cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Iontophoretic and Microneedle Mediated Transdermal Delivery of Glycopyrrolate

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the use of iontophoresis, soluble microneedles and their combination for the transdermal delivery of glycopyrrolate. Methods: In vitro permeation was tested using full thickness porcine ear skin mounted onto Franz diffusion cells. Iontophoresis (0.5 mA/cm2) was done for 4 h using Ag/AgCl electrodes. For microneedles, three line array (27 needles/line) of maltose microneedles were used to microporate the skin prior to mounting. Pore uniformity was determined by taking fluorescent images of distribution of calcein into pores and processing the images using an image analysis tool, which measured the fluorescent intensity in and around each pore to provide a pore permeability index (PPI). The donor chamber contained 500 µL of a 1 mg/mL solution of glycopyrrolate, and the receptor chamber contained 5 mL of 50 mM NaCl in deionized water. Samples were collected at predetermined time points over a period of 24 h and analyzed by HPLC. Skin irritation testing was performed with a 3D cell culture kit of human skin. MTT assay determined cell viability; viability less than 50% was considered irritant. Results: A control experiment which investigated passive permeation of glycopyrrolate delivered an average cumulative amount of 24.92 ± 1.77 µg/cm2 at 24 h, while microneedle pretreatment increased permeability to 46.54 ± 6.9 µg/cm2. Both iontophoresis (158.53 ± 17.50 µg/cm2) and a combination of iontophoresis and microneedles (182.43 ± 20.06 µg/ cm2) significantly increased delivery compared to passive and microneedles alone. Glycopyrrolate solution was found to be nonirritant with cell viability of 70.4% ± 5.03%. Conclusion: Iontophoresis and a combination of iontophoresis with microneedle pretreatment can be effectively used to enhance the transdermal delivery of glycopyrrolate. Glycopyrrolate was found to be non-irritant to skin.
The Dilemma of Double Standards in U.S. Human Rights Policy

In May 2000 the United States was voted off of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. This reflected the frustration of much of the international community with the United States’ increasingly obstructionist approach to international institutionalism. The United States’ opposition to the proposed International Criminal Court (ICC) reflects its pursuit of double standards in human rights policy. Double standards are manifest in U.S. support for Israel and Turkey with their records of gross human rights violations. They likewise are discernable in the strategic motives behind the 1999 Kosovo intervention. The proposed ICC challenges the United States’ use of human rights rhetoric to pursue unilateral objectives by forging a more neutral means of prosecuting international justice. If the United States is to recover its status as the world's human rights leader, it must renew its commitment to multilateral institutionalism and must avoid double standards that undermine the legitimacy of human rights discourse.
Empirically optimum M1 operator for sd-shell nuclei

Abstract M1 matrix elements deduced from experimental data on M1 transitions and magnetic moments in the sd-shell nuclei are analysed with calculations based on the full-basis sd-shell wave functions of Wildenthal to extract the parameters for an effective M1 operator. These empirical parameters are analogous to the predicted corrections for the free-nucleon M1 operator which arise from the effects of higher-order configuration mixing and mesonic-exchange currents. From the differences between the effective operators associated with isoscalar M1 matrix elements, isovector M1 matrix elements, and Gamow-Teller (GT) matrix elements (as deduced previously from GT beta decay data) we are able to evaluate the relative importance of higher-order configuration mixing, mesonic exchange currents involving the Δ-isobar, and other mesonic exchange currents.
Source coding theorems without the ergodic assumption

Source coding theorems are proved for discrete-time stationary processes subject to a fidelity criterion. The alphabet of the process is assumed to be a separable metric space, but the process is not assumed to be ergodic. When the process is not ergodic, the minimum average distortion for a fixed-rate code is not given by the distortion-rate function of the source as usually defined. It is given instead by a weighted average of the distortion-rate functions of ergodic subsources comprising the ergodic decomposition of the source. Potential applications to universal source coding with a fidelity criterion are discussed.
Sources and types of online information that breast cancer patients read and discuss with their doctors.

OBJECTIVES Most research examining the impact of patients seeking online health information treats internet information homogenously, rather than recognizing that there are multiple types and sources of available information. The present research was conducted to differentiate among sources and types of internet information that patients search for, intend to discuss with their doctors, and recall discussing with their doctors, and to determine how accurate and hopeful patients rate this information. METHODS We surveyed 70 breast cancer patients recruited from the waiting rooms of breast medical oncology and surgery clinics. The main variables in the study were as follows: (1) the sources and types of online information patients have read, intended to discuss, and actually discussed with their doctors, and (2) how accurately and hopefully they rated this information to be. RESULTS Patients read information most frequently from the websites of cancer organizations, and most often about side effects. Patients planned to discuss fewer types of information with their doctors than they had read about. They most often intended to discuss information from cancer organization websites or WebMD, and the material was most often about alternative therapies, side effects, and proven or traditional treatments. Some 76.8% of total participants rated the information they had read as very or somewhat accurate, and 61% rated the information they had read as very or somewhat hopeful. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS Internet information varies widely by source and type. Differentiating among sources and types of information is essential to explore the ways in which online health information impacts patients' experiences.
A decentralized design for group alignment and synchronous rotation without inertial frame information

We study a motion coordination problem where the objective is to achieve identical orientation and synchronous rotation for a group of rigid bodies. Unlike existing designs which assume that the the inertial frame is available to each agent, we develop a passivity-based design which relies only on relative attitude information with respect to neighboring agents. The desired equilibria, where all the rigid bodies possess the same attitude and rotate at a desired angular velocity, are shown to be locally asymptotically stable and a manifold of undesired equilibria may exist. We then consider the situation where the reference angular velocity is available only to the leader, and propose a distributed adaptive controller with which the other agents reconstruct this reference angular velocity.
A genetic algorithm for combined parameter and tolerance design optimization

Many research papers have been tried to optimize the parameter and tolerance designs. Parameter and tolerance design are the main key to achieve high quality of products. However, high cost still remain in the process due to reducing the tolerance limit. The objective of this work is combines the optimization of parameter and tolerance design in one stage in to the cost function. This cost function is the sum of tolerance cost function and quality loss function. Taylor expansion will be applied in the genetic algorithm, is considering close attention regarding its potential as a novel optimization technique for searching the optimization value.
Tickborne viruses in western North America. I. Viruses isolated from Ixodes uriae in coastal Oregon in 1970.

Thirty-six viruses, comprising at least 4 distinct serological groups were recovered from 98 pools of nymphal and adult Ixodes uriae collected in 2 seabird nesting sites along the Oregon coast. Five isolates were indistinguishable from Tuleniy virus, a group B agent previously recognized in this locality and in eastern U.S.S.R. Five strains were of an undescribed virus in the Kemerovo group, 11 represented a virus indistinguishable from, or closely related to, Uukuniemi virus (Uukuniemi group) of Finland and Czechoslovakia, 10 were related to an ungrouped agent, Sakhalin virus, previously described from eastern U.S.S.R., and 5 isolates were of mixtures of the last 3 entities.
The influence of dehydroepiandrosterone and 8-OH-DPAT on the caloric intake and hypothalamic neurotransmitters of lean and obese Zucker rats

The 5 HT1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetraline (8-OH-DPAT) increases the food intake of satiated Zucker rats, both lean and obese. Associated with this increased intake are ch...
An evaluation of collocation interference mitigation approach for shipboard SINCGARS radios

Joint tactical missions typically require simultaneous operations of multiple collocated combat net radios to support different commands during troop deployment. However, self interference among collocated Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) radios on Navy shipboard platforms can severely limit SINCGARS communications performance. This paper evaluates an approach for mitigating collocation interference on shipboard platforms. The paper also determines performance parameter requirements that provide satisfactory operation of SINCGARS radios in the shipboard environment.
Bacterial Endophthalmitis After Resident-Performed Cataract Surgery

Purpose To determine if there is an increased rate of postoperative bacterial endophthalmitis after resident-performed cataract extraction relative to the reported rates of experienced surgeons. Design Retrospective, observational case series. Methods The operative reports of the resident-performed cataract surgeries at San Francisco General Hospital between 1983 and 2002 were reviewed. Cases of culture-positive bacterial endophthalmitis and vitreous loss were identified. Results Between 1983 and 2002, three cases (0.11%) of culture-positive bacterial endophthalmitis occurred after 2718 resident-performed cataract extractions. The overall vitreous loss rate was 6.7%. Two endophthalmitis cases were acute ( Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus viridans ), presenting within five days of surgeries complicated by vitreous loss, and one case was delayed-onset ( Corynebacterium species) after Nd:YAG posterior capsulotomy after uncomplicated cataract extraction. Conclusions Despite higher rates of vitreous loss, the rate of endophthalmitis following resident-performed cataract surgery remains comparable with the rates of more experienced surgeons.
Association of Plasma B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Concentrations With Longitudinal Blood Pressure Tracking in African Americans Findings From the Jackson Heart Study

Water and sodium retention precedes the development of high blood pressure (BP) and explains a compensatory rise in B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations. It is unclear whether BNP concentrations antedate the BP progression. We hypothesized that higher BNP concentrations in our African American cohort will be associated with longitudinal increases in BP, progression of BP stage, and incident hypertension. Our study sample consisted of 888 normotensive (based on BP at examination 1 [2000–2004]) participants of the Jackson Heart Study (mean age, 47±12 years; 61% women). We examined the relation of BNP concentrations at the baseline examination to change in systolic and diastolic BPs, BP progression (an increase by 1 BP stage as defined by THE sixth report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure) and incident hypertension by examination 2 (2005–2008) adjusting for baseline BP stages, systolic and diastolic BPS, traditional risk factors, and echocardiographic left ventricular mass. Over a median follow-up period of 5.0±0.8 years, 36.9% progressed to a higher BP stage and 19.3% developed hypertension. In multivariable regression models, higher log-BNP concentrations at examination 1 were significantly and positively associated with changes in systolic and diastolic BPs ( P P =0.046). Every SD increase in baseline log BNP was associated with a 12% increased risk of BP progression. Log-BNP was not significantly associated with incident hypertension ( P =0.12). In our community-based sample of African Americans, higher BNP concentrations predicted a longitudinal increase in systolic and diastolic BPs and progression of BP stage.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopic Techniques

The main strength of MR derives from the relatively large dynamic range of gray scale or intensity values between different types of tissues that the contrast mechanisms of this imaging modality generate. The microscopic properties of tissues that produce these differences in intensity values in MR images include proton density (p), spin-lattice relaxation time (T1), spin-spin relaxation time (T2), flow, susceptibility, magnetization transfer, and diffusion, among others. Of these, the first three mechanisms were the first to be utilized for clinical MR imaging. All three arise from microscopic magnetic properties of the nuclei, i.e., the protons of the water molecules that abound in human tissue. The MR imaging experiment consists of translating the differences in the value of these properties into differences in intensity values and mapping their spatial dependence, i.e., establishing a one-to-one correspondence between different points in the anatomy with different pixels in the image. Since there are a number of textbooks (1–3) devoted entirely to the physics and/or clinical aspects of MR imaging and spectroscopy, we will not consider the details in this chapter.Instead, we will describe aspects of MR imaging and spectroscopy in sufficient detail so as to enable the reader to both understand the techniques and tailor their use to the needs of the specific clinical questions pertaining to CNS infections.
President's page: The global college of cardiology: it's a small world after all.

![Figure][1] Thomas Friedman's book, The World Is Flat , is an update on globalization ([1][2]). In it, Friedman describes 10 forces that “flattened” the world. The first “flattener” was the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. This seminal event, which Friedman titles “
GENETIC DIVERGENCE AMONG FISHES OF THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND THE CARIBBEAN: SUPPORT FOR THE MOLECULAR CLOCK.

The concept of a molecular clock is certainly controversial among evolutionary biologists. Simply stated, the hypothesis predicts that the rate of amino acid substitutions between any pair of taxa is relatively regular and reflects the divergence time between the taxa. The substitutions can be measured directly, by sequencing proteins, or indirectly, by such techniques as immunological or electrophoretic comparisons. The molecular clock is a prediction of the neutrality hypothesis of molecular evolution. Under this hypothesis, the long-term rate of protein sequence evolution equals the rate of mutation which produces selectively equivalent amino acid substitutions in proteins. Since mutation rate is a stochastic process, the clock is viewed as stochastic (Kimura and Ohta, 1971). Much of the evidence in favor of the molecular clock has been reviewed by Wilson et al. (1977). By constructing phylogenetic trees from molecular data and comparing the amount of change occurring along diverging branches of the trees (relative rate test), Wilson et al. (1977) point out that one can assess the degree of regularity of molecular change between taxa. A useful clock has to be not only regular, but also must be calibrated. Calibration is not always easy to achieve, for it is dependent upon a knowledge of geological events, often the fossil record, and interpretations based upon such records are often open to considerable question (Carl-
Mechanical disturbance on cracks formation in mushy zone of oscillating mold

The formation of initial cracks on continuous casting slabs is greatly effected by the vibration of the mold. The initial solidifying shell in the meniscus was considered as simple beam in this study,and the stress states under the non-uniform loads by ferrostatic pressure and flux channel pressure was expatiated in solidification front at representative oscillation time based on the material mechanics theory and non- sinusoidal oscillation waveform,the possibility of generating initial cracks were discussed quantitatively,and the measures for controlling initial cracks were proposed in combination with the rule of influence of oscillation parameters on bending stress. The results show that the maximum bending stress in initial solidifying shell can reach to 148.4 k Pa in vertical direction,the initial cracks generated easily because of the critical fracture stress is 14.7 k Pa when the solid fraction increased to 0.9. The maximum bending stress decreases about 36.3,24.6,16.4 k Pa when the vibration frequency and the amplitude have a reduction of 75 min-1,1.5 mm,and the oscillation factor increases by 0.15. The initial cracks formation can be restrained by decreasing oscillation frequency and amplitude and increasing nonsinusoidal oscillation factor properly.
Stability and Criticality Analysis for Integer Linear Programs With Markovian Problem Data

This paper presents the stability and criticality analysis of integer linear programs with respect to perturbations in stochastic data given as Markov chains. These perturbations affect the initial distribution, the transition matrix, or the stationary distribution of Markov chains. Stability analysis is concerned with obtaining the set of all perturbations for which a solution remains optimal. This paper gives expressions for stability regions for perturbations in the initial distribution, the transition matrix, the stationary distribution, and the product of elements of the transition matrix and the stationary distribution. Furthermore, criticality measures that describe the sensitivity of the objective function with respect to an element of the problem data are derived. Stability regions that preserve the stochasticity of the problem data are given. Finally, stability regions for perturbations of elements of the transition matrix, given that the problem is not linear in the initial distribution or the transition matrix, are obtained using a small perturbation analysis. The results are applied to sensor placement problems and numerical examples are given.
The market experience: Markets and self-esteem

The quality of persons analyzed in this chapter, self-esteem, was said by Rawls to be “perhaps the most important primary good.” In this he is in harmony with the contemporary concern for self-respect as a superordinate value, an end in itself. I shall take issue with this evaluation, suggesting that, instead, self-esteem is an instrumental good whose value depends upon its contributions to the two final or primary goods that we have identified as criteria for judging the market: happiness and human development. As one might expect, self-esteem is closely correlated with self-attribution and internal locus of control discussed in the previous chapter. The similarities are obvious: Both imply favorable beliefs about the self, both are treasured features of an identity, and both are subject to perceptions distorted to favor a more flattering self-image. Just as self-attribution is said to be the most “profound” and “farreaching” cognition a person can adopt, so opinions about the self are said to be “the most treasured” of all our opinions. In dealing with these two aspects of the self, we touch the foundations of personality. The two aspects are also related to each other by their reciprocal support: The belief that when the self acts, the environment responds is certain to support self-esteem, and the belief that one is worthy supports the idea that one is an effective cause. Both are also closely related to the sense of well-being or happiness, but self-esteem has the closer relationship; indeed, measures of self-esteem may be substituted for measures of subjective well-being. These close relationships mean that as the market encourages and undermines self-attribution, it also encourages and undermines self-esteem.
Relationships among common malt quality and modification parameters

Friability and Calcofluor staining are used to directly assess malt modification while some standard malt quality assays also provide direct to indirect measures of malt modification. These assays ...
Multiplexed, Tethered Particle Microscopy for Studies of DNA-Enzyme Dynamics.

Abstract DNA is the carrier of genetic information and, as such, is at the center of most essential cellular processes. To regulate its physiological function, specific proteins and motor enzymes constantly change conformational states with well-controlled dynamics. Twenty-five years ago, Schafer, Gelles, Sheetz, and Landick employed the tethered particle motion (TPM) technique for the first time to study transcription by RNA polymerase at the single-molecule level. TPM has since then remained one of the simplest, most affordable, and yet incisive single-molecule techniques available. It is an in vitro technique which allows investigation of DNA–protein interactions that change the effective length of a DNA tether. In this chapter, we will describe a recent strategy to multiplex TPM which substantially increases the throughput of TPM experiments, as well as a simulation to estimate the time resolution of experiments, such as transcriptional elongation assays, in which lengthy time averaging of the signal is impossible due to continual change of the DNA tether length. These improvements allow efficient study of several DNA–protein systems, including transcriptionally active DNA–RNA polymerase I complexes and DNA–gyrase complexes.
CAD-based `intelligent' drawings: An automated quality control approach to land development

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is currently used within every discipline of civil engineering. Initially, CAD was employed solely as a drawing/drafting tool. Current CAD packages, in conjunction with add-on or integrated software programs, have the capability to go beyond basic drawing. An integrated design approach uses an array of software applications to assist the user with the design computations as well as many aspects of the decision making process. This integrated approach can be even further expanded through the use of `intelligent' drawings to provide a means of quality management.
Simple actions influence pop-out search

ABSTRACTRecent research has revealed that a simple action (pressing a computer key) produced in response to a visual object prioritizes features of that object in subsequent visual search. The effects of simple action, however, have only been studied with search displays that required serial search. Here we explored whether simple actions have an effect when the target in visual search is always a salient singleton. Participants viewed a coloured shape at the beginning of each trial, and sometimes they acted (pressed the space bar) in response to it. In the subsequent search task, after acting (but not after viewing), the previously-seen colour affected search performance even though the target was always a salient singleton and the colour was uninformative. The results reveal that prior action can interact with bottom-up salience during search. Implications for our understanding of both visual search and repetition priming are discussed.
Behavioral Endocrinology of Migration

On an annual basis, many organisms travel to distinct geographical locations, each offering seasonal resources that increase the overall fitness of an individual. Each trip requires dramatic changes in physiology and behavior to prepare for and complete the outward and return legs of the journey. Migration has evolved many times across phyla, creating diverse forms and providing a rich platform for investigating multiple pathways for this adaptation and the endocrine mechanisms underlying it. Environmental conditions serve as selective agents molding the diverse patterns of migration across the phyla. Here, examples of diverse migratory systems in both invertebrates and vertebrates are presented. Some are more thoroughly investigated than others. But the bottom line is that organisms synchronize their mobile activities with the demands of diverse environments. The endocrine system acts as a mediator between the environment and the behavior and physiology of migrants. Understanding these relationships is a challenge, but it is of prime importance for preserving this marvel of adaptations. A comparative approach offers new insights into the behavioral endocrinology of migration.
Detecting and correcting errors of omission after explanation-based learning

In this paper, we address an issue that arises when the background knowledge used by explanationbased learning is incorrect. In particular, we consider the problems that can be caused by a domain theory that may be overly specific. Under this condition, generalizations formed by explanation-based learning will make errors of omission when they are relied upon to make predictions or explanations. We describe a technique for detecting errors of omission, assigning blame for the error of omission to an inference rule in the domain theory, and revising the domain theory to accommodate new examples.
Intermittent Fevers in a Renal Transplant Recipient

A 30-year-old woman with history of diabetes mellitus type 1 and a kidney/pancreas transplant 2 years earlier presented with 24 h of nausea and non-bloody, non-bilious vomiting. She had sharp right upper quadrant and epigastric pain that worsened after eating. She reported decreased urinary output, fatigue, and malaise. She denied having fevers or chills. Two weeks prior to presentation, she had intermittent rhinorrhea and sinus congestion that had recently resolved.
Arterial tortuosity syndrome: An extremely rare disease presenting as a mimic of pulmonary sling

Pulmonary sling is the anatomic variant defined by the aberrant origin of the left pulmonary artery from the right pulmonary artery. This patient presented with a mimic of pulmonary sling as a result of an extremely rare condition, arterial tortuosity syndrome (ATS). The patient was first diagnosed with pulmonary sling on prenatal echocardiogram performed by cardiology. Computed tomography angiography of the chest obtained at birth to evaluate respiratory depression demonstrated ATS. The early detection of ATS has been demonstrated to improve patient outcome. This case provides an overview of the typical imaging features of ATS to aid radiologists in making this uncommon diagnosis.
Adapted Physical Activity for Students with Special Needs

This article focuses on the importance of quality physical education for students with special needs. The goal is to guide these students to live a physically active life through self-empowerment. As a result, physical education teachers should reflect on their practice and try to plan, adapt, modify, individualize instruction, and manage student behaviors to facilitate learning. It is important that they use different instructional formats to organize and deliver instruction within various curriculum models. In addition, teacher candidates need proper training just as practicing teachers need relevant professional development to best serve students with special needs in physical education.
Local Computability for Ordinals

We examine the extent to which well orders satisfy the properties of local computability, which measure how effectively the finite suborders of the ordinal can be presented. Known results prove that all computable ordinals are perfectly locally computable, whereas \(\omega_1^\mathrm{CK}\) and larger countable ordinals are not. We show that perfect local computability also fails for uncountable ordinals, and that ordinals \(\alpha\geq \omega_1^\mathrm{CK}\) are θ-extensionally locally computable for all \(\theta \omega_1^\mathrm{CK}\), nor when \(\theta=\omega_1^\mathrm{CK}\leq\alpha<\omega_1^\mathrm{CK}\cdot\omega\).
Alpha-2,3 sialylation differentiate the limbal and corneal epithelial cell phenotypes.

Purpose. The initial differentiation event for the corneal epithelial cell lineage occurs as the limbally localized stem cells yield, through mitosis, the highly proliferative, transiently amplifying corneal peripheral cells. This differentiation is characterized by the expression of tissue-specific cytokeratins, as well as the loss of α-enolase and pigmentation. All these are intracellular events. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize, through lectin analysis, changes in cell surface properties associated with differentiation. Methods. Cryostat sections of the limbo-corneal area from freshly dissected pigmented rabbit corneas were stained with fluorescent lectins. Results. Peanut lectin (PNA ; binds to Ser/Threo-GalNAc-β-1,3-Gal, if the Gal residue is not sialylated) stained the plasma membrane of all layers of the conjunctiva and limbus but was excluded from corneal cell membranes. Maakia amurensis agglutinin (MAA ; binds to sialic acid attached to galactose through α-2,3 bonds in either N-glycans or O-glycans) stained exclusively corneal cell plasma membrane. After complete tissue desialylation, all corneal plasma membranes became PNA positive with equal stain intensity across both sides of the limbo-corneal margin. The binding of the agglutinins from Limax flavus (binds unselectively to sialic acid) and Sambucus nigra (binds to sialic acid attached through α-2,6 bonds) to the basement membrane displayed a large increase at the corneal side of limbo-corneal demarcation. Conclusions. Limbal (stem) cells express on the cell surface unsialylated galactose residues that are recognized by PNA and that lack any sialic acid bound through α-2,3 bonds. The initial differentiation involves sialylation of these residues and the concurrent appearance of α-2,3 sialic acid residues, suggesting expression or activation of α-2-3 sialytransferase. Changes in basement membrane composition, charge, or both may underpin this expression. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1995 ;36 :2277-2286.
Team Creative Brief: Creative and Account Teams Speak Out on Best Practices:

As a communication tool, the creative brief should seamlessly blend business goals with creative vision. This article investigates the role the creative brief plays as an internal communication too...
Echocardiographic guidance for transcatheter mitral valve repair using edge-to-edge clip

Percutaneous intervention for mitral valve disease has been established as an alternative to open surgical repair in high risk and inoperable candidates. Edge-to-edge leaflet plication with Mitraclip (Abbott, Menlo Park, CA, USA) is indicated for primary and secondary mitral valve diseases. Echocardiography provides a better understanding of mitral valve anatomy and allows us to classify and quantify mitral regurgitation. Transesophageal echocardiography is essential in patient screening, intraprocedural guidance, and post-procedure evaluation for patients undergoing edge-to-edge plication with MitraClip.
α-Difluoromethylornithine reduces gastric carcinogenesis by causing mutations in Helicobacter pylori cagY

Infection by Helicobacter pylori is the primary cause of gastric adenocarcinoma. The most potent H. pylori virulence factor is cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA), which is translocated by a type 4 secretion system (T4SS) into gastric epithelial cells and activates oncogenic signaling pathways. The gene cagY encodes for a key component of the T4SS and can undergo gene rearrangements. We have shown that the cancer chemopreventive agent α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), known to inhibit the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase, reduces H. pylori-mediated gastric cancer incidence in Mongolian gerbils. In the present study, we questioned whether DFMO might directly affect H. pylori pathogenicity. We show that H. pylori output strains isolated from gerbils treated with DFMO exhibit reduced ability to translocate CagA in gastric epithelial cells. Further, we frequently detected genomic modifications in the middle repeat region of the cagY gene of output strains from DFMO-treated animals, which were associated with alterations in the CagY protein. Gerbils did not develop carcinoma when infected with a DFMO output strain containing rearranged cagY or the parental strain in which the wild-type cagY was replaced by cagY with DFMO-induced rearrangements. Lastly, we demonstrate that in vitro treatment of H. pylori by DFMO induces oxidative DNA damage, expression of the DNA repair enzyme MutS2, and mutations in cagY, demonstrating that DFMO directly affects genomic stability. Deletion of mutS2 abrogated the ability of DFMO to induce cagY rearrangements directly. In conclusion, DFMO-induced oxidative stress in H. pylori leads to genomic alterations and attenuates virulence.
The cross and the sword: A multidimensional investigation of the links between gendered facets of honor and Religiosity among American Christians

Honor ideology and religion possess a number of commonalities, yet little research to date has examined whether and how the two relate to each other. Such a relationship is of special interest beca...
Protecting Persons from Animal Bites: the Case for the Ontological Significance of Persons

Eric Olson criticizes Lynne Baker’s constitution account of persons on the grounds that personhood couldn’t be ontologically significant as nothing new comes into existence with the acquisition of thought. He claims that for something coming to function as a thinker is no more ontologically significant than something coming to function as a locomotor when a motor is added to it. He levels two related charges that there’s no principled answer about when and where constitution takes place rather than an already existing object just acquiring new properties. I’ll argue that none of these objections are problems for understanding person to be a substantial kind.
Local hypergraph clustering using capacity releasing diffusion

Local graph clustering is an important machine learning task that aims to find a well-connected cluster near a set of seed nodes. Recent results have revealed that incorporating higher order information significantly enhances the results of graph clustering techniques. The majority of existing research in this area focuses on spectral graph theory-based techniques. However, an alternative perspective on local graph clustering arises from using max-flow and min-cut on the objectives, which offer distinctly different guarantees. For instance, a new method called capacity releasing diffusion (CRD) was recently proposed and shown to preserve local structure around the seeds better than spectral methods. The method was also the first local clustering technique that is not subject to the quadratic Cheeger inequality by assuming a good cluster near the seed nodes. In this paper, we propose a local hypergraph clustering technique called hypergraph CRD (HG-CRD) by extending the CRD process to cluster based on higher order patterns, encoded as hyperedges of a hypergraph. Moreover, we theoretically show that HG-CRD gives results about a quantity called motif conductance, rather than a biased version used in previous experiments. Experimental results on synthetic datasets and real world graphs show that HG-CRD enhances the clustering quality.
Chapter 12 – Direct-To-Copper Flash Smelting

Publisher Summary This chapter describes direct-to-copper smelting and examines the degree to which its potential advantages have been realized. The chapter also indicates the principal problems with the process. It is the smelting of concentrate directly to molten copper in one furnace. The principal advantage of direct-to-copper smelting is isolation of sulfur dioxide evolution to one furnace of high sulfur dioxide strength gas. Its main disadvantage is the large amount of copper-in-slag. The products of direct-to-copper flash smelting are copper, slag, and offgas with different volumes. Direct-to-copper flash furnaces are similar to conventional flash furnaces with few differences. However, 15-35% of the Cu-in-concentrate is oxidized, ending up as copper oxide dissolved in slag. This copper oxide must be reduced back to metallic copper. The expense of copper-from-slag recovery treatment is the major drawback of direct-to-copper smelting. Hence, chalcopyrite concentrates are mainly treated by multi-furnace processes either by conventional smelting, converting, or continuous multi-furnace processing.
Preparing for a future COVID-19 wave: insights and limitations from a data-driven evaluation of non-pharmaceutical interventions in Germany.

To contain the COVID-19 pandemic, governments introduced strict Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPI) that restricted movement, public gatherings, national and international travel, and shut down large parts of the economy. Yet, the impact of the enforcement and subsequent loosening of these policies on the spread of COVID-19 is not well understood. Accordingly, we measure the impact of NPIs on mitigating disease spread by exploiting the spatio-temporal variations in policy measures across the 16 states of Germany. While this quasi-experiment does not allow for causal identification, each policy's effect on reducing disease spread provides meaningful insights. We adapt the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered model for disease propagation to include data on daily confirmed cases, interstate movement, and social distancing. By combining the model with measures of policy contributions on mobility reduction, we forecast scenarios for relaxing various types of NPIs. Our model finds that in Germany policies that mandated contact restrictions (e.g., movement in public space limited to two persons or people co-living), closure of educational institutions (e.g., schools), and retail outlet closures are associated with the sharpest drops in movement within and across states. Contact restrictions appear to be most effective at lowering COVID-19 cases, while border closures appear to have only minimal effects at mitigating the spread of the disease, even though cross-border travel might have played a role in seeding the disease in the population. We believe that a deeper understanding of the policy effects on mitigating the spread of COVID-19 allows a more accurate forecast of disease spread when NPIs are partially loosened and gives policymakers better data for making informed decisions.
Implementing Flexible Threading Support in Open MPI

Multithreaded MPI applications are gaining popularity in scientific and high-performance computing. While the combination of programming models is suited to support current parallel hardware, it moves threading models and their interaction with MPI into focus. With the advent of new threading libraries, the flexibility to select threading implementations of choice is becoming an important usability feature. Open MPI has traditionally avoided componentizing its threading model, relying on code inlining and static initialization to minimize potential impacts on runtime fast paths and synchronization. This paper describes the implementation of a generic threading runtime support in Open MPI using the Opal Modular Component Architecture. This architecture allows the programmer to select a threading library at compile- or run-time, providing both static initialization of threading primitives as well as dynamic instantiation of threading objects. In this work, we present the implementation, define required interfaces, and discuss trade-offs of dynamic and static initialization.
Personalized Versioning: Product Strategies Constructed from Experiments on Pandora

The role of advertising as an ``implicit price'' has long been recognized by economists and marketers. However, the impact of personalizing implicit prices on firm profits and consumer welfare has not been studied. We first conduct a set of large-scale field experiments on Pandora by exogenously shifting the ad load, that is the implicit price, for ad-supported users. We then use a state-of-the-art machine-learning model to examine the heterogeneous treatment effects of firm's interventions on listeners behavior, both in terms of listening hours and in terms of the propensity to subscribe to the ad-free version of the product. We next show that by reallocating ads across individuals, the firm can improve subscription profits by 10\% without reducing total profits generated from advertising. To achieve the same subscription rate using a uniform ad-allocation policy, the firm would need to increase the number of ads served on the platform by more than 30\%. Furthermore, the gains from personalization emerge quickly after implementation, as subscription behavior adapts to changing ad load relatively quickly. We also evaluate the welfare implications of personalizing implicit prices. Our results show that, on average, consumer welfare drops by 2\% with the proposed personalization strategy, and the effect seems to be more pronounced for users that have a higher willingness to pay.
Leptin treatment prevents impaired hypoglycemic counterregulation induced by exposure to severe caloric restriction or exposure to recurrent hypoglycemia.

Abstract Hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF) is a maladaptive failure in glucose counterregulation in persons with diabetes (PWD) that is caused by recurrent exposure to hypoglycemia. The adipokine leptin is known to regulate glucose homeostasis, and leptin levels fall following exposure to recurrent hypoglycemia. Yet, little is known regarding how reduced leptin levels influence glucose counterregulation, or if low leptin levels are involved in the development of HAAF. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hypoleptinemia on the neuroendocrine responses to hypoglycemia. We utilized two separate experimental paradigms known to induce a hypoleptinemic state: 60% caloric restriction (CR) in mice and three days of recurrent hypoglycemia (3dRH) in rats. A sub-set of animals were also treated with leptin (0.5–1.0 μg/g) during the CR or 3dRH periods. Neuroendocrine responses to hypoglycemia were assessed 60 min following an IP insulin injection on the terminal day of the paradigms. CR mice displayed defects in hypoglycemic counterregulation, indicated by significantly lower glucagon levels relative to controls, 13.5 pmol/L (SD 10.7) versus 64.7 pmol/L (SD 45) (p = 0.002). 3dRH rats displayed reduced epinephrine levels relative to controls, 1900 pg/mL (SD 1052) versus 3670 pg/mL (SD 780) (p = 0.030). Remarkably, leptin treatment during either paradigm completely reversed this effect by normalizing glucagon levels in CR mice, 78.0 pmol/L (SD 47.3) (p = 0.764), and epinephrine levels in 3dRH rats, 2910 pg/mL (SD 1680) (p = 0.522). These findings suggest that hypoleptinemia may be a key signaling event driving the development of HAAF and that leptin treatment may prevent the development of HAAF in PWD.
Regulation of Hypocretin by Metabolic Signals

These results indicate that hypocretin/orexin neurons in the PFH are highly responsive to changes in circulating and dietary nutrients. They have similar properties to NPY/AgRP-expressing neurons in the ARC, in being stimulated by negative energy balance, such as after food deprivation, when glucose levels are declining and corticosterone and ghrelin levels are elevated. They are also similar to galanin-expressing neurons in the PVN, in being stimulated by dietary fat and circulating lipids and in exhibiting a natural rise during the first half of the circadian feeding cycle when fat ingestion normally increases. In states of both energy deficiency and elevated fat consumption, the hypocretin/orexin peptides may provide an important link between energy homeostasis and brain mechanisms coordinating sleep/wakefulness and motivated behaviors. Specifically, they may function to increase arousal and locomotor activity that facilitate food-seeking behavior under conditions of food deprivation, and they may also facilitate activity-based energy expenditure and hyperphagia under conditions of excess dietary fat intake.
VSAM: Architecture, Theory, and Applications

This tutorial covers important aspects of VSAM, including VSAM's role in some of the most common software proucts used in the IBM mainframe environment (CICS, IMS, and DB2). For each topic covered, the book identifies significant advantages and disadvantages, including probable changes. This introduction to VSAM looks at its internal structure, discussing the IDCAMS utility programs and several closely related topics. The text also emphasizes the processing of VSAM data sets in an application program and covers VSAM's relationship with a variety of components found on large systems. Questions and answers are included in every chapter for self-study, ranging from straightforward short answer questions to the analysis and development of theoretical concepts, and almost every chapter contains at least one sophisticated programming exercise.
CHAPTER 7: The Wanted Ones

Summary This chapter describes long-term adjustment in families who have adopted children with mental retardation. Interview and questionnaire data from 42 families who adopted 56 retarded children indicate positive outcomes for almost all of the adoptions. These outcomes are discussed in the context of existential and reality crises that the parents must face when a handicapped child enters the family. A model for predicting good and poor adjustment to these crises is proposed, and the variables useful in that prediction are described. The importance of these research findings for both adoption practice and family research is discussed.
Crosskey on the Constitution: An Essay-Review

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE YEARS after its ratification, the Constitution of the United States has become the subject of a great book. The reference applies to the recently published two-volume work entitled Politics and the Constitution in the History of the United States, by William Winslow Crosskey, a member of the law faculty at the University of Chicago. Some people will call Crosskey's book vicious, because it proposes a construction of the Constitution which they fear; others will call it an irreverent work, for by implication it criticises those they revere; still others will damn it as a corrupting influence, for it challenges many of the orthodoxies of our legal and political system. Unquestionably it is the most revolutionary commentary ever published on the Constitution. Yet these very controversies are bound to contribute to the acceptance of the construction these volumes expound. When examined, the legal structure which unfolds not only is convincing, but in addition is most compatible with the present political economy of the United States. Logic, evidence, methodology and economic interest are combined so effectively that a break with currently accepted concepts about the Constitution seems almost assured within a few years.
A framework for knowledge-based systems verification

The authors present a framework for developing and verifying knowledge-based systems (KBSs). In this framework, they propose FRORL (frame-and-rule oriented requirements specification language) as a formal requirements specification language which exploits knowledge representation techniques as an aid in the specification, analysis, and development of a knowledge-based system. FRORL uses a combination of resolution refutation, anomaly detection matrix, and algorithm methods to verify a number of properties which might exist in KBSs. Incorporating FRORL and its verification methods in the proposed framework lays a solid foundation for coping with the current issues in KBS verification. >