cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of different bracing systems to prevent exterior girder rotation during bridge deck construction

Abstract Different bracing systems are currently being used by bridge contractors to prevent exterior girder rotation that can occur during bridge construction. This rotation is caused by unbalanced eccentric loads from the deck overhang. These eccentric loads cause exterior girders to twist which may result in several problems during construction or over the life of the bridge. Contractors generally use block-and-tie systems which are formed with different combinations of reinforcing bars and timber blocks to limit twisting of the exterior girders. Block-and-tie systems do not always work as expected, and their efficacy in preventing rotation has not been fully evaluated. In this research, different configurations and types of bracing systems are investigated experimentally to compare their effectiveness with the current block-and-tie methodology. Specimens are loaded eccentrically to simulate the overhang load that causes rotation in the field. Forty-five bracing combinations were tested and evaluated by varying the number of bracing elements and spacing among them. The measured rotation values for all cases were obtained experimentally from loaded exterior girder at mid span. The experimental results demonstrated the lack of effectiveness of the current block-and-tie systems. Adjustable diagonal steel pipes, permanent intermediate cross-frames, or both were tested as alternatives and showed notable reductions in girder rotation. Finally, finite element models (FEM) were developed using ABAQUS/standard to replicate the experimental results followed by additional analysis using the validated FE model. The results from the experiment and the FEA highlight deficiencies in the current block-and-tie systems and present three improved rotation prevention systems.
Current Algebra and Extended 2D Gravity with Higher Spin Gauge Field

We discuss quantum field theory of extended two dimensional gravity associated with Zamolodchikov’s W-algebra. We introduce new type of gauge symmetry whose gauge potentials are higher rank symmetric tensor fields. In the limit that those gauge potentials are infinitesimaly small, we write down the invariant action for matter fields and extended gravity. By investigating the gauge symmetry in the light cone gauge, we find that induced quantum gravity associated with this symmetry is described by simply laced affine Lie algebras. Our result is a natural generalization of the result of Polyakov’s quantum gravity.
Peopling Organizations: The Promise of Classic Symbolic Interactionism for an Inhabited Institutionalism

Contemporary social theory seems to have strayed far from its proper task. Theorists spend whole careers marginalizing classic texts. . . . But the classic thinkers themselves— Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Thomas, and so on—were up to their necks in empirical data: Documents, surveys, statistics and histories, describing dozens of different people and processes. These were not votaries of ‘classic problems’ invented by their predecessors. They wrote theory to explain empirical realities they saw. And they worried less about giving specific answers, about specific theories of why specific things happened, than they did about creating vocabularies for framing theories, ways of asking questions. Andrew Abbott, The System of Professions: An Essay on the Division of Expert Labor (1988: 326)
Abstract 1633: Immunotherapy for malignant mesothelioma that combines a mesothelia-targeted immune-activating protein and CXCL12/CXCR4 blockade

Background and Purpose: There is a significant unmet need for new treatment strategies for malignant mesothelioma (MM). Despite relevant advances in many cancer treatment areas, including improvements in diagnosis, staging, and the clinical course of treated patients, MM remains a highly lethal disease. The purpose of this study is to develop a combination immunotherapy for MM, which involves a fusion protein to target and evoke a cellualr immune response to mesothelin (MSLN) and the blockade of CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway to mobilize cytotoxic effector cells into tumors. Experimental Procedures: The efficacy of the MSLN targeted immune activating fusion protein (scFv-MtbHsp70), FDA-approved small molecule CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 (plerixafor), and the combination were evaluated in two syngeneic and orthotopic murine models of MM in immune competent C57BL/6 mice. Mice received 4 intraperitoneal (i.p.) treatments from 7 days post i.p. injection of luciferase-expressing 40L and AE17 cells. Tumor growth was monitored by in vivo imaging of luciferase activity with an IVIS Spectrum. Survival time was calculated as life span from the day of tumor inoculation. In immunological studies, mice were sacrificed 4 weeks after tumor cell inoculation. Immune cells from spleens and tumors were labeled with antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25 and Foxp3 antibodies, and examined by flow cytometry. Splenocytes were stimulated with MSLN and assessed for intracellular IFN-γ production by flow cytometry. Results: In both murine mesothelioma models, the fusion protein scFv-MtbHsp70 alone delayed tumor growth and prolonged mouse survival, which was associated with increased tumor infiltration by CD3+CD8+ T cells. Treatment enhanced the cytotoxic function of tumor-specific CD3+CD8+ T cells by evoking dendritic cell activation as well as antigen presentation and cross presentation. AMD3100 alone reduced the proportion of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells in tumors and decreased PD-1 expression on CD3+CD8+ T cells. The combination of the fusion protein and AMD3100 further significantly slowed tumor growth and enhanced mouse survival while augmenting tumor-specific CD8+ T-cell immune responses and abrogating intratumoral immunosuppression. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated for the first time the synergistic effect of combination of MSLN-targeted immune-activating fusion protein scFv-MtbHsp70 and AMD3100 in treatment of MM in mice. This is a new therapeutic strategy which may significantly prolong survival of patients with this disease. Citation Format: Huabiao Chen, Binghao Li, Yang Zeng, Patrick Reeves, Qiuyan Liu, Ann Sluder, Jeffrey Gelfand, Timothy Brauns, Mark Poznansky. Immunotherapy for malignant mesothelioma that combines a mesothelia-targeted immune-activating protein and CXCL12/CXCR4 blockade [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1633. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1633
Prediction Based Energy Balancing Forwarding in Cellular Networks

In the recent cellular network technologies, relay stations extend cell coverage and enhance signal strength for mobile users. However, busy traffic makes the relay stations in hot area run out of energy quickly. Energy is a very important factor in the forwarding of cellular network since mobile users(cell phones) in hot cells often suffer from low throughput due to energy lack problems. In many situations, the energy lack problems take place because the energy loading is not balanced. In this paper, we present a prediction based forwarding algorithm to let a mobile node dynamically select the next relay station with highest potential energy capacity to resume communication. Key to this strategy is that a relay station only maintains three past status, and then it is able to predict the potential energy capacity. Then, the node selects the next hop with potential maximal energy. Moreover, a location based algorithm is developed to let the mobile node figure out the target region in order to avoid flooding. Simulations demonstrate that our approach significantly increase the aggregate throughput and decrease the delay in cellular network environment.
An oncolytic measles virus-sensitive Group 3 medulloblastoma model in immune-competent mice.

Background Oncolytic measles virus (MV) is effective in xenograft models of many tumor types in immune-compromised mice. However, no murine cell line exists that is tumorigenic, grows in immune-competent mice, and is killed by MV. The lack of such a model prevents an examination of the effect of the immune system on MV oncotherapy. Methods Cerebellar stem cells from human CD46-transgenic immunocompetent mice were transduced to express Sendai virus C-protein, murine C-Myc, and Gfi1b proteins. The resultant cells were injected into the brain of NSG mice, and a cell line, called CSCG, was prepared from the resulting tumor. Results CSCG cells are highly proliferative, and express stem cell markers. These cells are permissive for replication of MV and are killed by the virus in a dose- and time-dependent manner. CSCG cells form aggressive tumors that morphologically resemble medulloblastoma when injected into the brains of immune-competent mice. On the molecular level, CSCG tumors overexpress natriuretic peptide receptor 3 and gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor alpha 5, markers of Group 3 medulloblastoma. A single intratumoral injection of MV‒green fluorescent protein resulted in complete tumor regression and prolonged survival of animals compared with treatments with phosphate buffered saline (P = 0.0018) or heat-inactivated MV (P = 0.0027). Conclusions This immune-competent model provides the first platform to test therapeutic regimens of oncolytic MV for Group 3 medulloblastoma in the presence of anti-measles immunity. The strategy presented here can be used to make MV-sensitive murine models of any human tumor for which the driving mutations are known.
Polystyrene activated linear tube carbon nanofiber for durable and high-performance supercapacitors

Abstract With increasing demand for sustainable energy, it is essential to develop low cost, high performance, and environment-friendly materials for energy storage application. Metal oxides and sulfides are mostly being used as electrode materials for energy storage devices. However, their wide applications are precluded due to their higher cost, low stability, and adverse effect on the environment. Therefore, development of environment-friendly supercapacitors with low cost, high performance, and stable performance is a big challenge. Here, we report surface engineered carbon nanofibers for durable and high-performance supercapacitor. Surface engineered carbon nanofibers showed the highest specific capacitance of 277 F/g (at 1 mV/s), along with superior flexibility and cyclic stability. Moreover, they showed high energy and power density of 30.5 Wh/kg and 8.3 kW/kg, respectively. The cyclic stability showed almost 100% retention in charge storage capacity up to 5000 cycles. Electrochemical properties of a fabricated symmetrical supercapacitor device using these carbon nanofibers showed improved charge storage capacity at elevated temperatures. The charge storage capacity improved by over 150% by increasing temperature from 10 to 60 °C. Our results suggest that surface engineered carbon nanofibers could be a potential candidate for higher performance and durable supercapacitors.
Current and Future Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis C

• The current standard of care for treatment of chronic hepatitis C is once weekly pegylated interferon and daily oral ribavirin. The optimal treatment regimen is determined by viral genotype, patient weight, and the initial virus response to therapy, termed early virologic response (EVR). Non-responders can be identified after the first 12 weeks of treatment so that therapy can be stopped. • Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with antiviral therapy requires close monitoring since about 30% of patients require dose modifications for cytopenia or side effects. • Approximately half of treated patients are cured of their infection. Treatment response, termed sustained viral response (SVR), is associated with resolution of inflammation and fibrosis regression. Patients with cirrhosis who achieve an SVR have no further risk of liver failure and the risk of liver cancer is markedly reduced, though not eliminated.
Average Sample Number for Semi-Curtailed Sampling Using the Poisson

Assuming a Poisson model, formulas are derived for the mean number of observations required to reach a decision when sampling is semi-curtailed. It is shown how the result can be obtained from the corresponding binomial solution with the Poisson appro..
Optimizing consistency improvement of positive reciprocal matrices with implications for Monte Carlo Analytic Hierarchy Process

Abstract Motivated by a situation encountered in a real-world application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), this paper extends previous work on improving consistency of positive reciprocal judgment matrices by optimizing their transformation into near-consistent matrices. A sampling-optimization-adjustment approach is proposed and integrated into the Monte Carlo AHP framework, allowing it to deal with situations where no or insufficient distinct near-consistent matrices can be generated by directly sampling from the original pairwise comparison distributions – a situation that prohibits meaningful statistical analysis and effective decision-making using the traditional Monte Carlo AHP. Three mixed-integer nonlinear programing models are formulated for minimizing the sum of adjustments, maximum adjustment, and number of adjusted elements. Four heuristic algorithms are proposed to solve the models. The most appropriate heuristic(s) under each objective function and matrix size is determined through extensive statistical analysis of numerical experiments. The paper also presents an application of the proposed enhanced Monte Carlo AHP in a real-world industrial example of facility layout design selection, where the traditional Monte Carlo AHP fails to provide sufficient information to perform any statistical analysis on the final ranks and weights for the components in the hierarchy.
Making Strides in Type 2 Diabetes Prevention.

The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in adults in the United States, currently at 23.1 million people, has tripled in the past two decades (1). In addition, an estimated 84 million adults have prediabetes, putting them at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart attack, and stroke; only 1 in 10 know they have it (2). If interventions to slow the increase in and ultimately reduce the number of new cases of diabetes are not widely implemented, projections estimate that one in three adults in the United States could have diabetes by 2050 (3). Diabetes remains a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, and lower-limb amputation, increasing these risks to 6–10 times that of people without diabetes (2). It also increases risks of macrovascular conditions such as heart attack and stroke by 60–80% (2). Fortunately, rates of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) death have recently declined for many people with diabetes, but this has led to an exposure to and diversification of other outcomes, including increasingly diverse causes of death (4). Although CVD remains the leading cause of death for people with diabetes, its proportion has declined from half of all such deaths ∼20 years ago to one-third of all deaths today. As a result, other causes, including influenza, pneumonia, septicemia, and chronic liver disease, now make up a greater proportion of the deaths of people with diabetes (4). Furthermore, diabetes doubles the risk of physical disability; adults with diabetes who are ≥50 years of age lose independence 6–7 years before their peers without diabetes (5). Diabetes is the costliest of the 155 most common diseases in the country, at $327 billion in 2017, including $237 billion in direct medical costs and $90 billion in indirect costs (e.g., reduced productivity and absenteeism)—an increase of 60% from 2007 …
Investigation of main group promoted carbon dioxide reduction

Abstract The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) is of interest to the chemical industry, as many synthetic materials can be derived from CO2. To help determine the reagents needed for the functionalization of carbon dioxide this experimental and computational study describes the reduction of CO2 to formate and CO with hydride, electron, and proton sources in the presence of sterically bulky Lewis acids and bases. The insertion of carbon dioxide into a main group hydride, generating a main group formate, was computed to be more thermodynamically favorable for more hydridic (reducing) main group hydrides. A ten kcal/mol increase in hydricity (more reducing) of a main group hydride resulted in a 35% increase in the main group hydride's ability to insert CO2 into the main group hydride bond. The resulting main group formate exhibited a hydricity (reducing ability) about 10% less than the respective main group hydride prior to CO2 insertion. Coordination of a second identical Lewis acid to a main group formate complex further reduced the hydricity by about another 20%. The addition of electrons to the CO2 adduct of tBu3P and B(C6F5)3 resulted in converting the sequestered CO2 molecule to CO. Reduction of the CO2 adduct of tBu3P and B(C6F5)3 with both electrons and protons resulted in only proton reduction.
Embolization of symptomatic intralobar pulmonary sequestration - A minimally invasive treatment option.

Abstract The growing field of interventional radiology provides a number of treatment options alternative to previous relied upon invasive surgeries. Pulmonary sequestration is a condition where the option of interventional radiology is particularly promising. Described is a 41-year-old male who elected alternative treatment for his symptomatic intralobar sequestration in order to avoid associated complications of extensive surgery. Specifically, this case reports a successful cure utilizing minimally invasive embolization with polyvinyl alcohol particles and coil placement.
Direct Printing of Gold Nano-Particles by Laser Induced Dewetting

Arbitrary patterns, consisting of sub-wavelength sized nano particles, are developed by laser induced dewetting of ultrathin gold films (e.g., 5, 7.5, and 10 nm). We demonstrate that the light induced local temperature determines the resulting dewetting structures. © 2019 The Author(s)
GATA-3 in T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders

GATA-3 regulates the differentiation, proliferation, survival, and function of peripheral T cells and their thymic progenitors. Recent findings, reviewed here, not only implicate GATA-3 in the pathogenesis of molecularly, genetically, and clinically distinct T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders, but also have significant diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications.
Results of a referral-based weight management program targeted toward children aged 2 to 6 years with obesity or severe obesity.

Relatively little is known about weight management programs targeted toward young children with obesity. Using data from the Early Lifestyles Intervention program, we report outcomes from a referral-based, multi-disciplinary weight management program targeted toward children aged 2 to 6 years with obesity or severe obesity. Data from 55 children (4.5 ± 1.3 years) medically referred to the ELI program were examined in this non-randomized investigation. At baseline, a nurse collected demographic, anthropometric and clinical measures from the study child, while parents/guardians completed questionnaires regarding their child’s nutrition and activity behavior. Follow-up sessions were conducted to discuss healthy behavior strategies and collect anthropometrics from the study child. Body mass index (BMI) values were reported relative to the 95th BMI percentile (%BMIp95) and children were classified as obese (≥ 100% of 95th BMI percentile) or severely obese (≥ 120% of 95th BMI). Questionnaire data were analyzed to report group-level differences and to determine whether individual items predicted changes in %BMIp95 from baseline to follow-up. Regression models were used to examine the change in %BMIp95 by sex, ethnicity, and baseline body size. Certain behaviors were more frequent among non-Hispanic children compared to Hispanic children (demanding certain foods), whereas other behaviors were more frequent among children with severe obesity compared to children with obesity (requesting a second helping, getting own snack and sneaking food). Greater reductions in the study child’s %BMIp95 were found among parents indicating their child requests a second helping, is a faster eater, or complains of being hungry. Among the combined sample, %BMIp95 significantly decreased from baseline to final follow-up. On average, the decrease in %BMIp95 did not differ by sex, ethnicity, or baseline body size. Modest improvements in body size were observed. Additional studies are needed to identify best practices for pediatric interventions seeking weight management.
Linkage between ENSO phases and western US snow water equivalent

Abstract Snow is a major source of water in the western US and has been observed showing variability posed by climate change. The snow variability of the region has been associated with the droughts affecting the societies relying on snow driven rivers. The current study evaluates the spatiotemporal variability of western US snow water equivalent (SWE) over 58 years (1961–2018) as a trend and a shift. The current study tests whether the SWE is consistent during El Nino – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases utilizing the Kolmogorov – Smirnov (KS) test. Trend analysis was performed on the SWE data of each ENSO phase. Shift analysis was performed in the entire time series of 58 years. Additionally, the trend in the SWE data was evaluated before and after shift years. Mann-Kendal and Pettit's tests were utilized for the detection of trend and shift respectively. The serial correlation was taken into account during the trend evaluation, while Thiel-Sen approach was used for the evaluation of the trend magnitude. The serial correlation in time series which is the potential cause of overestimation and underestimation of the trend evaluation was found to be absent in the SWE data. The results suggested a negative trend and a shift during the study period. The negative trend was absent during neutral years and present during El Nino and La Nina years. The trend magnitudes were maximum during La Nina years followed by those during El Nino years and the entire length of the data. It was also observed that if the presence of negative shift in the SWE was considered, then most of the stations did not show a significant trend before and after the occurrence of a shift. The current study can be utilized by water managers to develop future water management policies, plans, and strategies in the western United States.
Kinetic-Dynamic Modelling of Neuromuscular Blockade

Pharmacokinetics describe the disposition of drug within the body. Yet this description alone is meaningless without implications of its consequences on drug activity; in the case of the neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs), on the time-course of paralysis. Kineticdynamic modelling uses the nonlinear relationships of plasma pharmacokinetics as the forcing function for the drug concentrations in a hypothetical effect compartment.
Barbershop Management of Hypertension in the African American Population: Pitfalls and Opportunities for Extension to Other Underserved Communities

This review summarizes the results of recent barbershop-based studies focusing on the diagnosis and management of hypertension (HTN) in black adults. The pitfalls of prior attempts and opportunities for the development of future programs to address health disparities on a larger scale are also reviewed. While barbershop health outreach has become a commonplace in recent years, the quality of the evidence on the effectiveness of such programs has been weak, until the Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study (LABBPS), a rigorously carried out cluster-randomized trial, demonstrated a − 21 mmHg greater reduction in BP among black hypertensive men who were assigned to a pharmacist-led HTN intervention when compared with usual care. Given the available evidence, barber health promotion paired with focused hypertension-specialty care has the potential to reduce, if not eliminate, the present wide gap in hypertension care and ultimately lead to a reduction of hypertension-related complications among blacks. Future research should seek to improve the scalability and transferability of the LABBPS model both to other geographic regions and to other at-risk groups.
A point mutation in the nuclease domain of MLH3 eliminates repeat expansions in a mouse stem cell model of the Fragile X-related disorders

The Fragile X-related disorders (FXDs) are Repeat Expansion Diseases, genetic disorders that result from the expansion of a disease-specific microsatellite. In those Repeat Expansion Disease models where it has been examined, expansion is dependent on functional mismatch repair (MMR) factors, including MutLγ, a heterodimer of MLH1/MLH3, one of the three MutL complexes found in mammals and a minor player in MMR. In contrast, MutLα, a much more abundant MutL complex that is the major contributor to MMR, is either not required for expansion or plays a limited role in expansion in many model systems. How MutLγ acts to generate expansions is unclear given its normal role in protecting against microsatellite instability and while MLH3 does have an associated endonuclease activity, whether that contributes to repeat expansion is uncertain. We show here, using a gene-editing approach, that a point mutation that eliminates the endonuclease activity of MLH3 eliminates expansions in an FXD mouse embryonic stem cell model. This restricts the number of possible models for repeat expansion and supports the idea that MutLγ may be a useful druggable target to reduce somatic expansion in those disorders where it contributes to disease pathology.
Standardization and Reduction of Narcotics After Pediatric Tonsillectomy

Objectives(1) To measure caregiver satisfaction with a nonstandardized postoperative pain regimen after pediatric tonsillectomy. (2) To implement a quality improvement project (QIP) to reduce the n...
Existence of $$\eta $$ η -quotients for squarefree levels

Determining which integer weight modular forms can be represented using Dedekind’s $$\eta $$ -function is a question of interest. It has been determined by Rouse and Webb for exactly which integers $$N \le 500$$ the graded ring of modular forms $$M(\varGamma _0(N))$$ can be generated by $$\eta $$ -quotients. Arnold-Roksandich, James, and Keaton have given explicit counts of the number of linearly independent $$\eta $$ -quotients in $$M_k(\varGamma _0(p))$$ for p prime. In this paper, we extend joint work of the author with Anderson, Hamakiotes, Oltsik, and Swisher to investigate which integer weight modular form spaces can contain $$\eta $$ -quotient. For $$k\ge 2$$ even and N coprime to 6, we give necessary conditions for the space $$M_k(\varGamma _1(N))$$ to contain $$\eta $$ -quotients. We then show that these conditions are sufficient as well for a large family of squarefree levels N coprime to 6.
Academically Eligible and Ineligible Pell Grant Community College Students: A Qualitative Investigation:

Objective: The purpose of this research is twofold: first, to investigate financially eligible Pell Grant community college students’ perceptions of barriers and enablers to student success, and se...
The Epidemiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are complex, lifelong, neurodevelopmental conditions of largely unknown cause. They are much more common than previously believed, second in frequency only to mental retardation among the serious developmental disorders. Although a heritable component has been demonstrated in ASD etiology, putative risk genes have yet to be identified. Environmental risk factors may also play a role, perhaps via complex gene-environment interactions, but no specific exposures with significant population effects are known. A number of endogenous biomarkers associated with autism risk have been investigated, and these may help identify significant biologic pathways that, in turn, will aid in the discovery of specific genes and exposures. Future epidemiologic research should focus on expanding population-based descriptive data on ASDs, exploring candidate risk factors in large well-designed studies incorporating both genetic and environmental exposure data and addressing possible etiologic heterogeneity in studies that can stratify case groups and consider alternate endophenotypes.
Diversifying the ‘HSI bubble’: Black and Asian women faculty at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

This qualitative case study explored the experiences of seven Black and Asian women faculty at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The unique experience of each woman is shared in this paper. Thr...
Programmable Adaptive Security Scanning for Networked Microgrids

Abstract Communication-dependent and software-based distributed energy resources (DERs) are extensively integrated into modern microgrids, providing extensive benefits such as increased distributed controllability, scalability, and observability. However, malicious cyber-attackers can exploit various potential vulnerabilities. In this study, a programmable adaptive security scanning (PASS) approach is presented to protect DER inverters against various power-bot attacks. Specifically, three different types of attacks, namely controller manipulation, replay, and injection attacks, are considered. This approach employs both software-defined networking technique and a novel coordinated detection method capable of enabling programmable and scalable networked microgrids (NMs) in an ultra-resilient, time-saving, and autonomous manner. The coordinated detection method efficiently identifies the location and type of power-bot attacks without disrupting normal NM operations. Extensive simulation results validate the efficacy and practicality of the PASS for securing NMs.
Slaapwandelen

De prevalentie van slaapwandelen bij volwassenen is 2-3%, die bij kinderen ligt beduidend hoger: 15%.1 Slechts 0,4% heeft een manifeste vorm. De incidentie bij de huisarts is onduidelijk, omdat slaapwandelen de code ‘Slapeloosheid/andere slaapstoornissen’ (P06) krijgt.
Developing nutritional component chrysin as a therapeutic agent: Bioavailability and pharmacokinetics consideration, and ADME mechanisms

Chrysin is a promising naturally occurring flavonoid mainly found in honey and propolis. Although chrysin's biological activities have been demonstrated and the mechanism of actions has been determined using in vitro and in vivo models, results from the current clinical studies were largely negative. A potential reason for chrysin's low efficacy in humans is poor oral bioavailability. In this paper, we reviewed the preclinical and clinical pharmacokinetics studies of chrysin and analyzed the mechanism of poor in vivo efficacy with emphasis on its bioavailability and ADME mechanism. Low aqueous solubility, rapid metabolism mediated by UGTs and SULT, efficient excretion through efflux transporters including BCRP and MRP2 are the major reasons causing poor systemic bioavailability for chrysin. However, because of efficient enterohepatic recycling facilitated by phase II metabolism and efflux, chrysin's bioavailability in the low GI tract is high. Thus, chrysin can be ideal for treating diseases in the terminal ileum and colon (e.g., carcinoma, local infection) since it is localized in the lower GI tract with limited delivery to other organs.
Remote Residues Affect Stability of Ornithine Transcarbamylase

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) is known to undergo induced-fit conformational changes upon the binding of carbamoyl phosphate (CP), which allows the sequential binding of L-ornithine (ORN) to pro...
Local Dirichlet spaces as de Branges-Rovnyak spaces

The harmonically weighted Dirichlet spaces associated with unit point masses are shown to coincide with de Branges-Rovnyak spaces, with equality of norms. As a consequence it is shown that radial expansion operators act contractively in harmonically weighted Dirichlet spaces.
The Future of Cybertravel

For the updated version fo the abstract and the full article see http://ssrn.com/abstract=1937960
True-time-delay reflectarray and transmitarrays based on miniaturized element frequency selective surfaces

In this paper, we propose a broadband true-timedelay reflectarray antenna composed of a low-profile planar MEFSS-based reflectarray fed with a horn antenna. The proposed reflectarray exploits the unit cells of ground-plane-backed miniaturized-element frequency selective surfaces (MEFSS) as its spatial time delay units (TDU) to operate in a true-time-delay (TTD) fashion and to reduce chromatic aberrations within a wide frequency band. A prototype of the proposed reflectarray with focal length to aperture diameter f/D of 0.87 is designed to operate at the center frequency of 10 GHz with an operational bandwidth of more than 40% in TTD fashion. It is demonstrated that the designed reflectarray shows a relatively consistent radiation properties over its frequency band of operation. The results also confirm the wide scanning properties of the proposed antenna in the ±45° range when the reflectarray is fed with multiple antennas to achieve a multi-beam aperture.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010—West Lafayette, IN

Worry was unbecoming on Delta; she didn’t wear it well. Although she pulled her phone out of her purse, she didn’t dial the police. Instead she sat, considered what she would say to the police and twisted her lower lip between her forefinger and thumb. She continued to rotate her lower lip into contorted shapes as she thought, Who? Which research? Why? How would any of this make sense to the police? It didn’t even make sense to Delta who finally stopped twisting her lip.
Homologous gene replacement in Physarum

The protist Physarum polycephalum is useful for analysis of several aspects of cellular and developmental biology. To expand the opportunities for experimental analysis of this organism, we have developed a method for gene replacement. We transformed Physarum amoebae with plasmid DNA carrying a mutant allele, ardD delta 1, of the ardD actin gene; ardD delta 1 mutates the critical carboxy-terminal region of the gene product. Because ardD is not expressed in the amoeba, replacement of ardD+ with ardD delta 1 should not be lethal for this cell type. Transformants were obtained only when linear plasmid DNA was used. Most transformants carried one copy of ardD delta 1 in addition to ardD+, but in two (5%), ardD+ was replaced by a single copy of ardD delta 1. This is the first example of homologous gene replacement in Physarum. ardD delta 1 was stably maintained in the genome through growth, development and meiosis. We found no effect of ardD delta 1 on viability, growth, or development of any of the various cell types of Physarum. Thus, the carboxy-terminal region of the ardD product appears not to perform a unique essential role in growth or development. Nevertheless, this method for homologous gene replacement can be applied to analyze the function of any cloned gene.
Demystifying Legal Reasoning

Part I. Law and its Function: 1. Moral controversy Part II. Common Law Reasoning: Deciding Cases When Prior Judicial Decisions Determine the Law: 2. Ordinary reason applied to law: natural reasoning and deduction from rules 3. The mystification of common-law reasoning 4. Common law practice Part III. Reasoning from Canonical Legal Text: 5. Interpreting statutes and other posited rules 6. Infelicities of the intended meaning of canonical texts and norms constraining interpretation 7. Non-intentionalist interpretation 8. Is constitutional interpretation different? Why it isn't and is 9. All or nothing.
Building bone from blood vessels

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can form different cell types in culture, but their potential to build new tissue in various disorders where tissue is damaged has not been realized. A study now shows how mature cells from blood vessels are a new source of MSCs that may be used to regenerate cartilage and bone (pages 1400–1406).
Self-Efficacy in African American Adolescent Males Living in Urban Public Housing:

African American adolescent males are one of our nation's most vulnerable populations. They lag behind their female counterparts in education, labor market participation, and career development. Several studies have found self-efficacy (e.g., an individual's beliefs in their capabilities to produce a desired result) improves the life chances for this vulnerable population of youth. Using a sample of 213 African American adolescent males from urban public housing living in two large cities, this article assesses the role of individual, social, and community correlates in promoting or inhibiting self-efficacy in African American adolescent males. Univariate, bivariate, and sequential regression analyses were employed. The sample reported a mean age of 15.5 (SD = 2.5) years. Self-efficacy was positively correlated to attitudes toward deviance, maternal support, maternal supervision, paternal support, and social cohesion. The regression model explained 32% of the variance in self-efficacy. Parents' behavior e...
Testosterone inhibition of FSH action on testicular 32P uptake in white leghorn cockerels.

Abstract Testicular 32 P uptake was “inhibited” in White Leghorn cockerels by testosterone when injected alone or in combination with follicle-stimulating hormone. Division of the 32 P counts by testes weights and evaluation of the data by factorial analysis increased the reliability of the results. These data are contrary to the reported potentiation of FSH action by testosterone in immature male Japanese quail.
Anaerobic treatment of lignocellulosic material to co-produce methane and digested fiber for ethanol biorefining.

Abstract Five different ratios of corn stover to swine manure were investigated to evaluate the performance of anaerobic digestion and the quality of anaerobically digested fiber (AD fiber) as a feedstock for bioethanol production. The stover-to-manure ratio of 40:60 generated 364 L biogas and 797 g AD fiber per kg of dry raw feedstock daily. The AD fibers after digestion were pretreated and hydrolyzed to release sugars for ethanol fermentation. The stover-to-manure ratio of 40:60 was able to produce 152 g methane and 50 g ethanol per kg of dry raw feedstock. The net energy generated from the ratio 40:60 was 5.5 MJ kg −1 dry raw feed, which was an 18% increase on net energy output compared to the other ratios and proved to be most beneficial for a biorefinery.
In vitro investigation of resting muscle membrane potential in preweanling and weanling rat.

CHANGES have been reported in muscle electrolytes with age1, and several laboratories throughout the world have reported similar changes2–5. From birth to maturity the sodium and chloride content in a unit muscle mass decreases while the potassium increases. These changes are often interpreted as a function of increasing muscle cell size and a decreasing extracellular space in the muscle.
A revised Holocene geochronology for the Lower Mississippi Valley

Data from two locations, 1) a hydrodam site at the Old River Diversion structure south of the latitude of Natchez MS and 2) eight water wells from the latitude of Baton Rouge, LA, are the basis for a revised Holocene geochronology of the Lower Mississippi River floodplain based on 84 radiocarbon dates, analyses of 64 borehole logs, and 75 grain-size analyses, which together provide major insight into questions concerning the complexity of meander belt movement, the influence of the Younger Dryas on the lower valley, and on the Pleistocene/Holocene interface. Following the Younger Dryas, the early Holocene was characterized by periodic flooding and deposition separated by times of little or no deposition.
Modeling of radiative heating of base region of Jovian entry probe

The mechanism of radiative heating of the afterbody region of Jovian entry probe is analyzed. A theoretical model is derived to determine the average thermodynamic properties in the expanding region, recirculating region, recompression region, and neck region through application of one-dimensional conservation equations. Flow parameters are obtained from the shadowgraphs of a free-flight test. Radiative transfer is calculated using spectrally detailed computer codes accounting for nonequilibrium. The results show that the most severe heating occurs immediately behind the frustum, and that the recompression and neck regions are the major sources of radiation that heats the base stagnation point. The radiation flux to the base point is slightly stronger with ablation than without, its value being 0.11(43Pb/Ps)squared times that to the front stagnation point, where Pb/Ps is the ratio of base-to-front stagnation point pressures and its value is in the range 0.023-0.066. The time-integrated heat load to the base point is 18(43Pb/Ps)squared kJ/sq cm. Existing experimental data are shown to agree with the theoretical prediction.
Disjunctive Rado numbers

If L1 and L2 are linear equations, then the disjunctive Rado number of the set {L1, L2} is the least integer n, provided that it exists, such that for every 2-coloring of the set {1, 2 ....,n} there exists a monochromatic solution to either L1 or L2. If such an integer n does not exist, then the disjunctive Rado number is infinite. In this paper, it is shown that for all integers a ≥ 1 and b ≥ 1, the disjunctive Rado number for the equations x1 + a = x2 and x1 + b = x2 is a + b + 1 - gcd(a, b) if a/gcd(a,b) + b/gcd(a,b) is odd and the disjunctive Rado number for these equations is infinite otherwise. It is also shown that for all integers a > 1 and b > 1, the disjunctive Rado number for the equations ax1 = x2 and bx1 = x2 is cs+t-1 if there exist natural numbers c, s, and t such that a = cs and b = ct and s + t is an odd integer and c is the largest such integer, and the disjunctive Rado number for these equations is infinite otherwise.
Evolution of dynamic feature usage in PHP

PHP includes a number of dynamic features that, if used, make it challenging for both programmers and tools to reason about programs. In this paper we examine how usage of these features has changed over time, looking at usage trends for three categories of dynamic features across the release histories of two popular open-source PHP systems, WordPress and MediaWiki. Our initial results suggest that, while features such as eval are being removed over time, more constrained dynamic features such as variable properties are becoming more common. We believe the results of this analysis provide useful insights for researchers and tool developers into the evolving use of dynamic features in real PHP programs.
The Mock Rock Topos

A prominent strain of argument and assessment in ancient texts places stones and words side-by-side for evaluation. I call this strain “the mock rock topos,” exploiting the ambiguity of mock (mimic/taunt) to capture a common ancient attitude toward verbal representations, written especially: that they share certain qualities with stone and stonework but outperform them, too. The mock rock topos consists of four main sub-topoi—masterpiece, mimesis, movement, and memory—whereby graphic rhetors assert the superiority of their products. Detractors of writers and writing often use lithic language in their criticisms as well. The practice of pairing busts of representative authors with their book-rolls in ancient libraries complicated the representation competition between stone and scroll and enhanced the cultured and cultural experience of readers in those spaces.
Nuclear data sheets for A = 95

Abstract The 1960 version of the Nuclear Data Sheets for A = 95 has been revised on the basis of experimental data received prior to May 1972. Information from approximately 175 papers and communications has been included in the present compilation. The data have been examined and utilized to construct level and decay schemes. Inconsistencies in the data are indicated either by direct comparison or in footnotes. Reported normalizations for the decay of 95Y differ considerably. For the stable nucleus 95Mo, approximately 60 levels are known; however, firm spin assignments can be made for only a few of these, mainly below 1.5 MeV. A similar situation exists in other nuclei in this mass chain. The present compilation might serve as a basis for choosing definitive experiments which would augment our knowledge in this mass chain.
Amygdala-dependent and amygdala-independent pathways for contextual fear conditioning.

The basolateral amygdala (BLA), consisting of the lateral and basal nuclei, is considered to be essential for fear learning. Using a temporary inactivation technique, we found that rats could acquire a context-specific long-term fear memory without the BLA but only if intensive overtraining was used. BLA-inactivated rats’ learning curves were characterized by slow learning that eventually achieved the same asymptotic performance as rats with the BLA functional. BLA inactivation abolished expression of overtrained fear when rats were overtrained with a functional BLA. However, BLA-inactivation had no effect on the expression of fear in rats that learned while the BLA was inactivated. These data suggest that there are primary and alternate pathways capable of mediating fear. Normally, learning is dominated by the more efficient primary pathway, which prevents learning in the alternate pathway. However, alternate pathways compensate when the dominant pathway is compromised.
Helium isotopic systematics of oceanic islands and mantle heterogeneity

Isotopic variations in oceanic igneous rocks provide important constraints on models of oceanic mantle structure. Of particular interest is the global negative correlation between 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd, which has been used to estimate ‘bulk earth’ values1–3 for 87Sr/86Sr, 87Rb/88Sr and 143Nd/144Nd. Simple two-reservoir models have failed to explain all the isotopic variations, however, because of the complicated trends in Pb isotopes4–6. This has led to suggestions that recycled oceanic crust or sediments must be considered in these models7–9. We report here the results of helium isotopic analyses in basaltic phenocrysts from the islands of Gough and Tristan da Cunha. Because basalts from the islands lie near bulk earth on the Sr–Nd correlation diagram3, the study was initiated to characterize the helium isotopic signature of this component. Whereas the 3He in mantle gases is mostly primordial, the 4He is primarily radiogenic, having been produced by decay of 238U, 235U and 232Th. High 3He/4He ratios in igneous rocks therefore indicate primordial volatiles10,11. We believe that the present results are inconsistent with the notion that the mantle beneath Gough and Tristan da Cunha is primitive or undepleted relative to mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB). Helium isotopic results on basaltic glasses and phenocrysts from the rift zone of Kilauea confirm the previously reported high values from this area12–15. We also report new analyses from Loihi Seamount (40km south-east of Kilauea), which does seem to be derived from a more primitive source. When these data are combined with values for MORBs (from ref. 16) and plotted with respect to 87Sr/86Sr, the observed trends offer insight into the different source regions for oceanic island basalts and the nature of mantle heterogeneity.