cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in childhood

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in children is relatively rare. However, it has been recognized for many years. In patients presenting with this disease, subacute onset of weakness usually develops over at least 2 months and often progresses to a loss of ambulation. Some children's initial presentations may mimic Guillain-Barre syndrome. Dysasthesias are common. Males are affected more than females, and antecedent illnesses or vaccinations occur in approximately half of patients. Physical examination reveals diffuse, proximal greater than distal weakness, with an absence or depression of muscle stretch reflexes. Electrophysiology confirms demyelination, and spinal fluid examination demonstrates albuminocytologic dissociation. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, and prognosis of childhood CIDP are reviewed. Treatment and immunologic features are also discussed in this article.
A model of capitation.

Abstract This paper presents a theoretical model of capitation contracts. The consumer's ex ante choice of medical plan is derived under flexible assumptions about provider-patient decision-making. The optimal medical plan is shown to combine full insurance with a provider payment system that is a mixture of capitation and partial reimbursement of provider costs. This solution strongly parallels the ‘mixed payment’ system derived by Ellis and McGuire (1986, 1990) in the context of prospective payment, though the optimal medical plan derived below may in fact be preferred to that solution in a world with endogenous admissions.
Point and discard: a hard-error-tolerant architecture for non-volatile last level caches

Technology scaling of SRAM and embedded DRAM is increasingly constrained by limitations such as leakage power and silicon area. Emerging non-volatile memory technologies are considered as the potential SRAM/eDRAM alternatives for last-level caches in terms of energy and area savings. Unfortunately, these non-volatile memory technologies usually have limited write endurance. Even worse, process variation causes some cells to wear out much earlier than others. While state-of-the-art error-tolerant techniques such as ECC can handle transient soft errors, we need a new architecture for non-volatile last-level caches whose reliability is mainly challenged by hard errors. This paper presents Point-and-Discard (PAD), a hard-failure-tolerant architecture for non-volatile caches. PAD has no initial performance penalty and ensures gradual performance overhead with small storage overhead. By adopting PAD, the lifetime of non-volatile caches can be improved by 4.6X over the conventional architecture under a typical process variation condition.1
Conversion of testosterone and androstenedione to 5β-androstanes by adult male hamster liver cytosol

Abstract The incubation of [4- 14 C]testosterone with adult male hamster liver cytosol at pH 6.7 yielded 5β-androstane-3α, 17β-diol and small quantities of 5β-androstane-3β, 17β-diol, 17β-hydroxy-5β-androstan-3-one, 3α-hydroxy-5β-androstan-17-one and androstenedione. The use of [4- 14 C] androstenedione as substrate yielded the same 5β-metabolites and also testosterone and a trace of epitestosterone. 5β-Androstane-3α, 17β-diol was the major metabolite at “low” concentrations of substrate but testosterone and 3α-hydroxy-5β-androstan-17-one became the major metabolites as the concentration of the substrate was increased. Small quantities of 5β-androstane-3,17-dione and 3β-hydroxy-5β-androstan17-one were detected at “high” while 5β-androstane-3α,17α-diol was detected at “low” concentrations of androstenedione. NADPH was more effective than NADH except in the formation of the 3β-steroids. Furthermore, the 3β-steroids were formed in maximum quantities at a lower pH than the other metabolites. The relative production of the metabolites was consistent with their respective spectrophotometrically determined degree of hydroxyl dehydrogenation.
Sulfur Vacancy Mechanism in Pure CdS

Experiments have been performed on the luminescence of spectrographically pure CdS under ultraviolet excitation at room temperature. Both green and red emissions are observed. The green emission at 5240 A (2.38 ev) is attributed to direct recombination. The red emission at 7180 A (1.72 ev) is described in terms of a phenomenological model proposed by Lambe and Klick. The variations in luminescent intensity of the green and red bands and simultaneously in the photoconductivity of the crystals can be very adequately described if the 7180 A luminescence is attributed to the presence of sulfur vacancies.
Streak Characteristics and Behavior Near Wall and Interface in Open Channel Flows

Turbulent structures near the boundaries (solid wall and gas-liquid interface) have been studied in open channel flows. Experiments with no shear, countercurrent shear and cocurrent shear at the gas-liquid interface were conducted. Results indicate that near the sheared interfaces, the mean nondimensional spanwise streak-spacing appears to be essentially invariant with shear Reynolds number. Based on the observations, a conceptual mechanism of streak breakdown near the sheared boundaries has been provided.
Application of fluorescence spectroscopy to the study of proteins at interfaces

Abstract A new technique for studying the nature of adsorbed protein molecules based on fluorescence spectroscopy is described. The method was used for following the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) onto particulates. On random copolypeptide substrates of the type (Glu(OBzl) x Ala y ), (Glu(OBzl) x Leu y ), or (Lys(CBZ) x Leu y ), considerable fluorescence quenching was observed. The origin of this effect appears to be a combination of the energy exchange between the excited tryptophan residue of BSA and the excited triplet state ( 3 Ba 2 b ) or of 1 L b singlet state of the substrate, and quenching by adjacent molecules. Since energy exchange of this type can occur over a distance of 100 A or so, it is possible to probe the protein environment of particles in the interfacial layer. It is concluded that even at low surface coverage, protein molecules are present adjacent to the surface in a nonadsorbed “methoric” layer.
Variability of Antarctic Sea Ice 1979-1998

The principal characteristics of the variability of Antarctic sea ice cover as previously described from satellite passive-microwave observations are also evident in a systematically-calibrated and analyzed data set for 20.2 years (1979-1998). The total Antarctic sea ice extent (concentration > 15 %) increased by 13,440 +/- 4180 sq km/year (+1.18 +/- 0.37%/decade). The area of sea ice within the extent boundary increased by 16,960 +/- 3,840 sq km/year (+1.96 +/- 0.44%/decade). Regionally, the trends in extent are positive in the Weddell Sea (1.5 +/- 0.9%/decade), Pacific Ocean (2.4 +/- 1.4%/decade), and Ross (6.9 +/- 1.1 %/decade) sectors, slightly negative in the Indian Ocean (-1.5 +/- 1.8%/decade, and strongly negative in the Bellingshausen-Amundsen Seas sector (-9.5 +/- 1.5%/decade). For the entire ice pack, small ice increases occur in all seasons with the largest increase during autumn. On a regional basis, the trends differ season to season. During summer and fall, the trends are positive or near zero in all sectors except the Bellingshausen-Amundsen Seas sector. During winter and spring, the trends are negative or near zero in all sectors except the Ross Sea, which has positive trends in all seasons. Components of interannual variability with periods of about 3 to 5 years are regionally large, but tend to counterbalance each other in the total ice pack. The interannual variability of the annual mean sea-ice extent is only 1.6% overall, compared to 5% to 9% in each of five regional sectors. Analysis of the relation between regional sea ice extents and spatially-averaged surface temperatures over the ice pack gives an overall sensitivity between winter ice cover and temperature of -0.7% change in sea ice extent per K. For summer, some regional ice extents vary positively with temperature and others negatively. The observed increase in Antarctic sea ice cover is counter to the observed decreases in the Arctic. It is also qualitatively consistent with the counterintuitive prediction of a global atmospheric-ocean model of increasing sea ice around Antarctica with climate warming due to the stabilizing effects of increased snowfall on the Southern Ocean.
Numerical calculation of low-frequency capacitance/voltage curves of m.o.s. capacitors with nonconstant doping profiles

It is demonstrated how a numerical solution of Poisson's equation can be applied to the calculation of low-frequency capacitance-voltage curves of m.o.s. capacitors with nonconstant doping profiles. Calculation by uniform-doping approximation introduces little error, but it can be avoided, if necessary, by employing the present method.
STUDIES ON THE BLOOD CYTOLOGY OF THE RABBIT : VIII. THE BLOOD OF NORMAL RABBITS AS AN INDEX OF THEIR RESISTANCE TO A TRANSPLANTABLE NEOPLASM.

1. The blood cytology of 91 rabbits was studied prior to inoculation with a transplantable malignant neoplasm. The following statements refer in each instance to the mean values of the pre-inoculation counts. 2. The animals which were most resistant to the malignant disease had, before inoculation, normal red and white cell counts, normal hemoglobin percentages, high eosinophile counts, and low counts of monocytes and lymphocytes. The relations of the neutrophile and basophile counts were irregular, but normal values also appeared to be associated with greater resistance. 3. The most susceptible animals were those which had, before inoculation, red cell counts above 5,500,000 or below 5,000,000 per c.mm.; hemoglobin above 70 per cent or below 60 per cent (Newcomer); white cell counts below 6,000 or above 8,500 per c.mm.; low eosinophile, high monocyte, or high lymphocyte counts. 4. No animal with any of the following findings prior to inoculation recovered completely from the tumor as determined by autopsy examination: red cells above 5,500,000 per c.mm. of blood; hemoglobin above 70 per cent; total white cells above 10,000 per c.mm.; eosinophiles below 120 per c.mm., or below the relative value of 1.5 per cent; basophiles below 400 per c.mm., or below the relative value of 6 per cent; lymphocytes above 3,600 per c.mm.; monocytes above 1,500 per c.mm.; neutrophiles above 5,000 per c.mm.; and total granular cells above 5,700 per c.mm. In the case of each of the following pre-inoculation values, only 1 animal was completely free from tumor at autopsy: hemoglobin below 60 per cent; red cells below 4,800,000 per c.mm.; total granular cells below 3,300 per c.mm.; total non-granular cells below 2,300 per c.mm.; total non-granular cells above 3,700 per c.mm. No animal with pre-inoculation eosinophiles above 3.9 per cent, or basophiles above 16 per cent died from the tumor. 5. The blood findings before inoculation could be related to the character and outcome of the malignant disease, from the standpoint of animal groups as well as in the case of individual rabbits. 6. From the results of the experiments here reported, it seems possible to predict with an accuracy of between 80 and 90 per cent the individual resistance or susceptibility of rabbits to the tumor by a study of their blood cells before inoculation.
Reduction in bowel program duration with polyethylene glycol based bisacodyl suppositories.

Abstract The neurogenic bowel caused by spinal cord injury frequently requires a bowel program (BP) with stimulant suppositories for effective defecation. Objective: The effectiveness of bowel programs initiated by hydrogenated vegetable oil based bisacodyl (HVB) suppositories was compared with that of polyethylene glycol based bisacodyl suppositories (PGB). Design: Single subject, randomized treatment. Setting: Outpatient. Subject: Chronic T2 complete spinal cord injury (SCI). Intervention: The suppository for the every third-day BP was randomized to PGB or HVB. The times in minutes of the following BP events were recorded: suppository insertion, first flatus, begin stool flow, end stool flow, and transfer off toilet. Outcome Measures: BP event times were used to derive BP intervals: suppository insertion to first flatus=Time to Flatus, first flatus until begin stool flow=Flatus to Stool Flow, begin stool flow until end stool flow=Defecation Period, end stool flow until the transfer off the toilet=Wait Until Transfer, and suppository insertion until transfer off the toilet=Total BP Time. The number of digital stimulations required and the amount of stool results were recorded. Results: The data included two groups of BPs: HVB (N = 13) and PGB (N = 13). Wilcoxon's rank sum tests were used to compare mean times for each of the BP intervals: Time to Flatus (HVB 37 minutes, PGB 10 minutes, p p = .9578), and the Defecation Period (HVB 31, PGB 21, p = .0043). The average Total BP Time was HVB=85 minutes and PGB=46 minutes showing a statistically ( p
PSpice for Filters and Transmission Lines

Abstract In this book, PSpice for Filters and Transmission Lines, we examine a range of active and passive filters where each design is simulated using the latest Cadence Orcad V10.5 PSpice capture software. These filters cannot match the very high order digital signal processing (DSP) filters considered in PSpice for Digital Signal Processing, but nevertheless these filters have many uses. The active filters considered were designed using Butterworth and Chebychev approximation loss functions rather than using the ‘cookbook approach’ so that the final design will meet a given specification in an exacting manner. Switched-capacitor filter circuits are examined and here we see how useful PSpice/Probe is in demonstrating how these filters, filter, as it were. Two-port networks are discussed as an introduction to transmission lines and, using a series of problems, we demonstrate quarter-wave and single-stub matching. The concept of time domain reflectrometry as a fault location tool on transmission lines is ...
Giftedness: Current Theory and Research

Gifted children, those with unusually high ability in one or more domains, not only develop more rapidly than typical children, but also appear to be qualitatively different. They have an intense drive to master, require little explicit tuition, and, if intellectually gifted, often pose deep philosophical questions. Although some psychologists have tried to account for the achievements of gifted individuals solely in terms of drive or “deliberate practice,” no evidence allows us to rule out innate differences in talent. Profiles of gifted individuals are often uneven: Extremely high ability in one area can coexist with ordinary or even subnormal ability in another area. Scientific investigation of the gifted reveals the importance of drive and hard work in achievement of any kind, and the lack of necessary correlation among abilities in different areas.
Managing and Treating Urinary Incontinence, 2nd edition, by Diane Kaschak Newman & Alan J. Wein. Baltimore, MD: Health Professions Press, 2009, ISBN: 978-1-932529-21-0. 630 pages. illus. with CD-ROM, softcover, $64.95

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a pervasive problem for many women and men of all ages, but aging and conditions such as comorbidities, dementia, polypharmacy, pregnancy, restricted mobility, and infe...
Performance of exhaustive cycle-gated access in high speed bus networks

Fasnet and Expressnet, two proposed protocols for high-speed bus networks, have low maximum channel utilization for high values of end-to-end propagation delay, as is the case in high-speed local area networks (LANs) and metropolitan area networks (MANs). A service scheme called the exhaustive cycle-gated (ECG) scheme, in which stations are permitted to transmit in a cycle all the packets present in their buffer at the beginning of the cycle, is proposed instead. The maximum channel utilization of the scheme is one. The ECG scheme is analyzed under general conditions of asymmetric Poisson arrivals at stations. Extensive numerical results for the waiting time and number served per cycle are presented. Simulations are included to validate the analytic results. >
EFFECT OF ADRENALECTOMY ON RAT LIVER MITOCHONDRIA.

Bilateral adrenalectomy results in an increase in the mitochondrial alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity in rat liver, a decrease in liver alphaglycerophosphate, and a lowered alphaglycerophosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate ratio. There was no change in the rates of oxidation of succinate and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Malic dehydrogenase, lactic dehydrogenase, NADPH-cytochrome-c reductase and succinic-cytochrome-c reductase activities were similar in adrenalectomized and control animals.
Investigation of job-related pesticide exposure in the third national health and nutrition examination survey.

The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey gathered health and job data from a sample of the US population. Researchers collected urine samples from a subset of subjects and analyzed it for 12 pesticide residues or metabolites (ie, analytes). They investigated the relationship between the industries and jobs reported and the analytes detected in the urine samples. The authors found an association between several jobs and the concentration for one or more pesticide analytes above the 90th percentile. They applied a job exposure matrix to categorize subjects on their potential for job exposures to pesticides. For the detected analytes, the subjects with the highest potential for occupational exposures to insecticides were more likely to have an analyte concentration above the 90th percentile and to have an average analyte concentration score 30% higher than that of subjects reporting jobs with the lowest exposure potential. These findings indicate that occupational exposure may not be a majo...
Salicylate-mediated interactions between pathogens and herbivores

Plants employ hormone-mediated signaling pathways to defend against pathogens and insects. We tested predictions about the relative effect of jasmonate and salicylate pathways and how they mediate interactions between pathogens and herbivores. We employed two pathogens of tomato, Pseudomonas syringae (Pst) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), that are known to elicit distinct components of the two pathways, and we address the consequences of their induction for resistance in wild-type and salicylate-deficient transgenic plants in field experiments. We report that Pst infection induced jasmonic acid and proteinase inhibitors (PIs), and reduced the growth of Spodoptera exigua caterpillars on wild-type and salicylate-deficient plants. Pst and TMV both induced salicylic acid in wild-type but not salicylate-deficient plants. Although TMV did not affect jasmonic acid or PIs, infection increased caterpillar growth on wild-type plants, but not on salicylate-deficient plants. Aphid population growth was higher on salicylate-deficient compared to wild-type plants, and lower on salicylate-induced plants compared to controls. Natural aphid colonization was reduced on TMV-infected wild types, but not on salicylate-deficient plants. In sum, jasmonate-mediated resistance is induced by some pathogens, independent of salicylate, and salicylate-mediated induction by other pathogens results in induced susceptibility to a chewer and resistance to an aphid. We conclude with a predictive model for the expression of defense pathways and their consequences.
Scaling, small numbers and randomness in semiconductors

The randomness in the distribution of dopant atoms in semiconductors becomes increasingly important as devices are miniaturized and voltages are reduced. Fluctuations in the distribution have serious effects on noise margins in advanced devices and constitute a limit to the size of transistors built with present fabrication methods. In this article, the author explores ways to avoid those limits. >
Factors Affecting the Selling Price of Replacement and Market Cows Sold at Arkansas Livestock Auctions1

Data were collected from 15 Arkansas livestock auctions to determine factors affecting cow selling price, including cow type (replacement or market), pregnancy status, breed or breed type, color, horn status, frame score, muscle thickness, fill, USDA Quality grade for market cows, number of brands, brand location, health, BW, age, and price. Data were randomly collected on 23,772 cows. The mean selling price for all cows was
Epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted immunophotodiagnosis and photoimmunotherapy of oral precancer in vivo

Immunophotodiagnosis uses a fluorescence-labeled monoclonal antibody (MAb) that recognizes a tumor-associated antigen to image the fluorescence emitted from the fluorophore-bound MAb that has localized in the tissue. It may be used to diagnose malignant or precancerous lesions, to delineate the margins for tumor resection, or as a feedback mechanism to assess response to treatment. In oral precancer, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed and could be used as a marker for early detection or as a target for therapy. The goal of this study was to test an anti-EGFR MAb (C225) coupled to either the near-infrared fluorescent dye N,N'-di-carboxypentyl-indodicarbocyanine-5,5'-disulfonic acid for detection or a photochemically active dye (chlorin(e6)) for therapy of early premalignancy in the hamster cheek pouch carcinogenesis model. Fluorescence levels in the carcinogen-treated tissue correlated with the histological stage of the lesions when the C225-N,N'-di-carboxypentyl-indodicarbocyanine-5,5'-disulfonic acid conjugate was used but did not do so with the irrelevant conjugates. Discrete areas of clinically normal mucosa with high fluorescence (hot spots) were subsequently shown by histology to contain dysplastic areas. The best contrast between normal and carcinogen-treated cheek pouches was found at 4-8 days after injection. To test the potential of immunophotodiagnosis as a feedback modality for therapeutic intervention, experiments were conducted with the same MAb conjugated to chlorin(e6) followed by illumination to reduce expression of the EGFR by a photodynamic effect. Subsequent immunophotodiagnosis showed that this treatment led to a significant reduction in fluorescence in the carcinogen-treated cheek pouch compared with nonilluminated areas. This difference between illuminated and dark areas was not seen in the normal cheek pouch. Taken together, the results demonstrate the potential for development of immunophotodiagnosis as a diagnostic tool and as a method of monitoring response to therapy and that the EGFR may be an appropriate target in head and neck cancer.
Albumin testing in urine using a smart-phone

We demonstrate a digital sensing platform, termed Albumin Tester, running on a smart-phone that images and automatically analyses fluorescent assays confined within disposable test tubes for sensitive and specific detection of albumin in urine. This light-weight and compact Albumin Tester attachment, weighing approximately 148 grams, is mechanically installed on the existing camera unit of a smart-phone, where test and control tubes are inserted from the side and are excited by a battery powered laser diode. This excitation beam, after probing the sample of interest located within the test tube, interacts with the control tube, and the resulting fluorescent emission is collected perpendicular to the direction of the excitation, where the cellphone camera captures the images of the fluorescent tubes through the use of an external plastic lens that is inserted between the sample and the camera lens. The acquired fluorescent images of the sample and control tubes are digitally processed within one second through an Android application running on the same cellphone for quantification of albumin concentration in the urine specimen of interest. Using a simple sample preparation approach which takes ∼5 min per test (including the incubation time), we experimentally confirmed the detection limit of our sensing platform as 5–10 μg mL−1 (which is more than 3 times lower than the clinically accepted normal range) in buffer as well as urine samples. This automated albumin testing tool running on a smart-phone could be useful for early diagnosis of kidney disease or for monitoring of chronic patients, especially those suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and/or cardiovascular diseases.
Geographic and income variations in age at diagnosis and incidence of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Developing countries have a younger population of CML patients than developed countries. Patterns of age at diagnosis and incidence by geography and gross national income (GNI) are not well understood. A population-based descriptive study was conducted using data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer's population-based registry compilation. Geographical regions were classified according to the United Nations World Macro Regions and Components. Age-Standardized Incidence Rates (ASR) were adjusted to the World Standard Population. Poisson regression was used to assess age-specific interactions. 57.2% were male among 33,690 diagnoses. Median age at diagnosis was lowest in Africa and Asia (47 years) and highest in Oceania (72 years). ASR was lowest in African males (0.61 per 100,000) and Asian females (0.55 per 100,000) and highest in Oceania males and females (1.78 and 0.96 per 100,000, respectively). A significant interaction (p 50 years) and region exists; no significant differences were seen by region in the 50 age group. Population-based estimates suggest that the median age at diagnosis and incidence varies by region. Geographic and income heterogeneity suggest an important effect of environment that warrants further studies.
Efficacy by design

Tumors in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are nonresponsive to the most common forms of chemotherapy. Researchers recently identified two small endogenous microRNA molecules (miRs) that differentially regulate tumor progression in TNBC. Delivery of antagonistic or complementary
Electronically designed amorphous carbon and silicon

We present a new approach to modeling materials. We show that Hellmann–Feynman forces associated with gap states may be used to drive the system to a preferred electronic structure that is also a total energy minimum. We use a priori information about the electronic gap to construct realistic models of tetrahedral amorphous carbon and silicon. We show that our method can be used to obtain continuously tunable concentration of tetrahedrally bonded carbon atoms in models of amorphous carbon. The method is carried out in the tight-binding approximation to produce computer-models of amorphous silicon that have fewer structural and optical defects than their conventional MD counterparts. We end by presenting a first test-case for the ab initio (plane-wave LDA) implementation of the method.
Aldehyde Self-Condensation Catalysis by Aluminum Aminoterephthalate Metal–Organic Frameworks Modified with Aluminum Isopropoxide

Porous materials based on aluminum(III) 2-aminoterephthalate metal organic frameworks (MOFs NH2MIL101(Al) and NH2MIL53(Al)) and their composites with aluminum isopropoxide (Al-i-Pro) are studied as sorbents of vapors of volatile aldehydes and catalysts of acetaldehyde dimerization to ethyl acetate via the Tischenko reaction. MOF/Al-i-Pro composites obtained by simple impregnation of the MOFs with hydrocarbon solutions of Al-i-Pro are stable due to the formation of bonds between the MOF carbonyls and Al-i-Pro. The specific BET surface areas of the MOFs NH2MIL101(Al) and NH2MIL53(Al) ranged from 1650 to 1980 and 670–780 m2/g, respectively, and were lowered 6–12-fold by impregnation of Al-i-Pro into the MOF pores. However, the acetaldehyde and acrolein uptake by the MOF/Al-i-Pro composites from saturated vapor atmosphere is comparable to that of their respective parent MOFs and exceeds the aldehyde uptake of activated carbon or molecular sieves. Due of the propensity of the Al-i-Pro to catalyze dimerization ...
Optimizing Higher Education Institution and Displaying Higher Education Function

The optimization of the higher educational institution has great meanings to the function which gives play to higher education. This text has explained the intension of the higher education structure and function of higher education at first, has analysed the relation between higher education and its function. Secondly the text has discussed the question and reason that our country exists in the higher education structure at the present stage. It has put forward and solved the unreasonable suggestion of higher education finally. Hope to pass the analysis of this text. We can draw lessons from the adjustment of the higher education structure to some extent .
Predictive Model for the Design of Zwitterionic Polymer Brushes: A Statistical Design of Experiments Approach.

The performance of polymer interfaces in biology is governed by a wide spectrum of interfacial properties. With the ultimate goal of identifying design parameters for stem cell culture coatings, we developed a statistical model that describes the dependence of brush properties on surface-initiated polymerization (SIP) parameters. Employing a design of experiments (DOE) approach, we identified operating boundaries within which four gel architecture regimes can be realized, including a new regime of associated brushes in thin films. Our statistical model can accurately predict the brush thickness and the degree of intermolecular association of poly[{2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl} dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide] (PMEDSAH), a previously reported synthetic substrate for feeder-free and xeno-free culture of human embryonic stem cells. DOE-based multifunctional predictions offer a powerful quantitative framework for designing polymer interfaces. For example, model predictions can be used to decrease the...
Puzzles abount the Causal Explanation of Human Actions

Discourse about causal relations appears to be conceptually anchored in two extremely different ways; (i) relations are said to be causal if they are explainable by appeal to causal laws; and (ii) relations are said to be causal if they are instances of agency or of some process thought to be suitably similar to agency. Merely to mention these alternatives is to collect an extraordinarily large nest of puzzles of a profound sort. We are, for example, hard pressed to provide the proper account of the nature of laws, causal laws, explanations, causal explanations; also, to provide the proper account of human, animal, and inanimate agency or causal process. But apart from such strenuous matters, it may be usefully noted: (a) that it is entirely possible that appeal to so-called natural laws need not directly bear on the causal explanation of a given phenomenon simply because the laws in question need not be causal laws, laws formulating a direct causal relationship between paired phenomena (even if an underlying causal connection be presupposed); (b) that to hold that explanatory models in science are specifically causal in nature may require appeal to more than the form of laws or to the form of explanations; (c) that causal relations may, on the agency paradigm, be said to be perceived or identified (as by a successful human agent) directly and independently of reference to any causal law or causal explanation.
Research on operation evaluation technology system of smart distribution grid

Operation evaluation technology of smart distribution grid is an important part of self-healing control technology of smart distribution grid. According to the requirement of self-healing function of smart distribution grid, the theory technology related to operation evaluation of smart distribution grid is discussed in the paper. The theory technology includes operation station of smart distribution grid analysis, risk assessment technology, security alarm evaluation technology and vulnerability evaluation technology. In addition, operation evaluation index system configuration of smart distribution grid is built in order to realize the self-healing function of smart distribution grid in the paper.
Ideal Cardiovascular Health, Cardiovascular Remodeling, and Heart Failure in Blacks: The Jackson Heart Study.

Background— The lifetime risk of heart failure (HF) is higher in the black population than in other racial groups in the United States. Methods and Results— We measured the Life’s Simple 7 ideal cardiovascular health metrics in 4195 blacks in the JHS (Jackson Heart Study; 2000–2004). We evaluated the association of Simple 7 metrics with incident HF and left ventricular structure and function by cardiac magnetic resonance (n=1188). Mean age at baseline was 54.4 years (65% women). Relative to 0 to 2 Simple 7 factors, blacks with 3 factors had 47% lower incident HF risk (hazard ratio [HR], 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39–0.73; P <0.0001); and those with ≥4 factors had 61% lower HF risk (HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.24–0.64; P =0.0002). Higher blood pressure (HR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.28–4.20; P =0.005), physical inactivity (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.07–2.55; P =0.02), smoking (HR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.43–2.91; P <0.0001), and impaired glucose control (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.34–2.29; P <0.0001) were associated with incident HF. The age-/sex-adjusted population attributable risk for these Simple 7 metrics combined was 37.1%. Achievement of ideal blood pressure, ideal body mass index, ideal glucose control, and nonsmoking was associated with less likelihood of adverse cardiac remodeling by cardiac magnetic resonance. Conclusions— Cardiovascular risk factors in midlife (specifically elevated blood pressure, physical inactivity, smoking, and poor glucose control) are associated with incident HF in blacks and represent targets for intensified HF prevention.
Current Public Health Concerns

American trypanosomiasis, or Chagas disease, is caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. Sixteen to eighteen million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America are infected with this organism, and 45,000 deaths are attributed to the disease each year. Infection with T. cruzi is life-long, and 10-30 % of persons who harbor the parasite chronically develop cardiac and gastrointestinal problems associated with the parasitosis. Although major progress has been made in recent years in reducing vector-borne and transfusion-associated transmission of T. cruzi, the burden of disability and death in persons chronically infected with the organism continues to be enormous. Congenital Chagas disease also is a public health concern, as 5–10 % of infants born to T. cruzi-infected women are in turn infected, and no medications are available for preventing congenital transmission. T. cruzi can also be transmitted by transplantation of organs harvested from persons with Chagas disease. Eight to ten million persons born in countries in which Chagas disease is endemic currently reside in the United States, and epidemiologic and census data suggest that 50,000–100,000 are chronically infected with T. cruzi. The presence of these infected persons poses a risk of transmission of the parasite here through blood transfusion and organ transplantation, and seven such cases are known to have occurred.
Connecting Theory to Practice – Effective Ways of Teaching Motor Learning Course for Undergraduate Physical Education Students

Motor learning is an important subject and is a required course for undergraduate students who major in health and physical education according to NASPE standards two. The objective of motor learning courses at the undergraduate level is to prepare our students to be competent to teach motor skills in the future. However, teaching the motor learning course effectively at this level is truly challenging due to the abstractness of the motor learning theories which are largely based on laboratory experiments. Many times students? motivation of learning could be compromised due to a potential disconnect between theory and practice of motor learning course in general. Thus, the purpose of this paper is two-fold: (a) to illustrate the obstacles of teaching motor learning courses, and (b) to introduce the effective ways of connecting theory to practice for teaching motor learning at the undergraduate level.
Preparedness Training Programs for Working With Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities and Older Adults: Lessons Learned From Key Informants and Literature Assessments.

ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to (1) identify available training programs for emergency response personnel and public health professionals on addressing the needs of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals and older adults, (2) identify strategies to improve these training programs, and (3) identify gaps in available training programs and make recommendations for addressing these gaps.MethodsA literature review was conducted to identify relevant training programs and identify lessons learned. Interviews were conducted by telephone or email with key informants who were subject matter experts who worked with Deaf and hard of hearing persons (n=11) and older adults (n=11).ResultsFrom the literature, 11 training programs targeting public health professionals and emergency response personnel serving Deaf and hard of hearing individuals (n=7) and older adults (n=4) were identified. The 4 training programs focused on older adults had corresponding evaluations published in the literature. Three (43%) of the 7 training programs focused on Deaf and hard of hearing persons included individuals from the affected communities in the development and implementation of the training. Key informant interviews identified common recommendations for improving training programs: (1) training should involve collaboration across different emergency, state, federal, and advocacy agencies; (2) training should involve members of affected communities; (3) training should be more widely accessible and affordable; and (4) training should teach response personnel varied communication techniques relevant to the Deaf and hard of hearing and older adult communities.ConclusionsDeveloping effective, accessible, and affordable training programs for emergency response personnel working with Deaf and hard of hearing persons, some of whom belong to the older adult population, will require a collaborative effort among emergency response agencies, public health organizations, and members of the affected communities. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:606–614)
EVALUATION OF ADDITIVE AND SUBTRACTIVE MANUFACTURING FROM THE SECURITY PERSPECTIVE

Additive manufacturing involves a new class of cyber-physical systems that manufacture 3D objects incrementally by depositing and fusing together thin layers of source material. In 2015, the global additive manufacturing industry had $5.165 billion in revenue, with 32.5% of all manufactured objects used as functional parts. Because of their reliance on computerization, additive manufacturing devices (or 3D printers) are susceptible to a broad range of attacks. The rapid adoption of additive manufacturing in aerospace, automotive and other industries makes it an attractive attack target and a critical asset to be protected.
Investigation of Optimized Treatment Conditions for Acoustic-Transfection Technique for Intracellular Delivery of Macromolecules.

Abstract Manipulation of cellular functions and structures by introduction of genetic materials inside cells has been one of the most prominent research areas in biomedicine. High-frequency ultrasound acoustic-transfection has recently been developed and confirmed by intracellular delivery of small molecules into HeLa cells at the single-cell level with high cell viability. After we proved the concept underlying the acoustic-transfection technique, treatment conditions for different human cancer cell lines have been intensively investigated to further develop acoustic-transfection as a versatile and adaptable transfection method by satisfying the requirements of high-delivery efficiency and cell membrane permeability with minimal membrane disruption. To determine optimal treatment conditions for different cell lines, we developed a quantitative intracellular delivery score based on delivery efficiency, cell membrane permeability and cell viability after 4 and 20 h of treatment. The intracellular delivery of macromolecules and the simultaneous intracellular delivery of two molecules under optimal treatment conditions were successfully achieved. We found that DNA plasmid was delivered by acoustic-transfection technique into epiblast stem cells, which expressed transient mCherry fluorescence.
The Death Penalty in a World Where the Innocent Are Sometimes Convicted

In “The Death Penalty in a World Where the Innocent are Sometimes Convicted”, Professor Loewy explores the justifications for and reasons against capital punishment. He first argues that, given the amount of innocent people that are convicted, it is statistically likely that the United States has or will execute an innocent person. Loewy then explores capital punishment as it applies to those proven guilty and weighs the balance of the perceived advantages and disadvantages. Loewy finds the balance against capital punishment for those proven guilty, and he uses this conclusion to argue that since we live in a world where guilt is very often doubtful in some cases, the death penalty can definitely not be justified.
Synthetic Control of Tertiary Helical Structures in Short Peptides.

Helical secondary and tertiary motifs are commonly observed as binding epitopes in natural and engineered protein scaffolds. While several strategies have been described to constrain α-helices or reproduce their binding attributes in synthetic mimics, general strategies to mimic tertiary helical motifs remain in their infancy. We recently described a synthetic strategy to develop helical dimers (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 11618–11621). We found that replacement of an interhelical salt bridge with a covalent bond can stabilize antiparallel motifs in short sequences. Here we show that the approach can be generalized to obtain antiparallel and parallel dimers as well as trimer motifs. Helical stabilization requires judiciously designed cross-linkers as well as optimal interhelical hydrophobic packing. We anticipate that these mimics would afford new classes of modulators of biological function.
Explaining the enhanced star formation rate of Jellyfish galaxies in galaxy clusters

We study the recently observed JellyFish galaxies (JFGs), which are found to have their gas content ram-pressure stripped away in galaxy clusters. These galaxies are observed to have an enhanced star formation rate of about 0.2 dex compared with a control sample of the same stellar mass in their disks. We model the increase in the star formation efficiency as a function of interacluster medium pressure and parametrize the cold gas content of the galaxies as a function of cluster-centric distance. We show that regarding the external pressure as a positive feedback results in agreement with the observed distribution of enhanced star formation in the JFGs if clouds are shielded from evaporation by magnetic fields. Our results predict that satellites with halo mass $< 10^{11}M_{\odot}$ moving with Mach numbers $\mathcal{M}\approx2$, and inclination angles below 60 degrees, are more likely to be detected as JFGs.
A High-Fidelity Surface-Haptic Device for Texture Rendering on Bare Finger

We present the design and evaluation of a high fidelity surface-haptic device. The user slides a finger along a glass plate while friction is controlled via the amplitude modulation of ultrasonic vibrations of the plate. A non-contact finger position sensor and low latency rendering scheme allow for the reproduction of fine textures directly on the bare finger. The device can reproduce features as small as 25 \(\upmu \)m while maintaining an update rate of 5 kHz. Signal attenuation, inherent to resonant devices, is compensated with a feedforward filter, enabling an artifact-free rendering of virtual textures on a glass plate.
Acute Flaccid Myelitis Surveillance: A Signal Through the Noise.

* Abbreviations: AFM — : acute flaccid myelitis CDC — : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CSF — : cerebrospinal fluid Ayers et al1, in the current issue of Pediatrics , provide comprehensive surveillance data for the polio-like illness acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in the United States from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017. Importantly, in this study, they found that among the 193 children meeting the confirmed AFM case definition during the 3-year period, 143 instances (74%) occurred in 2016, fitting within the larger epidemiological context of a biennial pattern of AFM outbreaks in the US documented from 2014 to 2018 (Fig 1).2 Additionally, approximately two-thirds of the 2016 cases occurred in August to October, mirroring the summer-to-fall seasonality of the 20143 and 2018 outbreaks.4 Thirty-six percent of respiratory specimens and 19% of stool and rectal specimens tested at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were positive for an enterovirus or rhinovirus, but viruses were rarely detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ( n = 1) or blood ( n = 2). Notably, 69% (22 out of 32) of enteroviruses and rhinoviruses from respiratory specimens were typed as enterovirus-D68; no other picornavirus was detected in more than 3 patients. The authors conclude that the composite nationwide 2015 to 2017 AFM surveillance data suggest a viral etiology but that it … Address correspondence to Samuel R. Dominguez, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13123 E 16th Ave, B055, Aurora, CO 80045. E-mail: samuel.dominguez{at}childrenscolorado.org
A functional HTR1A polymorphism, rs6295, predicts short-term response to lurasidone: confirmation with meta-analysis of other antipsychotic drugs.

Stimulation of the serotonin (5-HT)1A receptor (HTR1A) has been shown to contribute to the mechanism of action of some atypical antipsychotic drugs (APDs), including clozapine and lurasidone. A meta-analysis of rs6295, a functional polymorphism located at the promoter region of HTR1A, showed association with clinical response in schizophrenic patients treated with atypical APD. We have now tested whether other SNPs related to rs6295 predict response to lurasidone. We first evaluated whether rs358532 and rs6449693, tag SNPs for rs6295, predicted response to lurasidone, using data from two clinical trials of acutely psychotic schizophrenia patients with European (EUR, n = 171) or African (AFR, n = 131) ancestry; we then determined if those findings could be replicated in a third trial of lurasidone of similar design. Weekly changes (up to 6 weeks) in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Total score and its five subscales were used to assess response. In EUR, a significant association, or trends for association, were observed for PANSS Total (p = 0.035), positive (p = 0.039), negative (p = 0.004), and disorganization (p = 0.0087) subscales, at week 1–6. There was a trend for replication with PANNS Total (p = 0.036) in the third trial. No significant association was observed in AFR or the placebo group. Meta-analysis of five studies, including the three with lurasidone, showed that rs6295 was associated with improvement in positive (p = 0.023) and negative (p ≤ 0.0001) symptoms in EUR patients with schizophrenia. This is the first study to show a significant association between functional HTR1A polymorphisms and treatment response to lurasidone. The meta-analysis provides additional evidence that rs6295 could be a race-dependent biomarker for predicting treatment response to APDs in schizophrenic patients with European Ancestry.
Global Momentum Preservation for Position-based Dynamics

Position-based dynamics has emerged as an exceedingly popular approach for animating soft body dynamics. Unfortunately, the basic approach suffers from artificial loss of angular momentum. We propose a simple approach to preserve global linear and angular momenta of bodies by directly tracking these quantities and adjusting velocities to ensure they are preserved. This approach entails negligible computational cost, requires less than 25 lines of code, and exactly preserves global linear and angular momenta.