cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Energy Storage of Dielectric Nanocomposites at Elevated Temperatures

Enhancing the performance of dielectric capacitors toward higher energy density and higher operating temperatures has been drawing increased interest. Therefore, in this investigation, research efforts were dedicated to the fabrication and characterization of nanocomposites in order to enhance the energy density at both room temperature and elevated temperature. The dielectric capacitors are fabricated using nanocomposites composed of BaTiO3 nanoparticles with polyimide (PI) matrix aiming at combining the high relative dielectric permittivity of the ceramic filler and the high breakdown strength of the polymeric matrix. Dielectric energy storage performance is assessed for nanocomposites with volume fractions ranging from 0 to 20% under operating frequency from 20 Hz to 1 MHz and temperatures ranging from 20 to 120 � C. It is observed that with the increase of temperature, the capacitance increased while the energy density slightly decreased but significantly higher than pure polymer samples. The highest energy density was found for BaTiO3/PI nanocomposites with 20% volume fraction, 9.63 J/cm 3 at 20 � C and 6.79 J/cm 3 at 120 � C. Overall, testing results indicate that using nanocomposites of BaTiO3/PI as a dielectric component shows promise for implementation to preserve high energy density values up to temperatures of 120 � C.
Fine‐needle aspiration cytology of hepatic leiomyosarcoma

Hepatic leiomyosarcoma is a rare malignancy to involve the liver, occurring as a primary liver sarcoma in patients without an underlying medical disorder, as a metastatic malignancy, and with increasing incidence, as a primary tumor in AIDS patients. A series of hepatic leiomyosarcomas diagnosed by FNA biopsy, including the first reported case in an adult AIDS patient, were reviewed with respect to cytomorphologic features. The series consisted of five men and two women ranging from 24 to 72 years of age. One case was a primary hepatic lesion in a 24-yr-old man with AIDS and six were metastatic from a number of sites (stomach, small bowel, retroperitoneum, vena cava, and seminal vesicle). Two cytologic patterns were identified. Aspirates of spindle-cell leiomyosarcomas (six cases) generally produced hypocellular smears composed primarily of small irregular clusters of cells with blunt-ended, uniform, overlapping nuclei. The differential diagnosis included benign reactive processes and other benign and malignant spindle-cell neoplasms. The aspirate of an epithelioid leiomyosarcoma (one case) revealed a second pattern characterized by highly cellular smears with many single polygonal cells having eccentric, malignant nuclei and a characteristic clear quality to the cytoplasm in Papanicolaou-stained material. This epithelial appearance generated a differential diagnosis that included hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic carcinoma, and melanoma. Careful integration of clinical information, cytomorphologic features, and ancillary studies will allow specific FNA diagnosis of hepatic leiomyosarcoma in most cases. Diagn Cytopathol 1994;11:321–327. © 1994 wiley-Liss, Inc.
Genetic privacy: from the laboratory to the legislature.

Over the past few years, I have often been approached by researchers who tell me that they wonder if they are doing the right thing by looking for this or that disease gene. They are often motivated in their work by the important goal of ultimately being able to cure devastating diseases. Yet, at the same time, they realize that there is generally a lengthy gap between the availability of genetic testing and the development of a treatment. They worry about what happens when testing starts on the patients and they become uninsurable or unemployable as a result of genetic knowledge. The concern of researchers is shared by members of the public. An April 1995 Harris Poll found that 86% of people are concerned about the prospect of employers and insurers using genetic tests before deciding whether to hire or insure someone. Such possibilities led Congressman Obey, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Reauthorization hearings, to ask Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project, whether there should be a ban on NIH grants to researchers in states that do not have laws protecting genetic privacy. The purpose of this article is to explore the reasons why genetic information is particularly sensitive and to develop a policy framework for protecting genetic privacy. The need for protection of genetic information is due, in part, to its unique nature and history. George Annas describes its importance by saying that "The highly personal nature of the information contained in DNA can be illustrated by thinking of DNA as containing an individual's 'future diary.' A diary is perhaps the most personal and private document a person can create. It contains a person's innermost thoughts and perceptions and is usually hidden and locked to assure its secrecy. Diaries describe the past. The information in one's
Dipole interaction model predicted π−π* circular dichroism of cyclo(l-Pro)3 using structures created by semi-empirical, ab initio, and molecular mechanics methods

Abstract Cyclo(l-Pro)3 (CP3) is a synthetic peptide created to model cis and torsionally strained peptide bonds that also exhibits a strong distinctive UV circular dichroic (CD) spectrum. Circular dichroic spectra were computed for the amide pi-pi* transition using the dipole interaction model for various conformations of the peptide. Conformations of CP3 were created initially from crystal data, and followed by energy minimizations via molecular mechanics using the cvff force field; the effects of additional geometric optimizations by semi-empirical and ab initio quantum mechanics were investigated. The CD spectra for each conformation were calculated using a variety of different parameters, and each result was compared with the published experimental spectrum [Deber, C.M., Scatturin, A., Vaidya, V.M. & Blout, E.R. (1970) Small cyclic proline peptides: UV absorption and CD. In: Peptides: Chemistry and Biochemistry, Proceedings of the First American Peptide Symposium (Weinstein, B., ed.), Marcel Dekker, New York pp. 163-173]. Herein, two distinct conformations, a C3 symmetric and an asymmetric form, gave CD predictions that separately did not resemble the experimental spectrum. Energy differences were predicted at various theoretical levels, including MP2 and density functional theory. When the predicted CD spectra for each conformation were multiplied by Boltzmann weighting factors created using heats of formation determined by the AM1 optimizations, the weighted composite CD spectrum created did resemble experiment for the pi-pi* transition indicating that both conformations may exist simultaneously in solution.
Vaccinia Virus G4L Glutaredoxin Is an Essential Intermediate of a Cytoplasmic Disulfide Bond Pathway Required for Virion Assembly

Our previous studies provided evidence that E10R, a vaccinia virus protein belonging to the ERV1/ALR family, has a redox function and is required for virion assembly. Repression of E10R prevented the formation of intramolecular disulfide bonds of the G4L glutaredoxin, the L1R membrane protein, and the structurally related F9L protein. Here, we demonstrate an oxidation pathway (E10RSS → G4LSS → L1RSS, F9LSS) in which G4L occupies an intermediate position. By reacting free thiols with 4-acetamido-4′-malemideylstilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid, alkylated and nonalkylated disulfide-bonded forms of G4L could be resolved from each other by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The cysteines of intracellular G4L were in both disulfide and reduced forms, whereas those of E10R, L1R, and F9L and virion-associated G4L were mostly disulfide bonded. Repression of G4L expression prevented the formation of disulfide bonds in both L1R and F9L but not E10R. Both cysteines of G4L were required for L1R and F9L disulfide bond formation or for trans-complementation of virus infectivity when G4L expression was repressed. No role in the E10R-G4L redox pathway was found for O2L, a nonessential glutaredoxin encoded by vaccinia virus. We suggest that cytoplasmic G4L is a redox shuttle between membrane-associated E10R and L1R or F9L.
Effects of mowing and summer burning on the Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus)

Prescribed fire is used to reduce coverage of woody vegetation in early successional habitats, but burning may also result in direct and indirect mortality of reptiles inhabiting the burn site. Mowing prior to burning has been hypothesized to render grassland habitats unsuitable for the massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus), thereby reducing the number of individuals that may be affected in the management unit at the time of burning. I evaluated the impact of mowing prior to summer burning on massasaugas at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, in northwestern Missouri, during the summer of 2003 using radiomarked snakes. Pre-burn mowing resulted in the direct mortality of three (43%) of seven radiomarked massasaugas present in the treatment area. Prescribed fire resulted in a mortality of one of two remaining individuals. Pre-burn mowing did not reduce mortalities as hypothesized and likely added to the overall snake mortality rate. Management alternatives other than mowing and prescribed fire when snakes are active should be considered when managing massasauga habitat.
Aging, Health, and Social Policy:

Seven major turning points in the evolution of U.S. aging policy are identified and reviewed: (1) the Social Security Act (2) the Great Society (3) the federalization of Old Age Assistance (4) the enactment of comprehensive social services (5) Social Security improvements (6) New Federalism, and (7) medical cost-containment policies under Medicare and Medicaid. In the 1980s, significant and growing problems of uninsurance and underinsurance for health care have re-emerged. Simultaneously, state Medicaid programs are characterized by their increasing variation and inequities, while there has been a decline in access for the poor. The future of aging policy will be decided in the context of four socio-demographic realities: (1) population aging (2) trends in mortality and morbidity (3) the relationship between income and health, and (4) aging as a woman's issue. The article concludes with a call for a recommitment to the public interest and to public solutions which affirm that health care is an inalienable...
Disgust and Preoedipal Fixation

Psychoanalytic theory posits that as development proceeds through various psychosexual stages, early desires may "be turned into revulsion, in order that one may meet the demands of the ~xternal world and the superego" (Greenson, 196i, p. 371). In his early work, Freud (1897) anticipated this notion by equating the unpleasure experienced from the memory-excitation of abandoned sexual zones with the feeling of disgust. It follows that the degree of disgust one experiences in a preoedipal area is a function of its abandonment by the ego as a primary source of pleasure and thus negatively related to fixation. To test the complementariry of fixation and disgust, 19 male and 61 female college sophomores were first given the group Rorschach and then asked to rank order a deck of 12 disgusting activities. The deck contained three each of oral, sadistic, and anal cards, as well as three non-related fillers. The disgust score was computed for each content by summing the rank values of the respective cards for each fixation area. Juni and Frenz (1981) review the experimental literature on the use of Rorschach content scoring to yield precise fixational data on these three preoedipal areas. Since rank ordering is mutually exclusive, the Rorschach scores were similarly treated by dividing each score by the tocal of the three scores. The magnitude of each fixation score is relative to the others rather than absoluce, Results were similar for men and women, and are therefore presented together. Pearson product-moment correlations between Rorschach ratio scores and disgust indices show that the oral fixation score was negatively related to the oral disgust score ( r = -.20, p = .04), the sadistic fixation score was negatively related to the sadistic disgust score ( r = -.21, p = .03), and the anal fixation score was nor related to the anal disgust score ( r = .14, p = .11). The weak, but significant correlations for oralicy and sadism typify empirical/statistical analyses of psychoanaiytic hypotheses. The lack of a significant relationship for analiry may be due to the increased likelihood of reaction formation in anal characters which would obfuscate the expcted pattern. These results confirm the potential for experimental validation of implications of psychosexual development theory.
To transmit or not to transmit?: distributed queueing games in infrastructureless wireless networks

We study distributed queueing games in interference-limited wireless networks. We formulate the throughput maximization problem via distributed selection of users' transmission thresholds as a Nash Equilibrium Problem (NEP). We first focus on the solution analysis of the NEP and derive sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of a Nash Equilibrium (NE). Then, we develop a general best-response-based algorithmic framework wherein the users can explicitly choose the degree of desired cooperation and signaling, converging to different types of solutions, namely: 1) a NE of the NEP when there is no cooperation among users and 2) a stationary point of the Network Utility Maximization (NUM) problem associated with the NEP, when some cooperation among the users in the form of (pricing) message passing is allowed. Finally, as a benchmark, we design a globally optimal but centralized solution method for the nonconvex NUM problem. Our experiments show that in many scenarios the sum-throughput at the NE of the NEP is very close to the global optimum of the NUM problem, which validates our noncooperative and distributed approach. When the gap of the NE from the global optimality is non negligible (e.g., in the presence of "high" coupling among users), exploiting cooperation among the users in the form of pricing enhances the system performance.
Relationship of sodium retention produced by catapres to changes in renal hemodynamics.

SummaryCatapres infused directly into a renal artery produces a dose related decrease in RBF and UNaV, along with a dose-related increase in RVR. A high degree of correlation existed between RBF and UNaV. These data indicate that the sodium retention caused by catapres is dependent upon the renal hemodynamic changes induced by this agent. Pre-treatment with phenoxybenzamine did not alter any of the actions of catapres.
Quantitative evaluation of sampling methods for Ixodes dammini and Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae).

Three tick-sampling methods (dry ice-baited tick traps, cloth drags, and ambulatory human host) were evaluated to determine which technique yielded the greatest capture of host-seeking stages of Ixodes dammini Spielman, Clifford, Piesman & Corwin and Amblyomma americanum (L.). The most reliable method, catching more stages and significantly more numbers of I. dammini and A. americanum, was dry icebaited tick traps. There were no significant differences between the drag and human-host methods for any stage of ticks ( I. dammini and A. americanum ) collected. The numbers of ticks caught during the study were 5,052 by dry ice-baited tick traps, 199 by cloth drags, and 89 by ambulatory human host.
Growth Studies of Heteroepitaxial Ge Films ON Si

One of the approaches to the growth of GaAs on Si substrates involves the use of a heteroepitaxial buffer layer such as Ge to reduce lattice mismatch. Recently, we have had success in growing heteroepitaxial Ge films on low temperature (∼275-500°C) Si substrates by the ionized cluster beam (ICB) technique. The design of a computer-controlled phase modulated ellipsometer for rapid monitoring of the initial stages of nucleation will be described. Ellipsometric data for single crystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous morphologies are reported.
Big Data and the Challenge of Construct Validity

One important issue not highlighted by Guzzo, Fink, King, Tonidandel, and Landis (2015) is that simply establishing construct validity will be significantly more challenging with big data than ever before. One needs to only look as far as the other social sciences analyzing big data (e.g., communications, economics, industrial engineering) to observe the difficulty of making valid claims as to what measured variables substantively “mean.” This presents a significant hurdle in the application of big data to organizational research questions because of the critical importance of demonstrating validity in the organizational sciences as highlighted by Guzzo et al.
Empirical Evidence on the Use of Credit Scoring for Predicting Insurance Losses with Psycho-social and Biochemical Explanations

An important development in personal lines of insurance in the United States is the use of credit history data for insurance risk classification to predict losses. This research presents the results of collaboration with industry conducted by a university at the request of its state legislature. The purpose was to see the viability and validity of the use of credit scoring to predict insurance losses given its controversial nature and criticism as redundant of other predictive variables currently used. Working with industry and government, this study analyzed more than 175,000 policyholders’ information for the relationship between credit score and claims. Credit scores were significantly related to incurred losses, evidencing both statistical and practical significance. We investigate whether the revealed relationship between credit score and incurred losses was explainable by overlap with existing underwriting variables or whether the credit score adds new information about losses not contained in exist...
Iron deficiency and anemia are prevalent in women with multiple gestations

Background: Little attention has been placed on the unique iron demands that may exist in women with multiple gestations. This merits attention because iron deficiency (ID) during pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes that are known to be more prevalent in multiple births. Objective: We characterized longitudinal changes in iron status across pregnancy in a cohort of healthy women with multiple gestations and identified determinants of maternal ID and anemia. Design: A group of 83 women carrying twins, triplets, or quadruplets (aged 20–46 y) was recruited from 2011 to 2014. Blood samples obtained during pregnancy (∼24 wk; n = 73) and at delivery (∼35 wk; n = 61) were used to assess hemoglobin, serum ferritin (SF), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), hepcidin, serum iron, erythropoietin, serum folate, vitamin B-12, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6. Results: The prevalence of tissue ID (sTfR >8.5 mg/L) increased significantly from pregnancy to delivery (9.6% compared with 23%, P = 0.03). Women with depleted iron stores (SF 75th percentile during pregnancy exhibited a 3-fold greater risk of anemia, suggesting that erythropoietin is a sensitive predictor of anemia at delivery. Inflammation was present at delivery, which limited the utility of ferritin or hepcidin as iron-status indicators at delivery. Conclusions: ID and anemia are highly prevalent in women with multiple gestations. Additional screening and iron supplementation may be warranted in this high-risk population given the known associations between ID anemia and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01582802.
JOURNAL CLUB: Ultrasound-Guided Breast Interventions: Low Incidence of Infectious Complications With Use of an Uncovered Probe.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of infectious complications after ultrasound-guided breast interventions performed with an intermediate-level disinfection protocol without an ultrasound probe cover. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Two independent institutional databases were searched to identify breast infections in patients who underwent ultrasound-guided interventions between January 2005 and July 2013. The departments of radiology and infectious diseases independently maintained these databases. A comprehensive retrospective chart review based on periprocedural antibiotic use and clinical documentation of infection was also performed to reduce the likelihood of missing potential infectious complications. RESULTS. A total of 12,708 ultrasound-guided breast procedures were performed in the time frame of this study. All potential cases of procedure-related infection were included for subspecialist review in an effort to give the most conservative (highest) estimate of infectious...
Trapped in the Gap: Doing Good in Indigenous Australia

Emma Kowal’s book, drawing on postcolonial and ‘whiteness’ theories, is about White anti-racists, professionals working to improve the health of Aboriginal Australians, and the painful contortions ...
Type III CRISPR-Cas systems: when DNA cleavage just isn’t enough

Type III CRISPR-Cas systems have a unique targeting mechanism that requires the transcription of the DNA target and results in the degradation of not only the genome of the invader but also its transcripts. Here we discuss the most recent studies describing dual DNA and RNA targeting by these systems, as well as the implications of this complex molecular mechanism for immunity in vivo.
Tipifarnib Inhibits HRAS-Driven Dedifferentiated Thyroid Cancers.

Of the three RAS oncoproteins, only HRAS is delocalized and inactivated by farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTI), an approach yet to be exploited clinically. In this study, we treat mice bearing Hras-driven poorly differentiated and anaplastic thyroid cancers (Tpo-Cre/HrasG12V/p53flox/flox) with the FTI tipifarnib. Treatment caused sustained tumor regression and increased survival; however, early and late resistance was observed. Adaptive reactivation of RAS-MAPK signaling was abrogated in vitro by selective RTK (i.e. EGFR, FGFR) inhibitors, but responses were ineffective in vivo, whereas combination of tipifarnib with the MEK inhibitor AZD6244 improved outcomes. A subset of tumor-bearing mice treated with tipifarnib developed acquired resistance. Whole-exome sequencing of resistant tumors identified a Nf1 nonsense mutation and an activating mutation in Gnas at high allelic frequency, supporting the on-target effects of the drug. Cell lines modified with these genetic lesions recapitulated tipifarnib resistance in vivo. This study demonstrates the feasibility of targeting Ras membrane association in cancers in vivo and predicts combination therapies that confer additional benefit.
Magnetic Resonance Studies of Solid-State Hydrogen and Hydrogen-Related Defects

Hydrogen is a detrimental impurity in many chemical vapor deposited (CVD) materials, particularly those involved in electronic or optical applications. For example, active hydrogen defects have been observed in materials such as silicon, Si, gallium arsenide, GaAs, and diamond, C, thin films. Hydrogen and its related defects can be identified, quantified, and observed using magnetic resonance techniques. These techniques allow a unique quantitative, non-destructive view of hydrogen in the solid-state. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is used to study hydrogenated defects directly, while electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is used to observe hydrogen associated with paramagnetic defects. These observations can enhance our understanding of the effects of hydrogen incorporation on the properties of such materials.
Hepatitis A Virus (HAV)

This chapter discusses Hepatitis A virus (HAV) basic microbiology, natural history of the organism, clinical features, and epidemiology of waterborne outbreaks, including transmission, distribution and persistence in the environment, removal by treatment and waterborne outbreaks. Many hepatitis A viral infections, especially in children, are asymptomatic. The severity of the symptoms is age-related and infection in adults is more severe. HAV has been found in sewage, surface water sources, ground water sources and in food, especially shellfish. Hepatitis A is spread through faecal–oral contact; therefore, it may be spread by drinking polluted water, by contact with recreational water or by consuming infected shellfish. It is also transmitted by close person-to-person contact. Many waterborne outbreaks have been linked to drinking water and recreational water contact.
OCEANOGRAPHIC TOPICS | Surface/Wind Driven Circulation

This article is a revision of the previous edition article by P Bogden and C A Edwards, volume 4, pp 1540–1549, © 2003, Elsevier Ltd.
Integrating Symbol-Oriented and Sub-Symbolic Reasoning Methods into Hybrid Systems

Knowledge representation and reasoning methods in artificial intelligence almost exclusively rely on symbol-oriented methods: Statements describing aspects and objects of the system to be modelled are represented through symbols (mostly text strings), and these symbols are stored in a computer, and manipulated according to the inference rules prescribed by the reasoning method. This works reasonably well in situations where knowledge is available in explicit form, typically through experts or written documents. In situations where knowledge is only available implicitly, e.g. in large data sets, other methods, often based on statistical approaches, have been used more successfully. Many of these methods are based on neural network techniques, which typically represent and process knowledge at a level below symbols; this is often referred to as sub-symbolic representation. This contribution discusses approaches to integrate symbol-oriented reasoning methods with sub-symbolic ones into hybrid systems.
Quantification of Endogenous Retinoids

Numerous physiological processes require retinoids, including development, nervous system function, immune responsiveness, proliferation, differentiation, and all aspects of reproduction. Reliable retinoid quantification requires suitable handling and, in some cases, resolution of geometric isomers that have different biological activities. Here we describe procedures for reliable and accurate quantification of retinoids, including detailed descriptions for handling retinoids, preparing standard solutions, collecting samples and harvesting tissues, extracting samples, resolving isomers, and detecting with high sensitivity. Sample-specific strategies are provided for optimizing quantification. Approaches to evaluate assay performance also are provided. Retinoid assays described here for mice also are applicable to other organisms including zebrafish, rat, rabbit, and human and for cells in culture. Retinoid quantification, especially that of retinoic acid, should provide insight into many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer.
Justice-Oriented Teaching Dispositions in Urban Education: A Critical Interpretive Case Study:

The effects of professional teacher dispositions on student development have been widely documented. Yet there is limited discussion of the impact of socially just dispositions. The present study c...
Understanding Continuous Lithium-Mediated Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction

Summary Ammonia is a large-scale commodity chemical that is crucial for producing nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Electrochemical methods have been proposed as renewable and distributed alternatives to the incumbent Haber-Bosch process, which utilizes fossil fuels for ammonia production. Herein, we report a mechanistic study of lithium-mediated electrochemical nitrogen reduction to ammonia in a non-aqueous system. The rate laws of the main reactions in the system were determined. At high current densities, nitrogen transport limitations begin to affect the nitrogen reduction process. Based on these observations, we developed a coupled kinetic-transport model of the process, which we used to optimize operating conditions for ammonia production. The highest Faradaic efficiency observed was 18.5% ± 2.9%, while the highest production rate obtained was (7.9 ± 1.6) × 10−9 mol cm−2 s−1. Our understanding of the reaction network and the influence of transport provides foundational knowledge for future improvements in continuous lithium-mediated ammonia synthesis.
The influence of abutment macro-design on clinical and radiographic peri-implant tissue changes for guided, placed, and restored implants: A 1-year randomized controlled trial

Objectives The aim was to evaluate the peri-implant tissue levels over a 1-year period for implants connected to either convex or concave final abutments at the time of implant placement. Materials and methods In this randomized, double masked, controlled clinical study, twenty-eight patients with one missing maxillary premolar were allocated to receive one single implant with abutment of either convex (CX Group) or concave (CV Group) emergence shape. A block randomization sequence was used to allocate treatments. Opaque sealed randomization envelopes were used for allocation concealment. All implants received final abutments and interim crowns at implant placement and permanent crowns following 3 months. Clinical and radiographic data were collected at the time of implant placement (IP), final prosthesis delivery (PR), and 12 months following implant placement (FU-1). Results One patient from the CX Group (n = 13) dropped out from the study and for one patient from CV Group (n = 13), the implant failed to integrate. The mean change in peri-implant buccal mucosa position (MP) from IP to FU-1 was -0.76 ± 0.72 mm for CX Group and -0.69 ± 0.89 mm for CV Group (p = 0.8). The amount of bone remodeling above the implant platform from IP to FU-1 was -0.66 ± 0.46 mm for the CX Group and -0.24 ± 0.25 mm for the CV Group (p = 0.007). Buccal bone thickness was significantly correlated with the amount of buccal MP change from IP to FU-1 (r = 0.4, p = 0.038). Conclusion The study failed to support the hypothesis that abutment macro-design has an effect on peri-implant mucosa margin position changes over time.
More Advanced Sentence Structures: Verbal Phrases, Inversions, and Variations

In sentences, another multi-word element that can function as a part of speech (adjective, adverb, or noun) is the verbal phrase (VP). Verbal phrases are constructed around a verb form known as a verbal (Vv), and just as prepositions head up prepositional phrases and relative pronouns head up relative clauses, verbals head up verbal phrases. Verbals do not partner with subject nouns or pronouns, and do not assume the main verb slot in sentences. Instead, verbals and the verbal phrases that they lead are located in a variety of other places in sentences. A verbal can also appear alone.
Q-learning with Uniformly Bounded Variance: Large Discounting is Not a Barrier to Fast Learning

Sample complexity bounds are a common performance metric in the Reinforcement Learning literature. In the discounted cost, infinite horizon setting, all of the known bounds have a factor that is a polynomial in $1/(1-\gamma)$, where $\gamma 0$ is an upper bound on the spectral gap of an optimal transition matrix.
Time-Slicing Soft Error Resilience in Microprocessors for Reliable and Energy-Efficient Execution

Resilience to soft errors is essential for ensuring the robustness of a computing system. In this paper, we present a new soft error resilience approach called TSSER (time-sliced soft error resilience), which enables resilience features for instructions that are most likely to cause errors only to minimize system-level energy costs while achieving high levels of resilience. Our TSSER idea (1) takes advantage of the observation that protecting a fraction of the instructions in an application already achieves most of the resilience benefits, (2) utilizes circuit-level features that allow resilience mode to be turned on/off, and (3) bridges the gap between application knowledge and circuit features by devising novel ISA and microarchitectural techniques to achieve optimized tradeoffs. Our results obtained from RTL implementation and detailed simulation show that, for various applications from the SPEC and PARSEC benchmark suites, TSSER achieves 65X reduction in SDC rate (a common metric to measure soft error resilience) while imposing 16.8% (11.3%) processor-level energy cost for in-order (out-of-order) processors. This is a significant improvement compared to existing techniques that impose 32% - 81% (18% −83 %) energy overhead. Our technique also enables flexible tradeoffs between SDC rate and system costs.
Contribution of systemic and airway immune responses to pediatric obesity-related asthma.

Childhood obesity contributes to many diseases, including asthma. Although the precise mechanism by which obesity causes asthma is not known, there is literature to suggest that innate and adaptive systemic and airway immune responses in obese children with asthma differ from those in normal-weight children with asthma. Both non-allergic or non-T2 phenotype with systemic T helper (Th)1 polarization and allergic Th cell responses have been reported in childhood obesity-related asthma. There is preliminary evidence to suggest that genetic and epigenetic mechanisms contribute to these immune responses. Initial investigations into the biology of non-T2 immune responses have identified upregulation of genes in the CDC42 pathway. CDC42 is a RhoGTPase that plays a key role in Th cell physiology, including preferential naive Th cell differentiation to Th1 cells, as well as cytokine production and exocytosis. These novel pathways are promising findings to direct targeted therapy development for obesity-related asthma to address the disease burden.
Are today's Mixed Reality experience pillars and hardware architectures well aligned with the specific needs of medical imaging and surgical guidance? (Conference Presentation)

Mixed Reality (MR) headsets have the potential to revolutionize the way we work, learn, communicate, and get entertained. The main pillars for MR development are wearable, visual and social comfort, as well as immersion experience. Do these pillars intersect the specific needs of medical imaging and surgical guidance applications? We will review the various challenges to implement MR hardware specifically adapted to such tasks with today’s start of the art MR headset technology.
Commonly used mouse strains have distinct vascular properties

Mice are the most common animal model to investigate human disease and explore physiology. Mice are practical, cost efficient, and easily used for genetic manipulations. Although variability in cardiac structure and function among mouse strains is well noted, the effect of mouse strain on vascular stiffness indices is not known. Here, we compared mouse strain-dependent differences in key vascular stiffness indices among frequently used inbred mouse strains-C57Bl/6J, 129S, and Bl6/129S. In young healthy animals, baseline blood pressure and heart rate were identical in all strains, and independent of gender. However, both active in vivo and passive ex vivo vascular stiffness indices exhibited distinct differences. Specifically, both male and female 129S animals demonstrated the highest tensile stiffness, were least responsive to acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation, and showed the lowest pulse wave velocity (PWV), an index of in vivo stiffness. C57Bl/6J mice demonstrated the highest PWV, lowest tensile stiffness, and the highest response to acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation. Interestingly, within each strain, female mice had more compliant aortas. C57Bl/6J mice had thinner vessel walls with fewer layers, whereas 129S mice had the thickest walls with the most layers. Values in the Bl6/129S mixed background mice fell between C57Bl/6J and 129S mice. In conclusion, we show that underlying vascular properties of different inbred wild-type mouse strains are distinct, despite superficial similarities in blood pressure. For each genetic modification, care should be taken to identify proper controls, and conclusions might need to be verified in more than one strain to minimize the risk of false positive studies.
Increased damping through captured powder in additive manufacturing

Abstract This paper describes the retention of metal powder within additively manufactured structures to achieve increased damping. Solid and hollow (powder filled) aluminum cylinders were fabricated in using laser powder bed fusion where the internal, captured powder in the hollow cylinders served as an energy dissipation mechanism. Impact testing was completed to compare the frequency response functions of three cylinder geometries: one solid cross-section and two hollow cross-sections with different inner diameters and, therefore, different powder volumes. Increased damping with larger inner diameter was observed. The damping was quantified using a structural damping model.
The Mechanics and Mathematics of Bodies Described by Implicit Constitutive Equations

In this short paper, I provide a brief discussion of the rationale and need for implicit constitutive relations for describing the response of many real materials. Classical theories to describe the response of materials such as the Cauchy theory of elasticity and the Navier–Stokes equations turn the demands of causality on its head and provide an expression for the Cauchy stress in terms of kinematical variables. It would be more reasonable instead to provide an expression for an appropriate kinematical variable in terms of the stress, if possible. However, in some instances such a specification might not be possible and we might have to resort to the prescription of an implicit relationship between the stress, its various frame-indifferent time derivatives, the appropriate kinematical variables and their frame-indifferent time derivative, as well as other relevant variables that influence the response of the body.
Using Ligand-Accelerated Catalysis to Repurpose Fluorogenic Reactions for Platinum or Copper

The development of a fluorescent probe for a specific metal has required exquisite design, synthesis, and optimization of fluorogenic molecules endowed with chelating moieties with heteroatoms. The...
Sleep duration and type 2 diabetes risk: A prospective study in a population-based Mexican American cohort.

Abstract Study Objectives The primary aim of the study was to estimate the effect of sleep duration on prospective type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk across demographic characteristics and follow-up periods, and test body mass index (BMI) as a mediator and moderator. Methods Data included adults (Mage = 39.0 ± 12.7 years) born in the United States or Mexico recruited from 2001 to 2012 in a Mexican American cohort study conducted in Houston, TX (n = 15,779). Participants completed self-reported questionnaires at baseline related to health, health behaviors (sleep duration, physical activity, smoking, drinking), and sociocultural factors and were followed up annually. Results Cox proportional hazard models estimated hazard ratios (HR) for the effect of sleep duration on T2D diagnosis at follow-up. Of the participants, 10.3% were diagnosed with T2D. Self-reported ≤5 hours of sleep, compared to 7-8 hours, at baseline predicted greater risk for T2D (HR = 1.32, P = .001), yet was no longer significant after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and BMI. Notably, those with BMI Conclusions Results highlighted the mediating and moderating role of BMI, and its effect on T2D risk at earlier follow-up among those without obesity. T2D prevention and control for Mexican American adults should consider the role of chronic sleep loss.
Pharmaceutical Excipients Enhance Iron-Dependent Photo-Degradation in Pharmaceutical Buffers by near UV and Visible Light: Tyrosine Modification by Reactions of the Antioxidant Methionine in Citrate Buffer

To evaluate the effect of excipients, including sugars and amino acids, on photo-degradation reactions in pharmaceutical buffers induced by near UV and visible light. Solutions of citrate or acetate buffers, containing 1 or 50 μM Fe3+, the model peptides methionine enkephalin (MEn), leucine enkephalin (LEn) or proctolin peptide (ProP), in the presence of commonly used amino acids or sugars, were photo-irradiated with near UV or visible light. The oxidation products were analyzed by reverse-phase HPLC and HPLC-MS/MS. The sugars mannitol, sucrose and trehalose, and the amino acids Arg, Lys, and His significantly promote the oxidation of peptide Met to peptide Met sulfoxide. These excipients do not increase the yields of hydrogen peroxide, suggesting that other oxidants such as peroxyl radicals are responsible for the oxidation of peptide Met. The addition of free Met reduces the oxidation of peptide Met, but, in citrate buffer, causes the addition of Met oxidation products to Tyr residues of the target peptides. Commonly used excipients enhance the light-induced oxidation of amino acids in model peptides.
Implementation and Evaluation of a Neurology Telemedicine Initiative at a Major Academic Medical Center.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic forced rapid adoption of telemedicine for care of neurology patients. This study contributes to this literature by describing the structure and implementation of telemedicine-based outpatient neurology clinics at the UCLA Medical Center and estimates patient cost savings, before and after the California COVID-19 "Safer at Home" directive, and patient satisfaction. Methods: This was a retrospective, nonrandomized, case series study of telemedicine-based neurological management in an urban academic medical center from October 2018 to June 2020. We estimated roundtrip travel time, roundtrip travel distance, total savings, and surveyed patient and provider satisfaction with telemedicine care. We supported these findings through evaluation of 7,194 patients by telemedicine and conducted 9,189 video visits for neurological care. Results: The median telemedicine patient avoided a roundtrip driving distance of 33 miles and roundtrip travel time of 75 min. Within sample, median hourly earnings were $27/h. The median patient saved $18 on fuel and parking and $36 of time-based opportunity savings, for total savings of $54 per video visit. Eighty-six percent of patients surveyed were satisfied with their video visit experience. Conclusions: Telemedicine reduced travel time and also reduced costs for neurology patients. Patients and providers both reported high levels of satisfaction with telemedicine.
Effectiveness of a smoking cessation algorithm integrated into HIV primary care: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract Background While addressing smoking cessation in the context of HIV primary care may increase the acceptability of smoking cessation treatment for patients, HIV care providers have not been trained in offering these treatments. Tools that aid providers in treatment selection, such as computer-generated algorithms, may address barriers to providing effective and efficient treatment options to their patients. Objective To test the effectiveness of a computer-generated smoking cessation pharmacotherapy recommendation algorithm fully integrated into HIV primary care against an enhanced usual care condition. Methods Six hundred adult smokers living with HIV will be recruited from 3 medical clinics that provide HIV care in Birmingham, AL, Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA. Participants will be asked to complete a baseline visit and 4 follow-up visits, which will include self-report assessments and carbon monoxide monitoring. Additionally, participants have the option to respond to weekly text-message based surveys sent over an 11-week period between baseline and end of treatment. Participants randomized to the AT condition will have a tailored, algorithm-generated smoking cessation pharmacotherapy recommendation delivered to their HIV care provider via EHR, with the potential to receive up to 12 weeks of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy. Conclusions A smoking cessation pharmacotherapy recommendation algorithm integrated into HIV primary care may increase treatment utilization and smoking abstinence among smokers living with HIV. If successful, the intervention would be ready for use across the entire CFAR Network of Integrated Clinical Systems network and, more broadly, in HIV clinics that utilize an EHR system.
Surgical treatment of concomitant atlantoaxial instability and subaxial spondylotic stenosis in rheumatoid arthritis-a case report.

Introduction This case report details the surgical treatment of an RA patient who presented with concomitant AAI and subaxial spondylotic stenosis and was subsequently treated via a C1-2 screw-rod construct, semispinalis cervicis sparing C3 laminectomy, and C4-C7 laminoplasty. Our case report is the first to describe a surgical approach for treatment of concomitant AAI and subaxial spondylotic stenosis in a patient with RA. Case presentation A 66-year-old male with a history of rheumatoid arthritis and atlantoaxial instability presented to an outpatient spine clinic with complaints of neck pain and worsening gait imbalance. A flexion-extension MRI revealed compression of the posterior aspect of the C1 ring on the back of the spinal cord during flexion, resulting in cord deformation; subaxial spondylosis with moderate associated stenosis and congenital narrowing from C3-7; and central cord compression with T2 signal change at C5-6. A C1-2 arthrodesis was performed and the subaxial spinal cord was then decompressed by performing a seminspinalis-sparing C3 laminectomy, C4-6 laminoplasties, and C7 dome laminectomy. Follow-up flexion-extension radiographs demonstrated satisfactory hardware position at C1-2 and full range of motion at C3-7. Discussion This is the first study to describe the surgical management of an RA patient with concomitant AAS and subaxial spondylotic stenosis. Patients with these simultaneous pathologies can be considered for decompression caudal to the C1-2 arthrodesis, though they should be adequately counseled regarding the risk of developing SAS requiring subsequent fusion.
Signal Transduction and Cell Cycle Checkpoints in Developmental Regulation of Caulobacter

Morphogenesis in Caulobacter appears to be driven by internal cues, with stages of the cell division cycle acting as checkpoints for specific developmental events. Genetic studies have identified signal transduction pathways mediated by members of the His-Asp phosphorelay proteins that are essential both for cell cycle control and developmental regulation. These pathways provide a molecular mechanism for the coordination of developmental events with cell cycle progression. The strains were classified as either dna or div mutants, depending on whether DNA replication is blocked at the nonpermissive temperature. dna mutants blocked in either DNA chain initiation (DNAi) or DNA chain elongation (DNAe) fail to complete DNA synthesis (DNAc). In addition to their functions in adaptation to environmental changes, some of these signal transduction proteins also play essential roles in developmental and cell cycle regulation. In one model, activation of the signal transduction pathway controlling PleD during the swarmer-to-stalked-cell transition leads to flagellum ejection and loss of motility, and the PleC-DivK signal transduction pathway functions in late predivisional cells to initiate motility. Other signal transduction proteins that remain to be identified are those regulating activation of flagellar rotation in response to the PleC kinase and the protein kinase or kinases that presumably regulate the PleD-mediated loss of motility and stalk formation. A major goal of future research will be to identify the cell cycle, and possibly environmental, cues to which these and other signal transduction pathways respond.
Characterization of the wafer dicing process using Taguchi methodology

The use of Taguch's method of experimental design to characterize the wafer dicing process and improve the yield by reducing backside damage is described. It is shown how the orthogonal array was modified to accommodate mixed levels. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to identify the significant factors. Using the optimum levels of the significant factors resulted in over 85% reduction in scrap, and 60% reduction in dicing process cycle time due to elimination of an inspection operation. >