cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surgical techniques influence local environment of injured spinal cord and cause various grafted cell survival and integration.

Abstract Background Cellular transplantation to repair a complete spinal cord injury (SCI) is tremendously challenging due to the adverse local milieu for graft survival and growth. Results from cell transplantation studies yield great variability, which may possibly be due to the surgical techniques employed to induce an SCI. In order to delineate the influence of surgery on such inconsistency, we compared lesion morphology and graft survival as well as integration from different lesion methodologies of SCI. New method Surgical techniques, including a traditional approach cut + microaspiration, and two new approaches, cut alone as well as crush, were employed to produce a complete SCI, respectively. Approximately half of the rats in each group received injury only, whereas the other half received grafts of fetal brainstem cells into the lesion gap. Results Eight weeks after injury with or without graft, histological analysis showed that the cut + microaspiration surgery resulted in larger lesion cavities and severe fibrotic scars surrounding the cavity, and cellular transplants rarely formed a tissue bridge to penetrate the barrier. In contrast, the majority of cases treated with cut alone or crush exhibited smaller cavities and less scarring; the grafts expanded and blended extensively with the host tissue, which often built continuous tissue bridging the rostral and caudal cords. Comparison with existing methods Scarring and cavitation were significantly reduced when microaspiration was avoided in SCI surgery, facilitating graft/host tissue fusion for signal transmission. Conclusion The result suggests that microaspiration frequently causes severe scars and cavities, thus impeding graft survival and integration.
Europe's Zombie Megabanks and the Deferential Regulatory Arrangements That Keep Them in Play

This paper analyzes the link between Kamakura Risk Information Services (KRIS) data on megabank default probabilities and credit spreads. It develops an “eye-ball” test for the extent of individual-bank “zombieness” whose grade turns on how weakly a bank’s credit spread responds to movements in KRIS default probabilities calculated over different horizons. The intuition underlying the test is that the more decapitalized a bank is allowed to become, the more creditors must be relying on someone other than stockholders to absorb the firm’s risk of default. The tests show that the recovery of European megabanks from the 2008-09 crisis has been incomplete. Creditors of Europe’s giant banks still seem to be relying on implicit guarantees. In particular, credit spreads on the bonds of these banks appear to be relatively insensitive to the level of the issuer’s longer-term probabilities of default. Coupled with the high pairwise correlation that KRIS default probabilities show between major US and European banks, this finding suggests that creditors do not expect the EU’s bail-in requirements to play much of a role in resolving megabank insolvencies during the next crisis.
The thermal regime and species composition of fish and invertebrates in Kelly Warm Spring, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Abstract. We evaluated the thermal regime and relative abundance of native and nonnative fish and invertebrates within Kelly Warm Spring and Savage Ditch, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Water temperatures within the system remained relatively warm year-round with mean temperatures >20 °C near the spring source and >5 °C approximately 2 km downstream of the source. A total of 7 nonnative species were collected: Convict/Zebra Cichlid (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum), Green Swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii), Tadpole Madtom (Noturus gyrinus), Guppy (Poecilia reticulata), Goldfish (Carassius auratus), red-rimmed melania snail (Melanoides tuberculata), and American bullfrog tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus). Nonnative fish (Zebra Cichlids and Green Swordtails), red-rimmed melania snails, and bullfrog tadpoles dominated the upper 2 km of the system. Abundance estimates of the Zebra Cichlid exceeded 12,000 fish/km immediately downstream of the spring source. Relative abundance of native species increased moving d...
REACTION OF CALCIUM AND ALKALI ELEMENTS WITH ALUMINOSILICATES AND QUARTZ DURING COAL COMBUSTION

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the reaction of calcium and alkali elements with aluminosilicates and quartz during coal combustion. During coal combustion, the inherent mineral matter undergoes transformations to form slag and fly ash. These undesirable by products reduce efficiency by hindering heat transfer and by causing maintenance and unscheduled shutdowns of a boiler. The type and amount of mineral matter varies from coal-to-coal and empirical fouling and slagging indices derived for combustion have only had limited practical success. Sodium from coal matrix vaporizes during combustion and reacts with aluminosilicates to form nepheline. Potassium exists as illite in coal and it is relatively inert during combustion. Calcium and alkali elements show more affinity for aluminosilicate particles than for quartz particles. Calcium and alkali elements tend to react more readily with aluminosilicates than Fe-rich particles. Pyrite usually decomposes and yields hematite or magnetite with relatively less interaction with aluminosilicates. In the presence of SO 2 , calcium and sodium also undergo additional side reactions forming sulfate phases. Such sulfate formation may play an important role in ash deposition in the boilers.
The biosynthesis and hormonal regulation of surfactant formation.

The respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) of the newborn, due to hyaline membrane disease, is caused by an inability of the fetal or neonatal lung to synthesize adequate quantities of the lipoprotein, surfactant (1). It has been demonstrated that the Type II ce1I of the lung synthesizes surfactant, a substance which markedly lowers the surface tension of the lung, preventing alveolar collapse (2). The surface-active properties of surfactant are principally attributable to its phospholipids, the composition of which has several unique features. First, approximately 70–80% of the total glycerophospholipids of surfactant are phosphatidylcholines. Moreover, approximately 50% of the phosphatidylcholines consist specifically of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DP-PC). Indeed, the principal surface-active properties of surfactant can be accounted for by the action of DP-PC and, to a lesser degree, phosphatidylglycerol (PG). It is the increase in DP-PC that leads to the increase in the lecithin to sphingomyelin (LIS) ratio in amniotic fluid that heralds fetal lung maturation (for recent reviews see ref. 3–5). Recently, Gluck and associates (6) have also suggested that an increase in PG in amniotic fluid, with an associated decrease in phosphatidylinositol, may be considered an additional marker of fetal lung maturation. The lipid composition of surfactant is illustrated in Figure 1.
Breeding value of 2n pollen (diplandroids) in tetraploid x diploid crosses in potatoes

The relative breeding value of first division restitution (FDR) and second division restitution (SDR) 2n male gametes from diploids, and n (2x) gametes from tetraploids were compared. This was done by measuring tuber yield of 105 4x families obtained from 4x x 2x (FDR), 4x x 2x (SDR), and 4x x 4x crosses at two locations. All tetraploid families obtained from 4x x 2x (FDR) matings exhibitedheterosis (the mean of the F1 exceeded that of the higher yielding parent), and outyielded other tetraploid families and 4x cultivars at both locations. The tuber yield of 4x x 2x (SDR; families was higher than that of the families derived from 4x x 4x matings, although the 2x parents had significantly lower yield than tetraploid parents. Specific combining ability (S.C.A.) was found to be significant when families obtained from each category (4x x FDR, 4x x SDR and 4x x 4x) were analyzed individually. Both general combining ability (G.C.A.) (2x) and S.C.A. were significant when families obtained from: 1) 4x x FDR plus 4x x SDR; 2) 4x x FDR plus 4x x 4x; and 3) all categories, were analyzed. Only S.C.A. was found to be significant when 4x x SDR and 4x x 4x families were analyzed together. Consistent results were obtained at each of, and over, the two locations. These results strongly demonstrated that FDR gametes were superior in breeding value to either SDR or n (2x) gametes, and were more homogeneous, Gametes formed by SDR might be superior to n (2x) gametes although they were as heterogeneous. Distinct yield differences between 4x x FDR and 4x x SDR families plus the significant G.C.A. (2x) detected when these two categories were compared, substantiated the cytological interpretation of genetically distinct modes of diplandroid formation.
Biomedicine, Health Care Policy, and the Adequacy of Ethical Theory

In the preceding essay Arthur Caplan [2] raises a series of criticisms of recent attempts to apply ethical theory to moral problems concerning emerging biomedical technologies and health care policy concerned with the funding and allocation of those technologies: He begins his criticism with a review of the “ethics backlash”, the response of some within the scientific and medical communities to debate concerning the ethical dimensions of their enterprise. Since that debate resulted, in the latter portion of the last decade, in a series of federal regulations concerning the conduct of biomedical research involving human subjects, it is not surprising that the backlash was quite severe. While it now seems to have subsided, that backlash was not without its effect, for it called into question the adequacy of ethical theory to the complexity of the ethical problems posed by revolutionary advances in biomedicine. Caplan’s criticisms, then, focus on questions concerning the adequacy of ethical theory to advances in biomedicine and the challenge of those advances for health care policy.
Cord and Early Childhood Plasma Adiponectin Levels and Autism Risk: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study

Emerging research suggests that adiponectin, a cytokine produced by adipose tissue, may be implicated in ASD. In this prospective birth cohort study (n = 847), we assessed the association between cord, early childhood plasma adiponectin and the risk of developing ASD. ASD was defined based on ICD codes of physician diagnosis. Cord adiponectin levels were inversely associated with ASD risk (aOR 0.50; 95% CI 0.33, 0.77), independent of preterm birth, early childhood adiponectin and other known ASD risk factors. Early childhood adiponectin, assessed prior to ASD diagnosis, was associated with lower risk of ASD, which attenuated after adjusting for cord adiponectin, indicating the relative importance of cord adiponectin in ASD risk. Further research is warranted to confirm our findings and elucidate biological mechanisms.
Small RNAs, but Sizable Itch: TRPA1 Activation by an Extracellular MicroRNA.

Chronic itch is a major symptom of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL). In this issue of Neuron, Han and colleagues (2018) provide evidence that one of the itch mediators in CTCL is an extracellular miRNA that directly activates TRPA1 on sensory neurons.
Spectroscopy of Hydrothermal Reactions. 4. Kinetics of Urea and Guanidinium Nitrate at 200−300 °C in a Diamond Cell, Infrared Spectroscopy Flow Reactor

Infrared spectroscopy measurements of the kinetics and decomposition pathways of aqueous urea ((NH2)2CO, 200−300 °C, 275 bar) and guanidinium nitrate ([(NH2)3C]NO3, 240−300 °C, 275 bar) are described. A Pt/Ir alloy flow cell with diamond wafer windows was used, and heat and fluid transport models show that isothermal and plug flow conditions exist. The hydrothermolysis of urea was modeled by the conversion of urea to NH4+ + OCN- followed by hydrolysis to CO2 + 2NH3. These reactions are a subset of those for hydrothermolysis of guanidinium nitrate. Decomposition of guanidinium nitrate is catalyzed by the formation of NH3. The reaction scheme involves deprotonation of the guanidinium ion by NH3 to produce neutral guanidine, which hydrolyzes to form urea as the rate-determining step. The subsequent hydrothermolysis chemistry follows that of urea. Thus, although the overall decomposition rate of guanidinium nitrate is slower than that of urea, the Arrhenius parameters for the step for formation of CO2 from gu...
Ethical questions in name authority control: edited by Jane Sandberg. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press, (2019).

The recognition that librarians and library spaces are not politically neutral or free from bias has become a rallying cry for social justice-oriented librarians. In Ethical Questions in Name Autho...
Clinical Analysis of Azygos Vein Preservation Under Thoracoscope in the Operation of Type III Esophageal Atresia.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical effectiveness of azygos vein preservation when using a thoracoscope in the operation for type III esophageal atresia for children. Mat...
Durability of the St. Jude Epic Supra Bioprosthetic Valve in the Pulmonary Position.

Epic Supra valves have been used off-label in the pulmonary position. We aim to evaluate the durability of Epic valves in the pulmonary position. We performed a retrospective review of all Epic valves placed in the pulmonary position from October 2008 to May 2019. Time-to-event analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier estimates to evaluate freedom from valve intervention, moderate pulmonary regurgitation, and peak velocity greater than 3.5 m/s. Valve dysfunction was a composite of all 3 end points. A total of 79 patients had Epic valves implanted in the pulmonary position. Median age was 18.5 years (15th–85th percentile 11.2–41.0). In total, 1 (1%) 19 mm valve, 4 (5%) 21 mm valves, 8 (10%) 23 mm valves, 23 (29%) 25 mm valves, and 43 (54%) 27 mm valves were implanted. There were no deaths or transplants. Median follow-up was 3.1 years (interquartile range 1.0–5.5). At 5 years, freedom from valve intervention was 95%, freedom from valve dysfunction was 68%, freedom from moderate pulmonary regurgitation was 73%, and freedom from peak velocity greater than 3.5 m/s was 82%. Epic Supra valves provide an acceptable valve replacement in the pulmonary position for children and adults. Longer follow-up is needed to determine valve durability through the entirety of the valve life expectancy.
Nursing Students' Mindsets and Choice of Learning Strategies.

Background Nursing students may not use the most effective learning strategies. Offering students an academic success model such as Dweck's mindset model may improve student learning. The influence of nursing students' mindsets on study strategies has not been explored. Purpose This study examined nursing students' mindset proclivity and choice of learning strategies. Methods This descriptive, cross-sectional quantitative pilot study used a web-based survey to examine a national sample of 151 nursing students' mindsets and learning habits. Results Students with a growth mindset demonstrated the use of more effective learning strategies than their fixed mindset peers. Conclusions Nurse educators need to assess student learning because half of the students in this study had never had anyone teach them how to learn effectively. Early evidence is emerging that the growth mindset model may hold promise as an academic success model for nursing education.
Assessing Visual Engagement for Visuomotor Skills Rehabilitation Training in Infants.

Simple visual stimuli, with bright colours and dynamically evolving over time, are among the most effective mechanisms through which to engage a baby´s attention. In earlier work, we have developed a visual stimulating tool to aid rehabilitation programs, which can be used with infants of up to 2 years of age. The feedback from the early use of the device has been rather positive. Yet, until now, there was no explicit way to assess the degree of engagement of the infant’s attention, or even when the focus of said attention moved away from the stimulus. Hence, it has been difficult to understand whether the proposed specific rehabilitation procedure has failed, for a given infant, or the loss of attention led to a decrease in efficiency in the intervention. In the current work we develop and exploit a simple eye tracking tool, based on a laptop’s own webcam, to evaluate the child’s loss of attention to visual stimuli. The main differentiating criterion, set forth for this eyetracker, is that it should work without an explicit calibration stage. The use of the specific camera is motivated with the fact that the laptop can be used for visual stimuli deliver, as well as a series of data processing steps. The results attained thus far were rather encouraging, leading even to a subsequent study, replacing infants by adults undergoing a rehabilitation program, after suffering from brain stroke.
The Early Impact of COVID-19 on Local Commerce: Changes in Spend Across Neighborhoods and Online

We document a number of striking features about the initial impact of the pandemic on local commerce across 16 US cities. There are two novel contributions from this analysis: exploration of neighborhood-level effects and shifts between offline and online purchasing channels. In our analysis we use approximately 450 million credit card transactions per month from a rolling sample of 11 million anonymized customers between October 2019 and March 2020. Across the 16 cities we profile, consumers decreased spend on the set of goods and services we define as “local commerce” by 12.8% between March 2019 and March 2020. Growth in all 16 cities was negative. Consumers shifted a substantial share of local commerce spend online, such that year-over-year growth in online spend was small, but positive, at 1.5%. With respect to grocery and pharmacy purchases, online spend grew at least three times as fast as offline spend. Overall spend declines were uniform across neighborhoods of differing median household income, though lower-income neighborhoods experienced the highest proportion of extreme negative declines. We also find evidence that many low-income neighborhoods are increasing spend on online grocery slower than others, but increasing their use of online restaurants the fastest. Consumers in low-income neighborhoods also tend to live farther from the grocery stores at which they shop. Compared to their counterparts in higher-income neighborhoods, consumers in low-income neighborhoods have not been more likely to shop at grocery stores closer to where they live since the onset of the pandemic.
Optimizing therapy in the modern age: differences in length of maintenance therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A majority of children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are cured with contemporary multiagent chemotherapy regimens. The high rate of survival is largely the result of 70 years of randomized clinical trials performed by international cooperative groups. Contemporary ALL therapy usually consists of cycles of multiagent chemotherapy administered over 2 to 3 years that includes central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis, primarily consisting of CNS-penetrating systemic agents and intrathecal therapy. Although the treatment backbones vary among cooperative groups, the same agents are used, and the outcomes are comparable. ALL therapy typically begins with 5 to 9 months of more-intensive chemotherapy followed by a prolonged low-intensity maintenance phase. Historically, a few cooperative groups treated boys with 1 more year of maintenance therapy than girls; however, most groups treated boys and girls with equal therapy lengths. This practice arose because of inferior survival in boys with older less-intensive regimens. The extra year of therapy added significant burden to patients and families and involved short- and long-term risks that were potentially life threatening and debilitating. The Children's Oncology Group recently changed its approach as part of its current generation of trials in B-cell ALL and now treats boys and girls with the same duration of therapy. We discuss the rationale behind this change, review the data and differences in practice across cooperative groups, and provide our perspective regarding the length of maintenance therapy.
Cognition and daily life functioning among persons with serious mental illness: A cluster analytic examination of heterogeneity on the Test of Grocery Shopping Skills.

Objective To characterize variability in daily life functioning among individuals with serious mental illness based on a naturalistic performance measure of grocery shopping and standard neuropsychological tasks using cluster analytic methods. Methods A naturalistic performance measure, the Test of Grocery Shopping Skills (TOGSS), and standard neuropsychological tasks, were completed by 191 participants with serious mental illness. Hierarchical cluster analytic techniques were used to explore functional subgroups based on naturalistic performance measure variables. Multivariate analyses of variance were utilized to compare subgroups on TOGSS variables and neuropsychological measures, respectively. Results Two distinct functional subgroups emerged from the cluster analysis. On average, participants in cluster one were faster, more efficient, and more accurate compared to cluster two. Based on performance on neuropsychological tasks, cluster one had better verbal memory, visual attention, and processing speed, and executive functioning scores, compared to cluster two. The clusters did not differ on a measure of auditory working memory. Conclusions and implications for practice Naturalistic performance measures can assist with characterizing the heterogeneity in real life functioning among people with serious mental illness. Further work to illuminate the relationship between specific cognitive abilities and specific functional abilities is warranted and may assist with targeting effective treatment plans for functional recovery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
A systematic review of the utility of amino acid PET in assessing treatment response to bevacizumab in recurrent high-grade glioma.

Background Currently, bevacizumab (BEV), an antiangiogenic agent, is used as an adjunctive therapy to re-irradiation and surgery in patients with recurrent high-grade gliomas (rHGG). BEV has shown to decrease enhancement on MRI, but it is often unclear if these changes are due to tumor response to BEV or treatment-induced changes in the blood brain barrier. Preliminary studies show that amino acid PET can aid in distinguishing these changes on MRI. Methods The authors performed a systematic review of PubMed and Embase through July 2020 with the search terms 'bevacizumab' or 'Avastin' and 'recurrent glioma' and 'PET,' yielding 38 papers, with 14 meeting inclusion criteria. Results Thirteen out of fourteen studies included in this review used static PET and three studies used dynamic PET to evaluate the use of BEV in rHGG. Six studies used the amino acid tracer [18F]FET, four studies used [11C]MET, and four studies used [18F]FDOPA. Conclusion [18F]FET, [11C]MET, and [18F]FDOPA PET in combination with MRI have shown promising results for improving accuracy in diagnosing tumor recurrence, detecting early treatment failure, and distinguishing between tumor progression and treatment-induced changes in patients with rHGG treated with BEV.
H2S Prodrug, SG-1002, Protects Against Myocardial Oxidative Damage and Hypertrophy via Induction of Cystathionine β-Synthase and Antioxidant Proteins

Abstract Endogenously produced hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is critical for cardiovascular homeostasis. Therapeutic strategies aimed at increasing H2S levels have proven cardioprotective in models of acute myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure (HF). The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of a novel H2S prodrug, SG-1002, on stress induced hypertrophic signaling in murine HL-1 cardiac muscle cells. Treatment of HL-1 cells with SG-1002 under serum starvation without or with H2O2 increased the levels of H2S, H2S producing enzyme, cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) as well as antioxidant protein levels, such as super oxide dismutase1 (SOD1) and catalase and decreased oxidative stress. SG-1002 also decreased the expression of hypertrophic/HF protein markers such as atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in stressed HL-1 cells. Treatment with SG-1002 caused a significant induction of cell viability and a marked reduction of cellular cytotoxicity in HL-1 cells under serum starvation incubated or with H2O2. Experimental results of this study suggest that SG-1002 attenuates myocardial cellular oxidative damage and/or hypertrophic signaling via increasing H2S levels or H2S producing enzyme, CBS and antioxidant proteins.
Interpreting the American Caste System as Racialized Economic Performance

The concept of caste played a prominent role in the early American sociology of race and race relations. The concept was developed largely through case studies of racially segregated communities in the American Deep South during the 1930s. While the concept of caste was largely abandoned by the middle of the 1950s, elements of a caste theory remain useful for both understanding contemporary work on race relations and the development of the sociology of race. This paper proposes a revised and expanded conception of caste grounded in the Black-White dynamic of American race relations. This approach builds on the performance circuit framework of economic sociology, arguing that “caste” refers to the roles, rules, and etiquette that govern economic interaction and give them meaning. The expanded approach develops three premises that highlight the consequences of caste. First, the entanglement of occupational and social roles is a key component of a racialized caste system. Second, deeply rooted racial animus prevents the social cohesion necessary to transition out of an economy defined by caste. Finally, the precarity of nominal class advancement within the dominated caste inhibits organizing that might challenge the overall system. This reevaluation of the caste concept resolves many of the limitations of the original caste school and bridges the divide between cultural and economic-based analyses of race relations in the early days of the American social sciences.
Use of the NobleStitch™ EL for the treatment of patients with residual right‐to‐left shunt following device closure of PFO

The unique design of the NobleStitch™ EL allows it to be used to close residual defects following failed device PFO closure without impacting the integrity of previously placed double-disk Gore occluders.
Pilot Study for Telepresence with 3D-Model in Mixed Reality

In this paper we present the results of an experiment investigating a participant’s sense of presence by examining the correlation between visual information and physical actions in a mixed reality environment. There have been many approaches to measure presence in a virtual reality environment, such as the “Pit” experiment, a physiological presence experiment that used a person’s fear of heights to test body ownership. The studies reported in these prior works were conducted to measure the extent to which a person feels physical presence in virtual worlds [1, 2, 3]. Here, we focus on situational plausibility and place illusion in mixed reality, where real and virtual content coexist [4]. Generally, the phenomenon we are studying is called telepresence: an aroused sensation of ‘being together in the same real location’ between users [5].
Transcending Turing Computability

It has been argued that neural networks and other forms of analog computation may transcend the limits of Turing-machine computation; proofs have been offered on both sides, subject to differing assumptions. In this article I argue that the important comparisons between the two models of computation are not so much mathematical as epistemological. The Turing-machine model makes assumptions about information representation and processing that are badly matched to the realities of natural computation (information representation and processing in or inspired by natural systems). This points to the need for new models of computation addressing issues orthogonal to those that have occupied the traditional theory of computation.
Transactional profiling for multi-tier applications

This dissertation is concerned with performance debugging of multi-tier applications, such as those commonly found in web services and dynamic-content web sites. A multi-tier application receives an external stimulus ( request), executes the request and returns the response. A transaction begins with a request and ends with the corresponding response. It is executed by a series of different stages of the application. Existing tools and techniques for profiling such applications are not general enough to track and profile transactions in a generic multi-tier application. We propose transactional profiling that provides a general solution to this problem. We provide novel algorithms and techniques to track and profile transactions that flow through shared memory, events, stage queues or via inter-process communication using messages. We also measure interference among concurrent transactions. The thesis of this work is that transactional profiling addresses the limitations of existing profiling techniques for multi-tier applications. Transactional profiling works by tracking transaction execution paths in an application. Essentially, it extends the concept of call path profiling to a distributed environment. Additionally, it introduces new methods to track transactions for shared memory communication, and communication through events and stage queues. Transactional profiling is mainly composed of the following: tracking transactions in a multi-tier application, and associating profile data with transactions. Further, transactional profiling captures the interference among concurrent transactions, e.g., transactions waiting to acquire locks. The contributions of this thesis are the following. We propose the transactional profiling model for profiling multi-tier applications. We describe the design and implementation of Whodunit, our prototype transactional profiler. Using Apache and MySQL we demonstrate the correctness of our proposed algorithm for tracking transaction flows through shared memory. We demonstrate the use of Whodunit in obtaining the transactional profile of web servers, a web proxy cache, a bookstore application, and a bulletin board application. Whodunit-inspired optimizations increased the peak throughput of the bookstore by almost 3x and the bulletin board by almost 2x. We measured Whodunit's overhead on the performance of these applications and found it to be small---less than 6% in all cases.
Self-Disclosure Characteristics and Motivations in Social Media: Extending the Functional Model to Multiple Social Network Sites

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in self-disclosure goals, privacy concerns, and self-disclosure characteristics between Facebook and Twitter. These sites were compared in terms of audience representations, based on structural cues that suggest potential audiences for a user. We conceptualized audience representations in 2 ways: based on privacy boundaries that imply bounded versus unbounded audiences, and on network characteristics such as size and diversity for audiences within the boundary. Results revealed that self-disclosure goals, privacy concerns, and self-disclosure intimacy were different depending on the privacy boundary. Network characteristics were also important, but effects were moderated by the privacy boundary type, suggesting a complex interplay between the 2 types of audience representations in shaping self-disclosure in social media.
Multiple-valued generalized Reed-Muller forms

The concept of canonical multiple-valued input generalized Reed-Muller forms (MIGRM), a direct extension of the well-known generalized Reed-Muller (GRM) forms for the logic with multiple-valued inputs, is introduced. Code normalization of single multiple-valued literals (MV-literal) to perform a final transformation is developed. The code normalization is used to make the transformation of the complete function independent on the polarity chosen. This simplifies and speeds up the main transformation step to the final restricted MIGRM form for the transformed single MV-literal. A computer program to realize the MIGRM transform for Boolean functions has been implemented. The direct circuit realization of MIGRMs as AND- EXOR programmable logic arrays with input decoders has excellent testability properties; they have applications to synthesis of other kinds of circuits with EXOR gates, such as the exclusive sums of products (ESOP), and they have image processing capabilities. >
Distribution of Pt and Re in Pt$z.sbnd;Re:Al2O3 naphtha reforming catalysts

Abstract The benefit of Re in PtRe: Al 2 O 3 naphtha-reforming catalysts is clear, but its disposition and function are not. We report here results of surface analysis of ion-scattering spectroscopy and microanalysis by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope. On both reduced and reduced and sulfided commercial-type catalysts, we found that Re is not significantly associated with Pt, but rather is widely dispersed on the support surface. Sulfiding essentially covers the Re, but leaves most of the Pt exposed.
Effect of aging on human aortic protein composition. I. One-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis of tissue extracts.

Abstract Proteins extracted from matching areas of homogenized intimas of 17 human aortas, from two age groups (15–34 and 35–82), were studied after separation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, silver staining, and densitometric scanning. Several definite protein bands including 6 major and 16 minor bands were identified in 17 aortic intima samples grossly and microscopically lesion free. However, such electrophoretic patterns were found to differ in the two age groups studied. For instance, (1) the integrated densities (amounts) of protein bands 1, 6, 13, 16, and 19 which we interpreted as of mural vascular origin were significantly higher in the younger age group, whereas the amounts of bands 2, 7, 9, 11, and 21 suspected to be of plasma origin were found to be significantly higher in the older age group; (2) protein band No. 8 was found to be double in the younger age group vs a single line in the older age group, whereas band No. 12 was the opposite. These changes in protein composition appear to correlate closely with diffuse intimal thickening found histologically in older age group, and will be further studied to relate to those in atherosclerotic lesions.
Spectral fluctuations in the three-level LMG model

Our preliminary results for the spectral fluctuations of the three-level LMG model are in qualitative agreement with results obtained for other Hamiltonian systems. Final results await a more careful classification of classical phase space, and better statistics achieved by diagonalizing larger matrices.
Perceptions of Texas Public School Superintendents Regarding Online Teacher Education

This study examined Texas public school administrator perceptions of online teacher education. Of primary concern were superintendent perceptions of online teacher education as it exists today. Data for the study were collected through the use of a survey questionnaire. The survey consisted of nine items where participants were asked to respond to a Likert scale format and one open-ended question in which respondents were asked to provide comments or suggestions regarding online teacher education. The researcher used regular and electronic mail to survey a random sample of one-hundred-fifty public school superintendents in the state of Texas. Seventy-two superintendents responded to the survey which represented a response rate of forty -seven percent. Based on the limitations of the study the following conclusions were made: Superintendents within the state of Texas apparently had negative opinions and perceptions regarding the use of online courses to train future teachers. A large majority of the superintendents did not fully agree that online courses or programs would fully prepare future teachers for conditions that would be faced within the public schools. Specific areas such as classroom management and the social aspects of teaching were not viewed as being positive in terms of online preparation. Other areas such as the theories and principles of teaching were viewed in a neutral light by the superintendents. Several of the administrators noted that online courses and programs would not be adequate without an abundance of field experiences and student teaching. Superintendents appeared to be very concerned that many of the teachers prepared online would possibly not endure the rigors of the classroom without having real classroom experience. Several administrators noted that future teachers needed to be taught by mentors in a real classroom setting in order to enhance modeling. Texas public school administrators appear to be open-minded to this new methodology but appear to be unconvinced that it will prepare teachers for the challenges that teachers face. Results agree with earlier results in two different regions of the country.
The Missing Piece: A Sociological Autopsy of Firearm Suicide in the United States

Social, economic, violence, political, and gun access predictors of suicide and gun suicide were examined via sociological autopsy. The model predicting suicide rates overall had the best results, χ(2) (9, N = 50) = 5.279 (CMIN, the goodness of fit statistic that represents the minimum discrepancy between the unrestricted sample covariance matrix and the restricted covariance matrix) p = .809, [the goodness of fit statistic that represents the minimum discrepancy between the unrestricted sample covariance matrix and the restricted covariance matrix] indicating an excellent fit of the data and theoretical model. The model explained 76% of the variance in state suicide rates and was a significantly better predictor than one could expect by chance, F(6,43) = 22.889, p Language: en
Toxoplasma gondii Serology and Outcomes After Heart Transplantation: Contention in the Literature.

Abstract Background Toxoplasma gondii is an endemic pathogen to which approximately half of healthy patients develop antibodies. Toxoplasma serology is routinely assessed prior to heart transplantation. It has been suggested that donor or recipient toxoplasma serologic status may be associated with poor long-term outcomes post-transplantation, but current literature reveals conflicting results. Methods From 1995 to 2012 at our single center, we retrospectively reviewed 785 heart transplant patients for pre-transplantation T. gondii serology. Patients were divided into T. gondii seronegative and seropositive groups. Subgroups in each group were created based on whether the donor was seropositive or seronegative. We assessed survival, freedom from nonfatal major adverse cardiac events, and freedom from cardiac allograft vasculopathy at 5 years post-transplantation. Results No significant difference was found between 5-year outcomes of pre-transplant T. gondii seronegative and T. gondii seropositive recipients post-heart transplantation. However, in the donor-seropositive/recipient-seronegative subgroup (D+/R−), there was a significantly lower 5-year survival rate compared to the cohort of donor-seronegative/recipient-seronegative (D−/R−) patients (60% vs 87%, P = .04). After adjustment by multivariate analysis, D+/R− status conferred a trend towards increased mortality (HR 3.0, P = .06). Conclusions Toxoplasma serology prior to heart transplantation does not appear to impact post-transplantation outcome. However, toxoplasma seronegative patients who receive toxoplasma seropositive hearts appear to have poorer 5-year survival compared to toxoplasma seronegative patients who received toxoplasma seronegative hearts. Due to the small sample size, the association between T. gondii serology mismatch and long-term survival warrants further study.
Characterization of the promoter region of the human somatostatin receptor subtype 2 gene and localization of sequences required for estrogen-responsiveness

Abstract Somatostatin receptor (sst) subtype 2 mRNA is potently regulated by 17β-estradiol (E2) in a time and dose-dependent manner in the estrogen receptor (+) human breast cancer cell line T47D. To explore the mechanism involved in E2 regulated expression of sst2, we isolated and characterized a genomic clone containing over 5.3 kilobase pairs (kb) of the 5′ flanking region of the human sst2 gene. The 5′-flanking region lacks both TATA and CCAAT boxes. Primer extension and RNAase protection analysis revealed the existence of two transcriptional start sites, located within an initiator-like sequence, 85 and 82 bp upstream of the translational initiation methionine. The 5.3-kb 5′-flanking region was an active promoter in T47D cells but was inactive in MDA MB 435s cells, a human breast cancer cell line that does not express sst2. Deletion analysis identified both positive and negative regulatory elements within the 5.3-kb fragment. Furthermore, transcriptional regulation by E2 was mediated by a distal 1.5-kb fragment located 3.8 kb from the transcriptional start sites. Determining the precise ERE will provide important insights into the complex regulation of sst2 expression in normal and neoplastic tissue.
Evolutionary Stability of Pure-Strategy Equilibria in Finite Games

Abstract Sufficient conditions for pure-strategy Nash equilibria of finite games to be (Lyapunov) stable under a large class of evolutionary dynamics, the regular monotonic selection dynamics, are discussed. In particular, it is shown that in almost all finite extensive-form games, all the pure-strategy equilibria are stable. In such games, all mixed-strategy equilibria close to pure-strategy equilibria are also stable. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C70, C72.
The bootstrap of the mean for strong mixing sequences under minimal conditions

Abstract It is shown that if a strongly mixing sequence satisfies the Central Limit Theorem, then it also satisfies the Moving Blocks Bootstrap Central Limit Theorem in probability, even with bootstrapped norming. Regarding bootstrap in probability, this is the best possible result along the line of Kunsch (1989) and Liu and Singh (1992).
Diverse repairs for multiple labial consonants

The relationship between constraints on surface forms and operations that alter representations is of central interest in phonological theory. This squib presents a case of diverse “repairs” in response to a marked structure—labial … labial sequences—created by um-infixation in stems beginning with (or, in some cases, merely containing) labial consonants in Austronesian languages. We review several strategies, which for the most part do not cluster according to subfamilies: tolerance, gaps, loss of stem consonant, loss of infix nasality, stem dissimilation, infix dissimilation, prefixation, and non-realization of infix. The evidence indicates that avoidance of these sequences applies only within the root-and-infix domain, and only in derived environments. This diversity of repairs seems unexpected if changes should be perceptually minimal; we suggest possible explanations.
Fumonisin B1-induced localized activation of cytokine network in mouse liver.

Abstract Fumonisin B 1 (FB 1 ), a mycotoxin produced primarily by Fusarium veticillioides and related fungi, is a carcinogen and causative agent of various animal diseases. Our previous studies indicated the involvement of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) in FB 1 -induced hepatotoxicity. Male B6,129 mice (five/group) were injected subcutaneously with vehicle or 2.25 mg/kg/day of FB 1 for 5 days and sampled 1 day after the last treatment. FB 1 treatment caused an increased expression of TNFα, interferon γ (IFNγ) and interleukin (IL)-12 p40 in liver without any changes in kidney or spleen, suggesting the localized site of their production. IL-1β cytokine expression was increased in liver and kidney after FB 1 exposure. Cells involved in TNFα production after FB 1 treatment in liver were identified as Kupffer cells. FB 1 increased alanine aminotransferase in plasma and increased apoptotic cells in liver. Selective increase in proinflammatory T helper (Th)1-cytokines (IL-12 and IFNγ) and TNFα with no alteration in Th2-cytokines (IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10) suggest the involvement of IL-12, produced by Kupffer cells, in induction of IFNγ production by natural killer (NK) cells and/or NK1 + T cells, which can undergo a positive amplification loop with TNFα produced by macrophages or other hepatic cells to elicit the toxic reaction.
Family care of Alzheimer victims: An analysis of the adolescent experience

The burden of caregiver stress has been well documented in the literature. While attention has been paid to caregiving spouses and adult children, few studies have examined the impact of family caregiving on adolescents. With the rise in adult child caregivers simultaneously raising children of their own, increasingly greater numbers of young adults will be involved in caring for Alzheimer's type dementia (ATD) victims. This study examined the characteristics and experiences of these young adults. Specifically, 14 adolescents aged 14-18 were interviewed and asked a series of semi-structured questions regarding theirfeelings of burden and satisfaction as they related to caregiving. Employing features of content analysis methodology, all interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed. The results merged intofive primary categories:• Positive caregiving outcomes;• Negative caregiving consequences;• Peer group support;• Teacher support; and• Patient behavior management.These results are discussed within the co...
Glutamate receptors participate in the nicotine-induced changes of met-enkephalin in striatum

A single dose of nicotine given to mice induces first a rapid decrease (presumed release/enhanced degradation) and then a rise (presumed synthesis/enhanced accumulation) of met-enkephalin (Met-Enk) in dorsal and ventral striatum observed at 30 and 60 min post-treatment, respectively. These studies investigated whether the nicotine effect on Met-Enk was mediated indirectly, in part, via other neurotransmitters known to be released by nicotine. Based on the ability of selective antagonists of dopamine (Sch 23390, D1; Sulpiride, D2), glutamate (CPP, competitive NMDA; dizocilpine, non-competitive NMDA; NBQX, AMPA) and GABA (bicuculline, GABA(A); Sch 50911, GABA(B)) receptors, to inhibit or enhance the response to nicotine, we conclude that nicotine alters striatal Met-Enk, in part, via glutamate NMDA and AMPA receptors. These findings further support the notion that glutamate might play a role in the pharmacology of nicotine.
Simulation Based Design and Optimization of Digital Pump/Motors

Current state of the art variable displacement pump/motors have high efficiencies when operating at high displacements. However, as the displacement of the pump/motor is reduced, the efficiency significantly decreases. Digital pump/motors aim to increase the efficiency and range of operation of the fluid power system by minimizing leakages, friction losses and compressibility losses. It is based on the concept of actively controlling high speed on/off valves connected to each piston cylinder displacement chamber. This work involves the development of a coupled dynamic model of a digital hydraulic pump/motor that is crucial for understanding the design tradeoffs and operating characteristics of the digital pump/motor. This simulation model can be used to characterize and predict the efficiency, define the dynamic response and flow requirements of on/off valves required to provide significant improvements in efficiency and dynamic response over traditional pump/motors, and perform design optimization studies. The model can analyze different operating strategies (flow limiting and flow diverting) and characterize the effects on pump/motor efficiency and flow ripple. The simulation analysis shows that the sequential flow limiting strategy yields the lowest power loss in both pumping and motoring and that small variances in the valve response would cause a significant loss of power.Copyright © 2013 by ASME