cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical and In Vitro Evidence That Subclinical Hemolysis Contributes to LVAD Thrombosis

Background Recent data suggest that hemolysis contributes to left ventricular assist device (LVAD) thrombosis, but the mechanism is unknown. In a clinical study, we measured plasma free hemoglobin (pfHgb) and the incidence of LVAD thrombosis. In an in vitro study, we examined biophysical relationships between shear stress, pfHgb and von Willebrand factor (vWF) metabolism toward understanding mechanisms of LVAD thrombosis. Methods In the clinical study, blood samples were obtained from continuous-flow LVAD patients (n = 30). Plasma free hemoglobin was measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was measured with a fluorimetric assay. In the in vitro study, to investigate mechanism, human plasma (n = 10) was exposed to LVAD-like shear stress (175 dyne/cm 2 ) with and without free hemoglobin (30 mg/dL). ADAMTS-13 (the vWF protease) activity was quantified with Forster resonance energy transfer. vWF size was quantified with immunoblotting. vWF clotting function was quantified with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results In the clinical study, LVAD support caused subclinical hemolysis. In all patients, LDH increased significantly from 213 ± 9 U/L to 366 ± 31 U/L at 10 days of support ( p 0.0001) and remained significantly elevated at 280 ± 18 U/L at 1 month of support ( p 0.01). In 21 patients that did not develop LVAD thrombosis, pfHgb increased early but decreased over time (pre-LVAD: 5.2 ± 0.8 mg/dL; 1 week: 19.8 ± 4.4 mg/dL, p 0.01; 3 months: 9.3 ± 2.2 mg/dL, p = 0.07). In 9 patients that developed LVAD thrombosis, pfHgb was significantly elevated versus patients without thrombosis before ( p 0.001) and after 3 months ( p 0.05) of support (pre-LVAD: 20.2 ± 6.3 mg/dL; 1 week: 17.3 ± 3.7 mg/dL; 3 months: 21.5 ± 7.8 mg/dL). Similarly, after 3 months, patients that did not develop LVAD thrombosis had an LDH of 271 ± 28 U/L, whereas patients that later developed LVAD thrombosis had a significantly higher LDH of 625 ± 210 U/L ( p = 0.02). In the in vitro study, shear stress degraded vWF similarly to an LVAD. Free hemoglobin inhibited ADAMTS-13 activity during shear stress (633 ± 27 ng/mL to 565 ± 24 ng/mL; p 0.001). vWF was thereby protected from degradation, 4 vWF fragments decreased significantly ( p ≤ 0.05), and vWF clotting function increased (1.15 ± 0.09 U/mL to 1.29 ± 0.09 U/mL, p = 0.06). Conclusions These are the first data to demonstrate mechanistic relationships between subclinical hemolysis and a procoagulant state during continuous-flow LVAD support. Patients with high pfHgb and LDH were more likely to develop LVAD thrombosis. In vitro experiments demonstrated that free hemoglobin inhibited ADAMTS-13, protected vWF from degradation, increased vWF clotting function, and created a procoagulant state. As such, pfHgb may be a clinical target to prevent LVAD thrombosis.
Abstract 21: Endothelial Epsins Promote LPS-Induced Inflammation During Septic Shock

Introduction: Sepsis is caused by a deleterious host response to infection, which is primarily responsible for further injury of host tissue and cause of organ dysfunction. Despite significant prog...
Transforming the Systemic Humiliation of Crime and Justice: Reawakening Black Consciousness

Kwame Ture provided one of the most profound insights into the historic dilemma facing the Black American consciousness when he wrote: “From the time Black people were introduced into this country, their condition has fostered human indignity and the denial of respect. Born into this society today, Black people begin to doubt themselves, their worth as human beings. Self-respect becomes almost impossible” (Ture, Kwame, and Charles Hamilton, Black power: The politics of liberation; Vintage Books, New York, p. 29, 1967). You see, today a police officer can walk into any maternity ward in America and, with an almost statistical certainty, place handcuffs on one out of every three nameless newborn Black American male infants. The socially constructed narratives labeled as crime and justice have been intentionally created to systemically humiliate the essence of Blackness since the birth of America, with the primary mode of dominance always falling within the realm of White Supremacy. The 400-year state-sponsored psychosis of White spaces is superior and Black spaces are inferior has had a crippling impact on Black consciousness, with no greater method of delivery of its direct and structural violence than the criminal justice system. The institutions of policing, courts, and corrections epitomize all of the psychosocial intangibles of chattel enslavement, embracing the poisons of fear, anger, and ignorance to traumatize Black life, Black culture, and Black potential. The skewed narrative of crime and justice has stripped away the essence of dignity, respect, and cultural legacy for far too many Black American men.
Cultural grammar and the cultural linguistics heritage from the pre-Millennials: An argument for scenarios

While the newly arriving Millennial generation of cultural linguists was maturing, Boomers and Generation Xer’s were developing a theory of cognitive linguistics in an environment hostile to both induction and science. Two decades of mechanical deductive models from the intellectual (not political) right were followed by two more decades of linguistic subversion of science from the postmodernist left. In spite of these astringent intellectual currents, inductive linguistic science thrived in the last two decades of the 20th Century and attracted attention from other disciplines, including anthropology, philosophy, psychology, and ESL. The branch that we call cognitive linguistics did so largely by investigating imagery, usage, symbolic networks, and systems of metaphor. Some researchers from the social and linguistic sciences found it useful to shift the focus away from the universal imagistic attentional processes employed by cognitive linguists and over to culturally defined sources of imagery. This resulted in the retooling of linguistic relativism under the rubric of cultural linguistics just as the first Millennials were entering grad schools at the advent of the 21st century. In addition to motivating cross-linguistic and cross-cultural studies of metaphors and cultural models, the shift has been productive in revealing links between culture, ideology, and grammar. It is argued that the single most pregnant and distinguishing concept in cultural linguistics is that of the scenario, and it is hoped that the Millennial generation will continue to develop and employ it in cross-linguistic studies. In this paper we demonstrate its application to cultural grammar.
Helminth infection protects against high fat diet-induced obesity via induction of alternatively activated macrophages

Epidemiological studies indicate an inverse correlation between the prevalence of the so-called western diseases, such as obesity and metabolic syndrome, and the exposure to helminths. Obesity, a key risk factor for many chronic health problems, is rising globally and is accompanied by low-grade inflammation in adipose tissues. The precise mechanism by which helminths modulate metabolic syndrome and obesity is not fully understood. We infected high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice with the intestinal nematode parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus and observed that helminth infection resulted in significantly attenuated obesity. Attenuated obesity corresponded with marked upregulation of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a key protein involved in energy expenditure, in adipose tissue, suppression of glucose and triglyceride levels, and alteration in the expression of key genes involved in lipid metabolism. Moreover, the attenuated obesity in infected mice was associated with enhanced helminth-induced Th2/Treg responses and M2 macrophage polarization. Adoptive transfer of helminth-stimulated M2 cells to mice that were not infected with H. polygyrus resulted in a significant amelioration of HFD-induced obesity and increased adipose tissue browning. Thus, our results provide evidence that the helminth-dependent protection against obesity involves the induction of M2 macrophages.
Where Conventional Computing Will Be Ten Years from Now

This talk will attempt a projection of the capabilities of “conventional” semiconductor-based computing ten years from now. This will provide a context in which to understand the capabilities that optical computing will have to establish a foothold in the industry.
Experience use history, place bonding and resource substitution of trout anglers during recreation engagements.

Experience use history (EUH) was hypothesized to be linked to recreational place bonding and resource substitution behavior. Trout anglers (n = 203) of two Trout Unlimited chapters were surveyed (r...
The Emerging Neurobiology of Mood Disorder

The direction of current biological research into affective illness has grown naturally from the burgeoning of neuroscience. The rapidly advancing field of biochemical pharmacology has been a particular stimulus, and much of the theory guiding investigation both in the clinic and in the laboratory can be traced back to this source. We will place this body of knowledge at the core of this review and draw its connections with other areas of investigation. For example, the biochemical information gathered in metabolic studies of depressed persons is complemented by recent studies in clinical psychopharmacology. Together, these two bodies of data may facilitate a more precise approach to drug treatment. Similarly, specific measures of sleep disturbance and steroid metabolism appear to be highly correlated with clinical state. Such state-dependent variables may permit a biologically based diagnostic assessment, thus assisting clinical judgment and inferring the potential importance of routine neurophysiological and endocrinological testing in the clinic setting.
Nonlocal Total Variation Based Speckle Denoising Model

A large range of methods covering various fields of mathematics are available for denoising an image. The initial denoising models are derived from energy minimization using nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). The filtering models based on smoothing operators have also been used for denoising. Among them the recently developed nonlocal means method proposed by Buades, Coll and Morel in 2005 is quite successful. Though the method is very accurate, it is very slow and hence quite impractical. In 2008, Gilboa and Osher extended some known PDE and variational techniques in image processing to the nonlocal framework and proposed the nonlocal total variation method for Gaussian noise. We used this idea to develop a nonlocal model for speckle noise. Here we have extended the speckle model introduced by Krissian et al. in 2005 to the nonlocal framework. The Split Bregman scheme is used solve this new model.
Biologically-relevant radical reduction by a ruthenium catalyst

Catalytic reduction of ABTS•– to ABTS2– was achieved by a ruthenium complex using a variety of biologically-relevant alcohols, such as amino acids, sugars, or citric acid cycle metabolites, as terminal reductants. Rate law and deuterium labeling studies revealed that radical reduction was performed by a ruthenium–hydride intermediate formed via hydride transfer from the alcohol to ruthenium. With this knowledge, it was subsequently shown that NAD+ also functioned as a terminal reductant via its ribose subunit, representing the first demonstration that NAD+ could function as a hydride donor under biologically-relevant conditions. This ruthenium complex shows promise for applications in oxidative stress and redox therapeutics.
Factors Associated with 30-day Unplanned Readmissions of Sepsis Patients: A Retrospective Analysis of Patients Admitted with Sepsis at a Community Hospital.

Introduction Mortality from sepsis is decreasing in recent years owing to improved quality of care, targeted programs, and the implementation of sepsis bundles. This has led to an increased pool of sepsis survivors at risk of readmissions. Studies have shown that these sepsis readmissions are common and expensive. The factors associated with these readmissions remain elusive and have incited a lot of research in recent years. The 30-day sepsis readmission rate is increasingly being used as a quality metric for hospitals. A conducted a retrospective chart review analysis of patients admitted with sepsis to find factors affecting the 30-day readmissions of sepsis survivors. Methods Patients admitted to our hospital either on the medical-surgical floor or in the intensive care unit (ICU) with an administrative coding for sepsis between January 2014 to November 2015 were identified. A literature search, as well as expert opinion, was considered for the list of factors to be studied, including age, sex, residence on admission, length of stay, getting hemodialysis, hospitalization in the prior year, presence of acute kidney injury (AKI), source of sepsis, discharge disposition, receipt of red blood cell (RBC) products, and route of antibiotics on discharge. A univariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to test the association between the above-mentioned variables and sepsis readmission. Variables with statistical significance in the univariate analysis were used to compute the multivariate regression analysis along, with adjusted OR and their 95% CI. Results A total of 1297 patients were identified with sepsis. Of these, 1068 patients met inclusion criteria. The readmission rate in our study population was 19.19%, and 52% of the readmissions were secondary to an infectious cause. After controlling for the effect of all the potential confounders, the factors that showed a positive association with readmissions were hospitalizations in the year prior to the index hospitalization and discharge to either nursing home or short-term rehab. The requirement of the intensive care unit was not associated with increased readmission. High hemoglobin on discharge was associated with a reduced chance of readmission. Conclusions Readmissions after sepsis hospitalization are common and mostly caused by infections. Several factors associated with index sepsis hospitalization can be associated with readmissions. Some of these factors are modifiable and more research is needed to see if these readmissions can be prevented.
Brain activation and subjective anxiety during an anticipatory anxiety task is related to clinical outcome during prazosin treatment for alcohol use disorder

Abstract Background : Higher levels of anxiety, negative affect, and impaired emotion regulation are associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and contribute to relapse and worse treatment outcomes. Prazosin, while typically used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders, has shown promise for treating AUD. In order to better understand these underlying neural processes in individuals with AUD, our aims in this study were to measure brain activation during an anticipatory anxiety task before treatment to determine whether observed patterns supported previous work. We then aimed to measure the effects of prazosin on patients with AUD and explore whether greater baseline anticipatory anxiety (as measured by subjective and neural measures) predicts better treatment outcomes. Methods : Thirty-four individuals seeking treatment for AUD participated in a six-week placebo-controlled study of prazosin and underwent an anticipatory anxiety task during fMRI scans at baseline and three weeks. Alcohol use over six weeks was measured. Results : Greater levels of subjective anxiety and deactivation in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) were observed during high-threat stimuli compared to low-threat stimuli. Compared to placebo, prazosin reduced subjective anxiety to high-threat stimuli but there were no observed significant effects of prazosin on brain activation during the task. However, AUD patients with greater vmPFC deactivation during high threat relative to low threat and patients with low baseline anticipatory anxiety during the task had worse clinical outcomes on prazosin. Conclusions : Deactivation in PCC and vmPFC to high-threat stimuli replicated previous work and shows promise for further study as a marker for AUD. Although prazosin did not affect brain activation in the regions of interest during the anticipatory anxiety task, subjective levels of anxiety and brain activation in vmPFC predicted treatment outcomes in individuals with AUD undergoing treatment with prazosin, highlighting individuals more likely to benefit from prazosin than others.
Low Earth orbit space object differentiation using long-wave infrared polarimetry

Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) polarimetric measurements can be used to characterize space objects under certain conditions. Both visible and LWIR polarimetry have been demonstrated extensively in terrestrial applications for detection and characterization of objects of interest. Visible polarimetry has also been demonstrated for space object detection. The objective of the current research is to use a software model to determine how well an object can be detected in low Earth orbit (LEO) with LWIR polarimetry using a modest aperture, diffraction-limited telescope (70cm aperture), and whether it can be differentiated from another object of different composition. Most targets at this range and wavelength are effectively point sources with an aggregate value for their degree of linear polarization, somewhat dependent on target rotation with respect to the sensor. This approach represents a step forward in optical systems for space situational awareness in that it can be used both day and night, regardless of external target illumination.
Adaptable Sensor Arrays for Fetal Magnetocardiographic Measurements Using Optically-Pumped Magnetometers: A Pilot Study

Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) is a noninvasive method of measuring magnetic signals generated by the depolarizing heart. fMCG has proved to have superior signal-to-noise ratio characteristics and enables precise detection of the R-R intervals for fetal heart rate variability (FHRV) analysis. FHRV is one of the most useful clinical indicators for investigating fetal neurodevelopment. Currently, fMCG recordings rely on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) which require cryogenics leading to a high cost device. New cryogenic-free sensors called optical pump magnetometers (OPMs) have emerged as alternative to SQUIDs. To take advantage of the flexibility of the OPM sensors, we explored the ability of OPM sensors to measure the fMCG at different maternal positions and sensor locations. Data were collected with a 14-channel OPM array using different sitting positions (mother leaning forward, backward, and prone). Projection operator algorithm based on minimum norm (POMN) was applied to extracted fMCG. R peaks were obtained to perform standard FHRV analysis. We were able to configure a standalone array of the OPMs that conforms to the shape of the maternal abdomen to obtain signals with sufficient quality. We extracted and quantified FHRV parameters in three low-risk fetuses. Results showed that FHRV values are in the range of previous SQUID studies.
A New Paradigm for Topological or Rotational Non-Abelian Gauge Fields from Einstein-Skyrme Holography

We report analytically known states at non-zero temperature which may serve as a powerful tool to reveal common topological and thermodynamic properties of systems ranging from the QCD phase diagram to topological phase transitions in condensed matter materials. In the holographically dual gravity theory, these are analytic solutions to a five-dimensional non-linear-sigma (Skyrme) model dynamically coupled to Einstein gravity. This theory is shown to be holographically dual to $\mathcal{N}=4$ Super-Yang-Mills theory coupled to an $SU(2)$-current. All solutions are fully backreacted asymptotically Anti-de Sitter~(AdS) black branes or holes. One family of global AdS black hole solutions contains non-Abelian gauge field configurations with positive integer Chern numbers and finite energy density. Larger Chern numbers increase the Hawking-Page transition temperature. In the holographically dual field theory this indicates a significant effect on the deconfinement phase transition. Black holes with one Hawking temperature can have distinct Chern numbers, potentially enabling topological transitions. A second family of analytic solutions, rotating black branes, is also provided. These rotating solutions induce states with propagating charge density waves in the dual field theory. We compute the Hawking temperature, entropy density, angular velocity and free energy for these black holes/branes. These correspond to thermodynamic data in the dual field theory. For these states the energy-momentum tensor, (non-)conserved current, and topological charge are interpreted.
Disparities in health behaviors and outcomes at the intersection of race and sexual identity among women: Results from the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore potential differences in health behaviors and outcomes of sexual minority women (SMW) of color compared to White SMW, heterosexual women of color, and White heterosexual women. Data from 4878 women were extracted from the 2011 to 2016 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. The four-category independent variable (SMW of color, White SMW, heterosexual women of color, and White heterosexual women) was included in binary and multinomial logistic regression models predicting fair/poor self-reported health status, depression, cigarette smoking, alcohol, cannabis, and illicit drug use. Compared to White heterosexual women, SMW of color and heterosexual women of color had significantly higher odds of fair/poor self-reported health and lower odds of being a current or former smoker, binge drinking or using alcohol in the past year, being a former cannabis user, and ever using illicit drugs. In contrast, White SMW had significantly greater odds of depression, current smoking and cannabis and illicit drug use. Results of post-hoc tests indicated that the adjusted ORs for SMW of color differed significantly from those of White SMW for all outcomes, and did not differ significantly from those for heterosexual women of color for any outcome other than no binge drinking (OR = 0.34 vs. 0.67, p
A scalable workflow to characterize the human exposome

Complementing the genome with an understanding of the human exposome is an important challenge for contemporary science and technology. Tens of thousands of chemicals are used in commerce, yet cost for targeted environmental chemical analysis limits surveillance to a few hundred known hazards. To overcome limitations which prevent scaling to thousands of chemicals, we develop a single-step express liquid extraction and gas chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis to operationalize the human exposome. We show that the workflow supports quantification of environmental chemicals in human plasma (200 µL) and tissue (≤100 mg) samples. The method also provides high resolution, sensitivity and selectivity for exposome epidemiology of mass spectral features without a priori knowledge of chemical identity. The simplicity of the method can facilitate harmonization of environmental biomonitoring between laboratories and enable population level human exposome research with limited sample volume. Humans are exposed to millions of chemicals but mass spectrometry (MS)-based targeted biomonitoring assays are usually limited to a few hundred known hazards. Here, the authors develop a workflow for MS-based untargeted exposome profiling of known and unidentified environmental chemicals.
Canine olfactory detection of trained explosive and narcotic odors in mixtures using a Mixed Odor Delivery Device.

Abstract Like using a substandard calibrant to test and calibrate an instrumental detector, when detection canines are regularly exposed to less than optimal training material, their detection proficiency is diminished, risking the lives of their handlers and civilians they are intended to protect. This research examined canine detection proficiency to odor mixtures and the use of mixture training to improve said proficiency. Trained detection canines were tested on their ability to correctly locate their trained target odors, explosives or narcotics, in various mixtures from a series of blanks and distractor odors. After making base measurements, canines were trained on the target odor in mixtures using the Mixed Odor Delivery Device (MODD), which was previously developed to safely contain separated explosive components and deliver the mixed odor to a canine detector for training purposes. Headspace measurements, made using solid phase microextraction with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS), were also taken of mixture components in and out of the MODD to confirm that odor mixtures were accurately portrayed to the canines during MODD training. Following mixture training, canines were retested on the same mixtures. Results of the headspace analysis showed that the MODD did not alter the delivery of the odorants from the mixture components. As such, canines showed an improved proficiency in detection of target mixtures following mixture training, increasing the detection rate from 63% to 72% for pseudo cocaine mixtures and from 19% to 100% for explosive mixtures.
Quality Control of Magnetic Resonance Elastography Using Percent Measurable Liver Volume Estimation.

BACKGROUND Although studies have described factors associated with failed magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), little is known about what factors influence usable elastography data. PURPOSE To identify factors that have a negative impact on percent measurable liver volume (pMLV), defined as the proportion of usable liver elastography data relative to the volume of imaged liver in patients undergoing MRE. STUDY TYPE Retrospective. SUBJECTS A total of 264 patients (n = 132 males, n = 132 females; mean age = 57 years) with suspected or known chronic liver disease underwent MRE paired with a liver protocol MRI. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE MRE was performed on a single 1.5 T scanner using a two-dimensional gradient-recalled echo phase-contrast sequence with a passive acoustic driver overlying the right hemiliver. ASSESSMENT Stiffness maps (usable data at 95% confidence) and liver contours on magnitude images of the MRE acquisition were manually traced and used to assess mean stiffness and pMLV. Hepatic fat fraction and R2 * values were also calculated. The distance from the acoustic wave generator on the skin surface to the liver edge was measured. Two radiologists performed the MR analyses with 50 overlapping cases for inter-reader analysis. STATISTICAL TESTS Linear regression was performed to identify factors significantly associated with pMLV. Intraclass correlation was performed for inter-reader reliability. RESULTS pMLV was 31% ± 20% (range 0%-86%). Complete MRE failure (i.e. pMLV = 0%) occurred in 10 patients (4%). Multivariate linear regression identified higher hepatic fat fraction, R2 *, BMI, and driver-to-liver surface distance; male sex; and lower mean liver stiffness was significantly independently associated with lower pMLV. Intraclass correlation for pMLV was 0.96, suggestive of excellent reliability. DATA CONCLUSION Higher fat fraction, R2 *, BMI, driver-to-liver surface distance, male sex, and lower mean liver stiffness were associated with lower pMLV. Optimization of image acquisition parameters and driver placement may improve MRE quality, and pMLV likely serves as a diagnostic utility quality control metric. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 2.
Marine Traffic Engineering—A New Discipline

Faced with essential growth of ports and waterways, our practice in the United States has been for each of the various agencies concerned to focus upon its own area of interest. If an accident occurs, the tendency is to demand a change in ship design or practice when the configuration of the port, waterway, or pier may be in need of improvement. This paper calls for a coordinated approach through marine traffic engineering.
Poor Pitiful or Potently Powerful Preferred

In response to William W. Bratton & Michael L. Wachter, A Theory of Preferred Stock , 161 U. Pa. L. Rev. 1815 (2013).
The Role of Ligand Packing Frustration in Body-Centered Cubic (bcc) Superlattices of Colloidal Nanocrystals

This paper addresses the assembly of body centered-cubic (bcc) superlattices of organic ligand-coated nanocrystals. First, examples of bcc superlattices of dodecanethiol-capped Au nanocrystals and oleic acid-capped PbS and PbSe nanocrystals are presented and examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). These superlattices tend to orient on their densest (110) superlattice planes and exhibit a significant amount of {112} twinning. The same nanocrystals deposit as monolayers with hexagonal packing, and these thin films can coexist with thicker bcc superlattice layers, even though there is no hexagonal plane in a bcc lattice. Both the preference of bcc in bulk films over the denser face-centered cubic (fcc) superlattice structure and the transition to hexagonal monolayers can be rationalized in terms of packing frustration of the ligands. A model is presented to calculate the difference in entropy associated with capping ligand packing frustr...
Coincidence and anti-coincidence measurements in prompt gamma neutron activation analysis with pulsed cold neutron beams

A novel approach is implemented to alleviate some persistent problems in neutron capture prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA). Detection sensitivities of PGAA are often restricted by the following factors: poor signal to noise ratios, interferences from background signals, and, in some cases, overlapping energy lines from different origins, namely ultra short-lived decay lines interfering with prompt decay. Timing the gamma-ray acquisition with the actual capture events using a pulsed beam of cold neutrons allows discrimination between prompt and delayed emissions from a sample source as well as against background events. Coincidence gating selects the prompt gamma-ray emissions. Contributions of background capture gamma-rays are suppressed because of different flight times of neutrons to the sources of background radiation, providing a reduction in direct gamma-ray interferences. Anti-coincidence gating allows measurement of only decay radiation that originates from short-lived activated states of the nuclides after capture. Spectra of decaying nuclides are free of interfering prompt activities, as well as have lower continuum background from Compton scattering of high-energy prompt gamma-rays in the detector. The measurements provide the opportunity to use ultra-short half-life nuclides for analytical purposes, no sample transfer times are lost, and repetitive activation and counting cycles are achieved with the use of pulsed neutron beams.
Strontium Ranelate in the Prevention of Osteoporotic Fractures

Two large clinical trials have demonstrated the antifracture efficacy of strontium ranelate in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Treatment reduced new vertebral fractures by 41% (p < 0.001), peripheral fractures by 16% (p = 0.04), and hip fractures by 36% (p = 0.046) in a high-risk population by 3 years; these reductions occurred early and were sustained over the long term. Strontium ranelate is effective regardless of baseline risk factors. It is cost-effective in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Strontium ranelate is safe and well tolerated. Research areas for strontium ranelate administration include osteoarthritis, male osteoporosis, fracture healing, and implant osseointegration.
Gay, Rural, and Coming Out: A Case Study of One School's Experience

This case study details the events surrounding a gay student’s “coming out” in a small, rural high school. Through the eyes and experiences of the student, his teachers, classmates, and community, we hear the story of how the school and community dealt with an issue they had never before actively considered. Through qualitative interviews, the former high school principal describes reactions and lessons learned as the student made his sexual orientation known, attended prom, and was awarded one of three Matthew Shepard Scholarships given in the state. The unexpected way in which events unfolded in the school and community were nearly as surprising as the revelation of the student’s sexual orientation. The experiences reinforce the importance of school climate, meaningful relationships between students and staff, the sometimes hidden challenges of high school, and provide valuable considerations for all educators.
How to Eliminate a Billion Dollar Mistake- Three Recent Supreme Court Recent Decisions relating to Retirement Plans.

This paper reviews three key decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States regarding retirement plans.
Conceptions of individual rights and freedom in welfare economics : A re-examination

This paper examines the literature in welfare economics with a focus on individual rights and freedom, two important components in welfare economics. The paper discusses conceptions of rights and freedom intuitively and presents a critical examination of the existing literature.
The impact of inverter-like transitions on device TDDB and ring oscillators

Conventional time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) test for discrete device usually ties source and drain together, i.e. V ds = 0V. However, this condition is seldom seen in a switching logic circuit. To mimic the true behavior of a switching device in a circuit, an inverter-like AC TDDB 64-bit test array is constructed. Although this result in not only TDDB and BTI but also the combined effect of HCI, it is more realistic as well. In this paper, we investigated the impacts of HCI during transient and V gd assisted recovery during off-state half cycle on TDDB and voltage acceleration factor (VAF). Another simple array to catch the collective behavior of a group of devices is ring oscillator (RO). RO itself is easy to be implemented and characterized for high frequency stress. TDDB data sets from discrete device array and ROs are compared to validate each other. Experiment results show a) frequency dependence exists regardless DC [1-2] or AC signal applied to drain, b) with the presence of HCI up to few hundred MHz, drain side de-trapping still lengthen TDDB lifetime. HCI domination might only occur at even higher frequency in GHz realm.
Angiotensin axis blockade, hypotension, and acute kidney injury in elective major orthopedic surgery.

BACKGROUND Patients presenting for surgery with angiotensin axis blockade (AAB) from therapy with either angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers experience an increased incidence of perioperative hypotension. Acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients receiving preoperative AAB has been demonstrated after lung, vascular, and cardiac surgery. However, there is little literature evaluating the hypotensive and renal effects of preoperative AAB and major orthopedic surgery. METHODS We performed a retrospective chart review of 1154 patients who underwent spinal fusion, total knee arthroplasty, or total hip arthroplasty during the 2010 calendar year in our academic medical center. RESULTS A total of 922 patients met inclusion criteria, 343 (37%) received preoperative AAB. Postinduction hypotension (systolic blood pressure ≤80 mm Hg for 5 minutes) was significantly higher in patients receiving AAB when compared to those not so treated (12.2% vs 6.7%; odds ratio [OR]: 1.93, P = 0.005). Of the 922 patients, 798 had documented measurements of both preoperative and postoperative creatinine. Postoperative AKI was significantly higher in patients receiving AAB therapy (8.3% vs 1.7%; OR: 5.40, P < 0.001), remaining significant after adjusting for covariates including hypotension (OR: 2.60, P = 0.042). Developing AKI resulted in a significantly higher mean length of stay (5.76 vs 3.28 days, P < 0.001) but no difference in 2-year mortality. CONCLUSIONS Patients undergoing major elective orthopedic surgery who receive preoperative AAB therapy,have an associated increased risk of postinduction hypotension and postoperative acute kidney injury resulting in a greater hospital length of stay. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2014;9:283–288. © 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine
Effect of encapsulated calcium carbide on dinitrogen, nitrous oxide methane, and carbon dioxide emissions from flooded rice.

The efficiency of N use in flooded rice is usually low, chiefly due to gaseous losses. Emission of CH4, a gas implicated in global warming, can also be substantial in flooded rice. In a greenhouse study, the nitrification inhibitor encapsulated calcium carbide (a slow-release source of acetylene) was added with 75, 150, and 225 mg of 75 atom % 15N urea-N to flooded pots containing 18-day-old rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants. Urea treatments without calcium carbide were included as controls. After the application of encapsulated calcium carbide, 3.6 μg N2, 12.4 μg N2O-N, and 3.6 mg CH4 were emitted per pot in 30 days. Without calcium carbide, 3.0 mg N2, 22.8 μg N2O-N, and 39.0 mg CH4 per pot were emitted during the same period. The rate of N added had a positive effect on N2 and N2O emissions, but the effect on CH4 emissions varied with time. Carbon dioxide emissions were lower with encapsulated calcium carbide than without. The use of encapsulated calcium carbide appears effective in eliminating N2 losses, and in minimizing emissions of the “greenhouse gases” N2O and CH4 in flooded rice.
Absorption and laser-excited emission spectra of matrix-isolated Pb2

Abstract Absorption and laser-induced emission spectra are reported for the diatomic lead molecule in neon, argon, and krypton matrices. In emission, vibronic band systems are observed at about 20 000, 14 500, 13 500, and 12 000 cm −1 . The sharpness of the bands indicates only a small degree of coupling between the states of the molecule and the phonon states of the host matrix. The A → X band system near 20 000 cm −1 reveals the most structure and the results show practically no vibrational relaxation of the Pb 2 molecule between absorption of the laser radiation and the luminescence process. Multiple matrix site effects are observed. There is also evidence to suggest that the ground state of Pb 2 is degenerate and that an asymmetric matrix environment removes the degeneracy.
The Legacy of Henry Molaison (1926–2008) and the Impact of His Bilateral Mesial Temporal Lobe Surgery on the Study of Human Memory

In 1953, neurosurgeon William Beecher Scoville performed a bilateral mesial temporal lobe resection on patient Henry Molaison, who suffered from epilepsy. The operation was novel as a treatment for epilepsy and had an unexpected consequence: a severe compromise of Molaison's anterograde memory. In a landmark 1957 publication, Scoville and Milner concluded that mesial temporal lobe structures, particularly the hippocampi, were integral to the formation of new, recent memories. Over the next 5 decades, more than 100 researchers studied Molaison's memory, behavior, and learning skills, making him one of the most famous patients in the history of cognitive neuroscience. Following his death in 2008, his brain was scanned in situ and ex vivo and then sectioned into 2401 sections. Histological evaluation of Molaison's brain further elucidated which mesial temporal lobe structures were preserved or resected in his operation, shedding new light on the neuroanatomic underpinnings of short-term memory. Scoville regretted Molaison's surgical outcome and spoke vigorously about the dangers of bilateral mesial temporal lobe surgery. This report is the first historical account of Molaison's case in the neurosurgical literature, serving as a reminder of Molaison's contributions and of the perils of bilateral mesial temporal lobe surgery.
Is Russia a militocracy? Conceptual issues and extant findings regarding elite militarization

The dominant paradigm for understanding contemporary Russia holds that Vladimir Putin's tenure in office has been accompanied by a massive influx of former KGB and military personnel – so-called “siloviki” – into positions of power and authority throughout the polity and economy. Claims of extensive elite militarization, however, are largely based on the analyses of only one research program and, moreover, the validity of the estimates produced by that research program is open to question on numerous grounds. In this article, we review existing research on elite militarization in Russia; discuss a series of conceptual and empirical issues that need to be resolved if valid and meaningful estimation of military–security representation is to be achieved; introduce new findings; and evaluate the totality of existing evidence regarding whether the Russian state under Putin deserves to be labeled a militocracy. We find that the most straightforward reading of existing data indicates that the percentage of silov...
Convergent and oscillatory activation dynamics for cascades of neural nets with nearest neighbor competitive or cooperative interactions

It is shown that a cascade of the neural net n0 into the net n1 has oscillatory (convergent) dynamics if the nets n0 and n1 have oscillatory (convergent) dynamics and the net n1 has a special structure. The special structure required of n1 is that it consists of a finite number of units which can be arranged along a line segment with only nearest neighbor connections between units and where each adjacent pair of units interacts in either a mutally inhibitory manner or in a mutually excitatory manner. These nets, described in Hirsch (1989), have convergent dynamics if given constant input, by a result of Smillie (1984), and have oscillatory dynamics if given oscillatory input, by a result of the author (1990).
Modelling the reciprocal of the survivorship function

In a recent study by Mitra [1], Brass's model of linear relationship between the logits of the life table survivorship function l(x) of any two life tables was transformed to a similar relationship between the reciprocals of l(x). It has been shown in the current paper that such a relationship implies strong correlation between the reciprocals of l(x) and l(y) where x and y are any two ages and that this correlation increases as the age difference decreases in absolute value. Two factors emerged when this correlation matrix for each sex was subjected to principal components analysis. They explained 98 percent of the variation and as a result turned out to be excellent predictors of life tables in general and of comprehensive measures of mortality such as life expectancy in particular. In fact, the factor scores corresponding to the two principal components, for any life table or for any country, can be treated as measures of mortality along two independent dimensions labeled, in this paper, as acquired-immunity and senescence.
Incremental Model for Prediction of Permanent Deformation of Asphalt Concrete in Compression

Permanent deformation (rutting) is one of the major distresses in asphalt pavement. To predict permanent deformation of asphalt concrete, repeated creep and recovery (or flow number) tests are typically used in the laboratory. However, models for the prediction of permanent deformation that incorporate flow number testing cannot represent the primary region because they concentrate on the secondary region. A new simple permanent deformation model called the incremental model is proposed. The proposed model is derived from the rate model, which is a rigorous mechanical model based on viscoplasticity. Four parameters of the new model provide an understanding of the permanent deformation. Parameter A is related to the initial permanent strain level, and Parameter C provides information about where the secondary region starts. That is, Parameters A and C govern the primary region, where α (alpha) is the slope of the secondary region, and B represents the permanent deformation level of the secondary region. Tw...
Malignant ovarian brenner tumour: A case report

Summary The case history and the pathological features of an unusual ovarian tumour are presented. The neoplasm has been classified as a malignant Brenner tumour.
Antigenic determinants in amyloid deposits

PRECISE analyses of human amyloid laden tissues have shown that they contain at least two specific components—a fibrillar protein of uniform cross-sectional diameter1,2 and a rod-shaped protein (P-component). Units of the latter look pentagonal under the electron microscope and show antigenic identity with an α-globulin present in human plasma3–5. Preliminary studies have also suggested that the fibrillar component of amyloid is non-immunogenic whereas the P-component is capable of eliciting a strong antibody response6–8. Recently, we have succeeded in preparing antisera not only to the P-component but also to alkali degraded amyloid fibrils (DAM), according to the method of Pras et al.9. Here we show that these antisera react not only with DAM but also with amyloid deposits in various tissues, particularly liver, spleen and kidney. Data are also presented which compare the tissue reactivity of anti-DAM and anti-P-component antisera measured by the fluorescent antibody technique.
Fidelity-Aware Replication for Mobile Devices

Mobile devices often store data in reduced resolutions or custom formats in order to accommodate resource constraints and tailor-made software. The Polyjuz framework enables sharing and synchronization of data across a collection of personal devices that use formats of different fidelity. Layered transparently between the application and an off-the-shelf replication platform, Polyjuz bridges the isolated worlds of different data formats. With Polyjuz, data items created or updated on high-fidelity devices-such as laptops and desktops-are automatically replicated onto low-fidelity, mobile devices. Similarly, data items updated on low-fidelity devices are reintegrated with their high-fidelity counterparts when possible. Polyjuz performs these fidelity reductions and reintegrations as devices exchange data in a peer-to-peer manner, ultimately extending the eventual-consistency guarantee of the underlying replication platform to the multifidelity universe. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of Polyjuz and demonstrate its benefits for fidelity-aware contacts management and picture sharing applications.
Spatial origin of various PL lines in CdTe at 77 K

Abstract We report on the spatial origin of the exciton and defect photoluminescence lines in CdTe at 77 K. A scanning electron microscope was used to obtain images of cathodoluminescence that was spectrally resolved with the help of optical filters. We observe that the exciton and the defect luminescence lines originate from different spatial locations on the sample. The exciton line itself appears to originate from two different locations, one of which is the clustered dislocations. These results question the validity of the generally accepted criterion that a large ratio of exciton to defect emission in the luminescence spectrum of CdTe at 77 K implies good crystal quality.