cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Partial Characterization of a Temperature-Sensitive Mutation Affecting Acetyl Coenzyme A Carboxylase in Escherichia coli K-12

A temperature-sensitive mutation in Escherichia coli K-12 was shown to affect acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase and to map at min 63. This site is designated fabE.
Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Basic concepts and future molecular diagnostics

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathies (FHC) are the most common genetic heart diseases in the United States, affecting nearly 1 in 500 people. Manifesting as increased cardiac wall thickness, this autosomal dominant disease goes mainly unnoticed as most affected individuals are asymptomatic. Up to 1-2% of children and adolescents and 0.5-1% adults with FHC die of sudden cardiac death, making it critical to quickly and accurately diagnose FHC to institute therapy and potentially reduce mortality. However, due to the heterogeneity of the genetic defects in mainly sarcomere proteins, this is a daunting task even with current diagnostic methods. Exciting new methods utilizing high-throughput microarray technology to identify FHC mutations by a method known as array-based resequencing has recently been described. Additionally, next generation sequencing methodologies may aid in improving FHC diagnosis. In this review, we discuss FHC pathophysiology, the rationale for testing, and discuss the limitations and advantages of current and future diagnostics.
Beyond the Silo Approach: Using Group Support Systems in Organizational Behavior Classes to Facilitate Student Understanding of Individual and Group Behavior in Electronic Meetings

In this article we show how management faculty have successfully incorporated teaching and research to better acquaint their students in organizational behavior classes with how groupware actually works in organizations and how to think through the ramifications of the groupware process in organizational decision making. The exercise is conducted with multiple classes, varying facilitator and agenda style across classes. A postexercise debriefing with the students examines the differing results and behavioral concerns critical in group support systems (GSS) decision-making design. This exercise provides instructors with a means of enhancing student learning in management and organizational behavior courses through classroom integration of electronic decision-making software and through analysis of the results of this integration.
Sleep Disorders in Women: A Guide to Practical Management

cent insomnia, nonhormonal treatments of insomnia, parasomnias from a woman’s perspective, and restless legs in pregnancy and later in menopause. These chapters provided efficient, comprehensive, and practical reviews of management in these areas that were absolutely current with the most recent literature. Other chapters are devoted to sorting out the complex and still not fully understood relationships between OSA, polycystic ovarian disease, pregnancy, and menopause. It was apparent that particular care was taken in each of these chapters not to overstate what is known about these relationships, while clearly identifying areas for future research. I believe this reasonably-priced, easy to read, and well-indexed book is a worthwhile addition to every sleep specialist’s library. In addition, sleep researchers who are interested in designing gender-specific research projects will find that it provides an excellent overview of what we know so far and where we need to go in order to understand the influence of sex, aging, and hormones upon sleep and sleep disorders in women.
Intra-industry trade: A Heckscher-Ohlin-Ricardo approach

The large volume of intra-industry trade is often cited as a critical element favoring trade theories based on increasing returns and imperfect competition over those with constant returns and perfect competition. The former provide an elegant account of intra-industry trade, while the latter, it is often argued, cannot. This paper provides an account of intra-industry trade based squarely on comparative advantage. The key is to introduce elements of Ricardian trade theory within the Heckscher-Ohlin framework. This is appropriate, as essential characteristics of intra-industry trade imply that technical differences matter. Increasing returns, in short, are not necessary for intra-industry trade.
The Role of Cross-Scale Institutional Linkages in Common Pool Resource Management: Assessing Interstate River Compacts

This article extends the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework's seminal research on common pool resource (CPR) management in new directions by exploring how the design principles of robust and enduring CPR management, initially proposed by Elinor Ostrom in 1990, can be used to measure and assess cross-scale institutional linkages. This study examines data from 14 interstate river basin compacts in the western United States to identify the types of linkages established in these interstate settings, the factors that contribute to the emergence of diverse types of linkages around these shared resources, and how different types of linkages perform. Using Ostrom's CPR design principles to operationalize and measure linkages, the study shows that diverse types of cross-scale linkages were created under the 14 interstate compacts, with linkages related to monitoring found to be particularly prevalent. The types and diversity of linkages can largely be explained by the conditions under which compacts emerged and the water management issues states jointly face. In applying the evaluative criteria operationalized by the CPR design principles, this research further shows that the monitoring and collective choice linkages created by compacts tend to be of higher quality, while enforcement and conflict resolution linkages appeared to be of the lowest quality. In addition to developing the IAD literature on CPR management, these findings offer critical insights for assessing the capacity of interstate river basin compacts in the western United States to manage shared resources successfully, as well as insights for what types of institutional investments may be needed for enhanced resource governance.
Joint estimation of carrier offset and code timing for DS-CDMA with performance analysis

This paper considers the problem of joint carrier offset and code timing estimation for code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems. In contrast to existing schemes that require nonlinear iterative searches over the multidimensional parameter space, this paper proposes a blind estimator that provides an algebraic solution to the joint parameter estimation problem. By exploiting the subspace structure of the observed signal, the multiuser estimation is first decoupled into a series of single-user estimation problems, and then analytical tools of polynomial matrices are invoked for joint carrier and code timing estimation of a single user. The proposed estimator is near-far resistant. It can deal with frequency-selective and time-varying channels. The performance of the proposed scheme is examined analytically by a first-order perturbation analysis. The authors also derive an unconditional Crame/spl acute/r-Rao bound (CRB) that is conditioned neither on fading coefficients nor information symbols; as such, the CRB is considered a suitable lower bound for blind methods. Numerical examples are presented to evaluate and compare the proposed and a multidimensional search (MD-search)-based scheme.
Planning representations and algorithms for prehensile multi-arm manipulation

This paper describes the topology of general multi-arm prehensile manipulation. Reasonable assumptions are applied to reduce the number of manipulation modes, which results in an explicit graphical representation for multi-arm manipulation that is computationally manageable to store and search for solution paths. In this context, it is also possible to take advantage of preprocessing steps to significantly speed up online query resolution. The approach is evaluated in simulation for multiple arms showing it is possible to quickly compute multi-arm manipulation paths of high-quality on the fly.
The MAM2014 sample set

Modeling the material appearance of physical materials requires access to the materials. Sets of identical physical material models were prepared for distribution at the workshop on material appearance modeling 2014 (MAM2014). The sample set is intended to facilitate the comparison of measurements and models from different laboratories and psychophysical experiments comparing simulated and physical appearance.
Infection risk in neurointervention and cerebral angiography.

Background The risk of infection with cerebral angiography and neurointerventional procedures has not been defined. Likewise, although the use of routine prophylactic antibiotics has been advocated by some neurointerventionalists, the utility of prophylactic antibiotics in this setting has not been determined. Objective To determine the rate of infection associated with neuroangiographic procedures in a clinical setting in which prophylactic antibiotics are not routinely given. Methods All cerebral angiograms and neurointerventional procedures done by a single neurointerventionalist over a recent 7-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with infections directly attributable to the procedure were identified. A sample size calculation was done to determine the necessary size of a randomized, controlled trial aimed at determining whether prophylactic antibiotics can lower the rate of infection. Results Among a total of 2918 cerebral angiograms and neurointerventional procedures done without prophylactic antibiotics, there were 3 infections (0.1%) attributable to the procedure. All infections were localized femoral artery infections with no systemic complications. One infection occurred in a patient who was immunosuppressed because of treatment for cancer. Two of the patients required surgical debridement; all were treated with intravenous antibiotics with resolution of all infections. There were no central nervous system infections and no deaths associated with the infections. Conclusion These data suggest that the overall risk of infection associated with most neuroangiographic procedures is very low. Prophylactic antibiotic use may be a reasonable option for selected patients but is probably unnecessary for standard use in the context of meticulous care during procedures.
Overwintering Studies on Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae) in Kern County, California: Temporal Changes in Abundance and Reproductive Status with Comparative Observations on C. quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Population ecology of Culex tarsalis Coquillett was studied at Hart Park, Kern County, Calif., during the winters of 1982-83 and 1983-84. Female relative abundance declined during autumn to a minimum in December and January. Most females collected during winter were empty, inseminated, and nulliparous, indicating a cessation of gonotrophic activity. However, observations on ovarian morphometry indicated that the hibernating states achieved included reproductive diapause, quiescence, and perhaps oligopause. Females remained vagile and readily repopulated resting sites after removal sampling. Relative abundance increased in late February and March in association with the renewal of gonotrophic activity, but before the emergence of the progeny of overwintering females. Overwintering arboviruses were not isolated from 1,176 C. tarsalis females collected from November 1983 to March 1984. Observations on ovarian dynamics of concurrently collected C. quinquefasciatus indicated that the hibernating states achieved were comparable with those observed for C. tarsalis. Relative abundance declined throughout winter and did not recover coincidentally with the renewal of gonotrophic activity in March.
Correlation Study of CARD15 Gene StyIPolymorphism and Susceptibility of Tuberculosis in Dairy Cows

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between CARD15 gene StyⅠpolymorphism and susceptibility to tuberculosis(TB)of dairy cows from Yunnan plateau.A total of 201 dairy cows(103cases and 98controls)from Kunming,Yuxi and Dali were used in this study.We designed a specific primer pair for PCR-RFLP analysis.By using PCR-RFLP genotyping and PCR sequencing,We analysized allele frequency and correlation between polymorphism of CARD15 gene and susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis in Yunnan province.The results showed that there were three genotypes in Sty Ⅰ enzyme site,AA,AG and GG.In cases,the genotypefrequencies of AA,AG and GG were 0.03,0.42 and 0.55,respectively,while in controls were0.01,0.05 and 0.94,and the allele frequencies of A and G were 0.24 and 0.76 in cases,while were 0.04 and 0.96 in controls.Then analysizing the genetic pattern of polymorphic loci,we found that the best genetic model was dominant and the frequency of AG-AA in cases(44.7%)was apparently higher than that in controls(6.1%)(OR(95% CI)=0.08(OR1)),so extremely significant difference existed between cases and controls(P0.0001).The polymorphism of StyⅠ enzyme cut site in CARD15 gene was significantly associated with the susceptibility to tuberculosis of Yunnan plateau dairy cows,and AG-AA might be the susceptible genotype to tuberculosis.
Effects of exogenous porcine growth hormone (pGH) on growth, carcass traits, reproductive characteristics, and meat sensory attributes of young boars.

Two studies were conducted to examine the possible reduction in odors in fat and loin samples from boars treated with porcine growth hormone (pGH). In Exp. 1, boars were treated with either 0 (control: C), 3.5, or 7 mg of pGH daily from 72 to 119 kg BW. Treatment with pGH improved feed efficiency (P less than .05) but did not affect ADG, concentrations of testosterone in plasma, or aroma of cooked meat (all P greater than .05). Boars treated with pGH had less average backfat depth and marbling (both P less than .05) than C boars. Tenderness of the meat was reduced (P less than .05) by pGH treatment compared with control boars and contemporary barrows. Fat odors of pGH-treated boars were intermediate to those of barrows and control boars. In Exp. 2, boars were treated with vehicle (C) beginning at 62 kg BW or with 5 mg of pGH from either 65 kg (L) or 77 kg (H) BW to 118 kg BW. Average daily gain was higher in Group H than in Group C; Group L was intermediate. Average fat depth was lower (P = .0005) in Groups H and L than in Group C. Treatment had no effect on loin eye area, muscle marbling, texture, firmness, or pH, but color scores of Groups L and H tended to be different from each other (P = .06), and Group H muscle had more free water than that of Groups C and L (P less than .05). Weights of reproductive organs were unaffected by treatment (both experiments: P greater than .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Development and psychometric validation of a child Racial Attitudes Index (RAI)

The Racial Attitudes Index (RAI) measures a child’s racial attitudes. Designed for children aged 5–9 years, the RAI is delivered over the Internet using Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI). Unlike traditional binary forced-choice instruments, the RAI uses an expanded response format permitting a more nuanced understanding of patterns of children’s racial attitudes. In addition to establishing psychometric evidence of the RAI technical adequacy, hypotheses about RAI item response patterns were tested. The racial attitudes of 336 Black and White children in grades K–3 were assessed using a forced-choice instrument (Preschool Racial Attitudes Measure II) and the RAI. Findings from this study indicate measures obtained with the RAI are technically adequate, and the measure functions invariantly across racial groups. Also, patterns of children’s racial attitudes measured with the RAI are more nuanced than those obtained using the forced-choice response format.
Predictors of restraint use among child occupants.

ABSTRACTObjectives: The objective of this study was to identify factors that predict restraint use and optimal restraint use among children aged 0 to 13 years.Methods: The data set is a national sample of police-reported crashes for years 2010–2014 in which type of child restraint is recorded. The data set was supplemented with demographic census data linked by driver ZIP code, as well as a score for the state child restraint law during the year of the crash relative to best practice recommendations for protecting child occupants. Analysis used linear regression techniques.Results: The main predictor of unrestrained child occupants was the presence of an unrestrained driver. Among restrained children, children had 1.66 (95% confidence interval, 1.27, 2.17) times higher odds of using the recommended type of restraint system if the state law at the time of the crash included requirements based on best practice recommendations.Conclusions: Children are more likely to ride in the recommended type of child res...
Update on focal cortical dysplasia and the imaging of epilepsy.

Epilepsy affects up to 1 in 1,000 children annually. While it is increasingly recognized that forms of epilepsy may have genetic origins, congenital and acquired structural abnormalities of the brain parenchyma are common causes of seizures. Among the most difficult etiologies to diagnose are focal cortical dysplasias, which will be discussed along with their unique imaging features. While magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the mainstay of epilepsy imaging, magnetoencephalography (MEG) and positon emission tomography (PET) have become increasingly recognized as adding value to the presurgical evaluation of medically refractory epilepsy. More recently, PET/MR hybrid scanning is gaining popularity.
Numerous interactions act redundantly to assemble a tunable size of P bodies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Eukaryotic cells contain multiple RNA-protein assemblies referred to as RNP granules, which are thought to form through multiple protein-protein interactions analogous to a liquid-liquid phase separation. One class of RNP granules consists of P bodies, which consist of nontranslating mRNAs and the general translation repression and mRNA degradation machinery. P bodies have been suggested to form predominantly through interactions of Edc3 and a prion-like domain on Lsm4. In this work, we provide evidence that P-body assembly can be driven by multiple different protein-protein and/or protein-RNA interactions, including interactions involving Dhh1, Psp2, and Pby1. Moreover, the relative importance of specific interactions can vary with different growth conditions. Based on these observations, we develop a summative model wherein the P-body assembly phenotype of a given mutant can be predicted from the number of currently known protein-protein interactions between P-body components.
Model predictive control coupled with economic and environmental constraints for optimum algal production.

Abstract Algae production process is a key cost center in production of biofuels/bioproducts from microalgae. Decline in the growth of algae in outdoor ponds during non-optimal conditions is one of the hurdles for achieving consistently high algal production rates. An optimal controller can be used to overcome this limitation and provide reliable growth in outdoor conditions. A model predictive controller (MPC) was developed to optimize the algal growth, predicted by flux balance analysis, under natural disturbances, embedding within the cost function, the economic and environmental constraints associated with the process. The model, developed in MATLAB, was validated on a 30-L continuous algal culture under light, temperature and a combination of light and temperature disturbances. The MPC proved effective in minimization of a decrease in growth under these natural disturbances. The growth rates with MPC were observed to be 79–116% higher as compared to the non-MPC growth.
A Wide Dynamic Range Polarization Sensing Long Wave Infrared Detector

We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of an infrared (IR) polarization sensing detector with a wide dynamic range and sub-wavelength dimensions. The detector consists of two orthogonal slot antennas, each loaded with two microbolometers at its edges. The polarization of the incoming IR radiation is detected by comparing the received power levels in the bolometer pairs corresponding to each slot antenna. The IR radiation is sensed by applying a dc bias voltage to each antenna and measuring the changes in the dc current caused by the change of the bolometer resistance as they absorb the incoming IR radiation. In this design, the ratio of the absorbed power in the bolometers is a one to one function of the polarization of the incident wave. A prototype of this detector, designed to have maximum sensitivity at λ = 10.6 μm, was designed, fabricated, and characterized. The fabricated detector has an area of 0.7λ × 0.7λ, where λ is the free-space wavelength. The polarization sensing response is characterized under different angles of incidence. The measurement results show that the device has a dynamic range of 24 dB between two orthogonal orientations of EM wave polarization for incidence angles in the range of ±20° from boresight.
Kinetic Modeling of Cellulose Fractional Pyrolysis

The kinetics of cellulose fractional pyrolysis was studied for the first time in the temperature range of 200–900 °C, with 25 °C increment under nitrogen atmosphere. A detailed analysis of the major and minor pyrolysis products was performed using a System for Thermal Diagnostic Studies (STDS) and FTIR techniques. A semiglobal kinetic model was proposed, with products grouped into kinetic lumps, based on their formation profile similarity. Kinetic parameters (pre-exponential factor A and activation energy Ea) for formation of major products grouped into heavy volatiles 1 lump (levoglucosan and anhydrosugars) and light volatiles 2 lump (furans and carbonyls) were obtained based on the performed experimental studies. The final model accurately predicts not only the weight loss, the temperature-distribution of major lumped products, and the total yields of tar and gases from the fractional pyrolysis of cellulose but also shows a good performance toward literature data for experimental studies of others.
Internships as Academic Exercise: An Assessment of MPA Curriculum Models

In most of the Master of Public Administration/Affairs (MPA) programs in the United States, an internship or work experience is a key component of the curriculum. A 2014 inventory of MPA curricula ...
Hypertension and Neurocardiogenic Syncope

Blood pressure is regulated by neural and endocrine systems to maintain sufficient perfusion of tissues during rest and activity. Sustained elevated blood pressure increases risk for heart disease and stroke. In contrast, periods of low perfusion or hypotension are associated with dizziness and syncope, which are risk factors for sudden death. Many psychosocial factors affect blood pressure and its regulation. In this chapter, the Pathways Model is applied to cases of essential hypertension and neurocardiogenic syncope to illustrate the multilevel treatment approach to these psychophysiological disorders.
Denoising Autoencoders for Laser-Based Scan Registration

In this letter, we build on recent advances in deep learning to improve SE(3) transformations, enabling more accurate motion estimation in mobile robots. We propose using denoising autoencoders (DAEs) to address the challenges presented by modern LIDARs. Our proposed approach is comprised of two stages: a novel pre-processing stage for robust feature identification and a scan matching stage for motion estimation. In the pre-processing stage, LIDAR data are projected into a two-dimensional (2-D) image format and a DAE is used to extract salient features. These features are used as a mask for the original data, which is then re-projected into full 3-D space. Scan matching is performed on the re-projected data to estimate motion in SE(3). We analyze the performance of our approach using the real-world data from the University of Michigan North Campus long-term vision and LIDAR dataset and test generalization on LIDAR data from the KITTI dataset. We show that our approach generalizes across domains, is capable of reducing the per-estimate error of standard iterative closest point (ICP) methods on average by 25.5% for the translational component and 57.53% for the rotational component, and is capable of reducing the computation time of state-of-the-art ICP methods by a factor of 7.94 on average while achieving competitive performance.
Essential edge connectivity of line graphs

Abstract Let G be a graph and L ( G ) be its line graph. In 1969, Chartrand and Stewart proved that κ ′ ( L ( G ) ) ≥ 2 κ ′ ( G ) − 2 , where κ ′ ( G ) and κ ′ ( L ( G ) ) denote the edge connectivity of G and L ( G ) respectively. We show a similar relationship holds for the essential edge connectivity of G and L ( G ) , written κ e ′ ( G ) and κ e ′ ( L ( G ) ) , respectively. In this note, it is proved that if L ( G ) is not a complete graph and G does not have a vertex of degree two, then κ e ′ ( L ( G ) ) ≥ 2 κ e ′ ( G ) − 2 . An immediate corollary is that κ ( L 2 ( G ) ) ≥ 2 κ ( L ( G ) ) − 2 for such graphs G , where the vertex connectivity of the line graph L ( G ) and the second iterated line graph L 2 ( G ) are written as κ ( L ( G ) ) and κ ( L 2 ( G ) ) respectively.
Modifying Maglif Stagnation Conditions and Morphology by Changing Liner Initial Conditions

Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) has provided many promising results including initial DD neutron yields of >1012 [1] and high magnetization in the stagnated column (BR>105 G cm) [2]. An interesting result from initial experiments was the presence of a quasi-helical structure to the stagnation column, which is postulated to be the result of feedthrough from a helical structure observed on the outside of pre-magnetized liners [3]. We present the first data exploring the connection of the stagnation morphology to these early-time structures by varying the initial liner conditions in two ways. We studied feedthrough of the instabilities by varying the liner aspect ratio (radius/thickness) and demonstrated that lower aspect ratio liners (i.e. thicker liners) exhibited less feedthrough of the instabilities, and that the opposite was true for higher aspect ratio liners. We then explored the role of the seed for these instabilities by adding a coating to the outer surface of these high aspect ratio liners, a technique which has previously been shown to minimize Electro-Thermal Instabilities which seed other instabilities. Data showed that, using these coatings, we could produce a cylindrical stagnation column with promising neutron yields. We will discuss the differences in stagnation in the different cases, including inferred differences in the liner density, the stagnation morphology, magnetization and the plasma conditions.
Digital Humans and Electromagnetic Motion Capture

Abstract : This paper discusses the cooperative research and development work between Delphi Automotive Systems (formerly known as Delphi Interior & Lighting Systems) and the U.S. Army TACOM/TARDEC. Discussion will focus on past work and the evolution of the approaches currently being used by TARDEC and Delphi for digital human animation, real-time human interaction (man in the loop), and motion data library development, as it relates to TACOM/Delphi's electromagnetic motion capture systems and the Engineering Animation Incorporated (EAI)-Jack ergonomic analysis/animation software.
Severe Preoperative Symptoms Delay Readiness to Return to Intended Oncologic Therapy (RIOT) After Liver Resection

Symptom burden, as measured by patient-reported outcome (PRO) metrics, may have prognostic value in various cancer populations, but remains underreported. The aim of this project was to determine the predictive impact of preoperative patient-reported symptom burden on readiness to return to intended oncologic therapy (RIOT) after oncologic liver resection. Preoperative factors, including anthropometric analysis of sarcopenia, were collected for patients undergoing oncologic liver resection from 2015 to 2018. All patients reported their preoperative symptom burden using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory, Gastrointestinal version (MDASI-GI). Time to RIOT readiness was compared using standard statistics. Preoperative symptom burden was measured in 107 consecutive patients; 52% had at least one moderate symptom score and 21% reported at least one severe score. Highest rated symptoms were fatigue, disturbed sleep, and distress. For patients reporting a severe preoperative symptom burden, the median time to RIOT readiness was 35 days (interquartile range [IQR] 28–42), compared with 21 days (IQR 21–28) for those without severe symptoms (p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, severe preoperative symptom burden was independently associated with longer time to RIOT readiness (estimate +7.5 days, 95% confidence interval 2.6–12.3; p = 0.002). Preoperative symptom burden has a substantial impact on time to RIOT readiness, leading to, on average, a 7-day delay in RIOT readiness compared with patients without severe preoperative symptoms. Identifying and targeting severe preoperative symptoms may hasten recovery and improve time to necessary adjuvant therapies.
Domain-Adversarial Transfer Learning for Robust Intrusion Detection in the Smart Grid

The smart grid faces growing cyber-physical attack threats aimed at the critical systems and processes communicating over the complex cyber-infrastructure. Thanks to the increasing availability of high-quality data and the success of deep learning algorithms, machine learning (ML)-based detection and classification have been increasingly effective and adopted against sophisticated attacks. However, many of these techniques rely on the assumptions that the training and testing datasets share the same distribution and the same class labels in a stationary environment. As such assumptions may fail to hold when the system dynamics shift and new threat variants emerge in a non-stationary environment, the capability of trained ML models to adapt in complex operating scenarios will be critical to their deployment in real-world smart grid communications. To this aim, this paper proposes a domain-adversarial transfer learning framework for robust intrusion detection against smart grid attacks. The framework introduces domain-adversarial training to create a mapping between the labeled source domain and the unlabeled target domain so that the classifiers can learn in a new feature space against unknown threats. The proposed framework with different baseline classifiers was evaluated using a smart grid cyber-attack dataset collected over a realistic hardware-in-the- loop security testbed. The results have demonstrated effective performance improvements of trained classifiers against unseen threats of different types and locations.
Aerobic biodegradation in freshwater and marine environments of textile microfibers generated in clothes laundering: Effects of cellulose and polyester-based microfibers on the microbiome

Abstract The aerobic biodegradation of common textiles that shed microfibers during laundering was evaluated under the action of microbes found in the environment, such as lake and seawater, and activated sludge at a low concentration from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Under these conditions, the biodegradation potential was the same in all the experiments: Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) > Cotton > Rayon > Polyester/Cotton ≫ Polyester. Nevertheless, for cotton and rayon yarns, >70% biodegradation was achieved with activated sludge at low concentration and lake water, whereas in seawater, about 50% degradation was reached. Polyester did not appreciably degrade. The biodegradation results herein indicate potential not absolutes in nature. The bacterial diversity analyses in the different biodegradation inoculums show that there are distinct bacterial communities related to the assimilation and mineralization of complex carbohydrates that were promoted with the cellulosic MCC, cotton, and rayon samples different than the polyester sample.
Impact of Prophylactic Donor Heart Tricuspid Valve Annuloplasty in Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Heart Transplantation

Purpose Significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is reported in over 30% of patients following heart transplantation and can adversely affect outcomes. To decrease the incidence of TR, prophylactic donor heart tricuspid valve annuloplasty (TVA) has been routinely performed in heart transplantation in our institution. The purpose of this study is to assess long-term clinical outcomes of prophylactic TVA in heart transplantation. Methods Between January 2010 and August 2019, 308 patients underwent heart transplantation, and 297 patients who underwent concomitant prophylactic TVA were included in this study. TVA was performed using the De Vega annuloplasty technique. TR grade was evaluated with echocardiography. We reviewed long-term clinical outcomes including pacemaker implantation for conduction disease, the incidence of significant TR (defined as ≥ moderate TR) and survival. Long-term survival was compared in patients who did and did not develop significant TR using the Kaplan-Meier method. We also investigated if significant TR was associated with long-term survival by Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results The mean age was 53.6 ± 13.0 years old and 232 patients (77.9%) were male. Mean follow-up period was 37.9 ± 29.3 months. Five patients required pacemaker implantation in 1 month after the transplantation: 4 patients for sick node dysfunction and 1 patient for atrio-ventricular block. Twenty four patients (8.1%, 24/297) newly developed significant TR during the follow up period. The rate of freedom from significant TR was 90.4% at 1 year, 87.9% at 3 years and 84.6% at 5years. The survival rate of all patients was 92.7% at 1 year, 85.3% at 3 years and 80.0% at 5 years. The survival rate of patients who developed significant TR was significantly lower than those who did not develop significant TR (5-year survival 50.0% with TR, 83.3% without TR; log rank=0.025). Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that postoperative significant TR was associated with long-term mortality (hazard ratio 4.42, 95% CI 1.16 - 15.6, p=0.03). Conclusion Compared to published reports, prophylactic donor heart TVA reduces the incidence of TR. Development of postoperative significant TR negatively impacted the long-term survival compared to those who did not develop significant TR and was an independent predictor of long-term mortality.
The Influence of Metabolic Syndrome in Predicting Mortality Risk Among US Adults: Importance of Metabolic Syndrome Even in Adults With Normal Weight.

INTRODUCTION Although metabolic syndrome (MetS) is less prevalent among normal-weight adults than among overweight and obese adults, it does occur. The objective of our study was to examine how mortality risks differed in weight categories stratified by presence/absence of MetS. METHODS We linked data for US adults responding to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 through 2010 to data released from the National Death Index up to 2011. We grouped data according to categories of body mass index (normal [18.5 to <25.0 kg/m2], overweight [25.0 to <30.0 kg/m2], and obese [≥30.0 kg/m2]) and presence/absence of MetS. After conducting unadjusted analyses, we used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate mortality risk as multivariable hazard ratios among obesity-MetS categories while controlling for selected covariates. RESULTS The analysis included 12,047 adults. The prevalence of MetS was 61.6% in the obese group, 33.2% in the overweight group, and 8.6% in the normal-weight group. The multivariate adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for mortality among the obesity-MetS groups, compared with the normal-weight-no-MetS group, were as follows: normal-weight-MetS (1.70 [1.16-2.51]), overweight-no-MetS (0.99 [0.77-1.28]), overweight-MetS (1.10 [0.85-1.42]), obese-no-MetS (1.08 [0.76-1.54]), and obese-MetS (1.30 [1.07-1.60]); differences were significant only for the normal-weight-MetS group and obese-MetS group. CONCLUSION MetS is a risk factor for mortality among normal-weight and obese adults. In our study, normal-weight adults with MetS had the highest mortality among the 6 groups studied, suggesting that interventions should also focus on MetS patients with normal weight.
Observation on measles antibody level and immunization effect in healthy adults in Qingpu District, Shanghai

Objective To understand measles antibody level and immunization effect in healthy adults in Qingpu District to provide background information for vaccination in adults. Methods Intravenous blood samples from 294 healthy adults in 3 age groups were taken, Meanwhile,123 adults were stratified sampled and vaccinated with measles vaccine.Intravenous blood samples were collected one month later.The blood samples were tested for measles IgG antibody by ELISA. Results Both seropositive rate and level of measles antibody in healthy adults in Qingpu District were high.The measles antibody titer significantly increased after measles vaccination in healthy adults,especially those with low antibody level. Conclusion Vaccination of measles vaccine in healthy adults with low antibody level is of great significance. Key words: Measles; Antibody; Immunization effect
Recent progress in clinical research of exenatide

Incretins ale gut hormones,which stimulate insulin secretion after meal.One of the incretin hormones,glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1),contributes to glucose homeostasis by stimulation of insulin secretion,suppression of glucagon secretion(both in a glucose dependent manner),slowing of gastric emptying,and induction of satiety.It could also improve beta cell function in type 2 diabetes.However,due to its short biological half-life,GLP-1 itself is not practical for type 2 diabetes therapy.Exenatide is a peptide found in the lizard Heloderma suspectum and has a high similarity to GLP-1.It has a much longer biological half life than GLP-1 and is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that Can be used for therapeutic purposes by twice daily injection.Clinical studies with exenatide have shown a significant reduction in HbA_(1C),fasting and postprandial glucose,and body weight in type 2 diabetic patients.Animal studies revealed an improvement of beta cell funotion and an increase in beta cell mass after exenatide treatment.Due to its special therapeutic efficacy,GLP-1 receptor agonist,such as exenatide,is now included in the recently published guidelines for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Key words: Incretin; Glucagon-like peptide-1; Exenatide
BTBD9 and dopaminergic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of restless legs syndrome

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by an urge to move legs, usually accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. RLS symptoms generally happen at night and can be relieved by movements. Genetic studies have linked polymorphisms in BTBD9 to a higher risk of RLS. Knockout of BTBD9 homolog in mice (Btbd9) and fly results in RLS-like phenotypes. A dysfunctional dopaminergic system is associated with RLS. However, the function of BTBD9 in the dopaminergic system and RLS is not clear. Here, we made use of the simple Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system. Loss of hpo-9, the worm homolog of BTBD9, resulted in hyperactive egg-laying behavior. Analysis of genetic interactions between hpo-9 and genes for dopamine receptors (dop-1, dop-3) indicated that hpo-9 and dop-1 worked similarly. Reporter assays of dop-1 and dop-3 revealed that hpo-9 knockout led to a significant increase of DOP-3 expression. This appears to be evolutionarily conserved in mice with an increased D2 receptor (D2R) mRNA in the striatum of the Btbd9 knockout mice. Furthermore, the striatal D2R protein was significantly decreased and Dynamin I was increased. Overall, activities of DA neurons in the substantia nigra were not altered, but the peripheral D1R pathway was potentiated in the Btbd9 knockout mice. Finally, we generated and characterized the dopamine neuron-specific Btbd9 knockout mice and detected an active-phase sleepiness, suggesting that dopamine neuron-specific loss of Btbd9 is sufficient to disturb the sleep. Our results suggest that increased activities in the D1R pathway, decreased activities in the D2R pathway, or both may contribute to RLS.
Cannabidiol or CBD Oil: Help, Hope, and Hype for Psychiatric and Neurologic Conditions:

OBJECTIVE: This article presents proven, promising, and potential therapeutic uses for cannabidiol (CBD) in the treatment of psychiatric and neurologic conditions and diseases. It presents popular, but scientifically unproven health and therapeutic claims of CBD supporting the beneficial homeostatic effects of the intrinsic or endogenous cannabinoid system. It includes a review of cannabinoid pharmacology; it compares properties and the legal status of CBD and THC (delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol) as well as the hemp and marijuana varieties of Cannabis, and it reviews the historic 2018 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Epidiolex, an oral solution of cannabidiol for two rare treatment-resistant childhood epilepsies, as the first Cannabis-derived drug. METHOD: We reviewed literature on cannabidiol, CBD, the endocannabinoid neuropharmacology system, and hemp and marijuana varieties of Cannabis sativa. RESULTS: The proven and promising medical uses and deficiencies of unproven health claims for CBD, legal implications for Cannabis-derived drugs, and comparisons of CBD and THC and hemp and marijuana are summarized objectively with pertinent references. CONCLUSION: CBD and CBD and THC combinations have potential to provide safe, effective therapy for several psychiatric and neurologic conditions and diseases. However, such achievement will require a uniform standard of CBD purity and strength, and corroboration from adequately large and rigorously controlled clinical research studies.
Social functioning in schizotypy: How affect influences social behavior in daily life.

Objective Social deficits are already exhibited by people at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Technological advances have made passive detection of social deficits possible at granular levels. Method In this real-world study, we tested if schizotypy status (high/low) predicted two types of social behavior: (1) being around other people; and (2) actively socializing with others. We also examined if schizotypy influences relationships between social behavior and affect using subjective and objective instruments. Results Our findings revealed that socializing with others was significantly decreased in the high schizotypy group. Positive affect increased in social situations and predicted later social behavior in those low, but not high, in schizotypy. Conclusion Decreased social behavior in schizotypy may be explained, in part, by these individuals being less incentivized than their peers to pursue social situations. Future studies should test this explanation in larger samples exhibiting elevated positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy traits.
Diosgenin as a Novel Alternative Therapy for Inhibition of Growth, Invasion, and Angiogenesis Abilities of Different Glioblastoma Cell Lines

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seeds and roots of wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) possess nutritional and medicinal properties and have been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat different diseases and inflammatory responses. Diosgenin is a natural steroidal sapogenin extracted from fenugreek and wild yam and it is one of the major bioactive compounds used in the treatment of diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and inflammation. Recent studies have shown a promising effect of diosgenin as an anti-tumor agent for inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis in many cancers such as colon cancer, leukemia, breast cancer, and liver cancer. We examined the effects of different concentrations (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 µM) of diosgenin on proliferation of rat C6 and human T98G glioblastoma cell lines. We noticed that diosgenin had a high inhibitory effect on the growth of both C6 and T98G cell lines. Diosgenin induced the differentiation of glioblastoma cells, as determined by the increase in the expression of the differentiation marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP); and decreased the dedifferentiation of the cells, as shown by the decrease in the abundance of the dedifferentiation marker proteins Id2, N-Myc, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), and Notch-1. It also induced apoptosis in C6 and T98G cell lines and the molecular mechanisms involved in the induction of apoptosis included increase in pro-apoptotic Bax protein and decrease in anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein. Further, the diosgenin-induced suppression of cell migration was correlated with the decrease in expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and MMP9; and the inhibition of angiogenesis, as determined by the tube formation assay, was correlated with a decrease in the protein levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2). In conclusion, diosgenin showed anti-tumor effects in glioblastoma cells by induction of differentiation and apoptosis and inhibition of migration, invasion, and angiogenesis.
Prepared in pots, served in plastics: Rural Ethiopian women’s responses to the global economy:

This paper discusses the decline of traditional pottery making in rural southwestern Ethiopia and its causes and looks at the potters’ responses to socio-economic and cultural shocks that have been...
Recovery using "float" from high intensity stress on growth hormone-like molecules in resistance trained men.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a novel “floatation-restricted environmental stimulation therapy” (floatation-REST) on growth hormone responses to an intense resistance exercise stress. Design Nine resistance trained men (age: 23.4 ± 2.5 yrs.; height: 175.3 ± 5.4 cm; body mass: 85.3 ± 7.9 kg) completed a balanced, crossover-controlled study design with two identical exercise trials, differing only in post-exercise recovery intervention (i.e., control or floatation-REST). A two-week washout period was used between experimental conditions. Plasma lactate was measured pre-exercise, immediately post-exercise and after the 1 h. recovery interventions. Plasma iGH was measured pre-exercise, immediately-post exercise, and after the recovery intervention, as well as 24 h and 48 h after the exercise test. The bGH-L was measured only at pre-exercise and following each recovery intervention. Results For both experimental conditions, a significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in lactate concentrations were observed immediately post-exercise (~14 mmol • L-1) and remained slightly elevated after the recovery condition. The same pattern of responses was observed for iGH with no differences from resting values at 24 and 48 h of recovery. The bGH-L showed no exercise-induced changes following recovery with either treatment condition, however concentration values were dramatically lower than ever reported. Conclusion The use of floatation-REST therapy immediately following intense resistance exercise does not appear to influence anterior pituitary function in highly resistance trained men. However, the lower values of bGH suggest dramatically different molecular processing mechanisms at work in this highly trained population.
PARALLAXES AND DISTANCE ESTIMATES FOR 14 CATACLYSMIC VARIABLE STARS

I used the 2.4 m Hiltner Telescope at MDM Observatory in an attempt to measure trigonometric parallaxes for 14 cataclysmic variable stars. Techniques are described in detail. In the best cases the parallax uncertainties are below 1 mas, and significant parallaxes are found for most of the program stars. A Bayesian method that combines the parallaxes together with proper motions and absolute magnitude constraints is developed and used to derive distance estimates and confidence intervals. The most precise distance derived here is for WZ Sge, for which I find 43.3 pc. Six Luyten Half-Second stars with previous precise parallax measurements were remeasured to test the techniques, and good agreement was found.