cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kinetics of Aminodinitrotoluene Oxidations with Ozone and Hydroxyl Radical

Aminodinitrotoluenes [2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT) and 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT)] are serious groundwater contaminants commonly found in soils and groundwaters near TNT production facilities. To evaluate the kinetics and pathways for their oxidation in peroxone (ozone and hydrogen peroxide) oxidizing systems where both hydroxyl (HO) radical and ozone are important oxidants, competition kinetics and modeling experiments were done. ADNTs react rapidly with both ozone and HO radical. From competition kinetics with resorcinol as a reference, ozone rate constants of 1.45 x 10 5 and 1.8 x 10 5 M -1 s -1 were determined for 2- and 4-ADNT, respectively. HO radical rate constants, determined using p-nitroacetophenone (PNAP) as a reference compound, are 1.6 x 10 9 and 1.9 x 10 9 M -1 s -1 for 2- and 4-ADNT, respectively. Although rate constants for HO radical oxidations are 4 orders of magnitude larger than those for ozone, modeling shows that ozone is the dominant oxidant for ADNTs in peroxone mixtures, except at ADNTs concentrations below 1 μM (200 ppb).
A model for the observed intermittency of a meandering plume

Abstract A proper description or prediction of the concentration field due to a dispersing atmospheric contaminant includes a measure of its variation. The abil
Purification of synthetic warburganal intermediates by open column and high-performance liquid chromatography

Open column, high-performance liquid, and gas-liquid chromatographic procedures have been developed for the purification of synthetic warburganal intermediates (II–V) and drimenin (VI). The usefulness of thinlayer chromatography in revealing an obscured, unwanted product (VI) instead of a desired warburganal intermediate (V) is discussed. The relative stereochemical configuration of IV was confirmed by X-ray analysis.
Fabry-Perot Interferometry with Fractional Charges

Resistance oscillations in electronic Fabry-Perot interferometers near fractional quantum Hall (FQH) filling factors 1/3, 2/3, 4/3, and 5/3 in the constrictions are compared to those near integer quantum Hall (IQH) filling factors in the same devices and at the same gate voltages. Two-dimensional plots of resistance versus gate voltage and magnetic field indicate that all oscillations are Coulomb dominated. A charging-model analysis of gate-voltage periods yields an effective tunneling charge e* ≈ e/3 for all FQH states and e* ≈ e for IQH states. Temperature decay of the oscillations appears exponential, qualitatively consistent with a recent prediction, and the surprising filling-factor dependence of the associated energy scale may shed light on edge structure.
Structural basis of the Neisseria meningitidis immunotypes including the L4 and L7 immunotypes.

Abstract The application of high-resolution 1 H, 13 C and 31 P NMR and MS analyses to the oligosaccharide moieties of the L4 and L7 immunotypes of Neisseria meningitidis revealed that they had the following structures: The fact that the L7 LPS is not sialylated at O-3 of its terminal β- d -galactopyranosyl residue implies that it is a mutant strain unable to endogenously sialylate its lacto- N -neotetraose antenna. With the structural elucidation of the L4 and L7 LPS immunotypes, a more comprehensive structural profile of the LPS involved in disease isolates can now be assembled. This provides valuable insights into the structural basis of the N. meningitidis immunotyping system which could be of use in formulating an LPS-based vaccine against meningococcal meningitis.
Understanding and Classifying Requirements for Computer-Aided Healthcare Workflows

Medical informatics and software engineering researchers have studied how to use software technologies to define, analyze, automate, and provide decision support for healthcare workflows. We, as the requirements engineering and prototyping group of the Siemens R&D center, have been involved in the research and development of both financial and clinical healthcare workflows. During interactions with the workflow users (e.g. physicians, nurses), researchers and software developers, we found significant confusion about the terminologies and the purposes of supporting different healthcare workflows. Thus, we are motivated to classify computer-aided healthcare workflows, including their approaches, goals, and major characteristics. This paper also discusses workflow application issues and software challenges based upon our experiences and research.
Team Performance as a Joint Function of Team Member Satisfaction and Agreeableness

Recent research on team personality has paid growing attention to team agreeableness; yet the literature is replete with mixed findings regarding the relationship between team agreeableness and team performance. Following the emerging trend of examining the moderating role of team personality traits in team dynamics, we propose a novel view of team agreeableness as a moderator for the relationship between team member satisfaction and team performance. With 230 senior-level professionals in 42 self-managed teams, we found that when team agreeableness was low, team member satisfaction was positively related to team performance, whereas when team agreeableness was high, team member satisfaction was not significantly related to team performance. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Macrophage infiltration in the omental and subcutaneous adipose tissues of dairy cows with displaced abomasum

High concentrations of plasma nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), a direct measure of lipolysis, are considered a risk factor for displaced abomasum (DA) and other clinical diseases. In nonruminants, uncontrolled lipolysis is commonly associated with adipose tissue macrophage (ATM) infiltration. In dairy cows, recent studies report ATM infiltration in specific adipose depots during the first week of lactation. Depending on their phenotype, ATM can be broadly classified as classically activated (M1) or alternatively activated (M2). The M1 ATM are considered pro-inflammatory, whereas M2 ATM enhance inflammation resolution. Currently, it is not known whether multiparous transition cows with DA have increased ATM infiltration, and the predominant phenotype of these mononuclear cells remains unclear. The objective of this study was to characterize ATM infiltration into different adipose tissue depots in transition cows with DA (days in milk=7.8±4.6 d; body condition score=2.95±0.10; n=6). Serum samples and biopsies from omental (OM) and subcutaneous (SC) fat depots were obtained during corrective surgery for DA. In an effort to compare ATM infiltration in DA cows with that of healthy cows in anabolic state (AS), adipose biopsies and blood samples were collected from nonlactating, nongestating dairy cows at the time of slaughter (body condition score=3.75±0.12; n=6). Adipose tissues were digested and cells from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) were analyzed using flow cytometry to establish cell surface expression of specific macrophage markers including CD14, CD11c, CD163, and CD172a. Tissue sections were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to assess ATM localization. Cows with DA were ketotic and had plasma NEFA above 1.0 mEq/L. The same group of cows had significant infiltration of ATM in OM characterized by increased numbers of SVF cells expressing CD14 and CD172a. At the same time, expression of CD11c, and CD163 was significantly higher in SVF from OM and SC of DA cows compared with those from AS animals. Expression of M1 macrophage inflammatory phenotype-related genes CCL2, IL6, and TNFα in SVF from cows with DA was significantly higher than that in healthy cows (AS). Significant populations of ATM in OM and SC depots of cows with DA were localized in multiple cellular aggregates that included multinucleated cells. In contrast, ATM in AS cows were fewer and randomly localized in both SC and OM. Together, these results indicate that infiltration of classically activated ATM is a concurrent finding in DA cases and may be associated with metabolic stress around parturition contributing to the pro-inflammatory status of transition dairy cows. Future studies are needed to establish whether ATM infiltration is more pronounced in cows with DA compared with healthy dairy cows at the same lactation stage and if this increased mononuclear immune cell trafficking has any pathophysiological significance.
Intracellular Localization of Parathyroid Hormone in the Kidney

Partially purified bovine- parathyroid hormone (PTH) and highly purified 125I-PTH were infused simultaneously into dogs. The kidneys were studied by fluorescent microscopy and light and electron autoradiography. By immunofluorescence PTH was found to be present only in the cytoplasm of renal tubules. Light microscopic examination of autoradiographs revealed a selective localization of labeled PTH in cells of renal proximal tubules. Electron autoradiographic studies showed most of the labeled hormone to be in the mitochondria of proximal tubular cells. No localization of labeled PTH in renal cortex was observed when 125I-PTH was administered after a load of unlabeled PTH. Biologically active 3H-PTH demonstrated identical localization at the light microscopic level in renal proximal tubules in the rat. These studies demonstrate that exogenous PTH is selectively localized in the cytoplasm of renal proximal tubular cells conserving at least partially its immunoreactivity and that labeled PTH is found predomin...
Effect of cadmium on phenobarbital and polycyclic hydrocarbon-induced alterations in hepatic microsomal monooxygenase activity in the rat

Abstract The heavy metal, cadmium, is a potent inhibitor of the hepatic microsomal monooxygenase enzyme system in male, but not female, rats. The selectivity of this inhibitory effect of Cd was further examined by utilizing rats treated with inducers of this drug metabolizing enzyme system. Animals received phenobarbital (PB) sodium (100 mg/kg, ip, 72, 48, and 24 hr before sacrifice), or 3-methylcholanthrene or benzo[a]pyrene (20 mg/kg, ip, 72 and 48 hr prior to sacrifice) as inducers. Designated groups of these animals also received cadmium (1.0 mg Cd2+/kg), ip) either 120 or 72 hr before sacrifice. Noninduced male rats exhibited significant decreases in cytochrome P-450 content and drug-metabolizing enzyme activity following Cd treatment. The magnitude of the reductions in drug-metabolizing enzyme activity produced by Cd paralleled the magnitude of the sex difference in biotransformation of the substrate examined. Phenobarbital-treated male rats receiving a simultaneous Cd injection (72 hr prior to sacrifice) were also sensitive to Cd-induced inhibitions in cytochrome P-450 content and monooxygenase activity, although the extent of the reductions produced by Cd in PB-treated animals was less than that observed in noninduced male rats. In PB-treated male rats receiving a prior dose of Cd (120 hr before sacrifice), only the metabolism of the highly sex-dependent substrate, ethylmorphine, was significantly reduced. Cytochrome P-448 levels, and cytochrome P-448-mediated biotransformations which are elevated following hydrocarbon treatment, were not decreased by either simultaneous or prior Cd administration to male rats. Control, PB-treated, and hydrocarbon-treated female rats were not susceptible to Cd-induced reduction in hemoprotein content or inhibition of drug-metabolizing enzyme activity with the exception of those animals receiving both benzo[a]pyrene and Cd, which displayed slight but significant reductions in the oxidation of sex-dependent substrates. These results demonstrate the selective nature of the inhibitory effects of Cd upon drug metabolism in the rat.
Delays in new product introductions and the market value of the firm: the consequences of being late to the market

This paper empirically estimates the impact of not meeting promised new product introduction dates on the market value of the firm. We estimate the average "abnormal" change in the market value for a sample of 101 firms around the date when information about delaying the introduction of new products is publicly announced. On average, delay announcements decrease the market value of the firm by 5.25%. The average dollar change in the market value in 1991 dollars is $-119.3 million. The evidence suggests that there are significant penalties for not introducing new products on time. To provide further insight, regression analyses are used to identify factors that influence the direction and magnitude of the change in market value. We find that the competitiveness of the industry in which the firm operates, the size of the firm, and the firm's degree of diversification are statistically significant predictors for the change in the market value of firms that announce delays in the introduction of new products.
Contemporary Outcomes of Operations for Tricuspid Valve Infective Endocarditis

Background Tricuspid valve infective endocarditis (TVIE) is uncommon. Patients are traditionally treated with antibiotics alone, and indications for operation are not clearly established. We report our operative single-center experience. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 56 patients who underwent operations for TVIE between January 2002 and December 2012. Results Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was present in 41% of patients, septic pulmonary emboli in 63%, moderate/severe tricuspid regurgitation in 66%, and 86% were intravenous drug abusers. Patients underwent early operation if there was concomitant left-sided endocarditis with indications for operation (n = 18), atrial septal defect (n = 6), infected pacemaker lead (n = 4), or prosthetic TVIE (n = 1). The remaining 27 patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics. Five patients completed a 6-week course of intravenous antibiotics before requiring an operation for symptomatic severe tricuspid regurgitation or persistent bacteremia. Twenty-two patients did not complete the antibiotic therapy and underwent operation for symptomatic severe tricuspid regurgitation (n = 15), persistent fevers/bacteremia (n = 3), or patient-specific factors (n = 4). Valve repair was successful in 57% of patients. Overall operative mortality was 7.1%. No operative deaths occurred in patients with isolated native TVIE. Recurrent TVIE was diagnosed in 21% (5 of 24) of the replacement group and in 0% (0 of 32) in the repair group. Use of repair was strongly protective against recurrent TVIE ( p Conclusions In contrast to previously published reports of high operative mortality with TVIE, this experience demonstrates improved outcomes with low morbidity and mortality, particularly for native isolated TVIE. Future prospective comparisons between surgically and medically treated patients may help to further define indications and timing for operation for patients with TVIE.
Evaluation of auxin-responsive genes in soybean for detection of off-target plant growth regulator herbicides

Abstract The expression of a candidate auxin-responsive gene was evaluated for use in a diagnostic assay for plant growth regulator (PGR) herbicide injury in soybean leaves. Expression of GH3, a primary auxin-responsive gene, was evaluated in response to dicamba and clopyralid at the RNA and protein levels, and proteomic analysis evaluated global expression of proteins in response to dicamba. Expression of GH3 was also analyzed in response to heat, drought, salt stress, and infection by soybean mosaic virus (SMV) and bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) to determine the specificity of GH3 expression as a diagnostic marker for PGR herbicide injury. At the RNA level, GH3 was strongly induced by dicamba and clopyralid within 8 h after application. Expression peaked 1 to 3 d after treatment (DAT) in response to 10% and 1% of a labeled dose of dicamba and clopyralid, with higher expression levels detected at higher herbicide rates. At the protein level, GH3 expression was also strongly induced at 1, 2, and 3 DAT by 10...
Using Social Network Analysis to Test an IT-Enabled Business Process Reengineering Theory

After more than a decade of research in information technology-enabled business process reengineering (BPR), no clear theory explains the link between information technology (IT) and organizational transformation. This paper introduces the use of social network analysis (SNA) methods to analyze this link. SNA is a social structural approach that focuses on dynamic relationships among the technology, its adopters, and the social context they are in. It is used in this study to test Galbraiths Organizational Information Processing Theory (OIPT) in describing three IT-enabled BPR efforts. The results of the research show that SNA coupled with the OIPT is capable of explaining how technological innovation and process innovation interact within the context of BPR. The results of the research also provide measures that can be used by practitioners and researchers as leading indicators of BPR success.
Indications for and Individualization of Septal Reduction Therapy

The importance of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in a large subset of patients with HCM and drug-refractory symptoms, as well as the value of septal reduction therapy (surgical myectomy or alcohol septal ablation), has been demonstrated. However, determining the precise cause of symptoms in the HCM patient, and specifically implicating outflow tract obstructive physiology, can be quite challenging. Accordingly, a detailed and comprehensive morphologic and physiologic evaluation of the HCM patient is of paramount importance to determine which patients may benefit from septal reduction therapy. Patients should be considered for septal reduction therapy when (a) symptoms are clearly and primarily attributed to obstructive HCM despite optimal medical therapy, (b) symptoms encompass severe heart failure or angina (NYHA or CCS class III/IV), recurrent obstruction-related syncope, or recurrent clinical decompensation due to refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, (c) a gradient ≥50 mmHg can be demonstrated on optimal medical therapy, and (d) obstruction is clearly dynamic and subvalvular, resulting mainly from septum-to-anterior mitral leaflet contact. Surgical myectomy has been the traditional gold-standard invasive therapy. Alcohol septal ablation (ASA) is a minimally invasive catheter-based alternative with less patient discomfort and more rapid recovery; however, only patients with certain anatomic criteria are candidates. Evidence from non-randomized studies suggests that ASA and surgical myectomy result in similar short- and long-term outcomes with respect to hemodynamic and functional improvements, with greater propensity for pacemaker placement with septal ablation. Based on comprehensive assessment of clinical symptoms, associated co-morbidities, echocardiographic, electrocardiographic, and angiographic features, some patients are better suited for myectomy while others are better suited for ASA. This chapter will review indications for septal reduction therapy and how to individualize the selection of the appropriate septal reduction procedure in clinical practice.
Experimental intracoronary thrombosis and selective in situ lysis by catheter technique

Abstract Acute myocardial infarction was produced in a group of 20 dogs after the selective placement of a thrombogenic copper wire by catheter technique into either the anterior descending or circumflex branch of the left coronary artery. The time of onset of thrombosis ranged from 1 to 4 hours. The resulting thrombus was enzymatically lysed 1 to 24 hours after the occlusion, and signs of infarction were demonstrated. The lysing agent was delivered directly into the coronary artery, by means of a catheter to the site of the thrombus. Minimal amounts of the enzyme were used, and complete canalization of the obstructed vessel was achieved in all cases in which lysis was attempted. In 16 dogs, there was a definite improvement in the hemodynamic and biochemical indexes after lysis and reestablishment of blood flow.
An argument for discovery-driven research: from physicist to cancer researcher.

My colleagues and I recently reported what may be an inexpensive and non-toxic method to prevent most if not all early relapses in breast and other cancers [1]. However, as a bizarre development, what could be a major medical advance turned into a researcher’s nightmare because with the current drug development business model there seems to be no way to conduct expensive confirmatory clinical trials of an inexpensive therapy. This counterintuitive situation was brought to the attention of Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Jake Bernstein from ProPublica—a non-profit investigative journalistic organization. In the US and Europe, newspapers are being financially squeezed by news reporting on the internet. As a result, old fashioned investigative journalism is practiced much less frequently than in prior times. ProPublica was formed in an attempt to fill that gap. Bernstein investigated this situation and found that there are additional low cost treatment strategies that may also prevent relapse but are in the same financial predicament. Bernstein wrote a report on this issue that was published on their website [2]. My (only partially planned) personal role as a colon cancer patient and breast cancer researcher was used by Bernstein as an aid in discussing what have been named financial orphan cancer therapies. Since publication of the ProPublica report I have been asked on several occasions to explain in more detail how my roles as patient and researcher developed and how this relates to financial orphan therapies. I would like to take this opportunity to explain this improbable development.I was trained as an experimental physicist at the University of Chicago. That fine school has a strong theoretical history and even experimentalists are expected to be able to use computations to augment their experiments. About eight years after getting my PhD, I was working at Hewlett-Packard in Colorado Springs, Colorado, when my good friend Robert Wardwell’s wife was diagnosed with gastric lymphoma. Wardwell knew medical oncologist Jack Speer for many years and wanted to do something to help his wife. He organized a small study group consisting of himself, me, Dr Speer and Victor Petrosky—another HP physicist. (Cont.)
SHRINE: Enabling Nationally Scalable Multi-Site Disease Studies

Results of medical research studies are often contradictory or cannot be reproduced. One reason is that there may not be enough patient subjects available for observation for a long enough time period. Another reason is that patient populations may vary considerably with respect to geographic and demographic boundaries thus limiting how broadly the results apply. Even when similar patient populations are pooled together from multiple locations, differences in medical treatment and record systems can limit which outcome measures can be commonly analyzed. In total, these differences in medical research settings can lead to differing conclusions or can even prevent some studies from starting. We thus sought to create a patient research system that could aggregate as many patient observations as possible from a large number of hospitals in a uniform way. We call this system the ‘Shared Health Research Information Network’, with the following properties: (1) reuse electronic health data from everyday clinical care for research purposes, (2) respect patient privacy and hospital autonomy, (3) aggregate patient populations across many hospitals to achieve statistically significant sample sizes that can be validated independently of a single research setting, (4) harmonize the observation facts recorded at each institution such that queries can be made across many hospitals in parallel, (5) scale to regional and national collaborations. The purpose of this report is to provide open source software for multi-site clinical studies and to report on early uses of this application. At this time SHRINE implementations have been used for multi-site studies of autism co-morbidity, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, peripartum cardiomyopathy, colorectal cancer, diabetes, and others. The wide range of study objectives and growing adoption suggest that SHRINE may be applicable beyond the research uses and participating hospitals named in this report.
OnSpot system: test impact visibility during code edits in real software

For maintaining the quality of software updates to complex software products (e.g. Windows 7 OS), an extensive, broad level regression testing is conducted whenever releasing new code fixes or updates. Despite the huge cost and investment in the test infrastructure to execute these massive tests, the developer of the code fix has to wait for the regression test failures to be reported after checkin. These regression tests typically run way later from the code editing stage and consequently the developer has no test impact visibility while introducing the code changes at compile time or before checkin. We argue that it is valuable and practically feasible to tailor the entire development/testing process to provide valuable and actionable test feedback at the development/compilation stage as well. With this goal, this paper explores a system model that provides a near real-time test feedback based on regression tests while the code change is under development or as soon as it becomes compilable. OnSpot system dynamically overlays the results of tests on relevant source code lines in the development environment; thereby highlighting test failures akin to syntax failures enabling quicker correction and re-run at compile time rather than late when the damage is already done. We evaluate OnSpot system with the security fixes in Windows 7 while considering various factors like test feedback time, coverage ratio. We found out that on average nearly 40% of the automated Windows 7 regression test collateral could run under 30 seconds providing same level of coverage; thereby making OnSpot approach practically feasible and manageable during compile time
Robust TDT-type candidate-gene association tests.

In studies of association between genetic markers and a disease, the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) has become a standard procedure. It was introduced originally as a test for linkage in the presence of association and can be used as a test for association under appropriate assumptions. The power of the TDT test for association between a candidate gene and disease depends on the underlying genetic model and the TDT is the optimal test if the additive model holds. Related methods have been obtained for a given mode of inheritance (e.g. dominant or recessive). Quite often, however, the true model is unknown and selection of a single method of analysis is problematic, since use of a test optimal for one genetic model usually leads to a substantial loss of power if another genetic model is the true one. The general approach of efficiency robustness has suggested two types of robust procedures, which we apply to TDT-type association tests. When the plausible range of alternative models is wide (e.g. dominant through recessive) our results indicate that the maximum (MAX) of several test statistics, each of which is optimal for quite different models, has good power under all genetic models. In situations where the set of possible models can be narrowed (e.g. dominant through additive) a simple linear combination also performs well. In general, the MAX has better power properties than the TDT for the study of candidate genes when the mode of inheritance is unknown.
Centrifugal convection and its effect on the asymptotic stability of a bounded rotating fluid heated from below

Centrifugally driven circulations in a rapidly rotating cylinder of fluid heated differentially in the vertical are considered. Boundary-layer solutions obtained previously are extended to include large diameter/height aspect ratios and a centrifugal acceleration of the same magnitude as that of gravity. The ratio of convective to conductive heat transfer is small in the region of parameter space considered. The effect of the circulations on the asymptotic stability of a fluid heat from below and subjected to Coriolis force is then considered. Away from the side wall of the cylinder the basic state circulation increases the critical Rayleigh number at which gravitational instabilities occur; however, a destabilization near the side wall is possible.
Sturge-Weber syndrome with posterior fossa involvement.

Sturge-Weber syndrome, encephalotrigeminal angiomatosis, is a neurocutaneous disorder char­ acterized by a facial cutaneous vascular nevus, seizures, mental retardation, hemiplegia, hom­ onymous hemianopia, and buphthalmos or glau­ coma (1). The clinical findings are related to vascular anomalies of the face, ocular choroid, and leptomeninges. The imaging findings in Sturge-Weber syndrome may include cerebral calcifications, cerebral atrophy, choroid plexus anomalies, pial and/ or cortical enhancement, and prominent deep-draining veins. The leptomenin­ geal vascular anomaly is usually located in the anterior occipital, posterior parietal, and temporal cerebrum.
Personality Shapes the Experience of Insomnia in Women: Commentary on Dørheim et al., Personality and Perinatal Maternal Insomnia: A Study across Childbirth.

Pregnancy and the postpartum period are characterized by dramatic physical, mental, and hormonal changes. Sleep is disrupted particularly in the third trimester, when the majority of women report a...
Prevalence in the Italian regions of pain in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (NDP) and the current costs of drug treatment for principals with specific indication

The present analysis estimates the prevalence of pain in patients affected by peripheral diabetic neuropathy referring to Italian and English data published recently and the cost of pharmacological treatments related to specifically indicated drugs. 16% of diabetic patients in Italy is affected by pain symptoms during PDN (peripheral diabetic neuropathy). The corresponding prevalence is 425,168 cases annually. A little number of these patients is actually treated with specifically indicated drugs (duloxetine, pregabalin and gabapentin), anyway the increase of share of duloxetine treatments would take to significant savings due to its lower costs among the specifically indicated pharmacological options.
Superior mesenteric artery blood flow and indomethacin-induced intestinal injury and inflammation

Intestinal injury caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with increased mucosal permeability, microvascular injury, focal intravascular thrombus formation, fibrin deposition, and neutrophil infiltration. Ulcerations and adhesions are also prominent feature of this injury. Although NSAID-induced inhibition of prostaglandin formation has been suggested to produce ischemic injury and inflammation, no studies have directly assessed intestinal blood flow in experimental NSAID-induced enteropathy. This study tested the hypothesis that indomethacin-induced small bowel injury and inflammation result from intestinal ischemia. With the use of pulsed Doppler flowmetry, superior mesenteric artery blood flow was continuously monitored in conscious rats after doses of indomethacin known to promote acute and then chronic small bowel inflammation (7.5 mg/kg, 2 sc doses spaced 24 h apart). After 72 h, rats were anesthetized and a section of small bowel was removed for histology and intestinal myeloperoxidase activity measurements. Mean arterial blood pressure was not affected until 32 h after indomethacin, when it decreased 20% (P < 0.05) to P < 0.01). Sustained blood flow changes first occurred at 20 h, when an increase of 15% (P < 0.01) was observed, whereas flow resistance decreased. Flow resistance continued to decrease for the remainder of the 72-h period, and there was an accompanying blood flow increase to +40% (P < 0.05 to P < 0.01). Intestinal ulcers developed in 86% of indomethacin-treated rats. Adhesions, dilation, and thickening of the distal jejunum and proximal ileum were observed in most indomethacin-treated rats. Histological grading of intestinal injury yielded scores of 7.1 +/- 1.2 and zero for indomethacin-treated and vehicle-injected rats, respectively (P < 0.01). Myeloperoxidase activity was greater in indomethacin-treated rats (6.7 +/- 1.9 vs. 1.8 +/- 0.3 U/cm, P < 0.05). These results suggest that indomethacin-induced enteropathy is associated with an increase, not a decrease, in superior mesenteric artery blood flow. Therefore, ischemia dose not appear to be a mechanism by which subcutaneous indomethacin administration produces small intestinal injury and inflammation.
Feminism for Badasses

R oxane Gay’s Bad Feminist takes away the trepidation that so many young people feel about identifying with the term “feminist.” On a very regular basis, whether I’m teaching a 100 level women’s and gender studies course or interacting with students whom I meet at conferences and panels, the line “I’m not a feminist, but . . .” seems to crop up. The “but” always precedes a litany of affirmations of antisexist politics, a desire for equality, and even a radical commitment to gender nonconformity. So I always scratch my head, wondering why the moniker “feminist” raises the hackles of so many, even when they clearly have antisexist, antipatriarchal politics. I have settled on the idea that many young people don’t see “feminism” as just a set of politics but as an identity that they must take on and perform. And no one wants to fail at living out identities that we choose to adopt. Particularly for young women of color, there is already a struggle to exist comfortably in the skin we are in. Feminism, it seems, comes saddled with its own baggage as an identity politic. So when I saw that Gay’s Bad Feminist was set to drop, I eagerly anticipated it and then ran out to the store as soon as it was available. I love the defiance of the title and the content. I love the freedom that this book gives, the space it makes for those of us who are about that feminist life but who eff it up on a regular basis. In an era when we are experiencing a renewal of the war on women, through a severe reduction in access to abortion clinics and a pervasive rape culture that seems to have seen no abatement, women, cis and trans alike, need feminism more than ever. This, for instance, is what I tell people when they get upset that Beyonce now identifies as a feminist. Many want to pull her feminist card because she has myriad contradictions. And to them, I say, “I do a million and one things that are unfeminist each and every day. But I also actively work to resist the pull of sexism and patriarchy in my life and the lives of others.” We cannot keep pulling each other’s feminist cards because of our contradictions. And even though many see Beyonce as a bad feminist, I see her
When distance mattered: Geographic scale and the development of european representative assemblies

Scholars investigating European state development have long placed a heavy emphasis on the role played by representative institutions. The presence of an active representative assembly, it is argued, allowed citizens and rulers to contract over raising revenue and accessing credit. It may also have had implications for economic growth. These arguments have in turn been used to draw broad implications about the causal effect of analogous institutions in other places and during other time periods. But if assemblies had such clear efficiency benefits, why did they not become a universal phenomenon in Europe prior to the nineteenth century? I argue that in an era of costly communications and transport, an intensive form of political representative was much easier to sustain in geographically compact polities. This simple fact had important implications for the pattern of European state formation, and it may provide one reason why small states were able to survive despite threats from much larger neighbors. I test several relevant hypotheses using an original data set that provides the first broad view of European representative institutions in the medieval and early modern eras. I combine this with a geographic information system data set of state boundaries and populations in Europe between 1250 and 1750. The results suggest a strong effect of geographic scale on the format of political representation. The broader implication of this result is to provide a reminder that if institutions help solve contracting problems, ultimately, the maintenance of institutions may itself depend on ongoing transactions costs.
Efficient tuning methodologies for a network payload anomaly inspection scheme

Consumers and service providers are both becoming increasingly concerned about new, never-before-seen attacks. Anomaly-based intrusion prevention is an important part of cybersecurity, which offers the possibility of detecting some zero-day attacks. Typically, detection speed and efficacy (in terms of true and false positives) are considered in evaluating intrusion detection schemes. However, effective configuration (training and tuning) is critical for deployment of such schemes in practice. As network traffic may shift over time, the ability to perform fast reconfiguration is needed to provide the level of security necessary for future applications. We present parallel mapping and genetic algorithms-based approaches, which can be used to achieve rapid training and tuning for a highly efficient payload-based anomaly detection algorithm.
Canyon Drift and Dispersion of Bacillus thuringiensis and Its Effects on Select Nontarget Lepidopterans in Utah

A study was conducted to determine the effects of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner var. kurstaki drift on 2 lepidopteran species, Incisalia fotis Strecker and Callophrys sheridanii W. H. Edwards, and to test the efficacy of exclusion plots for mitigation on Neominois ridingsii W. H. Edwards. Incisalia fotis and C. sheridanii experienced significant mortality from drift when fed host plants placed up to 3,000 m from the down-canyon edge of the application site. Drift concentrations and mortality were greatest near the boundary of the application site, although they sometimes varied in an inconsistent manner. The 1993 bioassay data correlate with the observed reduction in adult I. fotis populations following B. thuringiensis applications during previous years. An exclusion plot established for N. ridingsii failed to provide protection. All 3 species are concluded to be sensitive to B. thuringiensis and mitigative procedures are warranted during gypsy moth ( Lymantria dispar L.) eradication or suppression projects when the projects encompass large tracts of their respective ranges. Because of the lethal dosages of insecticide drift observed on larval host plants, it is concluded that mitigation procedures such as establishment of exclusion plots may not provide protection for B. thuringiensis -sensitive nontarget species when steep mountainous terrain is involved. Under these conditions other approaches may be warranted.
Automated Detection of Retinal Cell Nuclei in 3D Micro-CT Images of Zebrafish using Support Vector Machine Classification.

Our group is developing a method to examine biological specimens in cellular detail using synchrotron microCT. The method can acquire 3D images of tissue at micrometer-scale resolutions, allowing for individual cell types to be visualized in the context of the entire specimen. For model organism research, this tool will enable the rapid characterization of tissue architecture and cellular morphology from every organ system. This characterization is critical for proposed and ongoing “phenome” projects that aim to phenotype whole-organism mutants and diseased tissues from different organisms including humans. With the envisioned collection of hundreds to thousands of images for a phenome project, it is important to develop quantitative image analysis tools for the automated scoring of organism phenotypes across organ systems. Here we present a first step towards that goal, demonstrating the use of support vector machines (SVM) in detecting retinal cell nuclei in 3D images of wild-type zebrafish. In addition, we apply the SVM classifier on a mutant zebrafish to examine whether SVMs can be used to capture phenotypic differences in these images. The longterm goal of this work is to allow cellular and tissue morphology to be characterized quantitatively for many organ systems, at the level of the whole-organism.
Assay of Sodium-Retaining Substances.

SummaryA method is described for the assay of sodium-retaining substances in which desoxycorticosterone is employed as a standard. The sodium retention produced by the unknown is compared with that of desoxycorticosterone in a normal dog on a constant diet, over a 6-hour period.
Evolution of Shape Differences between the Major and Minor Chelipeds of Uca Pugnax (Decapoda: Ocypodidae)

ABSTRACT Geometric morphometrics were used to analyze shape differences between the major and minor chelipeds of the fiddler crab Uca pugnax. Although the major and minor chelipeds had similar allometric developmental trajectories, the form of the major cheliped was not an allometric extrapolation of the minor cheliped. The changes in shape associated with the formation of the major cheliped have functional relevance; they allow the major cheliped to produce relatively more power than the minor cheliped. This result suggests that selection for combat effectiveness has played an important role in the evolution of the major cheliped.
Transverse Flux Machines with rotary transformer concept for wide speed operations without using Permanent Magnet material

This paper presents a new concept of Transverse Flux Machine (TFM) design that uses rotary transformers to replace the Permanent Magnet (PM) field excitation in the rotor. The rotary transformer has an inductive interface that allows for contactless transfer of energy to the field windings embedded in the rotor core. In order to achieve high magnetic coupling, a highly permeable ferrite core is selected for the transformer which is excited with high electrical frequency of 100 kHz. A field power converter is used to regulate the transformer secondary winding voltage to maintain constant DC field in the rotor. The proposed TFM has a modular structure that is free of PM, which makes it cost-effective, without sacrificing its peak torque and power when compared to a similar sized PM based TFM.
A Proposal for an ISO Standard for Public Key Encryption.

This document should be viewed less as a first draft of a standard for public-key encryption, and more as a proposal for what such a draft standard should contain. It is hoped that this proposal will serve as a basis for discussion, from which a consensus for a standard may be formed.
The enlightenment encountered: the German Physicus and his world, 1750-1820.

Afin d'expliquer l'influence du siecle de lumieres sur la medecine, les historiens se penchent essentiellement sur l'enseignement medical, la theorie medicale, et le processus de professionnalisation et de medicalisation
Performance Impact of DDoS Attacks on Three Virtual Machine Hypervisors

Cloud computing is a technology of inter-connected servers and resources that use virtualization to utilize the resources, flexibility, and scalability. Cloud computing is accessible through the network. This accessibility and utilization have its own benefit and drawbacks. Utilization and scalability make this technology more economic and affordable for small businesses. Flexibility drastically reduces the risk of starting businesses. Accessibility allows cloud customers not to be restricted in a specific location until they could have access to the network, and in most cases through the internet. These significant traits, however, have their own disadvantages. Easy accessibility makes it more convenient for the malicious user to have access to servers in the cloud. Virtualizations that come to existence by middleware software called Virtual Machine Managers (VMMs) or hypervisors come with different vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are adding to previously existed vulnerability of Networks and Operating systems and Applications. In this research we are trying to distinguish the most resistant Hypervisor between (Xen, KVM and Virtual Box) against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, an attempt to saturate victims resources making them unavailable to legitimate users, or shutting down the services by using more than one machine as attackers by targeting three different resources (Network, CPU, Memory). This research will show how hypervisors act differently under the same attacks and conditions.
The Impact of Physical Disability on Pregnancy and Childbirth

Abstract Background: Women with physical disabilities increasingly aspire to become pregnant and bear children. Limited information about the potential interaction of their disabling conditions with pregnancy and childbirth exists to guide these women and their clinicians. Materials and Methods: The interview guide was created with questions on topics such as pregnancy complications and secondary conditions, the impact of prior surgeries, experiences with pain relief during labor, and the impact on women's independence and participation in life activities. Interviews were conducted by telephone with 25 women with physical disabilities. They were subsequently transcribed verbatim and analyzed by using Atlas TI. Results: Women generally reported a relatively modest impact of disabling conditions on their pregnancies. Most women were satisfied with the mode of delivery, but they experienced challenges during the labor and delivery process. The women found that careful advanced planning was helpful in managin...
The corneal nerve density in the sub‐basal plexus decreases with increasing myopia: a pilot study

Purpose Myopia can cause many changes in the health of the eye. As it becomes more prevalent worldwide, more patients seek correction in the form of glasses, contact lenses and refractive surgery. In this study we explore the impact that high myopia has on central corneal nerve density by comparing sub basal nerve plexus density measured by confocal microscopy in a variety of refractive errors. Methods Seventy healthy adult subjects between the ages of 21–50 years participated in this study. The study took place in two phases with no overlapping subjects (n = 30 phase 1 and n = 40 phase 2). In both phases an autorefraction, keratometry reading, corneal thickness measure and confocal corneal scan of the sub basal nerve plexus were performed for both eyes. There were 11 hyperopes (+0.50 to +3.50DS), six emmetropes (−0.25 to +0.50DS), 30 low myopes (−5.50 to −0.50DS), and 23 high myopes (−5.50DS and above). In the second phase of the study additional tests were performed including an axial length, additional corneal scans, and a questionnaire that asked about age of first refractive correction and contact lens wear. Corneal nerves were imaged over the central cornea with a Nidek CS4 confocal microscope (460 × 345 μm field). Nerves were evaluated using the NeuronJ program for density calculation. One eye was selected for inclusion based on image quality and higher refractive error (more myopic or hyperopic). Results As myopia increased, nerve density decreased (t1 = 3.86, p < 0.001). We also note a decrease in data scatter above −7 D. The relationship between axial length values and nerve density was also significant and the slope was not as robust as refractive error (t1 = 2.4, p < 0.04). As expected there was a significant difference between the four groups in axial length (F3 = 19.9, p < 0.001) and age of first refractive correction of the myopic groups (14.9 vs 11.5 years; t46 = 2.99 p < 0.01). There was no difference in keratometry readings or corneal thickness between the groups (F3 = 0.6, p = 0.66 and F3 = 1.2, p = 0.33 respectively). Conclusion Corneal nerve density in the sub-basal plexus decreased with increasing myopia. This could have implications for corneal surgery and contact lens wear in this patient population.