cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 222: Intralipid-induced Cardioprotection In Late Pregnancy Is Fully Abolished By Inhibition Of Stat3, But Not Pi3k Signaling Pathway

We have recently shown that the heart of late pregnant (LP) rodent is more prone to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury compared to non-pregnant. Here we explored the therapeutic potential of Intralipid (ITLD) in the protection of LP hearts against I/R injury, and investigate the involvement of the signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathways in ITLD-induced cardioprotetion. Isolated LP mouse hearts were subjected to 20 min ischemia followed by 40 min reperfusion with 1) Krebs Henseleit buffer (CTRL group), 2) 1% intralipid (ITLD group) or 3) ITLD+STAT3 inhibitor Stattic (20 μM, Stattic group), and 4) ITLD+PI3K inhibitor LY294002 (45 μM). The heart function and the infarct size were measured. The Intralipid-induced cardioprotection was fully abolished by Stattic, as RPP was significantly lower in the presence of Stattic (RPP=8881±1331 mmHg*beats/min vs. 1186±563 mmHg*beats/min in ITLD+Stattic, p<0.01) at the end of reperfusion. In fact, all of the hemodynamic indexes in ITLD+Stattic were not significantly different from CTRL. The infarct size was also significantly larger in ITLD+Stattic group when compared to Intralipid alone (47.9±2.5% in ITLD+Stattic vs. 21.7±2.6 % in ITLD, p<0.01). The Intralipid-induced cardioprotection was only partially abolished by LY294002, as at the end of 40 min reperfusion the RPP was significantly lower compared to the group treated with Intralipid alone, but still significantly higher than ITLD+Stattic ((RPP=8881±1331 mmHg*beats/min in ITLD vs. 5212±1955 mmHg*beats/min in ITLD+LY, p<0.05; RPP=5212±1955 mmHg*beats/min in ITLD+LY vs.1186±563 mmHg*beats/min in ITLD+Stattic, p<0.05). The infarct size was also larger when compared to Intralipid alone (32.8±3.1% in ITLD+LY vs. 21.7±2.6% in ITLD, p<0.05), but lower than ITLD+Stattic group (32.8±3.1% in ITLD+LY vs 47.9±2.5%, p<0.05). In conclusion, Intralipid protects the late pregnant heart against I/R injury via the STAT3 rather than the PI3K signaling pathway.
Screening Accuracy for Aspiration Using Bedside Water Swallow Tests: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Hospitalizations for aspiration pneumonia have doubled among older adults. Using a bedside water swallow test (WST) to screen for swallowing-related aspiration can be efficient and cost-effective for preventing additional comorbidities and mortality. We evaluated screening accuracy of bedside WSTs used to identify patients at risk for dysphagia-associated aspiration. Methods Sixteen online databases, Google Scholar, and known content experts through May 2015 were searched. Only prospective studies with patients ≥ 18 years of age given WST screenings validated against nasoendoscopy or videofluoroscopy were included. Data extraction used dual masked extraction and quality assessment following Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. Results Airway response (eg, coughing/choking) with or without voice changes (eg, wet/gurgly voice quality) was used to identify aspiration during three different bedside WSTs. Pooled estimates for single sip volumes (1-5 mL) were 71% sensitive (95% CI, 63%-78%) and 90% specific (95% CI, 86%-93%). Consecutive sips of 90 to 100 mL trials were 91% sensitive (95% CI, 89%-93%) and 53% specific (95% CI, 51%-55%). Trials of progressively increasing volumes of water were 86% sensitive (95% CI, 76%-93%) and 65% specific (95% CI, 57%-73%). Airway response with voice change improved overall accuracy in identifying aspiration. Conclusions Currently used bedside WSTs offer sufficient, although not ideal, utility in screening for aspiration. Consecutive sips with large volumes in patients who did not present with overt airway responses or voice changes appropriately ruled out risk of aspiration. Small volumes with single sips appropriately ruled in aspiration when clinical signs were present. Combining these bedside approaches may offer improved screening accuracy, but further research is warranted.
Strategy for Reactive Control Based on Ability of Low Voltage Ride Through in Photovoltaic Power System

Photovoltaic(PV) power station is usually running under condition of unity power factor to output active power as much as possible or in accordance with dispatch.And it outputs almost no reactive power which results in a certain extent waste of apparent power when PV power station is not running at full power.However,The PV inverter has reactive power output capacity.A strategy for reactive power control based on inverter's low voltage ride through(LVRT) ability is proposed on conditional that PV inverter's structure and power control mode were analyzed.The limit of reactive power output was calculated.The results of DIgSILENT PowerFactory simulation show that the proposed strategy can make PV power station connected to the grid when faults happen and send reactive power to support voltage of PCC,result in the voltage stability of local grid.
Curative effect observation of qingfeipingchuan oral liquid in treatment of respiratory tract infection in children

Objective To observe the treatment effect of qingfeipingchuan oral liquid on children respiratory tract infection. Methods 50 patients were randomly divided into treatment group and control group,with each group were 25 cases.Children in both groups were treated with anti-infectious,inhalation and necessary corticosteroid therapy.Additionally,children in the treatment group had to accept qingfeipingchuan oral liquid therapy.The therapeutic effect and adverse reactions of the two groups were compared. Results The diferrences of fever and moist rale extinction time between the two groups were not statistically significant(P0.05),but the extinction time of wheeze in the treatment group was shorter than that of control group[(3.31±1.89) d vs(4.61±1.61)d,P0.05];the mean rank of individual signs and symptoms integral were all significantly reduced after 7 days treatment than before in both of the two groups( P0.05),after the 5 days of treatment,the mean rank of wheeze symptom,moist rales and wheezing scores of the treatment group were significant improved than those of the control group(P0.05).The recovery rates of WBC and CRP of the two groups had no statistically significant(P0.05).There was no significant difference between the two groups in the total effective rate(χ2=1.02,P0.05).There was only 1 case in the treatment group appeared diarrhea symptoms,and the symptoms was improved after drug withdrawal,the rest of the children have no obvious adverse reaction occurred. Conclusion Qingfeipingchuan oral liquid combined with conventional therapy for respiratory tract infection in children is effective and safety,especially to children with wheeze symptom and wheezing rales,with less adverse reactions,and is worth to widdly applied in clinic.
Use of pupal parasitoids as biological control agents of filth flies on equine facilities

Filth flies, including house flies, Musca domestica L., and stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), are common pests on equine farms. The use of pupal parasitoids as biological control agents for filth flies is becoming more common on equine farms; however, there is a lack of information on the execution of augmentation programs for these farms. This review of biological control of filth fly pests on equine farms provides an overview of the life history and identification of filth fly pests and common commercially available parasitoids. Additionally, recommendations for use of pupal parasitoids based on known literature are provided, and the importance of continued research in this area is highlighted. When coupled with cultural control practices and other manure management techniques, pupal parasitoids offer an environmentally sound option for mitigating on-farm fly breeding.
Adverse effects of antihypertensive treatment.

Adverse effects of antihypertensive drugs usually can be avoided by selecting the best drug for a given patient, keeping the dose as low as possible, and avoiding overtreatment. Metabolic adverse effects of diuretics and beta-adrenergic antagonists have generated sufficient concern about drug-associated cardiac risk that attention is being directed toward single-drug therapy with newer drugs such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and calcium entry-blocking agents.
ModuleAlign: module-based global alignment of protein-protein interaction networks.

MOTIVATION As an increasing amount of protein-protein interaction (PPI) data becomes available, their computational interpretation has become an important problem in bioinformatics. The alignment of PPI networks from different species provides valuable information about conserved subnetworks, evolutionary pathways and functional orthologs. Although several methods have been proposed for global network alignment, there is a pressing need for methods that produce more accurate alignments in terms of both topological and functional consistency. RESULTS In this work, we present a novel global network alignment algorithm, named ModuleAlign, which makes use of local topology information to define a module-based homology score. Based on a hierarchical clustering of functionally coherent proteins involved in the same module, ModuleAlign employs a novel iterative scheme to find the alignment between two networks. Evaluated on a diverse set of benchmarks, ModuleAlign outperforms state-of-the-art methods in producing functionally consistent alignments. By aligning Pathogen-Human PPI networks, ModuleAlign also detects a novel set of conserved human genes that pathogens preferentially target to cause pathogenesis. AVAILABILITY http://ttic.uchicago.edu/∼hashemifar/ModuleAlign.html CONTACT canzar@ttic.edu or j3xu.ttic.edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
On Singular Propositions

(1997). On Singular Propositions. Canadian Journal of Philosophy: Vol. 27, Supplementary Volume 23: Meaning and Reference, pp. 67-83.
Peer grading exams with video rubrics

Previous research in peer grading and rubric systems has focused mostly on their use with homework assignments, not tests. Some reasons for this could be that tests are much longer than assignments, are of higher value in grading schemes, and could be highly contested. All of this would take valuable and scarce class time for a class that meets face to face. Managing time while maintaining control of the tests and protecting student privacy adds to that challenge. The author has been able to accomplish this with the use of a rubric, video editing software such as Camtasia, and YouTube. This model can increase grading accuracy, and greatly reduce the time it takes to grade exams while answering student inquires and concerns, saving the instructor time.
"Let a Hundred Translations Bloom!" A modest proposal about Being and Time

In the first place, congratulations to Prof. Joan Stambaugh of Hunter College for the years of arduous work that have now borne fruit in her Being and Time. This noteworthy achievement is every bit at the level of her previous translations of Heidegger, and readers familiar with those will find the present volume a condign culmination to her earlier efforts. Many of us first met this translation some twenty years ago in its then typed format – 690 double-space pages replete with hundreds of handwritten corrections. Now two decades later, a glance at that earlier manuscript reveals that little has changed in the intervening years: The published book is virtually identical to the earliest typed manuscript. So too, the Introduction here (JS 1–35) is the same one that appeared in Basic Writings (1977, 41–89) with only minor changes. One accomplishment of this book is that, with a few exceptions, it manages to include all the German sentences. Unremarkable as that might sound, it is not the case with some other translations of Heidegger. What is Called Thinking omits whole swaths of the German original, six and nine sentences
Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic versus Open Lobectomy: Costs and Outcomes.

Objectives Video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) lobectomy is considered a promising surgical therapy for the diagnosis and treatment of non-small-cell lung carcinoma. The issue of whether VATS is superior to open thoracotomy remains controversial, however. We sought to determine whether the use of VATS lobectomy for diagnosing and treating non-small-cell lung carcinoma would improve patient outcomes at our institution. Methods A retrospective review of electronic and paper medical charts identified 109 consecutive operations for all patients undergoing thoracotomy or VATS lobectomy performed at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center for fiscal years 2013 and 2014. Variables of interest included operative procedure (thoracotomy vs VATS) and operative findings (pathologic stage, operative time, postoperative length of stay [LOS], time spent in the intensive care unit, postoperative complications, direct cost). Results The demographic characteristics of the patients of both groups were similar in terms of sex (64.6% vs 44.3% male) and age (62.4 vs 61.6 years), but not stage, which was higher in the thoracotomy group. The overall operative procedure time (170.6 vs 196.3 minutes), postoperative LOS (5.7 vs 5.5 days), number of lymph nodes sampled (6.2 vs 7.0), and time spent in the intensive care unit (2.1 vs 2.4 days) did not vary between both groups. The average cost per procedure did not vary significantly-$14,003.61 compared with $15,588.11 for thoracotomy and VATS, respectively. Conclusions In our study, the VATS group was associated with no reduction in postoperative LOS and a nonsignificant reduction in the amount of time spent in the intensive care unit. Postoperative perception of pain did not vary between either group. Pain perception did, however, correlate strongly with time from operation. Cost did not vary significantly between both groups, with VATS being equivalent to thoracotomy in terms of cost at our institution. In our experience, VATS is an effective, minimally invasive, and safe approach for the resection of lung nodules.
Diffusion-coupled cohesive interface simulations of stress corrosion intergranular cracking in polycrystalline materials

Abstract To study the stress corrosion intergranular cracking mechanism, a diffusion-coupled cohesive zone model (CZM) is proposed for the simulation of the stress-assisted diffusional process along grain boundaries and the mechanical response of grain boundary sliding and separation. This simulation methodology considers the synergistic effects of impurity diffusion driven by pressure gradient and degradation of grain boundary strength by impurity concentration. The diffusion-coupled CZM is combined with crystal plasticity finite element model (CPFEM) to simulate intergranular fracture of polycrystalline material under corrosive environment. Significant heterogeneity of the stress field and extensive impurity accumulation is observed at grain boundaries and junction points. Deformation mechanism maps are constructed with respect to the grain boundary degradation factor and applied strain rate, which dictate the transition from internal to near-surface intergranular fracture modes under various strain amplitudes and grain sizes.
Interfacility Transport Shock Index Is Associated With Decreased Survival in Children.

BACKGROUND Shock index, the ratio of heart rate to systolic blood pressure that changes with age, is associated with mortality in adults after trauma and in children with sepsis. We assessed the utility of shock index to predict sepsis diagnosis and survival in children requiring interfacility transport to a tertiary care center. METHODS We studied children aged 1 month to 21 years who had at least 2 sets of vital signs recorded during interfacility transport to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh by our critical care transport team. Subjects were divided into 4 age groups: group 1 (<1 year), group 2 (1-3 years), group 3 (4-11 years), and group 4 (≥12 years). Children were also grouped into sepsis or nonsepsis group based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision categories. Primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. RESULTS Of 3519 children studied, 493 (14%) had sepsis. Initial shock index decreased with increasing age: group 1, 1.45 ± 0.42 (mean ± SD); group 2, 1.35 ± 0.32; group 3, 1.20 ± 0.34; and group 4, 1.00 ± 0.32 (P < 0.001). Initial shock index was increased in children with sepsis versus those with no sepsis overall and in all age groups (all P < 0.05). Initial shock index showed a trend for association with survival in univariate analysis (P = 0.05) but was not associated with survival in a multivariable logistic regression. Highest quartile of shock index was associated with need for intensive care unit admission posttransport. CONCLUSIONS Increased shock index in children requiring intrafacility transport was associated with hospital discharge diagnosis of sepsis but not hospital survival.
Pump Dynamics of Thulium-Doped Soliton Fiber Lasers

The impact of core-pumping at pump wavelengths of 790 nm and 1565 nm on the optical performance, relative intensity and phase noise characteristics of a linear cavity thulium soliton mode-locked fiber lasers are presented.
Analysis of oil and grease components to assess the quality of urban runoff.

Abstract A technique modified from standard “oil and grease” testing procedures was used to examine runoff entering San Francisco Bay. This technique was developed to identify “oil and grease” fractions to provide a better understanding of environmental significance than indicated by “oil and grease” measurements. Samples were taken from fifteen different watersheds representing a variety of land uses. Collections were made during dry and wet weather conditions to represent the yearly diversity of water quality conditions. Organics were extracted with methylene chloride, virtually an identical approach to standard technique. Additional procedures were used to separate and quantify four fractions: non-aromatic, aromatic, polar, and very polar. The aromatic and aliphatic fractions were examined using high resolution capillary gas chromatography. “Oil and grease” concentrations ranged from a low of 1.0 mg.l−1 to as much as 20 mg.l−1. Dry weather “oil and grease” discharge was considerably less than wet weather discharge. “Oil and grease” from land associated with commercial and industrial activity had as much as 60% hydrocarbon fraction, while “oil and grease” from residential and undeveloped areas were composed primarily of polar, non-hydrocarbon compounds. Correlations between land use and water quality parameters were examined. Aliphatics were associated with commercial land use. The percent of the aliphatic fraction composed of n-alkanes of C25 and larger was inversely related to commercial land use. The aromatic fraction was more variable, with samples from non-commercial stations sometimes having very high aromatic fractions.
Exclusion Criteria and Generalizability in Bipolar Disorder Treatment Trials

Abstract Objective The current paper reviews the English-language research on exclusion criteria in bipolar disorder treatment trials and discusses how study samples compare to the general bipolar patient population. Methods & Results: Across 8 identified studies of exclusion criteria and their impact, between 55% and 96% of people with bipolar disorder would be excluded from treatment research. The number of exclusion criteria varies across bipolar disorder treatment research, with one study estimate of a median of 7 criteria used across studies. The criteria that excluded the greatest number of potential participants were comorbid substance use disorder, suicidal risk, and comorbid medical conditions. Both studies that compared treatment responses among participants who met and did not meet exclusion criteria found no statistically significant differences. Conclusions Most potential participants are excluded from outcome research, which creates challenges for recruitment and limits generalizability of study findings. Common exclusionary practices lead to unrepresentative samples that limit generalizability and reduce the confidence of clinicians that findings can be translated to front-line practice with bipolar disorder patients.
Courage in Chaos: The Importance of Trauma-Informed Adult Religious Education

This article explores the powerful influence that trauma can have on individuals and the ways in which this influence might be addressed in the development of adult religious education. It asks how...
Fault-tolerant iterative learning control for mobile robots non-repetitive trajectory tracking with output constraints

In this brief, we develop a novel iterative learning control (ILC) algorithm to deal with trajectory tracking problems for a class of unicycle-type mobile robots with two actuated wheels that are subject to actuator faults. Unlike most of the ILC literature that requires identical reference trajectories over the iteration domain, the desired trajectories in this work can be iteration dependent, and the initial position of the robot in each iteration can also be random. The mass and inertia property of the robot and wheels can be unknown and iteration dependent. Barrier Lyapunov functions are used in the analysis to guarantee satisfaction of constraint requirements, feasibility of the controller, and prescribed tracking performance. We show that under the proposed algorithm, the distance and angle tracking errors can uniformly converge to an arbitrarily small positive constant and zero, respectively, over the iteration domain, beyond a small initial time interval in each iteration. A numerical simulation is presented in the end to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Retinoids in Photosensitive Systems

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses retinoids in photosensitive systems. The biosynthesis and regeneration of the photosensitive pigments requires the retinaldehyde to be provided to the membranes in which they are sequestered. The chapter describes the critical role of retinoid-binding proteins in the normal functioning of the vertebrate visual system. Vision is initiated by the capture of quanta of radiation by integral transmembrane proteins called visual pigments. In all known visual pigments, the protein is conjugated to a retinaldehyde prosthetic group. The visual pigments of invertebrates, like those of their vertebrate counterparts, are based on 11- cis -retinaldehyde. Squid and octopus rhodopsins are glycoproteins that bind concanavalin A. Bacteriorhodopsin is an integral transmembrane protein, which is the only protein found in the purple membrane of Halobacterium haiobium and other extremely halophilic bacteria. Bacteriorhodopsin is a light-activated vectorial ion pump that translocates protons across the bacterial plasma membrane. In addition to their occurrence as covalently linked prosthetic groups in the light-sensitive pigments, retinoids are also found non-covalently associated with a number of soluble retinoid-binding proteins.
“You Lose Some Accuracy When You’re Dumbing it Down”: Teaching and Learning Ideas of College Students Teaching Chemistry through Outreach

College students associated with the American Chemical Society and Alpha Chi Sigma student/collegiate chapters reach almost 1 million people every year through their informal chemistry education events (chemistry outreach). Previous work has characterized their goals for chemistry outreach, with the most prevalent goal being audience learning. With such large audiences being impacted every year and the goal of audience learning, investigating how these college students approach teaching in informal environments is needed to further understand chemistry outreach practices. This paper presents the results of inductive coding focused on teaching beliefs expressed by these college students as they discussed elephant toothpaste and making liquid nitrogen ice cream for second graders, eighth graders, and general chemistry students. Results indicate three broad categories of beliefs: (1) beliefs about the audience, (2) beliefs about the teaching process/pedagogy, and (3) beliefs about the scope and sequence of t...
Paths of Monastic Practice from India to Sri Lanka: Responses to L.S. Cousins’ Work on Scholars and Meditators

In 1996, L. S Cousins published a groundbreaking piece on paths of monastic practice titled ‘Scholar Monks and Meditator Monks Revisited’ (Powers and Prebish 2009, 31–46). As the title suggests, this work reconsiders the role of two types of monks, doing so by closely analyzing a famous sutta (Mah?cunda Sutta, A III 355–356) that depicts a strong dispute between jh?yins or ‘meditators’ and dhammayogas, whom scholarship has almost universally defined as ‘scholars’. Because of this, almost all have interpreted this debate as the first sign in early Indian Buddhism of a great bifurcation in the sa?gha between those concentrating on book learning (pariyatti) and those concentrating on practice (pa?ipatti) — a split that became more and more marked over the centuries until the division became more or less official in medieval Sri Lanka. Cousins convincingly contests this history, with one of his main points being that the dhammayogas were not at all just scholars. Like the meditators, theirs was a practical path that resulted in profound realization of the Dhamma, albeit a different path from that of the meditators. Cousins then goes even further, arguing that the split between scholars and meditators is not very evident in South Asian Buddhist history until the time of Buddhaghosa and thereafter. My intention here is to respond as fully as possible to Cousins’ methods and conclusions, by offering evidence and arguments that sometimes support his work further and sometimes critique his work. This is done in the spirit of spurring on more discussions on this important, complex, and contested issue.
Exploring the relationship between awe and leisure: A conceptual argument

Leisure scholars are uniquely positioned to study awe. Anecdotally, the intertwined nature of awe and leisure has been well chronicled for centuries. In recent years, their relationship has been in...
Poly(methyl methacrylate) nanocomposite reinforced with graphene, graphene oxide, and graphite: a review

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is an important transparent thermoplastic polymer having appropriate strength, chemical, weathering, heat, and UV resistance. However, essential properties of this ...
Effects of dietary copper source and concentration on carcass characteristics and lipid and cholesterol metabolism in growing and finishing steers.

We conducted an experiment to determine the effects of dietary copper (Cu) source and level on carcass characteristics, longissimus muscle fatty acid composition, and serum and muscle cholesterol concentrations in steers. Sixty Angus and Angus x Hereford steers were stratified by weight and initial liver Cu concentration within a breed and randomly assigned to treatments. Treatments consisted of: 1) control (no supplemental Cu); 2) 20 mg Cu/kg DM from Cu sulfate (CuSO4); 3) 40 mg Cu/kg DM from CuSO4; 4) 20 mg Cu/kg DM from Cu citrate; 5) 20 mg Cu/kg DM from Cu proteinate; and 6) 20 mg Cu/kg DM from tribasic Cu chloride. A corn silage-soybean meal-based diet was fed for 56 d. Steers were then switched to a high-concentrate diet. Equal numbers (n = 5) of steers per treatment were slaughtered after receiving the finishing diets for either 101 or 121 d. Serum cholesterol was not affected by treatment during the growing phase but was decreased (P < .05) in steers supplemented with Cu by d 84 of the finishing period and remained lower (P < . 05) at subsequent sampling periods. Longissimus muscle cholesterol concentration tended to be reduced (P < .11) by Cu supplementation. Hot carcass weight and backfat were lower (P < .05) in animals receiving supplemental Cu. However, Cu-supplemented and control steers had similar marbling scores. Longissimus muscle polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations (18:2 and 18:3) were increased (P < .07) and saturated fatty acid concentrations tended (P < . 11) to be reduced by Cu supplementation. These results indicate that as little as 20 mg of supplemental Cu/kg diet can reduce backfat and serum cholesterol and increase muscle polyunsaturated fatty acids in steers fed high-concentrate diets.
Social cognition and schizotypy

Abstract Schizotypy is defined in terms of an underlying personality trait predisposing people to schizophrenia-spectrum pathology. Because schizotypy affects a broad range of social, emotional, and cognitive functions, a relatively large amount of literature relevant to social cognition in schizotypy has amassed over the past five decades. This chapter explores topics related to social cognition in schizotypy, covering the patterns of performance in emotional perception, theory of mind, empathy, self-awareness, attributional style, and social knowledge. The results from studies in individuals with schizotypy are contrasted with the schizophrenia literature to contextualize social cognition along the schizotypy spectrum. Schizotypy is associated with social cognitive abnormalities in many functions, with several impairments and some strengths. Particular impairments have been observed in domains related to self-other boundaries and emotion processing, and relative strengths have been observed in social cognitive skills that more readily integrate basic cognition. The patterns of impairment and strength are distinct from individuals with schizophrenia, suggesting that these results do not merely reflect “severity of illness.” Abnormal social cognition is then examined in the context of relevant neurobiology and potential causal mechanisms. The potential roles of basic cognitive and affective abilities are highlighted.
TVDP: Translational Visual Data Platform for Smart Cities

This paper proposes a platform, dubbed "Translational Visual Data Platform (TVDP)", to collect, manage, analyze urban visual data which enables participating community members connected not only to enhance their individual operations but also to smartly incorporate visual data acquisition, access, analysis methods and results among them. Specifically, we focus on geo-tagged visual data since location information is essential in many smart city applications and provides a fundamental connection in managing and sharing data among collaborators. Furthermore, our study targets for an image-based machine learning platform to prepare users for the upcoming era of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. TVDP will be used to pilot, test, and apply various visual data-intensive applications in a collaborative way. New data, methods, and extracted knowledge from one application can be effectively translated into other applications, ultimately making visual data and analysis as a smart city infrastructure. The goal is to make value creation through visual data and their analysis as broadly available as possible, thus to make social and economic problem solving more distributed and collaborative among users. This paper reports the design and implementation of TVDP in progress and partial experimental results to demonstrate its feasibility.
Challenges Affecting Educational Research in Delta State, Nigeria

This study investigated the factors inhibiting the conduct and uptake of educational research in Nigeria with specific reference to Delta State. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire from forty -two (42) academic staffs drawn from three universities and three Colleges of Education in the state. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Two hypotheses on factors affecting research were tested at the level of confidence p. = .05 using the student-t test. A range of managerial and methodological factors were identified as affecting the conduct and uptake of research in the country. These respectively included absence of a clear national development philosophy and adequate funding for research and gaps in methodological competence and research integrity on the part of educational researchers. These findings are cross-referenced with related literature after which conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made .
On the Consequences of the Discontinuation of the Eleventh District Cost of Funds Index

The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco announced its intention to discontinue the three Eleventh District Weighted Average Cost of Funds Indexes (COFI). As these indexes are used to benchmark many ARM mortgages, their discontinuation raises two important issues. First, are mortgage markets losing significant information and efficiency in their absence, and second, does this action result in significant consumer and financial institution costs? Though COFI was somewhat unique when first constructed in 1981, we find that there are now good close substitutes available. In addition, a time series analysis of COFI demonstrates that its quality and time consistency has deteriorated since its inception making it a less useful, and perhaps misleading measure of savings institutions’ cost of funds. The analysis also suggests research into the fidelity of other long lived and oft-used indexes is likely warranted.
Meditative and mind-body practice among patients with genitourinary malignancy.

Abstract Introduction and objective Research on the utility of meditative and mind-body (MB) practices has increased dramatically in the last two decades and both have been suggested as useful adjuncts in coping with stressors associated with cancer survivorship. There exists little data on use among genitourinary (GU) cancer survivors. This study seeks to describe meditative and MB utilization among GU cancer survivors. Methods Analysis of data from the 2012 and 2017 National Health Interview Survey was conducted. Patients aged 40 and older reporting a history of any cancer diagnosis (including 3 GU cancers) were included in the analysis. We explored questions about meditative and MB practices in the past 12 months. Complex Samples Logistic regression was performed to compare the relationship between cancer status and use of these practices. Results Self-reported meditative practices were more prevalent in 2017 (17%) than in 2012 (5%). Patients who self-reported a cancer diagnosis of any kind were significantly more likely to utilize meditative practices. Patients with kidney cancer were significantly more likely to meditate and trended towards higher MB utilization. In contrast, bladder cancer patients were less likely to meditate and use MB practices. Increases in meditation were greater than those seen for MB in all groups. Conclusions Meditative and MB practices increased in prevalence between 2012 and 2017 with notable heterogeneity between cancer types. Given the potential benefit, more broad incorporation into survivorship programs may be warranted. Future work should explore the significance of this heterogeneity and the utility of these practices to patients with urologic malignancy.
Infrared signatures of isomer selectivity and symmetry breaking in the Cs+(H2O)3 complex using many-body potential energy functions.

A quantitative description of the interactions between ions and water is key to characterizing the role played by ions in mediating fundamental processes that take place in aqueous environments. At the molecular level, vibrational spectroscopy provides a unique means to probe the multidimensional potential energy surface of small ion–water clusters. In this study, we combine the MB-nrg potential energy functions recently developed for ion–water interactions with perturbative corrections to vibrational self-consistent field theory and the local-monomer approximation to disentangle many-body effects on the stability and vibrational structure of the Cs+(H2O)3 cluster. Since several low-energy, thermodynamically accessible isomers exist for Cs+(H2O)3, even small changes in the description of the underlying potential energy surface can result in large differences in the relative stability of the various isomers. Our analysis demonstrates that a quantitative account for three-body energies and explicit treatment of cross-monomer vibrational couplings are required to reproduce the experimental spectrum.
Determinants of adoption and adoption intensity of precision agriculture technologies: evidence from South Dakota

Precision agriculture technologies (PATs) are promoted as part of both economically efficient and environmentally sustainable agriculture practices. Available PATs are generally classified into two groups; namely, embodied-knowledge and information-intensive PATs. Adoption levels of embodied-knowledge PATs are high relative to information-intensive PATs. Previous studies on the adoption of PATs do not differentiate between embodied-knowledge and information-intensive PATs. Additionally, most studies focus on the adoption of one or two of the available PATs rather than on adoption intensity—defined as the total number of individual PATs adopted. This study fills this gap in the literature by focusing on PAT adoption in general, and adoption intensity of embodied-knowledge and information-intensive PATs in particular. The study uses data from 198 farm-operator respondents in eastern South Dakota from a 2017 survey and employs descriptive statistics and probit and Poisson regression models for the analyses. As per the study, GPS guidance, yield monitor, and automatic section control systems are the most popular PATs, each with adoption rates of over 50%. Overall, findings from the study show that the effect of cropland size, producers’ perceptions of profitability, and operator off-farm income are similar for both adoption and adoption intensity of embodied-knowledge and information-intensive PATs. However, there are differences in the effect of land productivity and familiarity with computer use between adoption and adoption intensity and between embodied-knowledge and information-intensive PATs. The effect of producers’ perception of the environmental benefits of PATs is inconclusive and needs to be investigated in future research. The results indicate that analyzing PATs as a group of technologies masks differences in determinants between embodied-knowledge and information-intensive PATs. The study provides insights for developing programs, policies, and outreach efforts that encourage the adoption and adoption intensity of both embodied-knowledge and information-intensive PATs. Findings from the study will also be of interest to precision agriculture researchers, extension personnel, agribusinesses, and policymakers who may consider PATs as tools for improving agricultural sustainability and food security.
Effects of vegetation on the spatial and temporal variation of microclimate in the urbanized Salt Lake Valley

Abstract Land cover characteristics can produce changes in spatial and temporal variability in potential temperature (θ) at scales that are relevant to city inhabitants. Using data from 60 sensors positioned in five urban parks and surrounding residential neighborhoods in the semi-arid Salt Lake Valley, we evaluated the effect of turfgrass cover versus tree shading on spatial and temporal variation in microclimate in a semi-arid urban area. Our results indicated that the replacement of vegetation by impervious surfaces plays a role in microclimatic homogenization. Tree shading was associated with higher spatial variability of θ during the day, while turfgrass cover was associated with higher spatial variability of θ at night. Contrary to our expectation of tree shading governing daytime θ, we also found turfgrass cover to have an efficient cooling effect. This suggests a prominent role of turfgrass evapotranspiration enhanced by high atmospheric evaporative demand, high soil moisture availability, and increased radiation loads that are characteristic of semi-arid urban landscapes. Given that turfgrass cover was also associated with reduced θ at night, mixed tree and grass landscapes may be effective in alleviating the urban heat island effect in semi-arid urban settings.
Gallium-68 prostate-specific membrane antigen ([68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11) PET for imaging of thyroid cancer: a feasibility study.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is expressed in the microvasculature of thyroid cancer. This suggests the potential use of PSMA as a diagnostic agent in patients with aggressive forms of thyroid cancer. The purpose of the current study was to determine the feasibility and utility of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/MRI in thyroid cancer patients. Eligible patients for this prospective pilot study were adults with a history of pathology-proven thyroid cancer who had abnormal radiotracer uptake on an 2-[18F]FDG PET and/or 131I scintigraphy performed in the 12 months prior to study enrollment. Patients underwent a [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/MRI, and comparison was made to the prior qualifying 2-[18F]FDG PET CT/MRI for lesion location and relative intensity. Twelve patients underwent [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/MRI, one of which was excluded from analysis due to debulking surgery prior to the PSMA PET. Of the remaining patients, 7/11 had differentiated disease (3 papillary, 2 follicular, 2 Hurthle cell) and 4/11 had dedifferentiated disease (2 poorly differentiated papillary, 2 anaplastic). Out of 43 lesions, 41 were visually 2-[18F]FDG positive (uptake greater than background, detection rate 95.3%) and 28 were PSMA positive (uptake greater than background, detection rate 65.1%). Uptake was heterogeneous between patients, and in some cases within patients. 3/11 patients (1 poorly differentiated papillary, 2 follicular) had PSMA uptake which was greater than FDG uptake. For the remaining 8 patients, 2-[18F]FDG uptake was greater than PSMA. Using one eligibility guideline in the prostate cancer literature for PSMA radioligand therapy (RLT), 8/11 could be considered eligible for possible future PSMA RLT. This was not predictable based on thyroid cancer subtype. [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET demonstrated lower detection rate when compared to 2-[18F]FDG PET for thyroid cancer lesion visualization. Thyroid cancer subtype alone may not be sufficient to predict PSMA uptake, and radiotracer uptake may vary between patients and even within patients.
Slip-Hardening Bond: A Key to the Success of Ultra High Performance FRC Composites

Bond is recognized as a fundamental causal parameter in the mechanics of fiber reinforced composites. Its paramount function is to transmit forces between fibers and matrix and vice-versa. This paper focuses on “slip-hardening bond” which can be achieved in cement composites with some fibers, as compared to commonly observed slip-softening bond or constant bond. In particular: 1) it describes how bond is characterized from a pull-out test or a pull-through test on a single fiber; 2) it gives examples of fibers with bond stress versus slip exhibiting slip-hardening behavior; and 3) it clarifies how slip-hardening response can be likely achieved. Slip-hardening bond is an extremely important characteristic which should be evaluated at the onset of design; it implies that, at the composite level, once a crack is formed in the matrix, the fibers bridging the crack provide increasing resistance to crack opening. This is likely to encourage multiple cracking in the composite and helps lead to composites with strain-hardening behavior in tension, as well as large composite strains at failure. Slip-hardening bond is considered critical for the further development and success of high performance and ultra-high performance fiber reinforced cement composites [1, 6].
Extreme Outages due to Polarization Mode Dispersion

We investigate the dependence of the bit-error-rate (BER) caused by amplifier noise in a linear optical fiber telecommunication system on the fiber birefringence. We show that the probability distribution function (PDF) of BER obtained by averaging over many realizations of birefringent disorder has an extended tail corresponding to anomalously large values of BER. We specifically discuss the dependence of the tail on such details of the pulse detection at the fiber output as "setting the clock" and filtering procedures.
Aminoglycosides Antagonize Bacteriophage Proliferation, Attenuating Phage Suppression of Bacterial Growth, Biofilm Formation, and Antibiotic Resistance.

The common cooccurrence of antibiotics and phages in both natural and engineered environments underscores the need to understand their interactions and implications for bacterial control and antibiotic resistance propagation. Here, aminoglycoside antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis (e.g., kanamycin and neomycin) impeded the replication of coliphage T3 and Bacillus phage BSP, reducing their infection efficiency and mitigating their hindrance of bacterial growth, biofilm formation, and tolerance to antibiotics. For example, treatment with phage T3 reduced subsequent biofilm formation by Escherichia coli liquid cultures to 53% ± 5% of that of the no-phage control, but a smaller reduction of biofilm formation (89% ± 10%) was observed for combined exposure to phage T3 and kanamycin. Despite sharing a similar mode of action with aminoglycosides (i.e., inhibiting protein synthesis) and antagonizing phage replication, albeit to a lesser degree, tetracyclines did not inhibit bacterial control by phages. Phage T3 combined with tetracycline showed higher suppression of biofilm formation than when combined with aminoglycosides (25% ± 6% of the no-phage control). The addition of phage T3 to E. coli suspensions with tetracycline also suppressed the development of tolerance to tetracycline. However, this suppression of antibiotic tolerance development disappeared when tetracycline was replaced with 3 mg/liter kanamycin, corroborating the greater antagonism with aminoglycosides. Overall, this study highlights this overlooked antagonistic effect on phage proliferation, which may attenuate phage suppression of bacterial growth, biofilm formation, antibiotic tolerance, and maintenance of antibiotic resistance genes. IMPORTANCE The coexistence of residual antibiotics and phages is common in many environments, which underscores the need to understand their interactive effects on bacteria and the implications for antibiotic resistance propagation. Here, aminoglycosides acting as bacterial protein synthesis inhibitors impeded the replication of various phages. This alleviated the suppressive effects of phages against bacterial growth and biofilm formation and diminished bacterial fitness costs that suppress the emergence of tolerance to antibiotics. We show that changes in bacteria caused by environmentally relevant concentrations of sublethal antibiotics can affect phage-host dynamics that are commonly overlooked in vitro but can result in unexpected environmental consequences.