cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Landmark study: the Carvedilol Post-Infarct Survival Control in Left Ventricular Dysfunction Study (CAPRICORN)

The benefit of beta-blockers for secondary prevention of death and reinfarction after myocardial infarction (MI) has been conclusively demonstrated in randomized clinical trials. Before the Carvedilol Post-Infarct Survival Control in Left Ventricular Dysfunction Study (CAPRICORN)-a multicenter, multinational, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 1,959 patients who had an acute MI and a left ventricular ejection fraction of <==0.40-it was not known whether beta-blockers confer additional benefit when used in the context of modern post-MI management (eg, fibrinolytic therapy and primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, aspirin, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors). Patients in CAPRICORN were treated with a maximum dose of 25 mg bid and observed until 633 validated primary end points had occurred. Because the overall mortality was lower than had been predicted, a co-primary end point was adopted that included the original primary end point (all-cause mortality) plus the first of the prespecified secondary end points (all-cause mortality or cardiovascular hospitalizations). A significant 23% reduction in the original primary end point of all-cause mortality was observed. A total of 340 (35%) patients died or had a cardiovascular hospitalization in the carvedilol group versus 367 (37%) in the placebo group. Therefore, the revised primary end point of all-cause mortality or cardiovascular hospitalization was reduced by 8%, which was not statistically significant. Significant reductions in cardiovascular mortality, nonfatal MI, and the combination of all-cause mortality or nonfatal MI were observed. Although statistical significance for the revised primary end point was not reached, CAPRICORN has an important role in guiding future use of beta-blockers in the early post-MI period.
Higher cytolytic efficiency of an IgG2α than of an IgG1 monoclonal antibody reacting with the same (or spatially close) determinant on a human high-molecular-weight melanoma-associated antigen

Abstract Serological and immunochemical assays showed that the monoclonal antibody (MoAb) 225.28S, an IgG2α, and the MoAb 653.40S, an IgG1, react with the same (or spatially close) antigenic determinant expressed on a set of molecules carrying a high-molecular-weight human melanoma-associated antigen. Neither monoclonal antibody mediates complement-dependent lysis of cultured melanoma cells, but both of them specifically mediate lysis of target cells in an antiglobulin cytotoxic assay and in an antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) assay. In the latter two assays the IgG2α displays a higher lytic activity than the IgG1. The differential lytic activity of the IgG2α and IgG1 monoclonal antibodies was detected also when the sensitivity of the ADCC assay was increased either by boosting the cytolytic activity of the effector cells or by enhancing the susceptibility to lysis of target cells.
Research on the Aryl Hydrocarbon (Dioxin) Receptor Is Primed to Take Off

Hitherto the lack of success in cloning the aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor has severely hindered its analysis. The recent cloning of cDNAs for two subunits of the receptor should lead to a renaissance in research. Furthermore, the sequences of the two subunits, as deduced from their cDNA sequences, have shown that the structure of the receptor is very different from what many researchers had expected. I describe here these recent results, and outline several future avenues for research.
Two McLeod patients with novel mutations in XK

McLeod syndrome (MLS) is a rare, X-linked, late-onset, disease involving hematological, brain, and neuromuscular systems, caused by mutations in XK that result in either defective XK or complete loss of XK protein. Acanthocytosis of erythrocytes is a typical feature. We report novel mutations in two patients who exhibited typical clinical characteristics of MLS. The coding and flanking intronic regions of XK were amplified by PCR, sequenced, and compared with the normal XK sequence. XK protein, and its complexed partner protein, Kell, were assessed by Western blot analysis. Patient 1 was found to have a single base insertion, 605insA at 175Ile creating a frame shift within the coding sequence of XK. Patient 2 had a single base substitution in the 3′ splice sequence of intron 2 (IVS2–2a>g). In both cases mutations resulted in the absence of XK protein.
Semantic query optimization in recursive databases

Semantic query optimization is the process of using semantic knowledge expressed in the form of integrity constraints to transform a query into a semantically equivalent one; one that is thought to be less expensive to process. The authors analyze the possibilities of semantic optimization in a deductive database that includes recursive relations and, consequently, integrity constraints that include recursive literals. They propose a compiled approach to utilizing semantic knowledge in recursive query processing, assuming recursive queries are processed using compiled iterative methods. Also, a method of residue propagation for obtaining implied constraints that are often useful in optimization is presented. >
Optimal user ordering and time labeling for decision feedback detection in asynchronous CDMA

A strategy for user ordering and time labeling for a decision feedback (DF) detector in asynchronous Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communications is discussed. Ordering and labeling would at first appear to be of a complexity exponential in K, the number of users. Surprisingly, optimal sequencing requires only O(K4) operations, and is needed only once per packet: it is thus a cheap way to obtain an often marked improvement in performance, compared to power-ordering and chronological labeling.
Sex-Based Differences in T Lymphocyte Responses in HIV-1–Seropositive Individuals

Sex-based differences in the levels of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) RNA in plasma could be associated with differences in the strength of HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T cell responses. CD8(+) effector responses in 18 men and 15 women were measured 0-2 years (time A) and 5-7 years (time B) after seroconversion. CD8(+) effector responses were seen in 7 (39%) of 18 men and 2 (13%) of 15 women at time A (P=.13) and in 12 (67%) of 18 men and 10 (67%) of 15 women at time B (P=.99). At time B, the strength of CD8(+) effector responses correlated with the number of CD4(+) lymphocytes in women ( rho =-0.68; P=.005) but not in men ( rho =-0.14; P=.58). The level of HIV-1 RNA was not associated with the strength of CD8(+) effector responses according to sex, but there was a sex-based difference in the correlation between the strength of CD8(+) effector response and the number of CD4(+) lymphocytes.
Acid-Base Transport by the Renal Proximal Tubule

One of the major tasks of the renal proximal tubule is to secrete acid into the tubule lumen, thereby reabsorbing approximately 80% of the filtered HCO3- as well as generating new HCO3- for regulating blood pH. This review summarizes the cellular and molecular events that underlie four major processes in HCO3- reabsorption. The first is CO2 entry across the apical membrane, which in large part occurs via a gas channel (aquaporin 1) and acidifies the cell. The second process is apical H+ secretion via Na-H exchange and H+ pumping, processes that can be studied using the NH4+ prepulse technique. The third process is the basolateral exit of HCO3- via the electrogenic Na/HCO3 co-transporter, which is the subject of at least 10 mutations that cause severe proximal renal tubule acidosis in humans. The final process is the regulation of overall HCO3- reabsorption by CO2 and HCO3- sensors at the basolateral membrane. Together, these processes ensure that the proximal tubule responds appropriately to acute acid-base disturbances and thereby contributes to the regulation of blood pH.
Problematic effects of aggregation in zROC analysis and a hierarchical modeling solution

The confidence-rating recognition memory paradigm has been used extensively for testing theories of memory. Current methods for analyzing confidence-rating data require that data be aggregated over participants, items, or both. We show that this aggregation threatens claims of curvature in zROCs and distorts estimates of signal-distribution variance—the very findings that are used to make fine-grained distinctions between competing models. We develop a hierarchical signal detection model that accounts for variability from the sampling of participants and items in addition to variability from the underlying psychological processes. The model provides for accurate signal detection parameter estimates. With accurate estimates, the validity of benchmark findings in recognition memory may be assessed.
Multi-swarm parallel PSO: Hardware implementation

The ever increasing popularity of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is recently attracting attention to the embedded computing world. Although PSO is considered efficient compared to other contemporary population based optimization techniques, for many continuous multimodal and multidimensional problems, it still suffers from performance loss when it is targeted onto embedded application platforms. Examples of such target applications include small mobile robots and distributed sensor nodes in sensor network applications. In a previous work we presented a novel, modular, efficient and portable hardware architecture to accelerate the performance of the PSO for embedded applications. This paper extends the work by presenting a parallelization technique for further speedup of the PSO algorithm by dividing the swarm into a set of subswarms that are executing in parallel. The underlying communication topology and messaging protocols are described. Finally, the performance of the proposed system is evaluated on mathematical and real-world benchmark functions.
An OS-level Framework for Providing Application-Aware Reliability

The paper describes the reliability microkernel framework (RMK), a loadable kernel module for providing application-aware reliability and dynamically configuring reliability mechanisms installed in RMK. The RMK prototype is implemented in Linux and supports detection of application/OS failures and transparent application checkpointing. Experiment results show that the OS hang detection, which exploits characteristics of application and system behavior, can achieve high coverage (100% in our experiments) and low false positive rate. Moreover, the performance overhead is negligible because instruction counting is performed in hardware.
Optimization of Culture Conditions for Determining Protein Degradation in Myoblasts Using Extracts of Adult Bovine Muscle Treated with Muscle Enhancing Compounds1

Abstract The objective of this study was to optimize a methodology in which muscle extracts from animals treated with growth agents are added to growth media and then applied to muscle cell cultures to determine effects of growth agents on indirect cellular protein degradation. Experiments were designed as a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of cell type (C 2 C 12 myoblasts or primary bovine muscle cell cultures), growth medium [(Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM)or skeletal muscle cell basal medium (SKBM)], muscle extract medium [potassium phosphate buffer (KPB) or prerigor extraction buffer], and β -adrenergic agonist treatments of the bovine (control or treated) to determine differences in cellular protein degradation. There was a treatment media × β -adrenergic agonist treatment × cell type interaction (P 2 C 12 myoblasts with the β -adrenergic agonist in DMEM media had less protein degradation than controls in DMEM (P β -adrenergic agonist treatment in DMEM media had greater protein degradation than did controls in DMEM (P β -adrenergic agonist treatment in SKBM media had reduced protein degradation than did controls in SKBM (P β -adrenergic agonist treatment × muscle cell extraction buffer interaction (P = 0.04). The β -agonist treatment decreased protein degradation when muscle samples were extracted with KPB or prerigor extraction buffer and made with SKBM culture media (P 2 C 12 myoblasts had the most consistent differences for showing relative β -adrenergic agonist treatment effects on indirect protein degradation.
Changes during heating in chemical composition and in-vitro digestion of four commodities.

The effects of duration of heating on the composition and digestibility of whole cotton seed, almond hulls, whole pressed safflower seed and alfalfa were studied. The four commodities were heated at 125°C from 0 to 120 h. Nitrogen and ash values were relatively stable across commodities and heating times. However, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, in-vitro neutral detergent fibre remaining after 48 h fermentation and acid detergent insoluble nitrogen increased hyperbolically, approaching a relatively constant value at long heating times for all commodities. The sensitivity of each commodity to heat damage was different, and the rate that each analysis value approached a relatively constant value differed across commodities. In general, alfalfa was the most sensitive and whole cotton seed the least sensitive for a given nutrient change with heating time. Also the amount of neutral detergent fibre digested approached a relatively constant value at longer heating times for whole cotton seed, whole pressed safflower seed and alfalfa while approaching zero for almond hulls. Prior analysis of an unheated commodity is necessary to utilise compositional analyses to determine heat damage.
A novel t(15;17) translocation in acute myeloid leukaemia not associated with PML/RARα rearrangement

Summary We report a novel t(15;17)(q15;q11) translocation in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML M4) which was not associated with PML/RARα rearrangement or with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) morphology. The leukaemia behaved in refractory fashion, with 70% blasts in the bone marrow after the first course of chemotherapy. In view of the refractory behaviour of the leukaemia, the patient was treated with high dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell rescue. The patient is alive and well 22 months post-autologous stem cell transplant. This case demonstrates that while cytogenetic analysis provides important diagnostic and prognostic information, the precise location of the chromosomal breakpoints is critical in the interpretation of cytogenetic results.
Interstitial deletion of chromosome 10, del(10) (q11.2q22.1) in a boy with developmental delay and multiple congenital anomalies.

We describe a 4-year-old boy with an interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 10:del(10) (q11.2q22.1). Frontal bossing, hypertelorism, bright blue iris color, up-slanting palpebral fissures, a flat nasal bridge, a broad nose, apparently low-set ears, micrognathia, deep philtrum, and hypotonia were noted neonatally. A murmur was noted at age 5½ months and surgical repair of subaortic stenosis was required at 4 years. At 4 years micrognathia was no longer evident, but the palate was high-arched. The pattern of abnormalities included postnatal-onset slow growth, short stature, mental retardation, and cardiac anomalies. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Do Wisconsin's Tax Increment Finance Districts Stimulate Growth in Real Estate Values?

The authors look at tax increment finance districts in Wisconsin and conclude that TIFs have a small positive net effect on aggregate land values within a municipality.
Engaging patients through open notes: an evaluation using mixed methods

Objectives (A) To gain insights into the experiences of patients invited to view their doctors’ visit notes, with a focus on those who review multiple notes; (B) to examine the relationships among fully transparent electronic medical records and quality of care, the patient-doctor relationship, patient engagement, self-care, self-management skills and clinical outcomes. Design Mixed methods qualitative study: analyses of survey data, including content analysis of free-text answers, and quantitative-descriptive measures combined with semistructured individual interviews, patient activation measures, and member checks. Setting Greater Boston, USA. Participants Patients cared for by primary care physicians (PCPs) at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who had electronic access to their PCP visit notes. Among those submitting surveys, 576 free-text answers were identified and analysed (414 from female patients, 162 from male patients; 23–88 years). In addition, 13 patients (9 female, 4 male; 58–87 years) were interviewed. Results Patient experiences indicate improved understanding (of health information), better relationships (with doctors), better quality (adherence and compliance; keeping track) and improved self-care (patient-centredness, empowerment). Patients want more doctors to offer access to their notes, and some wish to contribute to their generation. Those patients with repeated experience reviewing notes express fewer concerns and more perceived benefits. Conclusions As the use of fully transparent medical records spreads, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of possible benefits or harms, and to characterise target populations that may require varying modes of delivery. Patient desires for expansion of this practice extend to specialty care and settings beyond the physician's office. Patients are also interested in becoming involved actively in the generation of their medical records. The OpenNotes movement may increase patient activation and engagement in important ways.
Direct observation of hole transfer from semiconducting polymer to carbon nanotubes.

Carbon nanotubes have been proven to play significant roles in polymer-based solar cells. However, there is intensive debate on whether carbon nanotube behaves as a donor or acceptor in the semiconducting polymer:carbon nanotube composite. In this paper, we report a direct observation via Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) that single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) behave as hole transporting channels in poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT)/SWNT heterojunctions. By comparing the surface potential (SP) change of SWNT in dark and under illumination, we observed that electrons are blocked from SWNT while holes are transferred to SWNT. This observation can be well-explained by our proposed band alignment model of P3HT/SWNT heterojunction. The finding is further verified by hole mobility measurement using the space charge limited current (SCLC) method. SCLC results indicate that the existence of small amount of SWNT (wt 0.5%) promotes device hole mobility to around 15-fold, indicating SWNT act as hole tra...
Staged closure of the pelvis in secondary repair of cloacal exstrophy in the older patient.

The authors describe a staged approach for pelvic closure applied in preadolescents and adolescents with previously failed closure of cloacal exstrophy. Closure of the pelvis was performed in four patients, 1 1 to 16 years old, with history of previous closures for their cloacal exstrophy that had resulted in either dehiscence or severe disfigurement. They were treated with pelvic osteotomies and external fixation; three later underwent internal fixation of the pubic rami. Genitourinary reconstructions were performed with the final stage of pelvic ring closure. Genitourinary closure was successful in all four patients despite a recurrent pubic diastasis resulting from sacroiliac joint instability in the patient not receiving internal fixation. Staged closure of the pelvis with iliac osteotomies, external fixation, gradual correction, and subsequent internal fixation of the approximated pubic rami can facilitate soft tissue closure of preadolescents and adolescents with unacceptably closed cloacal exstrophy.
Fast 3D Velocity Updates Using the Pre-stack Exploding Reflector Model

We show 3D real data results of migration velocity analysis by wavefield extrapolation using data synthesized by the prestack exploding-reflector model (PERM). PERM is a generalization of the exploding reflector model (ERM) in a sense that migration of PERM data can generate a pre-stack image, which is not achievable with ERM. PERM data allow fast migration velocity analysis, since its size can be orders of magnitude smaller than, for instance, plane-wave data. Also, because the modeling can be limited to the region where the velocity is to be updated, additional savings are possible by solving for the velocity in a target-oriented way.
Fossil marine vertebrates from the Codell Sandstone Member (middle Turonian) of the Upper Cretaceous Carlile Shale in Jewell County, Kansas, USA

Abstract Reported here is the first collective description of a marine vertebrate assemblage from the Codell Sandstone Member (middle Turonian) of the Upper Cretaceous Carlile Shale in Jewell County, Kansas. The Codell Sandstone was deposited during a regression of the Western Interior Seaway, and the fossil locality is described as a relatively shallow, near-shore environment. The fauna consists of 38 taxa, including at least 22 chondrichthyans, 13 osteichthyan fishes, and tetrapod remains belonging to mosasauridae, plesiosauria, and testudines. The fauna is dominated by active, pelagic carnivores, such as Meristodonoides, Anomotodon, Scapanorhynchus, Odontaspis, Cretalamna, Archaeolamna, Cretoxyrhina, Cretodus, Dallasiella, Pseudocorax, Paranomotodon, Belonostomus, Protosphyraena, Xiphactinus, Pachyrhizodus, Enchodus, Apateodus, Aulopiformes indet., Mosasauridae indet., and Plesiosauria indet. The fauna also includes benthic fish taxa (e.g., Ptychodus, Rhinobatos, Ptychotrygon, Ischyrhiza, Sclerorhynchus, Micropycnodon, and Anomoeodus), a possible planktivore (Cretomanta), and probable scavengers (Squalicorax). Notable occurrences include the oldest example of Ptychodus mortoni from North America, the first reported Anomotodon and the second reported Paranomotodon from Kansas, and one newly described chondrichthyan Squalicorax deckeri sp. nov.
Infection Status of HBV among Freshmen of A University

[Objective]To understand the infection status of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among university freshmen,and provide evidence for control work.[Methods]ELISA method was adopted to conduct HBsAg detection on 10 461 freshmen from a university of Guangxi Province during 2007-2009.[Results]The positive rate of HBsAg was 12.78% in 3 years,that of male and female students was 13.39% and 11.43% respectively,and that of students from rural areas and urban areas was 14.39% and 10.03% respectively.[Conclusion] The positive rate of HBsAg in this university is higher than the national prevalence of HBsAg.To control and prevent the HBV transmission in universities,it is necessary to strengthen HBV detection on freshmen and adopt hepatitis B vaccination,health education and other measures
High-Performance XML Message Brokering

For distributed environments including Web Services, data and application integration, and personalized content delivery, XML is becoming the common wire format for data. In this emerging distributed infrastructure, XML message brokers will play a key role as central exchange points for messages sent between applications and/or users. Users (equivalently, applications, or organizations) subscribe to the message broker by providing profiles expressing their data interests. After arriving at the message broker, these profiles become “standing queries,” which are executed on all incoming data. Data sources publish their data by pushing streams of XML messages to the broker. The broker delivers to each user the messages that match his data interests; these messages are presented in the required format of the user. We have developed “YFilter”, an XML filtering system aimed at providing efficient filtering for large numbers (e.g., 10’s or 100’s of thousands) of path queries. The key innovation in YFilter is a Nondeterministic Finite Automaton (NFA)-based representation of path expressions which combines all queries into a single machine. YFilter exploits commonality among path queries by merging the common prefixes of the paths so that they are processed at most once. The NFA-based implementation also provides additional benefits including a relatively small machine size, flexibility in dealing with diverse characteristics of data and queries, incremental machine construction, and ease of maintenance.
A modified plating technique for the recovery and enumeration of stressed Salmonella typhimurium Hf

A plating technique that would allow for recovery and enumeration of stressed Salmonella typhimurium was developed. The strain of S. typhimurium used in this study was isolated from an outbreak of salmonellosis caused by the consumption of contaminated pasteurized milk. Cultures propagated for 18 h at 37°C in Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) were enumerated on Brilliant Green Agar (BGA), Salmonella-Shigella agar (SS), Xylose Lysine Desoxycholate Agar (XLD), and Hektoen Enteric Agar (HE). Recovery of 101 to 102 fewer cells was seen on the selective agars as compared to recovery on Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA). When the culture was spread plated onto TSA, allowed to stand at room temperature for 4 h, overlaid with XLD, HE, or SS, and incubated at 37°C for 24 h, recovery levels were comparable to recovery on TSA. Enhanced recovery of S. typhimurium cells that had been injured by freezing in TSB or in blended whole egg, or by heating at 54°C was also seen. In some cases recovery was at a higher level when the overlay procedure was used than on control TSA plates. Recovery of S. typhimurium from cheese that had been artificially contaminated with S. typhimurium , Staphylococcus aureus , and Pseudomonas fragi exceed control MPN values when the overlay procedure was used, although the recovery rate was within the MPN 95% confidence limits. The selective and differential properties of XLD, HE, and SS were maintained. Salmonella colonies appeared black, while the starter culture bacteria, S. aureus and P. fragi appeared as pinpoint white colonies. The potential exists for this procedure to be used for the direct enumeration of sublethally stressed salmonellae if their numbers exceed 100 per gram.
Programming with Arrays and Pointers

In this chapter we will learn about programming with arrays and pointers. In the Standard Template Library, arrays and pointers are one fundamental component, though they are unchanged from standard C++. Most of the major features of the STL are generalizations and abstractions based on features of arrays and pointers.
Flexible absolute circuit for advanced power factor correction controller

In this paper, a flexible absolute circuit of advanced power factor correction (PFC) control for a bridgeless boost converter is proposed. The proposed circuit are able to eliminate the diode-bridge short-circuit problem if negative sensing signal is required by the power factor correction (PFC) controller. The polarity of the absolute circuit output could be changed just by reversing the polarity of the diodes. In addition, it is also has high input impedance. The proposed circuit could also be applied to other converters that uses hall effect sensor as the current sensing devices. Detailed analysis and design guidelines based on well-known PFC controller, UC3854AN are given.
Screening for tuberculosis in neuro-ophthalmology

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Timely detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) remain critical in the effective management of patients with suspected tuberculosis (TB) disease. While recommendations for determination of latent TB or TB exposure in industrialized countries support the use of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA), including the QuantiFERON Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) and T-SPOT.TB tests, disagreement exists within neuro-ophthalmologic practice on screening protocols for TB which affects ocular function.Areas covered: The authors have reviewed the current literature discussing the manifestation of tuberculosis in neuro-ophthalmic disease. Our literature search expands on current recommendations for TB screening in neuro-ophthalmology, including a comparison of the currently available tests for screening: the TST, QFT-GIT, and T-SPOT.TB tests. We review the literature on regional TB prevalence as it applies to clinical decision making for screening, as well as medical and social factors which may cre...
Closed-Loop Anesthesia: Wave of the Future or No Future?

A healthy 30-year-old male presents for a laparoscopic appendectomy. He undergoes induction uneventfully, and the case is underway when you feel the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. You contact your colleague who grudgingly arrives to give you a break. She says to you, “I wish we had an automatic system to manage the anesthetic for these healthy patients so we could take breaks whenever we wanted.” You respond by saying, “Even if we did have a closed-loop anesthesia system, we would still need to be here to manage and monitor our anesthetic.”
Carbon fiber TOW angle determination using microwave reflectometry

NASA's Advanced Composites Project is investigating technologies that increase automated remote inspection of aircraft composite structures. Therefore, microwave Frequency Domain Reflectometry (FDR) is being investigated as a method of enabling rapid remote inspection of angular orientation of the tow using microwave radiation. This work will present preliminary data demonstrating that frequency shifts in the reflection spectrum of a carbon fiber tow sample are indicative of the angle of the tow with respect to an interrogating antenna's linear polarized output.
Foreign Body Penetration through Jejunal Loops Causing Renal Artery Thrombosis and Renal Infarct

Foreign body ingestion is common, although perforation after ingestion is rare. We report a case of an ingested sharp wooden stick that perforated the proximal jejunum toward the renal vasculature, causing segmental renal artery thrombosis and renal infarct. The patient presented with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. A computed tomography scan revealed a linear opacity corresponding to the foreign body. The wooden stick was removed endoscopically through deep-push enteroscopy with a rat-tooth forceps. We report this unique case of perforation by a foreign body through the proximal jejunum to the left kidney, which was managed endoscopically.
Everyday Low Pricing: A Private Brand Growth Strategy in Traditional Food Retailers

This article aims to address the relationship between promotional pricing and everyday low pricing in strategically growing private brands in traditional food retailers. The study aims to expand the domain of previously researched private brands strategies by including a broader sales growth role than is normally found in the branding literature, particularly using private brands as a centerpiece of growth and not solely as a less expensive option to national brands. The gap in research we are addressing, and why our study is different, is twofold: There has been very little research in the area of taking traditional “mass categories” and implementing mass merchant tactics inside a conventional food format, and there has been very little research surrounding using private brands as the tactical fighter for a conventional food retailer.
Blocked Elements in 1-D and 2-D Arrays—Part II: Compensation Methods as Applied to Large Coherent Apertures

In Part I of this paper, we detected elements blocked by ribs during simulated and in vivo transcostal liver scans, and we turned those elements OFF to compensate for the loss in visibility of liver vasculature. Here, we apply blocked-element detection and adaptive compensation to large synthetic-aperture (SA) data collected through rib samples ex vivo , in order to reduce near-field clutter and to recover lateral resolution. To construct large synthetic transmit and receive apertures, we collected the individual-channel signals from a fully sampled matrix array at multiple and known array locations across the tissue samples. The blocked elements in SAs were detected using the method presented in Part I and retroactively turned OFF, while the subapertures covering intercostal spaces were either compounded, or coherently summed using uniform and adaptive element-weighting schemes. Turning OFF the blocked elements reduced the reverberation clutter by 5 dB on average. Adaptive weighing of the nonblocked elements to rescale the attenuated spatial frequencies reduced sidelobe levels by up to 5 dB for the transcostal acquisitions, and demonstrated a potential to restore lateral resolution to the nonblocked levels. In addition, the arrival-time surfaces were reconstructed to estimate the aberration from intercostal spaces and to offer further means to compensate for the loss of focus quality in transthoracic imaging.
Portraits of Mentor-Junior Faculty Relationships: From Power Dynamics to Collaboration.

This qualitative self-study of the mentoring experiences of three junior faculty members and their mentor addressed the question: How did we negotiate the dynamics of powerlessness and power in our...
Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Leak in Circulating B-Lymphocytes as a Biomarker in Heart Failure.

Background: Advances in congestive heart failure (CHF) management depend on biomarkers for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic response. During systole, intracellular Ca2+ is released fr...
OUTER CONVECTION ZONES AND INTERNAL TEMPERATURES OF COOL WHITE DWARFS.

The outer convection zone of the low-temperature white dwarf Van Maanen 2 has been studied for two different atmospheric models given byWeidemann (1960). A slight modification of the standard mixing length theory and the abundances derived by Weidemann have been used.
Possessors Change Over Time: A Case Study with Artworks

This paper presents a corpus and experimental results to extract possession relations over time. We work with Wikipedia articles about artworks, and extract possession relations along with temporal information indicating when these relations are true. The annotation scheme yields many possessors over time for a given artwork, and experimental results show that an LSTM ensemble can automate the task.
Novel Test Method for the Evaluation of Fluid Leakage at the Glove-Gown Interface and Investigation of Test Parameters

Background Exposure to patients' blood/body fluids could be life-affecting, when providing care to patients with infectious diseases. Although the glove-gown interface is considered one of the weakest points of the protective ensemble system, there is a lack of research, and existing standards do not provide much guidance on strategies to minimize gaps between the gowns and gloves. Currently, there is no known standard test method to evaluate fluid leakage or assess performance improvements with new gowns/gloves. Study Design A novel test method with a robotic arm, which has the capability to simulate health care personnel's arm movements during fluid exposure, was developed to determine the leakage at the glove-gown interface. This article explains the test method and investigates the effect of movement, exposure type, exposure duration, procedure duration, and existence of pressure on the amount of leaked fluid at the glove-gown interface. Results Test results suggest that, with the exception of procedure duration, all parameters significantly affected the amount of fluid leaked at the glove-gown interface. Leakage was higher for soaking when compared to spraying, increased as the exposure duration increased, and was greater with the application of pressure. Conclusions The novel method developed in this study could be used by manufacturers of personal protective equipment to evaluate their products. Standard development organizations could adapt this test method in their specifications, testing standards, and guidelines.
Flooded Area Detection from Uav Images Based on Densely Connected Recurrent Neural Networks

The emergence of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) along with inexpensive sensors presents the opportunity to collect thousands of images after each natural disaster with high flexibility and easy maneuverability for rapid response and recovery. Despite the ease of data collection, data analysis of the big datasets remains a significant barrier for scientists and analysts. Here we propose an integration of densely connected CNN and RNN networks, which is able to accurately segment out semantically meaningful object boundaries with end-to-end learning. The proposed network is applied on UAV aerial images of flooded areas in Houston, TX. We achieved 96% accuracy in detecting flooded areas on a large UAV dataset.
Acupuncture for Hot Flashes in Cancer Patients: Clinical Characteristics and Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis as Predictors of Treatment Response.

Background: Acupuncture is a recognized integrative modality for managing hot flashes. However, data regarding predictors for response to acupuncture in cancer patients experiencing hot flashes are...
Differential Effects of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery and Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy on Fatty Acid Levels.

Bariatric surgery is associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes and also affects lipid levels, but few studies have compared the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery with those of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on serum fatty acid levels. The present study compares the effects of RYGB and LSG surgeries on serum fatty acid levels. The study participants were women who were undergoing either RYGB or LSG and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls. Fasting blood samples to measure glucose, insulin, and fatty acids were drawn at baseline and at 6 and 18 months from baseline. Serum fatty acid data were available for 57 participants at baseline, of whom 56 had data at 6 months and 41 had data at 18 months from baseline. Compared with baseline, serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) levels were significantly higher at 6 and 18 months in the LSG group compared with the RYGB group. In the RYGB group, 2 saturated fatty acids (SFAs), 2 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and 1 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were significantly decreased after surgery, compared with those of the LSG group. A significant increase in NEFAs was seen after LSG, compared with RYGB. Compared with the LSG group, several serum fatty acids were significantly reduced after RYGB. NCT01228097
Guided Pathways in California Community Colleges: Lessons from a Pre-Allied Health Program

Student success has been a prevalent topic among the nation’s community colleges. Guided pathways and its four pillars are part of the community college effort to enhance student success. The Calif...
Directly measuring the structural transition pathways of strain-engineered VO2 thin films

Epitaxial films of vanadium dioxide (VO2) on rutile TiO2 substrates provide a means of strain-engineering the transition pathways and stabilizing of the intermediate phases between monoclinic (insulating) M1 and rutile (metal) R end phases. In this work, we investigate structural behavior of epitaxial VO2 thin films deposited on isostructural MgF2 (001) and (110) substrates via temperature-dependent Raman microscopy analysis. The choice of MgF2 substrate clearly reveals how elongation of V-V dimers accompanied by the shortening of V-O bonds triggers the intermediate M2 phase in the temperature range between 70-80 °C upon the heating-cooling cycles. Consistent with earlier claims of strain-induced electron correlation enhancement destabilizing the M2 phase our temperature-dependent Raman study supports a small temperature window for this phase. The similarity of the hysteretic behavior of structural and electronic transitions suggests that the structural transitions play key roles in the switching properties of epitaxial VO2 thin films.
Measuring adult sibling communication comfort about sensitive issues

The current study examined the relation between two sets of survey scale measures of adult sibling relationships. The first set of three scales assesses what adult siblings feel about, think about,...
Dysfunctional Mitochondrial Dynamic and Oxidative Phosphorylation Precedes Cardiac Dysfunction in R120G-αB-Crystallin-Induced Desmin-Related Cardiomyopathy.

Background The mutated α‐B‐Crystallin (CryABR120G) mouse model of desmin‐related myopathy (DRM) shows an age‐dependent onset of pathologic cardiac remodeling and progression of heart failure. CryAB...
Supine Parasympathetic Withdrawal and Upright Sympathetic Activation Underly Abnormalities of the Baroreflex in Postural Tachycardia Syndrome: Effects of Pyridostigmine and Digoxin

Upright postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) resembles hemorrhage with reduced central blood volume, parasympathetic withdrawal, and sympathetic activation. Baroreflex dysfunction causes low heart rate variability, enhanced blood pressure variability, and decreased maximum baroreflex gain (Gmax) putatively measured by spontaneous fluctuation of blood pressure and heart rate. We investigated whether/how cardiovagal baroreflex in POTS differ from control, supine, and upright by comparing indices of spontaneous baroreflex function to that measured using the reference standard modified Oxford method. This uses sodium nitroprusside and phenylephrine to generate the sigmoidal cardiovagal baroreflex curve. Baroreflex in POTS was evaluated supine and upright untreated and then treated to determine whether pyridostigmine or digoxin (a vagotonic agent) corrects baroreflex deficits. Supine, Gmax was reduced by 25% in POTS compared with controls, and descriptors of this sigmoidal relationship showed a reduction, downward shift, and left shift of the response to the pharmacological decrease and increase in blood pressure. Digoxin normalized supine cardiovagal baroreflex while pyridostigmine resulted in partial normalization as Gmax, and other descriptors of these relationships were similar to control. Upright, cardiovagal curves were distorted and displaced in untreated POTS, while digoxin and pyridostigmine left shifted the cardiovagal curves due to sympathetic activity. Cardiovagal baroreflex deficits in POTS relate to parasympathetic withdrawal while supine, remediated completely by digoxin, and sympathetic activation upright through alteration of baroreflex responsivity. Since these baroreflex effects resemble those measured following microgravity/chronic bedrest, vagotonic/sympatholytic treatment combined with aerobic exercise might normalize the cardiovagal baroreflex and provide therapeutic benefit in patients with POTS.
Dynamics of N2O in vicinity of plant residues: a microsensor approach

Plant residues decomposing within the soil matrix are known to serve as hotspots of N2O production. However, the lack of technical tools for microscale in-situ N2O measurements limits understanding of hotspot functioning. Our aim was to assess performance of microsensor technology for evaluating the temporal patterns of N2O production in immediate vicinity to decomposing plant residues. We incorporated intact switchgrass leaves and roots into soil matrix and monitored O2 depletion and N2O production using electrochemical microsensors along with N2O emission from the soil. We also measured residue’s water absorption and b-glucosidase activity on the surface of the residue - the characteristics related to microenvironmental conditions and biological activity near the residue. N2O production in the vicinity of switchgrass residues began within 0–12 h after the wetting, reached peak at ~0.6 day and decreased by day 2. N2O was higher near leaf than near root residues due to greater leaf N contents and water absorption by the leaves. However, N2O production near the roots started sooner than near the leaves, in part due to high initial enzyme levels on root surfaces. Electrochemical microsensor is a useful tool for in-situ micro-scale N2O monitoring in immediate vicinity of soil incorporated plant residues. Monitoring provided valuable information on N2O production near leaves and roots, its temporal dynamic, and the factors affecting it. The N2O production from residues measured by microsensors was consistent with the N2O emission from the whole soil, demonstrating the validity of the microsensors for N2O hotspot studies.
How a Good Governance of Institutions Can Reduce Poverty and Inequality in Society for Supporting a Sustainable Economic Development

The main aim of this study is to analyze how institutional change, measured with a set of governance indicators, can reduce poverty and inequality in society that are essential prerequisites for supporting sustainable economic growth of nations. This study investigates 191 countries to explain the relationships between institutional variables and socioeconomic factors of nations with different level of development. Central findings suggest that a good governance of institutions supports a reduction of poverty and income inequality in society. In particular, results here show that the critical role of good governance for reducing inequality and poverty has a higher effect in countries with stable economies than emerging and fragile economies. Overall, then, this study reveals that countries should focus on institutional change directed to improve governance effectiveness and rule of law that can reduce the poverty and inequality, and as a consequence support the long-run socioeconomic development of nations.
Intraoperative Fluoroscopy for Correcting Rotational Malalignment After Fixation of Tibial Shaft Fracture: A Case Report.

Case A 29-year-old man previously treated with closed reduction and intramedullary nail (IMN) fixation for a right tibial shaft fracture presented with complaint of the foot pointing outward compared with uninjured side. He was diagnosed with tibial malrotation, and a novel intraoperative imaging technique was used for correction. Conclusion Literature suggests that the prevalence of tibial malrotation after IMN fixation is greater than previously thought. This case highlights the need for a simple and reliable intraoperative approach to guide and confirm correction of tibial malrotation after IMN fixation, and it demonstrates a technique that can be implemented with immediate results.
Oxidative dehydrogenative couplings of alkenyl phenols

Alkenyl phenols are utilized by nature in the construction of one of the most important biopolymers, lignin. Using similar building blocks, an array of distinct structures can be formed by selective dimerization of the starting phenols to form lignans, neolignans, oxyneolignans, and norlignans. Given the multitude of possible outcomes, many methods have been reported to affect the desired bond formations and access these biologically relevant scaffolds. The most biomimetic of these methods, discussed here, involve the unprotected phenols undergoing oxidative bond formation that proceeds via dehydrogenative coupling. This review aims to place the known literature in context, highlight the progress made toward the synthesis of these important molecules, and recognize the gaps and limitations that still exist.
Sex Differences in Microglial Responses to Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia

Chronic intermittent hypoxia is a hallmark of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that causes neuroinflammation and impairs one form of respiratory motor plasticity, phrenic nerve long-term facilitation ...
Translatio Ganymedis: Reading the Sex Out of Ovid in Alan of Lille's The Plaint of Nature

This article suggests that Alan's complaint, often understood as targeting those guilty of the sin of sodomy, is in fact more interested in condemning the use of allegorical interpretation as a means of evacuating desire from pagan representations of disordered desire, such as in Ovid's Metamorphoses . For Alan, the abduction of Ganymede allegorizes the desire that propels figural interpretation, making the body of Ganymede ultimately another name for the erotic materiality of language in medieval letters. Based on a close reading of Alan's retelling of the Ganymede story, the paper argues that it is the erotic materiality of language that both drives medieval readers to allegorize sexual referents and makes this allegoresis ultimately impossible.