cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Responder behavior in ultimatum offer games with incomplete information

Abstract In ultimatum offer games with incomplete information a chance move determines a monetary amount which has to be distributed. In the games studied here the proposer always learns the outcome of the chance move whereas the responder only knows the priors. The proposer has to send an offer to the responder and the responder has to accept or reject the offer. In case of acceptance the monetary amount which has been determined by chance is allocated according to the proposal. In case of rejection various rules are possible depending on the veto power of the responder. Unlike most studies of ultimatum bargaining which focus on proposer behavior, the present study restricts itself to responder decisions and studies the importance of social motivations such as equality, self-esteem, absolute and relative payoffs, malevolence, fairness, and revenge. PsycINFO classification: 2360; 3000
Factors Associated with Men’s Assessment of Prostate Cancer Treatment Choice

The objective of this study is to examine factors among a group of African American and White men in North Carolina and their assessment of prostate cancer treatment choice or belief that treatment chosen was best. A sample of men (N=877) with a history of prostate cancer diagnosis was recruited from the North Carolina Cancer Registry during 2007-2008 and asked to participate in a telephone interview covering several measures about their initial prostate cancer treatment. Logistic regression was used to assess demograph- ic, psychosocial, and clinical factors on whether they felt that they had chosen the best treatment for the disease. Respon- dents were majority White (52.7 %), married (75.9 %), and had surgery (67.9 %) as their initial treatment. At the bivariate level, factors associated with the belief that the treatment cho- sen was best were as follows: White race/ethnicity, higher levels of education, a more recent treatment date, having health insurance coverage, type of treatment received, higher levels of bother from side effects, greater contentment with their quality of life, and doctor discussions of the various treatment options. Similarly, the multivariate analysis showed increased odds of belief that the treatment chosen was the best among demographic (i.e., race/ethnicity, level of education, and health insurance coverage) as well as psychosocial and clinical variables (i.e., greater bother from side effects, greater contentment with their quality of life, and initial treatment received). Results suggest that demographic, psychosocial, and clinicalfactors playanimportantrolefor men inassessing their treatment choices for prostate cancer.
Comparison of in Vivo and in Vitro Neutralization of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) Activities by Antisera to hCG and a Carboxy-Terminal Fragment of the β-Subunit*

Unlike antisera to native hCG or its whole α- or β-subunits, antisera to the unique COOH-terminal peptide of the hCG β-subunit or to analogous synthetic peptides fail to neutralize the biological activity of hCG in conventional in vivo bioassays. Whether this difference is due to the dissociation of hCG (free) from the hormone-antibody complex or to the retention of the intrinsic biological activity of hCG even when bound to the antibody is not known. To resolve this question, the effects of antisera on hCG activities were compared in vitro and in vivo, including the metabolic fates of hCG-antibody complexes. In the in vitro system, the addition of increasing amounts of anti-hCGβ-COOH-terminal peptide serum (Abe) obviated [125>I]iodo-hCG binding to rat testis homogenates and inhibited hCG-stimulated testosterone production in the collagenase-dispersed rat interstitial cell assay. Furthermore, the [125I]iodo-Abc, purified by affinity chromatography and in the presence of graded amounts of hCG (0.1 ng to 10...
Financial burdens and barriers to care among nonelderly adults: The role of functional limitations and chronic conditions.

Abstract Background People with functional limitations and chronic conditions account for the greatest resource use within the health care system. Objective To examine financial burdens and barriers to care among nonelderly adults, focusing on the role of functional limitations and chronic conditions. Methods High financial burden is defined as medical spending exceeding 20 percent of family income. Financial barriers are defined as delaying care/being unable to get care for financial reasons, and reporting that delaying care/going without was a big problem. Data are from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2008–2012). Results Functional limitations are associated with increased prevalence of financial burdens. Among single adults, the frequency of high burdens is 20.3% for those with functional limitations, versus 7.8% for those without. Among those with functional limitations, those with 3 or more chronic conditions are twice as likely to have high burdens compared to those without chronic conditions (22.2% versus 11.1%, respectively). Similar patterns occur among persons in multi-person families whose members have functional limitations and chronic conditions. Having functional limitations and chronic conditions is also strongly associated with financial barriers to care: 40.2% among the uninsured, 21.9% among those with public coverage, and 13.6% among those with private group insurance were unable to get care. Conclusions Functional limitations and chronic conditions are associated with increased prevalence of burdens and financial barriers in all insurance categories, with the exception that an association between functional limitations and the prevalence of burdens was not observed for public coverage.
Test quality and fault risk in digital filter datagraph BIST

An objective of DSP testing should be to ensure that any errors due to missed faults are infrequent compared to a circuit's intrinsic errors, such as overflow. A method is proposed for quantifying test quality for digital filters by measuring the risk associated with any untested faults. Techniques for finding upper bounds on fault activation rates under worst-case operating conditions are described. These techniques enable test designers to objectively discriminate significant missed faults from near-redundant faults, which are unlikely to be activated in normal operation of the device. This complements fault coverage as a measure of test quality, providing a means of locating high-risk missed faults even in very high coverage test regimes.
Vector therapies for malignant glioma: shifting the clinical paradigm

Background: Malignant glioma represents one of the most aggressive and devastating forms of human cancer. At present, there exists no successful treatment for this disease. Gene therapy, or vector ...
Ion-Beam Deposition of Thin Films:Influence on Surface and Volume Microstructure

The effects of ion bombardment during film deposition on surface and volume microstructure were studied. Both metal and dielectric films were investigated. Scattered light and optical constants were examined for evaporated, sputtered and ion assisted films.
Execution of the SimSET Monte Carlo PET/SPECT Simulator in the Condor Distributed Computing Environment

SimSET is a package for simulation of emission tomography data sets. Condor is a popular distributed computing environment. Simple C/C++ applications and shell scripts are presented which allow the execution of SimSET on the Condor environment. This is accomplished without any modification to SimSET by executing multiple instances and using its combinebin utility. This enables research facilities without dedicated parallel computing systems to utilize the idle cycles of desktop workstations to greatly reduce the run times of their SimSET simulations. The necessary steps to implement this approach in other environments are presented along with sample results.
An extended secret sharing scheme for colour images with fixed pixel expansion

An extended visual secret sharing scheme uses multiple innocent-looking cover images to hide a secret image such that none discloses any portion of the secret. In this article, an extended secret sharing technique is proposed that shares a secret colour image in a couple of significant images using a fixed pixel expansion factor of 9 for a colour space as large as comprising 224, i.e. 16 million colours approximately. Furthermore, the data hiding technique employed in this article uses all three planes of a colour image which reduces the number of cover images that would otherwise be needed. Recovery is performed through a simple stacking (XOR) operation and a sequence of random integers.
Constant-factor redundant CORDIC for angle calculation and rotation

A constant-factor redundant-CORDIC (CFR-CORDIC) scheme, where the scale factor is kept constant while an angle for plane rotations is computed, is developed. The direction of rotation is determined from an estimate of the sign, and convergence is assured by suitably placed correcting iterations. The number of iterations in the CORDIC rotation unit is reduced by about 25% by expressing the direction of the rotation in radix-2 and radix-4, and conversion to conventional representation is done on the fly. The performance of CFR-CORDIC is estimated and compared with that of previously proposed schemes. It is found to provide an execution time similar to that of redundant CORDIC with a variable scaling factor, with a significant saving in area. >
Remote Sensing Image Analysis via a Texture Classification Neural Network

In this work we apply a texture classification network to remote sensing image analysis. The goal is to extract the characteristics of the area depicted in the input image, thus achieving a segmented map of the region. We have recently proposed a combined neural network and rule-based framework for texture recognition. The framework uses unsupervised and supervised learning, and provides probability estimates for the output classes. We describe the texture classification network and extend it to demonstrate its application to the Landsat and Aerial image analysis domain.
Tris(1-propan-2-onyl oxime)­amine

The title compound, Ox3H3 or C9H18N4O3, adopts an open extended structure which does not restrict solvent accessibility or metallation reactivity. An intermolecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond is observed.
Biceps tendinitis in chronic rotator cuff tears : A histologic perspective

Patients with chronic rotator cuff tears frequently have anterior shoulder pain attributed to the long head of the biceps brachii (LHBB) tendon. In this study, tenodesis or tenotomy samples and cadaveric controls were assessed by use of immunohistochemical and histologic methods to quantify inflammation, vascularity, and neuronal plasticity. Patients had moderate pain and positive results on at least 1 clinical test of shoulder function. The number of axons in the distal LHBB was significantly less in patients with biceps tendinitis. Calcitonin gene–related peptide and substance P immunostaining was predominantly within nerve roots and blood vessels. A moderate correlation ( R = 0.5) was identified between LHBB vascularity and pain scores. On the basis of these results, we conclude that, in the context of rotator cuff disease, the etiology of anterior shoulder pain with macroscopic changes in the biceps tendon is related to the complex interaction of the tendon and surrounding soft tissues, rather than a single entity.
On and Off the Record: The Production of Legitimacy in an Argentine Border Town

Based on ethnographic research in Puerto Iguazu, an Argentine town bordering Brazil and Paraguay, this article explores how journalists maneuver between stories for, on, and off the record to maintain a locally valid boundary between law and crime. Journalists occupy a multifaceted position in the Iguazu community: as residents, they often participate in the informal circulation of legal and illegal goods across the border; as cultural producers, they create representations about it. Coverage relating to informal trade depends on local schemes of legality and legitimacy that juxtapose the rights and rules for those living in this small border community with national legislation, which disadvantages the remote town and serves to obstruct cross-border exchanges. Due to the discrepancy between local understanding of legality and national laws, many potentially newsworthy illegal exchanges are not addressed in the media. On the border, where consensus regarding the legality and legitimacy of many common practices is unstable, this article shows how local news production plays an important part in determining what is legal, illegal, legitimate, or illicit.
Escape by Inking and Secreting: Marine Molluscs Avoid Predators Through a Rich Array of Chemicals and Mechanisms

Inking by marine molluscs such as sea hares, cuttlefish, squid, and octopuses is a striking behavior that is ideal for neuroecological explorations. While inking is generally thought to be used in active defense against predators, experimental evidence for this view is either scant or lacks mechanistic explanations. Does ink act through the visual or chemical modality? If inking is a chemical defense, how does it function and how does it affect the chemosensory systems of predators? Does it facilitate escape not only by acting directly on predators but also by being an alarm signal for conspecifics? This review examines these issues, within a broader context of passive and active chemical defensive secretions. It focuses on recent work on mechanisms of defense by inking in sea hares (Aplysia) and extends what we have learned about sea hares to other molluscs including the cephalopods.
Effectiveness of capacity rationing heuristics in make to order environment

This paper investigates the effectiveness of a dynamic capacity-rationing heuristic for order acceptance and rejection in a capacitated make-to-order manufacturing environment. The heuristics developed for managing capacity has been shown to work better than accepting orders on a first-come, first-served basis. However, realised effectiveness versus potential effectiveness with respect to optimum has not been investigated. Results of this study reveal that the rationing heuristic is very effective in yielding results in proximity of optimum solution when customer segments are very distinct or highly differentiated and when implied utilisation is very high. On the other hand, when the attractiveness of higher profitable customer segment diminishes and capacity is not tight there is a significant potential to improve the heuristic.
Numerical Study of Wake Vortex Behavior in Turbulent Domains with Ambient Stratification

A three-dimensional large eddy simulation model is used to investigate the sensitivity of ambient stratification with turbulence on the behavior of aircraft wake vortices. Modeled ambient turbulence levels range from very weak to moderate, and stratification levels range from strongly stable to unstable. The results of profound significance from this study are: 1) very little sensitivity between vortex linking time and the level of stratification, 2) the mean vortex separation remained nearly constant regardless of stratification and turbulence (at least prior to linking), 3) the wake vortices did not rise regardless of the level of stratification, and 4) for very strong stratification, the vortex stopped descending and quickly dissipated even before vortex linking could occur. These results are supported by experimental data and are contrary to conclusions from other numerical studies that assume laminar flow and/or relatively-low Reynolds numbers.
Rab proteins and endocytic trafficking: potential targets for therapeutic intervention

Rab GTPases serve as master regulators of vesicular membrane transport on both the exo- and endocytic pathways. In their active forms, rab proteins serve in cargo selection and as scaffolds for the sequential assembly of effectors requisite for vesicle budding, cytoskeletal transport, and target membrane fusion. Rab protein function is in turn tightly regulated at the level of protein expression, localization, membrane association, and activation. Alterations in the rab GTPases and associated regulatory proteins or effectors have increasingly been implicated in causing human disease. Some diseases such as those resulting in bleeding and pigmentation disorders (Griscelli syndrome), mental retardation, neuropathy (Charcot-Marie-Tooth), kidney disease (tuberous sclerosis), and blindness (choroideremia) arise from direct loss of function mutations of rab GTPases or associated regulatory molecules. In contrast, in a number of cancers (prostate, liver, breast) as well as vascular, lung, and thyroid diseases, the overexpression of select rab GTPases have been tightly correlated with disease pathogenesis. Unique therapeutic opportunities lie ahead in developing strategies that target rab proteins and modulate the endocytic pathway.
Multiple myeloma: 2012 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management

Disease overview: Multiple myeloma accounts for ∼10% of all hematologic malignancies. Diagnosis: The diagnosis requires 10% or more clonal plasma cells on bone marrow examination or a biopsy proven plasmacytoma plus evidence of end-organ damage felt to be related to the underlying plasma-cell disorder. Risk stratification: Patients with 17p deletion, t(14;16), t(14;20), or high-risk gene expression profiling signature have high-risk myeloma. Patients with t(4;14) translocation, karyotypic deletion 13, or hypodiploidy are considered to have intermediate-risk disease. All others are considered to have standard-risk myeloma. Risk-adapted therapy: Standard-risk patients are treated with nonalkylator-based therapy such as lenalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone (Rd) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). An alternative strategy is to continue initial therapy after stem-cell collection, reserving ASCT for first relapse. Intermediate-risk and high-risk patients are treated with a bortezomib-based induction followed by ASCT and then bortezomib-based maintenance. Patients not eligible for ASCT can be treated with Rd for standard risk disease, or with a bortezomib-based regimen if intermediate-risk or high-risk features are present. To reduce toxicity, when using bortezomib, the once-weekly subcutaneous dose is preferred; similarly, when using dexamethasone, the low-dose approach (40 mg once a week) is preferred, unless there is a need for rapid disease control. Management of refractory disease: Patients with indolent relapse can be treated first with two-drug or three-drug combinations. Patients with more aggressive relapse often require therapy with a combination of multiple active agents. The most promising new agents in development are pomalidomide and carfilizomib. Am. J. Hematol., 2012. © 2011 Wiley Perodicals, Inc.
Systems Analysis and Irrigation Planning

Certain concepts and techniques of systems analysis can assist irrigation planning in poor countries with social and physical environments different from those of industrialized nations. An extensive literature survey is followed by description of the basic deterministic planning model—a model emphasizing the interactive consequences of cropping pattern selection, conjunctive use of ground and surface water, and employment of wells as water table control devices. Stochastic parameters are introduced into the model in order to improve the model's robustness of representation of reality and in order to interpret the consequences of stochastic variability meaningfully. Various factors favor the use of the chance-constrained approach to stochastic programming. Unlike previous applications, general distribution functions, variable capacities, piecewise linear decision rules, and stochastic demands and supplies are dealt with.
Psychiatric Considerations in NTOS

Depression and substance abuse are two psychiatric co-morbidities found in chronic pain populations. Because both can influence quality of life, pain perception, and response to treatment, they should regularly be evaluated and treated when present. Treatment for depression includes various antidepressants, some of which have analgesic properties, and psychotherapy. Patients actively abusing pain medications, alcohol or illicit drugs should be referred to a substance abuse treatment program. However, distinguishing between pain medication overuse/abuse and poorly controlled pain can be difficult, and over diagnosing pain medication abuse may result in pejorative labeling of patients and withdrawal of pain-relieving analgesics.
Imaging symptomatic bone morphogenetic protein-2–induced heterotopic bone formation within the spinal canal: case report

Heterotopic bone formation within the spinal canal is a known complication of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and presents a clinical and surgical challenge. Imaging modalities are routinely used for operative planning in this setting. Here, the authors present the case of a 59-year-old woman with cauda equina syndrome following intraoperative BMP-2 administration. Plain film myelographic studies showed a region of severe stenosis that was underappreciated on CT myelography due to a heterotopic bony lesion mimicking the dorsal aspect of a circumferentially patent thecal sac. When evaluating spinal stenosis under these circumstances, it is important to carefully consider plain myelographic images in addition to postmyelography CT images as the latter may underestimate the true degree of stenosis due to the potentially similar radiographic appearances of evolving BMP-2-induced heterotopic bone and intrathecal contrast. Alternatively, comparison of sequentially acquired noncontrast CT scans with CT myelographic images may also assist in distinguishing BMP-2-induced heterotopic bony lesions from the thecal sac. Further studies are needed to elucidate the roles of the available imaging techniques in this setting and to characterize the connection between the radiographic and histological appearances of BMP-2-induced heterotopic bone.
Effect of an experimental systemic compound, CGA-184699, on life stages of the cat flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

The experimental drug CGA-184699 ( N -[2,5-dichloro-4-(l,l,2,3,3,3-hexafluoropropoxy)-phenylaminocarbonyl]-2,6-difiuorobenzamide) was evaluated for efficacy against cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche), held in flea cages on cats. When administered orally, the compound acts systemically and prevents development of the next generation of fleas. There was no effect on adults, but eggs from adults that fed on treated cats had reduced viability. Most larvae that emerged from surviving eggs died. Within the first 2 wk after treatment of cats with CGA-184699, most death of progeny occurred in the egg stage, but as time passed, more eggs hatched but larval mortality prevented development to adults. A single oral dose of CGA-184699 virtually eliminated the next generation of adult fleas for a period of 44 d.
Reduction of fluctuations over swept wings using passive and active mini-fences

Passive and active surface devices are used to modify the narrow-band velocity fluctuations over a 59.3 degree delta wing at high angles of attack. Previous work has traced these fluctuations to counterrotating structures in the shear layer below the postburst vortex. Small vertical fences placed near the point of origin of the fluctuations attenuate the peak spectral energy by as much as 78 percent. The lift and drag are shown to be unaffected. Fences placed at other locations and orientations show various levels of suppression and amplification. The most effective fence height, position, and orientation for attenuation at 25 deg angle of attack are identified. An active fence and a ramp modulated at the fluctuation frequency show attenuation corresponding to the effective duty cycle of deployment in a given range of the shear layer. It is seen that the fences must extend well beyond the surface boundary layer to be effective, but extending into the central region of the flow is ineffective, further proving that the fluctuations originate in the outer shear layer of the vortex, not in the core. (Author)
Spatial tomography and coherence microscopy

We describe a methodology for integrated computational imaging system design based on source specification, cross-spectral transformations and tomography. We consider design examples based on local and nonlocal measures of incoherent primary sources.
Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act Increases Phytochemicals in Menus and Curriculum Furthers Identification of Phytochemical-Rich Foods.

Objective: This study evaluated whether providing the Fruits and Vegetables (F/V) required by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) increased phytochemical/antioxidant content of school lunches. Additionally, the ability of adolescents to apply their nutritional knowledge following participation in a nutrition-focused science-based curriculum was assessed. Methods: Changes in antioxidant/phytochemical content from F/V offered in school lunch menus were analyzed Pre-and Post-HHFKA. Food logs completed by 717 youth aged 10–18 were analyzed for correctly identifying “fighting foods”. Results: Significant increases in antioxidant/phytochemical content resulted following implementation of HHFKA (P<0.05). Seventy-five percent [0, 100] of the time students accurately identified “fighting foods” in their one-day in-school food log (n=468). Conclusions and Implications: Creatively incorporating nutrition education into core curriculum, when paired with a supportive built environment that increases F/V access (HHFKA), generates a multilevel intervention promoting F/V consumption among school-aged youth.
Characterization of the temperature rise in a single cell during photoacoustic tomography at the nanoscale

We are developing a label-free nanoscale photoacoustic tomography (nPAT) for imaging a single living cell. nPAT uses a laser-induced acoustic pulse to generate a nanometer-scale image. The primary motivation behind this imaging technique is the imaging of biological cells in the context of diagnosis without fluorescent tagging. During this procedure, thermal damage due to the laser pulse is a potential risk that may damage the cells. A physical model is built to estimate the temperature rise and thermal relaxation during the imaging procedure. Through simulations using finite element methods, two lasers (532 nm at 5 ps pulse duration and 830 nm at 0.2 ps pulse duration) were simulated for imaging red blood cells (RBCs). We demonstrate that a single 5-ps pulse laser with a 400-Hz repetition rate will generate a steady state temperature rise of less than a Kelvin on the surface of the RBCs. All the simulation results show that there is no significant temperature rise in an RBC in either single pulse or multiple pulse illumination with a 532-nm laser with 219 W fluence. Therefore, our simulation results demonstrate the thermal safety of an nPAT system. The photoacoustic signal generated by this laser is on the order of 2.5 kPa, so it should still be large enough to generate high-resolution images with nPAT. Frequency analysis of this signal shows a peak at 1.47 GHz, with frequencies as high as 3.5 GHz still being present in the spectrum. We believe that nPAT will open an avenue for disease diagnosis and cell biology studies at the nanometer-level.
Cephalomedullary nail versus sliding hip screw for fixation of AO 31 A1/2 intertrochanteric femoral fracture: a 12-year comparison of failure, complications, and mortality.

BACKGROUND In the United States intertrochanteric and pertrochanteric fractures occur at a rate of more than 150,000 cases annually. Current standard of care for these fractures includes fixation with either a cephalomedullary nail (CMN) or a sliding hip screw (SHS). The purpose of this study was to compare failure and medical complications of intertrochanteric femoral fractures repaired by CMN or SHS. METHODS This study is a retrospective cohort study that included 249 patients with AO/OTA 31 A1.1-3, 31 A2.1-3 nonpathological fractures of the femur, of which 137 received CMN and 112 received SHS. Analysis was stratified by fracture type as stable (AO 31A1.1-2.1) or unstable (AO 31A2.2-3). RESULTS The tip-apex distance in stable fractures fixed with CMN was 17.3 ± 5.9 compared to 26.2 ± 7.9 in the stable SHS group (p 0.05). Among patients with unstable fractures CMN had significantly less collapse (P < 0.001) and failure (P = 0.046) but no difference in complications (P = 0.126) or mortality (P = 0.586). CONCLUSIONS There were no significant differences in failure or complication rates when comparing the CMN to the SHS in stable intertrochanteric fractures. CMN demonstrated significantly reduced failure and collapse rates in unstable intertrochanteric fractures when compared to SHS; however, this study had a relatively small sample size of unstable fractures and all results must be interpreted within this context.
Enhanced Phase-Locked Loop

This chapter deals with the basic enhanced phase-locked loop (EPLL) structure. The EPLL enhances the standard PLL by removing its main drawback, which is the presence of double-frequency errors. EPLL achieves this task by means of estimating the amplitude of the input signal and using it within a new loop to remove the error. The EPLL provides an estimate of the input signal magnitude and also provides a filtered version of the input signal. It serves as a core and a building block for numerous developments. The chapter focuses on the derivation, principles of operation, linear model, and design guidelines pertaining to the EPLL. The droop control method (DCM) is widely used to control the operation of synchronous generators (SGs) in a power system. Three scenarios are considered to study the dynamic performance of the EPLL: the step jumps in the input signal variables, amplitude modulations, and phase-angle modulations.
Photolithographic Plating of Platinum and Copper on Insulating Substrates

Several micrometer thick layers of platinum or copper can be photolithographically deposited on Mylar or silica substrates by taking advantage of the photochemistry of [PtCl6]2− in alcohols. This reaction gives rise to a spatially well defined, but discontinuous deposit of platinum metal onto the illuminated areas of the substrate material. A conducting, adhesive, metallic film can be obtained by developing the photolyzed substrate in an electroless copper plating bath or a bath containing [PtCl4]2− and isopropanol, depending on the type of deposit required. Control over the rate of metallization and the spatial resolution of the deposit can be exerted by considering the detailed mechanistic chemistry associated with the metallization process.
Exploration of gas molecules transport in composite poly (4-methyl-2-pentyne) and carbon nanotubes employing molecular dynamics simulation

Abstract In order to design optimal membrane composites it is important to have an in-depth understanding of penetrants transport in such membranes. In that spirit, molecular dynamics was employed to study the transport of gas molecules in a composite membrane consisting of poly (4-methyl-2-pentyne) (PMP) and close-ended carbon nanotubes (PMPCNTC) or open-ended carbon nanotubes (PMPCNTO). The logarithm plot of mean-squared displacement (MSD) versus time for the transport of methane in PMPCNTC and PMPCNTO was drawn. It is observed that there are three regimes: the ballistic regime, the subdiffusive regime and the Fickian diffusive regime. The ballistic regime in PMPCNTC is shorter than it is in PMPCNTO, because the average cavity size of PMPCNTC is smaller than that of PMPCNTO and the penetrants have more space to move freely in PMPCNTO than they do in PMPCNTC before they hit any matrix units. Then the diffusivities of penetrants were achieved according to the plot of MSD versus time for the transport of penetrants in the Fickian diffusive regime. The solubility coefficients and the permeability of gas molecules in the composites were also calculated. In PMPCNTC, the 25 locations that contribute most to solubilities are outside the nanotubes while in PMPCNTO, they are inside the nanotubes. In PMPCNTO it is the nanotube that solvates the majority of the gas molecules. The huge channels inside the nanotube cause the high solubility of these penetrants. Finally, the selectivity of n-C4H10 over CH4 in PMPCNTC is observed to be higher than it is in both PMPCNTO and pure PMP. The research results may be employed in membrane design.
Reinforcement Learning-Based Adaptive Transmission in Time-Varying Underwater Acoustic Channels

This paper studies adaptive transmission in an underwater acoustic (UWA) point-to-point communication system that operates on an epoch-by-epoch basis for a long term. A fixed amount of information bits periodically arrive at the transmitter data queue, and wait for transmission via a number of packets within each epoch. To trade off energy consumption with transmission latency, the transmitter decides the transmission action at the beginning of each epoch, including to transmit or not, and the transmission power and the modulation-and-coding parameters, based on the data queue status and the predicted channel conditions in the current and future epochs. To describe both the fast fading and the large-scale shadowing of UWA channels, the channel within each epoch is characterized by a compound Nakagami-lognormal distribution, and the evolution of the distribution parameters is modeled as an unknown Markov process. Given that the channel can only be observed during active transmissions, we formulate the adaptive transmission problem as a partially observable Markov decision process, and develop an online algorithm in a model-based reinforcement learning framework. The algorithm recursively estimates the channel model parameters, tracks the channel dynamics, and computes the optimal transmission action that minimizes a long-term system cost. Emulated results based on channel measurements from two-field experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves decent performance relative to a benchmark method that assumes perfect and non-causal channel knowledge.
Genome-wide association study of homocysteine in African Americans from the Jackson Heart Study, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and the Coronary Artery Risk in Young Adults study

Homocysteine (Hcy) is a heritable biomarker for CVD, peripheral artery disease, stroke, and dementia. Little is known about genetic associations with Hcy in individuals of African ancestry. We performed a genome-wide association study for Hcy in 4927 AAs from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), and the Coronary Artery Risk in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Analyses were stratified by sex and results were meta-analyzed within and across sex. In the sex-combined meta-analysis, we observed genome-wide significant evidence (p < 5.0 × 10−8) for the NOX4 locus (lead variant rs2289125, β = −0.15, p = 5.3 × 1011). While the NOX4 locus was previously reported as associated with Hcy in European-American populations, rs2289125 remained genome-wide significant when conditioned on the previously reported lead variants. Previously reported genome-wide significant associations at NOX4, MTR, CBS, and MMACHC were also nominally (p < 0.050) replicated in AAs. Associations at the CPS1 locus, previously reported in females only, also was replicated specifically in females in this analysis, supporting sex-specific effects for this locus. These results suggest that there may be a combination of cross-population and population-specific genetic effects, as well as differences in genetic effects between males and females, in the regulation of Hcy levels.
Getting to Know You: Relationship Between Intergroup Contact and Willingness to Interact

While researchers expect it will be technologically possible for robots to be widely available in society in the near future, the public shows negative attitudes toward robots that may impede their acceptance. Intergroup contact theory shows that positive contact with an outgroup reduces prejudice and increases positive emotions towards that outgroup. This was applied to an interaction between a participant and a humanoid robot to determine if those who interacted directly with, including touching, the robot would perceive all robots in a more positive manner and be more willing to interact with them. Results indicated that contact with the robot, compared with the Control condition, produced a marginally higher willingness to interact with robots.
Shock engineering the additive manufactured graphene-metal nanocomposite with high density nanotwins and dislocations for ultra-stable mechanical properties

Abstract Graphene reinforced metal composite has been a promising materials with superior mechanical properties. Currently the mechanical properties of the additively manufactured metals are limited by the undesired microstructures and residual stress developed during the laser heating process. Strengthening in graphene/metal composite is limited to the intrinsic strength of graphene and its ability to block dislocation from propagation, which make it very difficult to introduce dislocation hardening and twin boundary strengthening. Here, a hybrid manufacturing process combining layer by layer laser deposition of graphene/metal nanocomposites and laser shock peening has been investigated through modeling and experiments. Strengthening of graphene/metal composites is introduced by the strong interactions between shock wave and selective laser sintered graphene/metal composite. Instead of constraining the dislocation motion, graphene acts as a shock-loading transferor to allow shock wave to pass through and bounce back between them, resulting in high density dislocations and nanotwinning structures around graphene/metal interface. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation shows that the shock interaction with the graphene/metal interface generates dislocations pile-up in front of graphene and large stress intensity around the interface. Wave-like nanowrinkles in graphene are generated after laser shock loading because of interference wave propagation. Mechanical testing results showed that the laser shock treated graphene/metal composites enable ultra-stability of strength and compressive residual stress, and excellent fatigue performance. MD simulation revealed that shock wave strengthened graphene/metal interface significantly reduces the crack propagation rate and provides strong resistance to fatigue of metal/graphene composites.
CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ADOLESCENT HYPERTENSION

Previous studies have shown that adult hypertension is associated with additional cardiovascular risk factors. Additionally, hypertension in childhood commonly leads to hypertension in adulthood. This study sought to determine if there are cardiovascular risk factors associated with hypertension in
Nuclear and cytoplasmic transfer in mammalian embryos.

Manipulation of embryos (surgical and/or chemical) is an important tool in the experimental embryology of mammals. By altering the number of cells in the embryo, the relationship of cells to each other, combinations of cells from different embryos, and so forth, much has been learned about mechanisms which control normal mammalian development (for reviews, see Mintz, 1974; Gardner, 1978; Johnson, 1981). This chapter is concerned, however, only with procedures that alter the nuclear-cytoplasmic composition of the early mammalian embryo. These alterations include the introduction of foreign nuclei or cytoplasm into intact or enucleated early mammalian ova. The response of the transplanted nucleus to its new cytoplasmic environment may permit insight into the nature of nuclear-cytoplasmic communication. In addition, the ability of the transplanted nucleus to assume the role of the embryo nucleus should permit a functional assessment of nuclear potential. Similarly, the transfer of foreign cytoplasm will expose the host nucleus to cytoplasmic signals not normally encountered and thus serve to define cytoplasmic controls in development. Since experimental manipulations of this type require the technical capability to transfer nuclei or cytoplasm, a description of a nuclear-cytoplasmic transfer method devised by the authors is presented. The ability to refashion the nuclear and cytoplasmic components of the early mammalian embryo should enhance our understanding of how these two fundamental cellular compartments interact in normal development.
Avulsion of the Ureter Caused by Stone Basket Manipulation

Abstract A case of an iatrogenic loss of 18 cm. of the distal ureter owing to attempted basket retrieval of a lower ureteral stone is reported. The defect was bridged by mobilizing the kidney, constructing a Boari flap and fixing the bladder with a Psoas hitch. The complications of stone manipulation are reviewed and discussed.
Is Partner Aggression Related to Appraisals of Coercive Control by a Partner

Research and clinical reports on men who are aggressive towards their intimate partners find that these men tend to behave in highly controlling ways towards such partners (e.g., restricting their social interactions, monitoring of activities, and reducing decision-making power). This study tests the hypothesis that men and women in violent dating relationships appraise such behaviors differently than individuals in nonviolent relationships. Based on clinical and empirical partner abuse literature, 119 college students rated the extent to which they perceived hypothetical behaviors towards a partner as ‘controlling.’ Results suggest that individuals who had either engaged in or received partner aggression appraised restrictive, domineering, and coercive behaviors from a male to a female partner, and from a female to a male partner as less controlling than individuals who had neither perpetrated nor received partner aggression. Men also viewed those behaviors as less controlling than did women. Generalizability, clinical implications, and directions for future research are discussed.
A primal-dual interior point method for a novel type-2 second order cone optimization problem

In this paper, we define a new, special second order cone as a type-$k$ second order cone. We focus on the case of $k=2$, which can be viewed as SOCO with an additional {\em complicating variable}. For this new problem, we develop the necessary prerequisites, based on previous work for traditional SOCO. We then develop a primal-dual interior point algorithm for solving a type-2 second order conic optimization (SOCO) problem, based on a family of kernel functions suitable for this type-2 SOCO. We finally derive the following iteration bound for our framework: \[\frac{L^\gamma}{\theta \kappa \gamma} \left[2N \psi\left( \frac{\varrho \left(\tau /4N\right)}{\sqrt{1-\theta}}\right)\right]^\gamma\log \frac{3N}{\epsilon}.\]
Vehicle Routing Problem with Stochastic Demands and Simultaneous Delivery and Pickup Based on the Cross-Entropy Method

This paper considers the problem of Vehicle Routing Problem with stochastic demands and simultaneous delivery and pickup. An effective algorithm based on cross-entropy is designed to solve the model. The cross-entropy method is a new generic approach to combinatorial and multi-extremal optimization and rare event simulation. Numerical experiments have been conducted and the results indicate that the method can effectively solve this problem.
Ultra-high Isolation Nonreciprocal Acoustic Filters

We report on the design and performance of a novel nonreciprocal acoustic filter (nrFIL) topology. This relies on the use of acoustic filters placed in switch-based angular-momentum-biased circuits and enabling orders-of-magnitude higher isolation levels than attained by previously reported nrFILs-prototypes. We show that by strategically adding modulated ad-hoc shunt filtering branches to a conventional nrFIL, it is possible to modify its dynamics, thus enabling orders-of-magnitude higher isolation within a large portion of its static passband. To prove the effectiveness of this approach, we first designed, simulated and built a conventional switch-based nrFIL based on three commercial 895 MHz acoustic filters placed in a star-circuit topology. Then, three ad-hoc time-modulated filtering branches were inserted between the central node of the built nrFIL and ground. All circuit branches relied on the same modulation frequency (38MHz) to work. We show how this modification allows to increase the isolation (>25dB) attained by the conventional nrFIL prototype without degrading the minimum insertion loss attained in the passband of each acoustic filter (IL~6.5dB with or without the additional branches). Fractional bandwidth (BW % ), 1 dB-compression input power (P 1dB ) and IIP3 approaching 2.2%, 21.5 dBm and 41 dBm are reported.
Evaluation of intravenous direct thrombin inhibitor monitoring tests: Correlation with plasma concentrations and clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients

The parenterally administered direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs) argatroban and bivalirudin are effective anticoagulants for acute heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) treatment. The activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) has classically been used as the monitoring test to assess degree of anticoagulation, however concerns exist with using aPTT to monitor DTI therapy. In this observational study plasma samples from DTI treated patients were analyzed by aPTT, dilute thrombin time (dTT) and ecarin chromogenic assay (ECA) to delineate results into concordant and discordant groups. Discordant samples were further analyzed via liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC MS/MS). In total 101 patients with 198 samples were evaluated. Discordance between tests were frequent (59% of DTI treated patients). Bivalirudin aPTT vs dTT discordance was observed in 45% (57/126) of samples. Amongst bivalirudin samples with test discordance dTT results were more likely to be concordant with LC MS/MS than the aPTT (77% vs 9%, p < 0.0001). Argatroban aPTT vs dTT discordance was observed in 43% (31/72) and aPTT vs ECA discordance was observed in 40% (29/72) of samples. Amongst argatroban samples with test discordance both the dTT and ECA tests were more likely to have concordant results with LC MS/MS than the aPTT (88% vs 9%, p < 0.0001 for both dTT and ECA tests). There were no differences between discordant and concordant patient groups in a composite outcome of bleeding/thrombosis rate (23% vs 27%, p = 0.689). Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the effect of suitable monitoring assays on patient outcomes in the setting of DTI therapy.
Effect of Tariff on Commercial Load Profile Optimization in Presence of the Battery

Growing interest in renewable energy sources along with solar panels and batteries cost reduction, bring up changes to the traditional power grids in recent years. A well-managed renewable integration to the power systems, lead to a more reliable performance and power delivery. Electricity tariff plays a critical role in shaping the power consumption behavior of the costumers, especially in the presence of battery storage systems. The electricity tariff is a powerful tool to enforce customers to modify their electricity consumption behavior. As significant portion of power energy is devoted to commercial sector, analyzing the effects of the battery and tariff on the commercial customers' load profiles is essential for utilities in their short-and long-term planning. In this paper, we consider a commercial customer equipped with solar panel and batteries as our case study. We analyze the effects of time of use (TOU) and maximum demand (MD) tariffs on the power exchange. Next, sensitivity analysis of the load profile to the MD tariff and also battery characteristics is performed. Using the optimization and sensitivity information, the optimum MD tariff rates for a group of the commercial customers is calculated to release the maximum network capacity.