cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultrahigh coulombic efficiency electrolyte enables Li||SPAN batteries with superior cycling performance

Abstract Raising the coulombic efficiency of lithium metal anode cycling is the deciding step in realizing long-life rechargeable lithium batteries. Here, we designed a highly concentrated salt/ether electrolyte diluted in a fluorinated ether: 1.8 M LiFSI in DEE/BTFE (diethyl ether/bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)ether), which realized an average coulombic efficiency of 99.37% at 0.5 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2 for more than 900 cycles. This electrolyte also maintained a record coulombic efficiency of 98.7% at 10 mA cm−2, indicative of its ability to provide fast-charging with high cathode loadings. Morphological studies reveal dense, dendrite free Li depositions after prolonged cycling, while surface analyses confirmed the formation of a robust LiF-rich SEI layer on the cycled Li surface. Moreover, we discovered that this ether-based electrolyte is highly compatible with the low-cost, high-capacity SPAN (Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile) cathode, where the constructed Li||SPAN cell exhibited reversible cathode capacity of 579 mAh g−1 and no capacity decay after 1200 cycles. A cell where a high areal loading SPAN electrode (>3.5 mAh cm−2) is paired with only onefold excess Li was constructed and cycled at 1.75 mA cm−2, maintaining a coulombic efficiency of 99.30% for the lithium metal. Computational simulations revealed that at saturation, the Li-FSI complex forms contact ion pairs, with a first solvation shell comprising DEE molecules, and a second solvation shell with a mix of DEE/BTFE. This study provides a path to enable high energy density Li||SPAN batteries with stable cycling.
COVID-19 and the US Lettuce Supply Chain: Implications for Farmworker Health and Safety and a Secure Supply

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed multiple vulnerabilities in the U S lettuce value chain Restaurants and other food service operations closed almost overnight, leaving farmers with millions of dollars of excess lettuce Because of the rigid value chain, farmers were forced to decide whether to harvest their crops for donation, try to find new customers, or plow their crops under Close working and living conditions increase farmworkers' risk of contracting COVID-19 Though many operations have implemented safety measures to protect farmworkers from COVID-19 in the short-term, larger structural changes must be made to provide workers with fair wages, access to health insurance and paid time off, and affordable housing This review outlines the current value chain of lettuce in the U S and the disruptions caused by COVID-19, analyzes the impacts on farmworker health and safety, and offers recommendations for a more resilient lettuce value chain © 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Feed analyses for small ruminants

The objective of this presentation is to provide the veterinary practitioner working with small ruminant species a practical understanding of feed-testing procedures and their interpretation. Forage is the cornerstone of the small ruminant diet, and quality of forage will have tremendous impact on animal health and performance. Many small ruminant owners do not utilize feed-testing services for many reasons, but often due to their inability to interpret and apply the information to their feeding program. Veterinarians are well-suited to provide this service to small ruminant clients as critical assessment of the feeding program provides insight to diagnostics of animal or flock health concerns and productive performance. Although many current feed-testing procedures were developed for cattle, most measures can be directly applied to small ruminant nutrition, while others can be interpreted with some extrapolation. Determinations of dry matter, crude protein, neutral and acid detergent fiber, as well as the minerals, are all beneficial in evaluating forage quality and dietary appropriateness. Veterinarians well-versed in interpreting feed analysis testing reports can provide an essential service to their small ruminant clients.
LGG-13. PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMAS WITH NOVEL BRAF FUSIONS DEMONSTRATE MAPK PATHWAY ACTIVATION

Background Pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs) are the most common pediatric low-grade glioma subtype. Oftentimes, PAs demonstrate somatic genetic alterations, the most common being the BRAF-KIAA1549 fusion, which results in constitutive activation of the MAPK pathway. Better understanding of the effects of other RAF fusions is necessary to determine the potential utility of MAPK-targeting therapies.
Modeling and analyzing predictive monthly survival in females diagnosed with gynecological cancers

Cancer ranks as a leading cause of death worldwide; an estimated 1.7 million new diagnoses were reported in 2021. Ovarian cancer, the most lethal of gynecological malignancies, has no effective screening with over 70% of patients being diagnosed in an advanced stage. The aim of this study was to determine the most statistically significant contributing factors through a multivariate regression into the severity of female gynecological cancers. Data from the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results program (SEER) cancer database were utilized in this study. Several attempted multivariate linear regressions were implemented with further reduced models; however, a linear model could not be properly fit to the data. Because of unmet assumptions, a nonparametric moving, local regression, locally estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS), was performed. After smoothing factors were included to reduced-models, residual information was minimized although few conclusions can be drawn from the resulting statistics. These issues were prevalent mainly because of the massive variability in the data and inherent lack of linearity. This can be a significant issue with clinical data that does not dive deeper into cancer-dependent factors including genetic expression and cell surface receptor overexpression. General patient demographic data and diagnostic information alone does not provide enough detail to make a definite conclusion or prediction on patient survivability. Increased attention to the acquisition of tumor tissue for genomic and proteomic analysis in addition to next-generation sequencing methods can lead to significant improvements in prognostic predictions.
The effect of initiation of an orthopedic trauma service on patient outcomes and clinical enterprise financial performance

Background: As the demands of patients and the health-care reimbursement system continue to change rapidly, hospitals and surgeons are adopting new methods of delivering high-quality care at a lower cost. To this end, the use of a daily, dedicated orthopedic trauma room has been increasing in popularity. Our institution, a major Level I academic trauma center, however, has been a late adopter, only starting a dedicated orthopedic trauma room on November 1, 2013. The purpose of this retrospective data review was to assess the clinical (intensive care unit [ICU] length of stay [LOS] and hospital LOS) and financial outcomes of a dedicated trauma room. Design: This is a retrospective analysis of pre- and post-intervention measures of patient outcomes and financial performance using archival data from a trauma registry linked to cost, charge, and payment records. Methods: Our trauma registry was used to identify admission of patients requiring surgery for orthopedic injuries involving the lower extremity from the hip to the ankle for 11 months preceding the adoption of a daily trauma room (pre) and 11 months following its implementation (post). We compared pre- and post-hospital LOS and ICU LOS, while controlling for the effect of race, age, gender, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and type of insurance. There were 243 eligible patients identified for the “post” group and 258 in the “pre” group. Results: We found no statistically significant difference between the groups in mean age, ISS, or in distribution of patient sex or race. The estimated mean LOS (controlling for patient characteristics) was 8.35 days in the “pre” group and 7.79 days in the “post” group. This represented a statistically significant reduction (P Conclusions: These findings represent a significant improvement over the previous system and have implications for overall patient outcomes and also financial outcomes. Other studies have suggested that decreased total hospital and ICU stay have both been associated with overall better patient outcomes. Furthermore, the decreased LOS, especially in the ICU, frees scarce capacity in an institution experiencing a chronic shortage of available ICU beds. Our study illustrates the importance of capturing both resource use (such as bed days) and cost when evaluating the effect of process improvements in large hospitals. Costs and revenue measures alone may not capture the true economic benefits of process improvements in institutions where resources that are freed up by one service may be used by other service lines.
Malfunction Events in the US FDA MAUDE Database: How Does Robotic Gynecologic Surgery Compare with Other Specialties?

Study objective To review malfunction events (MEs) related to the use of the da Vinci robot reported to the United States Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience in the last 10 years and compare gynecologic surgery with other surgical specialties. Design A retrospective review. Setting Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database. Patients Reports from 2010 to 2020 with keywords "Davinci" and "Intuitive". Interventions Report review. Measurements and main results There were 679 reports included in the final analysis. Most MEs occurred intraoperatively (81.7%) and were related to robotic instrument malfunction (84.5%), and 30% required an instrument switch to complete the procedure. Conversion to open and laparoscopic surgery was required in 3.1% and 1.3% of MEs, respectively. Injury to the patient occurred in 15.6% of MEs. Of the reported injuries to patients, 6.6% were related to robotic malfunction, 49.2% to instrument malfunction, and 18% to surgeon or staff misuse of the robotic system, and 15.6% were complications inherent to the procedure, not related to the robotic system. Of all the reported MEs, 4.4% were related to robot malfunction, 1.5% to console malfunction, 73.3% to Intuitive accessory malfunction, 11.2% to other accessory malfunction, 4% to surgeon or staff misuse of robotic system, and 3% to complications inherent to the procedure. Comparison between gynecologic surgery and other surgical specialties showed that 14.4% of issues were solved intraoperatively in gynecologic surgery vs 13.7% in other specialties (p = .185). The procedure was completed robotically in 85.2% in gynecologic surgery vs 84% in other specialties, laparoscopically 4.6% vs 3.7%, and open in 10.2% vs 12.4%, respectively (p = .883). In gynecologic surgery, reported MEs were made by patients in 14.8% vs 4.8% in other specialties, manufacturer in 78.4% vs 74.2%, and operating room staff in 2.3% vs 16.1%, respectively (p = .007). Injury to patient was similar in gynecologic surgery compared with other specialties (35.1% vs 23.4%, p = .122). Gynecologic and other specialty MEs did not state the need for procedure rescheduling (0% vs 0%). Conclusion Most reported robotic MEs occurred intraoperatively, were related to robotic instrument malfunctions, and required an instrument switch. Most surgeries are completed robotically, but conversion to either an open or laparoscopic approach was reported in 4.4%. Of the 114 reported injuries, 47.4% were Clavien-Dindo grade III+. There were no differences noted in patient injury between gynecologic surgery and other specialties.
Has Pandemic Threat Stoked Xenophobia? How COVID-19 Influences California Voters’ Attitudes toward Diversity and Immigration*

Sociological theory and historical precedent suggest that pandemics engender scapegoating of outgroups, but fail to specify how the ethnoracial boundaries defining outgroups are drawn. Using a survey experiment that primed half of the respondents (California registered voters) with questions about COVID-19 during April 2020, we ask how the pandemic influenced attitudes toward immigration, diversity and affect toward Asian Americans. In the aggregate, the COVID prime did not affect attitudes toward immigrants, but did reduce support for policies opening a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and reduced appreciation of California?s diversity. Respondents reported rarely feeling anger or fear toward Asian Americans, and rates were unaffected by the COVID prime. A non-experimental comparison between attitudes toward immigrants in September 2019 and April 2020 found a positive change, driven by change among Asian-American and Latino respondents. The results provide selective support for the proposition that pandemics engender xenophobia. At least in April 2020 in California, increased bias crimes against Asian Americans more likely reflected politicians? authorization of scapegoating than broad-based racial antagonism.
Theme: Sample Survey

Your college administrators want to know how many students will want parking spaces for automobiles next year. How can we get reliable information on this question? One way is to ask all of the returning students, but even this procedure would be somewhat inaccurate (why?) and very time consuming. We could take the number of spaces in use this year and assume next year’s needs will be about the same, but this will have inaccuracies as well. A simple technique that works very well in many cases is to select a sample from those students who will be attending the school next year and ask each of them if they will be requesting a parking space. From the proportion of “yes” answers, an estimate of the number of spaces required can be obtained.
Viral geofencing: An exploration of emerging big-data driven direct digital marketing services

This paper explores approaches for the effective integration of several focal areas of advanced analytics on currently achievable big data platforms to enable timely, and maximally effective, geofence-triggered interventions (push marketing) that leverages viral or exponential returns. The viral or exponential growth behavior of modern social media-based interactions has garnered much attention in both public and private circles. The potential for harnessing and controlling these epidemic-like dynamics of spread or diffusion represent a significant and, as yet, underdeveloped marketing approach. This is especially true in the context of geo-fencing strategies and designs. Despite the potential for highly-leveraged returns for location-based services (LBS) several barriers remain. Due to privacy concerns, legal issues, the immaturity of big analytics, and constraints presented by physical-level communications and geo-tracking enabling technology, LBS has remained underdeveloped and under-actualized. This reality is rapidly changing. This paper focuses on recent developments in big analytics, especially the integration of social networking dynamics, text mining, semantics, dynamic behavioral profiling, and real-time trigger-based geo-sensing capabilities that are enabling the next generation of high performance direct digital marketing services.
Activating a full architectural model: improving health through robust population health records.

In the current issue of JAMIA , Friedman and Parrish have crafted an insightful and provocative call for the Population Health Record writ large.1 This paper contributes in an important way to the literature and appears at a propitious time in our nation's health policy history. Furthermore, it is appropriate for JAMIA in that the AMIA Board first called for such a development in 1997.2 The authors present a compelling case, with sufficient details to make clear exactly what is needed. I will therefore not seek to elaborate upon the paper's content except to say that I support it wholeheartedly. Rather, I offer some added thoughts related to overcoming critical policy barriers. My comments will deal with understanding our civilization culturally, and touch on the role and importance that health can yet play in our nation's priorities. Before engaging in these weighty matters, I note that the reason that it took 13 years for this proposal to be so ‘timely’ now has both technical and governmental components. The long delay in addressing the population health record—the final one-third of the data architecture that encompasses patient, personal, and population records—relates to the state of information and communications technology at the time that AMIA initially called for PopER. Bill Wolf, until recently President of the National Academy of Engineering, reminds us that even the Apollo moon missions in 1969 only had as much computer ‘memory’ to work with as one can now buy in an ordinary greeting card to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you. While our minds might have been willing to dream of crunching gigabytes of data on populations in 1997, most of us were at the time forced to live and work in megabytes, still using 3 1/2 inch ‘floppy’ disks. Electronic health records (EHRs) were largely hospital-based …
Alteration of hemoglobin function by diadenosine 5',5'''-P1,P4-tetraphosphate and other alarmones.

Abstract Heat-shocked organisms are known to produce not only "heat shock proteins" but also diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) and related compounds that may act as "alarmones" that alert the cell to the onset of metabolic stress. We found that Ap4A is synthesized in chicken erythrocytes and that the Ap4A level in the whole blood of heat-stressed birds increases about 10-fold. In searching for alarmone receptors, we found that the diadenosine polyphosphates bind preferentially with high affinity to the deoxy conformation of hemoglobin in a ratio of one/tetramer. The binding affinity of this new class of effectors of hemoglobin function is directly related to the number of phosphates which bridge the nucleotide moieties, with the most dramatic in vitro effect on oxygen affinity being shown by Ap6A. Decreasing effects are brought about by diadenosine penta-, tetra-, tri-, di-, and monophosphates. The association constant for Ap4A binding to deoxygenated human hemoglobin at pH 7.25 is 26 microM-1, close to that for 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. At 100-fold excess over heme, Ap4A increases the P50 of stripped Hb A in 0.05 M HEPES buffer at pH 7.25, 20 degrees C, from 0.85 to 6.03 mm Hg. The binding, which markedly enhances the Bohr effect, involves the beta chain anion-binding site. The kinetics of both ligand binding and dissociation are affected, with a greater quantitative effect on the oxygen dissociation process. Although the low concentration of the diadenosine polyphosphates in red cells precludes a physiologically significant modulation of oxygen delivery, competition with the ATP- and NAD(P)H-binding sites on hemoglobin or regulatory enzymes may prove to be of adaptive significance.
Heavy Metals in the Environment – Historical Trends

This chapter presents a synopsis of the importance of heavy metals in the hydrocycle, their natural and anthropogenic emissions into the environment, their prevalent geochemical form incorporated into lacustrine sediments, and their time-trend distributions in watersheds that have been impacted by urbanization, mining and smelting, and other anthropogenic activities. These time trends are reconstructed from major–minor–trace–element distributions in age-dated sediment cores, mainly from reservoirs where the mass sedimentation rates (MSRs) are orders of magnitude greater than those in natural lakes, the consequences of which tend to preserve the heavy-metal signatures and minimize the metal diagenesis. This chapter focuses mainly on the heavy metals in the terrestrial and freshwater environments.
Nitric oxide delays the death of trophic factor-deprived PC12 cells and sympathetic neurons by a cGMP-mediated mechanism.

We have used cultured PC12 cells and rat sympathetic neurons as model systems to examine the regulation of neuronal cell death and survival. Because nitric oxide (NO) may be involved in nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling in PC12 cells, we tested NO-generating compounds for their ability to protect PC12 cells and sympathetic neurons from death after withdrawal of trophic support. Three such agents, S-nitroso-N- acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), diethylenetriamine NO adduct (DETA-NO), and sodium nitroprusside provide (SNP), were found to promote complete short-term survival after removal of serum from naive PC12 cells and of NGF from neuronally differentiated PC12 cells and sympathetic neurons. One major target of NO action is guanylate cyclase, which is activated by nitrosylation of its heme prosthetic group. We observed that inhibition of guanylate cyclase blocks the protective effects of the NO generators on trophic factor-deprived PC12 cells and sympathetic neurons without preventing NGF-induced survival. We also found that permeant cGMP analogs and an inhibitor of cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase enhance cell survival, suggesting that the protective effects of NO are mediated by activation of guanylate cyclase and increased intracellular cGMP. N-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, a NO synthase inhibitor, did not block NGF-promoted PC12 cell or sympathetic neuron survival. These findings indicate that like NGF, NO has survival- promoting actions on neurons but that the two agents work by initially independent mechanisms.
Food and Faith: Eating in Heaven? Consummating Communion

Everything that is loved in a fragmentary and incomplete way on earth has always had its ultimate ground in heaven. No earthly moment can be fully exhausted.… [I]n heaven we shall live the full and eternal content of what on earth was present only as a transcendent, unsatisfiable longing.… In heaven, therefore, our earthly existence – and we have only one existence – will be present in an unimaginable and unimaginably true manner. Heaven is the state of being in which all are united in love with one another and with God. It is an agapē , a love feast. Whenever less than the whole world is loved, with all the creatures in it, whenever anyone or anything is excluded from love, the result is isolation and retreat from heaven. Heaven is the community of those whom God loves and who love God. On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever.… For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain. (Isaiah 25:6–8, 10) … in the spirit he carried me away to a great high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.… […]
Signal Transduction in the Interactions of Fungal Pathogens and Mammalian Hosts

This chapter highlights both the generalities and the unique features of signaling pathways controlling interactions between fungal pathogens and mammalian hosts. Of the common fungal pathogens of humans, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus fumigatus have been the most extensively investigated. Although many different signal transduction cascades mediate responses of pathogens to their hosts, the most extensively investigated networks involve cAMP, MAPK, two-component histidine kinase (HK), pH pathways, and Ca2+/calmodulin signaling. The pathways can mediate different environmental conditions, such as temperature, stress, and presence of serum, within the different pathogens and induce different responses, including changes in cell morphology and expression of particular virulence factors. TLR2 and TLR4 appear to be the most important for the recognition of fungal pathogens. Both TLR2 and TLR4 play a role in the recognition of A. fumigatus and C. albicans, while C. neoformans, through its polysaccharide capsule consisting of glucuronoxylomannan, appears to be recognized uniquely by TLR4. The developing tools of knockout mice, genome sequences, cultured cell lines, and DNA microarrays have a profound impact on one's ability to define the interaction between mammalian host cells and fungal pathogens. The tools to address such questions are here or soon to arrive, the questions themselves are exciting and answerable, and the potential payoffs for understanding the signaling pathways in fungal pathogens are profound.
Sex and seasonal differences in aggression and steroid secretion in Lemur catta: Are socially dominant females hormonally ‘masculinized’?

Abstract Female social dominance characterizes many strepsirrhine primates endemic to Madagascar, but currently there is no comprehensive explanation for how or why female lemurs routinely dominate males. Reconstructing the evolutionary pressures that may have shaped female dominance depends on better understanding the mechanism of inheritance, variation in trait expression, and correlating variables. Indeed, relative to males, many female lemurs also display delayed puberty, size monomorphism, and ‘masculinized’ external genitalia. As in the spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta ), a species characterized by extreme masculinization of the female, this array of traits focuses attention on the role of androgens in female development. Consequently, I examined endocrine profiles and social interaction in the ringtailed lemur ( Lemur catta ) to search for a potential source of circulating androgen in adult females and an endocrine correlate of female dominance or its proxy, aggression. I measured serum androstenedione (A 4 ), testosterone (T), and estradiol (E 2 ) in reproductively intact, adult lemurs (10 females; 12 males) over four annual cycles. Whereas T concentrations in males far exceeded those in females, A 4 concentrations were only slightly greater in males than in females. In both sexes, A 4 and T were positively correlated, implicating the Δ 4 -biosynthetic pathway. Moreover, seasonal changes in reproductive function in both sexes coincided with seasonal changes in behavior, with A 4 and T in males versus A 4 and E 2 in females increasing during periods marked by heightened aggression. Therefore, A 4 and/or E 2 may be potentially important steroidal sources in female lemurs that could modulate aggression and underlie a suite of masculinized features.
Can respiratory syncytial virus etiology be diagnosed clinically? A hospital-based case-control study in children under two years of age.

An unmatched, hospital-based case-con- trol study was performed, to determine, whether re- spiratory syncytial virus (RSV) etiology in hospitalized young children can be predicted clinically. Children under 2 years of age admitted with a lower respiratory tract infection in three hospitals in northern Germany were included (one tertiary and two secondary cen- ters). Cases were children tested positive for RSV by multiplex RT-PCR. One control group consisted of children tested negative for RSV in the multiplex-RT- PCR and a second control group consisted of patients in whom no PCR was done. A weighted backward stepwise logistic regression model was applied for multivariate analysis. RSV-etiology could be pre- dicted with a sensitivity of 72.8% and a specificity of 73.2%. Young age, disease entity - pneumonia or bronchiolitis, center, intercostal retractions, absence of an underlying condition, low level of C-reactive protein, short duration of symptoms (all on admis- sion), prematurity and epidemiologic year were pre- dictive; anatomical infiltrates and wheezing were not. Pathogen specific diagnosis is necessary for individual therapy, allocation in observational studies or treat- ment trials and for surveillance of airway infections in children, since the positive predictive value is too low for an accurate diagnosis and decision making. Mul- tivariate techniques are effective tools in complex clinical research for deconfounding.
Social correlates of psychological dysfunction.

The relations among various social factors and psychological dysfunctioning as measured by the Denver Community Mental Health Questionnaire and the Mini-Mult were based on responses from 142 subjects admitted to the adult outpatient and inpatient services at a large community mental health center. Most significant correlations were found between psychological dysfunctioning and interpersonal isolation from friends, drug abuse, and lack of productivity.
Perceptions of Female Faculty Treatment in Higher Education: Which Institutions Treat Women More Fairly?.

Abstract This paper analyzes a national sample of postsecondary faculty first to determine whether treatment of female faculty is perceived as fair and second to examine what institutional characteristics are related to fair treatment. The results indicate that the majority of male and female faculty believe female faculty are treated fairly. However, perceived treatment varies with a number of institutional and faculty characteristics.
Hematology and serum chemistry values for captive Dorcas gazelles: variations with sex, age and health status.

Blood samples obtained from 55 captive Dorcas gazelles (Gazella dorcas), collected over a 9-year period, were analyzed for hematology and serum chemistry values. Variations associated with differences in sex, age, and health-status were identified.
SpeX: a medium-resolution IR spectrograph for IRTF

SpeX is a medium-resolution 0.8-5.5 micrometers cryogenic spectrograph being built at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, for the NASA IR Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea. SpeX was funded by the National Science Foundation in July 1994. First-light is expected in 1999. The primary scientific driver of the instrument is to provide maximum simultaneous wavelength coverage at a spectral resolving power which is well-matched to many planetary, stellar and galactic features, and which adequately separates sky emission lines and disperses sky spectral resolutions of R approximately 1000-2000 simultaneously across 0.9-2.5 micrometers , 2.0-4.2 micrometers , or 2.4- 5.5 micrometers . SpeX will use an Aladdin II 1024 X 1024 InSb array in its spectrograph and an Aladdin II 512 X 512 InSb array in its IR slit-viewer.
Estrogen prevents homocysteine-induced endothelial dysfunction in porcine arteries

Abstract Introduction: Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor of atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Estrogen may have a cardioprotective effect by improvement of endothelial functions. Thus, we hypothesized that estrogen might protect endothelium from homocysteine damage. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of estrogen on homocysteine treated porcine coronary arteries. Methods: Pig coronary artery rings were incubated with homocysteine (50 μM), estrogen (10 −5 M), or homocysteine and estrogen (50 μM/10 −5 M) for 24 h. Myograph tension analysis was performed with thromboxane A 2 analogue U46619 for contraction and bradykinin for endothelium dependent vasorelaxation or sodium nitroprusside for endothelium independent vasorelaxation. Results: There were no differences of maximal contraction in response to U46619 among all groups of porcine coronary artery rings. However, endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation was different. Homocysteine treated vessels showed 62% relaxation in response to 10 −5 M bradykinin, which was significantly reduced compared to control vessels (88% relaxation) (P 0.05). Furthermore, combining homocysteine and estrogen showed 75% improvement of endothelium dependent vasorelaxation as compared to homocysteine treatment alone. There was no difference in endothelium-independent vasorelaxation (sodium nitroprusside) between all groups. Conclusion: These data demonstrated that homocysteine significantly reduces endothelium dependent vasorelaxation, and estrogen significantly prevents homocysteine-mediated endothelial dysfunction in porcine coronary arteries. This study suggests that estrogen may be of benefit in the hyperhomocysteinemic patient.
Incorporating auxiliary predictor variation in principal component regression models

In analytical chemistry a single fitted calibration model is used repeatedly to predict the level of the analyte of interest for the specimens comprising the prediction set. Unlike the calibration (or training) set, which is often limited in size, the prediction set can be very large. In the case of multivariate calibration a number of methods such as PLS and PCR are commonly used to construct the calibration model. The set of instrumental measurements and the reference analyte level are available for each specimen in the calibration set. For specimens in the prediction set, only the instrumental measurements are available, since the problem is to predict the analyte level for these specimens. It is not widely recognized that predictions of the analyte levels for individual specimens can be improved by utilizing seemingly unrelated information from the instrumental measurements associated with the other members of the prediction set. In the case of PCR there exists a very straightforward procedure for doing this. A description of the various sources of prediction errors is provided to explain the ability of PCR to utilize this additional information. The use of PCR in this context is illustrated with both a synthetic and a real example.
The rise and fall of the adaptive landscape

The discussion of the adaptive landscape in the philosophical literature appears to be divided along the following lines. On the one hand, some claim that the adaptive landscape is either “uninterpretable” or incoherent. On the other hand, some argue that the adaptive landscape has been an important heuristic, or tool in the service of explaining, as well as proposing and testing hypotheses about evolutionary change. This paper attempts to reconcile these two views.
Postpartum nursing for Korean mothers.

Growing numbers of Korean-Americans require US health care workers to become knowledgeable of and sensitive to the cultural beliefs and customs of Korean patients. To further such understanding health behaviors related to infant care and family involvement in the postpartum period were observed in a Los Angeles California hospital located in a Korean community. Notable in unassimilated Korean families were the power of the mother-in-law to assume control of decisions regarding infant care and the tendency of new mothers to defer to their mothers-in-law rather than ask nurses for advice. There is a cultural perception that the new mother is sick and unable to handle her infant. Other practices identified include a special diet of seaweed soup avoidance of cold (including the rejection of ice packs against pain) resistance to breast feeding preference for a male child and modesty in the presence of men. In some cases clinical considerations conflicted with cultural traditions. Respectful teaching in nonverbal ways if there is a language barrier and modeling of infant care techniques are recommended. Disregard for childbirth-associated cultural traditions on the part of medical staff can only increase the stress for the infant and family.
Increased Mortality Among Hispanic Testis Cancer Patients Independent of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status: A SEER Study

Testis cancer-specific survival (CSS) varies by Hispanic ethnicity. Our goal was to assess whether neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) accounts for elevated testis CSS among Hispanic patients. We queried the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for Hispanic (HW) and Non-Hispanic white (NHW) patients. Multivariate Cox regression analyses evaluated Hispanic ethnicity’s impact on tCSS while adjusting for neighborhood socioeconomic status (education and income levels). HWs constituted 14.3% of the 26,258 patients in the cohort. Neighborhood SES factors such as county income (P < 0.001) and education level (P < 0.001) were significant predictors of testis cancer-specific survival (tCSS). Controlling for SES and other variables, Hispanic ethnicity remained a significant predictor of tCSS. Compared to NHWs, HWs experienced a 41% greater cancer-specific mortality (HR: 1.406, 95% CI: 1.178–1.678, P < 0.001). The mechanism underlying the increased testis cancer mortality experienced by Hispanic patients remains unknown.
A Survey of Research on Lamentations (2002–2012)

The biblical book of Lamentations has received extensive scholarly attention in the past decade, research that moves beyond traditional historical-critical approaches. Although these traditional ap...
Human platelet actin. Isolation and properties.

A rapid purification procedure for actin from human blood platelets is described. The isolated protein was found to be homogeneous by ultracentrifugation, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and 3-methylhistidine analysis. The following physical parameters of the protein were established: sedimentation coefficient (s020,w) 3.09 S; partial specific volume (v), 0.718 ml g-1; molecular weight (Mw) from acrylamide gel electrophoresis, 46,100 ± 2,499; molecular weight (Mw0) from high speed equilibrium ultracentrifugation, 44,700 ± 2,590; and molecular weight (Mw0) of the reduced carboxymethylated protein, from high speed equilibrium ultracentrifugation, 45,000 ± 2,080. The amino acid composition of platelet actin is reported. ATP-salt-induced polymerization of platelet G-actin is concurrent with an increase in relative viscosity and release of inorganic phosphate. Addition of platelet actin to human platelet and rabbit skeletal muscle myosins enhanced the myosin ATPase activities and increased the relative viscosity of a platelet actin-platelet myosin protein mixture. In addition, electron micrographs of negatively stained (uranyl acetate) polymerized platelet actin show varying length, single filament-like F-actin polymers with a diameter of 61.5 ± 5.2 A. Platelet F-actin also formed typical arrowhead-shaped complexes with rabbit heavy meromyosin. Finally, comparison of the CNBr-produced fragments of human platelet and rabbit skeletal muscle actins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicates distinct differences between these two proteins.
‘Phases and stages, circles and cycles’: Willie Nelson and the concept album

While many rock artists explored the compositional possibilities of the concept album in the 1960s and 1970s, Nashville's country music community largely ignored the format. But a few artists working on the fringes of country music – and who, notably, aligned themselves with the countercultural images and attitudes of the time – did begin to experiment with the format in the first years of the 1970s. Chief among them was country songwriter and recording artist Willie Nelson who, by the dawn of the 1970s, was on the verge of breaking away from Music Row to seek more lucrative opportunities in Texas. This article explores the role that Nelson's experimentation with the concept album played in his efforts to adopt a countercultural image, develop a younger audience and challenge the hegemony of the country music industry. Moreover, close examination of Nelson's compositional approach to three albums – Yesterday's Wine (1971), Phases and Stages (1974) and Red Headed Stranger (1975) – reveals that Nelson consciously blended the singles-based approach to songwriting that predominated in 1960s and 1970s Nashville and the extended narrative and musical forms of contemporaneous rock music to create musical products that suited the needs of country radio and rock fans alike.
Acoustic excitation of superharmonic capillary waves on a meniscus in a planar microgeometry

The effects of ultrasound on the dynamics of an air-water meniscus in a planar microgeometry are investigated experimentally. The sonicated meniscus exhibits harmonic traveling waves or standing waves, the latter corresponding to a higher ultrasound level. Standing capillary waves with subharmonic and superharmonic frequencies are also observed, and are explained in the framework of parametric resonance theory, using the Mathieu equation.
Calcium, phosphorus and magnesium needs for the low‐birth‐weighi infant

Parental mineral-containing solutions for LBW infants should be started soon after birth. For the initiation of parenteral nutrition and during short-term therapy for less than 2 weeks' duration, LBW infants should receive parenteral nutrition solutions at rates of approximately 120-130 ml/kg/day, containing minerals at the following concentrations: Ca 15 mM, P 15 mM and Mg 2.5 mM. For optimal growth and nutrient utilization, however, LBW infants maintained on parenteral nutrition at rates of 120-130 ml/kg/day for 2 or more weeks should receive mineral concentrations of Ca 20 mM, P 20 mM and Mg 2.5 mM. In addition, these latter mixtures must contain amino acids in concentrations greater than or equal to 2.2 g% and cysteine-HCl must be provided. As newer formulations emerge, these recommendations may be modified. For human milk-fed LBW infants, after 1 week of enteral feeding, Ca and P should be supplied as fortifiers. Ca 2-3 mmol/kg/day and P 1.5-2.0 mmol/kg/day should be provided in addition to human milk. Magnesium supplementation of human milk is unnecessary. These recommendations assume that the intake of human milk is approximately 200 ml/kg/day and will decrease as more bioavailable mineral salts are found. For LBW infants fed commercial formula, the intake of Ca should be greater than 3.5 mmol/kg/day, P 2.5 mmol/kg/day and Mg 0.2 mmol/kg/day. These recommendations assume reported bioavailabilities of mineral salts. If more bioavailable sources are found, these recommendations will decrease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fold propagation and interference in a single multilayer unit

Abstract Model analogue experiments show that folds will often initiate at several discrete points along a layer or multilayer under compression. With continuing deformation, a characteristic fold geometry emerges of regular folds or periodic sets of folds interspersed by interference zones — zones where propagating fold sets have converged and are out of phase. Characteristic geometries in interference zones appear to be localized ‘dead’ zones of no folding, anomalously asymmetric folds or anomalous span-length folds. Some interference folds are unstable and hinge adjustments continue to occur at high fold amplitude and limb dips. An example of natural folds showing geometric features closely analogous to those observed in the models is illustrated.
Relativistic impulse dynamics.

Classical electrodynamics has some annoying rough edges. The self-energy of charges is infinite without a cutoff. The calculation of relativistic trajectories is difficult because of retardation and an average radiation reaction term. By reconceptuallizing electrodynamics in terms of exchanges of impulses rather than describing it by forces and potentials, we eliminate these problems. A fully relativistic theory using photonlike null impulses is developed. Numerical calculations for a two-body, one-impulse-in-transit model are discussed. A simple relationship between center-of-mass scattering angle and angular momentum was found. It reproduces the Rutherford cross section at low velocities and agrees with the leading term of relativistic distinguishable-particle quantum cross sections (M\o{}ller, Mott) when the distance of closest approach is larger than the Compton wavelength of the particle. Magnetism emerges as a consequence of viewing retarded and advanced interactions from the vantage point of an instantaneous radius vector. Radiation reaction becomes the local conservation of energy-momentum between the radiating particle and the emitted impulse. A net action is defined that could be used in developing quantum dynamics without potentials. A reinterpretation of Newton's laws extends them to relativistic motion.
Indicator characteristics of bromothymol blue derivatives.

Abstract Some Bromothymol Blue derivatives with a nitro, amino, isothiocyanato or sulfonamide group substituted on the sulfonated ring of the dibromothymolsulfonephthalein have been studied spectrometrically. All the dyes have two characteristic absorption peaks which can be used to measure pH in the physiological range. The molar absorptivities, wavelengths of maximum absorption and pKa values have been determined from the absorbances, and are similar for all four dyes.
Droplets in Ising models

Abstract The Swendsen-Wang cluster flipping algorithm gives a better way to simulate equilibrium critical phenomena. This review summarizes recent applications, in particular of Wang and Kertesz, to better understand the Ising model.
Some extensions to the lattice model for computer security

Some extensions to the lattice model for computer security control are considered in this paper. These extensions include: (1) a lattice model suitable for a system in which security classes can be dynamically created; (2) definitions of class-combining operators other than the least upper bound in dynamic systems; and (3) a join-semilattice and a partial order model which have fewer restrictions than the lattice model. Several possible implementations of the extended lattice model are also considered. Lattices are categorized bythe dimensions of their partial orders. A dimension-two lattice implementation, based on the concept of NTree, is considered for both static and dynamic systems. The implementation for dynamic lattices proposed here proves to be efficient.
Pathophysiological Changes in Calf Muscle Predict Mobility Loss at 2-Year Follow-Up in Men and Women With Peripheral Arterial Disease

Background— Associations of pathophysiological calf muscle characteristics with functional decline in people with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease are unknown. Methods and Results— Three hundred seventy participants with peripheral arterial disease underwent baseline measurement of calf muscle area, density, and percent fat with the use of computed tomography. Participants were followed up annually for 2 years. The outcome of mobility loss was defined as becoming unable to walk 1/4 mile or walk up and down 1 flight of stairs without assistance among those without baseline mobility limitations. Additional outcomes were ≥20% decline in 6-minute walk distance and becoming unable to walk for 6 minutes continuously among participants who walked continuously for 6 minutes at baseline. With adjustment for age, sex, race, body mass index, the ankle-brachial index, smoking, physical activity, relevant medications, and comorbidities, lower calf muscle density (P for trend <0.001) and lower calf muscle ar...
Emulation to simulate low-resolution atmospheric data

Climate model development, testing, and analysis involve running the model extensively to tune the subgrid- scale parameters that provide closure to the system. This process demands substantial time and computational resources even for typical spatial resolutions and becomes in feasibly expensive for high-resolution studies. This paper presents alternative, computationally feasible methods to emulate the simulations within acceptable error bounds. This strategy can be easily implemented to obtain an ensemble of model runs. The paper outlines three approximation strategies: (1) interpolation with Lagrange basis functions, (2) least-squares (LS) approximation, and (3) interpolation with radial basis functions. As a proof of concept, a suite of relevant physical quantities are evaluated at unknown grid points of parameters, space, and time. The values obtained by emulation are compared against the simulated values to check the feasibility of the method. The advantages and shortcomings of the above-mentioned ...
Left Atrial Myxoma; Evidence of Tumor Movement by Apexcardiogram

Simultaneous recordings were made of the apexcardiogram (ACG), phonocardiogram, left atrial and left ventricular (LV) pressures, and electrocardiogram at the time of cardiac catheterization in a patient with a mobile myxoma of the left atrium. Notches on the upstroke of the ACG and LV pressure were demonstrated and were shown to coincide exactly. It is suggested that the notch on the ACG, like that on the LV pressure, is related to sudden movement of the tumor from left ventricle to left atrium, and is therefore a useful diagnostic sign of mobile left atrial myxoma.