cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variations in cell-mediated immunity to Trypanosoma cruzi during experimental Chagas' disease.

Mice infected with bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma cruzi were found unable to respond significantly to subcutaneous stimulation with parasite antigens with a delayed-type hypersensitivity skin reaction during the acute phase of the disease. Consistent with this observation, peritoneal cells collected from infected mice during the acute period were unresponsive in in vitro assays for production of macrophage migration inhibitory factor. By contrast, both specific skin reactivity and significant inhibition of macrophage migration were noted during the chronic stage, i.e. when parasitaemias were on the decline or undetectable and mortality no longer occurred. Given the similarity between the kinetic changes in cell-mediated immunity monitored by in vivo tests and their in vitro correlate, the latter was used to explore the possible role of suppressor T cells in the causation of immunodeficiency recorded during the acute phase. Peritoneal cells from acutely infected animals failed to alter production of macr...
Sizeism is a health hazard

ABSTRACTSizeism and stereotypes of fat people can have a negative impact on their physical health and well-being. Disrespectful treatment and medical fat shaming (in an attempt to motivate people to change their behavior) is stressful and can cause patients to delay health care seeking or avoid interacting with providers. The assumption that weight is responsible for, or related to, almost any presenting complaint has resulted in misdiagnosis. Recommending different treatments for patients with the same condition based on their weight (e.g., weight loss for fat patients; CAT scans, blood work, or physical therapy for other patients) is unethical and a form of malpractice. Intersectional identities can result in a greater cumulative burden for people who experience sizeism as well as other forms of oppression (e.g., sexism, ageism, racism, classism, transphobia), and the stress that such unfairness causes can damage people’s health. Better training for health care providers and empowerment of patients are ...
Central Bank Design and Banking Supervision

The agenda of Central Banking and Monetary Policy: Which Will Be the New Normal? conference included a timely discussion about the involvement of central banks in the banking supervision, in the context of an optimal design of central banking. In the last 15 years, numerous changes in the institutional structures of prudential supervision have taken place. Prior the global financial crisis, central banks involvement in the prudential banking supervision has diminished due to a tendency to unify the prudential supervision in agencies outside of central banks. The aftermath of the global crisis sparked a new wave in which many countries integrated prudential supervision back under the authority of central banks. Nevertheless, the question of the optimal placement of banking supervision still persists while the empirical evidence is yet limited. Our empirical analysis suggests that countries with deeper financial markets and countries undergoing rapid financial deepening can benefit from having bank supervision in the central bank to better foster financial stability.
gram-scale metafluids and large area tunable metamaterials: design, fabrication, and nano-optical tomographic characterization(Conference Presentation)

Advances in metamaterials and metasurfaces have enabled unprecedented control of light-matter interactions. Metamaterial constituents support high-frequency electric and magnetic dipoles, which can be used as building blocks for new materials capable of negative refraction, electromagnetic cloaking, strong visible-frequency circular dichroism, and enhanced magnetic or chiral transitions in ions and molecules. However, most metamaterials to date have been limited to solid-state, static, narrow-band, and/or small-area structures. Here, we introduce the design, fabrication, and three-dimensional nano-optical characterization of large-area, dynamically-tunable metamaterials and gram-scale metafluids. First, we use transformation optics to design a broadband metamaterial constituent - a metallo-dielectric nanocrescent - characterized by degenerate electric and magnetic dipoles. A periodic array of nanocrescents exhibits large positive and negative refractive indices at optical frequencies, confirmed through simulations of plane wave refraction through a metamaterial prism. Simulations also reveal that the metamaterial optical properties are largely insensitive to the wavelength, orientation and polarization of incident light. Then, we introduce a new tomographic technique, cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopic tomography, to probe light-matter interactions in individual nanocrescents with nanometer-scale resolution. Two-dimensional CL maps of the three-dimensional nanostructure are obtained at various orientations, while a filtered back projection is used to reconstruct the CL intensity at each wavelength. The resulting tomograms allow us to locate regions of efficient cathodoluminescence in three dimensions across visible and near-infrared wavelengths, with contributions from material luminescence and radiative decay of electromagnetic eigenmodes. Finally, we demonstrate the fabrication of dynamically tunable large-area metamaterials and gram-scale metafluids, using a combination of colloidal synthesis, protein-directed assembly, self-assembly, etching, and stamping. The electric and magnetic response of the bulk metamaterial and metafluid are directly probed with optical scattering and spectroscopy. Using chemical swelling, these metamaterials exhibit reversible, unity-order refractive index changes that may provide a foundation for new adaptive optical materials in sensing, solar, and display applications.
Еще раз о самодельной морали: Ротбард против вооруженного еврея (Revisiting Story of Self-Invented Moral Values: Rothbard vs. Armed Jew)

Russian Abstract: Дискуссия Мюррея Ротбарда и Вальтера Блока по моральному обоснованию самообороны продолжается сюжетом о моральном обосновании существования государства Израиль. Показано, что выбор аксиоматики, а не логика полностью определяют позиции сторон. Выбор сводим к опции понравиться самопровозглашенному моральному авторитету или варианту следовать универсальной морали. При первом права на самооборону не существует как только агрессор догадывается задействовать живой щит, а евреи не должны жить свободно в стране Сиона и Иерусалима. При втором самооборона священна как право на жизнь, ответственность за жизнь живого щита лежит на агрессоре его использующем. Право евреев на страну Израиля может обосновываться, но не может всерьез дискутироваться. English Abstract: Walter Block challenged Murray Rothbard's beliefs on self-defense right (case of assailant utilizing human shield) and on moral foundation of the state Israel restoration. The choice of axiomatic predetermine the choice of the both discussants. The choice of artificially (self) invented moral values causes effective denial of self defense and cursing the Israel restoration as immoral act. Implicit choice of universal moral values causes the choice for self defense right and for Israel.
Astrocytic tight junctions control inflammatory CNS lesion pathogenesis

Lesions and neurologic disability in inflammatory CNS diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) result from the translocation of leukocytes and humoral factors from the vasculature, first across the endothelial blood-brain barrier (BBB) and then across the astrocytic glia limitans (GL). Factors secreted by reactive astrocytes open the BBB by disrupting endothelial tight junctions (TJs), but the mechanisms that control access across the GL are unknown. Here, we report that in inflammatory lesions, a second barrier composed of reactive astrocyte TJs of claudin 1 (CLDN1), CLDN4, and junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A) subunits is induced at the GL. In a human coculture model, CLDN4-deficient astrocytes were unable to control lymphocyte segregation. In models of CNS inflammation and MS, mice with astrocyte-specific Cldn4 deletion displayed exacerbated leukocyte and humoral infiltration, neuropathology, motor disability, and mortality. These findings identify a second inducible barrier to CNS entry at the GL. This barrier may be therapeutically targetable in inflammatory CNS disease.
The characterization of defects states and charge injection barriers in perovskite solar cells

The power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells has exceeded 22% within a few years. To further optimize their performance, the focus should be on minimizing the defects and barriers in the devices. In this work, Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) together with admittance spectroscopy (AS) is utilized in the characterization of charge injection barriers and defects states in perovskite solar cells. Our measurements indicate that perovskite has a defect level of 0.25 eV above its valance band. In addition, charge injection barriers are present in the interface between electron transporting layer (ETL) and perovskite layer. To improve the performance, passivation technique is needed for the removal of defects and charge injection barriers which could act as recombination centers in perovskite solar cells.
Meeting Report From the 2016 11th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium: Mechanisms of Initiation and Progression of Ovarian Cancers.

Objective The aim of this study was to review the latest research advances on the mechanisms of initiation and progression of ovarian cancer. Methods At the 11th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium, which was held in Seattle, Washington in September 2016, leaders in ovarian cancer research convened to present and discuss current advances and future directions in ovarian cancer research. Results One session was dedicated to Mechanisms of Initiation and Progression of Ovarian Cancer, and included a keynote presentation from Dr Ronny Drapkin, MD (University of Pennsylvania), and an invited oral presentation from Laising Yen, PhD (Baylor College of Medicine). Nine additional oral presentations were selected from abstract submissions. Thirty-three abstracts were presented in poster format and were grouped into the categories of mechanisms of the genesis of genomic instability, tumor initiation, metastases of ovarian cancers, innate and acquired chemotherapy resistance, tumor progression, tumor-initiating cell and chemotherapy resistance, and immunomodulation. Conclusions Eradication of ovarian cancers requires clear understanding of molecular mechanisms of ovarian cancer initiation and progression. These mechanisms will not only drive the precision of early detection, but also discovery of new therapies to target precursor lesions and more advanced stage disease.
Burden of Injuries in Bangladesh: A Population-Based Assessment.

Injuries claim over 5 million lives, with more than 90% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICS) [...]
Design of an Assistive Avatar in Improving Eye Gaze Perception in Children with ASD During Virtual Interaction

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) usually experience impairment in social interaction and often display reduced gaze sharing when interacting with another person. The lack of gaze sharing or joint attention early in the children’s developmental stage may create a delay in their ability to learn new things and share information with others. The presented study involved the design of a novel virtual reality (VR)-based training game with an avatar and eye tracker aimed to eventually address the joint attention impairment in children with ASD. The assistive avatar provides necessary cues and hints based on both the eye tracking data recorded by the VR system and the task performance of the participant. The system uses the task performance to adaptively change the difficulty level of the game. We believe that the training game will be able to improve participant’s gaze following skill. A usability study was carried out to validate the system design. The result showed that the system was feasible and able to obtain the expected gaze performance from the participants. The details of the system architecture and result of system validation are presented in this paper.
Neutron Radiography Applications and Techniques at the Hot Fuel Examination Facility

Neutron radiography has been used extensively at the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) to evaluate the performance of irradiated nuclear fuels and materials. This nondestructive technique has proved extremely valuable in determining the internal condition of fuel pins during various stages of their burnup lifetime. Such features as pellet separation, voids, bond-sodium level, fuel cracking, and fissile density variations are easily detected by means of neutron radiography.
Improving the Quality of Data Exchange Formats in the U.S. National Tuberculosis Surveillance System

Objective: The objective of this presentation is to use a congruence of standardization protocols to effectively ensure that the quality of the data elements and exchange formats within the NTSS are optimal for users of the system. Introduction: Disease surveillance systems remain the best quality systems to rely on when standardized surveillance systems provide the best data to understand disease occurrence and trends. The United States National Tuberculosis Surveillance System (NTSS) contains reported tuberculosis (TB) cases provided by all 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), New York City, Puerto Rico, and other U.S.-affiliated jurisdictions in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea [1]. However, the NTSS currently captures phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) data and does not have the ability to collect the rapid molecular DST data generated by platforms such as Cepheid GeneXpert MTB/RIF, Hain MTBDRplus and MTBDRsl, Pyrosequencing, and Whole Genome Sequencing [2-6]. Moreover, the information exchanges within the NTSS (represented in HL7 v2.5.1 [7]) are missing critical segments for appropriately representing laboratory test results and data on microbiological specimens. Methods: The application of the standardization protocols involves: (a) the revision of the current Report of Verified Case of Tuberculosis (RCVT) form to include the collection of molecular DST data; (b) the enhancement of the TB Case Notification Message Mapping Guide (MMG) v2.03 [8] to include segments for appropriately reporting laboratory test results (i.e., using Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) as a recommended vocabulary) and microbiology related test results (i.e., using Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine -- Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) as a recommended vocabulary); and (c) the standardization of the laboratory testing results generated by the variety of molecular DST platforms, reported to TB health departments through electronic laboratory results (ELR), using those same standardized LOINC and SNOMED CT vocabularies in HL7 v2.5.1 [7]. Results: The application of the standardization protocols would optimize early detection and reporting of rifampin-resistant TB cases; provide a high-quality data-driven decision-making process by public health administrators on TB cases; and generate high-quality datasets to enhance reporting or analyses of TB surveillance data and drug resistance. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that it is possible to apply standardized protocols to improve the quality of data, specifications and exchange formats within the NTSS, thereby streamlining the seamless exchange of TB incident cases in an integrated public health environment supporting TB surveillance, informatics, and translational research.
Aging and PMN response to P. aeruginosa infection.

PURPOSE. Alterations in immune system function associated with aging may contribute to increased morbidity in this population of individuals. The current studies were performed to determine aging-related changes in polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) function after corneal infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. METHODS. Total PMN number, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2 mRNA and protein expression, and ocular bacterial load were determined in 8-week- and 12-month-old inbred BALB/c mice at various times after infection with P. aeruginosa. In addition, 12-month-old mice were treated systemically with the MIP-2 polyclonal antibody (pAb) to determine the effects of MIP-2 neutralization on ocular disease and PMN recruitment. RESULTS. Histologically, PMN infiltration into the cornea of 12-month-old mice was delayed initially and was associated with an inability to reduce bacterial load at later postinfection (PI) times. In addition, a significantly greater number of PMNs were found in the cornea of 12-month-old mice at later PI times. The increase in PMN number in 12-month-old mice correlated with a persistence of MIP-2 expression in cornea at these later times. Systemic treatment of 12-month-old mice with neutralizing MIP-2 pAb versus normal rabbit serum (NRS) resulted in reduced corneal PMN number and ocular disease. CONCLUSIONS. These data provide evidence that persistence of PMN in the cornea of 12-month-old mice contributes to corneal tissue destruction after P. aeruginosa challenge. Further evidence also is provided that the chemoattractant MIP-2 contributes to the altered PMN response in these animals.
Hydrodynamics in a shallow seasonally low-inflow estuary following eelgrass collapse

Abstract Hydrodynamics play a critical role in mediating biological and ecological processes and can have major impacts on the distribution of habitat-forming species. Low-inflow estuaries are widespread in arid regions and during the dry season in Mediterranean climates. There is a growing need to evaluate dynamics and exchange processes in these systems and the resultant ecological linkages. We investigate the role that hydrodynamics play in shaping environmental gradients in a short and seasonally low-inflow estuary located along the central California coast. Since 2007, eelgrass meadows in Morro Bay have declined by more than 90%, representing the collapse of the major biogenic habitat. Despite the large-scale decline, eelgrass beds near the mouth of the bay remain resilient, suggesting that conditions in certain areas of the bay might allow or impede eelgrass retention and recovery. Oceanographic moorings were deployed throughout the bay during the summer dry season to assess spatial differences in environmental conditions and hydrodynamics across gradients in eelgrass survival. Relative to the mouth of the bay, the back bay water mass was significantly warmer (hyperthermal), more saline (hypersaline), less oxygenated, and more turbid, with longer flushing times, all of which have been identified as significant stressors on seagrasses. Moreover, there is weak exchange between the mouth and the back bay that effectively decouples the two water masses during most periods. Though the causes of the decline are not clear, gradients in environmental conditions driven by bay hydrodynamics appear to be preventing eelgrass recovery and restoration attempts in the back bay and keeping this region in an alternative state dominated by unvegetated intertidal mudflats. Ecosystems in low-inflow estuaries may be especially prone to ecological regime shifts or collapse and may require precautionary monitoring and management. This system and the dramatic ecological change that it has experienced, demonstrate the critical role that hydrodynamics play in ecosystem health and habitat suitability.
Multi-camera multi-target perceptual activity recognition via meta-data fusion (Conference Presentation)

Human activity detection and recognition capabilities have broad applications for civilian, military, and homeland security. However, monitoring of human activities are very complicated and tedious tasks especially when multiple persons involved perform activities in confined spaces that impose significant obstruction, occultation and observability uncertainty. These applications require fast and reliable tracking systems to observe and inference dynamic objects from multiple coherent video sequences. In compact surveillance systems utilization of multi-cameras monitoring system is highly imperative for tracking, inference, and recognition of variety of group activities. With multi-cameras systems, complexity of occultation can be dealt with by finding and correlating the correspondences from within multiple cameras views observing the same target at once. In this paper, we demonstrate one such a multi-person tracking system developed in a virtual environment. By example, we demonstrate an efficient and effective technique for multi-target tracking, discrimination, and activity recognition in confined spaces. The exemplary scenario considered under this study represents a bus activity where multiple passengers arrive, take seats, and leave while being monitoring by four concurrently operating surveillance camera systems. In this paper, we present how processing tasks of multiple cameras are shared, what objects features they detect, track, and identify jointly. Furthermore, we present the computational intelligence techniques for processing multi-camera images for recognition of objects of interest as well as for annotation of observed individual and group activities via meta-data imagery fusion. The proposed multi-camera processing system is shown to have efficiency and effectively to track multiple targets with different degree of social interactions either with one another or with objects involved with their activities.
The Impact of Communication Strategies on Faculty Members' Readiness for Curricular Change.

Curricular change is the “new normal” for medical schools. Assessing faculty readiness, perceptions about the necessity and urgency of change, and confidence in the capacity of the organization to successfully implement the process, have been identified as essential to managing the curricular change process. We used The Medical School’s Organizational Readiness for Curriculum Change Questionnaire (MORC) to assess and monitor faculty readiness for change. This 53-item survey uses a 5-point Likert scale to assess 3 factors. This project focused on the seven-item Communication subscale in order to guide the strategy for informing and involving faculty in the curricular change process. The MORC was distributed electronically to full-time faculty in December 2014 (pre-change), August 2016 (mid-change), and September 2017 (post-change). Respondents reported significantly increasing support and positive attitudes about curricular change, supporting the hypothesis that the communication strategies informed by MORC findings had a positive impact on faculty members’ perceptions of the process. As the leading faculty concerns reported in the MORC shifted from the merits of change to practical concerns about implementation, we adapted communications to address their priorities. The MORC proved useful in capturing quantitative data on faculty perceptions of curricular change but its value was limited by low response rates and unrepresentative samples. Scientists, full professors and tenure track faculty members were overrepresented in survey respondents. Survey lengths were identified as limiting participation. Our experience supports the development of a shorter version of MORC to retain validity and reliability while potentially increasing response rate.
A DNA test for routinely predicting mildew resistance in descendants of crabapple 'White Angel'.

Apple mildew, caused by the fungus Podosphaera leucotricha, is an ongoing problem for apple growers in most world production regions. To manage apple foliar mildew with less fungicide, use of mildew-resistant cultivars is an ideal option. The mildew resistance locus of crabapple ‘White Angel’ was previously named Pl-w and genetically mapped, with the closest DNA markers at least 4.6 cM away on one side of the locus. The objective of this study was to develop a DNA test with markers flanking Pl-w that can predict mildew susceptibility in ‘White Angel’ descendants. Two families with ‘White Angel’ as a common parent and ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Fuji’ as the other parents were screened for mildew susceptibility in a growth chamber. These seedlings were genotyped with reported DNA markers in the genetic vicinity of Pl-w. Segregation ratios in the two families fitted 1:3 and 3:5 ratios for resistance:susceptibility of seedlings. The DNA test developed, Md-Plw8-SSR, contained two SSR markers, CH01e12 and CH02g09, estimated at 0.01 ± 1.0 cM and 5.0 ± 1.0 cM, respectively, flanking the Pl-w locus. Md-Plw8-SSR identified individuals resistant to foliar mildew with 99.9% accuracy. The segregation ratios suggested mildew resistance from ‘White Angel’ was controlled by two unlinked loci with an unknown frequency and distribution in elite germplasm of the resistance allele at the second locus. When used in seedling screening, the new DNA test can eliminate at least some susceptible individuals but cannot detect allelic variation at the second, unmapped locus to ascertain resistance. Combining Md-Plw8-SSR with DNA tests for other sources of mildew resistance is expected to improve the ability to breed for durable resistance in apple.
Predicting Bacterial Versus Viral Infection, or None of the Above: Current and Future Prospects of Biomarkers

Sepsis and pneumonia cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite improvements in diagnostic methodologies for organism identification, the early recognition and further risk stratification of these infections can be challenging. Although traditional clinical scoring systems are beneficial for the management of sepsis and pneumonia, biomarkers supporting the diagnosis and management of these infectious diseases are needed. Many biomarkers have been identified and there is no lack of studies and meta-analyses assessing the utility of biomarkers. Focusing primarily on sepsis and pneumonia, this article discusses the most commonly used biomarkers for which clinical laboratory testing methods are available.
Chloride and pH Determination on a Wireless, Flexible Electrochemical Sensor Platform

A stamp-sized, flexible, wireless, generic electrochemical sensor platform was demonstrated for use as a potentiometric pH and amperometric Cl− sensor. The platform combines flexible printed circuit technology with screen-printed electrodes, which enables cheap and easy quantification of biorelevant analytes in many different environments. pH sensors with graphene oxide as the recognition element was constructed on a ferrocyanide modified carbon electrode, to maintain a well-defined redox potential even at high alkalinity. A solid-state reference electrode based on a NaCl-doped polyvinyl butyral membrane ensured applicability towards sample matrices of unknown composition by remining unsensitive (±7.1 mV) to external Cl− in the range pCl 0–3. The platform was able to linearly (−26.3 mV pH−1, r2 = 0.99) quantify pH in the range of 2–9 with a maximum inter-sensor standard deviation of 0.43 pH units. Secondly, a Cl− sensor combining three unmodified Ag/AgCl electrodes with squarewave amperometry was designed, simulated and tested. A sensitivity of (−147.7 $\mu \text{A}$ pCl−1, r2 = 0.97) was obtained, with a maximum inter-sensor standard deviation of 0.27 pCl units in the range pCl 0–3.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ASCORBIC ACID IN BABY MILK USING VARIED MILK DELIVERY SYSTEMS

Objective Expression of human milk for use in infant feeding has increased. Bottles are used to deliver expressed milk. Expression, storage, and subsequent provision of human milk (HM) to infants introduces the possibility of ascorbic acid loss (aa) loss. The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of milk delivery systems on aa concentration in HM. The objectives were 1) determine if there is a decline in aa during the feed, 2) determine if there is a difference in aa between delivery systems, and 3) evaluate if changes in aa are of clinical importance. Methods Seven bottle systems were used for comparison. The HM was standardized to 42 mg/L of aa. Samples were analyzed for aa concentration at baseline, 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes. An electric breast pumps were used to extract milk from the bottles. Samples were analyzed for ascorbic acid using normal-phase HPLC. Results Aa concentration declined over the 20 minutes for all bottle systems. Differences were noted between bottle systems. Aa concentrations declined to Conclusion Decreases of aa concentration in HM using varied milk delivery systems is of clinical importance, putting those infants who rely solely on bottle feeds for their total aa at risk of deficiency. For those infants especially high risk, such as those in neonatal intensive care, aa intake should be evaluated. Changes may be needed for the handling of HM to preserve the integrity of specific nutrients.
Stereospecific synthesis of phosphatidylglycerol using a cyanoethyl phosphoramidite precursor

Abstract Phosphatidylglycerols (PG) are a family of naturally occurring phospholipids that are responsible for critical operations within cells. PG are characterized by an (R) configuration in the diacyl glycerol backbone and an (S) configuration in the phosphoglycerol head group. Herein, we report a synthetic route to provide control over the PG stereocenters as well as control of the acyl chain identity.
Psychological Barriers to the Detection of Child Sexual Abuse

Adults sexually abusing children where they work or volunteer has become painfully familiar not only to survivors of sexual abuse, but also to their families, law enforcement, and the schools, churches, youth-serving organizations, and other institutions within which so many cases occur. In the aftermath of discovering that sexual abuse occurred, questions invariably arise as to why the abuse was not detected earlier. This chapter describes two different psychological phenomena that help to explain why child sexual abuse is difficult to recognize ex ante and, paradoxically, why it is so easy to recognize ex post. These phenomena are “halo effects” and the “hindsight bias,” respectively. Basic and applied research bearing on each is reviewed in this chapter as well as research on potential debiasing strategies. Halo effects and hindsight bias have significant implications for civil lawsuits that are occasioned by sexual abuse that occurs within organizations.
Control of cardiomyocyte differentiation timing by intercellular signaling pathways

Abstract Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), malformations of the heart present at birth, is the most common class of life-threatening birth defect (Hoffman (1995) [1] , Gelb (2004) [2] , Gelb (2014) [3] ). A major research challenge is to elucidate the genetic determinants of CHD and mechanistically link CHD ontogeny to a molecular understanding of heart development. Although the embryonic origins of CHD are unclear in most cases, dysregulation of cardiovascular lineage specification, patterning, proliferation, migration or differentiation have been described (Olson (2004) [4] , Olson (2006) [5], Srivastava (2006) [6] , Dunwoodie (2007) [7] , Bruneau (2008) [8]). Cardiac differentiation is the process whereby cells become progressively more dedicated in a trajectory through the cardiac lineage towards mature cardiomyocytes. Defects in cardiac differentiation have been linked to CHD, although how the complex control of cardiac differentiation prevents CHD is just beginning to be understood. The stages of cardiac differentiation are highly stereotyped and have been well-characterized (Kattman et al. (2011) [9], Wamstad et al. (2012) [10], Luna-Zurita et al. (2016) [11], Loh et al. (2016) [12], DeLaughter et al. (2016) [13]); however, the developmental and molecular mechanisms that promote or delay the transition of a cell through these stages have not been as deeply investigated. Tight temporal control of progenitor differentiation is critically important for normal organ size, spatial organization, and cellular physiology and homeostasis of all organ systems (Raff et al. (1985) [14] , Amthor et al. (1998) [15] , Kopan et al. (2014) [16] ). This review will focus on the action of signaling pathways in the control of cardiomyocyte differentiation timing. Numerous signaling pathways, including the Wnt, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Hedgehog, Bone Morphogenetic Protein, Insulin-like Growth Factor, Thyroid Hormone and Hippo pathways, have all been implicated in promoting or inhibiting transitions along the cardiac differentiation trajectory. Gaining a deeper understanding of the mechanisms controlling cardiac differentiation timing promises to yield insights into the etiology of CHD and to inform approaches to restore function to damaged hearts.
Improving Care Delivery: Location Timestamps to Enhance Process Measurement of a Clinical Workflow.

Traditional quality improvement (QI) strategies to describe workflow processes rely primarily upon qualitative methods or human-driven observations. These methods may be limited in scope and accuracy when applied to time-based workflow processes. This study sought to evaluate the utility of integrating objective time measurements to augment traditional QI strategies using procedural sedation workflow in a pediatric emergency department as an archetype. Methods We applied the FOCUS-Plan-Do-Check-Act framework to reduce the time from arrival to sedation for long-bone fractures. First, we added supplementary framework-defining steps to repeat the Clarifying and Understanding steps. We then extracted objective time-based data from an electronic health record (EHR) system and a real-time locating system (RTLS). We then compared and contrasted the findings of traditional surveys with analyses of timed steps within the sedation workflow. Results When identifying the source of delays, traditional survey techniques yielded ambiguous and even conflicting results based on clinical roles. The timestamps supported 5 measurable clinical role of subworkflows. By measuring the time to completion for 54 sedation cases, workflow patterns and significant bottlenecks were identified. Conclusions Analyzing the time to complete individual tasks provided a more nuanced description of workflow delays and clarity when traditional survey results conflicted. Augmenting traditional QI process maps with EHR and RTLS timestamps better explained workflow bottlenecks, informing the QI team when selecting targets for subsequent Plan-Do-Check-Act work.
Role of shiga toxin dissemination and inflammation in the pathogenesis of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli infection

11 CFU) twice daily from days 1-10 post inoculation. Treatment with the probiotic significantly reduced intestinal Stx2e, as reflected by decreased fecal toxin titers on days 1-10 post-inoculation
Dynamics of Social Group Competition: Modeling the Decline of Religious Affiliation

When social groups compete for members, the resulting dynamics may be understandable with mathematical models. We demonstrate that a simple ordinary differential equation (ODE) model is a good fit for religious shift by comparing it to a new international data set tracking religious nonaffiliation. We then generalize the model to include the possibility of nontrivial social interaction networks and examine the limiting case of a continuous system. Analytical and numerical predictions of this generalized system, which is robust to polarizing perturbations, match those of the original ODE model and justify its agreement with real-world data. The resulting predictions highlight possible causes of social shift and suggest future lines of research in both physics and sociology.
UNDERSTANDING STRATEGIC TRANSPORTATION BUYER-SELLER RELATIONSHIPS FROM AN ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING PERSPECTIVE: A GROUNDED THEORY APPROACH.

This article examines strategic transportation buyer-seller relationships in the framework of organizational learning, using the typology developed in the Three-Face Model. Logistics alliances are part of most logistics operations naturally, so it is important to understand how logistics can be aided by collaborative behavior by organizations or, in this case, buyers and sellers of transportation services. Logistics providers are often told what the customer wants and are not given an opportunity to communicate fully back what actually works. This is less so the case in certain industries such as the high-tech industry. Also, the findings suggest that while learning does take place, it tends to reside in individuals and not be translated into organizational or historical change. Additional work is needed to test the new model and refine it further, especially in terms of the cognitive elements of inter-organizational learning in this context.
Transcendental Commitments of Economists: Friedman, Knight, and Nef

This paper includes three case studies of the place of religion in the lives of 20th century economists: Milton Friedman, Frank H. Knight, and John U. Nef. It highlights aspects of the decline of religious faith among intellectuals in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Temperature effects during the sorption and desorption of water vapor in high polymers. Part II. Films with special reference to ethyl cellulose

The effect of the heat of sorption on the rate of sorption of water vapor in polymer films has been investigated. A mathematical analysis has been made and equations developed for correcting the rates of sorption and desorption for the accompanying heat effects. An experimental study has been carried out for the case of ethyl cellulose film and the heat transfer and other coefficients determined to enable the diffusion constants to be correctly estimated. Good agreement was obtained with the corrected values at different sorption intervals. Die Sorptionsgeschwindigkeit von Wasserdampf an Folien aus hochpolymeren Stoffen wird wesentlich durch die auftretende Sorptionswarme verandert. Mit Hilfe einer mathematischen Analyse der Vorgange wurde eine Gleichung abgeleitet, die es gestattet, die Geschwindigkeit der Sorption und Desorption hinsichtlich der Warmeeffekte zu korrigieren. Experimentelle Untersuchungen wurden an einer Folie aus Athylcellulose vorgenommen. Dabei wurden die Warmeleitzahl und einige andere Konstanten gemessen, um damit dann die richtigen Werte fur den Diffusionskoeffizienten zu bestimmen. Die Ubereinstimmung der bei verschiedenen Sorptionsintervallen erhaltenen Werte war gut.
What is Different About Government-Controlled Acquirers in Cross-Border Deals?

We examine the motives for and consequences of 5,317 failed and completed cross-border acquisitions constituting $619 billion of total activity that were led by government-controlled acquirers over the period from 1990 to 2008. We benchmark this activity at the aggregate country level and also at the deal level with cross-border acquisitions involving corporate acquirers over the same period. We find that government-led deal activity is relatively more intense for geographically-closer countries, but also relatively less sensitive to differences in the level of economic development of the acquirer’s and target’s home countries, in the quality of their legal institutions and accounting standards, and to how stringent are restrictions on FDI flows in their countries. Government-led acquirers are more likely to pursue larger targets with greater growth opportunities and more financial constraints. But, the share-price reactions to the announcements of such acquisitions are not different. Among those deals involving government-controlled acquirers, we do find important differences involving sovereign wealth funds (SWFs). SWF-led acquisitions are less likely to fail, they are more likely to pursue acquirers that are larger in total assets and with fewer financial constraints, and the market reactions to SWF-led acquisitions, while positive, are statistically and economically much smaller. We discuss policy implications in terms of recent regulatory changes in the U.S. and other countries that seek to restrict foreign acquisitions by government-controlled entities.
Mashantucket Pequot Tribe v. Town of Ledyard: The Preemption of State Taxes under Bracker, the Indian Trader Statutes, and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act Comment

The Indian Tribes of the United States occupy an often ambiguous place in our legal system, and nowhere is that ambiguity more pronounced than in the realm of state taxation. States are, for the most part, preempted from taxing the Indian Tribes, but something unique happens when the state attempts to levy a tax on non-Indian vendors employed by a Tribe for work on a reservation. The state certainly has a significant justification for imposing its tax on non-Indians, but at what point does the non-Indian vendor’s relationship with the Tribe impede the state’s right to tax? What happens when the taxed activity is a sale to the Tribe? And what does it mean when the taxed activity has connections to Indian Gaming?This Comment explores three preemption standards as they were interpreted by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in a case between the State of Connecticut and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. In deciding whether preemption was the legally required outcome, the Court looked to and applied the landmark preemption analysis case White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker, the Indian Trader Statutes, and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. While more than one legally correct outcome exists in this case, this Comment endorses and argues in favor of preemption based on the application of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the preemption analysis required by Bracker.
Men's Attitudes Condoning Marital Aggression: A Moderator between Family of Origin Abuse and Aggression against Female Partners

This study examines whether the often-cited association between experiencing physical abuse in one's family of origin and behaving aggressively toward one's intimate female partner is moderated by attitudes condoning husband to wife aggression. Forty-seven men rated the justifiability of male-to-female aggression for 25 specific conditions. Attitudes condoning aggression were not correlated with either history of abuse or current abuse but the interaction between attitudes and history of exposure accounted for significant variance in physical and emotional aggression inflicted on adult female partners. For men who condone physical aggression, there was a strong correlation between abuse in the family of origin and actual physical and emotional aggression toward female partners, whereas for men who do not condone aggression, there were no significant correlations. These data illustrate how the significance of one risk factor, such as history of abuse, changes as a function of another variable—namely, attitudes condoning male-to-female aggression.
Summer emigration and resource acquisition within a shared nursery lake by sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from historically discrete rearing environments

Many fish species disperse broadly during juvenile life history stages. While this may enable persistence in variable environments, it may also produce novel competitive interactions in recipient habitats that contain conspecifics from other populations. Here we used genetics techniques to study the stock-specific movement and performance of juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) between July and August of 2008 in an ecosystem characterized by extensive juvenile migration and environmental change: the Chignik Lake system, Alaska. Genetic composition of juvenile sockeye salmon in the lower nursery lake based on 45 single nucleotide polymorphism markers indicated that 2008 was characterized by earlier timing and larger magnitude of emigrations from the upper lake, where rearing conditions have become increasingly unstable in recent decades. However, the larger size of emigrants did not confer a clear advantage in foraging based on comparisons of growth and body condition with juveniles native to the l...
A pipelined, expandable VLSI sorting engine implemented in CMOS technology

An improved implementation of the rebound sorter of T.C. Chen et al. (IEEE Proc. 4th Conf. of Very Large Databases, p.312-18, Sept. 1978) is described. The pipelining technique chosen is unique to this design. A single rebound sorting chip can sort eight 16-b records. By connecting these chips in a chain, it is possible to sort more than eight records. The VLSI version of the rebound sorter described in this paper is also simpler and smaller than many other sorters discussed in the literature. The Genesil silicon compiler, a commercial CAD tool, was used to implement the chip. >
A review of the United States experience with combined heart-liver transplantation

Since first described by Starzl, combined heart and liver transplantation (CHLT) has been a relatively rare event, although utilization has increased in the past decade. This study was undertaken to review the United States experience with this procedure; UNOS data on CHLT was reviewed. CHLT was compared with liver transplantation alone and heart transplantation alone in terms of acute rejection within 12 months, graft survival, and patient survival. Survival was calculated according to Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards. Continuous variables were compared using Student's t-test and categorical variables with chi-squared. Between 1987 and 2010, there were 97 reported cases of CHLT in the United States. Amyloidosis was the most common indication for both heart (n = 26, 26.8%) and liver (n = 27, 27.8%) transplantation in this cohort. Liver graft survival in the CHLT cohort at 1, 5, and 10 years was 83.4%, 72.8%, and 71.0%, whereas survival of the cardiac allograft was 83.5%, 73.2%, and 71.5%. This was similar to graft survival in liver alone transplantation (79.4%, 71.0%, 65.1%; P = 0.894) and heart transplantation alone (82.6%, 71.9%, 63.2%; P = 0.341). CHLT is a safe and effective procedure, with graft survival rates similar to isolated heart and isolated liver transplantation.
Exponential propagation for set variables

Research on constraint propagation has primarily focused on designing polynomial-time propagators sometimes at the cost of a weaker filtering. Interestingly, the evolution of constraint programming over sets have been diametrically different. The domain representations are becoming increasingly expensive computationally and theoretical results appear to question the wisdom of these research directions. This paper explores this apparent contradiction by pursuing even more complexity in the domain representation and the filtering algorithms. It shows that the product of the length-lex and subset-bound domains improves filtering and produces orders of magnitude improvements over existing approaches on standard benchmarks. Moreover, the paper proposes exponential-time algorithms for NP-hard intersection constraints and demonstrates that they bring significant performance improvements and speeds up constraint propagation considerably.