cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radiation dose reduction during neurointerventional procedures by modification of default settings on biplane angiography equipment

Background Neurointerventional procedures represent a significant source of ionizing radiation. We sought to assess the effect during neurointerventional procedures of varying default rates of radiation dose in fluoroscopy (F) and image acquisition (IA) modes, and frame rates during cine acquisition (CINE) on total X-ray dose, acquisition exposures, fluoroscopy time, and complications. Methods We retrospectively reviewed procedures performed with two radiation dose and CINE settings: a factory setting dose cohort (30 patients, F 45 nGy/pulse, IA 3.6 μGy/pulse, factory CINE frame rate) and a reduced dose cohort (30 patients, F 32 nGy/pulse, IA 1.2 μGy/pulse, with a decreased CINE frame rate). Total radiation dose, dose area product, number of acquisition exposures, fluoroscopy time, and complications were compared between the groups. Means comparisons (t tests) were employed to evaluate differences in the outcome variables between the two groups. p Value Results The reduced dose cohort had a significant reduction in mean radiation dose (factory, 3650 mGy; reduced, 1650 mGy; p=0.005) and dose area product (factory, 34 700 μGy×m 2 ; reduced, 15 000 μGy×m 2 ; p=0.02). There were no significant differences between cohorts in acquisition exposure (p=0.73), fluoroscopy time (p=0.45), or complications. Conclusions Significant reductions in radiation dose delivered by neurointerventional procedures can be achieved through simple modifications of default radiation dose in F and IA and frame rate during CINE without an increase in procedural complexity (fluoroscopy time) or rate of complications.
Performance Analysis of the Reactor Pattern in Network Services

The growing reliance on services provided by software applications places a high premium on the reliable and efficient operation of these applications. A number of these applications follow the event-driven software architecture style since this style fosters evolvability by separating event handling from event demultiplexing and dispatching functionality. The event demultiplexing capability, which appears repeatedly across a class of event-driven applications, can be codified into a reusable pattern, such as the Reactor pattern. In order to enable performance analysis of event-driven applications at design time, a model is needed that represents the event demultiplexing and handling functionality that lies at the heart of these applications. In this paper, we present a model of the Reactor pattern based on the well-established Stochastic Reward Net (SRN) modeling paradigm. We discuss how the model can be used to obtain several performance measures such as the throughput, loss probability and upper and lower bounds on the response time. We illustrate how the model can be used to obtain the performance metrics of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service provided by a Virtual Router (VR). We validate the estimates of the performance measures obtained from the SRN model using simulation.
Levels of support from children in Taiwan: expectations versus reality 1965-99.

The rapid ageing of populations underway in much of the world has spawned extensive research on the actual and potential consequences of this important demographic transformation. In East and Southeast Asia many countries have experienced both rapid demographic change and high rates of industrialization urbanization and related social changes raising concerns about the effects of these developments on key societal institutions related to the family. One line of thought often reflected in popular press accounts of the neglected elderly holds that these changes have weakened the respect and support for the older population embedded in traditional systems of intergenerational arrangements endangering the wellbeing of the elderly. A different school of thought drawing on available data holds that longstanding family and cultural arrangements will persist and largely protect the elderly from untoward consequences of various sociodemographic changes. (excerpt)
Flight software development for the ION-F formation flying mission

An overview of the flight software development for the Ionospheric Observation Nanosatellite Formation (ION-F) is presented. ION-F, a constellation of three 15 kg satellites to be launched from the Space Shuttle in mid-2002, is designed as an experiment in formation flying technologies. The satellites will utilize micro-pulsed plasma thrusters and an integrated GPS/cross-link system to allow fast and accurate update of relative satellite positions. This paper describes the ION-F formation flying mission, flight software development to date, and simulation results. A nonlinear simulation environment (hardware in the loop) has been developed that includes the full nonlinear orbital dynamics in FreeFlyer/sup TM/, and nonlinear attitude dynamics in MATLAB/sup TM/. The simulation allows extensive flight software development to take place by integrating modules developed in C/C++ within the MATLAB environment.
Trend analysis of the Pathfinder AVHRR Land (PAL) NDVI data for the deserts of central Asia

We analyzed spatially averaged normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series from the Pathfinder Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Land (PAL) dataset of 11 desert and semidesert ecoregions in central Asia using standard statistical tests for discontinuities and trends. Results from the test for discontinuities reveal that seven ecoregions display significant differences in the data acquired by the AVHRRs on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite 11 (NOAA-11) versus the data acquired by AVHRR on other NOAA satellites (NOAA-7, NOAA-9, and NOAA-14). Across the more than 2/spl times/10/sup 6/ km/sup 2/ of deserts and semideserts in the selected central Asian ecoregions, a significant upward trend in NDVI is evident during the tenure of NOAA-11 (1989-1994). This trend is not found during any other period. We argue that the data from the PAL NDVI dataset for NOAA-11 will pose problems for land surface change analyses, if these significant sensor-related artifacts are ignored. We do not find these artifacts in data from the other three satellites (NOAA-7, NOAA-9, and NOAA-14). We suggest that the comparison of data from any combination of these three AVHRRs can be used for land surface change analyses, but that the inclusion of NOAA-11 AVHRR NDVI data in trend analyses may result in the detection of spurious trends.
Hyperbranched Polyfluorinated benzyl ether polymers: Mechanism, kinetics, and optimization

Highly fluorinated, hyperbranched polymers were synthesized from the polycondensation of AB2 monomers, 3,5- bis((pentafluorobenzyl)oxy)benzyl alcohol and 3,5-bis((penta- fluorobenzyl)-oxy)phenol with potassium carbonate base, and 18-crown-6 phase transfer agent in a variety of polar aprotic solvents. The regioselectivity of the polymerization was opti- mized and was found to be temperature dependent. The new polymerization technique produced higher molecular weight polymer using safer conditions than earlier methods. The resulting optimization was used to control substitution of oxygen-bearing nucleophiles along nonactivated fluoroaryl sys- tems in high yield. Water was found to induce side reactions that generate a highly conjugated fluoroaryl phenol with low- ered reactivity. The removal of a methylene spacer in the poly- mer backbone of the hyperbranched polymer produced a polymer with greater thermal stability. The reaction conditions for polymerization were found to be general for nucleophile- bearing perfluorinated systems. V C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 985-994
Optical, thermo-optic, electro-optic, and photoelastic properties of bismuth germanate (Bi 4 Ge 3 O 12 )

To assess the suitability of bismuth germanate as an electro-optic material for high precision applications, we have confirmed and extended previous data on its refractive index, electro-optic tensor element r(41), and thermal expansion coefficient. In addition, we have measured the thermo-optic coefficient dn/dT, the temperature dependence of the electro-optic coefficient, and the stress-optic tensor elements. From the stress-optic tensor elements and previously published data, we have computed the strain-optic tensor elements. The index of refraction is given, to a good approximation, by the single-term Sellmeier equation, n(2) - 1 = S(0)λ(0)(2)/[1 - (λ(0)/λ)(2)], with S(0) = 95.608 µm(-2) and λ(0) = 0.1807 µm. The thermo-optic coefficient is 3.9 × 10(-5)/°C at 632.8 nm and 3.5 × 10(-5)/°C at 1152.3 nm. The electro-optic tensor element varies between approximately 1.05 and 1.11 pm/V over the spectral range of 550-1000 nm; its normalized effective change with temperature is approximately 1.54 × 10(-4)/°C. The thermal expansion coefficient is 6.3 × 10(-6)/°C over the range 15-125 °C. Values of the stress-optic tensor elements are q(11) - q(12) = -2.995 × 10(-13) m(2)/N and q(44) = -0.1365 × 10(-12) m(2)/N. The strain-optic tensor elements are p(11) - p(12) = -0.0266 and p(44) = -0.0595.
Race and the linkage between serum prostate-specific antigen and prostate cancer: a study of American veterans.

Many aspects of prostate cancer differ between black men and white men, including incidence, stage, grade, sensitivities and specificities of serum prostatespecific antigen (PSA) levels, and survival. In general, the level of serum PSA reflects the mass of the prostate and the amount of tumor present, but the question to consider is whether this relationship is the same for blacks as for whites. If it is the same, then the ways we use serum PSA to screen, stage, and follow up white men with cancer should work equally for black men. If it is not, then we need alternative strategies for using serum PSA levels in blacks. I used regression analysis to study how the serum PSA level depends on prostate mass and the amount of tumor in 194 American veterans, including 87 black men. I found that black men produced higher levels of serum PSA for any given amount of tumor compared with whites, and I demonstrated that this difference can significantly affect the assessment of risk for outcomes in blacks. During the past 10 to 20 years, many have observed that
Consensus Training for Consensus Decoding in Machine Translation

We propose a novel objective function for discriminatively tuning log-linear machine translation models. Our objective explicitly optimizes the BLEU score of expected n-gram counts, the same quantities that arise in forest-based consensus and minimum Bayes risk decoding methods. Our continuous objective can be optimized using simple gradient ascent. However, computing critical quantities in the gradient necessitates a novel dynamic program, which we also present here. Assuming BLEU as an evaluation measure, our objective function has two principle advantages over standard max BLEU tuning. First, it specifically optimizes model weights for downstream consensus decoding procedures. An unexpected second benefit is that it reduces overfitting, which can improve test set BLEU scores when using standard Viterbi decoding.
Characterizing the generation & coupling mechanisms of electromagnetic interference noise from an electric vehicle traction drive up to microwave frequencies

This paper proposes empirical strategies to characterize traditionally difficult electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) problems of power electronic motor drives, up to hundreds of MHz with high accuracy and providing better understanding to the root causes. Very simple concepts and block diagrams are used in this paper. Straightforward equations are then developed to predict or confirm important system-level features. By treating the noise sources and distribution paths separately, complicated EMC problems are conceptually divided into smaller and easier sub-issues, yielding more insightful perception and pave the road to better mitigation results. To confirm the proposed methodology, solid test results are shown in the paper, and followed by thorough discussions. Finally, a concise summary is appended to conclude this paper.
5C-6 Muscle Tissue Characterization Using Quantitative Sonoelastography: Preliminary Results

A quantitative sonoelastographic technique for skeletal muscle tissue characterization is introduced. Experimental data was collected in both ex vivo bovine and in vivo human skeletal muscle tissue. Crawling wave sonoelastographic data was processed using a quantitative technique for estimating local shear wave speed distributions. Results on ex vivo skeletal muscle samples demonstrate shear wave anisotropy and existence of fast and slow shear waves corresponding to propagation parallel and perpendicular to muscle fibers. Comparison of relative frequency-dependent changes between shear wave speed estimates for both shear wave propagation parallel and perpendicular to muscle fibers suggests increased viscoelastic effects for the former. Preliminary sonoelastographic data from two healthy human subjects was acquired in the relaxed rectus femoris muscles. Results demonstrate that quantitative elasticity data can be reproducibly acquired in vivo. Overall, preliminary results are encouraging and quantitative sonoelastography may prove clinically feasible for the in vivo characterization of skeletal muscle in health and disease.
Exact Generation of Epsilon-Efficient Solutions in Multiple Objective Programming

It is a common characteristic of many multiple objective programming problems that the efficient solution set can only be identified in approximation: as this set often contains an infinite number of points, only a discrete representation can be computed, and due to numerical difficulties, each of these points itself might, in general, be only approximate to some efficient point. From among the various approximation concepts, this paper considers the notion of epsilon-efficient solutions and proposes several new methods for their generation. Supporting theoretical results are established and a numerical example is provided.
Gamma oscillations and stimulus selection

More coherent excitatory stimuli are known to have a competitive advantage over less coherent ones. We show here that this advantage is amplified greatly when the target includes inhibitory interneurons acting via GABAA-receptor-mediated synapses and the coherent input oscillates at gamma frequency. We hypothesize that therein lies, at least in part, the functional significance of the experimentally observed link between attentional biasing of stimulus competition and gamma frequency rhythmicity.
Role of Papillary Muscle in the Generation and Maintenance of Reentry During Ventricular Tachycardia and Fibrillation in Isolated Swine Right Ventricle

Background—The role of papillary muscle (PM) in the generation and maintenance of reentry is unclear. Methods and Results—Computerized mapping (477 bipolar electrodes, 1.6-mm resolution) was performed in fibrillating right ventricles (RVs) of swine in vitro. During ventricular fibrillation (VF), reentrant wave fronts often transiently anchored to the PM. Tissue mass reduction was then performed in 10 RVs until VF converted to ventricular tachycardia (VT). In an additional 6 RVs, procainamide infusion converted VF to VT. Maps showed that 77% (34 of 44) of all VT episodes were associated with a single reentrant wave front anchored to the PM. Purkinje fiber potentials preceded the local myocardial activation, and these potentials were recorded mostly around the PM. When PM was trimmed to the level of endocardium (n=4), sustained VT was no longer inducible. Transmembrane potential recordings (n=5) at the PM revealed full action potential during pacing, without evidence of ischemia. Computer simulation studies...
Partial MHC Constructs Treat Thromboembolic Ischemic Stroke Characterized by Early Immune Expansion

Inflammation and thrombosis are tightly linked, with inflammation contributing to thromboembolism and to stroke outcome. Thromboembolism is a frequent cause of ischemic stroke; yet, the most used occlusion mouse models of experimental stroke do not effectively replicate thromboembolism. Our group recently described a novel thromboembolic mouse model of stroke that successfully occludes the middle cerebral artery with high reproducibility. In the current study, we characterize the peripheral and local immune outcomes as well as the ischemic response to immune therapy in a clinically relevant mouse model of thromboembolic stroke. Brain and spleen tissues were harvested 24 h after thromboembolic stroke and cells immunophenotyped by flow cytometry. We observed a significant increase in neutrophils and early activated T cells in the spleen and an increase in neutrophils and activated monocytes/microglia in the ischemic cortex after thromboembolic stroke. Moreover, as was shown previously for transient MCAO models, treatment of thromboembolic stroke with partial MHC constructs significantly reduced ischemic damage indicating an equivalent effect of this immune-based therapy in the thromboembolic model that better mimics the pathophysiology of human stroke.
#bias: Measuring the tweeting behavior of propagandists

Twitter is an efficient conduit of information for millions of usersaround the world. Its ability to quickly spread information to a largenumber of people makes it an efficient way to shape information and,hence, shape public opinion. We study the tweeting behavior of Twitter propagandists, users who consistently expressthe same opinion or ideology, focusing on two online communities: the2010 Nevada senate race and the 2011 debt-ceiling debate. We identify several extreme tweeting patterns thatcould characterize users who spread propaganda: (1) sending high volumesof tweets over short periods of time, (2) retweeting whilepublishing little original content, (3) quickly retweeting, and (4) colluding with other, seeminglyunrelated, users to send duplicate or near-duplicate messages on thesame topic simultaneously. These four features appear to distinguishtweeters who spread propaganda from other more neutral users and could serve asstarting point for developing behavioral-based propaganda detection techniquesfor Twitter.
A Small Step for Man, a Leap Forward for Postoperative Management

The European Society of Cardiology/American College of Cardiology (ESC/ACC) redefinition of acute myocardial infarction (MI), with its move to a troponin standard [(1,2)][1]and particularly the idea that even minor elevations of troponin with contemporary assays are indicative of risk, has been slow
Reactive oxygen species and calcium homeostasis in cultured human intestinal smooth muscle cells

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly alter cell function. We examined the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and xanthine/xanthine oxidase (X/XO) on isolated intestinal muscle cells. We assessed cell viability with the exclusion dye trypan blue and assayed the effects of H2O2 and X/XO on the intracellular redox state with the fluorescent probe 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein. Intracellular calcium concentration was measured in cells loaded with fura 2-acetoxymethyl ester, and we recorded whole membrane currents with conventional patch-clamp methods. Cells remained viable after a 5-min exposure to H2O2 and X/XO. H2O2 and X/XO led to a significant rise of the intracellular concentration of ROS. H2O2 (270 microM to 2.7 mM) as well as X/XO (0.25-16 mU; 0.5 mM xanthine) significantly increased intracellular calcium concentrations. Depletion of intracellular calcium with ryanodine or thapsigargin did not abolish the effect of ROS on the intracellular calcium concentration. In the absence of external calcium or in the presence of the calcium channel blocker nifedipine, H2O2 and X/XO still increased the intracellular calcium level. Thus calcium influx and calcium release from internal stores contributed to this rise in cytosolic calcium. Catalase and superoxide dismutase blunted or completely abolished the changes in calcium concentration elicited by H2O2 and X/XO. Exposure to ROS resulted in a rapid decline of the membrane resistance without significant changes in voltage-sensitive ion currents. We conclude that ROS disrupt the calcium homeostasis of cells at concentrations that do not lead to immediate cell death. The resulting elevation in cytosolic free calcium will activate a variety of biochemical reactions and may thus contribute to the cytotoxicity of reactive oxygen molecules.
THE INFLUENCE OF COLLECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP ON TEACHER EFFICACY

OF DISSERTATION THE INFLUENCE OF COLLECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP ON TEACHER EFFICACY In understanding leadership to be the single most important factor in shaping a school’s performance, and second highest factor influencing student achievement, it is a necessity for investigations to focus on what successful leaders do to have excelling schools. Research has alluded to the understanding that the principal can no longer serve as the sole instructional leader of a school. This need for collaboration within the organization places a weight on principals to incorporate others within the school decision-making process. This study examined how collective instructional leadership is currently influencing teacher efficacy in high performing central Kentucky elementary schools. Data were collected through individual principal interviews and focus-group interviews to gain perspectives about how collective instructional leadership is currently influencing teacher efficacy, individuals involved in collective instructional leadership, and actions leaders engage in to promote individual and collective teacher efficacy. The findings of this study identified themes to support a hypothesis around how collective instructional leadership is influencing teacher efficacy. Through the finding of this study a working model of collective instructional leadership was developed. Findings indicate the four working dimensions within the collective instructional leadership model will help raise both individual and collective teacher efficacy within schools.
Effects of Nitrogen Reactive Species on Germanium Plasma Nitridation Processes

Roles of reactive species of germanium and silicon plasma nitridation were investigated by comparing nitrogen plasma chemistry and oxynitride layer physical properties. In high pressure remote plasma nitridation process, hydrogen containing neutral radicals (NH* and H*) were important to nitride germanium and silicon substrates. This process required high substrate temperature to nitride germanium substrate, whereas silicon substrates could be nitrided at low substrate temperature. In low pressure Radial Line Slot Antenna (RLSA) plasma nitridation process, N2* ion species acted as dominant reactive species. Using this process, germanium could be nitrided at low substrate temperature without hydrogen and high nitrogen concentration (~22at.%) GeON was obtained.
Design and synthesis of biomimetic multicomponent all-bone-minerals bionanocomposites.

We report a simple and novel top-down method based on a drop-casting process for the controlled synthesis of all-bone-minerals biomimetic multicomponent bionanocomposites. Integration of micro- and...
Neonatal decompensation before surgery in hypoplastic left heart syndrome: a case control study

Objective Prior to Norwood 1 surgery, neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) are at risk of decompensation from systemic underperfusion secondary to pulmonary overcirculation. We examined whether preoperative temporal profiles of physiological and laboratory variables differed between neonates who did and did not decompensate preoperatively. Design Case control study. Setting Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, 2002–2013. Patients Eighty-five neonates with HLHS, matched by birth weight and admission date. Measurements Decompensation was defined as the need for emergency intubation and ventilation due to clinically diagnosed impaired systemic oxygen delivery. The end point was time of decompensation (cases, n=33) or discharge for surgery (controls, n=52). Variable trajectories were modelled non-linearly using generalised estimating equations. Results Decompensation occurred on median (IQR) day 3 (2–4) of life in cases, with surgery occurring on day 4 (3–7) in controls. Oxygen saturation and blood pressure trajectories were identical between groups (p>0.2). Heart and respiratory rates increased with time overall, but significantly faster in cases than controls; by an average of 4.0 bpm/day versus 1.4 bpm/day (p=0.002) and 5.3 respirations/minute/day versus 1.5 respirations/minute/day, respectively, (p=0.003). Although metabolic blood gas components began to decline subtly 24 h before clinical decompensation, they remained in the normal range for much of this period. Conclusions Heart and respiratory rates, and metabolic acid base trajectories show subtle differences prior to decompensation in neonates with HLHS. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating rates of change rather than absolute values of physiological and laboratory variables.
Shifting, broadening, and diversifying: How gay pride organizations are reshaping their mission to build crucial relationships in a complex 21st century stakeholder network

This study explores the 21st century context of ‘Gay Pride’. Leaders of gay pride organizations in major US cities revealed through in-depth interviews how they plan and execute what have become ma...
Compressive classification via secant projections

One novel dimensional reduction method based on manifold modeling is applied on Rice single pixel camera for targets classification. The number of measurements is at least halved compared with equivalent classification result via random projections.
Abnormal responses to pulmonary vasodilators in conscious dogs after left lung autotransplantation

We investigated the extent to which left lung autotransplantation (LLA) alters endothelium-dependent (bradykinin and acetylcholine) and endothelium-independent (sodium nitroprusside) vasodilation i...
Spectra of Gaseous Nebulae

In the 19th Century there raged an argument as to whether fuzzy telescopic objects loosely called nebulae were really stellar aggregates or a gas. Although he had resolved some diffuse objects as star clusters, Herschel, who was an astute observer, commented that the light of others appear so “soft” that it might arise from “a luminous fluid.”
The Implementation Phase

The decision of the ICJ signaled the end of the resolution phase of the Gabcikovo–Nagymaros Project dispute, with the implementation phase beginning with the efforts of Slovakia and Hungary to negotiate an operating regime consistent with the parameters contained within the order of the Court. As will be discussed in this chapter, when the parties eventually agree upon an operating regime, the implementation phase will further entail the development of mechanisms for the enforcement and verification of that regime, and for any necessary modification of the regime for environmental or other reasons. The efforts of the parties to negotiate a joint operating regime and develop mechanisms for enforcing, verifying and modifying that regime will be affected by the interests of sub-state actors and interested third parties, which may in some instances offer their good offices or serve as mediators or conciliators. The efforts of the parties to implement the agreement will also be influenced by the same situational circumstances that influenced the dispute formation, pre-resolution and resolution phases of the dispute.
Wearable sensor and algorithm for automated measurement of screen time

The human use of electronic displays (television or computers), also known as “screen time,” is currently a topic of great interest within behavior medicine and general clinical research. This behavior has been linked with a wide variety of pathologies, including obesity, circadian disruption, sleeping disorders, cardiometabolic disease, and socio-emotional behavior disorders in children. As an alternative to conventional data collection methods, such as self-reported questionnaires or interviews, we present an automated objective method for estimating screen time that makes use of a wearable wrist band containing an optical color sensor. By applying a machine learning model, and using data collected from a custom designed sensor band, we present results from a small study to demonstrate that it is possible to measure screen time exposure using the color sensor alone without the use of an accelerometer. Using data from two users in two different homes under a variety of activities and lighting conditions, we achieved a classification score of AUC=0.90 for television alone, 0.89 for computer alone, and 0.83 for the combination of both devices. As an additional test, we also present sample results from an experiment in a natural environment. These preliminary results are encouraging and are comparable to the accuracy of conventional self-reported methods. Limitations of this method and potential improvements are also discussed.
A Perspective on Medicolegal Death Investigation in the United States: 2013:

The status of medicolegal death investigation in the United States is reviewed based on the literature, reports, surveys, and vital statistics data. The vast majority of chief medicolegal death inv...
Dried Plum Ingestion Increases the Osteoblastogenic Capacity of Human Serum

Abstract In cell culture studies, dried plum (Prunus domestica L.) polyphenols increased osteoblast alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineralized nodule formation, and the expression of the bone marker genes runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and osterix. The purpose of this study was to determine whether human serum collected 1 and 2 h after dried plum ingestion influenced osteoblast cell activity and gene expression. Five healthy women ingested 100 g of dried plum, and serum samples were collected at baseline (before dried plum ingestion) and 1 and 2 h postingestion of dried plum. MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells were treated (2% of medium) with these serum samples for 3 or 9 days. Intracellular and extracellular ALP activities were significantly increased after 3 or 9 days of treatment with serum both postingestion time points, with no effect seen in baseline samples. Also, serum obtained 1 and 2 h postingestion significantly increased the mRNA expression of bone markers RUNX2 and connexin43 (CX43...
Gay-Straight Alliances as Settings to Discuss Health Topics: Individual and Group Factors Associated with Substance Use, Mental Health, and Sexual Health Discussions

Sexual minority (e.g. lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning; LGBQ) and gender minority (e.g. transgender) youth experience myriad health risks. Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) are school-based settings where they may have opportunities to discuss substance use, mental health, and sexual health issues in ways that are safe and tailored to their experiences. Attention to these topics in GSAs could aid in developing programming for these settings. Among 295 youth from 33 Massachusetts high-school GSAs (69% LGBQ, 68% cisgender female, 68% White, Mage = 16.06), we examined how often youth discussed these topics within their GSA and identified factors associated with having more of these discussions. Youth and GSAs as a whole varied in their frequency of discussing these topics. Youth who accessed more information/resources in the GSA and did more advocacy more frequently engaged in discussions around substance use, mental health and sexual health. Youth who reported greater victimization more often discussed substance use and mental health, but not sexual health. Finally, GSAs whose members collectively reported greater victimization more frequently discussed these topics. These findings can assist the development of health programming to be delivered within GSAs.
Data-driven planning of distributed energy resources amidst socio-technical complexities

Planning of distributed energy resources requires careful consideration of many socio-technical factors to ensure that it is optimally built. Jain et al. present a model that incorporates numerous such factors and use it to find cost-effective resources for a sampl…
Analysis of two-lane, two-way highways

The 1950 HCM [1] recognized the critical interaction between directional flows on a two-lane, two-way rural highway. Because of this, in 1950 and 1965, the models for two-lane highways dealt with both directions simultaneously.
Human Kidney Tubule-Specific Gene Expression Based Dissection of Chronic Kidney Disease Traits

Abstract Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has diverse phenotypic manifestations including structural (such as fibrosis) and functional (such as glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria) alterations. Gene expression profiling has recently gained popularity as an important new tool for precision medicine approaches. Here we used unbiased and directed approaches to understand how gene expression captures different CKD manifestations in patients with diabetic and hypertensive CKD. Transcriptome data from ninety-five microdissected human kidney samples with a range of demographics, functional and structural changes were used for the primary analysis. Data obtained from 41 samples were available for validation. Using the unbiased Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) we identified 16 co-expressed gene modules. We found that modules that strongly correlated with eGFR primarily encoded genes with metabolic functions. Gene groups that mainly encoded T-cell receptor and collagen pathways, showed the strongest correlation with fibrosis level, suggesting that these two phenotypic manifestations might have different underlying mechanisms. Linear regression models were then used to identify genes whose expression showed significant correlation with either structural (fibrosis) or functional (eGFR) manifestation and mostly corroborated the WGCNA findings. We concluded that gene expression is a very sensitive sensor of fibrosis, as the expression of 1654 genes correlated with fibrosis even after adjusting to eGFR and other clinical parameters. The association between GFR and gene expression was mostly mediated by fibrosis. In conclusion, our transcriptome-based CKD trait dissection analysis suggests that the association between gene expression and renal function is mediated by structural changes and that there may be differences in pathways that lead to decline in kidney function and the development of fibrosis, respectively.
Cascadia Onshore-Offshore Site Response, Submarine Sediment Mobilization, and Earthquake Recurrence

Local geologic structure and topography may modify arriving seismic waves. This inherent variation in shaking, or “site response,” may affect the distribution of slope failures and redistribution of submarine sediments. I used seafloor seismic data from the 2011 to 2015 Cascadia Initiative and permanent onshore seismic networks to derive estimates of site response, denoted Sn, in low- and high-frequency (0.02–1 and 1–10 Hz) passbands. For three shaking metrics (peak velocity and acceleration and energy density) Sn varies similarly throughout Cascadia and changes primarily in the direction of convergence, roughly east-west. In the two passbands, Sn patterns offshore are nearly opposite and range over an order of magnitude or more across Cascadia. Sn patterns broadly may be attributed to sediment resonance and attenuation. This and an abrupt step in the east-west trend of Sn suggest that changes in topography and structure at the edge of the continental margin significantly impact shaking. These patterns also correlate with gravity lows diagnostic of marginal basins and methane plumes channeled within shelf-bounding faults. Offshore Sn exceeds that onshore in both passbands, and the steepest slopes and shelf coincide with the relatively greatest and smallest Sn estimates at low and high frequencies, respectively; these results should be considered in submarine shaking-triggered slope stability failure studies. Significant north-south Sn variations are not apparent, but sparse sampling does not permit rejection of the hypothesis that the southerly decrease in intervals between shaking-triggered turbidites and great earthquakes inferred by Goldfinger et al. (2012, 2013, 2016) and Priest et al. (2017) is due to inherently stronger shaking southward.
Evaluation of microstructure stability at the interfaces of Al-6061 welds fabricated using ultrasonic additive manufacturing

Abstract Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) is a solid-state additive manufacturing process that uses fundamental principles of ultrasonic welding and sequential layering of tapes to fabricate complex three-dimensional (3-D) components. One of the factors limiting the use of this technology is the poor tensile strength along the z-axis. Recent work has demonstrated the improvement of the z-axis properties after post-processing treatments. The abnormally high stability of the grains at the interface during post-weld heat treatments is, however, not yet well understood. In this work we use multiscale characterization to understand the stability of the grains during post-weld heat treatments. Aluminum alloy (6061) builds, fabricated using ultrasonic additive manufacturing, were post-weld heat treated at 180, 330 and 580 °C. The grains close to the tape interfaces are stable during post-weld heat treatments at high temperatures (i.e., 580 °C). This is in contrast to rapid grain growth that takes place in the bulk. Transmission electron microscopy and atom-probe tomography display a significant enrichment of oxygen and magnesium near the stable interfaces. Based on the detailed characterization, two mechanisms are proposed and evaluated: nonequilibrium nano-dispersed oxides impeding the grain growth due to grain boundary pinning, or grain boundary segregation of magnesium and oxygen reducing the grain boundary energy.
A new reinforcement material for rubber compounds (Sediment dust nanoparticles and white ceminte)

Current work included the study of the effect of a new reinforcement material on some applications that are reinforced with carbon black or other conventional reinforcement materials. This work shows that the addition of certain proportions of white cement was used in construction applications alternative as an addition about equal to the proportions of carbon black as well as the addition of new material, a sediment dust to recipes which use carbon black as a reinforcement and the purpose of these additions to study the mechanical behavior of these materials. the practical examination of the samples show that the reinforcement recipes by carbon black has given the highest results of the tests such as the tensile, tear, hardness and compressibility. Also the practical examination shows that the use of white cement and Nanoparticle of sediment dust (new reinforcement material) has given acceptable results compared to the standard recipes that reinforced by carbon black, especially with certain percentages that ranged between (2–8%). The current study introduced the sediment dust is a good new alternative reinforcement material verify economic and environmental benefits with rubber compounds in different level according to applications.
Characterization and identification of surface crystals on smear-ripened cheese by polarized light microscopy

Surface crystallization and radial demineralization of Ca, P, and Mg occur in smear-ripened cheese. Furthermore, crystals of ikaite, struvite, calcite, and brushite have been identified in cheese smears by powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), and ikaite and struvite exist in smears as single crystals. Polarized light microscopy (PLM) is a simple, inexpensive, and well-established method in geology to detect and identify single crystals. However, use of PLM to identify cheese crystals has not been reported previously. The specific objectives of this research were (1) to identify crystals in cheese smears using selected PLM criteria; (2) to compare identification by PLM against PXRD; and (3) to develop and evaluate a novel treatment for smear material to improve crystal analyses by both PLM and PXRD. Duplicate wheels of 4 cheeses produced by different manufacturers were obtained from retail sources. Scrapings of surface smears were prepared and analyzed by PLM and PXRD by previously described methods. Crystals were categorized by PLM based on angle of extinction (AE), birefringence behavior under crossed polarizers and quartz filters, and size and shape (circularity) by image analysis. Crystals observed by PLM fell almost exclusively into 2 readily differentiated groups based on birefringence behavior and estimated angle of extinction. Group 1 (n = 18) were highly birefringent with AE = 88-92°, whereas group 2 (n = 28) had no birefringence with AE = 13-26°. Group 2 crystals were significantly larger and more circular than group 1 crystals. Group 1 and 2 were identified as struvite and ikaite, respectively, based on known birefringence and AE characteristics. Struvite was identified in all 4 cheeses by PLM but in only 3 cheeses by PXRD. Ikaite was identified in 3 cheeses by PLM but in only 2 cheeses by PXRD. These discrepancies occurred because the smear scrapings from 1 cheese contained excessive amorphous matter that caused extreme background noise, potentially obscuring diffractogram peaks that may have been present. To minimize noise, smear scrapings were dispersed in aqueous NaOH (pH 10) before analyses, which resulted in consistent results by PXRD and PLM. The method also rendered high-quality images by PLM. Data suggest that PLM may offer a simple and inexpensive means to identify struvite, ikaite, and possibly other single crystals in cheese smears.
Neuroendocrinology of aging in the male and female

Many changes in the neuroendocrine axis occur with healthy normal aging in humans. Women cease ovarian follicle maturation and menstrual cycles entering the estrogen-deficient state termed menopause. Although not without risk, estrogen and progesterone replacement in postmenopausal women has been shown to ameliorate the complications of lowered estradiol concentrations, such as hot flushes and osteoporsis, while improving the risk of cardiovascular complications. Aging men have lowered serum free and total testosterone concentrations and may experience a less well defined symptom complex termed andropause. Both signs and symptoms of thyroid disease and interpretation of thyroid function tests are difficult in aging humans. Specifically, TSH secretion is diminished in aging so that suppressed serum TSH concentrations are indicative of but not specific for hyperthyroidism. Cortisol secretion is not altered in aging, although serum concentrations of DHEA-S are lower. Prolactin concentrations are increased in both men and women, with the increase being more pronounced in men. The clinical significance of this increase has not yet been determined. Finally, elderly humans are more likely to develop difficulties with fluid and electrolyte balance. Although some alterations in AVP secretion have been shown in the elderly, plasma concentrations are similar in young and elderly subjects. Other mechanisms, such as decreased glomerular filtration rate and a decreased sensitivity of the thirst mechanism in response to hypertonicity, may be important contributors to fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
HMM/MLP and Predictive Models

Hidden Markov models are widely used for speech recognition. However, as shown in Chapter 3, strong assumptions have to be made to render the model computationally tractable. One of these assumptions is the observation independence of the acoustic vectors. Indeed, it is usually assumed that the probability that a particular acoustic vector is emitted at a given time only depends on the current state and the current acoustic vector. As a consequence, this model does not take account of the dynamic nature of the speech signal.1
Raising Wilmington's Forgotten Fleet: Uncovering History with Mobile Video Technology

In spring 2007, archaeologists from the Program in Maritime Studies partnered with faculty from the Department of Communication and the Department of Technology Systems at East Carolina University (ECU) to create a dynamic, multi-media, user-controlled experience for a proposed maritime heritage trail in Wilmington, N.C. The project, “Wilmington’s River Walk iPod Experience,” uses video podcasts to present an audio-visual walk for tourists visiting Wilmington’s waterfront. This is a public outreach component for ECU’s archaeological investigation examining submerged vessels and cultural remains of Wilmington’s maritime industries. Utilizing the mobile device to leverage audio and video storytelling potential, visitors can experience the rich stories of submerged vessels, as they walk along the Cape Fear River. Video mobile messages offer an exciting medium to disseminate information in an outdoor, dynamic environment, such as a maritime trail. Designing content for mobile podcast presentations, however, presents considerations much different than designing content for the average television or computer screen. This chapter will present our proof of concept Riverwalk Tour Project as a case study exhibiting the ways this new mobile technology can aid archaeologists in reaching audiences who rely heavily on mobile technology such as smart phones and iPods.
Pilot study of a modified yoga program for head and neck cancer (HNC).

6047Background: HNC causes late musculoskeletal impairment (MSI), physical symptoms & psychologic distress. A modified yoga intervention using poses, breath work, meditation & relaxation may improv...
Canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation in soft-tissue sarcomas: A comparative study of synovial sarcoma and leiomyosarcoma.

Background Previous studies have shown that aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is associated with many malignant neoplasms. This includes some soft-tissue sarcoma phenotypes, most notably synovial sarcoma, implicating potential targets for novel molecular therapies. Objective We investigate the level of Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation present in leiomyosarcomas relative to synovial sarcomas, using expression of LEF1 and β-catenin as surrogates. Methods Cancer outlier profile analysis was performed on messenger RNA expression datasets in Oncomine (70 synovial sarcomas, 178 leiomyosarcomas). Results for LEF1 and β-catenin messenger RNA expression were reported in terms of median-centered intensity. Separate immunohistochemical studies were performed on tissue microarrays created from 77 synovial sarcomas and 89 leiomyosarcomas using antibodies to LEF1 and β-catenin. Tumors with unequivocal strong nuclear staining involving ⩾5% of cells were interpreted as positive. Results Cancer outlier profile analysis demonstrated a higher level of LEF1 messenger RNA expression in synovial sarcomas than in leiomyosarcomas (p < 0.0001), but showed no significant difference in β-catenin messenger RNA expression (p = 0.868). Immunohistochemistry showed most synovial sarcomas had strong nuclear expression of LEF1 (79%) and β-catenin (84%), while a small minority of leiomyosarcomas had strong nuclear expression of LEF1 (5%) and β-catenin (6%). Conclusion These results provide further evidence that aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is present in most synovial sarcomas, but not in most leiomyosarcomas. While targeting the constituents of this pathway might be effective in the treatment of synovial sarcomas, it is not likely to be an effective strategy in the treatment of leiomyosarcomas.