cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Renal resistive index in experimental partial and complete ureteral obstruction

Rationale and objectives Recent clinical work suggests that the Doppler resistive index (RI) may be useful in distinguishing obstructive from nonobstructive hydronephrosis. We evaluated the usefulness of the RI in a rabbit model of hydronephrosis. Methods Unilateral partial ureteral obstruction was produced in nine rabbits and complete obstruction in another nine. Three sham operations were performed, and these animals served as control subjects. The RI was measured in all kidneys before and 6 hr after surgery and on days 1, 4, and 7 postoperatively. The RI and the difference in RI (delta RI) between the obstructed and normal kidney were evaluated over time using a two-way analysis of variance. The intravenous urography and Whitaker tests served as gold standards. Results Hydronephrosis was observed on sonograms in all obstructed kidneys. Comparing groups, there was no significant difference in mean RI or delta RI between the three groups at any time point. Looking at individual groups over time, there was no significant change in mean delta RI, whereas the change in mean RI was significantly elevated above baseline only in the complete obstruction group at 6 hr (p = .002) and on days 4 (p = .008) and 7 (p = .006). In evaluating varying thresholds of RI and delta RI, we could not consistently discriminate between normal and obstructed kidneys. Conclusion Although complete obstruction caused a significant increase in RI, partial obstruction failed to do so. RI and delta RI values proved to be insensitive predictors of obstruction in this rabbit model.
Determination of Normal Distribution of Distended Colon Volumes to Guide Performance of Colonic Imaging With Fluid Distention

The purpose was to determine the normal distribution of distended colon volumes as a guide for rectal contrast material administration protocols. All computed tomography colonography studies performed at Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, between January 2009 and January 2015, were reviewed retrospectively. In total, 85 subjects were included in the analysis (64% [54 of 85] female and 36% [31 of 85] male). Mean patient age was 65 years (range: 42-86y). Distended colon volumes were determined from colon length and transaxial diameter measurements made using a 3-dimensional workstation. Age, sex, race, height, weight, and body mass index were recorded. The normal distributions of distended colon volumes and lengths were determined. Correlations between colonic volume and colonic length, and demographic variables were assessed. Mean colon volume was 2.1L (range: 0.7-4.4L). Nearly, 17% of patients had a distended colonic volume of >3L. Mean colon length was 197cm (range: 118-285cm). A weak negative correlation was found between age and colonic volume (r = -0.221; P = 0.04). A weak positive correlation was found between body mass index and colonic length (r = 0.368; P = 0.007). Otherwise, no significant correlations were found for distended colonic volume or length and demographic variables. In conclusion, an average of approximately 2L of contrast material may be necessary to achieve full colonic opacification. This volume is larger than previously reported volumes (0.8-1.5L) for rectal contrast material administration protocols.
Unionization and the White-Collar Worker in Small Businesses

The American labor movement has experienced significant challenges in the last two decades in maintaining the size of its membership. The effects of a sharp increase in business being shifted off-shore, an unstable U.S. economy which resulted in major reductions in work force, and the growth of small businesses and the decline in major industry have lead to a continuing erosion of the non-government employees represented by collective bargaining agencies.
Portable Microcomputers in Pathology: Surgical Pathology in the Electronic Laboratory

Three factors favor the use of microcomputers in the hospital: (1) The development of the electronic laboratory: (2) Cost constraints in health care: (3) Increasing scarcity of trained personnel, especially clerical and secretarial persons who must handle information. In this paper we describe a microcomputer system for surgical (anatomic) pathology reporting and information handling that is low in cost; and which does not require a special computer work force for operation or maintenance. It uses commercially available software, which is inexpensive and does not require knowledge of computer programming. Standardized formatting of reports reduces pathologist time, reduces requirements for clerical personnel, and permits ready incorporation into hospital and other computer information systems. It is flexible for each patient, and it is expandable.
A Platform Studies Approach to the Role of Technology in the ICTD Ecosystem: The SMS in m4d Interventions

This paper documents the historical origins and technical characteristics of SMS as a platform for m4d interventions, demonstrating how inherent technological rigidities in the platform combine with creative adaptation, appropriation and re-use to produce a particular set of affordances and constraints. I argue that optimism about the potential for new technologies to contribute to development should be tempered by awareness that the developing world is seldom the intended audience of technology development. Approaches from the social construction of technology – infrastructure studies and platform studies – contribute to a holistic and historicized understanding of the role of technology in the information and communication technology ecosystem.
Throughput Regulation in Shared Memory Multicore Processors

Performance scaling is now synonymous with scaling the number of cores. One of the consequences of this shift is the increasing difficulty of designing processors with predictable and controllable performance. To address this challenge this paper proposes a chip-scale throughput regulation technique that is based on dynamic tracking of instruction execution dynamics in each core. A new variable gain controller design is developed for regulating the throughput of modern out-of-order cores. The gain is adjusted based on an on-line sensitivity analysis of the core's throughput to the control parameter. We explore throughput regulation using two control paramaters - core frequency and instruction issue width and demonstrate via cycle-level, full system simulation the utility of the proposed regulator on both compute and memory intensive workloads. Performance results are presented for the application to a 16 core, cache coherent 3D multicore processor.
Multiple Wick Product Chaos Processes

Let u(x) x∈R q be a symmetric nonnegative definite function which is bounded outside of all neighborhoods of zero but which may have u(0)=∞. Let p x, δ(·) be the density of an R q valued canonical normal random variable with mean x and variance δ and let {G x, δ; (x, δ)∈R q ×[0,1 ]} be the mean zero Gaussian process with covariance $$EG_{x,\delta } G_{y,\delta } = \iint {u(s - t)p_{x,\delta } (s)}{ }p_{y,\delta } (t)ds{ }dt$$ A finite positive measure μ on R q is said to be in $$G^r $$ with respect to u, if $$\iint {\left( {u\left( {x,y} \right)} \right)^r }d\mu \left( x \right){\text{ }}d\mu \left( y \right) < \infty $$ When $$\mu \in G^{\left| {\bar m} \right|} $$ , a multiple Wick product chaos $$\mathfrak{C}_{\bar m,1,0,\mu } (\bar X)$$ is defined to be the limit in L 2, as δ→0, of $$\mathfrak{C}_{\bar m,1,0,\mu ,\delta } (\bar x)\mathop = \limits^{{def}} \int {\prod\limits_{j = 1}^k {:\prod\limits_{p = 1}^{mj} {G_{y + x_{j,p} ,\delta } :} } } du(y)$$ where $$\bar m = (m_1 , \ldots ,m_k ) \in Z_ + ^k ,{and with }\left| {\bar m} \right| = ^{{def}} \sum\nolimits_{j = 1}^k {m_j } $$ , $$\bar x = (x_{1,1} , \ldots ,x_{1,m_1 } , \ldots x_{k,1} , \ldots ,x_{k,m_k } ) \in (R^q )^{\left| {\bar m} \right|} $$ $$:\prod\nolimits_{p = 1}^{m_j } {G_{y + x_{j,p} ,\delta ,N} :} $$ denotes the Wick product of the m j normal random variables $${\{ G_{y + x_{j,p} ,\delta } \} _{p = 1}^{m_j } }$$ . Consider also the associated decoupled chaos processes $$\mathfrak{C}_{r,1,0,\mu }^{dec} (x_1 , \ldots ,x_r )$$ , $$r \leqslant \left| {\bar m} \right|$$ defined as the limit in L 2, as δ→0, of $$\mathfrak{C}_{r,1,0,\mu ,\delta }^{dec} (x_1 , \ldots ,x_r )\mathop = \limits^{{def}} \int {\prod\limits_{j = 1}^r {G_{y + x_j ,\delta }^{(j)} d\mu (y)} } $$ where $$\left\{ {G_{x,\delta }^{(j)} } \right\}$$ are independent copies of G x,δ. Define $$S_{\bar m,\varepsilon } = \left\{ {\bar x:\left| {x_{j,p} - x_{j',q} } \right| > \varepsilon ,\forall 1 \leqslant p \leqslant m_j ,1 \leqslant q \leqslant m_{j'} ,1 \leqslant j,j' \leqslant k,j \ne j'} \right\}$$ Note that a neighborhood of the diagonals of $${\bar x}$$ in $$(R^q )^{\left| {\bar m} \right|} $$ is excluded, except those points on the diagonal which originate in the same Wick product in (i). Set $$S_{\bar m, \ne } = \bigcup\limits_{\varepsilon > 0} {S_{\bar m,\varepsilon } } $$ One of the main results of this paper is: Theorem A. If $$\mathfrak{C}_{r,1,0,\mu ,\delta }^{dec} (x_1 , \ldots ,x_r )$$ is continuous on (R q ) r for all $$r \leqslant \left| {\bar m} \right|$$ then $$\mathfrak{C}_{\bar m,1,0,\mu } (\bar x)$$ is continuous on $$S_{\bar m, \ne } $$ . When u satisfies some regularity conditions simple sufficient conditions are obtained for the continuity of $$\mathfrak{C}_{r,1,0,\mu }^{dec} (x_1 , \ldots ,x_r )$$ on (R q ) r . Also several variants of (i) are considered and related to different types of decoupled processes. These results have applications in the study of intersections of Levy process and continuous additive functionals of several Levy processes.
Vulnerable characteristics and interest in wellness programs among head and neck cancer caregivers

Head and neck cancer (HNC) caregivers have poorer psychological health compared to patients and the general population but have not yet been targeted for wellness programs to reduce adverse psychosocial or physical health outcomes. To inform development of such programs, we identified potential vulnerabilities to poor outcomes and examined wellness program preferences among HNC caregivers. We also examined whether interest in wellness programs varied by potential vulnerabilities among HNC caregivers. Surveys were administered to caregivers (n = 33) of HNC patients undergoing major surgery. Sociodemographic factors, caregiving characteristics, psychosocial functioning, and health behavior data were collected. Fisher’s exact tests and t tests were used to examine characteristics associated with interest in the different types of wellness programs. Many caregivers reported a heavy caregiving load (88 % live with patient and 73 % provide daily care), a smoking history (42 %), and compromised psychosocial functioning (45 % with depressive symptoms and 33 % with anxiety above population norms). Most caregivers were interested in wellness programs focused on diet/exercise (71.9 %); cancer education (66.7 %); stress reduction (63.6 %); and finances, caregiving, and well-being (57.6 %). Caregivers endorsed highest interest in programs offered during the patient’s medical treatment (63.6 %), and mail was the preferred program format (50.0 %). Those with more depressive symptoms reported more interest in programs focused on cancer education (p = 0.03); stress reduction (p = 0.05); and educational classes on finances, caregiving, and well-being (p = 0.01). Wellness programs offering a menu of options should be developed for HNC caregivers.
Surface Studies of III-V Materials: Oxidation Control and Device Implications

Despite the long history of research on III-V semiconductor materials, the determination and control of the individual oxidation states of these substrates is still poorly understood. In this study, multiple surface treatments have been employed to determine the presence and concentration of the individual oxidation states of both As and Ga. The removal of these surface oxides is demonstrated through particular techniques. It is established that not all of these oxidation states are of poor electrical quality, while eliminating the presence of certain oxidation states results in a marked improvement in MOS device performance.
Introduction to the special issues on ecotourism in Africa over the past 30 years

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy. At 4.1% growth rate, tourism is expected to generate 1.6 billion tourists by the year 2020 (Christie, Fernandes, Messerli, & Twi...
Long-term effects of the family check-up in public secondary school on diagnosed major depressive disorder in adulthood

Given the public health importance of depression, the identification of prevention programs with long-term effects on reducing the rate of depression is of critical importance, as is the examination of factors that may moderate the magnitude of such prevention effects. This study examines the impact of the Family Check-Up, delivered in public secondary schools beginning in sixth grade, on the development of major depression in adulthood (aged 28-30). The multilevel intervention program included (a) a universal classroom-based intervention focused on problem solving and peer relationship skills, (b) the Family Check-Up (selected), a brief assessment-based intervention designed to motivate parents to improve aspects of family functioning when warranted, and (c) family management treatment (indicated), focused on improving parenting skills. Demographic (gender and ethnicity) and baseline risk factors (family conflict, academic problems, antisocial behavior, and peer deviance) were examined as possible moderators in logistic regression analyses. Intervention effects on depression were moderated by baseline family conflict and academic performance, with stronger intervention effects for youth with low grade point averages and from low-conflict families at baseline. Such findings extend the emerging literature on prevention programs with long-term effects on depression, and highlight directions for future research to enhance such effects.
Determination of mizoribine in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography and its pharmacokinetics study

OBJECTIVE To establish an HPLC method for the determination of mizoribine in human plasma,and to determine the concentration of mizoribine in human plasma after oral administration of mizoribine tablets into healthy volunteers within 12 hours.METHODS The mizoribine was extracted from plasma by 10% trichloroacetic acid.Chromatographic separation was achieved on NH2 column with acetonitrile-H2O-glacial acetic acid(30∶70∶0.3)as the mobile phase.The detection wavelength was 280 nm.RESULTS The linear range was 0.1～10 mg·L-1(r=0.999 9,n=7).The detection limit was 0.02 mg·L-1.The average recovery of low,middle and high concentrations was(90.9±2.0)%,(100.2±0.5)% and(102.32±0.22)%,respectively. RSDs of inter and intra-day precision were less than 5%.CONCLUSION The method is simple and accurate for determination of mizoribine in human plasma.
MASSIVE EDEMA OF THE OVARY ASSOCIATED WITH ANDROGENIC MANIFESTATIONS

Massive ovarian edema is a rare tumor-like condition of the ovary characterized by marked enlargement of one or both ovaries due to marked accumulation of edema fluid in the ovarian stroma. This paper reviews the literature on massive ovarian edema and presents a case associated with androgenic manifestations.
"It Has to Be More Than the Simple Conditioning of a Child, Once Upon a Time": The Use of the Child in Gravity's Rainbow

The December 1995 discussion of Bianca's age on pynchon-I, an Internet discussion group (at www.waste.org ), shows that a deep concern about child molesting makes readers worry about whether child characters are presented as sexually abused. However, this preoccupation with sexual molestation is only the tip of the iceberg, because Pynchon deals with an abuse of the child more deeply ingrained in our rational and scientific Western culture. The images of children and childhood in Gravity's Rainbow can be interpreted as a reflection on the use of the child as the Other, the use which consists of reducing an archetype to a signifier.
David Daniel Palmer: "The Educator" as the legacy of the third generation.

David Daniel Palmer was born into the crucible of chiropractic formulation. He would be raised in the environment of BJ Palmer's leadership and school domination and the acquisition of the broadcasting empire that shaped the profession and its ultimate acceptance. With the investiture of David D. Palmer as the third president of the Palmer School, a new era of academic and professional growth took place at the Palmer institutions. During his presidency, transition of the school from proprietary to a non-profit status was achieved, as was full accreditation. The Palmer Junior College and a new relationship with the Davenport community was initiated. Reorganization of the Palmer faculty, new admissions procedures, a strong alumni association and improved facilities were accomplished under the Palmer known as "The Educator."
Evaluating Value Series.

With rising healthcare expenditures and unexplained variations in the processes and outcomes of care, there is increasing emphasis on improving the value of health care. Value can mean different things to different people but is generally defined by the formula of quality over costs.1 Higher value care can be achieved through better patient experience or outcomes at similar or lower total cost. Payors have pushed for high-value care through value-based purchasing programs, accountable care organizations, and bundled payments among others.2 Providers, hospitals, and health systems are reconfiguring care processes to more efficiently and effectively deliver high-value care through better quality and lower costs. Some organizations are further along on this journey, but much work remains. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes would like to help in this journey toward higher value care. We wish to engage the scientific and healthcare delivery community by starting a new, ongoing series, entitled Evaluating Value that will highlight articles that focus on value in cardiovascular medicine. On its surface, who could argue with promoting high-value care? However, the nuances of how to achieve this remain challenging, which highlights the need for further research and the Evaluating Value series. For example, champions of high-value …
Learning to Predict Human Behavior in Crowded Scenes

Pedestrians follow different trajectories to avoid obstacles and accommodate fellow pedestrians. Any autonomous vehicle navigating such a scene should be able to foresee the future positions of pedestrians and accordingly adjust its path to avoid collisions. This problem of trajectory prediction can be viewed as a sequence generation task, where we are interested in predicting the future trajectory of people based on their past positions. Following the recent success of Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) models for sequence prediction tasks, we propose an LSTM model which can learn general human movement and predict their future trajectories. This is in contrast to traditional approaches which use hand-crafted functions such as Social Forces. We demonstrate the performance of our method on several public datasets. Our model outperforms state-of-the-art methods on some of these datasets. We also analyze the trajectories predicted by our model to demonstrate the motion behavior learned by our model. Moreover, we introduce a new characterization that describes the “social sensitivity” at which two targets interact. We use this characterization to define “navigation styles” and improve both forecasting models and state-of-the-art multi-target tracking – whereby the learned forecasting models help the data association step.
Evidence for degassing of fresh magma during the 2004-2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens: Subtle signals from the hydrothermal system

Abstract Results from chemical and isotopic analyses of water and gas collected between 2002 and 2016 from sites on and around Mount St. Helens are used to assess magmatic degassing related to the 2004–2008 eruption. During 2005 the chemistry of hot springs in The Breach of Mount St. Helens showed no obvious response to the eruption, and over the next few years, changes were subtle, giving only slight indications of perturbations in the system. By 2010 however, water chemistry, temperatures, and isotope compositions (δD and δ18O) clearly indicated some inputs of volatiles and heat associated with the eruption, but the changes were such that they could be attributed to a pre-existing, gas depleted magma. An increase of ~ 1.5‰ in the δ13C values of dissolved carbon in the springs was noted in 2006 and continued through 2009, a change that was mirrored by a similar shift in δ13C-CO2 in bubble gas emissions. These changes require input of a new source of carbon to the hydrothermal system and provide clear evidence of CO2 from an undegassed body of magma. Rising trends in 3He/4He ratios in gas also accompanied the increases in δ13C. Since 2011 maximum RC/RA values are ≥ 6.4 and are distinctly higher than 5 samples collected between 1986 and 2002, and provide additional evidence for some involvement of new magma as early as 2006, and possibly earlier, given the unknown time needed for CO2 and He to traverse the system and arrive at the springs.
Oxidation of fatty acids in eukaryotes

Publisher Summary Fatty acids are major sources of energy in animals. Fatty acids are transported between organs either as unesterified fatty acids complexed to serum albumin or in the form of triacylglycerols associated with lipoproteins. Triacylglycerols are hydrolyzed outside cells by lipoprotein lipase to yield free fatty acids. The mechanism by which fatty acids enter cells remains poorly understood despite a number of studies performed with isolated cells from various tissues. Kinetic evidence has been obtained for both a saturable and a non-saturable uptake of fatty acids. The saturable uptake predominates at nanomolar concentrations of fatty acids and is thought to be mediated, or assisted, by proteins. In contrast, the non-saturable uptake that is effective at higher concentrations of fatty acids has been attributed to passive diffusion of fatty acids across the membrane. Several suspected fatty acid transport proteins have been identified. Although their specific functions in fatty acid uptake remain to be elucidated, these proteins may assist in the desorption of fatty acids from albumin and function in uptake coupled to the esterification of fatty acids with CoA, in a process referred to as vectorial acylation. Once long-chain fatty acids have crossed the plasma membrane, they either diffuse or are transported to mitochondria, peroxisomes, and the endoplasmic reticulum where they are activated by conversion to their CoA thioesters.
Scavenging and the ecology of fear: do animal carcasses create islands of risk on the landscape?

Many vertebrate scavengers function as predators in ecosystems, suggesting that the presence of scavengers and occurrence of predator effects may be intertwined near carcasses. We tested for risk e...
Optimal management of apparatus dead space in the anesthetized infant

Mechanical ventilation of the anesthetized infant requires careful attention to equipment and ventilator settings to assure optimal gas exchange and minimize the potential for lung injury. Apparatus dead space, defined as dead space resulting from devices placed between the endotracheal tube and the Y-piece of the breathing circuit, is the primary source of dead space controlled by the clinician. Due to the small tidal volumes required by infants and neonates, it is easy to create excessive apparatus dead space resulting in unintended hypercarbia or increased minute ventilation in an effort to achieve a desirable PCO2 . The goal of this review was to evaluate the apparatus that are commonly added to the breathing circuit during anesthesia care, and develop recommendations to guide the clinician in selecting apparatus that are best matched to the clinical goals and the patient's size. We include specific recommendations for apparatus that are best suited for different size pediatric patients, with a particular focus on patients <5 kg.
A Multivariate Analysis of Incarceration and Sentence Length Decisions for Older Defendants

This study examines sentencing decisions for older defendants, and how legal and extralegal variables differently affect older defendants. Using data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing,...
Additive manufacturing of lightweight mirrors (Conference Presentation)

Additive manufacturing offers new routes to lightweight optics inaccessible by conventional methods by providing a broader range of reconciled functionality, form factor, and cost. Predictive lattice design combined with the ability to 3D print complex structures allows for the creation of low-density metamaterials with high global and local stiffness and tunable response to static and dynamic loading. This capacity provides a path to fabrication of lightweight optical supports with tuned geometries and mechanical properties. Our approach involves the simulation and optimization of lightweight lattices for anticipated stresses due to polishing and mounting loads via adaptive mesh refinement. The designed lattices are 3D printed using large area projection microstereolithography (LAPuSL), coated with a metallic plating to improve mechanical properties, and bonded to a thin (1.25 mm) fused silica substrate. We demonstrate that this lightweight assembly can be polished to a desired flatness using convergent polishing, and subsequently treated with a reflective coating. *This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 within the LDRD program. LLNL-ABS-738806.
Is self-rated health associated with ideal cardiovascular health? The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Background Self-rated health (SRH) is an indicator of health status-a determinant of health-promoting behaviors and a predictor of morbidity/mortality. Little is known about the association between SRH and ideal cardiovascular health (CVH), as measured by the AHA Life's Simple 7 (LS7) metrics, or whether the relationship between SRH and CVH differs by race/ethnicity. Hypothesis Favorable SRH is associated with better CVH. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 6457 men and women (4 race/ethnicities) who participated in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. SRH was measured on a 5-point Likert scale (excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor). CVH was assessed using the LS7 metrics, each scored from 0 to 2, with a total score of 0 to 14. Scores of 0 to 8 indicate inadequate, 9 to 10, average, and 11 to 14, optimal CVH. ORs and 95% CIs were calculated for associations between SRH and CVH scores using multinomial logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, marital status, health insurance, and chronic diseases. Results Mean age of participants was 62 ± 10 years; 53% were female. Odds of ideal CVH increased as SRH improved. Compared with poor-fair SRH, adjusted ORs and 95% CIs for optimal CVH by SRH status were excellent, 4.9 (3.4-7.0); very good, 2.2 (1.6-3.1); and good, 1.5 (1.1-2.1). Results were similar by race/ethnicity, sex, and age groups. Conclusions More favorable SRH was associated with better CVH, irrespective of sex, race/ethnicity, or age. Further research could explore whether optimization of SRH predicts CVH.
A Study of Capillarity and Mass Transport on the A12O3 Surface

Periodic gratings were produced on single crystal A12O3 surfaces. Upon annealing the tendency of the gratings to facet was found to depend on the surface orientation. The rate of the decay of the amplitude of sinusoidal gratings and that of the width of the grain boundary grooving were measured as a function of temperature and orientation to give the rate constants of capillarity induced mass transport.
Chapter I – England

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the geographical area known as England and Wales. It surveys the components of the system such as the police, judiciary, law, corrections, and juvenile justice, along with providing an overview of the political system. It presents the history of each component and describes the organization and administration and the various roles of the practitioners. Some of the critical issues facing the system are also assessed. The English have long been recognized for their remarkable contribution to the civilization through the creation of the common law and the development of parliamentary democracy. There are also a number of substantive issues that are unique to the English justice system. There are also a number of substantive issues that are unique to the English justice system. Of particular interest are the legal status of the constable, the way judges are selected from a small group of lawyers, and the fact that the legal profession consists of two types of lawyers—solicitors and barristers. The most interesting feature of English criminal justice is the extent to which laypersons are used in the day-to-day work of the system. Law enforcement uses the local police authorities and the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
The in situ Compatibilization of HDPE/PET Blends

Publisher Summary Currently there are two main compatibilization routes for PET (polyethylene terephthalate (PET))/HDPE blends. One route is PET/HDPE-g-maleic anhydride/HDPE blends. Here HDPE-g-maleic anhydride (HDPE-g-MA) is synthesized by melt grafting of HDPE with maleic anhydride. Adding HDPE-g-MA in the blends can increase the polarity of nonpolar HDPE phase so that certain hydrogen bonding can be formed between the functional maleic anhydride group of HDPE-g-MA and polar structure of PET. Another technique is PET/EGMA/HDPE blends using EGMA (ethylene glycidyl methacrylate copolymer) as the precursor of compatibilizer. EGMA is a recently developed functional copolymer, which has reactive GMA units on polyethylene backbone. This system could achieve much better mechanical properties than the former one because of the chemical network formed between the epoxy group of GMA, and the carboxylic or hydroxyl end groups of PET. Unfortunately, the commercially available EGMA, which is synthesized by solution copolymerization, is relatively expensive. It is economically impractical to use this kind of compatibilizer in large quantity. In this chapter, epoxy group grafted HDPE (HDPE-g-epoxy) by melt grafting is used as reactive compatibilizer for the blends. Compared with EGMA, HDPE-g-epoxy has the same compatibilization mechanism but it offers two advantages: first, low synthesizing costs by melt grafting technique; second, HDPE-g-epoxy could be synthesized based on the HDPE to be compatibilized. The grafting does not change the original structure of PE backbone, therefore, it has quite similar molecular structure, molecular weight, crystallinity, and melt viscosity as its original HDPE.
A Method for Developing Library Collections Based on Intensity Indicators

This article reports on a multi-dimensional model to collection development and licensing applied in our library following a major separation from a joint-licensing venture with another institution...
Large eddy simulation analysis of the heat transfer enhancement using self-oscillating fluidic oscillators

Abstract Using an unsteady jet created by the fluidic oscillator represents many opportunities to enhance the heat removal performance of impinging jet. Numerical simulations were conducted to compare the heat transfer performance of two fluid oscillators and a direct jet with unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence models implemented. Time-resolved and time-averaged flow fields and heat transfer results were presented. Simulation results showed that the fluid dynamic and heat transfer performance predicted by the RANS and LES models matched well for different Reynolds numbers.The self-oscillating impinging jets were beneficial in enhancing the heat removal performance by increasing the average Nusselt numbers and covering a larger impinging cooling surface. The wide impinging zone and significant heat transfer enhancement suggested it was promising to implement self-oscillating impinging jet concept into existing cooling technologies, such as multi-phase cooling and thin film cooling, for the next-generation high-performance heat exchangers.
Reduced skin bacterial diversity correlates with increased pathogen infection intensity in an endangered amphibian host.

The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infects the skin of amphibians and has caused severe declines and extinctions of amphibians globally. In this study, we investigate the interaction between Bd and the bacterial skin microbiome of the endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, Rana sierrae, using both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Samples were collected from two populations of R. sierrae that likely underwent Bd epizootics in the past, but that continue to persist with Bd in an enzootic disease state, and we address the hypothesis that such "persistent" populations are aided by mutualistic skin microbes. Our 16S rRNA metabarcoding data reveal that the skin microbiome of highly infected juvenile frogs is characterized by significantly reduced species richness and evenness, and by strikingly lower variation between individuals, compared to juveniles and adults with lower infection levels. Over 90% of DNA sequences from the skin microbiome of highly infected frogs were derived from bacteria in a single order, Burkholderiales, compared to just 54% in frogs with lower infection levels. In a culture-dependent Bd inhibition assay, the bacterial metabolites we evaluated all inhibited the growth of Bd. Together, these results illustrate the disruptive effects of Bd infection on host skin microbial community structure and dynamics, and suggest possible avenues for the development of anti-Bd probiotic treatments.
Plesiomonas shigelloides gastroenteritis in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Chronic diarrhea, defined as symptoms ongoing for two or more weeks, in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), has various causes, including medications, infections, autoimmunity, and ga...
Impact of covalent or non-covalent bound epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on assembly, physicochemical characteristics and digestion of ovotransferrin fibrils

Abstract The objectives of the present study were to investigate impact of covalent or non-covalent bound (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on ovotransferrin (OVT) fibrils. Bound EGCG showed fibril-inhibitory activity in a concentration-dependent manner, and covalent bound EGCG inhibited OVT fibrillation more intensely than an equal amount of non-covalent bound EGCG. Bound EGCG resulted in larger fibril building blocks. Covalent bound EGCG shortened OVT fibrils significantly, and non-covalent bound EGCG induced smaller changes in length of OVT fibrils than covalent bound EGCG. A larger amount of covalent or non-covalent bound EGCG led to shorter OVT fibrils. Covalent bound EGCG did not change thickness of OVT fibrils, while newly emerged thicker fibrils were observed in the presence of non-covalent bound EGCG. Covalent bound EGCG shifted isoelectric point of OVT fibril to lower pHs than non-covalent bound EGCG. Bound EGCG decreased surface hydrophobicity, storage modulus and viscosity of OVT fibrils. OVT fibrils with bound EGCG possessed strong antioxidant capacity. The gastrointestinal digestion result demonstrated that covalent bound EGCG contributed to a higher increase in fibril digestibility than non-covalent bound EGCG.
The Manager’s Mind

Market share is the most popular measure of corporate dominance. For evidence, look no farther than U.S. and European merger guidelines: they are replete with references to market share. To measure market share, we must be able to measure market first. In this chapter I confront the inconvenient truth that anyone’s measure of a market is subjective. Judges in antitrust cases know this conundrum best. (The name is “relevant market.”) I suggest a mental experiment that illuminates the nature of the problem. This experiment—The Magic Mirror—should lie at the very foundation of any theory of industrial organization.
Civil Case Processing the the Federal District Courts: A 21st Century Analysis

The problem is simply stated but not easily solved: too many civil cases in American courts take too long to resolve. Moreover, the same type of case may take much longer to resolve in one district court than in another. This study by the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System is concerned primarily with the question of what contributes to delay in civil cases. What part of delay is occasioned by factors outside the civil docket, and what part can be lessened by different procedures implemented by judges, attorneys and court administrators? The study examines new data drawn from nearly 7700 federal civil cases that were terminated between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006. Looking at this wide range of cases, it is clear that some small changes in the approach to civil processing, easily within the ability of a single judge or attorney, may help individual cases move more quickly toward resolution. Other changes, admittedly more complex and reliant on the culture of the legal community as a whole, may also be necessary to assure that expeditious processing remains the norm for every civil case.
Effects of Sleep Duration on Cardiovascular Events.

Sleep is an essential component of human health, and suboptimal sleep duration has been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This review summarizes physiological and pathological effects of sleep duration on the cardiovascular system. Both decreased and increased duration of sleep lead to increased cardiovascular mortality and has a U-shaped curve. Sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and hypertension, and its treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) results in increased survival. Estimated sleep duration of 6–8 h is associated with decreased mortality and major cardiovascular events and should be addressed by clinicians during routine visits.
High elasticity, chemically recyclable, thermoplastics from bio-based monomers: carbon dioxide, limonene oxide and ε-decalactone

One solution to problems with petroleum derived plastics is to design polymers for the circular economy. In this regard, polymer chemistries, like ester or carbonate linkages, which are closer to equilibrium are very promising but to use these materials requires improvements to their properties and methods of manufacture. Here, efficient polymerization catalyses are used to transform wastes and bio-sourced monomers into thermoplastics which combine high elasticity and strength and which can be degraded to allow for some chemical recycling. The plastics are prepared from carbon dioxide, limonene oxide (from waste citrus fruit peel) and e-decalactone (from triglycerides). These monomers are polymerized, using catalyzed controlled polymerizations with high conversion efficiencies, to selectively form ABA block polymers (A = high Tg polycarbonate, B = low Tg polyester). The series of 5 poly(limonene carbonate)-b-poly(e-decalactone)-b-poly(limonene carbonate) (PLC-PDL-PLC) samples allow for systematic variations in the overall molar masses (Mn = 50–100 kg mol−1) and hard-block compositions (21–63 wt% PLC). All the polymers are fully characterized using a range of spectroscopies, gel permeation chromatography, thermal and tensile mechanical measurements. The leading plastic combines tensile strength (stress at break, σb = 21.2 MPa, Young's Modulus, Ey = 321 MPa) and high elasticity (elongation at break, eb = 400%) – an enhancement of more than 20× in elongation at break and tensile toughness over poly(limonene carbonate), overcoming the well-known brittleness and processing limitations of PLC. It undergoes selective, catalyzed depolymerization to limonene oxide, carbon dioxide and the precursor polyester providing a future chemical recycling and upcycling opportunity.
Heterochromatin protein 1 beta (HP1β) regulates neural and neural crest development by repressing pluripotency‐associated gene pou5f3.2/oct25 in Xenopus

Background Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) is associated with and plays a role in compact chromatin conformation, but the function of HP1 in vertebrate embryogenesis is not understood completely. Results Here, we explore the activity of HP1 in early neural development in the frog Xenopus laevis. We show that the three isoforms of HP1, HP1α, β, and γ, are expressed in similar patterns in the neural and neural crest derivatives in early embryos. Despite this, knockdown of HP1β and HP1γ, but not HP1α, in presumptive neural tissues leads to head defects. Late pan-neural markers and neural crest specifier genes are reduced, but early neural and neural plate border genes are less affected in the morphant embryos. Further investigation reveals that neuronal differentiation is impaired and a pluripotency-associated gene, pou5f3.2/oct25, is expanded in HP1β morphants. Ectopic expression of pou5f3.2/oct25 mimics the effect of HP1β knockdown on marker expression, whereas simultaneous knockdown of HP1β and pou5f3.2/oct25 partially rescues expression of these genes. Conclusion Taken together, the data suggest that HP1β regulates transition from precursor to more differentiated cell types during neural and neural crest development in Xenopus, and it does so at least partially via repression of the pluripotency-associated transcription regulator pou5f3.2/oct25. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Vegetations of Frustration, Sources of Pestilence, Geologies of Desire: Notes Towards a Franco-Ecocriticism

This article considers, primarily through the lens of literature, the legacy of environmental issues from colonialism through the contemporary period, including attention to Louisiana, France, Guad...
Distributed Control of Multi-Robot Systems in the Presence of Deception and Denial of Service Attacks

This research proposes a distributed switching control to secure multi-robot systems in the presence of cyberattacks. Two major types of cyberattack are considered: deception attack and denial of service (DoS) attack, which compromise the integrity and availability of resources, respectively. First, a residual-based attack detection scheme is introduced to identify the type of attacks. Then, a switching control is designed to neutralize the effect of the identified attacks, satisfying the performance guarantees required for state consensus among robots. For the type of a deception attack, coordination-free consensus protocols are designed to tune the weights of each robot in a way that uncompromised robots gain more weight than compromised robots. For the type of a DoS attack, leader-follower protocols that reconfigure the communication topology are utilized to transform the compromised robots into sub-robots following the leaders. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated on the Robotarium multi-robot testbed. A full demonstration with extensive cases is available at this https URL.
An Accelerated Life Model Analog for Discrete Survival and Count Data.

Abstract Background and Objective: Our goal is to provide an overall strategy for utilizing continuous accelerated life models in the discrete setting that provides a unique and flexible modeling approach across a variety of hazard shapes. Methods: We convert well-known continuous accelerated life distributions into their discrete counterpart and show theoretically that the existing software that currently exists to accommodate, left, right and interval censoring in the continuous case is re-usable in the discrete setting due to the structure of the likelihood equations. Results: We demonstrate across a variety of simulated and real-world data that our modeling approach can accommodate discrete data that may either be approximately symmetric, left-skewed or right skewed, overcoming the limitations of more traditional modeling approaches. Conclusions: We illustrate both theoretically and through simulations that our approach for accommodating discrete failure time and count data is quite flexible. We demonstrate that the special case of the discrete Weibull model readily can accommodate truly Poisson distributed data and has a great degree of flexibility for non-Poisson distributed data.
Detect-ing brain anomalies with autoencoders

A framework called Detect is proposed to detect subtle effects of brain disorders, making it possible to delineate anomalous brain connections within specific individuals.
Health disparities in chronic back pain and associated mortality seen in ischemic cardiac disease: a commentary

Prescription opioid use for nonmalignant chronic pain has grown in the US over the last decade. Those with chronic back pain have a higher risk of mortality from ischemic heart disease than those without. Studies have demonstrated a higher prevalence of cardiac disease in adults who report chronic pain. In addition, there is research that supports some association with pain sites and cardiovascular morbidity. Studies have also shown a high-grade chronic neck pain to be more associated with cardiovascular conditions when compared to moderate or low-grade chronic pain. Given this information, it is important to assess pain medication burden present in those who have a diagnosis of coronary artery disease and chronic lower back pain.
A Photonic-Based Error Diffusion Neural Network

A smart pixel hardware implementation of the error diffusion neural network provides the potential to simultaneously leverage the computational complexity of electronic circuitry and the parallelism and high-speed switching of optics and photonics, respectively. This chapter describes one approach to photonic-based hardware for implementing the error diffusion neural network described previously in Chap. 7. The goal of this research is to produce a fast, massively parallel hardware implementation of the error diffusion algorithm which provides the capability of producing high-quality, real-time halftoned images and provide the foundation for other photonic-based A/D converters to be described later in Chap. 9. Recently, we have investigated several different approaches to the smart pixel implementation of the error diffusion neural network. These included ELO employing resonant cavity enhanced (RCE) LEDs on silicon VLSI circuitry, Epitaxy-on-Electronics (EoE) integrating InGaP LEDs with GaAs circuitry [167], SEED MQW modulators flip-chip bonded to silicon VLSI circuitry [168], and both analog [169] and digital versions of LCOS.
Conditioned Reinforcement as a Measure of the Rewarding Properties of Drugs

A review is presented of the development and application of a conditioned reinforcement measure for evaluating drug-based primary reinforcement. This procedure has employed both contingent and noncontingent association of the initially neutral stimulus with repeated doses of the drug reinforcer. Evidence for primary reinforcement by doses of drug is later demonstrated by the behavior of a subject when the stimulus is presented contingent to lever-pressing responses. This method allowed testing of potential antagonist drugs for an ability to oppose or cancel the reinforcing action of agents such as dexamphetamine, morphine, and ethanol. Inhibitors of critical enzymes in catecholamine biosynthetic pathways (e.g., tyrosine hydroxylase or dopamine β-hydroxylase) were found to oppose the reinforcing action of such classical drugs of abuse. The ability of conditioned reinforcement tests to avoid the factor of performance deficits induced by many potential antagonist drugs constitutes a major advantage over a more direct evaluation of drugs for possible interactions with primary reinforcing actions of abuse agents.