cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
[Clinical study on prevention efficacy of Jianpi Huatan Fang in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children].

OBJECTIVE To verify the clinical efficacy of Jianpi Huatan Fang in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children. METHOD Sixty children patients with non-alcoholic liver disease were randomly assigned to 2 groups of 30 patients each , being treated with Jianpi Huatan Fang and the Vitamin E Recipe with a span of 3 months, respectively. The changes of the FINS, FPG, AST, ALT, TG, CHO, HDL, LDL, HOMA-IR, IAI after and before the treatments in both groups as well as the ultrasound imaging changes of liver were observed. RESULT The Chinese medicine group saw higher total effective rate (83.3%) than the Vitamin E group (46.7%) with statistic difference. In addition, after the treatments, both groups saw the significant decrease of the levels of serum lipid metabolic indexes and insulin resistance indexes. Both treatments could effectively enhance the function of liver, but Chinese medicine showed better efficacy. The Chinese medicine group also saw the decrease of ATC, TG, LDL and increase of HDL-C (P < 0.05 (see character in text) P <0.01) after the treatment, showing that the Chinese medicine could effectively enhance blood fat; while the Vit E group did not showed improvement in TC, LDL-C, HDL-C. CONCLUSION Jianpi Huatan Fang showed good efficacy in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver in children with no observable toxic side effects, thus clinic use shall be recommended.
Herpetic geometric glossitis.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in an immunocompromised host may be atypical in location and morphology. We describe five immunocompromised patients in whom HSV type 1 infection presented as linear fissures on the dorsum of the tongue. The tongue fissures were extremely tender and had a striking geometric pattern: longitudinal, crossed, or branched. The central well-papillated portion of the tongue was characteristically involved, usually without accompanying lesions of HSV infection on the lips, palate, or lateral edges of the tongue. The fissures healed between 3 and 12 days after treatment with acyclovir was begun. This experience suggests that linear or . . .
Educational Credentials and Socio-economic Status Attainment

The thesis of industrialism predicts a uniformity in the process of socio-economic status attainment and a dominance of universalistic criteria over particularistic ones in the status allocation process among industrial nations. With this prediction in mind, this study proposes to analyze the educational and socio-economic attainment process in Japan, the United States, and Britain. Social origins show significant effects on the attainment of various levels of educational credentials in all three societies. Our cohort analysis shows a trend of a decreasing effect of social origins on high school graduation and the attainment of O-level qualifications but reveals an opposite trend of an increasing effect of social origins on access to higher education.With regard to the process of socio-economic attainment, our cohort analysis reports an increasing relative importance of educational credentials over social origins among all three societies as predicted by the thesis of industrialism. However, the relative importance of educational credentials over social origins in socio-economic attainment and socio-economic returns to educational credentials show cross-national variations across our societies. These results suggest that the allocation processes of socio-economic resources in the three countries are influenced by the difference in their educational system and their structure of labor market.
Electron transit time measurements of 5-in photomultiplier tubes

Abstract We investigated the uniformity of electron transit times for two 5-in photomultiplier tubes: the Hamamatsu R1250 and the Adit B133D01S. We focused a highly attenuated short-pulse laser on the tubes while they were mounted on a programmable stage. The stage translated the tubes relative to the incident beam so that measurements could be made with light focused at points along a grid covering the entire photocathodes. A portion of the incident light was split from the incident beam and measured and recorded by a fast photodiode. Electron transit times were measured by computing the time delay between the recorded photodiode signal and photomultiplier signal using software constant-fraction discrimination. The Hamamatsu tube exhibited a uniform timing response that varied by no more than 1.7 ns. The Adit tube was much less uniform, with transit times that varied by as much as 57 ns. The Adit response also exhibited a spatially varying double-peak structure in its response. The technique described in this paper could be usefully employed by photomultiplier tube manufacturers to characterize the performance of their products.
Canonical Notch signaling plays an instructive role in auditory supporting cell development

The auditory sensory epithelium, composed of mechano-sensory hair cells (HCs) and highly specialized glial-like supporting cells (SCs), is critical for our ability to detect sound. SCs provide structural and functional support to HCs and play an essential role in cochlear development, homeostasis and repair. Despite their importance, however, surprisingly little is known about the molecular mechanisms guiding SC differentiation. Here, we provide evidence that in addition to its well-characterized inhibitory function, canonical Notch signaling plays a positive, instructive role in the differentiation of SCs. Using γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT to acutely block canonical Notch signaling, we identified a cohort of Notch-regulated SC-specific genes, with diverse functions in cell signaling, cell differentiation, neuronal innervation and synaptogenesis. We validated the newly identified Notch-regulated genes in vivo using genetic gain (Emx2Cre/+; Rosa26N1ICD/+) and loss-of-function approaches (Emx2Cre/+; Rosa26DnMAML1/+). Furthermore, we demonstrate that Notch over-activation in the differentiating murine cochlea (Emx2Cre/+; Rosa26N1ICD/+) actively promotes a SC-specific gene expression program. Finally, we show that outer SCs –so called Deiters’ cells are selectively lost by prolonged reduction (Emx2Cre/+; Rosa26DnMAML1/+/+) or abolishment of canonical Notch signaling (Fgfr3-iCreER; Rbpj−/Δ), indicating a critical role for Notch signaling in Deiters’ cell development.
Statistical characteristics of microwave and millimeter wave indoor wireless channels

The demand for wireless high-speed data services makes the development of broadband wireless mobile communications systems important. This includes the development of accurate channel models to characterize fading for a variety of propagation environments from microwave to millimeter wave frequencies. Narrowband statistical propagation models for small-scale fading are obtained from experimental data using a low profile directional antenna called the dual exponentially tapered slot antenna (DETSA) on both transmit and receive (Greenberg, M.C. et al., 2003). We compare how the parameters used in Rician and Nakagami distributions are impacted by antenna separation and frequency of operation. Measurements were performed in a variety of rooms at 5 GHz and at 30 GHz. The 5 GHz DETSA antenna is six times larger than the 30 GHz one. The results can be used to develop channel models to compare performance improvements used with smart antenna systems. The DETSA has a directional pattern, has an excellent impedance match over a very broad frequency range, and does not require tuning elements (and thus bias power) to achieve wide bandwidth. Three different types of measurements were considered: near line-of-sight (LOS); far LOS; non-line-of-sight (NLOS).
Setting the Study Context: India, Mexico, and Tanzania

In this chapter, we provide background information related to India, Mexico, and Tanzania and we describe our research approach to examining teacher distribution in these countries. We first describe levels of economic development and social inequality, which determine the resources available to employ teachers and the degree to which disadvantaged populations have access to these resources. We then describe each country’s geography, as the difficulties of living and teaching in remote rural areas with few amenities constrain education officials’ efforts to recruit and deploy teachers to these areas. This is followed by a discussion of relevant aspects of these education systems and key issues related to teacher deployment and distribution. To further set the stage for the subsequent analysis, we describe the methodology of our study, including our comparative approach and our data collection and analysis strategies.
A Qualitative Analysis of the Experiences of Minority Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of minority parents’ related to raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a specific focus on difficulties within communication and adaptation. Culturally and linguistically diverse families are under-represented in the literature concerning family adaptation to a child with ASD and present specific challenges for healthcare providers in providing care for families. The study involved qualitative analysis of focus groups with six culturally diverse families of children with ASD. Parents needed to discuss challenges related to spiritual support, stress, family teamwork, coping strategies, culture, resources, and their concerns for the future. The unique dialogue and stories provide talking points to discuss with parents. This study identifies the importance of communication and connecting parents with support groups and resources to help them effectively parenting a child with ASD.
Visitor perceptions of World Heritage value at Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal

ABSTRACTWorld Heritage sites must exhibit outstanding universal value, integrity, and authenticity. Based on this context, this study examined whether visitors to Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal (World Heritage Site inscribed under criteria vii in 1979) recognized it for its exceptional beauty and aesthetics. This study explored the basic concept of perceived park authenticity at this site, and associated factors that influenced the perception of World Heritage values. Questionnaire surveys were administered to 522 international visitors at the park. Exploratory factor analysis and ordinal logistic regression were used for analysis. Results indicated that visitors perceived the park to be authentic, preserved integrity, and constituted outstanding universal value. Additional regression results identified that overall trip satisfaction and educational level were statistically significant predictors of perceptions of authenticity, integrity and outstanding universal value of the park. Prior vi...
In vivo analysis of mucosal lipids reveals histological disease activity in ulcerative colitis using endoscope-coupled Raman spectroscopy.

The goal of this study is to evaluate endoscopic Raman spectroscopy as a noninvasive technique to determine histological inflammatory status of colitis. Colon mucosal composition was investigated in vivo from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and from age- and body mass index (BMI) matched controls using endoscope-coupled Raman spectroscopy. The results were co-registered with histological assessment of inflammatory status at the same locations. Substantial decreases (50-60%) in the content of phosphotidylcholines (PCs) and total lipids were observed in inflamed colon tissue (histology grade 1, 2 and 3) compared to those from the quiescent (histology grade 0) and from the controls. No significant difference was observed in lipids or PC contents between control and grade 0, or among grades 1 – 3. The degree of lipid unsaturation increased in the inflamed tissue regardless of disease severity. The inflammation-associated alterations in lipids and PC are observed independent of BMI or the anatomical locations for data collection. Multivariate analysis using support vector machine (SVM) algorithm classified the spectra of the controls or the inactive colitis from those of inflamed tissue with a sensitivity of 83.5% and 97.1% respectively. Our results showed that mucosal lipid content is related to the microscopic disease activity, and thus could serve as a valuable spectral marker to differentiate active colitis from the quiescent.
The Coproduction of Peri‐Urban Space

Expanding beyond narrow approaches of understanding postapartheid space, this research analyzes the social relations contributing to land use patterns and livelihood decisions as manifestations of the coproduction of space. Drawing on a detailed livelihood and land-change analysis case study of Polokwane, South Africa, it is argued that combinations of social processes across scales contribute to the production of peri-urban South Africa and offer an uncommon mixed-methods approach by combining qualitative ethnographic interviews, quantitative survey data, and land-cover change detection. The peri-urban interface is coproduced as individuals participate in multiple livelihood activities (wage labor, businesses, social programs) and changing land use patterns (residential, urban, mixed use) through negotiations at multiple scales—from macrolevel economic policy to local labor regimes.
Penile cancer sparing surgery: The balance between oncological cure and functional preservation.

Abstract Penile cancer presents the dual challenge of achieving oncological cure while ,simultaneously, attempting to preserve sexual function. Herein is a review of the issues involved in appropriate patient selection as well as surgical technique. Recommendations regarding follow up and monitoring are also provided.
Conception of the Absolute

As noted in the discussion of religious language in Chapter Three, Aquinas inherited from Pseudo-Dionysius a conception that the path to God must be threefold and that its logic is best understood according to the order of (1) the way of causality (via causalitatis), (2) the way of negation (via negativa), and (3) the way of eminence (via eminentiae). 1 In exploring the Thomistic conception of the Absolute, it is therefore best to follow that order. The first part of the chapter will explore Aquinas’s causal approach to God and its link to his central doctrine of creation. Once God is accorded metaphysical primacy as First Cause and Creator, then the immediate conclusions to be drawn are along the via negativa. God as First Cause must be utterly unlike everything else and transcend all the features of the world that bespeak metaphysical limitation or imperfection. So the affirmation of the via causalitatis leads immediately to the negation of anything that is incompatible with God as First Cause and Pure Act; the via negativa logically presupposes the minimal positive knowledge acquired by the via causalitatis. The second section of the chapter will explore the via negativa through a discussion of divine simplicity, immutability, eternity, and infinity. It will be shown that what look prima facie like positive predications about God or a discussion of divine attributes are really negative claims. In other words, they tell us what God is not rather than what God is. Despite the stress on the via negativa, however, Aquinas allows that we can attribute some positive perfections to God in a super-eminent fashion and the third section of this chapter will explore those claims through a discussion of God’s goodness, knowledge, and will.
The Faces of Injury

There is an epidemic of violence in our country today. The statistics are well known. However, statistics can lose their emotional impact. The danger is that we will come to see violence as inevitable, as a fact of life. To prevent this, we must know the problem in human terms, we must see the faces behind the numbers. This article tells the story of Vi Harwell, one of these faces.
Social and structural determinants of HIV treatment and care among black women living with HIV infection: a systematic review: 2005-2016.

ABSTRACTBlack/African American (black) women comprised 59% of women living with HIV at the end of 2014 and 61% of HIV diagnoses among women in 2015. Black women living with HIV infection (BWLH) have poorer health outcomes compared with women of other races/ethnicities; social and structural determinants are often cited as barriers and facilitators of care. The objective of this qualitative review was to identify social and structural barriers and facilitators of HIV treatment and care among BWLH. The systematic review was conducted in six-stages using databases such as PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar: 1) searched for studies that enrolled BWLH published between January 2005 and December 2016, 2) excluded unpublished reports and commentaries, 3) limited the search to our primary keywords, 4) limited our search to studies that included participants living with HIV infection that were >60% black and 100% female, 5) extracted and summarized the data, and 6) conducted a contextual review to identify commo...
Pseudophakia retards axial elongation in neonatal monkey eyes.

Purpose. To evaluate the affect of removing the crystalline lens and implanting an intraocular lens on the axial elongation of a neonatal eye. Methods. Monocular lensectomy coupled with the implantation of a monofocal or multifocal intraocular lens was performed on 21 neonatal rhesus monkeys. Fellow eyes were randomized to part-time occlusion therapy or no treatment. Longitudinal axial elongation of the pseudophakic eyes was then compared to that of the fellow eyes, to the eyes of 19 monkeys made monocularly aphakic as neonates, and to the eyes of 39 normal monkeys. Results. At 5 weeks of age, aphakic and pseudophakic eyes were significantly shorter than their fellow eyes (P 0.10). Part-time occlusion of the fellow eyes did not affect axial elongation. Conclusions. Removing the crystalline lens and implanting an intraocular lens in a neonatal monkey eye retards its axial elongation.
Effect of Sustained Load Level on Long-Term Deflections in GFRP and Steel-Reinforced Concrete Beams

ACI 440.1R [1] applies an adjustment factor of 0.6 to the long-term deflection multiplier for steel-reinforced beams to reflect the experimentally observed differences between FRP and steel-reinforced members. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of the level of sustained load on the long-term multiplier in GFRP-reinforced beams. Five beams, including four GFRP-reinforced beams and one steel-reinforced control beam, were tested in four-point bending on a simply supported span with different temporary service loads (Ma = 1.80 Mcr–2.36 Mcr) and sustained load (Msus = 0.58 Ma–0.85 Ma) levels. Mid-span deflections were recorded twice weekly over a period of 100 days, and the long-term deflection multiplier, λΔ, was plotted vs. time. The results indicate that the temporary service load level, rather than the sustained load level, affects the long-term deflection multiplier with larger temporary service loads causing a smaller long-term multiplier. The current 0.6 multiplier on the time factor for FRP-reinforced beams also appears to underestimate long-term deflections. In addition, the multiplier to capture the effects of GFRP vs. steel-reinforcement may not be a constant value.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) improves local control and overall survival compared to conventionally fractionated radiation for stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

AbstractBackground: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has been adopted as the standard of care for inoperable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with local control rates consistently >90%. However, data directly comparing the outcomes of SBRT with those of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (CONV) is lacking.Material and methods: Between 1990 and 2013, 497 patients (525 lesions) with early-stage NSCLC (T1-T2N0M0) were treated with CONV (n = 127) or SBRT (n = 398). In this retrospective analysis, five endpoints were compared, with and without adjusting for clinical and dosimetric factors. Competing risks analysis was performed to estimate and compare the cumulative incidence of local failure (LF), nodal failure (NF), distant failure (DF) and disease progression. Overall survival (OS) was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared by the Cox regression model. Propensity score (PS) matched analysis was performed based on seven patient and clinical variables: age, gender, Karnofs...
CONSTANT GLUCOSE (G) INFUSION (CGI) AND SERUM INSULIN (I) CHANGES IN SEQUENTIALLY STUDIED PRETERM INFANTS

Top of pageAbstract CGI as a stimulus in evaluating pancreatic β-cell responsiveness is considered superior to the bolus intravenous G tolerance test. This method was used to study the serum I changes in 14 pretenn infants at various stages of maturity and at different postnatal ages. G infusion rate was 9 mg/min/kg for 2 hrs. on day 1, and 6 mg/min/kg on days 7,14,21,28 and 35. Baseline G and I, half-hourly G, and hourly I levels were measured. CGI resulted in the following: on day 1, a steady state of G 30 mg% above baseline was achieved at 30 through 120 min. of the infusion. ΔI's (change in I from baseline) at 60 and 120 min. were 6.3 ± 2.6 μU/ml, p < .05 (M ± SEM), and 8.2 ± 2.2 μU/ml, p < .01, above a baseline of 7.3 ± 0.8 μU/ml. On days 7 and 14, G rose at 30 and 60 min. but fell at 90 and 120 min. I at 120 min. was significantly less (0.7 ± 0.7 μU/ml, p < .001) than the corresponding day 1 value. After 21 days, no significant increase in G was seen during the CGI. The ΔI's at 60 and 120 min. were significantly less than on day 1 (-1.2 ± 1.4, p < .02 and -3.2 ± 1.2 μU/ml, p < .02). The G and I changes seen in relation to postnatal age were independent of gestational age. These data indicate that G utilization by preterm infants is proportional to postnatal age and that the serum I changes during CGI are proportional to the G levels.
On the two-stage stochastic graph partitioning problem

In this paper we introduce the two-stage stochastic graph partitioning problem and present the stochastic mixed integer programming formulation for this problem with finite explicit scenarios. For solving this problem, we present an equivalent integer linear programming formulation where some binary variables are relaxed to continuous ones. Additionally, for some specific graphs, we present a more simplified linear programming formulation. All formulations are tested on randomly generated graphs with different densities and different numbers of scenarios.
The Concise Structuring of Geometric Data for Computer Aided Design

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the concise structuring of geometric data for computer aided design. A physical system is a collection of parts that occupy space and whose performance is a function of their spatial composition. Buildings, automobiles, ships, and aircraft are usually considered during design as physical systems while computers and electronic systems are usually not. The bottom level description of a physical system in a design information system (DIS) is a collection of elements. Each element consists of a set of attributes, including shape, cost, structure, and function. Millions of bytes are often required to hold such a description, which currently encourages use of some form of secondary memory. The definition of a physical system description of such a large size is a difficult and time consuming task. The standard procedure for building up a description in a DIS is to transfer part descriptions from disc or tape files comprising the parts catalog into the project file.
THE CENTER OF A TRANSFORMATION GROUP

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on central motion theorem and highlights the center of a transformation group. Birkhoff introduced his central motion concept while qualitatively classifying motions for differentiable dynamical systems on certain manifold regions. The notion has been extended to abstract dynamical systems and transformation groups. Nemytskii and Stepanov generalized the basic results to flows on compact metric carriers. Bhatia and Hajek extended the major results to flows on metric phase spaces which are either locally compact or complete. Gottschalk and Hedlund extended the entire theory to transformation groups with generative phase groups proving the central motion theorem for complete metric phase spaces. This chapter illustrates that the central motion theorem holds whenever the phase space is locally compact Hausdorff. The chapter gives a generalization of the central motion theorem. It also presents an example to show that this result is sharp.
Effects of squared-toe or perimeter-fit horseshoes on quality of movement and gait kinematics of the western pleasure horse

ABSTRACT Our objective was to evaluate gait quality and kinematics of the western pleasure horse shod with a squared-toe aluminum shoe (ST) in comparison with a perimeter-fit aluminum shoe (PF) on the thoracic digit. Nine Quarter horses were used in a repeated-measures study and randomly selected to be shod with either a ST or PF shoe for 6 wk and then reshod with the opposing treatment. Horses were videoed being ridden at the walk, jog, and lope 2 wk after each shoeing cycle. Evaluations of forelimb gait kinematics (stride length, metacarpophalangeal extension, humeroradial and carpal range of motion) were performed by EquineTec gait software analysis (Equine Tec Inc., Monroe, GA), and evaluation of quality of movement was conducted by 10 equine judging professionals. Quality of movement scores were not different (P > 0.45) for the walk, jog, or lope. Kinematic advantages of the PF treatment were revealed, including increased humeroradial extension (P
In Vitro Transcribed RNA-based Luciferase Reporter Assay to Study Translation Regulation in Poxvirus-infected Cells

Every poxvirus mRNA transcribed after viral DNA replication has an evolutionarily conserved, non-templated 5'-poly(A) leader in the 5'-UTR. To dissect the role of 5'-poly(A) leader in mRNA translation during poxvirus infection we developed an in vitro transcribed RNA-based luciferase reporter assay. This reporter assay comprises of four core steps: (1) PCR to amplify the DNA template for in vitro transcription; (2) in vitro transcription to generate mRNA using T7 RNA polymerase; (3) Transfection to introduce in vitro transcribed mRNA into cells; (4) Detection of luciferase activity as the indicator of translation. The RNA-based luciferase reporter assay described here circumvents issues of plasmid replication in poxvirus-infected cells and cryptic transcription from the plasmid. This protocol can be used to determine translation regulation by cis-elements in an mRNA including 5'-UTR and 3'-UTR in systems other than poxvirus-infected cells. Moreover, different modes of translation initiation like cap-dependent, cap-independent, re-initiation, and internal initiation can be investigated using this method.
Going Beyond Provenance: Explaining Query Answers with Pattern-based Counterbalances

Provenance and intervention-based techniques have been used to explain surprisingly high or low outcomes of aggregation queries. However, such techniques may miss interesting explanations emerging from data that is not in the provenance. For instance, an unusually low number of publications of a prolific researcher in a certain venue and year can be explained by an increased number of publications in another venue in the same year. We present a novel approach for explaining outliers in aggregation queries through counter- balancing. That is, explanations are outliers in the opposite direction of the outlier of interest. Outliers are defined w.r.t. patterns that hold over the data in aggregate. We present efficient methods for mining such aggregate regression pat- terns (ARPs), discuss how to use ARPs to generate and rank explanations, and experimentally demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our approach.
Comparing Groups: Statistical Tests

In Chap. 5 we saw how to break out data by groups and inspect it with tables and charts. In this chapter we continue our discussion and address the question, “It looks different, but is it really different?” This involves our first inferential statistical procedures: chi-square, t-tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). In the final section, we introduce a Bayesian approach to compare groups.
Drag-Enhancing Deorbit Devices for Mid-Sized Spacecraft Self-Disposal

The benefits and uses of drag devices for self-disposal of mid-sized spacecraft (~400 kg) in low Earth orbit are analyzed in this paper. Our analysis suggest that drag devices are well suited for small as well as for mid-sized spacecraft. The suitability and feasibility of drag devices for small spacecraft (<50 kg) is already well established. However, the use of drag devices for mid-sized spacecraft has not yet received the same level of attention. Here we show that for mid-sized spacecraft only moderate increases in cross-sectional areas, in the order of ten square meters, are required to reduce the orbital lifetime below the prescribed 25-year limit. Drag devices with such areas have been demonstrated, albeit not on mid-size spacecraft. Furthermore, these devices would offer attractive options to either offset fuel reserved for deorbit operations, or to extend mission life. In addition to the potential fuel-mass savings, drag devices can also offer other system-level advantages which we articulate. In order to advance the technology readiness level for use on mid-size spacecraft, we offer a conceptual design of a modular drag device integrated on a mid-size spacecraft. We chose an existing spacecraft (NASA's EO-1), whose operators were faced with the difficult decision to deorbit with remaining fuel on-board or extend mission life. We posit, and demonstrate with a realistic conceptual design, that a modular drag device could have allowed the desired life extension and enabled self-disposal.
God and Man at Yali College: the short, troubled history of an American College in China

Yali College, a four-year institution operating under the aegis of Yale University, offered a US-style undergraduate education in China’s Hunan province from 1914 to 1927. It developed a robust cur...
Prospective clinical trial examining the impact of genetic variation in FADS1 on the metabolism of linoleic acid- and ɣ-linolenic acid-containing botanical oils.

Background Unexplained heterogeneity in clinical trials has resulted in questions regarding the effectiveness of ɣ-linolenic acid (GLA)-containing botanical oil supplements. This heterogeneity may be explained by genetic variation within the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster that is associated with circulating and tissue concentrations of arachidonic acid (ARA) and dihomo-ɣ-linolenic acid (DGLA), both of which may be synthesized from GLA and result in proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory metabolites, respectively. Objectives The objective of this study was to prospectively compare the capacity of a non-Hispanic white cohort, stratified by FADS genotype at the key single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs174537, to metabolize 18-carbon omega-6 (n-6) PUFAs in borage oil (BO) and soybean oil (SO) to GLA, DGLA, and ARA. Methods Healthy adults (n = 64) participated in a randomized, double-blind, crossover intervention. Individuals received encapsulated BO (Borago officinalis L.; 37% LA and 23% GLA) or SO [Glycine max (L.) Merr.; 50% LA and 0% GLA] for 4 wk, followed by an 8-wk washout period, before consuming the opposite oil for 4 wk. Serum lipids and markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein) were assessed for both oil types at baseline and during weeks 2 and 4 of the intervention. Results SO supplementation failed to alter circulating concentrations of any n-6 long-chain PUFAs. In contrast, a modest daily dose of BO elevated serum concentrations of GLA and DGLA in an rs174537 genotype-dependent manner. In particular, DGLA increased by 57% (95% CI: 0.38, 0.79) in GG genotype individuals, but by 141% (95% CI: 1.03, 2.85) in TT individuals. For ARA, baseline concentrations varied substantially by genotype and increased modestly with BO supplementation, suggesting a key role for FADS variation in the balance of DGLA and ARA. Conclusions The results of this study clearly suggest that personalized and population-based approaches considering FADS genetic variation may be necessary to optimize the design of future clinical studies with GLA-containing oils. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02337231.
Editorial: Introducing Incoming Editor-in-Chief, Richard S. Balkin

The International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling has been in publication since 1978. Incoming Editor-in-Chief, Richard S. Balkin, Ph.D., LPC, NCC is introduced. The editorial covers an explanation of standards and growth for the journal, including expectations in terms of publication content, scope of articles, and goals for increasing journal impact.
Learning Context-Aware Policies from Multiple Smart Homes via Federated Multi-Task Learning

Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices deployed in smart homes expose users to cyber threats that can cause privacy leakage (e.g., smart TV eavesdropping) or physical hazards (e.g., smart stove causing fire). Prior work has argued that to effectively detect and prevent such threats, contextual policies are needed to decide if an access to an IoT device should be allowed. Today, however, such contextual access control policies need to be manually generated by IoT developers or users via preinstallation or runtime prompts. Both approaches suffer from potential misconfigurations and often fail to provide coverage over the space of policies. In this paper, our goal is to build a machine learning framework to automatically learn the contextual access control policies from the observed behavioral patterns of users in smart homes. Designing such a learning framework is challenging on two fronts. First, the accuracy is constrained by insufficient data in some smart homes and the diversity of IoT access patterns across different smart homes. Second, since we rely on usage patterns of IoT devices, users will have privacy concerns. We address these challenges in designing LoFTI, a federated multi-task learning framework that learns customized context-aware policies from multiple smart homes in a privacy-preserving manner. Based on prior user studies, we identify six general types of features to capture contextual access patterns. We build a simple machine learning model with temporal structure to achieve a good trade-off between accuracy and communication/computation cost. We design a custom data augmentation mechanism to address the issue of unbalanced data in learning (i.e., few negative vs. normal samples). We show that LoFTI can achieve low false positives/false negatives, reducing the false negative rate by 24.2% and false positive rate by 49.5%, comparing with the state-of-the-art single-home learning and all-home learning mechanism.
Development of Machine Learning Algorithms to Predict Patient Dissatisfaction After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background Postoperative dissatisfaction after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) that requires additional care or readmission may impose a significant financial burden to healthcare systems. The purpose of the current study is to develop machine learning algorithms to predict dissatisfaction after TKA. Methods A retrospective review of consecutive TKA patients between 2014 and 2016 from 1 large academic and 2 community hospitals was performed. Preoperative variables considered for prediction included demographics, medical history, flexion contracture, knee flexion, and outcome scores (patient-reported health state, Knee Society Score [KSS], and KSS-Function [KSS-F]). Recursive feature elimination was used to select features that optimized algorithm performance. Five supervised machine learning algorithms were developed by training with 10-fold cross-validation 3 times. These algorithms were subsequently applied to an independent testing set of patients and assessed by discrimination, calibration, Brier score, and decision curve analysis. Results Of 430 patients, a total of 40 (9.0%) were dissatisfied with their outcome after primary TKA at a minimum of 2 years postoperatively. The random forest algorithm achieved the best performance in the independent testing set not used for algorithm development (c-statistic: 0.77, calibration intercept: 0.087, calibration slope: 0.74, Brier score: 0.082). The most important factors for predicting dissatisfaction were age, number of medical comorbidities, presence of one or more drug allergies, preoperative patient-reported health state score, and preoperative KSS. Conclusion The current study developed machine learning algorithms based on partially modifiable risk factors for predicting dissatisfaction after TKA. This model demonstrates good discriminative capacity for identifying those at greatest risk for dissatisfaction and may allow for preoperative health optimization.
Legacy effects on sediments in river corridors

Abstract Legacy effects on river sediments are those which alter the location and volume of sediments and/or presence of contaminants within the sediments as a result of human activities. This review broadens the typical definition of legacy sediments and discusses human activities that create legacy effects on sediments in terms of three categories: activities that reduce sedimentation within river corridors — defined as channels, floodplains and riparian zones, and hyporheic zones; activities that enhance sedimentation in river corridors; and activities that contaminate river sediments with diverse pollutants. People reduce sedimentation within river corridors via three basic mechanisms: reducing sediment supply to the river corridor through changes in land cover or by trapping and storing sediment within the river corridor; increasing the ability of a river to transport sediments downstream by either increasing water supply to the channel or reducing physical channel complexities that promote flow separation, hydraulic resistance, and sedimentation; and disconnecting channels from floodplains, which are typically sediment storage zones and sediment sources for the channel. Conversely, enhanced sedimentation within river corridors results from increased sediment supply from uplands or upstream river segments and from decreased ability of a river to transport sediments downstream. Contamination of river sediments can result from nearly every conceivable human activity within a drainage basin (e.g., deforestation, agriculture, urbanization, industrial facilities, wastewater treatment). Contaminants can also enter a drainage basin from sources outside the basin boundaries because of contaminant transport within the tissues of migratory animals and via atmospheric deposition. Because many contaminants travel adsorbed to sediments, these pollutants can be concentrated within river corridors by activities that enhance sediment deposition. Legacy effects on sediments are now ubiquitous and abundant within river corridors around the world and can continue to alter river form and function long after cessation of the human activity that created the legacy. River management must be informed by accurate knowledge of the distribution and characteristic of legacy effects on sediments and geoscientists can contribute specialized knowledge to understanding and managing these sediments.
Mediation in International Conflicts

Scholars of international conflict mediation have made strides in the last two decades in understanding when mediation occurs and when it is successful. The rationalist framework has allowed theorists to sharpen and expand on early insights, and research using quantitative methods continues to be an important part of the field. Gaining a sense of when disputants might use mediation disingenuously and expanding the scope and comparability of data sets on mediation will push both the study and practice of mediation onto useful new ground. Keywords: mediation; conflict resolution; peacemaking; negotiation; diplomacy; international conflict; intrastate conflict; peace processes
Review of Video Game Spaces: Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Game Worlds

A book review of Michael Nitsche's Video Game Space: Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Game Worlds .
Intelligent Agent Technologies: The Work Horse of ERP E-Commerce

Agents are the new defacto standard for inclusion in modules of today’s software systems such as ERP systems, mobile applications and operating systems. Agents are an integral part of today’s software design. The question is how do intelligent agents work in the specific area of ERP credit card processing e-commerce models? To answer this question, a specific area of ERP systems will be analyzed: credit card processing for merchants. One specific merchant credit card processor will be specifically investigated: EVO Merchants. This paper will research how exactly does ERP systems interact using Application Programing Interface or “API” specified by a credit card clearing house. Secure Socket Layers or SSL, and XML are discussed and elaborated on specifically how intelligent agents play such a pivotal role in ERP e-commerce systems for credit card processing.
Mars meter-scale roughness: Goldstone Solar System Radar delay-Doppler database

The entire fourteen-year database of Goldstone Solar System Radar Mars near-nadir radar scattering model fits is being revised using the latest topography from the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument. The improved radar dataset will better serve the Mars exploration community for landing site selection and characterization.
Comparison of breast specific gamma imaging and molecular breast tomosynthesis in breast cancer detection: Evaluation in phantoms.

Purpose: Breast specific gamma imaging or molecular breast imaging (BSGI) obtains 2D images of 99mTc sestamibi distribution in the breast. Molecular breast tomosynthesis (MBT) maps the tracer distribution in 3D by acquiring multiple projections over a limited angular range. Here, the authors compare the performance of the two technologies in terms of spatial resolution, lesion contrast, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in phantom studies under conditions of clinically relevant sestamibi dose and imaging time. Methods: The systems tested were a Dilon 6800 and a MBT prototype developed at the University of Virginia. Both systems comprise a pixelated sodium iodide scintillator, an array of position sensitive photomultipliers, and a parallel hole collimator. The active areas and energy resolution of the systems are similar. System sensitivity, spatial resolution, lesion contrast, and CNR were measured using a Petri dish, a point source phantom, and a breast phantom containing simulated lesions at two depths, respectively. A single BSGI projection was acquired. Five MBT projections were acquired over ±20°. For both modalities, the total scan count density was comparable to that observed for each in typical 10 min human scans following injection of 22 mCi (814 MBq) of 99mTc-sestamibi. To assess the impact of reducing the tracer dose, the pixel counts of projection images were later binomially subsampled by a factor of 2 to give images corresponding to an injected activity of approximately 11 mCi (407 MBq). Both unprocessed (pixelated) BSGI projections and interpolated (smoothed) BSGI images displayed by default on the Dilon 6800 workstation were analyzed. Volumetric images were reconstructed from the MBT projections using a maximum likelihood expectation maximization algorithm and extracted slices were analyzed. Results: Over a depth range of 1.5–7.5 cm, BSGI spatial resolution was 5.6–11.5 mm in unprocessed projections and 5.7–12.0 mm in interpolated images. Over the same range, the in-slice MBT spatial resolution was 6.7–9.4 mm. Lesion contrast was significantly improved with MBT relative to BSGI for five out of eight lesions imaged at either the 22 mCi or the 11 mCi dose level (p < 0.05). At both dose levels, significant improvements in CNR with MBT were also found for five out of eight lesions (9.8, 7.8, 6.2 mm lesions at water depth of 1.7 cm and 9.8, 7.8 mm lesions at water depth of 4.5 cm, p < 0.05). The 6.2 and 4.9 mm lesions located at 4.5 cm below the water surface were not visible in either modality at either activity level. Conclusions: Under conditions of equal dose, imaging time and similar detectors, compared to BSGI, MBT provided higher lesion contrast, higher CNR, and spatial resolution that was less depth dependent.
TRANSINTESTINAL ACETATE TRANSPORT IN A HERBIVOROUS TELEOST: ANION EXCHANGE AT THE BASOLATERAL MEMBRANE

Purified basolateral membrane vesicles were prepared from the intestinal epithelium of the tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus, a herbivorous teleost. Characteristics of volatile fatty acid (VFA) transport were investigated using [3H]acetate as a representative anion. No significant change in [3H]acetate influx was observed in the presence of a cation gradient (K+ or Na+) compared to the influx observed in the absence of a cation gradient, indicating the lack of cation-dependent coupling for acetate transport. The time course of [3H]acetate uptake into vesicles preloaded with acetate or bicarbonate was enhanced compared to [3H]acetate uptake into vesicles preloaded with gluconate. A series of trans-stimulation and cis-inhibition studies involving both organic and inorganic anions indicated the presence of a highly specific anion-exchange carrier which readily exchanged [3H]acetate with the volatile fatty acids (formate, acetate, propionate and butyrate) and bicarbonate. Kinetic analysis of [3H]acetate influx as a function of external acetate concentration yielded a biphasic uptake curve which was interpreted as carrier-mediated transfer (Jmax=21.77±2.05 nmol mg−1 protein 10s−1; Km=12.70±2.95 mmoll−1) plus apparent diffusion (P=0.17±0.02 nmol mg−1 protein 10s−1 mmoll−1 acetate). [3H]Acetate uptake was also a hyperbolic function of internal bicarbonate concentration, displaying a relatively low HCO3− half-saturation constant (Km=0.41 mmoll−1). Intact intestinal sheets mounted in Ussing chambers demonstrated net absorptive fluxes of [3H]acetate when serosal acetate concentration was maintained at 1.0 mmoll−1 and the mucosal acetate concentration was varied from 1.32 to 10.0 mmoll−1. At mucosal acetate concentrations lower than 1.32 mmoll−1, a net secretion of VFAs was observed. Transepithelial transport of [3H]acetate was significantly inhibited by the presence of acetazolamide. A transintestinal transport model for volatile fatty acids is proposed in which specific anion antiporters, located on the brush-border and basolateral poles of the cell, exchange luminal VFAs for serosal and intracellular bicarbonate, resulting in net transepithelial uptake of VFAs. This process is driven by a downhill lumen-to-blood VFA concentration gradient and the intracellular generation of bicarbonate by carbonic anhydrase.
The reactions of imidogen with nitric oxide and molecular oxygen

Using potential energy surface information from BAC-MP4 calculations and statistical-dynamical methods, we have calculated the branching fraction for the NH + NO reaction, NH + NO {r arrow} N{sub 2} + H (1) NH + NO {r arrow} N{sub 2}O + H (2). We find that reaction (2) dominates over the entire temperature range considered, 300 K < T < 3500 K, with f=k{sub 1}/(k{sub 1} + K{sub 2}) varying from about 0.07 at room temperature to about 0.20 at 3500 K. In addition, we have calculated rate coefficients for the two-channel process, NH + O{sub 2} {r arrow} HNO + O (3) NH + O{sub 2} {r arrow} NO + OH (4). In this case we find that reaction (4) dominates at low temperature, reaction (3) at high temperature. All these results are discussed in terms of the experimental results available and compared with previous theoretical investigations where appropriate. 21 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.