cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adjusting Current Yield to be a BetterApproximation of Yield to Maturity

Current yield is a common approximation for abond’s yield to maturity. The approximation becomes less accurate as the bond price moves away from par value. By performing a relatively easy calculation that incorporates an annuity calculation with the coupon rate, an adjustment to current yield can be generated that is a much better approximation of the actual yield to maturity.
PURIFICATION AND SOME PROPERTIES OF CHOLINE ACETYLTRANSFERASE (EC 2.3.1.6) FROM BOVINE BRAIN

— Choline acetyltransferase (ChAc) has been isolated and highly purified from the caudate nuclei of bovine brains. The procedure involved: (1) making an acetone- and chloroform-insoluble powder from the tissue; (2) treating the powder with aqueous buffer and chromatographing the extractable soluble proteins on an organomercurial-sepharose column; (3) removing impurities by passage through columns of DEAE-cellulose and hydroxyapatite; and (4) separation of the heme-containing protein from ChAc by denaturing the former with a mixture of chloroform and n-butanol. The purified ChAc was essentially homogeneous as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and exhibited a pH optimum at about pH 7. The partially purified ChAc dissociated into two non-identical subunits when chromatographed with a dilute buffer on Bio-gel A. It did not dissociate when a more concentrated buffer was used. The purified ChAc dissociated on the Bio-gel A even in the presence of a high salt concentration. The dissociation was accompanied by a great loss of enzymatic activity, and we concluded that the presence of other proteins tends to prevent the dissociation of ChAc on gel filtration.
Local action of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 on intracranial meningeal nociceptors

Background: Peripheral nociceptive action of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous pain syndromes. An increase in the level of these cytokines in jugular venous blood has been reported during migraine attacks, suggesting their potential involvement in mediating the intracranial headache of migraine.Methods: In this work we examined, using in vivo single-unit recording of meningeal nociceptors in the trigeminal ganglion of anesthetized rats, whether the peripheral actions of IL-1β and IL-6 can promote the activation and sensitization of nociceptors that innervate the intracranial meninges, two neural processes that are believed to play a key role in promoting the intracranial throbbing pain of migraine.Results: We found that meningeal application of IL-1β leads to the activation and mechanical sensitization of about 70% and 45% of the nociceptors respectively. In contrast, IL-6 was a very poor modulator of meningeal nociceptors’ response properties...
Fabrication of poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel microstructures using photolithography

The fabrication of hydrogel microstructures based upon poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylates, dimethacrylates, and tetraacrylates patterned photolithographically on silicon or glass substrates is described. A silicon/silicon dioxide surface was treated with 3-(trichlorosilyl)propyl methacrylate to form a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with pendant acrylate groups. The SAM presence on the surface was verified using ellipsometry and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. A solution containing an acrylated or methacrylated poly(ethylene glycol) derivative and a photoinitiator (2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone) was spin-coated onto the treated substrate, exposed to 365 nm ultraviolet light through a photomask, and developed with either toluene, water, or supercritical CO2. As a result of this process, three-dimensional, cross-linked PEG hydrogel microstructures were immobilized on the surface. Diameters of cylindrical array members were varied from 600 to 7 micrometers by the use of different photomasks, while height varied from 3 to 12 micrometers, depending on the molecular weight of the PEG macromer. In the case of 7 micrometers diameter elements, as many as 400 elements were reproducibly generated in a 1 mm2 square pattern. The resultant hydrogel patterns were hydrated for as long as 3 weeks without delamination from the substrate. In addition, micropatterning of different molecular weights of PEG was demonstrated. Arrays of hydrogel disks containing an immobilized protein conjugated to a pH sensitive fluorophore were also prepared. The pH sensitivity of the gel-immobilized dye was similar to that in an aqueous buffer, and no leaching of the dye-labeled protein from the hydrogel microstructure was observed over a 1 week period. Changes in fluorescence were also observed for immobilized fluorophore labeled acetylcholine esterase upon the addition of acetyl acholine.
Measuring the Haskell Gap

Papers on functional language implementations frequently set the goal of achieving performance "comparable to C", and sometimes report results comparing benchmark results to concrete C implementations of the same problem. A key pair of questions for such comparisons is: what C program to compare to, and what C compiler to compare with? In a 2012 paper, Satish et al [9] compare naive serial C implementations of a range of throughput-oriented benchmarks to best-optimized implementations parallelized on a six-core machine and demonstrate an average 23X (up to 53X) speedup. Even accounting for thread parallel speedup, these results demonstrate a substantial performance gap between naive and tuned C code. In this current paper, we choose a subset of the benchmarks studied by Satish et al to port to Haskell. We measure performance of these Haskell benchmarks compiled with the standard Glasgow Haskell Compiler and with our experimental Intel Labs Haskell Research Compiler and report results as compared to our best reconstructions of the algorithms used by Satish et al. Results are reported as measured both on an Intel Xeon E5-4650 32-core machine, and on an Intel Xeon Phi co-processor. We hope that this study provides valuable data on the concrete performance of Haskell relative to C.
Improved truck model for roadside safety simulations: Part I: Structural modeling

Computer simulation is now a mainstream tool for design and analysis of roadside hardware. For the past several years, researchers at the National Crash Analysis Center, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been improving various features of a 2000-kg pickup truck model, the most widely used vehicle model for roadside safety simulation. Many modeling techniques have been learned, and an improved model has been developed that should aid analysts at other locations who are performing similar simulations. The various effects and difficulties of "reducing" a finite element model to decrease computational costs are examined, including the elimination of initial penetrations, free-edge tangling, snagging, and "shooting nodes." The elective refinement of mesh density, the elimination of manipulated material densities to achieve desired masses, the improvement of connections between components, and the inclusion of all significant parts to improve accuracy are analyzed. The...
Temporal Discounting: The Differential Effect of Proximal and Distal Consequences on Confession Decisions

Drawing on the psychological principle that proximal consequences influence behavior more strongly than distal consequences, the authors tested the hypothesis that criminal suspects exhibit a short-sightedness during police interrogation that increases their risk for confession. Consistent with this hypothesis, Experiment 1 showed that participants (N = 81) altered how frequently they admitted to criminal and unethical behaviors during an interview to avoid a proximal consequence even though doing so increased their risk of incurring a distal consequence. Experiment 2 (N = 143) yielded the same pattern, but with a procedure that reversed the order of the proximal and distal consequences, thereby ruling out the possibility that it was the unique characteristics of the consequences rather than their proximity that influenced the admission rate. The authors discuss the supported psychological process as a potential explanation for several well-established findings reported in the literature on confessions.
Cytisine, the world’s oldest smoking cessation aid

Growing evidence for its use as an affordable treatment globally Nearly 50 years ago, and before any smoking cessation aids were approved in the Western world, cytisine was being used in eastern and central Europe to help people quit smoking. An alkaloid with high affinity for the α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtype, cytisine is derived from the plant Cytisus laburnum . It was discovered in 1818, first isolated in 1865,1 and its actions were documented as “qualitatively indistinguishable from that of nicotine” in 1912.2 It was smoked as an accessible and cheap tobacco substitute by German and Russian soldiers during the second world war, and it was brought to market in 1964 as a cessation aid under the brand name Tabex, now produced by Sopharma, a Bulgarian drug company. Currently, the recommended course of treatment starts at one tablet every two hours (six in total per day) for one to three days, tapered gradually, with a scheduled quit date at day 5, and ending with one to two tablets daily by days 21-25. Optimal doses and duration of treatment, however, are as yet undetermined because no human pharmacokinetic data have been published. The …
On the classification, evolution and biogeography of terrestrial haemadipsoid leeches (Hirudinida: Arhynchobdellida: Hirudiniformes)

A scourge of tropical and subtropical jungles, bloodfeeding terrestrial leeches of Haemadipsidae have long confused systematists and defied sensible biogeographic interpretation. The family Haemadipsidae usually includes problematic taxa that neither fit the typical IndoPacific distribution of the group, nor properly match diagnostic characters used to define the family. Historically, four additional families—Xerobdellidae, Diestecostomatidae Mesobdellidae and Nesophilaemonidae—have occasionally been recognized for New World and European representatives, though agreement on the composition of those families has not been consistent. Here, we expand the phylogenetic sampling of non-IndoPacific (among other) genera to include Meso American Diestecostoma species and Nesophilaemon skottsbergii from the Juan Fernandez Archipelago in order to critically assess prior hypotheses in a molecular phylogenetic analysis of arhynchobdellid leeches. The result, based on nuclear 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA and mitochondrial COI indicates that there are two distantly related lineages of bloodfeeding terrestrial leeches. The otherwise monophyletic family Haemadipsidae is found to exclude species of Xerobdella, Mesobdella and Diestecostoma. Xerobdellidae is formally resurrected to accommodate species of those three genera. Morphological characteristics corroborate the distinction of Haemadipsidae and Xerobdellidae on the basis of sexual and nephridial characters. Idiobdella seychellensis belongs in Haemadipsidae notwithstanding its lacking respiratory auricles. Nesophilaemon skottsbergii too is in Haemadipsidae notwithstanding its geographic proximity to the xerobdellid Mesobdella gemmata. The characters used to define haemadipsoid families are reevaluated. Feeding preferences and biogeographic patterns are also examined.
The role of ultrasound in the management of peritonsillar abscess.

A distinction between a peritonsillar abscess and peritonsillitis is useful clinically, as the former requires surgical drainage while the latter merely requires treatment with antibiotics. To evaluate the diagnostic implications of performing ultrasonography of the tonsils in patients with clinically diagnosed peritonsillar abscess, 27 patients underwent ultrasound examination before needle aspiration of the abscess was performed. Ultrasound was able to detect peritonsillar abscess in91 per cent of the cases (sensitivity rate), with a false negative rate of nine per cent and a false positive rate of 20 per cent. The specificity of the test was 80 per cent, and was able to differentiate abscess from peritonsillitis in 88.9 per cent. On the basis of these results we conclude that ultrasonography of the tonsils in patients thought to have peritonsillar abscess is a useful adjunct, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and reducing unnecessary surgical drainage.
SN‐conducting polymers with heterocyclic spacer groups

Polymer-containing alternating sulfur nitrogen moieties separated by heterocyclic groups have been synthesized and characterized. The polymers have undoped conductivities of 10−6 to 10−9 (Ω cm)−1; the intrinsic carriers are negatively charged as shown by thermopower coefficient of −1.4 × 103 to −1.9 × 103 μV K−1. The polymers are degraded by AsF5 and cannot be doped by iodine. Exposure to bromine resulted in reversible p-doping of the SN polymers to the thermopower values of +400 to +820 μV K−1 and conductivities of 0.01 to 0.002 (Ω cm)−1. Removal of dopant by evacuation returns most of the properties of the polymers to the undoped states. Magnetic properties of the materials have been studied.
Surface Passivation of Cu by Annealing Cu/Al Multilayer Films

Surface passivation of Cu by annealing Cu/Al multilayer films (Cu/Al/Cu/Al/Cu) on SiO2 has been demonstrated. Cu/Al multilayer films were annealed from 300°C to 500°C. The buried Al is transported to the Cu surface during annealing, forming A12O3 at the exposed surface. The Cu in annealed Cu/Al multilayer films shows no oxidation when heated in air at 300°C for 24 hrs. The electrical resistivity of these films is 2.3 μΩ cm.
THE QUANTUM EFFICIENCY OF DYE‐INDUCED PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECTS IN BILAYER MEMBRANES

— Voltage transients are generated across lipid bilayer membranes by light flashes as a result of photophysical processes in sorbed dyes which displace electrical charges. A theory is presented which indicates that: (i) the fraction of sorbed dye which displaces charge from one flash can be determined by the fractional reduction in the photovoltage amplitude resulting from a second and identical flash, providing the second flash occurs before dye excited by the first flash returns to its equilibrium condition. (ii) The photoeffect quantum efficiency can be determined from the fraction of dye displacing charge, the light intensity and the dyes' optical absorption cross section. Apparatus constraints required different experimental procedures for dyes with different excited state life times, which are discussed. Experimental results are presented for an azo dye, 3,3'-bis(α-(trimethyiammonium)methyl)azobenzenebromide (Bis-Q), three carbocyanine dyes in the series 3,3'-dimethyl-2,2'-oxacarbocyanine-iodide (diO-C1-3), an amino-pyridinium dye, 4-(p-(dimethyl-amino)styryl)-1-rnethyl-pyridinium-iodide (di-1-ASP), and a xanthene dye, 2',4',5',7'-tetraiodofluorescein (erythrosin), the sodium salt of which is known as F, D and C red number 3. The dyes' optical absorption cross section values are uncertain owing to solvent and orientational effects in membranes. Photoeffect quantum efficiency values obtained by calculating optical absorption cross sections from the dyes' molar extinction coefficients in aqueous solutions are: Bis-Q (0.08), diO-C1-3 (0.31), diO-C2-3 (0.22), diO-C5-3 (0.08), di-l-ASP (0.3) and erythrosin (0.39).
Climatology of Lake-Effect Precipitation Events over Lake Champlain

Abstract This study provides the first long-term climatological analysis of lake-effect precipitation events that developed in relation to a small lake (having a surface area of ≤1500 km2). The frequency and environmental conditions favorable for Lake Champlain lake-effect precipitation were examined for the nine winters (October–March) from 1997/98 through 2005/06. Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) data from Burlington, Vermont, were used to identify 67 lake-effect events. Events occurred as 1) well-defined, isolated lake-effect bands over and downwind of the lake, independent of larger-scale precipitating systems (LC events), 2) quasi-stationary lake-effect bands over the lake embedded within extensive regional precipitation from a synoptic weather system (SYNOP events), or 3) a transition from SYNOP and LC lake-effect precipitation. The LC events were found to occur under either a northerly or a southerly wind regime. An examination of the characteristics of these lake-effect events pro...
Using RNA interference to develop dengue virus resistance in genetically modified Aedes aegypti

Diseases caused by arthropod-borne viruses are significant public health problems, and novel methods are needed to control pathogen transmission. We hypothesize that genetic manipulation of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can profoundly and permanently reduce vector competence and subsequent transmission of dengue viruses (DENV) to human hosts. We have identified RNA interference (RNAi) as a potential anti-viral, intracellular pathway in the vector that can be triggered by expression of virus-specific, double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) to reduce vector competence to DENV. We identified DENV-derived RNA segments using recombinant Sindbis viruses to trigger RNAi, that when expressed in mosquitoes ablate homologous DENV replication and transmission. We also demonstrated that heritable expression of DENV-derived dsRNA in cultured mosquito cells can silence virus replication. We now have developed a number of transgenic mosquito lines that transcribe the effector dsRNA from constitutive promoters such as immediate early 1 (baculovirus) and polyubiquitin (Drosophila melanogaster). We have detected DENV-specific small interfering RNAs, the hallmark of RNAi, in at least one of these lines. Surprisingly, none of these lines expressed dsRNA in relevant tissues (e.g., midguts) that will ultimately affect transmission. A major challenge now is to express the effector dsRNA from tissue-specific promoters to allow RNAi to silence virus replication at critical sites in the vector such as midguts and salivary glands. If successful, this strategy has the advantage of harnessing a naturally occurring vector response to block DENV infection in a mosquito vector and profoundly affect virus transmission.
Resolved object imaging and localization with the use of a backpropagation algorithm

Optical diffusion tomography is an emerging technology that generates images of objects imbedded in turbid media using scattered light. To date, however, most demonstrations of this technology use a sphere or a collection of spheres as the imbedded object. Here we use a backpropagation algorithm and a planar geometry to reconstruct images of resolved objects (airplane models) imbedded in tissue phantoms. In addition, we show that we can locate the resolved objects in three dimensions in the turbid medium using only a single planar view. The imaging system uses diffuse photon density waves produced using kilohertz modulation (that is, essentially dc illumination).
The green-veined white (Pieris napi L.), its Pierine relatives, and the systematics dilemmas of divergent character sets (Lepidoptera, Pieridae)

The butterfly Pieris napi (L.) and relatives exemplify recently evolving taxa, exhibiting variation that makes their evolutionary dynamics interesting, but their systematics difficult. Wing-pattern characters commonly used to distinguish these Holarctic insects display both genetic polymorphism and environmentally-cued polyphenism. Often, these causes of variation are confounded, impairing the characters’ phylogenetic usefulness. DNA sequences of four mitochondrial genes offer an independent view of pierine phylogeny. Sampling diverse relatives within family Pieridae assists resolution of the P. napi complex, suggests previous underestimation of clade diversity in subfamily Pierinae, and shows that other genera near Pieris also display confusions of wing-pattern-based phylogenetic inference. The European P. napi is sister to all North American taxa, and is well diverged from them all in sequences. The North American taxa comprise a northern subclade including Pieris oleracea, and questionably distinct Pieris‘angelika’, and a southern subclade including distinct Pieris virginiensis, Pieris marginalis, and Pieris macdunnoughii, and other regional entities yet to be clarified. Weak bootstrap support for some nodes in this group arises from a closeness of sequence identity rather than character conflict; more sequence data and denser geographical sampling may resolve these nodes more clearly. Evidence of reproductive isolation, from other experimental hybridization studies, agrees with the DNA results where these conflict with other divergent character sets. The system offers much promise for a deeper understanding of character evolution in relation to phyletic differentiation. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 88, 413–435.
Metacompact subspaces of products of ordinals

This is the published version, also available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1090/S0002-9939-01-06026-9. First published in Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. in 2001, published by the American Mathematical Society.
The Effect of Significant Other's Job Complexity on Employee Reactions to Work

This research examines the interaction of individual employee job complexity with the job complexity of significant others in determining employee reactions to work. Procedures and hypotheses are based on principles of equity theory. For each employee, a composite significant other's job complexity index was formed by averaging the job complexity scores of all individuals within the focal employee'sjob classification who were of the same sex as the focal. Results show significant interactions between this "comparison other"job complexity measure and the job complexity of the focal employee. Specifically, results show that employees who work on jobs of greater complexity than their colleagues have lower satisfaction and higher productivity than employees who work on jobs comparable in complexity to those of comparison others. Employees who work on jobs of lesser complexity than their co-workers have slightly lower satisfaction and productivity than employees who work on jobs comparable in complexity to tho...
15-deoxy-delta 12, 14-Prostaglandin J2 prevents reactive oxygen species generation and mitochondrial membrane depolarization induced by oxidative stress.

With the use of cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells, we have previously described a number of cellular responses to oxidative stress caused by H2O2. We also demonstrated that the cytotoxicity caused by H2O2 could be prevented by the prostaglandin derivative, 15-deoxy-delta 12, 14-Prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2). Further characterization of the experimental system indicated that the half-life of H2O2 in cultures was ~1 hour. At a fixed H2O2 concentration, the cytotoxicity was dependent on the volume of H2O2 solution used in the culture, such that higher volume caused more cytotoxicity. Most cells were committed to die if the culture was treated for 2 hours with a cytotoxic concentration of H2O2. The prostaglandin derivative, 15d-PGJ2, could prevent oxidative damage caused by t-butyl hydroperoxide, in addition to H2O2. Further studies indicated that both H2O2 and tBH caused an increase in reactive oxygen species and depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential. Pretreatment of cells with 1 μM 15d-PGJ2 led to a modest decrease in reactive oxygen species generation, and a significant restoration of mitochondrial membrane potential. This agent may be used in the future as a pharmacological tool for preventing cellular damage caused by oxidative stress.
Paleo-Indian Flaked Stone Technology in the North American High Plains

In the past two decades, a major change has occurred in the way Paleo-Indian researchers view flaked stone artifacts. No longer are “finished tools” simply classified and compared. Gone are the days of simple functional typologies. It is now generally accepted that flaked stone artifacts became part of the archaeological record as the result of manufacture, use, reuse, discard, and natural site formation processes. Flaked stone assemblages from the High Plains have been increasingly analyzed within the concept of these dynamic systems. Indeed, it is the systems themselves that are being used to characterize cultural norms.
Hypertrophy of Pacinian Corpuscles in a Young Patient with Neurofibromatosis: Abstracts

A 24-year-old female with a lifelong history of neurofibromatosis type 1 presented with left ring finger pain and decreased sensation for over a year. She has multiple cafe au lait spots over her entire trunk, upper and lower extremities. She also had 11 surgeries to excise superficial neurofibromas over her body. She first noticed a painful swelling of the proximal phalanx of the left ring finger. She then gradually noticed a loss of sensation distally and a constant numb and tingling feeling distal to the palm and the left ring finger. The clinical impression was neurofibroma. MRI of the tender lesion found no evidence of neurofibroma. Biopsy of the lesion showed hypertrophy of Pacinian Corpuscles. Hypertrophy of Pacinian Corpuscles is a rare condition which has been reported very infrequently. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with persistent pain localized to the distal palm or digits in addition to glomus tumor and neuroma. It was thought not to be connected with neurofibromatosis. The finding of this lesion in a patient with neurofibromatosis is somewhat intriguing and the relationship of these two entities is unclear.
Mesh rezoning of 2D isoparametric elements by inversion

The method uses techniques from elimination theory to solve the parametric inversion problem for each node on the new, undistorted mesh. These parameter values are then used in the elemental shape functions to transfer the nodal state variables from the distorted mesh to each node in the new mesh by interpolation. The method has been implemented for bilinear and biquadratic elements. The method is based on fundamental finite element approximations, since the interpolation functions which define the element are also used to perform rezoning
Infiltration, Runoff, and Sediment Yield in Response to Western Juniper Encroachment in Southeast Oregon

Abstract Infiltration was measured in a western juniper ( Juniperus occidentalis Hook.) watershed to characterize the hydrologic processes associated with landscape position. Infiltration rate, runoff, and sediment content were measured with the use of a small-plot rainfall simulator. Study sites were located in each of the four primary aspects (north, south, east, and west). Research sites were located in two ecological sites—South Slopes 12–16 PZ and North Slopes 12–16 PZ. Within aspect, plots were located in three juniper cover levels: high (> 22%), moderate (13%–16%), and low ( −1 rate, levels comparable to an infrequent, short-duration, high-intensity precipitation event. Runoff was measured at 5-min intervals for 60 min. Comparing canopy cover levels, steady-state infiltration rates on control plots (9.0 cm · h −1 ) was 68% greater than high juniper cover sites (2.87 cm · h −1 ) and 34% greater than moderate juniper cover sites (5.97 cm · h −1 ) on south-facing slopes. On north-facing slopes, no differences in infiltration rates were observed between juniper cover levels, demonstrating differential hydrologic responses associated with ecological site. Generally, all water applied to control plots infiltrated. Highest infiltration rates were positively associated with increased surface litter and shrub cover. In addition, depth of water within the soil profile was lowest in high juniper cover plots. This suggests that less water is available to sustain understory and intercanopy plant growth in areas with high juniper cover. Accelerated runoff and erosion in juniper dominated sites (high level) across east-, west-, and south- facing slopes can lead to extensive degradation to the hydrology of those sites. These data suggest that sustained hydrologic processes are achieved with reduced western juniper canopy cover.
Abstract WMP99: Dabigatran: How Does It Fare In The Real World? Mayo Clinic And Regional Experience With A Novel Anticoagulant.

Background: Although not without its limitations, warfarin has provided essential protection against cardioembolic stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) for over 60 years. Dabigatran, the first oral direct thrombin inhibitor to be approved in the United States is reputed to provide the same or better ischemic stroke protection with reduced risk of intracranial hemorrhage. However, it remains to be seen whether its promise will be borne out in everyday practice. Objective: Track initial dabigatran course in patients at Mayo Clinic Arizona and regional stroke centers since its approval in 2010. Methods: Retrospective chart review of all dabigatran patients between October 2010 and September 2011. Regional practices were obtained from a nationwide survey of cardiologists and neurologists. Results: See table Conclusion: During our period of review, dabigatran was well tolerated. A smaller than expected number of patients discontinued the agent or experienced adverse events, as compared to randomized controlled trial predictions. Furthermore, rates of ischemic events (2/159 or 1.26%) were exceedingly low. Our study had several limitations (retrospective review; random bias, sample bias with low numbers and a more elderly population, shorter median follow up). Many of these shortcomings could be addressed with prospective patient tracking. As with any novel therapy, provider surveys afforded an important window into real world practices and perceptions regarding dabigatran. The majority believed it was a reasonable alternative to warfarin, citing fluctuating INR’s as the most persuasive target population followed by patient preference. Cost was an important limiting factor to prescription and considerable uncertainty remains surrounding reversibility and how to approach acute thrombolysis in recurrent ischemic stroke.
Research on the Control Strategy for Motor Voltage Regulating Energy-saving Control System

Many voltage regulators available now are not highly adaptable to the motor,and do not have strong load adaptability. Energy-saving devices have a poor dynamic response,convergence and inadequate voltage regulating accuracy,they can not provide voltages to the stator end of the motor in a fast,effective and accurate way. This paper describes the basic structure of the motor voltage-regulating energy-saving control device. It is a steplessly adjusted,simply controlled,small-sized,low-cost,highly-practical high-precision voltage-tracking and control device suitable for different powers. Its main function is to track eh reference value in a fast,efficient and accurate manner and to provide the stator end with optimal voltage. Aiming at stable output of stator voltage from the voltageregulating energy-saving control device,it takes into account the rapidity,stability and accuracy at the same time. This paper discusses and presents a better control method to apply the rectification and inverter technology in the power electronics to the control device. It also discusses the control strategy of the motor voltage-regulating energy-saving control system.
Design of High Speed Encryption Card Asynchronous Parallel Driver Based on x86

By the study of Linux drivers in a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) environment and according to requirements of asynchronous calls at user level,a high real-time and large-throughput encryption multi-card driver design is presented. The drivers receive the packets from user level and send them to encryption card. An interrupt is triggered to notify drivers to receive the data processed by on-board dedicated encryption chips for power network. The packets are inserted into encrypted/decrypted packets queue for user's asynchronous read. In parallel process of multiple encryption cards,different users can call encryption module with several device operation handles to read and write the encryption card asynchronously. At the same time,taking into account SMP environment,this asynchronous reading and writing operations are synchronized so as to proceed orderly. Test results show that the discussed mechanism may provide an effective method implementing parallel drivers.
Adrenal cortical carcinoma.

Abstract: A review of 28 cases of adrenal cortical carcinoma provides some insights into the natural history of this disease and suggests modifications in current techniques of diagnosis and management. Our patients ranged in age from 1 to 69 years but it is notable that all of our male patients were more than 39 years old. In addition the men tended to have high stage tumors that were nonfunctional. Female patients, on the other hand, were more evenly distributed in terms of stage, function and age at diagnosis. Staging was extremely important and is discussed in some detail. A dismayingly large number of patients were found to have stage 3 or 4 tumor at initial diagnosis, suggesting that aggressive and rapid evaluation and a high index of suspicion are important to optimize survival. Function is helpful but non-function is common and should not dissuade one from the diagnosis. Excretory urography with tomography followed by angiography frequently will provide the diagnosis. Endocrinologic evaluation sho...
[Detection of HBV DNA among HBsAg negative children after prevention for mother-to-infant transmission].

Objective Detection HBV DNA among HBsAg negative children who have been vaccined at birth, in order to improve the evaluation of the indicator for HBV DNA infection. Methods Selection HBsAg negative children who have been vaccined at birth and then detection HBV DNA from sera using QIAamp Viral DNA Mini Kit, HBV DNA s region was obtained by nested PCR and sequencing. Results 12 of the 140 chidren were HBV DNA detected were positive and the infectious rate was 8.6%. No mutant of the 12 HBVDNA in "a" determinant. Conclusion To evaluate the effection of the prevention of HBV mother-to-child transmission, the standard method should be established. The detection of HBV DNA should be included in the future. Key words: Disease transmission, vertical; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B surface antigens
Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Placement and Functional Implications

Synaptic transmission between neurons is the basic unit of communication in neural circuits. The relative number and distribution of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs across individual dendrites and neurons are the hardware of local dendritic and cellular computations. In this chapter, we discuss the structural and functional observations that have guided the understanding of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic organization across the neuronal arbor, the subcellular targeting properties of different neuronal subtypes, and the effects of synaptic placement on local integration within dendritic segments. We focus primarily on the adult mammalian cortex and hippocampus, where excitatory and inhibitory cell types, their connectivity, and its functional implications have been best characterized.
Distribution of Honors Grades Across Fourth-year Emergency Medicine Clerkships.

Background Medical student grades during emergency medicine (EM) rotations are a key factor in resident selection. The variability in grading among EM clerkships is not well understood. Objective The objective was to describe the current grade distribution of fourth-year EM clerkships. Methods This was an observational study at an EM residency program. We identified grade distributions by reviewing the standard letter of evaluation from individuals applying to our residency program for the 2016 match. Descriptive statistics of proportions, standard deviations (SDs), and p-values were calculated. Results A total of 1,075 applications from 236 individual clerkships were reviewed. Thirty-four programs did not give an honors grade during the previous year. Four of these programs distributed a highest grade of "high pass" and 30 gave only "pass" and/or "fail." Of the remaining 202 programs, the percentage of grades that were given as honors ranged from 1% to 87% with a mean (±SD) of 25% (±17.2%). Of the 202 programs that granted honors grades, 63 (31.2%) sites gave between 1 and 14.9% honors grades, 69 (34.2%) gave 15% to 29.9% honors grades, 27 (13.4%) gave 30% to 44.9% honors grades, and 24 (11.9%) programs granted honors to greater than 45% of their students. Medical schools required an EM rotation at 82 (40.6%) sites. Among these programs, honors grades were given to 24% (±16.7%) of students with a range of 4% to 85% while programs that did not require clerkships gave a mean (±SD) of 26% (±17.5%) with a range of 1% to 87% and a p-value of 0.54. Conclusions Honor grade distribution varies markedly across U.S. fourth-year EM clerkship sites. Requiring EM clerkships does not affect honor percentages. A minority of sites only give pass/fail grades. Program directors should consider this marked variation in grades when reviewing EM residency applications.
Genetic and functional analysis of the bovine uterine microbiota. Part II: Purulent vaginal discharge versus healthy cows

The aim of this study was to characterize, using metagenomic shotgun DNA sequencing, the intrauterine microbial population and its predicted functional diversity within healthy cows and cows presenting purulent vaginal discharge (PVD). Twenty Holstein dairy cows from a single farm were enrolled in the study at 25 to 35 d postpartum. Purulent vaginal discharge was diagnosed by retrieving and scoring vaginal discharge using the Metricheck device (Simcro, Hamilton, New Zealand). Intrauterine samples for metagenomic analysis were collected by the cytobrush technique from 8 cows diagnosed with PVD and 12 healthy cows. Pair-end sequencing was performed using the Illumina MiSeq platform (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). Metagenomic sequences were analyzed using the MG-RAST server (metagenomic rapid annotations using subsystems technology; http://metagenomics.anl.gov/), and the STAMP software (http://kiwi.cs.dal.ca/Software/STAMP) was used to study statistically significant differential abundance of taxonomic and functional features between the 2 metagenomes. Additionally, the total number of bacterial 16S rDNA copies was estimated by real-time PCR. Taxonomic analysis revealed that Bacteroidetes was the most abundant phylum in the uterine microbiota from cows with PVD, and Fusobacteria was almost completely absent in the healthy uterine microbiota. Moreover, species belonging to the genus Trueperella were present only in the uterine microbiota of PVD cows. The increased abundance of Fusobacteria and the unique presence of Trueperella in the PVD cows highlight the important role of these bacteria in the pathogenesis of PVD. Genes encoding cytolethal distending toxin were exclusive to the microbiota of PVD cows. Similarly, genes associated with lipid A modification were present only in samples from PVD cows; such modification is associated with greater resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides. Conversely, genes encoding bacteriocins and ribosomally antibacterial peptide were exclusively found in the healthy uterine microbiota and dominated by tolerance to colicin E2. No difference was observed in total bacterial load between the 2 microbiotas. This study provides deep insight into the uterine microbial community in health and disease. The observations that the healthy microbiota is tolerant to colicin E2, whereas the uterine microbiota of PVD cows produces cytolethal distending toxins and modifies its lipopolysaccharides suggest that species-intrinsic factors may be more relevant than bacterial abundance to the development of disease or maintenance of health in the dairy cow postpartum uterus.
Eveningness among late adolescent males predicts neural reactivity to reward and alcohol dependence 2 years later

Eveningness, a preference for later sleep-wake timing, is linked to altered reward function, which may explain a consistent association with substance abuse. Notably, the extant literature rests largely on cross-sectional data, yet both eveningness and reward function show developmental changes. We examined whether circadian preference during late adolescence predicted the neural response to reward 2 years later. A sample of 93 males reported circadian preference and completed a monetary reward fMRI paradigm at ages 20 and 22. Primary analyses examined longitudinal paths from circadian preference to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and ventral striatal (VS) reward responses. We also explored whether reward responses mediated longitudinal associations between circadian preference and alcohol dependence, frequency of alcohol use, and/or frequency of cannabis use. Age 20 eveningness was positively associated with age 22 mPFC and VS responses to win, but not associated with age 22 reactivity to reward anticipation. Age 20 eveningness was indirectly related to age 22 alcohol dependence via age 22 mPFC response to win. Our findings provide novel evidence that altered reward-related brain function could underlie associations between eveningness and alcohol use problems. Eveningness may be an under-recognized but modifiable risk factor for reward-related problems such as mood and substance use disorders.
The Need for Systems Tools in the Practice of Clinical Medicine

Humanity is currently facing an unprecedented chronic disease burden. Healthcare needs have significantly shifted from treating acute to treating chronic conditions. Chronic diseases tend to involve multiple factors with complex interactions between them evidenced by the continually growing medical knowledge base. The health profession requires the ability to manage this rapidly deepening knowledge base to assimilate the lessons from research and clinical care experience by systematically capturing, assessing, and translating it into the highest level of reliable care. A more systems approach to practicing medicine exists and is referred to as functional medicine. It takes into account the many subsystems in the human body and their many interactions. Although the science behind treating the patient as a system exists, the application of systems tools and techniques have not been utilized. It is only natural to begin to formalize the systems thinking using the established tools from the systems engineering field. Specifically, this paper presents the need for systems tools in the practice of clinical medicine and includes an example application of model-based systems engineering to clinical medicine.
Identifying biomarkers from an in vitro carrageenan model of inflammation in swine (INM8P.359)

Carrageenan-induced inflammation, though extensively used as a model of local inflammation, has not been fully characterized on the genomic and proteomic level. The goal of this study was to develop an in vitro carrageenan model of local inflammation for use in studies of novel non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug efficacy. We evaluated lambda carrageenan (l-CGN) in vitro and its capacity to affect previously identified inflammatory biomarkers in swine, using swine whole blood cultures. Blood was collected from 9 male Yorkshire barrows, cultured in vitro . The blood was divided into two groups (stimulated and unstimulated) per each time point. Unstimulated blood was used as control to compare samples treated with l-CGN. Blood was then separated into two fractions, serum collection for ELISA analysis and white blood cells for RNA extraction per time point. We found that l-CGN increased the production MCP-1 in vitro , both on the proteomics level and the genomic level. Conversely, TNF-a and IL-6 demonstrated a decreased or no change in cytokine production when measured via ELISA. Phosphokinase-3, Thrombospondin-1 and Alveolar Macrophage Chemotactic -II showed increased gene expression when normalized to GAPDH. These results also demonstrate that carrageenan initiates an inflammatory response that differs from a typical endotoxin effect, such as LPS stimulation in terms of the pathways and gene products altered.
Mussolini’s Army in the French Riviera

Mussolini for a long time had ample territorial claims on his country’s so-called ‘Latin Sister’, France. Hitler afforded him opportunity by sweeping through the country to obtain imperial claims n...
Experimental Determination of the Effective Viscosity of Plasticized Aluminum Alloy 6061-T6 during Friction Stir Welding

Abstract Friction stir forming (FSF) refers the process variant of friction stir welding (FSW) where a joint is achieved through the creation of mechanical interlocking between two constituents by plasticizing one material through the use of the FSW process and in turn forcing said material to flow into the second material. In order to increase the understanding of material flow within this process, a method of quantifying the plasticity of flowing material during the FSF process is needed. A method is proposed in which a capillary hole is drilled into a backing plate used for FSW, and material is extruded through the capillary during processing. The flow of material is characterized and related back to an effective viscosity using the models that form the basis of a capillary rheometer. Initial testing shows promising agreements with CFD simulations of the FSW process (effective viscosity values within the range of 10 5 to 5×10 6 Pa-s). Furthermore, a promising initial agreement is shown when using effective viscosity values determined from the capillary method in a previously derived model that describes the infiltration for carbon fiber with plasticized aluminum produced by the FSW/FSF process.
DAMPING MECHANISMS IN FIBER REINFORCED LAMINATES

Low strain damping in fiber reinforced composite materials is due to material loss factors in both fibers and matrix materials. The high modulus of the fibers makes up for the low damping factor. Strains high enough to cause transverse layer cracking in laminates with organic matrix materials causes a large permanent increase in the damping factor. This increase is not due to the transverse cracks but rather to short microcracks in the high shear strain regions. Other damping mechanisms at high strains are also discussed.
Early Life Exposure to Low Levels of AHR Agonist PCB126 (3,3',4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl) Reprograms Gene Expression in Adult Brain

Early life exposure to environmental chemicals can have long-term consequences that are not always apparent until later in life. We recently demonstrated that developmental exposure of zebrafish to low, nonembryotoxic levels of 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) did not affect larval behavior, but caused changes in adult behavior. The objective of this study was to investigate the underlying molecular basis for adult behavioral phenotypes resulting from early life exposure to PCB126. We exposed zebrafish embryos to PCB126 during early development and measured transcriptional profiles in whole embryos, larvae and adult male brains using RNA-sequencing. Early life exposure to 0.3 nM PCB126 induced cyp1a transcript levels in 2-dpf embryos, but not in 5-dpf larvae, suggesting transient activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor with this treatment. No significant induction of cyp1a was observed in the brains of adults exposed as embryos to PCB126. However, a total of 2209 and 1628 genes were differentially expressed in 0.3 and 1.2 nM PCB126-exposed groups, respectively. KEGG pathway analyses of upregulated genes in the brain suggest enrichment of calcium signaling, MAPK and notch signaling, and lysine degradation pathways. Calcium is an important signaling molecule in the brain and altered calcium homeostasis could affect neurobehavior. The downregulated genes in the brain were enriched with oxidative phosphorylation and various metabolic pathways, suggesting that the metabolic capacity of the brain is impaired. Overall, our results suggest that PCB exposure during sensitive periods of early development alters normal development of the brain by reprogramming gene expression patterns, which may result in alterations in adult behavior.