cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intracellular localization and subsequent redistribution of metal transporters in a rat choroid plexus model following exposure to manganese or iron.

Abstract Confocal microscopy was used to investigate the effects of manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) exposure on the subcellular distribution of metal transporting proteins, i.e., divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), metal transporter protein 1 (MTP1), and transferrin receptor (TfR), in the rat intact choroid plexus which comprises the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier. In control tissue, DMT1 was concentrated below the apical epithelial membrane, MTP1 was diffuse within the cytosol, and TfR was distributed in vesicles around nuclei. Following Mn or Fe treatment (1 and 10 μM), the distribution of DMT1 was not affected. However, MTP1 and TfR moved markedly toward the apical pole of the cells. These shifts were abolished when microtubules were disrupted. Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analyses revealed a significant increase in mRNA and protein levels of TfR but not DMT1 and MTP1 after Mn exposure. These results suggest that early events in the tissue response to Mn or Fe exposure involve microtubule-dependent, intracellular trafficking of MTP1 and TfR. The intracellular trafficking of metal transporters in the choroid plexus following Mn exposure may partially contribute to Mn-induced disruption in Fe homeostasis in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) following Mn exposure.
The Association between Trichomonas vaginalis Infection and Level of Vaginal Lactobacilli, in Nonpregnant Women

The effect that vaginal lactobacilli have on trichomoniasis is not known. At 3 clinics for treatment of sexually transmitted disease, we recruited 521 female patients with trichomoniasis and 176 control subjects. All participants underwent physical examinations and testing for sexually transmitted infection and completed questionnaires. Low levels of vaginal lactobacilli were associated with trichomoniasis (odds ratio [OR], 2.2 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.4-3.2]). After adjustment for covariables, this association remained in women with a higher educational level (OR, 4.6 [95% CI, 2.2-9.5]) but not in women with a lower educational level (OR, 1.6 [95% CI, 0.7-3.4]). Vaginal lactobacilli may be associated with trichomoniasis in women with higher levels of education or a related behavioral factor.
A performance evaluation of fully adaptive wormhole routing including selection function choice

Many adaptive routing algorithms have been proposed for wormhole-routed interconnection networks. Comparatively little work, however has been done on determining how the selection function affects the performance of an adaptive routing algorithm. In this paper we present a detailed simulation study of various selection functions for four differentially adaptive wormhole routing algorithms for 2D meshes. The simulation results show that the choice of selection function has a significant effect on the average message latency and saturation behavior In fact, it appears that changing the selection function can have a greater effect than changing the routing algorithm. In addition, the best selection function for one adaptive routing algorithm may not be the best choice for another adaptive routing algorithm. An explanation and interpretation of the results is provided.
Do the Invariant Findings of Land, McCall, and Cohen Generalize to Cross-National Studies of Social Structure and Homicide?

The Land, McCall, and Cohen study is one of the most highly cited articles in the social structure and homicide literature. In it, the authors found that three structural covariates—resource deprivation, population size and density, and divorce—were consistently associated with U.S. homicide rates over several decades, even when employing different units of analysis. In this article, we review 65 studies to determine whether Land, McCall, and Cohen’s invariant findings for these three structural covariates generalize to the cross-national empirical literature on social structure and homicide. We conclude that the findings for population structure and divorce are inconsistent in this literature but that there is relatively consistent evidence for an association between homicide and some form of resource deprivation cross-nationally. Based on our review, we also discuss two current directions of this literature and critically assess—much like Land, McCall, and Cohen did for the U.S. literature at the time—the current state of the scientific record on the topic of social structure and homicide at the cross-national level.
Secure and bandwidth-on-demand full-service access network

We propose a secure and bandwidth-on-demand full-service access network that can be implemented with the existing hybrid fiber coaxial networks. Preliminary experimental results of half-duplex transmission with flexible bandwidth partitioning between upstream and downstream using integrated coherent transceivers are demonstrated.
The Carboxyl Terminus of VEGFR-2 Is Required for PKC-mediated Down-Regulation

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2/Flk-1) is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) whose activation regulates angiogenesis. The regulatory mechanisms that attenuate VEGFR-2 signal re...
Measurements of Jet Suppression with ATLAS

Abstract Measurements of inclusive jet suppression in Pb + Pb collions at s N N = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector are reported. The centrality, p T and jet size dependence of the central-to-peripheral ratio, R CP , is presented. The results indicate that jets are suppressed by approximately a factor of two in the most central collisions, and a significant dependence on the jet size is observed. The path length dependence of jet quenching is studied through measurements of inclusive jet suppression as a function of angle with respect to the event plane. The azimuthal modulation of the jet yield is quantified by its second Fourier coefficent, ν 2 , which is significant in all p T and centrality ranges presented.
Use of IRF-3 and/or IRF-7 Knockout Mice To Study Viral Pathogenesis: Lessons from a Murine Retrovirus-Induced AIDS Model

Interferon regulatory factor (IRF) regulation of the type I interferon response has not been extensively explored in murine retroviral infections. IRF-3−/− and select IRF-3/7−/− mice were resistant to LP-BM5-induced pathogenesis. However, further analyses strongly suggested that resistance could be attributed to strain 129-specific contamination of the known retrovirus resistance gene Fv1. Therefore, caution should be taken when interpreting phenotypes observed in these knockout mice, as strain 129-derived genetic polymorphisms may explain observed differences.
Dietary nordihydroguaiaretic acid increases the life span of the mosquito.

Our previous findings indicated that a major characteristic of aging organisms is a decrease in reducing capacity. Our objectives were to correct this impairment by administration of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), a potent reducing agent, and to determine the effect on adult longevity of the mosquito. NDGA supplements were included in the axenic larval medium or adult diet of mosquitoes of different ages. The mean adult life spans of both sexes increased 42-64% over controls (P < 0.025), and the most effective doses were 0.001% for females and 0.005% for males. This NDGA effect was dependent on the age when feeding was initiated, since only biosynthetically active larvae and young adults were responsive. Also the effect was not due to dietary restriction. These results confirm the life span-enhancement effect of NDGA using defined conditions and establish the importance of redox status in the aging process. o 1986 Society
Periodically forced double homoclinic loops to a dissipative saddle

Abstract In this paper we present a comprehensive theory on the dynamics of strange attractors in periodically perturbed second order differential equations assuming that the unperturbed equations have two homoclinic loops to a dissipative saddle fixed point. We prove the existence of many complicated dynamical objects for a large class of non-autonomous second order equations, ranging from attractive quasi-periodic torus to Newhouse sinks and Henon-like attractors, and to rank one attractors with SRB measures and full stochastic behavior. This theory enables us to apply rigorously many profound dynamics theories on non-uniformly hyperbolic maps developed in the last forty years, including the Newhouse theory, the theory of SRB measures, the theory of Henon-like attractors and the theory of rank one attractors, to the analysis of the strange attractors in a periodically perturbed Duffing equation.
Tools for Identification of Structure in Data

In recent years, with our increased ability to collect and store data, have come enormous datasets. These datasets may consist of billions of observations and millions of variables. Some of the classical methods of statistical inference, in which a parametric model is studied, are neither feasible nor relevant for analysis of these datasets. The objective is to identify interesting structures in the data, such as clusters of observations, or relationships among the variables. Sometimes, the structures allow a reduction in the dimensionality of the data. Many of the classical methods of multivariate analysis, such as principal components analysis, factor analysis, canonical correlations analysis, and multidimensional scaling, are useful in identifying interesting structures. These methods generally attempt to combine variables in such a way as to preserve information yet reduce the dimension of the dataset. Dimension reduction generally carries a loss of some information. Whether the lost information is important is the major concern in dimension reduction. Another set of methods for reducing the complexity of a dataset attempts to group observations together, combining observations, as it were.
Relationships between vocal function measures derived from an acoustic microphone and a subglottal neck-surface accelerometer

Monitoring subglottal neck-surface acceleration has received renewed attention due to the ability of low-profile accelerometers to confidentially and noninvasively track properties related to normal and disordered voice characteristics and behavior. This study investigated the ability of subglottal neck-surface acceleration to yield vocal function measures traditionally derived from the acoustic voice signal and help guide the development of clinically functional accelerometer-based measures from a physiological perspective. Results are reported for 82 adult speakers with voice disorders and 52 adult speakers with normal voices who produced the sustained vowels /a/, /i/, and /u/ at a comfortable pitch and loudness during the simultaneous recording of radiated acoustic pressure and subglottal neck-surface acceleration. As expected, timing-related measures of jitter exhibited the strongest correlation between acoustic and neck-surface acceleration waveforms ( $r \leq 0.99$ ), whereas amplitude-based measures of shimmer correlated less strongly ( $r \leq 0.74$ ). Additionally, weaker correlations were exhibited by spectral measures of harmonics-to-noise ratio ( $r \leq 0.69$ ) and tilt ( $r \leq 0.57$ ), whereas the cepstral peak prominence correlated more strongly ( $r \leq 0.90$ ). These empirical relationships provide evidence to support the use of accelerometers as effective complements to acoustic recordings in the assessment and monitoring of vocal function in the laboratory, clinic, and during an individual’s daily activities.
The Basis of Structure/Function Claims of Nutraceuticals

In the United States, as in most of the world, there are large numbers of nutraceuticals that are sold and which people take to boost their immune response. There are, in addition, almost an equal number of products sold to reduce allergies. However, very few consumers, and indeed physicians, are aware of what a structure/function claim is. Structure/function claims are labeling claims that can be used to describe the potential effects of a dietary ingredient or similar substance on the structure or function of the human body. This category of claims was created by legislation contained in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. The intent was to supply consumers with reasonably substantiated information that would allow them to make educated choices about their diet and health. They were not intended to have the same weight and substantiation as the claims made for conventional prescription pharmaceuticals. Rather, they were proposed to fill the gap between consumer desire for over-the-counter supplements and foods, and rigorous and generally more potent and potentially "toxic" prescription medications. The legally mandated disclaimer, stating that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated the structure/function claim, often leads to misinterpretation. While there should be a biologic premise underlying the claim, there is not an absolute requirement for a conventional rigorous placebo-controlled dose response trial. While this may not be the clinical standard that a typical scientific oriented society might desire, it reflects the attempts of the FDA to find common grounds and to allow consumers to use products that are generally considered as safe based on historical use and biologic comparisons. The logic of, indeed need for, structure/function claims is straightforward; however, of equal importance is that nutraceuticals should be properly labeled, have accuracy in their ingredients, be free of contamination, be safe, and have a reasonable body of data that supports their efficacy.
Oxygen consumption and convective transport during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Described here are the progressive changes in blood-flow distribution that accompany four-hour heart-lung bypass in dogs and the effects of perfusion rate on flow distribution and oxygen consumption. The corresponding changes produced by anesthesia alone and by the thoracotomy needed for a bypass procedure are also shown for comparison purposes. These data indicate that the bypass procedure itself puts a very significant stress on the test animals and that perfusion rates in excess of resting cardiac output are required to prevent hypoxia induced irreversible tissue damage.
Operation of the LASL Polarized Triton Source

A Lamb-shift polarized ion source, specifically designed for use with tritium has been constructed for the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory tandem accelerator. This report describes briefly some of the more important design features and the initial operation. The first data obtained using this source are reported elsewhere in these proceedings.
The Environmental Social Sciences

While the focus of this bibliography has been on individual behavior in its relationship to the physical environment, the close association between the environment-and-behavior field and a variety of other social-science disciplines should be apparent from an examination of virtually any of the preceding chapters. These contain numerous contributions by geographers and sociologists, as well as a scattering from the fields of anthropology, economics and political science. Some of these fields, notably sociology and economics, have in fact spawned “environmental” specialities akin to that of environmental psychology, but directed predominantly at environmental concerns and environmental-quality issues touching on their respective disciplines. It should thus be helpful to list a few core references from each of these fields, to introduce the researcher or student who might wish to go beyond the psychologically-oriented literature to the major concepts, theories and issues that these cognate fields have developed in their own approaches to problems of man-environment relations.
Differences in Perceptions Among Radiologists, Referring Physicians, and Patients Regarding Language for Incidental Findings Reporting

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to compare radiologists', referring physicians', and patients' interpretations of expressions within radiology reports to describe findings of likely low clinical significance. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Surveys were completed by abdominal radiologists (n = 13), physicians referring patients for abdominal CT (n = 59), and outpatients awaiting imaging (n = 51) at a large urban academic medical center. Surveys presented 10 expressions for describing an incidental 5-mm liver lesion and asked respondents to select from a list of choices their perceived likelihood that the lesion represented malignancy. Radiologists and referrers were asked supplemental questions. RESULTS. Compared with radiologists' concern, referrers' and patients' concerns were higher for four and seven of the 10 expressions. Only the expression “benign cyst” was associated with no concern in all groups; “most likely a cyst” and “too small to characterize” were associated with median levels of concern of...
Broad- versus Narrow-Spectrum Oral Antibiotic Transition and Outcomes in Health Care–associated Pneumonia

Rationale: Guidelines recommend a switch from intravenous to oral antibiotics once patients who are hospitalized with pneumonia achieve clinical stability. However, little evidence guides the selection of an oral antibiotic for patients with health care–associated pneumonia, especially where no microbiological diagnosis is made.Objectives: To compare outcomes between patients who were transitioned to broad- versus narrow-spectrum oral antibiotics after initially receiving broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotic coverage.Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of an existing database of adults with community-onset pneumonia admitted to seven Utah hospitals. We identified 220 inpatients with microbiology-negative health care–associated pneumonia from 2010 to 2012. After excluding inpatient deaths and treatment failures, 173 patients remained in which broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics were transitioned to an oral regimen. We classified oral regimens as broad-spectrum (fluoroquinolone) versus narrow-spe...
The Importance of the Condominium Agreement in Season of Migration to the North

The essay reexamines Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North in the context of the unique Condominium Agreement constructed by Britain and Egypt to govern the Sudan after the relatively brief period of Mahdist rule from 1881-1895 and the subsequent British re-conquest from 1896-1898 conducted in Egypt’s name. Current scholarship fails to propel forward this historical consideration in Season and obscures the challenges Salih makes across the East-West divide in an attempt to demystify the misconceptions about the colonial encounter - a key register of the novel. Addressing Condominium propels Mahjoub forward as a major character allowing for an unheard register of the novel to emerge: Salih’s consideration of the geopolitical difficulties emerging from the Condominium Agreement.
Exploring the Relationship Between Public Service Motivation and Formal and Informal Volunteering

In this paper, we apply public service motivation to the ongoing discussion of formal and informal volunteering and whether these are two distinct constructs or variations on the same theme. This exploratory research uses survey data of undergraduate students reporting their participation in both types of volunteering activities. Using structural equation modeling, these formal and informal volunteering activities show different influences on three dimensions of PSM. In addition to PSM, high school volunteering and religiosity have direct effects on rates of formal volunteering, which in turn positively influence the PSM dimensions of civic duty and self-sacrifice. Being an Evangelical Christian is associated with increased informal volunteering, which is positively related to the PSM compassion dimension. These results indicate that the different dimensions of PSM, and how formal and informal volunteering influences them, should be useful tools for scholars and practitioners seeking to understand these distinct types of pro-social behaviors.
Caregiver Integration During Discharge Planning for Older Adults to Reduce Resource Use: A Metaanalysis

Objectives To determine the effect of integrating informal caregivers into discharge planning on postdischarge cost and resource use in older adults. Design A systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials that examine the effect of discharge planning with caregiver integration begun before discharge on healthcare cost and resource use outcomes. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for all English-language articles published between 1990 and April 2016. Setting Hospital or skilled nursing facility. Participants Older adults with informal caregivers discharged to a community setting. Measurements Readmission rates, length of and time to post-discharge rehospitalizations, costs of postdischarge care. Results Of 10,715 abstracts identified, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies provided sufficient detail to calculate readmission rates for treatment and control participants. Discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration were associated with a 25% fewer readmissions at 90 days (relative risk (RR) = 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.62–0.91) and 24% fewer readmissions at 180 days (RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.64–0.90). The majority of studies reported statistically significant shorter time to readmission, shorter rehospitalization, and lower costs of postdischarge care among discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration. Conclusion For older adults discharged to a community setting, the integration of caregivers into the discharge planning process reduces the risk of hospital readmission.
Immune phenotype and IL-6 deficiency modulate the inflammatory response in a mouse model of Irritant Contact Dermatitis

Skin diseases are the second most common occupational illness with associated per annum costs exceeding $1 billion. Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD), the most common occupational skin disease, is characterized as an acute inflammatory response that manifests as a result of topical irritant exposure. Immune phenotype, such as Th1- and Th2- dominance, is postulated to contribute to the variability seen between patients. In addition, interleukin 6, which is known to have variably both Th1 and Th2 properties, has been shown to play a key role in ICD. C57BL/6J (“Th1 dominant”), Balb/c (“Th2 dominant”), and IL-6KO mice were utilized to investigate ICD induced by exposure to the occupational irritants, benzoalkonium chloride (BKC) and JP-8 jet fuel. Histopathology revealed epidermal thickening and dermal cellular infiltration in dermatitis lesions, with IL-6KO skin exhibiting the most severe damage. Analysis of skin cytokine and chemokine protein expression showed that IL-1β, TNF-α, TGF-β, CCL2, CCL3 and CXCL1, were elevated in mice exposed to BKC regardless of immune phenotype. In contrast, IL-1β, TNF-α, TGF-β, and CXCL1 varied between mouse strains when JP-8 was compared to control exposure. Flow cytometric analysis and immunohistochemistry indicated neutrophil and monocyte presence within dermatitis lesions; however, IL-6KO showed a greater amount of neutrophils following BKC exposure and decreased neutrophil presence after JP-8 exposure when compared to C57 mice. Overall, it appears that immune phenotype and IL-6 deficiency alters the skin inflammatory response in ICD via differential cytokine and chemokine expression that influence the type of inflammatory cells that infiltrate into the skin.
Spectral density estimation for random fields via periodic embeddings

We introduce methods for estimating the spectral density of a random field on a [Formula: see text]-dimensional lattice from incomplete gridded data. Data are iteratively imputed onto an expanded lattice according to a model with a periodic covariance function. The imputations are convenient computationally, in that circulant embedding and preconditioned conjugate gradient methods can produce imputations in [Formula: see text] time and [Formula: see text] memory. However, these so-called periodic imputations are motivated mainly by their ability to produce accurate spectral density estimates. In addition, we introduce a parametric filtering method that is designed to reduce periodogram smoothing bias. The paper contains theoretical results on properties of the imputed-data periodogram and numerical and simulation studies comparing the performance of the proposed methods to existing approaches in a number of scenarios. We present an application to a gridded satellite surface temperature dataset with missing values.
Tasting Spain: a culinary tour

H.M. van den Brink begins his memoir of Spanish food and travel by warning the reader: “This is not a cookbook” (1). Instead, what van den Brink provides is a much more personal, albeit less schola...
Using performance profile trees to improve deliberation control

Performance profile trees have recently been proposed as a theoretical basis for fully normative deliberation control. In this paper we conduct the first experimental study of their feasibility and accuracy in making stopping decisions for anytime algorithms on optimization problems. Using data and algorithms from two different real-world domains, we compare performance profile trees to other well-established deliberation-control techniques. We show that performance profile trees are feasible in practice and lead to significantly better deliberation control decisions. We then conduct experiments using performance profile trees where deliberation-control decisions are made using conditioning on multiple features of the solution to illustrate that such an approach is feasible in practice.
The wrong people for the job

The ‘‘demands of the day’’ to which the title refers concern the problems associated with doing ethical anthropology in the twenty-first century. Rabinow and Stavrianakis intend to draw lessons for anthropologists from their experiences as participant observers attempting to collaborate with scientists on analyzing ethical issues in biological research. But they come across as naive and inexperienced about engaging scientists in ethical discourse and recount an unhappy tale illustrating exactly the sorts of things anthropologists should not do, without deriving any helpful suggestions from their mistakes. Seemingly unaware of the growing philosophical literature on ethics and values in science, the authors fail to draw on past work and attempt to re-create the field anew. Neither anthropologists nor philosophers interested in the ethics of scientific research will find much of value here. Rabinow and Stavrianakis were involved in two projects funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF). From 2006 to 2010, Rabinow directed the component dealing with ethical and social aspects of research conducted by the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC), a consortium of biologists and engineers from University of California—Berkeley, University of California—San Francisco, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. SynBERC was involved in creating synthetic DNA that includes novel genes. Stavrianakis joined Rabinow on this project a few months after its inception. He was also invited to participate in a second project concerning the social consequences of nanotechnology, the SocioTechnical Integration Research project (STIR) at the Arizona State University Center for Nanotechnology in Society.
STUDIES ON THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF VASOPRESSIN

Publisher Summary This chapter extends the studies on vasopressin biosynthesis to rats to more easily measure physiologically induced alterations in precursor content. The initial studies of Sachs and his collaborators on the biosynthesis of vasopressin provided the first evidence that ribosomal synthesis of peptides occurs via a large molecular weight precursor. Subsequent work has demonstrated that many other peptides are also synthesized as a part of larger molecules. The neurohypophyseal hormone vasopressin is a peptide uniquely suited to biosynthetic studies. The presence of two cysteine residues, an amino acid not commonly found in other peptides, allows the molecule to be radiolabelled rather specifically. In addition, the vasopressinergic neurons of the hypothalamus are clearly localized in two distinct nuclei. Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250g) were decapitated and the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal complex (HNC) was removed after the method of Sundberg and Khigge. The tissue was rinsed in Earles balanced salt solution and placed in a Falcon culture well plate—Fisher Scientific—with one milliliter of the salt solution.
Anabolic therapy in primary osteoporosis

Antiresorptive therapy for osteoporosis has been a mainstay during the past 50 yr. But an entirely new class of agents known as anabolic drugs has recently been introduced. These drugs “grow new bone,” reconstitute the destroyed skeletal architecture of osteoporosis, and thereby reduce the risk of new fractures. Teriparatide is the first such drug to fulfill these requirements, but other agents look promising such as growth hormone and strontium renalate. On the horizon are native and analogs of parathyroid hormone also. But these are only the beginning of a vast array of possibilities, which will arise from an understanding of the regulatory pathways of osteoblast function. This review focuses on old and new agents, which are prospects for bone growth based on in vivo data from human or other animal studies. It covers drugs that are in use, or nearly so, and discusses a variety of potential target sites for future drug development.
Biodegradable Insecticides Their Application in Forestry

The demand for greater output from forest lands has been matched by two other competing demands: maintaining the quality of the environment and more extensive and intensive management of the land. To manage insect pests that compete with human use of forest lands, the resource manager must rely on pesticides (NAS, 1975b). Following the best application strategies is a key part of an integrated pest management program. At the same time, undiminished effort must be made to prevent pollution of the air, land, and water beyond a level considered safe for nontarget life forms. To minimize risks, the resource manager must apply the best scientific findings available.
GranatumX: A community engaging and flexible software environment for single-cell analysis

GranatumX is a next-generation software environment for single-cell data analysis. It offers biologists access to the latest single-cell bioinformatics methods, and software developers the opportunity to rapidly promote and combine their tools with various others in customizable pipelines. The architecture of GranatumX allows for easy inclusion of plugin modules made by bioinformatics tool developers. These modules can be flexibly arranged into customized workflows by biologists entirely in a graphical environment. Using novel modularized design with "Gbox" GranatumX enables seamless integration of bioinformatics tools written in R, Python, or any other language together. Granatum can be run in the cloud, private servers or mobile devices and generate reproducible results thanks to Gbox containerization. In summary, GranatumX is expected to become a community-engaging, flexible, and evolving software ecosystem for scRNA-Seq analysis, connecting developers with bench scientists. GranatumX is accessible at: http://garmiregroup.org/granatumx/app
Trajectory Planning for Heterogeneous Robot Teams

We describe a trajectory planning method for heterogeneous mobile robot teams in known environments. We consider two core problems that arise with heterogeneous robot teams: asymmetric inter-robot collision constraints and varying dynamic limits. Asymmetric collision constraints are important for close-proximity flight of rotorcraft due to the downwash effect, which complicates spatial coordination. Varying dynamic limits complicate temporal coordination between robots and must be taken into account during planning. Our method builds upon a hybrid planner that combines graph-planning techniques with trajectory optimization and scales well to large homogeneous robot teams. We extend the hybrid planning approach to include the additional spatial and temporal coordination to support heterogeneous teams. Our method scales well with the number of robots and robot types and we demonstrate our approach on a team of 15 physical robots of 4 different types, including quadrotors and differential drive robots.
Childhood trauma and insulin resistance in patients suffering from depressive disorders.

Abstract Objective Insulin resistance (IR) is a metabolic dysfunction often co-morbid with major depressive disorder (MDD). The paths to development of MDD remain largely unspecified, highlighting a need for identification of risk factors. Here, we tested whether specific subscales of childhood trauma as well as family history of type-2 diabetes (Fam-Hx-Dm2) are risk factors for development of metabolic dysfunction and severity of depressive symptoms. Research design and methods We used a sample of 45 adults suffering from MDD that was well-characterized for insulin resistance and sensitivity as assessed by measures of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) plasma insulin (FPI) levels, body mass index (BMI), weight, homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA), Matsuda index as well as both glucose and insulin responses to oral glucose challenges. Severity of depressive symptoms was assessed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-21). Physical, sexual and emotional abuse as well as physical and emotional neglect were assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. First- or second-degree relatives with type-2 diabetes defined fam-Hx-DM2. Results Individuals reporting higher rates of emotional abuse were more likely to have greater IR as showed by elevated FPI levels and HOMA. No association was found with any of the other subscales of childhood trauma (e.g., physical abuse). Similarly, Fam-Hx-DM2 was associated with greater degree of IR as shown by elevated FPI, HOMA, but also FPG, weight and BMI. Moreover, we report a relationship and interaction between Fam-Hx-DM2 and emotional abuse on severity of depressive symptoms. Specifically, emotional abuse and Fam-HX-DM2 predicted severity of depressive symptoms at HDRS-21. Also, severity of depressive symptoms was greater with higher reported rates of emotional abuse but only in patients with negative Fam-Hx-Dm2. Individuals reporting higher emotional abuse and negative Fam-Hx-Dm2 also showed higher FPG levels. Conversely, individuals reporting higher emotional abuse and positive Fam-Hx-Dm2 showed higher FPI levels. This data suggest that Fam-Hx-Dm2 may define two different metabolic endophenotypes. Conclusions Our findings suggest that Fam-HX-DM2 and emotional abuse represent separate risk factors for developing metabolic dysfunction (i.e.: IR) in patients suffering from MDD, and that the effects of emotional abuse on psychiatric illness may depend upon the personal characteristics, including Fam-Hx-DM2.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound Diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism with Thrombus in Transit

A 95-year-old female with a history of dementia and atrial fibrillation (not on anticoagulation) presented to the emergency department (ED) by ambulance from her skilled nursing facility due to hypoxia. Point-of-care ultrasound was performed, and showed evidence of a large mobile thrombus in the right ventricle on apical four-chamber view. Further evidence of associated right heart strain was seen on the corresponding parasternal short-axis view. These ultrasound findings in combination with the patient’s clinical presentation are diagnostic of acute pulmonary embolism with right heart strain. Point-of-care transthoracic cardiac ultrasound in the ED is an effective tool to promptly diagnose acute pulmonary embolism with right heart strain and thrombus in transit and guide further treatment.
Theoretical Predictions of the Interfacial Stress Transfer in Nanotube-Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposites by Using a Strain-Hardening Shear-Lag Model

Interfacial load transfer inside nanofiber-reinforced polymer nanocomposites plays a vital role in capitalizing on the extraordinary mechanical properties of the added nanofibers and in governing their bulk mechanical performance. In this paper, we investigate the load transfer characteristics of nanotube–polymer interfaces by using a micromechanics shear-lag model that takes into account the elastoplastic properties of polymer matrices. Closed-form analytical solutions of the interfacial shear stress distribution profile are derived. The failure of the nanotube–polymer interface and the pull-out force are analyzed using this model based on recently reported nanomechanical single-nanotube pull-out experiments that were conducted on carbon nanotube and boron nitride nanotube polymer interfaces. The theoretical predictions are in good agreement with experimental measurements. The findings from this work are useful to a better understanding of the interfacial load transfer characteristics of nanofiber-reinforced polymer nanocomposites and ultimately contribute to the optimal design and performance of lightweight and high-strength nanocomposite materials. The presented micromechanics model and the analytical solutions can be extended to study the interfacial stress transfer inside 1D nanofiber-reinforced metal and ceramic nanocomposites as well as of 2D material based composites and devices.
Preconditioning and postconditioning with netrin-1 in acute myocardial infarction model of rat improves systolic and diastolic left ventricular dysfunction

Introduction To evaluate the improvement of systolic and diastolic left ventricular(LV) dysfunction by preconditioning and postconditioning with netrin-1 after acute myocardial infarction(MI) in rat model, we examined the changes of echocardiographic parameters and compared with them before and after MI. Methods Male, 8-to 9-week-old, Spraque-Dawley rats with a mean body weight of 277.40 ±9.48 g were anesthesized with intraperitoneal injection of pentobarbital at a dose of 65 mg / kg, followed by intubation and positive pressure ventilation for 15 minutes as a stabilizing period. The acute MI model had the ligation of left coronary artery under heart exposure through 4-5th intercostal space then closed. After 30 minutes under mechanical ventilation, the left anterior descending artery (LAD) of the rat was ligated for 30 minutes And reperfusion for 2 hours to produce an ischemic / perfusion animal model of myocardial ischemia. After 30 minutes of ischemia, netrin-1(5mcg/kg) was slowly injected into MI group but vehicle(normal saline) into another MI group via tail vein. Netrin-1 preconditioning was administered intravenously 3 minutes before the induction of ischemia and 3 minutes after the induction of ischemia. Netrin-1 postconditioning was administered intravenously 5 minutes before the end of ischemic induction for 3 minutes and pentobarbital 35 mg / kg after 2 hours of reperfusion. And the echocardiographic evaluation was performed. Using Vevo2100, Echocardiographic studies were performed before surgery and After 120 minutes of reperfusion. Results Fractional shortening values were significantly increased in the pre-isch, pre-netrin, post-isch and post-netrin groups compared to the vehicle group. The EF (ejection fraction), And in the post-netrin group, the left ventricular systolic function was improved. E'(initial diastolic velocity) values were significantly higher in the post-iso, post-isch, and post-netrin groups than in the vehicle group. E / E', Post-isch, post-isch, and post-netrin, respectively. Discussion Preconditioning and postconditioning with netrin-1 makes meaningful improvemet of systolic dysfunction with significant increase with FS and EF after acute MI. Also it helps E’ recovery for LV diastolic function and E/E’ ratio for left atrial pressure.
Cannabinoid Antagonist Drug Discrimination in Nonhuman Primates

Despite a growing acceptance that withdrawal symptoms can emerge following discontinuation of cannabis products, especially in high-intake chronic users, there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment options. Drug development has been hampered by difficulties studying cannabis withdrawal in laboratory animals. One preclinical approach that has been effective in studying withdrawal from drugs in several pharmacological classes is antagonist drug discrimination. The present studies were designed to examine this paradigm in squirrel monkeys treated daily with the long-acting CB1 agonist AM2389 (0.01 mg/kg) and trained to discriminate the CB1 inverse agonist/antagonist rimonabant (0.3 mg/kg) from saline. The discriminative-stimulus effects of rimonabant were both dose and time dependent and, importantly, could be reproduced by discontinuation of agonist treatment. Antagonist substitution tests with the CB1 neutral antagonists AM4113 (0.03-0.3 mg/kg), AM6527 (0.03-1.0 mg/kg), and AM6545 (0.03-1.0 mg/kg) confirmed that the rimonabant discriminative stimulus also could be reproduced by CB1 antagonists lacking inverse agonist action. Agonist substitution tests with the phytocannabinoid ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (0.1-1.0 mg/kg), synthetic CB1 agonists nabilone (0.01-0.1 mg/kg), AM4054 (0.01-0.03 mg/kg), K2/Spice compound JWH-018 (0.03-0.3 mg/kg), FAAH-selective inhibitors AM3506 (0.3-5.6 mg/kg), URB597 (3.0-5.6 mg/kg), and nonselective FAAH/MGL inhibitor AM4302 (3.0-10.0 mg/kg) revealed that only agonists with CB1 affinity were able to reduce the rimonabant-like discriminative stimulus effects of withholding daily agonist treatment. Although the present studies did not document physiologic disturbances associated with withdrawal, the results are consistent with the view that the cannabinoid antagonist drug discrimination paradigm provides a useful screening procedure for examining the ability of candidate medications to attenuate the interoceptive stimuli provoked by cannabis discontinuation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Despite a growing acceptance that withdrawal symptoms can emerge following the discontinuation of cannabis products, especially in high-intake chronic users, there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies to assist those seeking treatment. The present studies systematically examined cannabinoid antagonist drug discrimination, a preclinical animal model that is designed to appraise the ability of candidate medications to attenuate the interoceptive effects that accompany abrupt cannabis abstinence.
Voting and Trading: The Shareholder's Dilemma

We study firm governance when shareholders strategically vote and buy/sell shares. We find that voting for the better policy maximizes portfolio value only when pivotal; otherwise, it is better to vote against one’s information, distort the market, and then trade at the distorted price. In equilibrium, voting informativeness balances these forces and is demonstrably low. As the number of shareholders grows, the probability of making the correct decision is lower than the informational quality of just one shareholder’s private signal. Despite this, shareholders obtain value from their information in the form of rent extraction from trading.
Family perspectives need considering as part of the assisted dying process

Commentary on: Gamondi C, Fusi-Schmidhauser T, Oriani A, et al . Family members’ experiences of assisted dying: a systematic literature review with thematic synthesis. Palliat Med 2019;33:1091–105. doi: 10.1177/0269216319857630. Though assisted dying is a growing practice, it is not legally permissible throughout the world. Currently, only 176 million people worldwide have legal access to this practice.1 It encompasses two practices: assisted suicide and active euthanasia.2 While rates of assisted dying have increased in countries legally allowing the practice, family requirements differ geographically based on the model of assisted dying used.1 This variability in family …
Cost-Effective Three-Phase Current Amplifier Interface for Real-time Simulator with Relays in-the-Loop

This paper presents a prototype of a simple and cost-effective design using a high-power monolithic power amplifier that allows the relay in-the-loop connectivity for protection and control applications using a real-time simulator. This low-cost amplifier interface increases the number of protective relays in-the-loop connected with the real-time simulator, expanding the scalability of protection devices that could be tested. The amplifier control design was developed in abc coordinates and utilizes integral and proportional-resonant controllers to provide a good tracking of both the fundamental component as the dc component that might be present during fault conditions. To validate the prototype, the current signals and tripping time of a relay interfaced with the current amplifier were compared against a reference relay connected to the low-voltage interface. Both protective relays were set with a U3 Very Inverse time overcurrent curve. The experimental results exhibited similar behaviors for the breaker currents, validating the amplifier interface prototype.
Simulated anterior translation and medial rotation of the talus affect ankle joint contact forces during vertical hopping

The purpose of the present study was to identify the effects of anterior translation and medial rotation of the talus on ankle joint contact forces (AJF) during double-limb vertical hopping. A comp...
Implementing a stepwise educational approach for bridging the gap between specialty and primary care for childhood cancer survivors

To create a community of learning involving primary care providers and subspecialist to enhance providers’ knowledge regarding care of adult childhood cancer survivors (CCS). A stepwise approach was used to develop educational opportunities for providers. This process started with a local/regional in-person conference, which informed a webinar series, and resulted in the development of enduring material using a dynamic learning management system. Participants in all three learning platforms had an increase in knowledge from baseline regarding care for adult CCS. Majority of participants at the in-person conference and webinar series were oncology or other specialty providers. The enduring dynamic learning management system successfully reached a variety of providers and other allied health providers across the country. There was a slightly higher rate of participation on this platform by primary care providers of 12.5%. Care providers’ knowledge of survivorship needs of adult CCS can be increased by multiple forms of instruction. However, the dynamic learning management system was most successful at reaching a broad audience. Advertisement through local and national organizations was not as successful as anticipated. Additional strategies are needed to successfully engage providers, specifically primary care providers (PCPs). The professional development needs of primary care providers regarding care of adult CCS is well recognized. A dynamic learning management system may represent the most convenient and accessible way to provide education, but new strategies for increasing providers’ awareness and engagement are required. The goal of improving care of adult CCS requires increased providers knowledge.