cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synaptic Regulation of Mesocorticolimbic Dopamine Neurons

The mesocorticolimbic dopamine system is thought to be involved in psychosis and drug addiction. Many intrinsic membrane properties and synaptic regulators have been identified and characterized in the midbrain ventral tegmental dopamine neurons that give rise to this system. Other neuronal properties remain subject to considerable debate. The present review brings together a large literature regarding neurophysiological studies of the synaptic mechanisms thought to regulate the activity of ventral tegmental dopamine neurons. This work is placed within the context of the behavioral responsiveness of midbrain dopamine neurons and the alterations produced in these neurons by repeated treatment with and withdrawal from antipsychotic drugs and drugs of abuse.
Evaluation of Biological and Biorational Control Tactics for Suppression of Nantucket Pine Tip Moth Damage in Virginia Pine Christmas Trees

A study was performed to evaluate the potential of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma exiguum Pinto and Platner (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), the newly registered insect growth regulator (IGR) tebufenozide (Confirm), and a modified spray technique (top whorl only pesticide application) for suppression of Nantucket pine tip moth, Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), damage in Virginia pine, Pinus virginiana Mill., Christmas trees. Augmentative releases of T. exiguum failed to increase parasitism levels in release plots compared with controls, and significant reduction in tip moth damage did not occur. High predation levels on released T. exiguum may have contributed to the failure of parasitoid augmentations. Whole-tree and top whorl tebufenozide treatments provided significantly greater damage control than corresponding applications of acephate (Orthene), a commonly used pesticide in Christmas trees. Damage to trees receiving whole-tree chemical applications did not differ significantly from trees receiving top whorl treatments for most measurements of damage. Top whorl chemical treatments resulted in a 67% reduction in time required for application and a 70% reduction in pesticide used.
Early Developments of Weather Radar during World War II

I.I. Rabi, Nobel laureate in physics and one of the leaders in the development of both radar and the atomic bomb, has emphasized that the technological advance that contributed most to victory in World War II was not the bomb but microwave radar.
Brief of Professors Gregory Sisk and James Pfander as Amici Curiae in Support of Respondent, Simmons v. Himmelreich, No. 15-109 (Supreme Court)

In this brief in support of respondent, we argue against the application of the so-called judgment bar to preclude the assertion of claims under Bivens v. Six Unknown-Named Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (1971). The judgment bar, 28 U.S.C. § 2676 , was adopted as part of the Federal Tort Claims Act of 1946 to address an asymmetry in non-mutual issue preclusion that had developed in the law governing respondeat superior liability. While an unsuccessful negligence claim against an employee would block a subsequent vicarious liability suit against the employer, many states and the Restatement of Judgments (1942) held that tort litigation against the employer (or Government) would not similarly preclude a subsequent tort action against the employee. The FTCA judgment bar ensured that a judgment on the merits would operate as a preclusion bar in both directions, but it came into play only where the initial FTCA claim against the Government was based on a theory of vicarious liability and thus presented the identical theory of tort liability that was later asserted in litigation against the employee.Despite its narrow text and purpose, the FTCA judgment bar has been mistakenly applied to preclude a wide swath of constitutional tort claims under Bivens. Lower federal courts have applied the bar as a sweeping form of non-mutual claim preclusion, even where the FTCA judgment was reached on non-merits grounds that do not negate the employee’s liability under Bivens. And other courts have sensibly tried to avoid an unduly broad application of the judgment bar, but have done so by mistakenly characterizing a dismissal of an action against the Government by reason of a statutory exception to the FTCA as jurisdictional and thus having no preclusive effect.The Simmons v. Himmelreich case provides the Supreme Court with an opportunity to correct these misinterpretations. We argue that the judgment bar cannot preempt constitutional claims brought under the authority of Bivens. The Government itself bears no vicarious or respondeat superior liability for the constitutional torts of its employees; hence, common law tort claims against the Government under the FTCA lack, by definition, the theoretical identity necessary to bar constitutional tort claims against the employee. Put simply, the FTCA, and its judgment bar, was not designed to coordinate the liability of the Government under the FTCA and the liability of Government employees under Bivens.
Optical properties of Ge nanowires grown on silicon (100) and (111) substrates

In this paper, we report Raman Scattering (RS) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements of Ge nanowires (NWs) grown via vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) using chemical vapor deposition silicon substrates consisting of (100) and (111) crystallographic orientations. Ge NWs grown are ~40 nm in diameter, approximately a micrometer in length, and a sharp narrow Raman peak at ~300 cm−1 indicates single crystal quality. An absence of SiGe peak in the Raman spectra indicates that SiGe interdiffusion is insignificant for the NW volume. Low temperature PL-intensity-dependence spectra indicate that the observed emission originates at the Ge NW–Si substrate interface, where SiGe intermixing has been detected. This interface is formed differently for (111) and (100) oriented Si substrates due to the preferential growth direction of Ge NWs.
An Endemic Problem in Reverse-Time Migration

This paper discusses an endemic problem existing in commonly used reverse-time migration (RTM) algorithms, and how to overcome the problem. The problem is illustrated by applying RTM to both synthetic and field datasets. False images appear in the migrated results when strong velocity gradients or complex reflection interfaces are present in the migration velocity model. We have found that the false image is formed by turned or reflected rays that have the same traveltime as the actual wave propagating times. To remove the false images from the migration results, we separate the upgoing and downgoing waves in both source and receiver wavefields, then apply the migration imaging condition to the separated waves. A computationally efficient method can be made to eliminate the false images in RTM.
Cyclic mechanical stretch inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in fetal rat lung fibroblasts.

Development of the pulmonary air sacs is crucial for extrauterine survival. Late fetal lung development is characterized by a thinning of the mesenchyme, which brings pneumocytes and endothelial ce...
ATM Forum and Its Activities

ATM forum is a consortium of companies world wide. Its main mission is to speed up the development and deployment of ATM products through interoperability specifications. This paper reviews the ATM forum organization and various ATM specifications produced by the membership.
Progress on the Sub-Atomic Measuring Machine

In order to make engineering nanotechnology a practical discipline, machines that allow deterministic position and manufacturing at the sub-atomic level are required. At UNC Charlotte we have been working on such a machine for some years. Details regarding its construction, motor commutation laws, interferometry, etc. , have been published. We are now in the process of calibrating the machine using self-calibration techniques on a grid plate. An optical microscope was designed particularly to locate line features on this plate. It was designed to achieve nanometer level repeatability. The microscope uses a modulated light-emitting diode as its light source. It has two channels for optical imaging: one consists of two slits for precision measurement of line positions and the other of a camera for direct visual observation. A lock-in amplifier is used for demodulating the electrical signal from the photodiodes behind the slits. Initial experiments locating crosses on a grid plate indicate a repeatability of approximately 1 nm, one standard deviation. The stage has also been error-mapped using a newly developed algorithm and we are in the process of checking this error mapping.
Advanced Airborne UV DIAL System for Stratospheric and Tropospheric Ozone and Aerosol Measurements

An advanced UV DIAL system for airborne measurements of ozone and aerosol distributions across the troposphere and lower stratosphere was developed at the NASA Langley Research Center during 1995. This paper describes the system and its improved performance including examples from the recent TOTE/VOTE field campaign.
Tentative Identification of the Pea Chloroplast Envelope Glycolate Transporter

The photorespiratory metabolites, glycolate and D-glycer-ate, cross the chloroplast envelope on the same carrier (1, 2, 3, 4). The overall stoichiometry of this transport, during photo-respiration, is proposed to be two glycolates plus one proton leaving the chloroplast and one D-glycerate entering it (3).
Integral of Nonnegative Functions

Let X be an arbitrary set. A simple function on X is a real-valued function \(\varphi: X\! \rightarrow \mathbb{R}\) with a finite range (i.e., a function that takes on only a finite number of distinct values). It is clear that \(\varphi\) is a simple function if and only if it can be represented as a linear combination of characteristic functions,
Work-Up of the Patient with Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia must be recognized promptly and treated effectively, if permanent damage to the brain is to be prevented. Rational treatment demands a specific diagnosis of the disease causing the hypoglycemia. Timely determination of blood concentrations of insulin, growth hormone, and cortisol at the time of hypoglycemia can elucidate endocrinologic causes of hypoglycemia. The endocrinologist may be the first consultant to see the patient, and, if these determinations have not been made, often orders a control LED fast. It is important to educate these colleagues of the importance of obtaining metabolic testing before. Patients in whom endocrine evaluations are normal may have ketotic or hypoketotic hypoglycemia. This important distinction is best made by determination of free fatty acids, acetoacetate, and 3-hydroxybutyrate at the time of hypoglycemia. Ketotic hypoglycemia includes the disorders of carbohydrate metabolism and ketolysis as well as the transient disorder termed ketotic hypoglycemia. Hypoketotic hypoglycemia, in the absence of hyperinsulinemia, includes most of the disorders of fatty acid oxidation.
A progressive de-skewing technique for document image analysis

Skew detection in document images is an important pre-processing step for several document analysis algorithms. In this work, we propose a fast method that estimates skew angles based on a local-to-global approach. Many existing techniques that are based on connected component analysis, group together pixels in order to form small document objects. Then, a Hough transform is used to estimate the skew angle. The connected components detection process introduces an undesired overhead. Nearest neighbor based techniques are only based on local groups and thus fail to achieve great skew accuracy. Techniques based on projections create 1-D profiles by successively rotating the document in a range of angles. The detection speed can be accelerated considering rotations from coarse to fine. However, the rotation and projection can be relatively slow. The proposed technique is characterized by both high processing speed and high skew estimation accuracy. First, local ring-shaped areas are analyzed for an initial skew estimation by building angle histograms between random points and the ring centers. Following a ring selection process, a single histogram is obtained. A range of angles around the best candidates obtained from the initial skew estimation is further examined. Experimental results have shown that the proposed technique yields superior results in terms of estimation accuracy and speed compared to existing techniques.
T021 Synaptic plasticity mechanism explains the specificity of direct current stimulation

Abstract Long term effects of transcranial electric stimulation with direct currents (tDCS) have been often attributed to synaptic plasticity. A number of human and animal studies provide support for this hypothesis. However, the exact mechanisms by which direct current stimulation affects synaptic plasticity remain unclear. Here we will present data on long term potentiation (LTP) and long term depression (LTD) of synaptic efficacy – the presumed cellular mechanism of learning. The experiments leverage classic plasticity induction protocols in hippocampal rodent brain slices (high frequency pulses, low frequency pulses, and theta burst stimulation). The main finding is that direct current stimulation in isolation does not affect synaptic efficacy. Only when stimulation is paired with one of these induction protocols do we observe effects on synaptic efficacy. The effects vanish in the presence of NMDA receptor blockers. The polarity of the effect depends on the induction mechanism and the site of plasticity, suggesting that the local polarization of the cellular membrane is the mediating factor. Based on these data we propose that tDCS in human experiments is task specific, not because of the exact placement of electrodes, but because stimulation only affects those synapses that are already undergoing plasticity. We predict that the most specific and effective tDCS interventions will be those that pair stimulation with a concurrent adaptation or learning protocol.
Hypothesis Tests Concerning Two Populations

The importance of using a control in the testing of a new drug or a new procedure is discussed, and we see how this often results in comparisons between parameters of two different populations. We show how to test that two normal populations have the same population mean, both when the population variances are known and when they are unknown. We show how to test the equality of two population proportions.
The Health and Economic Well-Being of US Mothers with Intellectual Impairments

BACKGROUND While the United States has seen increased attention by policymakers on the rights of parents with disabilities, there is limited understanding of the health and economic well-being of parents with intellectual impairments. This study compares the health and economic well-being of mothers with and without intellectual impairments. METHODS This descriptive, exploratory study is a secondary analysis of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. This study includes a subsample of mothers of three-year-old children (n = 1561), including mothers with intellectual impairments (n = 263) and without intellectual impairments (n = 1298). RESULTS US Mothers with intellectual impairments are more likely to report serious health conditions, have less instrumental support, live in poverty, receive public benefits and experience certain material hardships. CONCLUSION Findings from this study indicate the need for policies and programmes to support parents with intellectual impairments by addressing their health and economic needs.
John Baptist de La Salle, John Henry Newman, and the Prospect of a Catholic Work College

This paper uses the recent decision on the part of Silver Lake College to become the nation's first 'Catholic Work College' to consider the concept of a Work College in light of the Catholic educational tradition. In particular, this paper discerns notable contributions from John Henry Newman as well as the Lasallian tradition that work neatly in tandem to justify, if not encourage, the work college model. While Silver Lake College is itself a Franciscan institution and need not consider any formal adoption of Lasallian spirituality, this paper contends that any and all Catholic institutions of higher learning might benefit from the insights of Newman and La Salle's Brothers, especially in the case of any Catholic institutions considering an application (to whatever degree) of the work college model.
Freeform optics for imaging and non-imaging

We will discuss our recent development of freeform optics for imaging and non-imaging applications, from the design methods to fabrication and metrology.
Dissolving Metal Reductions

The products formed in dissolving metal reductions are often determined by the presence or absence of a proton source, as well as by other experimental conditions such as the particular metal and solvents used [1–3]. These differences may result from protonation of the initial anion radicals to yield radical intermediates, as well as from the ability of the proton source to limit the basicity of the media. Based on the analogy between a trimethylsilyl group and a proton, it is not surprising that TMS-Cl is able to influence the course of dissolving metal reductions.
Effectiveness and Safety of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for Aortic Stenosis in Patients With "Porcelain" Aorta.

Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with porcelain aorta is considered a high-risk procedure. Hence, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is emerging as the intervention of choice. However, there is a paucity of data directly comparing TAVI with SAVR in patients with porcelain aorta. We compared outcomes of TAVI versus SAVR in high-risk patients with porcelain between March 2012 and June 2015. The TAVI group included 54 patients, whereas 130 SAVR patients with porcelain aorta were identified (operated on between 2004 and 2015). Both groups were matched 1:1 based on the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality (STS-PROM) score with a 0.5% a priori caliper, resulting in 52 matched pairs. The mean STS-PROM was 7.3 ± 3.9 for both groups (p = 0.98), whereas mean age was 77.5 years for TAVI and 78.8 years for SAVR (p = 0.46). Compared with SAVR, TAVI patients had lower operative mortality (3.8% vs 17.3%; p = 0.052), significantly shorter median intensive care unit (40 vs 107 hours; p
Unified stability criteria for slowly time-varying and switched linear systems

Abstract This paper presents a unified approach to formulating stability conditions for slowly time-varying linear systems and switched linear systems. The concept of total variation is generalized to the case of matrix-valued functions. Using this generalized concept, a result extending existing stability conditions for slowly time-varying linear systems is derived. As special cases of this result, two sets of stability conditions are derived for switched linear systems, which match known results in the literature. A numerical example is included to further illustrate the application of the main result.
Cancer Screening in Women by Internal Medicine Resident Physicians

ABSTRACTBackground.Research suggests that women may not have consistent cancer surveillance.Methods.We conducted a retrospective review of internal medicine resident physicians' screening methods for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer of women aged 50 or older.Results.Resident physicians did br
Absolute p-Refinement of Two-Dimensional Elasticity Problems in the Vicinity of Boundary Solution Singularities

A simple polynomial refinement formulation is developed to study the convergence of the collocation boundary element method for two-dimensional elasticity problems, in the vicinity of a boundary solution singularity. The boundary solution singularity considered here is created by discontinuous boundary conditions prescribed at a point on the boundary. A combination of analytic and numeric integrations are used in evaluating the boundary integrals for discontinuous, constant, and continuous, linear through cubic, solution distributions. The L2 boundary error norm, relative percentage error, and solution norm ratio are used to study convergence of displacements and tractions at the crack tip of a plate fracture problem. The reference for convergence is the solution obtained from a fine mesh of quadratic boundary elements.
Science and Modern Chinese Culture

Discussions of science and culture run the same risks as all other discussions of cultural phenomena. The chief risk, as Clifford Geertz remarks, is the danger of losing “touch with the hard realities of life—with the political, economic stratificatory realities within which men are everywhere contained”. As Geertz also remarks, the only defence is to place those realities squarely in view ‘in the first place’ and to focus attention on “particular attempts by particular people” to set them in a “comprehensible, meaningful frame” (1).
Ventricular repolarization: T waves and U waves

Jennifer Yost is a 13-year-old girl who comes to your office accompanied by her parents. They are concerned that she has had episodes of passing out (the medical term for transient loss of consciousness is syncope) while exercising. Her ECG is shown in Figure 1 .
Chapter 17 – Hybrid Adenoviral Vectors

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the properties of viral vectors which have been utilized to generate hybrid adenoviral vectors for enhancing vector efficacy in the clinical studies. Ideologies for gene therapy vectors differ considerably among different disorders. The development of hybrid viral vectors is fundamentally not a new technology in gene therapy. Since the dawn of gene therapy, scientists have utilized alternative as-acting sequences from other viruses, specifically promoters and enhancers, to drive transgene expression. A number of hybrid adenoviral vector systems have been reported in the literature, combining the properties of retroviruses (RV), adeno-associated viruses (AAV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) vectors, as well as elements of other adenovirus (Ad) serotypes, to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of Ad vectors in vivo. The negative attributes of one vector, however, generally emphasize the positive attributes of another. Thus most of the criteria defined for a hypothetical perfect gene therapy might actually be met by considering defined properties of the currently available vectors. The current advances in gene therapy technology ensure that hybrid viral vectors will play major role in future clinical protocols.
Early Auditory Processing

Early areas of auditory cortex in the superior temporal lobe can be subdivided into more than a dozen core, belt, and parabelt regions. The core and surrounding belt show a clear cochleotopic organization, with areas at each stage being mirror-symmetrical to each other. Neurons in the core are mostly tuned to a narrow spectrum of frequencies, whereas neurons in both the lateral belt and medial belt prefer band-passed noise with specific bandwidths. Core and belt neurons also respond well to frequency sweeps, often to specific speeds and sweep directions. The belt and parabelt show evidence of hierarchical processing with increasing preference for complex sounds.
Abstract TP278: Decade-Long Trends in Recanalization Therapy at a Large Regional Comprehensive Stroke Center in Texas

Introduction: Recanalization therapy (RT) is the cornerstone of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) management. We present 10-year trend in RT at our center, and explore effects of increasing telemedicine ...
The Role of Hospitalists in a New Hospital: Physician’s Perspective

In the 1990s, financial pressures combined with logistical concerns pressured general internists to choose between inpatient and outpatient practice. Those who decided to focus mainly on inpatient management became hospitalists. Over a 20-year period, their numbers grew quickly, and physicians from many other specialty areas joined their ranks. Today they number over 50,000, and hospitalists are on the medical staff of over 75% of US hospitals. The movement is credited with reductions in length of stay and hospital cost, but measures relating to patient outcomes are mixed – with studies showing a mixture of positive, neutral, or even negative results. Hospitalists have generally been satisfied with their careers and often serve as leaders of quality and safety initiatives. They also play a vital role in the education of both house officers and medical students and are well positioned to lead innovations that will positively impact the future of health care in the United States. Continuing realignment of residency training with hospital and community needs will promote well-being of providers and the durability of hospital medicine.
Flexible, Front-Facing Luminescent Solar Concentrators Fabricated from Lumogen F Red 305 and Polydimethylsiloxane

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) fabricated with transparent host materials and fluorescent organic dyes are cost effective and versatile tools for solar power production. In this study, the first flexible, front-facing LSCs utilizing Lumogen F Red 305 (LR305) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were demonstrated. Bulk-doped devices, fabricated with dye evenly distributed throughout the waveguide, were optimized for light gain with LR305 concentrations between 0.075 and 0.175 g/l. Thin-film devices, fabricated with a thin layer of luminescent material applied to the bottom side of the waveguide, were optimized between 0.5 and 0.75 g/l. The bulk-doped and thin-film devices produced light gains of 1.86 and 1.89, respectively, demonstrating that flexible designs can be developed without sacrificing power production. Bulk-doped devices proved to be less effective than thin-film devices at collecting direct light due to the placement of fluorescent dyes above the front-facing solar cell. Thin-film devices demonstrated less light collection than bulk-doped devices further from the device centers possibly due to quenching and self-absorption losses at higher dye concentrations. Light collection was minimally impacted by moderate bending in both LSC designs, suggesting that flexible, front-facing devices could be effectively deployed on curved and uneven surfaces. Finally, optical measurements of the LSC waveguides suggest that they could support plant growth underneath. Similar designs could be developed for applications in agricultural settings.
Trends in Successful Ablation Sites and Outcomes of Ablation for Idiopathic Outflow Tract Ventricular Arrhythmias

Abstract Objectives This study sought to examine clinical characteristics of procedural and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing catheter ablation (CA) of outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias (OT-VAs) over 16 years. Background CA is an effective treatment strategy for OT-VAs. Methods Patients undergoing CA for OT-VAs from 1999 to 2015 were divided into 3 periods: 1999 to 2004 (early), 2005 to 2010 (middle), and 2011 to 2015 (recent). Successful ablation site (right ventricular OT, aortic cusps/left ventricular OT, or coronary venous system/epicardium), VA morphology (right bundle branch block or left bundle branch block), and acute and clinical success rates were assessed. Results Six hundred eighty-two patients (336 female) were included (early: n = 97; middle: n = 204; recent: n = 381). Over time there was increase in use of irrigated ablation catheters and electroanatomic mapping, and more VAs were ablated from the aortic cusp/left ventricular OT or coronary venous system/epicardium (14% vs. 45% vs. 56%; p Conclusions Over a 16-year period there was an increase in patients undergoing CA for OT-VTs, with more ablations performed at non–right ventricular outflow tract locations using electroanatomic mapping and irrigated-tip catheters. Over time, single procedure success has improved and complications have remained limited.
Explicit Text Structure Instruction Supports Expository Text Comprehension for Adolescents With Learning Disabilities: A Systematic Review:

This systematic review article summarizes the effects of explicit text structure instruction on expository text comprehension for adolescents with learning disabilities or at risk for reading failu...
Efficacy of Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor in Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Severe alcoholic hepatitis is a condition with a very high mortality rate and there is a paucity of evidence regarding efficacy and safety of most available therapeutic options. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the survival benefit of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis. Methods Studies involving adult patients receiving G-CSF for severe alcoholic hepatitis were searched in MEDLINE, Ovid journals, MEDLINE nonindexed citations, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Systematic Reviews. Pooling was conducted by both fixed and random effects model. Results The initial search identified 543 reference articles; of these 24 relevant articles were selected and reviewed. Data was extracted from four studies (n = 136) which met the inclusion criteria. In the pooled analysis, the 90-day survival in the G-CSF group was 80.03% (95% CI = 69.93-88.49) compared to 40.92% (95% CI = 29.76-52.58) in the Standard Medical Therapy (SMT) group. At 28 days, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score lowered by 4.89 (95% CI = 4.13-5.64) in the G-CSF group compared to 4.00 (95% CI = 3.25-4.75) in the SMT group. Child-Turcotte-Pugh score declined by 2.26 (95% CI = 1.90-2.63) in the G-CSF group after 28 days compared to 0.91 (95% CI = 0.59-1.23) in the SMT group. At 28 days, Maddrey Discriminant Function score lowered by 39.79 (95% CI = 34.22-45.36) in the G-CSF group compared to 12.39 (95% CI = 6.90-17.88) in the SMT group. Conclusions In patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis, G-CSF therapy resulted in significantly improved 90-day survival compared to SMT. It also demonstrated significant reduction in severity indices (Child-Turcotte-Pugh, MELD, and Maddrey discriminant function) after 28 days of treatment. There certainly is a need for further studies, including development of personalized therapeutic dosing schedules, for G-CSF administration.
Impact of Time Restricted Feeding on Markers of Cardiometabolic Health and Oxidative Stress in Resistance-Trained Firefighters.

McAllister, MJ, Gonzalez, AE, and Waldman, HS. Impact of time restricted feeding on markers of cardiometabolic health and oxidative stress in resistance-trained firefighters. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-Firefighters are often exposed to numerous occupational stressors that cause inflammation, oxidative stress (OS), and elevated risk for developing cardiometabolic disease. Time-restricted feeding (TRF) has been shown to result in favorable changes in markers of inflammation and cardiometabolic health. This study investigated the impact of a 6-week TRF intervention (14:10; fasting:feeding) in resistance-trained firefighters. Blood was analyzed for several markers of inflammation, OS, and cardiometabolic health: insulin, ghrelin, leptin, glucagon, adiponectin, resistin, advanced glycated end products (AGE), advanced oxidation protein products, total nitrite-nitrate levels, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, as well as glucose and lipid levels. A graded exercise test was also conducted before and after the TRF intervention, and substrate oxidation rates were calculated and compared before and after the intervention. Comparisons pre and post TRF were determined with dependent t-tests. Time-restricted feeding resulted in significant reductions in advanced oxidation protein products (∼31%) and AGEs (∼25%); however, no other changes were found. These findings suggest that TRF may be a nutrition intervention aimed at improving some select markers of cardiometabolic health in firefighters, namely, by the reductions in advanced oxidation protein products and AGEs.
Failing And Not Falling (F&!F): Data-Enabled Classification Learning of Aircraft Accidents and Incidents

Journey by aircraft is the only option for long-distance transportation and also one of the frequently used modes of transportation of passengers. As a result, safety of passengers and efficiency of the aircraft depend on maintaining efficient running conditions. Although many safety standards are followed in the design of the aircraft, and thus there are fewer accidents, it is necessary to perform a thorough analysis to avoid risks that may occur during flight time. In the present work, we propose a maintenance strategy, Failing And Not Falling (F&!F), based on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data in the USA. We work with the dataset of Boeing 737. The data consists of 72 features with 137,236 records which describe an aircraft accident or incident. These features are used to predict whether an incident will be identified during aircraft maintenance or during aircraft operation and what specific type of incident will occur. The prediction method is based on the integration of a decision tree and a unique neural network at each node of the decision tree. The results obtained using different architectures show how deep the neural networks should be, how to identify the relevant features, and the success of combining decision trees and neural networks. Moreover, the neural networks and the decision tree approach also successfully identified the important features of maintenance. This method can be used for the maintenance of any data in multiple domains.
Synergies in Recurring Procurement Auctions: An Empirical Investigation

This article examines the impact of synergies on bidder behavior in recurring road construction procurement auctions. The study reveals that projects are spatially correlated. When bidders with potential synergies participate, the results indicate that their probability of bidding and winning increases and they bid more aggressively. Finally, the study shows that a firm that is capacity unconstrained will bid more aggressively than one that is capacity constrained.
Evaluation of the Evidence Base for Shared Reading to Support Literacy Skill Development for Students with Extensive Support Needs.

This systematic literature review updates and extends the findings of Hudson and Test’s 2011 review of literature on shared reading, an interactive read-aloud practice, to promote literacy skills f...
Can We Unlink Taxation From Public Expenditure

Although central banks strive in most countries to regulate financial markets through monetary instruments while treasury departments formulate fiscal policies to attempt to match taxation with public expenditure, the economies of these countries continue to generate uncontrollable budget deficits and inflation. The key question addressed in this paper is whether the policies of the treasury departments and central banks are relevant to the functioning of the financial markets where fiat currency is supposed to facilitate transactions rather than being a commodity. A parsimonious model of the macroeconomic system subsuming also the fiscal and monetary interventions is presented. The model is used to understand the relevance of taxation to fiat money and to explore alternative policy instruments for funding public expenditure and regulating money supply while delinking it from taxation, which would allow public spending to proceed without excessive budget constraints.
Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA Identifies Asymptomatic Infection in First Responders.

Background IgA is an important component of the early immune response to SARS-CoV-2. Prior serosurveys in high-risk groups employing IgG testing alone have provided discordant estimates. The potential added benefit of IgA in serosurveys has not been established. Methods Longitudinal serosurvey of first responders (police, emergency medical service providers, fire fighters, and other staff) employing three serologic tests: anti-spike IgA, anti-spike IgG, and anti-nucleocapsid IgG correlated with surveys assessing occupational and non-occupational risk, exposure to COVID-19 and illnesses consistent with COVID-19. Results Twelve percent of first responders in Colorado at baseline and 22% at follow-up were assessed as having SARS-CoV-2 infection. Five percent at baseline and 6% at follow-up were seropositive only for IgA. Among those IgA positive only at baseline, the majority 69% had a positive antibody at follow-up. 45% of those infected at baseline and 33% at follow-up were asymptomatic. At all time points, the estimated cumulative incidence in our study was higher than that in the general population. Conclusions First responders are at high risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2. IgA testing identified a significant portion of cases missed by IgG testing and its use as part of serologic surveys may improve retrospective identification of asymptomatic infection.
The P-Clusters of Azotobacter vinelandii Molybdenum Nitrogenase

Recent x-ray crystallographic data confirms that the P-clusteris an 8Fe-7S cluster and that significant structural differences exist between the oxidized and reduced cluster forms of the MoFe protein (Pox/Mox; PN/MN). These changes are confined to movement of two of the four Fe atoms of the b-subunit partial cubane upon redox (Peters et al, 1997). This movement results in an exchange of covalent ligands such that βSer188 and αCys88 ligands are replaced by interactions with the central sulfur. In addition to the six cysteine ligands that coordinate the P-clusters, the A. vinelandii MoFe protein structural model shows that βSer188 coordinates the same iron as βCys153. Substitution of αCys88, βCys153 and βSer188 has been discovered to be tolerated with respect to retaining significant spectroscopc and catalytic activity.
M'Wanna M'Bella and the Four Dollar Whore

We figure there's all kinds of whores in this particular place and we are both very happy about it because we never expected it. We sort of hoped there would be some whores in this part of town, but they kept telling us you can never find a whore on Monday. They're supposed to go to church and pray or go to the ceme tery and put flowers on their relatives' graves and generally behave in a ladylike manner until Tuesday morning, when they all come out in the sun at nine o'clock and start acting up and making all kinds of gestures and they go on all day and all night like machines. We guess these here whores are in pretty bad shape financially speaking, and most of them look like it, but we're getting so drunk on cheap wine we don't give a damn about it. In fact, M'Wanna M'Bella is very excited, and he says he's gonna light a joint of this black stuff that he got. I'm gonna get hallucinations, he says, and hallucinations on tops of hallucinations. Like you look at one of them whores in those cheap colorful rags and you take a real big drag on the joint and you hold your breath. Then the old doll kinda falls apart, he says, in very colorful bits and you get a funny whine in your ears with a rhythm to it, so that the rags will go tweeng-tweeng. Have you ever tried it, he says. No, I say. I also say he'd better not light up the joint, on account of this here is a strange town and people are always objecting to your smoking any thing but tobacco. I'm very surprised at M'Wanna M'Bella because he looks at me very seriously and agrees. I agree, he says, and we sit down at this table quite contented and happy and all smiles and niceties. M'Wanna M'Bella gets nice to me and I get nice to him. I say, please, sir, after you, sir, are you comfortable, sir. And he says, no, sir, I insist, sir, what will you have, sir. We keep on doing that for awhile like we're having a great deal of fun doing it, and finally I can't help burping and M'Wanna M'Bella pretends he's very upset and shakes his big head and puts his hand over his mouth like he says the women in his tribe do when they are embarrassed. Now these guys are watching us, at first without under standing and then laughing, but M'Wanna M'Bella doesn't like that people laugh at him, so he frowns very powerfully at these people and they all stop laughing,
Potential Etiologic Factors of Microbiome Disruption in Autism

Abstract Purpose The primary purpose of this article was to consider the candidate disruptors of the development of a healthy microbiome in patients with autism. The reported abnormalities in the microbiome of individuals with autism are discussed. Methods This selected review used data from published articles related to the assessment of microbiota in autism. Evidence-based support of factors known to affect the intestinal microbiome in individuals with autism are presented. Proposed interventions are evaluated and discussed. Findings Studies that have investigated the intestinal microbiome in patients with autism have reported significant differences versus unaffected controls. Increased clostridial species in autism have been reported in several studies. These differences may have resulted from a number of environmental factors. Microbiome alterations that might contribute to the development of autism include altered immune function and bacterial metabolites. Implications Efforts to modify microbial imbalances through a variety of interventions are addressed. Focusing on mechanisms that drive imbalances in the microbiome may affect the development of disease. Altered intestinal health may contribute to the development of autistic behaviors or autism itself. Interventions aimed at improving intestinal health may favorably affect the microbiome and autism.
Flow for phase locked loop mixed signal simulation and characterization using behavioral modeling

In order to reduce the number of design iterations for complex mixed signal telecommunication ICs, prediction of noise at an early stage of a design is essential. This paper present a robust mixed signal design flow to model phase noise or jitter on a VCO based PLL circuit using a mixed signal hardware description language VHDL-AMS and to measure this jitter.
Level set simulation of coupled advection‐diffusion and pore structure evolution due to mineral precipitation in porous media

[1] A pore-scale simulation technique based on level set interface tracking has been developed for modeling coupled reactive flow and structure evolution in porous media and fracture apertures. Advection, diffusion, and mineral precipitation resulting in changes in pore geometries are treated simultaneously by solving fully coupled fluid flow and reactive solute transport equations. The reaction-induced evolution of solid grain surfaces is captured using a level set method, and a subgrid representation of the interface based on the level set approach is used instead of a pixel representation of the interface often used in cellular automata and lattice-Boltzmann simulations. Precipitation processes within a 2-D porous medium represented by nonoverlapping discs were simulated under various flow conditions and reaction rates, and the resulting changes of pore geometry are discussed. The simulation results indicate that under reaction-limited conditions, precipitation is nearly uniform over the grain surfaces. However, this is no longer true when reaction is relatively fast and diffusion is the dominant transport process. In such cases, precipitation occurs mostly near the throat inlet and results in rapid permeability reduction with only a small reduction of porosity. In the case of fast reaction with transport dominated by advection (which is mostly likely in engineered remediation applications), solute can be delivered deep into fracture apertures and precipitation occurs mostly along preferential flow paths. Quantitative relationships between permeability and porosity under various flow conditions and reaction rates are also reported.
Enzyme pattern-directed chemotherapy. Effects of antipyrimidine combinations on the ribonucleotide content of hepatomas.

Abstract Using combinations of three antipyrimidine drugs, chosen on the basis of expected antihepatoma selectivity, we examined the effects on pyrimidine ribonucleotide pools in rat hepatomas (Morris 8999 and 3924A) and host livers. d -Galactosamine gave a marked decrease in UTP in hepatomas, 3-deazauridine caused decreases in CTP concentration, and these two agents together gave very pronounced (up to 86 per cent) decreases in hepatoma CTP content. Pyrazofurin caused decreases in UTP in both hepatoma and host liver, but in combination with d -galactosamine, pyrazofurin decreased hepatoma CTP by up to 79 per cent without decreasing the host liver CTP. The combination of pyrazofurin and d -galactosamine also gave a significantly greater depression of UTP levels in hepatoma 8999 than in host liver. Uridine and orotic acid both restored the d -galactosamine-induced depletion of UTP in liver and hepatoma 8999.
Initial feasibility testing of limited field of view magnetic resonance thermometry using a local cardiac radiofrequency coil.

The visualization of lesion formation in real time is one potential benefit of carrying out radiofrequency ablation under magnetic resonance (MR) guidance in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. MR thermometry has the potential to detect such lesions. However, performing MR thermometry during cardiac radiofrequency ablation requires high temporal and spatial resolution and a high signal-to-noise ratio. In this study, a local MR coil (2-cm diameter) was developed to investigate the feasibility of performing limited field of view MR thermometry with high accuracy and speed. The local MR coil allowed high-resolution (1 × 1 × 3 mm3) image acquisitions in 76.3 ms with a field of view 64 × 32 mm2 during an open-chest animal experiment. This represents a 4-fold image acquisition acceleration and an 18-fold field of view reduction compared to that achieved using external MR coils. The signal sensitivity achieved using the local coil was over 20 times greater than that achievable using external coils with the same scan parameters. The local coil configuration provided fewer artifacts and sharper and more stable images. These results demonstrate that MR thermometry can be performed in the heart wall and that lesion formation can be observed during radiofrequency ablation procedures in a canine model. Magn Reson Med, 70:994–1004, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.>
Experimental study of the Cu–Ni–Y system at 700 °C using diffusion couples and key alloys

Three solid-solid and two solid-liquid diffusion couples together with 32 key samples were used to construct the isothermal section of the Mg-Ni-Y system at 673 K. The present investigation revealed 12 ternary intermetallic compounds. Crystal structures of two ternary compounds τ1 (Gd4RhIn prototype with lattice parameter of a = 1.3666 nm) and τ2 (Mo2FeB2 prototype with lattice parameters of a = 0.7395 nm and c = 0.3736 nm) were determined. The phase relations and ternary solubility of the binary and ternary compounds at 673 K were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wave dispersive X-ray spectrometer (WDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis.
Gabapentin for the treatment of pain related to radiation-induced mucositis in patients with head and neck cancers treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)

16513 Background: Gabapentin has been reported to effectively treat multiple neuropathic pain syndromes. This retrospective study evaluates the efficacy of gabapentin for the treatment of pain rela...