cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Missing Risk Factor Data on Semiparametric Group-Based Trajectory Models

To investigate how missing data (Missing Completely at Random [MCAR] vs. Missing Not at Random [MNAR]) on risk factors can impact trajectory solutions (i.e., latent class probabilities) and coefficient estimates capturing the relationship between covariates and trajectory group solutions using a semiparametric group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) approach. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic investigation using Monte Carlo simulation. Data were generated from a population with known growth parameters and risk factors. Observations for risk factors were then systematically deleted in a way that reflects key missing data assumptions (MCAR and MNAR). Models were then estimated to test the sensitivity of the estimates to each missing data scenario. Two key findings emerged: (1) trajectory solutions were largely unaffected by missing data on risk factors; and, (2) there was some degree of bias in estimating relationships between risk factors and trajectory group membership when data were missing on those risk factors. GBTM may be useful for testing etiological explanations of long-term patterns of offending. Missing data on risk factors poses a threat to this approach, however.
The Role of Higher Education in Sustainable Development Education

The phrase “paradigm shift” is a very real part of the vernacular of the late 1990’s. Even within the title of this book the word “paradigm” surfaces. There is, however, an area of society in which “paradigm shift” should not be used or at best used only sparingly and then only on a case by case basis. That area is higher education.
Oblique Detonations: Theory and Propulsion Applications

The oblique detonation, a combustion process initiated by an oblique shock, arises in most supersonic combustion applications including, most notably, the ram accelerator and the oblique detonation wave engine. Additionally, it is the generic two-dimensional compressible shocked reacting flow; consequently, its basic research value is inherent. The outstanding theoretical questions are also the fundamental practical questions: e.g. what conditions are necessary for steady solutions, what is the dependency of the steady propagation speed on the ambient condition, what is the susceptibility of the system to instability, and what is the behavior of the system in unsteady operation. A related topic which transcends all questions is the ability to describe these phenomena computationally. At this early stage, these issues are most clearly addressed with simple models. This paper will review the application of such models to oblique detonations and discuss their future relevance.
Evaluating Pain in Children

Before the clinician can provide optimally effective pain management, he/she must first develop a clear understanding of the factors contributing to an individual child’s pain experience. This task is best conceptualized as an ongoing process of generating and testing hypotheses. As one accumulates evidence in support of certain hypotheses, a picture of the unique needs of the child and his/her family emerges, allowing the clinician to develop an individualized treatment plan.
Sub-Nanosecond, Four-Frame, Holographic Interferometry Diagnostics

A holographic interferometry diagnostic technique has been developed and implemented on pulsed power experiments at Sandia National Laboratories. It incorporates a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, with an extra-cavity pulse slicer, which produces a sub-nanosecond (τ ~ 350 ps), green (λ = 0.532 µm) laser pulse. Using beamsplitters and varied optical path lengths, a train of 4 scene and 4 reference beam pulses is generated with variable inter-pulse time delays of 4 to 28 ns. The laser is command triggered with < ± 5 ns jitter, and is rep-ratable at 1 Hz for easy alignment in the field. The diagnostic is portable, with all optics mounted on a 4′ x 8′ optical table. All vulnerable electronics are shielded for EMP protection. These capabilities make it a powerful diagnostic for plasma (with ∫ne·dl = 4 x 1016 cm-2 yielding 1/10 fringe shift) and surface motion studies in our pulsed power accelerator experiments, where typically ≲ 1 ns resolution is required during an event lasting 10–100 ns. It is particularly suited to the study of surface motion of imploding ICF targets where implosion velocities of ~ 20 cm/µs require ≲ 500 ps resolution to measure the velocity with ~ ± 10% accuracy.
Making the Connection: Broadband Access and Online Course Enrollment at Public Open Admissions Institutions

Postsecondary students increasingly enroll in online courses, which have the potential to further democratize higher education by expanding access for historically underserved populations. While a number of studies have investigated student outcomes in online courses, past data limitations have hindered robust examination of a potential mechanism underlying the decision to enroll in an online course: access to high speed broadband. With data from the National Broadband Map and IPEDS, I fit a number of Bayesian regression models to investigate the relationship between various measures of broadband access—download speed, upload speed, and the number of providers—and the number of students who take online courses at public colleges and universities with open admissions policies. Results show that increases in broadband speed at the lower end of the speed spectrum are positively associated with the number of students who take some of their courses online, but that the marginal gain diminishes as speeds increase. This finding suggests that there may be a minimum threshold of necessary broadband access, beyond which increases in speed become a less important factor in the take up of online coursework. Open admissions colleges seeking to improve access for local students through increased online course offerings should consider broadband access in the area, particularly if the targeted populations live in communities with low average broadband speeds.
Statistical Analysis of Packet Delay Time and Variation on the Internet

Delay is a crucial factor on the Internet especially for real-time applications like video or audio. The best-effort service model doesn’t provide essential assistance to these applications because of the unstable queuing delays. In this work, we present the result of a measurement study designed to understand packet delay time and variation on the Internet. Measurements are performed between some vantage points in different countries using PlanetLab. Some statistical properties of the collected data were examined. It is inferred from the results that delay values are mostly appropriate for implementing real-time applications. Besides, delay over a path is stable in general while it has outliers from time to time. It means that distribution is right skewed. Values are clustered around the mode value and not dispersed too much.
Mechanism of Synchronization in Isorhythmic A-V Dissociation III. Computer Model

An analog computer model has been developed to study the mechanism of the atrioventricular synchronization in one type of isorhythmic A-V dissociation (pattern I). The computer model simulates the following biological feedback control system: (1) the ventricular pacemaker frequency is independent of arterial blood pressure (analogous to artificial ventricular pacing); (2) the frequency of the atrial pacemaker (usually the S-A node) varies inversely as the arterial blood pressure; (3) the phase difference (P-R interval) between these pacemakers is a determinant of the stroke volume; (4) for a given systemic arterial impedance and heart rate, the stroke volume determines the arterial blood pressure; and (5) after a finite delay, the arterial blood pressure exerts an inverse effect on the atrial frequency, to close the loop. Stroke volume increases progressively as the P-R interval increases from 0 to some optimum value. Stable synchronization can exist only when the mean P-R interval falls within this range of values, because only within this range does negative feedback prevail. Over the range of ventricular pacing frequencies within which synchronization can persist, the mean cardiac output and arterial blood pressure will vary inversely as the ventricular pacing frequency. Synchronization will persist only when there is an adequate closed-loop gain (consisting of the change in arterial blood pressure per unit change in P-R interval and change in heart rate per unit change in blood pressure).
Acculturation, acculturative stress and resilience among older immigrants in United States

BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated a strong and consistent association between higher acculturative stress and poorer mental and physical health outcomes while acculturating to a new country. Acculturative stress is multifactorial and nurses work in variety of settings that encounter older immigrants with different levels of acculturative stress. Research on resilience among older immigrants has linked resilience to successful acculturation. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to explore the interplay between acculturation, acculturative stress and resilience, and their collective impact on physical and mental health self-evaluation among older Filipino Americans. METHOD This study employed a cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive design using older Filipino immigrants, 55 years and older (N = 123) who were living in the western part of the United States. FINDINGS Our study found that the levels of acculturation did not have a significant influence on self-evaluation of physical and mental health; however, acculturative stress and resilience had an indirect effect on physical and mental health. CONCLUSIONS This study reemphasized the importance of assessing the acculturative stress and determining resiliency among older immigrants who might be undergoing acculturation-based conflicts with their families and community. Promoting a low level of acculturative stress and high resilience is key to shaping interventions to obtain better health outcomes among this population. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY Nurses can support and augment the efforts of professional nursing organizations to advocate and encourage legislation and policy to improve the physical and mental well-being of older immigrants. Policymakers should focus on additional resources for older adults from other countries to reduce their stress or enhance their resilience.
Caregivers’ emotional competence and behavioral responsiveness as correlates of early childcare workers’ relationships with children in their care

In the current study, we examined associations among early childcare workers' emotional competence, observed responsiveness, comfort with socioemotional teaching practices, and the quality of their relationships with children in their care. The participants were 100 early childcare workers (72 center-based Early Head Start teachers and 28 family childcare providers). Results showed that caregivers' emotion regulation ability was positively associated with caregiver-child relational closeness. Understanding and regulation of emotion were both positively associated with childcare workers' comfort with socioemotional teaching practices. Their observed responsiveness was positively related to relational closeness and negatively related to relational conflict. Findings are consistent with aspects of the prosocial classroom model, which asserts that educators high in emotional and social competence tend to adopt childcare practices that result in supportive relationships with children. Results provide insight into whether childcare workers' responsiveness to young children and their perceived socioemotional teaching practices provide a pathway between emotional competence and the quality of caregiver-child relationships.
Opioid, cocaine, and amphetamine use disorders are associated with higher30-day inpatient readmission rates in the United States

Background: Patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) are more likely to experience serious health problems, high healthcare utilization, and premature death. However, little is known about the contribution of SUDs to medical 30-day readmission risk. We examined the association between SUDs and 30-day all cause readmission among non-pregnant adult in-patients in the US. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using 2010-2014 data from the Nationwide Readmissions Database. Our primary focus was on opioid use compared to stimulant use (cocaine and amphetamine) identified by ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes in index hospitalizations. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios and 95% CI representing the association between substance use and 30-day readmission, overall and stratified by the principal reason for the index hospitalization. Results: Nearly 118 million index hospitalizations were included in the study, 4% were associated with opioid or stimulant use disorder. Readmission rates for users (19.5%) were higher than for nonusers (15.7%), with slight variation by the type of substance used: cocaine (21.8%), opioid (19.0%), and amphetamine (17.5%). After adjusting for key demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, and health system characteristics, SUDs and stimulant use disorders increased the odds of 30-day all-cause readmission by 20%. Conclusions: Reducing the frequency of inpatient readmission is an important goal for improving the quality of care and ensuring proper transition to residential/outpatient care among patients with SUDs. Differences between groups may suggest directions for further investigation into the distinct needs and challenges of hospitalized opioid- and other drug-exposed patients.
Long-Term Care Options for Retired Americans in Cuenca, Ecuador and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

The overwhelming majority of persons who retire internationally do so when they are healthy. What happens when they develop enough disability to require long-term care services is largely unknown.(Warnes 2009) The few existing reports are of European international retirees, as crossing borders in retirement began in large numbers earlier in that continent than in the Americas. Reports from Spain identified a relative lack of post-hospital care and of nursing home resources, such that retirees needed to turn to non-family networks of fellow migrants, to charitable organizations, and to paying out of pocket more than their counterparts back in Britain (Haas 2013; Hall and Hardill 2016). Furthermore, retiree interviews in Spain indicated that much planning is needed but is not always done, and that, as a result, some members of the international retirement community fall through the gaps and do not obtain needed services (Hall and Hardill 2016). In contrast, the development of private residential care facilities specifically catering to Germans has been described in Greece, Eastern Europe, and Thailand, with payment provided by the German government, but accompanied by concerns that quality in some of these low-cost settings may be substandard (Ormond and Toyota 2016).
In vitro safety of ketotifen as a topical nasal rinse.

BACKGROUND Ketotifen is a second-generation noncompetitive H1-antihistamine and mast-cell stabilizer. It is commonly used to treat or prevent allergic conjunctivitis, asthma, chronic urticaria, anaphylaxis, mast-cell, and other allergic-type disorders. However, it has never been studied in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), an aggressive phenotype of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, where the mast cell plays a prominent role its pathogenesis. METHODS Human sinonasal epithelial cells were grown at an air-liquid interface (ALI). Ketotifen powder was dissolved in saline to make 4 test solutions at 1.04, 2.08, 10.4, and 20.8 µg/mL. Control (saline) or ketotifen solution was added apically to ALI cultures from tissue of 5 unique patients, and ciliary beat frequency (CBF) changes were recorded. Lactate dehydrogenase was measured at 24 and 48 hours to estimate long-term cellular toxicity. RESULTS Apical application of ketotifen at all concentrations was neither ciliotoxic nor ciliostimulatory, with no change in CBF over a period of 15 minutes after application. Cellular toxicity for all concentrations at 24 and 48 hours after application was <3% and <7%, respectively, that of lysed cultures. CONCLUSION Topical application of ketotifen to an in vitro model of sinonasal epithelium is safe, as evaluated by CBF and lactate dehydrogenase. Ketotifen is neither ciliotoxic nor ciliostimulatory, and no long-term cellular toxicity was observed. Ketotifen may have promise as a topical nasal rinse in the treatment of AERD.
Student Psychological Factors and Diversity in Computer Science Education

Underrepresentation of women and Black and Latinx individuals in computer science (CS) is a well-documented issue facing university training programs and the field in general. In an effort to expand on current knowledge and help bridge the equality gap in CS, a pilot interdisciplinary Computing Applications minor program was started in 2016 at San Francisco State University (SFSU). The "Promoting INclusivity in Computing" (PINC) program was designed to improve diversity in computing and increase computing literacy in data-intensive fields, specifically biology and chemistry. Students participating in the PINC program were compared to lower division CS majors at SFSU on measures assessing their attitudes toward computer science, goal-setting tendencies, experience of stereotype threat, general self-efficacy, and computer science self-efficacy. Analysis showed that students in the PINC program reported lower levels of computer science self-efficacy, but there were no significant differences between groups on self-report measures of goal-setting tendencies, experience of stereotype threat, attitudes toward computer science, and general self-efficacy. These findings highlight the success of the minor program in creating an educational environment that supports the achievement of underrepresented (UR) students, as well as the similar psychoeducational traits of the two groups of students. Findings may be of particular interest to postsecondary CS teachers, researchers interested in social justice and representation issues as they pertain to the field of computing, and university and departmental administrators who wish to increase and promote diversity in their CS programs.
Deep Learning with Context Encoding for Semantic Brain Tumor Segmentation and Patient Survival Prediction

One of the most challenging problems encountered in deep learning-based brain tumor segmentation models is the misclassification of tumor tissue classes due to the inherent imbalance in the class representation. Consequently, strong regularization methods are typically considered when training large-scale deep learning models for brain tumor segmentation to overcome undue bias towards representative tissue types. However, these regularization methods tend to be computationally exhaustive, and may not guarantee the learning of features representing all tumor tissue types that exist in the input MRI examples. Recent work in context encoding with deep CNN models have shown promise for semantic segmentation of natural scenes, with particular improvements in small object segmentation due to improved representative feature learning. Accordingly, we propose a novel, efficient 3DCNN based deep learning framework with context encoding for semantic brain tumor segmentation using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (mMRI). The context encoding module in the proposed model enforces rich, class-dependent feature learning to improve the overall multi-label segmentation performance. We subsequently utilize context augmented features in a machine-learning based survival prediction pipeline to improve the prediction performance. The proposed method is evaluated using the publicly available 2019 Brain Tumor Segmentation (BraTS) and survival prediction challenge dataset. The results show that the proposed method significantly improves the tumor tissue segmentation performance and the overall survival prediction performance.
Representation and the misidentification of economic and ethnoreligious conflict in Republican Xinjiang

The era spanning the late Qing and early Republic of China (1877–1933) is regarded as a period of extensive change in East Turkestan (Xinjiang), Chinese Central Asia, particularly with regard to th...
Postmastectomy breast reconstruction in women aged 70 and older: An analysis of the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

Abstract Background Breast cancer incidence in women aged ≥70 years is steadily increasing, and many are choosing to undergo postmastectomy breast reconstruction (PMBR). We aimed to identify factors associated with PMBR, describe reconstruction types, and assess postoperative mortality and re-admission rates in women ≥70 years of age. Methods The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was examined between 2004 and 2015 for women aged ≥70 years with breast cancer who underwent mastectomy. Statistical analysis was performed by χ2 tests and multivariate logistic regression to select the best models for predicting PMBR and if patients underwent contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) with reconstruction. Results A total 73,973 patients met inclusion criteria and 4,552 (6.1%) underwent PMBR, of which 25% had a CPM. 48% had implant reconstruction, 36.2% underwent autologous reconstruction, and 15.1% received combination reconstruction. PMBR was more likely to be performed in patients who were White, had fewer comorbidities, were treated in the Northeast metropolitan areas, and with lower tumor stage (P Conclusion Although it is understandable that intrinsic tumor characteristics influence the role of PMBR, further research and interventions should be aimed to eliminate the differences that are seen in patient race and geographic location. Readmission and postop mortality rates are overall low and comparable to that of younger patients.
Affordance-based robot object retrieval

Natural language object retrieval is a highly useful yet challenging task for robots in human-centric environments. Previous work has primarily focused on commands specifying the desired object’s type such as “scissors” and/or visual attributes such as “red,” thus limiting the robot to only known object classes. We develop a model to retrieve objects based on descriptions of their usage. The model takes in a language command containing a verb, for example “Hand me something to cut,” and RGB images of candidate objects; and outputs the object that best satisfies the task specified by the verb. Our model directly predicts an object’s appearance from the object’s use specified by a verb phrase, without needing an object’s class label. Based on contextual information present in the language commands, our model can generalize to unseen object classes and unknown nouns in the commands. Our model correctly selects objects out of sets of five candidates to fulfill natural language commands, and achieves a mean reciprocal rank of 77.4% on a held-out test set of unseen ImageNet object classes and 69.1% on unseen object classes and unknown nouns. Our model also achieves a mean reciprocal rank of 71.8% on unseen YCB object classes, which have a different image distribution from ImageNet. We demonstrate our model on a KUKA LBR iiwa robot arm, enabling the robot to retrieve objects based on natural language descriptions of their usage (Video recordings of the robot demonstrations can be found at https://youtu.be/WMAdGhMmXEQ ). We also present a new dataset of 655 verb-object pairs denoting object usage over 50 verbs and 216 object classes (The dataset and code for the project can be found at https://github.com/Thaonguyen3095/affordance-language ).
Cardiovascular disease risk in calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease: A nationwide study of veterans

Objectives Calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease represents a common crystalline arthritis with a range of manifestations. We investigated risks for cardiovascular events in patients with CPPD. Methods We performed a retrospective matched cohort analysis in the Veterans Health Administration Corporate Data Warehouse, 2010-2014. CPPD was defined by ≥1 ICD-9 code for chondrocalcinosis or calcium metabolism disorder. CPPD patients were age- and sex-matched to approximately 4 patients without codes for CPPD; we excluded patients with a cardiovascular event during the 365 days prior to index date. Demographics, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, medications, and healthcare utilization were assessed at baseline. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE: myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, coronary re-vascularization, stroke, or death). Secondary outcomes included individual components of MACE. Cox proportional hazards models estimated fully-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% CI. Results We identified 23,124 CPPD patients matched to 86,629 non-CPPD patients with >250,000 person-years of follow-up. The study population was 96% male, mean age 78 years, and 75% White. The frequency of traditional CV risk factors was similar between the two cohorts. CPPD was not significantly associated with risk for MACE (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.94, 1.02) in fully-adjusted models, though risks of myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke were significantly higher in the CPPD cohort compared to non-CPPD cohort. Conclusions CPPD did not confer increased risk for MACE, a composite endpoint including all-cause mortality. Our results propose CPPD as a novel risk factor for myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke.
Microbial decontamination of food using ozone

Abstract: Ozone has the potential to fill a substantial gap in today’s technologies that are used to ensure food safety. If can be generated directly from water, air or pure oxygen by several methods; the most efficient being the corona discharge process. Food processors can use ozone in its gaseous or aqueous state. In all states, concentration of ozone during food treatment should be measured with reasonable accuracy. Inconsistent use of equipment, procedures and units to measure ozone make it difficult to compare decontamination results from different sources. Despite these technical hurdles, ozone has been proven effective at decontaminating various foods. The benefits of ozone, in many cases, outweigh the drawbacks and its applications in food are expected to increase in popularity in the coming years.
Polarization transfer of the 2H(p, n)2p reaction at θ = 0°

Abstract The transverse polarization transfer coefficient Kyy′ has been measured for the breakup reaction 2H( p , n ) 2p at θ = 0° for five incident energies in the range from 10.6 to 15.1 MeV. The results are presented at each incident proton energy as a function of neutron energy. All of the Kyy′ (0°) data have positive values around 0.4 for low neutron energies and negative values around −0.2 for high neutron energies. The data are compared to predictions from a three-body separable-potential model calculation.
Statistical Pattern Recognition

Probability theory is the basis for understanding and modeling random error. Conditional probability leads to Bayes’ rule and allows us to incorporate measured class-conditional probability density functions into a statistical classifier. The naive Bayes classifier is a simple probabilistic classifier that assumes independent features. The multivariate Gaussian describes normal distributions in multi-dimensional feature space and is characterized by elliptical isocontours. The covariance matrix summarizes the relationships between the various features. Diagonalization of the covariance matrix by Principal Component Analysis results in independent feature combinations. The Mahalanobis distance is a generalization of the Euclidean distance and can be used to classify objects on the basis of the distance to the class center.
Multi-Domain Learning: When Do Domains Matter?

We present a systematic analysis of existing multi-domain learning approaches with respect to two questions. First, many multidomain learning algorithms resemble ensemble learning algorithms. (1) Are multi-domain learning improvements the result of ensemble learning effects? Second, these algorithms are traditionally evaluated in a balanced class label setting, although in practice many multi-domain settings have domain-specific class label biases. When multi-domain learning is applied to these settings, (2) are multidomain methods improving because they capture domain-specific class biases? An understanding of these two issues presents a clearer idea about where the field has had success in multi-domain learning, and it suggests some important open questions for improving beyond the current state of the art.
Identification of two Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv ORFs involved in resistance to killing by human macrophages

Background The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to survive and replicate in macrophages is crucial for the mycobacterium's ability to infect the host and cause tuberculosis. To identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis genes involved in survival in macrophages, a library of non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis bacteria, each carrying an individual integrated cosmid containing M. tuberculosis H37Rv genomic DNA, was passed through THP-1 human macrophages three times.
Properties of side points of sequences

Abstract A side point y , of a sequence { x n } is an accumulation point of the set of values of { x n } such that no subsequence of { x n } converges to y . z is a subconvergent point of { x n } if a subsequence of { x n } converges to z . It is proved thata subsequence such that every subsequence has a side point has an uncountable number of side points; in a T 2 -space a sequence with a denumerable number of subconvergent points and such that every subsequence has a convergent subsequence has no side points. In a sequentially compact T 2 space with a linear ordered local base at each point a sequence with an uncountable number of subconvergent points has a subsequence with a denumerably infinite number of subconvergent points. An example is given to show that this is not true in general. Furthermore, it is proved that if a Tychonoff space X has the property that sequences without subconvergent points in X have no more than a denumerable number of side points in β X ~ X then X is pseudocompact.
Youth Violence: A Tripartite Examination of Putative Causes, Consequences and Correlates

As communities react to an influx of drugs and violence, a concomitant erosion in the social controls and norms may result in the normalization, expectation, and even glamorization of violence. Consequently, violent crime rates may not adequately reflect the overall health of a community or the indirect and long-term effects of repeated exposure to violence, particularly in children. Therefore, qualitative changes in the nature of violence may reveal far more about the relative health of a community. Direct exposure to illegal drug markets and the associated violence during critical phases in development may be expected to negatively impact children through at least three possible avenues: maternal, familial, and community. Multidisciplinary analysis and integration of research and opinion from several disciplines provide an opportunity to assess the impact of urban violence and illegal drug markets, while outlining a multifocal response to limiting the potential damage of urban violence on children.
Cognitive Play and Mathematical Learning in Computer Microworlds.

Based on the constructivist principle of active learning, we focus on children’s transformation of their cognitive play activity into what we regard as independent mathematical activity. We analyze how, in the process of this transformation, children modify their cognitive play activities. For such a modification to occur, we argue that the cognitive play activity has to involve operations of intelligence which yield situations of mathematical schemes.
Simultaneous enhancements in damping and static dissipation capability of polyetherimide composites with organosilane surface modified graphene nanoplatelets

Abstract Polyetherimide (PEI) possesses excellent thermal resistance and advanced mechanical properties, for which it has been used as interior materials in various transportation structures. Multifunctional PEI nanocomposites, in particular, with high damping properties and satisfactory static dissipation capability, will be more significant for those applications. In this study, PEI/graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) nanocomposites were fabricated via solution processing. Effects of GNP loading and surface silanization of GNPs on damping capacity and static dissipation properties were studied. The addition of the GNPs effectively increased the storage modulus of PEI, especially storage modulus at higher temperature (200 °C). The silanization of GNPs, on one hand, improved the dispersion quality; on the other hand, provided strong interfacial bonding with PEI matrix, which benefited the stress transfer within the composites. The superior damping capacity enhancements for the resulting nanocomposites are: with the loading of 3.0 wt% silanized GNP, the storage modulus of PEI increased approximately 4 times and 200 times at 30 °C and 200 °C, respectively, and the damping factor is 3 times higher than PEI. In addition, with the addition of 3.0 wt% GNPs, both low electrical resistivity (∼106 Ω∗cm) and low dielectric constant (∼7) were realized, corresponding to excellent volume static dissipation capability, however, silanization resulting in good interfacial bonding did not cause invisible impact on the electrical and dielectric properties of the nanocomposites. The superior damping capacity and static dissipation property make them suitable for intra-structure materials for airplane and transportation.
Modulation of Audiogenically Kindled Seizures by γ-Aminobutyric Acid-Related Mechanisms in the Amygdala

Abstract Repetitive induction of audiogenic seizures (AGSs) (“AGS kindling”) results in expansion of the AGS neuronal network from the brainstem to forebrain structures. AGSs in kindled genetically epilepsy-prone rats (GEPR-9s) exhibit a significant increase in the duration of posttonic clonus (PTC). The amygdala (AMG) does not appear to be a required network component before AGS kindling, but this structure is implicated in the seizure network after AGS kindling. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a major neurotransmitter in AMG, and histamine receptor activation is also reported to stimulate GABA release. The present study examined the effect on audiogenically kindled seizures of focal microinjections into the AMG of GEPR-9s. AGS kindling involved induction of 14 AGSs in GEPR-9s. Bilateral microinjection of a GABAA agonist, muscimol (0.3 nmol/side), into the AMG significantly reduced the duration of PTC, starting 0.5 h after drug infusion, with recovery by 24 h. Microinjection of histamine (60 nmol/side) suppressed PTC at 0.5 h, with total blockade at 24 h, but the seizure pattern did not revert to that observed before kindling until 120 h. This long duration suggests that mechanisms in addition to modulation of GABA function may be involved in the effect of histamine. The wild running and tonic components of AGS were never affected by microinjection of these agents into the AMG. These findings confirm previous work suggesting that the AMG is not a required nucleus in the AGS neuronal network before kindling. However, the AMG becomes critical in expansion of the seizure network during AGS kindling, and audiogenically kindled seizures are negatively modulated by increased GABA function.
Cerebral vessels express interleukin 1β after focal cerebral ischemia

Rapid and marked increased levels of expression of interleukin 1β (IL-1β) mRNA have been detected in animal models of cerebral ischemia. However, the protein production of IL-1β and the cellular sources of IL-1β are largely undefined after cerebral ischemia. In the present study, we have measured the cellular localization of IL-1β protein in brain tissue from non-ischemic and ischemic mice using immunohistochemistry. Male C57B/6J (n=45) mice were subjected to middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion by a clot or a suture. The mice were sacrificed at time points spanning the period from 15 min to 24 h after onset of the MCA occlusion. Non-operated and sham-operated mice were used as control groups. A monoclonal anti-IL-1β antibody was used to detect IL-1β. In the non-operated and sham-operated mice, a few IL-1β immunoreactive cells were detected scattered throughout both hemispheres. IL-1β immunoreactive cells increased in the ischemic lesion as early as 15 min and peaked at 1 h to 2 h after MCA occlusion. IL-1β immunoreactivity was detected in the cortex of the contralateral hemisphere 1 h after ischemia. By 24 h after onset of ischemia, IL-1β immunoreactivity was mainly present adjacent to the ischemic lesion and in the non-ischemic cortex. IL-1β immunoreactivity was found on endothelial cells and microglia. This study demonstrates an early bilateral expression of IL-1β on endothelium after MCA occlusion in mice.
Getting Gigascale Chips: Challenges and Opportunities in Continuing Moore’s Law

Processor performance has increased by five orders of magnitude in the last three decades, made possible by following Moore’s law - that is, continued technology scaling, improved transistor performance to increase frequency, additional (to avoid repetition) integration capacity to realize complex architectures, and reduced energy consumed per logic operation to keep power dissipation within limits. Advances in software technology, such as rich multimedia applications and runtime systems, exploited this performance explosion, delivering to end users higher productivity, seamless Internet connectivity, and even multimedia and entertainment.
An investigation of factors related to the dominance order of a herd of dairy cows of similar age and breed

The dominance value was calculated for each individual of a herd of dairy cows of similar age and breed. They were correlated with the animals' weights, heights at withers, peak yields, levels of aggression and blood compositions. A dominance order was constructed which was complex, and demonstrated many instances of individuals with low dominance values consistently beating animals placed higher in the order. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between dominance value and height at withers (P < 0.05) and a positive correlation of dominance value with the number of actively aggressive encounters initiated (P < 0.001). Smaller, more aggressive animals tended to be more dominant. The lack of correlation between dominance value and either milk yield or body weight, suggested that it was unlikely that dominant animals had a greater rate of production than subordinate animals. It was concluded that this, together with the system of management on the farm, which nullified any possible nutritional advantage for dominant individuals, were the main reasons for the lack of correlation between dominance value and the concentration of any of the blood constituents measured.
Endoscopic Transgastric Abdominal Exploration and Organ Resection: Initial Experience in a Porcine Model

Background & Aims: The evolution of flexible endoscopes and endoscopic devices has recently enabled per-oral transgastric abdominal exploration in animal models. This study was undertaken to assess the ability to systematically identify abdominopelvic organs and to determine the feasibility of organ resection via the transgastric route. Methods: Female Yorkshire pigs were used for the study. Under general anesthesia, a gastroscope was used to place a sterile overtube into the esophagus. After antibacterial lavage, the gastric wall was incised, and a sterile dual-channel endoscope was advanced into the peritoneal cavity. Endoscopic abdominal exploration was then methodically performed in 9 animals with oophorectomy and partial hysterectomy in 6 animals. The gastric incision was closed with endoclips. Of the animals that underwent organ resection, 3 were sacrificed immediately after surgery, and the subsequent 3 survived. Results: The peritoneal cavity was accessed uneventfully, and the stomach, liver, small bowel, colon, urinary bladder, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries were able to be evaluated in all cases. The gallbladder could be visualized in only 5 of the 9 animals, and retroperitoneal structures could not be consistently identified. Oophorectomy with partial hysterectomy was performed in 6 animals. The 3 animals in the survival group did well for 24 hours without sequelae. Conclusions: This study shows the ability of endoscopic transgastric peritoneal exploration to successfully identify most abdominopelvic organs and demonstrates the technical feasibility of transgastric organ resection.
THE EFFECT OF ASYMMETRIC HIGH FREQUENCY OSCILLATION (AHFO) ON THE CLEARANCE OF MECONIUM FROM THE LUNGS OF THE NEONATAL PIGLET. 1407

The mobilization and clearance of meconium from newborns with meconium aspiration syndrome may reduce morbidity and mortality. We previously demonstrated, in an in vitro system (PedRes1995;37:1365), that AHFO can successfully move meconium in an expiratory direction. To further investigate this, we applied AHFO to a neonatal piglet model of meconium aspiration. We hypothesized that AHFO would promote clearance of meconium from the piglet airway. After intratracheal bolus administration of 3 ml/kg of a 44 g% meconium mixture, the piglet was placed on IPPV for 15 to 30 minutes, stabilized, and placed in a 15° head-down tilt position. In Part I of the study, 6 piglets were randomized and placed on the SensorMedics 3100 oscillator with an I:E ratio of 30:70 (HFO) or 70:30 (AHFO), a P[horizontal bar over]a[horizontal bar over]w of 12 cm H2O, a frequency of 8 Hz, and a pressure amplitude of 45-50 cm H2O. After 30 minutes of either AHFO or HFO, the animal was crossed over to the alternate strategy for an additional 30 minutes. This was done in three cycles making the total duration of the study 2 hours. In Part II, 6 piglets were randomized to either HFO or AHFO at a MAP of 16 cm H2O and maintained on that strategy for a total of 4 hours. RESULTS: In Part I, we found PaCO2 to be higher and pH lower in piglets ventilated with AHFO (p<0.05). CO, PAP, and PVR were also higher for piglets who started on AHFO (p<0.05). There was a tendency for larger volumes of meconium to be aspirated from the airway during AHFO. In Part II, however, we found no difference in blood gases, or cardiovascular measurements between the AHFO and HFO groups. Furthermore, there was no difference in the volume of meconium recovered between groups. We conclude that AHFO at a MAP of 12 cm H2O leads to undesirable changes in blood gases and an increase in PAP and PVR. Recovery of meconium was not significantly enhanced by this ventilation strategy. At a higher MAP, AHFO caused no deterioration in blood gas parameters, but did not lead to improved meconium recovery. We conclude that AHFO is of no benefit in the treatment of MAS.
Olfactomedin-2 mediates development of the anterior central nervous system and head structures in zebrafish

Olfactomedins comprise a diverse family of secreted glycoproteins, which includes noelin, tiarin, pancortin and gliomedin, implicated in development of the nervous system, and the glaucoma-associated protein myocilin. Here we show in zebrafish that olfactomedin-2 (OM2) is a developmentally regulated gene, and that knockdown of protein expression by morpholino antisense oligonucleotides leads to perturbations of nervous system development. Interference with OM2 expression results in impaired development of branchiomotor neurons, specific disruption of the late phase branchiomotor axon guidance, and affects development of the caudal pharyngeal arches, olfactory pits, eyes and optic tectum. Effects of OM2 knockdown on eye development are likely associated with Pax6 signaling in developing eyes, as Pax6.1 and Pax6.2 mRNA expression patterns are altered in the eyes of OM2 morphants. The specific absence of most cartilaginous structures in the pharyngeal arches indicates that the observed craniofacial phenotypes may be due to perturbed differentiation of cranial neural crest cells. Our studies show that this member of the olfactomedin protein family is an important regulator of development of the anterior nervous system.
The roles of emotion dysregulation and dissociation in the association between sexual abuse and self-injury among juvenile justice-involved youth

To date, scholars have established associations among nonsuicidal self-injury and sexual abuse, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and dissociation. However, leading theoretical models of the mechanisms underlying the association between trauma and negative outcomes suggest a more parsimonious explanation in that deficits in emotion regulation may underlie these various risk factors for self-injury. This study examined whether sexual abuse was differentially associated with nonsuicidal self-injury over and above other forms of traumatic experiences and whether the association between sexual abuse and self-injury was statistically mediated by emotion dysregulation and dissociation. Participants included 525 youth (392 boys, 133 girls) recruited from the U.S. juvenile justice system who completed measures of self-reported trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress symptoms, dissociation, and emotion dysregulation. Results of a hierarchical regression demonstrated that sexual abuse predicted posttraumatic stress symp...
A user-oriented dental care model.

Abstract This paper discusses a computer oriented model of dental programs. The two major concepts incorporated into the model are the personnel involved in providing care and the type of care being provided. For user specified categories of service and various personnel configurations the model estimates personnel requirements, in terms of time and cost, and facility requirements, in terms of the number of dental chairs required. An application is given which uses these measures to compare currently established Veterans Administration dental practices, private practices and highly delegated practices.
Lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination of human IgM. Differences between 7 S IgM and 19 S IgM and between cell surface 7 S IgM and serum 7 S IgM.

Abstract We have studied the lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination of human IgM and have measured the ratio of radioactivity incorporated into the μ chain to that incorporated into the L chain (i.e. the μ L ratio). Both 7 S and 19 S IgM were examined. The ratio of radioactivity was found to be larger for 7 S IgM than for 19 S IgM for all four of the monoclonal IgM proteins examined. The data suggest that some tyrosines of the μ chain which are buried and not available for iodination in 19 S IgM become exposed on conversion of 19 S IgM to 7 S IgM. The μ L ratio for the IgM found on the cell surface of RPMI 8392 cells was significantly smaller than the ratios for all of the five 7 S IgM proteins studied in solution. It appears, therefore, that a portion of the μ chain of the cell surface IgM of the RPMI 8392 cells is buried in the membrane.
Lasers for welding and their potential in production at GE

Laser technology has been used in manufacturing in industry since the late 1960s. Industry and GE businesses have leverage laser welding for productivity gains, cost savings, and quality. The presentation will high light several laser-based welding applications, old and new. Applications will include the welding of refractory materials (e.g. Mo and Nb) for lighting products; 40 foot long fuel rods are welded with 2 kW fiber lasers for the nuclear business; head-liner welding for the diesel engine for locomotives (14 kW fiber laser replaced CO2 laser); and X-ray components are welded in a two-station 11kW fiber laser (EB welding replaced by laser). The three fiber laser applications were all transitioned into GE businesses during 2011 and it demonstrates the emergence of fiber laser welding being used in GE for manufacturing, processing.
A comprehensive look at technology transfer

Technology transfer has become a widely debated topic in recent years, particularly in the context of the international climate negotiations, and an increasingly polarizing topic between the develo...