cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Data Flakes: An Afterword to “Raw Data” Is an Oxymoron

We live in the era of Big Data, with storage and transmission capacity measured not just in terabytes but in petabytes (where peta - denotes a quadrillion, or a thousand trillion). Data collection is constant and even insidious, with every click and every "like" stored somewhere for something. This book reminds us that data is anything but "raw," that we shouldn't think of data as a natural resource but as a cultural one that needs to be generated, protected, and interpreted. The book's essays describe eight episodes in the history of data from the predigital to the digital. Together they address such issues as the ways that different kinds of data and different domains of inquiry are mutually defining; how data are variously "cooked" in the processes of their collection and use; and conflicts over what can -- or can't -- be "reduced" to data. Contributors discuss the intellectual history of data as a concept; describe early financial modeling and some unusual sources for stronomical data; discover the prehistory of the database in newspaper clippings and index cards; and consider contemporary "dataveillance" of our online habits as well as the complexity of scientific data curation. Essay authors: Geoffrey C. Bowker, Kevin R. Brine, Ellen Gruber Garvey, Lisa Gitelman, Steven J. Jackson, Virginia Jackson, Markus Krajewski, Mary Poovey, Rita Raley, David Ribes, Daniel Rosenberg, Matthew Stanley, Travis D. Williams
Commercial Food Processing Operations and Mutagen Formation.

Thermally-induced bacterial mutagens are formed when foods are processed by some commercial food preservation techniques. The processes which involve longer times and higher temperatures are most likely to produce mutagens (e.g., canning and evaporative concentration). Pasteurization and spray drying processes possess a low potential for creation of mutagens. The types of food products with the greatest tendency to contain mutagens following heat treatments are muscle foods such as canned meats and fish. Canned beef broth, chili, hash, roast beef, pink and red salmon, and mackerel contain substances which induce mutation rates up to 20 times higher than spontaneous revertant colonies in the Ames Salmonella mutagenicity assay. Using canned pink salmon as a representative product, reprocessing increased mutagen content, whereas addition of Maillard-browning reaction inhibitors led to significant decreases in mutagen formation. Even though thermally-induced mutagens can arise during household cooking (e.g., frying and charcoal grilling), the consumer can choose to minimize their production through use of lower temperature methods such as boiling, steaming or microwave heating. This option is not available to the consumer of commercially canned foods. Hence, further research into the reduction of mutagen formation during thermal processing is needed.
Using Biographical Prompts to Build Community in an Online Graduate Course: An Adult Learning Perspective:

Adult learners are taking advantage of the availability and convenience of online education. Mature learners in online higher education classrooms bring a wealth of experience filtered through cult...
DETERMINANTS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY DISCLOSURE ON BREWERY FIRMS IN NIGERIA

The study examined the determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure on Brewery Firms in Nigeria. To be specific, the study examined the influence of firms’ Size, and Return on Assets on Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure (CSRD) of breweries in Nigeria. The study covered a period of 5 years i.e.2012 – 2015. The data for the study were sourced from the annual reports of listed breweries on Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). The application of Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were considered suitable for the study. The findings of the study revealed that all the variables examined have significant and positive influence on Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure. It was concluded that Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure contributes greatly to a healthy economic and social life of the community.
Melanoma Mimicking Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor with Spread to the Cerebellopontine Angle: Utility of Next-Generation Sequencing in Diagnosis

Cutaneous spindle cell malignancy is associated with a broad differential diagnosis, particularly in the absence of a known primary melanocytic lesion. We present an unusually challenging patient who presented with clinical symptoms involving cranial nerves VII and VIII and a parotid-region mass, which was S100-positive while lacking in melanocytic pigment and markers. Over a year after resection of the parotid mass, both a cutaneous primary lentigo maligna melanoma and a metastatic CP angle melanoma were diagnosed in the same patient, prompting reconsideration of the diagnosis in the original parotid-region mass. Next-generation sequencing of a panel of cancer-associated genes demonstrated 19 identical, clinically significant mutations as well as a high tumor mutation burden in both the parotid-region and CP angle tumors, indicating a metastatic relationship between the two and a melanocytic identity of the parotid-region tumor.
Untangling developmental relations between depressed mood and delinquency in male adolescents.

Relations between depressed mood and delinquency were investigated in a longitudinal sample of 506 urban adolescent males across ages 13.5-17.5, while adjusting for common risk factors. Adolescents provided yearly reports of their delinquent activities and depressed mood, as well as reports of peer delinquency at age 13.5 (i.e., baseline). Primary caregivers and teachers provided reports of risk factors for depressed mood and delinquency such as aggressive behavior problems and low academic achievement. Two-level hierarchical generalized linear models of concurrent relations indicated that depressed mood predicted concurrent variety of delinquent acts, and more variety of delinquent acts predicted concurrent depressed mood, even after controlling common risk factors. Longitudinal analyses indicated that after controlling for common risk factors, depressed mood had a more robust effect on delinquency variety trajectories than delinquency variety had on depressed mood trajectories. Time-averaged depressed mood significantly predicted a more positive rate of change in delinquency variety across time. Baseline delinquency variety predicted baseline depressed mood and time-averaged delinquency variety predicted a more positive rate of change in depressed mood; however, both effects were marginally significant. Implications of the results for theory and intervention are discussed.
Business tax stories

Business Tax Stories does not deal solely with judicial opinions. In the field of business taxation, many of the most significant developments are not cases, and certainly not Supreme Court cases, but rather legislative and administrative changes and transactional innovations. Business Tax Stories includes chapters on several landmark cases; however, it also surveys many of the critical developments in the history of U.S. corporate and partnership taxation. Taken as a whole, Business Tax Stories is organized to serve as a history of business taxation over the last century.
Ascorbate: the most effective antioxidant in human blood plasma.

Living is like getting irradiated. This is because we are constantly exposed to oxidants such as Superoxide radicals, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and singlet oxygen. These reactive oxygen species are generated during normal oxidative metabolism, for example by spontaneous autoxidation of electron transport carriers in mitochondria, or as a result of the action of oxidases.1 One of these oxidases, the NADPH oxidase of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) (primarily neutrophils and eosinophils), is pivotal to the body’s defense against pathogenic microorganisms. The immediate product of the stimulus-induced activation of the NADPH oxidase of PMNs is Superoxide anion, whereas subsequent reactions form further oxidants including hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorite, and chloramines.2,3 These oxidants not only kill the invading microorganisms, but also can cause considerable oxidative damage to the host himself. Other sources of oxidants to which we are constantly exposed include our diet, polluted air (particularly from smoking), natural radio active gases,e.g. radon leaching from soils, and some drugs.4,5
Panama y la integracion economica centroamericana

En este articulo se examinan los beneficios que podria encontrar Panama en una eventual integracion con los paises del Mercado Comun Centroamericano (MCCA). Primero, se examina la estructura productiva de Panama en terminos del fenomeno conocido como el sindrome holandes; esto permite apreciar el efecto desindustrializante que los auges en el sector servicios han tenido sobre la economia. Luego se analizan las ventajas que Panama podria obtener de una gradual integracion con los paises del MCCA en lo que hace a exportaciones intraindustriales, fomento de las inversiones, competencia y modernizacion productiva, y se postula que estos beneficios no estarian presentes, con caracter de reciprocidad, en un esquema de apertura unilateral. Se analiza tambien de que manera la integracion subregional podria impulsar una modernizacion productiva que contrarrestara los efectos adversos del sindrome holandes. Y por ultimo, se presentan ecuaciones econometricas basadas en un modelo de gravedad y se cuantifica la mejoria apreciable que Panama obtendria en su balance comercial con el MCCA si adhiriera plenamente a este esquema de integracion.
Optimal Tax Compliance and Penalties When the Law Is Uncertain

This article examines the optimal level of tax compliance and the optimal penalty for noncompliance in circumstances in which the substance of the tax law is uncertain  that is, when the precise application of the Internal Revenue Code to a particular situation is not clear. In such situations, a number of interesting questions arise. This article will consider two of them. First, as a normative matter, how certain should taxpayers be before they rely on a particular interpretation of a substantively uncertain tax rule? If a particular position is not clearly prohibited but neither is it clearly allowed, what is the appropriate threshold of confidence that the taxpayer ought to have before engaging in the transaction? Second, what penalty regime would give the taxpayer the right incentive with respect to relying on substantively uncertain tax law? With these questions in mind, this article shows that, applying standard assumptions from the economic literature on deterrence, the tax penalty regime that would induce the optimal reliance (or non-reliance) on uncertain tax laws depending on the circumstances would involve (a) a rule of strict liability with respect to taxes owed as well as to the penalty, and (b) a penalty that roughly approximates the famous Bentham-Becker punitive fine, calculated by dividing the harm (the underpaid tax) by the ex ante probability that the harm would be detected. This article also explains why a fault-based approach to tax penalties, under the standard assumptions of the classical deterrence model, would not work as well as the strict-liability approach. Reasons for the inferiority of the fault-based approach include its comparatively high administrative costs, its inability to properly regulate "activity levels," and its relatively unattractive distributional consequences. This article concludes, however, that if Bentham-Becker level penalties or wide-spread use of tax liability insurance are not feasible, a second-best case can be made for using a fault-based penalty regime similar to the one currently in force. The framework used in this article may have implications for any area of law where the substantive law is uncertain.
Primary neoplasms of the liver

Primary hepatic tumours are rare in children. They present a wide spectrum of benign and malignant entities that take origin from the mesenchymal and epithelial structures of the organ (Table 1.1). Many of the diagnostic categories are strongly age related and, among the malignant tumours, prognosis is often strongly linked to tumour type. The most common benign livertumours are haemangiomas and hamartomas, both of mesenchymal origin 1. In Western countries, hepatoblastoma is one of the least common malignant neoplasms in the paediatric population, but at the same time, it is the most common primary malignant tumour of the liver in childhood2.
Neighborhood and Window Operations

When processing spatial grids, it is often necessary to preprocess them to improve the results of later stages. Preprocessing may be to remove noise, to smooth over abrupt variations, to identify edges, or to fill gaps. In this chapter, we discuss neighborhood and window operations that may be used for these purposes. Smoothing can be carried out using a variety of windowing operations: the boxcar, Gaussian, and median filters are most commonly used. Because the boxcar filter is subject to ringing artifacts, we recommend the use of either the Gaussian filter (to mitigate abrupt changes) or the median filter (to mitigate the impact of noise). A matched filter may be used to extract specific shapes from a spatial grid but requires that you know the exact shape and orientation beforehand. Directional smoothing is commonly achieved using a filter bank of oriented filters. Separability is a concern, however. We discuss a couple of edge filtering techniques and point out the use of median filters in speckle removal. Morphological operations for dilation and erosion are described and the use of combinations of morphological operations for denoising and gap filling described. Finally, we discuss skeletonization and thinning algorithms.
Political Science Perspectives

Government institutions play an important role in guiding disaster preparedness, mitigation, and recovery. In turn, political scientists have devoted considerable attention to the study of hazards and disasters, including the impact of disasters on election outcomes, the capacity of disasters to help set the crowded government agenda, the various organizational strategies used by emergency management agencies, as well as scores of other related topics. The following chapter considers three areas of political science research examining the intersection of politics, policy, and disaster. It specifically considers the literatures on policy change, myopic voting and reactive decision making, and organizational behavior. This review also considers the literature on disaster resilience, a topic that overlaps various subfields within the discipline. In addition to assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each area of research, this chapter highlights a number of potentially fruitful areas of future research.
Temporal and sex differences in the role of BDNF/TrkB signaling in hyperalgesic priming in mice and rats.

Abstract Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling through its cognate receptor, TrkB, is a well-known promoter of synaptic plasticity at nociceptive synapses in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Existing evidence suggests that BDNF/TrkB signaling in neuropathic pain is sex dependent. We tested the hypothesis that the effects of BDNF/TrkB signaling in hyperalgesic priming might also be sexually dimorphic. Using the incision postsurgical pain model in male mice, we show that BDNF sequestration with TrkB-Fc administered at the time of surgery blocks the initiation and maintenance of hyperalgesic priming. However, when BDNF signaling was blocked prior to the precipitation of hyperalgesic priming with prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), priming was not reversed. This result is in contrast to our findings in male mice with interleukin-6 (IL6) as the priming stimulus where TrkB-Fc was effective in reversing the maintenance of hyperalgesic priming. Furthermore, in IL6-induced hyperalgesic priming, the BDNF sequestering agent, TrkB-fc, was effective in reversing the maintenance of hyperalgesic priming in male mice; however, when this experiment was conducted in female mice, we did not observe any effect of TrkB-fc. This markedly sexual dimorphic effect in mice is consistent with recent studies showing a similar effect in neuropathic pain models. We tested whether the sexual dimorphic role for BDNF was consistent across species. Importantly, we find that this sexual dimorphism does not occur in rats where TrkB-fc reverses hyperalgesic priming fully in both sexes. Finally, to determine the source of BDNF in hyperalgesic priming in mice, we used transgenic mice (Cx3cr1CreER × Bdnfflx/flx mice) with BDNF eliminated from microglia. From these experiments we conclude that BDNF from microglia does not contribute to hyperalgesic priming and that the key source of BDNF for hyperalgesic priming is likely nociceptors in the dorsal root ganglion. These experiments demonstrate the importance of testing mechanistic hypotheses in both sexes in multiple species to gain insight into complex biology underlying chronic pain.
Symmetric properties of p -integrable Teichmüller spaces

We prove symmetric properties of the p-integrable subspaces $$T_p$$ of the universal Teichmuller space T, for $$p>0.$$ The elements of $$T_p$$ are quasisymmetric automorphisms of the real line or of the unit circle, which have a q.c. extension with p-integrable complex dilatation with respect to the Poincare metric. We show that $$T_p\subset T_S,$$ where $$T_S$$ is the symmetric Teichmuller space and that, in the case of the real line, $$T_p\subset T_0,$$ where $$T_0$$ is the little Teichmuller space. The proofs use properties of the boundary behavior of q.c maps such as uniform weak conformality.
Communicating activist roles and tools in complex energy deliberation

This article analyzes online policy tools used by public participants to participate in complex environmental risk deliberation, specifically in terms of HVHF (high volume hydraulic fracturing). This article argues that institutional environmental deliberation tools, which are increasingly found online, are embedded in ideological discourse frames that are often at odds with public user ideologies. This article argues that environmental deliberation tools designed and created by stakeholders through participatory design models are more effective in promoting complex deliberations about environmental risk. Such participatory tools more clearly take into account environmental justice, intersectional and precautionary considerations.
Integrated Behavioral Health: Coordinating Psychosocial and Pharmacological Interventions Across Family, School, and Health Systems

The purposes of this chapter are to: (a) describe examples of integrated care designed to improve children’s educational functioning through the use of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments, (b) describe models of integrated behavioral health involving collaboration between school professionals and primary care providers to implement pharmacological and psychosocial interventions, and (c) describe strategies for coordinating treatment services between schools and health professionals in specialty practices, such as child psychiatry, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, and pediatric neurology. Additionally, the chapter addresses the role of school psychologists in IBH contexts, including implications for training. The main focus of this chapter is on models of integrated behavioral health in primary care that foster connections with school professionals. Limitations of current models of integrated care, future directions for research, and implications for training and practice are discussed. A set of references and web-based materials are provided to readers for additional information.
Transition to Turbulence in Couette-Taylor Flow

The Couette-Taylor problem is described in this section and our laser Doppler velocimetry studies of transitions in Couette-Taylor flow are presented in the next section, which also includes a summary of three other recent studies of flow spectra in the transition region. In the final section the experimental results will be compared with the behavior found in a numerical studies of a finite-dimensional mathematical model.
Antiblackness in the Hispanic-serving community college (HSCC) context: Black male collegiate experiences through the lens of settler colonial logics

This qualitative longitudinal study explored the experiences of Black males attending a public, two-year, community college Hispanic-serving community college (HSCC) in Southern California. Drawing...
Sexualized gender stereotypes predict girls’ academic self-efficacy and motivation across middle school:

Sexualized gender stereotypes (SGS) include the belief that girls should singularly prioritize their sexualized attractiveness for the attention and approval of boys. By elementary school, boys and...
Quevedo y los estudios de animales: una lectura de «Consultación de los gatos» (núm. 750)

espanolEste articulo estudia el poema «Consultacion de los gatos» desde la perspectiva de los estudios de animales (Animal Studies). En el analisis, se observa que Quevedo trasciende el empleo antropomorfico que se atribuye a las figuras animales en la literatura de su epoca. Ademas, pone en primer plano el maltrato del gato, otro elemento muy popular en la sociedad, para mostrar compasion hacia este animal, a la vez que critica los vicios de sus amos. Dandole protagonismo al gato y exponiendo el abuso que sufre a diario, Quevedo sigue de cerca el tratamiento narrativo en torno al can que elabora Cervantes en el Coloquio de los perros. De esa forma, el poema sobresale por su originalidad dentro del panorama de la poesia satirico-burlesca que se ocupa de los animales en el Siglo de Oro. EnglishThis article explores the poem «Consultacion de los gatos» following the Animal Studies approach. The analysis reveals that Quevedo goes beyond the anthropomorphist perspective to interpret animal figures that was customary in Golden Age literature. The author also highlights the abuse of the cat, another typical element of his period, to show compassion toward this animal, while criticizing the vices of its masters. Making the cat protagonist of the poem and showing its everyday life sufferings, Quevedo replicates closely the narrative model elaborated by Cervantes in Coloquio de los perros. As a result, Quevedo’s poem stands out among the satiric poetry that deals with animals in Golden Age literature.
Monte Carlo Analysis of High Penetration Residential Solar Voltage Impacts using High Performance Computing

Power system grids are experiencing increasing photovoltaic (PV) installations, especially in the low voltage distribution grid. Reverse power flow caused by local power generation (such as from high penetration PV) brings several challenges to the grid, such as overvoltage. These challenges limit PV installation/operation in a distribution system, which affects owner revenue and reduces the positive environmental impacts. This paper provides a framework to estimate PV hosting capacity of distribution grids. In this paper, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory taxonomy feeder is analyzed using Monte Carlo simulations. The PV penetration was varied from 10% to 100% in 10% steps, and for each penetration level 25 unique scenarios were randomly generated (where each scenario varies the random location of PV on the feeder). To reduce the total simulation time, a parallel algorithm was developed using Message Passing Interface (MPI) to split the scenarios across 25 processing elements. Power flow was run for the highest irradiance day and lowest load day of 2015 in a one-minute timestep for each scenario. The frequency of overvoltage occurences increased with increasing PV penetration level in both days, however overvoltage only occurred after 50% PV penetration for the low load day. The peak voltage magnitude and voltage mismatch between phases was higher for 50% - 80% penetration level, which is due to the random distribution of PV across phases.
Two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry for impurity analysis of dye-conjugated oligonucleotides

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (2D-LC/MS) has been successfully implemented for several biopharmaceutical applications, but applications for oligonucleotide analysis have been relatively unexplored. When analyzing oligonucleotides in one-dimension, selecting an ion-pairing agent often requires a balance between acceptable chromatographic and mass spectrometric performance. When oligonucleotides are modified or conjugated to include extremely hydrophobic groups, such as fluorophores, the separation mechanism is further complicated by the impact the fluorophore has on retention. Triethylamine (TEA) buffered in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) is the most commonly used ion-pairing agent for analyses requiring mass spectrometry, but the elution order of dye-conjugated failed sequences relative to the main peak is not length-based compared to what would be predicted for unconjugated oligonucleotides having the same sequence. Hexylammonium acetate (HAA) offers more efficient ion-pairing for a length-based separation, but MS response is compromised due to ion suppression. In this study, 2D-LC/MS is used to show that dye-conjugated oligonucleotide failed sequences can be resolved from the parent oligonucleotide using a strong ion-pairing agent in the first-dimension and further identified using a weaker but MS compatible ion-pairing agent in the second-dimension, results that are not achievable in a one-dimensional analysis. More specifically, a heart-cut configuration using ion-pair reversed-phase chromatography in both the first and second dimension (IP-RP - IP-RP) is used to transfer the n-1 impurity from a length-based separation in the first-dimension to a second-dimension analysis for identity confirmation using a single quadrupole detector. Identical C18 column chemistry is used in both the first and second dimension to exploit changes in selectivity that are due to mobile phase selection. The n-1 impurity from the two-dimensional analysis can be detected at low nanogram levels, comparable to results achieved in a one-dimensional dilution series, which approaches the limit of detection of the instrumentation. This work has future applicability to more complex impurity profiling using high-resolution instrumentation, where a more extensive set of impurities could not be evaluated using one-dimensional techniques.
Cutting the Gordian Knot of Employee Health Care Benefits and Costs: A Corporate Model Built on Employee Choice

The US employer-based health insurance tax exclusion created a system of employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) with limited insurance choices and transparency that may lock employed households into health plans that are costlier or different from those they prefer to purchase. It may also prevent them from adding to their take-home pay. The tax exclusion is also regressive and has diverted excessive resources into health insurance that could accrue greater value elsewhere. We propose creating a platform that builds on recently enacted federal rules and the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. We would give workers in large self-insured groups expanded ACA-compliant ESI choices that would allow employees to control their ESI funds and tradeoff pre-tax ESI funds for taxable wages. We further propose regulations that would more thoroughly inform employees of their historical expenditures on health insurance, avail them of many choices currently available in the market, and arm them with the wherewithal to make informed choices. Our simulation of the economic results found that workers, especially those earning less than $50,000 annually, would benefit substantially. (The policies are priced with a holdback , that reflects the firm’s concentration of risk, so that employers’ current ESI funds are sufficient to cross subsidize high cost enrollees with low cost ones.) If workers were allowed to trade untaxed insurance dollars for taxed wages, our simulation indicates that nationwide annual federal income and after-tax household income would grow by $101–$252 billion, and most income and payroll tax revenues increase by more than $39–$163 billion annually. Further, giving workers greater autonomy in purchasing health insurance could lead to longer-term structural reforms in the insurance marketplace. Following the changes in the retirement investment market as it transitioned from pension investments purchased by employers to those purchased by employees, our platform would stimulate the introduction of more affordable offerings, trigger more price competition, and usher in innovative insurance and transparency products. Our simulation conservatively pegged the downstream savings in the cost of medical care at upwards of $100 billion. Because of the mammoth size of the ESI market, these savings may well spill over to the rest of the health care system, thus eventually affecting Medicare, Medicaid, and ACA enrollees.
Usefulness of Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) to predict early mortality and overall survival (OS) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

e19129Background: Increasing age is associated with greater comorbidity burden. We hypothesized that comorbidity burden predicts 1-month mortality and OS in patients (pts) aged ≥60 y with AML. Meth...
Adhesive contact between cylindrical (Ebola) and spherical (SARS-CoV-2) viral particles and a cell membrane

A critical event during the process of cell infection by a viral particle is attachment, which is driven by adhesive interactions and resisted by bending and tension. The biophysics of this process has been studied extensively, but the additional role of externally applied force or displacement has generally been neglected. In this work, we study the adhesive force-displacement response of viral particles against a cell membrane. We have built two models: one in which the viral particle is cylindrical (say, representative of a filamentous virus such as Ebola) and another in which it is spherical (such as SARS-CoV-2 and Zika). Our interest is in initial adhesion, in which case deformations are small, and the mathematical model for the system can be simplified considerably. The parameters that characterize the process combine into two dimensionless groups that represent normalized membrane bending stiffness and tension. In the limit where bending dominates, for sufficiently large values of normalized bending stiffness, there is no adhesion between viral particles and the cell membrane without applied force. (The zero external force contact width and pull-off force are both zero.) For large values of normalized membrane tension, the adhesion between virus and cell membrane is weak but stable. (The contact width at zero external force has a small value.) Our results for pull-off force and zero force contact width help to quantify conditions that could aid the development of therapies based on denying the virus entry into the cell by blocking its initial adhesion.
Mono- oder biphasische Freisetzung von Gastrin. Ergebnisse nach isolierter Antrumperfusion in vitro

In vivo-Untersuchungen zur Freisetzung des Gastrins sind durch viele technische und physiologische Probleme belastet, so das exakte Studien zur Beurteilung dieser Mechanismen nur in vitro moglich sind. Auch herrschen viele Unklarheiten vor im Ablauf der Hormonfreisetzung, da neben den physiologischen Stimuli, wie Nahrungsaufnahme, Dehnung des Antrums und vagale Innervation, eine Fulle anderer Substanzen gefunden wurde, die ebenso den Gastrinspiegel erhohen, wie etwa Calcium und Glycin. Zur Beantwortung der vielen offenen Fragen wurde eine neue in vitro Methode entwickelt, wie sie fur Untersuchungen des Catechola minstof fwechsels angewandt wurde (1), und die unter Umgehung der regulierenden feed-back Kreislaufe den Ablauf der Freisetzung aufzudecken imstande ist.
Technical Note: Synthetic treatment beam imaging for motion monitoring during spine SBRT treatments - a phantom study.

PURPOSE One of the biggest challenges in applying megavoltage (MV) treatment beam imaging for monitoring spine motion in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is the small beam apertures in the images due to strong beam modulations in IMRT planning. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of a markerless motion tracking method in spine SBRT delivery using a novel enhanced synthetic treatment beam (ESTB) imaging technique. METHODS Three clinical spine SBRT plans using 6XFFF beams and sliding window IMRT technique were transferred to a thorax phantom and delivered by a TrueBeam machine. Before delivery, the phantom was aligned to the plan isocenter using CBCT setup and verified with a second CBCT, and then, 2 mm shifts were introduced in both the craniocaudal (CC) and the left-right (LR) directions with the couch. During beam delivery, MV images were continuously taken with an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) and automatically grabbed by Varian iTools Capture software with a frame rate of 11.6 Hz. After preprocessing for scatter correction and beam intensity compensation, every 50 frames of MV images were combined to generate a series of ESTB images for each beam. The ESTB images were then registered to the projections of the verification CBCT at the matched beam angles to detect the 2 mm shifts. RESULTS Compared to snapshot MV images, the ESTB images had significantly enlarged fields of view (FOVs) and improved image quality. Based on two-dimensional (2D) rigid registration, the ESTB image to CBCT projection matching showed submillimeter accuracy in detecting motion. Specifically, the root mean square errors in detecting the LR/CC shifts were 0.35/0.28, 0.32/0.35, 0.63/0.44, 0.55/0.51, and 0.69/0.42 mm at gantry angles 180, 160, 140, 120, and 100, respectively. CONCLUSION Our results in the phantom study suggest that ESTB images from a sliding window IMRT plan can be used to detect spine motion, with submillimeter precision in the 2D plane perpendicular to the beam.
Adaptive Manipulator Control: Parameter Convergence and Task-Space Strategies

Earlier work (Slotine and Li, 1986) shows that using state feedback to directly modify a manipulator's energy function, rather than its fully expanded dynamics, represents a powerful approach to robot control, and, in particular, yields a simple globally convergent adaptive algorithm for trajectory control problems. The approach is demonstrated experimentally in (Slotine and Li, 1987) on a high-speed, semi-direct-drive manipulator. An important practical feature of the algorithm is that is does not require measurements or estimates of the manipulator's joint accelerations. This paper studies richness conditions on the desired trajectories for the unknown parameters to converge to their exact values. It also discusses formulations of the algorithm directly in task-space, and applications to the external motion control of unknown passive mechanisms.
Serine-glyoxylate aminotransferase from kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). II. The reverse reactions.

Abstract 1. 1.|The serine-glyoxylate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.45) isolated from Phaseolus vulgaris , which catalyzes aminotransferase reactions between serine-glyoxylate and serine-pyruvate, was shown to catalyze the reverse reactions hydroxypyruvate-glycine and hydroxypyruvate-alanine. 2. 2.|The equilibrium constant for the reaction of serine and glyoxylate to form hydroxypyruvate and glycine was between 32 and 119. The K m values for hydroxypyruvate and glycine were 1.1·10 −3 and 1.1·10 −2 M, respectively. The equilibrium constant for the reaction of serine and pyruvate to form hydroxypyruvate and alanine was 43. The K m values for hydroxypyruvate and alanine were 6.3·10 −4 and 2·10 −2 M, respectively. 3. 3.|The reverse reactions were inhibited by low concentrations of hydroxylamine, but were less sensitive to N -ethylmaleimide and p -hydroxymercuribenzoate. The reverse activities were not specifically affected by NH 4 + .
Stability of Coupled Strings Vibration System Due to Different Boundary Conditions

We study the rate of convergence of a coupled wave systems under two different boundary conditions, energy absorbing in two ends for one and free or fixed boundary controls in two ends for the other one. We will observe the theoretical results by numerical computations as well.
Possible New X-Ray Sources: Soliton Stars

The structure and evolution properties of soliton stars are explored. Soliton stars are most likely remnants from the inflationary phase of our Universe. They are masssive stable forms of matter embedded in a degenerate vacuum composed of a coherent Higgs type boson field. A large fraction of matter in the universe may have been locked inside soliton stars. Hot soliton stars are intense X-ray sources but their life times as X-ray sources is a few times 1∅9 years and thus may be located at large red shift distances.
RR24. Association of Left Subclavian Artery Coverage Without Revascularization and Spinal Cord Ischemia in Patients Undergoing TEVAR

Association of Left Subclavian Artery Coverage Without Revascularization and Spinal Cord Ischemia in Patients Undergoing TEVAR Pedro G. Teixeira, Karen Woo, Adam W. Beck, Salvatore T. Scali, Fred A. Weaver. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif; Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Fla; Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif
Cardiocirculatory Performance in Atrial Flutter

Data obtained in 12 patients with atrial flutter indicate that this arrhythmia was associated with a low cardiac output in those subjects with intrinsic heart disease. Furthermore, the resting level of blood flow increased somewhat when the cardiac mechanism of five patients with atrial flutter was converted to sinus rhythm. In two cardiac patients, the response to exercise in flutter as compared to normal sinus rhythm was little different. Lesser circulation pressures in the absence of heart failure were not abnormal in atrial flutter but, in general, when failure existed, the type of pulmonary hypertension noted in subjects with flutter, differed from those in sinus rhythm. Tricuspid insufficiency did not occur in atrial flutter in contrast to its almost constant appearance in atrial fibrillation. Atrial systolic pressure waves, associated with each electric flutter wave, were ubiquitously present in all lesser circulation pressure curves. Their origin is discussed.
Characteristics of lysine transport by isolated rat renal cortical tubule fragments.

Abstract The uptake of l -lysine was examined in isolated renal cortical tubules. Lysine was actively taken up by the renal tubule cells isolated from 7-week-old rats. No metabolism of the transported lysine was found. There was no evidence for sodium-dependence of lysine uptake. Concentration dependence studies revealed that the lysine was taken up by one saturable transport system with a K m of 1.66 mmol/l and V max of 7 mmol/l intracellular fluid per 10 min. Lysine also entered by a non-saturable pathway. Arginine and ornithine inhibited the initial uptake of lysine. Cystine increased the efflux of lysine from preloaded renal cells via hetero-exchange, indicating that a common system exists for these two amino acids.
Central pontine myelinolysis with stupor alone after orthotopic liver transplantation

Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) after orthotopic liver transplantation is frequently diagnosed at autopsy. Its actual prevalence is unknown. We reviewed 386 orthotopic liver transplantations performed at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, including 39 with autopsy reports. CPM developed in four patients (1%) (found using magnetic resonance imaging in two, at autopsy in two). All four patients lacked typical signs and symptoms of CPM (pseudobulbar palsy and quadriplegia) but had stupor as the main presenting feature. When perioperative plasma osmolality and serum sodium values were compared with those values in patients with transient metabolic encephalopathy but no CPM at autopsy, no consistent association was observed, and values differed greatly. We conclude that CPM in orthotopic liver transplantation frequently is manifested by altered levels of consciousness alone, mimicking metabolic encephalopathy.
On the performance of the robust acoustic echo cancellation system with decorrelation by sub-band resampling

This paper examines the effect of inter-channel decorrelation by sub-band resampling (SBR) on the performance of the robust acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) system based on the residual echo enhancement technique. Due to the flexibility of SBR, the decorrelation performance as measured by the coherence can be matched with other conventional decorrelation procedures. Given the same degree of decorrelation, we have shown previously that SBR achieves superior audio quality compared to other procedures. We show in this paper that SBR also provides higher stereophonic AEC performance in a very noisy condition, where the performance is evaluated by decomposing the true echo return loss enhancement and the misalignment per sub-band to better demonstrate the superiority of our decorrelation procedure over other methods.
Spectrally Accurate Contour Dynamics

We present an exponentially accurate boundary integral method for calculating the equilibria and dynamics of piece-wise constant distributions of potential vorticity. The method represents contours of potential vorticity as a spectral sum and solves the Biot-Savart equation for the velocity by spectrally evaluating a desingularized contour integral. We use the technique in both an initial-value code and a Newton continuation method. Our methods are tested by comparing the numerical solutions with known analytic results, and it is shown that for the same amount of computational work our spectral methods are more accurate than other contour dynamics methods currently in use.
Compensation of School District Personnel

Recently considerable attention has been focused on the inadequacy of presently used methods of compensating school district personnel. The increasing incidence of teacher strikes in many school districts has established the need for an effective alternative to the inherent rigidity of the commonly used fixed step salary schedule. The purpose of this study is to propose one such alternative that is based upon mathematical programming techniques. In this study a salary evaluation model was derived then applied to a school district. Salary schedules were derived which 1 were consistent with both the imposed hierarchical and budgetary constraints, 2 considered ten factors in the salary evaluation, and 3 reflected established school district priorities and objectives. This latter feature was accomplished by solving the model with various objective functions.
Characterization of detonation in confined charges of ammonium perchlorate sensitized with small amounts of nitroguanidine

Abstract In previous work sympathetic detonation was achieved in ammonium perchlorate by adding small amounts of nitroguanidine. Although it appeared that the ammonium perchlorate was detonating at the ideal detonation velocity of the nitroguanidine additive, the effect of confinement was not adequately assessed. In the present work we investigated the variation of detonation velocity and detonation output characteristics of the ammonium perchlorate-nitroguanidine composite, under steel confinement, as functions of charge diameter and the amount of NQ additive. Additionally, most tests were conducted with materials and test devices prepared over one year ago and compared to freshly prepared materials and devices.
Comparison of telithromycin, a new ketolide, with erythromycin and clarithromycin for the treatment of Haemophilus influenzae pneumonia in suckling, middle aged and senescent mice

Abstract We studied the efficacy of telithromycin in Haemophilus influenzae pneumoniae in three different age groups of mice. Pneumonia was produced by endotracheal instillation of 1×10 4 CFU/ml of bacteria and treatment was initiated with saline for control and compared with two different doses, 50 and 100 mg/kg per BID telithromycin twice a day for 1 week. For comparison, we used erythromycin (ERY) and clarithromycin (CLA), both given twice a day at 50 mg/kg per BID. Some animals were euthanized on the third or 7th day of therapy and their lung tissue was cultured for bacteria. Presence of bacteria was considered a failure and a sterile lung was considered cured. As expected, about one half of middle-aged animals (8–10 months) were cured on saline. In contrast, almost none of the young (2–3 weeks) and old animals (18–20 months) were cured without antibiotic therapy. Among the young, the cure rates with telithromycin, ERY and CLA were 81, 50 and 33%, respectively. Of the senescent mice, the cure rate with ERY was 50% whereas the rates with CLA and telithromycin (50 mg/kg) were 62 and 75%, respectively. In conclusion, telithromycin is effective against H. influenzae at both extremes of life.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS OF FORMULATION COMPUTATIONS : IS THE COMPUTER THE ENEMY?

The basis of modern computations of colorant formulations is a 1931 article by Kubelka and Munk. Virtually all the subsequent important contributions to the problem were published in the following four decades; if it were the practice for software instructions to include a comprehensive list of published references, it is unlikely that many, if any, would be dated later than the advent of the modern computer. This implies either that no major problems remain unsolved, or that some factor is discouraging further improvements or is inhibiting their publication. This leads to the hypothesis that the accepted practice, in the dissemination of computer documentation, of failing to provide references to relevant published work is a significant basis of stultifying new development. It is accordingly urged that promulgators of software accept the responsibility, universally observed in scientific and technological publication, of disclosing prior work by supplying appropriate lists of relevant published material. The failure to disclose prior published work should be deemed a form of plagiarism. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The stagnation of male wages in the US

In an analysis of US wages and salaries by sex, age and educational attainment between 1969 and 2008, we find that median wages and salaries of males with no more than a high school diploma have fallen over more than four decades for all but the oldest age group, which made only marginal gains. The median wages and salaries of males with a college degree have stagnated for at least 20, and up to 25, consecutive years within the 39‐year period analyzed. Wages and salaries for typical female workers have risen, especially for those with college degrees, but they have not risen at strong rates by historical standards. The gap in incomes between males and females of comparable ages and education has narrowed but remains large.
Rapid Method for Quantification of Seven Synthetic Pigments in Colored Chinese Steamed Buns Using UFLC-MS/MS without SPE

Synthetic pigments are still used instead of natural pigments in many foods and their residues in food could be an important risk to human health. A simple and rapid analytical method combining the low-cost extraction protocol with ultra-fast liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of seven synthetic pigments used in colored Chinese steamed buns. For the first time, ethanol/ammonia solution/water (7:2:1, v/v/v) was used as extraction solution for the synthetic pigments in colored Chinese steamed buns. The results showed that the property of the extraction solution used in this method was more effective than critic acid solution, which is used in the polyamide adsorption method. The limits of quantification for the seven synthetic pigments ranged from 0.15 to 0.50 μg/kg. The present method was successfully applied to samples of colored Chinese steamed buns for food-safety risk monitoring in Zhejiang Province, China. The results found sunset yellow pigment in six out of 300 colored Chinese steamed buns (from 0.50 to 32.6 μg/kg).