cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Natural history of trisomy 18 and trisomy 13: II. Psychomotor development

Developmental data were abstracted from medical records on 50 trisomy 18 individuals ranging in age from 1 to 232 months and 12 trisomy 13 individuals ranging in age from 1 to 130 months. Data on the age when trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 children achieved developmental skills were collected from a larger group of 62 trisomy 18 individuals and 14 trisomy 13 individuals whose families filled out parent questionnaires. Developmental quotient (DQ), defined as developmental age divided by chronological age, averaged 0.18 for trisomy 18 and 0.25 for trisomy 13. There was a dramatic drop in DQ from infancy to later childhood. The highest DQs and the greatest variation in DQs were in the first 2-3 years of life. Developmental ages in 7 skill areas were significantly different, with daily living and receptive language having the highest values and motor and communication skills having the lowest. When chronological age was taken into account, there was no significant difference in DQs in the same 7 skill areas, although there was a trend that was similar to the pattern of differences with developmental age. Older children could use a walker, understand words and phrases, use a few words and/or signs, crawl, follow simple commands, recognize and interact with others, and play independently. Walking and some toileting skills were also reported for trisomy 13. Although individuals with trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 were clearly functioning in the severe to profound developmentally handicapped range, they did achieve some psychomotor maturation and always continued to learn.
CATALYTIC SYNTHESIS OF HYDROCARBONS FROM CARBON MONOXIDE AND HYDROGEN

Abstract The increasing demand for energy, coupled with the uncertainty and expense of crude oil imports, has renewed interest in the production of fuels and chemicals from hydrogen-deficient materials. These energy sources such as coal, residua, oil shale, and tar sands can be gasified with steam and oxygen to produce a gas containing large quantities of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Once methane is removed from this CO/H2 mixture it is purified to remove S poisons and then reacted over a catalyst to produce a variety of organic products. The synthesis of hydrocarbon products, with the exception of methane, is commonly referred to as the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction.
When management gets serious about managing software

In FY 2002, JPL launched a lab-wide software quality improvement effort aimed at addressing the challenges of developing, managing and acquiring software in an engineering and scientific environment. The lab's senior management formed the software quality improvement (SQI) project in order to establish an ongoing operational effort that results in continuous, measurable improvement of software quality at JPL. After some study, the SQI project identified several factors that are critical for the successful and timely management and implementation of software-intensive systems. The initial focus of their efforts was the basic project management of software classified as mission-critical or mission support. The areas of emphasis selected were based on the CMMIreg model, and included software project planning, software project monitor and control, software acquisition management, software risk management, software requirements management, software quality assurance, software configuration management, and software measurement and analysis. The SQI project developed a broad range of products, services, and training to support managers and practitioners throughout the entire software development life-cycle. As products, services and training were developed, each one needed to be systematically deployed. Hence, the SQI project developed a deployment process that includes four aspects: infrastructure and operations, communication and outreach, education and training, and consulting support. In addition, the SQI project took a proactive approach to organizational change management and customer relationship management - both concepts and approaches not traditionally invoked in an engineering environment. This paper ' describes JPL's approach to improving how software is managed, developed and acquired. It discusses the various products, services and training that were developed, describes the deployment approach used, and concludes with several "lessons learned"
Advancing From Kumbaya to Radical Collaboration: Redefining the Future Research Library

ABSTACT The research library community has developed an effective program of multi-institutional cooperation during the last 50 years. Conditions in technology, economics, and expanding service requirements demand a more radical approach to collaboration. The 2CUL initiative illustrates key opportunities to set aside the traditional models of research library operations and respond to new roles and responsibilities.
Use of Alternative Medications in Patients with Neurologic Disorders

OBJECTIVE:To determine alternative medication use in a neurology clinic population and to predict patients likely to use alternative medications.DESIGN:Survey of 216 adults presenting to a university-affiliated neurology clinic.METHODS:Subjects were queried regarding diagnosis, medications, satisfaction with medications, alternative medications, and demographics. Alternative medications were defined as herbal therapies, holistic therapies, minerals, or vitamins other than multiple vitamins. Frequencies were tabulated for categorical data; means and standard deviations were calculated for continuous data. Logistic regression was performed to predict use of alternative therapies.RESULTS:The most frequent conditions seen in all subjects were headache, epilepsy, and stroke. Mean ratings of patients' satisfaction with their conventional medications and health were 6.8 ± 2.64 and 6.4 ± 2.23 on a 10-point scale, respectively. Forty subjects were taking alternative therapies. Regression analysis suggests that pat...
Investing in aquacultural wastewater techniques for improved water quality: A coastal community case study

As the cost of constructing and maintaining wastewater treatment plants increases, small communities are beginning to look towards possible alternatives to the existing energy intensive and cost prohibitive conventional treatment methods. This case study examines the economic feasibility of using aquaculture as a polishing treatment stage in the municipal wastewater treatment stabilization ponds in the coastal community of Damariscotta, Maine. Damariscotta has turned to stabilization ponds to handle their wastewater treatment and an abundance of the Zooplankton Daphnia has developed in these ponds. The objective of this study is to examine the economic potential of using this Daphnia for aquacultural purposes while simultaneously improving the quality of the treatment facility's effluent. Golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) is the fish species that is to be raised in these ponds. The costs of constructing the facility and the revenues generated through sale of the shiners are calculated in the economi...
Vascular endothelial growth factor modulates contractile response in microvascular lung pericytes

Abstract Background Pericytes are capillary support cells that may play a role in regulating permeability by their contractile responses. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may play a role in the increased permeability found in sepsis and other inflammatory conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of VEGF in regulating pericyte contraction. Methods Rat microvascular lung pericytes were isolated according to previously described methods and cultured on collagen gel matrices. Cells were exposed to VEGF (10, 100, and 1000 pg/mL) for varying time periods (0, 10, 30, 60, and 120 minutes). The gels were released and their contractile responses digitally quantified. Results At all doses, VEGF induced initial pericyte relaxation (contraction 85% to 90% of controls; P P Conclusions VEGF modifies the contractile response of microvascular lung pericytes. This mechanism may play a role in the increased permeability demonstrated in inflammatory states.
Factors associated with fecal incontinence in a nationally representative sample of diabetic women

Fecal incontinence (FI) is a debilitating condition that significantly affects quality of life, and has been associated with multiple risk factors. Our goal was to assess the prevalence of FI among diabetic women and evaluate factors associated with FI in this population. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2010 was used to evaluate women with diabetes mellitus and FI. FI was defined as involuntary loss of mucus, liquid, or solid stool at least monthly. Severity was evaluated using the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index. Potential risk factors associated with FI were explored with weighted chi-squared statistics. Variables associated with FI in multivariable logistic regression analysis are reported with odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI). Among 7,039 women, 13.6 % were diabetic, and 18.1 % of diabetic women reported FI compared to 8.4 % in the overall NHANES population (p < .001). In diabetic women, FI was associated with advancing age (OR 1.3, 95 % CI 1.1 – 1.5), depression (OR 2.0 95 % CI 0.9 – 4.5), poorer health status (OR 1.9, 95 % CI 1.2 – 3.1), urinary incontinence (OR 3.5, 95 % CI 2.1 – 5.9) and bowel movement frequency of ≥21/week (OR 4.9, 95 % CI 2.3 – 10.6) in a multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for race, education level, BMI, comorbidities, prior hysterectomy, and stool consistency. FI affects one in five diabetic women and is strongly associated with high bowel movement frequency, a possible important modifiable factor that should be investigated further in prospective studies.
Trust management in mobile ad hoc networks for bias minimization and application performance maximization

Abstract Trust management for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) has emerged as an active research area as evidenced by the proliferation of trust/reputation protocols to support mobile group based applications in recent years. In this paper we address the performance issue of trust management protocol design for MANETs in two important areas: trust bias minimization and application performance maximization. By means of a novel model-based approach to model the ground truth status of mobile nodes in MANETs as the basis for design validation, we identify and validate the best trust protocol settings under which trust bias is minimized and application performance is maximized. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach with an integrated social and quality-of-service (QoS) trust protocol (called SQTrust) with which we identify the best trust aggregation setting under which trust bias is minimized despite the presence of malicious nodes performing slandering attacks. Furthermore, using a mission-oriented mobile group utilizing SQTrust, we identity the best trust formation protocol setting under which the application performance in terms of the system reliability of the mission-oriented mobile group is maximized.
Public and Private Priorities in Managing Time in Genetic Research: The Icelandic deCode Case

This article addresses the perplexing instance of Iceland effectively extending a franchise in 1998—scientifically and fiscally—to deCode Genetics to archive the population's medical records, combine them with extensive genealogical records and ongoing genetic research, and use the information for research and commercial yield that is essentially the private provenance of deCode Genetics. After an overview of the special historical context of Iceland, which is paradoxically a principal value of the deCode enterprise and also the source of the acrimony over its progression, I consider how this case might exercise (and thereby extend) the reach of interactionist conceptions of time.
Human stem/progenitor cells from bone marrow promote neurogenesis of endogenous neural stem cells in the hippocampus of mice

Stem/progenitor cells from bone marrow and other sources have been shown to repair injured tissues by differentiating into tissue-specific phenotypes, by secreting chemokines, and, in part, by cell fusion. Here we prepared the stem/progenitor cells from human bone marrow (MSCs) and implanted athem into the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus of immunodeficient mice. The implanted human MSCs markedly increased the proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells that expressed the stem cell marker Sox2. Labeling of the mice with BrdUrd demonstrated that, 7 days after implantation of the human MSCs, BrdUrd-labeled endogenous cells migrated throughout the dorsal hippocampus (positive for doublecortin) and expressed markers for astrocytes and for neural or oligodendrocyte progenitors. Subpopulations of BrdUrd-labeled cells exhibited short cytoplasmic processes immunoreactive for nerve growth factor and VEGF. By 30 days after implantation, the newly generated cells expressed markers for more mature neurons and astrocytes. Also, subpopulations of BrdUrd-labeled cells exhibited elaborate processes immunoreactive for ciliary neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-4/5, nerve growth factor, or VEGF. Therefore, implantation of human MSCs stimulated proliferation, migration, and differentiation of the endogenous neural stem cells that survived as differentiated neural cells. The results provide a paradigm to explain recent observations in which MSCs or related stem/progenitor cells were found to produce improvements in disease models even though a limited number of the cells engrafted.
Orbital vibrator seismic source for simultaneous P- and S-wave crosswell acquisition

A recently developed borehole seismic source, the orbital vibrator, was successfully deployed in a crosswell survey in a fractured basalt aquifer. This seismic source uses a rotating eccentric mass to generate seismic energy. Source sweeps with clockwise and counter‐clockwise rotations are recorded at each source location. Because this source generates circularly polarized waves, unique processing algorithms are used to decompose the recordings into two equivalent linearly oscillating, orthogonally oriented seismic sources. The orbital vibrator therefore generates P‐ and S‐waves simultaneously for all azimuths. A coordinate rotation based on P‐wave particle motion is used to align the source components from various depths. In a field experiment, both P‐ and S‐wave arrivals were recorded using fluid‐coupled hydrophone sensors. The processed field data show clear separation of P‐ and S‐wave arrivals for in‐line and crossline source components, respectively. A tensor convolutional description of the decompos...
Efficacy and comparative effectiveness of sirolimus as an anticancer drug.

Objectives/Hypothesis: To evaluate antitumor efficacy of the generic mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor sirolimus in preclinical animal models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and compare its effects with those of the patented analogue temsirolimus. Study Design: In vivo study. Methods: To develop xenograft established tumor model (ETM) of HNSCC, FaDu cells were injected subcutaneously into nude mice. When tumors reached 50 to 60 mm3, mice were randomized into five groups and treated daily intraperitoneally with sirolimus at various doses for 5 days per week for 3 weeks. Tumor volumes were measured. The results were compared with historical data on temsirolimus effects. In the minimal residual disease (MRD) model, surgical wounds were created and FaDu cells implanted. After 72 hours, animals were randomized into two groups and were injected intraperitoneally with 0 or 5 mg/kg sirolimus for 5 days per week for 30 days. Results: In the ETM, sirolimus significantly inhibited tumor growth (P < .01), although there was no overall significant difference in tumor growth inhibition between sirolimus and temsirolimus. In the MRD model, sirolimus significantly suppressed growth of tumors (P < .001) and improved survival compared with controls (P < .01). There was a significant decrease in pS6 expression, indicating mTOR inhibition. Conclusions: In this study, we demonstrate that the generic mTOR inhibitor sirolimus shows potent antitumor activity in HNSCC and produces comparable effects to the patent drug temsirolimus. Sirolimus has the potential of serving as an economic and comparative targeted agent to temsirolimus in the treatment of HNSCC.
Demystifying Envelope Tracking: Use for High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers for 4G and Beyond

The efficiency of a radio-frequency (RF) power amplifier (PA) is generally defined as the ratio between the desired transmitted radio power and the total power from a power supply, which is rather low in average with modern high peak-to-average-powerratio (PAPR) signals, as illustrated in Figure 1(a). Consequently, a small improvement in the efficiency of the RF PA can have substantial benefits for a wireless system and cut the overall costs of system operations.
Cell wall targeting of laccase of Cryptococcus neoformans during infection of mice.

Laccase is a major virulence factor of the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, which afflicts both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. In the present study, laccase was expressed in C. neoformans lac1Δ cells as a fusion protein with an N-terminal green fluorescent protein (GFP) using C. neoformans codon usage. The fusion protein was robustly localized to the cell wall at physiological pH, but it was mislocalized at low pH. Structural analysis of the laccase identified a C-terminal region unique to C. neoformans, and expression studies showed that the region was required for efficient transport to the cell wall both in vitro and during infection of mouse lungs. During infection of mice, adherence to alveolar macrophages was also associated with a partial mislocalization of GFP-laccase within cytosolic vesicles. In addition, recovery of cryptococcal cells from lungs of two strains of mice (CBA/J and Swiss Albino) later in infection was also associated with cytosolic mislocalization, but cells from the brain showed almost exclusive localization to cell walls, suggesting that there was more efficient cell wall targeting during infection of the brain. These data suggest that host cell antifungal defenses may reduce effective cell wall targeting of laccase during infection of the lung but not during infection of the brain, which may contribute to a more predominant role for the enzyme during infection of the brain.
A channelized Hotelling observer study comparing cone-beam, fan-beam and parallel-hole collimation in /sup 99m/Tc-sestamibi myocardial SPECT with a heterogeneous phantom population

This study compared parallel-hole (PH), fan-beam (FB) and cone-beam (CB) collimation acquisition methods for myocardial perfusion, 99mTc-sestamibi myocardial SPECT imaging. For the task of myocardial defect detection, the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) was used to compute the area under the ROC curve (AUC) in simulated SPECT images acquired using one of the following 5 single-detector acquisition methods: parallel-hole with 360deg acquisition (PH360), parallel-hole with 180deg acquisition (PH180), fan-beam with 360deg acquisition (FB360), fan-beam with 225deg acquisition (FB225), or cone-beam with 360deg acquisition (CB360). Unlike previous studies comparing PH, FB and CB, this study simulated a population of phantoms with variations in anatomy, defects and 99mTc-sestamibi uptake, as seen in actual cardiac SPECT patient images. Monte Carlo simulations were used to generate low noise projection data. Data were scaled to the same total scan time and to clinical count levels before adding Poisson noise. They were reconstructed using iterative OSEM with attenuation correction at various parameter settings. A single short axis (SA) slice was extracted, low-pass filtered at various cutoff frequencies and then rescaled to integer pixel values ranging from 0-255. For each acquisition method, OSEM parameter setting and filter cutoff, the AUC was estimated from 720 images. At the optimum parameter settings, the CB360 method yielded the highest AUC, followed by FB360, FB225, PH180 and PH360. The difference in AUC between the CB360 method and the other methods was statistically significant (p<0.05)
Female ornamentation in Malurus fairy-wrens: a hidden evolutionary gem for understanding female perspectives on social and sexual selection

Phylogeny, ecological environment, social organisation, and mating system are expected to affect degree of female ornamentation, either directly or indirectly, but our understanding of how female ornaments respond to these forces remains incomplete. This article evaluates the evolutionary history and adaptive significance of three putative ornaments – plumage colouration, bill colouration and tail-length – in female fairy-wrens. Despite considerable research on these traits in male fairy-wrens, they have yet to be studied in any detail in females. Phylogeographic analyses in combination with life-history data suggest that female plumage colouration and bill colouration are under active selection, independent of that experienced by males. Social organisation and mating system, as mediated by ecological environment, may shape degree of ornamentation in these traits among females. In contrast, tail-length appears to be driven directly by natural ecological selection imposed by environmental conditions, leading to parallel trait evolution among the sexes within each species. More refined comparative and population-level investigations of adaptive consequences and proximate mechanisms are future research priorities. The study of female fairy-wrens holds great promise to advance our collective understanding of how the ecological environment interacts with sexual selection and social competition to shape ornament evolution in complex social organisms.
Scheffersomyces parashehatae f.a., sp. nov., Scheffersomyces xylosifermentans f.a., sp. nov., Candida broadrunensis sp. nov. and Candida manassasensis sp. nov., novel yeasts associated with wood-ingesting insects, and their ecological and biofuel implications.

During a survey of yeasts associated with wood-ingesting insects, 69 strains in the Scheffersomyces clade and related taxa were isolated from passalid and tenebrionid beetles and the decayed wood inhabited by them. The majority of these yeasts was found to be capable of fermenting xylose, and was recognized as Scheffersomyces stipitis or its close relative Scheffersomyces illinoinensis, which are known to be associated with wood-decaying beetles and rotten wood. Yeasts in ‘Scheffersomyces’ ( = Candida) ergatensis and ‘Scheffersomyces’ ( = Candida) coipomoensis were also frequently isolated. The remaining six strains were identified as representing four novel species in the genera Scheffersomyces and Candida based on multilocus sequence analyses of nuclear rRNA genes and four protein-coding genes, as well as other taxonomic characteristics. Two xylose-fermenting species, Scheffersomyces parashehatae f.a., sp. nov. (type strain ATCC MYA-4653T = CBS 12535T = EH045T; MycoBank MB805440) and Scheffersomyces xylosifermentans f.a., sp. nov. (type strain ATCC MYA-4859T = CBS 12540T = MY10-052T; MycoBank MB805441), formed a clade with Scheffersomyces shehatae and related Scheffersomyces species. Interestingly, S. xylosifermentans can survive at 40 °C, which is a rare property among xylose-fermenting yeasts. Candida broadrunensis sp. nov. (type strain ATCC MYA-4650T = CBS 11838T = EH019T; MycoBank MB805442) is a sister taxon of C. ergatensis, while Candida manassasensis sp. nov. (type strain ATCC MYA-4652T = CBS 12534T = EH030T; MycoBank MB805443) is closely related to Candida palmioleophila in the Candida glaebosa clade. The multilocus DNA sequence comparisons in this study suggest that the genus Scheffersomyces needs to be circumscribed to the species near S. stipitis (type species) and S. shehatae that can be characterized by the ability to ferment xylose.
Efficacy of Plastic Mesh Tubes in Reducing Herbivory Damage by the Invasive Nutria (Myocastor coypus) in an Urban Restoration Site

The restoration of stream corridors is becoming an increasingly important component of urban landscape planning, and the high cost of these projects necessitates the need to understand and address potential ecological obstacles to project success. The nutria (Myocastor coypus) is an invasive, semi-aquatic rodent native to South America that causes detrimental ecological impacts in riparian and wetland habitats throughout its introduced range, and techniques are needed to reduce nutria herbivory damage to urban stream restoration projects. We assessed the efficacy of standard Vexar® plastic mesh tubes in reducing nutria herbivory damage to newly established woody plants. The study was conducted in winter-spring 2009 at Delta Ponds, a 60-ha urban waterway in Eugene, Oregon. Woody plants protected by Vexar® tubes demonstrated 100% survival over the 3-month initial establishment period, while only 17% of unprotected plantings survived. Nutria demonstrated a preference for black cottonwood (Populus balsamifera ssp trichocarpa) over red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) and willow (Salix spp). Camera surveillance showed that nutria were more active in unprotected rather than protected treatments. Our results suggest that Vexar® plastic mesh tubing can be an effective short-term herbivory mitigation tool when habitat use by nutria is low. Additionally, planting functionally equivalent woody plant species that are less preferred by nutria, and other herbivores, may be another method for reducing herbivory and improving revegetation success. This study highlights the need to address potential wildlife damage conflicts in the planning process for stream restoration in urban landscapes.
A computational relationship between thalamic sensory neural responses and contrast perception

Uncovering the relationship between sensory neural responses and perceptual decisions remains a fundamental problem in neuroscience. Decades of experimental and modeling work in the sensory cortex have demonstrated that a perceptual decision pool is usually composed of tens to hundreds of neurons, the responses of which are significantly correlated not only with each other, but also with the behavioral choices of an animal. Few studies, however, have measured neural activity in the sensory thalamus of awake, behaving animals. Therefore, it remains unclear how many thalamic neurons are recruited and how the information from these neurons is pooled at subsequent cortical stages to form a perceptual decision. In a previous study we measured neural activity in the macaque lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) during a two alternative forced choice (2AFC) contrast detection task, and found that single LGN neurons were significantly correlated with the monkeys’ behavioral choices, despite their relatively poor contrast sensitivity and a lack of overall interneuronal correlations. We have now computationally tested a number of specific hypotheses relating these measured LGN neural responses to the contrast detection behavior of the animals. We modeled the perceptual decisions with different numbers of neurons and using a variety of pooling / readout strategies, and found that the most successful model consisted of about 50-200 LGN neurons, with individual neurons weighted differentially according to their signal-to-noise ratios (quantified as d-primes). These results supported the hypothesis that in contrast detection the perceptual decision pool consists of multiple thalamic neurons, and that the response fluctuations in these neurons can influence contrast perception, with the more sensitive thalamic neurons likely to exert a greater influence.
A unique mechanism of desensitization to lipolysis mediated by β3-adrenoceptor in rats with thermal injury

Thermal injury causes a hypermetabolic state associated with increased levels of catabolic hormones, but the molecular bases for the metabolic abnormalities are poorly understood. We investigated t...
An Upwind Moment Scheme for Conservation Laws

A new piecewise linear scheme called upwind moment scheme is presented. Similar to the standard upwind scheme, the cell average values are updated by using a linear function in each cell, a march to the half time level by a Taylor series expansion, and a flux calculation that takes into account the wind direction. The slopes, however, are updated by evaluating the moment about the cell center in a manner similar to that of the discontinuous Galerkin method. The resulting scheme is third-order accurate in both space and time; in addition, the leading error, which is a dissipative error, is only 1/9 that of the standard piecewise-parabolic upwind method.
Semi-Supervised Answer Extraction from Discussion Forums

Mining online discussions to extract answers is an important research problem. Methods proposed in the past used supervised classifiers trained on labeled data. But, collecting training data for each target forum is labor intensive and time consuming, thus limiting their deployment. A recent approach had proposed to extract answers in an unsupervised manner, by taking cues from their repetitions. This assumption however, does not hold true in many cases. In this paper, we propose two semi-supervised methods for extracting answers from discussions, which utilize the large amount of unlabeled data available, alongside a very small training set to obtain improved accuracies. We show that it is possible to boost the performance by introducing a related, but parallel task of identifying acknowledgments to the answers. The accuracy achieved by our approaches surpass the baselines by a wide margin, as shown by our experiments.
Abstract 313: Perinatal Growth Restriction Decreases Hepatic RNA Editing of Apolipoprotein B in Male Rat Offspring

Introduction: Individuals born with intrauterine growth restriction develop cardiovascular disease. We employed hepatic microarray-based expression profiling of male rat offspring born to mothers subjected to combined intrauterine and postnatal calorie restriction (IPCR) as a discovery driven experiment to interrogate intrauterine growth restriction. These studies identified that the expression of Apobec1 and Apobec1 complementation factor (A1CF), genes known to edit apolipoprotein B (ApoB) mRNA through the epigenetic process of cytosine deamination, are decreased in IPCR. Editing of ApoB mRNA at position 666 changes the ribonucleotide base from a cytosine to a uracil (U) and controls the production of ApoB100 and ApoB48 lipoproteins. Hypothesis: IPCR decreases hepatic ApoB mRNA editing in male offspring through transcriptional regulation of Apobec1 and A1CF. Methods: Pyrosequencing designed to interrogate ApoB mRNA editing was used to quantify hepatic ApoB100 and ApoB48 transcripts in an experiment emplo...
Spin-Nematic Squeezing, Non-Gaussian States, and Dynamical Stabilization of a Quantum Spin System

Non-equilibrium spin-1 condensates are created by quenching through a quantum phase transition. Subsequent evolution generates 10 dB of spin-nematic squeezing and highly non-Gaussian states. Additionally, we demonstrate dynamical stabilization of the spin dynamics.
Confinement and surface effects of aqueous solutions within charged carbon nanotubes

We have examined the structure of water and aqueous solutions in carbon nanotubes using molecular dynamics simulations. We find confinement changes the structure of water as well as the interactions between ions and their solvation shells. The density and orientation of water at the nanotube walls are strongly dependent on the surface charge and cations/anions present at the interfaces. Decreasing the nanotube diameter alters the ion hydration properties as well as hydrogen bonding structure and formation dynamics. The results indicate that fluid structure and hydrogen bond characteristics in nano-channels can be tuned through modification of tube charge and with ion selection.
Effects of non-tectonic crustal deformation on continuous GPS position time series and correction to them

A crustal deformation field observed by GPS usually includes both tectonic and non-tectonic deformation signals, and it is vitally important to remove the non-tectonic deformation signals from the data in order to effectively use GPS observations to study tectonic deformation. Using the Earth satellite data and geophysical models, we calculate non-tectonic crustal deformation caused by ocean tide loading, atmospheric mass loading, snow and soil moisture mass loading, and non-tidal ocean mass loading. Based on the quantitative analyses, the effects of non-tectonic crustal deformation on the position time series of GPS fiducial stations from the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China are studied and corrected. Our study shows that these effects on the vertical components of station positions are remarkable, especially those resulted from the atmospheric mass loading and snow and soil moisture mass loading. Using these models to correct for the non-tectonic deformation, we have reduced the RMS of the station vertical position by about 1 mm, which is about 11% of the total RMS. The amplitudes of annual vertical position variations are also reduced by about 37%. Moreover, we find that the position time series corrected using geophysical models followed by an empirical fitting of annual and semi_annual variations are smoother than that corrected using the empirical fitting of annual and semi_annual variations only, indicating that geophysical model corrections can not be substituted by pure empirical fitting in removing the non_tectonic deformation effects.
Determination of P-phenylenediamine in the Air of Workplace by Capillary Gas Chromatography

Objective To establish a method to determine p-phenylenediamine in the air of workplace by capillary gas chromatography.Methods The p-phenylenediamine in the air of workplace was sampled with silica gel tubes and eluted with ethanol,separated by SE-54 capillary column and determined by gas chromatography under the optimal instrument conditions.The experimental study was carried out according to the requirements of Methods for Determination of Chemical Substances in the Air of Workplace.Results p-Phenylenediamine showed good linearity at the range of 0-1 120 μg/ml(r=0.999 6).The limit of detection was 0.39 μg/ml(s/n=3;injection volume,1 μl) and the detectable concentrition of sample was 0.13 mg/ m3(3L of air sample).Samples of high,middle and low concentrations were re-determined for 6 times and the RSD was 0.0%-0.45% with the desorption efficiency at the range of 95.2% to 96.4%.Benzene,methylbenzene,xylene,acetone,diphenylamine,phenylamine,o-phenylenediamine,m-phenylenediamine,diphenyl and triethylamine,which may coexist with p-phenylenediamine in the air of workplace,had no interference on the determination.Conclusion The method has the advantages of simple operation,rapid performance,high sensitivity and low detection limit,and coexisting substances have no interfering influence on the determination,so it is suitable to determine the p-phenylenediamine in the air of workplace.
An Approach to Groin Hernia

Fascia and aponeuroses are dynamic, metabolically active structures characterized by an ongoing balance of collagen synthesis and enzymatic lysis. Basic concepts concerning the pathogenesis and repair of groin hernias revolve about this essential point.
Prologue to the Crisis: 2000–2006

This chapter and Chapter 5 investigate the performance of both the real sector and the financial sector of the US economy over the course of the first 11 years of the twenty-first century. The objective is to understand, through both narrative and empirical evidence, the many developments that took place before, during, and after the financial crisis. This sets the stage for the wider objective of the book, which is to evaluate crisis theories in the light of recent experience.
Personal Values and the Salesperson’s Performance: A Theoretical Perspective

This paper provides a theoretical framework for using personal values as a major construct in explaining salesperson’s performance. It suggests that the salesperson’s value system serves as a framework for choosing among alternative modes of behavior and end-states. Individual differences in the salience of the salesperson's value structures account for differences in motivation to carry out a particular sales behavior.
Environmentally Induced Alterations in the Epigenome Affecting Obesity and Cancer in Minority Populations

The obesity epidemic of the last 30–40 years is may be linked to increased environmental chemical exposures with endocrine disrupting potential. The increases in obesity prevalence and severity coincide with increases in several adenocarcinomas at a time when cancer incidence has been generally declining, with disproportionate effects in different ethnic groups. Despite demonstrated associations between such exposures with obesity, and obesity with these cancers, an association between exposure to these environmental chemicals and adenocarcinomas has been difficult to demonstrate in part due to limits in exposure assessment. Exposure to these compounds elicits stable epigenetic responses; thus, if these alterations to the epigenome can be fully characterized, they can be exploited to improve exposure ascertainment. We summarize in this chapter evidence for the influence of environmental exposures on obesity and how epigenetic alterations may contribute to cancers that disproportionately affect minority populations exhibit disparities in incidence and mortality.
Development of a Hardware-in-the-loop Framework with Modelica for Energy Efficient Buildings: Poster Abstract

This poster details a development of a real-time Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed for analysis of advanced and intelligent building control strategies using a real-time emulator with actual Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) local controllers. Models running on this real-time emulator are created using a non-proprietary, object-oriented, equation based language, namely, Modelica. A real-time HIL study of single maximum control logic for a Variable Air Volume (VAV) box in a single thermal zone is presented.
The Three Variants of Peter

Alexei Tolstoi was indeed enigmatic. Shifting ideological positions frequently, he gives one cause to ask: “Was this a sincere patriot, ever determined to support the policy most beneficial to the interests of his country, or a cunning opportunist protecting his personal position of wealth and power?”
A ferromagnetic surgical system reduces phrenic nerve injury in redo congenital cardiac surgery.

A ferromagnetic surgical system (FMwand®) is a new type of dissection device expected to reduce the risk of adjacent tissue damage. We reviewed 426 congenital cardiac operations with cardiopulmonary bypass through redo sternotomy to assess if this device prevented phrenic nerve injury. The ferromagnetic surgical system was used in 203 operations (47.7%) with regular electrocautery and scissors. The preoperative and operative details were similar between the operations with or without the ferromagnetic surgical system. The incidence of phrenic nerve injury was significantly lower with the ferromagnetic surgical system (0% vs 2.7%, P = 0.031). A logistic regression model showed that the use of the ferromagnetic surgical system was significantly associated with reduced odds of phrenic nerve injury (P < 0.001).
Role of Long-Acting Muscarinic Antagonist/Long-Acting β2-Agonist Therapy in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease:

Objective: To compare the available literature regarding the use of long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA)/long-acting β2 agonists (LABA) and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/LABA combination inhaler therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) maintenance therapy management. Data Sources: A MEDLINE literature search from database inception to February 2017 was conducted using the search terms chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, adrenergic beta-agonist, muscarinic antagonist, and inhaled corticosteroid. References from extracted sources were further searched for any relevant, missed data sources. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All English-language randomized-controlled trials comparing LAMA/LABA and ICS/LABA combination inhaler therapy were evaluated. Data Synthesis: A total of 10 randomized controlled trials have reviewed the use of LAMA/LABA compared with ICS/LABA therapy for COPD maintenance therapy. Results of clinical trials that evaluated LAMA/LABA and ICS/LABA maintenance therapy ...
Non-invasive vascular resistance monitoring with a piezoelectric sensor and photoplethysmogram

Abstract Peripheral vascular resistance is known to be a key indicator of the body’s efforts to compensate for cardiovascular stresses, but remains very difficult to assess with existing technology. In this work, changes in vascular tone are estimated non-invasively by observing variation in response of a photoplethysmogram and a novel piezoelectric cardiovascular sensor. A simple model of the piezoelectric sensor and underlying artery and tissue is derived to capture trends in relative amplitude and hysteresis between the two sensors, and metrics for estimating vascular resistance based on these trends are proposed. Vascular resistance tracking results are demonstrated to show strong correlation with invasively-measured systemic vascular resistance in swine subjects.
Enrollment Challenges in Critical Care Nursing Research.

Background Enrollment challenges for critical care research are common. Contributing factors include short enrollment windows, the crisis nature of critical illness, lack of research staff, unavailable legal proxy, family dynamics, and language barriers. Objective To describe enrollment statistics for an ongoing critical care nursing trial, barriers to recruitment, and strategies to enhance enrollment. Methods Two years' worth of recruitment and enrollment data from an oral care intervention trial in critically ill adults receiving mechanical ventilation at 1 hospital were analyzed. Recruitment logs include number of patients screened, eligible, enrolled, and declined and patients' sex, race, and ethnicity. Results Target enrollment (15.5 patients per month) was based on experience and historical data. Strategies implemented to promote enrollment included providing study personnel at least 18 hours per day for 7 days per week, regular rounds, communication with direct care staff, and Spanish consent processes. In 2 years, 6963 patients were screened; 1551 (22%) were eligible. Consent was sought from 366 (24% of eligible patients). Enrollment averaged 13.3 patients per month (86% of projected target). The main factor impeding enrollment was unavailability of a legal proxy to provide consent (88%). The refusal rates of white (11%), black (13%), and Hispanic (16%) patients did not differ significantly. However, those classified as Asian or as more than 1 race declined significantly more often (35%) than did white or black patients (P = .02). Conclusions Unavailability of a legal proxy within a short enrollment window was the major challenge to enrollment. Various factors influenced consent decisions. Clinical study design requires more conservative estimates.
Revisiting Expectations in an Era of Precision Oncology

As we enter an era of precision medicine and targeted therapies in the treatment of metastatic cancer, we face new challenges for patients and providers alike as we establish clear guidelines, regulations, and strategies for implementation. At the crux of this challenge is the fact that patients with advanced cancer may have disproportionate expectations of personal benefit when participating in clinical trials designed to generate generalizable knowledge. Patient and physician goals of treatment may not align, and reconciliation of their disparate perceptions must be addressed. However, it is particularly challenging to manage a patient's expectations when the goal of precision medicine-personalized response-exacerbates our inability to predict outcomes for any individual patient. The precision medicine informed consent process must therefore directly address this issue. We are challenged to honestly, clearly, and compassionately engage a patient population in an informed consent process that is responsive to their vulnerability, as well as ever-evolving indications and evidence. This era requires a continual reassessment of expectations and goals from both sides of the bed.
The Social Good Organization

At the time of writing this, I have been volunteering for a group called “Not Impossible Labs” for about five years, and thanks to this group, I have one of my favorite professional titles: they call me their “Chief Mad Scientist”. Beyond their penchant for bestowing ridiculous work titles, I also enjoy working with Not Impossible because they have managed to significantly impact various aspects of HealthTech in their short lifespan as a company, despite not being a traditional HealthTech company. Not Impossible is the brain child of Mick Ebeling and Elliot Kotek.
Tribological study of imidazolium and phosphonium ionic liquid-based lubricants as additives in carboxylic acid-based natural oil: Advancements in environmentally friendly lubricants

Abstract This paper highlights the potential of a new family of environmentally sustainable, functional bio-lubricants called room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). In this investigation, a tribometer was utilized to carry out friction and wear experiments under ambient conditions to investigate the use of imidazolium and phosphonium-based RTIL's. The study investigated the tribological functionality of RTIL's as additives in plant-based avocado oil and as green sustainable fluids. The use of RTIL as additives in natural oil revealed that a higher percentage mix of RTILs can linearly improve the tribological performance. It was found that, depending on the type and percentage mix of RTIL with avocado oil, the coefficient of friction (COF) could be reduced by as much as 68.88% and the wear volume could be reduced by 73.37%. The RTILs were able to reduce the COF and wear volume not only when used as additives but also when used as base lubricating fluids. It was found that this was a result of the more resilient carboxylate acid-based monolayers that influenced the boundary lubrication regime. The present study details the influence of RTILs as additives, and the role of additive concentration in controlling the tribological performance to aid cleaner production research. Further, the study discusses their future as sustainable lubricants, and their underlying lubrication mechanisms.
Coronary microvascular dysfunction and future risk of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Aims Coronary microvascular ischaemia, cardiomyocyte injury and stiffness may play an important role in the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). To date, the relationship between coronary flow reserve (CFR), myocardial injury, diastolic dysfunction, and future HFpEF risk is unknown. Methods and results Consecutive patients (n = 201) undergoing evaluation for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) with stress myocardial perfusion positron emission tomography, serum troponin, and transthoracic echocardiography who did not have flow-limiting CAD or reduced left ventricular ejection fraction were identified. Patients were followed up (median 4.1 years) for cardiovascular death and hospitalization for non-fatal myocardial infarction or heart failure. Coronary flow reserve was quantified as stress/rest myocardial blood flow. Early diastolic flow (E) and relaxation (e') velocities were obtained via transmitral and tissue Doppler, respectively. Patients with impaired CFR ( 15, adjusted OR 2.58, 95%CI 1.22-5.48) and composite cardiovascular outcomes or HFpEF hospitalization alone (adjusted HR 2.47, 95%CI 1.09-5.62). Patients with both impaired CFR and diastolic dysfunction demonstrated >five-fold increased risk of HFpEF hospitalization (P < 0.001). Conclusion In symptomatic patients without overt CAD, impaired CFR was independently associated with diastolic dysfunction and adverse events, especially HFpEF hospitalization. The presence of both coronary microvascular and diastolic dysfunctions was associated with a markedly increased risk of HFpEF events.