cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatic Genes Altered in Expression by Food Restriction Are Not Influenced by the Low Plasma Glucose Level in Young Male GLUT4 Transgenic Mice

Because food restriction (FR) has a profound effect on most tissues, it is plausible that the modulation of aging by FR occurs through cellular processes such as gene expression. The effect of FR in lowering plasma glucose levels has been demonstrated in mice, rats, and nonhuman primates. The consistency of this finding suggests that decreased plasma glucose may be an important consequence of FR. Indeed, lowering plasma glucose in the absence of FR would be expected to change the expression of some of the same genes as seen with FR. GLUT4 transgenic (TG) mice were particularly suited to this examination because they have low plasma glucose levels like FR mice. We investigated altered gene expression by FR and the effect of low plasma glucose levels caused by genetic manipulation by measuring mRNA expression in liver tissues of 4- to 6-mo-old mice with 2.5-4.5 mo of FR using microarrays and 4 groups: GLUT4 TG (C57BL/6 background) consumed food ad libitum (AL), GLUT4 TG FR, wild-type littermates AL, and wild-type littermates FR. The 3 statistical analysis methods commonly indicated that FR altered the expression of 1277 genes; however, none of these genes was altered by additional GLUT4 expression. In fact, the low plasma glucose level in GLUT4 TG mice did not affect gene expression. Some results were confirmed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. We conclude that a low plasma glucose level does not contribute to or coincide with the effect of FR on gene expression in the liver.
Second Order Hadamard Differentiability in Statistical Applications

A formulation of the second-order Hadamard differentiability of (extended) statistical functionals and some related theoretical results are established. These results are applied to derive the limiting distributions of a class of generalized Cramer?von Mises type test statistics, which include some proposed new ones for the tests of goodness of fit in the 3-sample problems, the tests in linear regression models, and the tests of bivariate independence, as special cases.
Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) established in the vicinity of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.

The hairy maggot blow fly, Chrsomya rufifacies (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) was collected in large numbers as both adults and immatures in the Knoxville, Tennessee, area during 1998 and is likely established there. The distribution of this species in the Old World, isothermal data, and its collection from mid-Michigan during 1998 suggest that it will eventually occupy most of the U.S. The forensic importance of C. rufifacies makes it probable that it will factor into an increasing number of medicolegal cases, but the expanding distribution of this species decreases its utility as a geographic indicator when postmortem movement of decedents is suspected.
Focus on ceftazidime-avibactam for optimizing outcomes in complicated intra-abdominal and urinary tract infections.

Introduction: Complicated intra-abdominal infections and urinary tract infections are frequently associated with Gram-negative bacteria and treatment can be hampered by the involvement of resistant organisms. A common resistance mechanism is β-lactamase production which confers resistance to β-lactam antibiotics.Areas covered: This article summarizes β-lactamases found among Gram-negative bacteria as well as providing an overview of complicated intra-abdominal infections and urinary tract infections and the impact inappropriate antibiotic therapy and antibiotic resistance has in their treatment. The author reviews the activity of ceftazidime-avibactam, including animal model data and microbiological data from Phase II clinical trials. This article also highlights Phase III clinical trials of ceftazidime-avibactam that are ongoing or completed and briefly discusses other β-lactamase inhibitor combinations currently in development.Expert opinion: The increasing problem and complexity of β-lactamase resistan...
Los intelectuales en la revolucion mexicana

Se le pueden dar muchas respuestas generales, casi todas equivocadas, a la pregunta de por que se rebela la gente. Cuando la pregunta se refiere al caso de Mexico en los inicios del siglo xx, las respuestas, por lo regular, quedan envueltas en narraciones de la revoluci6n, mas que en afirmaciones analiticas. En esta breve disquisicion acerca del papel de los intelectuales en la Revoluci6n mexicana (entre 1910 y 1920) comcnzare por trazar el marco conceptual, para primero analizar la cuestion de lo que motiva la actividad revolucionaria y despues discurrir sobre la naturaleza de los inteiectuales y de la "intelectualidad".
Green local governments in Florida: assessment of sustainability performance

The sustainability performance of local governments that adopted the Florida Green Building Coalition’s Green Local Government standard was evaluated using a web-based review and survey of 26 local governments within the context of the Three Es of environment, equity, and economic development. The results indicate that while many local governments exhibit a broad commitment to sustainability as evidenced by the inclusion of sustainability in formal documents, such efforts are not present across all government functions or departments. In addition, while local issues are often addressed, interrelated sustainability goals of equity and economic development are not clearly articulated. Most local governments in the state instead tend to focus on environmental protection through initiatives such as storm-water management improvements. Nevertheless, the use of specific benchmarking tools by Florida governments can serve as a model for other states.
A 45-Year Study of Finance Scholars' Publications in Business Ethics Journals

The purpose of this research is two-fold. First, it provides a valuable resource for finance educators to use for classroom examples, reading assignments, and certainly for discussion as different ethics articles pertain to various topics in any particular finance course. Second, it also identifies the wide variety of possible outlets for ethics research that are available to finance scholars (and those who choose to pursue research in this area). In this study, 23 business-ethics journals were analyzed over a 45-year period (1960-2004). Our data indicate that finance faculty's preferred outlets for business ethics research are the Journal of Business Ethics and Business and Professional Ethics Journal.
Global Warming and the Management-Centered Corporation

Corporate governance power is heavily concentrated in upper management, not in shareholders. With respect to social problems, including global climate change, that may be a good thing. Public company shareholders are overwhelmingly financial investors who are unlikely to see themselves as responsible for a corporation’s effect on society. Corporate managers, in contrast, have some degree of moral accountability for industry's effect on climate, as well as self-interested reasons to care about the shape of regulation. The weakness of shareholders gives managers room to make social choices without shareholder input. Whether and how corporations respond to the challenge of global warming, then, will not depend primarily on shareholder participation in governance. Rather, it will depend on outside forces that appeal to the moral conscience and the self-interest of corporate executives and boards. Chief among these forces will be federal and global regulation. Regulation and lawsuits by state governments are currently running ahead of the federal government. Private parties have also filed lawsuits against major greenhouse gas emitters. These developments by themselves are of course insufficient to address global, systemic problems like climate change. But they may pave the way for comprehensive federal and global regulation. First, lawsuits and state laws may increase public awareness, increasing political support for regulation and moral pressure on the individual executives and directors who are the public face of corporations. Second and moreover, the specter of piecemeal state regulation and state and private litigation may convince corporate leaders to cooperate with federal and perhaps global regulation.
Comparison of electron transport calculations in warm dense matter using the Ziman formula

Abstract The Ziman formulation of electrical conductivity is tested in warm and hot dense matter using the pseudo-atom molecular dynamics method. Several implementation options that have been widely used in the literature are systematically tested through a comparison to the accurate, but expensive Kohn–Sham density functional theory molecular dynamics (KS-DFT-MD) calculations. The comparison is made for several elements and mixtures and for a wide range of temperatures and densities, and reveals a preferred method that generally gives very good agreement with the KS-DFT-MD results, but at a fraction of the computational cost.
Sex and the Workplace: Consenting Adolescents and a Conflict of Laws

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, sexual harassment of adolescents at work may constitute a serious, but to date largely undocumented, problem. Courts respond inconsistently to adolescent "consent" in sexual harassment employment cases. This Article reviews state criminal statutory rape law, federal civil law, and tort law to reveal the conflicting legal treatment of adolescent capacity to consent to sex. It highlights conflicts not only between the criminal and civil systems, but also between sister states' laws and laws within states. For example, this Article finds that despite criminal sexual abuse laws, courts permitted employers to use adolescent "consent" as a defense to sexual harassment in approximately fifty percent of the surveyed common law tort cases across the nation. After exploring the public policy goals for these various laws, this Article concludes that these goals do not justify the blatant conflicts between tort and criminal laws. This Article recommends both administrative and statutory reform to protect minors from the predation of adult supervisors and employers. Particularly, it recommends a strict liability standard in an approach that makes an adolescent's consent to sex with an adult at work voidable by the minor.
Conversational topic moderates social attention in autism spectrum disorder: Talking about emotions is like driving in a snowstorm

We compared the visual attention of typically developing (TD) children and age-matched children with ASD in two conversational contexts. Compared to the TD group, the ASD group had significantly fewer fixations to eyes and increased fixation time to mouths during a conversation about ‘how people feel’ but not about ‘what people do’. This shift away from eyes and towards the mouth in ASD was associated with higher autism severity, more limited executive function (EF), and poorer verbal and intellectual ability. One particularly striking result was that eye-fixation and mouth-time data correlated with different EF subdomains. We argue that talk about emotions strains EF which may contribute to atypical visual attention to faces and that eye-fixation and mouth-time data may be under the control of different facets of EF.
Intelligent Systems in the Evolvable ANTS Architecture

The Autonomous Nano Technology Swarm (ANTS) is a breakthrough in mission architecture that enables distributed multi-platform missions to explore autonomously multiple-faceted targets. ANTS is a biologically inspired system architecture that is adaptable, reconfigurable and evolvable in all its system hierarchies, from the "swarm" level down to the subsystem and component level. Both the hardware and software that constitute each layer in the ANTS architecture and their interfaces are evolvable and adaptable. Advanced autonomy is crucial in the operations of ANTS systems. We recognize the sheer computational power required by the Synthetic Neural System that is central to ANTS and have begun efforts to attain space-qualified high-performance computing capabilities. I. Introduction he Autonomous Nano Technology Swarm (ANTS) is a breakthrough in mission architecture that enables distributed multi-platform missions to explore autonomously multiple-faceted targets. These exploration missions operate in a "discovery" mode, so a rigid architecture with a pre-determined mission plan would not be able to respond well to unexpected findings and to exploit targets of opportunity. ANTS is a biologically inspired system architecture that is adaptable, reconfigurable and evolvable in all its system hierarchies, from the "swarm" level down to the subsystem and component level. Both the hardware and software that constitute each layer in the ANTS architecture and their interfaces are evolvable and adaptable. The large reconfigurable gossamer space frames are built on the same self-similar architecture as the MEMS-based reconfigurable flight electronics. A self-similar Synthetic Neural System controls each system node and the interfaces, integrating their heuristic functions and autonomic tasks. Many technology developments are required for the implementation of the ANTS architecture, including nanotechnology, advanced materials, miniaturized system components, and intelligent systems. Advanced autonomy is crucial in the operations of ANTS systems. We recognize the sheer computational power required by the Synthetic Neural System that is central to ANTS and have begun efforts to attain space-qualified high-performance computing capabilities. We are developing a validation experiment using multiple COTS Von Neumann processors for space-based Beowulf cluster in an effort funded by the NASA Space Technology 8 program. In addition, we investigate the use of Reconfigurable Data Path Processors in a non-Von Neumann architecture to increase the onboard data analysis capability and to enable in-situ knowledge discovery.
A Microstructural Model of the Electrical Failure of an Interconnect Resulting from Flux Divergences

A simplified microstructural model of an interconnect is considered in order to develop a criterion for failure due to void production induced by electromigration. The kinetics of growth of individual voids at grain triple junctions are calculated and the time dependence of the change in conductance of an interconnect estimated from the time dependence of the total volume of voids produced. It is found that the time to failure increases with increasing grain size, i.e., decreasing density of sites for flux divergence, consistent with observations.
Effect of Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction on Unipedal Standing Balance Test

Background:Foot pain and diminished functional capacity are characteristics of tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction (TPTD). This study tested the hypotheses that women with TPTD would have impaired performance of a unipedal standing balance test (USBT) and that balance performance would be related to the number of single limb heel raises (SLHR).Methods:Thirty-nine middle-aged women, 19 with early stage TPTD (stage I and II), were instructed to perform 2 tasks; a USBT and repeated SLHR. Balance success was defined as a 10-second stance. For those who were successful, center of pressure (COP) data in anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions were recorded as a measure of postural sway. SLHR performance was divided into 3 bins (≤2; 3-9 and > 10 repetitions). The between-balance success on performing the SLHR test was analyzed using the Fisher’s exact test (2 × 3). Independent t tests were used to compare between-group differences in postural sway. Relationship of postural sway to the number...
Outpatient management of systemic lupus erythematosus.

SUMMARY Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is often managed by primary care practitioners, who must coordinate the care with the support of subspecialists. The management of patients with such a serious and chronic disease can be both rewarding and challenging. This article reviews common problems and suggests management strategies. KEY POINTS Measurement of serum antinuclear antibodies can lead to an erroneous diagnosis if used as the sole basis for diagnosis. Infections are the leading cause of death in lupus patients, and immunizations and antibiotic prophylaxis need to be considered. Acute cutaneous SLE is exacerbated by exposure to ultraviolet light. Patients should avoid sun exposure. Specific treatment of cutaneous SLE includes topical corticosteroids and antimalarial agents. Some of the most perplexing problems seen in SLE relate to neuropsychiatric features. NSAIDs, corticosteroids, and antimalarials are the most commonly used medications for SLE.
Thiol oxidation coupled to DT-diaphorase-catalysed reduction of diaziquone. Reductive and oxidative pathways of diaziquone semiquinone modulated by glutathione and superoxide dismutase.

DT-diaphorase [NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase; EC 1.6.99.2] catalysed the two-electron reduction of the anti-tumour quinone 2,5-bis-(1-aziridinyl)-3,6-bis(ethoxycarbonylamino)-1,4-benzoquino ne (AZQ) to the hydroquinone form (AZQH2). Although DT-diaphorase catalysis of AZQ was not significantly affected by pH, the hydroquinone product was effectively stabilized by protonation at pH values below 7, whereas, above that pH, hyroquinone autoxidation, evaluated in terms of H2O2 production, increased exponentially. The autoxidation of AZQH2 entailed the formation of diverse radicals, such as O2-.,HO., and the semiquinone form of AZQ (AZQ-.), which contributed to different extents to the e.p.r. spectrum. Superoxide dismutase enhanced the autoxidation of AZQH2 and suppressed the e.p.r. signal ascribed to AZQ-., in agreement with a displacement of the equilibrium of the semiquinone autoxidation reaction (AZQ-.+O2 in equilibrium with AZQ+O2-.) upon enzymic withdrawal of O2-.. GSH increased the steady-state concentration of AZQH2 formed during DT-diaphorase catalysis and inhibited temporarily its autoxidation. This effect was accompanied by oxidation of the thiol to the disulphide within a process involving glutathionyl radical (GS.) formation, the relative contribution of which to the e.p.r. spectrum was enhanced by increasing GSH concentrations. GS. formation in this experimental model can be rationalized as originating from the reaction of GSH with AZQ-., rather than with O2-. or HO., for thiol oxidation was not affected significantly by superoxide dismutase, and GS. formation was insensitive to catalase. In addition, GSH suppressed the e.p.r. signal attributed to AZQ-.. No glutathionyl-quinone conjugate was detected during the DT-diaphorase-catalysed reduction of AZQ; although the chemical requirements for alkylation were partly fulfilled (quinone ring aromatization and acid-assisted aziridinyl ring opening), the negligible dissociation of GSH (GS(-)+H+ in equilibrium with GSH) at low pH prevented any nucleophilic addition to occur. Therefore the redox transitions of AZQ during DT-diaphorase catalysis seemed to be centred on the semiquinone species, the fate of which was inversely affected by catalytic amounts of superoxide dismutase and large amounts of GSH: the former enhanced AZQ-. autoxidation and the latter favoured AZQ-. reduction. Accordingly, superoxide dismutase and GSH suppressed the semiquinone e.p.r. signal. These results are discussed in terms of three interdependent redox transitions (comprising one-electron transfer reactions involving the quinone, oxygen and the thiol) and the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the reactions involved.
SOME REMARKS ON LOCATING RADIATION SOURCES

ABSTRACT The problem of finding the location of radiation sources is related to the problem of the determination of an unknown f = f(x,t) in the wave equation from over-specification of the usual initial-boundary data. The general problem of determining f is shown to be not well posed. Several example problems with additional special structure for f are solved. These example problems serve as illustrations of some of the types of inverse source problems which can be formulated.
Excluded Grid Theorem: Improved and Simplified (Invited Talk)

One of the key results in Robertson and Seymour's seminal work on graph minors is the Excluded Grid Theorem. The theorem states that there is a function f, such that for every positive integer g, every graph whose treewidth is at least f(g) contains the (gxg)-grid as a minor. This theorem has found many applications in graph theory and algorithms. An important open question is establishing tight bounds on f(g) for which the theorem holds. Robertson and Seymour showed that f(g)>= \Omega(g^2 log g), and this remains the best current lower bound on f(g). Until recently, the best upper bound was super-exponential in g. In this talk, we will give an overview of a recent sequence of results, that has lead to the best current upper bound of f(g)=O(g^{19}polylog(g)). We will also survey some connections to algorithms for graph routing problems.
Conclusion: Revolution, Continuity and Synthesis

The preceding chapters have introduced the rise of Deng Xiaoping to supreme leadership through many stages and struggles. Readers are now better able to appreciate the various kinds of problems Deng has had to confront since 1977. China under Deng began to fight all the odds in an uphill battle. Some of the policy goals and methods needed to accomplish his reform he could freely and openly spell out. Other sensitive issues he did not feel free to announce. By 1977, he was a mature and well-seasoned politician after having been humiliated and removed from office several times. He had then few or none of his former close colleagues on hand in 1977 to team up and fight. The leadership authority was still in the hands of Premier Hua Guofeng and his Maoist supporters. Deng remained in the leadership minority for two years among colleagues in the party’s political bureau which is the highest real decision making body in China. He has to be very tactful despite his devotion to reform China in a more comprehensive way as he expected at long last.
A Simple Population-Based Finite Element Model Eliminates the Need for Patient-Specific Models to Predict Instability of the Shoulder

Objectives: Recurrent shoulder instability can significantly increase in the presence of bony Bankart and Hill-Sachs lesions. Therefore, it is important to understand the changes in shoulder biomechanics due to bony defects. Limitations of using cadaveric model to investigate the effects of combined bony defects on shoulder instability is inability to test all combination in a single specimen. Utilizing the flexibility of computational methodology like finite element (FE) model provides the advantage of testing all combinations at multiple arm positions. The aim of this study was to develop a simple FE model of combined bony lesions and its effect on anterior shoulder instability. In addition, we wanted to determine the need for patient (specimen) specific modeling. We hypothesized that the shoulder instability would be similar for all three models (population-based model, specimen-specific model, and cadaveric model).
Pathway to Planet Nine

Konstantin Batygin explains what led him and astronomer Mike Brown to propose the existence of a ninth planet in our solar system.
New hydrogen titanium phosphate sulfate electrodes for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries

Abstract NASICON-type materials with general formula A x M 2 (PO 4 ) 3 (A = Li or Na, M = Ti, V, and Fe) are promising candidates for Li- and Na-ion batteries due to their open three-dimensional framework structure. Here we report the electrochemical properties of hydrogen titanium phosphate sulfate, H 0.4 Ti 2 (PO 4 ) 2.4 (SO 4 ) 0.6 (HTPS), a new mixed polyanion material with NASICON structure. Micron-sized HTPS aggregates with crystallite grain size of ca. 23 nm are synthesized using a sol-gel synthesis in an acidic medium. The properties of the as-synthesized HTPS, ball-milled HTPS, and samples prepared as carbon composites using an in-situ glucose decomposition reaction are investigated. A capacity of 148 mAh g −1 corresponding to insertion of 2 Li + per formula unit is observed in the ball-milled HTPS over the potential window of 1.5–3.4 V vs. Li/Li + . Lithiation at ca. 2.8 and 2.5 V is determined to occur through filling of the M1 and M2 sites, respectively. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are used characterize the HTPS before and after cycling. Evaluation of the HTPS in a Na-ion cell is also performed. A discharge capacity of 93 mAh g −1 with sodiation at ca. 2.9 and 2.2 V vs. Na/Na + is observed.
Evaluation of multidimensional models of WAIS-IV subtest performance.

AbstractObjective: The present study examined the extent to which the covariance structure of the WAIS-IV is best accounted for by models that assume that test performance is the result of group-level factors and multiple independent general factors. Method: Structural models with one to four general factors were evaluated with either four or five group-level factors. Simulations based on four general factors were run to clarify the adequacy of the estimates of the allocation of covariance by the models. Results: Four independent general factors provided better fit than a single general factor for either model with four or five group-level factors. While one of the general factors had much larger loadings than all other factors, simulation results suggested that this might be an artifact of the statistical procedure rather than a reflection of the nature of individual differences in cognitive abilities. Conclusions: These results argue against the contention that clinical interpretation of cognitive test ...
Minority Arab voting: village dynamics and electoral observations in Israel

ABSTRACTFor all the novelty of a democratizing “Arab Spring”, there have long been pockets in the Middle East where Arabic-speaking voters have gone to the polls in competitive elections, albeit as...
The Role of Probiotics in the Treatment and Prevention of Asthma

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases. The number of studies focusing on the treatment of asthma have been small and shown little, if any, effect. To date there is insufficient data to support the use of probiotics for the prevention of asthma.
Clindamycin for colonization and infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Effective antimicrobial therapy for infection or colonization by methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is very limited. In some institutions, the majority of strains remain susceptible to clindamycinin vitro. We report five patients with colonization or infection of varying severity caused by MRSA who had the organism successfully eradicated by clindamycin. In one patient who had an MRSA infection that persisted during vancomycin therapy clindamycin therapy was able to finally eradicate the organism. Clindamycin should be seriously considered as alternative therapy for colonization or infection by MRSA.
Three clinical pearls in the treatment of patients with seizures and comorbid psychiatric disorders

Abstract A strong association exists between epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidities, especially depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorders, and psychosis. The impact of psychotropic medications in lowering seizure threshold both directly and indirectly, hypersensitivity reactions to antiepileptic and other psychotropic medications, and how antiepileptic drugs affect psychiatric disorders are explored through three patient cases. Ultimately, in selecting an appropriate psychotropic medication for an individual with epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidities, it is important to consider the clinical and quality-of-life impacts that a particular medication will have on that individual.
The growth of infrared antimonide-based semiconductor lasers by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

We describe the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth of InAsSb/InAs and GaAsSb/GaAs(P) multiple quantum well (MQW) and InAsSb/InAsP and InAsSb/InPSb strained-layer superlattice (SLS) active regions for use in mid-infrared emitters. We also describe the growth and initial characterization of GaAsSbN/GaAs MQW structures. By changing the layer thickness and composition of the InAsSb SLSs and MQWs, we have prepared structures with low temperature (<20 K) photoluminescence wavelengths ranging from 3.2 to 6.0μ m. We have made gain-guided, injection lasers using undoped, p-type AlAs0.16Sb0.84 for optical confinement and both strained InAsSb/InAs MQW and InAsSb/InAsP and InPSb SLS active regions. The lasers and LEDs utilize the semi-metal properties of a p-GaAsSb/n-InAs heterojunction as a source for electrons injected into the active regions. Cascaded, semi-metal, mid-infrared, injection lasers with pseudomorphic InAsSb multiple quantum well active region lasers and LEDs are reported. We also report on GaAsSb/GaAs(P) lasers and LEDs emitting at 1.1 to 1.2 μm grown on GaAs substrates and using AlGaAs layers for confinement.
Colonic Arteriovenous Malformations

Arteriovenous malformations (also known as angiodysplasias, vascular ectasias, or angiomas) are defined as degenerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract that result from chronic obstruction of the submucosal veins. Even though the etiology of these lesions is not well understood, a leading hypothesis is that peristaltic contractions of the muscular layers lead to chronic partial obstruction of submucosal veins of the intestinal wall and with time these veins become dilated and tortuous.
Cyclosporin A: a new advance in transplantation.

Abstract Cyclosporin A (CyA)* has been shown to be a cytostatic drug with apparent specificity for the immune system. At clinical trials, an analysis of the patients showed marked immunosuppressive potency of CyA. This selective anti-T cell agent is described in detail, with studies showing the immunological effects of graft survival in renal transplant patients.
High-Power Wideband Low-Cost Limiters Using Cold Plasma

A novel circuit design for implementing high-power, wideband limiters with inexpensive, off-the-shelf components is introduced. A microstrip line is periodically loaded with shunt attached gas discharge tubes, self-contained plasma cell devices. Cost considerations are discussed in comparison to other high-power technologies. A proof-of-concept prototype is fabricated to demonstrate the limiting effects of the technology. Simulated and measured results from the test article are presented; 50-W CW power handling from 3 – 6 GHz with greater than 15 dB of limiting isolation and insertion loss less than 1.5 dB are observed. Extensions to diversify the feature set of this design are considered.
Acidulant effect on greening, reducing capacity, and tryptophan fluorescence of sunflower butter cookie dough during refrigerated storage

Background Sunflower seed derived butter can be a source of protein and phenolic antioxidants in refrigerated dough. Chlorogenic quinone-amino acid induced greening can however occur at alkaline pH, which could result in less bioavailable conjugated phenol-amino acids. Acidulants were tested as potential anti-greening ingredients in refrigerated chemically leavened cookie dough. Effect of refrigerated storage time, leavening agents and acidulants on tryptophan fluorescence (λex = 280 nm, λem = 300-500 nm), color (hunter L*, a*, b* color scale), reducing capacity [1,1'-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and Folin-Ciocalteu reducing capacity (FCRC)], and hydroxycinnamic acids were measured. Results The pH range of acidified doughs was 4.83-6.98 compared to 7.65-9.18 in non-acidified leavened doughs after 24 days. Greening was higher in baking soda dough control (a* = -0.54) than baking powder dough control (a* = 2.98) after 24 days, attributed to higher pH (9.18) of the former compared to pH 7.14 in the later. Tryptophan fluorescence intensity in baking soda dough decreased in the order: control > glucono-delta lactone ≈ citric acid after 24 days. The DPPH and FCRC of acidified doughs were greater than corresponding control doughs. Conclusion The use of acidulants would prevent greening in sunflower dough without lowering its phenolic concentration, making use of sunflower butter in refrigerated dough for baked goods feasible. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
Microseismicity on Patches of Higher Compression During Larger-Scale Earthquake Nucleation in a Rate-and-State Fault Model

While many large earthquakes are preceded by observable foreshocks, the mechanism responsible for the occurrence of these smaller‐scale seismic events remains uncertain. One physical explanation of foreshocks with growing support is that they are produced by the interaction of slow slip with fault heterogeneity. Inspired by the suggestion from laboratory experiments that foreshocks occur on fault asperities (bumps), we explore rate‐and‐state fault models with patches of higher normal stress embedded in a larger seismogenic region by conducting 3‐D numerical simulations of their behavior over long‐term sequences of aseismic and seismic slips. The models do produce smaller‐scale seismicity during the aseismic nucleation of larger‐scale seismic events. These smaller‐scale events have reasonable stress drops, despite the highly elevated compression assigned to the source patches. We find that the two main factors contributing to the reasonable stress drops are the significant extent of the rupture into the region surrounding the patches and the aseismic stress release just prior to the seismic events. The smaller‐scale seismicity can only occur if a sufficient separation in nucleation scales between the foreshock‐like events and mainshocks is achieved. Our modeling provides insight into the conditions conducive for generating foreshocks on both natural and laboratory faults.
Plasma folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and risk of breast cancer in women

860 Background: B vitamins such as folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 are coenzymes that are essential for DNA methylation and synthesis. Deficiency in these B vitamins may promote tumor carcinogenesis. Studies assessing blood levels of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 in risk of breast cancer are limited. Methods: We prospectively evaluated plasma levels of folate, Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate (PLP, the principal active form of vitamin B6), and vitamin B12 in relation to breast cancer risk from 28,345 women in the Women’s Health Study (WHS) aged 45 years or older who provided blood samples and had no history of cancer and cardiovascular disease at baseline in 1993. We included, in the analysis, 850 incident cases of invasive breast cancer identified as of March 31, 2004 and 850 individually matched control subjects. Logistic regression controlling for matching factors as well as other risk factors for breast cancer was used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All statistical tests were two sided. Results: Plasma levels of folate, PLP, and vitamin B12 were not significantly associated with overall risk of breast cancer. Women in the highest quintile group relative to those in the lowest quintile had multiviariate RRs of 1.41 (95% CI=0.99-2.00) for plasma folate (p for trend=0.22), 0.89 (95% CI=0.62-1.29) for plasma PLP (p for trend=0.46), and 1.27 (95% CI=0.90-1.78) for plasma vitamin B12 (p for trend=0.20). The overall associations were not modified by alcohol consumption, supplement use, and follow-up time before/after the fortification of folate in 1998. However, we found a significant inverse association between plasma PLP and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women; the multivariate RR comparing the highest to the lowest quintile was 0.64 (95% CI=0.42-0.99; p for trend=0.04). We also observed a marginal inverse association between plasma levels of folate and PLP and breast cancer risk in current smokers; the multivariate RRs in the highest quintile group were 0.27 (95% CI=0.07-1.12) for plasma folate (p for trend=0.03), and 0.25 (95% CI=0.06-1.06) for plasma PLP (p for trend=0.06). Conclusions: Plasma levels of B vitamins including folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 are not associated with overall risk of breast cancer. However, higher plasma levels of vitamin B6 may be related to reduced risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer. The inverse association between plasma folate and vitamin B6 and breast cancer risk among current smokers needs to be confirmed in other large studies.
You can't always sketch what you want : Understanding Sensemaking in Visual Query Systems

Visual query systems (VQSs) empower users to interactively search for line charts with desired visual patterns, typically specified using intuitive sketch-based interfaces. Despite decades of past work on VQSs, these efforts have not translated to adoption in practice, possibly because VQSs are largely evaluated in unrealistic lab-based settings. To remedy this gap in adoption, we collaborated with experts from three diverse domains—astronomy, genetics, and material science—via a year-long user-centered design process to develop a VQS that supports their workflow and analytical needs, and evaluate how VQSs can be used in practice. Our study results reveal that ad-hoc sketch-only querying is not as commonly used as prior work suggests, since analysts are often unable to precisely express their patterns of interest. In addition, we characterize three essential sensemaking processes supported by our enhanced VQS. We discover that participants employ all three processes, but in different proportions, depending on the analytical needs in each domain. Our findings suggest that all three sensemaking processes must be integrated in order to make future VQSs useful for a wide range of analytical inquiries.
Risk Mitigation for Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) can be complicated by early postoperative adverse events. With the improvement in UKA functional outcomes over the last decade, mitigating the risk for these events through optimization of the host has become a top surgical priority. Obesity, diabetes, malnutrition, atherosclerosis, tobacco use, intra-articular injections, and hypercoagulability represent seven areas with opportunities for intervention. Each is discussed here in terms of its epidemiology, association with postoperative events, and potential for perioperative optimization.
Biomass Yield Evaluation for Switchgrass Breeding: Seeded Swards vs. Transplanted Plots Yield Different Results

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is undergoing intensive development as a biomass crop to support the production of energy from perennial grasslands. Plant breeding and selection represent a significant component of this development effort, requiring breeders to evaluate large numbers of genotypes and families for performance under real-world field conditions. Experimental unit size, shape, and interplant spacing can vary widely both within and across breeding programs, and there is some evidence that experimental units established from seedling transplants are poorly predictive of biomass yield in seeded swards. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships among five types of experimental units, three based on transplanted seedlings (spaced plants, row plots, and simulated sward plots) and two based on seeded rows (bordered and unbordered sward plots). Nine switchgrass populations were evaluated with or without nitrogen fertilizer under all five plot types. Simulated sward plots had the lowest predictive value for biomass yield of sward plots. Spaced plants and row plots had greater predictive ability than simulated swards, but they accounted for less than 50% of the variability, suggesting that biomass measurements on these types of plots should not be considered as the same trait measured on seeded sward plots, especially considering the fact that the conditions of interplant competition are drastically different between these groups of plot types. Whereas biomass yield on a per-hectare basis would be an appropriate trait name for seeded swards, plot-specific terms such as “plant biomass” or “row biomass” are more appropriate for biomass measured on spaced plant plots or row plots. These terms would clearly indicate that measurements on seeded plots where there is intensive interplant competition are not the same trait as those made on plants without competition.
Methodology to Select Unpaved Roads for Chemical Treatments within Budget: Case Study

AbstractThis study developed a model to select the best subset of unpaved roads for chemical treatments as dust suppressants within a limited budget. Many of the unpaved roads in the State of Wyomi...
Multigroup CFA and Alignment Approaches for Testing Measurement Invariance and Factor Score Estimation: Illustration With the Schoolwork-Related Anxiety Survey Across Countries and Gender

Within large-scale international studies, the utility of survey scores to yield meaningful comparative data hinges on the degree to which their item parameters demonstrate measurement invariance (MI) across compared groups (e.g., culture). To-date, methodological challenges have restricted the ability to test the measurement invariance of item parameters of these instruments in the presence of many groups (e.g., countries). This study compares multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) and alignment method to investigate the MI of the schoolwork-related anxiety survey across gender groups within the 35 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries (gender × country) of the Programme for International Student Assessment 2015 study. Subsequently, the predictive validity of MGCFA and alignment-based factor scores for subsequent mathematics achievement are examined. Considerations related to invariance testing of noncognitive instruments with many groups are discussed.
Moving toward patient-centered care in the emergency department: Patient-reported expectations, definitions of success, and importance of improvement in pain-related outcomes

Objectives Musculoskeletal pain is a common emergency department (ED) presentation, and patient-centered care may improve quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and outcomes. Our objective was to investigate the expectations, definitions of success, and priorities of ED patients with musculoskeletal pain. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of the demographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics of adult ED patients (n = 210) with musculoskeletal pain. Patients completed the Patient-Centered Outcomes Questionnaire to quantify usual, desired, expected, and successful levels of pain and interference with daily activities, fatigue, and emotion from 0 (none) to 100 (worst imaginable). They also reported the importance of improvement in each domain. Cluster analysis identified subgroups by importance ratings. Patients were asked their willingness to try various pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments. Fully completed surveys were analyzed (n = 174). Results Most patients desired 100% resolution in each domain and defined treatment success as substantial (median = 63.2%-76.5%) reductions but expected only moderate (median = 45%-53.7%) improvements across all domains. Patients with previous pain episodes had similar desired levels but less stringent definitions of success and expectations for improvement. Cluster analysis identified three patient subgroups by importance ratings of each domain: (1) multiple domains important (n = 118) with high importance attached to all four domains, (2) pain and function important (n = 34) with high importance primarily for pain and interference with daily activities, and (3) only pain important (n = 22). Regardless of subgroup, there was a high willingness to use a variety of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments. Discussion ED patients with musculoskeletal pain have expectations and goals that include addressing impairments in function, improving quality of life, and reducing pain. Conclusions Our findings indicate that: (1) patient subgroups by outcome priorities may exist that could inform multimodal, personalized approaches from the ED and (2) patients are flexible in which treatments they are willing to try to meet their individual goals.
The Influence of the Psychophysical Assessment Paradigm on Pitch Discrimination for Adults (and a Pilot Sample of Children).

Pitch discrimination ability has been of research interest due to its potential relationship to language and literacy. However, assessment protocols for pitch discrimination have varied widely. Pri...
Neurovascular, muscle, and skin changes on [18F]FDG PET/MRI in complex regional pain syndrome of the foot: A Prospective Clinical Study

Objective The goal of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneous [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for non-invasive visualization of muscular, neurovascular, and skin changes secondary to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Subjects Seven adult patients with CRPS of the foot and seven healthy adult controls participated in our [18F]FDG PET/MRI study. Methods All participants received whole-body PET/MRI scans one hour after the injection of 370MBq [18F]FDG. Resulting PET/MRI images were reviewed by two radiologists. Metabolic and anatomic abnormalities identified, were grouped into muscular, neurovascular, and skin lesions. The [18F]FDG uptake of each lesion was compared with that of corresponding areas in controls using a Mann-Whitney U-test. Results On PET images, muscular abnormalities were found in five patients, neurovascular abnormalities in four patients, and skin abnormalities in two patients. However, on MRI images, no muscular abnormalities were detected. Neurovascular abnormalities and skin abnormalities in the affected limb were identified on MRI in one and two patients, respectively. The difference in [18F]FDG uptake between the patients and the controls was significant in muscle (p = 0.018) and neurovascular bundle (p = 0.0005). Conclusions The increased uptake of [18F]FDG in the symptomatic areas likely reflects the increased metabolism due to the inflammatory response causing pain. Therefore, our approach combining metabolic [18F]FDG PET and anatomic MR imaging may offer non-invasive monitoring of the distribution and progression of inflammatory changes associated with CRPS.
The Effect of Suburethral Sling Procedure on the Dynamic Urethral Pressure Profile

The low pressure urethra is defined as a urethra with a closure pressure of equal to or less than 20 cmH2O in the sitting position at maximum cystometric capacity Its importance lies in the fact that it is associated with an increased rate of surgical failure when standard surgical approaches are used. Urodynamic evidence of cure is present in <50% of patients when a Burch retropubic urethropexy procedure is performed in patients with genuine stress incontinence with low urethral pressure. This high risk of failure has also been found with other routine anti- incontinence operations which do not attempt to obstruct the urethra. These patients respond more predictably to a suburethral sling procedure or artificial sphincter which may directly increase urethral resistance by intermittent or continuous urethral obstruction.
Type Structure for Low-Level Programming Languages

Providing type structure for extremely low-level programming languages, such as assembly language, yields a number of important benefits for compiler and systems projects, where reliability and security are crucial concerns. We discuss some of the issues involved in designing type systems for low-level languages, and identify some general principles that simplify constructing a proof of soundness.