cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Connections between deep tropical clouds and the Earth's ionosphere

[1] We report on a series of simulations with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model (TIME-GCM) which were designed to replicate and facilitate the interpretation of the longitudinal structure discovered in IMAGE satellite airglow observations of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) at the far-ultraviolet (FUV) 135.6-nm wavelength during March–April 2002 equinox. Our TIME-GCM results indicate that the four-peaked longitudinal variation in the EIA observed by IMAGE-FUV near 20:00 local solar time can be explained by the effects of an eastward propagating zonal wavenumber-3 diurnal tide (DE3) that is excited by latent heat release associated with raindrop formation in the tropical troposphere.
Intraoperative high-dose-rate brachytherapy

Although several modalities have been discussed, a comprehensive intraoperative program should have IOERT, IOHDR, and perioperative brachytherapy facilities available to treat all sites. Interstitial brachytherapy is preferable for the treatment of gross residual tumor; IORT (IOERT for accessible sites and IOHDR for poorly accessible sites) is added to irradiate intraoperatively the surrounding margins after gross resection; and fractionated EBRT could be used in moderate doses post-operatively to irradiate the entire area of potential microscopic disease. Depending on the volume and location of the tumor, and the available expertise and equipment, IOERT, IOHDR, or perioperative brachytherapy could be used along with EBRT and surgery for the optimal management of malignancies. Finally, the best results of IOHDR are obtained when used as a conformal boost to the tumor bed after resection in conjunction with supplementary EBRT.
Initial observations on using SAR to monitor wildfire scars in boreal forests

Initial observations on the effects of wildfires in black spruce forests on radar backscatter are presented. Airborne and spaceborne SAR imagery are utilized to illustrate two distinct fire signatures. A theory is presented to explain these differences.
Specifying and Analyzing Dynamic Software Architectures

A critical issue for complex component-based systems design is the modeling and analysis of architecture. One of the complicating factors in developing architectural models is accounting for systems whose architecture changes dynamically (during run time). This is because dynamic changes to architectural structure may interact in subtle ways with on-going computations of the system. In this paper we argue that it is possible and valuable to provide a modeling approach that accounts for the interactions between architectural reconfiguration and non-reconfiguration system functionality, while maintaining a separation of concerns between these two aspects of a system. The key to the approach is to use a uniform notation and semantic base for both reconfiguration and steady-state behavior, while at the same time providing syntactic separation between the two. As we will show, this permits us to view the architecture in terms of a set of possible architectural snapshots, each with its own steady-state behavior. Transitions between these snapshots are accounted for by special reconfiguration-triggering events.
Quantifying trust in mobile ad-hoc networks

This paper introduces a trust-domain based security architecture for mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). The aim of this architecture is twofold: to use trust as a basis to establish keys between nodes in a MANET, and to utilize trust as a metric for establishing secure distributed control in infrastructure-less MANETs. We define metrics for nodes to establish and manage trust, and use this mutual trust to make decisions on establishing group and pair-wise keys in the network. The impact of mobility of the nodes on trust establishment is considered and further its use as a means of propagating trust through the network is investigated. We introduce the concept of self-organizing trust-based physical-logical domains (PLDs) as a means of grouping nodes for distributed control in the network.
Transfusion support with RBCs from an Mk homozygote in a case of autoimmune hemolytic anemia following diphtheria‐pertussis‐tetanus vaccination

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in children, although unusual, is often associated with recent infection. Several reports have identified the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccination as a possible trigger for AIHA. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Life-threatening AIHA was diagnosed in a 6-week-old infant 5 days after receiving a DPT vaccination. The patient required daily transfusion and/or exchange transfusion for 3 weeks. RBCs from an Mk homozygote were found compatible with the patient's autoantibody. Transfusion of RBCs from an Mk homozygote and later RBCs from an individual (K.T.) with a variant glycophorin, Mi.VII, were required to sustain the patient's Hb level until autoantibody production ceased, as evidenced by a fall in antibody titer and the patient's Hct returning to normal. RESULTS: The DAT was positive (3+) with only anti-C3 on presentation. An IgM cold reactive autoantibody with probable anti-Pr specificity and high thermal amplitude (37°C) was identified in the serum. The DAT was no longer positive after transfusion with compatible blood. CONCLUSION: This case represents life-threatening AIHA in an infant, temporally related to a DPT injection and responsive to a combination of immunosuppression and transfusion of rare compatible blood.
Interpretation of rotation and momentum transport in the DIII-D edge plasma and comparison with neoclassical theory

A low-confinement mode discharge which optimizes the capability of the new main-ion charge-exchange-recombination spectroscopy system on DIII-D (Luxon 2002 Nucl. Fusion 42 614) to measure deuterium toroidal velocity is interpretted in comparison with the predictions of neoclassical theory, with an emphasis on the plasma edge region. The observed peaking in the deuterium toroidal velocity near the separatrix is shown to be consistent with intrinsic co-rotation due to ion orbit loss. In general, the standard neoclassical toroidal and poloidal momentum transport rates are found to be smaller than those inferred from experiment.
Approximating the Non‐Null Distribution of the Likelihood Ratio Test Statistic

This paper is concerned with investigation into the behavior of the likelihood ratio test statistic G2 when the alternative hypothesis M (QQ) is the true model. Exact moments of G2 are computed empirically and three approximations are considered for approximating the non-null distribution of G2. Our results show that the two parameter gamma distribution provides a closer approximation to the exact powers of G2. A randomized procedure was employed to obtain critical values based on 1000 simulated samples.
Success and Failure in Treatment of Sleep Apnea Patients

A variety of surgical procedures exist to treat obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Some, such as tracheotomy and maxillomandibular advancement, have very high cure rates, over 90%. These procedures have significant disadvantages, however, and there is a need to define the best combination of low morbidity procedures to provide similar success. To do this, better means to diagnose the sites of obstruction must be used and new procedures must be developed. This article reviews where we are in reaching these goals.
Inpatient Hematology-Oncology Rotation Is Associated With a Decreased Interest in Pursuing an Oncology Career Among Internal Medicine Residents.

An inpatient hematology-oncology ward rotation does not lead to increased interest and, for some residents, may lead to decreased interest in the field.
The Mycoestrogen Zearalenone Induces CYP3A Through Activation of the Pregnane X Receptor

Zearalenone is a mycoestrogen that is produced in the fungi Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium equiseti, and Fusarium crookwellense. These fungi commonly exist in agricultural products. Human pregnane X receptor (hPXR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates the expression of numerous hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes, including several clinically important cytochrome P450s. In this report, we show that zearalenone is an efficacious ligand for hPXR. We also describe the creation and validation of a novel adenoviral-mediated transduction protocol used to express functional FLAG-tagged-hPXR protein in a transformed cell line (HepG2) and primary cell types (cultured hepatocytes). Treatment of hPXR-transduced HepG2 cells with zearalenone induces expression of CYP3A4, the "prototypical" PXR-target gene in human liver. Treatment of hPXR-transduced cultured hepatocytes isolated from PXR-knockout mice with zearalenone induces the expression of Cyp3a11, the prototypical murine hepatic PXR-target gene. Using mammalian two-hybrid assays, we show that zearalenone displaces the nuclear receptor corepressor protein N-CoR from hPXR, while it recruits coactivator proteins steroid receptor coactivator-1, Glucocorticoid Receptor-Interacting Protein 1 and PPAR-Binding protein (GRIP1) and PBP to hPXR. Concentration-response analysis using a PXR-responsive reporter gene assay reveals that zearalenone activates hPXR with an EC50 value of approximately 1.5 microM. Because activation of hPXR represents the molecular basis of an important class of drug interactions, our findings suggest that studies to investigate the potential of zearalenone to induce the metabolism of other drugs in humans are warranted. In addition, due to the limited availability of primary human hepatocytes, our adenoviral-mediated hPXR expression protocol will likely prove useful in studies of the xenobiotic response.
Effect of cyproterone acetate on adrenal cortex of castrated mice.

Castrated adult male C57 BL/6J mice displayed a wide perimedullary zone (secondary X-zone) whose cells were characterized by proliferated rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum and elongated mitochondria with lamellar cristae. Castrated mice which received 0.08 mg/g of cyproterone acctate showed a much inhibited secondary X-zone at the light microscopic level, while at the ultrastructural level the perimedullary cells lacked the proliferated rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum as well as the elongated mitochondria. Cyproterone acetate may inhibit the steroidogenic parameters of the androgen-producing cell population of the adrenal cortex without testicular mediation.
Voluntary- and Information-Based Approaches to Environmental Management: A Public Economics Perspective

AbstractInterest in decentralized approaches to environmental management has grown significantly in recent years. Along with the standard instruments of environmental policy—quantity, price, and te...
Factors associated with anemia in refugee children.

A nutrition survey was performed in 1990 among children 6 through 35 mo of age living in Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Overall, 67% [95% confidence interval (CI): 66, 68] were anemic (hemoglobin /=6 y of education); having a recent (within 2 wk) or current episode of fever or diarrhea; and stunting. Recent or current illness and stunting interacted in two age groups with the general trend of stunted children with recent or current illness having high POR. Early childhood anemia is associated with factors reflecting poor socioeconomic status and recent diarrheal and febrile illnesses in Palestinian refugee camps.
Tears of Repentance: Christian Indian Identity and Community in Colonial Southern New England . By Julius H. Rubin. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2013. xiii + 405 pp. $75.00 cloth.

(ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.)Tears of Repentance: Christian Indian Identity and Community in Colonial Southern New England . By Julius H. Rubin . Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press , 2013. xiii + 405 pp. $75.00 cloth.Book Reviews and NotesTears of Repentance is a well-researched study of how and why Native Americans actively embraced or rejected the Protestant forms of Christianity proffered by Europeans in New England in the colonial period. The title is, of course, borrowed from John Eliot and Thomas Mayhew's Tears of Repentance (1653), which includes twenty-two conversion narratives of Native Americans. A sociologist of religion by training, Julius Rubin here uses the approaches of historical anthropology and ethnohistory in an attempt to restore Native Americans as historical agents in their own right, rather than as passive victims of European occupation. Rubin argues that, when accepted, evangelical pietistic religion transformed native religious identities and communities by giving rise to the hope that converts would be favored by the Christian God, who would relieve their suffering and provide this-worldly benefits of health and prosperity, while strengthening them to more effectively resist the negative aspects of colonialism.The study is divided chronologically into three periods: (1) the seventeenth century in New England, focusing on the missionary activities among the Wampanoags of John Eliot and Thomas Mahew Jr. in southeast Massachusetts and on Martha's Vineyard; (2) the eighteenth-century missionary work of John Sergeant among the Mahicans in Stockbridge, Gideon Hawley among the Mashipees, David Brainard among the Lepapes in New Jersey, and the Moravian missions at Shekomeko and Pachgatgoch, and the native convert Samson Occom's evangelizing among the Montauketts; and (3) the early republican era when the Stockbridge community moved to Oneida in an attempt to create New Stockbridge and the Brothertown experimental utopian community.In scope, Tears of Repentance is among the most ambitious studies of the Native American's lived religious experience to date. Rubin successfully culls the extant sources for the voices of Native Americans or other traces of their encounter with Christianity. Nevertheless, there are a few awkward moments. For instance, shortly after noting that concepts like "conversion narrative" and "religious melancholy" were "too limiting" to capture the lived reality of complex human agents (x), he goes on to claim that "Christian Indian identity from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries was forged in the crucible of religious melancholy" (6-7).Part of the problem is no doubt a result of Rubin's having authored two earlier studies focused on religious melancholy--Religious Melancholy and Protestant Experience in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994) and The Other Side of Joy: Religious Melancholy Among the Bruderhof (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000). …
Diagnostic Application of Metabolic Studies with Isotopes

The mechanism of the maintenance of normoglycemia in chloroform intoxication in rats was studied with isotopes. Metabolic pathways were altered before the concentration of blood glucose changed significantly. Measurement of the incorporation of precursors rather than the determination of the concentration of the metabolic end products ( e.g. , glucose) may provide more diagnostic information and may more sensitively detect early diseases or disease stages.
Crowded bis ligand complexes of TtzPh,Me with first row transition metals rearrange due to ligand field effects: structural and electronic characterization (TtzPh,Me = tris(3-phenyl-5-methyl-1,2,4-triazolyl)borate)

The tris(3-phenyl-5-methyl-1,2,4-triazolyl)borate (TtzPh,Me) ligand provides intermediate steric bulk and forms predominantly bis(ligand) complexes of the form M(TtzPh,Me)2 with first row divalent transition metals (1M, M = Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, Mn). Due to ligand field effects that are greatest with Ni and Cu, ligand rearrangement is favored with these metals and Cu(TtzPh,Me*)2 (1Cu*) and (TtzPh,Me*)Ni(TtzPh,Me) (1Ni*) were isolated by selective recrystallization and fully characterized (* indicates a rearranged Ttz ligand with Ph and Me in swapped positions in one triazole ring). For comparison with Co(TtzPh,Me)2, the less bulky analogs (TtzH,H)2Co (4) and (TtzMe,Me)2Co (5) were studied by NMR and EPR spectroscopy, and 5 was crystallographically characterized. These complexes allow for a study of how slight changes in structure and electron donor properties (for Ni and Cu), as well as dramatic changes in steric bulk (for Co), influence the physical properties; specifically there are significant changes in the UV-Vis, EPR and NMR spectra. Bis(ligand) complexes predominate with all metals, but (TtzPh,Me)Ni(OH2)Cl (2) and (TtzPh,Me)ZnBr (3) were also isolated and these show that TtzPh,Me is coordinatively flexible.
Physician Sovereignty: The Dangerous Persistence of an Obsolete Idea

The heart of the model is this: to quote Pogo, "We have met the enemy and it is us." We doctors are the problem, not because we are venal or self-serving or insulated from reality. Far from it. Most of us are hard-working, dedicated professionals. We are the problem, though, because of the way our profession developed in the 20th century. This model is no longer appropriate for what lies ahead. The notion of the sovereign physician comes from Paul Starr's 1982 work, "The Social Transformation of American Medicine: The Rise of a Sovereign Profession and the Making of a Vast Industry.: Starr argues that the rise of the sovereign profession we know today was neither inevitable nor foreordained. It was instead the result of a long struggle to establish the modern medical profession in the face of other competitors and forces. Sovereignty is neither good nor bad in and of itself. It is its manifestations in medical practice, and its suitability for the future, that is of concern.
Should parents assess the interpersonal skills of doctors who treat their children? A literature review

Medical consultations in which doctors display good interpersonal skills are associated with a wide range of positive health outcomes. Obtaining the perceptions of patients, or parents in paediatric settings, regarding the interpersonal skills demonstrated by their doctors could provide feedback on doctor behaviours that influence health outcomes. It could also offer an alternative to more traditional methods of assessing interpersonal skills, such as using standardized patients. Patient perceptions of doctor interpersonal skills are most commonly obtained through patient-completed satisfaction questionnaires. A literature review was conducted with the aim of examining the potential role of parent perceptions in the evaluation of paediatric interviews. Studies identified were reviewed for information regarding the rationale for obtaining parent perceptions, the reliability and validity of measures used, the association between parent evaluations and specific doctor interview behaviours and the acceptability and feasibility of obtaining this information. Practical applications of the information obtained from parent evaluations were also sought. There was considerable support for the inclusion of patient evaluations in the assessment of the interpersonal skills of medical students and doctors. Reliable and valid measurement of patient evaluations can be obtained and patients are willing to provide this information. A clear association between specific doctor interview behaviours and parent satisfaction ratings was demonstrated. However, the important issue of feasibility and acceptability to doctors and medical students of obtaining patient perceptions of interpersonal skills, was not addressed. Patient evaluations of the interpersonal skills displayed by their doctors should be a component of clinical skills assessments. Information obtained from parents relating to the care of children could provide feedback to doctors regarding their personal interviewing style. In order to make full use of the information obtained from parents, there is a need for further study to establish the sensitivity of parent evaluations and methods to facilitate the process of obtaining this information.
A prefiltering version of the Kalman filter with new numerical integration formulas for Riccati equations

A prefiltering version of the Kalman filter is derived for both discrete and continuous measurements. The derivation consists of determining a single discrete measurement that is equivalent to either a time segment of continuous measurements or a set of discrete measurements. This prefiltering version of the Kalman filter easily handles numerical problems associated with rapid transients and ill-conditioned Riccati matrices. Therefore, the derived technique for extrapolating the Riccati matrix from one time to the next constitutes a new set of integration formulas which alleviate ill-conditioning problems associated with continuous Riccati equations. Furthermore, since a time segment of continuous measurements is converted into a single discrete measurement, Potter's square root formulas can be used to update the state estimate and its error covariance matrix. Therefore, if having the state estimate and its error covariance matrix at discrete times is acceptable, the prefilter extends square root filtering with all its advantages, to continuous measurement problems.
Barriers to Transfer Student Academic Success and Retention

The Transition to College Inventory (TCI) designed to identify patterns of noncognitive factors related to academic performance and persistence was adapted and validated for use with first-year transfer students in a university setting. In this study, 369 entering transfer students were surveyed during Transfer Preview, an orientation program for transfer students. This study confirmed that noncognitive factors can be used to predict academic success and persistence for first-year transfer students. A major finding was that the barriers differed between freshman, sophomore, and upper division (junior/senior) transfer students. The results of this study show promise in giving four-year institutions the ability to identify at-risk transfer students, pin-pointing areas of needs for intervention.
Performance of OOK and Low-Order PPM Modulations in Optical Communications When Using APD-Based Receivers

This correspondence compares OOK and low-order PPM signaling formats in terms of bit error probabilities versus required signal counts per bit. The results show that QPPM requires 3 dB less signal than OOK, while BPPM requires the same or slightly more than OOK for the same performance. Optimum APD gain values are from 200 to 400. When using QPPM, k_{eff} = 0.006 , and optimum gain, 60 signal counts/bit are required at 500 Mbits/s for a 10-6bit error probability.
Functional Geometry Alignment and Localization of Brain Areas

Matching functional brain regions across individuals is a challenging task, largely due to the variability in their location and extent. It is particularly difficult, but highly relevant, for patients with pathologies such as brain tumors, which can cause substantial reorganization of functional systems. In such cases spatial registration based on anatomical data is only of limited value if the goal is to establish correspondences of functional areas among different individuals, or to localize potentially displaced active regions. Rather than rely on spatial alignment, we propose to perform registration in an alternative space whose geometry is governed by the functional interaction patterns in the brain. We first embed each brain into a functional map that reflects connectivity patterns during a fMRI experiment. The resulting functional maps are then registered, and the obtained correspondences are propagated back to the two brains. In application to a language fMRI experiment, our preliminary results suggest that the proposed method yields improved functional correspondences across subjects. This advantage is pronounced for subjects with tumors that affect the language areas and thus cause spatial reorganization of the functional regions.
Elliptic curves and class field theory

Suppose E is an elliptic curve defined over Q. At the 1983 ICM the first author formulated some conjectures that propose a close relationship between the explicit class field theory construction of certain abelian extensions of imaginary quadratic fields and an explicit construction that (conjecturally) produces almost all of the rational points on E over those fields. Those conjectures are to a large extent settled by recent work of Vatsal and of Cornut, building on work of Kolyvagin and others. In this paper we describe a collection of interrelated conjectures still open regarding the variation of Mordell-Weil groups of E over abelian extensions of imaginary quadratic fields, and suggest a possible algebraic framework to organize them.
Managing Suicidal Patients in the Emergency Department.

Caring for emergency department (ED) patients with suicidal thoughts and behaviors is challenging, given time pressures, boarding of patients waiting for psychiatric beds, and the inherent difficulty in predicting imminent self-harm. However, providers—like patients—should not lose hope: most suicidal crises are short-lived and repeated attempts are not inevitable.1 Not every ED patient with suicidal thoughts needs inpatient admission, or even a mental health consultation, and ED providers should take pride in their skills to care for this at-risk population.
Finite sampling corrected 3D noise with confidence intervals

When evaluated with a spatially uniform irradiance, an imaging sensor exhibits both spatial and temporal variations, which can be described as a three-dimensional (3D) random process considered as noise. In the 1990s, NVESD engineers developed an approximation to the 3D power spectral density for noise in imaging systems known as 3D noise. The goal was to decompose the 3D noise process into spatial and temporal components identify potential sources of origin. To characterize a sensor in terms of its 3D noise values, a finite number of samples in each of the three dimensions (two spatial, one temporal) were performed. In this correspondence, we developed the full sampling corrected 3D noise measurement and the corresponding confidence bounds. The accuracy of these methods was demonstrated through Monte Carlo simulations. Both the sampling correction as well as the confidence intervals can be applied a posteriori to the classic 3D noise calculation. The Matlab functions associated with this work can be found on the Mathworks file exchange [“Finite sampling corrected 3D noise with confidence intervals,” https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/49657-finite-sampling-corrected-3d-noise-with-confidence-intervals.].
The fibroblast Tiam1-osteopontin pathway modulates breast cancer invasion and metastasis

The tumor microenvironment has complex effects in cancer pathophysiology that are not fully understood. Most cancer therapies are directed against malignant cells specifically, leaving pro-malignant signals from the microenvironment unaddressed. Defining specific mechanisms by which the tumor microenvironment contributes to breast cancer metastasis may lead to new therapeutic approaches against advanced breast cancer. We use a novel method for manipulating three-dimensional mixed cell co-cultures, along with studies in mouse xenograft models of human breast cancer and a histologic study of human breast cancer samples, to investigate how breast cancer-associated fibroblasts affect the malignant behaviors of breast cancer cells. Altering fibroblast Tiam1 expression induces changes in invasion, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and cancer stem cell characteristics in associated breast cancer cells. These changes are both dependent on fibroblast secretion of osteopontin and also long-lasting even after cancer cell dissociation from the fibroblasts, indicating a novel Tiam1-osteopontin pathway in breast cancer-associated fibroblasts. Notably, inhibition of fibroblast osteopontin with low doses of a novel small molecule prevents lung metastasis in a mouse model of human breast cancer metastasis. Moreover, fibroblast expression patterns of Tiam1 and osteopontin in human breast cancers show converse changes correlating with invasion, supporting the hypothesis that this pathway in tumor-associated fibroblasts regulates breast cancer invasiveness in human disease and is thus clinically relevant. These findings suggest a new therapeutic paradigm for preventing breast cancer metastasis. Pro-malignant signals from the tumor microenvironment with long-lasting effects on associated cancer cells may perpetuate the metastatic potential of developing cancers. Inhibition of these microenvironment signals represents a new therapeutic strategy against cancer metastasis that enables targeting of stromal cells with less genetic plasticity than associated cancer cells and opens new avenues for investigation of novel therapeutic targets and agents.
Adaptation of the inflammatory immune response across pregnancy and postpartum in Black and White women

Pregnancy is a period of considerable physiological adaption in neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, as well as immune function. Understanding of typical changes in inflammatory immune responses during healthy pregnancy is incomplete. In addition, despite considerable racial difference in adverse pregnancy outcomes, data are lacking on potential racial differences in such adaptation. This repeated measures prospective cohort study included 37 Black and 39 White women who provided blood samples during early, mid-, and late pregnancy and 8-10 weeks postpartum. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were incubated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 24h and supernatants assayed by electrochemiluminescence to quantify interleukin(IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α, IL-1β, and IL-8 production. While no changes were observed in IL-8 production over time, significant increases in IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β production were observed from early to late pregnancy, with subsequent declines approaching early pregnancy values at postpartum (ps<0.05). Overall, inflammatory response patterns were highly similar among Black versus White women. However, Black women had greater TNF-α production during mid-pregnancy (p=0.002) and marginally lower IL-1β production at postpartum (p=0.054). These data show a clear trajectory of change in the inflammatory immune response across pregnancy and postpartum. In this cohort of generally healthy women, Black and White women exhibited minimal differences in LPS-stimulated cytokine production across the perinatal period. Future prospective studies in Black and White women with healthy versus adverse outcomes (e.g., preeclampsia, preterm birth) would inform our understanding of the potential role of immune dysregulation in pregnant women and in relation to racial disparities in perinatal health.
RHIC 2015: Operating More than One Order of Magnitude Above Design

Commissioning any large research facility such as a collider will have its troubles and pitfalls no matter how thoughtful and sophisticated the design. Only once childhood diseases are surmounted, routine operation begins. At first the focus will be on reaching the design goals. This will be followed by pushing the boundaries and reaching beyond the design capabilities. The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) 15 years after its first physics run in 2000, has certainly reached this phase. The demands and expectations of the scientific user community are ever growing with each run, with the requests as diverse as the user community itself. One popular demand is the call for more and more collisions and another one the request for uneven species such as operating the accelerator with protons in one ring while circulating gold ions in the other. But what can actually be done to meet those expectations once the obvious solutions and ideas are exhausted?
The impact of the number of parallel warehouses on total inventory

In the strategic design of a distribution system, the right number of stock points for the various products is an important question. In the past decade, a strong trend in the consumer goods industry led to centralizing the inventory in a single echelon consisting of a few parallel warehouses or even a single distribution center for a Europe-wide distribution system. Centralizing inventory is justified by the reduction in total stock which mostly overcompensates the increasing transportation cost. The effect of centralization is usually described by the "Square Root Law", stating that the total stock increases with the square root of the number of stock points. However, in the usual case where the warehouses are replenished in full truck loads and where a given fill rate has to be satisfied, the Square Root Law is not valid. This paper explores that case. It establishes functional relationships between the demand to be served by a warehouse and the necessary safety and cycle stock for various demand settings and control policies, using an approximation of the normal loss function and its inverse. As a consequence, the impact of the number of parallel warehouses on the total stock can be derived. The results can be used as tools in network design models.
Atomistic Adsorption of Oxygen and Hydrogen on Platinum Catalysts by Hybrid Grand Canonical Monte Carlo/Reactive Molecular Dynamics

The reactivity of a metal catalyst depends strongly on the adsorbate coverage, making it essential for the reactivity models to account for the in situ structures and properties of the catalyst under reaction conditions. The use of first principle based thermodynamic approaches to describe adsorbate–adsorbate interaction though attractive for its technical rigor is tedious and computationally demanding especially for metal nanoparticles. With the advent of empirical reactive force fields (ReaxFF), there is a great deal of interest to advance simulation approaches like hybrid grand canonical Monte Carlo reactive molecular dynamics (GCMC/RMD) that enable efficient use of ReaxFF to model the adsorptive states. The predictive ability of GCMC/RMD relies upon the quality of the force field, which in turn depends upon the training set used for its parametrization. To this end, we investigate the adsorption behavior of O and H over the Pt catalysts using the newly developed Pt/O/H ReaxFF. We assess the thermodyna...
Molecular epidemiology of nosocomial rotavirus gastroenteritis among children in Guangzhou

OBJECTIVE To understand the molecular epidemiology of nosocomial rotavirus infections among children in Guangzhou.METHODS We performed a prospective analysis on 50 patients who confirmed nosocomial rotavirus infections from Jan 2009 to Dec 2009,and the viruses were genotyped by ELISA,G and P typing were performed by RT-PCR.RESULTS The incidence of total nosocomial infections was 2.28%,of which the incidence of gastrointestinal infections was 0.45%,50 samples were confirmed RV infection(36.00%);A peak age distribution of nosocomial rotavirus diarrhea was 7 to 12 months old;Rotavirus infection peaked in winter month(in Jan,Oct,Nov).Among 50 strains performed with G,P serotypes,the predominant G types were G1(60.00%),followed by G3(13.33%),the predominant P types were P8(60.00%),followed by P4(26.67%),the most commonly found genotype in nosocomial infection was G1P8(40.00%),followde by G1P4(13.33%).CONCLUSION This study reveals that G1 has been the major genotype causing nosocomial rotavirus infection among children in Guangzhou in 2009,and the major genotype is G1P8.
Regulation of glucose turnover and hormonal responses during electrical cycling in tetraplegic humans

To examine the importance of blood-borne vs. neural mechanisms for hormonal responses and substrate mobilization during exercise, six spinal cord-injured tetraplegic (C5-T1) males (mean age: 35 yr, range: 24-55 yr) were recruited to perform involuntary, electrically induced cycling [functional electrical stimulation (FES)] to fatigue for 24.6 +/- 2.3 min (mean and SE), and heart rate rose from 67 +/- 7 (rest) to 107 +/- 5 (exercise) beats/min. Voluntary arm cranking in tetraplegics (ARM) and voluntary leg cycling in six matched, long-term immobilized (2-12 mo) males (Vol) served as control experiments. In FES, peripheral glucose uptake increased [12.4 +/- 1.1 (rest) to 19.5 +/- 4.3 (exercise) mumol.min-1.kg-1; P < 0.05], whereas hepatic glucose production did not change from basal values [12.4 +/- 1.4 (rest) vs. 13.0 +/- 3.4 (exercise) mumol.min-1.kg-1]. Accordingly, plasma glucose decreased [from 5.4 +/- 0.3 (rest) to 4.7 +/- 0.3 (exercise) mmol/l; P < 0.05]. Plasma glucose did not change in response to ARM or Vol. Plasma free fatty acids and beta-hydroxybutyrate decreased only in FES experiments (P < 0.05). During FES, increases in growth hormone (GH) and epinephrine and decreases in insulin concentrations were abolished. Although subnormal throughout the exercise period, norepinephrine concentrations increased during FES, and responses of heart rate, adrenocorticotropic hormone, beta-endorphin, renin, lactate, and potassium were marked. In conclusion, during exercise, activity in motor centers and afferent muscle nerves is important for normal responses of GH, catecholamines, insulin, glucose production, and lipolysis. Humoral feedback and spinal or simple autonomic nervous reflex mechanisms are not sufficient. However, such mechanisms are involved in redundant control of heart rate and neuroendocrine activity in exercise.
Stability Results for Some Geometric Inequalities and Their Functional Versions

The Blaschke Santalo inequality and the L p affine isoperimetric inequalities are major inequalities in convex geometry and they have a wide range of applications. Functional versions of the Blaschke Santalo inequality have been established over the years through many contributions. More recently and ongoing, such functional versions have been established for the L p affine isoperimetric inequalities as well. These functional versions involve notions from information theory, like entropy and divergence.We list stability versions for the geometric inequalities as well as for their functional counterparts. Both are known for the Blaschke Santalo inequality. Stability versions for the L p affine isoperimetric inequalities in the case of convex bodies have only been known in all dimensions for p = 1 and for p > 1 only for convex bodies in the plane. Here, we prove almost optimal stability results for the L p affine isoperimetric inequalities, for all p, for all convex bodies, for all dimensions. Moreover, we give stability versions for the corresponding functional versions of the L p affine isoperimetric inequalities, namely the reverse log Sobolev inequality, the L p affine isoperimetric inequalities for log concave functions, and certain divergence inequalities.
Dynamics of airway closure: critical smooth muscle activation

Publisher Summary The elevated airway resistance in obstructive diseases needs to be considered as a dynamic equilibrium that has origin in underlying molecular processes. This chapter develops a theoretical model of the airway narrowing, based on kinetic theory of airway smooth muscle (ASM) contraction and model of ASM load against which muscle shortens. In this model, loaded ASM by virtual load corresponds to the normal breathing trans-pulmonary pressure (PL) variations. The theoretical predictions of the model revealed a critical phenomenon at a particular level of ASM activation, above which an airway drastically changes its diameter and becomes very stiff. This critical phenomenon may play pivotal role in understanding airway obstructive diseases. The striking result is that remodeled airways in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma may severely constrict at very low levels of ASM activation. Remodeled airways in disease are more sensitive to allergen challenges and airways may severely constrict at very low levels of smooth muscle activation. In this case, breathing and deep inspirations may not be sufficient to keep open constricted asthmatic airways, as observed in patients.
Survey and evaluation of real-time fall detection approaches

As we grow old, our desire for independence does not diminish; yet our health increasingly needs to be monitored. Injuries such as falling can be a serious problem for the elderly. If a person falls and is not able to get assistance within an hour, casualties arising from that fall can result in fatalities as early as 6 months later [1]. It would seem then that a choice between safety and independence must be made. Fortunately, as health care technology advances, simple devices can be made to detect or even predict falls in the elderly, which could easily save lives without too much intrusion on their independence. Much research has been done on the topic of fall detection and fall prediction. Some have attempted to detect falls using a variety of sensors such as: cameras, accelerometers, gyroscopes, microphones, or a combination of the like. This paper is aimed at reporting which existing methods have been found effective by others, as well as documenting the findings of our own experiments. The combination of which will assist in the progression towards a safe, unobtrusive monitoring system for independent seniors.
Interference Cancellation and Detection for MAC with Two Users

We consider interference cancellation for a system with two users when users know each other channels. The goal is to utilize multiple antennas to cancel the interference without sacrificing the diversity or the complexity of the system. Before, in the literature, it was shown how a receiver with two receive antennas can completely cancel the interference of two users and provide a diversity of 2 for users with two transmit antennas. We propose a system to achieve the maximum possible diversity of 4 with low complexity. Then, we extend the results to two-user systems with any number of transmit and receive antennas. Our main idea is to design precoders, using the channel information, to make it possible for different users to transmit over orthogonal spaces. Then, using the orthogonality of the transmitted signals, the receiver can separate them and decode the signals independently.We analytically prove that the system provides full diversity to both users. In addition, we provide simulation results that confirm our analytical proof.
ACACIA: Context-aware Edge Computing for Continuous Interactive Applications over Mobile Networks

There is widespread agreement that future continuous interactive (CI) applications will require edge computing capabilities from mobile networks. There is also widespread expectation that the emerging 5G network architecture, with its constituent technology components, will be the context in which this will be realized. Indeed many of the components that will be part of such an environment have been studied in standalone manner. However, the question of whether an end-to-end combination of these components would satisfy application requirements, or indeed, how these components would be combined into service offerings by mobile network providers, have not been meaningfully addressed. Towards addressing these challenges, we propose ACACIA - a service abstraction framework that enables CI applications on edge clouds in mobile networks. Evaluation of our prototype implementation shows that our holistic approach provides a 70% end-to-end application level latency reduction when compared with existing cloud and mobile solutions.
Satiety and memory enhancing effects of a high-protein meal depend on the source of protein.

Objective: High- protein diets have become increasingly popular with various touted benefits. However, the extent to which protein quantity and source affects cognitive functioning through altering postprandial amino acid profiles has not been investigated. Further, whether all protein sources are similarly anorexigenic is uncertain. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of protein level and source on Barnes maze performance, satiety and plasma amino acid levels in male Sprague-Dawley rats.Methods: Rats were entrained to a meal-feeding schedule consisting of a 30 minutes meal, equivalent to 20% of average daily intake, one hour into the dark phase then ad libitum access to food for 5 h. On test days, rats received one of three isocaloric diets as their first meal, hereafter referred to as Egg White (EW), Wheat Gluten (WG), or Basal, and then were measured for cognitive performance, feeding behavior, or plasma amino acid levels via jugular catheter. Percentage energy from protein was 3...
Support and Coronary Heart Disease: The Importance of Significant Other Responses

In addition to the recognized benefits of social support, there is evidence across several health-related disorders suggesting that specific types of support can contribute to negative outcomes. Informed by theory and research examining the role of pain-related interpersonal interactions in the perpetuation of chronic pain, this study examined whether specific responses from significant others to expressions of coronary heart disease(CHD) related symptoms and incapacity are associated with level of symptoms, degree of disability, and depressive symptom severity among persons with symptomatic CHD. Forty-nine persons with CHD completed self-report questionnaires of the constructs of interest. Regression analyses revealed that degree of perceived solicitous responding to CHD symptoms was associated with increased symptom severity, disability, and depressive symptoms. Results are consistent with an operant-conditioning model and suggest that positive attention from significant others contingent on expressions of CHD symptoms may unwittingly serve to reinforce symptom occurrence and expression, concomitant disability, and emotional distress.
Female Urethral Diverticulum

Female urethral diverticula are outpouchings of the urethral lumen into the surrounding connective tissue. The presentation of female urethral diverticula is diverse and can range from incidental findings to frequent urinary tract infections, dyspareunia, incontinence, or malignancy. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the usual treatment consists of surgical excision and reconstruction. The principles of transvaginal urethral diverticulectomy include removal of the entire urethral diverticulum wall, watertight closure of the urethra, multilayered and non-overlapping closure of surrounding tissue with absorbable suture, and preservation or creation of continence. Complications of urethral diverticulectomy include urethrovaginal fistula, urinary incontinence, and rarely urethral stricture.
Enhanced Photocurrent Efficiency of a Carbon Nanotube Embedded in a Photonic Structure

One of the most rapidly-growing areas in nanoscience is the ability to artificially manipulate optical and electrical properties at the nanoscale. In particular, nanomaterials such as single-wall carbon nanotubes offer enhanced methods for converting infrared light to electrical energy due to their unique one-dimensional electronic properties. However, in order for this energy conversion to occur, a realistic nanotube device would require high-intensity light to be confined on a nanometer scale. This arises from the fact that the diameter of a single nanotube is on the order of a nanometer, and infrared light from an external source must be tightly focused on the narrow nanotube for efficient energy conversion. To address this problem, I calculate the theoretical photocurrent of a nanotube p-n junction illuminated by a highly-efficient photonic structure. These results demonstrate the utility of using a photonic structure to couple large-scale infrared sources with carbon nanotubes while still retaining all the unique optoelectronic properties found at the nanoscale.