cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of folding and unfolding techniques for determining the gamma spectrum from thermal neutron capture in aluminum

Abstract The gamma-ray spectrum above 1 MeV resulting from thermal-neutron capture in aluminum is determined by both a folding and an unfolding analysis of data taken at the Tower Shielding Facility. This results in a comparison of the relative merits of the two analysis techniques and demonstrates the accuracy that can be obtained in unfolding a complex spectrum. It is concluded that the accuracy of the final photon spectrum is not governed by the technique employed to unfold the measured counts.
Trends in use of marijuana and attitudes toward marijuana among youth before and after decriminalization: the case of California 2007-2013

Background This analysis examines decriminalization as a risk factor for future increases in youth marijuana acceptance and use. Specifically, we examine marijuana-related behaviors and attitudes of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in California as compared to other U.S. states during the years before and after California passed legislation in 2010 to decriminalize marijuana.
Honokiol induces cytotoxic and cytostatic effects in malignant melanoma cancer cells

Abstract Background Melanomas are aggressive neoplasms with limited therapeutic options. Therefore, developing new therapies with low toxicity is of utmost importance. Honokiol is a natural compound that recently has shown promise as an effective anticancer agent. Methods The effect of honokiol on melanoma cancer cells was assessed in vitro. Proliferation and physiologic changes were determined using hexosaminidase assay and transmission electron microscopy. Protein expression was assessed by immunoblotting. Results Honokiol treatment inhibited cell proliferation and induced death. Electron microscopy showed autophagosome formation. Reduced levels of cyclin D1 accompanied cell-cycle arrest. Honokiol also decreased phosphorylation of AKT (known as protein kinase B) and mammalian target of rapamycin, and inhibited γ-secretase activity by down-regulating the expression of γ-secretase complex proteins, especially anterior pharynx-defective 1. Conclusions Honokiol is highly effective in inhibiting melanoma cancer cells by attenuating AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin and Notch signaling. These studies warrant further clinical evaluation for honokiol alone or with present chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of melanomas.
The effects of informant age and education level on childhood ASD symptom endorsement

Abstract There is literature suggesting that some demographic characteristics actually can influence how parents or caregivers respond on informant-based measures for their children. The current study aimed to expand that research to include analysis of the relationship of maternal age and education level on mothers’ ratings of their child's ASD by inspecting the total score on the Autism Spectrum Disorders – Diagnostic for Children (ASD-DC). We investigated biological mothers’ ratings of 73 children (5–16 years of age), all of who had ASD diagnoses. Informants were classified into one of three age groups (≤34 years; 35–40 years; ≥41 years) and one of two education groups (high school graduate; university graduate). Following a two-way ANOVA, a significant interaction effect was found for informant age group and education level on total scores of the ASD-DC. Within the ≥41 age group, ratings of ASD increased (indicating greater impairment) as the informants’ education level increased. A reverse trend was established in the other two age groups. Further findings and implications are discussed.
Project Phoenix: Design Considerations for a Student Liquid Bi-Propellant Rocket

To reestablish an enduring rocketry program at the United States Naval Academy, a group of midshipmen of the aerospace engineering department began designing a sounding rocket to reach an apogee of just over 6 miles (~10km). The student team from 2010 chose a liquid bipropellant motor for the propulsion system, a semimonocoque structure, and a parachute recovery system. The following year, subsequent students completed designs for the rocket subsystems. Seven midshipmen from the class of 2011 modified the designs and began construction of the various rocket subsystems as their senior design project. Based upon a starting rocket mass of 475 lbs (215 kg), a requirement was derived for 2200 lbf (9790 N) of thrust at a burn time of 17 seconds to reach the altitude objective. When designing components for the rocket, the team also had to take into consideration cost effective material and component selection as well as the fabrication capabilities of the machine shop at the Naval Academy. This paper serves as an overview of the rocket design.
Genomic analysis of oceanic cyanobacterial myoviruses compared with T4-like myoviruses from diverse hosts and environments

T4-like myoviruses are ubiquitous, and their genes are among the most abundant documented in ocean systems. Here we compare 26 T4-like genomes, including 10 from non-cyanobacterial myoviruses, and 16 from marine cyanobacterial myoviruses (cyanophages) isolated on diverse Prochlorococcus or Synechococcus hosts. A core genome of 38 virion construction and DNA replication genes was observed in all 26 genomes, with 32 and 25 additional genes shared among the non-cyanophage and cyanophage subsets, respectively. These hierarchical cores are highly syntenic across the genomes, and sampled to saturation. The 25 cyanophage core genes include six previously described genes with putative functions (psbA, mazG, phoH, hsp20, hli03, cobS), a hypothetical protein with a potential phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase domain, two virion structural genes, and 16 hypothetical genes. Beyond previously described cyanophage-encoded photosynthesis and phosphate stress genes, we observed core genes that may play a role in nitrogen metabolism during infection through modulation of 2-oxoglutarate. Patterns among non-core genes that may drive niche diversification revealed that phosphorus-related gene content reflects source waters rather than host strain used for isolation, and that carbon metabolism genes appear associated with putative mobile elements. As well, phages isolated on Synechococcus had higher genome-wide %G+C and often contained different gene subsets (e.g. petE, zwf, gnd, prnA, cpeT) than those isolated on Prochlorococcus. However, no clear diagnostic genes emerged to distinguish these phage groups, suggesting blurred boundaries possibly due to cross-infection. Finally, genome-wide comparisons of both diverse and closely related, co-isolated genomes provide a locus-to-locus variability metric that will prove valuable for interpreting metagenomic data sets.
Early Events in Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infection of Target Cells

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), the most recently identified member of the herpesvirus family, infects a variety of target cells in vitro and in vivo. This minireview surveys current information on the early events of KSHV infection, including virus-receptor interactions, involved envelope glycoproteins, mode of entry, intracellular trafficking, and initial viral and host gene expression programs. We describe data supporting the hypothesis that KSHV manipulates preexisting host cell signaling pathways to allow successful infection. The various signaling events triggered by infection, and their potential roles in the different stages of infection and disease pathogenesis, are summarized.
Pseudotumor Cerebri after Surgical Remission of Cushing’s Disease

Context: Pseudotumor cerebri has only been described after successful surgery for Cushing’s disease (CD) in case reports. We sought to establish the incidence and timing of its occurrence, identify predisposing factors, characterize the clinical presentations and their severity, and examine the effects of treatment in patients who underwent surgery for CD. Setting: This study was conducted at two tertiary care centers: The University of Virginia and the National Institutes of Health. Patients: We conducted a retrospective review of 941 surgeries for CD (723 adults, 218 children) to identify patients who developed pseudotumor cerebri after surgery for CD and examine the associated clinical features. Results: Seven children (four males, three females; 3%), but no adults, developed pseudotumor cerebri postoperatively. All underwent resection of an ACTH-secreting adenoma, and postoperative serum cortisol reached a nadir of less than 2 μg/dl. After surgery, all were placed on tapering hydrocortisone replacemen...
High power solid state switch module

A high voltage, high di/dt, solid state switch module has been developed. This compact module can be used to replace thyratrons in high power modular applications. The module contains multiple silicon thyristors packaged in a low inductance series configuration with a strip-line output connection. A self powered gate drive is triggered by a 15 V, 1 A pulse. Each module has a rating of 8000 volts and is capable of conducting 6000 amperes over a 10 microsecond pulse with maximum repetition rates of over 120 hertz. The modules have demonstrated a 70 ns turn-on delay time and operation at 25 kA/us, limited by the external circuit. Switches rated for over 50 kV have been assembled using a modular design to easily connect the modules in series. These modules are suitable for pulse modulators for high power RF and microwave amplifiers used in particle accelerators, radars, medical and defense applications, medium and high power lasers, pulsed magnet drivers, and other high power applications. The performance of the modules under normal and fault conditions is described.
Traumatic brain injury and driving assessment: an evidence-based literature review.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a literature review of assessment tools predicting driving performance for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHOD: Data sources were Web of Science, EBSCOhost, PubMed, and recently published literature from experts and team members not yet catalogued in the databases. We used the American Academy of Neurology's classification criteria to extract data from 13 studies, and we assigned a class (I-IV, with I being the highest level of evidence) to each study. We grouped primary studies into categories of driving assessment (neuropsychological; simulator; off-road; self-report, other report, and postinjury disability status; and comprehensive driving evaluation) and synthesized the predictability of these tools as it relates to driving performance for people with TBI. CONCLUSIONS. To assist clinicians and researchers in making decisions regarding testing the driving performance of people with TBI, we provide recommendations for neuropsychological tests; off-road tests; self-report, other report, and postinjury disability status; and comprehensive driving evaluation. Language: en
Effects of Managed Care on Service Use and Access for Publicly Insured Children With Chronic Health Conditions

OBJECTIVE. Our goal was to estimate the effects of managed care program type on service use and access for publicly insured children with chronic health conditions. METHODS. Data on Medicaid and State Children9s Health Insurance Program managed care programs were linked by county and year to pooled data from the 1997–2002 National Health Interview Survey. We used multivariate techniques to examine the effects of managed care program type, relative to fee-for-service, on a broad array of service use and access outcomes. RESULTS. Relative to fee-for-service, managed care program assignment was associated with selected reductions in service use but not with deterioration in reported access. Capitated managed care plans with mental health or specialty carve-outs were associated with a 7.4-percentage-point reduction in the probability of a specialist visit, a 6.3-percentage-point reduction in the probability of a mental health specialty visit, and a 5.9-percentage-point decrease in the probability of regular prescription drug use. Reductions in use associated with primary care case management and integrated capitated programs (without carve-outs) were more limited, and integrated capitated plans were associated with a reduction in unmet medical care need. We failed to find significant effects of special managed care programs for children with chronic health conditions. CONCLUSIONS. Managed care is associated with reduced service use, particularly when capitated programs carve out services. This finding is of key policy importance, as the proportion of children enrolled in plans with carve-out arrangements has been increasing over time. It is not possible to determine whether reductions in services represent better care management or skimping. However, despite the reductions in use, we did not observe a corresponding increase in perceived unmet need; thus, the net change may represent improved care management.
SEARCH FOR ACTIVITY IN 3200 PHAETHON

We present deep optical imaging of Geminid meteor stream parent 3200 Phaethon taken in search of low-level cometary activity (i.e., coma or dust trail). Although no unambiguous cometary behavior was observed, we find an upper limit on the object’s cometary mass-loss rate of ˙ Mlim � 0:01 kg s � 1 . The corresponding active fraction (the fraction of the surface area that could consist of freely sublimating water ice) is f � 7 ;10 � 6 , at least 2 orders of magnitude smaller than other known comets. Subject headingg comets: general — meteors, meteoroids — minor planets, asteroids
Stages and levels of automation in support of space teleoperations.

Objective:This study examined the impact of stage of automation on the performance and perceived workload during simulated robotic arm control tasks in routine and off-nominal scenarios.Background:Automation varies with respect to the stage of information processing it supports and its assigned level of automation. Making appropriate choices in terms of stages and levels of automation is critical to ensure robust joint system performance. To date, this issue has been empirically studied in domains such as aviation and medicine but not extensively in the context of space operations.Method:A total of 36 participants played the role of a payload specialist and controlled a simulated robotic arm. Participants performed fly-to tasks with two types of automation (camera recommendation and trajectory control automation) of varying stage. Tasks were performed during routine scenarios and in scenarios in which either the trajectory control automation or a hazard avoidance automation failed.Results:Increasing the s...
Racial Stigma: Toward a New Paradigm for Discrimination Theory

This essay examines interconnections between "race" and economic inequality in the United States, focusing on the case of African-Americans. I will argue that it is crucially important to distinguish between racial discrimination and racial stigma in the study of this problem. Racial discrimination has to do with how blacks are treated, while racial stigma is concerned with how black people are perceived. My view is that what I call reward bias (unfair treatment of persons in formal economic transactions based on racial identity) is now a less significant barrier to the full participation by African-Americans in U.S. society than is what I will call development bias (blocked access to resources critical for personal development but available only via non-market-mediated social transactions). By making these points in the specific cultural and historical context of the black experience in U.S. society, I hope to contribute to a deeper conceptualization of the worldwide problem of race and economic marginality.
Is the Medium the Message? A Study of the Effects of Media, Communicator, and Message Characteristics on Attitude Change1

The present study examined the interactive effects of type of media, communicator, and position of message on persuasiveness of the communication. Subjects received a communication over television, radio (audio tape), or written medium, which either agreed with a position they held or strongly disagreed with it. The communicator was either a newscaster or a candidate for political office. The results indicated that subjects felt the newscaster to be more trustworthy than the candidate. In line with previous research, there was no main effect of media on persuasiveness. However, media interacted with the other variables so that when the communication disagreed with the audience, television was the most persuasive medium with the newscaster but the least persuasive with the untrusted candidate. There was no effect for media when the message agreed with the audience. Further, the candidate taking a position congruent with the audience's was rated as more attractive but less trustworthy than a candidate taking the opposite position. It was suggested that television may be the most involving medium and that either a counterargument theory or reactance theory could explain why it was not effective with the candidate.
Recovering Optimal Basic Variables in Karmarkar's Polynomial Algorithm for Linear Programming

Primal-slack ellipsoids are described which contain all of the optimal primal feasible solutions in a standard form variant of Karmarkar's projective algorithm for linear programming LP. Using these ellipsoids, we show how to identify optimal basic variables using few additional arithmetic operations and also simultaneously reduce the size of the LP problem during the course of the algorithm. Some preliminary computational experiments are given which compare different stopping criteria.
The Nuclear Organization and Management Analysis Concept methodology: four years later

The Nuclear Organization and Management Analysis Concept was presented at the IEEE Human Factors meeting in 1988. The concept and its associated methodology have been demonstrated at two commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) and one fossil power plant. The insights and results obtained from the two demonstration studies at the commercial NPPs are discussed. The results emphasize the utility of the methodology in providing a more systematic and objective description of organizational factors influencing performance in NPPs and demonstrate the methodology's ability to differentiate between plants. >
Increased apoptosis in lamina propria B cells during polymicrobial sepsis is FasL but not endotoxin mediated.

Recent studies from our laboratory demonstrated that mucosal lymphoid tissue such as Peyer's patch cells and lamina propria (LP) B lymphocytes from mice shows evidence of increased apoptosis after ...
The unusual behavior of extractive distillation—Reversing the volatility of the acetone–isopropyl ether system

Extractive distillation can not only negate azeotropes to produce pure compounds by rectification but in some cases will reverse the volatility and bring out the less volatile component before the more volatile component. As an example, isopropyl ether, b.p. = 68.5/sup 0/C, was distilled off as the overhead from mixtures with acetone, b.p. = 56.2/sup 0/C, leaving the acetone in the stillpot and column until all the isopropyl ether was removed. This reversal phenomenon does not occur in the isopropyl ether-methyl ethyl ketone system, although the azeotrope is negated.
Is there a future for renin inhibitors

Pharmacological interruption of the renin-angiotensin system is possible at three major sites, the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), the AT1 receptor and at the interaction of renin with its substrate, angiotensinogen. Skeggs and his associates in 1957 argued logically but without prognostic accuracy that 'since renin is the initial and rate-limiting substance in the renin-angiotensin system, it would seem that the renin inhibition approach would be the most likely to succeed'. In fact, the development of agents that act at all three levels has enjoyed substantial success, yet renin inhibition, which showed early progress in studies in humans, has languished. Our task in this essay is to review the reasons for the slow evolution of renin inhibition and to discuss the potential of such agents in modern pharmacotherapy. All of the structure-action relationships have involved variation on the original peptide structure. The possibility that alternative approaches based on x-ray crystallography and reconstruction of the structure of the active site would lead to novel agents, appears not to have been explored systematically. This opportunity is all the more attractive because renin is one of the few targets that is actually soluble and amenable to x-ray crystallographic studies. At the moment, it appears that all renin inhibitor development programs have been closed, although hints periodically reappear to indicate that one company or another is pursuing a novel agent. The decision to close programs seems to have reflected not the therapeutic potential of renin inhibitors, but rather the cost of their synthesis, continuing problems with bioavailability and the remarkable success of the competitor class--the AngII antagonists. We believe that the potential of renin inhibition in human therapy has been under estimated and still shows substantial promise.
Leaky-wave antennas with anisotropic metamaterials

Leaky wave antennas can offer high directivity and frequency scanning [1]. An isotropic dielectric slab with refractive index n > 1 does not radiate effectively unless spatial variations are introduced to excite fast-wave space harmonics [1]. To realize uniform leaky wave structures, potentially in the optical domain, a metamaterial slab with n ≪ 1 has been proposed to achieve a narrow radiation beam [2, 3]. This approach suffers the limitation of large transverse slab dimensions, because the operating wavelength inside the slab is much greater than the free space wavelength, due to the small value of n [4]. Low refractive index metamaterials that require small material permeabilities face challenges of implementation [3]. In addition, radiation occurs in a narrow angular range between broadside and the critical angle sin−1(n), which limits beam scanning. Finally, we note that while a microstrip transmission line loaded with series capacitors and shunt inductors has been studied to realize metamaterial leaky-wave antennas in the microwave frequency regime [5], identifying the optical counterparts is difficult. To overcome these limitations, we present a forward/backward radiating leaky waveguide at optical wavelengths based on nonmagnetic uniaxially anisotropic metamaterials having permittivity tensors in which one component is different from the others in sign [6]. The resulting hyperbolic dispersion relation enables radiation from backfire (−90°) to endfire (90°), and the slab thickness can be small relative to the free space wavelength.
Contributions of Facial Morphology, Age, and Gender to EMG Activity Under Biting and Resting Conditions: A Canonical Correlation Analysis

Theoretical studies suggest that facial morphology may confera mechanical advantage toparticular individuals during force production, butnotduring rest. However, prior studies ontherelationship between facial morphology andEMG suffer fromvarious methodological limitations. We examinedthehypothesis thatfacial morphology variables contribute significantly and meaningfully tothevariance inmasticatory muscle EMG whensubjects produce specific levels ofinterocclusal force, butnotwhensubjects areatrest. Measures offacial morphology included gonial angle, ramusheight, and maxillary height, asdetermined fromlateral cephalograms. EMG datawereobtained fromsurface electrodes placed on masseter andtemporalis sites. Subjects (N=96)satina darkened, sound-attenuated roomwhiletheywatched a seven-minute segment ofamovie. EMG activity obtained during thelast twominutes wasusedasabaseline period. Usingthecentral incisors, subjects thenprovided five different force levels ranging from6.5to48lbinrandom order onabite-force device while EMG data werecollected. A canonical correlation analysis, performed onthesetof predictor variables (age, gender, andfacial morphology measurements) andthesetofcriterion variables (EMG data), showedasignificant canonical correlation between thetwovariable sets while biting, butnotatrest. Age,but notthefacial morphology variables, washighly related to thecanonical variate. Thedatasuggestthatfacial morphology variables examined inthis study donotexert a meaningful influence onEMG data, atleast whenthetask involves biting withtheincisors overabroadrangeofbite forces obtained fromasampleofsubjects whovary deliberately withrespect toageandgender.
The ‘culture of honor’ in citizens’ concepts of their duty as voters

Web studies explored citizens’ concepts of their duty as voters and their choices concerning actual policies. Some people see a moral duty to support their group (their nation) regardless of harmful effects on outsiders. One study supports the hypothesis that this duty avoids betrayal of the nation, which they see as granting the right to vote for the purpose of advancing national interest. Some also see a duty to defend their self-interest through voting; many think this is a rational way to pursue their interests. Another justification is, “If [the voter] does not look out for her own interests, nobody else will.” I hypothesize a norm of responsibility for self-defense, part of the “culture of honor” (Cohen and Nisbett, 1994) in all of us. Yet politics is by design an inefficient way to pursue self-interest, although it is efficient for advancing the good of all.
Detecting co-residency with active traffic analysis techniques

Virtualization is the cornerstone of the developing third party compute industry, allowing cloud providers to instantiate multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single set of physical resources. Customers utilize cloud resources alongside unknown and untrusted parties, creating the co-resident threat -- unless perfect isolation is provided by the virtual hypervisor, there exists the possibility for unauthorized access to sensitive customer information through the exploitation of covert side channels.This paper presents co-resident watermarking, a traffic analysis attack that allows a malicious co-resident VM to inject a watermark signature into the network flow of a target instance. This watermark can be used to exfiltrate and broadcast co-residency data from the physical machine, compromising isolation without reliance on internal side channels. As a result, our approach is difficult to defend without costly underutilization of the physical machine. We evaluate co-resident watermarking under a large variety of conditions, system loads and hardware configurations, from a local lab environment to production cloud environments (Futuregrid and the University of Oregon's ACISS). We demonstrate the ability to initiate a covert channel of 4 bits per second, and we can confirm co-residency with a target VM instance in less than 10 seconds. We also show that passive load measurement of the target and subsequent behavior profiling is possible with this attack. Our investigation demonstrates the need for the careful design of hardware to be used in the cloud.
Modeling and simulating blast effects on electric substations

A software simulation tool was developed at Idaho National Laboratory to estimate the fragility of electric substation components subject to an explosive blast. Damage caused by explosively driven fragments on a generic electric substation was estimated by using a ray-tracing technique to track and tabulate fragment impacts and penetrations of substation components. This technique is based on methods used for assessing vulnerability of military aircraft and ground vehicles to explosive blasts. An open-source rendering and ray-trace engine was used for geometric modeling and interactions between fragments and substation components. Semi-empirical material interactions models were used to calculate blast parameters and simulate high-velocity material interactions between explosively driven fragments and substation components. Finally, a Monte Carlo simulation was added to model the random nature of fragment generation allowing a skilled analyst to predict failure probabilities of substation components.
Collaboration in wireless learning networks

Wireless computing is becoming an integral component of learning environments in higher education and in the world of work, particularly with the increasing number of "laptop universities" and distributed learning communities. However, little research has been conducted on how wireless computing affects learning experiences or learning environments. In light of extensive research revealing the transformative impact of technology on learning, we can assume that mobile and wireless computing could significantly transform how students learn, the content of courses, learning-related practices, classroom dynamics and relationships among students and faculty. These technologies will bring about fundamental changes in the ways that the university creates and disseminates ideas, knowledge and understanding.
The Added Value of Family Material in the Discovery of Multiple Sclerosis Genes

A mutation in a nuclear receptor (NR1H3) gene was detected in a familial, progressive form of multiple sclerosis (PPMS). Further analyses showed a significant association between a common NR1H3 variant in PPMS patients and loss of function for the encoded protein.
Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Loci for Salt Tolerance during Germination in Autotetraploid Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing.

Salinity is one of major abiotic stresses limiting alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) production in the arid and semi-arid regions in US and other counties. In this study, we used a diverse panel of alfalfa accessions previously described by Zhang et al. (2015) to identify molecular markers associated with salt tolerance during germination using genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Genotyping was done by germinating alfalfa seeds under different levels of salt stress. Phenotypic data of adjusted germination rates and SNP markers generated by GBS were used for marker-trait association. Thirty six markers were significantly associated with salt tolerance in at least one level of salt treatments. Alignment of sequence tags to the Medicago truncatula genome revealed genetic locations of the markers on all chromosomes except chromosome 3. Most significant markers were found on chromosomes 1, 2 and 4. BLAST search using the flanking sequences of significant markers identified 14 putative candidate genes linked to 22 significant markers. Most of them were repeatedly identified in two or three salt treatments. Several loci identified in the present study had similar genetic locations to the reported QTL associated with salt tolerance in M. truncatula. A locus identified on chromosome 6 by this study overlapped with that by drought in our previous study. To our knowledge, this is the first report on mapping loci associated with salt tolerance during germination in autotetraploid alfalfa. Further investigation on these loci and their linked genes would provide insight into understanding molecular mechanisms by which salt and drought stresses affect alfalfa growth. Functional markers closely linked to the resistance loci would be useful for MAS to improve alfalfa cultivars with enhanced resistance to drought and salt stresses.
An improved random walk algorithm for the implicit Monte Carlo method

In this work, we introduce a modified Implicit Monte Carlo (IMC) Random Walk (RW) algorithm, which increases simulation efficiency for multigroup radiative transfer problems with strongly frequency-dependent opacities.To date, the RW method has only been implemented in "fully-gray" form; that is, the multigroup IMC opacities are group-collapsed over the full frequency domain of the problem to obtain a gray diffusion problem for RW. This formulation works well for problems with large spatial cells and/or opacities that are weakly dependent on frequency; however, the efficiency of the RW method degrades when the spatial cells are thin or the opacities are a strong function of frequency.To address this inefficiency, we introduce a RW frequency group cutoff in each spatial cell, which divides the frequency domain into optically thick and optically thin components. In the modified algorithm, opacities for the RW diffusion problem are obtained by group-collapsing IMC opacities below the frequency group cutoff. Particles with frequencies above the cutoff are transported via standard IMC, while particles below the cutoff are eligible for RW. This greatly increases the total number of RW steps taken per IMC time-step, which in turn improves the efficiency of the simulation. We refer to this new method as Partially-Gray Random Walk (PGRW).We present numerical results for several multigroup radiative transfer problems, which show that the PGRW method is significantly more efficient than standard RW for several problems of interest. In general, PGRW decreases runtimes by a factor of ~2-4 compared to standard RW, and a factor of ~3-6 compared to standard IMC. While PGRW is slower than frequency-dependent Discrete Diffusion Monte Carlo (DDMC), it is also easier to adapt to unstructured meshes and can be used in spatial cells where DDMC is not applicable. This suggests that it may be optimal to employ both DDMC and PGRW in a single simulation.
European Union arms embargoes: the relationship between institutional design and norms

AbstractContrary to other European Union (EU) restrictive measures, arms embargoes have preserved higher levels of member state sovereignty. They not only require members’ consensus to be imposed, but their implementation also is in the hands of member states. How has this affected the operation of EU arms embargoes? On the one hand, and according to the international institutions literature, both consensus and national implementation requirements can undermine the success of multilateral policies. On the other hand, the growth of EU arms export norms suggests that embargoes have become easier to impose and implement. But the relationship among EU arms export norms, institutional design and embargo operation remains under-examined in the literature. Drawing on case studies of the Russia and Uzbekistan embargoes—and on interviews with policymakers and experts—this article analyses this relationship. I argue that growing EU arms export norms have alleviated some, but not all, of the concerns associated with...
Acoustic reflexes are common but not pervasive: evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2012.

AbstractObjective: To determine whether acoustic reflexes are pervasive (i.e. sufficiently prevalent to provide 95% confidence of at least 95% prevalence) and might be invoked in damage-risk criteria (DRC) and health hazard assessments (HHA) for impulsive noise.Design: Cross-sectional analyses of a nationally-representative study.Study sample: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data collected between 1999 and 2012 were used. Over 60 thousand reflex traces obtained from 15,106 NHANES participants were used in the study, along with demographic, audiometric, health and exposure variables obtained in that study.Results: Acoustic reflexes were not sufficiently prevalent to be deemed pervasive by any detection method or in any subgroup defined by age or audiometric characteristics. The odds of observing acoustic reflexes were greater for women, young adults, and people with better hearing sensitivity. Abnormally high tympanometric admittance and “Other” race/ethnicity (i.e. people who do ...
1.2W laser amplification at 1427nm on the 4 F 3/2 to 4 I 13/2 spectral line in an Nd 3+ doped fused silica optical fiber

A 9.3dB improvement in optical gain and a 100x improvement in total optical power over prior published experimental results from the 4F3/2 to 4I13/2 transition in an Nd3+ doped fused silica optical fiber is demonstrated. This is enabled via an optical fiber waveguide design that creates high spectral attenuation in the 1050-1120nm-wavelength range, a continuous spectral filter for the primary 4F3/2 to 4I11/2 optical transition. A maximum output power at 1427nm of 1.2W was attained for 43mW coupled seed laser power and 22.2W of coupled pump diode laser power at 880nm a net optical gain of 14.5dB. Reducing the coupled seed laser power to 2.5mW enabled the system to attain 19.3dB of gain for 16.5W of coupled pump power. Four issues limited results; non-optimal seed laser wavelength, amplified spontaneous emission on the 4F3/2 to 4I9/2 optical transition, low absorption of pump light from the cladding and high spectral attenuation in the 1350-1450nm range. Future fibers that mitigate these issues should lead to significant improvements in the efficiency of the laser amplifier, though the shorter wavelength region of the transition from 1310nm to >1350nm is still expected to be limited by excited state absorption.
Open-orbit magnetoresistance spectra of potassium

A theory of the open-orbit magnetoresistance of potassium, discovered by Coulter and Datars, is developed. The open orbits caused by the multiple periodicities of a charge-density-wave (CDW) state are derived. Since a single crystal consists of domains, each having its CDW wave vector along one of 24 preferred axes, we employ effective-medium theory to calculate the magnetoresistance rotation pattern. The effects of domain texture and size are illustrated. The magnetic field at which open-orbit peaks appear depends on the domain size, which we find to be \ensuremath{\sim}0.1 mm. The rotation pattern at 24 T is calculated in order to exhibit the detailed information that becomes available at extremely high fields. High-field experiments would aid in the determination of open-orbit directions and allow magnetic-breakdown studies of the energy gaps.
Chronotypes, Nocturnal Melatonin Level and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Parkinson's Disease (PD) (P4.280)

Objective: To determine whether subjective propensity towards morningness or eveningness is associated with a specific nocturnal melatonin profile in persons with Parkinson9s disease (PD). Background: Circadian dysrhythmia may underlie several sleep-wake cycle associated symptoms in PD. Effective strategies to address this derangement require better understanding of melatonin secretion patterns, and identification of subjective markers that may predict these patterns in persons with PD. Methods: 26 Veterans with PD completed Horn and Ostberg9s Morningness-Eveningness questionnaire, 14 day sleep diary and provided hourly saliva samples from 8pm to 3am at the facility Sleep Lab for melatonin assay. Comparisons were made by chronotype for the peak melatonin level and collection hour (the hour at which the assay showed the highest level of melatonin). Additionally, the total collection hours were grouped as quartiles and compared [8-9pm, 10-11pm, 12-1am, and 2-3am] for the chronotypes. Chronotype groups were also compared for depression (Standardized Zung), excessive sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), age at the time of questionnaire completion, disease severity (H&Y), cognition (UPDRS Mentation score), median bedtime and median rise time. (SPSS, Kruskal-Wallis Test) Results There was no difference between the chronotype groups for the peak melatonin hour, (STATA, Fishers exact test) or the peak melatonin level. The chronotype groups did not differ for melatonin levels (STATA, Kruskal-Wallis Test) at any of the 8 hourly collection times. There was no correlation of the peak melatonin time with the subject9s median rise time. However, the Morningness-Eveningness score was negatively correlated with the rise time. (SPSS, Spearmans Rho = -0.344, p-value= 0.019) There was no difference between the chronotypes with respect to depression, excessive sleepiness, PD severity, cognition, age, gender and ethnicity. Conclusion: Subjective propensity towards morningness and eveningness is not predictive of a particular nocturnal melatonin profile or a tendency towards daytime sleepiness in Veterans with Parkinson9s disease. Disclosure: Dr. Sarwar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Moore has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hirshkowitz has nothing to disclose.
Factors associated with physician prescribing behavior of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors for type 2 diabetes in the US outpatient population

Objective: Although the use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors has been increasing after their first approval in 2006, little is known about their prescribing pattern. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the prescribing pattern of the DPP-4 inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and examine sociological factors associated with physician prescribing behavior in the U.S. outpatient setting. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing data from the 2006-2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and employed the Eisenberg model that explains physician decision making in the context of sociologic influences. For independent variables, the following characteristics were determined based on the Eisenberg model: patient characteristics, physician characteristics, the physician-health care system interaction, and the physician-patient relationship. The dependent variable was the use of DPP-4 inhibitors. Multivariate logistic regressions were used for analyses. Results: The estimated population size was 535,158,796 patients during five years, and 3.85% of them were prescribed DPP-4 inhibitors. Among the patient characteristic-related factors, the odds of the use of DPP-4 inhibitors was 73% lower in patients with Medicaid compared to patients with private insurance (OR = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.08-0.88; p = .030). For the physician characteristic-related factor, the odds of prescribing DPP-4 inhibitors for primary care physicians are about 86% higher than the odds for non-primary care physicians (OR = 1.86; 95% CI, 1.17-2.95; p = .008). In addition, physicians in private offices were 3.01 times more likely to prescribe DPP-4 inhibitors than physicians in the health maintenance organizations (HMO) (OR = 3.01; 95% CI, 1.03-8.78; p = .043). Conclusions: Patient characteristics, physician characteristics, and the physician’s relationship with the health care system were associated with an increased use of DPP-4 inhibitors. However, the physician’s relationship with the patient was not associated with an increased use of DPP-4 inhibitors.
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN EXERCISE PRIOR TO AND AROUND THE TIME OF CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND SUBSEQUENT CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE (WHI) ANALYSIS

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among breast cancer survivors. Whether exercise prior to and around the time of breast cancer diagnosis reduces the risk of cardiovascular events (CVE) in survivors subsequent to treatment is unknown. Methods: Among 4015 participants
Protein Period 1943–1962

As of 1943, Fred Sanger needed a job. He had his Ph.D., a wife, and a son. To this point, he had lived on family money. His Ph.D. supervisor, Albert Neuberger , left Cambridge for a position at the National Institute for Medical Research. A.C. Chibnall had just joined the Biochemistry department as chair, replacing the retiring Professor Hopkins .
Fall risk screening protocol for older hearing clinic patients.

AbstractObjective: The primary purposes of this study were (1) to describe measures that may contrast audiology patients who fall from those who do not fall and (2) to evaluate the clinical performance of measures that could be easily used for fall risk screening in a mainstream audiology hearing clinic.Design: Cross-sectional studyStudy sample: Thirty-six community-dwelling audiology patient participants and 27 community-dwelling non-audiology patients over 60 years of age.Results: The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) most accurately identified patients with a recent fall (sensitivity: 76.0%), while the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) most accurately identified patients without a recent fall (specificity: 90.9%). A combination of measures used in a protocol—including HHIE, DHI, number of medications, and the Timed Up and Go test—resulted in good, accurate identification of patients with or without a recent history of falls (92.0% sensitivity, 100% specificity).Conclusions: This study ...
Experimental design and modelling approach to evaluate efficacy of β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations

Abstract Background A β-lactamase inhibitor (BLI) confers susceptibility of β-lactamase-expressing multidrug resistant (MDR) organisms to the partnering β-lactam (BL). Aims To discuss the experimental design and modelling strategies for two-drug combinations, using ceftazidime- and aztreonam-avibactam combinations, as examples. Sources The information came from several publications on avibactam in vitro time-kill studies and corresponding pharmacodynamic models. Content The experimental design to optimally gather crucial information from constant-concentration time-kill studies is to use an agile matrix of two-drug concentration combinations that cover 0.25- to 4-fold BL minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) relative to the BLI concentrations to be tested against the particular isolate. This shifting agile design can save substantial costs and resources, without sacrificing crucial information needed for model development. The complex synergistic BL/BLI interaction is quantitatively explored using a semi-mechanistic pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) mathematical model that accounts for antimicrobial activities in the combination, bacteria-mediated BL degradation and inhibition of BL degradation by BLI. A predictive mathematical formulation for the two-drug killing effects preserves the correlation between the model-derived EC 50 of BL and the BL MIC. The predictive value of PK/PD model is evaluated against external data that were not used for model development, including but not limited to in vitro hollow fibre and in vivo murine infection models. Implications As a framework for translational predictions, the goal of this modelling strategy is to significantly decrease the decision-making time by running clinical trial simulations with MIC-substituted EC 50 function for isolates of comparable susceptibility through established correlation between BL MIC and EC 50 values.
Yield of Image-Guided Needle Biopsy for Infectious Discitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Image-guided biopsy is routinely conducted in patients with suspected discitis, though the sensitivity reported in the literature ranges widely. PURPOSE: We applied a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the yield of image-guided biopsy for infectious discitis. DATA SOURCES: We performed a literature search of 4 data bases: PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials, Embase.com, and Scopus from data base inception to March 2016. STUDY SELECTION: A screen of 1814 articles identified 88 potentially relevant articles. Data were extracted for 33 articles, which were eligible if they were peer-reviewed publications of patients with clinical suspicion of discitis who underwent image-guided biopsy. DATA ANALYSIS: Patients with positive cultures out of total image-guided biopsy procedures were pooled to estimate yield with 95% confidence intervals. Hypothesis testing was performed with an inverse variance method after logit transformation. DATA SYNTHESIS: Image-guided biopsy has a yield of approximately 48% (793/1763), which is significantly lower than the open surgical biopsy yield of 76% (152/201; P LIMITATIONS: The conclusions of this meta-analysis are primarily limited by the heterogeneity of the included studies. CONCLUSIONS: Image-guided biopsy has a moderate yield for the diagnosis of infectious discitis, which is significantly lower than the yield of open surgical biopsy. This yield is not significantly affected by prior antibiotic use.