cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Turbine Blade Tip Leakage Flow Control: Thick/Thin Blade Effects

An experiment was conducted in a linear cascade of Pak-B blades for an exit Mach number of 0.3 to simulate the flow in the tip-gap region of a low pressure turbine blade row. The experiment focused on the independent effects of thickness-to-gap and gapto-chord ratios on the tip-gap flow behavior. Two extreme gap-to-chord ratios of 5% and 8% were chosen, for which four thickness-to-gap ratios were examined. The flow was documented through blade-tip and end-wall static pressure measurements, and downstream total pressure loss coefficients. Additionally, surface flowvisualization was performed on the blade tip end for a greater understanding of the gap-flow behavior. The response of the flow to passive flow control using a partial suction-side squealer tip at each of the thickness-togap and gap-to-chord cases was documented. The intention was to examine any sensitivity of the flow to the gap-to-chord ratio that might be attributed to the thickness-to-gap ratio in a manner that can be categorized as “thick” and “thin” blade behavior. For this the focus was on possible changes in the size and location of a separation and re-attachment lines on the blade tip end. Defining such features in these flows is important to our goal of active tip-gap flow control using plasma actuators because they are highly receptivity to unsteady forcing.
Increased appropriateness of customized alert acknowledgement reasons for overridden medication alerts in a computerized provider order entry system

Abstract Objective Computerized provider order entry systems commonly contain alerting mechanisms for patient allergies, incorrect doses, or drug–drug interactions when ordering medications. Providers have the option to override (bypass) these alerts and continue with the order unchanged. This study examines the effect of customizing medication alert override options on the appropriateness of override selection related to patient allergies, drug dosing, and drug–drug interactions when ordering medications in an electronic medical record. Materials and methods In this prospective, randomized crossover study, providers were randomized into cohorts that required a reason for overriding a medication alert from a customized or non-customized list of override reasons and/or by free-text entry. The primary outcome was to compare override responses that appropriately correlate with the alert type between the customized and non-customized configurations. The appropriateness of a subset of free-text responses that represented an affirmative and active acknowledgement of the alert without further explanation was classified as "indeterminate." Results were analyzed in three different ways by classifying indeterminate answers as either appropriate, inappropriate, or excluded entirely. Secondary outcomes included the appropriateness of override reasons when comparing cohorts and individual providers, reason selection based on order within the override list, and the determination of the frequency of free-text use, nonsensical responses, and multiple selection responses. Results Twenty-two clinicians were randomized into 2 cohorts and a total of 1829 alerts with a required response were generated during the study period. The customized configuration had a higher rate of appropriateness when compared to the non-customized configuration regardless of how indeterminate responses were classified ( p p p =0.103). Free-text use was higher in the customized configuration overall ( p p =0.39). Conclusion There is a benefit realized by using a customized list for medication override reasons. Poor application design or configuration can negatively affect provider behavior when responding to important medication alerts.
Optimal Earth-Capture Trajectories Using Electric Propulsion

Conclusions A trajectory optimization tool has been developed which hybridized a GA with SQP. When applied to the dif cult problem of preliminarymission planning for high-performancesolar sail transfers to displaced NKOs, it appeared to identify near-optimal trajectories with relative ease. The transfer time penalties (estimated from transfer time convergence as the number of segments was increased) appear acceptable even for a small number of segments (four or  ve). A small number of segments reduced the computational burden imposed by using a GA and would simplify attitude control in practice.
A Seismic-Refraction Survey of Crustal Structure in Central Arizona

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a seismic-refraction study of the earth's crust and upper mantle near the Tonto Forest Seismological Observatory (TFO), located 10miles south of the Mogollon Rim near Payson in central Arizona. Two recording lines 400 km long intersect in the approximate form of a cross at TFO; one line trends southeast and the other northeast. The sedimentary layer at most places southwest of the rim is less than 1 km thick, but north of the rim it is 2 to 3 km thick. The velocity in this uppermost layer ranges from 2.6 to 4.7 km/sec, with the higher limit measured near or north of the rim. Arrivals refracted in the upper crust (Pg) can be attributed to two layers for all the shot points south of the rim. The velocity in the upper layer is about 5.9 km/sec with thickness ranging from 2 to 8 km; beneath the upper layer the velocity is about 6.1 km/sec. The upper layer seems to be absent northeast of the rim, where two shot points generated Pg arrivals that show only a velocity of 6.2 km/sec. A Poisson ratio of 0.22 for the upper crustal layers was measured from shear and compressional arrivals. The lower crust could not be identified from the first and later refraction arrivals; however, minimum depths to the intermediate layer were determined. An average crustal velocity of 6.2 km/sec was measured from wide-angle reflection alignments. A thin intermediate layer would explain the seismic measurements. A delay-time method was used to map the configuration of the M-discontinuity. The depth below sea level is about 36 km along the northwest-trending line. The northeast-trending line shows a shallow depth of 21 km near Gila Bend, increasing depth to about 34 km under TFO, and a flat M-discontinuity at 40 km depth under the Mogollon Mesa northeast to Sunrise Springs. There is evidence of an abrupt depth change of about 4 km on the M-discontinuity in the vicinity of TFO. The velocity in the upper mantle is 7.85 km/sec. The relation of topographic elevation to crustal thickness suggests an approach to isostatic equilibrium, which is deduced from a near-zero regional free-air gravity anomaly. However, lateral density change in the upper mantle is required to make the crustal-refraction model fit the observed gravity-anomaly values, provided that velocity and density are linearly related.
Use of fetal magnetic resonance imaging in patients electing termination of pregnancy by dilation and evacuation

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether magnetic resonance imaging of the fetal brain before dilation and evacuation enhances diagnosis when equivocal ultrasound findings and disrupted autopsy specimens exist. Study design Patients with equivocal fetal brain abnormalities on ultrasound examination who were considering termination of pregnancy were evaluated retrospectively. Abdominal and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging was performed for further evaluation, and orthogonal fetal brain images were obtained. A multidisciplinary team reviewed all cases and discussed the findings, possible causes, and recurrence risks with each patient. Results Seven patients with fetal brain anomalies underwent magnetic resonance imaging before dilation and evacuation. Magnetic resonance imaging diagnoses included intracranial hemorrhages, semilobar holoprosencephaly, intracranial teratoma, multiple cerebral infarcts, and unilateral cerebellar hypoplasia. In all cases, magnetic resonance imaging provided valuable information and helped distinguish possible genetic syndromes from likely sporadic disorders of brain development. Conclusion Magnetic resonance imaging can provide insight into diagnosis, cause, and recurrence risks for patients who choose dilation and evacuation because of fetal brain abnormalities.
How care‐work employment shapes earnings in cross‐national perspective

. This article investigates the wage effects of employment in care work – conceptualized as work providing face-to-face client services that strengthen the health, skills or safety of recipients – in 12 countries representing a range of economic and policy contexts. While previous research has found an earnings penalty for care work, this article finds remarkable cross-national variation in that effect. The authors find that worker characteristics and job characteristics shape the effect of care employment on earnings. They also consider how country-level factors – earnings inequality, size of public sector, and trade union strength – impact upon cross-national variation in the effect of care employment on earnings.
Mechanics of Woven Fabrics: Part I: Theoretical Investigation of Weavability Limit of Yarns with Thickness Variation

Theoretical maximum weavability relationships of fabrics woven from regular warp ends and variable thickness filling yarns are derived by developing a local geometry where the thick filling place i...
A new species of Goneplax Leach, 1814 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Goneplacidae) from the south Atlantic and the western limits of the Indo-West Pacific region, long confused with G. rhomboides (Linnaeus, 1758)

A new species of Goneplax Leach, 1814, G. clevai n. sp., is described from the South Atlantic and the western limits of the Indo-West Pacific region. The new species was for a long time confused with G. rhomboides (Linnaeus, 1758), senior synonym of Cancer angulata Pennant, 1777, Ocypoda bispinosa Lamarck, 1801, Ocipode [sic] longimana Latreille, 1803, Goneplax rhombo dalis Risso, 1827, and Gelasimus bellii Couch, 1838. Goneplax rhomboides is found in the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Museum collections contain mixed material belonging to the two species. Carcinoplax barnardi Capart, 1951, which is close to Goneplax, is also present in the South Atlantic, its distribution overlapping that of the new species. The sympatry of G. rhomboides and G. clevai n. sp. is uncertain owing to the absence of information on the southern limit of G. rhomboides.
Assessment of individual differences in the rat nucleus accumbens transcriptome following taste-heroin extended access

Heroin addiction is a disease of chronic relapse that harms the individual through devaluation of personal responsibilities in favor of finding and using drugs. Only some recreational heroin users devolve into addiction but the basis of these individual differences is not known. We have shown in rats that avoidance of a heroin-paired taste cue reliably identifies individual animals with greater addiction-like behavior for heroin. Here rats received 5min access to a 0.15% saccharin solution followed by the opportunity to self-administer either saline or heroin for 6h. Large Suppressors of the heroin-paired taste cue displayed increased drug escalation, motivation for drug, and drug loading behavior compared with Small Suppressors. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms of these individual differences in addiction-like behavior. We examined the individual differences in mRNA expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats that were behaviorally stratified by addiction-like behavior using next-generation sequencing. We hypothesized that based on the avoidance of the drug-paired cue there will be a unique mRNA profile in the NAc. Analysis of strand-specific whole genome RNA-Seq data revealed a number of genes differentially regulated in NAc based on the suppression of the natural saccharine reward. Large Suppressors exhibited a unique mRNA prolife compared to Saline controls and Small Suppressors. Genes related to immunity, neuronal activity, and behavior were differentially expressed among the 3 groups. In total, individual differences in avoidance of a heroin-paired taste cue are associated with addiction-like behavior along with differential NAc gene expression.
A new approach for the treatment of adrenal cancer: Testing an adrenal-specific adenovirus suicide gene therapy vector in an adrenal cancer xenograft model system

3312 Although adrenal cortical cancer affects only a small number of patients and is initially responsive to treatment, the majority of patients eventually succumb to their disease. Therefore new approaches to treatment of adrenal cancer are needed. To develop a new therapy for adrenocortical cancer, we constructed an adrenal-specific adenoviral construct encoding the suicide gene thymidine kinase. We previously demonstrated preferential expression in adrenal cancer cells of constructs driven by the CYP11B1 (11β-hydroxylase) promoter. CYP11B1 directs the synthesis of the final enzyme in cortisol synthesis. Inserting the enhancer element of the P450scc (cholesterol side chain cleavage) gene, that catalyzes the first step in steroid hormone synthesis, further increased adrenocortical preference and strength of expression. In vitro in the presence of the prodrug ganciclovir the adrenal-specific adenovirus is preferentially cytotoxic to adrenal cancer cells. To test the adrenal-specific adenovirus in vivo, we developed an adrenal xenograft model system using the human NCI-H295R adrenal cancer cell line. This adherent line retains many adrenal characteristics. The cells in matrigelTM were implanted in NOD-SCID mice and xenografts formed in all of the engrafted mice and grew to 400-1000 mg in 40 days. Adenovirus was administered to the mice systemically via tail vein injection. The mice were treated systemically 24 h prior to adenovirus administration with 0.2 ml clodronated liposomes to suppress the removal of adenovirus by Kupffer cells in the liver. In a LOX IMVI melanoma xenograft model system a similar clodronated liposome treatment of athymic mice resulted in a greater than 10-fold increase in the adenovirus transgene expression in the treated xenografts compared to untreated ones. The mice with adrenal xenografts were injected with 5E10 viral particles of the adrenal-specific adenovirus. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of mRNA isolated from the xenografts 24 h following adenovirus administration showed expression of the thymidine kinase viral transgene with xenografts from animals treated with clodronated liposomes showing higher expression. These results indicate that the cells in the NCI-H295R xenografts maintained sufficient adrenal characteristics to activate the adrenal-specific promoter nucleotide sequences that direct thymidine kinase synthesis. This adrenal-specific adenoviral gene therapy construct provides a new approach to targeting adrenal cancer cells relative to normal liver. While this adrenal xenograft model system is useful to test our adenoviral vector, it should also be useful for the analysis of other therapies for adrenal cortical cancer.
Methylation of Apoptosis-Associated Speck-Like Protein With a Caspase Recruitment Domain and Outcomes in Heart Failure

Abstract Background Heart failure (HF) is associated with inflammation characterized by the formation of the inflammasome, which triggers maturation of inflammatory cytokines. Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein with a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), a vital component of the inflammasome, is controlled through epigenetic modification, which may be a candidate pathway for worsening HF. This study examined the inflammasome pathway in HF and the relationships between ASC CpG methylation and outcomes in HF. Methods and Results Stored samples from 155 HF outpatients (ejection fraction 29.9 ± 14.9%) were analyzed for percentage methylation of 7 CpG sites in the intron region preceding exon 1 of the ASC gene. ASC methylation was inversely related to ASC mRNA ( r = −0.33; P r = −0.464; P r = 0.85; P r = 0.83; P r = 0.59; P = .023) and a negative linear relationship with depression ( r = −0.81; P r = −0.75; P P = .025), whereas higher protein (HR = 1.78; P = .045) and mRNA expression (HR = 1.18; P = .05) were associated with a greater risk. Conclusions Increased methylation of CpG sites in the intron region of ASC is associated with improved outcomes in HF. The associated decrease in ASC expression implicates this inflammatory mediator as a possible driver of HF outcomes and may represent a therapeutic target.
Insuring Women in the United States Before, During, and After Pregnancies.

The article focuses on medical insurance for women in the U.S. prior to, during, and following pregnancy, and how the Affordable Care Act can increase the percentage of insured women. It states the U.S. is ranked 26th among OECD countries for infant mortality in 2010 and mentions the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System which tracks insurance coverage of new mothers. It reports on Medicaid coverage of poor women independent of pregnancy status.
The End of the Pipeline at the Millennium: Using Stories from New African American Attorneys to Inform Theories of Intervention

African Americans remain proportionally under-represented in the legal profession. According to an ABA report at the beginning of the millennium, only 3.9 percent of the U.S. bar is African American, while almost 13 percent of the U.S. population is black. This underrepresentation exists despite the use of race conscious affirmative action admission policies at most law schools. Given the recent threats to affirmative action, it is necessary for legal educators to shift the methods of achieving racial diversity and proportional minority representation in the legal profession to academically situated interventions. Two problems however are associated with such efforts. First, projects tend to be launched in atheoretical ways. Second, when the discourse in which initiatives are embedded is examined, it is found to derive from discourses of deficiency or rejection. These discourses fault the culture of underrepresented minorities rather than questioning the role of power, privilege and institutional racism in students’ lack of preparation. Our project addresses both of these problems. First, in looking at attorneys who successfully navigated the pipeline, the study is conceptualized within a discourse of achievement. We conducted both one-on-one interviews and focus groups with approximately 50 lawyers who met the following criteria: 1) graduated from a US law school between 2000 and 2007; 2) were admitted to the bar in a US jurisdiction; 3) self-identify as African American; 4) are working in some area of law; 5) traveled a “precarious” pipeline to the legal profession. All sessions lasted one hour and were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. Although the stories gleaned from participants depict a range of contexts and experiences, common patterns emerged related to how the pipeline was entered and navigated. The overarching phenomenon was labeled as “working recognition.” This concept describes both the recognition experienced in various forms by participants and the recognition they transformed into strategic activities aimed at overcoming academic, economic, social and/or political obstacles encountered in the pipeline. It was through such activity that our participants ultimately attained recognition as members of the legal profession. Our interpretations reveal a model of early, connected and continuous interventions that would include components that address motivation, skill development, and professional and racial identity issues.
Magnetic Silica-Supported Ruthenium Nanoparticles: An Efficient Catalyst for Transfer Hydrogenation of Carbonyl Compounds

A one-pot synthesis of ruthenium nanoparticles on magnetic silica is described, which involves in situ generation of magnetic silica (Fe3O4@ SiO2) and ruthenium nanoparticle immobilization. The transfer hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds occurs in high yield along with excellent selectivity using this catalyst under microwave irradiation conditions.
Effects of Blood Sampling by Cardiac Puncture on Subsequent Body Weights of Broilers

Abstract The effects of blood sampling via cardiac puncture in broiler chicks 2 to 4 weeks of age on subsequent body weights were examined in three experiments. No differences were found in chicks bled or stabbed with 18, 22, or 25-gauge needles when compared to chicks not blood sampled. However, male chicks bled at both 2 and 3 weeks of age with a 25-gauge needle demonstrated elevated body weights at 8 weeks of age when compared to chicks not blood sampled.
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation and yield of soybean following defoliation by soybean looper (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) during pod or seed development.

Acetylene reduction and nitrogen difference assays were used to evaluate effects of defoliation by soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), during reproductive growth stages on symbiotic nitrogen fixation by soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill. Defoliation (74-94%) of group IV ‘Clark’ caused 80-100% reduction of ethylene produced per gram nodule dry weight (nodule specific activity), regardless of whether defoliation occurred during bloom and pod development or during seed development. Defoliation (50-55%) of group VI cultivar ‘Lee’ from full bloom into pod development stages caused up to 69% reduction of nodule specific activity, whereas lower defoliation levels (32%) during seed development did not affect this parameter. The nitrogen difference assay did not identify reductions in the amount of nitrogen acquired from symbiotically fixed sources in response to defoliation except in I experiment when 55% defoliation of Lee occurred during a period from full bloom into early seed development. However, this assay was useful for determining the influence of N acquired from soil and fixed sources on plant N status. Up to 68% of the N in non defoliated nodulating isoline plants was acquired from fixed sources. Nitrogen deficiency symptoms (chlorosis) were evident by early seed development, indicating that soil N was becoming depleted by that growth stage. In general, when averaged across cultivars and years, greater amounts of N were acquired from fixed sources by the early seed development stage (54%) than by bloom and pod development stages (35%). Yield of Clark was reduced by 800-1,359 kg/ha (74-94% defoliation, full bloom through pod development) and by 750 kg/ha (94% defoliation, early seed development). Yield of Lee was reduced by 1,492 kg/ha (50% defoliation, full bloom through pod development) and by 971 kg11m (32% defoliation, early seed development).
117 ENDOSCOPIC TREATMENT OF BILIARY AND PANCREATIC DUCT LEAK, A CASE SERIES

Purpose Biliary leak occurs most commonly as a complication of hepatobiliary surgery; another possible etiology for biliary and pancreatic duct leak is trauma. ERCP with cholangiogram allows not only diagnosis but also treatment in most cases. There is no consensus regarding the need for sphincterotomy during ERCP and stent placement. We are reporting our experience with different endoscopic techniques for the treatment of biliary and pancreatic duct leak. Methods We retrospectively studied all ERCPs performed at the University of Tennesse-Bowld and MED hospitals between June 2002 and February 2004. We reviewed the Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative (CORI) database and identified ERCPs performed for treatment of biliary or pancreatic duct leak. We compiled demographic and procedural data and etiology of leak and treatment outcome from this database. Results 20 ERCPs in 9 patients with bile leak and one with pancreatic duct leak out of a total of 170 ERCPs performed during this period were identified. Seven patients were s/p laparoscopic cholecystectomy, two patients with trauma-related leak (one biliary, one pancreatic), and one patient with biliary leak s/p Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) received ERCP as their initial treatment. Patients9 ages ranged from 19 to 60 and 7/10 were female. 4/9 biliary leaks were treated with sphincterotomy and stent placement. 5/9 biliary leaks were treated with stent placement alone. There was no statistically significant difference in outcome. The sole pancreatic duct leak resolved with pancreatic stent placement alone. There were no procedure-related complications. All patients underwent another ERCP at the time of stent removal documenting resolution of leak. 2/10 patients, in addition to a leak, had retained stones in the common bile duct or cystic duct remnant. Conclusions ERCP with stent placement is an effective treatment for biliary or pancreatic duct leak. Sphincterotomy does not appear to be necessary.
Civic commitment: Promoting desistance through community integration

Why people desist from crime has been a popular topic among criminologists over the past decade or more. Debate continues about the relative importance of external or internal factors in contributing to desistance. Both sides agree that social dimensions affect desistance. This article argues that the social role of the larger community of ordinary citizens in integrating offenders has been under-theorized and untapped. Drawing upon qualitative interview data from a Circles of Support and Accountability program, I describe and analyze the nature of the relationships formed between released offenders and community volunteers who support them in their reintegration efforts. After a period of developing trust, the team creates a sense of mutual obligation, which thereby establishes the group’s moral authority, similar to the “family model” advocated by Braithwaite. Such a strengths-based and inclusive model of reentry contrasts with much of the correctional rehabilitation discourse that concentrates on offen...
Lessons Learned From the Terminally, Critically Ill Patient Who Demands to Live as Long as Possible.

A 67-year-old man with metastatic pancreatic cancer was admitted to the hospital for terminal care. The patient requested intensive medical support in order "to live as long as possible." Management goals included preserving end-of-life autonomy; therefore, life-extending treatments were delivered as he had adamantly requested. Simultaneously, there was agreement among physicians that futile treatments were unwarranted. Discussions with the power of attorney did not alter medical management. Elements of a "Fair Process Approach to Futility," published in March 1999 by the American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs, were utilized in an attempt to achieve conflict resolution. Medical subspecialist and ethics committee consultations had contributory roles in resolving conflict between the patient and patient surrogate and the patient's physicians. This case offers the following lessons: 1.Potential conflicts in end-of-life care management philosophy should be addressed early in the patient-physician relationship. 2.Patients and surrogates should be made aware that physicians are under no obligation to provide futile care. 3.Futile or medically inappropriate care should not be offered "theoretically" with the expectation that it will be refused. 4.The Advance Directive can guide end-of-life care but does not substitute for physician judgements. 5.A "fair process" end-of-life care management algorithm can provide limited structure to the process of patient-physician deliberation and conflict resolution.
A case study on using instructor-recorded videos in an upper level economics course

Abstract We adopted a version of the flipped classroom concept, defined as delivering some course material via short video lectures to be watched in advance of attending class, for an upper-level undergraduate economics course. Using a survey administered to both flipped and non-flipped sections of the course, we find modest evidence of either short term or long term benefits to students in terms of improving understanding of course material, effective use of time in class, and retention of course material.
Abstract 465: ETC-1002, a Novel Dicarboxylic Fatty Acid Analog, Inhibits Inflammatory Response in Primary Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages as Well as in Adipose Tissue of Insulin-Resistant Mice via AMPK-Dependent Mechanisms

ETC-1002, a small molecule regulator of imbalances in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, is an investigational drug currently in Phase 2 development to treat dyslipidemia and other cardiometabolic risk factors. In hyperlipidemic LDL receptor-deficient mice, robust antiatherosclerotic activities of ETC-1002 coincided with reduced levels of inflammatory markers in mouse atheroma. To further investigate anti-inflammatory properties of ETC-1002, human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) differentiated in autologous serum were stimulated with 100 ng/ml of LPS in the absence or presence of the 10 μM and 30 μM of ETC-1002. TLR4-mediated activation of downstream kinases as well as the production of pro-inflammatory mediators were assessed with phosphokinase and protein arrays. Lower levels of JNK, cJUN, p38 and ERK phosphorylation in cells treated with ETC-1002 were consistent with reduced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 and MIP1α) and chemokines (CXCL10, CXCL1, CCL2 and CCL5). ETC-1002 at 30 mg/kg dose largely diminished thioglycolate-induced homing of neutrophils and macrophages into the mouse peritoneal cavity, supporting the inhibitory effect of ETC-1002 on leukocyte chemotactic and inflammatory activity. Furthermore, in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, epididymal fat pad mass and IL-6 release by inflamed adipose tissue were significantly attenuated (by 32% and 80% respectively) in animals treated with ETC-1002. Importantly, enhanced levels of AMPK phosphorylation, changes in intracellular energy charge coupled with reduced basal rates of sterol and fatty acid synthesis by human MDMs strongly supported AMPK-dependent anti-inflammatory effects of ETC-1002. Thus, our data suggest that ETC-1002, via stimulation of AMPK activity, may provide additional clinical benefits for patients with metabolic syndrome by reducing systemic inflammation and other cardiometabolic abnormalities linked to vascular disease.
Analysis of earthquake body wave spectra for potency and magnitude values: implications for magnitude scaling relations

We develop a simple methodology for reliable automated estimation of the low-frequency asymptote in seismic body wave spectra of small to moderate local earthquakes. The procedure corrects individual P- and S-wave spectra for propagation and site effects and estimates the seismic potency from a stacked spectrum. The method is applied to >11 000 earthquakes with local magnitudes 0 < M_L < 4 that occurred in the Southern California plate-boundary region around the San Jacinto fault zone during 2013. Moment magnitude M_w values, derived from the spectra and the scaling relation of Hanks & Kanamori, follow a Gutenberg–Richter distribution with a larger b-value (1.22) from that associated with the M_L values (0.93) for the same earthquakes. The completeness magnitude for the M_w values is 1.6 while for M_L it is 1.0. The quantity (M_w – M_L) linearly increases in the analysed magnitude range as M_L decreases. An average earthquake with M_L = 0 in the study area has an M_w of about 0.9. The developed methodology and results have important implications for earthquake source studies and statistical seismology.
Physical activity attenuates the effect of increased left ventricular mass on the risk of ischemic stroke: The Northern Manhattan Stroke Study

Abstract Objectives The goal of this study was to determine whether the risk of ischemic stroke associated with increased left ventricular mass (LVM) is modified by physical activity (PA). Background Increased LVM is associated with an increased risk for stroke. Physical activity can decrease the risk of stroke and may have variable effects on LVM. Methods We used a case-control study design in a multiethnic population in northern Manhattan, New York, to study 394 case subjects who had a first ischemic stroke and 413 stroke-free control subjects. All subjects were interviewed and two-dimensional echocardiograms obtained to determine LVM. Results A sharp increase in risk of ischemic stroke was seen in the highest quartile of LVM (odds ratio [OR]: 6.14 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 3.04 to 12.38]). Thus, increased LVM was defined by the highest quartile of LVM. In multivariate analysis, the effect of increased LVM on the risk of stroke was significantly decreased by the presence of any level of PA versus no PA (OR: 1.59 [95% CI: 0.99 to 2.57] p Conclusions Increased LVM is associated with an increased risk of stroke, especially among sedentary patients. Physical activity decreases the risk of stroke among patients with increased LVM to a level comparable to that of patients without increased LVM. Recommending PA may be a nonpharmacologic tool to reduce the stroke risk, especially among patients with increased LVM.
Managing Macrosteles Near Severini (Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae) and Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in Florida Watercress

Abstract This is the first report of Macrosteles near severini Hamilton (Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae), an invasive leafhopper, in Florida. The leafhopper was first detected in watercress in Florida in 2014. This leafhopper transmits the phytoplasma watercress aster yellows, which can cause significant yield losses. Insecticide trials were carried out in the spring of 2014 to compare the efficacy of buprofezin, flonicamid, flupyradifurone, sulfoxaflor, and tolfenpyrad, none of which were registered for use on watercress at the time of testing, with the grower standards of imidacloprid and spirotetramat, for management of M. nr. severini. All treatments except flonicamid resulted in statistically lower numbers of leafhopper nymphs than the untreated control after 3 or fewer applications. Efficacy data from this trial was provided in support of the registration of sulfoxaflor for watercress. Buprofezin and tolfenpyrad also demonstrated efficacy, and each possesses a mode of action that is distinct from imi...
Leveraging visualization to improve sensemaking within a computational RPD model: a military perspective

Motivation - To explore the concept that knowledge visualization would improve sensemaking within the scope of a NDM model; specifically the agent-based R-CAST system derived from Klein's Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD) Model. Research approach - In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the visual sensemaking extension to gain better situation awareness and team performance, we are taking an experimental approach. Research limitations/Implications - This is an ongoing effort with results of planned experiment expected in early 2009. Originality/Value - The knowledge visualization concept offered in this effort is based on a hybrid dimensionality reduction technique and the aggregated similarity measures of an RPD experience space. The results of the knowledge visualization will likely improve the perception, comprehension and projection associated with an RPD experience space. Take away message - Processes that support a decision maker's sensemaking and situational awareness to solve problems are inadequate. Extending RPD with knowledge visualization may significantly improve the decision making process.
A first attempt at polyphonic sound event detection using connectionist temporal classification

Sound event detection is the task of detecting the type, starting time, and ending time of sound events in audio streams. Recently, recurrent neural networks (RNNs) have become the mainstream solution for sound event detection. Because RNNs make a prediction at every frame, it is necessary to provide exact starting and ending times of the sound events in the training data, making data annotation an extremely time-consuming process. Connectionist temporal classification (CTC), as a sequence-to-sequence model, can relax this constraint, because it suffices to provide ordered sequences of sound events without exact starting and ending times. This paper presents a first attempt at using CTC for sound event detection. In the polyphonic situation, sound events may overlap with each other, making it hard to define ordered sequences of sound events. We propose to use the boundaries (i.e. starts and ends) of the sound events as tokens for CTC. We show that CTC is able to locate the boundaries of sound events on a very noisy corpus of consumer generated content with rough hints about their positions. The CTC approach seems to be particularly suited to detecting short and transient sounds, which have traditionally been hardest to detect.
Bone Age Assessment Utilizing Knee MRI

Objectives:In managing pediatric knee conditions including osteochondritis dissecans, patella instability, and ACL tears, accurate bone age assessment is critical for diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment purposes. Knee MRIs are almost ubiquitously ordered for these conditions. The purpose of this study was to create an atlas of knee MRIs spanning the pediatric and adolescent years that would enable an accurate skeletal age to be assessed and forgo the need for a left hand radiograph.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on knee MRIs that were obtained for pain or trauma between 2007 and 2015. Patients with radiographic evidence of tumors, infections, skeletal dysplasia, or systemic processes affecting the physes were excluded. In creating the atlas, the assessment of 20 to 25 MRIs was performed for each age group and each gender. Radiographic features specific to the patella, tibia, fibula, and femur were documented for their presence or absence. From this data, age and gender “standards” were c...
Analysis of cost effective pavement treatment and budget optimization for arterial roads in the city of Chattanooga

Many transportation agencies lack sufficient funds to maintain and repair roads, which results into increased pavement maintenance cost. Pavement Management System (PMS) has demonstrated to be an essential tool for proper management of infrastructure and proper utilization of available funds. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga utilized Micropaver software as PMS tool to conduct a pavement management analysis of principal arterials in the City of Chattanooga. The study used the City of Chattanooga pavement database to create the current and future pavement conditions. Maintenance and repair (M&R) planning analysis was also performed in order to determine the most cost-effective treatment and suggest the optimum utilization of funds for the city. An analysis of five budget scenarios was conducted for a five-year plan using the critical pavement condition index (PCI) method (ASTM D6433). Results show that the backlog elimination budget would be the best scenario because it increases the pavement condition and eliminates the backlog of major maintenance and repairs over the five-year period. The unlimited budget seems though ideal, it does not improve pavement condition. Maintaining current condition and limited budget scenarios would increase both the backlog and the total cost of maintenance and repairs over the analysis period.
Advanced Modulation and Multiplexing Techniques

This chapter is devoted to advanced modulation and multiplexing techniques suitable for both wireless and optical communication systems. The chapter starts with signal space theory concepts applied to wireless communication systems. After the geometric representations of signals, we describe various multidimensional modulators and demodulators suitable for wireless communication applications, in particular the Euclidean distance, correlation, and matched filter-based detectors, followed by the description of frequency-shift keying (FSK). Both continuous-time (CT) and discrete-time (DT) implementations for pulse amplitude modulation schemes, suitable for wireless communications, are described as well. After that the focus is moved to multilevel schemes suitable for both wireless and optical communication applications, including M-ary PSK, star-QAM, square-QAM, and cross-QAM. Regarding the optical communications, the transmitter for M-ary PSK, star-QAM, and square/cross-QAM is described in detail. The next topic in the chapter is related to multicarrier modulation, including description multicarrier systems with both nonoverlapping and overlapping subcarriers as well as introduction of various approaches to deal with fading effects at subcarrier level. The concept of OFDM is also introduced; however, details are provided in Chap. 7. The MIMO fundamentals are then provided, including the description of key differences with respect to diversity scheme, as well as the introduction of array, diversity, and multiplexing gains. The parallel MIMO channel decomposition is briefly described. The details on MIMO signal processing are postponed for Chap. 8. In section on polarization-division multiplexing (PDM) and four-dimensional (4-D) signaling, we describe key differences between PDM and 4-D signaling and describe how both types of schemes can be implemented in both wireless and optical communications. The focused is the moved to the spatial-division multiplexing (SDM) and multidimensional signaling. We describe how SDM can be applied in wireless communications first. Then we describe how various degrees of freedom including amplitude, phase, frequency, polarization states, and spatial modes can be used to convey the information in optical domain. In the same sections, the SDM concepts for fiber-optics communications are described as well. The section concludes with SDM and multidimensional signaling concepts applied to free-space optical (FSO) communications. The next topic is devoted to the signal constellation design, including iterative polar modulation (IPM), signal constellation design for circular symmetric optical channels, energy-efficient signal constellation design, and optimum signal constellation design (OSCD). The final section of the chapter is devoted to the nonuniform signaling, in which different signal constellation points are transmitted with different probabilities.
Improved quantification of the porosity–permeability relationship of limestones using petrographical texture

The relationship between porosity and permeability in limestones is a fundamental constitutive equation in subsurface fluid flow modelling, and is essential in quantifying a range of geological processes. For a given porosity, the permeability of limestones varies over a range of up to five orders of magnitude. Permeability of a given rock sample depends on the total amount of pore space, characterized by porosity, as well as how the pore space is distributed within the rock, which can be expressed as a probability density function of pore sizes. We investigate in this study whether the information about pore-size distribution can be sufficiently captured by the bulk petrographical properties extracted from thin sections. We demonstrate that most of the uncertainty can be explained by variations in texture, which is defined by the mud content (mass fraction of particles less than 0.06 mm in diameter). Using mud content as a quantitative texture descriptor, we used multivariable regression and neural network models to predict permeability from porosity. For a given porosity, inclusion of mud content reduces the uncertainty in permeability prediction from five to two orders of magnitude.
Persistent code contribution: a ranking algorithm for code contribution in crowdsourced software

Measuring code contribution in crowdsourced software is essential for ranking contributors to a project or distributing revenue. Past studies have demonstrated that there is variation between different code contribution measures and their ability for ranking users accurately. This study proposes a new code contribution ranking algorithm, Persistent Code Contribution (PCC), that aims to be language independent, quality aware and provide a ranking balance between new and senior users. PCC tracks the number of characters contributed by a user and ranks each character based on the number of subsequent revisions that each character survived for. It also tracks lines that may have been moved between revisions in the code and attributes character changes to the appropriate user that committed them to a repository. A ranking comparison between existing code contribution measures is performed to determine the similarities and differences, and, quantitative as well as qualitative evidence is presented as a means to validate the algorithm.
Vaccination to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

Atherosclerosis and attendant cardiovascular disease account for most deaths worldwide. Despite considerable progress in understanding disease mechanisms, the only causal treatment strategy is lowering LDL cholesterol. Atherosclerosis is a complex disorder that is initiated and maintained by dyslipidemia, inflammation, and (auto-) immunity. This complex interplay is orchestrated by cells of the innate and adaptive immune system. It has been proposed that modulating the aberrant immune response by vaccination against specific antigens could become a new causal treatment for atherosclerosis. Immune-modulatory therapies have been explored using strategies designed to dampen autoimmunity by immuno-modulators, tolerize for auto-antigens, remove potentially harmful antigens, or neutralize proteins that participate in atherogenesis by active and passive immunization. Beneficial effects of such strategies have been shown in animal models of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. This chapter categorizes and summarizes the efforts that have been made in the last decades to design a vaccine to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Induction of rhizosphere competence in the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma

Apparently, wild types of Trichoderma spp. do not possess the attribute of rhizosphere competence (RC), i.e. they cannot colonize the rhizosphere adjacent to developing roots from a seed treatment. To enhance RC, strains of T. harzianum were exposed to N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and mutants selected for benomyl resistance. When benomyl was added to soil, these mutants applied to seeds colonized the rhizosphere 8 cm below the seed at densities approaching 106 cfu/g rhizosphere soil. Unexpectedly, RC was induced when benomyl was not added to the soil. There is no evidence that benomyl resistance is related to RC; however, a perfect correlation was observed between increased cellulase production by mutants and RC. This suggested that mutants may utilize the mucigel on roots as a substrate. Mutation to RC and faster growth rate, comparable to root elongation, was induced in a slow growing species such as T. polysporum. Mutants with RC also were more efficient biocontrol agents and induced greater increased growth responses from a seed treatment than wild-type parents.
CoPt Nanoparticles for High Density Magnetic Recording Media

CoPt nanoparticles with the high anisotropy Llo ordered phase have been prepared and embedded in C and BN matrices by sputtering from Co50Pt50 and matrix targets onto Si substrate using the tandem mode. The as-made films showed a disordered face-centered-cubic structure which is magnetically soft. Ordered CoPt particles were obtained by post-annealing the films at 700°C. Typical particle size obtained was in the range from a few nanometers to 20 nm, which was controlled by adjusting the bilayer thickness and annealing conditions. The microstructure of the granular films at the optimumally annealed state showed a uniform size distribution with an average particle size below 10 nm. The coercivity development in the films was investigated in conjunction with the growth and ordering of the particles.
EVOLVING ROLE OF PROTOZOA IN AQUATIC NUTRIENT CYCLES

There has been considerable discussion over the last 10 years on the role that protozoa play in the cycling of major nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) in the marine environment. This discussion has been fostered by recent studies which have clearly demonstrated the importance of these heterotrophic protists in the flow of energy and materials in the ocean, and by recent efforts to model their activities in marine ecosystems (Pomeroy 1974, Sieburth 1976, Anderson 1980, Fenchel 1967, 1980, 1986, Azam et al. 1983, Laacke et al. 1983, Sherr and Sherr 1984, Sherr et al. 1986, 1988, Goldman and Caron 1985, Stoecker and Evans 1985).