cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of cyclic nucleotides in the spontaneous contractility and responsiveness to nitric oxide of the rat uterus at midgestation and term

Abstract Objectives: The aim of this investigation was to study the effects of pharmacologic manipulation of cyclic nucleotide levels on the uterine spontaneous contractile activity and responsiveness to nitric oxide in pregnant rats at midgestation and term. Study Design: Uterine rings from pregnant rats at midgestation and term were placed in organ chambers for isometric tension recording. Concentration-response curves were obtained for phosphodiesterase and guanylate cyclase inhibitors, membrane-permeable cyclic nucleotide analogs, and forskolin. In addition, the effects of minimal inhibitory concentrations of these agents on the concentration-response relationships for diethylamine nitric oxide (a nitric oxide donor) were studied. Results: Nonselective phosphodiesterase inhibitors induced more inhibition of contractions of uterine rings from pregnant rats at term than at midgestation and zaprinast induced less. Inhibitors of guanylate cyclase and membrane-permeable analogs of cyclic guanosine monophosphate were equally effective in tissues from pregnant rats at midgestation and term. All agents attenuated the inhibitory effect of diethylamine nitric oxide at midgestation; however, dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate and papaverine increased the inhibitory effect of diethylamine nitric oxide in tissues from pregnant animals at term. Conclusions: Cyclic nucleotides modulate both spontaneous and nitric oxide–induced changes in uterine contraction during pregnancy. Application of nonselective inhibitors of phosphodiesterase, as well as membrane-permeable analogs of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, may counteract refractoriness to nitric oxide at term. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:612-9.)
Hydrodynamic modeling and ecohydrological analysis of river inflow effects on Apalachicola Bay, Florida, USA

This paper presents an integrated hydrodynamic modeling and probability analysis approach to assess the long-term effects of changing river inflows on the estuarine ecosystem. The probability analysis method, which is popularly used in advanced hydrological frequency analysis of river flows and rainfalls, has been applied to analyze the effects of changing inflow on salinity and thus on oyster ecology in Apalachicola Bay. Long-term salinity data were predicted through the application of a calibrated 3D hydrodynamic model under two river inflow conditions over a 10-year period. The first flow represents the historic flow. The 2nd flow condition, called Scenario-1, represents a regulated flow scenario to account for the potential increasing upstream water demands. Two stations, Mid Bay and Dry Bar, in the bay were selected to examine the estuarine responses. Under the historic flow condition, the maximum probability salinity at Dry Bar in the rich oyster reef is near 24 ppt, within the optimal salinity range for oyster growth of 16–26 ppt (Harned et al., 1996); the maximum probability salinity at Mid Bay station is 27 ppt, beyond the optimal salinity for oyster growth in mid-bay area where there is no oyster reef around. While it is difficult to examine the difference between two scenarios by conventional time series analysis of river flows and salinity, probability analysis reasonably characterizes and quantifies the changes of river flow and salinity patterns over the 10-year period. The Scenario-1 has caused the increase of the probability in low flows. Higher probability of low flows for the regulated flow scenario shortens the period of optimal salinity in the oyster reef, and cause substantial increase of exceedance probability of higher salinity in the oyster reef to the level beyond the optimal salinity range for oyster growth. The probability analysis approach has demonstrated its advantage for the risk assessments of the long-term estuarine ecohydrological effects under various regulated inflow scenarios to support estuarine water resources managements.
Energy-efficient hybrid wakeup logic

The instruction window is a critical component and a major energy consumer in out-of-order superscalar processors. An important source of energy consumption in the instruction window is the instruction wakeup: a completing instruction broadcasts its result register tag and an associative comparison is performed with all the entries in the window. This paper shows that a very large fraction of the completing instructions have to wake up no more than a single instruction currently in the window. Consequently, we propose to save energy by using indexing to only enable the comparator at the single instruction to wake up. Only in the rare case when more than one instruction needs to wake up, our scheme reverts to enabling all the comparators or a subset of them. For this reason, we call our scheme Hybrid. Overall, our scheme is very effective: for a processor with a 96-entry window, the number of comparisons performed by the average completing instruction with a destination register is reduced to 0.8. The exact magnitude of the energy savings will depend on the specific instruction window implementation. Furthermore, the application suffers no performance penalty.
Composition of Modern Sand from the Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A.: Implications for Actualistic Petrofacies of Continental-Margin Magmatic Arcs

Abstract The Sierra Nevada of California represents the roots of a long-lived magmatic arc (primarily Cretaceous) that is presently being dissected as the range is uplifted, beginning in the south and progressing northward. This dissection is occurring concurrently with northward migration of the Mendocino triple junction, south of which magmatic-arc activity is absent, and north of which magmatic-arc activity continues. A north-to-south transect along the Sierra Nevada represents transitions of active magmatic arc to transitional arc to dissected arc, and in the southern Sierra Nevada, to uplifted basement. Thus, analysis of composition of modern sand derived from these separate parts of the Sierra Nevada provides a test for actualistic sand(stone) petrofacies of magmatic arcs at all stages of dissection. Rigorous statistical analysis of the composition of modern sand from the Sierra Nevada characterizes stages of magmatic-arc dissection. Discriminant analysis of point-count data from Sierra Nevada modern sand defines four compositional groups and distinguishes clearly between undissected-arc and uplifted-basement end members. Two intermediate compositional groups reflect the complex geologic history of the Sierra Nevada. Volcanic and plutonic rocks dominate one intermediate group; metamorphic and plutonic rocks dominate the other. The former group exhibits characteristics of Dickinson's (1985) "transitional arc," whereas the latter is equivalent to "dissected arc." No single compositional parameter is diagnostic of the degree of magmatic-arc dissection, although volcanic-lithic content clearly differentiates between "undissected" and "basement" groups. Regional compositional trends are evident when recalculated point-count data are plotted against latitude. Sand composition in the southern Sierra Nevada reflects significant Cenozoic uplift of the batholith, resulting from Basin and Range extension. High concentrations of quartz and feldspar, and extreme lithic depletion are typical at the southernmost Sierra Nevada; this extreme depletion characterizes "basement uplift." The primary drainage divide of the Sierra Nevada forms a rough compositional boundary between eastern and western groups. Potassium-feldspar content best distinguishes these groups, with higher values in the east. Rigorous confidence regions in ternary diagrams yield results that are similar, but not identical, to hexagonal fields of compositional variation. Arithmetic means, associated with hexagonal fields, are not identical to geometric means, associated with logratio confidence regions. Definition of sand(stone) provenance groups, in general, depends on both data-acquisition methods (e.g., Gazzi–Dickinson method) and statistical methods (e.g., Weltje method), so that direct comparison of data analyzed using different methods is unwarranted.
The logic of linguistic categorization and online taxonomies for global audiences

An increasing body of evidence points to the need to revise global information systems through linguistic categorization. This theory is based on the logic of causation, which claims that linguistic categorization affects online taxonomies and the semantic aspects of search engines. First, linguistic categories often differ within specific regional contexts (linguistic generation for number and color are two well-known exceptions). Second, these differences in linguistic categorization have analogues in online taxonomies, as these groupings are normally based on the higher level abstractions of nouns. Finally, linguistic categorization may also affect search engines, which are driven by a need to parse natural language. If the logic of linguistic categorization is correct, then this theory provides a simple conceptual tool for rethinking a global information system.
Modifying the Federal Tax Treatment of 401(k) Plan Contributions: Projected Impact on Participant Account Balances

Analyses of recent proposals to change the tax preferences for employment-based 401(k) retirement programs have often assumed status quo in plan design (by plan sponsors) and contribution flows (by both individual participants and employers) in response to those changes. Surveys of both individual participants and plan sponsors suggest, however, that some would change -- and in many of those cases, reduce -- their contributions. Recent surveys of plan sponsors also suggest that not only would some matching contributions be changed in response, but that some employers would cease offering these retirement plans altogether. Smaller employers were more likely to respond negatively to the proposed changes than larger employers. Integrating new data from plan sponsors, this paper provides a perspective on the impact of a scenario where the current tax treatment of employer and worker pre-tax contributions was modified such that workers would have to pay federal taxes on these amounts currently, rather than on a deferred basis, as under current law, and participants would receive an 18 percent government match (as contemplated in the Gale proposal, 2011, a plan that would modify the existing tax treatment of both worker and employer 401(k) contributions and introduce a flat-rate refundable credit that serves as a federal matching contribution into a retirement savings account). EBRI baseline analysis indicates that plan-sponsor modifications, combined with individual participant reactions, would result in an average percentage reduction in 401(k) balances of between 6-22 percent at Social Security normal retirement age for workers currently ages 26-35. These responses are strongly tied to plan size; EBRI baseline simulations show that 401(k) plans with less than $10 million in assets would experience average reductions in participant balances at retirement age of between 23-40 percent (depending on plan size and income quartile) for workers currently ages 26-35.The PDF for the above title, published in the March 2012 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the full text of another March 2012 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: “Trends in Health Coverage for Part-Time Workers.”
Deep genetic divergences among morphologically similar and parapatric Skistodiaptomus (Copepoda: Calanoida: Diaptomidae) challenge the hypothesis of Pleistocene speciation

We used mitochondrial [cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CO I), cytochrome b, and 16S] and nuclear [internal transcribed spacer (ITS) phylogenies of Skistodiaptomus copepods to test hypotheses of Pleistocene divergence and speciation within the genus. Mitochondrial (mt)DNA sequence divergences do not support hypotheses for Pleistocene speciation and instead suggest much more ancient speciation events in the genus. Skistodiaptomus oregonensis and Skistodiaptomus pygmaeus (i.e. two morphologically similar and parapatric species) exhibited uncorrected mtDNA sequence divergences exceeding 20%. Similarly, we identified three divergent clades of Skistodiaptomus pallidus that exhibited mtDNA sequence divergences exceeding 15%, suggesting that even intraspecific divergence within this morphospecies predates the Pleistocene. We found clear evidence of CO I pseudogenes in S. pygmaeus, but their presence did not lead to significant overestimates of sequence divergences for this gene. Substitution saturation and strong purifying selection have most likely led to underestimates of sequence divergences and divergence times among Skistodiaptomus. The widespread phenomenon of morphological stasis among genetically divergent copepod groups indicates that speciation often occurs with little or no morphological change. Instead, morphological evolution may occur idiosyncratically after speciation and create discordant patterns of morphological similarity, shared ancestry and divergence time. Cryptic species complexes are therefore common in copepods, and morphological species concepts underestimate their true species diversity. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 96, 150‐165. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: cryptic species ‐ genitalia ‐ intrinsic incompatibility ‐ molecular clocks ‐ molecular phylogeny ‐ morphological stasis ‐ Pleistoscenario ‐ pseudogenes ‐ reproductive isolation ‐ sexual selection.
Neuroprotective Mechanisms of Taurine against Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke exhibits a multiplicity of pathophysiological mechanisms. To address the diverse pathophysiological mechanisms observed in ischemic stroke investigators seek to find therapeutic strategies that are multifaceted in their action by either investigating multipotential compounds or by using a combination of compounds. Taurine, an endogenous amino acid, exhibits a plethora of physiological functions. It exhibits antioxidative properties, stabilizes membrane, functions as an osmoregulator, modulates ionic movements, reduces the level of pro-inflammators, regulates intracellular calcium concentration; all of which contributes to its neuroprotective effect. Data are accumulating that show the neuroprotective mechanisms of taurine against stroke pathophysiology. In this review, we describe the neuroprotective mechanisms employed by taurine against ischemic stroke and its use in clinical trial for ischemic stroke.
Thalidomide and dexamethasone: a new standard of care for initial therapy in multiple myeloma.

InthisissueoftheJournalofClinicalOncology,Rajkumaretal report on the results of a randomized phase III clinical trial of thalidomide plus dexamethasone compared to high-dose dexamethasone alone in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. 1 In this study, coordinated by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, 207 patients were randomly assigned to either thalidomide plus dexamethasoneorhigh-dosedexamethasonealone.Responserate, the primary end point, was significantly higher with thalidomide plus dexamethasone than single-agent high-dose dexamethasone (63% v 41%, respectively, P .002); however, this benefit was associated with important toxicities, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and treatment-related mortality, which were 5% and 4%, respectively. 1
Superclustering and the large-scale structure of the Universe

A complete redshift survey of nearby rich galactic clusters is analyzed in terms of a spatial correlation function, the growth of supercluster, the presence of superclusters around the Bootes void and the discovery of a 300 Mpc void. Abell's (1958) statistical sampling of rich clusters is used for the study. Attention is given to the dependence of the correlation function on the richness of the system, with finding that chances are greater of finding rich neighbors closer together than poor neighbors. Samples of redshifts of 4 or less correlate well with clusters of redshift 5 or more. The size of intergalactic voids is proportional to the surrounding galactic excesses. Finally, the superclusters exist on scales of about 100 Mpc/h, which is larger than expected.
Comparison of histochemical autometallography (Danscher's stain) to chemical analysis for detection of selenium in tissues.

Selenium intoxication induces a variety of clinical syn- dromes, such as chronic dystrophic digital lesions in horses, cattle, and swine (alkali disease), poliomyelomalacia in pigs, and myocardial necrosis in various species. Diagnosis of sel- enosis is currently based on the presence of characteristic lesions, combined with chemical analysis (more than 2 and 10 µg/g selenium in blood and hair, respectively). 9 containing 0.19 ppm selenium and a declared zinc content of 70 ppm. At the end of the study period, rats were eu- thanized with diethyl ether and examined postmortem. Body and organ weights (thymus,. spleen, liver, kidney, heart, and brain) were recorded. Samples of liver, kidney, heart, and brain (left cerebrum and brain stem) were fixed by immersion in Carnoy's solution for 2-3 hours, dehydrated in ascending concentrations (70%, 80%, 95%, 100%) of ethyl alcohol over 6 hours, held in toluene overnight, and placed in an auto- mated tissue processor c for infiltration under vacuum with paraffin wax. Three coronal levels of the brain were examined histologically: rostra1 cerebrum taken at the head of the cau- date nucleus, caudal cerebrum taken through hippocampal areas CA1-CA4, and cerebellum-medulla oblongata taken at nucleus cochlearis dorsalis. Tissues were sectioned at nom- inal thicknesses of 5 and 14 µm for hematoxylin and eosin staining and autometallographic staining, respectively, and mounted on glass slides coated with 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane. a
Outcomes of ab interno trabeculectomy with the trabectome after failed trabeculectomy

Aim To evaluate outcomes of ab interno trabeculectomy (AIT) with the trabectome following failed trabeculectomy. Methods Prospective study of AITs and phaco-AITs after a failed trabeculectomy. The indication for AIT was intraocular pressure (IOP) above target on maximally tolerated therapy, and for phaco-AIT a visually significant cataract and need to lower IOP or glaucoma medications. Outcomes included IOP, medications, complications, secondary procedures and success, defined as IOP of less than 21 mm Hg and a greater than 20% reduction from baseline without further surgery. Exclusion criteria were trabeculectomy less than 3 months prior to AIT or follow-up under 1 year. Results Seventy-three eyes of 73 patients with 1 year follow-up were identified. At 1 year, mean IOP in AIT significantly decreased by 28% from 23.7±5.5 mm Hg, and medications from 2.8±1.2 to 2±1.3 (n=58). In phaco-AIT, the mean IOP decreased 19% from 20±5.9 mm Hg and medications from 2.5±1.5 to 1.6±1.4 (n=15). Transient hypotony occurred in 7%, and further surgery was necessary in 18%. For AIT and phaco-AIT, the 1-year cumulative probability of success was 81% and 87%, respectively. Conclusions Both AIT and phaco-AIT showed a reduction in IOP and medication use after 1 year, suggesting that AIT with or without cataract surgery is a safe and effective option following failed trabeculectomy.
Maximum likelihood decoding with reduced complexity

We design maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding, whose complexity has exponential order q/sup nR(1-R)/(1+R)/ for virtually all linear q-ary codes of length n and rate R used over any memoryless channel. This exponent reduces up to 3 times the known complexity exponent q/sup n/ /sup min(R,/ /sup 1-R)/ of ML decoding.
Individual differences in multimodal integration patterns: what are they and why do they exist?

Techniques for information fusion are at the heart of multimodal system design. To develop new user-adaptive approaches for multimodal fusion, the present research investigated the stability and underlying cause of major individual differences that have been documented between users in their multimodal integration pattern. Longitudinal data were collected from 25 adults as they interacted with a map system over six weeks. Analyses of 1,100 multimodal constructions revealed that everyone had a dominant integration pattern, either simultaneous or sequential, which was 95-96% consistent and remained stable over time. In addition, coherent behavioral and linguistic differences were identified between these two groups. Whereas performance speed was comparable, sequential integrators made only half as many errors and excelled during new or complex tasks. Sequential integrators also had more precise articulation (e.g., fewer disfluencies), although their speech rate was no slower. Finally, sequential integrators more often adopted terse and direct command-style language, with a smaller and less varied vocabulary, which appeared focused on achieving error-free communication. These distinct interaction patterns are interpreted as deriving from fundamental differences in reflective-impulsive cognitive style. Implications of these findings are discussed for the design of adaptive multimodal systems with substantially improved performance characteristics.
Development and Assessment of a Computer Algorithm for Stroke Vascular Localization Using Components of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale.

Background The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was not intended to be used to determine the stroke's vascular distribution. The aim of this study was to develop, assess the reliability, and validate a computer algorithm based on the NIHSS for this purpose. Methods Two cohorts of patients with ischemic stroke having similar distributions of Oxfordshire localizations (total anterior, partial anterior, lacunar, and posterior circulation) based on neuroimaging were identified. The first cohort (n = 40) was used to develop a computer algorithm for vascular localization using a modified version of the NIHSS (NIHSS-Localization [NIHSS-Loc]) that included the laterality of selected deficits; the second (n = 20) was used to assess the reliability of algorithm-based localizations compared to those of 2 vascular neurologists. The validity of the algorithm-based localizations was assessed in comparison to neuroimaging. Agreement was assessed using the unweighted kappa (κ) statistic. Results Agreement between the 2 raters using the standard NIHSS was slight to moderate (κ = .36, 95% confidence interval [CI] .10-.61). Inter-rater agreement significantly improved to the substantial to almost perfect range using the NIHSS-Loc (κ = .88, 95% CI .73-1.00). Agreement was perfect when the 2 raters entered the data into the NIHSS-Loc computer algorithm (κ = 1.00, 95% CI 1.00-1.00). Agreement between the algorithm localization and neuroimaging results was fair to moderate (κ = .59, 95% CI .35-.84) and not significantly different from the localizations of either rater using the NIHSS-Loc. Conclusion A computerized, modified version of the standard NIHSS can be used to reliably and validly assign the vascular distribution of an acute ischemic stroke.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine and temozolomide for unresectable pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are relatively rare tumors that arise in the endocrine cells of the pancreas. Historically, somatostatin analogues have been used in this disease primarily for symptom control and, to a limited extent, disease stability. More recently, sunitinib and everolimus have been approved for advanced stage PNETs based on a survival benefit. However, both agents have a <10% actual response rate and cause nontrivial side effect profiles that limit duration of therapy. In locally advanced disease, there is a paucity of data to support an optimal neoadjuvant approach with the expectation of down-staging to allow for curative resection. We describe in this case a young woman who was successfully down-staged using a chemotherapy regimen of capecitabine and temozolomide with minimal toxicity.
Issues in Technology and Regulation of Financial Firms

The structure of technology and potential substitutability between various assets and liabilities is of interest not only from the point of efficiency in the financial sector, but also for the conduct of monetary policy. Moreover, such information is of relevance in the regulation and deregulation of the financial sector.
Multilingual Practices in Transnational Digital Contexts

Barton, D. (2007). Literacy: An introduction to the ecology of written language (2nd ed.). Oxford, England: Blackwell. Barton, D., & Lee, C. (2013). Language online: Investigating digital texts and practices. London, England: Routledge. Black, R. W. (2009). Online fan fiction, global identities, and imagination. Research in the Teaching of English, 43, 397–425. Duff, P. A. (2003). New directions in second language socialization research. Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics, 3, 309–339. Early, M., & Marshall, S. (2008). Adolescent ESL students’ interpretation and appreciation of literary texts: A case study of multimodality. Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 64, 377–397. doi:10. 1353/cml.2008.0041 Gee, J. P. (2005). Semiotic social spaces and affinity spaces: From The Age of Mythology to today’s schools. In D. Barton & K. Tusting (Eds.), Beyond communities of practice: Language, power and social context (pp. 214–232). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Ito, M., Baumer, S., Bittanti, M., Boyd, D., Cody, R., Herr-Stephenson, B., & Yardi, S. (2010). Hanging out, messing around, and geeking out: Kids living and learning with new media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Lam, W. S. E. (2000). L2 literacy and the design of the self: A case study of a teenager writing on the Internet. TESOL Quarterly, 34, 457–482. doi:10.2307/3587739 Potts, D. (2005). Pedagogy, purpose, and the second language learner in online communities. Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 62, 137–160. doi:10.1353/cml.2005.0045 Thorne, S. L., Black, R. W., & Sykes, J. M. (2009). Second language use, socialization, and learning in Internet interest communities and online gaming. The Modern Language Journal, 93(S1), 802–821. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00974.x
Improved speciation of dissolved organic nitrogen in natural waters: amide hydrolysis with fluorescence derivatization

The objective of this study was to improve primary-amine nitrogen (1 ◦ -N) quantification in dissolved organic matter (DOM) originating from natural waters where inorganic forms of N, which may cause analytical interference, are commonly encountered. Efforts were targeted at elucidating organic-N structural cri teria influencing the response of organic amines to known col orimetric and fluorescent reagents and exploring the use of divalent metal -assisted amide hydrolysis in combination with fluorescenc e analyses. We found that reaction of o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) with primary amines is significant ly influenced by steric factors, whereas fluorescamine (FLU) lacks sensitivity to steric factors and allows for the detection of a larger suite of organic amines, including di- and tri-peptides and sterically hindered 1 ◦ -N. Due to the near quantitative recovery of dissolved peptides with the FLU reagent and lack of analytical response to inorganic nitrogen, we proposed that FLU be utilized for the quantification of primary ami ne nitrogen. In exploring the application of divalent metal promoted peptide hydrolysis to the analysis of organic forms of nitrogen in DOM, we found that Zn(II) reaction increased the total fraction of o rganic-N detectable by both OPA and FLU reagents. Zn-hydrolysis improved recovery of organic-N in natural waters from < 5% to 35%. The above method, coupled with standard inorganic-N analyses, allows for enhanced resolution of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) speciation in natural waters.
Endovascular repair with fenestrated-branched stent grafts improves 30-day outcomes for complex aortic aneurysms compared with open repair.

Background Endovascular repair is associated with better 30-day outcomes than open surgical repair for patients with infrarenal aortic aneurysms. In patients with complex aortic aneurysms (CAAs) requiring suprarenal or supravisceral aortic cross-clamping during open repair, few data exist directly comparing the real-world outcomes of open repair versus endovascular repair with fenestrated-branched stent grafts (FEVAR). Methods Outcomes for patients who underwent elective CAA repair using open repair and FEVAR between 2005 and 2010 were analyzed using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. CAA was defined as aneurysm of the aorta involving the visceral and/or renal arteries. Results This study compared 1091 patients who underwent open repair (group A: male, 71.5%; age, 71 ± 9 years) with 264 patients treated with FEVAR (group B: male, 82.2%; age, 74 ± 9 years). The 2 groups did not significantly differ with respect to American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification (ASA III/IV: A, 93%; B, 95%, P = 0.6), severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (A: 21%; B: 22%; P = 0.7), prior cardiac surgery (A: 24%; B: 20%; P = 0.19), or preoperative renal function (glomerular filtration rate: A: 69 ± 2; B: 70 ± 27; P = 0.535). Group A had significantly higher risk of any complication (A: 42%; B: 19%; P < 0.001), nonsurgical complications (A: 30%; B: 8%; P < 0.001), pulmonary complications (A: 21%; B: 2%; P < 0.001), renal complications (A: 10%; B: 1.5%; P = 0.001), and any cardiovascular complication (A: 8%; B: 2%; P < 0.001). The composite end point of surgical site infections/graft failure/bleeding transfusions were also higher in group A (A: 22%; B: 15%; P = 0.014). Thirty-day mortality was significantly lower for FEVAR (A: 5.4%; B: 0.8%; P = 0.001), as was total length of hospital stay (A: 11 ± 10 days; B: 4 ± 5 days; P < 0.001). Conclusions This nationwide real-world database suggests that in similar patient populations, repair of CAAs with FEVAR is associated with reduced 30-day morbidity and mortality compared with open repair. Although long-term comparative studies are needed, FEVAR may represent a preferred treatment alternative to open repair for patients with CAAs.
The Physics and Mechanics of Brittle Matrix Composites

Publisher Summary A major development in materials technology has been the synthesis of composites consisting of high strength particles, often in filamentary form dispersed in various solid matrices. This chapter discusses several composites in which the matrices, such as ceramics, glasses or intermetallic compounds, are brittle rather than ductile with elastic properties quite similar to those of the embedded fibers. Such fibers impart good tensile strength to the matrices, even in the presence of holes and notches. This characteristic is important because composite components generally need to be attached to other components, usually metals. At these attachments, stress concentrations arise, which dominate the design and reliability. Inelastic deformation at these sites is crucial. It alleviates the elastic stress concentration by locally redistributing stress. Such inelasticity is present in brittle matrix composites. In association with the inelastic deformation, various degradation processes occur that affect the useful life of these composites. The most severe degradation appears to occur subject to out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue (TMF). In addition, creep and creep rupture also occur at high temperatures. The chapter also addresses the mechanisms of stress redistribution in these composites upon monotonic and cyclic loading, as well as the mechanics needed to characterize the notch. The basic phenomena that give rise to inelastic strains are matrix cracks and fiber failures subject to interfaces that debond and slide.
Unfoldomes and Unfoldomics: Introducing Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

The last decade and a half has witnessed the fall of one of the major paradigms in structural biology. Contrary to the more than a hundred year-old belief that unique protein function is defined by unique crystal-like protein structure which is encoded in unique amino acid sequence, many biologically active proteins lack stable tertiary and/or secondary structure under physiological conditions in vitro. These intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and IDP regions (IDPRs) are very different from ordered proteins and domains at the variety of levels, starting from the specific and well-recognizable amino acid composition and sequence biases and ending with engagement in biological functions non-accessible to entities with unique and fixed structures. IDPs/IDPRs are highly abundant in nature, and many of them are associated with various human diseases. The functional repertoire of IDPs complements the functions of ordered proteins, with IDPs being often involved in regulation, signaling, and control. Due to their exceptional commonness within the protein universe, combined with a set of specific structural and conformational features, and broad and unique functional repertoire, IDPs and hybrid proteins possessing ordered domains and functional IDPRs clearly comprise unfoldomes within all known proteomes. This chapter provides a brief description of IDPs/IDPRs and shows the place of these exceptionally interesting creatures within the protein kingdom.
Where Is the Electronic Oscillator Strength? Mapping Oscillator Strength across Molecular Absorption Spectra

The effectiveness of solar energy capture and conversion materials derives from their ability to absorb light and to transform the excitation energy into energy stored in free carriers or chemical bonds. The Thomas–Reiche–Kuhn (TRK) sum rule mandates that the integrated (electronic) oscillator strength of an absorber equals the total number of electrons in the structure. Typical molecular chromophores place only about 1% of their oscillator strength in the UV–vis window, so individual chromophores operate at about 1% of their theoretical limit. We explore the distribution of oscillator strength as a function of excitation energy to understand this circumstance. To this aim, we use familiar independent-electron model Hamiltonians as well as first-principles electronic structure methods. While model Hamiltonians capture the qualitative electronic spectra associated with π electron chromophores, these Hamiltonians mistakenly focus the oscillator strength in the fewest low-energy transitions. Advanced electro...
Reliability and sensitivity of bogie frame of high-speed train with strength degradation

High-speed bogie frame is a key mechanical component in a train system. The reliability analysis of the bogie is necessary to the safety of high-speed train. Reliability analysis of a bogie frame was considered. The equivalent load method was employed to account for random repeated loads in structural reliability analysis. Degradation of material strength was regarded as a Gamma process. The probabilistic perturbation method was, then, employed for response moment computation. Example of a high-speed train bogie structure under time-variant load was employed for reliability and sensitivity analyses. Monte-Carlo simulation verifies the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method in time-variant reliability analysis. The analysis results show that the reliability calculation considering the strength degradation and repeated load is closer to the practicality than the method of considering reliability calculation only. Its decreasing velocity is faster than the traditional reliability. The reliability sensitivity value changes over time. The analysis results provide a variation trend of reliability and sensitivity to design and usage of bogie frame.
The Limits of Manipulation: How the United States Didn't Topple Sukarno

For forty years, from its conception as a Cold War regrouping of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to its recent revival as the covert arm of the Reagan Revolution, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has occupied a large and central position in United States foreign policy. Precisely how large and just how central remain unknown, however, since the agency hatches its plans in secret and shields its progeny from public gaze far past the common age of majority. Congressional investigators armed with subpoena powers have occasionally lifted the veil; academics and journalists equipped with the far less potent Freedom of Information Act have managed more fleeting glimpses. But for the most part, the underside of American diplomacy exists beyond clear view, in the shadowy world of news leaks, exposes, and memoirs of unverifiable accuracy. Not surprisingly, considering what is known of the agency's activities, rumors have flourished regarding what else it might have been up to, and "the company" has acquired an aura of, if not invincibility, at least ubiquity. Did the CIA topple Mohammed Mossadegh of Iran? Jacobo Arbenz Guzman of Guatemala? Joao Goulart of Brazil? Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines? Did it plot the assassination of the Congo's Patrice Lumumba? Cuba's Fidel Castro? South Vietnam's Ngo Dinh Diem? Chile's Salvador Allende? America'sJohn F. Kennedy? Was it involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion? The Viet-Cong-liquidating Operation Phoenix? The downing of Korean Air Lines flight 007? The Panamanian drug trade? The affirmative answers some of these questions require lend credence to the allegations implicit in others. Besides, conspiracy charges rarely admit of disproof. Lack of evidence fails to move convinced critics; it simply indicates a deeper deviousness. One of the worst pennies in this economy of intrusion involves American complicity in the overthrow of President Achmed Sukarno of Indonesia in 1965, a transfer of power that replaced the left-neutralist Sukarno with the ferociously right-
Family-focused Behavioral Approach to Weight Control in Children

To treat the obese child or the child who is becoming obese appropriately, the clinician must determine if the adiposity is temporary or the beginning of a permanent trend that requires intervention. A child–family pattern can be defined in overweight children based on presence of a metabolic tendency, energy intake, activity level, and family functioning. In looking at the pattern rather than just the child’s weight, the clinician can be much more effective with a weight control program, and with proper referral for changing family functioning prior to such a program if necessary.
Preparing to implement

The steps involved in preparing to implement a pharmacy computer system are described. Although the order in which the various steps have to be completed varies according to the hospital specifics, important elements of the preparation process include preparation of the site, organization of personnel, development of policies and procedures, developing and ordering forms, preparation of the implementation schedule, file development, and preparation of other departments. A well-designed plan and a realistic time schedule for the preparation process facilitates the actual implementation of a pharmacy computer system.
Introduction to Applications of Genomic Sequencing

Since completion of the Human Genome Project in 2001, dynamics in human genetics have greatly accelerated. Sequencing a human genome used to be a multimillion dollar project but is now reduced to less than $2000 and increasingly becomes routine in research and clinical applications. Disease gene discovery has greatly accelerated and the importance of rare and “private” alleles is evident, which can only be identified by sequencing. Clinical genetic testing is currently going through radical changes, leading to comprehensive, yet still more affordable tests. The optimism is such that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other organizations have targeted the identification of possibly all Mendelian disease genes in the coming decade. New challenges have come into focus, including managing very large amounts of data, translation into clinical electronic record systems, genomic data sharing, data security, and others. Regardless, the enthusiasm resulting from decoding the entire human genome is beginning to play out in applications for research and patient care. This chapter will introduce a few key aspects of this, still new, age of genomics.
Widening the Spectrum of Desire and Nation: Anacristina Rossi's Fiction

Anacristina Rossi is one of Costa Rica’s most important writers. Often studies of her work, including my own, highlight gendered and ethnic alterity that counter Costa Rican nationalist narratives. In this analysis I take a second look at this alterity and its relationship to sexuality. In particular, I examine the main female voices and characters in three of Rossi’s major novels (Mariestela in Maria la noche, 1985, Daniela in La loca de Gandoca, 1991, and Leonor in Limon Blues, 2002) in order to underscore subtle elements of queer sexuality that enrich and complicate the categories of sexuality and gender, as well as the critique of the nation-state. I intend to show that queer theory allows for a more accurate and nuanced picture of Rossi’s textual politics. It is only by applying queer theory that sexual diversity, particularly non-normative femininities, becomes apparent in these texts.
Brain Volume and Intelligence in Neurofibromatosis 1

Brain morphology and neuropsychological functioning were examined in 52 children and adolescents with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1), and findings compared with 19 controls, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
Public preferences for species conservation: choosing between lethal control, habitat protection and no action

Despite increasing support for conservation efforts, humans exert strong negative forces on nature and disagree over the management of these effects. Conflicts over conservation policy may reflect evolving opinions about how people ought to conserve species and whether to intervene in various processes. To understand public preferences for conservation in the USA, we measured support for various strategies in five case studies, where we pitted one species against another in simplified but realistic scenarios. Among our online convenience sample of 1040 participants, we found the majority of participants favoured habitat protection in all but one case, and there was little acceptance of lethal control across all cases. The results reveal that habitat protection preferences positively relate to considerations of moral principles and ecosystems and negatively relate to economic and practical considerations. Older, conservative and male participants were less likely to support habitat protection and more likely to support no action. The results suggest broad support for holistic nature conservation that benefits both people and nature and highlight areas where current wildlife management may not align with public preferences. Controversy may continue until wildlife management policies are consistent with societal values and address moral and ecosystem considerations at multiple levels.
Rotator Cuff Healing: Improving Biology

Rotator cuff tears are a common cause of shoulder pain and dysfunction. Despite surgical repair, high rotator cuff re-tear rates are seen and may lead to poor outcomes. There are numerous patient, biologic and biomechanical factors that lead to the high re-tear rates. Biologics have the potential to improve rotator cuff tendon healing, but, its role in orthopaedics is still controversial with evolving indications, uses and strategies. Additional research is necessary to further define the benefit and uses of biologics as an augmentation to rotator cuff repair.
The Trials of Arnošt K.The Dark Angel of Dialectical Materialism

The Prague-born philosopher and historian of science Arnost Kolman (1892–1979)—who often published under his Russian name Ernest Kol’man—has fallen into obscurity, much like dialectical materialism, the philosophy of science he represented. From modest Czech-Jewish origins, Kolman seized opportunities posed by the advent of the Bolshevik Revolution to advance to the highest levels of polemical Stalinist philosophy, returned to Prague as an activist laying the groundwork for the Communist coup in Czechoslovakia in February 1948, was arrested and held for three years by the Soviet secret police, returned to work in Moscow and Prague as a historian of science, played vastly contrasting roles in the Luzin Affair of the 1930s and the rehabilitation of cybernetics in the 1950s, and defected—after 58 years in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union—to Sweden in 1976. This article argues that Kolman’s biography represents his gradual separation of dialectical materialism from other aspects of Soviet authority, a disentanglement enabled by the perspective gained from repeated returns to Prague and the diversity of dialectical-materialist thought developed in the Eastern Bloc. This essay is part of a special issue entitled THE BONDS OF HISTORY edited by Anita Guerrini.
Neuropathology and Genetics of Prion Protein and British Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathies

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), may be associated with normal aging and Alzheimer disease, and may be a cause of cerebral hemorrhage. Disorders in which amyloid is deposited as CAA include hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis of Icelandic and Dutch types, the Hungarian and Ohio kindreds of meningocerebrovascular amyloidosis and the gelsolin-related spinal and CAA. Recently, two forms of dementia associated with CAA not presenting cerebral hemorrhage have been described. They are the prion protein CAA (PrP-CAA) and the familial British dementia (FBD). PrP-CAA is associated with a stop codon mutation (Y145stop) in the PrP gene. In FBD, a single nucleotide substitution at codon 267 results in an arginine residue in place of the stop codon normally occurring in the precursor molecule and a longer open-reading frame of 277 amino acids instead of 266. The two most characteristic microscopic lesions of PrP-CAA and FBD are amyloid deposits in parenchymal blood vessels and neurofibrillary lesions.
Modified Hysterotomy Closure Technique for Open Fetal Surgery.

Objective: We reviewed our experience with open fetal surgical myelomeningocele repair to assess the efficacy of a new modification of the hysterotomy closure technique regarding hysterotomy complication rates at the time of cesarean delivery. Methods: A modification of the standard hysterotomy closure was performed on all patients undergoing prenatal myelomeningocele repair. The closure consisted of an interrupted full-thickness #0 polydioxanone (PDS) retention suture as well as a running #0 PDS suture to re-approximate the myometrial edges, and the modification was a third imbricating layer resulting in serosal-to-serosal apposition. A standard omental patch was placed per our routine. Both operative reports and verbal descriptions of hysterotomy from delivering obstetricians were reviewed. Results: A total of 49 patients underwent prenatal repair of myelomeningocele, 43 having adequate follow-up for evaluation. Of those, 95.4% had completely intact hysterotomy closures, with only 1 partial dehiscence (2.3%) and 1 thinned scar (2.3%). There were no instances of uterine rupture. Discussion: In patients undergoing this modified hysterotomy closure technique, a much lower than expected complication rate was observed. This simple modified closure technique may improve hysterotomy healing and reduce obstetric morbidity.