cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neuronal porosome lipidome

Cup-shaped lipoprotein structures called porosomes are the universal secretory portals at the cell plasma membrane, where secretory vesicles transiently dock and fuse to release intravesicular contents. In neurons, porosomes measure ~15 nm and are comprised of nearly 40 proteins, among them SNAREs, ion channels, the Gαo G-protein and several structural proteins. Earlier studies report the interaction of specific lipids and their influence on SNAREs, ion channels and G-protein function. Our own studies demonstrate the requirement of cholesterol for the maintenance of neuronal porosome integrity, and the influence of lipids on SNARE complex assembly. In this study, to further understand the role of lipids on porosome structure-function, the lipid composition of isolated neuronal porosome was determined using mass spectrometry. Using lipid-binding assays, the affinity of porosome-associated syntaxin-1A to various lipids was determined. Our mass spectrometry results demonstrate the presence of phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIP's) and phosphatidic acid (PA) among other lipids, and the enriched presence of ceramide (Cer), lysophosphatidylinositol phosphates (LPIP) and diacylglycerol (DAG). Lipid binding assays demonstrate the binding of neuronal porosome to cardiolipin, and confirm its association with PIP's and PA. The ability of exogenous PA to alter protein–protein interaction and neurotransmitter release is further demonstrated from the study.
Product of Uniform Distribution and Stirling Numbers of the First Kind

Let V k = u 1 u 2 ⋯ u k , u i 's be i.i.d ∼ U(0, 1), the p.d.f of 1−V k+1 be the GF of the unsigned Stirling numbers of the first kind s(n, k). This paper discusses the applications of uniform distribution to combinatorial analysis and Riemann zeta function; several identities of Stirling series are established, and the Euler's result for ∑H n /n k−1, k ≥ 3 is given a new probabilistic proof.
Galactic center radio constraints on gamma-ray lines from dark matter annihilation

Recent evidence for one or more gamma-ray lines at $\ensuremath{\sim}130\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ in the Fermi-LAT data from the Galactic Center has been interpreted as a hint for dark matter annihilation to $Z\ensuremath{\gamma}$ or $H\ensuremath{\gamma}$ with an annihilation cross section of $⟨\ensuremath{\sigma}v⟩\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}27}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}\text{ }{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. We test this hypothesis by comparing synchrotron fluxes due to the electrons and positrons from decay of the $Z$ or the $H$ bosons only against radio data from the same region in the Galactic Center. We find that the radio data from single-dish telescopes marginally constrain this interpretation of the claimed gamma lines for a contracted NFW profile. Already-operational radio telescopes, such as Long Wavelength Array, VLA-Low, and Low-Frequency Array for Radio Astronomy, and future radio telescopes like SKA, are sensitive to annihilation cross sections of the order of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}28}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}\text{ }{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ and can confirm or rule out this scenario very soon. We discuss the dependencies on the dark matter profile, magnetic fields, and background radiation density profiles, and show that the constraints are relatively robust for any reasonable assumptions. Independent of the above said recent developments, we emphasize that our radio constraints apply to all models where dark matter annihilates to $Z\ensuremath{\gamma}$ or $H\ensuremath{\gamma}$.
Floor of mouth masses in children: proposal of a new algorithm

Abstract Objective Many surgical techniques have been described to manage floor of mouth masses, but few studies have described the approach to these masses in children. This case series summarizes a single institution's experience with pediatric floor of mouth masses. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of all children who presented at our tertiary care facility with FOM masses between 2007 and 2012. Charts were reviewed for clinical presentation, preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative management. Results Thirteen cases were retrieved: 6 dermoid cysts, 4 ranulas, 1 lymphatic malformation, 1 imperforate submandibular duct, and 1 enlarged salivary gland. In 10 of 13 patients, clinical diagnosis was consistent with postoperative diagnosis. Imaging was consistent with postoperative diagnosis in 8 of 9 cases. Ten of 13 masses were managed transorally; 7 were excised, 2 were marsupialized and 1 was managed with submandibular duct dilation. Three masses with a larger submental component, 2 dermoids and 1 ranula, were removed transcervically. Most patients undergoing transoral excision underwent nasotracheal intubation; patients who underwent marsupialization underwent orotracheal intubation. There were no recurrences, complications or postoperative infections. An additional surgical procedure was necessary in one patient. Conclusion Our cohort displays a common distribution of lesion types when compared to the literature. Low recurrence and infection rates are observed when oral masses are removed transorally, and masses with a larger cervical component are removed transcervically. More complex masses may warrant additional surgical procedures.
Stress Corrosion Cracking of Stainless Steels and Nickel Alloys in High-Temperature Water

Abstract Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) studies in stainless steels and nickel alloys reveal that all grades and conditions are susceptible to SCC in high-temperature water, whether deaerated or aerated, high H2 or low, theoretical purity water or buffered/contaminated, lower temperature or higher. However, the kinetics of SCC growth vary enormously with stress intensity, yield strength, sensitization, water chemistry, irradiation, temperature, etc. The role of yield strength is especially important because it changes with surface cold work, bulk cold work, weld shrinkage strain, and irradiation hardening; the role of metallurgical strengthening mechanisms, e.g., nitrogen additions or precipitation hardening, may have a similar effect. SCC growth rate measurements were performed in high-temperature water on unsensitized stainless steels (and Alloy 600 [UNS N06600]) of various grades and compositions. Little effect of grade/heat of stainless steel, martensite content, or H2 fugacity/permeation rate was ob...
A Positive Halphen Test with a Non-Cyclopropenoid Compound,

Abstract THE Halphen color test is a reaction considered characteristic of the naturally occurring cyclopropenoid fatty acids (Carter and Frampton, 1964; Magne, 1965). Halphen reactions with sterculene (1,2-dioctylcyclopropene) and sterculyl alcohol, using the method of Klaus and Deutschman (1960), did not produce deviations from the normal behavior of the Halphen reagents on cyclopropenoid containing oils (Nordby et al., 1962) indicating that the color of the Halphen test is not affected by the carboxyl group of the fatty acid. Apparently, the methylene of the cyclopropene ring must be unsubstituted to give a positive test, as methyl w-(2-n-octyl-3-carbethoxycycloprop-1-enyl) octanoate failed to give the reaction (Brooke and Smith, 1957). This communication reports that the Halphen test carried out in pyridine as the solvent gives an intense red color with the allenic compound ethyl-2,3-decadienoate. The Halphen test with the allenic compound methyl-1,2-nonadiene-3-carboxylate results in a reddish-orange color. The preparation, isolation and structure elucidation of these…
Extraction and Characterization of Montmorency Sour Cherry ( Prunus cerasus L.) Pit Oil

Montmorency sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) pit oil (CPO) was extracted and characterized by various methods including: GC, LC–MS, NMR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The oil gave an acid value of 1.45 mg KOH/g, saponification value of 193 mg KOH/g and unsaponifiable matter content of 0.72 %. The oil contained oleic (O) and linoleic (l) acids as the major components with small concentrations of α-eleostearic acid (El, 9Z,11E,13E-octadecatrienoic acid) and saturated fatty acid palmitic (P) acid. The CPO contained six major triacyglycerols (TAG), OOO (16.83 %), OLO (16.64 %), LLO (13.20 %), OLP (7.25 %), OOP (6.49 %) and LElL (6.16 %) plus a number of other minor TAG. The TAG containing at least one saturated fatty acid constitute 33 % of the total. The polymorphic behavior of CPO as studied by DSC and XRD confirmed the presence of α, β′ and β crystal forms. The oxidative induction time of CPO was 30.3 min at 130 °C and the thermal decomposition temperature was 352 °C.
Smoking Prevention in China: A Content Analysis of an Anti-Smoking Social Media Campaign

The China Tobacco Control Media Campaign on Sina Weibo is novel in the context of smoking prevention and cessation in China and has not to date been evaluated. This study draws on health behavior theories and dialogic theory in public relations to analyze microblog campaign postings and their relationships with the outcome of online audience engagement. Microblog postings from May 2011 to January 2015 were content analyzed, showing that the most common persuasive content characteristic was perceived risk, followed by subjective norms and self-efficacy. Perceived risk and self-efficacy postings positively influenced online audience engagement, whereas subjective norm postings was a nonsignificant predictor. Postings were more likely to share information than aim to interact with audience members. However, both information sharing and audience interaction postings were positive predictors of online audience engagement. There was also evidence of main and interactive effects of message originality on online audience engagement. The current study has, to the best of our knowledge, broken new ground in 2 regards: (a) using health behavior theories as a basis for analyzing the content of an anti-smoking social media campaign and (b) examining the content of an anti-smoking media campaign of any type in China.
Revolution and Constitutionalism in the Ottoman Empire and Iran: Revolution and the Neopatrimonial State

Revolutions often step in to speedily finish off, in their own way , the reformist undertakings of the old regimes. This was as true for the Ottomans as it was for the Iranians; the seeds of revolution were cast during the reform era of the nineteenth century. The late Ottoman Empire was ripe for a revolution. The rationalizing and centralizing reforms of the nineteenth century had partially transformed the patrimonial bureaucracy and tightened the state’s grip on its far-flung territories, but the state was held back because of severe financial strains. The overwhelming geopolitical pressures on an agrarian state vying to hold its own amidst the well-financed armies of industrial or industrializing nations, internal rebellions, and tax-collection problems forced the state to declare bankruptcy in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Abdulhamid, the monarch that assumed power at this time of crisis, aggravated the tensions. His novel policies were not a reflection of the personal idiosyncrasies that are favored in some accounts, but one logical response to the multiple and contradictory challenges facing the empire. While insisting on the previous mission of the reformists, he broke with preceding reformers by introducing an alternative model of modernity that sought to make the European-inspired reforms consonant with religious and bureaucratic traditions of the empire. This resulted in his well-known Islamist policies, among them the new importance of the title “caliph.” Within the bureaucratic and military realms, it resulted in combining rational bureaucratic norms with some aspects of past patrimonial traditions, such as placing loyalty to the person before loyalty to the office, and basing advancements and rewards partially on this criterion. It also meant revamping the Palace as the center of all bureaucratic and military decision-making. These became major points of contention for a growing internal opposition.
Physiological Evaluation of Personal Protective Ensembles Recommended for Use in West Africa.

OBJECTIVE Personal protective equipment (PPE) provides health care workers with a barrier to prevent human contact with viruses like Ebola and potential transmission of the disease. However, PPE can also introduce an additional physiological burden from potentially increased heat stress. This study evaluated the human physiological and subjective responses to continuous light exercise within environmental conditions similar to those in West Africa while wearing 3 different, commonly used PPE ensembles (E1, E2, and E3). METHODS Six healthy individuals were tested in an environmental chamber (32°C, 92% relative humidity) while walking (3 METs, 2.5 mph, 0% incline) on a treadmill for 60 minutes. All subjects wore medical scrubs and PPE items. E1 also had a face shield and fluid-resistant surgical gown; E2 additionally included goggles, coverall, and separate hood; and E3 also contained a highly impermeable coverall, separate hood, and surgical mask cover over the N95 respirator. RESULTS Heart rate and core temperature at the end of the exercise were significantly higher for E2 and E3 than for E1. Subjective perceptions of heat and exertion were significantly higher for E2 and E3 than for E1. CONCLUSIONS Heat stress and PPE training, as well as the implementation of a work-to-rest ratio that avoids dehydration and possible heat stress issues, are recommended. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:580-586).
How to Fold It: The Mathematics of Linkages, Origami, and Polyhedra

Part I. Linkages: 1. Robot arms 2. Straight-line linkages and the pantograph 3. Protein folding and pop-up cards Part II. Origami: 4. Flat vertex folds 5. Fold and one-cut 6. The shopping bag theorem Part III. Polyhedra: 7. Durer's problem: edge unfolding 8. Unfolding orthogonal polyhedra 9. Folding polygons to convex polyhedra 10. Further reading 11. Glossary 12. Answers to exercises 13. Permissions and acknowledgments.
Neo-Conservatism: A Study of Ideological Argument

Neo-conservatism has become an increasingly important political/ideological phenomenon in recent years. Ronald Reagan is its best-known advocate, but it has been supported also by other politicians...
Zone Electrophoresis of Bovine Liver β-Glucuronidase

(Received for publication, June 12, 1963) The purification of bovine liver @-glucuronidase (EC 321.31) has been studied by Sarkar and Sumner (l), by Smith and Mills (2), and by Bernfeld, Nisselbaum, and Fishman (3). The last named workers, who used calf liver as starting material, published an isolation procedure which gave preparations of 60,000 to 107,000 units per mg. Since moving boundary electrophoresis of their best preparation showed one main component which amounted to 85 to 90% of the total protein present, Bernfeld et al. (3) concluded that pure /I-glucuronidase would have a specific activity of 110,000 to 120,000 units per mg. This conclusion was supported by the observation that a preparation of 56,000 units per mg presented a main component corresponding to about 50% of the total protein. (A more recent report (4) shows a prepara- tion of 140,000 units per mg.) In the course of other work in this laboratory, the purification of @-glucuronidase from beef liver was undertaken. Unexpect- edly, preparations were obtained which had specific activities higher than 120,000 units per mg, and so a reinvestigation was made of the electrophoresis of liver @-glucuronidase with atten- tion being given to locating the enzymic activity within the elec- trophoretic pattern.
Branching continuous time and the semantics of continuous action

It is often useful to model the behavior of an autonomous intelligent creature in terms of continuous control and choice. For example, a robot who moves through space can be idealized as able to execute any continuous motion, subject to constraints on velocity and accelleration; in such a model, the robot can "choose" at any instant to change his accelleration. We show how such models can be described using a continuous branching time structure. We discuss mathematical foundations of continuous branching structures, theories of continuous action in physical worlds, embedding of discrete theories of action in a continuous structure, and physical and epistemic feasibility of plans with continuous action.
Hyperaesthetics, art, and art education in a technomediated world

An exploration of the ways that technology increasingly alters our understanding of self and the world in which we live points to the unfolding of what computer theorist Peter Lunenfeld (2000) calls a hyperaesthetics. In this article, the author correlates theories of art and artmaking with burgeoning real time aesthetics through theoretical comparison and interpretational modes of critical inquiry. Traditional artistic strategies such as perspective, multiple representations, and media transparency reveal connections with-and therefore ways of understanding-such contemporary technological conditions as transparent hypermediacy, multiplicity, erasure, and networked identity. Using case studies from a university Art Appreciation course, the author attempts to launch a quest for a hyperaesthetics theory. This process of examining practice yet to be played, language still unspoken and unread, and theory as yet ungrounded, serves to both initiate and challenge a new discussion concerning the place of art education within a technomediated world.
Multiple Sclerosis and the HLA Determinants

There is a region on chromosome six in man which contains genes which are major determinants of histocompatibility. These are the genes which confer uniqueness upon the cellular characteristics of every individual. These uniqueness markers enable the immune system to recognize tissue which is self from foreign, non-self tissue. The region, called HLA, contains four loci labelled respectively HLA-A, B, C, and D. Each of these loci has many allelic forms. In addition, there are loci believed to contain immune response genes, complement genes and a closely related region which is labelled Dr. A gene which determines B cell antigens is located in or near the HLA locus.
X-ray structure and crystal lattice interactions of the taxol side-chain methyl ester.

A colorless, parallelepiped crystal of methyl (2R,3S)-N-benzoyl-3-phenylisoserinate belonging to the space group P2l with a = 5.414(4), b = 7.813(1), c = 17.802(7) A, β = 90.87(4)°, Z = 2, V = 752.9 A3, Dcalc = 1.32 g cm−3, and µcalc = 1.02 cm−1 was selected and the structure solved using direct methods. Refinement led to a final R = 0.079 for 819 [Fo ≥ 5σ(Fo)] reflections. Intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions are prevalent in the crystal lattice of this compound.
Demographic Correlates and Judicial Determinations of Child Sexual Abuse Offenses

This study involved an in-depth evaluation of court records and various investigation reports of 532 alleged child sex offenders as well as their interactions with the typical societal intervention mechanism. The major results indicated that offenders significantly differed from the general population in various background characteristics. Generally, alleged offenders were more likely to be from certain demographic groups such as male, minorities, the poorly educated, labor workers, and the unemployed. Comparisons between subgroups defined by prior mental health, substance abuse, and childhood experiences indicated that negative background characteristics were further associated with the severity and judicial outcome of the charges. These results suggest the complexity of determining the etiology, correlates, and criminal and judicial dispositions of child sexual victimization. Finally, this study questions the sufficiency of the current “quarantine” approach, which “segregates” perpetrators through the mandatory registration and general distribution of the identities of convicted offenders. Implications were made regarding the need for integrating various academic disciplines and for coordinating the services of societal intervention units.
Machine learning, economic regimes and portfolio optimisation

In portfolio models, the depiction of future outcomes depends upon a representative accounting of economic conditions. There is much evidence that crash periods display much different patterns than normal markets, suggesting that forecasting models ought to be based on multiple regimes. We apply two techniques from machine learning in our empirical study to improve robustness: 1) trend-filtering - to distinguish regimes possessing relatively homogeneous patterns; 2) a shrinkage/cross validation approach within a factor analysis of performance. A scenario-based portfolio model is proposed and designed to address multiple regimes. The worst-case events are well described within the framework, as compared with mean-variance Markowitz models that treat equally all historical performance.
Florida's Industrial Training Laboratory for Blind Persons.

The program of the Industrial Training Laboratory includes an Electronics Training Course—with a curriculum aimed as mastery of a wide variety of work and independent living skills—and a Job Simula...
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 in the caudate-putamen nucleus: ultrastructural localization and co-expression with sorcin, a 22,000 mol. wt calcium binding protein.

Abstract Entry of calcium through N -methyl- d -aspartate-type glutamate receptors in the caudate–putamen nucleus is essential for normal motor activity, but can produce cytotoxicity with continued stimulation and subsequent release of intracellular calcium. To determine potential functional sites for N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor activation in this region, we examined the ultrastructural localization of the R1 subunit of the N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor (NMDAR1) in rat brain. In addition, we comparatively examined the localization of NMDAR1 and sorcin, a 22,000 mol. wt calcium binding protein present in certain striatal neurons and involved in calcium-induced calcium release. NMDAR1-like immunoreactivity was seen at synaptic and non-synaptic sites on neuronal plasma membranes. Of 1 514 NMDAR1-labeled profiles, 62% were dendrites and dendritic spines and the remainder were mainly unmyelinated axons and axon terminals. Sorcin-like immunoreactivity was present in 39% of the profiles that contained NMDAR1 labeling, most (533/595) of which were dendrites and dendritic spines. Of 1 807 sorcin-labeled profiles, 42% were identified, however, as small processes including spine necks and unmyelinated axons or axon terminals. These profiles also occasionally contained NMDAR1 or showed synaptic or appositional contacts with other NMDAR1-immunoreactive neurons. The results of this study suggest that in the caudate–putamen nucleus, activation of NMDA receptors permits calcium influx at plasmalemmal sites mainly on dendrites where sorcin may play a role in calcium-induced calcium release. The presence of sorcin in some, but not all NMDA-containing neurons in the caudate–putamen nucleus has potential implications for the known differential vulnerability of certain striatal neurons to excitotoxins.
The ordinary language argument against skepticism—pragmatized

I develop a new version of the ordinary language response to skepticism. My version is based on premises about the practical functions served by our epistemic words. I end by exploring how my argument against skepticism is interestingly non-circular and philosophically valuable.
The Impact of Stone Multiplicity on Surgical Decisions for Patients with Large Stone Burden: Results from ReSKU.

Abstract Introduction: American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines recommend percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for total stone burden greater than 20 mm, yet it is unclear if the number of s...
Effects of cardiac rehabilitation with and without meditation on myocardial blood flow using quantitative positron emission tomography: A pilot study

Psychosocial stress is recognized as a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). High rates of CHD in African-Americans may be related to psychosocial stress. However, standard cardiac rehabilitation (CR) usually does not include a systematic stress-reduction technique. Previous studies suggest that the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique may reduce CHD risk factors and clinical events. This pilot study explored the effects of standard CR with and without TM on a measure of CHD in African-American patients. Fifty-six CHD patients were assigned to CR, CR + TM, TM alone, or usual care. Testing was done at baseline and after 12 weeks. The primary outcome was myocardial flow reserve (MFR) assessed by 13N-ammonia positron emission tomography (PET). Secondary outcomes were CHD risk factors. Based on guidelines for analysis of small pilot studies, data were analyzed for effect size (ES). For 37 patients who completed posttesting, there were MFR improvements in the CR + TM group (+20.7%; ES = 0.64) and the TM group alone (+12.8%; ES = 0.36). By comparison, the CR-alone and usual care groups showed modest changes (+ 5.8%; ES = 0.17 and − 10.3%; ES = − 0.31), respectively. For the combined TM group, MFR increased (+ 14%, ES = 0.56) compared to the combined non-TM group (− 2.0%, ES = − 0.08). These pilot data suggest that adding the TM technique to standard cardiac rehabilitation or using TM alone may improve the myocardial flow reserve in African-American CHD patients. These results may be applied to the design of controlled clinical trials to definitively test these effects. ClinicalTrials.gov registration # NCT01810029.
Just noticeable: erasing place in municipal water treatment in the U.S. during the interwar period

Abstract For centuries noses, eyes, and mouths have assessed the safety of drinking water. Yet by the end of the long nineteenth century, the nascent professional water worker corps in the United States and Europe began to distance themselves from everyday sensory approaches to judging a water’s potability. Historians and geographers have explored the rise of urban water infrastructures as well as shifting approaches to water analysis. However, the changing role of sensory analysis in erasing waters’ biogeophysical histories, as well as the political ramifications of creating authoritative modes of sensory labor that exclude aesthetic evaluations of quality, remains relatively unexamined. This paper asks how water workers’ efforts to standardize and make objective the embodied labor of managing municipal water shifted not only how sensory knowledge is made, but also who has access to sensory knowledge about place. Drawing on technical documents, scientific papers, and production manuals, I examine the emergence of a new standardized system for characterizing and mitigating off odors and flavors found in raw and treated water during the first half of the twentieth century in the United States. This analytical assemblage was built on the precepts of nineteenth-century Fechnerian psychophysics. Grounded in the idea that small increases in stimulation are proportionally accompanied by small increases in sensation, psychophysics offered a way to express and test the relationship between stimulus and experience by identifying the point at which a difference in stimuli was ‘just noticeable’. Through attending to the role of tasting, smelling bodies as sites of scientific knowledge production, and as sites where scientific knowledge is called into question, I show that water workers used estimation of the ineffable to break away from or transcend locale. In the process, they made the water treatment laboratory into a space thoroughly embedded in place, even as they in turn set in motion efforts to remove place from the water sent to consumers throughout the provisioning system.
Study protocol of coaching end-of-life palliative care for advanced heart failure patients and their family caregivers in rural appalachia: a randomized controlled trial

Heart failure (HF) afflicts 6.5 million Americans with devastating consequences to patients and their family caregivers. Families are rarely prepared for worsening HF and are not informed about end-of-life and palliative care (EOLPC) conservative comfort options especially during the end stage. West Virginia (WV) has the highest rate of HF deaths in the U.S. where 14% of the population over 65 years have HF. Thus, there is a need to investigate a new family EOLPC intervention (FamPALcare), where nurses coach family-managed advanced HF care at home. This study uses a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design stratified by gender to determine any differences in the FamPALcare HF patients and their family caregiver outcomes versus standard care group outcomes (N = 72). Aim 1 is to test the FamPALcare nursing care intervention with patients and family members managing home supportive EOLPC for advanced HF. Aim 2 is to assess implementation of the FamPALcare intervention and research procedures for subsequent clinical trials. Intervention group will receive routine standard care, plus 5-weekly FamPALcare intervention delivered by community-based nurses. The intervention sessions involve coaching patients and family caregivers in advanced HF home care and supporting EOLPC discussions based on patients’ preferences. Data are collected at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Recruitment is from sites affiliated with a large regional hospital in WV and community centers across the state. The outcomes of this clinical trial will result in new knowledge on coaching techniques for EOLPC and approaches to palliative and end-of-life rural home care. The HF population in WV will benefit from a reduction in suffering from the most common advanced HF symptoms, selecting their preferred EOLPC care options, determining their advance directives, and increasing skills and resources for advanced HF home care. The study will provide a long-term collaboration with rural community leaders, and collection of data on the implementation and research procedures for a subsequent large multi-site clinical trial of the FamPALcare intervention. Multidisciplinary students have opportunity to engage in the research process. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04153890, Registered on 4 November 2019
xSVM: Scalable Distributed Kernel Support Vector Machine Training

Kernel Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a popular machine learning model for classification and regression. A significant challenge of large scale Kernel SVM is the size of the Gram matrix $(n \times n)$, which cannot be stored or processed efficiently when training data-set is large (e.g. n in the millions). This paper proposes a novel SVM training algorithm and its parallelization strategy that can efficiently train on data-sets with millions of samples on thousands of processors. It consists of an accurate, fast, and scalable low rank matrix approximation based on random projection, and a primal-dual interior point method to solve the approximated optimization problem. We demonstrate that xSVM is fast, scalable, and accurate on large scale data-sets and computing nodes. Compared to state-of-the-art distributed Kernel L1-SVM system xSVM is consistently several times faster, with comparable accuracy to the exact model trained by LIBSVM.
An intelligent infrared image fault diagnosis for electrical equipment

Infrared Thermography is an important way for electrical equipment live detection to monitor the equipment status. In this paper, an intelligent infrared image fault diagnosis method is proposed. We first use a modified deep learning method to detect the arbitrary capture angle equipment part, and then the diagnosis features are extracted according to the detection result. With temperature value extracted, the quantitative fault diagnosis is achieved by taking advantage of data mining methods. Infrared images captured by substation live detection are used to verify the performance. The experimental results show that the algorithm is flexible and can give a feasible way to achieve an automatic infrared image fault diagnosis for electrical equipment.
Gamification to Aid the Learning of Test Coverage Concepts

The ability to effectively and efficiently test software is an important practice in software testing that is often under-emphasized in computer science education. Many students find learning about testing to be uninteresting and difficult to learn. This causes numerous students to develop inadequate testing habits, which can be detrimental to their professional careers. To encourage students to develop better testing habits, we used gamification to make the learning experience more engaging and enjoyable. In this paper we explore this idea by integrating gamification and statement coverage into a turn-based game called CoverBot. To test the effectiveness of CoverBot with respect to both teaching statement coverage and increasing engagement and enjoyment, we conducted a user study. We found that gamification makes the learning about statement coverage more engaging and enjoyable while also enhancing the participants performance and understanding of statement coverage.
Effect of Common Consumer Washing Methods on Bisphenol A Release in Tritan Drinking Bottles.

Abstract Bisphenol A (BPA)-free plastic products are widely available. Transient BPA release has been reported in Tritan drinking bottles. This study assessed the effectiveness of common consumer washing methods in removing BPA contamination in Tritan bottles using both ELISA and HPLC-MS/MS assays. BPA release was detected in 2 out of 10 kinds of Tritan drinking bottles tested. Average BPA level was 0.493 μg/L in water samples from a type of Tritan kid drinking bottle following 24-h incubation at room temperature, corresponding to a release rate of 0.015 ng/cm2/h. Of the common consumer cleaning methods identified in an informal survey, dishwashing was the most effective method that significantly reduced, even eliminated BPA release from the tested BPA-positive Tritan bottles, while rinsing with water and handwashing with soap and water were ineffective. The bioactivity of the leached BPA was confirmed using a rodent cardiac myocyte acute exposure model and an invertebrate 7-day exposure model. The BPA release is possibly the result of surface contamination in the manufacturing process. As a case study, our result may be informative for general consumer practice and for better quality control by the manufactures.
MoO3 films grown on stepped sapphire (0001) by molecular beam epitaxy

MoO3 films were grown on stepped c-plane sapphire substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using MoO3 vapor from a conventional Knudsen cell. Stepped sapphire (0001) substrates were prepared by ex situ annealing at 1100–1300 °C in dry air. Step bunching typically resulted in multistepped surfaces with wide atomically smooth terraces. Ex situ annealing at 1100 °C followed by in vacuo annealing at 700 °C provided clean substrates for growth. Ultrathin films were grown at 450 °C via a self-limiting process that represents a balance between the incident MoO3 flux and the desorption flux. Elongated bilayer islands (0.7-nm thick) were formed on sapphire (0001) terraces. Monocrystalline α-MoO3 (010) thin films [(010)α-MoO3∥(0001)sapphire] were grown at 450 °C using a higher incident MoO3 flux and characterized by atomic force microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The step-terrace surface morphology of the monocrystalline films strongly suggests multilayer growth.
Persistent preference for leaders who make fast decisions: Decision speed impacts leader evaluations

Past research has found that making complex decisions slowly and intuitive decisions quickly leads to better interpersonal evaluations, since people like decision makers who think “just the right a...
Environment-Driven Abstraction Identification for Requirements-Based Testing

Abstractions are significant domain terms that have assisted in requirements elicitation and modeling. To extend the assistance towards requirements validation, we present in this paper an automated approach to identifying the abstractions for supporting requirements-based testing. We select relevant Wikipedia pages to serve as a domain corpus that is independent from any specific software system. We further define five novel patterns based on part-of-speech tagging and dependency parsing, and frame our candidate abstractions in the form of pairs for better testability. We evaluate our approach with six software systems in two application domains: Electronic health records and Web conferencing. The results show that our abstractions are more accurate than those generated by two of the state-of-the-art techniques. Initial findings also indicate our abstractions’ capabilities of revealing bugs and matching the environmental assumptions created manually.
Adaptive modeling and design of highly integrated 3D microwave-millimeter wave radio front-ends

The FDTD and the Haar-based MRTD algorithms are applied to the full-wave modeling of highly integrated 3D microwave and millimeter wave radio front-ends that require the optimization of various components as well as the minimization of the crosstalk between them. The numerical results have demonstrated a very good computational efficiency in the calculation of the scattering parameters, the Q-factor, as well as in the estimation of the radiation pattern, of the packaging effects and of the parasitic crosstalk between neighboring geometries.
Preparation of Splicing Competent Nuclear Extracts

Splicing components play an essential role in mediating accurate and efficient splicing. The complexity of the spliceosome and its regulatory networks increase the difficulty of studying the splicing reaction in detail. Nuclear extracts derived from HeLa cells provide all of the obligatory components to carry out intron removal in vitro. This chapter describes the large-scale preparation of nuclear extract from HeLa cells.
Plateau regions: an implementation concept for fuzzy regions in spatial databases and GIS

Many geographical applications need to model spatial phenomena with vague or indeterminate boundaries and interiors. A popular paradigm adopted by the GIS community for this task at the modeling level is fuzzy set theory. A spatial object is fuzzy if locations exist that cannot be assigned completely to the object or to its complement. In previous work, we have proposed an abstract data model of fuzzy spatial data types for fuzzy points, fuzzy lines, and fuzzy regions to represent the indeterminacy of spatial data. This paper focuses on the problem of finding an appropriate implementation approach to fuzzy regions. The idea is to approximate a fuzzy region by a so-called plateau region consisting of a finite number of crisp regions that are all adjacent or disjoint to each other and associated with different membership values determining the degree of belonging to the fuzzy region. Geometric union, geometric intersection, and geometric difference on fuzzy regions are expressed by corresponding operations on the underlying crisp regions. We leverage that several implementations are already available for crisp regions.
Mothers Re-Partnering After Divorce: Diverging Perceptions of Mothers and Adolescents

Abstract Using a “divergent realities” approach, the present study compared mothers' and adolescents' perceptions of the mothers' postdivorce re-partnering (i.e., remarriage, cohabitation, or dating) as it relates to the adolescents' lives (N = 83 dyads). Mothers' and adolescents' perceptions were elicited via open-ended questionnaire items. Qualitative content analysis of the written responses revealed discrepant views for 47 dyads and agreement for 36 dyads. The discrepant codes (themes) fell into three broad topical categories: (a) the quality of the adolescent-new partner relationship; (b) the level or nature of impact of the new partner on the family's life; and (c) the impact of having a partner on the mother-adolescent relationship. Possible reasons for divergent perceptions include inadequate communication, attempts to protect self or relationship, and personal stake.
Mycoplasma arthritidis mitogen up-regulates human NK cell activity

While the effects of superantigens on T lymphocytes are well characterized, how superantigens interact with other immune cells is less clear. This report examines the effects of Mycoplasma arthritidis mitogen (MAM) on human natural killer (NK) cell activity. Incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with MAM for 16 to 20 h augmented NK cytotoxicity (against K562) in a dose-dependent manner (P < or = 0.05). Superantigen-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, an activity of superantigen-activated cytotoxic T cells, was not involved in lysis of K562 cells because the erythroleukemic tumor target cells expressed no class II major histocompatibility complex by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. Kinetic experiments showed that the largest increase in NK activity induced by MAM occurred within 48 h. Incubation with MAM caused a portion of NK cells to become adherent to tissue culture flasks, a quality associated with activation, and augmented NK activity was found in both adherent and nonadherent subpopulations. Experiments using cytokine-specific neutralizing antibodies showed that interleukin-2 contributed to enhancement of the NK activity observed in superantigen-stimulated PBMC. Interestingly, MAM was able to augment NK lysis of highly purified NK (CD56+) cells in the absence of other immune cells in 9 of 12 blood specimens, with the augmented lytic activity ranging from 110 to 170% of unstimulated NK activity. In summary, data presented in this report show for the first time that MAM affects human NK cells directly by increasing their lytic capacity and indirectly in PBMC as a consequence of cytokines produced by T cells. Results of this work suggest that, in vivo, one consequence of interaction with superantigen-secreting microorganisms may be up-regulation of NK lytic activity. These findings may have clinical application as a means of generating augmented NK effector cells useful in the immunotherapy of parasitic infections or neoplasms.
Noise behavior of GaAs Schottky-Barrier field-effect transistors in the microwave region

Recently it has been shown that GaAs FET's with a Schottky-barrier gate are very promising devices for microwave applications. Transistors with a maximum frequency of oscillation of 30 GHz have been reported. The noise behavior of such devices has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. Compared to silicon devices, an additional noise source has to be taken into account in the GaAs FET--the intervalley scattering noise. This kind of noise occurs if carriers are scattered from the central valley to a satellite valley where the mobility is considerably reduced. This noise is very similar to the well-known generation-recombination noise.
Validation of factors relevant to the exemption of accounting courses in MBA programs

Abstract Most MBA programs allow students to exempt required core courses like accounting. The exemption decision usually depends on prior accounting course work taken. This study analyzes the performance of students with prior accounting backgrounds in a MBA core course in accounting in order to identify and validate factors that could be used in an exemption policy. Fourteen factors related to aptitude, prior academic performance, prior accounting experience, and work experience were correlated with academic performance. A reduced set of five variables was then included in a step-wise regression. Prior accounting course work, quantitative GMAT score, and grade point average in undergraduate accounting courses emerged as factors that significantly impact grade performance. A set of logit models containing these three factors classified each student by course grade. The three-factor model significantly improved the classification accuracy of students when compared to simplistic models using solely undergraduate accounting course work.
Frequency-Domain Finite-Difference Acoustic Modeling With Free Surface Topography Using Embedded Boundary Method

In this paper, we present a method to model acoustic wave propagation in the frequency-domain in the presence of free surface topography using the embedded boundary method. The advantage of this method is to solve for the pressure field at each frequency on regular finite difference grids but with sub-cell resolution (up to 2 order accuracy) for the irregular free surface. The topographic free surface condition is implemented in 2 order accuracy, as in the regular domain and that global 2 order accuracy is guaranteed. We use the level set method to obtain the projection points and normal directions corresponding to the ghost points in the scheme in the irregular domain. The computational cost for solving the modified sparse matrix for the pressure field increases very little compared to that for a flat surface. We have benchmarked our solver with a 2-D Gaussian hill model and simulated wave propagating in a modified Canadian foothills model. This solver can be used as the forward engine in the full waveform inversion, and we are working underway to perform full waveform inversions with real land survey data with considerable presence of surface topography.
My patient has elevated prolactin and infertility, but normal periods and a negative pituitary study. What should I do?

Prolactin comes in different sizes. We should consider a diagnosis of macroprolactinemia before embarking on a series of potentially unnecessary and expensive tests and treatments.
PROTEOLYTIC ENZYMES : I. THE CONTROL OF THEIR ACTIVITY.

1. The literature on conditions affecting the activity of proteolytic enzymes has been reviewed. 2. Experimental data on the control of the activity of trypsin, leucoprotease, papain, serum antiprotease, leucopeptidase, and pancreatic peptidase have been presented. These data indicate that: (a) The polymorphonuclearleucocytes of the cat contain abundant proteinase and peptidase active at neutral pH; those of the rabbit lack proteinase active at neutral pH. (b) Reducing agents, including several biologically important thiol-sulfhydryl compounds and ascorbic acid, inhibit the activity of leucoprotease and trypsin. For each reductant the degree of inhibition is proportional to the reducing capacity of the medium. (c) p-Aminobenzoic acid, sulfonamides (especially sulfathiazole), and many diphenyl sulfones inhibit the activity of leucoprotease. (d) Serum, plasma, several heavy metals, ammonium salts, asparagine, thiourea, heparin, glutamic acid, tyrothricin, calcium chloride, and bile salts and bile acids also inhibit the activity of leucoprotease, and in most cases of trypsin too. (e) Preparations of tryptic digests of proteins, and egg white trypsin inhibitor, inhibit trypsin to a much greater degree than leucoprotease. (f) Mild oxidizing agents increase the activity of leucoprotease and trypsin. (g) Oxidizing agents and some inhibitors of sulfhydryl groups inhibit the antiproteolytic activity of the serum. It is suggested that serum antiprotease may consist (chiefly) of reducing agents, including thiol-sulfhydryl peptides which exert their antiproteolytic activity by virtue of the presence of sulfhydryl groups. (h) The antiproteolytic activity of the serum is progressively weakened by exposure to a hydrogen ion concentration below pH 6.5 or above pH 9.7. Because of this the pH optima of leucoprotease and trypsin are shifted in the presence of serum from pH of 7 and 8 to pH of 6 to 6.5, and the range of activity of these enzymes is slightly widened, in both acid and alkaline reactions. (i) Reducing agents increase the activity of leucopeptidase and pancreatic peptidase. Serum, sulfathiazole, and thiourea have little or no effect. 3. The significance of the oxidation-reduction system in the control of the activity of leucoprotease, trypsin, serum antiprotease, leucopeptidase, and pancreatic peptidase has been emphasized.