cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology and Natural History of Urinary Tract Infections in Children

Recent retrospective surveys have supported previous investigations in demonstrating the incidence of UTI during infancy; 0.3% to 1.2% of infants develop symptomatic UTI during the first year of life. Boys are more commonly infected during the first 3 months of life. After the first year, symptomatic UTI is much more frequent among girls. Similarly, asymptomatic bacteriuria is more frequently detected in boys than in girls during the first 12 months of life. Thereafter, the incidence decreases markedly in boys but increases in girls. Recent investigations indicate that lack of circumcision is a risk factor for UTI among male infants. Recurrent UTI is common and frequently asymptomatic. The most important microbiologic factor that is associated with E. coli causing acute pyelonephritis is adherence mediated by P fimbriae. Other factors, such as capsule, lipopolysaccharide, aerobactin production, and serum resistance, also determine the invasiveness of E. coli. Vesicoureteral reflux appears to be an important host factor predisposing to UTI. Microbiologic and host factors that are determinants of renal scarring are under investigation.
Evaluation of Elementary Textbooks

(1971). Evaluation of Elementary Textbooks. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 78, No. 2, pp. 189-191.
I’m New…Again: Reconceptualizing the Socialization Process Through Rotational Programs

Communication scholars have studied how organizations socialize new employees in breadth, but we know less about how employees adapt to multiple roles rather than just one position. With the rise of rotational programs, which introduce newcomers to several different jobs within a brief time, socialization theory should be expanded. This study focused on people’s experiences in rotational programs to provide a more accurate picture of this complex socialization process. Longitudinal, qualitative data from employees during their first and second job rotation revealed that such employees’ socialization differs from traditional employees’ experiences. The results suggested a Model of Rotational Socialization that more accurately portrays the socialization process by accounting for the contrast between role and organizational socialization.
Expenditure Effects of Federal Aid: Data Aggregation and the Risk of Uncertainty

Social scientists frequently test theories about individual behavior using aggregate data, and public officials must often choose between alternatives intended to affect the behavior of individuals on the basis of judgments drawn from the study of aggregates. Such a strategy satisfies the demand for simple aggregated summary information in two ways. It lowers the cost of planning and coordination in specialized organizations by making it easier to grasp the implications of a mass of data, and it also lowers the cost of transmitting information.
Organic molecules as tools to control the growth, surface structure, and redox activity of colloidal quantum dots.

In order to achieve efficient and reliable technology that can harness solar energy, the behavior of electrons and energy at interfaces between different types or phases of materials must be understood. Conversion of light to chemical or electrical potential in condensed phase systems requires gradients in free energy that allow the movement of energy or charge carriers and facilitate redox reactions and dissociation of photoexcited states (excitons) into free charge carriers. Such free energy gradients are present at interfaces between solid and liquid phases or between inorganic and organic materials. Nanostructured materials have a higher density of these interfaces than bulk materials. Nanostructured materials, however, have a structural and chemical complexity that does not exist in bulk materials, which presents a difficult challenge: to lower or eliminate energy barriers to electron and energy flux that inevitably result from forcing different materials to meet in a spatial region of atomic dimensi...
Pancreatic carcinoma presenting as primary lung cancer.

PreviewBecause pancreatic cancer often metastasizes to other sites, it may not be diagnosed until autopsy. Pulmonary metastases from the pancreas are not uncommon but unfortunately not often recognized. Dr Mishriki describes a patient with obstruction of the superior vena cava and metastatic pancreatic cancer that was misdiagnosed as primary lung cancer. Autopsy revealed the pancreas to be the primary tumor site.
Abstract IA21: Mutant p53 activities in tumor development.

Alterations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene stand out as the most common alteration in many cancers including 96% of ovarian serous carcinoma. The fact that most p53 alterations in tumors are missense mutations suggests that cells expressing mutant p53 have an inherent biologic advantage (often termed gain of function (GOF)) over tumors lacking p53. Mouse models directly examined the role of p53 mutants in tumorigenesis and show an increased invasiveness and aggressive nature of mutant p53 tumors as opposed to those lacking p53. An additional prerequisite for GOF is the stabilization of mutant p53 proteins by various signaling pathways. The emerging themes by which mutant p53 exhibits its gain of function are 1) through formation of mutant p53 complexes with other proteins that modify their activities (p63 and p73, for example), and 2) by interaction of mutant p53 with other transcription factors (SREBP and Ets2, for example) that bring a potent transcriptional activation domain to promoters not normally regulated by wild type p53. An understanding of the mechanisms that drive mutant p53 activities in ovarian serous carcinoma is needed. Citation Format: Guillermina Lozano. Mutant p53 activities in tumor development. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr IA21.
Clofibrate selectively induces azoreduction of dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB) by rat liver microsomes.

Reduction of azo linkages in xenobiotics has long been known in biological systems. Fifty years ago, the antibacterial dye, prontosil, was shown to be reduced to the active product, sulfanilamide, by colonic bacterial. Hernandez et a1.2 found that reduction of prontosil and neotetrazolium by rat liver microsomes is partially inhibited by CO, implying the involvement of cytochrome P-450. Purified NADPH-cytochrome c reductase also catalyzes reduction and accounts for CO-insensitive activity3. Fujita and Peisach4 reported that azoreduction of amaranth is almost completely inhibited by CO and is induced by treatment with phenobarbital (PB) or 3-methylcholanthrene (MC). Under all conditions, the rate of azoreduction of amaranth is proportional to total microsomal cytochrome P-450. Antibodies against PB- and MC-induced cytochrome P-450 almost completely inhibit azoreduction of amaranth in PB- or MC-induced microsomes, respectively6. Recently, it was shown that purified cytochrome P-450 from PB-induced rat livers readily reduces amaranth7. Thus, there are several distinct azoreductases in microsomes which can be distinguished by their substrate spectificities. FMN and FAD markedly stimulate azoreduction of amaranth5 and neoprontosil8. The stimulated activity is unaffected by CO, implying, although not necessarily proving, that cytochrome P-450 is not involved. However, it was later demonstrated that these flavines could transfer electrons from both NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome P-450 to dye.9
Reliability, uncertainty, and costs in the evolution of animal learning

Learning is a fundamental mechanism in the behavior of animals. Theorists have long proposed that learning is an adaptation to environmental change, but change itself can present a logical paradox in that change can select both for and against learning. One way to resolve this paradox is through separating change into different components, such as the reliability of stimuli that can be used as cues for behavior, and the certainty with which those cues predict the best behavior to employ. Simple models using these components of change can be successfully applied through experimental evolution to directly test hypotheses of when learning and innate preference will each be favored evolutionarily, as well as when prepared learning will evolve. Costs of learning and, in particular, economic costs such as opportunity costs, should influence when learning will be favored. Although experimental evolution of learning can be difficult in practice, the benefits of the approach far outweigh difficulties. Future studies might approach the role of opportunity costs and how reliability and certainty fully interact to influence the evolution of learning.
Perceived autonomy support, intrinsic motivation, and student ratings of instruction

Abstract Motivation theory suggests that autonomy supportiveness in instruction often leads to many positive outcomes in the classroom, such as higher levels of intrinsic motivation and engagement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether perceived autonomy support and course-related intrinsic motivation in college classrooms positively predict student ratings of instruction. Data were collected from 47 undergraduate education courses and 914 students. Consistent with expectations, the results indicated that both intrinsic motivation and autonomy support were positively associated with multiple dimensions of student ratings of instruction. Results also showed that intrinsic motivation moderated the association between autonomy support and instructional ratings—the higher intrinsic motivation, the less predictive autonomy support, and the lower intrinsic motivation, the more predictive autonomy support. These results suggest that incorporating classroom activities that engender autonomy support may lead to improved student perceptions of classroom instruction and may also enhance both student motivation and learning.
Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake and Matrix Calcium Buffering in Skeletal Muscle

Many clues suggest that mitochondrial calcium uptake plays an essential role in muscle function. Mitochondria can contribute to shaping of the sarcoplasmic [Ca2+] transients by their Ca2+ handling and are providing energy for muscle contraction and relaxation by their ATP production. Mitochondrial calcium handling involves uptake, release and Ca2+ chelation in the matrix, which allows storage of vast amounts of Ca2+. Recent identification of the molecular machinery of the Ca2+ uniporter (mtCU) created an opportunity to target specific mechanisms of Ca2+ handling and address their function in Ca2+ homeostasis and contractile function. To elucidate the role of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in skeletal muscle (SM) function we ablated MICU1, the Ca2+ sensing regulator of mtCU in mouse. MICU1 ablation in SM resulted in impaired gatekeeping and attenuated Ca2+ uptake and resulted in less endurance exercise performance when challenged with fatigue protocols. However, in this mouse and in cell lines, upon MICU1 ablation protein levels of other components of the mtCU and Ca2+ chelation in the matrix were also altered. To overcome the compensatory effects we decided to apply two strategies. First, we induce acute MICU1 knock out using a tamoxifen-inducible CRE-system. Secondly, we also targeted the mitochondrial phosphate (Pi) carrier (PiC) in a similar manner. Pi transport into mitochondria is crucial for both mitochondrial ATP synthesis and Ca2+ chelation in the matrix. To quantitatively and simultaneously measure Ca2+ uptake and matrix buffering, mitochondria are isolated from SM for fluorometry are loaded with furaFF/AM and are incubated in the presence of rhodFF. SM mitochondria acutely depleted for PiC show a decreased Ca2+ chelation capacity in the matrix and unexpectedly, take up more Ca2+ than the control. When challenged in an incremental exercise test, PiC-ablated mice could only run for 8.5±1.7 min, whereas control mice ran for the full 20 min, showing impaired performance. The effects of acute MICU1 depletion in SM on mtCU composition, mitochondrial Ca2+ handling and SM function are currently evaluated. Thus, our results provide genetic evidence for the contribution of mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis to SM function and are expected to determine the function and mechanism dependent on specifically on MICU1 and PiC.
Comment to Liu (2016) ``FRAMBOIDAL Pyrite Shroud Confirms the `DEATH Mask' Model for Moldic Preservation of Ediacaran Soft-Bodied Organisms''

Liu (2016) provides elegant evidence for pyritization of bedding planes at Ediacaran fossil localities of Newfoundland, but fails to demonstrate the ‘death mask' model of moldic preservation for two reasons. First, his petrographic thin sections do not include unpyritized fossils beneath the pyrite, so that his field observations of pyritized fossils are ambiguous (Retallack 2016a). Second, at less than 1.5 mm thick, the pyritic films are insufficient to enable three-dimensional (moldic) preservation (Tarhan et al. 2016). A death mask is a thick (2–3 cm) layer of plaster applied to the face of the deceased to make a three dimensional replica: it does not penetrate the face or its cavities, and oil is used to …
A CHURCH DIVIDED: ROMAN CATHOLICISM, AMERICANIZATION, AND THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

Standard accounts of American Catholic history generally note in passing that American Catholics supported the Spanish-American War but do not examine what reasons provoked them to do so. At the same time, recent literature on the war itself has described various factors that motivated American support, but few of these studies have noted the central role that religion played in Americans' interpretations of the conflict. This article brings these two historiographies together by showing the importance of the war for the Catholic Church in America as well as the significance of religious belief for how many Americans understood the conflict. In particular, providentialist interpretations of the war held by a large number of Catholics reveal a crucial moment in the church's process of Americanization. Yet more importantly, this article focuses on the significant number of Catholics who steadfastly opposed the war, demonstrating the contested nature of the Americanization process. Ultimately, this article maintains that skepticism concerning the righteousness of the American nation motivated antiwar Catholics' resistance to prevalent American attitudes. By integrating American Catholics into our understanding of the Spanish-American War, this article sheds new light on the development of fin de siecle American Catholicism and on the war itself.
Focus marking asymmetries in Colloquial and Standard French: A stochastic optimality-theoretic account

This article investigates the grammatical realization of the notion of focus in Colloquial French and Standard French. Based on two production experiments, the article reveals three findings: (i) focus marking is not as categorical as previously acknowledged, (ii) focus marking asymmetry for subjects vs. non-subjects is only supported in CoF and (iii) there is no strict relationship between focus realization and interpretation in either variety. I develop a stochastic optimality-theory analysis, which explains the canonical-cleft sentence alternation in terms of prosody and expands on past literature by accounting for the variation observed both within and across language variety.
FastNet: Fast and accurate inference of phylogenetic networks using large-scale genomic sequence data

Advances in next-generation sequencing technologies and phylogenomics have reshaped our understanding of evolutionary biology. One primary outcome is the emerging discovery that interspecific gene flow has played a major role in the evolution of many different organisms across the Tree of Life. To what extent is the Tree of Life not truly a tree reflecting strict "vertical" divergence, but rather a more general graph structure known as a phylogenetic network which also captures "horizontal" gene flow? The answer to this fundamental question not only depends upon densely sampled and divergent genomic sequence data, but also computational methods which are capable of accurately and efficiently inferring phylogenetic networks from large-scale genomic sequence datasets. Recent methodological advances have attempted to address this gap. However, in a recent performance study, we demonstrated that the state of the art falls well short of the scalability requirements of existing phylogenomic studies. The methodological gap remains: how can phylogenetic networks be accurately and efficiently inferred using genomic sequence data involving many dozens or hundreds of taxa? In this study, we address this gap by proposing a new phylogenetic divide-and-conquer method which we call FastNet. Using synthetic and empirical data spanning a range of evolutionary scenarios, we demonstrate that FastNet outperforms state-of-the-art methods in terms of computational efficiency and topological accuracy. We predict an imminent need for new computational methodologies that can cope with dataset scale at the next order of magnitude, involving thousands of genomes or more. We consider FastNet to be a next step in this direction. We conclude with thoughts on the way forward through future algorithmic enhancements.
Wound healing after total knee arthroplasty

Abstract Wound healing complications in the early postoperative period can be severely detrimental to clinical outcomes after total knee arthroplasty. Thorough knowledge of preoperative risk factors, meticulous surgical technique and wound closure, along with careful postoperative wound monitoring can prevent wound complications or lead to their resolution without subsequent morbidity. If complications arise in the postoperative period, the wound must be evaluated and treated promptly to avoid periprosthetic infection.
The prototype for X framework: exploring the effects of a structured prototyping framework on functional prototypes

Prototypes have been identified as critical artifacts for generating and developing innovative products and thus stimulating economic growth. However, prototyping is also associated with a large sunk cost including the extensive time and resources required to make physical prototypes. While a wide variety of prototyping methods have been proposed to reduce the cost and time of prototype development and increase the likelihood of final product success, the majority of research to date has explored the impact of these methods using simplistic measures of the technical performance of a design. Just as it is not enough to measure the effectiveness of ideation methods only by the quantity of ideas produced, we argue that it is not enough to measure the effectiveness of prototyping frameworks through technical performance alone. Without this fundamental knowledge, we cannot understand the impact of prototyping methods on final design success or failure. Therefore, the purpose in this work is to explore the effects of a structured prototyping framework on a variety of design attributes, including user satisfaction, perceived value, technical quality, and ease of manufacturability. Specifically, the overarching research question this study seeks to answer is: what attributes of a final design are affected by the implementation of a prototyping framework? A partial factorial experimental design was used to collect data from designs produced by 77 student design teams; designs were analyzed using five robust product metrics derived from the literature. Results indicate that a structured prototyping framework can lead to improved overall design quality and that differences in the implementation of such a prototyping framework can affect the achievement of these design attributes. The findings of this work deepen our understanding of the relationship between prototyping methods and design refinement during the product development process.
Agricultural Uses of Plant Growth Substances: Historical Perspective

After 30 years the International Conference on Plant Growth Substances has returned to Madison, and after the same number of years attention has again been given to the practical uses of the science that interests us all. Perhaps this 30 years should be called on to supply the historical perspective to help evaluate the past development and the future of plant growth substances in agriculture.
Throughput Analysis of Stop-and-Wait Retransmission Schemes for K-Reliable Multicast

This paper considers a class of stop-and-wait multicast retransmission schemes in which a message is considered to be successfully transmitted when a predefined number of acknowledgements (less than the number of receivers) is received. These retransmission schemes can be used for applications which need high throughput with an acceptable level of reliability. Four different stop-and-wait retransmission schemes are presented and analytical expressions of throughput for each scheme are derived. Throughput comparisons are provided through numerical examples.
Personal Guarantees between Commercial Law and Consumers in the United States

Guaranties and suretyships reduce the risk of default and today remain essential arrangements in many commercial and consumer transactions. A guarantor or surety promises to pay for the debt of a third party and may become primarily liable on that debt. Despite the significance of such a promise and the resulting obligation, U.S. law does not clearly distinguish between a guarantor and surety in a consumer or commercial context. This is of particular relevance, because in a consumer context a guaranty often has a gratuitous or sentimental element and a guarantor may not always be fully aware of the risks and liabilities involved with a guarantee promise. U.S. law generally considers guaranties and suretyships simply as third-party beneficiary contracts to which common law contract principles apply. This, in turn, makes guaranties and suretyships primarily a state law concern, resulting in significant differences of suretyship laws among all U.S. jurisdictions. As such, the U.S. lacks a uniform body of law in this area and makes consumer protection in a guaranty and suretyship context perfunctory at best.
GRADUATES OF 2-YEAR ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN PROGRAMMES IN THE U.S. AND THE U.K.

In the U.S. and the U.K., the demand for a skilled and educated workforce of engineers and engineering technicians is greater than the supply. Postsecondary institutions in the U.S. awarding associate’s degrees in engineering and engineering technologies will fail to keep pace with job growth projections if trends of low and slow graduation rates continue. The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of attendees and graduates of associate’s degree programmes in engineering and engineering technologies and determine whether and to what extent graduation is a function of student-related and institutional variables. Researchers used an ex post facto design using the 2004/2009 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09) dataset from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Descriptive statistics indicated graduates were mostly White, married, middle income, employed part-time, enrolled full-time, completed Trigonometry/Algebra II, had a father who’s highest education level was an associate’s degree, did not know their mother’s highest level of education, completed remedial coursework, and started college with the goal of an associate’s degree. Logistic regression results indicated that gender and enrollment size during the 2003-2004 academic year significantly predicted associate’s degree completion in engineering and engineering technologies. This study provided a current description of students pursuing sub-baccalaureate engineering and engineering technologies programmes in the U.S.. However, given the small weighted sample size, the regression was inconclusive in terms of the model’s predictive ability. Therefore, future caution should be taken when analysing national, educational datasets to address national workforce shortages.
EaserGeocoder: integrative geocoding with machine learning (demo paper)

Increased availability of large amounts of address data provides opportunities for data driven studies to improve decision making in business applications and support precision public health with high resolution geolocations. Geocoding large number of addresses is challenging due to high cost and often disclosure of sensitive data to vendors over the Web. Most geocoders take advantage of Web APIs which require sending private addresses over the Internet, which may not be an option for many applications with sensitive data including public health and geo-medicine. Meanwhile, the cost for geocoding massive number of addresses could be high and becomes a major hurdle for many users. To overcome these challenges, we developed an open source on-premise geocoding software EaserGeocoder, which uses a novel integrative geocoding model to achieve high accuracy through integrating multiple open data sources. EaserGeocoder takes advantage of machine learning based approaches to determine best answers from multiple data sources. EaserGeocoder can also be easily parallelized to achieve high scalability through parallelized search and distributed computing. EaserGeocoder is on a par with commercial geocoding systems, outperforms open source systems, and is available for free.
RACIAL AND GENDER DISPARITIES IN PERIPHERAL VASCULAR INTERVENTION ACROSS US CENSUS DIVISIONS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE NATIONAL INPATIENT SAMPLE 2012-2014

Racial and gender variances in prevalence of percutaneous coronary intervention procedures are well documented. Limited literature also points out that this feature may co-exist in patients undergoing peripheral vascular intervention (PVI). However, geography may also contribute to the impact of
Syntaxin 6: A novel predictive and prognostic biomarker in papillary renal cell carcinoma

Syntaxin 6 is a SNARE family protein known to play an important role in intracellular trafficking. Here, we examined the tumorogenic role of syntaxin 6 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was queried for clinicopathologic data and syntaxin 6 expression. We found a significant difference in overall survival (OS) between groups, with high syntaxin 6 expression correlating with decreased survival. When stratifying the data based on histological subtype, the papillary RCC subtype exhibited a significant correlation between syntaxin 6 expression and survival. Using ROC curve, we calculated the area under the curve (AUC) to determine the ability of syntaxin 6 to predict 3-year overall survival. The AUC for syntaxin 6 was 0.73, significantly higher compared to 0.52 for T stage. Next, syntaxin 6 expression was evaluated in clear cell (786-O and Caki-1) and papillary (Caki-2 and ACHN) RCC cells. Syntaxin 6 expression was higher in Caki-1 and ACHN RCC cells. Silencing of syntaxin 6 in ACHN cells significantly decreased the cell viability (p < 0.001). Overall, syntaxin 6 could be a prognostic biomarker for patients with papillary RCC and syntaxin 6 inhibitors hold promise as a novel therapy against RCC.
“A Time for the Condor and the Eagle to Fly Together”: Relations Between Spirit and Adult Development in Healing Techniques in Several Cultures

Describes a need to examine healing approaches of other cultures to discover new connections between spirituality and adult development. The context chosen for this examination is that of healing of a physical, emotional, identity, and existential kind. The three complementary healing systems chosen for description, relation to adult development, and discussion were selected because of their current popularity in the United States. These complementary healing systems, and many others, involve the spiritual. Developing complex postformal cognition permits use of all these cultural approaches, rather than choosing only one or the other of them or choosing only a more standard US approach. In this paper development and spirituality are examined within Shamanism, Chinese medicine, and Vipassana Buddhism, to suggest some aspects each might add to standard Western systems of healing of mind and body.
The Heart of Mentoring: The 2019 Hiram J. Friedsam Mentorship Award Lecture

Mentoring is one of the most important and rewarding tasks taken on by teachers and colleagues. It involves a love of teaching and a desire to assist others in their intellectual development and pe...
16.7 A 40MHz-BW 76.2dB/78.0dB SNDR/DR Noise-Shaping Nonuniform Sampling ADC with Single Phase-Domain Level Crossing and Embedded Nonuniform Digital Signal Processor in 28nm CMOS

A low-power, wide-bandwidth, and high-dynamic-range (DR) ADC is one of the critical building blocks in a wireless receiver design, in which a continuous-time delta-sigma modulator (CT DSM) has become a popular choice. However, the demand for a wider bandwidth has increased the sampling rate, F s , which requires high-speed and highly linear analog building blocks, and excess loop delay compensation (ELDC) [1]. Reducing the over-sampling ratio can relax these requirements, but it results in more quantization levels and high-order noise shaping (NS). The feedback DAC often becomes a design challenge, as its distortion degrades ADC performance and can require linearization and higher supply voltage [2]–[4]. To avoid these issues, this work proposes a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)-based noise-shaping nonuniform sampling (NUS) ADC architecture, including an NUS modulator and a nonuniform digital signal processor (NU DSP). By leveraging the unique property of NUS [5], the spectral aliasing on the quantization error is independent of the actual average sampling rate, F s, avg . Thus, the quantization error can be shaped to a frequency much higher than F s, avg and later filtered by NU DSP. Achieving similar SNDR as CT DSM, the proposed architecture only requires first-order NS, enabling open-loop architecture without stability and ELD issues. The NUS modulator is mostly digital architecture without amplifiers, a reference voltage generator, and DACs, which is suitable for technology scaling. A proof-of-concept prototype has been fabricated in 28nm CMOS, achieving a peak SNDR/DR of 76.2dB/78.0dB over a 40MHz BW with a Walden FoMw of 41.5fJ/conv-step and a Schreier FoMs of 169.8dB/171.6dB (in SNDR/DR). To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first NS ADC prototype to integrate both an NUS modulator and an NU DSP on chip, generating uniform digital outputs from nonuniformly sampled analog input signals.
Novel Deployment of Elpasolites as a Dual Neutron / Gamma-ray Directional Detector

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi DEDICATION viii LIST OF TABLES xi LIST OF FIGURES xii CHAPTER 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Project Motivation 2 1.3 Project Objectives 4 1.4 Radiation Detection Fundamentals 5 1.5 Scintillation Detectors 13 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review 19 2.1 Review of Neutron and Photon Detection with Scintillators 19 2.2 Review of Elpasolite Scintillators 22 2.3 Review of Directional Radiation Measurements 31 CHAPTER 3: Experimental Study 37 3.1 Dual Neutron / Photon Detector System 37 3.2 Laboratory Environment 48 3.3 Directional Source Measurements 50 CHAPTER 4: Computational Study 53 4.1 Modeling of Elpasolite Detector Responses 53 4.2 Modeling of Directional Neutron / Photon Detection 54
Verification of the Layers and Rules Model for Smart Cities

Abstract An example of Layers and Rules Model verification for Smart City (LaRSC) is presented next. The Rule IT Model of Integration–based version of the LaRSC model was used in the verification. We first present the construction of the Smart Trio as well as the Smart Unit. Next, we describe in detail the construction of the Smart Bus, with particular attention to the used models and implementation technologies. Verification in Gdansk resulted from the experience of the author of this book in implementing projects for this city. The author had a full description of Smart City and Smart Unit projects, as well as full information about the city’s Smart Bus. Knowledge of Smart City projects and the technologies used have created the conditions for generating rules. The project implemented for Gdansk was managed using Agile. Individual sprints were defined and LaRSC was used to support both (product and sprints) backlogs. Verification in Thessaloniki was carried out in different conditions than in Gdansk. Information was received about projects and consortia carrying out joint work for Thessaloniki. The model environment of a project implemented jointly with one Greek company was also used to verify the model to analyze the complexity of project tasks. Replicative and predictive verification processes of the model were carried out, identifying Smart Trio as well as Smart Units and their integration into Smart Bus.
Successful interruption of seasonal influenza transmission under the COVID-19 rapid response in Zhejiang Province, China.

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) introduced to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) also interrupted the transmission of influenza. Study design This is a descriptive epidemiological study. Methods Data on changes in the number of reported influenza cases, number of influenza-like illness (ILI) visits, ILI percentage and influenza virus positivity were compared between the first 18 weeks of 2020 and the same period of 2019. Results The changes in the weekly average number of influenza cases were statistically significant between 2020 and 2019 (−4319 vs −525 per week; P Conclusions This study found that the prevalence of influenza was substantially decreased when NPIs were implemented for the containment of COVID-19.
Temporal Analysis of Serial Donations Reveals Decrease in Neutralizing Capacity and Justifies Revised Qualifying Criteria for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Convalescent Plasma.

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent plasma (CCP) received an Emergency Use Authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). CCP with a signal-to-cutoff ratio of >= 12 using the Ortho VITROS severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin G (IgG) test (OVSARS2IgG) is permitted to be labeled "high titer." Little is known about the relationship between OVSARS2IgG ratio and neutralizing capacity of plasma/sera against genuine SARS-CoV-2. Methods. Nine hundred eighty-one samples from 196 repeat CCP donors 0-119 days post-initial donation (DPID) were analyzed. Neutralizing capacity was assessed for 50% (PRNT50) and 90% (PRNT90) reduction of infectious virus using the gold standard plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). A subset of 91 donations was evaluated by OVSARS2IgG and compared to PRNT titers for diagnostic accuracy. Results. Of donations, 32.7%/79.5% (PRNT90/PRNT50) met a 1:80 titer initially but only 14.0%/48.8% (PRNT90/PRNT50) met this cutoff >= 85 DPID. Correlation of OVSARS2IgG results to neutralizing capacity allowed extrapolation to CCP therapy results. CCP with OVSARS2IgG ratios equivalent to a therapeutically beneficial group had neutralizing titers of >= 1:640 (PRNT50) and/or >= 1:80 (PRNT90). Specificity and positive predictive value of the OVSARS2IgG for qualifying highly neutralizing CCP was optimal using ratios significantly greater than the FDA cutoff. Conclusions. This information provides a basis for refining the recommended properties of CCP used to treat COVID-19.
Household Shocks and Education Investments in Madagascar

This paper investigates the impact of exogenous shocks to household income, assets and labour supply on children's school attendance in Madagascar. The analysis uses a unique data set with 10 years of recall data on school attendance and household shocks. We find that the probability of a child dropping out of school increases significantly when the household experiences an illness, death or asset shock. We propose a test to distinguish whether the impact of shocks on school attendance can be attributed to credit constraints, labour market rigidities, or a combination of the two. The results suggest that credit constraints, rather than labour market rigidities, explain the inability of households in Madagascar to keep their children in school during times of economic stress.
A values based leadership approach to (re)defining Latino manhood and masculinity

Utilizing a values-based leadership philosophy, the authors explored how Latino undergraduate men make meaning of their masculinity and how this meaning shapes their understanding and performance o...
DOES A CONTINUOUS PERIPHERAL NERVE BLOCK REDUCE HOME OPIOID USE IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FOLLOWING ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION? THE ENVELOPE PLEASE.

Background:Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is commonly performed in youth athletes. Opioid misuse and addiction have reached alarming proportions.Purpose:To evaluate whether a cont...
Localized Demodicosis in a Dog After Fluticasone Propionate Treatment for Chronic Bronchitis.

Abstract An 11-year-old, castrated male Shetland Sheepdog presented for a 3-week history of localized nonpruritic alopecia and scaling affecting the peri-nasal region. The dog was being managed for several comorbidities, including chronic bronchitis successfully controlled with the chronic administration of inhaled fluticasone propionate. The physical examination was unremarkable aside from erythema, symmetrical alopecia, scaling and follicular casts affecting the peri-nasal region. Deep skin scrapings and histopathological examination from the lesional skin revealed several live demodex mites consistent with Demodex canis. Transcriptome analysis of lesional skin demonstrated significant downregulation of several cytokines involved in the T helper (Th) 2 and Th17 pathway with moderate upregulation of Th1 cytokine IFN-γ and T-cell recruitment chemokine CXCL10. The dog was immediately treated with oral fluralaner. Clinical signs of demodicosis resolved after 8 weeks and a trichogram was negative for live and/or dead demodex mites. The dog has remained on twice-daily administration of inhaled fluticasone and oral fluralaner every 3 months for 15 months without a demodicosis relapse, in addition to medication to manage the dog's comorbidities. To the author's knowledge, this is the first case of localized demodicosis caused by an inhaled glucocorticoid in a dog.
The complement cascade repurposed in the brain.

Beth Stevens and Matthew Johnson discuss the unexpected finding that classical complement components guide synaptic pruning in the brain and are necessary for healthy brain function.
Intraoperative neural signals predict rapid antidepressant effects of deep brain stimulation.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subcallosal cingulate (SCC) is a promising intervention for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Despite the failure of a clinical trial, multiple case series have described encouraging results, especially with the introduction of improved surgical protocols. Recent evidence further suggests that tractography targeting and intraoperative exposure to stimulation enhances early antidepressant effects that further evolve with ongoing chronic DBS. Accelerating treatment gains is critical to the care of this at-risk population, and identification of intraoperative electrophysiological biomarkers of early antidepressant effects will help guide future treatment protocols. Eight patients underwent intraoperative electrophysiological recording when bilateral DBS leads were implanted in the SCC using a connectomic approach at the site previously shown to optimize 6-month treatment outcomes. A machine learning classification method was used to discriminate between intracranial local field potentials (LFPs) recorded at baseline (stimulation-naive) and after the first exposure to SCC DBS during surgical procedures. Spectral inputs (theta, 4-8 Hz; alpha, 9-12 Hz; beta, 13-30 Hz) to the model were then evaluated for importance to classifier success and tested as predictors of the antidepressant response. A decline in depression scores by 45.6% was observed after 1 week and this early antidepressant response correlated with a decrease in SCC LFP beta power, which most contributed to classifier success. Intraoperative exposure to therapeutic stimulation may result in an acute decrease in symptoms of depression following SCC DBS surgery. The correlation of symptom improvement with an intraoperative reduction in SCC beta power suggests this electrophysiological finding as a biomarker for treatment optimization.
Bitter Water: Diné Oral Histories of the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute

Reviewed Medium: book Year: 2011 Pages: 102 Publisher: University of Arizona Press ISBN: 978-0-8165-2898-1 (soft cover).
The Facebook Disruption: How Social Media May Transform Civil Litigation and Facilitate Access to Justice

Facebook and other social media are likely to have a disruptive effect on civil litigation. They supply a tremendous amount of information, connectivity, and communication in ways that may empower self-represented litigants — and they do so at a time when the American middle class is under a great deal of economic pressure and faces substantial difficulty in paying for legal representation. This article, prepared for the Arkansas Law Review symposium "Facebook and the Law," predicts that middle-class litigants will embrace the legal support offered online, including easier access to relevant evidence, crowd sourcing of legal information and advice, automated and semi-automated legal services, and assistance from offshore legal service providers. At the outset, these services may initially appeal primarily to those who currently struggle to afford access to the justice system. Nevertheless, if they follow the trend of other disruptive innovations, online legal support services may well compete in higher-end legal markets in the future.
Amelioration by mercaptoethylguanidine of the vascular and energetic failure in haemorrhagic shock in the anesthetised rat.

Abstract The effects of mercaptoethylguanidine, a dual inhibitor of the inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase and cyclooxygenase with scavenging effect on peroxynitrite, was studied on the delayed vascular decompensation and cellular energetic failure in a rat model of haemorrhagic shock. Shock was induced by bleeding of the animals to a mean arterial blood pressure of 50 mmHg. At 3 h, animals were resuscitated with Ringers-lactate and monitored for a subsequent 3 h period. In the treated group mercaptoethylguanidine (10 mg/kg/i.v. bolus, followed by 10 mg/kg/i.v. infusion) was administered from the beginning of the resuscitation. Haemorrhagic shock resulted in the upregulation of both the constitutive and the inducible NO synthase, as measured in the lung. In shocked rats mercaptoethylguanidine prevented the increase in plasma nitrite/nitrate and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α levels, ameliorated the decrease in mean arterial blood pressure, and inhibited the development of vascular hyporeactivity of the thoracic aorta ex vivo. A significant nitrotyrosine staining, an indicator of peroxynitrite formation, was found in thoracic aortic rings from shocked animals, which was prevented by mercaptoethylguanidine treatment. In ex vivo experiments in peritoneal macrophages obtained from shocked rats, treatment with mercaptoethylguanidine prevented the reduction in the intracellular NAD+ content, ameliorated the suppression of mitochondrial respiration and reduced the development of DNA single strand breaks. Our data suggest that mercaptoethylguanidine may be an useful tool for the experimental therapy of haemorrhagic shock.
Hydrolysis of neutral lipid substrates by rat hepatic lipase

Rat hepatic lipase, an enzyme whose involvement in the catabolism of lipoproteins remains poorly defined, has both neutral lipid and phospholipid hydrolyzing activity. We determined the substrate specificity of hepatic lipase for 1-oleoyl-sn-glycerol, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol, and 1,3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol in the Triton X-100 mixed micellar state, and compared these results to those obtained previously in our laboratory for the phospholipid substrates phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Vmax values were determined by diluting the substrate concentration in the surface of the micelle by Triton X-100. The Vmax values obtained were 144 μmol/min/mg for 1-oleoyl-sn-glycerol, 163 μmol/min/mg for 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol, and 145 μmol/min/mg for 1,3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol. These values were higher than those obtained earlier for phospholipids which were 67 μmol/min/mg for PA, 50 μmol/min/mg for PE and 4 μmol/min/mg for PC. In addition, the mole fraction of lipid substrate at half maximal velocity (K) in the surface dilution plot was lower for the neutral lipid substrates as compared to those obtained for the phospholipid substrates. When the hydrolysis of 1,3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol mixed micelles was studied as a function of time, cleavage at thesn-1 andsn-3 positions occurred at the same rate, suggesting that hepatic lipase is not stereo-selective with respect to 1,3-diacyl-sn-glycerol substrates. To determine if the presence of one lipid could affect the hydrolysis of the other, all possible dual combinations of 1-oleoyl-sn-glycerol, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol, and 1,3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol, in the same micelle were made and the hydrolysis rate of each substrate was determined. Interaction occurred only for the 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol/1,3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol mixture where the hydrolysis of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol was slightly inhibited and that of 1,3-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol slightly activated compared to the predicted theoretical rate. These findings demonstrate that when presented in similar physical states, the neutral lipid substrates tested were hydrolyzed at a higher rate by hepatic lipase than the phospholipid substrates.
Digital computer solution of stability problems

WITH THE EXPANSION and increase in complexity of power systems throughout the country, a more accurate and less time-consuming means of determining the transient stability characteristics of power networks has been required. The solution of power system transient stability problems has, in the immediate past, been accomplished primarily by the use of analogue computer such as the a-c network analyzers. In view of the recent development and availability of effective digital computing devices, a general trend in engineering is toward the use of digital computers in an increasing number of applications. Of the many problems originating in the analysis and operation of power systems, one which lends itself especially to solution by digital computers is that of system transient stability. In applying high-speed computers to familiar problems, it is desirable to consider other available numerical methods rather than simply to mechanize techniques which have been used in the past for hand calculation.
The specification of olfactory neurons

Recent studies have shed light on the different relationships between odorant receptor expression and the specification of neural identity in the olfactory systems of vertebrates and invertebrates. In mice, neuronal identity and axon guidance are specified by the single expressed olfactory receptor, whereas in C. elegans, neuronal identity appears to be independent of receptor expression.
Bayesian phylogenetic inference from animal mitochondrial genome arrangements

Summary. The determination of evolutionary relationships is a fundamental problem in evolutionary biology. Genome arrangement data are potentially more informative than deoxyribonucleic acid sequence data for inferring evolutionary relationships between distantly related taxa. We describe a Bayesian framework for phylogenetic inference from mitochondrial genome arrangement data using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. We apply the method to assess evolutionary relationships between eight animal phyla.