cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Modelling and Nonlinear Equalization Technique for a 20 Gb/s 0.77 pJ/b VCSEL Transmitter in 32 nm SOI CMOS

This paper describes an ultralow-power VCSEL transmitter in 32 nm SOI CMOS. To increase its power efficiency, the VCSEL is driven at a low bias current. Driving the VCSEL in this condition increases its inherent nonlinearity. Conventional pre-emphasis techniques cannot compensate for this effect because they have a linear response. To overcome this limitation, a nonlinear equalization scheme is proposed. A dynamic VCSEL modelling technique is used to generate the time-domain optical responses for “one” and “zero” bits. Based on the asymmetry of the two responses, the rising and falling edges are equalized separately. Additionally, instead of using fixed bit delays, the equalization delay is selected based on the bias current of the VCSEL. The efficiency of the proposed modelling and equalization technique is evaluated through simulations and measurements. The transmitter achieves energy efficiency of 0.77 pJ/b at 20 Gb/s and occupies $100\ \upmu\text{m} \times 60\ \upmu\text{m}$ active silicon area.
Epidemic analysis on the enteric infectious diseases of Xinpu district in Lianyungang city from 2007 to 2011

Objective To understand the epidemic trends of the enteric infectious diseases in Xinpu district in Lianyungang for providing the scientific evidences for controlling the enteric infectious diseases.Methods Used the descriptive epidemiological method to analyze the data of enteric infectious diseases in Xinpu district during 2007 2011.Results There were about 1015 cases of 5 categories enteric infectious diseases notified in Xinpu district during 2007-2011,with the incidence of 48.81/100,000.It showed the decreasing trends of enteric infectious diseases.51.33% of all cases was occurred from June to September.The more cases were occurred among two groups aged less than 5 years old and 40-60 years old,with the proportion of 42.56%(432/1015) and 18.23%(185/1015) respectively.Male cases were more than female.Conclusion Family cared children and nursery children were the high risk groups.The effective controlling the dysentery and hepatitis diseases were key point to reduce the enteric infectious diseases.
Literature and the Islamic Court: Cultural life under al-Sahib Ibn 'Abbad

Introduction 1 Al-Sahib: A Potentate and Patron 2 The Courtiers 3 The Literary Field of the Court: Representative Genres 4 The Hegemonic Taste in the Literary Field 5 Al-Tawhidi at Al-Sahib's Court: What Went Wrong? Conclusion Appendix: Al-Rustami's Mansion Ode
Harpist's finger: case report of a trauma-induced blister in a beginner harpist and review of string instrument-associated skin problems in musicians

Musicians may develop skin problems resulting from playing their instruments. Dermatologic conditions in string players usually are secondary to allergic contact dermatitis (allergens include chromium, nickel, colophony, paraphenylenediamine, propolis, and exotic woods) and physical trauma (between either the fingers and the strings or the body and the instrument). A beginner harpist who developed harpist's finger--blister and subsequent callus of her left index finger from repeated trauma between the digit and the harp strings--is described, and string instrument-associated skin problems in musicians are reviewed.
Multiphoton ionization of H 2

We present results of calculations of rates for ionization of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$ by up to six photons in lowest nonvanishing order of perturbation theory, for a fixed internuclear separation of 2 a.u. There are numerous intermediate state resonances, which we identify by united-atom-limit quantum numbers. We also report on ionization rates at nonperturbative intensities at the wavelength 228 nm, calculated by resumming the Rayleigh-Schr\"odinger perturbation series for the ac quasienergy; we compare our results with those of previous calculations. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation studies of the interaction of ligands with the monomer and tetramer forms of formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase

Previous work using n.m.r. spectroscopy to investigate the binding between formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase and its ligands was done using the catalytically active tetrameric form of the enzyme. By removal of specific monovalent cations the tetramer dissociates to four identical, catalytically inactive monomers, which are capable of binding nucleotides with affinities similar to those obtained with the tetramer. In the studies reported here, we examined the interaction of metal-nucleotide, formate and monovalent cations with the monomer using n.m.r. relaxation measurements. We were able to demonstrate that formate binds to the monomer. The spin-lattice relaxation rate (1/T1) of the formate carbon in the monomer.M2+.ADP.formate complex is enhanced when Mg2+ is replaced by Mn2+. By assuming that the exchange of formate is not rate-limiting and that tau c of the monomer is the same as that of the tetramer, the distance between the Mn2+ and the formate carbon was calculated and found to be similar in the monomer and tetramer complexes. The spin-lattice relaxation rates of [13C]trimethylammonium ion (an inactive monovalent cation), [13C]methylammonium and [15N]ammonium ions (both active monovalent cations), were measured in the presence of tetramer, MnADP and formate. The relaxation rates of methylammonium and ammonium ions were enhanced under these conditions whereas the relaxation rate of trimethylammonium ion was not. The results indicate that the active monovalent cations bind near the MnADP binding site. A distance from the Mn2+ to the ammonium nitrogen of between 0.5 and 0.6 nm was calculated.
Toward a plausible event-causal indeterminist account of free will

For those who maintain that free will is incompatible with causal determinism, a persistent problem is to give a coherent characterization of action that is neither determined by prior events nor random, arbitrary, lucky or in some way insufficiently under the control of the agent to count as free action. One approach—that of Roderick Chisholm and others—is to say that a third alternative is for an action to be caused by an agent in a way that is not reducible to event causal terms. A different approach than the Chisholmian appeal to primitive substance causation is one that, instead, involves causal relations purely among events. This paper presents a particular event-causal indeterminist account of free action, describing both its attractions and recent objections to it, and then proposes a revised version, with the aim of supporting the plausibility of an event-causal indeterminist approach to free will.
Clinical presentation and management of arterial thoracic outlet syndrome.

Abstract Objective Arterial thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a rare condition characterized by subclavian artery pathology associated with a bony abnormality. This study assessed contemporary clinical management of arterial TOS at a high-volume referral center. Methods A prospectively maintained database was used to conduct a retrospective review of patients undergoing primary or reoperative treatment for arterial TOS during an 8-year period (2008 to 2016). Presenting characteristics, operative findings, and clinical and functional outcomes were evaluated. Results Forty patients underwent surgical treatment for arterial TOS, representing 3% of 1401 patients undergoing operations for all forms of TOS during the same interval. Patients were a mean age of 40.3 ± 2.2 years (range, 13-68 years), and 72% were women. More than half presented with upper extremity ischemia/emboli (n = 21) or posterior stroke (n = 2), including eight that had required urgent brachial artery thromboembolectomy. The presentation in 17 (42%) was nonvascular, with 11 having symptoms of neurogenic TOS and six having an asymptomatic neck mass or incidentally discovered subclavian artery dilatation. All patients underwent thoracic outlet decompression (25 supraclavicular, 15 paraclavicular), of which there were 30 (75%) with a cervical rib (24 complete, 6 partial), 5 with a first rib abnormality, 4 with a clavicle fracture, and 1 (reoperation) with no remaining bone abnormality. Subclavian artery reconstruction was performed in 70% (26 bypass grafts, 1 patch, 1 suture repair), and 30% had mild subclavian artery dilatation ( P Conclusions This relatively large single-institution series demonstrates the diverse clinical presentation of arterial TOS coincident with a spectrum of bony and arterial pathology. Current surgical protocols can achieve excellent outcomes for this rare and often complicated condition.
Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and risk of atrial fibrillation.

Background and objective Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is expressed by endothelial cells and can affect cardiovascular function. We examined if serum BDNF was associated with risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF) in the Framingham Heart Study. Methods We studied individuals without an AF diagnosis at baseline from the Framingham original and offspring cohorts. We used age- and sex-adjusted, and multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models to examine the association of serum BDNF concentrations with 10-year risk of incident AF. Results We studied 3,457 participants (mean age 65 ± 11 years, 58% women). During follow-up, 395 participants developed AF. In unadjusted analysis, higher mean serum BDNF concentration was associated with lower incidence of AF (hazard ratio 0.89 per SD, 95% CI 0.80-0.99). In multivariable-adjusted analyses, serum BDNF concentration was not significantly associated with incident AF (hazard ratio 0.98 per SD, 95% CI 0.88-1.09). Compared with the lowest quartile, BDNF levels in the other quartiles were not associated with risk of AF in multivariable-adjusted analyses. No interactions between sex or age with serum BDNF concentrations and risk of AF were found. Conclusions In our prospective, community-based sample, we did not find a statistically significant association of serum BDNF levels with risk of incident AF.
Adaptive synchronized switch damping on an inductor: a self-tuning switching law

Synchronized switch damping (SSD) techniques exploit low-power switching between passive circuits connected to piezoelectric material to reduce structural vibration. In the classical implementation of SSD, the piezoelectric material remains in an open circuit for the majority of the vibration cycle and switches briefly to a shunt circuit at every displacement extremum. Recent research indicates that this switch timing is only optimal for excitation exactly at resonance and points to more general optimal switch criteria based on the phase of the displacement and the system parameters. This work proposes a self-tuning approach that implements the more general optimal switch timing for synchronized switch damping on an inductor (SSDI) without needing any knowledge of the system parameters. The law involves a gradient-based search optimization that is robust to noise and uncertainties in the system. Testing of a physical implementation confirms this law successfully adapts to the frequency and parameters of the system. Overall, the adaptive SSDI controller provides better off-resonance steady-state vibration reduction than classical SSDI while matching performance at resonance.
The effects of restaurant menu calorie labeling on hypothetical meal choices of females with disordered eating.

Concerns have been raised that obesity public policy measures may have harmful effects on individuals with eating disorders. However, little research has investigated this topic. We examined the impact of a popular obesity public policy, menu calorie labeling, on hypothetical food choices of women with disordered eating. Seven hundred sixteen adult females completed an online survey in which they were randomly assigned to receive a restaurant menu with or without calorie information listed. Participants selected foods representative of a meal they would choose to consume and answered questions on restaurant ordering and menu labeling. Participants completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (Fairburn & Beglin, 1994) to assess global eating pathology. Diagnoses of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) were also derived from this measure. Generalized linear modeling examined the impact of menu label condition, disordered eating, and the menu label by disordered eating interaction on hypothetical food selection and related variables. When disordered eating was examined continuously, menu labeling did not differentially affect food selections of those with elevated disordered eating (p = .45). However, when examined by eating disorder diagnosis, participants with AN or BN ordered significantly fewer (p < .001) and participants with BED ordered significantly more (p = .001) calories in the menu label versus no label condition. Menu labeling may decrease the calories ordered among individuals with AN or BN and increase calories ordered among individuals with BED.
Commentary on “Effect of β-alanine and the solvent composition on the solubility of solvate of calcium d-pantothenate containing four molecules of methanol and one molecule of water (D-PC·4MeOH·1H2O)”

Abstract Cohen equation coefficients reported by Han et al. (2017) were found to provide an incorrect mathematical description of the solubility behavior of calcium d -panthenate solvate as the mole fraction concentration β-alanine approaches zero. Reported equation coefficients fail to describe the observed trend of increasing calcium d -panthenate solvate solubility with increasing β-alanine mole fraction. The experimental solubility values were reanalyzed and new Cohen equation coefficients calculated. A polemic is also given regarding the interpretation by the authors of an observed mathematical relationship between the experimental mole fraction solubility and the dielectric constant of the binary solvent mixture. The authors interpreted one of the curve-fit equation coefficients as the energy dissolution barrier. A unit analysis shows that the unit of the curve-fit equation coefficient must be J·K −1 ·mol −1 which is inconsistent with energy.
A PCR-free point-of-care capacitive immunoassay for influenza A virus

This article describes a highly sensitive and specific capacitive immunosensor for rapid, low cost and simple-to-use detection of virus particles from clinical swab samples. An inhomogeneous AC electric field is applied on sensor electrodes. This induces positive dielectrophoresis that attracts virus particles to the sensor electrodes. As a result, rapid and sensitive detection of influenza A virus is accomplished without the need for nucleotide isolation and amplification. The same AC signal is used to detect the binding of virus particle to the sensor surface immobilized with the antibody probe. The assay is highly suitable for point-of-care use. When testing clinical swab samples, the response of samples at various dilutions is analyzed, and an optimal dilution is found and used for subsequent blind tests of clinical swab samples. Analytical experiments on standard influenza virus sample demonstrate a limit of detection of 0.25 pg⋅mL−1. Other figures of merit include (a) an assay time of 30 seconds; (b) a diagnostic sensitivity of 90%; and (c) a specificity of 70%. Blind tests are conducted for a panel of twenty nasal swab samples, and the results are in good agreement with those by using the commercial reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
Exploiting the unusual effects of fluorine in methodology

Fluorination of organic molecules significantly impacts the basic physicochemical properties of small and large biologically active molecules, agrichemicals, and materials. Thus, the development of synthetic reactions to access these substructures is important for many applied fields of chemistry. However, these fluorine-induced perturbations of chemical properties can inhibit standard chemical transformations, which provides unique challenges for synthetic organic chemists. In addition, the physicochemical properties imparted by fluorinated substituents can enable distinct reactivity patterns relative to non-fluorinated substrates, thus making synthetic organofluorine chemistry a fertile ground for developing new, exciting transformations. In this feature article, we detail our experiences in methodology, wherein fluorinated substrates have enabled unique reactivity patterns relative to non-fluorous substrates. Specifically, we highlight the non-standard chemo- and regio-selectivities imparted by fluorinated substrates on Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions, nucleophilic addition reactions of olefins, and Cu-catalyzed decarboxylative fluoroalkylation reactions.
Soy Foods: Towards the Development of Novel Therapeutics for Breast Cancer

The increasing cognizance that diet (and lifestyle) can modify breast cancer risk and progression has motivated many breast cancer patients to take increasing personal control of the direction of their therapies after diagnosis and surgery. While this has certain advantages, including higher compliance to prescribed drugs and improvements in emotional and mental well-being, it predicates the need for increased understanding of the benefits of particular diets and dietary regimen to the treatment programs and for improved translation of data obtained from studies with animal models into clinical settings. Epidemiological studies have linked high consumption of soy-rich foods to the lower incidence of breast cancer in Asia relative to that in Western countries. The potential of soy-rich foods as breast cancer protective when dietary exposure occurs early in life, has resulted in driving the use of soy and its associated bioactive components, specifically the isoflavone genistein, as chemopreventive agents or as adjuvants to conventional drug therapies. Bioactive components in soy foods may affect hormone and non-hormone-mediated mechanisms. However, their overall biological outcomes remain not well-understood and at times, contradictory, due to distinct physiological contexts and doses of exposure, multiple targets, and inconsistent measures of relevant endpoints. Here we provide an argument in support of the potential use of soy foods for breast cancer patients based on the review of the current literature as well as raise caveats that must be addressed for its successful application as standard-of-care treatment.
The negative impact of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in professional male footballers.

Abstract Background Soccer is one of the most common international sports in which ACL injuries occur, with previous studies reporting high return-to-play rates following ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Return-to-play analysis fails to take into consideration how effective a player remains once returning to competition. The aims of this study are to provide a large-scale international analysis of return-to-play and player performance statistics among professional soccer athletes following ACLR. Methods Using publicly available sources, professional soccer athletes who have undergone ACLR between the 1996 and 2015 seasons were identified. Player metrics including statistical performance, recovery time, and return-to-play rates were analyzed both before and after reconstruction. Furthermore, player performance statistics during each of three consecutive seasons post-ACLR were compared. Results A total of 176 athletes who underwent ACLR were included in this study. The return-to-play rate was 93.2% (164 athletes). Cumulative post-surgical statistical analysis of ACLR players demonstrated fewer games/season, minutes/season, minutes/game, goals/season, and more fouls/season following ACLR (p Conclusion Return-to-play rate is high following ACLR; however, athletes exhibit poorer statistical performance, especially in the first few seasons upon return. Our data shows that athletes continue to start fewer games/season and score fewer goals/90 min at three seasons post-ACLR.
Twenty-four-hour motor activity and body temperature patterns suggest altered central circadian timekeeping in Smith-Magenis syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) is a contiguous gene syndrome linked to interstitial microdeletion, or mutation of RAI1, within chromosome 17p11.2. Key behavioral features of SMS include intellectual disability (ID), sleep-disturbances, maladaptive, aggressive and self-injurious behaviors, hyperactivity and sudden changes in mood. A distinguishing feature of this syndrome is an inverted pattern of melatonin characterized by elevated daytime and low nighttime melatonin levels. Since the central circadian clock controls the 24-hour rhythm of melatonin, we hypothesized that the clock itself may contribute to the disrupted pattern of melatonin and sleep. In this report, 24-hour patterns of body temperature, a surrogate marker of clock-timing, and continuous wrist activity were collected to examine the links between body temperature, sleep behavior, and the circadian clock. In addition, age-dependent changes in sleep behavior were explored. Actigraphy-estimated sleep time for SMS was one hour less than expected across all ages studied. The timing of the 24-hour body temperature (Tb-24) rhythm was phase advanced, but not inverted. Compared to sibling (SIB) controls, the SMS group had less total night sleep, lower sleep efficiency, earlier sleep onset, earlier final awake times, increased waking after sleep onset (WASO), and increased daytime nap duration. The timing of wake onset varied with age, providing evidence of ongoing developmental sleep changes from childhood thru adolescence. Clarification of the circadian and developmental factors that contribute to the disrupted and variable sleep patterns in this syndrome will be helpful in identifying more effective individualized treatments.
Opioids: A Review of Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics in Neonates, Infants, and Children.

Pain management in the pediatric population is complex for many reasons. Mild pain is usually managed quite well with oral acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Situations involving more severe pain often require the use of an opioid, which may be administered by many different routes, depending on clinical necessity. Acute and chronic disease states, as well as the constantly changing maturational process, produce unique challenges at every level of pediatrics in dosing and management of all medications, especially with regard to high-risk opioids. Although there has been significant progress in the understanding of opioid pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in neonates, infants, children, and adolescents, somewhat limited data exist from which necessary information, concerning the safe and effective use of these agents, may be drawn. The evidence here provided is intended to be helpful in directing the practitioner to patient-specific reasons for preferring one opioid over another. As our knowledge of opioids and their effects has grown, it has become clear that older medications like codeine and meperidine (pethidine) have very limited use in pediatrics. This review provides pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evidence on the currently available opioids: morphine, fentanyl (and derivatives), codeine, meperidine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, methadone, buprenorphine, butorphanol, nalbuphine, pentazocin, ketobemidone, tramadol, piritramide, naloxone and naltrexone. Morphine, being the most studied opioid analgesic, is the standard against which all others are compared. Pharmacokinetic parameters of morphine that have been found in neonates, i.e., higher volume of distribution, immature metabolic processes that develop at various rates, elimination that is variable based on age and weight, as well as treated and untreated disease processes, are an example of all opioids in the population discussed in this review. Outside the premature and neonatal population, the use of opioids in infants, children, and adolescents quickly begins to resemble the established values found in adults. As such, the concerns (risks) of these medications become comparable to those seen in adults.
Regulation of Low and High Nucleic Acid Fluorescent Heterotrophic Prokaryote Subpopulations and Links to Viral-Induced Mortality Within Natural Prokaryote-Virus Communities.

Flow cytometric analysis of marine prokaryotes routinely reveals two distinct clusters of heterotrophic cells referred to as high nucleic acid fluorescent (HNA) and low nucleic acid fluorescent (LNA) populations. Evidence suggests that these may represent physiologically and ecologically distinct prokaryote populations. According to the “kill the winner” hypothesis, viral lysis reduces the efficiency of the microbial loop by decreasing the biomass and activity of the most abundant and active members of a population (i.e., competition specialist). Thus, viral-induced mortality may vary according to the physiology of HNA and LNA cells, with implications for the marine carbon cycle. Here, the abundance and production of heterotrophic prokaryotic populations were assessed in the North Atlantic during two phases of the annual plankton cycle and related to bottom-up (i.e., organic carbon variability) and top-down processes (i.e., viral abundance and lytic production). Our results demonstrate that the relative abundance of HNA and LNA heterotrophic cells and heterotrophic prokaryote production vary according to organic carbon variability in the water column, which can be strongly influenced by the physical eddy field (i.e., type of eddy: cyclonic, anticyclonic, or no eddy). In addition, the abundance and lytic production of virus subpopulations were correlated with the cellular production and abundance of heterotrophic HNA and LNA prokaryote communities. Our data suggest group- and activity-specific linkages between hosts and viruses (i.e., HNA-V1 and LNA-V2). Specifically, V1 had a greater contribution to total viral production (i.e., 2.6-fold higher than V2 viruses), similar to their putative host. Finally, we explore potential implications of group- and activity-specific linkages between host and virus groups on the flux of carbon through the microbial food web.
Multi-atmosphere picosecond CO 2 amplifier optically pumped at 4.3 μm

The possibility of the amplification of picosecond 10 μm pulses to gigawatt powers in an optically pumped 20 atmosphere CO2 laser is shown using numerical simulations. Multi-millijoule 4.3 μm pulses generated by a tunable Fe:ZnSe laser are considered for pumping.
Ligand Surface Density Decreases with Quantum Rod Aspect Ratio

The relationship between phosphonic acid (PA) binding strength, surface coverage, and quantum rod or dot aspect ratio was studied. Seven nanocrystals with an aspect ratio (l/w) between 1.0 and 11.7, including five CdSe with l/w between 1.0 and 5.2 and two CdSe/CdS with dot-in-rod and rod-in-rod microstructures with l/w between 7.5 and 11.7, were synthesized. The nature of phosphonic acid binding was studied in situ using one-dimensional 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as well as two-dimensional diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) and relaxation ordered spectroscopy (ROSY). The DOSY results were used to separate strongly binding phosphonic acid signatures from weakly binding ones, thus allowing for estimates of ligand densities (LDs) to be calculated, which showed a significant drop from LD = 2.21 nm–2 for spherical CdSe with l/w = 1.0 to LD = 0.23 nm–2 for CdSe/CdS with l/w = 11.7. Interestingly, intermediate l/w = 1.7 showed a higher LD of 4.81 nm–2. The results suggest a wrapping or relatively flat binding by phosphonic acids on the sides of the rods, leading to decent surface coverage for low aspect ratios but lower LD for more elongated rods. This model was further confirmed using ROSY, which revealed similar relaxation times (T1) for each proton of the phosphonic acids on the rods, indicating similar ligand–quantum rod (QR) interface.
A density functional theory study on the shape of the primary cellulose microfibril in plants: effects of C6 exocyclic group conformation and H-bonding

Periodic planewave and molecular cluster density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on three potential arrangements of 18 chain chain cellulose microfibrils (CMFs). To determine the most probable arrangement in plant cell walls, the molecular structure, 13C NMR chemical shifts and WAXS diffractograms resulting from the DFT model calculations were compared to experimental data. In addition, the relative potential energies of the 18-chain model CMFs were considered as evidence for the most likely arrangement. The preponderance of evidence for the CMF arrangement that is most probable in plant cell walls is a 6-layer CMF in an arrangement of 234432 glucan chains where each integer represents the number of chains in a given layer. An accurate model for the habit of the CMF in plant cell walls is necessary for further modeling of CMF interactions with other plant cell wall components and studies of cellulose degradation.
Depletion of SNAP-23 and Syntaxin 4 alters lipid droplet homeostasis during Chlamydia infection

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen that replicates inside a parasitic vacuole called the inclusion. The nascent inclusion is derived from the host plasma membrane and serves as a platform from which Chlamydia controls interactions with the host microenvironment. To survive inside the host cell, Chlamydia scavenges for nutrients and lipids by recruiting and/or fusing with various cellular compartments. The mechanisms by which these events occur are poorly understood but require host proteins such as the SNARE proteins (SNAP (Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein) Receptor). Here, we show that SNAP-23 and Syntaxin 4, two plasma membrane SNAREs, are recruited to the inclusion and play an important role in Chlamydia development. Knocking down SNAP-23 and Syntaxin 4 by CRISPR-Cas9 reduces the amount of infectious progeny. We then demonstrate that the loss of both of these SNARE proteins results in the dysregulation of Chlamydia-induced lipid droplets, indicating that both SNAP-23 and Syntaxin 4 play a critical role in lipid droplet homeostasis during Chlamydia infection. Ultimately, our data highlights the importance of lipid droplets and their regulation in Chlamydia development.
Aquatic macroinvertebrate richness and diversity associated with native submerged aquatic vegetation plantings increases in longer-managed and wetland-channeled effluent constructed urban wetlands

Macroinvertebrate community structure and assemblages associated with the planted, native submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) species Heteranthera dubia (Jacq.) MacMillan and Potamogeton nodosus Poiret were examined in a series of constructed urban floodway wetlands, the Dallas Floodway Extension Lower Chain of Wetlands, Dallas, TX, USA. Macroinvertebrate community metrics, including abundance, richness, diversity, and evenness associated with SAV and three different wetlands of varying construction completion dates, water sources (direct or wetland-channeled wastewater effluent), and ecosystem management stage (established/reference or developing) were compared and analyzed. Assemblages at sampling sites were also classified and related to vegetation and wetland physicochemical parameters. Plant species affected only macroinvertebrate abundance, with the less-dissected P. nodosus supporting higher counts than H. dubia. Wetland age and water-effluent type had the most substantial effect on macroinvertebrate communities. The older, longer-managed wetland and wetland-channeled effluent habitat consistently demonstrated higher quality metrics and biodiversity than newly constructed, direct effluent wetland habitat. Increased vegetation cover and wetland age, coupled with moderate water temperature, pH, and DO levels were characteristics of more rich and diverse macroinvertebrate communities, including pollutant-sensitive taxa, such as Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera.
Mortality and glycemic control among patients with acute and chronic myeloid leukemia and diabetes: a case-control study.

Aim: We examined the association between diabetes and survival in patients with acute and chronic myeloid leukemia and the association of leukemia with glycemic control. Patients & methods: Patient...
OpenICS: Open image compressive sensing toolbox and benchmark

Abstract The real-world application of image compressive sensing is largely limited by the lack of standardization in implementation and evaluation. To address this limitation, we present OpenICS, an image compressive sensing toolbox that implements multiple popular image compressive sensing algorithms into a unified framework with a standardized user interface. Furthermore, a corresponding benchmark is also proposed to provide a fair and complete evaluation of the implemented algorithms. We hope this work can serve the growing research community of compressive sensing and the industry to facilitate the development and application of image compressive sensing.
Vinconnect, Inc.: Digital Marketing Strategy

This case is used in the course elective "Big Data in Marketing." The VinConnect company helped European wineries sell their products directly by using it to facilitate the direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales model to American consumers via offers delivered in e-mail. Unfortunately, the number of purchases has not been as high as VinConnect's president had projected and the open rate for e-mails was high, so potential customers who received the offers were not always buying wine. Excerpt UVA-m-0864 Rev. Jun. 2, 2014 VINCONNECT, INC.: DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY Looking out the window of his office on a clear night in November 2012, Kevin Sidders contemplated his next steps. His company, VinConnect—an intermediary between European wineries and American consumers—had recently closed an offer for one of its partner wineries, and its numbers were slowly improving. But Sidders, the company's president, knew he needed to focus VinConnect's efforts on new marketing initiatives to more effectively reach its targeted audience and increase its customer conversion rate. VinConnect's goal was to allow European wineries to sell their products “directly” (through VinConnect) to American consumers via offers delivered in e-mail. Since its launch, the company had signed up 19 partner wineries, and more than 900 people had subscribed to at least one of its winery mailing lists. It was a great start for a company that had been in business for just over a year, but Sidders knew he still had a tough road ahead. When Sidders founded VinConnect in the fall of the previous year, the idea of European wineries selling directly to American consumers was completely novel. The initial challenge was introducing the concept to European wineries and convincing them of the benefits of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) model. Next, he had to build relationships with importers and distributors to ensure the model would work. Last, he needed to establish a reputation in the industry and put the VinConnect name and idea in front of wine buyers. . . .
Energy Big Data Application Based on Energy Big Data Center

With the rapid development of global economic integration and world economy, resources and environment have become more and more important issues and severe challenges that human beings are concerned about. Energy is the lifeblood of national economic development. Therefore, based on the demand of big data for data and energy acquisition technology, energy conservation and energy utilization efficiency are not only a long-term plan to solve resource strategy problems, safeguard national economic security, realize sustainable development of China’s economy and society, but also our industrial enterprises to meet the challenges of WTO entry, reduce costs, increase benefits The inevitable choice of improving the environment and improving the international competitiveness.
A Computational Introduction to Number Theory and Algebra: The distribution of primes

This chapter concerns itself with the question: how many primes are there? In Chapter 1, we proved that there are infinitely many primes; however, we are interested in a more quantitative answer to this question; that is, we want to know how “dense” the prime numbers are. This chapter has a bit more of an “analytical” flavor than other chapters in this text. However, we shall not make use of any mathematics beyond that of elementary calculus. Chebyshev's theorem on the density of primes The natural way of measuring the density of primes is to count the number of primes up to a bound x , where x is a real number. For a real number x ≥ 0, the function π( x ) is defined to be the number of primes up to x . Thus, π(1) = 0, π(2) = 1, π(7.5) = 4, and so on. The function π is an example of a “step function,” that is, a function that changes values only at a discrete set of points. It might seem more natural to define π only on the integers, but it is the tradition to define it over the real numbers (and there are some technical benefits in doing so). Let us first take a look at some values of π( x ). Table 5.1 shows values of π( x ) for x = 10 3 i and i = 1, …, 6.
Does Enhanced Veto Authority Centralize Government

Previous theoretical and empirical research findsenhanced veto authority has little systematic effecton level of spending. This paper takes a new tact,examining the effect of veto power on thecentralization of governmental services. It proposesand tests a model of federalism in which differenttypes of veto authority lead to differing degrees ofcentralization when the executive and legislature havedisparate preferences over the level of governmentthat should provide services. Empirical resultsindicate governors in the United States use enhancedveto authority to centralize state and localgovernment spending.
In the Beginning Was the Word

Who Wrote the Book of Life? A History of the Genetic Code. Lily E. Kay. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA 2000. 470 pp. $60, £45. ISBN 0-8047-3384-8. Paper, $24.95, £17.95. ISBN 0-8047-3417-8. On the basis of a careful examination of archives, publications, and interviews, Kay presents a history of the research between 1953 and 1970 that explained how DNA sequences specify the amino acid sequences that form proteins. She pays particular attention to the influence of information theory on this work, and concludes that, strictly speaking, "the genetic code is not a code, DNA is not a language, and the genome is not an information system."
Electromodulation symmetry sensitivity

The usefulness of electromodulation as a probe of critical-point symmetry is limited by the variation in the optical response that an electric field ℰ can produce. Modulation of allowed interband transitions causes changes in reflectivity polarization of at most 2 to 3. Rather than measuring this easily masked, common symmetry signature, we propose concentrating on electronic states which have low optical-transition probability in the absence of a field. When ℰ directionally breaksk-conservation, it can then cause extremely large symmetry-sensitive changes in optical properties. This is demonstrated for extrinsic states in indirect-gap semiconductors; ≈1015 cm−3 centers per 1 meV of energy width can be uniquely and self-consistently characterized by electromodulation. We make numerous suggestions for intrinsic-state electromodulation studies that should be extremely symmetry sensitive.
Recent Progress in a Residential Solar Energy System Development

The Texas Instruments Solar Energy System (TISES) concept and development status is described. Texas Instruments has had the TISES approach under development for several years. This new system concept combines the energy conversion and storage functions in a novel way. Small silicon solar cells are immersed in an electrolyte, and the current generated by the cells is used directly to electrolyze hydrobromic acid. The hydrogen and bromine produced can be stored separately (hydrogen as a hydride and bromine in solution) until needed and and then recombined in a fuel cell to produce electrical energy on demand. The fuel cell HBr product is returned to the solar chemical convertor to complete the closed loop energy cycle. Component and system feasibilities have been demonstrated.
The Influence of the MJO on the Intraseasonal Variability of Northern Hemisphere Spring Snow Depth

AbstractIntraseasonal variability in springtime Northern Hemisphere daily snow depth change (ΔSD) by phase of the MJO was explored in this study. Principal findings of the relationship between ΔSD and the MJO included the following: 1) Statistically significant regions of lagged ΔSD anomalies for multiple phases of the MJO were found in March, April, and May in both North America and Eurasia. 2) In each month, lagged ΔSD anomalies were physically supported by corresponding lagged anomalies of 500-hPa height (Z500) and surface air temperature (SAT). Spearman rank correlation coefficients indicated a moderate to strong relationship between both Z500 and ΔSD and SAT and ΔSD in both Eurasia and North America for phases 5 and 7 in March. In April, a moderately strong relationship between Z500 and ΔSD was found over Eurasia for phase 5, but the relationship between SAT and ΔSD was weak. In May, correlations between ΔSD and both Z500 and SAT over a hemisphere-wide latitude band from 60° to 75°N were close to −0....
Stimulated CO emission of the (1 → 0) band in a pulse initiated (CS2 + O2) chemical laser

Abstract Chemi-excitation of CO ( v ) to generate stimulated emission by v = 1 → 0 transitions has been achieved in CS 2 + O 2 + He mixtures, initiated by 13 kV pulses. The discharge is impressed axially along the laser tube. Rotational lines ranging from P(14) to P(10) have been observed. This partial inversion occurs only under strictly controlled conditions.
Nonlinear programming, approximation, and optimization on infinitely differentiable functions

A nonnegative, infinitely differentiable function φ defined on the real line is called a Friedrichs mollifier function if it has support in [0, 1] and ∫01φ(t)dt=1. In this article, the following problem is considered. Determine Δk=inf∫01|φ(k)(t)|dt,k=1, 2, ..., where φ(k) denotes thekth derivative of φ and the infimum is taken over the set of all mollifier functions φ, which is a convex set. This problem has applications to monotone polynomial approximation as shown by this author elsewhere. The problem is reducible to three equivalent problems, a nonlinear programming problem, a problem on the functions of bounded variation, and an approximation problem involving Tchebycheff polynomials. One of the results of this article shows that Δk=k!22k−1,k=1, 2, .... The numerical values of the optimal solutions of the three problems are obtained as a function ofk. Some inequalities of independent interest are also derived.
Voriconazole-Induced Photosensitivity in Children: A Case Report and Literature Review

Voriconazole is a broad-spectrum triazole antifungal with a reliable oral bioavailability introduced in 2002. It is indicated for treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis, primary treatment of amphotericin B and fluconazole-resistant fungal infections such as Fusarium spp and Scedosporium apiospermum (asexual form of Pseudoallescheria boydii).1,2 Voriconazole is also used for empirical antifungal therapy of neutropenic fever in patients receiving nephrotoxins (cyclosporine, tacrolimus) and antifungal prophylaxis in high-risk patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation and patients with severe graft-versus-host disease.1,2 Common side effects include abnormal vision, elevation of liver enzymes, as well as skin rashes including allergic reactions and Stevens–Johnson syndrome.1 Metabolic side effects include hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia. Photosensitivity is a rare complication of voriconazole therapy3; a limited number of cases have been reported in the pediatric population.4-12 We report a teenager with common variable immunodeficiency who developed voriconazole-induced severe photosensitivity reaction mimicking Stevens–Johnson syndrome requiring treatment in the burn unit with frequent dressing changes for 2 days.
Morphology and structure of γ-benzyl-l-glutamate copolymerized with l-phenylalanine, l-valine and l-alanine

Abstract Observation of random copolypeptides of γ-benzyl- l -glutamate with l -phenylalanine, l -valine and l -alanine was carried out in an electron microscope with samples cast from dilute solution. The relationship between the morphology and the molecular conformation in solution was studied with mixed solvents composed of chloroform and trifluoroacetic acid; these show a preference for α-helix and random coil, respectively. From the solutions in which molecules take α-helical conformation, fibrous films of nematic structure were formed. From random coil solutions discrete precipitates with folded molecules such as lamellar single crystals, piles of lamellae and structureless particles were formed. A copolypeptide containing l -valine in sufficiently large quantity to form β-structure also showed a variation in morphology with solvent, from films to discrete precipitates. It is suggested that the change in stiffness of the molecules contributes to the morphological variation.
Dialogic leadership as ethics action (praxis) method

Dialogic leadership as ethics method respects, values, and works toward organizational objectives. However, in those situations where there may be conflicts and/or contradictions between what is ethical and what is in the material interest of individuals and/or the organization, the dialogic leader initiates discussion with others (peers, subordinates, superiors) about what is ethical with at least something of a prior ethics truth intention and not singularly a value neutral, constrained optimization of organizational objectives. Cases are considered where dialogic leadership: (1) helped build ethical organizational culture; (2) was effective; and, (3) as a by-product, produced integrative win-win results. Philosophical foundations for the method as well as differences between dialogic leadership and Theory X forcing leadership, Theory Y win-win integrative leadership, industrial democracy, participative management, action inquiry, and double-loop learning action science are explored. Limitations of the method are also explored.
Comparison of Fourier and wavelet techniques in the determination of geomagnetic field line resonances

[1] Fourier transforms have traditionally been used in the past for time-frequency analysis of numerous physical problems. Recently, a new time-frequency analysis technique using temporally confined base functions, called wavelets, has been applied to many problems. The advantage of the wavelets over the conventional sinusoidal functions is their time localization property, providing information not only about the frequency or scale size of the features present but also about their location in the time series. Here we compare the performance of the two techniques on the time-frequency analysis of ground magnetometer data and especially their ability to pick up the field line resonance (FLR) frequency of a resonating magnetic field line using automated FLR determination techniques. We find that the automated techniques work better with the Fourier transforms giving less variable FLR frequency. The high temporal resolution of the wavelet transforms can be useful for detailed analyses of short time periods, but it becomes a disadvantage when it comes to automated techniques for the entire dayside magnetosphere, yielding a highly variable FLR frequency.