cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrogen-Bonded Multilayers of Tannic Acid as Mediators of T-Cell Immunity

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune-mediated disease resulting in the destruction of insulin-secreting pancreatic β-cells. Transplantation of insulin-producing islets is a viable treatment to restore euglycemia in Type 1 diabetics; however, the clinical application remains limited due to the use of toxic immunosuppressive therapies to prevent immune-mediated rejection. A nanothin polymer material with dual antioxidant and immunosuppressive properties capable of modulating both innate and adaptive immune responses crucial for transplantation outcome is presented. Through the use of hollow microparticles (capsules) composed of hydrogen-bonded multilayers of natural polyphenol (tannic acid) with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (TA/PVPON) and with poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (TA/PVCL), proinflammatory reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are efficiently dissipated and the production of interferon (IFN)-γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α proinflammatory cytokines is attenuated by cognate antigen-stimulated autoreactive CD4+ T cells. These results provide evidence that TA-containing capsules are efficacious in immunomodulation and may provide physical transplant protection and prevent diabetogenic autoreactive T-cell responses. Future studies will determine if xeno- and allotransplantation with (TA/PVPON)- or (TA/PVCL)-coated pancreatic islets will decrease the risk of graft rejection due to attenuation of oxidative stress and IFN-γ, and restore euglycemia in Type 1 diabetics.
Compensation of Faraday Rotation in Multi-Polarization Scatterometry

The effects of Faraday rotation on spaceborne polarimetric scatterometers are discussed. A method of exploiting an estimate of the Faraday rotation angle to retrieve co-cross polarization is outlined.
E-books in the classroom: A survey of students and faculty at a school of pharmacy

Abstract Objectives To identify the availability and interest in the adoption of e-textbooks by a school of pharmacy's students and faculty. Methods An initial identification of all required and suggested textbooks used within a school of pharmacy's required courses was completed. Two anonymous questionnaires ( Appendix A ) were then administered through an online survey instrument to both students and faculty via a link in an e-mail asking for voluntary participation. Results Responses were received from 41% of faculty and 42% of students. Seventy percent of required textbooks and 33% of suggested textbooks were available for purchase in an e-book format. Responses to the survey questions revealed that printed textbooks were preferred over electronic textbooks by students (78.7%) and faculty (84%). Factors that affected their decision to use printed or electronic textbooks were also identified. Conclusions Electronic books have the potential to offer many benefits to readers. However, it appears that students and faculty at this school of pharmacy are not interested in adopting electronic textbooks at this time. As the availability of electronic textbooks increases and people become more aware of their capabilities, future surveys may reveal a change in students' and faculty's attitudes toward this medium.
Resilient Individuals Improve Evolutionary Search

Results from the artificial life community show that under some conditions evolving populations converge on broader, but less fit peaks in the fitness landscape and avoid more fit, but narrower peaks. Results from the evolutionary computation community show that over time genotypes evolve to become more resilient, where resiliency (or genetic robustness) is defined as the ability of an individual to resist the potentially negative effects of genetic operations. This article demonstrates a previously unobserved evolutionary dynamic: in populations initially favoring a low, broad fitness peak, increases in resiliency result in the population shifting to a higher, narrower fitness peak. In these cases increasing resiliency is a necessary precondition for finding narrower peaks. If increasing resiliency is restricted, for example by restricting growth, populations fail to shift to the narrower peak and remain stuck on the broader, less fit peaks. Thus, restricting growth or other resiliency-enhancing strategies may significantly inhibit evolutionary search by making it impossible for an evolutionary algorithm to find solutions represented by better, but narrower, peaks.
Measurement and Distribution of Zinc, Cadmium, and Mercury in Human Kidney Tissue

Simultaneous analyses of human kidney cortex tissues for zinc, cadmium, and mercury were made by neutron activation combined with either radiochemical separation prior to counting or direct germanium detector gamma spectrometry. For some samples from adults and infants, analyses were made on successive tissue slices from the outer cortex to the inner medulla. Zinc and cadmium show a concentration gradient, with the highest concentrations at the outer medulla. Mercury was preferentially concentrated deeper in the cortex. All three metals, and especially cadmium, are found in higher concentrations in adult than in infant kidneys. A mechanism for the rapid increase in renal cadmium is proposed. The heterogeneous renal distribution of the elements indicates that careful sampling is necessary in any comparative study of their occurrence in human kidney tissue.
NMDA receptor activation in differentiating cerebellar cell cultures regulates the expression of a new POU gene, Cns-1

POU/homeobox genes encode transcription regulatory proteins that are important in defining cellular phenotypes. Expression of these genes may be critical for to the regulation of CNS cellular differentiation. We have identified a cDNA corresponding to a new member of the POU/homeobox gene family. Expression of RNA encoded by this new gene occurs predominantly in the CNS. Thus, this new gene was designated Cns- 1. Cns-1 transcripts are expressed in differentiating cells cultured from the early postnatal cerebellum. Treatment of these cultured cells with NMDA results in an increase in the level of Cns-1 RNA. This increase is blocked by simultaneous treatment with the specific NMDA receptor antagonist amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid. Continued activation of the NMDA receptor allows maintenance of this new steady state level of Cns-1 mRNA for at least 5 d in these cultured cells. A transcription runoff assay suggests that this increase in the level of RNA is due, at least in part, to an increase in transcription from the Cns-1 gene. The NMDA-induced increase in Cns-1 mRNA was reduced by pretreatment with calcium chelators EGTA or 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′- tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) tetrakis(acetoxymethyl). These studies suggest that specific activation of the NMDA receptor in cultures of differentiating cerebellar cells increases Cns-1 gene expression and that calcium entry through the NMDA channel may be required for this response. This change in Cns-1 expression may modify phenotypic characteristics of these cultured cells.
Differences in the scaling of area and mass of Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae) leaves and their relevance to the study of specific leaf area

 Premise of the study: The manner in which the area of the leaf lamina ( A ) scales with respect to the dry mass of the lamina ( M ) is an important functional trait that is correlated with whole-plant growth rates and habitat preferences across diverse species. However, the extent to which the scaling between these two variables differs among leaves collected from different types of shoots within the canopy of a tree is poorly understood. Should they exist, signifi cant differences in the A vs. M scaling relationship within canopies would raise a number of important questions, in particular what constitutes an adequate sampling procedure to determine the whole-canopy A vs. M relationship.  Methods: To address this issue, we used a large data set representing 13 biologically distinct categories of leaves sampled from mega- and microsporangiate trees of the dioecious gymnosperm Ginkgo biloba .  Key results: Analyses of the data for these 13 categories of leaves identify seven statistically signifi cantly different modes of A vs. M scaling that result in signifi cant differences in how specifi c leaf area (SLA) changes as M varies within the canopies of Ginkgo .  Conclusions : These results indicate that the protocols used to sample leaves for the analysis of foliar functional traits such as specifi c leaf area need to acknowledge and cope with the effects of leaf and shoot polymorphisms on the quantifi cation of functional traits (and on the construction and testing of hypotheses about these traits).
A Framework for Composition and Inter-operation of Rules in the Semantic Web

Recent developments in the RuleML initiative have led to the design of several languages for representing rules. In this paper we describe a framework, based on the integration of different flavors of logic programming, aimed at facilitate reasoning with multiple sources of knowledge expressed in an heterogeneity of RuleML languages. The framework allows the derivation of logic programming modules from each rule base, and their interoperation through a well-defined module interface. In this paper we describe the basic syntax and semantics of the framework, and its preliminary implementation.
Training Future Scientists: Predicting First-year Minority Student Participation in Health Science Research.

Using longitudinal data from the UCLA Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) and Your First College Year (YFCY) surveys, this study examines predictors of the likelihood that science-oriented students would participate in a health science undergraduate research program during the first year of college. The key predictors of participation in health science research programs are students’ reliance on peer networks and whether campuses provide structured opportunities for first-year students even though only 12% of freshmen in the sample engaged in this activity. These experiences are particularly important for Black students. The findings inform efforts to orient students at an early stage, particularly under-represented minorities, toward biomedical and behavioral science research careers.
Medicalization of Women's Sexual Problems: A Different Story?

An interesting aspect of David Rowland's (2007) article on the possible negative impact of a trend towards medicalization of sexual problems is its almost exclusive focus on male sexuality/sexual p...
Solvent quality-induced nucleation and growth of parallelepiped nanorods in dilute poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) solution and the impact on the crystalline morphology of solution-cast thin film

Understanding the chain conformation of conjugated polymers in casting solutions and its impact on the crystalline morphology of solution-cast thin films is crucial for many electronic applications. Using small-angle neutron scattering, we show that well-dissolved poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) chains in good solvent (chloroform) form long rectangular parallelepipeds (RPs) via nucleation and growth processes upon increasing the volume fraction of poor solvent (hexane) above a certain critical point. The growth of the RPs is due to the π–π stacking of the P3HT main backbone occurring along the long axis of the RPs. P3HT solutions prepared with different poor solvent volume fractions were drop-cast onto Si-wafers to prepare thin films, which were examined using 2D grazing-incidence X-ray scattering and 1D X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the RPs grown in solution preferentially orient on the substrate with their two longer axes parallel to the surface after solvent evaporation, and give rise to much improved crystallinity and crystal orientation compared to the disordered chains.
Aliasing of Sea Level Sampled by a Single Exact-Repeat Altimetric Satellite or a Coordinated Constellation of Satellites: Analytic Aliasing Formulas

Abstract The aliasing problem for exact-repeat altimetric satellite sampling is solved analytically by the least squares method. To make the problem tractable, the latitudinal extent of the problem needs to be moderate for the satellite ground tracks to appear as two sets of parallel straight lines, and the along-track sampling is assumed to be dense enough to resolve any along-track features of interest. The aliasing formulas thus derived confirm the previously discovered resolving power, which is characterized by the Nyquist frequency ωc = π/T (where T is the repeat period of the satellite) and by (in local Cartesian coordinates) the zonal and meridional Nyquist wavenumbers kc = 2π/X and lc = 2π/Y, respectively (where X and Y are the east–west and north–south separations between adjacent parallel ground tracks). There are three major differences with the textbook aliasing. First, instead of the one-to-one correspondence, an outside spectral component is usually aliased into more than one inside spectral...
Assisting Novice Teachers With Promoting Democratic Education in the Social Studies Classroom

The purpose of this essay is to provide new social studies teachers with an array of effective and plausible strategies for infusing a democratic education into their classrooms. The presented lessons are grounded in the theories and ideals taught at the university level, but they have been constructed in a practical and realistic manner as such that the often-overwhelmed teacher who is removed from their academic backgrounds can achieve the oft-referenced aims of the field of education. In this sense, the article seeks to bridge the gap between the theories and practices of social studies education and, in doing so, better prepare novice teachers to succeed in their practice. As such, the essay and its contents seek to inform the practices of novice teachers and assist them in feeling both prepared and effective as educators of the social studies.
Electrostatic Actuation Based Modulation of Interaction Between Protein and DNA Aptamer

The need to design nanoscale, sensitive and flexible biotic-abiotic interface keeps increasing. The essential issue is how to facilitate biological signal transmission and modulation through controllable external stimuli. This requires a thorough understanding of the binding and dissociation process between bio-molecules under the stimuli. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the binding and dissociation behavior between the anti-coagulation protein thrombin and single-stranded DNA aptamer with application of electrical fields. Micro-contact printing was utilized to prepare compositionally patterned gold specimen with adjacent regions covered with alkanethiol and DNA aptamer molecules, then thrombin molecules were injected into the system to form the binding pair with aptamer. Different electrical field potentials were applied to the nanoscale structure by a three-electrode electrochemical cell. Due to the negatively charged nature of aptamer DNA strands, positive electrical field can trigger a large bending-down conformational transition of the aptamer, thus can break the bonds between binding pair. Through Atomic Force Microscopy, height of the pattern was measured and the difference of height under different potentials can show the binding state of the pair. We can propose a method to actuate and modulate the dissociation behavior between thrombin and aptamer through the external electrostatic stimuli.
Maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin concentrations and fetal sex prediction.

The feasibility of using maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) concentrations for prenatal sex prediction was examined. hCG was measured in 822 serum samples from 560 women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Significantly higher hCG concentrations were found in the serum of women bearing female fetuses than in the serum of women bearing male fetuses during the third trimester, especially during the 10th lunar month. The data were utilized to construct probability graphs for fetal sex prediction based upon a single maternal serum hCG determination during the third trimester and during the 10th lunar month. However, the utility of these graphs is limited by the small proportion of pregnant women with serum hCG concentrations that were high or low enough to allow a prediction with high probability.
Host Gene Expression Is Regulated by Two Types of Noncoding RNAs Transcribed from the Epstein-Barr Virus BamHI A Rightward Transcript Region

ABSTRACT In Epstein-Barr virus-infected epithelial cancers, the alternatively spliced BamHI A rightward transcripts (BARTs) are the most abundant viral polyadenylated RNA. The BART introns form the template for the production of 44 microRNAs (miRNAs), and the spliced and polyadenylated exons form nuclear non-protein-coding RNAs. Analysis of host cell transcription by RNA-seq during latency in AGS cells identified a large number of reproducibly changed genes. Genes that were downregulated were enriched for BART miRNA targets. Bioinformatics analysis predicted activation of the myc pathway and downregulation of XBP1 as likely mediators of the host transcriptional changes. Effects on XBP1 activity were not detected in these cells; however, myc activation was confirmed through use of a myc-responsive luciferase reporter. To identify potential regulatory properties of the spliced, polyadenylated BART RNAs, a full-length cDNA clone of one of the BART isoforms was obtained and expressed in the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative AGS cells. The BART cDNA transcript remained primarily nuclear yet induced considerable and consistent changes in cellular transcription, as profiled by RNA-seq. These transcriptional changes significantly overlapped the transcriptional changes induced during latent EBV infection of these same cells, where the BARTs are exclusively nuclear and do not encode proteins. These data suggest that the nuclear BART RNAs are functional long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). The abundant expression of multiple forms of noncoding RNAs that contribute to growth regulation without expression of immunogenic proteins would be an important mechanism for viral oncogenesis in the presence of a functional immune system. IMPORTANCE Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is nearly ubiquitous in the human population; however, it does contribute to the formation of multiple types of cancer. In immunocompromised patients, EBV causes multiple types of lymphomas by expressing viral oncogenes that promote growth and survival of infected B lymphocytes. EBV-positive gastric carcinoma does not require immune suppression, and the viral oncoproteins that are frequent targets for an immunological response are not expressed. This study demonstrates using transcriptional analysis that the expression of various classes of viral non-protein-coding RNAs likely contribute to the considerable changes in the host transcriptional profile in the AGS gastric cancer cell line. This is the first report to show that the highly expressed polyadenylated BamHI A rightward transcripts (BART) viral transcript in gastric carcinoma is in fact a functional viral long noncoding RNA. These studies provide new insight into how EBV can promote transformation in the absence of viral protein expression.
The Bactericidal Action of Prostatic Fluid in Dogs

In the course of an investigation upon the germicidal action of urinary antiseptics1 when excreted by way of the prostate in dogs it was observed that normal prostatic fluid apparently exerted a germicidal action in the absence of the antiseptics. In view of this observation it seemed desirable to investigate this action and to determine, if possible, whether it was similar to that found in other body fluids and excretions.
Computational exploration of alternative catalysts for olefin purification: cobalt and copper analogues inspired by nickel bis(dithiolene) electrocatalysis.

Olefin purification is an important process in petrochemistry. The behavior of the nickel bis(dithiolene) complex Ni(S2C2(CF3)2)2 (1_Ni) as an electrocatalyst for this process was thoroughly explored experimentally and computationally. Here, computational investigations with the ωB97X-D functional were conducted to explore alternative candidates [M(S2C2(CF3)2)2]n (M = Co with n = 0, −1, −2, −3 and Cu with n = +1, 0, −1, −2) for olefin purification by using ethylene as a model. The reaction mechanism for these alternative catalysts was calculated to determine if any of these alternatives could block the decomposition route that exists for the Ni catalyst, bind ethylene efficiently to form the adducts, and release ethylene upon reduction. Calculations predict that the neutral cobalt complex 1_Co binds and releases olefin upon reduction with low activation barriers. Furthermore, 1_Co, unlike 1_Ni, catalyzes the desired reaction without the need of the anion as a cocatalyst. The Co atom directly coordinates w...
Elm Spanworm: Models of Eclosion as Related to Temperature and Relative Humidity in the Laboratory

Effects of temperature and relative humidity on hatch of Ennomos subsignarius (Hubner) were investigated. Laboratory cultures of spanworm eggs were pretreated to simulate natural conditions and were tested at several temperature-relative humidity combinations to obtain the limits and optimum for eclosion. The best estimated model for “days to hatch,” given that hatch occurs, for the data is Y1 = e0.71/(T-5)1.37. This model indicates no hatch would occur below 5°C, and that at 19°C, for example, hatch could be expected after 22 days on the average. Results of the statistical comparisons of 3 models for percentage hatch as a function of temperature and relative humidity were inconclusive. All models indicated optimum hatch conditions of 19–20°C and 95–100% relative humidity, (RH), but their indicated optimum hatch varied from 53 to 81%. Two models indicated threshold temperatures and relative humidities of 9.1 °C and 28.3°C at 34% RH and 6.5°C and 32.8°C at 10% RH. The model rejecting the concept of thresholds indicated that, on an average, only 5 out of 1000 eggs would hatch at 2.4°C and 35.6°C at 95% RH or at 19°C and 0% RH.
Latest Pleistocene and Holocene slip rate for the San Bernardino strand of the San Andreas fault, Plunge Creek, Southern California: Implications for strain partitioning within the southern San Andreas fault system for the last ∼35 k.y.

An alluvial succession on the northeast side of the San Bernardino strand of the San Andreas fault includes distinctive aggradational and degradational features that can be matched with correlative features on the southwest side of the fault. Key among these are (1) a terrace riser on the northeast side of the fault that correlates with an offset channel wall on the southwest side of the fault and forms a basis for slip estimates for the period ca. 35 ka to the present, and (2) a small alluvial fan on the southwest side of the fault that has been matched with its most likely source gullies on the northeast side of the fault and forms a basis for slip estimates for the last 10.5 k.y. Slip-rate estimates for these two separate intervals are nearly identical. The rate for the older feature is most likely between 8.3 and 14.5 mm/yr, with a 95% confidence interval of 7.0–15.7 mm/yr. The rate for the younger feature is most likely between 6.8 and 16.3 mm/yr, with a 95% confidence interval of 6.3–18.5 mm/yr. These rates are only half the previously published slip rate for the San Andreas fault 35 km to the northwest in Cajon Pass, a rate that traditionally is extrapolated southeastward along the San Bernardino section of the fault. Results from Plunge Creek suggest that about half of the 25 mm/yr rate at Cajon Pass transfers southeastward to the San Jacinto fault, as proposed by other workers on the basis of regional geologic relations. These results indicate that the discrepancy between latest Quaternary slip rates and present-day rates of strain accumulation across the San Bernardino section of the San Andreas fault from geodesy can be largely explained by slip transfer between faults, leading to spatial variation in rate along the San Andreas fault. Nonetheless, the latest Pleistocene and Holocene slip rate at Plunge Creek is still somewhat faster than rates inferred for the San Bernardino section of the San Andreas fault based on elastic block modeling of geodetic data and may be more appropriate than those rates for hazard estimation.
Analysis of the immunization coverage rate survery from 2001 to 2010 in Qingcheng district

Objective To understand the immunization program status of Qingcheng district in Qingyuan City,and provide scientific basis for improving immunization coverage rate.Method Every year 7 children were interviewed from one random sampling unit and there were 30 random sampling units in Qingcheng district,and total of 2 100 children were interviewed from 2001 to 2010.Results The immunization coverage rates of BCG,OPV,DPT and MV were increased from 2002,which was over 96%.The immunization coverage rates of BCG,OPV,DPT,MV and JE were increased from 92% in 2007 to 94% in 2008,the immunization coverage rates of BCG,OPV,DPT,MV and JE reached 94% in 2009 and 2010.Conclusion Immunization status in Qingcheng was good from 2001 to 2010 and some weakness must be strengthened.
Effect of Exogenous Lead on Genotypic Difference of Lead Content in Grains of Different Rice Varieties

With seven rice cultivars as materials which were popularized and applied in a large area in Fujian,the differences of absorption and accumulation of heavy metal lead(Pb)in grains of different rice genotypes were studied by different application of exogenous PbCl2.The results showed that the content of Pb in grains showed significant differences between the rice cultivars at different Pb concentration treat-ment.Furthermore,the sensitivity of grains of different rice varieties to heavy metal Pb in soils was different.Then,the rice varieties which were suitable for cultivation in polluted areas could be identified.
Discussion on the interactions of oral administation drugs in gastrointestinal tract

Via classification declaration, this article introduces the possible interactions of oral administration drugs in gastrointestinal tract. It reviews some former familiar interactions as absorption,complexation,precipitation, etc, and affection of drug absorption by altering the enterocinesia or pH of gastrointestinal tract. At the same time, it also presents the new interactions which draws attention in recent years. Hope to provides some clues for rational use of drug.
Experimental comparison of albumin-sealed and gelatin-sealed knitted Dacron conduits. Porosity control, handling, sealant resorption, and healing

Two high-porosity knitted Dacron vascular grafts sealed with aldehyde cross-linked gelatin or albumin were compared with respect to the following characteristics. Porosity control by the absorbable sealant was assessed with a water porosity meter at 120 mm Hg pressure. Ease of suturing was determined by an objective needle penetration test. Sealant resorption was assessed histologically in a subcutaneous immature rat model as well as in circulatory implants. Gross and microscopic healing characteristics were compared in circulatory implants in the thoracic aorta of sheep with use of a composite conduit in every animal, which allowed direct comparison of the two graft materials and minimized differences in healing between individual animals. Both grafts demonstrated excellent porosity control and better handling characteristics than woven Dacron. Sealant resorption was generally rapid, although residual albumin sealant was often seen adjacent to anastomoses. Residual sealant appeared to result in focally poor healing with focal loss of adhesion of surrounding tissue to graft. We conclude that details of sealant preparation and application can importantly influence the performance of presealed knitted Dacron grafts and should be carefully evaluated in the laboratory before clinical implantation is begun.
The perception and memory of object properties: The role of attention, intention, and information detection.

The current study sought to investigate the relationship between attention, perception and memory in the perception and recall of attended and unattended properties of objects. Two experiments tested whether the intention to perceive maximum overhead reaching height with the use of handheld rods with different mass and rotational inertia yielded information for participants to remember the rods’ heaviness after they were removed from view. Participants remembered the difference in heaviness of rods but only when haptic information was solely available during the earlier perception of overhead reaching height and vision was occluded. The results support an ecological approach to perception, attention and memory, and suggest that information detected for perception can be later used to remember other object properties that have a correlated informational basis.
Shape Representation in Inferotemporal Cortex

As the last unimodal sensory area within the ventral visual processing pathway, the inferior temporal (IT) cortex comprises a set of interconnected areas that encode visual information relevant for object recognition. It has been proposed that individual neurons within IT are primarily responsible for representing the shape of objects. Here, we examine neurophysiological evidence pertaining to IT neurons’ selectivity and invariance to shape information. Throughout, we discuss the tuning curves of individual IT neurons, consider the computational difficulties facing IT neurons with regard to encoding and identifying a virtually unbounded set of objects, and take into account how IT neurons change their response profiles to adapt to changing environmental demands. We conclude that although IT is certainly pivotal in shape representation, it is but one area invloved in this complex process.
Role of technology in achieving clinical and cost impact in acute and critical care.

Advances in technology in the critical care environment play a vital role in potentially reducing morbidity and mortality; however, technological advances can often be controversial. For example, without adequate training in these new technologies, clinicians are not adept at utilizing these advances. This often leads to unrealized potential and wasted funds. This article introduces current use of technology in the intensive care unit (ICU) and reviews the current problems associated with such advances including possible ways to improve the learning process within the ICU.
Distinctive Interactions of Cesium and Hexaniobate in Water

This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co., and can be found at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%292365-6549
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement: perioperative stroke and beyond

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The definition of stroke has changed over time, from a clinical only-based diagnosis to a more complex classification, including both clinical and imaging-based criteria, in part due to widespread use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The increasing number of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedures in patients with severe aortic valvular stenosis who are considered high-risk surgical candidates has influenced our view on the diagnosis, interpretation, and significance of perioperative stroke during these procedures.Areas covered: In this perspective, we summarize changes in the definition and diagnostic criteria for stroke and transient ischemic attacks. We examine how the introduction of MRI and standardized cognitive tests has affected our understanding of the safety of TAVR procedures. Finally, we review the growing evidence regarding the role of cerebral protection technology during TAVR procedures on cognitive function.Expert commentary: Standardized MRI-base...
How data center size impacts the effectiveness of dynamic power management

Power consumption accounts for a significant portion of a data center's operating expenses. Sadly, much of this power is wasted by servers that are left on even when there is no work to do. Dynamic power management aims to reduce power wastage in data centers by turning servers off when they are not needed. However, turning a server back on requires a setup time, which can adversely affect system performance. Thus, it is not obvious whether dynamic power management should be employed in a data center. In this paper, we analyze the effectiveness of dynamic power management in data centers under an M/M/k model via Matrix-analytic methods. We find that the effectiveness of even the simplest dynamic power management policy increases with the data center size, surpassing static power management when the number of servers exceeds 50, under realistic setup costs and server utilizations. Furthermore, we find that a small enhancement to traditional dynamic power management, involving delaying the time until a server turns off, can yield benefits over static power management even for data center sizes as small as 4 servers.
Nonenzymatic glycation interferes with fibronectin-integrin interactions in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Objective We aimed to investigate whether advanced non-enzymatic glycation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, fibronectin, impacts its normal integrin-mediated interaction with arteriolar vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Methods Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed on cultured VSMC from rat cremaster arterioles to study native and glycated fibronectin (FN and gFN) interactions with cellular integrins. AFM probes were functionalized with FN or gFN or with native or glycated albumin (gAlb) as controls. Results VSMC showed increased adhesion probability to gFN (72.9 ± 3.5%) compared to native FN (63.0 ± 1.6%). VSMCs similarly showed increased probability of adhesion (63.8 ± 1.7%) to gAlb compared to native Alb (40.1 ± 4.7%). Adhesion of native FN to VSMC was α5 and β1 integrin-dependent whereas adhesion of gFN to VSMC was integrin-independent. The RAGE-selective inhibitor, FPS-ZM1, blocked gFN (and gAlb) adhesion suggesting that adhesion of glycated proteins was RAGE-dependent. Interaction of FN with VSMC was not altered by soluble gFN while soluble native FN did not inhibit adhesion of gFN to VSMC. In contrast, gAlb inhibited adhesion of gFN to VSMC in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusions Glycation of FN shifts the nature of cellular adhesion from integrin- to RAGE-dependent mechanisms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
ANOTHER NONSTANDARD QUANTUM LOGIC (AND HOW I FOUND IT)

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an orthomodular lattice with a full set of states that does not admit a strongly order determining set of states. Such a lattice is quantumlogic not embeddable into the standard quantum logic. The chapter explains that a construction works does not necessarily give any idea as to how that particular construction came to be discovered. It presents a construction called X58 and highlights that circumambulation was important because it provided—together with all the dead ends and minor insights that fit together to yield a major insight—a structure with just the right amount of nonsymmetry. Many of the steps taken in this chapter had little to do with the cold mathematics of the problem. The chapter also presents the technical proofs that X58 has a full but not a strong set of states.
Role of Defects as Exciton Quenching Sites in Carbon Nanotube Photovoltaics

Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) have attracted significant attention as a photoactive component in thin film photovoltaic solar cells and photodetectors due to their strong optical absorptivity and high charge transport mobility. However, the external quantum efficiency (QE) of s-SWCNT/acceptor heterojunction solar cells has been limited by poor exciton harvesting efficiency. Exciton trapping and quenching at defects are a suspected source of loss. Here, we study the influence of defects on bilayer s-SWCNT/C60 planar heterojunction photovoltaic devices via both experiment and modeling. First, diazonium chemistry is used to introduce covalent sp3 sidewall defects to s-SWCNTs at various densities that are estimated using Raman and transient absorption spectroscopy. s-SWCNT/C60 heterojunction photovoltaic cells are then fabricated that show a significant decrease in peak external QE (e.g., from 40% to 8%) with increasing defect density. Second, a diffusion-limited contact quenching M...
Beam damage uncertainty quantification using guided Lamb wave responses

In this article, a Bayesian inference approach is applied to conduct uncertainty quantification on notch damage in a beam structure using guided Lamb wave responses. The proposed methodology not only determines the notch damage characteristics but also quantifies associated uncertainties of these inferred values. The correlation between crack location and extent is investigated as well, because such information is essential for decision-making in the structural health monitoring applications. First, a spectral finite element model is used to characterize Lamb wave propagation responses in a beam under lead-zirconate-titanate actuation and sensing. Very few elements are required to accurately capture the wave propagation. The lead-zirconate-titanate sensor can pick up the reflected wave responses from both boundaries and damages. Total 18 simulation cases were generated by varying notch damage extent, damage location, and noise level. Second, the Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques are employed to estimate...
Infrainguinal open reconstruction: a review of surgical considerations and expected outcomes

Infrainguinal arterial occlusive disease can lead to potentially disabling and limb-threatening conditions. Revascularization may be indicated for claudication, rest pain, or tissue loss. Although endovascular interventions are becoming more prevalent, open surgeries such as endarterectomy and bypass are still needed and performed regularly. Open reconstruction has been associated with postoperative morbidity, both at the local and at the systemic levels. Local complications include surgical site infections (SSIs 0-5.3%), graft failure (12-60%), and amputation (5.7-27%), and more systemic issues include cardiac (2.6-18.4%), respiratory (2.5%), renal (4%), neurovascular (1.5%), and thromboembolic (0.2-1%) complications. While such outcomes present an additional challenge to the postoperative management of surgical patients, it may be possible to minimize their occurrence through careful risk stratification and preoperative assessment. Therefore, individualized selection of candidates for open repair requires weighing the need for intervention against the likelihood of adverse outcomes based on preoperative risk factors. This review provides an overview of open reconstruction, focusing on identifying the clinical indications for surgery and perioperative morbidity and mortality.
A stable marching-on-in-time algorithm capable of handling multiple excitations — Application to wire junction problems

In this work, a stable marching-on-in-time method is presented to obtain scattering response from arbitrary wire structures illuminated by a Gaussian plane wave directly in the time domain. Contrary to all the available time domain algorithms till now, the present procedure is also capable of handling multiple excitations in a trivial manner. The new procedure is based on the conventional method of moments and utilizes standard pulse functions for expansion of space and time variables. The testing procedure is accomplished by collocation procedure. The numerical results obtained using the new procedure are validated by comparing with data obtained from frequency domain solution and performing inverse discrete Fourier transform.
Relaxations and approximations of chance constraints under finite distributions

Optimization problems with constraints involving stochastic parameters that are required to be satisfied with a prespecified probability threshold arise in numerous applications. Such chance constrained optimization problems involve the dual challenges of stochasticity and nonconvexity. In the setting of a finite distribution of the stochastic parameters, an optimization problem with linear chance constraints can be formulated as a mixed integer linear program (MILP). The natural MILP formulation has a weak relaxation bound and is quite difficult to solve. In this paper, we review some recent results on improving the relaxation bounds and constructing approximate solutions for MILP formulations of chance constraints. We also discuss a recently introduced bicriteria approximation algorithm for covering type chance constrained problems. This algorithm uses a relaxation to construct a solution whose (constraint violation) risk level may be larger than the pre-specified threshold, but is within a constant factor of it, and whose objective value is also within a constant factor of the true optimal value. Finally, we present some new results that improve on the bicriteria approximation factors in the finite scenario setting and shed light on the effect of strong relaxations on the approximation ratios.
Montesquieu’s Paradoxical Spirit of Moderation: On the Making of Asian Despotism in De l’esprit des lois1:

In recent years, scholars have paid considerable attention to moderation in Montesquieu’s De l’esprit des lois. Still, little scholarship has considered how Montesquieu develops moderation as a con...
Using Learner Modeling to Determine Effective Conditions of Learning for Optimal Transfer

Semantic network theories of knowledge organization support the idea that recall of organized information depends on how well a learner encodes the connections between the items in the semantic network. However, there is need for more research into what this implies for configuring instruction so that strong semantic network learning is supported with the goal of creating an integrated mental model in the student’s mind. We investigate this question in the context of map learning, where country names are encoded relative to geographic border, internal features, or external features. The main hypothesis was that external features as cues would encourage transfer, since students would practice a network of relationships. The results primarily supported a theory of “cue reinstatement”, where transfer occurred when cues present at learning were present at testing. These effects were analyzed with a mixed effects logistic regression learner model of trial-by-trial learning.
Medical Significance of Laboratory Results

Tests performed in clinical laboratories are among the main diagnostic aids available to physicians. The great demand for these tests and the enormous number performed have led to wide public interest in the manner in which they are carried out. In turn, this interest has led to Federal specifications through legislation for clinical laboratories in two areas. One is the Medicare Act, to assure that Medicare beneficiaries receive proper services by setting standards for acceptable laboratories which may be paid under the act. The other is the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act of 1967, to regulate the laboratories dealing in interstate commerce. Regulations under both acts set basic standards of operation and require participation in a proficiency testing program to help assure accurate laboratory results. Fundamental to consideration of proper accurate test results is the question: how accurate must clinical laboratory work be? There is no simple over-all answer to this question, and any answer that we find will be temporary, depending on the progress of medical knowledge and technology. The Standards Committee* of the College of American Pathologists, which has been the major proficiency surveying body in the United States for a number of years,t has been deeply involved in this question since
Influence of Quantum Confinement on the Electronic and Magnetic Properties of (Ga,Mn)As Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor

We investigate the effect of quantum confinement on the electronic structure of diluted magnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs using a combination of tight-binding and density functional methods. We observe half metallic behavior in the clusters as well as a strong majority-spin Mn d-As p hybridization down to sizes as small as 20 A in diameter. Below this size, the doped holes are significantly self-trapped by the Mn sites, signaling both valence and electronic transitions. Our results imply that magnetically doped III-V nanoparticles will provide a medium for manipulating the electronic structure of dilute magnetic semiconductors while conserving the magnetic properties and even enhancing them in certain size regimes.
The Continuing Mystery

As we conclude this series of books devoted to proving the assertions in Ramanujan’s Lost Notebook, we feel that it is important to point out that we are FAR from understanding how Ramanujan thought. As we will document below, there are many clues suggesting that we did not approach many of his identities in the ways that Ramanujan did.
Atomistically informed multiscale modeling of radially grown nanocomposite using a continuum damage mechanics approach

Abstract An atomistically-informed multiscale modeling framework to investigate damage evolution and failure in radially-grown carbon nanotube (CNT) architecture is detailed in this paper. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate the effects of nano-reinforcements on the elastic-plastic characteristics of the constituent interphase in the radially-grown nanocomposite. An interphase damage model is developed using the continuum damage mechanics approach with damage evolution equations derived using atomistic simulations. The developed damage model is integrated with a high-fidelity micromechanical analysis and captures the underlying physical behavior that could be attributed to the enhancement of the out-of-plane properties at higher length scales. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposite obtained from micromechanical simulations are compared to experimental values reported in the literature, to validate the developed modeling framework. Conclusions are presented by comparing the material response of radially-grown CNT architectures with the traditional fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) with dispersed CNT architecture.
Toward a clearer picture of health.

Rima Arnaout is an assistant professor of cardiology and a member of the University of California San Francisco Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute. She has received a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Intercampus Research Award, as well as funding support from the US National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association’s Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine.
Deception and the Social Good in Mass Communication

The mass communication fields of public relations, journalism, advertising, and health communication, with a shared grounding and yet distinct goals and functions, offer a rich contextual locus for explicating deception as a theoretical and professional construct. In public relations, advertising, and health communication, communicators by virtue of their particular job functions and goals assume the stance of professional advocates for organizations, groups, and individuals by using selective truth to persuade their audiences and publics. In journalism, truth is central to the field’s professional self-conception but is shaped by distinct philosophical antecedents of public service and the public good that demand the use of deception in newsgathering.