cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prostaglandin effect on lymphokine production in multiple sclerosis

Production of the lymphokine LIF (leukocyte migration inhibitory factor) by normal lymphocytes on stimulation with mitogens in inhibited by E type prostaglandins (PGE). It has been reported that the leukocytes of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are resistant to this inhibitory effect. We have studied 10 MS patients using an indirect technique for measuring LIF activity. This allows separation of the effects of PGE on lymphocyte LIF production from the effects on the action of LIF on the target granulocytes. There was no difference between normal subjects and MS patients in the effects of prostaglandins E1 and E2 in concentrations of 2.5 and 0.25 microgram per milliliter, on LIF production, or on granulocyte response to LIF. These results do not support the hypothesis that the chronic inflammatory process in MS is the result of resistance to the normal inhibitory effects of PGE on the cellular immune response.
The construction of amino acid substitution matrices for the comparison of proteins with non-standard compositions

Motivation: Amino acid substitution matrices play a central role in protein alignment methods. Standard log-odds matrices, such as those of the PAM and BLOSUM series, are constructed from large sets of protein alignments having implicit background amino acid frequencies. However, these matrices frequently are used to compare proteins with markedly different amino acid compositions, such as transmembrane proteins or proteins from organisms with strongly biased nucleotide compositions. It has been argued elsewhere that standard matrices are not ideal for such comparisons and, furthermore, a rationale has been presented for transforming a standard matrix for use in a non-standard compositional context. Results: This paper presents the mathematical details underlying the compositional adjustment of amino acid or DNA substitution matrices. Availability: Programs implementing the methods described are available from the authors upon request. Contact: altschul@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Large Deviations for Quadratic Functionals of Gaussian Processes

The Large Deviation Principle (LDP) is derived for several quadratic additive functionals of centered stationary Gaussian processes. For example, the rate function corresponding to \(1/T\int {_0^T } X_t^2 dt\) is the Fenchel-Legendre transform of \(L(y) = - (1/4\pi )\int {_{ - \infty }^\infty } \log (1 - 4\pi yf(s))ds\) where Xt is a continuous time process with the bounded spectral density f(s). This spectral density condition is strictly weaker than the one necessary for the LDP to hold for all bounded continuous functionals. Similar results are obtained for the energy of multivariate discrete-time Gaussian processes and in the regime of moderate deviations, the latter yielding the corresponding Central Limit Theorems.
Second Language Acquisition Research: Staking Out the Territory

Since its emergence some 20 years ago, the field of second language acquisition research has focused on two areas: the nature of the language acquisition process and the factors which affect language learners. Initial research was essentially descriptive. More recently, researchers have been attempting to explain how acquisition occurs and how learner factors lead to differential success among learners. The focus has alternately broadened as researchers became more aware of the complexity of the issues and narrowed as greater depth of analysis was required. The paper suggests that the next phase of research will be characterized by a union of these two focal areas: learning and the learner. It also recommends that more research attention be given to tutored acquisition. One could argue that the launching of the TESOL Quarterly 25 years ago predated the emergence of second language acquisition (SLA) research as an identifiable field. Accordingly, my task should have been easier than that of my colleagues writing for these commemorative issues of the Quarterly. This was small comfort, however, when faced with the daunting challenge of doing justice to all that has transpired since the early 1970s.' What has occurred since then, of course, is a veritable explosion of research focusing first upon the acquisition/learning process and second upon the language learner.2 This review will be organized around these two foci and around two subthemes: the alternate broadening and 1 Certainly some important studies of language learning were conducted prior to this (see, for example, some of the early studies compiled in Hatch, 1978), but these did not constitute a field of investigation as was to emerge in the 1970s. 2 It is beyond the scope of this article to treat either of these comprehensively. Interested readers may wish to consult overviews by Ellis (1985), and Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991) for more detail. I have especially drawn upon the latter in writing this review. I will also be unable to deal with matters concerning research methodology in this article. Interested readers should see J. D. Brown (1988), Hatch and Lazaraton (1991), Kasper and Grotjahn (1991), and Seliger & Shohamy (1989).
Connections with banking institutions and diverse asset portfolios in young adulthood: Children as potential future investors

A central hypothesis of Child Development Accounts (CDA) suggests that savings accounts in childhood lay a foundation for connecting to mainstream banking institutions and diversifying asset portfolios in young adulthood and beyond. While children may have limited savings to invest initially, they are financial actors who may increasingly invest money into different types of savings products over time. This paper uses propensity score weighted, longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and its supplements to examine the types of financial and nonfinancial assets owned by young adults and whether or not they are more likely to own these assets when they have savings accounts as children. The most commonly owned assets in young adulthood included savings accounts (89%), vehicles (54%) and credit cards (51%). Smaller percentages owned stocks (9%), bonds (6%), and homes (8%). On average, young adults owned two to three different assets. Having savings accounts in childhood was associated with being two times more likely to own savings accounts, two times more likely to own credit cards, and four times more likely to own stocks in young adulthood, compared to not having savings accounts in childhood. Young adults' ownership of more total financial assets was also associated with having savings accounts in childhood. Findings provide some supporting evidence of demand for children's savings accounts. Policy endeavors that remove barriers to account ownership may be advantageous for children and mainstream banks.
Multiple ontologies in action: Composite annotations for biosimulation models

There now exists a rich set of ontologies that provide detailed semantics for biological entities of interest. However, there is not (nor should there be) a single source ontology that provides all the necessary semantics for describing biological phenomena. In the domain of physiological biosimulation models, researchers use annotations to convey semantics, and many of these annotations require the use of multiple reference ontologies. Therefore, we have developed the idea of composite annotations that access multiple ontologies to capture the physics-based meaning of model variables. These composite annotations provide the semantic expressivity needed to disambiguate the often-complex features of biosimulation models, and can be used to assist with model merging and interoperability. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of composite annotations for model merging by describing their use within SemGen, our semantics-based model composition software. More broadly, if orthogonal reference ontologies are to meet their full potential, users need tools and methods to connect and link these ontologies. Our composite annotations and the SemGen tool provide one mechanism for leveraging multiple reference ontologies.
Pharmaceutical High Profits: The Value of R&D, or Oligopolistic Rents?

Pharmaceutical firms attribute high prices and high profits to costs associated with researching and developing the next generation of life-saving drugs. Using data from annual reports, this article tests the validity of this claim. We find that while pharmaceutical firms do invest in RD between 1988 and 2009, pharmaceuticals enjoyed profits of 3 to 37 times the all-industry average, depending on the years, while investing proportionately less in R&D than other high-R&D firms. Costs of pharmaceutical drugs have successfully flown below the radar in much of the current health care debate, with producers managing to obstruct alternative sourcing as well as payment cuts. While health care is examined for savings in other areas, sustained high pharmaceutical profits suggest that as a new health care policy develops in the U.S., the pharmaceutical industry should not be excluded from examination for significant savings in health care costs.
Tachykinins in the normal and gonadotropin-stimulated ovary of the mouse.

In this investigation, substance P (SP) and neurokinin A (NKA) concentrations have been determined in the ovary of control prepubertal mice, and prepubertal mice injected with pregnant mare serum (PMS) gonadotropin , an equine gonadotropin with predominant FSH action, or with PMS followed by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which produces heavily luteinized ovaries after the stimulation with PMS. Control animals were injected with saline. The ovaries of animals treated with gonadotropins were heavier than the control ovaries, the combination of PMS plus hCG produced significantly heavier ovaries than PMS alone. The concentrations of SP and NKA in the ovaries of the animals treated with PMS or PMS/hCG were significantly lower than in control ovaries. No significant differences in ovarian tachykinin concentrations were observed between PMS and PMS/hCG-treated animals. The total ovarian content of SP was lower in PMS-injected animals as compared with the controls. The total ovarian content of NKA was not significantly different in the three groups of animals studied. These results show that ovaries stimulated with gonadotropins have lower concentrations of tachykinins than normal ovaries at the same age. It is therefore evident that gonadotropins can affect tachykinin stores in the ovaries of mice.
Noncardiac Pulmonary Edema Following Administration of Parenteral Paraldehyde

We report a nonfatal case of hemodynamically-documented noncardiac pulmonary edema following the parenteral administration of paraldehyde. Previous clinical and autopsy reports of pulmonary edema associated with paraldehyde are reviewed and the potential danger of this drug emphasized. We hypothesize that paraldehyde or its metabolites, as well as other low molecular weight organic compounds, can directly injure the alveolar-capillary membrane.
Effect of Hydroxyurea on Procyclic Trypanosoma brucei: an Unconventional Mechanism for Achieving Synchronous Growth

Procyclic Trypanosoma brucei cells were synchronized with 0.2 mM hydroxyurea. The cells did not arrest at the G1/S boundary but proceeded through one round of replication and arrested near the end of S phase. The mitochondrial genome (kinetoplast DNA network) replicated, forming two progeny networks, but the repair of minicircle gaps was inhibited.
Charge detection mass spectrometry for single ions with a limit of detection of 30 charges

a b s t r a c t A charge detection mass spectrometer (CDMS) with a limit of detection of 30 elementary charges (e) for a single ion is described. The new CDMS consists of an electrospray source coupled to a dual hemispherical deflection analyzer (HDA) followed by a modified cone trap incorporating an image charge detector. Ions are energy selected by the dual HDA prior to entering the trap. The fundamental oscillation frequency of the trapped ion is extracted by a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The oscillation frequency and kinetic energy provide the m/z. The magnitude of the FFT at the fundamental frequency is proportional to the charge. Simulations indicate that the charge is measured with an average uncertainty of 3.2 e. The mass of each ion is obtained from the m/z and the charge. Mass distributions have been measured for bovine serum albumin (BSA). The BSA ions were trapped for up to 1139 cycles. BSA monomer and multimer ions are evident in the measured mass distribution. The width of the monomer mass distribution (14 kDa) is consistent with the predicted uncertainty in the charge. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Cutthroat Cooperation: Asymmetrical Adaptation To Changes In Team Reward Structures

To examine social interdependence theory dynamically, we develop a theory of structural adaptation based on “asymmetric adaptability.” We suggest that it is more difficult for teams to shift from competitive to cooperative reward structures than from cooperative to competitive structures. We show that teams that switch from competitive to cooperative reward structures demonstrate “cutthroat cooperation.” In their performance, marked by lower team decision accuracy and higher speed, they resemble competitive teams more than cooperative teams. Information sharing, also lower for cutthroat cooperation teams than for other cooperative teams, partially mediates the relationship between reward structure and accuracy.
Robust nonlinear sequential loop closure control design for an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle model

This paper describes the design of a nonlinear robust/adaptive controller for an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle model. Due to its complexity, a high fidelity model of the vehicle dynamics derived from first principles is used only in simulations, while a simplified model is adopted for control design. This control-oriented model retains most of the features of the high fidelity model, including non-minimum phase characteristic of the flight-path angle dynamics and strong couplings between the engine and flight dynamics, whereas flexibility effects are regarded as a dynamic perturbation. A nonlinear sequential loop-closure approach is adopted to design a dynamic state-feedback controller that provides stable tracking of velocity and altitude reference trajectories and allows to impose a desired trim value for the angle of attack. Simulation results show that the proposed methodology achieves excellent tracking performances in spite of parameter uncertainties.
A heterogeneous agent model of credit-linked index insurance and farm technology adoption

Abstract Protection from downside risk is a determinant of technology uptake among subsistence agricultural households. Access to credit, insurance and savings may stimulate technology adoption where new methods are riskier but higher-yielding or require sunk costs. In this paper, we employ a dynamic, stochastic, heterogeneous agent model where farm households have access to contingent credit and make savings, technology and loan repayment choices. Our approach is novel as insurance is modeled as a meso-level product, where the bank is indemnified before any payouts are distributed to borrowers; thus, it accounts for both supply- and demand-side concerns, showing a flow of effects when index insurance contracts are sold to risk aggregators for whom basis risk is lower. Results show letting the lender lay first claim on indemnities lowers default, which can decrease interest rates and expand credit access. Insurance and savings may also spur technology uptake.
Diagnosis of the significance of inconsistencies in object-oriented designs

This paper presents: (a) a framework for assessing the significance of inconsistencies which arise in object-oriented design models that describe software systems from multiple perspectives, and (b) the findings of a series of experiments conducted to evaluate it. The framework allows the definition of significance criteria and measures the significance of inconsistencies as beliefs for the satisfiability of these criteria. The experiments conducted to evaluate it indicate that criteria definable in the framework have the power to create elaborate rankings of inconsistencies in models.
Executive Excess V. Judicial Process: American Judicial Responses to the Government's War on Terror

The federal government's policy responses to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the ensuing conduct of President Bush's war on terror have thrown American civil liberty rights into disarray. Attorney General Ashcroft and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld have trampled U.S. constitutional and international norms in their unlawful detention of hundreds of individuals and designation of enemy combatants, unlawful combatants, and material witnesses. The federal judiciary is now responding to these executive abuses. This article considers the early judicial responses to the policies effectuated by the Bush administration.
An Interests-Based Approach to Syria

Aside from the obvious humanitarian interests, America has pragmatic and unsentimental national security interests in the course of events in Syria, including countering the role of Iran in the crisis, and providing a blow to its foreign adventurism; preventing spillover of violence into neighboring states; halting the rise of new and reinvigorated terrorist groups; and avoiding further Israeli involvement.In order to protect these interests, the US should take an arms-length, tripartite approach to Syria. First, it should promote the unification of the opposition around a national project to secure a pluralistic and democratic future. Second, it should create a consolidated official channel for international aid. Third, it should provide such lethal and non-lethal assistance as is necessary, but not including direct troop involvement. By undertaking each of these efforts in a coordinated manner, the US will not only secure a positive role in the future of Syria, but will give the Syrian people their best chance at a inclusive, pluralistic democracy, and do so with the least US exposure to risk.
Willingness to communicate about politics (WTCAP): A novel measure of interpersonal political discussion

Abstract This paper lays out a theoretical argument for a novel survey measure of interpersonal political discussion; willingness to communicate about politics. WTCAP is defined as a state-based variable referring to a person's likelihood or propensity to actively engage in an informal political discussion in a specific situation. Complete data from 291 participants were used to test and validate this novel measure. Ultimately a six-item survey instrument was found to best fit the data. This measure was found to be a valid and reliable measure of the construct.
Laminate Materials for Microfluidic PCBs

The printed circuit board (PCB) is a very attractive platform to produce highly integrated highly functional microfluidic devices. We have investigated laminate materials and developed novel fabrication processes to realize low cost and scalable to manufacturing integrated microfluidics on PCBs. In this paper we describe our vision to integrate functional components with microfluidic channels. We also report on the use of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) as a laminate for microfluidics. The material was characterized for microfluidic applications and compared with our previously reported laminates: 1002F and Polyurethane.
Synthesis of ultrathin FePtPd nanowires and their use as catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction.

We report a facile synthesis of ultrathin (2.5 nm) trimetallic FePtPd alloy nanowires (NWs) with tunable compositions and controlled length (<100 nm). The NWs were made by thermal decomposition of Fe(CO)5 and sequential reduction of Pt(acac)2 (acac = acetylacetonate) and Pd(acac)2 at temperatures from 160 to 240 °C. These FePtPd NWs showed composition-dependent catalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation reaction. Among FePtPd and FePt NWs as well as Pd, Pt, and PtPd nanoparticles (NPs) studied in 0.2 M methanol and 0.1 M HClO4 solution, the Fe28Pt38Pd34 NWs showed the highest activity, with their mass current density reaching 488.7 mA/mg Pt and peak potential for methanol oxidation decreasing to 0.614 V from 0.665 V (Pt NP catalyst). The NW catalysts were also more stable than the NP catalysts, with the Fe28Pt38Pd34 NWs retaining the highest mass current density (98.1 mA/mg Pt) after a 2 h current–time test at 0.4 V. These trimetallic NWs are a promising new class of catalyst for methanol oxi...
The effect of breast clinic participation on the education of third-year medical students.

Abstract Traditional methods of teaching concepts of breast disease to medical students have included didactic lectures, patient interviews and examinations in the hospital, and patient‐directed rounds with housestaff and attendings. From 1980 to 1987, third‐year students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine participated in these educational experiences and were tested at the conclusion of the eight‐week surgical core rotation, utilizing written and oral examinations. Beginning in July 1987, students began participating in a defined weekly Diagnostic Breast Clinic which included in‐depth instruction in patient examination techniques, mammographic interpretation, and treatment planning. Results of oral and written examinations, specifically regarding knowledge of breast cancer, were compared between the early and later periods. Significantly improved performance was noted in students exposed to a defined breast clinic experience and strongly supports the integration of specific cancer cli...
Design of a Robot for Defect Inspection on Aircraft Skin

To inspect the aircraft skin defects automatically and make the inspection work effectively,a wall climbing robot was developed,which could move on aircraft skin and take nondestructive examination.A design scheme of a climbing robot was proposed,aiming at the non symmetrical aircraft skin with changed curvature,and key components were chosen.By analyzing security of the robot,structural parameters were determined.A control system in which motor control was integrated with pneumatic control was designed,and the robot prototype was manufactured.Experimental result shows that the work of the robot is stable and reliable.So the design is reasonable and feasible.
A realized system based on GPIB to Recognize for signals in satellite communication

This paper proposes a system solution based on GPIB torecognize for signals in satellite communication. Furthermore, the key points and solution are discussed. The proposed scheme can be easily realized and managed. It is feasible to use in satellite monitor station. The system has been in use now. The truth is that it can enhance efficiency and improve action speed. The valuable scheme is recommendable.
Influenza: Its Epidemiology

Although unpredictability is the watchword with respect to influenza outbreaks, epidemiologic research over the past half century suggests that pandemics (probably always due to a new type A mutant virus) occur about once a generation when herd immunity has declined and the number of susceptibles is accordingly high. Epidemics are much more frequent; those caused by type B are milder than those due to type A viruses.
Examining Kindergarten Students’ Use of and Interest in Informational Text

This article describes a dual-case study that was conducted to examine the effects of The Tools Approach on kindergarten students’ use of and interest in informational text. Children in one teacher’s kindergarten classroom during two subsequent years participated in a writing intervention which included learning about text features, conducting group research, and conducting individual research. During both cases, data were collected during child, parent, and teacher interviews. The results of this study showed that children participating in The Tools Approach strategy increased their abilities to identify and use text features to gather and disseminate information. Children also demonstrated increased interest in reading and writing informational text as a result of their participation in the study.
Improving Stochastic Gradient Descent with Feedback

In this paper we propose a simple and efficient method for improving stochastic gradient descent methods by using feedback from the objective function. The method tracks the relative changes in the objective function with a running average, and uses it to adaptively tune the learning rate in stochastic gradient descent. We specifically apply this idea to modify Adam, a popular algorithm for training deep neural networks. We conduct experiments to compare the resulting algorithm, which we call Eve, with state of the art methods used for training deep learning models. We train CNNs for image classification, and RNNs for language modeling and question answering. Our experiments show that Eve outperforms all other algorithms on these benchmark tasks. We also analyze the behavior of the feedback mechanism during the training process.
Thermodynamic Properties of Strontium-Bismuth Alloys Determined by Electromotive Force Measurements

Abstract The thermodynamic properties of Sr-Bi alloys were determined by electromotive force (emf) measurements to evaluate the viability of liquid bismuth metal as a medium for separating alkali/alkaline-earth fission products from molten salt electrolyte. A Sr(s)|CaF2-SrF2|Sr(in Bi) cell was used to measure emf values at 748–1023 K for thirteen Sr-Bi alloys at mole fractions 0.05 ≤ xSr ≤ 0.75. Activity values of strontium in bismuth were determined at 788 K, 888 K, and 988 K as well as the partial molar entropy and enthalpy at each composition. Reproducible emf values within ± 5 mV were obtained up to xSr = 0.35 during cooling-heating cycle. At higher mole fractions (xSr ≥ 0.40), the emf values exhibited increased hysteresis during the thermal cycles due to the strong tendency of the alloys to form meta-stable phases. The non-equilibrium phase behavior of Sr-Bi alloys was verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and microstructural analyses. Compared to the existing equilibrium phase diagram, two additional phases of Sr2Bi3 and Sr4Bi3 were identified and discussed. Liquid-state solubility of Sr was 15–40 mol% at 788–988 K and the activity values were as low as 10−13 at 788 K, implying strong chemical interactions between Sr and Bi.
La fiscalidad de las cooperativas ante el nuevo Impuesto sobre Sociedades. Propuestas para una reforma

La Ley 27/2014, del Impuesto sobre Sociedades ha introducido medidas como la reduccion del tipo de gravamen general, la modificacion del porcentaje de participacion del socio en la sociedad para determinar el perimetro de vinculacion, las reducciones por destinar resultados a fondo de capitalizacion o a fondo de nivelacion, entre otras, que demandan una adaptacion del regimen fiscal de las cooperativas al nuevo Impuesto sobre Sociedades. A lo que se unen las reformas operadas en las leyes cooperativas desde 1990. En el presente articulo se realiza una revision de los mencionados cambios y se proponen posibles reformas al regimen fiscal vigente, atendiendo a su contenido esencial, el relativo al Impuesto sobre Sociedades.Recibido: 31 mayo 2016Aceptado: 05 septiembre 2016Publicacion en linea: 21 diciembre 2016
Autoimmune Voltage-Gated Potassium Channelopathy Presenting With Catecholamine Excess

Abstract Background Autoimmune voltage-gated potassium channelopathies have been associated with a range of neurological presenting symptoms, including central, peripheral, and autonomic dysfunction. Patient Description We describe a 12-year-old boy who presented with nine months of pain, anxiety, and 30-pound weight loss. He was admitted for failure to thrive, then noted to be persistently hypertensive and tachycardic. Plasma metanephrines and urine metanephrines and catecholamines were elevated. Extensive investigation for causes of elevated catecholamines, such as hyperthyroidism or catecholamine-secreting tumor, was negative. A paraneoplastic panel was positive for voltage-gated potassium channel antibodies. Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin and pulse methylprednisolone led to complete resolution of symptoms, weight gain, and normalization of vital signs and plasma metanephrines. Conclusion Voltage-gated potassium channel antibodies should be considered as part of the differential in patients presenting with elevated metanephrine and catecholamine secretion.
A 1,2‐Addition Pathway for C(sp2)‐H Activation at a Dinickel Imide

A dinickel imido complex was synthesized using a redox-active naphthyridine-diimine supporting ligand. Upon coordination of an external ligand, the Ni2 core was disrupted, triggering an aromatic C-H activation reaction to generate a Ni2 (μ-NHAr)(Ar) species. This intermediate is capable of liberating free carbazole and phenanthridine products upon heating or treatment with excess tBuNC. Collectively, these studies establish a kinetically facile 1,2-addition mechanism for C(sp2 )-H activation, taking advantage of cooperative reactivity between two Ni centers.
Demo Abstract: PlanIt and DQ-N for Low-Power Wide-Area Networks

Low-Power Wide-Area networks promise to deliver limited IoT payloads reliably at distances in excess of 10 km raising the possibility of thousands of IoT devices connected to a single base station. PlanIt is a web application able to visualize connectivity in these large-scale deployments prior to deploying hardware or even making a single signal-strength measurement. DQ-N is an adaptation of distributed queuing, a hybrid MAC protocol, compatible with current LoRa packet radios that significantly increases the number of nodes that can be supported from a signal base station. This demo will allow users to visualize LoRa coverage for the entire USA and demonstrate DQ-N using several sensor nodes.
High-cycle fatigue performance of high-mast illumination pole bases with pre-existing cracks

Abstract This paper presents the results of high-cycle fatigue testing of high-mast illumination poles (HMIPs) with pre-existing cracks at the pole-to-base plate connection detail. Resonant bending fatigue tests were conducted on five pairs of HMIP base specimens at nominal stress ranges of 41.4 MPa (± 20.7 MPa), 27.6 MPa (± 13.8 MPa), 20.7 MPa (± 10.3 MPa) and 6.9 MPa (± 3.4 MPa). The length and depth of pre-existing cracks was measured and the propagation of the individual crack was monitored throughout the testing using an ultrasonic inspection technique. The experimental results suggested that the fatigue lives of the tested specimens can exceed the predicted life for AASHTO fatigue category E details and approach category D details even in the presence of pre-existing cracks. The results provide insight into the fatigue response of HMIP with pre-existing cracks at the base connections at very low stress ranges and high cycle counts. The findings suggest that the pre-defined constant amplitude fatigue limits for AASHTO details may not strictly apply to HMIP details with pre-existing cracks.
Induction of B cell autoimmunity by pristane.

Plasmacytomas are induced in BALB/cAn and certain other strains of mice after intraperitoneal injection of 2, 6, 10, 14 tetramethylpentadecane (pristane) (1). The pathogenesis of these tumors remains incompletely understood despite intensive study. Chromosomal translocations involving the immunoglobulin and c-myc loci are generated and may be important for malignant transformation. Production of IL-6 and prostaglandin intermediates within the peritoneal oil granulomas developing in pristane-treated mice also appears to play a critical role. Indomethacin inhibits both IL-6 production and the development of plasmacytomas (2,3). The lack of plasmacytoma development in IL-6 knockout mice further underscores the importance of this cytokine in the neoplastic process (4). The reduced frequency of plasmacytomas in specific pathogen free (SPF) vs. conventionally housed mice (5) argues that antigenic stimulation also may contribute to the pathogenesis of these plasma cell tumors.
Architectural Invention in Renaissance Rome: Artists, Humanists, and the Planning of Raphael's Villa Madama

Villa Madama, Raphael's late masterwork of architecture, landscape, and decoration for the Medici popes, is a paradigm of the Renaissance villa. The creation of this important, unfinished complex provides a remarkable case study for the nature of architectural invention. Drawing on little known poetry describing the villa while it was on the drawing board, as well as ground plans, letters, and antiquities once installed there, Yvonne Elet reveals the design process to have been a dynamic, collaborative effort involving humanists as well as architects. She explores design as a self-reflexive process, and the dialectic of text and architectural form, illuminating the relation of word and image in Renaissance architectural practice. Her revisionist account of architectural design as a process engaging different systems of knowledge, visual and verbal, has important implications for the relation of architecture and language, meaning in architecture, and the translation of idea into form.
Numerical investigation of dry and wet mixing processes of asphalt mixtures containing reclaimed asphalt pavement

This study proposes a novel simulation technique to study the dry and wet mixing processes of asphalt mixtures containing reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). The simulations were done using the discr...
trans-Tetra-carbonyl-bis-(tri-phenyl-phosphane-κP)molybdenum(0).

The well known title compound, trans-[Mo(C18H15P)2(CO)4], has not been studied previously by X-ray crystallography, unlike its cis isomer. The complex possesses crystallographically imposed inversion symmetry, with the Mo atom residing on an inversion centre (1a Wyckoff position). The two tri­phenyl­phosphane groups are arranged in a staggered orientation. Each of the phenyl groups exhibits significantly different Mo—P—C—C torsion angles ranging from 2.6 (2) to 179.4 (1)°, most likely due to steric inter­actions based upon their positions relative to the carbonyl ligands.
IHI ID 08 Emergency medical services treatment disparities by patient race

Background In the US racial minorities are at a greater risk of receiving a lower quality of medical care. While hundreds of documented studies have identified racial treatment disparities in many areas of medicine, the field of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) remains relatively unexamined. Objectives This study explores racial treatment disparities in EMS pain management practices for adult patients who engage with pre-hospital emergency medical services for traumatic or painful emergencies. Methods This study is a quantitative analysis of 104 210 medical charts from 63 EMS agencies in Oregon from 2015 through 2017. Primary measures include the receipt of pain medication (outcome), patient race (predictor), and numerous control variables including EMS provider impression, pain severity, and socioeconomic status (SES) covariates. Results African American patients were 40% less likely (adjusted OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.68), and Asian patients were 36% less likely (adjusted OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.83), to receive any pain medication compared to White patients while controlling for common clinical and SES confounders. Secondary analysis indicated African Americans with private insurance experienced an even larger disparity (adjusted OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.64) compared to White patients with private insurance. Conclusions African American patients and Asian patients in Oregon receiving pre-hospital emergency medical assistance for painful injuries or conditions are significantly less likely to receive the same treatment as White patients. While this finding is consistent with many studies in the Emergency Department, these results demonstrate that racial disparities exist in EMS treatment.
Doppler-free, Stark broadened profiles at low plasma densities in helium

Abstract This work utilizes Doppler-free saturation spectroscopy to measure Doppler-free, Stark broadened spectral profiles for the π-polarization of the HeI 21P → 61D transition in a low density ( n e = 7 × 10 10 − 2 × 10 12 cm − 3 ) helium plasma. The measurements were performed in an electron-cyclotron resonance discharge at 23 mTorr with electron density being diagnosed using a combination of Langmuir probe and microwave interferometry techniques. The Doppler-free profiles were observed to be nearly symmetric at ne − 3 but markedly asymmetric above this transition point. Electron density is extracted from the spectral data via fitting to a spectral model based on quasi-static Stark broadening. The fit results are compared to ne measurements obtained using a combination of Langmuir probe and microwave interferometry techniques. The fit and measured ne are shown to agree within 20% on average. Finally, the quasi-static model is shown to be valid in the low-density regime for 21P → 61D helium transition.
Durability of air-entrained shotcrete exposed to cyclic freezing and thawing effect

Abstract In this study, the long-term performance of air-entrained shotcrete under cyclic freezing and thawing (F-T) is investigated and predicted. The dynamic modulus of elasticity and cohesive fracture energy of shotcrete at different F-T cycles are determined following ASTM C215 and RILEM TC 50-FMC, respectively. Both the test methods are found to be capable of examining material deterioration as a result of accumulative F-T damage; however, the fracture energy property tends to be more sensitive and degrades faster than the dynamic modulus of elasticity under the same number of F-T cycles. Probabilistic damage analysis is conducted to establish the relationship between the life (i.e., the number of F-T cycles in this study) and the damage parameter using the three-parameter Weibull distribution model. An exponential trend between the degradation of dynamic modulus of elasticity and the number of F-T cycles is observed at any given damage level. The failure rate of shotcrete increases as the number of F-T cycles increases, indicating that shotcrete exhibits more potential risk of failure and becomes less reliable when undergoing more F-T actions. The predicted results based on the polynomial probability model at 50% reliability level are consistent with the experimental results. Overall, the proposed probabilistic damage model is competent in evaluating freeze-thaw durability and predicting life of shotcrete.
Use of a Linear Accelerator for Conducting In Vitro Radiobiology Experiments

Radiation therapy remains one of the cornerstones of cancer management. For most cancers, it is the most effective, nonsurgical therapy to debulk tumors. Here, we describe a method to irradiate cancer cells with a linear accelerator. The advancement of linear accelerator technology has improved the precision and efficiency of radiation therapy. The biological effects of a wide range of radiation doses and dose rates continue to be an intense area of investigation. Use of linear accelerators can facilitate these studies using clinically relevant doses and dose rates.
Severely imbalanced Big Data challenges: investigating data sampling approaches

Severe class imbalance between majority and minority classes in Big Data can bias the predictive performance of Machine Learning algorithms toward the majority (negative) class. Where the minority (positive) class holds greater value than the majority (negative) class and the occurrence of false negatives incurs a greater penalty than false positives, the bias may lead to adverse consequences. Our paper incorporates two case studies, each utilizing three learners, six sampling approaches, two performance metrics, and five sampled distribution ratios, to uniquely investigate the effect of severe class imbalance on Big Data analytics. The learners (Gradient-Boosted Trees, Logistic Regression, Random Forest) were implemented within the Apache Spark framework. The first case study is based on a Medicare fraud detection dataset. The second case study, unlike the first, includes training data from one source (SlowlorisBig Dataset) and test data from a separate source (POST dataset). Results from the Medicare case study are not conclusive regarding the best sampling approach using Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve and Geometric Mean performance metrics. However, it should be noted that the Random Undersampling approach performs adequately in the first case study. For the SlowlorisBig case study, Random Undersampling convincingly outperforms the other five sampling approaches (Random Oversampling, Synthetic Minority Over-sampling TEchnique, SMOTE-borderline1 , SMOTE-borderline2 , ADAptive SYNthetic) when measuring performance with Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve and Geometric Mean metrics. Based on its classification performance in both case studies, Random Undersampling is the best choice as it results in models with a significantly smaller number of samples, thus reducing computational burden and training time.
Effect of Pump Bandwidth on Measurements of Frequency-Bin Entanglement

Based on two-photon interference measurements for various pump line-pulse shaper detunings, we show that frequency-bin entanglement can be established in regimes where the pump bandwidth is less than the free spectral range of the biphoton frequency comb.
Energy Efficient Model for Mobility in IoT using RPL

The Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) of Ipv6 is utilized in the Internet of Things to show the performance of system when the nodes are in portable mobility condition. In this paper, we assess the exhibitions of RPL versatility for mobility features. Two congurations, namely Serial and Parallel mobility model are considered in this paper. To evaluate the performance, experiments are executed using the Cooja simulator. Extensive simulation is carried out for different topologies under these models. The performance of serial mobility model is compared with parallel mobility model. Our simulation results show that serial mobility model is more energy efficient than the parallel mobility model for various topologies.
The effect of perioperative platelet-rich plasma injections on postoperative failure rates following rotator cuff repair: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Background Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has gained significant interest in recent years to potentially add biological augmentation of healing to surgical repairs of soft-tissue injuries. We sought to determine whether perioperative PRP injection influences the risk of failure following rotator cuff repair. Methods A systematic search was performed in the Embase and PubMed databases and identified 16 randomized controlled trials or prospective cohort studies (1045 participants) reporting rates of failure, defined as a subsequent tear on postoperative imaging, after rotator cuff repair with or without perioperative PRP administration. A random-effects meta-analysis of the included studies was performed to determine the pooled effect of PRP administration on the postoperative failure risk. Results Among the 16 studies investigating rotator cuff repairs, PRP augmentation resulted in a 25% reduction in the risk of repair failure, with low heterogeneity among the included studies. A significant protective effect was seen for studies of only small to medium tears (7 studies) (P = .007) and studies including large or massive tears (9 studies) (P Conclusions Intraoperative PRP reduces the failure risk following rotator cuff repair and has a consistent effect regardless of tear size. However, because of the variability in PRP preparations, a specific recommendation cannot be made.
High-affinity mutant Interleukin-13 targeted CAR T cells enhance delivery of clickable biodegradable fluorescent nanoparticles to glioblastoma.

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM), the deadliest form of brain cancer, presents long-standing problems due to its localization. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy has emerged as a powerful strategy to treat cancer. IL-13-receptor-α2 (IL13Rα2), present in over 75% of GBMs, has been recognized as an attractive candidate for anti-glioblastoma therapy. Here, we propose a novel multidisciplinary approach to target brain tumors using a combination of fluorescent, therapeutic nanoparticles and CAR T cells modified with a targeted-quadruple-mutant of IL13 (TQM-13) shown to have high binding affinity to IL13Rα2-expressing glioblastoma cells with low off-target toxicity. Azide-alkyne cycloaddition conjugation of nanoparticles to the surface of T cells allowed a facile, selective, and high-yielding clicking of the nanoparticles. Nanoparticles clicked onto T cells were retained for at least 8 days showing that the linkage is stable and promising a suitable time window for in vivo delivery. T cells clicked with doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles showed a higher cytotoxic effect in vitro compared to bare T cells. In vitro and in vivo T cells expressing TQM-13 served as delivery shuttles for nanoparticles and significantly increased the number of nanoparticles reaching brain tumors compared to nanoparticles alone. This work represents a new platform to allow the delivery of therapeutic nanoparticles and T cells to solid tumors.
Orthodox kaleidoscope: focus on Japan

This contribution addresses the theoretical and methodological issues proposed in the ‘Orthodox Kaleidoscope’ network. Based on five months of field research in Japan, the contribution argues that ...
Time-space domain dispersion reduction schemes in the uniform norm for the 2D acoustic wave equation

Abstract Finite-difference (FD) methods for the wave equation are flexible, robust and easy to implement. However, they in general suffer from numerical dispersion. FD methods based on accuracy give good dispersion at low frequencies, but waves tend to disperse for higher wavenumbers. Moreover, waves in higher dimensions also suffer from dispersion errors in all propagation angles. In this work, we give a unified methodology to derive dispersion reduction FD schemes for the two dimensional acoustic wave equation. This new methodology would generate schemes that give the theoretical minimum dispersion error in the uniform norm. Stability criteria are discussed for the general scheme. We also motivate the equivalence of popular dispersion reduction methodology and theoretical numerical reduction methodology.
Overnight pain and opioid use after osmotic cervical dilator placement for second trimester dilation and evacuation.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to evaluate pain following overnight osmotic cervical dilator placement for second trimester dilation and evacuation (DE 54% of women took at least one opioid (mean 2.8 ± 1.5). Multivariate analysis showed that higher pain was associated with younger age (p = .0363) and no prior vaginal delivery (p = .0296). The number of osmotic cervical dilators was associated with pain in the bivariate analysis (r = 0.216, p = .0311) but was not significant in the multivariate analysis (p = .0634). An increasing number of cervical dilators (p = .0323) and a higher pain score (p = .004) were associated with opioid use. CONCLUSION Most participants with overnight cervical dilators for D&E experienced at least moderate pain and used opioid pain medication in addition to NSAIDs when available. A shared decision-making model may be appropriate for determining which patients may benefit from opioids.