cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Domestic used ultrasonic heat meter with low power consumption

Based on the characteristics of ultrasonic non contact measurement and the combination of temperature measurement with ultrasonic flow measurement, a domestic used ultrasonic heat meter was designed, its overcoming the shortage of an active impeller heat meter that the its accuracy will decrease and its impeller will be damaged easily when the water supply quality is not good. The structure of the ultrasonic heat meter and the circuits of temperature and flow measurement were described. The design method of the meter with low power consumption was given by selecting MSP430 singlechip microcomputer.
Analysis of peroxidase isoenzymes from different callus of Glycyrrhiza uralensis

The electrophoretic patterns of peroxidase isoenzymes and peroxidase activity of callus inducted from the rhizome,bud and leaf of Glycyrrhiza uralensis were analyzed with PAGE and spectrophotometry.The results demonstrated that the electrophoretic pattens of peroxidase isoenzymes from different callus were divided into A,B and C regions,in which the regions of A and C were the most active.All had 3 kinds of patterns and 6 bands.Meanwhile,the order of peroxidase activity from deferent callus were leafbudsrhizome.But too high peroxidase activity was not beneficial to the development of callus.P2 and P6 were common bands in 3 kinds of explants,while P1,P3,P4 and P5 were different bands. These could be used to identify Glycyrrhiza uralensis from other species and to study the differentiation and redifferentiation of Glycyrrhiza uralensis.
Focal mechanism studies in the New Madrid seismic zone

abstract A recent study of seismicity in the New Madrid seismic zone by Stauder et al. (1976) has shown the existence of linear micro-earthquake patterns of up to 120 km in length. This study presents the results of composite microearthquake focal mechanism studies along these trends together with focal mechanisms obtained using long-period surface-wave data from larger events. Due to the present microearthquake array geometry, the composite focal mechanism studies do not indicate a complete picture of the nature of the earthquake processes for all the trends. However, the motion on the major 120-km long trend into northeastern Arkansas has significant components of right lateral fault motion. The consistency of surface-wave focal mechanisms and the composite focal mechanism along this trend indicates that it should be considered as a single tectonic unit.
Delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions.

Delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions continue to occur in spite of the use of all of the currently available techniques of antibody detection. Both low titers of the antibodies and dosage effects appear to contribute to the failure of detection. A rapid anamnestic response can occur with transfusion of the appropriate antigen. The clinical as well as the laboratory presentation of delayed hemolysis may vary from case to case and thus confuse the true nature of the reaction. The Kidd antibodies are, as a group, more frequently reported in delayed reactions than are any other antibodies.
The intuitive is a red herring

AbstractIn this article, we discuss critically some of the key themes in Max Deutsch’s excellent book, The Myth of the Intuitive. We focus in particular on the shortcomings of his historical analysis – a missed opportunity by our lights, on the claim that philosophers present arguments in support of the judgments elicited by thought experiments, and on the claim that experimental philosophy is only relevant for the methodology of philosophy if thought experiments elicit intuitions.
Poorly recognized age-related downward deviation of the inguinal ligament

Objective:To determine factors affecting actual inguinal ligament course in live human subjects.Introduction and hypothesis:Although the expected inguinal ligament course is supposedly a straight l...
The (Cyber) New Normal: Dissecting President Obama's Cyber National Emergency

In April 2015, President Barack Obama declared a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to combat cyber-attacks continually launched at the United States. But in writing Executive Order 13,694, President Obama has (1) created a permanent national emergency, given the ubiquity and continued escalation of cyber-attacks, and (2) handed President Donald Trump an executive order which can be used against Internet Service Providers with chilling effects due to overly broad language in the Order. This Note is an examination of those effects, as well as the impacts EO 13694 has on the international level. While EO 13694 is a good start, it goes too far in reaching cyber activity. Even so, the underlying problem stems from a Congress which, even now, continues to grant the executive branch too much flexibility to act in cyberspace.
Optimal Monitor Placement for Detection of Persistent Threats

We study optimal monitor placement for intrusion detection in networks with persistent attackers. The problem is modeled as a stochastic game in which the attacker attempts to control targets by delivering malicious packets while the defender tries to detect such attempts. The state of the game is determined by the target end-systems in the network, each of which can be in either a healthy or a compromised state. Compromised targets are controlled by the attacker and may be used to inject malicious packets into the network to attack healthy targets. In addition, a random re-imaging process is deployed on all targets to regain control of compromised targets. We find the game value and the equilibrium strategies for both players under different assumptions on the knowledge of the state at the defender.
Gender Differences in Students' Behaviors in CS Classes throughout the CS Major

This paper presents results of a large-scale survey of students' experiences in CS classes at two institutions: a small liberal arts college and a large research-focused university. Our work provides a fine-grained view of students' feelings and behaviors in CS classes, from introductory through to upper division courses. We find significant differences between the reported behaviors and feelings of female students compared to male students: female students are less comfortable asking questions in class and interacting with their instructor, and come out of a class with lower confidence in their ability to tutor for the class, despite the fact that they perform just as well as male students. Furthermore, we find some of these differences are consistent or increase across course levels, and could potentially affect students' post-college trajectories. Focusing attention on the student experience in more advanced classes may impact gender differences seen in the transition to the CS workforce.
The influence of storage time and temperature on propofol concentrations in canine blood and plasma

Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic commonly used due to its favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile. There are discrepancies in the literature about the most appropriate sample for determining propofol concentrations. Although plasma has been used for determining propofol concentrations, whole blood has been the preferred sample. There is also a lack of consistency in the literature on the effect of storage time and temperature on propofol concentrations and this may lead to errors in the design of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics studies. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in propofol concentrations in whole blood versus plasma and to evaluate the influence of storage time (56 days) and temperature (4 °C, -20 °C, -80 °C) on the stability of propofol concentrations in blood and plasma samples. Results from the study indicate that whole blood and plasma samples containing propofol stored at -80 °C have concentrations as high as or higher than those stored at 4 °C or -20 °C for 56 days; thus, -80 °C is an appropriate temperature for propofol sample storage. Plasma propofol concentrations were consistently higher than whole blood for all three storage temperatures. Consequently, plasma is the most appropriate sample for propofol analysis due to its consistent determinations.
Comparison of statistical methods for detection of serum lipid biomarkers for mesothelioma and asbestos exposure

Aim: We compared three statistical methods in selecting a panel of serum lipid biomarkers for mesothelioma and asbestos exposure. Materials & methods: Serum samples from mesothelioma, asbestos-exposed subjects and controls (40 per group) were analyzed. Three variable selection methods were considered: top-ranked predictors from univariate model, stepwise and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. Crossed-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to compare the prediction performance. Results: Lipids with high crossed-validated area under the curve were identified. Lipid with mass-to-charge ratio of 372.31 was selected by all three methods comparing mesothelioma versus control. Lipids with mass-to-charge ratio of 1464.80 and 329.21 were selected by two models for asbestos exposure versus control. Conclusion: Different methods selected a similar set of serum lipids. Combining candidate biomarkers can improve prediction.
Calibrated brightfield-based imaging for measuring intracellular protein concentration

Intracellular protein concentration is an essential cell characteristic, which manifests itself through the refractive index. The latter can be measured from two or more mutually defocused brightfield images analyzed using the TIE (transport-of-intensity equation). In practice, however, TIE does not always achieve quantitatively accurate results on biological cells. Therefore, we have developed a calibration procedure that involves successive imaging of cells in solutions containing different amounts of added protein. This allows one to directly relate the output of TIE (T) to intracellular protein concentration C (g/L). The resultant relationship has a simple form: C ≈ 1.0(T/V), where V is the cell volume (μm3) and 1.0 is an empirical coefficient. We used calibrated TIE imaging to characterize the regulatory volume increase (RVI) in adherent HeLa cells placed in a hyperosmotic solution. We found that while no RVI occurs over the first 30–60 min, the protein concentration fully recovers after 20 h. Because interpretation of such long experiments may depend on whether protein concentration varies significantly throughout the cell cycle, we measured this parameter in three cell lines: HeLa, MDCK and DU145. Our data indicate that protein concentration remains relatively stable in these cells. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
The Effects of Rem Sleep Deprivation and Age on Locomotor Activity in Rats

The effects of amount of Rem sleep deprivation and age were measured on locomotor activity in 160 Sprague-Dawley female rats. The data indicate an inverted-U function and activity level for Rem deprived animals. This result was in partial conflict with the only other study that has used this combination of variables. Reasons for this conflict are discussed, as are the implications of these data for the general Rem deprivation-animal behavior literature.
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Leads to Enhanced Serine 9 Phosphorylation of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β (GSK-3β) in the Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus of Adult Mouse

Background The goal of this study was to evaluate the expression and serine 9 phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3β) within the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) in a preclinical mouse model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. GSK-3β is a multifunctional kinase that modulates many hippocampal processes affected by gestational alcohol, including synaptic plasticity and adult neurogenesis. GSK-3β is a constitutively active kinase that is negatively regulated by phosphorylation at the serine 9 residue. Methods We utilized a well-characterized limited access "drinking-in-the-dark" paradigm of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and measured p(Ser9)GSK-3β and total GSK-3β within adult DG by Western blot analysis. In addition, we evaluated the expression pattern of both p(Ser9)GSK-3β and total GSK-3β within the adult hippocampal dentate of PAE and control mice using high-resolution confocal microscopy. Results Our findings demonstrate a marked 2.0-fold elevation of p(Ser9)GSK-3β in PAE mice, concomitant with a more moderate 36% increase in total GSK-3β. This resulted in an approximate 63% increase in the p(Ser9)GSK-3β/GSK-3β ratio. Immunostaining revealed robust GSK-3β expression within Cornu Ammonis (CA) pyramidal neurons, hilar mossy cells, and a subset of GABAergic interneurons, with low levels of expression within hippocampal progenitors and dentate granule cells. Conclusions These findings suggest that PAE may lead to a long-term disruption of GSK-3β signaling within the DG, and implicate mossy cells, GABAergic interneurons, and CA primary neurons as major targets of this dysregulation.
Innovative Education of Patient Care Competencies in Lifestyle Medicine: a Collaborative Learning Activity for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Events

Essential components of lifestyle medicine (LM), nutrition and exercise, are not currently well addressed in medical education. This is an innovative session that could be implemented at medical institutions seeking to teach LM competencies, evidence-based medicine, and clinical decision making using active and collaborative learning in 2 hours of curricular time.
Chapter 8 – Topics to Consider When Analyzing Data

This chapter discusses common pitfalls in analyzing data sets and helpful tips to avoid them. For example, when the parameters of an experiment (such as the number of datapoints examined or the number and type of statistical tests) are not fixed in advance, this can greatly increase the risk of obtaining false-positive results. Analyses need to proceed carefully when the population being studied is a mixture of subgroups with different properties, or different outcomes, or when the datapoints are not independent of each other.
Effect of naturally occurring Wolbachia in Anopheles gambiae s.l. mosquitoes from Mali on Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission

A naturally occurring Wolbachia strain (wAnga-Mali) was identified in mosquitoes of the Anopheles gambiae complex collected in the Malian villages of Dangassa and Kenieroba. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequence of two 16S rRNA regions showed that wAnga-Mali clusters with Wolbachia strains from supergroup A and has the highest homology to a Wolbachia strain isolated from cat fleas (Ctenocephalides). wAnga-Mali is different from two Wolbachia strains previously reported in A. gambiae from Burkina Faso (wAnga_VK5_STP and wAnga_VK5_3.1a). Quantitative analysis of Wolbachia and Plasmodium sporozoite infection in field-collected mosquitoes indicates that the prevalence and intensity of Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite infection is significantly lower in Wolbachia-infected females. The presence of Wolbachia in females from a laboratory Anopheles coluzzii (A. gambiae, M form) colony experimentally infected with P. falciparum (NF54 strain) gametocyte cultures slightly enhanced oocyst infection. However, Wolbachia infection significantly reduced the prevalence and intensity of sporozoite infection, as observed in the field. This indicates that wAnga-Mali infection does not limit early stages of Plasmodium infection in the mosquito, but it has a strong deleterious effect on sporozoites and reduces malaria transmission.
Serum soluble Siglec-8 in hypereosinophilic syndromes

Siglec-8, selectively expressed on eosinophils, basophils and mast cells, is the target of novel biologics in clinical development for eosinophil and mast cell-associated disorders. Since soluble Siglec-8 (sSiglec-8) can be detected in serum and could interfere with the efficacy of biologics targeting Siglec-8, the aim of the present study is to assess sSiglec-8 levels in a large cohort of subjects with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). sSiglec-8 levels were quantified in serum from normal (n=9) and eosinophilic (n=123) subjects using an in-house sandwich ELISA (limit of detection: 0.5 ng/mL) and correlated with Siglec-8 expression on the surface of eosinophils (measured by flow cytometry on whole blood eosinophils gated as granulocytes CD45 + CD16 neg ) and absolute eosinophil count (AEC). The effects of treatment were also examined. Serum levels of sSiglec-8 were undetectable in 28 subjects, did not differ between untreated HES subjects and normal donors (GM 1.23 and 1.53 ng/mL), and did not correlate either with AEC (n=123) or with Siglec-8 surface expression on blood eosinophils (n= 35). There was also no clear relationship between the clinical subtype of HES and levels of sSiglec-8. Levels measured before and after varied HES treatments in 7 subjects showed a significant decrease from 1.82 to 0.50 ng/mL (P
Urban resilience: an urban political movement

This introduction sets the stage for the Debates and Interventions forum on the Politics of Resilience. In recent times, “urban resilience” planning has experienced an upsurge in cities around the ...
Genetic literacy series: Primer part 2—Paradigm shifts in epilepsy genetics

This is the second of a 2-part primer on the genetics of the epilepsies within the Genetic Literacy Series of the Genetics Commission of the International League Against Epilepsy. In Part 1, we covered types of genetic variation, inheritance patterns, and their relationship to disease. In Part 2, we apply these basic principles to the case of a young boy with epileptic encephalopathy and ask 3 important questions: (1) Is the gene in question an established genetic etiology for epilepsy? (2) Is the variant in this particular gene pathogenic by established variant interpretation criteria? (3) Is the variant considered causative in the clinical context? These questions are considered and then answered for the clinical case in question.
Determinants of high tumor mutational burden (TMB) and mutational signatures in breast cancer.

1010Background: High TMB correlates with high neoantigen burden, and this is thought to be predictive of response to immunotherapy. The aim of this work is to evaluate frequency, mutational pattern...
Experimental investigation of the impacts of total temperature non-uniformities on the flow and acoustic fields of a heated supersonic jet

In recent years, the noise produced by tactical aircraft has become a growing concern due to stricter community noise standards and the negative health effects it has on flight support personnel. This study proposes the examination of a new novel noise reduction method involving thermal non-uniformities in heated supersonic jets. Thermal non-uniformities have the advantage of increasing turbulent mixing in jets without the use of additional hardware and can most likely be implemented in afterburning engines with minimal modification. In the course of this study a thermally non-uniform Mach 1.5 heated jet with a centered and offset thermal non-uniformities will be examined. It will be shown that thermal non-uniformities reduce the far-field radiated noise up to ~2dB at peak frequencies and have a measurable impact on the directivity of radiated noise, including a narrowing of the Mach wave emission angle and a non-uniform azimuthal directivity. These changes in the acoustic field are directly related to global changes in the turbulence development observed in the jet. These effects include a shortened potential core, increased shear layer thickness, and a decreased mean flow in regions of peak Reynolds shear stress. These effects are captured by stereoscopic PIV and near and far-field microphone measurements.In recent years, the noise produced by tactical aircraft has become a growing concern due to stricter community noise standards and the negative health effects it has on flight support personnel. This study proposes the examination of a new novel noise reduction method involving thermal non-uniformities in heated supersonic jets. Thermal non-uniformities have the advantage of increasing turbulent mixing in jets without the use of additional hardware and can most likely be implemented in afterburning engines with minimal modification. In the course of this study a thermally non-uniform Mach 1.5 heated jet with a centered and offset thermal non-uniformities will be examined. It will be shown that thermal non-uniformities reduce the far-field radiated noise up to ~2dB at peak frequencies and have a measurable impact on the directivity of radiated noise, including a narrowing of the Mach wave emission angle and a non-uniform azimuthal directivity. These changes in the acoustic field are directly related to gl...
Strongman provincial governance

Portraits of Afghanistan distil the rich and complex texture of social, economic and political life into a collection of neat, dyadic antagonisms: fundamentalism versus freedom; tribe versus nation; poppies versus development; and, of course, strongman versus state. Although noted for their participation in the jihad against the Soviets and then the Taliban, both Atta Mohammad Noor and Gul Agha Sherzai rose to unprecedented and unparalleled status as provincial governors during President Karzai's first term in office. Juma Khan Hamdard was a key commander in his own right but remained in the shadow of stronger warriors throughout his career. Meritocracy, the rule of law, free press, transparency and accountability were all casualties of their brand of governance, though it bears underscoring that they were hard to find in any province across the country. Thus, the inextricability of the personal and the political, the informal and the formal, was at the very heart of the logic driving modern state construction in Afghanistan.
Association between Inpatient Heart Failure (HF) Group Self-Care Class Attendance and Clinical Outcomes

Introduction In HF, ongoing self-care behaviors may be challenging for patients to master, and non-adherence may contribute to rehospitalization. An inpatient group class may provide new knowledge that reduces early rehospitalization. Research Questions Is there a difference 30- and 90-day all-cause rehospitalization rates based on group class attendance? Of class attendees, does family member attendance or attendance within 48 hours of discharge affect post-discharge rehospitalization rates? After controlling for patient characteristics that differed between groups, does rehospitalization differ by HF class attendance? Methods In this retrospective, medical records research project, a single cohort of hospitalized patients with HF who were treated between January 2012-December 2016 and discharged alive were separated into 2 groups - usual care + attended the group education class [cases] or usual care [controls]. Controls were matched to cases based on date of HF group education class, type of HF, condition severity, and Quan-Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Group comparisons used Pearson Chi-square tests (categorical variables), ANOVA tests (normally distributed continuous variables) or Kruskal-Wallis tests (non-normally distributed continuous variables). Logistic regression models were performed for multivariable analyses, and included all variables that significantly differed between groups. Analyses were performed using SAS software (version 9.4; Cary, NC). Results Of 3,758 patients, 1,879 cases and 1,879 control subjects, attendance was not associated with all-cause 30-day rehospitalization, including attending within 48 hours of discharge. Cases were more likely to be readmitted within 90 days of discharge compared to control subjects: after adjustment for patient characteristics that differed between groups (race, marital status and length of stay), the odds of 30-day and 90-day rehospitalization were 0.93 (95% CI: 0.74, 1.16), p=0.52 and 1.32 (1.11, 1.58), p=0.002, respectively. When family members attended class, class attendees were less likely to be readmitted within 90 days of discharge, compared to control subjects (27.5% versus 34.1%, p= 0.008). Conclusion A group education class was not a powerful enough strategy in promoting patients’ self-care post discharge to be associated with all-cause early rehospitalization. More research is needed to learn if a revision in education content or teaching strategies would improve outcomes. Since family members’ presence was associated with reduced rehospitalization, they should be encouraged to attend group education sessions.
Collision of a Ball with a Stationary Oscillator

The point particle is an idealized object where rotational and vibrational motion is ignored. Nevertheless, in many cases such degrees of freedom play a significant role. For example, the rotation and vibration of a molecule is an important “reservoir” of its internal energy. The excitation of these types of motion can occur during the collision process. Taking into account this effect, the collisions can no longer be considered as perfectly elastic but actually are inelastic. Some models for inelastic collisions have already been discussed and compared to experimental results. Here we present a mechanical system wherein we describe the vibrations upon impact in perhaps the simplest way possible; also we provide a qualitative explanation of the collision of a mono-atomic molecule with a nonrigid diatomic molecule.
Association between genetic variations in transforming growth factor beta pathway and overall survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with definitive radiotherapy.

e17530Background: The transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) pathway, an important regulator in cellular metabolic process, has been reported for significant association with cancer prognosis. This...
Two-Stage Stochastic Planning for Control of Building Thermal Energy Storage Portfolios with Transactive Controls

Building thermal energy storage (TES) can provide value to building owners while helping the electric grid. In this paper, a transactive approach to controlling thermal energy storage is developed for multiple buildings considering electric grid incentives. A two-stage building control framework is proposed to plan day-ahead electricity procurement and real-time TES operation. Day-ahead planning is decided by a two-stage stochastic optimization framework to account for uncertainty in the occupant behavior and weather of the following day. In the real-time operation, a transactive market mechanism is utilized for load flexibility created by TES operation. Real-time operations are based on solving a model predictive control (MPC) problem at the aggregator level to dispatch thermal storage via transactive markets. Simulation case studies were conducted to evaluate the proposed framework by comparing the performance of the stochastic planning and control with the deterministic approach. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of the developed framework in operating a portfolio of thermal storage resources in consideration of uncertainty.
Range content, attention, and the precision of representation

A number of authors have recently cited phenomenal effects of covert attention as a source of objection to representationalism. These authors maintain that covert attention brings about changes to ...
Humanistic Constructs: Creating Agency in a Natural History Museum:

It is every museum’s goal to make a difference in their visitors, whether to make them aware of a situation such as climate change, educate about a time period, or inspire visitors to think, to fee...
Assembling agroecological socio-natures: a political ecology analysis of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Rosario, Argentina.

Rosario, Argentina, a city of more than one million people strategically located on the Parana River in the heart of a fertile agricultural region, is home to a significant industrial corridor where ongoing urbanization for industry, including that associated with the port complex and agroexport industries, vies for real estate space with peri-urban and urban farming production. The city is also the site of thriving municipal programs seeking to change food production and consumption outcomes through urban and peri-urban agriculture projects rooted in agroecology. This paper identifies the socio-natures critical for the formation and endurance of these agroecology assemblages. Based on interviews with 30 stakeholders in government, civil society, and agricultural production, we describe the integrated approach to environmental, social, and economic sustainability embedded in Rosario's institutional agroecology programs. In particular, we discuss the actors and strategies (which seek to preserve land for agricultural uses), discursive renderings of socio-natures (as valuable biodiverse territories and productive diverse bodies), and the marketing of agroecological materialities (through production for public markets) that form and are formed by these assemblages. We also discuss the power dynamics embedded in sustaining urban and peri-urban agroecological projects through institutional means. This research contributes to literature on agroecology, urban agriculture, and the urban metabolism through providing empirical examples of socio-natural entanglements in urban agroecological assemblages.
Examining pain profiles in cancer patients with and without previous chronic pain presenting to the emergency department.

194Background: Pain is a common contributing factor to emergency department visits among patients with cancer. Acute exacerbation of pain in cancer patients who have a history of chronic pain poses...
"They're very passionate about making sure that women stay healthy": a qualitative examination of women's experiences participating in a community paramedicine program.

Background Community paramedicine programs (i.e., physician-directed preventive care by emergency medical services personnel embedded in communities) offer a novel approach to community-based health care. Project Swaddle, a community paramedicine program for mothers and their infants, seeks to address (directly or through referrals) the physical, mental, social, and economic needs of its participants. The objective of this process evaluation was to describe women's experiences in Project Swaddle. By understanding their experiences, our work begins to build the foundation for similar programs and future examinations of the efficacy and effectiveness of these approaches. Methods We completed 21 interviews with women living in Indiana (July 2019-February 2020) who were currently participating in or had graduated from Project Swaddle. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a six-phase approach to thematic analysis. Results Program enrollment was influenced by the community paramedics' experience and connections, as well as information received in the community from related clinics or organizations. Participants viewed the community paramedic as a trusted provider who supplied necessary health information and support and served as their advocate. In their role as physician extenders, the community paramedics enhanced patient care through monitoring critical situations, facilitating communication with other providers, and supporting routine healthcare. Women noted how community paramedics connected them to outside resources (i.e., other experts, tangible goods), which aimed to support their holistic health and wellbeing. Conclusions Results demonstrate Project Swaddle helped women connect with other healthcare providers, including increased access to mental health services. The community paramedics were able to help women establish care with primary care providers and pediatricians, then facilitate communication with these providers. Women were supported through their early motherhood experience, received education on parenting and taking control of their health, and gained access to resources that met their diverse needs.
NWTOPT – A hyperparameter optimization approach for selection of environmental model solver settings

Abstract Hyperparameter optimization approaches were applied to improve performance and accuracy of groundwater flow models. Freely available new software, NWTOPT, is described that uses Tree of Parzen Estimators (TPE) and Random Search optimization algorithms to optimize MODFLOW-NWT's solver settings. We ran 3500 trials on a steady-state and transient model. To quantify the performance of candidate solver settings, we defined a loss function based on time elapsed and mass balance error of the MODFLOW-NWT forward run. Before optimization the steady-state model ran in ∼12 min and the transient model ran in ∼5 h with acceptable mass balance error (
Current pregnancy among women with spinal cord injury: findings from the US national spinal cord injury database

Current pregnancy among women with spinal cord injury: findings from the US national spinal cord injury database
Non-local variational mechanics—IX: Lagrangians with multiple interactions

Abstract The nonlocal variational calculus is extended to include Lagrangian functions that depend on functionals of the state variables that represent multiple interactions, in distinction to our previous results in which only two point interactions were included. It is also shown that, under rather mild differentiability conditions, arbitrary functional dependence can be approximated by finite multiple interaction functional dependence.
Binding of α-foetoprotein to murine T cells

α-FOETOPROTEIN (AFP), an embryo-specific glycoprotein, is primarily known as a tumour-associated embryonic antigen. Although much is known about the occurrence of AFP in ontogeny and levels of AFP in different diseases, such as hepatocellular carcinoma and other tumours1–4, little work has been done on its functional significance. Results from our laboratory have shown that AFP exerts an immunosuppressive effect on antibody synthesis when administered in vivo5 and that it is a non-cytotoxic suppressor of both the primary and secondary antibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in vitro6. In addition, we found that AFP suppresses certain T-cell-dependent functions in mice such as allogeneic and mitogeninduced lymphocyte transformation7. A recent report8 suggests that bovine foetuin is immunosuppressive for mitogen and allogeneic reactions. Bovine foetuin and AFP have, however, been shown to be different proteins9. Moreover, in view of the relatively large amounts of foetuin used to obtain suppression (10,000-fold higher than those required for suppression in our studies using AFP), it is possible that the foetuin preparations were contaminated with suppressive amounts of bovine AFP.
Evaluating the Adequacy of Parametric Functional Forms in Estimating Monotone and Concave Production Functions

We consider situations where the a priori guidance provided by theoretical considerations indicates only that the function linking the endogenous and exogenous variables is monotone and concave (or convex). We present methods to evaluate the adequacy of a parametric functional form to represent the relationship given the minimal maintained assumption of monotonicity and concavity (or convexity). We evaluate the adequacy of an assumed parametric form by comparing the deviations of the fitted parametric form from the observed data with the corresponding deviations estimated under DEA. We illustrate the application of our proposed methods using data collected from school districts in Texas. Specifically, we examine whether the Cobb–Douglas and translog specifications commonly employed in studies of education production are appropriate characterizations. Our tests reject the hypotheses that either the Cobb–Douglas or the translog specification is an adequate approximation to the general monotone and concave production function for the Texas school districts.
Formation of DCCs with the linear sigma model

A simple approximate treatment of statistical equilibrium is developed within the linear sigma sigma model by means of the Hartree factorization technique, providing a simple means for sampling initial configurations of the chiral field. These are then subjected to pseudo-expansions and their non-equilibrium relaxation towards the normal vacuum is studied.
Neural networks in manufacturing: A survey

Information about neural networks in manufacturing, which will provide some guidelines and references for the research and implementation is presented. The basic concepts of neural networks are briefly introduced. A survey of neural network applications in manufacturing is provided. The projection of future trends is given to help make decisions concerning neural networks implementation in manufacturing today and to aid in guiding research for tomorrow. >
Brennan Lecture Evidence-Based Judicial Discretion: Promoting Public Safety through State Sentencing Reform

In this speech delivered for the annual Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. Lecture on State Courts and Social Justice, the Honorable Michael Wolff offers a new way of thinking about sentencing. Instead of attempting to limit judicial discretion and increase incarceration, states should aim to reduce recidivism in order to make our communities safer. Judge Wolff uses the example of Missouri's sentencing reforms to argue that states should adopt evidence-based sentencing, in which the effectiveness of different sentences and treatment programs are regularly evaluated. In pre-sentencing investigative reports, probation officers should attempt to quantify - based on historical data - the risk the offender poses to the community and the specific treatment that would be most likely to prevent reoffending. Judges, on their own, lack the resources to implement all of these recommendations. Probation officers and others involved in sentencing should receive the same information.
What Do We Know? Reconsideration of Victorian Realism and Epistemological Doubt

This essay traces what might be called an epistemology of realism: the attempt to gather empirical evidence about the world, to then selectively represent that evidence so as to make the others we encounter as intelligible as possible, but all the while acknowledging, implicitly or explicitly, that such complete knowledge is unattainable. In this way, realism continually comes up against its own epistemological endeavors. In what follows, I take a brief look at definitions, both conventional and troubling, of realism, the historical context out of which realism developed, and the historical trajectory of the 20th-century criticism about realism. I then examine some of the more recent work on realism, focusing in particular on the trend of viewing realism in relation to epistemology. I conclude by performing two short readings of realist novels that utilize this epistemological lens in order to illustrate how this way of reading realism not only underscores some of the tough epistemological questions that realist writers grappled with but also draws our attention to texts previously defined as outside of the realist paradigm.
Scale efficient organizations

The authors suggest that scale efficiency in an organization is the result of four constituents: autonomous agents, parallel activity, asynchronous communications, and certain consensus-producing mechanisms. The first three of these constituents are reasonably easy to obtain using existing computer technologies. The authors conjecture that the consensus-producing mechanisms can be very simple. Two that have been identified are social instincts (where agents adopt the approaches of their most successful neighbors) and a destructor mechanism (where a subset of agents is made responsible for destroying work they deem to be inferior). The destructor mechanism has been demonstrated with the traveling salesman problem. >
Information based design environment

An information based system design environment is presented. The environment is information based because it helps users collect and manage information in a uniform fashion, independent of abstraction levels or implementation platforms. The environment is particularly aimed at providing feedback, design guidance, and support for design exploration. The concepts are demonstrated in a prototype called the "Design Agent".
Molecular pathway for (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of human prostate carcinoma cells

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenolic constituent present in green tea, is a promising chemopreventive agent. We recently showed that green tea polyphenols exert remarkable preventive effects against prostate cancer in a mouse model and many of these effects are mediated by the ability of polyphenols to induce apoptosis in cancer cells [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98 (2001) 10350]. Earlier, we showed that EGCG causes a G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of both androgen-sensitive LNCaP and androgen-insensitive DU145 human prostate carcinoma cells, irrespective of p53 status [Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 164 (2000) 82]. Here, we provide molecular understanding of this effect. We tested a hypothesis that EGCG-mediated cell cycle dysregulation and apoptosis is mediated via modulation of cyclin kinase inhibitor (cki)-cyclin-cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) machinery. As shown by immunoblot analysis, EGCG treatment of LNCaP and DU145 cells resulted in significant dose- and time-dependent (i) upregulation of the protein expression of WAF1/p21, KIP1/p27, INK4a/p16, and INK4c/p18, (ii) down-modulation of the protein expression of cyclin D1, cyclin E, cdk2, cdk4, and cdk6, but not of cyclin D2, (iii) increase in the binding of cyclin D1 toward WAF1/p21 and KIP1/p27, and (iv) decrease in the binding of cyclin E toward cdk2. Taken together, our results suggest that EGCG causes an induction of G1 phase ckis, which inhibits the cyclin-cdk complexes operative in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle, thereby causing an arrest, which may be an irreversible process ultimately leading to apoptotic cell death. This is the first systematic study showing the involvement of each component of cdk inhibitor-cyclin-cdk machinery during cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of human prostate carcinoma cells by EGCG.
Odorant quality perception: a metric individual differences approach.

Perceptual spaces, in which similar stimuli are located close to each other and dissimilar stimuli are located far apart, have aided in the understanding of the physiological and psychological bases for sensory quality coding. Differences in perception between individuals should be reflected by differences in the spatial relationships between stimuli. If the dimensionality of the perceptual space is small (e.g., color space), individual differences that reflect specific pathologies are readily apparent from visual inspection. On the other hand, if the dimensionality of the perceptual space is large (as is proposed for odor space), visual inspection alone may not reveal individual differences in quality perception. The present work presents an information-theory-based method for quantifying individual differences in quality perception from perceptual confusion matrices. The ability of this method to quantify individual differences in quality perception is shown in a hypothetical example of specific anosmia. Finally, the method is applied to the examination of intrasubject consistency of odorant quality perception.
Watermarking with quadratic residues

We describe novel methods of watermarking data using quadratic residues and random numbers. Our methods are fast, generic and improve the security of the watermark in most known watermarking techniques.
Structure-guided design of potent diazobenzene inhibitors for the BET bromodomains.

BRD4, characterized by two acetyl-lysine binding bromodomains and an extra-terminal (ET) domain, is a key chromatin organizer that directs gene activation in chromatin through transcription factor recruitment, enhancer assembly, and pause release of the RNA polymerase II complex for transcription elongation. BRD4 has been recently validated as a new epigenetic drug target for cancer and inflammation. Our current knowledge of the functional differences of the two bromodomains of BRD4, however, is limited and is hindered by the lack of selective inhibitors. Here, we report our structure-guided development of diazobenzene-based small-molecule inhibitors for the BRD4 bromodomains that have over 90% sequence identity at the acetyl-lysine binding site. Our lead compound, MS436, through a set of water-mediated interactions, exhibits low nanomolar affinity (estimated Ki of 30–50 nM), with preference for the first bromodomain over the second. We demonstrated that MS436 effectively inhibits BRD4 activity in NF-κB-d...
Interface reaction and its effect on the performance of a CO2 gas sensor based on Li0.35La0.55TiO3 electrolyte and Li2CO3 sensing electrode

Abstract A new potentiometric CO 2 gas sensor using lithium–lanthanum–titanate (Li 0.35 La 0.55 TiO 3 , LLTO) electrolyte, Li 2 CO 3 sensing electrode, and Li 2 TiO 3 + TiO 2 reference electrode was investigated. The microstructure and electrical properties of the optimized solid electrolyte were examined and the measured conductivity values were found consistent with those reported in literature. The performance of the sensor depended both on the fabrication temperature and the sensor operation temperature. Sensors with the sensing electrode fabricated above 500 °C performed poorly. For sensing electrodes fabricated at 500 °C, as the sensing temperature increased from 300 to 450 °C, the performance of the sensor improved (near Nernstian response), but above 450 °C, the sensor degraded. The proposed hypothesis for the degradation beyond 450 °C is that at low levels of CO 2 (ppb in the background), Li 2 CO 3 reacts with LLTO resulting in insertion of Li + into LLTO that causes changes in the electrical properties of the electrolyte. Poor performance of sensors fabricated at 700 °C was due to formation of a new phase, LaLi 1/3 Ti 2/3 O 3 . Thermodynamic calculations combined with X-ray diffraction of the reaction products are used to support the hypothesis. Introduction of high concentrations of CO 2 (~99.99%) during sensor fabrication (650 °C) eliminated the reaction between Li 2 CO 3 and LLTO, and also facilitated the bonding between the electrode and the electrolyte. As for long-term device performance, it is shown that the sensor can measure changes in CO 2 concentrations reproducibly below temperatures of 450 °C, as long as it is operated in conditions where there is a background of CO 2 , such as in ambient atmosphere or combustion environments. The sensor exhibits minimal interference toward oxygen, but significant interference to humidity.
Identification of BRCA1-IRIS, a BRCA1 locus product

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women, and mutations in the BRCA genes produce increased susceptibility to these malignancies in certain families. Here we identify BRCA1-IRIS as a 1,399-amino-acid BRCA1 gene product encoded by an uninterrupted open reading frame that extends from codon 1 of the known BRCA1 open reading frame to a termination point 34 triplets into intron 11. Unlike full-length BRCA1 (p220), BRCA1-IRIS is exclusively chromatin-associated, fails to interact with BARD1 in vivo or in vitro and exhibits unique nuclear immunostaining. Unlike BRCA1FL (or p220), BRCA1-IRIS also co-immunoprecipitated with DNA-replication-licensing proteins and with known replication initiation sites. Suppression of BRCA1-IRIS expression hindered the normal departure of geminin from pre-replication complexes, and depressed the rate of cellular DNA replication and possibly initiation-related synthesis. In contrast, BRCA1-IRIS overexpression stimulated DNA replication. These data imply that endogenous BRCA1-IRIS positively influences the DNA replication initiation machinery.