cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in subjective preference do not require dopamine signaling or the orbital frontal cortex

Sunk or unrecoverable costs impact proximal reward-based decisions across species. However, it is not known if these incurred costs elicit a long-lasting change in reward value. To address this, we identified the relative preference between different flavored food pellets in rats. Animals were then trained to experience the initially preferred reward after short delays and the initially less preferred reward after long delays. This training regimen enhanced the preference for the initially less desirable food reward. We probed whether this change in subjective preference involved dopamine signaling or the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) given that these neural systems contribute to reward valuation. Systemic dopamine receptor antagonism attenuated anticipatory responding during training sessions but did not prevent the change in reward preference elicited by incurred temporal costs. OFC lesions had no effect on anticipatory responding during training or on the change in reward preference. These findings collectively illustrate that the neural systems involved with economic assessments of reward value are not contributing to changes in subjective preference.
An integrated perception pipeline for robot mission execution in unstructured environments

Visual perception has become core technology in autonomous robotics to identify and localize objects of interest to ensure successful and safe task execution. As part of the recently concluded Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA) program, a collaborative research effort among government, academic, and industry partners, a vision acquisition and processing pipeline was developed and demonstrated to support manned-unmanned team ing for Army relevant applications. The perception pipeline provided accurate and cohesive situational awareness to support autonomous robot capabilities for maneuver in dynamic and unstructured environments, collaborative human-robot mission planning and execution, and mobile manipulation. Development of the pipeline involved a) collecting domain specific data, b) curating ground truth annotations, e.g., bounding boxes, keypoints, c) retraining deep networks to obtain updated object detection and pose estimation models, and d) deploying and testing the trained models on ground robots. We discuss the process of delivering this perception pipeline under limited time and resource constraints due to lack of a priori knowledge of the operational environment. We focus on experiments conducted to optimize the models despite using data that was noisy and exhibited sparse examples for some object classes. Additionally, we discuss our augmentation techniques used to enhance the data set given skewed class distributions. These efforts highlight some initial work that directly relates to learning and updating visual perception systems quickly in the field under sudden environment or mission changes.
Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Cecum Presenting as Spontaneous Perforation.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the colon is an extremely rare condition, and its pathogenesis is not fully understood. Bowel perforation is a very infrequent manifestation of colonic SCC, and only a few cases have been reported in the literature involving sigmoid and splenic flexure perforation. To the best of our knowledge, no cases of ileocecal perforation have been documented in the literature. Here we present a case of cecal SCC that presented with bowel perforation, necessitating emergent surgical intervention. Histopathological examination showed SCC with lymph node metastasis. This case reviews current knowledge and highlights the rare manifestation that these rare tumors can present.
Cost-Effectiveness of 5-Aminosalicylate Therapy in Combination With Biologics or Tofacitinib in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis.

Introduction Medications are major cost drivers in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Recent analyses suggest that there is no added efficacy in continuing nor harm in stopping 5-aminosalicylate (ASA) therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease escalated to biological therapies or tofacitinib. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of discontinuing 5-ASA therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis on biological therapies or tofacitinib, compared with continuing 5-ASA therapy. Methods We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis of 5-ASA with biologic therapy and tofacitinib compared with the same treatment without 5-ASA. Our primary outcome was to determine whether biologic/tofacitinib monotherapy was cost-effective compared with biologic/tofacitinib and 5-ASA combination therapy using the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio at a willingness to pay of $50,000/quality-adjusted life year. Owing to the uncertainty surrounding outcome probabilities, probabilistic sensitivity analyses with 10,000 simulations were also performed. We conducted a sensitivity analysis comparing biologic/tofacitinib and 5-ASA therapy compared with biologic/tofacitinib monotherapy, whereby vedolizumab was the first biologic used, followed by infliximab and finally tofacitinib. Results Our model shows that biologic/tofacitinib monotherapy dominates (cheaper and more effective) combination therapy of biologics/tofacitinib with 5-ASA. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses simulations resulted in biologic/tofacitinib monotherapy dominating 100% of the scenarios, with mean cost savings of $24,483.01 over 2 years. When vedolizumab was the first-line therapy in the sensitivity analysis, biologic/tofacitinib monotherapy continued to dominate the combination of 5-ASA and biologic/tofacitinib therapy. Discussion This analysis in patients with ulcerative colitis who require treatment with biologics or tofacitinib demonstrates that continuing 5-ASA therapy is not a cost-effective strategy. Discontinuation of 5-ASA therapy in these patients is safe and less expensive and should be recommended.
Comparison of the phytoseiid mites Amblyseius swirskii and Amblydromalus limonicus for biological control of chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

The chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood, is a recently established pest in the USA and poses a serious risk to many economically important ornamental and food crops. In this study the biological control potential of the phytoseiid mites Amblydromalus limonicus (Garman and McGregor) and Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) was compared by examining their predation and oviposition rates when fed different developmental stages of S. dorsalis. Gravid females were offered 10 individuals of either first instar, second instar, or adult S. dorsalis using a no-choice leaf disc bioassay and oviposition and predation rates were assessed daily for 2 and 3 days, respectively. There was no significant difference in predation and oviposition rates between mite species fed specific S. dorsalis life stages. There was, however, a significant effect of S. dorsalis life stage on the oviposition and predation rates observed for each mite species. The larval stage was the most preferred stage for both mite species, with A. swirskii consuming 4.6–6.3 and A. limonicus 4.8–6.4 individuals/day compared to only 1.6–1.7 adults/day consumed by both species. Female A. swirskii and A. limonicus laid 0.55–0.75 and 0.73 eggs/day on the two larval stages, respectively, compared to only 0.25–0.30 eggs/day observed for individuals feeding on adults. Although the results showed that the biological control potential of both mite species was similar, having an additional predator available that may be as effective as A. swirskii, a proven control agent against S. dorsalis in the field, warrants additional research into its potential utility.
Interventional echocardiography: Opportunities and challenges in an emerging field

The growth of transcatheter structural heart disease interventions has created a subspecialty of interventional imagers who focus on preprocedural planning and the periprocedural guidance of these complex cases. In particular interventional imagers who focus on periprocedural guidance have developed a specific expertise in interventional transesophageal echocardiography (iTEE). This nascent field has challenges in training, reimbursement, and occupational hazards which are unique to this field. This review encompasses the evolution of iTEE, current challenges, and future opportunities.
The impact of a marriage checkup with transgender couples

Summary This study aims to fill the gaps in relationship wellness intervention research by providing a relationship wellness program, the Marriage Check (MC), to transgender couples. Transgender couples (defined, for this study, as couples where one or both partners self-identify as transgender) may benefit from an MC as a brief prevention program to support relationship health. The research question for this study was: What is the impact of a Marriage Checkup on transgender couples’ relationship satisfaction? Researchers created a small pilot study using single-subject design methods – specifically a non-concurrent, multiple-baseline, and a multiple-probe design. Three couples participated in this investigation in which one or both partners identified themselves as transgender. The MC and relationship satisfaction were the independent and dependent variables, respectively. Findings from the visual analysis and non-overlapping of pairs (NAP .87) showed that the MC positively influenced relationship satisfaction for all three couples. The outcomes of the study suggest that the MC may increase relationship satisfaction for some transgender couples. Further research is worth pursuing in this field.
Autonomous Spacecraft Inspection with Free-Flying Drones

This paper describes a proof-of-concept mission demonstrating a multi-agent system performing visual inspection of damage sustained by a spacecraft. Free-flying satellites, simulated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), autonomously fly around a mock space module maximizing the search space for damage detection. The free-flyers are responsible for independently coordinating their flights to avoid collision with the space module and each other, while executing mission tasks. Damage analysis on the surface of the mock space module is performed in real-time using video from each free-flyer. Three-dimensional modeling is deployed offline to supplement and improve damage detection. This approach demonstrates the feasibility of deploying real space systems for damage detection, where 2D analysis can quickly determine region of interest and 3D visualization can produce a human-navigable virtual environment with depth perspective for further investigation.
The anchor verifier for blocking and non-blocking concurrent software

Verifying the correctness of concurrent software with subtle synchronization is notoriously challenging. We present the Anchor verifier, which is based on a new formalism for specifying synchronization disciplines that describes both (1) what memory accesses are permitted, and (2) how each permitted access commutes with concurrent operations of other threads (to facilitate reduction proofs). Anchor supports the verification of both lock-based blocking and cas-based non-blocking algorithms. Experiments on a variety concurrent data structures and algorithms show that Anchor significantly reduces the burden of concurrent verification.
Development of an In Vitro Method of Propagation for Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata to Support Genome Sequencing and Genotype-by-Environment Research.

Basin big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata) is a keystone species of the sagebrush steppe, a widespread ecosystem of western North America threatened by climate change. The study’s goal was to develop an in vitro method of propagation for this taxon to support genome sequencing and genotype-by-environment research on drought tolerance. Such research may ultimately facilitate the reintroduction of big sagebrush in degraded habitats. Seedlings were generated from two diploid mother plants (2n = 2x = 18) collected in environments with contrasting precipitation regimes. The effects of IBA and NAA on rooting of shoot tips were tested on 45 individuals and 15 shoot tips per individual. Growth regulator and individual-seedling effects on percent rooting and roots per shoot tip were evaluated using statistical and clustering analyses. Furthermore, rooted shoot tips were transferred into new media to ascertain their continued growth in vitro. The results suggest that A. tridentata is an outbred species, as shown by individuals’ effect on rooting and growth. IBA addition was the most effective method for promoting adventitious rooting, especially in top-performing individuals. These individuals also have high survival and growth rates upon transferring to new media, making them suitable candidates for generating biomass for genome sequencing and producing clones for genotype-by-environment research.
Gamma radiation-induced defects in KCl, MgCl2, and ZnCl2 salts at room temperature.

Room temperature post-irradiation measurements of diffuse reflectance and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies were made to characterize the long-lived radiation-induced species formed from the gamma irradiation of solid KCl, MgCl2, and ZnCl2 salts up to 100 kGy. The method used showed results consistent with those reported for electron and gamma irradiation of KCl in single crystals. Thermal bleaching of irradiated KCl demonstrated accelerated disaggregation of defect clusters above 400 K, due to decomposition of Cl3−. The defects formed in irradiated MgCl2 comprised a mixture of Cl3−, F-centers, and Mg+ associated as M-centers. Further, Mg metal cluster formation was also observed at 100 kGy, in addition to accelerated destruction of F-centers above 20 kGy. Irradiated ZnCl2 afforded the formation of Cl2− due to its high ionization potential and crystalline structure, which decreases recombination. The presence of aggregates in all cases indicates the high diffusion of radicals and the predominance of secondary processes at 295 K. Thermal bleaching studies showed that chloride aggregates’ stability increases with the ionization potential of the cation present. The characterization of long-lived radiolytic transients of pure salts provides important information for the understanding of complex salt mixtures under the action of gamma radiation.
Letter to My Father: A Memoir: by G. Thomas Couser, Lanham, Hamilton Books, 2017, xvi + 205 pp., (pbk) ISBN 978-0-7618-6958-0

This work begins with a dramatic confession (‘When I was 23, I killed my father—with a letter’) that the author immediately disavows as a criminal act. His father’s depression and severe alcoholism...
Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Cage-Site Distribution, Behavior, and Physiology During a Newfoundland Heat Wave

Background: Climate change is leading to increased water temperatures and reduced oxygen levels at sea-cage sites, and this is a challenge that the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry must adapt to it if it needs to grow sustainably. However, to do this, the industry must better understand how sea-cage conditions influence the physiology and behavior of the fish. Method: We fitted ~2.5 kg Atlantic salmon on the south coast of Newfoundland with Star-Oddi milli-HRT ACT and Milli-TD data loggers (data storage tags, DSTs) in the summer of 2019 that allowed us to simultaneously record the fish's 3D acceleration (i.e., activity/behavior), electrocardiograms (and thus, heart rate and heart rate variability), depth, and temperature from early July to mid-October. Results: Over the course of the summer/fall, surface water temperatures went from ~10-12 to 18-19.5°C, and then fell to 8°C. The data provide valuable information on how cage-site conditions affected the salmon and their determining factors. For example, although the fish typically selected a temperature of 14-18°C when available (i.e., this is their preferred temperature in culture), and thus were found deeper in the cage as surface water temperatures peaked, they continued to use the full range of depths available during the warmest part of the summer. The depth occupied by the fish and heart rate were greater during the day, but the latter effect was not temperature-related. Finally, while the fish generally swam at 0.4-1.0 body lengths per second (25-60 cm s-1), their activity and the proportion of time spent using non-steady swimming (i.e., burst-and-coast swimming) increased when feeding was stopped at high temperatures. Conclusion: Data storage tags that record multiple parameters are an effective tool to understand how cage-site conditions and management influence salmon (fish) behavior, physiology, and welfare in culture, and can even be used to provide fine-scale mapping of environmental conditions. The data collected here, and that in recent publications, strongly suggest that pathogen (biotic) challenges in combination with high temperatures, not high temperatures + moderate hypoxia (~70% air saturation) by themselves, are the biggest climate-related challenge facing the salmon aquaculture industry outside of Tasmania.
Performance of three-dimensional printed nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 testing.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US faced nationwide shortages of nasopharyngeal swabs due to both overwhelmed supply chains and an increase in demand. To address this shortfall, multiple 3D printed swabs were ultimately produced and sold for COVID-19 testing. In this work, we present a framework for mechanical and functional bench-testing of nasopharyngeal swabs using standard and widely available material testing equipment. Using this framework, we offer a comprehensive, quantitative comparison of the 3D printed swabs to benchmark their performance against traditional flocked swabs. The test protocols were designed to emulate the clinical use of the nasopharyngeal swabs and to evaluate potential failure modes. Overall, the 3D printed swabs performed comparably to, or outperformed, the traditional swabs in all mechanical tests. While traditional swabs outperformed some of the new 3D printed swabs in terms of sample uptake and retention, similar amounts of RNA were recovered from both 3D printed and traditional swabs.
Imperfect Union: Representation and Taxation in Multilevel Governments

Imperfect Union offers the first political theory of special purpose jurisdictions, which constitute the most common form of local government in the United States today. Collectively, special purpose governments have more civilian employees than the federal government and spend more than all city governments combined. The proliferation of special purpose jurisdictions has fundamentally altered the nature of representation and taxation in local government. Citizens today are commonly represented by dozens - in some cases hundreds - of local officials in multiple layers of government. As a result, political participation in local elections is low and special interest groups associated with each function exert disproportionate influence. With multiple special-interest governments tapping the same tax base, the local tax base takes on the character of a common-pool resource, leading to familiar problems of overexploitation. Strong political parties can often mitigate the common-pool problem by informally coordinating the policies of multiple overlapping governments.
Principles of Thermodynamics

Introduction and Background Thermodynamics: The Zeroth and First Laws The Second Law of Thermodynamics The Third Law and Free Energies Statistical Mechanics Phase Transformations in Single-Component Systems Chemical Reactions Ideal Solutions Nonideal Solutions Ionized Systems Surfaces Steady-State Systems Appendix A Multivariable Calculus Appendix B Numerical Methods Appendix C Tables of Thermodynamic Data Appendix D Glossary of Symbols Index
Immunological Aspects of Cardiovascular Diseases

The immunological cardiovascular diseases are a very diverse group of clinical entities that generally are of either unknown aetiology or of unproven pathophysiology. Most of the conditions with a proven, or strongly suspected, aetiology are caused by infections, with the best examples being acute rheumatic fever and Lyme disease. However, even with these diseases, the primary pathophysiological mechanisms have not been irrefutably established. In addition to the importance of infectious agents in the immunological cardiovascular diseases, other factors have been identified that are associated with or modify these diseases. These factors include age, genetic background and coexisting inflammatory diseases. The proposed immunological mechanisms important in the immunological cardiovascular diseases include: (a) immune mimicry, in which antigens of an infectious agent crossreact with self antigens; (b) modification of self antigens by infections or other inflammatory processes; (c) introduction of self antigens to the immune system following a traumatic or inflammatory event; and (d) dysregulation of an autoimmune response. The immunological effector mechanisms include: (a) passive deposition of immunoglobulin or immune complexes in cardiovascular tissues with resulting inflammation; (b) autoantibodies that damage the cardiovascular system directly or indirectly; and (c) cell-mediated immune responses to antigens within the cardiovascular system. The clinical diagnosis of the immunological cardiovascular diseases is facilitated by clinical criteria and by selective laboratory tests in certain diseases. Laboratory tests, other than histology, do not usually provide definitive answers but serve to confirm suspected diagnoses. The vague, often systemic, symptoms associated with many of the disorders add to the clinical confusion of diagnosis. Despite the lack of clearcut aetiologies, the classification of these diseases does facilitate therapeutic decision making. This is particularly important since the prognosis of some of these conditions, such as acute rheumatic fever, Lyme disease, Wegener’s granulomatosis, systemic necrotising vasculitis and temporal arteritis, is significantly improved by treatment. Classification schemes for vasculitis remain primarily descriptive, but are useful for dividing the entities into categories with similar response to treatment. Significant progress and improvement in the treatment of the immunological cardiovascular disorders await better definition of the aetiologies and primary pathophysiological mechanisms involved.
Tissue Acid-Base Changes During Maturation

Publisher Summary It is becoming increasingly apparent that a complete knowledge of acid-base metabolism is possible only if intracellular, as well as extracellular, acid-base parameters are understood. Although many determinations of tissue intracellular hydrogen ion concentrations have been done in adult animals, no studies have been reported in which tissue cell pH was studied in immature animals. Therefore, tissue acid-base changes during maturation were studied by comparing acid-base patterns of 8-day-old, 25-day-old, and adult rats. It has been found that cell pH in rat skeletal muscle and cerebral cortex remains essentially constant during maturation although marked decreases in cellular bicarbonate occur during that period of growth. Data obtained by measuring the distribution of DMO indicate that both muscle and the brain in immature and adult rats might contain significant amounts of acid-labile CO 2, which is not derived from the tissue carbonic acid or bicarbonate ions.
A Multivariable Adaptive Nonlinear Predictive Controller

A new multivariable adaptive nonlinear predictive controller is designed using a general nonlinear input-output model and variable tansformations. The controller is similar in form to typical linear predictive controllers and can be tuned analogously or by specifying a single parameter for each controlled variable. In addition, the design procedure is computationally efficient The new controller is compared to a multi-loop PI control system with one-way static decoupling, and to a nonadaptive, nonlinear predictive controller through tests on a simulated nonlinear distillaton column.
Contribution of longitudinal follow up and clinical pathological correlation in the diagnosis CD30‐positive skin infiltrates

The diagnosis of a CD30+ cutaneous infiltrate is often difficult and requires clinicopathologic correlation. To further evaluate this challenge, initial clinical and histopathologic diagnoses were correlated with final clinicopathologic diagnosis in 44 cases with CD30 immunopositivity. Dermatopathologic evaluation confirmed the initial clinical diagnosis in 65% of the suspected benign cases, all cases of suspected lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP), and 72% of clinically malignant cases. In the 25 patients with clinical suspicion for lymphoma, the histopathologic diagnoses included lymphoma in 18, LyP in 2, CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorder (CD30 LPD) in 3 and hypersensitivity reaction in 2 patients. Clinicopathologic correlation led to a change in three cases diagnosed histopathologically as anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) reclassified as LyP type C, and one patient diagnosed as CD30 LPD clinically evolved as herpes virus infection. Furthermore, five cases reported as CD30 LPD received more specific diagnoses after clinicopathologic correlation (LyP type C in three, and ALCL in two patients). Clinicopathologic correlation is essential in establishing the correct diagnosis of CD30 LPD, in particular the distinction of ALCL from LyP type C. In this setting, the histopathologic diagnosis of CD30 LPD is advisable in the absence of clinical data.
Electron microscope studies of dermal-epidermal separation in human skin.

Electron microscope studies by several workers (1, 2, 3) have demonstrated an homogeneous, relatively dense membrane at the upper limit of the dermis, 200-400 A in width, separated from the epidermal cell membranes by a less dense zone approximately 300 A in width. Selby (2) has called this submicroscopic structure the dermal membrane to distinguish it from the controversial “basement membrane” described in light microscope studies (4, 5, 6), but her term has not yet come into general use.
Ethnic Identity and Democratic Institutions: A Dynamic Perspective

The most urgent problem in the design of democratic institutions today is the appropriate structure of such institutions in the midst of seemingly profound internal heterogeneity, conflict, and group differences. In different parts of the world, the relevant differences can be religious, racial, linguistic, tribal, cultural, regional, or perhaps of other forms (as a shorthand, "ethnic differences"). This problem is central, not only to newly forming democracies over the last generation but also to more established democracies, as various groups more assertively press claims for political recognition, representation, and influence. This article argues that we ought to understand this issue, better than we have thus far, as lying at the intersection of democratic theory and democratic institutional design on the one hand, and questions about the nature of individual rationality and rational choice concerning ethnic group "identities," on the other. Academic thought and practical institutional design has thus far taken too static an approach to this fundamental problem. Theorists and institutional designers have been overwhelmed with the problem as it appears at particularly critical political moments: the moment of state formation; or the moment at which societies emerge from conflict; or the moment at which group demands for inclusion, recognition, and power first become powerfully enough expressed to require an institutional response. These are the moments at which ethnic identities are likely to seem most fixed, most entrenched, most essential to conceptions of self, and most potentially divisive or explosive. Dominated by the urgency of these tensions at the moment of institutional formation, constitutional framers often respond by taking for granted the nature of these ethnic identities and conflicts as they exist at the moment a state's democratic institutions are forged. Democratic structures often attempt to accommodate these ethnic differences, then, through explicit devices, that range from guaranteed minority political representation, to minority vetoes, to consociational executive branches, to other similar structures. Bringing together empirical and theoretical work in ethnic-identity development, this article has three main themes that follow from better recognition of the fluidity and contingency of ethnic identities: (1) to provide an account of the extent to which the design of democratic institutions can both shape the ways ethnic identities are expressed and the extent to which these institutions, if not well designed, can entrench these identities; (2) to offer a partial taxonomy of the different devices and structures by which democratic institutions can mediate the tension between majoritarianism and minority interest; (3) to assess which of these devices enable protection of minority interests while retaining as much flexibility as possible for democratic systems to remain responsive to the ways ethnic identities can shift over time.
CH Bond Activation of Hydrocarbons Mediated by Rare-Earth Metals and Actinides: Beyond σ-Bond Metathesis and 1,2-Addition

© 2015 Elsevier Inc. This review discusses C. H bond activation of hydrocarbons mediated by rare-earth metal complexes with an emphasis on type of mechanisms. The review is organized as follows: in the first part, C. H bond activations mediated by rare-earth metals and actinides following traditional reaction pathways, such as σ-bond metathesis and 1,2-addition, are summarized; in the second part, nontraditional C. H bond activation examples are discussed in detail in order to understand the underlying mechanisms. The scope of the review is limited to rare-earth metals and actinides, but, in some cases, closely related reactivity of group 4 metals will be included for comparison. The purpose of the review is not only to provide a brief overview of C. H bond activation by f-elements but also to bring to attention unusual C. H bond cleavage reactivity following mechanisms different than σ-bond metathesis and 1,2-addition.
Transformations of Aromatic Compounds by Nitrosomonas europaea

Benzene and a variety of substituted benzenes inhibited ammonia oxidation by intact cells of Nitrosomonas europaea. In most cases, the inhibition was accompanied by transformation of the aromatic compound to a more oxidized product or products. All products detected were aromatic, and substituents were often oxidized but were not separated from the benzene ring. Most transformations were enhanced by (NH4)2SO4 (12.5 mM) and were prevented by C2H2, a mechanism-based inactivator of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO). AMO catalyzed alkyl substituent hydroxylations, styrene epoxidation, ethylbenzene desaturation to styrene, and aniline oxidation to nitrobenzene (and unidentified products). Alkyl substituents were preferred oxidation sites, but the ring was also oxidized to produce phenolic compounds from benzene, ethylbenzene, halobenzenes, phenol, and nitrobenzene. No carboxylic acids were identified. Ethylbenzene was oxidized via styrene to two products common also to oxidation of styrene; production of styrene is suggestive of an electron transfer mechanism for AMO. Iodobenzene and 1,2-dichlorobenzene were oxidized slowly to halophenols; 1,4-dichlorobenzene was not transformed. No 2-halophenols were detected as products. Several hydroxymethyl (-CH2OH)-substituted aromatics and p-cresol were oxidized by C2H2-treated cells to the corresponding aldehydes, benzaldehyde was reduced to benzyl alcohol, and o-cresol and 2,5-dimethylphenol were not depleted.
Outpatient Open Bankart Repair

We evaluated satisfaction in 25 consecutive patients who underwent open Bankart repair as an outpatient procedure. The average age of the patients was 22 years. There were 18 men and 7 women. Patients were evaluated postoperatively via a home assessment questionnaire that included the following: home environment, dominant versus nondominant extremity, effectiveness of oral pain medication, ability to perform activities of daily living, and overall satisfaction. Three of the 25 patients would have preferred an overnight hospital stay. There were no admissions to the hospital or postoperative complications. The total charges for outpatient Bankart repair as compared with an inpatient procedure at the same institution resulted in a total cost savings of 56%. We conclude that outpatient Bankart repair is safe and economical. The overall cost savings were significant and patient satisfaction was 88%.
NEWBORN RAT PUP ADRENAL CATECHOLAMINE (CA) DEPLETION BY COLD STRESS

Stressors, such as hypoxia and asphyxia induce CA secretion by the newborn's adrenal medulla. The effect of cold-stress upon adrenal CA content in the neonatal rat was assessed by exposing day old fed rat pups to either control temperature (25°C) or cold-stress (4°C) for 5 mins. The pups were dispatched and adrenal glands were immediately processed for measurement of norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EPI) and dopamine (DA) using high performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection. There was a significant depletion of both NE and EPI with a significant increase in DA(p<0.05). The cold-stress used produces neither hypoxia nor respiratory acidosis (Barlow & Santulli, Surgery 77: 687-690,1975). The decreased adrenal CA content is then a direct response of the animal to the cold-stress. In conclusion, cold-stress,like hypoxia and/or asphyxia, depletes adrenal EPI and NE in the day old fed pup. The elevated DA suggests a compensatory CA synthesis in response to cold-stress. Full characterization of the CA response needs to be established.
The perception and recognition of complex figures

Abstract Although simple, novel figures seen only once establish relatively enduring memories, certain nuances of more complex figures do not seem to establish adequate traces at all. Experiments demonstrated that those features of a figure which are immaterial to its over-all, global shape are typically not recognized even immediately afterward; whereas those same features exposed in isolation under the same conditions and for the same period of time are recognized. It was concluded that, by and large, these features are not perceived, at least in the sense of being cognitively apprehended. Therefore, they fail to establish memories.
Optimization design of biorthogonal filter banks for image compression

Abstract In this paper, we present a new approach for designing filter banks for image compression. This approach has two major components: optimization and generalization. In the optimization phase, we formulate the design problem as a nonlinear optimization problem whose objective consists of both the performance metrics of the image coder, such as the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and those of individual filters. Filter banks are optimized in the optimization phase based on a set of training images. In the generalization phase, the filter bank that can be generalized to other images is selected from the candidates obtained in the optimization phase to be the final result. The filter bank selected should perform well not only on the training examples used in the design process but also on test cases not seen. In contrast to existing methods that design filter banks independently from the other operations in an image compression algorithm, our approach allows us to find filter banks that work best in a specific image compression algorithm for a certain class of images. In system prototype development, we adopt the agent-based approach to achieve better modularity, portability, and scalability. Agents in the multi-agent system are specialized in performing problem formulation, image compression, optimization, and generalization. In the experiments, we show that on a set of benchmark images our approach has found filter banks that perform better than the existing filter banks in different image compression algorithms and at different compression ratios.
Strabismus Repair in the Pediatric Patient

Strabismus, one of the most common eye problems in children, is the inability to focus one or both eyes on an object. Strabismus results from poor extraocular muscle coordination. Patients with strabismus undergo surgery to reduce ocular deviation, restore normal vision, cosmetically straighten the eyes, and develop sensory fusion that will maintain motor alignment. Because strabismus is a muscular problem, patients with strabismus are at increased risk for malignant hyperthermia (MH). This risk is an important perioperative consideration. The perioperative nurse must be familiar with the MH protocol and be prepared to treat a child in this emergent situation.
GPS constraints on 34 slow slip events within the Cascadia subduction zone, 1997–2005

[1] Refinements to GPS analyses in which we factor geodetic time series to better estimate both reference frames and transient deformation resolve 34 slow slip events located throughout the Cascadia subduction zone from 1997 through 2005. Timing of transient onset is determined with wavelet transformation of geodetic time series. Thirty continuous stations are included in this study, ranging from northern California to southwestern British Columbia. Our improvements in analysis better resolve the largest creep events and also identify many smaller events. At 48.5°N latitude, a 14-month average recurrence interval has been observed over eight events since 1997. Farther north along Vancouver Island a host of smaller events with a distinct 14-month periodicity also occurs. In southern Washington State, some of the largest transient displacements are observed but lack any obvious periodicity in their recurrence. Along central Oregon, an 18-month recurrence is evident, while in northern California an 11-month periodicity continues through 2005. We invert GPS offsets of the 12 best recorded events for thrust slip along the plate interface using a cross-validation scheme to derive optimal smoothing parameters. These 12 events have equivalent moment magnitudes between 6.3 and 6.8 and have 2–3 cm of slip. Unlike other subduction zones, no long-duration events are observed, and cumulative surface deformation is consistently less than 0.6 cm. The many newly resolved smaller transient events in Cascadia show that slow slip events occur frequently with GPS best capturing only the largest events. It is likely that slow slip events occur more frequently at levels not detectable with GPS.
Effect of Surface Confinement on Chain Relaxation of Entangled cis-Polyisoprene

Normal-mode relaxation of entangled cis-polyisoprene (PI) confined in porous glass was studied using broadband dielectric spectroscopy. In our designed model systems, geometric confinement effects are much weaker than surface adsorption effects, allowing relaxation dynamics of polymer chains at the surface to be determined from the dielectric response. PI confined in glass pores exhibits two relaxation processes: one fast mode and one slow mode. The fast dynamics are almost independent of polymer molecular weight and appear to be controlled by dynamic adsorption/desorption of chain segments at the surface. The slow dynamics correspond to the global chain relaxation, which is broadened and shifted to lower frequencies compared with the bulk process. The characteristic relaxation time of the slow mode τs shows much stronger molecular weight M dependence (e.g., τs ∼ M5.7±0.15 at 30 °C) than the bulk relaxation time τb (τb ∼ M3.5). Another noteworthy finding is that the activation energy of the slow mode inc...
Serum Transaminase Activity in X-Irradiated Rabbits

SummaryRabbits were subjected to x-irradiation in dosages of 500, 750, and 1,000 r. Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase estimations were accomplished at 3, 6, and 24 hours post-irradiation. A significant increase in G-O-T activity could be identified at 6 hours in the rabbit group subjected to 500 r, and as early as 3 hours post-irradiation in the 750 r and 1,000 r animal groups. For the latter animals, the noted increase at 6 hours served to segregate 75% of the group on an individual basis. In rabbits subjected to 625 r of x-irradiation no relation was found between the serum G-O-T elevation and survival time.
Associations between Physical Activity and Submaximal Cardiorespiratory and Pulmonary Responses in Men

Background: Habitual physical activity (PA) is associated with higher cardiorespiratory fitness values, but additional information is needed on the contributions of specific types and amounts of PA. Therefore the main aim of this study was to analyze the heart and lung function of a large cohort of men and compare these outcomes with various modes and volumes of PA. Methods: We used data from 30,594 men from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study who were categorized into sedentary, swimmer, walker, and runner groups using self-report PA data collected during 1970-2005. Additional PA categories using MET-minutes/week were used to group men into 5 distinct levels of activity (0 MET-min, 1-499 MET-min, 500-999 MET-min, 1000-1499 MET-min, and ? 1500 MET-min). Each participant also completed a maximal treadmill exercise test to quantify their fitness level. Cross-sectional analyses included general linear modeling and multiple comparisons adjusted for age, smoking status, and histories of myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension. Results: A dose-response linear effect was found for heart function variables across PA MET-min categories. Stronger associations for resting heart rate (HR), heart rate recovery (HRR), exercise HR, and exercise blood pressure were found with the runner and swimming groups when compared to the walkers and sedentary groups. Walkers had significantly better heart function than the sedentary group but only about half the effect seen in the swimmers and runners. Lung function findings showed greater absolute values in FVC and FEV1 across PA categories, but found no difference in lung function ratios (e.g FEV1/FVC%). Conclusions: We found beneficial linear associations with resting HR, exercise HR, HRR, fitness values, FVC, and FEV1 over increasing MET-min categories. This implies that habitual PA, such as walking, but especially swimming and running, when performed with adequate volume, are viable ways to gain benefits for heart health.
Observation of a coherent quasiparticle band in the periodic heavy fermion system CeCu6

Abstract The question addressed here is whether there is structure in the narrow renormalized quasiparticle bands due to coherence in a periodic heavy fermion lattice. In CeCu6 the specific heat indicates that the Fermi temperature, TF, is about 3 K. We find that for a crystal of CeCu6, well below TF, the Hall constant shows changes in behavior at about 400 mK and again at 25 mK. This result is evidence that there is structure in the band on a scale smaller than TF due to the periodicity of the Kondo lattice system.
Class invariants and cyclotomic unit groups from special values of modular units

Dans cet article, nous obtenons des invariants de classe et des groupes d'unites cyclotomiques en considerant des specialisations d'unites modulaires. Nous construisons ces unites modulaires a partir de solutions d'equations fonctionnelles de q-recurrence donnees par Selberg dans son travail generalisant les identites de Rogers-Ramanujan. Commme corollaire, nous donnons une nouvelle preuve d'un resultat de Zagier et Gupta, originellement considere par Gauss, a propos des periodes de Gauss. Ces resultats proviennent pour partie de la these de l'auteur en 2006 [6] dans laquelle la structure de ces groupes d'unites modulaires et de leur groupe de classes de diviseurs cuspidaux associe est donnee en termes de produits de fonctions L et comparee a la formule classique du nombre de classes relatives pour les corps cyclotomiques [6, 7].
Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of the Solar Corona and Solar Wind Using a Boundary Treatment to Limit Solar Wind Mass Flux

Magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the solar corona and solar wind are sensitive to conditions in the sub-Alfv?nic plasma at the base of the solar corona because the structure of the simulated solar corona is determined by the pressure balance of the plasma and the magnetic field. Therefore, it is important to construct an adequate boundary treatment for the sub-Alfv?nic surface, and it is highly preferable to build the model from observation-based constraints and basic mathematical theories. We examine new boundary treatments based on the projected normal characteristic method for the MHD simulation of the trans-Alfv?nic solar wind and solar corona. Our new boundary treatment limits the mass flux escaping through the solar surface. This limit is set to match the solar wind mass flux Ulysses measured during its first fast-latitude scan of the heliosphere. In addition, combining the projected normal characteristic method and the mass flux limit, the model produces reasonable contrasts of the plasma temperature and density between the coronal hole and streamer. A two-dimensional version of the time-dependent MHD simulation with the new boundary treatment is tested using the axisymmetric dipole and quadrupole components of the solar magnetic field observed at solar minimum. The new boundary treatment can be characterized by the specific heat ratio on the surface, and we examined several cases. The solar wind computed with the new boundary treatment matches the Ulysses measurement at r > 1 AU quite well and simultaneously has good contrasts with coronal plasma parameters near the Sun.
Clinical Trials in AD

There are numerous potential therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in pre-clinical and clinical stages of development, so many that no one country or region of the world could test them all. Further, in the United States and, to some extent, in Western Europe, AD patients are not as motivated to participate in clinical trials as they were prior to the availability of approved treatments. Drug development for AD must be a global effort in order to effectively evaluate successful and non-successful approaches and to advance the treatment of AD patients everywhere. There are some recurrent challenges in AD trials that influence how these studies are performed. These include: 1) overlapping populations of AD patients from presymptomatic ; to Mild Cognitive Impairment ; to mild, moderate, severe and profound stages of disease. Selection of the population determines the choice of outcome measures (which must be optimized for the population) as well as study design. 2 ) The availability of approved AD therapies (and the lack of uniformity in this variable worldwide) influences these studies by affecting rate of recruitment, effect size estimates, and the need to evaluate potential drug interactions. 3) The need for large trials, which often necessitates inclusion of subjects with cultural and language differences that can contribute to variability in outcomes and reduce the ability to detect drug placebo differences. These challenges can be met through collaborative efforts, the use of new technologies, and application of care in cross-cultural implementation.