cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comments on the KKR Wavefunctions; Extension of the Spherical Wave Expansion beyond the Muffin Tins

The solution of Schrodinger’s equation for an assembly of non-overlapping muffin-tin potentials may be constructed in terms of Linear Combinations of — suitably chosen — Muffin Tin Orbitals (LCMTO). For the special case of a perfect crystal this leads to the well-known KKR equations.1,2,3 We hope to demonstrate that this approach, which bears some resemblance to the original work of Korringa1, gives a better insight into the properties of the wavefunctions than does the more popular green’s-function formalism introduced by Kohn and Rostoker.2,3,4
Interaction Between Bifidobacterium and Medical Drugs

Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer beneficial health benefits to the host. However, commonly consumed medical drugs may interact with probiotic bacteria and influence their viability and functionality. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of commonly administered medical drugs on the survival of Bifidobacterium. Five strains of Bifidobacterium (B. breve, B. longum, B. infantis, B. adolescentis, and B. bifidium) were individually grown in MRS broth at 37 °C for next day use. One tablet of commonly used medical drug (Aleve, Aspirin, Tylenol, Hydro, Lisinopril, Metformin, Metoprolol, or Glipizide) was completely dissolved into batches of 9 mL MRS broth then samples were inoculated with 1 mL of overnight grown cultures. Samples were incubated at 37 °C for 2 h and bacterial populations were determined immediately after exposure to medical drugs and after 2 h of incubation. Our result showed a decrease in bifidobacteria population by an average of 3.0 ± 0.25 log CFU/mL in the presence of tested drugs. Arthritis drug (Aleve, Aspirin, and Tylenol) showed higher killing effect on bifidobacteria compared to other tested drugs. These findings suggested that intake of common medical drugs may decrease the viability of probiotic bacteria and may reflect their contribution to human health. The intake of probiotic dietary supplements and functional foods may reduce the negative effect of medical drugs on probiotics.
Singular Mode Characteristics of Fluid-Structure Interaction Modal Formulations

Modal formulations for linear acoustic and vibration problems are important for model order reduction as well as physical interpretation and insight. In the case of structural acoustic systems, a number of formulations exist for the computation of the modes of the coupled system: these may be referred to as ‘coupled modes’, ‘in-water modes’, etc. These modes have the desirable property that they diagonalize the undamped structural-acoustic problem, making forced-response computations in the time- and frequency-domains trivial. In this paper, we review a number of alternative formulations for the undamped FSI mode problem, and concentrate on a particular aspect: the existence and nature of the singular modes of the systems, i.e. the modes at zero frequency. Corresponding to rigid-body modes in linear elastic systems, these modes are essential for accurate low-frequency performance of reduced-order models. It is found that the original, nonsymmetric system of Zienkiewicz and Newton [53] maintains physically reasonable singular mode properties, while many other formulations do not.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Leak Detection Technique for Gas Pipeline with Unequal Temperatures

On the basis of transient mathematical model, the research on leak detection for gas pipeline with unequal temperatures is achieved. It involves the principle and mathematical model of leak detection, as well as leak locating. The testing results show that the technique is highly feasible for pipeline leak detection.
The Philosophy of Conrad Celtis, German Arch-Humanist

Mortuus ille quidem sed longum vivus in aevum Colloquitur doctis per sua scripta viris —Epitaphium Celtis ab ipso compositum If mental discipline and capacity for sustained thought are essential attributes of a formal philosopher, then Conrad Celtis, whom D. F. Strauss christened “the German arch-humanist,” was far from being one. On the big questions Celtis' thinking was protean and inconclusive. He showed a grand indifference to the need for consistency. In a remarkable way he combined Platonic mysticism with an Aristotelian view of nature. He savagely attacked the church, its clergy, and dogma, yet performed his religious duties as though no trace of doubt marred the serenity of a simple faith. He lead an openly immoral life, if not so successfully as he boasted, and at the end turned to the comforts of a pious death. In a very real way these contradictions were not his alone, but less obviously those of his whole generation.
Sequential Estimation of Hidden ARMA Processes by Particle Filtering—Part II

This is Part II of a series of two papers where we address sequential estimation of wide-sense stationary autoregressive moving average (ARMA) state processes by particle filtering. In Part I, we considered a state-space model where the state was an ARMA process of known order and where the parameters of the process could be known or unknown. In this paper, we extend our work from Part I by considering the same type of models, with the added complexity that the ARMA processes are now of unknown order. Instead of working on a scheme that first tracks the state by operating with different assumed models, and then selects the best model by using a predefined criterion, we present a method that directly estimates the state without the need of knowing the model order. We derive the transition density of the state for unknown ARMA model order, and propose a particle filter based on that density and the empirical Bayesian methodology. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed method with computer simulations and compare it with the methods from Part I.
Eye examination in the cat Step-by-step approach and common findings

Practical relevance:The ability to perform a complete eye examination in the cat is critically important for patients with an ocular disorder or a systemic disease, as well as for the geriatric cat.Clinical challenges:Cats may need short breaks between portions of the eye exam in order to minimize stress. For the clinician, use of ophthalmic equipment and interpretation of normal vs abnormal findings may take some practice in order to develop proficiency.Audience:This review is aimed at veterinary practitioners and outlines all the steps and equipment necessary to perform a complete ophthalmic examination in the cat.Equipment:Although some specialized equipment is required, a complete eye exam can be performed with a modest investment in equipment and supplies.Evidence base:This article draws on published references for normal parameters measured in the feline eye exam, as well as the experience of the authors.
Structural insights into plant NLR immune receptor function

Plants and animals use intracellular innate immune receptors known as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs) to detect the presence of pathogens and activate defense. Although genetic studies have defined an increasing number of receptors and the pathogen triggers that activate them, the structural and mechanistic underpinnings of the events at, and downstream of, perception have lagged behind. There are no full-length structures available for NLRs, so researchers have had to content themselves with partial structures, often individual domains. The functional relevance of these partial structures can be difficult to parse. Nevertheless, in a pair of articles in PNAS, Cesari et al. (1) and Casey et al. (2) have provided a clearer view into exactly how NLR proteins function. Microbes become pathogens by defeating some aspect of the host immune system. Plant pathogens from all kingdoms have evolved a set of molecular tools: protein virulence effectors that are delivered into the host cytoplasm. Once inside the host, pathogen effectors target a variety of host processes to promote virulence. These targets can be conserved aspects of the immune system, or can be more specialized targets with pathogen-specific outcomes (3, 4). Plant genomes have responded by evolving specific NLRs that recognize the presence of pathogen virulence effectors and respond appropriately to defeat pathogens (often with programmed cell death) (5). A detailed structural and mechanistic understanding of exactly how NLR proteins respond to pathogens is critical for ensuring food security by rationally engineering disease resistance in crops. We need to know both how the immune response is suppressed in the absence of pathogens and how it is appropriately activated. Models of NLR immune function are informed by their multidomain architecture. In plants, NLRs are characterized by three domains: ( i ) an N-terminal coiled-coil (CC) or Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain, ( ii ) a central nucleotide-binding (NB) … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: marcusn{at}colostate.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Dissociated patterns of anti-correlations with dorsal and ventral default-mode networks at rest

Previous studies of resting state functional connectivity have demonstrated that the default-mode network (DMN) is negatively correlated with a set of brain regions commonly activated during goal-directed tasks. However, the location and extent of anti-correlations are inconsistent across different studies, which has been posited to result largely from differences in whether or not global signal regression (GSR) was applied as a pre-processing step. Notably, coordinates of seed regions-of-interest defined within the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus, an area often employed to study functional connectivity of the DMN, have been inconsistent across studies. Taken together with recent observations that the DMN contains functionally heterogeneous subdivisions, it is presently unclear whether these seeds map to different DMN subnetworks, whose patterns of anti-correlation may differ. If so, then seed location may be a non-negligible factor that, in addition to differences in preprocessing steps, contributes to the inconsistencies reported among published studies regarding DMN correlations/anti-correlations. In this study, they examined anti-correlations of different subnetworks within the DMN during rest using both seed-based and point process analyses, and discovered that: (1) the ventral branch of the DMN (vDMN) yielded significantly weaker anti-correlations than that associated with the dorsal branch of the DMN (dDMN); (2) vDMN anti-correlations introduced by GSR were distinct from dDMN anti-correlations; (3) PCC/precuneus seeds employed by earlier studies mapped to different DMN subnetworks, which may explain some of the inconsistency (in addition to preprocessing steps) in the reported DMN anti-correlations. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2454-2465, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PRKD2 Serine-Threonine Kinase, an Essential Effector of Gabp Transcription Factor, Is Required for Development of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Abstract 1672 Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) caused by transformation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by the BCR-ABL oncogene. CML is associated with excessive proliferation of HSCs and massive expansion of the myeloid cell pool. GABP is an ets-related transcription factor that controls critical genes in myeloid and lymphoid development, and has been implicated in control of HSC growth. GABP is an obligate multimeric transcription factor that includes the DNA-binding ets component, GABPα, along with various GABPβ partner proteins. We conditionally deleted Gabpa in mouse bone marrow and found that Gabpa cells have a profound growth disadvantage due to cell cycle arrest in HSCs. In a mouse model of CML, animals transplanted with BCR-ABL-infected bone marrow developed massive myeloid cell expansion and died with a MPN. Induced deletion of Gabpa prevented development of CML, yet mice continued to produce mature BCR-ABL-expressing granulocytes for months without apparent illness. BCR-ABL + cells were transplantable into secondary recipients without development of CML, and contributed to all hematopoietic lineages, thereby confirming expression of BCR-ABL by long-term HSCs. We used a bioinformatic approach to analyze GABP-bound genes that are upregulated in both human and mouse LSCs compared to normal HSCs. Among 115 GABP-bound, CML-associated genes, we identified Protein Kinase D2 (PRKD2) as a candidate effector of GABP. PRKD2 is a diacyl glycerol- and Protein Kinase C-activated serine-threonine kinase that has been implicated in cancer, but has not previously been associated with HSC functions or CML. Deletion of Gabpa markedly reduced PRKD2 expression in normal HSCs and progenitor cells. In vitro growth of BCR-ABL + bone marrow cells was prevented by Gabpa deletion, but growth was partially rescued by forced expression of PRKD2. Knockdown and pharmacologic inhibition of PRKD2 blocked cell cycle entry of BCR-ABL + cells. We conclude that Gabp is required for HSC cell cycle entry and for development of CML, and that these effects of GABP are mediated, in part, by PRKD2. These findings suggest that PRKD2 kinase may serve as a novel therapeutic target in leukemia. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Twisted Weyl Group Multiple Dirichlet Series: The Stable Case

Weyl group multiple Dirichlet series were associated with a root system Φ and a number field F containing the n-th roots of unity by Brubaker, Bump, Chinta, Friedberg, and Hoffstein [2]. Brubaker, Bump, and Friedberg [4] provided for when n is sufficiently large; the coefficients involve n-th order Gauss sums and reflect the combinatorics of the root system. Conjecturally, these functions coincide with Whittaker coefficients of metaplectic Eisenstein series, but they are studied in these papers by a method that is independent of this fact. The assumption that n is large is called stability and allows a simple description of the Dirichlet series. “Twisted” Dirichet series were introduced in Brubaker, Bump, Friedberg, and Hoffstein [5] without the stability assumption, but only for root systems of type A{inr}. Their description is given differently, in terms of Gauss sums associated to Gelfand-Tsetlin patterns. In this paper, we reimpose the stability assumption and study the twisted multiple Dirichlet series for general Φ by introducing a description of the coefficients in terms of the root system similar to that given in the untwisted case in [4]. We prove the analytic continuation and functional equation of these series, and when Φ = A{inr} we also relate the two different descriptions of multiple Dirichlet series given here and in [5] for the stable case.
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Eliminates Racial Disparities in Postoperative Length of Stay After Colorectal Surgery.

Objective:To investigate the effects of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) on racial disparities in postoperative length of stay (pLOS) after colorectal surgery.Background:Racial disparities in surgical outcomes exist. We hypothesized that ERAS would reduce disparities in pLOS between black and
Improving life quality for the elderly through the Social Internet of Things (SIoT)

The average age of the world's population is increasing, and life expectancy will increase by an extra 10 years by the year 2050. The growing number of older adults increases the demands on public health systems and the related care costs. The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to support integrated healthcare services in elderly homecare can make an important contribution to reducing such costs. The SOCIALIZE AAL project aims to create a new reference platform for the elderly by applying technological solutions to simplify their daily activities and the means by which they access dedicated services in order to improve their quality of life. This paper describes the Elderly Monitoring service — an IoT module of the SOCIALIZE platform, whose aim is to collect environmental and physical user data so that they can be supervised by medical and caregiver staffs.). The system has been designed to enable easy addition and/or substitution of new services and devices within the environment. To this end, the service implements a framework that enables heterogeneous devices belonging to different domotic systems and protocols to directly share data, thereby implementing an infrastructure suitable for the fulfillment of a real Social IoT (SIoT)
Demise of lung transplants: exposing critical gaps in understanding lung stem cells

Lung transplantation is the only potentially curative therapy for end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and cystic fibrosis (CF), which together claim the lives of 150,000 patients each year in the USA (1). Yet less than 2,000 of these procedures are performed each year in the US due to donor availability, the need of specialized surgical and medical teams, and the overall unit costs that are approaching one million dollars.
Whole body organization during a symmetric bimanual pick up task for children with unilateral cerebral palsy.

Abstract Background Information on whole-body coordination involving bimanual coordination for children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP) is limited. Research Question The purpose of the current study is to test the hypothesis that during a whole-body pick up task, children with USCP will organize their whole- body movements and bimanual coordination differently than typically-developing children (TDC). Methods Twelve children with USCP (average age: 8.3; MACS levels: I–II) and twelve age-matched TDC participated in the study. Children were asked to reach down, grasp, and pick up an empty box to waist height while Kinematic and Kinetic data were recorded and analyzed using a VICON system and two AMTI force plates. Results Children with USCP had longer overall movement time, reaching down time, and grasping movement time (all P Significance Impairments in both bimanual and whole-body coordination were found during a simple whole-body task in children with USCP. Future treatments or assessments should consider whole-body tasks involving dual task constraints.
Light-Driven, Zirconium-Catalyzed Hydrophosphination with Primary Phosphines

Catalytic hydrophosphination using [κ5-N,N,N,N,C-(Me3SiNCH2CH2)2NCH2CH2NSiMe2CH2]Zr (1) under photolysis substantially enhances activity and avails greater substrate scope. Quantitative conversions of alkenes to secondary phosphines are reached in as little as 20 min at ambient temperature with 1 under ultraviolet or visible irradiation. A larger class of unactivated alkenes are now facile substrates under photolysis conditions, and 1 can engage in a previously unknown tandem inter/intramolecular hydrophosphination of 1,4-pentadiene to give the heterocyclic phosphorinane product. Computational and spectroscopic data indicate that photoexcitation of 1 at a variety of wavelengths results in P n → Zr d charge transfer. This excitation appears to accelerate catalysis by promoting substrate insertion at the Zr–P bond based on experimental observations.
Digestion and Absorption of Carbohydrates and Proteins

The pathways used for the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and proteins share several important common features. Proteins and starch, one of the major dietary carbohydrates, are both polymers that are initially broken down into smaller compounds by enzymes secreted into the intestinal lumen, principally by the pancreas. Further digestion occurs by a variety of enzymes present in the small intestinal brush-border membrane, generating the small molecules (monosaccharides, amino acids, di- and tripeptides) that are capable of being absorbed by the enterocytes. Transport of these molecules through the intestine occurs mainly via various membrane carrier proteins. In some cases, there is an active transport mechanism by which the movement of the nutrient through the membrane is coupled directly or indirectly to a source of metabolic energy, permitting concentrative transport against an electrochemical gradient. Other carrier systems accelerate the rate of movement of a nutrient through the membrane, but they are not linked to an energy source and therefore do not result in concentration against an electrochemical gradient. This type of transport process is known as facilitated diffusion. Simple passive diffusion either through the plasma membrane or between the enterocytes (the paracellular pathway) is quantitatively important only when the luminal concentration of nutrients is very high.
The effects of lumbar facet dowels on joint stiffness: a biomechanical study.

ABSTRACT Background: Facet joint arthrosis may play a significant role in low back pain generation. The placement of facet dowels is a percutaneous treatment that aims to fuse the facets and increase joint stiffness. In this cadaveric study, we evaluated spine stiffness after facet dowel insertion in combination with several surgical procedures and determined which motions promote dowel migration. Methods: Six fresh frozen lumbar spines were tested in flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. Spine stiffness was determined for the intact specimens, after L4 laminectomy, and after bilateral L4-L5 facet dowel placement, respectively. One specimen underwent a unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) construct and another underwent extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) graft (22 mm) placement, followed by placement of facet dowels. Afterwards, the specimens were subjected to 10,000 cycles of fatigue testing in flexion-extension or axial rotation. Results: The overall decrease i...
Cover Crops and Tillage Influence on Nitrogen Dynamics in Plant‐Soil‐Water Pools

Cover crops (CCs) planted after cash crop harvest have the potential to improve vadose zone water quality through scavenging residual soil N. Limited research is available on N release from the biomass after CC termination and its subsequent leaching. This study examined the influence of rotations corn (Zea mays L.)–no cover crop (noCC)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]–noCC (CncSnc), corn–cereal rye (Secale cereale L.)–soybean–hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) (CcrShv), corn–cereal rye–soybean–oat+radish (Avena sativa L.+Raphanus sativus L.) (CcrSor) and tillage (conventional-tillage [CT] and no-tillage [NT]) on available N in soil, N accumulation in plant biomass, and N leaching to pan lysimeters. The rotations CcrShv and CcrSor with hairy vetch and oat+radish resulted in 89% (37.7 vs. 20.0 kg ha⁻¹) and 68% (33.5 vs. 20.0 kg ha⁻¹) more nitrate N (NO₃–N) leaching than CncSnc during cash crop season in fall 2015. Under CT in fall 2017, the rotation CcrShv (19.4 kg ha⁻¹) had higher NO₃–N leaching than CncSnc (3.2 kg ha⁻¹) and CcrSor (1.4 kg ha⁻¹). During CC season in spring 2016, cereal rye in CcrShv and CcrSor reduced NO₃–N leaching by 84 and 78% compared with the CncSnc, respectively, under CT. Our results indicated that CT had greater N leaching losses than NT. The higher NO₃–N leaching during cash crop season with rotations having CCs was due to the mismatched timing of N availability and demand by the cash crop.
Insect-Resistant Transgenic Brassicas

Transformation of all the major Brassica crops has now been achieved. This has provided many new opportunities for genetic modification of the crops, including alteration of traits of importance to growers, processors, or consumers; creation of plants with environmental benefits; and synthesis in planta of valuable non-plant products such as pharmaceuticals or enzymes. Control of insect pest damage is a modification of particular interest to growers, because it reduces the expense, effort, and health hazards of traditional insecticide applications. Reduction of pesticide use is a benefit to consumers and the environment as well. Alternative methods for insect control are also important because many insect pests have developed resistance to conventional synthetic insecticides (Database 2003). The general topic of insect-resistant transgenic plants has been reviewed by many authors, including Estruch et al. (1997), Jouanin et al. (1998a), Schuler et al. (1998), Hilder and Boulter (1999), and Bruenn (2000).
ASSOCIATION OF RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION WITH CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS AND MORTALITY: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Purpose:Previous studies examining the association of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and cardiovascular events have been inconsistent and have mostly focused on stroke and myocardial infarction. The goal of this study is to use meta-analysis to examine the available evidence examining the association
Solution equilibria of uranyl minerals: Role of the common groundwater ions calcium and carbonate

Abstract Understanding the factors that govern aqueous solubility of uranyl minerals is important for predicting uranium mobility in groundwater and for designing effective remediation strategies. The uranyl-containing minerals metaschoepite [UO3∙(2H2O)] and uranophane [Ca(UO2)2(SiO3OH)2·5H2O] were synthesized and evaluated in batch solubility experiments conducted in the presence of common groundwater ions: calcium, bicarbonate/carbonate, and dissolved silica. Solid-phase characterization revealed the expected structural and thermogravimetric properties of metaschoepite and uranophane. Metaschoepite solubility in carbonate-free water followed a u-shaped pH dependency with minimum solubility near pH 8.5; uranium concentrations at pH ≳ 8.5 were approximately equivalent to the reference value for safe drinking water established by the EPA (30 μg/L). With increasing bicarbonate/carbonate concentration (1 mM – 50 mM) the solubility of metaschoepite increased, presumably due to the formation of uranyl-carbonate complexes. However, the experimental concentrations of uranium were lower than concentrations predicted from accepted complexation constants. For uranophane, equilibrium uranium concentrations were 7). The diversity of uranyl minerals that possibly form in the presence of common groundwater species: Ca-Mg-Na-K-Si-bicarbonate/carbonate-sulfate-chloride, has not been fully explored with respect to understanding potential mineral transformations and impacts on uranium solubility and mobility.
Frequency-Domain Synthesis of Advanced Pulse-Compression Filters

Radars require modified signal processing to be able to employ waveforms other than linear frequency modulated chirps. This paper describes a computationally-efficient method for designing pulse-compression filters that improve performance. These pulse-compression filters have been previously described in terms of a time-domain representation—finding the finite impulse response filters required solving a large system of linear equations. The approach described here translates the filter design specifications into the frequency domain. The frequency-domain representations lead to algorithms with an order of magnitude lower complexity and that are more readily parallelized. The design approaches described here are an important step to using these advanced pulse-compression filters in situations where they must be computed in real-time.
Demographic Traits of Freshwater Turtles in a Maritime Forest Habitat

Abstract Quantifying demographic parameters of freshwater turtle populations at the local scale is necessary in order to understand their natural history and assess their status. To examine whether...
Towards a phenomenological account of social sensitivity

With the exception of James Ostrow’s 1990 study, social sensitivity has received scarce attention in philosophy, whilst it has become an important area of research in social and clinical psychology, where it is commonly known as interpersonal sensitivity. The latter is usually understood as a form of social skill to appropriately recognise and decode the appearance and behaviour of others. However, this view suffers from conceptual limitations in that it tends to reduce social sensitivity to standardised skilful behaviour. Drawing on Husserl’s phenomenology of perception, I disambiguate social sensitivity from social skills, arguing that the former builds on the receptivity of habit to beliefs and cognitive dissonance. In this revised sense, social sensitivity informs processes of attitude change that challenge ingrained dispositions and potentially defy social codes and expectations.
A Curiosity of Cabinets: Collections Care as Community Care:

As museum and library doors shuttered in response to COVID-19, digital portals opened new possibilities for centering collections as an antidote to social isolation. A joint effort between the Univ...
Perceptions of Diabetes Self-Efficacy and Glycemic Control in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease affecting ∼3 million Americans (1). The disease is characterized by autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing cells; affected individuals depend on insulin therapy for survival. Although type 1 diabetes is the third most common chronic disease in childhood, 85% of individuals with type 1 diabetes are adults (2). Optimal management of type 1 diabetes comes at the expense of heavy burden for those with the disease. Although major advances have been made both in the pharmacology of insulin analogs and technological tools to assist in glucose management, only 21% of individuals with type 1 diabetes are able to meet their glycemic targets (3). These struggles are more apparent during adolescence and young adulthood, a developmental period during which adherence levels are low and glycemic control is poorest. In fact, only 17% of youth achieve glycemic targets (3). Type 1 diabetes increases morbidity and mortality from microvascular and macrovascular disease. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial and its Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications follow-up study examined the effect of intensive blood glucose control on the risk of future complications in patients >13 years of age with type 1 diabetes. These studies demonstrated that intensive blood glucose control profoundly reduces the risk of future microvascular complications (4–6). Despite the many technological advances during the past several years, A1C has worsened rather than improving in the adolescent years, and the period from late adolescence through early adulthood remains a challenging time for youth with type 1 diabetes. The unrelenting day-to-day management of type 1 diabetes becomes particularly difficult (7) at this time of many transitions, as these emerging adults make important decisions about their education, career, and health care. Some move away from their home support to attend college, whereas others face …
Subseasonal Climate Prediction in the Western US using Bayesian Spatial Models

Subseasonal climate forecasting is the task of predicting climate variables, such as temperature and precipitation, in a two-week to two-month time horizon. The primary predictors for such prediction problem are spatio-temporal satellite and ground measurements of a variety of climate variables in the atmosphere, ocean, and land, which however have rather limited predictive signal at the subseasonal time horizon. We propose a carefully constructed spatial hierarchical Bayesian regression model that makes use of the inherent spatial structure of the subseasonal climate prediction task. We use our Bayesian model to then derive decision-theoretically optimal point estimates with respect to various performance measures of interest to climate science. As we show, our approach handily improves on various off-the-shelf ML baselines. Since our method is based on a Bayesian framework, we are also able to quantify the uncertainty in our predictions, which is particularly crucial for difficult tasks such as the subseasonal prediction, where we expect any model to have considerable uncertainty at different test locations under different scenarios.
Geriatric Hip Fracture Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Geriatric hip fractures are a major source of morbidity and mortality in the elderly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With the aging of the world’s population projected to disproportionately impact LMICs, geriatric hip fracture incidence in these regions is anticipated to increase dramatically in the coming years. Patient outcomes following hip fractures can be improved by establishing multidisciplinary treatment pathways. Standardized hip fracture protocols aim to optimize medical management, time to surgery, and methods of operative intervention. The development and implementation of evidence-based guidelines in LMICs are limited by available data, resources, and systems. Most of the geriatric hip fracture literature reports epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes in high-income countries (HICs). High-quality research on geriatric hip fractures in LMICs has been limited to date, affecting our ability to recognize gaps in care and improve outcomes for hip fracture patients in LMICs. This chapter aims to present the current literature on geriatric hip fractures in LMICs and identify potential targets for future research and outreach.
Case 2-2021: A 26-Year-Old Pregnant Woman with Ventricular Tachycardia and Shock.

A Pregnant Woman with Ventricular Tachycardia and Shock A 26-year-old pregnant woman presented at 32 weeks of gestation with cardiogenic shock after cardiac arrest. The troponin T level was markedl...
Viperin—taken down with a pinch of salt

What to eat when you have a cold has always been the subject of much debate and advice, usually informed by very little science. However, in this issue of EMBO Reports, Yuan et al (2021) uncover an intriguing link between a high salt diet and a susceptibility to viral infection. Mice fed on a short-term high salt diet were found to carry a higher viral load than control mice fed a normal diet. The researchers trace this effect back to a salt-induced decrease in cellular levels of the antiviral protein, viperin. More generally, these studies provide further insights into the regulation of proteins involved in the cellular antiviral response.
Detection and Evolution of High-z Galaxies

We present some results of a redshift survey designed to detect very distant galaxies behind massive lensing clusters. These objects are found to span the range 3.5 2.0, are far more luminous and compact than the low-z field galaxy population, for any reasonable choice of Cosmology. We also use this method to establish the relative evolution between the distant U,B and V-band selected galaxies, by cloning the HDF U300 dropouts to higher redshift. Little evolution in space-density or size is found over a wide redshift range, 2 < z < 6, motivating higher redshift searches.
Splenic vein thrombosis in patients with acute pancreatitis

We performed a retrospective autopsy case-control study to identify clinical characteristics of acute pancreatitis associated with splenic vein thrombosis. Age, sex, spleen weight, presence or absence of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and pancreatic pseudocyst were not associated with splenic vein thrombosis. Patients with peak serum amylase over 10,000 U/L were at high risk for splenic vein thrombosis. We conclude that, of the factors examined, only the peak serum amylase may be of value in diagnosing splenic vein thrombosis in patients with acute pancreatitis.
Policy Issues and Options When States Take Over Local School Districts.

ABSTRACT Critical issues concerning the state takeover of local school districts are outlined in this paper. Three major topics are addressed: situational factors leading to intervention; the legitimacy of state power; and appropriate beneficial conditions of state takeover. The most frequent reasons for state intervention involve concerns about equity, accountability, and different effectiveness levels of schools with similar resources and populations. A discussion of the issue of state legitimacy concludes that the state has the legitimate power to intervene. However, the extent to which responsibility is part of such power is less clearly defined. Recommendations specify that future state takeovers must provide usable expertise and resources to the local schools involved, utilize multidimensional evaluations of school effectiveness, and clearly define state and local functions. Finally, because the primary reason for intervention is the protection of children's rights, cooperation is crucial. (20 references) (LMI)
Visual, analog representations for natural languages understanding

In order for a natural language system to truly "know what it is talking about," it must have a connection to the real-world correlates of language. For language describing physical objects and their relations in a scene, a visual analog representation of the scene can provide a useful target structure to be shared by a language understanding system and a computer vision system. This paper discusses the generation of visual analog representations from input English sentences. It also describes the operation of a LISP program which generates such a representation from simple English sentences describing a scene. A sequence of sentences can result in a fairly elaborate model. The program can then answer questions about relationships between the objects, even though the relationships in question may not have been explicit in the original scene description. Results suggest that the direct testing of visual analog representations may be an important way to bypass long chains of reasoning and to thus avoid (he combinational problems inherent in such reasoning methods.
Innovative features in a distributed decision support system based on intelligent agent technology

The author and his students were engaged in a multi-year project, SENTINEL, aimed at computerizing the strategic and tactical planning processes of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). In the course of this activity, we were also creating a decision support system for the human participants acting at the diferent levels of the USCG hierarchy. The chapter will describe the objectives, the problems and constraints of the task environment, as well as the solution to some problems that are fundamental and ubiquitous in many real-time, spatially and temporally distributed multi-agent systems.The fundamental and overall task of a Decision Support System (DDS) implemented was to allocate moving resources to moving tasks in an optimum manner over space and time while considering numerous constraints. We have introduced three significant innovations necessary to accomplish our goals. 1. Dynamic Scoping refers to a need-driven change in the size of the domain from which moving resources are called upon to accomplish moving tasks. The size of the domain has a limitation prescribed by the dynamic task environment, the technical capabilities of the resources, and the relationship between the expected gains and expenses. 2. The second innovation concerns "resource scheduling under time constraints." We have introduced a method for the proper ordering of operating attributes and constraints in terms of a utility function.PRIORITY = IMPORTANCE*URGENCYHere, Importance is a measure of the relative static importance of an attribute in the decision making process. Urgency characterizes its gradually changing (usually increasing) relative importance over time. The constraints are arranged according to the priorities. More and more details are taken into account with each time-slice and more and more knowledge is used in the inference mechanism. A time-slice is the minimum time required for performing a unit of meaningful decision making. The ordering of constraints according to priorities guarantees that the result of planning is as good as time has permitted "so far." 3. We have studied interagent communication and optimum message routing. Agents communicate at different levels--requesting and providing information, ordering/suggesting/accepting solutions to sub-problems, asking for and offering help, etc. The total knowledge about the environment and agent capabilities is too large to be stored by every agent, and the continual updating about the changes only aggravates the situation. The usual hierarchical organization structure for communication is inflexible, inefficient and error-prone. We have introduced the constrained lattice-like communication structure that permits direct interaction between functionally related agents at any level. The hierarchical and the lattice-like organizational structures may coexist: A transfer of temporary control over resources can be negotiated between the relevant agents directly while higher-level authorities will learn about the decisions, and can also modify or completely reject their implementation.
Response to Werbach/Mehta's Response

The editors of this journal have given Kevin Werbach and Aalok Mehta and myself an opportunity to extend their excellent article, The Spectrum Opportunity: Sharing as the Solution to the Wireless Crunch” into a dialogue that enriches (we hope) this important topic for their readers. Their response to my commentary is both gracious and on point, emphasizing how much we agree upon and focusing on our areas of disagreement. It is gratifying to find oneself in so much agreement with such fine scholars.
Familial Breast Cancer: Genetic Testing

Mutations in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for most cases of hereditary breast cancer. The process of genetic counseling helps prepare individuals for the complex medical and psychosocial issues raised by genetic testing. Keywords: BRCA1; BRCA2; genetic counseling; genetic testing; hereditary breast/ovarian cancer; cancer genetics; predictive testing; prophylactic surgery
Benin's infrastructure : a continental perspective

Between 2000 and 2005 infrastructure made an important contribution of 1.6 percentage point to Benin's improved per capita growth performance, which was the highest among West African countries during the period. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region's middle-income countries could boost annual growth by about 3.2 percentage points. Benin has made significant progress in some areas of its infrastructure. The rural road network is in relatively good condition, and about 30 percent of the rural population has access to an all-season road, a level above the country's peers. Air transport connectivity has improved. Also, important market liberalization reforms designed to attract private capital to the water and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors have boosted performance. In particular, increased competition in the ICT market has contributed to the rapid expansion of mobile and Internet services. Addressing Benin's infrastructure challenges will require sustained expenditures of $712 million per year over the next decade, with heavy emphasis on capital expenditure. Almost half of the total relates to the transport sector. At 16.6 percent of Benin's 2005 gross domestic product (GDP), this effort is almost at the level of other Sub-Saharan African countries. Benin already spends around $452 million per year on infrastructure, equivalent to about 10.5 percent of its GDP. Almost $101 million a year is lost to inefficiencies of various kinds, associated mainly with under pricing in the power and water sectors; poor financial management of utilities; and inefficient allocation of resources across sectors. If Benin could raise tariffs to cost-recovery levels, and reduce operational inefficiencies in line with reasonable developing-country benchmarks, it could substantially boost flows to the infrastructure sectors. Comparing spending needs with existing spending and potential efficiency gains (and assuming that the inefficiencies are fully captured) leaves an annual funding gap of $210 million per year. By far the largest share of the gap can be traced to the water supply and sanitation sectors. Benin has the potential to close this gap by adopting alternative technologies in water supply, transport and power. Savings from alternative technologies could amount to as much as $227 million per year.
Power delivery validation methodology and analysis for network processors

The rapid growth in power consumption has created numerous issues for high performance processors. In addition to the increase in average power, the dynamic power fluctuation (di/dt) injects substantial noise in the processor power delivery network. These transients tend to expose the voltage-sensitive critical paths, and therefore the higher specified product frequency is limited by the lowest voltage transient point. To contain the noise on the voltage rail to within acceptable limits, the common approach is to place decoupling capacitors between the power and ground planes at different stages (voltage regulator, motherboard, package, die) to keep the power delivery network impedance to within a certain target. A good understanding of the behavioral model of the capacitors and the dynamic power fluctuation is necessary in order to accurately predict the noise on the processor voltage rail. This paper provides a validation methodology for measuring and analyzing the voltage droops in the power distribution network and discusses the mechanisms that trigger the different voltage droops in the power delivery network.
The Effects of the 1980 and 1984 Campaigns on Mass Ideological Orientations: Testing the Salience Hypothesis:

O NE of the most plausible and intuitively obvious hypotheses in public opinion research is that mass attitudes, perceptions and beliefs are shaped, to some extent, by the political environment. When parties, in the 1950s, were strong organizationally and in the electoral process, party identification was high in the electorate; when, in the ensuing decades, parties lost their importance in nominations, campaigns, and in providing information to voters, party identification declined (Wattenberg 1984). When government seemed to be "working" and the media not highly critical of the political process, political trust was high; when these aspects of the environment changed during the Vietnam period and Watergate, trust declined as well (Abramson 1982; Miller 1974). When party conflict on the issues was low in the 1950s, issue voting was also low; when parties and candidates took more distinct stands and conflict intensified during the 60s and early 70s, so too did the electorate's use of issue preferences to guide their vote (Pomper 1972; Miller and Miller 1976). While the role the environment has played in structuring these political attitudes and behaviors seems relatively clear, its influence on the public's ideological orientations is much more controversial. After numerous studies found that the use of ideological terms to describe parties and candidates (the "levels of conceptualization" measure) increased during the 1960s, as had the ideological consistency (or "constraint") of their own issue orientations, scholars initially turned to an environmental explanation, or what Fleishman (1986) terms the "salience hypothesis." According to this view, the public's ideological views of politics, and the consistency of their own policy preferences
Amyloid enhancing factor and dietary transmission in accelerated amyloid A amyloidosis.

The etiology and pathogenesis of amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis that may occur as an occasional complication of chronic inflammatory and infectious diseases are poorly understood. The preamyloid phase of experimentally induced AA amyloidosis can be greatly shortened in recipient animals by intravenous or intraperitoneal transfer of amyloid enhancing factor (AEF) when there is a concomitant inflammatory episode. AEF is an operational term applied to poorly characterized tissue extracts and increased AEF activity that precedes amyloid deposition. We now report that AA is rapidly formed in mice following oral administration of an AEF preparation that does not contain AA peptides. This finding indicates that a transmissible agent present in diet may be a contributory factor in amyloid fibril formation.