cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The CMS Quality Roadmap: quality plus efficiency.

ABSTRACT: In addition to demonstrating wide variations in costs, resource inputs, and quality in California hospitals, John Wennberg and colleagues demonstrate that higher quality of care might be ...
Comparison of Techniques for Egg Component Yields

Abstract Experiments were conducted to establish the most reliable methods for determining egg yolk:albumin ratio. Fresh raw eggs were compared with hard-cooked eggs for the determination of yolk:albumen ratio. A ratio of .43 was obtained with fresh eggs as compared with .44 for stored eggs. A decrease in egg weights was observed when eggs were cooked. This decrease was greater for air-cooled eggs as compared with the ones cooled in running water. When the weight of the albumen was adjusted for this loss in egg weight, values for the yolk:albumen ratio obtained from using cooked eggs, water-cooled eggs, or air-cooled eggs, remained significantly (P The yolk:albumen ratio was not different for eggs collected in the morning or afternoon nor was it affected by egg weight. A sample size of 50 eggs was found to be sufficient for this type of experiment.
Survey on Clean Slate Cellular-IoT Standard Proposals

In this paper we investigate the proposals made by various industries for the Cellular Internet of Things (C-IoT). We start by introducing the context of C-IoT and demonstrate how this technology is closely linked to the Low Power-Wide Area (LPWA) technologies and networks. An in-depth look and system level evaluation is given for each clean slate technology and a comparison is made based on its specifications.
Seeking a preferential option for the rural poor in Chile

From colonial times well into the twentieth century (and, unfortunately, even beyond) the man/land relationship in Latin America has been markedly unjust. Small numbers of families have owned large tracts of the best land, while large numbers of poor families have struggled with tiny plots of marginal land or labored on the estates of the rich. Chile was no exception to this pattern. Thus, its experiment with land reform in the 1960s and 1970s, the setback of reform under the military in the 1970s and 1980s, and the resumption of reform under democrats in the 1990s, may provide lessons for the rest of Latin America. Is a preferential option for the rural poor still possible in a neoliberal economic system? In Chile, the answer is a qualified “yes.” Key words: land reform, preferential option for the rural poor, Chile.
Excimer laser etching of microelectronic materials

Deep UV material processing is of widespread interest in the microelectronics industry. Researchers have demonstrated a variety of advanced UV processing applications ranging from chemical modification of materials to innovative diagnostics. Much of this advancement can be attributed to the commercial development of the excimer laser. The deep UV energy and high peak power of this device can efficiently initiate photochemical and/or photothermal surface reactions leading to material deposition or removal. This latter aspect, excimer laser etching, has been applied to several classes of material utilizing both gas and liquid phase etchants.1
Wavelengths of the 4 s 1 / 2 − 4 p 3 / 2 resonance lines in Cu-like heavy ions

The euv resonance lines 4s{sub 1/2}-4p{sub 3/2} of the Cu- and Zn-like ions of Os, Bi, Th, and U (Z=76-92) have been observed in an electron beam ion trap, and their wavelengths measured using a high-resolution flat-field spectrometer. Our experiments achieve a spectral resolution three to six times better than earlier measurements and remove potential systematic errors from line blends encountered in earlier work. Our results for Cu-like ions are in good agreement only with recent ab initio calculations that include quantum electrodynamical effects. Our experimental results for Zn-like ions have a similarly high accuracy. However, theoretical predictions for Zn-like ions of a quality comparable to those available for Cu-like ions are lacking.
Near-Surface Optical Detection of CH3 During Diamond Growth

Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) has been used to detect the methyl radical CH3 within 0.5 mm of the substrate during CVD diamond growth. A strong dependence of the CH3 REMPI signal near the surface on substrate temperature is observed, which is not seen further from the surface. Below 1000 K, the observed temperature dependence may be characterized by an activation energy of approximately 4 ± 1 kcal/mole. The cause of the methyl depletion at low temperatures is not yet clear, but may be due to either gas-phase recombination near the surface or surface chemistry. The same qualitative behavior is observed for different substrate-filament distances and for gas compositions from 0.5% to 5% CH4 in H2.
Can substantial changes be qualitative changes

ASSUMING that every change is an event, the distinction between qualitative and substantial changes appears to be a distinction between two kinds of events. But we might wonder whether it is true that no event can be both qualitative and substantial (involve both qualitative and substantial change). Imagine a case where we take a rope (R) and fashion it into a hammock (H). (H is created out of R alone). Here we have an event (ER, say) wherein R changes qualitatively and an event (EH, say) wherein H begins to exist. Assuming that a qualitative event is an event whose subject changes qualitatively, and that a substantial event is an event whose subject either begins or ceases to exist, it seems that if ER= EH, then one event can fall both in the 'qualitative' and 'substantial' category. However, there is an obvious objection to this way of regarding the matter. ER's subject is rope R, EH's subject is hammock H. Since (or assuming that) R exists before H, R and H are distinct objects, which means that ER and EH have different subjects. Assuming that one event can't have two (or more) subjects, it follows that it is not true that ER = EH. Lawrence Lombard argues' that 'when an object with parts comes into or goes out of existence, there is no single thing such that a change in it is what the object's coming into or going out of existence consists in.' Since H has parts, Lombard would deny that event EH can be identified with ER. Two events occur, one of which involves a qualitative change and the other a substantial change. However, Lombard could not consistently base his denial that ER=EH upon the premise that one event can't have more than one subject, since he endorses:
A noninvasive means for assessing glycoside toxicity: mechanically induced repetitive ventricular response.

SummaryAn external mechanical cardiac thump was used to induce a repetitive ventricular response (RVR) in dogs receiving acetyl strophanthidin (AS), a rapidly acting glycoside. The presence of RVR prior to and after termination of AS-in-duced ventricular tachycardia was confirmed by both mechanical and electrical cardiac testing. Mechanically induced RVR may provide a rapid, noninvasive method for assessing the degree of digitalization.
Study the Conduction Mechanism and the Electrical Response of Strained Nano-thin 3C-SiC Films on Si used as Surface Sensors

Various superior properties of SiC such as high thermal conductivity, chemical and thermal stability and mechanical robustness provide the basis for electronic and MEMS devices of novel design [1]. This work evaluates heterostructures that consist of a few nanometers-thick 3C-SiC films on silicon substrates. Nano-thin SiC films differ significantly in their electrical behavior compared to the bulk material [2], a finding that gives rise to a potential use of these films as surface sensors. To gain a better understanding of the effect of surface states on the electrical response of these thin, strained films, several metal-semiconductor-metal heterostructures have been examined under variable conditions. The nano-thin, strained films were grown using gas source molecular beam epitaxy. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction patterns obtained from several 3C-SiC films indicate that these films are strained nearly 3% relative to the SiC lattice constant. Al, Cr and Pt contacts to a nano-thin film 3C-SiC were deposited and characterized. I-V measurements of the strained nano-thin films demonstrate metal-semiconductor-metal characteristics. Band offsets due to biaxial tensile strain introduced within the 3C-SiC films were calculated and band diagrams incorporating strain effects were simulated. Electron affinity of 3C-SiC has been extracted from experimental I-V curves and is in good agreement with the value that has been calculated for a strained 3C-SiC film [3]. On the basis of experimental and simulation results, an empirical model for the current transport has been proposed. Fabricated devices have been characterized in a controlled environment under hydrogen flow and also in a reactive ambient, while heating the sample and oxidizing the surface, to investigate the effects of the environment on the surface states. Observed changes in I-V characteristics suggest that these nano-thin films can be used as surface sensors.
Thou Shalt Kill … Carefully: Secular Religion, the Immanent Frame, and Showtime's Dexter

This article uses the television series Dexter as a space to explore the practice of religion in a secular society. Employing critical discourse analysis, which focuses on the causal relationships between discursive practices or texts and sociocultural processes, we situate the habitual killing activity of protagonist Dexter Morgan in what Charles Taylor calls the “immanent frame.” By using the concepts of ritual provided by anthropologists Roy A. Rappaport and Victor Turner, Dexter demonstrates how individuals in a secular society can create a belief system without appealing to traditional transcendent beings or ideals. We conclude with implications for modern religious practice.
Volatile Organic Compounds from Pesticide Application and Contribution to Tropospheric Ozone

Publisher Summary Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are organic chemicals that when released into the atmosphere can react with sunlight and nitrogen oxides (NOx) to form tropospheric (ground-level) ozone. Two general classes of pesticide products contribute the vast majority of pesticidal VOC emissions: fumigants and emulsifiable concentrates (EC). The relatively widespread use, high application rates, and high volatility underlie the large contribution of fumigants to the VOC problem from pesticide applications. At high concentrations, tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) causes respiratory problems and is detrimental to a wide variety of plants. Under normal (unpolluted) conditions, O 3 concentrations are relatively low because reaction prevents any buildup of O 3 . However, when reactive VOCs are present, they can photolyze to form radicals that react with NO. The primary target organ for O 3 health effects is the respiratory organs. O 3 induces lipid peroxidation, a free radical chain reaction involving membrane lipids. Ozone can act to exacerbate asthma and may be involved in induction of asthma in children. Recent studies implicate ozone in mortality from exacerbation of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. Thus, control of tropospheric ozone is a major concern of regulatory agencies. Reduction of reactive VOC components of pesticide applications is important for the control of ozone in agricultural areas.
Papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix: Two cases and a review of the literature

Objective Papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (PSCC) is a rare and distinct form of cervical carcinoma. Detecting stromal invasion on biopsy is difficult due to the papillary growth of the tumor. Here we present two cases that highlight the diagnostic and clinical challenges of PSCC.
Neoadjuvant therapy versus upfront surgery for resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma: A nationwide propensity score matched analysis

Background Neoadjuvant therapy is an emerging paradigm in pancreatic cancer care; however, its role for resectable disease remains controversial in the absence of conclusive randomized controlled trials. The purpose of the present study is to assess the impact of neoadjuvant therapy on survival in resected pancreatic cancer patients by clinical stage. Methods A retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Data Base from 2004 to 2012 including nonmetastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients who underwent pancreatectomy and initiated chemotherapy. Propensity score matching within each stage was used to account for potential selection bias between patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy and upfront surgery. Overall survival was compared by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results In the study, 1,541 and 7,159 patients received neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgery and upfront surgery succeeded by adjuvant therapy, respectively. In clinical stage III pancreatic cancer ( n = 486), neoadjuvant therapy was associated with significant survival benefit after matching (median survival 22.9 vs 17.3 months; log-rank P n = 3,149; median survival, 26.2 vs 25.7 months; P = .4418) and II ( n = 5,065; median survival, 23.5 vs 23.0 months; P = .7751) disease after matching. Conclusion The survival impact of neoadjuvant therapy is stage-dependent. Neoadjuvant therapy does not disadvantage survival compared with conventional upfront surgery followed by adjuvant therapy in any stage, and is associated with a significant survival advantage in stage III pancreatic cancer.
Clinic and Community: The Road to Integration.

Introduction There is growing recognition of the important role that social and environmental conditions play in health, and of the interaction needed between clinical providers and the broader community in which patients live, work, play, and manage their health. Through the Safety Net Enhancement Initiative, the Kresge Foundation funded demonstration projects in eight vulnerable communities to address health inequities and increase integration between clinical and community systems. Methods In 2014, integration efforts in 2011–2013 were qualitatively analyzed within and between sites to identify common features. The series of steps taken by sites during the 3-year implementation period that were necessary to move toward integration were then analyzed. Results Safety Net Enhancement Initiative sites increased capacities within clinics, including policy and practice changes that expanded the way “health” is defined by clinical providers and the implementation of onsite programs/services. Several sites changed clinic policies to support referral to community programs with partner organizations. Several sites also successfully changed local community policies and practices. Moving toward integration, mechanisms were created to link newly developed or identified community resources to the clinical system. Conclusions As an established system organized around disease treatment, not prevention, certain changes need to be made within the clinical system to prepare for integration. These changes require shifting perspectives, changing behaviors, and developing novel administrative models. Similarly, integration requires changes within and among community systems, including organizations, services, and residents. Ultimately, there is the need to find ways for these two very different environments to interact and coordinate.
Postclassic and Early Colonial mortuary practices in the Nejapa region of Oaxaca, Southern Mexico

Abstract To date, we have documented or recovered the remains of over 15 individuals in the Nejapa region of Oaxaca. This paper summarizes these finds and takes a first step in comparing the mortuary practices of Nejapa to those in other regions of Oaxaca. Eight individuals were found buried nearby one another at the site of Majaltepec, an early Colonial period town in the mountains surrounding Nejapa. Morphoscopic dental analyses indicate the presence of at least 4 younger individuals between 15 and 21 years old, 3 infants, and 1 individual of undetermined age. Though poorly preserved, the burials provide us clear examples of Early Colonial indigenous mortuary practices. Notably, residents of Majaltepec buried their dead below floors of houses with grave offerings, similar to practices in Prehispanic Oaxaca. The persistence of these practices alongside the presence of Catholicism and Dominican clergy suggests that there were limits to Spanish oversight. Prehispanic burials in Nejapa, by comparison, are uncommon in spite of extensive excavation. The lack of sub-floor burial in Nejapa might signal a difference in identity between the Prehispanic residents of Nejapa and the residents of Majaltepec in the late sixteenth century.
Antineoplastic Agents. 603. Quinstatins: Exceptional Cancer Cell Growth Inhibitors

Discovery of the exceptionally powerful anticancer drug dolastatin 10 (1), contained in the sea hare Dolabella auricularia, opened a new frontier needed for improving human cancer treatment. Subsequently, major advances have been achieved based on results of structurally modifying this unusual natural peptide while maintaining the remarkable anticancer activity necessary for preparation of successful monoclonal antibody drug conjugates (ADC). Among the first several hundred SAR products based on dolastatin 10 our group synthesized and termed auristatins was auristatin E (2a). An anticancer activity-equivalent, desmethylaurisatin E (2b), linked to a CD30 monoclonal antibody is the very successful anticancer drug Adcetris, now approved for use in 65 countries. In the present investigation, we discovered a new subset of auristatins designated quinstatins derived from dolastatin 10 by replacing the C-terminal Doe unit with a carefully designed quinoline, which led to low or subnanomolar levels of cancer cell ...
Environmental Risks to Children: Prioritizing Health Messages in Pediatric Practice

1. Maida P. Galvez, MD, MPH, FAAP* 2. Sophie J. Balk, MD, FAAP† 1. *Departments of Environmental Medicine and Public Health and Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 2. New York, NY 3. †Division of Academic General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY * Abbreviations: AAP: : American Academy of Pediatrics ADHD: : attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder BPA: : bisphenol A CDC: : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dB: : decibel dBA: : decibel weighted by the A scale ENDS: : electronic nicotine delivery system EPA: : Environmental Protection Agency FQPA: : Food Quality Protection Act NIHL: : noise-induced hearing loss NITS: : noise-induced threshold shift NMSC: : nonmelanoma skin cancer UV: : ultraviolet There is increasing awareness about the contribution of environmental exposures to today’s health conditions and diseases. Because children and adolescents are often more susceptible to environmental exposures compared to adults, pediatricians and other child health clinicians need information about high-priority environmental exposures and how to incorporate questions and anticipatory guidance into clinical practice. After completing this article, readers should be able to: With the click of a remote or tap on a smartphone, families often encounter media headlines that highlight the latest toxic threats to children’s health. Parents may then turn to their pediatricians for guidance. In this age of information overload, how do busy clinicians determine what warrants further attention? At the most fundamental level, clinicians need to know the top environmental threats to children and adolescents, how to counsel families on potential health risks, and how to connect families to resources that can assist in preventing or reducing environmental exposures. The practice of pediatrics in …
The design of interaction

When asked to project fifty years ahead, a scientist is in a bit of a quandary. It is easy to indulge in wishful thinking or promote favorite current projects and proposals, but it is a daunting task to anticipate what will actually come to pass in a time span that is eons long in our modern, accelerated age. If fifty years ago, when the ACM was founded, biologists had been asked to predict the next fifty years of biology, it would have taken amazing prescience to anticipate the science of molecular biology. Or for that matter, only a few years before the initiation of the ACM even those with the most insight about computing would have been completely unable to foresee today’s world of pervasive workstations, mobile communicators, and gigabit networking.
Elasticity-based microstructural optimization: An integrated multiscale framework

Abstract An integrated multiscale computational framework is developed to identify material microstructures which minimize target field variables at the microstructural level aimed at enhancing structural performance. The computational framework is comprised of the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm, a structural-level analytical solution to a technological problem, and the elasticity-based locally-exact homogenization theory at the microstructural level. The excellent stability and quick convergence of the homogenization theory with the concomitant rapid execution times enables repetitive solutions of the unit cell problem with variable geometric and material parameters within a multiscale framework. The unit cell solution provides accurate homogenized moduli for input into the structural-level analysis, as well as accurate local stress fields for the calculation of objective functions by the optimization algorithm. The integrated multiscale optimization capability is demonstrated in the context of the classical Kirsch problem with an underlying graded microstructure aimed at stress concentration reduction. The results reveal the limitations of stress field optimization in graded materials solely at the homogenized level, pointing to the need for repetitive micro-level stress field recovery from an accurate and efficient homogenization theory within multiscale optimization analysis.
The effect of micronutrient supplementation on active TB incidence early in HIV infection in Botswana.

Background Coinfection with active tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death in people living with HIV (PLWH) in Africa. This investigation explores the role of micronutrient supplementation in preventing active TB in PLWH. Methods A randomized trial of nutritional supplementation was conducted among antiretroviral- naive (without previous antiretroviral treatment [ART]) HIV-infected people in Botswana between 2004 and 2009. The study had a factorial design with four arms: the selenium (Se) alone arm, the multivitamins (MVT) alone arm that contained vitamin B complex and vitamins C and E, the combined Se+MVT group and the placebo group. Those participants with prior or current active TB were excluded, as were participants with advanced HIV disease (CD4 <250 cells/μL) or who had already qualified for ART. HIV-positive adults (N=878) were followed monthly for study pill dispensation, every 3 months for CD4 cell count and every 6 months for viral load during 24 months or until they were started on ART. Results The participants' characteristics were not significantly different among the four groups at baseline. Supplementation with Se alone (hazard ratio =0.20, 95% confidence interval: 0.04, 0.95, P=0.043) and the two combined SE groups (Se and Se+MVT) had significantly lower risk of developing incident TB disease compared with placebo in multivariate adjusted models (hazard ratio=0.32, 95% confidence interval: 0.11, 0.93, P=0.036). Multivitamins alone did not affect the incidence of TB. Isoniazid preventive therapy was received by 12.2% of participants, a rate that was not significantly different among the four study arms (P=0.122) and the newly diagnosed cases. Conclusion Se supplementation, alone and with MVT, decreased the incidence of TB disease in PLWH who were ART-naive. Supplementation with these micronutrients should be considered in HIV infection, prior to ART, in areas where TB and malnutrition are endemic.
Segmental arterial mediolysis: A rare cause of rapidly progressive arterial dissections.

Segmental arterial mediolysis (SAM) is a rare nonatherosclerotic, noninflammatory vasculopathy characterized by lytic degeneration of the arterial media, intramural dissection, and thrombosed/ruptured dissecting aneurysm.1 We present a putative case of SAM in a patient who presented with rapidly progressive systemic arterial dissections, including the cervical and cerebral vasculature, leading to devastating strokes, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and death.
A Comparison of Retrobulbar Versus Topical Anesthesia in Trabeculectomy and Aqueous Shunt Surgery.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the required supplemental anesthesia and postoperative patient pain score in individuals undergoing glaucoma surgery under topical anesthesia (TA) versus retrobulbar anesthesia (RB). MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective, interventional, comparative cohort study of 261 eyes of 225 patients undergoing glaucoma and combined glaucoma with cataract surgery were included in the study. The main outcome measures were the amount of supplemental, systemic intraoperative anesthesia used and the postoperative pain scale between patients undergoing TA versus RB anesthesia. A secondary analysis was performed between combined glaucoma and cataract surgery versus glaucoma surgery alone. RESULTS About 6.2% patients complained of pain after glaucoma surgery (8.1% among TA group and 3.1% among RB group; P=0.049). Overall, pain tended to be mild with a mean score of 0.32 of 10 for TA and 0.08 of 10 for RB (P=0.027). The amount of IV anesthetics used intraoperatively was lower in the RB anesthesia compared with the TA group (midazolam, P=0.042; fentanyl, P 0.350) between eyes undergoing combined versus glaucoma surgery alone. CONCLUSIONS Although supplemental anesthesia and pain scores were statistically increased in the topical group, the prevalence and the severity of pain was low. Therefore, TA is feasible and a reasonable option for glaucoma surgery. Furthermore, this conclusion applies when glaucoma surgery is performed alone or in combination with the other eye surgery.
Mapping Effector–Phenotype Landscapes in KRAS-Driven Cancers

Oncogenic KRAS can activate numerous effector pathways to drive malignant progression. However, the relationships between specific effectors and oncogenic phenotypes, and the extent to which these relationships vary across heterogeneous tumors, are incompletely understood. Recently in Cell Reports, a team of scientists described an innovative, combinatorial siRNA-based approach to functionally link KRAS effectors and phenotypes in a large panel of cancer cell lines. Central to this work was the identification of two major subtypes of KRAS-mutant cancers with distinct effector landscapes and tractable therapeutic vulnerabilities.
Automated Laboratories: When Technology Needs a Human Touch

The field of laboratory medicine has increasingly moved toward automation. In a climate of rising costs, diminished resources, and personnel shortages, laboratory automation offers the potential to enhance work flow, improve efficiency, and decrease turnaround time (TAT). Following laboratory automation, a study looking at 2 academic centers reported >90% reduction in specimen processing errors, including errors in sorting, …
Three-dimensional alginate hydrogels for radiobiological and metabolic studies of cancer cells

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate calcium alginate hydrogels as a system for in vitro radiobiological and metabolic studies of cancer cells. Previous studies have established calcium alginate as a versatile three-dimensional (3D) culturing system capable of generating areas of oxygen heterogeneity and modeling metabolic changes in vitro. Here, through dosimetry, clonogenic and viability assays, and pimonidazole staining, we demonstrate that alginate can model radiobiological responses that monolayer cultures do not simulate. Notably, alginate hydrogels with radii greater than 500 μm demonstrate hypoxic cores, while smaller hydrogels do not. The size of this hypoxic region correlates with hydrogel size and improved cell survival following radiation therapy. Hydrogels can also be utilized in hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy and extracellular flux analysis. Alginate therefore offers a reproducible, consistent, and low-cost means for 3D culture of cancer cells for radiobiological studies that simulates important in vivo parameters such as regional hypoxia and enables long-term culturing and in vitro metabolic studies.
Depletion of regulator-of-G-protein signaling-10 in mice exaggerates high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance and inflammation, and this effect is mitigated by dietary green tea extract

The interaction between insulin resistance and inflammation plays a central role in the development of chronic diseases, although the mechanism is not fully understood. We previously demonstrated that regulator of G-protein signaling-10 (RGS10) protein is a negative modulator of the inflammatory response in macrophages and microglia. Because inflammation is a critical component in the development of high fat diet-induced insulin resistance, in this study we investigated whether RGS10 is involved in the diet-dependent regulation of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. We hypothesized that the absence of RGS10 would exaggerate high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance and inflammation response. Our results showed that RGS10 knockout (KO) mice fed a HFD gained significantly more weight and developed severe insulin resistance compared to wild-type (WT) mice fed HFD. Furthermore, compared to WT HFD-fed mice, KO mice fed the HFD displayed inflammatory phenotypes such as decreased adipose tissue expression of the anti-inflammatory M2 markers YM1 and Fizz1 and increased expression of the proinflammatory M1 cytokine interleukin 6 in adipose and CD11b, CD68 and interleukin 1β in liver tissues. The impact of RGS10 deficiency on the exaggeration of HFD-induced insulin resistance and inflammation was ameliorated by oral consumption of green tea extract. Our results demonstrate that RGS10 is an important part of a protective mechanism involved in in regulating metabolic homeostasis by reducing inflammatory responses, which could potentially lead to an innovative new approach targeting inflammation and insulin resistance.
M-ary Digital Communication Systems

Thus far we have considered only binary decision problems, that is, models where the decision space consists of two elements. In such problems the signal space either consisted of two elements or was partitioned into two disjoint subspaces. Let us now develop the more general situation in which the signal set consists of M possible signals or M classes of signals with a priori probabilities π;i = 1, …, M. Such a model arises in certain communication systems and in pattern-recognition problems. For example, in communications, instead of recognizing or detecting a binary sequence bit by bit, as we have done previously, we might delay the decision until a sequence of length n has been observed, at which point the receiver attempts to decide which signal has been transmitted from a class of M = 2 n possibilities, that is the class of possible sequences of binary bits of length n. This is known as block encoding.
Reactions of Trialkylboranes

Diborane reacts with unhindered olefins to form trialkylboranes. In this chapter, several recently discovered carbon–carbon bonds forming reactions of trialkylboranes are presented. Carbon monoxide at atmospheric pressure reacts readily with trialkylboranes at 100–125° to give products that can be oxidized conveniently to trialkylcarbinols. The reaction is sensitive to the presence of water, which inhibits the migration of the third alkyl group and leads to dialkyl ketones. The convenience of the hydroboration reaction combined with the use of carbon monoxide at atmospheric pressure provides the most accessible route to many trialkylcarbinols. Trialkylboranes react rapidly with methyl vinyl ketone to yield methyl ketones of the indicated structure. Only one of the three alkyl groups of borane is converted into product in this process.
Potassium Dynamics in Soils

The study of potassium (K) exchange on clay minerals and soils can be viewed from either a thermodynamic or a kinetic perspective. In pursuing the soil science literature, one will undoubtedly find that most of the studies on K exchange have been of an equilibrial rather than of a dynamic nature. Although the former studies have proved valuable in understanding the often elusive behavior of K in heterogeneous systems, they do not convey information about the rates or mechanisms of K exchange processes. Moreover, thermodynamic investigations on soil K are often not applicable to field conditions. Although a quasi-state equilibrium in K exchange can be achieved in the laboratory, these conditions are seldom if ever attained under field conditions.
Pharmaceutical Efficacy: The Illusory Legal Standard

The very long and expensive process of new drug research and development might suggest to observers that the efficacy standard for drugs is elevated and substantial, but this is not the case. Under the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, new drug approval merely requires that there be "substantial evidence that the drug will have the effect it purports or is represented to have." While the evidence of effectiveness must therefore be substantial, the efficacy attested to by that evidence need not surpass any particular threshold (other than zero), thus allowing drugs with de minimis efficacy to be approved and sold at market rates. No other concept, principal, or standard applied during the approval process or after changes this result. The "gold standard," which includes the elements of blinding, randomization, and placebo control, is described in but not required by the drug statute, and in any event addresses various problems related to bias rather than magnitude of efficacy. Similarly, the concept of "statistical significance," which constitutes an essential element of modern research protocols, addresses the problem of certainty, not degree, of efficacy. The statutory requirement of "clinical significance," far from ensuring "substantial efficacy," demands no more than that there be statistical significance in a human study (as opposed to, for example, an animal study). Rather than specifying a fixed level of efficacy or even a flexible standard of efficacy that a drug must possess, the U.S. drug approval framework thus fully delegates to drug companies and to the free market the determination of what level of efficacy is acceptable. The critical implication is that the public (and physicians and insurers) should not rely on the fact of FDA approval as an indication that medicines, including new and very highly priced ones, possess efficacy that is meaningfully greater than no efficacy at all.
An Outbreak of Synthetic Cannabinoid–Associated Coagulopathy in Illinois

Abstract Background In March and April 2018, more than 150 patients presented to hospitals in Illinois with coagulopathy and bleeding diathesis. Area physicians and public health organizations iden...
A modeling framework and local search solution methodology for a production-distribution problem with supplier selection and time-aggregated quantity discounts

Abstract Supplier selection with quantity discounts has been an active research problem in the literature. In this paper, we focus on a new real-world quantity discounts scheme, where suppliers are selected in the beginning of a strategic planning period (e.g., 5 years). Monthly orders are placed from the selected suppliers, but the quantity discounts are based on the aggregated annual order quantities. We incorporate this type of cost structure in a multi-period, multi-product, multi-echelon supply chain planning problem, and develop a mixed integer linear programming (MIP) model for it. Our model is highly intractable; leading commercial solvers cannot construct high quality feasible solutions for realistic instances even after multiple hours of solution time. We develop an algorithm that constructs an initial feasible solution and a large neighborhood search method that combines two customized iterative algorithms based on MIP-based local search and improves such solution. We report numerical results for a food supply chain application and show the efficiency of using our methodology in getting very high quality primal solutions quickly.
A Procedural Approach to Computer-Aided Modelling in Nautical Archaeology

This chapter analyses the functionality and applicability of procedural computer-based modelling techniques in the field of nautical archaeology. To demonstrate this approach, an interactive procedural model of the lower hull timbers of a sixteenth-century European merchant ship was developed through a process of prototype implementation, and an evaluation of the usefulness and effectiveness of the prototypes developed was carried out using the timbers from the hull remains of the Belinho 1 shipwreck, found in Portugal in 2014. The 3D model was created using Houdini, a procedural node-based 3D software package. A basic collection of the main timber components of a ship’s lower hull was defined, and functional rules were created for each timber, based on real-world ship design and construction processes. Then the rules were incorporated into the logic of the procedural modelling algorithm, and the resulting model was changed by using the Belinho 1 shipwreck scantlings. The results, which will be discussed, were satisfactory, except for the planking, which is a very complex part of the shipbuilding process and deserves future attention.
Synchronous luminescence: a simple technique for the analysis of hydrolysis activity of the fragile histidine triad protein

Human fragile histidine triad (FHIT) protein has dinucleoside 5′,5′′′-P1,Pn-polyphosphates hydrolysis activity, with AMP being one of the reaction products. Application of synchronous luminescence (SL) spectroscopy, in which both excitation and emission wavelengths are scanned simultaneously while a constant wavelength interval is maintained between them, was investigated for detection of the enzymatic activity of the FHIT protein. Ability of SL to identify reaction components, AMP production and its increase as a result of increase in substrate concentration and inhibition of the hydrolysis activity by ZnCl2 are demonstrated.
The value of extreme events: What doesn’t exterminate your water system makes it more resilient

Abstract Problems have a high rank in decision making when they are both urgent and important. Accordingly, water has not earned the attention it deserves in public policy agenda because under normal circumstances it is not viewed as an urgent matter in the eyes of the public and politicians. By creating a sense of urgency, extreme events such as droughts, floods, conflicts, and migrations can create opportunities for implementing some essential policy reforms that would be politically costly otherwise. So, despite their high short-term costs, extreme natural and societal events have the potential to increase the resilience of water systems in the long run. It is argued here that the societal and political sense of urgency about water must be promoted through public outreach and information dissemination. Otherwise, for useful reforms and long-term improvements, we will rely on costly and risky extreme events that sometimes have the potential to fully collapse the human-natural system-of-systems.
Observation of Hofstadter butterfly and topological edge states in reconfigurable quasi-periodic acoustic crystals

The emergence of a fractal energy spectrum is the quintessence of the interplay between two periodic parameters with incommensurate length scales. crystals can emulate such interplay and also exhibit a topological bulk-boundary correspondence, enabled by their nontrivial topology in virtual dimensions. Here we propose, fabricate and experimentally test a reconfigurable one-dimensional (1D) acoustic array, in which the resonant frequencies of each element can be independently fine-tuned by a piston. We map experimentally the full Hofstadter butterfly spectrum by measuring the acoustic density of states distributed over frequency while varying the long-range order of the array. Furthermore, by adiabatically changing the phason of the array, we map topologically protected fractal boundary states, which are shown to be pumped from one edge to the other. This reconfigurable crystal serves as a model for future extensions to electronics, photonics and mechanics, as well as to quasi-crystalline systems in higher dimensions. Hofstadter’s butterfly is a fractal pattern which pictorially represents the behavior of electrons under an applied magnetic field in a 2D lattice as a pair of butterfly wings. Here, the authors recreate this pattern by measuring the acoustic density of states in a fine-tuned one-dimensional acoustic array.
Using multilevel regression with poststratification to obtain regional health estimates from a Facebook-recruited sample.

Abstract Purpose We assess the effectiveness of multilevel regression with poststratification (MRP) as a tool to mitigate selection bias from online surveys of small geographical regions. Methods We collected self-reported health information from an Internet-based sample of adults residing within the St. Louis, MO, metropolitan area in 2017. We created Bayesian hierarchical models with three sets of predictor variables for each of six common health behaviors and outcomes, with results poststratified using the American Community Survey to estimate region and ZIP Code Tabulation Area–level prevalence. Results When comparing MRP estimates with a population-based sample as a reference, we found that adjustment using MRP can reduce bias in prevalence estimates and provide estimates for local area prevalence. 14 of 18 adjusted estimates were closer to the benchmark than the unadjusted estimates and MRP using all three covariate sets resulted in better overall agreement with the benchmark compared with the unadjusted estimates. Conclusions MRP can improve prevalence estimates from self-selected Internet-based samples, although a nonnegligible amount of bias may remain. Illustrating the utility and limitations of this method will help researchers develop relevant estimates of the local public health burden, helping local health officials better understand and reduce poor health outcomes.
Relations among motives, negative urgency, and mindfulness skills in college drinkers

Heavy alcohol use continues to be a common problem among the college student population, and numerous negative consequences can be attributed to student drinking. Several factors, including drinking motives and impulsivity, have been studied to better understand college drinking behaviors. Research has identified that coping motives (i.e., drinking to reduce negative affect) and negative urgency (i.e., the tendency for rash reaction in response to negative affect) are both closely linked to alcohol-related problems and to one another. The primary purpose of this study was to test if mindfulness skills moderate the relation between negative urgency and drinking to cope. To test for moderation, 683 college student drinkers responded to self-report measures of drinking behaviors, drinking motives, impulsivity, and daily utilization of mindfulness skills. Four separate regression models tested for the mindfulness skills of observing, describing, acting with awareness, and accepting without judgment as potential moderators to the relation between negative urgency and coping motives. The mindfulness skill of accepting without judgment significantly moderated (i.e., dampened) the positive relation between negative urgency and drinking to cope. Results may be useful in developing targeted intervention and prevention efforts to test among students, as skills training may benefit individuals with long-standing impulsive personality traits who engage in the traditionally problematic behavior of drinking to cope.
Walking Your Virtual Dog: Analysis of Awareness and Proxemics with Simulated Support Animals in Augmented Reality

Domestic animals have a long history of enriching human lives physically and mentally by filling a variety of different roles, such as service animals, emotional support animals, companions, and pets. Despite this, technological realizations of such animals in augmented reality (AR) are largely underexplored in terms of their behavior and interactions as well as effects they might have on human users' perception or behavior. In this paper, we describe a simulated virtual companion animal, in the form of a dog, in a shared AR space. We investigated its effects on participants' perception and behavior, including locomotion related to proxemics, with respect to their AR dog and other real people in the environment. We conducted a 2 by 2 mixed factorial human-subject study, in which we varied (i) the AR dog's awareness and behavior with respect to other people in the physical environment and (ii) the awareness and behavior of those people with respect to the AR dog. Our results show that having an AR companion dog changes participants' locomotion behavior, proxemics, and social interaction with other people who can or can not see the AR dog. We also show that the AR dog's simulated awareness and behaviors have an impact on participants' perception, including co-presence, animalism, perceived physicality, and dog's perceived awareness of the participant and environment. We discuss our findings and present insights and implications for the realization of effective AR animal companions.
Reconsidering Reciprocal Length Patterns of the Anteromedial and Posterolateral Bundles of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament During In Vivo Gait

Background:Some cadaveric studies have indicated that the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) consists of anteromedial and posterolateral bundles that display reciprocal function with regard to knee f...
Neuronal chloride homeostasis and nerve injury

Abstract This chapter explores the causes and consequences of neuronal hyperexcitability and chloride dysregulation after peripheral nerve injury (PNI). We seek to contextualize the disparate literature across the sensory and motor systems by describing the known mechanisms and outcomes of PNI-induced hyperexcitability across cell types. We discuss known pathways of chloride-driven hyperexcitability in sensory dorsal root ganglion neurons and central spinal neurons that regulate transmission of nociceptive information to the brain. We also describe the myriad changes in motoneurons that induce hyperexcitability while highlighting areas of research that need to be further explored. By comparing the similarities and differences in shifting chloride levels between cell types following PNI, we reframe the discussion of chloride-induced hyperexcitability as a mechanism for improving regeneration in addition to a maladaptive process inducing pain.
Rough Set & Riemannian Covariance Matrix Theory for Mining the Multidimensionality of Artificial Consciousness

This paper presents a means to analyze the multidimensionality of human consciousness as it interacts with the brain by utilizing Rough Set Theory and Riemannian Covariance Matrices. We mathematically define the infantile state of a robot's operating system running artificial consciousness, which operates mutually exclusively to the operating system for its AI and locomotor functions.