cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF DIETARY FATS ON AGGREGATION OF PLATELETS FROM RATS

Abstract Diets containing either n-3 fatty acids (menhaden oil) or n-6 fatty acids (corn oil) as the lipid source were fed to rats for 1 week to alter the fatty acid composition of platelet membrane phospholipids. Platelets from both dietary groups of rats were isolated by gel-filtration and challanged with agonists that induce platelet responses by different mechanisms: collagen; the thromboxane mimetic, U46619; and fluoride. The ingestion of menhaden oil resulted in a lower responsiveness of platelets with the first two agonists, which act through membrane receptors. However, aggregation induced by fluoride, which bypasses outer membrane receptors, did not differ between platelets from the two dietary groups. These results suggest that dietary marine oils act to dampen cellular sensitivity to signals initiated by pro-aggregatory agonists binding to membrane receptors rather than to signals produced indiscriminately at the post-receptor level.
Beta-lactam Antibiotics: From Antibiosis to Resistance and Bacteriology

This review focuses on the era of antibiosis that led to a better understanding of bacterial morphology, in particular the cell wall component peptidoglycan. This is an effort to take readers on a tour de force from the concept of antibiosis, to the serendipity of antibiotics, evolution of beta-lactam development, and the molecular biology of antibiotic resistance. These areas of research have culminated in a deeper understanding of microbiology, particularly in the area of bacterial cell wall synthesis and recycling. In spite of this knowledge, which has enabled design of new even more effective therapeutics to combat bacterial infection and has provided new research tools, antibiotic resistance remains a worldwide health care problem.
The Effect of the Hen’s Diet on the Bone Changes in Rachitic Chicks

Abstract IN a recent paper Elvehjem and Kline (1933) demonstrated that chicks are hatched with a very meager supply of vitamin D and that, if they are placed on a rachitic ration immediately after hatching, there is no significant increase in the ash content of the bones. Invariably the bone ash decreases from 32–34 percent at birth to about 30 percent at 5 weeks of age. Due to this low ash content of the bones very early in the chick’s life we suggested that the usual period of 5 to 6 weeks used in vitamin D assay involving the chick could be reduced materially because a very wide spread in bone ash between chicks receiving no vitamin D and those receiving an ample supply is obtained as early as the second week. If a shorter period than 5 weeks is to be used for assay, it becomes necessary to ascertain . . .
Testing methods to produce landscape-scale presettlement vegetation maps from the U.S. public land survey records

The U.S. Public Land Survey (PLS) notebooks are one of the best records of the pre-European settlement landscape and are widely used to recreate presettlement vegetation maps. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative ability of several interpolation techniques to map this vegetation, as sampled by the PLS surveyors, at the landscape level. Field data from Sylvania Wilderness Area, MI (U.S.A.), sampled at the same scale as the PLS data, were used for this test. Sylvania is comprised of a forested landscape similar to that present during presettlement times. Data were analyzed using two Arc/Info interpolation processes and indicator kriging. The resulting maps were compared to a `correct' map of Sylvania, which was classified from aerial photographs. We found that while the interpolation methods used accurately estimated the relative forest composition of the landscape and the order of dominance of different vegetation types, they were unable to accurately estimate the actual area occupied by each vegetation type. Nor were any of the methods we tested able to recreate the landscape patterns found in the natural landscape. The most likely cause for these inabilities is the scale at which the field data (and hence the PLS data) were recorded. Therefore, these interpolation methods should not be used with the PLS data to recreate pre-European settlement vegetation at small scales (e.g., less than several townships or areas <104 ha). Recommendations are given for ways to increase the accuracy of these vegetation maps.
Exploring the Versatility of Qualitative Design for Evaluating Community Substance Abuse Prevention Projects

Evaluation of community organization and intervention programs presents challenges that cannot be addressed through traditional outcome-oriented paradigms. The versatility of qualitative designs and methodologies was illustrated in their application to a multiple-agency community substance abuse prevention project. The evaluation provided a historical reconstruction of the project along with important summative and formative information. However, the value of qualitative evaluation extended beyond the expected outcomes of evaluation. The interactive nature of the qualitative design and methods contributed to empowerment, enhanced communication, clarified roles, and offered a clearer understanding of the balance of power among the partners involved in the project.
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PREFERENCES IN A NON-TREATMENT SEEKING SAMPLE

Background: Obesity is a serious public health issue in the United States, with the CDC reporting that most adult Americans are now either overweight or obese. Little is known about the comparative acceptability of available weight management approaches in non-treatment seeking samples. Method: This report presents preliminary survey data collected from an online sample on weight management preferences for 8 different weight management strategies including a proposed incentive-based program. Participants were 72 individuals (15 men, 55 women and 2 transgendered individuals) who self-re-ported being overweight or obese, or who currently self-reported a normal weight but had attempted to lose weight in the past. Results: ANOVA and Pair-wise comparison indicated clear preferences for certain treatments over others in the full sample; most notably, the most popular option in our sample for managing weight was to diet and exercise without professional assistance. Several differences in preference between the three weight groups were also observed.Conclusions: Dieting and exercising without any professional assistance is the most highly endorsed weight management option among all groups. Overweight and obese individuals may find self-management strategies for weight loss less attractive than normal weight individuals, but still prefer it to other alternatives. This has implications for the development and dissemination of empirically based self-management strategies for weight.
Pathophysiology of sodium channelopathies: correlation of normal/mutant mRNA ratios with clinical phenotype in dominantly inherited periodic paralysis

It is often suggested that polygenic or environmental factors are responsible for clinical variability between patients with identical mutations. However, most dominant diseases are caused by a change-of-function alteration in the mutant allele's protein product. All patients are heterozygous and presumably express both mutant and normal proteins from the corresponding genes. Thus, a possible molecular mechanism for clinical variability could be the difference in relative levels of mutant vs. normal mRNA in different patients with the same mutation. To investigate this hypothesis, it is necessary to have access to a series of tissue biopsies from many patients with the same mutation causing a clinically variable dominant disease. Human hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HyperPP) has been shown to be a clinically variable disorder caused by change-of-function mutations of the skeletal muscle sodium channel protein. We recently identified a large (> 50,000) pedigree of affected Quarter Horses sharing the same causative amino acid alteration of the muscle sodium channel protein. The horses like humans show substantial clinical variability. In this report, we developed a fluorescent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay which quantifies the relative levels of normal and mutant mRNA expression of the horse adult skeletal muscle sodium channel gene in affected Quarter Horses. We found that asymptomatic horses showed more normal sodium channel mRNA, while moderately affected horses showed more mutant mRNA. The ratios of mutant/normal mRNA between these two groups are statistically different, suggesting that severity of HyperPP Quarter Horses may indeed be correlated to the ratio of mutant and normal sodium channel gene expression in skeletal muscle.
Nonparametric mobile speed estimation in fading channels: Performance analysis and experimental results

In this paper we propose a new speed estimation technique, applicable to both mobile and base stations, based on the characteristics in the power spectrum of mobile fading channels. Our analytic performance analysis, verified by Monte Carlo simulations, shows that our low-complexity estimator is not only robust to both Gaussian and non-Gaussian noises, but also insensitive to nonisotropic scattering observed at the mobile. The estimator performs very well in both two- and three-dimensional propagation environments. The robustness against both nonisotropic scattering and line of sight can be further increased, by taking advantage of resolvable paths in wideband fading channels, due to the differences among the Doppler spectra observed at different paths. We also extend this technique to base stations with antenna arrays. By exploiting the spatial information, the proposed space-time estimator exhibits excellent performance over a wide range of noise power, nonisotropic scattering, and line-of-sight component, verified by simulation. The utility of the new method is further demonstrated by applying it to the measured data.
Civil War Diffusion and Regional Motivations for Intervention

Third-party states consider the regional destabilization consequences of civil wars when deciding to intervene. However, previous work implicitly assumes that potential interveners base their inter...
A comparison of position and rate control for telemanipulations with consideration of manipulator system dynamics

Position and rate control are the two common manual control modes in teleoperations. Human operator performance using the two modes is evaluated and compared. Simulated three-axis pick-and-place operations are used as the primary task for evaluation. First, ideal position and rate control are compared by considering several factors, such as joystick gain, joystick type, display mode, task, and manipulator work space size. Then the effects of the manipulator system dynamics are investigated by varying the natural frequency and speed limit. Experimental results show that ideal position control is superior to ideal rate control, regardless of joystick type or display mode, when the manipulation work space is small or comparable to the human operator's control space. Results also show that when the manipulator system is slow, the superiority of position control disappears. Position control is recommended for small-work-space telemanipulation tasks, while rate control is recommended for slow wide-work-space telemanipulation tasks.
High-Resolution Rainfall Estimation from X-Band Polarimetric Radar Measurements

Abstract The paper presents a rainfall estimation technique based on algorithms that couple, along a radar ray, profiles of horizontal polarization reflectivity (ZH), differential reflectivity (ZDR), and differential propagation phase shift (ΦDP) from X-band polarimetric radar measurements. Based on in situ raindrop size distribution (DSD) data and using a three-parameter “normalized” gamma DSD model, relationships are derived that correct X-band reflectivity profiles for specific and differential attenuation, while simultaneously retrieving variations of the normalized intercept DSD parameter (Nw). The algorithm employs an iterative scheme to intrinsically account for raindrop oblateness variations from equilibrium condition. The study is facilitated from a field experiment conducted in the period October–November 2001 in Iowa City, Iowa, where observations from X-band dual-polarization mobile radar (XPOL) were collected simultaneously with high-resolution in situ disdrometer and rain-gauge rainfall meas...
Alleged isotretinoin-associated inflammatory bowel disease: disproportionate reporting by attorneys to the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System.

Background Some studies have purported to link isotretinoin prescribed for acne with the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Objective We sought to identify existence of disproportionate attorney-initiated reporting of isotretinoin-associated IBD in the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Methods A total of 3,338,835 cases (2003-2011) were downloaded from the FAERS. These were queried for IBD cases reported with isotretinoin for a usage indication of acne while recording reporter category. Trends were analyzed over time for reports by attorneys for all medications compared with reports of IBD with isotretinoin. Signal inflation factor was calculated to determine the distortion of pharmacovigilance signals for IBD with isotretinoin. Results There were 2214 cases of IBD resulting from isotretinoin. Attorneys reported 1944 (87.8%) cases whereas physicians reported 132 (6.0%) and consumers reported 112 (5.1%) cases (P value Limitations The accuracy of reports was not ascertained. Conclusions Attorney-initiated reports inflate the pharmacovigilance signal of isotretinoin-associated IBD in the FAERS.
Retinal and Choroidal Manifestations of Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is an enigmatic systemic inflammatory disease that can affect any ocular structure, potentially causing significant ocular morbidity and visual loss. Definite diagnosis is based on the demonstration of noncaseating epithelioid-cell granuloma in the affected organs. A wide range of retinal and choroidal manifestations of the disease can frequently simulate other ocular conditions. Corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment, but several immunomodulatory agents, such as methotrexate, have shown efficacy and steroid-sparing properties. Complications of sarcoidosis must be managed early, given the potential for a decrease in vision. All sarcoidosis patients need comprehensive and periodic eye examinations.
Interventions to Improve Cognitive Functioning After TBI

Traumatic injury to the brain can affect the core of what makes us human—our cognition and emotion. The injuries are acute but may result in chronic burdens for individuals and families as well as society. Effective approaches to improving functioning are needed, and the benefits may be far-reaching. We discuss some basic principles to guide current practice, as well as major directions for continuing advancement of ways to improve functioning after injury. Interventions are more likely to be effective when we take into account multiple levels of brain functioning, from neurons to pharmacological systems to social networks. Training of cognitive functions is of special importance, and benefits may synergize with pharmacologic and other approaches that modify biology. The combination of physical and experiential trauma deserves special consideration, with effects on cognition, emotion, and other substrates of behavior. Directing further research toward key frontiers that bridge neuroscience and rehabilitation will advance the development of clinically effective interventions.
Some Calculations Pertaining to an Integrated Chemical and Stable-Isotope Model of the Origin of Mid-Ocean Ridge Hydrothermal Systems

Chemical and isotopic changes accompanying seawater-basalt interaction in axial mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems are modeled with the aid of chemical equilibria and mass transfer computer programs, incorporating provision for addition and subtraction of a wide-range of reactant and product minerals, as well as cation and oxygen and hydrogen isotopic exchange equilibria. The model involves stepwise introduction of fresh basalt into progressively modified seawater at discrete temperature intervals from 100° to 350°C, with an overall water-rock ratio of about 0.5 being constrained by an assumed \( {\delta ^{{\rm{18}}}}{{\rm{O}}_{{{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O}}}} \) at 350°C of +2.0 per mil (H. Craig, pers, comm., 1984). This is a realistic model, because in the oceanic crust: (1) the grade of hydrothermal metamorphism increases sharply downward; (2) the water-rock ratio is high (>50) at low temperatures and low (<0.5) at high temperatures; and (3) the model allows for back-reaction of earlier-formed minerals during the course of reaction progress. The results are compared to the major-element chemistry (Von Damm et al., 1985) and isotopic compositions (Craig et al., 1980) of the hydrothermal solutions presently emanating from vents at 21°N on the East Pacific Rise. The calculated solution chemistry correctly predicts complete loss of Mg and SO4 and substantial increases in Si and Fe; however, discrepancies exist in the predicted pH (5.5 versus 3.5 measured) and state of saturation of the solution with respect to greenschist-facies minerals. The 350°C calculated \( \delta {{\rm{D}}_{{{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O}}}} \) is +2.6 per mil, in excellent agreement with analytical determinations on 21°N fluids. The calculated chemical, mineralogic, and isotopic changes in the rocks are also in accord with observations on altered basalts dredged from mid-ocean ridges (Humphris and Thompson, 1978; Stakes and O’Neil, 1982), as well as with data from ophiolites (Gregory and Taylor, 1981). The model demands that the major portion of the water-rock interaction occur at temperatures of 300° – 350°C, because interaction at temperatures below approximately 250°C results in negative \( {\delta ^{{\rm{18}}}}{{\rm{O}}_{{{\rm{H}}_{\rm{2}}}{\rm{O}}}} \) shifts, contrary to the observed positive δ18O values of the fluids exiting at mid-ocean ridge vents.
Internet Abuse in the Workplace

Statistics show that employee Internet abuse during work hours causes significant productivity and liability issues. Internet abuse within organizations is defined as the unfettered use of the Internet for personal purposes during standard working hours, which may include accessing inappropriate content such as pornographic material, Internet gambling sites, virtual casinos, or sites that provide downloading of illegal music or video. Previous research has shown that the implementation of software monitoring of employees and acceptable Internet use policies have not proven effective ways to stop or curb employee Internet misuse and abuse. Therefore, this study examines the use of employee training as a proactive way to stop employee Internet abuse. Training has not been investigated regarding its efficacy. Utilizing three organizational case studies, this study examines pre and post training incidents of employee Internet abuse. Results showed that training is an effective deterrent to stop Internet abuse in the workplace. The paper discusses the managerial and organizational implications of this research.
NMDA receptor blockade in cat dorsal horn blunts reflex pressor response to muscle contraction and stretch

The role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the reflex pressor response to static muscle contraction and passive stretch was examined by microdialyzing the NMDA receptor antagonist DL-2-am...
HEMORRHAGIC STATE AFTER THERAPY WITH PROPYLTHIOURACIL

Hemorrhagic states that occasionally follow the administration of propylthiouracil may be classed in 2 categories, those associated with depression of bone marrow and thrombocytopenia, 9 and those related to hypoprothrombinemia.' '• 5 ' 7 ' l0 Conflicting information has been published with regard to the latter group. Two authors have ascribed the prolonged 1-stage prothrombin time characteristic of these patients to deficiencies of Ac-globulin.' Other investigators have observed depressed levels of prothrombin and stable factor.' All of these reported deficiencies are in the intermediate or later phases of the blood coagulation mechanism. Although a prolongation of the prothrombin time is explained, there is not an explanation for a frequently observed delay in the venous clotting time. An abnormality in the venous clotting time usually indicates some inability to activate thromboplastin in the initial phases of coagulation. Aside from platelets, only 1 factor active in this early stage of coagulation has been investigated in patients with hemorrhage after propylthiouracil. A deficiency of this factor, Stuart factor, has been specifically denied.
Stability of aflatoxin M1 during manufacture and storage of ice-cream and sherbet

Ice-cream and orange sherbet were made from naturally contaminated milk to determine how aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) behaves during manufacture and storage of these products. Both were formulated to represent low-cost commercial products. AFM1 was stable to freezing in both products. The AFM1 content of ice-cream remained stable through 8 months of frozen storage. There was an apparent increase of AFM1 after sherbet mix was prepared from milk. This increase may have resulted because of improved recovery of bound AFM1. As with ice-cream, AFM1 remained stable in sherbet through 8 months of frozer storage.
Another Way to Graph a Sequence

(1996). Another Way to Graph a Sequence. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 208-209.
Drilling Is Just the Beginning: Romanticizing Rust Belt identities in the campaign for shale gas

ABSTRACTPublic apprehension over the environmental, social, and health impacts of unconventional gas drilling, or fracking, prompts various responses from oil and gas industries. Natural gas discourses operating in the Marcellus Shale Region, USA, for example, counter claims of environmental harm by emphasizing the economic growth that industry spurs. This article argues that corporate narratives operating in the Marcellus renew the jobs versus environment dichotomy by romanticizing labor identities in the region, binding Rust Belt identities to extraction in the past, present, and future of the region. The danger of this discursive move is the exclusion of alternative possibilities for working, living, and being without fossil fuel industries. I employ a critical analysis of one corporate advertising campaign, “Drilling Is Just the Beginning,” produced by the natural gas drilling company Range Resources, to demonstrate how extraction discourses construct futures that depend on shale gas development, ther...
Intrinsic NMDA-induced oscillations in motoneurons of an adult vertebrate spinal cord are masked by inhibition.

Rioult-Pedotti, Mengia-Seraina. Intrinsic NMDA induced oscillations in motoneurons of an adult vertebrate spinal cord are masked by inhibition. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 717–730, 1997. Low-frequency mem...
Mechanisms of Lung Injury and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Although bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most frequent adverse outcome for infants born at
Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) association with Alzheimer?s disease pathology and diagnosis

A formation is the pathological hallmark of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These diseases are marked by extracellular amyloid deposits of islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) in the pancreas and amyloid β (Aβ) in the brain. Since it has been shown that IAPP enters the brain and that disparate amyloids can cross-seed each other to augment amyloid formation, we determined if such cross-seeding can occur with the amyloids involved in T2D and AD. We demonstrated that: (1) IAPP promoted oligomerization of Aβ in vitro and in silico, (2) peripheral injection of IAPP increased murine brain IAPP levels, (3) endogenous IAPP localized to Aβ in plaques in mouse models of AD, (4) IAPP was present in and secreted from astrocytes, and (5) IAPP levels were elevated in AD cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). These observations prompted us to explore a potential mechanism whereby IAPP elevated during metabolic dysfunction enters the brain to cross-seed Aβ and augment AD pathology. We tested this mechanism in both humans and transgenic mice, correlating peripheral levels of IAPP with AD pathology. In African Americans, a group with increased risk for both T2D and AD, peripheral IAPP levels were not significantly different in samples with no disease, T2D, AD, or both T2D and AD. Furthermore, in the Tg2576 AD mouse model, IAPP plasma levels were not significantly elevated at an age where the mice exhibit the glucose intolerance of pre-diabetes. Based on this data, it appears unlikely that peripheral IAPP cross-seeds Aβ pathology in AD brain. However, we provide evidence for a novel association between brain derived IAPP and AD, which suggests that brain derived IAPP plays a role in Aβ oligomerization and AD pathology. This potential connection, along with IAPP’s known role in weight and memory loss, requires further research. Ian V. J. Murray, J Alzheimers Dis Parkinsonism 2013, 3:4 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2161-0460.S1.002
Insights into Alkene Activation by Gold: Nucleophile Activation with Base as a Trigger for Generation of Lewis Acidic Gold

Previously, the generation of alkyl gold intermediates (B) from nucleophilic addition to inactivated alkenes was limited by the use of trigold oxo complexes (A) with arylphosphine ligands, [(Ar3PAu)3O]BF4, in the presence of amine base. In this mechanism study, we have found that the basicity of the gold complex is key to favoring alkyl gold complex formation. Kinetic and substrate studies have shown that the strongly Bronsted basic IPrAuOH also mediates alkyl gold complex formation. The observation of an intermediate gold amide complex suggests these processes are initiated by deprotonation of the nucleophile. Trigold oxo reactions in the absence of base reveal that the byproduct from the reaction of substrate with A is digold hydroxide complex, [(LAu)2OH]BF4 (C). This complex is catalytically active for urea hydroamination at room temperature to form pyrrolidine D; however, it does not catalyze the hydroalkoxylation of the alcohol substrate. Importantly, catalysis to D occurs faster than can be accounte...
In Silico Biosimulation of Isoflurane Effects on Brain Using Transcriptome-To-MetabolomeTM Technology: Anesthesia Effects on Rat Amygdala & Cortex Metabolism

Anesthetics are a widely used class of drugs with a fast onset and comparatively slow offset, which consequently equates to a low therapeutic index. Unfortunately, the mechanism of action for this class of drugs is considered unknown. For that reason, there is great medical need to study effects of anesthetics on the brain. In this study transcriptomes, generated 6 hours after a 15 minute exposure to isoflurane, from the rat cortex and basolateral amygdala were used to determine parameters for a deterministic biosimulation model of metabolic pathways. Metabolomic results indicated involvement of lipid pathways known for anesthetic effects on membrane function and alternate energy sources due to reduced glucose utilization. Key insights are revealed for potential mechanisms by which anesthetics block memory of the medical procedures.
Analysis of analysis: importance of different musical parameters for Schenkerian analysis

While criteria for Schenkerian analysis have been much discussed, such discussions have generally not been informed by data. Kirlin [Kirlin, Phillip B., 2014 “A Probabilistic Model of Hierarchical Music Analysis.” Ph.D. thesis, University of Massachusetts Amherst] has begun to fill this vacuum with a corpus of textbook Schenkerian analyses encoded using data structures suggested byYust [Yust, Jason, 2006 “Formal Models of Prolongation.” Ph.D. thesis, University of Washington] and a machine learning algorithm based on this dataset that can produce analyses with a reasonable degree of accuracy. In this work, we examine what musical features (scale degree, harmony, metrical weight) are most significant in the performance of Kirlin's algorithm.
Passive switched system analysis of semi-autonomous systems

While autonomous capabilities have proliferated across a wide range of commercial and domestic applications, some tasks require intermittent aid from a human operator. Guaranteeing the safety of these intermittently-teleoperated systems requires stability guarantees that hold in the presence of switching. In this paper, we consider the problem of controlling a robotic vehicle using both a human controller and an autonomous controller. The strategy is to allow the human operator to switch between manual control and autonomous control as needed. The feedback loop is analyzed and shown to be stable using a notion of passivity from nonlinear system analysis. Finally, an example is provided to demonstrate the approach.
Fluid mechanics and sound generation for lung-clearance therapy: advanced design modality for a biomedical therapeutic device

Purpose The study described here aims to set forth an analysis approach for a specific biomedical therapeutic device principally involving fluid mechanics and resulting sound generation. The function of the therapeutic device is to clear mucus from the airways of the lungs. Clearance of the airways is a primary means of relief for cystic fibrosis and is also effective in less profound dysfunctions such as asthma. The complete system consists of a device to periodically pulse air pressure and a vest that girdles the abdomen of the patient and receives and discharges the pulsating airflow. The source of pulsed air can be tuned both with respect to the amplitude and frequency of the pressure pulsations. Design/methodology/approach The key design tools used here are computational fluid dynamics and the theory of turbulence-based sound generation. The fluid flow inside of the device is multidimensional, unsteady and turbulent. Findings Results provided by the fluid mechanic study include the rates of fluid flow between the device and the inflatable vest, the rates of air supplied to and extracted from the device, the fluid velocity magnitudes and directions that result from the geometry of the device and the magnitude of the turbulence generated by the fluid motion and the rotating component of the device. Both the velocity magnitudes and the strength of the turbulence contribute to the quantitative evaluation of the sound generation. Originality/value A comprehensive literature search on this type of therapeutic device to clear mucus from the airways of the lungs revealed no previous analysis of the fluid flow and sound generation inside of the device producing the pulsed airflow. The results presented in this paper pinpoint the locations and causes of sound generation that can cause audible discomfort for patients.
An IoTa of IoT (Abstract Only)

Internet of Things (IoT) devices -- networked microcontrollers with attached sensors and outputs (LEDs, actuators, etc.) -- are becoming ubiquitous in the home (e.g., smart light bulbs, security systems), on the road (e.g., smart parking meters, traffic control), in industry (e.g., equipment monitoring, asset tracking) and in healthcare (e.g., fitness monitors, drug monitors). Consequently, IoT provides an opportunity to demonstrate the pervasiveness and social relevance of computing. Moreover, today's hobbyist- oriented IoT platforms empower entry-level students to create meaningful, real-world IoT applications. This allows rich computer science topics, such as event driven programming, concurrency, networking, information representation, cloud computing, etc., to be introduced earlier in the curriculum. Most importantly, IoT examples provide a compelling context for students to hone their critical thinking skills while solving engaging, real-world problems. Faculty interested in including IoT topics face several challenges: selecting a suitable set of topics, identifying an appropriate pedagogical approach, and, perhaps most daunting, choosing a cost-effective platform that lends itself to classroom use. This workshop will introduce the basic terms and technologies in IoT, discuss issues that arise when including IoT topics in classes, compare and contrast the most popular platforms for IoT, and walk participants through several classroom-tested, hands-on examples using a classroom-friendly platform (Particle's Photon) where they create both Wi-Fi-based IoT devices and corresponding web apps. Participants will need a laptop (any OS) with Internet access.
Immunophenotypic evidence for reactive polyclonal marrow plasmacytosis in multiple myeloma patients receiving lenalidomide maintenance.

The treatment paradigm widely adopted for most patients with multiple myeloma (MM) often includes prolonged maintenance therapy with lenalidomide. This approach was shown to increase progression-fr...
“The Vietnamese have a better understanding of yidishkeit than the Jewish Federation officials”: A senior day center in historical perspective

ABSTRACTIn 2011, a Jewish-sponsored senior center that had served older Jews and non-Jews for decades was forced to close. This article describes the meaning of the senior center to its participants and the impact of its closing on its members. The closing of the center raises larger questions about the potential role of older adults in the life of the larger community and how the loss of such institutions can inhibit the ability of older adults to contribute to and enrich the lives of all members of their communities.
A Characteristic Body Posture of the Potato Leafhopper is Correlated with Probing

Electronic monitoring was combined with video observation in order to determine whether a characteristic body posture of the potato leafhopper, Empoasca fabae (Harris) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), in...
Pepper's Cone: An Inexpensive Do-It-Yourself 3D Display

This paper describes a simple 3D display that can be built from a tablet computer and a plastic sheet folded into a cone. This display allows naturally viewing a three-dimensional object from any direction over a 360-degree path of travel without the use of a head mount or special glasses. Inspired by the classic Pepper's Ghost illusion, our approach uses a curved transparent surface to reflect the image displayed on a 2D display. By properly pre-distorting the displayed image our system can produce a perspective-correct image to the viewer that appears to be suspended inside the reflector. We use the gyroscope integrated into modern tablet computers to adjust the rendered image based on the relative orientation of the viewer. The end result is a natural and intuitive interface for inspecting a 3D object. Our choice of a cone reflector is obtained by analyzing optical performance and stereo-compatibility over rotationally-symmetric conic reflector shapes. We also present the prototypes we built and measure the performance of our display through side-by-side comparisons with reference images.
A matched comparison of laparoscopic versus open inguinal hernia repair in patients with liver disease using propensity score matching.

Patients with liver cirrhosis may require inguinal hernia repair. It is unknown if surgical approach, laparoscopic or open, affects outcomes in this high-risk patient population. This study compares complications, deaths, and length of stay between open and laparoscopic inguinal hernias in patients with liver disease. All patients (N = 145,780) who were diagnosed with inguinal hernia (ICD-9-codes: 550.00, 550.02, 550.10, 550.12, 550.90, and 550.92) and had unilateral repair surgery (current procedure codes: 49505, 49507, 49525, and 49650) between 2005 and 2014 were identified from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. Data collected included patient demographics, comorbid conditions, postsurgical diagnosis, and outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to evaluate the associations between various outcomes and surgical approach. The percentage of open inguinal hernia repair (OIHR) decreased from 84.08% in 2005 to 74.66% in 2014. The mean MELD score was 9.09 ± 4.02 among open surgery patient group, which was higher than the mean MELD score (8.03 ± 2.78) among laparoscopic surgery group. After propensity score matching for patient characteristics, open and laparoscopic inguinal hernia groups had similar length of stay with a slightly longer operation time being observed among laparoscopic group. Overall complications rates were similar (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.–1.15, p = 0.32) as was overall mortality (0.27% among open surgery patients and 0.12% among laparoscopic patients, OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.15–1.21, p = 0.96). Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair demonstrates similar morbidity and mortality when compared to open repairs in patients with liver disease suggesting that both are viable repair options.
ICE1 promotes the link between splicing and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay

The DNA in our cells contains the hereditary information that makes each of us unique. Molecules called mRNAs are copies of this information and are used as templates for making proteins. When a strand of incorrectly copied mRNA, or one including errors from the original DNA template, is recognized, our cells destroy the mRNA to prevent it from producing a damaged protein. Organisms from yeast to humans have evolved a mechanism for finding and destroying faulty mRNAs, called mRNA surveillance. Animals are particularly reliant on mRNA surveillance, as their proteins are often made from cutting and pasting together mRNA from different portions of DNA, in a process known as splicing. Despite being a vital process, we still lack a good understanding of how mRNA surveillance works. Now, Baird et al. used human kidney cells that produced an error-containing mRNA that could be tracked. To investigate how efficient RNA surveillance is under different conditions, the levels of individual proteins were reduced one at a time. By tracking the amount of faulty mRNA, it was possible to find out if a single protein plays a role in human mRNA surveillance. If the number of faulty mRNAs is high when a protein is reduced, it suggests that this protein may be involved in mRNA surveillance. Baird et al. screened more than 21,000 proteins, the majority of proteins made in human cells. Many of the proteins that stood out as important in mRNA surveillance were the ones already known to be relevant in yeast and worm cells. But the experiments also identified new proteins that appear to play a role specifically in human RNA surveillance. One of the proteins, ICE1, is essential for the relationship between mRNA splicing and mRNA surveillance. Without ICE1, the mRNA surveillance machinery can no longer find and destroy faulty mRNAs. Nearly one-third of genetic diseases are caused by mutations that result in faulty mRNAs, which can be detected by mRNA surveillance pathways. Depending on the disease, destroying these error-containing mRNAs can either improve or worsen disease symptoms. A better understanding of the factors that control human RNA surveillance could one day help to develop treatments that affect mRNA surveillance to improve disease outcomes.
Structural Characterization of l-proline and Morpholine Appended Chiral Calix[4]resorcinarene Molecules

Calix[4]resorcinarenes serve as host molecules for small guest molecules. Recently calixarenes have been appended to chiral molecules in an attempt to promote chiral recognition. To take advantage of both cavity host and chiral substituent properties the position of the chiral moiety is important. We report the synthesis and structural characterization of two calix[4]resorcinarene based molecules that have helical chirality in the solid state. The calix[4]resorcinarene 1 has chiral l-proline ethyl ester substituents positioned perpendicular to the cavity whereas the calix[4]resorcinarene 2 has morpholines positioned parallel to the cavity which extend the depth of the cavity. Compound 1 is one of the first compounds to show the position of chiral centers with respect to the calixarene cavity. 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy indicate that the helical chirality of 2 is retained at low temperature in nonpolar solvents.
Baudelaire, Toujours Pareil à Lui-même

Although it has been generally neglected, Baudelaire's sonnet Semper eadem is a carefully constructed poem with many merits providing valuable insights into the poet's art, as a close reading of the text makes clear. Adopting the form of an intimate conversation between two lovers who have just consummated their relationship, the poem presents two opposing interpretations of that event. The reaction of the female partner, evoked only fleetingly, serves to introduce and accentuate that of the poet, who seizes the occasion to expound on his own original conception of love and its function. Against the woman's preoccupation with the immediate enjoyment of sensual pleasure, the poet develops a metaphysical notion of love as a means of resolving, if only temporarily, the existential problem posed by our mortality. Introducing in the Fleurs du Mal the poem cycle dedicated to Mme Sabatier, Semper eadem throws a revealing light on Baudelaire's relationship with la Presidente and on the other poems that she inspired. The poem also presents a dense network of intertextual associations with numerous other texts in the Baudelairian corpus and thus can be seen as a kind of poetico-sentimental manifesto.
Size Effects in Vibrating Silicon Crystal Microbeams

AbstractThe vibrations of ultrathin silicon cantilever microbeams are studied using consistent couple-stress theory to investigate size-dependent effects. The corresponding Euler-Bernoulli beam the...
Uncertainty-Based Opinion Inference on Network Data Using Graph Convolutional Neural Networks

In recent years, belief models, such as subjective logic (SL) and collective subjective logic (CSL), have been developed to model an opinion consisting of belief, disbelief, and uncertainty. However, these belief models are designed based on either predefined operators (e.g., discounting and consensus operators) or distribution assumptions (e.g., Markov random fields or MRFs) that are incapable of capturing the heterogeneity of the uncertainty information in large-scale network data. In this paper, we propose a general framework to model and infer heterogeneous uncertainty information in network data based on the state-of-the-art graph convolutional neural networks (GCN). This work is the first that employs a GCN to model the heterogeneous probability density function (PDF) of node-level variables. And then we project this PDF function into a subspace of PDF functions defined based on node-level opinions via knowledge distillation, which provides an effective prediction of the unknown opinion of some nodes based on the observed opinions of the other nodes. Through the extensive simulation experiments, we show that our proposed approach performs better than SL and CSL in predicting unknown opinions when using two road traffic datasets for the validation of the tested algorithms.
Social Media Marketing Platforms and Companies [University of West Georgia]

This research focuses on Social Media Platforms/Companies, analyzing the top 20 platforms of 2018 worldwide, their annual reports, industry trends, and professional events. The goal of this research is to provide more insight to social media marketing in a digital age. The findings of this research can 1) help social media marketers understand the platforms well, 2) allow social media companies to formulate more effective strategies to attract users and businesses, and 3) give those interested in social media the opportunity to learn more about the media. The findings of this research will be written into a paper and submitted to an academic journal for publication. According to the latest social media statistics on the Ignite visibility website, 81% of the U.S. population has a social media account, which amounts to about 264 million people. On a bigger scope, the Statista website states that 2.62 billion people around the world have a social media account. Social media is going to stay and grow so it is important to perform more research on this topic.
Kit-stem cell factor (kit ligand) axis in GIST patients treated with imatinib

10046 Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent the majority of GI mesenchymal neoplasms. Imatinib (Gleevec; STI571; Novartis, Basel, Switzerland) has marked efficacy in the man...
Power Grid Online Surveillance through PMU-Embedded Convolutional Neural Networks

Power grid operation continuously experiences state transitions caused by the internal and external uncertainties, e.g., equipment failures and weather-driven faults. This prompts an observation of different types of waveforms at the measurement points (substations) in power systems captured by the phasor measurement units (PMUs) and intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) embedded with PMU functionality, e.g., digital relays and fault recorders. The PMU should be, hence, equipped with either one synchrophasor estimation algorithm (SEA) that is accurate and robust to many different types of signals any time across the network, or should adaptively select the promising SEA, among an embedded suite of algorithms. This paper proposes a PMU-embedded framework that can ensure real-time grid surveillance and potentially enables adaptive selection of SEA for more accurate synchrophasor estimation. Our proposed framework is consisted of two components: (i) a pseudo continuous quadrature wavelet transform (PCQ-WT) algorithm using a modified Gabor wavelet transform, which generates the featured-scalograms; and (ii) a convolutional neural network (CNN), that classifies the events based on the extracted features in the scalograms. Our experiments demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves state-of-the-art classification accuracy on multiple types of prevailing events in power grids, through which an enhanced grid-scale situational awareness in real-time can be realized.
Microstructural evolution and failure in short fiber soft composites: Experiments and modeling

Abstract In this work, we systematically study the mechanics of short glass fiber composites with a soft, hyperelastic matrix (polydimethylsiloxane). The fiber orientation can be controlled by fabricating the materials with direct ink writing, an extrusion-based 3D printing method. We specifically characterize the damage evolution in these materials when subject to tensile and cyclic loading by developing a micromechanical model, a continuum model, and by performing experiments. The stress-stretch behavior and damage evolution are highly-dependent on both volume fraction and fiber orientation. We focus primarily on loading that is parallel with the fiber alignment, which shows rich complexities as a function of volume fraction, including variable softening and non-monotonic increase of the yield strength. Unlike most prior work, we use in situ optical measurements and digital image correlation during mechanical loading to quantify the highly-nonhomogeneous stretch field at macroscopic and microscopic length scales, and to simultaneously visualize the mechanisms underlying the damage evolution and complexities in the stress-stretch response, namely fiber-matrix debonding. The micromechanical model is based on modifications to the classic shear lag model, which include incorporation of fiber length distribution as a function of volume fraction and use of Weibull distributions to account for the probability of fiber-matrix debonding. The continuum model is based on hyperelastic strain energy with damage parameters for both matrix and fibers. The combination of the two models is able to capture the stress-stretch behavior and damage evolution well, and also the Mullins-like, history-dependent cyclic loading behavior we observe in experiments.