cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Personal Income Tax Reform and Revenue Potential in Transitional Economies: Bulgaria

SUMMARY This paper utilizes the 1992household budget survey ofBulgaria to show the poorrevenue effects of the incometax structure prevailing in 1992which did not take into accountthe underlying distribution ofincome. We also show thatBulgaria can benefit from amuch simpler and lower incometax structure than the one whichprevailed in 1992, providingcounterfactual calculations ofpotential revenues of alterativetax structures. Two types ofalternative tax structures areexplored, each in two differentvariants: a flat income tax rate,and a progressive, but simplerthree-bracket rate system, bothwith higher exemption, andtherefore protection for thepoor. Our calculations show thateach of these alternative systemswould have been more efficientin terms of potential revenues,while increasing the protectionto the poor through increasingexemption for poor households,i.e., a revenue-enhancing andredistributive tax reform.In the event, the actual taxchanges since 1992 have,however, moved Bulgaria awayfrom the 1992 system and evenfurther from the proposedsimple income tax systems: thenumber of brackets and rateswas increased significantly,while the exemption level forthe poor remained unchanged.This is almost certain tocomplicateadministration and enforcement,and provide powerful additionalincentives for personal incometax evasion in Bulgaria.Therefore, there is an urgentneed to rethink the system ofpersonal income tax in terms ofits objectives and effects. Ouranalysis demonstrates thatconsideration of alternative taxstructure must take into accountthe underlying distribution ofincome. The analysis is alsopotentially relevant to othertransitional economies withincome distribution and thestructure of income tax ratessimilar to that of Bulgaria."Steeply progressive rates have no place in awelldesigned income tax in developing countries."Bird, 1992, p. 95
Analysis of Debris Trajectories at the Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) Facility

Sandia National Laboratories operates the Scaled Wind Farm Technology Facility (SWiFT) on behalf of the Department of Energy Wind and Water Power Technologies Office. An analysis was performed to evaluate the hazards associated with debris thrown from one of SWiFT’s operating wind turbines, assuming a catastrophic failure. A Monte Carlo analysis was conducted to assess the complex variable space associated with debris throw hazards that included wind speed, wind direction, azimuth and pitch angles of the blade, and percentage of the blade that was separated. In addition, a set of high fidelity explicit dynamic finite element simulations were performed to determine the threshold impact energy envelope for the turbine control building located on-site. Assuming that all of the layered, independent, passive and active engineered safety systems and administrative procedures failed (a 100% failure rate of the safety systems), the likelihood of the control building being struck was calculated to be less than 5/10,000 and ballistic simulations showed that the control building would not provide passive protection for the majority of impact scenarios. Although options exist to improve the ballistic resistance of the control building, the recommendation is not to pursue them because there is a low probability of strike andmore » there is an equal likelihood personnel could be located at similar distances in other areas of the SWiFT facility which are not passively protected, while the turbines are operating. A fenced exclusion area has been created around the turbines which restricts access to the boundary of the 1/100 strike probability. The overall recommendation is to neither relocate nor improve passive protection of the control building as the turbine safety systems have been improved to have no less than two independent, redundant, high quality engineered safety systems. Considering this, in combination with a control building strike probability of less than 5/10,000, the overall probability of turbine debris striking the control building is less than 1/1,000,000.« less
On colliding spherical flames: Morphology, corner dynamics, and flame-generated vorticity

Abstract The collision of two identical spherical flames was studied for its relevance in flame interactions in various practical situations including those within turbulent flames. Experimentally, premixtures of fuel (H 2 , C 3 H 8 ) and oxidizer were ignited by two synchronized sparks in a closed chamber under atmospheric pressure, with the subsequent flame-front evolution tracked by a Schlieren system with high-speed camera, as well as computationally simulated. Results show that development of the morphology of flame collision can be distinguished in three stages: independent propagation, strong interaction with flattened interfaces, and corner dynamics after merging of the interfaces. It is further demonstrated that propagation of the flame corner is controlled by the interacting mechanisms of preferential diffusion and kinematic restoration, that vorticity of considerable strength is generated downstream of the corner flame segment, and that the kinetic energy of the flame-generated vorticity is substantial as compared to those of the Kolmogorov eddies such that it could have strong influence on the turbulence energy spectrum and flame burning rate.
Finite Element and Mechanical Modeling of Fatigue Behavior of Partial Vapor-Conditioned Viscoelastic Material

Past studies have shown that vapor conditioning to 100% Relative Humidity (RH) reduces the fatigue life of viscoelastic materials such as asphalt binder. However, it is not known how partial vapor conditions such as RH 25%, 49%, and 71% affect asphalt binder’s fatigue behavior. In addition, it is unknown which viscoelastic material parameter (i.e. viscus or elastic parameter) is responsible for damage in asphalt binder or Asphalt Concrete (AC) in general and what steps can be taken to reduce fatigue damage. In this study, films of asphalt binders were prepared and partially vapor-conditioned in enclosed chambers containing potassium acetate (25% RH), potassium carbonate (49% RH), and sodium chloride solutions (71% RH). Creep nanoindentation tests were performed on the vapor-conditioned asphalt film samples. The nano-creep test data are fitted using Burgers models. The Burgers model shows that elasticity increases and viscosity decreases as RH% increases. To this end, a Finite Element Method (FEM) model is developed in ABAQUS to examine the fatigue performance of the asphalt binder at 49% vapor-conditioned only. Using the spring and dashpot elements of Burgers model as FEM inputs, simulations are run. Results indicate that an increase in binder viscosity would reduce permanent deformation in the viscoelastic material.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Ritalin Dose Response Effect on Medial Prefrontal Cortex and on Animal Behavior

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in complex planning, learning, memory, attention and integrates sensory information. It was reported that the PFC was dysfunctional in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methylphenidate (MPD), a drug often prescribed for the treatment of ADHD, has potential for abuse and misuse. Most MPD studies were completed in adult subjects; however, most users were adolescents. The objective of this study was to investigate the acute and chronic dose response characteristics of MPD on PFC neuronal activity recorded in freely behaving adolescent rats. Four groups of animals were used: saline (control), 0.6, 2.5, and 10 mg/kg MPD. Acute MPD elicited a dose response increase in animals’ locomotor activity. Rechallenge with MPD at experimental day (ED10) when compared to the effect of MPD at ED1 showed no significant differences. When the animals were divided into two groups based on their individual responses to chronic MPD exposure, some animals expressed behavioral tolerance and some expressed behavioral sensitization. Electrophysiologically, a dose response characteristic for acute and chronic MPD exposure was observed. With increasing MPD doses, more PFC units responded by changing their firing rate. Moreover, the neuronal responses to chronic MPD recorded from animals expressing behavioral tolerance were significantly different compared to the neuronal population responses recorded from animals expressing behavioral sensitization. The majority of the PFC units recorded from animals expressing behavioral tolerance responded to MPD predominately by decreasing their firing rates, whereas PFC units recorded from behaviorally sensitized animals mainly showed an increase in their firing rates.
P-002 YI First Dose IgE-Mediated Allergy to Infliximab Due to Galactose-α-1,3-Galactose Allergy

Background:Mammalian meat allergy is an IgE antibody-mediated response to a mammalian oligosaccharide epitope galactose-α-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal). Anaphylaxis may occur after patients bitten by a lone star tick develop IgE antibodies to alpha-gal and are re-exposed to the same epitope following in
Syndromes of Constitutional Hyperbilirubinemia

The diagnosis of intermittent mild chronic jaundice of obscure origin may be difficult in the patient who has nonspecific complaints in the absence of clinical, laboratory or histologic evidence of progressive liver disease. The Gilbert, Dubin-Johnson, Rotor and Crigler-Najjar syndromes are the principal entities found in constitutional nonhemolytic hyperbilirubinemia and should be considered in the differential diagnosis. The typical clinical picture, laboratory and accessory findings, histologic features of liver biopsy, cause, therapy and prognosis of each syndrome are discussed.
Readily accessible multifunctional fluorous emulsions

Strategies for the facile fabrication of nanoscale materials and devices represent an increasingly important challenge for chemists. Here, we report a simple, one-pot procedure for the formation of perfluorocarbon emulsions with defined functionalization. The fluorous core allows for small molecules containing a fluorous tail to be stabilized inside the emulsions. The emulsions can be formed using a variety of hydrophilic polymers resulting in an array of sizes (90 nm to >1 micron) and surface charges (−95 mV to 65 mV) of fluid particles. The surface of the emulsions can be further functionalized, covalently or non-covalently, through in situ or post-emulsion modification. The total preparation time is 30 minutes or less from commercially available reagents without specialized equipment. We envision these emulsions to be applicable to both biological and materials systems.
The structure and duplex context of DNA interstrand crosslinks affects the activity of DNA polymerase η

Several important anti-tumor agents form DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), but their clinical efficiency is counteracted by multiple complex DNA repair pathways. All of these pathways require unhooking of the ICL from one strand of a DNA duplex by nucleases, followed by bypass of the unhooked ICL by translesion synthesis (TLS) polymerases. The structures of the unhooked ICLs remain unknown, yet the position of incisions and processing of the unhooked ICLs significantly influence the efficiency and fidelity of bypass by TLS polymerases. We have synthesized a panel of model unhooked nitrogen mustard ICLs to systematically investigate how the state of an unhooked ICL affects pol η activity. We find that duplex distortion induced by a crosslink plays a crucial role in translesion synthesis, and length of the duplex surrounding an unhooked ICL critically affects polymerase efficiency. We report the synthesis of a putative ICL repair intermediate that mimics the complete processing of an unhooked ICL to a single crosslinked nucleotide, and find that it provides only a minimal obstacle for DNA polymerases. Our results raise the possibility that, depending on the structure and extent of processing of an ICL, its bypass may not absolutely require TLS polymerases.
Comparison of Desert-Adapted Helianthus niveus (Benth.) Brandegee ssp. tephrodes (A. Gray) Heiser to Cultivated H. annuus L. for Putative Drought Avoidance Traits at Two Ontogenetic Stages

Water availability is a major factor limiting plant productivity in both natural and agronomic systems. Identifying putative drought resistance traits in crops and their wild relatives may be useful for improving crops grown under water-limiting conditions. Here, we tested the expectation that a desert-dwelling sunflower species, Helianthus niveus ssp. tephrodes (TEPH) would exhibit root and leaf traits consistent with greater ability to avoid drought than cultivated sunflower H. annuus (ANN) in a common garden environment. We compared TEPH and ANN at both the seedling and mature stages under well-watered greenhouse conditions. For traits assessed at the seedling stage, TEPH required a longer time to reach a rooting depth of 30 cm than ANN, and the two species did not differ in root:total biomass ratio at 30 cm rooting depth, contrary to expectations. For traits assessed at the mature stage, TEPH had a higher instantaneous water use efficiency and photosynthetic rate on a leaf area basis, but a lower photosynthetic rate on a mass basis than ANN, likely due to TEPH having thicker, denser leaves. Contrary to expectations, ANN and TEPH did not differ in leaf instantaneous stomatal conductance, integrated water-use efficiency estimated from carbon isotope ratio, or nitrogen concentration. However, at both the seedling and mature stages, TEPH exhibited a lower normalized difference vegetative index than ANN, likely due to the presence of dense leaf pubescence that could reduce heat load and transpirational water loss under drought conditions. Thus, although TEPH root growth and biomass allocation traits under well-watered conditions do not appear to be promising for improvement of cultivated sunflower, TEPH leaf pubescence may be promising for breeding for drought-prone, high radiation environments.
Unofficial Actors in the Policy Process

Diane Wilson, a fourth-generation shrimper, had a life-changing experience in 1989 after she read a newspaper story about her native Calhoun County, Texas. The article reported on a study that Calhoun was one of the most polluted areas in the country due to the illegal practices of Formosa Plastics, a major multinational corporation.1 With this information, Wilson decided to act in order to protect her community; she founded the Calhoun County Resource Watch (CCRW) to stop Formosa from discharging toxins into the Gulf of Mexico.
Visualization of chicken embryo heart motion

We present a geometric surface parameterisation algorithm and multiple visualisation techniques (cross-sectional area and shape change, peristaltic motion, stress/strain, volume change, surface cur...
Changes in Postacute Care in the Medicare Shared Savings Program

Importance Postacute care is thought to be a major source of wasteful spending. The extent to which accountable care organizations (ACOs) can limit postacute care spending has implications for the importance and design of other payment models that include postacute care. Objective To assess changes in postacute care spending and use of postacute care associated with provider participation as ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and the pathways by which they occurred. Design, Setting, and Participants With the use of fee-for-service Medicare claims from a random 20% sample of beneficiaries with 25 544 650 patient-years, 8 395 426 hospital admissions, and 1 595 352 stays in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2014, difference-in-difference comparisons of beneficiaries served by ACOs with beneficiaries served by local non-ACO health care professionals (control group) were performed before vs after entry into the MSSP. Differential changes were estimated separately for cohorts of ACOs entering the MSSP in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Exposures Patient attribution to an ACO in the MSSP. Main Outcomes and Measures Postacute spending, discharge to a facility, length of SNF stays, readmissions, use of highly rated SNFs, and mortality, adjusted for patient characteristics. Results For the 2012 cohort of 114 ACOs, participation in the MSSP was associated with an overall reduction in postacute spending (differential change in 2014 for ACOs vs control group, −$106 per beneficiary [95% CI, –$176 to –$35], or −9.0% of the precontract unadjusted mean of $1172; P = .003) that was driven by differential reductions in acute inpatient care, discharges to facilities rather than home (−0.6 percentage points [95% CI, –1.1 to 0.0], or −2.7% of the unadjusted precontract mean of 22.6%; P = .03), and length of SNF stays (−0.60 days per stay [95% CI, –0.99 to –0.22], or −2.2% of the precontract unadjusted mean of 27.07 days; P = .002). Reductions in use of SNFs and length of stay were largely due to within-hospital or within-SNF changes in care specifically for ACO patients. Participation in the MSSP was associated with smaller significant reductions in SNF spending in 2014 for the 2013 ACO cohort (–$27 per beneficiary [95% CI, –$49 to –$6], or –3.3% of the precontract unadjusted mean of $813; P = .01) but not in the 2013 or 2014 cohort’s first year of participation (–$13 per beneficiary [95% CI, –$33 to $6]; P = .19; and $4 per beneficiary [95% CI, –$15 to $24]; P = .66). Estimates were similar for ACOs with and without financial ties to hospitals. Participation in the MSSP was not associated with significant changes in 30-day readmissions, use of highly rated SNFs, or mortality. Conclusions and Relevance Participation in the MSSP has been associated with significant reductions in postacute spending without ostensible deterioration in quality of care. Spending reductions were more consistent with clinicians working within hospitals and SNFs to influence care for ACO patients than with hospital-wide initiatives by ACOs or use of preferred SNFs.
A Variational Principle for Transport Processes in Continuous Systems: Derivation and Application

Abstract A routine procedure for derivation of variational equations representing a wide range of continuous systems is discussed. The procedure involves the use of the generalized variables and fluxes for system description. The application of this procedure is demonstrated by constructing the variational equations for both dissipative and reversible processes. A variational equation describing heat, mass, and momentum transfer in a moving, chemically reactive continuous media is constructed using the proposed routine. The Euler–Lagrange equations following from the constructed variational equation are identical to the balance equations for entropy, momentum, and mass. A Lagrangian density, relating the rate of the energy change in the system with energy dissipation, work, and entropy production, is constructed. The use of this Lagrangian is demonstrated by its application to the formation of a solid structure in the course of a eutectic solidification.
Robotic/Laparoscopic Female Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery

With an increasingly aging population, surgical repair of pelvic organ prolapse has become one of the most common types of inpatient procedures performed in women. While the abdominal sacrocolpopexy has been suggested to be one of the preferred procedures for correcting defects of the vaginal vault, minimally invasive routes of this and other gynecologic procedures are becoming more popular as technological advances are adopted, and this has become a favorable technique for prolapse repair in many instances. With laparoscopic and robotic surgery, there is a unique set of perioperative considerations to be aware of and potential complications to understand and attempt to prevent wherever possible. In this chapter, we will discuss the potential perioperative complications unique to minimally invasive female pelvic surgery, and outline ways to decrease incidence of these complexities and tackle them when necessary.
When Should Trainees Call for Help With Invasive Procedures

Primum non nocere , Latin for “First do no harm,” is a fundamental bioethical principle indoctrinated into each of us at the commencement of our medical education and continuously reinforced during residency and fellowship training. Even though our training models have progressed from the cynical “see one, do one, teach one” to graduated autonomy, there remains significant room for improvement because inadequate resident supervision has been associated with patient harm and poor outcomes.1 In a national survey, Baldwin et al2 identified significant gaps in resident supervision, and in a study of 240 closed malpractice cases involving trainees across all subspecialties, 58% involved lack of trainee competence or knowledge, with lack of supervision in 54% of cases versus only 7% in nontrainees.3 In a prospective study of supervised endotracheal intubations, attending supervision was associated with a significant decrease in complications.4 As part of a quality improvement program to investigate the causes of radial artery trauma to infants in our ICU, we realized that we had no policy that proactively defined the number of independent attempts at radial artery sampling by a physician trainee. The image is that of an infant’s wrist after 21 attempts (we counted the holes) at obtaining a radial artery sample by a trainee during fellowship (Fig 1). After the clinical team decided that an arterial sample was indicated in this infant, the fellow disappeared behind the … Address correspondence to Adam C. Adler, MD, MS, Department of Anesthesiology, Texas Children’s Hospital, 6621 Fannin St, Suite A3300, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: axadler{at}texaschildrens.org
Dungeons and Dragons: A Lesson in Etiquette from Professor Agassi

On the map it’s marked: “Here Be Dragons”, aka The Academy and more particularly, Graduate School. To my knowledge, even today, there exists no handbook nor traveler’s guide for the unwary but eager who enters this region. If one is very lucky, or perhaps miraculously blessed, one may be accompanied by a guide, a pioneer or griot whose experience, wisdom and sagacious understanding, born of successful survival, appears to generously share and educate the novice in how to survive. It might even be hoped that in this education the novice will learn how not only to survive himself but will educate others and in the process one day to transform the region to a more open place. But dragons, I fear, are only too human, and intelligence, justice and wisdom will continue to be necessary gifts for the survivors.
The Rare Lateral Cuneocuboid Coalition: A Case Report.

Tarsal coalitions typically occur at the talocalcaneal or calcaneonavicular joints. Common findings are pain, limited range of motion, and a pes planus deformity. The focus of this case report incl...
Usefulness of Tricuspid Annular Diameter to Predict Late Right Sided Heart Failure in Patients With Left Ventricular Assist Device.

Although late-onset right-sided heart failure is recognized as a clinical problem in the treatment of patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), the mechanism and predictors are unknown. Tricuspid valve (TV) deformation leads to the restriction of the leaflet motion and decreased coaptation, resulting in a functional tricuspid regurgitation that may act as a surrogate marker of late right-sided heart failure. This study aimed to investigate the association of preoperative TV deformation (annulus dilatation and leaflet tethering) with late right-sided heart failure development after continuous-flow LVAD implantation. The study cohort consisted of 274 patients who underwent 2-dimensional echocardiography before LVAD implantation. TV annulus diameter and tethering distance were measured in an apical 4-chamber view. Late right-sided heart failure was defined as right-sided heart failure requiring readmission and medical and/or surgical treatment after initial LVAD implantation. During a mean follow-up of 25.1 ± 19.0 months after LVAD implantation, late right-sided heart failure occurred in 33 patients (12.0%). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis demonstrated that TV annulus diameter (hazard ratio 1.221 per 1 mm, p <0.001) was significantly associated with late right-sided heart failure development, whereas leaflet tethering distance was not. The best cut-off value of the TV annular diameter was 41 mm (area under the curve 0.787). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with dilated TV annulus (TV annular diameter ≥41 mm) exhibited a significantly higher late right-sided heart failure occurrence than those without TV annular enlargement (log-rank p <0.001). In conclusion, preoperative TV annulus diameter, but not leaflet tethering distance, predicted the occurrence of late right-sided heart failure after LVAD implantation.
Development of an immunochromatographic assay for the β-adrenergic agonist feed additive zilpaterol.

Zilpaterol is a β-adrenergic agonist feed additive approved in the United States to increase weight gain and improve feed efficiency of cattle. A zilpaterol immunochromatographic assay was developed as an economical and user-friendly rapid detection method for zilpaterol and validated using urine and tissue samples derived from animal studies. The assay sensitivity was 1.7-23.2 ng g-1 or mL-1 across a variety of feed and animal matrices and did not cross-react with clenbuterol or ractopamine. No sample pre-treatment of cattle and sheep urine was needed, but horse urine and feed required dilution; skeletal muscle required solvent extraction prior to testing. Of 32 incurred sheep urine samples tested, zilpaterol content was correctly identified in all but 2 samples. Horse urine containing >10 ng mL-1 of incurred zilpaterol residue (n = 48) was correctly identified as zilpaterol positive. The assay correctly identified 0-day withdrawal sheep muscle samples as zilpaterol positive and the control and longer withdrawal day sheep muscle samples as negative. Zilpaterol was demonstrated to be stable in horse urine when stored at -20°C for 7 years.
Activation product interpretation of structural material for fast critical assemblies

Abstract This work evaluates whether activation products in stainless steel components can be used to infer initial conditions (i.e. alloy composition, position within the fluence, etc.) and the associated uncertainties in a fast neutron irradiation. Activation measurements of stainless steel and elemental components were obtained through a Flattop critical assembly irradiation experiment. A forward model was developed, utilizing MCNP6.1 and FISPACT ii, to estimate activation product concentrations from several input parameters: alloy composition, source specifications, and foil positioning. While some of the calculated activation product concentrations agreed fairly well with measurements, some isotopics (i.e. 57Co) had large discrepancies. It became clear that uncertainties in both measurements and nuclear data drove this divergence for select isotopics, and the quantification of this impact was needed. By treating both experimental measurement and nuclear data uncertainty in a Bayesian framework, it was possible to infer unknowns from given activation ratios. The developed approach showed promise in constraining mass parameters, but degeneracy existed when considering position within the neutron flux. Higher threshold reactions could potentially break the degeneracy, such as 57Co, but uncertainty estimation needs to be better resolved for those isotopes.
Transducing Functions of Mitochondria

The arrangements of the respiratory chain components of mitochondria which are most generally accepted at this time are summarized in Fig. 10. This scheme includes cytochromes a3, a, c, c1, and b and in addition flavoprotein and coenzyme Q. Cytochrome b is thought to be present as two and most probably three spectrographically distinct species (e.g., Wikstrom 1973). Two of these have been designated bK and bT (Chance et al. 1970). The experimental evidence for this scheme together with the properties of the system have been reviewed repeatedly (e.g., Chance and Williams 1956, Lehninger 1965, and Klingenberg 1968). This scheme has been derived in part from spectroscopic data together with kinetic studies and data on the effects of a variety of inhibitors. In part it is based on the study of the redox properties of the various components and the dissection of the mitochondria by various disruptive procedures. The approaches making use of disruption and reconstitution have been examined in the thorough review of Kagawa (1972). The more recent application of EPR techniques has permitted the identification of a number of iron-sulfur proteins which play a role in the respiratory chain (see Ohrme-Johnson et al. 1973, and Ohnishi et al. 1970, 1971, 1972 a, b). The arrangement of these iron-sulfur proteins is illustrated in Fig. 11 (Ohnishi 1973). The iron-sulfur proteins have been designated centers 1 to 9. Center 1 is actually constituted of two separate but very similar proteins desginated 1 a and 1 b. Two of the iron-sulfur proteins are associated with succinic dehydrogenase and another (center 9) is the iron-sulfur protein of Rieske (Rieske et al. 1964 a, b).
Invariant multifractal measures in chaotic Hamiltonian systems and related structures (Gutzwiller & M 1988)

The coding of chaotic trajectories in Hamiltonian systems, and the stochastic reflection of points on circles examplify a new kind of multifractal measure, whose Holder α ranges from 0 to ∞.
INHIBITION OF BACULOVIRAL DISEASE BY PLANT-MEDIATED PEROXIDASE ACTIVITY AND FREE RADICAL GENERATION

The susceptibility of noctuid larvae to baculoviral infection is markedly affected by phytochemicals ingested during the acquisition of viral inoculum on foliage. We hypothesized that a major process causing phytochemical inhibition of viral disease is phenolic oxidation by phenolases, particularly peroxidase (POD), which subsequently generates free radicals. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated the chemical interactions in foliage of cotton, tomato, and lettuce by application of antioxidants, prooxidants, enriched extracts of phenolases, and/or phenolic substrates. Larvae of Heliothis virescens or Helicoverpa zea that received viral inoculum on treated foliage were less likely to die from viral infection the higher the POD activity of this foliage. Furthermore, the higher the POD activity, the more free radicals were generated in crushed foliage, and the more free radicals generated, the lower the incidence of viral disease. We present a series of reactions hypothesized to lead to inhibition of viral disease by free radicals, the generation of which is mediated, at least in part, by POD. Phenolic redox cycling catalyzed by POD involving clastogenesis (generation of H2O2) appeared to be a critical driver of phytochemical reactions leading to free radical generation and inhibition of baculoviral disease in their noctuid hosts. We also report application of an assay for the detection of free radicals by using methemoglobin as a new modification of this method for detecting radicals in plant foliage in the immediate aftermath of an oxidative burst.
Evaluating Impact of AI on Cognitive Load of Technicians During Diagnosis Tasks in Maintenance

Even today, many maintenance activities are still done manually because maintenance is one of the most difficult areas to be automated in manufacturing. Many technicians spend their time on non-technical activities such as retrieving instructions from manuals. If AI (Artificial Intelligence) can alleviate some of these tasks, the time to diagnosis and repair can be shortened. However there are limited works about the effects of using AI during maintenance activities on a technician’s cognitive load. Therefore, as an initiative, we conducted a pilot experiment with 10 participants to analyze the effects of the AI-based support system on diagnosis tasks in the manufacturing. In the experiment, participants were divided into two groups: the group used an AI-based support system and the other group used a Fault Tree (FT) based support system; two groups’ mean task completion time and task load of participants using NASA Task Load were measured. According to the experiment results, the group which used the AI-based support system to diagnose the model completed task 53% lesser time than the group which used the FT-based support system. In addition, participants who used the AI-based support system reported relatively lower task loads compared to participants who used the FT-based support system. This experiment results imply that maintenance time and a variability can be reduced if an AI-based support system supports maintenance technicians.
When Whiteness Means Imagining Blackness and Signifying Socio-cultural Difference in Rosario Ferré’s “Cuando las mujeres quieren a los hombres”

Due to Ferre’s intentions to politicize literature to expose the contradictions of a patriarchal society, a vast bibliography of literary criticism concerning her narrative’s gender implications in coalescence with class intersections can be found. However, the importance of Ferre’s narrative’s racial repercussions remain today an understudied field. This essay aims to explore the junctures of prior scholarly studies on class and gender with that of race as a principal focus, primarily, in “Cuando las mujeres quieren a los hombres.” We will examine Ferre’s white literary imagination as the evidence of how her instrumentalization of blackness is the axis to shape whites’ subjectivity and sensibility. In doing so, we intend to understand how Ferre’s whiteness mediates her stories and intercedes to signify socio-cultural differences through her characters.
Delayed Wavelength Switching and Allocation in Optical Networks

Advanced network engineering is rapidly evolving and providing ever larger levels of communications capacity. This work explores deployed wavelength division modulation (WDM) optical networks and the flexible lightpath scheduling problems. Lightpath switching can improve the performance of routing and wavelength allocation (RWA) in WDM by relaxing the continuity constraint and consequently reducing connection request blocking probability during RWA process. Through extensive simulations, we are able to conclude that our proposed delayed allocation (DA) algorithm with wavelength switching improves resource consumption efficiency and lowers call blocking. We also evaluate demands with limited wavelength switching such that a reasonable result can be specified. This wavelength switching is found to signiflcantly increase the performance improvement of DA.11This work is supported by the NSF CARGONET grant CNS-1406370.
Proton-conducting oxides for energy conversion and storage

Proton-conducting oxides are a class of solid-state ion-conducting ceramic materials that demonstrate significant hydrogen ion (proton) conductivity at intermediate temperatures (e.g., 300–700 °C). They are garnering significant attention due to several unique characteristics that distinguish them from both higher temperature oxygen ion conducting oxides and lower temperature proton-conducting polymers. By enabling proton-mediated electrochemistry under both dry and wet environments at moderate temperatures, protonic ceramics provide unique opportunities to enhance or synergize a diverse range of complementary electrochemical and thermochemical processes. Because of this potential, significant efforts have been devoted to advancing numerous energy-related applications using these materials. This review aims to comprehensively summarize these applications and analyze the most up-to-date and future developments of proton-conducting oxides. We aim to bring together this diverse subject matter by integrating the fundamentals of proton-conducting oxides with application-oriented insights. We begin with a historical roadmap, followed by a basic overview of the materials, theories and fundamentals, and fabrication and processing technologies underlying the field. The central section of our review summarizes major applications and developments of proton-conducting ceramics, ranging from maturing applications approaching commercialization to embryonic technologies just now emerging from the lab. These include protonic ceramic fuel cells, protonic ceramic electrolysis cells, reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells, protonic ceramic membrane reactors, and protonic ceramic electrochemical reactors. For each application, we analyze both the prospects and challenges and offer recommendations for future research directions so that tomorrow's researchers can continue to advance the development and commercialization of these fascinating materials.
Cytomegalovirus Latency and Reactivation: An Intricate Interplay With the Host Immune Response

CMV is an ancient herpesvirus that has co-evolved with its host over millions of years. The 236 kbp genome encodes at least 165 genes, four non-coding RNAs and 14 miRNAs. Of the protein-coding genes, 43-44 are core replication genes common to all herpesviruses, while ~30 are unique to betaherpesviruses. Many CMV genes are involved in evading detection by the host immune response, and others have roles in cell tropism. CMV replicates systemically, and thus, has adapted to various biological niches within the host. Different biological niches may place competing demands on the virus, such that genes that are favorable in some contexts are unfavorable in others. The outcome of infection is dependent on the cell type. In fibroblasts, the virus replicates lytically to produce infectious virus. In other cell types, such as myeloid progenitor cells, there is an initial burst of lytic gene expression, which is subsequently silenced through epigenetic repression, leading to establishment of latency. Latently infected monocytes disseminate the virus to various organs. Latency is established through cell type specific mechanisms of transcriptional silencing. In contrast, reactivation is triggered through pathways activated by inflammation, infection, and injury that are common to many cell types, as well as differentiation of myeloid cells to dendritic cells. Thus, CMV has evolved a complex relationship with the host immune response, in which it exploits cell type specific mechanisms of gene regulation to establish latency and to disseminate infection systemically, and also uses the inflammatory response to infection as an early warning system which allows the virus to escape from situations in which its survival is threatened, either by cellular damage or infection of the host with another pathogen. Spontaneous reactivation induced by cellular aging/damage may explain why extensive expression of lytic genes has been observed in recent studies using highly sensitive transcriptome analyses of cells from latently infected individuals. Recent studies with animal models highlight the potential for harnessing the host immune response to blunt cellular injury induced by organ transplantation, and thus, prevent reactivation of CMV and its sequelae.
Trans-editing by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-like editing domains

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for aminoacyl-tRNA (aa-tRNA) synthesis. Correctly formed aa-tRNAs are necessary for proper decoding of mRNA and accurate protein synthesis. tRNAs possess specific nucleobases that promote selective recognition by cognate aaRSs. Selecting the cognate amino acid can be more challenging because all amino acids share the same peptide backbone and several are isosteric or have similar side chains. Thus, aaRSs can misactivate non-cognate amino acids and produce mischarged aa-tRNAs. If left uncorrected, mischarged aa-tRNAs deliver their non-cognate amino acid to the ribosome resulting in misincorporation into the nascent polypeptide chain. This changes the primary protein sequence and potentially causes misfolding or formation of non-functional proteins that impair cell survival. A variety of proofreading or editing pathways exist to prevent and correct mistakes in aa-tRNA formation. Editing may occur before the amino acid transfer step of aminoacylation via hydrolysis of the aminoacyl-adenylate. Alternatively, post-transfer editing, which occurs after the mischarged aa-tRNA is formed, may be carried out via a distinct editing site on the aaRS where the mischarged aa-tRNA is deacylated. In recent years, it has become clear that most organisms also encode factors that lack aminoacylation activity but resemble aaRS editing domains and function to clear mischarged aa-tRNAs in trans. This review focuses on these trans-editing factors, which are encoded in all three domains of life and function together with editing domains present within aaRSs to ensure that the accuracy of protein synthesis is sufficient for cell survival.
The wayward path of an American hero: Sailing Master Philip Brum:

Sailing Master Philip Brum executed the decisive manoeuvre that won the Battle of Plattburgh. He would later die of wounds he received in the battle. His widow Susan Brum undertook a public campaig...
The Implementation of Protocol-Based Utilization of Neuromuscular Blocking Agent Using Clinical Variables in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Patients.

Objectives The recent conflicting data on the mortality benefit of neuromuscular blocking agents in acute respiratory distress syndrome and the potential adverse effects of continuous neuromuscular blocking agent necessitates that these medications should be used judiciously with dose reduction in mind. The aims of the study were to improve the process of care by provider education of neuromuscular blocking agent titration and monitoring and to determine the impact of clinical endpoint based neuromuscular blocking agent titration protocol. Design We conducted a proof-of-concept historically controlled study of protocol-based intervention standardizing paralytic monitoring and titration using clinical variables. Education of the protocol was provided to ICU staff via bedside teaching and workshops. The primary outcomes were the time to reach goal paralysis and cumulative neuromuscular blocking agent dose. Secondary outcomes included maintenance of deeper sedation (Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale -5) prior to neuromuscular blocking agent initiation, total time on mechanical ventilation, length of stay, and mortality. Setting Medical ICU at a quaternary academic hospital between March 2019 and June 2020. Patients Adult severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (Pao2/Fio2 <150) patients requiring neuromuscular blocking agent for greater than or equal to 12 hours. Eighty-two patients fulfilled inclusion criteria, 46 in the control group and 36 in the intervention group. Interventions Education and implementation of standardized protocol. Measurements and Main Results Compared with the control group, the time to reach goal paralysis in the intervention group was shorter (8.55 ± 9.4 vs 2.63 ± 5.9 hr; p < 0.0001) on significantly lower dose of cisatracurium (total dose 1,897.96 ± 1,241.0 vs 562.72 ± 546.7 mg; p < 0.0001 and the rate 5.84 ± 2.66 vs 1.99 ± 0.95 µg/kg/min; p < 0.0001). Deeper sedation was achieved at the time of initiation of neuromuscular blocking agent in the intervention arm (mean Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale -3.3 ± 1.9 vs -4.3 ± 1.7; p = 0.015). There was no significant difference in total time on mechanical ventilation, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay, and mortality between the two groups. Conclusions Implementation of comprehensive education, standardization of sedation prior to neuromuscular blocking agent initiation, integration of clinical variables in determining paralysis achievement, and proper use of peripheral nerve stimulation served as optimal strategies for the titration and monitoring of neuromuscular blocking agent in acute respiratory distress syndrome. This reduced drug utilization while continuing to achieve benefit without causing adverse effects.
Failure to thrive: A severe manifestation of interleukin 10 receptor A mutation in adult inflammatory bowel disease.

Background Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD) secondary to IL-10RA mutations have aggressive disease courses with increased nutritional needs compared to other monogenic forms of IBD. Presentation A 28-year old male was hospitalized at 18-days old for bloody diarrhea diagnosed as Crohn's disease at 6-months old. He showed failure to thrive and worsening inflammation while maintained on enteral nutrition (EN) and standard IBD treatment. He was hospitalized in 2016, at 28 years old, for a Chron's flare when sequencing confirmed a heterozygous mutation in IL10-RA. His weight and plasma micronutrient levels improved when transitioned to parenteral nutrition (PN). He was initiated on anakinra while awaiting hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) with substantial decrease in inflammation. He was able to gain weight, initiate an oral diet and decrease his PN requirement. Conclusions Our patient experienced progressive failure to thrive on EN. VEO-IBD incidence is rising and its diagnosis is often delayed. Therefore, prompt recognition with treatment initiation is essential to improving nutritional outcomes in this patient population. Further investigation is warranted to determine if these patients would benefit from early initiation of PN. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Wire Elements: Dipoles, Monopoles, and Loops

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Dipole and Monopole Antennas Loop Antennas References
Calorimetric heat of transition assignments by microcomputer-based differential thermal analysis: Part I. The α-δ (monoclinic to cubic) transition of bismuth(III) oxide

Abstract The enthalpy change (Δ H ) associated with the α-δ (monoclinic to face-centered cubic) crystalline transition for a high purity specimen of bismuth(III) oxide was experimentally measured. The mean value obtained by numerous operators of the same model of a commercially available computerized differential thermal analysis (DTA) system is reported. These data were collected at three different heating rates and for a wide variety of sample sizes. The mean value obtained in this study (71.2 J g −1 ) was compared with previously published results of other workers for the same crystalline transition. The precision of the measurements reported here was statistically determined.
Advanced acral melanoma.

In the United States, the incidence of melanoma is increasing faster than any other preventable cancer. Acral melanoma is the fourth most common type of cutaneous melanoma and is frequently diagnosed later in its course compared with melanoma in other anatomic locations. Here we describe a case of highly advanced acral melanoma.
Personal Construct Theory

Personal construct theory (PCT) represents a coherent, comprehensive psychology of personality that has special relevance for psychotherapy. Originally drafted by the American psychologist George Kelly in 1955, PCT has been extended to a variety of domains, including organizational development, education, business and marketing, and cognitive science. However, its predominant focus remains the study of individuals, families, and social groups, with particular emphasis on how people organize and change their views of self and world in the counseling context. Keywords: constructivist theory; repertory grid methods; personality theory; psychotherapy