cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Legal Responsibilities of the Veterinary Surgeon arising from Advances in Equine Cardiology and in the Prescription of Drugs for Racehorses

SUMMARY The paper examines the responsibilities of the veterinary surgeon in relation to the advances more recently made in the field of equine cardiology. Notwithstanding such advances it is stated that the normal established legal principles apply, in particular in relation to the preparation of certificates, namely that the veterinary surgeon must be sufficiently expert to give the opinion sought, that he must make himself fully aware of the purpose for which the certificate is required and that he must make clear the nature and limitations of any examination carried out. The paper also refers to the current problem relating to the use of drugs in racehorses and emphasises that when a veterinary surgeon is prescribing any such drug for therapeutic purposes he must clearly warn the trainer of the danger of the drug proving positive on a laboratory test. If possible he should be in a position to state the safe period required to enable the horse to eliminate the drug from its system. RESUME Cet article etudie les responsabilites du veterinaire en tenant compte des recents progres de la cardiologie equine. Il est indique que malgre ces progres, les principes legaux anterieurs conservent toute leur valeur en particulier pour ce qui a trait a la redaction des certificats. En d'autres termes le veterinaire doit etre suffisamment expert pour fournir l'information requise, doit etre parfaitement conscient des raisons pour lesquelles le certificat lui est demande, et se doit de preciser la nature et les limites des examens qu'il a menea bien. Cet article evoque egalement les problemes pratiques relatifs a l'emploi de medicaments chez les chevaux de course. Il souligne que lorsqu'un veterinaire prescrit l'un de ces medicaments pour des besoins therapeutiques, il doit clairement avertir l'entraineur que le medicament est susceptible d'etre decele lors d'une recherche au laboratoire. Dans la mesure du possible le veterinaire doit pouvoir indiquer le temps requis pour permettre au cheval d'eliminer le medicament de son organisme. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Die Verantwortlichkeiten des Tierarztes, die sich aus den Fortschritten auf dem Gebiet der Kardiologie beim Pferd ergeben, werden unter die Lupe genommen. Die normalen, etablierten, rechtlichen Grundsatze behalten ihre Gultigkeit, besonders was die Ausfertigung von Zeugnissen anbetrifft: der Tierarzt muss uber ausreichende Erfahrung verfugen, um die verlangte Meinungsausserung verantworten zu konnen. Er muss sich genau uber den Zweck des Zeugnisses ins Bild setzen und die Moglichkeiten und Grenzen der ausgefuhrten Untersuchungen klarstellen. Der Artikel bezieht sich auch auf das brennende Problem der Medikation bei Rennpferden. Hervorgehoben wird, dass der fur therapeutische Zwecke ein Medikament verschreibende Tierarzt den Trainer auf die Gefahr aufmerksam zu machen hat, die Substanz konnte zu einem positiven Ergebnis einer Dopingprobe Anlass geben. Wenn moglich sollte die Zeit angegeben werden, in der das Medikament vom Pferd vollstandig eliminiert wird.
Vesicoureteric reflux with urethral valves.

Summary— A retrospective review was undertaken of 66 boys with posterior urethral valves with regard to incidence and prognostic significance of vesicoureteric reflux. The results indicate that: Regardless of the age of the patient, the existence of bilateral reflux at the time of presentation implies a worse prognosis than does unilateral or no reflux. Reflux which does not stop spontaneously after the valves have been destroyed is generally associated with a functionless and often dysplastic kidney; surgical cure of such reflux is therefore pointless. Reflux stops spontaneously after valve ablation when the involved kidney possesses useful function; surgical cure of reflux is therefore unnecessary. In some cases, however, it remains possible that reflux may continue to damage the kidney during the interval between relief of the urethral obstruction and spontaneous cure of the reflux. Nevertheless, the grossly dilated refluxing ureter is poor surgical material and it is concluded that the best chance of preserving renal function in the majority of boys with urethral valves and reflux lies in endoscopic fulguration of the valves, controlling infection and awaiting spontaneous reflux cure.
A Computational Logic Handbook

Contains a precise and complete description of the computational logic develo by the authors; will serve also as a reference guide to the associated mechanical theorem proving system. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Political Modernization: America vs. Europe

Political modernization involves, let us assume, three things. First, it involves the rationalization of authority: the replacement of a large number of traditional, religious, familial, and ethnic political authorities by a single, secular, national political authority. This change implies that government is the product of man, not of nature or of God, and that a well-ordered society must have a determinate human source of final authority, obedience to whose positive law takes precedence over other obligations. Rationalization of authority means assertion of the external sovereignty of the nation-state against transnational influences and of the internal sovereignty of the national government against local and regional powers. It means national integration and the centralization or accumulation of power in recognized national law-making institutions. Secondly, political modernization involves the differentiation of new political functions and the development of specialized structures to perform those functions. Areas of peculiar competence—legal, military, administrative, scientific—become separated from the political realm, and autonomous, specialized, but subordinate, organs arise to discharge those tasks. Administrative hierarchies become more elaborate, more complex, more disciplined. Office and power are distributed more by achievement and less by ascription. Thirdly, political modernization involves increased participation in politics by social groups throughout society and the development of new political institutions—such as political parties and interest associations—to organize this participation. Broadened participation in politics may increase control of the people by the government, as in totalitarian states, or it may increase control of the government by the people, as in some democratic ones. But in all modern states the citizens become directly involved in and affected by governmental affairs. Rationalized authority, differentiated structure, and mass participation thus distinguish modern polities from antecedent polities.
Defragmentation of transparent Flexible optical WDM (FWDM) networks

We introduce the network defragmentation problem for FWDM networks, formulate it, and propose heuristics. The network defragmentation process consolidates the available spectrum significantly while minimizing the number of interrupted connections.
The relationship of adolescents' expectations and values to delinquency, hard drug use, and unprotected sexual intercourse

This study examined adolescents' expectations and values about how competent behaviors would work for them in difficult social situations and explored the relation of these appraisals to adolescents' delinquency, drug use, and sexual intercourse without use of adequate birth control. Several lines of research on the determinants of adolescent achievement motivation, social competence, and various problem behaviors are integrated within a unified framework based on both motivational and cognitive-social learning theories. One hundred adolescents at-risk for problematic behaviors, aged 15½–18, received structured interviews measuring their expectations of self-efficacy in performing socially competent behaviors, their expectations about the outcomes of these behaviors, their values toward these behaviors, their perceptions of the values of peers, and their identification with the values of important adults. Adolescents also reported their recent levels of delinquency, hard drug use, and unprotected sexual activity. Adolescents' expectations and values were significantly related to all three problem behaviors; males' low efficacy expectations and females' lack of identification with an adult's values were the strongest correlates of problem behaviors. Adolescents' expectations and values are considered as potentially important aspects of adolescents' models of themselves in social interactions, which may mediate the link between problematic family relationships in childhood and deviant behavior in adolescence.
Leveraging Bluetooth co-location traces in group discovery algorithms

Abstract Smart phones can collect and share Bluetooth co-location traces to identify ad hoc or semi-permanent social groups, which can enhance recommender systems or allow detection of epidemic events. Group discovery using Bluetooth co-location is practical due to low power consumption, short range, and applicability to decentralization. This paper presents the Group Discovery using Co-location traces (GDC) and Decentralized GDC (DGDC) algorithms, which leverage user meeting frequency and duration to accurately detect groups. GDC and DGDC are validated on one month of data collected from 141 smart phones carried by students on our campus, and by comparison against ground truth groups.
Etiology of preschool behavior problems: Contributions of temperament attributes in early childhood

The present study was conducted to examine the contributions of early appearing temperament attributes to toddler and preschool-age behavior problems. High levels of negative emotionality and low levels of effortful control were linked to both externalizing and internalizing difficulties. All fine-grained dimensions of negative affect were concurrently associated with internalizing problems whereas relations between components of negative affect and externalizing were observed only for frustration, sadness, and low falling reactivity. Higher surgency was associated with increased risk for externalizing behaviors whereas low surgency increased the likelihood of internalizing problems. Trait-by-trait moderation occurred, such that negative emotionality was most closely related to behavior problems when orienting/regulatory capacity or effortful control was low or when infant surgency was high. Results of this study have implications for theory linking temperament and psychopathology, and clinical applications utilizing temperament assessment to prevent behavior problems.
Peak serum estradiol level during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation is associated with increased risk of small for gestational age and preeclampsia in singleton pregnancies after in vitro fertilization

Objective To assess the impact of elevated peak serum E 2 levels (EPE 2 ; defined as levels >90th percentile) on the day of hCG administration during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for IVF on the likelihood for small for gestational age (SGA), preeclampsia (PreE), and preterm delivery (PTD) in singleton pregnancies. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary-care academic medical center. Patient(s) Singleton live-birth pregnancies conceived after fresh IVF-ET. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) The delivery rate of SGA infants and the development of PreE and PTD in patients with and without EPE 2 . Result(s) Patients with EPE 2 during COH were more likely to deliver SGA infants (7 [26.9%] vs. 10 [3.8%]; odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI] {9.40, 3.22–27.46}) and develop PreE (5 [18.5%] vs. 12 [4.5%]; adjusted OR, 95% CI {4.79, 1.55–14.84}). No association was found between EPE 2 and the likelihood for delivery before 37 weeks, 35 weeks, or 32 weeks of gestation. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that EPE 2 level predicted adverse obstetrical outcome (SGA + PreE) with 38.5% and 91.7% sensitivity and specificity, respectively. Using a serum peak E 2 cutoff value of 3,450 pg/mL (>90th percentile level), the positive predictive value was 37%, while the negative predictive value was 92%. Conclusion(s) EPE 2 level (>3,450 pg/mL) on the day of hCG administration during COH is associated with greater odds of developing PreE and delivery of an SGA infant in singleton pregnancies resulting from IVF cycles.
Public Opinion in the U.S. States: 1956 to 2010

In this article, we create, validate, and analyze new dynamic measures of state partisanship, state policy mood, and state political ideology. The measures of partisanship and policy mood begin in 1956 and the measure of ideology begins in 1976. Our approach uses the advantages of two leading techniques for measuring state public opinion—multilevel regression and poststratification (MRP) and survey aggregation. The resulting estimates are based on nearly 500 different surveys with a total of more than 740,000 respondents. After validating our measures, we show that during the last half century, policy preferences in the states have shifted in important and sometimes surprising ways. For example, we find that differences in political attitudes across time can be as important as differences across states.
Hierarchical hub labelings for shortest paths

We study hierarchical hub labelings for computing shortest paths. Our new theoretical insights into the structure of hierarchical labels lead to faster preprocessing algorithms, making the labeling approach practical for a wider class of graphs. We also find smaller labels for road networks, improving the query speed.
The Development of Intuitive Musical Understanding: A Natural Experiment:

Tracing the compositional process of two musically untrained college students, this close case study demonstrates their ability to produce archetypal tonal melodies, even when working initially wit...
The first year after breast cancer diagnosis: hope and coping strategies as predictors of adjustment.

Given the marked individual variability in psychological adjustment in response to breast cancer, it is important to specify factors contributing to adaptive survivorship. This longitudinal study of 70 women with Stage I or II breast cancer tested the ability of situation-specific coping strategies and a more stable attribute, hope, to predict adjustment prospectively from the point shortly following diagnosis through the first year. Consonant with previous studies, coping through active acceptance at diagnosis predicted more positive adjustment across time, and avoidance-oriented coping predicted greater fear of cancer recurrence, over and above participant age and initial status on dependent variables. The hypothesis that coping through turning to religion would be more effective for less hopeful women was supported, and mixed support emerged for the hypothesis that approach-oriented coping strategies would yield greater adaptational benefits for women high in hope. Findings suggest that risk and protective factors for adjustment across the first year of survivorship can be identified even prior to definitive surgery for breast cancer, particularly when both dispositional characteristics such as hope and situation-specific coping strategies are considered.
Technical Note: Review of methods for linear least-squares fitting of data and application to atmospheric chemistry problems

Abstract. The representation of data, whether geophysical observations, numerical model output or laboratory results, by a best fit straight line is a routine practice in the geosciences and other fields. While the literature is full of detailed analyses of procedures for fitting straight lines to values with uncertainties, a surprising number of scientists blindly use the standard least-squares method, such as found on calculators and in spreadsheet programs, that assumes no uncertainties in the x values. Here, the available procedures for estimating the best fit straight line to data, including those applicable to situations for uncertainties present in both the x and y variables, are reviewed. Representative methods that are presented in the literature for bivariate weighted fits are compared using several sample data sets, and guidance is presented as to when the somewhat more involved iterative methods are required, or when the standard least-squares procedure would be expected to be satisfactory. A spreadsheet-based template is made available that employs one method for bivariate fitting.
Electrical control for wet etching of quartz resonators

We report a method to etch multiple quartz crystal resonators in parallel to accuracy better than +/− 50 ppm by measuring the sample resonant frequency with a network analyzer while the sample is wet etched. The etch rate of individual resonators is fine tuned with electrical bias to compensate local etch rate and wafer thickness variations. This allows for the final frequency of the resonators across the wafer to be within the required specifications without trimming. By eliminating the need for the final sample trimming, the manufacturing cost can be lowered and further resonator miniaturization is feasible.
Accumulation of glycosphingolipids in human atherosclerotic plaque and unaffected aorta tissues

We have measured the levels of glycosphingolipids and the activity of glycosphingolipid glycosyltransferases in human aortic intima and media from patients who died of atherosclerosis. The effects of lactosylceramide (LacCer) and glucosylceramide (GlcCer) from plaque intima on smooth muscle cell proliferation were assessed. When the GlcCer data was expressed as (micrograms GlcCer/mg cholesterol and/mg total phospholipid, a 28-fold and 7-fold increase in plaque intima compared to normal intima was observed. Similarly, the level of LacCer was elevated 5-fold and 4-fold, respectively, compared to unaffected intima. The activity of UDP-GlcCer: ceramide beta 1-->4 glucosyltransferase (GlcT-1) was similar in unaffected tissue, fatty streaks, and plaques. However, the activity of UDP-galactose: GlcCer, beta 1-->4 galactosyltransferase (GalT-2) activity was moderately higher in plaque than in unaffected tissue. LacCer, but not GlcCer derived from plaque intima exerted a approximately 2.8-fold increase in the proliferation of human aortic smooth muscle cells grown in tissue culture compared to control presumably due to a marked increase in LacCer molecular species containing C16:0, C22:1, and C24:0 fatty acids in plaque intima compared to control. In sum, our findings provide an interesting and novel pathogenic mechanism of lactosylceramide mediated plaque formation via stimulation of aortic smooth muscle cell proliferation.
Gastro-oesophageal reflux and aspiration in patients with advanced lung disease

Numerous small observational studies have shown that gastro-oesophageal reflux is prevalent among patients with advanced lung disease. The fundamental concern is that reflux is a risk factor for recurrent microaspiration, which may cause lung injury. For example, in lung transplant patients, a molecular marker of aspiration was a risk factor for the bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome in one study. To date, however, there are no large prospective studies measuring the impact of aspiration on clinical outcomes. The major obstacle limiting the study of reflux and aspiration in patients with advanced lung disease is the absence of a reliable diagnostic tool. Proximal oesophageal acid detection by pH monitoring is the only widely available measure of aspiration risk. Impedance monitoring may be a superior measure of aspiration risk as it measures both acid and non-acid reflux episodes. Molecular markers of aspiration, such as pepsin or bile salts in the bronchoalveolar lavage or exhaled breath condensate, may be the optimal diagnostic tests, but they are not currently available outside the research setting. Larger observational studies are needed to determine the following: (1) the clinical significance of aspiration in patients with advanced lung disease and in patients who have had lung transplantation and (2) the diagnostic test that best predicts adverse outcomes.
Molecular Structure and Regulation of P2X Receptors With a Special Emphasis on the Role of P2X2 in the Auditory System

The P2X purinergic receptors are cation-selective channels gated by extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP). These purinergic receptors are found in virtually all mammalian cell types and facilitate a number of important physiological processes. Within the past few years, the characterization of crystal structures of the zebrafish P2X4 receptor in its closed and open states has provided critical insights into the mechanisms of ligand binding and channel activation. Understanding of this gating mechanism has facilitated to design and interpret new modeling and structure-function experiments to better elucidate how different agonists and antagonists can affect the receptor with differing levels of potency. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the structure, activation, allosteric modulators, function, and location of the different P2X receptors. Moreover, an emphasis on the P2X2 receptors has been placed in respect to its role in the auditory system. In particular, the discovery of three missense mutations in P2X2 receptors could become important areas of study in the field of gene therapy to treat progressive and noise-induced hearing loss. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 1656-1670, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lateral Tibial Plateau Fracture with a Displaced Posterolateral Fragment and Fibular Head Entrapment: A Case Report.

Fractures of the lateral tibial plateau often result from a direct lateral blow to the proximal part of the tibia or from a valgus force with impaction of the lateral femoral condyle into the lateral tibial plateau1. These fractures can often be reduced and fixed through a standard lateral approach. We describe an unusual case of a patient who sustained a lateral tibial plateau fracture with substantial depression of the lateral plateau and a large posterolateral fragment with resultant entrapment of the fibula. The pattern required a dual posterior and lateral approach for reduction and fixation. The patient was informed that data concerning this case would be submitted for publication, and he provided consent. A thirty-three-year-old previously healthy pedestrian was struck at high speed by an automobile; the bumper of the car hit the lateral aspect of the left knee. He sustained an isolated closed comminuted lateral tibial plateau fracture with approximately 3 cm of lateral joint depression and a large displaced posterolateral split in the coronal plane (Fig. 1). The apex of the posterolateral spike was 7 cm distal to the joint line. Computed tomography (CT) revealed that the fibular head was enclosed in the gap between the posterolateral fragment and the anterolateral comminution (Figs. 2-A and 2-B). On examination, the patient had an incomplete peroneal nerve palsy on the left (deep peroneal nerve involvement) but was otherwise neurovascularly intact. The peroneal palsy involved the deep branch (0 of 5 tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus muscle function) but spared the superficial branch (4 of 5 peroneal muscle function). Over the next twelve hours, the patient developed a compartment syndrome and required an emergency four-compartment fasciotomy and application of an external fixator spanning the knee joint. The muscles of all compartments were viable. The fasciotomy sites were …
II. The Hinduization of Indonesia Reconsidered

When, in 1926, N. J. Krom published his standard study of the Hindu-Javanese period in Indonesian history, a major gap in the historiography of the Archipelago seemed to have been filled. Krom's later publications enlarged expertly upon the major themes of his great work. He seemed content to catalogue and analyze the many Indonesia inscriptions, statues, and temples, dating from the fifth to the fifteenth centuries A.D. which he regarded as the fruit of the Hinduization of Java and Sumatra. In his earlier study of Hindu-Javanese art, he brilliantly revealed the mingling of indigenous traditions with the technique of Hindu and Hinduized artisans in the Sumatran and Javanese kingdoms. The dominant note in all his writings was the great civilizing influence which he claimed had been exerted by Hindu traders and colonists over the supposedly untutored indigenous population of the Greater Sunda islands. Though willing to admit that the inhabitants of Java and Sumatra before the coming of the Hindus were not “savages” and that they possessed a certain knowledge of political organization, and agricultural and metallurgical technique, Krom emphasized that the high civilization reached by the kingdoms of Java and Sumatra between the ninth and thirteenth centuries was largely due to the infiltration of Hindu culture.
A Method for Extracting Building Empirical Capacity Curves from Earthquake Response Data

A method is presented for extracting empirical capacity curves from building earthquake response data. The method can be applied to buildings with acceleration response records from each floor to d...
Characteristics of Changing Permafrost Temperatures in the Alaskan Arctic, U.S.A.

Temperatures in permafrost were measured annually from 1983 through 1993 in drill holes (nominally 60 m in depth) at three sites in Northern Alaska; West Dock, Deadhorse, and Franklin Bluffs. Active layer and near-surface permafrost temperatures (to 1 m) were measured every 4 h from 1986 through 1993. This paper combines two previously published data sets with numerical simulations to fill the data gap in daily permafrost temperatures from 1m to the depth of penetration of the annual temperature wave (about 20 m). These daily values were used to calculate mean temperature profiles for the annual period, a 10- to 11-yr cycle and for other periods. Calculated profiles were used to revise estimates of the surface amplitude of the 10- to 11-yr cycle at Franklin Bluffs from 0.6 K to about 1 K. The data show that, for the 10- to 11-yr cycle, cooling of the permafrost began prior to 1983 with the warming part of the cycle beginning in the late 1980s. This is consistent with the U.S. Geological Survey data suggesting that their reported cooling may have been part of a natural cycle and not an effect of the disturbance at the ground surface associated with drilling. Themore » means of the measured temperature profiles below the 20 m depth show curvatures toward warmer temperatures. These curvatures may be associated with climatic fluctuations, a cycle or a longer-term warming trend. While these time series of permafrost temperatures are too short to distinguish between these alternatives, it is important to do so because of their possible relationship with the predicted climatic warming. 28 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.« less
Simultaneous Purification and Fractionation of Nucleic Acids and Proteins from Complex Samples Using Bidirectional Isotachophoresis

We report on our efforts to create an on-chip system to simultaneously purify and fractionate nucleic acids and proteins from complex samples using isotachophoresis (ITP). We have developed this technique to simultaneously extract extracellular DNA and proteins from human blood serum samples and deliver these to two separate output reservoirs on a chip. The purified DNA is compatible with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and proteins can be extracted so as to exclude albumin, the most abundant protein in serum. We describe significant remaining challenges in making this bidirectional method a robust and efficient technique. These challenges include managing channel surface adsorption of proteins, identifying the cause of observed reductions in low molecular weight proteins, and dealing with nonspecific binding of proteins and DNA.
Seven-DOF Cable-Suspended Robot With Independent Metrology

This paper presents a new cable-suspended robot. It is a 7-cable spatial design with a closed-form forward pose kinematics solution. Applications include automated machining, construction, and sculpting. This paper presents two new ideas. First, an independent, passive, six-string-pot-based Cartesian metrology system was built and tested since length measurements through the active drive system may be inaccurate for large-scale systems. Second, we introduce a new active cable tensioning approach wherein we control the displacement of a physical spring in-line with one of the active drive cables in attempt to ensure only positive cable tensions in all active cables. This is compared with an existing particular/homogeneous tensioning solution approach. Simulation examples are presented in this paper; we are currently building the proposed system for future evaluation work.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
IMPACT OF CANGRELOR OVERDOSING ON BLEEDING COMPLICATIONS IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION: INSIGHTS FROM THE CHAMPION TRIALS

Overdosing of parenteral antithrombotic therapies can increase the risk of bleeding. Cangrelor is a potent intravenous platelet P2Y12 receptor antagonist with rapid onset and offset of action. In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), compared with control, cangrelor (30 µg/kg bolus, followed immediately by a 4 µg/kg per minute infusion for 2–4 h or until the conclusion of the index PCI, whichever was longer) reduces periprocedural thrombotic complications without an increase in major bleeding complications, although minor bleeding is increased. The impact of cangrelor overdosing on bleeding is unknown and represented the aim of this analysis. Patients with cangrelor overdosing were identified among safety population patients enrolled in the CHAMPION program (n = 25,107). Overdose was defined as administration of an excess >20 % of the bolus dose (30 μg/kg) and/or infusion rate (4 μg/kg per min). Bleeding complications were assessed. Among the safety analysis population in the CHAMPION program, 12,565 patients received cangrelor. A total of 36 overdosed cangrelor patients (0.29 %) were identified in this pooled analysis (20 with both bolus and infusion, 5 with bolus only, and 11 with infusion only). In the majority of patients, the dose did not exceed 2.5 times the recommended dose. Bleeding events were balanced between treatment arms and were consistent with those in the overall CHAMPION program. Only one overdosed patient experienced a serious bleed. There was no correlation between bleeding and magnitude of cangrelor overdose. In a large clinical trial program of patients undergoing PCI, cangrelor overdosing was rare and not associated with an increase in bleeding complications, an observation that may be attributed to its very short-half life and rapid offset of action.
Elastic properties and stress-temperature phase diagrams of high-temperature phases with low-temperature lattice instabilities

The crystal structures of many technologically important high-temperature phases are predicted to have lattice instabilities at low temperature, making their thermodynamic and mechanical properties inaccessible to standard first principles approaches that rely on the (quasi) harmonic approximation. Here, we use the recently developed anharmonic potential cluster expansion within Monte Carlo simulations to predict the effect of temperature and anisotropic stress on the elastic properties of ${\mathrm{ZrH}}_{2}$, a material that undergoes diffusionless transitions among cubic, tetragonal, and orthorhombic phases. Our analysis shows that the mechanical properties of high-temperature phases with low-temperature vibrational instabilities are very sensitive to temperature and stress state. These findings have important implications for materials characterization and multi-scale simulations and suggest opportunities for enhanced strain engineering of high-temperature phases exhibiting soft-mode instabilities.
Multidimensional Responses to Disease Information: How Do Winegrape Growers React to Powdery Mildew Forecasts and To What Environmental Effect?

Access to better information can enable adjustments that improve individual and social outcomes. In agriculture, accurate forecasts can be especially valuable to both producers and society at large. We analyze the impact of disease forecasts on the responses of growers along multiple margins of adjustment. Using high-resolution plot-level panel data, we analyze how California winegrape growers adjust powdery mildew control strategies in response to disease forecasts. While trials that allow only treatment timing adjustments suggest these forecasts bring large environmental benefits, in practice many growers simultaneously adjust what, when, and how much they spray. We find that the net environmental impact of this multidimensional response may actually be negative.
Exosomes in Human Breast Milk Promote EMT

Purpose:Pregnancy increases breast cancer risk for all women for at least 5 years after parturition. During weaning and involution the breast microenvironment becomes tumor promotional. Exosomes provide cell-cell communication during physiologic processes such as lactation, but also in breast cancer. We determined if molecules in milk exosomes from healthy lactating women modulate the development and progression of breast cancer. Experimental Design:13 nursing women provided 3 (transitional, mature, and wean) milk samples. Exosomes were extracted and MCF7 and -10A breast cells labeled. The expression of 6 proteins linked to breast cancer were measured. Based on the findings, TGFβ2 concentration in exosome samples measured, breast cells incubated with the exosomes and effect (epithelial mesenchymal transition-EMT) and EMT related proteins (E-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), filamentous (F)-actin and vimentin) measured. Results:Human milk exosomes entered benign and malignant breast cells. The greatest change in wean milk protein was in TGFβ2 (p=0.01). Exosomes with a high (but not low) level of TGFβ2 led to EMT in both cancer and benign cells, based on 1) change in cell morphology, actin cytoskeleton and loss of cell-cell junction structure and 2) increased α-SMA and vimentin and decreased E-cadherin. Conclusions:TGFβ2 is significantly upregulated in breast milk exosomes during weaning/early involution. Breast milk exosomes containing high levels of TGFβ2 induce changes in both benign and malignant breast epithelial cells consistent with the development and progression of breast cancer, suggesting a role for high TGFβ2 expressing breast milk exosomes in influencing breast cancer risk.
Sulfate/oxalate exchange by lobster hepatopancreatic basolateral membrane vesicles.

Purified basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMV) were prepared from lobster hepatopancreas by osmotic disruption and discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation. Radiolabeled sulfate uptake was stimulated by 10 mM intravesicular oxalate compared with gluconate-loaded vesicles. Sulfate/oxalate exchange was not affected by transmembrane valinomycin-induced potassium diffusion potentials (inside negative or inside positive), suggesting electroneutral anion transport. Sulfate uptake was not stimulated by the similar carboxylic anions formate, succinate, oxaloacetate, or ketoglutarate. Sulfate influx occurred by at least one saturable Michaelis-Menten carrier system [apparent Km = 6.0 +/- 1.7 mM; maximum flux (Jmax) = 382.3 +/- 37.0 pmol.mg protein-1 x 7 s-1]. Sulfate/oxalate exchange was significantly reduced by the anion antiport inhibitors 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid and 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid but was not affected by bumetanide or furosemide. The possible physiological role of this exchange mechanism in anion/sulfate transport across the crustacean hepatopancreas is discussed.
Differing specificities in the desensitization of ovarian adenylate cyclase by epinephrine and human chorionic gonadotropin.

Adenylate cyclase activity of luteinized ovaries from gonadotropin-primed immature rats was stimulated by luteinizing hormone (LH), epinephrine and prostaglandin E1. Treatment of primed rats with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) caused a time-dependent loss of the adenylate cyclase response to LH, and the enzyme also became refractory to stimulation by epinephrine. Conversely, treatment of primed rats with epinephrine caused a time-dependent loss of the adenylate cyclase response to epinephrine, but the enzyme remained responsive to LH. The refractoriness of adenylate cyclase to epinephrine after desensitization by hCG or epinephrine was not reversed by Gpp(NH)p. These studies show that "cross-desensitization" of epinephrine-responsive adenylate cyclase activity in the ovary is induced by LH-receptor interaction, whereas β-adrenergic desensitization causes more specific refractoriness to epinephrine with no change in the LH receptor activation mechanism. This suggests the existence of fundamental differences in mechanisms of adenylate cyclase activation and/or desensitization by catecholamines and glycoprotein hormones.
Information-Theoretic Secure Outsourced Computation in Distributed Systems

OF DISSERTATION INFORMATION-THEORETIC SECURE OUTSOURCED COMPUTATION IN DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS Secure multi-party computation (secure MPC) has been established as the de facto paradigm for protecting privacy in distributed computation. One of the earliest secure MPC primitives is the Shamir’s secret sharing (SSS) scheme. SSS has many advantages over other popular secure MPC primitives like garbled circuits (GC) – it provides information-theoretic security guarantee, requires no complex long-integer operations, and often leads to more efficient protocols. Nonetheless, SSS receives less attention in the signal processing community because SSS requires a larger number of honest participants, making it prone to collusion attacks. In this dissertation, I propose an agent-based computing framework using SSS to protect privacy in distributed signal processing. There are three main contributions to this dissertation. First, the proposed computing framework is shown to be significantly more efficient than GC. Second, a novel game-theoretical framework is proposed to analyze different types of collusion attacks. Third, using the proposed game-theoretical framework, specific mechanism designs are developed to deter collusion attacks in a fully distributed manner. Specifically, for a collusion attack with known detectors, I analyze it as games between secret owners and show that the attack can be effectively deterred by an explicit retaliation mechanism. For a general attack without detectors, I expand the scope of the game to include the computing agents and provide deterrence through deceptive collusion requests. The correctness and privacy of the protocols are proved under a covert adversarial model. Our experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of SSS-based protocols and the validity of our mechanism design.
Environmental Characterization of Products and Effluents from Coal Conversion Processes

Publisher Summary Utilization of coal for power production is currently undergoing a rapid expansion. In addition, the potential for coal to be converted into synthetic liquid and gaseous fuels creates another usage for coal in the future. Both conventional coal technology and the newer coal-conversion processes have a considerable potential for environmental and health-related impacts. This chapter discusses a number of precise and sensitive techniques for both sampling and analysis of coal-conversion plant feedstocks, effluents, products, and by-products for these elements, heavy metal species, gases, and organic constituents. The methods are described because of their sensitivity and relative freedom from matrix effects in these complex samples.
Introduction: A Teutonic Shift?

Germany’s foreign policy is shaped primarily by Germany’s power position on the international stage and by the state of its economy. Both have changed dramatically in the years since the Berlin Wall fell, and the world has seen several important ’shifts’ in Germany’s foreign policy. The more robust the economy, the more Germany’s power has been used to underwrite cooperation in Europe and in the world. But continued economic stagnation has led Germany’s leaders to shift away from that role and assert self-interest more blatantly, even to the point of defecting from international cooperation. Domestic politics, political culture, leadership, international institutions all contribute to German foreign policy behavior, but the principal factors at work are power and the state of the economy. This is the argument of this volume.
The Systemic Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma

While PRP was introduced in the 1970s, there has been a recent geometric increase in its use for sports-related injuries [28], and it is now used to treat over 86,000 athletes annually in the United States [26] and many others throughout Europe [2, 25, 64, 80]. At the same time, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has become increasingly concerned that PRP injections may constitute a doping violation because PRP contains large quantities of ergogenic growth factors. Although the contents of the PRP preparations themselves have been extensively studied [10, 22, 25, 38, 89], the systemic effects and potential doping implications of PRP therapy are just beginning to be explored. Similarly, medical concerns related to the growth factors contained within PRP have been raised, although the long-term effects of PRP have not yet been directly addressed.
A Novel Optical Diagnostic for In Situ Measurements of Lithium Polysulfides in Battery Electrolytes.

An optical diagnostic technique to determine the order and concentration of lithium polysulfides in lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery electrolytes has been developed. One of the major challenges of lithium–sulfur batteries is the problem of polysulfide shuttling between the electrodes, which leads to self-discharge and loss of active material. Here we present an optical diagnostic for quantitative in situ measurements of lithium polysulfides using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Simulated infrared spectra of lithium polysulfide molecules were generated using computational quantum chemistry routines implemented in Gaussian 09. The theoretical spectra served as a starting point for experimental characterization of lithium polysulfide solutions synthesized by the direct reaction of lithium sulfide and sulfur. Attenuated total reflection FT-IR spectroscopy was used to measure absorption spectra. The lower limit of detection with this technique is 0.05 M. Measured spect...
Aberrant DNA methylation in melanoma: biomarker and therapeutic opportunities

Aberrant DNA methylation is an epigenetic hallmark of melanoma, known to play important roles in melanoma formation and progression. Recent advances in genome-wide methylation methods have provided the means to identify differentially methylated genes, methylation signatures, and potential biomarkers. However, despite considerable effort and advances in cataloging methylation changes in melanoma, many questions remain unanswered. The aim of this review is to summarize recent developments, emerging trends, and important unresolved questions in the field of aberrant DNA methylation in melanoma. In addition to reviewing recent developments, we carefully synthesize the findings in an effort to provide a framework for understanding the current state and direction of the field. To facilitate clarity, we divided the review into DNA methylation changes in melanoma, biomarker opportunities, and therapeutic developments. We hope this review contributes to accelerating the utilization of the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential of DNA methylation for the benefit of melanoma patients.
Coupled computational fluid and multi-body dynamics suspension boat modeling:

Multiphysics modeling, code development, and validation by full-scale experiments is presented for hydrodynamic/suspension-dynamic interactions of a novel ocean vehicle, the Wave Adaptive Modular V...
Global optimization algorithm for capacitated multi-facility continuous location-allocation problems

In this paper we propose a nonlinear Generalized Disjunctive Programming model to optimize the 2-dimensional continuous location and allocation of the potential facilities based on their maximum capacity and the given coordinates of the suppliers and customers. The model belongs to the class of Capacitated Multi-facility Weber Problem. We propose a bilevel decomposition algorithm that iteratively solves a discretized MILP version of the model, and its nonconvex NLP for a fixed selection of discrete variables. Based on the bounding properties of the subproblems, $$\epsilon $$ -convergence is proved for this algorithm. We apply the proposed method to random instances varying from 2 suppliers and 2 customers to 40 suppliers and 40 customers, from one type of facility to 3 different types, and from 2 to 32 potential facilities. The results show that the algorithm is more effective at finding global optimal solutions than general purpose global optimization solvers tested.
True Cortical Saccular Aneurysm Presenting as an Acute Subdural Hematoma.

Background Subdural hematoma, without any radiographic evidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage, is a rare presentation of a ruptured intracranial aneurysm. Even more rare is the occurrence of a pure subdural hematoma caused by a ruptured cortical saccular aneurysm. We report the eighth case of pure subdural hematoma secondary to a ruptured nonmycotic cortical berry aneurysm. Case Description We report a case of pure subdural hematoma secondary to a ruptured true saccular aneurysm of a cortical artery branch. The lesion was carefully delineated with computed tomography (CT) angiography (CTA) and cerebral angiography, and successfully treated with hematoma evacuation and clip ligation. The patient demonstrates no neurologic deficits 6 months after surgery, and CTA results remain negative. Conclusions In the context of a presentation of spontaneous subdural hematoma, intracerebral aneurysm rupture should be considered as a possible etiology. Prompt vascular imaging with careful evaluation of the entire cerebral vasculature, including the cortical vessels, should be considered.
miRNA-regulated transcription associated with mouse strains predisposed to hypnotic effects of ethanol.

Introduction Studying innate sensitivity to ethanol can be an important first step toward understanding alcohol use disorders. In brain, we investigated transcripts, with evidence of miRNA modulation related to a predisposition to the hypnotic effect of ethanol, as measured by loss of righting reflex (LORR). Methods Expression of miRNAs (12 samples) and expression of mRNAs (353 samples) in brain were independently analyzed for an association with LORR in mice from the LXS recombinant inbred panel gathered across several small studies. These results were then integrated via a meta-analysis of miRNA-mRNA target pairs identified in miRNA-target interaction databases. Results We found 112 significant miRNA-mRNA pairs where a large majority of miRNAs and mRNAs were highly interconnected. Most pairs indicated a pattern of increased levels of miRNAs and reduced levels of mRNAs being associated with more alcohol-sensitive strains. For example, CaMKIIn1 was targeted by multiple miRNAs associated with LORR. CAMK2N1 is an inhibitor of CAMK2, which among other functions, phosphorylates, or binds to GABAA and NMDA receptors. Conclusions Our results suggest a novel role of miRNA-mediated regulation of an inhibitor of CAMK2 and its downstream targets including the GABAA and NMDA receptors, which have been previously implicated to have a role in ethanol-induced sedation and sensitivity.