cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Convex duality and the value of side information

Let X be a random variable with distribution P on a measurable space /spl chi/. A function q*(x) is log-optimum in a convex family /spl Qscr/ of nonnegative measurable functions on /spl chi/ if it attains the maximum growth exponent W/sub /spl Qscr//(X)=sup/sub q(xin/spl Qscr/)/E{log/sub q/(x)}. The analysis of random variable with joint distributions generalizes to the setting of stationary processes and log-optimum selections in multiplicative sequences of convex families.
Uta M. Quasthoff & Tabea Becker (eds.), Narrative interaction

Uta M. Quasthoff & Tabea Becker (eds.), Narrative interaction . (Studies in Narrative, 5.) Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 2005. Pp. v, 305. Hb $126. This edited volume, the fifth in the Studies in Narrative series published by John Benjamins, brings together international studies conducted on spoken narratives in everyday and institutional settings, and in several languages (English, German, Greek, Italian, and Hungarian). The collection is united by a focus on the interactive nature of narrative in context. Following an introduction by the co-editors, there are eleven chapters organized into three parts concentrating on (I) narrative development, (II) the co-construction of narrative, and (III) narrative retellings.
Filartiga’s Legacy in an Era of Military Privatization

Filartiga v. Pena-Irala established the idea that domestic tort suits might be brought under the Alien Tort Claims Act ("ATCA") against those accused of violating human rights norms. But what is the legacy of this case in an era of military privatization? Are there available legal responses to what we might call the privatization of torture? In the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where detainees were tortured and abused, the individuals involved in the torture included not only members of the military, but contractors hired from the private sector. Because U.S. constitutional scrutiny traditionally applies only to state actors, privatization has been seen as potentially undermining constitutional oversight. Moreover, because many international human rights are framed as rights against state overreaching, the turn to private actors might appear to present a significant problem for legal accountability. Yet, military outsourcing may not, by itself, pose quite as serious an impediment to accountability. To the contrary, human rights abuses by private contractors may actually be more readily subject to legal action than abuses by official governmental actors, both through civil suits under the ATCA to redress violations of international human rights law, and through civil and criminal litigation to redress violations of domestic law. Using the Abu Ghraib prison abuse as a case study, this Essay will compare the possible forms of legal accountability for official governmental actors and private contractors, and suggest that the latter are at least as likely, and perhaps more likely, to be held accountable for abuses.
Node Compromise Modeling and its Applications in Sensor Networks

Node compromise is the major and unique security issues in sensor networks. There are many security approaches that can be used to defend against node compromises, yet few researches were focused on their distribution models and defending against them. Knowing the distribution models of node compromise can help us defend against them efficiently and effectively. In this paper, we use probability theory to develop basic uniform model, basic gradient model, intelligent uniform model and intelligent gradient model of node compromise distribution based on the observations of different application environments. These models allow system to estimate the probability of node compromise. To explain how important of these models and how to apply them in security design, we introduced some applications that can be improved using our models such as detecting node compromise, key management and secure routing.
An evaluation of explicit time integration schemes for use with the generalized interpolation material point method

The stability and accuracy of the generalized interpolation material point (GIMP) Method is measured directly through carefully-formulated manufactured solutions over wide ranges of CFL numbers and mesh sizes. The manufactured solutions are described in detail. The accuracy and stability of several time integration schemes are compared via numerical experiments. The effect of various treatments of particle ''size'' are also considered. The hypothesis that GIMP is most accurate when particles remain contiguous and non-overlapping is confirmed by comparing manufactured solutions with and without this property.
Representation of the near-field, middle-field, and far-field electromagnetic Green’s functions in reciprocal space

The electromagnetic field, generated by a source, has four typical components: the far field, the middle field, the near field, and the self-field. This decomposition is studied with the help of the dyadic Green’s function for the electric field and its representation in reciprocal (k) space. The representations in k space involve three universal functions, which we call the T(q) functions. Various representations of these functions are presented, and an interesting sum rule is derived. It is shown that the magnetic field can be split in a similar way, leading to a middle field and a far field only.
Potassium tert‐Butoxide–Hexamethylphosphoric Triamide

(t-BuOK) [865-47-4] C4H9KO (MW 112.23) InChI = 1S/C4H9O.K/c1-4(2,3)5;/h1-3H3;/q-1;+1 InChIKey = LPNYRYFBWFDTMA-UHFFFAOYSA-N (HMPA) [680-31-9] C6H18N3OP (MW 179.24) InChI = 1S/C6H18N3OP/c1-7(2)11(10,8(3)4)9(5)6/h1-6H3 InChIKey = GNOIPBMMFNIUFM-UHFFFAOYSA-N (useful base for deprotonating weakly acidic substrates2) Preparative Method: prepared in situ from anhydrous t-BuOK and anhydrous HMPA. Anhydrous HMPA is obtained by distillation from Sodium metal or Calcium Hydride under reduced pressure at 60 °C.1 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: see Potassium tert-Butoxide and Hexamethylphosphoric Triamide. HMPA is a cancer-suspect agent which should be handled with extreme care; do not breathe the vapor and avoid contact of the solid or liquid with eyes, skin, or clothing. Store over 4 A molecular sieves. Use in a fume hood.
Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Lift and Drag from Dynamic Aircraft Maneuvers

A maximum likelihood estimation method for obtaining lift and drag characteistics from dynamic flight maneuvers was investigated. This paper describes the method and compares the estimates of lift and drag obtained by using the method with estimates obtained from wind-tunnel tests and from established methods for obtaining estimates from flight data. In general, the lift and drag coefficients extracted from dynamic flight maneuvers by the maximum likelihood estimation technique were in good agreement with the estimates obtained from the wind-tunnel tests and the other methods. When maneuvers that met the requirements of both flight methods were analyzed, the results of each method were nearly the same. The maximum likelihood estimation technique showed promise in terms of estimating lift and drag characteristics from dynamic flight maneuvers. Further studies should be made to assess the best mathematical model and the most desirable type of dynamic maneuver to get the highest quality results from this technique. aN ax
Paying for Pollution: Proposition 26 and Its Potential Impacts on State Environmental and Public Health Protections in California

This report considers the potential effect of Proposition 26, which appears on the November 2, 2010 California ballot, on the state’s environmental and public health protections. With very little time remaining before the election, controversy rages over whether the passage of Proposition 26 would make it harder for the state to fund environmental protection programs and other public benefit programs.1 Proposition 26 proposes to expand the definition of a “tax” under California law. As a result of this expansion, some fees and other charges imposed by the state or by cities or counties could no longer be enacted by a simple majority vote of the Legislature. Instead, a 2/3 supermajority vote would be required — the same vote now required to pass a budget or a new tax. We have taken a careful look at the measure’s language and its impacts on environmental and public health programs in California, and have concluded that Proposition 26 would erect significant barriers to funding many of these programs in the future. This could have substantial and wide-ranging impacts on implementation of the state’s health, safety and environmental laws.
Jewish Stories in Mental Health Counseling

ABSTRACTMany mental health counselors incorporate storytelling as an integral component of their treatment programs. The popularity of such storytelling is apparent from the wide spectrum of therapeutic approaches including this modality. Judaism similarly has a rich storytelling tradition. Unfortunately, the counseling literature offers insufficient attention to incorporation of Jewish stories into treatment. The current article discusses the rationale behind therapeutic storytelling, surveys the limited extant literature surrounding use of Jewish stories in this context, and provides specific suggestions for including such stories in clinical interventions. The discussion is especially directed at practitioners of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is among the fastest-growing approaches to mental health treatment.
Affecting Factors and Regulating Techniques for Contents of Selenium and Cadmium in Rice

Through tested and statistically analyzed the contents of selenium and cadmium in eight rice varieties that produced under four different fertilizing modes in three towns of Xiangtan County,it preliminarily found out the main factor to affecting contents of selenium and cadmium in rice is soil parent material,and next main affecting factor is fertilizing mode.One of the effective techniques to enhance the selenium content in rice is spraying selenium-enriched nutritional agent to foliage.The main techniques to reduce the content of cadmium in rice are as follows: selecting suited planting area,avoiding the soil parent material with high content of cadmium and avoiding the environment contaminated by industrial wastes.The fertilizing mode that widely adopted in local place has small effect on cadmium content in early rice and late rice,so,the effect that reducing cadmium content in rice by fertilizing technique is not obvious.
Analysis on Corona Loss Measurement of Ultra High Voltage AC Single Circuit Test Line in Rain and Snow Weather Conditions

In order to research corona loss characteristic of ultra high voltage(UHV) AC power transmission line in rain and snow weather conditions,UHV AC test base single circuit test lines were experimentally studied.Optical-electric digital corona loss monitoring system of transmission line was applied to realize the real-time online measurement of UHV AC test line corona loss wholly of the day,and to analyze corona losses under different rain rates and heavy snow atmosphere conditions according to monitoring results.The research results show that single phase corona loss per meter of UHV AC single circuit test line under rain is 20~60 W/m,under heavy rain the monitored maximum results per meter of the test line are 53.54 W/m for the side phase,62.95 W/m for the middle phase,which was fit to the estimate values as adopting equivalent rainfall rate.Corona loss increases nonlinearly as rainfall rate increases,and saturates gradually,thus a abecedarian fitting model between rainfall rate and corona loss of 8×LGJ-500/35 bundle conductors is obtained.Corona loss measurements of UHV AC single circuit test line in the test provide a reference for UHV AC transmission line conductors mode selection,design,and economy characteristic evaluation.
Changes of intracranial pressure after occlusion of the middle third of the superior sagittal sinus and its reflux veins in rabbits

Objective To investigate the changes of intracranial pressure after occlusion of the middle third of the superior sagittal sinus and its reflux veins in rabbits to provide the experimental basis for the treatment of the parasagittal meningiomas and the injury on the middle third of the superior sagittal sinus.Methods Thirty healthy rabbits were divided randomly into three groups:sham operation(SO) group(n=10),the middle third of the superior sagittal sinus occlusion(SSS) group(n=10),the middle third of the superior sagittal sinus and its reflux veins occlusion(SSS+RV) group(n=10).The rabbit models of the middle third of the superior sagittal sinus and its reflux veins occlusion were established.Intracranial pressure(ICP) within 4 h after occlusion was determined by fiberoptic intracranial pressure monitor.Results ICP in SSS group was increased gradually after the operation,began to decrease at 3 h,and maintained this level for 4 h.There was no significant difference between SO and SSS group in ICP(P0.05).ICP was increased gradually after occlusion of the middle third of the superior sagittal sinus and its reflux veins for 30 min,and increased obviously at 2.5 h(P0.05).Compared SSS with SO and(SSS+RV) group,there was significant difference at different time points(P0.05).Conclusion There is no significant changes of ICP after the occlusion of middle third of the superior sagittal sinus.ICP increases gradually within 4 h after the occlusion of middle third of the superior sagittal sinus and its reflux veins.
Utility of Paraneoplastic Antibody Testing in the Diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease.

Objective To evaluate the role of paraneoplastic autoantibody testing in the diagnosis of motor neuron disease (MND). Background There have been rare case reports of paraneoplastic MND that have prompted many physicians to test for paraneoplastic autoantibodies in patients with MND. Our study is the first to determine the utility of such testing. Methods Retrospective chart review of patients with MND from a tertiary referral center from 2007 to 2014. Results Of 316 patients with MND reviewed, 44% (n = 138) were evaluated by a Mayo Clinic paraneoplastic autoantibody panel. Of note, 73% of these patients (n = 101) were diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, fulfilling possible, probable, or definite revised El Escorial criteria. Of note, 9% of patients (13/138) of those who had paraneoplastic antibody testing performed were positive for at least 1 paraneoplastic antibody. Three patients had negative testing for malignancy. None had a different disease course than expected. Conclusions Testing for paraneoplastic antibodies does not seem to change the diagnosis, management, or outcome in the setting of MND and is therefore of limited value.
The G.S.P. and the ‘New International Economic Order’

The developing countries first began the call for a new international economic order during the late 1950s. Their initial complaints stemmed from an impotence of domestic policy initiatives to speed their rates of economic development. They found themselves excessively dependent upon the developed community for the requisites of economic development — industrial machinery and technical expertise — requisites which they could not purchase in sufficient quantities due to inadequate foreign-exchange earnings (foreign aid was insufficient to fill the gap).
Fire, Pollution, and Grazing: Oh My! A Game in Which Native and Invasive Plants Compete Under Multiple Disturbance Regimes

Invasive plants can significantly degrade wildlife habitat, alter soil nutrient cycling, increase the risk of wildfires and floods, consume large amounts of water, and disrupt other ecosystem services. In some instances, managing invasives may be difficult or impossible depending on the scale of the invasion and the amount of time and funding available to address the problem. Furthermore, environmental conditions created by disturbances (e.g., flood, fire) and anthropogenic impacts (e.g., pollution, livestock grazing) can alter the competitive balance between native and invasive plants and either help or complicate management efforts. This chapter describes an interactive game designed to introduce students to the causes, consequences, and management of exotic plant invasions in the context of different ecosystem perturbations. Students will learn about plant community dynamics with a focus on competition between invasive and native plants, the impacts of disturbances on interspecific interactions, and the challenges and threats facing the management and conservation of native vegetation and ecosystem services. After completing the activity, students should be able to (1) define and differentiate among the characteristics of native, exotic, and invasive species; (2) define and distinguish between the effects of anthropogenic impacts and natural disturbances on ecosystems (e.g., fire disturbance, pollution, grazing); and (3) analyze how different environmental conditions created by disturbances and human activities might cause changes in the local abundance and spatial extent of native and invasive plants.
Anion–Caffeine Interactions Studied by 13C and 1H NMR and ATR–FTIR Spectroscopy

This work investigates the interactions of a series of 11 anions with caffeine by utilizing 13C and 1H NMR and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy. The aim of this study is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of ion interactions with caffeine and to study how these interactions affect caffeine aggregation in aqueous solution. The chemical shift changes of caffeine 13C and 1H in the presence of salts provide a measure for anions’ salting–out/salting–in abilities on individual carbon and hydrogen atoms in caffeine. The relative influences of anions on the chemical shift of individual atoms in the caffeine molecule are quantified. It is observed that strongly hydrated anions are excluded from the carbons on the six-member ring in caffeine and promote caffeine aggregation. On the other hand, weakly hydrated anions decrease caffeine aggregation by accumulating around the periphery of the caffeine molecule and binding to the ring structure. The ATR–FTIR results demo...
Getting What They Need When They Need It: Identifying barriers to information needs of family caregivers to manage dementia-related behavioral symptoms

Background: Consumer health informatics (CHI) such as web-based applications may provide the platform for enabling the over 15 million family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias the information they need when they need it to support behavioral symptom management. However, for CHI to be successful, it is necessary that it be designed to meet the specific information needs of family caregivers in the context in which caregiving occurs. A sociotechnical systems approach to CHI design can help to understand the contextual complexities of family caregiving and account for those complexities in the design of CHI for family caregivers. Objectives: This study used a sociotechnical systems approach to identify barriers to meeting care-givers’ information needs related to the management of dementia-related behavioral symptoms, and to derive design implications that overcome barriers for caregiver-focused web-based platforms. We have subsequently used these design implications to inform the development of a web-based platform, WeCareAdvisor,TM which provides caregivers with information and an algorithm by which to identify and manage behavioral symptoms for which they seek management strategies. Methods: We conducted 4 focus groups with family caregivers (N=26) in a Midwestern state. Qualitative content analysis of the data was guided by a sociotechnical systems framework. Results: We identified nine categories of barriers that family caregivers confront in obtaining needed information about behavioral symptom management from which we extrapolated design implications for a web-based platform. Based on interactions within the sociotechnical system, three critical information needs were identified: 1) timely access to information, 2) access to information that is tailored or specific to caregiver’s needs and contexts, and 3) usable information that can directly inform how caregivers’ manage behaviors. Conclusions: The sociotechnical system framework is a useful approach for identifying information needs of family caregivers to inform design of web-based platforms that are user-centered.
Batting Averages in Agricultural Forecasting

Batting averages in agricultural forecasting, in so far as it has been possible to investigate them, show about the same degree of perfection as human judgment has shown in other lines. At best agricultural forecasts are generally about 65 to 75 per cent perfect. There are some exceptions depending upon the length of time covered by the forecast and upon the purpose to be served, as is noted later. The possibilities in agricultural forecastings are likely to be appraised in accord with one's conception of the essential nature of such a forecast. If it is believed that the success of such a forecast rests upon a certain secret and mysterious power to prophesy and that only those possessed of these occult powers can succeed, then to every one except the afflicted few the possibilities in attempting such a thing are ludicrous. If, on the other hand, it is believed that the success of the forecast depends entirely upon the right kind of mechanical manipulation of the statistics of past events, then anything short of 95 to 100 per cent efficiency will be disappointing. If, however, the agricultural forecast is considered as simply judgment of future performances as indicated by currently observable points of strength and weakness, using the best methods possible, then this forecast is not unlike judgment passed in many other cases where no one thinks of associating either mystery or infallibility with the conclusions reached.
Investigating the antecedents of work and home boundaries permeability

Given the increasing demands of the contemporary workplace, managing the demands of work and home is an important topic for individuals and organizations alike. Viewing work and home as separate ye...
THE BIG BANG MODEL: ITS ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

The current Big Bang Model had its origin in Einstein's attempt to model a static cosmos, based on his general theory of relativity. Friedmann and Lemaitre, as well as de Sitter, further developed the model to cover other options, including nonstatic behavior. Lemaitre in the 1930s and, particularly, Gamow in 1946 first put physics into the nonstatic model. By 1946 there had been significant developments in the mathematics of the model due to Robertson, Walker, Tolman and many others. The Hubble law had given an essential observational basis for the Big Bang, as did the attribution of cosmic significance to element abundances by Goldschmidt. Following early suggestions by George Gamow, the first attempt to explain nucleosynthesis in a hot, dense, early universe was done by Alpher, Bethe and Gamow in 1948, a paper whose principal importance was that it suggested that the early universe was in fact hot and dense, and that hydrogen and helium and perhaps other light elements were primeval. In that same year Alpher and Herman first predicted a cosmic background radiation at 5 kelvin as an essential feature of the model. The Hubble expansion rate, the primordial and stellar abundances of the elements, and the cosmic microwave background are major pillars today for the Big Bang model.
High frequency, high order lattice and plasmon mode resonances in terahertz metamaterials

We have measured the transmission spectra of splitring resonator metamaterials from 0 to 10 THz for parallel and perpendicular polarizations. Calculations of the lattice and plasmon mode dispersion relations in combination with electromagnetic simulations confirm the presence of multiple higher order lattice and plasmon modes. High frequency high-Q resonances that result from plasmon-lattice mode coupling extend the range of application of THz metamaterial based devices and provide an avenue for modulating their response.
Bilingual witnesses are more susceptible to the misinformation effect in their less proficient language

The misinformation effect occurs when a witness views an event, is exposed to misleading post-event information, and remembers some misleading details as having occurred in the original event. The present study examined the effect of receiving post-event information and being tested in different languages on bilingual participants’ susceptibility to the misinformation effect. English-Spanish bilingual participants (N = 234; 78% claimed English was their dominant language) watched a video, read a post-event narrative in English or in Spanish, and then were tested on details of the video in English or in Spanish. Regardless of the language in which participants read the post-event narrative, participants who were tested in English correctly recognized more true details and falsely recognized fewer misinformation details than those tested in Spanish. These results suggest that bilingual participants are more susceptible to the misinformation effect in their less proficient language, a finding that has important implications for interviewing bilingual witnesses. Even when witnesses claim to be fluent in two languages, testing their memory in their less fluent language may result in fewer true memories and more false memories.
You Can’t Take Your Baby Home Yet: A Longitudinal Study of Psychological Symptoms in Mothers of Infants Hospitalized in the NICU

Evidence suggests that mothers of infants hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) experience elevated rates of psychological symptoms. However, previous studies of this population have been mainly cross-sectional and have focused on very preterm infants. Although moderate- to late-preterm infants generally thrive, the possible psychological toll on their mothers has not yet been sufficiently examined. In the current study, we used a longitudinal design to investigate whether mothers of moderate- to late-preterm infants experience elevated rates of psychological symptoms during the infant’s hospitalization in the NICU and 6 months later. Results indicated that these mothers did show elevated depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms, and that symptom levels were similar in mothers of moderate- versus late-preterm infants. Mothers of moderate- to late-preterm infants hospitalized in the NICU appeared to experience these symptoms steadily over a 6-month period after giving birth. These findings suggest a need for greater support for these mothers while in the NICU.
Aperiodic Hierarchical Tilings

A substitution tiling is a certain globally defined hierarchical structure in a geometric space. In [6] we show that for any substitution tiling in En, n > 1, subject to relatively mild conditions, one can construct local rules that force the desired global structure to emerge. As an immediate corollary, infinite collections of forced aperiodic tilings are constructed. Here we give an expository account of the construction. In particular, we discuss the use of hierarchical, algorithmic, geometrically sensitive coordinates—“addresses”, developed further in [9].
Understanding Employee Job Satisfaction: The Importance of Procedural and Distributive Justice

The importance of perceived fair treatment and its effect on employee job satisfaction cannot be overlooked. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that structural procedural justice, interpersonal procedural justice, and distributive justice each accounted for significant unique variance in employee job satisfaction. In addition, when job satisfaction was regressed on all three types of organizational justice, all three justice perceptions significantly predicted job satisfaction. However, interpersonal procedural justice and distributive justice were more strongly related to job satisfaction with distributive justice having the strongest relationship of the three fairness perceptions.
Fraud and Corruption in Times of Disaster

An examination of the response to major natural and man-made catastrophic events in the past reveals numerous examples of heroic deeds during and after the disaster, as well as many example of peoples from all walks of life providing assistance to the victims of the catastrophic events. However, one sees many examples of an opposite reaction, that is, either one of not being concerned and thus not becoming involved in any way or worse, using the event to enhance their self-interests. Those who have the power to make decisions relating to the disaster generally will have an opportunity to engage in corruption, fraud, and theft. For example, the “black market” and corruption have always flourished during wartime, during times when a country is in the midst of an economic depression and during the periods when a country’ s government has made a dramatic change. Corruption and fraud often become a major problem after a community experiences a hurricane, flood, tornado, or man-made disaster such as a terrorist attack or oil spill.
The Changing Definition of a Primary Care Provider

Jackson and colleagues showed that patients with diabetes who received care from nurse practitioners and physician assistants working in the Veterans Affairs health system had outcomes equivalent t...
Some Issues in Generalized Linear Modeling

This chapter discusses cautions, questions, challenges, and proposals regarding five issues that arise in generalized linear modeling. With primary emphasis on categorical data, we summarize (1) bias that can occur in using ordinary linear models with ordinal response variables, (2) a new proposal about simple ways to interpret effects in generalized linear models that use nonlinear link functions, (3) problems with using Wald significance tests and confidence intervals, (4) a question about the behavior of residuals for generalized linear models, and (5) a new approach in using generalized estimating equations (GEE) methods for marginal multinomial models.
Propargylglycine-based antimicrobial compounds are targets of TolC-dependent efflux systems in Escherichia coli

Abstract A library of novel l -propargylglycine-based compounds were designed and synthesized with the goal of inhibiting the growth of Gram-negative bacteria by targeting LpxC, a highly conserved Gram-negative enzyme which performs an essential step in the lipid A biosynthetic pathway. These compounds were designed with and without a nucleoside and had varying tail structures, which modulate their lipophilicity. The synthetic scheme was improved compared to previous methods: a methyl ester intermediate was converted to a hydroxamic acid, which obviated the need for a THP protecting group and improved the yields and purity of the final compounds. Antimicrobial activity was observed for non-nucleoside compounds containing a phenyl propargyl ether tail (5) or a biphenyl tail (6). An MIC of 16 µg/mL was achieved for 6 in Escherichia coli, but inhibition was only possible in the absence of TolC-mediated efflux. Compound 5 had an initial MIC >160 µg/mL in E. coli. Enhancing outer membrane permeability or eliminating efflux reduced the MIC modestly to 100 µg/mL and 80 µg/mL, respectively. These results highlight the importance of hydrophobicity of this class of compounds in developing LpxC inhibitors, as well as the design challenge of avoiding multidrug efflux activity.
Intermittent fasting from dawn to sunset for 30 consecutive days is associated with anticancer proteomic signature and upregulates key regulatory proteins of glucose and lipid metabolism, circadian clock, DNA repair, cytoskeleton remodeling, immune system and cognitive function in healthy subjects

Abstract Murine studies showed that disruption of circadian clock rhythmicity could lead to cancer and metabolic syndrome. Time-restricted feeding can reset the disrupted clock rhythm, protect against cancer and metabolic syndrome. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that intermittent fasting for several consecutive days without calorie restriction in humans would induce an anticarcinogenic proteome and the key regulatory proteins of glucose and lipid metabolism. Fourteen healthy subjects fasted from dawn to sunset for over 14 h daily. Fasting duration was 30 consecutive days. Serum samples were collected before 30-day intermittent fasting, at the end of 4th week during 30-day intermittent fasting, and one week after 30-day intermittent fasting. An untargeted serum proteomic profiling was performed using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Our results showed that 30-day intermittent fasting was associated with an anticancer serum proteomic signature, upregulated key regulatory proteins of glucose and lipid metabolism, circadian clock, DNA repair, cytoskeleton remodeling, immune system, and cognitive function, and resulted in a serum proteome protective against cancer, metabolic syndrome, inflammation, Alzheimer's disease, and several neuropsychiatric disorders. These findings suggest that fasting from dawn to sunset for 30 consecutive days can be preventive and adjunct therapy in cancer, metabolic syndrome, and several cognitive and neuropsychiatric diseases. Significance Our study has important clinical implications. Our results showed that intermittent fasting from dawn to sunset for over 14 h daily for 30 consecutive days was associated with an anticancer serum proteomic signature and upregulated key regulatory proteins of glucose and lipid metabolism, insulin signaling, circadian clock, DNA repair, cytoskeleton remodeling, immune system, and cognitive function, and resulted in a serum proteome protective against cancer, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, inflammation, Alzheimer's disease, and several neuropsychiatric disorders. Importantly, these findings occurred in the absence of any calorie restriction and significant weight loss. These findings suggest that intermittent fasting from dawn to sunset can be a preventive and adjunct therapy in cancer, metabolic syndrome and Alzheimer's disease and several neuropsychiatric diseases.
Slo2 potassium channel function depends on RNA editing-regulated expression of a SCYL1 protein

Slo2 potassium channels play important roles in neuronal function, and their mutations in humans may cause epilepsies and cognitive defects. However, it is largely unknown how Slo2 is regulated by other proteins. Here we show that the function of C. elegans Slo2 (SLO-2) depends on adr-1, a gene important to RNA editing. ADR-1 promotes SLO-2 function not by editing the transcripts of slo-2 but those of scyl-1, which encodes an orthologue of mammalian SCYL1. Transcripts of scyl-1 are greatly decreased in adr-1 mutants due to deficient RNA editing at a single adenosine in their 3'-UTR. SCYL-1 physically interacts with SLO-2 in neurons. Single-channel open probability (Po) of neuronal SLO-2 is ~50% lower in scyl-1 knockout mutant than wild type. Moreover, human Slo2.2/Slack Po is doubled by SCYL1 in a heterologous expression system. These results suggest that SCYL-1/SCYL1 is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of Slo2 channels.
Energy Balance and Weight Loss for Diabetes Remission

Diabetes remission-the occurrence of durable normoglycemia without antidiabetic medications-has been demonstrated in some patients with type 2 diabetes who have achieved and sustained weight loss through lifestyle intervention or metabolic and bariatric surgery. Although this pursuit would represent a paradigm shift in our diabetes chronic care model, could diabetes remission become a routine treatment strategy in patients with type 2 diabetes? This article reviews the mechanisms by which weight loss can drive improvements in insulin sensitivity and β-cell function sufficient to normalize glycemia, treatment approaches that provide evidence for diabetes remission, and avenues for developing the research and discovery that will be required to make diabetes remission possible as part of the routine medical management of type 2 diabetes.
Prevention of infection caused by enteropathogenic E. coli O157:H7 in intestinal cells using enrofloxacin entrapped in polymer based nanocarriers.

Abstract Poor bioavailability of antibiotics, toxicity, and development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria jeopardize antibiotic treatments. To circumvent these issues, drug delivery using nanocarriers are highlighted to secure the future of antibiotic treatments. This work investigated application of nanocarriers, to prevent and treat bacterial infection, presenting minimal toxicity to the IPEC-J2 cell line. To accomplish this, polymer-based nanoparticles (NPs) of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and lignin-graft-PLGA (LNP) loaded with enrofloxacin (ENFLX) were synthesized, yielding spherical particles with average sizes of 111.8 ± 0.6 nm (PLGA) and 117.4 ± 0.9 nm (LNP). The releases of ENFLX from PLGA and LNP were modeled by a theoretical diffusion model considering both the NP and dialysis diffusion barriers for drug release. Biocompatible concentrations of ENFLX, enrofloxacin loaded PLGA(Enflx) and LNP(Enflx) were determined based on examination of bacterial inhibition, toxicity, and ROS generation. Biocompatible concentrations were used for treatment of higher- and lower-level infections in IPEC-J2 cells. Prevention of bacterial infection by LNP(Enflx) was enhanced more than 50% compared to ENFLX at lower-level infection. At higher-level infection, PLGA(Enflx) and LNP(Enflx) demonstrated 25% higher prevention of bacteria growth compared to ENFLX alone. The superior treatment achieved by the nanocarried drug is accredited to particle uptake by endocytosis and slow release of the drug intracellularly, preventing rapid bacterial growth inside the cells.
YIELD RESPONSES OF WATERMELON (CITRULLUS LUNATUS (THUMB) IN A COASTAL PLAIN SOIL UNDER VARIABLE FERTILIZER RATES AND IRRIGATION REGIME IN A DRY SEASON PRODUCTION CYCLE

Field experiments were conducted during 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons at Illah, Delta North ecological zone of Nigeria to investigate the appropriate rates of NPK fertilizer and irrigation intervals in relation to yield response of water melon (Citrullus lunatus). The site had sandy loam texture, low in organic carbon (0.38%), low in total nitrogen (0.064%), available phosphorus (6.83 mgkg-1) and cation exchange capacity (6.74 cmolkg-1). The fertilizer rates were (0:0:0), (50:25:25), (80:40:40), and (120:60:60) KgN, P2O5 and K2O/ha and irrigation regimes of 6:12:18 days. It was a factorial experiment laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates. Results indicated that increase in fertilizer rates from 0:0:0 to 80:40:40 kg/ha significantly increased growth and fruit yield. Further increase to 120:60:60 kg/ha depressed yield. Increase irrigation intervals from 6 -12 days also influenced significantly growth and fruit yield and further increase to 18 days intervals affected negatively the parameters. Interaction effects between fertilizer x irrigation intervals were not significant. Correlation analysis showed that the growth and yield characters were significant and positively correlated with fruit yield. Results indicated that fertilizer rates and 12 days irrigation interval were adequate and recommended for increased production of watermelon in the study area.
Extended Kalman filter development in Lebesgue sampling framework with an application to Li-ion battery diagnosis and prognosis

Extended Kalman filter in Riemann sampling framework (RS-EKF) has been widely used in diagnosis and prognosis, navigation systems, and GPS for its advantage of simplicity and reasonable solution for nonlinear systems. New particle filter based fault diagnosis and prognosis algorithms in Lebesgue sampling framework have been developed to enable the implementation on systems with limited computational sources, such as embedded systems. In this Lebesgue sampling-based approach, Lebesgue states are defined on the fault dimension axis and algorithm is executed only when the measurement causes a transition from one Lebesgue state to another, or an event happens. This is a need-based fault diagnosis and prognosis (FDP) philosophy in which the algorithm is executed only when necessary, thus less computational resources are required. In order to make algorithms more efficient, EKF algorithm is developed in Lebesgue samplingframework (LS-EKF). With the philosophy of “execution only when necessary”, the proposed approach is able to eliminate unnecessary computations, especially in the scenario that the fault grows slowly. The prediction horizon defined by Lebesgue states on the fault dimension axis is usually small and, therefore, LS-EKF naturally benefits the uncertainty management by reducing the uncertainty accumulation. One feature of diagnosis and prognosis in Lebesgue sampling is that it requires two models, one for diagnosis and one for prognosis. The diagnostic model describes the dynamics of fault and is used to estimate the fault state. Prognostic model for LS-EKF describes the time for fault state reaching each defined Lebesgue state. The new algorithms is verified with an application to the diagnosis and prognosis of the state of health of Li-ion battery. The results show that LSEKF and RS-EKF have comparable performance in diagnosis Wuzhao Yan et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. but LS-EKF has much less computation. Moreover, LS-EKF is more accurate and time-efficient on long term prognosis than RS-EKF algorithms, which makes it a promising solution for FDP in distributed applications.
A View from Abroad: The Story of John and Abigail Adams in Europe: by Jeanne E. Abrams, New York: New York University Press, 2021, Pp. 296, $27.95 (hbk), ISBN 9781479802876

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the Adamses were all the rage. David McCullough’s best-seller John Adams (2001) inspired a seven-episode miniseries of that name in the spring of 20...
Feasibility and acceptability of a Whole-Body hyperthermia (WBH) protocol.

Whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) has shown promise as a non-pharmacologic treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) in prior trials that used a medical (infrared) hyperthermia device. Further eval...
Targeting the Interferon Response for Antiviral Therapy

This chapter provides a general introduction and overview of the interferon (IFN) pathway. Separate sections of this chapter address the different types of IFN, activation of IFN-α/β expression, IFN-mediated signal transduction, antiviral mechanisms, and viral resistance to the IFN-α/β response. The IFNs are classified into three types (I, II, and III) based on receptor usage, sequence homology, and chromosome location of their genes. The chapter primarily focuses on the type I IFNs, as these cytokines are most closely associated with antiviral activity and therapeutic use. Like RNA, cytosolic DNA also induces the production of IFN-β. Therefore, in addition to RNA viruses, a mechanism also exists to detect the genomes from DNA viruses in the cytoplasm of infected cells. The Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are critical for recognizing different molecular patterns that are unique to viral or bacterial pathogens. As with the cytoplasmic sensors, specificity for pathogen-derived nucleic acids by the TLRs is at least in part provided at the level of nucleic acid modifications. IFN-α/β is important for certain aspects of the adaptive immune response and serves as one example of a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. In addition to antiviral and immunomodulatory functions, IFN-α/β can also negatively influence cellular proliferation. Future research into improved IFN-based antiviral therapies might focus on improving the antiviral properties of these cytokines while decreasing the unwanted side effects. This goal might be accomplished in a number of distinct ways.
Improving information management in a metropolitan coroner's office. Part 1: Design and implementation of a cost-effective minicomputer system with initial applications for the toxicology laboratory

We report the development of a system of computer hardware and software which addresses the special needs of forensic toxicology laboratories for real-time data-gathering, analysis, and retrieval. In addition to accessioning, work-list preparation, and result reporting, we implement automatic test ordering based on patient and case characteristics to provide reliable and uniform analyte profiles for puzzle solving. The system also provides extensive real-time event journaling to satisfy strict chain of custody requirements, consistent with both College of American Pathologists accreditation and National Institute on Drug Abuse certification. The toxicologist's expertise has been woven into the fabric of the software so that appropriate new orders are placed as results from previous orders arrive. The relationships among analyte concentrations in various specimens (blood, urine, gastric, and so forth) as a function of time before and after death have been incorporated into other software experts which review final results for inconsistencies. The system has saved many hours of error-prone manual work, streamlined data storage and access, automated data collection from instruments, and made a broad spectrum of expertise available to the laboratory at all times. These features have decreased error rates, increased productivity, and enhanced the puzzle-solving skills of the laboratory.
Acceptance of Evolution and Support for Teaching Creationism in Public Schools: The Conditional Impact of Educational Attainment

Public acceptance of evolution remains low in the United States relative to other Western countries. Although advocates for the scientific community often highlight the need for improved education to change public opinion, analyses of data from a national sample of American adults indicate that the effects of educational attainment on attitudes toward evolution and creationism are uneven and contingent upon religious identity. Consequently, higher education will only shift public attitudes toward evolution and away from support for teaching creationism in public schools for those who take non-“literalist” interpretive stances on the Bible, or to the extent that it leads to fewer people with literalist religious identities.
Processing Contrast Relations

In the sentence, (1) Clyde is an elephant, but he is not grey. there is a contrast relation between the proposition expressed by the first conjunct and that expressed by the second, which is marked by “but”. The two propositions stand in contrast because the fact that Clyde is not grey violates an expectation that would normally be licensed by the fact that Clyde is an elephant (cf. Lakoff 1971). Note that, in order to understand (1), the hearer need not necessarily KNOW that elephants are grey. For those unaware of this basic truth, the utterance of (1) would probably be enough to infer that the generic elephant is grey. In this paper we shall outline a processing model that accounts for these observations (the model has not been implemented). Incidentally, contrast relations do not necessarily involve violated expectations. For instance, “but” can also be used to signal rhetorical moves (as in, “But let us return to the first point”). Here we will only be concerned with contrasts as they occur in (1), which arguably represent the basic uses.