cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Lynn White, jr.'s Medieval Technology and Social Change

Lynn White, jr. published Medieval Technology and Social Change in 1962. A reflection of his lifelong interest in the Middle Ages, combined with his realization of the benefits of studying a civilization through its material culture, White's work helped to create the field of the history of medieval technology. Controversial, inspiring, and accessible, the influence of this book continues to affect the work of a wide variety of scholars. White's contentious ‘stirrup thesis’ suggested that the stirrup's introduction to Europe from Asia in the Carolingian period enabled the development of feudalism, which concept was itself highly problematic. His work on the plow, the horse harness, and three-field crop rotation, and the degree to which they affected Europe's post-Roman population shift, is still debated. Mechanical power may not have led to a medieval industrial revolution as White claimed, but wind, water, and chemical power developments, along with the development of the crank, still substantially altered medieval agricultural and industrial production. Medieval Technology and Social Change, for all its flaws, is still a highly readable work of history, in part because of its multi-disciplinary use of archeology, etymology, economic history, art history, and iconography to frame its central sociocultural and technological arguments, and it is used widely by historians of the Middle Ages, technology, agriculture, and military history alike. This article surveys the historiography of the book, especially its influence on and discussions in recent histories.
Computational modelling of shot-peening effects on crack propagation under fretting fatigue:

Recent experimental studies have demonstrated fretting fatigue life enhancement of titanium alloy Ti-6A1–4V specimens after treatment by shot-peening. Because of complexities in tracking crack growth under fretting conditions experimentally, the present work describes computational modelling for crack propagation behaviour in specimens with and without shot-peening. A crack growth model is combined with a finite element submodelling technique to assess the crack trajectory and crack propagation life in the specimens under fretting fatigue. A parametric numerical analysis has been performed to investigate crack trajectories and stress intensity factors along the crack path under different loading conditions. Obtained results revealed the features of the crack growth trajectory and stress intensity factors in the presence of residual stresses from shotpeening. These results also demonstrated a significant (2–3 times) increase in the crack propagation life of shot-peened specimens relative to virgin specimen...
Biophysical feedback mediates effects of invasive grasses on coastal dune shape

Vegetation at the aquatic-terrestrial interface can alter landscape features through its growth and interactions with sediment and fluids. Even similar species may impart different effects due to variation in their interactions and feedbacks with the environment. Consequently, replacement of one engineering species by another can cause significant change in the physical environment. Here we investigate the species-specific ecological mechanisms influencing the geomorphology of U.S. Pacific Northwest coastal dunes. Over the last century, this system changed from open, shifting sand dunes with sparse vegetation (including native beach grass, Elymus mollis), to densely vegetated continuous foredune ridges resulting from the introduction and subsequent invasions of two nonnative grass species (Ammophila arenaria and Ammophila breviligulata), each of which is associated with different dune shapes and sediment supply rates along the coast. Here we propose a biophysical feedback responsible for differences in dune shape, and we investigate two, non-mutually exclusive ecological mechanisms for these differences: (1) species differ in their ability to capture sand and (2) species differ in their growth habit in response to sand deposition. To investigate sand capture, we used a moveable bed wind tunnel experiment and found that increasing tiller density increased sand capture efficiency and that, under different experimental densities, the native grass had higher sand capture efficiency compared to the Ammophila congeners. However, the greater densities of nonnative grasses under field conditions suggest that they have greater potential to capture more sand overall. We used a mesocosm experiment to look at plant growth responses to sand deposition and found that, in response to increasing sand supply rates, A. arenaria produced higher-density vertical tillers (characteristic of higher sand capture efficiency), while A. breviligulata and E. mollis responded with lower-density lateral tiller growth (characteristic of lower sand capture efficiency). Combined, these experiments provide evidence for a species-specific effect on coastal dune shape. Understanding how dominant ecosystem engineers, especially nonnative ones, differ in their interactions with abiotic factors is necessary to better parameterize coastal vulnerability models and inform management practices related to both coastal protection ecosystem services and ecosystem restoration.
Optimal multiphase complete exchange on circuit-switched hypercube architectures

The complete-exchange communication primitive on a distributed memory multiprocessor calls for every processor to send a message to every other processor, each such message being unique. For circuit-switched hypercube networks there are two well-known schemes for implementing this primitive. Direct exchange minimizes communication volume but maximizes startup costs, while Standard Exchange minimizes startup costs at the price of higher communication volume. This paper analyzes a hybrid, which can be thought of as a sequence of Direct Echange phases, applied to variable-sized subcubes. This paper examines the problem of determining the optimal subcube dimension sizes di for every phase. We show that optimal performance is achieved using some equi-partition, where |di-dj|≤1 for all phases i and j. We study the behavior of the optimal partition as a function of machine communication parameters, hypercube dimension, and message size, and show that the optimal partition can be determined with no more than 2(d+1) comparisons. Finally we validate the model empirically, and for certain problem instances observe as much as a factor of two improvement over the other methods.
Thinking with the body: a case study from choreography

To explore the question of physical thinking -- using the body as an instrument of cognition -- we collected extensive video and interview data on the creative process of a noted choreographer and his company as they made a new dance.We report here on two phenomena: 'marking' and 'riffing'. Marking refers to dancing a phrase in a less than complete manner. Dancers and theorists tend to assume that dancers mark primarily to save energy. But closer study shows that because marking behaves like a physical representation it can serve as a vehicle for thought. It lets dancers reflect on their movement in more focused ways than either dancing 'full out' or reflectively thinking entirely in their heads without moving at all.The second phenomenon, riffing, is a practice the choreographer has of physically trying out movement ideas before sharing them with his dancers. The obvious reason to riff is to practice a movement before teaching it. Again, though, close ethnographic study suggests that riffing serves a second function. It may be performed more as a technique for generating new ideas than for practice. When riffing, it seems that the choreographer is taking an idea that first arose in one sensory modality and mapping it into another modality. Different sorts of movement ideas are generated in our different sensory systems -- vision, kinesthetic, haptic, proprioceptic. Each system codes a movement in a slightly different way. By mapping between these modalities representational or experiential differences can be exploited for creative ends, provoking new ideas in the choreographer and giving him insight into the aesthetic possibilities of a movement.Both these phenomena suggest that the body can be harnessed as a thing to think with in a manner that extends the central idea of embodied cognition. The essence of embodied cognition is that cognitive processes are grounded in modality specific brain systems; that the way we originally acquired concepts through sight, sound, and touch, for instance, continues to affect our understanding of those concepts, long after they have been abstracted from specific senses. Understanding, therefore, is akin to simulation. When we grasp the meaning of a situation -- a person cutting a tomato, or the wind whipping up the sand at the beach -- we reactivate sensory traces of what it would be like to cut a tomato or to feel and observe sand being blown in the wind. Our research on dance extends the idea of embodiment because it shows how working across modalities reshapes conceptualization beyond its origins. It shows how the body can figure in extending the range of thought. It also shows how the body can carry some of the weight of thinking -- it can mediate certain forms of thought.
Voltage tunable microwave ferrite resonator

A novel method of implementing a tunable resonator using an applied voltage is presented. Stress is used to tune a microstrip resonator fabricated on a polycrystalline ferrite substrate. The stress was applied either mechanically with screws or electronically using piezoelectric actuators. We have demonstrated tunability of 300 MHz using screws and 50 MHz using a piezoelectric actuator at a center frequency of 2.3 GHz. Explanation of the tuning method is given and means to extend the tuning range is discussed. This method opens the possibility of compact low-power tunable filters with wide tuning range at microwave frequencies.
Interparental Discord and Adolescent Adjustment Trajectories: The Potentiating and Protective Role of Intrapersonal Attributes.

This prospective study of 360 adolescent-mother dyads examined whether associations between marital discord and trajectories of adolescent depressive symptoms and delinquency varied as a function of three intrapersonal attributes: temperament, childhood behavior problems, and perceived family support. Difficult temperament (i.e., dysrhythmicity, poor task orientation) potentiated the effects of marital discord on adolescent trajectories of adjustment, whereas heightened perceptions of family support protected adolescents from the adverse effects of marital discord. Adolescents with behavior problem histories were initially less vulnerable to marital discord; however, the high levels of depressive symptoms exhibited by adolescents with childhood behavior problems persisted over time only when they were exposed to elevated marital discord. The effects of the moderators differed in terms of duration and course.
Network configuration in a box: towards end-to-end verification of network reachability and security

Recent studies show that configurations of network access control is one of the most complex and error prone network management tasks. For this reason, network misconfiguration becomes the main source for network unreachablility and vulnerability problems. In this paper, we present a novel approach that models the global end-to-end behavior of access control configurations of the entire network including routers, IPSec, firewalls, and NAT for unicast and multicast packets. Our model represents the network as a state machine where the packet header and location determines the state. The transitions in this model are determined by packet header information, packet location, and policy semantics for the devices being modeled. We encode the semantics of access control policies with Boolean functions using binary decision diagrams (BDDs). We then use computation tree logic (CTL) and symbolic model checking to investigate all future and past states of this packet in the network and verify network reachability and security requirements. Thus, our contributions in this work is the global encoding for network configurations that allows for general reachability and security property-based verification using CTL model checking. We have implemented our approach in a tool called ConfigChecker. While evaluating ConfigChecker, we modeled and verified network configurations with thousands of devices and millions of configuration rules, thus demonstrating the scalability of this approach.
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Functional Domains of a Human Testis-Specific Isoform of Calpastatin

Human serum containing sperm-agglutinating antibodies was used to screen a testis cDNA expression library to identify the cognate antigens that may be responsible for this biological effect. The longest positive phage clone (1.9 kb) was sequenced and found to be a testis-specific isoform of calpastatin (tCAST). The testis-specific segment of tCAST is encoded by a single exon within intron 14 of the calpastatin gene. A unique protein isoform is produced that differs in domain structure from the somatic calpastatins (sCAST). Human sCAST most commonly has an N-terminal domain L plus the four functional calpain inhibitory domains. Human tCAST consists of a 40-amino-acid N-terminal T domain plus a part of domain II and all of domains III and IV from the somatic isoform. Our data show that the T domain can target cytosolic localization and membrane association of tCAST, whereas domain I of sCAST exhibits a nuclear localization function. Calpastatin is the endogenous inhibitor of calpain. The calpain/calpastatin system is involved in membrane fusion events for several cell types, and calpain has been localized to the sperm acrosome. We detected tCAST in human sperm and testes extracts by Western blotting with specific antisera. These observations suggest that tCAST may modulate calpain in the calcium-mediated acrosome reaction that is required for fertilization.
IFATS collection: Adipose-derived stromal cells improve the foreign body response.

Many implanted devices fail due to the formation of an avascular capsule surrounding the device. Additionally, fat has long been known to promote healing and vascularization. The goals of this study were to identify potential mechanisms of the provascular actions of adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) and to improve implant biocompatibility. First, adult ASCs and fibroblasts from rats were attached to polyurethane and polystyrene in vitro and their cytokine secretion profile was analyzed. Secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from ASCs was 10–70 times higher than fibroblasts after 3 and 6 days. Next, polyurethane, bare and with cellular coatings, was implanted subcutaneously in rats. The fibrous capsule surrounding bare polyurethane implants was 17%–32% thicker and the amount of collagen was 27% greater than the capsule surrounding ASC-coated implants. Finally, the microvessel density adjacent to ASC-coated polyurethane was approximately 50%–80% higher than bare polyurethane. In summary, ASCs attached to polyurethane have a dramatically increased VEGF production compared with fibroblasts in vitro, and these cells also produce an increased microvessel density in the surrounding tissue when implanted subcutaneously in rats. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Evaluation of ozone depletion potentials for chlorobromomethane (CH2ClBr) and 1-bromo-propane (CH2BrCH2CH3)

Chlorobromomethane (CH,ClBr) and 1-bromo-propane (CH,BrCH,CH, or simplified as 1 - C,H,Br) are being considered for use as solvents and potentially in other applications. As with other chemicals that contain chlorine and/or bromine, it is important to determine the potential environmental effect from use and emissions of such compounds, including effects on stratospheric ozone. In this paper, the Ozone Depletion Potentials (ODPs), an important measure of the potential effects on ozone, are evaluated for these two compounds using our two-dimensional chemical-transport model of the troposphere and stratosphere. This is the first time these compounds have, to our knowledge, been evaluated with atmospheric models. Our model results show that the main removal process (cu. 99%) in the atmosphere for these compounds is the reaction with OH radicals. Photolysis has only a minor ( < 1%) effect on the atmospheric lifetimes of either compound. The atmospheric lifetimes of CH,ClBr and 1 - C3H,Br due to atmospheric reactions are evaluated to be 0.40 yr (146 d) and 0.03 y (11 d), respectively. However, oceanic losses are likely to be important for CH,ClBr. Because of limited data on solubility and degradation in sea water, the lifetime for ocean loss currently has a range of 0.43-0.65 yr. This results in a total lifetime for CH,ClBr of 0.21-0.25 yr. An ocean sink for 1 - C,H,Br is likely to have an insignificant effect on its atmospheric lifetime or ODP. The ODP for 1 - C,H,Br is evaluated to be 0.006, while the ODP for CH,ClBr including the effects of the ocean sink is 0.11-0.13. There are additional uncertainties in these values due to ambiguities in measured reaction rates and in the model treatment of atmospheric processes.
Care coordination in intensive care units: communicating across information spaces.

Objective: This study explores the interactions among phases of team coordination, patient-related information, decision-making levels, and role holders in intensive care units (ICUs). Background: The effects of communication improvement initiatives on adverse patient events or improved outcomes have been difficult to establish. Conceptual inconsistencies and methodological shortcomings suggest insufficient understanding about clinical communication and care coordination. Method: Data were collected by shadowing a charge nurse, fellow, resident, and nurse in each of eight ICUs and recording each of their conversations during 12 hrs (32 role holders during 350 hrs). Results: Hierarchical log linear analyses show statistically significant three-way interactions between the patient information, phases of team coordination, and decision levels, χ2(df = 75) = 212, p < .0001; between roles, phases of team coordination, and decision levels, χ2(df = 60) = 109, p < .0001; and between roles, patient information, an...
Intraoperative use of clevidipine in a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease with associated pheochromocytoma.

m o V p e M p D i a p PHEOCHROMOCYTOMAS and paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors. Pheochromocytoma is the nomenclature used for a catecholamine-secreting tumor occurring anywhere along the sympathetic chain, most commonly in the adrenal medulla. It is known also as a chromaffin tumor because of the brown-black color of the cells created when the catecholamine-rich tumor cells react with the chromogranin A stain during histologic sectioning. In contrast, paragangliomas are extra-adrenal tumors arising from the sympathetic or parasympathetic paraganglia.1 Because of excessive catecholamine secretion, pheochromocytomas may precipitate life-threatening hypertension or cardiac arrhythmias.2 In particular, significant emodynamic instability with hypertension may occur intraopratively during tumor resection. The authors report for the first ime the use of clevidipine to control intraoperative blood ressure (BP) during resection of a pheochromocytoma in a ediatric patient. Previous reports on the use of clevidipine in his pediatric population are reviewed and its utility in the linical scenario is discussed.
Time Domain Weyl's Identity and the Causality Trick Based Formulation of the Time Domain Periodic Green's Function

Time domain Floquet modes for analyzing scattering (radiation) from periodically arranged planar scatterers (sources) have been presented recently in a series of papers by Felsen and Capolino. In these papers, they have investigated phenomenological details of transient scattering (radiation) by such structures. Typically, time domain Floquet modes are derived either by Fourier transforming their frequency domain counterparts or using spatial synthesis using Poisson summation. This paper proposes an alternative means to develop similar expressions and is motivated by the possibility of easily extending the method to the analysis of periodic structures in a layered medium. As will be shown, the time domain Weyl's identity can be used to construct the periodic Green's function using both homogeneous and inhomogeneous plane waves. We will also derive expressions using the Causality Trick. This technique involves using time-symmetric (non-causal) signals; however, it yields much simpler expressions that involve only homogeneous time domain plane waves and the results are identical to those obtained using the time domain Weyl's identity for the time region of interest. Finally, we will use the Whittaker formulation, which relies on real signals, to derive time domain Floquet modes. This formulation is applicable for simultaneous excitation only.
Adipose Tissue as an Endocrine Organ

Adipose tissue is a complex, essential, and highly active metabolic and endocrine organ. Besides adipocytes, adipose tissue contains connective tissue matrix, nerve tissue, stromovascular cells, and immune cells. Together these components function as an integrated unit. Adipose tissue not only responds to afferent signals from traditional hormone systems and the central nervous system but also expresses and secretes factors with important endocrine functions. These factors include leptin, other cytokines, adiponectin, complement components, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, proteins of the renin-angiotensin system, and resistin. Adipose tissue is also a major site for metabolism of sex steroids and glucocorticoids. The important endocrine function of adipose tissue is emphasized by the adverse metabolic consequences of both adipose tissue excess and deficiency. A better understanding of the endocrine function of adipose tissue will likely lead to more rational therapy for these increasingly prevalent disorders. This review presents an overview of the endocrine functions of adipose tissue. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89: 2548–2556, 2004)
Trade and Democratic Values

This essay concerns the fundamental principles that will guide congressional deliberations regarding trade policy in the coming months and years. There is no question but that Congress must respond effectively to progressive social demands, such as demands that the environment not be sacrificed to an unbridled adherence to the concept of free trade. At the same time, Congress must not lose sight of certain fundamental principles that have guided U.S. trade policy since the Second World War. The underlying commitment of the United States to liberal trade policy is not based on a simplistic commitment to comparative advantage as an end in itself, but is deeply rooted in a commitment to democratic values. Although a persuasive textbook case might be made for managed trade, central government control over trade has consistently resulted in dramatic economic and social failure, or economic success coupled with social conditions that would be intolerable in the United States.The liberal trading system must become more responsive to the interests of the environment and human well-being. It is capable of being adapted to meet the demands of the twenty-first century. This essay offers a few modest suggestions as to how this goal might be accomplished. The central message of this essay, however, is that adherence to the underlying principles of the liberal trading system and the accomplishment of progressive social goals are not mutually exclusive. It is imperative that progressive social goals not be confused with the interests of industries that have failed to respond to international competition.
Salt discriminability is related to number of regenerated taste buds after chorda tympani nerve section in rats

Transection of the chorda tympani nerve (CTX) impairs taste-guided discrimination of NaCl from KCl in rats. We wanted to determine whether this discrimination recovers after chorda tympani regeneration. Experiment 1 showed that few taste buds regenerated 14 days after CTX, whereas substantial regeneration occurred 42 days after surgery. Experiment 2 demonstrated that rats trained before CTX could clearly discriminate the two salts when tested starting 49 days after surgery, whereas rats tested starting 8 days after surgery were severely impaired in this task. Rats tested starting 28 days after CTX were unimpaired, moderately impaired, or severely impaired on the discrimination task. Overall, discrimination performance was significantly related to the number of regenerated taste buds. Unilaterally transected rats tested shortly after surgery were nearly as competent as controls. These results indicate that rats can recover the ability to discriminate NaCl from KCl after regeneration of anterior tongue taste buds.
Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)

Time-division multiplexing (TDM) is a method of transmitting and receiving multiple independent signals over a single transmission channel. The TDM at the transmit side assigns multiple channels in pre-assigned time slots, where multiple time slots constitute a frame. Frame synchronization bits are inserted to identify the “Start’ and Stop” of the frame. The synchronization bit pattern is unique and used for frame synchronization. The TDM at the receive side, known as the de-multiplexer, separates the incoming composite signal into parallel streams. Both multiplexer and de-multiplexer are synchronized by a common clock to receive data in accordance with the transmit sequence. This chapter presents the following topics as a fingertip reference for engineers and students in telecommunications: TDM Structure TDM Frame and Frame Hierarchy Frame Synchronization North American TDM Standard for Land Telephone System The T1(DS1) System TDMA for Wireless Communications TDMA Frame and Frame Hierarchy TDMA BER Performance Analysis
Digoxin-Mediated Upregulation of RGS2 Protein Protects against Cardiac Injury

Regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins have emerged as novel drug targets since their discovery almost two decades ago. RGS2 has received particular interest in cardiovascular research due to its role in regulating Gqsignaling in the heart and vascular smooth muscle. RGS2(-/-)mice are hypertensive, prone to heart failure, and display accelerated kidney fibrosis. RGS2 is rapidly degraded through the proteasome, and human mutations leading to accelerated RGS2 protein degradation correlate with hypertension. Hence, stabilizing RGS2 protein expression could be a novel route in treating cardiovascular disease. We previously identified cardiotonic steroids, including digoxin, as selective stabilizers of RGS2 protein in vitro. In the current study we investigated the functional effects of digoxin-mediated RGS2 protein stabilization in vivo. Using freshly isolated myocytes from wild-type and RGS2(-/-)mice treated with vehicle or low-dose digoxin (2µg/kg/day for 7 days) we demonstrated that agonist-induced cAMP levels and cardiomyocyte contractility was inhibited by digoxin in wild-type but not in RGS2(-/-)mice. This inhibition was accompanied by an increase in RGS2 protein levels in cardiomyocytes as well as in whole heart tissue. Furthermore, digoxin had protective effects in a model of cardiac injury in wild-type mice and this protection was lost in RGS2(-/-)mice. Digoxin is the oldest known therapy for heart failure; however, beyond its activity at the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, the exact mechanism of action is not known. The current study adds a novel mechanism, whereby through stabilizing RGS2 protein levels digoxin could exert its protective effects in the failing heart.
Numerical and Experimental Study of Film Cooling Effectiveness and Total Pressure Loss for a Realistic Cascade with an Annular Endwall

This is a numerical and experimental study on the film cooling effectiveness and pressure loss of cylindrical-shaped film cooling on an annular cascade. Film cooling holes will be employed on the inner diameter endwall, just upstream of the blade stagnation region of GE-E3 first stage high pressure turbine in a subsonic commercial aircraft. For a deeper understanding of the interaction behavior between film cooling jets and secondary flows inside the cascade passage, five (four and two halves) 3D profile airfoils are used to obtain a periodic flow in the middle passage. The experimental test rig has an inner diameter of 970 mm and outer diameter of 1098 mm (scaled 3X actual size). Total pressure loss and loss coefficient after the trailing edge surface are measured using a Five Hole Probe with 0.5 o and 10mm of circumferential and radial increment respectively. Film cooling effectiveness will be reported using a TSP method. Experimental data is validated by an in-house RANS model and by the existing literature. Results show that the pressure loss and film cooling effectiveness found in the test rig coincide with existing literature as well as CFD analysis.
Addressing the Complexity and Diversity of Agricultural Plant Volatiles: A Call for the Integration of Laboratory- and Field-Based Analyses

As the sophistication and sensitivity of chemical instrumentation increase, so does the number of applications. Correspondingly, new questions and opportunities for systems previously studied also arise. As with most plants, the emission of volatiles from agricultural products is complex and varies among commodities. Volatiles are indicative of characteristics such as food quality, cultivar type, phenological stage, and biotic and abiotic stressors; thus, their systematic and accurate evaluation is important. Early volatile analyses entailed removal of the sample matrix in question, transport to the laboratory, and subsequent investigation. More recently, scientists are moving the laboratory to the field to obtain realistic emission patterns of the sample in its natural environment. This perspective proposes that a methodical and collaborative approach to the complex relationship between volatiles and agricultural commodities and their various phenological stages, oxidative degradation products, and fungal contamination is needed in order to fully comprehend the sample and associated relationships as a whole. These methodical approaches should incorporate both in situ and ex situ investigations of the sample. Ultimately, there exists an opportunity for development of methodologies that integrate both laboratory- and field-based collection of volatiles to explore and address the complex biological interactions of agricultural systems.
Cellular reactions with protein A of Staphylococcus aureus.

SummaryProtein A of Staphylococcus aureus reacts with the Fc portion of γG globulin molecules. Rabbit and human lymphocytes were studied in an attempt to document the effects of interactions between protein A and immunoglobulin receptors on such cells. Addition of protein A to lymphocyte cultures simultaneously with stimulating amounts of anti-lymphocyte antiserum, pokeweed mitogen, or phytohemagglutinin resulted in blockade of lymphocyte transformation. If lymphocytes were preincubated with protein A, washed and exposed to the same mitogens, depression of subsequent cell transformation was also noted. No lymphocyte stimulation was noted when protein A was added to cell cultures. Rather than exerting any stimulatory effects on lymphocytes, it is suggested that protein A of S. aureus may function as an immunosuppressant.
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes for Infants Born With Congenital Heart Disease

Owing to advances in the care of infants with congenital heart disease, more patients are surviving not only infancy, but into adulthood. Therefore, there is a growing emphasis on the potential for long-term disability and quality of life in these patients. Follow-up studies have shown an increased risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Unlike some patients who may have one underlying risk for neurologic disability, patients with congenital heart disease often have multiple risk factors, which may be inherent to the patient’s condition or may be potentially modifiable. Recent advances in neuroimaging, surgical techniques, and perioperative care may help to inform our evaluation and treatment of infants with congenital heart disease so as to optimize outcomes.
The Applicability of the Holst Milk Test for A.F.B. to Studies on Pollen, Bee Bread and Other Hive Materials

(1958). The Applicability of the Holst Milk Test for A.F.B. to Studies on Pollen, Bee Bread and Other Hive Materials. Bee World: Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 36-39.
Reactor and Laser Coupling

This chapter discusses the design of how nuclear reactors are coupled to lasers. The design is complex in that there are many ways to interface the reactor, which serves as a neutron source, to the laser medium. There are issues with the fuel interface to the laser that includes the phase, the type of fuel, how the fuel is put into proximity to the laser medium and the potential chemical interactions of the fuel with the laser medium. The coupling of the optics to the laser medium is also an important consideration and how radiation damage may impact the optical components, structural materials and subsystems. There are also cooling and control issues as well.
Mind, brain, and machine: object recognition.

The synthesis of psychodynamic theory and practice with neurosciences and neuropsychiatry, Freud's original intent, may be aided by consideration of developments in machine intelligence. In the domain of object recognition and representation, such cross-talk arises from consideration of the subdivisions in the way the brain sees that have anatomic bases. The brain subdivides recognition tasks by hemisphere, and this subdivision resembles the platonic distinction between basic forms recognized by the left hemisphere and the particular spatial dimensions recognized by the right. Machines recognize objects by means of the mathematical analysis of discontinuities at boundaries, a simplified recognition strategy that perceives cartoon-like entities and bears comparison with the more primitive object recognition by borderline patients, who perhaps are aptly named in this respect. Computational neural networks of the hierarchical feedforward type with back propagation can be made to create internal representatio...
In Defense of Uncle Tom: Why Blacks Must Police Racial Loyalty

'Uncle Tom' is the most piercing epithet blacks can hurl at one another. It marks targets as race traitors, and that painful stain is often permanent. Much more than a slur, Uncle Tom is a vital component of a system of social norms in the black community that deters treachery. In this book, Brando Simeo Starkey provocatively argues that blacks must police racial loyalty and that those successfully prosecuted must be punished with the label Uncle Tom. This book shadows Uncle Tom throughout history to understand how these norms were constructed, disseminated, applied, and enforced. Why were Martin Luther King, Jr, Marcus Garvey, Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall and others accused of racial betrayal? In Defense of Uncle Tom answers this and other questions and insists that Uncle Tom is too valuable to discard. Because it deters treachery, this epithet helps build black solidarity, a golden tool in promoting racial progress.
Fever and Recurrent Febrile Seizures

The relation of the height of the fever to the recurrence rate of febrile convulsions was studied in 154 children admitted to the Paediatric Department, Ahmadi Hospital, Kuwait.
Intraoperative Evaluation of Hepatic Biliary Lesions

Most benign biliary lesions are too small to be detected by imaging techniques, so their presence is not usually suspected prior to abdominal surgery. Unfortunately, their features can closely simulate the gross appearance of metastatic adenocarcinoma and, thus, they are often submitted for frozen section analysis during procedures to remove extrahepatic malignancies. Intrahepatic adenocarcinoma is a diagnosis that is either confirmed or suspected at the time of surgery in most cases, so intraoperative pathologic assessment of these tumors is limited to evaluation of surgical margins. The purpose of this chapter is to (1) describe the gross and histologic features that facilitate distinction between benign and malignant ductal proliferations in the liver and (2) discuss issues related to evaluation of hepatic resection specimens that contain cholangiocarcinoma.
The Voyage of a Navigator An aspiring scholar's inside observations on the Affordable Care Act's rocky roll-out in North Carolina.

North Carolina, a federally facilitated marketplace under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), stumbled in 2013 when opening its health-insurance exchange. Trouble was easy to foresee, as North Carolina had instituted a law barring any state agency from assisting enrollment in health-insurance plans made available through the ACA. Trained workers were needed to help citizens and legal immigrants “navigate” to these plans. Some of these “navigators” could be paid with federal funds, but many others had to work as volunteers. I was one of these volunteer navigators. Much went wrong in training, staffing, and operations, but much still was accomplished. Here I report observations, share assessments, and offer suggestions for similarly complex situations.
Ingredients for a Successful Supply Chain Management System Implementation

The purpose of this article is to report on the implementation of a supply chain management (SCM) system at a Fortune 500 corporation. The paper describes the organization’s key supply chain proces...
An unusual manifestation of diabetic ketoacidosis and acute colonic pseudo-obstruction.

LessonPatients presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis and acute colonic pseudo-obstruction should undergo a focused evaluation to identify underlying precipitants.
Behavioural and Other Functional Effects of Low and High Doses of Fenfluramine and Dexfenfluramine

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes studies that address potential functional and behavioral side and potentially toxic effects of fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine. The studies examined the effects of these drugs under two rubrics: effects associated with therapeutic doses and effects that are a consequence of overdosage. A review of the available preclinical and clinical literature leads one to conclude that administration of either low or high doses of fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine does not produce any significant or consistent adverse functional or behavioral effects. Moreover, it is concluded that fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine do not produce neurotoxic effects according to functional or behavioral criteria. Thus, the literature reviews coupled with the data obtained via Phase IV surveillance leads to the conclusion that fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine are virtually devoid of any significant side or toxic effects. In short, there is no evidence that fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine produce functional toxicity.
Evidence for a Prepupal Diapause in the Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae)

Dormancy strategies, including diapause and quiescence, enable insects to evade adverse conditions and ensure seasonally appropriate life stages. A mechanistic understanding of a species' dormancy is necessary to predict population response in a changing climate. Climate change is influencing distribution patterns and population success of many species, including Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), the most important mortality agent of pines in western North America. Diapause is considered absent in D. ponderosae, and quiescence in the final larval stage prior to pupation (i.e., prepupal) is considered the main dormancy strategy. We evaluated if a facultative diapause in the prepupal stage, rather than a pupation threshold ~15°C (i.e., quiescence), could describe pupation patterns in two latitudinally separated D. ponderosae populations in the western United States. We hypothesized that if pupation occurs at lower temperatures than previously described, and if significant prepupal developmental delays occur, diapause is a likely physiological mechanism. Although there was considerable variation within and between populations, pupation occurred below the previously established threshold suggesting a prepupal facultative diapause that is induced when late instars experience cool temperatures. Individuals that pupated at temperatures below 15°C also had developmental delays, relative to development at warmer temperatures, consistent with diapause development. Pupation patterns differed between populations wherein diapause was induced at cooler temperatures and diapause development was shorter in southern compared with northern D. ponderosae. Recognition of a facultative diapause that varies among and between populations is critical for making predictions about future population response and range expansion in a changing climate.
Doctors for Frontier Expansion: Japanese Physicians in Hawaii, 1868–1924

This article examines how frontier zone expansion and the migration of Asian professionals reinforced each other in complex and indirect ways. It focuses on Hawaii as a microcosm of transnationalis...
Three-Dimensional Finite-Element Simulation of Fatigue Crack Growth and Closure

A three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite-element analysis of crack growth and closure under cyclic loading has been performed in order to investigate the behavior of a crack in a finite-thickness middle-crack tension specimen. The cases of both constant-amplitude loading and a single-spike overload are considered. The calculated crack-opening stresses for the exterior of the specimen agree with previous plane-stress results, and those obtained for the interior of the specimen agree with previous plane-strain results.
Failed Progenitor Specification Underlies the Cardiopharyngeal Phenotypes in a Zebrafish Model of 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Microdeletions involving TBX1 result in variable congenital malformations known collectively as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). Tbx1-deficient mice and zebrafish recapitulate several disease phenotypes, including pharyngeal arch artery (PAA), head muscle (HM), and cardiac outflow tract (OFT) deficiencies. In zebrafish, these structures arise from nkx2.5+ progenitors in pharyngeal arches 2-6. Because pharyngeal arch morphogenesis is compromised in Tbx1-deficient animals, the malformations were considered secondary. Here, we report that the PAA, HM, and OFT phenotypes in tbx1 mutant zebrafish are primary and arise prior to pharyngeal arch morphogenesis from failed specification of the nkx2.5+ pharyngeal lineage. Through in situ analysis and lineage tracing, we reveal that nkx2.5 and tbx1 are co-expressed in this progenitor population. Furthermore, we present evidence suggesting that gdf3-ALK4 signaling is a downstream mediator of nkx2.5+ pharyngeal lineage specification. Collectively, these studies support a cellular mechanism potentially underlying the cardiovascular and craniofacial defects observed in the 22q11.2DS population.
Filing for Moral Bankruptcy: An Examination of How Affect and Empathy Predict Moral Competence

What does being moral mean? On one hand people may justify mercy killing as sparing omeone’s suffering, but on the other hand they are still, in-fact, taking another’s life. According to Lind’s theory of moral competence (2008), it is based on consistent utilization of moral principles. Although common sense tells us that people’s affective states and levels of empathy may explain the differences, there is little direct evidence. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap by examining the relative contribution of empathy and affective state to moral competence. Results of the study revealed that although perspective taking and negative affective state were both significant predictors of moral competence, perspective taking was a stronger contributor. This suggests that the next time you deliberate over a moral dilemma (e.g., euthanasia), you should try understanding another person’s perspective rather than feeling empathy to make the best moral judgment.
Comparative Effectiveness of Adjunctive Psychotropic Medications in Patients With Schizophrenia

Importance People with schizophrenia are commonly treated with psychotropic medications in addition to antipsychotics, but there is little evidence about the comparative effectiveness of these adjunctive treatment strategies. Objective To study the comparative real-world effectiveness of adjunctive psychotropic treatments for patients with schizophrenia. Design, Setting, and Participants This comparative effectiveness study used US national Medicaid data from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2010, to examine the outcomes of initiating treatment with an antidepressant, a benzodiazepine, a mood stabilizer, or another antipsychotic among adult outpatients (aged 18-64 years) diagnosed with schizophrenia who were stably treated with a single antipsychotic. Data analysis was performed from January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate propensity scores to balance covariates across the 4 medication groups. Weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to compare treatment outcomes during 365 days on an intention-to-treat basis. Main Outcomes and Measures Risk of hospitalization for a mental disorder (primary), emergency department (ED) visits for a mental disorder, and all-cause mortality. Results The study cohort included 81 921 adult outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia (mean [SD] age, 40.7 [12.4] years; 37 515 women [45.8%]) who were stably treated with a single antipsychotic and then initiated use of an antidepressant (n = 31 117), a benzodiazepine (n = 11 941), a mood stabilizer (n = 12 849), or another antipsychotic (n = 26 014) (reference treatment). Compared with initiating use of another antipsychotic, initiating use of an antidepressant was associated with a lower risk (hazard ratio [HR], 0.84; 95% CI, 0.80-0.88) of psychiatric hospitalization, whereas initiating use of a benzodiazepine was associated with a higher risk (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.15); the risk associated with initiating use of a mood stabilizer (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.94-1.03) was not significantly different from initiating use of another antipsychotic. A similar pattern of associations was observed in psychiatric ED visits for initiating use of an antidepressant (HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.96), a benzodiazepine (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07-1.19), and a mood stabilizer (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.94-1.04). Initiating use of a mood stabilizer was associated with an increased risk of mortality (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04-1.66). Conclusions and Relevance In the treatment of schizophrenia, initiating adjunctive treatment with an antidepressant was associated with reduced risk of psychiatric hospitalization and ED visits compared with initiating use of alternative psychotropic medications. Associations of benzodiazepines and mood stabilizers with poorer outcomes warrant clinical caution and further investigation.