cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The monomer-dimer equilibrium of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (CXCL 12) is altered by pH, phosphate, sulfate, and heparin.

Chemokines, like stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF1/CXCL12), are small secreted proteins that signal cells to migrate. Because SDF1 and its receptor CXCR4 play important roles in embryonic development, cancer metastasis, and HIV/AIDS, this chemokine signaling system is the subject of intense study. However, it is not known whether the monomeric or dimeric structure of SDF1 is responsible for signaling in vivo. Previous structural studies portrayed the SDF1 structure as either strictly monomeric in solution or dimeric when crystallized. Here, we report two-dimensional NMR, pulsed-field gradient diffusion and fluorescence polarization measurements at various SDF1 concentrations, solution conditions, and pH. These results demonstrate that SDF1 can form a dimeric structure in solution, but only at nonacidic pH when stabilizing counterions are present. Thus, while the previous NMR structural studies were performed under acidic conditions that strongly promote the monomeric state, crystallographic studies used nonacidic buffer conditions that included divalent anions shown here to promote dimerization. This pH-sensitive aggregation behavior is explained by a dense cluster of positively charged residues at the SDF1 dimer interface that includes a histidine side chain at its center. A heparin disaccharide shifts the SDF1 monomer–dimer equilibrium in the same manner as other stabilizing anions, suggesting that glycosaminoglycan binding may be coupled to SDF1 dimerization in vivo.
Denial of Service to Authorized Computer Users

Abstract Unhappy employees have always had the potential to cause great damage to an organization's finances and reputation. With the widespread use of computer networks, this threat has become more ominous in recent years. A discontented employee with access to highly confidential network and password data can paralyze an organization and make it susceptible to blackmail, severe financial strain, and public ridicule.
Variational computation of glueball masses in continuum QCD

Abstract We apply a field-theoretic Rayleigh-Ritz method to compute masses of the low-lying glueballs, with allowance for non-perturbative effects via condensate contributions to the gluon propagator. Since the gluon propagator is non-covariant, condensates of the form 〈Tr AA 〉 are allowed and must be introduced. Fitting the coupling constant and condensate parameter from the glueball candidates ι(1440) and θ(1690), we predict that mass (0 ++ ) = 1320 ± 20 MeV, mass (2 −+ ) = 1760 ± 40 MeV, at α s = 0.46 ± 0.05 (with an error estimated by using a variety of trial wavepackets). Our result has the 0 ++ glueball mass close to that of the isoscalar 0 ++ states e(1300) and g s (1240), suggesting that at least one of these states (presumably he g s (1240)) has a large-valence glue component.
Measures of Physician Mental Workload

Concepts and measurement techniques from human factors research were used to develop two measures of the mental workload experienced by physicians in clinic settings. The instruments had good reliability (Cronbach's alpha) and physician mental workload was correlated with hypothesized work demands and performance measures. These initial results support the feasibility of measuring physician mental workload in typical patient care encounters.
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci

Enterococci, a part of normal gut flora, are not particularly pathogenic organisms in humans. For example, they do not cause respiratory tract infections. The most frequent enterococcal infections are urinary tract infections. Despite their lack of pathogenicity, enterococci have emerged as significant nosocomial pathogens in the United States and elsewhere. Enterococci are formidable pathogens because of their resistance to antimicrobial agents. Enterococci are intrinsically resistant to beta-lactam agents and aminoglycosides and were the first bacteria to acquire vancomycin resistance. Infection control measures have been far from effective at preventing the dissemination of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in the hospital. Therapy for infections due to vancomycin-resistant enterococci presents real challenges. Most isolates remain susceptible to nitrofurantoin, but this agent is useful only for urinary tract infections. The greatest threat posed by vancomycin-resistant enterococci is the potential to transfer their resistance genes to more pathogenic gram-positive bacteria, which could produce truly frightening pathogens.
P300 scalp amplitude distribution as an index of deception in a simulated cognitive deficit model

Truth-telling (Truth) and simulated malingering (Malinger) groups were tested in a matching-to-sample procedure in which each sample three-digit number was followed by a series of nine test numbers, only one of which matched the sample. P300 was recorded during test-number presentation. Group analyses revealed differences between the P300s of the groups in unscaled amplitude, but not latency, in response to match and mismatch stimuli. P300 amplitudes at Fz, Cz, and Pz were scaled to remove possible confounding effects of amplitude in tests of the interactions of site with other variables. Significant interactions of both stimulus-type (match vs. mismatch) and group (Truth vs. Malinger) with site were obtained. Within the Malinger group, a significant interaction was obtained (scaled data) between site and response type (honest vs. dishonest). These interactions suggest that deceptive and honest responding are associated with different neurogenerator sets or different sets of P300-overlapping components. In within-individual analyses, 100% of the Truth participants and 87% of the Malinger participants were found to have larger P300 responses at Pz to match stimuli than to mismatch stimuli on the basis of intra-individual bootstrap tests. This represents an improvement in comparison with our related, previous report on a matching-to-sample test using only one test stimulus per sample.
Relative effects of nocturnal vs diurnal pollinators and distance on gene flow in small Silene alba populations.

Summary • Silene alba exists in natural metapopulations throughout its range and is visited by a suite of both diurnal and nocturnal pollinators. Pollen-mediated gene flow may help reduce genetic isolation of subpopulations. Here, we compared the relative effects of nocturnal vs diurnal pollinators on pollen-mediated gene flow in subpopulations separated by two distance treatments. • We established populations consisting of genetically marked individuals in an old field in Tennessee (USA). Electrophoretic examination of seedlings produced by plants exposed to nocturnal, diurnal and control pollinator treatments and separated by either 20 or 80 m allowed us to directly measure pollen-mediated gene flow. • Gene flow was more common between populations separated by only 20 m. Nocturnal pollinators were responsible for most gene flow between populations, regardless of distance. Diurnal pollinators played only a small role in pollen-mediated gene flow. • The results suggest that nocturnal pollinators are better than diurnal pollinators at moving pollen between small S. alba subpopulations. However, their effectiveness declines as the distance between subpopulations increases, making them relatively ineffective at moving genes between isolated subpopulations.
Medical embedded systems

Light-weight embedded systems are now gaining more popularity due to recent technological advances in fabrication of more powerful tiny processors. In particular, the field of pervasive computing and medical monitoring is emerging due to the development of tiny and low-profile computing nodes, mated with sensors and actuators, in close proximity to the human. In this thesis, I will demonstrate some of my Ph.D. work that has been focused on design and analysis of hardware and software for medical embedded systems. In particular, I will discuss two of our platforms: Reconfigurable Fabric Vest and CustoMed (Customizable Medical Monitoring System). I will further describe some of the fundamental problems I have been investigating: (1) An Efficient Placement and Routing Technique for Fault-tolerant Wearable Computers; (2) Adaptive Electrocardiogram Feature Extraction on Distributed Embedded Systems; (3) e-Optimal Minimal-Skew Battery Lifetime Routing in Distributed Embedded Systems.
Similarity of Eye Movement Characteristics in REM Sleep and the Awake State

The eye movements of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep have been reported to be slower, i.e., to show reduced velocities, compared to those of the awake state. We demonstrated that REM sleep eye movements are in fact similar in velocity to awake state eye movements under the condition of no visual input (eyes open or closed). Furthermore, we observed that oculomotor velocities and trajectories in REM sleep are more similar to head-unrestrained (normal vision) than head-restrained (bite board) conditions in the awake state. The DC electro-oculogram (EOG) was utilized for all measurements. Both head-unrestrained and REM sleep eye movements contained looped trajectories not present when the head was immobilized. Eyelid closure had little effect beyond that of total darkness. Recumbent body position did not significantly alter velocity characteristics. These data indicate that the eye movements of REM sleep are more congruent with the hallucinated locomotor activity of the dream than with the postural immobility’ of the dreamer.
Programming complex robot tasks by prediction: experimental results

One of the main obstacles to automating production is the time needed to program the robot. Decreasing the programming time would increase the appeal of automation in many industries. In this paper we analyze the performance of a Predictive Robot Programming (PRP) system on complex, real-world robotic tasks. The PRP system attempts to decrease programming time by predicting the waypoints of a robot program based on previous examples of user behavior. We show that the PRP system is able to generate a large percentage of useful and highly accurate predictions, resulting in a potentially great amount of time saved.
Teenagers and alcohol misuse in the United States: by any definition, it's a big problem

Despite the fact that more adolescents use alcohol than any other drug, studies of teenage alcohol misuse are relatively rare. Those that exist frequently fail To include high school dropouts and often focus on only part of the problem, such as how much or how often the adolescent drinks. This study examines the prevalence and demographic predictors of teenage alcohol misuse in a diverse sample of 4390 high school seniors and dropouts. It focuses on three different dimensions of misuse—high-risk drinking, alcohol-related problems and high consumption—and provides prevalence estimates by gender and race/ethnicity that are weighted to represent the original seventh grade cohort of 30 California and Oregon schools. Results show that by grade 12, nearly 70% of these teenagers have exhibited some form of alcohol misuse within the past year. Two-thirds have engaged in high-risk drinking and over 50% have experienced one or more alcohol-related problems. More stringent estimates that require variety or persistence of risky drinking and/or alcohol-belated problems still capture between 40% and 54% of this population. However, focusing solely on high consumption fails to identify as many as half of these at-risk misusers. Males and females both exhibit high rates of alcohol misuse, as do most racial ethnic groups. However, African Americans and Asians are less likely to misuse alcohol than whites and Hispanics. The results underscore the need for including different forms of alcohol misuse in prevention programs, for improving our understanding of its etiology, and for providing upper and lower bound estimates of alcohol misuse in future research.
Reduced-Height Performance Level 2 Bridge Rail

The safety performance of a 737-mm (29-in.)-high open concrete bridge railing was evaluated. The evaluation included four full-scale crash tests, investigating two critical impact locations where structural failure was most likely to occur. Each impact location was evaluated with a single-unit truck and a ballasted pickup truck. The safety performance of the 737-mm-high open concrete bridge rail was shown to meet the Performance Level 2 requirements specified in the AASHTO Guide Specifications for Bridge Railings (1989).
Mechanisms of reflexes induced by esophageal distension

We investigated the mechanisms of esophageal distension-induced reflexes in decerebrate cats. Slow air esophageal distension activated esophago-upper esophageal sphincter (UES) contractile reflex (EUCR) and secondary peristalsis (2P). Rapid air distension activated esophago-UES relaxation reflex (EURR), esophago-glottal closure reflex (EGCR), esophago-hyoid distraction reflex (EHDR), and esophago-esophagus contraction reflex (EECR). Longitudinal esophageal stretch did not activate these reflexes. Magnitude and timing of EUCR were related to 2P but not injected air volume. Cervical esophagus transection did not affect the threshold of any reflex. Bolus diversion prevented swallow-related esophageal peristalsis. Lidocaine or capsaicin esophageal perfusion, esophageal mucosal layer removal, or intravenous baclofen blocked or inhibited EURR, EGCR, EHDR, and EECR but not EUCR or 2P. Thoracic vagotomy blocked all reflexes. These six reflexes can be activated by esophageal distension, and they occur in two sets depending on inflation rate rather than volume. EUCR was independent of 2P, but 2P activated EUCR; therefore, EUCR may help prevent reflux during peristalsis. All esophageal peristalsis may be secondary to esophageal stimulation in the cat. EURR, EHDR, EGCR, and EECR may contribute to belching and are probably mediated by capsaicin-sensitive, rapidly adapting mucosal mechanoreceptors. GABA-B receptors also inhibit these reflexes. EUCR and 2P are probably mediated by slowly adapting muscular mechanoreceptors. All six reflexes are mediated by vagal afferent fibers.
Knowledge Selection in Large Knowledge Bases

The access to information contained in possibly large knowledge bases is a crucial factor in the usability of such a knowledge base. In this paper, we present a method to select information relevant for a query in knowledge bases where the information is represented in a rule-based way. An approach based on artificial neural networks is used to pre-select the set of relevant rules, thus facilitating the task of the inference mechanism by restricting the search space to be traversed considerably. In addition to the information contained in the query itself, data derived from the environment in which the query is situated is used to further trim down the search space. Sources for this derivation process are data about the task under investigation as well as the history of user interactions.
Stimulus-Stimulus Associations and Parallel Search

The S-R system developed so far is capable of assembling action sequences in order to achieve a final goal. However, there are other approaches to assembling action sequences which have quite different time/space characteristics. The best developed alternative to the S-R model is the stimulus-stimulus (S-S) model. In the S-S model the learned associations are between stimuli, rather than between stimulus and response (and stimulus and evaluation). In this chapter, two S-S models of “planning” by parallel search are developed. The first searches backward from the goal state looking for a sequence of states that connect the goal state with the current state. The second searches forward from the current state looking for a path to the goal state.
Una isla y dos naciones: las relaciones domínico-haitianas en "El masacre se pasa a pie" de Freddy Prestol Castillo

La frontera entre la Republica Dominicana y Haiti ha sido tradicionalmente un lugar difuso, mitico y tambien tragico. A traves de ella se cuentan historias de las poblaciones de dos paises muy cercanos en composicion etnica, pero muy diversos en el plano cultural. Esta porosa region de la isla fue testigo de la mas sangrienta matanza etnica que ha tenido lugar en el Caribe durante el siglo XX. En 1937, el dictador dominicano Rafael Trujillo ordeno el asesinato de todos los haitianos que se encontraran del lado dominicano de la frontera. Este horrendo episodio ha sido contado en numerosas ocasiones por escritores haitianos. Pero la unica obra narrativa que de alguna manera expresa la version dominicana de los acontecimientos, tuvo que esperar 36 anos desde su redaccion para ser para ser publicada en 1973. Se trata de la novela-testimonio El Masacre se pasa a pie de la autoria de Freddy Prestol Castillo. En este articulo analizo esta obra literaria como una representacion de las tortuosas relaciones entre dos naciones que por razones historicas estan obligadas a compartir una misma isla.
Static and Dynamic Intrinsic Connectivity following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Abstract Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is the most common neurological disorder and is typically characterized by temporally limited cognitive impairment and emotional symptoms. Previous examinations of intrinsic resting state networks in mTBI have primarily focused on abnormalities in static functional connectivity, and deficits in dynamic functional connectivity have yet to be explored in this population. Resting-state data was collected on 48 semi-acute (mean=14 days post-injury) mTBI patients and 48 matched healthy controls. A high-dimensional independent component analysis (N=100) was utilized to parcellate intrinsic connectivity networks (ICN), with a priori hypotheses focusing on the default-mode network (DMN) and sub-cortical structures. Dynamic connectivity was characterized using a sliding window approach over 126 temporal epochs, with standard deviation serving as the primary outcome measure. Finally, distribution-corrected z-scores (DisCo-Z) were calculated to investigate changes in conne...
LEGOs and aeronautics in kindergarten through college

We introduce the idea of teaching engineering as a method of improving science literacy in adults, presenting curricula designed for both elementary school students and college-level students. We target elementary school students b ecause they have not yet formed stereotypes and are eager to learn engineering. The college-level curriculum is designed for students pursuing elementary education certification and liberal arts students as well as first-year engineers. In particular, the lessons center around aeronautics and use LEGO bricks for building and testing. We couple the LEGO designs with LabVIEW control software to incorporate computer control and measurement. Student, teacher, and parent response to both curricula has been positive and enthusiastic. We are currently working on using engineering as a common thread throughout the science curriculum in elementary education. (Author)
Medical School Hotline: Cultural Competency in Serving the Homeless in Hawai'i at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Homelessness in Hawai‘i has gained a tremendous amount of attention over the past year. National and international newspapers have been highlighting Hawai‘i's issue of homelessness, as the state's rapidly growing homeless population has reached a five-year high of 7,620 individuals (Figure 1),1 leaving Hawai‘i with the unfortunate distinction of having the highest homeless rate per capita in the nation (487 homeless/100,000 people).2 In October 2015, the City and County of Honolulu conducted its largest homeless sweeps on the streets of Kaka‘ako neighboring the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). These sweeps displaced over 200 homeless individuals, and with limited shelter space available many were left with no place to go. The fact that the number of unsheltered homeless individuals (3,843) is greater than the number of sheltered homeless individuals (3,777) demonstrates the need for more social services and better housing policies.1 In response, politicians have proposed ideas to allocate additional resources for the homeless, such as providing temporary housing communities on Sand Island and in Kaka‘ako.3,4 Figure 1 Statewide PIT Summary (2011–2015). (Source: State of Hawai‘i Homeless Point-in-Time Count 2015)6 While Hawai‘i's politicians are working to create safe environments for these individuals, medical students at JABSOM have been addressing this statewide issue since 2005 through the Homeless Outreach and Medical Education (H.O.M.E.) Project,5 which provides four student-run free clinics each week and teaches future physicians to provide high quality and effective healthcare in an environment of limited resources. By caring for both homeless and non-homeless patients, students refine their skill in addressing cultural issues—an art that is arguably as important as the science behind the medicine.
The Legislative history of gambling, 1861 - 1915

3 CHAPTER 1Introduction 5 CHAPTER 2Methodology/Literature Review 8 CHAPTER 3Context of the Laws 11 CHAPTER 4Summary 31 CHAPTER 5 Interpretation 34 REFERENCES 38 APPENDIX 42
'Spontaneous' platelet aggregation: its characteristics and relation to aggregation by other agents.

Platelet aggregation results of 117 patients were analysed. All had documented evidence of stroke, recurrent transient ischemic attacks and other neurologic symptoms, and all were hospitalized in the same Rehabilitation Center. Attention was specifically directed to the 'spontaneous' platelet aggregation (SPA) phenomenon, in terms of its characteristics and relationship to platelet count and aggregation induced by 3 physiologic agents. About 50% of the samples showed SPA but not all of them were hyperaggregable by other aggregating agents. A great deal of variation was found in the aggregation time, slope and extent of SPA. These variations do not always appear to relate to platelet count, or the responsiveness of platelets to other aggregating agents.
Modeling the Maternal Immune Activation Risk Factor for Schizophrenia

Abstract Maternal immune activation (MIA) is an important environmental risk factor for schizophrenia. Among various modes of MIA, modeling maternal viral infection by injecting pregnant rodents with the double-stranded RNA polyinosine-polycytidylic yields offspring with strong face, construct, and predictive validity for symptoms related to schizophrenia. The MIA model is a powerful tool for investigating molecular mechanisms underlying the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia-related features and for uncovering key molecular targets for intervention. Here we introduce the epidemiological bases for the MIA model and present important findings on both prenatal and postnatal variations of the polyinosine-polycytidylic approach. We further describe applications of the MIA model to studies of gene–environment and environment–environment interactions in schizophrenia. Finally, we discuss the MIA risk factor in the context of increasing evidence that immune dysregulation contributes to the manifestation of schizophrenia-related symptoms.
Generation of Cumulative Percent Antibiotic Susceptibility with a Programmable Calculator

A programmable calculator facilitates calculation of cumulative percent susceptibility profiles derived from microdilution minimum inhibitory concentrations. A study on the activity of two aminoglycosides, gentamicin and tobramycin, vs clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exemplifies the usefulness of such a program.
Parallel Computations in Insect and Mammalian Visual Motion Processing.

Summary Sensory systems use receptors to extract information from the environment and neural circuits to perform subsequent computations. These computations may be described as algorithms composed of sequential mathematical operations. Comparing these operations across taxa reveals how different neural circuits have evolved to solve the same problem, even when using different mechanisms to implement the underlying math. In this review, we compare how insect and mammalian neural circuits have solved the problem of motion estimation, focusing on the fruit fly Drosophila and the mouse retina. Although the two systems implement computations with grossly different anatomy and molecular mechanisms, the underlying circuits transform light into motion signals with strikingly similar processing steps. These similarities run from photoreceptor gain control and spatiotemporal tuning to ON and OFF pathway structures, motion detection, and computed motion signals. The parallels between the two systems suggest that a limited set of algorithms for estimating motion satisfies both the needs of sighted creatures and the constraints imposed on them by metabolism, anatomy, and the structure and regularities of the visual world.
A reliable and flexible gene manipulation strategy in posthatch zebra finch brain

Songbird models meaningfully contribute to many fields including learned vocal communication, the neurobiology of social interactions, brain development, and ecology. The value of investigating gene-brain-behavior relationships in songbirds is therefore high. Viral infections typically used in other lab animals to deliver gene editing constructs have been less effective in songbirds, likely due to immune system properties. We therefore leveraged the in vivo electroporation strategy used in utero in rodents and in ovo in poultry, and apply it to posthatch zebra finch songbird chicks. We present a series of experiments with a combination of promoters, fluorescent protein genes, and piggyBac transposase vectors to demonstrate that this can be a reliable, efficient, and flexible strategy for genome manipulation. We discuss options for gene delivery experiments to test circuit and behavioral hypotheses using a variety of manipulations, including gene overexpression, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, inducible technologies, optogenetic or DREADD cellular control, and cell type-specific expression.
Examination of the Patient-Focused Impact of Cancer Telegenetics Among a Rural Population: Comparison with Traditional In-Person Services.

Abstract Background: Telecommunication models promise to improve access to cancer genetic counseling. Little is known about their impact among the geographically underserved. This work examined kno...
Activated ovarian endothelial cells promote early follicular development and survival.

New data suggests that endothelial cells (ECs) elaborate essential “angiocrine factors”. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of activated ovarian endothelial cells in early in-vitro follicular development. Mouse ovarian ECs were isolated using magnetic cell sorting or by FACS and cultured in serum free media. After a constitutive activation of the Akt pathway was initiated, early follicles (50–150 um) were mechanically isolated from 8-day-old mice and co-cultured with these activated ovarian endothelial cells (AOEC) (n = 32), gel (n = 24) or within matrigel (n = 27) in serum free media for 14 days. Follicular growth, survival and function were assessed. After 6 passages, flow cytometry showed 93% of cells grown in serum-free culture were VE-cadherin positive, CD-31 positive and CD 45 negative, matching the known EC profile. Beginning on day 4 of culture, we observed significantly higher follicular and oocyte growth rates in follicles co-cultured with AOECs compared with follicles on gel or matrigel. After 14 days of culture, 73% of primary follicles and 83% of secondary follicles co-cultured with AOEC survived, whereas the majority of follicles cultured on gel or matrigel underwent atresia. This is the first report of successful isolation and culture of ovarian ECs. We suggest that co-culture with activated ovarian ECs promotes early follicular development and survival. This model is a novel platform for the in vitro maturation of early follicles and for the future exploration of endothelial-follicular communication. In vitro development of early follicles necessitates a complex interplay of growth factors and signals required for development. Endothelial cells (ECs) may elaborate essential “angiocrine factors” involved in organ regeneration. We demonstrate that co-culture with ovarian ECs enables culture of primary and early secondary mouse ovarian follicles.
A Double-Blind, Randomized Trial on the Efficacy and Safety of Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy in the Preservation of Erectile Function after Radical Prostatectomy

Purpose: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of hyperbaric oxygenation therapy to preserve erectile function as part of penile rehabilitation after robot assisted bilateral nerve sparing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective, randomized, double-blind study from January 2009 to April 2013. Men 40 to 65 years old who underwent robot assisted bilateral nerve sparing radical prostatectomy were randomized 1:1 to the control or the treatment group. Participants were exposed to air as the control or to 100% oxygen as the treatment in hyperbaric conditions. The primary outcome was erectile function at 18 months as measured by IIEF (International Index of Erectile Function). Secondary outcomes were 12-month urinary symptoms, and 18-month sexual, urinary, bowel and hormonal related symptoms as measured by EPIC-26 (Expanded Prostate Index Composite-26). Adverse events and long-term cancer outcomes were monitored. Primary and secondary outcomes in the 2 groups we...
Analysis and Design of a Wideband, Balun-Based, Differential Power Splitter at mm-Wave

A wideband, low-loss balun-based differential power splitter is studied. The use of lumped double-tuned baluns as key building blocks within a splitter leads to a wideband operation, while avoiding signal crossovers and the detrimental effects associated with them. Moreover, the lack of multiple ${\lambda }$ /4 transmission-line sections results in an area-efficient and low-loss structure. A demonstration of this design approach comprising a differential 1-to-4 splitter was EM-simulated at 120 GHz in a 65-nm CMOS process. Full-wave EM-simulations, verifying the performance of this splitter, show a minimum in-band insertion loss of 8.3 dB and a port-to-port isolation of 10 dB (or better) across a 3-dB bandwidth of 40 GHz.
Characterization of High Voltage Cold Atmospheric Plasma Generation in Sealed Packages as a Function of Container Material and Fill Gas

While numerous experiments have demonstrated the efficacy of high voltage cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (HVCAPs) in sealed packages for microbial inactivation, the influence of the package on the emitted species measured during HVCAP discharge is poorly understood. This study elucidates the impact of the package on plasma generation in sealed packages for four separate gases (ambient air, commercial grade compressed air, a helium/air mixture, and nitrogen) placed in commercially available transparent plastic containers and bags representative of the materials used in the food industry. The container and bag individually reduced emission signal intensity by an average of 63 and 45%, respectively, across the measured wavelengths of 200–1100 nm, demonstrating that they acted as broadband absorbers. Neither the container nor bag caused additional emission lines to appear, indicating no significant effect on the types of species generated. Considering the minimum applied voltage necessary to induce a discharge, the power dissipated by the nitrogen and ambient air plasma generated at 72 ± 3.7 kV RMS were comparable to the compressed dry air discharge generated at 80 ± 3.7 kV RMS. The helium discharge at 37 ± 3.7 kV RMS absorbed approximately 92% more power than these gases. Rotational temperatures ranged from 285 K for helium to 479 K for compressed air. These results indicate that the package impacts the intensity distribution but not the presence of the most dominant peaks, although further studies are required to elucidate the impact on less intense peaks.
Sharers in the Divine Image: Francisco Suárez and the Justification of Female Political Authority

Unlike the perceived stance of many of his scholastic predecessors and contemporaries, Suarez denies the claim that women are mentally inferior to women, and therefore argues that they enjoy full p...
Long-Wave Infrared Germanium-on-Silicon Waveguides Beyond 10 μ m

We show low-loss propagation in germanium-on-silicon (GOS) waveguides from 6.85 μm to 11.25 μm. The loss is as low as a few dB/cm at a wavelength of 10 μm for both the quasi-TE 00 and quasi-TM 00 modes.
Myocardial Interstitial Collagen Matrix Remodeling in Response to a Chronic Elevation in Ventricular Preload or Afterload

Fibrillar collagen is an essential component of the extracellular matrix of the heart that surrounds and interconnects the coronary microcirculation, individual myocytes, groups of cardiac myofibrils, muscle fibers, and muscle fiber bundles. Accordingly, it provides for cardiac myocyte and muscle fiber alignment, and in so doing it imparts a mechanical support to the myocardium that assists in the maintenance of ventricular shape, size, and function. Interstitial fibrillar collagen concentration is known to be increased from 40% to 150% in genetic and experimental left-ventricular hypertension and with pathological elevations of circulating angiotensin II or mineralocorticoids. A significant portion of this fibrosis may be related to multifocal myocyte necrosis and intramyocardial coronary artery damage, which occur in these models. As a consequence of this increase in fibrillar collagen, both the myocardium and the ventricle become stiffer. Systolic function is preserved by the accompanying hypertrophy and enhanced contractility unless the increase in myocardial collagen consists of a significant degree of endomyocardial reparative fibrosis. In contrast, chronic volume overload induces an increase in myocardial collagenase activity with subsequent collagen degradation that results in ventricular dilatation and a decrease in ventricular stiffness. The ventricular dilatation, change in ventricular shape, and increase in distensibility in dilated cardiomyopathy and end-stage heart failure are also mediated by collagenase activation and fibrillar collagen breakdown.
The development of fast analyzers

New instrumentation has been developed at ORNL for analyzing physiologic specimens. The system is designed for use in clinical laboratories, hospitals, and emergency rooms and for use by researchers. Miniaturized versions may also be used in prolonged space flights. After consideration of ease of automation, flexibility, and rapid startup, multiple analyses performed in parallel was chosen as the desired approach. Concepts employed in developing the system are discussed, including: (1) dynamic mixing of samples and reagents through centrifugal transfer from transfer disks into cuvets; (2) rotor design allowing emptying, flushing, and drying of cuvets; (3) precise temperature control; (4) spectrophotometric reaction monitoring; (5) data reduction, with all data stored for possible recall; (6) feedback control for error correction and time saving. Possible future improvements are indicated.
Pocket Preppers: Performing Preparedness with Everyday Carry Posts on Instagram

Preppers are individuals who gather and stock supplies, food, and tools in anticipation of disasters or emergencies. In the process of making themselves ready for disaster, many preppers have built community on social networking sites and online platforms such as Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, YouTube and subject specific bulletin boards. This paper presents findings from a study of preppers' #EDC ("everyday carry") pocket dump photographs posted to Instagram, a mobile social media platform that allows users to post photographs, comment, tag, and follow users in the social network. Amongst other subcultures of consumption and display, preppers' pocket dumps are a form of self-representation and an emerging personal media genre on social media. We argue that preppers' perceptions of future disaster and performances of preparedness on visual social media extend current social media research on self-representation practices, consumption of objects, and personal photography in surprising and meaningful ways.
Noise Aware Power Adaptive Partitioned Deep Networks for Mobile Visual Assist Platforms

Due to limitations in both compute power and battery capacity, many use cases for mobile devices often involve the offload of some portion of a task from the mobile platform to edge or cloud servers. Where there is flexibility in either the degree of offload or the nature of the communication to the remote device, there can be substantial tradeoffs between the amount of energy consumed by the mobile device for a given performance or quality of service (QoS) target. We investigate these tradeoffs in the specific case of deep neural networks (DNNs), which are known to both have noise tolerant properties and present many partitioning options for what portion of a task is computed locally versus remotely, and we present a scheme that exploits DNN QoS tolerance under reduced transmission fidelity to reduce mobile device power requirements. We characterize the error robustness of several networks as a function of cut depth, showing that resilience decreases as a function of layers and the degree of mismatch between training and operational noise levels, and develop an adaptive technique for run-time selection of an appropriate model, offload point, and transmission power level for a given noise environment.
Multiuser Diversity Gain in Uplink NOMA

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) that exploits the differences of transmission powers of users or power domain NOMA is an attractive technology to meet the increasing demands of 5G network users. In this paper, a multiuser diversity gain analysis for power domain NOMA is introduced to compare the reliability of various power transmission methods in case of uplink communications. Accordingly, a power transmission scheme that ensures a certain quality of user experience (QoE) for all users is compared with the power back-off transmission scheme inherited from LTE. The results show that the QoE based power transmission can exploit the diversity gain and has much lower symbol error rate than the power back-off method for both ideal successive interference cancellation (SIC) and practical imperfect SIC at the receiver.
Incorporating signal-dependent noise for hyperspectral target detection

The majority of hyperspectral target detection algorithms are developed from statistical data models employing stationary background statistics or white Gaussian noise models. Stationary background models are inaccurate as a result of two separate physical processes. First, varying background classes often exist in the imagery that possess different clutter statistics. Many algorithms can account for this variability through the use of subspaces or clustering techniques. The second physical process, which is often ignored, is a signal-dependent sensor noise term. For photon counting sensors that are often used in hyperspectral imaging systems, sensor noise increases as the measured signal level increases as a result of Poisson random processes. This work investigates the impact of this sensor noise on target detection performance. A linear noise model is developed describing sensor noise variance as a linear function of signal level. The linear noise model is then incorporated for detection of targets using data collected at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Protective role of mesenchymal stem cells and mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes in cigarette smoke-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in mice.

Abstract Background Cigarette smoke (CS)-induced lung inflammation and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) involves mitochondrial dysfunction. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and MSC-derived exosomes (EXO) are reported to show therapeutic effects in many animal models of inflammation and injury. In the present study, we determined the role of MSC and EXO intervention in CS-induced lung inflammation with a focus on mitochondrial dysfunction. Methods EXO were characterized using Western blot for exosomal markers, tunable resistive pulse sensing by qNano and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mitochondrial reporter mice (mt-Keima and mito-QC) were exposed to air or CS for 10 days. mt-Keima mice were treated with intraperitoneal injections of MSC or EXO or MSC and EXO (MSC + EXO) for 10 days. Total cell counts, differential cell counts were performed using automated cell counter and flow cytometry respectively. Further, the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were measured using ELISA. Western blot analysis, quantitative PCR, confocal microscopy were used in the current study to determine the effects in the lungs of CS exposed mice. Seahorse flux analyzer was used to measure the oxidative-phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in the BEAS2B cells and BEAS2B - mMSC co-culture experiments. Results CS exposure increased the inflammatory cellular infiltrations in the lungs of the mt-Keima mice. MSC + EXO treatment showed protection compared to individual treatments (MSC or EXO alone). There were no changes in the mitophagy proteins like PINK1 and Parkin, which was also found using the mito-QC mice. CS exposure led to significant increase in the mitochondrial fission protein DRP1 and other DAMPs pathway mediators like S100A4 and S100A8, HMGB1, RAGE and AGE. MSC + EXO treatment increased the gene expression of (fusion genes) mfn1, mfn2 and opa1. Additionally, the rhot1 gene expression was increased in MSC + EXO treatment group compared to Air- and CS exposed groups. BEAS2B-mMSC co-cultures showed protective response against the CSE-altered mitochondrial respiration parameters, confirming the beneficial effect of MSC towards human bronchial lung epithelial cells. Conclusion CS affects some of early mitochondrial genes involved in the fission/fusion process, enhancing the damage response along with altered cytokine levels. MSC + EXO combination treatment showed their protective effects. MSC + EXO combination treatment may act against these early events caused by CS exposure owing to its anti-inflammatory and other mitochondrial transfer mechanisms.
Integrated location and inventory planning in service parts logistics with customer-based service levels

Abstract We analyze the integrated logistics network design and inventory stocking problem in service parts logistics, where each customer requires a certain response time-based service level. We introduce a non-linear mixed integer optimization model that explicitly captures the interdependency between network design (locating facilities, and allocating customers’ demands to facilities) and inventory stocking decisions (stock levels and their corresponding stochastic fill rates). We then provide two different linearized mixed integer formulations for this problem that can solve small and medium size problems. We show that it is still a challenging problem in general, for which we have a Lagrangian-relaxation based approach that provides extremely tight lower and upper bounds. Our extensive computational study shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach for a variety of problem instances, producing provably near-optimal integrated solutions.
Environmental Education: Breaching Experiment

In certain respects this chapter is closely linked to the previous one on waste separation. In both chapters there is a thematic focus on waste and the moral aspect of dealing with it, the risks of various manifestations of dirtying the environment. Here, the focus is both broader and more specific. Broader, because more critical materials and issues besides waste are included; and more specific, because it elaborates on the negotiation of relations between volunteers and refugees on the grounds of environmentally (un-)friendly behaviour, which is a theme reflecting a specific link with dirt and cleanliness in its social dimension and one that plays an increasing role as a basis for inclusion and exclusion, and for status in general.
Safety concerns reported by consumers, manufacturers and healthcare professionals: A detailed evaluation of opioid-related adverse drug reactions in the FDA database over 15 years.

To perform an in-depth analysis of opioid-related ADRs reported by consumers, manufacturers and healthcare professionals. Delving into the depth and breadth of reported opioid-related adverse drug reactions (ADRs) provides an opportunity to strategize better clinical management and alleviate safety concerns. Retrospective pharmacovigilance disproportionality analysis for opioid-related ADRs in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database was performed. Detailed analysis of patient (sex, age) and report (year of report; reporter: healthcare worker vs consumer) characteristics were conducted using reports from 2004 quarter 1 to 2018 quarter 4. Reporting odds ratios and confidence intervals (RORs,CI) were calculated. Of the 1 916 674 ADR reports, 300 985 indicated opioids as the primary medication. There was a surge in opioid-related ADRs reported in 2018 with six times more reports compared to 2004 and twice the number of reports compared to 2017. The largest ROR among the 20 common ADRs was depression and suicide-self-injury (ROR 3.12, 95% CI 3.01-3.22) for reports in age group ≥65 compared to age group 18 to 64, and lack of efficacy (ROR 6.80, 95% CI 6.61-7.00) for males compared to females. ADRs with the largest RORs for consumers included lack of efficacy/effect (ROR 3.37, 95% CI 3.28-3.46), administration site reactions (ROR 3.21, 95% CI 3.11-3.32), depression and suicide self-injury (ROR 2.26, 95% CI 2.14-2.38) compared to healthcare professionals. Important aspects of opioid ADR voluntary reporting included suicidal ideation in elderly patients and lack of efficacy, especially in male patients. This examination provides insight to better manage safety concerns of opioids.
Ein Coronavirus – was ist das eigentlich?

Viren sind erstaunliche Geschopfe. Sie sind die am weitesten verbreiteten, vielgestaltigsten biologischen Gebilde der Welt und machen auch die schnellste Evolution durch. Sie infizieren alle bekannten Lebensformen, „ubernehmen“ den komplexen Apparat von Zellen und unterwerfen ihn.
Influence of instructor‐to‐student ratio for teaching suturing skills with models

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the influence of instructor to student ratio on the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching suturing skills to veterinary students. STUDY DESIGN Prospective randomized study. SAMPLE POPULATION Second-year veterinary students (N = 121). METHODS Students were randomly divided into three groups to participate in four 2-hour skills laboratory sessions in which suturing of the subcutaneous tissue was taught by using a simple continuous pattern, suturing of the skin was taught by using continuous patterns, suturing of the skin was taught by using interrupted patterns, and suturing of hollow organs was taught by using inverting patterns. For each laboratory, the groups were taught by using instructor-to-student ratios of 1:6, 1:8, and 1:10 on a rotating basis. Students were surveyed at the end of each laboratory, and underwent individual performance assessments at the end of each laboratory session and again at the end of the semester in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). RESULTS For each of the four in-laboratory assessments and the OSCE, no difference in performance was detected between groups. When they were surveyed, students in all groups reported that there was an adequate number of instructors in the laboratory and that they received help in a timely fashion when help was requested (median for all groups = agree). CONCLUSION For students with prior surgical skills education and with the use of prelaboratory instructional videos, teaching at the 1:10 instructor-to-student ratio was efficient and effective. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Good educational outcomes may be reached with a 1:10 instructor-to-student ratio or, potentially, fewer instructors, depending on the educational aids present in the laboratory and students' prior level of experience.