cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Corneal Findings in Cogan's Syndrome

Abstract We evaluated the ocular manifestations of Cogan's syndrome in 13 consecutive patients. The most frequent and earliest ocular finding was bilateral peripheral subepithelial keratitis consisting of faint, nummular lesions. The subepithelial keratitis was responsive to topical administration of corticosteroids. Peripheral subepithelial keratitis was seen in four patients and strongly suspected on review of history in three additional patients. Deep stromal keratitis was seen in two patients, while only one patient developed classic findings of Cogan's syndrome, ie. interstitial keratitis with vascularization. Additionally, five patients presented with noncomeal ocular inflammatory disease and deafness (atypical Cogan's syndrome). Early subepithelial keratitis in Cogan's syndrome may be mistakenly diagnosed as trival ocular inflammatory disease, and suppressed by topical corticosteroids, resulting in delayed diagnosis of Cogan's syndrome in the absence of classic corneal findings. Early diagnosis of Cogan's syndrome is important inasmuch as prompt treatment of cochlear symptoms with systemic corticosteroids may prevent or ameliorate deafness.
Gastric adenocarcinoma metastatic to the testes in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is associated with an increased frequency of gastrointestinal and extraintestinal malignancies. Ultrasound, CT, and MRI findings of testicular metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma in a boy with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome are presented.
Radiographic cervical spine evaluation in the alert asymptomatic blunt trauma victim: much ado about nothing.

Objective : To evaluate the hypothesis that alert nonintoxicated trauma patients with negative clinical examinations are at no risk of cervical spine injury and do not need any radiographic investigation. Design : Prospective study. Setting : A university-affiliated teaching county hospital. Patients : Five hundred and forty-nine consecutive alert, oriented, and clinically nonintoxicated blunt trauma victims with no neck symptoms. Results : All patients had negative clinical neck examinations. After radiographic assessment, no cervical spine injuries were identified. Less than half the patients could be evaluated adequately with the three standard initial views (anteroposterior, lateral, and odontoid). All the rest needed more radiographs and/or computed tomographic scans. A total of 2,272 cervical spine radiographs, 78 computed tomographic scans and magnetic resonance imagings were performed. Seventeen patients stayed one day in the hospital for no other reason but radiographic clearance of an asymptomatic neck. The total cost for x-rays and extra hospital days was $242,000. These patients stayed in the collar for an average of 3.3 hours (range, 0.5-72 hours). There was never an injury missed. Conclusions : Clinical examination alone can reliably assess all blunt trauma patients who are alert, nonintoxicated, and report no neck symptoms. In the absence of any palpation or motion neck tenderness during examination, the patient may be released from cervical spine precautions without any radiographic investigations.
RUPTURE OF THE CALCIFIED ANTERIOR SPINAL LIGAMENT IN THE THORAX.

Trauma (automobile accident) produced rupture of the anterior spinal ligament in the thoracic area with concomitant anterior separation of the adjacent vertebrae in each of two men who had rheumatoid spondylitis. This injury is unusual. The pain due to it complicated medical management of other disorders and injuries. Trauma (accidente automobilari) produceva un ruptura del ligamento anterospinal in le area thoracic con concomitante separation anterior del adjacente vertebras in duo masculos qui habeva spondylitis rheumatoide. Iste vulneration es inusual. Le dolores causate per illo rendeva plus complicate le tractamento medical de altere disordines e vulnerationes.
So what if democracies don't fight each other?

About 15 years ago, international relations scholars began observing that democratic states do not actually fight each other. Of course, democracies often get involved in wars, and sometimes engage in aggression and international law violations, but they don't seem to pursue armed conflicts with each other. It's almost as if they've “stipulated” some tacit agreement for a separate peace. After making historical and statistical analyses, developing data banks, and performing multiple regressions, some scholars have elevated this observation into a law—perhaps the only one of any general value in international relations. The extensive research has been largely descriptive and statistical, whereas little has been done to explain why democracies never fight each other. The thesis requires more exploration. We must critically evaluate the claim that democracies do not fight each other (or, that they have devised a separate peace). How robust is the historical evidence that democracies do not fight each other? ...
International competition and asymmetric technology game

Abstract This paper uses a differential game model to study the basic nature of the international competition between the technological leaders and latecomers. The monopolistic firms in the two types of countries engage R&D activities to produce similar products and export them in the world market. The firm in Country I (technological advanced) engages in both basic and applied research, whereas the firm in Country II imports basic technology from Country I and makes improvements to it. It is shown that the final outcome depends on the strategies of each firm. Because of the asymmetric nature of the two firms in R&D activities, the firm with a more efficient applied technology may not necessarily win the competition – “paradox.” This paper examines the various conditions under which these paradoxical cases may emerge.
Supply chain focus dependent safety stock placement

Increasing globalization, growing product range diversity, and rising consumer awareness are making markets highly competitive, forcing supply chains to adapt constantly to different stimuli. Growing competition between supply chains (as well as players within them) is also warranting a priority for overall supply chain performance over the goals of individual players. It is now well established in the literature that, among the many order winners, both overall supply chain cost and responsiveness (i.e., supply chain lead time) are the most significant determinants of supply chain competitiveness. The literature, however, mostly focuses on supply chain cost minimization with rather simplistic treatment of responsiveness. By introducing the concept of a coefficient of inverse responsiveness (CIR), we facilitate efficient introduction of responsiveness related costs into the scheme of supply chain (SC) performance evaluation and/or optimization. Thus, our model aids supply chain managers in achieving better strategic fit between individual business unit strategies and overall supply chain requirements in terms of cost efficiency and responsiveness. In particular, it aids in strategic placement of safety stocks at different stages in the supply chain. Our model also offers managerial insights that help improve our intuitions into supply chain dynamics. The model is more suited for strategic SC alignment, for example, when dealing with product changeovers or introduction of new product, rather than for operational control.
Energy- and stress-dependent hole masses in germanium and silicon

We present calculated results for several energy- and stress-dependent hole masses for uniaxial , , and stresses in Ge and Si: local and integrated density-of-states masses and longitudinal and transverse optical mass components for the valence bands corresponding to Vertical BarM/sub J/Vertical Bar = 1/2 and 3/2. These masses depend on energy E and stress sigma through the form m(E,sigma) = m(E/sigma). The masses will be useful in the analysis of experimental luminescence and plasma absorption line shapes, as well as in the calculation of other properties of electron-hole liquids in stressed Ge and Si.
A Method for Identifying and Visualizing Foreign Particle Motion Using Time Resolved Particle Tracking Velocimetry

Gas turbines for aircraft are designed for operation with a clean inlet air flow. This ideal operational condition is often violated during take-off and landing, where the probability of particle ingestion is high with sand and dirt being the most commonly observed foreign particles. Current research on particle ingestion has identified several mechanisms that contribute to performance degradation in the turbine: erosion of internal and external surfaces; and flow blockages of film-cooling holes and internal cooling passages. The focus of the study given in this paper is to present a method that identifies the motion of foreign particles within an internal ribbed passage. The method uses a high-resolution, flowfield interrogation method known as Time-Resolved Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (TRDPIV). Observations from the two-phase flows showed that particle collisions occurred more frequently on the upstream surface of the ribs, especially in the inlet region. Results from these collisions included substantial particle breakup and a particle rebounding phenomenon between the upper and lower walls. Comparisons are made to LES predicted particle trajectories indicating some agreement, but also phenomena that are not predicted due to the inherent assumption of the modeling.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Polarization properties of fluorescent BSA protected Au25 nanoclusters

BSA protected gold nanoclusters (Au25) are attracting a great deal of attention due to their unique spectroscopic properties and possible use in biophysical applications. Although there are reports on synthetic strategies, spectroscopy and applications, little is known about their polarization behavior. In this study, we synthesized the BSA protected Au25 nanoclusters and studied their steady state and time resolved fluorescence properties including polarization behavior in different solvents: glycerol, propylene glycol and water. We demonstrated that the nanocluster absorption spectrum can be separated from the extinction spectrum by subtraction of Rayleigh scattering. The nanocluster absorption spectrum is well approximated by three Gaussian components. By a comparison of the emissions from BSA Au25 clusters and rhodamine B in water, we estimated the quantum yield of nanoclusters to be higher than 0.06. The fluorescence lifetime of BSA Au25 clusters is long and heterogeneous with an average value of 1.84 μs. In glycerol at −20 °C the anisotropy is high, reaching a value of 0.35. However, the excitation anisotropy strongly depends on the excitation wavelengths indicating a significant overlap of the different transition moments. The anisotropy decay in water reveals a correlation time below 0.2 μs. In propylene glycol the measured correlation time is longer and the initial anisotropy depends on the excitation wavelength. BSA Au25 clusters, due to long lifetime and high polarization, can potentially be used in studying large macromolecules such as protein complexes with large molecular weight.
Contribution of the Periplasmic Chaperone Skp to Efficient Presentation of the Autotransporter IcsA on the Surface of Shigella flexneri

IcsA is an outer membrane protein in the autotransporter family that is required for Shigella flexneri pathogenesis. Following its secretion through the Sec translocon, IcsA is incorporated into the outer membrane in a process that depends on YaeT, a component of an outer membrane beta-barrel insertion machinery. We investigated the role of the periplasmic chaperone Skp in IcsA maturation. Skp is required for the presentation of the mature amino terminus (alpha-domain) of IcsA on the bacterial surface and contributes to cell-to-cell spread of S. flexneri in cell culture. A mutation in skp does not prevent the insertion of the beta-barrel into the outer membrane, suggesting that the primary role of Skp is the folding of the IcsA alpha-domain. In addition, the requirement for skp can be partially bypassed by disrupting icsP, an ortholog of Escherichia coli ompT, which encodes the protease that processes IcsA between the mature amino terminus and the beta-barrel outer membrane anchor. These findings are consistent with a model in which Skp plays a critical role in the chaperoning of the alpha-domain of IcsA during transit through the periplasm.
Superconducting critical temperature and electrical resistivity of the system Y1−xPrxBa2Cu3O6.95 (0⩽x⩽1)

Abstract Measurements of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of polycrystalline specimens of Y1−xPrxBa2Cu3O6.95±0.02 (0⩽x⩽1) are reported. The electrical resistivity exhibits metallic behaviour for 0⩽x⩽0.50 and Tc, where Tc is the superconducting critical temperature, and 0.50 T⪆ 100 K . the resistivity determenined values of Tc decrease monotonically with x ≈ 0.57. The Tc versus x curve does not confrom to the universal relation based on the theory of Abrikosov and Gor'kov. However, for 0⪅x⪅0.3, the Tc versus x curve can be described by an empirical relation which incorporates the filling (or localization) of mobile holes in the CuO2 planes and superconducting electron pair breaking. Methods of sample preparation are discussed.
Analysis of rat EEG using autoregressive power spectra

The main objective of this paper is to make the auto regressive (AR) power spectrum estimation method accessible to electrophysiologists and present some typical applications. The AR method is explained, choices of various parameters are explored and examples from the analysis of rat hippocampal EEG are given. We also provide the pseudocode for the computation of the AR coefficients and the AR spectrum. We compare the results from the AR method to the FFT-based power spectrum method and demonstrate the superiority of the AR method. We also show the differences in the spectra of the EEG of alcohol-preferring (P) and non-preferring (NP) rats in the baseline condition when no alcohol is infused. We found a statistically significant difference in peak theta frequency which was at 6.96 Hz for the P rats and at 7.74 Hz for the NP rats. There were also other observable differences in the shape of the spectra of the EEG of the P and NP rats.
How Can We Practice Ethical Medicine When the Evidence Is Always Changing

The practice of ethical medicine requires that the clinician offers interventions that are likely to help (beneficence), avoid interventions that are likely to harm (nonmaleficence), and allow for autonomous decision making. Our determination of what is in the best interest of the patient is dependent on the state of medical evidence at the time. However, as evidence evolves, the balance of beneficence and nonmaleficence may change, even to the extent of a complete reversal. In this article, I explore the issues of autonomy, particularly parental autonomy for a child, in a world in which the evidence is always changing.
Voltage-dependent flickery block of an open cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel pore

1. Fast flickery block of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) was studied with cell-attached and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from mouse NIH3T3 cells stably expressing a mutant CFTR channel, K1250A-CFTR. This mutant CFTR channel, once open, can stay open for minutes. Within a prolonged opening, the kinetics of fast flickery closures can be readily quantified. 2. Flickering block of K1250A-CFTR channels was voltage dependent since the open probability within an opening burst decreased as the membrane was hyperpolarized. 3. Mean open time (tau(o)) and mean closed time (tau(c)), obtained from single-channel kinetic analysis, were corrected for missed events. Our data show that corrected tau(c) was voltage dependent while corrected tau(o) exhibited little voltage dependence. Results from whole-cell current relaxation upon voltage jump further indicate that tau(c) at a membrane potential of -100 mV was at least 10-fold longer than that at +100 mV. 4. tau(c), but not tau(o), was sensitive to external permeant anions. After complete replacement of external Cl(-) with impermeant anions, tau(c) showed little voltage dependence and approximated a value observed under strong hyperpolarization in the presence of high external permeant anions. These results suggest that the resident time of the blocker is prolonged by conditions (i.e. hyperpolarization or the absence of external permeant anions) that deplete Cl(-) in the CFTR pore. 5. Results from macroscopic current noise analysis of both wild-type CFTR and K1250A-CFTR channels further confirm the voltage dependence and Cl(-) sensitivity of the fast flickery block observed with single-channel analysis. 6. We conclude that the voltage dependence of the flickery block in CFTR is mainly due to the voltage-dependent occupancy of an anion-binding site in the channel pore by trans-anions. The blocker acquires a voltage-dependent off rate through an electrostatic interaction with Cl(-) in the pore.
Microbiological aspects of polyphosphate injection in the processing and chill storage of poultry.

Abstract During commercial processing of broiler chickens, injection of polyphosphate (Puron 604 or 6040) resulted in microorganisms being added to the deep breast muscle. The level of contamination was related to the microbiological condition of the injection solution. Injection of polyphosphate had no effect on the shelf-life of fresh chilled carcasses held at 1 degree of 10 degrees C but changes were observed in the growth rate of microorganisms in the deep muscle and in the composition of the muscle microflora following storage. Cross-contamination of carcasses and the transfer of organisms from the skin to the deep muscle during injection was demonstrated with a marker strain of Clostridium perfringens. However, both processes were influenced by the number of marker organisms applied initially to the skin. The above findings are discussed in relation to the possible behaviour of any food poisoning bacteria present.
A theoretical model of emotion processing for optimizing the cost function of discrepancy errors between wants and gets

Article accompanying a poster presentation for the 2009 Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting. This article discusses a theoretical model of emotion processing for optimizing the cost function of discrepancy errors between wants and gets.
Analysis of medium access control algorithms for directional sensor networks in space

In this paper we present a performance analysis of three medium access control (MAC) algorithms: slotted ALOHA, reservation ALOHA, and time division multiple access (TDMA). In order to capture the performance impact of directional antenna, large bandwidth-delay product channels, and non-uniform traffic load on sensor networks in space, we model each MAC algorithm as a system of symmetric interfering queues. Approximation technique is then applied to derive closed form expressions for throughput, average delay, and average queue size as a function of propagation delay, channel bandwidth, network size, and traffic load. We also describe a pipelining operation for random access MAC and show that it improves the throughput capacity of the random access MAC algorithms significantly under high bandwidth-delay product conditions.
Use of Listening Strategies for the Speech of Individuals with Dysarthria and Cerebral Palsy

This study examined listeners' endorsement of cognitive, linguistic, segmental, and suprasegmental strategies employed when listening to speakers with dysarthria. The study also examined whether strategy endorsement differed between listeners who earned the highest and lowest intelligibility scores. Speakers were eight individuals with dysarthria and cerebral palsy. Listeners were 80 individuals who transcribed speech stimuli and rated their use of each of 24 listening strategies on a 4-point scale. Results showed that cognitive and linguistic strategies were most highly endorsed. Use of listening strategies did not differ between listeners with the highest and lowest intelligibility scores. Results suggest that there may be a core of strategies common to listeners of speakers with dysarthria that may be supplemented by additional strategies, based on characteristics of the speaker and speech signal.
Balancing the tradeoffs between coefficient quantization and internal quantization in FIR digital filters

To implement digital FIR filters in hardware such as ASICs, FPGAs and custom VLSI, decisions regarding input quantization, coefficient quantization and internal rounding are required. This paper investigates the relationship between coefficient quantization and internal rounding, as well as how these two sources of quantization error can be used to achieve better designs for implementation. Our analysis indicates that internal results can be rounded to approximately the same number of bits used for coefficient quantization without much increase in quantization error if the original input is assumed to be finite precision. This result indicates that chip area can be reduced in many implementations.
Epidemiological game-theory dynamics of chickenpox vaccination in the USA and Israel

The general consensus from epidemiological game-theory studies is that vaccination coverage driven by self-interest (Nash vaccination) is generally lower than group-optimal coverage (utilitarian vaccination). However, diseases that become more severe with age, such as chickenpox, pose an exception to this general consensus. An individual choice to be vaccinated against chickenpox has the potential to harm those not vaccinated by increasing the average age at infection and thus the severity of infection as well as those already vaccinated by increasing the probability of breakthrough infection. To investigate the effects of these externalities on the relationship between Nash and utilitarian vaccination coverages for chickenpox, we developed a game-theory epidemic model that we apply to the USA and Israel, which has different vaccination programmes, vaccination and treatment costs, as well as vaccination coverage levels. We find that the increase in chickenpox severity with age can reverse the typical relationship between utilitarian and Nash vaccination coverages in both the USA and Israel. Our model suggests that to obtain herd immunity of chickenpox vaccination, subsidies or external regulation should be used if vaccination costs are high. By contrast, for low vaccination costs, improving awareness of the vaccine and the potential cost of chickenpox infection is crucial.
Dynamic Trip Generation for a Medium-Sized Urban Community

Traditional transportation modeling activities in medium-sized urban communities follow the four-step planning process: trip generation, trip distribution, mode split, and traffic assignment. These models forecast daily traffic volumes on major roadways of the communities to support infrastructure investment decisions. Recently, researchers have focused on dynamic traffic-assignment models, which provide time as a measure in the trip-modeling process, to support incident management and intelligent transportation system-based decisions. As a methodology to support the dynamic traffic-assignment models, development of a dynamic trip-generation model for a medium-sized urban community is considered. An overview of the need for dynamic trip-generation data is presented, and a methodology and a data-collection effort to develop a dynamic trip-generation model are discussed. Results are included of a validation study performed on the model. It is concluded that the models developed in the effort can provide dyn...
Optimization of Annealing Process for Improved InGaN Solar Cell Performance

We report enhanced performance of InGaN solar cells grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition through optimization of the annealing of the epitaxial wafer before device fabrication. We varied the annealing environment gas mixtures as well as temperatures to obtain the optimized annealing condition. It was found that the major improvement of the nitride solar cell efficiency after annealing is in the increase of the Voc. In addition, annealing at the reasonably moderate temperature of 550°C in O2 environment results in the highest-efficiency InGaN solar cell devices compared with devices annealed at different temperatures and in different gas environments.
HOW BNP AND BODY WEIGHT CHANGES VARY IN HEART FAILURE WITH PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION COMPARED TO REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION: SECONDARY RESULTS OF THE HABIT (HF ASSESSMENT WITH BNP IN THE HOME) TRIAL

In this subanalysis of the HF Assessment with Bnp In The Home (HABIT) trial, we examine the results of the home B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing and weight monitoring in 160 patients with HFPEF and HFREF. The study was a multi-center, single-arm double-blinded observational prospective
Factors influencing predictive value of FDG imaging for evaluating myocardial viability.

Myocardial viability imaging with FDG PET or SPECT has become a powerful method for risk assessment and management of patients with LV dysfunction. Application of computer algorithms to gated FDG images, for objective quantitation of LV function parameters, has made additional prognostic markers available from the same set of images. Routine application of these algorithms along with those designed to quantify the percent of viable and scarred myocardium will further enhance the prognostic utility of myocardial FDG imaging in the evaluation of myocardial viability in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.
Thickness of Turkey Shell Membranes

Abstract There is very little information in the literature on thickness of shell membranes. Hays and Sumbardo (1927) working with chicken eggs reported that inner shell membranes varied from 0.0129 mm. to 0.0173 mm. and outer shell membranes varied from 0.0411 mm. to 0.0560 mm. They gave the method of preparation of membranes and how measured but did not state from what place in the egg the membranes were taken. Romanoff and Romanoff (1949) listed the thickness of the shell membranes of turkey eggs to be 0.09 mm. for the outer and 0.017 mm. for the inner shell membrane. It might be assumed that the large end of the egg was the location for taking the measurements since the membranes are normally already separated in this locality. METHOD AND MATERIALS There was no attempt made to measure the two different shell membranes. Measurements were made with micrometer calipers with a ratchet…
The Effect of Background Music and Song Texts on the Emotional Understanding of Children with Autism

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of background music and song texts to teach emotional understanding to children with autism. Participants were 12 students (mean age 11.5 years) with a primary diagnosis of autism who were attending schools in Japan. Each participant was taught four emotions to decode and encode: happiness, sadness, anger, and fear by the counterbalanced treatment-order. The treatment consisted of the four conditions: (a) no contact control (NCC)--no purposeful teaching of the selected emotion, (b) contact control (CC)--teaching the selected emotion using verbal instructions alone, (c) background music (BM)--teaching the selected emotion by verbal instructions with background music representing the emotion, and singing songs (SS)--teaching the selected emotion by singing specially composed songs about the emotion. Participants were given a pretest and a posttest and received 8 individual sessions between these tests. The results indicated that all participants improved significantly in their understanding of the four selected emotions. Background music was significantly more effective than the other three conditions in improving participants' emotional understanding. The findings suggest that background music can be an effective tool to increase emotional understanding in children with autism, which is crucial to their social interactions.
International Nongovernmental Organizations and the Global Diffusion of National Human Rights Institutions

During the past three decades national human rights institutions (NHRIs) have spread to more than one hundred United Nations (UN) member states and become key to human rights enforcement and democratic accountability. Given that NHRIs can take on a life of their own even under adverse conditions, why do governments in the developing world create permanent, independent national bodies with statutory powers to promote and protect human rights? Human rights international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) are crucial for global diffusion. They empower local actors and influence governments in favor of NHRI adoption by mediating the human rights and NHRI discourses and mobilizing shame internationally. An event history analysis offers robust evidence that controlling for the UN, regional organizations, and other rival factors, human rights INGOs have systematic positive effects on diffusion. The case studies of South Korea and Malaysia provide process-tracing evidence that the hypothesized causal mechanisms are operative.
Video Delivery in Wireless Sensor Networks

Recent advances in wireless communications technology and low-power, low-cost CMOS imaging sensors stimulate research on the analysis and design of ubiquitous video sensing and delivery in wireless sensor networks. However, scalable deployments remain limited or impractical. Critical challenges such as radio interference, limited channel capacity, and constrained energy resources are still barriers to large-scale deployment of these wireless video sensor networks. The solution space can be explored in several dimensions including data compression, video image analysis and extraction, and intelligent data routing. In this chapter we focus on the analysis of video delivery and data routing techniques for wireless video sensor networks. Our work is intended to inspire additional efforts leading to video routing techniques optimized to different topologies, the physical medium, network channels, and energy constraints.
School Counseling Professional Development: Assessing the Use of Data to Inform School Counseling Services

The need to train and engage all school counselors in use of data drives professional development at the district and state level. This study examined previous training in the use of data and the degree to which that training influenced current school counseling practices. Data were collected from 512 school counselors across a Midwestern state. Findings revealed that participation in professional development can influence the perceived data and accountability practices of school counselors. This article shares implications for school counselors.
Property Tax Foreclosure Reform: A Tale of Two Stories

In the early 1990s, tax-foreclosed homes represented a large portion of the abandoned property in many decaying neighborhoods of Atlanta. Part of the cause of this problem was a deficient non-judicial tax foreclosure system that required burdensome notice and a long redemption period. This article outlines the problems surrounding Georgia’s former tax foreclosure process and tells the story of how state officials and various members of the Georgia real estate community came together to solve the problem.
Central America and the United States: Overlooked Foreign Policy Objectives

Since the fall of Nicaragua's Somoza dynasty in 1979, nearly 900 books dealing with Central America have appeared. They repeat the themes of imperialism, paternalism, and security that traditionally have characterized studies about Central America and its relations with the U.S. The imperialist theme is pursued by Walter LaFeber's Inevitable Revolutions and Karl Berman's Under the Big Stick. They assert that the United States economically exploited and politically controlled Central America in general and Nicaragua in particular. A sense of moral righteousness is found in Tom Buckley's Violent Neighbors and Richard Alan White's The Morass while the security theme is pursued by John Findling in his Close Neighbors, Distant Friends. Histories about Central America reinforce these themes. For example, the Dean of the U.S. Central Americanists Ralph Lee Woodward, Jr., and Costa Ricans Edelberto Torres-Rivas and Hector Perez-Brignoli, and Honduran Mario Argueta demonstrate that the American businessmen capitalized upon the ignorance of region's elite for their own economic gain. Despite their diversity, all of these volumes demonstrate that the United States dominated the relationship and criticize it for so doing.
Effect of Grasshopper Species, Cage Density, Light Intensity, and Method of Inoculation on Mass Production of Nosema locustae (Microsporida: Nosematidae)

Studies were conducted to increase efficiency of production of spores of Nosema locmtae (Canning) used to control grasshoppers. Average spore yields from individual male and female Melanoplus bivittatus (Say) and M. differentialis (Thomas) were 1.6 × 109, 5.2 × 109,5.1 × 109, and 9.1 × 109, respectively. Yields were 6.3 × 1011, 9.1 × 109, and 8.3 × 1011 spores per cage in cages stocked initially with 150, 300, and 600 fourth-instar M. differentialis , respectively, and inoculated by the standard protocol of spores on lettuce. Dosages of 1.25 × 109, 5.0 × 109, 20.0 × 109, and 80.0 × 109 spores per kg lettuce resulted in respective average yields of 3.78 × 109, 5.10 × 109, 6.30 × 109, and 8.01 × 109 spores per male and 5.54 × 109, 12.03 × 109, 14.34 × 109, and 14.16 × 109 spores per female M. djfferentialis in cages initially stocked with 250 fourth- and fifth-instar nymphs each. Increasing light intensity with 25-W to 60-W clear light bulbs, and resulting temperature increases, resulted in increased average yields of 3.8 × 109 to 6.4 × 109 spores, respectively, per grasshopper. A description of a suitable, inexpensive cage and the overall scheme for spore production also are presented.
Assessment of Early-Season Phenology of the Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Mississippi

The relationship of temperature to the development of the immature stages of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), was studied in the laboratory and in the field. Information from these studies was used to develop a procedure for examining the early-season phenology of the fall armyworm by estimating the ages of field-collected larval cohorts. Application of this procedure to fall armyworm larvae collected in an extensive survey in Mississippi during the spring of 1979 provided evidence that the observed populations were initiated by immigrant adults.
Modeling Departure Rate Controls for Strategic Flow Contingency Management 1

Ongoing research is currently focused on the need to improve the strategic traffic flow management decision making processes. The research effort in this paper is part of a greater research initiative aimed at developing quantitative analysis and design capabilities for flow contingency management. In our prior study, a flow-based queuing network model for air traffic management was proposed and various traffic management initiatives were modeled and tested with a realistic traffic and weather scenario. Under a flow-based environment, when there are multiple initiatives proposed that impact more than one departure flow, their interactions become convoluted. Therefore, this paper presents an enhancement to the model for departure controls in order to properly account for operational realities and provide better inputs for the queuing simulation. The goal is to approximate today’s execution of departure delay programs in a flow-based model and focuses on correctly capturing the interaction effects when multiple initiatives are present. A mathematical model is formulated to determine time-varying departure rates for individual departure flows. Numerical experiments are conducted on a test network and a nation-wide case. When the multiple initiatives are solved in a coordinated fashion, there exists a tradeoff relationship between system-wide delay savings and balancing delays across multiple flows. The performance of the proposed model in addressing such a tradeoff relationship as well as operational realities is discussed and compared with a native apportioning algorithm.
Research in Schizophrenia: Implications for Social Workers

Schizophrenia has such a strong impact in so many areas of family life that social workers in almost all settings are asked to provide service to schizophrenic patients or their families. In recent years increas ing demands have been made on the pro fession to develop programs and to devise new methods of dealing with this illness, both in psychiatric hospitals and in com munity agencies. It is estimated that on any given day a quarter of all hospital beds in the country are occupied by schizo phrenic patients. In addition, there is a much larger number of discharged patients who require assistance. The social work staffs in psychiatric hospitals have increased rapidly in recent years, and social workers are the largest single professional group serving the mentally ill in the community.1 Since the profession is devoting so much of its limited resources to the mentally ill, a large percentage of whom are schizo phrenic, it seems imperative that programs and treatment techniques be evaluated con tinually in terms of what research can de termine about the illness.
The Partial Adrenocortical Hydroxylase Deficiency Syndrome in Infertile Women

Eighteen infertile women desiring conception were selected for additional diagnostic studies on the basis of clinical evidence of hyperandrogenism characterized by acne and/or facial hirsutism. These 18 patients underwent stimulation tests with adrenocorticotropic hormone which demonstrated the presence of partial adrenocortical hydroxylase deficiencies. All patients were then placed on glucocorticoid suppression therapy. Ten patients conceived and, of these, six required no therapy other than prednisone. Four conceived using a combination of prednisone and clomiphene therapy. Of the eight patients who did not conceive, seven had other significant infertility factors. Therefore, of the patients without other significant fertility factors, 91% conceived. This study demonstrates that partial adrenocortical enzyme defects play a significant role in some women with clinical evidence of hyperandrogenism, and, in such women, either glucocorticoid therapy alone or in combination with clomiphene is indicated.
Crystal structures of trans-acetyl­dicarbon­yl(η5-cyclo­penta­dien­yl)(di­methyl­phenyl­phosphane)molybdenum(II) and trans-acetyl­dicarbon­yl(η5-cyclo­penta­dien­yl)(ethyl­diphenyl­phosphane)molybdenum(II)

The title compounds, [Mo(C5H5)(COCH3)P(CH3)2(C6H5)(CO)2], (1), and [Mo(C5H5)(COCH3)P(C2H5)(C6H5)2)(CO)2], (2), have been prepared by phosphine-induced migratory insertion from [Mo(C5H5)(CO)3(CH3)]. Both complex mol­ecules exhibit a four-legged piano-stool geometry with trans-disposed carbonyl ligands along with Mo—P bond lengths and C—Mo—P angles that reflect the relative steric pressure of the respective phosphine ligand. The structure of compound (1) exhibits a layered arrangement parallel to (100). Within the layers mol­ecules are linked into chains along [001] by non-classical C—H⋯O inter­actions between the acetyl ligand of one mol­ecule and the phenyl and methyl phosphine substituents of another. In the structure of complex (2), a chain motif of centrosymmetrical dimers is found along [010] through C—H⋯O inter­actions.
Abstract 3851: Synergy between statins and BCL-2 inhibitors in blood cancers

BCL-2 is a key pro-survival protein that is highly expressed in many leukemias and lymphomas. ABT-199 (venetoclax) is a small molecule inhibitor of BCL-2 that has demonstrated promising clinical potential in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, other hematologic malignancies are less responsive to ABT-199 as a single agent, suggesting that combinations of targeted therapies may be required to elicit more promising responses. We have investigated the potential of combining ABT-199 with HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) inhibitors (statins), which have known anti-cancer potential in hematologic malignancies. Using multiple chemically distinct statin compounds, we observed profound synergistic induction of apoptosis when combined with ABT-199 in both human diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) as well as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines. This synergy was also seen in primary murine B lymphoma cells over-expressing MYC and BCL-2. Importantly, addition of exogenous mevalonate completely rescued cells from the combination, confirming on-target efficacy of HMGCR inhibition. Using BH3 profiling, we found that simvastatin significantly primed lymphoma cells for undergoing apoptosis (termed mitochondrial priming). Notably, the degree of priming correlated with its ability to synergize with ABT-199, suggesting that this method may be used to predict patient responses. Strikingly, the combination did not synergize to kill normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors, suggesting that statins may selectively prime cancer cells for apoptosis. Mechanistic studies support the hypothesis that statins synergize with ABT-199 by suppressing protein prenylation, particularly protein geranylgeranylation. In support, the addition of exogenous geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) completely rescued cells from the effects of simvastatin. Furthermore, selective inhibition of protein geranylgeranyl transferase (GGT) was sufficient to recapitulate the effects of simvastatin in combination with ABT-199. Lastly, we have identified Rap1A de-prenylation as a marker of pharmacodynamic response to statins in vivo. Thus, this project highlights a novel combination for use in aggressive lymphomas, establishes its efficacy and tolerability using preclinical models, and provides proof-of-concept to warrant investigation of its clinical potential. Citation Format: Jong-Hoon S. Lee, Thanh-Trang T. Vo, David A. Fruman. Synergy between statins and BCL-2 inhibitors in blood cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3851.
Financial Planning for College: Parental Preparation and Capital Conversion

This study explores the conversion of cultural capital into economic capital, and specifically financial capital in the form of parental financial planning for children’s college education, including reported financial preparations and savings. Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS:2002), logistic regression-based analyses of aspects of cultural capital indicated that parental involvement exhibited the most prevalent relationship with financial planning and the amount saved, and that parents’ expectations, but not their aspirations, corresponded to engagement in financial planning. Findings support the conclusion that some parents convert part of their cultural capital to financial capital in preparation for paying for their child’s college education, perhaps representing a typically hidden facet of social class reproduction.
CRT-200.06 Sex Based Differences in Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction Among Patients with Angina and Non-obstructive Epicardial CAD

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMVD) can mediate angina and myocardial ischemia in a proportion of patients presenting with signs and symptoms of myocardial ischemia in the absence of obstructive epicardial coronary artery disease (CAD). Previous studies have shown sex based difference in
Solidification and solid-state transformation sciences in metals additive manufacturing

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) of metals is rapidly emerging as an established manufacturing process for metal components. Unlike traditional metals fabrication processes, metals fabricated via AM undergo localized thermal cycles during fabrication. As a result, AM presents the opportunity to control the liquid-solid phase transformation, i.e. material texture. However, thermal cycling presents challenges from the standpoint of solid-solid phase transformations. To be discussed are the opportunities and challenges in metals AM in the context of texture control and associated solid-solid phase transformations in Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718.
Acetate Dose-Dependently Stimulates Milk Fat Synthesis in Lactating Dairy Cows.

Background: Acetate is a short-chain fatty acid (FA) that is especially important to cows because it is the major substrate for de novo FA synthesis. However, the effect of acetate supply on mammary lipid synthesis is not clear.Objective: The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of increasing acetate supply on milk fat synthesis in lactating dairy cows.Methods: Six multiparous lactating Holstein cows were randomly assigned to treatments in a replicated design to investigate the effect of acetate supply on milk fat synthesis. Treatments were 0 (control), 5, 10, and 15 mol acetate/d continuously infused into the rumen for 4 d. Rumen short-chain FAs, plasma hormones and metabolites, milk fat concentration, and milk FA profile were analyzed on day 4 of each treatment. Polynomial contrasts were used to test the linear and quadratic effects of increasing acetate supply.Results: Acetate increased milk fat yield quadratically (P < 0.01) by 7%, 16%, and 14% and increased milk fat concentration linearly (P < 0.001) by 6%, 9%, and 11% for 5, 10, and 15 mol acetate/d, respectively, compared with the control treatment. Increased milk fat yield predominantly was due to a linear increase in 16-carbon FAs (P < 0.001) and a quadratic increase in de novo synthesized FAs (<16-carbon FAs; P < 0.01), indicating that there was stimulation of de novo synthesis pathways. Apparent transfer of acetate to milk fat was 33.4%, 36.2%, and 20.6% for 5, 10, and 15 mol/d, respectively. Acetate infusion linearly increased the relative concentration of rumen acetate (P < 0.001) before feeding, but not after feeding. Acetate linearly increased plasma s-hydroxybutyric acid by 29%, 50%, and 78%, respectively, after feeding compared with the control treatment (P < 0.01).Conclusions: Increasing acetate supply to lactating cows increases milk fat synthesis, suggesting that nutritional strategies that increase ruminal acetate absorption would be expected to increase milk fat by increasing de novo FA synthesis.
Update on the role of nanoliposomal irinotecan in the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer

Median survival for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC) treated with combination chemotherapeutic agents such as gemcitabine-based regimens and FOLFIRINOX is currently less than 12 months. This highlights the need for more efficacious first-line, as well as second-line therapies. Nanoliposomal irinotecan, in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/folinic acid has recently been assessed as second-line therapy after initial gemcitabine-based therapy. It is the first, second-line treatment approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat patients with MPC based on results of the NAnoliPOsomaL Irinotecan (NAPOLI-1) study, which showed that this regimen significantly prolonged progression-free survival (3.1 months versus 1.5 months) and overall survival (6.2 months versus 4.1 months) compared with 5-FU/folinic acid alone. In addition, this study also represented an important step forward in improving the efficacy of previously used chemotherapeutic agents by using nanoformulation to extend...