cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tobacco use among rural African American young adult males.

Objective. Tobacco-related disease is a primary source of mortality for African American men. Recent studies suggest that alternative tobacco products may have supplanted cigarettes as the most common products used by young African Americans. Effective cessation strategies require community-specific prevalence data. This project measures the prevalence of 9 tobacco products among young African American men in rural Alabama. Study Design. Principles of community-based participatory research were used to design a verbally administered tobacco product survey to measure the prevalence and behavioral factors influencing use. Setting. Black Belt counties of rural Alabama. Subjects and Methods. African American men aged 19 to 30 years were recruited from the target counties. Participants were stratified by income and education level. Prevalence rates for 9 products were determined, and logistic regression analysis was performed. Results. A total of 415 participants completed surveys. Cigarettes were the most common product ever (54%) and currently (39.9%) used. Participants who attended school for more than 12 years or attended religious services were less likely to use cigarettes. Marijuana and blunts were used next most commonly. Only 35 respondents (8.9%) currently used mini-cigars. Other products, bidis/kreteks, smokeless tobacco, and pipes were used uncommonly in this sample. Conclusions. Cigarettes remain the dominant tobacco product used by young African American men in rural Alabama. Cigarette prevalence far exceeds that measured statewide for African American men of the same age. Alternative products were not commonly used in this study population. Effective community-based intervention must target cigarette initiation and cessation in this vulnerable population.
Effects of the SANT domain of tension-induced/inhibited proteins (TIPs), novel partners of the histone acetyltransferase p300, on p300 activity and TIP-6-induced adipogenesis.

We previously identified a set of transcription regulators, referred to as TIPs (tension-induced/inhibited proteins), with a role in myogenic versus adipogenic differentiation. Here we report that the TIP family comprises eight isoforms, all bearing a SANT (switching-defective protein 3, adaptor 2, nuclear receptor corepressor, and transcription factor IIIB) domain and some of them presenting S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) and nuclear receptor box (NRB) motifs, all characteristic of histone-modifying enzymatic complexes. TIPs have SANT-dependent, p300-mediated histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity. Ectopic TIP-6 (SANT+ SAM− NRB−) but not TIP-6ΔSANT induced de novo PPARγ2-mediated adipogenic gene expression in NIH 3T3 cells and promoted preadipocyte differentiation into fat cells. TIP-6 was also involved in mediating hormonally/biochemically induced adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, TIP-6 was identified in adipose tissue in vivo. TIP-6 bound directly and indirectly to p300 and histone H4 (H4). Deletion of the SANT domain did not abolish TIP-6 interaction with p300 and H4 but eliminated direct TIP-6 binding to p300. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed the recruitment of TIP-6, TIP-6ΔSANT, and p300 to the PPARγ2 promoter, but H3/H4 acetylation occurred only when p300 was directly associated with TIP-6. These studies demonstrated the importance of TIPs in the recruitment of p300 to specific promoters and in the regulation of p300 HAT activity through the involvement of the SANT domain. Furthermore, we identified TIP-6 as a new member of the adipogenic cascade.
Proximity-driven metallopeptide catalysis: Remarkable side-chain scope enables modification of the Fos bZip domain

Coiled-coil assembly of substrate peptides with dirhodium metallopeptide catalysts enables side-chain modification on the basis of molecular shape. A wide range of amino acids are effectively modified, including the first examples of carboxamide (glutamine and asparagine) modification. The method is used to achieve covalent modification of the c-Fos bZip domain at different residues, depending on the metallopeptide structure. By combining promiscuous catalytic reactivity with specific molecular recognition, this work establishes a general strategy for protein modification on the basis of molecular shape. A broad range of peptide–protein interactions are potentially amenable to this approach.
Redistribution of Cortical Blood Flow during Renal VasodNatation in Dogs

We studied the distribution of cortical blood flow during renal vasodilation induced by four maneuvers; reduction of perfusion pressure, intraarterial infusion of acetylcholine, and diuresis induced by ethacrynic acid or mannitol. Dogs were anesthetized with pentobarbital and urinary losses replaced. Bloodflow of the denervated kidney was measured by an electromagnetic flowmeter,and distribution of renal cortical blood flow analyzed by the radioactive microsphere technique. Acetylcholine caused progressively greater proportional vasodilation from superficial to deep cortex. The resulting pattern of flow redistribution was nearly identical to that observed in response to reduced perfusion pressure (autoregulation). Since the same pattern of heterogeneous cortical response was elicited by two qualitatively different stimuli, we propose that it reflects differential responsiveness of individual cortex zones. Ethacrynic acid redistributed flow in a different pattern, augmenting the proportion to the middle, b...
Analysis of Fracture Probabilities in Nonuniformly Stressed Brittle Materials

The results of theoretical studies on the effect of nonuniform stress fields encountered in prismatic beams under bending on the fracture of brittle materials are described. Derivations were carried out to determine the risk of rupture of bending specimens subjected to a symmetrical four-point load of arbitrary spacing, the symmetric three-point loading and pure bending forming limiting cases of this more general loading. The analysis was based on materials obeying the Weibull distribution function with assumptions for either volumetric or surface flaw dispersion conditions. The predicted strengths of bending and tensile specimens are compared. An analytical method for the determination of the three Weibull parameters from a pure bending test is proposed. This method, based on the best fit of a theoretical curve to the experimental data, was applied successfully to experimental results on Columbia Resin, a brittle amorphous polymer.
Uniform versus nonuniform sampling when tracking in clutter

Many target tracking subsystems have the ability to schedule their own data rates; essentially they can "order" new information whenever they need it, and the cost is in terms of the sensor resource. But among the unmanaged schemes, uniform sampling, in which a new measurement is requested periodically and regularly, is the most commonly-used sampling scheme; deliberately nonuniform schemes are seldom given serious consideration. In this paper, however, we show that such schemes may have been discarded prematurely: a nonuniform sampling can have its benefits. Specifically, the nonuniform and uniform sampling schemes are compared for two kind of trackers: the probabilistic data association filter (PDAF), which updates its track based on a single scan of information at a time; and N-D assignment (an optimization-based implementation of the multi-hypothesis tracker (MHT)), in which the sliding window involves many scans of observations. We find that given the ground rule of maintenance of the same overall scan rate (i.e., the same sensor effort) uniform sampling is always optimal for the single-scan tracker in the sense of track life. However, nonuniform sampling can outperform uniform sampling if a more sophisticated multi-scan tracker is used, particularly when 1) the target has a high process noise, and/or 2) the false alarm density is high, and/or 3) the probability of detection is high.
Interpolating cubic spline contours by minimizing second derivative discontinuity

It is shown how a contour can be estimated from a few edge positions. The technique fits a cubic spline to edges using the position and orientations of edges (tangent slopes) and computes tangent magnitudes by a minimization based on the second derivatives. Cubic splines (piecewise third-order polynomials) are used because they are the lowest-order polynomials that can deal with inflection points. For assuring a smooth overall contour, the polynomial segments are joined such that the continuity of the first derivative is preserved and discontinuity in the second derivative is minimized. This technique can be used as an efficient means for entering and editing contours which are tied to the underlying data through the edge orientations. The time required for computing the edge orientations and the time for finding the curve parameters are linearly proportional to the number of edge fragments. The algorithm was applied to medical images, and the results are compared with the conic splines and the B-splines and the distance approximation to the cubic splines. >
Multi-scale optimization for process systems engineering

Abstract Efficient nonlinear programming (NLP) algorithms and modeling platforms have led to powerful process optimization strategies. Nevertheless, these algorithms are challenged by recent evolution and deployment of multi-scale models (such as molecular dynamics and complex fluid flow) that apply over broad time and length scales. Integrated optimization of these models requires accurate and efficient reduced models (RMs). This study develops a rigorous multi-scale optimization framework that substitutes RMs for complex original detailed models (ODMs) and guarantees convergence to the original optimization problem. Based on trust region concepts this framework leads to three related NLP algorithms for RM-based optimization. The first follows the classical gradient-based trust-region method, the second avoids gradient calculations from the ODM, and the third avoids frequent recourse to ODM evaluations, using the concept of ϵ-exact RMs. We illustrate these algorithms with small examples and discuss RM-based optimization case studies that demonstrate their performance and effectiveness.
SPECTRAL RADIANCE OF A LARGE-AREA INTEGRATING SPHERE SOURCE

The radiance and irradiance calibration of large field-of-view scanning and imaging radiometers for remote sensing and surveillance applications has resulted in the development of novel calibration techniques. One of these techniques is the employment of large-area integrating sphere sources as radiance or irradiance secondary standards. To assist the National Aeronautical and Space Administration's space based ozone measurement program, a commercially available large-area internally illuminated integrating sphere source's spectral radiance was characterized in the wavelength region from 230 nm to 400 nm at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Spectral radiance determinations and spatial mappings of the source indicate that carefully designed large-area integrating sphere sources can be measured with a 1 % to 2 % expanded uncertainty (two standard deviation estimate) in the near ultraviolet with spatial nonuniformities of 0.6 % or smaller across a 20 cm diameter exit aperture. A method is proposed for the calculation of the final radiance uncertainties of the source which includes the field of view of the instrument being calibrated.
Inertial convection at low Prandtl number

The problem of Rayleigh-Benard convection at low Prandtl number σ is investigated in a circular geometry. Jones, Moore & Weiss (1976) have formulated, but not solved analytically, an asymptotic nonlinear problem in the limit σ → 0 at small velocities. It is shown that the problem they posed can be solved exactly in this geometry. The solutions are extended by means of expansions in the amplitude e and the reciprocal of the Reynolds number σe−1, both assumed small. The problem is related to one that occurs in nonlinear mean-field dynamo theory (Malkus & Proctor 1975) and it is surmised that similar problems may be expected to appear in a variety of physical situations.
p)ppGpp Inhibits Polynucleotide Phosphorylase from Streptomyces but Not from Escherichia coli and Increases the Stability of Bulk mRNA in Streptomyces coelicolor

ppGpp regulates gene expression in a variety of bacteria and in plants. We proposed previously that ppGpp or its precursor, pppGpp [referred to collectively as (p)ppGpp], or both might regulate the activity of the enzyme polynucleotide phosphorylase in Streptomyces species. We have examined the effects of (p)ppGpp on the polymerization and phosphorolysis activities of PNPase from Streptomyces coelicolor, Streptomyces antibioticus, and Escherichia coli. We have shown that (p)ppGpp inhibits the activities of both Streptomyces PNPases but not the E. coli enzyme. The inhibition kinetics for polymerization using the Streptomyces enzymes are of the mixed noncompetitive type, suggesting that (p)ppGpp binds to a region other than the active site of the enzyme. ppGpp also inhibited the phosphorolysis of a model RNA substrate derived from the rpsO-pnp operon of S. coelicolor. We have shown further that the chemical stability of mRNA increases during the stationary phase in S. coelicolor and that induction of a plasmid-borne copy of relA in a relA-null mutant increases the chemical stability of bulk mRNA as well. We speculate that the observed inhibition in vitro may reflect a role of ppGpp in the regulation of antibiotic production in vivo.
A marine electromagnetic survey to detect gas hydrate at Hydrate Ridge, Oregon

Gas hydrates are a potential energy resource and hazard for drilling and infrastructure, yet estimates of global volume vary by over three orders of magnitude. Hydrates are electrically resistive compared to water saturated sediment and so electromagnetic methods provide an additional tool to seismic surveys and drilling for determining hydrate saturations. A marine electromagnetic survey was carried out at Hydrate Ridge, Oregon, USA, with the aim of testing the use of controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) and magnetotelluric (MT) methods to map gas hydrate and free gas below the gas hydrate stability zone. A 2-D CSEM inversion supports the scenario deduced from previous seismic and drilling results, which indicate two mechanisms of hydrate emplacement: a transport-dominated and reaction-dominated regime. A prominent resistive region of 2.5–4 ?m at a depth of about 130 mbsf, near the seismic bottom simulating reflector (BSR), suggests that 27 to 46 per cent of the bulk volume is filled with hydrate, depending on whether Archie's Law or the Hashin-Strikman bounds are used. This is representative of a reaction-dominated regime for hydrate emplacement, and where a significant low velocity zone exists based on a seismic tomography inversion, suggests large quantities of free gas below the BSR. Electrical resistivity logging while drilling (LWD) data show general agreement with the CSEM inversion model except for a CSEM-derived resistive region at seismic horizon A, known to transport free gas into the gas hydrate stability zone. Inversion of MT data collected simultaneously during the CSEM survey provides a complimentary low-resolution image of the shallow sediments and shows folding in the accretionary complex sediments similar to that imaged by a tomographic seismic velocity model.
Doleo, ergo sum: the masochistic aesthetic of Sergei Loznitsa’s My Joy (2010)

This article explores the masochistic aesthetic in Sergei Loznitsa’s feature film My Joy (Schast′e moe, 2010). It positions the film as part of a revitalization of the post-Soviet cinematic trend chernukha, which stubbornly attempts to uncover and expose human misery. By weaving together similar stories from past and present, My Joy suggests that the corruption of the figure of authority, which it persistently displays, is a historical pattern cemented into society’s structure. Therefore similar plots are repeated with different characters, in different circumstances and time frames. In this sense, past traumas have a social dimension as they become the very community’s core. My Joy exposes that the shared coordinates of ‘phantasy’ (a term used in psychoanalysis to refer to the unconscious process of reality reconfiguration for the masochistic structure, in our case, to succeed) that lie at the basis of the national community have profoundly masochistic aspects, which are exacerbated by the trauma of radi...
Delayed antimicrobial therapy increases mortality and organ dysfunction duration in pediatric sepsis.

The sepsis syndrome remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatrics. Over 75,000 children are hospitalized with severe sepsis in the United States each year at $4.8 billion in healthcare costs (1). For critically ill children with sepsis admitted to a PICU, mortality is 10–20% (2–6). Antibiotic therapy is a central component of treatment for sepsis. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommends administration of empiric antimicrobial therapy within 1 hour of recognition of severe sepsis or septic shock in adult and pediatric patients (7). This recommendation is based on data that delayed antimicrobial administration is associated with mortality in critically ill adults with sepsis (8–12). The impact of time to antimicrobial administration on mortality for pediatric patients with severe sepsis or septic shock is not clear. Several studies evaluating sepsis bundle implementation in the pediatric emergency department (ED) have shown decreased time to antimicrobial administration, but improved mortality has not yet been established (13, 14). Given the many goals of initial resuscitation for patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, including IV access, collection of blood cultures and other laboratory tests, and fluid resuscitation, it is important to understand where to prioritize antimicrobial administration. Furthermore, despite unproven benefit in pediatric patients, early antimicrobial administration is increasingly being used as a quality metric (15–18). Data are therefore needed to justify, and potentially motivate, compliance with this recommendation in pediatric centers. We sought to test the hypothesis that delayed administration of antimicrobial therapy is associated with increased mortality and prolonged organ dysfunction in patients treated for severe sepsis or septic shock in a PICU.
Manganese in Graphite Anode and Capacity Fade in Li Ion Batteries

Improving the stability of Li ion electricity storage devices is important for practical applications, including the design of rechargeable automotive batteries. Many promising designs for such batteries involve positive electrodes that are complex oxides of transition metals, including manganese. Deposition of this Mn on the graphite negative electrode is known to correlate with gradual capacity fade [by increasing retention of lithium cations in the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)] in Li ion batteries. This SEI contains partially reduced and fully mineralized electrolyte, in the outer (organic) and inner (mineral) layers. In this study, we explore structural aspects of this Mn deposition via a combination of electrochemical, X-ray absorption, and electron paramagnetic resonance experiments. We confirm previous observations that suggest that on a delithiated graphite electrode Mn is present as Mn2+ ion. We show that these Mn2+ ions are dispersed: there are no Mn-containing phases, such as MnF2, MnO, o...
Linking Stress and Cell Action: Review of Cell and Molecular Responses to Stress, Volume 2: Protein Adaptations and Signal Transduction

Edited by K. B. Storey and J. M. Storey Elsevier Science (2001) pp. 312. ISBN SBN 0-444-50759-0 [UNK]179, $179 ![Figure][1] The field of comparative physiology and biochemistry has benefited greatly from molecular techniques first developed for biomedical and cellular research
Usage pattern-driven dynamic data layout reorganization

As scientific simulations and experiments move toward extremely large scales and generate massive amounts of data, the data access performance of analytic applications becomes crucial. A mismatch often happens between write and read patterns of data accesses, typically resulting in poor read performance. Data layout reorganization has been used to improve the locality of data accesses. However, current data reorganizations are static and focus on generating a single (or set of) optimized layouts that rely on prior knowledge of exact future access patterns. We propose a framework that dynamically recognizes the data usage patterns, replicates the data of interest in multiple reorganized layouts that would benefit common read patterns, and makes runtime decisions on selecting a favorable layout for a given read pattern. This framework supports reading individual elements and chunks of a multi-dimensional array of variables. Our pattern-driven layout selection strategy achieves multi-fold speedups compared to reading from the original dataset.
Thermodynamics of planetary volatiles

From a physical point of view a fluid is a material that lacks shear strength, i.e. that deforms, or “flows”, when subject to shear stress. The strain rate for a given shear stress is of course highly variable, and defines the viscosity of the fluid. From a chemical thermodynamic point of view it is convenient to distinguish between different types of fluids. There are fluids with relatively low densities and low viscosities, which tend to be highly mobile in planetary environments. These are often referred to as “volatiles”, and are typically composed of species in the system C–O–H–N–S–F–Cl, with inert gases (particularly He) also important in gas giants. There are also fluids with generally higher densities than volatiles, which also have much higher viscosities, typically by several orders of magnitude. If such fluids exist at equilibrium with solids of broadly similar bulk composition we call them melts (Chapter 10). Melts in terrestrial planets are chiefly silicates, although natural carbonate melts also exist, as do metallic melts in planetary cores. Melts in icy satellites, in contrast, are likely to be composed chiefly of species in the system C–O–H–N. A third type of fluids are liquids at conditions that are far removed from equilibrium with solids of similar bulk composition, but that may contain species in solution that crystallize their own solids.
An invasive wetland grass primes deep soil carbon pools.

Understanding the processes that control deep soil carbon (C) dynamics and accumulation is of key importance, given the relevance of soil organic matter (SOM) as a vast C pool and climate change buffer. Methodological constraints to measure SOM decomposition in the field prevent from addressing real-time rhizosphere effects regulating nutrient cycling and SOM decomposition. An invasive lineage of Phragmites australis roots deeper than native vegetation (Schoenoplectus americanus and Spartina patens) in coastal marshes of North America, having the potential to dramatically alter C cycling and accumulation in these ecosystems. To evaluate the effect on SOM decomposition of deepening the root profile, we designed a mesocosm experiment that differentiates between plant-derived, surface SOM-derived (0–40 cm, active root zone of native marsh vegetation) and deep SOM-derived mineralization (40–80 cm, below active root zone of native vegetation). Invasive P.australis allocated the highest proportion of roots in deeper soils, differing significantly from the native vegetation in root:shoot ratio and belowground biomass allocation. About half of the CO2 produced by the system came from plant tissue mineralization in invasive and native communities; the rest of the CO2 was produced from SOM mineralization (priming). Under P.australis, 35% of the CO2 was produced from deep SOM priming and 9% from surface SOM. In the native community 9% was produced from deep SOM priming and 44% from surface SOM. SOM priming in the native community was proportional to belowground biomass, while P.australis showed much higher priming with less belowground biomass. If P.australis deep rooting favors the decomposition of deep buried SOM accumulated under native vegetation, P.australis invasion into a wetland could fundamentally change SOM dynamics and lead to the loss of the C pool that was previously sequestered at depth under the native vegetation, thereby altering the function of a wetland as a long-term C sink. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The Minimum Length Scale for Evaluating QG Omega Using High-Resolution Model Data

AbstractThe minimum length scale to investigate quasigeostrophic (QG) vertical motion within a mesoscale operational model is determined using simulations of 28 baroclinic systems from the North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM) model. Two upscaling methods are tested to find the optimal QG characteristic length. The box method takes an average of each field before performing finite-differencing calculations. The cross method samples the data at increasing distances between finite-difference calculations. The traditional QG omega equation is evaluated with each upscaling technique and found to be reliable between 800 and 200 hPa. The minimum QG length scale is found to be L = 140 km considering correlations of QG omega back to operational model values, which are for both methods on an “extended” QG omega. The box method performs marginally better than the cross method due to a larger reduction of QG forcing in higher-order wavenumbers, but at the appropriate length scale, both methods have indistin...
Psychiatric symptom burden in older people living with HIV with and without cognitive impairment: the UCSF HIV over 60 cohort study.

Psychiatric comorbidities are common in people living with HIV (PLWH) and adversely affect life satisfaction, treatment adherence and disease progression. There are few data to inform the burden of...
Family Caregivers of Older Adults, 1999-2015: Trends in Characteristics, Circumstances, and Role-Related Appraisal.

Purpose of study To assess trends in family caregiving between 1999 and 2015. Design and methods We construct nationally representative profiles of community-dwelling older adults receiving help with self-care or indoor mobility and their "primary" family or unpaid caregiver using the 1999 and 2004 National Long Term Care Survey, 2011 and 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study, and linked caregiver surveys. Trends are examined. Results Older adults receiving help were incrementally younger, more racially diverse, and better educated in 2015. Primary caregivers overwhelmingly continued to be spouses and adult children. Arrangements were increasingly 4 years or longer in duration (shifting from 44.8% in 1999 to 60.5% by 2015). On average, primary caregivers provided about or in excess of 30 hr per week at all four time points. Spouses provided fewer hours of care, were twice as likely to work, and half as likely to report substantial emotional, physical, and financial difficulty due to caregiving in 2015 than 1999. Adult children provided comparable hours of care to a more impaired population; a similar proportion reported substantial caregiving-related difficulty at each time. Use of respite care nearly doubled from 8.5% in 1999 to 15.7% in 2015. Dementia caregivers were less likely to report substantial physical and financial difficulty and more likely to use respite care in 2015 than 1999. Implications Family caregivers' circumstances generally improved during the 16-year period. Results diverge from prevailing concerns regarding the state of family caregiving and demonstrate the importance of longitudinally monitoring trends in late-life family caregiving.
Language Analysis of Speakers with Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type

This research is a discriminative analysis of conversational dialogs involving individuals suffering from dementia of Alzheimer’s type. Several metric analyses are applied to the transcripts of the Carolina Conversation Corpus (Pope and Davis 2011) in order to determine if there are significant statistical differences between individuals with and without Alzheimer’s disease. Results from the analysis indicate that go-ahead utterances, certain fluency measures, and paraphrasing provide defensible means of differentiating the linguistic characteristics of spontaneous speech between healthy individuals and those with Alzheimer’s disease. Several machine learning algorithms were used to classify the speech of individuals with and without dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.
The Writing of Introduction to Metamathematics

It was suggested that I talk here on the writing of my book Introduction to Metamathematics (IM).
Surface Structure at the Au(111) Electrode

This chapter summarizes Surface X-ray Scattering (SXS) studies carried out at the Au(111) surface under electrochemical conditions. In-plane diffraction measurements have been been carried out to accurately determine the surface structures for bismuth and iodine adsorbate layers and for the reconstructed surface. Complementary x-ray specular reflectivity studies have been carried out to determine the surface normal structure. These studies are sensitive to the structure of the electrode and the solution layers.
Divorce, Educational Attainment, and the Earnings Mobility of Sons

This article uses matched pairs of sons and their parents from the National Longitudinal Surveys: Old Cohort Databases to investigate the relationship between the marital history of parents, educational attainment, and intergenerational correlations in earnings. The research indicates that patterns of intergenerational earnings mobility vary with divorce. Sons from families whose divorced parents had relatively low earnings have a greater chance of having low earnings themselves. The research also shows that much of the variation in earnings mobility can be explained by lower educational attainment for children from divorced families. This finding highlights the importance of designing policies to assist the educational attainment of those most likely to be affected by divorce.
Proceedings of the 2012 Symposium on High Performance Computing

SpringSim'12, sponsored by the Society for Modeling and Simulation (SCS) and in collaboration with the ACM SIGSIM, brings together scientists and scholars from a variety of disciplines to collaborate and exchange ideas. Featuring members of industry, academia, military, and government from all over the world, SpringSim continues its mission to offer a unique setting for the discussion and advancement of all aspects of modeling and simulation. SpringSim'12 features an exciting group of world-renowned experts giving presentations concerning a variety of topics. Many of the SpringSim symposiums will offer tutorials and panel discussions covering topics specific to those fields.
Over-the-Counter Tinnitus "Cures": Marketers' Promises Do Not Ring True.

Objectives The Clinical Practice Guideline of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery (2014) stated that clinicians should not recommend dietary supplements for the treatment of tinnitus. The aim of this study is to characterize over-the-counter tinnitus remedies (OTCTR) on the U.S. market, describe the ingredients and prices, and characterize the methods of promoting these products. Methods OTCTR were identified via Web search and visits to retail establishments. Information was collected regarding OTCTR chemical composition, product labeling, advertisements and marketing, price, and customers reviews. Results A wide array of unproven OTCTR exist on today's market. All make unfounded claims of relief from ear ringing. Most of the products considered in this study consist of mixtures of inexpensive and common vitamins, minerals, and/or herbs sold at a premium compared to similar preparations not expressly advertised for tinnitus. Certain brands, most notably Arches Tinnitus Formula (Arches Natural Products Inc., Salt Lake City, UT) and Lipo-Flavonoid (Clarion Brands Inc., Solon, OH), target otolaryngologists by advertising in specialty journals and prominently featuring supposed endorsement by "Ear-Nose-and-Throat Doctors" in their marketing. Conclusion It is important for otolaryngologists who are caring for tinnitus sufferers to be aware that a robust and diverse market exists for unproven OTC tinnitus remedies. It is troubling that heavily advertised brands profess support by otolaryngologists. Responsible specialty organizations in the field should consider opposing such commercially motivated representations. Otolaryngology journals may wish to adopt a policy along the lines of The Journal of the American Medical Association publications to decline advertisements of dietary supplements that make unproven therapeutic claims. Level of evidence 5 Laryngoscope, 129:1898-1906, 2019.
Sensitivity of Near-shore Electromagnetic Propagation to the Spatial Variability of Evaporative Duct Properties

The vertical thermodynamic structure of the marine boundary layer exhibits significant spatial variability in the near-shore/littoral regions or in the vicinity of ocean sea surface temperature fronts due to a variety of coupled mesoscale atmospheric and oceanographic processes. As a result, the ubiquitous and tactically-relevant evaporative duct (ED) also exhibits significant spatial variability correspondingly [1]. This paper explores this variability in near-shore ED properties through aircraft and buoy data collected as part of the Coupled Air-Sea Processes and EM ducting Research (CASPER) project's East and West field campaigns. We further explore impact of such spatial variability on electromagnetic wave (EM) propagation. The results should provide some guidance to retrieval of evaporation duct properties using propagation loss measurements. The sensitivity of propagation loss to the spatial resolutions of ED characteristics such as evaporative duct height (EDH) and evaporative duct strength (EDS) will also be discussed.
In Reply: The FREEDOM trial (August 2013)

Readers comment on the FREEDOM trial (August 2013) and on electronic health records (July 2013).
An Evidence-Based Care Protocol Improves Outcomes and Decreases Cost in Pediatric Appendicitis.

Abstract Background Appendicitis is a common indication for urgent abdominal surgery in the pediatric population. The postoperative management varies significantly in time to discharge and cost of care. The objective of this study was to investigate whether implementation of an evidence-based protocol after an appendectomy would lead to decreased length of stay and cost of care. Methods In 2014 at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, an initiative to develop an evidenced-based protocol to treat appendicitis was undertaken. A work group was formed of pediatric surgeons and other important personnel to determine best practices. Treatment pathways were created. Pathways differed with recommendation on postoperative antibiotic choice and duration, diet initiation, and discharge criteria. Data were prospectively gathered from all patients (ages 0-18 y) with acute appendicitis from January 2015 to December 2016. Primary outcomes were length of stay and cost of care. Secondary outcomes were surgical site infection, readmission rate, and duration of postoperative antibiotics. Results Among the 1289 patients, 481 patients were in the preprotocol cohort and 808 patients were in the postprotocol cohort. 27% of patients had an intraoperative diagnosis of complicated appendicitis. There was a significantly shorter length of stay in the postprotocol cohort (P Conclusions This study has demonstrated that introduction of an evidence-based clinical care protocol for pediatric patients with appendicitis leads to shorter hospital stay and decreased hospital costs.
Radiodense bullet wipe around osseous entrance gunshot wounds.

"Bullet wipe" is the material deposited by a bullet on any surface with which it comes into contact after it is fired and may contain debris from the gun barrel, including particles of primer and metal fragments from previously fired bullets. X-ray analysis is a non-destructive method by which traces of metallic elements can be visually detected. The analysis of osseous defects for radiodense bullet wipe (RBW) assists in determining the presence or absence of perforating gunshot wounds, especially in fragmented, skeletonized remains. The aim of our current study was to determine the frequency of RBW around entrance firearms injuries that perforated bone. We prospectively analyzed entrance gunshot wounds for RBW over a three-year period using digital X-ray analysis (n = 59). We retrospectively reviewed the corresponding autopsy reports to determine the frequency of RBW by biologic sex, reported ancestry, age-at-death, location of wound, manner of death, range of fire, bullet caliber, and presence of bullet jacket. Data were analyzed by Fisher's exact test or Chi-square test with significance levels accepted at p < 0.05. RBW was present in 66% (n = 39) of examined cases. Decedent characteristics did not significantly alter RBW distribution, including biologic sex (p = 0.75), reported ancestry (p = 0.49), and age-at-death (p = 0.43). Additionally, the location of the osseous entrance gunshot wound, manner of death, range of fire, and cartridge caliber did not affect RBW detection. All cases involving non-jacketed rounds (n = 5) showed RBW (p = 0.30). To our knowledge, this study is the first to report the frequency of RBW detection from osseous entrance gunshot wounds.
Orthodontic journals and orthodontic meetings: Prior to, during, and after the pandemic

Abstract Orthodontic journals and meetings are now at a crossroads. The manner that we communicate information to our readers and present education need to be examined. Factors impacting upon optimal readership of orthodontic publications before, during, and after the pandemic are explored. The caveat is to look forward and present innovative rather than derivative solutions to communicating and educating our colleagues. Some suggestions are offered to maintain readership interest are made.
Primary Lung Hernia After Blunt Chest Trauma: Chest Wall Repair Strategies:

Lung herniation is a rare pathology seen after trauma. A case of acquired lung hernia is presented after blunt thoracic trauma that was repaired primarily. Surgical management and decision-making f...
Experimental verification of limiting fault currents in MVDC systems by using modular multilevel converters

Medium voltage direct current (MVDC) system poses an attractive technology for the development of high power all electric ships in the future. The Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) is a potential candidate to be used as an AC/DC interface in fault current limited MVDC systems. A Controller Hardware in the Loop (CHIL) setup and the experimental setup have been designed for the initial verification of the fault current limiting function of MMC converters. A novel MMC averaged value model (AVM) is proposed in this paper for the purpose of emulating the DC side dynamics. The experimental results show that the MMC is able to limit the fault current under the investigated scenarios of load steps and arc faults causing an over current. However, the AVM requires additional features which are to be implemented in future works to better reproduce the observed behavior.
Do Small Firms Benefit More from Foreign Portfolio Investment? Evidence from a Natural Experiment

We analyze the stock market impact of Thailand's unique restriction on portfolio capital in flows. The Thai government imposed a very stringent capital control on December 19, 2006 and then quickly abandoned it on December 20, 2006. This experiment helps us separate the impact of foreign capital from the impact of other concurrent events and hence alleviates the time-series identification problem. Our results suggest that foreign portfolio investment helps large firms more, contrary to existing evidence which finds a benefit of foreign portfolio investment for small firms. We also investigate the importance of other firm characteristics correlated with size including a firm's exchange rate exposure, foreign ownership fraction, and political connection.
Drug-Induced Changes in Selenium-Dependent Glutathione Peroxidase Activity in the Chick

The ability of aurothioglucose and D(-)-penicillamine hydrochloride to inhibit selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (SeGSH-Px) in vitro and to increase exudative diathesis in vitamin E-deficient chickens was studied. Aurothioglucose and penicillamine competitively inhibited SeGSH-Px in inverse proportion to the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and reduced glutathione, respectively, in chick liver postmitochondrial supernatant assay preparations. Neither drug inhibited glutathione reductase or superoxide dismutase at the concentrations tested; however, both inhibited catalase in a semilogarithmic fashion. This was true for both the purified bovine enzyme and chick liver homogenate. Aurothioglucose and penicillamine injected subcutaneously at the back of the neck increased exudative diathesis in vitamin E-deficient chickens fed 0.1 ppm Se, and effectively overcame the protective effect of selenium 72 h after injection in chicks fed vitamin E-free, low selenium diets supplemented with 0.0-0.1 ppm Se. Assays of plasma and of liver, lung and kidney postmitochondrial supernatants indicated that all observed reductions in SeGSH-Px activity preceded increases in exudative diathesis. Plasma and liver SeGSH-Px activities were lower at early times (6-24 h) after treatment with high doses of either drug. Lung SeGSH-Px activities were only lower in chicks receiving 240 mg penicillamine/kg 6 h after treatment; kidney SeGSH-Px activities were only lower in chicks treated with the highest dose of aurothioglucose 48 h after treatment. Brain SeGSH-Px activities were unaffected by drug treatment and the heart had higher SeGSH-Px activities only at 6 h after treatment with the highest dose of either drug compared to saline controls. Catalase activities in liver homogenates were only significantly altered by penicillamine; the highest dose caused the activity to be higher than that in saline-treated chicks. The cause of the lower SeGSH-Px activities could be either lower enzyme concentrations in tissues of the drug-treated groups and/or direct inhibition. Whatever the mechanism, it is concluded that exudative diathesis can be used to determine which drugs reduce SeGSH-Px activity in the chick.
The Relationship Between Tone of TV News Coverage and Public Opinion for a Controversial Issue

More than 200 network news stories about the gays-in-the-military issue from 1992-1993 were examined for number and tone (in favor of gays in the military, against gays in the military, both, or neutral), and this coverage was compared with public opinion. Results indicate that news coverage was primarily in favor of gays in the military or neutral in tone. However, there was a significant relationship between news stories that were antigay in tone and public opinion about the issue, with negative tone significantly associated with a later decrease in overall support for allowing homosexuals to serve in the military. Additional effects were identified on the basis of race and political affiliation, although no such effects were found for gender. We suggest that today's news directors and reporters should consider these results when planning coverage of the same-sex marriage issue, which is likely to be prominent in the upcoming presidential election.
Characterization and topography of high-affinity 125I-neurotrophin-3 binding to mammalian brain

The binding of biologically active and 125I-labeled neurotrophin-3 (NT- 3) was studied with both dry film and emulsion autoradiography to compare with NGF binding and discover areas where NT-3 may function in vivo. The equilibrium binding of 300 pM 125I-NT-3 to rat brain sections was reversible and inhibited by unlabeled NT-3 (IC50, 420 pM). 125I-NT- 3 bound in a saturable manner, with high affinity (Kd, 227-269 pM), and with a capacity (Bmax, 26 fmol/mg protein) that exceeded that of NGF by threefold. As with NGF, 125I-NT-3 also bound to a second population of sites with lower affinity (Kd, 2.8 nM) and higher capacity (Bmax, 170 fmol/mg protein). 125I-NT-3 binding was not blocked by NGF, or serum proteins, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) competed for it in a distinctly biphasic manner (IC50 values of 230 pM and 37 nM). Microdensitometry confirmed graphically and by Hill analysis the monophasic displacement of 125I-NT-3 and the biphasic displacement of 125I-NT-3 binding by BDNF in hippocampus, caudate-putamen, neocortex, and olfactory tubercle. In rat or cat, the topography of 125I-NT-3 binding differed from that reported for 125I-NGF binding or for the low- affinity NGF receptor. The highest binding densities were found in neocortical layers 1 and 2, the stratum oriens and radiatum of hippocampus, molecular layer of the dentate gyrus, nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract, entorhinal cortex, anterior olfactory nucleus, anteromedial thalamic nucleus, and amygdala. Moderate densities were found in neocortical layers 4–6, the neostriatum, amygdala, the dorsal root ganglia, and the central gray of spinal cord. Emulsion autoradiography also revealed binding in nerve terminal-rich regions of superficial neocortex and hippocampus but not on neural cell bodies. Binding was absent in many other brain regions, including cholinergic nuclei, and in all peripheral organs studied including liver, kidney, pancreas, heart, and skeletal muscle. 125I-NT-3 binding to sections of human basal ganglia resembled that seen in rat or cat, including high densities in the caudate, putamen, and superficial neocortex. The unique distribution and pharmacology of 125I-NT-3 binding to BDNF- sensitive and -insensitive sites in brain predict predominantly neuronal actions for these factors that are likely to be more widespread and distinct from those of NGF.
Collagen IV regulates Caco-2 migration and ERK activation via α1β1- and α2β1-integrin-dependent Src kinase activation

Our previous work indicates intestinal epithelial cell ERK activation by collagen IV, a major component of the intestinal epithelial basement membrane, requires focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and sugg...
Green Synthesis of Fe and Fe/Pd Bimetallic Nanoparticles in Membranes for Reductive Degradation of Chlorinated Organics.

Abstract Membranes containing reactive nanoparticles (Fe and Fe/Pd) immobilized in a polymer film (polyacrylic acid, PAA-coated polyvinylidene fluoride, PVDF membrane) are prepared by a new method. In the present work a biodegradable, non-toxic-“green” reducing agent, green tea extract was used for nanoparticle (NP) synthesis, instead of the well-known sodium borohydride. Green tea extract contains a number of polyphenols that can act as both chelating/reducing and capping agents for the nanoparticles. Therefore, the particles are protected from oxidation and aggregation, which increases their stability and longevity. The membrane supported NPs were successfully used for the degradation of a common and highly important pollutant, trichloroethylene (TCE). The rate of TCE degradation was found to increase linearly with the amount of Fe immobilized on the membrane, the surface normalized rate constant ( k SA ) being 0.005 L/m 2 h. The addition of a second catalytic metal, Pd, to form bimetallic Fe/Pd increased the k SA value to 0.008 L/m 2 h. For comparison purposes, Fe and Fe/Pd nanoparticles were synthesized in membranes using sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. Although the initial k SA values for this case (for Fe) are one order of magnitude higher than the tea extract synthesized NPs, the rapid oxidation reduced their reactivity to less than 20% within 4 cycles. For the green tea extract NPs, the initial reactivity in the membrane domain was preserved even after 3 months of repeated use. The reactivity of TCE was verified with “real” water system.