cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of magnesium-sulfate on leaf chlorosis, plant growth and nutrient uptake in Camellia sasanqua 'Shishi Gashira'

Abstract A ‘V’-pattemed chlorosis of older leaves is frequently observed on specific cultivars of container-grown Camellia sasanqua. Symptoms are expressed during the flowering period and as the first vegetative flush of the season develops in early spring. Symptomatic leaves eventually senesce and subsequent vegetative flushes appear healthy. In the following study, container-grown Camellia sasanqua ‘Shishi Gashira’ were fertilized with 500 ml of nutrient solution containing one of five treatments: 0.0, 4.0, 10, 20, or 40 g/liter magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (MgSO4·7H2O) per 19-liter container every two weeks for nine months to determine if chlorosis could be prevented. Nutrient analyses were conducted on all plant organs to determine if there was a correlation between nutrient partitioning to different organs and the expression of leaf chlorosis. Supplemental MgSO4·7H2O fertilization increased the Mg concentration in the roots, stems, leaves and flowers, and increased the sulfur concentration only in ...
LDPC decoders with missing connections

Due to process variation in nanoscale manufacturing, there may be permanently missing connections in information processing hardware. Due to timing errors in circuits, there may be missed messages in intra-chip communications, equivalent to transiently missing connections. In this work, we investigate the performance of message-passing LDPC decoders in the presence of missing connections. We prove concentration and convergence theorems that validate the use of density evolution performance analysis. Arbitrarily small error probability is not possible under miswiring, but we find suitably defined decoding thresholds for communication systems with binary erasure channels and peeling decoders, as well as binary symmetric channels and Gallager A decoders. We see that decoding is robust to missing connections, as decoding thresholds degrade smoothly.
Linear Theory of Internal Gravity Waves and Mountain Waves

The linearized analysis of internal gravity (buoyancy) waves, including those forced by topography, is surveyed, with particular attention given to the propagation conditions and their variability with the scale of forcing. The exchange of momentum and energy with the mean flow and the effects of reflection and resonance are also discussed.
Persistence of Two Salmonella enterica ser. Montevideo Strains Throughout Horn Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Larval and Pupal Development

Strains of Salmonella enterica can be subdivided into clades that differ in their genetic composition, influencing microbial ecology and bacterial transmission. Salmonella serovar Montevideo strains 1110 and 304, representatives of two different clades, were used to evaluate interactions with the various stages of horn fly development. Sterilized cattle dung was inoculated with Salmonella monocultures, and horn fly larvae were exposed to 103, 105, and 107 colony-forming units (CFU)/g per strain. Salmonella supported horn fly development, and concentration-dependent differences in pupal survival suggested that Salmonella Montevideo 304 impacts adult emergence when larvae are reared in a high concentration. Viable bacteria of each strain were quantified from larvae, pupae, and newly emerged adults. Both strains were cultured from larvae at a mean ~105, regardless of concentration, and both strains survived pupation. Quantities of Salmonella 1110 were stationary through the midpupal stage, after which quantities declined in pupae reared in 105 and increased twofold in pupae reared in 107 CFU/g. Quantities of Salmonella 304 remained stationary throughout pupal development when reared in 105, yet increased 29-fold when reared in 107 CFU/g. At high densities, properties of Salmonella 304 may influence its interaction with horn fly larvae, enabling the bacteria to evade degradation during larval gut histolysis and to subsequently proliferate during the late stages of pupal development. This may account for the observed effect on adult emergence. The Salmonella strains were rarely cultured from newly emerged adults, indicating that transstadial carriage to the adult stage is inefficient.
Creep Deformation of Magnesium at Elevated Temperatures Nonbasal Slip

During the creep of coarse-grained polycrystalline magnesium at elevated temperatures, a nonbasal type of slip was found to play an important role in the deformation processes. The nonbasal slip traces were examined metallographically in eight specimens (13 grains) and the observed glide plane located stereographically for each grain. The tests were run at 500° and 700°F at stresses of 148 to 786 psi. Based on these measurements and theoretical calculations, the crystallographic elements for nonbasal slip were determined.
Design of Proper Course Projects for Effective Student Learning

Abstract This paper addresses the issue of how to design proper course projects to achieve effective student learning in Mechatronics Education. By reflecting on the author’s experience on teaching both Robotics and Mechatronics courses, several important considerations in designing course projects are pointed out. These include properly incorporating research components, student contests, industrial needs, laboratory development, and fun into the course projects. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through student feedback, course evaluation, peer evaluation, and interviews. It has been shown that proper course projects help to improve the quality of Mechatronics education, arouse student interest in engineering, and motivate undergraduate students to pursue to graduate study. Properly integrating research, lab development, and industrial projects into the classrooms also helps the faculty to maintain the dynamic balance between the teaching, research, and service.
Long-Term Retention of the Habituation of Tonic Immobility

Previous research has suggested that the tonic immobility response in chickens displays long-term retention of habituation. However, a possible alternative interpretation based on overhabituation had not been ruled out. The results of this research showed no evidence for spontaneous recovery of immobility for up to 30 days after habituation training, with overhabituation effects taken into consideration. Such long-term effects may pose problems for current theories of habituation.
RBF neural network sliding mode control of a PMSG based wind energy conversion system

In this paper, a radial basis function (RBF) neural networks sliding mode controller is designed for a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) based wind energy conversion system (WECS). The aim is to ensure maximum power capture. Within this control scheme, the WECS nonlinear control affine model is transformed into the canonical form via a diffeomorphism transformation. Afterwards, a RBF neural networks based controller is built around the approximation of an ideal sliding mode controller to ensure reference tracking. In this controller the system parameters are approximated through an RBF neural network, and then these approximations are substituted into their counterparts from the ideal controller. The parameter update laws are derived based on Lyapunov synthesis. A compensation term is appended to the composite controller to ensure robustness against approximation errors. Stability and tracking properties are proved using Lyapunov analysis. A numerical simulation is carried out on a typical 3kW PMSG based wind turbine to access the effectiveness of the proposed controller. The results are then discussed to assess the effectiveness of the proposed neural networks controller.
Aquatic Dicotyledons of North America: Ecology, Life History, and Systematics

Aquatic Dicotyledons of North America: Ecology, Life History, and Systematics brings together a wealth of information on the natural history, ecology, and systematics of North American aquatic plants. Most books on aquatic plants have a taxonomic focus and are intended primarily for identification. Instead, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the biology of major aquatic species by compiling information from numerous sources that lie scattered among the primary literature, herbarium databases, and other reference materials. Included dicotyledon species are those having an obligate (OBL) wetland status, a designation used in the USACE National Wetland Plant List. Recent phylogenetic analyses are incorporated and rationale is provided for interpreting this information with respect to species relationships. This diverse assemblage of information will be useful to a wide range of interests including academic researchers, wildlife managers, students, and virtually anyone interested in the natural history of aquatic and wetland plants. Although focusing specifically on North America, the cosmopolitan distribution of many aquatic plants should make this an attractive text to people working virtually anywhere outside of the region as well. This book is an essential resource for assisting with wetland delineation.
Dog- and owner-related risk factors for consideration of euthanasia or rehoming before a referral behavioral consultation and for euthanizing or rehoming the dog after the consultation

Abstract The objective of our research was to identify pet-, owner-, and environment-related risk factors for euthanasia or rehoming of dogs presenting to a veterinary behavioral service. In this retrospective clinical study, we examined 302 patient records for dog and owner demographics, presenting complaints, clinical diagnoses, home environment, behavioral and medical history, and disposition of the patient at 3 and 6 months after visit. Data were analyzed for the association of pet-, owner-, and environment-related factors with (A) owners having considered euthanasia before the behavioral consultation; (B) owners having considered either rehoming or euthanasia before the consultation; (C) owners having rehomed or euthanized the dog up to 3 months after the consultation; (D) owners having rehomed or euthanized the dog 6 months after the consultation. In order to individuate the risk factors for rehoming and euthanasia, logistic regression analysis was conducted on pet-, owner-, and environment-related factors significantly associated ( P
Lipid-Protein Interactions and Acetylcholine Receptor Function in Reconstituted Membranes

The role of dynamic lipid-protein interactions in regulating the functional activity of membrane proteins has been extensively examined using a wide variety of biophysical techniques (1). The lipids in direct contact with membrane proteins are usually exchangeable with bulk lipids, although the two different types of lipid environments can be readily detected using electron spin resonance techniques (2–4). There is some selectivity in the apparent binding of lipids at the lipid-protein interface, and many membrane proteins are preferentially activated or inhibited by different classes of lipid. However, it has been difficult to establish clear links between lipid-protein interactions and direct effects of lipids on membrane protein function. In part, the problem reflects the comlexity of lipid compositions in native biological membranes and the inherent risks of examining relevant functional properties of membranes in reconstituted systems containing completely defined components. In addition, there may be specific requirements for some membrane proteins that cannot be generalized to predict the effects of lipids on other membrane proteins.
Shallow semantics for relation extraction

This paper presents a new method for extracting meaningful relations from unstructured natural language sources. The method is based on information made available by shallow semantic parsers. Semantic information was used (1) to enhance a dependency tree kernel; and (2) to build semantic dependency structures used for enhanced relation extraction for several semantic classifiers. In our experiments the quality of the extracted relations surpassed the results of kernel-based models employing only semantic class information.
Adaptive Water Governance: Summary and Synthesis

The Adaptive Water Governance project was set up to examine how law, policy, and ecological dynamics influence the governance of regional-scale water-based social-ecological systems in the United States and Australia. With the onset of the Anthropocene, global and regional changes in biophysical inputs to these systems will challenge their capacity to respond while maintaining functions of water supply, flood control, hydropower production, water quality, and biodiversity in a time of aging infrastructure. At the heart of the capacity of these systems to respond to these challenges is their governance. Governance of these complex and dynamic social-environmental systems has moved beyond state-centric, legally bounded control to a complex mix of public/private self-organization. The resilience assessments of case studies and integrative scholarship led to this synthesis, which is presented in the form of three challenges to adaptive water governance. The first is to consider the role of government in removing barriers to adaptive governance by facilitating actions that take advantage of windows of opportunity and institutionalize the results of innovative solutions. The second challenge is to assure that in embracing these new approaches, society must continue to evaluates trade-offs. Such governance should assure that engagement of private and economic actors and the increase in governmental flexibility do not destabilize nor come at the expense of legitimacy, accountability, equity, and justice. Law in its role of establishing the structure and process of government and in placing bounds on the interaction of governmental entities with private actors is a key component in striking the balance between stability in government and adaptability of governance. The third challenge is to identify whether government might be given the authority to facilitate and participate in adaptive governance. Meeting these challenges will increase the capacity of these social-ecological systems to innovate, adapt, and learn their way into an uncertain future, by increasing participation in adaptive governance in ways that are legitimate, transparent, and just.
Abortion-related emergency department visits in the United States: An analysis of a national emergency department sample

Media depictions and laws passed in state legislatures regulating abortion suggest abortion-related medical emergencies are common. An accurate understanding of abortion-related emergencies is important for informing policy and practice. We assessed the incidence of abortion-related emergency department (ED) visits in the United States (U.S.). We used a retrospective observational study design using 2009–2013 data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, a nationally representative sample of U.S. ED visits from 947 to 964 hospitals across the U.S. per year. All ED visits among women of reproductive age (15–49) were included. We categorized ED visits by abortion relatedness and treatments received, and assessed whether the visit was for a major incident (defined as requiring blood transfusion, surgery, or overnight inpatient stay). We estimated the proportion of visits that were abortion-related and described the characteristics of patients making these visits, the diagnoses and subsequent treatments received by these patients, the sociodemographic and hospital characteristics associated with the incidents and observation care only (defined as receiving no treatments), and the rate of major incidents for all abortion patients in the U.S. Among all ED visits by women aged 15–49 (189,480,685), 0.01% (n = 27,941) were abortion-related. Of these visits, 51% (95% confidence interval, 95% CI 49.3–51.9%) of the women received observation care only. A total of 20% (95% CI 19.3–21.3%) of abortion-related ED visits were for major incidents. One-fifth (22%, 95% CI 20.9–23.0%) of abortion-related visits resulted in admission to the same hospital for abortion-related reasons. Of the visits, 1.4% (n = 390, 95% CI 1.1–1.7%) were potentially due to attempts at self-induced abortion. In multivariable models, women using Medicaid (adjusted odds ratio, AOR 1.28, 95% CI 1.08–1.52) and women with a comorbid condition (AORs 2.47–4.63) had higher odds of having a major incident than women using private insurance and those without comorbid conditions. During the study period, 0.11% of all abortions in the U.S. resulted in major incidents as seen in EDs. Abortion-related ED visits comprise a small proportion of women’s ED visits. Many abortion-related ED visits may not be indicated or could have been managed at a less costly level of care. Given the low rate of major incidents, perceptions that abortion is unsafe are not based on evidence.
Robotic Hybrid Low Anterior Resection

Robotic hybrid rectal resection is a safe and feasible surgical technique for the management of benign and malignant rectal diseases. In general, available data demonstrate that the robotic hybrid approach results in similar clinical and pathological outcomes as compared to conventional laparoscopy. While totally robotic rectal surgery, also referred to as single-stage robotic rectal surgery, has demonstrated to be a viable approach for the management of rectal diseases, we tend to approach the majority of the robotic rectal resections with a hybrid technique. Our preference for the hybrid technique is based on several factors, which will be discussed in this chapter; however, it is important to recognize that the approach may be altered based on individual case characteristics.
Synthesis and Characterization of Calix[4]arene Functionalized Poly(ethylene glycol) Derivatives

Calix[4]arenes with both ligating and methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) groups appended have been synthesized using several approaches, involving the formation of sulfonyl ester groups on the wide rim, Schiff base derivatives on the narrow rim, and thioether groups on both the wide and narrow rims. These new derivatives have been characterized by a combination of infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Compounds 10 and 11 are insoluble in both water and aqueous poly(ethylene glycol), but the other new compounds are soluble.
Veterans Law, Jon Stewart, and a Challenge for the Legal Academy

This is a collection of 20 posts made as a guest blogger on the Faculty Lounge in June 2013. These posts were written to generally introduce veterans law to legal academics unfamiliar with the area and to point out important issues in the field in need of further study. The theme of the posts is that veterans law is far less than the sum of its parts. Despite countless “veteran friendly” rules and procedures, the process suffers from severe system effects that produce unsatisfactory results. Accordingly, it is a system that is in desperate need of experts in the underlying areas to examine how the system handles evidence, causation, pleading, discovery, separation of powers, and many other issues. As Jon Stewart nicely expressed: The veterans benefits system is crucial to anyone who supports a substantial role for the administrative state, because if you cannot make this system work with all the political support and funding it has, then how can you expect anyone to believe that government can solve actual controversial problems?
Coral as a model to study intrinsic and innate immune responses to herpes-like viruses (P6081)

Porites corals have been shown to produce herpes-like viruses when triggered by environmental stressors. We intend to use coral as a model species to study the immune responses to herpes-like viruses in an invertebrate species. The long-term goals of our study include measuring virus production in multiple coral species, determining if virus production increases under stress, and identifying possible immune genes in corals expressed in response to virus production. One frag of Porites and one of Acropora were grown in separate tanks, each containing artificial seawater and live rock. Stabilization of the corals was achieved through the use of timed overhead lighting, regular feeding, weekly testing of the water for calcium and dKH levels, and periodic addition of KH and magnesium. Two DNA extractions were done on each coral sample and used for PCR. Four genes are initially being targeted: ND5, a control; Spondin2, a putative immune gene; Hsp16, a stress gene; and Thymidylate synthase, produced by the herpes-like virus identified in Porites . Standard PCR has been effective at amplifying these sequences from genomic DNA. After optimization of PCR conditions and product sequencing, qPCR protocols will be developed to quantify gene expression. Future experiments will test the utility of measuring immune dysfunction as a leading indicator of coral reef stress.
ITSxpress: Software to rapidly trim internally transcribed spacer sequences with quality scores for marker gene analysis.

The internally transcribed spacer (ITS) region between the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene and large subunit ribosomal RNA gene is a widely used phylogenetic marker for fungi and other taxa. The eukaryotic ITS contains the conserved 5.8S rRNA and is divided into the ITS1 and ITS2 hypervariable regions. These regions are variable in length and are amplified using primers complementary to the conserved regions of their flanking genes. Previous work has shown that removing the conserved regions results in more accurate taxonomic classification. An existing software program, ITSx, is capable of trimming FASTA sequences by matching hidden Markov model profiles to the ends of the conserved genes using the software suite HMMER. ITSxpress was developed to extend this technique from marker gene studies using Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU’s) to studies using exact sequence variants; a method used by the software packages Dada2, Deblur, QIIME 2, and Unoise. The sequence variant approach uses the quality scores of each read to identify sequences that are statistically likely to represent real sequences. ITSxpress enables this by processing FASTQ rather than FASTA files. The software also speeds up the trimming of reads by a factor of 14-23 times on a 4-core computer by temporarily clustering highly similar sequences that are common in amplicon data and utilizing optimized parameters for Hmmsearch. ITSxpress is available as a QIIME 2 plugin and a stand-alone application installable from the Python package index, Bioconda, and Github.
Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) cross-talk with the unfolded protein response is critical for hepatic stellate cell activation

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) potently activates hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which promotes production and secretion of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and hepatic fibrogenesis. Increased ECM synthesis and secretion in response to TGFβ is associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the unfolded protein response (UPR). TGFβ and UPR signaling pathways are tightly intertwined during HSC activation, but the regulatory mechanism that connects these two pathways is poorly understood. Here, we found that TGFβ treatment of immortalized HSCs (i.e. LX-2 cells) induces phosphorylation of the UPR sensor inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) in a SMAD2/3-procollagen I–dependent manner. We further show that IRE1α mediates HSC activation downstream of TGFβ and that its role depends on activation of a signaling cascade involving apoptosis signaling kinase 1 (ASK1) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). ASK1–JNK signaling promoted phosphorylation of the UPR-associated transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ), which is crucial for TGFβ- or IRE1α-mediated LX-2 activation. Pharmacological inhibition of C/EBPβ expression with the antiviral drug adefovir dipivoxil attenuated TGFβ-mediated activation of LX-2 or primary rat HSCs in vitro and hepatic fibrogenesis in vivo. Finally, we identified a critical relationship between C/EBPβ and the transcriptional regulator p300 during HSC activation. p300 knockdown disrupted TGFβ- or UPR-induced HSC activation, and pharmacological inhibition of the C/EBPβ–p300 complex decreased TGFβ-induced HSC activation. These results indicate that TGFβ-induced IRE1α signaling is critical for HSC activation through a C/EBPβ-p300–dependent mechanism and suggest C/EBPβ as a druggable target for managing fibrosis.
Altered mesocorticolimbic functional connectivity in chronic low back pain patients at rest and following sad mood induction

Depressive symptoms are common among individuals with chronic pain. Previous work suggests that chronic pain patients have difficulty regulating emotional responses, which is a risk factor for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). Function of the mesocorticolimbic system, a neural network associated with reward processing, contributes to emotion regulation. This network’s dysfunction has been described in chronic pain and MDD research and potentially underlies the relationship among emotion dysregulation, chronic pain, and MDD development. Given that mood induction paradigms have been used to measure emotion regulation, the present study examined intrinsic mesocorticolimbic functional connectivity (FC) after induced sad mood in individuals with and without chronic low back pain (cLBP). Thirty-three MDD-free individuals (17 cLBP) underwent resting-state scanning before and after sad memory-evoked mood induction. A Group [cLBP, healthy control (HC)] x Mood (Neutral, Sadness) repeated measures ANCOVA was conducted on seed-based FC data using a mesolimbic a priori region of interest. Interaction effects were identified in the orbital frontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus [F(2,29) = 21.07, pFDR < .05. hp2 = .5]. Whereas cLBP showed significantly greater FC between these two regions and the mesolimbic seed under neutral mood, FC among these regions increased in HC and decreased in cLBP under sad mood. Exploratory graph theory analyses further describe between-group differences in mesocorticolimbic network properties. Findings support previous literature describing mesocorticolimbic dysfunction in cLBP and demonstrate aberrant function in emotion regulation. Mesocorticolimbic dysfunction during emotion regulation might contribute to the development of certain depressive phenotypes in chronic pain patients.
A geometric approach to multicollinearity

URL: http://users.dickinson.edu/∼erfle/ExcelGraphics/Multicollinearity.xlsxInstructors teaching empirical techniques in managerial economics or economic and business statistics courses often face a...
Active Thermochemical Tables: The Partition Function of Hydroxymethyl (CH2OH) Revisited.

The best currently available set of temperature-dependent nonrigid rotor anharmonic oscillator (NRRAO) thermochemical and thermophysical properties of hydroxymethyl radical is presented. The underlying partition function relies on a critically evaluated complement of accurate experimental and theoretical data and is constructed using a two-pronged strategy that combines contributions from large amplitude motions obtained from direct counts, with contributions from the other internal modes of motion obtained from analytic NRRAO expressions. The contributions from the two strongly coupled large-amplitude motions of CH2OH, OH torsion and CH2 wag, are based on energy levels obtained by solving the appropriate two-dimensional projection of a fully dimensional potential energy surface that was recently obtained at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level of theory. The contributions of the remaining seven, more rigid, vibrational modes and of the external rotations are captured by NRRAO corrections to the standard rigid rotor...
Supraglottoplasty in Neonates under One Month of Age.

Objectives:Examine outcomes of patients 1 month of age or less who received supraglottoplasty. Demonstrate the feasibility and safety of supraglottoplasty in neonates <1 month of age.Methods:Charts...
Targeted Anti-IL-5 Therapies and Future Therapeutics for Hypereosinophilic Syndrome and Rare Eosinophilic Conditions

Eosinophilic inflammation is a component of many atopic diseases such as asthma, and biologics targeting eosinophils have been shown to be effective in subsets of these patients. However, there also are conditions in which eosinophils are the key inflammatory cells responsible for driving tissue damage. In these eosinophilic diseases such as hyper-eosinophilic syndrome, eosinophilic esophagitis, and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), the development of biologics inhibiting eosinophilic inflammation have offered targeted therapeutic strategies for patients that have not responded well to typical first line drugs, which often have significant adverse side effects with poor disease modification or recurrent relapse with significant morbidity. IL-5 has long been recognized as the key inflammatory cytokine involved in the priming and survival of eosinophils and their proliferation and maturation in eosinophilic disease. There are a number of trials and case series demonstrating the immunomodulatory benefits of anti-IL-5 therapies in these diseases with good clinical responses. Yet, due to the heterogeneity and rarity of these conditions, anti-IL-5 therapies have not resulted in disease remission for all patients. Clearly, further research into the use of anti-IL-5 therapies in various eosinophilic diseases is needed and ongoing investigation into other immune mechanisms underlying chronic eosinophilic diseases may provide alternative therapies for these challenging conditions.
Development and Validation of the Family Quality of Life in Dementia Scale.

Background and objectives People with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) exhibit losses in daily function, as well as behavioral and psychological symptoms, that place a great deal of burden on family caregivers and exert a major influence on the quality of life of these individuals and their families. Despite years of intervention research in the field, there are few studies related to the impact of providing care for a person with ADRD on the family as the unit of analysis. While numerous findings have reported the effects of the chronic stress of caregiving for an individual, analysis of family quality of life is a concept that has been generally overlooked in the ADRD field. The purpose of the present study was to develop and test the Family Quality of Life in Dementia (FQOL-D) scale. Research design and methods Face validity was obtained via a Delphi survey of a multidisciplinary team of dementia providers and researchers; initial psychometric evaluation of the instrument was obtained via family respondents (N = 244). Results Internal consistency and reliability were established for the instrument. The FQOL-D scale exhibited excellent factorability and concurrent validity with existing scales assessing family psychosocial measures. Discussion and implications The initial psychometric testing of the FQOL-D instrument is favorable. Additional use of the FQOL-D instrument in health care settings is warranted to evaluate further the clinical utility of the instrument.
Parietal epithelial cell differentiation to a podocyte fate in the aged mouse kidney

Healthy aging is typified by a progressive and absolute loss of podocytes over the lifespan of animals and humans. To test the hypothesis that a subset of glomerular parietal epithelial cell (PEC) progenitors transition to a podocyte fate with aging, dual reporter PEC-rtTA|LC1|tdTomato|Nphs1-FLPo|FRT-EGFP mice were generated. PECs were inducibly labeled with a tdTomato reporter, and podocytes were constitutively labeled with an EGFP reporter. With advancing age (14 and 24 months) glomeruli in the juxta-medullary cortex (JMC) were more severely injured than those in the outer cortex (OC). In aged mice (24m), injured glomeruli with lower podocyte number (41% decrease), showed more PEC migration and differentiation to a podocyte fate than mildly injured or healthy glomeruli. PECs differentiated to a podocyte fate had ultrastructural features of podocytes and co-expressed the podocyte markers podocin, nephrin, p57 and VEGF164, but not markers of mesangial (Perlecan) or endothelial (ERG) cells. PECs differentiated to a podocyte fate did not express CD44, a marker of PEC activation. Taken together, we demonstrate that a subpopulation of PECs differentiate to a podocyte fate predominantly in injured glomeruli in mice of advanced age.
Compact mixed-integer programming relaxations in quadratic optimization

We present a technique for producing valid dual bounds for nonconvex quadratic optimization problems. The approach leverages an elegant piecewise linear approximation for univariate quadratic functions due to Yarotsky, formulating this (simple) approximation using mixed-integer programming. Notably, the number of constraints, binary variables, and auxiliary continuous variables used in this formulation grows logarithmically in the approximation error. Combining this with a diagonal perturbation technique to convert a nonseparable quadratic function into a separable one, we present a mixed-integer convex quadratic relaxation for nonconvex quadratic optimization problems. We study the strength of our formulation in terms of sharpness and the tightness of our approximation. Further, we show that our formulation represents feasible points via a Gray code. We close with computational results on box-constrained quadratic optimization problems, showing that our technique can outperform existing approaches in terms of solve time and dual bounds.
Large-scale dissolution of sintered Mo disks

Non-uranium production of 99Mo via neutron capture or by photonuclear reaction using an electron accelerator is receiving considerable attention. For commercial production of 99Mo, post-irradiation processes must incorporate a robust design for easy scale-up. Once developed, large-scale chemical processes must be optimized for hot-cell operations and potential automation. Here we present experimental results on the large-scale dissolution of sintered Mo disks using three 50% hydrogen peroxides from different suppliers. Dissolution rates obtained for 600-g Mo batches and potential reasons for different dissolution behaviors is discussed.
Periprosthetic Femur Fractures After Total Hip Arthroplasty: Does the Mode of Failure Correlate With Classification?

Abstract Background Periprosthetic femur fracture is one of the most common indications for reoperation after total hip arthroplasty. Our objectives were to evaluate the incidence of reoperation after the surgical treatment of periprosthetic femur fractures and to compare the mechanisms of failure between fractures around a stable femoral component and those with an unstable femoral component. Methods We identified a consecutive series of 196 surgically treated periprosthetic fractures after total hip arthroplasty between 2008 and 2017. Mean age was 72 years (range, 29-96 years), and 108 (55%) were women. The femoral component was unstable in 127 cases (65%) and stable in the remaining 69 cases (35%). Mean follow-up was 2 years. Results The 2-year cumulative probability of any reoperation was 19%. The most common indication for reoperation among the cases with a stable femoral component was nonunion, and the most common indication for reoperation among the cases with an unstable femoral component was infection. Fractures that originated at the distal aspect of the femoral component were associated with a high risk of nonunion (6 of 28 cases, P Conclusion Surgeons should take measures to mitigate the failure modes that are distinct based on fracture type. The high infection rate after surgical management of B2 fracture suggests that additional antiseptic precautions may be warranted. For B1 fractures, particularly those originating near the distal aspect of the femoral component, augmenting fixation with orthogonal plating, spanning the entire femur, or revising the stem in cases of poor proximal bone should be considered.
Understanding User Sensemaking in Machine Learning Fairness Assessment Systems

A variety of systems have been proposed to assist users in detecting machine learning (ML) fairness issues. These systems approach bias reduction from a number of perspectives, including recommender systems, exploratory tools, and dashboards. In this paper, we seek to inform the design of these systems by examining how individuals make sense of fairness issues as they use different de-biasing affordances. In particular, we consider the tension between de-biasing recommendations which are quick but may lack nuance and ”what-if” style exploration which is time consuming but may lead to deeper understanding and transferable insights. Using logs, think-aloud data, and semi-structured interviews we find that exploratory systems promote a rich pattern of hypothesis generation and testing, while recommendations deliver quick answers which satisfy participants at the cost of reduced information exposure. We highlight design requirements and trade-offs in the design of ML fairness systems to promote accurate and explainable assessments.
Health related quality of life in adult cancer survivors: Importance of social and emotional support.

Abstract Background Adult cancer survivors (ACS) are at increased risk for developing various comorbid conditions and having poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) when compared to adults with no history of cancer. The effect of social and emotional support on HRQOL among ACS is not fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to understand the role of social and emotional support on HRQOL in ACS and to examine if the association between social and emotional support and HRQOL is modified by gender, time since cancer diagnosis, or marital status. Methods Data for this study were obtained from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Statistical analysis was based on ACS with complete data (n = 23,939) on all variables considered. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to model the association between social and emotional support and indicators of HRQOL (i.e., general health, physical health, mental health, and activity limitation). To examine if gender, marital status, or the number of years since cancer diagnosis modify the association, separate stratified analyses were conducted. Results When compared to ACS who reported that they Rarely/Never received social and emotional support, those who reported that they Always received were 32 % less likely to report Fair/Poor General health, 23 % less likely to report frequent unhealthy days of Physical health, 73 % less likely to report frequent unhealthy days of Mental health and 38 % less likely to report frequent unhealthy days of Activity limitation. Social and emotional support was positively associated with all four domains of HRQOL among ACS who were female, unmarried, or greater than 5 years since cancer diagnosis, while this positive association was evident only with one or two domains of HRQOL among their corresponding counterparts (i.e., male, married, less than 5 years since diagnosis). Conclusions Social and emotional support is an important factor directly related to a better HRQOL, but it is modified by gender, marital status, and time since diagnosis. Findings from this study should inform health care providers about the importance of a support system for ACS in improving their overall quality of life.
What Can We Learn from Sex Differences in MS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the major acquired central nervous system disease of young adults. It is a female predominant disease. Multiple aspects of MS are influenced by sex-based differences. This has become an important area of research and study. It teaches us how the impact of sex on a disease can lead to new insights, guidelines, management, and treatments.
Healthcare inequities among adults with developmental disability: An integrative review with implications for nursing education.

Abstract Aim This integrative review synthesized research on the healthcare inequities experienced by adults with developmental disability in the United States and discussed implications for nursing education. Background Individuals with developmental disability are living longer with chronic comorbidities and experience healthcare inequities. Method Application of inclusion criteria to database and ancestry searches resulted in 26 articles that were assessed for quality and analyzed thematically. Results Three categories of inequity were identified: knowledge deficits, communication challenges and poor quality of care. Knowledge deficits and communication challenges can lead to frustration, errors and unmet needs. Poor quality of care encompasses the decreased availability and access to services, limited health promotion participation and higher rates of hospitalizations and complications for adults with developmental disability. Conclusion Healthcare inequities may be reduced by targeting patient and provider knowledge. Inclusion of developmental disability content and clinical experiences in nursing education may improve care and reduce inequities for this underserved population.
Evaluating the Performance of Various ACOPF Formulations Using Nonlinear Interior-Point Method

Alternating current optimal power flow (ACOPF) problem is a non-convex and a nonlinear optimization problem. Similar to most nonlinear optimization problems, ACOPF is an NP-hard problem. On the other hand, Utilities and independent service operators (ISO) require the problem to be solved in almost real-time. The real-world networks are often large in size and developing an efficient and tractable algorithm is critical to many decision-making processes in electricity markets. Interior-point methods (IPMs) for nonlinear programming are considered one of the most powerful algorithms for solving large-scale nonlinear optimization problems. However, the performance of these algorithms is significantly impacted by the optimization structure of the problem. Thus, the choice of the formulation is as important as choosing the algorithm for solving an ACOPF problem. Different ACOPF formulations are evaluated in this paper for computational viability and best performance using the interior-point line search (IPLS) algorithm. Different optimization structures are used in these formulations to model the ACOPF problem representing a range of varying sparsity. The numerical experiments suggest that the least sparse ACOPF formulation with polar voltages yields the best computational results. A wide range of test cases, ranging from 500-bus systems to 9591-bus systems, are used to verify the test results.
Economic Implications of Stochastic Control

The stochastic aspects of control theory raise some fundamental issues in modeling and estimating economic systems. Reasons are twofold. Economic data represent observed behavior, unlike the physical and engineering systems which represent regulatory and experimental mechanisms. Thus in servomechanism and feedback systems physical realizations due to control may be directly analyzed. But in economic systems this is almost impossible. Secondly, the objectives of performance are more implicit in economic systems. With several agents these objectives may in many cases differ to a significant degree; hence there is the need to analyze the problems of coordination in order to achieve some measure of consistency among different policies. We would analyze here some of these fundamental issues of control theory as applied to economic models.
Addictive behaviors and benzodiazepines: 1. Abuse liability and physical dependence.

A review of scientific and clinical evidence indicates: (1) benzodiazepines have an abuse liability and can cause physical dependence, (2) abuse liability is of a lower order of magnitude than that associated with common intoxicants such as barbiturates, opioids or stimulants, (3) sustained, exclusive use of benzodiazepines for inducing intoxication occurs but, it is infrequent, (4) benzodiazepines tend to be secondary drugs to a preferred primary intoxicant; in experimental paradigms normals prefer placebo to benzodiazepines, (5) susceptibility to physical dependence varies widely as low doses are sufficient to produce it in some but very high multiples are not sufficient to produce it in many others, (6) factors predisposing to physical dependence are: total lifetime dose, previous exposure to drugs cross-tolerant, such as alcohol or barbiturates, concomitant serve medical/psychiatric problems, and severe persisting stress. Individual susceptibility to abuse and to become dependent on benzodiazepines sh...
Recover, Redistribute, and Reduce: Food Waste in the Stanford Community

Americans currently live within a culture of food abundance. A food system of surplus creates a colossal amount of food waste; the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that Americans generated 33 million tons of food waste in 2010. This paper investigates barriers to food waste reduction at the university level and uses the community in and around Stanford University as a case study. The term, “in and around Stanford University” encompasses operations of the school such as dining halls, campus events, group houses, and on-campus eateries. It also includes individuals who work at Stanford who participate in waste reduction in conjunction with Stanford students. The researcher interviewed eight Stanford affiliates who actively aim to reduce food waste at or near Stanford University on a regular basis. An analysis of the interviews reveals significant cultural, social, and structural obstacles to ongoing food waste reduction efforts in the Stanford community. Most notably, conceptions of “proper” and “improper” behavior associated with food reclamation inhibit opportunities for waste reduction. Based on my research, I conclude with recommendations for how to combat food waste at Stanford University. I suggest creating a campus culture of food waste awareness by engaging course instructors, peer educators, student activities administrators, and food preparation managers in a unified effort toward effective food waste reduction. Other academic institutions across the nation could benefit from these recommendations as well.
Cycles, Cycles Everywhere

A recent symposium celebrated the publication, 25 years ago, of the first reliable paleoclimatic evidence for Milankovitch's theory that regular changes in Earth's orbit around the Sun drive climate cycles on Earth. As [Crowley][1] discusses in his Perspective, Milankovitch cycles are now widely recognized in paleoclimatology and beyond, but the mechanisms of this forcing remain incompletely understood. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/295/5559/1473
Amperometric sensor for selective and stable hydrogen measurement

Amperometric gas sensors in a three-electrode configuration were investigated for hydrogen measurements in atmospheres containing carbon monoxide. The hydrogen-sensing working electrode was based on a platinum black electrode deposited on a porous Teflon® substrate. To achieve selectivity, an FEP membrane was mounted at the gas inlet of the sensor. Hydrogen readily diffused through the FEP membrane and was detected on the Pt working electrode. The cross-sensitivity to gases such as carbon monoxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide was eliminated with nearly 100% efficiency in the short term. In addition, the poisoning effect of the carbon monoxide was virtually eliminated. Sensor stability to high levels of hydrogen was improved by the development of a hydrogen-insensitive reference electrode.