cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Negative and Positive Visual Hypnotic Hallucinations: Attending Inside and Out

La perception modifiee par l'hypnose affecte le fonctionnement du cerveau. Ces instructions hypnotiques qui reduisent la perception en creant une obstruction illusoire reduisent la reponse du cerveau a la perception au niveau de cortex sensoriel apparente, comme cela a pu etre mesure par l'amplitude (ERP) des potentiels connexes a un evenement et le debit sanguin (PET scan). Ces instructions hypnotiques qui affectent la reaction du sujet a la perception, activent le systeme anterieur d'attention, particulierement le cortex anterieur cingulaire dans des etudes faites au PET Scan. L'hypnose implique l'activation sans eveil et elle peut etre particulierement mediatisee par l'intermediaire des voies dopaminergiques. Le changement de perception hypnotique est accompagne des changements mesurables de la fonction perceptive et attentionnelles de ces regions specifiques du cerveau qui traitent ces activites, qui sont modulees par la nature de l'instruction hypnotique specifique. Les hallucinations obstructives positives semblent tenir compte d'un foyer hypnotique centripete, activant le fonctionnement des systemes neuraux attentionnels, reduisant alors les systemes perceptifs.
Progress in Designing Small Inhibitors which Discriminate among Trypsin-Like Enzymes

Affinity labelling has provided an approach to the labelling of the active centers of enzymes which has been of value in protein chemistry [1]. At the same time, it has been appreciated that this approach is also of promise as a means of devising new chemotherapeutic agents [1, 2]. The useful application of affinity labelling in drug design depends, of course, on the recognition of suitable target enzymes. The increasing number of trypsin-like enzymes of physiological importance (Table 1) provides some opportunities for chemotherapy that have already been recognized for some time. The group includes, in addition, other members whose suitability as target enzymes for therapeutic inactivation remains to be demonstrated. Not only are these enzymes similar to trypsin in specificity but several have now been shown to be homologous in sequence (Table 1) and we can conclude that these have a common three-dimensional structure in the active center region. Ultimately this may prove to be true of the whole group. If the active center regions are identical, it would appear very difficult to achieve selective inactivation of one of these enzymes by a small molecule affinity label. However, I shall show several examples of selective action which indicate that the pessimism expressed, for example, by Baker [3] is not justified.
Using commonsense knowledge to disambiguate prepositional phrase modifiers

This paper describes a method using commonsense knowledge for discarding spurious syntactic ambiguities introduced by post-verbal prepositional phrase attachment during parsing. A completely naive parser will generate three parses for sentences of the form NP-V-Det-N-PP. The prepositions alone are insufficiently precise in meaning to guide selection among competing parses. The method is imbedded in the Kind Types System (KT) which employs commonsense knowledge of concepts, including prototype and inherent features (generic information) and ontological classifications. The generic information is drawn from published psycholinguistic studies on how average people typically view the world. This method is employed in preference strategies which appeal to the meaning of the preposition combined with information about the verbs and nouns associated with it drawn from the text and from the generic and ontological databases. These determine which syntactic structures generated by a semantically naive parser are commonsensically plausible. The method was successful in 93% of cases tested.
Assuring Mobile Physical Services for the New Generation of Networks

The development of computing and communication systems has gone through a spiral cycle of centralization and decentralization schemas. The earliest telephone network used decentralized point-to-point connections. It moved to centralized switching system as the number of devices increased. The centralized computing and communication systems further moved into a decentralized paradigm, as devices expand and dependability of large systems becomes a dominating factor. The current cloud computing and communication systems appear to be a centralized system where computing and communication resources are not in the client computers but in an integrated infrastructure. Nevertheless, the implementation of the centralized infrastructure is equipped with decentralized and redundant resources, which makes the system more dependable as any internal failures can be tolerated internally. However, the terminal devices and their interfaces to the centralized infrastructure remain vulnerable to the single-point-of-failures. This paper focuses on terminal devices and their interfaces to the new generation of assurance network and presents the challenges of making the devices and the interfaces as dependable as the assurance network. The idea of achieving the goal is through a pool of Mobile Physical Services (MPS) that can connect to multiple networks and can be shared by neighboring users.
An analysis of children's eating habits

Summary 1. Unsatisfactory eating habits are the rule rather than the exception among an unselected group of children, but only 15 per cent of the group show sufficiently unsatisfactory behavior to be called “feeding problems.” 2. Good appetite and good table behavior are closely related variables and are found in homes in which strict disciplinary methods are combined with approval of the child. 3. The type of strictness found in the homes of children with good appetites seems to be a strictness about a few essentials of behavior but not a strictness which completely determines the child's activities. This freer type of strictness seems to be psychologically healthful. The children from such homes tend to be socially well adjusted. 4. The strictness found in the homes of children with good table behavior seems to stem from an attempt of the parents to force the child into complete conformity to adult standards. This excessive constraint on the child's behavior seems to render him incapable of free and spontaneous behavior and to hamper his social adjustment. 5. A wide acceptance of foods and lack of finicalness is most generally obtained by an abundance of affection and attention. There is no evidence that a coercive discipline in the home can make children nonfinical.
Response to Comments on “The Predictive Capacity of Personal Genome Sequencing”

The power of personal genome sequencing to elucidate disease pathogenesis will ensure that it will become an essential tool in medical practice, but recognizing its limitations for improving public health will minimize false expectations and foster the most fruitful investigations.
Computer Programs to Compute Lord's Item Bias Statistic for a Three-Parameter ICC:

Lord (1980) has suggested a method for detecting subgroup bias at the item level. When a three parameter ICC model is used, a chi square statistic is computed on the multivariate differences between the parameter estimates of item discrimination and difficulty (the guessing parameter is held constant). LOGIST is a program to compute the parameter estimates but it does not contain procedures for calculating the chi square statistic. A series of programs written in the BASIC language have been developed that create and modify files of the parameter and theta estimates. The final program uses these files to calculate the needed chi square statistic and provides additional descriptive statistics that are used to check the input.
In Obese Patients, the Distance Between Skin and Renal Collecting System Changes with the Position of the Patient from Supine to Prone

Abstract Purpose: To investigate how prone and supine redistribution of a patient's adipose tissue affects the distance from skin to the renal collecting system. Methods: There were 48 patients who underwent CT intravenous urography with both supine and prone scans. The distance between skin and the posterior lower pole calix was measured in both positions. The difference was calculated using paired t tests. Subgroup analyses were conducted for patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥28 and BMI ≥30. Results: In all patients, the mean distance between skin and the posterior lower pole calix was 9.9±0.3 cm and 8.7±0.3 cm for patients supine and prone, respectively (P 39 and exhibited differences in skin to the posterior lower pole calix ≥3.2 cm between supine and pro...
Optimizing spatial reuse by dynamic power control

This paper first presents a geometric analysis of the convergence condition for the Foschini-Miljanic power control algorithm. Then, based on the analysis, the Dynamic Distributed Power Control MAC (D2PC-MAC) scheme is proposed for wireless networks. D2PC-MAC achieves high spatial reuse, since power control enables nesting of concurrent links, thereby achieving a high density of successful links. The MAC scheme starts by trying to accommodate all links and then eliminating transmitters causing too much interference in two stages, a local stage and a global stage. Both stages operate in a fully distributed manner. Simulation results confirm the expected gains relative to standard MAC schemes: the spatial density of successful links is increased by about a factor of 4 compared to CSMA and about a factor of 8 compared to ALOHA.
Effect of Optical Activity or Faraday Rotation on Internal Conical Refraction

In a previous paper, simple analytic expressions describing internal conical refraction were derived. That analysis is extended in this paper to describe the effects of optical activity or Faraday rotation on conical refraction. By use of a similar analysis, the generally elliptical-wave modes to which the incident wave bundle couples were determined and the Poynting vector associated with each mode was found. From the variation of the Poynting vector with wave position, the structure of the cone and the irradiance variation within it were determined. The calculations are compared with published experimental results. From this analysis, we infer a variation of the position of the dark spaces in polarized light with polarization, which is not indicated by previous work.
Antihistone antibodies in linear scleroderma variants

Background Linear scleroderma occurs as two clinically distinct variants: the frontoparietal en coup de sabre type, and the torso-extremity type. Antihistone antibodies (AHAs), which traditionally are markers for drug-induced lupus, may also be linked to linear scleroderma. Methods Retrospective review of all patients presenting with linear scleroderma who had AHA titers measured. Results A total of 35 patients were identified. Twenty patients with linear scleroderma of the torso and/or extremities comprised 14 pediatric patients (≤ 18 years old; positive AHA, 10/14 = 71%; positive ANA, 3/13 = 23%) and six adults (four positive AHA; five positive ANA). Among the 15 patients with frontoparietal linear scleroderma, en coup de sabre type, 11 were pediatric patients (positive AHA, 5/11 = 45%; positive ANA, 4/11 = 36%) and four were adults (1 positive AHA/ANA). Conclusion The two clinical variants of linear scleroderma are not only clinically distinct, but also may be serologically different. The AHA titers may be related to the extent of involvement as well as disease activity in linear scleroderma.
Systems biology approaches identify ATF3 as a negative regulator of Toll-like receptor 4

The innate immune system is absolutely required for host defence, but, uncontrolled, it leads to inflammatory disease. This control is mediated, in part, by cytokines that are secreted by macrophages. Immune regulation is extraordinarily complex, and can be best investigated with systems approaches (that is, using computational tools to predict regulatory networks arising from global, high-throughput data sets). Here we use cluster analysis of a comprehensive set of transcriptomic data derived from Toll-like receptor (TLR)-activated macrophages to identify a prominent group of genes that appear to be regulated by activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), a member of the CREB/ATF family of transcription factors. Network analysis predicted that ATF3 is part of a transcriptional complex that also contains members of the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB family of transcription factors. Promoter analysis of the putative ATF3-regulated gene cluster demonstrated an over-representation of closely apposed ATF3 and NF-kappaB binding sites, which was verified by chromatin immunoprecipitation and hybridization to a DNA microarray. This cluster included important cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-12b. ATF3 and Rel (a component of NF-kappaB) were shown to bind to the regulatory regions of these genes upon macrophage activation. A kinetic model of Il6 and Il12b messenger RNA expression as a function of ATF3 and NF-kappaB promoter binding predicted that ATF3 is a negative regulator of Il6 and Il12b transcription, and this hypothesis was validated using Atf3-null mice. ATF3 seems to inhibit Il6 and Il12b transcription by altering chromatin structure, thereby restricting access to transcription factors. Because ATF3 is itself induced by lipopolysaccharide, it seems to regulate TLR-stimulated inflammatory responses as part of a negative-feedback loop.
The road less traveled: Combining an MD and PhD to establish a research program in biomedicine

Developing an academic career in fields closely related to medicine is challenging. In this paper, various aspects of establishing, growing, and maintaining a viable program are discussed, with the examples from personal experience. The importance of understanding funding resources, the funding environment, institutional resources, and mentorship will be emphasized.
Physically based adaptive preconditioning for early vision

Several problems in early vision have been formulated in the past in a regularization framework. These problems, when discretized, lead to large sparse linear systems. In this paper, we present a novel physically based adaptive preconditioning technique which can be used in conjunction with a conjugate gradient algorithm to dramatically improve the speed of convergence for solving the aforementioned linear systems. A preconditioner, based on the membrane spline, or the thin plate spline, or a convex combination of the two, is termed a physically based preconditioner for obvious reasons. The adaptation of the preconditioner to an early vision problem is achieved via the explicit use of the spectral characteristics of the regularization filter in conjunction with the data. This spectral function is used to modulate the frequency characteristics of a chosen wavelet basis, and these modulated values are then used in the construction of our preconditioner. We present the preconditioner construction for three different early vision problems namely, the surface reconstruction, the shape from shading, and the optical flow computation problems. Performance of the preconditioning scheme is demonstrated via experiments on synthetic and real data sets.
NHE-1 isoform of the Na+ H+ antiport is expressed in the rat and rabbit esophagus

Abstract Background & Aims Rabbit esophageal cells show an amiloride-sensitive Na+H+ antiporter activity. Several distinct molecular isoforms of the Na+H+ exchanger family (NHE) are reported to be present in the gastrointestinal tract of rats and rabbits. The aim of this study was to examine which isoforms are present in rabbit and rat esophageal cells and whether this isoform could be up-regulated by serum factors. Methods Specific primers designed from the rat NHE-1–4 and the rabbit NHE-1–3 isoform sequences were used for reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis with RNA from rabbit and rat esophageal cells. Ribonuclease protection assay was used to determine the serum-induced up-regulation of NHE-1. Antibodies raised against the NHE-1 C-terminal fragment were used for Western blotting with rabbit esophageal membranes. Results In both the rat and rabbit esophagus, only the NHE-1 isoform messenger RNA could be detected. The NHE-1 messenger RNA, detected in rabbit esophageal cells grown from tissue explants, was up-regulated by serum factors. The antibody detected a 95-kilodalton protein in esophageal cell membranes. Conclusions The rabbit and rat esophagus exclusively express the NHE-1 isoform, hypothesized to be involved in cytoplasmic pH regulation. Therefore, the results of this study suggest a role for NHE-1 in protecting cells against gastric acid that is refluxed into the esophagus.
Circulating neutrophil CD14 expression and the inverse association of ambient particulate matter on lung function in asthmatic children

Background Identifying baseline inflammatory biomarkers that predict susceptibility to size-specific particulate matter (PM) independent of gaseous pollutants could help us better identify asthmatic subpopulations at increased risk for the adverse health effects of PM. Objective To evaluate whether the association between lung function and exposure to ambient levels of PM less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM 2.5 ) (fine) and 10 to 2.5 μm in diameter (PM 10-2.5 ) (coarse) in children with persistent asthma differed across baseline measures of inflammation and innate immune activation. Methods We performed a panel study on a local population of 16 children with persistent asthma and evaluated daily pulmonary function (percentage of predicted peak expiratory flow and forced expiratory volume in 1 second) while concurrently measuring daily PM 2.5 and PM 10-2.5 exposure from a central site in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The children underwent a baseline medical evaluation that included assessment of several immunoinflammatory biomarkers in peripheral blood. Results Children without measurable CD14 expression on circulating neutrophils had significantly reduced pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second and peak expiratory flow) with each interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM 2.5 (IQR = 8.5 μg/m 3 ) and PM 10-2.5 (IQR = 4.1 μg/m 3 ) concentration, unlike children with measurable CD14 expression ( P Conclusions Asthmatic children with muted surface expression of CD14 on circulating neutrophils may have a decreased capacity to respond to bacterial components of PM.
Two-dimensional current density and temperature development in the return rail of an EM launcher with temperature-dependent properties

A method used to model the two-dimensional current and temperature development in the return rail of an electromagnetic launcher (EML) during launch, incorporating temperature-dependent electrical and thermal material properties, is presented. Due to these temperature dependencies and the nonlinearities they introduce, the derived equations must be solved numerically. Comparisons of the current and temperature responses are made with the results of a previously published constant-property model. This two-dimensional model duplicates the breech responses of one-dimensional analyses and, in addition, provides the detailed structure of the current and temperature sheaths. In particular, application of this model shows that the most severe gradients occur away from the breech, and that they are much in excess of those predicted by one-dimensional analyses. >
Photosynthetic and Water Use Efficiency Responses to Diffuse Radiation by an Aspen-Dominated Northern Hardwood Forest

Clouds can exert strong effects on ecosystem CO2 and water vapor fluxes and may be important determinants of terrestrial primary production. We used three years of eddy-covariance and meteorological data from an aspen-dominated northern hardwood forest in Michigan to investigate how canopy photosynthesis (P), evapotranspiration (E), and water use efficiency (WUE) responded to changes in cloud cover, or the proportion of diffuse (If) to total (It) photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Canopy quantum efficiency (the initial slope of the P versus PAR response curve) increased with increasing cloud cover, but both midday canopy P and canopy photosynthetic potential (the asymptote of the P versus PAR response curve) were greatest under partly cloudy skies (If/It 0.57). Midday canopy E decreased and midday canopy WUE increased with increasing If/It. The relationship between canopy P and cloud cover varied with soil moisture. Canopy P was insensitive to changes in soil moisture under overcast skies (If/It 0.70), whereas under clearer skies, canopy P was lower during periods of low compared to high soil moisture. These results further our understanding of cloud cover effects on canopy physiological processes and will aid in more accurate assessments of forest responses to climatic change. FOR .S CI. 50(6): 793-801.
In vitro stimulation of Na+-K+-ATPase activity and ouabain binding by cortisol in coho salmon gill

To investigate the hormonal control of gill Na+-K+-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) (the sodium pump) in coho salmon, a technique for the culture of primary gill filaments for up to 4 days was developed. Trypan blue exclusion was greater than 99.9%, histological appearance of the cells was normal, and total [Na+], [K+], and protein content of gill filaments cultured for 2-4 days was unchanged from initial levels (measured immediately after isolation). In fish with initially low gill Na+-K+-ATPase activity (presmolts), cortisol (0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 micrograms/ml) caused a significant dose-dependent increase in gill Na+-K+-ATPase activity over initial (41%) and control levels (45%) after 4 days in culture. In fish with initially high gill Na+-K+-ATPase activity (postsmolts), cortisol partially prevented the decline in activity that occurred during 4 days of culture. The relative ability of steroids to increase gill Na+-K+-ATPase activity was dexamethasone greater than cortisol = 11-deoxycortisol greater than cortisone. Insulin (0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 micrograms/ml), alone or in combination with cortisol, had no significant effect on gill Na+-K+-ATPase activity. Cortisol treatment significantly increased maximum binding capacity of [3H]ouabain in gill tissue (from 2.92 to 5.22 pmol/mg dry wt) but had no significant effect on the dissociation constant. These results demonstrate that cortisol has direct effects on the osmoregulatory physiology of the teleost gill.
Sovereign Development Funds: Designing High-Performance, Strategic Investment Institutions

In a slowing global economy with diminished confidence in the long-term prospects for public financial markets, many institutional investors are looking for innovative, alternative, and often private, investment strategies to meet elevated expected return targets. One source of potential inspiration has, perhaps surprisingly, come from the community of sovereign development funds. SDFs are strategic, government-sponsored investment organizations that have dual objective functions: to deliver high financial performance, while fostering development. Despite an expectation that this dual objective function inevitably leads to financial underperformance, SDFs have actually delivered consistently high investment returns, especially in private markets. As such, SDF strategies are increasingly being used as a model for investment strategies among non-developmental investment organizations. In this paper, then, we explore the rise of SDFs, account for some of their outsized performance and conceptualize models for SDF governance and management. Our intention is to provide a flexible blueprint for governments or agencies seeking to establish these funds, but our insights are also intended for all institutional investors looking for new ways to generate ‘alpha.’
Modeling spanish mood choice in belief statements

This work develops a computational methodology new to linguistics that empirically evaluates competing linguistic theories on Spanish verbal mood choice through the use of computational techniques to learn mood and other hidden linguistic features from Spanish belief statements found in corpora. The machine learned probabilistic linguistic models are then evaluated in terms of mood prediction for sentences such as (1): (1) No creo que Juan es / sea alto.no believe that Juan is. Indicative / is. Subjunctive tall. I don't believe that Juan is tall. Most native speakers note subtle differences in meaning between the indicative and subjunctive versions. While there is abundant research on subjunctive licensors (see Portner 1999, 2011), and whether the same licensing property is universally applicable to all subjunctive contexts there is little work to explain what the Spanish mood morpheme contributes to the overall meaning. Villalta (2007, 2010) proposes gradability as being a key linguistic feature that licenses mood in Spanish. This dissertation extends her theory into a broader semantic process. This theory and other competing semantic theories were translated into probabilistic graphical models (see Koller & Friedman 2011). Large amounts of relevant text were collected, formatted, statistically summarized and ranked, yielding rich analysis of the Spanish mood choice problem. Then the models were trained on the data through common data sampling techniques so that the probabilities of the hidden linguistic features could be computationally learned. The resultant probabilistic models for each linguistic theory then predicted mood in 6,282 sentences. Multiple models achieved accuracy scores between 80% and 84%. The extended Villalta model did significantly outscore the regular Villalta model, but did not significantly outscore three other semantic models. Nevertheless, this model was also shown to accurately predict scalar implicatures and metalinguistic negation. With a sentence like (1), the model predicted wether Juan was short, almost tall, just plain tall or very tall 69% of the time. When the set of these four alternatives was reduced to three (not tall, just plain tall and very tall) the accuracy was 81%, suggesting an innovative application of theoretical linguistics to Opinion Mining (cf Liu 2012) efforts.
A Theory of Fairness in Trade

A theory of fairness in international trade should answer at least three questions. What, at the basic level, are we to assess as fair or unfair in the trade context? What sort of fairness issue does this basic subject of assessment raise? And, what moral principles must be fulfilled if trade is to be fair in the relevant sense? This discussion presents answers to these questions that derive from a “constructivist” methodology inspired by John Rawls and the social contract tradition.
WINTER POPULATION OF PINNIPEDS ABOUT GUADALUPE, SAN BENITO, AND CEDROS ISLANDS, BAJA CALIFORNIA

Between January 27 and February 10, 1950, as guests of Joseph W. Sefton, Jr., a scientific party, including the authors, visited Guadalupe, San Benito, and Cedros islands aboard the Research Ship Orca of the Joseph W. Sefton Foundation. The primary purposes of this trip were to determine if there still exists on Guadalupe Island a population of the Guadalupe fur seal, Arctocephalus townsendi Merriam, of which a single adult male had recently been seen on San Nicolas island, California (see below), and to study further the numbers and biology of all the pinnipeds on these Baja California islands. Records were made of all individuals seen at sea and censuses were taken of the pinniped populations on each island. These observations yielded a hitherto unavailable picture of the winter population in this area. No harbor seals, Phoca vitulina geronimensis Allen, were seen on any of the islands, although according to Goldman (1951: 407) they still occur on Guadalupe Island. We have found no confirmation of this report.
Instructional Tools for Designing and Analysing a Very Simple CPU

The Very Simple CPU is an instructional aid developed to introduce students to the process of designing a microprocessor. It allows students to focus on design principles without becoming overwhelmed with complex design specifications. This paper describes the CPU and two tools used to teach students about CPU design, VHDL implementations and a Java-based simulator.
Reason’s Debt to Freedom: Normative Appraisals, Reasons, and Free Will

Fifty years ago, Warner Wick published a provocative essay in Mind (vol. 73 [1964]: 527–37) entitled ‘Truth’s Debt to Freedom’. In it he argued that knowledge and reason require freedom, and in fac...
CPSO-BP neutral network based fault diagnose on diesel engine valve clearances

Pertaining to the uneasy feature extraction of fault signals from diesel engine valve clearances, a new fault diagnosis method is proposed using CPSO-BP.Firstly,the diesel engine vibration signals are decomposed via EMD.Then,the energy percentage of the first-six-order modal functions is treated as a feature parameter of fault states.Next,relevant structures and weights are recomposed integrating BP with CPSO.Finally,the fault signals under working conditions of 0.2,0.4and 0.6mm valve clearances are clustered based on the optimized neural network.Therein,owing that the sample testing results are coincided with practical conditions,this approach can be effectively applied for valve clearance fault diagnosis.
Sex Differences in Preschool Children’s Social Interactions and Use of Space: An Evolutionary Perspective

Although the bases for anatomical and physiological gender dimorphisms in man are fairly well understood (Tanner, 1970), the origins of behavioral sex differences are the subject of vigorous debate (cf. Birns, 1976; Hutt, 1972). Many of the disagreements appear to revolve about the relative contributions of organismic as opposed to environmental determinants of sex-typed activities. It seems to be all too easy to fall into the old trap of characterizing sex differences as due to either “nature” or “nurture,” rather than as the coaction of both. In these debates, there is a tendency to lose sight of the facts that the differences under consideration are matters of degree rather than kind, and that there is no a priori reason to expect that all of them result from the same causes. Analysis of the problem is further hampered by uncertainties concerning the empirical demonstrability of a number of alleged sex differences. In some cases, the dimensions of comparison, such as “dependence-independence” or “person versus object orientation” seem to be too broad and ill-defined to permit unequivocal demonstrations of gender differences (cf. Maccoby and Jacklin, 1974). In other comparisons, as with “timidity” or “aggressiveness,” it is also unclear whether the research findings reflect the methods used to obtain them rather than actual differences in behavior.
Pyrolysis and steam gasification of methane fermentation residue produced from food waste.

ABSTRACTPyrolysis and steam gasification of methane fermentation residue (MFR) produced from food waste (FW) were performed at two different heating rates. Moreover, unfermented FW and active sludge (AS) were tested. The results of slow heating experiments showed that although MFR contains biologically refractory organic matter, its overall thermal decomposition and gas evolution behaviors were similar to those of AS and, especially, FW. Furthermore, rapid heating experiments demonstrated that total gas yield and gas composition were similar for all three samples at 700°C. However, the effect of an increase in gasification temperature was more significant for MFR.
New modes of mechanical ventilation.

Conventional modes of mechanical ventilation provide patients with ventilatory support during episodes of acute respiratory failure. Problems with these methodologies include ventilation-perfusion mismatching, difficulty in stabilization of alveolar units, airway pressure complications, and lack of synchronization of the patient-mechanical ventilator system. New modes of mechanical ventilation have been developed to address these specific problems. These include pressure support ventilation, high frequency ventilation, inverse ratio ventilation, airway pressure release ventilation, and mandatory minute ventilation. Independent lung ventilation is a technique of ventilation that addresses the problem of mechanical ventilation in unilateral lung disease.
GraPhys: Understanding Health Care Insurance Data through Graph Analytics.

Healthcare insurance data represent a rich source of information and has the potential to contribute significantly in guiding business decision making. In this work we present GraPhys, a Graph Analysis platform designed for exploration, visualization and analysis of healthcare insurance data and its corresponding metadata. By taking advantage of relationships contained in healthcare claims data, we are able to apply Graph Analytics methods and algorithms in order to devise useful business metrics to guide data analysis and exploration. Our tool focuses in better understanding physicians, patients and their practices. We illustrate our approach by demonstrating two use cases where we show how graph analytics metrics, combined with other data, may lead to useful insights not directly available to traditional Business Analytics.
Orange Carotenoid Protein as a Control Element in an Antenna System Based on a DNA Nanostructure.

Taking inspiration from photosynthetic mechanisms in natural systems, we introduced a light-sensitive photo protective quenching element to an artificial light-harvesting antenna model to control the flow of energy as a function of light intensity excitation. The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) is a nonphotochemical quencher in cyanobacteria: under high-light conditions, the protein undergoes a spectral shift, and by binding to the phycobilisome, it absorbs excess light and dissipates it as heat. By the use of DNA as a scaffold, an antenna system made of organic dyes (Cy3 and Cy5) was constructed, and OCP was assembled on it as a modulated quenching element. By controlling the illumination intensity, it is possible to switch the direction of excitation energy transfer from the donor Cy3 to either of two acceptors. Under low-light conditions, energy is transferred from Cy3 to Cy5, and under intense illumination, energy is partially transferred to OCP as well. These results demonstrate the feasibility of co...
FIRST MEDICAL CONTACT TO DEVICE TIME IN STEMI PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH CARDIOGENIC SHOCK: INSIGHTS FROM MISSION, A LIFELINE STEMI SYSTEMS ACCELERATOR

Background: The only therapy shown to improve survival for STEMI-associated cardiogenic shock (CS) is early revascularization. There are limited data on achieving guideline-directed First Medical Contact (FMC)-device times for patients presenting with CS. Methods: The AHA Mission: Lifeline STEMI
Abstract 479: A novel Interaction Between G protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 4 and Sorting Nexin 5 in the Regulation of Dopamine D1 Receptor Phosphorylation

A dysfunction of the renal dopaminergic system is implicated in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. Independent of renal nerves, the kidney synthesizes dopamine to regulate salt and water homeostasis by inhibiting ion transport in the nephron. The dopamine D 1 receptor (D 1 R) plays a pivotal role in regulating salt metabolism and blood pressure. The regulatory mechanisms or proteins involved in D 1 R trafficking are not completely understood, although our group has reported how G protein-coupled receptor kinase 4 (GRK4) promotes agonist-activated D 1 R desensitization and plasma membrane localization. We have recently identified the sorting nexin 5 (SNX5)_a protein involved in protein trafficking and a member of the mammalian retromer_as a novel binding partner of D 1 R using a yeast two-hybrid screen and have endeavored to elucidate how GRK4 and SNX5 cooperatively interact and regulate the D 1 R. Using a series of biological, biophysical and immunological approaches, we showed that GRK4 and SNX5 colocalize with the D 1 R and that these proteins co-segregate in lipid rafts in human renal proximal tubule cells (hRPTCs). Moreover, endogenous SNX5 co-immunoprecipitated with GRK4, but not with the β-arrestins, another class of proteins involved in D 1 R desensitization; treatment with the D1-like dopamine receptor agonist fenoldopam (1 uM, 15 min) enhanced this process 3-fold (n=3/group). We next determined the functional relevance of this interaction by silencing SNX5 and then evaluating the extent of agonist-activated D 1 R phosphorylation. In control cells that were transfected with non-silencing siRNA, fenoldopam increased D 1 R phosphorylation at 10, 20, and 30 min (137%, 140%, and 148%, respectively, compared to basal; P 1 R at the basal state and 145%, 170%, 178% and 200% increase after 5, 10, 20 and 30 min of agonist treatment (P 1 R desensitization. These data highlight the importance of SNX5 and its interaction with GRK4 in regulating D 1 R function in the control of blood pressure.
Rapid Confocal Measurements of Ca2+ Sparks in Rat Ventricular Myocytes

The initiation of contraction in mammalian myocardial cells begins with the entry of Ca2+ through sarcolemmal Ca2+ channels (DHP-receptors) and triggering of Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) via Ca2+ release channels (ryanodine receptors; Nabaueret al., 1989). At the level of optical resolution (0.2–0.5 µm) the functional unit may be perceived as one sarcomere (1.6 to 2.2 tim z-line to z-line) of a single myofibril (diameter = 1 µm). This ”sarcomeric unit“ receives its Ca2+ from a collar of SR which forms dyadic junction with transverse tubules (t-tubules—invaginations of the surface membrane). Below the level of optical resolution, electron microscopy shows that each dyadic junction (0.1 µm diameter, about 30 nm wide) contains a number of DHP receptors in the t-tubular membrane and a larger number of ryanodine receptors opposing them in the SR membrane (Jorgensenet al.,1993; Carlet al., 1995). While there appear to be no mechanical contact between the two types of receptors in cardiac muscle (Sunet al.,1995), it is clear that their communication via rapid local rises in [Ca2+ i (Sham, Cleemann and Morad, 1995; Adachi-Akahane, Cleemann and Morad, 1996) and activation of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release mechanism (CIRC; Fabiato, 1983, 1985) is of fundamental importance for the control of the cardiac contraction. Yet the details of this control process remains elusive. What is missing, in part, seems to be a clearer understanding of the way the DHP and ryanodine receptors interact in their normal environment. For instance, it is not clear whether the basic Ca2+ signaling unit (Ca2+ µ-domain) is a) a single ryanodine receptor responding to influx of Ca2+ via a single DHP receptor, b) a cluster of ryanodine receptors controlled by one DHP receptor, c) an entire dyadic junction with several DHP and Ryanodine receptors, or even d) an aborted Ca2+ wave spreading over several sarcomeric units.
Forensic State Acquisition from Internet of Things (FSAIoT): A general framework and practical approach for IoT forensics through IoT device state acquisition

IoT device forensics is a difficult problem given that manufactured IoT devices are not standardized, many store little to no historical data, and are always connected; making them extremely volatile. The goal of this paper was to address these challenges by presenting a primary account for a general framework and practical approach we term Forensic State Acquisition from Internet of Things (FSAIoT). We argue that by leveraging the acquisition of the state of IoT devices (e.g. if an IoT lock is open or locked), it becomes possible to paint a clear picture of events that have occurred. To this end, FSAIoT consists of a centralized Forensic State Acquisition Controller (FSAC) employed in three state collection modes: controller to IoT device, controller to cloud, and controller to controller. We present a proof of concept implementation using openHAB -- a device agnostic open source IoT device controller -- and self-created scripts, to resemble a FSAC implementation. Our proof of concept employed an Insteon IP Camera as a controller to device test, an Insteon Hub as a controller to controller test, and a nest thermostat for a a controller to cloud test. Our findings show that it is possible to practically pull forensically relevant state data from IoT devices. Future work and open research problems are shared.
Second generation prototype of a variable stiffness transverse plane adapter for a lower limb prosthesis

Abstract The prescription and fitting of a traditional lower limb prosthesis often focuses on straight walking, neglecting maneuvers such as turning and pivoting that require flexibility in the transverse plane. Current devices that allow transverse plane movement only offer a fixed stiffness and are incapable of adapting to varying daily activities. Pilot testing of a first-generation variable stiffness torsion adapter (VSTA I) showed a benefit for individuals with lower limb amputation by reducing peak transverse plane moments at the residual limb which could lead to increased comfort, but testing was limited due to excessive device height and mass. The VSTA II, a second-generation prototype, is capable of discrete stiffness variation from 0.31 to 1.29 Nm/° in 0.25 Nm/° increments with ±30° of motion in addition to fully locked operation. Stiffness variation is enabled by five independent spring subunits that can be combined in parallel to create different, linear, stiffness settings. The VSTA II features a reduced mass (51% reduction) and height (42% reduction) compared to its predecessor along with a tether-free controller and power system. These improvements will permit greater recruitment for amputee studies, and allow for advanced testing both in and out of the lab.
Psychological Contributions to Philosophy : The cases of Just War Theory and Nonviolence

Moral philosophy has laid out theories for conduct during wartime and the use of nonviolence. Yet, how do these theories map onto people’s actual behavior? A first set of studies tested people’s use of Just War principles in evaluating wartime conduct. Adelman, Orazano and Leidner show that people utilize the jus in bello principles of necessity, discrimination and proportionality to judge the justness of wars, but to different degrees, depending on their moral principles. A second set of studies experimentally investigates whether nonviolence is a viable strategy for social movements struggling against oppression. Adelman, Orazano and Leidner provide converging evidence for a model of nonviolent struggles in Bahrain, Iran, and the United States, demonstrating that nonviolent movements are more effective at generating support and increasing membership. In sum, people do largely seem to behave as philosophical theories have prescribed, but sometimes in a way limited by psychological bias.
Evaluating Patient Perspectives of Provider Professionalism on Twitter in an Academic Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic: Patient Survey.

Background: One-third of Americans use social media websites as a source of health care information. Twitter, a microblogging site that allows users to place 280-character posts—or tweets—on the Web, is emerging as an important social media platform for health care. However, most guidelines on medical professionalism on social media are based on expert opinion. Objective: This study sought to examine if provider Twitter profiles with educational tweets were viewed as more professional than profiles with personal tweets or a mixture of the two, and to determine the impact of provider gender on perceptions of professionalism in an academic obstetrics and gynecology clinic. Methods: This study randomized obstetrics and gynecology patients at the University of Michigan Von Voigtlander Clinic to view one of six medical provider Twitter profiles, which differed in provider gender and the nature of tweets. Each participant answered 10 questions about their perception of the provider’s professionalism based on the Twitter profile content. Results: The provider profiles with educational tweets alone received higher mean professionalism scores than profiles with personal tweets. Specifically, the female and male provider profiles with exclusively educational tweets had the highest and second highest overall mean professionalism ratings at 4.24 and 3.85, respectively. In addition, the female provider profiles received higher mean professionalism ratings than male provider profiles with the same content. The female profile with mixed content received a mean professionalism rating of 3.38 compared to 3.24 for the male mixed-content profile, and the female profile with only personal content received a mean professionalism rating of 3.68 compared to 2.68 for the exclusively personal male provider profile. Conclusions: This study showed that in our obstetrics and gynecology clinic, patients perceived providers with educational profiles as more professional than those with a mixture of educational and personal tweets or only personal tweets. It also showed that our patient population perceived the female provider with educational tweets to be the most professional. This study will help inform the development of evidence-based guidelines for social media use in medicine as it adds to the growing body of literature examining professionalism and social media. [J Med Internet Res 2018;20(3):e78]
Large-Mode Optical Cavity for UV Laser Power Recycling

A large-mode Fabry-Perot cavity has been developed for power enhancement of UV laser. Megawatt peak power has been realized inside the cavity through power recycling of 50ps/402.5MHz UV pulses operating in a 10μs/10Hz burst mode.
Indexicality and action: why we need indexical beliefs to motivate intentional actions

Are indexical beliefs necessary to explain intentional bodily actions? De se believers argue that we cannot explain intentional bodily actions unless we appeal to indexical beliefs. De se sceptics ...
Plants and the Individual:: A Recent History

The benefits that an individual can derive from plants have been discussed for thousands of years, yet historically, reports supporting many of these benefits have been anecdotal. The problem with anecdotal evidence involves its veracity: we cannot know if the implied effect is due to plants or other factors. Anecdotes are valuable, however, because they can give researchers ideas about experiments to conduct. In the last twenty years, studies testing hypotheses about how plants affect individuals have begun to appear. This paper briefly reviews the methods and results from a selection of these studies.
A PERSPECTIVE ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN RANS MODELING

ABSTRACT Some recent developments in RANS modeling are reviewed under the organizing theme ‘connections between theory and practice’. Several cases where theory has proved useful are described: the nature of unsteady, Reynolds averaged computation is discussed; models that might be considered as spawned from realizability, or from rapid distortion theory are cited; the role of bifurcation theory in explicating aspects of second moment closure is noted; constraints devised from edge solutions are mentioned. Practical connections of such ideas range from devising the analytical form of the closure, to fixing faults that occur in widely used models. Faults include the likes of spurious energy production, insensitivity to external forces, and anomalous free-stream dependencies. In connection with unsteady RANS, remarks are made on using bridled RANS closures for detached eddy simulation.
Two new integrable fourth-order nonlinear equations: multiple soliton solutions and multiple complex soliton solutions

In this paper, we develop two new fourth-order integrable equations represented by nonlinear PDEs of second-order derivative in time t. The new equations model both right- and left-going waves in a like manner to the Boussinesq equation. We will employ the Painleve analysis to formally show the complete integrability of each equation. The simplified Hirota’s method is used to derive multiple soliton solutions for this equation. We introduce a complex form of the simplified Hirota’s method to develop multiple complex soliton solutions. More exact traveling wave solutions for each equation will be derived as well.