cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimal management of fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review

Among the host of distressing pathophysiological and psychosocial symptoms, fatigue is the most prevalent complaint in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This review is to update the current findings on non-pharmacological, pharmacological, and modality strategies to manage fatigue in patients with SLE and to provide some recommendations on optimal management of fatigue based on the best available evidence. We performed a systematic literature search of the PubMed and Scopus databases to identify publications on fatigue management in patients with SLE. Based on the studies reported in the literature, we identified nine intervention strategies that have the potential to alleviate fatigue in patients with SLE. Of the nine strategies, aerobic exercise and belimumab seem to have the strongest evidence of treatment efficacy. N-acetylcysteine and ultraviolet-A1 phototherapy demonstrated low-to-moderate levels of evidence. Psychosocial interventions, dietary manipulation (low calorie or glycemic index diet) aiming for weight loss, vitamin D supplementation, and acupuncture all had weak evidence. Dehydroepiandrosterone is not recommended due to a lack of evidence for its efficacy. In addition to taking treatment efficacy and side effects into consideration, clinicians should consider factors such as cost of treatment, commitments, and burden to the patient when selecting fatigue management strategies for patients with SLE. Any comorbidities, such as psychological distress, chronic pain, sleep disturbance, obesity, or hypovitaminosis D, associated with fatigue should be addressed.
In Vivo Role of pDCs in Regulating Adaptive Immunity

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) have potential influence on innate and adaptive immune responses. In this issue of Immunity, Takagi et al. (2011) established mice lacking pDCs and explored the impact of pDC ablation in vivo.
A numerical investigation of the effect of heating methods on saturated nucleate pool boiling

Abstract Using a numerical model, the effect of heating methods on saturated nucleate pool boiling is investigated parametrically for smooth and rough nickel and copper heater plates. The boiling curve moved right with decreasing thickness for the smooth and rough nickel and copper heaters in the constant-heat-flux heating method. This trend was reversed in the constant-temperature heating method; the boiling curved shifted left with decreasing heater thickness. However, the later trend was not affected by the heater material and thickness and the surface roughness (mean cavity radius). The boiling curves were identical for the constant internal generation rate and the constant-heat-flux heating method. The use of ac instead of dc resistive heating caused the boiling curve generally to move left. This behavior was not linear with the heat flux, heater material, or surface conditions. No hysterisis was found when the heat flux was increased and then decreased gradually to original values.
Efficient design of pulse-shaping filters for OFDM systems

ABSTRACT Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has recently become a popular technique for high-data-rate transmission over wireless channels. Due to the time-frequency dispersion caused by the channel, the performance of OFDM systems depends critically on the time-frequency localization of the pulse shaping filters. In this paper, weshow how the recent duality and biorthogonality theory"2 developed in the context of Weyl-Heisenberg frames can be used to devise simple and efficient design procedures for well-localized OFDM pulse shaping filters. We consider OFDM systems employing time-frequency guard regions and OFDM systems based on offset QAM. We proposeFFT-based design methods for pulse shaping filters with arbitrary length and arbitrary overlapping factors. Finally, we present some design examples. Keywords: OFDM, pulse shaping filter, Weyl-Heisenberg frames 1. INTRODUCTION Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)3'° is employed in current telecommunications standards such
DEPRESSION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Although overt manifestations of depression are rare in children and adolescents, depressive feelings and “depressive equivalents” are commonly encountered. This paper describes the manner in which depression is evidenced in younger people. This is usually by means of behavioral problems, acting out, school difficulties, etc. The psychological factors responsible for such difficulties and the therapeutic problems presented by such youngsters are discussed.
Ubiquitous internal gene duplication and intron creation in eukaryotes

Duplication of genomic segments provides a primary resource for the origin of evolutionary novelties. However, most previous studies have focused on duplications of complete protein-coding genes, whereas little is known about the significance of duplication segments that are entirely internal to genes. Our examination of six fully sequenced genomes reveals that internal duplications of gene segments occur at a high frequency (0.001-0.013 duplications/gene per million years), similar to that of complete gene duplications, such that 8-17% of the genes in a genome carry duplicated intronic and/or exonic regions. At least 7-30% of such genes have acquired novel introns, either because a prior intron in the same gene has been duplicated, or more commonly, because a spatial change has activated a latent splice site. These results strongly suggest a major evolutionary role for internal gene duplications in the origin of genomic novelties, particularly as a mechanism for intron gain.
Soy Isoflavones Genistein and Daidzein Exert Anti-Apoptotic Actions via a Selective ER-mediated Mechanism in Neurons following HIV-1 Tat1–86 Exposure

Background HIV-1 viral protein Tat partially mediates the neural dysfunction and neuronal cell death associated with HIV-1 induced neurodegeneration and neurocognitive disorders. Soy isoflavones provide protection against various neurotoxic insults to maintain neuronal function and thus help preserve neurocognitive capacity.
Outpatient Single-session Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation Embolization

Purpose Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) embolization has traditionally been performed as an inpatient procedure, often with sequential procedures to treat multiple lesions. This approach is costly, inconveniences the patient, and may lead to noncompliance with embolotherapy. In the authors' hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) center, all PAVM embolizations in teenagers and adults are performed in the outpatient setting and all accessible PAVMs are treated in a single session if possible. The present report describes results from this center on an intent-to-treat basis. Materials and Methods Fifty-one patients whose ages ranged from 15 to 78 years (mean, 44 y), 47 with a confirmed diagnosis of HHT, underwent outpatient embolization in 63 procedures. Multiple procedures were performed when PAVMs were too numerous for single-session treatment ( n = 7) or for PAVM recurrence/growth ( n = 5). Planned multiple sessions were performed on consecutive days or at longer intervals at patient request. Patients were discharged after a 2-hour observation period. Results Outpatient single-session embolization was achieved in 44 of 51 patients (86%). When four or fewer PAVMs were present, single-session therapy was successful in 100% of cases. One patient with 10 PAVMs was admitted overnight at her request to complete the embolization the next day. All others were successfully treated as outpatients. No patient required admission during the postoperative period. A mean of 2.4 PAVMs were embolized per procedure (range, 1–9). Conclusions Outpatient PAVM embolization is well tolerated, with single-session embolization of all PAVMs achievable in more than 85% of patients.
Threats to municipal information systems posed by aging infrastructure

Abstract State and local governments across the United States are leveraging the Internet and associated technologies to dramatically change the way they offer public services. While they are motivated to capture efficiencies, the public entities increasingly rely on information systems that are dependent on energy and related civil structures. This reliance is incongruous with the widespread awareness of aging infrastructure – decaying for lack of investment – in cities across the United States. Important questions that come up in this environment of persistent expansion of the use of digital assets are the following: What threat does aging infrastructure pose to governmental reliance on computing infrastructures? How are local governments responding to this threat? Are the solutions posed appropriate to the problem, or do they pose new and different threats? This paper uses a case involving the disruption of a local government data center due to the failure of an electrical bus to illustrate how the threats of aging infrastructure grow, quietly and steadily, into emergencies, on par with the catastrophic events encountered in the context of critical infrastructure protection. The decisions precipitating the disruption are routine, borne of circumstances shared by agencies that are pressed to maintain services with scarce resources. Patterns of capital investment and management explain the emergence of crises in routine operations. If, as in the case described in this paper, deferred maintenance motivates public agents to explore private cloud services, then governments may solve several problems, but may also be exposed to new risks as they enter into arrangements from which they are unable to exit.
International plant location under price and exchange rate uncertainty

Abstract The problem of locating plants internationally under price and exchange rate uncertainty is formulated for a mean-variance decision maker. This formulation results in a mixed-integer quadratic programming problem. It is shown that, for a given integer solution, the resulting quadratic programming problem is amenable to a very simple solution procedure. Thus, reasonably large problems can be solved using existing branch-and-bound techniques while still incorporating price and exchange rate uncertainty. It is also likely that solution of models with even more complex forms of uncertainty will also be feasible using this approach.
Response of Nabis roseipennis (Heteroptera: Nabidae) to larvae of Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis (Col.: Coccinellidae).

Laboratory studies were done to measure predation by adult damsel bugs,Nabis roseipennis Reuter [Heteroptera: Nabidae], on 3rd instar larvae of Mexican bean beetle (MBB),Epilachna varivestis Mulsant [Coleoptera: Coccinellidae], and to measure longevity and body weight of the nabids. In the 1st experiment, field-collected nabids were isolated for 24h in 9 cm Petri dishes with lima bean foliage (Phaseolus lunatus L.) and were assigned to one of 3 prey treatments: either 4 3rd-instar MBB larvae, 4 3rd-instar larvae of boll weevil (BW),Anthonomus grandis Boheman [Coleoptera: Curculionidae], or 2 larvae of each species. No MBB larvae were attacked in either the MBB treatment or 2-species treatment. In contrast, BW larvae were attacked in both BW and 2-species treatments. Significantly more BW larvae were attacked in the BW treatment than in the 2-species treatment, and both were greater than the number of MBB larvae attacked. Nabids that did not attack prey lost weight during the 24 h, whereas those that attacked prey gained weight. In the 2nd experiment, nabids that had attacked prey were isolated with lima foliage, and nabids that had not attacked prey were kept with MBB and lima foliage until an attack or death. In no instances were MBB attacked. Longevity and the pattern of weight loss did not differ between nabids that did or did not attack prey. We discuss possible reasons for the failure ofN. roseipennis to attack MBB larvae, as well as the implications for using nabids to influence pest populations in the field.
A decision aid to improve smoking abstinence for families facing cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To test the feasibility of a multidisciplinary, multicomponent, theory-based decision aid. DESIGN: Prospective, one-group repeated measures. SETTING: Thoracic surgery clinic in a university hospital cancer center in central Virginia. SAMPLE: 8 dyads, consisting of 16 total participants. METHODS: A multidisciplinary, multicomponent smoking cessation intervention incorporated a theory-based decision aid. Enrollment occurred preoperatively; four face-to-face visits and an exit interview were conducted during six months. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Feasibility was evaluated based on four criteria: recruitment, retention, adherence, and acceptability. FINDINGS: The recruitment rate was 44%, and the retention rate was 100%. Adherence to the intervention and the acceptability of the decision aid were greater for patients than family members. Patients had greater abstinence than family members before surgery and at six months. Exit interview themes included (a) preoperative timing was acceptable and (b) involving household members who smoke was important. CONCLUSIONS: Recruiting male patients and their female partners is feasible. Participants liked convenience, autonomy, and a family approach. Family members wanted more control over cessation timing and a more intensive approach to weight and mental health management. Successful dyads worked together to maintain abstinence. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Oncology nurses can assess patients' and family members' smoking status, facilitate understanding about specific benefits of smoking cessation and the obstacle posed by household smokers, and make referrals to expert resources. Encouraging smoke-free environments is an important step toward reducing secondhand smoke exposure and promoting cessation.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Early Visual Pathways in Dyslexia

We measured brain activity, perceptual thresholds, and reading performance in a group of dyslexic and normal readers to test the hypothesis that dyslexia is associated with an abnormality in the magnocellular (M) pathway of the early visual system. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity in conditions designed to preferentially stimulate the M pathway. Speed discrimination thresholds, which measure the minimal increase in stimulus speed that is just noticeable, were acquired in a paradigm modeled after a previous study of M pathway-lesioned monkeys. Dyslexics showed reduced brain activity compared with controls both in primary visual cortex (V1) and in several extrastriate areas, including area MT and adjacent motion-sensitive areas (MT+) that are believed to receive a predominant M pathway input. There was a strong three-way correlation between brain activity, speed discrimination thresholds, and reading speed. Subjects with higher V1 and MT+ responses had lower perceptual thresholds (better performance) and were faster readers. These results support the hypothesis for an M pathway abnormality in dyslexia and imply strong relationships between the integrity of the M pathway, visual motion perception, and reading ability.
Optimal Control Solutions for a Simple Model of Human Jumping

Neuromuscular control of complex, multi-segment movements is often investigated with a modeling and computer simulation approach. Because a given movement can be completed using many different coordination choices, an optimization framework is often used to determine the muscle activity patterns that best accomplish the movement task. This framework is well suited to simulating movements whose performance objectives are easily specified by mathematical functions, such as vertical jumping for maximum height. However, these motion simulations tend to be difficult optimization problems because they contain many local optima that add complexity to the solution domain of the objective function [1–3].Copyright © 2008 by ASME
The sexual basis of racial formation: Anti-vice activism and the creation of the twentieth-century 'color line'

White slavery narratives - stories about white women forced into prostitution - played an important role in the construction of racial distinctions in the early twentieth century. New York City politicians launched a well-­publicized anti-vice crusade in 1910 that led to the imprisonment of a mixed-race woman named Belle Moore. In this article, I analyse this event to show the importance of sexuality and gender for creating racial boundaries. Testimony in People vs. Belle Moore designated certain intimacies as violating the color line, thereby clarifying what it meant to be 'white' or 'colored'. I argue that theories of racial formation must include a more careful consideration of gender and sexuality because the ongoing maintenance of racial categories depends upon cultural narratives about sexual deviance and purity.
Authentic Leadership and Positive Psychological Capital: The Mediating Role of Trust at the Group Level of Analysis

This study investigates the relationship between authentic leadership, trust, positive psychological capital (PsyCap), and performance at the group level of analysis. Data were collected from a small Midwestern chain of retail clothing stores, a context in which the needs for both authentic leadership and a positive sales staff are integral to the firm’s performance. Constructs were aggregated to the store (group) level to test relationships between perceptions of authentic leadership, trust in management, positive psychological capital, and performance. Trust in management was found to mediate the relationship between PsyCap and performance and to partially mediate the relationship between authentic leadership and performance. Future discussions and implications are discussed.
BER performance of CDMA pilot interference cancellation receivers

Pilot interference cancellation (IC) has recently received consideration for use in third generation (3G) CDMA cellular receivers. In this paper, we derive an expression for evaluating the bit error rate (BER) performance of both the RAKE and pilot IC receivers, under conventional random spreading code assumptions. The approach can provide results for a wide variety of transmitter, channel, and receiver assumptions, and can easily take into account the effects of channel estimation, as used for determining the RAKE combining coefficients and for reconstructing pilot interference. The analytical results are compared to detailed link-level simulations of the 3G commercial wideband CDMA system developed by 3GPP, with excellent agreement found.
Antipredator benefits of group living in colonial web-building spiders: the ‘early warning’ effect

The Mexican colonial web-building spider Metepeira incrassata is frequently attacked by predatory wasps from a number of families. Previous studies have shown that wasps often attack more than one spider during a ‘run’ on a colony, but capture success declines as colony size increases, and that spiders in the central core of the colony have lower risk (Rayor & Uetz 1990, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 27, 77–85; Uetz & Hieber 1994, Behavioral Ecology, 5, 326–333). We used data from direct observation of attacks and field experiments to test the hypothesis that colonial web-building spiders benefit from ‘early warning’ of predator approach through vibrations in the colony web. Analysis of 135 naturally occurring wasp attack ‘runs’ (attacks on 454 spiders) showed that the per-attack run and per-spider capture success of wasps decreased significantly with increased spider colony size. Spider defensive and evasive behaviours observed in a subset of these attacks varied with the attack sequence. Evasive responses by spiders were more frequent later in the attack, suggesting advance warning of predator approach. Experiments using a predator-simulating vibration source demonstrated that mean reaction distance of spiders increased with increasing colony size. Adult female spiders in core positions reacted at greater distances than those on the periphery, but immature spiders, whose capture risk is lower, showed no difference. Behaviour of spiders during simulated attacks was similar to observed encounters with wasps: evasive responses were more frequent and response latency was shorter in spiders attacked later in the sequence, and in many cases, spiders took evasive action prior to any contact with the stimulus. Additional experiments testing isolated cues (web contact, airborne vibration, web-borne vibration) suggest spiders respond to web-borne vibrations generated by predators and evasive behaviours of other spiders. Together, these results support the ‘early warning’ hypothesis of antipredator benefits for colonial web-building spiders.  2002 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Stress and Illness in Low-Income Women: The Roles of Hardiness, John Henryism, and Race

This study examines the stress-illness relationship in a biracial group (African-American and Caucasian-American) of low-income women. Two personality constructs, hardiness and John Henryism, were studied for their possible moderating influences on the stress-illness relationship. One hundred women, with family incomes below the poverty line, completed questionnaires of stress, illness, hardiness, and John Henryism. Hierarchical regression models indicated that hardiness moderated the stress-illness relationship, with high stress, low hardy women having higher levels of illness. In addition, race also moderated the effect of stress, with high stress, Caucasian women having higher levels of illness. However, John Henryism had no effect on stress-related illness in these low-income women. Analyses of additional stress measures indicated that hardy women perceive their external environments as less stressful, although high and low hardy women have similar levels of network stress. Correlational analyses indicated that life-event stress, network stress and low-income concerns were all associated with illness scores. Thus, a range of stress measures are linked to physical illness in low-income women; furthermore, hardiness and being African-American both buffered the effects of stress on illness.
Stem Cell-Derived Human Intestinal Organoids as an Infection Model for Rotaviruses

ABSTRACT Directed differentiation of stem cell lines into intestine-like tissue called induced human intestinal organoids (iHIOs) is now possible (J. R. Spence, C. N. Mayhew, S. A. Rankin, M. F. Kuhar, J. E. Vallance, K. Tolle, E. E. Hoskins, V. V. Kalinichenko, S. I. Wells, A. M. Zorn, N. F. Shroyer, and J. M. Wells, Nature 470:105-109, 2011). We tested iHIOs as a new model to cultivate and study fecal viruses. Protocols for infection of iHIOs with a laboratory strain of rotavirus, simian SA11, were developed. Proof-of-principle analyses showed that iHIOs support replication of a gastrointestinal virus, rotavirus, on the basis of detection of nonstructural viral proteins (nonstructural protein 4 [NSP4] and NSP2) by immunofluorescence, increased levels of viral RNA by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR), and production of infectious progeny virus. iHIOs were also shown to support replication of 12/13 clinical rotavirus isolates directly from stool samples. An unexpected finding was the detection of rotavirus infection not only in the epithelial cells but also in the mesenchymal cell population of the iHIOs. This work demonstrates that iHIOs offer a promising new model to study rotaviruses and other gastrointestinal viruses. IMPORTANCE Gastrointestinal viral infections are a major cause of illness and death in children and adults. The ability to fully understand how viruses interact with human intestinal cells in order to cause disease has been hampered by insufficient methods for growing many gastrointestinal viruses in the laboratory. Induced human intestinal organoids (iHIOs) are a promising new model for generating intestine-like tissue. This is the first report of a study using iHIOs to cultivate any microorganism, in this case, an enteric virus. The evidence that both laboratory and clinical rotavirus isolates can replicate in iHIOs suggests that this model would be useful not only for studies of rotaviruses but also potentially of other infectious agents. Furthermore, detection of rotavirus proteins in unexpected cell types highlights the promise of this system to reveal new questions about pathogenesis that have not been previously recognized or investigated in other intestinal cell culture models.
A Model of Early Visual Processing

We propose a model for early visual processing in primates. The model consists of a population of linear spatial filters which interact through non-linear excitatory and inhibitory pooling. Statistical estimation theory is then used to derive human psychophysical thresholds from the responses of the entire population of units. The model is able to reproduce human thresholds for contrast and orientation discrimination tasks, and to predict contrast thresholds in the presence of masks of varying orientation and spatial frequency.
Impacts of crop pests on weeds and weed–crop interactions

The literature relating to the impact of other pests on weeds of agroecosystems is minimal. A great deal of literature discusses the effect of organisms used for biological control of weeds; however, pest organisms used as biological control agents are not the subject of this paper. The objective of this review is to present what is known about the impact of insect, pathogen, and nematode pests on weeds; to outline some of the gaps in our knowledge; to present concepts from the ecological literature that might provide insight; and to discuss implications for integrated pest management. The limited data that are available suggest that weeds require fewer resources to survive in the presence of the pest complex than the crop and that weeds would potentially have a greater ability to survive, compete, and reproduce in a competitive environment compared to the planted crop. We suggest that three categories of weed response to polyphagous crop pests may occur in agricultural fields: susceptible weed species or biotypes that host the pest with severe effects on growth and fecundity and therefore are of limited concern in terms of competition for resources; tolerant weed species that host the pest without severe effects on growth and fecundity, resulting in effective competition with the crop and larger pest populations; and resistant weed species that do not host the pest but compete effectively with the crop. We propose the hypothesis that the weed community in many agricultural fields is dominated by plant species that are tolerant or resistant to the endemic pest complex, particularly the soil pest complex, because of constant selection pressure from these pests.
Combining finite state automata and a greedy learning algorithm to determine the syntactic roles of commas

A method has been developed and implemented that assigns syntactic roles to commas. Text that has been tagged using a part-of-speech tagger serves as the input to the system. A set of Finite State Automata first assigns temporary syntactic roles to each comma in the sentence. A greedy learning algorithm is then used to determine the final syntactic roles of the commas. The system requires no training and is not domain specific. The performance of the system on numerous corpora is given.
Contradictions of standard language in Europe: Implications for the study of practices and publics

The dominant language ideology of contemporary Europe assumes standardized languages. In the political economic context of accelerated global migration and increased European unity, this ideology creates contradictions for speakers. The paper describes six types of contradiction that arise for non-elite speakers whose practices diverge from the ideals of standardization but who nevertheless find themselves judged by those ideals. Other contradictions arise for political elites. They come t believe that differences of standard language preclude a unified European public sphere, and fail to notice the intertextual processes and media circulations across standard languages that create politically significant publics.
Characterizing the Internet hierarchy from multiple vantage points

The delivery of IP traffic through the Internet depends on the complex interactions between thousands of autonomous systems (AS) that exchange routing information using the border gateway protocol (BGP). This paper investigates the topological structure of the Internet in terms of customer-provider and peer-peer relationships between autonomous systems, as manifested in BGP routing policies. We describe a technique for inferring AS relationships by exploiting partial views of the AS graph available from different vantage points. Next we apply the technique to a collection of ten BGP routing tables to infer the relationships between neighboring autonomous systems. Based on these results, we analyze the hierarchical structure of the Internet and propose a five-level classification of AS. Our characterization differs from previous studies by focusing on the commercial relationships between autonomous systems rather than simply the connectivity between the nodes.
Learning‐dependent plasticity of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron postburst afterhyperpolarizations and increased excitability after inhibitory avoidance learning depend upon basolateral amygdala inputs

Hippocampal pyramidal neurons in vitro exhibit transient learning-dependent reductions in the amplitude and duration of cal- cium-dependent postburst afterhyperpolarizations (AHPs), accompanied by other increases in excitability (i.e., increased firing rate, or reduced spike-frequency accommodation) after trace eyeblink conditioning or spatial learning, with a time-course appropriate to support consolidation of the learned tasks. Both these tasks require multiple days of training for acquisition. The hippocampus also plays a role in acquisition of sin- gle trial inhibitory avoidance learning. The current study assessed AHP plasticity in this single-trial learning task using in vitro tissue slices pre- pared at varying intervals posttrial using intracellular current-clamp recordings. Reduced AHPs and reduced accommodation were seen in ventral CA1 pyramidal neurons within 1 h posttraining, plasticity which persisted 24 h but was extinguished >72 h posttrial. There was also a reduction in ventral CA1 AHPs and accommodation 1 h following sim- ple exposure to the IA apparatus (a novel context) but this change was extinguished by 24 h postexposure. Reductions in AHPs and accommo- dation were also seen in dorsal CA1 pyramidal neurons, but were delayed until 24 h posttrial and extinguished at >72 h posttrial. Finally, transient inactivation of the basolateral complex of the amygdala (with the local anesthetics lidocaine or bupivacaine) either immediately before or immediately posttrial blocked both learning and learning- dependent changes in excitability in the hippocampus assessed 24 h posttrial. CA3 pyramidal neurons showed no reductions in AHP peak amplitude or accommodation following IA training or context exposure. V C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A power-combined switched-capacitor power amplifier in 90nm CMOS

A digitally-controlled switched-capacitor RF power amplifier (SCPA) is implemented with a transformer-based power-combiner in 90nm CMOS. The individual SCPA cores can be controlled to provide high average output power and linearity in an “all-switching” mode or increased dynamic range in a “sequential-switching” mode. The SCPA delivers a peak (average) output power of 27.0 (20.3) dBm with a peak (average) PAE of 26% (15.1%) for a 64 QAM OFDM modulated signal with a measured EVM of 3.8% in the 2.4 GHz band.
Collective Memory and Nonpublic Opinion: A Historical Note on a Methodological Controversy About a Political Problem

This article describes a little-known moment in the history of social research, the so-called Group Experiment (Gruppenexperiment) conducted in Germany in 1950–51 by members of the reconstituted Frankfurt school. That research, I argue, provides a missing link in the history of the ideas of deliberative democracy and public discourse, areas of political theory in which the substantive legacies of pragmatism and interactionism are particularly significant. Most important, however, the Gruppenexperiment provides a model for rethinking certain methodological and conceptual problems plaguing contemporary research on collective memory, namely, the tendency to reify it.
Electricity theft: Overview, issues, prevention and a smart meter based approach to control theft

Abstract Non-technical loss (NTL) during transmission of electrical energy is a major problem in developing countries and it has been very difficult for the utility companies to detect and fight the people responsible for theft. Electricity theft forms a major chunk of NTL. These losses affect quality of supply, increase load on the generating station, and affect tariff imposed on genuine customers. This paper discusses the factors that influence the consumers to steal electricity. In view of these ill effects, various methods for detection and estimation of the theft are discussed. This paper proposes an architectural design of smart meter, external control station, harmonic generator, and filter circuit. Motivation of this work is to deject illegal consumers, and conserve and effectively utilize energy. As well, smart meters are designed to provide data of various parameters related to instantaneous power consumption. NTL in the distribution feeder is computed by external control station from the sending end information of the distribution feeder. If a considerable amount of NTL is detected, harmonic generator is operated at that feeder for introducing additional harmonic component for destroying appliances of the illegal consumers. For illustration, cost–benefit analysis for implementation of the proposed system in India is presented.
Macronutrient Effect on Metabolism and Ventilation in Patients with Chronic Lung Disease

The nutritional complications in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often begin with weight loss, which occurs as the disease progresses. The weight loss not only results in malnutrition, but also contributes to deterioration of clinical and functional status, eventually leading to death.1,2
Nonuniform Sampling and Recovery of Bandlimited Functions in Higher Dimensions

Abstract We provide sufficient conditions on a family of functions ( ϕ α ) α ∈ A : R d → R for sampling of multivariate bandlimited functions at certain nonuniform sequences of points in R d . We consider interpolation of functions whose Fourier transform is supported in some small ball in R d at scattered points ( x j ) j ∈ N such that the complex exponentials ( e − i 〈 x j , ⋅ 〉 ) j ∈ N form a Riesz basis for the L 2 space of a convex body containing the ball. Recovery results as well as corresponding approximation orders in terms of the parameter α are obtained.
Cognitive-behavioral profiles in teenagers with Dravet syndrome

Abstract Aim To investigate behavior and cognitive performances of teenage patients with Dravet syndrome (DS). Methods We enrolled 20 teenage patients (12 females and 8 males) with DS, followed in the Child Neurology Unit of the Catholic University (Rome). Patients underwent a full clinical examination including behavioral and cognitive assessments (respectively, CBCL and Wechsler scales). Results All patients showed behavior disorders and mental retardation, mild in six cases, moderate in seven and severe in the remaining seven. Among mildly retarded patients visual function, particularly visuo-motor abilities resulted mostly impaired in Wechsler subtests, whereas verbal skills were relatively preserved. In contrast, a general cognitive impairment was observed in moderately and severely retarded patients. Conclusions Our teenage patients with DS compared with other series at different ages (young childhood, adulthood) suggest a progressivity of neurological and neuropsychological signs. A visuomotor default and a relative preservation of verbal skills, like what has been found in previous reports of younger patients, are still evident in mildly impaired cases. Therefore, the progression over time of these cases toward a generalized impairment may be suggested, but only longitudinal studies can confirm it. There was a possible responsibility of some epileptic disorders in worsening the neuropsychological outcome (early myoclonic seizures and atypical absences, as well as persistent EEG background slowness in the last 3 years).
Social Support and Health Service Use in Depressed Adults: Findings From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract Objective We investigated the relationship between social support and health service use among men and women with depression. Methods Participants were 1379 adults with symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥5) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Using the framework of the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, multivariable regression models used social support, stratified by depression severity, to estimate association with utilization of mental health and nonmental health services. Partial F -tests examined a priori interactions between social support and gender. Results Among those with adequate social support, odds of seeing a nonmental health provider were much higher when depression was moderate [Odds Ratio (OR): 2.6 (1.3–5.3)] or severe [OR: 3.2 (1.2–8.7)], compared to those lacking social support. Conversely, odds of mental health service use were 60% lower among those with moderate depression [OR: 0.4 (0.2–1.0)] when social support was adequate as opposed to inadequate. Social support was unrelated to service use when depression was mild. Gender moderated the relationship between social support and health service use among individuals with severe depression. Conclusions Social support has opposite associations with mental and nonmental health service use among adults with clinically significant depression. This association is largely attributable to the effect of male gender on the relationship between social support and health service use.
Direct Quadrature Method of Moments Solution of the Fokker-Planck Equation for Stochastic Processes in Aeroelasticity

The direct quadrature method of moments (DQMOM) is presented as an efficient and accurate means of numerically computing solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation. The theoretical details of the solution procedure are first presented. The method is then used to solve Fokker-Planck equations for both one-dimensional and two-dimensional (noisy van der Pol oscillator and saddle node/subcritical Hopf bifurcation example) processes which possess nonlinear stochastic differential equations. Higher order moments of the stationary solutions are computed and prove to be very accurate when compared to analytic (1D process) and Monte-Carlo (2D process) solutions. Trends in the standard deviation and coefficient of kurtosis with respect to additive noise level and bifurcation parameter are reported for what appears to be the first time for the saddle-node/subcritical Hopf bifucation problem. The deterministic form of this problem exhibits hysteresis which is often a phenomenon present in more complex nonlinear aeroelastic sytems. Finally statistical results are shown for a typical section airfoil with nonlinear stiffness subjected to random loading. The constants for the nonlinear stiffness are chosen such that the deterministic behavior exhibits both a saddle node and subcritcal bifurcation. Standard deviation results computed using DQMOM for a reduced frequency below the deterministic saddle node bifurcation point compare well with Monte-Carlo results.
An alternative to acetolysis: application of an enzyme-based method for the palynological preparation of fresh pollen, honey samples and bee capsules

Acetolysis has been widely used for the preparation of modern pollen samples since its introduction by Erdtman. It has several disadvantages in both safety and resultant changes to the size and, in some cases, structure of pollen grains. The enzymatic technique introduced by Schols and colleagues is tested on a fresh pollen sample, a honey sample and a bee pollen capsule. The technique increases processing time, but is completely non-toxic, easy to complete and comparable in cost to acetolysis. Even very fragile grains are not damaged by this technique.
Ultrasonic Transducer-Guided Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy to Assess Lipid-Laden Plaques.

Plaque rupture causes acute coronary syndromes and stroke. Intraplaque oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) is metabolically unstable and prone to induce rupture. We designed an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensor to enhance the detection reproducibility of oxLDL-laden plaques. The flexible 2-point micro-electrode array for EIS was affixed to an inflatable balloon anchored onto a co-axial double layer catheter (outer diameter = 2 mm). The mechanically scanning-driven IVUS transducer (45 MHz) was deployed through the inner catheter (diameter = 1.3 mm) to the acoustic impedance matched-imaging window. Water filled the inner catheter to match acoustic impedance and air was pumped between the inner and outer catheters to inflate the balloon. The integrated EIS and IVUS sensor was deployed into the ex vivo aortas dissected from the fat-fed New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits (n = 3 for fat-fed, n = 5 normal diet). IVUS imaging was able to guide the 2-point electrode to align with the plaque for EIS measurement upon balloon inflation. IVUS-guided EIS signal demonstrated reduced variability and increased reproducibility (p < 0.0001 for magnitude, p < 0.05 for phase at <15 kHz) as compared to EIS sensor alone (p < 0.07 for impedance, p < 0.4 for phase at <15 kHz). Thus, we enhanced topographic and EIS detection of oxLDL-laden plaques via a catheter-based integrated sensor design to enhance clinical assessment for unstable plaque.
Investigation of mosquitoes and arboviruses in Hexi Corridor of Gansu province,China in 2011

Objective To investigate the species of mosquitoes and the distribution of arboviruses carried by the mosquitoes in Hexi Corridor of Gansu province,China in 2011.Methods Mosquito samples were collected from 6 p.m.to 6 a.m.in the next day with UV lamps.After being identified,the samples were preserved in liquid nitrogen and then transported to a laboratory for examination.Viruses were isolated from the samples by tissue culture,and the virus isolates were identified by serological and molecular biological methods.Homology and phylogenetic analysis was performed on the nucleotide sequences of isolated viruses by bioinformatics.Results A total of 24 028 mosquitoes,belonging to 6 species and 3 genera,were collected in seven counties or cities along Hexi Corridor in August 2011.Among the collected mosquitoes,Aedes vexans was the most abundant species,accounting for 32.80%(7880/24 028),and Culex pipiens pallens accounted for 30.26%(7272/24 028).One virus strain(GS11-155) that could induce pathological changes of two types of cells(BHK-21 and C6/36 cells) was isolated by cell culture.Genes of Culex flavivirus(CxFV),Liaoning virus(LNV),and Getah virus(GETV) were detected in 32 batches of mosquito samples,and in 11 of the 32 batches,1 had CxFV,3 had GETV,and 7 had LNV,according to nucleotide sequencing.Conclusion Ae.vexans was the dominant species of mosquitoes in Hexi Corridor of Gansu province,China.The mosquitoes in Hexi Corridor carry several types of arboviruses,including the CxFV,GETV,and LNV.
Observations on the Ultrastructure and Genesis of Urinary Calculi

AbstractConventional and scanning electron microscopy of calcigerous renal calculi discloses typical concentric laminations, radial striations and microspherules. Random axial distribution of oxalate crystals and their coating by electron-dense matrix fibers with a definite parallel orientation and cross-linkages are evident.The biochemical relationship of uromucoid to matrix substance A is described. It is suggested that renal sialidase may convert the urinary uromucoid to matrix substance A, whose apatitecovered fibers may be responsible for epitaxial nucleation of some crystal systems.Our studies indicate that the intimate apatite-matrix relationship occurs in the human nephron, probably as an intracellular phenomenon. Subsequent extrusion of these mineralized complexes into the lumen of the nephron (intranephronic calculosis) may, in some instances, represent the initial microanatomic stage of renal calculogenesis.
Words speak louder than pictures for action concepts: an eyetracking investigation of the picture superiority effect in semantic categorisation

ABSTRACTAn evolving consensus holds that actions and objects are supported by at least partially distinct neurocognitive substrates. In addition, representational modality (e.g. pictures vs. words) moderates the speed and accuracy of semantic access for both word classes. The picture superiority effect refers to the advantage that pictures manifest relative to words across a range of object recognition and memory recall tasks. While the effect has been investigated exclusively in the context of static objects, it is unclear whether this modality advantage extends to the processing of actions and/or verbs. We report two eyetracking experiments examining the dynamics of modality-specific access to actions via associative semantic judgement tasks for actions depicted as pictures or words. A range of eyetracking and behavioural measures revealed that participants consistently showed a reversal of the picture superiority effect for action semantic categorisation. These results challenge the privileged access h...
Robust confidence bounds for the mean of some count data models

A recent general method for the construction of Neyman type confidence intervals for an unknown parameter of a discrete distribution is considered. We derive a new useful criterion, which guarantees well-defined confidence bounds. The application of the method to automobile insurance claim number models is illustrated in a comprehensive way. For a specific data set, we show that among twelve retained satisfactory models out of sixteen, all provide similar exact confidence bounds for the mean number of claims. Moreover, these bounds coincide almost with the approximate confidence bounds obtained using a normal approximation to each model.
Search for Heavy Quarks at p p Colliders

At present, the Fermilab and CERN pp colliders with √s = 1.8 TeV and 0.63 TeV, respectively, provide the highest mass reach of existing accelerators for finding new particles. In particular, these colliders can be used to search for heavy quarks.
Assessing Clinical Significance of the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing Battery When Comparing Adjusted and Unadjusted RCI Methods for Different Ranges of Baseline Scores

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v DEDICATION vi TABLE OF CONTENTS vii LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES x CHAPTER
Inverse-probability weighted and propensity score-based analysis of long-term clinical outcomes comparing 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in the treatment of esophageal cancer.

e14548 Background: IMRT has clear dosimetric advantages in the sparing of normal tissues when compared to the more conventional 3DCRT technique for the treatment of esophageal cancer, but there is ...