cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inference in incidence, infection, and impact: Co-infection of multiple hosts by multiple pathogens

A large literature concerns the epidemiology of single pathogens on single hosts. Yet in some environmental applications, such as fungal pathogens of forest tree seedlings, the \one host-one pathogen" paradigm may not be applicable. Multiple potential pathogens are often found in a single individual and/or multiple hosts share the same pathogens. Understanding diversity requires techniques to infer how multiple pathogens might regulate multiple hosts and to predict how im- pacts might vary with the environment. Here we present a hierarchical framework for the case where there is detection information based on multiple sources (cul- tures, gene sequencing, and survival observations), and the inference problem in- cludes not only parameters that describe environmental in∞uences on pathogen in- cidence, infection, and host survival, but also on latent states themselves{pathogen incidence at a site and infection statuses of hosts. Due to the large size of the model space, we develop a reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo approach to select models, estimate posterior distributions, and predict environmental in∞uences on host survival. We demonstrate with application to a data set involving fungal pathogens on tree hosts, where data include host survival and fungal detection using cultures and DNA sequencing.
Tissue-specific transcriptome sequencing analysis expands the non-human primate reference transcriptome resource (NHPRTR)

The non-human primate reference transcriptome resource (NHPRTR, available online at http://nhprtr. org/) aims to generate comprehensive RNA-seq data from a wide variety of non-human primates (NHPs), from lemurs to hominids. In the 2012 Phase I of the NHPRTR project, 19 billion fragments or 3.8 terabases of transcriptome sequences were collected from pools of ∼20 tissues in 15 species and subspecies. Here we describe a major expansion of NHPRTR by adding 10.1 billion fragments of tissuespecific RNA-seq data. For this effort, we selected 11 of the original 15 NHP species and subspecies and constructed total RNA libraries for the same ∼15 tissues in each. The sequence quality is such that 88% of the reads align to human reference sequences, allowing us to compute the full list of expression abundance across all tissues for each species, using the reads mapped to human genes. This update also includes improved transcript annotations derived from RNA-seq data for rhesus and cynomolgus macaques, two of the most commonly used NHP models and additional RNA-seq data compiled from related projects. Together, these comprehensive reference transcriptomes from multiple primates serve
Variability-driven module selection with joint design time optimization and post-silicon tuning

Increasing delay and power variation are significant challenges to the designers as technology scales to the deep sub-micron (DSM) regime. Traditional module selection techniques in high level synthesis use worst case delay/power information to perform the optimization, and therefore may be too pessimistic such that extra resources are used to guarantee design requirements. Parametric yield, which is defined as the probability of the synthesized hardware meeting the performance/power constraints, can be used to guide design space exploration. The parametric yield can be effectively improved by combining both design-time variation-aware optimization and post silicon tuning techniques (such as adaptive body biasing (ABB)). In this paper, we propose a module selection algorithm that combines design-time optimization with post- silicon tuning (using ABB) to maximize design yield. A variation-aware module selection algorithm based on efficient performance and power yield gradient computation is developed. The post silicon optimization is formulated as an efficient sequential conic program to determine the optimal body bias distribution, which in turn affects design-time module selection. The experiment results show that significant yield can be achieved compared to traditional worst-case driven module selection technique. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first variability-driven high level synthesis technique that considers post-silicon tuning during design time optimization.
Probing Molecular Chirality by Conventional and Fluorescence Detected Electronic Circular Dichroism

We discuss recent results on probing molecular and supramolecular chirality by CD sensitive porphyrins, metalloporphyrins and other fluorescent reporter groups where for the chiroptical analysis a conventional CD and ellipsoidal mirror FDCD detectors were employed.
Nonlinear stern waves

Steady two-dimensional potential flow past a semi-infinite flat-bottomed body is considered. This stern flow is assumed to separate tangentially from the body. Gravity waves of finite amplitude occur on the free surface. An exact relation between the amplitude of these waves and the Fronde number F is derived. It shows that these waves can exist only for F greater than the value F* = 2·23. This is slightly less than the value Fc = 2·26 at which breaking occurs. For F slightly larger than F*, the steepness is a multi-valued function of F, indicating the existence of more than one solution for these values of F. In addition, a numerical scheme based on an integro-differential equation formulation is derived to solve the problem in the fully nonlinear case. The shape of the free surface profile is computed for different values of F. As a check on the numerical results, they are shown to satisfy the exact relation between steepness and the Froude number.
Characterization of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function by Tissue Doppler Imaging and Clinical Status in Children With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Background— Conventional transmitral Doppler indices are unreliable in assessing clinical status in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) because they are affected by loading conditions. This study sought to determine whether tissue Doppler velocities are predictive of adverse clinical outcomes including death, cardiac arrest, ventricular tachycardia (VT), significant cardiac symptoms, and exercise capacity in children with HCM. Methods and Results— We studied 80 consecutive children (median age 12 years, median follow-up 26 months) evaluated at 1 hospital from January 1999 to August 2003 compared with 80 age- and gender-matched controls. Patients underwent echocardiography, ambulatory Holter monitoring, and upright exercise testing. Children with HCM had significantly decreased early diastolic tissue Doppler velocities at the lateral mitral (13.2 versus 19.3 cm/s), tricuspid (13.3 versus 16.3 cm/s), and septal (9.4 versus 13.5 cm/s) annuli compared with controls (P<0.001 for each comparison). B...
Empowering mobile healthcare providers via a patient benefits authorization service

Moving rapidly between patient examining rooms, physicians have to examine, diagnose and decide on a course of treatment appropriate for each patient. However, if the patient's health plan administrators subsequently deny coverage, the prescribed treatments would then have to be changed. There are a wide range of health insurance plans and varying cost curtailment procedures. Physicians are therefore ill-equipped to determine a course of treatment that addresses the patient's needs and complies with the payer's regulations. Benefits authorization applications on handheld devices using wireless communications can help mobile healthcare providers quickly determine patient medical benefit eligibility. Such facilities could improve the quality of care and physician patient communications, prevent denial of services by health plan administrators and consequential expenses to the patient. The authors originally developed a prototype desktop application as part of a secure telemedicine research project. They identify enhancements to this work to address interoperability issues and support the needs of mobile healthcare providers.
Foster family acceptance: Understanding the role of foster family acceptance in the lives of LGBTQ youth

Abstract LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system have historically received very little attention. The limited research available suggests that they encounter a number of disparities and double standards when compared to straight youth. The current study examines the role that foster family acceptance plays in the lives of LGBTQ youth as they navigate the child welfare system. The experiences of LGBTQ foster care alumni who had accepting foster family experiences are compared to those who had rejecting experiences. Findings suggest that foster family acceptance plays a pivotal role in creating an affirming and inclusive environment for LGBTQ youth. Similarly, findings provide further evidence for the need to educate, train, and recruit affirming and accepting foster families.
Harmonizing Third-Party Litigation Funding Regulation

Third-party litigation funding is no longer a new phenomenon, but rather is a mainstay in global commerce and dispute resolution. Yet, many observers still consider the third-party litigation funding industry as a "wild west" due to a lack of regulation in many countries. Some of the countries that have regulations suffer from a lack of uniformity and an array of conflicting laws at the sub-national level (i.e., the laws of states, provinces, territories, etc.). For example, the United States has a confusing patchwork of state laws on third-party litigation funding. This article proposes harmonizing the regulatory framework for third-party litigation funding in the United States by identifying the three categories of interactions – transactional, procedural, and ethical – that make up third-party litigation funding and suggesting avenues for regulation within those three categories. This approach will weave a regulatory "safety net" of minimum standards for the behaviors and interactions of the players in third-party litigation funding arrangements to ensure the integrity of the dispute resolution system in which they invest and participate.
A Potent Sex Attractant for the Potato Tuberworm Moth

A potent sex attractant has been isolated from Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller). The attractant’s structure is consistent with that of an acetate of a doubly unsaturated C15 alcohol from the results of chemical tests, gas chromatographic retention indices, and mass spectrometry. Several of the isomers of 7-tridecen-1-ol acetate, and 7,9-,7,10-, 7,11-, and 7,12-tridecadien-1-ol acetate were synthesized and tested for biological activity in the field. A mixture of 7,11-tridecadien-1-ol acetates enriched in the cis, cis -isomer was found to be a potent and specific attractant for male potato tuberworm moths, at levels as small as 10 μg/trap.
Modification of fracture energy of niobium/sapphire interface by impurity doping

The effect of interface composition on the fracture energy and fracture toughness of the niobium/sapphire system was studied. Niobium films with thickness of 100 nm were deposited on (0001) sapphire substrates by physical vapor deposition (PVD). The interface was doped with silver to reduce the interfacial cohesion. The amount of silver ranged from less than 2.1 monolayers to 6.4 monolayers as measured by Rutherford backscattering spectrometer (RBS). The microscratch test was used in determining the interfacial fracture energy and the interfacial fracture toughness. Both interfacial fracture energy Gc and fracture toughness Kc decrease non-linearly with the amount of silver, and level off for samples with larger silver thickness ( > 4.2 monolayers). The values of interfacial fracture energy range from 3.43 J/m2 - 9.20 J/m2 for the sample doped with 2.1 monolayer silver (sample B) to 0.05 J/m2 - 0.5 J/m2 for samples with silver levels above 4.2 monolayers (samples D and E). The corresponding fracture toughnesses are 0.80 MPa-m½ - 1.29 MPa-m½ for sample B and 0.09 MPa-m½ - 0.30 MPa-m½ for samples D and E.
Believing in Russia: Religious Policy after Communism. By Geraldine Fagan. (New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Pp. xv, 291. $155.00.)

After a short excerpt from the Gospel of Luke (in Church Slavonic!) and a personal introduction, the author of this book opens her study with a provocative gambit. A reader might expect a gauzy des...
Beyond night float? The impact of call structure on internal medicine residents.

Limitation of resident working hours has been a critical issue for training programs in recent years. At Providence Medical Center, residents and faculty collaborated in developing goals, implementation strategies, and an evaluation process for a new ward float system. The goals of the float system were to reduce fatigue, facilitate education, maintain continuity of care, and minimize the negative impact of training on residents’ personal lives. Evaluation revealed: 1) 74% of the residents preferred Providence Medical Center float system (PMCF) to either night float (NF) (13%) or standard everyfourth-night call (EFNC) (13%); and 2) PMCF was perceived to ensure quality patient care to a greater degree than was NF, to better facilitate resident education than was NF, and to have a less negative impact on personal lives than was EFNC.
MECHANISMS AND CHEMOTHERAPY OF IMMUNOLOGIC DISEASES.

Anaphylaxis, cytolysis, toxic antigen-antibody complexes, and delayed hypersensitivity, singly or in combination, are the four basic mechanisms of immunologic cell and tissue damage. Quinidine thrombocytopenia typifies cytolytic reactions in which the affected cell is an “innocent bystander.” It is not widely appreciated that vaccines (polio vaccine, for one) can trigger a relapse of systemic lupus erythematosus or a related disease.
Determination of sample surface topography using electron back-scatter diffraction patterns

Abstract The background of an electron backscattered diffraction pattern contains quantitative surface topography data. We propose a new approach to extract this topography from the location of the maximum background intensity in each diffraction pattern. Using specular reflection as a zero-th order approximation, we employ Monte Carlo simulations to determine corrections to the scattering angles, which then allow us to accurately determine the local surface normal. We derive the theoretical model and illustrate the approach experimentally using a β-Sn sphere, for which we determine the local surface normal orientation from the background intensity shifts in electron backscatter diffraction patterns.
LOOKING FORWARD BY STUDYING THE PAST IN EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN ARCHAEOLOGY: THE NEXT 50 YEARS

A discussion on the collection of articles resulting from the 2013 conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison entitled, “Recent Advances in the Archaeology of East and Southeast Asia.” These papers are contextualized by considering the fifty years before the published JIPA papers appeared in 2015. I then review major themes in the conference papers, and discuss future directions.
Understanding How Isotopes Affect Charge Transfer in P3HT/PCBM: A Quantum Trajectory-Electronic Structure Study with Nonlinear Quantum Corrections

The experimentally observed effect of selective deuterium substitution on the open circuit voltage for a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM; Nat. Commun. 2014, 5, 3180) is explored using a 221-atom model of a polymer-wrapped PCBM molecule. The protonic and deuteronic wave functions for the H/D isotopologues of the hexyl side chains are described within a quantum trajectory/electronic structure approach where the dynamics is performed with newly developed nonlinear corrections to the quantum forces, necessary to describe the nuclear wave functions; the classical forces are generated with a density functional tight binding method. The resulting protonic and deuteronic time-dependent wave functions are used to assess the effects of isotopic substitution (deuteration) on the energy gaps relevant to the charge transfer for the donor and acceptor electronic states. While the isotope effect on the electronic energy levels is found negligible, the quantum-i...
Coagulation Function in the Operating Room

Summary Hemorrhage either may be caused by coagulopathies or be the result of them. The present climate of blood transfusion medicine dictates that each unit transfused be utilized judiciously. While coagulation and its monitoring may appear complex, an understanding of its operation and functions is necessary in order for the operating room team to make these decisions. A push for consistent use of up-to-date coagulation monitoring, technology, and research has been solely lacking in operating teams today. Applying the latest principles of coagulation and its monitoring, as outlined in this article, on a case-by-case basis, will help to minimize hemorrhage in operating rooms during the 1990s.
Photosensitized H2 Production Using a Zinc Porphyrin-Substituted Protein, Platinum Nanoparticles, and Ascorbate with No Electron Relay: Participation of Good’s Buffers

Development of efficient light-driven splitting of water, 2H2O → 2H2 + O2, often attempts to optimize photosensitization of the reductive and oxidative half-reactions individually. Numerous homogeneous and heterogeneous systems have been developed for photochemical stimulation of the reductive half reaction, 2H+ + 2e– → H2. These systems generally consist of various combinations of a H+ reduction catalyst, a photosensitizer (PS), and a “sacrificial” electron donor. Zinc(II)-porphyrins (ZnPs) have frequently been used as PSs for H2 generation, but they are subject to various self-quenching processes in aqueous solutions. Colloidal platinum in nanoparticle form (Pt NP) is a classical H+ reduction catalyst using ZnP photosensitizers, but efficient photosensitized H2 generation requires an electron relay molecule between ZnP and Pt NP. The present report describes an aqueous system for visible (white) light-sensitized generation of H2 using a protein-embedded Zn(II)-protoporphyrin IX as PS and Pt NP as H+ red...
Nonlinear controller for a UAV using Echo State Network

A nonlinear adaptive controller for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been developed using Echo State Network (ESN), which is a form of three-layered recurrent neural network (RNN). Online learning is used to train the ESN in real-time starting from randomized weights. The ESN is integrated into ArduPilot, an open source autopilot, for complex flight simulations. Software-in-the-loop and hardware- in-the-loop simulations are performed using the FlightGear Flight Simulator. The response of the UAV using the controller based on the ESN has surpassed the performance of the traditional controllers. Noise and external disturbances are added to show the effectiveness of the controllers. A UAV test platform is designed and built to gather aircraft flight data and test the ESN.
Light emission in silicon

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a number of diverse approaches for engineering efficient light emission in silicon. These different approaches are placed in context and their prospects, for application in silicon based opto-electronics. The general requirements in silicon (Si)-based light sources are efficient light-emitting diodes, lasers, and optical amplifiers for use in optical communications technologies, such as fiber optics and displays. Silicon crystallizes in the diamond structure, which consist of two interpenetrating face-centered cubic lattices displaced from each other by one-quarter of the body diagonal. The chapter also elaborates on the material's engineering that is now being applied to Si in an attempt to overcome the indirect band gap limitations in light emission from Si. The aim is to increase the efficiency of the luminescence by increasing the overlap of the electron and hole wavefunctions, to tune the wavelength of the emission by forming alloys, molecules, and clusters, or to induce recombination at impurity centers. This chapter concludes with a discussion on prospects for silicon-based optoelectronic devices.
Programs on Superconducting Materials and Miniature Cryocoolers in the United States

A survey of major US programs on superconducting materials and miniature cryocoolers is presented. Programs are classified and tabulated into three categories. About 50 programs are reported for superconducting materials and about 17 for miniature cryocooler. For each program, the organization, key person/s, brief description, source and amount of funding are given. Brief texts accompany each of the three summaries.
Postinfarction ventricular septal defect on catheterization table, challenging and unique occurrence at a community-based hospital

Ventricular septal defect (VSD), one of the major mechanical complications of myocardial infarction, portends a severe threat to life and hence demands a high degree of suspicion, appropriate investigations, and emergent repair, particularly in cases of cardiogenic shock. Although the development of VSD in extensive or anterior infarction is not unexpected, its occurrence during cardiac catheterization frames a unique, challenging experience and creates a learning opportunity. We present a patient who developed postinfarction VSD during cardiac catheterization.
Early and Late Complications Following Operative Repair of Hirschsprung’s Disease

Since Harald Hirschsprung’s classic description in 1886,over 100 papers on complications following repair of Hirschsprung’s disease have been published. Original works by Swenson (1948), Rehbein (1953), Duhamel (1956), and Soave (1964) and their predecessors emphasized large single-institution or even single-surgeon experiences rendering comparative outcome analysis difficult. Contemporary surgical management has evolved from the traditional three-stage approach to the more recent introduction of minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques [1, 2] and neonatal one-stage reconstruction [3, 4]. Initial results of these procedures have been limited to single-center or small multicenter series with relatively short follow-up. Although multiple studies have suggested that the popular endorectal technique is safe and efficacious [5–7], the influence on the incidence of late complications is yet to be fully determined. Many of the techniques can also be done in an open or laparoscopically assisted manner. Different risks and benefits are attendant with each of these choices.
Correlation of Lyme Disease-Associated IgG4 Autoantibodies With Synovial Pathology in Antibiotic-Refractory Lyme Arthritis.

Objective To determine whether IgG subclasses of Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies differ from those of 3 Lyme disease (LD)-associated autoantibodies. Methods IgG antibody subclasses were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum samples from 215 patients with features representative of each of the 3 stages of LD. Antibody and cytokine profiles were measured in matched serum and synovial fluid (SF) samples from patients with Lyme arthritis. Synovial tissue from patients with antibiotic-refractory arthritis was examined for histologic features, IgG subclasses of plasma cells, and messenger RNA (mRNA) subclass expression. Results B burgdorferi antibodies were primarily of the IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses, and the levels increased as the infection progressed. In contrast, LD-associated autoantibodies were mainly of the IgG2 and IgG4 subclasses, and these responses were found primarily in patients with either antibiotic-refractory or antibiotic-responsive arthritis, particularly in SF. However, compared with the responsive group, the inflammatory milieu in SF in the refractory group was enriched for cytokines representative of innate, Th1, Th2, and Th17 responses. Synovial tissue in a subgroup of patients with refractory arthritis showed marked expression of mRNA for IgG4 antibodies and large numbers of IgG4-staining plasma cells. IgG4 autoantibodies in SF to each of the 3 LD-associated autoantigens correlated with the magnitude of obliterative microvascular lesions and fibrosis in the tissue. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the subclasses of IgG antibodies to B burgdorferi differ from those of LD-associated autoantibodies. Furthermore, the correlation of IgG4 autoantibodies with specific synovial pathology in the refractory group suggests a role for these autoantibodies, either protective or pathologic, in antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis.
Applying iRODS to the Brain Image Library

Recent advancements in optical microscopy and specimen preparation have greatly improved the specificity and sensitivity of observation. Imaging instruments have become readily available and produce data at GB/s rates. These capabilities now allow capture of large numbers of whole-brain volumetric datasets, enabling morphological study including connectivity within the brain. Brain image datasets pose a problem for data storage, access, and analysis due to their large and complex structure.The Brain Image Library (BIL) is a national public resource of brain image datasets contributed by the brain research community. BIL is located at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC). To manage metadata associated with brain image collections, BIL uses iRODS, an open source data management system. This paper describes the use of iRODS for data management within the Brain Image Library an NIH BRAIN Initiative-funded petascale archive of spatial brain datasets.
Intuitive Interface for Solving Linear and Nonlinear System of Equations

An innovative approach is proposed in designing intuitive interfaces for solving systems of linear and nonlinear equations over Cartesian products of general vector spaces. The interfaces enable scientific computing practitioners and learners to enter equations in WYSIWYG manner, lets the software generate vector representations of equations/variables internally and outputs the solutions in the desired forms automatically. Such interfaces save more time than algorithmic improvement for one-time users and students.
The role of temporal resolution in modeling the wind induced sea surface transport in coastal seas

Abstract In this research work, the accuracy of a state of the art ocean model in reproducing the sea surface transport in coastal area using observed wind forcing data characterized by temporal resolution spanning between the day and the minute is analyzed. Numerical simulations were carried out to reproduce the paths of a set of surface drifters released in the Gulf of Oristano (Italy), a coastal area of the Mediterranean Sea. From the model results, a macroscopic increase of the quality of the ocean model predictions is observed when switching from day to hours in the temporal resolution of the atmospheric forcing. On the other hand, extending the analysis to lower sampling intervals, from 1 h to 1 min, this positive relationship is not found. The obtained results lead to consider that, when dealing with temporal resolution of the wind forcing spanning from hours to seconds, the use of the lowest sampling interval does not guarantee the highest accuracy in the ocean model predictions.
Can Academic Library Instant Message Transcripts Provide Documentation of Undergraduate Student Success

Instant message transcripts provide verbatim documentation of students’ expressed needs. Academic libraries fund many practices and services thought to enhance student success by meeting students’ ...
Bridging the Gap: The Relationship between INGO Activism and Human Rights Indicators

This article explores the tension between the production of “naming and shaming” reports as tools of activism by international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) and the usage of these reports a...
Diverse Generation for Multi-Agent Sports Games

In this paper, we propose a new generative model for multi-agent trajectory data, focusing on the case of multi-player sports games. Our model leverages graph neural networks (GNNs) and variational recurrent neural networks (VRNNs) to achieve a permutation equivariant model suitable for sports. On two challenging datasets (basketball and soccer), we show that we are able to produce more accurate forecasts than previous methods. We assess accuracy using various metrics, such as log-likelihood and "best of N" loss, based on N different samples of the future. We also measure the distribution of statistics of interest, such as player location or velocity, and show that the distribution induced by our generative model better matches the empirical distribution of the test set. Finally, we show that our model can perform conditional prediction, which lets us answer counterfactual questions such as “how will the players move differently if A passes the ball to B instead of C?”
IELE: A rigorously designed language and tool ecosystem for the blockchain

This paper proposes IELE, an LLVM-style language, together with a tool ecosystem for implementing and formally reasoning about smart contracts on the blockchain. IELE was designed by specifying its semantics formally in the K framework. Its implementation, a IELE virtual machine (VM), as well as a formal verification tool for IELE smart contracts, were automatically generated from the formal specification. The automatically generated formal verification tool allows us to formally verify smart contracts without any gap between the verifier and the actual VM. A compiler from Solidity, the predominant high-level language for smart contracts, to IELE has also been (manually) implemented, so Ethereum contracts can now also be executed on IELE.
High field tokamaks with DD-DT operation and reduced tritium breeding requirements

DD-DT operation could provide a significant reduction in tritium breeding requirements in high field tokamak reactors without requiring very large increases in reactor size or plasma beta. Operation with the tritium breeding requirement ..gamma.. = triton provided by blanket/fusion neutrons produced = 0.7--0.9 is of particular interest. The reduced tritium breeding requirement makes possible the use of blanket designs which might be difficult to implement in a DT reactor (for example, LiAl/sub 2/O/sub 3/ blankets). The reduced blanket requirement could also be used for excess tritium production. Tradeoffs between tritium breeding and plasma performance requirements are investigated. Illustrative design features are developed for devices using both resistive magnets and superconducting magnets. Parameters for the device with superconducting magnets are B /SUB T/ = 7 T, ..beta.. = 0.063, R = 9.6 m, a = 2.4 m, ..gamma.. = 0.8, and P /SUB wall/ = 2.2 MW/m/sup 2/.
Tetrahedral Mn4+ as chromophore in sillenite-type compounds

Abstract Solid solutions of Bi12Mn1-xMxO20 (M ​= ​Ti, Si, Ge, x ​= ​0–1) and Bi12-xInxMn0.2Ti0.8O20 (x ​= ​0–4.0) having Bi12MO20 sillenite-type structure were synthesized through M-site and Bi-site substitutions and their properties were evaluated. Powder neutron and X-ray structure analyses confirm that all the compounds crystallize in space group I23 with Mn in the tetrahedral site. The color of Bi12Mn1-xMxO20 (M ​= ​Ti, Si, Ge) solid solutions varies from dark green (x ​= ​0) to intense green (x ​= ​0.8), and the x ​= ​1 phases Bi12MO20 (M ​= ​Ti, Si, Ge) are light yellow. Substituting indium for bismuth brings a yellowish hue to the Bi12Mn1-xTixO20 series as shown in Bi12-xInxMn0.2Ti0.8O20 (x ​= ​0–4.0). Optical measurements suggest that the d-d transition of Mn ions combined with the M4+–O2- charge transfer is responsible for the observed green colors. All compositions exhibit high near-infrared reflectance (NIR) which makes them potential candidates for cool pigment applications. The Bi12Mn1-xTixO20 (x ​= ​0.2, 0.6, 0.8) compounds show paramagnetic behavior in 5–300K temperature region, and the effective magnetic moment is slightly smaller than theoretical magnetic moment of tetravalent Mn. This is one of the few cases where tetrahedrally coordinated Mn4+ functions as a chromophore in inorganic metal oxides.
Sinus Headache: Differential Diagnosis and an Evidence-Based Approach

The diagnosis "sinus headache" has been reclassified as "headache attributed to disorder of the nose or paranasal sinuses" by the International Headache Society, but the term is still commonly used by patients and primary care doctors alike. Rhinologic symptoms and headache disorders are common, and they may coexist without a causative relationship. Patients may undergo unnecessary medical interventions because of inadequate understanding of the classifications and management of various headache disorders. Otolaryngologists frequently treat patients with these complaints, and a systematic approach to the differential diagnosis and utilization of a multidisciplinary approach are critical in providing optimal patient care.
Bored, isolated and anxious: Experiences of prolonged hospitalization during high-risk pregnancy and preferences for improving care

Abstract Antepartum women who experience prolonged hospitalization are at greater risk for increased stress, anxiety, and depression. The purpose of this study was to examine women’s and healthcare staff’s experiences with prolonged hospitalizations during pregnancy and explore patient-centered intervention options. Guided by Social Support Theory, we conducted qualitative (focus group/interviews) and quantitative (surveys) methods. Patient survey respondents (N=57) were mostly white (77%), non-Hispanic (86%), and married (65%). Qualitative data (N=17) revealed challenges to women’s wellbeing related to: a) lack of knowledge; b) stress and anxiety; c) loss of independence; and d) social isolation in hospital; regarding concerns about hospitalization and competing demands at home. Suggested strategies for improving women’s experiences included interventions that involve family/friends, improved information sharing, and increased onsite services to facilitate a positive experience. This critical groundwork informed development of theory-based, patient-centered interventions to increase knowledge and enhance social support, among women who experience prolonged hospitalization during pregnancy.
Creative Destruction: How Capitalism Undermines Rule of Law

Joseph Schumpeter described capitalism as a system of creative destruction. Innovative new ideas, new products, and new production methods displace the old. This works to the advantage of entrepreneurial individuals who bring innovations to market, enabling them to get ahead by producing more value for consumers. After those entrepreneurs get ahead, the forces of creative destruction work against them, threatening to displace them in the economic hierarchy. The system that helps those who want to get ahead threatens those who want to stay ahead. An examination of the institutional framework that supports capitalism shows that it contains incentives for the political elite to cooperate with the economic elite for their mutual benefit. An extensive literature on rent-seeking, rent extraction, regulatory capture, and interest group activity explains why the legal system that supports capitalism is susceptible to capture itself, for the benefit of the elite. Capitalists are the biggest threat to capitalism.
Delineation of ESDN-Dependent Signaling Mechanisms Required for Zebrafish Eye Development

Endothelial and smooth muscle cell-derived neuropilin-like protein (ESDN) is an orphan transmembrane receptor, originally found in a screen to identify proteins with signal peptides expressed in va...
Solution Representations for Trefftz-Type Finite Elements

Solution representations are available for severeal differential equations. For elasticity problems some of the solution representations are considered in this paper. The solution representations can be used for a systematic construction of Trefftz functions for the derivation of Trefftz-type finite elements. For the example of a thick plate a set of Trefftz functions is presented.
An interleaved parallel volume renderer with PC-clusters

Parallel Volume Rendering has been realized using various load distribution methods that subdivide either the screen, called image-space partitioning, or the volume dataset, called object-space partitioning. The major advantages of image-space partitioing are load balancing and low communication overhead, but processors require access to the full volume in order to render the volume with arbitrary views without frequent data redistributions. Subdividing the volume, on the other hand, provides storage scalability as more processors are added, but requires image compositing and thus higher communication bandwidth for producing the final image. In this paper, we present a parallel volume rendering algorithm that combines the benefits of both image-space and object-space partition schemes based on the idea of pixel and volume interleaving. We first subdivide the processors into groups. Each group is responsible for rendering a portion of the volume. Inside of a group, every member interleaves the data samples of the volume and the pixels of the screen. Interleaving the data provides storage scalability and interleaving the pixels reduces communication overhead. Our hybrid object- and image-space partitioning scheme was able to reduce the image compositing cost, incur in low communication overhead and balance rendering workload at the expense of image quality. Experiments on a PC-cluster demonstrate encouraging results.
Effects of pimecrolimus versus triamcinolone on Langerhans cells after UV exposure

Abstract: Background/Purpose: Pimecrolimus is a topical immunomodulator for atopic dermatitis. Concerns regarding malignancy risk resulted in its black box warning in 2006. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of pimecrolimus on Langerhans cells (LC), mediators of the cutaneous immunity UV-irradiated skin. Methods: A RCT was conducted investigating pimecrolimus 1% cream vs triamcinolone 0.1% cream on UV-irradiated epidermal LC on 20 healthy volunteers. Punch biopsies were stained with antibodies to CD1a, HLADR and CD83. Results: Triamcinolone caused more depletion in UV-irradiated CD1a+ epidermis relative to pimecrolimus treatment. (P = 0.030). Using HLA-DR as a pan-marker for APCs, pimecrolimus caused marginally less depletion than triamcinolone (P = 0.013). Using anti-CD83 as a maturation marker, UV-irradiated skin treated with pimecrolimus showed more mature LC than skin treated with triamcinolone (P = 0.00090). Conclusion: UV-induced changes in LC are minimally affected by pimecrolimus, compared with triamcinolone.
Hierarchical dose-response modeling for high-throughput toxicity screening of environmental chemicals.

Summary High-throughput screening (HTS) of environmental chemicals is used to identify chemicals with high potential for adverse human health and environmental effects from among the thousands of untested chemicals. Predicting physiologically relevant activity with HTS data requires estimating the response of a large number of chemicals across a battery of screening assays based on sparse dose–response data for each chemical-assay combination. Many standard dose–response methods are inadequate because they treat each curve separately and under-perform when there are as few as 6–10 observations per curve. We propose a semiparametric Bayesian model that borrows strength across chemicals and assays. Our method directly parametrizes the efficacy and potency of the chemicals as well as the probability of response. We use the ToxCast data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as motivation. We demonstrate that our hierarchical method provides more accurate estimates of the probability of response, efficacy, and potency than separate curve estimation in a simulation study. We use our semiparametric method to compare the efficacy of chemicals in the ToxCast data to well-characterized reference chemicals on estrogen receptor (ER) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) assays, then estimate the probability that other chemicals are active at lower concentrations than the reference chemicals.
Group B Streptococci in Neonatal Deaths

Clinical microbiologists are reminded to look for group B streptococci in neonatal infants. We report four deaths, one with meningitis, occurring among 14 such infected newborn infants at our institution; of the nursing staff, 31% were also carriers of group B streptococci.
Lipid Peroxidation and Glutathione Peroxidase Activity in the Liver of Cholesterol-fed Rats

The effects of cholesterol feeding on lipid peroxidation and on glutathione peroxidase activity in the liver of rats were examined. Cholesterol (1 or 1.5%) was added to two basal diets containing either 10% soy oil (diet 1) or 15% soy oil plus 100 IU of alpha-tocopherol/kg of diet (diet 2). The rate of lipid peroxidation in the liver was determined in vitro by the thiobarbituric acid test and by conjugated diene measurement (234 nm). Cholesterol feeding elevated the rate of lipid peroxidation in the liver of rats fed diet 1 or 2. The rate of lipid peroxidation in rats fed diet 2 increased with duration of feeding suggesting an increased need for antioxidant as the levels of cholesterol or other lipids in the liver elevated. Cholesterol feeding also decreased the activity of liver glutathione peroxidase and pentose phosphate pathway dehydrogenases. Glutathione peroxidase activities increased with the duration of feeding in rats fed basal diet 2, but they remained unchanged in rats fed the same diet supplemented with cholesterol. The study suggests that cholesterol feeding in rats can increase the susceptibility of the tissue to lipid peroxidation and also can lead to a depression in the activity of glutathione peroxidase.
Protein Stabilization and Enzyme Activation in Ionic Liquids: Specific Ion Effects

There are still debates on whether the hydration of ions perturbs the water structure, and what is the degree of such disturbance; therefore, the origin of Hofmeister effect on protein stabilization continues being questioned. For this reason, it is suggested to use the 'specific ion effect' instead of other misleading terms such as Hofmeister effect, Hofmeister series, lyotropic effect, and lyotropic series. In this review, we firstly discuss the controversial aspect of inorganic ion effects on water structures, and several possible contributors to the specific ion effect of protein stability. Due to recent overwhelming attraction of ionic liquids (ILs) as benign solvents in many enzymatic reactions, we further evaluate the structural properties and molecular-level interactions in neat ILs and their aqueous solutions. Next, we systematically compare the specific ion effects of ILs on enzyme stability and activity, and conclude that (a) the specificity of many enzymatic systems in diluted aqueous IL solutions is roughly in line with the traditional Hofmeister series albeit some exceptions; (b) however, the specificity follows a different track in concentrated or neat ILs because other factors (such as hydrogen-bond basicity, nucelophilicity, and hydrophobicity, etc) are playing leading roles. In addition, we demonstrate some examples of biocatalytic reactions in IL systems that are guided by the empirical specificity rule.
Buccal Manipulation of Sand Particles During Tunnel Excavation of the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

ABSTRACT Serial tunneling behavior of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), the Formosan subterranean termite, includes excavation, loading, transportation, and deposition of sand particles. Functions of mouthparts, including mandibles, maxillae, labrum, and labium, for the tunneling behaviors were described. The four mouthparts form a buccal cavity for loading three to four sand particles (ranging 0.300–0.355 mm in diameter) during sand displacement. The maxillae, not the mandibles, are the major appendages for sand excavation and deposition. Previous studies speculated a “soil-compaction hypothesis” that subterranean termites might press the sand particles with their head to build the tunnel. Examination of video recordings of tunnel excavation through a microscope indicated sand was not compacted. When two photographs of tunnel tips taken before and after excavation were superimposed, sand particles surrounding tunnel tips remained in place, which demonstrated that termites did no...
Parental Depression and Child Outcomes: The Mediating Effects of Abuse and Neglect.

Using longitudinal data on 1,813 children and parents from a nationally representative child-welfare sample, National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), this study investigated physically abusive and neglectful parenting as mediating the effects of parent depression on child mental health by developmental stage. Findings from latent growth models indicated that parental depression had a significant impact on child outcomes for all youths, but of the 2 types of parenting behaviors, only neglectful parenting mediated the relationship for preschool and school-aged children. Neither parenting behavior mediated the effects of parental depression for adolescents.
Beneficial effect of adenosine during reperfusion following prolonged cardioplegic arrest.

Study objective – The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of reperfusion with adenosine after prolonged cardioplegic arrest in the isolated working rat heart. Design – After 3 h of hypothermic (20°C) ischaemic arrest with multidose (every 30 min) infusions of St Thomas's Hospital cardioplegic soluton No 1, rat hearts were reperfused with either ordinary perfusion fluid (Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer) or with additional adenosine (1 mg·litre−1) for 15 min prior to assessing recovery of function. Experimental material – Hearts (n=10 in each group) were obtained from male rats weighing 250-300 g. Measurements and main results – Mean coronary flow during the period of reperfusion was increased from 11.8(SEM 0.8) ml·min−1 with ordinary perfusate to 17(0.7) ml·min−1 with adenosine reperfusate (p<0.001). Mean recoveries of functional indices (as percent of preischaemic control values) in hearts receiving ordinary reperfusates v adenosine reperfusates were: peak aortic pressure 76.2(2.8)% υ 86.9(2.2)%, dP/dt 35.6(6.0)% υ 66.2(4.3)%, aortic flow 26.1(7.4)% υ 60.9(4.2)%, coronary flow 50.1(3.4% υ 75.6(3.6)%, and cardiac output 31.4(6.4)% υ 64.5(3.2)%. Recovery of all indices was significantly superior with adenosine than without (peak aortic pressure p<0.01, other indices p<0.001). A parallel series of experiments showed that the nucleotide content of both groups was similar at the end of the 15 min reperfusion period. Conclusions – Improvement in functional recovery occurs with low dose adenosine during reperfusion. This is likely to be due to an increase in coronary flow to the microvasculature rather than to an increase in intramyocardial ATP.
Forced Response of a Flexible Rotor With Squeeze Film Damper Under Parametric Change

Squeeze film dampers play an important role in the dynamics of modern turbomachinery by improving vibrational response and stability. The present paper develops an effective tool for evaluating the forced response of these systems under parametric changes. A flexible rotor with multiple masses supported on a squeeze film damper at one end is investigated. The forced response of this asymmetrically supported system is obtained using the harmonic balance method with a predictor-corrector procedure. This response is examined with various parameters including unbalance forces with and without fluid inertia effects, unidirectional loads, stiffness of centering spring of the damper and the gyroscopic effects of the disks. The developed tool predicts the nonlinear jump phenomenon of the damper with large unbalance forces, indicates the present of multiple harmonics within the response with high damper eccentricity and shows the insensitivity of the damper to surrounding gyroscopic variation.Copyright © 2013 by ASME