cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Boomerangs versus Javelins: How Polarization Constrains Communication on Climate Change

ABSTRACTPolitical communicators work under the assumption that information provision, such as framing, may influence audiences and elicit some desired attitudinal or behavioral shift. However, some political issues, such as climate change, have become polarized along party lines, with partisans seemingly impervious to disconfirming information. On these highly polarized issues, can framing sway partisans to moderate their positions, or are partisans so motivated in their issue stances that framing fails? Using a variety of vignettes, and Republican climate change skepticism as a case, this article reports an experiment of how partisans respond to counter-attitudinal framing on a sharply polarized issue. Results indicate that Republicans are resistant to frames that encourage support of governmental action or personal engagement against climate change. There is strong evidence of motivated skepticism, given widespread backfire (or ‘boomerang’) effects and decreased attitudinal ambivalence following exposur...
Sonographic and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Examination of a Cyclops Lesion After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Case Report

Abstract Objective This case report describes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diagnostic ultrasound (US) findings for a patient with arthrofibrosis related to a complication of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Clinical Features A 25-year old man presented with right knee pain and loss of extension 5 years after ACL reconstruction. MRI and sonographic examination revealed a soft tissue mass anterolateral to the ACL graft consistent with a cyclops lesion. The lesion was surgically resected and physical therapy was followed postoperatively. Intervention and Outcome The patient reported that full range of motion was restored 6 weeks after resection and a course of physical therapy. MRI is the modality of choice for diagnosis, but US may be useful in the diagnosis of this condition. Conclusion Cyclops lesions may complicate ACL reconstruction or acute ACL injuries. The patient may present with pain and loss of extension, which can be debilitating. MRI and US can be used to diagnose this condition in a timely manner, ensuring optimal clinical outcomes.
Burden of lupus on work: Issues in the employment of individuals with lupus.

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or Lupus is one of the leading causes of work disability in the United States, accounting for about 20% of the more than estimated 1.5 million Americans with a work disability. The symptoms of lupus can have a profound impact on the person's employment. Impacts of lupus are more pronounced among young and middle-adulthood. Studies have shown that loss in work hours cost the nation nearly $13 billion annually. The loss also impacts the individual's work, quality of life, self-management, and self-efficacy. Objective In this article, the author describes the financial burden of lupus. The article also describes the substantial impact of lupus on employment outcomes for individuals living with the condition. The author also reviews major signs and symptoms of disease and their impact on employment. Results Findings from this research can be used to identify various accommodations and strategies for individuals to prevent flare-ups. Conclusions The paper presents innovative strategies that include early interventions and how employers andco-workers can provide helpful support that includes job accommodations to individuals with lupus.
Abstract 284: Association of Veteran Status with Hypertension Prevalence in Women

Background: The high prevalence of hypertension in the US adult population represents a serious public health challenge. High hypertension rates result in substantial cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and in elevated health care expenditures. A better understanding of risk factors for development of hypertension in adults may contribute to hypertension prevention efforts. Currently, it is unclear whether veteran status is associated with hypertension risk in women. The goal of this project was to assess the association between veteran status and risk of developing hypertension in women. Methods: The Integrated Health Interview Series (IHIS) is a harmonized dataset for the U.S. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Using the IHIS 1997-2010 dataset, population-based prevalence of hypertension among female veterans was compared to non-veterans. For the purpose of analysis, only Whites and African Americans were included in the sample dataset. Veterans were participants who answered ‘Yes’ to the question, “Have you ever been honorably discharged from active duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Crops, or Coast Guard?” Diagnose of hypertension was self-reported. Regression models were performed to evaluate the association between veteran status and the risk of hypertension. Socio-demographic factors and health behaviors were accounted for in the analysis. Sampling weights that adjust for the complex design of the IHIS were applied to all analyses presented. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS version 9.0. Results: Veteran African American women aged 18-40 years of age had a hypertension prevalence rate of 14.8% while non-veterans had a prevalence rate of 14.2%. In White women the prevalence of hypertension was 8.7% among veterans and 7.9% in non-veteran civilians. Hypertension prevalence in African American women older than 40 was 39.1% among veterans and 56.4% in non-veterans (p Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension was significantly lower in female veterans than in non-veteran females. African American female veterans were 24% less likely to have hypertension than non-veteran African American females, and this association remained significant after adjusting for socio-demographic and health behavior factors.
Community Mental Health Care Providers’ Understanding of Recovery Principles and Accounts of Directiveness with Consumers

The present qualitative study examined community mental health providers’ accounts of their therapeutic interactions with adults with serious mental illness in a recovery-oriented model of care. Ten long-time mental health care providers discussed their understanding of recovery principles, their use of directive practices, and factors that shape their work with consumers. Content analysis of mental health providers’ accounts suggest that providers had no difficulty articulating basic principles of recovery-oriented care. Providers reported engaging in directive practices with consumers and described using traditional clinical factors such as level of functioning, degree of psychiatric symptoms, safety concerns, and legal status to assess consumers’ ability for autonomous decision making. Providers generally did not express tension between their views of mental health recovery and their beliefs about utilizing directive approaches with consumers. Implications of present findings for research and practice are discussed.
How are Institutions of Higher Education Implementing First-Year Transition Courses for Veterans?

To better support veterans in their transition from the military to college, current literature recommends the use of a first-year transition course. However, it does not suggest how to implement this intervention nor if this tool is indeed effective at increasing retention and persistence toward graduation. In this pilot study, five institutions of various sizes and locations were surveyed to discover common themes related to their courses’ structure, objectives, assignments, and assessment practices. The goal of the study was to compile “best practices” among the findings and provide practical application tools for institutions looking to start a course or adapt an existing one.
The Toyota Production System: A Self-Evaluation Instrument

This note consists of a self-assessment instrument by which organizations can measure importance and performance on the 14 dimensions of the Toyota Production System as delineated by Jeffrey Liker in his book "The Toyota Way." Excerpt UVA-OM-1221 Rev. Jan 10, 2014 The Toyota Production System: A Self-Evaluation Instrument The manufacturing processes known as the Toyota Production System (TPS) have been studied by academics and practitioners as a model of manufacturing excellence and have been used as a benchmark globally. In a recent book, Jeffrey Liker identified 14 management principles that he believed were key to successful implementation of TPS. Exhibit 1 consists of a score sheet that can be used to measure an organization's implementation of these principles. The score sheet asks for evaluations along two dimensions: importance to the organization and the organization's performance. Thus, an organization can be evaluated not only on how well it is performing, but also on how important doing well on a particular principle is. Jeffrey Liker, The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003). . . .
Graph-Based Fraud Detection in the Face of Camouflage

Given a bipartite graph of users and the products that they review, or followers and followees, how can we detect fake reviews or follows? Existing fraud detection methods (spectral, etc.) try to identify dense subgraphs of nodes that are sparsely connected to the remaining graph. Fraudsters can evade these methods using camouflage, by adding reviews or follows with honest targets so that they look “normal.” Even worse, some fraudsters use hijacked accounts from honest users, and then the camouflage is indeed organic.Our focus is to spot fraudsters in the presence of camouflage or hijacked accounts. We propose FRAUDAR, an algorithm that (a) is camouflage resistant, (b) provides upper bounds on the effectiveness of fraudsters, and (c) is effective in real-world data. Experimental results under various attacks show that FRAUDAR outperforms the top competitor in accuracy of detecting both camouflaged and non-camouflaged fraud. Additionally, in real-world experiments with a Twitter follower--followee graph of 1.47 billion edges, FRAUDAR successfully detected a subgraph of more than 4, 000 detected accounts, of which a majority had tweets showing that they used follower-buying services.
The meaning of quality of life in cancer survivorship.

Purpose/objectives To describe the meaning of quality of life (QOL) in long-term cancer survivors, to validate inductively derived QOL themes, and to identify and cluster over-arching themes across long-term cancer survivors. Design Qualitative study that was part of a larger, cross-sectional survey. Setting/sample 687 (57% response) cancer survivors at an average of 6.7 years after diagnosis. In the sample, 81% were female (with a mean age of 49.6 years), 72% were college educated, 63% were married, and 49% worked full time. Methods Mailed survey of three open-ended questions and standard QOL tools. A QOL conceptual model was used to frame the research study, describe the QOL responses of the participants, and explore the meaning of cancer survivorship. Content analysis was used to answer the research questions. Data collection and analysis occurred sequentially. MAIN RESEARCH CONCEPTS: Meaning, QOL cancer survivorship. Findings 25 of 30 inductively derived QOL themes were validated in this study of long-term cancer survivors; 107 additional QOL themes were identified and clustered into 11 over-arching themes across the entire data set. Over-arching themes included struggle between independence-dependence, balance, wholeness, life purpose, reclaiming life, multiple losses, having control, altered meaning of health, and surviving cancer from a family perspective. Implications for nursing practice The meaning of QOL in long-term cancer survivors is multifaceted and complex. Conclusions Nurses can use this broader conception of QOL in breast cancer survivors to help patients prepare for and cope with adjustments.
THE LEVEL OF EMPLOYEE RETENTION IN INSURANCE COMPANIES IN BATTICALOA DISTRICT

Human capital is considered as key capital within the organization. Each and every company spends lot of money to hire, select, induct and compensate talented people in organization. Any lose and turnover of these talents create huge lose to organizations with compare to other expenses which are associate with employees. On this regards, this study was to examine the level Employee retention in Insurance companies in Batticaloa district. Employee retention is an act of retain valuable employees within the organization for longer period of time. However, operation of retaining employees for longer period with them is a grand task for every employer, because most of the human resources are not attached for longer period in one place, if they are not fully satisfied. Commonly, insurance companies are facing similar retention problem compare to other business. Therefore, main objective of this study is to analysis the level of employee retention in insurance companies in Batticaloa district. Finding of the study shows, there is a high level of Employee retention in insurance companies.
Bis[bis-(penta-methyl-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)cobalt(III)] tetra-chlorido-cobaltate(II) di-chloro-methane disolvate.

The title compound, [Co(C10H15)2]2[CoCl4]·2CH2Cl2, was isolated as a dichloromethane solvate and was formed in the reaction between lithium penta­methyl­cyclo­penta­dienide and anyhydrous cobalt(II) chloride in tetra­hydro­furan. There are two deca­methyl­cobaltocenium cations, one tetrachloridocobaltate(II) anion and two di­chloro­methane solvent mol­ecules in the formula unit. There is a slight disorder of the di­chloro­methane solvent which was treated with a two-site model [occupancy rates = 0.765 (4) and 0.235 (4)]. The di­chloro­methane mol­ecules display significant C—H⋯Cl inter­actions with the tetrachloridocobaltate(II) dianion. The cobalt atom of the deca­methyl­cobaltocenium cation sits on a twofold rotation axis, with only one penta­methyl­cyclo­penta­diene ligand being unique and the second generated by symmetry. The cobalt atom of the [CoCl4]−2 ion sits on a special site with -4 symmetry, with one unique chloride ligand and the others generated by the fourfold inversion axis.
The cochlear implant and possibilities for narrowing the remaining gaps between prosthetic and normal hearing.

Abstract Background The cochlear implant has become the standard of care for severe or worse losses in hearing and indeed has produced the first substantial restoration of a lost or absent human sense using a medical intervention. However, the devices are not perfect and many efforts to narrow the remaining gaps between prosthetic and normal hearing are underway. Objective To assess the present status of cochlear implants and to describe possibilities for improving them. Results The present-day devices work well in quiet conditions for the great majority of users. However, not all users have high levels of speech reception in quiet and nearly all users struggle with speech reception in typically noisy acoustic environments. In addition, perception of sounds more complex than speech, such as most music, is generally poor unless residual hearing at low frequencies can be stimulated acoustically in conjunction with the electrical stimuli provided by the implant. Possibilities for improving the present devices include increasing the spatial specificity of neural excitation by reducing masking effects or with new stimulus modes; prudent pruning of interfering or otherwise detrimental electrodes from the stimulation map; a further relaxation in the criteria for implant candidacy, based on recent evidence from persons with high levels of residual hearing and to allow many more people to benefit from cochlear implants; and “top down” or “brain centric” approaches to implant designs and applications. Conclusions Progress in the development of the cochlear implant and related treatments has been remarkable but room remains for improvements. The future looks bright as there are multiple promising possibilities for improvements and many talented teams are pursuing them.
Cambodia and the West: An Introduction

The introduction to Cambodia and the West 1500–2000 seeks to define the nature of the book, clarify key terms such as ‘Cambodia’ and the ‘West’, consider a number of contextual regional/transnational interplays, and highlight the scope of individual chapter author briefs in dealing with early forms of European mercantile expansion into Cambodia, formal French colonialism, British peace enforcement after World War Two, French decolonisation, United States Great Power ‘diplomacy’, and the subsequent United Nations peace process. Interwoven into the later chapters are the dynamics of Cold War conflicts and the haunting spectre of the Khmer Rouge genocide. Finally, this section also highlights possible areas for further academic inquiry.
Assessing Toxicity and Nuclear and Mitochondrial DNA Damage Caused by Exposure of Mammalian Cells to Lunar Regolith Simulants

Previous missions to the lunar surface implicated potential dangers of lunar soil. In future explorations, astronauts may spend weeks or months on the Moon, increasing the risk of inhaling lunar dust. In an effort to understand the biological impact of lunar regolith, cell cultures derived from lung or neuronal cells were challenged with lunar soil simulants to assess cell survival and genotoxicity. Lunar soil simulants were capable of causing cell death and DNA damage in neuronal and lung cell lines, and freshly crushed lunar soil simulants were more effective at causing cell death and DNA damage than were simulants as received from the supplier. The ability of the simulants to generate reactive oxygen species in aqueous suspensions was not correlated with their cytotoxic or genotoxic affects. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity was not correlated with the accumulation of detectable DNA lesions. These results determine that lunar soil simulants are, with variable activity, cytotoxic and genotoxic to both neuronal and lung-derived cells in culture.
A Collaborative Assembly Task to Assess Worker Skills in Robot Manufacturing Environments

In recent years robots have been replacing human workers in many industries. As robot manufacturing becomes more optimized and cost effective, the use of robots is going to evolve in various fields. Thus, it is essential to prepare workers to operate robots and work collaboratively with them side by side. In this paper, we are proposing a human-robot collaborative task to assess human performance in experimental, industrial setup. The task is designed in both virtual and physical environments.
Adaptive Mesh Refinement for MHD Fusion Applications

We present results from adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) simulations of two MHD applications relevant to magnetic fusion. The applications are: pellet injection in tokamaks (PI) and magnetic reconnection (MR). For PI, AMR is essential to provide the resolution required to simulate realistic pellet sizes relative to device dimensions (typical ratios are O(10-3)). We present results from 3D AMR simulations in a tokamak geometry with emphasis on differences between the low-field and high-field side pellet launches. For MR, We present results from 2D AMR simulations in which both the outer “inviscid” region and the inner “resistive” region are well-resolved. AMR provides an efficient means of resolving the near-singular current sheets in the inner region where the actual breaking and reconnection of the magnetic field lines takes place. The numerical method developed is an explicit unsplit upwinding treatment of the 8-wave formulation, coupled with a MAC projection method to enforce the solenoidal property of the magnetic field. The Chombo framework is used for AMR.
Professionals' Attitudes and Perceptions of Teamwork Supporting People with Disabilities

The purpose of this project was to examine professionals attitudes and perceptions about teamwork and team processes. Thirty one professionals who were serving on teams that support people with disabilities were asked to complete two surveys: the Attitudes About Teamwork Survey and the Team Process Perception Survey. Responses to these surveys indicated a generally positive attitude about the team process. Aspects of communication and investment of time and energy were most highly rated. Central themes that emerged relative to perceptions about benefits, limitations, and supports included, respectively, disciplinary involvement, process barriers, and collaboration. Respondents also provided recommendations for the improvement of teamwork including the improvement of team structure, process issues, and training. Practical implications of the results, and directions for further investigation in this area, are discussed.
Latent Variable Grammars for Natural Language Parsing

As described in Chap. 1, parsing is the process of analyzing the syntactic structure of natural language sentences and will be fundamental for building systems that can understand natural languages. Probabilistic context-free grammars (PCFGs) underlie most high-performance parsers in one way or another (Charniak 2000; Collins 1999; Charniak and Johnson 2005; Huang 2008). However, as demonstrated by Charniak (1996) and Klein and Manning (2003a), a PCFG which simply takes the empirical rules and probabilities off of a treebank does not perform well. This naive grammar is a poor one because its context-freedom assumptions are too strong in some places (e.g., it assumes that subject and object NPs share the same distribution) and too weak in others (e.g., it assumes that long rewrites are not decomposable into smaller steps). Therefore, a variety of techniques have been developed to both enrich and generalize the naive grammar, ranging from simple tree annotation and category splitting (Johnson 1998; Klein and Manning 2003a) to full lexicalization and intricate smoothing (Collins 1999; Charniak 2000).
Aggressive and Oppositional Behavior

The results of uninterrupted childhood aggression and oppositional behavior appear in daily media reports of homicides, arson, armed robberies, and an alarming variety of other offenses. In 1975, even though youth in the 13–17 age range comprised only 10% of the U.S. population, this group was involved in 43% of all arrests for property crimes and violent crimes, as classified by the FBI (Strasberg, 1978). Strasberg also reported that juvenile arrests for violent crimes climbed 293% between 1960 and 1975.
The protein phosphatase isoform PP1γ1 substitutes for PP1γ2 to support spermatogenesis but not normal sperm function and fertility

Four isoforms of serine/threonine phosphatase type I, PP1α, PP1β, PP1γ1, and PP1γ2, are derived from three genes. The PP1γ1 and PP1γ2 isoforms are alternately spliced transcripts of the protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit gamma gene (Ppp1cc). While PP1γ1 is ubiquitous in somatic cells, PP1γ2 is expressed exclusively in testicular germ cells and sperm. Ppp1cc knockout male mice (-/-), lacking both PP1γ1 and PP1γ2, are sterile due to impaired sperm morphogenesis. Fertility and normal sperm function can be restored by transgenic expression of PP1γ2 alone in testis of Ppp1cc (-/-) mice. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the PP1γ1 isoform is functionally equivalent to PP1γ2 in supporting spermatogenesis and male fertility. Significant levels of transgenic PP1γ1 expression occurred only when the transgene lacked a 1-kb 3΄UTR region immediately following the stop codon of the PP1γ1 transcript. PP1γ1 was also incorporated into sperm at levels comparable to PP1γ2 in sperm from wild-type mice. Spermatogenesis was restored in mice expressing PP1γ1 in the absence of PP1γ2. However, males from the transgenic rescue lines were subfertile. Sperm from the PP1γ1 rescue mice were unable to fertilize eggs in vitro. Intrasperm localization of PP1γ1 and the association of the protein regulators of the phosphatase were altered in epididymal sperm in transgenic PP1γ1 compared to PP1γ2. Thus, the ubiquitous isoform PP1γ1, not normally expressed in differentiating germ cells, could replace PP1γ2 to support spermatogenesis and spermiation. However, PP1γ2, which is the PP1 isoform in mammalian sperm, has an isoform-specific role in supporting normal sperm function and fertility.
Diagnosis of Pouch Disorders: Histology

Abstract Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is the standard restorative procedure after proctocolectomy in patients with ulcerative colitis who require colectomy for their diseases. Due to the significant anatomic alterations induced by surgery, ileal pouch is susceptible to a variety of insults including mechanic, ischemia, fecal stasis, infectious agents, the development of idiopathic inflammatory pouch disease, and the recurrence of underlying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In addition, neoplasia may arise from ileal pouch. Although clinical, endoscopic, and radiographic examinations diagnose many ileal pouch diseases, histologic examination still plays an essential role in the diagnosis and management of these diseases, particularly in antibiotic-refractory chronic pouchitis and pouch neoplasia. Our knowledge of pouch diseases has been greatly expanded in recent years and it forms the basis of this chapter.
Investigating the fit between phonological feature systems and brain responses to speech using EEG.

This paper describes a technique to assess the correspondence between patterns of similarity in the brain's response to speech sounds and the patterns of similarity encoded in phonological ...
Impact of Corporate Governance on Organizational Performance

This study examined whether corporate governance has impact on organizational performance in Financial Institutions as research problem. This research was carried out with objective to measure association between Corporate Governance and Financial Institution’s Performance in Batticaloa district. Conceptual framework has been developed to measure linkages between Corporate Governance and Financial Institution’s Performance. Board Size, Corporate Governance Mechanism, Communication Strategies, and Code of Conduct are considered as the measurement variables of Corporate Governance which was derived from Changezi & Saeed (2013) and Customer Satisfaction, Employee Commitment and Corporate Reputation are considered as the measurement variable of Organizational Performance which was derived from Bayoud (2012) and Carton (2004). Questionnaires were used to collect data for this study. 115 Management Respondents and 115 Customers from whole Financial Institutions in Batticaloa district have been selected for this study. Data were analyzed and evaluated by Univariate and Bivariate techniques. In Univariate analysis, Descriptive statistic has been used for the analysis. In Bivariate analysis, Correlation and multiple regressions have been used for the analysis. Findings have shown the Corporate Governance and Organizational Performance are at high level. Moreover, it also found that there is a strong positive relationship between Corporate Governance and Organizational Performance. Corporate Governance significantly impacts Organizational Performance of Financial Institutions. These findings would be useful to consider more on Corporate Governance practices to avoid the Corporate Collapses and to achieve successful Organizational Performance.
Emotional Development in the Context of Developmental Disorders

Emotional development is a critically important process that can have major impacts across the lifespan. The current chapter explores what is known about this process in individuals with developmental disabilities, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fragile X syndrome (FXS), and Down syndrome (DS). It reviews methodological limitations of studying emotional development in developmental disorders and highlights the most prominent and promising methods for use in these special populations. We then systematically review the literature on emotional development in ASD, FXS, and DS with specific focus on recognition and processing of others’ emotions, personal expressions of emotions, and emotion regulation. Finally, we discuss implications for treatment and promising future directions.
Is the Power Threshold of 0.8 Applicable to Surgical Science?—Empowering the Underpowered Study [Journal of Surgical Research 241 (2019) 235–239]

The original version of this article went online on 28 April 2019 and was erroneously updated on 12 June 2019 with the supplementary files removed. The original version was restored on 28 June 2019. The Publisher apologizes for the removal of the supplementary files, which was done without the permission of the Editor.
Use of a telehealth follow-up system to facilitate treatment and discharge of emergency department patients with severe cellulitis.

Abstract Introduction Novel long-acting lipoglycopeptide antibiotics allow for the treatment and discharge of selected emergency department (ED) patients with cellulitis who require intravenous antibiotics. Telehealth systems have shown success in remote management of dermatologic conditions; we implemented a telehealth follow-up program for patients diagnosed with cellulitis in the ED, treated with single-dose dalbavancin, and discharged. Methods This was a prospective, multi-center observational study. Patients were included based on clinical criteria and ability to complete follow-up using a smartphone and enroll in an online care portal. We examined the rate of successful telehealth follow-up at 24- and 72-hour intervals from discharge. We also examined the ED return rate within 14 days, reviewed any visits to determine cause of return, and for admission. Results 55 patients were enrolled. 54/55 patients completed at least one telehealth follow up encounter (98.2%). 13 patients (23.6%) had a return ED visit within 14 days; no patients required admission for worsening cellulitis. Patient engagement in the telehealth program decreased over time; there was an approximately 11% decrease in engagement between the 24 and 72-hour follow-up call, and a 15% decrease in engagement between the 24 and 72-hour image upload. Patients over 65 had a lower rate of image upload (31%) than younger patients (80.6%). Discussion A telehealth follow-up system for discharged emergency department patients with cellulitis demonstrated high rates of engagement. In these patients who -may have otherwise required admission for intravenous antibiotics, telehealth-facilitated outpatient management resulted in a low ED return rate and no inpatient admissions for cellulitis.
An Optimized FPGA-Based Hardware Accelerator for Physics-Based EKF for Battery Cell Management

Battery technology is the cornerstone of HEVs. Model Predictive Control coupled with physics-based model (PBM) is an effective technique for battery management systems (BMS). In this case, extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used as the state observer for the highly non-linear PBM. Thus far, the sheer computational complexity of PBM hinders it from being utilized for portable BMS. In this paper, we introduce a novel and efficient FPGA-based hardware accelerator for physics-based EKF, to address the computational complexity of PBM.
[Efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil versus cyclophosphamide in the treatment of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis with nephrotic-range proteinuria in children: a prospective randomized controlled trial].

Objective To study the efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) versus cyclophosphamide (CTX) in the treatment of children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) and nephrotic-range proteinuria. Methods A prospective clinical trial was conducted in 68 pediatric patients who were admitted to the Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics and who were diagnosed with HSPN and nephrotic-range proteinuria from August 2016 to November 2019. The patients were randomly divided into two groups:MMF treatment (n=33) and CTX treatment (n=35). The two groups were compared in terms of complete remission rate, response rate (complete remission + partial remission), urinary protein clearance time, and adverse events. Results At months 3, 6, and 12 of treatment, there was no significant difference in the complete remission rate and the response rate between the MMF treament and CTX treatment groups (P > 0.05). There was also no significant difference between the two groups in the urinary protein clearance time and the incidence rate of adverse events (P > 0.05). Conclusions MMF and CTX have similar efficacy and safety in the treatment of HSPN children with nephrotic-range proteinuria.
A Mathematical Analysis Reveals Some Structural Features of the Theory of Everything

Physicists have pursued the Theory of Everything (TOE) for centuries. Not much credible progress has been made towards the final theory so far. By extending the computability theory in mathematics, this paper proves a fundamental theorem of theoretical physics, which implies 21 structural features that TOE should have. The main result of this paper is that existing quantum gravity theories are not TOE; a unification theory of physics and social sciences/humanities, called “Choice Axiomatic System”, can be established even when the problem of unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics still remains unsolved; a prototype of TOE, which covers all existing human knowledge about the observable universe, can be created by the unification of physics and social science/humanities with a potential quantum gravity theory as an important component; unlike quantum gravity theories, Choice Axiomatic System has many important practical applications and its predictions can be tested with empirical data; Choice Axiomatic System can substantially narrow down the search for potential quantum gravity theories. This paper should be interesting to researchers working on the foundation of physics, social science, and humanities.
Age-Related Difference in Weight Change and All-Cause Mortality in Middle-Aged and Older Korean Populations: Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Background Obesity is associated with increased mortality as a significant risk factor for chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Several people believe that weight gain is harmful, and weight loss helps maintain health. However, some studies have shown that weight loss, particularly among older adults, is more likely to increase the risk of mortality than weight gain. Methods We used data for the cohort of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, which is a nationwide stratified multi-stage sample of adults aged 45 years. The all-cause mortality risk was assessed using the survival status and the number of months of survival calculated from 2006 (baseline year) to 2016. Cox proportional hazard regression were used to study the causal link between weight change and all-cause mortality risk. Results The results showed interactive associations between weight loss and mortality among middle-aged and older adults. The hazard ratio was 1.62 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-2.40) for the participants aged 45-65 years with weight losses greater than 5 kg and 1.56 (95% CI, 1.29-1.89) for those older than 65 years with weight losses greater than 5 kg. The results for the group with weight gain above 5 kg were not significant. Middle-aged and older men showed an increase in all-cause mortality associated with weight loss of more than 5 kg, but only the older women showed significant results. Conclusion This large-scale cohort study in Korea showed a relationship between weight loss and all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older individuals.
Synthesis and metal ion extraction of cone di-ionizable calix[4]arene-crown-7 ligands

Cone calix[4]arene-1,3-crown-7 ligands bearing acidity tunable di-ionizable groups were prepared to examine the effect of the cavity size for the crown ether ring. The results of solvent extraction from aqueous solutions into chloroform show that these ligands are highly selective for Ba2+ among the alkaline earth metal cations and are good extractants for Pb2+ and for Hg2+.
Application of ANFIS to Phase Estimation for Multiple Phase Shift Keying

The paper discusses a novel use of Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFIS) for estimating phase in Multiple Phase Shift Keying (M-PSK) modulation. A brief overview of communications phase estimation is provided. The modeling of both general open-loop, and closed-loop phase estimation schemes for M-PSK symbols with unknown structure are discussed. Preliminary performance results from simulation of the above schemes are presented.
Interfacing With the Other Disciplines

Fire protection engineers interface with architectural engineering including locations of buildings, exposures to buildings, sizes of buildings and sizes of fire areas, building layout, combustibility of building finishing materials, and security issues. Areas of concern to fire protection engineers that interface with chemical engineering includes: materials hazards, materials storage, process hazards evaluation, and process utilities. Fire protection engineering interfaces with electrical engineering in the following areas: building system controls, fire detection and alarm systems, extinguishing system control, electric motor-driven fire pumps, emergency lighting, backup power supplies, electrical equipment for hazardous locations, and electrical protection systems. Fire protection systems that interface with the mechanical discipline include: piped fire protection systems, fire protection water supplies, pneumatic power and control systems, building HVAC systems, smoke control and smoke management systems, and area ventilation systems. Natural calamities like earthquakes, flood, cyclones, tornadoes, and hurricanes can damage fire protection systems. Building codes contain the structural design features for flood, earthquakes and wind, as well as for snow, ice, and other loads.
The Strange Intersection between Law, Religion, and Government in the Regulation of Marriage

Over time, the Supreme Court has made clear its belief that marriage is one of the most significant and fundamental rights provided protection under the Constitution. State regulation of marriage is limited to those "reasonable regulations that do not significantly interfere with decisions to enter into the marital relationship." This article examines what compelling interests remain, which a state might legitimately offer in defending with a state of marriage act or a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage against a constitutional challenge.
Some Mathematical Concepts

In this chapter we shall introduce a few basic concepts involving units, Newton’s second law of motion, and some “common sense” statements of basic transport relationships. After a brief calculus review, there will be presented statements of continuity, differentiability, and differentials, L’Hopital’s rule, and the Leibnitz rule for differentiating integrals. We conclude with some vector and tensor operations, and a discussion of matrix algebra.
Hybrid integration of polymers and semiconductors for photonic integrated circuits

We combine polymers and semiconductors for application to high-performance photonic integrated circuits (PICs). We apply well-established semiconductor processing techniques to fabricate structures such as waveguides, gratings, pn junctions, and quantum wells. Then we use polymers to bond these samples to transfer substrates. Finally we etch away the growth substrate. With further processing we integrate the semiconductor circuit in the remaining epilayer with polymer waveguides. The end product is a photonic chip containing semiconductor only in the regions where there is an optical wave. The rest is made out of low-loss low-cost polymers containing low-loss optical guides which are almost identical to optical fibers. This technology is applied to high speed traveling wave modulators and tunable grating reflectors.
The Role of MTJ-1 in Cell Surface Translocation of GRP78, a Receptor for α2-Macroglobulin-Dependent Signaling

MTJ-1 associates with a glucose-regulated protein of Mr approximately 78,000(GRP78) in the endoplasmic reticulum and modulates GRP78 activity as a chaperone. GRP78 also exists on the cell surface membrane, where it is associated with a number of functions. MHC class I Ags on the cell surface are complexed to GRP78. GRP78 also serves as the receptor for alpha2-macroglobulin-dependent signaling and for uptake of certain pathogenic viruses. The means by which GRP78, lacking a transmembrane domain, can fulfill such functions is unclear. In this study we have examined the question of whether MTJ-1, a transmembrane protein, is involved in the translocation of GRP78 to the cell surface. MTJ-1 and GRP78 coimmunoprecipitated from macrophage plasma membrane lysates. Silencing of MTJ-1 gene expression greatly reduced MTJ-1 mRNA and protein levels, but also abolished cell surface localization of GRP78. Consequently, binding of the activated and receptor-recognized form of alpha2-macroglobulin to macrophages was greatly reduced, and activated and receptor-recognized form of alpha2-macroglobulin-induced calcium signaling was abolished in these cells. In conclusion, we show that in addition to assisting the chaperone GRP78 in protein quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum, MTJ-1 is essential for transport of GRP78 to the cell surface, which serves a number of functions in immune regulation and signal transduction.
Networked Control Systems: A Model-Based Approach

In this article a class of networked control systems called Model-Based Networked Control Systems (MB-NCS) is considered. This control architecture uses an explicit model of the plant in order to reduce the network traffic while attempting to prevent excessive performance degradation. MB-NCS can successfully address several important control issues in an intuitive and transparent way. In this article the main results of this MB approach are described with examples. Specifically, conditions for the stability of state and output feedback continuous and discrete systems are derived under different scenarios that include delay compensation, constant and time varying update times, non-linear plants and quantization of the feedback signals. In addition, a performance measure for MB-NCS with noise inputs is introduced.
Climatic Change in Nunavut

Instrumentally recorded climate records from Nunavut are too short to provide a useful perspective on climate variability in the region. Furthermore, there are only a few paleoclimate records from this large region, so that our understanding of pre-anthropogenic climatic changes is limited. The available proxy records suggest that the climate of the last few hundred years has ranged from one of the coldest episodes of the post-glacial, to one of the warmest periods. Additional high-resolution records are needed, and a case is made for obtaining well-calibrated paleoclimate data from laminated lake sediments in the region. Resume Les registres de donnees climatiques instrumentales sur le Nunavut sont trop clairsemes et trop courts, et ne permettent pas d'obtenir une image utile de la variabilite climatique de la region. De plus, il n'existe que quelques registres de donnees paleoclimatiques sur cette grande region et donc, notre comprehension des changements pre-anthropogeniques reste fragmentaire. Les registres de donnees indirectes dont nous disposons semblent indiquer qu'au cours des quelques dernieres centaines d'annees, le climat aurait connu des fluctuations extremes, passant d'une des episodes post-glaciaires les plus froides a l'une des plus chaudes. Des registres de donnees plus precises sont necessaires et on presente dans le present article, les arguments demontrant la necessite d'obtenir des donnees paleoclimatiques bien etalonnees a partir des couches de sediments lacustres lamines de la region.
Effects of Cold Water Application on Isokinetic Strength of the Plantar Flexors

Cold (cryotherapy) is commonly applied to an athlete immediately before and/or after sports participation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cold water submersion (CWS) on isokinetic strength of the plantar flexor muscle group. Eleven women and five men (mean age 22.1 years, height 170.8 cm, weight 64.5 kg) with no history of ankle joint pathology were tested for peak torque, average power, and total work of the dominant foot at 60 deg/sec with a Cybex II isokinetic dynamometer. Before isokinetic testing subjects were randomly assigned to either CWS or an inactive rest period (RP). Subjects returned 1 week later to receive the opposite treatment and undergo isokinetic testing. The CWS consisted of placing the leg in a 15°C tub of water for 20 minutes. The RP consisted of remaining seated for a 20-minute period. Paired t tests were computed to determine if any differences existed in peak torque, average power, and total work between the CWS and RP conditions. Results indicated concentric isokinetic strength values were lower after CWS for peak torque, average power and total work of the plantar flexor muscle group. These findings indicate that concentric isokinetic torque, power, and work of the plantar flexor muscle group are reduced immediately after CWS. Further research should be undertaken to determine the length of time isokinetic output is reduced before returning to normal responses after CWS is present.
Protein kinase D enzymes: novel kinase targets in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is characterized by advanced stage desmoplastic tumors with a high prevalence of genetic abnormalities. Occurrence of PDA is linked to activating Kras mutations and aberrant epidermal growth factor receptor signaling, leading to additional activation of wild-type Kras. As Kras is difficult to target, there is a constant need to identify novel targets acting downstream of this molecule in driving the formation or progression of PDA. Recently, it was shown that protein kinase D enzymes not only are increasingly expressed in PDA but also causatively linked to the development and progression of this cancer. They act downstream of both mutant Kras and growth factors and therefore may represent ideal novel targets.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for CD40 ligand deficiency: Single institution experience

Background X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome (X-HIGM) due to mutations in the gene encoding CD40 ligand results in failure of Ig class switching and an increased propensity for recurrent sinopulmonary and other infections, and thus decreased life expectancy. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is curative, but long-term follow-up data are limited. Procedures We conducted a retrospective analysis of seven patients who have undergone allogeneic HSCT for HIGM syndrome at Duke University Medical Center. Results Median age at transplant was 5.2 years (range 0.7–19.3). None of the patients had active hepatic or pulmonary disease immediately prior to transplant, but all had a history of serious infections. Five patients received myeloablative conditioning, and two patients received reduced intensity conditioning. Graft sources included bone marrow, peripheral blood, and unrelated umbilical cord blood. Post-transplantation complications included veno-occlusive disease, hemorrhagic cystitis, adenoviremia, and cryptosporidium recurrence in one patient each. Two patients developed acute GVHD grades II–IV that resolved promptly with treatment and none developed extensive chronic GVHD. All patients are intravenous IgG-independent and 6/7 have normal antibody titers. Immunoglobulin (Ig) A levels normalized in all but one patient and T and B cell numbers and function are otherwise normal in all. All patients are alive at a median follow-up of 9.7 (range 9.7–16.1) years post-transplantation with predominantly donor chimerism and no recurrent infections. Conclusions Allogeneic HSCT results in excellent survival and sustained immune reconstitution in patients with CD40 ligand deficiency using both myeloablative and reduced intensity conditioning approaches and various graft sources, including bone marrow, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015; 9999:XX–XX © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.