cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Detection of Drug-Induced Renal Hemodynamic Dysfunction Using Sonographic Technology in Rats

The kidney normally functions to maintain hemodynamic homeostasis and is a major site of damage caused by drug toxicity. Drug-induced nephrotoxicity is estimated to contribute to 19- 25% of all clinical cases of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients. AKI detection has historically relied on metrics such as serum creatinine (sCr) or blood urea nitrogen (BUN) which are demonstrably inadequate in full assessment of nephrotoxicity in the early phase of renal dysfunction. Currently, there is no robust diagnostic method to accurately detect hemodynamic alteration in the early phase of AKI while such alterations might actually precede the rise in serum biomarker levels. Such early detection can help clinicians make an accurate diagnosis and help in in decision making for therapeutic strategy. Rats were treated with Cisplatin to induce AKI. Nephrotoxicity was assessed for six days using high-frequency sonography, sCr measurement and upon histopathology of kidney. Hemodynamic evaluation using 2D and Color-Doppler images were used to serially study nephrotoxicity in rats, using the sonography. Our data showed successful drug-induced kidney injury in adult rats by histological examination. Color-Doppler based sonographic assessment of AKI indicated that resistive-index (RI) and pulsatile-index (PI) were increased in the treatment group; and peak-systolic velocity (mm/s), end-diastolic velocity (mm/s) and velocity-time integral (VTI, mm) were decreased in renal arteries in the same group. Importantly, these hemodynamic changes evaluated by sonography preceded the rise of sCr levels. Sonography-based indices such as RI or PI can thus be useful predictive markers of declining renal function in rodents. From our sonography-based observations in the kidneys of rats that underwent AKI, we showed that these noninvasive hemodynamic measurements may consider as an accurate, sensitive and robust method in detecting early stage kidney dysfunction. This study also underscores the importance of ethical issues associated with animal use in research.
The Differential Effects of the Uses of Power Sources and Influence Strategies on Channel Satisfaction

In recent years channel research has focused on the importance of developing and maintaining long term relationships. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of the suppliers’ use of both power sources and influence strategies on distributors’ satisfaction with the exchange relationship. Two studies conducted in the beer industry compare the use of power sources and the use of influence strategies to explain variation in satisfaction. Both studies drew random samples from the same universe, and are comparable in terms of geographic representation and job titles represented. The results suggest that the use of power sources is a better predictor of satisfaction than the use of influence strategies.
Are there Simple Indicators as to Which IPOs Outperform the Market over the Long Term

Aims: Most companies making an Initial Public Offering (IPO) underperform the market over the long term. Is this because investors are so enamored with IPOs that hope triumphs analysis? If investors are willing to invest in companies likely to underperform the market, someone will take them public. This raises the question as to whether there are simple indicators that can be used to identify IPOs likely to under or over perform the market over the long term. Place and Duration of Study: This study is based on publically available information on Compustat, Hoovers On-line IPO Central, and the US Securities and Exchange Commission website www.sec.gov. Methodology: This study analyzes the long term performance of 820 companies that went public in the United States from 1998 to 2007 and tracks their performance for an average of three and a half years. About 48.41% beat market returns defined as the Standard & Poor’s 500. Companies with the best and worst quintile of Underwriter Reputation, Assets, Revenue, EBITDA and EBITDA to Assets where compared, as were industries. Results: The following factors were found to be statistically significant in identifying IPOs likely to outperform the market: (i) Underwriter Reputation (P <.01), (ii) Industry statistical significance varies among the 17 industries in the study, (iii) Assets (P <.01), (iv) Revenue (P<.01), (v) EBITDA (P <.01), and (vi) the ratio of EBITDA to Assets (P <.01). Simulation analysis using the Wilcoxon Sign Rank test confirms that by avoiding companies likely to underperform, a superior portfolio of IPO companies can be constructed (P = .05). Original Research Article British Journal of Economics, Management & Trade, 4(2): 183-196, 2014 184 Conclusion: This study found there are simple indicators for identifying IPO companies likely to outperform the market. No prediction is made as to specific companies, but results can be used to construct superior portfolios.
Effects of training on confidence in clinical judgments.

Previous research has shown that the clinician's subjective confidence about clinical judgments varies according to the information available, the item judged, and the 'personality' o f the judge ( 2 ) . Contradictory findings, however, have been reported concerning the effects of the experience of the clinician ( 1, 3, 4 ) . A variable closely related to the experience of the clinician, training in psychology, has received little attention in the literature. Of the studies reviewed, only Voelz ( 5 ) treated training as an independent variable. H e found increasing amounts of training did not significantly improve accuracy of clinical judgment. The purpose of this study was to compare the subjective confidence of students in psychology whose training in psychology was different. The study compared ( a ) the over-all confidence ratings of graduate srudents and freshmen and ( b ) the composition of the confidence ratings, i.e., rating profiles, of graduate students and freshmen. I n brief, the procedure required 1 0 freshmen majors in psychology and 10 first-year graduate students in clinical psychology ro view a 5-min. role-played videotaped interview of a 22-yr.-old white female college student who was experiencing 'symptoms of neurotic depression.' After viewing the videotape the students were asked to "act like clinical psychologist" and rate the client and themselves on the followine 10 seleeed variables pertaining to the personality of the client and clinician: actranlveness, lntrospectlon, motivation, candor, verbal ability, intelligence, severity of pathology, interest in the client, liking for the client, and whether they thought they could help the client. The student-clinicians were required to estimate their confidence about each of the ratings and assign the client to a psychotherapeutic treatment. Analysis of the student-clinicians' confidence ratings yielded the following results. A t test between the over-all mean confidence ratings of the two groups was not significant (t17 = 1.39, p > .O5). A discriminant analysis used to test the second question was also insignificant (Mahalanobis D' = 10.83, 10 d f , p > .05) . Further analysis of specific mean differences also yield no significant differences berween the two groups. Graduate students' mean ratings on each of the variables were strikingly similar to those of freshman majors. It may be concluded that college training in psychology has little effect on confidence in clinical judgments. One possible explanation might be that neither graduate nor undergraduate srudents actively utilize their training when making clinical judgments; instead they base their judgments on first impressions and intuition. Research should ferret out the exact cognitive processes and personality-related traits that mediate confidence in clinical judgments.
Sums of Powers of Numbers Having a Given Exponent Modulo a Prime

(1952). Sums of Powers of Numbers Having a Given Exponent Modulo a Prime. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 59, No. 4, pp. 226-230.
Collaboration over Time: The Occurrence and Recurrence of Team Processes

The research herein investigates transition and action processes over time to provide insights towards the recurring phase model. Moreover, given the attention to different transition processes and the potential for these types of processes to be temporally significant for team performance, we specifically study strategy formulation; mission analysis, formulation, and planning; and goal specification, as well as action processes. We use the connection between communication and team processes to track process discussion patterns using first-order Markov chains of the way teams shift from one process to another over time. Our analysis compared process pattern occurrence over time and the way these occurrences and the recurrence of processes differed by high and low performing teams. Our results provide evidence towards the recurring phase model and the theorized temporal relationship of transition and action processes over time. As well, recurrence quantification and visual analysis showed that high perform...
The association between mood, anxiety and adjustment disorders and hospitalization following lung transplantation ☆ ☆☆

Abstract Objectives Psychiatric comorbidities such as mood, anxiety and adjustment disorders are common among individuals seeking lung transplantation. The objective of this study is to describe the association between these disorders and length of initial hospitalization and number of hospitalizations in the first year following transplantation. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of all lung transplantation patients between January 1, 2008 and July 1, 2014 at a large academic center. We evaluated whether pretransplantation mood, anxiety or adjustment disorders were associated with length and number of hospitalizations after transplant, adjusting for age, sex, native disease, forced expiratory volume in 1 s prior to transplantation, wait list time and lung allocation score. Results There were 185 patients who underwent transplantation during the 7.5-year study period of whom 125 (67.6%) had a mood, anxiety or adjustment disorder. Patients with an adjustment disorder had decreased length of initial hospitalization [ B coefficient=−5.76; 95% confidence interval (CI)=−11.40 to −0.13; P =.04]. Patients with anxiety disorders had an increased number of hospitalizations in the first year following transplantation (rate ratio=1.41; 95% CI=1.06–1.88; P =.02). There was no association between mood disorders and length or number of hospitalizations. Mood, adjustment and anxiety disorders were not associated with time to initial rehospitalization. Conclusions Among the three most common pretransplantation psychiatric disorders, only anxiety disorders are associated with increased hospitalization in the first year following lung transplant. Interventions designed to better control pretransplantation and posttransplantation anxiety may be associated with less frequent hospitalization.
Computers In Engineering

This chapter discusses some of the important effects of computers on engineering. Probably the most important application of electronic computers in engineering is in the area of manufacturing. Development of numerical control (NC) and computer-aided design (CAD) represents important breakthroughs. In 1959 there was another important manufacturing development. This was the machining center. The machining center performed a large number of operations, one at a time, as the part remained stationary and secure. A new computer-related development in industrial engineering was computer-aided manufacturing that became closely linked with computer-aided design (CAD/CAM). In manufacturing, there are several activities that require careful coordination such as design, database control, production scheduling and planning of procurement, marketing, and scheduling to accommodate product delivery requirements. All of these were strengthened by the improved sharing of information a network of computers can provide. Increased use of computers in manufacturing has led to many innovative changes.
Household Segmentation, Local Prospects and the Geography of Housing Dynamics

I uncover a novel link between economic fundamentals and real estate returns. First, using a measure of "local" (i.e. MSA) growth prospects from both industry level employment and financial data, I am able to explain a substantial portion of variability in excess real estate returns and price-to-rent ratios. A one standard deviation decline in local growth prospects is associated with a 120bp drop in the housing risk premia and a 500bp increase in the price to rent ratio. Second, I establish the underlying dynamics of relative, housing versus non-housing, consumption in the MSA-level cross section of economic agents. I document that a one standard deviation decline in local growth prospects is associated with a 1000bp rise in level and 700bp decrease in variance of relative consumption. In contrast, a one standard deviation increase in local growth prospects is also associated with a rise in relative consumption. This suggests that housing acts as a hedge against long-run economic growth. I then investigate these empirical facts through the lens of a consumption based, asset pricing model. I combine a persistent component in consumption, Epstein and Zin (1989) preferences, and nonseparable consumption of non-housing goods and housing services. Consumption of housing services provides a hedge to long-run growth prospects. The model is able to replicate the excess returns and price to rent ratio regression results from the data.
Permian Megamonsoon Sensitivity to Paleo-Tethys Warm Pool:Model Simulations using CCSM3

Abstract. Simulations of the late Permian (251Ma) are analyzed with respect to the northern hemispheric Pangean megamonsoon. We find that the presence and spatial distribution of the warm pool, and not land-sea temperature differences, are the primary forcing agents for the megamonsoon. The land-sea temperature gradient, as a monsoonal mechanism, is tested by eliminating the Cathyasian peninsula and is found to have little impact on the spatial character of the monsoon. Furthermore, the response of the monsoon to the warm pool was tested by removing all Paleo-Tethys equatorial islands, which allows the warm pool to expand and migrate westward thus shifting the pattern of monsoonal precipitation. Additionally, different CO2 regimes are presented, in which a 10-fold change in forcing produces diverging climates and therefore different warm pool and monsoon locales. Atmospheric mass flux for the monsoonal regime is characterized and shown to change with warm pool movement. Tropical and equatorial ocean currents impact the seasonal progression and location of the warm pool. Experiments were conducted using the low-resolution version of Community Climate System Model, Version 3 (CCSM3) in both coupled and fixed sea surface temperature (SST) context. For validation purposes, a modern control is briefly presented with observations and is shown to represent both the spatial and seasonal progression of the Indian monsoon.
Angle-Selective Reflective Filters for Exclusion of Background Thermal Emission

While optical pass-band and stop-band filters are widely used, angle-selective transmission and reflection filtering remain less explored, even though it is uniquely promising for creating complex patterns of thermal radiation in a potentially lossless fashion. The authors develop a concept for reflection filters that exploit resonant couplings to tune angle-sensitive dips in transmission, for arbitrary directional selectivity. These structures may find many applications, including daytime radiative cooling, sensitive detectors for infrared telescopes, and high-fidelity thermoluminescent spectroscopy.
Chirped-laser dispersion spectroscopy for large-area methane detection

This work presents an overview of Chirped Laser Dispersion Spectroscopy (CLaDS) implementations to large area methane monitoring and recent developments in sensitivity enhancement techniques.
Autofocus for SWIR facial imagery utilizing Haar wavelets

The task of automatically assessing and adjusting image quality, when capturing face images using any band-specific camera sensor, can be achieved by eliminating a variety of acquisition parameters such as illumination. One such parameter related to image quality is sharpness. If it is not accurately estimated during data collection, it may affect the quality of the overall face image dataset and thus face recognition accuracy. While manually focusing each camera on the target (human face) can result is sharp looking face images, the process can be cumbersome for the operators and the subjects and, thus, it increases data collection acquisition time. In this work, we developed an electromechanical based system that automatically assesses face image sharpness, prior to capture rather than necessitating post-processing schemes. Various blur quality factors and constraints have been empirically evaluated, before determining the algorithmic steps of our proposed system. This paper discusses the implementation of this system in a live operating environment.
Anatomic measures of upper airway structures in obstructive sleep apnea.

Objective Determine if anatomic dimensions of airway structures are associated with airway obstruction in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients.
Evaluation of metallic filter media for sub-micrometer soot particle removal at elevated temperature

ABSTRACTSoot particle removal performance of two types of metallic filter media, sintered metal powder and sintered metal fiber, is experimentally evaluated as potential improvements to conventional ceramic filtration media for gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine PM after-treatment application. Soot collection efficiency and flow resistance of several grades of metallic media are measured at temperatures of 25, 350, and 650°C and a range of representative filtration velocities for sub-micrometer soot particles generated from a propane flame. Theoretical collection efficiency based on single fiber efficiency theory shows good agreement with experimental data for nearly spherical KCl particles at 350°C. Improved collection efficiency is observed for soot particles in the interception-dominated size range above ∼100 nm due to enhanced interception length. Soot collection is slightly enhanced at higher temperature, which is consistent with model predictions. Sintered metal fiber media are found capable of ...
Effects of Serotonin-Related Gene Deletion on Measures of Anxiety, Depression, and Neurotransmission

Recent advances in molecular technology have made possible the generation of mice lacking specific serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) receptors or regulatory targets governing 5-HT neurotransmission. The goal of this review is to summarize the effects of deleting serotonin-related genes on certain behavioral and neurochemical outcomes in mice. The influence of various mutations of 5-HT receptors and the 5-HT transporter on behaviors related to anxiety and depression is reviewed. In addition, changes in transmission of 5-HT and other neuro-transmitters, measured principally by in vivo microdialysis, produced by genetic mutations of 5-HT targets is summarized. Most of the literature refers to mutations of genes for the 5-HT1A receptor, 5-HT1B receptor, and the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) and comprise the largest part of this review. However, data regarding other murine knockouts were included where available. Although some phenotypes might be expressed as a result of developmental compensation, comparison with pharmacological antagonists has been helpful in distinguishing a functional role for the absence of the targeted receptor. Advanced techniques, involving evaluation of the effects of inducible gene deletion, gene rescue, or selective topographical expression of receptors in the contribution of 5-HT receptors to mood disorders, are discussed.
Quaternary blends of diesel, biodiesel, higher alcohols and vegetable oil in a compression ignition engine

Abstract Vegetable oils, biodiesel and alcohols are important alternative fuel resources for diesel engines. Prominent fuels of the three types include: soybean oil which has efficient amount of productivity, biodiesel made of waste oils which do not affect food security and alcohols with high number of carbons. There is potential to use quaternary blends of diesel fuel, waste oil methyl ester, soybean oil and higher alcohols, such as propanol and pentanol, in diesel engines for the purpose of increasing the use of biofuels and decreasing fossil fuel consumption. In this work, diesel fuel (D) was mixed with biodiesel (B), and biodiesel-vegetable oil (VO)-alcohol blends using the higher alcohols of propanol (Pro) and pentanol (Pen). Test fuel blends of DB (50 vol% D-50 vol% B), DBVOPro (40 vol% D-40 vol% B-10 vol% VO-10 vol% Pro), DBVOPen (40 vol% D-40 vol% B-10 vol% VO-10 vol% Pen) were prepared through the splash blending method and tested in a diesel engine. The key fuel properties such as density, lower heating value, viscosity and cetane number were measured. Engine performance and exhaust emission tests of the blends were carried out on a four-cylinder, four-cycle diesel engine generator at various loads (0, 3, 6, 9 kW) with fixed engine speed of 1800 rpm. According to engine test results, mean brake specific fuel consumptions (BSFCs) of DBVOPro increased compared to DB and DBVOPen at all engine loads. As compared to DB blend, DBVOPro presented the best mean oxides of nitrogen (NOx) with a reduction of 11.9%. However, formation of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions have been increased with the addition of each of the higher alcohol to DB.
The Partial Truncated Icosahedron Phoswich Detector Array: A Light Charged Particle Array for Pionic Fusion Measurements

Abstract The Partial Truncated Icosahedron (ParTI) phoswich detector array has been designed to detect charged pions and other light charged particles in pionic fusion reactions. The array has been constructed and characterized in a series of beam experiments. It is composed of 15 plastic/thalium-doped cesium iodide (CsI(Tl)) phoswich detector units arranged on the faces of a truncated icosahedron geometry which covers approximately 20% of the solid angle. The phoswich detectors have been shown to be capable of isotopic identification of Z = 1 and Z = 2 particles and elemental identification of at least up to Z = 3 using fast vs. slow pulse shape discrimination (PSD). Some advantages of employing digital electronics are discussed including identification of charged pions independent of PSD using their characteristic waveform response and selective event triggering using a muon decay trigger. A calibration method for the array is also described.
Sensor-triggered sampling to determine instantaneous airborne vapor exposure concentrations.

ABSTRACTIt is difficult to measure transient airborne exposure peaks by means of integrated sampling for organic chemical vapors, even with very short-duration sampling. Selection of an appropriate time to measure an exposure peak through integrated sampling is problematic, and short-duration time-weighted average (TWA) values obtained with integrated sampling are not likely to accurately determine actual peak concentrations attained when concentrations fluctuate rapidly. Laboratory analysis for integrated exposure samples is preferred from a certainty standpoint over results derived in the field from a sensor, as a sensor user typically must overcome specificity issues and a number of potential interfering factors to obtain similarly reliable data. However, sensors are currently needed to measure intra-exposure period concentration variations (i.e., exposure peaks). In this article, the digitized signal from a photoionization detector (PID) sensor triggered collection of whole-air samples when toluene or...
The Effect of a Social Studies–Based Reading Intervention on the Academic Vocabulary Knowledge of below-Average Readers

Deficits in academic vocabulary knowledge plague students who struggle with reading and impact their reading comprehension and performance in content area courses. Experts have developed interventi...
Catalytic Pyrolysis of Biomass

Converting lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels compatible with the existing petroleum refinery infrastructure requires removal of oxygen from the carbohydrate and lignin-derived molecules. The necessary deoxygenation can be achieved through the rejection of water and carbon oxides which occurs at 4000-600C in the presence of catalysts. The yield of hydrocarbons could theoretically reach 35% of the biomass feedstock. So far, the highest yields achieved were in the range of 12-18%. The most promising deoxygenation catalysts belong to the group of medium-pore size zeolites such as ZSM-5. This chapter reviews the research in the field and provides numerous references to the original work in the area of catalytic pyrolysis of biomass. It also reports on some recent experimental results obtained at National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Growth Hormone Induced Activation and Regulation of JAK2 and STAT Proteins

Growth hormone (GH) is an important regulator of body growth and metabolism. Intracellular signaling by GH involves binding of GH to the GH receptor (GHR), followed by activation of the GHR-associated cellular tyrosine kinase Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2). Activation of JAK2 by GH leads to the induction of multiple signal transduction cascades (Figure 1), including STAT pathways and the MAP Kinase pathway.
The Great Health-Care Debate

Little in the way of positive action or change of opinions occurred in the 103rd Congress concerning health-care reform. Issues became more and more confused, the positions frozen in place, and debates that began with political wrangling fell to even lower levels, with an attempt at the very end by a few Senators to arrive at some kind of bipartisan proposal that could be voted on. The bipartisan proposals were rebuffed by both conservatives and liberals, representatives of both poles preferred, finally, to do nothing rather than surrender any part of their position. The failure of any bipartisan coalition, plus the impending national elections (to which the members of the Senate and House wanted to devote full attention), led to an adjournment in the Senate without a vote on any finished bill, and to no debate at all in the House. The election losses suffered by the Democrats have been attributed by some analysts to the lack of success of the health-care plan, who claim that the proceedings created dissatisfaction on the part of the public regarding centralized governmental control of daily affairs.
Evaluation of Single and Mixed Verbal Operant Arrangements for Teaching Mands and Tacts

The purpose of this series of experiments was to evaluate the effects of mixed mand-tact arrangements on the acquisition of mands and tacts in preschool-aged children. In Experiment 1, the effects of three training arrangements (mand-only training, tact-only training, and mand-tact training) were investigated with 3 typically developing children. Rates of acquisition in single (mand-only and tact-only) versus mixed (mand-tact) presentation were comparable, in contrast to earlier investigations. Experiment 2 attempted to clarify the equivocal findings of Experiment 1 by directly replicating the Carroll and Hesse (1987) investigation with 2 typically developing children. Results again demonstrated no clear benefit of mixed verbal operant training on tact acquisition. In Experiment 3, these same arrangements were evaluated with a boy with autism and included assessments to determine that a relevant establishing operation was in effect prior to each mand training session. Experiment 3 again failed to demonstrate the facilitative effects of mand-tact training on the acquisition of mands or tacts. Taken together, the data from these three experiments fail to support the improved efficiency of mand-tact training suggested by prior studies. Findings are discussed in the context of future research investigating mixed verbal operant arrangements.
Laryngeal Cryptococcosis: An Evolving Rare Clinical Entity.

Objectives:Describe the demographics and clinical manifestations of laryngeal cryptococcosis. Develop a simple approach to the diagnostic workup and treatment of localized laryngeal cryptococcal in...
Determination of Limits for a Linear Regression or Calibration Curve

Trace analysis has become increasingly more important because of its connection with recent environmental, chemical, and biological concerns; therefore, measurement techniques often must be evaluated particularly for their ability to measure low concent..
Gender-Based Differences in Information Use and Processing among State Legislators

ABSTRACTRelying on data from a survey of 612 state legislators in the United States, this study asks: Do male and female legislators use and respond to information in different ways? The results sh...
Development of a Submillimeter Portable Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector, Based on a GAGG:Ce—Silicon Photomultiplier Array

In this study we present the development of a gamma-ray detector based on 1 mm pixel Gd3Al2Ga3O12:Ce (GAGG:Ce) scintillators and a silicon photomultiplier array (ArraySL-4) for possible applications in medical imaging detectors (with focus in PET applications) as well as in personal gamma radiation monitoring applications (with focus on 137Cs radioisotope recognition). A 12 × 12 matrix of pixellated scintillators is coupled to a 4 × 4 pixel elements of a SIPM array covering an active area of 13.4 mm2. Experimental evaluation was carried out with 22Na and 137Cs radioactive sources and the parameters studied were intrinsic spatial resolution, energy resolution and peak-to-valley ratio. ArraySL-4 is a commercially available, 4 × 4 array detector covering an active area of 13.4 mm2. The GAGG:Ce scintillator array used in this study has 1 × 1 × 10 mm3 pixel size elements with 0.1 mm thickness white BaSO4 reflector material between the crystals. A symmetric resistive charge division matrix was applied reducing array’s 16 outputs to 4 position signals. A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Spartan 6 LX150T was used for triggering and signal processing of the signal pulses digitized using free running Analog to Digital Converters. Raw images and horizontal profiles of the 12 × 12 GAGG:Ce scintillator array produced under 511 keV and 662 keV excitation are illustrated. Moreover, the energy spectra obtained with 22Na and 137Cs radioactive sources are shown. All GAGG:Ce central pixels were separated in the 2-dimensional position histograms providing submillimeter intrinsic spatial resolution with an average peak-to-valley (P/V) ratio of 1.75 for 511 keV and P/V ratio 1.85 for 662 keV. The energy resolution was 16.9% for 511 keV and 14% for 662 keV. Those encouraging results, prove that this system could build up to a compact miniature 137Cs spectrometer (with 2D isotope mapping capability) for homeland security applications as well as can be used in small animal imaging PET detector systems.
The physiology of rapid ecological specialization: A look at the Midas cichlids

Understanding the process of speciation is a primary goal of evolutionary biology, yet the question of whether speciation can reach completion in the presence of gene flow remains controversial. For more than 50 years, the cichlids of Africa, and more recently those in South and Central America, have served as model systems for the study of speciation in nature. Cichlids are distinguished by their enormous species richness, their diversity of behavioural and trophic adaptations, and their rapid rate of divergence. In both Africa and South and Central America, the repeated interaction of geology, new founder events and adaptive evolution has created a series of natural experiments with speciation occurring both within and between waterbodies of differing ages. In the "From the Cover" paper in this issue of the Journal of Molecular Ecology, Raffini, Schneider, Franchini, Kautt and Meyer move beyond the question of which mechanisms drive speciation, and instead show that divergent morphologies and physiologies translate into adaptive traits. They investigate differences in physiology and gene expression profiles in a benthic/limnetic species pair of Midas cichlidsin a 24,000-year-old Nicaraguan crater lake. While recently diverged, these two species demonstrate significant ecological, but limited genetic differentiation. The authors find that the distinct morphotypes translate into relevant differences in swimming performance and metabolic rates that correspond to differential gene expression profiles. Hence, the authors take an integrative approach examining the impacts of morphological differences on performance and niche partitioning: an approach that can advance our understanding of the drivers of morphological and physiological divergence during speciation.
Chapter 5 – The Clinical Performance of UHMWPE in Hip Replacements

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the clinical wear performance of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in total hip replacements (THR). Wear can be measured from radiographs using manual or computer-assisted techniques. For detecting low levels of initial wear in UHMWPE hip components, researchers have developed both two-dimensional and three-dimensional computer-assisted radiographic wear measurement methods. In addition, radiostereometric analysis (RSA) in conjunction with digital radiography promises to have improved accuracy for measuring initial wear in UHMWPE Although accurate computer-assisted methods have now been developed to track the progression of in vivo wear of UHMWPE, these techniques reveal a range of performance within the human body. Even when implant-and surgeon-related factors are held constant, patient factors such as activity level and obesity play major roles in the clinical wear rate. Major research efforts have been directed to develop improved UHMWPE materials for hip replacements because of the importance of reducing the broad distribution of wear rates observed in vivo.
Ethics of Applying Compulsory Treatment as a Preventive Measure in Criminal Law

The research discusses the debatable issue of the use of compulsory medical treatment (CMT) as a preventive measure in criminal law. CMT are measures of coercion, or more particularly, state coercion, as they are applied by state bodies on behalf of the public and are backed by the coercive power of the state. However, CMT are not a measure of responsibility. Nor are they preventive measures. The latter are an independent form of legal coercion. CMT is a preventive measure, the use of which prevents the possibility of an unlawful act without establishing guilt, i.e. assessment of the violation in terms of punishment. It is concluded that since the content of the notion of CMT can be filled with different meanings and cannot be uniquely correct and meets all the requirements of science, it must have incomplete attribution in the criminal law, which must be formal. The presentation of the author’s vision of the definition of ‘compulsory medical measures’ is preceded by the following remark. Since the content of the concept of CMT can be filled with different meanings and cannot be uniquely correct and meets all the requirements of science, so long as it should have incomplete attribution in the criminal law, be only formal. It is fundamentally impossible to encompass the general concept of CMT in the law, because it would be necessary to cite all possible definitions in this normative source. The proposed definition of CMT is only an attempt from some unusual positions to understand the essence of such a complex legal institution. And since we have defined CMT as preventive measures in criminal law, such an interpretation, in our opinion, provides an explanation for many theoretical and practical issues.
Electro-hydrodynamic extraction of DNA from mixtures of DNA and bovine serum albumin.

We report separation of genomic DNA (48 kbp) from bovine serum albumin (BSA) by the electro-hydrodynamic coupling between a pressure-driven flow and a parallel electric field. Electro-hydrodynamic extraction exploits this coupling to trap DNA molecules at the entrance of a microfluidic contraction channel, while allowing proteins and salts to be flushed from the device. Samples (10 μL) containing λ-DNA (1 ng) and BSA (0.3 mg) were injected directly into the device and convected to the contraction channel entrance by a flowing buffer solution. The DNA remains trapped in this region essentially indefinitely, while proteins and salts are eluted. The effectiveness of the concept has been assessed by fluorescence measurements of DNA and BSA concentrations. Electro-hydrodynamic extraction in a single-stage device was found to enhance the concentration of DNA 40-fold, while reducing the BSA concentration by four orders of magnitude. The relative concentrations of DNA to BSA at the contraction channel entrance can be as large as 1.5 : 1, corresponding to an A260/280 ratio of 1.9. The maximum yield of DNA from a salt-free solution is 50%, while salted (150 mM) solutions have a lower yield (38%).
POSITRON EMISSION FROM $sup 36$Cl.

Positron emission in the decay of 3.08\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{5}$-${\mathrm{yr}}^{36}$Cl has been verified. The intensity is (0.00166\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.00011)% and the energy is 115\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}18 keV.
Influence of vitamin E and carcass feeding supplementation on fecal glucocorticoid and androgen metabolites in male black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes).

In recent years, the ex situ population of the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes; ferret) has experienced a decline in normal sperm morphology (from 50% to 20%), which may be linked to inbreeding depression and/or a dietary change. We examined the effects of adding carcass and vitamin E to the diet on stress and reproductive biomarkers in male ferrets (n = 42 males including 16 juveniles and 26 adults) housed at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center (Carr, CO, USA). Fecal samples (3x/week) were collected from November and December (pre-breeding season, no diet change), February through May (breeding season, diet change) and June (post-breeding season, diet change) and analyzed for fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) via a corticosterone enzyme immunoassay (EIA). A subset of samples from adult males (n = 15) were analyzed for fecal androgen metabolites (FAM) via a testosterone EIA. We first used a linear mixed effects model to identify the important fixed effects among meat treatment, vitamin E treatment, age class (juvenile or adult), and all possible interactions on each hormone. We then examined the important factor's effects across seasons using the non-parametric Friedman test. We found that age did not influence (p = 0.33) FGMs; however there was a significant effect of meat treatment on FGM (p = 0.04) and an effect of vitamin E on FAMs (p 0.05) between during and post-breeding season periods. Males that were not fed carcass had higher (p 0.05). Males supplemented with vitamin E had higher (p<0.001) FAM than non-supplemented males during the breeding season only. For both groups, FAM was highest (p<0.05) during the breeding season. In conclusion, adding carcass to the diet can reduce glucocorticoid production and adding vitamin E can increase testosterone during the breeding season, which may influence reproductive success.
A Robust Hierarchical Dispatch Scheme for Active Distribution Networks Considering Home Thermal Flexibility

Distribution networks are changing from passive absorbers of electric energy to active distribution networks (ADNs) capable of operating and participating in electricity markets. In the context of residential microgrids, aggregated home heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) loads present a key opportunity to drive operational and economic objectives, facilitate high renewable energy penetration, and enhance both system resiliency and flexibility. A robust, hierarchical dispatch scheme is developed and presented in this paper, which connects an upper level multi-phase distribution optimal power flow (DOPF) to a lower level model predictive control (MPC)-based HVAC fleet controller. The approach is tested and verified on a modified IEEE 13 bus system in an intraday market application. The results demonstrate that the proposed hierarchical dispatch scheme is able to drive both economic and operational objectives for the ADN operator.
Bimodal Music Subject Classification via Context-Dependent Language Models

This work presents a bimodal music subject classification method that uses two different inputs: lyrics and user interpretations of lyrics. While the subject has been an essential metadata type that the music listeners and providers have wanted to use to categorize their music database, it has been difficult to directly utilize it due to the subjective nature of song lyrics analysis. We advance automatic subject classification technology by employing a context-dependent language model, bidirectional encoder representations from the Transformers (BERT). BERT is a promising solution to reduce the gap between humans and machines’ abilities to understand lyrics because it transforms a word into a feature vector by harmonizing the contextual relationship between that word and its surrounding words. The proposed model employs two BERT modules as an ensemble to control the contribution of the two modalities. It shows significant improvement over the existing context-independent models on both the uni and bimodal subject classification benchmarks, suggesting that BERT’s context-dependent features can help the machine learning models uncover the poetic nature of song lyrics.
Diffusion models reveal white matter microstructural changes with ageing, pathology and cognition.

White matter microstructure undergoes progressive changes during the lifespan, but the neurobiological underpinnings related to ageing and disease remains unclear. We used an advanced diffusion MRI, Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging, to investigate the microstructural alterations due to demographics, common age-related pathological processes (amyloid, tau and white matter hyperintensities) and cognition. We also compared Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging findings to the older Diffusion Tensor Imaging model-based findings. Three hundred and twenty-eight participants (264 cognitively unimpaired, 57 mild cognitive impairment and 7 dementia with a mean age of 68.3 ± 13.1 years) from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging with multi-shell diffusion imaging, fluid attenuated inversion recovery MRI as well as amyloid and tau PET scans were included in this study. White matter tract level diffusion measures were calculated from Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed with diffusion measures as the outcome and age, sex, education/occupation, white matter hyperintensities, amyloid and tau as predictors. Analyses were also performed with each diffusion MRI measure as a predictor of cognitive outcomes. Age and white matter hyperintensities were the strongest predictors of all white matter diffusion measures with low associations with amyloid and tau. However, neurite density decrease from Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging was observed with amyloidosis specifically in the temporal lobes. White matter integrity (mean diffusivity and free water) in the corpus callosum showed the greatest associations with cognitive measures. All diffusion measures provided information about white matter ageing and white matter changes due to age-related pathological processes and were associated with cognition. Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging and diffusion tensor imaging are two different diffusion models that provide distinct information about variation in white matter microstructural integrity. Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging provides additional information about synaptic density, organization and free water content which may aid in providing mechanistic insights into disease progression.
Index60 as an additional diagnostic criterion for type 1 diabetes

We aimed to compare characteristics of individuals identified in the peri-diagnostic range by Index60 (composite glucose and C-peptide measure) ≥2.00, 2 h OGTT glucose ≥11.1 mmol/l, or both. We studied autoantibody-positive participants in the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study who, at their baseline OGTT, had 2 h blood glucose ≥11.1 mmol/l and/or Index60 ≥2.00 (n = 354, median age = 11.2 years, age range = 1.7–46.6; 49% male, 83% non-Hispanic White). Type 1 diabetes-relevant characteristics (e.g., age, C-peptide, autoantibodies, BMI) were compared among three mutually exclusive groups: 2 h glucose ≥11.1 mmol/l and Index60 <2.00 [Glu(+), n = 76], 2 h glucose <11.1 mmol/l and Index60 ≥2.00 [Ind(+), n = 113], or both 2 h glucose ≥11.1 mmol/l and Index60 ≥2.00 [Glu(+)/Ind(+), n = 165]. Participants in Glu(+), vs those in Ind(+) or Glu(+)/Ind(+), were older (mean ages = 22.9, 11.8 and 14.7 years, respectively), had higher early (30–0 min) C-peptide response (1.0, 0.50 and 0.43 nmol/l), higher AUC C-peptide (2.33, 1.13 and 1.10 nmol/l), higher percentage of overweight/obesity (58%, 16% and 30%) (all comparisons, p < 0.0001), and a lower percentage of multiple autoantibody positivity (72%, 92% and 93%) (p < 0.001). OGTT-stimulated C-peptide and glucose patterns of Glu(+) differed appreciably from Ind(+) and Glu(+)/Ind(+). Progression to diabetes occurred in 61% (46/76) of Glu(+) and 63% (71/113) of Ind(+). Even though Index60 ≥2.00 was not a Pathway to Prevention diagnostic criterion, Ind(+) had a 4 year cumulative diabetes incidence of 95% (95% CI 86%, 98%). Participants in the Ind(+) group had more typical characteristics of type 1 diabetes than participants in the Glu(+) did and were as likely to be diagnosed. However, unlike Glu(+) participants, Ind(+) participants were not identified at the baseline OGTT.
An Approach to Error-Estimation in the Application of Dimension Algorithms

Three different methods for calculating the dimension of attractors are analyzed. An approach to error-estimation is presented and is used on various data sets. In some cases it is shown that the errors can become very large.