cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Clinical Effects of Inhaled Combivent with Budesonide in Treatment of Asthmatic Disease in Infants

Objective:To observe the effects of inhaled Combivent with budesonide in treatment of asthmatic disease in infants.Methods: One hundred and twenty asthmatic diseased infants were divided into two groups randomly.Sixty cases in the treatment group were treated with inhaled Combivent(1.25 mL) with budesonide(1 mL) based on the routine treatment,the control group(60 cases) was treated with inhaled salbutamol(0.25 mL) and hexadecadrol(5 mg) based on the routine treatment,once a day,for 5~7 days.Then we observed the improvement of clinical symptoms and signs,and compared the clinical effects.Results: The marked effect rate(81.7%) and the total effective rate(98.3%) of the treatment group were higher than those of the control group(60.0% and 88.3%)(P0.05).Conclusions: The clinical effects of inhaled Combivent with budesonide in treatment of asthmatic disease in infants were satisfactory.
Development of Controlled Pulse Key-holing System for Plasma Arc Welding

Narrow applicable ranges and low adjustability of process parameters of keyhole plasma arc welding result in poor stability of the keyhole and limit the wide application of this welding method.The keyhole behavior determines the stability of the welding processes and the final quality of the weld joints.Therefore,a system of controlled pulse key-holing in plasma arc welding is developed to expand the parameter ranges and improve the welding quality.Based on simple detecting device,efflux plasma voltage signal is measured in real-time during the welding process,which is employed to determine whether a keyhole is formed or not and to describe the keyhole dimension.A control strategy termed as controlled pulse key-holing is used to adjust the duration of peak and base current in time,thus the keyhole is kept in quasi-steady state.One keyhole per pulse is achieved while the duration of both peak and base currents is not constant.Key-holing is ensured,the keyhole dimension only fluctuates around the preset value,and burn-through is avoided.The usable ranges of welding process parameters are widened significantly.Plasma arc welding experiments show that the control system can make prompt adjustments when thermal loss conditions and work-piece thickness are changed so that it runs steadily and reliably and has marked control effect.
Skeletal muscle ventricles in circulation: One to eleven weeks’ experience

Skeletal muscle ventricles were constructed from canine latissimus dorsi and connected to the thoracic aorta in six dogs. These ventricles were stimulated to contract synchronously during diastole. The skeletal muscle ventricles were capable of continuous stroke work when placed within the arterial circulation for several weeks. Effective synchronous diastolic counterpulsation was produced. These results demonstrate that diastolic counterpulsators can be constructed from skeletal muscle and in the future may provide a feasible therapeutic alternative for the treatment of end-stage cardiac failure.
Small Molecule Detection in Saliva Facilitates Portable Tests of Marijuana Abuse

As medical and recreational use of cannabis, or marijuana, becomes more prevalent, law enforcement needs a tool to evaluate whether drivers are operating vehicles under the influence of cannabis, specifically the psychoactive substance, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, the cutoff concentration of THC that causes impairment is still controversial, and current on-site screening tools are not sensitive enough to detect trace amounts of THC in oral fluids. Here we present a novel sensing platform that employs giant magnetoresistive (GMR) biosensors integrated with a portable reader system and smartphone to detect THC in saliva using competitive assays. With a simple saliva collection scheme, we have optimized the assay to measure THC in the range from 0 to 50 ng/mL, covering most cutoff values proposed in previous studies. This work facilitates on-site screening for THC and shows potential for testing of other small molecule drugs and analytes in point-of-care (POC) settings.
Analysis of changes in the magnitude, frequency, and seasonality of heavy precipitation over the contiguous USA

Gridded daily precipitation observations over the contiguous USA are used to investigate the past observed changes in the frequency and magnitude of heavy precipitation, and to examine its seasonality. Analyses are based on the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) daily precipitation data from 1948 to 2012. We use a block maxima approach to identify changes in the magnitude of heavy precipitation and a peak-over-threshold (POT) approach for the changes in the frequency. The results of this study show that there is a stronger signal of change in the frequency rather than in the magnitude of heavy precipitation events. Also, results show an increasing trend in the frequency of heavy precipitation over large areas of the contiguous USA with the most notable exception of the US Northwest. These results indicate that over the last 65 years, the stronger storms are not getting stronger, but a larger number of heavy precipitation events have been observed. The annual maximum precipitation and annual frequency of heavy precipitation reveal a marked seasonality over the contiguous USA. However, we could not find any evidence suggesting shifting in the seasonality of annual maximum precipitation by investigating whether the day of the year at which the maximum precipitation occurs has changed over time. Furthermore, we examine whether the year-to-year variations in the frequency and magnitude of heavy precipitation can be explained in terms of climate variability driven by the influence of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Our findings indicate that the climate variability of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can exert a large control on the precipitation frequency and magnitude over the contiguous USA. Also, the results indicate that part of the spatial and temporal features of the relationship between climate variability and heavy precipitation magnitude and frequency can be described by one or more of the climate indices considered here.
Factors Affecting Hop Bitter Acid Isomerization Kinetics in a Model Wort Boiling System

Various factors were examined to determine their impact on the rate of isomerization of α-acids (humulones) to iso-α-acids (isohumulones) during kettle boiling. A model wort boiling system was used...
Corrosion resistance of Al and Al–Mn thin films

Abstract Magnetron-sputtered aluminum (Al) and aluminum–manganese (Al-Mn) films with structures ranging from nanocrystalline to amorphous were obtained by tuning the Mn% up to 20.5 at.%. Corrosion behavior of the films was investigated in 0.6 M and 0.01 M NaCl aqueous solutions by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Pitting corrosion was found to be strongly affected by alloy composition. The amorphous Al–20.5 at.% Mn exhibited the best pitting resistance during short term exposure. However, over longer immersion in 0.01 M NaCl up to 108 h, nanocrystalline Al–5.2 at.% Mn showed the highest corrosion resistance. The dual-phase Al-11.5 at.% Mn alloy was found to have higher nominal corrosion rate compared to its nanocrystalline or amorphous counterparts.
Afghanistan Water Treaties and Relevant International Water Law

Sustainable water use in the world requires rules about shared water usage with neighboring states that overcome absolute territorial sovereignty where an upstream state can do whatever it likes to the shared water resources, in contrast to the downstream state where absolute territorial integrity allows that state to an uninterrupted flow of usable water. Limited territorial integrity is a solution, along with precise definitions of international water courses. New water law in Afghanistan has been developed even while public discussion has been limited by constraints from past presidential decree. New treaty negotiations are required but are yet to get underway because of a history of prior failures and water constraints, coupled with fears of water avarice from neighboring states.
Effects of mind-body interventions on depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective To determine the efficacy of mind–body interventions in depressive symptoms treatment among older Chinese adults (>60 years of age). Methods We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Chongqing VIP for eligible studies until September 2016. We reviewed randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy of mind–body interventions for depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults. Two authors independently conducted screening, and risk of bias assessment. Data were extracted by one author and crosschecked by the research team. Cohen's d standardized mean differences were calculated to represent intervention effects. Results A comprehensive search yielded 926 records; 14 articles met inclusion criteria. Relative to the control groups, mind–body interventions had large short-term effects in reducing depressive symptoms in older Chinese adults (standardized mean differences = −1.41; 95% CI [−1.82, −0.99]). Most studies did not report the long-term effects of mind–body interventions. Subgroup analyses by type of mind–body interventions, participants' age group, and control condition yielded different effect sizes; however, these differences did not all reach a statistically significant level. The interpretation of the subgroup analysis should be considered with caution given its observational nature and a small number of included studies. Conclusions This systematic review suggests that mind–body interventions had short-term effects in alleviating depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults. Further research (randomized controlled trials with active controls and follow-up tests) are needed to assess the effects of mind–body interventions on depressive symptoms among this population. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Profit y Femicidio En La Frontera

What are some of the global-economic connections between the maquiladora workers and the violence against young women of Juarez?
A Divided City: 1949–1967

Covers developments during the period 1948–1967, when Jerusalem was a divided city, and the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif was strongly contextualized within secular nationalist paradigms.
Drug Stroop: Mechanisms of response to computerized cognitive behavioral therapy for cocaine dependence in a randomized clinical trial.

Abstract Background Poor performance on Drug Stroop tasks, which could indicate attentional bias to drug-related cues, craving, poor cognitive control (including poor response inhibition), has been associated with substance use severity, treatment retention and substance use treatment outcomes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on training in appraisal and coping strategies, including strategies to minimize the negative impact of triggers and coping with drug-cue-induced craving. One mechanism of action of CBT may be the strengthening of cognitive control processes and reduction of attentional bias to drug-related stimuli. Methods Methadone-maintained individuals with cocaine-use disorders, participating in a randomized controlled trial of treatment as usual (TAU) versus TAU plus access to computer-based CBT (CBT4CBT), completed a computerized Drug Stroop task at pre- and post-treatment. Analyses determined whether attentional bias toward drug-related stimuli changed differentially by treatment group or cocaine use outcomes across the treatment period and whether engagement in components of CBT4CBT or TAU treatment related to changes in attentional bias toward drug-related stimuli at post- versus pre-treatment. Results Participants achieving a longer duration of cocaine abstinence during treatment (3+ weeks) showed greater reductions in Drug Stroop Effect than those with shorter maximum continuous abstinence. Reductions in Drug Stroop Effect across treatment were associated with greater engagement with CBT4CBT-specific treatment components, but not TAU-specific treatment components. Conclusions Reduction in attentional bias to drug-related cues and craving and/or improved executive cognitive control and response inhibition may contribute to the mechanism of action of CBT4CBT.
Simvastatin reduces the TLR4-induced inflammatory response in human aortic valve interstitial cells.

Abstract Background Calcific aortic stenosis is a chronic inflammatory disease. Proinflammatory stimulation via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) causes the aortic valve interstitial cell (AVIC) to undergo phenotypic change. The AVIC first assumes an inflammatory phenotype characterized by the production of inflammatory mediators such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). This change has been linked with an osteogenic phenotypic response. Statins have recently been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. We therefore hypothesized that statins may have an anti-inflammatory effect on human AVICs by downregulation of TLR4-stimulated inflammatory responses. Our purposes were (1) to determine the effect of simvastatin on TLR4-induced expression of inflammatory mediators in human AVICs and (2) to determine the mechanism(s) through which simvastatin exert this effect. Materials and methods Human AVICs were isolated from the explanted hearts of four patients undergoing cardiac transplantation. Cells were treated with simvastatin (50 μM) for 1 h before stimulation with TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 0.2 μg/mL). Immunoblotting (IB) was used to analyze cell lysates for ICAM-1 expression, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect IL-8 and MCP-1 in cell culture media. Likewise, lysates were analyzed for TLR4 and nuclear factor-kappa B activation (IB). After simvastatin treatment, lysates were analyzed for TLR4 levels (IB). Statistics were by analysis of variance (P Results Simvastatin reduced TLR4-induced ICAM-1, IL-8, and MCP-1 expression in AVICs. Simvastatin down-regulated TLR4 levels and suppressed TLR4-induced phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B. Conclusions These data demonstrate the potential of a medical therapy (simvastatin) to impact the pathogenesis of aortic stenosis.
Phishing attempts among the dark triad: Patterns of attack and vulnerability

Abstract Phishing attacks are more common and more sophisticated than other forms of social engineering attacks. This study presents an investigation of the relationships between three personality traits—Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy (i.e., the Dark Triad)—and phishing effort, attack success, and end-user susceptibility to phishing emails. Participants were recruited in two stages. The first set of participants acted as attackers, creating phishing emails. The second set of participants acted as end-users, reading both benevolent and phishing emails and indicating their likely behavioral response to each email. Our findings suggest that attackers' Dark Triad scores relate to the effort that they put in writing a phishing email, but do not predict phishing success. Instead, it is the end-users’ Dark Triad scores that predict the success of phishing emails. We found that higher levels of attacker Machiavellianism were linked to increased phishing effort, while end-user narcissism was associated to greater vulnerability when receiving phishing emails. Furthermore, our findings suggest that narcissistic end-users were marginally more susceptible to phishing emails that originated from narcissistic attackers. These results have important practical implications for training, anti-phishing tool development, and policy in organizations.
Use of Mock Oral Examinations in Vascular Surgery Training Programs: A Nationwide Survey.

Abstract Background Mock oral examinations (MOEs) are valuable tools for knowledge assessment and preparation for the surgical certifying examinations. Use of MOE is not standardized. We sought to determine the current use in vascular residencies/fellowships. Methods Program directors (PD) of all U.S. vascular training programs were sent anonymous online surveys in July of 2015 evaluating importance of MOEs, current use, barriers to implementation, and preparedness of trainees to sit for the certifying board examination (CE). Comparisons were performed between programs that use MOEs and those that do not. Results Fifty-four percent (59/108) of program directors completed the survey. The majority believed MOEs are important for vascular residents and fellows (86% versus 81%); however, only 51% (30/59) use them. The most common reason for using MOE was to provide feedback about readiness for the CE (90%). Of programs not giving MOE, 69% expected their trainees to get oral examinations at national conferences. The most common barriers to implementation/continuation of MOEs were availability of faculty (48%) or time (31%). Irrespective of whether they used MOE or not, 29% believed vascular fellows were better prepared for the CE than vascular residents. Conclusions MOEs are regarded as a valuable tool to prepare trainees for the CE. However, it is not a commonly adopted practice, due to variables such as institutional/faculty availability. A third of program directors believed that vascular fellows were more prepared to pass the CE than vascular residents which may warrant further investigation into how programs can more rigorously prepare vascular residents for the vascular CEs.
The Controversy Concerning Ideas between Malebranche and Foucher

The first volume of the first edition of De la recherche de la verite ou l’on traite de la nature de l’esprit de l’homme, et de l’usage qu’il en doit faire pour eviter l’erreur des sciences by Nicolas Malebranche appeared in 1674.1 No volume number is given and the only indication that the three books it contains do not constitute a complete work is a one-sentence paragraph in Chapter IV of Book I which lists six topics to be treated; the volume closes with the word FIN. It is not surprising, then, to find Simon Foucher publishing his short Critique de la Recherche de la verite ou l’on examine en meme-tems une partie des Principes de Mr Descartes in 1675 2 under the impression that he was examining a completed work. He was soon apprised of his oversight; Malebranche responded in the preface to the second volume with one of the nastiest printed attacks in the history of philosophy (Descartes’ opinion of Pere Bourdin is comparable, but was not meant for the public) which is crowned with the now famous line: “Quand on Critique un Livre, il me semble qu’il faut au moins l’avoir lu.” 3
Social Resilience in the Neoliberal Era

Introduction Peter A. Hall and Michele Lamont Part I. Neoliberalism: Policy Regimes, International Regimes and Social Effects: 1. The neoliberal era: ideology, policy, and social effects Peter Evans and William H. Sewell, Jr 2. Narratives and regimes of social and human rights: the Jack Pines of the neoliberal era Jane Jenson and Ron Levi 3. Neoliberal multiculturalism? Will Kymlicka Part II. The Social Sources of Individual Resilience: 4. Responses to discrimination and social resilience under neoliberalism: the case of Brazil, Israel, and the United States Michele Lamont, Jessica S. Welburn and Crystal Fleming 5. Stigmatization, neoliberalism, and resilience Leanne S. Son Hing 6. Security, meaning, and the home: conceptualizing multi-scalar resilience in a neoliberal era James Dunn Part III. Social Resilience on a Macro-Scale: 7. Neoliberalism and social resilience in the developed democracies Lucy Barnes and Peter A. Hall 8. Social resilience in the neoliberal era: national differences in population health and development Daniel Keating, Arjumand Siddiqi and Quynh Nguyen Part IV. Communities and Organizations as Sites for Social Resilience: 9. Neoliberalism in Quebec: the response of a small nation under pressure Gerard Bouchard 10. Can communities succeed when states fail them? A case study of early human development and social resilience in a neoliberal era Clyde Hertzman and Arjumand Siddiqi 11. Cultural sources of institutional resilience: lessons from chieftaincy in rural Malawi Ann Swidler 12. The origins and dynamics of organizational resilience: a comparative study of two French labor organizations Marcos Ancelovici.
Ultrasound Examination of the Aortic Arch in Stroke

This chapter discusses the technical aspects of the use of transesophageal echocardiography for the detection of proximal aortic atheromas. The transesophageal approach provides unique advantages in the ultrasound examination of the aorta. The proximity of the esophagus to the vessel and the absence of interposed structures along most of their course allow for the acquisition of high quality images that could not be achieved with a transthoracic approach. The presence of large or complicated atheromas in the proximal portion of the aorta is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke in patients over 60 years of age. Its importance may be even greater in cases of unexplained is a reliable and accurate method for the visualization of such atheromas and provides semiquantitative information that can be used for risk stratification. The existence of cofactors that may increase the embolic risk, as well as the best therapeutic and preventive measures in patients with aortic atheromas, need to be investigated in prospective randomized clinical trials.
Is hospital patient safety culture relevant

e18775Background: Hospital culture is the product of multiple factors such as management directives and mission statements which, in turn, can influence individual attitudes and perceptions (Ryan &...
Control of stationary cross-flow modes in a Mach 6 boundary layer using patterned roughness

Experiments were performed to investigate passive discrete roughness for transition control on a sharp right-circular cone at an angle of attack at Mach 6.0. A cone angle of attack of was set to produce a mean cross-flow velocity component in the boundary layer over the cone by which the cross-flow instability was the dominant mechanism of turbulent transition. The approach to transition control is based on exciting less-amplified (subcritical) stationary cross-flow modes through the addition of discrete roughness that suppresses the growth of the more-amplified (critical) cross-flow modes, and thereby delays transition. The passive roughness consisted of indentations (dimples) that were evenly spaced around the cone at an axial location that was just upstream of the first linear stability neutral growth branch for cross-flow modes. The experiments were performed in the air force academy (AFA) Mach 6.0 Ludwieg Tube Facility. The cone model was equipped with a motorized three-dimensional traversing mechanism that mounted on the support sting. The traversing mechanism held a closely spaced pair of fast-response total pressure Pitot probes. The measurements consisted of surface oil flow visualization and off-wall azimuthal profiles of mean and fluctuating total pressure at different axial locations. These documented an 25 % increase in the transition Reynolds number with the subcritical roughness. In addition, the experiments revealed evidence of a nonlinear, sum and difference interaction between stationary and travelling cross-flow modes that might indicate a mechanism of early transition in conventional (noisy) hypersonic wind tunnels.
Continuous Tuning of Gain Peak Linewidth Enhancement Factor from Negative to Positive with p Doping in InAs QD Laser on Si

We investigate the linewidth enhancement factor of 1.3 μm quantum dot lasers epitaxially grown on silicon. Both the calculation and experiment show small (<1) linewidth enhancement factor at gain peak due to high dot uniformity. By varying the modulation p doping level, the linewidth enhancement factor at threshold can be continuously changed across zero from negative to positive.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: An Exploratory Examination of Institutionalization and Consumption

Despite rapid growth and increased levels of consumer choice within the institutionalized population in the United States, the consumption behaviors of nearly 3.5 million people, and those who supp...
Delphi-Verfahren in den Gesundheitswissenschaften – erkenntnistheoretische Potenziale und Herausforderungen

Ziel dieses Kapitels ist es, die erkenntnistheoretischen Potenziale und Herausforderungen der Delphi-Methode in den Gesundheitswissenschaften aus wissenssoziologischer Perspektive zu betrachten. Hierbei wird insbesondere Bezug genommen auf die Schriften von Ludwik Fleck zur sozialen Konstruktion wissenschaftlicher Tatsachen, Berger und Luckmann zur sozialen Konstruktion der Wirklichkeit, sowie von Thomas Kuhn zur gemeinschaftlichen Herstellung einer ‚normalen Wissenschaft‘ im Sinne eines akzeptierten wissenschaftlichen Paradigmas. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden unterschiedliche Betrachtungsweisen der Delphi-Methode im Sinne der Herstellung von Erkenntnisgewinn in der Gesundheitsforschung beleuchtet. Daran anknupfend sollen verschiedene Ansatze diskutiert werden, die in der Literatur als mogliche erkenntnis-theoretische und wissenschaftstheoretische/-philosophische Grundlagen der Delphi-Methode postuliert wurden – so wie deren Bedeutung fur die methodologische Gestaltung und praktische Umsetzung von Delphi-Verfahren. Auf der Grundlage dieser theoretischen Voruberlegungen werden erkenntnistheoretische Chancen und Potenziale, sowie auch Grenzen und Herausforderungen hinsichtlich der Verwendung von Delphi-Verfahren in den Gesundheitswissenschaften diskutiert.
Transition Metal-Catalyzed Regioselective and Stereoselective Aminochlorination of Cinnamic Esters

A new aminohalogenation process has been developed for the synthesis of vicinal haloamine derivatives using cinnamic esters as substrates. The reaction was performed in CH3CN using ZnCl2 or Cu(OTf)2 as catalyst and N,N-dichloro-p-toluenesulfonamide as chlorine/nitrogen source. Good to excellent yields and regio- and stereoselectivities have been obtained. The stereochemistry was unambiguously determined by transforming one of the products to a known sample.
Mutations in sorghum SBEIIb and SSIIa affect alkali spreading value, starch composition, thermal properties and flour viscosity

Seven novel alleles of SBEIIb and one allele of SSIIa co-segregated with the ASV phenotype and contributed to distinct starch quality traits important for food-processing applications. Sorghum is an important food crop for millions of people in Africa and Asia. Whole-genome re-sequencing of sorghum EMS mutants exhibiting an alkali spreading value (ASV) phenotype revealed candidate SNPs in Sobic.004G163700 and Sobic.010G093400. Comparative genomics identified Sobic.010G093400 as a starch synthase IIa and Sobic.004G163700 as a starch branching enzyme IIb. Segregation analyses showed that mutations in Sobic.010G093400 or Sobic.004G163700 co-segregated with the ASV phenotype. Mutants in SSIIa exhibited no change in amylose content but expressed lower final viscosity and lower starch gelatinization temperature (GT) than starches from non-mutant plants. The sbeIIb mutants exhibited significantly higher amylose levels and starch GT and lower viscosity compared to non-mutant starches and ssIIa mutants. Mutations in SBEIIb had a dosage-dependent effect on amylose content. Double mutants of sbeIIb and ssIIa resembled their sbeIIb parent in amylose content, starch thermal properties and viscosity profiles. These variants will provide opportunities to produce sorghum varieties with modified starch end-use qualities important for the beer brewing and baking industries and specialty foods for humans with diabetes.
Palliative Care and the Heart Transplant Team: Offering perspectives and augmenting care

In 2014, Children's Hospital of Michigan began an initiative to involve the Pediatric Palliative Care Team in to the standard initial work up of all patients undergoing evaluation of the heart transplant team. Since that time, over 30 patients have been evaluated with a complete initial consult by the palliative care team, as well as ongoing care throughout their course, regardless of outcome. We will describe the goals that were established …
Effects of Combined Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Training on Verbal Fluency in Older Adults

We have previously shown that aerobic exercise improves measures of verbal fluency in older adults, and such an improvement is correlated with improved cardiovascular reserve (i.e., estimates of VO2). Due to increasing popularity in computer-based cognitive training, we explored whether the addition of cognitive training to aerobic exercise would further enhance the beneficial cognitive impact of exercise. Therefore, this study sought to test the hypothesis that a cognitive training regimen alone would directly improve executive function and that this effect would be potentiated with the addition of aerobic exercise. The interventions lasted 12 weeks, and cognitive assessments were taken immediately prior to and after the interventions. We found that only the groups employing aerobic exercise showed improvements in verbal fluency (semantic and letter) and cardiovascular fitness with no other executive functions being significantly impacted. Cognitive training alone was associated with decreased verbal fluency. These data replicate previous findings which indicate that aerobic exercise may have a remedial or mitigating effect of cognitive decline. In addition, they provide evidence that the addition of concurrent cognitive training to an aerobic exercise program does not provide synergistic improvement in executive functions.
Impact of a Pharmacy-Driven Transitions of Care Medication Reconciliation Following Hospitalization:

Background: Medication changes are common after hospitalizations, and medication reconciliations are one tool to help identify potential medication discrepancies. Objective: To determine the impact...
Father-figure Presence and Externalizing and Internalizing Problems in Mexican and Dominican American Children.

This study examined whether various types of father-figure presence in Mexican (n = 414)- and Dominican- American (n = 336) households measured at baseline predicted child mental health functioning...
Bio-inspired gas sensing: boosting performance with sensor optimization guided by “machine learning”

The performance of existing gas sensors often degrades in field conditions because of the loss of measurement accuracy in the presence of interferences. Thus, new sensing approaches are required with improved sensor selectivity. We are developing a new generation of gas sensors, known as multivariable sensors, that have several independent responses for multi-gas detection with a single sensor. In this study, we analyze the capabilities of natural and fabricated photonic three-dimensional (3-D) nanostructures as sensors for the detection of different gaseous species, such as vapors and non-condensable gases. We employed bare Morpho butterfly wing scales to control their gas selectivity with different illumination angles. Next, we chemically functionalized Morpho butterfly wing scales with a fluorinated silane to boost the response of these nanostructures to the vapors of interest and to suppress the response to ambient humidity. Further, we followed our previously developed design rules for sensing nanostructures and fabricated bioinspired inorganic 3-D nanostructures to achieve functionality beyond natural Morpho scales. These fabricated nanostructures have embedded catalytically active gold nanoparticles to operate at high temperatures of ≈300 °C for the detection of gases for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. Our performance advances in the detection of multiple gaseous species with specific nanostructure designs were achieved by coupling the spectral responses of these nanostructures with machine learning (a.k.a. multivariate analysis, chemometrics) tools. Our newly acquired knowledge from studies of these natural and fabricated inorganic nanostructures coupled with machine learning data analytics allowed us to advance our design rules for sensing nanostructures toward the required gas selectivity for numerous gas monitoring scenarios at room and high temperatures for industrial, environmental, and other applications.
Effect of Compound Lidocaine Cream on dilation of anus in children with anal atresia after operation

Objective To explore the application effect of Compound Lidocaine Cream on dilation of anus in children with anal atresia after operation. Methods A total of 64 children with anal atresia were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group (32 cases in each group). The patients of control group used conventional methods to dilate anus, and the patients observation group received Compound Lidocaine Cream before dilatation of anus. We compared children′s reaction of the pain. Results In observation group, at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd day, FLACC score were (5.91±1.75), (3.38±1.50) and (1.72±0.58); oxygen saturation (%) were (96.34±1.12 ), (96.47±1.11) and (98.03±0.74); heart rate (beats per minute) were (132.00±1.31), (126.31±5.11), (118.09±7.67). Compared with the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). On the 3rd day, FLACC score decreased, and blood oxygen saturation increased, and heart rate decreased in both groups compared with the first day of anus dilation, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions Compound Lidocaine Cream can relieve the pain of dilatation. It is safe, simple, and is worthy of clinical promotion. Key words: Anal atresia; Pain; Compound Lidocaine Cream; Dilatation of anus
Touchscreen-based assessment of risky-choice in mice.

Abstract Addictions are characterized by choices made to satisfy the addiction despite the risk it could produce an adverse consequence. Here, we developed a murine version of a ‘risky decision-making’ task (RDT), in which mice could respond on a touchscreen panel to obtain either a large milkshake reward associated with varying probability of footshock, or a smaller amount of the same reward that was never punished. Results showed that (the following font is incorrectly smaller/subscripted) mice shifted choice from the large to small reward stimulus as shock probability increased. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed more Fos-positive cells in prelimbic cortex (PL) and basal amygdala (BA) after RDT testing, and a strong anti-correlation between infralimbic cortex (IL) activity and choice of the large reward stimulus under likely (75–100 % probability) punishment. These findings establish an assay for risky choice in mice and provide preliminary insight into the underlying neural substrates.
Implementation and Patient Experience of Outpatient Teleneurology

Background: Teleneurology has been well described for acute stroke, but outpatient use has been limited. At home, virtual visits have the potential to improve access to neurological care. Introduct...
StragglerHelper: Alleviating Straggling in Computing Clusters via Sharing Memory Access Patterns

Clusters have been a prevalent and successful computing framework for processing large amount of data due to their distributed and parallelized working paradigm. A task submitted to a cluster is typically divided into a number of subtasks which are designated to different work nodes running the same code but dealing with different equal portion of the dataset to be processed. Due to the existence of heterogeneity, it could easily result in stragglers unfairly slowing down the entire processing, because work nodes finish their subtasks at different rates. In this study, we aim to speed up straggling work nodes to quicken the overall processing by leveraging exhibited performance variation. More specifically, we propose StragglerHelper which conveys the memory access characteristics experienced by the forerunner to the stragglers such that stragglers can be sped up due to the accurately informed memory prefetching. A Progress Monitor is deployed to supervise the respective progresses of the work nodes and inform the memory access patterns of forerunner to straggling nodes. Our evaluation results with the SPEC MPI 2007 and BigDataBench on a cluster of 64 work nodes have shown that StragglerHelper is able to improve the execution time of stragglers by up to 99.5% with an average of 61.4%, contributing to an overall improvement of the entire cohort of the cluster by up to 46.7% with an average of 9.9% compared to the baseline cluster.
Pediatric meningioma: a clinicopathologic and molecular study with potential grading implications

Meningiomas are common in adults (~35% of brain tumors) but rare in children, where they exhibit unique clinical, pathological and molecular features compared to adult counterparts. Thus, data generated from adult cohorts may be imperfectly suited to guiding diagnostic, prognostic and treatment decisions for children. We studied 50 meningioma patients ≤18 years with available clinical and pathological data to address the need for data obtained in the pediatric setting. As previously described, we noted a slight bias toward male patients and a higher proportion of spinal tumors compared to adults. Thirty-eight of 50 specimens were further analyzed by next generation sequencing. Loss-of-function mutations in NF2 and chromosome 22 losses were common, but pathogenic variants in other genes (SMARCB1, FUBP1, BRAF, TERT promoter, CHEK2, SMAD and GATA3) were identified in a minority of cases. Copy number variants outside of chromosomes 22 and 1 were infrequent. H3K27 hypomethylation, a useful biomarker in adult tumors, was not found in our cohort. In exploring the correlation between mitotic count and recurrence-free survival, we found a threshold of six mitoses per 10 high powered fields as the optimal cutoff in predicting recurrence-free survival. If independently validated in larger studies, adjusted grading thresholds could enhance the clinical management of pediatric meningiomas.
Growing Up in Law and Society: The Pulls of Policy and Methods

This article begins by tracing the aspirations and training that led to Lempert's commitment to the field of law and social science and includes comments on prominent figures in the field, the emergence of empirical legal studies, and other matters. It may interest scholars who seek to understand the history of the field's revival, and those who were among the first generation of Law and Society Association members may see some of their own experience in Lempert's account. The article then discusses policy uses of law and social science research and cautions against the possibility that a study's policy appeal may exceed the weight that can fairly be put on it. Five studies are used as examples: Wilson and Kelling's essay on “broken windows,” Sherman and Berk's work on arrest for spouse abuse, Ehrlich's article on the deterrent effects of the death penalty, Lott and Mustard's work on right-to-carry laws, and Sander's mismatch critique of affirmative action. The article concludes by emphasizing the importa...
Evaluation Index System and Evaluation Method of Integrated Energy System on User Side

This article aims at the current situation of the research on the evaluation method of the user-side integrated energy system, starting from the overall performance of the integrated energy system. It puts forward a scientific and systematic evaluation index system for the user-side integrated energy system planning scheme from the four aspects of energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness, energy supply quality, and environmental protection. Based on the combination of analytic hierarchy process, entropy weight method and set pair analysis method, comprehensive evaluation of the user-side integrated energy system planning scheme is carried out. Taking the integrated energy system of a commercial-residential mixed zone in a northern city as an example, a simulation analysis was carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed evaluation method. The results show that the proposed evaluation method can provide a basis for the decision-making of the user-side integrated energy system planning scheme.
Bilirubin: A Ligand of the PPARα Nuclear Receptor

Bilirubin is the product from red blood cell lysis, which releases heme that is reduced to biliverdin by heme oxygenases (HO). Later, the biliverdin is converted to bilirubin by the biliverdin reductase (BVR) enzyme. Studies have revealed that bilirubin is significantly lower in obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). While the mechanisms that reduce plasma bilirubin are unknown, it has been shown that increasing plasma bilirubin lowers body fat percentage and liver fat content in obese animal models. The bilirubin actions have been attributed to a newly revealed function that it is a hormone, which binds directly to the PPARα nuclear receptor transcription factor. PPARα regulates fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and peroxisomal function to maintain cellular homeostasis and catabolism of fatty acids. Here, we discuss the partnership of bilirubin-PPARα, along with the two other PPAR isoforms PPARβ/δ and PPARγ, and how they function to control peroxisomes and mitochondria that mediates fatty acid β-oxidation and adiposity. There may be clinical interest in bilirubin-PPARα functionality to rectify NAFLD and insulin resistance in the obese.
On the Defect Group of a 6D SCFT

We use the F-theory realization of 6D superconformal field theories (SCFTs) to study the corresponding spectrum of stringlike, i.e., surface defects. On the tensor branch, all of the stringlike excitations pick up a finite tension, and there is a corresponding lattice of string charges, as well as a dual lattice of charges for the surface defects. The defect group is data intrinsic to the SCFT and measures the surface defect charges which are not screened by dynamical strings. When non-trivial, it indicates that the associated theory has a partition vector rather than a partition function. We compute the defect group for all known 6D SCFTs, and find that it is just the abelianization of the discrete subgroup of U(2) which appears in the classification of 6D SCFTs realized in F-theory. We also explain how the defect group specifies defining data in the compactification of a (1, 0) SCFT.
Efficient Secure and Verifiable Outsourcing of Matrix Multiplications

With the emergence of cloud computing services, a resource-constrained client can outsource its computationally-heavy tasks to cloud providers. Because such service providers might not be fully trusted by the client, the need to verify integrity of the returned computation result arises. The ability to do so is called verifiable delegation or verifiable outsourcing. Furthermore, the data used in the computation may be sensitive and it is often desired to protect it from the cloud throughout the computation. In this work, we put forward solutions for verifiable outsourcing of matrix multiplications that favorably compare with the state of the art. Our goal is to minimize the cost of verifying the result without increasing overhead associated with other aspects of the scheme. In our scheme, the cost of verifying the result of computation uses only a single modulo exponentiation and the number of modulo multiplications linear in the size of the output matrix. This cost can be further reduced to avoid all cryptographic operations if the cloud is rational. A rational cloud is neither honest nor arbitrarily malicious, but rather economically motivated with the sole purpose of maximizing its monetary reward. We extend our core constructions with several desired features such as data protection, public verifiability, and computation chaining.
Reaction of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate with TRIS

Kinetic and equilibrium studies are presented on the reaction of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate withTris. Upon raising thepH from 7.3 to 9.3 at 25°C, the second-order rate constant increases from 1.05 M−1 s−1 to 3.79 M−1 s−1, whereas the apparent dissociation constant varies from 2 to 8 mM. These results demonstrate the significance of this reaction whenTris buffer is used in studies of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate-dependent enzymes.
Specific Effects of 5-Fluoropyrimidines and 5-Azapyrimidines on Modification of the 5 Position of Pyrimidines, in Particular the Synthesis of 5-Methyluracil and 5-Methylcytosine in Nucleic Acids

Drug effects on nucleic acids may entail the incorporation of drugs or their metabolites, thereby altering the sequence of the four major bases, or involve postsynthetic modifications, e.g., methylations of nucleic acid constituents. While in the past the incorporation of drugs such as purine or pyrimidine analogs into tRNA and other nucleic acids has been recognized as a major effect of these compounds, during the past 5 years our laboratory has presented evidence for pronounced, sometimes highly selective effects of drugs on modifications of nucleic acids. This will be the main subject of this chapter.
String Theory, String Model-Building, and String Phenomenology - A Practical Introduction

This is the written version of an introductory self-contained course on string model-building and string phenomenology given at the 2006 TASI summer school. No prior knowledge of string theory is assumed. The goal is to provide a practical, “how-to” manual on string theory, string model-building, and string phenomenology with a minimum of mathematics. These notes cover the construction of bosonic strings, superstrings, and heterotic strings prior to compactification. These notes also develop the ten-dimensional free-fermionic construction. A final lecture discusses general features of heterotic string models, Type I (open) string models, and recent trends of string phenomenology. and general features of low-energy string phenomenology.
Associative memory using nonlinear line attractor network for multi-valued pattern association

A method to embed P multi-valued patterns xs∈ℝN into a memory of a recurrent neural network is introduced. The method represents memory as a nonlinear line of attraction as opposed to the conventional model that stores memory in attractive fixed points at discrete locations in the state space. The activation function of the network is defined by the statistical characteristics of the training data. The stability of the proposed nonlinear line attractor network is investigated by mathematical analysis and extensive computer simulation. The performance of the network is benchmarked by reconstructing noisy gray-scale images.
Towards a Framework for Integrated Natural Language Processing Architectures for Social Robots

Current social robots lack the natural language capacities to be able to interact with humans in natural ways. In this paper, we present results from human experiments intended to isolate spoken interaction types in a search and rescue task and briefly discuss implications for NLP architectures for embodied situated agents.