cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Young adults perinatally infected with HIV perform more poorly on measures of executive functioning and motor speed than ethnically matched healthy controls.

Perinatal HIV is associated with significant neurocognitive morbidities, but few studies have examined cognitive impact of early HIV infection on patients surviving to adulthood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate neurocognitive outcomes among a cohort of perinatally infected young adults. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 with perinatal infection were recruited for this cross-sectional study along with similarly aged healthy controls. Participants completed an MRI and brief neuropsychological assessment battery. Multivariate analysis of covariance controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and education was completed to detect differences between the HIV+ and control groups. Multivariable linear regression was performed to assess HIV-associated factors potentially impacting neuropsychological findings among the HIV+ group. Twenty-nine HIV+ young adults and 13 healthy controls were included in the study. After adjusting for age and sociodemographic variables, the HIV+ group scored lower on attention/working memory (Digit Span (p = .008) and Letter-Number Sequencing (p = .038)), set-shifting (DKEFS Trail Making Test Condition 4 (p = .026) and motor speed (DKEFS Trail Making Test Condition 5 (p = .003)). For the HIV+ group, nadir CD4 was associated with better Letter-Number Sequencing score (p = .029) and use of highly active antiretroviral therapy was associated with better performance on Category Fluency (p = .040). After controlling for sociodemographic variables, executive dysfunction persists among young adults with perinatal HIV infection in comparison to controls. Future studies to further elucidate the impact of executive dysfunction on independent living and functional outcomes are indicated.
A Synthetic Perspective on the Own-Race Bias in Eyewitness Identification

Perceivers show worse memory for other-race than own-race faces. Much of the interest in this own-race bias (ORB) stems from the problems that it may introduce in eyewitness misidentification. Here we focus on extending our categorization-individuation model of the ORB. This model proposes that the ORB and other group-based memory biases result from co-acting factors: social categorization into ingroups and outgroups, greater motivation to individuate ingroup members, and greater individuation experience with ingroup than outgroup members. This model explains the social motivational origins of the ORB and makes novel predictions for how it can be reduced. After reviewing the extant literature, we make recommendations for reducing the ORB in eyewitness identification, both at the point of witnessing the crime and during the witness lineup. Our model indicates that reduction of the ORB through improvements in recognition sensitivity will occur through training specifically designed to encourage an individuation mindset. However, the model also indicates that the most effective interventions will occur before encoding, meaning that post-encoding interventions may only reduce the ORB by affecting decision criterion. Further, this perspective indicates that other own-race-like biases may emerge in eyewitness memory, meaning that memory distortions may be even more common than the ORB literature indicates. This model provides novel possibilities for interventions to reduce the ORB and its legal consequences, while also providing boundaries on where careful interventions are likely to be most effective. This chapter can inform the work of scholars and policymakers as they attempt to understand and reduce the ORB.
Restoring a smooth function from its noisy integrals

Numerical (and experimental) data analysis often requires the restoration of a smooth function from a set of sampled integrals over finite bins. We present the bin hierarchy method that efficiently computes the maximally smooth function from the sampled integrals using essentially all the information contained in the data. We perform extensive tests with different classes of functions and levels of data quality, including Monte Carlo data suffering from a severe sign problem and physical data for the Green's function of the Frohlich polaron.
ProMuteHT: A High Throughput Compute Pipeline for Generating Protein Mutants in silico

Understanding how an amino acid substitution affects a protein's structure is fundamental to advancing drug design and protein docking studies. Mutagenesis experiments on physical proteins provide a precise assessment of the effects of mutations, but they are time and cost prohibitive. Computational approaches for performing in silico amino acid substitutions are available, but they are not suited for generating large numbers of protein variants needed for high-throughput screening studies. We present ProMuteHT, a program for high throughput in silico generating user-specified sets of mutant protein structures with single or multiple amino acid substitutions. We combine our custom mutation algorithm with side chain homology modeling external libraries, and generate energetically feasible mutant structures. Our efficient command-line invocation syntax requires only a few arguments to specify large datasets of mutant structures. We achieve quick run-times due to our hybrid approach in which we limit the use of costly energy calculations when mutating from a large to a small amino acid. We compare our mutant structures with those generated by FoldX, and report faster run-times. We show that the mutants generated by ProMuteHT are of high quality, as determined via all-atom and mutated residue RMSD measurements for existing mutant structures in the PDB.
Mass excesses of Si 21 – 24 and S 24

I have used a recent parametrization of mirror energy differences to predict two-proton separation energies for $^{21\ensuremath{-}24}\mathrm{Si}$ and $^{24}\mathrm{S}$. Results are in good agreement with experimental values for $^{22,24}\mathrm{Si}$.
Poles of the Reflectance Function and Their Relation to Leaky Waves

Recent work on optical waveguides has revealed the presence of novel types of leaky waves along thin-film layers bounded by two open (substrate and cover) regions. The new field varieties include waves that radiate selectively into only one of the two open regions[1] and waves having backward propagation characteristics[2]. However, although a few such novel leaky waves have been identified analytically, the actual excitation of these waves by realistic sources has not yet been reported.
Heterogeneous mesoporous manganese/cobalt oxide catalysts for selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-diformylfuran

We report a heterogeneous catalytic protocol for the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) using a mesoporous manganese doped cobalt oxide material. The absence of precious metals and additives, use of air as the sole oxidant, and easy isolation of products, along with proper catalyst reusability, make our catalytic protocol attractive for the selective oxidation of HMF to DFF.
Flexible RF coil array system utilizing electro-textiles for 3T MRI carotid artery imaging

RF coil array system for 3T MRI carotid artery imaging is systematically designed, fabricated and characterized. Highly conductive (linear conductivity of 3Ω/m) electro-textiles and the topology of conformal surface coil array are used that will improve the coil performance. The major challenge of accurate tuning is overcome by the tunable circuitry and the complete consideration of human body and different parameters. The coil array key parameter of low S12 is achieved. The measured S11 of the fabricated coil array achieves −18 dB at exactly 127.7MHz. The measured S12 of the fabricated coil array has a maximum of −16dB, which is within the reasonable range. The effect of deformation on S11 performance is not significant, with a maximum of 1.1MHz shift when conformal to a cylinder with radius of 30mm, representing a typical human neck.
Translational Regulation during Photomorphogenesis

Algae and plants depend on light as the primary environmental stimulus regulating their developmental patterns, as well as their primary energy source. As just two examples, light triggers the development of proplastids into functional chloroplasts in photoautotrophs as divergent as Euglena and peas, and regular cycles of alternating light and darkness have the effect of synchronizing reproductive behavior within populations of organisms as divergent as Chlamydomonas and petunias. The phenomena of light-regulated development, or photomorphogenesis, have been extensively reviewed (as exemplified by several books1–4) and hence no comprehensive summary of them will be given here. Suffice it to say, it is by now well established that marked changes in gene expression occur in a wide range of photoautotrophs in response to light absorbed by one of three categories of photoreceptor pigments (namely, protochlorophyllide, phytochrome, or one of the incompletely defined group of pigments known as “blue-light receptors”). This brief review chapter focuses on the question of what role translational regulation may play in mediating such photoregulated gene expression in plants and algae.
Estimating Reactions and Recommending Products with Generative Models of Reviews

Traditional approaches to recommendation focus on learning from large volumes of historical feedback to estimate simple numerical quantities (Will a user click on a product? Make a purchase? etc.). Natural language approaches that model information like product reviews have proved to be incredibly useful in improving the performance of such methods, as reviews provide valuable auxiliary information that can be used to better estimate latent user preferences and item properties. In this paper, rather than using reviews as an inputs to a recommender system, we focus on generating reviews as the model’s output. This requires us to efficiently model text (at the character level) to capture the preferences of the user, the properties of the item being consumed, and the interaction between them (i.e., the user’s preference). We show that this can model can be used to (a) generate plausible reviews and estimate nuanced reactions; (b) provide personalized rankings of existing reviews; and (c) recommend existing products more effectively.
KMT2D regulates p63 target enhancers to coordinate epithelial homeostasis

Epithelial tissues rely on a highly coordinated balance between self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation, disruption of which may drive carcinogenesis. The epigenetic regulator KMT2D (MLL4) is one of the most frequently mutated genes in all cancers, particularly epithelial cancers, yet its normal function in these tissues is unknown. Here, we identify a novel role for KMT2D in coordinating this fine balance, as depletion of KMT2D from undifferentiated epidermal keratinocytes results in reduced proliferation, premature spurious activation of terminal differentiation genes, and disorganized epidermal stratification. Genome-wide, KMT2D interacts with p63 and is enriched at its target enhancers. Depletion of KMT2D results in a broad loss of enhancer histone modifications H3 Lys 4 (H3K4) monomethylation (H3K4me1) and H3K27 acetylation (H3K27ac) as well as reduced expression of p63 target genes, including key genes involved in epithelial development and adhesion. Together, these results reveal a critical role for KMT2D in the control of epithelial enhancers and p63 target gene expression, including the requirement of KMT2D for the maintenance of epithelial progenitor gene expression and the coordination of proper terminal differentiation.
Transferable Coarse-Grained Models of Liquid–Liquid Equilibrium Using Local Density Potentials Optimized with the Relative Entropy

Bottom-up coarse-grained (CG) models are now regularly pursued to enable large length and time scale molecular simulations of complex, often macromolecular systems. However, predicting fluid phase equilibria using such models remains fundamentally challenging. A major problem stems from the typically low transferability of CG models beyond the densities and/or compositions at which they are parametrized, which is necessary if they are to describe distinct structural and thermodynamic properties unique to each phase. CG model transferability is compounded by the representation of the inherently multibody coarse interactions using pair potentials that neglect higher order effects. Here, we propose to construct transferable single site CG models of liquid mixtures by supplementing traditional CG pair interactions with local density potentials, which constitute a computationally inexpensive mean-field approach to describe many-body effects, in that site energies are modulated by the local solution environment...
Mythic Quest in Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde

Blonde on Blonde epitomizes Bob Dylan’s debts to the classics. The album depicts the mythic quest of a hipster-hero descending into the Underworld in pursuit of the Muse. The hero resembles Dylan b...
The next generation of spaceborne radars for cloud and precipitation measurements

NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) is currently developing advanced instrument concepts and technologies for the next generation of spaceborne atmospheric radars for clouds and precipitation measurements. Two representative examples are the Radar in a CubeSat (RainCube) – a miniaturized Ka-band precipitation intensity profiling radar for operation on a 6U CubeSat bus; and the Multi-Application Smallsat Tri-band Radar (MASTR) – a Ku/Ka/W band, electronic scanning, and Doppler atmospheric radar. These radar concepts will be capable of providing information on both the state and the process of the atmospheric water (as opposed to just the state information provided by existing spaceborne radars) to fill the current observational gaps in the advancement of weather and climate models.
Trends in the Management of Nonviable Pregnancies of Unknown Location in the United States.

BACKGROUND When managing a nonviable pregnancy of unknown location (PUL), a debate has emerged in the literature whether to perform uterine curettage for definitive diagnosis of pregnancy location or administer methotrexate for a presumed ectopic pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to describe the treatment patterns when managing a PUL. METHODS A prospective, anonymous Internet based-electronic survey of PUL case scenarios was administered to a random sample of physicians across the United States. RESULTS A total of 214 physicians responded. When presented with a PUL by ultrasound and a βhCG measurement of 3,270 mIU/mL, which is above the discriminatory level, 88.3% (188) would choose an additional βhCG measurement before recommending any intervention. When presented with a PUL by ultrasound and serial βhCG measurements demonstrating an inappropriate trend for a viable gestation, 36.5% would offer uterine curettage and 31.3% would offer methotrexate. Resident and private clinicians had a fourfold lower adjusted odds of choosing uterine curettage compared to academic physicians. CONCLUSIONS Based on our findings, there does not appear to be a consensus regarding the management of a PUL.
Reproduction, Responsibility and Rationality

In general terms, competent adults are deemed to have the right to reproduce. This right is generally understood as a negative right – a right of non-interference – derived from broader notions of autonomy and liberty. To say that someone has a right to reproduce is to say that, other things being equal, the person has the freedom to decide whether to reproduce or not, and other persons have correlative duties not to interfere. In this regard, the right to reproduce is akin to other negative rights, for example, the right to choose one’s own religion, partner, or the method by which to educate one’s children. Framed as a negative right, the right to reproduce serves to recognize and protect individual values and personal liberty against the interests of others or social utility. As we are familiar, this negative right is not universally respected, and some countries have enacted policies that permit such restrictions. Furthermore, we may believe, or come to believe in the future, that such restrictions are morally defensible. The right to reproduce, however, is not a unitary notion, and neither is the right isolated nor absolute. As has been argued elsewhere, the notion of reproductive freedom should not be understood simply to be limited to the decision whether to reproduce or not; rather this freedom encompasses a number of decisions, such as choices regarding reproductive method and what kind of children to have [1]. Furthermore, as Tom Murray has argued, the right to reproduction conceived as “procreative liberty” may be too narrow a framework for thinking about parents and children [2]. Decisions to have children are rarely, if ever, made or defended purely in terms of negative rights; rather, they are made in the context of other interests, values, and obligations. Additionally, the right to reproduce is not unrestricted. As John Robertson has argued the right to reproduce entails that the person violates no prima facie moral duty in deciding whether to reproduce or not; in other words, if S has a right to X then, other things being equal, S does not have a moral duty to refrain from
Measurement and Mapping of Riverine Environments by Optical Remote Sensing

Abstract : The overarching objective of this investigation is to develop an advanced, operational capacity for characterizing river systems via remote sensing. We are particularly interested in methods for obtaining continuous, high resolution measurements of channel morphology and hydraulics from optical image data. The ability to efficiently and non-invasively map river corridors in this manner would afford a number of significant advantages to both the defense and research communities and could foster novel insight regarding fluvial processes. Before this potential can be realized, however, several important issues must be considered. More specifically, the overall goals of this project are to: 1. Improve our understanding of radiative transfer processes governing the interaction of electromagnetic energy with the atmosphere, air-water interface, water column, and substrate, and the measurement of this energy by a remote detector. Because these processes both enable and limit the retrieval of river information from optical data, this effort could lead to novel techniques for measuring depth, velocity, bottom composition, and water optical properties. 2. Systematically evaluate the ability of various remote sensing instruments to map a broad range of riverine environments. This assessment will help to define the extent to which different types of sensors deployed above diverse types of channels can provide the accuracy, precision, and dynamic range necessary for specific kinds of applications. 3. Develop more efficient procedures for extracting river information from optical data. Establishing integrated workflows for processing and analyzing such data will allow optical remote sensing to become a viable, operational tool for quantitative mapping of river systems.
Finding the smoking gun of lung fibrosis after influenza

A preclinical model of influenza-related lung injury reveals the impact of smoking on tissue repair mechanisms.
Parallel evolution of gene classes, but not genes: Evidence from Hawai'ian honeycreeper populations exposed to avian malaria.

Adaptation in nature is ubiquitous, yet characterizing its genomic basis is difficult because population demographics cause correlations with nonadaptive loci. Introduction events provide opportunities to observe adaptation over known spatial and temporal scales, facilitating the identification of genes involved in adaptation. The pathogen causing avian malaria, Plasmodium relictum, was introduced to Hawai'i in the 1930s and elicited extinctions and precipitous population declines in native honeycreepers. After a sharp initial population decline, the Hawai'i 'amakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens) has evolved tolerance to the parasite at low elevations where P. relictum exists, and can sustain infection without major fitness consequences. High-elevation, unexposed populations of 'amakihi display little to no tolerance. To explore the genomic basis of adaptation to P. relictum in low-elevation 'amakihi, we genotyped 125 'amakihi from the island of Hawai'i via hybridization capture to 40,000 oligonucleotide baits containing SNPs and used the reference 'amakihi genome to identify genes potentially under selection from malaria. We tested for outlier loci between low- and high-elevation population pairs and identified loci with signatures of selection within low-elevation populations. In some cases, genes commonly involved in the immune response (e.g., major histocompatibility complex) were associated with malaria presence in the population. We also detected several novel candidate loci that may be implicated in surviving malaria infection (e.g., beta-defensin, glycoproteins and interleukin-related genes). Our results suggest that rapid adaptation to pathogens may occur through changes in different immune genes, but in the same classes of genes, across populations.
A Hardware Realization of Superresolution Combining Random Coding and Blurring.

Resolution enhancements are often desired in imaging applications where high-resolution sensor arrays are difficult to obtain. Many computational imaging methods have been proposed to encode high-resolution scene information on low-resolution sensors by cleverly modulating light from the scene before it hits the sensor. These methods often require movement of some portion of the imaging apparatus or only acquire images up to the resolution of a modulating element. Here a technique is presented for resolving beyond the resolutions of both a pointwise-modulating mask element and a sensor array through the introduction of a controlled blur into the optical pathway. The analysis contains an intuitive and exact expression for the overall superresolvability of the system, and arguments are presented to explain how the combination of random coding and blurring makes the superresolution problem well-posed. Experimental results demonstrate that a resolution enhancement of approximately $4\times$ is possible in practice using standard optical components, without mechanical motion of the imaging apparatus, and without any a priori assumptions on scene structure.
Therapeutic targeting of the VEGF-Neuropilin interaction: prediction of the best strategy using a computational model

964 Pathological angiogenesis is a major factor in tumor growth and cancer metastasis, as well as several other diseases including diabetic retinopathy and arthritis. Inhibiting this neovascularization is a promising therapeutic approach. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a secreted glycoprotein and a critical regulator of angiogenesis. The shortest splice isoform of VEGF (VEGF 121 ) is freely diffusible; longer isoforms are sequestered by binding sites in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and basement membranes (BM) between cells. The isoforms also differ in their ability to bind Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) - only VEGF 165 binds this non-signaling co-receptor. We have constructed a computational model of VEGF isoform secretion in vivo by parenchymal cells, transport through BM and ECM, and binding to receptors on microvascular endothelial cells (ECs). The interactions between the cell surface VEGF receptors (VEGFR) 1 and 2 and Neuropilin-1 determine the binding and activity of the VEGF isoforms, and are modeled using kinetics obtained from previous experimental data. We simulate three therapeutic strategies that target the VEGF 165 -NRP1 interaction and thus inhibit VEGF signaling and angiogenesis: (1) blocking NRP1 expression; (2) blocking VEGF-NRP1 binding; and (3) blocking NRP1-VEGFR coupling. The model results predict that each strategy results in distinct changes in VEGF signaling, and that more significant VEGF inhibition over a longer period of time is achieved by blocking receptor coupling. We also show that the results are not identical to predictions of in vitro inhibition of VEGF signaling using the same techniques, and that the presence of VEGFR1 plays a significant role in the outcome of these strategies. Supported by HL79653.
Warren E. Buffett, 2015

This case was designed as an introduction to a finance course or a module on capital markets. Alternatively, it could be used as a basic introduction to methods of valuing a firm. A detailed teaching note provides instructors with a teaching plan for either scenario. Set in August 2015, students are asked to evaluate Warren Buffett's decision to acquire the aerospace-parts supplier Precision Castparts Corporation (PCP), which would be the largest-ever deal for Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett's holding company. Excerpt UVA-F-1769 Rev. Nov. 8, 2017 Warren E. Buffett, 2015 On August 10, 2015, Warren E. Buffett, chair and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., announced that Berkshire Hathaway would acquire the aerospace-parts supplier Precision Castparts Corporation (PCP). In Buffett's largest deal ever, Berkshire would purchase all of PCP's outstanding shares for $ 235 per share in cash, a 21% premium over the trading price a day earlier. The bid valued PCP's equity at $ 32.3billion. The total transaction value would be $ 37.2billion, including assuming PCP's outstanding debt—this was what analysts called the “enterprise value.” “I've admired PCP's operation for a long time. For good reasons, it is the supplier of choice for the world's aerospace industry, one of the largest sources of American exports,” Buffett said. After the announcement, Berkshire Hathaway's Class A shares moved down 1.1% at market open, a loss in market value of $ 4.05billion. PCP's share price jumped 19.2% at the news; the S&P 500 Composite Index opened up 0.2%. Exhibit 1 illustrates the recent share-price performance for Berkshire Hathaway, PCP, and the S&P 500 Index. Exhibit 2 presents recent consolidated financial statements for the firm. The acquisition of PCP, Berkshire Hathaway's largest deal ever, renewed public interest in its sponsor, Buffett. In many ways, he was an anomaly. One of the richest individuals in the world (with an estimated net worth of about $ 66.5billion according to Forbes), he was also respected and even beloved. Though he had accumulated perhaps the best investment record in history (a compound annual increase in wealth for Berkshire Hathaway of 21.6% from 1965 to 2014), Berkshire Hathaway paid him only $ 100,000 per year to serve as its CEO. While Buffett and other insiders controlled 39.5% of Berkshire Hathaway, he ran the company in the interests of all shareholders. “We will not take cash compensation, restricted stock, or option grants that would make our results superior to [those of Berkshire's investors],” Buffett said. “I will keep well over 99% of my net worth in Berkshire. My wife and I have never sold a share nor do we intend to.” . . .
Myocardial Stiffness by Intrinsic Cardiac Elastography in Patients with Amyloidosis: Comparison with Chamber Stiffness and Global Longitudinal Strain

Background The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that intrinsic cardiac elastography can detect diastolic tissue abnormalities produced by cardiac amyloid infiltration and that measurements may have incremental value beyond traditional echocardiographic measures. The specific aims were (1) to evaluate the relationship between left ventricular myocardial stiffness (by elastography) and measures of diastolic chamber stiffness and systolic strain in patients with amyloidosis and (2) to compare their prognostic potential. Methods We prospectively studied 67 patients with amyloidosis (cardiac amyloidosis, n = 48; noncardiac amyloidosis, n = 19) and 40 normal subjects. Patients underwent comprehensive echocardiography including measurement of left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) by speckle-tracking. Intrinsic velocity propagation of myocardial stretch (iVP), a direct measure of myocardial elasticity, was quantified using intrinsic cardiac elastography. Chamber stiffness was evaluated from the end-diastolic pressure-volume relationships (P = αVβ). The major end point at follow-up was the composite of death, cardiac hospitalization, worsening heart failure, and stroke. Results The iVP of myocardial stretch was highest in patients with cardiac amyloidosis compared with those with noncardiac amyloidosis and normal subjects (3.2 ± 1.0, 1.8 ± 0.4, and 1.6 ± 0.2 m/sec, respectively; P Conclusions Measurements by cardiac elastography correlate with functional and structural derangements produced by cardiac amyloid infiltration but provide unique information that is incremental to conventional echocardiography.
Social Constructions of Rape at Columbia University and Barnard College, 1955–90

Sex on college campuses has fascinated scholars, reporters, and the public since the advent of coeducational higher education in the middle of the nineteenth century. But the emergence of rape on campus as a public problem is relatively recent. This article reveals the changing social constructions of campus rape as a public problem through a detailed examination of newspaper reporting on this issue as it unfolded at Columbia University and Barnard College between 1955 and 1990. Adapting Joseph R. Gusfield’s classic formulation of public problem construction, we show the ways police and other judicial and law enforcement authorities, feminists, university faculty, student groups, university administrators, and health professionals and institutions have struggled over ownership of how the problem should be defined and described, attribution of responsibility for addressing the problem, and prescriptions for what is to be done. Our findings show how beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the simultaneous swelling of the women’s liberation movement and the exponential integration of women into previously male-dominated institutions of higher education and medicine catalyzed the creation of new kinds of knowledge, institutions, and expertise to address rape and sexual violence more broadly on college campuses. New actors—feminists and health professionals—layered frames of gender and health over those of crime and punishment to fundamentally transform how we understand rape on campus, and beyond.
State of Physician and Pharmacist Oncology Workforce in the United States in 2019

PURPOSE:To examine the geographic distribution of physician and pharmacist workforce specialized in oncology in the United States.METHODS:Using the National Provider Identifier data, we identified ...
Conclusion: Implications for Evaluation, Therapy, and Training

The foregoing, admittedly, radical arguments present implications for how the evaluation and improvement of human relationships will occur in the near future.
Construction of Daniell Integrals

Daniell integrals and expectations in common use in statistics exist which are not weighted sums and are not derived from weighted sums by use of distributions or inverse distributions. This chapter considers two basic techniques for construction of Daniell integrals. The first technique, described in Section 4.1, applies to a population S and a pseudometric d on S. As in Riesz (1914) and Tjur (1980, p. 17), if S is locally compact relative to d, then any positive linear functional G on C 0d is a Daniell preintegral. Then, as in Section 2.3, H = Ix(G) is a Daniell integral. In many typical cases, the positive linear functional G on C 0d is readily constructed by using limits of weighted sums. Thus, in Section 4.1, Lebesgue (1904, 1910) integrals are developed for subpopulations of the real line. Transformations and weights are then used in Section 4.2 to construct a variety of Daniell integrals and expectations in common use. In Section 4.3, product integrals are developed and used to construct Lebesgue integrals for subpopulations of R T for finite populations T.
Long-term outcomes of children treated with the ketogenic diet in the past.

Summary Purpose: The ketogenic diet has well-established short- and long-term outcomes for children with intractable epilepsy, but only for those actively receiving it. However, no information exists about its long-term effects years after it has been discontinued. Methods: Living subjects were identified who were treated at the Johns Hopkins Hospital with the ketogenic diet from November 1993 to December 2008 for ≥1 month, and had discontinued it ≥6 months prior to this study. Of 530 patients who were eligible, 254 were successfully contacted by phone or e-mail with a survey and request for laboratory studies. Results: Questionnaires were completed by 101 patients, with a median current age of 13 years (range 2–26 years). Median time since discontinuing the ketogenic diet was 6 years (range 0.8–14 years). Few (8%) still preferred to eat high fat foods. In comparison to the 52% responder rate (>50% seizure reduction) at ketogenic diet discontinuation, 79% were now similarly improved (p = 0.0001). Ninety-six percent would recommend the ketogenic diet to others, yet only 54% would have started it before trying anticonvulsants. Lipids were normal (mean total cholesterol 158 mg/dl), despite most being abnormal while on the ketogenic diet. The mean Z scores for those younger than age 18 years were −1.28 for height and −0.79 for weight. In those 18 years of age or older, the mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.2. Discussion: This is the first study to report on the long-term effects of the ketogenic diet after discontinuation. The majority of subjects are currently doing well with regard to health and seizure control.
Effect of tool pin features on process response variables during friction stir welding of dissimilar aluminum alloys

In this paper, the effect of pin features and orientation/placement of the materials on advancing side were investigated for friction stir welding (FSW) of dissimilar aluminum alloys AA2050 and AA6061. Pins for FSW were produced with a 2·12 mm pitch thread having three flats/flutes. Three sets of rotational speed/welding speed were used to perform a series of welds in a butt joint arrangement. The results show that, joint quality, process response variables and welding temperature are highly affected by pin features and material orientation in FSW. Defect free joints with effective material transportation in the weld nugget zone were obtained when welding was performed with AA2050 on the advancing side. The tool also encounters less in plane reaction force for welding with 2050 on the advancing side. Pin with thread+3 flats produces quality welds at low rotational and travel speed regardless of the location of alloys on advancing or retreating side.
Chapter 2 Unmyelinated nerves, challenges, and opportunities: skin biopsy and beyond

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the techniques used for the biopsy, staining, imaging, and evaluation of pain conveying and other unmyelinated nerves in the skin and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and their utility in clinical and experimental conditions. To conduct a skin biopsy, a commercial punch biopsy tool is placed on the skin and given a quick twist with minimal pressure after lidocaine anesthesia. The edge of the biopsy is grasped with a fine forceps, elevated and removed by scissors. The biopsy specimen is fixed in cold Zamboni paraformaldehyde-picric acid solution overnight and then cryoprotected in 20% sucrose at pH 7.4 in phosphate buffered saline until it is processed. Sections are incubated in buffer-containing triton and donkey serum to minimize nonspecific background staining. Combinations of several antibodies are used to stain the several structures in skin. Other immunostains commonly used for specific structures include vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) for types of nerve fibers, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP), collagen type IV for basement membrane at the dermal–epidermal junction and around blood vessels, and S-100 for Schwann cells and Langerhan cells.
A microcontroller based SHE inverter for maximum power point operation

MPP (Maximum Power Point) integrated inverters are essential to reduce cost and improve efficiency of PV system. It removes the need of two separate power electronic devices: dc/dc converter for MPP; and dc/ac inverter for grid connectivity or driving ac loads. To popularize roof top PV power, micro inverters are commonly used and the system cost can be further reduced if maximum power point tracking is integrated into the inverter. The paper focuses on a new breed of MPP integrated inverter that will produce high quality power with reduced THD while operating the inverter at a point to extract maximum power from the PV panel. The work will be centered on new research results that employ microcontroller based selective harmonic elimination with digital control of the fundamental amplitude. This has been implemented by the authors to eliminate harmonics up to 7th followed by low-pass filtering. The fundamental amplitude will be controlled digitally with a feedback from the load voltage to arrive at the MPP. No such approach has been investigated in the current literature. The current work in this area employs a one cycle controller in conjunction with the H-ridge to adjust the output current supplied to the grid as a function of PV voltage to extract the maximum power.
Changes in lipoproteins associated with methotrexate or combination therapy in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis trial.

Objective To study changes in lipid profiles at 24 weeks among patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) participating in the Treatment of Early RA (TEAR) trial and randomized to receive methotrexate (MTX) plus etanercept, triple therapy (MTX plus sulfasalazine plus hydroxychloroquine), or aggressively titrated MTX monotherapy. Methods This TEAR substudy included 459 participants with biologic specimens. Serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were measured at 0 and 24 weeks. Results At 24 weeks, there were statistically significant increases in mean cholesterol levels in the MTX plus etanercept, triple therapy, and MTX monotherapy arms. The observed increases were 31.4 mg/dl, 28.7 mg/dl, and 30 mg/dl in LDL cholesterol, 19.3 mg/dl, 22.3 mg/dl, and 20.6 mg/dl in HDL cholesterol, and 56.8 mg/dl, 53 mg/dl, and 57.3 mg/dl in total cholesterol (P < 0.0001 versus baseline for each comparison). There was a statistically significant decrease in the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol at 24 weeks in all 3 treatment groups versus baseline. There was no difference in any lipid changes between the 3 treatment arms. After multivariable adjustment, change in C-reactive protein, but not the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints, was associated with change in LDL cholesterol (P = 0.03) and total cholesterol (P = 0.01). Baseline glucocorticoid use was associated with changes in HDL cholesterol (P = 0.03) and total cholesterol (P = 0.02). Conclusion Levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol increased comparably shortly after initiation of MTX plus etanercept, triple therapy, and MTX monotherapy among patients with early RA with active disease participating in a clinical trial. The clinical relevance of short-term changes in traditional lipids on cardiovascular outcomes remains to be determined.
MyD88 Signaling Regulates Both Host Defense and Immunopathogenesis during Pneumocystis Infection

The immune response protects against Pneumocystis infection but is also a key component of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP)-related immunopathogenesis. Signaling through myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is critical for activation of immune pathways downstream of TLRs and IL-1R. To determine whether MyD88 regulates normal host defense against Pneumocystis, nonimmunosuppressed wild-type (WT) and MyD88-deficient mice were infected. MyD88(-/-) mice had higher early Pneumocystis burdens than did WT mice but mounted an effective adaptive immune response and cleared Pneumocystis similarly to WT. However, MyD88(-/-) mice displayed a more intense and prolonged pulmonary immune response than did WT mice. To determine the role of MyD88 in the development of PcP-related immunopathogenesis, WT and MyD88(-/-) mice were rendered susceptible to PcP by depletion of CD4(+) T cells. At 4 wk postinfection, CD4-depleted WT and MyD88(-/-) mice harbored similar organism burdens, but MyD88(-/-) mice were protected from the PcP-related respiratory impairment observed in WT mice. Improved pulmonary physiology in MyD88(-/-) mice correlated with lower lung CCL2 levels and reduced cell recruitment. However, by 5 wk postinfection, the overall health of MyD88(-/-) mice began to deteriorate rapidly relative to WT, with accelerated weight loss, impaired lung function, and exacerbated alveolar inflammation. This physiological decline of MyD88(-/-) mice was associated with increased TNF-α and IFN-γ in the lung, and by the inability to control Pneumocystis burden. Thus, MyD88 is not required for resistance to Pneumocystis infection, but limits the adaptive immune response in immunocompetent mice. In the setting of active PcP, MyD88 signaling contributes to both immunopathogenesis and control of fungal burden.
Extended interaction sources above 220 GHz

CPI Canada have produced EIKs and EIOs at frequencies up to 220 GHz. Recent development programs have demonstrated that the technology exists to design and build Extended Interaction devices at low THz frequencies. This paper describes current and predicted performance of these devices, the design challenges and solutions to enable this performance.
Negotiating Identities: A History of Islamization in Black West Africa

While Muslim immigrants from West Africa are arriving in the United States at unprecedented rates, few recognize their Islamic activity. The orientalist stereotypes many westerners consume about Islam prevent them from understanding the complex ways these Muslims negotiate their religious, racial, and ethnic identities. Today, most West African Muslims in the US belong to the Wolof, a major ethnic group in Senegal, followed by the Malinke of Cote dʾIvoire. As such, their Islamic identity is not straight forward, forcing them to shift the boundaries of their Black and African heritage to accommodate their faith. This article argues that in order to fully grasp the contemporary practices of West African Muslims, one must understand the overall history of their Islamization, a process describing how the Wolof and Malinke have negotiated their preexisting identities to form an Islamic sense of self.
Smoothed (conditional) perturbation analysis of discrete event dynamical systems

A new sample path analysis approach based on the smoothing property of conditional expectation for estimating the performance sensitivity of discrete event dynamical systems is proposed. Several examples are presented to show how this approach overcomes a difficulty of the ordinary infinitesimal perturbation analysis. The basic message is that one can get more knowledge about the system performance by observing and analyzing the sample path than by using the conventional simulation approach. It is also pointed out that the classical queueing theory approach for getting the performance sensitivity and the sample path based infinitesimal perturbation analysis approach can be unified in the framework of the new approach, the smoothed (conditional) perturbation analysis.
Pleuropericardial effusion following myocardial infarction

Abstract A case of bilateral pleural effusion with pericardial effusion of unknown cause occurring seven weeks after a myocardial infarction is reported. The similarity of the clinical and laboratory findings to those of the postcommissurotomy syndrome are noted. Possible causes for the effusions are discussed.
The inhalation toxicology of benzene: Incidence of hematopoietic neoplasms and hematotoxicity in AKRJ and C57BL6J mice

Abstract AKR J mice and C57BL 6J mice were given lifetime exposures to 100 and 300 ppm benzene, respectively. Peripheral blood cell counts were obtained biweekly throughout the exposures. Anemia and lymphocytopenia were produced in benzene-exposed AKR mice. Twenty percent of the exposed AKR mice developed bone marrow hypoplasia, compared to 2% for the controls. The benzene exposures did not alter the incidence or induction time of the viral-induced lymphomas commonly seen in AKR mice. In C57BL mice, exposure to benzene produced anemia, lymphocytopenia, and neutrophilia accompanied by a left shift. Thirteen (33%) of the exposed C57BL mice developed bone marrow hyperplasia and in four of these mice, hyperplasia was essentially limited to granulopoietic elements. None of the control C57BL mice developed bone marrow hyperplasia. In benzene-exposed C57BL mice there was a significant increase in the incidence of hematopoietic neoplasms including six cases (15%) of thymic lymphoma. Although two control mice (5%) died with lymphoma neither of these tumors involved the thymus. Thymic lymphoma is rare in C57BL mice but can be produced by ionizing radiation and chemical carcinogens.
Katianna maryae n. sp. (Collembola: Katiannidae), a southern Appalachian species of a Gondwanan genus

Katianna maryae n. sp. is described from turf and grassy fields in eastern Tennessee, USA. This species is the first of its genus to be noted from temperate North America. It is distinguished from other described Katianna spp. by a combination of the following characters: color pattern of body an intricate mosaic of purple-brown, yellow-orange and white; copper-brown median stripe between eye patches; fourth antennal segment annuliform but not subsegmented; region between interantennal and clypeal region devoid of setae, clypeal region with six rows of setae; fore and middle feet with 8 clavate tenent hairs, hind foot with 6; apical filament of unguiculus long on fore and middle tibiotarsi, short on hind tibiotarsus; unguis with intricate multidentate pseudonychia; posterior face of dens with one proximal seta and a pair of subapical setae.
Utilization of underwater particle velocity channels for data transmission: Signals, channels and system performance

Recent studies have shown that a vector sensor can serve as a multichannel receiver in underwater communication systems. Here we propose a method to transmit data via the recently introduced underwater particle velocity channels, using a vector dipole sensor. System and channel equations are derived, and system performance results are presented. The results show the possibility of data transmission using a vector sensor in these new channels.
The unfolding mechanism and the disulfide structures of denatured lysozyme.

The mechanism of denaturation and unfolding of lysozyme has been characterized here using the method of disulfide scrambling. Under denaturing conditions (urea, guanidinium hydrochloride (GdmCl), guanidinium thiocyanate (GdmSCN), or elevated temperature) and in the presence of thiol initiator, lysozyme denatures by shuffling its four native disulfide bonds and converts to a mixture of fully oxidized scrambled isomers. To denature 50% of the native lysozyme requires 1.1 M of GdmSCN, 2.8 M of GdmCl and 7.4 M of urea, respectively. High temperature (75°C) denatures the native lysozyme quantitatively within 20 min. Analysis by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography reveals that urea and GdmCl denatured lysozyme comprise a single predominant disulfide isomer, designated as X-lysozyme-a, regardless of the concentration of the denaturant. X-Lysozyme-a was shown to adopt the beads-form structure with its four disulfide bonds formed by four consecutive pairs of cysteines (Cys6–Cys30, Cys64–Cys76, Cys80–Cys94, Cys115–Cys127). The conspicuous absence of partially structured unfolding intermediates of lysozyme contrasts to that found in the case of α-lactalbumin and accounts for the widely observed two-stage mechanism of lysozyme unfolding.