cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increasing incidence of leprosy and transmission from armadillos in Central Florida: A case series.

Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, is caused by the acid-fast bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy is transmitted by human-to-human contact, although zoonotic transmission has been described, and contact with the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is a risk factor for development of leprosy.1, 2, 3, 4 Cases 1 and 2 in this case series show zoonotic transmission from armadillos. An additional source of M leprae infection may be soil or land contaminated by leprosy-infected armadillos.3, 5, 6 Cases 3 and 4 support this potential mode of transmission. Florida recently experienced an increased incidence of leprosy, including 72 confirmed cases since 2010. We report 4 patients seen over 2 years in Central Florida, an area in which leprosy is not endemic.
A 70–80-GHz SiGe Amplifier With Peak Output Power of 27.3 dBm

This paper presents a fully integrated 16-way power-combining amplifier for 67–92-GHz applications in an advanced 90-nm silicon germanium HBT technology. The 16-way amplifier is implemented using three-stage common-emitter single-ended power amplifiers (PAs) as building blocks, and reactive $\lambda $ /4 impedance transformation networks are used for power combining. The three-stage single PA breakout has a small-signal gain of 22 dB at 74 GHz, and saturation output power ( $P_{\mathrm{ sat}}$ ) of 14.3–16.4 dBm at 68–99 GHz. The power-combining PA achieves a small-signal gain of 19.3 dB at 74 GHz, and $P_{\mathrm{ sat}}$ of 25.3–27.3 dBm at 68–88 GHz with a maximum power added efficiency of 12.4%. The 16-way amplifier occupies 6.48 mm2 (including pads) and consumes a maximum current of 2.1 A from a 1.8 V supply. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest power silicon-based $E$ -band amplifier to date.
Effects of drugs on the coronary circulation of man.

The literature on the effects of pharmacologic agents on the human coronary circulation has been reviewed. It seems probable that the resistance vessels in the myocardium, rather than the maior coronary arteries, control myocardial blood flow. This is generally accepted for other areas of the body. If this is true in the heart, considerable changes in the lumen of the large coronary arteries may produce no significant difference in flow through the myocardium. This could explain the gross discrepancy between the severe coronary artery disease which has been demonstrated by coronary arteriography and the normal values for coronary flow obtained utilizing the nitrous oxide method or the radioactive gas methods. As it now stands, methods for measuring coronary blood flow have been of no value in detecting coronary artery disease and of very little value in predicting which drugs will be effective in relieVing angina pectoris. A general rule would seem to be that an agent which reduces cardiac work is apt to be effective in relief of anginal pain. Clearly, further information is desirable.
The Light in the Cavern: Samuel Richardson and Sexual Love

Clarissa, as she tells her own story, was once woven of whole cloth: her public and private selves were one before the cloth was rent. After fleeing the scene of her rape, however, Clarissa speaks poignantly of a new self-perception, one she recognizes by naming it only after its loss. ‘Once more have I escaped — but, alas! I, my best self, have not escaped!’ she cries.1 This ‘best self’ is her Virgin self, the enclosed and empty space of moral virtue, penetrated in the course of the novel by sexuality defined as male. Consequently, the character of Clarissa came to personify for many readers the vulnerable, the passive, the penetrable, the physically and socially powerless female figure.2 She is characterized most frequently as a creature out of balance with her physical body, place and time, whose textual life consists in marking and reproaching that imbalance: an exemplar.
Evaluation of operating system requirements for safe Wireless Sensor Networks

In the context of high-performance Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), the safety requirements can be very challenging. Currently available operating systems for applications in the Internet of Things (IoT) domain have different requirements from traditional safety-related applications. With the increasing trend to develop WSN-enabled applications also in the industrial domain and, in general, in human-safety related applications, it is mandatory to assess whether existing systems can be adapted to different application domains, and to estimate the degree of this effort. This paper compares two commonly used operating systems for IoT applications, Contiki-OS and TinyOS, with ChibiOS, a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) used to develop an experimental real-time WSN stack. Its characteristic are evaluated with respect to common requirements of safety-related applications.
Pathogenesis of simultaneous esophageal contractions in patients with motility disorders

Abstract Background: Simultaneous and spontaneous contractions are frequently recorded in patients with esophageal motility disorders. The aim was to investigate the pathogenesis of swallow-induced simultaneous and spontaneous contractions. Methods: The pathogenesis was studied in patients with normal peristaltic contractions (control group) and in patients with functional dysphagia with either simultaneous contractions (group A), with peristaltic but prolonged contractions (group B), and with frequent spontaneous contractions (group C). Results: Simultaneous contractions had latencies of 2.9 ± 0.2 seconds compared with 6.4 ± 0.2 seconds for normal peristaltic contractions and 5.8 ± 0.4 seconds for prolonged peristaltic contractions. Paired swallows at intervals of 5 seconds generated one peristaltic sequence after the second swallow in subjects with normal peristalsis and two sets of contractions in patients with simultaneous contractions. Ten consecutive swallows taken at 5-second intervals inhibited the spontaneous contractions evoked by bethanechol in control subjects but had no significant effect on the spontaneous contractions of subjects with simultaneous contractions. Atropine reduced the frequency, force, and duration of the spontaneously generated contractions in group C. Conclusions: The shorter latency of simultaneous contractions may be caused by a defective deglutitive inhibitory reflex, and spontaneous contractions appear to be generated by swallow independent discharges of acetylcholine.
Perceptions of transcatheter device closure of patent ductus arteriosus in veterinary cardiology and evaluation of a canine model to simulate device placement: a preliminary study

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate a canine patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) model developed for practicing device placement and to determine practices and perceptions regarding transcatheter closure of PDA from the veterinary cardiology community. Method A silicone model was developed from images obtained from a dog with a PDA and device placement was performed with catheter equipment and a document camera to simulate fluoroscopy. A total of 36 individuals including 24 diplomates and 12 residents participated, and the feedback was obtained. The study included an initial questionnaire, practice with the model, observation of device placement using the model, and a follow-up questionnaire. Results A total of 92% of participants including 100% of residents indicated they did not have the opportunity to practice device placement before performing the procedure and obtained knowledge of the procedure from reading journal articles or observation. Participants indicated selecting the appropriate device size (30/36, 83%) and ensuring the device is appropriately positioned before release (18/36, 50%) as the most common areas of difficulty with device placement. Confidence level was higher after practicing with the model for residents when compared with diplomates and for participants that had performed 1–15 procedures when compared with those that had performed >15 procedures. These findings suggest those that have performed fewer procedures may benefit the most from practicing with a model. Conclusions This preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of a PDA model for practicing device placement and suggests that there is a potential benefit from providing additional training resources.
Carbon Textiles Modified with Copper-Based Reactive Adsorbents as Efficient Media for Detoxification of Chemical Warfare Agents.

Carbon textile swatch was oxidized and impregnated with copper hydroxynitrate. A subsample was then further heated at 280 °C to form copper oxide. The swatches preserved their integrity through the treatments. As final products, they exhibited remarkable detoxification properties for the nerve agent surrogate dimethyl chlorophosphate (DMCP). Based on the amount of reactive copper phases deposited on the fibers, their adsorption capacities were higher than those of the bulk powders. After 1 day exposure to DMCP (1:1 weight ratio adsorbent/DMCP), 99% of the initial amount of DMCP was eliminated. A synergistic effect of the composite components was clearly seen. GC-MS results showed that the main surface reaction product was chloromethane. Its formation indicated hydrolysis as a detoxification path. Surface analyses showed phosphate bonding to the fibers and formation of copper chloride. The appearance of the latter species results in a clear textile color change, which suggests the application of these fabr...
Aquatic Chemistry and Factors Controlling Nutrient Cycling: Redox and O2

This chapter provides an overview of aquatic chemistry and discusses the factors controlling nutrient cycling. Chemistry controls physiology, biogeochemistry, behavior of pollutants, and many aspects of how organisms interact with their environment and each other. Nutrients often control primary production, and understanding nutrient cycling is central to understanding the influence of nutrient pollution. The chemical parameters that are of interest in aquatic chemistry include the concentration of all inorganic ions (charged molecules) and concentrations of specific ions and gasses dissolved in solution. Chemical materials in aquatic systems can either be dissolved, colloidal, or particulate. Redox potential is another important parameter that controls chemical and biochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems. The way chemicals are transformed in the environment is determined partially by the redox potential of the environment. The presence or absence of O 2 is another important aspect of aquatic ecosystems because it determines whether and what type of organisms can live in a given ecosystem. Photosynthesis produces O 2 in aquatic environments, and aerobic respiration consumes it. Respiration rates are mainly controlled by carbon availability and quality, temperature, and nutrient availability.
Building Innovation and Sustainability in Programs of Research.

Purpose Innovation and sustainability are two important concepts of impactful programs of research. While at first glance these concepts and approaches may seem at odds, they are synergistic. Approach We examine the social, political, and policy context as it relates to innovation and sustainability. We present an exemplar of a program of research and discuss factors to consider in developing innovative and sustainable programs of research. Conclusions Innovation is an important component of sustainable programs of research. Understanding the social and political context and addressing relevant policy issues are factors to be considered in both innovation and sustainability. Clinical Relevance Innovation and sustainability, important components of research, are also central to clinical practice. Open communication between researchers and clinicians can support the acceleration of innovations and the integration of evidence-based findings in practice.
Dendrimer-Stabilized Metal Nanoparticles as Efficient Catalysts for Reversible Dehydrogenation/Hydrogenation of N-Heterocycles.

Nanoparticles (Pd, Pt, Rh) stabilized by G4OH PAMAM dendrimers and supported in SBA-15 (MNPs/SBA-15 with M = Pd, Pt, Rh) were efficiently used as catalysts in the acceptorless dehydrogenation of tetrahydroquinoline/indoline derivatives in toluene (release of H2) at 130 °C. These catalysts are air stable, very active, robust, and recyclable during the process. The reverse hydrogenation reaction of quinoline derivatives (H2 storage) was also optimized and successfully performed in the presence of the same catalysts in toluene at 60 °C under only 1 atm of hydrogen gas. Such catalysts may be essential for the adoption of organic hydrogen-storage materials as an alternative to petroleum-derived fuels. Hot filtration test confirmed that the reaction follows a heterogeneous pathway. Moreover, PdNPs/SBA-15 was an excellent catalyst for the direct arylation at the C-2 position (via C–H activation) of indole in water in the presense of a hypervalent iodine oxidant. Thus, a one-pot dehydrogenation/direct arylation c...
Acute myeloid leukemia induction with cladribine: Outcomes by age and leukemia risk

Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) induction traditionally includes seven days of cytarabine and three days of an anthracycline (7 + 3). Because of evidence of increased efficacy of cladribine combined with this regimen, we conducted a retrospective analysis of 107 AML patients treated with idarubicin, cytarabine and cladribine (IAC) at our institution. Complete remission (CR) occurred in 71%, with overall response of 79%. One-year survival overall was 59%, with 47% (27/57) among patients ≥60 years old and 72% (36/50) in those
A Coupled General Circulation Model for the Tropical Pacific Ocean and Global Atmosphere

On the basis of Zeng's theoretical design, a coupled general circulation model (CGCM) is developed with its characteristics different from other CGCMs such as the unified vertical coordinates and subtraction of the standard stratification for both atmosphere and ocean, available energy consideration, and so on. The oceanic component is a free surface tropical Pacific Ocean GCM between 30°N and 30°S with horizontal grid spacing of 1° in latitude and 2° in longitude, and with 14 vertical layers. The atmospheric component is a global GCM with low—resolution of 4° in latitude and 5° in longitude, and two layers of equal mass in the vertical between the surface and 200 hPa. The atmospheric GCM includes comprehensive physical processes. The coupled model is subjected to seasonally-varying cycle. Several coupling experiments, ranging from straight forward coupling without flux correction to one with flux correction, and to so—called predictor—corrector monthly coupling (PCMC), are conducted to show the existence and final controlling of the climate drift in the coupled system. After removing the climate drift with the PCMC scheme, the coupled model is integrated for more than twenty years. The results show reasonable simulations of the annual mean and its seasonal cycle of the atmospheric and oceanic circulation. The model also produces the coherent interannual variations of the climate system, manifesting the observed El Nino / Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
Fast Adaptive Global Digital Image Correlation

Digital image correlation (DIC) is a powerful experimental technique to compute full-field displacements and strains. The basic idea of the method is to compare images of an object decorated with a speckle pattern before and after deformation, and thereby to compute displacements and strains. Since DIC is a non-contact method that gives the whole field deformation, it is widely used to measure complex deformation patterns. Finite element (FE)-based Global DIC with regularization is one of the commonly used algorithms and it can be combined with finite element numerical simulations at the same time (Besnard et al., J Strain Anal Eng Design 47(4):214–228, 2012). However, Global DIC algorithm is usually computationally expensive and converges slowly. Further, it is difficult to directly apply an adaptive finite element mesh to Global DIC because the stiffness matrix and the external force vector have to be rebuilt every time the mesh is changed.
Building sankie: an AI platform for DevOps

There has been a fundamental shift amongst software developers and engineers in the past few years. The software development life cycle (SDLC) for a developer has increased in complexity and scale. Changes that were developed and deployed over a matter of days or weeks are now deployed in a matter of hours. Due to greater availability of compute, storage, better tooling, and the necessity to react, developers are constantly looking to increase their velocity and throughput of developing and deploying changes. Consequently, there is a great need for more intelligent and context sensitive DevOps tools and services that help developers increase their efficiency while developing and debugging. Given the vast amounts of heterogeneous data available from the SDLC, such intelligent tools and services can now be built and deployed at a large scale to help developers achieve their goals and be more productive. In this paper, we present Sankie, a scalable and general service that has been developed to assist and impact all stages of the modern SDLC. Sankie provides all the necessary infrastructure (back-end and front-end bots) to ingest data from repositories and services, train models based on the data, and eventually perform decorations or provide information to engineers to help increase the velocity and throughput of changes, bug fixes etc. This paper discusses the architecture as well as some of the key observations we have made from wide scale deployment of Sankie within Microsoft.
ECO-UW IoT: Eco-friendly Reliable and Persistent Data Transmission in Underwater Internet of Things

Achieving reliable and persistent environmental field estimation in Underwater Internet of Things (UW IoT) is a challenging problem. Given the need for high-resolution spatio-temporal sensing in such environment, traditional digital sensors are not suitable due to their high cost, high power consumption, and non-biodegradable nature. Further, reliable communication techniques that avoid retransmissions are crucial for reconstructing the phenomenon in a timely manner at the fusion center such as a drone. To address the above challenges, we propose a novel architecture consisting of a substrate of densely deployed underwater all-analog biodegradable sensors that continuously transmit data to the surface digital buoys. The analog nodes are designed to be energy efficient by implementing Analog Joint Source Channel Coding (AJSCC), a low-complexity compression-communication technique, using biodegradable Field Effect Transistors (FETs). We then propose a correlation-aware Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) technique to transmit data from the surface buoys to the fusion center. Such HARQ technique leverages redundancy in the buoy data (arising from the correlation of the phenomenon at the analog nodes) to avoid retransmissions, thus saving energy and time. The performance of the proposed analog sensor design and of the correlation-aware HARQ communication technique has been evaluated via simulations and shown to achieve the desired behavior.
Ecoregion shapes the range response

Within a single species, different populations can show strikingly varied responses to climate – often attributed to genetic differences of geographically separated populations. Now an elegant analysis, weaving together modelling with large-scale empirical data, demonstrates that ecoregion explains spatial variation in climate responses of the American pika.
How Phil Knight made Nike a leader in the sport industry: examining the success factors

Phil Knight is the founder of Nike, Inc., a multinational sporting goods company and leading manufacturer in the sports industry. Through his innovative way of thinking and relentless pursuit of su...
Bounded Integral Controller With Limited Control Power for Nonlinear Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Systems

In this brief, a bounded integral controller (BIC) with limited control power is proposed for a class of nonlinear multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. The sum-of-squares constraint on the control inputs with time-varying weights is studied and handled through the BIC design, which guarantees that both the control inputs and an auxiliary time-varying variable are dynamically constrained on a designed control circle. The BIC inherits the properties of the traditional integral controller to eliminate tracking errors and achieve disturbance rejections. Even under time-varying input weights, the BIC guarantees limited control power independently of both plant information and system states. The input-to-state (practical) stability of the closed-loop system is established. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, experimental validations are conducted for two systems: a system with multiple dc motors subject to a power limit with time-varying input weights and a permanent magnet synchronous motor system subject to a voltage limit with time-invariant input weights.
Jubilee Demo: An Extensible Machine for Multi-Tool Fabrication

We present Jubilee, an open-source hardware machine with automatic tool-changing and interchangeable bed plates. As digital fabrication tools have become more broadly accessible, tailoring those machines to new users and novel workflows has become central to HCI research. However, the lack of hardware infrastructure makes custom application development cumbersome. We identify a need for an extensible platform to allow HCI researchers to develop workflows for fabrication, material exploration, and other applications. Jubilee addresses this need. It can automatically and repeatably change tools in the same operation. It can be built with a combination of simple 3D-printed and readily available parts. It has several standard head designs for a variety of applications including 3D printing, syringe-based liquid handling, imaging, and plotting. We present Jubilee with a comprehensive set of assembly instructions and kinematic mount templates for user-designed tools and bed plates. Finally we demonstrate Jubilee's multi-tool workflow functionality with a series of example applications.
Ten Guidelines for Better Tables

Tables are a unique form of visualizing data because, unlike many charts, they are not usually intended to give a quick, visual representation of data. Instead, tables are useful when you want to show the exact values of your data or estimates. They are not the best solution if you want to show a lot of data or if you want to show the data in a compact space, but a well-designed table can help your reader find specific numbers and discover patterns and outliers. In this article, I present 10 guidelines for creating better, more effective tables; I then model these lessons by redesigning six tables from articles previously published in the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis.
Wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence method to estimate the oxidation reaction progress of sulfide minerals in concrete

Abstract The use of aggregate containing sulfide-bearing minerals in concrete has led to the widespread deterioration of concrete structures worldwide. This study presents a quantitative method to determine individual sulfur species (sulfide and sulfate) in cementitious materials. Two complementary analyses are used: the ratio of sulfide to total sulfur [S2−]/[S]T and the ratio of sulfate to total sulfur [S6+]/[S]T is determined using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF), and specifically the ratio of the SKβ'/SKβ and SKβ/SKα fluorescent line intensities of sulfur. The total sulfur is determined either by a standard addition method using WD-XRF, or by an elemental analyzer, and the concentration is used to quantify the total sulfide and total sulfate in concrete. The sulfur concentration of the aggregate is then estimated by subtracting the sulfate introduced by Portland cement. The results are used to estimate the sulfur speciation, amount of pyrrhotite, and reaction progress in five concrete samples with advanced deterioration. The proposed method is simple, robust, and cost-effective.
The Role of Interprofessional Education in Dentistry: A Student Narrative

Dentistry is treated as a separate entity from the main healthcare systems in America. Specifically, there is a distinct disconnect between dental students and interprofessional education. This detachment is problematic because dentists utilize interprofessional collaboration to accomplish complex patient care. Interprofessional education is an important part of the Doctor of Dental Surgery curriculum because consideration of both oral and systemic health is necessary during dental treatment. Interprofessional education provides opportunities to educate dental students about other disciplines, educate other disciplines about dentistry, and foster collaboration between healthcare students.
Accuracy of Hemolyzed Potassium Levels in the Emergency Department.

INTRODUCTION In the emergency department (ED), pseudohyperkalemia from hemolysis may indirectly harm patients by exposing them to increased length of stay, cost, and repeat blood draws. The need to repeat hemolyzed potassium specimens in low-risk patients has not been well studied. Our objective was to determine the rate of true hyperkalemia among low-risk, adult ED patients with hemolyzed potassium specimens. METHODS We conducted this prospective observational study at two large (129,000 annual visits) academic EDs in the mid-Atlantic. Data were collected from June 2017-November 2017 as baseline data for planned departmental quality improvement and again from June 2018-November 2018. Inclusion criteria were an initial basic metabolic panel in the ED with a hemolyzed potassium level > 5.1 milliequivalents per liter that was repeated within 12 hours, age (≥18, and bicarbonate (HCO3) > 20. Exclusion criteria were age > 65, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 500, hematologic malignancy, taking potassium-sparing or angiotensin-acting agents, or treatment with potassium-lowering agents (albuterol, insulin, HCO3, sodium polystyrene sulfonate, or potassium-excreting diuretic) prior to the repeat lab draw. RESULTS Of 399 encounters with a hemolyzed, elevated potassium level in patients with GFR ≥ 60 and age > 18 that were repeated, we excluded 333 patients for age > 64, lab repeat > 12 hours, invalid identifiers, potassium-elevating or lowering medicines or hematologic malignancies.This left 66 encounters for review. There were no instances of hyperkalemia on the repeated, non-hemolyzed potassium levels, correlating to a true positive rate of 0% (95% confidence interval 0-6%). Median patient age was 46 (interquartile range [IQR] 34 - 56) years. Median hemolyzed potassium level was 5.8 (IQR 5.6 - 6.15) millimoles per liter (mmol/L), and median repeated potassium level was 3.9 (IQR 3.6 - 4.3) mmol/L. Median time between lab draws was 145 (IQR 87 - 262) minutes. CONCLUSION Of 66 patients who met our criteria, all had repeat non-hemolyzed potassiums within normal limits. The median of 145 minutes between lab draws suggests an opportunity to decrease the length of stay for these patients. Our results suggest that in adult patients < 65 with normal renal function, no hematologic malignancy, and not on a potassium-elevating medication, there is little to no risk of true hyperkalemia. Further studies should be done with a larger patient population and multicenter trials.
DNAJB12 and Hsp70 Facilitate the Conformation Specific Degradation of Arrested N1303K-CFTR Intermediates by ERQC-Autophagy

The transmembrane Hsp40 DNAJB12 and cytosolic Hsp70 cooperate on the ER9s cytoplasmic face to facilitate the triage of nascent polytopic membrane proteins for folding versus degradation. N1303K is the second most common mutation in the ion channel CFTR, but unlike F508del-CFTR, biogenic and functional defects in N1303K-CFTR are resistant to correction bolding modulators. N1303K is reported to arrest CFTR folding at a late stage after partial assembly of its N-terminal domains. N1303K-CFTR intermediates are clients of JB12-Hsp70 complexes, maintained in a detergent soluble-state, and have a relatively long 3-hour half-life. ERAD-resistant pools of N1303K-CFTR are concentrated in ER-tubules that associate with autophagy initiation sites containing WIPI1, FlP200, and LC3. Destabilization of N1303K-CFTR or depletion of JB12 prevents entry of N1303K-CFTR into the membranes of ER-connected phagophores and autolysosomes. Whereas, the stabilization of intermediates with the modulator VX-809 promotes the association of N1303K-CFTR with autophagy initiation machinery. N1303K-CFTR is excluded from the ER-exits site, and its passage from the ER to autolysosomes does not require ER-phagy receptors. DNAJB12 operates in biosynthetically active ER-microdomains to triage in a conformation-specific manner membrane protein intermediates for secretion versus degradation via ERAD or selective-ER associated autophagy.
Convective instability in a stratified ideal gas containing an acoustic field

Acoustic radiation pressure acts on fluid inhomogeneities and can drive convection. Inspired by experimental observations of acoustically driven convection inside a spherical plasma bulb, we theoretically investigate the convective modes driven by an acoustic field in a stratified, two-dimensional planar system containing ideal gas and heated from above. In the absence of sound, the system is stable. Gravity determines a threshold acoustic amplitude beyond which part the fluid becomes unstable. Regions of convective stability and instability are separated by the location of the acoustic velocity antinode, and convection results in the regions where the density gradient was not aligned with the gradient in the time-averaged square of the acoustic velocity. At acoustic field levels far beyond threshold, the growth of convective modes with small wavenumbers is suppressed by inertia, while the growth of convective modes with very high wavenumbers is suppressed by viscosity. There is a band of wavenumbers between the two limits with approximately constant growth rate. In the limit of zero gravity and low acoustic fields, the instability grows fastest at a wavenumber that is twice that of the acoustic field. An analogy is drawn between acoustic radiation pressure on inhomogeneities and gravitational forces, which allows us to define an ‘acoustic gravity’ that drives flow approximating thermal convection. We propose that spherical acoustic waves can be used to experimentally study Rayleigh–Benard convection in a central force, and we lay the theoretical foundations of this approach.
Longitudinal Examination of the Impact of Resilience and Stressful Life Events on Alcohol Use Disorder Outcomes.

Stressful life events (SLEs) are a risk factor for alcohol use problems, and there is a need for identification of factors that may offset this risk. Resilience is uniquely, inversely associated wi...
Myofibroblast differentiation is governed by adhesion mechanics, and inhibition of the stress sensor Talin2 reverses lung fibrosis

Fibrosis is involved in 45% of deaths in the United States, and no treatment exists to reverse progression of the disease. In order to find novel targets for fibrosis therapeutics, we developed a model for the differentiation of monocytes to myofibroblasts that allowed us to screen for proteins involved in myofibroblast differentiation. We assessed these screening results for proteins to target for novel fibrosis therapeutics. Here we test whether inhibition of a novel protein target generated by our model, talin2, can prevent and even reverse myofibroblast differentiation. We find that knockdown of talin2 de-differentiates myofibroblasts, altering myofibroblast morphology, α-smooth muscle actin and collagen content, and the secretome. Talin2 inhibition reverses bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in mice. Talin2 inhibition could be a novel treatment for reversing lung fibrosis.
RadSimPE — a Radiology Workstation Simulator for Perceptual Education

Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of simulation in radiology perceptual education. While current software exists for perceptual research, these software packages are not optimized for inclusion of educational materials and do not have full integration for presentation of educational materials. To address this need, we created a user-friendly software application, RadSimPE. RadSimPE simulates a radiology workstation, displays radiology cases for quantitative assessment, and incorporates educational materials in one seamless software package. RadSimPE provides simple customizability for a variety of educational scenarios and saves results to quantitatively document changes in performance. We performed two perceptual education studies involving evaluation of central venous catheters: one using RadSimPE and the second using conventional software. Subjects in each study were divided into control and experimental groups. Performance before and after perceptual education was compared. Improved ability to classify a catheter as adequately positioned was demonstrated only in the RadSimPE experimental group. Additional quantitative performance metrics were similar for both the group using conventional software and the group using RadSimPE. The study proctors felt that it was qualitatively easier to run the RadSimPE session due to integration of educational material into the simulation software. In summary, we created a user-friendly and customizable simulated radiology workstation software package for perceptual education. Our pilot test using the software for central venous catheter assessment was a success and demonstrated effectiveness of our software in improving trainee performance.
Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To

"Why do the smartest students often do poorly on standardized tests?Why did you tank that interview or miss that golf swing when you should have had it in the bag?Why do you mess up when it matters the most--and how can you perform your best instead?"It happens to all of us. You've prepared for days, weeks, even years for the big day when you will finally show your stuff--in academics, in your career, in sports--but when the big moment arrives, nothing seems to work. You hit the wrong note, drop the ball, get stumped by a simple question. In other words, you choke. It's not fun to think about, but now there's good news: This doesn't have to happen.Dr. Sian Beilock, an expert on performance and brain science, reveals in "Choke "the astonishing new science of why we all too often blunder when the stakes are high. What happens in our brain and body when we experience the dreaded performance anxiety? And what are we doing differently when everything magically "clicks" into place and the perfect golf swing, tricky test problem, or high-pressure business pitch becomes easy? In an energetic tour of the latest brain science, with surprising insights on every page, Beilock explains the inescapable links between body and mind; reveals the surprising similarities among the ways performers, students, athletes, and business people choke; and shows how to succeed brilliantly when it matters most. In lively prose and accessibly rendered science, Beilock examines how attention and working memory guide human performance, how experience and practice and brain development interact to create our abilities, and how stress affects all these factors. She sheds new light on counter-intuitive realities, like why the highest performing people are most susceptible to choking under pressure, why we may learn foreign languages best when we're not paying attention, why early childhood athletic training can backfire, and how our emotions can make us both smarter and dumber. All these fascinating findings about academic, athletic, and creative intelligence come together in Beilock's new ideas about performance under pressure--and her secrets to never choking again. Whether you're at the Olympics, in the boardroom, or taking the SAT, Beilock's clear, prescriptive guidance shows how to remain cool under pressure--the key to performing well when everything's on the line.
Familial aspects of obesity.

NO SCIENTIFIC investigation is needed to detect the familial nature of obesity, but the extent of the contribution of constitutional, cultural and other environmental components is not at all clear. That it is especially important, however, to understand these etiologic factors is suggested by the failures experienced by those who have undertaken to treat long standing obesity. A firm grasp of the nature of the causes of the condition is the key to prevention, and the time to prevent is childhood. Before going on to a discussion of heredity in obesity it might be well to state what is possible in genetic studies on human populations. Genetics is the study of heritable variation, and it attempts to describe the degree to which familial like-nesses and dissimilarities result from the action of genes in particular environments. In general, we suppose that gene action is biochemical, and that it is expressed in the control of metabolic reactions in the cells, whether by conferring specificity upon enzymes or by other means. Several methods for such investigation are available. First we may study discontinuous variation in which differences between individuals are clearly measureable, and a population may be divided into two or several types without misclassification. Such differences are often found to be associated with differences in molecular specificity or quantitative differences in enzyme activity. If these differences are genetic in origin, they are usually found to be due to one or at most a small number of genes, and the intrafamily distribution of the characteristics will follow some mendelian pattern. A second method involves the analysis of continuous variation. By this is meant differences between individuals which are so small as to make actual measurement of such differences impossible, and covering a wide range or spectrum, so as to form a continuum.
An interleukin 1 beta point mutant demonstrates that jun/fos expression is not sufficient for fibroblast metalloproteinase expression.

Abstract Substitution of glycine for arginine at position 127 of the mature human interleukin 1 beta protein generates a mutant IL-1 beta protein (IL-1 beta R----G) which binds cellular IL-1 receptors with high affinity but fails to elicit significant proliferation of T-helper cells (Gehrke, L., Jobling, S. A., Paik, L. S. K., McDonald, B., Rosenwasser, L. J., and Auron, P. E. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 5922-5925). Although both IL-1 beta and the IL-1 beta R----G mutein stimulate transcription of fibroblast immediate early (fos and jun) and early (IL-1 beta and IL-6) genes, the IL-1 beta R----G mutein, in contrast to the wild-type IL-1 beta protein, induces minimal or no transcription of late genes such as procollagenase and prostromelysin. The effect of the naturally occurring IL-1 receptor antagonist protein (IL-1ra) on fibroblast transcription is distinct from that of the IL-1 beta R----G mutein, for the IL-1ra fails to stimulate not only late (procollagenase and prostromelysin) but also immediate early (fos and jun) gene expression. These data suggest that the IL-I beta R----G mutein triggers an incomplete or defective signal transduction cascade and demonstrate that fibroblast fos and jun expression is not necessarily accompanied by increased transcription of genes containing the AP-1 binding site. These data also suggest that at least two events are required for IL-1-mediated late gene induction in fibroblasts.
Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients with Esophageal Varices What Is the Most Common Source

The course of portal hypertension often is complicated by variceal bleeding, which tends to be massive and has a poor prognosis. In contrast to previous reports, this study of 299 episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding found that among patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding in whom varices are seen endoscopically, the varices are the cause of bleeding in the great majority.
Search for a Moving Target: Upper Bound on Detection Probability

The object is to detect a randomly moving target at one of the discrete times 0,1,…,τ. The searcher determines a non- negative effort distribution, ψ(x,t), such that the total effort applied at time t does not exceed m(t). Our purpose here is to establish an upper bound on the detection probability for every effort distribution. This is intended to supplement existing iterative procedures that develop sequences of effort distributions that improve monotonically.
Intermetallic-Based High-Temperature Materials

The intermetallic-based alloys for high-temperature applications are introduced. General characteristics of intermetallics are followed by identification of nickel and iron aluminides as the most practical alloys for commercial applications. An overview of the alloy compositions, melting processes, and mechanical properties for nickel and iron aluminizes are presented. The current applications and commercial producers of nickel and iron aluminizes are given. A brief description of the future prospects of intermetallic-based alloys is also given.
Emergency department consultations for patients with neurological emergencies

Background: The spectrum of neurological emergencies that front-line physicians encounter is diverse. Appropriate assessment and neurological consultation is essential to good patient outcomes because many of these conditions depend on the rapid initiation of proper therapy. Methods: In this retrospective study, we reviewed patients for whom the emergency physician elected to consult a neurologist to categorize the types of complaints, resources utilized, patient disposition and final diagnoses. Results: Of the 500 patients analyzed in our study, the most common chief complaints were focal weakness (22%), headache (18.2%), dizziness or vertigo (16%), and seizure (14.2%). The most common reasons for neurological consultation were specific symptom (70.6%), concern for a specific diagnosis (17.4%), specific radiologic finding (9.2%), and ambiguity in the diagnosis (2.8%). Overall stroke accounted for 18.6% of the cases in our study. Non-contrast brain computed tomography was the most common imaging study (72.2%), and 37.0% of patients received advanced neuroimaging. The presentation of patients varied as 47% presented without having been seen by another healthcare professional, 24% were referred to the emergency department (ED) following by some other outpatient provider for evaluation, and 29% were transferred from another ED. Conclusions: Patients with neurological emergencies are common and consume a disproportionate amount of resources in the ED. Emergency physician training must target the modern evaluation of patients with a large variety of neurological emergencies and place special emphasis on the evaluation of patients with weakness, seizures, headache, and dizziness.
Abstract P237: Measuring Cognition in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Cohort: An approach to Account for Informative Attrition

Introduction: Understanding the role of risk factors associated with accelerated cognitive decline has important public health relevance for the aging US population. To test hypotheses that mid-life cardiovascular (CV) risk factors increase risk of dementia in old age, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort was evaluated for dementia in 2011-2013. Anticipating challenges of complete dementia ascertainment in an elderly population, supplementary data sources were collected to aid analysis accounting for potentially informative attrition. Methods: ARIC enrolled 15,792 participants 45-64 years old at baseline (1987-1989) from four US communities and collected baseline CV exposure data. A complete neurocognitive battery including informant interview was completed 2011-2013, yielding an algorithmic diagnosis of dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or normal cognition. Cognitively impaired and a random sample of cognitively normal were selected for further clinical evaluation. Syndromic diag...
A Review of “Teaching Black Girls: Resiliency in Urban Classrooms”

Venus E. Evans-Winters’ research study, Teaching Black Girls, follows the lives of three Black girls for three years, beginning in their 8th grade year. Like many qualitative research studies, this...
Iterative multiuser detection and decoding for highly correlated narrow-band systems and heavily loaded CDMA systems

When a soft-in soft-out (SISO) iterative multiuser detector cooperates with a bank of SISO single user decoders, the multiuser system performance can be shown to converge to that of the single user system. In this paper, we propose a novel SISO iterative detector which employs a decorrelator on the output of soft interference cancellation. By making use of advantages of decorrelating detection, the performance of our proposed system is improved only with a little complexity increase compared with pure soft interference cancellation. Performance improvement is reflected in lower bit error rates at low signal-to-noise ratios and the higher convergence speed. Therefore, our iterative detector is especially suitable for highly correlated narrowband systems and heavily loaded CDMA systems. Both performance analysis and simulation results are provided to show this improvement. Finally, the computational complexity of our detector is analyzed.
Linking knowledge processes with firm performance: organizational culture

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a matched sample comparison group study of elements of organizational culture that enable knowledge processes to drive superior firm performance.Design/methodology/approach – A matched sample comparison group approach was used to compare firm performance among matched pairs of public companies. Companies demonstrating high levels of trust (benchmark group) were matched with firms of similar size in the same industries demonstrating lower levels of trust (control group).Findings – The benchmark group generated significantly superior value, operating performance, and had higher average annual growth rates than matching firms in the control group. Firms with higher relative levels of trust embedded in the organizational culture are more likely to outperform similar firms with lower levels of trust.Research limitations/implications – The findings are based on surveys and financial performance of companies with securities traded on stock exchanges...
Bulge Testing and Interface Fracture Characterization of Plasma-Sprayed and HIP Bonded Zr Coatings on U-Mo

Bulge testing using a pressurized fluid to fracture the interface between bonded material layers along with three-dimensional digital image correlation to measure the sample distortion caused by pressurized fluid was applied to plasma-sprayed coatings. The initiation fracture toughness associated with the bonded materials was measured during the testing. The bulge testing of the uranium-molybdenum alloy plasma sprayed with zirconium and clad in aluminum is presented. The initiation fracture toughness was observed to increase with the increasing cathodic arc-cleaning current and the use of alternating polarity transferred arc current. This dependence was linked to the interface composition of oxide and mixed metal phases along with the interface temperature during spray deposition.
Excimer laser ablation of conjunctival epithelial melanosis

Two patients with conjunctival epithelial melanosis received a 193 nm argon fluoride excimer laser treatment. In both patients the melanosis was easily removed with a smoothing technique using the excimer laser. The ablated area showed normal appearing conjunctiva. The lesion did not recur during the eight-month follow-up. Therapeutically, the excimer laser can be used to treat benign conjunctival lesions as well as superficial corneal diseases.