cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure prediction for human parsing

This thesis shows that structure prediction is well-suited for detecting and parsing people in images (and videos) due to the advantage of learning local part appearance models jointly with relationships between body parts. In detecting people, this method can deal with hard cases, for example, a person mounting a bicycle, that are uncommon in the training data and can cause current person detectors to fail. This thesis demonstrates a pedestrian finder which first finds the most likely human pose in the window using a discriminative procedure trained with structure learning on a small dataset, then presents features based on that configuration to an SVM classifier. This thesis shows, using the INRIA Person dataset, that estimates of configuration significantly improve the accuracy of a discriminative pedestrian finder. This thesis shows quantitative evidence that a full relational model of the body performs better at upper body parsing than the standard tree model, despite the need to adopt approximate inference and learning procedures. The method uses an approximate search for inference, and an approximate structure learning method to learn. This thesis compares this method to state of the art methods on a dataset prepared at UIUC (which depicts a wide range of poses), on the standard Buffy dataset, and on the reduced PASCAL dataset published recently. Results suggest that the Buffy dataset over emphasizes poses where the arms hang down, and that leads to generalization problems. Despite the superior performance of a full relational model to a tree structure model, its practical use is still limited because it must deal with the high complexity in inference. This thesis shows a method to boost a parser with poselet pruners. The method first develops a cascade of hierarchical poselet pruners to prune the search space to a small set of part states and then builds a hierarchical poselet parser to find part locations on the pruned set. Experiments on the UIUC Sport dataset shows that the poselet pruners can effectively prune away more than 99.6% of unlikely part states to about 500 states per part. This small set of part states allows the use of advanced appearance models for better parsers. The method achieves performance comparable to state-of-the-art methods' while improves the speed of finding part locations several times.
FORMULATION OF QUANTUM STATISTICS

This chapter discusses the formulation of quantum statistics. The scope of the ensemble theory is extremely general. When it comes to quantum-mechanical systems composed of indistinguishable entities—as most physical systems are—considerations of this theory have to be applied with care. It becomes essential to rewrite the ensemble theory in the language of the operators and the wave functions to make it more natural to a quantum-mechanical treatment. As far as statistics are concerned, this rewriting of the theory does not introduce any new physical ideas, but it provides a tool that is highly suited for studying typical quantum systems. When studying these systems, it is found that the behavior of even a non-interacting system, such as the ideal gas, departs considerably from the pattern set by the classical treatment. In the presence of interactions, the pattern becomes even more complicated. The chapter gives a quantum-mechanical ensemble theory using a density matrix to discuss the quantum mechanical statistics of various ensemble systems such as the microcanonical ensemble, the canonical ensemble, and the grand canonical ensemble. The quantum-mechanical description of a system of N identical particles is formulated in the chapter and the density matrix is used to derive a partition function of a system of free particles.
DEEPN as an Approach for Batch Processing of Yeast 2-Hybrid Interactions

We adapted the yeast 2-hybrid assay to simultaneously uncover multiple transient protein interactions within a single screen by using a strategy termed DEEPN (dynamic enrichment for evaluation of protein networks). This approach incorporates high-throughput DNA sequencing and computation to follow competition among a plasmid population encoding interacting partners. To demonstrate the capacity of DEEPN, we identify a wide range of ubiquitin-binding proteins, including interactors that we verify biochemically. To demonstrate the specificity of DEEPN, we show that DEEPN allows simultaneous comparison of candidate interactors across multiple bait proteins, allowing differential interactions to be identified. This feature was used to identify interactors that distinguish between GTP- and GDP-bound conformations of Rab5.
Preferences for Condomless Sex in Sexually Explicit Media Among Black/African American Men Who Have Sex with Men: Implications for HIV Prevention.

Accumulating evidence suggests that viewing sexually explicit media (SEM; i.e., pornography) may be related to the sexual behaviors of men who have sex with men (MSM). Furthermore, stereotypical depictions of Black/African American MSM engaging in sexual risk behaviors in SEM may serve to normalize condomless sex, reinforce low peer norms around condom use, and facilitate HIV risk taking among Black/African American MSM. Despite this evidence, very little is known about the correlates of SEM consumption among Black/African American MSM, including HIV risk behaviors and their relation to preferences for viewing condomless sex in SEM. Participants were 653 HIV-seronegative Black-identified MSM ages 18–62 (M 33.58, SD 11.01) who completed a cross-sectional survey as a part of a HIV prevention trial in Atlanta, Georgia. Over three-quarters of the men (n = 514) reported a preference for condomless sex in SEM. In multivariate models, engaging in serodiscordant condomless sex was not significantly associated with preferences for condomless sex in SEM; however, men who self-identified as bisexual, engaged in transactional sex, and reported greater agreement with sexual risk cognitions (i.e., heat-of-the-moment thoughts about condom use) had significantly greater odds of reporting a preference for condomless sex in SEM. Study findings highlight the need for future research exploring the role of SEM in the sexual health of Black/African American MSM, including the extent to which SEM exposure alters norms and expectations about sexual behaviors among Black/African American MSM and how this might be addressed in HIV prevention programs.
Imaging short-lived reactive oxygen species (ROS) with endogenous contrast MRI

Purpose To characterize the relaxation properties of reactive oxygen species (ROS) for the development of endogenous ROS contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and methods ROS-producing phantoms and animal models were imaged at 9.4T MRI to obtain T1 and T2 maps. Egg white samples treated with varied concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) were used to evaluate the effect of produced ROS in T1 and T2 for up to 4 hours. pH and temperature changes due to H2 O2 treatment in egg white were also monitored. The influences from H2 O2 itself and oxygen were evaluated in bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution producing no ROS. In addition, dynamic temporal changes of T1 in H2 O2 -treated egg white samples were used to estimate ROS concentration over time and hence the detection sensitivity of relaxation-based endogenous ROS MRI. The relaxivity of ROS was compared with that of Gd-DTPA as a reference. Finally, the feasibility of in vivo ROS MRI with T1 mapping acquired using an inversion recovery sequence was demonstrated with a well-established rotenone-treated mouse model (n = 6). Results pH and temperature changes in treated egg white samples were insignificant ( 10%, P Conclusion We demonstrated in the study that endogenous ROS MRI based on the paramagnetic effect has sensitivity for in vitro and in vivo applications. Level of evidence 2 Technical Efficacy Stage: 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:222-229.
Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Induced Retinal Folds and Deformations.

Purpose We hypothesized that the edema/swelling in the retina due to acute nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) can induce retinal folds (RF). We determined the pattern and frequency of folds in NAION at presentation and in follow-up, and the relationship between folds and a number of functional and structural parameters over time. Methods We prospectively studied eyes with acute NAION by spectral-domain optic coherence tomography (SD-OCT). We used transaxial and en face views to evaluate the presence of peripapillary fluid (PPF), peripapillary wrinkles (PPW), RF, choroidal folds (CF), creases, macular edema, and vitreous traction on the optic disc. Retinal deformations were correlated with the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, logMAR visual acuity (VA) and mean deviation (MD). Results At presentation, 60 eyes had mean RNFL = 224 ± 75 μm, no vitreous traction, and similar VA and MD regardless of the retinal deformation or macular edema. There was PPF in 73%, PPW in 57%, RF in 38%, creases in 20%, and macular edema in 18% of eyes, and no CF. Eyes with retinal deformations had significantly greater RNFL thickness (P< 0.026). At 1 to 2 months, 49 eyes had reduction of the RNFL (112 ± 40 μm, P = 0.001) and unchanged VA and MD that did not correlate with fewer eyes having PPF (15%, P = 0.001), PPW (10%, P = 0.001), RF (10%, P = 0.001), creases (17%), and macular edema (0%, P = 0.007). Conclusions RF in NAION reflect stresses and strains due to extracellular fluid without increased pressure in the retrolaminar tissue and subarachnoid space, seen with papilledema. In NAION, the deformations and their resolution do not correlate with vision loss.
Enhanced nFinFET ESD performance

A very simple and useful scheme to enhance the ESD performance of the nFinFET is proposed. By incorporating the N-Well (NW) with the nFinFET, it becomes a low holding-voltage SCR if the NW contact is ohmic and becomes a high holding-voltage SCR if the NW contact is a Schottky contact.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Pregnancy

The connective tissue deficiency in osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) may cause short stature, skeletal abnormalities and decreased bone strength among other complications which may impact pregnancy and childbirth. This chapter will review pregnancy issues in OI including pregnancy outcomes in women with OI, caring for at-risk pregnancies because of familial inheritance, and diagnosis and management of a fetus with presumed OI in an otherwise unaffected family. Advancements in critical care, maternal–fetal medicine and neonatology have allowed for improved care of women with medical complications in pregnancy, as well as fetal outcomes due to prematurity and genetic disorders. Yet there remain situations in which the prognosis for the mother and fetus are guarded.
Federal Regulation of State Employment Under the Commerce Clause and "National Defense" Powers: Constitutional Issues Presented by the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act

Pending before Congress is the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, which would require states and their localities to engage in collective bargaining with unions representing their public safety officers (i.e., police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services workers). As constitutional authority for the Act, the legislation invokes the Commerce Clause and congressional "national defense" powers. This Note examines Congress's ability to regulate the states' employment of public safety officers. It concludes that the Commerce Clause does not enable such regulation because public safety employment does not substantially affect interstate commerce and that state sovereignty acts as an independent bar to the regulation. This Note further concludes that Congress's "national defense" powers do not enable the regulation of public safety employment because, under both the current statutory regime of domestic emergency-response efforts and the constitutional anticommandeering doctrine, the states' public safety officers are beyond the reach of federal control. Thus, this Note posits that if the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act is enacted, the Supreme Court would—and should—strike it down.
Measuring Fractals: Comparison of Theory and Experiment on the Global Properties of a Strange Attractor

This talk will be about how to characterize and measure the properties of fractal sets. It will center about an experiment by Libchaber, Heslot, Stavans, and Glazier which sees the onset of chaos via period doubling and via a quasi-periodic behavior in a simple hydrodynamic system. The results of this experiment will be compared with the theory of Feigenbaum, for period doubling, and that of Shenicer, Feigenbaum and Kadanoff for the quasi-periodic case. The actual comparison is performed using a novel way of looking at the global properties of the attractor which was first introduced by Parisi and Frisch. The basic device is to study the distribution of densities of points on the attractor. This, in turn, is estimated, following Procaccia, by measuring the time it will take for a recurrence to within a specified distance. This same analysis is applied to the experimental data and also to the theoretical models, giving descriptions of the topological properties of both. The descriptions are compared and the theory and experiment are seen to agree within the errors. The net result is the best quantative evidence to date of the universality of the Feigenbaum mechanism.
Exploring NCLEX Failures and Standardized Assessments.

BACKGROUND Nurse educators seek valid and reliable tools to assist in early identification and intervention for students at-risk of NCLEX-RN failure. PURPOSE The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to use principal component analysis to explore relationships within standardized assessment (SA) scores from a sample of students who failed the NCLEX-RN on the first attempt. METHODS Standardized assessment scores were collected from prelicensure programs between 2009 and 2016 (n = 296). Mixed modeling sought to reveal SA scores that represented redundancy or duplication. RESULTS The principal component analysis found 2 distinct components emerging from the 8 SAs included in the study, signifying duplication in the content assessed. Within these 2 components, maternal newborn and pharmacology had the strongest correlations among the SA scores. CONCLUSIONS Discovering those SAs that assess similar content and have the strongest correlations can provide additional information for decision making when implementing these tests throughout the nursing curriculum.
Gas-Phase Ion/Ion Chemistry as a Probe for the Presence of Carboxylate Groups in Polypeptide Cations.

The reactivity of 1-hydroxybenzoyl triazole (HOBt) esters with the carboxylate functionality present in peptides is demonstrated in the gas phase with a doubly deprotonated dianion. The reaction forms an anhydride linkage at the carboxylate site. Upon ion trap collisional-induced dissociation (CID) of the modified peptide, the resulting spectrum shows a nominal loss of the mass of the reagent and a water molecule. Analogous phenomenology was also noted for model peptide cations that likely contain zwitterionic/salt-bridged motifs in reactions with a negatively charged HOBt ester. Control experiments indicate that a carboxylate group is the likely reactive site, rather than other possible nucleophilic sites present in the peptide. These observations suggest that HOBt ester chemistry may be used as a chemical probe for the presence and location of carboxylate groups in net positively charged polypeptide ions. As an illustration, deprotonated sulfobenzoyl HOBt was reacted with the [M+7H]7+ ion of ubiquitin. The ion was shown to react with the reagent and CID of the covalent reaction product yielded an abundant [M+6H-H2O]6+ ion. Comparison of the CID product ion spectrum of this ion with that of the water loss product generated from CID of the unmodified [M+6H]6+ ion revealed the glutamic acid at residue 64 as a reactive site, suggesting that it is present in the deprotonated form.
A 45-Year-Old Woman With Multiple Pulmonary Nodules and Sjögren Syndrome.

Case Presentation A 45-year-old woman presented for evaluation for 3 months of coughing and dyspnea. A recent chest CT scan done for workup of her symptoms revealed a 2-cm right-sided pulmonary nodule. She had a medical history of Sjogren syndrome, hypertension, and obesity. She also noted a weight loss of 30 lb over the last 3 years. She denied smoking, alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, or occupational exposures. A chest radiograph done 3 years prior did not reveal any pulmonary nodules. She had no personal or family history of arteriovenous malformations, hamartomas, or any malignancies and had been up to date with her breast cancer screening. She was treated with courses of hydroxychloroquine and mycophenolate mofetil for her Sjogren syndrome and did not have a history of opportunistic pulmonary infections. She denied any recent travel or exposure to TB.
Timing of treatment interruption among latently infected tuberculosis cases treated with a nine-month course of daily isoniazid: findings from a time to event analysis

Treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in high-risk groups is an effective strategy for TB control and elimination in low incidence settings. A nine-month course of daily isoniazid (INH) has been the longest prescribed therapy; however, completion rates are suboptimal. We need data to guide TB program outreach efforts to optimize LTBI treatment completion rates. We pooled seven (2009–2015) years of LTBI treatment outcome data. We computed the probability of INH treatment disruption over time by patient demographic and clinical risk factors. We used log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models to assess the risk factors for treatment disruption. We analyzed data from 12,495 persons with complete data on INH treatment initiation. Pediatric cases (0–17 years), recent contacts of active TB patients, and non-U.S.-born adults living in the United States ≤5 years represented 25.2, 13.0, and 59.2% of the study population, respectively. Overall, 48.4% failed to complete therapy. The median treatment duration was 306 days (95% CI: 297, 315). A significant drop in adherence could be observed around day 30 of treatment initiation. Indeed, by day 30 of treatment, 17.0% (95% CI: 16.4, 17.7) of patients had defaulted on therapy. Pediatric patients (HR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.78, 0.89), recent contacts (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.68, 0.81), patients with diabetes (HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.98), and patients with HIV (HR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.51) had a lower risk of treatment default. However, black patients (HR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.44, 1.70), Hispanic patients (HR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.43, 1.66), and non-U.S.-born persons living in the United States ≤5 years (HR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.32) were significantly more likely to default on therapy. In this analysis of INH treatment outcome, we see high levels of treatment discontinuation. On average, patients defaulted on their prescribed nine-month daily INH therapy within 30 days of initiating treatment, and those at increased risk of progression to active disease were most likely to do so. We highlight the need to introduce patient-centered programs to increase treatment adherence in this population.
Intrusion Detection For Controller Area Network Using Support Vector Machines

Controller Area Network is the most widely adopted communication standard in automobiles. The CAN protocol is robust and is designed to minimize overhead. The light-weight nature of this protocol implies that it can't efficiently process secure communication. With the exponential increase in automobile communications, there is an urgent need for efficient and effective security countermeasures. We propose a support vector machine based intrusion detection system that is able to detect anomalous behavior with high accuracy. We outline a process for parameter selection and feature vector selection. We identify strengths and weaknesses of our system and propose to extend our work for time-series based data.
Neurointervention for emergent large vessel occlusion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduced into the human population in December 2019, the zoonotic novel β-coronavirus spread rapidly. Labeled Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO), the infection reached pandemic proportions by March 11, 2020. At the time of writing this commentary, globally our way of life is transforming. Hospitals are no exception, with mobilization into an emergency mode including halting all non-urgent elective procedures and clinic visits. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WHO are currently recommending aggressive measures to prevent viral transmission. For healthcare workers, aside from standard precautions like using personal protective equipment (PPE) and handwashing, these bodies are strongly encouraging the practice of ‘social distancing’ (SD) and ‘self-quarantine’ (SQ) for those with suspected or proven infections. In essence, SD means avoiding crowds, closing schools, canceling all social events and meetings, and maintaining a 6-foot distance between individuals. SQ refers to isolating oneself for 2 weeks without any social contact to avoid transmission. These efforts will be critical to mitigating covid-19 spread, as they may ‘flatten the curve’ of new and serious cases and prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed. Healthcare workers are on the front line, and doctors, nurses, and hospital staff are at highest risk of contracting the virus. As cases become ubiquitous throughout the healthcare system, many staff will become secondarily infected and will require medical treatment and SQ. As the volume of infected personnel increases, many services will need to operate on a skeleton crew. If infection breaches a critical threshold, some emergency services may cease to be possible. The greatest potential impact will be on mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in acute ischemic stroke. MT for emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO) represents one of the most impactful and effective emergent interventions in medicine,1 markedly reducing morbidity and mortality. MT is …
Determinants of Airflow Limitation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background: Although a variety of pathological changes have been described in small airways of patients with COPD, the critical determinants of airflow limitation remain incompletely characterized. Aims and Objectives: To perform comprehensive histopathological analysis of lung tissue samples obtained from patients with COPD and non-diseased controls and to determine critical factors driving airflow limitation. Methods: Lung tissue specimens were obtained from 18 non-smokers without chronic lung disease and 55 former smokers with COPD. Small airways ( Results: Small airways from COPD patients showed loss of alveolar attachments, epithelial and subepithelial tissue thickening, mucus plugging, and reduced collagen density. Although all parameters significantly correlated with Forced Expiratory Volume exhaled in one second (FEV1), multivariable regression analysis indicated that loss of alveolar attachments was the major determinant of airflow limitation. Alveolar attachment loss in patients with COPD was associated with degradation of collagen and elastin in the outer adventitia, but not with the severity of emphysema assessed on CT scanning. At the same time, their loss was strongly associated with neutrophilic infiltration of the airway wall. Conclusions: Loss of radial alveolar attachments in small resistance airways, likely mediated by neutrophilic inflammation, is the primary determinant of airflow limitation in COPD.
Active crustal differentiation beneath the Rio Grande Rift

Silicon-rich continental crust is unique to Earth. Partial melting during high- to ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism (700 °C to >900 °C) promotes the long-term stability of this crust because it redistributes key elements between the crust and mantle and ultimately produces cooler, more-differentiated continents. Granulites—rocks formerly at high- to ultrahigh-temperature conditions—preserve a record of the stabilization of Earth’s continents, but the tectonic mechanisms that drive granulite formation are enigmatic. Here we present an analysis of lower-crustal xenoliths from the Rio Grande Rift—a nascent zone of extension in the southwestern United States. Uranium–lead geo- and thermochronology combined with thermobarometric modelling show that the lower 10 km of the crust currently resides at granulite-facies conditions, with the lowermost 2 km at ultrahigh-temperature conditions. Crust and mantle xenoliths define a continuous pressure-and-temperature array, indicating that a thin lithospheric mantle lid mediates elevated conductive heat transfer into the crust. These findings establish a direct link among ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism, collapse of the Laramide orogen and lithospheric mantle attenuation. Other indicators of modern ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism are consistent with these conditions prevailing over thousands of square kilometres across the US–Mexico Basin and Range province. Similarities between the pressure-and-temperature path from the Rio Grande lower crust and those from exhumed granulite terranes imply that post-thickening lithospheric extension is a primary mechanism to differentiate Earth’s continental crust. A link between post-thickening lithospheric extension and the differentiation of continental crust is implied by granulite conditions beneath the Rio Grande Rift, inferred from analysis of lower-crustal xenoliths and thermobarometric modelling.
Abstract 64: An Integrated Model for Titin Truncation Mutation Interpretation

Background: We recently discovered a conserved internal promoter in the Titin gene, which explains why truncating mutations in the C-terminal two thirds of the zebrafish ttna protein result in more...
Toward a sociology of finitude: life, death, and the question of limits.

Progressing beyond the given has been a key modern tendency. Yet modern societies are currently facing the problem of how to put limits on progress, expansion, and growth, live within them, and preserve (rather than transcend) the present. Drawing on economic sociology scholarship on valuation and morality in economic life, this article develops and applies the term economization to analyze the enactment of limits on progress. The question of end-of-life care—when to stop medical efforts to prolong life, postpone death, and advance the scientific frontier—serves as an illustrative empirical case that sheds light on limit-setting in general. My analysis of this case combines historical, ethnographic, and in-depth interview data on US palliative care clinicians, who specialize in making life-and-death decisions in acute care hospitals.
Telemedicine and Telecommuting: A Changing World of Work Through the Lens of Telecommunications Technology

The purpose of this article is to examine the relationships between telemedicine and telecommunication in the realm of telecommunications technology, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The author discusses the shifts in the use of telecommunications, its competitive advantage, impact, challenges, and proffer solutions in its use in the world of work. The approach of the article is anchored on qualitative research.
Differential ADAR editing landscapes in major depressive disorder and suicide.

Abstract Neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and suicide, are becoming an increasing public health concern. Rising rates of both depression and suicide, exacerbated by the current COVID19 pandemic, have only hastened our need for objective and reliable diagnostic biomarkers. These can aide clinicians treating depressive disorders in both diagnosing and developing treatment plans. While differential gene expression analysis has highlighted the serotonin signaling cascade among other critical neurotransmitter pathways to underly the pathology of depression and suicide, the biological mechanisms remain elusive. Here we propose a novel approach to better understand molecular underpinnings of neuropsychiatric disorders by examining patterns of differential RNA editing by adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs). We take advantage of publicly available RNA-seq datasets to map ADAR editing landscapes in a global gene-centric view. We use a unique combination of Guttman scaling and random forest classification modeling to create, describe and compare ADAR editing profiles focusing on both spatial and biological sex differences. We use a subset of experimentally confirmed ADAR editing sites located in known protein coding regions, the excitome, to map ADAR editing profiles in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and suicide. Using Guttman scaling, we were able to describe significant changes in editing profiles across brain regions in males and females with respect to cause of death (COD) and MDD diagnosis. The spatial distribution of editing sites may provide insight into biological mechanisms under-pinning clinical symptoms associated with MDD and suicidal behavior. Additionally, we use random forest modeling including these differential profiles among other markers of global editing patterns in order to highlight potential biomarkers that offer insights into molecular changes underlying synaptic plasticity. Together, these models identify potential prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for MDD diagnosis and/or suicide.
Rate of coke formation of centrifugally cast austenitic chromia-forming and alumina-forming alloys in coking conditions

Abstract The coking kinetics and the long-term coking performance of an alumina-forming alloy against a traditional chromia-forming alloy was studied in a hydrogen-ethane coking atmosphere. After 1000 h of exposure, the alumina-forming alloy had 91% less mass gained compared to that of the chromia-forming alloy. Additionally, microstructural analysis showed that the carburisation attack in the chromia-forming alloy was more severe, especially at a higher temperature and at a higher exposure time. Results indicate that a better performance in coking conditions can be attained when implementing alumina-forming alloys.
Eating disorders

Primary care providers are increasingly confronted with managing patients with eating disorders. The management of these disorders can be challenging and requires a thorough knowledge of eating disorder assessment, medical complications, and advances in treatment.
Giving kids a boost: The positive relationship between frequency of SNAP participation and Infant's preventative health care utilization.

Abstract Well-child visits are protective for child health but underutilized in the United States. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest federal food assistance program in the United States, has been shown to reduce food insecurity and may also promote child health by supporting preventative health care utilization. We examined the relationship between SNAP participation and infant well-child visits using state administrative data from Missouri's Department of Social Services for the period January 2006 to July 2014 for more than 50,000 infant-mother dyads. We find that compared to always receiving SNAP, leaving SNAP or receiving SNAP unstably reduces the likelihood that an infant receives all recommended well-child visits in the first year. These patterns are more pronounced for infants living in urban areas, infants with Black or Hispanic mothers, and infants whose mothers are diagnosed with depression. We also find that stable SNAP participation primarily influences vaccination rates through well-child visits, which is when most infants receive their immunizations. Given the increased public health risk of foregone care, these results may inform policy makers as they consider making permanent policy waivers to reduce the administrative burden of the recertification process and increase the stability of SNAP participation.
Airfield Pavement Response Caused by Heavy Aircraft Takeoff: Advanced Modeling for Consideration of Wheel Interaction

The effect of wheel configuration on critical airfield pavement responses during takeoff was calculated, and variables, usually omitted in conventional pavement analysis, were considered. The numerical analysis matrix consisted of two takeoff speeds, two inflation pressures, two pavement structures, and four wheel configurations. One of the pavement structures was built at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility and had been previously described in the literature. The method used in this study advanced current knowledge in two respects. First, the study examined not only the tensile strains at the bottom of the asphalt concrete (AC) layer (fatigue cracking) and vertical strain on top of the subgrade (rutting) but also the transverse surface strain (surface cracking) and vertical shear strains (near-surface cracking and rutting). Second, several assumptions about existing methods were advanced. These assumptions included (a) nonuniform three-dimensional contact stresses instead of uniform one-dimension...
Pricing-Based Solutions to the Problem of Weather-Related Airport and Airway System Delay

With most of the recent delay in air travel caused by disruptions that limit capacity (versus crew scheduling and operational issues), this paper examines the practicality and effectiveness of using congestion pricing in conditions such as weather-related delays to allocate airspace in a way that reflects the value that the different airlines and airports place on the available capacity at any given time. Using a simple queuing model shows that as each user (aircraft) joins the queue, he adds to the time that subsequent users will have to wait (their cost) until they can make use of the airspace. Congestion pricing can impose the subsequent users' cost on the current user, which will discourage some users from entering the queue because the value to them is less than the cost. The paper analyzes institutions in the electric power industry that use similar short-term price fluctuations to ration power and suggests there is room in the aviation industry to adopt pricing schemes that would help rationalize capacity supply and demand during weather-related disruptions. It shows, too, some of the ways the system might evolve in order to accommodate such demand management techniques.
Transcriptional Regulation of Acetylcholine Receptor Genes in Transfected Muscle Cells and Transgenic Mice

During early development of skeletal muscle, single cell myoblasts fuse to form multinucleated myotubes. The levels of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR), which are undetectable in mouse myoblasts, increase dramatically in embryonic myotubes. At this early developmental stage receptors are distributed throughout the length of the muscle fiber surface. After motor neuron innervation, nAChR levels decrease significantly and their expression is confined to the neuromuscular junction. The repression of receptor expression is thought to be a consequence of innervation because when skeletal muscle is denervated the nAChR levels once again increases by 50 to 100-fold. Interestingly, if denervated muscle is electrically stimulated with electrodes in absence of the nerve, the expression of nAChRs is repressed (reviewed in Fambrough, 1979). This phenomena has been referred to as “activity regulation”. Our laboratory has been interested in understanding the complex molecular mechanisms underlying development, localization, and activity regulation of nAChR expression. Herewith, we present evidence that transcription plays a major role in nAChR regulation, and show how we have used gene transfer into cultured muscle cells and transgenic mice to identify the DNA sequences that can account for the complex regulation of nAChR gene transcription.
Membrane Fluidity and Lipid Composition

The fluidity of a fluid is the reciprocal of its viscosity which in turn is a measure of the resistance of the fluid to movement within it 1, 2. The unit of viscosity is the Poise (P) and, measured by the motion of various physical probes, membranes at ambient temperatures seem to be far more viscous or far less fluid than ordinary liquids which are of the order of 10−2 poise or a centipoise (cP). The viscosity of red blood cell membranes was found to vary from 2.0 to 6.0 P with increasing cholesterol/phospholipid ratios 3. Fluid lecithin phospholipid membranes have viscosities around 1 P at temperatures of 30° 4, which is approximately the viscosity of light oil 5.
Fluidic energy harvesting beams in grid turbulence

Much of the recent research involving fluidic energy harvesters based on piezoelectricity has focused on excitation through vortex-induced vibration while turbulence-induced excitation has attracted very little attention, and virtually no previous work exists on excitation due to grid-generated turbulence. The present experiments involve placing several piezoelectric cantilever beams of various dimensions and properties in flows where turbulence is generated by passive, active, or semi-passive grids, the latter having a novel design that significantly improves turbulence generation compared to the passive grid and is much less complex than the active grid. We experimentally show for the first time that the average power harvested by a piezoelectric cantilever beam placed in decaying isotropic, homogeneous turbulence depends on mean velocity, velocity and length scales of turbulence as well as the electromechanical properties of the beam. The output power can be modeled as a power law with respect to the distance of the beam from the grid. Furthermore, we show that the rate of decay of this power law closely follows the rate of decay of the turbulent kinetic energy. We also introduce a forcing function used to model approximately the turbulent eddies moving over the cantilever beam and observe that the feedback from the beam motion onto the flow is virtually negligible for most of the cases considered, indicating an effectively one-way interaction for small-velocity fluctuations.
The Effective Hamiltonian for Polyatomic Molecule Vibration

The vibrational Hamiltonian may be expressed in a basis set consisting of products of harmonic oscillators, one oscillator for each of the 3N − 6 normal modes, where N is the number of atoms in the molecule.
Measurements of iron status in patients with chronic hepatitis.

Abstract Eighty patients with chronic viral hepatitis were screened for evidence of iron overload. Elevated serum iron values were noted in 36% of cases; serum ferritin values were above normal in 30% of men and 8% of women. Twenty-eight additional patients with chronic hepatitis for whom liver tissue was available for determination of iron content were evaluated to study the significance of iron overload in association with chronic hepatitis. Although 46% had elevated serum iron, ferritin, or transferrin-saturation levels, the hepatic iron concentration was elevated in only four cases, and the hepatic iron index was in the range for hereditary hemochromatosis (> 2.0) in only two of these. Serum aspartate aminotransferase activities correlated with serum ferritin levels in these patients, suggesting that ferritin and iron levels were increased in serum because of their release from hepatocellular stores associated with necrosis. Thus, in patients with chronic hepatitis in whom hereditary hemochromatosis is suspected, a liver biopsy should be performed with quantitation of hepatic iron and calculation of the hepatic iron index to confirm the diagnosis.
Kinetic characteristics of the pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract Kinetic studies on Pseudomonas aeruginosa pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase yield the following information. In the presence of 5 x 10-4 m 2'-AMP the initial velocity experiments for both the TPNH-(TN)DPN+ (oxidized thionicotinamide DPN) and DPNH-(TN)DPN+ reactions are consistent with a "ping-pong" bi bi catalytic reaction mechanism. DPN+ inhibition of the DPNH-(TN)DPN+ reaction is the type expected for this mechanism. When 2'-AMP is not included in the TPNH-(TN)DPN+ system the reaction velocity shows a second order dependence on TPNH, but a first order dependence on (TN)DPN+. The maximum velocity for the TPNH-(TN)DPN+ system is apparently the same in the presence as in the absence of 5 x 10-4 m 2'-AMP. However, in the presence of 5 x 10-4 m 2'-AMP the reaction velocity shows a first order dependence on both substrates. These experiments show that both TPNH and 2'-AMP are activators of the enzyme. In the DPNH-(TN)DPN+ reaction the velocity shows a first order dependence on both substrates and a second order dependence on 2'-AMP. 2'-AMP causes a decrease in the apparent Michaelis constant for DPNH and an increase in the apparent maximum velocity. If the mechanism is assumed to be ping-pong bi bi then the experiments indicate that 2'-AMP increases the rates of steps in the portion of the reaction sequence involving reduction of the enzyme by DPNH. Experiments indicate that TPN+ does not have the same capacity for activation as do TPNH and 2'-AMP. In contrast to DPN+, TPN+ at low concentrations is competitive with DPNH in the DPNH-(TN)DPN+ reaction. Thus failure of the transhydrogenase to catalyze the reaction between DPNH and TPN+ can be explained by the failure of TPN+ to cause full activation, making DPNH a less effective substrate, and also by formation by TPN+ of a dead end complex with enzyme.
Vascular Basis for Neural Tube Defects: A Hypothesis

A hypothesis is set forth that neural tube defects are produced by inadequate nutrient supply to the rapidly growing neural folds. According to this hypothesis, a delay in establishing blood flow or an aberration of blood supply to neural tissue may interfere with nutrition and prevent neural tube closure. The hypothesis was tested by examining the vasculature of fetuses with spinal neural tube defects. In each case, the arterial supply to the region of the neural tube defect was disturbed. Because development of arterial supply to the neural folds predates neural tube closure, these vascular abnormalities are considered to be primary malformations that lead to neural tube defects rather than secondary morphologic disturbances resulting from neural tube defects.
Selective population of states in fission fragments from the 32S+24Mg reaction.

The symmetric and near-symmetric mass fission yields from the [sup 32]S+[sup 24]Mg reaction have been studied in a particle-particle-[gamma] coincidence measurement. Evidence is presented for a selective population of states in [sup 28]Si fragments arising from the symmetric fission of the [sup 56]Ni compound nucleus. A statistical-model calculation of the expected strength to specific mutual excitations of the fission fragments is presented and compared to the experimental results. This calculation is found to describe the structures observed at high excitation energy in the fission [ital Q]-value spectra quite well. Analysis of the [gamma]-ray spectra indicates, however, that a specific set of states in [sup 28]Si, corresponding to a highly deformed prolate band, is populated more strongly than expected based on a purely spin-weighted, statistical decay of the compound nucleus. It is suggested that the population pattern of states in the fission fragments may reflect nuclear structure effects at the point of scission.
Religion and State Formation in Postrevolutionary Mexico

Building a state in the wake of social revolution is a most challenging prospect. In the case of the Mexican postrevolutionary state, historians have credited the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas (193...
Statistical Attitude Determination

All spacecraft require attitude determination at some level of accuracy. This can be a very coarse requirement of tens of degrees, in order to point solar arrays at the sun, or a very fine requirement in the milliarcsecond range, as required by Hubble Space Telescope. A toolbox of attitude determination methods, applicable across this wide range, has been developed over the years. There have been many advances in the thirty years since the publication of Reference, but the fundamentals remain the same. One significant change is that onboard attitude determination has largely superseded ground-based attitude determination, due to the greatly increased power of onboard computers. The availability of relatively inexpensive radiation-hardened microprocessors has led to the development of "smart" sensors, with autonomous star trackers being the first spacecraft application. Another new development is attitude determination using interferometry of radio signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation. This article reviews both the classic material and these newer developments at approximately the level of, with emphasis on. methods suitable for use onboard a spacecraft. We discuss both "single frame" methods that are based on measurements taken at a single point in time, and sequential methods that use information about spacecraft dynamics to combine the information from a time series of measurements.
Mechanism of action of human activated protein C, a thrombin-dependent anticoagulant enzyme

Human protein C was purified, and the mechanism of action of activated protein C as an anticoagulant in plasma was studied. Protein C was purified from commercial factor IX concentrate by DEAE-Sephadex and dextran sulfate-Sepharose chromatography and preparative Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Purified protein C appeared homogenous at 62,000 mol wt on nonreduced SDS-polyacrylamide gels and, following reduction, protein C gave two polypeptide chains of 40,000 and 22,000 mol wt. Protein C was activated by immobilized trypsin or thrombin or by soluble thrombin. Activated protein C markedly prolonged the prothrombin time and the activated partial thromboplastin time of normal plasma, but had no effect on the thrombin time. Activated protein C exhibited amidolytic enzyme activity. DFP inhibited both the amidolytic and anticoagulant activities. Activated protein C was added to human plasma in the presence or absence of phospholipid or calcium. This mixture was incubated for 3 min at 37°C, diluted with EDTA, and the remaining clotting activity of each of the coagulation factors was determined using appropriate deficient plasmas. Activated protein C inactivated >80% of factor V and factor VIII under these conditions, whereas factors I, II, X, VII. IX, XI, and XII, prekallikrein, and high molecular weight kininogen were not affected. Both phospholipid and calcium were required for potent inactivation of factors V and VIII in plasma. When partially purified factor VIII was activated by thrombin, it was 30 times more susceptible to inactivation than nonactivated factor VIII. These results suggest that by inactivating both factor V and factor VIII, the enzymatically active form of protein C may serve as a major physiologic regulator of cofactors of coagulation during hemostasis and thrombosis.