cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the role of the filler atoms on the thermal conductivity of La-filled skutterudites

There has been substantial effort in investigating the thermal transport in filled skutterudites over the past decade in order to optimize their thermoelectric properties. This effort has resulted in the accumulation of a large amount of experimental data in the literature. We have tapped into this wealth of data and have begun an assessment of the role of the filler atoms, and dopants, on point defect and resonance scattering. We investigate the lattice thermal conductivity of lanthanum-filled skutterudites at different lanthanum concentrations using the Debye model and incorporating boundary, point defect, Umklapp and resonance scattering mechanisms.
Energy and Depth Distributions of Interface States and bulk Traps and their Electronic Effects in GalnAs/GaAs Heterojuntions

We have studied the lattice-mismatch-induced defects both at the interface and in the bulk (GaAs buffer layer ) of Ga0.92In0.08As/GaAs heterojunctions by means of C-V characteristics and constant capacitance deep level transient spectroscopy (CC-DLTS). The Ga0.92In0.08As(n+)/GaAs(P) samples, with the thickness of GalnAs layer at 0.1 fum, 0.25 fum, 0.5 fum, and 1.0 fum, were grown by MBE. The depth profiles of bulk hole traps in the GaAs buffer layer were measured by the DLTS technique as a function of the in-plane lattice mismatch. The concentration of lattice-mismatch-induced traps decreased exponentially with distance away from the interface. The depth distributions of the mismatch-induced bulk traps appeared to be affected by the pre-existing bulk traps and the dopant impurities in the GaAs buffer layer. Energy distribution of the interface states was obtained by the CC-DLTS and C-V measurements independently. All heterojunctions showed a minimum in the interface state density at about Ev+0.83eV. The U-shaped energy distribution with donor- and acceptor-like states is interpreted by the disorder-induced-gap-states model.
Analogs of natural lipids. III. Nonequivalence of methyl groups in methylated phospholipids.

The dimethyl esters of a series of diastereo- isomeric cyclopentanoid analogs of phosphatidic acid (A. J. Hancock, M. H. Stokes, and H. Z. Sable. 1977. J. Lipid Res. 18: 81-92.) have been studied by proton NMR spectroscopy at 60, 100, and 300 MHz. The signals of the P-0-CH, protons near 6 3.80 show the expected doubling due to the 31P-1H coupling. In addition, the spectra of three of the isomers show additional multiplicity, the line separation (in Hz) being proportional to the frequency of the spectrometer. This multiplicity is due to the nonequivalence of the two methoxyl groups on phos- phorus, predictable from their diastereotopic nature. The same explanation is proposed for similar observations on other compounds made by other authors. The practical utility of symmetry considerations in lipid chemistry is discussed briefly.
Role of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition in Repair of the Lacrimal Gland after Experimentally Induced Injury

PURPOSE. Ongoing studies demonstrate that the murine lacrimal gland is capable of repair after experimentally induced injury. It was recently reported that repair of the lacrimal gland involved the mobilization of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). These cells expressed the type VI intermediate filament protein nestin whose expression was upregulated during the repair phase. The aim of the present study was to investigate the roles of vimentin, a type III intermediate filament protein and a marker of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) in repair of the lacrimal gland. METHODS. Injury was induced by direct injection of interleukin (IL)-1 into the exorbital lacrimal gland. MSCs were prepared from injured glands using tissue explants. Expression of vimentin and the transcription factor Snai1, a master regulator of EMT, was determined by RT-PCR, Western blotting analysis, and immunofluorescence. RESULTS. These data show that vimentin expression, at both the mRNA and the protein levels, was upregulated during the repair phase (2‐3 days postinjury) and returned to the control level when repair ended. Temporal expression of Snai1 mirrored that of vimentin and was localized in cell nuclei. Cultured MSCs isolated from injured lacrimal glands expressed Snai1 and vimentin alongside nestin and alpha smooth muscle actin (another biomarker of EMT). There was a strong positive correlation between Snai1 expression and vimentin expression. CONCLUSIONS. It was found that EMT is induced during repair of the lacrimal gland to generate MSCs to initiate repair, and that mesenchymal‐epithelial transition is then activated to form acinar and ductal epithelial cells. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012;53:126‐135) DOI:10.1167/iovs.11-7893
Study 2: BK polyomavirus nephritis and acute rejection tend to affect distinct groups of renal allograft recipients: a role for gender, race, and tacrolimus levels

B K polyomavirus nephritis (BKN) has been linked to the newer immunosuppressants tacrolimus (TAC) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) even though risk factors for the disease have not been well defined. A recent study, however, suggested that BKN occurs as a complication of the treatment of acute rejection with methylprednisolone. To further examine the relationship between the treatment of acute rejection and BKN, we analyzed all kidney transplants performed at our center between January 1999 and August 2001 (n 286). After a mean follow-up of 622 63 days, we identified 9 cases of BKN (3.1%) using urine electron microscopy. Of these, 8 patients also underwent allograft biopsy, which confirmed the diagnosis. The mean time to diagnosis of BKN was 326 56 days. No patient with BKN had a history of acute rejection. During the same period, 59 (21%) patients were diagnosed with acute rejection and treated with methylprednisolone. The mean time to diagnosis of acute rejection was 197 40 days (P .01, vs time to diagnosis of BKN). None of these patients had subsequent development of BKN during the follow-up period. We compared the characteristics of patients with development of BKN with those of patients who had acute rejection and found that patients with BKN were more likely to be male (89% vs 53%, P .04) and white (78% vs 44%, P .05). Moreover, the mean TAC levels from the time of transplant to the time of diagnosis were higher in the BKN group than in the acute rejection group (12 1 vs 7 1 ng/mL, P .001). The treatment of BKN consisted mainly of a reduction in immunosuppression. MMF was discontinued in 7 of 9 patients, all of whom experienced disappearance of viruria (median time to negative result of urine electron microscopy, 147 days; range, 29-257) and remained independent of dialysis at last follow-up. In 2 of 9 BKN patients, MMF doses were only reduced. Neither patient had clearance of the viruria, and 1 ultimately lost the graft because of the viral infection. Conclusion: Our study does not show an association between acute rejection or its treatment and the development of BKN. Our findings suggest that these conditions tend to affect distinct groups of renal allograft recipients. Although there may be a potential relationship between high TAC levels and BKN, discontinuation of MMF was associated with clearance of viruria and preservation of renal function. From the Departments of Medicine, Nephrology, and Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 0955-470X/03/1704-0000$30.00/0 doi:10.1016/j.trre.2003.10.019
Higher Order Mining from Sources with Different Competences

The value of data mining on large quantities of data is well known. However there are cases when we can’t access directly the raw data, such as: (i) institutions interested in sharing knowledge may not be allowed to share the raw data; (ii) data is in form of streams and it is only temporarily available for processing; (iii) finally there may also be limits on the computation speed that could be achieved. Therefore the data must be summarized to be processed efficiently. In this paper we consider mining patterns retrieved from sources with different competences where it is needed to select only the “most” supported knowledge trough the sources. The method proposed is based on the knowledge uniformization and apply a common algorithm that will select the most supported knowledge taking into account the competency of the sources.
A note on Riemannian metrics on the moduli space of Riemann surfaces

In this note we show that the moduli space M(Sg,n) of surface Sg,n of genus g with n punctures, satisfying 3g + n ≥ 5, admits no complete Riemannian metric of nonpositive sectional curvature such that the Teichmuler space T(Sg,n) is a mapping class group Mod(Sg,n)-invariant visibility manifold.
Thin Film Wiring for Integrated Electronic Packages

Among the available packaging technologies, thin film wiring is most suitable for high density package applications. This paper discusses the materials choices for the thin film wiring and some possible fabrication processes. The Cu- polymer or Cu- glass system are most promising from both performance and manufacturability perspectives. The interface adhesion and high inter layer interconnection resistance are critical problems for this structure. The use of a Cr, Cu blend structure as an interface layer will solve this problem. The microstructure, interface chemistry and the adhesion mechanisms of this blend layer are discussed.
A constructive approach to p-adic deformations of arithmetic homology

Let be an arithmetic group contained in a semigroup S that commensurates and let H be the corresponding Hecke algebra. Given a p-adic analytic family of Banach S-modules varying over an anoid space and an H-eigenclass in the homology of with coecients in one member of the family, we give an explicit construction of a p-adic analytic deformation of along some Zariski closed subspace V of . We
Complement Components of Paired Mother-Cord Sera.

SummaryComplement hemolytic activities of sera, obtained from umbilical cords at birth, were compared to those obtained from the corresponding mothers. The lower total activity of the cord specimens was correlated with a parallel decrease in all components. Anticomplementary substances could not be detected in cord samples. The reduced concentration of complement components in cord sera was correlated with reduced levels of alpha- and beta-globulins as determined by paper electrophoresis. It may be more than coincidental that 3 of the 4 components also migrate in this region.
Robust Finite Volume Modeling of 3-D Free Surface Flows on Unstructured Meshes *

The numerical simulation of incompressible fluids possessing multiple distinct, immiscible fluids. are of great interest to the engineering community. These flows contain interfaces -which can merge and tear as a result of interface physics such as phase change and surface tension. The arbitrarily complex interface topologies inevitably requires an underlying Eulerian formulation. Volume tracking methods are in wide use today, having proven themselves to be topologically robust and relatively easy to implement. The basis in volume fractions also allows the straightforward incorporation of interfacial physics. The formulation of kernel-based continuum surface tension models for these methods has demonstrated acceptable results for orthogonal grids. Attaining accurate, high order results however, on unstructured meshes is necessary if surface tensiondriven flows are to. be reliably modeled within the confined; complex geometries of most indusl trial processes. In the following, we investigate the accuracy and convergence of our interface topology estimates and surface tension model on 3-D tetrahedral meshes. We use various ellipsoids to scrutinize our algorithm, which is based on a convolution (hybridj method to determine the interface unit normal and mean curvature.
A Macro Social Analysis of the Change in Robbery and Homicide Rates: Controlling for Static and Dynamic Effects

Abstract This research, drawing on social disorganization and social deregulation theories, examines the effects of static and dynamic measures of the ecological structure of municipalities on the change in the level of robbery and homicide rates during the 1970s. The data analyses, for a sample of 109 U.S. cities, reveal that the change in the level of crime is affected by the change in the ecological structure of cities, as well as ongoing social processes. We interpret these findings as indicating that structural conditions which weaken social cohesion produce an increase in the level of crime.
Social Agency and White Supremacy in Immigration Studies

Assimilation scholarship is rooted in the race relations framework that has been critiqued for providing legitimacy to the prevailing racial order, not least because it credits ethno-racial group a...
A Study on Integrated Evaluation and Clustering for Power Quality Status of Electrified Railway Monitoring Points

Using the power quality real-time monitoring data of a certain provincial grid and the parameters of the grid and traction load, individual power quality indicators at each monitoring point are statistically calculated. Based on factor analysis and statistical data, three integrated power quality factors are constructed and defined, namely integrated current factor, integrated voltage power frequency factor and integrated voltage low frequency factor. With these factors, the power quality comprehensive score and fuzzy C-means clustering for each monitoring point is calculated, and the power quality status of those monitoring points in the study period is classified as five categories of "excellent", "good", "fair", "poor" and "worse". Consistent reference results are obtained on the same platform, and dynamic evaluation of electrified railway monitoring points is achieved. The research provides not only the basis for future unified management of power quality, but also a reference for future planning and governance of power quality.
State-owned Stock Right and Value-creating——Evidence from listed power companies

Aiming at the controversy whether the efficiency of the state- owned sector is low,and with the listed power companies as the sample and the economic value addition as the efficiency indicator,we have investigated the relationship between the magnitude of the proportion of the state- owned stock right and value creating capacity in the same industry. The results suggest that the low value creating capacity is common in the power industry. There is no direct relation between the magnitude of the efficiency measured with the value- creating ability method and the fact whether the stock right is state- owned,but the corporate capital operating capacity and attention given to the main operations form the key to boosting the efficiency instead.
Application of PLC in the Factor Self-modify Fuzzy Controls System of Constant-pressure Water Supplying System

Aim at the people of water supplying with the problem,designed a kind to control according to the PLC,the calculate way adoption the factor self-modify fuzzy control and designed a kind in the error margin,error margin variety rate,control quantity lan- guage to change to measure of take to review the factor self-modify fuzzy control inside the whole theory area scope.Study result e- nunciation,the adoption takes to review the factor self-modify fuzzy control system,compare traditional PID modulator,traditional fuzzy controller systematic output to respond to quickly and have no super adjust and have stronger robustness,advantage to the pa- rameter,can be good to resolve Water supplying,produced a higher economic performance thus.
Drug therapy for cardiac arrhythmias.

Antiarrhythmic agents are indispensable in restoring normal cardiac rhythm in an emergency and in maintaining it once the emergency has passed. An understanding of the mechanism of the arrhythmia and of the physiologic and pharmacologic actions of the drug is a prerequisite for successful therapy.
Resazurin reduction and other tests of semen quality and fertility of bulls.

Aim: This study was undertaken to compare the reduction in color of two dyes methylene blue (MBRT) and resazurin dye (RRT) with other tests of bull semen quality and to examine their relationship to fertility. Methods: One hundred sixty-four ejaculates from 59 bulls were examined, processed, and used for 30 016 inseminations. Results: Bulls used in artificial insemination have been selected for high semen quality and fertility, and semen from these bulls averaged 80.6 % unstained sperm, only 11 % had abnormalities, and fertility ranged from 64 %to 76 %. The MBRT and RRT were run with standardized sperm numbers to prevent sperm concentration from influencing the dye reduction time. A short RRT was correlated with higher fertility (r=-0.26) but MBRT was not correlated (r = - 0.05, P > 0.05). The correlations were low, but are typical and reflect the statistical effect of the large binomial variance associated with pregnancy or nonpregnancy being coded as 1 or 0. Conclusion: The fact that the RRT was significantly correlated with fertility when sperm numbers were standardized, and published reports that resazurin is useful for monitoring other semen characteristics, indicate that this dye may provide valuable information not given by other simple laboratory tests.
Optical and electrical properties of narrow-bandgap infrared W-structure superlattices incorporating AlAs/AlSb/AlAs barrier layers

Optical and electrical properties of nBn photodetectors using InAs/AlAs/AlSb/AlAs/InAs/InAs0.61Sb0.39W-structure superlattice (W-SL) absorbers are reported. Minority carrier lifetimes of 500 ± 50 ns and 400 ± 30 ns, and Auger coefficients of 2.1 × 10−26 cm6/s and 1.6 × 10−25 cm6/s, for samples with bandgap energies of 5.3 μm (W-SL A) and 7.5 μm (W-SL B) are reported at 100 K, respectively. Shockley–Read–Hall defect states are identified at 65 meV and 45 meV above the W-SL valence band edges for W-SLs A and B, respectively. Dark currents are also reported and compared with diffusion currents calculated using the carrier lifetime data, suggesting low vertical heavy hole diffusivity.
Embedding Social Justice within Micro Social Work Curricula

ABSTRACTSocial work struggles with the dichotomy between social and economic justice and micro practice. A large percentage of United States social workers (65%) practice in micro practice settings, yet the profession is challenged to commit to its social justice roots. This article reviews the history of social and economic justice within the social work profession, examines the role of distributive justice, and outlines strategies to integrate social and economic justice into micro social work courses. The article details implications for strengthening a social and economic justice perspective in micro curricula.
President R. Gerald Ford

President Ford, when faced with the emergence of a virus that appeared to be related to the one that caused the horrendous pandemic of 1918, moved vigorously to prepare for the possibility of another such onslaught. There was widespread agreement that the possibility of another such pandemic existed, and that prudence demanded quick action. Securing quick approval from a Democratic Congress, the Republican president launched the National Influenza Immunization Program to vaccinate virtually the entire population.
Insights into the evolving microphysical and kinematic structure of northeastern U.S. winter storms from dual-Polarization doppler radar

AbstractThe recent Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network upgrade to dual-polarization capabilities allows for bulk characterization of microphysical processes in northeastern U.S. winter storms for the first time. In this study, the quasi-vertical profile (QVP) technique (wherein data from a given elevation angle scan are azimuthally averaged and the range coordinate is converted to height) is extended and applied to polarimetric WSR-88D observations of six Northeast winter storms to survey their evolving, bulk vertical microphysical and kinematic structures. These analyses are supplemented using hourly analyses from the Rapid Refresh (RAP) model. Regions of ascent inferred from QVPs were consistently associated with notable polarimetric signatures, implying planar crystal growth when near −15°C, and riming and secondary ice production at higher temperatures. The heaviest snowfall occurred most often when ascent and enhanced propagation differential phase shift () occurred near −15°C. ...
The application of model-based systems engineering to the practice of clinical medicine

Humanity is currently facing an unprecedented chronic disease burden. Healthcare needs have significantly shifted from treating acute to treating chronic conditions. Chronic diseases tend to involve multiple factors with complex interactions between them evidenced by the continually growing medical knowledge base. The health profession requires the ability to manage this rapidly deepening knowledge base to assimilate the lessons from research and clinical care experience by systematically capturing, assessing and translating it into the highest level of reliable care. A more systems approach to practicing medicine exists and is referred to as functional medicine. It takes into account the many subsystems in the human body and their many interactions. Although the science behind treating the patient as a system exists, the application of systems tools and techniques have not been utilized. It is only natural to begin to formalize the systems thinking using the established tools from the systems engineering field. Specifically, this paper is the first to contribute to the need for systems tools in the practice of clinical medicine and includes an example application of model-based systems engineering to clinical medicine.
Flow Perturbation Mediates Neutrophil Recruitment and Potentiates Endothelial Injury via TLR2 in Mice: Implications for Superficial Erosion.

Rationale:Superficial erosion currently causes up to a third of acute coronary syndromes; yet, we lack understanding of its mechanisms. Thrombi because of superficial intimal erosion characteristic...
Nostalgia and Educational History: An American Image.

AbstractThis essay examines the way in which nostalgia informs the 1953 painting of a school setting by the popular American artist Norman Rockwell. “The Girl with Black Eye”, the cover image of the American popular magazine The Saturday Evening Post on 23 May 1953, draws on traditional American iconography of the disciplining of students in the principal’s office. Yet this scene that was typically experienced as one of fear and authority is presented with ironic twists on contemporary cultural concerns about femininity and masculinity. By drawing on a selective use of history and applying an uncritical and superficial approach that relies on emotions rather than rationality, Rockwell’s image presents a nostalgic image of an imaginary past, or a “better yesterday”.
A fuzzy decision support system for strategic planning

ABSTRACT Decision scientists seeking to devise decision aids for strategic managers have been hampered by problems associated with the non-quantitative nature of some decision variables and the impossibility of precisely measuring future events. STRATASSIST is a recent application of fuzzy math technology to decision support which has been tested with good results. This prototype fuzzy DSS assembles a data base of natural language values for input to a fuzzy expert system which generates possible strategies for the strategic planned to consider. Subjects using STRATASSIST developed strategic plans which were judged to be superior to those produced in the control groups. This supports implementation and further development of the DSS.
Towards quantifying human experience in the built environment: A crowdsourcing based experiment to identify influential architectural design features

Abstract One of the main challenges in the quantification of the influence of architectural design features on human experience is to define the set of architectural design features that people notice immediately in a space as well as to define the type of influence these design features can have on people. Through a crowdsourced experiment, this study provides evidences on the architectural design features that people notice immediately in a space, preferences of people on the spaces configured with these features, and the influence level of these features on overall experience in spaces. Statistical analysis on around 400 subjects’ data show that certain features such as the openness of space, presence of windows and daylighting, flexibility in isolation/socialization, level of artificial lighting, density of spaces, and color of surfaces are easy to notice by people and are also powerful to change the human experience. The findings provide an ordering of the identified design features based on their noticeability and influence levels for practitioners to consider in their design decisions. Findings also establish the basis towards objectively quantifying the impact of architectural design features on human experience in spaces.
Recent Changes in the Financial Systems of Asian and Pacific Countries

Japan and continental Europe have recently gone into recession, joining the English-speaking world which had entered a slow-growth period in 1990. This leaves only the developing countries of East Asia still on a strong growth trajectory. They are by now important enough to constitute in themselves a significant part of global economic growth. In response to the rapid growth, and to diminished returns to investment available in the United States and Japan, international capital has been flowing into the dynamic Asian economies.
Interpretation errors in focused cardiac ultrasound by novice pediatric emergency medicine fellow sonologists

Focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS) is a core competency for pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellows. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate test characteristics of PEM-fellow-performed FOCUS for pericardial effusion and diminished cardiac function and (2) to assess image interpretation independent of image acquisition. PEM fellows performed and interpreted FOCUS on patients who also received cardiology service echocardiograms, the reference standard. Subsequently, eight different PEM fellows remotely interpreted a subset of the PEM-acquired and cardiology-acquired echocardiograms. Eight PEM fellows performed 54 FOCUS exams, of which two had pericardial effusion and four had diminished function. PEM fellow FOCUS had a sensitivity of 50.0% (95% CI 9.19–90.8) and specificity of 100.0% (95% CI 91.1–100.0) for detecting diminished function, and sensitivity of 50.0% (95% CI 2.67–97.33) and specificity of 98.1% (95% CI 88.42–99.9) for detecting pericardial effusions. When PEM fellows remotely interpreted 15 echocardiograms, the sensitivity was 81.3% (95% CI 70.7–88.8) and specificity 75% (95% CI 67.0–81.0) for detecting diminished function, and sensitivity of 76.3% (95% CI 65.0–85.0) and specificity 94.4% (95% CI 89.0–97.0) for detecting pericardial effusion. There were no differences in sensitivity and specificity of PEM fellows’ interpretation of FOCUS studies compared to their interpretation of cardiology echocardiograms. Interrater reliability for interpretation of remote images (kappa) was 0.66 (95% CI 0.59–0.73) for effusion and 0.31 (95% CI 0.24–0.38) for function among the fellows. Novice PEM fellow sonologists (a physician who performs and interprets ultrasound) in the majority of instances were able to acquire and remotely interpret FOCUS images with limited training. However, they made real-time interpretation errors and likely need further training to incorporate real-time image acquisition and interpretation into their practice.
Abstract 343: Lin28 Enhances Cardiac Repair by Reprogramming Metabolism of Cardiac Progenitor Cells

Rationale: Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) possess incredible repair properties in the neonatal heart but are prone to disease and age diminishing their efficacy. Interestingly, CPCs stemness is li...
Case 12-2019: A 60-Year-Old Man with Weakness and Difficulty Chewing

A Man with Weakness and Difficulty Chewing A 60-year-old man was evaluated in the neurology clinic of this hospital because of difficulty chewing and progressive, generalized weakness. Physical exa...
Choice of and comfort with health care proxy among older adults: Hierarchical compensation and perceived similarity in values

The purpose of this study was to investigate choice of and comfort with health care proxy among older adults (N = 240). Results indicated that choice of proxy follows a hierarchical compensation mo...
Antifungal eudesmanoids from Parthenium argentatum x P. tomentosa

Abstract Investigation of guayule resin for antifungal activity has led to the isolation and characterization of six eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoids, five of which are new: 2-methoxy-eudesma-1,4,6-trien-3-one (argentone); 2-methoxy-15-nor-eudesma-1,4,6-trien-3-one (15-nor-argentone); 2-methoxy-15-hydroxy-eudesma-1,4,6-trien-3-one (15-hydroxy-argentone); 2-methoxy-eudesma-1,4,6-trien-3,8-dione (8-oxo-argentone); 2-methoxy-15-nor-eudesma-1,4,6-trien-3,8-dione (8-oxo-15-nor-argentone); and the previously identified 11-hydroxy-eudesma-4-en-3-one (carissone). Their structures were elucidated by one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. After 6 weeks all inhibited the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus (ATCC-13073) at 1.0 mg ml− 1 and complete inhibition of A. niger (UA-172-1) for 2-methoxy-eudesma-1,4,6-trien-3-one and 2-methoxy-15-nor-eudesma-1,4,6-trien-3-one. At 0.25 mg ml− 1 2-methoxy-eudesma-1,4,6-trien-3-one demonstrated 100% control against A. fumigatus and 80% control against A. niger.
Supermodel of the World: The Influence of Legitimacy on Genre and Creativity in Drag Music Videos:

Who gets to define what counts as art when a genre is in flux? In the present analysis, I find that legitimated artists may also be able to act as intermediaries, such as critics and gatekeepers. I...
Effect of tobacco smoking on outcomes after left ventricular assist device implantation

Despite the well-established correlation between the tobacco use and cardiovascular disease, little is known about postoperative outcomes following the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. We aimed to elucidate the effect of tobacco smoking on post-LVAD implant outcomes. Patients who received LVADs from 2013 to 2018 were retrospectively characterized as current, former, or never smokers at the time of implant. We examined 1-year survival, total hospital readmissions, and specific hospital readmissions for LVAD-related adverse events based on patient's smoking status. Of the enrolled patients (n = 292), 55% were former smokers, 33% were never smokers, and 11% were current smokers. The majority of patients were African-American (48%) with a median age of 58 years. Never smokers were younger and less likely to be Caucasian compared to former or current smokers (P 5 times of total readmissions per year. The rates of driveline infection, stroke, and hemolysis were statistically comparable between the never smokers and former smokers, while current smokers had significantly higher rates compared to never smokers (P < .05 for all).
Conversion of Trivalent Uranium Anilido to Tetravalent Uranium Imido Species via Oxidative Deprotonation.

Two uranium(III) anilido complexes were synthesized, Tp*2U(NH-C6H4-p-terpyridine) (2-terpy) and Tp*2U(NH-C6H4-p-CH3) (2-ptol), where Tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate, by protonation of ...
The Ebola virus interferon antagonist VP24 undergoes active nucleocytoplasmic trafficking

Abstract Viral interferon (IFN) antagonist proteins mediate evasion of IFN-mediated innate immunity and are often multifunctional, having distinct roles in viral replication processes. Functions of the Ebola virus (EBOV) IFN antagonist VP24 include nucleocapsid assembly during cytoplasmic replication and inhibition of IFN-activated signalling by STAT1. For the latter, VP24 prevents STAT1 nuclear import via competitive binding to nuclear import receptors (karyopherins). Many viral proteins, including proteins from viruses with cytoplasmic replication cycles, interact with the trafficking machinery to undergo nucleocytoplasmic transport, with key roles in pathogenesis. Despite established karyopherin interaction, the nuclear trafficking profile of VP24 has not been investigated. We find that VP24 becomes strongly nuclear following overexpression of karyopherin or inhibition of nuclear export pathways. Molecular mapping indicates that cytoplasmic localisation of VP24 depends on a CRM1-dependent nuclear export sequence at the VP24 C-terminus. Nuclear export is not required for STAT1 antagonism, consistent with competitive karyopherin binding being the principal antagonistic mechanism while export mediates return of nuclear VP24 to the cytoplasm for replication functions. Thus, nuclear export of VP24 might provide novel targets for antiviral approaches. Importance Ebola virus (EBOV) is the causative agent of ongoing outbreaks of severe haemorrhagic fever with case-fatality rates between 40 and 60%. Proteins of many viruses with cytoplasmic replication cycles similar to EBOV interact with the nuclear trafficking machinery, resulting in active nucleocytoplasmic shuttling important to immune evasion and other intranuclear functions. However, exploitation of host trafficking machinery for nucleocytoplasmic transport by EBOV has not been directly examined. We find that the EBOV protein VP24 is actively trafficked between the nucleus and cytoplasm, and identify the specific pathways and sequences involved. The data indicate that nucleocytoplasmic trafficking is important for the multifunctional nature of VP24, which has critical roles in immune evasion and viral replication, identifying a new mechanism in infection by this highly lethal pathogen, and potential target for antivirals.
Neurocysticercosis Presenting With a New-Onset Seizure: A Case Report.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a common infection that is found worldwide but is often neglected in the United States (US). This case report aims to illustrate the presentation of the disease, provide information on this globally prevalent pathogen, and shed light on the diagnostic workup and treatment of the infection. We discuss the case of a 31-year-old male patient of Central American origin presenting with a new-onset seizure. He had no significant past medical history and had never experienced similar events before. The diagnosis was made through neuroimaging, serum antibody testing, and biopsy of the brain lesion. This case highlights the importance of performing a good clinical history and a proper diagnostic workup that would help in the prompt recognization and treatment of this common worldwide illness that may not be endemic to the clinician's geographical area.
Controlled human exposures to diesel exhaust: a human epigenome-wide experiment of target bronchial epithelial cells

Diesel exhaust (DE) is a major contributor to ambient air pollution around the world. It is a known human carcinogen that targets the respiratory system and increases risk for many diseases, but there is limited research on the effects of DE exposure on the epigenome of human bronchial epithelial cells. Understanding the epigenetic impact of this environmental pollutant can elucidate biological mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of harmful DE-related health effects. To estimate the causal effect of short-term DE exposure on the bronchial epithelial epigenome, we conducted a controlled single-blinded randomized crossover human experiment of exposure to DE and used bronchoscopy and Illumina 450K arrays for data collection and analysis, respectively. Of the 13 participants, 11 (85%) were male and 2 (15%) were female, and 12 (92%) were White and one (8%) was Hispanic; the mean age was 26 years (SD = 3.8 years). Eighty CpGs were differentially methylated, achieving the minimum possible exact P-value of P = 2.44 × 10-4 (i.e. 2/213). In regional analyses, we found two differentially methylated regions (DMRs) annotated to the chromosome 5 open reading frame 63 genes (C5orf63; 7-CpGs) and unc-45 myosin chaperone A gene (UNC45A; 5-CpGs). Both DMRs showed increased DNA methylation after DE exposure. The average causal effects for the DMRs ranged from 1.5% to 6.0% increases in DNA methylation at individual CpGs. In conclusion, we found that short-term DE alters DNA methylation of genes in target bronchial epithelial cells, demonstrating epigenetic level effects of exposure that could be implicated in pulmonary pathologies.
Towards asynchronous federated learning based threat detection: A DC-Adam approach

Abstract The increasing popularity and widespread use of Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) technologies have produced a significant need for the integration of cloud and edge computing with distributed detection solutions to handle the growing volume of distributed security threats. While deep learning-based approaches have been used to detect anomalous behaviors in complex data patterns, the heterogeneity in IoT networks still poses paramount challenges to update synchronization across learning nodes in distributed training. Particularly, the non-independent and identically distributed (non-IID) data patterns over remote nodes significantly affect the performance of model training provisioned on cloud and edge computing servers, and most existing works have assumed a homogeneous setting. The heterogeneity brings the gradient delay problem, causing the gradient inconsistency in the barrier-free asynchronous mode. In this paper, we propose a Delay Compensated Adam (DC-Adam) approach, an asynchronous federated learning-based detection approach, for IoT devices with limited resources. To overcome the notorious gradient delay problem, we develop a Taylor Expansion-based scheme to compensate for the inconsistency caused by asynchronous communication. Moreover, a pre-shared data training strategy for non-IID data is developed to avoid the convergence divergence under the non-IID patterns. After the collaborative model training procedure, we append an additional local training process at each client to fit respective patterns. Via a combination of theoretical analysis of convergence and practical experimental results, we validate the efficacy of our proposed approach compared to the other state-of-the-art approaches. Compared with benchmark approaches, we demonstrate that our proposed method can converge stably, and that it outperforms the barrier-free asynchronous federated learning by 12.8% (accuracy), 14% (precision). 8.71% (recall), and 11.16% (F1 score) on average.
A Hindu Theology of Liberation: Not-Two is Not One, by Anantanand Rambachan.

A Hindu Theology of Liberation: Not-Two is Not One, by Anantanand Rambachan. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2015. xi + 230 pp. £74.94 (hb), £23.50 (pb). ISBN 978-1-4384-5455-9 (hb), ISBN 978-1-4384-5456-6 (pb).
Breast Cancer Disparities and the Impact of Geography

Neighborhood has significant implications for breast cancer screening, stage, treatment, and mortality. Patients residing in neighborhoods with high deprivation or rurality face barriers and challenges to accessing and receiving care. Consequently, they experience higher mortality rates than their financially affluent or urban counterparts. There are multiple gaps in the literature on the relationship between place of residence and the use of systemic therapies or emerging surgical strategies for disease management. As the management of breast cancer continues to evolve, additional studies are needed to understand the implications of place on the implementation and dissemination of new and emerging treatment modalities.
Healthy People Countdown 2030: reaching 5% cigarette smoking prevalence among US adults through state cigarette excise tax increases.

Objective The Healthy People 2030 goal is to reduce US current adult cigarette smoking prevalence to 5% by 2030. The objective of this report is to investigate if this goal is achievable using state cigarette excise tax increases. Methods State-specific linear trends in smoking prevalence over 2011–2019 were determined using fractional logit regression and compared with the desired linear trends for achieving 5% smoking prevalence by 2030 in individual states and the District of Columbia (DC). The gaps between price-adjusted and desired trends were used in a simulation model for identifying state-specific systematic annual increases in state cigarette excise tax rates based on state-specific price elasticity of smoking prevalence, maintaining the status quo in other non-tax tobacco control measures. Results The price-adjusted trends in smoking prevalence observed over 2011–2019 exceed the desired trends for achieving 5% smoking prevalence target by 2030 in only five states (eg, Washington, Utah, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maryland) and the DC. It suggests that majority of states and USA overall will miss the target smoking prevalence at the current rate of reduction in smoking. 45 states would need systematic annual increases in cigarette excise tax rate in a range of $0.02–$1.37 per pack over 2022–2030 to meet the target. Conclusions The feasibility of reaching the Healthy People 2030 goal would critically depend on the acceleration of progress in tobacco control. Tax increases tailored to the needs of individual states combined with scaled-up non-tax tobacco control policy interventions can help achieve the desired progress.
Tongue and Groove

I liked our kitchen table because it had storage space. It had a draw er in which I slid my bills, usually unopened, where they remained out of sight and out of mind until the mysterious automated phone messages arrived: "this is an important call for Lauren Slater. Please return the call and cite reference number 5670890325619." At that point I would open the table's drawer and pull out my wayward bills, sticky from food that had slid in. I have always liked paying my bills in a state as stained as possible. I like to envision the recipient on the other end opening up the envelope and pulling out a check and an old french fry, and feeling... what? Sorry for me? Guilty for harassing an overworked mother? All of my bills have always car ried on them the contents of my kitchen table.
Diagnosability of discrete event systems and its applications to circuit testing

As man-made systems become more and more complex, diagnostics of component failures is no longer an easy task that can be performed based on experience and intuition. Therefore, it is important to develop a systematic approach to diagnostic problems. Diagnostics can be done either on-line or off-line. By on-line diagnostics, we mean diagnostics performed while the system to be diagnosed is in normal operation. On the other hand, in off-line diagnostics, the system is not in normal operation. We mainly study off-line diagnostics in this paper. We also introduce the concept of diagnosability and study its properties, all in the framework of discrete event systems. This study is motivated by diagnostic problems in the automotive industry and we emphasize its applications. >
Surface chemical composition, nuclear processing, and deep mixing: Main sequence to first dredge-up

The standard theory of the structure of moderate mass stars predicts that, except for a few light nuclides, the composition of a main sequence star is identical to that of its parental interstellar cloud. Aspects of the depletion of Li in main sequence stars are discussed. Standard theory predicts that the composition of a red giant and its main sequence progenitor must differ because the giant's deep convective envelope brings to the surface material previously exposed to warm protons. Observations of Li, 12C/13C and 16O/17O/18O in giants are related to the predictions for standard models.
No Child Left Behind: Determining the Impact of Policy on Music Education in Ohio

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the impact ofNo Child Left Behind on music education in the State of Ohio. Survey research methods were employed to obtain the desired data. A 25-item questionnaire was created by the researcher, validated by experts, and pilot tested with a small group of Ohio principals. Six Likert-type items were utilized to measure principals attitudes while the remaining items helped the researcher detail the status of music programs with regard to staffing, student access, instructional time, and course offerings. The questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 246 public school principals in Ohio. Usable returns were received from 179 principals, resulting in a response rate of 73%. The overall attitude toward music education among Ohio principals was favorable, with a mean attitudinal score of 25. 1 (SD = 3. 1). Significant differences between the attitudes of principals serving in "excellent" or "effective" schools and the principab of "academic watch" or "academic emergency" schools were revealed. Ultimately, 43% of Ohios public school music programs were determined to have weakened since the passage of No Child Left Behind.
Backstepping-Forwarding Control and Observation for Hyperbolic PDEs With Fredholm Integrals

An integral transform is introduced which allows the construction of boundary controllers and observers for a class of first-order hyperbolic PIDEs with Fredholm integrals. These systems do not have a strict-feedback structure and thus the standard backstepping approach cannot be applied. Sufficient conditions for the existence of the backstepping-forwarding transform are given in terms of spectral properties of some integral operators and, more conservatively but easily verifiable, in terms of the norms of the coefficients in the equations. An explicit transform is given for particular coefficient structures. In the case of strict-feedback systems, the procedure detailed in this paper reduces to the well-known backstepping design. The results are illustrated with numerical simulations.
CKM unitarity normalization tests, present and future

The Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) quark-mixing matrix is a central pillar of the Electroweak Standard Model. The elements of the matrix must be determined from experiment, but the Model requires the matrix itself to be unitary. Any deviation from unitarity would signal the presence of “new physics” beyond the Standard Model, so tests of CKM unitarity have attracted considerable attention. Currently the most precise test is of the normalization of the top row, which has now reached a precision of 0.06% based on measurements of superallowed 0+ nuclear β decay and of kaon semileptonic and leptonic decays. This work overviews the status of the normalization tests and speculates on likely future improvements.
Assessment of the potential for hybridisation between Laricobius nigrinus (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) and Laricobius osakensis, predators of the hemlock woolly adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae)

In 2003, Laricobius nigrinus Fender was introduced into the eastern United States as a biological control agent of the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand). Following its release, it was discovered that L. nigrinus was hybridising and producing viable progeny with Laricobius rubidus LeConte, a species native to eastern North America. Recently, Laricobius osakensis Montgomery and Shiyake was imported from Japan into the USA as a potential biological control agent of hemlock woolly adelgid. Hybridisation between L. nigrinus and L. rubidus led to interest in the outcome of interactions between L. osakensis and the other two Laricobius spp. The purpose of this study was to determine if L. osakensis could mate with L. nigrinus, if they could produce hybrid progeny, and whether mating interferes with reproductive output. Laricobius spp. were observed mating directly following emergence and found to be capable of producing sterile eggs in the absence of a mating event. Laboratory and confined field stu...