cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A New Optimization Technique

This paper describes a new optimization technique to locate the minimum or maximum value of a function. The new technique, which we call the particle swirl algorithm (PSA), utilizes multiple solutions ("particles") that rotate or "swirl" around a center point. The swirling motion is based on the principle of water spiraling toward a drain, so the center point is known as the vortex. The vortex is not stationary, but rather continually moves towards the highest known fitness value in the search space. Since the particles are drawn towards the vortex, the search is concentrated in areas that have previously yielded good results. We tested the particle swirl algorithm on three different functions with ten different peak (target) locations and then compared the results against a gradient-based optimization technique and the particle swarm optimization technique. In all cases (all three functions and all peak locations), the PSA performed equal to or better than the other optimization techniques
β-Globin locus control region HS2 and HS3 interact structurally and functionally

The overall structure of the DNase I hypersensitive sites (HSs) that comprise the β-globin locus control region (LCR) is highly conserved among mammals, implying that the HSs have conserved functions. However, it is not well understood how the LCR HSs, either individually or collectively, activate transcription. We analyzed the interactions of HS2, HS3 and HS4 with the human e- and β-globin genes in chromatinized episomes in fetal/embryonic K562 cells. Only HS2 activates transcription of the e-globin gene, while all three HSs activate the β-globin gene. HS3 stimulates the β-globin gene constitutively, but HS2 and HS4 transactivation requires expression of the transcription factor EKLF, which is not present in K562 cells but is required for β-globin expression in vivo. To begin addressing how the individual HSs may interact with one another in a complex, we linked the β-globin gene to both the HS2 and HS3. HS2 and HS3 together resulted in synergistic stimulation of β-globin transcription. Unexpectedly, mutated, inactive forms of HS2 impeded the activation of the β-globin gene by HS3. Thus, there appear to be distinct interactions among the HSs and between the HSs and the globin genes. These preferential, non-exclusive interactions may underlie an important structural and functional cooperativity among the regulatory sequences of the β-globin locus in vivo.
Supervised robotics for space servicing

Supervised robotics is the key to success for in-space servicing or other remote servicing operations. Advanced techniques include human-assisted vision processing, automatic calibration and retargeting, and advanced force compliant control macros. A combination of these techniques was developed and assembled in a laboratory experiment, demonstrating the flexible, robust and on-line interactive replacement of an orbit replaceable unit. >
RNAi Codex: a portal/database for short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) gene-silencing constructs

Use of RNA interference (RNAi) in forward genetic screens is proliferating. Currently, short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and short-hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) are being used to silence genes to tease out functional information. It is becoming easier to harness RNAi to silence specific genes, owing to the development of libraries of readymade shRNA and siRNA gene-silencing constructs by using a variety of sources. RNAi Codex, which consists of a database of shRNA related information and an associated website, has been developed as a portal for publicly available shRNA resources and is accessible at http://codex.cshl.org. RNAi Codex currently holds data from the Hannon-Elledge shRNA library and allows the use of biologist-friendly gene names to access information on shRNA constructs that can silence the gene of interest. It is designed to hold user-contributed annotations and publications for each construct, as and when such data become available. We will describe features of RNAi Codex and explain the use of the tool.
Pharmacotherapy Update on the Use of Vasopressors and Inotropes in the Intensive Care Unit

This paper summarizes the pharmacologic properties of vasoactive medications used in the treatment of shock, including the inotropes and vasopressors. The clinical application of these therapies is discussed and recent studies describing their use and associated outcomes are also reported. Comprehension of hemodynamic principles and adrenergic and non-adrenergic receptor mechanisms are salient to the appropriate therapeutic utility of vasoactive medications for shock. Vasoactive medications can be classified based on their direct effects on vascular tone (vasoconstriction or vasodilation) and on the heart (presence or absence of positive inotropic effects). This classification highlights key similarities and differences with respect to pharmacology and hemodynamic effects. Vasopressors include pure vasoconstrictors (phenylephrine and vasopressin) and inoconstrictors (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine). Each of these medications acts as vasopressors to increase mean arterial pressure by augmenting vascular tone. Inotropes include inodilators (dobutamine and milrinone) and the aforementioned inoconstrictors. These medications act as inotropes by enhancing cardiac output through enhanced contractility. The inodilators also reduce afterload from systemic vasodilation. The relative hemodynamic effect of each agent varies depending on the dose administered, but is particularly apparent with dopamine. Recent large-scale clinical trials have evaluated vasopressors and determined that norepinephrine may be preferred as a first-line therapy for a broad range of shock states, most notably septic shock. Consequently, careful selection of vasoactive medications based on desired pharmacologic effects that are matched to the patient's underlying pathophysiology of shock may optimize hemodynamics while reducing the potential for adverse effects.
Prevention of spontaneous bleeding in dogs with haemophilia A and haemophilia B

Dogs with haemophilia A or haemophilia B exhibit spontaneous bleeding comparable with the spontaneous bleeding phenotype that occurs in humans with severe haemophilia. The phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of haemophilic dogs have been well-described, and such dogs are suitable for testing prophylactic protein replacement therapy and gene transfer strategies. In dogs with haemophilia, long-term effects on spontaneous bleeding frequency (measured over years) can be used as an efficacy endpoint in such studies. Although complete correction of coagulopathy has not been achieved, published data show that prophylactic factor replacement therapy and gene transfer can markedly reduce the frequency of spontaneous bleeding in haemophilic dogs. Further studies are currently ongoing.
An Approach to Designing Controllers of Doubly Salient Electric Machines

In this paper a time varying control for doubly salient machines is proposed. The mathematical model of a switched reluctance motor drive (a typical representative of doubly salient machines) can be represented as a linear time variant system, if the rotor angular velocity is assumed constant. A Floquet transformation is derived which makes it possible to represent the same system as a linear time invariant model with a time dependent control. Next, a torque follower control is proposed for the new model. It was possible to obtain an explicit (closed form) solution for the nonlinear control which is feasible in real time. Conceptually this approach can be used for any other time variant system and serve the same purpose as control design via feedback linearization for nonlinear systems. For the class of time variant systems the feedback linearization results have not been studied yet.
Signal dependent degradation in noise performance of optimum detectors for multiple signal detection

The detection of multiple signals in the presence of additive noise is addressed, and finite impulse response (FIR) filters are treated as arrays (or vectors) to facilitate mathematical manipulations. The problem is to find the filter coefficients such that the output is (i) indicative of the class of the input image, (ii) tolerant to additive input noise, and (iii) invariant to image distortions. The filter synthesis procedure is reviewed. Degradation in processor performance and the rise in output variance as the number of signals to be detected increases are discussed. It is shown that the variance is a nondecreasing function of the number of signals. Recursive expressions for the exact output variance and incremental changes in variance are derived. >
Effect of dietary aluminum sulfate on calcium and phosphorus metabolism of broiler chicks.

Abstract The effect of dietary aluminum sulfate on Ca and P metabolism was studied using 1-day-oldmale broiler chicks. In Experiment 1, practical diets providing .90% Ca plus .45% available P (Pav), .90% Ca plus .78% Pav, 1.80% Ca plus .45% Pav, or 1.80% Ca plus .90% Pav were fed with 0 or .392% Al as aluminum sulfate for 21 days. The control diet (.90% Caplus .45% Pav) without added A1 was fed to all chicks during Days 22 to 49. In general, Al significantly (P In Experiment 2, a control diet (.90% Ca, .45% Pav) was fed for ad libitum access either alone or supplemented with .2% Al as aluminum sulfate or with an equivalent amount of sulfate provided by potassium sulfate. The control diet was also pair-fed to chicks given .2% Al. Dietary Al significantly depressed weight gain, feed intake, gain:feed ratio, and plasma Pi. No effects were noted due to adding potassium sulfate to the diet. Pair-feeding the control diet decreased weight gain, feed intake, and tibia weight, but not plasma Pi. These results indicate that the toxic effect of aluminum sulfate is due to the aluminum and not the sulfate ions. The influence of aluminum on growth is mainly due to depressed feed intake, while the altered Ca and P metabolism results from a direct effect of Al per se.
BER analysis of MRC-OFDM receiver with RF impairments and imperfect channel state information

In this paper, we investigate the effects of RF impairments and imperfect channel state information (CSI) on the performance of M-QAM orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) employing maximum ratio combining (MRC) receiver architecture in Rayleigh fading channels. We derive the BER expressions for M-QAM OFDM with the effects of the RF impairments and employing R-branch MRC receiver structure with and without perfect CSI. Simulation results are also presented to illustrate the extent of the effects on system performance degradation.
A community-based approach to low-income residential energy efficiency participation barriers

ABSTRACTFinancial barriers are often cited as the principle impediment to the adoption of energy efficiency measures. Since 1976, the US Department of Energy's Weatherisation Assistance Programme (WAP) has provided state block grants for no-cost, low-income energy efficiency retrofits. Yet, millions of low-income American households lack affordable, reliable, and efficient energy access. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 boosted WAP's annual appropriation from $230 million to $5 billion, requiring states to explore innovate approaches to quickly increasing programme participation. Community-based energy programmes have shown success for overcoming various barriers and increasing participation in the adoption of energy technologies. This case study explores a community-based approach to scaling WAP-funded energy efficiency retrofits in a cluster of five urban, low-income, majority African-American neighbourhoods, known as the Green Impact Zone (GIZ), in Kansas City, Missouri. Findings from...
Privacy and the Economics of Health Care Information

Berkeley Law Berkeley Law Scholarship Repository Faculty Scholarship Internet Privacy and the State Paul M. Schwartz Berkeley Law Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/facpubs Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Paul M. Schwartz, Internet Privacy and the State, 32 Conn. L. Rev. 815 (1999), Available at: http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/facpubs/766 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Berkeley Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Berkeley Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact jcera@law.berkeley.edu.
Jindo Corporation: Fur-Industry Merger Exercise

The set of four cases composing the Fur Industry Merger Exercise affords the opportunity for a merger negotiation among students. Three potential buyers (Adams [UVA-F-0964], Jindo, and Lessard [UVA-F-0963]) compete for two potential sellers (Adams and Gallery of Furs [UVA-F-0965]). The cases give detailed financial forecasts for the target firms that are unique to each party. The forecasts form the basis for valuation of the target companies. The merger opportunities are prompted by major competitive changes in the worldwide fur-garment industry and by adverse changes in demand in US fur retailing. The exercise affords insights into the challenges of cross-border acquisitions. Jindo Corporation is a Korean producer of fur garments and desires to obtain US retail channels of distribution. The "Jindo Corporation" case may be used on a stand-alone basis to illustrate aspects of valuation in a merger setting. Two instructor/student Lotus worksheet files are available on a computer diskette for use with this case.
Novel Hybrid Amorphous/Organic Tandem Junction Solar Cell

We report on a novel hybrid amorphous Si-organic series-connected tandem junction solar cell. The solar cell is fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass and uses an a-(Si,C):H as the first cell and a P3HT/PCBM organic cell as the second cell. An intermediate ITO layer is used as an ohmic layer which provides an excellent contact to both the first and the second cells. By adjusting the bandgap and thickness of the first a-(Si,C):H cell, we achieve an almost complete matching of currents produced by the first and the second cells. The first cell produces ∼0.95–1.0-V open-circuit voltage, and the second cell produces ∼0.6-V open-circuit voltage. The combined cell produces 1.5-V open-circuit voltage and had a fill factor of 77%, showing the effectiveness of the intermediate ITO layer to act as an excellent connecting layer between the two cells.When such an ITO layer is not used, the fill factor is very poor. The solar conversion efficiency of the organic cell was 4.3%, whereas the efficiency of the tandem cell was 5.7%. We also measured the stability of the organic cell with and without an inorganic cell acting as a filter in front. It is shown that the degradation of the organic cell is much higher when it is subjected to a full solar spectrum, as compared with when it is subjected to light passing through an inorganic cell first, which filters out ultraviolet (UV) and blue photons. Thus,we showthat this new cell combination has the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of organic cells while also decreasing the instability. We also discuss the potential of achieving much higher efficiencies, that is approaching 20%, by using an appropriate combination of amorphous and organic cells. An example is shown next.
Quantifying the Hygroscopic Growth of Individual Submicrometer Particles with Atomic Force Microscopy.

The water uptake behavior of atmospheric aerosol dictates their climate effects. In many studies, aerosol particles are deposited onto solid substrates to measure water uptake; however, the effects of the substrate are not well understood. Furthermore, in some cases, methods used to analyze and quantify water uptake of substrate deposited particles use a two-dimensional (2D) analysis to monitor growth by following changes in the particle diameter with relative humidity (RH). However, this 2D analysis assumes that the droplet grows equally in all directions. If particle growth is not isotropic in height and diameter, this assumption can cause inaccuracies when quantifying hygroscopic growth factors (GFs), where GF for a for a spherical particle is defined as the ratio of the particle diameter at a particular relative humidity divided by the dry particle diameter (typically about 5% RH). However, as shown here, anisotropic growth can occur in some cases. In these cases, a three-dimensional (3D) analysis of ...
Democracy as gender balance: the shift from quotas to parity in Latin America

Seven Latin American countries – Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama – have recently shifted from quota laws to parity regimes. This paper offers the first scholarly examination of the discourses underlying this parity shift, exploring how proponents frame and justify the measure in these seven cases. I find that Latin America's parity advocates appeal to women's presence in the population and to the equality of outcomes. In doing so, they argue that gender balance constitutes a prerequisite of the democratic state. This framing is further legitimated by court decisions validating the constitutionality of affirmative action. In becoming widely shared, these discourses should continue to influence parity innovations across Latin America.
Physics and Whitehead: An Alternative Approach

While efforts to frame a Whiteheadian response to problems of quantum interpretation have looked primarily to the later metaphysical writings, a powerful potential in this regard is contained in the ideas of the philosophy of nature period.
Closed-Loop Control of Vortex Shedding on a Two-Dimensional Flat-Plate Airfoil at a Low Reynolds Number ∗

Open- and closed-loop control of vortex shedding in two-dimensional flow over a flat plate at high angles of attack is numerically investigated at a Reynolds number of 300. Unsteady actuation is modeled as a body force near the leading or trailing edge, and is directed either upstream or downstream. For moderate angles of attack, sinusoidal forcing at the natural shedding frequency results in phase locking, with a periodic variation of lift at the same frequency. However, at sufficiently high angles of attack, subharmonics of the forcing frequency are also excited and the average lift over the forcing period varies from cycle to cycle in a complex manner. It is observed that the periods with the highest averaged lift are associated with particular phase difference between the forcing and the lift. We design a feedback algorithm to lock the forcing with the phase shift associated with the highest period-averaged lift. It is shown that the compensator results in a stable phaselocked limit cycle for a larger range of forcing frequencies than the open-loop control, and that it is able to stabilize otherwise unstable high-lift limit cycles that cannot be obtained with open-loop control. For example at an angle of attack of 40 ◦ , the feedback controller can increase the averaged lift coefficient from 1.35 to 2.43, an increase of 80%.
Tetracyclines in the Treatment of Chronic Trachoma in American Indians

A trial for treatment of chronic trachoma was carried out in 1968-1969 at boarding schools for American Indians. Tetracycline (0.75 g) or a placebo was administered orally twice daily for 21 days. Clinical assessment of ocular signs revealed significant suppression of signs of trachomatous activity for at least four months after treatment. In 1969-1970 a therapeutic trial compared tetracycline given in two oral doses of 1.5 g daily, with a single dose of 0.1 g of doxycycline given daily for 28 days. The levels of drug in the blood were less with doxycycline than with tetracycline, but the two regimens were indistinguishable in their suppression of signs of disease during a five-month follow-up. None of the therapeutic regimens had a significant effect on the incidence of chlamydiae in conjunctival scrapings examined by immunofluorescence, which suggests that chlamydial infection was not eradicated. Likewise the therapeutic regimens did not significantly influence the bacterial flora of the conjunctiva, except for the suppression of Moraxella sp. Potential bacterial pathogens were cultured more frequently from the eyes of girls than from boys, but they were not associated with either clinical activity of trachoma or with purulent conjunctivitis.
“Get to Know the Unknown”: Understanding Religion and Advertising

ABSTRACTThe relationship between religion and advertising has mostly been theorized in terms of “religion in advertising” or “advertising as religion.” This article pursues two goals: First, it offers a substantial critique of previous studies of advertising and religion in order to take stock and discern future directions of research. Second, it presents the results of an empirical qualitative study of print advertisements which responds to some of the open questions of previous research. It shows that advertising partially fulfills religious functions, focusing on those to do with self-actualization and meaning making within an immanent horizon, and less so on community-related functions. Based on these results, I argue that in the study of religion and advertising, “religion” cannot be limited to specific religious traditions, but has to be understood more broadly. Also, the conventional distinction between “religion in advertising” and “advertising as religion” has to be overcome in order to understan...
Residual surface stress: comparing traditional and modulated tool path machining processes

Traditional machining processes, where material is removed by a cutting tool from a workpiece, can introduce residual stresses at the surface of machined pieces. This paper provides an examination of an alternative machining methodology called modulated tool path machining. The ultimate objective of this research is to determine the effects of modulated tooling path machining processes, as applied to control chip geometry, on the surface stress of selected materials. Residual stresses in machined samples were characterised through the use of X-ray diffraction by comparing the modulated path method with a more traditional material removal technique (i.e. constant surface speed and constant contact).This paper is part of a Themed Issue on Measurement, modelling and mitigation of residual stress.
Extended Monitoring during Endoscopy

Gastrointestinal endoscopic sedation has improved procedural and patient outcomes but is associated with attendant risks of oversedation and hemodynamic compromise. Therefore, close monitoring during endoscopic procedures using sedation is critical. This monitoring begins with appropriate staff trained in visual assessment of patients and analysis of basic physiologic parameters. It also mandates an array of devices widely used in practice to evaluate hemodynamics, oxygenation, ventilation, and depth of sedation. The authors review the evidence behind monitoring practices and current society recommendations and discuss forthcoming technologies and techniques that are poised to improve noninvasive monitoring of patients under endoscopic sedation.
Diamine Oxidase-Gold Ultrastructural Localization of Histamine in Human Skin Biopsies Containing Mast Cells Stimulated to Degranulate In Vivo by Exposure to Recombinant Human Stem Cell Factor

Stem cell factor (SCF ) has a major role in hematopoiesis and in the regulation of mast cell development and function. For example, recombinant human SCF (rhSCF ) can induce the development of human mast cells from precursor cells in vitro, stimulate mediator release from human skin mast cells in vitro, and promote both the development and functional activation of human skin mast cells in vivo. In the present study, we used a new ultrastructural enzyme-affinity method, employing diamine oxidase (DAO)-conjugated gold particles (DAO-gold), to detect histamine in skin biopsies obtained from patients with breast carcinomas who were receiving daily subcutaneous (SC) injections of rhSCF in a phase I study of this cytokine. We examined control biopsies obtained at sites remote from rhSCF injection as well as biopsies of rhSCF-injected skin that were obtained within 2 hours and 30 minutes of the SC injection of rhSCF at that site. The rhSCF-injected sites (which clinically exhibited a wheal-and-flare response), but not the control sites, contained mast cells undergoing regulated secretion by granule extrusion. The DAO-gold-affinity method detected histamine in electron-dense granules of mast cells in control and injected skin biopsies; however, the altered matrix of membrane-free, extruded mast cell granules was largely unreactive with DAO-gold. Notably, DAO-gold bound strongly to fibrin deposits and collagen fibers that were adjacent to degranulated mast cells. These findings represent the first morphologic evidence of histamine secretion by classical granule exocytosis in human mast cells in vivo.
Improving Maternal and Infant Child Health Outcomes with Community-Based Pregnancy Support Groups: Outcomes from Moms2B Ohio.

Objectives To describe temporal changes in maternal and child health outcomes in an impoverished urban community after the implementation of an innovative community-based pregnancy support program, named Moms2B. Methods Beginning in 2011, pregnant women in an urban impoverished community were recruited for participation in a community-based pregnancy support program focused on improving nutrition coupled with increasing social and medical support. The comprehensive program targeting pregnancy through the infants’ first year of life was developed and staffed by a multidisciplinary team from an academic health system. As a preliminary effort to assess the effectiveness of Moms2B, we examined maternal and infant health characteristics in the community before and after implementation of the program. Results From 2011 to 2014, 195 pregnant women attended one or more Moms2B sessions at the Weinland Park (WP) location. Most (75%) were African American (AA) with incomes below $800 per month and significant medical and social stressors. Outcomes from the two WP census tracts before and after implementation of the Moms2B program were studied. From 2007 to 2010, there were 442 births in WP and 6 infant deaths for an infant mortality rate of 14.2/1000. In 2011–2014, the first four years of the Moms2B program there were 339 births and one infant death giving an IMR of 2.9/1000, nearly a five-fold reduction in the rate of an infant death. Among pregnant women in WP who were covered by Medicaid, the breastfeeding initiation rate improved from 37.9 to 75.5% (p < .01) after the introduction of Moms2B. There were no infant deaths among Moms2B participants at the WP location in the first four years of the program. Conclusions Implementation of an innovative community-based pregnancy support program was associated with important improvements in maternal and infant health in an impoverished neighborhood.
Novel Dynamic State-Deflection Method for Gate-Level Design Obfuscation

The emerging security threats in the integrated circuit supply chain do not only challenge the chip integrity, but also raise serious concerns on hardware intellectual property (IP) piracy. Hardware design obfuscation is a promising countermeasure to resist reverse engineering attacks and IP piracy. The majority of existing hardware obfuscation methods modify the original finite state machine (FSM) by adding additional state transitions and utilizing a key sequence to lock the transition from the nonfunctional states to the functional reset state. Those methods are effective to prevent attackers from entering the normal functional mode but they lack resilience if the FSM is already in the normal mode. This paper proposes to protect all the states with a low-cost state-deflection-based obfuscation method, which dynamically deflects state transitions from the original transition path to a black hole cluster if a wrong key is applied. Unlike other works that use static transitions between legal states to black hole states at the design time, this method utilizes a state rotation function (Rotatefunc) and selective register flipping function (Mapfunc) to dynamically control the state deflection paths. Hence, the difficulty of reverse engineering and thwarting register overwrite attacks is increased. Simulations performed on ISCAS’89 benchmark circuits show that the proposed method significantly reduces the difference of the net toggle activities between the correct and wrong key scenarios, and achieves up to 56% higher code coverage than the most efficient obfuscation method. Thanks to the dynamic deflection feature, on average, this method generates about 100 more unique state register patterns than other methods with moderate power increase. Moreover, the proposed method achieves the Hamming distance of primary outputs and state registers close to 50%.
Perceptions and Affective Responses to Alternative Risk-Based Airport Security

The current research examines how American air travelers perceive various risk-based airport security screening policies that vary in terms of selection procedure and agency. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions that differ in terms of procedures for selecting passengers for enhanced screening. Respondents were presented with a conventional security option and a risk-based option, and were asked to rate these policies in terms equity, safety, and convenience. They also indicated anticipated feelings if selected for an enhanced screening in the risk-based procedure. Results suggest that the conventional approach was perceived as safer and more equitable but less convenient. Importantly, while different passenger selection procedures for enhanced screening led to distinct perceptions and feelings, respondents were indifferent between an equivalent selection procedures conducted by humans versus by computer.
The reliability and minimal detectable change of the cardiovascular response and self-selected exercise intensity during forward and backward treadmill exercise in individuals with Parkinson disease.

Objective This study examined test-retest relative (intraclass correlation coefficient) and absolute (minimum detectable change) reliabilities for heart rate, blood pressure, rate of perceived exertion, and the cerebral oxygen response during both forward and backward treadmill walking in clients with Parkinson disease. In addition, the intensity of exercise based on the individual's heart rate response during forward and backward walking treadmill work was assessed. Design Test-retest reliability study. Subjects A total of 22 clients with Parkinson disease (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1-3). Main measures Outcome measures of heart rate, blood pressure, and cerebral oxygen response were assessed during forward and backward walking on a treadmill for a total of 20 minutes up to an intensity based on the clients' prior treadmill work and their rate of perceived exertion. Results Good to excellent 6-8 day test-retest findings for both forward (intraclass correlation coefficient(2,1), 0.89-0.99) and backward (intraclass correlation coefficient(2,1), 0.82-0.99) treadmill walking were found for heart rate, blood pressure, cerebral oxygen response, and the participants' rate of perceived exertion. Low minimum detectable change (MDC)95 values were found for heart rate (4.9 and 4.8), rate of perceived exertion (1.0 and 1.6), and cerebral oxygen response (1.2 and 0.92), during forward and backward walking, respectively. All treadmill exercise heart rates attained by participants were within an intensity of 54%-87% of the client's predicted maximal heart rate. Conclusion Treadmill exercise training can be included in Parkinson disease exercise programs with relative confidence in test-retest reliability of cardiovascular response. It was also demonstrated that individuals with Parkinson disease previously involved with exercise consistently self-select walking speeds which induce heart rates within recommended guidelines for positive cardiovascular adaptation.
Triangulating Blackness: Mexico City, 1612

On May 2, 1612, Mexico City’s authorities executed thirty-five Black people who had allegedly “conspired” against the colonial order. This article compares two accounts of the supposed plot, one written in Spanish by an anonymous member of the Audiencia, the other in Nahuatl by the indigenous historian Domingo de Chimalpahin. The former narrates the “conspiracy” by representing the Black body as incapable of self-mastery and thus predisposed to raping Spanish women. In contrast, the latter proceeds through triangulation, offering a critical reflection on the Spanish account and the racialization process. This analysis highlights the limits of existing translations of the original Nahuatl text, which unintentionally reproduce the colonial myth of the Black rapist. El 2 de mayo de 1612 las autoridades de la ciudad de Mexico ejecutaron a 35 negros que supuestamente habian “conspirado” contra el orden colonial. Este ensayo compara dos relaciones del supuesto complot, una escrita en espanol por un miembro anonimo de la Audiencia, y la otra en nahuatl por el historiador indigena Domingo de Chimalpahin. La primera narra la “conspiracion” representando al cuerpo negro como incapaz de autocontrol y, por lo tanto, predispuesto a violar a las mujeres espanolas. En contraste, la segunda se vale a la triangulacion, proponiendo una reflexion critica sobre la narrativa espanola y el proceso de la racializacion. Este analisis subraya los limites de las traducciones existentes del nahuatl original, que sin querer reproducen el mito colonial del violador negro.
Wildland Fire Smoke and Human Health

The natural cycle of landscape fire maintains the ecological health of the land, yet adverse health effects associated with exposure to emissions from wildfire produce public health and clinical challenges. Systematic reviews conclude that a positive association exists between exposure to wildfire smoke or wildfire particulate matter (PM2.5) and all-cause mortality and respiratory morbidity. Respiratory morbidity includes asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis and pneumonia. The epidemiological data linking wildfire smoke exposure to cardiovascular mortality and morbidity is mixed, and inconclusive. More studies are needed to define the risk for common and costly clinical cardiovascular outcomes. Susceptible populations include people with respiratory and possibly cardiovascular diseases, middle-aged and older adults, children, pregnant women and the fetus. The increasing frequency of large wildland fires, the expansion of the wildland-urban interface, the area between unoccupied land and human development; and an increasing and aging U.S. population are increasing the number of people at-risk from wildfire smoke, thus highlighting the necessity for broadening stakeholder cooperation to address the health effects of wildfire. While much is known, many questions remain and require further population-based, clinical and occupational health research. Health effects measured over much wider geographical areas and for longer periods time will better define the risk for adverse health outcomes, identify the sensitive populations and assess the influence of social factors on the relationship between exposure and health outcomes. Improving exposure models and access to large clinical databases foreshadow improved risk analysis facilitating more effective risk management. Fuel and smoke management remains an important component for protecting population health. Improved smoke forecasting and translation of environmental health science into communication of actionable information for use by public health officials, healthcare professionals and the public is needed to motivate behaviors that lower exposure and protect public health, particularly among those at high risk.
Cribriform plate width is highly variable within and between subjects.

Abstract Objective All successful endonasal surgery, including functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), depends on knowledge of both anatomy and the specific variations that can occur between and within patients. Familiarity with these structures is a critical component in preventing complications from these procedures, and failure to understand subtle variation can have disastrous results. The aim of this study was to characterize the anatomical variations (if any) of the cribriform plate using a large cadaveric sample set. Better understanding of the disparities within and between patients may have important implications for surgical planning. Methods Whole human skull specimens (31 specimens, 62 sides) were examined to obtain dimensional measurements of the cribriform plate on the right and left sides. Results The average length of the cribriform plate was 21.28 mm (range 15.25–27.73 mm, SD 3.30 mm). The average width of the cribriform plate (including the crista galli) was 4.53 mm (range 1.75–8.03 mm, SD 1.20 mm). When comparing side differences in individual specimens, there was more variability between widths, relative standard deviation 26.4%, than between lengths, relative standard deviation 15.5%. Conclusion There is a range of both length and width of the cribriform plate, between and within individuals. This is particularly true for width. In practice, this emphasizes the importance of pre-operative imaging and recognition of anatomic variability for sinus or anterior skull base procedure.
Microencapsulation of molten salt in stable silica shell via a water-limited sol-gel process for high temperature thermal energy storage

Abstract Microencapsulated phase change material as high temperature latent heat storage (LHS) has great potential for renewable energy applications. However, high temperature compatible microencapsulation techniques have rarely been reported so far. Successful microencapsulation of molten salt with high melting point and high latent heat is demonstrated in this work. The microcapsules are demonstrated to be thermally stable at a relatively high melting point of the salt (334 °C) with a high encapsulation ratio (95.2%) which can be well controlled through a Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) hydrolysis/condensation process. The demonstrated stability and excellent controllability of this process makes the synthesized KNO3@silica microcapsule the first real demonstration of a controllable micro/nanoencapsulation technique that can be used for high temperature applications without much limitation on PCM selection, especially for molten salts.
ConfChem Conference on Mathematics in Undergraduate Chemistry Instruction: Strengthening Students' Math Fluencies through Calculator-Free Chemistry Calculations

In our previous study of students in second-semester general chemistry classes at the University of Minnesota, higher scores on a calculator-free math assessment, administered at the start of the semester, were found to correlate with higher grades in this course, despite the use of calculators during exams. The present paper describes some methods subsequently used to enhance students’ math fluency through solving numerical problems using pencil-and-paper math, without the use of a calculator. When doing such problems in class, the instructor can efficiently interleave reminders of basic algebraic methods to simplify expressions, to work with common and natural logs, and to estimate results to one or two significant figures. Multiple-choice exams incorporating problems of this type, in which calculators were not allowed, were also administered. Examples of such problems and their pencil-and-paper solution methods are presented in the areas of chemical equilibrium, acid–base reactions, buffers, and titrat...
BRAF V600E Mutation in Multiple Primary Malignancies: A Hairy Affair.

As the number of cancer survivors grows, so does the number of co-occurring primary malignancies and secondary malignancies. In rare cases, single driver mutations can be responsible for concomitant primary malignancies. By understanding the mechanisms that drive multiple primary malignancies (MPM), clinicians are capable of targeting molecular pathways that drive oncogenesis resulting in the successful treatment of many malignancies while also reducing the side effects of conventional chemotherapy. Herein, we report a case of co-occurring hairy cell leukemia (HCL) and malignant melanoma in a 69-year-old male. This patient tested positive for the BRAF V600E mutation and was initiated on a single agent, vemurafenib. He, unfortunately, succumbed to his illness before completion of his planned therapy course. This case report is intended to highlight the rare co-occurrence of BRAF-positive HCL and melanoma and to encourage driver mutation evaluation when a patient presents with MPM and the possibility of a unifying driver mutation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a co-occurring BRAF positive melanoma and HCL to be reported in a chemotherapy-naive patient.
Effects of extracellular volume expansion on the tubular reabsorption of glucose. A microinjection study.

Clearance and intratubular injections of (14C) glucose were performed in glucose loaded rats, during control (C) and extracellular fluid volume expansion (VE) to 10% of body weight. VE resulted in a significant decrease in hematocrit from 47.50±1.06 to 38.80±1.14% and plasma protein from 6.23±0.25 to 4.13±0.21 gm/100ml. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) increased by 51% from 1.06±0.07 to 1.60±0.35 ml/min. Fractional excretion of sodium increased significantly from 0.42±0.07 to 12.58±1.25%. Maximal glucose reabsorption (TmG) was unchanged from 3.47±0.42 to 3.29±0.41 mg/min. However, TmG/GFR decreased significantly from 3.14±0.22 to 1.94±0.21 mg/ml GFR. As compared to C, VE resulted in a significant increase in (14C) glucose recovery after injection into the early and late proximal tubules, from 63±3 to 81±2% and 82±2 to 88±1% respectively. After distal tubular injections (14C) glucose recovery was complete in both C and VE; early distal injection 97±1 vs 98±1%, late distal injection 98±1 vs 99±1%. These results indicate an inhibitory effect of VE on fractional glucose reabsorption in the superficial nephron. There is no evidence for glucose reabsorption in the superficial distal nephron during C and VE.
Environment and culture change in Neolithic Southeast China

How did the Neolithic begin and develop in Southeast China? The author uses a highly detailed sequence of changes in sea-level, climate and vegetation to provide the back-drop - and some explanations - for the distinctive maritime community of the Taiwan Strait, whose descendants are thought to have colonised the Pacific.
Activation of an Open Shell, Carbyne-Bridged Diiron Complex Toward Binding of Dinitrogen

Binding of N2 by nitrogenase requires a reductive activation of the FeMo-cofactor, but the precise structure and atomic com-position of FeMoco in its activated form is not well understood. However,...
Virome assembly and annotation in brain tissue based on next‐generation sequencing

The glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the deadliest tumors. It has been speculated that virus plays a role in GBM but the evidences are controversy. Published researches are mainly limited to studies on the presence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in GBM. No comprehensive assessment of the brain virome, the collection of viral material in the brain, based on recently sequenced data has been performed. Here, we characterized the virome from 111 GBM samples and 57 normal brain samples from eight projects in the SRA database by a tested and comprehensive assembly approach. The annotation of the assembled contigs showed that most viral sequences in the brain belong to the viral family Retroviridae. In some GBM samples, we also detected full genome sequence of a novel picornavirus recently discovered in invertebrates. Unlike previous reports, our study did not detect herpes virus such as HCMV in GBM from the data we used. However, some contigs that cannot be annotated with any known genes exhibited antibody epitopes in their sequences. These findings provide several avenues for potential cancer therapy: the newly discovered picornavirus could be a starting point to engineer novel oncolytic virus; and the exhibited antibody epitopes could be a source to explore potential drug targets for immune cancer therapy. By characterizing the virosphere in GBM and normal brain at a global level, the results from this study strengthen the link between GBM and viral infection which warrants the further investigation.
Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors: where and when?

Tweetable abstract Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors not only improve glycaemic control in Type 2 diabetes mellitus but convincingly improve outcome for everyone with HFrEF and albuminuric kidney disease. Trials then license - now all we need is implementation.
Building Common-Mode Analytical Model for Dual Active Bridge Incorporating With Different Modulation Strategies

The modulation strategies of dual active bridge (DAB) including single phase-shift (SPS), dual phase-shift (DPS), and triple phase-shift (TPS) have been proposed to optimize the efficiency, eliminate the reactive power, and release the current stress. While the previous literature focuses on the accurate loss model in steady states or small-signal analysis for dynamic response, the common-mode (CM) model has been largely ignored. The main contribution of this article then is to propose an analytical CM model for DAB, which considers the CM parasitic capacitors including those of grounded heatsink and transformer windings. Based on such model, the CM performance is compared among different modulation strategies. The impact of two H-bridge on the input and output CM voltage has been addressed. A prototype based on SiC devices is used to verify the proposed analytical mode under SPS, DPS, and TPS. It is found that while TPS improves the light-load efficiency it introduces the worst CM noise. Influence of the ZVS current setting on the CM performance is also discussed.