml and group B—7–15 ng\ml on day 7 after surgery. Operating time—26–40 mins for group A and 20–34 mins for group B. Follow up—6 weeks and 3 months. At 3 months patients were asked to grade appearance of scrotum for asthetic value on a scale of 1–100 using visual analogue score. Postoperative serum testosterone reached castrate levels in seven days (both groups). Duration of surgery in both groups was comparable. Complications—wound infection in 1 patient (group A) & 1 scrotal hematoma (group B). Satisfaction score for group A (83.5 ± 9.7) was significantly (p < 0.05) better (95%CI—18.58–28.42), compared to that of group B (60 ± 9.4) by using‘t’ test. Sub epididymal orchiectomy is comparable to total orchiectomy in terms of achieving castrate levels with similar operating time. It has significant advantage in terms of mental satisfaction to patients. It is a simple and safe procedure that can be conveniently performed in an outpatient clinic setting using pure local anaesthesia.
Associations between genetics, farm characteristics and clinical disease in field outbreaks of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Abstract Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a disease of domestic swine characterized by exceptionally high clinical variability. This study addresses the question of whether clinical variability in PRRS results from (a) genetic variation among viral isolates and/or (b) variation in management practices among farms on which isolates are found. Genetic data (open reading frame 5 gene sequences) and data on farm characteristics and associated clinical disease signs were collected for 62 PRRS virus (PRRSV) field isolates, representing 52 farms. Clinical disease signs were interrelated — confirming that a true reproductive syndrome exists (involving abortions, infertility in sows, deaths of sows and preweaning mortality). Pairs of farms experiencing deaths in their sow populations also tended to share viral isolates which were more similar to one another than expected by chance alone. This implies that sow death (one of the more-severe manifestations of PRRS) is under genetic influence. Large herd size was a significant risk factor for the death of sows and for respiratory disease in nursery pigs. All-in–all-out management practices in the nursery were protective against reproductive signs in the sow herd. All-in–all-out management practices in the finishing stages of production were protective against respiratory disease in nursery pigs — but were paradoxically associated with an increased risk of infertility in sows. These results suggest that farm-management practices can also influence which PRRS clinical signs are manifested during an outbreak. In general, signs associated with PRRS appear to result from a combination of genetic factors and herd-management characteristics. The relative contributions of these two influences differ depending on the specific clinical sign in question.
Row Configuration and Nitrogen Application for Barley–Pea Intercropping in Montana

Intercropping barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) with Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum ssp. arvense L. Poir) may increase the use efficiencies of growth resources and reduce fertilizer N requirements. The objectives of this study were to determine (i) row configuration and (ii) fertilizer N effects on yield, protein content, and the land equivalent ratio (LER) of barley-pea intercropping systems. A 3-yr barley-pea intercropping study was conducted at the Western and Central Agricultural Research Centers (WARC and CARC) of Montana State University from 2000 to 2002 with three row configurations (4 rows barley x 4 rows pea, 2 rows barley x 2 rows pea, and barley-pea mixed within rows) and three N application treatments (0, 67, and 134 kg N ha -1 ). Barley biomass production increased 41% at WARC and CARC, whereas pea biomass production decreased 34% at WARC and 46% at CARC with the row configuration changing from the 4 × 4 to the mixed configuration. The LER ranged from 1.05 to 1.24 on a biomass basis and from 1.05 to 1.26 on a protein basis, indicating a production advantage of intercropping. Barley is a more competitive component than pea. Separated row arrangements are advantageous where the desired outcome is a greater pea component in the harvested forage, but the mixed arrangement has a greater total biomass yield and LER. Fertilizer N increased total biomass yield and protein level in barley-pea intercrops, but high N rates could decrease the LER and result in toxic levels of nitrate in the forage.
Hydration and removal of supported phospholipid films in aqueous surfactant solutions

Dynamic studies of the hydration and removal of phospholipid films attached to solid substrates were performed. The phospholipids used were 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE), and a modification of DPPE containing a fluorescent molecular probe: n-(5-fluoresceinthicarbamoyl)-1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylethanolamine, triethylammonium salt (FITC-DPPE). The phospholipid films were exposed to water and aqueous solutions of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The film mass was determined as a function of time by means of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The crystalline structure of the film during the hydration process was analyzed by means of wide-angle X-ray diffraction. At low surfactant concentrations (below 20% of the critical micelle concentration (CMC)), the presence of surfactant increased the hydration rate of the film, as well as its maximum water uptake. At surfactant concentrations as low as 50% of the CMC, competitive hydration and removal of the phospholipid film were observed. X-Ray diffraction measurements show that the crystal structure of the DPPE films did not change significantly upon exposure to water and surfactant solutions. In contrast, FITC-DPPE films exhibited changes in the long-range spacing of their crystalline structure upon hydration.
Long-Term Follow-Up of a Child with Autoimmune Thyroiditis and Recurrent Hyperthyroidism in the Absence of TSH Receptor Antibodies

Hashitoxicosis is an initial, transient, hyperthyroid phase that rarely affects patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis. We present here an unusual case of a child with Hashimoto thyroiditis and recurrent hyperthyroidism. A 4 yr 6/12 old male was diagnosed by us with autoimmune subclinical hypothyroidism (normal free T4, slightly elevated TSH, and elevated TG antibody titer). Two years and 6/12 later he experienced increased appetite and poor weight gain; a laboratory evaluation revealed suppressed TSH, elevated free T4, and normal TSI titer. In addition, an I123 thyroid uptake was borderline-low. A month later, the free T4 had normalized. After remaining asymptomatic for 3 years, the patient presented again with increased appetite, and he was found with low TSH and high free T4. Within the following 3 months, his free T4 and TSH normalized. At his most recent evaluation, his TSH was normal and the free T4 was borderline-high; the TG antibody titer was still elevated and the TSI titer was negative. To our knowledge, this is the first patient reported with Hashimoto thyroiditis and recurrent hyperthyroidism. This case exemplifies the variability of the manifestations and natural history of Hashimoto thyroiditis and supports the need for a long-term evaluation of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.
Differential activation and inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation by modulators of protein kinase C: Diacylglycerols, “rationally designed” activators and inhibitors of protein kinase C

The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) can enhance or inhibit lymphocyte proliferation. Enhancement correlated with increased interleukin 2 (IL-2) production and activation of protein kinase C while inhibition correlated with decreased IL-2 and downregulation of protein kinase C activity (D.S. Grove and A.M. Mastro, Cancer Res. 51, 82-88). In this study, various activators and inhibitors of protein kinase C were used in order to try to separate the effects of TPA on this enzyme from its effects on IL-2 production and determine if protein kinase C activity was directly or indirectly related to IL-2 production. 1,2-Dioctanoylglycerol, 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol, phospholipase C, and two "rationally designed" activators, 6-(N-decylamino)-4-hydroxy-methylindole and 3-(N-acetylamino)-5-(N-decyl-N-methylamino)-benzyl alcohol, were tested. Some activators enhanced proliferation in the presence of a Ca2+ ionophore, ionomycin, but not concanavalin A. Some activators suppressed proliferation and downregulated protein kinase C. Others neither downregulated protein kinase C nor inhibited IL-2 production and proliferation. However, inhibition or downregulation of protein kinase C activity always correlated with decreased IL-2 and depressed proliferation. Thus, the evidence in this and the previous study suggests that activation of protein kinase C is directly related to IL-2 production in activated T cells.
Compression of medical images using prediction and classification

We have developed and subjectively evaluated a lossy classified vector quantization (CVQ) using a subsampling and prediction decollation scheme. Both interframe and intraframe codings were evaluated using a sequence of x-ray CT images. Both 10:1 and 15:1 compression ratios were evaluated using nine head images from three patients. Thirteen radiologists evaluated the quality of images by viewing them on film, and comparing them to the original images on film. Although there are large variations in individual evaluations of image quality, there was overall agreement among all readers to a statistically significant level. With the proposed algorithm, the interframe coding approach produces better quality than the intraframe at the same level of data compression. Even though some data compressions were not statistically significant from the originals, the average responses were slightly worse than those for the original image. The effect of data compression on diagnostic accuracy was not evaluated.
Nutritional assessment of children with juvenile chronic arthritis

Nutritional assessment was performed in 38 children with juvenile chronic arthritis (polyarticular [15]; pauciarticular [13]; systemic [10]). This included anthropometric measurements (height, weight, mid-upper arm circumference and four skinfolds) and a 7 day weighed food record. The children were classified according to current type of arthritis which in some cases was not the same as the initial onset type. Mean height Z scores were significantly below the Z score population mean of 0 in the systemic (P = 0.02) and polyarticular (P = 0.009) groups. Mean weight Z scores were also below the mean in the polyarticular group (P = 0.001) but the systemic group did not reach significance. Mean energy intakes were significantly below the recommended dietary intake (RDI) in the systemic (P = 0.01) and polyarticular (P = 0.001) groups. Mean intakes of calcium and zinc were below the RDI of 100% in the polyarticular group (P = 0.0001). Thirteen (34%) of children were taking some form of self-prescribed vitamin and/or mineral supplement. Vitamin C was the most commonly used supplement, despite dietary intakes greatly exceeding the RDI. Nutritional assessment is essential in the management of patients with JCA, in particular those with systemic or polyarticular disease.
Genesis of porosity in polyfurfuryl alcohol derived nanoporous carbon

Abstract The pyrolysis of polyfurfuryl alcohol was studied up to 600 °C. Micropores appear in the carbon as early as 300 °C along with a significant amount of mesopores. As the pyrolysis temperature is increased, microporosity is retained, but the mesoporosity disappears. At 600 °C the material is microporous with a monodisperse pore size distribution centered at 4–5 A. Infrared, X-ray photoelectron, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies, in combination with thermogravimetric analysis provide evidence that between 300 and 400 °C, both polyaromatic domains decorated with hydrogen and oxygen (hetero) atoms and partially decomposed polymer chains coexist. The unreacted polymer and heteroatoms induce mesoporosity by buffering the micropores created by polyaromatic domains. Raising the pyrolysis above 400 °C releases the buffering material, thereby collapsing the mesopores.
Satellite Electrical Power Subsystem: Statistical Analysis of On-Orbit Anomalies and Failures

A statistical analysis of satellite Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS) failures is conducted in this paper, and of particular interest is the comparison of the failures between the EPS of LEO and GEO satellites. 12To investigate in more details the failure mechanisms of the EPS, we also analyze the failure data of four subsystems of the EPS: the Battery / Cell subsystem, the Electrical Distribution subsystem (ED), the Solar Array Deployment subsystem (SAD), and the Solar Array Operating subsystem (SAO). Also, we categorized the anomaly and failure events into three groups based on the severity of the events: Minor, Major, and Fatal. The results show, first, that the EPS of GEO satellites experienced significantly more anomaly and failure events than the ones in LEO satellites; second, that the SAO subsystem was responsible for the majority of the anomaly and failure events experienced by the EPS of GEO satellites, indicating the vulnerability of that subsystem in GEO satellites, whereas the anomaly and failure events were spread amongst the EPS subsystems of LEO satellites; and third, that events in the EPS of GEO satellites tend to be less severe than in the EPS of LEO satellites. We hope that the results presented here would be useful to the space industry, for example, in redesigning test and screening programs for subsystems, or providing an empirical basis for redundancy allocation.
Functional Distribution an Architecture for Multi-User Computer Networks in Instrumentation

A new approach is introduced for the design of Multi-User Real-Time Computer Networks. The approach leads to a system architecture called "Functional Distribution". Definitions of the concept and key issues of a practical implementation are discussed using as an example a Multi-User Experiment Control System. The discussion also includes the architecture of that hardware which has been traditionally referred to as the "interface between an experiment and a computer".
Individual and combined releases of Muscidifurax raptor and M. raptorellus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) as a biological control tactic targeting house flies in dairy calf facilities.

ABSTBACT The impact of commercially reared house fly parasitoids released into nine dairy calf coverall facilities were evaluated over 3 yr. Individual and equally mixed ratios of the pteromalid parasitoids Muscidifurax raptor Girault and Saunders and M. raptorellus Kogan and Legner were released at a rate of 500 parasitoids per calf per week for 8 wk. Prerelease, release, and postrelease parasitism was monitored using nearly 100,000 sentinel house fly, Musca domestica L., pupae during the 3 yr study. In general, very few adult parasitoids were recovered during the prerelease period and on the no-release farms during any period. However, considerable numbers of M. raptor and M. raptorellus were recovered from sentinel pupae on respective release farms. As expected, the greatest successful parasitism occurred during release periods, with a drop during postrelease periods. High successful parasitism and uneclosed pupae on M. raptorellus release farms suggests that this parasitoid was aggressive in attacking...
Global Laboratory Systems Development: Needs and Approaches

Functional laboratory systems are a key component of country health care systems. Laboratory strengthening in resource-limited countries has been supported by disease-specific vertical programs that have focused on laboratory methods, procedures, and supplies for a country program, and providing training in performing tests. A health systems focus requires attention to regulations, management of national systems, national approaches to quality assurance, and education of laboratory scientists. An immediate focus of resources on the components required for a functioning system and continued technical support will enable countries to assume responsibility for their country-specific needs and improve their capability to address international responsibilities.
Circadian clock and cancer therapy: an unexpected journey

Chronotherapy of cancer is one of the oldest examples of the clinical application of biological rhythms. Growing understanding of the importance of biological timing in physiology and pathophysiology of many diseases including cancer reforms our views on the role of biological clocks in cancer and cancer treatment. In the present issue the current progress in circadian clock-dependent mechanisms of cancer, polymorphism and mutations of clock gene in cancer, cancer-associated clock disruptions, and novel chronotherapeutic approaches are discussed.
Determinants of Police Strength in Large U.S. Cities During the 1990s A Fixed-Effects Panel Analysis

The 1990s represented a unique decade in which to analyze the determinants of police strength in the United States. This decade was a time in which crime initially increased, then substantially decreased. Furthermore, this decade also was characterized by increases in the minority population throughout large American cities. Finally, the 1990s were characterized by increasing police budgets. These realities have direct implications for the competing theories of police growth. This research examines the determinants of police strength in large U.S. cities from 1990 to 2000. A fixed-effects panel analysis was used to assess the number of sworn police officers per 100,000 population. The findings support the resource dependency and social conflict perspectives. Additionally, no support was found for the rational public choice perspective.
Natural History of Stroke in Rochester, Minnesota, 1945 Through 1954

The records of the Mayo Clinic have been used as the primary basis for the study of stroke in the population of Rochester, Minnesota, from 1945 through 1954. The incidence rate for first stroke of all types was 1947/100,000/year. The rates increased with age, and at age 65 to 74 years, about 1% of the population was affected annually. No significant differences were noted between men and women. The rate for cerebral thrombosis was 146/l00,000/year for all ages. Cerebral hemorrhage represented less than 10% of all strokes and occurred in less than 15% of those who died; this is contrary to what is published in the U.S. Mortality Statistics. The prevalence rate was 547/100,000 on January 1, 1955. Twenty-one percent of these persons who had previously had a stroke were functioning with no incapacity on the date of prevalence determination and only 3% were bedridden. Death certificates were reviewed for all those who died after a stroke. Among those who died within a month after a stroke, some type of stroke ...
Unsupervised Learning of Selectional Restrictions and Detection of Argument Coercions

Metonymic language is a pervasive phenomenon. Metonymic type shifting, or argument type coercion, results in a selectional restriction violation where the argument's semantic class differs from the class the predicate expects. In this paper we present an un-supervised method that learns the selectional restriction of arguments and enables the detection of argument coercion. This method also generates an enhanced probabilistic resolution of logical metonymies. The experimental results indicate substantial improvements the detection of coercions and the ranking of metonymic interpretations.
Navigating state and federal student privacy laws to design educationally sound parental notice policies

This chapter describes the relationship between federal student privacy laws and state privacy laws, and identifies the changes in the federal law over the last ten years affecting disclosure to parents of college students. Recent litigation on health emergencies is outlined and the limited rights of college students not yet eighteen years of age are examined.
Bus encoding to prevent crosstalk delay

The propagation delay across long on-chip buses is increasingly becoming a limiting factor in high-speed designs. Crosstalk between adjacent wires on the bus may create a significant portion of this delay. Placing a shield wire between each signal wire alleviates the crosstalk problem but doubles the area used by the bus, an unacceptable consequence when the bus is routed using scarce top-level metal resources. Instead, we propose to employ data encoding to eliminate crosstalk delay within a bus. This paper presents a rigorous analysis of the theory behind "self-shielding codes", and gives the fundamental theoretical limits on the performance of codes with and without memory. Specifically, we find that a 32-bit bus can be encoded with 40 wires using a code with memory or 46 wires with a memoryless code, in comparison to the 63 wires required with simple shielding.
The effects of salinity exposure on multiple life stages of a common freshwater mussel, Elliptio complanata

There is growing concern over the effects of increased salinization on freshwater organisms, which are largely unknown for unionid mussels. Adult and larval Elliptio complanata were exposed to low-level salt concentrations to determine the effects on mussel survival, physiology, and reproduction. Adults were exposed to salt concentrations of 0 parts per thousand (ppt), 2 ppt, 4 ppt, and 6 ppt NaCl and monitored over 7 d for mortality. Treatment groups exposed to 6 ppt and 4 ppt experienced 50% mortality at day 3 and day 4, respectively, with complete mortality by day 7. No mortality was observed in the other treatments. Adults were also exposed to sublethal salinity levels of 1 ppt and 2 ppt NaCl for 4 wk to determine physiological consequences of prolonged salinity exposure. Mussels exposed to 1 ppt and 2 ppt experienced reduced metabolic rates within the first 24 h of exposure that recovered to control levels in the 1-ppt treatment within 7 d. Metabolic recovery did not occur in the 2-ppt treatment by the end of 28 d. Glochidia exposed to 3-ppt NaCl during attachment to their host fish suffered a reduction in attachment success and metamorphosis, resulting in a 10-fold reduction in the number of juveniles produced per host fish. The present study demonstrates that low levels of salt can have a dramatic effect on the reproduction, physiology, and survival of freshwater mussels. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:2849–2854. © 2013 SETAC. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Mitochondrial Rab GAPs govern autophagosome biogenesis during mitophagy

Damaged mitochondria can be selectively eliminated by mitophagy. Although two gene products mutated in Parkinson’s disease, PINK1, and Parkin have been found to play a central role in triggering mitophagy in mammals, how the pre-autophagosomal isolation membrane selectively and accurately engulfs damaged mitochondria remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that TBC1D15, a mitochondrial Rab GTPase-activating protein (Rab-GAP), governs autophagosome biogenesis and morphology downstream of Parkin activation. To constrain autophagosome morphogenesis to that of the cargo, TBC1D15 inhibits Rab7 activity and associates with both the mitochondria through binding Fis1 and the isolation membrane through the interactions with LC3/GABARAP family members. Another TBC family member TBC1D17, also participates in mitophagy and forms homodimers and heterodimers with TBC1D15. These results demonstrate that TBC1D15 and TBC1D17 mediate proper autophagic encapsulation of mitochondria by regulating Rab7 activity at the interface between mitochondria and isolation membranes. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01612.001
Pacemaker Neurons and the Development of Nociception

Spontaneous activity is known to be essential for the proper formation of sensory networks in the developing CNS. This activity can be produced by a variety of mechanisms including the presence of “pacemaker” neurons, which can be defined by their intrinsic ability to generate rhythmic bursts of action potential discharge. Recent work has identified pacemaker activity within lamina I of the neonatal rodent spinal cord that emerges from a complex interaction between voltage-dependent and voltage-independent (“leak”) ionic conductances, including an important modulatory role for the inward-rectifying K+ (Kir) channels. The available evidence suggests that lamina I pacemakers are glutamatergic and project extensively throughout the dorsal-ventral axis of the spinal cord, although the identity of their postsynaptic targets has yet to be elucidated. A better understanding of this connectivity could yield valuable insight into the role of the lamina I pacemaker population in the maturation of spinal circuitry u...
Effects of Albumin/Furosemide Mixtures on Responses to Furosemide in Hypoalbuminemic Patients

Hypoalbuminemic patients often have sufficient fluid accumulation to mandate diuretic therapy but are often resistant to diuresis. Studies have suggested that hypoalbuminemia itself impairs delivery of effective amounts of diuretic agent into the urine, the site of action. Therefore, administration of mixtures of albumin and loop diuretics may enhance responses. Thirteen patients with biopsy-proven cirrhosis and ascites (age, 51.2 +/- 8.1 yr; Child-Pugh score, 8.5 +/- 1.0; serum albumin concentration, 3.0 +/- 0.6 g/dl) were studied in this randomized crossover study. Sodium balance was maintained throughout the study with a metabolic diet. All patients received spironolactone, but administration of all other diuretic agents was discontinued. Each patient received all of the following four treatments intravenously: (1) 40 mg of furosemide, (2) 25 g of albumin, (3) 40 mg of furosemide and 25 g of albumin premixed ex vivo, and (4) 40 mg of furosemide and 25 g of albumin infused simultaneously into different arms. Responses were assessed by measuring urinary sodium excretion and relating the urinary furosemide excretion rate to the sodium excretion rate. Additionally, the pharmacokinetics of furosemide were assessed. Furosemide pharmacokinetics were similar for all treatment arms. Albumin alone had negligible diuretic effects. Neither albumin regimen increased the response to furosemide. Moreover, the relationship between the urinary furosemide excretion rate and the sodium excretion rate was unaffected by albumin. In conclusion, albumin failed to enhance the diuretic effects of furosemide in cirrhotic patients with ascites. Therefore, the coadministration of albumin and furosemide for the treatment of cirrhosis, and likely other hypoalbuminemic conditions, should not be used clinically.
Biophysics of a Trespasser: Na+ Block of Ca2+ Channels

In a 1976 reminiscence of his landmark work with Andrew Huxley that elucidated the ionic basis of the action potential, Alan Hodgkin made a puzzling admission: We spent over two years analysing and writing up the results and I have often been asked why this took so long. The answer, as usual, is
How Can Meta-Analyses Guide Practice? A Review of the Learning Disability Research Base:

Meta-analysis is considered an acceptable method to evaluate research studies for evidence-based practices. The purpose of this review is to examine the applicability of using meta-analyses in the learning disability field to guide classroom practice. The authors evaluated 15 learning disability meta-analyses in three domains: large-scale analyses, academic, and social. Results indicate that although meta-analyses provide strong support for general components of effective instruction, they are unable to provide definitive answers for practitioners looking for concrete suggestions of what evidence-based practices to implement in their classrooms.
Bounding the times to failure of 2-component systems

Characterizing the distribution of times to failure in 2-component systems is an important special case of a more general problem, finding the distribution of a function of random variables. Advances in this area are relevant to reliability as well as other fields, and influential papers on the topic have appeared in the reliability field over a span of many years. Using failure times of 2-component systems as a vehicle, this report begins by reviewing a technique for characterizing distributions of functions of random variables when the dependency relationship between the random variables used as inputs to the function is unknown. The technique addressed is called Distribution Envelope determination (DEnv). Using this review as a foundation, an extension to DEnv is described which applies to cases where means and variances of the input distributions are known, and partial information about dependency is available in the form of a value for correlation. Pearson correlation is used because it is the most commonly encountered correlation measure. This reason is important because the assumption of independence, while common, is frequently problematic. Yet the opposite extreme of no assumption about dependency may mean ignoring available information which could affect the analysis.
Epsilon-Capacity of a Class of Nonergodic Channels

We consider the nonergodic channel model obtained by averaging binary symmetric channel components with respect to a weighting distribution. For a fixed epsi isin (0,1), suppose one wishes to compute the e-capacity of the nonergodic channel model, which is the optimum asymptotic rate at which the channel can be encoded via a sequence of channel codes which each yield maximal probability of decoding error les epsi. In 1963, Parthasarathy provided a formula for epsi-capacity valid for all but at most countably many values of epsi. Parthasarathy's formula fails at precisely those epsi values in (0,1) at which the epsi-capacity function undergoes a discontinuity. We present a formula for the epsi-capacity function which is valid at a discontinuity whenever the jump in the epsi-capacity function at that discontinuity is not too large
Towards a Phenomenological Account of Personal Identity

Most contemporary philosophical discussions of personal identity still refer to or even engage with John Locke’s account of personal identity in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. For Locke, the question of personal identity is essentially a question of what it means to experience oneself as a person and, more precisely, to experience oneself as the same person at different times.
Analysis of surveillance of iodine deficiency disorders in Xinyang City in 2008.

Objective To understand effect of iodine supplementation measures and evaluate nutritional status of iodine in crowds.Methods Sampling method of probability proportional to size of population was carried out.Results Palpation and B-ultrasound were taken to examine 814 children aged from 8 to 10 years old,with goiter rate of 3.44% and 3.07%,respectively.399 urinary samples of the children were surveyed with median of urinary iodine of 317.42 μg/L,while 411 salt samples from residents were determined with median of iodized salt of 30.60 mg/kg.Consumption rate of qualified iodized salt of residents was 95.62%.Conclusions Xinyang City has already reached the goal of eliminating IDD,and the measure of universally implementing salt iodization interventions is effective.
Biology of the Heat Shock Response and Stress Conditioning

The heat shock or stress response has been studied mainly as a cellular response. Most of the data come from bacterial cells, eukaryotic microorganisms (yeast primarily), and cultured animal cells. Often these cultured cells are tumor cell lines, i.e., cells that are functionally eukaryotic microorganisms as a consequence of genetic changes that change their social behavior and proliferative control. These systems have provided useful information about stress protein function and their roles in the defensive cellular state of cytoprotection. However, a full understanding of stress response biology in complex multicellular organisms requires different thinking and different models. This conclusion stems from the paradigm that the basic unit of function in animals and plants is not the individual cell but the tissue. Therefore stress response biology in these complex biological systems is primarily about tissue-level protection. Ultimately we would like to know how these responses are deployed in humans and how these inducible defenses may be used to prevent tissue damage from disease and from surgical intervention.
A formal approach to ranking procedures

A formal framework for ranking procedures is proposed. The case of interest is where relatively few items are to be ranked with a complex procedure and according to a large number of criteria. A typical example of this scenario is a competition where several companies bid for a contract, and where the selection of the winner is done with multiple criteria according to an intricate selection procedure. A case study of a bidding procedure is presented, and a logical theory for matrix algebra is proposed as the formal framework for working with Pairwise Comparisons.
Erythropoietic activity in plasma and urine of dogs after bleeding.

SummaryActive erythropoietic factor is demonstrated in plasma and urine of bled dogs. A very striking erythropoietic factor response is obtained when severe anemia is produced. Activity is partially destroyed by boiling and by prolonged storage in freezer.
A simple method to improve the accuracy of advection in discontinuous Galerkin methods for Navier-Stokes simulations

Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods have seen increased use over the past few decades. Recent work has shown that extremely accurate solutions (3p+ 2) can be achieved for pure diffusion problems when using Recovery Discontinuous Galerkin (RDG) methods. However, the order of accuracy for advection is at best 2p+1, thus negating the main advantages of RDG, particularly for advection-diffusion equations, such as the Navier-Stokes equations. In the present paper, we determine a new approach based on monotone upstream centered schemes for conservation laws (MUSCL) to improve the accuracy of advection. Furthermore, we show that RDG is more computationally efficient than certain commonly used diffusion methods, thus making RDG a more viable approach for high-fidelity turbulence simulations. For this purpose, we use three test problems. The interaction of two rarefactions is considered to evaluate convergence of the new advection approach. The problem of decaying isotropic turbulence with eddy shocklets is used to demonstrate the improvement of the proposed approach over standard advection. A pure diffusion Navier-Stokes problem is employed to compare the performance of RDG against other commonly used diffusion schemes.
Mathematical Adventures in Social Science

(1938). Mathematical Adventures in Social Science. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 93-104.
The Species Composition of Fly Populations at Several Types of Problem Sites in Urban Areas

Little information is available on the species prevalence and seasonal distribution of flies which frequent the major fly breeding sites in the urban areas of the United States. To study this aspect of fly ecology, trapping surveys were conducted in the vicinity of the copious fly production sources at Muskegon and Grand Haven, Michigan; Cohoes, New York; Topeka, Kansas; and Phoenix, Arizona, during 1949 and 1950. The principal sites investigated were garbage dumps, slaughterhouses, hog feeding farms, horse stables, and a poultry ranch. A summary of the survey areas is depicted in Table I.
Confirmatory Analysis of Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator and Erythropoietin Analogues in Equine Plasma by LC−MS for Doping Control

Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) is the third generation of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) medication that retains the effect of promoting red blood cell production but has longer duration of action in the body. CERA, rhEPO, and darbepoetin alpha (DPO) can be misused to enhance performance in both human and equine athletes. To deter such misuse, a very selective and sensitive liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometric (LC−MS/MS) method has now been developed for identification of CERA, rhEPO, and DPO in equine plasma. The method employs a new signature tryptic peptide, T8 (54MEVGQQAVEVWQGLALLSEAVLR76, common to the three proteins), and improved immunoaffinity extraction. The analytes were extracted by anti-rhEPO antibodies from plasma samples that were pretreated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000. The extracted analytes were digested by trypsin and analyzed by LC−MS/MS. The limit of identification was 0.5 ng/mL for CERA, 0.2 ng/mL for rhEPO, and 0.1 ng/mL for DPO in equ...
On the Management of State-owned Assets in Institutions of Higher Education Viewed from Asset and Capital Verification

Asset and capital verification is of great significance to the management of state-owned assets in institutions of higher education. By means of it, problems in the management of state-owned assets and the ways to solve the problems can be found. In light of practice in general checkup on enterprise assets, this article expounds the problems universally existing in the management of state-owned assets in institutions of higher education at present, and put forward measures to protect the state-owned assets and to strengthen the management of state-owned assets.
Special Education in Sri Lanka: A snapshot of three provinces

This study discusses special education services across three provinces of Sri Lanka. It sought to answer the following research questions: (a) who are the children receiving special education services? (b) what are the current special education practices? (c) what are parents' views on communication supports, inclusion and literacy? Sixty-seven parents from the Western, Southern and Northern provinces participated in an in-person survey interview. The results indicated no children older than 14 years and very few children with severe needs received school services. This study identified some key implications including a need for Speech and Language Therapists to work in schools. It also discusses the benefits and challenges of implementing inclusive education in low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries.
Introduction: Social Science Methods for Psychodynamic Inquiry on the World Scene

The central issue I address in this book is how to conduct research on psychodynamic matters on the world scene in a scientifically valid and credible way. This is of utmost importance considering the chaotic, irrational, and menacing elements in world affairs currently.
The role of α1-adrenergic receptors in regulating metabolism: increased glucose tolerance, leptin secretion and lipid oxidation

The role of α1-adrenergic receptors (α1-ARs) and their subtypes in metabolism is not well known. Most previous studies were performed before the advent of transgenic mouse models and utilized transformed cell lines and poorly selective antagonists. We have now studied the metabolic regulation of the α1A- and α1B-AR subtypes in vivo using knock-out (KO) and transgenic mice that express a constitutively active mutant (CAM) form of the receptor, assessing subtype-selective functions. CAM mice increased glucose tolerance while KO mice display impaired glucose tolerance. CAM mice increased while KO decreased glucose uptake into white fat tissue and skeletal muscle with the CAM α1A-AR showing selective glucose uptake into the heart. Using indirect calorimetry, both CAM mice demonstrated increased whole body fatty acid oxidation, while KO mice preferentially oxidized carbohydrate. CAM α1A-AR mice displayed significantly decreased fasting plasma triglycerides and glucose levels while α1A-AR KO displayed increased levels of triglycerides and glucose. Both CAM mice displayed increased plasma levels of leptin while KO mice decreased leptin levels. Most metabolic effects were more efficacious with the α1A-AR subtype. Our results suggest that stimulation of α1-ARs results in a favorable metabolic profile of increased glucose tolerance, cardiac glucose uptake, leptin secretion and increased whole body lipid metabolism that may contribute to its previously recognized cardioprotective and neuroprotective benefits.
Neuroleptic-induced skin pigmentation in chronic hospitalized schizophrenic patients.

In the framework of a multi-national collaborative study carried out in eight countries, 768 chronic hospitalized schizophrenic patients were surveyed. Skin pigmentation was found to be present in ...
WE-AB-202-04: Statistical Evaluation of Lung Function Using 4DCT Ventilation Imaging: Proton Therapy VS IMRT

Purpose: Variation in function of different lung regions has been ignored so far for conventional lung cancer treatment planning, which may lead to higher risk of radiation induced lung disease. 4DCT based lung ventilation imaging provides a novel yet convenient approach for lung functional imaging as 4DCT is taken as routine for lung cancer treatment. Our work aims to evaluate the impact of accounting for spatial heterogeneity in lung function using 4DCT based lung ventilation imaging for proton and IMRT plans. Methods: Six patients with advanced stage lung cancer of various tumor locations were retrospectively evaluated for the study. Proton and IMRT plans were designed following identical planning objective and constrains for each patient. Ventilation images were calculated from patients’ 4DCT using deformable image registration implemented by Velocity AI software based on Jacobian-metrics. Lung was delineated into two function level regions based on ventilation (low and high functional area). High functional region was defined as lung ventilation greater than 30%. Dose distribution and statistics in different lung function area was calculated for patients. Results: Variation in dosimetric statistics of different function lung region was observed between proton and IMRT plans. In all proton plans, high function lung regions receive lower maximum dose (100.2%–108.9%), compared with IMRT plans (106.4%–119.7%). Interestingly, three out of six proton plans gave higher mean dose by up to 2.2% than IMRT to high function lung region. Lower mean dose (lower by up to 14.1%) and maximum dose (lower by up to 9%) were observed in low function lung for proton plans. Conclusion: A systematic approach was developed to generate function lung ventilation imaging and use it to evaluate plans. This method hold great promise in function analysis of lung during planning. We are currently studying more subjects to evaluate this tool.
Control of continuous-variable processes

This chapter examines a problem that involves the design of a controller that forces the process output y (t) to track a reference r (t), where track means that y (t) is approximately equal to r (t). The real parts of all closed-loop poles must be strictly less than zero. This is equivalent to requiring all closed-loop poles to be located in the open left-half plane (OLHP). The requirement that all closed-loop poles be in the OLHP is a stability condition, and thus the closed-loop system is said to be stable when this property holds. To understand how integral control achieves zero steady-state error, there is a need to consider the relationship between the control input c (t) and the tracking error e (t).
Ethics and Relationship: From Risk Management to Relational Engagement

In this article, the underlying assumptions of the current ACA Code of Ethics (2014a) are examined as they are embedded in historical and cultural contexts. A relational ethic situated within relational-cultural theory that provides an alternative framework for understanding ethics in a relational and compassionate way is presented.