cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ascertaining effects of nanoscale polymeric interfaces on competitive protein adsorption at the individual protein level

With the recent development of biomaterials and biodevices with reduced dimensionality, it is critical to comprehend protein adhesion processes to nanoscale solid surfaces, especially those occurring in a competitive adsorption environment. Complex sequences of adhesion events in competitive adsorption involving multicomponent protein systems have been extensively investigated, but our understanding is still limited primarily to macroscopic adhesion onto chemically simple surfaces. We examine the competitive adsorption behavior from a binary protein mixture containing bovine serum albumin and fibrinogen at the single protein level. We subsequently evaluate a series of adsorption and displacement processes occurring on both the macroscopic homopolymer and nanoscopic diblock copolymer surfaces, while systematically varying the protein concentration and incubation time. We identify the similarities and dissimilarities in competitive protein adsorption behavior between the two polymeric surfaces, the former presenting chemical uniformity at macroscale versus the latter exhibiting periodic nanointerfaces of chemically alternating polymeric segments. We then present our novel experimental finding of a large increase in the nanointerface-engaged residence time of the initially bound proteins and further explain the origin of this phenomenon manifested on nanoscale diblock copolymer surfaces. The outcomes of this study may provide timely insight into nanoscale competitive protein adsorption that is much needed in designing bioimplant and tissue engineering materials. In addition, the fundamental understanding gained from this study can be beneficial for the development of highly miniaturized biodevices and biomaterials fabricated by using nanoscale polymeric materials and interfaces.
Bargaining in the Shadow of the Administrative State: The Public Interest in Rulemaking Settlement

This article addresses problems associated with settlement of appeals of legislative rules adopted by administrative agencies. Settlement is a common and important tool for avoiding litigation, but it also raises potential problems for administrative law. In particular, to the extent that an appellate litigation posture poses a principal/agent gap, an agency's incentives to settle may lead it to abandon its public interest goals, otherwise protected by statutory mandates as well as administrative procedures. The problem is most salient when an agency agrees to a substantive policy position in a settlement, committing the agency to later implement a policy course. To the extent an agency uses the same administrative procedure to implement a settlement that was used in adopting the regulation that is the subject of an appeal, the public interest may be preserved, but agencies have many ways of avoiding administrative procedure, or affording less procedure than was afforded in the initial adoption of a rule, in implementing settlement concessions. This article discusses these issues in three parts. In part I, settlement is contrasted to negotiated regulation. Settlement, it is argued, raises a more significant principal/agent gap than other consensus approach to regulation, such as negotiated regulation. Part II addresses settlement against the backdrop of presidential transitions, during in which policy shifts are common. In the context of presidential transitions, settlement can be used by an old administration to commit a new President to a policy course, or can be used by a new administration to undo the policy decisions of an old President. While policy shifts are expected during presidential transitions, such shifts have serious consequences for administrative procedure if the new policy is implemented with less procedure than the old, abandoned policy. Part III recommends some ways of narrowing the principal/agent gap in rulemaking settlement. In particular, broad participation in settlement negotiations, as well in judicial proceedings approving settlements, is endorsed. In addition, hard look review of the merits of a settlement ex ante - at the time of the settlement's initial approval - is advocated as a way of promoting accountability.
Degradation and nano-patterning of ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) thin films with electron irradiation

P(VDF-TrFE) nanofilm is a critical component in many organic electronics. Here we report the irreversible degradation of its ferroelectricity due to medium-energy electron irradiation (<10 keV), which is commonly found in device fabrication and characterization tools. The first-order electromechanical coupling in P(VDF-TrFE) was directly measured by atomic force microscopy to study the ferroelectricity switching property. Results showed that P(VDF-TrFE) films became non-ferroelectric after metal deposition in an electron-beam evaporator or after two minutes of observation under a scanning electron microscope. Lowering the electron energy slowed down the degradation process, but 500 eV electrons were still detrimental to the film. Irradiation is believed to transform the all-trans polar phase of P(VDF-TrFE) into a non-polar state, as revealed by infrared spectroscopy. On the other hand, controlled electron irradiation allows us to create patterns on the ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) thin films at submicron spatial resolution.
Fas expression in pulmonary alveolar type II cells

Fas, a type I membrane receptor protein, transduces a signal culminating in apoptosis after binding to the Fas ligand. Information regarding the expression of Fas in nonlymphoid tissues, although limited, suggests a role for Fas in epithelial progenitor cell populations. In this paper, we provide several lines of evidence indicating that the progenitor cell of the alveolus, the type II cell, displays restricted expression of Fas. We found 1) Fas gene expression in RNA derived from fresh isolates of primary rat type II cells; 2) restriction of Fas expression to a subset of alveolar type II cells by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry of the normal mouse lung; 3) induction of apoptosis in a mouse lung type II epithelial cell line (MLE) after activation of Fas; and 4) induction of apoptosis in a subpopulation of type II cells after the intratracheal instillation of an activating anti-Fas antibody in mice. These findings suggest that Fas-dependent apoptosis is involved in regulating turnover of the alveolar epithelium.
Undergraduate Human Factors Programs: The Need, the Problems, the Outlook

Given the Human Factors Society's current interest in accreditation and certification issues, it is important to consider both undergraduate and graduate curriculums in human factors. The purpose of this paper is to develop the point that formal human factors education can begin at the undergraduate level, and to describe one undergraduate program currently offered through the Department of Psychology at Kearney State College.
Notice of release of Ramadero germplasm Spike Lovegrass: a selected class of natural germplasm

Ramadero Germplasm spike lovegrass ( Eragrostis spicata Vasey [Poaceae]) is a selected germplasm released for seed production and use in rangeland restoration and reclamation seeding associated with oil and gas exploration in South Texas. Ramadero Germplasm was developed by South Texas Natives and USDA NRCS E “Kika” de la Garza Plant Materials Center. Spike lovegrass is a warm-season, perennial bunchgrass that grows in moist prairies, swales, creeks (“ramaderos”), seasonal wetlands, and in saline and alkaline soils throughout the Rio Grande Plains, Coastal Sand Plains, and Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes of Texas. Ramadero Germplasm was collected from a native population in La Salle County, Texas. This seed source is recommended for use in native seed mixes for rangeland restoration on clay, clay loam, and saline clay ecological sites and in reclamation plantings on sites affected by oil and gas exploration in the Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas production region of Texas. Ramadero Germplasm was selected for release because of excellent comparative growth, indications of region-wide adaptation, and high seed quality when compared with other native grass species and available releases of similar plants at 3 sites within the area of intended use. This release was made in large part because of the need for native seed with natural adaptations to soil characteristics of problematic reclamation sites in the Eagle Ford region.
Effect of Sophorolipid n-Alkyl Ester Chain Length on Its Interfacial Properties at the Almond Oil-Water Interface.

Sophorolipids (SLs), produced by Candida bombicola, are of interest as potential replacements for hazardous commercial surfactants. For the first time, a series of molecularly edited SLs with ethyl (EE), n-hexyl (HE), and n-decyl (DE) esters were evaluated at an oil (almond oil)–water interface for their ability to reduce interfacial tension (IFT) and generate stable emulsions. An increase in the n-alkyl ester chain length from ethyl to hexyl resulted in a maximum % decrease in the IFT from 86.1 to 95.3, respectively. Furthermore, the critical aggregation concentrations (CACs) decreased from 0.035 to 0.011 and 0.006 mg/mL as the ester chain length was increased from ethyl to n-hexyl and n-decyl, respectively. In contrast, the CAC of natural SL, composed of 50/50 acidic and LSL, is 0.142 mg/mL. Dynamic IFT analysis showed significant differences in diffusion coefficients for all SLs studied. Almond oil emulsions with up to 200:1 (by weight) oil/SL-DE were stable against oil separation for up to 1 week with...
An Algorithm Based on Superposition Principle for Power Flow of the Weakly Meshed Distribution Network

According to the structure feature of the weakly meshed distribution network,a power flow method based on the superposition principle is proposed in this paper.The network is firstly divided into two networks based on the superposition principle:one is the pure radial network and the other is the pure meshed network.Power flows are solved respectively in the two networks,then power flow calculation is obtained by superimposition the power flows of the two networks.The back/forward sweep method are employed for power flow calculation and the algorithm process.The presented method is tested by 28 nodes system which programmed with C language.The results indicate that the proposed method can save memory and has good convergence performance and high efficiency.
Patient satisfaction with extended-interval warfarin monitoring.

Extended-interval monitoring of warfarin has been proposed to reduce follow-up burden and improve patient satisfaction. We aimed to make an initial assessment of anticoagulation satisfaction before and after an extended-interval warfarin monitoring intervention. We conducted a translational prospective single-arm pilot study of extended-interval warfarin monitoring in five pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics. Patients meeting CHEST guideline criteria for extended-interval warfarin monitoring began progressive extended-interval follow-up (6, 8, and 12 weeks thereafter). The Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale (DASS) was administered at baseline and at end-of-study or study removal (in patients no longer appropriate for extended interval follow-up). Forty-six patients had evaluable pre- and post-intervention DASS survey data. Mean age of patients was 66.5 years, 74 % were non-Hispanic whites, and 48 % were men. Patients completed a mean ± SD of 34 ± 22 weeks of follow-up. Mean ± SD total DASS score at baseline was 45.2 ± 14.2 versus 49.1 ± 14.9 at end-of-study (mean change, +3.9 [95 % CI −0.6–8.4; p = 0.09]), indicating no benefit—and trending toward decrement—to anticoagulation satisfaction. Change in anticoagulation satisfaction varied substantially following extended-interval monitoring, with no evidence of improved satisfaction. Plausible reasons for patients not preferring extended-interval monitoring include increased anxiety and disengagement from self-management activities, both potentially related to less frequent feedback and reassurance during extended interval-monitoring. Additional research is needed to identify who is likely to benefit most from extended-interval monitoring. Anticoagulation satisfaction should be considered with clinical factors and shared-decision making when implementing extended-interval warfarin monitoring.
Using Literature to Define Justice

This paper is based upon the notions that literature provides many avenues to create powerful discussions with our students, and that stories are excellent vehicles for advancing critical thoughts and eventually creating action. It also relies upon the insight that encouraging our students to speak up and speak out is a significant goal in our new international era of civic interest. Several books are discussed that are excellent examples of stories that can encourage the reader to take a stand and behave like an ’upstander’. Two classroom activities are described; Town Hall Meeting and Constructed Controversy. It is shown how they can be applied with books by Frank Asch, Sam Swope, Paul Fleischman and Martin Waddell.
Biodiversity and ecosystem services

Biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the market For many readers of this book their first encounter with the concept of ecosystem services will have been the 2005 report of the MA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005b), and their first reaction may well have been as instinctively cautious as that expressed in 2006 by Douglas McCauley, then a graduate student at Stanford University. Writing in Nature , he characterized the approach taken by the MA as “selling out on nature”: The underlying assumption is that if scientists can identify ecosystem services, quantify their economic value, and ultimately bring conservation more in synchrony with market ideologies, then the decision-makers will recognize the folly of environmental destruction and work to safeguard nature. But market-based mechanisms for conservation are not a panacea for our current conservation ills. If we mean to make significant and long-lasting gains in conservation, we must strongly assert the primacy of ethics and aesthetics in conservation. We must act quickly to redirect much of the effort now being devoted to the commodification of nature back towards instilling a love for nature in more people. (McCauley 2006) McCauley’s reaction was not wholly surprising. After all, the conviction that other species have infinite intrinsic value had been defined by Michael Soule as a quintessential feature of the field of conservation biology (Soule 1986). That conviction is one that is shared by many in the ecological sciences, and finds ready echoes in the works of the most important precursors of the field, Aldo Leopold (1949) and Alexander von Humboldt (1850). Yet the concept of ecosystem services has nothing to do with market ideologies. Nor does it imply the commodification of nature. Some ecosystem services that are important today are certainly provided through markets. Many foods, fuels, and fibers are in this category. Other services will surely be provided through markets in the future. The identification of new pharmacologically active compounds, for example, is likely to lead to the emergence of markets for the species that are the source of those compounds. But there are many ecosystem services that are not now, and never will be, provided through markets. What the concept of ecosystem services does is to give us a way of characterizing the interests that people have in their environment. Whether an ecosystem service can be provided through the market depends on its properties, and not on the fact that it is important to people.
Trimming the Smartphone Network Stack

Network transmissions are the cornerstone of most mobile apps today, and a main contributor to energy consumption. We use a componentized energy model to quantify energy use by device, and observe significant energy consumption by the CPU in network operations. We assert that optimizing network operations in the CPU can produce significant energy savings, and explore the impact of two potential approaches: one-copy data moves and offloading the network stack to the basestation.
Improving HVAC operational efficiency in small-and medium-size commercial buildings

Abstract Studies have shown that managing the setpoints and schedules of rooftop units (RTUs; air-conditioners and heat pumps) will result in up to 20% energy and cost savings. Another problem associated with RTUs is short cycling, i.e., when an RTU goes through ON and OFF cycles too frequently. Excessive cycling can result in decreased average efficiency (up to 10%), even if there are no physical failures in the equipment. Many small- and medium-size commercial buildings (SMBs) use rudimentary controls that are mostly manual and have limited scheduling capability and no monitoring or failure management. Therefore, many of these buildings are operated inefficiently and unnecessarily consume excess energy. SMBs typically use packaged RTUs that are controlled by individual thermostats. Ensuring the correct use of the zone setpoint and eliminating too frequent cycling of RTUs, thereby leading to persistent building operations, can significantly increase the operational efficiency of the SMBs. The work reported in this paper describes two algorithms for detecting the zone setpoint temperature and RTU cycling rate that can be deployed on low-cost infrastructure. These algorithms only require zone temperature data for detection without any additional sensor installation or supervised learning. The algorithms have been tested and validated using field data from 24 RTUs from six buildings in different climate locations. Overall, the algorithms were successful in accurately detecting the setpoints and ON/OFF cycles.
SYNTHESIS OF POLYETHER ANTIBIOTICS. ADJACENT AND REMOTE ASYMMETRIC INDUCTION VIA CYCLIC HYDROBORATION

Abstract It is shown that boranes may be used to hydroborate a number of acyclic 1,3-, 1,4- and 1,5-dienes to give diols in which high degrees of 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4- and 1,5-asymmetric induction are produced. The results are consistent with an intramolecular 4-membered cyclic transition state for the second hydroboration. Product distributions were measured by 13CMR and stereochemical assignments were made by alternative syntheses of diastereomerically pure materials. The utility of the method is illustrated by stereoselective syntheses of the Prelog-Djerassi lactonic acid, a naturally-occurring dihydromyoporone and the vitamin E sidechain.
“Aging in Displacement: Urban Revitalization and Puerto Rican Elderhood in Chicago”

Displacement has marked the individual and collective lives of Puerto Ricans in Chicago, especially those who migrated in the 1950s and 1960s. For these older persons, the arrival of the gentry and the yuppies of yesterday, the hipsters of today, and the disappearance of familiar faces in their current neighborhoods are not new phenomena, but rather parts of a profoundly familiar process. They came of age in displacement. Today some Puerto Rican older adults have achieved housing security and are able to age in place because they live in low-income senior housing. Yet a sense of displacement still looms large in their daily lives with the upscaling of and new-build gentrification in their current neighborhood. This work sheds light on the meaning of place for older adult Puerto Ricans who have experienced what psychiatrist and urban studies scholar Mindy T. Fullilove calls a history of “serial displacement.” Through life history narratives and ethnographic snapshots, this paper highlights the neglected reality of “aging in displacement,” or the experience of growing up and growing older in a context of repeated socio-spatial dislocation and how individual and collective life histories of community upheaval texture the spatial and social meanings of place.
The impact of a simplified documentation method for the Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain (ECS-CP) on clinician utilization.

e21625Background: The use of standardized pain classification systems such as the ECS-CP can assist in the assessment and management of cancer pain. However, its completion has been limited due to ...
The Ovarian Granulosa Cell as a Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Target Tissue

The ovarian follicle is the basic functional unit of the ovary, and is comprised of an outer layer of theca cells, separated by a basement membrane from the inner layer of granulosa cells, which in turn surround the oocyte-cumulus cell complex. In response to the pituitary gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and prolactin (PRL), the follicle is able to differentiate with regard to steroidogenesis and hormone receptor induction, as well as to produce a fertilizable ovum and adequate corpus luteum. The key anterior pituitary glycoprotein in the initiation of follicular maturation and granulosa cell differentiation is FSH. During reproductive life, FSH is released in an orchestrated cyclic fashion subject to endocrine control.
Neighborhood Factors and Urinary Metabolites of Nicotine, Phthalates, and Dichlorobenzene.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Exposures to environmental chemicals are ubiquitous in the US. Little is known about how neighborhood factors contribute to exposures. METHODS: Growing Up Healthy is a prospective cohort study of environmental exposures and growth and development among Hispanic and African American children ( n = 506) in New York City. We sought to determine associations between neighborhood-level factors (eg, housing type, school, time spent indoors versus outdoors) and urinary biomarkers of chemical exposures suspected to be associated with these characteristics (cotinine, 2,5-dichlorophenol, and phthalate metabolites) adjusted by age, sex, race, and caregiver education and language. RESULTS: Urinary cotinine concentrations revealed a prevalent exposure to secondhand smoke; children living in public housing had higher concentrations than those in private housing. In homes with 1 smoker versus none, we found significant differences in urinary cotinine concentrations by housing, although not in homes with 2 or more smokers. Children in charter or public schools had higher urinary cotinine concentrations than those in private schools. School type was associated with exposures to both low- and high-molecular-weight phthalates, and concentrations of both exposure biomarkers were higher for children attending public versus private school. 2,5-Dichlorophenol concentrations declined from 2004 to 2007 ( P = .038) and were higher among charter school children. CONCLUSIONS: Housing and school type are associated with chemical exposures in this minority, inner city population. Understanding the role of neighborhood on environmental exposures can lead to targeted community-level interventions, with the goal of reducing environmental chemical exposures disproportionately seen in urban minority communities.
Building a smart city: lessons from Barcelona

Smart Internet-based infrastructure is one thing but will be ignored without the public's continuing engagement.
Resource Management and Deadlock Avoidance

The management and safe allocation of finite resources is one of the primary concerns for the supervision of discrete event systems. Section 6.1 shows how plant models can be easily and automatically modified to include these finite resource constraints using invariant based controllers.
Intensive, functional training leads to optimal outcomes in a young woman post brain stem hemorrhage due to cerebral cavernous malformation.

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) can cause intracranial hemorrhages and account for 5–15% of all cerebral vascular malformations. The purpose of this retrospective case report is to describe...
Genome Structure and Chromosome Function

Aneuploidy refers to the loss or gain of individual chromosomes or loss of a portion of an individual chromosome from the normal chromosome set. The resulting gene-dosage imbalance may or may not noticeably affect phenotype. Although its phenotypic manifestations are usually apparent, information about the underlying alterations in structure, expression, and interphase organization of unbalanced chromosome sets is still sparse. Aneuploidy is the most common chromosomal aberration in plants, and aneuploids are valuable for the study of chromosome evolution, phenotypic manifestation of chromosome loss or gain, and mapping genes and genome. Breeding programs intended to transfer desirable genes from one species to another produce addition lines as intermediate crossing products. Such aneuploids can be used for further introgression, but their abnormal recombination and segregation interfere with production of stable introgression lines. They can have specific morphological characteristics, but more often additional confirmation is needed. Their genetic and cytogenetic properties make them powerful tools for fundamental research on regulation of homeologous recombination, distribution of chromosome-specific markers and repetitive DNA sequences, and regulation of heterologous gene expression. Recent advancements and availability of genomic resources have widened the scope for their use. They make possible assignment of individual linkage groups to specific chromosomes and can improve identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and underlying DNA components/sequences.
Something from Nothing or Nothing from Something? Performance-Enhancing Drugs, Risk, and the Natures of Contest and of Humans

In this undertaking, I examine enhanced performance in athletic competitions from an Aretic perspective—a philosophical view of competitive sport, which draws heavily from the virtue-based accounts of Aristotle and of the Stoics. Focusing on performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), I analyze potential both for harm done to sport and for harm done to athletes. In the first part, I look at PEDs and their potential for harm to sport, independently of the issue of potential harm to individuals. Examining the nature of sport, I argue that sanction of the use of PEDs would not cause harm to sport. Though their use would seem to give athletes using them something for nothing, there seems to be nothing philosophically objectionable to something for nothing. In the second part, I look at use of PEDs and their potential for harm to individuals. Examining human nature from the Aretic viewpoint I commend, I argue that PEDs ought not to be sanctioned. On the one hand, given our current state of knowledge pertaining to their potential for harm to individuals, they are significantly dangerous. On the other hand, PEDs offer athletes who take them not a something-for-nothing, but a nothing-for-something exchange.
The Production of Crayfish Tailflip Escape Responses

Crayfish escape from potentially serious threats to life and limb by means of powerful flexions of their abdomens, which thrust the animal through the water away from danger. Aspects of the behavioral and neural analysis of this tailflip escape behavior are the subject of this essay. Since a comprehensive and systematic treatment of the same topic has recently been published in The Biology of Crustacea, Vol. 4 (Wine and Krasne, 1982), we here emphasize recent advances and discuss interpretations of them.
Linked Data Technologies and What Libraries Have Accomplished So Far

For the past ten years libraries have been working diligently towards Linked Data and the Semantic Web. Due to the complexity and vast scope of Linked Data, many people have a hard time to understand its technical details and its potential for the library community. This paper aims to help librarians better understand some important concepts by explaining the basic Linked Data technologies that consist of Resource Description Framework (RDF), the ontology, and the query language. It also includes an overview of the achievements by libraries around the world in their efforts to turn library data into Linked Data including those by Library of Congress, OCLC, and some other national libraries. Some of the challenges and setbacks that libraries have encountered are analyzed and discussed. In spite of the difficulties, there is no way to turn back. Libraries will have to succeed.
Predictive Control with Variable Delays in Plasma Insulin Action for Artificial Pancreas

Uncertain delays in the absorption, distribution, and utilization of insulin can cause model inconsistencies and poor glycemic control performance. To address this problem, an adaptive system identification approach able to handle the variable delays in the insulin pharmacokinetics is integrated in this work with a predictive control formulation to explicitly consider the plasma insulin concentration, which facilitates the designed controller to constrain the insulin concentration in the bloodstream. Adaptive models and the estimation of the insulin absorption and utilization rates improve the model predictions and control performance, and the efficacy of the proposed model predictive control algorithm handling the uncertain delays in insulin action is demonstrated using simulation case studies.
Service Life of Geosynthetics in Hazardous Waste Management Facilities

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that flexible membrane liners are the most practical way of minimizing pollutant releases from hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. Other geosynthetic products including geotextiles, geonets, and plastic pipes are being used to construct leachate collection, detection, and removal systems. Geosynthetics are also being used in cover systems to minimize the infiltration of water into the waste management unit. Although geosynthetics have recognized durability aspects, it is necessary to know more about the aging characteristics of polymeric materials as they function in modern waste disposal environments. To answer this question, the EPA held an ad hoc meeting in 1987 to determine if conclusions could be reached on the service life of geosynthetics and where, if any, were the data gaps. To help address the issue, representatives from polymer manufacturers, the engineering profession, and research fields were assembled to provide insight to the problem. This paper discusses the consensus report developed as a result of that meeting. Specific areas that were discussed include chemical, mechanical, and biological stresses that may be encountered by geosynthetics in waste management facilities. The report concluded that currently used polymeric materials in waste management facilities do not encounter degradation conditions for the base polymer, and that these base polymers should last hundreds of years. However, inappropriate applications can lead to premature failures.
Disrupting Perspectives on Civic Education for Children and Youth in a Multicultural Society

In November 2016, the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) and Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) cofacilitated an Education Summit with eminent scholars to develop a shared plan of action com...
The pointwise Hölder spectrum of general self-affine functions on an interval

Abstract This paper gives the pointwise Holder (or multifractal) spectrum of continuous functions on the interval [ 0 , 1 ] whose graph is the attractor of an iterated function system consisting of r ≥ 2 affine maps on R 2 . These functions satisfy a functional equation of the form ϕ ( a k x + b k ) = c k x + d k ϕ ( x ) + e k , for k = 1 , 2 , … , r and x ∈ [ 0 , 1 ] . They include the Takagi function, the Riesz-Nagy singular functions, Okamoto's functions, and many other well-known examples. It is shown that the multifractal spectrum of ϕ is given by the multifractal formalism when | d k | ≥ | a k | for at least one k, but the multifractal formalism may fail otherwise, depending on the relationship between the shear parameters c k and the other parameters. In the special case when a k > 0 for every k, an exact expression is derived for the pointwise Holder exponent at any point. These results extend recent work by the author (2018) [1] and Dubuc (2018) [6] .
Androgen receptor knockout in ovarian theca cells results in altered steroidogenesis in diestrous female mice

Approximately one out of ten women experience polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS women exhibit hyperandrogenemia, oligo- or anovulation, and polycystic ovarian follicles. Females who exhibit ...
Convolutional and generative adversarial neural networks in manufacturing

Manufacturing is undergoing transformation driven by the developments in process technology, information technology, and data science. A future manufacturing enterprise will be highly digital. This...
Behavior and influencing factors of HIV infection among men who have sex with men only and men who have sex with both men and women in Shandong province

Objective: This study aimed to examine the demographic characteristics, HIV related knowledge and behavior, correlates of bisexual behavior and status of HIV infection among men who have sex with men only (MSMO) and men who have sex with both men and women (MSMW) in Shandong province. Methods: According to the requirements from "National HIV/AIDS sentinel surveillance program" , a cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect information on demographics, sexual and drug use behaviors, and HIV-related services among MSM in nine sentinel surveillance sites from April to July in 2018. Blood samples were drawn for serological tests on both HIV and syphilis antibodies. Results: A total of 3 474 participants were included in this study. Related information on these participants would include: average age as (31.66±9.01) years; 35.06% (1 218) married or cohabiting with a woman, 50.52% (1 755) had college or higher education, 80.11% (2 783) self-identified as gays and 14.22% (494) self-identified as bisexual men,16.87% (586) ever having sex with woman in the past 6 months, 10.51% (365) ever using drugs. HIV and syphilis prevalence rates were 2.99% (104/3 474) and 2.76%(96/3 474). Through multivariable logistic models, MSMW were more likely to be ≥35 years of age, local residents, self-identified as heterosexual/bisexual/uncertain, ever having commercial sex with man but less likely to consistently use condoms in the past 6 months, less using internet/dating software to find male sex partners and less using drugs. There was no significant differences noticed in the following areas: number of sexual partners in the last week, condom use in the last six months with commercial sex partners, with HIV or syphilis infection and self-reported history of STD in the past year between MSMO and MSMW (P>0.05). HIV-infected MSM were more likely to have the following features, ≥45 years of age, non-local residents, finding male sex partners from the bothhouses, park/toilets or from the internet/dating software, also less likely to consistently use condoms in the past 6 months, using drugs or with syphilis infection. Conclusions: High prevalence of bisexual behavior as well as higher risk of HIV infection were noticed among MSM in Shandong province. It is important to strengthen related surveillance and effective intervention programs for MSM with different characteristics in Shandong province.
Changes in Sleep Duration and Timing During the Middle-to-High School Transition.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of the study was to quantify changes in sleep during the middle-to-high school transition and determine if changes in sleep differ by sociodemographic characteristics. Methods Adolescents were enrolled in eighth grade and followed into ninth grade (N = 110; 2,470 nights observed). The outcomes were actigraphy-estimated sleep duration, sleep onset, sleep offset, and sleep sufficiency (≥8 hours of sleep). The exposures were school grade (eighth or ninth), school night status (school or nonschool), sex (female or male), and race (white, black, or other). Results On school nights, sleep duration declined by 25.8 minutes per night (p Conclusions Insufficient sleep is highly prevalent, especially on school nights and among male and black adolescents, and this problem worsens with the transition to high school.
Novel molecular resources to facilitate future genetics research on freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae)

Molecular data have been an integral tool in the resolution of the evolutionary relationships and systematics of freshwater mussels, despite the limited number of nuclear markers available for Sanger sequencing. To facilitate future studies, we evaluated the phylogenetic informativeness of loci from the recently published anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE) probe set Unioverse and developed novel Sanger primer sets to amplify two protein-coding nuclear loci with high net phylogenetic informativeness scores: fem-1 homolog C (FEM1) and UbiA prenyltransferase domain-containing protein 1 (UbiA). We report the methods used for marker development, along with the primer sequences and optimized PCR and thermal cycling conditions. To demonstrate the utility of these markers, we provide haplotype networks, DNA alignments, and summary statistics regarding the sequence variation for the two protein-coding nuclear loci (FEM1 and UbiA). Additionally, we compare the DNA sequence variation of FEM1 and UbiA to three loci commonly used in freshwater mussel genetic studies: the mitochondrial genes cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1), and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1). All five loci distinguish among the three focal species (Potamilus fragilis, Potamilus inflatus, and Potamilus purpuratus), and the sequence variation was highest for ND1, followed by CO1, ITS1, UbiA, and FEM1, respectively. The newly developed Sanger PCR primers and methodologies for extracting additional loci from AHE probe sets have great potential to facilitate molecular investigations targeting supraspecific relationships in freshwater mussels, but may be of limited utility at shallow taxonomic scales.
Competitive Online Convex Optimization With Switching Costs and Ramp Constraints

We investigate competitive online algorithms for online convex optimization (OCO) problems with linear in-stage costs, switching costs and ramp constraints. While OCO problems have been extensively studied in the literature, there are limited results on the corresponding online solutions that can attain small competitive ratios. We first develop a powerful computational framework that can compute an optimized competitive ratio based on the class of affine policies. Our computational framework can handle a fairly general class of costs and constraints. Compared with other competitive results in the literature, a key feature of our proposed approach is that it can handle scenarios where infeasibility may arise due to hard feasibility constraints. Second, we design a robustification procedure to produce an online algorithm that can attain good performance for both average-case and worst-case inputs. We conduct a case study on Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) orchestration and scaling to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods.
Serious Games in STEM: Online Collaborative Design of a Lunar Simulator

Development logs and video game streaming can be used as a tool to improve the quality of student projects and create a high-quality product that can be utilized by a general audience for STEM engagement purposes. University of Baltimore’s Lunar Surface navigation simulator was designed to fulfill NASA SUITS 2021 challenge requirements. Our goal was to design a user interface that could help lost individuals navigate through unknown terrain while using augmented reality. Participants were prompted to explore a virtual world using a menu designed for augmented reality technology and later leave feedback to help our team refine the design. This experience shows how the effort associated with collecting feedback through live streaming and remote user testing can lead students to have an improved educational experience and produce a high-quality final product.
Genetic testing in ambulatory cardiology clinics reveals high rate of findings with clinical management implications.

Purpose Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in adults in the United States, yet the benefits of genetic testing are not universally accepted. Methods We developed the "HeartCare" panel of genes associated with CVD, evaluating high-penetrance Mendelian conditions, coronary artery disease (CAD) polygenic risk, LPA gene polymorphisms, and specific pharmacogenetic (PGx) variants. We enrolled 709 individuals from cardiology clinics at Baylor College of Medicine, and samples were analyzed in a CAP/CLIA-certified laboratory. Results were returned to the ordering physician and uploaded to the electronic medical record. Results Notably, 32% of patients had a genetic finding with clinical management implications, even after excluding PGx results, including 9% who were molecularly diagnosed with a Mendelian condition. Among surveyed physicians, 84% reported medical management changes based on these results, including specialist referrals, cardiac tests, and medication changes. LPA polymorphisms and high polygenic risk of CAD were found in 20% and 9% of patients, respectively, leading to diet, lifestyle, and other changes. Warfarin and simvastatin pharmacogenetic variants were present in roughly half of the cohort. Conclusion Our results support the use of genetic information in routine cardiovascular health management and provide a roadmap for accompanying research.
Thermoelastic Determination of Individual Stresses in a Diametrally Loaded Disk

: In a cyclically loaded structure which experiences adiabatic and reversible conditions, the measured change in temperature is associated with the change in the stresses. For proportional loading and isotropy, the technique measures information on the sum of the principal stresses. As engineering analyses frequently necessitate knowing the individual components of stress, supplementary experimental methods or information is sometimes required to ‘separate the stresses’. This need is circumvented here in that individual stresses are evaluated throughout a loaded disk without additional measured data by hybridising the TSA information with an Airy stress function and some known boundary conditions. Although demonstrated here to a circular aluminium disk under diametral compression, the approach is applicable to more complicated shapes, under more complex loadings and inverse problems. The technique does not pre-suppose knowing the details. While TSA information has been displayed previously for a loaded disk, the authors are unaware of the stresses being thermoelastically separated for this case.
Differential recognition of ACE inhibitors in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing rat PEPT1 and PEPT2.

Purpose. To examine the mechanism of inhibition of glycylsarcosine(GlySar) transport by quinapril and enalapril, and whether or notangiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are transported by PEPT2as well as by PEPT1.
Effect of Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, Initial Cell Count, and Sugar Concentration on the Viability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Rapid Fermentations

By using 7 x 10(8) cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae per ml with which 25 degrees Brix honey solutions were fermented to 9.5% (wt/vol; 12% vol/vol) ethanol in 2.5 to 3 h at 30 C, i.e., rapid fermentation, the death rate was found to be high, with only 2.1% of the yeast cells surviving at the end of 3 h under anaerobic conditions. As the dissolved oxygen in the medium was increased from 0 to 13 to 20 to 100% in rapid fermentations at 30 C, there was a progressive increase in the percentage of cells surviving. The ethanol production rate and total were not seriously affected by a dissolved oxygen concentration of 13%, but fermentation was retarded by 20% dissolved oxygen and still further decreased as the dissolved oxygen content reached 100%. When the fermentation temperature was decreased to 15 C (at 13% dissolved oxygen), the rate of fermentation decreased, and the fermentation time to 9.5% ethanol (wt/vol) increased to 6 h. It was found that the higher the temperature between 15 and 30 C, the greater the rate of death as initial cell counts were increased from 1.1 x 10(7) to 7.8 x 10(8) cells per ml. At the lowest level of inoculum, 1.1 x 10(7) cells per ml, there was actual multiplication, even at 30 C; however, the fermentation was no longer rapid. The addition of 15% sugar, initially followed after an hour by the remaining 10%, or addition of the sugar in increments of 2.5 or 5% yielded a better survival rate of yeast cells than when the fermentation was initiated with 25% sugar.
The logic of events

An event space is a set of instantaneous events that vary both in time and specificity. The concept of an event space provides a foundation for a logical – i.e., modular and open – approach to causal reasoning. In this article, we propose intuitively transparent axioms for event spaces. These axioms are constructive in the intuitionistic sense, and hence they can be used directly for causal reasoning in any computational logical framework that accommodates type theory. We also put the axioms in classical form and show that in this form they are adequate for the representation in terms of event trees established by Shafer l40r using stronger axioms.
An Intellectual History of the Spatial Semantic Hierarchy

The Spatial Semantic Hierarchy and its predecessor the TOUR model are theories of robot and human commonsense knowledge of large-scale space: the cognitive map. The focus of these theories is on how spatial knowledge is acquired from experience in the environment, and how it can be used effectively in spite of being incomplete and sometimes incorrect.
A Methodology for Training International Space Station Crews to Respond to On-Orbit Emergencies

Most spaceflight crewmembers agree that emergency training is among the most important training they receive. If an emergency event occurs on-orbit crewmembers want to be able to rely on a thorough and proficient knowledge of emergency operations and procedures. The inherent complexity of ISS and the international nature of the onboard operations have resulted in emergency procedures that are complex by any measure; as a result, a very robust apparatus has been developed to give crewmembers initial training on emergency procedures and ensure proficiency up to (and even after) launch. One of the most important aspects of complex onboard operations in general, and emergency operations specifically, is learning how to coordinate roles and responsibilities with fellow crewmembers. A primary goal of NASA s emergency training program is to allow the crewmembers who will actually be together on-orbit to practice executing the emergency responses together before they fly. As with any operation that includes the use of software and hardware, the fidelity of the simulation environment is a critical element to successful training. The NASA training division has spent considerable time and effort to develop a simulator that addresses the most important aspects of emergency response, working within very difficult space and budgetary constraints.
The modal expansion ABC and its comparison with the Bayliss-Turkel ABC [EM scattering]

A new local ABC (absorbing boundary condition) is derived using modal expansion basis functions. These basis functions are the heart of the transfinite element method. They provide better results than the Bayliss-Turkel ABC when the boundary is close to the scatterer. Also, the final matrices that they generate are symmetric and the boundary conditions may be applied to both circular and noncircular boundaries. Numerical results are presented. >