cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ketamine blocks a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in neonatal rats.

These experiments explored the effects of glutamate, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blockade on the formation, retention, and expression of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in young rats. Previous data from our laboratory suggested that ketamine administration potentiates a CTA in E18 rat fetuses. The current studies investigated this phenomenon in neonates. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods were used to determine the amount of ketamine that must be injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) to achieve brain ketamine levels in neonates comparable to those found in the fetuses from our previous experiments. Then, on their day of birth, Sprague-Dawley rat pups received injections of either 0.1, 10, or 70 mg/kg of ketamine HCI, i.p. or a Sal control injection. One-half hour later, pups were injected orally with either Saccharin (Sac; 10 microL of 0.3%) or water followed by an injection of either lithium chloride (LiCl; 81 mg/kg) or Sal (i.p.). The CTA was evaluated in two different tests. Two weeks after conditioning, the dam was anesthetized and the frequency with which pups attached to Sac-painted nipples versus nipples painted with water was measured (i.e., the nipple taste test, NTT). Controls for state-dependent learning were run in which 10 mg/kg of ketamine or saline (Sal) was administered before both taste aversion conditioning and the NTT. After weaning, the CTA was also evaluated by measuring the amount of Sac (0.3%) or water consumed during a two-bottle test. Neonates that received Sal control injections before the Sac + LiCl pairing acquired CTAs and avoided Sac-painted nipples. However, the pups injected with ketamine on the conditioning day only (P0) did not avoid Sac-painted nipples (as compared to controls). Pups that had ketamine both at the time of CTA training and testing, or just before the NTT, also failed to avoid Sac-painted nipples. Ketamine's acute effects apparently influenced the outcome of the NTT of state-dependent control subjects. Rat pups that received the highest doses of ketamine (10 or 70 mg/kg) and tasted Sac on P0 later failed to show a neophobia for Sac-painted nipples. Whereas, rat pups that received the high dose of ketamine and water on P0, later exhibited a neophobic response. These data suggest that ketamine did not impair the animal's ability to taste Sac. These data reflecting a ketamine-induced blockade of neonatal CTAs may be contrasted with our previous findings in which ketamine potentiated fetal CTAs. However, they are in consonance with data from adult rats suggesting that ketamine can cause an amnesia for CTAs. NMDA receptor blockade may shape memory formation in a manner that is dependent on the stage of brain development.
In Vivo Oxytocin Release from Microdialyzed Bovine Corpora Lutea During Spontaneous and Prostaglandin-Induced Regression

Abstract The release of luteal oxytocin during spontaneous and prostaglandin-induced luteolysis was investigated in cows. A continuous-flow microdialysis system was used in 11 cows to collect dialysates of the luteal extracellular space between Days 12 and 24 postestrus. Seven cows were untreated and were expected to exhibit spontaneous luteolysis during sampling, whereas 4 cows received prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) systemically between Days 13 and 15 to induce luteolysis during sampling. Oxytocin was detectable in the dialysate of all cows before Day 16 postestrus and occurred as 2 or 3 discrete pulses per 12-h sampling period. For non-PGF2α-treated cows, dialysate oxytocin content began to decline spontaneously on Day 15 postestrus and was undetectable by Day 17 postestrus. Oxytocin decay curves preceded onset of serum progesterone decline by at least 72 h and were not related temporally with onset of progesterone decline within cow. Exogenous PGF2α (25 mg, i.m.) produced a 10-fold increase in dialysate ox...
Macroinvertebrate diets reflect tributary inputs and turbidity-driven changes in food availability in the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam

Physical changes to rivers associated with large dams (e.g., water temperature) directly alter macroinvertebrate assemblages. Large dams also may indirectly alter these assemblages by changing the food resources available to support macroinvertebrate production. We examined the diets of the 4 most common macroinvertebrate taxa in the Colorado River through Glen and Grand Canyons, seasonally, at 6 sites for 2.5 y. We compared macroinvertebrate diet composition to the composition of epilithon (rock and cliff faces) communities and suspended organic seston to evaluate the degree to which macroinvertebrate diets tracked downstream changes in resource availability. Diets contained greater proportions of algal resources in the tailwater of Glen Canyon Dam and more terrestrial-based resources at sites downstream of the 1 st major tributary. As predicted, macroinvertebrate diets tracked turbidity-driven changes in resource availability, and river turbidity partially explained variability in macroinvertebrate diets. The relative proportions of resources assimilated by macroinvertebrates ranged from dominance by algae to terrestrial- based resources, despite greater assimilation efficiencies for algal than terrestrial C. Terrestrial resources were most important during high turbidity conditions, which occurred during the late-summer monsoon season (July-October) when tributaries contributed large amounts of organic matter to the mainstem and suspended sediments reduced algal production. Macroinvertebrate diets were influenced by seasonal changes in tributary inputs and turbidity, a result suggesting macroinvertebrate diets in regulated rivers may be temporally dynamic and driven by tributary inputs.
Flexible strategy use by students who learn much versus little from text: Transitions within think-aloud protocols

Van den Broek's landscape model explicitly posits sequences of moves during reading in real time. Two other models that implicitly describe sequences of processes during reading are tested in the present research. Coded think-aloud data from 24 undergraduate students reading scientific text were analysed with lag-sequential techniques to compare specific transitions and flexibility with transitions between students who gained much in learning from reading a passage (n = 11) and those who gained little (n = 13). Just before verbalising inferences, those who gained much verbalised vocabulary, background knowledge, and strategies significantly more than did those who gained little. Those who gained much showed more flexible patterns before verbalising strategies and vocabulary, but rigid patterns just before inferences, whereas those who gained little showed the opposite pattern. Results both support and point out weaknesses in contemporary theories of reading comprehension and may explain some results from classroom experimental work.
Trends and differentials in mortality from cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx in the United States, 1973-1987.

Background. This analysis consisted of an examination of trends and differentials in mortality from cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx in the United States for a recent 15-year period. Methods. The authors have used national cause-of-death data for the United States and intercensal population estimates to examine mortality from oral and pharyngeal cancers between 1973 and 1987 and to study differentials according to gender, race, and region of residence. Results. The overall mortality rate from these cancers decreased by 19% during the 15-year period, with most of the decline occurring after 1979. Mortality was much higher for men than for women and for blacks than for whites throughout the interval. Despite the overall decline, mortality rates increased among blacks, especially among black men. Mortality was highest in the South Atlantic, New England, and Mid-Atlantic states and lowest in the Mountain states. Conclusions. The disparity between male and female mortality from oral and pharyngeal cancer stems mainly from differences in the likelihood of developing these cancers, whereas the differences between blacks and whites appears to arise more from differences in survival than in incidence. Different age patterns of mortality for blacks and whites exist, in which mortality among whites, but not among blacks, rises continuously with age. An unexplained finding ws that mortality rates were reported to have fallen in recent years, whereas incidence and survival rates have reportedly remained almost unchanged. This apparent inconsistency may have resulted from declines in the incidence of oral and pharyngeal cancers that have been masked by improved detection.
USING KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS WITH HIERARCHICAL ARCHITECTURES TO GUIDE EVOLUTIONARY SEARCH

Regional Knowledge is useful in identifying patterns of relationships between variables, and it is particularly important in solving constrained global optimization problems. However, regional knowledge is generally unavailable prior to the optimization search. The questions here are: 1) Is it possible for an evolutionary system to learn regional knowledge during the search instead of having to acquire it beforehand? and 2) How can this regional knowledge be used to expedite evolutionary search? This paper defines regional schemata to provide an explicit mechanism to support the acquisition, storage and manipulation of regional knowledge. In a Cultural Algorithm framework, the belief space "contains" a set of these regional schemata, arranged in a hierarchical architecture, to enable the knowledge-based evolutionary system to learn regional knowledge during the search and apply the learned knowledge to guide the search. This mechanism can be used to guide the optimization search in a direct way, by "pruning" the infeasible regions and "promoting" the promising regions. Engineering problems with nonlinear constraints are tested and the results are discussed. It shows that the proposed mechanism is potential to solve complicated non-linear constrained optimization problems, and some other hard problems, e.g. the optimization problems with "ridges" in landscapes.
Sequential class switching is required for the generation of high affinity IgE antibodies

IgE antibodies with high affinity for their antigens can be stably cross-linked at low concentrations by trace amounts of antigen, whereas IgE antibodies with low affinity bind their antigens weakly. In this study, we find that there are two distinct pathways to generate high and low affinity IgE. High affinity IgE is generated through sequential class switching (μ→γ→e) in which an intermediary IgG phase is necessary for the affinity maturation of the IgE response, where the IgE inherits somatic hypermutations and high affinity from the IgG1 phase. In contrast, low affinity IgE is generated through direct class switching (μ→e) and is much less mutated. Mice deficient in IgG1 production cannot produce high affinity IgE, even after repeated immunizations. We demonstrate that a small amount of high affinity IgE can cause anaphylaxis and is pathogenic. Low affinity IgE competes with high affinity IgE for binding to Fce receptors and prevents anaphylaxis and is thus beneficial.
Selections from current literature: the role of free radicals and antioxidants in disease

Interest in the role of free radicals in health and disease has been increasing. There is evidence that many of the degenerative diseases have their origin in deleterious free radical reactions. Examples of these diseases include atherosclerosis, cancer, inflammatory joint disease, asthma, diabetes, dementia and degenerative eye disease. There is also a free radical theory of ageing. As part of normal metabolism, humans produce chemically reactive substances called free radicals which can damage cellular elements (particularly membrane lipids and genetic materials). Most free radical damage to cells involves oxygen free radicals and metabolites with chemically reactive, oxygen-containing groups. The latter are grouped and known as 'reactive oxygen species' (ROS). Humans have an array of mechanisms that attempt to maintain the individual in a state of pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance. These antioxidants include ascorbic acid (vitamin C), alphatocopherol (vitamin E), beta-carotene, coenzyme Q10, enzymes such as catalase and superoxide dismutase, and trace elements including selenium and zinc. These act as free radical scavengers that neutralize the ROS and thus prevent lipid peroxidation in cell membranes and genetic material. The term 'oxidative stress' refers to a shift of this balance in favour of the pro-oxidant component with the potential for cellular damage.It is becoming apparent that tissue damage due to ROS only occurs when oxidative stress cannot be sufficiently controlled by the body's antioxidant defences. As a result of these findings and theories, the lay press has emphasized vitamin supplementation as a cure-all. In the USA alone, annual sales of over-the-counter vitamin supplements are in excess of $3 billion. In this issue of 'Selections from current literature', we performed a literature search using Medline to select current articles relating to antioxidants and atherosclerosis, and antioxidants and cancer, to answer the questions: (i) do antioxidants help to prevent atherosclerosis and cancer? and (ii) what is the role of antioxidants as a dietary supplement?
Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

Acute lower respiratory tract infections are a major cause of death and disability, yet the mechanisms that make such infections so virulent are not entirely understood. This review emphasizes the roles of inflammation and the response of the innate immune system and explains how these two processes interact to rid the lung of microbes but also how they can bring the elimination of infection in the lung to a perilous climax.
Electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry of 1,4-dinitrobenzene in acetonitrile and room-temperature ionic liquids: ion-pairing effects in mixed solvents.

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have been shown to have a significant effect on the redox potentials of compounds such as 1,4-dinitrobenzene (DNB), which can be reduced in two one-electron steps. The most noticeable effect is that the two one-electron waves in acetonitrile collapsed to a single two-electron wave in a RTIL such as butylmethyl imidazolium-BF4 (BMImBF4). In order to probe this effect over a wider range of mixed-molecular-solvent/RTIL solutions, the reduction process was studied using UV–vis spectroelectrochemistry. With the use of spectroelectrochemistry, it was possible to calculate readily the difference in E°’s between the first and second electron transfer (ΔE12° = E1° – E2°) even when the two one-electron waves collapsed into a single two-electron wave. The spectra of the radical anion and dianion in BMImPF6 were obtained using evolving factor analysis (EFA). Using these spectra, the concentrations of DNB, DNB–•, and DNB2– were calculated, and from these concentrations, the ΔE12°...
An Improved Methodology for Gas Turbine Technology Portfolio Planning, Including Technology Synergy Matrices and Real Options Analysis

The management of technologies remains a challenging and risky constituent of gas turbine component design. The performance impact of a single new technology on a gas turbine component is often uncertain, requiring statistical methods to fully quantify. The inclusion of multiple new technologies further complicates gas turbine component performance prediction because there may be significant non-linear technology interactions. When designing gas turbine components to operate within the context of a fully specified gas turbine engine, each component introduces its own mix of new technologies. Because gas turbine components are linked thermodynamically, a new technology in one component may induce secondary impacts in other engine components. Thus, technology portfolio analysis for gas turbines is further complicated by the dynamics of component interaction. In this paper, a new technology portfolio planning methodology is presented that directly addresses these three inherent complexities of gas turbine component design. This methodology includes Technology Impact Matrices to quantify component level technology impacts as well as Technology Compatibility Matrices and Technology Synergy Matrices to account for non-linear component level technology interactions. Through surrogate modeling, a physicsbased dynamic engine model is formed that quickly translates component technology impacts into total-system thermodynamic performance. Real Options analysis is used to translate engine performance metrics to net engine economic performance. Finally, a probabilistic multi-objective genetic algorithm is used to discover a robust Pareto front of optimal technology combinations with respect to system level thermodynamic and economic performance metrics. This paper first describes the proposed methodology in detail. Next, a benchmark gas turbine technology portfolio problem is outlined. Finally, a baseline technology portfolio planning methodology and the newly proposed methodology are both executed upon the benchmark problem, allowing for the benefits of the new methodology to be quantified.
Growth Hormone, Plasma Glucose, and Ketone Bodies as Determinants of Cardiac Glycogen in Normal and Diabetic Rats∗:

SummaryThe influence of growth hormone, plasma glucose, and plasma ketone bodies on cardiac glycogen deposition was studied in fasted intact rats and both non-fasted and fasted alloxan-diabetic rats. The results indicate a close positive correlation between plasma ketones (but not plasma glucose) and cardiac glycogen. Fasting does not increase diabetic myocardial glycogen levels and, unlike normal intact rats, growth hormone did not influence myocardial polysaccharide levels in diabetic rats indicating a possible tissue refractoriness to the hormone or the need for “permissive” amounts of insulin to be present.
The effect of chlorination on the survival of cells of Candida albicans.

Couch, J. N. 1941. The structure and action of the cilia in some aquatic Phycomycetes. Amer. J. Bot. 28: 704-713. Desjardins, P. R., M. C. Wang, and S. Bartnicki-Garcia. 1973. Electron microscopy of zoospores and cysts of Phytophthora palmivora: morphology and surface texture. Arch. Mikrobiol. 88: 61-70. --, G. A. Zentmyer, and D. A. Reynolds. 1969. Electron microscope observations of the flagellar hairs of Phytophthora palmivora zoospores. Canad. J. Bot. 47: 1077-1079. Ho, H. H., C. J. Hickman, and R. W. Telford. 1968. The morphology of zoospores of Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae and other Phycomycetes. Canad. J. Bot. 46: 88-89. Holwill, M. E. J. 1974. Hydrodynamic aspects of ciliary and flagellar movement. Pp. 143-175. In: Cilia and flagella. Ed. M. A. Sleigh. Academic Press, London and New York. Lucas, G. B. 1965. Diseases of tobacco. 2nd ed. Scarecrow Press, New York and London. 778 p. McIntyre, J. L., and G. S. Taylor. 1976. Screening tobacco seedlings for resistance to Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae. Phytopathology 66: 70-73. McKeen, W. E. 1962. The flagellation, movement, and encystment of some phycomycetous zoospores. Canad. J. Microbiol. 8: 897-904. Prinsloo, G. C., and G. D. C. Pauer. 1973. Die identifikasie van rasse van Phytophthora nicotianae (B. de Haan) var. nicotianae wat in Suid-Afrika voorkom. Phytophylactica 6: 217-220. Reichle, R. E. 1969. Fine structure of Phytophthora parasitica zoospores. Mycologia 61: 30-51. Walton, G. S.. and S. Rich. 1974. Serious and unusual plant diseases in Connecticut in 1973. PI. Dis. Reporter 58: 428-429.
Easier than We Thought - A Practical Scheme to Compute Pessimistic Bilevel Optimization Problem

In this paper, we present a new computation scheme for pessimistic bilevel optimization problem, which so far does not have any computational methods generally applicable yet. We first develop a tight relaxation and then design a simple scheme to ensure a feasible and optimal solution. Then, we discuss using this scheme to compute linear pessimistic bilevel problem and several variants. We also provide numerical demonstrations on instances of those linear pessimistic bilevel problems. Because of its simplicity and convenient interfaces to existing algorithms of the regular (optimistic) bilevel problem, we believe that the developed scheme is of a great significance in solving pessimistic bilevel optimization problems arising from various practical systems.
Analysis of the Health Status among the Residents in Dachang District of Nanjing during 2000—2005

[Objective] To learn the health status and hazardous factors among the residents in Dachang District of Nanjing and provide evidence for the establishment of disease prevention and control. [Methods] Analysis was made on the indexes like the causes of death, PYLL and WPYLL in Dachang region during 2000—2005.[Results] The average annual birth rate, the morbidity and standardization rate in this area was 8.15%, 507.02/lakh and 568.58/lakh respectively; the first five places of death causes were malignant carcinoma, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, accidental injuries and digestive diseases; the average life expectancy of the population was 75.68 years (male: 73.28 years; female: 77. 98 years) and it increased obviously when the main causes of death were not calculated; the rates of PYLL and WPYLL were 49.56‰ and 27.57‰ respectively, that of the males was higher than that of the females.[Conclusion] Chronic diseases and accidental injuries are the main causes of potential life loss and potential work year loss; disease control work should be adjusted in this area.
Sources of variation in under-5 mortality across sub-Saharan Africa: a spatial analysis

Summary Background Detailed spatial understanding of levels and trends in under-5 mortality is needed to improve the targeting of interventions to the areas of highest need, and to understand the sources of variation in mortality. To improve this understanding, we analysed local-level information on child mortality across sub-Saharan Africa between 1980–2010. Methods We used data from 82 Demographic and Health Surveys in 28 sub-Saharan African countries, including the location and timing of 3·24 million childbirths and 393 685 deaths, to develop high-resolution spatial maps of under-5 mortality in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. These estimates were at a resolution of 0·1 degree latitude by 0·1 degree longitude (roughly 10 km × 10 km). We then analysed this spatial information to distinguish within-country versus between-country sources of variation in mortality, to examine the extent to which declines in mortality have been accompanied by convergence in the distribution of mortality, and to study localised drivers of mortality differences, including temperature, malaria burden, and conflict. Findings In our sample of sub-Saharan African countries from the 1980s to the 2000s, within-country differences in under-5 mortality accounted for 74–78% of overall variation in under-5 mortality across space and over time. Mortality differed significantly across only 8–15% of country borders, supporting the role of local, rather than national, factors in driving mortality patterns. We found that by the end of the study period, 23% of the eligible children in the study countries continue to live in mortality hotspots—areas where, if current trends continue, the Sustainable Developent Goals mortality targets will not be met. In multivariate analysis, within-country mortality levels at each pixel were significantly related to local temperature, malaria burden, and recent history of conflict. Interpretation Our findings suggest that sub-national determinants explain a greater portion of under-5 mortality than do country-level characteristics. Sub-national measures of child mortality could provide a more accurate, and potentially more actionable, portrayal of where and why children are still dying than can national statistics. Funding The Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
The Road Less Traveled: The Case for Collectible Automobiles as an Asset Class

This study examines collectible automobiles as an investable alternative asset class. The author discusses the literature related to alternative asset classes, and how collectible automobiles fit into this context. Based on a sample dataset covering the period 2007–2016, the research also presents empirical results on collectible automobiles as an asset class based on risk, returns, and portfolio benefits. The findings indicate that, during the sample period, collectible automobiles exhibited holding period returns superior to traditional equity, bond, and gold investments. The author also finds that the asset class offers risk-adjusted returns that compare favorably with other investments. Finally, he shows that collectible automobiles offer potential portfolio diversification benefits.
Mesoscale Elucidation of Surface Passivation in the Li–Sulfur Battery Cathode

The cathode surface passivation caused by Li2S precipitation adversely affects the performance of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. Li2S precipitation is a complicated mesoscale process involving adsorption, desorption and diffusion kinetics, which are affected profoundly by the reactant concentration and operating temperature. In this work, a mesoscale interfacial model is presented to study the growth of Li2S film on carbon cathode surface. Li2S film growth experiences nucleation, isolated Li2S island growth and island coalescence. The slow adsorption rate at small S2– concentration inhibits the formation of nucleation seeds and the lateral growth of Li2S islands, which deters surface passivation. An appropriate operating temperature, especially in the medium-to-high temperature range, can also defer surface passivation. Fewer Li2S nucleation seeds form in such an operating temperature range, thereby facilitating heterogeneous growth and potentially inhibiting the lateral growth of the Li2S film, which m...
Congenital RYR1-Associated Myopathies

Investigators from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, NINDS, and other centers in the US and France, report a series of 11 patients with severe neonatal RYR1-associated myopathy confirmed by genetic testing.
The use of the dyadic partition in elementary real analysis

Abstract In Gordon (1998), Gordon presented alternate proofs of several well known results in elementary real analysis using tagged partitions. In this paper, we provide a set of alternative proofs based on the dyadic partitions. An important difference between tagged and dyadic partitions is that the results based on the dyadic partition can be obtained constructively, i.e. an algorithm is supplied to reach the conclusion of each proof. In addition, the construction involves only concepts and results presented in a first course real analysis, which is the reason why, comparing tagged partition and its theory, the proofs based on dyadic partition are more straightforward and accessible to a wide range of audience.
Estimating the Dietary Intake of Veterinary Drug Residues

The Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CC/RVDF) is an intergovernmental body which advises the Codex Alimentarius Commission on all matters relating to veterinary drug residues. One of the primary objectives of the CC/RVDF is to elaborate maximum residue levels (MRLs) for veterinary drug residues in edible animal products. An important consideration in this process is the acceptability of Codex MRLs from a consumer safety point of view, i.e., having the assurance that Codex MRLs would not result in dietary exposure to residues that exceed the veterinary drug’s acceptable daily intake (ADI).
Quantum Dot-Dye Conjugates for Biosensing, Imaging, and Therapy.

Adding value to the intrinsic properties of quantum dots (QDs), a strategy to conjugate dyes on the surface of QDs offers new opportunities, since the coupling between QD and dyes can be designed to allow Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and/or electron transfer (eT). These processes are accompanied by the change of QD and/or dye fluorescence and subsequent photochemical reactions (e.g., generation of 1 O2 ). Based on the change of fluorescence signals by the interaction with biomolecules, QD-dye conjugates are exploited as biosensors for the detection of pH, O2 , nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate), ions, proteases, glutathione, and microRNA. QD-dye conjugates also can be modulated by the irradiation of external light; this concept is demonstrated for fluorescence super-resolution imaging as photoactivatable or photoswitchable probes. When QDs are conjugated with photosensitizing dyes, the QD-dye conjugates can generate 1 O2 in a repetitive manner for better cancer treatment, and can also be available for approaches using two-photon excitation or bioluminescence resonance energy transfer mechanisms for deep tissue imaging. Here, the recent advances in QD-dye conjugates, where FRET or eT produces fluorescence readouts or photochemical reactions, are reviewed. Various QD-dye conjugate systems and their biosensing/imaging and photodynamic therapeutics are summarized.
Elements of Point-Set Topology

In Definition 4.5, Chapter 2, we called the collection of all open sets τ(d) of a metric space (X, d) the topology induced by a metric. We recall that this collection of open sets or topology is closed with respect to the formation of arbitrary unions and finite intersections. We understand that the topology of a metric space carries the main information about its structural fingerprint. For instance, equivalent metrics possess the same topology. In addition, through the topology we could establish the continuity of a function (see Theorem 4.6, Chapter 2) without need of a metric. This all leads to an idea of defining a structure more general than distance on a set, a structure that preserves convergence and continuity.
Anticipated Business Disruption Effects Due to Earthquake-Induced Lifeline Interruptions

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the potential indirect economic impacts of lifeline disruption on businesses. It addresses the question of the relationship between lifeline failures due to an earthquake and economic consequences for the affected areas—a question neglected in almost all research. One of the major problems in anticipating the magnitude of economic losses caused by a destructive earthquake is in understanding the various complex ways that affect the economic sector including both large and small businesses. The approach discussed focuses on the indirect (or secondary) effects of an earthquake that prohibit businesses without primary damage from operating in a normal way. A study conducted with a random sample of businesses in Memphis, Tennessee in the United States to determine their dependence on various lifeline systems and level of economic impacts experienced by businesses when those systems failed due to a damaging earthquake event is presented. The findings reveals the points needed to be addressed this problem with a collective approach by integrating lifeline service providers into community recovery planning and by involving business associations in educational programs for their members.
Zum theoretischen Verständnis ethnischer Konflikte: Der Fall der ausländischen Arbeitnehmer in der Schweiz

Der Import auslandischer Arbeitskraft (vor allem aus Sudeuropa) ist fur die nordeuropaischen Lander in der Zeit nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg zum gemeinsamen Merkmal geworden. Ein vorrangiges Beispiel ist die Schweiz. Die Probleme, die mit dieser Wanderung von Arbeitskraft verbunden sind, sind vielfaltiger Natur. Zu den Hauptproblemen gehort die Diskriminierung auslandischer Arbeitnehmer durch die einheimische Bevolkerung. Die Ursprunge dieser Diskriminierung konnen theoretisch mithilfe tauschtheoretischer Pramissen - und unter Beachtung der Konsequenzen, die Wettbewerb auf dem Arbeitsmarkt nach sich zieht - erklart werden. Im Rahmen einer derartigen Analyse kann zugleich gezeigt werden, in welcher Weise die verschiedenen Formen von Diskriminierung, wie sie Institutionen oder Organisationen implizieren, mit jenen, die Individuen ausuben, funktional verbunden sind. Sollen Diskriminierung, ihre Ursprunge und Folgen verstanden werden, sind alle Formen von Diskriminierung zugleich im Auge zu behalten. Der vorliegende Artikel zeigt, wie dies zu gewahrleisten ist.
Experimental Study of Periodic Free Stream Unsteadiness Effects on Discrete Hole Film Cooling in Two Geometries

Discrete hole film cooling is widely employed to protect turbine blades and vanes from hot combustion gases entering the high-pressure turbine stage. Accurate prediction of the heat transfer near film cooling holes is critical, and high-fidelity experimental data sets are needed for validation of new computational models. Relatively few studies have examined the effects of periodic main flow unsteadiness resulting from the interaction of turbine blades and vanes, with a particular lack of data for shaped hole configurations. Periodic unsteadiness was generated in the main flow over a laidback, fan-shaped cooling hole at a Strouhal number (St = fD/U) of 0.014 by an airfoil oscillating in pitch. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with water as the working fluid was used to obtain full-field, phase-resolved velocity and scalar concentration data. Operating conditions consisted of a hole Reynolds number of 2900, channel Reynolds number of 25,000, and blowing ratio of unity. Both mean and phase-resolved data are compared to previous measurements for the same hole geometry with steady main flow. Under unsteady freestream conditions, the flow separation pattern inside the hole was observed to change from an asymmetric separation bubble to two symmetric bubbles. The periodic unsteadiness was characterized by alternating periods of slow main flow, which allowed the coolant to penetrate into the freestream along the centerplane, and fast, hole-impinging main flow, which deflected coolant towards the laidback wall and caused ejection of coolant from the hole away from the centerplane. Mean adiabatic surface effectiveness was reduced up to 23% inside the hole, while mean laterally-averaged effectiveness outside the hole fell 28–36% over the entire measurement domain. A brief comparison to a round jet with and without unsteadiness is included; for the round jet, no disturbance was observed inside the hole, and some fluctuations directed coolant towards the wall, which increased mean film cooling effectiveness. The combined velocity and concentration data for both cases are suitable for quantitative validation of CFD predictions for film cooling flows with periodic freestream unsteadiness.Copyright © 2018 by ASME
Tools for Identifying Partisan Gerrymandering (PA)

In League of Women Voters v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (2018) the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down as a “severe and durable” partisan gerrymander the congressional map drawn by Republicans in 2011 and used in elections from 2012-2016. It did so entirely on state law grounds after a three-judge federal court had rejected issuing a preliminary injunction against the plan. After Pennsylvania failed to enact a lawful remedy plan of its own (due to a total disagreement as to how to proceed between the newly elected Democratic governor and the still Republican-controlled legislature), the Court then ordered into place for the 2018 election a map of its own drawn for it by a court-appointed consultant. In a split court, the Court map was endorsed only by judges with Democratic affiliations. Here we compare the 2011 and 2018 congressional maps in terms of a variety of proposed metrics for detecting partisan gerrymandering. We also examine the remedy map proposed by a group of Republican legislators and that proposed by the Democratic governor. We conclude that the 2011 map was a blatant and undisguised pro-Republican gerrymander. Moreover, the remedy map proposed by Republican legislators was a covert pro-Republican gerrymander (what we refer to as a “stealth gerrymander”). The Democratic governor’s proposed plan cannot be classified as a pro-Democratic gerrymander and indeed has if anything, a slight pro-Republican tilt. The 2018 court-drawn remedial map, by all measures, was not a gerrymander.
Predicting Academic Help-Seeking Intentions Using the Reasoned Action Model

Seeking help when confronted with academic difficulties is an adaptive self-regulated learning strategy that facilitates positive academic outcomes. However, many students are reluctant to seek help with academic difficulties. The current study used the Reasoned Action Model to investigate the determinants of students’ intentions to utilize university-based sources of academic support. Participants (N = 125) in Study 1 responded to open-ended questions designed to identify salient behavioral, normative, and control beliefs contributing to the use of university-based academic support services. Participants (N = 176) in Study 2 completed measures to assess attitudes, perceived normative pressure, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intentions. Normative pressure was the strongest predictor of intentions to use university-based academic support, followed by attitudes. These results suggest that interventions targeting normative and behavioral beliefs may be effective in increasing academic help-seeking.
Balancing profits and conservation: a human environmental impact PBL for upper elementary and middle grades STEM club students

AbstractStudents require experiences that reflect the difficult decision making found in the real world. A current and future challenge for today’s students is understanding the balance between eco...
Implementation and optimization of a biometric cryptosystem using iris recognition

Protecting data is a critical part of life in the modern world. The science of protecting data, known as cryptography, makes use of secret keys to encrypt data in a format that is not easily decipherable. However, most modern cryptography systems use passwords to perform user authentication. These passwords are a weak link in the security chain, as well as a common point of attack on cryptography schemes. One alternative to password usage is biometrics: using a person’s physical characteristics to verify who the person is and unlock the data correspondingly. This study provides a concrete implementation of the Cambridge biometric cryptosystem. In addition, hardware acceleration has been performed on the system in order to reduce system runtime and energy usage, which is compared with software-level code optimization. The experiment takes place on a Xilinx Zynq-7000 All Programmable SoC. Software implementation is run on one of the embedded ARM A9 cores while hardware implementation makes use of the programmable logic. This has resulted in an algorithm with strong performance characteristics in both energy usage and runtime.
Regional Gray Matter Density Associated With Fast-Paced Walking in Older Adults: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study.

BACKGROUND Walking speed during fast-paced walking task has been associated with cognitive function. It is unclear what underlying brain structures are related to fast-paced walking. We investigated the association of gray matter (GM) density with fast-paced walking speed and usual-paced walking speed. METHODS We collected data from 284 older adults from a subset of the Health, Aging, and Body composition study (mean age = 83 [SD = 2.8], 58% women, 41% black). Voxel-wise analyses on magnetic resonance imaging data identified regions of the brain where GM density was associated with fast-paced walking speed. We then extracted GM density for all identified regions and modeled the association with fast-paced walking speed after adjusting for demographic factors, clinical factors, and cognitive function. Analyses were repeated for usual-paced walking. Regions with beta coefficients ≥0.3 m/s were considered to be meaningfully correlated. RESULTS GM density of clusters from cortical regions in the right middle and superior frontal gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, and left superior temporal gyrus were positively correlated with fast-paced walking speed in adjusted models. Adjustment for cognitive function had little impact on the findings. Caudate was correlated with usual paced walking speed at coefficient ≥0.3 m/s after adjustment of demographic factors and clinical factors, but not after further adjustment of cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS Fast-paced walking speed was correlated with GM density of right middle and superior frontal gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, and left superior temporal gyrus, and could potentially provide evidence about subclinical structural change of brain related to aging.
The Epidemiology and Public Health Significance of Rett Syndrome

Current data indicate that Rett syndrome is an important contributor to the total burden of idiopathic mental retardation. Studies from Sweden suggest that among girls the prevalence of Rett syndrome may be twice the prevalence of phenylketonuria. Successful epidemiologic studies of idiopathic mental retardation syndromes will require both large sample sizes and homogeneous populations. Because Rett syndrome is a relatively homogeneous and common syndrome of idiopathic mental retardation, epidemiologic methods may be more productive in the study of Rett syndrome than in other syndromes of mental retardation that are less clinically homogeneous. The approaches used in studying Rett syndrome epidemiologically may later be useful in the study of other syndromes of idiopathic mental retardation.
Guidance and optimization of percutaneous coronary interventions by intracoronary imaging

冠状动脉造影是冠心病诊断和疗效判定的"金标准" ，但随着冠心病介入诊治技术的快速发展，冠状动脉造影已远不能满足当前精准诊治的需求。血管腔内影像学（血管内超声和光学相干断层成像）已从最初仅用于研究的手段，逐渐成为帮助医生精准完成介入诊治的重要方法。2018年欧洲心血管介入协会发布了 "腔内影像学临床应用专家共识的第一部分：对经皮冠状动脉介入治疗的指导和优化" 。腔内影像学指导冠状动脉介入治疗，将对易损斑块的早期精准识别、优化治疗策略及准确评估预后产生重要的指导意义。.
Smartphone-Based Applications to Detect Hearing Loss: A Review of Current Technology.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a widely prevalent yet manageable condition that has been linked to neurocognitive and psychiatric comorbidities. Multiple barriers hinder older individuals from being diagnosed with ARHL through pure-tone audiometry. This is especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the closure of many outpatient audiology and otolaryngology offices. Smartphone-based hearing assessment apps may overcome these challenges by enabling patients to remotely self-administer their own hearing examination. The objective of this review is to provide an up-to-date overview of current mobile health applications (apps) that claim to assess hearing. DESIGN: Narrative review. MEASUREMENTS: The Apple App Store and Google Play Store were queried for apps that claim to assess hearing. Relevant apps were downloaded and used to conduct a mock hearing assessment. Names of included apps were searched on four literature databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL) to determine which apps had been validated against gold standard methods. RESULTS: App store searches identified 44 unique apps. Apps differed with respect to the type of test offered (e.g., hearing threshold test), cost, strategies to reduce ambient noise, test output (quantitative vs qualitative results), and options to export results. Validation studies were identified for seven apps. CONCLUSION: Given their low cost and relative accessibility, smartphone-based hearing apps may facilitate screening for ARHL, particularly in the setting of limitations on in-person medical care due to COVID-19. However, app features vary widely, few apps have been validated, and user-centered designs for older adults are largely lacking. Further research and validation efforts are necessary to determine whether smartphone-based hearing assessments are a feasible and accurate screening tool for ARHL. Key Points Age-related hearing loss is a prevalent yet undertreated condition among older adults. Why Does this Paper Matter? Smartphone-based hearing test apps may facilitate remote screening for hearing loss, but limitations surrounding app validation, usability, equipment calibration, and data security should be addressed.
Localization of a mobile robot using a laser range finder in a hierarchical navigation system

The authors propose a hierarchical navigation system and the use of a line-scanning laser range finder for the localization of a mobile robot. For a mobile robot to navigate through an environment to a goal position the dead reckoning does not provide the accuracy of the position en-route, and the position needs be estimated through an external sensing mechanism. The localization of a mobile robot is discussed as part of a hierarchical navigation system based on a laser rangefinder device in an indoor environment. The localization is considered as a way of providing position feedback to the mobile robot. The localization is performed in steps of prediction of an environment around the mobile robot, range measurement, and disparity estimation to determine the location of the robot. A local map of the environment is predicted from the current map of the environment, and compared with the sensor readings to compensate for the errors of the driving system. >
Patient exposure and radiation environment of an extracorporeal shock wave lithotriptor system

Radiation exposures to the patient undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy were assessed along with the scattered radiation levels around the lithotriptor systems. The data gathered from 2 Dornier lithotriptor systems suggest that the lead shieldings required for this particular make and model are minimal. Owing to the physical size of the lithotriptor system, the treatment room housing it may not require additional lead shielding when the walls are constructed with appropriate materials. Typical radiation exposures to the patient have been assessed from the experimental data. The total amount of radiation exposures a patient is likely to receive has been estimated to be approximately 26 roentgens, for example 21 roentgens from 3 to 4 minutes of fluoroscopic exposure and 5 roentgens from 8 frames of video spot filming. The scattered radiation has been found to be approximately 0.5 mR. per hour at 3 feet or 91 cm. from the center of the lithotriptor water tank.
Mutagenesis of the putative nucleotide-binding domains of the multidrug resistance associated protein (MRP). Analysis of the effect of these mutations on MRP mediated drug resistance and transport.

Studies were conducted to examine the functional role of the nucleotide-binding domains of MRP in drug resistance and drug transport in isolated membrane vesicles. In vivo studies were conducted by preparing stable transfectants of HeLa cells with wild-type MRP cDNA or MRP cDNAs which had been mutated at certain nucleotide binding domains (NBD). Stable transfectants producing equivalent amounts of the MRP encoded protein P190 were used in this study. The results demonstrated that deletions in the C-motif of NBD1 or the A-motif of NBD2 have a pronounced effect in reducing resistance levels to chemotherapeutic agents. Certain single-site mutations in lysines in these same motifs also reduce IC50 values. It has also been observed that mutation of the MRP NBDs results in an increase in drug accumulation and a reduction in drug efflux. Additional studies have been carried out in which recombinant baculovirus containing either wild-type MRP or MRP containing mutated NBDs was prepared and used to infect SF21 insect cells. Using this system we have analyzed the effects of these mutations on in vitro transport of leukotriene C4 (LTC4) 17 s-estradiol 17 (s-D-glucuronide)(E217sG) and daunomycin in membrane vesicles prepared from baculovirus infected cells. The results demonstrate that deletions and site-specific mutations in MRP NBDs greatly reduce the ATP dependent transport of all three substrates. The results of these studies conducted both in vivo and in vitro demonstrate that the NBDs of MRP function in a cooperative manner and are critical for the transport activity of the MRP encoded protein P190. These studies also identify specific lysines in NBD1 and NBD2 which are important for optimal MRP activity.