cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differentiability of Inverse Operators and Limit Theorems for Inverse Functions

Let H be a map from a set S⊂R d to R d . For teR d let δ H (t) denote the distance from t to the set H(S). Consider sequences {s n} n≥1 in S such that $$|t - H(s_n )| \to \delta _H (t),{\text{ }}n \to \infty$$ . Any limit point of any such sequence (finite or infinite) is considered as a possible value of the “inverse” H −1(t). Any map $$t \mapsto H^{ - 1} (t)$$ defined in such a way will be called an SC-inverse (a selected closest inverse) to H. In the paper we study differentiability of the nonlinear operator $$H \mapsto H^{ - 1} $$ at H=G, where G is a one-to-one map from S onto a set T⊂R d with good analytic properties (specifically, a diffeomorphism). We establish compact differentiability of this operator tangentially to continuous functions and introduce a family of norms such that it is Frechet differentiable with respect to them. We also obtain optimal bounds for the remainder of the differentiation, extending to the multivariate case recent results of Dudley. These differentiability results are applied to random maps $$G_n :S \mapsto R^d$$ , which could be statistical estimators of an unknown map G. For a function J on R d , let (J) T be its restriction to T. It is shown that for a diffeomorphism G and for an increasing sequence of positive numbers {a n } n≥1 weak convergence of the sequence {a n (G n − G)} n≥1 (locally in S) is equivalent to weak convergence of the sequence $$\left\{ {a_n (G_n - G)} \right\}_{n \geqslant 1}$$ (locally in T) along with the convergence of the sequence $$\left\{ {a_n ((G_n^{ - 1} )_T^{ - 1} - G_n )} \right\}_{n \geqslant 1}$$ to 0 in probability (locally uniformly in S). The equivalence holds for all SC-inverses $$G_n^{ - 1}$$ and all double SC-inverses $$(G_n^{ - 1} )_T^{ - 1}$$ and it extends to the multivariate case a theorem of Vervaat. Moreover, each of these equivalent statements implies a kind of Taylor expansion of the SC-inverse $$G_n^{ - 1}$$ at G (locally uniformly in T) $$G_n^{ - 1} = G^{ - 1} - {\text{inv(}}G\prime \circ G^{ - 1} )(G_n - G) \circ G^{ - 1} + o_P (a_n^{ - 1} ){\text{ as }}n \to \infty $$ where inv(A) denotes the inverse of a nonsingular linear transformation A in R d . Such limit theorems for functional “inverses” can be used to study asymptotic behavior of statistical estimators defined implicitly (as solutions of equations involving the empirical distribution P n ). We show how to apply this approach to get asymptotic normality of M-estimators in the multivariate case under minimal assumptions. We consider an extension of the quantile function to the multivariate case related to M-parameters of a distribution P in R d (an M-quantile function)and use limit theorems for functional “inverses” to study limit behavior of the empirical M-quantile process. We also show how to use these theorems to study asymptotics of regression quantiles.
Cigarette, smokeless tobacco, and alcohol use among transgender adults in the United States.

Abstract Background Research suggests that sexual minority adults face disparate risks for poor health outcomes. However, prior research on transgender populations has been limited by small and nonprobability samples and has potentially masked important differences between transgender subgroups. We examined disparities in cigarette, smokeless tobacco, and alcohol consumption by transgender and cisgender adults. Methods 2014–2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data were used. Multivariable logistic regressions examined differences in cigarette, smokeless tobacco, and alcohol use between cisgender adults and transgender sub-identities: male to female (MTF), female to male (FTM), and gender nonconforming. Results Cigarette and smokeless tobacco use were higher among transgender adults. The gender nonconforming subgroup reported more binge and heavy drinking. In a multivariable logistic analysis, higher odds of smokeless tobacco use were found for all transgender sub-identities compared to cisgender females. The gender nonconforming group had higher odds of heavy drinking (AOR = 2.09, 95% CI 1.14–3.82) and binge drinking (AOR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.25–3.02) compared to cisgender females. The MTF subcategory was more likely to binge drink (AOR = 1.88, 95% CI 1.44–2.46) compared to cisgender females. The FTM subcategory had lower odds of binge drinking (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.33-0.73) compared to cisgender males. Conclusions Significant heterogeneity in smokeless tobacco and alcohol use were found among transgender subgroups, particularly when compared to cisgender females. Our findings demonstrate that it is important to consider sub-identities in both the transgender population and in the reference cisgender population.
Automated Drug Suggestion Using Machine Learning

The growing healthcare industry generates a large amount of data on patient health conditions, demographic plans, and drugs required for such conditions. These attract the attention of the medical professionals and the data scientists alike. In this paper, we propose a drug recommendation assistant built using machine learning techniques and natural language processing, which draws its accuracy from several major datasets. The proposed system makes it possible to manifest the contrasting effects, reviews, ratings, and then recommend the most “effective” drug for a given individual. The results of the predictive analysis were that from 2005–2015, between the ages 55 and 80, the death rates of the top deadliest diseases in the U.S. all increased drastically. Based on the current trends, with some level of accuracy, it is possible to predict the next top five medical conditions (Birth Control, Depression, Pain, Anxiety, Acne) which will be prevalent in the near future and the top five drugs for used to treat them.
The Spanish cut: tailoring men’s fashion and national identity in nineteenth-century Spain

This essay shows that middle-class men engaged with fashion often and openly in nineteenth-century Spain. Through a survey of previously unstudied archival materials, it also recasts Spanish men’s ...
Design and FPGA Implementation of an Adaptive video Subsampling Algorithm for Energy-Efficient Single Object Tracking

Image sensors with programmable region-of-interest (ROI) readout are a new sensing technology important for energyefficient embedded computer vision. In particular, ROIs can subsample the number of pixels being readout while performing single object tracking in a video. In this paper, we develop adaptive sampling algorithms which perform joint object tracking and predictive video subsampling. We utilize an object detection consisting of either mean shift tracking or a neural network, coupled with a Kalman filter for prediction. We show that our algorithms achieve mean average precision of 0.70 or higher on a dataset of 20 videos in software. Further, we implement hardware acceleration of mean shift tracking with Kalman filter adaptive subsampling on an FPGA. Hardware results show a 23 × improvement in clock cycles and latency as compared to baseline methods and achieves 38FPS real-time performance. This research points to a new domain of hardware-software co-design for adaptive video subsampling in embedded computer vision.
Single-cell RNA-seq analysis of human coronary arteries using an enhanced workflow reveals SMC transitions and candidate drug targets

Abstract Background and Aims The atherosclerotic plaque microenvironment is highly complex, and selective agents that modulate plaque stability or other plaque phenotypes are not yet available. We sought to investigate the human atherosclerotic cellular environment using scRNA-seq to uncover potential therapeutic approaches. We aimed to make our workflow user-friendly, reproducible, and applicable to other disease-specific scRNA-seq datasets. Methods Here we incorporate automated cell labeling, pseudotemporal ordering, ligand-receptor evaluation, and drug-gene interaction analysis into an enhanced and reproducible scRNA-seq analysis workflow. Notably, we also developed an R Shiny based interactive web application to enable further exploration and analysis of the scRNA dataset. Results We applied this analysis workflow to a human coronary artery scRNA dataset and revealed distinct derivations of chondrocyte-like and fibroblast-like cells from smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and show the key changes in gene expression along their de-differentiation path. We highlighted several key ligand-receptor interactions within the atherosclerotic environment through functional expression profiling and revealed several attractive avenues for future pharmacological repurposing in precision medicine. Further, our interactive web application, PlaqView (www.plaqview.com), allows other researchers to easily explore this dataset and benchmark applicable scRNA-seq analysis tools without prior coding knowledge. Conclusions These results suggest novel effects of chemotherapeutics on the atherosclerotic cellular environment and provide future avenues of studies in precision medicine. This publicly available workflow will also allow for more systematic and user-friendly analysis of scRNA datasets in other disease and developmental systems. PlaqView allows for rapid visualization and analysis of atherosclerosis scRNA-seq datasets without the need of prior coding experience. Future releases of PlaqView will feature additional larger scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq atherosclerosis-related datasets, thus providing a critical resource for the field by promoting data harmonization and biological interpretation.
Patient and provider perceptions of a novel cognitive functioning report for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a qualitative study.

Objective To determine whether and how cognitive assessment data should be included in a report for patients with SLE and their providers. Methods Leveraging experiences from prior studies, we created a cognitive report that included a hypothetical patient's results on tests of multiple domains based on the NIH Toolbox Fluid Cognition Battery. In focus groups that comprised patients with SLE (two groups) and their providers (two groups), feedback was sought on the presentation of results as well as the potential value of the report in the clinical setting. Results Feedback regarding the presentation of the report was generally positive. Both patients with SLE and their providers liked its simple graphics and use of a colour-gradated scale to indicate performance. However, both groups stressed the importance of using non-stigmatising language in describing results. Several potential purposes of the report, including distinguishing cognitive versus other issues, explaining cognitive challenges, improving patient-provider interactions, guiding decision-making, improving functioning or preventing impairment and tracking cognitive function over time, were noted by the participants. Potential barriers, such as inadequate clinical staffing or time and lack of potential treatments for identified issues, were also discussed. Conclusion In this exploratory study, we found that both patients with SLE and their providers were receptive to the idea of a patient-friendly report of cognitive test results. This study provides important information to guide future pragmatic research to optimise the delivery of cognitive information to patients with SLE.
Pregnancy and Lactation Alter Vitamin A Metabolism and Kinetics in Rats under Vitamin A-Adequate Dietary Conditions

Background: Vitamin A (VA) plays critical roles in prenatal and postnatal development; however, limited information is available regarding maternal VA metabolism during pregnancy and lactation. Objectives: We investigated the impact of pregnancy and lactation on VA metabolism and kinetics in rats, hypothesizing that changes in physiological status would naturally perturb whole-body VA kinetics. Methods: Eight-week old female rats (n = 10) fed an AIN-93G diet received an oral tracer dose of 3H-labeled retinol to initiate the kinetic study. On d 21 after dosing, six female rats were mated. Serial blood samples were collected from each female rat at selected times after dose administration until d 14 of lactation. Model-based compartmental analysis was applied to the plasma tracer data to develop VA kinetic models. Results: Our compartmental model revealed that pregnancy resulted in a gradual increase in hepatic VA mobilization, presumably to support different stages of fetal development. Additionally, the model indicates that during lactation, VA derived from dietary intake was the primary source of VA delivered to the mammary gland for milk VA secretion. Conclusion: During pregnancy and lactation in rats with an adequate VA intake and previous VA storage, the internal redistribution of VA and increased uptake from diet supported the maintenance of VA homeostasis.
Can Hyperloops Substitute High Speed Rails in the Future

While the existing literature has focused on the impact of High Speed Rails (HSR) on the airline industry, we believe that this research is the first to examine the substitutability of HSR with Hyperloop services from an operational point of view. A simulation model is developed to compare the performance of both these alternate transportation modes for a network of three major cities in Europe (Amsterdam, Paris, and Frankfurt). Our results indicate that with a significantly lower pod capacity, the Hyperloop system will still be able to serve more customers compared to the HSR services, while the vehicle utilization is observed to be higher in the latter alternative for a given period of time. In addition, sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the impact of variation in capsule capacity, number of pods in the system, and commuter variability. We further compare the two transportation modes with respect to their estimated infrastructure and operational costs as well as CO2 emission. Finally, a cost-benefit analysis is conducted to estimate the passenger ticket price for Hyperloop services.
Real world outcomes related to providing an annual supply of short-acting hormonal contraceptives.

Abstract Objective : To compare pregnancy rates among women provided a 12-month supply or less than a 12-month supply of short-acting hormonal contraceptives. Study Design : This retrospective cohort study examined data from an integrated health plan in California, collected about people aged 10 to 50 years, who filled at least one contraceptive prescription between January 2017 and September 2018. We examined outcomes following index contraceptive prescriptions for up to 15 months, end of membership, initiation of a long-acting contraceptive, or death, whichever occurred first. We compared rates per 100 person years of observation of: pregnancy, receipt of emergency contraception (EC), and contraceptive refills more than 12 months after the index prescription. We used multivariable logistic regression to control for demographics and baseline clinical variables when comparing provision of a 12-month to a smaller supply. Results : We identified 1,689 members who received a 12-month supply of short-acting hormonal contraception and 352,624 women who received less than a 12-month supply. Those who received a 12-month supply were less likely to receive EC (1.3 vs. 2.1 per 100 person years, p=0.04) or have documentation of pregnancy (1.7 vs. 2.7 per 100 person-years, p=0.02), and more likely to refill the contraceptive more than one year after the index prescription (99.4% vs 63.9%, p Conclusion : Members of an integrated healthcare system who received a 12-month supply of short-acting hormonal contraceptives are less likely to become pregnant within the following year. Implications : Offering a 12-month supply of short-acting hormonal contraceptives may reduce rates of undesired pregnancy.
Mass Spectrometry of Chlorinated Polycyclic Hydrocarbon Pesticides

Organochlorine pesticides and their biodegradation and photodegradation products as environmental and food contaminants have been extensively reviewed.(1–3) They were observed in water,(2) food,(3) sediment,(4) and fatty tissues.(5)
Millenial Messages for QCD from the Superworld and from the String

Supersymmetric gauge theories have had a significant impact on our understanding of QCD and of field theory in general. The phases of N=1 supersymmetric QCD (SQCD) are discussed, and the possibility of similar phases in non-supersymmetric QCD is emphasized. It is described how duality in SQCD links many previously known duality transformations that were thought to be distinct, including Olive-Montonen duality of N=4 supersymmetric gauge theory and quark-hadron duality in (S)QCD. A connection between Olive-Montonen duality and the confining strings of Yang-Mills theory is explained, in which a picture of confinement via non-abelian monopole condensation -- a generalized dual Meissner effect -- emerges explicitly. Similarities between supersymmetric and ordinary QCD are discussed, as is a non-supersymmetric QCD-like ``orbifold'' of N=1 Yang-Mills theory. I briefly discuss the recent discovery that gauge theories and string theories are more deeply connected than ever previously realized. Specific questions for lattice gauge theorists to consider are raised in the context of the first two topics. (Published in ``At the Frontier of Particle Physics: Handbook of QCD'', M. Shifman, editor)
I/O-Efficient Structures for Orthogonal Range-Max and Stabbing-Max Queries

We develop several linear or near-linear space and I/O-efficient dynamic data structures for orthogonal range-max queries and stabbing-max queries. Given a set of N weighted points in ℝ d , the range-max problem asks for the maximum-weight point in a query hyper-rectangle. In the dual stabbing-max problem, we are given N weighted hyper-rectangles, and we wish to find the maximum-weight rectangle containing a query point. Our structures improve on previous structures in several important ways.
Drafting New York Civil-Litigation Documents: Part XXX — Subpoenas

This article, the 30th in a series on drafting civil-litigation papers in New York, discusses subpoenas ad testificandum, subpoenas duces tecum, and information subpoenas under the Civil Practice Law and Rules.
Principles of Measurement: Applications to Pressure, Volume, and Flow

The sections in this article are: 1 Preliminary Considerations 2 Loading 3 Instrument Response 4 Signal Processing 5 Interpretation of Measurements 5.1 Indirect Measurements (Inference) 5.2 Models 6 Noise 6.1 Intrinsic Noise 6.2 Extrinsic Noise 7 Calibration 7.1 Static Calibrations 7.2 Dynamic Calibrations 7.3 Additional Procedures for Specific Variables 8 Probes 9 Linear Versus Nonlinear Systems 10 Conclusion
Second row molecular orbital calculations. III. Semi-empirical calculations of geometries

Abstract The ability of four semi-empirical methods to predict geometries of molecules containing atoms in the second row of the periodic table is investigated for about 80 molecules. Non-empirical, minimal basis set calculations, with and without optimization of valence orbital exponents, are carried out for a number of diatomic molecules. While none of the methods are capable of predicting geometries with an accuracy comparable to the first row parametrization, the SPD' method of Santry and the related INDO method of Benson and Hudson appear to be the most consistent. The ab initio calculations do not suffer from the drawbacks exhibited by the latter two semi-empirical methods. From this it is concluded that the failure of such methods lies in the parametrization rather than in the use of a minimal basis set.
Gamma*Ndelta from factors from a relativistic dynamical model of pion electroproduction

We obtain the electromagnetic form factors of the {gamma}N{delta} transition by analyzing recent pion-electroproduction data using a fully relativistic dynamical model. Special care is taken to satisfy Ward-Takahashi identities for the Born term in the presence of form factors, thereby allowing the use of realistic electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon and pion. We parametrize the Q{sup 2} dependence of the bare {gamma}N{delta} form factors by a three-parameter form which is consistent with the asymptotic behavior inferred from QCD. The parameters of the bare {gamma}N{delta} form factors are the only free parameters of the model and are fitted to the differential cross-section and multipole-analysis data up to Q{sup 2}=4(GeV/c){sup 2} in the {delta}(1232)-resonance region. This analysis emphasizes the significance of the pion-cloud effects in the extraction of the resonance parameters.
A co-citation analysis of representative authors in philosophy: Examining the relationship between epistemologists and philosophers of science

The relation between philosophy of science and epistemology is studied using the author co-citation technique. Co-citation links among 62 authors — a representative list of various styles and approaches to rationality — were established using the Arts and Humanities Citation Index. Multidimensional scaling results in a two-dimensional map of authors, where the axes represent the subject (philosophy of science to epistemology) and the method (qualitative to quantitative), respectively. The authors on the map can be clustered into more or less coherent groups at different levels of resolution.
Managing acute renal failure in patients with acute decompensated heart failure: The cardiorenal syndrome

In patients with acute decompensated heart failure, worsening renal function during conventional decongestive therapy (cardiorenal syndrome) affects prognosis and the initiation of therapies with known benefit in chronic heart failure. Potential strategies for decongestion in patients who develop cardiorenal syndrome include invasive hemodynamic monitoring to guide therapy, use of continuous diuretic infusions, ultrafiltration, or novel therapy with adenosine or vasopressin receptor antagonists. Clinical trials by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Heart Failure Network are currently underway to validate such therapies in patients with acute decompensated heart failure with worsening renal function and to establish novel biomarkers for the early identification of patients who develop cardiorenal syndrome.
Sexy versus Strong: What Girls and Women Think of Female Athletes.

Abstract Little research has investigated girls' and college women's reactions to non-objectified media images of women, including those that depict women in instrumental activities like playing a sport. This study examined open-ended responses to images of performance athletes, sexualized athletes, and sexualized models. Participants were 258 adolescent girls (ages 13–18) and 171 college women (ages 18–22). Responses were coded for inductively-derived themes. After viewing performance athletes, participants made instrumental evaluations of the athletes and themselves. They also considered these athletes to be role models and remarked that they transgressed traditional gender stereotypes. In contrast after viewing sexualized athletes, girls and women made objectified appraisals of the athletes and themselves. They also levied critiques about women's status in society in response to sexualized athletes. Participants viewed these images in a similar manner as general sexualized images of women. Findings suggest the need for more performance imagery of female athletes in mainstream media.
Scale-Dependent Constraints on Food-Web Structure

For over a decade, ecologists have repeatedly asserted that community food webs possess fundamental properties that are roughly constant among webs with widely varying numbers of species. This assertion of "scale invariance" is reevaluated here among 60 food webs originally published in its support. This analysis contradicts the conventional view of scale invariance by demonstrating highly significant trends in six of eight properties investigated. As the size of food webs increases to 54 trophic species, the fraction of intermediate species, the links/species ratio, and the fraction of links between intermediate species also increase. Concurrently, the fractions of top species, basal species, and links between top and basal species decrease. Only one of these properties, the links/species ratio, is widely thought not to be scale invariant. These trends corroborate hypotheses of scale-dependent food-web structure that successfully predict properties of new, high-quality food webs containing many more than...
Translational research in psychiatry: pitfalls and opportunities for career development.

Translational research is at the forefront of contemporary biomedical science. As immense progress has been made in basic research, the challenge is now to translate fundamental discoveries from the arena of pure science to the reality of health care, leading to better preventive approaches, more refined and successful treatments, and improved health. The translational approach is self-evident in the field of oncology. One can study cancerous cells in cultures, use animal models that develop cancer spontaneously, induce cancer by chemicals or radiation, and transfer human tumors to animals. Using those models, the tools of molecular biology can contribute to elucidate the mechanisms of neoplastic transformation as well as local and distant tumor growth and suppression. Once fundamental mechanisms are better understood and new insights are gained into diagnosis and treatment, those can then be translated to clinical investigation.
A new clinical method to measure hepatic microcirculation.

Introduction The intraoperative measurement of the peripheral microperfusion after liver transplantation is connected with quite an effort and a continuous evaluation in the postoperative follow up is not possible till now. Patients and methods Before mobilization of the liver during surgical intervention the following parameters were measured on the surface of the right (segment 7/8) and the left (segment 2/3) liver lobe with a probe, combining laser-Doppler-flowmetry and tissue-spectrometry: the oxygen saturation (SO2), the relative capillary hemoglobin concentration (rHB), the blood flow (flow) and the blood flow velocity (velo). In addition the peripheral oxygen saturation (SPO2), the central venous pressure (ZVP), the positive end exspiratory pressure (PEEP) and the hemoglobin (HB) were documented. Results 9 patients (median age 75 years) were included in the study. SPO2, ZVP, PEEP and HB were regular. The parameters SO2, rHB, flow and velo showed no significant changes between the right and the left liver lobe. Conclusions The O2C-method allows a reproducible intraoperative evaluation of the hepatic microcirculation.
An amelogenin gene defect associated with human X-linked amelogenesis imperfecta

Summary Dental enamel is a product of ameloblast cells, which secrete a mineralizing organic matrix, composed primarily of amelogenin proteins. The amelogenins are thought to be crucial for development of normal, highly mineralized enamel. The X-chromosomal amelogenin gene is a candidate gene for those cases of amelogenesis imperfecta, resulting in defective enamel, in which inheritance is X-linked. In this report, a kindred is described that has a C to A mutation resulting in a pro to thr change in exon 6 of the X-chromosomal amelogenin gene in three affected individuals, a change not found in unaffected members of the kindred. The proline that is changed by the mutation is conserved in amelogenin genes from all species examined to date.
Growth of sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, larval and juvenile stages and their otoliths under quasi-steady temperature conditions

The relationship between somatic growth and growth of otoliths of sea bass larvae, postlarvae and juveniles under relatively steady temperature conditions was studied. Larvae were incubated at the constant ambient temperature of 13.5°C, whereas postlarvae and juveniles were reared at a comparatively steady temperature ranging from 18.6 to 20.4°C, with a mean of 19.67°C. The patterns of both somatic and otolith growth were found to be similar. Differentiated data on larvae length and otolith diameters indicated three periods of change in their growth rates. Since temperature was kept relatively steady during the experiment, and larvae fed ad libitum, these periods could be attributed with relative certainty to intrinsic changes which occur during stage-specific periods of growth. The third period of change in both growth rates indicates a specific phase of growth during metamorphosis. The changes in growth rates, as well as the raw time series of the growth of both larval lengths and otolith diameters, may be described by higher order polynomials with a high degree of probability levels. A non-linear relationship between body length and otolith diameters was established, indicating positive allometric growth of otoliths. It was also observed that the coefficient of allometric growth changed at the time estimated for the end of metamorphosis. Thus, a non-linear relationship and changes in the coefficients of allometry should be borne in mind when back-calculating somatic growth from the growth of otoliths.
A facile preparation of gem-difluorohomoallylic alcohols[1]

Abstract The reaction of 3-bromo-3,3-difluoropropene with zinc powder in THF at 0°C to room temperature in the presence of aldehydes and ketones provides a useful, easily scaled up route to gem-difluorohomoallylic alcohols. α,β-Unsaturated aldehydes and ketones give exclusively the 1,2-addition product. In all cases, only the α-gem-difluorohomoallyl regioisomer was observed.
Testing and analyses to investigate liner tearing of the 1:6-scale reinforced concrete containment building

Abstract The overpressurization of a 1:6- scale reinforced concrete containment building demonstrated that liner tearing is an important failure mode. A combined experimental and analytical program was developed to determine the important parameters that contribute to liner tearing. Three sets of test specimens were designed to investigate the mechanisms important in causing failure. The tests investigated effects produced by the anchorage system, loading conditions, and transition in thickness from the liner to insert plate. Before testing, the specimens were analyzed using two- and three-dimensional finite element models. Based on the analysis, the failure mode and load conditions were predicted. Test data and posttest examination show mixed agreement with the analytical predictions. Many similarities were observed between the response of the liner in the 1:6- scale reinforced concrete containment model and the response of the test specimens. This work illustrates that the failure mechanism can be greatly influenced by details of liner and anchorage system design. Furthermore, it significantly increases the understanding of containment building response under severe conditions.
Electronic spin-flipping collisions of hydrogen atoms

We present a unified multichannel approach to calculate electron spin-exchange and spin-flipping transition cross sections for collisions of H with H, H with T, and T with T. We use the theory to calculate the hyperfine quenching cross sections for collision energies that range from $1$ mK to thermal temperatures. We show that spin-flipping transitions are induced by the splitting of the $b {}^{3}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{u}$ Born-Oppenheimer potential via the long-range magnetic interactions among electrons. We find that the spin-flipping cross sections in the tritium dimer are about a magnitude larger than that predicted by mass scaling the H-H cross sections. For the former, we show that the spin-exchange cross sections are several magnitudes larger, at cold temperatures, than that of the hydrogen system. We compare the results of the multichannel approach with those obtained using approximate methods such as the degenerate internal-state, the elastic, and Born approximations and discuss their respective range of validity.
Diagnosis and management of primary pyogenic spinal infections in intravenous recreational drug users.

Object. Primary spine infection secondary to intravenous drug abuse (IVDA) is a difficult clinical entity encountered by spine surgeons and infectious disease specialists. Patients tend to be noncompliant with the treatment and follow-up, and some continue to use IV recreational drugs even after the diagnosis of spine infection. The authors undertook this study to analyze the presentation, etiology, demographic characteristics, treatment, and outcome of primary pyogenic spinal infection in patients with IVDA as the major risk factor. Methods. The medical records, radiology imaging, and laboratory results (white blood cell count, inflamma tory markers, bacteriology cultures) of all patients with pyogenic spine infection and history of IVDA presenting to a tertiary care center from August 2005 through December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. The department of neurosurgery database and the hospital electronic medical records of University Hospital in San Antonio were used to identify the cohort for our study. Results. A total of 164 patients with spinal infection were evaluated during the study period; 102 of these patients had a history of IVDA. Their average age was 45.4 years, and only 14 (13.7%) were women. The mean laboratory values at presentation included a white blood cell count of 11.1 × 10 3 cells/ml (range 0.5–32 × 10 3 cells/ml), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of 74 mm/hr (range 9.9–140 mm/hr), and C-reactive protein (CRP) level of 67 mg/L (range 0.1–327 mg/L). Twenty-six patients (25.4%) had an associated epidural abscess. The most common organism isolated from cultures of the bone and/or blood was methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), which was found in 37 cases. A close second was methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), found in 23 cases. The most commonly involved region was the lumbar spine (24 cases [57.8%]), and most patients (69.6%) had involvement of only a single level. Eighty patients were initially treated with long-term IV antibiotic therapy, and only 22 underwent surgical intervention (24 procedures). Of the latter group, 8 patients underwent laminectomy alone while 16 required some type of instrumented stabilization. Of the patients requiring stabilization procedures, 2 (12.5%) required reoperation with extension of their surgical constructs to other levels. The average follow-up was 29.7 weeks (range 6 weeks to 3 years). Conclusions. Diagnosis and management of spinal infection in patients with a history of IVDA is challenging. The data from this study show that initial laboratory values are difficult to interpret given that only a minority of these patients present with leukocytosis. Back pain was the only reliable predictor of spine infection. The authors’ experience indicates that the majority of patients with spine infection and a history of IVDA can be successfully treated with IV antibiotic therapy alone.
Developing Evaluation Methodologies for the Retreat Setting: A Case Study

The current study employed an instrument developed with content experts to evaluate a student retreat experience.
Queering the “Territorial Peace”? Queer Theory Conversing With Mainstream International Relations

With others in this forum, I see queer theorizing as having multiple logics—both within each approach to queer theorizing and across queer approaches (see Weber, this forum). In this view, queer is unsettleable, intersectional, uncaging, multiple (and multiplied), both/and (Weber 1999), and engaged in projects of (the productivity of) failure and maybe even destruction (Edelman 2004; Halberstam 2011). Many instantiations of queer might (appropriately) reject conversations with “mainstream” IR. I contend that queer theorizing can be fruitfully applied, not only as rejection and/or transformation, but in conversation with the research agendas of “mainstream” IR (Sjoberg 2012, 2013). Along these lines, this piece uses a brief example of engaging the logics of the materiality of sex in Judith Butler's (1993) Bodies That Matter with the “mainstream” IR research agenda addressing the “territorial peace” (Gibler 2007, 2012; Gibler and Tir 2010; Gibler and Braithwaite 2013). Rather than being representative or totalizing, this engagement is meant to pair one queer theory work with one IR research endeavor to suggest the potential productivity of such engagements. Gibler's (2007:509) work on the “territorial peace” is an intervention in the Democratic Peace literature that suggests “joint democracy is actually an instrumental variable that represents the absence of territorial issues in particular dyads, especially neighbors.” Gibler (2007:509) contends “democracy and peace might both be symptoms—not causes—of the removal of territorial issues between neighbors” (for example, Vasquez and Gibler 2001). Accordingly, Gibler (2007:516) argues that states with stable borders are more likely to become democracies, operationalizing border stability as a product of whether a part of a state's territory is at risk of capture by its neighbors (and whether that state has the military capability to defend against any territorial challenges, or pose a similar threat to its neighbors). Suggesting that “focal points” for coordination of boundaries in …
Prevalence of aortic root dilation in patients with CT angiography of the aorta.

PURPOSE To investigate the prevalence of aortic root dilation in patients who underwent CT angiography of the thoracic aorta. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 95 patients, 64-slice multislice computed tomography was performed for evaluation of the thoracic aorta. Measurements of the annulus, sinuses of valsalva (SOV), sinotubular junction (STJ), and maximum ascending aorta (AAo) were made by double oblique multiplanar reformation (MPR). For the AAo, STJ, and SOV, dilation was defined as greater than 40 mm; for annulus, the dilation criterion was greater than 27 mm. RESULTS Overall, 52 patients were diagnosed with a dilated AAo. Of those patients with dilated AAo, 28 patients had a dilated annulus, 27 patients had dilated SOV, and 11 patients had STJ dilation. Forty-three patients presented with normal AAo; 12 patients had annulus dilation; 12 patients had SOV dilation; and 4 patients had STJ dilation. In patients with dilated AAo, 38% also had a dilated annulus, 52% showed SOV dilation, and 21% presented with STJ dilation, compared to 28% annulus dilation, 28% SOV dilation, and 9% STJ dilation in patients with an AAo of normal caliber. CONCLUSION Our data indicate a higher prevalence of aortic root dilation among patients with dilated AAo.
Replication from oriP of Epstein-Barr virus requires exact spacing of two bound dimers of EBNA1 which bend DNA.

oriP is a 1.7-kb region of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) chromosome that supports replication and stable maintenance of plasmids in human cells that contain EBV-encoded protein EBNA1. Plasmids that depend on oriP are replicated once per cell cycle by cellular factors. The replicator of oriP is an ∼120-bp region called DS which depends on either of two pairs of closely spaced EBNA1 binding sites. Here we report that changing the distance between the EBNA1 sites of a functional pair by inserting or deleting 1 or 2 bp abolished replication activity. The results indicated that, while the distance separating the binding sites is critical, the specific nucleotide sequence between them is unlikely to be important. The use of electrophoretic mobility shift assays to investigate binding by EBNA1 to the sites with normal or altered spacing revealed that EBNA1 induces DNA to bend significantly when it binds, with the center of bending coinciding with the center of binding. EBNA1 binding to a functional pair of sites which are spaced 21 bp apart center to center and which thus are in helical phase induces a larger symmetrical bend, which based on electrophoretic mobility approximates the sum of two separate EBNA1-induced DNA bends. The results imply that replication from oriP requires a precise structure in which DNA forms a large bend around two EBNA1 dimers.
Analog VLSI-based modeling of the primate oculomotor system

One way to understand a neurobiological system is by building a simulacrum that replicates its behavior in real time using similar constraints. Analog very large-scale integrated (VLSI) electronic circuit technology provides such an enabling technology. We here describe a neuromorphic system that is part of a long-term effort to understand the primate oculomotor system. It requires both fast sensory processing and fast motor control to interact with the world. A one-dimensional hardware model of the primate eye has been built that simulates the physical dynamics of the biological system. It is driven by two different analog VLSI chips, one mimicking cortical visual processing for target selection and tracking and another modeling brain stem circuits that drive the eye muscles. Our oculomotor plant demonstrates both smooth pursuit movements, driven by a retinal velocity error signal, and saccadic eye movements, controlled by retinal position error, and can reproduce several behavioral, stimulation, lesion, and adaptation experiments performed on primates.
The role of interleukin-7 and interleukin-15 in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Elucidation of any mechanism underlying neoplastic proliferation is welcome news. The article by Qin et al was no exception.[1][1] The authors have clearly demonstrated, as well as confirmed,[2][2] that interleukin-7 (IL-7) and IL-15 regulate the expression of bcl-2 and c-myb genes in cutaneous T-
Prevention, by Ornithine, of Arginine-less Death of Human Cultured Cells

DELETION of any one of the amino-acids from the Eagle's basal medium prevents cell growth1 and may induce cell alterations. Cohen et al.2 observed the formation of large cored vacuoles in HeLa cells maintained in Eagle's basal medium minus valine, the disappearance of organelles, and later gross changes followed by death of the cells. Similarly, in the course of a study concerning the arginine requirement of adenovirus replication in KB cells3, we observed that non-infected control cells progressively degenerated in medium minus arginine. It has been shown4,5 that, among arginine analogues, citrulline can replace arginine in the growth medium of human cells, but that ornithine cannot. As non-utilization of ornithine might be due to insufficient permeability (for example, ornithine molecules might not fit the receptor site of the transport system6, etc.), we thought it might be possible to overcome this difficulty by increasing the concentration of ornithine in arginine-deleted medium. We have observed that the addition of comparatively large amounts of ornithine to the medium minus arginine results in prolonged survival of the cells without growth, and that the cells could resume growth when arginine was re-added to the medium.
Far Ultra-violet Spectra of Orion Stars

Far UV spectra of brighter stars in vicinity of epsilon Orionis photographed with objective spectrograph carried by rocket
Postprandial lipaemia, oxidative stress and endothelial function: A review

SUMMARY Aims: Postprandial lipaemia-induced endothelial dysfunction is felt to be mediated by increases in oxidative stress. In this review, we have examined the cross-sectional relationships found among these three variables. Methods: We found 20 studies conducted by 16 independent investigative teams through a Medline search from 1980 to 2008; studies were required to report correlations between at least two of the three variables of interest in studies of humans. This review is divided into (i) discussions on the biomarkers and other measures of postprandial lipaemia, oxidative stress and endothelial function; (ii) associations reported among the three variables; and (iii) other considerations including alternative intervention studies. Results: Triglycerides and free fatty acids are robust and well-standardised biomarkers of lipaemia. Measures of oxidative stress ranged from electron spin techniques to measures of lipid peroxidation and are limited by lack of standardisation. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation is the most commonly used measure of endothelial function. The associations between postprandial lipaemia and oxidative stress and between postprandial lipaemia and endothelial function are strong and consistent. However, the association between postprandial oxidative stress and endothelial function appears weak, at least using current approaches to measurement of oxidative stress. Discussion and Conclusions: These observations are consistent with the proposed concept that oxidative stress mediates the adverse effects of postprandial lipaemia on endothelial function; they are limited by the difficulties in measuring oxidative stress. Efforts directed at optimising and standardising the measurement of oxidative stress will be of value in future works in this area.
Low temperature studies on rechargeable lithium cells

Abstract Rechargeable lithium cells using intercalating cathodes of TiS 2 , a-MoS 3 , and mixed a-MoS 3 TiS 2 were studied at temperatures from 25 °C to −40 °C. On the basis of conductivity investigations, LiAsF 6 and LiAlCl 4 electrolytes were selected for use in a binary solvent containing 24.4 mass % 4-butyrol actone in 1,2-dimethoxyethane. The Li/TiS 2 and Li/a-MoS 3 TiS2 cells cycled well at 2 mA cm −2 down to −30 °C, but at 5 mA cm −2 at these very low temperatures, cell capacities were significantly lower. At room temperatures all cells performed slightly better in 1 mol dm −3 LiAsF 6 than in 0.8 mol dm −3 LiAlCl 4 in 24 mass % 4-BL/DME. However, at temperatures below −10 °C the latter electrolyte was found to be superior.
Regional brain glucose use in unstressed rats after two days of starvation.

Regional brain glucose use was measured in conscious, unrestrained, fed rats and after 2 days of starvation, using quantitative autoradiography and [6-14C]glucose. Plasma glucose, lactate, and ketone body concentrations and brain glucose and lactate content were measured in separate groups of rats. Glucose concentrations were lower in starved rats in both plasma and brain; plasma ketone body concentrations were elevated. Glucose use was found to be lower throughout the brain by about 12%. While some areas seemed to be affected more than others, statistical analysis showed that none were exceptionally different. The results could not be explained by increased loss of14C as lactate or pyruvate during the experimental period, because the arteriovenous differences of these species were insignificant. The calculated contribution by ketone bodies to the total energy consumption was between 3 and 9% for the brain as a whole in the starved rats and could, therefore, partially account for the depression seen in glucose use. It was concluded that glucose oxidation is slightly depressed throughout the brain after 2 days of starvation.
Another approach to the quintic spline

Abstract A set of end conditions for interpolatory quintic spline is derived by use of integration. These end conditions are only in terms of function values at the knots (data), and rise to O(h6) spline approximation.
Cell-Nonautonomous Function of Ceramidase in Photoreceptor Homeostasis

Neutral ceramidase, a key enzyme of sphingolipid metabolism, hydrolyzes ceramide to sphingosine. These sphingolipids are critical structural components of cell membranes and act as second messengers in diverse signal transduction cascades. Here, we have isolated and characterized functional null mutants of Drosophila ceramidase. We show that secreted ceramidase functions in a cell-nonautonomous manner to maintain photoreceptor homeostasis. In the absence of ceramidase, photoreceptors degenerate in a light-dependent manner, are defective in normal endocytic turnover of rhodopsin, and do not respond to light stimulus. Consistent with a cell-nonautonomous function, overexpression of ceramidase in tissues distant from photoreceptors suppresses photoreceptor degeneration in an arrestin mutant and facilitates membrane turnover in a rhodopsin null mutant. Furthermore, our results show that secreted ceramidase is internalized and localizes to endosomes. Our findings establish a role for a secreted sphingolipid enzyme in the regulation of photoreceptor structure and function.