cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Volume and fat infiltration of spino-pelvic musculature in adults with spinal deformity.

AIM: To investigate fat infiltration and volume of spino-pelvic muscles in adults spinal deformity (ASD) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 3D reconstructions. METHODS: Nineteen female ASD patients (mean age 60 ± 13) were included prospectively and consecutively and had T1-weighted Turbo Spin Echo sequence MRIs with Dixon method from the proximal tibia up to T12 vertebra. The Dixon method permitted to evaluate the proportion of fat inside each muscle (fat-water ratio). In order to investigate the accuracy of the Dixon method for estimating fat vs water, the same MRI acquisition was performed on phantoms of four vials composed of different proportion of fat vs water. With Muscl’X software, 3D reconstructions of 17 muscles or group of muscles were obtained identifying the muscle’s contour on a limited number of axial images [Deformation of parametric specific objects (DPSO) Method]. Musclar volume (Vmuscle), infiltrated fat volume (Vfat) and percentage of fat infiltration [Pfat, calculated as follow: Pfat = 100 × (Vfat/Vmuscle)] were characterized by extensor or flexor function respectively for the spine, hip and knee and theirs relationship with demographic data were investigated. RESULTS: Phantom acquisition demonstrated a non linear relation between Dixon fat-water ratio and the real fat-water ratio. In order to correct the Dixon fat-water ratio, the non linear relation was approximated with a polynomial function of degree three using the phantom acquisition. On average, Pfat was 13.3% ± 5.3%. Muscles from the spinal extensor group had a Pfat significantly greater than the other muscles groups, and the largest variability (Pfat = 31.9% ± 13.8%, P < 0.001). Muscles from the hip extensor group ranked 2nd in terms of Pfat (14% ± 8%), and were significantly greater than those of the knee extensor (P = 0.030). Muscles from the knee extensor group demonstrated the least Pfat (12% ± 8%). They were also the only group with a significant correlation between Vmuscle and Pfat (r = -0.741, P < 0.001), however this correlation was lacking in the other groups. No correlation was found between the Vmuscle total and age or body mass index. Except for the spine flexors, Pfat was correlated with age. Vmuscle and Vfat distributions demonstrated that muscular degeneration impacted the spinal extensors most. CONCLUSION: Mechanisms of fat infiltration are not similar among the muscle groups. Degeneration impacted the spinal and hip extensors most, key muscles of the sagittal alignment.
Exercise (Circulatory Adjustments and Creatine)

Abstract: Cardiac ejection efficiency increases remarkably during exercise. CPK isozymes (i.e., CPKm, CPKc, and CPKg) participate in “shuttling” high energy phosphates toward myosin filaments during exercise. Creatinine is a natural break-down product of C~PO3 in muscle tissue. Muscle typically contains two to three times more C~PO3 than ATP. Adenosine, a break-down product of AMP during muscle contraction, is a vasodilator. ADP, AMP, Pi, and NH4 + activate phosphofructokinase (PFK) in exercising muscle. Arg, Gly, and Met are used by the kidney and liver in the biosynthesis of creatine. Uric acid is a purine degradation product formed in muscle tissue during exercise. Creatinine concentrations increase in plasma when the glomerular filtration rate is compromised. Creatinuria (i.e., increased amounts of creatine in urine) occurs with excessivemuscle breakdown.
Endpoint? Death/The Nobel Prize

Based on the preceding analysis, it is clear that the intellectual and life trajectories of Jose Maria Arguedas and Mario Vargas Llosa could not have been more disparate. Both inhabitants of the coveted and unstable territory of the literary canon, they are very dissimilar in their use of language and the paraphernalia of discursive strategies of modernity.
Design and simulation of a 4 kV ESD protection circuit for a 0.8 mu m BiCMOS process

The authors present a novel ESD protection circuit that demonstrates 4 kV ESD protection in a BiCMOS process and show how to apply widely available simulation tools (TMA-PISCES and SPICE) to design this circuit. The protection circuit uses a novel triggering scheme by which an npn is able to protect the fully silicided, LDD (lightly doped drain) output nMOST. The npn is triggered by an nMOST injecting charge into the base. ESD stress data are obtained on control circuits to establish that the trigger transistor is indeed necessary. The authors also discuss other triggering schemes and general output protection strategies for advanced CMOS and BiCMOS circuits. >
Is School the Best Route to Skills? Returns to Vocational School and Vocational Skills in Egypt

This paper tests the assumption that formal education is the best route to job skills. The returns to formal vocational secondary schooling are compared to the returns to acquiring skills outside the education system, such as undertaking an apprenticeship, for male wage workers in Egypt. A unique longitudinal dataset with information on schooling and skills allows for causal inference about returns by comparing siblings. For recent cohorts, the estimated returns to formal vocational secondary education are the same as attaining no formal education. However, the returns to skills obtained outside of formal education are substantial.
Current strategies and successes in engaging women in vector control: a systematic review

Introduction Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) cause significant mortality and morbidity in low-income and middle-income countries and present a risk to high-income countries. Vector control programmes may confront social and cultural norms that impede their execution. Anecdotal evidence suggests that incorporating women in the design, delivery and adoption of health interventions increases acceptance and compliance. A better understanding of programmes that have attempted to increase women’s involvement in vector control could help shape best practices. The objective of this systematic review was to assess and critically summarise evidence regarding the effectiveness of women participating in vector control. Methods Seven databases were searched from inception to 21 December 2015. Two investigators independently reviewed all titles and abstracts for relevant articles. Grey literature was searched by assessing websites that focus on international development and vector control. Results In total, 23 articles representing 17 unique studies were included in this review. Studies discussed the involvement of women in the control of vectors for malaria (n=10), dengue (n=8), human African trypanosomiasis (n=3), schistosomiasis (n=1) and a combination (malaria and schistosomiasis, n=1). Seven programmes were found in the grey literature or through personal communications. Available literature indicates that women can be successfully engaged in vector control programmes and, when given the opportunity, they can create and sustain businesses that aim to decrease the burden of VBDs in their communities. Conclusion This systematic review demonstrated that women can be successfully engaged in vector control programmes at the community level. However, rigorous comparative effectiveness studies need to be conducted.
Propensity Score-Matched Analysis of Clinical and Financial Outcomes After Robotic and Laparoscopic Colorectal Resection

The study aims to evaluate the clinical and financial outcomes of the use of robotic when compared to laparoscopic colorectal surgery and any changes in these over time. From the Premier Perspective database, patients who underwent elective laparoscopic and robotic colorectal resections from 2012 to 2014 were included. Laparoscopic colorectal resections were propensity score matched to robotic cases for patient, disease, procedure, surgeon specialty, and hospital type and volume. The two groups were compared for conversion, hospital stay, 30-day post-discharge readmission, mortality, and complications. Direct, cumulative, and total (including 30-day post-discharge) costs were evaluated. Clinical and financial outcomes were also separately assessed for each of the included years. Of 36,701 patients, 32,783 (89.3%) had laparoscopic colorectal resection and 3918 (10.7%) had robotic colorectal resection; 4438 procedures (2219 in each group) were propensity score matched. For the entire period, conversion to open approach (4.7 vs. 3.7%, p = 0.1) and hospital stay (mean days [SD] 6 [5.3] vs. 5 [4.6], p = 0.2) were comparable between robotic and laparoscopic procedures. Surgical and medical complications were also the same for the two groups. However, the robotic approach was associated with lower readmission (6.3 vs. 4.8%, p = 0.04). Wound or abdominal infection (4.7 vs. 2.3%, p = 0.01) and respiratory complications (7.4 vs. 4.7%, p = 0.02) were significantly lower for the robotic group in the final year of inclusion, 2014. Direct, cumulative, and total (including 30-day post-discharge) costs were significantly higher for robotic surgery. The difference in costs between the two approaches reduced over time (direct cost difference: 2012, $2698 vs. 2013, $2235 vs. 2014, $1402). Robotic colorectal surgery can be performed with comparable clinical outcomes to laparoscopy. With greater use of the technology, some further recovery benefits may be evident. The robotic approach is more expensive but cost differences have been diminishing over time.
Reconfigurable RF Multiband Filter With Widely Tunable Passbands Based on Cascaded Optical Interferometric Filters

Despite the increasing importance and critical needs, reconfigurable radio frequency (RF) multiband filters are currently underdeveloped even both RF electronics and photonics technologies are being explored. Although RF multiband filters with large numbers of simultaneous passbands and wide frequency tuning range are extremely desired, achieving such functionality is extremely challenging. In this paper, a photonics-based highly tunable and reconfigurable RF multiband filter is proposed through the combination of a special designed tunable Mach–Zehnder interferometer and a reconfigurable Lyot loop filter. Both the passband frequencies and the number of simultaneous passbands are adjustable, that one or multiple passbands are continuously tuned over a 20 GHz frequency range, and the number of simultaneous passbands is reconfigurable from zero to seven. As a result, the proposed RF multiband filter can be configured with various passband combinations through the same setup, providing exceptional operation flexibility. Furthermore, broadband operation and excellent filter selectivity are obtained, with sharp passband profiles and over 35-dB sidelobe suppression.
Statistical Models for Quantitative Bioassay

We discuss various statistical approaches useful in the analysis of nutritional dose-response data with a continuous response. The emphasis is on the multivariate case with several predictors. The methods which will be discussed can be classified into parametric models, including change-point models, and nonparametric models, which rely on smoothing methods such as weighted local linear fitting. The methods will be illustrated with the analysis of data generated from a folate depletion-repletion bioassay experiment conducted on rats, where the measured growth rate of the rats is the response variable. We also discuss the biological conclusions that can be drawn from applying various statistical methods to this data set.
Computer-Aided Facility Design Revisited: A Prototype Design Workstation for AGV Systems

In the mid-sixties, there was great hope that computers would revolutionize facility design. Research focused on facility layout and resulted in a number of computer programs for the block layout problem. Sadly, in the intervening twenty years, while computers have become prominent in facility design, facility design research has failed to produce a significant impact on the practice of facility design. Perhaps the reason is that the research has focused on the wrong issues. This chapter describes a strategy for computer-aided facility design, and describes the current state of a prototype design workstation developed from that strategy.
The coming of the new Jerusalem: Apocalyptic vision in Cervantes'La Numancia

Theologian Klaus Koch has established a definition of apocalyptic vision based on the presence of eight motifs beginning with the urgent expectation of the overthrow of all earthly things in the immediate future and concluding with the glory of the age to come. A careful analysis of Cervantes'La Numancia reveals the presence of each one of these eight motifs. The presence of three of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse as allegorical figures, the description of both Romans and Numantians as the fourth horseman (wild beasts), the role of astrology in determining the destruction of Numantia, the support of demonic forces on the side of the Romans, and the existence of three different mediators or redeemers, all lead the reader to a final vision of the enthronement of Felipe II and the glory of his reign in the position where a reader would expect to find the enthronement of God and the glory of the new Jerusalem.
A Low-cost Function Call Protection Mechanism Against Instruction Skip Fault Attacks

Fault attack is a known, dangerous threat to secure embedded systems. Function calls, including system calls, are particularly important but weak links for the integration of security components in a crypto-system. Function calls are vulnerable to an instruction skip caused by controlled fault injection such as clock glitching or power glitching. Previous work fails to address the vulnerability of function calls to instruction skip and develop corresponding countermeasures. In this paper, we provide a software fault detection mechanism to protect function calls against instruction skip attacks. Our method is generic, relies on the function output arguments, and does not require modification to the function body. We demonstrate our methodology on Gaisler's LEON3 simulator and quantify the overhead. Compared to a traditional function call duplication countermeasure, our proposed fault detection mechanism is a low-cost, low-overhead protection against instruction skip attacks.
Abstract 4359: Oscillatory HIF-1α induction promotes proliferation of hypoxic cells through a lactate dependent quorum autophagy response

Intratumoral hypoxia is one of the most important factors present in the tumor microenvironment, regulating various steps in cancer growth and metastasis, including metabolism, vascularization, premetastatic niche formation, and dormancy. Cellular response to hypoxia is highly regulated, and is mediated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF), consisting of an oxygen (O2) regulated subunit, among which HIF-1α is the ubiquitously expressed homologue. HIF-1α stabilizes in hypoxia, and transcriptionally activates more than 1500 HIF identified target genes. Changes in HIF-1α activity, can, therefore result in large changes in gene expression, and phenotypic state of the cells. However, there are paradoxes in observations of HIF-1α responses. HIF-1α inhibits cell proliferation, but cells continue to divide in hypoxia. Similarly, HIF-1α induced indirect phosphorylation and inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) diverts pyruvate away from acetyl-CoA toward lactate synthesis, decreasing respiration; but HIF-1α can also enhance mitochondrial respiration efficiency by controlling the expression cytochrome c oxidase type 4 (COX4) subunits. These paradoxes could potentially be addressed if individual cellular responses to hypoxia may be different than the bulk/average cell responses.Using fluorescent dynamic reporters of HIF-1α activity, we show that hypoxic responses in individual cells can be highly dynamic and variable across the population. These responses fall into three classes, including oscillatory activity. We identify a molecular mechanism that can account for all three response classes, demonstrating that the oscillations of HIF-1a activity and abundance are controlled by the reactive oxygen species-dependent chaperone-mediated autophagy in a subset of respiring cells. Furthermore, we find that the oscillatory response is modulated by the abundance of extracellular lactate in a quorum sensing-like mechanism. Importantly, we demonstrate that oscillatory HIF-1α activity promotes differential gene expression leading to enhanced cell division, which can help reduce the anti-proliferative effect of hypoxia. These results may help resolve the paradox of seemingly contradicting roles of HIF-1α in the control of metabolic cell states and cell proliferation. Further, specific transcription by oscillatory hypoxia suggest that gene regulation can specifically decode oscillatory signals, resulting in novel phenotypes in a subpopulation, with a selective advantage to survive and proliferate under hypoxic stress. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Kshitiz ., Junaid Afzal, Yasir Suhail, Hao Chang, Chi V. Dang, Andre Levchenko. Oscillatory HIF-1α induction promotes proliferation of hypoxic cells through a lactate dependent quorum autophagy response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4359.
Ireland’s Imperial Moment: Wolseley and Roberts in Command

Between the Cardwell reforms of the 1870s and the end of the South African War in 1902, a great deal of the senior positions in the British Army were occupied by Irishmen. In this period the army had two Irish Commanders-in-Chief, Garnet Wolseley and Frederick Roberts. These men embodied conflicting visions of the officer corps: Roberts, a patrician figure, embodied the Victorian ideal of the plucky British imperial hero. Wolseley, the ‘modern Major-General’, was, by contrast, a middle-class, efficiency-minded professional officer preferring careful strategy and modern training to the dashing, vainglorious elan of the gentleman officer. This chapter discusses the patronage networks surrounding these two figures and the extent to which they represented a vector for the advancement of Irish officers’ careers. It also discusses differences between Irish officer communities in the overseas empire and on home service. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the growth of popular militarism in late-Victorian Ireland, with victory in the Boer War precipitating an ‘imperial moment’ in the popular imagination.
Copépodos (Neocopepoda: podoplea: siphonostomatoida) asociados a invertebrados marinos en el Golfo de México y el Mar Caribe/Copepods (Neocopepoda: Podoplea: Siphonostomatoida) associated to marine invertebrates in the Gulf of México and Mar Caribe

Sesenta y una especies, una variedad y dos especies no identificados de copepodos asociados a invertebrados marinos se han registrado para el Golfo de Mexico y el Mar Caribe. Estos copepodos se han encontrado asociados a especies de diferentes taxa como Porifera, Cnidaria y Echinodermata. Se presenta una lista que contiene informacion del invertebrado hospedador, localidad de colecta y la cita bibliografica. Se anade ademas una lista del invertebrado con su copepodo asociado. ABSTRACT Sixty one species, one variety and two not identified copepods associate with marine invertebrates are registered for the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Copepods were found in hosts belonged to different taxa as Porifera, Cnidaria and Echinodermata. A checklist contained information about the host, locality of the collection and the bibliographical citation is presented. A list of host-associate copepod is also added. Key Words: Copepoda, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Mar Caribe, Porifera, Siphonostomatoida.
Using Sesame Seed Oil to Preserve and Preconcentrate Cannabinoids for Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry

Cannabinoids present a unique set of analytical challenges. An increasing number of states have voted to decriminalize recreational marijuana use, creating a need for new kinds of rapid testing. At the same time, synthetic compounds with activity similar to THC, termed synthetic cannabinoids, have become more prevalent and pose significant health risks. A rapid method capable of detecting both natural and synthetic cannabinoids would be useful in cases of driving under the influence of drugs, where it might not be obvious whether the suspect consumed marijuana, a synthetic cannabinoid, or both. Paper spray mass spectrometry is an ambient ionization technique which allows for the direct ionization of analyte from a biofluid spot on a piece of paper. Natural cannabinoids like THC, however, are labile and rapidly disappear from dried sample spots, making it difficult to detect them at clinically relevant levels. Presented here is a method to concentrate and preserve THC and synthetic cannabinoids in urine and oral fluid on paper for analysis by paper spray mass spectrometry. Sesame seed oil was investigated both as a means of preserving THC and as part of a technique, termed paper strip extraction, wherein urine or oral fluid is flowed through an oil spot on a strip of paper to preconcentrate cannabinoids. This technique preserved THC in dried biofluid samples for at least 27 days at room temperature; paper spray MS/MS analysis of these preserved dried spots was capable of detecting THC and synthetic cannabinoids at low ng/mL concentrations, making it suitable as a rapid screening technique. The technique was adapted to be used with a commercially available autosampler.
Ultra-high sensitive all-optical photoacoustic transducers

We present all-optical ultrasound transducers that is suitable for photoacoustic applications. We leverage the benefits of CMOS compatible on-chip photonic sensor that is realized by patterning the integrated photonic circuits overlaid on membrane cavity responding to incoming acoustic signals. The sensor is based on SiN based photonic ring resonator on top of 3-micron thick SiO2 membrane. Latched on the optical read out circuit, the sensor hardware architecture promises ultra-high sensitivity with the ability to detect as low as <1 mPa/sqrt(Hz) noise equivalent pressure. The hardware architecture can be further improved to leverage the benefits of existing photonic based signal conditioning schemes and adopt them to multiplex the ultrasound reception from multiple sensor elements.
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Surgical Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy with Salpingectomy versus Salpingostomy.

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the fertility outcomes of salpingectomy compared with those of salpingostomy among patients treated for tubal ectopic pregnancies, including a separate analysis of women with risk factors along with a review of the surgical technique. Data Sources Systematic review and meta-analysis from 1990 to the present through PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Ovid MEDLINE. The search string included “tubal pregnancy” or “ectopic” as well as “salpingectomy” and various terms describing salpingotomy. Methods of Study Selection Articles studying women who underwent surgical management of an ectopic pregnancy and the contrasted outcomes of salpingectomy vs salpingostomy were reviewed. The primary outcomes included subsequent intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) and repeat ectopic pregnancy (REP). Tabulation, Integration, and Results Two randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which consisted mostly of patients classified as low risk, and patients from 16 cohort studies were included. In the RCTs, there was no significant difference in the odds of subsequent IUP in patients who underwent a salpingectomy compared with those who were treated with salpingotomy (odds ratio [OR] 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71–1.33). However, a significant and clinically meaningful difference was noted in the cohort studies, with the patients having a lower chance of IUP after salpingectomy (OR 0.45; 95% CI, 0.39–0.52). No significant difference was noted in the OR for a REP in the randomized trials (OR 0.77; 95% CI, 0.41–1.47), but the patients followed in the cohort studies had a cumulatively higher risk of REP after a salpingostomy (OR 0.73; 95% CI, 0.60–0.90). The subgroup analysis examining women within the studies with risk factors for tubal pathology found an even more impressive lowering in the odds of a subsequent IUP in patients classified as at-risk who were treated with salpingectomy (OR 0.30; 95% CI, 0.17–0.54), with a change in the direction of the odds for an REP rate favoring those who were treated with salpingostomy (OR 1.96; 95% CI, 0.88–4.35). Conclusion Salpingectomy has clear advantages over salpingostomy, and RCTs consisting mainly of patients classified as low risk show no difference in outcomes between salpingectomy and salpingostomy. However, in cohort studies inclusive of all patients, the likelihood of a subsequent spontaneous IUP is decreased in patients treated with salpingectomy, and salpingostomies may be especially underused in women with risk factors for tubal disease.
Acute Hepatitis in a Yemeni Immigrant Associated with Khat: A "Biological Amphetamine" Carried in Cultures.

Viral infections, alcohol, hepatic steatosis, autoimmunity medications and herbal supplements are common etiologies of hepatitis. Khat (Catha Edulis) is a commonly used recreational substance in East African and Middle Eastern countries. Khat has been reported in the literature to be associated with hepatotoxicity, which can present in several forms, including chronic liver disease. The possible pathogenesis of liver injury could be secondary to biochemical components of Khat itself or additives such as pesticides or preservatives. An autoimmune mechanism of liver injury has also been postulated, supported by sparse evidence. We present a case of a Yemeni immigrant with acute hepatitis whose fear about social norms and breaching confidentiality made it challenging to identify Khat as being the underlying cause. A 34-year-old man from Yemen presented with right upper quadrant pain of one day duration. He had predominantly elevated transaminases with mild elevation in bilirubin. His investigations were negative for the viral, metabolic or biliary etiology. A persistent focus on clinical history and the well-established physician–patient relationship revealed a history of Khat use. The liver biopsy finding of lobular hepatitis was compatible with drug-induced liver injury and established the finding of Khat hepatotoxicity. Subsequently, the patient improved with conservative management.
Rapamycin restores brain vasculature, metabolism, and blood-brain barrier in an inflammaging model

Rapamycin (RAPA) is found to have neuro-protective properties in various neuroinflammatory pathologies, including brain aging. With magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, we investigated the effect of RAPA in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammaging model in rat brains. Rats were exposed to saline (control), or LPS alone or LPS combined with RAPA treatment (via food over 6 weeks). Arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion imaging was used to measure relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF). MR spectroscopy (MRS) was used to measure brain metabolite levels. Contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) was used to assess blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to confirm neuroinflammation. RAPA restored NF-κB and HIF-1α to normal levels. RAPA was able to significantly restore rCBF in the cerebral cortex post-LPS exposure (p < 0.05), but not in the hippocampus. In the hippocampus, RAPA was able to restore total creatine (Cr) acutely, and N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) at 6 weeks, post-LPS. Myo-inositol (Myo-Ins) levels were found to decrease with RAPA treatment acutely post-LPS. RAPA was also able to significantly restore the BBB acutely post-LPS in both the cortex and hippocampus (p < 0.05 for both). RAPA was found to increase the percent change in BOLD signal in the cortex at 3 weeks, and in the hippocampus at 6 weeks post-LPS, compared to LPS alone. RAPA treatment also restored the neuronal and macro-vascular marker, EphB2, back to normal levels. These results indicate that RAPA may play an important therapeutic role in inhibiting neuroinflammation by normalizing brain vascularity, BBB, and some brain metabolites, and has a high translational capability.
Energy and exergy analysis of Ca(OH)2/CaO dehydration-hydration chemical heat pump system: Effect of reaction temperature

Abstract Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) is based on the principle of employing a reversible chemical reaction for thermal energy storage. TCES is characterized by high energy density and low parasitic heat loss while also offering potential functionality as a chemical heat pump (CHP) to boost temperature. Results of experiments conducted on a Ca(OH)2/CaO TCES system based on reversible dehydration-hydration reactions are reported in this paper. Dehydration of Ca(OH)2 pellets conducted in a thermogravimetric-differential calorimetry analyzer (TGA-DSC) revealed that the optimum heating rate ranges from 10-15 K/min for the decomposition of Ca(OH)2. Repeated dehydration-hydration cycles were conducted in a bench scale reactor system under various reaction conditions. It was found that the temperature rise during hydration reaction was dependent on the extent of conversion during the dehydration process. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the dehydration-hydration cycles were found to range from 76% to 79% and 85% to 91%, respectively. Visual and scanning electron microscopic examinations of the product after each reaction revealed structural changes and formation of cracks in the pellets. These changes did not affect the thermal efficiency of the process. Results of this study provide a foundation for the development of Ca(OH)2/CaO CHPs for large-scale thermal energy storage systems.
How Should ECMO Be Used Under Conditions of Severe Scarcity? A Population Study of Public Perception.

Objective To assess societal preferences regarding allocation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a rescue option for select patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Design Cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample. Setting Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. Participants In total, responses from 1,041 members of Amazon Mechanical Turk crowd-sourcing platform were included. Participants were 37.9 ± 12.6 years old, generally white (65%), and college-educated (66.1%). Many reported working in a healthcare setting (22.5%) and having a friend or family member who was admitted to the hospital (43.8%) or died from COVID-19 (29.9%). Measurements and Main Results Although most reported an unwillingness to stay on ECMO for >one week without signs of recovery, participants were highly supportive of ECMO utilization as a life-preserving technique on a policy level. The majority (96.7%) advocated for continued use of ECMO to treat COVID patients during periods of resource scarcity but would prioritize those with highest likelihood of recovery (50%) followed by those who were sickest regardless of survival chances (31.7%). Patients >40 years old were more likely to prefer distributing ECMO on a first-come first-served basis (21.5% v 13.3%, p Conclusion Even though participants expressed hesitation regarding ECMO in personal circumstances, they were uniformly in support of using ECMO to treat COVID patients at a policy level for others who might need it, even in the setting of severe scarcity.
Threat Landscape Expansion During Covid-19: Remote Incident Response Handling

This paper provides an automated remote incident handling solution for an Information Security organization that rushed to become work-from-home type businesses because of Covid-19. This paper demonstrates a suitable solution to solve two separate problems. The first problem is to develop a method to enhance both incident response and threat hunting remotely. This is accomplished by developing a triggering mechanism based on the Microsoft Windows Defender antivirus system. The trigger subsequently executes a snapshot of the workstations condition for use by the cybersecurity professionals to determine if this is a false positive or a true positive event. The second problem attempted to solve the issue is to create a local logging mechanism to assist with basic forensics analysis of the remote worker’s activity. In a typical enterprise environment, this solution can be utilized efficiently by either a remote desktop protocol or by simply physically picking up the device for further analysis.
Analysis of Termatiko Sets in Measurement Matrices

Termatiko sets are combinatorial structures that have been shown to hinder the success of the Interval-Passing Algorithm in compressed sensing. In this paper, we show how termatiko sets relate to other combinatorial structures in graphs representing measurement matrices that are also known to cause failure in similar iterative algorithms. We give bounds on the sizes of termatiko sets of measurement matrices based on finite geometries and also investigate the effect of the redundancy of the matrices on the number of these sets.
The current status of survivorship care provision at the state level: a Wisconsin-based assessment.

As the number of cancer survivors grows, the responsibility for addressing their unique physical and emotional needs also increases. Survivorship care services vary by geography, health system, and insurance coverage. We aimed to understand the state of survivorship care services in Wisconsin’s cancer facilities. The selection of cancer treatment facilities sought to provide a geographically representative sample. An adapted Patient-Centered Survivorship Care Index was comprised of questions regarding different aspects of survivorship practices. Areas of interest included disciplines incorporated, services provided, standards of care, and discussion of late-term effects, among others. Out of 90 sites invited, 40 responded (44.4%). Oncologists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners were the most common follow-up care disciplines. Risk reduction services, dietary services, access to physical activity, and behavioral health specialist referral were described as standards of care in less than half of sites. All sites reported working with community partners, 92.5% of which worked with YMCA-related programs. Discussion of long-term effects was a standard of care for all sites. Effects such as emotional distress and health practice changes were frequently discussed with almost all patients, while sexual functioning and fertility were not. Services and specialties related to behavioral health, fertility/sexual health, and rehabilitation and physical activity varied between sites. Such services may be offered less often due to variable insurance coverage. Policy solutions should be explored to increase insurance coverage and provision rates of necessary survivorship services to keep up with the projected increase in demand. Given imperfect and evolving measurement tools to assess needs for cancer survivorship care services, cancer survivors should feel empowered to voice when they have unmet needs and request referrals.
Metallic nanoparticles/graphene-molecules hybrid system-based active biosensor

The strong coupling between vibrational modes of molecules and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) modes in graphene makes them an ideal platform for biosensor techniques. In this paper, a new optical biosensor for molecule detection based on silver metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) and graphene/gold MNPs in a terahertz frequency range is achieved. It is established that the nonlinear electrical properties of graphene can play a major role in realizing a biosensor for molecule detection. The performance parameters of the proposed device are reported with respect to the chemical potential μ of graphene, noting that the sensitivity of our device passes from 255 nm/RIU (nanometers/refractive index unit) for μ=1.21 eV to 2753 nm/RIU for μ=0.21 eV. Finally, this structure exhibits an optical sensing region that can be adjusted to meet the requirements of optical detection.
Theory of Superconducting Fluctuations in the Strong Coupling Model

The motivation for studying the fluctuation effects in the strong coupling model is two-fold. First, there is an important question of whether the critical indices depend on interaction strength and retardation. Second, the precise calculation of the coefficients in the fluctuation corrections is important for interpreting the experimental data.
Chapter 15 Immunology and Developmental Biology: Summary LAnd Concluding Remarks1

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the immune system and somatic cell genetics. The classification of rather similar appearing lymphocytes into T cells and B cells, their precursors and sublines, is one of the outstanding achievements of modern immunological and cell-marking techniques. The genetics of the immune system has been investigated extensively. Patterns of inheritance in the human suggest that the genes coding for immunoglobulin fall into three unlinked clusters. Production of some of the surface antigens of mouse T cells has been mapped to specific chromosomes. Somatic cell genetics provides a new and very promising approach to the genetic analysis of the immune system. The chapter describes lymphocyte as a model for ontogeny. Hemopoietic tissues have long served as models for differentiation, but, before the advent of modern immunology and immunogenetics, the granulocytic and erythrocytic components of the system received the main share of attention.
On historical diagnosis of sensor streams

In this paper, we will examine the problem of historical storage and diagnosis of massive numbers of simultaneous streams. Such streams are common in very large sensor systems which collect many data streams simultaneously. For example, in a typical monitoring application, we may desire to determine specific abnormalities at sensor nodes or diagnose local regions of abnormal behavior. In other applications, a user may wish to query the streams for specific behavior of the data over arbitrary time horizons. This can be a very difficult task if it is not possible to store the voluminous sensor information at different nodes. In many cases, it is only possible to store aggregated data over different nodes. In this paper, we discuss the problem of storage-efficient monitoring and diagnosis of sensor networks with the use of summary representations. The goal of the summary representation is to providing worst-case guarantees on query functions computed over the sensor stream, while storing the streams compactly. We present experimental results on a number of real data sets showing the effectiveness of the approach.
Two-Riccati positive real synthesis: LMI approach

A simple derivation of the two Riccati formulae for controllers rendering a closed loop system strongly positive real is presented. We also show how the bounded real synthesis problem expressed as a bilinear matrix inequality (BMI) can be derived from the positive real synthesis BMI via a bilinear transformation, and how the two Riccati inequality solutions for the positive real synthesis problem can be derived from the two Riccati inequality solution for the bounded real synthesis problem via a bilinear transformation, and vice versa.
Search strategies for the task of organic chemical synthesis

A computer program has been written that successfully discovers syntheses for complex organic chemical molecule B. The definition of the search space and strategies for heuristic search are described in this paper.
DFT, DFY, and DFR; Which One(s) Do You Worry About?

Lately our vernacular has included a growing number of DFx terms. DFT (Design for Test), DFY (Design for Yield), and DFR (Design for Reliability) have become fairly common and useful terms along with a few other DFx terms such as DFM (Design for Manufacturability) and DFP (Design for Profit). The last term has a bit of a capitalistic slant. One could say that we have gone too far with all these terms. This short paper includes a discussion of circuit level DFT followed by an explanation of why DFT is more important to me as an ASIC test developer. DFT from the bottom up
The metabolism of 2-methyladenosine in Mycobacterium smegmatis

2-Methyladenosine (methyl-ado) has demonstrated selective activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which indicates that differences in the substrate preferences between mycobacterial and human purine metabolic enzymes can be exploited to develop novel drugs for the treatment of mycobacterial diseases. Therefore, in an effort to better understand the reasons for the anti-mycobacterial activity of methyl-ado, its metabolism has been characterized in Mycobacterium smegmatis. In a wild-type strain, methyl-ado was phosphorylated by adenosine kinase to methyl-AMP, which was further converted to methyl-ATP and incorporated into RNA. In contrast, a mutant strain of M. smegmatis was isolated that was resistant to methyl-ado, deficient in adenosine kinase activity and was not able to generate methyl-ado metabolites in cells treated with methyl-ado. These results indicated that phosphorylated metabolites of methyl-ado were responsible for the cytotoxic activity of this compound. Methyl-ado was not a substrate for either adenosine deaminase or purine-nucleoside phosphorylase from M. smegmatis. Treatment of M. smegmatis with methyl-ado resulted in the inhibition of ATP synthesis, which indicated that a metabolite of methyl-ado inhibited one of the enzymes involved in de novo purine synthesis. These studies demonstrated the importance of adenosine kinase in the activation of methyl-ado to toxic metabolites in M. smegmatis.
Expected Use of Lunar Range Data to Determine Modified Nutation Terms

The lunar laser range data from the McDonald Observatory in Texas have been used so far to determine major improvements in the lunar ephemeris and librations, to provide a new test of gravitational theory, and to determine single-day UTO values on about 200 days during the period 1970–1974. The mean uncertainty in the UTO values is 0.5 msec, and the smallest uncertainty is 0.2 msec (Stolz et al. 1976). The changes in the angular position of the moon with time are believed to be well enough known so that their uncertainty does not substantially degrade the accuracy of the UTO values.
A new tris-diimine ruthenium(II) derivative: nucleophilic ring opening of coordinated diazafluorenone

Abstract Nucleophilic attack at the carbonyl carbon atom of 4,5-diazafluoren-9-one coordinated to ruthenium(II) causes ring opening resulting in a 3 substituted bipyridine ligand. A similar reaction does not occur with the free ligand. The driving force for the reaction is related to structure changes which occur upon ring opening when 4,5-diazafluoren-9-one is coordinated to ruthenium(II).
Role of Serine/Threonine Protein Phosphatases in Insulin Regulation of Na+/K+-ATPase Activity in Cultured Rat Skeletal Muscle Cells *

Abstract In this study, we examined the potential role of serine/threonine protein phosphatase-1 (PP-1) and PP-2A in the mechanism of Na+/K+-ATPase activation by insulin in the rat skeletal muscle cell line L6. Incubation of L6 cells with insulin caused a time- and dose-dependent stimulation of ouabain-sensitive plasma membrane Na+/K+-ATPase activity. Pretreatment with okadaic acid (OA; 0.1–1 μm) or calyculin A (1 μm) blocked insulin’s effect on Na+/K+-ATPase activation. Low concentrations of OA that specifically inhibit PP-2A were ineffective. Immunoprecipitation of the enzyme from 32P-labeled cells with an antibody directed against the α-1 subunit of the enzyme revealed a 60% decrease in 110-kDa protein phosphorylation in insulin-treated cells. The presence of calyculin A blocked insulin-mediated dephosphorylation of Na+/K+-ATPase, whereas low concentrations of OA were ineffective. To further confirm the role of PP-1, we used L6 cell lines that overexpress the glycogen/SR-associated regulatory subunit of PP-1, PP-1G. Overexpression of PP-1G resulted in a 3-fold increase in insulin-stimulated PP-1 catalytic activity. This was accompanied by a 30% increase in basal Na+/K+-ATPase activity and a >2-fold increase in insulin’s effect on pump activity. Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase with wortmannin blocked insulin-stimulated PP-1 activation as well as the dephosphorylation and activation of Na+/K+-ATPase. We conclude that insulin regulates the activity of Na+/K+-ATPase by promoting dephosphorylation of the α subunit via an insulin-stimulated PP-1 and that phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase-generated signals may mediate insulin activation of PP-1 and Na+/K+-ATPase.
Collaboration between nurses and physicians.

Collaboration between nurses and physicians has emerged as a result of recent research as a key variable in explaining patient outcomes from intensive care. However, the term has lacked a generally accepted definition, and this creates problems for new research. The use of the term in studies related to collaborative practice is reviewed here. Content areas for an instrument that could be used to examine collaborative work are suggested.
Adaptive target detection in forward-looking infrared imagery using the eigenspace separation transform and principal component analysis

An adaptive target detection algorithm for forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery is proposed, which is based on measuring differences between structural information within a target and its surrounding background. At each pixel in the image a dual window is opened, where the inner window (inner image vector) represents a possible target signature and the outer window (consisting of a number of outer image vectors) represents the surrounding scene. These image vectors are then preprocessed by two directional highpass filters to obtain the corresponding image gradient vectors. The target detection problem is formulated as a statistical hypotheses testing problem by mapping these image gradient vectors into two linear transformations, P1 and P2, via principal component analysis (PCA) and eigenspace separation transform (EST), respectively. The first transformation P1 is only a function of the inner image gradient vector. The second transformation P2 is a function of both the inner and outer image gradient vectors. For the hypothesis H1 (target), the difference of the two functions is small. For the hypothesis H0 (clutter), the difference of the two functions is large. Results of testing the proposed target detection algorithm on two large FLIR image databases are presented.
Backward Transfer: An Investigation of the Influence of Quadratic Functions Instruction on Students’ Prior Ways of Reasoning About Linear Functions

The transfer of learning has been the subject of much scientific inquiry in the social sciences. However, mathematics education research has given little attention to a subclass called backward transfer, which is when learning about new concepts influences learners’ ways of reasoning about previously encountered concepts. This study examined when and in what ways a quadratic functions instructional unit productively influenced middle school students’ ways of reasoning about linear functions. Results showed that students’ ways of reasoning about essential properties of linear functions were productively influenced. Furthermore, conceptual connections were identified linking changes in students’ ways of reasoning about linear functions to what they learned during the quadratics unit. These findings suggest that it is possible to productively influence learners’ ways of reasoning about previously learned-about concepts in significant respects while teaching them new material and that backward transfer offers...
In vitro induction of the graft-versus-host reaction☆☆☆

Abstract 1. 1. Using an in vitro method of analysis, the graft-versus-host reaction in mice has been studied. 2. 2. Previous observations made in vivo for graft-versus-host reactions, including timing of the onset of immunological maturity and the effects of irradiation, have been confirmed in this in vitro system. 3. 3. The host component of the graft-versus-host reaction has been analyzed by use of an intervening millipore filter barrier. Splenomegaly and associated histological changes can be induced in the absence of actual entry of adult spleen cells into the explanted test fragment. 4. 4. Additional experiments involving quantitative aspects of the reaction are described.