cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gastrointestinal bleeding is associated with higher in-hospital mortality, longer length of stay and higher cost in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) carries a high mortality and significant morbidity in survivors. Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) can complicate cardiac arrests. We aim to study the association between GIB and the in-hospital outcomes of patients with IHCA. Methods and results The National Inpatient Sample 2016-2018 databases were used. IHCA were identified using ICD-10-PCS code for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Other diagnoses including GIB were identified using ICD-10-CM codes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to study the effect of GIB on in-hospital mortality. Gamma regression with log link was used to determine the effect of GIB on length of stay and cost of admission. In patients with IHCA, GIB as a secondary diagnosis is associated with an increased in hospital mortality (unadjusted 74.2% vs 68.3%, adjusted OR 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.25, p < 0.001), longer length of stay (unadjusted median 16 vs 10 days, IQR 9-27 vs 5-17 days, exponentiated coefficient 1.45, 95% CI 1.36-1.54, p < 0.001 for survivors; unadjusted median 4 vs 3 days, IQR 1-10 vs 1-7 days, exponentiated coefficient 1.27, 95% CI 1.22-1.34, p < 0.001 for patients who died in hospital), and higher cost for hospital stay (unadjusted median $226065 vs $151459, IQR $117551-434003 vs $76197-287846, exponentiated coefficient 1.40, 95% CI 1.32-1.49, p < 0.001 for survivors; unadjusted median $87996 vs $77056, IQR $42566-186677 vs $34066-149009, exponentiated coefficient 1.26, 95% CI 1.20-1.32, p < 0.001 for patients who died in hospital) adjusted for baseline characteristics and other comorbidities. Conclusions In patients with IHCA, GIB as a secondary diagnosis is associated with a higher in-hospital mortality, longer length of stay and higher cost for the admission.
An Assessment of Abenomics: Evolution and Achievements

This paper evaluates the first two arrows of Abenomics. The first arrow, aggressive monetary policy, was successful in lifting the Japanese economy out of deflation, although the 2% inflation target was not achieved. The real economy and financial markets recovered strongly. Unconventional monetary policy was successful through the channels of the yen and stock prices. The second arrow, “flexible” fiscal policy, can be interpreted as an enhanced counter‐cyclical policy, that is, to stimulate when needed, but tighten when possible. The first fiscal supplementary budget of February 2013 was a powerful boost to the economy. For fiscal consolidation, the consumption tax rate was hiked from 5% to 10% in two installments in April 2014 and October 2019. This helped to shrink the deficits. With strong macroeconomic performances, Shinzo Abe established a record as the longest‐serving prime minister in Japanese history.
Global forest management, carbon sequestration and bioenergy supply under alternative shared socioeconomic pathways

Socio-economic and technological drivers will strongly shape the future of the global timber market, forest area and climate change mitigation potential, however impacts could vary widely across several plausible futures. This paper illustrates how Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) can be applied to forest sector modelling using a method that translates qualitative narratives into quantitative parameters and then applying them to a dynamic global timber model framework. Results indicate wide variations in estimates for key forest sector outputs across the five SSPs with largest impacts on wood prices and forest area. The price estimates have a strong correlation with the other results, as higher timber prices incentivize land to remain in forests, more intensive management, and greater roundwood harvests. Competing influences such as population growth, economic development, land use policy, and technological change could result in wide changes in forest area, ranging from −970 Mha to +840 Mha between now and 2105. Despite large variations across the SSPs, global forests are likely to remain a net carbon sink, with the average annual global forest carbon sequestration ranging from 1.8 GtCO2e/yr to 6.9 GtCO2e/yr. The results of our study, including sensitivity analysis, support developing policies directed towards expanding forest cover or curbing deforestation in an effort to increase forest carbon by focusing on effective ways to enhance technological change, promote sustainable economic development, improve land use protection, and shift consumer preferences towards longer-lasting wood products, which will all raise the relative value of forests across the globe.
Resist Technology—Design, Processing, and Applications

Publisher Summary The emphasis of this chapter is placed on applications of the technology to the manufacturing of prototype and production integrated circuit devices. Furthermore, a greater emphasis is placed upon empirical resist process development to achieve reproducible and statistically-controlled resist manufacturing processes. In addition, the objective of this chapter is to provide a user's view of resist/lithographic process technology. Photolithography technology, the combination of the exposure tool, and the image transfer process, is vital to integrated circuit fabrication, or more generally, semiconductor device manufacturing. Nearly every primary device fabrication step requires a process-compatible masking layer, which is capable of providing a desired circuit level pattern. This indirect patterning is required because either the layer is not directly patternable technologically, or it cannot be accomplished economically.
The Sign-Making of David Jones

5 He is probably referring to Robert Creeley, the "Figure of Outward" to whom he dedicated The Maximus Poems and of whom he said, "I have learned more from him than from any Uving man. . . ." Letters for Origin: 1950-1955, ed. Albert Glover (Lon don: Cape GoUard, in association with Grossman Publishers, 1968), p. 87. 6 Olson defiandy rejects God (the action is tropic: "turned away / turned") yet acknowledges His veracity and terrible perfection. In his response to hierarchy ("we who throw down hierarchy") he dethrones the father. 7 Olson was not, it seems, his own best editor. In publishing In Cold Hell, In Thicket he reUed on Creeley. Creeley's editing of Olson s Selected Writings should also be noted because it presents the Olson he finds most useful. For him Mayan Letters and "Apol lonius of Tyana" are central texts, the latter the pivot of the book. His selection from The Maximus Poems, the final section of the book, includes only poems of high merit and, among them, those in which dream materials are conspicuous. 8 For Olson, much of the excitement is in reading Frances Rose-Troup's John White: The Patriarch of Dorchester and the Founder of Massachusetts, a book, Mrs. Rose-Troup notes, that had been seen before pubUcation by Samuel Eliot Morison and not sufficiendy acknowledged in his Builders of the Bay Colony. In the earUer installment Olson had reUed on Morison's graceful but less evidential, less authoritative book for information about the founding and the career of John Smith. 9 Significantly, also, Kunt Circle. See Maximus Poems IV, V, VI, p. 129. 10 Perhaps foUowing Olson, Garland ends The Gloucester Guide with a description of this statue and recognition of casualties at sea. For Olson, the memorial's inscription ( "They that go down to the sea in ships" ) may have recaUed Pound's opening line. 11 See also "Pacific Lament," an early poem on death at sea, a poem of turning in which death becomes repose at the source. 121 wish to acknowledge my debt to the many scholars who have recently written about Olson, and especially to George F. Butterick for, among other things, his annota tions of these poems.
Using the Nominal Group Technique to Identify the Problems Experienced by Persons Living with Severe Physical Disabilities

Changes in health care have dramatically curtailed services to people with severe physical disability and their families. This has placed a greater burden of responsibility on those who live with these conditions and have ongoing care needs. Yet little is known about the subjective problems, challenges, and solutions reported by these people. We demonstrate how the nominal group technique can be used to obtain consumer-oriented information germane to these individuals and their concerns. We conducted nominal group technique meetings with 2 groups for persons with physical disability and a third with a group for family members in caregiving roles. We demonstrate how focus groups can be conducted with the nominal group technique to identify problems experienced by individuals who live with severe physical disability. Recommendations for using the nominal group technique with client populations are presented, and implications for clinical practice are discussed.
Reciprocity and Network Coordination: Evidence from Japanese Banks

In this study, we provide the first detailed empirical evidence on the cooperative behavior of individual members of a functioning, real world network. In contrast to experimental evidence from limited settings, our study employs detailed data on the volume of loans given to individual firms from each individual bank that lends to them at an annual frequency for nearly 20 years. Using this detailed data, we are able to exploit substantial cross-sectional variation in the degree of reliance of the banks on the network as a whole and on other individual banks within the network. In addition, we are able to investigate the impact of economic stress on the cooperative behavior of individual network members by comparing the 1980s with the more turbulent 1990s. We find strong evidence that the strength of system-wide reliance on, and thus commitment to, the network, as well as pairwise reliance on other network members, plays an important role in explaining the observed cooperative behavior by Japanese banks. In the usual course of economic activity, economic agents become linked in many ways. Many of the linkages create networks where the actions of individual network members have significant effects on the well-being of the other members of the network. Among the most important issues in the analysis of networks are the coordination of the actions of the network members and the sustainability of the network. In particular, an important question concerns the motivation underlying any observed cooperation among network members. How (and to what extent) does cooperation by network members respond to economic incentives? Empirical research on the source of the motivation for network coordination, however, faces a severe identification problem. For example, observed cross-sectional differences in the nature of network coordination across countries may be as easily attributed to differences in the cultures or social norms across these countries as by differences in their economic environments. Furthermore, empirical tests are hampered by the paucity of micro-level data on the behavior of individual members of functioning networks. We overcome both problems by using micro-level data on the behavior of individual members of a functioning, real world network in a single country. The key to both the coordination of the actions of the network members and the sustainability of the network itself is a commitment mechanism. As long as parties have potential gains from coordinating through repeated interactions, reciprocity provides an economic commitment mechanism. Reciprocity has two general forms: bilateral reciprocity and system reciprocity. Bilateral reciprocity dictates that a pair of individuals with direct network links will take actions consistent with the cooperative outcome as long as the other party does not defect from the cooperative outcome. System reciprocity is more general, insofar as the reciprocal
Spatial Attention, Neural Basis of

The neural signals responsible for the control of spatial attention are presumed to stem from activity in specific cortical and subcortical networks and are transmitted via feedback projections to sensory cortex where they exert their modulatory effects.
Sustainability theory and the design of knowledge tools

Widespread support for the concept of sustainable development has developed over the last decade, and many organizations have adopted it as an important goal. However, the concept remains vague and wide disagreement still exists on what is sustainable, and what is not. The usual definitions do not specify what kind of knowledge is required in a sustainable civilization, nor how it should be treated. As it is often understood, the concept cannot be readily applied to everyday decisions. This paper presents some of the basic conceptual understandings of sustainability that have been developed in the interdisciplinary field of ecological economics, and outlines the implications for the design of knowledge tools. In addition, some of the difficulties in using a conventional economic framework in considering sustainability are mentioned.
Diode arrays, phase conjugation, and array mode control

Many applications of diode laser arrays require maximizing the spectral power density ofthe output beam in the far field. For an evanescently coupled array, which usually produces a double-lobe far field pattern, many elaborate experiments have been performed during the last decade to produce the more desirable single-lobe pattern. In the first part of this paper, we propose and demonstrate a new technique for achieving this goal. It is based upon incoherent superposition of far-field lobes, and can be implemented by means of simple external optics. Although simple, the technique achieves single-lobe intensity which is 23% higher than that achievable by any techniques previously developed. In the second part, we report the results of our experimental study of the effects of phase conjugate feedback on the operational characteristics of a gain-guided diode array.
An Experimental Study of the Autonomous Helicopter Landing Problem

We present the design and implementation of a real-time, vision-based landing algorithm for an autonomous helicopter. The landing algorithm is integrated with algorithms for visual acquisition of the target (a helipad), and navigation to the target, from an arbitrary initial position and orientation. We use vision for precise target detection and recognition and a combination of vision and GPS for navigation. The helicopter updates its landing target parameters based on vision and uses an on board behavior-based controller to follow a path to the landing site. We present significant results from flight trials in the field which demonstrate that our detection, recognition and control algorithms are accurate, robust and repeatable.
High Precision Spectroscopy of Positronium and Muonium

Publisher Summary Positronium and muonium are the simplest atoms composed of leptons and are of great importance for testing quantum electrodynamics and, more generally, the modern standard theory. This chapter discusses the high precision spectroscopy of positronium and muoniurn. Since the discovery of positronium, the fine structure and Lamb shift in the n=2 state were regarded as very interesting intervals to measure. The Lamb shift and the fine structure of the n=2 state of muonium has been measured by microwave spectroscopy in experiments at “lampf” and “triumph” are very similar to the classical measurement of the Lamb shift in hydrogen. However, the muonium experiments suffer from a dramatically smaller number of atoms—a factor of at least 10 10 —and consequentially the accuracy achieved is much poorer. The 1s–2s transition in muonium has also been measured by laser spectroscopy. The transition is induced by a two-photon Doppler-free process and detected through the subsequent photoionization of the 2s state in the laser field. The key to success in this experiment was the production of muonium into vacuum from the surface of SiO 2 powder.
How Much Is a Tulip Worth

The kind of passion to possess tulip bulbs that gripped Holland some 350 years ago may be alive and well today among certain U.S. equity investors.
Cloning, Expression, and Modification of Antibody V Regions

Cloned variable (V) regions of antibodies can be expressed joined to any constant (C) region, from either the same or a different species. The resulting antibodies will have the desired associated effector functions. Chimeric antibodies obtained by joining murine V regions to human C regions should have decreased immunogenicity in humans. The process of complementarity determining region (CDR) grafting, in which the CDRs from an antibody of one species are transferred to the framework regions of another species, constitutes a further modification of this approach. The protocols presented in this unit are designed to permit PCR-based cloning of heavy and light chain V regions. This is an advanced molecular biology protocol and should be employed only by investigators who are sufficiently skilled and experienced.
Approaches to large-scale structures

Quantitative three-dimensional (3D) maps of large-scale structures can now be routinely obtained by the use of high- or intermediate-voltage electron tomography. The recent 3D reconstructions of the mitochondrion and the Golgi apparatus highlight both the potential and the shortcomings of this technique. New technological developments, in particular the development of automated low-dose electron tomography, are expected to facilitate the 3D visualization of large structures in the fully hydrated environment, embedded in vitreous ice.
Combination therapy with sitagliptin and lansoprazole in patients with recent-onset type 1 diabetes (REPAIR-T1D): 12-month results of a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial

Summary Background Type 1 diabetes results from autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β cells. Findings from preclinical studies suggest that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and proton-pump inhibitors might enhance β-cell survival and regeneration. We postulated that sitagliptin and lansoprazole would preserve β-cell function in patients with recent-onset type 1 diabetes. Methods We did a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial (REPAIR-T1D). Participants aged 11–36 years, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes within the past 6 months were recruited from Sanford Health Systems (Sioux Falls, SD, USA; Fargo, ND, USA), Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota (St Paul, MN, USA), and Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego, CA, USA). Participants were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive oral sitagliptin (100 mg for participants ≥18 years, 50 mg for those Findings Between Sept 21, 2010, and May 29, 2012, 46 participants were randomly assigned to the treatment group and 22 to the placebo group; of whom 40 participants in the treatment group and 18 in the placebo group completed the 12-month treatment. At 12 months, the mean change in C-peptide area under curve was −229 pmol/L (95% CI −316 to −142) for the treatment group and −253 pmol/L (−383 to −123) for the placebo group; this difference was not significant (p=0·77). No adverse or serious adverse events were probably or definitely related to the study treatment. Interpretation Although the expected change in the primary endpoint was not achieved, not all participants had increases in glucagon-like peptide-1 and gastrin concentrations that were expected with treatment. Although participants did not have adverse events related to study drugs, the study is not powered to address safety definitively. Further trials including these drugs might be warranted, but should be designed to ensure appropriate selection of participants and increases in these intermediary hormones. Funding Sanford Research and JDRF.
A multinomial maximum likelihood program (MUNOML)

A multinomial maximum likelihood program (MUNOML) for signal detection and for behavior models is discussed. It is found to be useful in day to day operation since it provides maximum flexibility with minimum duplicated effort. It has excellent convergence qualities and rarely goes beyond 10 iterations. A library of subroutines is being collected for use with MUNOML, including subroutines for a successive categories model and for signal detectability models.
Thermal Management in Friction-Stir Welding of Precipitation-Hardened Aluminum Alloys

Process design and implementation in friction-stir welding (FSW) is mostly dependent on empirical information. Basic science of FSW and processing can only be complete when fundamental interrelationships between the process control parameters and response variables and the resulting weld microstructure and properties are established to a reasonable extent. It is known that primary process control parameters such as tool rotation, translation rates, and forge axis force have complicated and interactive relationships to process-response variables such as peak temperature and time at temperature. Of primary influence on the other process-response parameters are temperature and its gradient in the deformation and heat-affected zones. Through a review of pertinent works in the literature and results from boundary condition experiments performed in precipitation-hardening aluminum alloys, this article partially elucidates the nature and effects of temperature transients caused by variation of thermal boundaries in FSW.
Ab Initio Studies of π···π Interactions: The Effects of Quadruple Excitations†

To examine the effects of including quadruple excitations in the electron correlation treatment when computing the binding energy of van der Waals dimers, we have calculated MP2, CCSD, CCSD(T), and CCSD(TQ) interaction energies for several van der Waals complexes ranging from helium dimer to furan dimer. Through comparison of CCSD(TQ) and CCSD(T) binding energies the first direct assessment of the effects of quadruple excitations on π···π interactions is presented. The influence of triple excitations is assessed not only in the conventional manner that permeates the literature (comparison of CCSD(T) and MP2 interaction energies) but also via comparison of CCSD(T) and CCSD data. In systems exhibiting significant electron delocalization, it is well-known that triples contributions to binding energy are quite large (on the order of 1 kcal mol-1). In these cases, quadruple excitations are nonnegligible and tend to be an order of magnitude smaller than the correction to the binding energy from triple excitatio...
Stability and Dissociation Dynamics of the Low-Lying Excited States of Ozone

This paper reports an investigation of the stability and dissociation dynamics of the low-lying singlet and triplet states of ozone (O3) using coincident photoelectron and photofragment translation...
Economic Adjustment to Sustainable Agriculture: Discussion

Daberkow and Reichelderfer (DR) have provided a stimulating review of some of the issues surrounding low-input agriculture (LIA). I agree with their basic assumption that current levels of adoption of LIA by U.S. farmers are based upon private profit-maximizing behavior. Furthermore, I agree with their conclusion that ". .. removal or modification of commodity program incentives would likely have the most dramatic short-term influence on the feasibility of LIA systems." However, DR's arguments would be strengthened by a more complete theoretical explanation of the relationship of commodity programs to input use. Conceptually, commodity programs can increase agrichemical use and discourage LIA by (a) biasing the output mix toward chemical-intensive crops and (b) encouraging growers to apply more agrichemicals per acre than they would in the absence of commodity programs. Major USDA program crops do receive heavy agrichemical applications. Fleming (p. 127) reports "federal support programs are focused on four crops that account for at least 65% of all agrichemical use: corn, cotton, wheat, and soybeans." The share of total U.S. nitrogen, phosphate, and potash devoted to corn, cotton, wheat, and soybeans grew from 42% in 1964 to 62% in 1985 (Vrooman). Microeconomic principles suggest that increasing the effective returns for agrichemical-intensive program crops will direct resources toward these crops at the expense of nonprogram crops. Dixon, Dixon, and Miranowski, cited by DR, estimated that least-cost free market production during 1965 could have satisfied output demands with one-half the pesticide use observed under prevailing government policies. An important point made by DR is that factor-factor substitution is inextricably tied to output-output adjustment in the transition to LIA. As market forces or changes in government policies encourage changes in the output mix, adjustments involve not only substituting nonprogram crops on land that previously grew program crops but continuing to grow program crops on the same land in less intensive rotations.
Analysis of time-reversal MUSIC beamforming for indoor WLAN systems

We present a performance comparison of conventional time-reversal and time-reversal with multiple signal classification (MUSIC) beamforming techniques for multiuser wireless local area network (WLAN) scenarios with different delay spreads and signal bandwidths. A comparison among various modulation schemes is also provided for each technique.
Measurement of ambient particulate matter concentrations and particle types near agricultural burns using electron microscopy and passive samplers

Abstract Computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to obtain ambient PM mass concentrations, elemental size distributions, morphologies, and particle types during four Bermuda grass burn events in Imperial Valley, California. Passive PM samplers were deployed to three to six locations surrounding each burn for durations of 24–120 h. Average PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels were modestly but significantly higher at locations less than 3.2 km (two miles) from the nearest burn ( n = 37). During one monitored burn, higher winds caused an intense ground-level plume to envelop two samplers mounted on telephone poles very close to the field. For this event, 24-h PM 2.5 exposures downwind were up to 17 times higher than that measured upwind. Particles were classified into five distinct chemical types consistent with local area sources. Burn-related particle types, primarily submicron carbonaceous particles, contributed 95% of the PM 2.5 in the location directly impacted by the ground-level plume, compared to only 12% in the upwind location. Downwind PM 10–2.5 particles were enriched in potassium, phosphorus, chlorine, calcium, silicon, and sulfur, consistent with analyses of bulk and partially-burned Bermuda grass. The accuracy and precision of passive sampler PM measurements were all within 4 μg m −3 , though low median values caused high percent differences for PM 2.5 . The use of electron microscopy and passive sampling in this study enabled detailed PM characterizations, spatial comparisons, and rapid deployment in often dynamic sampling scenarios.
Preparation of monodispersed magnesia coated silica particles through a surface-induced precipitation method

Abstract Monodispersed magnesia coated silica particles were prepared by the surface-induced precipitation method, in which a sol type of magnesium precursor was deposited on the surface of spherical silica particles via electrostatic attraction route, and then calcined at 700 °C for 90 min. The magnesium precursor was synthesized by the sol–gel technique, which employs ethanol as a solvent. The resulting particles were characterized with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal (TG/DTA) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show the formation of a well-crystallized magnesia layer on the surface of the core silica particles. The resultant coated particles exhibited the spherical shape without the formation of a hard aggregate in spite of the heat treatment. XPS and FTIR investigations also confirmed that the magnesia coating layer and core silica particle were connected through the Mg–O–Si chemical bonding at the interface.
Visible-light photoactivity of nitrogen-doped TiO2 : Photo-oxidation of HCO2H to CO2 and H2O

Nitrogen-doped TiO_2 was synthesized by high-temperature exposure of TiO_2 to ammonia. The catalytic efficiency was tested by monitoring the photocatalytic degradation of formate (HCO_2^-) to CO_2 and H_2O under visible-light irradiation. The N-doped TiO_2 powders were found to be active for the degradation of formic acid under visible light. However, the catalytic efficiency of the N-doped TiO_2 under UV light alone is less than that of the pure TiO_2 starting material. FTIR evidence indicates that the visible-light-active N-doped TiO_2 has defect sites in the form of Ti−N triple bonds and that the increase of these sites leads to a loss of crystallinity that accounts for the reduced photocatalytic activity under UV irradiation. An optimal synthesis temperature of 550 °C was determined as a balance point between catalyst crystallinity and the presence of defect sites that absorb visible-light photons.
Vibration energy harvesting using the nonlinear oscillations of a magnetostrictive material

A novel magnetostrictive-material-based device concept to convert ambient mechanical vibration into electricity has been designed, fabricated, and tested. In order to harvest energy over a greater frequency range as compared to state-of- the-art devices, an L-shaped beam which is tuned so that the first two (bending) natural frequencies have a (near) two-to-one ratio is used as a mechanical transducer to generate nonlinear oscillations. Under harmonic excitation, an internal resonance or autoparametric, dynamic response can occur in which one vibration mode parametrically excites a second vibration mode resulting in significant displacement of both modes over an extended frequency range. A magnetostrictive material, Metglas 2605SA1, is used to convert vibration into electricity. Vibration-induced strain in the Metglas changes its magnetization which in turn generates current in a coil of wire. Metglas is highly flexible so it can undergo large displacement and does not fatigue under extended excitation. Demonstration devices are used to study how this nonlinear response can be exploited to generate electricity under single-frequency, harmonic and random base excitation.
A polynomial investigation inspired by work of Schinzel and Sierpiński

Define a covering system (or covering) of the integers as a finite collection of congruences x ≡ aj (mod mj), with 1 ≤ j ≤ r, such that every integer satisfies at least one of these congruences. As an interesting application of coverings, W. Sierpinski [4] showed that there are odd positive integers k for which k · 2 + 1 is composite for all integers n ≥ 0. For d ∈ Z, the first author [1] considered the analogous problem of finding f(x) ∈ Z[x] such
Modulation of Mitochondrial ATP-Dependent K+ Channels by Protein Kinase C

Pharmacological openers of mitochondrial ATP-dependent K+ (mitoKATP) channels mimic ischemic preconditioning, and such cardioprotection can be prevented by mitoKATP channel blockers. It is also known that protein kinase C (PKC) plays a key role in the induction and maintenance of preconditioning. To look for possible mechanistic links between these 2 sets of observations, we measured mitochondrial matrix redox potential as an index of mitoKATP channel activity in rabbit ventricular myocytes. The mitoKATP channel opener diazoxide (100 micromol/L) partially oxidized the matrix redox potential. Exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, 100 nmol/L) potentiated and accelerated the effect of diazoxide. These effects of PMA were blocked by the mitoKATP channel blocker 5-hydroxydecanoate, which we verified to be a selective blocker of the mitoKATP channel in simultaneous recordings of membrane current and flavoprotein fluorescence. The inactive control compound 4alpha-phorbol (100 nmol/L) did not alter the effects of diazoxide. We conclude that the activity of mitoKATP channels can be regulated by PKC in intact heart cells. Potentiation of mitoKATP channel opening by PKC provides a direct mechanistic link between the signal transduction of ischemic preconditioning and pharmacological cardioprotection targeted at ATP-dependent K+ channels.
A new IIR adaptive filter design using Tellegen's theorem

An IIR (infinite impulse response) adaptive filter algorithm which allows the use of arbitrary network structures is presented. The gradients are derived using a digital network extension of Tellegen's theorem which allows the use of exact instantaneous gradients. The algorithm is compared, by simulation, with the IIR LMS (least mean square) algorithm of Widrow (1975) and Stearns (1976). >
Frontal Dispersion Polymerization

Frontal polymerization is a promising approach for preparing polymeric materials in which a localized reaction zone propagates through an unstirred medium. Large thermal and compositional gradients occur in the front that can lead to convective instabilities that interfere with the front propagation. With monomers that produce thermoplastic polymers, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability can destroy a descending front as the more dense molten polymer “fingers” into the unreacted monomer. Ascending fronts are not possible because simple convection caused by the heat release of the reaction quenches the front. Using a saltwater dispersion, we have shown for the first time that stable descending fronts with monomers such as benzyl acrylate can propagate through a saltwater dispersion if the density of the aqueous phase is greater than the density of the polymer. However, hydrolysis followed by intermolecular anhydride formation occurs at the high front temperature, resulting in a lightly cross-linked copolymer.
Integration of near-surface monitoring information using ArcGIS at the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project, USA☆

Abstract The Illinois Basin – Decatur Project (IBDP) is a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration injecting 1 million metric tons (1.1 million tons) of carbon dioxide into a deep saline reservoir over a period of 3 years. Near-surface site characterization and monitoring was initiated in 2008, and it includes multiple data streams that need to be periodically compiled, organized, and assessed throughout all phases of the project. A database of over 150 spatial data layers from external sources and project partners was compiled for the project using Esri's ArcGIS software. The database is used to integrate IBDP near-surface monitoring measurements into an accessible and flexible spatially-referenced framework. The geographic information systems (GIS) map database enables a wide range of information visualization and exploration. Although some limitations do exist (e.g., data management overhead, a selectively-optimized environment for temporal data representation), the IBDP GIS-based data management solution works well for map-based information visualization, as well as spatial data exploration and analysis. In particular, the automation of routine spatial analytical tasks has resulted in significant time savings when applied to mapping and analysis of near-surface field monitoring data (e.g., soil fluxes) and is an example of how a GIS framework can be applied to other data streams at IBDP and other CCS projects.
Trisomy 6q25→6qter in two sisters resulting from maternal 6;11 translocation

Chromosome banding was used to define a partial duplication of the long arm of chromosome 6 (6q25 leads to 6qter) in two profoundly affected sisters and to identify their phenotypically normal mother and sister as balanced translocation carriers whose karyotypes were interpreted as 46,XX,t(6;11) (q25;q25). Prominent clinical features included profound mental retardation, hypertelorism, micrognathia, down-turned mouth, dental anomalies, clubfeet, webbed neck, late progressive scoliosis, flexion contractures, and low total finger ridge count. By comparison with published reports, it has been possible to establish a trisomy 6q25 leads to 6qter syndrome.
Teens and Their Technologies in High School and College: Implications for Teaching and Learning

This paper presents the findings of two surveys comparing the frequency and use of various digital and communication technologies by high school and college students. Differences between populations, implications for teaching, and questions for further study are explored. Results suggest high school teens may bring facility with newer technologies to college.
Complete denture final impression trays: a method of delineating borders.

Correct extension of impression tray borders is necessary for accurate complete or partial denture final impressions. According to Jaggers et al.,’ more than half of the U.S. dental schools surveyed use irreversible hydrocolloid as the preliminary impression material of choice. This impression material has a tendency to displace the vestibular soft tissues, which will result in distorted borders on preliminary casts. If final impression trays are made from these casts, the desired borders of the trays should be marked so that they will not be overextended or underextended. Many complete and partial denture final impression techniques require trays that are approximately 2 to 3 mm short of the anticipated denture borders to accommodate (1) functional border-molding procedures and (2) final impression materials.2 The desired placement of final impression tray borders should be outlined on the preliminary cast by the dentist when the patient is not present for reference.
Financial incentives to promote prolonged renal graft survival: potential for patients and public health.

Summary Non-adherence to immune modulating agents is the single most common cause of renal graft rejection and failure with not only devastating consequences for patients, but also increased dialysis and transplant organ demands causing substantial medical expenses. Financial incentives used to reward and promote patient compliance with immune modulating therapy and post transplantation management could constitute a motivation that might increase renal graft survival, and thereby improve individual patient outcome as well as alleviate public health spending for renal replacement therapy.
THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT EMISSION FROM LIQUID PHASE BIO- AND CHEMILUMINESCENCE: VARIATIONS WITH CONTAINER TYPES, TURBIDITY AND CONTAINER FROSTING

— The spatial distribution of emitted light from liquid phase bioluminescence and chemiluminescent sources in three common types of containers has been evaluated. These sources, while theoretically isotropic, exhibit considerable anisotropy due to reflection and refraction effects at the interfaces between the solution, the container and the surrounding air. This anisotropy represents a considerable systematic error (>25%) in some values of quantum yields reported in the literature. The degree of asymmetry in spatial distribution depends on the solution volume, the refractive index, and the degree of light scattering in the solution. Quantitative evaluation of the projected image of these sources using a video camera system indicates that a major contribution to this asymmetry is due to reflection at the meniscus. Since container frosting removes the variability due to scattering, volume changes, refractive index differences and even, to some extent, use of different types of containers, it is recommended that quantum yields and comparative measurements be determined using frosted containers and point source geometry. The container of choice is a frosted, 1 ± 7.5 cm test tube.
Intramuscular pressures during exercise. Comparison of measurements with and without infusion.

Our objective was to compare two techniques for measuring intramuscular pressures during dynamic exercise. In 20 volunteers muscle contraction and relaxation pressures were recorded with a noninfusion method (slit catheter) and with a microcapillary infusion method (Myopress catheter). Relaxation pressures measured by noninfusion were higher than those measured by infusion. The dynamic properties of the infusion method were higher as compared with the noninfusion method. The dynamic properties of the noninfusion method increased when microcapillary infusion was connected. This resulted in a lower recording of the muscle-relaxation pressure than without infusion. We concluded that the microcapiliary infusion technique and the design of the lip of the Myopress catheter are better suited for pressure recordings during exercise.
Studies of Euglena gracilis in aging cultures II. Ultrastructure

The manifestations of age-related changes in cellular systems often are not readily identificable, although at the ultrastructural level there are sites in certain organelles that may be indicative of such changes, e.g., the lysosome system, microbodies, mitochondria, plasma membrane, other membrane systems and cytoplasmic vacuoles. In this study, cytochemistry and electron microscopy reveal a number of age-related changes in the unicellular euglenoid alga, Euglena gracilis “Z”. The use of modified Gomori technique shows change in latency in acid phosphatase with age in the lysosome system, formation of secondary lysosomes, coalescence with other vacuoles which results in alteration of size and matrix composition. The microbodies increase in size and peroxidative activity, particularly at the subpellicular regions as revealed by DAB/H2O2 tests. Modification of temperature and pH conditions of DAB medium produces a decrease in presumptive cytochrome oxidase activity in the mitochondria. With increasing tim...
Combined heat and power dispatch with wind power: A stochastic model and solutions

In this paper we develop a model of combined heat and power (CHP) dispatch for the system consisting of both thermal generators and wind turbines. In this model, the probability of stochastic wind power is included in the constraint set. This approach avoids the probabilistic infeasibility caused by using the average of random variables. The effects of wind speed on the generated power are investigated. Numerical solutions for an example system are presented.
Linear Relation of Temperature and Density at Unit Compressibility Factor

A linear relation is found for the experimental temperatures and densities at which the compressibility factor PV/RT equals unity. The two characteristic constants of the relation are evaluated for 12 gases for which appropriate data exist. The pertinent range of temperature and density for gases is from the critical temperature to the Boyle temperature, and from zero density to over twice the critical density. For one gas, Ar, the available data extend over this entire range and fit the linear law to within two parts per thousand. For CH4, Xe, and C2H4 over shorter ranges, the data are linear to within a few parts in ten thousand.Implications of the relation are discussed, including its usefulness as a necessary condition for equations of state, as a basis for a corresponding states treatment, as a means for detecting and correcting experimental errors in PVT measurements, and in providing a possible insight into the nature of intermolecular forces.
The Coxsackievirus B 3Cpro Protease Cleaves MAVS and TRIF to Attenuate Host Type I Interferon and Apoptotic Signaling

The host innate immune response to viral infections often involves the activation of parallel pattern recognition receptor (PRR) pathways that converge on the induction of type I interferons (IFNs). Several viruses have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to attenuate antiviral host signaling by directly interfering with the activation and/or downstream signaling events associated with PRR signal propagation. Here we show that the 3Cpro cysteine protease of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) cleaves the innate immune adaptor molecules mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) and Toll/IL-1 receptor domain-containing adaptor inducing interferon-beta (TRIF) as a mechanism to escape host immunity. We found that MAVS and TRIF were cleaved in CVB3-infected cells in culture. CVB3-induced cleavage of MAVS and TRIF required the cysteine protease activity of 3Cpro, occurred at specific sites and within specialized domains of each molecule, and inhibited both the type I IFN and apoptotic signaling downstream of these adaptors. 3Cpro-mediated MAVS cleavage occurred within its proline-rich region, led to its relocalization from the mitochondrial membrane, and ablated its downstream signaling. We further show that 3Cpro cleaves both the N- and C-terminal domains of TRIF and localizes with TRIF to signalosome complexes within the cytoplasm. Taken together, these data show that CVB3 has evolved a mechanism to suppress host antiviral signal propagation by directly cleaving two key adaptor molecules associated with innate immune recognition.
Selective splitting approach to entropy-constrained single/multistage vector quantizer design

A practical tool is proposed to improve the design of various vector quantizer (VQ) structures. Particular emphasis is placed on the design of entropy-constrained VQ (ECVQ), and entropy-constrained multi-stage VQ (EC-MSVQ), whose optimization is notoriously difficult. Traditional design techniques involve an indirect approach where a fixed rate quantizer is gradually modified into a variable rate VQ. We propose a direct design procedure based on selective codevector splitting. The codebooks are grown, using splitting according to a rate-distortion Lagrangian trade-off, to the desired operating point of average bit rate. Extensive simulations in image and video compression are presented and show consistent, significant improvement over standard techniques. For example, in ECVQ design for compression of video residuals, PSNR gains of about 1.0 dB were achieved.
122 HEART BLOCK COMPLICATING TRICUSPID VALVE REPLACEMENT IN CHILDREN

Evaluation of pediatric patients following tricuspid valve replacement (TVR) with Hancock porcine heterograft valves indicated a high incidence of complete heart block (CHB). Eight patients who received Hancock valves in the tricuspid position were identified. Their ages ranged from one and one half to 18 years. All patients had insufficient tricuspid valves: three had Ebstein's anomaly, three with enlarged right ventricles underwent TVR three to eight years after repair of tetralogy of Fallot, one had congenital tricuspid insufficiency associated with ventricular septal defect and pulmonic stenosis, and one had tricuspid insufficiency associated with d-transposition and mitral atresia. All patients developed at least transient CHB after surgery, five required cardiac pacing, and the two youngest received permanent pacemakers. Four of eight patients died. One died from massive bleeding in the immediate postoperative period and another from disruption of the prosthetic valve by bacterial endocarditis one and one half months after surgery. One patient with a permanent pacemaker died suddenly three months after surgery, and another who did not require cardiac pacing died suddenly 22 months after surgery. The nature of the injury to the conduction system is unknown. It is clear that CHB can be expected to complicate TVR in pediatric patients, that temporary or permanent cardiac pacing may be required after surgery, and that the long term prognosis despite pacing is only fair.
Obstetrics and reproduction of backyard poultry

A short review of selected normal and abnormal conditions of the reproductive tract of backyard poultry is presented. This review includes sex differentiation, natural mating and artificial insemination, egg production, molting, and nutrition. Pathological conditions include fatty liver syndrome, caged-layer fatigue, cloacal prolapse, oviduct obstruction, cystic oviducts, neoplasms, and infectious diseases. This article attempts to include most common poultry species that are maintained for show or pleasure.