cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicted Solution Structure of Zymogen Human Coagulation FVII

A model solution structure for the complete tissue factor-free calcium ion-bound human zymogen FVII (residues 1-406) (FVII) has been constructed to study possible conformational changes associated with the activation process and tissue factor (TF) binding. The initial structure for the present model was constructed using the X-ray crystallographic structure of human coagulation FVIIa/TF complex bound with calcium ions (Banner et al., Nature 1996, 380, 41-46). This model was subsequently subjected to lengthy molecular dynamics simulations. The Amber force field in conjunction with the PME electrostatic summation method was employed. The estimated TF free solution structure was then compared with the currently available X-ray crystal structures of FVIIa (with or without TF, variable inhibitor bound) to estimate the restructuring of FVII due to TF binding and activation. The solution structure of the zymogen FVII in the absence of TF is predicted to be an extended domain structure similar to that of the TF-bound X-ray crystal structure. An additional extension of the serine protease (SP) domain of the zymogen above a reference lipid surface by approximately 7 A was in agreement with experiment. Significant Gla-EGF1 and EGF1-EGF2 interdomain motions in the zymogen were observed. Carbohydrate dimers attached to Ser-52 and Ser-60 did not cause restructuring in this domain. Minimal restructuring of the SP domain is found upon inference of the zymogen from the activated form. The catalytic triad residues maintain the H-bonded network while Lys-341 occupies the S1 specific site in the zymogen.
Upper Paleolithic Adaptations in Central and Eastern Europe and Man-Mammoth Interactions

The Eastern Gravettian technocomplex is a widespread entity that dominated Central and Eastern Europe between some 28,000 and 10,000 B.P. (Kozlowski 1986, 1990; Otte 1982). This poorly understood entity contains within it a number of archaeological cultures that show affinities to each other and are classified into the Willendorf, Pavlov, Kostenki, and Avdeevo cultures and grouped into various larger-sized cultural entities. The reasons for the similarities between them are poorly understood and generally involve postulations about some sort of a west-to-east population movement (Grigor’ev 1968; Kozlowski 1986, 1990; Tarasov 1979). Here I argue that a new understanding of these archaeological entities can be gained by embedding them into the natural world in which the hunter-gatherers who made the inventories functioned, specifically by considering the one species, mammoth, that played a significant role in their adaptations.
Cutaneous vascular & sudomotor responses to heat-stress in smokers & non-smokers

As approximately one billion people worldwide are chronic smokers [1] it is important to determine smokers' thermoregulatory responses to heat-stress. Although local maximal vasodilation may be attenuated in smokers [2], skin blood flow responses during whole-body heat stress are unknown. Moreover, it is unknown if sweat rate is altered in smokers; theoretically the binding of nicotine to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors [2] may initiate an earlier onset of sweating during whole-body heat stress compared to non-smokers [3]. The purpose of this study was to compare cutaneous vascular and sudomotor responses to whole-body passive heat-stress between smokers and non-smokers.
A Hybrid Approach to Flexible Manufacturing Systems Scheduling Using Neural and Symbolic Processing

Flexible manufacturing system scheduling is a complex problem that leads to a high level of uncertainty due to the existence of only a few particular feasible solutions in an extensive search space. A framework is developed displaying the capabilities of learning and self-improvement, providing the necessary adaptive scheme to respond to the nature of flexible manufacturing systems scheduling. This proposed framework uses a hybrid architecture that integrates artificial neural networks and knowledge-based systems to generate real-time solutions. The artificial neural networks perform pattern recognition and, due to their inherent characteristics, support the implementation of automated knowledge acquisition and refinement strategies. The knowledge-based system, on the other hand, drive the inference strategy and interpret the constraints and restrictions imposed by the upper levels of the control hierarchy of the flexible manufacturing system. The level of performance thus achieved provides a system architecture with a higher probability of success than traditional approaches.
Robust Jump Regressions

ABSTRACTWe develop robust inference methods for studying linear dependence between the jumps of discretely observed processes at high frequency. Unlike classical linear regressions, jump regressions are determined by a small number of jumps occurring over a fixed time interval and the rest of the components of the processes around the jump times. The latter are the continuous martingale parts of the processes as well as observation noise. By sampling more frequently the role of these components, which are hidden in the observed price, shrinks asymptotically. The robustness of our inference procedure is with respect to outliers, which are of particular importance in the current setting of relatively small number of jump observations. This is achieved by using nonsmooth loss functions (like L1) in the estimation. Unlike classical robust methods, the limit of the objective function here remains nonsmooth. The proposed method is also robust to measurement error in the observed processes, which is achieved by ...
The Proposed Domestic Reverse Hybrid Entity Regulations: Can the Treasury Department Override Treaties?

This article first describes the proposed regulations issued under section 894 addressing the ability of domestic reverse hybrid entities to claim treaty benefits with respect to payments made to their interest holders (the proposed DRH regulations). After describing the proposed DRH regulations, the article next explores the potential that these regulations have to override existing U.S. treaty obligations. After concluding that the proposed DRH regulations are inconsistent with at least one existing treaty, the article concludes by questioning the power of the Treasury Department to promulgate regulations (such as the proposed DRH regulations) that override treaties.
Hubble Space Telescope Survey of Clusters in Nearby Galaxies. II. Statistical Analysis of Cluster Populations

We present a statistical system that can be used in the study of cluster populations. The basis of our approach is the construction of synthetic cluster color-magnitude-radius diagrams (CMRDs), which we compare with the observed data using a maximum likelihood calculation. This approach permits a relatively easy incorporation of incompleteness (a function of not only magnitude and color, but also radius), photometry errors and biases, and a variety of other complex effects into the calculation, instead of the more common procedure of attempting to correct for those effects. We then apply this procedure to our NGC 3627 data from Paper I. We find that we are able to successfully model the observed CMRD and constrain a number of parameters of the cluster population. We measure a power-law mass function slope of α = -1.50 ± 0.07 and a distribution of core radii centered at rc = 1.53 ± 0.15 pc. Although the extinction distribution is less constrained, we measured a value for the mean extinction consistent with that determined in Paper I from the Cepheids.
Rethinking the Transition to Capitalism in the Early American Northeast

When and how did the American economy acquire its capitalist character? During the late 1970s Michael Merrill, James A. Henretta, and Christopher Clark published influential articles challenging the notion "that Americans had been 'capitalists' since the first colonial settlements." Using evidence from farmers' account books as well as probate records and other sources documenting rural life, they argued that farmers' economic behavior in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was not compatible with conventional notions of capitalist exchange-that the transactions farmers recorded in their account books were not mediated by money, that the credits rural producers granted each other did not circulate as means of exchange, that farmers typically did not charge each other interest on debts, that they engaged in a wide variety of cooperative activities, that they made decisions that put family and community before profit, and that their goal was to achieve a competence, rather than to accumulate capital.'
THE AMBIVALENCE OF TECHNOLOGY

Marx is at his most persuasive when he shows that technol- ogy is not an autonomous thing one can be for or against, but that techno- logical design is relative to political forces which depend in turn on social interests. Thus, technology is an ambivalent dimension of the social proc- ess and, like education, law, the military, and the corporate structure, it is involved in social struggles wphich determine what it is and will become. This position implies the necessity of a democratic technical politics, con- trary to the prevailing practice of the existing commu(nist and socialist societies which treat technology as a sociopolitical invlariant.
Pythagorean Triples and Inner Products

Linear algebra over rings particularly over Z—is a fascinating topic that straddles course boundaries and can help bridge the present unnecessary gap between introductions to algebra and number theory. Moreover, a brief introduction to integral linear algebra can be helpful in further studies. For example, in both coding theory and solid state physics one is led to study lattices over the integers—roughly speaking, periodic discrete arrays of points in space (a more precise definition will be given below) for which the standard linear algebra curriculum, dealing only with spaces, is inadequate. We refer the reader to the books by Conway–Sloane [3] or Ebeling [6] for lattices in coding theory, and Kittel [7] or Senechal [14] for lattices in solid state physics. Following the introduction, we review inner product spaces and the representation of inner products by symmetric matrices. The inner products we study will not necessarily be positive definite. (Indeed, our coefficients will not always be real or complex numbers.) In a background section, we introduce unimodular matrices over Z and then Z-lattices on rational inner product spaces; and then we explore the fundamental role of unimodular matrices in connection with basis changes for lattices. The following section is the heart of the article. There we give a new perspective on Pythagorean triples through the medium of lattices on inner product spaces, using the machinery of the earlier sections. A Pythagorean triple is a triple (a, b, c) of integers such that a2 b2 = c2; and the triple (a, b, c) is primitive if gcd(a , b, c) = 1. The construction of primitive Pythagorean triples, and in particular the demonstration that there are infinitely many of them, is a truly ancient subject and a standard topic in elementary number theory courses.
Effects of a Program Designed to Improve Self-Efficacy and Subsequent Effects on Decreasing Loneliness and Depression Among People with Multiple Sclerosis (P2.195)

Objective: To examine whether an educational socialization program, Community Reintegration for Socially Isolated Patients (CRISP), improves self-efficacy and whether improved self-efficacy reduces perceptions of loneliness and depression among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Background: Self-efficacy is associated with reduced loneliness and depression, improved quality of life, perceived health status, psychosocial adjustment, and overall positive adjustment to MS. However, there have been limited intervention studies examining how to improve self-efficacy in MS and extremely limited studies on subsequent reductions in loneliness and depression among people with MS. Design: This study utilized a pretest-posttest randomized experimental control group design to compare the effects of participation in the CRISP intervention program versus a control group who did not participate in the CRISP intervention program. Participants in the experimental group attended a combination of 12 educational and socialization groups over 12 weeks. Participants in the control group received their usual medical care provided at an MS Center and did not participate in any of the CRISP programs during the study. Results: Improvements in self-efficacy were significantly larger for participants in the experimental group than the control group (F(1, 89) = 29.39, p Disclosure: Dr. Kalina has received research support from Biogen Idec.
Capital Regulation, Bank Behavior, and Market Structure

In light of five decades of regulatory effort based at least in part on minimum capital requirements, one might anticipate that a perusal of the academic banking literature would yield considerable agreement that capital requirements are a worthy tool within a bank regulator’s arsenal. In fact, the theoretical banking literature is sharply divided concerning the effects of capital requirements on bank behavior and, hence, on the risks faced by individual institutions and the banking system as a whole. Some academic work indicates that capital requirements unambiguously contribute to various possible measures of bank stability. In contrast, other work concludes that if anything, capital requirements make banks riskier institutions than they would be in the absence of such requirements. This chapter reviews these various perspectives on the effects of bank capital regulation.
Human Trafficking: The Role of Medicine in Interrupting the Cycle of Abuse and Violence

Human trafficking, a form of modern slavery, is an egregious violation of human rights with profound personal and public health implications. It includes forced labor and sexual exploitation of both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens and has been reported in all 50 states. Victims of human trafficking are currently among the most abused and disenfranchised persons in society, and they face a wide range of negative health outcomes resulting from their subjugation and exploitation. Medicine has an important role to play in mitigating the devastating effects of human trafficking on individuals and society. Victims are cared for in emergency departments, primary care offices, urgent care centers, community health clinics, and reproductive health clinics. In addition, they are unknowingly being treated in hospital inpatient units. Injuries and illnesses requiring medical attention thus represent unique windows of opportunity for trafficked persons to receive assistance from trusted health care professionals. With education and training, health care providers can recognize signs and symptoms of trafficking, provide trauma-informed care to this vulnerable population, and respond to exploited persons who are interested and ready to receive assistance. Multidisciplinary response protocols, research, and policy advocacy can enhance the impact of antitrafficking health care efforts to interrupt the cycle of abuse and violence for these victims.
Professional Growth Versus Personal Growth of Salespeople: A General Systems Model

AbstractThis study was designed to test a general systems model of growth, specifically how professional growth contributes to personal growth and vice versa. After a discussion of general systems models, two hypotheses were identified for testing. Hypothesis One dealt with personality traits of personal growth as being indicators of professional growth; Hypothesis Two focused on age as it contributes to professional growth and ultimately to personal growth. Several indicators of personal growth were correlated with indicators of professional growth to test Hypothesis One, which was ultimately supported. Hypothesis Two was tested using ANOVA with several well- known professional growth measures and age as independent variables, with self-esteem measures and inner/other-directedness measures as dependent variables. Hypothesis Two was not supported.
In Patients with Cervico-Thoracic Vascular Injuries Is Endovascular Repair Superior in Long-Term Durability When Compared to Open Repair?

Trauma to the great vessels, descending thoracic aorta, and the cervical carotid and vertebral arteries is uncommon but management can be very challenging. Endovascular therapy has changed surgeons’ approach to these injuries. While short term results have been promising, especially in the treatment of subclavian artery injuries, long term results are lacking; long-term outcomes are of paramount importance in a group of relatively young patients that would be expected to have a long life expectancy after recovery from their trauma. We will review current data regarding short- and long-term outcomes after endovascular management of blunt and penetrating injuries to the cervicothoracic vessels, provide examples of successful treatment, and make recommendations for current management strategies and areas of future research.
Morphological Distribution of the Anterior Inferior Iliac Spine in Patients With and Without Hip Impingement: Reliability, Validity, and Relationship to the Intraoperative Assessment.

Background:Subspinous impingement of the anterior inferior iliac spine (AIIS) on the femoral head-neck junction is increasingly recognized as a source of hip impingement. A classification system of...
A Black-Box Self-Learning Scheduler for Cloud Block Storage Systems

A major requirement of cloud block storage services is guaranteed performance and high availability. However, offering guaranteed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in cloud block storage services is often not straightforward. Cloud block storage performance may be affected by physical disk background operations, like garbage collection, storage cluster features, workload interference and the chraracteristcs of the workload itself. On the other hand, the underlying physical storage drives do not expose the internal states to higher level block storage service offerings. Therefore, SLAs can only be satisfied by over-provisioning the storage resources. To address this issue, we propose a self-learning scheduler that can dynamically adapt based on the workload, and efficiently provide a scheduling decision with zero knowledge of the underlying hardware. We study two candidate algorithms based on Feedback learning and Two-Phase learning. We used workloads that were deducted from real-world block-level traces of an enterprise data center, and conducted extensive simulations. Our results indicate that the self-learning scheduling approach can reduce the SLA violations by mitigating the unexpected resource fluctuation, and the scheduler can also adapt dynamically to various workloads.
Chemical protein synthesis: Inventing synthetic methods to decipher how proteins work.

Abstract Total chemical synthesis of proteins has been rendered practical by the chemical ligation principle: chemoselective condensation of unprotected peptide segments equipped with unique, mutually reactive functional groups, enabled by formation of a non-native replacement for the peptide bond. Ligation chemistries are briefly described, including native chemical ligation – thioester-mediated, amide-forming reaction at Xaa-Cys sites – and its extensions. Case studies from the author’s own works are used to illustrate the utility and applications of chemical protein synthesis. Selected recent developments in the field are briefly discussed.
Association between blood folate concentrations and depression in reproductive aged U.S. women, NHANES (2011-2012)

Abstract Background Blood folate concentrations have been linked to an increased risk of depression in adults. Depression is particularly pronounced among women; however, the association between folate concentration and depression is not well-examined among women of reproductive age. The purpose of our study was to assess the association between low serum and red blood cell folate concentration and the risk of moderate to severe depression among non-pregnant women of reproductive age in the United States (U.S.). Methods We used data from nationally representative, population-based U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2011–2012) examining non-pregnant women of reproductive age (20–44 years). We compared serum and red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations between women with and without self-reported depression based on Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores, and examined the association between folate concentrations and depression using linear and logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 16.7% of eligible women in our study reported to have moderate to severe depression. The median serum folate concentrations for women with and without depression were 17.8 ng/ml and 17.2 ng/ml, respectively (P = Limitations Cross-sectional design. Conclusions Folate concentrations in the blood may partly explain the increased risk of moderate to severe depression among non-pregnant women of reproductive age in the U.S. Robust prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.
Atomic layer deposition and etching methods for far ultraviolet aluminum mirrors

High-performance aluminum mirrors at far ultraviolet wavelengths require transparent dielectric materials as protective coatings to prevent oxidation. Reducing the thickness of this protective layer can result in additional performance gains by minimizing absorption losses, and provides a path toward high Al reflectance in the challenging wavelength range of 90 to 110 nm. We have pursued the development of new atomic layer deposition processes (ALD) for the metal fluoride materials of MgF2, AlF3 and LiF. Using anhydrous hydrogen fluoride as a reactant, these films can be deposited at the low temperatures required for large-area surface-finished optics and polymeric diffraction gratings. We also report on the development and application of an atomic layer etching (ALE) procedure to controllably etch native aluminum oxide. Our ALE process utilizes the same chemistry used in the ALD of AlF3 thin films, allowing for a combination of high-performance evaporated Al layers and ultrathin ALD encapsulation without requiring vacuum transfer. Progress in demonstrating the scalability of this approach, as well as the environmental stability of ALD/ALE Al mirrors are discussed in the context of possible future applications for NASA LUVOIR and HabEx mission concepts.
Making meaning of cancer: A qualitative analysis of oral-digestive cancer survivors’ reflections:

This qualitative study aimed to confirm and extend research on meaning making after cancer. In all, 119 adults aged 41 to 88 years (M = 65.50 years and standard deviation = 9.16 years) were interviewed 12 months after diagnosis of oral-digestive cancers. About half tried to understand why they got cancer (43%) and said that cancer changed their view of life (53%). Most (75%) reported that previous life experiences helped them cope with cancer. Cancer survivors made meanings in the areas of existential, social, and personal domains with both positive and negative content. Practitioners may wish to examine meaning making in these areas for those in distress after cancer.
Making Organizations (More) Meaningful via Improved Diversity Scholarship and Practice

The symposium views diversity through multiple lenses, taking advantage of three empirical papers which consider diversity in different contexts and one practical paper which bridges the gap betwee...
Isolation of a lipocyte-rich fraction from rat liver nonparenchymal cells

A modified pronase digestion procedure is described for isolating nonparenchymal liver cells from vitamin A treated rats, which yielded a 15–23% population of lipocytes in the total cell suspension. The criteria for defining a lipocyte was the appearance of vitamin A containing cells as determined by fluorescent microscopy. Measurement of alcohol dehydrogenase and retinol dehydrogenase activities indicated that these enzyme activities were not present in the isolated nonparenchymal cells. A lipocyte-rich fraction of nonparenchymal cells was obtained by centrifugation of purified nonparenchymal cells in a linear Metrizamide gradient. Vitamin A fluorescence and chemical assay of vitamin A in the cell fractions indicated a four-fold enrichment of lipocytes in the cell fraction with d = 1.043 g/ml. Fractions high in vitamin A also had numerous cells with fat droplets as shown by transmission electron microscopy.
Evoked Potential Indicants of Size- and Orientation-Specific Information Processing: Feature-Specific Sensory Channels and Attention

One advantage of evoked potentials (EPs) to transient stimuli is that they contain information as to the time-course of the electrophysiological response to such stimuli. This time course may be presumed to reflect the temporal sequence in which information contained in the stimulus is processed. The present paper is primarily directed toward a better understanding of the time course of information processing specific to the size (spatial frequency) and orientation of the elements of visual stimuli. Such processing will be considered both in relationship to sensory information channels and selective attention. The final section will be a brief review of preliminary data on the potential applications of these types of procedures to clinical problems.
Load Distribution in Steel Railway Bridges

THE STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO DEVELOP BETTER DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF LIVE LOAD IN THE FLOOR SYSTEMS OF STEEL RAILWAY BRIDGES. THE PAPER BRIEFLY SUMMARIZES TWO METHODS OF ANALYSIS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF LOAD DISTRIBUTION. USING THESE METHODS, A MOMENT DISTRIBUTION PROCEDURE AND THE ORTHOTROPIC PLATE THEORY, STUDIES OF SIMULATED FLOORS ARE CORRELATED WITH ACTUAL BRIDGE TEST RESULTS. IN ADDITION, AN EXTENDED STUDY IS MADE OF THE EFFECTS OF MAJOR VARIABLES ON THE DISTRIBUTION BEHAVIOR. THESE RESULTS ARE THEN USED TO DEVELOP MORE REALISTIC DESIGN PROCEDURES FOR LOAD DISTRIBUTION. FINALLY, RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE FOR CHANGES IN THE LOAD DISTRIBUTION CRITERIA IN THE AREA "SPECIFICATIONS FOR STEEL RAILWAY BRIDGES". /ASCE/
Note on Certain Diurnal Variations in the Albedo of Snow and Ice

As we have observed throughout these proceedings, the chemical balance of seasonal snowcovers is often influenced by the radiation budget of the snowcover and particularly by the albedo of the snow. Reviewing some of the observations which have been made on the changes in snow and ice cover reflectivity due to conditions such as metamorphism of the snowpack, solar altitude changes, and cloud cover variations might therefore be of value in interpreting chemical changes in the snowpack. The information presented is not intended to be comprehensive, but is a sampling of some of the measurements which may provide greater insight into the physical processes that occur.
Buckling and Frequencies of Long Vertical Pipes

The critical lengths (or weights) and the natural frequencies of transverse vibration of vertical pipes having different end constraints are determined by the use of a power series. It is assumed that the pipes are subjected to a hydrostatic pressure. Due to gravity, the axial force in a pipe varies linearly along the length of the pipe. The critical lengths are given in a dimensionless form, and the frequencies are presented numerically as a function of the weight-length parameter. The physical interpretations of the results are also given.
Detecting changes in a Poisson process monitored at uneven time intervals where the arrival rates are unknown

We look at a Poisson process where the arrival rate changes at some unknown time point. We monitor this process only at certain time points. At each time point, we count the number of arrivals that...
Characterization of heteroepitaxial GaAs films grown on Si using selective area nucleation

Selective area growth of GaAs on patterned Si substrates is a potentially low-cost approach to integrate III - V and Si materials for multijunction solar cells. The use of nanoscale openings in a dielectric material can minimize nucleation-related defects and allow thinner buffer layers to be used to accommodate strain and trap defects caused by lattice mismatch between Si and epitaxial III-V layers. We have developed a process to grow coalesced GaAs thin films on Si substrates using buffer layers patterned by soft nanoimprint lithography (SNIL). We use photoelectrochemistry to probe the performance of these films as photovoltaic absorbers, and discuss techniques to improve the material quality of the GaAs epilayer.
An Inverting-Tube Clutching Contractile Soft Pneumatic Actuator.

This paper presents the simple synergistic combination of a novel contracting soft pneumatic actuator with a soft clutch (linear brake). The device is designated the Inverting-tube Vacuum ACtuator with Clutch (InVACC). The actuator alone (no clutch) is designated "InVAC" and uses vacuum pressure to invert a thin tube into a shorter section of reinforced flexible tubing. The inverting tube acts as rolling diaphragm and a flexible tendon. This allows the actuator to contract to one third of its extended length. The contractile-force-per-unit-pressure is approximately constant over the stroke. The theoretical maximum of this force is the product of the vacuum gauge pressure and half the interior cross-sectional area of the tube. The experimental evaluation revealed hysteretic losses that depend on the actuation direction and rate. With -81 kPa, the prototype produced 12.7 N of tension during extension and 7.5 N during retraction. The reinforced tubing of the InVAC was integrated with an inner collapsible "clutching" tube to create an InVACC. The clutch is engaged by applying a positive pressure between the reinforced tube and the clutching tube, which collapses the clutching tube onto the flexible tendon. With a pressure of 50 kPa, the InVACC clutch tested in this work was able to support a peak tensile load of 120 N before slipping. Though the fatigue life of the current prototypes is limited, improved fabrication methods for this novel actuator/clutch concept will enable new applications in robotics and wearable haptic systems.
Increased vitamin D receptor expression from macrophages after stimulation with M. tuberculosis among persons who have recovered from extrapulmonary tuberculosis

Independent of HIV infection, extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) risk is increased in women, persons of black race or foreign birth, and by genetic variants in vitamin D receptor (VDR), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and toll-like receptor (TLR)-2; functional correlates are unclear. We evaluated macrophage expression of VDR, TLR2, cathelicidin, and TNF-α, and production of IL-1β in HIV-seronegative persons with previous EPTB, previous pulmonary TB, latent M. tuberculosis infection, and uninfected TB contacts. Persons with previous pleural TB were excluded due to enhanced immune responses at the site of disease. Macrophages were stimulated with TLR-2 agonist M. tuberculosis lipoprotein (LpqH), live and gamma-irradiated M. tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis – infected macrophages from persons with previous EPTB had increased VDR expression (29.17 relative value unit increase in median expression vs. uninfected contacts, after adjusting for foreign-born status; P = 0.02). Macrophages from persons with previous EPTB had a 38.88 μg/mL increase in median IL-1β production after stimulation with LpqH compared to uninfected contacts (P = 0.01); the effect was similar (44.99 μg/mL) but not statistically significant after controlling for foreign-born status. Median 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were low but not significantly different between groups. There was increased macrophage expression of VDR after stimulation with live M. tuberculosis in persons with previous extrapulmonary TB. If post-treatment VDR expression reflects expression prior to disease, it may identify persons at risk for extrapulmonary TB.
Lanczos-Like σ-Factors for Reducing the Gibbs Phenomenon in General Orthogonal Expansions and Other Representations

The first attempt for reducing the Gibbs phenomenon in an orthogonalexpansion, besides the usual one of Fourier series, is due to Cooke in1927–1928 for the Fourier Bessel series.However, his work was limited tothe well-known Fejer averaging of the series. For the past 10 years or so,we have tried a parallel to the more effective Lanczos-type “localaveraging method” of the Fourier series. As expected, such efforts werehindered by the lack of “realizable” tools for the general orthogonalexpansion that parallels the familiar simple ones of the Fourier seriesand transforms. During the past 3 years, we have succeeded in developinga simple direct method of filtering the Gibbs phenomenon in Fourier--Besselseries, Hankel transforms representation, and a number of orthogonalpolynomials series expansions. This parallels the equivalent result ofLanczos, which he obtained for his local averaging with the help ofthe (Fourier) convolution theorem.
High density oilfield wastewater disposal causes deeper, stronger, and more persistent earthquakes.

Oilfield wastewater disposal causes fluid pressure transients that induce earthquakes. Here we show that, in addition to pressure transients related to pumping, there are pressure transients caused by density differences between the wastewater and host rock fluids. In northern Oklahoma, this effect caused earthquakes to migrate downward at ~0.5 km per year during a period of high-rate injections. Following substantial injection rate reductions, the downward earthquake migration rate slowed to ~0.1 km per year. Our model of this scenario shows that the density-driven pressure front migrates downward at comparable rates. This effect may locally increase fluid pressure below injection wells for 10+ years after substantial injection rate reductions. We also show that in north-central Oklahoma the relative proportion of high-magnitude earthquakes increases at 8+ km depth. Thus, our study implies that, following injection rate reductions, the frequency of high-magnitude earthquakes may decay more slowly than the overall earthquake rate. Oilfield wastewater is commonly discarded by pumping it into deep geologic formations, but this process is now known to cause earthquakes. Here, he authors show that high-density oilfield wastewater may sink deeper in the Earth’s crust than previously considered possible, thus increasing fluid pressure and inducing earthquakes for years after injection rates decline.
A New Scheme of Substation Backup Protection Based on Topology Matrixes and Differential Zones

It is easy to access electrical information of the all substation in intelligent substation, a backup protection scheme based on topology matrixes and differential zones is proposed. Firstly, topology matrix based on circuit breaker association and the differential zone is defined. Secondly, the action scheme of the differential zone is designed, and tripping matrix is formed. When a fault occurs in the substation, selective fault isolation can be managed through coordination and cooperation of each differential zone. The result of fault case analysis of actual substation shows that this scheme solves the problem of long time-limit of traditional staged backup protection and effectively improves backup protection performance, which is simple, flexible and reliable.
Use of the Delphi Method to Enhance Pharmacist Contraceptive Counseling Materials.

Background:Many states have pharmacist contraceptive prescribing laws with several others in the process of enacting similar legislation. Little continuity or standardization exists across these pr...
MRI Assessment of Bone Marrow Composition in Osteoporosis

To provide an overview on recent technical development for quantifying marrow composition using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) techniques, as well as a summary on recent findings of interrelationship between marrow adipose tissue (MAT) and skeletal health in the context of osteoporosis. There have been significant technical advances in reliable quantification of marrow composition using MR techniques. Cross-sectional studies have demonstrated a negative correlation between MAT and bone, with trabecular bone associating more strongly with MAT than cortical bone. However, longitudinal studies of MAT and bone are limited. MAT contents and composition have been associated with prevalent vertebral fracture. The evidence between MAT and clinical fracture is more limited, and, to date, no studies have reported on the relationship between MAT and incident fracture. Increasing evidence suggests a dynamic role of marrow fat in skeletal health. Reliable non-invasive quantification of marrow composition will facilitate developing novel treatment strategies for osteoporosis.
Mobile Sensing: Leveraging Machine Learning for Efficient Human Behavior Modeling

Smartphones can collect millions of data points from each of its users daily, contributing to a significant change in how the healthcare community approaches health monitoring. This paper provides a framework for how smartphone sensor data can be collected, cleaned, stored, and modeled to effectively predict human states as a step towards health monitoring. To develop robust contextual models, a three-week study was conducted to collect data through a mobile crowdsensing application named Sensus. In this study, participants used multiple sensing strategies, ranging from infrequent sampling to continuous sampling, to determine the effect each has on data integrity and battery life. For a future study, a dynamic data collection strategy was developed that uses a machine learning model trained on existing data collected from 220 participants to forecast when a smartphone will be active and trigger sensor sampling accordingly. Results of this study include 1) extraction of model features that deliver maximized data quality with minimized battery consumption as compared to pre-existing baseline models, 2) implementation of context-driven modeling of user smartphone data on user's contextual environment, and 3) customization of a time-series database for optimized data queries used in metadata visualizations. The adaptive sensing models produced could be used in future large population studies that efficiently examine patterns of behavior in multiple individuals over extended periods to identify disease indicators present in an average user’s daily life.
Steps to Safer and More Sustainable Industrial Design Studios

In many industrial design studios different materials, methods and processes are used which are not sustainable or eco-friendly and are often toxic or hazardous for students to be exposed to. Foam board, high-density urethane foams, blue and pink insulation foam, Bondo, spray adhesive, epoxy and thermoset plastics are some examples of materials that are commonly used in the modeling of concepts and prototypes but are neither healthy or sustainable. An effort has been made by many educators to encourage students to create designs which are eco-friendly and sustainable but the materials, methods and processes in which students use to create their designs still remains largely non-environmentally friendly and toxic. This paper explores steps, materials and methods that were utilized in a sophomore industrial design studio case study to provide a healthier, more environmentally friendly setting for students to generate their designs.
Social & Public Policy of Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States: by Robert H. Blank, New York, NY, Springer Nature, 2019, 171 pp., $69.99 (hardcover), ISBN-13: 978-9811306556

The purpose of Social & Public Policy of Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States is to review public policies related to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias from a national and global perspect...
Intraoperative Application of Brain Ultrasound in Non-cardiac Surgery

Neuromonitoring during anaesthesia and surgery represents a mandatory do for optimisation of the depth of sedation and prevention of neurological complications; brain ultrasound (BUS) and transcranial Doppler/transcranial colour-coded Doppler (TCD/TCCD) are surely among the tools useful for such purposes.
Acute Respiratory Failure in the Critically Ill: “Shock Lung”

Pulmonary failure has emerged as the single most lethal complication in the practice of critical care medicine. “Shock lung” or “adult respiratory distress syndrome” (ARDS) represents a clinical constellation often referred to as “shock lung.” The purpose of this chapter is to review some of the current concepts of the pathophysiology and principles of management of acute respiratory failure (ARF) following shock or complicating a critical medical or surgical illness. Our own studies have been with special emphasis on fluid accumulation in the lung.
How far is too far for volatility transmission

Abstract This study investigates the existence of volatility transmission between soybean and its products, which are linked through a cross-border supply chain across the U.S. and China. We estimate a multivariate GARCH model with BEKK specification with daily synchronized returns of the CBOT soybean, DCE soybean meal, and DCE soybean oil futures contracts. To better illustrate the cross-volatility spillovers, we consider volatility transmission across three markets in two subperiods and evaluate the impacts of two significant economic events on price volatility. The estimated results indicate the existence of volatility spillovers to each market from the other two markets. We observe the volatility responses in Chinese soybean product markets to an innovation originating from the U.S. soybean have become weaker after 2009. Moreover, we study the volatility reactions to two significant economic events, the 2008 financial crisis and 2018 U.S.-China trade dispute, but the volatility reactions can only be found in the financial crisis.
Effects of Fly Ash Content and Curing Age on High Temperature Residual Compressive Strength of Strain-Hardening Cementitious Composites

Class F fly ash is an integral component of most Strain Hardening Cementitious Composites (SHCCs). It reacts with the calcium hydroxide produced in the primary hydration of cement. As calcium hydroxide disintegrates at lower temperatures than other cement hydration products, reducing it through the pozzolanic reaction with fly ash has been shown to improve the thermal stability of SHCC. However, the degree (or extent) of the pozzolanic reaction increases with curing age. Therefore, the effects of fly ash content on the residual compressive strength of SHCC after exposure to elevated temperatures must be investigated at different curing ages, which is the motivation behind this study. Three different SHCCs with fly/ash to cement (FA/c) weight ratios of 1.2, 2.4, and 3.6 were tested at 28 days and 150 days under residual conditions after being subjected to high temperatures of up to 600 °C. The results show that the beneficial effects of high FA/c ratios on the residual compressive strength, associated with the accelerated pozzolanic reaction of fly ash at high temperatures, are lost at the long curing age.
Providers' mediating role for medication adherence among cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND We conducted a mediation analysis of the provider team's role in changes to chronic condition medication adherence among cancer survivors. METHODS We used a retrospective, longitudinal cohort design following Medicare beneficiaries from 18-months before through 24-months following cancer diagnosis. We included beneficiaries aged ≥66 years newly diagnosed with breast, colorectal, lung or prostate cancer and using medication for non-insulin anti-diabetics, statins, and/or anti-hypertensives and similar individuals without cancer from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data, 2008-2014. Chronic condition medication adherence was defined as a proportion of days covered ≥ 80%. Provider team structure was measured using two factors capturing the number of providers seen and the historical amount of patient sharing among providers. Linear regressions relying on within-survivor variation were run separately for each cancer site, chronic condition, and follow-up period. RESULTS The number of providers and patient sharing among providers increased after cancer diagnosis relative to the non-cancer control group. Changes in provider team complexity explained only small changes in medication adherence. Provider team effects were statistically insignificant in 13 of 17 analytic samples with significant changes in adherence. Statistically significant provider team effects were small in magnitude (<0.5 percentage points). CONCLUSIONS Increased complexity in the provider team associated with cancer diagnosis did not lead to meaningful reductions in medication adherence. Interventions aimed at improving chronic condition medication adherence should be targeted based on the type of cancer and chronic condition and focus on other provider, systemic, or patient factors.
Characterization of Two E' Center Charge Traps in Conventionally Grown Thermal SiO 2 ON Si

We use electron spin resonance to characterize two E' variant charge traps in conventionally grown thermal SiO 2 .
False lock in Costas loops

Results are given on the phenomenon of data-related false lock in a Costas loop which contains a perfect integrator in its loop filter. The input carrier to the loop is assumed to be biphase-modulated with a T' periodic binary sequence constructed from Manchester symbols; there are p symbols per period. As a result, the false locked loop is described by a nonlinear system with periodic coefficients. A loop gain parameter delta appears in this system, and it is used as a perturbation parameter. A constant omega /sub f/ also appears; this constant represents the closed-loop frequency error in the false locked loop. Under some general conditions on modulation m it is shown that bifurcation occurs at delta =0 in this equation for each value of omega /sub f/ k( pi /T'), k=1, 2, . . . For each of these values the nonlinear system is shown to have four distinct periodic solutions. The loop has a false-locked state which corresponds to each solution. Finally, the theory is applied to a simple loop, and the results are displayed graphically. >
Creating a Software Engineering Training Program in a Level I Organisation

The Capability Maturity Model for Software describes a Level 1 organization as one which does not provide a stable environment for developing and maintaining software. There is a high degree of chaos in such organizations and the success of projects depends primarily on having dedicated managers and engineers. Formal training is usually nonexistent in Level 1 organizations.