cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical operations in academic emergency medicine

The operations of an emergency department are increasingly being recognized as vital to the provision of safe, efficient, quality care. The numerous and highly variable processes that characterize our system must be closely examined and investigated to identify those which are effective and those which are not. Original research in this field should be promoted and embraced by our society for both our patients and our profession. Effective operational processes should ultimately be seen as those which preserve and enhance the patient-physician relationship.
Responses of the ischemic acute renal failure kidney to additional ischemic events

To test whether the ischemic acute renal failure (IARF) kidney has increased susceptibility to additional ischemic events, IARF was induced in female Sprague-Dawley rats [40 min of bilateral renal artery occlusion (RAO)] and either 18 or 48 hr later, at the height of morphologic injury, they were rechallenged with either 25 or 40 min of RAO. Changes in renal function (GFR, blood flow), morphology, and adenine nucleotide (AN) concentrations in response to these second ischemic challenges were compared to those of normal kidneys subjected to a single ischemic event. In additional experiments, rates of recovery from IARF were compared between rats subjected to one or two bouts of RAO (40 min, 24 hr apart). IARF kidneys retained a significantly greater percent of their baseline GFR and had comparable or higher absolute GFRs after 25 or 40 min of RAO than control rats. IARF rats showed no significant exacerbation of their underlying morphologic injury by superimposing a second ischemic event. IARF kidneys (24 hr post RAO) had normal AN concentrations, and by 30 min of reflow from a second 40 min of RAO, they re-established their AN energy charge and retained AN pools as well as control kidneys. A second 40-min bout of RAO did not significantly prolong recovery rates from the first 40-min ischemic event. In additional experiments, intraperitoneal injection of normal urine or solute matched artificial urine (urea, creatinine, NaCl) into normal rats to mimic the degree of azotemia seen in the IARF rats induced significant and comparable protection against 40 min of RAO. We conclude that the IARF kidney, at or near the height of its functional and morphologic injury, does not have increased susceptibility to additional ischemic insults. Rather a modicum of protection appears to exist, possibly due to renal-failure-induced increments in solute loads per nephron.
ML-7, Chelerythrine and Phorbol Ester Increase Outflow Facility in the Monkey Eye

Abstract Baseline or post-drug outflow facility was measured by two-level constant pressure perfusion of the anterior chamber (AC). The AC of one eye of cynomolgus monkeys was exchanged with the myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) inhibitor ML-7, the protein kinase (PK) C inhibitor chelerythrine (CHEL), or the PKC activator phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), followed by continuous AC infusion of the drug. The opposite eye similarly received the corresponding vehicle solution. The facility-effectiveness of subthreshold doses of ML-7 or CHEL + a subthreshold dose of the serine-threonine kinase inhibitor H-7, and of facility-effective doses of CHEL + a subthreshold or effective dose of PMA, were also determined. In 45 min post-exchange perfusions, 100 and 500 μ M ML-7 increased outflow facility by 32 and 76%, while 100 and 500 μ M CHEL increased facility by 68 and 101%, respectively, adjusted for baseline and contralateral control eye resistance washout. In 90 min post-exchange perfusions, 100 μ M ML-7 or CHEL time-dependently increased outflow facility by 23, 49 and 69%, or by 44, 108 and 125% in the first, second and third 30 min periods, respectively. At 50 μ M , ML-7 was ineffective, but CHEL increased outflow facility by 36% in the third 30 min period. Ten μ M H-7 potentiated the outflow facility effect of 50 μ M ML-7 or 20 μ M CHEL by 36 and 28%, respectively, in the second 30 min period, and that of 50 μ M CHEL by 44% in the overall 60 min post-exchange perfusion, compared to the H-7 only-treated contralateral eye. Ten, 50 or 100 n M PMA dose-dependently increased outflow facility by 23, 62 or 174%. Ten n M PMA + 50 μ M CHEL did not induce any additional significant changes in outflow facility compared to 50 n M CHEL alone, while the effect of 50 n M PMA and 100 μ M CHEL together was 63% more than that of 100 μ M CHEL alone. In conclusion, ML-7/CHEL may increase outflow facility by a cytoskeletal mechanism. Separate or combined treatment with CHEL and PMA increases outflow facility, suggesting that PKC inhibition may not be involved in the facility-increase with either drug.
Next generation hierarchical CWDM/TDM-PON network with scalable bandwidth deliverability to the premises

Long haul optical networks have been on focus for more than two decades. With the advent of dense wavelength division multiplexing technology, optical long haul fiber networks have been so successful in delivering an unprecedented amount of bandwidth that they outperformed the traffic deliverability from/to the access network by orders of magnitude. The reason was a cost-efficiency mismatch; long haul ultra-high bandwidth networks can take advantage of state of the art and costly technology, which cost-sensitive access networks cannot. The result was an unbalanced traffic flow from/to access points to the network if one compares the aggregate flow of the long haul network with that of the access. Nevertheless, over the last decade technology at the access advanced and new standards have been developed so that in the access layer of the overall communications network the focus has shifted onto fiber optic access again. Thus, in the optical regime, two proposals have prevailed. One uses a time division multiplexing (TDM) scheme over a single wavelength and a comprehensive timing protocol, and the other uses coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) technology. Each technology has advantages and disadvantages, and the one attempts to address the disadvantages of the other. In this paper we describe a hierarchical CWDM/TDM passive optical network (PON). Our access network architecture is scalable, it is flexible to accommodate one of several topologies simultaneously, and it delivers any type of payload, synchronous and asynchronous that spans from DS0 to Gbps. We discuss the bandwidth flexibility, versatility, resiliency and cost efficiency of the access network. We also demonstrate that our network can deliver payload to more than 16,000 end-users using simple and existing optical technology. Thus, if one considers cost per bandwidth or per user, the cost-efficiency outperforms any previous PON access network. Moreover, we provide simulation results to support the viability of our network architecture. ure.
Rank Differences in Ecological Behavior: A Comparative Study of Patas Monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) and Vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops)

One of the central dichotomies in primate behavior is between species in which there are relationships among females that include stable dominance relationships, and those in which the relationships include weak or unstable dominance relationships. This dichotomy has been attributed to differences in food resources, with stable dominance hierarchies occurring in species that feed on usurpable foods. We compared rank-related differences in nonagonistic behaviors considered to be tightly linked to ecology in broadly sympatric vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops) and patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas), two closely related cercopithecines that are exemplars of this dichotomy, with the expectation that vervets would exhibit stronger rank differences than patas monkeys in these behaviors. Overall, rank explained more than twice as much variation among vervets as among patas monkeys in ranging behavior, activity budgets, and diet. Vervets did not, however, exhibit stronger rank differences when they used Acacia xanthophloea habitat, in which foods are more usurpable, compared to Acacia drepanolobium habitat, in which foods are less usurpable. In Acacia drepanolobium habitat, to which patas are restricted, higher-ranking vervets converged in behavior with patas monkeys to a greater extent than lower-ranking vervets, suggesting that social constraints interfere with the foraging efficiency of lower-ranking vervets even in habitats in which there are fewer opportunities to usurp foods.
Topography, Culture Areas, and Integration of Retired Migrants in a Coastal North Carolina County

The later life migration literature includes analyses of migration streams, examination of later life migration precursors, the economic impact of migration, and meta-analyses advocating methodological refinement. Missing are studies of later life migrants post relocation, including their social integration in receiving communities. The small area analysis presented here evolved in consultation with a local Planning Committee including older adults and service providers that guided development of an aging services plan for Dare County on the North Carolina Outer Banks. Multiple methods were applied, including secondary historical and contextual data, in-depth interviews, and a brief survey of older adults using services. Findings suggest difference among communities in the integration of later life migrants with older natives that provides context for service needs and delivery. Community difference stems from topographical land form characteristics, socioeconomic and cultural difference between later lif...
On Undetectable Faults and Fault Diagnosis

The presence of an undetectable fault ui may modify the response of a detectable fault dj to a test set used for fault diagnosis. This may impact the accuracy of fault diagnosis based on the responses of single faults. Many state-of-the-art diagnosis processes are based on the responses of single stuck-at faults even though their goal is to diagnose defects (including multiple defects) that are different from stuck-at faults. Therefore, we study the effects of undetectable single stuck- at faults on the accuracy of fault diagnosis based on the responses of single stuck-at faults. For this purpose, we consider the cases where the response of a double stuck-at fault ui &dj, which consists of an undetectable fault ui and a detectable fault dj, is different from the response of the single fault dj. We show that there are significant, yet manageable, numbers of such faults in benchmark circuits under test sets used for fault diagnosis. In all these cases, a fault diagnosis process based on single stuck-at faults may not identify the locations of dj and ui as candidate defect sites if a defect affects the sites of dj and ui. We conclude that it is important to consider ui&dj during fault diagnosis in order not to preclude the sites of dj and ui as candidate defect sites.
Increased neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity and learning in aged Kvβ1.1 knockout mice

Abstract Background: Advancing age is typically accompanied by deficits in learning and memory. These deficits occur independently of overt pathology and are often considered to be a part of "normal aging." At the neuronal level, normal aging is known to be associated with numerous cellular and molecular changes, which include a pronounced decrease in neuronal excitability and an altered induction in the threshold for synaptic plasticity. Because both of these mechanisms (neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity) have been implicated as putative cellular substrates for learning and memory, it is reasonable to propose that age-related changes in these mechanisms may contribute to the general cognitive decline that occurs during aging. Results: To further investigate the relationship between aging, learning and memory, neuronal excitability, and synaptic plasticity, we have carried out experiments with aged mice that lack the auxiliary potassium channel subunit Kvβ1.1. In aged mice, the deletion of the auxiliary potassium channel subunit Kvβ1.1 resulted in increased neuronal excitability, as measured by a decrease in the post-burst afterhyperpolarization. In addition, long-term potentiation (LTP) was more readily induced in aged Kvβ1.1 knockout mice. Finally, the aged Kvβ1.1 mutants outperformed age-matched controls in the hidden-platform version of the Morris water maze. Interestingly, the enhancements in excitability and learning were both sensitive to genetic background: The enhanced learning was only observed in a genetic background in which the mutants exhibited increased neuronal excitability. Conclusions: Neuronal excitability is an important determinant of both synaptic plasticity and learning in aged subjects.
Genomic Plasticity of the Human Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans

The genomic plasticity of Candida albicans, a commensal and common opportunistic fungal pathogen, continues to reveal unexpected surprises. Once thought to be asexual, we now know that the organism can generate genetic diversity through several mechanisms, including mating between cells of the opposite or of the same mating type and by a parasexual reduction in chromosome number that can be accompanied by recombination events (2, 12, 14, 53, 77, 115). In addition, dramatic genome changes can appear quite rapidly in mitotic cells propagated in vitro as well as in vivo. The detection of aneuploidy in other fungal pathogens isolated directly from patients (145) and from environmental samples (71) suggests that variations in chromosome organization and copy number are a common mechanism used by pathogenic fungi to rapidly generate diversity in response to stressful growth conditions, including, but not limited to, antifungal drug exposure. Since cancer cells often become polyploid and/or aneuploid, some of the lessons learned from studies of genome plasticity in C. albicans may provide important insights into how these processes occur in higher-eukaryotic cells exposed to stresses such as anticancer drugs.
Determinants of cation transport selectivity: Equilibrium binding and transport kinetics

The crystal structures of channels and transporters reveal the chemical nature of ion-binding sites and, thereby, constrain mechanistic models for their transport processes. However, these structures, in and of themselves, do not reveal equilibrium selectivity or transport preferences, which can be discerned only from various functional assays. In this Review, I explore the relationship between cation transport protein structures, equilibrium binding measurements, and ion transport selectivity. The primary focus is on K+-selective channels and nonselective cation channels because they have been extensively studied both functionally and structurally, but the principles discussed are relevant to other transport proteins and molecules.
Is there a role for intramedullary nails in the treatment of simple pilon fractures? Rationale and preliminary results.

Abstract Introduction Certain patients with pilon fractures present with significant soft-tissue swelling or with a poor soft-tissue envelope typically not amenable to definitive fixation in the early time period. The objective of this study was to review the treatment of simple intra-articular fractures of the tibial plafond (Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Osteosynthesefragen/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) type 43C1–C2) via intramedullary nailing (IMN) with the assessment of clinical and radiographic results and any associated complications. Materials and methods Retrospective clinical and radiological reviews of 31 patients sustaining AO/OTA type 43C distal tibial fractures treated with IMN were evaluated. Our main outcome measurement included achievable alignment in the immediate postoperative period and at the time of union along with complications or need for secondary procedures within the first year of follow-up. Results Seven patients were lost to follow-up. All the remaining patients achieved bony union at a mean union time of 14.1 ± 4.9 weeks with no evidence of malunion or malrotation. All patients were at full-weight-bearing status at 1-year follow-up. Complications were notable for one delayed union, one non-union, one patient with superficial wound drainage, two with deep infection, one with symptomatic hardware and one with deep vein thrombosis. Conclusion Simple articular fractures of the tibial plafond (AO/OTA type 43C) treated via IMN can achieve excellent alignment and union rates with proper patient selection and surgical indication. One should not hesitate to use additional bone screws or plating options to help achieve better anatomic reduction. However, larger, prospective randomised trials comparing plating versus nailing, in experienced hands, are needed to completely delineate the utility of this treatment modality.
The cell biology of polycystic kidney disease

Polycystic kidney disease is a common genetic disorder in which fluid-filled cysts displace normal renal tubules. Here we focus on autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, which is attributable to mutations in the PKD1 and PKD2 genes and which is characterized by perturbations of renal epithelial cell growth control, fluid transport, and morphogenesis. The mechanisms that connect the underlying genetic defects to disease pathogenesis are poorly understood, but their exploration is shedding new light on interesting cell biological processes and suggesting novel therapeutic targets.
Expert elicitation of recharge model probabilities for the Death Valley regional flow system

Summary This study uses expert elicitation to evaluate and select five alternative recharge models developed for the Death Valley regional flow system (DVRFS), covering southeast Nevada and the Death Valley area of California, USA. The five models were developed based on three independent techniques: an empirical approach, an approach based on unsaturated-zone studies and an approach based on saturated-zone studies. It is uncertain which recharge model (or models) should be used as input for groundwater models simulating flow and contaminant transport within the DVRFS. An expert elicitation was used to evaluate and select the recharge models and to determine prior model probabilities used for assessing model uncertainty. The probabilities were aggregated using simple averaging and iterative methods, with the latter method also considering between-expert variability. The most favorable model, on average, is the most complicated model that comprehensively incorporates processes controlling net infiltration and potential recharge. The simplest model, and the most widely used, received the second highest prior probability. The aggregated prior probabilities are close to the neutral choice that treats the five models as equally likely. Thus, there is no support for selecting a single model and discarding others, based on prior information and expert judgment. This reflects the inherent uncertainty in the recharge models. If a set of prior probability from a single expert is of more interest, we suggest selecting the set of the minimum Shannon’s entropy. The minimum entropy implies the smallest amount of uncertainty and the largest amount of information used to evaluate the models. However, when enough data are available, we prefer to use a cross-validation method to select the best set of prior model probabilities that gives the best predictive performance.
The Dramatic Increase in Total Knee Replacement Utilization Rates in the United States Cannot Be Fully Explained by Growth in Population Size and the Obesity Epidemic

Background: Total knee replacement utilization in the United States more than doubled from 1999 to 2008. Although the reasons for this increase have not been examined rigorously, some have attributed the increase to population growth and the obesity epidemic. Our goal was to investigate whether the rapid increase in total knee replacement use over the past decade can be sufficiently attributed to changes in these two factors. Methods: We used data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample to estimate changes in total knee replacement utilization rates from 1999 to 2008, stratified by age (eighteen to forty-four years, forty-five to sixty-four years, and sixty-five years or older). We obtained data on obesity prevalence and U.S. population growth from federal sources. We compared the rate of change in total knee replacement utilization with the rates of population growth and change in obesity prevalence from 1999 to 2008. Results: In 2008, 615,050 total knee replacements were performed in the United States adult population, 134% more than in 1999. During the same time period, the overall population size increased by 11%. While the population of forty-five to sixty-four-year-olds grew by 29%, the number of total knee replacements in this age group more than tripled. The number of obese and non-obese individuals in the United States increased by 23% and 4%, respectively. Assuming unchanged indications for total knee replacement among obese and non-obese individuals with knee osteoarthritis over the last decade, these changes fail to account for the 134% growth in total knee replacement use. Conclusions: Population growth and obesity cannot fully explain the rapid expansion of total knee replacements in the last decade, suggesting that other factors must also be involved. The disproportionate increase in total knee replacements among younger patients may be a result of a growing number of knee injuries and expanding indications for the procedure. Clinical Relevance: The dramatic increase in total knee replacement utilization has implications for manpower, health-care financing, and the clinical management of patients who have advanced osteoarthritis of the knee.
The Ciliary Mechanism in Health and Disease

1.The ciliary mechanism, as a natural factor of resistance against respiratory diseases, has an important role in maintaining the health of the individual. Methods of treatment should be oriented toward sustaining the normalcy of this defense system. 2.New experimental data, supporting 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) as a local hormone responsible for ciliary activation, have been presented. Serotonin is both synthesized and destroyed by ciliary tissue and can stimulate the beat frequency of isolated ciliated preparations.
A chip and pixel qualification methodology on imaging sensors

This paper presents a qualification methodology on imaging sensors. In addition to overall chip reliability characterization based on sensor's overall figure of merit, such as Dark Rate, Linearity, Dark Current Non-Uniformity, Fixed Pattern Noise and Photon Response Non-Uniformity, a simulation technique is proposed and used to project pixel reliability. The projected pixel reliability is directly related to imaging quality and provides additional sensor reliability information and performance control.
Supporting ranked Boolean similarity queries in MARS

To address the emerging needs of applications that require access to and retrieval of multimedia objects, we are developing the Multimedia Analysis and Retrieval System (MARS). In this paper, we concentrate on the retrieval subsystem of MARS and its support for content-based queries over image databases. Content-based retrieval techniques have been extensively studied for textual documents in the area of automatic information retrieval. This paper describes how these techniques can be adapted for ranked retrieval over image databases. Specifically, we discuss the ranking and retrieval algorithms developed in MARS based on the Boolean retrieval model and describe the results of our experiments that demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed model for image retrieval.
White Supremacy under Fire: The Unrewarded Perspective in Edward P. Jones's The Known World

The sexually charged relationship that Clara Martin, a white widow, has with her lone slave Ralph in Edward P. Jones’s The Known World (2003) will strike most readers as schizophrenic. Though she is intensely attracted to Ralph, she goes to mental and social extremes to resist acknowledging her feelings even as she continues to actively pursue him. The event that throws her into this chaotic state of resistance occurs on the fi rst night of a three-day-long storm when, after struggling to comb her wet thick unruly hair, she consents to Ralph’s compliment-laced offer to do it for her. Finding the experience both emotionally comforting and intensely erotic, Clara allows him to groom her hair again over the next two nights. When the storm ends she discontinues the grooming without explanation. Shortly thereafter, she conjures up the notion that Ralph is secretly plotting to rape and murder her. At one point, after reading a local newspaper account of a slave, out of spite, putting fi nely ground glass in her master’s food, Clara becomes so suspicious of Ralph, who has been her cook for twenty-four years, that she abruptly stops eating the food he prepares and loses weight in the process. In addition to declining to eat his food, she has Ralph interrogated, albeit with pointed directives not to “hurt his feelings” or “say anything mean” (153), by fi rst the slave patrollers and then John Skiffi ngton, the sheriff of Manchester County, neither of whom fi nds evidence of wrongdoing. Eclipsing the unfounded need to investigate Ralph’s behavior, Clara begins a nightly ritual of nailing shut her bedroom door and sleeping with two knives—one by her bedside and the other under her pillow “as close as a lover” (162). Despite her expressed fears about Ralph’s motives, Clara collapses into an emotional state of panic after slavery is abolished and Ralph announces that he plans to leave Virginia and go live with his extended family in Washington, DC. The narrator reports that Clara “cried and cried” when Ralph informed her of his plans to move, entreating him like a desperate lover to remain with her in Virginia (163).
Fourth ventricle bombesin injection suppresses ingestive behaviors in rats

Food intake after fourth intracerebroventricular (icv) injections of bombesin (BBS) was measured in intact rats. BBS injections (greater than or equal to 10 ng) reliably suppressed chow intake in 17-h food-deprived rats. Systemic injections of BBS (50 ng) had no effect on food intake. These data indicate that BBS can act directly on caudal brain stem site(s) to inhibit food intake. The behavioral specificity of fourth icv BBS was evaluated by measuring the effects of fourth icv BBS injection on water intake by 17-h water-deprived rats in the presence and absence of food. Fourth icv injections of BBS in doses greater than 10 ng suppressed 30-min and 2-h water intake relative to saline injection when food was available in the home cage. In contrast, when food was not present during the 2-h intake test, fourth icv injections of BBS had no effect on water intake. This suggests that the inhibition of water intake was secondary to the effects of BBS on food intake. Lastly, sucrose (0.1 M) was paired with fourth icv BBS (50 ng), fourth icv saline, and intraperitoneal LiCl (1.5 meq/kg) in three groups of naive rats, and sucrose preference was subsequently measured. Rats that received injections of either saline or BBS preferred sucrose during the 24-h two-bottle test, and their preference ratios were significantly greater than those of the LiCl-injected rats. The role of afferent signals elicited by fourth ventricle BBS administration in the control of food intake is discussed.
The Degenerate Crossing Number and Higher-Genus Embeddings

If a graph embeds in a surface with k crosscaps, does it always have an embedding in the same surface in which every edge passes through each crosscap at most once? This well-known open problem can be restated using crossing numbers: the degenerate crossing number, dcrG, of G equals the smallest number k so that G has an embedding in a surface with k crosscaps in which every edge passes through each crosscap at most once. The genus crossing number, gcrG, of G equals the smallest number k so that G has an embedding in a surface with k crosscaps. The question then becomes whether dcrG = gcrG, and it is in this form that it was first asked by Mohar. We show that dcrG$$\le $$ 6 gcrG, and dcrG = gcrG as long as dcrG$$\le $$ 3. We can separate dcr and gcr for single-vertex graphs with embedding schemes, but it is not clear whether the separating example can be extended into separations on simple graphs. Finally, we show that if a graph can be embedded in a surface with crosscaps, then it has an embedding in that surface in which every edge passes through each crosscap at most twice. This implies that dcr is $$\mathrm {\mathbf {NP}}$$-complete.
External collaboration and performance: North Carolina local public health departments, 1996.

Abstract OBJECTIVES: This study examined the extent to which local public health departments in North Carolina collaborated with other groups and organizations, the health problems on which they worked together, and the effect of external collaboration on health departments' performance on core public health functions. METHODS: The author mailed a questionnaire asking about interactions with city and county government agencies, boards of health, schools, nonprofits, physicians/private clinics, community health centers/migrant clinics, community members, citizens' groups, state and federal agencies, and universities to all of the directors of local public health departments in North Carolina. Sixty-four directors returned the questionnaire, for a response rate of 74.4%. RESULTS: Local public health departments most frequently interacted with boards of health, state agencies, community members, schools, city and county government agencies, and nonprofit agencies. Large majorities reported productive relationships with boards of health, state agencies, city and county government agencies, schools, nonprofit agencies, and hospitals. Greater frequency of interaction with several types of partners was associated with better performance. CONCLUSIONS: While questions exist about whether performance on core functions improves the community's health status, the results suggest that it is important for local public health departments to continue to build relationships with other organizations in the community.
Quantum Dot Surface Chemistry: Ligand Effects and Electron Transfer Reactions

With the increased interest in quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) there comes a need to better understand how surface modification of quantum dots (QDs) can affect the excited state dynamics of QDs, electron transfer at the QD–metal oxide (MO) interface, and overall photoconversion efficiency of QDSCs. We have monitored the surface modification of solution based QDs via the steady state absorption and emission characteristics of colloidal CdSe passivated with β-alanine (β-Ala). The trap-remediating nature of the β-Ala molecule, arising from the Lewis basicity of the amine group, is realized from the hypsochromic shifts seen in excitonic absorption and emission bands as well as an increase in fluorescence quantum yield. Transient absorption measurements of CdSe–TiO2 films prepared with and without β-Ala as a linker molecule further reveal the role of the surface modifier in influencing excited state electron transfer processes. Electron transfer at this interface was found to be dependent on the me...
Power flow replaying based on real-time data from SCADA

Since the power system simulation software,such as PSASP and BPA,are accepted widely and the equipment in main power grids has been overlaid by SCADA in Jiangsu,the real-time data from SCADA can be obtained as the data source to construct the data package of the simulation software to replay power flow.In this paper,the data conversion software which quickly converts the real-time data after state estimation from SCADA in EMS to the data package of simulation software was programmed.The calculation results showed that the software is effective and helpful in workload saving.
The Origin and Scope of Hayek’s Idea of Spontaneous Order

The idea of spontaneous order straddles the disputed divide between the natural and the social sciences. It encompasses phenomena as diverse as the evolution of species, the architecture of a termite nest, the organization of the market economy, and the development of the Internet.1 The insight captured in the idea of spontaneous order is that complex organization can emerge from the interaction of more basic entities following relatively simple rules of action or behavior. The phrase “spontaneous order” implies that such complex organization is not the result of deliberate design or the unfolding of some predetermined plan but the unintended consequence of actions that do not directly aim at its production. The idea of spontaneous order applies to those phenomena that exhibit the appearance of deliberate design without being the product of any designing intelligence.
miR-27a and miR-27b regulate autophagic clearance of damaged mitochondria by targeting PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)

Loss-of-function mutations in PINK1 and PARKIN are the most common causes of autosomal recessive Parkinson’s disease (PD). PINK1 is a mitochondrial serine/threonine kinase that plays a critical role in mitophagy, a selective autophagic clearance of damaged mitochondria. Accumulating evidence suggests mitochondrial dysfunction is one of central mechanisms underlying PD pathogenesis. Therefore, identifying regulatory mechanisms of PINK1 expression may provide novel therapeutic opportunities for PD. Although post-translational stabilization of PINK1 upon mitochondrial damage has been extensively studied, little is known about the regulation mechanism of PINK1 at the transcriptional or translational levels. Here, we demonstrated that microRNA-27a (miR-27a) and miR-27b suppress PINK1 expression at the translational level through directly binding to the 3′-untranslated region (3′UTR) of its mRNA. Importantly, our data demonstrated that translation of PINK1 is critical for its accumulation upon mitochondrial damage. The accumulation of PINK1 upon mitochondrial damage was strongly regulated by expression levels of miR-27a and miR-27b. miR-27a and miR-27b prevent mitophagic influx by suppressing PINK1 expression, as evidenced by the decrease of ubiquitin phosphorylation, Parkin translocation, and LC3-II accumulation in damaged mitochondria. Consequently, miR-27a and miR-27b inhibit lysosomal degradation of the damaged mitochondria, as shown by the decrease of the delivery of damaged mitochondria to lysosome and the degradation of cytochrome c oxidase 2 (COX2), a mitochondrial marker. Furthermore, our data demonstrated that the expression of miR-27a and miR-27b is significantly induced under chronic mitophagic flux, suggesting a negative feedback regulation between PINK1-mediated mitophagy and miR-27a and miR-27b. We demonstrated that miR-27a and miR-27b regulate PINK1 expression and autophagic clearance of damaged mitochondria. Our data further support a novel negative regulatory mechanism of PINK1-mediated mitophagy by miR-27a and miR-27b. Therefore, our results considerably advance our understanding of PINK1 expression and mitophagy regulation and suggest that miR-27a and miR-27b may represent potential therapeutic targets for PD.
Ocular Pathology in Multiple Sclerosis

Graded, histological evaluations on eyes from 82 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 10 subjects with other neurological diseases, with immunohistochemistry on a subset, were performed and correlated with clinical and pathological findings in a study at University of California San Francisco, and Queen’s University and Health Trust, Belfast, N Ireland, UK.
Effects of Perinatal Estrogen Exposure on Fertility and Cancer in Mice

Concerns have been raise regarding the reproductive and health hazards of chemicals in the environment that have potential endocrine disrupting effects. These concerns include increased incidences of breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer, endometriosis, fibroids, infertility, and early menopause in women; in men, alterations in sex differentiation, decreased sperm concentrations, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatic cancer, testicular cancer, and reproductive problems have been suggested. Studies with the potent synthetic estrogen diethyl-stilbestrol (DES) have shown that exogenous estrogen exposure during critical stages of development results in permanent cellular and molecular alterations in the exposed organism. These alterations manifest themselves in the female and male as structural, functional, or long-term pathological changes including neoplasia. Although DES is a potent environmental estrogen, studying its effects at low dose levels in an experimental animal model offers a unique opportunity to identify adverse effects that may be caused by weaker environmental estrogens which fit the category of endocrine disruptors.
Automating wavefront parallelization for sparse matrix computations

This paper presents a compiler and runtime framework for parallelizing sparse matrix computations that have loop-carried dependences. Our approach automatically generates a runtime inspector to collect data dependence information and achieves wavefront parallelization of the computation, where iterations within a wavefront execute in parallel, and synchronization is required across wavefronts. A key contribution of this paper involves dependence simplification, which reduces the time and space overhead of the inspector. This is implemented within a polyhedral compiler framework, extended for sparse matrix codes. Results demonstrate the feasibility of using automatically-generated inspectors and executors to optimize ILU factorization and symmetric Gauss-Seidel relaxations, which are part of the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient (PCG) computation. Our implementation achieves a median speedup of 2.97× on 12 cores over the reference sequential PCG implementation, significantly outperforms PCG parallelized using Intel's Math Kernel Library (MKL), and is within 6% of the median performance of manually-parallelized PCG.
Thermal therapy techniques for skin and superficial tissue disease

There are numerous diseases and abnormal growths and conditions that afflict the skin and underlying superficial tissues. In addition to cancers such as primary, recurrent, and metastatic melanomas and carcinomas, there are many non-malignant conditions such as psoriasis plaques, port wine stains, warts, and superficial cut and bum wounds. Many of these clinical conditions have been shown responsive to treatment with thermal therapy - either low temperature freezing (cryotherapy),. moderate temperature warming to about 41-45°C (hyperthermia), or high temperature (>50°C) ablation or coagulation necrosis therapy. Because both very low and very high temperature therapies are for the most part non-selectively destructive in nature, they normally are used for applications where therapy can be localized precisely in the desired target and some necrosis of adjacent normal tissues is acceptable. With the exception of precision controlled cryotherapy or laser surgery (e.g. wart, mole, tattoo and port wine stain removal) or focal thermal surgery of small deep-seated nodules, it is generally preferred to use moderate thermal therapy (hyperthermia) in the treatment of skin and subcutaneous tissue disease in order to preserve the protective barrier characteristic of intact skin within the target region while inducing more subtle long term therapeutic improvement in the disease condition. This type of subtle thermal therapy is usually administered in combination with one or more other therapies such as radiation or chemotherapy - something with a differential effect on the target and surrounding normal tissues that can be magnified by the adjuvant use of heat.
Parasitoid density and arena size effects on progeny production of Anaphes iole Girault (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae).

Anaphes iole Girault is a native, solitary egg parasitoid of Lygus bugs in North America. Ongoing research is considering factors that may lead to efficient mass rearing of A. iole for augmentative...
Tweeting the Agenda: How print and alternative web-only news organizations use Twitter as a source

It is becoming exceedingly important for scholars to study and understand how Twitter is influencing news reporting. Using quantitative content analysis, this paper examines the use of tweets as qu...
Perceived child weight status, family structure and functioning, and support for health behaviors in a sample of bariatric surgery patients.

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to describe the associations between bariatric surgery patients' perspectives of their child's weight status, family support for eating and exercise behavior change, and family structure and functioning. METHOD A cross-sectional descriptive design with pre- and postsurgery (N = 224) patients was used. Demographics, perceptions of child weight status, family support for eating habits and exercise, and family functioning were assessed from patients at a University Bariatric Clinic. RESULTS Patients who perceived their child to be overweight/obese reported more impaired family functioning, less family exercise participation, and more discouragement for eating habit change in the family compared to patients who did not perceive their child to be overweight/obese. Single parents more often perceived their children to be overweight/obese, and had more impaired family functioning, and less support for changing eating habits and family exercise participation. Patients with impaired family functioning reported less support for changing eating habits and family exercise participation. DISCUSSION Bariatric patients who perceived their child to be overweight/obese and identified as single parents reported more impaired family functioning and less support for eating habits and family participation in exercise. Assessing pre- and postsurgery measures from parents and children will allow the further identification of relationship variables that can be targeted to promote positive family changes that benefit parents and children long-term. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
2008–2011: The Different Fates of the Cherkesov and Sechin Groups

This chapter focuses on the different fates of the Cherkesov and Sechin clans. Cherkesov had been given a wholly powerless position, but was still subjected to nasty media attacks and in 2010 was dismissed and left unemployed. And Kumarin, after two years in detention, got a 14-year sentence. The media carried some exposes of the corruption—by Kumarin and others—of officials in the Procuracy, e.g., David Kutalia. Kutalia’s read like a criminal indictment. The clear purpose was to intimidate such officials into abandoning their loyalty to Kumarin, as well as—a Bastrykin goal—to tarnish the reputation of the Procuracy. As for Sechin, he sabotaged himself by playing a key role in the bungling of a major deal between Rosneft and BP, and reportedly incurred Putin’s displeasure. In any case he stepped down from the chairmanship of the Rosneft board in April 2011. In the election, the most powerful actors favoured Putin’s return to the presidency, an outcome that, in the circumstances, gratified the Sechinites.
Treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection with omeprazole-amoxicillin combination therapy versus ranitidine/sodium bicarbonate-amoxicillin.

Objectives : Simpler, effective therapies to treat Helicobacter pylori infection are greatly needed. Omeprazole co-therapy apparently enhances effectiveness of some antimicrobials. Our objective in this study was to determine whether the apparent additional benefit provided by omeprazole to amoxicillin therapy could be equaled by a high dose of ranitidine plus sodium bicarbonate. Methods : In a prospective randomized trial, we tested 1 g amoxicillin b.i.d. with either omeprazole 20 mg b.i.d., or high dose ranitidine (900 and 1800 mg) plus sodium bicarbonate tablets 650 t.i.d. (with meals) for 14 day. Results : Fifty-two patients with documented H. pylori infection and peptic ulcer completed therapy. The cure rate with omeprazole and amoxicillin was poor (46%), with the 95% confidence interval (CI) = 25-67%. Ranitidine plus sodium bicarbonate was also poor (39% cure) with the 95% CI = 21.5-59% (p > 0.57). Average compliance was more than 92% for all three groups. Side effects were experienced in only two patients (stomatitis and mild diarrhea). Conclusion : Neither the omeprazole nor ranitidine plus bicarbonate plus amoxicillin therapies used here can be recommended for treatment of H. pylon infection.
Axisymmetric plastic collapse of shells of revolution according to the Nakamura yield criterion

The plastic collapse of thin shells of revolution under axisymmetric loads is considered. A rigid perfectly-plastic material is assumed. Methods of limit analysis are applied to find collapse loads. The Tresca-Mohr yield criterion, as closely approximated by Nakamura [1, 2] is used.
Input-Output Models for Impact Analysis: Suggestions for Practitioners Using RIMS II Multipliers

Input-output models, when applied correctly, can be powerful tools for estimating the economy-wide effects of an initial change in economic activity. To effectively use these models, analysts must collect detailed information about the project or program under study. Analysts also need to be aware of the assumptions and limitations of these models. In this paper, we will focus on these assumptions and on the information that is required to use regional input-output multipliers correctly. We focus specifically on multipliers generated by the Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS II) developed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Cost-benefit analysis : legal, economic, and philosophical perspectives

Cost-benefit analysis is a widely used governmental evaluation tool, though academics remain skeptical. This volume gathers prominent contributors from law, economics, and philosophy for discussion of cost-benefit analysis, specifically its moral foundations, applications and limitations. This new scholarly debate includes not only economists, but also contributors from philosophy, cognitive psychology, legal studies, and public policy who can further illuminate the justification and moral implications of this method and specify alternative measures. These articles originally appeared in the "Journal of Legal Studies." Contributors: - Matthew D. Adler - Gary S. Becker - John Broome - Robert H. Frank - Robert W. Hahn - Lewis A. Kornhauser - Martha C. Nussbaum - Eric A. Posner - Richard A. Posner - Henry S. Richardson - Amartya Sen - Cass R. Sunstein - W. Kip Viscusi
Regulation of liver energy balance by nuclear receptors

The liver is crucial for maintaining whole body energy balance. For example, the liver responds to fasting by secreting glucose and to feeding by storing it as glycogen. In response to overnutritio...
Determinants of dining satisfaction

This study focuses on the introduction of a random forest model to predict the relationship between restaurant attributes and dining satisfaction, in the context of a student-operated restaurant. A...
Anterior-based muscle-sparing approach for THA

Abstract Anterior surgical approaches for total hip arthroplasty have seen an increased popularity due to expected less soft tissue trauma with less pain, and less postoperative restrictions leading to a faster recovery. An alternative to the direct anterior approach is the anterior-based muscle-sparing approach. With this technique, the hip joint is approached through the muscle interval between the tensor fascia lata and the gluteal muscles. The author has performed 1308 total hip arthroplasties via this approach with excellent outcomes and low complications comparable to and making it a viable alternative to the direct anterior approach for patients desiring a fast recovery.