cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Aging into the Twenty-First Century: An Overview and Introduction

This paper provides an introduction and overview for the papers in the special issue of this Journal devoted to the latter half of life among gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. Key issues are highlighted in terms of their impact on gay, lesbian, and bisexual cultural communities: the impact of the large aging population of baby boomers; the significance of age as a social organizer; and the areas of research included in this special issue (intimacy and relationships, HIV and AIDS among elders, and the identities and needs of those growing into middle and later life).
Human muscle-specific A-kinase anchoring protein polymorphisms modulate the susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases by altering cAMP/PKA signaling.

We found that single-nucleotide polymorphisms in muscle-specific A-kinase anchoring protein found in human patients with cardiovascular diseases significantly affect the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway....
Ultrafast Photodynamics of Cyano-Functionalized [FeFe] Hydrogenase Model Compounds.

[FeFe] hydrogenases are efficient enzymes that produce hydrogen gas under mild conditions. Synthetic model compounds containing all CO or mixed CO/PMe3 ligands were previously studied by us and others with ultrafast ultraviolet or visible pump-infrared probe spectroscopy in an effort to better understand the function and interactions of the active site with light. Studies of anionic species containing cyano groups, which more closely match the biological active site, have been elusive. In this work, two model compounds dissolved in room-temperature acetonitrile solution were examined: [Fe2(μ-S2C3H6)(CO)4(CN)2]2– (1) and [Fe2(μ-S2C2H4)(CO)4(CN)2]2– (2). These species exhibit long-lived transient signals consistent with loss of one CO ligand with potential isomerization of newly formed ground electronic state photoproducts, as previously observed with all-CO and CO/PMe3-containing models. We find no evidence for fast (ca. 150 ps) relaxation seen in the all-CO and CO/PMe3 compounds because of the absence of ...
Pharmaceutical industry in a global context elective course: implementation and preliminary outcomes.

Objective To describe the implementation of 'Pharmaceutical Industry in a Global Context' elective in a 4-year US pharmacy programme. Methods An anonymous questionnaire regarding student experiences with the course content and intention to pursue pharmaceutical industry summer internships and/or postgraduation fellowships was distributed to students at the end of the course. Key findings Fifty per cent of the students (n = 13) reported intention to apply for a pharmaceutical industry summer internships and/or industry fellowship postgraduation. Conclusion The described industry course may be adopted by other educators to encourage pharmacy students' exploration into industry careers.
Factor XIIIA—expressing inflammatory monocytes promote lung squamous cancer through fibrin cross-linking

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and lung squamous carcinomas (LUSC) represent about 30% of cases. Molecular aberrations in lung adenocarcinomas have allowed for effective targeted treatments, but corresponding therapeutic advances in LUSC have not materialized. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors in sub-populations of LUSC patients have led to exciting responses. Using computational analyses of The Cancer Genome Atlas, we identified a subset of LUSC tumors characterized by dense infiltration of inflammatory monocytes (IMs) and poor survival. With novel, immunocompetent metastasis models, we demonstrated that tumor cell derived CCL2-mediated recruitment of IMs is necessary and sufficient for LUSC metastasis. Pharmacologic inhibition of IM recruitment had substantial anti-metastatic effects. Notably, we show that IMs highly express Factor XIIIA, which promotes fibrin cross-linking to create a scaffold for LUSC cell invasion and metastases. Consistently, human LUSC samples containing extensive cross-linked fibrin in the microenvironment correlated with poor survival.
Validation of Context Preserving Thread-Level Speculative Execution Using N-Queens: Comparison of Non-CPSE and CPSE-enabled Applications

Due to simulation overhead, validation of proposed microarchitecture enhancements may be limited to simple test scenarios, which focus on the known architectural deficiencies. These test scenarios often avoid a complete simulation of the eventual target environment in which the enhancements will be employed. A case study is presented, comparing and contrasting the performance of an 8x8 N-Queens algorithm, in both a non-Thread-Level Speculation (TLS) configuration, and utilizing the Context Preserving Speculative Execution (CPSE) configuration. Validation is performed within the constraints of a simulated target environment. A brief introduction of TLS proposals is also included.
A look at parsing and its applications

This paper provides a brief introduction to recent work in statistical parsing and its applications. We highlight successes to date, remaining challenges, and promising future work.
The Emerging Shape of Educational Adequacy: From Theoretical Assumptions to Empirical Evidence.

This article proposes a general conception of educational adequacy and draws on a lengthy history of economic theory and emerging empirical evidence to support that conception. I review empirical methods for measuring educational adequacy and synthesize findings from a number of recent studies of the cost of an adequate education. I then discuss the relationship between current state school finance policies and my rendering of the shape of educational adequacy. I provide specific examples of actual and alternative indices of adequate aid allocations for school districts in the state of Kansas. Finally, I address steps that state legislatures might take to better align their school funding policies with the emerging shape of educational adequacy. Educational adequacy consists of two components: absolute standards of adequacy and relative standards of adequacy. Absolute standards of adequacy concern the overall level of financial support for public schooling associated with the overall level of desired outcomes of public schooling. Relative standards concern the differences in costs of achieving outcomes for children with different educational needs or children learning in different educational contexts. There is not and probably will never be a single standard that applies across states as the absolute cost of an adequate education. Even under the tightening federal scrutiny of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, state legislatures retain significant latitude to define the average level of desired student outcomes, within the boundaries of their own states' constitutional requirements regarding public schooling. Given the recent wave of successful adequacy-oriented litigation tied to state constitutional education clauses,1 it is unlikely that state courts would grant state legislatures the latitude to absolve themselves entirely of the duty to fund public schooling,
Implementation strategies for Ada tasking idioms

This paper considers certain uses of Ada tasking---tasking idioms---that do not require the full generality of the mechanism. It describes implementation techniques for these idioms that reduce the required storage and time overheads on many operating systems. The intent is to allow programmers to use these idioms freely, without having to circumvent the tasking features of Ada in order to gain required performance.
Marauders in the Courts: Why the Federal Courts Have Got the Problem of Maritime Piracy (Partly) Wrong

As cases arising from maritime attacks off the Horn of Africa have come to U.S. shores for adjudication, federal courts have struggled to ascertain the precise definition of piracy under U.S. law. In U.S. v. Hasan and U.S. v. Salad, the Eastern District of Virginia offered contradictory views of whether theft is an essential element of the offense. Drawing upon the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as the writings of publicists on the law of nations, this article concludes that both U.S. law and customary international law do not support the proposition that theft is an essential element of piracy. Rather, any act of private war on the high seas constitutes an act of piracy.
Quantum Magnetism with Polar Molecules in a 3D Optical Lattice

With chemical reactions under control and the molecular gas stabilized in the 3D optical lattice, we have recently begun to study a conservative manifestation of the dipole–dipole interaction, where the molecules never come in contact with each other. This is a new experimental regime where the internal degrees of freedom (spins) of molecules interact strongly, but the motional degrees of freedom are largely decoupled from the system dynamics. Certainly this is not the case for cold, ground-state alkali atoms in a lattice whose interactions are primarily short-range, although recently experiments with highly magnetic atoms and Rydberg atoms have demonstrated similar long-range interactions (Baier et al., Science 352(6282):201–205, 2016; Barredo et al., Science 354(6315):1021–1023, 2016).
Were Women Part of Convivencia

Women were, in their daily lives, part of the convivencia among Muslims, Jews, and Christians that existed to a greater or lesser extent in medieval Spain. Like men, women interacted with people of different religions and negotiated their way through the mixture of cooperation, prejudice, and cultural borrowing that made up convivencia. Many texts from the period, however, almost all of which were written by men, ignore or devalue women’s roles in a multicultural society. These texts often either neglect to mention women at all or express ambivalence about their value as members of confessional communities, characterizing women as so weak and malleable in their identity and faith that they can be easily converted to another religion.
Improving the separation of strontium and barium with Sr Resin using chelating eluent solutions

Age dating radioactive 137Cs and 90Sr sources, which are a potential concern in radiation dispersal devices, can provide evidence for attribution in a nuclear forensic investigation. Precise measurement of the 137Cs–137Ba or 90Sr–90Zr isotope ratio by ICP-MS in tandem with non-linearity and mass-bias data manipulation dramatically increases precision and decreases uncertainty, leaving inadequate chemical separation efficiencies as a major contributor—and in some cases the lead contributor—to uncertainty in age determination. To improve the separation of these isobars before ICP-MS analysis, we evaluated eluents containing EDTA and DTPA chelating agents against previously studied eluents for their ability to achieve complete removal of Sr and Ba from Eichrom Technologies’ Sr Resin. Barium separation efficiencies using 0.05 M EDTA, pH-adjusted 0.05 M EDTA, and pH-adjusted 0.05 M DTPA were found to be 100.9 ± 2.2%, 99.4 ± 0.8%, and 99.3 ± 1.2%, respectively. Strontium separation efficiencies using 0.05 M disodium EDTA and 0.05 M potassium EDTA were determined to be 100.14 ± 0.53% and 100.19 ± 0.97% respectively. These results demonstrate that eluents containing chelating agents out-perform previously studied eluent solutions at removing barium and strontium from Sr Resin.
Mimics, pitfalls, and misdiagnoses of adrenal masses on CT and MRI

Due to the widespread use of imaging, incidental adrenal masses are commonly encountered. A number of pitfalls can result in misdiagnosis of these lesions, including inappropriate choice of imaging technique, presence of pseudolesions, and overlap of imaging features of different adrenal lesions. This article explores the potential pitfalls in imaging of the adrenal glands, on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, that can lead to misinterpretation. Clues to correct diagnoses are provided to evade potential misinterpretation.
Survival, Site Fidelity, and Territory Size of American Kestrels Wintering in an Agricultural Landscape of South Texas

American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are North America's most abundant falcon, but they are declining throughout much of their range. Studies of nesting success are common, but far less is known about kestrels during migration and on the wintering grounds. We studied kestrels wintering along county roadways in South Texas. We trapped and color-marked 65 kestrels during October through December in 2014 and 2015 and searched for marked individuals once per week using a spotting scope, until birds started departing from the wintering grounds. We also searched for returning kestrels from September to March, 2015–2016 and 2016–2017. We used the Cormack–Jolly–Seber (CJS) models in Program MARK to estimate apparent survival, and we estimated two metrics of site fidelity as well as a spatial metric of site fidelity. We estimated territory size for individuals with ≥10 locations using the maximum linear distance between locations. We estimated winter survival (20 wk) as 67.1 ± 7.1% for kestrels in the winter they were marked and 84.4 ± 6.3% for returning birds. The 2-yr average apparent winter site fidelity was 27.8% for males and 50.2% for females, and the 2-yr average adjusted winter site fidelity was 41.7% for males and 65.7% for females. Linear average territory size ranged from 539 ± 34 m in Winter 3 to 738 ± 74 m in Winter 1. Our estimates of site fidelity are 12–15% greater than previously reported, and our linear winter territory sizes (pooled over 3 yr) were less than half the size of those previously reported for wintering American Kestrels. Small territories and high winter site fidelity suggest that South Texas agricultural areas are likely an important region for wintering kestrels.
Gas transportation in CBM reservoir

Abstract Coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs are often characterized as a dual porosity system because coal is characterized by two distinct systems, namely, the matrix and the cleats. Most of the gas in a CBM reservoir is stored in the low permeability matrix, which is dominated by pores in nanometers range. The cleats are a pervasive network of natural fractures in coal, which have a very low storage capacity but much higher permeability than the matrix. The gas transportation in the matrix is by diffusion toward the interface with the cleats. Upon reaching the interface, the gas desorbs from the matrix and enters the cleat in “Free State.” The gas will flow, along with water, through cleat system to the production well. Flow within the cleat system is described by Darcy's Law. The gas production from the commercially developed CBM reservoir is generally limited by permeability and the diffusion has a negligible impact on the gas production. Therefore, the cleat system absolute and relative permeability are the most important properties that affect gas and water production rates and economic success of CBM production. These properties are estimated from a combination of well test analysis and laboratory core analyses. Well test analysis is the only reliable way to estimate in situ cleat system absolute permeability. The relative permeability is determined from the analysis of production data. The absolute permeability of the cleat system is not constant but varies drastically during production due to the changes in stress, pressure, and gas desorption.
Signals in the Soil: An Introduction to Wireless Underground Communications

In this chapter, wireless underground (UG) communications are introduced. A detailed overview of WUC is given. A comprehensive review of research challenges in WUC is presented. The evolution of underground wireless is also discussed. Moreover, different component of UG communications is wireless. The WUC system architecture is explained with a detailed discussion of the anatomy of an underground mote. The examples of UG wireless communication systems are explored. Furthermore, the differences of UG wireless and over-the-air wireless are debated. Different types of wireless underground channel (e.g., In-Soil, Soil-to-Air, and Air-to-Soil) are reported as well.
Multi-Disciplinary Trauma Evaluation and Management Simulation (MD-TEAMS) training for emergency medicine and general surgery residents

Abstract Background Successful trauma resuscitation relies on multi-disciplinary collaboration. In most academic programs, general surgery (GS) and emergency medicine (EM) residents rarely train together before functioning as a team. Methods In our Multi-Disciplinary Trauma Evaluation and Management Simulation (MD-TEAMS), EM and GS residents completed manikin-based trauma scenarios and were evaluated on resuscitation and communication skills. Residents were surveyed on confidence surrounding training objectives. Results Residents showed improved confidence running trauma scenarios in multi-disciplinary teams. Residents received lower communication scores from same-discipline vs cross-discipline faculty. EM residents scored higher in evaluation and planning domains; GS residents scored higher in action processes; groups scored equally in team management. Strong correlation existed between team leader communication and resuscitative skill completion. Conclusion MD-TEAMS demonstrated correlation between communication and resuscitation checklist item completion and communication differences by resident specialty. In the future, we plan to evaluate training-related resident behavior changes and specialty-specific communication differences by residents.
Authentic assessments: a method to detect anomalies in assessment response patterns via neural network

Surveys, questionnaires, and assessments are the only approved means for measuring outcomes, yet there is a paucity of evidence that these tools can perform well as outcomes measures. A major barrier to utilizing these tools as measures of improvement in care is an inability to recognize when the responses are incomplete, inaccurate, or insincere. In this study, we propose a hybrid unsupervised-supervised approach to identify inauthentic assessments via anomalous response patterns. The study utilized 60-question behavioral assessment from a clinical population served by a county-operated public children’s behavioral health services (n = 42,945). A novel hybrid unsupervised-supervised approach was developed to identify inauthentic assessment records from highly dimensional assessment data without the need for a priori record labels, which would otherwise require countless hours of record review by highly trained clinical staff. A neural network trained with 75% of the labeled data recognized anomalous response patterns in the test data with 84.5% sensitivity and 97.3% specificity. The model identified 26% of records as potentially inauthentic based on anomalous response patterns. For mental health and behavioral health, this novel method could flag a relatively small proportion of the records for clinical review while allowing records with probable authenticity to bypass review processes, saving time and creating efficiency in care. This method is also a potential tool for improving service quality through the identification of circumstances that have been overlooked but could otherwise be addressed during care. For decades, assessment data has been collected by policy and ignored by practice due to limitations of utility. With the right approaches, we could uncover the patterns of what works for whom that are currently hidden in our existing assessments.
Reducing False Alarms and Absent Treatments by Nurses During Resuscitation in the Emergency Department

Background & problems Medical management protocols prioritize the safety of patients during emergency resuscitation situations. According to a medical center in Taiwan statistics gathered in 2017, the unnecessary activation of resuscitation teams by new nurses because of their improper assessment of patient conditions was a significant cause of anxiety in patient relatives and source of complaints directed at the medical center. In June 2018, 18.7% of the emergency resuscitation calls in the emergency department (ED) were false alarms or absent treatment incidents. After investigation, lack of clearly stated resuscitation team member responsibilities and insufficient practical training for new nurses were primary factors associated with the high rate of false alarm/absent treatment incidents in the ED. Purpose To decrease the rate of absent treatment by nurses during resuscitation from 18.7% to 0% in the ED. Resolution The assignments of emergency team members were revised, a new "Emergency app" was introduced, the assignment schedule of the emergency resuscitation team was distributed, SIM realistic education training was held, stronger team work was promoted, and a standard assignment review schedule was established and regularly monitored. Results After the introduction of the resolution measures, the false alarm / absent treatment incidents in the ED caused by ED nurses dropped from 18.7% to 0%. Conclusions Resuscitation workflow is closely related to patient safety, and teamwork among colleagues critical to successful resuscitation. The project revised resuscitation teamwork assignments and organized resuscitation education training, including simulation courses, to enhance the understanding of team members. The strategy outlined in this paper may be used to raise awareness using posters and resuscitation record checklists to track and manage the team`s progress. This project was designed to enhance teamwork to decrease the rate of absent treatment and to provide safe and quality resuscitation care in order to improve resource management by the team to increase productivity.
Multi-channel attention-fusion neural network for brain age estimation: Accuracy, generality, and interpretation with 16,705 healthy MRIs across lifespan.

Abstract Brain age estimated by machine learning from T1-weighted magnetic resonance images (T1w MRIs) can reveal how brain disorders alter brain aging and can help in the early detection of such disorders. A fundamental step is to build an accurate age estimator from healthy brain MRIs. We focus on this step, and propose a framework to improve the accuracy, generality, and interpretation of age estimation in healthy brain MRIs. For accuracy, we used one of the largest sample sizes (N = 16,705). For each subject, our proposed algorithm first explicitly splits the T1w image, which has been commonly treated as a single-channel 3D image in other studies, into two 3D image channels representing contrast and morphometry information. We further proposed a “fusion-with-attention” deep learning convolutional neural network (FiA-Net) to learn how to best fuse the contrast and morphometry image channels. FiA-Net recognizes varying contributions across image channels at different brain anatomy and different feature layers. In contrast, multi-channel fusion does not exist for brain age estimation, and is mostly attention-free in other medical image analysis tasks (e.g., image synthesis, or segmentation), where treating channels equally may not be optimal. For generality, we used lifespan data 0–97 years of age for real-world utility; and we thoroughly tested FiA-Net for multi-site and multi-scanner generality by two phases of cross-validations in discovery and replication data, compared to most other studies with only one phase of cross-validation. For interpretation, we directly measured each artificial neuron’s correlation with the chronological age, compared to other studies looking at the saliency of features where salient features may or may not predict age. Overall, FiA-Net achieved a mean absolute error (MAE) of 3.00 years and Pearson correlation r = 0.9840 with known chronological ages in healthy brain MRIs 0–97 years of age, comparing favorably with state-of-the-art algorithms and studies for accuracy and generality across sites and datasets. We also provided interpretations on how different artificial neurons and real neuroanatomy contribute to the age estimation.
Diabetes Beliefs, Culturally Influenced Self-Management Practices, and Interventions Among Vietnamese Adults: A Systematic Review.

IntroductionType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) incidence is rising among Asian Americans, including Vietnamese, and is associated with increasing rates of urbanization, population aging, and overweigh...
Effect of kernel breakage on the fermentation profile, nitrogen fractions, and in vitro starch digestibility of whole-plant corn silage and ensiled corn grain

Abstract The objective of this experiment was to analyze the effect of kernel breakage on the fermentation profile, nitrogen fractions, and ruminal in vitro starch digestibility of whole-plant corn silage and ensiled corn grain. Whole corn plants were harvested, and ears were separated from the forage portion and shelled. Corn kernels were either left intact or broken manually using a hammer. The remaining forage portion of the corn plants was chopped. Samples of the intact and broken kernels were stored for 0 or 30 d in quadruplicate vacuum pouches. Remaining intact and broken kernels were each reconstituted with the chopped forage portion of the corn plant to simulate whole-plant corn forage and were also stored for 0 or 30 d. In kernels separated from whole-plant corn silage, kernel form had no effect on zein protein concentrations. However, it was observed that in vitro starch digestibility at 7 h increased with ensiling only in kernels that were broken. When corn kernels were ensiled alone, concentrations of soluble crude protein and ammonia nitrogen increased with ensiling to a greater extent when kernels were broken. Finally, fermentation of ensiled corn grain was enhanced when kernels were broken. Overall, this study gives insight into the importance of kernel breakage to improve starch digestibility in corn silage through means other than a reduction in particle size and opens the door for continued investigation into the proteolytic activity occurring in the silo.
Cyclic Experiments on Steel Sheet Connections for Standard CFS Framed Steel Sheet Sheathed Shear Walls

AbstractThe primary objective of this work is to provide connection-level force-deformation response appropriate for standard cold-formed steel (CFS) framed steel sheet sheathed shear walls under c...
The Absorbability of Free and Esterified Eicosapentaenoic Acid

Although the antithrombotic and hypolipidemic effects of certain fish oils containing -3 fatty acids are extensively documented, little is known regarding the digestibility, absorption, lipoprotein transport, and chylomicron clearance of lipids containing these acids. Systematic studies have now been conducted to demonstrate the following: the rate and extent of absorption of unesterified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) into thoracic duct lymph of rats are comparable to that of oleic and arachidonic acids; the same is true with respect to recovery of eicosapentaenoic, oleic, and arachidonic acids as chylomicron triglycerides. However, based on lymphatic recoveries of salmon oil fatty acids, the digestibility of triglycerides containing EPA is significantly less efficient than for corn oil, which is enriched in oleic and linoleic acids. In order to determine aspects of lipoprotein triglyceride clearance, mesenteric lymph chylomicrons, enriched in eicosapentaenoic or oleic acids, were prepared. In order to assess the activity of peripheral lipoprotein lipase (LPL) on these chylomicrons, the nonworking rat heart model was used for recirculating perfusion. With this membrane-supported LPL system, clearance rates of chylomicron triglycerides enriched with either EPA or oleic acid were identical. Furthermore, oxidation of the extracted fatty acids and incorporation into mycocardial esterified lipids, with the exception of phospholipid, were comparable for the two fatty acids. Finally, overall clearance rates of chylomicron triglycerides enriched with EPA or oleic acid were compared following intravenous injection into rats. Although initial clearances rates (2–10 min) were comparable for chylomicrons containing either fatty acid, the clearance of EPA-enriched chylomicrons was significantly slower at 25–90 min (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, at each time point, the distributions of the remaining oleate and EPA among circulating lipoproteins were comparable. These studies suggest that except for less efficient intestinal digestibility of EPA-containing fish oils, the subsequent absorption, transport, and clearance of EPA in the rat are typical of other more common fatty acids.
Interest and Identity in Network Formation: Who do Smallholders Seek Out for Information in Rural Ghana?

In this paper, we use an unusually rich data set from Ghana to explore the endogenous formation of information network linkages among farmers. We propose and test a new measure of social distance that accommodates possible asymmetries in social distance. Using this improved measure, we show that social distance plays a major role in shaping network structure, but that other factors related to the inherent costs and benefits of linkage matter significantly as well. Network interlinkages appear relatively modest. We are also able to corroborate the sociological "strength of weak ties" hypothesis.
ROBUST: a next generation software reliability engineering tool

In this paper, we propose an approach for linking the isolated research results together and describe a tool supporting the incorporation of the various existing modeling techniques. The new tool, named ROBUST, is based on recent research results validated using actual data. It employs knowledge of static software complexity metrics, dynamic failure data and test coverages for software reliability estimation and prediction at different software development phases.
Natural history of benign esophageal stricture treated by dilatation

Although bougienage is widely used to treat benign esophageal stricture, the rate of stricture recurrence and the long-term effectiveness of bougienage are unknown. We studied the natural history of esophageal stricture in 154 patients in whom bougienage was used as primary therapy. Dilatations were considered successful in terms of relief or major improvement of dysphagia in 84.5% of 103 patients followed 6 mo or longer (median, 26 mo). The risk of requiring esophageal dilatation after the initial episode was greatest in the first year of follow-up; thereafter, a smaller fraction of patients required dilatation each year. Forty-three percent of patients required no further dilatations, and a life-table analysis showed that 36% of patients would require no further dilatation during a projected 4-yr follow-up. The median frequency of subsequent dilatation was less than once a year. We were unable to identify any significant factors, such as initial severity of stricture, cause of stricture, presence of active esophagitis, or initial caliber of dilatation, that could predict the need for subsequent dilatation. Our results suggest that patients with benign strictures fall into two groups. In one group, the natural history was to improve or become asymptomatic after an initial series of dilatations, and only a small proportion eventually developed recurrent symptoms. The second group (46% of patients) required further dilatations to treat dysphagia during the first year of follow-up. Two-thirds of these patients needed regular dilatations in subsequent years. We conclude that bougienage is effective treatment for benign esophageal strictures, and should be utilized as primary therapy for most strictures.
A Closer Examination of Subpopulation Analysis of Complex-Sample Survey Data:

In recent years, general-purpose statistical software packages have incorporated new procedures that feature several useful options for design-based analysis of complex-sample survey data. A common...
Complex sleep apnea in patients with obstructive sleep apnea on opioids for chronic pain

Complex sleep apnea (CompSA) is defined as the development of central events during a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration in a patient with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We hypothesized that patients with OSA on chronic opioids would fail a CPAP titration more frequently than patients with OSA not on opioid therapy and that the increased failure rate would be due to a greater prevalence of CompSA. In a retrospective chart review, we identified 58 patients with OSA on opioids and compared them to 150 patients with OSA not on opioids. CPAP titration failure was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index greater than 5/h at all CPAP pressures tested. CompSA was defined as the development of a central apnea index greater than 5/h during the CPAP titration study. Nineteen of the 58 patients (32.8%) with chronic opioid use and 18 of the 150 (12.0%) in the control group had CPAP titration failure (P-value 0.001). Six of the 49 patients (12.2%) with pure OSA in the opioid group and 5 of the 146 (3.4%) with pure OSA in the control group developed CompSA (odds ratio: 3.93; 95% confidence interval: 1.14–13.52; P-value: 0.03). Logistic regression showed that opiate use still predicted the presence of CompSA after coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, antidepressant usage and benzodiazepine use were accounted for. Patients on chronic opioid therapy had a higher percentage of treatment failure, and this was secondary to a higher prevalence of CompSA and persistence of central events seen on the diagnostic sleep study.
Ceramide Inhibits Inwardly Rectifying K+ Currents via a Ras- and Raf-1-Dependent Pathway in Cultured Oligodendrocytes

Ceramide is a lipid mediator implicated in apoptosis induced by proinflammatory cytokines in many cell types, including oligodendrocytes (OLGs). To determine whether ceramide modulates transmembrane signaling events in OLGs, we studied its effect on intracellular Ca2+ (Cai), resting membrane potential and inwardly rectifying K+ currents (IKir) in cultured neonatal rat OLGs. We report here that (1) exposure to C2-ceramide (cer) rarely increases OLG Cai, whereas sphingosine elicits sustained increase in Cai; (2) cer causes OLG depolarization, an effect mimicked by sphingosine-1-phosphate but not by sphingosine; and (3) cer, but not its inactive analog dihydroceramide, inhibits OLG IKir. The cer effect is attenuated by Ras antibody Y13-259, by protein kinase C inhibitory peptide (19-36), and by suppression of c-Raf-1 expression with antisense raf-1 oligonucleotides. We conclude that cer-induced OLG depolarization is mediated via inhibition of IKir by a Ras- and raf-1-dependent pathway, which results in the phosphorylation of the inward rectifier K+ channel protein.
Chapter IX : 1 – X-RAY DIFFRACTION LINE BROADENING STUDIES ON SHOCK-LOADED TiO2 and Al2O31

Rutile and alumina powder samples have been cold pressed into compacts of about 50% crystal density, subjected to controlled shock loading with peak pressures in the powders between 4 and 27 GPa, and preserved for post shock study. The broadened X-ray diffraction peak profiles have been evaluated to determine residual lattice strain and coherent crystallite sizes. Rutile shows residual strain values near 2×10−3 with values for alumina near 4.5×10−3 at peak shock-loading pressures of 20–27 GPa. Coherent crystallite size reduction is found; in particular, for alumina, size appears to decrease linearly with pressure. Annealing studies on shock-loaded rutile show a gradual decrease in strain and increase in crystallite size with temperature. Effects of crystalline anisotropy are noted.
Angle sums on polytopes and polytopal complexes

We will study the angle sums of polytopes, working to exploit the analogy between the f-vector of faces in each dimension and the α-vector of angle sums. The Gram relation on the α-vector is analogous to the Euler relation on the f-vector. Similarly, the Perles relations on the angle sums of simplicial polytopes are analogous to the Dehn-Sommerville relations. First we describe the spaces spanned by the angle sums of certain classes of polytopes, as recorded in the α-vector and the α-f -vector. Families of polytopes are constructed whose angle sums span the spaces of polytopes defined by the Gram and Perles equations. This shows that the dimension of the affine span of the space of angle sums of simplices is fd-12f , and that of the combined angle sums and face numbers of simplicial polytopes and general polytopes are d - 1 and 2d - 3, respectively. Next we consider angle sums of polytopal complexes. We define the angle characteristic on the α-vector in analogy to the Euler characteristic. Then we consider the effect of a gluing operation to construct new complexes on the angle and Euler characteristics. We show that the changes in the two correspond and that, in the case of certain odd-dimensional polytopal complexes, the angle characteristic is half the Euler characteristic. In particular, we show that many non-convex spheres satisfy the Gram relation and handle-bodies of genus g constructed via gluings along disks have angle characteristic 1 - g. Finally, we consider spherical and hyperbolic polytopes and polytopal complexes. Spherical and hyperbolic analogs of the Gram relation and a spherical analog of the Perles relation are known, and we show the hyperbolic analog of the Perles relations in a number of cases. Proving this relation for simplices of dimension greater than 3 would finish the proof of this result. Also, we show how constructions on spherical and hyperbolic polytopes lead to corresponding changes in the angle characteristic and Euler characteristic. However, the angle characteristic and Euler characteristic do not have the 1:2 ratio that held for Euclidean polytopal complexes.
Gender Differences In Responses To Hypothetical Business Ethical Dilemmas By Business Undergraduates

Business leaders are often failing to display ethical behavior in business decisions. This paper examines the gender differences found in undergraduate business students when faced with ethical decision making dilemmas.
The nature and prognostic implications of autoimmune hepatitis with an acute presentation

To determine the nature and prognostic implications of autoimmune hepatitis with an acute presentation, 12 patients with a disease duration of 3 months or less (mean duration, 2.3±0.2 months) were compared to 14 patients with a disease duration of 12 months or more (mean duration, 15.1±0.9 months). Liver tissue specimens were graded under code for lobular, portal and architectural changes. Patients with acute and chronic presentations were indistinguishable by age, sex, human leukocyte antigen phenotype, immunoserologic markers, and biochemical indices of liver inflammation. Moderate to severe lobular hepatitis was present more frequently in patients with acute presentations (75% versus 29%, p =0.2), but differences were not statistically significant. Bridging fibrosis and cirrhosis were seen with equal frequency in both groups (79% versus 73%). Remission, relapse, treatment failure, progression to cirrhosis, and death from hepatic failure occurred with similar frequencies in patients with acute and chronic presentations. We conclude that autoimmune hepatitis with an acute presentation is indistinguishable by clinical and laboratory features from that with a chronic presentation and it is probably a pre-existent subclinical disease that is unmasked by disease progression or an abrupt exacerbation. Lobular hepatitis is an important histologic feature regardless of disease duration. The response to corticosteroid therapy is unaffected by the perceived duration of disease prior to treatment.
The conversion of cholestanone to cholestanol by the housefly, Musca domestica L.

Abstract Larvae of the housefly, Musca domestica L., reared aseptically on a semi-defined diet failed to develop when either cholestenone, cholestanone, or cholestanol was used as the sole source of dietary steroid. However, when these three steroids were tested for ‘sparing’ activity (in combination with a subminimal quantity of cholesterol) cholestanone and cholestanol were 66 and 79 per cent, respectively, as effective as an optimum concentration of cholesterol. Under the same conditions cholestenone showed only low biological activity (11 per cent). Biochemical studies with 4-14C-cholestanone indicate that the utilization of this steroid in the housefly larvae proceeds through its partial conversion to cholestanol. The identity of cholestanol as a metabolite of cholestanone was established by radiotracer techniques, gas-liquid chromatographic analysis, and by isolation of crystalline cholestanol from housefly pupae reared aseptically on a semi-defined diet containing cholestanone plus a subminimal amount of cholesterol. Using reverse isotope dilution techniques, no significant conversion of 14C-cholestanone to cholesterol was detected. In studies with adult insects, both males and females converted injected 14C-cholestanone to cholestanol.
Glass and mineral corrosion: dynamics and durability.

The durability of glasses and minerals in water has traditionally been predicted using models that ignore the molecular details. Now the surface structure dynamics are shown to play an integral role in their aqueous corrosion.
Anastrephin and epianastrephin, novel lactone components isolated from the sex pheromone blend of male caribbean and mexican fruit flies☆

Abstract Anastrephin and epianastrephin, novel lactone components isolated from the male produced pheromone of two Anastrepha fruit fly species (Caribbean and Mexican) are assigned the structure and relative stereochemistry 1 and 2 , respectively, on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical evidence including synthesis.
Effects of perception versus imagery on later recognition of visual patterns.

Abstract Three experiments were conducted to determine the role of imagery in aiding memory for visual information and to compare its effectiveness relative to direct perception. Subjects engaged in orienting tasks in which they had to decide whether the second of two sequentially presented meaningless patterns was a part of the first. They later received unexpected recognition tests for the original drawings. Increasing the interval between patterns by adding an extra post-stimulus period for imaginal processing improved later recognition scores. Experiments comparing continued perception with an equal blank interval suggested that periods of direct perception and of imagery are about equally effective in promoting memory. The results are discussed in the frame work of Craik and Lockhart (1972) with regard to type I and type II processing, and in the light of Neisser's (1967) view on imagery and perception.
Diversifying Municipal Government Revenue Structures: Fiscal Illusion or Instability?

This paper examines (1) whether revenue diversification leads to greater instability as represented by revenue volatility, and (2) whether revenue complexity produces fiscal illusion as represented by increased public expenditures. These questions are answered by analyzing panel data on municipal governments between 1970 and 2002. The findings suggest that fiscal illusion does not occur among municipal governments, but revenue diversification does influence levels of volatility. However, the way in which municipalities diversify is important for achieving revenue stability. When diversification is considered in isolation, both tax and nontax diversification reduce revenue volatility. When diversification and complexity are considered simultaneously, the statistical effect of nontax diversification disappears. But, when a tax revenue structure is both diversified and complex, the likely outcome is greater revenue volatility rather than stability.
“Phasic” metropolitan settlers: a phase-based model for the distribution of households in US metropolitan regions

In this article, we develop a model for explaining spatial patterns in the distribution of households across metropolitan regions in the United States. First, we use housing consumption and residential mobility theories to construct a hypothetical probability distribution function for the consumption of housing services across three phases of household life span. We then hypothesize a second probability distribution function for the offering of housing services based on the distance from city center(s) at the metropolitan scale. Intersecting the two hypothetical probability functions, we develop a phase-based model for the distribution of households in US metropolitan regions. We argue that phase one households (young adults) are more likely to reside in central city locations, whereas phase two and three households are more likely to select suburban locations, due to their respective housing consumption behaviors. We provide empirical validation of our theoretical model with the data from the 2010 US Cen...
No-reference perceptual quality assessment of streamed videos using optical flow features

This paper proposes a novel perceptual video quality assessment metric for streamed videos using optical flow statistical features. We analyze the impact of network losses on the decoded videos and the resulting error propagation. We show that the statistical features of the optical flow of the corrupted frames can be used to measure the distortion in the received video. We show that this approach is suitable for videos with complex motion patterns. Our technique does not make any assumptions on the coding conditions, network loss patterns or error concealment techniques. The proposed approach is pixel-based and relies only on the inconsistency of the optical flow of the corrupted frames. We validate our proposed quality metric by testing it on a variety of coded sequences subject to network losses from the recently proposed LIVE mobile database. Our results show that the proposed metric can estimate perceptual quality of channel-induced distortions at the frame and sequence levels. For the test videos, we report Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients with the temporal mean opinion scores (MOSs) reported in the database. The results show average correlations of 0.91 and 0.92 for the test sequences, respectively.
Photo-Regulation of Small G Protein Ras Mutants using Photochromic Molecule

Ras is one of small G-proteins known as a molecular switch mediating cellular signalling. Switching on state of Ras is induced by exchange of bound GDP for GTP and off state is by hydrolysis of GTP to GDP. Interestingly, the core nucleotide-binding motif of Ras is considerably conserved with the ATP driven motor proteins, myosin and kinesin. Therefore, it is believed that these bio-molecular machines share common molecular mechanism utilizing nucleotide hydrolysis cycle. Previously, we have incorporated photochromic molecules, 4-phenylazophenyl maleimide (PAM), into the functional site of kinesin as a photo-switching device and succeeded to regulate kinesin ATPase activities reversibly upon visible light (VIS) and ultra-violet (UV) light irradiation. Therefore, it is expected that Ras can be also regulated by the similar method using photochromic molecules.In this study, we performed basic study to control the function of Ras reversibly using photochromic molecules upon VIS and UV light irradiations. First, in order to monitor the exchange of bound GDP for GTP, we synthesized a new fluorescent GTP analogue, NBD-GTP, and GDP analogue, NBD-GDP, which change their fluorescent intensity along the formation of Ras-GTP, Ras-GDP-Pi and Ras-GDP states. And the GTPase activity of Ras was monitored by the quantitative analysis of GTP and GDP in the active site of Ras using reverse phase column chromatography on HPLC. We have designed three kinds of Ras mutants K5C, I36C, and Y64C. The mutants were prepared using E.coli.expression system and modified with PAM. It was suggested that the GTPase activities of Ras mutants modified with PAM were reversibly alternated upon ultra-violet and visible light irradiation.