cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comments on “On four‐dimensional data assimilation”

Holmstrom (1973) has suggested a method for assimilating real time data, for numerical models of atmospheric circulation. The method involves a coordinate transformation in which real time is replaced by a virtual time. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1975.tb01693.x
Performance specifications: the nearly impossible versus the merely difficult

Affordability is the objective of acquisition reform. The institution of 'performance' specifications in lieu of 'design' specifications is a key strategy. Design of a cockpit display, for example, is left to the prime contractor based on a performance requirement stated by the government. The prime delegates to the integrator. The integrator develops the display and bill of materials provided by vendors. There is no feedback loop from the vendors to the ultimate customer, the government. As a result of this situation a communication gap exists: the government, primes, and integrators have concluded that they should pay commodity prices for custom displays. One step in the closing of this gap is the establishment of cross- cutting common reference performance specifications for aerospace and defense displays. The performance specification for cockpit displays is nearly impossible to achieve -- the last ounce of technology and more is required. Commodity markets, such as consumer notebook computers, are based on but a fraction of currently available technology -- companies 'bank' technology and roll it out across several 18-month product generations. Ruggedized consumer displays can be used in aerospace and defense applications other than the cockpit, such as mission crew stations. The performance specification for non-cockpit aerospace and defense applications is merely difficult. Acquisition reform has been defined by the Secretary of Defense to mean DoD should leverage the commercial market to the maximal extent possible. For the achievement of this end, an entirely different approach is wanted for cockpit displays versus large platform mission displays. That is, the nearly impossible requires a different design and business approach from the merely difficult.
Conditional sampling of velocity and scalars in turbulent flames using simultaneous LDV-Raman scattering

The laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) measures the velocity distribution of particles which is often an acceptable representation of the distribution of gas velocities. However, in turbulent two stream mixing flows, the particle velocity distribution will differ from the gas velocity distribution when the particle densities in the two streams are unequal. This bias is explored in a reacting and nonreacting turbulent jet which is surrounded by coflowing air. By adding seed particles to only the coflow air and then to only the jet fluid, the limits of this bias are established. Additional measurements with an LDV triggered laser Raman scattering system demonstrate that the bias in the LDV sampling is propagated to the Raman measurements. An analytical equation is presented which will generate unbiased velocity and scalar distributions from measurements obtained from seeding only one stream at a time.
THE ACTION OF TACRINE ON NEUROMUSCULAR TRANSMISSION: A COMPARISON WITH HEXAFLUORENIUM

SUMMARY The action of tacrine has been studied in man, in the cat, and in vitro on a frog nerve-muscle preparation. The study shows that tacrine possesses both anticholinesterase and neuromuscular blocking actions. In contradistinction to hexafluorenium, tacrine does not potentiate the neuromuscular blocking action of suxamethonium at the neuromuscular junction. For this reason, in the intact animal, the potentiation of the blocking action of suxamethonium by tacrine pretreatment must depend largely on the capacity of this drug to inhibit plasma cholinesterase.
SU-GG-J-125: Marker-Based Strategies for Predictive, On-Line Monitoring of Dynamic Treatments with MV Projection Images

Purpose: Given the need to dose escalate under high precision, hypo‐fractionated RT for certain anatomic targets, especially those where respiratory motion is important, requires better capabilities for real‐time treatment monitoring. At present, CBCT‐based systems, such as Synergy (Elekta) and Trilogy (Varian) tend to rely on a single daily, pre‐treatment volumetric snapshot. Here, we describe a general system of real‐time treatment verification using radiographic markers and kV and MV cine/flouro that can be applied to both static and dynamic (IMRT; arc‐based) therapies on CBCTIGRT systems. Method and Materials: A set of mock‐treatment datasets were recorded from simultaneous MV and kV cine/flouro imaging under varied treatment scenarios using an experimental Synergy system (Elekta Inc., Crawley, UK). We employ a commercially available programmable motion phantom (Modus Medical Devices, Inc.) modified to accommodate an arbitrary arrangement of metallic markers and to simulate patient respiration. The radiographic markers are identified on a baseline CT dataset (simulation or pre‐treatment CBCT) and a 3D tolerance ROI is constructed for each marker. This ROI is then projected onto the MV imaging plane and is superimposed on the current MV image. This mask is also used to refine the automated marker tracking algorithm. Results: Development work is ongoing, supported by the aforementioned phantom measurements. Patient treatment data will be used to refine the software tools and demonstrate the clinical feasibility of this method. Dynamic‐MLC fields pose an interesting challenge. A “predictive” technique is employed whereby the tracking algorithm has a priori knowledge of field shapes and “expected” marker positions at given segments or gantry angles. Conclusion: This marker‐tracking technique can be applied to any static beam or arc‐based intensity‐modulated delivery and can be employed with the standard equipment available on most modern linear accelerators.
Natural convection heat transfer in a porous layer with internal flow obstructions

Abstract This numerical study documents the effect of internal flow obstructions on heat transfer through a 2-dim. porous layer heated from the side. Three types of flow obstructions have been considered. Horizontal diathermal partitions were found to decrease the heat transfer rate in cases where the overall heat transfer was dominated by convection. In the conduction-dominated regime, horizontal diathermal partitions were found to increase the heat transfer rate slightly. Horizontal adiabatic partitions, on the other hand, were found to increase the heat transfer rate when the dominating mechanism is convection. Finally, vertical diathermal partitions were shown to reduce the heat transfer rate by roughly 50% in the convection-dominated regime. Numerical heat transfer results are reported in the domain 0.1
12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced rapid loss of persistent 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-DNA adducts in mouse epidermis and dermis

Abstract Twice-weekly application to mouse skin of 10 nmol of the potent tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), beginning at 3 weeks after topical application of 1.2 μmol of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), was found to cause a rapid loss of persistent DMBA-DNA adducts from both epidermal and dermal DNA. This effect is thought to reflect TPA-induced proliferation of quiescent initiated skin cells containing persistent adducts and may be causally related to the irreversibility of the initial phase of tumor promotion, which is known to require cell proliferation.
Interferometric techniques applied in packaged MEMS and MOEMS measurement

In this paper, first of all improved techniques are described to measure packaged MEMS or MOEMS surfaces through- transmissive-media (TTM) at higher magnifications. Secondly, a universal housing is presented for TTM-objective line and for different material and thickness of glass. Finally, the measurement results for low and high magnifications will be given for dispersion-compensated objectives, as well as some MEMS application examples.
Human and Murine CD4 T Cell Reactivity to a Complex Antigen: Recognition of the Synthetic Random Polypeptide Glatiramer Acetate

The capacity of glatiramer acetate (GA), a random copolymer of alanine, lysine, glutamic acid, and tyrosine to stimulate primary in vitro human and murine T cell proliferation was examined. PBMCs isolated from healthy humans and relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis patients and spleen cells from inbred strains of mice, expressing different H-2 haplotypes, were used as sources of non-GA-primed lymphocytes. GA functioned as a universal Ag, inducing dose-dependent proliferation of all non-GA-primed human and murine T cell populations tested. Moreover, GA stimulated PBMCs derived ex vivo from human cord blood, strongly suggesting that GA can activate both naive and memory T cells. The human T cell proliferative responses to GA were HLA class II DR-restricted by virtue of the ability of anti-class II Ab to inhibit T cell proliferation, and the demonstration that individual GA specific human T cell clones were HLA class II DR-restricted by either restriction element but not both. Furthermore, GA-reactive T cells secreted Th0 cytokines and expressed a diverse repertoire of TCR. Limiting dilution analysis indicated that the T cell precursor frequency among the healthy human adults tested ranged from 1:5,000 to 1:125,000. Given that all of the T cell populations tested were isolated from non-GA-primed donors, it appears that virtually all humans and murine strains contain significant numbers of T cell populations cross-reactive with GA. These findings may explain the recent clinical finding that daily s.c. administration of GA ameliorates the progression of multiple sclerosis.
Inefficient Face Detection in Schizophrenia

Background: Higher levels of facial processing, such as recognition of the individuality and emotional expression of faces, are abnormal in schizophrenia. It is unknown, however, whether the visual detection of a face as face is impaired as well. Methods: We examined the performance of schizophrenia patients (n = 29) and normal controls (n = 28) in locating a line-drawn face on the left or the right side of a larger line drawing. To prevent the normal formation of general facial impressions, stimulus presentations were brief (13-104 ms). The face stimuli were either displayed upright or inverted in order to study the face inversion effect, ie, the specific effect of stimulus inversion on face processing. Results: Schizophrenia patients showed a significantly reduced face inversion effect, resulting primarily from significantly lower accuracy in detecting upright faces than normal controls. In tree detection, a comparison task that was also administered, the stimulus inversion effect was similarly small in both groups. Conclusion: Given the primitive nature and brief duration of the stimuli, and the simplicity of the task, these results indicate that at the initial visual detection stage, facial processing is inefficient in schizophrenia. By isolating face detection from other aspects of face recognition, this study identifies a face-specific visual deficit in schizophrenia, which may ultimately contribute to impaired face-related cognitive and emotional processing and social interaction.
On the efficiency of the fuel cell vehicles with onboard hydrogen generation

This paper reviews the various methods of hydrogen production for automotive applications. First, a summary of different methods of hydrogen production which are used in various industries have been given. The major focus of this paper is on non-thermal or cold plasma for hydrogen generation. Physical characteristics of cold plasma, as well as various methods of plasma generation and their characteristics have been discussed. As the hydrogen production is one of the major challenges for application of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells especially in vehicular industry this paper aims to provide an overview on different methods of cold plasma generation and plasmatrons which can be used to improve hydrogen production problem.
Bounding the lifetime of sensor networks via optimal role assignments

A key challenge in ad-hoc, data-gathering, wireless sensor networks is achieving a lifetime of several years using nodes that carry merely hundreds of joules of stored energy. We explore the fundamental limits of energy-efficient collaborative data-gathering by deriving upper bounds on the lifetime of increasingly sophisticated sensor networks.
Radar cross section of human cardiopulmonary activity for recumbent subject

The radar cross section (RCS) corresponding to human cardio-respiratory motion is measured for a subject in two different recumbent positions. Lying face-up (supine), the subject showed an RCS of 0.326 m2. But when lying face-down (prone), the RCS increased to 2.9 m2. This is the first reported RCS measurement corresponding to human cardio-respiratory motion. The results obtained in this experiment suggest modeling the upper part of the human body as a half-cylinder where the front body corresponds to the cylindrical surface and the back corresponds to the rectangular one.
Basis iteration for reward based dimensionality reduction

We propose a linear dimensionality reduction algorithm that selectively preserves task relevant state data for control problems modeled as Markov decision processes. The algorithm works by alternating value function estimation with basis vector adaptation. The approach is demonstrated on two tasks: a toy task designed to illustrate the key concepts, and a more complex three dimensional navigation task.
Configuration and joint feedback for enhanced performance of multi-segment continuum robots

Multi-segment continuum robots offer enhanced safety during surgery due to their inherent passive compliance. However, they suffer poor position tracking performance due to flexibility of their actuation lines, structural compliance, and actuation coupling effects between segments. The need for control methods addressing accurate tracking for multi-segment continuum robots is magnified by increased precision requirements of surgical procedures employing these structures. To address this need, this paper proposes a tiered controller that uses both extrinsic and intrinsic sensory information for improved performance of multi-segment continuum robots. The higher tier of this controller uses configuration space feedback while the lower tier uses joint space feedback and a feed-forward term obtained with actuation compensation techniques. We prove the stability of this controller using Lyapunov's direct method and experimentally evaluate its performance on a three-segment multi-backbone continuum robot. Results demonstrate its efficacy in enhancing regulation and tracking performance. It is shown that the controller mitigates the effects of actuation coupling between robot's sub-segments and decreases phase lag. These results suggest that this tiered controller will enhance telemanipulation performance of multi-segment continuum robots.
A Candidate Mammalian DNA Methyltransferase Related to pmt1p of Fission Yeast

Trace levels of 5-methylcytosine persist in the DNA of mouse embryonic stem cells that are homozygous for null mutations in Dnmt1 , the gene for the one previously recognized metazoan DNA methyltransferase. This residual 5-methylcytosine may be the product of a candidate second DNA methyltransferase, Dnmt2, that has now been identified in human and mouse. Dnmt2 contains all the sequence motifs diagnostic of DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferases but appears to lack the large N-terminal regulatory domain common to other eukaryotic methyltransferases. Dnmt2 is more similar to a putative DNA methyltransferase of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe than to Dnmt1. Dnmt2 produces multiple mRNA species that are present at low levels in all tissues of human and mouse and is not restricted to those cell types known to be active in de novo methylation. The human DNMT2 gene was mapped to chromosome 10p12-10p14 in a panel of radiation hybrids. Dnmt2 is a candidate for the activity that methylates newly integrated retroviral DNA and maintains trace levels of 5-methylcytosine in the DNA of embryonic stem cells homozygous for null mutations in Dnmt1.
Residual Resistance Data From Cavity Production Projects at Jefferson Lab

A fundamental limitation towards achieving high quality factors in superconducting radio-frequency cavities is the so-called residual resistance. Understanding and controlling the residual resistance has important implications towards improving the efficiency and reduce the operating cost of continuous wave superconducting linear accelerators. In this contribution we will report on the residual resistance values obtained from measurements of the quality factor of a large set of cavities, with resonant frequency between 805 MHz and 1.5 GHz, all of them processed and tested at Jefferson Lab. Surface treatments included both buffered chemical polishing and electropolishing. The results indicate an approximate value of the residual resistance of about 7-10 nΩ.
Stereospecific synthesis of L‐[1,4‐13C2]aspartic acid, L‐β‐([13C]cyano)alanine and L‐[4‐13C]aspartic acid

A convenient stereospecific synthesis of L-aspartic acid, 13C-labelled in both carboxyls, is described. The crucial step of the procedure is the conversion of [1,4-13C2]fumaric acid to L-aspartic acid utilizing the enzyme L-aspartase. In addition, an improved synthesis of L-β([13C]cyano)alanine was developed. This compound is easily converted to L-[4-13C]aspartic acid.
WOMEN'S MOVEMENTS AND STATE POLICY REFORM AIMED AT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN:: A Comparison of the Consequences of Movement Mobilization in the U.S. and India

This article compares the social movement mobilization that led to reforms in police and judicial handling of battering in the United States to the movement ideology, organization, and tactics that resulted in analogous policy reform in the processing of dowry burnings and beatings in India. Using field notes and secondary sources from both countries, the article examines how both movements redefined violence against women in families as a public issue, then looks at how movement demands affected policy reform in each country. The analysis questions the current conceptualization of social movement success. Social movements theory assumes that entry into the polity of liberal, democratic states constitutes success in the sense of social change. Yet the cases analyzed suggest that assumptions about the gender neutrality of state response to movements prevents researchers from critically examining the outcomes of social movement mobilization. Moreover, institutionalization of women's movement demands and org...
Optimierung von SCR-Systemen durch Integration von Mischelementen

Effektive SCR-Systeme erfordern eine sehr gute Reduktionsmittelaufbereitung und -verteilung. Hierzu bedarf es der Auswahl und Feinabstimmung des geeigneten Mischers. Ein neuartiger, bei Tenneco entwickelter Zweistufen-Mischer bietet einen hohen Vermischungsgrad bei vergleichsweise niedrigem Druckverlust. Zur schnellen und kostengunstigen Systemoptimierung setzt Tenneco die fein aufgeloste Messung der lokalen NH3-Konzentration in Kombination mit der CFD-Simulation ein.
A Second TCRδ Locus in Galliformes Uses Antibody-like V Domains: Insight into the Evolution of TCRδ and TCRμ Genes in Tetrapods

Analyses of the available avian genomes revealed the presence of a second TCRδ locus in the Galliformes. This second TCRδ locus is nonsyntenic to the conventional TCRα/δ and is unusual in that the V genes are more related to IgH V genes (VH) than to TCR V genes. The second TCRδ is not found in another avian lineage, the passerine zebra finch. Rather the finch’s conventional TCRα/δ locus contains VH genes that are expressed with the conventional Cδ gene, similar to what has been found in amphibians. A comparison between Galliformes and Passeriformes genomic organization suggests an origin of the second TCRδ in the former lineage involving gene duplication. Expression of these atypical TCRδ transcripts with a VH domain paired with Cδ was found in lymphoid tissues of both avian lineages. The configuration of the second TCRδ in chicken and turkey is reminiscent of the TCRδ duplication that is present in nonplacental mammals and provides insight into the origin of the uniquely mammalian TCRμ locus.
Photodegradation of Congo Red catalyzed by nanosized TiO2

The effects of various physical properties (particle size, shape, surface area, crystal structure, and phase composition) on the photocatalytic performance of nanosized TiO2 were studied through the photodegradation of Congo Red. Kinetic results showed that anatase TiO2 was a superior photocatalyst to rutile TiO2 due to the inherent difference in the two crystal structures. Anatase TiO 2 nanorods with predominantly (1 0 1) surface
Stomatal dynamics and its importance to carbon gain in two rainforest Piper species : I. VPD effects on the transient stomatal response to lightflecks.

The effects of leaf-air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) on the transient and steady-state stomatal responses to photon flux density (PFD) were evaluated in Piper auritum, a pioneer tree, and Piper aequale, a shade tolerant shrub, that are both native to tropical forests at Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico. Under constant high-PFD conditions, the stomata of shade-acclimated plants of both species were sensitive to VPD, exhibiting a nearly uniform decrease in gs as VPD increased. Acclimation of P. auritum to high light increased the stomatal sensitivity to VPD that was sufflcient to cause a reduction in transpiration at high VPD's. At low PFD, where gs was already reduced, there was little additional absolute change with VPD for any species or growth condition. The stomatal response to 8-min duration lightflecks was strongly modulated by VPD and varied between the species and growth light conditions. In P. aequale shade plants, increased VPD had no effect on the extent of stomatal opening but caused the rate of closure after the lightfleck to be faster. Thus, the overall response to a lightfleck changed from hysteretic (faster opening than closure) to symmetric (similar opening and closing rates). Either high or low VPD caused gs not to return to the steady-state value present before the lightfleck. At high VPD the value after was considerably less than the value before whereas at low VPD the opposite occurred. Shade-acclimated plants of P. auritum showed only a small gs response to lightflecks, which was not affected by VPD. Under sunfleck regimes in the understory, the stomatal response of P. aequale at low VPD may function to enhance carbon gain by increasing the induction state. At high VPD, the shift in the response enhances water use efficiency but at the cost of reduced assimilation.
Unaware Person Recognition From the Body When Face Identification Fails

How does one recognize a person when face identification fails? Here, we show that people rely on the body but are unaware of doing so. State-of-the-art face-recognition algorithms were used to select images of people with almost no useful identity information in the face. Recognition of the face alone in these cases was near chance level, but recognition of the person was accurate. Accuracy in identifying the person without the face was identical to that in identifying the whole person. Paradoxically, people reported relying heavily on facial features over noninternal face and body features in making their identity decisions. Eye movements indicated otherwise, with gaze duration and fixations shifting adaptively toward the body and away from the face when the body was a better indicator of identity than the face. This shift occurred with no cost to accuracy or response time. Human identity processing may be partially inaccessible to conscious awareness.
Towards a shared computational environment for engineering design

This paper presents an outline of an architecture for shared computational environments for engineering design based on studies on the nature of engineering design conducted from cognitive and social points of view. The basic thesis of this paper is that a group of designers in performing a design task use a variety of engineering and management oriented models and that an environment that supports the design process will have to accommodate the different modeling paradigms within a single integrated framework. Further, the environment should facilitate the negotiation process that is characteristic of a multi-person design process.
Introducing sailboats into ship routing system VISIR

A prototype of sailboat routing system for least-time navigation is presented. The routing algorithm is based on an exact graph-search method, not requiring subjective optimization parameters. The temporal variation of wind fields during the sailing time is accounted for. The system also considers topological constraints such as coastline and shallow waters. The sailboat is modelled in terms of its polar plot. Wind forecasts from multiple providers are accepted as an input. Case studies show that the algorithm consistently computes tacking, jibing, and other route diversions functional to the maximum exploitation of the sailboat performance, as provided through its polar plot. The present version of the system targets races with path lengths in the range of tens of nautical miles or more.
Multi-agent search for source localization in a turbulent medium

Abstract We extend the gradient-less search strategy referred to as “infotaxis” to a distributed multi-agent system. “Infotaxis” is a search strategy that uses sporadic sensor measurements to determine the source location of materials dispersed in a turbulent medium. In this work, we leverage the spatio-temporal sensing capabilities of a mobile sensing agents to optimize the time spent finding and localizing the position of the source using a multi-agent collaborative search strategy. Our results suggest that the proposed multi-agent collaborative search strategy leverages the team's ability to obtain simultaneous measurements at different locations to speed up the search process. We present a multi-agent collaborative “infotaxis” strategy that uses the relative entropy of the system to synthesize a suitable search strategy for the team. The result is a collaborative information theoretic search strategy that results in control actions that maximize the information gained by the team, and improves estimates of the source position.
Transfusion of leukocytes and products of disintegrated leukocytes.

Summary and Conclusions1. Leukocytes were obtained in large numbers by introduction of large amounts of physiologic salt solution into the peritoneal cavity of rabbits.2. Intravenous administration of these cells to the same or different animals was followed by very rapidly developing and severe leukopenia. A subsequent leukocytosis developed in the majority of rabbits after several hours.3. Disintegrated leukocytes, or aqueous extract of disintegrated leukocytes produced similar results.4. Preliminary data indicate that the leukocytes stick in the capillaries of the lung. Ether extraction of disintegrated leukocytes does not cause loss of activity but heating reduces activity.5. These experiments indicate that unsatisfactory preservation of leukocytes in stored blood is not the reason for failure to raise leukocyte counts with transfusions, but that white blood cells contain a substance (or substances) which is capable of producing leukopenia.
Design of Buck Converter with Input Voltage Feed

A new control algorithm,digital proportional feed forward(DPFF)algorithm,is proposed for digital control of switching DC/DC converters.Performance of switching DC/DC converters by using this digital control algorithm is analyzed with emphasis on the steady-state error,transient response and control algorithm complexity.Comparing with digital proportional control(P-control),proportional integral control(PI-control) and feed-forward control(FF-control),DPFF-control has better performance with low complexity and zero steady-state error,can provide fast transient response to the reference step change and has better transient characteristic than PI-control.Experimental circuit board has been set up by using FPGA to verify the analysis and the simulative results.
Cost-Containment of Antimicrobial Therapy:

In 1983, health care services for Medicare and Medicaid patients become tied to a diagnosis-related group (DRG) classification and reimbursed based on predetermined rates, regardless of the amounts...
Electrically Elicited Fatigue Test of the Quadriceps Femoris Muscle

The purposes of this study were to develop an electrically elicited fatigue test (EEFT) that uses electrically elicited isometric muscle contractions and to examine the reliability of this test on a group of healthy individuals. Fifteen subjects were tested on two occasions, one week apart. The subjects were seated and the left leg secured to an isokinetic dynamometer with the knee positioned at 45 degrees of flexion. Maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the quadriceps femoris muscle was obtained and resultant knee extension torque was recorded. The quadriceps femoris muscle then was stimulated 50 times at the current level that elicited a knee extension torque level equal to 60% of that obtained during the MVIC. Percentages of decline in torque were calculated. Test-retest reliability indexes were calculated for the means of contractions 21 to 25 (r = .82, ICC = .83) and for contractions 46 to 50 (r = .92, ICC = .82). The EEFT was found to be reliable and may provide a clinically applicable means of measuring peripheral muscle fatigue.
Beta-blocker therapy does not reduce ascending aorta wall shear stress in patients with bicuspid aortic valve

Methods Right-left coronary leaflet fusion BAV patients on b-blockers (BB+) (n = 30, M:F = 23:7, age: 46 ± 14 years) and not on b-blockers (BB-) (n=30, M:F = 23:7, age: 46 ± 13 years) and healthy controls (n=15, age:43±11 years) underwent time-resolved, 3D phase contrast (4D flow) MRI. Patient groups were matched by systolic blood pressure (SBP), degree of aortic stenosis (AS), and AAo diameter (3.9 ± 0.7 vs. 3.9 ± 0.6 cm, p = 0.70). A 3D segmentation of the thoracic aorta was performed (MIMICS, Materlise, Belgium). Systolic 3D WSS was calculated in the thoracic aorta from 4D flow velocity acquisition and a sagittal maximum intensity projection (MIP) of WSS was generated.
Na+-K+-Cl- cotransporter (NKCC) maintains the chloride gradient to sustain pacemaker activity in interstitial cells of Cajal

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) generate electrical slow waves by coordinated openings of ANO1 channels, a Ca2+-activated Cl− (CaCC) conductance. Efflux of Cl− during slow waves must be significa...
Case Managers for High-Risk, High-Cost Patients as Agents and Street-Level Bureaucrats.

Case management programs often designate a nurse or social worker to take responsibility for guiding care when patients are expected to be expensive or risk a major decline. We hypothesized that th...
The Promotion of Personhood is a Principal Good of Law

A great good promoted by a well constructed legal system is the protection and promotion of character. Many other purposes prove to be justifiable, if at all, based on their instrumentality to this good. When guided by this thesis, jurisprudence brings the discussion of law – what law is and what law ought to be – into constant conversation with anthropology: the perennial inquiry which our species conducts into the nature of the person.
Sleep disturbance as a predictor of time to drug and alcohol use treatment in primary care.

Abstract Background Sleep Disturbances (SDs) are a symptom common to mental health disorders (MHD) and substance use disorders (SUD). We aimed to identify the value of SD as a predictor for subsequent treatment of illicit drug and alcohol use disorders (SUDs) in primary care and relative to the predictive value of mental health disorders (MHDs). Methods We used electronic health records data from ambulatory primary care in a safety net Boston area healthcare system from 2013 to 2015 (n = 83,920). SUD (separated into illicit drug use disorder and alcohol use disorder) and MHD were identified through ICD-9 codes and medical record documentation. We estimated Cox proportional hazard models to examine the risk of SUD across four comparison groups (SD only, SD and MHD, MHD only, and neither SD nor MHD). Results Compared to patients with no sleep or MHD, patients with SD had a greater risk for subsequent SUD treatment. Approximately one-fifth of patients with SD were treated for an illicit drug use disorder and approximately 12% were treated for alcohol use disorder. Risk for SUD treatment, estimated at over 30% by the end of the study, was greatest for patients with a MHD, either alone or comorbid with SD. Risk was greater for older patients and men, and lower for minority patients. Conclusions SD and MHD, individually and comorbid, significantly predict subsequent treatment of illicit drug and alcohol use disorder in primary care. Screening and evaluation for SD should be a routine practice in primary care to help with identifying potential SUD risk.
Ordering and disordering of doped Ga 0.5 In 0.5 P

The band gap of Ga0.5In0.5P is reported as a function of doping level and growth rate. The lowest band gaps are obtained for hole concentrations of about 2 × 1017 cm−3. For samples doped p-type above 1 × 1018 cm−3, the band gap increases dramatically, regardless of growth rate. This effect is shown to be the result of disordering during growth rather than a change in the equilibrium surface structure with doping. The doping level dependence of the band gap of Ga0.5In0.5P samples grown at higher and lower growth rates differs for selenium and zinc doping even though the effects of high doping are the same for both dopants.
The Role of Potassium Channels in the Regulation of Neurotransmitter Release

Neurotransmitter release is critically dependent on the duration of the presynaptic action potential. A variety of K+ channels play key roles in determining spike width. Moreover, K+ channels control how readily terminals can spike, and also suppress aberrant firing. Finally, K+ channels, through their control of the presynaptic resting potential, may impact presynaptic calcium levels and the spontaneous and evoked release of transmitter.
The role of accountability in dependable distributed systems

This paper promotes accountability as a first-class design principle for dependable network systems. Conventional techniques for dependable systems design are insufficient to defend against an adversary that manipulates the system covertly in order to lie, cheat, or steal. This paper treats subversion as a form of fault, and suggests that designing accountability into the system provides the means to detect, isolate, and tolerate such faults, and even to prevent them by removing incentives for malicious behavior. A key challenge for the future is to extend the repertoire of dependable systems design and analysis with broadly applicable techniques to build systems with target levels of accountability quantified by the probability that an attacker will be exposed.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in US Pediatric Growth Hormone Treatment

BACKGROUND/AIMS To compare racial/ethnic proportions of subjects receiving growth hormone (GH) treatment to the expected proportions, and secondarily, to assess racial/ethnic differences in subject characteristics at GH treatment initiation. METHODS Race/ethnicity-based expected frequencies of height <-2.25 SD were determined by applying relative risks for short stature, calculated from a regional population of 189,280 pediatric primary care patients, to US census data, and compared to racial/ethnic proportions of US subjects enrolled in the Pfizer International Growth Study (KIGS) using the χ2 test. Characteristics of white and black subjects at GH treatment initiation were presented as medians and compared by the Wilcoxon rank sum test (significant p < 0.01). RESULTS White subjects exceeded the expected frequency (63%) for all indications (83%) and each separately, ranging from 73% for congenital GH deficiency (GHD) to 85% for idiopathic short stature (p < 0.001). Compared to white subjects, black subjects treated for idiopathic GHD had greater height deficits relative both to the population (-2.97 vs. -2.56 SD) and to their mid-parental heights (-2.47 vs. -1.89 SD), lower stimulated GH peak levels (4.9 vs. 6.0 ng/mL), and lower birth weights (-0.86 vs. -0.48 SD). Black subjects with congenital GHD had lower stimulated GH peaks (2.1 vs. 3.2 ng/mL) and started GH treatment at younger ages (2.9 vs. 4.8 years), while those with acquired GHD had lower birth weights (-1.12 vs. -0.08 SD). Male predominance did not differ by race for any or all indications. CONCLUSION Overrepresentation of white children among those receiving GH treatment in the US KIGS registry reflects racial/ethnic treatment biases, not just differences in growth rates.
Future Electric Power Grid and Battery Storage

Battery technology is the most promising (besides pumped hydro) of all energy storage applications for the future power grid. With the growth of renewable energy, distributed energy resources, the number of Plug-in Electric Vehicles and more PV installations: large and small, future electric power grid is evolving into a two-way flow of information and electricity between demand and supply. This paper provides an up-to-date information on battery storage as applied to the electric power grid including the cost, technology, design and applications.
IT-Outsourcing und Arztgeheimnis

IT Outsourcing and Medical Secrecy Abstract. When medical practices outsource IT work, the requirements of data protection laws and professional secrecy in particular must be taken into account. In terms of data protection laws, outsourcing to third parties requires, among other things, that an agreement is concluded, and that the outsourcing provider only processes the data in the way that the doctor himself is permitted to do. Furthermore, outsourcing must not be prohibited by a legal or contractual obligation to maintain secrecy, such as medical professional secrecy. Professional secrecy has been widely discussed in recent years in connection with the outsourcing of services by physicians. Despite other restrictive positions, however, IT outsourcing should continue to be regarded as permissible if it can be justified on objective grounds, if it remains within the scope of what is customary and necessary for physicians and if appropriate measures are taken to avoid disclosure of personal data.
High levels of PIWI‐interacting RNAs are present in the small RNA landscape of prostate epithelium from vitamin D clinical trial specimens

Background Vitamin D, a hormone that acts through the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR), upregulates antitumorigenic microRNA in prostate epithelium. This may contribute to the lower levels of aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) observed in patients with high serum vitamin D. The small noncoding RNA (ncRNA) landscape includes many other RNA species that remain uncharacterized in prostate epithelium and their potential regulation by vitamin D is unknown. Methods Laser capture microdissection (LCM) followed by small-RNA sequencing was used to identify ncRNAs in the prostate epithelium of tissues from a vitamin D-supplementation trial. VDR chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing was performed to identify vitamin D genomic targets in primary prostate epithelial cells. Results Isolation of epithelium by LCM increased sample homogeneity and captured more diversity in ncRNA species compared with publicly available small-RNA sequencing data from benign whole prostate. An abundance of PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) was detected in normal prostate epithelium. The obligate binding partners of piRNAs, PIWI-like (PIWIL) proteins, were also detected in prostate epithelium. High prostatic vitamin D levels were associated with increased expression of piRNAs. VDR binding sites were located near several ncRNA biogenesis genes and genes regulating translation and differentiation. Conclusions Benign prostate epithelium expresses both piRNA and PIWIL proteins, suggesting that these small ncRNA may serve an unknown function in the prostate. Vitamin D may increase the expression of prostatic piRNAs. VDR binding sites in primary prostate epithelial cells are consistent with its reported antitumorigenic functions and a role in ncRNA biogenesis.
Quantitative analysis of intracranial electrocorticography signals using the concept of statistical parametric mapping.

Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) is a technique with which one can delineate brain activity statistically deviated from the normative mean, and has been commonly employed in noninvasive neuroimaging and EEG studies. Using the concept of SPM, we developed a novel technique for quantification of the statistical deviation of an intracranial electrocorticography (ECoG) measure from the nonepileptic mean. We validated this technique using data previously collected from 123 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who underwent resective epilepsy surgery. We determined how the measurement of statistical deviation of modulation index (MI) from the non-epileptic mean (rated by z-score) improved the performance of seizure outcome classification model solely based on conventional clinical, seizure onset zone (SOZ), and neuroimaging variables. Here, MI is a summary measure quantifying the strength of in-situ coupling between high-frequency activity at >150 Hz and slow wave at 3–4 Hz. We initially generated a normative MI atlas showing the mean and standard deviation of slow-wave sleep MI of neighboring non-epileptic channels of 47 patients, whose ECoG sampling involved all four lobes. We then calculated ‘MI z-score’ at each electrode site. SOZ had a greater ‘MI z-score’ compared to non-SOZ in the remaining 76 patients. Subsequent multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic analysis to the combined data of all patients revealed that the full regression model incorporating all predictor variables, including SOZ and ‘MI z-score’, best classified the seizure outcome with sensitivity/specificity of 0.86/0.76. The model excluding ‘MI z-score’ worsened its sensitivity/specificity to 0.86/0.48. Furthermore, the leave-one-out analysis successfully cross-validated the full regression model. Measurement of statistical deviation of MI from the non-epileptic mean on invasive recording is technically feasible. Our analytical technique can be used to evaluate the utility of ECoG biomarkers in epilepsy presurgical evaluation.
Bleeding Detection in Gastrointestinal Images using Texture Classification and Local Binary Pattern Technique: A Review

Texture analysis has proven to be a breakthrough in many applications of computer image analysis. It has been used for classification or segmentation of images which requires an effective description of image texture. Due to high discriminative power and simplicity of computation, the local binary pattern descriptors have been used for distinguishing different textures and in extracting texture and color in medical images. This paper discusses performance of various texture classification techniques using Contourlet Transform, Discrete Fourier Transform, Local Binary Patterns and Lacunarity analysis. The study reveals that the incorporation of efficient image segmentation, enhancement and texture classification using local binary pattern descriptor detects bleeding region in human intestines precisely.
Association of genetic variant rs10830963 of melatonin receptor 1B gene in women with gestational diabetes mellitus

Objective To investigate whether the genetic variant rs10830963 of melatonin receptor 1B(MTNR1B)gene is associated with increased risk for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Methods Eighty-seven GDM subjects(GDM group)and 91 normal pregnant women (control group)were randomly recruited form Women and Children's Hospital of Quzhou,Zhejiang Province,China.The allele and genotype frequencies of the rsi0830963 in MTNR1B gene were determined in all participants with PCR amplification and DNA sequencing.The allele and genotype frequencies of rs10830963 were compared to determine their differences between GDM subjects and normal controls.In addition,multiple linear regression was conducted to investigate the association patterns of the risk allele with fasting glucose and HbAlc levels.Results Both GG genotype and G allele frequencies of the rs10830963 loci in the GDM group were significantly higher than those in the controls,and women with G allele and GG genotype were associated with increased GDM risk(OR=1.53,95％ CI:1.005-2.324,P=0.047 and OR=2.16,95％ CI:1.052-4.434,P=0.034 respectively).After adjusting for age,body mass index before pregnancy,and family history of diabetes mellitus,women carrying GG genotype still had a higher GDM risk(OR =2.07,95％ CI:1.048-4.372,P =0.022).Multiple linear regression showed that the rs10830963 G allele was positively correlated with higher levels of fasting glucose(0.068 mmol/L,P=0.015)and HbAlc(0.073％,P=0.028).Conclusions Genetic variant rs10830963 in MTNR1B gene may contribute to the susceptibility to GDM in Chinese population and the rs10830963 G allele is a risk factor for the GDM susceptibility. Key words: Diabetes; gestational; Receptor; melatonin; MT2 ; Polymorphism; single nucleotideGenetic predisposition to disease
The Role of Ethnography as Ethical and Policy-Relevant Public Scholarship:

Amid calls for increased public scholarship, ethnographers occupy precarious positions. They focus on studying underrepresented cultural groups within local contexts and connecting micro and macro ...
Team aspects of leisure-based entrepreneurship

This research investigates how startup team characteristics correlate with a probability that a leisure-based entrepreneur forms a new profitable firm. We found that leisure-based ventures are more...
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided transgastric drainage of radiologically inaccessible left lobe liver abscess involving segment 4, caudate lobe, and left lateral segments using a modified technique

Liver abscess requiring drainage is conventionally managed by interventional radiology-guided percutaneous drainage (PCD). Radiologically inaccessible abscesses are managed with laparoscopic or open surgery, which carries high rates of morbidity and mortality. EUS-guided transluminal liver abscess drainage is minimally invasive and can be an alternative approach for caudate lobe, segment 4, and left lateral segment abscesses. We report on three consecutive patients with radiologically inaccessible left lobe liver abscess involving the caudate lobe, segment 4, and lateral segment in whom EUS-guided transluminal drainage using a modified technique was successful.