cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hearing loss among Ohio farm youth: a comparison to a national sample.

Background Hearing loss is prevalent among adults in the farming community, with some evidence it begins in childhood. Our objective was to compare hearing thresholds of Ohio farm youth to published data on national norms. Methods Baseline data were collected on youth (n = 212) in 1994–1996 with follow-up (n = 132) in 2003–2004 including pure-tone air conduction thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz. Results When compared to nationally-representative data, study youth had a higher prevalence of hearing loss. The high-frequency range was most affected, particularly at 6 kHz where nearly 50% of the farm youth exhibited some degree of hearing loss at baseline testing. The prevalence of noise-induced threshold shifts, characterized by an audiometric notch, was nearly twice that of the national sample. Conclusions These data suggest that hearing loss, which is common among adult farmers, may be problematic for farm youth as well. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:233–239, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Ultra-high-field magnets for future hadron colliders

Several new concepts in magnetic design and coil fabrication are being incorporated into designs for ultra-high field collider magnets: a 16 Tesla block-foil dual dipole, also using Nb/sub 3/Sn cable, featuring simple pancake coil construction and face-loaded prestress geometry; a 330 T/m block-coil quadrupole; and a /spl sim/20 Tesla pipe-geometry dual dipole, using A15 or BSCCO tape. Field design and fabrication issues are discussed for each magnet. >
"No Backpacks" versus "Drugs and Murder": The Promise and Complexity of Youth Civic Action Research

Although young people have diverse experiences with civic life, most civic education practices in classrooms fail to recognize this complexity. In this article, Beth C. Rubin and Brian F. Hayes describe the results of a year-long research project that incorporated a new approach to civic learning into public high school social studies classrooms. They explore how students' disparate experiences with civic life shape civic identity development in complex and challenging ways across two distinct contexts. They offer a fully elaborated conceptualization of civic learning in settings of "congruence" and "disjuncture" and describe how the practice of connecting students' lives and experiences to the curriculum through civic action research, while promising, can also create dilemmas for both students and educators.
Measuring Physical Fitness

Aerobic fitness is the ability of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to large muscle groups over extended time. Examples of aerobic activities include running, cycling, and swimming. Strength is the ability to move a one effort force against resistance, while muscular endurance is the ability to repeat a motion against resistance multiple times. Lifting a maximum weight once is a measure of strength, while doing as many push-ups or sit-ups as possible is a measure of muscular endurance. Flexibility is the ability to stretch muscles and joints. A static stretch is stretching a muscle group to the point of mild discomfort for 10–30 s. An expanded list of fitness components which are more related to athletic performance and less so to health would include power, agility, balance, reaction time, speed, and coordination.
Surgical Treatment of Congenital Laryngotracheo-oesophageal Cleft

Fissure of the dorsal side of the larynx is a rare anomaly, which was first described in 1792 by Richter.
Human Papillomavirus Infection and Anogenital Neoplasia in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Men and Women

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive women have a higher prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the cervix and anus, as well as squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs) at these sites, than do HIV-negative women matched for age and HIV risk factors. Similarly, HIV-positive homosexual or bisexual men have a higher prevalence of anal HPV infection and anal SIL than do HIV-negative homosexual or bisexual men. In HIV-positive individuals, the prevalence of HPV infection, the proportion infected with multiple HPV types, and the prevalence of anogenital SILs increase with decreasing CD4 count. This situation may reflect loss of systemic immune response to HPV antigens or local HPV-HIV interactions at the tissue or cellular level. Despite the high levels of anogenital SILs, to date, there has not been a significant increase in reported cases of invasive anogenital cancer in HIV-positive individuals. However, several years may be required for SIL to progress to invasive cancer, and the advent of newer therapies for HIV that are expected to prolong survival may paradoxically increase the risk of progression to cancer in individuals with SILs if these lesions do not regress spontaneously and remain untreated.
Sketching for military courses of action diagrams

A serious barrier to the digitalization of the US military is that commanders find traditional mouse/menu, CAD-style interfaces unnatural. Military commanders develop and communicate battle plans by sketching courses of action (COAs). This paper describes nuSketch Battlespace, the latest version in an evolving line of sketching interfaces that commanders find natural, yet supports significant increased automation. We describe techniques that should be applicable to any specialized sketching domain: glyph bars and compositional symbols to tractably handle the large number of entities that military domains use, specialized glyph types and gestures to keep drawing tractable and natural, qualitative spatial reasoning to provide sketch-based visual reasoning, and comic graphs to describe multiple states and plans. Experiments, both completed and in progress, are described to provide evidence as to the utility of the system.
QuickRec: prototyping an intel architecture extension for record and replay of multithreaded programs

There has been significant interest in hardware-assisted deterministic Record and Replay (RnR) systems for multithreaded programs on multiprocessors. However, no proposal has implemented this technique in a hardware prototype with full operating system support. Such an implementation is needed to assess RnR practicality.This paper presents QuickRec, the first multicore Intel Architecture (IA) prototype of RnR for multithreaded programs. QuickRec is based on QuickIA, an Intel emulation platform for rapid prototyping of new IA extensions. QuickRec is composed of a Xeon server platform with FPGA-emulated second-generation Pentium cores, and Capo3, a full software stack for managing the recording hardware from within a modified Linux kernel.This paper's focus is understanding and evaluating the implementation issues of RnR on a real platform. Our effort leads to some lessons learned, as well as to some pointers for future research. We demonstrate that RnR can be implemented efficiently on a real multicore IA system. In particular, we show that the rate of memory log generation is insignificant, and that the recording hardware has negligible performance overhead. However, the software stack incurs an average recording overhead of nearly 13%, which must be reduced to enable always-on use of RnR.
Posterior Displacement of Supraspinatus Central Tendon Observed on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Useful Preoperative Indicator of Rotator Cuff Tear Characteristics

Purpose To characterize the orientation of the normal supraspinatus central tendon and describe the displacement patterns of the central tendon in rotator cuff tears using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–based method. Methods We performed a retrospective MRI and chart review of 183 patients with a rotator cuff tear (cuff tear group), 52 with a labral tear but no rotator cuff tear (labral tear group), and 74 with a normal shoulder (normal group). The orientation of the supraspinatus central tendon relative to the bicipital groove was evaluated based on axial MRI and was numerically represented by the shortest distance from the lateral extension line of the central tendon to the bicipital groove. Tear size, fatty degeneration, and involvement of the anterior supraspinatus were evaluated to identify the factors associated with orientation changes. Results The mean distance from the bicipital groove to the central tendon line was 0.7 mm and 1.3 mm in the normal group and labral tear group, respectively. Full-thickness cuff tears involving the anterior supraspinatus showed a significantly greater distance (17.7 mm) than those sparing the anterior supraspinatus (4.9 mm, P = .001). Fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus was significantly correlated with the distance ( P = .006). Disruption of the anterior supraspinatus and fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus were independent predictors of posterior displacement. Conclusions The supraspinatus central tendon has a constant orientation toward the bicipital groove in normal shoulders, and the central tendon is frequently displaced posteriorly in full-thickness rotator cuff tears involving the anterior leading edge of the supraspinatus. The degree of posterior displacement is proportional to tear size and severity of fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus muscle. A simple and quick assessment of the central tendon orientation on preoperative MRI can be a useful indicator of tear characteristics, potentially providing insight into the intraoperative repair strategy. Level of Evidence Level IV, diagnostic case-control study.
Multimodal scanning probe imaging: nanoscale chemical analysis from biology to renewable energy

Scanning probe microscopy methods have enabled characterization of surface topography and electronic structure down to the nanometer (and in some cases atomic) scale. As such techniques have become more widely used, a growing community of researchers has sought to broaden the imaging capabilities of scanning probe microscopy to provide not just topographical, but also detailed chemical information about interfaces at these length scales. Here, we provide a tutorial review describing developments in the field of multimodal scanning probe microscopy, highlighting both foundational work and recent advances that have facilitated applications ranging from studies of biological structure and function to streamlined development of materials for renewable energy.
Control of crystallographic texture and surface morphology of Pt/Tio 2 templates for enhanced PZT thin film texture

Optimized processing conditions for Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si templating electrodes were investigated. These electrodes are used to obtain [111] textured thin film lead zirconate titanate (Pb[ZrxTi1-x ]O3 0 ≤ x ≤ 1) (PZT). Titanium deposited by dc magnetron sputtering yields [0001] texture on a thermally oxidized Si wafer. It was found that by optimizing deposition time, pressure, power, and the chamber pre-conditioning, the Ti texture could be maximized while maintaining low surface roughness. When oxidized, titanium yields [100]-oriented rutile. This seed layer has as low as a 4.6% lattice mismatch with [111] Pt; thus, it is possible to achieve strongly oriented [111] Pt. The quality of the orientation and surface roughness of the TiO2 and the Ti directly affect the achievable Pt texture and surface morphology. A transition between optimal crystallographic texture and the smoothest templating surface occurs at approximately 30 nm of original Ti thickness (45 nm TiO2). This corresponds to 0.5 nm (2 nm for TiO2) rms roughness as determined by atomic force microscopy and a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the rocking curve 0002 (200) peak of 5.5/spl degrees/ (3.1/spl degrees/ for TiO2). A Pb[Zr0.52Ti 0.48]O3 layer was deposited and shown to template from the textured Pt electrode, with a maximum [111] Lotgering factor of 87% and a minimum 111 FWHM of 2.4/spl degrees/ at approximately 30 nm of original Ti.
A multiple-tracer approach to understanding regional groundwater flow in the Snake Valley area of the eastern Great Basin, USA

Abstract Groundwater in Snake Valley and surrounding basins in the eastern Great Basin province of the western United States is being targeted for large-scale groundwater extraction and export. Concern about declining groundwater levels and spring flows in western Utah as a result of the proposed groundwater withdrawals has led to efforts that have improved the understanding of this regional groundwater flow system. In this study, environmental tracers (δ2H, δ18O, 3H, 14C, 3He, 4He, 20Ne, 40Ar, 84Kr, and 129Xe) and major ions from 142 sites were evaluated to investigate groundwater recharge and flow-path characteristics. With few exceptions, δ2H and δ18O show that most valley groundwater has similar ratios to mountain springs, indicating recharge is dominated by relatively high-altitude precipitation. The spatial distribution of 3H, terrigenic helium (4Heterr), and 3H/3He ages shows that modern groundwater ( 11 °C to the east of Snake Valley and indicate a hydraulic discontinuity between Snake and Tule Valleys across the northern Confusion Range. The combination of NGTs and 4Heterr shows that the majority of Snake Valley groundwater discharges as springs, evapotranspiration, and well withdrawals within Snake Valley rather than continuing northeastward to discharge at either Fish Springs or the Great Salt Lake Playa. The refined understanding of groundwater recharge and flow paths acquired from this multi-tracer investigation has broad implications for interbasin subsurface flow estimates and future groundwater development.
Effects of Processing Variables on the Mechanical Properties of Carbon Black Filled Rubber

Abstract Vulcanizate properties such as tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and tear resistance, are often enhanced by the introduction of structural heterogeneity. This is usually achieved by incorporating fillers into the polymer matrix. In addition to the type of filler and polymer used, mechanical properties depend on factors such as filler particle size, distribution, filler-polymer interaction, and network homogeneity. These factors are largely governed by the conditions of the mixing. The most widely used filler in rubber is carbon black. Carbon black, produced by the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons, is in the form of fused primary aggregates which flocculate to form large secondary aggregates held together by van der Waal forces. The term structure, as applied to carbon black, commonly refers to both primary and secondary aggregates and is designated as primary or secondary structure. The reinforcement of rubber by carbon black depends considerably on the particle size and structure of the black used...
One-dimensional ionic self-assembly in a fluorous solution: the structure of tetra-n-butylammonium tetrakis[3,5-bis(perfluorohexyl)phenyl]borate in perfluoromethylcyclohexane by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS)

Fluorous liquids are the least polarizable condensed phases known, and their nonpolar members form solutions with conditions the closest to being in vacuo. A soluble salt consisting of a large fluorophilic anion, tetrakis[3,5-bis(perfluorohexyl)phenyl]borate, and its counterion, tetra-n-butylammonium, dissolved in perfluoromethylcyclohexane produces ionic solutions with extremely low conductivity. These solutions were subjected to small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to ascertain the solute structure. At concentrations of 9% mass fraction, the fluorophilic electrolyte forms straight, long (>160 A) self-assembled structures that are, in essence, long, homogeneous cylinders. Molecular models were made assuming a requirement for electroneutrality on the shortest length scale possible. This shows a structure formed from a stack of alternating anions and cations, and the structures fit the experimental scattering well. At the lower concentration of 1%, the stacks of ion pairs are shorter and eventually break up to form solitary ion pairs in the solution. These characteristics suggest such conditions provide an interesting new way to form long, self-assembling ionic nanostructures with single-molecule diameters in free solution onto which various moieties could be attached.
Extracardiac mass causing cardiac tamponade in a patient with disseminated lymphoma.

The case of a young man with disseminated lymphocytic lymphoma, including involvement of the anterior mediastinum, resulting in compression of the heart and paradoxical pulse, is discussed. Echocardiography showed dynamic respiration-related changes in right ventricular and left ventricular filling and a retrosternal mass thought to be responsible for the clinical and echocardiography abnormalities. Paradoxical pulse did not respond to thoracentesis, but resolved soon after the initiation of systemic chemotherapy and a reduction in the size of the anterior mediastinal mass. Causes of tamponade and echocardiographic signs of the process are reviewed.
Effect of Fuel/Air Ratio on Air Blast Simplex Nozzle Performance

The Air-Blast Simplex (ABS) nozzle may have significant mechanical design advantages when compared to Pure Air-Blast (PAB) designs, and attractive cost benefits. The major barrier to implementing ABS nozzles is spray collapse at high ambient pressures. The present study addresses this issue, and presents the results in a manner that is useful to the gas turbine combustor designer. The results reveal that spray collapse is not significant as long as the fuel-to-air mass ratio is maintained below about 0.3. The results also reveal two distinct curves for air effective area that are attributed to the presence or lack of flow separation in the vane/shroud assembly. In the case of the separated flow, a larger rate of decrease in effective area with increasing fuel air mass or momentum ratio is observed. These results help address ABS spray angle collapse at high pressure, and identify strategies that may adequately mitigate, or even eliminate, spray collapse in a suitably designed combustor.Copyright © 1997 by ASME
Transforming ILWCH: Pioneering the International Approach to Labor History

I remember my very first seminar with David Montgomery at the University of Pittsburgh in January 1976. Here I was, a working-class kid from Bridgeport, Connecticut, trying to switch from rank-and-file labor activism to an academic career. Montgomery's classroom was an intense experience. His seminars were a combination of readings in secondary sources as well as deep reading in primary sources (whether business magazines, industrial relations expert reports, or radical and union journals). In addition, there were always student-generated political debates on one or another left-wing perspective—we had widely diverse ideological leanings! David accepted all approaches in the New Labor History, as long as the evidence was there.
Sex and disease. Playing the odds in the 1990s.

Selected results from a recent study on sexual behavior in the United States are presented, focusing on the association between sexual behavior, disease prevention, and STD outcome. The data are from national household samples of adult men and women. The results show that a sizeable proportion of the U.S. adult population engage in sexual behaviors that expose them to the risk of acquiring STD. These behaviors tend to cluster so that the likelihood of engaging in one high-risk sexual activity is highly correlated with the likelihood of engaging in the other high-risk behaviors thereby increasing the risk of STD acquisition for these core groups
Recent results of cadaver kidney retransplantation.

AbstractThe results of secondary cadaver renal transplantation in 42 patients treated from 1980 to 1986 have been reviewed. The initial graft was from a cadaver donor in all cases. All patients were managed with a maintenance immunosuppressive regimen, including either antilymphoblast globulin and/or cyclosporine. The over-all 1 and 2-year patient survival rates were 97 and 94 per cent, respectively. The over-all 1 and 2-year graft survival rates were 69 and 63 per cent, respectively. Graft success was not influenced by patient age greater than 50 years, diabetes, initial graft removal, interval between initial graft removal and retransplantation, duration of initial graft function, level of presensitization or HLA-Dr antigen matching. Currently, cadaver renal retransplantation can be performed safely and with an improved opportunity for graft success. Patients who return to dialysis after losing an allograft should be encouraged to consider another transplant for the same reasons that prompted initial tr...
Utilization of unmanned aircraft systems in maritime domain: Challenges and opportunities

Aircraft systems are the integral part of the naval operations. These systems have been making great contribution to all kind of naval tasks and operations since previous century. On the other hand, developments in Unmanned Aircraft Systems make Naval Forces replace manned aircraft systems with unmanned ones. Consequently, utilization of Unmanned Air Craft Systems in maritime domain contributes to almost every kind of naval operations and brings new opportunities such as persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, conducting dangerous tasks etc. On the other hand, these systems yet bring some issues such as difficulties in take-off and landing activities, and interoperability etc. In this paper, utilization of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in naval operations is evaluated in detail in terms of challenges and opportunities, and solutions for challenges are introduced.
Fruit and vegetable consumption in the United States: Patterns, barriers and federal nutrition assistance programs

Abstract Intake of fruits and vegetables varies across regions and demographics. Yet the majority of Americans over age 2 fail to consume the 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruits per day recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. While approximately 5% of the population identifies itself as vegetarian, most Americans do not consume five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Barriers to consumption include inadequacies in the US food supply, poor availability of produce in rural and underserved urban areas, food cost and “time poverty,” and poor health literacy. Federal programs aimed at improving Americans’ intake of fruit and vegetables include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as enhancements to the National School Lunch Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Such programs have improved the populations’ intake significantly. However, further efforts are needed to meet the goals set forth by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for optimal health.
Soft Palate Injuries During Orotracheal Intubation With the Videolaryngoscope.

Objective:The videolaryngoscope has gained popularity for providing superior visualization in intubations. A rare complication of this technology is soft palate injury. Through a literature review ...
Data-Canonic Real FFT Flow-Graphs for Composite Lengths

This paper presents a novel algorithm to compute real-valued fast Fourier transform (RFFT) that is canonic with respect to the number of signal values. A signal value can correspond to a purely real or purely imaginary value, while a complex signal consists of 2 signal values. For an N-point RFFT, each stage need not compute more than N signal values, since the degrees of freedom of the input data is N. Any more than N signal values computed at any stage is inherently redundant. In order to reduce the redundant samples, a sample removal lemma, and two types of twiddle factor transformations are proposed: pushing and modulation. We consider 4 different cases. Canonic RFFT for any composite length can be computed by applying the proposed algorithm recursively. Performances of different RFFTs are also discussed in this paper. The major advantages of the canonic RFFTs are that they require the least butterfly operations, lead to more regular sub-blocks in the data-flow, and only involve real datapath when mapped to architectures.
Assessing the gene content of the megagenome: Sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana)

Sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana Douglas) is within the subgenus Strobus with an estimated genome size of 31 Gbp. Transcriptomic resources are of particular interest in conifers due to the challenges presented in their megagenomes for gene identification. In this study, we present the first comprehensive survey of the P. lambertiana transcriptome through deep sequencing of a variety of tissue types to generate more than 2.5 billion short reads. Third generation, long reads generated through PacBio Iso-Seq have been included for the first time in conifers to combat the challenges associated with de novo transcriptome assembly. A technology comparison is provided here to contribute to the otherwise scarce comparisons of second and third generation transcriptome sequencing approaches in plant species. In addition, the transcriptome reference was essential for gene model identification and quality assessment in the parallel project responsible for sequencing and assembly of the entire genome. In this study, the transcriptomic data were also used to address questions surrounding lineage-specific Dicer-like proteins in conifers. These proteins play a role in the control of transposable element proliferation and the related genome expansion in conifers.
Origin of the second peak in the mechanical loss function of amorphous silica

The thermal noise in amorphous oxides is the limiting factor for gravitational wave detectors and other high-precision optical devices. Through the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, the thermal noise is directly connected to the internal friction (${Q}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$). Computational calculations of ${Q}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ that use a two-level system (TLS) model have previously been performed for several coating materials, facilitating the search for coatings with lower thermal noise. However, they are based on a historical approximation made within the TLS model that treats the TLS distribution as uncorrelated, which has limited the predictive power of the model. In this paper, we demonstrate that this approximation limits the physical description of amorphous oxides using the TLS model and a fully correlated distribution must be used to calculate high-temperature behavior. Not only does using a correlated distribution improve the theoretical standing of the TLS model, calculations of ${Q}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ using a fully correlated distribution reproduce and uncover the physical mechanisms of a second peak observed in measurements of ion-beam sputtered amorphous silica. We also explore the details of the thermal activation of TLSs and analyze the atomic transitions that contribute to ${Q}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ in amorphous silica.
Reinvigorating Reverse‐Osmosis Membrane Technology to Stabilize the V2O5 Lithium‐Ion Battery Cathode

V2O5 is deemed as one of the most promising cathode materials for next generation high capacity LIBs. It possesses a theoretical capacity of 294 mAh g-1 that is much higher than conventional cathodes. However, there are many issues to be solved before its practical use, including poor cycle life and unsatisfactory rate performance, mainly due to its low electronic conductivity and ionic diffusivity, as well as structural instability. This work reports three types of V2O5 asymmetric membranes synthesized using an adapted reverse osmosis membrane technology combined with sol-gel chemistry, aiming to stabilize the cyclability and improve the rate performance. V2O5 asymmetric membrane cathodes prepared using graphene as the conductive additives have a specific capacity of ~160 mAh g-1 at a current density of 100 mA g-1 with no capacity degradation after 380 cycles. It is also found that annealing temperature and the choice of conductive additives can affect the morphology of V2O5 nanoparticles and overall electrode cyclability. Lower annealing temperature (300 oC vs. 400 oC) and addition of graphene are beneficial to long term cycling performance.
Preparation and Evaluation of PLGA-Coated Capsaicin Magnetic Nanoparticles

Drugs used in the treatment of diseases can cause several unwanted systemic side effects. A site-specific drug delivery system can eliminate such consequences by delivering drugs to certain target areas of the body where therapeutic effects are required. Here we present the preparation and evaluation of magnetic nanoparticles of capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, coated with poly-L-lactide co-glycolide (PLGA), a FDA-approved biodegradable bioavailable polymer. PCMN were prepared by solvent-evaporation/coprecipitation technique and their physicochemical and pharmacological characteristics evaluated in vitro. Further, effective pain/inflammation therapeutics of PCMN in a mouse model of inflammation was also studied. We also prepared and evaluated the subcellular localization of PLGA coated fluorescence magnetic nanoparticle (PFMN) in vitro in HEK293 cells. Transmission electron microscopic images of PCMN showed that the size of the nanoparticles were of the order of 10–20 nm. PCMN showed approximately 9.29% drug loading and 89.15% encapsulation efficiencies. In vitro dissolution studies showed an increased solubility of capsaicin due to the nano-size of the PCMN, while PLGA coating allowed sustained release of capsaicin in vitro. The PCMN also reduced paw edema after injection in mice, and confocal microscopy revealed the successful intracellular localization of PLGA-coated fluorescein magnetic nanoparticles in HEK293 cells. The PCMN provided a sustained release of capsaicin in vitro and inhibited carrageenan-induced inflammatory pain in mouse model in vivo. These data suggest that PLGA coating of capsaicin magnetic nanoparticles have the potential to be amenable for a sustained release of capsaicin to relieve pain.
Ratiometric logic in living cells via competitive binding of synthetic transcription factors

Although there have been a flurry of designs in the recent past describing implementations of digital logic in living cells, computational elements that perform analog operations such as division and subtraction are scarce. By employing the principle of competitive binding between different DNA binding proteins, we present a novel approach towards ratiometric computation in living cells. After developing a quantitative model to analyze our design, we build and experimentally characterize our system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our work demonstrates the feasibility of performing analog computation in eukaryotic cells and will potentially enable the design of more sophistated gene networks.
Depth-Resolved Measurements of Oscillatory Hemodynamics in Cerebral Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

We propose a NIRS method based on 1-long and 2-short source-detector distances to identify superficial (extracerebral) and cerebral hemodynamic oscillations. We emphasize the relative amplitude and phase of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin oscillations in the brain.
How crude: Advocacy coalitions, offshore oil, and the self-negating belief

Although the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) offers a promising approach for the study of policy change, other social science perspectives – specifically including human ecology – point to competing expectations. The ACF proposes that external perturbations are a necessary precondition for policy change; by contrast, work in human ecology draws attention to the potential for autogenic succession– cases where people or organizations act in ways that bring about their own demise. This difference in perspectives is tested with respect to a policy subsystem that has been found to offer a valuable context for examining ACF expectations, namely the U.S. federal program for offshore oil leasing. Many developments within this program have been quite consistent with ACF expectations; the rise to power of a new governing coalition in 1981, for example, did lead to a decided shift in policies, and the National Academy of Sciences did play roughly the role predicted by ACF. In addition, however, key sources of policy change were set in motion by members of the governing coalition itself – based on actions that were quite consistent with the policy core beliefs of the governing coalition, but not consistent with the assessments by independent scientists. The experience suggests that what is needed is not so much a rejection of the ACF as its refinement. Even without ‘external perturbations,’ members of the governing coalition have the potential to undercut their own interests, if only because of the potential power of the self-negating belief. Ironically, this potential may be the highest in precisely those cases where the governing coalition has the greatest apparent ability to impose its own beliefs, and the lowest level of apparent need to respond to alternative or competing views.
Transforming growth factor beta1 targets estrogen receptor signaling in bronchial epithelial cells

Sex differences in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) suggest a protective role for estrogen (E2); however, mechanistic studies in animal models have produced mixed results. Reports using cell lines have investigated molecular interactions between transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1) and estrogen receptor (ESR) pathways in breast, prostate, and skin cells, but no such interactions have been described in human lung cells. To address this gap in the literature, we investigated a role for E2 in modulating TGF-β1-induced signaling mechanisms and identified novel pathways impacted by estrogen in bronchial epithelial cells. We investigated a role for E2 in modulating TGF-β1-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2Bs) and characterized the effect of TGF-β1 on ESR mRNA and protein expression in BEAS-2Bs. We also quantified mRNA expression of ESRs in lung tissue from individuals with IPF and identified potential downstream targets of E2 signaling in BEAS-2Bs using RNA-Seq and gene set enrichment analysis. E2 negligibly modulated TGF-β1-induced EMT; however, we report the novel observation that TGF-β1 repressed ESR expression, most notably estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1). Results of the RNA-Seq analysis showed that TGF-β1 and E2 inversely modulated the expression of several genes involved in processes such as extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover, airway smooth muscle cell contraction, and calcium flux regulation. We also report that E2 specifically modulated the expression of genes involved in chromatin remodeling pathways and that this regulation was absent in the presence of TGF-β1. Collectively, these results suggest that E2 influences unexplored pathways that may be relevant to pulmonary disease and highlights potential roles for E2 in the lung that may contribute to sex-specific differences.
Improving Precipitation Estimation Using Convolutional Neural Network

Author(s): Pan, B; Hsu, K; AghaKouchak, A; Sorooshian, S | Abstract: Precipitation process is generally considered to be poorly represented in numerical weather/climate models. Statistical downscaling (SD) methods, which relate precipitation with model resolved dynamics, often provide more accurate precipitation estimates compared to model's raw precipitation products. We introduce the convolutional neural network model to foster this aspect of SD for daily precipitation prediction. Specifically, we restrict the predictors to the variables that are directly resolved by discretizing the atmospheric dynamics equations. In this sense, our model works as an alternative to the existing precipitation-related parameterization schemes for numerical precipitation estimation. We train the model to learn precipitation-related dynamical features from the surrounding dynamical fields by optimizing a hierarchical set of spatial convolution kernels. We test the model at 14 geogrid points across the contiguous United States. Results show that provided with enough data, precipitation estimates from the convolutional neural network model outperform the reanalysis precipitation products, as well as SD products using linear regression, nearest neighbor, random forest, or fully connected deep neural network. Evaluation for the test set suggests that the improvements can be seamlessly transferred to numerical weather modeling for improving precipitation prediction. Based on the default network, we examine the impact of the network architectures on model performance. Also, we offer simple visualization and analyzing approaches to interpret the models and their results. Our study contributes to the following two aspects: First, we offer a novel approach to enhance numerical precipitation estimation; second, the proposed model provides important implications for improving precipitation-related parameterization schemes using a data-driven approach.
Trends in lung cancer screening in the United States, 2016–2017

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cancer killer annually, yet the overall rate of eligible patients who undergo screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is low. Our goal was to determine factors which were associated with the probability of obtaining lung cancer screening. Methods: The Clinformatics Data Mart (CDM) database, a national commercial health insurance database with over 18,000,000 enrollees, was queried to determine the rate of LDCT screening and factors which influenced receiving LDCT screening. All enrollees between the ages of 55 and 77 from 2016 to 2017 were included. Demographics, history of tobacco exposure and state smoking statistics were recorded. Results: All 8,350,197 enrollees aged 55–77 were included in the study. Among enrollees, the rate of screening increased throughout 2016 and early 2017 and then appeared to stabilize. In the second half of 2017 the LDCT rate was approximately 6 per 1,000 enrollees per year, and was increasing at a slope of 0.1 additional LDCT per 1,000 enrollees per year. There was marked geographic variation, with 5-fold differences in LDCT rates between different regions. There was no correlation between smoking rate and LDCT rate at the state level (r=0.02; P=0.87). Enrollees aged 65–69 were most likely to be screened (OR =1.53; 1.45–1.61) compared to enrollees aged 55–59. Conclusions: The rate of LDCT screening is increasing very slowly with time, and most eligible patients are not screened. Further studies are needed to determine the reasons for low screening rates, and the marked geographic variation.
Hypothalamic mechanism of corticotropin-releasing factor's anorexigenic effect in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).

Abstract Central administration of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a 41-amino acid peptide, is associated with anorexigenic effects across various species, with particularly potent reductions in food intake in rodents and chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), a species for which the most is known. The purpose of the current study was to determine the hypothalamic mechanism of CRF-induced anorexigenic effects in 7 day-old Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), a less-intensely-selected gallinaceous relative to the chicken that can provide more evolutionary perspective. After intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of 2, 22, or 222 pmol of CRF, a dose-dependent decrease in food intake was observed that lasted for 3 and 24 h for the 22 and 222 pmol doses, respectively. The 2 pmol dose had no effect on food or water intake. The numbers of c-Fos immunoreactive cells were increased in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) at 1 h post-injection in quail injected with 22 pmol of CRF. The hypothalamic mRNA abundance of proopiomelanocortin, melanocortin receptor subtype 4, CRF, and CRF receptor sub-type 2 was increased at 1 h in quail treated with 22 pmol of CRF. Behavior analyses demonstrated that CRF injection reduced feeding pecks and jumps and increased the time spent standing. In conclusion, results demonstrate that the anorexigenic effects of CRF in Japanese quail are likely influenced by the interaction between CRF and melanocortin systems and that injection of CRF results in species-specific behavioral changes.
Are Sexual and Pair-Bonded Relationships Akin to Caterpillars and Butterflies? A Dual-Systems Perspective on Human Mating

Sexual and romantic partnerships play a central role in social life, and they serve as the key social engines that drive human reproductive success. Close relationships come in all shapes and sizes...
Detection and Characterization of Corticotropin Receptors

Publisher Summary The major functions of the pituitary hormone corticotropin (ACTH) are the acute stimulation of glucocorticoid synthesis in the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex and the long-term regulation of the steroidogenic capacity of the adrenal cortex. This chapter reviews the problems encountered in binding studies of ACTH receptors and discusses the recent progress in the detection and characterization of these receptors. It also discusses the progress in identification of the macromolecular component of the adrenocortical cell surface involved in binding the hormone and eliciting the physiological response. In order to identify the physiologically relevant binding sites involved in the actions of the hormone, well-characterized photoreactive derivatives of the hormone have been prepared and used for covalent attachment of the hormone to its receptor by photoaffinity labeling.
Cervical Transforaminal Epidural Injections

Cervical radiculopathy is a common condition, affecting approximately 83 per 100,000 individuals per year. Symptoms are usually described as neck pain with radicular shoulder and arm pain. Cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESI) may be performed after failed conservative therapies. Cervical TFESI allows for medication to be administered directly to the affected nerve root. Multiple studies exist showing symptomatic pain relief from cervical TFESI. Severe adverse complications have been reported from this procedure; however, these are preventable by several techniques.
Postoperative Cataract Endophthalmitis Masquerading as Hemorrhagic Occlusive Retinal Vasculitis (HORV): A Case Report.

Purpose: To report a case of postoperative cataract bacterial endophthalmitis masquerading as hemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis (HORV).Case Report: A 69-year-old female presents following un...
Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors vs. Other Antihypertensive Drug Classes for Hypertension.

RAS inhibitors, which include angiotensin receptor blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and renin inhibitors, should not be used as first-line agents.
Convex probe endobronchial ultrasound: historical, contemporary, and cutting-edge applications

The use of convex-probe endobronchial ultrasound (CP-EBUS) has revolutionized bronchoscopy. It has provided the option of a relatively safe, minimally invasive approach for the assessment of various intrathoracic diseases. In current practice, its most dramatic impact has been on the diagnosing and staging of lung cancer. It has served as an invaluable tool that has replaced mediastinoscopy in a variety of clinical scenarios. Many pulmonologists and thoracic surgeons consider CP-EBUS the most significant milestone in bronchoscopy after the development of the flexible bronchoscope itself. In this review, we summarize the historical aspects, current indications, technical approach, and future direction of CP-EBUS.
Design of a Flexible Schönhage-Strassen FFT Polynomial Multiplier with High- Level Synthesis to Accelerate HE in the Cloud

Homomorphic Encryption (HE) allows for encrypted data to be sent to, stored, and operated on by untrusted parties without the risk of privacy compromise. The benefits and applications of HE are far reaching, especially in regard to cloud computing. However, current HE solutions require a large number of resource intensive arithmetic operations such as high precision, high degree polynomial multiplication. This work aims to accelerate the multi-precision arithmetic operations used in HE with specific focus on an implementation of the Schonhage-Strassen Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)-based multiplication algorithm. It is planned to be incorporated into a larger HE library of arithmetic functions tuned for High-Level Synthesis (HLS) that enables flexible solutions for hardware/software systems on reconfigurable cloud resources. The developed FFT based polynomial multiplier exhibits flexibility in the selection of HE security parameters facilitating its use in a wide range of schemes and applications. The design yields substantial speedup over the polynomial multiplication functions implemented in the Number Theory Library (NTL) utilized by software based HE solutions.
Prevalence of urogenital infection with and genotype distribution of Chlamydia trachomatis among female sex workers from different entertainment venues in Wuzhou and Hezhou cities of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Objective To assess the prevalence of urogenital infection with and genotype distribution of C.trachomatis among female sex workers (FSWs) from different entertainment venues in Wuzhou and Hezhou cities of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.Methods A total of 810 FSWs were recruited to this study by convenience sampling from entertainment venues in Wuzhou and Hezhou cities of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from July 2009 to September 2010.Based on the venues where they solicited clients,the FSWs were classified into three tiers,i.e.,high-tier,middle-tier and low-tier.Cervical swabs were collected from all of these subjects followed by detection of C.trachomatis with the Amplicor PCR test kit.Then,DNA was extracted from C.trachomatis-positive specimens and subjected to nested PCR assay targeting the ompA gene followed by bidirectional sequencing.The genotype of C.trachomatis was determined according to the sequence of ompA gene.Chi-square test was conducted to compare the urogenital infection rate and genotype distribution of C.trachomatis between different tiers of FSWs.Results Among the 805 FSWs,the prevalence rate of urogenital C.trachomatis infection was 20.0％ (161/805).Chi-square test showed that the prevalence rate of urogenital C.trachomatis infection was significantly lower in high-and middle-tier FSWs than in low-tier FSWs (x2 =3.97,5.95,respectively,both P ＜ 0.05).Nine genotypes of C.trachomatis were identified in these FSWs,with serotype F as the most prevalent genotype (39/154,25.3％).Low-tier FSWs showed a higher frequency of genotype E (x2 =5.02,P ＜ 0.05) but a lower frequency of genotype K (Fisher's Exact test,P =0.048) compared with middle-tier FSWs.Conclusions Low-tier FSWs show a high rate of urogenital infection with C.trachomatis,with serotype E as the prevalent type.Since C.trachomatis serovar E-infected patients are likely to be missed by symptom-based screening and preventive strategies,standardized screening for and efficient treatment of urogenital C.trachomatis infection should be enhanced among low-tier FSWs for the prevention of C.trachomatis transmission. Key words: Chlamydia trachomatis; Genes; Prostitution