cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of Erythropoietin in Stable Preterm Infants (1000-1500 grams) to Reduce Erythrocyte Transfusions † 1374

Objective: Earlier studies have shown that erythropoietin (Epo) is beneficial in reducing erythrocyte transfusions given for symptomatic anemia among very low birth weight infants. The objective of this study was to determine if blood transfusions could be reduced using erythropoietin among stable preterm infants who are still at risk of donor blood exposure.Methods: A randomized, non-placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted on 28 preterm infants with birth weights ranging from 1000 to 1500 grams. Inclusion criteria also included being appropriately sized for gestational age and having an hematocrit ≥30% at study entry. Study infants were randomly assigned to receive Epo, 300 units/kg/day 3 times a week subcutaneously (n=13) or no treatment (n=15) starting at less than 2 weeks of age for 6 weeks. Criteria for transfusion was set by a standard protocol for both the treatment group and controls. Infants in both groups were supplemented with iron (Fer-In-Sol 0.3ml/day) beginning at 2 weeks of age. The dose of Fer-In-Sol was increased weekly by 0.3ml/day if serum ferritin level was noted to be less than 65.0ng/ml. The primary outcome variable was the total number and volume of transfusions given per group during the entire hospitalization. Results: Two infants required transfusions among the 13 Epo treated infants compared to 9 infants among the 15 control infants(p=0.02). The total number of transfusions given was 2 in the Epo group versus 18 in the controls (89% reduction, p=0.01). The total volume of transfusions given to the Epo group was 39 ml compared to 487 ml in the control group (92% reduction, p=0.007). We found no differences in the total white blood count, neutrophil count, platelet count, incidence of sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, seizures and hypertension between the groups. The mean hematocrit for the Epo group at 2 weeks into the study was 34.5±2.8 compared to 29.2±4.7 among controls (p=0.003). The mean hematocrit values at other study periods could not be meaningfully analysed because of transfusions given to control infants. Conclusions: These data suggest that use of Epo in stable preterm infants with birth weights of 1000 to 1500 grams is an effective means of reducing the need for transfusions.
Analysis of the Short Consensus Repeats of Human Complement Factor B by Site-directed Mutagenesis

Human factor B is required for the initiation and propagation of the complement alternative pathway. It also participates in the amplification of the complement classical pathway. Alone, factor B is a zymogen with little known biochemical activity, but in the context of the alternative pathway convertases, the factor B serine protease is activated in a process that first involves the association with C3b and subsequently the cleavage of factor B into two fragments, Ba and Bb. Ba, the NH2-terminal fragment, is composed mainly of three tandem short consensus repeats, globular domains found in other complement proteins. It dissociates from the convertase during assembly, leaving the active C3 convertase, C3bBb. Previous reports suggest that the Ba region may be instrumental in convertase assembly. This hypothesis was tested using site-directed mutagenesis of recombinant factor B and monoclonal antibody epitope mapping to evaluate the relative importance of specific short consensus repeat amino acid residues. Three sites of interest were identified. Site 1 is a stretch of 19 contiguous amino acids in short consensus repeat 1 that form the epitope of a monoclonal antibody that effectively blocks factor B function. Site 2, composed of 6 contiguous amino acids in short consensus repeat 2, and site 3, consisting of 7 contiguous amino acids in short consensus repeat 3, were defined by mutations that reduce factor B hemolytic activity to 3% or less. Further analyses indicated that sites 2 and 3 contribute to factor B-C3b interactions.
High-latitude Solar Torsional Oscillations during Phases of Changing Magnetic Cycle Amplitude

Torsional oscillations are variations of the solar differential rotation that are strongly linked to the magnetic cycle of the Sun. Helioseismic inversions have revealed significant differences in the high-latitude branch of torsional oscillations between cycle 23 and cycle 24. Here we employ a non-kinematic flux-transport dynamo model that has been used previously to study torsional oscillations and simulate the response of the high-latitude branch to a change in the amplitude of the magnetic cycle. It is found that a reduction of the cycle amplitude leads to an increase in the amplitude of differential rotation that is mostly visible as a drop in the high-latitude rotation rate. Depending on the amplitude of this adjustment the high-latitude torsional oscillation signal can become temporarily hidden due to the unknown changing mean rotation rate that is required to properly define the torsional oscillation signal.
Sleep-induced nonobstructive hypoventilation associated with diaphragmatic paralysis.

A patient with adult-onset spinal muscular atrophy causing mild proximal limb muscle weakness had sleep-induced nonobstructive hypoventilation due to diaphragmatic paralysis. Nocturnal dyspnea and daytime somnolence were associated with frequent arousals from sleep due to arterial oxygen desaturation. The nocturnal use of a cuirass respirator improved the oxygen saturation, resulting in less disrupted sleep, relief of the somnolence, and improved daytime ventilation.
Toward a More Robust Assessment of Intraspecies Diversity, Using Fewer Genetic Markers

Phylogenetic sequence analysis of single or multiple genes has dominated the study and census of the genetic diversity among closely related bacteria. It remains unclear, however, how the results based on a few genes in the genome correlate with whole-genome-based relatedness and what genes (if any) best reflect whole-genome-level relatedness and hence should be preferentially used to economize on cost and to improve accuracy. We show here that phylogenies of closely related organisms based on the average nucleotide identity (ANI) of their shared genes correspond accurately to phylogenies based on state-of-the-art analysis of their whole-genome sequences. We use ANI to evaluate the phylogenetic robustness of every gene in the genome and show that almost all core genes, regardless of their functions and positions in the genome, offer robust phylogenetic reconstruction among strains that show 80 to 95% ANI (16S rRNA identity, >98.5%). Lack of elapsed time and, to a lesser extent, horizontal transfer and recombination make the selection of genes more critical for applications that target the intraspecies level, i.e., strains that show >95% ANI according to current standards. A much more accurate phylogeny for the Escherichia coli group was obtained based on just three best-performing genes according to our analysis compared to the concatenated alignment of eight genes that are commonly employed for phylogenetic purposes in this group. Our results are reproducible within the Salmonella, Burkholderia, and Shewanella groups and therefore are expected to have general applicability for microevolution studies, including metagenomic surveys.
A reinforced suture line prevents recurrence after fundoplication in patients with familial dysautonomia.

Abstract Background/Purpose Long-term follow-up of fundoplication in patients with familial dysautonomia (FD) has revealed a high rate of recurrent gastroesophageal reflux. This may be because of the unique characteristics of patients with FD which include autonomic denervation accompanied by cyclic vomiting and retching. We reviewed our results with adaptations to the Nissen fundoplication to determine which would be most effective in preventing the need for reoperation. Methods We reviewed the records of 108 patient with FD who underwent fundoplication by a single pediatric surgeon from November 1978 to July 1, 2004. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on the operative technique: standard Nissen fundoplication, Nissen with a posterior gastropexy, Nissen with posterior gastropexy and a superior anchoring suture, and Nissen with a reinforced suture line in addition to the previous modifications. Demographic data and surgical outcomes were abstracted. Results Patients who underwent a Nissen fundoplication with a reinforced suture line were significantly less likely to require a reoperation for recurrent reflux than any other patients ( P = .05, Fisher's Exact test) despite the fact that they were younger than patients who underwent a standard Nissen alone. Conclusion The addition of a reinforced suture line to the standard Nissen fundoplication decreases the failure rate for patients with gastroesophageal reflux and FD. A reinforced suture line may be an attractive modification for patients where the fundoplication may be under continued physical stress caused by autonomic perturbations, or other conditions such as uncontrolled seizures or progressive neurologic decline.
Primary salivary duct carcinoma of the lung, mucin-rich variant

Primary salivary gland-type lung cancer is a heterogeneous group of neoplasms arising from the seromucinous glands of the respiratory tract. Histopathologically, they are identical to salivary gland neoplasms of the head and neck. While mucoepidermoid carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma are overwhelmingly the most common subtypes found in the lung, reports of uncommon subtypes can be found in the literature. We report a case of a 73-year-old woman with primary lung salivary duct carcinoma, mucin-rich variant--an exceedingly rare subtype of an already rare malignant salivary-type neoplasm. One case of primary lung salivary duct carcinoma has been reported in the literature; however, the mucin-rich variant has never been described in the lung. Furthermore, the tumor in our case bears a rare BRAF G464V mutation. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a BRAF G464V mutation detected in a salivary duct carcinoma or any other salivary-type neoplasm.
Race-Related Stress and Racial Identity as Predictors of African American Activism:

The purpose of this study was to examine three forms of race-related stress (i.e., cultural, institutional, and individual) and six racial identity dimensions (i.e., Pre-Encounter Assimilation, Mis...
Social Security's Earnings Test Penalty and the Employment Rates of Elderly Men Aged 65 to 69

In 1990, the rate at which Social Security reduces benefits as a result of earnings above an annually adjusted threshold of $9,360 was reduced from 50 percent to 33 percent for individuals age 65 to 69. In all twelve difference-in-differences models, the change in Social Security's earnings test penalty has a positive but statistically insignificant impact on both the employment rate and the annual hours worked of 66 to 69 year old men relative to those in valid control groups (consistent with the substitution effect).
Development of peptide mimotopes of lipooligosaccharide from nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae as vaccine candidates

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a common cause of otitis media in children and lower respiratory tract diseases in adults. So far there is no effective vaccine against NTHi. A major surface-exposed component of NTHi, lipooligosaccharide (LOS), is a virulence factor as well as a potential protective Ag. LOS is too toxic to be administered in humans. However, detoxified LOS is a T cell-independent small molecule and is poorly immunogenic in vivo, so we converted LOS into a nontoxic T cell-dependent Ag through the use of peptides that mimic the LOS by screening a phage-display peptide library with a rabbit Ab specific for NTHi LOS. Fifty-six phage clones were found to share LOS mimicry molecules. Among them, 22 clones were subjected to DNA sequencing, and four consensus sequences were identified as NMMRFTSQPPNN, NMMNYIMDPRTH, NMMKYISPPIFL, and NMMRFTELSTPS. Three of the four synthetic peptides showed strong binding reactivity to the rabbit anti-LOS Ab and also a mouse bactericidal monoclonal anti-LOS Ab in vitro, and elicited specific serum anti-LOS Abs in rabbits (27- to 81-fold) after conjugation with keyhole limpet hemocyanin. Passive immunization with the rabbit antisera resulted in a significantly enhanced pulmonary bacterial clearance in a mouse model. The enhanced bacterial clearance was eliminated if the rabbit serum was preabsorbed with NTHi LOS. These data indicate that the peptide mimotopes of LOS that we have identified might be potential components of peptide vaccines against NTHi.
Tropical secondary forests

The literature on tropical secondary forests, defined as those resulting from human disturbance (e.g. logged forests and forest fallows), is reviewed to address questions related to their extent, rates of formation, ecological characteristics, values and uses to humans, and potential for management. Secondary forests are extensive in the tropics, accounting for about 40% of the total forest area and their rates of formation are about 9 million ha yr−1. Geographical differences in the extent, rates of formation and types of forest being converted exist.Secondary forests appear to accumulate woody plant species at a relatively rapid rate but the mechanisms involved are complex and no clear pattern emerged. Compared to mature forests, the structure of secondary forest vegetation is simple, although age, climate and soil type are modifying factors. Biomass accumulates rapidly in secondary forests, up to 100 t ha−1 during the first 15 yr or so, but history of disturbance may modify this trend. Like biomass, high rates of litter production are established relatively quickly, up to 12–13 t ha−1 yr−1 by age 12–15 yr. And, in younger secondary forests (< 20 yr), litter production is a higher fraction of the net primary productivity than stemwood biomass production. More organic matter is pro duced and transferred to the soil in younger secondary forests than is stored in above-ground vegetation. The impact of this on soil organic matter is significant and explains why the recovery of organic matter in the soil under secondary forests is relatively fast (50 yr or so). Nutrients are accumulated rapidly in secondary vegetation, and are returned quickly by litterfall and decomposition for uptake by roots.We propose a model of the gains and losses, yields and costs, and benefits and tradeoffs to people from the current land-use changes occurring in the tropics. When the conversion of forest lands to secondary forests and agriculture is too fast or land-use stages are skipped, society loses goods and services. To avoid such a loss, we advocate management of tropical forest lands within a landscape perspective, a possibility in the tropics because land tenures and development projects are often large.
High-power Lyman-alpha source generated with an ArF excimer laser.

We report high-power vacuum-ultraviolet (vuv) generation at the Lyman-? wavelength of 121.6 nm, using a simple experimental system. vuv radiation is produced through two-photon-resonant difference-frequency mixing with a tunable ArF excimer laser and a Nd:YAG-pumped dye laser. Using phase-matched mixtures of Kr and Ar at a total pressure of 650??mbar, we produced 7-µJ energies at Lyman-? in approximately 5 ns1.3 kW, as measured directly with a pyroelectric energy probe. Measurements indicate that higher powers are possible with system optimization. A tuning range of 0.1 nm was achieved for a fixed gas mole fraction at a total pressure of 650??mbar. Qualitative agreement is found between measured tuning profiles and theoretical predictions.
Accuracy of ICD-9 coding for Clostridium difficile infections: a retrospective cohort

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a major nosocomial problem. Epidemiological surveillance of the disease can be accomplished by microbiological or administrative data. Microbiological tracking is problematic since it does not always translate into clinical disease, and it is not always available. Tracking by administrative data is attractive, but ICD-9 code accuracy for C. diff is unknown. By using a large administrative database of hospitalized patients with C. diff (by ICD-9 code or cytotoxic assay), this study found that the sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of ICD-9 coding were 71%, 99%, 87%, and 96% respectively (using micro data as the gold standard). When only using symptomatic patients the sensitivity increased to 82% and when only using symptomatic patients whose test results were available at discharge, the sensitivity increased to 88%. C. diff ICD-9 codes closely approximate true C. diff infection, especially in symptomatic patients whose test results are available at the time of discharge, and can therefore be used as a reasonable alternative to microbiological data for tracking purposes.
Fire‐induced reproduction of Festuca pilgeri in the subalpine zone of Mount Kenya

Plant species in ﬁre-dominated habitats are characterizedby a variety of evolutionary adaptations to ﬁre (reviewed inGill, 1981; Bond & van Wilgen, 1996). These include thickbark, the ability to coppice, and protected meristems, suchas those in tussock grasses. The reproductive opportunitiescreated by ﬁre favour adaptations such as ﬁre-inducedreproduction (Gill & Ingwersen, 1976; Le Maitre & Brown,1992; Verboom, Stock & Linder, 2002) and dormancy thatis broken by smoke (Keely, 1993) or intense heat.Fire appears to be common in the sub-alpine shrublandsand grasslands of the tropics (Hedberg, 1964; Beck,Scheibe & Schulze, 1986; Laegaard, 1992; Young, 1996).On East African mountains, as elsewhere in the tropics, thesub-alpine zone is characterized by ericaceous vegetationﬂoristically and physiognomically similar to ﬁre-pronechaparral biomes (Young, 1991, 1996; Safford, 2001).The woody species there readily coppice after ﬁre(T. Young, pers. obs.; Hemp & Beck, 2001). The ericaceouszone of Mount Kenya burned several times between 1970and 1990 at different sites (Young, 1996; Phil Snyder, BillWoodley & Bongo Woodley, pers. comm.). Each of theseﬁres covered several hundred hectares. As yet we haveno data on return intervals but many of these ﬁres aresuspected to be human-caused by honey hunters (PhilSnyder & Bill Woodley, pers. comm.).Festuca pilgeri St-Yves is the dominant grass in the alpinezone of Mount Kenya, forming nearly monospeciﬁc standsin some areas (Hedberg, 1964, Young & Peacock 1992). Itforms dense tussocks up to 50 cm in diameter. It occurs inboth reproductive and mostly sterile populations on MountKenya, with the latter predominating at lower elevationsin the subalpine zone (Young & Peacock, 1992).
Use of Smart Technology for Remote Consultation in the Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.

Objectives To evaluate the use of smartphone and tablet technology (“smart technology” or ST) in remote consultation for pediatric and congenital cardiac catheterization. Design Two online surveys, to early-career (Mentees) and senior (Mentors) pediatric interventional cardiologists, designed to assess the current use and attitudes toward ST for remote consultation. In addition, the current literature is reviewed for use of remote consultations and potential legal and patient privacy concerns. Results Forty-six (40%) Mentees and 19 (48%) Mentors responded. 74% of Mentees report using ST for remote consultation, 26% for nearly every case, with 45% of communication occurring during a procedure. Over one-third of Mentees report they have performed an intervention for the first time based on ST consultation. Of Mentors that reported receiving ST consultation, 58% were comfortable providing advice via this method, but 42% felt that the imaging sent was inadequate to provide appropriate advice for at least one case. Both groups felt the speed of consultation was much faster using ST. Privacy measures were reportedly used in up to 85% of consultations, while only 12% of respondents obtained informed consent for the consultation. The most common barrier identified by Mentees for use of ST for consultations was patient privacy concerns. Conclusions ST use is prevalent among early-career pediatric and congenital interventional cardiologists for consultation regarding catheterization procedures. There are many technologic, legal, and patient privacy concerns that will need to be addressed as the use of ST for remote consultation grows.
A novel, compliant, four degree-of-freedom, robotic fingertip sensor

A novel, low-cost, compliant fingertip sensor for robotic gripper applications is presented. The fingertip sensor is intended for use in grippers where force feedback information is needed, such as in clean room or space applications where telerobotic operation is desired. The fingertip is approximately the size of the thumb of an adult male and is approximately as compliant as human flesh. The sensor was designed to optimize the sensitivity to four components of force/torque: the normal force, both tangential force terms, and the torque about the normal axis. Finite-element analysis was used to optimize the shape of the fingertip and the location/size of the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film piezoelectric sensing elements. The design analysis and the experimental results from evaluation of the prototype robot fingertip sensors are presented. >
Effects of early chemotherapeutic treatment on learning in adolescent mice: implications for cognitive impairment and remediation in childhood cancer survivors.

Purpose: Among children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and given chemotherapy-only treatment, 40% to 70% of survivors experience neurocognitive impairment. The present study used a preclinical mouse model to investigate the effects of early exposure to common ALL chemotherapeutics methotrexate (MTX) and cytarabine (Ara-C) on learning and memory. Experimental Design: Preweanling mouse pups were treated on postnatal day (PND) 14, 15, and 16 with saline, MTX, Ara-C, or a combination of MTX and Ara-C. Nineteen days after treatment (PND 35), behavioral tasks measuring different aspects of learning and memory were administered. Results: Significant impairment in acquisition and retention over both short (1 hour) and long (24 hours) intervals, as measured by autoshaping and novel object recognition tasks, was found following treatment with MTX and Ara-C. Similarly, a novel conditional discrimination task revealed impairment in acquisition for chemotherapy-treated mice. No significant group differences were found following the extensive training component of this task, with impairment following the rapid training component occurring only for the highest MTX and Ara-C combination group. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with those from clinical studies suggesting that childhood cancer survivors are slower at learning new information and primarily exhibit deficits in memory years after successful completion of chemotherapy. The occurrence of mild deficits on a novel conditional discrimination task suggests that chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment may be ameliorated through extensive training or practice. Clin Cancer Res; 19(11); 3008–18. ©2013 AACR .
Secondary Transition Evidence-Based Practices and Predictors Implications for Policymakers

The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) had implications for teachers and students at all levels (i.e., elementary, middle, high school). Sp...
Imaging of the inflammatory response in ischemic canine myocardium with 111indium-labeled leukocytes

Myocardial leukocyte infiltration is one hallmark of acute myocardial infarction. In order to detect noninvasively this inflammatory response associated with acute myocardial infarction, we produced coronary occlusion in eight dogs, intravenously administered autologously labeled indium-111 (111In) leukocytes and scintigraphically monitored accumulation of radionuclide in myocardium. Seventy-two hours after coronary occlusion, 111In-labeled white cells accumulated in regions corresponding to myocardial infarcts, and positive images with 111In-labeled leukocytes correlated well with images obtained with technetium-99m pyrophosphate and computer-reconstructed tomograms obtained with nitrogen-13-labeled ammonia. In contrast, two control dogs subjected to sham operation did not exhibit positive 111In-leukocyte images. Scintigraphic results with 111In-labeled leukocytes were verified in vitro by analysis of radioactivity in normal myocardium and in infarcts. Thus, leukocytic infiltration associated with acute myocardial infarction can be detected noninvasively in vivo.
The potential of water-soluble polymeric carriers in targeted and site-specific drug delivery

Abstract The design of targetable water-soluble polymeric drug carriers based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymers is described. Three types of conjugates have been studied: (a) HPMA copolymers containing oligopeptide side-chains terminated in anticancer drugs (daunomycin, adriamycin); (b) conjugates of HPMA copolymers with chlorin e6 (photoactivatable drug); and (c) HPMA copolymers for site-specific oral delivery of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). Polymer-bound drugs (a) and (b) are lysosomotropic. When conjugated to a targeting moiety (galactosamine or antibody) their concentration in the target tissue is increased. It was shown that binding drugs to HPMA copolymers decreases their toxicity and immunogenicity. Two ways of drug activation in the lysosomal compartment are discussed: release by lysosomal cysteine proteinases (daunomycin, adriamycin) and activation by light (chlorin e6). Conjugates of chlorin e6 with HPMA copolymers and optionally galactosamine were synthesized and their photodynamic activity was tested in vitro on a human hepatoma cell line (PLC/PRF/5 cells). The conjugate containing galactosamine as the targeting moiety was more active compared to the conjugate without the targeting moiety. A new concept of oral drug delivery was proposed based on a combination of site-specific delivery of 5-ASA to the colon with bioadhesive properties of the carrier. HPMA copolymers containing saccharide units complementary to mucosal lectins of the GI tract are used as carriers. They also contain side-chains terminated in salicylic acid bound via an azo bond. Cleavage experiments were carried out using an isolated strain of bacteria commonly found in the colon. When incubated with Streptococcum faecium in vitro 5-ASA is released. Body distributions in guinea pigs after oral administration have shown that HPMA copolymers containing fucosylamine associate with the colon. Further experiments are necessary to verify the therapeutical importance of these observations and to develop water soluble polymers as carriers for site-specific oral delivery.
Functorial Properties of Star Operations

We define a universal star operation to be an assignment *: A ↦ * A of a star operation * A on A to every integral domain A. Prime examples of universal star operations include the divisorial closure star operation v, the t-closure star operation t, and the star operation w = F ∞ of Hedstrom and Houston. For any universal star operation *, we say that an extension B ⊃ A of integral domains is *-ideal class linked if there is a group homomorphism Cl* A (A) → Cl* B (B) of star class groups induced by the map I ↦ (IB)* B on the set of * A -ideals I of A. We study several natural subclasses of the class of *-ideal class linked extensions.
A Net Present Value and Financial Feasibility Analysis of Converting from Plastic Pots to Degradable Paper Pots

This study estimates and compares the production costs and economic profitability of a greenhouse business adopting a sustainable floriculture production practice in their operation. We hypothesized that the adoption of this production system would result in increased profits for the business. Sustainable production practices that reduce or eliminate the use of plastic are very important in the floriculture industry due to increased concerns about plastic waste created by the industry, as well as increased oil and transportation costs. Using Net Present Value (NPV), financial feasibility and internal rate of return analysis, we determined that purchasing an Elleguard machine and converting to paper Ellepots instead of conventional plastic pots would be a profitable activity for this operation. We also compared the profitability of substrates, in terms of added value, and found that using the current substrate was the most profitable option. This study may provide greenhouse growers with a tool to help make better business decisions when considering a capital intensive addition to their operation.
The ‘Optimum’ Aim for Science

In his book Science and Scepticism1 John Watkins proposes to defeat the ‘rationality-sceptic’ within the limits defined by Humean scepticism about the possibility of knowledge of the world of external objects and of future events. Rationality-scepticism is according to Watkins (p. 59) that view — advocated perhaps and if so most prominently in recent discussions by Paul Feyerabend2 — that “we never have any good reason to adopt a hypothesis about the external world” — or, perhaps more clearly, that we never have any good reason to adopt from amongst those available any particular hypothesis.
Vulcanization of Ultrasonically Devulcanized SBR Elastomers

Abstract Sulfur cured SBR elastomers, devulcanized by high power ultrasonic irradiation, were revulcanized by using the same curing conditions as for virgin SBR. Crosslink density and gel fraction of virgin, devulcanized, and revulcanized elastomers were measured. Curing behavior of some model compounds based on virgin and devulcanized SBR was investigated. Strongly pronounced differences between the curing behavior of virgin and devulcanized elastomers were observed. Torque and DSC studies indicate that two different processes during the crosslinking of devulcanized rubber take place. The existence of these two processes is explained by crosslinking of sulfidized polymer chains followed by crosslinking due to the presence of sulfur and accelerator. Chemical differences between virgin and devulcanized elastomers, explaining the observed phenomena, are discussed.
Molecule-based modeling of heavy oil

A molecular-level kinetics model has been developed for the pyrolysis of heavy residual oil. Resid structure was modeled in terms of three attribute groups: cores, inter-core linkages, and side chains. The concentrations of attributes were constrained by probability density functions (PDFs) that were optimized by minimizing the difference between the properties of the computational representation—which were obtained by juxtaposing the attributes—to measured properties, which were obtained by analytical chemistry measurements. Computational tools were used to build a reaction network that was constructed based upon model compounds and their associated kinetics. For cases with an intractable number of species, equations were written in terms of the three attribute groups and the molecular composition was retained implicitly through the juxtaposition. These modeling methods were applied to the Shengli and Daqing resids. The composition of the simulated molecular feedstock fit well with analytical chemistry measurements. After simulated pyrolysis, both resids showed representative increases in the weight fractions of lighter hydrocarbons. Relevant end-use properties were predicted for the product mixtures.
Pharmacokinetics of methocarbamol and phenylbutazone in exercised Thoroughbred horses.

Methocarbamol (MCBL) is commonly used in performance horses for the treatment of skeletal muscle disorders. Current regulatory recommendations for show horses and racehorses are based on a single oral dose of 5 g, although doses in excess of this are often administered. The goal of the current study was to characterize the disposition of MCBL following higher dose administration and administration in combination with another commonly used drug in performance horses, phenylbutazone (PBZ). Exercised Thoroughbred horses were administered various doses of MCBL as a sole agent and MCBL in combination with PBZ. Blood samples were collected at various times, concentrations of MCBL and PBZ measured using LC-MS/MS and pharmacokinetic parameters calculated using compartmental analysis. Following administration of 15 g of MCBL, either as part of a single- or multiple-dose regimen, a number of horses exceeded the Association of Racing Commissioners International and the United States Equestrian Federation's recommended regulatory threshold at the recommended withdrawal time. There was not a significant difference between horses that received only MCBL and those that received MCBL and PBZ. Results of the current study support an extended withdrawal guideline when doses in excess of 5 g are administered.
A note on a theorem of Dwyer and Wilkerson

We prove a version of Theorem 2.3 in [1] for the non-elementary abelian group ${\Bbb Z}_2\times {\Bbb Z}_{2^n}, n \geqq 2$ . Roughly, we describe the equivariant cohomology of (union of) fixed point sets as the unstable part of the equivariant cohomology of the space localized with respect to suitable elements of the cohomology ring of ${\Bbb Z}_2\times {\Bbb Z}_{2^n}$ .
Navigating the Color Palette of Solution-Processable Electrochromic Polymers†

Solution-processable electrochromic (EC) polymers that can be switched from one distinct color state to a highly transmissive and near colorless state are required for applications in both EC windows and displays. Using a tour around the color wheel, we describe the various EC polymer (ECP) compositions that now make a full palette of colors available demonstrating a set of structure−property relationships. Electrochemical and electrochromic characterization methodologies are described and their application to ECPs demonstrated. Processing and patterning methods including spray casting, screen-, flexo-, and ink jet printing, along with photo- and soft lithography are described. Absorptive/transmissive (window type) and absorptive/reflective (display type) devices are described as platforms for practical applications.
TESTING FOR UNEQUAL AMOUNTS OF EVOLUTION IN A CONTINUOUS CHARACTER ON DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF A PHYLOGENETIC TREE USING LINEAR AND SQUARED-CHANGE PARSIMONY: AN EXAMPLE USING LESSER ANTILLEAN ANOLIS LIZARDS.

Although a large body of work investigating tests of correlated evolution of two continuous characters exists, hypotheses such as character displacement are really tests of whether substantial evolutionary change has occurred on a particular branch or branches of the phylogenetic tree. In this study, we present a methodology for testing such a hypothesis using ancestral character state reconstruction and simulation. Furthermore, we suggest how to investigate the robustness of the hypothesis test by varying the reconstruction methods or simulation parameters. As a case study, we tested a hypothesis of character displacement in body size of Caribbean Anolis lizards. We compared squared-change, weighted squared-change, and linear parsimony reconstruction methods, gradual Brownian motion and speciational models of evolution, and several resolution methods for linear parsimony. We used ancestor reconstruction methods to infer the amount of body size evolution, and tested whether evolutionary change in body size was greater on branches of the phylogenetic tree in which a transition from occupying a single-species island to a two-species island occurred. Simulations were used to generate null distributions of reconstructed body size change. The hypothesis of character displacement was tested using Wilcoxon Rank-Sums. When tested against simulated null distributions, all of the reconstruction methods resulted in more significant P-values than when standard statistical tables were used. These results confirm that P-values for tests using ancestor reconstruction methods should be assessed via simulation rather than from standard statistical tables. Linear parsimony can produce an infinite number of most parsimonious reconstructions in continuous characters. We present an example of assessing the robustness of our statistical test by exploring the sample space of possible resolutions. We compare ACCTRAN and DELTRAN resolutions of ambiguous character reconstructions in linear parsimony to the most and least conservative resolutions for our particular hypothesis.
Benefit Evaluation of Biogas Production from Human and Livestock Manure in Rural Areas of Yunnan Province

The energy consumption in rural areas will continue to increase with the economic and social development.It is available to develop rural biogas by making full use of human and livestock manure resources to increase the energy supply without increasing the pressure on natural resources,it will also contribute to improve the farmer's living environment and promote the development of relative industries,decrease the greenhouse gas emission and prevent the transmission of diseases.Based on the statistic analysis on human population and animal husbandry in the rural areas of Yunnan in 2010,authors estimated the resource potential for the development of biogas in Yunnan and its direct economic,social and ecological benefits in this paper,and expected to contribute to the decision-making for the industrial development of biogas in the rural areas of Yunnan province in the next few years.
Independent validation of the prognostic capacity of the ISUP prostate cancer grade grouping system for radiation treated patients with long-term follow-up.

Independent validation of the prognostic capacity of the ISUP prostate cancer grade grouping system for radiation treated patients with long-term follow-up
THE STOCK PRICE REACTION TO THE CHALLENGER CRASH

In this paper, we provide clinical evidence on market efficiency by studying stock price movements around a particular event - the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Our work is motivated by the continuing debate on whether the market quickly and accurately processes information. A group of researchers have long argued that stock prices exhibit excess volatility and anomalous patterns that cannot be explained only by information. We provide contradictory evidence. We study an event in which investor panic could easily lead to initial overreaction, and because the government investigation of the cause of the crash took five months, one might expect a delayed stock market reaction to the crash. What we find is that the market pinpointed the guilty party within minutes, and while there was some "excess volatility" associated with trading in the non-culpable firms, this provided little or no profit to traders with inside information.
Impact of Exchange Rate Pass-Through on Inflation in India

The exchange rate channel of monetary policy is important for many developing countries. When a central bank lowers the policy rates, this action often results in a depreciation of that country’s currency which in turn makes imports more expensive while enhancing the price competitiveness of that country’s exports. However, for the exchange rate channel to operate effectively, the implicit assumption is that exporters will adjust the home price of their goods or services in such a way as to keep the price in the importing country more or less unchanged (by either adjusting costs or mark-ups or some combination of the two). More generally, it is possible that exporters may not fully pass-through exchange rate movements to prices in importing countries by adjusting their domestic country prices.
Rigid, Helical Arm Stars through Living Nickel Polymerization of Carbodiimides

Using the core-first growth strategy, we have synthesized a tris-Ni(II) initiator which bears three initiating sites for the ensuing polymerization of N-1-phenethyl-N′-methylcarbodiimide. The arms of these star polymers bearing chiral side chains adopt single-handed helical rod-like conformations. The polymerization occurs in a controlled, living fashion, and this multiarm architecture imparts a new set of intriguing properties including their self-assembly into diverse nanostructures when cast from different solvents. These assemblies, characterized by AFM, TEM, and DLS, include the formation of nanofiber networks and twisted superhelical nanostructures. Interestingly, by processing these polymers via electrospraying method, hollow and uniform platelet-like particles were obtained. These solvent-dependent morphologies of microparticles were observed by using SEM. The kinetic studies of polymerizations, inspection of self-aggregation behaviors, and electrosprayed architectures will open up possibilities f...
Update on Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma Targeted Therapies

Gastroesophageal cancer (GEC) remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although the incidence of distal gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) is declining in the United States, proximal esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGJ) incidence is rising. GC and EGJ, together, are treated uniformly in the metastatic setting as GEC. Overall survival in the metastatic setting remains poor, with few molecular targeted approaches having been successfully incorporated into routine care to date-only first-line anti-HER2 therapy for ERBB2 amplification and second-line anti-VEGFR2 therapy. This article reviews aberrations in epidermal growth factor receptor, MET, and ERBB2, their therapeutic implications, and future directions in targeting these pathways.
Hiding the Long Latency of Persist Barriers Using Speculative Execution

Byte-addressable non-volatile memory technology is emerging as an alternative for DRAM for main memory. This new Non-Volatile Main Memory (NVMM) allows programmers to store important data in data structures in memory instead of serializing it to the file system, thereby providing a substantial performance boost. However, modern systems reorder memory operations and utilize volatile caches for better performance, making it difficult to ensure a consistent state in NVMM. Intel recently announced a new set of persistence instructions, clflushopt, clwb, and pcommit. These new instructions make it possible to implement fail-safe code on NVMM, but few workloads have been written or characterized using these new instructions.In this work, we describe how these instructions work and how they can be used to implement write-ahead logging based transactions. We implement several common data structures and kernels and evaluate the performance overhead incurred over traditional non-persistent implementations. In particular, we find that persistence instructions occur in clusters along with expensive fence operations, they have long latency, and they add a significant execution time overhead, on average by 20.3% over code with logging but without fence instructions to order persists.To deal with this overhead and alleviate the performance bottleneck, we propose to speculate past long latency persistency operations using checkpoint-based processing. Our speculative persistence architecture reduces the execution time overheads to only 3.6%.
Influence of military workload and footwear on static and dynamic balance performance

Abstract Balance performance have been shown to be influenced by footwear design characteristics and physiological workloads. This study was conducted to assess the impact of two military footwear, standard (STD) and minimalist (MIN) boots, on human balance before (PRE) and after (POST) a simulated military type, load carriage exercise. Twenty two male participants [age: 22.14 ± 2.68 years; height: 176.69 ± 6.82 cm; weight: 79.81 ± 9.70 kg] were tested for balance in bilateral and unilateral stances with and without challenging sensory information and using a star excursion balance test (SEBT). Center of pressure postural sway variables from different balance testing conditions and reach distances from SEBT, were analyzed using a 2(STD-MIN) x 2(PRE-POST) repeated measures analysis of variance. Results revealed significantly greater postural sway in the STD boot and in POST workload conditions. Decrements in balance can be attributed to boot design characteristics and muscular exertion due to the workload.
A fully-integrated S/C band transmitter in 45nm CMOS/ 0.2gm GaN heterogeneous technology

A fully-integrated transmitter is presented in DARPA's DAHI process technology, featuring heterogeneous integration of 45nm SOI CMOS and 0.2pm GaN technologies. This transmitter is capable of transmitting SOQPSK-TG telemetry waveforms across 2–5 GHz with a peak transmitter power efficiency of 41.32% and peak output power of 32.93 dBm. A reconfigurable CMOS phase modulator is implemented to provide 6-bit phase resolution across the entire output frequency range, and a wide-swing CMOS buffer was designed to drive the GaN power amplifier. The GaN PA features a three-stage design, featuring a differential CML buffer, push-pull inverting buffer, and a class-E switch-mode power amplifier to efficiently amplify the signal. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first fully-integrated transmitter combining CMOS and GaN technology demonstrated in literature.
Impact of hearing and visual impairment in older adults with cancer.

10036Background: Hearing and visual impairment increase the risk of psychological, functional, and cognitive deficits in older adults. However, little is known about their impact in older patients ...
Udder and teat conformational risk factors for elevated somatic cell count and clinical mastitis in New York Holsteins.

Abstract Our primary objective was to identify udder and teat conformational risk factors associated with the occurrence of elevated somatic cell count ( SCC ) and clinical mastitis using a prospective cohort study design with careful assessment of exposure and disease outcomes. Mastitis prevalence was evaluated by parity across 6 sampling periods representing key physiological transitions during lactation: 0–1 day in milk (DIM), 3–5 DIM, 10–14 DIM, 50–60 DIM, 90–110 DIM, and 210–230 DIM. Cows were scored for front and rear teat length, width, end shape, and placement, fore udder attachment, udder cleft, udder depth, rear udder height, and rear udder width. Two independent multivariable logistic regression models were used to generate odds ratios ( OR ) for elevated SCC (≥ 200,000 cells/ml) and farm-diagnosed clinical mastitis. We identified that loose fore udder attachment (reference level: strong fore udder attachment, OR = 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2–3.8) and flat teat end shape (reference level: round teat end shape, OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1–1.9) increased the odds of an elevated SCC event, whereas a negative California Mastitis Test score at 0–1 DIM decreased the odds of an elevated SCC event (OR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.4 to 0.8). Loose fore udder attachment (reference level: strong fore udder attachment, OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.3–10.7), flat teat end shape (reference level: round teat end shape, OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.0–2.4), low rear udder height (reference level: intermediate rear udder height, OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 0.3–6.2), and increasing rear teat width (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.2–4.4) heightened the odds of developing clinical mastitis. We identified that within our study cohort, loose fore udder attachment and flat teat ends had an important association with increased odds of both an elevated SCC event and clinical mastitis diagnosis. The identification of these udder and teat conformational risk factors for mastitis can provide farmers an effective and inexpensive tool to manage mastitis.