cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sociodemographic characteristics and waking activities and their role in the timing and duration of sleep.

Study objectives Chronic sleep restriction is prevalent in the U.S. population and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The primary reasons for reduced sleep are unknown. Using population data on time use, we sought to identify individual characteristics and behaviors associated with short sleep that could be targeted for intervention programs. Design Analysis of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). Setting Cross-sectional annual survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Participants Representative cohort (N = 124,517) of Americans 15 years and older surveyed between 2003 and 2011. Interventions None. Measurements and results Telephone survey of activities over 24 hours. Relative to all other waking activities, paid work time was the primary waking activity exchanged for sleep. Time spent traveling, which included commuting to/ from work, and immediate pre- and post-sleep activities (socializing, grooming, watching TV) were also reciprocally related to sleep duration. With every hour that work or educational training started later in the morning, sleep time increased by approximately 20 minutes. Working multiple jobs was associated with the highest odds for sleeping ≤6 hours on weekdays (adjusted OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.44; 1.81). Self-employed respondents were less likely to be short sleepers compared to private sector employees (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72; 0.95). Sociodemographic characteristics associated with paid work (age 25-64, male sex, high income, and employment per se) were consistently associated with short sleep. Conclusions U.S. population time use survey findings suggest that interventions to increase sleep time should concentrate on delaying the morning start time of work and educational activities (or making them more flexible), increasing sleep opportunities, and shortening morning and evening commute times. Reducing the need for multiple jobs may increase sleep time, but economic disincentives from working fewer hours will need to be offset. Raising awareness of the importance of sufficient sleep for health and safety may be necessary to positively influence discretionary behaviors that reduce sleep time, including television viewing and morning grooming.
Machine Learning and Tubercular Drug Target Recognition

Tuberculosis (TB) remains to be a global major public-health threat, causing millions of deaths each year. A major difficulty in dealing with TB is that the causative bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can persist in host tissue for a long period of time even after treatment. Mycobacterial persistence has become a central research focus for developing next-generation TB drugs. Latest genomic technology has enabled a high-throughput approach for identifying potential TB drug targets. Each gene product can be screened for its uniqueness to the TB metabolism, host-pathogen discrimination, essentiality for survival, and potential for chemical binding, among other properties. However, the exhaustive search for useful drug targets over the entire genome would not be productive as expected in practice. On the other hand, the problem can be formulated as pattern recognition or inductive learning and tackled with rule-based or statistically based learning algorithms. Here we review the perspective that combines machine learning and genomics for drug discovery in tuberculosis.
China's Goal of a New Socialist Countryside Construction and Management of the Implementation of Research——Taking Korea Saemaul Undong Movement for Exmample

The paper studies on a progress analysis of Korea Saemaul Undong movement including initiation,execution and restriction relieved.The author believed that new rural construction movement can achieve its ultimate goal by strengthening managing the sub-missions in china.
Chemical Control of Sex Expression in Lemma Aequinoctialis 6746

IAA,GA_3,6BA,ABA,Ethephon,spermidine,Royal Jelly and COCl_2 were added to the culture medium of Lemna aequinoctialis 6746 plant.Results showed that CoCl_2 at a concentration from 1 ppm to 10 ppm caused increase of male flower.Similar results have been obtained using spermidine of 10 ppm.6BA of 5 ppm promoted female tendeney,but that of 10ppm promoted male flower (different at applied time).Royal Jelly at a concentration of 5 ppm caused multiple reproduction,i.,e., there were two inflorescene-es in the same frond,one of them was located at an unusual position.When CoCl_2 of 5 ppm was applied in combinabion with GA_3 of 10 ppm or spermidine of 10 ppm was applied in combination with GA_3 of 10 ppm, bosh female and male flowers were increased.The sex ratio was changed in the direction them favors femaleness.When Royal Jelly of 5 ppm was applied in combination with 6BA of 5 ppm,both female and male were stimulated.But the sex ratio remained the same.However,when Royal Jelly of 5 ppm was applicd in combination with IAA of 5 ppm,male flowers were promoted. The treatment effects were influenced by age of frond,temperature in darkness and time of application of chemicals.
“But now my eye sees you”: Hierophany in Job and The Crying of Lot 49

This article argues Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 is a postsecular retelling of the book of Job. The novel not only alludes directly to Job, but shares plot, structure, and theme. Both text...
BATCH PROCESS MONITORING USING MULTIBLOCK MULTIWAY PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS

Abstract Batch process monitoring to detect the existence and magnitude of changes that cause a deviation from the normal operation has gained considerable attention in the last decade. There are some batch processes that occur as a single step, whereas many others include multiple phases due to operational or phenomenological regimes or multiple stages where different processing units are employed. Having a single model for all different phases/stages with different covariance structures may not give a sufficient explanation of the system behavior and fault detection and diagnosis can be more challenging with increasing model size. Multiblock methods have been recently proposed to improve the capabilities of the existing statistical monitoring models. In this study, a multiblock algorithm based on concensus principal component analysis is applied to the benchmark fed-batch penicillin fermentation simulator data. The results of a static multiblock model and a sliding window multiblock model are compared. The need for data synchronization, and the effect of block size are discussed. Multiblock multiway principal component analysis methods are found to be effective in fault detection and localization.
Evaluation of Nestin Expression in the Developing and Adult Mouse Inner Ear

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells with the capacity to proliferate and form mature tissue-specific cell types. Nestin is an intermediate filament protein used to identify cells with stem cell characteristics. Its expression has been observed in a population of cells in developing and adult cochleae. In vitro studies using rodent cochlear tissue have documented the potential of nestin-expressing cells to proliferate and form hair and supporting cells. In this study, nestin coupled to green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice were used to provide a more complete characterization of the spatial and temporal expression of nestin in the inner ear, from organogenesis to adulthood. During development, nestin is expressed in the spiral ganglion cell region and in multiple cell types in the organ of Corti, including nascent hair and supporting cells. In adulthood, its expression is reduced but persists in the spiral ganglion, in a cell population medial to and below the inner hair cells, and in Deiters' cells in the cochlear apex. Moreover, nestin-expressing cells can proliferate in restricted regions of the inner ear during development shown by coexpression with Ki67 and MCM2 and by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation. Results suggest that nestin may label progenitor cells during inner ear development and may not be a stem cell marker in the mature organ of Corti; however, nestin-positive cells in the spiral ganglion exhibit some stem cell characteristics. Future studies are necessary to determine if these cells possess any latent stem cell-like qualities that may be targeted as a regenerative approach to treat neuronal forms of hearing loss.
New Regulatory Mechanisms of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation Involving An Adenosine Receptor.

Abstract 2584 The bone marrow cellular environment, including existing and newly formed bone cells, are important for the process of hematopoiesis at baseline and under stress, such as bone fracture. The A2b adenosine receptor (A2bAR) has a protective role in various models of chronic injury and in inflammation, particularly through its expression in macrophages. Bone fracture healing is a complex process composed of an initial inflammatory response, followed by differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) into chondrocytes and osteoblasts to form bone, and finally resorption by osteoclasts to remodel the structure. Here we find A2bAR expression in bone marrow MSC cultures, and A2bAR knockout (KO) mice have lower bone density than wildtype counterparts. In vitro , induced differentiation of bone marrow derived MSCs from A2bAR KO mice resulted in lower expression of osteoblast differentiation genes and formed fewer mineralized nodules, as compared to wildtype mice. Furthermore, concurrent treatment of bone marrow derived MSCs with A2bAR agonists, and consequently an increase in cAMP levels, during differentiation resulted in elevated expression of the osteoblast differentiation gene Osterix. Examination of an in vivo model of bone fracture and showed a significant decrease in bone formation in the A2bAR KO mice, compensated for by upregulation of chondrocyte differentiation markers and cartilage formation. Delayed fracture healing in the A2bAR KO mice was associated with lower expression of genes involved in osteoblast differentiation. These results demonstrate a new role for the A2bAR and its ligand in promoting differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts, which would affect the integrity of the bone marrow niche under stress. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Mechanistic Studies of Pd(II)-Catalyzed Copolymerization of Ethylene and Vinylalkoxysilanes: Evidence for a β-Silyl Elimination Chain Transfer Mechanism

Copolymerizations of ethylene with vinyltrialkoxysilanes are reported using both a “traditional” cationic Pd(II) aryldiimine catalyst, t-1 (aryl = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl), and a “sandwich-type” aryldiimine catalyst, s-2 (aryl = 8-tolylnaphthyl). Incorporation levels of vinyltrialkoxysilanes between 0.25 and 2.0 mol % were achieved with remarkably little rate retardation relative to ethylene homopolymerizations. In the case of the traditional catalyst system, molecular weights decrease as the level of comonomer increases and only one trialkoxysilyl group is incorporated per chain. Molecular weight distributions of ca. 2 are observed. For the sandwich catalyst, higher molecular weights are observed with many more trialkoxysilyl groups incorporated per chain. Polymers with molecular weight distributions of ca. 1.2–1.4 are obtained. Detailed NMR mechanistic studies have revealed the formation of intermediate π-complexes of the type (diimine)Pd(alkyl)(vinyltrialkoxysilane)+. 1,2-Migratory insertions of these co...
SELECT: A multicenter phase II trial of adjuvant erlotinib in resected early-stage EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC.

7514 Background: EGFR mutant NSCLC is exquisitely sensitive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Retrospective data suggests adjuvant TKIs may improve outcomes. This trial is the first to pro...
Folding of Integral Membrane Proteins: Renaturation Experiments with Bacteriorhodopsin Support a Two-Stage Mechanism

It has become frequent to know the amino acid sequence of integral membrane proteins on which little other structural data are available. Predictive schemes have been developed to try to predict their transmembrane folding from the sequence (reviewed in ref. 1). The topology of the protein is thought to derive directly from the position and number of sequence segments that could partition into a lipid bilayer in the form of hydrophobic α-helices. Yet, most integral membrane proteins that are not simply anchored, whether they be monomeric or oligomeric, appear to contain multihelical assemblies in which protein/protein contacts are as numerous if not more than protein/lipid contacts.
Nitrogen Leaching from Osmocote-Fertilized Pine Bark at Leaching Fractions of 0 to 0.4

Abstract Pine bark-filled PVC columns with 1 g Osmocote (14N-6.3P-11.6K)(14-14-14) per column were irrigated five days a week for 12 weeks with a leaching fraction (LF) of 0, 0.2, or 0.4. Every two weeks cumulative N content of collected leachate and medium solution N concentration (pour-through method) were determined. The total amount of N leached from bark at 0.4 LF was 61% greater than at 0.2 LF. Medium solution NO3-N concentrations of 0 LF were four to eight times greater than at 0.4 LF for all sampling dates. After 84 days, there was no difference in amount of N remaining in Osmocote prills for the LF treatments.
Low-Frequency vibrational dynamics of a solvated microtubule

We performed large scale classical molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) of a solvated microtubule (MT) composed of 42 tubulin heterodimers to examine vibrational energy absorption and dissipation mechanisms, and to describe the expected behavior of the MT following terahertz (THz) excitation. We computed MT absorption spectra and vibrational density of states in the THz regime, and performed an analysis of the vibrational dephasing rates of the tubulin center of mass dynamics, which are found to be overdamped. Moreover, the presence of the MT modifies the dynamical properties of the solvation shell structure within roughly 10 A of the protein.
Preclinical assessment of utility of M6S for multimodal acute and chronic pain treatment in diabetic neuropathy.

Abstract Aims Previous reports from our laboratory have established that morphine-6-O-sulfate (M6S) is a mixed μ/δ opioid receptor (OR) agonist and a potential improved alternative to morphine for treatment of chronic multimodal pain in non-diabetic rats. This study extends the antinociceptive effects of M6S and morphine in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Materials and methods Effects of morphine and M6S were studied across a range of pain modalities, using hot plate threshold (HPT), pinprick sensitivity threshold (PST) and paw pressure threshold (PPT) tests. Key findings Acutely, M6S was 3- to 5-fold more potent and 2- to 3-fold more efficacious than morphine in HPT and PST tests. No differences in analgesic drug potency/efficacy were detected in the PPT test. After 7–9 days of chronic treatment, tolerance developed to the antinociceptive effects of morphine, but not to M6S, in all three pain tests. Furthermore, morphine-tolerant rats were not cross-tolerant to M6S. The selective δ-OR antagonist, naltrindole, blocked M6S-induced antinociception by 62 ± 3% in the HPT test, 93 ± 5% in the PST test, and 30 ± 17% in the PPT test when examined acutely. Significance These studies provide additional confirmation for the mixed μ/δ activity of M6S and demonstrate potential improved clinical utility for dual μ/δ agonists relative to morphine in treatment of diabetic neuropathy across multiple pain domains.
Utilization and in-hospital outcomes associated with atherectomy in the treatment of peripheral vascular disease: An observational analysis from the National Inpatient Sample

ObjectivePercutaneous revascularization for patients with peripheral arterial disease has become a treatment of choice for many symptomatic patients. The presence of severe arterial calcification p...
Live Simulation for Emergency Neurology Life Support (P4.327)

Objective: To assess feasibility and value of incorporating life simulation into Emergency Neurology Life Support Background: Emergency Neurology Life Support (ENLS) is a course consisting of 14 didactic protocols to teach patient care for the first hours of neurologic emergencies. Different from well-established emergency courses such as Advanced Cardiac Life Support or Advanced Trauma Life Support, there is no “hands-on” experience or training with ENLS. We set out to develop simulation scenarios that address key components of neurological emergencies, and incorporate them into a live ENLS course. Design/Methods: We created two simulation scenarios, one focusing on a herniation syndrome with elevated intracranial pressure, one on refractory status epilepticus. We allotted 2 hours for simulation in addition to the 14 ENLS modules, with a total course duration of 10 hours. Flexible to the number of course participants, groups were divided into active learners and learning-by-observation. 74 learners were enrolled in three courses of 38, 21 and 15 participants, respectively. We obtained course evaluation via participant feedback questionnaires. Participation in the simulation was voluntary. Results: With two simulation scenarios, we addressed the key components of 6 of the 14 ENLS protocols. We effectively rotated groups of 4–6 participants through simulation and observation, with our largest sample group comprising 32 participants. Overall participation in simulation was 93%. Among the 26 feedback responses received from participants in the ENLS plus simulation group, 23 (88%) rated the simulation as strongly contributory to their learning experience. Additionally, the majority of participants specifically pointed out simulation as valuable in free commentary. Conclusions: Development of clinically relevant simulation scenarios for the use during live ENLS didactics is feasible, even for large groups of participants. Among learners, simulation within ENLS is perceived as highly valuable and could be a future strategy to address educational needs in emergency and critical care neurology. Disclosure: Dr. White has nothing to disclose. Dr. Robinson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maciel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Babi has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with UCB Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Munoz has nothing to disclose. Dr. Beattie has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maldonado has nothing to disclose. Dr. Youn has nothing to disclose. Dr. Giordano has nothing to disclose. Dr. Busl has nothing to disclose.
A synthetic view of acceptance and engagement with smart meters in the United States

Abstract Smart meters are a crucial infrastructural feature of a modernizing grid. Smart meters enable dynamic rate structures, a wide range of smart home technologies, energy use feedback, and greater use of distributed renewable energy. Yet, ratepayers are often unfamiliar with smart meters and their benefits, have ambivalent or negative attitudes toward them, and may outright oppose their use. Past research has identified numerous factors that influence acceptance and engagement. However, these factors are tested in isolation and only partially representative of the broader literature on energy technologies. In this study, we compare the relative effect of an expanded range of factors on smart meter acceptance and engagement. We use a survey (N = 609) of homeowners in Ithaca, New York who are part of an upcoming smart meter rollout. We find that, ceteris paribus, familiarity and climate change risk perceptions have the greatest effect on smart meter acceptance, while smart meter acceptance, age, and income have the strongest effect on engagement. Our findings have two primary implications: (1) outreach and communication should focus on increasing familiarity and demonstrating the climate benefits of smart meter enabled products and services; and (2) that outreach and communication is insufficient to increase uptake by all segments of the population.
Collegiate Recreational Sports Participation as an Adjustment Aid for Former High School Athletes Experiencing Athlete Role Exit

Successful transition to college is an important consideration in student retention and success. Students who highly identify as high school athletes may experience adjustment difficulty when enter...
Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of sodium-glucose transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Introduction: Clinicians have many safe and effective options for the treatment of type 2 diabetes that can improve glycemic control and effect other cardio-metabolic parameters. Sodium-glucose tra...
Real-Time Autonomous Car Motion Planning using NMPC with Approximated Problem Considering Traffic Environment

Abstract Several studies have demonstrated that car dynamics computation is essential for autonomous car motion planning. One of the most promising techniques for motion planning with dynamics is model predictive control (MPC). Planned motion computed using MPC consists of solving an optimization problem with constraint equations representing car dynamics and environmental conditions. The disadvantage is that the optimization problem is complex when it is nonlinear. To overcome this, we have developed a highly efficient computing technique for autonomous car motion planning with nonlinear MPC (NMPC). It consists of an approximated problem and a sequential quadratic problem based on an active-set algorithm. We demonstrate the suitability of our approach by using a car dynamics simulator.
Mechanism Connecting Environmental Friendliness to Service Loyalty: The Role of Positive Customer Emotions and Satisfaction

This research explores the mechanisms linking consumers’ perceptions of the environmental friendliness of service to customer loyalty. It investigates positive emotions evoked by perceptions of env...
Research Issues and Needs at the Intersection of Advertising and Public Policy

Public policy is part of the fabric of advertising with respect to both research and practice. The strong relationship between advertising and public policy has important implications for consumers...
Exponential Characteristic Nonlinear Radiation Transport Method for Unstructured Grids of Triangular Cells

The exponential characteristic (EC) method is one of a family of nonlinear spatial quadratures for discrete ordinates radiation transport that are positive and at least second-order accurate and pr...
Addressing Reduced Ingress Protection Class & Proper Filter Selection for Open Ventilated (IC3A1) Wind Turbine Generator

IEC60034 is the standard for rotating electrical machines. IEC60034-5 defines ingress protection (IP) class of the machine and IEC60034-6 discuss mainly cooling methodology. A test has been performed on a wind turbine with squirrel cage induction generator of IP54 class. Cooling configuration was changed from IC6A1A6 (totally enclosed air to air cooled) configuration to IC3A1 (open ventilated). Paper presents some electrical and mechanical challenges associated with environmental conditions. Well protected duct and filter housing were used during testing. IC3A1 cooling bring certain advantages for the generator used in wind turbine application. This paper focuses on the need of proper filter housing selection to secure IC3A1 generator. Tradeoff between IP class, required performance, cost, serviceability of the machine are important factors and addressed in the paper. Recommendation has been made for a proper filtration selection to secure generator with good IP class. Recommendation is based on a test performed on a wind turbine.
Neurotized Free Tissue Transfer for Foot Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

Background Soft tissue reconstruction of the foot represents a complex reconstructive challenge given the unique anatomical properties of the glabrous plantar skin. For large soft tissue defects and/or complex injuries, free tissue transfer is often the optimal reconstructive modality. The decision to pursue a neurotized free flap remains controversial and an area of debate. Given the trend toward increasing use of neurotized free flaps, we performed a systematic review to determine if nerve coaptation is a beneficial adjunct to free tissue transfer. Methods A systematic search of the English literature using PubMed and Web of Science was performed. Studies were identified between 1985 and 2018. Manuscripts were eligible if they contained original clinical outcomes research of patients who underwent free tissue transfer to the foot or heel with neurotization. Results A total of 189 studies were identified with initial screening and 19 studies were included in our analysis. A total of 175 patients underwent free flap reconstruction to the foot; of these, 107 patients had a nerve coaptation performed. Patients who underwent neurotization had improved sensory characteristics (two-point discrimination, light touch, and pain sensation), quicker return to ambulation and activities of daily living, and decreased ulcer formation compared with those who did not. Overall complications were infrequent, with ulceration being the most common. Conclusion Neurotized free flaps appear to have an overall decreased rate of ulceration, improved sensory discrimination, and quicker return to ambulation/activities of daily living in comparison to nonneurotized free flaps. However, when examining free anterolateral thigh (ALT) and free medial plantar artery (MPA) fasciocutaneous flaps, durability (i.e., frequency of ulcer formation) and functionality (ambulation and return to activities of daily living) do not appear to be significantly different between neurotized and nonneurotized flaps.
Becoming an Onion: The Extra-Human Nature of Genital Difference in the Old English Riddling and Medical Traditions

This essay addresses the means by which the male genital organs register—that is, effectively become present, meaningful, and functional (or dysfunctional)—in early medieval culture by examining se...
A highly sensitive and specific workflow for detecting rare copy-number variants from exome sequencing data

Exome sequencing (ES) is a first-tier diagnostic test for many suspected Mendelian disorders. While it is routine to detect small sequence variants, it is not a standard practice in clinical settings to detect germline copy-number variants (CNVs) from ES data due to several reasons relating to performance. In this work, we comprehensively characterized one of the most sensitive ES-based CNV tools, ExomeDepth, against SNP array, a standard of care test in clinical settings to detect genome-wide CNVs. We propose a modified ExomeDepth workflow by excluding exons with low mappability prior to variant calling to drastically reduce the false positives originating from the repetitive regions of the genome, and an iterative variant calling framework to assess the reproducibility. We used a cohort of 307 individuals with clinical ES data and clinical SNP array to estimate the sensitivity and false discovery rate of the CNV detection using exome sequencing. Further, we performed targeted testing of the STRC gene in 1972 individuals. To reduce the number of variants for downstream analysis, we performed a large-scale iterative variant calling process with random control cohorts to assess the reproducibility of the CNVs. The modified workflow presented in this paper reduced the number of total variants identified by one third while retaining a higher sensitivity of 97% and resulted in an improved false discovery rate of 11.4% compared to the default ExomeDepth pipeline. The exclusion of exons with low mappability removes 4.5% of the exons, including a subset of exons (0.6%) in disease-associated genes which are intractable by short-read next-generation sequencing (NGS). Results from the reproducibility analysis showed that the clinically reported variants were reproducible 100% of the time and that the modified workflow can be used to rank variants from high to low confidence. Targeted testing of 30 CNVs identified in STRC, a challenging gene to ascertain by NGS, showed a 100% validation rate. In summary, we introduced a modification to the default ExomeDepth workflow to reduce the false positives originating from the repetitive regions of the genome, created a large-scale iterative variant calling framework for reproducibility, and provided recommendations for implementation in clinical settings.
Cognitive-Communication Interventions for Youth with Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are relatively common in the pediatric population, yielding several potential challenges across a wide range of skills and abilities. Cognitive-communication disorders are particularly prevalent, with implications for long-term academic and social outcomes. While considerable evidence exists for identifying and characterizing the effects of cognitive-communication deficits, evidence informing effective interventions is still emerging. This review includes discussion of individual factors that affect treatment needs and outcomes as well as evidence that supports cognitive-communication intervention approaches at both a fundamental/discrete and integrated level. Also addressed is the need for modifying contextual factors that may be barriers as well as augmenting facilitators of successful communication and participation, including collaboration with everyday communication partners and identification and use of appropriate accommodations. Overall, research suggests a growing trend toward interventions that are individualized, dynamic, and combine multiple approaches for cognitive-communication treatment after pediatric TBI.
Giving Well: Philanthropy for Human Rights

In this paper, I argue that philanthropists should direct their giving toward the realization of human rights. Currently, the right to health and other basic human rights are not being realized. Significant financial support will be needed for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, for example. Supporting this thesis, United Nations documents assert that non-state actors (a category that would include philanthropists) have human rights responsibilities. Documents reviewed in my study include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; General Comment 14 on “The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health”; and reports by Paul Hunt and John Ruggie, written in their capacity as UN Special Rapporteurs. These “soft law” pronouncements underscore the obligations that philanthropists have to supporting human rights, and thereby imply that human rights should be the primary consideration in determining philanthropists’ sector choice. The use of such a framework could also alleviate some democracy-related concerns regarding philanthropy.
Article Commentary: Evolving Colon Injury Management: A Review:

The colon is the second most commonly injured intra-abdominal organ in penetrating trauma. Management of traumatic colon injuries has evolved significantly over the past 200 years. Traumatic colon ...
Distinct expression patterns of seven crucial microRNAs during early embryonic development in medaka (Oryzias latipes)

MicroRNAs (i.e. miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play essential modulation roles in embryonic development in vertebrates. Paternal and maternal miRNAs contribute to the development of post-fertilization embryo and zygotic genome activation. The pattern of expression and their roles in embryonic development of medaka are not clearly understood. The present study, therefore, examined a temporal expression of seven miRNAs, ola-let-7a, ola-miR-202-3p, ola-miR-126-3p, ola-miR-122, ola-miR-92a, ola-miR-125a-3p and ola-miR-430a in sperm, oocytes, and embryos during early developmental stages. Three unique expression patterns of miRNAs were observed. ola-let7a, ola-miR-202-3p and ola-miR-126-3p showed both paternal and maternal expression, and ola-miR-122, ola-miR-92a, ola-miR-125a-3p showed maternal expression only. The expression of six out of seven miRNAs significantly decreased after maternal-zygotic transition (MZT), whereas ola-miR-430a expression initiated only after MZT. The temporal dynamic expression of these miRNAs suggests their potential roles in early embryogenesis and genome-zygotic activation in medaka.
High-energy plasma activation of renewable carbon for enhanced capacitive performance of supercapacitor electrode

Abstract High cost and environmentally unfavourable considerations are the major obstacles that prohibit renewable energy storage from many applications. To solve these issues, novel renewable materials such as biomass-derived carbon that have low cost, ecofriendly, and deliver high-energy storage performance should be employed. In this work, renewable carbon YP-50, biochar synthesized from coconut, was activated using different plasma gases including methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2), and argon (Ar). Compared with the conventional activation method, plasma treatment takes less time and effort. A significant increase in the specific surface area (SSA) and improvement in the specific capacitance (SC) were found with different plasma treatments. Specifically, the CH4 plasma-treated YP-50 exhibited the highest SC of 181.6 F g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 compared with other gases. In addition, the highest energy density of 25.3 Wh kg−1 was obtained at the specific power of 0.12 kW kg−1 for CH4 treated biochar. This enhancement of charge storage capacity is highly associated with the distribution of a variety of pore sizes and a large surface area. Furthermore, the charge transfer resistance reduced from 21.7 Ω to 1.4 Ω after CH4 treatment, and high capacitance retention was achieved due to its excellent electrochemical stability and good performance. Hence, this high-energy plasma treatment with a short time opens p a new opportunity for the efficient activation of carbon materials of supercapacitors with high electrochemical performances.
Meningitis After Tooth Extraction and Sinus Lavage in a Horse.

Abstract A five-year-old Thoroughbred mare was evaluated because of chronic, malodorous, unilateral nasal discharge, and suspected maxillary cheek tooth root abscess. Skull radiographs revealed bilateral sinusitis suspected secondary to tooth root abscessation of 109 and 210. Following oral extraction of 109, bilateral conchofrontal sinus trephination and lavage; fever, tachycardia, and cervical stiffness developed. A lumbosacral cerebrospinal fluid tap was performed, and a presumptive diagnosis of bacterial meningitis was made. Targeted therapy consisted of antibiotic treatment with penicillin, enrofloxacin, and metronidazole, as well as antiinflammatory treatment with flunixin meglumine, dexamethasone, and dimethyl sulfoxide. Following the resolution of fever, tachycardia, and cervical stiffness, the second abscessed tooth, 210, was extracted. The mare was discharged receiving enrofloxacin. Twelve months later, the mare continued to do well with no residual signs of meningitis. Bacterial meningitis should be regarded as a life-threatening, although rare, the complication of dental or sinus surgery in horses. Early diagnosis and therapy may result in a successful outcome.
Disparate Health Care in Barrett's Esophagus: The First Step Is Awareness.

ABSTRACT Disparities in medical treatment related to differences in race, gender, and creed are present in all fields of practice. This a complex issue requires multiple perspectives to gain advancements in patient care. This editorial examines the recently published article uses the GI Quality Improving Consortium to investigate disparities in adherence to quality indicators in Barrett's esophagus.
Optimal Strategy for Gradual Liquidation of Equity from a Risky Asset

We consider a problem of optimal gradual liquidation of equity from a risky asset for continuous time stochastic market model. The owner of the risky asset uses this equity as a source of steady cash flow by borrowing money permanently against this equity. At the terminal time, there is no equity for him in this asset, and the bank gains ownership of this asset. Optimal strategy is obtained explicitly.
A finite-state approximation of optimality theory: the case of finnish prosody

This paper gives a finite-state formulation of two closely related descriptions of Finnish prosody proposed by Paul Kiparsky and Nine Elenbaas in the framework of optimality theory. In native Fin- nish words, the primary stress falls on the first syllable. Secondary stress generally falls on every second syllable. However, secondary stress skips a light syllable that is followed by a heavy syllable. Kiparsky and Elenbaas attempt to show that the ternary pattern arises from the interaction of universal metrical constraints. This paper formalizes the Kiparsky and Elenbaas analyses using the parc/xrce regular expression calculus. It shows how output forms with syllabification, stress and metrical feet are constructed from unmarked input forms. The optimality constraints proposed by Kiparsky and Elenbaas are reformulated in finite-state terms using lenient composition. The formalization shows that both analyses fail for many types of words.
The genetic analysis of a uniquely dose-sensitive chromosomal region of Drosophila melanogaster.

In their extensive analysis of the effects of segmental aneuploidy on development to the adult stage, Lindsley and Sandler et al. (1972) identified salivary chromosome region 83D-E as apparently uniquely dose-sensitive. Neither the hypoploid nor hyperploid classes appeared to survive to the adult stage, although segmental hyperploidy of all other regions of the genome is compatible with normal or quasi-normal development. In the present investigation, this genetic behavior is shown to be a concomitant of region 83D-E itself, and independent of the particular Y-autosome translocations utilized to generate aneuploid classes. Newly induced chromosomal duplications including 83D-E are recovered by their ability to complement the corresponding deficiency; these aberrations indicate that the phenomenon depends on genetic dosage per se and is independent of linkage relationships. Further tests involving the generation of large numbers of aneuploid zygotes support the conclusion that these individuals very rarely and possibly never survive to the adult stage. Finally, crosses yielding hypertriploid females and intersexes indicate that these aneuploids often survive and, in the former case, are fertile. No viable hypotriploid female or intersex was recovered.
A Scalable Parallel Algorithm for Self-Organizing Maps with Applicationsto Sparse Data Mining Problems

We describe a scalable parallel implementation of the self organizing map (SOM) suitable for data-mining applications involving clustering or segmentation against large data sets such as those encountered in the analysis of customer spending patterns. The parallel algorithm is based on the batch SOM formulation in which the neural weights are updated at the end of each pass over the training data. The underlying serial algorithm is enhanced to take advantage of the sparseness often encountered in these data sets. Analysis of a realistic test problem shows that the batch SOM algorithm captures key features observed using the conventional on-line algorithm, with comparable convergence rates. Performance measurements on an SP2 parallel computer are given for two retail data sets and a publicly available set of census data.These results demonstrate essentially linear speedup for the parallel batch SOM algorithm, using both a memory-contained sparse formulation as well as a separate implementation in which the mining data is accessed directly from a parallel file system. We also present visualizations of the census data to illustrate the value of the clustering information obtained via the parallel SOM method.
Model order reduction in porous media flow simulation using quadratic bilinear formulation

In this work, the saturation equation in the two phase flow model is transformed into quadratic bilinear form by introducing auxiliary variables. This new formulation is the first step for applying training-free reduced order modeling. There is no approximation involved in this transformation and it only increases the size of the problem linearly, before applying any model order reduction technique. Although this might seem counterintuitive to increase the size of the system, it can improve the basis selection and consequently the reduced system. Also, this formulation allows certain properties of the original model to be preserved in the reduced-order model, such as stability and passivity. A projection-based model order reduction on this form of system will yield a reduced-order model without the need to use anymore approximation such as discrete empirical interpolation method for evaluating nonlinear terms. Although in this work only the proper orthogonal decomposition is applied, this formulation is the first step for training free model order reduction after addressing the existing challenges. One of the main challenges is the dependency of the saturation equation on flux which is changing at different time steps, and thus makes the saturation equation time varying. The numerical results of applying the proposed formulation with POD model order reduction on a two-phase immiscible flow show a substantial reduction in the computational complexity.
Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and the Incidence of Hospitalizations for Peptic Ulcer Disease in Elderly Persons

To determine the incidence rate of serious ulcer disease among users and nonusers of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), a retrospective cohort study was done on 103,954 elderly Tennessee Medicaid recipients with 209,068 person-years of follow-up from 1984 to 1986. There were 1,371 patients hospitalized with peptic ulcer disease or upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage identified by Medicaid hospital claims and verified by review of the medical record. Ulcer hospitalization rates by NSAID exposure category, duration of use, and daily dose were determined. The rates of ulcer hospitalization among nonusers and current users of NSAIDs were 4.2 and 16.7 per 1,000 person-years, respectively, an excess rate among current users of 12.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 11.4-13.6) per 1,000 person-years. Among new users, the ulcer hospitalization rates were 26.3 per 1,000 person-years during the first 30 days of use and 20.9 per 1,000 person-years over the next 31-180 days, representing excess ulcer hospitalization rates of 22.1 (95% CI 18.6-25.6) and 16.7 (95% CI 13.1-20.1) per 1,000 person-years, respectively. For long-term users (180 days or more of continuous NSAID use), the ulcer hospitalization rate remained elevated at 15.3, an excess of 12.0 (95% CI 10.3-13.6) hospitalizations per 1,000 person-years. The excess hospitalization rates per 1,000 person-years increased with increasing dose from 6.0 (95% CI 4.0-8.0) for the lowest dose category to 17.8 (95% CI 15.5-20.1) for the highest. The excess rate of ulcer hospitalization for elderly NSAID users is high. These drugs should be used with caution in elderly persons, and alternatives to NSAID therapy should be strongly considered.
A World of Others' Words: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Intertextuality

A World of Others' Words: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Intertextuality. Richard Bauman. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2004. 184 pp.
Poetry's Blackberry Season: Baudelaire and the World Wide Web

AbstractWhen poetry criticism took a turn inward in the mid-twentieth century, focusing on the text as a construct independent of context, or as a structure around which to experiment with theoretical concerns, many readers found that such inwardness reduced the poem to 'words, words, words' and sought their reading pleasures elsewhere. With the return in the 1980s and 1990s to contextualized readings, where poets and their works are set back into the society that produced them, poetry criticism regained a sense of connectedness, without losing the insights that came from new theoretical standpoints. The rise of easily accessible information technology, together with the World Wide Web, has allowed readers and critics to draw with previously unheard-of speed and ease on a vast array of contextualizing sources. Whether we look out from the text to its contextual framework or inward to the history of its production, we now have at our disposal countless potential readings of a poem. In this essay, I will se...
The compact jets of TeV blazars

Abstract I present multi-epoch 15, 22, and 43 GHz VLBA images of Mkn 421 and Mkn 501 at several epochs each, following outbursts of TeV radiation. The resolution ranges from 0.2 to 0.6 mas in the direction of the most compact structure, corresponding to a linear resolution of 0.15 to 0.4 pc (projected onto the plane of the sky) for a Hubble constant of 65 km s−1 Mpc−1. In Mkn 421, the jet is very weak relative to the core, and components are difficult to identify across epochs. Nevertheless, the data indicate outward motion at about 0.9–1.35 mas yr−1, or 2–3c. In Mkn 501, the jet is more prominent, with a bend by about 90° about 3 mas from the core. A resolved component between 0.5 and 1 mas from the core has a proper motion of 0.96 ± 0.1 mas yr−1, or 2.5 ± 0.3c. In neither object is there any indication of bright components moving down the jet that would have been ejected by the TeV events. The magnetic field of the jet in Mkn 501 is perpendicular to the jet near the axis and parallel near the boundary, while that of Mkn 421 is parallel. I interpret the rather low superluminal apparent speeds and lackluster variability properties of the radio jets as evidence that the bulk flow of the jets decelerates from the TeV emitting section to the radio emitting region. In Mkn 501, other authors have found that the apparent speed is even lower a few mas from the core, beyond the bend. This weakening of the jet with distance from the central engine is readily explained by energy and forward-momentum loss of the relativistic electrons and positrons (if the latter are much more numerous than protons). This would occur in cases such as TeV blazars in which the slope of the energy distribution of the electrons is flatter than −2. The parallel magnetic field at the boundary is then explained by shearing caused by interaction with the external medium.
Altering protein composition by genetically removing phaseolin from common bean seeds containing arcelin or phytohemagglutinin

Arcelin seed proteins of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) confer resistance to bruchid pests, and in vitro results suggested that greater resistance could be achieved by increasing the concentration of arcelin. We created backcross lines having arcelin alleles (SMARC lines), or alleles for the related protein phytohemagglutinin (PHA) (SMPHA lines), and a null allele for phaseolin to determine if seeds lacking phaseolin would contain increased quantities of arcelin or PHA proteins. To test the affects of genetically removing phaseolin, SMARC and SMPHA lines were derived as pairs of phaseolin-containing and phaseolin-null lines. Parental, SMARC, and SMPHA lines were grown in a replicated greenhouse trial and measured for days-to-flower, days-to-maturity, seed weight, and for quantities of phaseolin, arcelin dimer, PHA, and total proteins. There were no differences between pairs of phaseolin and phaseolin-null lines for days-to-flower, seed weight or total protein, and inconsistent differences for days-to-maturity. Arcelin concentrations were significantly increased in two of four pairs of SMARC lines, and PHA concentration was significantly greater in four of five pairs of SMPHA lines. These or other changes in the seed protein composition in phaseolin null lines may improve resistance to bruchids.