cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Asymmetric Wettability of Nanostructures Directs Leidenfrost Droplets

Leidenfrost phenomena on nano- and microstructured surfaces are of great importance for increasing control over heat transfer in high power density systems utilizing boiling phenomena. They also provide an elegant means to direct droplet motion in a variety of recently emerging fluidic systems. Here, we report the fabrication and characterization of tilted nanopillar arrays (TNPAs) that exhibit directional Leidenfrost water droplets under dynamic conditions, namely on impact with Weber numbers ≥40 at T ≥ 325 °C. The directionality for these droplets is opposite to the direction previously exhibited by macro- and microscale Leidenfrost ratchets where movement against the tilt of the ratchet was observed. The batch fabrication of the TNPAs was achieved by glancing-angle anisotropic reactive ion etching of a thermally dewet platinum mask, with mean pillar diameters of 100 nm and heights of 200–500 nm. In contrast to previously implemented macro- and microscopic Leidenfrost ratchets, our TNPAs induce no prefe...
Simulation of a charge-density-wave transition in a quasi-one-dimensional system

A numerical simulation of a quasi-one-dimensional electron system is used to explore the manner in which charge-density-wave correlations develop as the temperature is lowered. The structure factor, order parameter, and specific heat are determined and studied as functions of the intra- and interchain interactions.
Antarctic icequakes triggered by the 2010 Maule earthquake in Chile

Large earthquakes can trigger seismicity in remote regions. Analysis of seismic data from Antarctica reveals ice quakes coincident with passing seismic waves from the 2010 Chile earthquake, suggesting that the ice sheet is sensitive to such triggers.
Single vs. Multiple Sets of Resistance Exercise for Muscle Hypertrophy: A Meta-Analysis

Previous meta-analyses have compared the effects of single to multiple sets on strength, but analyses on muscle hypertrophy are lacking. The purpose of this study was to use multilevel meta-regression to compare the effects of single and multiple sets per exercise on muscle hypertrophy. The analysis comprised 55 effect sizes (ESs), nested within 19 treatment groups and 8 studies. Multiple sets were associated with a larger ES than a single set (difference = 0.10 +/- 0.04; confidence interval [CI]: 0.02, 0.19; p = 0.016). In a dose-response model, there was a trend for 2-3 sets per exercise to be associated with a greater ES than 1 set (difference = 0.09 +/- 0.05; CI: -0.02, 0.20; p = 0.09), and a trend for 4-6 sets per exercise to be associated with a greater ES than 1 set (difference = 0.20 +/- 0.11; CI: -0.04, 0.43; p = 0.096). Both of these trends were significant when considering permutation test p values (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference between 2-3 sets per exercise and 4-6 sets per exercise (difference = 0.10 +/- 0.10; CI: -0.09, 0.30; p = 0.29). There was a tendency for increasing ESs for an increasing number of sets (0.24 for 1 set, 0.34 for 2-3 sets, and 0.44 for 4-6 sets). Sensitivity analysis revealed no highly influential studies that affected the magnitude of the observed differences, but one study did slightly influence the level of significance and CI width. No evidence of publication bias was observed. In conclusion, multiple sets are associated with 40% greater hypertrophy-related ESs than 1 set, in both trained and untrained subjects.
Guided Quaternary Reaching Method for Wavelet-based Image Compression

Summary form only given. In this paper, a simple - easy to understand, easy to implement - high performance wavelet-based image compression algorithm using guided quaternary reaching (GQR) method is proposed. Compared with JPEG2000, GQR algorithm has two remarkable merits: 1). much lower algorithmic complexity and 2). higher compression efficiency In a wavelet-based image compression system, wavelet coefficients are rearranged into hierarchical subbands. By nature, image signals are 2-dimensional and hence the significance of wavelet coefficients are 2-dimensionally distributed within each subband. After quantization, most coefficients become small integers or zeros. To a relatively large threshold, the whole scenery sees that significant coefficients sparsely and 2-dimensionally disperse in a wide tract of insignificant coefficients. Therefore, linear scan patterns inevitably cause losses in compression efficiency.
Overexpression of Human Superoxide Dismutase Inhibits Oxidation of Low-Density Lipoprotein by Endothelial Cells

Oxidation of LDL in the subendothelial space has been proposed to play a key role in atherosclerosis. Endothelial cells produce superoxide anions (O2.-) and oxidize LDL in vitro; however, the role of O2.- in endothelial cell-induced LDL oxidation is unclear. Incubation of human LDL (200 microg/mL) with bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) for 18 hours resulted in a 4-fold increase in LDL oxidation compared with cell-free incubation (22.5+/-1.1 versus 6.3+/-0.2 [mean+/-SEM] nmol malondialdehyde/mg LDL protein, respectively; P<0.05). Under similar conditions, incubation of LDL with porcine aortic endothelial cells resulted in a 5-fold increase in LDL oxidation. Inclusion of exogenous copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/ZnSOD, 100 microg/mL) in the medium reduced BAEC-induced LDL oxidation by 79%. To determine whether the intracellular SOD content can have a similar protective effect, BAECs were infected with adenoviral vectors containing cDNA for human Cu/ZnSOD (AdCu/ZnSOD) or manganese SOD (AdMnSOD). Adenoviral infection increased the content and activity of either Cu/ZnSOD or MnSOD in the cells and reduced cellular O2.- release by two thirds. When cells infected with AdCu/ZnSOD or AdMnSOD were incubated with LDL, formation of malondialdehyde was decreased by 77% and 32%, respectively. Two other indices of LDL oxidation, formation of conjugated dienes and increased LDL electrophoretic mobility, were similarly reduced by SOD transduction. These data suggest that production of O2.- contributes to endothelial cell-induced oxidation of LDL in vitro. Furthermore, adenovirus-mediated transfer of cDNA for human SOD, particularly Cu/ZnSOD, effectively reduces oxidation of LDL by endothelial cells.
Targeting peptides with an iron-based oxidant: cleavage of the amino acid backbone and oxidation of side chains.

The oxidation of protected amino acids using an iron-based oxidant is described. Substrates of the general formula Ac-X-NHtBu, where X = Gly (1), Ala (2), Val (3), Phe (4), Tyr (5), Trp (6), and Met (7) were constructed to model individual amino acid residues within a polypeptide chain. Oxidation of 1 by the iron catalyst [FeII(N4Py)(MeCN)](ClO4)2 (8) and KHSO5 leads to scission of the amino acid backbone and produces N-acetylformamide as the major product. Decomposition of the iron-based oxidant [FeIV(O)(N4Py)]2+, derived from 8, is slower in the presence of 2,2-d2-1 (96% D) than with 1, giving a kinetic isotope effect of 4.8, which is consistent with [FeIV(O)(N4Py)]2+ cleaving an α-CH bond of 1. Aliphatic amino acid substrates 2 and 3 do not react with [FeIV(O)(N4Py)]2+ under the same conditions used with 1. With substrates 4−7 oxidation of the amino acid side chain is observed. Decomposition of [FeIV(O)(N4Py)]2+ upon treatment with 10 equiv of 1 and 4−7 revealed that 5 is the most reactive toward the F...
Challenges and Resilience in the Lives of Adults with Sickle Cell Disease

This qualitative study focused on the experiences of adults living with sickle cell disease (SCD) in the New York City area. Twenty-three individuals participated in one of three focus groups. The purpose of this study was to learn if appropriate health care for individuals with sickle cell disease, based on years of research, has been implemented. The findings indicate that best practices in the treatment of SCD are often not followed by medical personnel. Critical race theory provides a framework to understand the 10 emergent themes. The participants' responses illustrate resilience in facing adversity. Implications for social work practice are presented.
Prevalence and mechanisms of mitral regurgitation in the absence of intrinsic abnormalities of the mitral leaflets

Abstract Two hundred nineteen consecutive patients referred for echocardiography were analyzed to determine the occurrence of mitral regurgitation (MR) in the absence of intrinsic abnormalities of the mitral leaflets. MR was assessed by means of the pulsed-Doppler technique. There was a higher incidence of MR associated with absence of mitral leaflet abnormalities compared to the presence of these abnormalities (59% vs 41%, p p
Logical consequence: A defense of Tarski

In his classic 1936 essay “On the Concept of Logical Consequence”, Alfred Tarski used the notion of satisfaction to give a semantic characterization of the logical properties. Tarski is generally credited with introducing the model-theoretic characterization of the logical properties familiar to us today. However, in his book, The Concept of Logical Consequence, Etchemendy argues that Tarski's account is inadequate for quite a number of reasons, and is actually incompatible with the standard model-theoretic account. Many of his criticisms are meant to apply to the model-theoretic account as well.
Infrared activity of photoexcitations in polythiophene

Abstract A careful measurement of the photoinduced infrared absorption of polythiophene is reported. The observation of new spectral features below the noise level of previous doping and photogeneration experiments provides evidence for weakly infrared active bipolaron shape oscillations predicted by recent calculations based on the continuum model for conjugated polymers. In addition, four new photoinduced absorptions, not described by existing theories for defect vibrations, demonstrate the coupling of photogenerated charged nonlinear excitations to ring vibrations of the aromatic thiophene monomer.
Fg-STP: Fine-Grain Single Thread Partitioning on Multicores

Power and complexity issues have led the microprocessor industry to shift to Chip Multiprocessors in order to be able to better utilize the additional transistors ensured by Moore's law. While parallel programs are going to be able to take most of the advantage of these CMPs, single thread applications are not equipped to benefit from them. In this paper we propose Fine-Grain Single-Thread Partitioning (Fg-STP), a hardware-only scheme that takes advantage of CMP designs to speedup single-threaded applications. Our proposal improves single thread performance by reconfiguring two cores with the aim of collaborating on the fetching and execution of the instructions. These cores are basically conventional out-of-order cores in which execution is orchestrated using a dedicated hardware that has minimum and localized impact on the original design of the cores. This approach partitions the code at instruction granularity and differs from previous proposals on the extensive use of dependence speculation, replication and communication. These features are combined with the ability to look for parallelism on large instruction windows without any software intervention (no re-compilation or profiling hints are needed). These characteristics allow Fg-STP to speedup single thread by 18% and 7% on average over similar hardware-only approaches like Core Fusion, on medium sized and small sized 2-core CMP respectively for Spec 2006 benchmarks.
Executive Function, Coping, and Behavior in Survivors of Childhood Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

Objective To examine the role of executive function in coping and behavioral outcomes in childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) survivors. Methods We examined associations among several domains of executive function (working memory, behavioral inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and self-monitoring), coping, and emotional/behavioral problems in 30 children and adolescents ages 10- to 20-years old who completed treatment for ALL and 30 healthy controls matched on age and sex. Results We found partial support for our hypothesis that performance on executive function measures is associated with strategies used to cope with stress, and emotional and behavioral problems in ALL survivors. Conclusions Findings suggest that executive function impairment may be associated with difficulties in coping and emotion regulation in a subgroup of children treated for ALL. Directions for future research on executive function deficits and coping skills in survivors of pediatric ALL are suggested.
Comparing Apples to Apples or Apples to Oranges: The Role of Mental Representation in Choice Difficulty:

Contrary to the general view that decision difficulty is a stable characteristic of specific choice sets, the authors propose that decision difficulty depends on how the choice set is mentally represented. Comparing the difficulty associated with comparable and noncomparable choice sets, the authors find that changes in mental representation can make the same choice feel more or less difficult. They propose that the representation level influences the type of decision criterion that becomes readily available; whether this available criterion is appropriate for comparing the options in turn affects choice difficulty. Four studies demonstrate the proposed effect of representation level on the difficulty of comparable and noncomparable choices and its downstream implications for decision satisfaction.
BEHAVIOR OF FIBER GLASS REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS

This investigation deals with the behavior of fiber glass-reinforced beams with varying percentages of reinforcement. Conventional beams having similar percentages of steel reinforcement are used as control beams. The feasibility of the use of short, randomly oriented wires to improve concrete qualities when incorporated with fiber glass tensile reinforcement is also investigated. Twenty rectangular beams 6 ft in span (1.83 m) and subject to concentrated loads were tested to failure. It was found that fiber glass-reinforced beams were able to take a higher load than the corresponding steel-reinforced control beams. Their cracking and deflection behavior were also favorably comparable to the steel-reinforced beams at working stress levels.
k-Sets, convex quadrilaterals, and the rectilinear crossing number of Kn*

We use circular sequences to give an improved lower bound on the minimum number of (≤ k)-sets in a set of points in general position. We then use this to show that if S is a set of n points in general position, then the number □(S) of convex quadrilaterals determined by the points in S is at least 0.37553(n4) + O(n3). This in turn implies that the rectilinear crossing number cr(Kn) of the complete graph Knis at least 0.37553(n4) + O(n3), and that Sylvester's Four Point Problem Constant is at least 0.37553. These improved bounds refine results recently obtained by Abrego and Fernandez-Merchant and by Lovasz, Vesztergombi, Wagner, and Welzl.
Lorazepam-valproate interaction: studies in normal subjects and isolated perfused rat liver.

Valproate (VPA) has been shown to interact with all the major antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) through two mechanisms of action: displacement from albumin binding sites and inhibition of drug metabolism. More recently, evidence showed that VPA inhibits the elimination of drugs metabolized by glucuronide conjugation. Lorazepam (LZP), which is primarily eliminated by conjugation with glucuronic acid, is administered concurrently with VPA both in treatment of epilepsy and in patients treated with VPA for psychiatric disorders. Therefore, a significant drug interaction is likely. We investigated such interaction both in in vitro isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) and in normal subjects. LZP [2 mg, intravenous (i.v.) bolus] was administered to 8 normal volunteers before and after chronic dosing with VPA. In 6 of 8 subjects, VPA significantly decreased LZP plasma clearance by an average of 40% (p < 0.05) and increased LZP concentrations by decreasing formation clearance of the LZP glucuronide. In the IPRL studies, VPA also significantly decreased formation of LZP glucuronide (from 0.72 +/- 0.14 to 0.22 +/- 0.15 ml/h/kg, p < 0.05), indicating that IPRL is a useful tool for evaluation of the effect of VPA on drugs eliminated by glucuronide conjugation.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon body residues and lysosomal membrane destabilization in mussels exposed to the Dubai Star bunker fuel oil (intermediate fuel oil 380) spill in San Francisco Bay.

Following the spill of bunker fuel oil (intermediate fuel oil 380, approximately 1500–3000 L) into San Francisco Bay in October 2009, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in mussels from moderately oiled areas increased up to 87 554 ng/g (dry wt) and, 3 mo later, decreased to concentrations found in mussels collected prior to oiling, with a biological half-life of approximately 16 d. Lysosomal membrane destabilization increased in mussels with higher PAH body burdens. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:1117–1121. © 2014 SETAC
Cache-conscious frequent pattern mining on a modern processor

In this paper, we examine the performance of frequent pattern mining algorithms on a modern processor. A detailed performance study reveals that even the best frequent pattern mining implementations, with highly efficient memory managers, still grossly under-utilize a modern processor. The primary performance bottlenecks are poor data locality and low instruction level parallelism (ILP). We propose a cache-conscious prefix tree to address this problem. The resulting tree improves spatial locality and also enhances the benefits from hardware cache line prefetching. Furthermore, the design of this data structure allows the use of a novel tiling strategy to improve temporal locality. The result is an overall speedup of up to 3.2 when compared with state-of-the-art implementations. We then show how these algorithms can be improved further by realizing a non-naive thread-based decomposition that targets simultaneously multi-threaded processors. A key aspect of this decomposition is to ensure cache re-use between threads that are co-scheduled at a fine granularity. This optimization affords an additional speedup of 50%, resulting in an overall speedup of up to 4.8. To the best of our knowledge, this effort is the first to target cache-conscious data mining.
Urinary Tract Infection and Obstruction in Children A Clinical Statement of Current Concepts of Diagnosis and Management

Management of recurrent urinary tract infections plagues pediatricians and many of their young patients. This urol ogist speaks out both clearly and elo quently about this problem, emphasizing the importance of a complete urologic investigation. He presents a step by step analysis of the possible etiology of in fection and presents a time-proven ap proach to what constitutes a thorough urologic evaluation.
Single Crystal Electron Spin Resonance Studies of the Photochemical Reaction Center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides Wild Type Strain 2.4.1

Single crystals were obtained from the photochemical reaction center protein of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides wild type strain 2.4.1. At low temperatures, the crystals display pronounced anisotropy in their triplet state electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra. An analysis of the angle dependence of the resonance field positions revealed two to four magnetically nonequivalent primary donor molecules per unit cell. This is consistent with the symmetry assignment of P deduced from previous X-ray diffraction studies (Frank, H.A.; Taremi, S.S.; Knox, J.R. J. Mol. Biol., 1987, 198: 139–141). However, the ESR data could not be fit assuming that the unit cell axes coincide with the crystal morphological axes as was the case previously for Rb. sphaeroides R26 (Gast, P.; Norris, J.R. FEBS Lett., 1984, 177: 277–280). In order to explain the present data, it was necessary to assume a rhombic crystal cross-section with the unit cell axes lying along the diagonals of the rhombus. The unit cell axes b and c were found to make angles of 60 ± 2° and 30 ± 2°, respectively, with one of the faces of the crystal. The orientation of the triplet state dipolar tensor axes relative to the unit cell axes differs slightly from that in Rb. sphaeroides R26 crystals, suggesting that the Rb. sphaeroides 2.4.1 reaction center is rotated by approximately 7° relative to the orientation found in Rb. sphaeroides R26.
Using imputation to provide location information for nongeocoded addresses.

Background The importance of geography as a source of variation in health research continues to receive sustained attention in the literature. The inclusion of geographic information in such research often begins by adding data to a map which is predicated by some knowledge of location. A precise level of spatial information is conventionally achieved through geocoding, the geographic information system (GIS) process of translating mailing address information to coordinates on a map. The geocoding process is not without its limitations, though, since there is always a percentage of addresses which cannot be converted successfully (nongeocodable). This raises concerns regarding bias since traditionally the practice has been to exclude nongeocoded data records from analysis. Methodology/Principal Findings In this manuscript we develop and evaluate a set of imputation strategies for dealing with missing spatial information from nongeocoded addresses. The strategies are developed assuming a known zip code with increasing use of collateral information, namely the spatial distribution of the population at risk. Strategies are evaluated using prostate cancer data obtained from the Maryland Cancer Registry. We consider total case enumerations at the Census county, tract, and block group level as the outcome of interest when applying and evaluating the methods. Multiple imputation is used to provide estimated total case counts based on complete data (geocodes plus imputed nongeocodes) with a measure of uncertainty. Results indicate that the imputation strategy based on using available population-based age, gender, and race information performed the best overall at the county, tract, and block group levels. Conclusions/Significance The procedure allows for the potentially biased and likely under reported outcome, case enumerations based on only the geocoded records, to be presented with a statistically adjusted count (imputed count) with a measure of uncertainty that are based on all the case data, the geocodes and imputed nongeocodes. Similar strategies can be applied in other analysis settings.
Statistical analysis of road-vehicle-driver interaction as an enabler to designing behavioural models

Ƞ Telematics form an important technology enabler for intelligent transportation systems. By deploying on-board diagnostic devices, the signatures of vehicle vibration along with its location and time are recorded. Detailed analyses of the collected signatures offer deep insights into the state of the objects under study. Towards that objective, we carried out experiments by deploying telematics device in one of the office bus that ferries employees to office and back. Data is being collected from 3-axis accelerometer, GPS, speed and the time for all the journeys. In this paper, we present initial results of the above exercise by applying statistical methods to derive information through systematic analysis of the data collected over four months. It is demonstrated that the higher order derivative of the measured Z axis acceleration samples display the properties Weibull distribution when the time axis is replaced by the amplitude of such processed acceleration data. Such an observation offers us a method to predict future behaviour where deviations from prediction are classified as context-based aberrations or progressive degradation of the system. In addition we capture the relationship between speed of the vehicle and median of the jerk energy samples using regression analysis. Such results offer an opportunity to develop a robust method to model road-vehicle interaction thereby enabling us to predict such like driving behaviour and condition based maintenance etc.
Synthesis of [13C6‐Ring‐(U)]‐(±)‐benzo[a]pyrene metabolites from [13C6‐Ring‐(U)]benzene

Keywords: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; PAHs; pyrene; benzo[a]pyrene; metabolites; dihydrodiols; diol epoxides; tetrols; carbon-13; synthesis; mass labeling; stable isotope labeling; carcinogenesis; mutagenesis
Polish Metric Spaces: Their Classification and Isometry Groups

In this communication we present some recent results on the classification of Polish metric spaces up to isometry and on the isometry groups of Polish metric spaces. A Polish metric space is a complete separable metric space (X,d). Our first goal is to determine the exact complexity of the classification problem of general Polish metric spaces up to isometry. This work was motivated by a paper of Vershik [1998], where he remarks (in the beginning of Section 2): "The classification of Polish spaces up to isometry is an enormous task. More precisely, this classification is not 'smooth' in the modern terminology." Our Theorem 2.1 below quantifies precisely the enormity of this task. After doing this, we turn to special classes of Polish metric spaces and investigate the classification problems associated with them. Note that these classification problems are in principle no more complicated than the general one above. However, the determination of their exact complexity is not necessarily easier. The investigation of the classification problems naturally leads to some interesting results on the groups of isometries of Polish metric spaces. We shall also present these results below.
Influence of Perceived Economic Strain on the Relationship Between Caregiver BMI and Child BMI

As maternal BMI is a risk factor for higher child BMI, this exploratory study investigated perceived economic strain as a protective factor modifying this well-established relationship. Primary low-income female caregivers (n = 432) of preschoolers ages 3–5 years were interviewed using the Family Economic Strain Scale. Caregiver and child heights and weights were measured. Significant differences were found in perceived economic strain between normal versus underweight, overweight, and obese caregivers. A moderating effect approaching significance was noted such that at low levels of reported economic strain, caregiver BMI classification had no effect on child BMI z-score for normal weight, overweight, or obese caregivers. This study is the first to demonstrate that reduced perception of economic strain may act to buffer the impact of maternal overweight/obesity on child weight status. Given this biologically strong relationship, the potential for any modifiable factor to be detected is encouraging. Further collaborative research between economists and family resiliency researchers is suggested.
Reliability of a Modification of the Health-Related Physical Fitness Test for Use with Physical Education Majors

Abstract A modified form of the AAHPERD Health-Related Physical Fitness Test was administered to a sample of 200 college physical education majors. The skinfold measures were changed from the original test, and the flexed-arm hang was added to the test battery. The validity and reliability of the test battery has been established for middle school boys and girls. This study determined the multivariate reliability of the modified test battery using a canonical correlation model. The univariate intraclass reliabilities of the test items ranged from .91 to .99. The total redundancy for the modified test battery was .87.
Comparison of Effects of D- and L-Isomers of Amidone and Isoamidone on Cholinesterase.∗:

Summary1. The D- and L-isomers of amidone and isoamidone inhibit the cholin-esterases of rat brain and dog serum. 2. These drugs exert a greater inhibitory action on serum cholinesterase than on brain cholin-esterase. 3. The L-isomers are more effective than the D-isomers in inhibiting these enzymes. 4. The greatest difference in effect between the D- and L-isomers was observed in experiments on the effect of D- and L-iso-amidone on brain cholinesterase.
Shock Tube Measurements of Combustion of Nano- Aluminum

The reaction times and temperatures of nano-aluminum particles burning the reflected shock region of a shock tube was measured experimentally to provide fundamental information on the combustion characteristics of th ese particles. The particles reacted under temperatures of 1200-2200 K and pressures of 4-32 atm in oxidizers of oxygen and carbon dioxide mixed in varying percentage with nitrogen. An initial bright event was observed where the measured pyrometry temperatures were elevated above the ambient temperature, followed by a decay in light emission to a constant background level where the observed temperature was near the ambient. The timescales of this event varied between 50 to 500 microseconds. Reaction times and temperat ures were found to be very dependent on ambient pressure and temperature. In environments where CO 2 was the primary oxidizer, the combustion times and temperatures were found significantly slower and cooler than similar environments with O 2 serving as the primary oxidizer. The light emissi on consisted primarily of broadband continuum emission, and very little molecular emission was observed. The combustion behavior of nano-aluminum can be explained by a shrinking core flame structure with condensed-phase diffusion or kinetics controlling the combustion process.
A qualitative study of barriers to and facilitators of optimal engagement in care among PLWH and substance use/misuse

Persons living with HIV (PLWH) and substance use/misuse experience significant barriers to engagement in HIV care at every step of the HIV care continuum including: (1) HIV testing and diagnosis (2) linkage to clinical care (3) retention in care pre-antiretroviral therapy (ART) (4) ART initiation and adherence (5) viral suppression. We qualitatively explored the facilitators of and barriers to participation in the HIV care continuum among PLWH with substance use/misuse. We performed semi-structured in-depth interviews with 34 PLWH in care with recent substance use. The transcripts were analyzed in an iterative process using an editing style analysis. Interviews were conducted until thematic saturation was achieved. Participants attributed an escalation in drug use at the time of diagnosis to denial of their disease and the belief that their death was inevitable and cited this as a barrier to treatment entry. In contrast, participants reported that experiencing adverse physical effects of uncontrolled HIV infection motivated them to enroll in care. Reported barriers to retention and adherence to care included forgetting medications and appointments because of drug use, prioritizing drug use over HIV treatment and side effects associated with medications. Participants described that progression of illness, development of a medication taking ritual and a positive provider-patient relationship all facilitated engagement and reengagement in care. PLWH with substance use engaged in care describe barriers to and facilitators of optimal engagement related to and distinct from substance use. Greater understanding of the biologic, psychological and social factors that promote and impair engagement in care can inform interventions and reduce the increased morbidity and mortality experienced by PLWH with substance use.
Establishment of ethical regulations in finance development

Lack of trustworthiness and immoral behavior in the financial area have blocked the stable development of finance. Ethical support is necessary for the finance development, especially in the area of modern finance management. This paper analyzes the ethical foundation of the finance development and the structure of ethical regulations. Then, it puts forward some suggestions as to how to reconstruct the modern financial morals in China.
Futurism from foundation to world war: the art and politics of an avant-garde movement

The cultural influence of the Futurist art movement on the modern era is undisputed. Of course, it is also undisputed that the movement was deeply involved in the politics of both liberal and Fasci...
Study on Ecological Control Model and Technologies in Rural Water Environment

Considered the demands of "rural environment" and "crop production",this paper analyzed the characteristics and essentials of water pollution in rural areas,and pointed out the countryside water pollution's essence is the extra fertilizer resources drains massively to the water body,but is not absorbed by crops and so on.Thus the suitable rural water environment ecology government pattern has been discussed from three aspects analyzing,the source control,process ecological processing used,and terminal ecology repair.The key technology was elaborated.
Dickinson’s Search, to Find the Poem of Her Being

Emily Dickinson had no access to classes in writing (except the writing of argumentative essays or the working out of exercises of intricate stanzas, rhyme, and meters in a set poetic form). When she reached the surety of a set of lines like I have a Bird in spring Which for myself doth sing— The spring decoys …. In a serener Bright, In a more golden light I see Each little doubt and fear, Each little discord here Removed…. (Poem #4 Fr 59)
Bioinformatics Analysis of Top-Down Mass Spectrometry Data with ProSight Lite

Traditional bottom-up mass spectrometry-based proteomics relies on the use of an enzyme, often trypsin, to generate small peptides (typically < 25 amino acids long). In top-down proteomics, proteins remain intact and are directly measured within the mass spectrometer. This technique, while inherently simpler than bottom-up proteomics, generates data which must be processed and analyzed using software tools "purpose-built" for the job. In this chapter, we will show the analysis of intact protein spectra through deconvolution, deisotoping, and searching with ProSight Lite, a free, vendor-agnostic tool for the analysis of top-down mass spectrometry data. We will illustrate with two examples of intact protein fragmentation spectra and discuss the iterative use of the software to characterize proteoforms and discover the sites of post-translational modifications.
Evidence of carrier localization in photoluminescence spectroscopy studies of mid-wavelength infrared InAs/InAs1−xSbx type-II superlattices

Abstract The temperature-dependent and excitation-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy characterization of mid-wavelength infrared InAs/InAs1−xSbx type-II superlattices reveals evidence of carrier localization. Carrier localization is apparent in the 8 meV PL peak position blue shift from 4 K to 60 K while the peak full-width-at-half-maximum is non-monotonic, peaking at 25 K before increasing above 60 K. In addition, competition between two recombination processes is evident in the temperature-dependent behavior of the PL peak integrated intensity under low excitation conditions: the intensity decreases from 4 K to 80 K, increases from 80 K to 160 K, and decreases above 160 K. Excitation-dependent PL studies reveal the dominant recombination mechanism changes from free-to-bound or donor–acceptor-like recombination to excitonic or band-to-band recombination at ~60 K. These findings suggest that carrier localization is occurring below 60 K, and the confined carriers are holes as these are unintentionally doped n-type superlattices. The localization potentials are due to variations in the InAs1−xSbx composition, the interfaces, and the InAs and InAs1−xSbx layer widths. The width of a Gaussian distribution used to describe the density of states of the band tails due to carrier localization potentials ranges from 2 meV–4 meV. The larger energy corresponds to the smaller period superlattices, indicating the interface compositional variation is more prominent and creates larger localization potentials than in the longer period superlattices.
Premonitory changes in ts/tp due to anisotropy and migration of hypocenters

The anisotropic characteristics of stress-induced cracks in dilatant rock can significantly influence the observed values of ts / tp obtained using the Wadati diagram. Systematic vertical migration of hypocenters of foreshocks within a region of thrust tectonics can lead to variations in both ts / tp and orientation of the compressive stress axis of the same type as observed before several thrust-type earthquakes. In this model, the seismic velocities become considerably anisotropic due to preferential alignment of open cracks, but it is not essential to assume pre-earthquake flow of groundwater into the dilated zone. Observations of ts / tp versus depth of focus in the Garm region, USSR and some other results appear to support this possibility.
Sir John Herschel’s Philosophy of Success

This is an extended critical book-report on Sir John Herschel’s Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy (1831).1 The book is not such a masterpiece as to deserve detailed study, but it contains one important discovery and a few interesting passages which I shall comment on. It expounds a popular philosophy of success which will become amply clear from the present summary of its presentation and ideas and which will be discussed in the concluding section. It expresses the atmosphere of the time in which it was written, as I shall endeavor to illustrate chiefly in my introductory and concluding sections. It influenced the literature considerably, if for no other reason than that the writings of both William Whewell and John Stuart Mill follow in its wake. Its very conception as an updated version of Bacon’s Novum Organum is a forerunner to Whewell’s Novum Organum Renovatum. But I shall not discuss Herschel’s influence on posterity here, since this is a topic for a separate essay.
David Oliver: Time for a truly independent NHS statistics authority

In the current febrile environment around health policy, I propose that we need a statutory Independent Office for Health and Care Statistics. I have no problem when politicians, government department public relations teams, media commentators, lobbyists with vested interests, or privately funded, partisan political think tanks with ideological agendas take positions; whether on the funding of health and care systems, current and future workforce, or historical or international comparisons of performance. But I do have a problem with them partially selecting or wilfully misrepresenting data—until the soundbites and assertions, cobbled together from factoids, enter the public consciousness as …
Youth perceptions of stress and coping when transitioning to adulthood with autism: A photovoice study

Transitioning into adulthood can be challenging and stressful process for youth living with autism spectrum disorder. Few studies have examined the perspectives of youth with autism spectrum disord...
AlSb Precipitate Evolution during Sb Implantation in Al: Experiment and Theory

Precipitate evolution during ion implantation has been studied in the model system Sb-implanted Al. Transmission electron microscopy was used to determine the size distribution of AlSb crystallites as a function of fluence, flux, and sample temperature. There was a dramatic increase in average size, accompanied by a decrease in number density, for increasing fluence, for decreasing’ flux, and for increasing temperature. A new theoretical model for the evolution of the precipitate size distribution has been developed which incorporates both thermal processes and implantation effects. Numerical solutions for the AlSb system using physically realistic parameters agree qualitatively with the experimentally observed evolutions.
Autoimmune Mechanisms Contributing to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The pathophysiology of smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung parenchymal destruction (emphysema) has evolved over time from simplistic concepts involving only neutrophils and macrophages to more comprehensive models that further include adaptive immune cells such as T cells and B cells in addition to antigen presenting cells (APC). Evidence from human studies specifically point to a role for the recruitment and activation of pathogenic lymphocytes and lung APC in emphysema; similarly, animal models have confirmed a complex role for the immune response in progressive smoke-induced emphysema. Increased numbers of activated APCs, T helper 1 (Th1), and Th17 cells are now clearly associated with smoke induced lung inflammation and the canonical cytokines produced by these cells, including IFN-γ and IL-17A, constitute critical effectors of disease through their ability to promulgate the pro-elastolytic lung environment that leads to emphysema. T and B cells with autoimmune specificity directed toward lung matrix proteins, especially elastin and potentially vascular endothelium and airway epithelium, specifically appear to distinguish COPD patients with emphysema from those without this devastating complication. These and further discoveries will permit the development of improved diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies in COPD.
Adoption-Diffusion: A Perspective for Recreation and Leisure Research.

(1975). Adoption-Diffusion: A Perspective For Recreation and Leisure Research. Journal of Leisure Research: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 154-156.
The role of genetic and environmental influences on the association between childhood ADHD symptoms and BMI

Although childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been previously associated with concurrent and later obesity in adulthood, the etiology of this association remains unclear. The objective of this study is to determine the shared genetic effects of ADHD symptoms and BMI in a large sample of sibling pairs, consider how these shared effects may vary over time, and examine potential sex differences. Sibling pair data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health); childhood ADHD symptoms were reported retrospectively during young adulthood, while three prospective measurements of BMI were available from young adulthood to later adulthood. Cholesky decomposition models were fit to this data using Mx and maximum-likelihood estimation. The twin and sibling sample for these analyses included: 221 monozygotic (MZ) pairs (92 male–male, 139 female–female), 228 dizygotic (DZ) pairs (123 male–male, 105 female–female), 471 full-sibling (FS) pairs (289 male–male, 182 female–female), 106 male–female DZ twin pairs, and 234 male–female FS pairs. The magnitude of the association between childhood ADHD symptoms and BMI changed over time and by sex. The etiological relationship between childhood ADHD symptoms and the three prospective measurements of BMI differed for males and females, such that unique or non-shared environmental influences contributed to the relationship within males and genetic factors contributed to the relationship within females. Specifically, among females, genetic influences on childhood ADHD symptoms were partially shared with those effecting BMI and increased from adolescence to later adulthood (genetic correlation = 0.20 (95% CI: 0.07–0.36) in adolescence and 0.24 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.41) in adulthood). Genetic influences on ADHD symptoms in childhood are partially shared with those effecting obesity. However, future research is needed to determine why this association is limited to females.
Surgical Robot with Environment Reconstruction and Force Feedback

We present a new surgical robot hardware-in-the-loop simulator, with 3D surgical field reconstruction in RGB-D sensor range, which allows tool-tissue interactions to be presented as haptic feedback and thus provides the situation awareness of unwanted collision. First, the point cloud of the complete surgical environment is constructed from multiple frames of sensor data to avoid the occlusion issue. Then the user selects a region of interest where the robot’s tool must avoid (also called forbidden region). The real-time haptic force rendering algorithm computes the interaction force which is then communicated to a haptic device at 1 kHz, to assist the surgeon to perform safe actions. The robot used is a RAVEN II system, RGB-D sensor is used to scan the environment, and two Omni haptic devices provide the 3-DoF haptic force. A registration pipeline is presented to complete the surgical environment point cloud mapping in preoperative surgery planning phase, which improves quality of haptic rendering in the presence of occlusion. Furthermore, we propose a feasible and fast algorithm which extends the existing work on the proxy-based method for haptic rendering between a Haptic Interaction Point (HIP) and a point cloud. The proposed methodology has the potential of improving the safety of surgical robots.
Screen of drug use: Diagnostic accuracy for cannabis use disorder.

Abstract Objective As cannabis has been legalized for medicinal and recreational use, rates of cannabis misuse and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have increased. However, only a small percentage of individuals with CUD seek treatment. A practical screening instrument is needed to detect CUD in primary care (PC) to address the needs of individuals with CUD. This study seeks to validate the 2-item Screen of Drug Use (SoDU) to help detect CUD in the PC setting. Method We used archival data from 1283 patients recruited in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) PC clinics. A total of 51 individuals (4%) met DSM-IV criteria for CUD (abuse or dependence; with or without other drug use disorders). A diagnosis of CUD based on the Mini International Diagnostic Interview (MINI) was used as the criterion. Concurrent diagnostic properties of the SoDU were examined against the MINI. Results The SoDU was 100% sensitive (95% confidence interval [CI], 93.00% - 100%), and 87.50% specific (95% CI, 85.53% - 89.23%). When tested in subgroups of patients varying in age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, educational level, and PTSD status, the SoDU maintained 100% sensitivity in all subgroups; specificity ranged from 76.26% to 94.34%. Conclusions The SoDU is an appropriate instrument to help identify CUD in primary care. It is brief, easy to use, and has good concurrent diagnostic validity for diverse groups of patients.
THE ASSOCIATION OF SLEEP APNEA AND EXERCISE CAPACITY WITH LONG-TERM MAJOR CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with cardiovascular outcomes and decreased exercise capacity including low functional capacity (LFC). The risk of long-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) when SDB and LFC co-occur has not been determined. Our sample included patients who
IMMUNOLOGICAL CROSS-REACTIVITY OF RAT LIVER AND HUMAN CYTOCHROMES P-450

Rabbit antibodies raised to phenobarbital–treated rat liver cytochrome P–450 were more effective in inhibiting d –benzphetamine N –demethylase activity in human liver microsomes than were antibodies raised to 3–methylcholanthrene–treated rat liver cytochrome P–450. These antibodies also inhibited benzo(a) pyrene hydroxylation in human liver microsomes, although the inhibition patterns did not follow a general pattern as in the case of benzphetamine demethylase activity. The antibodies raised to 3–methylcholanthrene–treated rat cyto–chromes P–450 were highly effective in inhibiting benzo(a)– pyrene hydroxylase in human monocytes and especially in lymphocytes; antibodies raised to phenobarbital–treated rat P–450 were considerably less effective. Human liver microsomes were more effective in eliciting complement fixation with antibodies raised to phenobarbital– than to 3–methylcholanthrene–treated rat liver cytochrome P–450. Complement fixation in such systems appears to result from similarity of certain rat and human liver cytochrome P–450 antigenic determinants, as fixation could be inhibited by removal of cytochrome P–450–directed antibodies from the total immunoglobulin population and highly–purified human cytochrome P–450 was more effective than liver microsomes in producing fixation. Human liver microsomes prepared from five different individuals all produced ≥ 90% complement fixation, but variations were observed in the fixation curves plotted either versus microsomal protein or versus spectrally–detectable microsomal cytochrome P–450.