cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-frame rate, full-view myocardial elastography with automated contour tracking in murine left ventricles in vivo

Myocardial elastography is a novel method for noninvasively assessing regional myocardial function, with the advantages of high resolution and high precision. The purpose in this paper was to isolate the left ventricle from other structures for better displacement and strain visualization. Using a high-resolution (30 MHz) ultrasound system and a retrospective electrocardiogram (ECG)-gating technique, an extremely high frame rate (up to 8 kHz) was previously shown achievable for full-view (12-mm times 12-mm) myocardial elastography in the murine left ventricle. In vivo experiments were performed in anesthetized normal and infarcted mice [one day after left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation]. Radio frequency (RF) signals of the left ventricle (LV) in the long-axis view and the associated ECG were simultaneously acquired, with the ECG allowing gating of the RF signals. Incremental axial displacement of the myocardium was estimated using a one-dimensional (1-D) cross-correlation function. The cumulative displacement and strain then were calculated from the incremental displacement. In this paper, after manual selection of 40-50 points along the endo-and epicardial borders in the first frame of the cine-loop, myocardial contour was automatically tracked across the entire LV throughout a full cardiac cycle, which correctly determined the region of interest (ROI) for better interpretation. The cine-loop of the cumulative displacement and strain in one cardiac cycle, in both the normal and infarcted cases, showed that motion and deformation in the infarcted myocardium were significantly reduced, and that the infarcted region underwent thinning, rather than thickening, during systole. High precision of the displacement estimation, due to high frequency (30 MHz) and high frame rate (up to 8 kHz) available with this system, allowed for automated tracking of a manually-initialized myocardial contour over an entire cardiac cycle. High frame rate, full-view myocardial elastography with automated contour tracking could provide regional strain information of the LV throughout an entire cardiac cycle, and characterize normal as well as detect abnormal myocardial function, such as an infarction. The method of automated contour tracking can further enhance the capability of the elastographic technique with minimal user intervention while providing accurate functional information for the detection of disease throughout the entire cardiac cycle.
Use of X-Ray and Neutron Scattering Methods with Volume Measurements to Determine Lipid Bilayer Structure and Number of Water Molecules/Lipid.

In this chapter I begin with a historical perspective of membrane models, starting in the early twentieth century. As these membrane models evolved, so did experiments to characterize the structure and water content of purified lipid bilayers. The wide-spread use of the X-ray gravimetric, or Luzzati method, is critically discussed. The main motivation of the gravimetric technique is to determine the number of water molecules/lipid, nW, and then derive other important structural quantities, such as area/lipid, AL. Subsequent experiments from the Nagle/Tristram-Nagle laboratory using X-ray and neutron scattering, first determine AL and then calculate nW, using molecular lipid VL and water VW volumes. This chapter describes the details of our volume experiments to carefully measure VL. Our results also determine nW′, the steric water associated with the lipid headgroup, and how our calculated value compares to many literature values of tightly-associated headgroup water.
Analysis of endophyte toxins: fescue and other grasses toxic to livestock.

Research on livestock toxicoses caused by Acremonium (endophyte)-infected grasses strongly implicate the ergopeptine alkaloids with A. coenophialum-infected fescue and paxilline and the lolitrem alkaloids with A. lolii-infected perennial ryegrass as the causative agents. Isolation, identification, and detection of these toxins involves extraction with appropriate solvents, clean-up procedures, and chromatographic methods with known standards. Thin-layer, high-performance liquid and gas chromatography along with ultraviolet and mass spectrometric (i.e., electron impact, chemical ionization, tandem mass) characterizations have been reported. These methods have varying degrees of success depending on the matrix from which the alkaloids have been extracted. Ergovaline is the primary ergopeptine alkaloid isolated from cultures of A. coenophialum and also from infected fescue grass and seeds toxic to livestock. Other compounds isolated from the endophyte-infected fescue include:lysergic acid amide (ergine), the clavine class of ergot alkaloids (chanoclavine I, agroclavine, elymoclavine, penniclavine), the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (N-formylloline, N-acetylloline, N-methlyloline, N-acetylnorloline), and the unique pyrrolopyrazine alkaloid peramine. The loline alkaloids and peramine have been more associated with the insect-deterrent properties of the endophyte-infected fescue than with livestock toxicoses. Also, both peramine and the ergopeptine alkaloids (ergovaline, ergotamine) have been isolated from A. lolii-infected perennial ryegrass. More recently, paxilline and lolitrem B have been detected in laboratory cultures of A. coenophialum isolated from tall fescue. The ergot alkaloids in endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass may be more related to decreased animal productivity (weight gains, reproduction problems), whereas the lolitrems cause the staggers syndrome. The detection, isolation, identification, and analyses of these compounds from Acremonium-infected grasses is presented
Spatial Heterogeneity of Cortical Excitability in Migraine Revealed by Multifrequency Neuromagnetic Signals.

Abstract To investigate the spatial heterogeneity of cortical excitability in adolescents with migraine, magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings at a sampling rate of 6,000 Hz were obtained from 35 adolescents with an acute migraine and 35 age- and sex-matched healthy control participants during an auditory–motor task. Neuromagnetic activation from low- to high-frequency ranges (5–1,000 Hz) was measured at sensor and source levels. The heterogeneity of cortical excitability was quantified within each functional modality (auditory vs motor) and hemispherical lateralization. MEG data showed that high-frequency, not low-frequency neuromagnetic signals, showed heterogeneous cortical activation in migraine subjects compared with control participants ( P P Perspective This article presents a new approach to quantitatively measure the spatial heterogeneity of cortical excitability in adolescents with migraine using MEG signals in a frequency range of 5 to 1,000 Hz. The characteristics of the location and degree of cortical excitability may be critical for spatially targeted treatment for migraine.
Preservice teachers’ response and feedback type to correct and incorrect student-invented strategies for subtracting whole numbers

Abstract Despite the important role of teachers’ interpreting and responding to student ideas in teaching mathematics, there are many unanswered questions related to teacher learning and the role of errors in student-invented strategies. This study examined the reasoning and responses of 140 preservice teachers (PSTs) to students’ correct and incorrect strategies for whole number subtraction, as well as the PSTs’ perceived challenges in connecting student strategies to traditional methods. The study also investigated the role that PSTs’ specialized content knowledge plays in their ability to respond to correct and incorrect student-invented strategies, with respect to student-centeredness and feedback type. Results reveal that although some PSTs interpreted the validity and generalizability of the student methods incorrectly and justified them from the procedural aspect of each method, PSTs’ specialized content knowledge (e.g., the mathematical depth of the PSTs’ interpretation of student work) seemed to relate to their tendency to create student-centered approaches. However, specialized content knowledge did not seem to support PSTs’ feedback type in the domain of whole-number subtraction.
Knowledge Management With an Intelligent Tool for Additive Manufacturing

Manufacturers face the challenge of deciding when additive manufacturing technology offers a suitable process to produce a given product. Information needed about process capabilities is constantly evolving and usually not organized well enough to support such decisions. This work introduces an ontological framework which identifies and semantically models the most applicable concepts of additive manufacturing relevant to process planning applications. Another salient feature includes the fit of this structural framework with both the new ASTM standard for additive manufacturing vocabulary and existing taxonomies for traditional manufacturing processes. Finally, within this framework we implemented description logic rules to identify the optimal set of processes for a product, the rationale for selecting this set of processes, and a logical link between a product’s features and its process plan. The reliability of the knowledge representation and its process planning capabilities are each tested and demonstrated by a case study example of the selection of the best processes to produce a steel spur gear.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Oxidation of Copper by Fast Atomic Oxygen

The surface composition of the oxide formed on thin-film and solid OFHC copper samples exposed to a fast-atomic-oxygen environment in a low-earth orbit on NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), thin-film X-ray diffraction (TF-XRD), high-resolution profilometry, and reflectance measurements. The results confirm that it is easier to form thick copper oxide layers in the atomic oxygen ambient than is normally possible with other laboratory-based techniques.
Burma, the League of Nations and Transnational Opium Policy Networks

After the First World War, the government of India — and by extension the colonial administration in Burma — became part of a new transnational drug policy network. In the 1920s and 30s, Burma’s position in this network influenced the way that the British administration articulated its drug policy rationale. Burmese nationalists, as they became increasingly active against the colonial regime, condemned the effects that opium consumption had on the bodies of Burmese consumers, and drew upon the racially charged association of opium with the Chinese community in Burma to oppose both the colonial opium industry and the presence of “foreign” elements in Burma.
Abstract 2399: System analysis of adapted and quiescent/dormancy(QD) models of drug resistance in melanoma cell lines

The biological basis for inherent and acquired drug resistance in melanoma is a prominent issue, highlighted by the recent discovery of various pathways leading to acquired resistance to the mutant BRAF inhibitor Vemurafenib (Plx4032). In order to dissect patterns of drug resistance, we treated 3 melanoma cell lines (A375, 1205Lu and SK-Mel28) under 2 diverse conditions: (1) Increasing drug concentrations over time(4 months)- Melanoma cells treated with increasing concentrations of Plx4032 (initial and increasing concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 5 μM PLx4032) exhibited an adaptation response. After an initial pause in proliferation, these cells proliferated in the continuing presence of the drug. Cells able to grow in the presence of 10 or 20 μM of Plx4032 were cultured as pools. RNA-Seq profiling and system biology analysis comparing the gene expression in the parental SK-Mel28 cells and adapted A2-1 revealed three major altered pathways: the PDGF-MAPK-DUSP-HIF2α, TGF-β-SMAD9-FGF1 and EDNRB-GNAI2-PLCB4-PKA-MITF pathway. Our qRT-PCR and western blot experiments have confirmed an up-regulation of PDGF which by-passed the BRAF gene and activated ERK1/2 kinases. These changes were accompanied by increase of NRAS accumulation in the adapted cells. (2) Using high initial drug concentrations of PLx4032 (>10 μM), > 99.9 of cells were killed, but some single cells (Q/D) survived for at least 4 weeks in the continuous presence of drug. After the drug was removed cellular proliferation reoccured 2-3 weeks later (designated post-dormant cells 1, PD1 cells). These cells did not show increased IC50s to Plx4032 after 72 hour of retreatment. However, when treated with high dose of drug again, the PD1 cells produced more dormant cells (PD2 cells), suggesting inheritance of the DQ trait. RNA-Seq profiling studies of the DQ cells are underway. The drug-induced dormancy/quiescence and adaptive response represent 2 different pathways of how cells survive treatment and develop resistance and provide a beginning to understanding the biological basis of the well established clinical phenomenon of long term clinical dormancy of melanoma and potentially other cancers. Citation Format: Feng Liu, Parvita Paresh Panchal, Zi Wang, Ahmed Farhat, Angela Garcia, Tcharles Fagundes, Fabian Filipp, Frank L. Meyskens. System analysis of adapted and quiescent/dormancy(QD) models of drug resistance in melanoma cell lines. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2399.
Modal analysis of gain-guided phase-locked semiconductor laser arrays: direct solution of array eigenmodes

Recently there have been intense research efforts in developing semiconductor laser arrays with most of the work expended on gain-guided devices. The coupled-mode formalism that was applied to the problem of solving the lateral array modes (supermodes)1 is not the optimal method for analyzing gain-guided arrays. First, closed-form coupled-mode solutions are obtained only in the case of arrays with identical lasers. In actual devices the gain is nonuniform across the array; hence, laser arrays, especially those with gain-guided lasers, are necessarily nonidentical. (In lasers with separate contacts, these gain variations can even be controlled by adjusting the current in each stripe.) Second, when applying the coupled-mode formalism, it is generally necessary to calculate coupling coefficients, which is not a simple task in gain-guided lasers.2 Third, the coupled-mode formalism is an approximation that is accurate only in the limit of weak coupling.
Noninvasive Measurement of the Vector Magnetic Field from Human Gastrointestinal Sources

A vector SQUID gradiometer (Conductus Instruments, Inc., San Diego, CA) was used to measure magnetic fields associated with bioelectric sources in the stomach and small intestine of normal, healthy, human volunteers. These measurements are an extension to previous work [1,2,3] in which a single component of the magnetic field was measured. Magnetic recordings associated with gastrointestinal current sources, known as the Magneto-ENteroGram (MENG), contain frequency information about a specific type of activity known as the Basic Electrical Rhythm (BER). In normal subjects, the BER frequency of the stomach is approximately 3 cycles per minute (cpm), and varies in the small intestine from 12 cpm in the duodenum to 8 cpm in the terminal ileum. Certain disease conditions can change BER frequency [4], and it is therefore of interest to localize sources of particular frequencies. One of the advantages of using a vector instrument to measure these magnetic fields is that we are sensitive to current sources of all geometric orientations in the abdomen. One of the challenges of using a single channel vector instrument is to decouple the contributions from multiple sources in the magnetic recordings. Since the multiple current sources in the abdomen are of varying frequency, are spatially distributed, and are generally of different orientations, it follows that at a given location, the vector magnetic fields from each current source should point in different directions. The purpose of this preliminary study is to measure the vector MENG in order to examine the possibility that using all components of the magnetic field could be more suitable than using only a single component for localizing current sources in the gastrointestinal tract of humans.
The case for treating hypercholesterolemia at an earlier age: moving toward consensus.

From time to time we need to remind ourselves that atherosclerosis begins in childhood as fatty streaks. These lesions are of course benign in that they are asymptomatic, do not obstruct blood flow, and do not predispose to thrombosis. However, they are actually anything but benign. They are the
Life and death rest on a bivalent chromatin state.

Neurons require lifelong maintenance of their transcriptional program, which includes stable expression of cell-type-specific identity genes. A study now shows that PRC2-mediated chromatin repression in adulthood is critical for the maintenance of neuronal identity gene expression and neuronal survival.
Characterization and Evolution of the Spotted Gar Retina.

In this study, we characterize the retina of the spotted gar, Lepisosteus oculatus, a ray-finned fish. Gar did not undergo the whole genome duplication event that occurred at the base of the teleost fish lineage, which includes the model species zebrafish and medaka. The divergence of gars from the teleost lineage and the availability of a high-quality genome sequence make it a uniquely useful species to understand how genome duplication sculpted features of the teleost visual system, including photoreceptor diversity. We developed reagents to characterize the cellular organization of the spotted gar retina, including representative markers for all major classes of retinal neurons and Muller glia. We report that the gar has a preponderance of predicted short-wavelength shifted (SWS) opsin genes, including a duplicated set of SWS1 (ultraviolet) sensitive opsin encoding genes, a SWS2 (blue) opsin encoding gene, and two rod opsin encoding genes, all of which were expressed in retinal photoreceptors. We also report that gar SWS1 cones lack the geometric organization of photoreceptors observed in teleost fish species, consistent with the crystalline photoreceptor mosaic being a teleost innovation. Of note the spotted gar expresses both exo-rhodopsin (RH1-1) and rhodopsin (RH1-2) in rods. Exo-rhodopsin is an opsin that is not expressed in the retina of zebrafish and other teleosts, but rather is expressed in regions of the brain. This study suggests that exo-rhodopsin is an ancestral actinopterygian (ray finned fish) retinal opsin, and in teleosts its expression has possibly been subfunctionalized to the pineal gland.
A Global Review of HIV Self-testing: Themes and Implications

HIV self-test kits may have the potential to increase testing rates around the globe, and thereby lead to reductions in HIV-related incidence and mortality. However, the effectiveness of these self-test kits and the issues surrounding self-testing have been greatly debated in recent years. We conducted a literature review on the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of HIV self-testing (HST) around the world. Of the 28 articles abstracted, several themes of HST were explored, including behavioral risk compensation, presence of counseling, uses of HST, ability to perform the self-test, sensitivity and specificity, concordance with confirmatory testing, perceptions surrounding HST, instruction and supervision, and cost. Overall, this literature review found that this diverse group of participants generally performed HST correctly with a few exceptions, were accepting of the test if available at a relatively low cost, and preferred the oral-based HST over the blood-based test.
Using a non-invasive secure skin closure following total knee arthroplasty leads to fewer wound complications and no patient home care visits compared to surgical staples.

Abstract Background Superficial wound complications occur in up to 10% of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures and have been associated with periprosthetic joint infection. The ideal material for TKA closure should offer: 1) fast intraoperative application, 2) minimal wound complications and 3) removable by patients without assistance. We evaluated a novel, non-invasive, removable skin closure system for TKA to determine its effect on wound complications. Methods We prospectively evaluated 221 consecutive TKA patients who received skin closure using a non-invasive zipper-like system (‘Zip’; Zip 16 Surgical Skin Closure System; Zipline Medical). All procedures were performed by a single surgeon using the mini-midvastus approach. Patients received two weeks of rivaroxaban postoperatively. Demographics, comorbidities, in-hospital complications and six-week wound evaluation were recorded. Data was compared to a cohort of 1001 patients from the same surgeon who received staples for closure and coumadin for thromboprophylaxis. Results Zip patients had a significantly higher BMI (p = 0.001), incidence of diabetes (p = 0.035) and smoking (p = 0.005). Zip patients removed dressings themselves and did not report problems with dressing care. Rate of readmission for wound-related complications was significantly lower in the Zip closure group (p = 0.045). Overall readmission rates were similar between groups. Conclusions In our experience, the Zip 16 Surgical Skin Closure System is easy to apply, avoids home care and has produced fewer wound complications compared to staples. Results have been positive despite the study cohort having a higher number of diabetic patients and using an anticoagulant associated with a higher risk of wound complications.
An Examination of Recidivism Among Inmates Released From a Private Reentry Center and Public Institutions in Colorado

In this study, we examine comparative rates of recidivism for Colorado inmates released from a private reentry center and public facilities. Using a sample of 6,102 inmates released from 2008 to 20...
General approach to shock.

The hemodynamic alterations in elderly individuals when combined with their reduced functional capacity concerning specific organ systems places them at an increased risk of developing shock with certain disease processes. The initial management should be directed toward shock resuscitation with appropriate volume and/or vasopressor/inotropic support. Then attention must be given to identifying and treating the underlying causes and the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in the shock. Monitoring the adequacy of the treatment is important and can be done by sequential measurement of various parameters such as 02 delivery, 02 consumption, lactate levels, and gastric intramucosal pH.
Pulmonary Hypertension: From Phenomenology to a Molecular Understanding of Disease Mechanisms

Science is the art of shaping questions and identifying the underlying assumptions. Nature has no secrets. The obstacles to furthering knowledge lie in the formulation of new, probing questions. Artful questions often require new technology from unrelated disciplines.
JP Den Hartog about SP Timoshenko: Fifty Years Later:

This study is devoted to Jacob Pieter Den Hartog’s views about Stephen Prokopovych Timoshenko. Both were outstanding contributors to the mechanics-based design of structures and machines. Additiona...
A data driven control strategy for optimal and flexible operation of absorption systems.

Abstract A novel control strategy for vapor absorption systems with experimental validation is presented. Statistical methods are used to integrate a detailed thermodynamic model and system-specific characteristics into a model based control algorithm. This allows for continuously optimized operation as well as fast response to variations in operating conditions. Autonomous controller performance was tested experimentally for response to changes in heat sink and evaporator temperatures. Continuous turndown with fast response to capacity demand changes, in contrast to suboptimal on/off control, was demonstrated. The thermal compressor concept was employed to develop the variable speed thermal compressor module, with aspects specific to absorption heat pumps, also facilitating cross-applicability of vapor compression system control strategies. The results of this study enable further development and optimization of absorption systems for a wide range of applications.
Aryl 4-Guanidinobenzoates: Potential Vaginal Contraceptives

A significant amount of evidence supports the use of sperm enzyme inhibitors as contraceptive agents [1, 2]. Of particular interest are inhibitors of the acrosomal enzyme acrosin. Numerous animal investigations have shown that acrosin is essential for fertilization [2]. The same appears to be true for the human. Infertile men are known to possess 2–3 times lower acrosin levels than asymptomatic men [3, 4]. Procedures known to reduce the fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa, such as sperm banking (cryopreservation), also reduce sperm acrosin levels, even in cases where sperm motility is retained [5, 6]. Finally, sperm acrosomal abnormalities are known to be associated with male infertility [7]. Thus, inhibition of sperm acrosin should lead to infertility. Indeed, a large number of animal studies have shown that acrosin inhibitors prevent fertilization whether they are administered vaginally, into the uterus, or intraperitoneally [1, 2]. Several different types of acrosin inhibitors have been evaluated for their vaginal contraceptive use [1, 2, 8–12], but the aryl 4-guanidinobenzoates are the most potent inhibitors of acrosin, and several may have clinical application. The following summarizes the data obtained with these aryl 4-guanidinobenzoates by our laboratories [2, 13–33, and unpublished results].
Growth and characterization of mixed Ta2O5 thin films by reactive biased target deposition

We present characterization of tantala films mixed with titania or scandia grown by reactive biased target deposition. The introduction of a dopant significantly affected the optical properties of the films and the crystallization temperature.
Pharmacologic interrogation of patients with esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction using amyl nitrite

BACKGROUND The Chicago Classification of esophageal motility includes a group of patients who show evidence of esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO) as demonstrated by elevated integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) and preserved peristalsis. Our aim is to classify EGJOO patients based on response to amyl nitrite (AN) during high-resolution manometry. METHODS Patients were considered to have true EGJOO if elevated IRP during supine swallow persisted in the upright position and was associated with high intrabolus pressure. The EGJ response to AN was compared between patients with achalasia type 2 (A2) and normal esophageal motility. Based on the relaxation gain (deglutitive IRP-AN IRP) value that best discriminated these two groups (10 mm Hg), patients with true EGJOO were categorized as being in either the AN-responsive (AN-R) or AN-unresponsive (AN-U) subgroups. KEY RESULTS In the group of 49 patients with true EGJOO, the AN response classified 27 patients (IRP = 25 ± 10 mm Hg) with AN-R and 22 patients (IRP = 20 ± 5 mm Hg) with AN-U (P = 0.2). In AN-R, AN produced a relaxation gain and rebound after-contraction response at the EGJ comparable to A2 patients. AN-U patients had an elevated IRP after AN and a relaxation gain similar to normal esophageal motility patients. AN-U patients were obese and had higher prevalence of sleep apnea (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with true EGJOO, only half have pharmacologic evidence of impaired LES relaxation. Pharmacologic interrogation of the EGJ is thus necessary to identify the subgroup of EGJOO patients who could be expected to benefit from LES ablative therapies.
Circulating profile of Activin-Follistatin-Inhibin Axis in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea in response to leptin treatment

Abstract Background Chronic energy deficiency observed in women that exercise strenuously affects reproductive function, often leading to hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA). In such conditions, hypoleptinemia and robust changes in the Activin-Follistatin-Inhibin Axis (AFI) are observed. Treatment with leptin restores menstruation in many (60% responders) but not all (40% non-responders) women, suggesting that leptin is not the only regulator of reproductive function related to energy balance. In this work, we aimed to identify differences in hormonal profiles between leptin responders and non-responders among women with HA, with particular focus on the AFI axis. Methods AFI axis and reproductive hormones (LH, FSH, Estradiol, ΑΜΗ) were measured in blood in: a) An open-label interventional study, b) a randomized placebo-controlled trial, both investigating responders versus non-responders/women with HA treated with leptin. Results Women with HA that responded to leptin treatment have higher circulating levels/peak values of Inhibin A, Estradiol (E2), higher LH/FSH ratio and a trend to lower AMH compared with non-responders. Conclusions Components of the AFI axis are associated with improvement of reproductive function in women with HA treated with leptin. ΑΜΗ may serve as a marker of ovarian recovery under HA treatment.
Philip Sidney and Edmund Spenser on Transnational Governance and the Future of Christendom

This article considers the writings of Philip Sidney and Edmund Spenser within the context of European religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, amid the perceived Ottoman threat to Christendom. In their fictional works, these authors imagine an overarching authority that might replace the traditional papal power of oversight and deposing in order to regulate temporal sovereigns and foster a unity of Christian princes within Europe. Even as they can be read as reimagining Christendom, their fictional works reflect what Charles Taylor has called the “disenchantment” of sacred spaces within his philosophical history of the emergence of secularity within European cultures.
Preface: Growth and Emerging Prospects of International Islamic Banking

The desire to edit a book on International Islamic Banking came out of my two decades of experience as a practitioner of conventional finance and a few years of experience in dealing with Islamic banking. During the financial crises of 2007, the global banking sector faced a serious crisis. As a result, Islamic banking got a chance as an alternative. Since then, Islamic Banking is being considered as a key competitor of conventional Banking in Muslim and non-Muslims countries alike. Islamic banks (IB) have distinct risk profiles and balance sheet structures that differ from conventional banks, with associated implications for financial stability (IMF, 2018). Evidence also shows that there exists a link between Islamic banking development and economic growth.
Fashion Journalism in the 1960s and 1970s, and the End of the Women’s Pages

Fashion shows of all kinds were popular—in cities across the country. One observer said the events were rapidly overtaking those who created them: “Women are insatiable. They just cannot get enough of fashion shows. It is difficult to imagine how they could get more.” Women’s liberation leaders wanted newspapers to eliminate the women’s pages and put news about women on the front pages. It was an interesting theory but it did not work in practice. Instead, much of the news about women was eliminated. Some women’s page editors wanted to save their sections and raise the standard of the sections. Ultimately, these sections became lifestyle or feature sections. It also meant the loss of many fashion editors’ jobs.
Control of copper nanoparticle metallization on electrospun fibers via Pd and Ag seed-assisted templating

We investigated the effects of palladium and silver seed chemistries on the electroless deposition of copper nanoparticles on electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers to identify conditions that enable formation of either conformal coatings or isolated metallic nanoparticles. The kinetics of Cu deposition was enhanced on Pd seeded fibers over Ag seeding, and continuous growth of copper nanoparticles conformal to the PAN fibers was achieved in instances with high seed density for both seed chemistries. A discrete distribution of copper nanoparticles was observed for low density silver seeding. Furthermore, the high density Ag seeds promoted dense and compact copper nanoparticle films, while the films on the Pd seeded fibers were rough with inclusions of microporosity. Raman spectroscopy revealed that a higher ratio of the D to G bands formed during processing, indicative of more cyclization of nitrile groups in surface PAN molecules during the seeding and deposition processes, corresponds to a higher seeding density. Thermal stability of PAN is enhanced with isolated Pd seeds present where the seed size is lower than the mean free path for electron conduction, but degrades as larger seeds or more dense and compact metallic shells are formed on the fibers.
Two Truths and a Lie: Exploring Soft Moderation of COVID-19 Misinformation with Amazon Alexa

In this paper, we analyzed the perceived accuracy of COVID-19 vaccine Tweets when they were spoken back by a third-party Amazon Alexa skill. We mimicked the soft moderation that Twitter applies to COVID-19 misinformation content in both forms of warning covers and warning tags to investigate whether the third-party skill could affect how and when users heed these warnings. The results from a 304-participant study suggest that the spoken back warning covers may not work as intended, even when converted from text to speech. We controlled for COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy and political leanings and found that the vaccination hesitant Alexa users ignored any type of warning as long as the Tweets align with their personal beliefs. The politically independent users trusted Alexa less than their politically-laden counterparts and that helped them accurately perceiving truthful COVID-19 information. We discuss soft moderation adaptations for voice assistants to achieve the intended effect of curbing COVID-19 misinformation.
Graves’ Disease and Pregnancy

Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder caused by an IgG immunoglobulin stimulating the TSH receptor (TSI – thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin), is the most common form of thyrotoxicosis in pregnancy. During pregnancy, the immune system undergoes a selective immunosuppression resulting in a decline in TSI titer with a concomitant decrease in thyrotoxicosis severity. An immunologic rebound occurs postpartum accompanied by increased TSI titers and an aggravation of thyrotoxicosis. The prevalence of Graves’ disease in pregnancy is 0.5 %. There is an increased prevalence on new-onset Graves’ disease in the postpartum period. Diagnosis of Graves’ disease during pregnancy consists of an elevated thyroxine and/or triioodothyronine and a suppressed TSH in a woman who tests positive for TSI. High maternal titers of TSI at delivery can result in neonatal thyrotoxicosis. Gestational thyrotoxicosis is secondary to the thyrotrophic effect of human chorionic gonadotropin, is self-limiting, and does not require treatment. Management of Graves’ thyrotoxicosis is predominately via antithyroid drugs. Propylthiouracil is recommended in the first trimester and methimazole is preferred during the second and third trimesters. Surgery is indicated in the second trimester in rare circumstances and radioactive iodine is contraindicated during pregnancy. Women with Graves’ disease preconception should be rendered euthyroid prior to conception.
Control and evaluation of a 7-axis surgical robot for laparoscopy

This paper describes the control and ergonomic evaluation of a ceiling mounted (or support frame suspended) 7-axis surgical robot (HISAR) for laparoscopic camera navigation. A key feature of the robot is that it incorporates a passive wrist for natural compliance with the port of entry into the patient. The use of a previously reported constrained Cartesian controller is motivated and demonstrated, and the results of successfully applying this control methodology to the manipulator are presented. The significance of the control strategy is the ease with which control of passive axes, the fulcrum constraint, and the motion inversion effect created by the fulcrum are accommodated. We also report on the results of laboratory evaluations of the arm in terms of its work volume, ergonomic factors, ease of control, and overall design within the context of laparoscopic camera control.
Integrated Regional Water Management: Collaboration or Water Politics as Usual?

This paper analyzes the effectiveness of integrated regional water management (IRWM) in the San Francisco Bay-Area of California for decreasing fragmentation and increasing collaboration among water management stakeholders. The theory identifies the elements of traditional water management politics that lead to fragmentation and conflict. The water-politics-as-usual model is then compared to the collaborative model of integrated water management. The evolution of IRWM in California is briefly described. A survey of Bay Area stakeholders is used to assess whether participation in the Bay Area IRWM achieves the goals of collaboration and integration. The basic results suggest the Bay Area has made only incremental progress away from the fragmentation and conflict seen in the past.
A Change is Gonna Come: The Implications of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the Domestic Practice of Constitutional Mental Disability Law

As recently as fifteen years ago, disability was not broadly acknowledged as a human rights issue. Although there were prior cases decided in the United States and in Europe that, retrospectively, had been litigated from a human rights perspective1 the characterization of "disability rights" (especially the rights of persons with mental disabilities) was not discussed in a global public, political or legal debate until the early 1990s. Instead, disability was seen only as a medical problem of the individual requiring a treatment or cure. By contrast, viewing disability as a human rights issue requires us to recognize the inherent equality of all people, regardless of abilities, disabilities, or differences, and obligates society to remove the attitudinal and physical barriers to equality and inclusion of people with disabilities.The recent ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Mental Disabilities (CRPD) has the potential to create the most significant tectonic plate shift in mental disability law since the United States Supreme Court, finally, in 1972, agreed that the due process clause of the US Constitution applied to persons institutionalized because of mental disability. I believe that this new international law truly has the potential to force us to reconceptualize everything that we have thought of as the "accumulated truths" of mental disability law.
Composition and function of the undernourished neonatal mouse intestinal microbiome

Abstract Undernutrition remains one of the key global health challenges facing children today. Distinct microbial profiles have been associated with obesity and undernutrition, although mechanisms behind these associations are unknown. We sought to understand how protein–energy undernutrition alters the microbiome and to propose mechanisms by which these alterations influence the malnourished phenotype. Outbred CD1 neonatal mice were undernourished by timed separation from lactating dams, while control animals nursed ad libitum . 16S rRNA gene sequencing and compositional analysis identified microbes from luminal contents of ileum, cecum and colon, while whole metagenome shotgun sequencing identified microbial gene content. Our results suggest that the most important determinant of microbiome composition is body compartment; communities derived from ileum are distinct from those from cecum and colon as observed by phylogenetic clustering analysis. However, within each compartment, microbiota from undernourished and control mice cluster separately. At the phylum level, undernourished mice harbor more Verrucomicrobia and less Bacteroidetes in the distal intestine; these changes are driven by an increase in Akkermansia muciniphila and decreases in Bacteroides and Alistipes . Undernourished mice have an overall loss of microbial community richness and diversity and are deficient in multiple microbial genetic pathways including N -glycan, inositol phosphate and one-carbon metabolism. Losses in these microbial genes may confer less efficient extraction of energy from nondigestible dietary components including glycans and phytates, whereas epigenetic alterations provide a means of persistently altering metabolism even after adequate nutrition is restored. Thus, the microbiome of an undernourished host may perpetuate states of poor nutrition via multiple mechanisms.
Mathematical modeling and numerical simulation in external flow control

This paper presents an investigation of some active control problems for an external flow field. A series of numerical simulations are performed to investigate an unsteady viscous flow generated by a circular cylinder undergoing a combined rotary and rectilinear motion. By treating the rotation rate as a control variable, we present results of the time histories of forces acting on the cylinder surface and their time-averaged values under several types of rotations. The impact of changing rotation rate on the vortex formation, including the synchronization of cylinder and wake, is demonstrated. Based on the optimal control theory, an optimality system is formulated to determine the optimal rotation rates and the solution orbits. Though only the moving boundary mechanism is discussed, the results presented here add insight to the optimal design of control mechanism and may provide guidance to the formulation of other complex optimal flow control problems.
Temperature Variation in Battery Brooders as Related to Experimental Design

Abstract DIFFERENCES in brooding temperature are known to affect growth of chicks and poults. The manner in which the temperature varies, both within batteries and between batteries, should therefore be of interest in the design of experiments to be conducted in battery brooders. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Temperature readings were recorded twice daily for each deck of battery brooders located in theoretically inferior and superior battery rooms during a one-week experiment with White Holland poults. One room was an old, drafty, steam-heated building 30′×30× in size, having three cold walls. Large room temperature variations had been known to occur. The second room was a remodeled pen, 20′×20′ in size, in a well-constructed building formerly used for layers. This room had but one cold wall and was equipped with a thermostatically controlled steam radiator and similarly controlled exhaust fan to provide careful regulation of temperature and ventilation. Three Shenandoah “brooderette” batteries of 4 decks …
Birth Outcome Measures and Infant Mortality

Recent studies have proposed alternative birth outcome measures as means of assessing infant mortality risk; nevertheless, there hasn’t yet been an integrated analysis of these approaches. We review 14 strategies, including various combinations of birth weight, gestational age, fetal growth rate, and Apgar scores—as predictors of early neonatal, late neonatal, and postneonatal mortality, and infant mortality. Using the NCHS linked birth/infant death file for 2001, we construct multivariate logit models and assess the associations between each of the 14 key birth outcome measures and four mortality outcomes. We find that all evaluated birth outcome measures are strong predictors, but Apgar scores are the strongest among all models for all outcomes, independent of birth weight and gestational age. Apgar scores’ predictive power is stronger for Mexican-, white-, and female-infants than for black- and male-infants. Second, all birth outcome measures remain significantly associated with mortality, but their predictive power reduces drastically over time. These findings suggest a rule of thumb for predicting infant mortality odds: when available, Apgar scores should always be included along with birth weight (or LBW status) and gestational age. Additionally, these findings argue for the continued study of low birthweight, gestational age, and Apgar scores as independently salient health outcomes.
A Determination of the Atomic Field of Bromine from Electron Scattering

The experimental curves for the scattering of electrons by bromine have been analyzed to determine the phase shifts as functions of the energy. The method of phase shift analysis is described in detail. The atomic field of bromine is calculated from the phase shifts by a method involving the WKB approximation to the phase shifts.
Art, Trent, and Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment”

Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel is one of the world’s most famous paintings, completed in 1542. Greatly admired, it was also criticized for the frontal nudity of some of the figures. Twenty-two years later, 1564, the nudity was painted over, an action attributed to the Council of Trent, 1545–1563. To what extent is that attribution correct?
Using Virtual Reality for Task‐Based Exercises in Teaching Non‐Traditional Students of German

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to teach a continuing education course to individuals who wanted to gain survival skills for traveling in Europe. Teaching a continuing education course is quite different than teaching a standard university course on several counts. The continuing education course is usually designed as a non-credit course; it is of shorter duration than semester-long or quarter-long courses; and, it is often comprised of older students many of whom are already retired. Additionally, although the continuing education courses I have taught were always billed as "Beginning German," the vast majority of those who signed up for these courses did so for their social aspects (i.e., to meet fellow travelers and/or to discuss the logistics of their upcoming trips). Interestingly enough, while these students were also there to learn German, I found that many of them were caught off guard by the Communicative Approach since their previous language instruction years earlier had focused on older methods such as Grammar-Translation or ALM. Keeping in mind their reasons for taking the class and mine for teaching it, I decided to design a course that revolved around task-based1 exercises. Using this type of methodology, I believed, would meet the students' desires to meet and socialize with other travelers as they interacted and collaborated in partner work and group work at the same time that it would allow me to address their linguistic needs. Unlike "traditional" language methodologies that focused on decontextualized linguistic structures or vocabulary items, task-based instruction stresses the learner's communicative needs and thus offers hands-on, problem-solving methods for meeting these needs. By incorporating the web into these activities, the students are encouraged to integrate reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing into the accomplishment of their realworld tasks. This "blended approach," as Will Simpson calls it, combines "face-to-face teaching and independent online learning (para. 3)." Perhaps most important from a pedagogical perspective is the fact that this "integrated approach," as James Gavelek and others refer to it, addresses both authenticity and meaningfulness. As Gavelek observes: