cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Hypertension on Cerebral Blood Bessels.

There have been major advances in our understanding of regulation of cerebral circulation under normal conditions, and of cerebral vascular changes during hypertension. In relation to physiological mechanisms, nitric oxide (NO), or an NO-containing substance, appears to play an important role in regulation of cerebral blood flow, including coupling of metabolism and blood flow. ATP-sensitive potassium channels are a major mechanism that mediates cerebral vasodilatation during several pharmacological and physiological stimuli, including hypoxia. In relation to hypertension, potent mechanisms protect the cerebral circulation during chronic hypertension. Vascular hypertrophy also protects cerebral vessels during hypertension by reducing wall stress and by attenuation of increases in pressure in the microcirculation. Vascular remodeling, which results in reduction in external diameter of cerebral vessels, appears to be the dominant structural change in cerebral arterioles during hypertension. Endothelial dysfunction may play a key role in cerebral vascular complications of hypertension. It is now thought that hypertensive encephalopathy is produced by dysfunction of the endothelial blood-brain barrier. Endothelial dysfunction in chronic hypertension also results in abnormal vasomotor regulation. Cerebral vascular muscle also may be dysfunctional in hypertension, as responses to activation of ATP-sensitive potassium channels appear to be impaired. Several mechanisms may predispose to stroke as a complication of hypertension. Endothelial dysfunction may lead to vasospasm, for example, when platelets are activated. Collateral circulation in the cerebrum is impaired by hypertension. Mean pressure is higher in arterioles in the brain stem than in cerebral cortex, which may predispose to hemorrhage in the brain stem. (Hypertens Res 1993; 16: 225-231)
Changes in chemical composition during soybean seed development

Abstract This study examined the compositional change of five specialty soybean genotypes, which are low in oligosaccharides, high in oil, high in protein, large seeded or small seeded, along with two commercial cultivars, Jack and Ozark, during seed development and maturation. Seeds were sampled at 7-day intervals from initial seed formation to full maturity for approximately 8 weeks, and analysed for oil, protein, soluble saccharides, and starch. Although there were significant differences among the seven soybean genotypes in their chemical compositions, some compositional changes followed similar trends. Protein content decreased during the first 3–5 weeks after flowering and then gradually increased. Oil was accumulated rapidly during the early stages. The percentage of starch ranged from 6 to 15% in developing seeds, but declined sharply to 0.2–1% at maturity. Sucrose decreased during seed development and maturation, while non-digestible oligosaccharides (raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose) remained at low levels during early stage until 3 weeks before harvest and increased towards maturity. These findings provide valuable information for developing and selecting specialty soybean varieties for specific applications.
A developmental analysis of sociodemographic, family, and peer effects on adolescent illicit drug initiation.

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the effects of sociodemographic, family, and peer predictors on the developmental patterns of illicit drug initiation from ages 12 to 21 years. Method A gender-balanced, ethnically diverse urban sample of 808 children in Seattle was surveyed at age 10 in 1985 and followed prospectively to age 21 in 1996. Discrete-time survival analysis was used to assess the effects of sociodemographic, family, and peer factors on the risk of initiation. Results The risk for initiating illicit drug use increased steadily from ages 12 to 21. High family conflict, low family bonding, and high peers' antisocial activities predicted higher risk of initiation across this developmental period. The effect of family bonding began to decline after age 18, while the effect of peers' antisocial activities began to increase after age 15. Few gender and ethnic differences were found. Conclusions Prevention programs need to include family and peer factors as important targets. Parents should create a warm and supportive family environment with appropriate supervision and control throughout adolescence. Association with antisocial peers should be reduced, especially in high school. Interventions addressing these family and peer factors should have beneficial effects across gender and ethnic groups.
Enzymatic hydrolysis of oligomeric models of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate

The mechanism of the enzymatic degradation of poly([R]-3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was investigated by using well-defined model substrates, including both linear and cyclic [R]-3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and [R]-3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) oligomers, with two different PHB depolymerases. The linear and cyclic oligomers containing from 2 to 10 repeating units were hydrolyzed in solutions of the depolymerase isolated from Aspergillus fumigatus and Alcaligenes faecalis, and the rates of hydrolysis and types of products formed were characterized. Both of the depolymerases catalyzed the hydrolysis of the cyclic oligomers (macrolides) which contained more than three 3HB and 3HV repeating units. The degradation reactions of the linear and cyclic 3HB oligomers with the A. fumigatus depolymerase gave similar ratios of monomer-to-dimer products, but PHB itself formed mostly monomer on hydrolysis, indicating that the enzymatic hydrolysis reactions occurred by different mechanisms for these different types of substrates. The results of this study conclusively show that at least the endo mode of polymer hydrolysis occurs with the two enzymes studied, while the A. fumigatus depolymerase was found to utilize both endo and exo modes of hydrolysis to efficiently degrade PHB and 3HB oligomers.
Exfoliation of Graphite

When a graphite intercalation compound [1] is heated past a critical temperature, a large expansion along the c-direction occurs, giving the compound a puffed-up appearance. This phenomenom is known as exfoliation. Ubbelohde [2] observed that graphite-Br2 exfoliated at 350°C from 3 mm to approximately 35 mm. Exfoliation has also been observed in graphite-FeC13 [3], graphite-A1C13 [4], and graphite intercalated with a mixture of HNO3 and H2SO4 [4]. The exfoliation of graphite-FeC13 has been used to manufacture Grafoil [5]; the exfoliation of graphite-(HNO3+H2SO) has been used for making a thermal insulator for molten metals [6]. In spite of the numerous practical applications of exfoliation, relatively little work has been done to understand and characterize this unusual phenomenon.
Interference at Great Retardations Obtained with a Calcium Atomic Beam Source

By employing a calcium atomic beam source in emission and by using a beam of high collimation very clear Fabry-Perot patterns of the resonance line of calcium, λ4226 A, were obtained with retardations of 60, 78, 94, 108, 120, and 130 cm. The corresponding order numbers are about 1.42, 1.85, 2.22, 2.56, 2.84, and 3.08 million and greatly surpass those obtainable with the best conventional cooled source available at present. The good definition of the fringes obtained with the retardation of 130 cm suggests that the limit of interference is considerably higher.
Psychotherapy participants show increased physiological responsiveness to a lab stressor relative to matched controls.

Accumulating evidence indicates that psychotherapy participants show increased physiological responsiveness to stress. The purpose of the present study was to examine differences between individuals participating in outpatient psychotherapy and matched controls using an experimental design. Forty-two psychotherapy participants and forty-eight matched controls were assessed on cardiovascular and cortisol functioning at baseline, during the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and during a twenty-minute recovery period. Psychotherapy participants and matched controls did not differ at baseline or during the TSST on the physiological measures but psychotherapy participants had higher cortisol and heart rate during the recovery period. In regards to reactivity, cortisol increased during the recovery period for the psychotherapy participants but decreased for those in the matched control group. Psychotherapy participants experiencing clinically significant levels of distress displayed elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate during the TSST when compared to psychotherapy participants not experiencing clinically significant levels of distress. Overall, physiological reactivity to stress appears to be an important issue for those in psychotherapy and directly addressing this issue may help improve psychotherapy outcomes.
Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom: How to Discourage Creative Thinking in the Classroom

One would like to know how to teach students to think creatively. There are numerous proposals on the subject and a small amount of encouraging data (Cropley, 1992; Finke, Ward, & Smith, 1992; Nickerson, 1999; Stein, 1974, 1975; Sternberg & Lubart, 1991). I am becoming increasingly convinced that attitudes and beliefs play a much greater role in determining the quality of one's thinking – creative or critical – than is generally recognized. This is not to suggest that skills and knowledge are unimportant but rather that they are only part of the equation, and by themselves are insufficient to ensure that creative thinking will occur. The idea that attitudes and beliefs are important to creative thinking – as well as to critical thinking – is not novel; many researchers have expressed it (Andrews & Debus, 1978; Baron, 1991; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Dweck, 1975; Reid, 1987). Unfortunately, research has not yet yielded a reliable prescription for promoting the attitudes and beliefs on which creative or critical thinking depends. It occurred to me that it might be easier to specify how to instill attitudes and beliefs that tend to stifle thinking, because, if the conclusions from numerous assessments of the thinking abilities of many students are to be believed, we collectively seem to know how to do this rather well. While not wishing to claim to be an expert on how to stifle creativity, I know how I would go about it if that were my purpose.
The viability of thermal energy conversion utilizing black body radiation

Modern thermal energy conversion devices are focused on energy extraction based, upon thermal couple structures. Our work presents a novel mechanism for realizing thermal energy converters based upon black body radiation. Radiative energy conversion is not limited only to heat pump techniques, thus very high efficiencies are theoretically possible (/spl sim/85%). The presented power density estimates are on the order of 12 watts per cubic centimeter while operating at room temperature (300K). At higher temperatures, such as 500K, estimates of 34 watts per cubic centimeter are expected. The theoretical foundations that can be used to convert this form of radiation directly to electricity are discussed. The main principle of operation is in utilizing microscopic wave-guides in combination with specialized rectifying structures, such as ballistic diodes. In addition, we address the limitations of this methodology with respect to current technology and state-of-the art manufacturing techniques.
Facial disfigurement due to osteitis fibrosa cystica or brown tumor from secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients on dialysis: A systematic review and an illustrative case report

Osteitis fibrosa cystica (OFC) is the most frequent type of osseous change in renal osteodystrophy affecting the majority of dialysis patients. Brown tumors are a severe form of OFC. The involvement of the craniofacial skeleton causing facial disfigurement in patients on dialysis appears to be limited to case reports. After searching PubMed, we performed a systematic review of 127 cases with a severe form of OFC resulting in a facial disfigurement to understand possible determinants for this condition. We found that since the first published case in 1974, and after a peak in 1996, there appears to be an increase in published reported cases. Only 27.6% of these cases were published in nephrology journals. The most common region for reported cases was North America. Mean age of these patients was 31.2 years with a mean dialysis duration of 7 years. Almost 67% were women, and almost all were on hemodialysis. The disease tended to most commonly localize to the maxilla (73.2%) and mandible (57.5%). As part of the treatment, 59% of patients had a parathyroidectomy. More than one-third (35.4%) had symptomatic improvement at follow-up. Mean follow-up was 1.6 years. Clinicians should be aware of this clinical presentation of a severe form of OFC and/or brown tumors. Timely diagnosis and intervention may help to prevent or decrease destructive bone changes and reduce negative psychological consequences of facial disfigurement.
Bacillus cereus Sensu Lato Genomes: Basis for Identifying Anthrax Disease Strain Sources

© 2013 Silver. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. © 2013 by American Society for Microbiology, Genome Announcements.
A dynamically reconfigurable DCT architecture for maximum image quality subject to dynamic power and bitrate constraints

We introduce a dynamically reconfigurable DCT architecture system that allows us to select optimal implementations based on bitrate and dynamic power constraints. For our approach, we first compute Pareto-optimal hardware realizations that are assessed in terms of reconstructed image quality, bitrate and dynamic power. The space of Paretooptimal realizations are generated by varying both the number of non-zero DCT coefficients and the quality factor for the quantization table. From the generated hardware realizations, we then select the Pareto-optimal cases and discard all other cases. For each bitrate and dynamic power constraint, we use a dynamic partial reconfiguration (DPR) controller to implement the optimal DCT architecture. We test our approach using leave-one-out on the LIVE database, and implement our system on a Virtex-5 FPGA and demonstrate its performance using different bitrate and dynamic power constraints.
Logic in computer science: tool-based modeling and reasoning about systems

Recent years have brought about the development of powerful tools for verifying specifications of hardware and software systems. By now, major companies, such as Intel, IBM, AT&T, Siemens, and BT have realized the impact and importance of such tools in their own design and implementation processes as a means of coping with the ever-increasing complexity of chip and software designs. This necessitates the availability of a basic formal training that allows undergraduate students to gain sufficient proficiency in using and reasoning with such tool-animated frameworks. We present an existing course, "Logical Foundations of Programming", that aims at meeting these educational goals. After describing inherent challenges that such a course faces, we then evaluate this course in the larger context of what logical frameworks, if any, should be taught and where they may be placed in a computer science related undergraduate curriculum.
On-line transient stability enhancement using multi-agent technique

This paper proposes a multi-agent technique that is divided into two parts. The first part is a prediction agent that will predict power system instability. According to the prediction agent's output, a control agent is initiated. The prediction agent is adapted from a proven robotic ball-catching algorithm. The control agent initiates turbine fast valving. The resulting multi-agent technique can predict system instability and establish system stability. Decoded MATLAB programs of both agents are linked to the Extended Transient Midterm Stability Program (ETMSP) power system simulation program, used in verifying the results. Results show that the proposed technique could be used on-line for power system instability prediction and control if the control agent speed can be increased.
The cloning and expression of a sodium channel β1-subunit cDNA from human brain

Electrical excitability of neurons and muscle cells is mediated largely through the actions of the voltage-gated sodium channel. Initiation and propagation of the action potential is a direct result of the precisely controlled inward flux of sodium through these channels. Much attention has been paid to the sodium channel alpha-subunit, the major, pore-forming component. However, alpha-subunits are associated with one or more smaller beta-subunits, which have been implicated in the critical fine tuning of the gating properties of the channel. To investigate the properties of the beta-subunit, we have isolated a cDNA encoding the human brain beta 1-subunit and assigned the corresponding gene to chromosome 19. We have also examined the effects of expressing the brain beta 1-subunit on the kinetics of a coexpressed muscle sodium channel alpha-subunit. Our results underscore the functional importance of the beta 1-subunit and imply a conserved mechanism for the interaction of the beta 1-subunit with different alpha-subunits.
SOME NOTES ON FINANCIAL INCENTIVE-SIGNALLING MODELS, ACTIVITY CHOICE AND RISK PREFERENCES

beyond that of choosing the financial structure. This is in contrast to the neoclassical view of the manager as being concerned solely with activity choice, rather than with irrelevant financial matters. One of the purposes of this paper is to explore the relationship between these two functions. It is not unlikely that in some situations no incentive schedule can be found that simultaneously motivates that manager to make correct activity choices-efficient ones-and to signal the firm's type through the financial structure. Such a structure must reward the manager on the basis of competence while signalling, through finance, the framework of choice faced by the manager. The problem of assessing performance is further complicated by the inability to identify states. In the absence of a complete contingent description of the economy it will always be difficult to separate out the extent to which a particular firm's returns were the consequence of the manager's choices or nature's, i.e., skill or luck. The problems of moral hazard in such a situation are evident; if the manager's productive performance is positively rewarded it is in his interest to bias downward the market's perception of the activity set open to him. This evaluation problem is the second theme of this paper. The first section of the paper introduces the general incentive-signalling-financial (ISF) equilibrium model, and the following section specializes the model to a traditional state-space framework. Here a number of definitive results can be obtained. Some subsections deal with the relationship between ISF models and the general theory of incentive compatibility, the use of restricted instruments such as debt and equity, and the implications of disclosure rules and market purchases by insiders. The final sections examine the problems of establishing an (ISF) equilibrium when states of nature cannot be identified and the observation problem is present.
Viscoelastic Characterization and Self-Heating Behavior of a Flexible Matrix Composite Driveshaft

Flexible matrix composites (FMCs), consisting of high-elongation, low modulus elastomers reinforced with high-stiffness continuous fibers, offer a high degree of elastic tailorability not found in typical structural polymer matrix composites. In the current investigation, the frequency- and time-dependent anisotropic viscoelastic behavior of an FMC material is characterized at the lamina level using a fractional derivative approach. The viscoelastic lamina properties are input to an elasticity model to predict the viscoelastic properties of filament-wound, angle-ply FMC driveshafts. The model is validated with experiments carried out using shafts of various fiber angles under tensile and torsional loadings. A thermal and mechanical analysis of a spinning, misaligned shaft is then carried out to predict self-heating in the shaft. Comparisons of the self-heating behavior with experiments indicate good agreement for several different shaft fiber angles. The models proposed in this investigation can be used t...
Childhood exposure to family violence and adult trauma symptoms: The importance of social support from a spouse.

This study examines the roles of positive and negative social support from a spouse as potential moderators of associations between experiences of physical abuse and exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) as a child and adult trauma symptoms. We hypothesized that positive social support received from a spouse would have a buffering effect on trauma symptoms whereas negative social support from a spouse would have a potentiating effect. Participants were 193 newlywed couples (total N 386) randomly recruited from a marriage license database. Participants completed self-report questionnaires measuring the nature and severity of child maltreatment and trauma symptoms, and they engaged in a brief videotaped task in which they discussed a personal problem with their partner. Positive and negative support behaviors exhibited during the recorded task were then coded. Results of dyadic data analysis (actor partner interdependence model) indicated that positive social support from a spouse buffered against trauma symptoms among men who were exposed to IPV during childhood whereas negative social support from a spouse potentiated trauma symptoms among men who were exposed either to IPV or child physical abuse (CPA). The buffering and potentiating effects of spousal support were reduced among men who were exposed to increasingly severe levels of IPV and CPA. By contrast, women’s trauma symptoms were unrelated to positive or negative support from a spouse. These findings extend prior research by suggesting that, for men, day-to-day provisions of support from a spouse may play a key role in posttraumatic recovery.
An empirical comparison of the accuracy rates of novices using the quorum, perl, and randomo programming languages

We present here an empirical study comparing the accuracy rates of novices writing software in three programming languages: Quorum, Perl, and Randomo. The first language, Quorum, we call an evidence-based programming language, where the syntax, semantics, and API designs change in correspondence to the latest academic research and literature on programming language usability. Second, while Perl is well known, we call Randomo a Placebo-language, where some of the syntax was chosen with a random number generator and the ASCII table. We compared novices that were programming for the first time using each of these languages, testing how accurately they could write simple programs using common program constructs (e.g., loops, conditionals, functions, variables, parameters). Results showed that while Quorum users were afforded significantly greater accuracy compared to those using Perl and Randomo, Perl users were unable to write programs more accurately than those using a language designed by chance.
ENaC inhibition stimulates HCl secretion in the mouse cortical collecting duct. II. Bafilomycin-sensitive H+ secretion.

Epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) blockade stimulates stilbene-sensitive conductive Cl− secretion in the mouse cortical collecting duct (CCD). This study's purpose was to determine the co-ion that acco...
Marketplaces: Prospects for Social, Economic, and Political Development

This article summarizes what we know about marketplaces in the United States, relates that knowledge to a research agenda on the subject, and makes suggestions for planning practice. This review accomplishes these three goals beginning with a historical review of marketplaces, focused mostly on the United States. The research literature on marketplaces is reviewed from political, economic, social, and health perspectives with suggestions for further basic and applied research. In short, the article shows how marketplaces were once tools of nascent planning and public policy, describes the reasons they should be again, and shows how planners and policy makers can advance public purposes through markets.
Phenology, Natural Enemies, and Efficacy of Horticultural Oil for Control of Chionaspis heterophyllae (Homoptera: Diaspididae) on Christmas Tree Plantations

Abstract Pine needle scale, Chionaspis pinifoliae (Fitch), and Chionaspis heterophyllae Cooley are important pests of Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L., and other conifers in much of North America. On Christmas tree plantations, these insects are typically controlled by spraying broad-spectrum insecticides when the vulnerable immature stages are present. However, effective control of bivoltine populations can be difficult to achieve due to asynchronous hatch and development of the second generation. Our objectives were to 1) determine the phenology of the second generation of C. heterophyllae in Michigan; 2) characterize the natural enemy complex; and 3) assess the effectiveness of horticultural oil for control of C. heterophyllae on P. sylvestris Christmas tree plantations. We monitored scale populations in three counties in lower Michigan for 3 yr. Scale phenology was consistently associated with cumulative degree-days base 10°C (DD10°C). Second-generation egg hatch began at ≈1230–1300 DD10°C, and continu...
Emergent Surgery Does Not Independently Predict 30-Day Mortality After Paraesophageal Hernia Repair: Results from the ACS NSQIP Database.

Patients undergoing emergency surgery for paraesophageal hernia (PEH) repair have a higher adjusted mortality risk based on Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). We sought to examine this relationship in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), which adjusts for patient-level risk factors, including factors contributing to patient frailty. This is a retrospective analysis of the NSQIP from 2009 through 2011. A modified frailty index was created based on previously validated methodology. Of 3498 patients with PEH repair, 175 (5 %) underwent emergent surgery. Older age, lower BMI, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF), current dialysis, SIRS, and sepsis were significantly more common among emergent patients. These patients also had a poorer functional status, higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and higher frailty scores and more likely to undergo open surgery. Postoperative complications were proportionally more common, and LOS was longer (8.5 vs. 3.4 days) among emergent patients (all p < 0.05). In univariate analysis, emergent patients demonstrated ten times greater mortality than the elective surgery group (8 vs. 0.8 %). On adjusted analysis, emergent surgery was no longer independently associated with mortality. Frailty score 2 or above and preoperative sepsis significantly predicted increased mortality while laparoscopic repair and BMI 25–50 and BMI ≥30 (vs. BMI <18.5) were significantly protective in the entire group of patients. Increased mortality among patients undergoing emergent PEH repair may be related to severity of disease and other preoperative comorbid illness. Without an emergent indication, some of these patients likely would have been excluded as candidates for elective surgical intervention.
Strange B mesons

We have studied production of B* mesons at the ?(5S), detecting the quasimonochromatic photon from decay to the ground state. The observed signal is expected to be doppler broadened because of the motion of the B* d,u mesons from ?(5S) decays. The observed broadening is however considerably smaller than expected, and consistent with copious production of strange B mesons, B* s . Analysis of the data, for a large class of assumptions on the decay of ?(5S) to B*’s, leads to a lower limit of 30% for the fraction of strange mesons production.
Laughter in the digital age

Is new media still ‘new’? The earliest personal computers for the mass market – the Commodore PET and the Apple II – were released in 1977. The year 1991 saw the first website. In 1994, Netscape la...
Numerical simulation of the I.R. radiation in a shock-tube experiment

AIAA, Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 34th, Reno, NV, Jan. 15-18, 1996 A new temperature-dependence expression (the square root of the product of the translational temperature, in K, and the vibrational temperature of N2, in K) is proposed for the Zeldovich reaction rate that accounts for the observed delayed formation of NO due to vibrational excitation. This new model of the exchange reactions brings a natural extension to the multi-temperature rate model proposed by Park (1989) for the dissociation reactions. A detailed analysis of the energy exchange mechanisms has also emphasized the better physical behavior of the extended SSH model compared to simpler models. It is believed that these two simple modifications will significantly improve the prediction capability of the state-of-the-art detailed thermochemical nonequilibrium codes used for low-density high-energy flows. (Author)
Bulk Semicrystalline Polymers: A Status Report

Discovery several decades ago that long-chain molecules crystallize by folding prompted vigorous basic research on structure-property relations in bulk semicrystalline polymers with expectation of insights that, paralleling experience in metal physics, would lead to better materials for technology. However, complexity of the crystallization process and difficulty in exploring morphology in adequate detail were both underestimated. Important aspects of behavior were recognized but improved polymeric materials have resulted more from exploratory engineering with composites and blends than from basic research on homopolymers. A summary of this research is presented with emphasis upon developments key to present status; also upon the truly formidable challenges that remain, Most readily accessible questions for research being of limited technological significance.
E2F-1 Degradation by the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway

E2F-1 is the first cloned member of a family of transcription factors composed of five E2F members and three DP members.1–4 Individual E2F and DP species form heterodimers and transactivate genes, some of which are required for cell cycle progression or DNA synthesis.5–11 The product of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene,12 pRb, binds to some members of the E2F family, including E2F-1, and transforms them into transcriptional repressors.13–15 In this manner, pRb performs at least part its growth suppressive function.
Patients With Intravitreal Gas Bubbles at Risk of High Intraocular Pressure Without Exceeding Elevation of Surgery: Theoretical Analysis.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to show the mechanism responsible for high peak IOP in patients with intravitreal gas bubbles resulting from a descent to low elevation and a return ascent, without exceeding the surgical elevation. METHODS A computational model reconstructed four clinical cases, using published elevations, ascent rates, and initial bubble sizes. In each case, patients first underwent surgery (790 m), then went home (790 m, 790 m, 325 m, 240 m). When returning for follow-up visits, patients descended to a low elevation (20 m, 0 m, 25 m, -310 m), then ascended to surgical elevation (790 m). The computational model output bubble size, aqueous humor volume, and IOP during the patients' travels. A parametric study was conducted to investigate the role of each modeling parameter. RESULTS All four simulated cases showed increased peak IOP (34-50 mm Hg). Intraocular pressure returned to a normal value (15 mm Hg) after prolonged exposure to the surgical elevation. Over the course of the entire path, the gas bubble volume changed approximately 5%, decreasing in size during descent and then increasing during ascent. CONCLUSIONS In our simulations the change of bubble size outpaced the change of aqueous humor volume resulting in a 2-fold risk to patients. First, the bubble size reduction at the low elevation may increase the risk of ocular hypotony and postsurgical retinal detachment. Second, the combined increasing bubble size and accumulated aqueous humor puts patients at risk of high peak IOP after ascent even without exceeding the surgical elevation. The risks are primarily dependent on rates of elevation change and duration spent at the different elevations.
O33-6 Understanding risky health behaviours in illinois workers: findings from the 2013 behavioural risk factor surveillance system (brfss) using the industry and occupation module

In 2013, Illinois employed over 5 million people in various industries and occupations throughout the state. It is well known that working conditions can negatively impact health. However, state health data systems often lack information regarding occupation and industry, thus limiting opportunities to develop targeted health interventions in workplaces. Recently, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) added industry and occupation questions to the 2013 Illinois Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Overall, 2,962 respondents (53%) sampled reported having been employed within the last year. Occupation and industry codes based on the U.S. Census Occupation and Industry Classification System were assigned for 2,467 (83%) and 2,533 (86%) of employed respondents, respectively. Coded responses were categorised into 23 occupation and 21 industry groups and compared to 2013 state employment estimates from the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Estimated BRFSS distributions were similar to the Illinois workforce. Weighted SAS survey procedures were used to assess prevalence of smoking, seatbelt use, binge drinking, adequate sleep, and immunisation for each industry and occupation group. Prevalence of smoking, flu shots, and binge drinking varied by industry (p-values=0.0001–0.006) and occupation (p-values=0.0001–0.008). After adjusting for confounders (e.g., age, sex, education, race) using logistic regression, increased prevalence of binge drinking was observed among computer workers (prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.1–6.9) and increased prevalence of non-adherence to flu immunisation was observed among construction workers (PR = 3.8, 95% CI: 1.4–10.2). Significant adherence to flu immunisation recommendations was observed among healthcare, education and transportation workers (PR = 0.25–0.56, p = 0.0001–0.0453). Compared to the public administration industry, increased prevalence of binge drinking in the healthcare industry was observed (PR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.3–5.5), and non-adherence to flu immunizations was observed within the agricultural industry (PR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.1–5.7). Overall, the BRFSS can identify workplaces in need of targeted interventions to protect worker health.
Collective agency and intentionality: A critical theory perspective

In recent years, analytic philosophers have begun to pay increased attention to shared or “collective intentionality,” a term referring broadly to our human capacity to act in concert. From the deeply rooted individualistic perspective of contemporary cognitive science, this ability represents a real problem. However, from the perspective of critical theory, and of Jurgen Habermas’s theory of communicative action in particular, the social has always been integral to how we think of agency and the self. Furthermore, there is a long tradition in critical theory of using empirical research in psychology and sociology to inform conceptions of self and agency. In this chapter, the author shows how subjectivity and intersubjectivity are inextricably intertwined in the Habermasian theoretical framework, and traces the ways in which Habermasian account parallels feminist conceptions of the self as relational.
Genetic expression of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase induction. Presence or absence of association with zoxazolamine, diphenylhydantoin, and hexobarbital metabolism.

An increase in zoxazolamine (2-amino-5-chlorobenzoxazole) metabolism, as determined either by paralysis time or by an enzyme assay in vitro, is associated with aryl hydrocarbon (benzo[a]pyrene) hydroxylase induction among inbred strains of aromatic hydrocarbon-treated, genetically "responsive" mice, does not occur in inbred, genetically "nonresponsive," aromatic hydrocarbon-treated mice, and segregates (p 0.10) with the Ah locus among offspring of the appropriate crosses between "responsive" and "nonresponsive" mice. Induction of both diphenylhydantoin hydroxylase and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase occurs in the liver of 3-methylcholanthrene-treated Osborne-Mendel rats. Therefore monooxygenation (i.e., ring hydroxylation) of benzo[a]pyrene and zoxazolamine probably involves the same newly synthesized cytochrome P1-450 regulated by the Ah locus; diphenylhydantoin hydroxylation may be involved with a different P-450 species regulated by an "aromatic hydrocarbon responsiveness" genetic locus other than the Ah locus.
Kenyan Women’s Literature from Postcolonial Feminist Perspective: Six Stories by Storymoja Writers

Post-colonial feminism Post-colonial feminism, as one of the relatively recent but no less powerful tenets in modern humanitarian theories, has since its formative days been struggling against many social ailments that have been gnawing at post-colonial societies since and even before the days of decolonization. To wit, adepts of post-colonial feminist stand indexed patriarchy as the root cause of the ailments; patriarchy, in its traditional (pre-colonial), colonial and modernized versions. For the working definition of patriarchy, in this study we will dare use (being conscious, obviously, of scholarly works on the subject of far superior excellence) an account presented by a popular web-based source – for this account, in our view, provides a concise but rather exhaustive description of the entire phenomenon of patriarchy and its implications. Key words: patriarchy, feminism, literature, Africa, women
Theory of polyelectrolyte complexation-Complex coacervates are self-coacervates.

The complexation of mixtures of cationic and anionic polymers to produce complex-coacervate phases is a subject of fundamental importance to colloid and polymer science as well as to applications including drug delivery, sensing technologies, and bio-inspired adhesives. Unfortunately the theoretical underpinnings of complex coacervation are widely misunderstood and conceptual mistakes have propagated in the literature. Here, a simple symmetric polyelectrolyte mixture model in the absence of salt is used to discuss the salient features of the phase diagram, including the location of the critical point, binodals, and spinodals. It is argued that charge compensation by dimerization in the dilute region renders the phase diagram of an oppositely charged polyelectrolyte mixture qualitatively and quantitatively similar to that of a single-component symmetric diblock polyampholyte solution, a system capable of “self-coacervation.” The theoretical predictions are verified using fully fluctuating field-theoretic simulations for corresponding polyelectrolyte and diblock polyampholyte models. These represent the first comprehensive, approximation-free phase diagrams for coacervate and self-coacervate systems to appear in the literature.
A new diagnostic for hydrocarbon fuels using 3.41-µm diode laser absorption

Abstract We report the development of a novel laser absorption diagnostic for accurate, time-resolved and in situ measurement of various hydrocarbon fuels in combustion systems. This diagnostic method utilized a wavelength-tunable interband cascade laser operated near 3.41 µm, providing improved performance in several aspects over the conventional 3.39-μm He–Ne gas laser diagnostic. First, it enabled a simplified and more compact experimental setup that significantly reduced the measurement complexity. Second, it improved the long-term stability over the 3.39-μm diagnostic by at least a factor of 2, leading to substantially reduced measurement uncertainties. Lastly, the new diagnostic also avoided a cluster of CH 4 transitions that coincide with the He–Ne wavelength, and hence minimized CH 4 interference in other hydrocarbon measurements. Absorption cross-sections of a variety of hydrocarbons at both 3.39 and 3.41 µm were measured in a high-purity shock tube over 531–1659 K, 0.34–3.1 atm, and reported here as functions of temperature. Example applications of this new diagnostic in shock tube pyrolysis studies of methylcyclohexane, n-heptane and iso-octane are also presented. These studies have yielded an improved value of the overall decomposition rate constant of methylcyclohexane as k d = 3.3 × 10 15 exp(−38000 K/T) s − 1 + 28%/−34%, which is valid over 1260–1400 K and near 1.5 atm.
Multiple Tranches, Information Asymmetry and the Impediments to Mortgage Renegotiation

This paper examines how the creation of asset-backed security tranches disperses ownership of an asset–the pool of mortgages–subsequently impeding renegotiation of the underlying delinquent loans. I describe how multiplicity of tranches worsens the agency problem between a residential mortgage servicer and the mortgage-backed security investors, leading to a sub-optimal rate of loan modification. Using within-deal variation in the number and structure of tranches, I find that delinquent loans in pools collateralizing fewer tranches are more likely to be renegotiated. The results provide evidence for one channel through which mortgage securitization inhibited loan modifications during the Great Recession.
Chaoborus spp. Transport CH4 from the Sediments to the Surface Waters of a Eutrophic Reservoir, But Their Contribution to Water Column CH4 Concentrations and Diffusive Efflux Is Minor

Chaoborus spp. (midge larvae) live in the anoxic sediments and hypolimnia of freshwater lakes and reservoirs during the day and migrate to the surface waters at night to feed on plankton. It has recently been proposed that Chaoborus take up methane (CH4) from the sediments in their tracheal gas sacs, use this acquired buoyancy to ascend into the surface waters, and then release the CH4, thereby serving as a CH4 “pump” to the atmosphere. We tested this hypothesis using diel surveys and seasonal monitoring, as well as incubations of Chaoborus to measure CH4 transport in their gas sacs at different depths and times in a eutrophic reservoir. We found that Chaoborus transported CH4 from the hypolimnion to the lower epilimnion at dusk, but the overall rate of CH4 transport was minor, and incubations revealed substantial variability in CH4 transport over space and time. We calculated that Chaoborus transport ∼0.1 mmol CH4 m–2 yr–1 to the epilimnion in our study reservoir, a very low proportion (<1%) of total CH4...
The role of difference coarrays in correlation subspaces

The concept of correlation subspaces was recently introduced in array processing literature by Rahmani and Atia. Given a sensor array, its geometry determines the correlation subspace completely, and the covariance matrix of the array output is constrained in a certain way by the correlation subspace. It has been shown by Rahmani and Atia that this knowledge about the covariance constraint can be exploited to improve the performance of DOA estimators. In this paper, it is shown that there is a simple closed form expression for the basis vectors of the correlation subspace. Thus, computation of this subspace is greatly simplified. Another fundamental observation is that, this expression is closely related to the difference coarray. Thirdly, the paper also shows an interesting logical connection between correlation subspaces, redundancy averaging, and rectification, which are popularly used in DOA estimation1.
The Ecosystem Idea and Ideal

American attitudes regarding the protection of natural resources, wilderness, and recreation areas have undergone dramatic changes in the past two centuries, and our current disposition can be understood only in this historical perspective. It is perhaps not surprising that the science of ecology came of age in America at the same time as the conservation movement, but what is surprising is that these two fields have not always informed – or even associated with – one another. Evolutionary ecology in particular has had an uneasy relationship with the policy and practice of ecosystem protection, meaning that the understanding of species assembly and the management of ecosystem succession have not always been in lockstep. This chapter is a sketch of key ideas that have contributed to American ecosystem management in policy and practice.
Implications of Vertebral Morphology for Locomotor Evolution in Early Cetacea

Living whales are among the small number of swimming tetrapods that locomote axially. It is clear that members of their terrestrial sister group, mesonychian condylarths (Prothero et al., 1988; Thewissen, 1994), were quadrupedal. The transition from a terrestrial habitat and paraxial, oscillatory limb locomotion to an aquatic habitat and axial undulatory locomotion was accompanied by marked changes in postcranial anatomy. Aspects of this locomotor transition can be reconstructed from a study of the vertebral columns of mesonychids and fossil and living whales. Examination of regional variation within the axial skeleton is a powerful and underutilized tool for the analysis of locomotor style (Slijper, 1946, 1961; Worthington and Wake, 1972; Crovetto, 1991; Long et al., 1997). Although almost invariably fragmentary, early cetacean postcranial skeletons are surprisingly informative, and can complement morphological indicators of diet, sensory specializations, and skull reorganization to fill in some of the gaps in our understanding of the dramatic transition of early cetaceans as they moved from land to water.
Testicular Cancer in Children.

Management of testis cancer in children differs from that in adults due to the histological types and varying tolerances to chemotherapy agents. Embryonal adrenocarcinoma (endodermal sinus tumor, Teilum's tumor) is a tumor of infancy and young children and less aggressive than other testis cancers. Most cases require only orchiectomy for cure. Embryonal carcinoma is seen in older children and is managed by orchiectomy, regional node dissection, and chemotherapy according to stage. Teratocarcinoma is seen in older age groups. In the young children, as rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma are often present. Intensive multidisciplinary treatment is required in management. Paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma arising in the distalcord requires pelvic and retroperitoneal node dissection in addition to orchiectomy. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy help to produce high cure rates in these tumors. Details of the treatment of these histological types and results of treatment will be presented.
Carbapenemases in New York City: the continued decline of KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, but a new threat emerges.

Objectives Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae are important nosocomial pathogens in many medical centres. Surveillance is needed to track trends and detect emergence of new carbapenemases. Methods Single-patient isolates of Enterobacteriaceae were gathered from seven medical centres in New York City over a 3 month period in 2017. Susceptibility testing was performed and isolates were screened for selected carbapenemases. Additional isolates referred to our laboratory in 2018 were also tested. Results KPC was found in 3/1911 (0.16%) isolates of Escherichia coli, 22/533 (4.1%) isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and 3/175 (1.7%) isolates of Enterobacter spp. Compared with prior surveillance studies performed over the past decade, there has been a persistent decline in the number of KPC-possessing K. pneumoniae. However, in 2018 two patients from the same skilled nursing facility admitted to two separate hospitals were found to harbour Enterobacteriaceae with NDM-5 and CTX-M-15. Conclusions Since the height of the outbreak in 2006, there has been a decline in the number of KPC-possessing Enterobacteriaceae in New York City acute care medical centres. However continued vigilance is needed to detect the emergence of other carbapenemases.