cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control Delay at Signalized Diamond Interchanges Considering Internal Queue Spillback

Control delay is the primary measure for determination of the level of service of signalized intersections. The existing analytical delay models usually work well for isolated intersections, but are not as effective when applied to diamond interchanges. The limited storage space between the two closely spaced intersections of a diamond interchange may cause queue spillback from the internal link to the outside roads. This property would give rise to unrealistic delay calculations for diamond interchanges with high traffic volumes. This paper describes the development of a new analytical delay model that takes into account the effects of internal queue spillback at diamond interchanges. Simulation studies are conducted to compare the effectiveness of the proposed approach with existing methods. The study shows that for low-overlap time conditions, the proposed model tends to agree with the Synchro and VisSim simulations and is better than Elefteriadou's method, which tends to overpredict delay. For high ov...
Analysis of DNA sequences.

Recent developments in the statistical analysis of DNA sequences are reviewed. The pace with which sequence data are being generated and analysed has increased with the growth of the human genome project. Two areas of activity are emphasized: attention to error rates in recorded sequences, and heterogeneity in structure of sequences. There is now empirical evidence suggesting error rates in the range 0.1% ∼ 1%, and such rates will affect evolutionary studies since these are about the rates at which DNA sequences from different individuals are expected to differ. Heterogeneity for such quantities as base composition, or lengths between successive subsequences of specified types, may be sufficient to account for observed long-range correlations between bases. The need for statistical models and analyses of DNA sequence data will continue, and will offer interesting challenges.
International Doctoral Science and Engineering Students: Impact on Cohorts’ Career Prospects

As more international doctoral students flow into science and engineering departments in American research universities, a marked shift on the demographic composition of doctoral student bodies has...
Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone

Although the hypothalmic control of anterior pituitary function through endogenous chemical substances was postulated more than a generation ago, not until 1955 did the search begin for the hypothalamic release-modulating substances.1 Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) (Fig. 1) was the first hypothalamic hypophysiotropic hormone to be chemically characterized in the laboratories of Drs. Andrew Schally and Roger Guillemin.2,3 Soon after this discovery, synthetic TRH became available, and TRH radioimmunoassays were developed.4–6 This prompted a great flurry of research activity in various aspects of TRH endocrinology, biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology. It has become obvious now that thyrotropin (TSH) release from the pituitary is only one of numerous actions of TRH, and this tripeptide has been associated with a large variety of other endocrine and nonendocrine central nervous system-related functions (see Section 4, Tables IV and V).
Dealing with Pain Using a “Fast-Track” (Multimodal) Protocol: The Experience from the United States

The multimodal approach to postoperative pain control has become an important component of the perioperative fast-track management of patients undergoing joint replacement surgery. Multimodal pain management aims to combine different adjunctive methods that act at different steps in the pain pathway in an attempt to achieve effective pain control with fewer adverse effects. Studies have suggested several benefits to using a multimodal regimen including decreased use of opioids and adverse effects. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the multimodal approach to pain management, discuss its different components and corresponding literature, and describe how the approach is implemented in our institution.
Biological Monitoring of the Human Placenta

The placenta supports the development and growth of the fetus in utero. Structural or functional placental abnormalities produced by metals may compromise fetal development and alter function of the individual after birth and even throughout life. It is therefore important to improve diagnostic methods available to define the location, anatomy and function of the placenta as well as the presence and distribution of metals in the placenta. These assessments include maternal blood flow in the intervillous space, fetal blood flow in the villi, overlap of maternal and fetal blood flow, placental uptake and transport of substrates to the fetal circulation, and placental metabolic state. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are additional noninvasive techniques which may prove even more useful in attaining some of these goals.
Impact of electoral volatility and party replacement on voter turnout levels

While elections are viewed as the lynchpin of modern democracies, few works have adequately assessed the role played by political parties in mobilizing voters. Much of the extant work has relied on the number of parties in a party system to estimate the impact on voter turnout; not surprisingly, the voluminous literature on voter turnout has arrived at a theoretical impasse regarding the relationship between party systems and voter turnout. We argue that in order to better understand the relationship between party systems and voter turnout, researchers should consider other relevant party system measures. In particular, several scholars have surmised that party system stability holds numerous implications for democracies, but there has yet to be an empirical analysis of this claim. In this study, we anticipate that lower volatility and replacement rates – both indicating more stable party systems – should have a positive impact on aggregate turnout. Even when including several control variables, the resul...
Ventral Medial Thalamic Nucleus Promotes Synchronization of Increased High Beta Oscillatory Activity in the Basal Ganglia-Thalamocortical Network of the Hemiparkinsonian Rat.

Loss of dopamine is associated with increased synchronization and oscillatory activity in the subthalamic nucleus and basal ganglia (BG) output nuclei in both Parkinson9s disease (PD) patients and animal models of PD. We have previously observed substantial increases in spectral power in the 25–40 Hz range in LFPs recorded in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) and motor cortex (MCx) in the hemiparkinsonian rat during treadmill walking. The current study explores the hypothesis that SNpr output entrains activity in the ventral medial thalamus (VM) in this frequency range after loss of dopamine, which in turn contributes to entrainment of the MCx and BG. Electrode bundles were implanted in MCx, SNpr, and VM of rats with unilateral dopamine cell lesions. Spiking and LFP activity were recorded during epochs of rest and walking on a circular treadmill. After dopamine cell lesion, 30–36 Hz LFP activity in the VM became more robust during treadmill walking and more coherent with LFP activity in the same range in MCx and SNpr. Infusion of the GABA A antagonist picrotoxin into the VM reduced both high beta power in MCx and SNpr and coherence between MCx and SNpr while temporarily restoring walking ability. Infusion of the GABA A agonist muscimol into the VM also reduced MCx–SNpr coherence and beta power but failed to improve walking. These results support the view that synchronized neuronal activity in the VM contributes to the emergence of high beta oscillations throughout the BG-thalamocortical network in the behaving parkinsonian rat. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Parkinson9s disease symptoms are associated with dramatic increases in synchronized beta range (15–35 Hz) oscillatory local field activity in several brain areas involved in motor control, but the mechanisms promoting this activity and its functional significance remain unresolved. This oscillatory activity can be recorded in awake behaving rats with unilateral dopamine cell lesions using chronically implanted electrodes. Although these rats have motor deficits, they can walk on a circular treadmill in the direction ipsilateral to their lesion. This study establishes a critical role for the ventral medial thalamus in the propagation of this exaggerated beta range oscillatory activity and the sequential entrainment of structures throughout the basal ganglia–thalamocortical loop in the lesioned hemisphere of hemiparkinsonian rats during treadmill walking.
Jesus, Sin, and Perfection in Early Christianity

The first full-length study to trace how early Christians came to perceive Jesus as a sinless human being. Jeffrey S. Siker presents a taxonomy of sin in early Judaism and examines moments in Jesus' life associated with sinfulness: his birth to the unwed Mary, his baptism by John the Baptist, his public ministry - transgressing boundaries of family, friends, and faith - and his cursed death by crucifixion. Although followers viewed his immediate death in tragic terms, with no expectation of his resurrection, they soon began to believe that God had raised him from the dead. Their resurrection faith produced a new understanding of Jesus' prophetic ministry, in which his death had been a perfect sacrificial death for sin, his ministry perfectly obedient, his baptism a demonstration of perfect righteousness, and his birth a perfect virgin birth. This study explores the implications of a retrospective faith that elevated Jesus to perfect divinity, redefining sin.
Laccolith-like emplacement model for the Papoose Flat pluton based on porphyroblast-matrix analysis

Detailed porphyroblast-matrix analysis within the concordant metasedimentary aureole rocks surrounding the Papoose Flat pluton of eastern California indicates that inclusion trails within porphyroblasts can be used as strain markers to restore the aureole rocks to their prepluton emplacement position. Using porphyroblast-matrix relationships in combination with measurement of stratigraphic sections and whole-rock geochemical analyses, we have determined the kinematics of rotation, the change in thickness and volume, and the amount of translation of the metasedimentary formations within the aureole. These data are consistent with initial emplacement of the magma as an inclined sill and subsequent inflation into a pluton or laccolith. The combination of structural and porphyroblast-matrix analysis leads to a three-dimensional kinematic history of the wall rocks wherein vertical upward translation represents a significant part of the pluton emplacement-related strain history.
Electronic commerce——a new taxation source in developing economy

With the establishment of e-commerce administrative organization,considerable progress has been made in China's e-commerce as well as the legislations concerned.E-commerce and digital life popularized,e-commerce is sure to become the information centre,a new form of economy trade and a new point for sources of economic growth in the future.At the same time it will be a new source of taxation in the building of tax systems.
Genetic Basis of High-yield and Technology of Improving Yield in Crops

The increase of crop yield is the main content of different crop genetic improvement at all times,which includes the external character design of high-yield varieties and the internal cha-racter improvement,such as synthesis,transportation,transform and accumulation of assimilative matter.The ideal type of crop is propitious to increase the photosynthesic production of colony.One potential approach to obtaining ideotype crop is using the interaction of different genotypes.With the development of molecular biology technology,many scientists have transformed high photosynthetic efficiency genes of C4 crop and high transformation efficiency genes into C3 crop,which is likely to increase the crop yield significantly.In addition,the screening of germplasm resources with high photosynthetic efficiency and tolerance to photoinhibition characters is also important to breeding high yield crops.For wheat,the improvement of spike differentiation is an important approach to actualize the high yield target.
Vibrational contributions to the phase stability of PbS-PbTe alloys

The thermoelectric figure of merit $(ZT)$ of semiconductors such as PbTe can be improved by forming nanostructures within the bulk of these materials. Alloying PbTe with PbS causes PbS-rich nanostructures to precipitate from the solid solution, scattering phonons and increasing $ZT$. Understanding the thermodynamics of this process is crucial to optimizing the efficiency gains of this technique. Previous calculations of the thermodynamics of PbS-PbTe alloys [(J. W. Doak and C. Wolverton, Phys. Rev. B 86, 144202 (2012)] found that mixing energetics alone were not sufficient to quantitatively explain the thermodynamic driving force for phase separation in these materials: first-principles calculations of the thermodynamics of phase separation overestimate the thermodynamic driving force for precipitation of PbS-rich nanostructures from PbS-PbTe alloys. In this work, we re-examine the thermodynamics of PbS-PbTe, including the effects of vibrational entropy in the free energy through frozen-phonon calculations of special quasirandom structures (SQS) to explain this discrepancy between first-principles and experimental phase stability. We find that vibrational entropy of mixing reduces the calculated maximum miscibility gap temperature ${T}_{G}$ of PbS-PbTe by 470 K, bringing the error between calculated and experimental ${T}_{G}$ down from 700 to 230 K. Our calculated vibrational spectra of PbS-PbTe SQS exhibit dynamic instabilities of S ions that corroborate reports of low-$T$ ferroelectriclike phase transitions in solid solutions of PbS and PbTe, which are not present in either of the constituent compounds. We use our calculated vibrational spectra to obtain phase transition temperatures, which are in qualitative agreement with experimental results for PbTe-rich alloys, as well as to predict the existence of a low-$T$ displacive phase transition in PbS-rich PbS-PbTe, which has not yet been experimentally investigated.
Oil Biodegradation and Oil-Degrading Microbial Populations in Marsh Sediments Impacted by Oil from the Deepwater Horizon Well Blowout.

To study hydrocarbon biodegradation in marsh sediments impacted by Macondo oil from the Deepwater Horizon well blowout, we collected sediment cores 18–36 months after the accident at the marshes in Bay Jimmy (Upper Barataria Bay), Louisiana, United States. The highest concentrations of oil were found in the top 2 cm of sediment nearest the waterline at the shorelines known to have been heavily oiled. Although petroleum hydrocarbons were detectable, Macondo oil could not be identified below 8 cm in 19 of the 20 surveyed sites. At the one site where oil was detected below 8 cm, concentrations were low. Residual Macondo oil was already highly weathered at the start of the study, and the concentrations of individual saturated hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons continued to decrease over the course of the study due to biodegradation. Desulfococcus oleovorans, Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus, Mycobacterium vanbaalenii, and related mycobacteria were the most abundant oil-degrading microorganism...
Prelude to a Biological Phenotype for Osteoarthritis: Commentary on an article by Nobuaki Chinzei, MD, PhD, et al.: "Inflammation and Degeneration in Cartilage Samples from Patients with Femoroacetabular Impingement".

The connection between femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and osteoarthritis (OA) continues to be a topic of debate for both clinicians and biomechanists1. The study by Chinzei et al. adds additional fuel to that conversation in the form of a head-to-head comparison of cartilage tissues taken from patients with FAI and OA. Real-time qRT-PCR (quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) results from the comparison indicated that cartilage samples from the FAI samples were more actively engaged in responding to inflammation and degeneration than were the OA tissues, and that the response was dependent on the degree of mechanical impingement. The reverse was found to be true for synovial and labral tissues. The interpretation of the authors’ results is limited by the lack of the inclusion of “normal” …
Deformation of erythroblasts in transient erythroblastopenia of childhood caused by HHV-6

![Figure][1] An 18-month-old girl was admitted for anemia and pallor. On admission, laboratory findings included a low hemoglobin (38 g/L), normocytic normochromic anemia pattern (mean corpuscular volume, 81.1 fL), low reticulocyte count (1.4 × 109/L), and elevated erythropoietin (6540 mIU/
EXAMINING STRUCTURAL AND RELATED SPECTRAL CHANGE IN MARS-RELEVANT PHYLLOSILICATES AFTER EXPERIMENTAL IMPACTS BETWEEN 10–40 GPA

Accurate clay mineral identification is key to understanding past aqueous activity on Mars, but martian phyllosilicates are old (>3.5 Ga) and have been heavily bombarded by meteoroid impacts. Meteoroid impacts can alter clay mineral structures and spectral signatures, making accurate remote sensing identifications challenging. This paper uses nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to examine the short-range structural deformation induced in clay mineral samples of known composition by artificial impacts and calcination. Structural changes are then related to changes in the visible-near infrared (VNIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectra of these clay mineral samples. The susceptibility of phyllosilicates to structural deformation after experimental impacts varies by structure. Experimental results showed that trioctahedral, Mg(II)-rich saponite was structurally resilient up to peak pressures of 39.8 GPa and its unchanged post-impact spectra reflected this. Experimental data on kaolinite showed that this Al(III)-rich, dioctahedral phyllosilicate was susceptible to structural alteration at peak pressures ⩾ 25.1 GPa. This result is similar to previously reported experimental results on the Fe(III)-rich dioctahedral smectite nontronite, suggesting that dioctahedral phyllosilicates may be more susceptible to shock-induced structural deformation than trioctahedral phyllosilicates. The octahedral vacancies present in dioctahedral phyllosilicates may drive this increased susceptibility to deformation relative to trioctahedral phyllosilicates with fully occupied octahedral sheets. Thermal alteration accompanies shock in meteoroid impacts, but shock differs from thermal alteration. NMR spectroscopy showed that structural deformation in thermally altered phyllosilicates differs from that found in shocked phyllosilicates. Similar to shock, dioctahedral phyllosilicates are also more susceptible to thermal alteration. This differential susceptibility to impact-alteration may help explain generic smectite identifications from heavily bombarded terrains on Mars.
Hip arthroscopy in staging avascular necrosis of the femoral head

The purposes of this study were to evaluate how accurately current imaging modalities predict the quality of the articular surface in avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head and to provide arthroscopic correlation to current staging modalities. An arthroscopic classification system, derived from the work of Marcus et al, was used to prospectively stage the articular surface in 23 hips with AVN using plain radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and arthroscopy. There was little correlation between all three diagnostic modalities. These findings were not statistically significant. Patients with stage IV disease had the widest variation in the appearance of the articular surface. This study shows poor correlation in the staging of AVN using current imaging techniques. Magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to be inadequate at assessing the articular cartilage. Therefore, either arthroscopy or direct visualization is required for accurate evaluation and staging, especially in stage IV disease.
Endocrine Manifestations of Critical Illness in the Child

The stress response in humans involves alterations in secretion and action of hormones, as well as primary and secondary disturbances in mineral homeostasis. A knowledge of common responses to critical illness and to our therapies will help the physician monitor for those treatable abnormalities that may occur.
Rituximab-Mediated Inhibition of the Transcription Repressor Yin-Yang 1 (YY1) in NHL B Cell Lines: Upregulation of Fas Expression and Sensitization to Fas-Induced Apoptosis.

We have reported that rituximab triggers and inhibits anti-apoptotic gene products in NHL B-cell lines resulting in sensitization to drug-induced apoptosis (Alas et al., Clin. Cancer Res. 8:836, 2001; Jazirehi et al., Mol. Cancer Therapy 2:1183, 2003; Vega et al., Oncogene 23:3530, 2004 ). This study investigated whether rituximab also modifies intracellular signaling pathways resulting in the sensitization of NHL cells to Fas-induced apoptosis. Treatment of the NHL cell lines (2F7, Ramos, and Raji) with rituximab (20 μg/ml) sensitized the cells to CH-11 (FasL agonist mAb) -induced apoptosis and synergy was achieved. Fas expression was up-regulated by rituximab as early as 6 h post treatment as determined by flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and Western. Rituximab inhibited both the expression and activity of the transcription repressor Yin-Yang 1 (YY1) that negatively regulates Fas transcription. Inhibition of YY1 resulted in upregulation of Fas expression and sensitization of the tumor cells to CH-11-induced apoptosis. Downregulation of YY1 expression was the result of rituximab-induced inhibition of both the p38MAPK signaling pathway and constitutive NF- κB activity. The dual roles of NF-κB and YY1 in the regulation of Fas expression were corroborated by the use of a dominant-active inhibitor of NF- κB (Ramos IκB-ER mutant) and YY1 siRNA, respectively. The role of rituximab-mediated inhibition of the p38MAPK/NF- κB/YY1 pathways, which result in both Fas upregulation and sensitization to CH11-induced apoptosis, was corroborated by the use of specific chemical inhibitors directed at various targets of these pathways. Rituximab-mediated sensitization to CH-11-induced apoptosis was executed through the Type II mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Altogether, these findings provide a novel mechanism of rituximab-mediated signaling by inhibiting the p38MAPK/NF- κB/YY1 pathways and resulting in the sensitization of B NHL to Fas-induced apoptosis. These findings may have significant clinical implications and suggest an additional mechanism of rituximab-mediated effect in vivo in addition to CDC and ADCC.
Iodine-Rich Imidazolium Iodate and Periodate Salts: En Route to Single-Based Biocidal Agents

Two classes of iodine-rich salts that consist of iodine-rich cations and iodate (IO3–) or periodate (IO4–) anions were synthesized. The synthesis of analogous I3O8– salts was more difficult because of poor solubility and hydrolytic instability. All iodine-rich salts were fully characterized by infrared, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as well as elemental analyses. The molecular structures of compounds 15 and 24 were elucidated by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Additionally, the heats of formation were calculated with Gaussian 03. The detonation properties and biocidal efficiency were calculated and evaluated using CHEETAH 7.
A real-life robotic application of the particle swarm optimization algorithm

This paper describes our effort to use the well-known particle swarm optimization algorithm to control a small swarm of robots in a search and rescue application. The algorithm was slightly modified from its original format to better fit real-life robotic applications. The paper discusses the modified algorithm and explains the challenges that are faced during a real-life implementation as opposed to the traditional, simulation-based, virtual implementation. The paper also describes the experimental setup and the robots used in the experiment. When implemented on the robotic swarm, the experimental results show that the modified algorithm was consistently able to find the global maximum point in no more than 80 seconds. The results also showed that changing the robots' increment size (between 9.75cm and 16.25cm) did not have a significant effect on the efficiency of the swarm or its convergence.
Toward Modular Soft Robotics: Proprioceptive Curvature Sensing and Sliding-Mode Control of Soft Bidirectional Bending Modules.

Abstract Real-world environments are complex, unstructured, and often fragile. Soft robotics offers a solution for robots to safely interact with the environment and human coworkers, but suffers from a host of challenges in sensing and control of continuously deformable bodies. To overcome these challenges, this article considers a modular soft robotic architecture that offers proprioceptive sensing of pressure-operated bending actuation modules. We present integrated custom magnetic curvature sensors embedded in the neutral axis of bidirectional bending actuators. We describe our recent advances in the design and fabrication of these modules to improve the reliability of proprioceptive curvature feedback over our prior work. In particular, we study the effect of dimensional parameters on improving the linearity of curvature measurements. In addition, we present a sliding-mode controller formulation that drives the binary solenoid valve states directly, giving the control system the ability to hold the ac...
Abstract 620: Angiotensin AT2 Receptor Exerts an Anti-inflammatory Response in Lipopolysaccharide-activated THP-1 Macrophages

Macrophages have been shown to be an important contributor to the pathogenesis of hypertension and stroke. The angiotensin AT2 receptor (AT2R), which is expressed in macrophages, is known to promote vasodialation, natriuresis and lower inflammation. The goal of the present study was to explore the anti-inflammatory role of AT2R stimulation in human macrophage-like THP-1 cells activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) differentiated macrophage-like THP-1 cells were treated with AT2R agonist C21 (1 μmol/L) for 30 minutes prior to activation with LPS (1 μg/ml). Media and cells were collected after 24 hours and were analyzed for levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and proteins. Pre-treatment with C21 resulted in a 4-fold increase (104.8±6.1 vs 406.7±52.3) in anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 (IL-10) production and a 5-fold decrease (3560±237 vs 588.8±15.94) in pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in the media in response to LPS. Predictably, LPS resulted in a 6-fold up-regulation of iNOS expression which was prevented with C21 pre-treatment. A modest decrease in the anti-inflammatory macrophage mannose receptor C type 2 (MRC2) expression was detected with LPS treatment. AT2R agonist pre-treatment, however, increased this receptor expression by ~70% after LPS activation. C21 alone also resulted in a 20% increase in MRC2 expression compared to untreated controls. The anti-inflammatory effect of AT2R activation was abolished in the presence of neutralizing IL-10 antibody (1 μg/ml), indicating a central role for IL-10 in mediating the beneficial response to C21 in LPS activated macrophages. Further, inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) by L-NAME prior to C21 pre-treatment also prevented the decrease in TNF-α and increase in IL-10 in response to AT2R agonist, which suggests that the anti-inflammatory response to C21 may be mediated via increase in NO production prior to LPS activation of macrophages. In conclusion, AT2R stimulation may potentially suppress the inflammatory response of macrophages to LPS by shifting the balance from pro- to anti-inflammatory cytokine production and may prove to be beneficial in the control of the inflammatory component of stroke and hypertension.
Nutritional Intake of Riboflavin

Feeding experiments employed in early nutritional investigations very quickly forced recognition of the fact that experimental diets containing purified protein and carbohydrate plus butterfat and a good salt mixture were lacking some “essential” necessary for animal growth. The investigators found that this nutritional essential could be met by the feeding of yeast. Furthermore, they discovered that this essential was the same substance that prevented or cured beri-beri. As a result of the discovery, the customary procedure in laboratory feeding experiments was to use yeast as a source of vitamin B and to attribute to the antineuritic substance (or thiamine) whatever “vitaminic” values yeast was found to have.(37) Some years later, however, it became apparent that yeast must contain some heat-resistant growth factor in addition to the heat-labile antineuritic substance, since heated yeast was still nutritionally significant in its action. The heat-stable growth factor, discovered first in yeast, was found to be present also in milk in quantities even greater than those for thiamine. Furthermore, egg whites that contain only a trace of thiamine proved a significant source of the heat-stable splinter of the B vitamin.
MITRAL VALVE REGURGITATION AFTER FONTAN PROCEDURE: WHEN AND WHERE TO REPAIR

Tricuspid atresia is managed with a series of palliations that culminate in a Fontan circulation whereby the systemic venous return is baffled to the pulmonary arteries without the benefit of right-sided pumping chamber. Mitral regurgitation (MR), by elevating left atrial pressure, threatens the
Modern variable selection for longitudinal semi-parametric models with missing data

Penalized methods for variable selection such as the Smoothly Clipped Absolute Deviation penalty have been increasingly applied to aid variable section in regression analysis. Much of the literatur...
Regulation of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation by Nanopatterning of Bulk Metallic Glass

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation is regulated by surface modification including texturing, which is applied to materials to enhance tissue integration. Here, we used Pt57.5Cu14.7Ni5.3P22.5 bulk metallic glass (Pt-BMG) with nanopatterned surfaces achieved by thermoplastic forming to influence differentiation of human MSCs. Pt-BMGs are a unique class of amorphous metals with high strength, elasticity, corrosion resistance, and an unusual plastic-like processability. It was found that flat and nanopattened Pt-BMGs induced osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation, respectively. In addition, osteogenic differentiation on flat BMG exceeded that observed on medical grade titanium and was associated with increased formation of focal adhesions and YAP nuclear localization. In contrast, cells on nanopatterned BMGs exhibited rounded morphology, formed less focal adhesions and had mostly cytoplasmic YAP. These changes were preserved on nanopatterns made of nanorods with increased stiffness due to shorter aspect ratios, suggesting that MSC differentiation was primarily influenced by topography. These observations indicate that both elemental composition and nanotopography can modulate biochemical cues and influence MSCs. Moreover, the processability and highly tunable nature of Pt-BMGs enables the creation of a wide range of surface topographies that can be reproducibly and systematically studied, leading to the development of implants capable of engineering MSC functions.
Lower intestinal bleeding in the elderly.

Lower intestinal bleeding in the elderly is a common problem with numerous and varied causes. Its diagnosis and treatment require a careful, systematic approach by physicians with special expertise. Under the proper circumstances, elderly patients with lower intestinal bleeding do well, even when surgery is required. An individual’s age, by itself, should not preclude aggressive medical care.
Chaotic Ionization of Highly-Excited Hydrogen Atoms by a Microwave Electric Field

This article, written in early 1986, elaborates on a talk delivered by the author at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop “Fundamental Aspects of Quantum Theory” that took place during 2–7 September 1985 at the Centro di Cultura Scientifica A. Volta, Villa Olmo, a magnificent site next to the lake in Como, Italy. The author is indebted to his experimental (K.A.H. van Leeuwen, G. v. Oppen, S. Renwick, and J. Bowlin) and theoretical (R. Jensen, D. Richards, J. Leopold, and O. Rath) colleagues. Many of the results presented here are a product of their hard work. He also appreciates the invitation from Professors Frigerio and Gorini to address the Workshop and the financial support of his research by the US National Science Foundation.
Effects of double decking and space allowance on the performance and behavior of feeder lambs.

A 2 X 2 factorial experiment was conducted using growing lambs to compare single-level vs double-decked pens and high (.32 m2/lamb) vs low (.48 m2/lamb) densities. Three replicates of each treatment combination were involved using 30 lambs/pen. In the double-decked pens, an upper deck located over the rear section of the lower level provided one-third of the total floor area. Feed and water were provided on the lower level only and lambs could move freely between levels by means of a slatted ramp. All floors were of expanded metal. Use of the various areas of the pens was determined during a 24-h observation and by a videotape recording of the double-decked pens during the daylight hours. Fleece contamination was determined by visual observation and standard wool testing procedures. Gain was determined over the 8-wk period of each replicate. The high density treatment resulted in 1.5 kg/lamb (10%) less gain (P less than .01) and, in the case of double-decked pens, different patterns of space utilization compared with the low density treatment. Lambs in the low density pens were able to move more successfully from resting areas to the feeding area in the afternoon (P less than .01). The double-decked system did not significantly affect weight gain, but resulted in dirtier fleeces (P less than .01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Performance Assessment of a Water Supply System under the Impact of Climate Change and Droughts: Case Study of the Washington Metropolitan Area

AbstractFresh water demand is rising due to factors such as population growth, economic development, and land use changes. At the same time, climate change is rendering the water supply even more u...
σ* Resonance Position and Bond Length

In this chapter we review the evidence for a correlation between the σ* resonance position and the molecular bond length. In particular, we investigate the question of whether and how the correlation found for simple free molecules can be extended to large molecules and to physisorbed and chemisorbed molecules.
Self-Limiting Progressive Intensity to Promote Initiation and Maintenance of Physical Activity

Older adults with multiple chronic conditions face many challenges in initiating and maintaining regular physical activity. In addition to rate of perceived exertion, the utilization of self-limiti...
Solar energy contribution to an electric vehicle needs on the basis of long-term measurements

Abstract The European Commission has set the rules towards a cleaner and more sustainable environment. Considering that the transportation sector is a great GHG emitter, not only have pollution limits been set, but also the directives for the necessary infrastructure have been introduced. Namely, renewable energy sources (RES)-based electromobility is strongly promoted by EU countries so as to encounter the polluting internal combustion engines on the one hand, and the fueling of electric vehicles (EVs) with electricity generated from fossil fuels on the other. In this context, the current study provides useful insight with regards to RES-based electromobility, using real measurements from the operation of the innovative, solar-based EV charging station of the Soft Energy Applications and Environmental Protection Laboratory of the University of West Attica. The particular installment can operate both autonomously and connected to the local grid and is used both for research and the actual charging of EVs, with similar installations believed to pave the way -together with other novel elements- for the creation of smart grids and future smart cities. The results of the specific study derive from the adoption of specific distance scenarios (km per annum) concerning average drivers and normal driving patterns. The available vehicle is discharged under real-world driving conditions and afterwards charged under the same charging speed in order to assess the contribution of solar energy (photovoltaics (PVs)). To this end, it is proved that a solar carport of 3kWp total capacity can support an EV covering more than 20000km within one year. The importance of the results lies in the fact that the energy consumption of a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) is estimated under real-world driving conditions, together with the respective PV or grid contribution necessary for charging the vehicle, while, in addition to that, sizing directions for a solar charging station used for the supply of a BEV’s annual energy needs are provided.
Pediatric melanoma: Characterizing 256 cases from the Colorado Central Cancer Registry

BACKGROUND Melanoma is a rare diagnosis in the pediatric population. Differences in incidence, presentation, and survival distinguish pediatric melanoma from adult melanoma. In order to improve our understanding of pediatric melanoma, our case series investigates differences in incidence, age of onset, and anatomic site between male and female pediatric melanoma patients in Colorado between 1988 and 2015. METHODS All data were gathered from the Colorado Central Cancer Registry. A request for de-identified data on pediatric melanoma patients between 1988 and 2015 was made by the University of Colorado Department of Dermatology. Chi-square tests were used to compare the differences reported in melanoma between sex, age-groups, and site of lesion. RESULTS A total of 256 cases of melanoma were reported in Colorado in patients < 20 years of age between 1988 and 2015. Overall incidence of pediatric melanoma in Colorado increased from 1988 to 1999 but declined from 2001 to 2011. There was a significant predominance of female cases in the 10-14 age-group (P = 0.0477) and 15-19 age-group (P = 0.0472). Both groups had increased incidence of melanoma with increasing age. The mean age of onset for both sexes was 16 years old. Boys were more likely to have melanoma of the scalp and neck (P = 0.0523) and less likely to have melanoma of the leg (P = 0.0049). CONCLUSION Among the pediatric population, girls 10-14 and 15-19 years old are at a significantly increased risk of melanoma compared to boys in these age-groups. Our study found sex-specific differences in anatomic site consistent with prior literature. Further investigations should aim to identify causes for these sex-specific differences in order to better guide public health initiatives.
Information Society, E-Records and the New Archival Science

The study shows how information society is reflected in e-records (volatility, dynamism, mixed private and public spheres), how it transformed the records themselves (no physical aspect, complicated structure, separated elements), and how it conquered the human memory. The basic dilemma of long term preservation is that erecords are dependent upon hardware and software which change rapidly, therefore we are unable to preserve them unchanged. The study talks shortly about integrity and authenticity of e-records which are basic requirements, and then outlines the major preservation strategies (migration, emulation, technology preservation, post-custodial archives, cloud computing) used by archives. In the digital world archival science adopted a lot from information science which caused that standards (ISADg, EAD, OAIS) are the new milestones of archival science. The greatest „yield” of this cooperation is that the data management and procedures are automatable. However, archivists must keep their classical synthetic work in digital world, too: to know and describe the record creator agency, its economic, political and societal environment, to build the system of fonds, etc.
Predictors of Cisatracurium Continuous Infusion Dose in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Neuromuscular blockade (NMB) with cisatracurium may improve outcomes in the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) population; however, optimal dosing strategy remains unknown. Factors affectin...
Preservice Education in Augmentative and Alternative Communication: An Update

Purpose This survey sought to gather information from graduate programs in speech-language pathology concerning their preservice education in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The r...
Hub-based subspace clustering

Abstract Data often exists in subspaces embedded within a high-dimensional space. Subspace clustering seeks to group data according to the dimensions relevant to each subspace. This requires the estimation of subspaces as well as the clustering of data. Subspace clustering becomes increasingly challenging in high dimensional spaces due to the curse of dimensionality which affects reliable estimations of distances and density. Recently, another aspect of high-dimensional spaces has been observed, known as the hubness phenomenon, whereby few data points appear frequently as nearest neighbors of the rest of the data. The distribution of neighbor occurrences becomes skewed with increasing intrinsic dimensionality of the data, and few points with high neighbor occurrences emerge as hubs. Hubs exhibit useful geometric properties and have been leveraged for clustering data in the full-dimensional space. In this paper, we study hubs in the context of subspace clustering. We present new characterizations of hubs in relation to subspaces, and design graph-based meta-features to identify a subset of hubs which are well fit to serve as seeds for the discovery of local latent subspaces and clusters. We propose and evaluate a hubness-driven algorithm to find subspace clusters, and show that our approach is superior to the baselines, and is competitive against state-of-the-art subspace clustering methods. We also identify the data characteristics that make hubs suitable for subspace clustering. Such characterization gives valuable guidelines to data mining practitioners.
A general incidence bound in Rd

Abstract We derive a general upper bound for the number of incidences with k -dimensional varieties in R d . The leading term of this new bound generalizes previous bounds for the special cases of k = 1 , k = d − 1 , and k = d ∕ 2 , to every 1 ≤ k d . We also derive lower bounds showing that this leading term is tight in various cases, up to sub-polynomial factors. To prove our incidence bounds, we introduce the dimension ratio of an incidence problem. This ratio provides an intuitive approach for deriving incidence bounds and isolating the main difficulties. It may also be a step towards a more unified incidence theory.
Non-invasive Fungal Sinusitis as a Complication of a Steroid-Eluting Stent Following Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Case Report.

Objective:Steroid eluting stents have proven to be a highly useful adjunctive therapy for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and play an important role in the treatment of many inflammatory diseases of t...
Pre-Operative Predictors for Discharge to Post-Acute Care Facilities After Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background Joint replacement surgery is in increasing demand and is the most common inpatient surgery for Medicare beneficiaries. The venue for post-operative rehabilitation, including early outpatient therapy after surgery, influences recovery and quality of life. As part of a comprehensive total joint program at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, we developed and validated a predictive model to anticipate and plan the disposition for rehabilitation of our patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods We analyzed data for TKA patients who completed a pre-operative Total Knee Risk Assessment in 2017 (the model development cohort) or during the first 6 months of 2018 (the model validation cohort). The Total Knee Risk Assessment, which is used to guide disposition for rehabilitation, included questions in mobility, social, and environment domains. Multivariable logistic regression was used to predict discharge to post-acute care facilities (PACFs) (ie, skilled nursing facilities or acute rehabilitation centers). Results Data for a total of 1481 and 631 patients who underwent TKA were analyzed in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. Ninety-three patients (6.3%) in the development cohort and 22 patients (3.5%) in the validation cohort were discharged to PACFs. Eight risk factors for discharge to PACFs were included in the final multivariable model. Patients with a diagnosis of neurological disorder and with a mobility/balance issue had the greatest chance of discharge to PACFs. Conclusion This validated predictive model for discharge disposition following TKA may be used as a tool in shared decision-making and discharge planning for patients undergoing TKA.
How Do Stock Markets Process Analysts' Recommendations? An Intra-Daily Analysis

This paper explores the impact of analyst investment recommendations on intra-daily stock returns and volatility when those recommendations are conditioned on the release of public news. Using a sample of 3,679 recommendations of computer and computer-related firms, we investigate differences in the timing and price reaction of two types of information: analysts' recommendations and public news announcements. We determine that overnight news announcements are significantly linked to the contemporaneous analysts' recommendations. When we condition recommendations on the presence of public news, we find that there is a significant intra-daily price reaction, both in terms of returns and volatility, to analysts' recommendations. Lastly, we show that recommendations have weakly Granger causal relations with news announcements. Overall, we establish that analysts' recommendations have an immediate impact on the market when they are released both with and without public news. Hence, anyone who examines the impact of public news announcements on market prices should also account for comments made by analysts as well.
Considerations on Interest Rate Exogeneity

The idea of an exogenous money supply—controlled entirely through centralbank interventions—was a fundamental tenet of monetarism and New Classical economics. Post Keynesians have developed an extensive literature arguing that the money supply is in fact endogenous—that market forces combine with central banks in establishing the money supply.But Post Keynesians disagree on a related question: to what extent are interest rates set exogenously by central banks? To address this issue, this paper presents evidence regarding the movement of market interest rates in U.S. financial markets relative to the Federal Reserve-controlled Federal Funds rate. Concluding that market interest rates are primarily set through market forces—i.e. are largely endogenous—the paper then discusses the primary source of interest rate endogeneity. This is the instability of deregulated financial markets, which leads market participants to make wide swings in their risk assessments over time. It follows that effective regulatory policies to stabilize markets and control interest rates directly will increase the degree of interest rate exogeneity. The paper concludes with proposals for establishing greater control over market interest rates.