cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The coiled-coil structure: identity of the two chains of Mercenaria paramyosin.

Electrophoresis of sulfonated Mercenaria paramyosin on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, urea, or acid yields a single band, indicating that both the chain weight and the net charge of the two chains of this coiled-coil protein are similar. Prolonged cleavage of Mercenaria paramyosin with cyanogen bromide at 40°C in 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate yields seven bands on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels. The molecular weights of these peptides add up to 106,000. Since there are six moles of methionine per 106,000 grams of Mercenaria paramyosin, the two chains of a paramyosin molecule appear to be very similar, if not identical. Peptide mapping of tryptic digests of one of the cyanogen bromide peptides strengthens this conclusion since the lysine and arginine residues must also be in the same places in both chains. The close similarity or identity of the two chains combined with the polar paracrystal structures observed in the electron microscope indicates that the two chains of paramyosin are arranged in a parallel manner.
Molecular analysis of the extent of asymmetry in two asymmetric somatic hybrids of tomato.

Two somatic hybrid plants generated from a single fusion event between Lycopersicon esculentum and irradiated L. pennellii protoplasts have been analyzed at the molecular level. Over 30 loci have been analyzed using isozymes and RFLPs. All loci tested on chromosomes 2–10 were heterozygous, while those loci on chromosome 12 were homozygous L. pennellii in both somatic hybrids. In one of the somatic hybrids, 2850, loci on chromosome 1 were also homozygous L. pennellii. The other somatic hybrid, 28F5, was heterozygous at all chromosome 1 loci tested, but exhibited altered stoichiometry of parental bands as compared to the sexual hybrid. Loci on chromosome 2 from both somatic hybrids have altered stoichiometry, with L. pennellii alleles being four times more abundant than expected. Both somatic hybrids contain the L. esculentum chloroplast genome, while only L. pennellii polymorphisms have been detected in the mitochondrial genome.
Restoration of splenic noradrenergic nerve fibers and immune reactivity in old F344 rats: a comparison between L-deprenyl and L-desmethyldeprenyl

Abstract L -deprenyl, a monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor, partially reversed the age-associated decline in splenic sympathetic noradrenergic (NA) innervation and immune reactivity in old male rats. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the effects of deprenyl on splenic sympathetic NA nerve fibers and immune functions are mediated through a metabolite of deprenyl, L -desmethyldeprenyl. Old male F344 rats were treated with 0, 0.25, or 1.0 mg L -(−)-deprenyl/kg BW; 0.025, 0.25, or 1.0 mg L -(−)-desmethyldeprenyl/kg BW; and 1.0 mg D -(+)-desmethyldeprenyl/kg BW i.p. daily for 8 weeks. The animals were sacrificed after a 10-day drug wash-out period and the spleens were removed for histofluorescence, immunocytochemistry, neurochemical, and immunological analysis. The volume density of NA nerve fibers was increased in the spleens of deprenyl- and L -desmethyldeprenyl-treated old rats. Con A-induced IFN-γ production by spleen cells was elevated in 1.0 mg/kg deprenyl- and L -desmethyldeprenyl-treated rats in comparison to saline- and D -desmethyldeprenyl-treated old rats. Deprenyl and desmethyldeprenyl treatment did not alter the percentage of CD5+ T cells, but treatment with 1.0 mg/kg deprenyl and 0.025 mg/kg L -desmethyldeprenyl prevented the decline in the percentage of sIgM + B cells in the spleens of old rats. These results suggest that L -desmethyldeprenyl may be as equipotent as deprenyl in preventing age-associated diminution in splenic sympathetic NA innervation and immunocompetence.
Navigating the parameter space of Bayesian Knowledge Tracing models: Visualizations of the convergence of the Expectation Maximization algorithm.

Bayesian Knowledge Tracing (KT) models are employed by the cognitive tutors in order to determine student knowledge based on four parameters: learn rate, prior, guess and slip. A commonly used algorithm for learning these parameter values from data is the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. Past work, however, has suggested that with four free parameters the standard KT model is prone to converging to erroneous degenerate states depending on the initial values of these four parameters. In this work we simulate data from a model with known parameter values and then run a grid search over the parameter initialization space of KT to map out which initial values lead to erroneous learned parameters. Through analysis of convergence and error surface visualizations we found that the initial parameter values leading to a degenerate state are not scattered randomly throughput the parameter space but instead exist on a surface with predictable boundaries. A recently introduced extension to KT that individualizes the prior parameter is also explored and compared to standard KT with regard to parameter convergence. We found that the individualization model has unique properties which allow it to avoid the local maxima problem.
Release dynamics of ciprofloxacin from swellable nanocarriers of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate): an in vitro study.

Abstract Swellable polymeric nanosystems have emerged as promising materials in drug release technologies. Such systems have shown potential in releasing antibiotic drugs and to do so controllably. In the present investigation poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) nanoparticles were synthesized by suspension polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and characterized by various techniques such as Fourier transform–infrared spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, particle size analysis, and surface charge measurements. The synthesized nanoparticles were swellable in water and showed promise to function as a swelling controlled-release system. The release kinetics of drug-loaded particles was studied in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) using ciprofloxacin as a model antibacterial drug. The chemical stability of the pure and released drug was also assessed in PBS (pH 7.4), acidic (pH 1.8), and alkaline (pH 8.6) solutions. The in vitro blood compatibility of nanoparticles was also investigated in terms of hemolysis tests. The drug-loaded nanoparticles were also examined for their antibacterial and blood-compatible behaviors. From the Clinical Editor Swellable polymeric nanosystems have emerged as promising materials in drug release technologies. In this paper, the release kinetics, antimicrobial properties and in vitro “blood compatibility” is reported for a specific swellable polymeric nanosystem.
Green electrodeposition of ZnO as a TCO in terawatt solar cells

Electrodeposition of ZnO can be performed in an aqueous solution using a greener recipe, where the solution can be reused for multiple deposition runs. The solution in this greener recipe has only one function, i.e. to provide electrical conductivity for the deposition reactions. A Zn sheet serves as the anode, which dissolves during the deposition as the Zn source. O 2 is bubbled into the solution and reduced to OH- ions as the O source. This recipe minimizes concentration changes in the solution as deposition proceeds, making the solution reusable. An initial Zn2+ concentration of a few mM in the solution is required, not to serve as a Zn source but to facilitate the deposition and prevent precipitation of ZnO in the solution. Multiple deposition runs for ZnO films in the same solution have been demonstrated. X-ray diffraction, optical transmittance and absorption spectra reveal that all the ZnO films have similar structural and optical properties. They all display high transmittance of ∼80% and low absorbance of ∼10%.
A high-speed architecture for ADPCM codec

A pipelined architecture for adaptive pulse code modulation (ADPCM) is presented. The architecture is developed by the application of a realized form of look-ahead. The hardware overhead is only the pipelining latches and is independent of the number of quantizer levels, the predictor order, and the pipelining level. The codec latency is smaller than the level of pipelining. Under the assumption of small quantization error, the convergence properties of the pipelined architecture are compared with those of the serial one. Speech and image coding examples are presented to support the conclusions reached. >
A linear approach for two-dimensional, frequency domain, least square, signal and system modeling

A linear algorithm for two-dimensional (2-D) least square (LS) approximation in the frequency domain is presented. The algorithm is based on the equation error model. The approximation yields a 2-D rational function in the complex variables, or equivalently a 2-D autoregressive, moving-average (ARMA) process. The proposed two-dimensional, least square, frequency domain (2D-LS-FD) algorithm can efficiently represent 2-D signals or images. It is also capable of accurately modeling 2-D linear and shift invariant (LSI) stable systems, when the model has a sufficient order relative to the unknown and the identification noise is negligible. This paper will also discuss, with proofs, the important existence, uniqueness and convergence properties associated with this technique. Simulation examples for signal and system modeling are given to show the excellent performance of the algorithm. In addition, the successful application of the developed algorithm to image noise cancellation is also presented. >
Histamine receptors in the human heart

Abstract Histamine receptor subtypes in in vitro isolated human coronary arteries and in in vitro human atrial and ventricular myocardium were studied. The H1 receptor mediates contraction of coronary vascular smooth muscle but has no effect on atrial or ventricular tissue. The H2 receptor mediates relaxation of human coronary artery vascular smooth muscle and mediates a positive inotropic response in atrial and ventricular myocardium.
Grasshopper egg mortality mediated by oviposition tactics and fire intensity

It is commonly assumed that arthropod species living or hibernating in the soil would not be affected by grassland fires, even though burning results in elevated surface and below-ground soil temperatures. The importance of elevated below-ground soil temperatures during fires on the survival of grasshopper eggs had not been examined. 2. The effects of simulated autumn grassland fires of varying intensities on below- ground egg mortality were examined with grasshopper species laying shallow egg pods ( Ageneotettix deorum ) and deeper egg pods ( Melanoplus sanguinipes ) to test the hypothesis that exposure to heat during fires was the mechanism responsible for population reductions in A. deorum following fire. 3. Species-specific oviposition characteristics mediated the effects of fire intensity on below-ground egg mortality. The results indicate that fires occurring in areas with at least 3100 kg ha - 1 standing crop biomass would be expected to significantly reduce populations of A. deorum , but not M. sanguinipes . No A. deorum eggs hatched in 12 of the 14 oviposition containers subjected to simulated fires approximating a standing crop biomass of 4500 kg ha - 1 . This is the first study to link field observations of rangeland
A putative cyclic peptide efflux pump encoded by the TOXA gene of the plant-pathogenic fungus Cochliobolus carbonum

Race 1 isolates of Cochliobolus carbonum are pathogenic on certain maize lines due to production of a host-selective cyclic tetrapeptide, HC-toxin. Flanking HTS1, which encodes the central enzyme in HC-toxin biosynthesis, a gene was identified and named TOXA. Like HTS1, TOXA occurred only in isolates of the fungus that make HC-toxin and was present as two linked copies in most toxin-producing isolates. HTS1 and TOXA were transcribed in the opposite orientation and their transcriptional start sites were 386 bp apart. The predicted product of TOXA was a 58 kDa hydrophobic protein with 10-13 membrane-spanning regions. The sequence was highly similar to several members of the major facilitator superfamily that confer resistance to tetracycline, methylenomycin, and other antibiotics. Although it was possible to mutate one copy or the other of TOXA by targeted gene disruption, numerous attempts to disrupt both copies in a single strain were unsuccessful, suggesting that TOXA is an essential gene in strains that synthesize HC-toxin. On the basis of its presence only in HC-toxin-producing strains, its proximity to HTS1 and its predicted amino acid sequence, we propose that TOXA encodes an HC-toxin efflux pump which contributes to self-protection against HC-toxin and/or the secretion of HC-toxin into the extracellular milieu.
Benthic Features as a Determinant for Fish Biomass in Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary

A recent focus of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuaries Program is the characterization and assessment of marine resources associated with coral reef and live bottom habitats in protected areas. Detailed bottom maps have been produced making it possible to quantify bottom features within Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Georgia, USA. Hydroacoustic fisheries surveys were used to estimate fish biomass in the context of underlying features and bottom types by applying spatial techniques and regression analysis. Variables relating bottom features to estimated fish biomass differed based upon depth in the water column. Distance to rock ledges was the best predictor of fish biomass in the bottom 2 m of the water column, whereas the area of two bottom habitat types combined was a reliable predictor of estimated fish biomass in the mid water column.
Continuous-time continuous-frequency and discrete-time discrete-frequency ambiguity functions

The ambiguity function, which is used to determine the target resolution and parameter estimation capabilities of a radar, of discrete-time signals is discussed. Both continuous-time, continuous-frequency and discrete-time, discrete-frequency ambiguity functions are presented. To avoid aliasing, it is shown that the sampling rate must be twice the Nyquist rate associated with the sampled signal. >
On the defect tolerance of nano-scale two-dimensional crossbars

Defect tolerance is an extremely important aspect in nano-scale electronics as the bottom-up self-assembly fabrication process results in a significantly higher defect density compared to conventional lithography-based processes. Defect tolerance techniques are therefore essential to obtain an acceptable manufacturing yield. In this paper, we investigate defect tolerance properties of a 2D nano-scale crossbar, which is the basic block of various nano architectures which have been recently proposed. Various nano-wire and switch faults are studied and their impact on the routability of a crossbar are investigated. In the presence of defects, it is still possible to utilize a defective crossbar at reduced functionality, i.e. as a smaller defect-free crossbar. Simulation results for different sizes and defect densities are presented. This proposed approach can be utilized by architecture designers to determine the expected size of functional (defect-free) crossbar based on defect density information obtained from the fabrication process.
A high performance software implementation of MPEG audio encoder

The MPEG/audio is a standard for both transmitting and recording compressed audio. The MPEG algorithm achieves compression by exploiting the perceptual limitation of the human ear. The standard defines the decoding process and also the syntax of the coded bitstream. However, there is room for having different implementation to generate the compressed bitstream. We propose a high performance software implementation of the MPEG/audio encoder. We obtained more than a factor of five improvement over a straightforward implementation, on the IBM PowerPC, Model 250.
Group decision making in nest-site selection by honey bees

In recent years, renewed attention has been paid to the mechanisms of group decision making that underlie the nest-site selection process in honey bees. We review the results of these new investigations by discussing how the recent work builds on the earlier descriptive studies of this decision-making process, how the decision-making abilities of swarms have been tested, and how the mechanisms of this decision- making process have been experimentally analyzed. We conclude by discussing how the scouts in a swarm sense when their group decision making is coming to an end and so should begin stimulating their quiescent swarm-mates to prepare for the flight to their new home. Apis mellifera / group decision making / honey bee / nest-site selection / swarming / waggle dance
Elevated Fibrinogen in an Acute Phase Reaction Prolongs the Reptilase Time but Typically Not the Thrombin Time

The effects of elevated fibrinogen on thrombin and reptilase times have not been well documented. High fibrinogen levels are common (38% of specimens submitted to our coagulation laboratory). Among 102 patients in the present study, an endogenously elevated fibrinogen level was significantly associated, as follows, with prolonged reptilase times: 1 (4%) of 28 with normal fibrinogen levels, 6 (20%) of 30 with levels in the 400 to 700 mg/dL (4.0-7.0 g/L) range, 10 (34%) of 29 with levels in the 700 to 1,000 mg/dL (7.0-10.0 g/L) range, and 7 (47%) of 15 with fibrinogen levels greater than 1,000 mg/dL (10.0 g/L). This association was independent of patient age and fibrin degradation product titer. In contrast, thrombin time was not altered notably by elevated fibrinogen levels. In 4 patients studied further, the prolonged clotting times could be corrected or nearly corrected by adding calcium chloride or albumin, whereas no such corrections were demonstrable in samples from several hereditary dysfibrinogenemia control subjects. An elevated fibrinogen level is common and is associated with reptilase time prolongations. For patients with prolonged reptilase times, a fibrinogen assay is suggested before establishing a diagnosis of dysfibrinogenemia.
The 1p-Encoded Protein Stathmin and Resistance of Malignant Gliomas to Nitrosoureas

Background Malignant gliomas are generally resistant to all conventional therapies. Notable exceptions are anaplastic oligodendrogliomas with loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 1 p (1p +/- ). Patients with 1p +/- anaplastic oligodendroglioma frequently respond to procarbazine, 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-l-nitrosourea, and vincristine. Because the underlying biologic basis for this clinical finding is unclear, we evaluated differentially expressed 1 p-encoded proteins in 1p +/- and 1p +/+ malignant glioma cell lines and then examined whether their expression was associated with outcome of patients with anaplastic oligodendroglioma. Methods We used a comparative proteomic screen of A172 (1p +/- ) and U251 (1p +/+ ) malignant glioma cell lines to identify differentially expressed 1p-encoded proteins, including stathmin, a microtubule-associated protein. 1p +/- and 1p +/+ anaplastic oligodendroglioma specimens from 24 patients were assessed for stathmin expression by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between stathmin expression and clinical outcome was assessed with Kaplan-Meier analyses. RNA inhibition and cDNA transfection experiments tested effects of stathmin under- and overexpression, respectively, on the in vitro and in vivo resistance of malignant glioma cells to treatment with nitrosourea. For in vivo resistance studies, 36 mice with intracranial and 16 mice with subcutaneous xenograft tumor implants were used (one tumor per mouse). Flow cytometry was used for cell cycle analysis. Immunoblotting was used to assess protein expression. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Decreased stathmin expression in tumors was statistically significantly associated with loss of heterozygosity in 1p (P<.001) and increased recurrence-free survival (P<.001). The median recurrence-free survival times for patients with tumors expressing low, intermediate, or high stathmin levels were 45 months (95% confidence interval [Cl] = 0 to 90 months), 17 months (95% Cl = 10.6 to 23.4 months), and 6 months (95% Cl = 1.7 to 10.3 months), respectively. Expression of stathmin was inversely associated with overall survival of nitrosourea-treated mice carrying xenograft tumors. Median survival of mice with stathmin +/- tumors was 95 days (95% Cl = 68.7 to 121.3 days) and that of mice with stathmin +/+ tumors was 64 days (95% Cl = 58.2 to 69.8 days) (difference = 31 days, 95% Cl = 4.1 to 57.9 days; P<.001, log-rank test). Nitrosoureas induced mitotic arrest in malignant glioma cells, and this effect was greater in cells with decreased stathmin expression. Conclusions Loss of heterozygosity for the stathmin gene may be associated with improved outcomes of patients with 1p +/- anaplastic oligodendroglioma tumors.
Juvenile pallid (Scaphirhynchus albus) and hybrid pallid×shovelnose (S. albus×platorynchus) sturgeons exhibit low physiological responses to acute handling and severe confinement

Following a 7.5-h transport haul, juvenile pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) showed a small but significant increase in plasma cortisol to 4.7 ng ml(-1) but similar increases did not occur after fish were handled in a net held in the air for 30 s. Subsequent experiments on yearling pallid sturgeon and hybrid pallidxshovelnose (S. albusxplatorynchus) sturgeon using the same 30-s handling stressor failed to evoke increases in plasma cortisol, lactate or glucose. Plasma cortisol increased significantly from about 2 to 13-14 ng ml(-1) in both pallid and hybrid sturgeon during a 6-h severe confinement stressor with handling. Plasma cortisol in 2-year-old pallid sturgeon subjected to the same stressor demonstrated a linear pattern of increase during the initial 1 h. Plasma lactate increased from 1.11 to about 2.11 mmol l(-1) in hybrid sturgeon during the first hour of severe confinement but did not change throughout the entire confinement period in pallid sturgeon. A significant increase in plasma cortisol to 5.4 ng ml(-1) in 2-year-old pallid sturgeon 1 h after being subjected to 30 s handling at 19:00 h but not at 07:00 or 13:00 h suggests that a small diurnal variation in their stress response may exist. Although both pallid and hybrid sturgeons were responsive to stress, they exhibited very low physiological responses compared with those following equivalent stressors in most teleostean fishes or another chondrostean, the paddlefish (Polyodon spathula). Reasons for the apparent low responses to handling and confinement in scaphirhynchid sturgeons are not known but may relate to their evolutionary history, neuroendocrine mechanisms involved in their corticosteroid responses, or anatomy of their interrenal tissue structure.
Brentuximab vedotin: delivering an antimitotic drug to activated lymphoma cells

Importance of the field: Patients with relapsed or refractory CD30-positive lymphoproliferative disorders such as Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) commonly have a poor prognosis. Patients with these histologies who subsequently progress after salvage chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) have very limited treatment options and are in need of novel effective therapies.Areas covered in this review: Based on the published literature and available abstracts, this review describes the development of a CD30-directed antibody–drug conjugate, brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35), the preclinical activity of this agent in models of HL and ALCL, as well as the results of initial clinical trials.What the reader will gain: This review discusses the utility of using CD30 to target delivery of an antimitotic agent, the safety and activity of this approach, as well as potential future prospects and challenges in integrating this therapy into current treatment combinations....
Making Space for Informal Inquiry: Inquiry as Stance in an Online Induction Network.

This study brings the concept of inquiry as stance to bear on current understandings of how inquiry occurs within online networks for teacher induction. The author presents a case study of an online network that allowed 36 new teachers to participate in informal, spontaneous conversations. Genre research is used to examine the on-network, off-network relationship of teachers’ inquiry activity. Using integrated analysis of the online messages and of interviews that focused on teachers’ contexts and actions, the author presents a holistic portrait of teachers’ participation in informal inquiries. The online discussions allowed novice teachers to collaboratively consider new possibilities and to individually develop and reconsider their frameworks for teaching secondary English. Inquiry mentors and researchers should recognize and make space for inquiry as stance by attending to ties between new teachers’ on- and off-list activities—to how teachers enact inquiry as stance within and beyond online spaces.
Theory Comparison: Uncertainty Reduction, Problematic Integration, Uncertainty Management, and Other Curious Constructs.

This paper compares 3 theories examining the role of communication in producing and coping with subjective uncertainty. Uncertainty reduction theory offers axioms and derived theorems that describe communicative and noncommunicative causes and consequences of uncertainty. The narrow scope of the theory and its axiomatic form are both advantageous and disadvantageous. Problematic integration and uncertainty management theories are comparatively broad, and they exhibit an open, web-like structure. The former theory scrutinizes the complex intersection of probability assessments and evaluations of the objects of these assessments, whereas the latter examines the various ways in which people cope with uncertainty, including sometimes attempting to increase it. The paper also compares meanings of “uncertainty” in the 3 theories as well as the roles played by natural language in the communication-uncertainty interface.
Upper esophageal pH monitoring: Transnasal placement of the Bravo wireless capsule system

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is a common entity and is known to be associated with many common aerodigestive disorders. The diagnosis of LPR based on symptoms or laryngeal findings alone is unreliable. Upper esophageal pH monitoring enables the otolaryngologist to objectively confirm the presence of LPR and to gauge the response and effectiveness of medical therapy. In this article, we present the technique for transnasal placement of a wireless pH monitoring capsule for the diagnosis of LPR. This technique can be performed by otolaryngologists in the office. It is safe and can be done under local anesthesia, in conjunction with transnasal esophagoscopy. The main advantage is that, unlike single- or double-probe pH monitoring devices, wireless capsule monitoring does not interfere with patients’ daily activities and diet, giving a more accurate measurement of reflux episodes in the upper esophagus. The technique has a low potential for complications, and monitoring can be performed for 24- and 48-hour periods.
Application of Log-Normal Distribution and Data Mining Method in Component Repair Time Calculation of Power System Operation Risk Assessment

Power system operation risk assessment can comprehensively take into account the occurrence possibility and severity of disturbances, and it is an effective complement to traditional deterministic security analysis. Calculating transient state probability of components in future short time duration is one of the key issues in power system operation risk assessment. In this paper, a novel probability distribution named‘log-normal distribution’was presented for component fault repair time. The shape of probability density of log-normal distribution can describe the distribution characteristics of component fault repair times well. When the history data is limited, it can be used to calculate the instantaneous state probability, the method is simple and easy to use. But, if the system has a large amount of historical data, it will be suitable to establish the discrete model of repair time with data mining methods. Based on the information entropy weight allocation method, a real-time discrete model was established in this paper. The model can relatively accurate predict component repair time under various operation conditions. The results of example show that, if historical data is limited, a log-normal distribution can better meet characteristics of probability distribution of the actual sample, the transient state probability will be got accurately. When there is a large amount of historical data, discrete model established by data mining method is accurate and effective, can be very good to meet the field.
Thyroid Disorders. Part I: Hyperthyroidism

The significant thyroid disorders that may be found in dental patients are presented in a series of 3 articles. This article (part I) deals with hyperthyroidism, part II with hypothyroidism and thyroiditis, and part III with neoplastic lesions of the thyroid. The signs and symptoms, laboratory tests used to diagnoses hyperthyroidism, and the medical management of patients with hyperthyroidism are presented in this paper. The dental management of patients with hyperthyroidism is discussed in detail. The dentist, by detecting the early signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism, can refer the patient for medical diagnosis and treatment and avoid potential complications of treating patients with uncontrolled disease. These complications include the rare thyrotoxic crisis (thyroid storm) that may be precipitated by dental treatment, acute infection, or trauma in the patient with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. Also, the use of epinephrine or other pressor ammines can cause a hypertensive crisis in the patient with uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. Patients will benefit from the early detection and referral by reducing the risks of the medical complications such as hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure.
Dealing with uncertainty in the measurements for the reconfiguration of distribution power systems

The reconfiguration decisions taken in the control center for terrestrial power system or in shipboard power system are highly depends on the data received from the field. Most of the field devices will have certain amount of error associated with its measurement data. Uncertainty in meter measurements may result in the malfunctioning or unwanted switching operations of the power system. In this paper, an attempt to deal with such errors in reconfiguration of power systems has been developed using fuzzy correction technique. Developed fuzzy correction technique has been applied for Genetic Algorithm (GA) based reconfiguration method to compare the results between reconfiguration done with fuzzy correction of error data and reconfiguration done without fuzzy correction of error data. Simulation results show positive responses for the developed technique.
An analysis of NIC resource usage for offloading MPI

Summary form only given. Modern cluster interconnection networks rely on processing on the network interface to deliver higher bandwidth and lower latency than what could be achieved otherwise. These processors are relatively slow, but they provide adequate capabilities to accelerate some portion of the protocol stack in a cluster computing environment. This offload capability is conceptually appealing, but the standard evaluation of NIC-based protocol implementations relies on simplistic microbenchmarks that create idealized usage scenarios. We evaluate characteristics of MPI usage scenarios using application benchmarks to help define the parameter space that protocol offload implementations should target. Specifically, we analyze characteristics that we expect to have an impact on NIC resource allocation and management strategies, including the length of the MPI posted receive and unexpected message queues, the number of entries in these queues that are examined for a typical operation, and the number of unexpected and expected messages.
Social Visualization of Health Messages

Seeking health-related information on the Internet is becoming commonplace. Patients use the Internet to learn about their conditions and medications, and to discuss symptoms and concerns with other patients on chat forums. Physicians also browse these chat sites to understand concerns, symptoms, and beliefs of patients that might not be revealed to the physician due to fear. This paper presents a series of visualization themes applied to patient-generated data to allow for the exploration of these data. The themes we address are clustering, history, and sentiment. We describe the process used to extract and prepare the data for visualization and conclude with a discussion of the visualizations and their use for a specific health community.
Qué es la banca paralela

Ha sido dificil definir lo que es la banca paralela. El fsb (2012) la describe como “la intermediacion de credito que involucra a entidades y a actividades (total o parcialmente) fuera del sistema bancario regular”. Esta definicion es un punto de referencia util, y ha sido utilizado con frecuencia en escritos sobre la banca paralela. Sin embargo, esta definicion tiene dos debilidades. En primer lugar, podria abarcar a entidades que generalmente no se consideran como actividades de banca paralela, tales como las empresas de arrendamiento financiero e instituciones financieras, los fondos de cobertura orientados a creditos y vehiculos fiscales corporativos, entre otros, que tambien intermedian creditos. En segundo lugar, describe a las actividades de banca paralela como aquellas que operan principalmente fuera de los bancos. Pero en realidad, muchas actividades de banca paralela, como por ejemplo: reembolsos asegurados de liquidez para la titulizacion de vehiculos de inversion estructurada (siv, por sus siglas en ingles), operaciones de garantia de bancos intermediarios de valores y operaciones de recompra, entre otros, son realizadas al interior de los bancos, especialmente dentro aquellos considerados sistemicos (Pozsar y Singh, 2011; Cetorelli y Peristiani, 2012). Ambas razones hacen que la descripcion sea menos reveladora y menos util desde un punto de vista operativo.
Reducing Stock Risk with Hedge Funds

This paper tests the risk reduction properties of hedge fund investing against a sample of stocks ranging from 1990 through 2014. GARCH dynamic conditional correlation analysis indicates that hedge funds are a significant diversifier due to the consistent imperfect relationship between the hedge fund returns and the stock return indexes. Hedge funds serve as a weak safe haven in times of extreme stock market volatility. During periods of financial crisis, hedge funds also largely function as a weak safe haven. In contrast to their name, hedge funds do not provide a traditional “hedge” against stock risk.
Book Review of No Contest: The Case Against Competition by Alfie Kohn Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986

No Contest is a useful book. It summarizes a large body of empirical evidence on competition and does so relatively accurately. Though some bias is present, it does not seem to have a significant effect on the conclusions. This summary of the research should cause us to reconsider the frequent use of the competitive model in our work as marketers, marketing educators, and marketing planners. Until we can produce evidence favoring the use of competition in marketing or related situations, we should be aware that many marketing prescriptions may be based on false premises about the value of competition. These assumptions may lead us to make poor decisions about how to do marketing and how to teach it.
Teaching Social Justice and Health: Professionalism, Ethics, and Problem-Solving in the Medical-Legal Classroom

Our course on social justice and health began as an experiment between Roger Williams University School of Law and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. As a course for both law and medical students, it broke relatively new ground by focusing on the intersection between law and the social determinants of health and the ways in which lawyers and doctors might partner to address social and health disparities. The course blends professionalism, ethics, and problem-solving by using case studies that raise practical challenges at the intersection of poverty, law, and health. This kind of collaborative, interdisciplinary teaching presents many challenges and rewards, which I discuss in this essay.
PP1 Inhibitors Depolarize HermissendaPhotoreceptors and Reduce K+ Currents

Previous research indicates that activation of protein kinase C (PKC) plays a critical role in the induction and maintenance of memory-related changes in neural excitability of Type B photoreceptor...
The role of imaging in the detection, identification, and treatment of cancer

In April, 2015, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma which is a blood cancer that attacks the lymph nodes. Having recently purchased a winter home in Clearwater, Florida, in early March, 2015, I did not have a doctor network established in Florida. After having lower abdominal pains for more than a week, I went to the emergency room (ER) at the local hospital. A CT scan was done of the lower abdomen, and I was told that my lymph nodes were enlarged. During the next five days in the hospital, I had three CT scans and a renal scan of the kidneys and urinary track. The third CT scan was used to guide a needle for a biopsy of an enlarged lymph node. Six days later my Oncologist informed me that I had Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Large B cell rapid growing type of cancer. Over the next six days I had a MUGA Scan of the heart and a PET scan of the whole body. Seventeen days after going to the ER I started my first Chemotherapy treatment.
Humanities in Medical Education: Some Contributions

The author discusses the contribution of humanities teaching in medical education. Five "qualities of mind" specifically engendered by the humanistic disciplines are isolated, delineated, and illustrated: critical abilities, flexibility of perspective, nondogmatism, discernment of values, and empathy and self-knowledge.
Mechanical Properties of Nanoparticle Hydroxyapatite/gelatin Constructs

Bone consists of up to 70% mostly nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HA), and the rest is mostly collagen. One can suggest that synthetic nanoHA/collagen composites could potentially be the closest materials to resemble the bone microarchitecture and prepare resorbable bone substitutes and scaffolds. However, the data on the mechanical properties and property/structure relationships of HA/collagen composites are still scarce. It can be explained, in part, by the high cost of collagen and substantial amounts of materials needed for many tests. However, gelatin is cheap, has many properties similar to collagen, and can be used as a model material for the mechanical testing of HA-based composites. In this study, we report the results of an investigation of some mechanical properties of HA/gelatin composites with 0 to 80% HA nanoparticle (size 15-60 nm) loading by weight. The HA nanoparticle dispersions were mixed with gelatin in trifluoroethanol or in water in different ratios and placed in Teflon molds to produce the sheets with the thickness in the range of 0.4 – 1.0 mm. Nanoindentation technique was used to determine the Young's modulus and hardness. Bending tests were performed using dynamic mechanical analysis with the amplitudes in the 1 – 50 micron range at 1 Hz. The values of Young's modulus (1 – 20 GPa), hardness (70 – 500 MPa) and bending modulus (0.3 – 2.4 GPa) were obtained. The highest values of the Young's modulus and hardness of these composite materials were achieved for 40% – 60% HA content by weight, which was close to the values for similar HA/collagen composites. However, the maximum bending strength was observed for 20 – 35% HA content. We discuss further the observed trends of the mechanical properties and their dependence on other factors such as the test conditions, sample geometry, and HA particle size.
'You Are Standing on the Indian': The Settler Contract, Terra Nullis, and White Supremacy

“You are standing on the Indian”: Randall Stover spoke these words to me as I entered the revolutionary war cemetery he had restored on a rural hilltop in Central Pennsylvania. He had relocated the fence to include “the Indian,” who was originally buried outside the perimeter. His was a personal story of truth and reconciliation. Other such stories continue to haunt American public discourse about immigration and occupation. In this paper, I examine how the “settler contract” illuminates the current controversy over white supremacists’ attempts to “occupy” Leith, North Dakota. Pateman and Mills trace the “settler contract” to the doctrine of terra nullis, the ancient principle that land which is “empty” does not belong to anyone and hence can be legally occupied and owned. To leave such lands “unoccupied” and “uncultivated” is arguably “wasteful.” Recently, Craig Cobb, an internationally known white supremacist, bought a number of abandoned properties in Leith, North Dakota. Cobb, who is wanted for hate crimes in Canada, planned to create an intentional white community, a safe haven for white supremacists facing perceived racial extinction due to immigration and "race-mixing." The few “original” inhabitants of the town, Native Americans living on nearby reservations, and a wider concerned public have protested efforts to occupy Leith. At this writing, the outcome remains uncertain. Whatever the outcome, I interpret the attempt to occupy Leith as an opportunity to revisit the role of the settler contract in American public discourse. It tells a cautionary tale of a white nation still unsure “where it stands” regarding its past -- and present – claims to racial hegemony.
Irrigation Impacts on Scaling Properties of Soil Moisture and the Calibration of a Multifractal Downscaling Model

Irrigation is an anthropogenic factor that can introduce significant spatial heterogeneity in the distributions of soil moisture $(\theta)$ and potentially affect the performance of downscaling models of coarse satellite products. In this paper, we propose a framework to: 1) quantitatively analyze and compare the scale invariance and multifractal properties of $\theta$ in the presence of irrigation; and 2) filter out the effect of irrigated croplands in the application of a multifractal downscaling algorithm based on the hypothesis of spatial homogeneity. For this aim, we use the $\theta$ data sets of the National Airborne Field Experiments 2005 (NAFE05) and 2006 (NAFE06) campaigns in Australia. Results show that irrigation affects the scale-invariance properties (tested from 32 to 1 km) in a large high-density agricultural district in the semi-arid NAFE06 site, although it does not have a significant impact on the sparser agricultural districts of the temperate NAFE05 region. The multifractal downscaling model was calibrated using a strategy that attenuates the effect of irrigation on $\theta$ fields, thus mimicking natural settings. Performances, tested against aircraft and, for the first time, ground-based observations, are adequate in most cases. Some deficiencies are found for drier conditions in regions with a higher percentage of irrigated fields, suggesting the need to further refine the techniques for detecting irrigated croplands. Overall, the findings of this work reveal that the impact of irrigation on the soil moisture statistical variability and downscaling is larger in drier regions or conditions, where irrigation creates a drastic contrast with the surrounding areas.
Effects of ketamine on concentrations of plasma S-100β and tumor necrosis factor-α after cardiopulmonary bypass in infants

Objective To investigate the effects of ketamine on plasma S-100β protein and tumor necrosis factor-α after cardiopulmonary bypass in infants.Methods Thirty patients with congenital heart disease received cardiopulmonary bypass.They were randomly divided into ketamine group(group K,n=15) receiving 1 mg/kg ketamine intravenously before cardiopulmonary bypass and control group(group C,n=15) receiving normal saline instead of ketamine.Blood samples from external cycle were collected before the start and after the termination of cardiopulmonary bypass to determine plasma S-100β and tumor necrosis factor-α concentrations,respectively.Results The concentrations of plasma S-100β and tumor necrosis factor-α significantly increased after cardiopulmonary bypass in the two groups(P0.05).There was no significant difference in the concentrations of S-100β and tumor necrosis factor-α between two groups before the start of cardiopulmonary bypass(P0.05).After the termination of cardiopulmonary bypass,the concentrations of plasma S-100β and tumor necrosis factor-α were obviously higher in group C than those in group K(P0.05).Conclusion Ketamine can attenuate cerebral injury in infants undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass,which may be related to the inhibition of the releasing of endogenous inflammatory factors.
Study on variance and antibiotic resistance of Vibrio cholerae strains in Quanzhou during 1962-2010

Objective To study the epidemic isolates and antibiotic resistance of Vibrio cholera in Quanzhou,and provide the references for prevention and control of cholera. Methods Retrospective analysis was adopted based on the epidemiological data on cholera in Quanzhou during 1962-2010.The antibiotic susceptibility of all the strains to antibacterials was determined by improve K-B method recommended by WHO. Results There were four cholera disease outbreaks occurred in Quanzhou city during 1962-2010. The dominant serotype that caused epidemics showed vicissitudinous phenomenon. Vibrio cholerae serotype Ogawa and Inaba were sensitive to norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin with a susceptibility of 92.31% and 99.20%, respectively.The resistance to sulphanilamide was increased year by year and the resistances to other antibiotics were high. The drug resistance of Vibrio cholerae O139 strains was higher than that of Vibrio cholerae O1. Conclusions The dominant biotype of Vibrio cholerae was El Tor in Quanzhou city.Vibrio cholerae serotype Ogawa and Inaba that caused epidemics showed vicissitudinous phenomenon. The antibiotics sensitivity of Vibrio cholerae was gradually declining.
Observations on the Small Kidney Associated With Vesicoureteral Reflux

AbstractOf 63 patients with reflux and renal atrophy renal dysplasia was found in 9.5 per cent. Pyelonephritis was apparent in 81 per cent of the atrophic lesions. Urinary obstruction or ectasia was apparent in each case with dysplasia and only 2 were associated with histologic evidence of pyelonephritis. Pyelonephritis appears to be a major causal factor in atrophy occurring in renal units with reflux. Early urinary tract obstruction or distension may predispose to renal dysplasia.
An equilibrium model of debt and bankruptcy

We study optimal strategies for a borrower, who services a debt in an infinite time horizon, taking into account the risk of possible bankruptcy. In a first model, the interest rate as well as the instantaneous bankruptcy risk are given, increasing functions of the total amount of debt. In a second model only the bankruptcy risk is given, while the interest rate is determined from a Nash equilibrium, in a game between the borrower and a pool of risk-neutral lenders. This yields a non-standard optimal control problem for the borrower, where the dynamics involves all future values of the control. For this model, optimal repayment strategies are constructed, in open-loop form. In addition, for optimal strategies in feedback form, our analysis shows that the value function should satisfy a new kind of nonlinear, degenerate elliptic equation.
PET Scan and Autoimmune Focal Encephalitis

The value of the PET scan in the diagnosis of autoimmune focal encephalitis is reported in a 22-month-old girl who presented with involuntary movements, hemiparesis, and behavioral changes at Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, Japan.