cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Age‐related decreases in basal limb blood flow in humans: time course, determinants and habitual exercise effects

Basal whole-limb blood flow is lower in older than in young healthy sedentary men due to a lower limb vascular conductance. In Study 1, we determined whether age-associated reductions in basal whole-leg (femoral artery) blood flow and vascular conductance are modulated by habitual physical activity by studying 89 healthy men aged 20-35 or 55-75 years (26 sedentary, 31 physically active and 32 endurance exercise trained). Femoral blood flow (duplex Doppler) and vascular conductance were approximately 20-30 % lower (P < 0.01) in the older men in all three physical activity groups. In Study 2, to determine the temporal pattern and relation to local metabolism and lean tissue mass of the age-associated reductions in femoral blood flow, we studied 142 healthy men aged 18-79 years. Femoral blood flow (r = -0.40) and vascular conductance (r = -0.51) were linearly and inversely related to age (both P < 0.001). Leg fat-free mass (r = -0.48) and estimated leg oxygen consumption (r = -0.49) declined with advancing age (both P < 0.001), and were strongly and positively related (r = 0.75; P < 0.001). The age-associated decline in femoral blood flow correlated with the corresponding reductions in leg fat-free mass and estimated leg oxygen consumption (both r = 0.47; P < 0.001). We concluded that: (1) basal whole-limb blood flow and vascular conductance decrease progressively with advancing age in healthy men; (2) reductions in both limb fat-free mass and oxygen consumption are related to the decline in whole-limb blood flow with age; and (3) habitual aerobic exercise does not appear to modulate the age-related reductions in basal limb blood flow and vascular conductance.
Robust NLoS multipath mitigation for TOA estimation

A technique that consists of correlation followed by thresholding is widely used to mitigate multipath effects, especially in the presence of non-line-of-sight (NLoS) effects, for TOA estimation. In practice, an accurate threshold that the technique relies on is difficult to obtain, since optimizing the threshold requires prior knowledge of channel statistics and signal/noise power, which are not always known a priori nor are easy to estimate. In this paper, we propose a new thresholding method that does not rely on such prior knowledge and is robust against an inaccurate threshold.
Opinion: Paradigms, methods, and the (as yet) failed striving for methodological diversity in educational psychology published research.

In his March 2015 inaugural editorial, incoming Journal of Educational Psychology (JEP) editor Steve Graham explained his intention to build on the leadership of esteemed previous JEP editors, but also to go beyond “the status quo” to making “JEP even better” (p. 1) by setting criteria for the manuscripts that would pass the bar for peer review. Graham explicated highly commendable criteria, including adequate description of participants, and setting that would allow appropriate contextualization, replication, and generalization; demonstration of reliability and validity of measures within the context of the reported study, particularly measures of student achievement; demonstration of the fidelity of interventions, as well as description of “what happened in control and comparison conditions” (p. 2) in order to support any causal claims; and utilization of appropriate statistical analyses and report of descriptive statistics, confidence intervals, and effect sizes.
Comparison of Patients Undergoing Primary Shoulder Arthroplasty Before and After the Age of Fifty

Background: The reported outcomes of shoulder arthroplasty in patients under the age of fifty years are worse than those in patients over fifty. While there are several possible explanations for this finding, we explored the possibility that patients who had a primary shoulder arthroplasty when they were under fifty years of age differed from those who had the procedure when they were over fifty with respect to their pre-arthroplasty self-assessed comfort and function, sex distribution, and specific type of arthritis. Methods: The study group consisted of patients with glenohumeral arthritis who were treated with a primary shoulder arthroplasty by the same surgeon between 1990 and 2008. For each decade of age, the sex distribution, the pre-arthroplasty self-assessed shoulder comfort and function, and the prevalence of twelve different diagnoses were documented. We reviewed the series for three potential causes of worse outcomes in patients under fifty years of age as compared with those over fifty years of age: (1) a higher percentage of women, (2) a lower score for pre-arthroplasty self-assessed comfort and function, and (3) more complex pathological conditions. Results: Patients under the age of fifty years were not more likely than those over fifty to be female or to have a lower pre-arthroplasty self-assessed comfort and function score, but they did have more complex pathological conditions, such as capsulorrhaphy arthropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, and posttraumatic arthritis. Only 21% of the younger patients had primary degenerative joint disease, whereas 66% of the older patients had that diagnosis. This difference was significant (p < 0.000000001). Conclusions: Surgeons performing shoulder arthroplasty in individuals under the age of fifty should be prepared to encounter pathological conditions such as capsulorrhaphy arthropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, and posttraumatic arthritis rather than primary osteoarthritis, which is more common in individuals older than fifty. The pathoanatomy in these younger patients may complicate the surgery, the rehabilitation, and the outcome of the shoulder arthroplasty.
Experimental and Analytical Studies on the High Cycle Fatigue of Thin Film Metal on PET Substrate for Flexible Electronics Applications

This paper addresses the behavior of thin-film metal coated flexible substrates under high cyclic bending fatigue loading. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) are widely used substrates in the fabrication of microelectronic devices. Factors affecting the fatigue life of thin-film coated on a flexible PET substrates were studied, including thin-film thickness, film material, bending radius, temperature, and humidity. A series of experiments for sputter-deposited copper and aluminum coated on a PET substrate were conducted. Electrical resistance and crack growth rate were monitored during the experiments at specified time intervals. In addition, a finite element model was built to simulate the bending of thin-films on flexible substrate structure. Layered shell elements were used in the model. Stress intensity and stress distribution across the film were obtained and compared with the experiments. Initial results of copper-coated PET showed a great agreement between the model and the experimental results.
Enhanced suppression of residual water in a "270" WET sequence.

Abstract In certain water suppression experiments, the residual water, which comes from a region away from the center of the RF coil and experiences a much smaller flip angle than the designed one, may appear. The residual water in the WET sequence can be reduced significantly by using a composite 90 x ° 90 y ° 90 −x ° 90 −y ° pulse, which de-excites molecules experiencing a small flip angle. The composite pulse, however, has two null excitation points near on resonance, causing a severe loss of spectrum intensity and baseline distortion toward the null points. Since the residual water experiences a very small flip angle, it can be treated as a linear spin system; i.e., the intensity of the residual water is proportional to the pulse strength and width. Based on this principle, the residual water can be reduced dramatically by replacing the 90° pulse in the “270” WET sequence with a 270° pulse for one out of every four scans, without noticeable loss of intensity and baseline distortion.
Digital breast tomosynthesis: initial experience in 98 women with abnormal digital screening mammography.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to compare the image quality of tomosynthesis with that of conventional mammography and to estimate the recall rate of screening when tomosynthesis is used in addition to mammography.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Women with an abnormal screening mammography were recruited sequentially. Consenting women underwent tomosynthesis of the affected breast corresponding to the views obtained with diagnostic mammography. The study radiologist compared the image quality, including lesion conspicuity and feature analysis, of tomosynthesis with diagnostic film-screen mammography and assessed the need for recall when tomosynthesis was added to digital screening mammography. Screening recalls were considered unnecessary when tomosynthesis did not show a corresponding abnormality or allowed definitely benign lesion characterization. Fisher's exact test was used to determine the association of equivalence and recall status with mammographic finding type.RESULTS. There were 99 digital scre...
Comb-push Ultrasound Shear Elastography (CUSE): A novel and fast technique for shear elasticity imaging

Multiple push-detect acquisitions are typically required in current acoustic radiation force based shear wave elasticity imaging methods to reconstruct a full FOV elasticity map, which can result in potential motion artifacts and difficulties in studying tissue dynamic mechanical properties. Comb-push Ultrasound Shear Elastography (CUSE) is a novel and fast shear elasticity imaging technique which utilizes the comb-push to produce a complex shear wave field with shear waves propagating through all imaging pixels so that a full FOV shear elasticity map can be reconstructed with only one rapid data acquisition (less than 25 ms). Three versions of CUSE are presented in this paper: Unfocused CUSE (U-CUSE), Focused CUSE (F-CUSE), and Marching CUSE (M-CUSE). Homogeneous and inclusion phantom experiments showed that all CUSE methods produced accurate and smooth shear elasticity maps with excellent contrast between the inclusion and background. Comparable elasticity maps to Supersonic Shear Imaging (SSI) could be obtained using CUSE, with low MI and heating. Finally, the feasibility of using CUSE in clinical studies was demonstrated by promising results from preliminary in vivo case studies on human biceps muscle, thyroid, breast and liver.
Rate Constitutive Theories of Order Zero in Lagrangian Description for Thermoelastic Solids

This article presents constitutive theories for the stress tensor and the heat vector for homogeneous, isotropic thermoelastic solids in Lagrangian description for finite deformation. The deforming solid is assumed to be in thermodynamic equilibrium during the evolution. Since conservation of mass, balance of momenta, and balance of energy are independent of the constitution of the matter, the second law of thermodynamics must form the basis for deriving the constitutive theories. We introduce the concept of rate constitutive theory and show that for thermoelastic solids the constitutive theories are, in fact, rate theories of order zero. These theories for stress tensor consider material derivative of order zero of the conjugate strain tensor as one of the argument tensors of the stress tensor established as a dependent variable in the constitutive theory. Generalization of this concept leading to higher order rate theories in Lagrangian description are considered in followup works [1, 2]. The conditions...
The Chronology of Yaxuna: Evidence from excavation and ceramics

Research at the ancient Maya city of Yaxuna, located in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula, has provided sufficient data to suggest a preliminary chronological framework for the cultural development of this large polity. Primary ceramic and stratigraphie data are presented to support a five-phase scheme of cultural history, encompassing the Middle Formative through Postclassic periods (500 b.c.–a.d. 1250). In addition to chronological significance, the political ramifications of a pan-lowland ceramic trade are addressed. Yaxuna experienced an early florescence in the Late Formative–Early Classic periods, when it was the largest urban center in the central peninsula. A second renaissance in the Terminal Classic period was the result of Yaxuna's role in an alliance between the Puuc and Coba, in opposition to growing Itza militancy. This paper proposes a chronological framework for the cultural development of one northern Maya region in order to facilitate an understanding of this area as part of the overall history of polity interaction and competition in the Maya lowlands.
The case for case reports.

Editor's Note It may seem cynical for the Editors of Annals of Neurology to publish a NeuroGenesis article on the value of writing case reports, while systematically turning down the vast majority of such contributions that are submitted to us for publication. Nevertheless, we are partial to case reports (and this article) as a way to encourage scholarship among neurology residents. The advice in this article rings true to me as the Editor-in-Chief; a case report was my first publication in the literature as a newly minted neurologist, based on a patient I had seen as a resident. I vividly remember going through each of the steps that the authors of this NeuroGenesis article describe. In particular, the red pencil editing of my typed manuscript personally by Bud Rowland, who was then the Editor-in-Chief of Neurology, was a priceless component of my education as an author and an editor, as well as a human being. (Bud pointed out, among other things, that I was writing about a 29-year-old woman rather than a 29-year-old female, and he deleted the patient's race, which was commonly if superfluously used in most clinical descriptions in those days, as irrelevant.) To this day I still encourage residents to “write up” an interesting patient whose story I think has value to other neurologists. The exercise itself has educational value beyond the content of the actual manuscript. On the other hand, I urge prospective authors of case reports to read my recent NeuroGenesis article advising junior neurologists on where to publish their work. As the text above advises, “High-impact journals rarely accept case reports based solely on clinical descriptions, but might find a truly new scientific correlation appealing.” Annals, for example, generally does not publish case reports unless they definitively identify a new mechanism of disease or treatment. However, there are many journals that do publish particularly illustrative cases for their heuristic clinical value, and even if, in the end, the case report goes unpublished (I have a few of those as well…), the effort is always educational and an important part of the training of an academic neurologist.— Clifford B. Saper, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief Case reports have seemingly fallen upon hard times. Once esteemed by William Osler and C. Miller Fisher, these reports are now considered anachronistic. Nonetheless, case reports remain valuable and formed the largest proportion of publications written last year by residents in our training program (the Partners Neurology Residency). Although they are easy to produce, it is reasonable to ask if these modern exercises are of equal significance to the narratives of migraine by John Graham in the 1950s or descriptions of Parkinson disease by James Parkinson in 1817. Even a brief reading of currently published case reports raises doubts about the value of many of them but also emphasizes their utility. We argue here that the case report format remains of considerable merit, especially to the aspiring academic clinician. Ann Neurol 2014;76:484–486
Relation of Vitamin E and Selenium Exposure to Prostate Cancer Risk by Smoking Status: A Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies of selenium and vitamin E, two antioxidants hypothesized to reduce prostate cancer risk, have shown no discernible benefit. It has been proposed, however, that tobacco smoking may modify the effect of these nutrients. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a meta-analysis of studies evaluating the relation of vitamin E and selenium exposure to prostate cancer risk in never smokers vs. ever smokers and, when feasible, former and current smokers. Overall and stratum-specific meta-risk ratios (meta-RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects models. RESULTS A total of 21 studies have met the inclusion criteria. Meta-RR (95% CI) estimates of prostate cancer associated with vitamin E use were 1.03 (0.95-1.11) in never smokers and 0.98 (0.90-1.07) in ever-smokers. For selenium, meta-RRs were 1.09 (0.78-1.52 and 0.76 (0.60-0.96) for never and ever-smokers, respectively; however, results for current smokers were weaker than those for former smokers. Sub-analyses according to different exposure assessment methods and outcome definitions produced similar results across strata. CONCLUSION The association between vitamin E and prostate cancer is not modified by smoking. Selenium exposure is associated with lower prostate cancer risk among ever-smokers; however, the lack of an association for current smokers indicates that this finding needs to be interpreted with caution.
Effects of an alien fish, Gambusia affinis, on an endemic California fairy shrimp, Linderiella occidentalis: implications for conservation of diversity in fishless waters

The introduction of exotic fishes to naturally fishless waters is often associated with declines in species native to those waters. Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, have been introduced to waters worldwide for mosquito control. Taxa negatively affected by mosquitofish potentially include fairy shrimp (Crustacea: Anostraca) that often show high rates of endemism, and which are characteristic of naturally fishless wetlands on every continent. We tested the effects of mosquitofish on a fairy shrimp, Linderiella occidentalis, in experimental ponds that included a community of native aquatic invertebrates. We supplemented field experiments with lab trials to test whether mosquitofish preferred L. occidentalis to other prey. Survival of the fairy shrimp was significantly reduced in ponds with mosquitofish. Only 16.9% of fairy shrimp survived in ponds with mosquitofish, while 64.0% survived in control ponds. Fish presence also reduced abundance and biomass of other invertebrates. Results from feeding trials demonstrated that mosquitofish frequently prefer L. occidentalis to alternative prey. Our results suggest that introduction of mosquitofish into naturally fishless wetlands may lead to loss of diversity of their highly specialized aquatic fauna.
Description of the Larva of Pseudocotalpa sonorica Hardy (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini) with Notes on Life History

Abstract Larvae of the genus Pseudocotalpa Hardy, 1971 are described for the first time based on the larva of P. sonorica Hardy 1974. Characters used to separate Pseudocotalpa from similar genera are given. Life history observations of adults of P. sonorica are also given.
Brain temperature during reversible upper respiratory bypass.

Seven male New Zealand white rabbits were trained to run in an exercise wheel. At least 5 days prior to experimentation, each rabbit had a reversible tracheal bypass canula and a hypothalamic therm...
Green Resin from Forestry Waste Residue “Karanja (Pongamia pinnata) Seed Cake” for Biobased Composite Structures

A nonedible protein was extracted from defatted karanja (Pongamia pinnata) seedcake, so far considered as forestry waste residue after oil extraction. High average molecular weight and availability of reactive amino groups of karanja protein (KP), which can be cross-linked, provide the basis to form strong polymeric material. Green thermoset resin was developed from KP using a natural α,β-unsaturated aldehyde “cinnamaldehyde”. In addition, a natural plasticizer (sorbitol) was used to reduce the brittleness of the resin. Mechanical and physical properties were characterized by solution casting resin films. The cross-linking and plasticizer content were optimized to get the best overall performance. A combination of 5% plasticizer content and 12% cross-linking resulted in best mechanical properties. The modified KP resin provides a green, sustainable, and biobased alternative to not only the petroleum-based resins but also to the edible protein-based resins such as soy protein. The KP resin would be inexpen...
The Electrical Activity at Twin Boundaries in Silicon

Although coherent twin boundaries in silicon are electrically inactive, dislocations in the boundaries can act as efficient recombination centers for minority carriers. Different twin boundary dislocation arrangements have been studied by EBIC and TEM. It is found that the observed EBIC contrast is dependent not only on the arrangement of the dislocations in the boundaries but also on the inclination of the boundaries to the surface. It is shown that different defect configurations can produce similar EBIC contrast.
Water markets as a response to scarcity

Existing water governance systems are proving to be quite ineffective in managing water scarcity, creating severe risk for many aspects of our societies and economies. Water markets are a relatively new and increasingly popular tool in the fight against growing water scarcity. They make a voluntary exchange possible between interested buyers and sellers of water rights. This paper presents direct evidence from seven water markets around the globe to document key economic and ecological challenges and achievements of water markets with respect to water scarcity. We specifically approach water markets as localized cap-and-trade systems, similar to those for carbon emissions. We examine whether water use remains within the set limits on use of water rights (i.e., under the cap), the degree to which water markets help protect the health of ecosystems and species, and whether (as predicted by economic theory) the explicit pricing of water is accompanied by improving efficiency, as less productive water users decide to sell water to more productive water users.
Surface-Initiated Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization in the Vapor Phase: An Efficient Method for Grafting Cyclic Olefins with Low Strain Energies

Surface grafting of cyclic olefins with low strain energies, including cyclopentene (CP), 1,4-cyclohexadiene (CHD), cycloheptene (CHP), cis-cyclooctene (CO), cis,cis-1,5-cyclooctadiene (COD), 1,3,5,7-cyclooctatetraene (COT), cyclododecene (CD), and trans,trans,cis-1,5,9-cyclododecatriene (CDT), was explored using ring-opening metathesis polymerization in the vapor phase. These monomers do not polymerize when SiROMP is carried out in solution because of pronounced chain transfer on surfaces where chains are in close proximity to one another. In the vapor phase, however, chain transfer is suppressed at the solid−vapor interfaces, which permits the polymerization of most of these monomers. A minimal required strain energy of 2.2 kcal/mol was determined in this study, which is significantly lower than the estimated 13.3 kcal/mol for SiROMP carried out in solution, indicating that the enhancement in monomer polymerizability is significant using the vapor-phase approach. A series of polyalkenamers with a contro...
Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators as Function Promoting Therapies.

Despite empiric evidence that androgens promote muscle growth, concerns remain about their safety, particularly their association with prostate hypertrophy, the development of male secondary sex characteristics in women, and their potential to accelerate the development of prostate cancer. These concerns led to the development of selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), a class of androgen receptor ligands that bind to androgen receptors in a tissue-selective manner to activate of androgenic signaling (1). SARMs are used for many indications including osteoporosis, anemia, male contraception, male hypogonadism, and wound healing. SARMs may be either steroidal or non-steroidal.
Effects on Photosynthetic and Fluorescence Characteristics under Treatments of ABA,BA or DPI in the Transgenic Rice with Over-Expression C_4pepc Gene

In order to elucidate the molecular mechanism on the high photosynthetic efficiency in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase(PEPC) transgenic rice plants,PEPC transgenic rice plant(PC) and untransformed rice plant,Kitaake(WT) were used as the study materials in pot experiments.With method of reagents inhale from petiole cut,reagents such as abscisic acid(ABA),n-butanol(BA) and diphenyleneiodonium(DPI) were applied in the rice plants at the 7th day after flowering.The photosynthetic and fluorescence characteristics,PEPC activities,pepc gene transcription level,and protein expression of all materials were measured.The results showed that,(1) compared with ABA treatment in PC,the net photosynthetic rates(Pn) of PC after DPI or BA treatment exhibited the similar trends,which increased first and then decreased.Pn of PC after BA treatment increased by 131.6% within 0.5 h,due to the increase of stomatal conductance.(2) ABA,BA and DPI had no significant effects on Fv/Fmof the tested materials.Furthermore,when compared with the WT,PC under different treatments maintained a relatively higher qP.(3) PEPC activity of PC was significantly inhibited by 26% after the BA treatment,while that of PC under DPI was induced to increase by 48%.There are no significant effects on those of WT.Furthermore,the analysis of western blot and RT-PCR bands showed that PEPC protein and gene expression of the tested rice plants did not change significantly after these treatments,which indicated that above changes of PC could be no relativity with pepc gene transcription and protein translation.
Design of Suppositional Economic Running System Based on Decision Support

The economic decision support system uses multiple nonlinear regression model and optimizing method to build suppositional economic running firpower set, optimizes dynamically the running parameter. Meanwhile, this method used in system has some values in the research and application of decision analysis. In the phase of analysis and devise, it uses the UML language to describe the progress.
Non-Cooperative Games (Equilibrium Existence)

Nash equilibrium is the central notion of rational behaviour in non-cooperative game theory (see Osborne and Rubinstein, 1994, for a discussion of Nash equilibrium, including motivation and interpretation). Our purpose here is to discuss various conditions under which a strategic form game possesses at least one Nash equilibrium.
A randomized nutrition counseling intervention in pediatric leukemia patients receiving steroids results in reduced caloric intake.

Background Quality of life in survivors of pediatric acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) can be compromised by chronic diseases including increased risk of second cancers, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Overweight or obesity further increases these risks. Steroids are a component of chemotherapy for ALL, and weight gain is a common side effect. To impact behaviors associated with weight gain, we conducted a randomized nutrition counseling intervention in ALL patients on treatment. Procedure ALL patients on a steroid-based treatment regimen at the MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital were recruited and randomized into control or intervention groups. The control group received standard care and nutrition education materials. The intervention group received monthly one-on-one nutrition counseling sessions, consisting of a baseline and 12 follow-up visits. Anthropometrics, dietary intake (3-day 24-hr dietary recalls) and oxidative stress measures were collected at baseline, 6 months, and postintervention. Dietary recall data were analyzed using the Nutrition Data System for Research. Results Twenty-two patients (median age 11.5 years), all in the maintenance phase of treatment, were recruited. The intervention group (n = 12) reported significantly lower calorie intake from baseline to 12-month follow-up and significant changes in glutamic acid and selenium intake (P < 0.05). Waist circumference was significantly associated with calorie, vitamin E, glutamic acid, and selenium intake. Conclusions A year-long dietary intervention was effective at reducing caloric intake in pediatric ALL patients receiving steroid-based chemotherapy, indicating that this is a modality that can be built upon for obesity prevention and management.
Participants Debate Cold Fusion During MRS Spring Meeting Panel Session

Capping an exciting day at the 1989 Spring Meeting of the Materials Research Society in San Diego, a special three-hour session on “cold fusion” was held Wednesday evening, April 26, following the plenary lecture by two-time Nobel laureate Prof. Linus Pauling. (See “Linus Pauling Addresses MRS in San Diego” elsewhere in this issue.) The session, the largest session in MRS history with over 1,700 participants, was sponsored by the Society to provide MRS meeting attendees with an unbiased scientific forum for the presentation and discussion of results and issues regarding recent “cold fusion” announcements in the press. The announcements had captivated the world's interest the preceding month while being met with a healthy amount of scientific skepticism. Such skepticism was not lost on the nation's cartoonists, many of whose works on “cold fusion” were shown during the evening's proceedings. The special session was organized and moderated by Meeting Cochair Richard W. Siegel, with the help of Angelica M. Stacy and Robin F.C. Farrow (also Meeting Co-chairs) and MRS President R.P.H. Chang. A distinguished panel of invited speakers from the nuclear fusion and materials research communities was assembled to discuss the purported fusion of deuterium nuclei dissolved in palladium or titanium at or near room temperatures.
ALFONSO LÓPEZ QUINTAS, El pensamiento filosófico de Ortega y D'Ors. Una clave de interpretación. Guadarrama, Madrid, 1972; 434 pp.

Se reseno el libro: El pensamiento filosofico de Ortega y D'Ors. Una clave de interpretacion.
A 3D-printed microbial cell culture platform with in situ PEGDA hydrogel barriers for differential substrate delivery

Additive manufacturing, or 3D-printing techniques have recently begun to enable simpler, faster, and cheaper production of millifluidic devices at resolutions approaching 100–200 μm. At this resolution, cell culture devices can be constructed that more accurately replicate natural environments compared with conventional culturing techniques. A number of microfluidics researchers have begun incorporating additive manufacturing into their work, using 3D-printed devices in a wide array of chemical, fluidic, and even some biological applications. Here, we describe a 3D-printed cell culture platform and demonstrate its use in culturing Pseudomonas putida KT2440 bacteria for 44 h under a differential substrate gradient. Polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel barriers are patterned in situ within a 3D-printed channel. Transport of the toluidine blue tracer dye through the hydrogel barriers is characterized. Nutrients and oxygen were delivered to cells in the culture region by diffusion through the PEGDA hydrogel barriers from adjacent media or saline perfusion channels. Expression of green fluorescent protein by P. putida KT2440 enabled real time visualization of cell density within the 3D-printed channel, and demonstrated cells were actively expressing protein over the course of the experiment. Cells were observed clustering near hydrogel barrier boundaries where fresh substrate and oxygen were being delivered via diffusive transport, but cells were unable to penetrate the barrier. The device described here provides a versatile and easy to implement platform for cell culture in readily controlled gradient microenvironments. By adjusting device geometry and hydrogel properties, this platform could be further customized for a wide variety of biological applications.
On Hercules’ Threshold: Epistemic Pluralities and Oceanic Realignments in the Euro-Atlantic Space

Pireddu reopens a conceptual gateway in the Euro-American Atlantic space, recasting the foundational image of Hercules’ Pillars in terms of threshold. She attempts to overcome the asymmetry in the contact zone between colonizing and colonized cultures, but also to unburden Europe of the weight that its imperial past still exerts on the intellectual discourse by and on Europe. Focusing on Morin and Matvejevic’s theorization of the Mediterranean, Cassano’s “Southern thought,” Magris’s Mitteleuropa, and the self-decolonizing fiction of Saramago and Bouraoui, Pireddu invites us to think beyond ideological co-optations, unable to transcend stereotypical polarizations between a Eurocentric, universalist thought and a non-European, localist approach. She thus challenges the Global South/Global North conceptual frontier, rethinking Euro-Atlantic relations beyond distinctions between cardinal points or center-periphery dichotomies.
What does youth-led participatory budgeting reveal about youth priorities? Ideas, votes, and decisions

Youth involvement in community decision-making is considered a core principle of both youth advocacy and progressive governance. Yet, in many communities formal roles for youth remain limited. This...
An Intelligent Robots-Server System for Solar Panel Cleaning and Electric Power Output Optimization

Electric energy production from solar panels is becoming more and more economically viable as the efficiency of the new solar panels increases and their cost decreases steadily Solar panels in places where the sun shines almost every day of the year provide a clean alternative to traditional electric energy generators without placing stress on the environment Large scale solar panel installations could lose a percentage of their output due to dust bird droppings cable destruction by small animals with sharp teeth panel destruction by vandals and many other reasons In this research paper we provide an improvement of our robots server architecture This improvement is in the intelligence of the robots the server and the installation of four propellers on the mechanical structure of the robot to enable it to jump or perform short flights The project is still in the experimental stage and it will take some changes and some time until it becomes fully functional and economically feasible to become a consumer product
Diffraction-free space-time pulsed light sheets with arbitrary beam profile

We experimentally demonstrate one-dimensional diffraction-free pulsed light sheets created via highly correlated spatio-temporal spectra produced using a two-dimensional pulse shaper. The beam profile with arbitrary shape can be synthesized at the pulse center by phase and amplitude spectral modulation.
Substance Abuse and Maxillofacial Surgery

Acute and chronic substance abuse can adversely affect the perioperative course of maxillofacial surgery. Addictive substances modulate the brains reward pathways and manifest with altered behaviors. Substance use can affect all major organ systems, and identification of patients who are at risk will help minimize perioperative complications. Challenges include preoperative optimization, intraoperative management, and postoperative withdrawal treatment. Multimodal analgesia, with emphasis on regional and non-opioid medications, is recommended. Should postoperative withdrawal develop, prompt and effective treatment is warranted.
Role of Ran GTPase in RNA Processing and Export of RNA from the Nucleus to the Cytosol: Insights from Budding Yeast

The Ran GTPase functions directly in nucleus/cytosol exchange, microtubule and spindle assembly, and likely other processes. This chapter focuses on use of the budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) model system to delineate the in vivo roles of the Ran pathway in the export of tRNAs, ribosomes, and mRNA from the nucleus to the cytosol. Emphasis is placed upon the complex multiple and overlapping pathways that exist and possible mechanisms by which the Ran cycle may respond to environmental cues to assure that nuclear/cytosol exchange is coordinated with cellular metabolism. The data support direct roles for Ran in tRNA and ribosome nuclear export, but it is not clear whether Ran functions directly in mRNA nuclear export.
Admired Rich or Resented Rich? How Two Cultures Vary in Envy:

Rich people inhabit a distinct social category that may elicit universal images or perhaps different perceptions in different cultures. Whereas inequality research has mostly focused on lower socio...
Expressive Business Ethics

This chapter focuses on the normative importance of what attitudes our actions express to others. Business is not conducted in a vacuum – rather, it is conducted against a background schema of social meaning. This chapter argues that the public meaning of our actions, what our actions express, is normatively important. The piece imports familiar norms regarding expressions from interpersonal morality to business ethics, such as those surrounding insult, blame, and gratitude. It argues that many of ethicists’ gripes across a range of business ethics topics – from disproportionate compensation to immoral investing – can fruitfully be analyzed from an expressive perspective.
The effects of platelet accumulation in fatty liver disease.

A new study provides evidence that platelets exert potent inflammatory effects and play a central part in the progression from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The results from this and other studies raise important questions regarding the role of platelets in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in individuals with fatty liver disease.
The Unified Dormant Commerce Clause

The Supreme Court’s dormant Commerce Clause doctrine is widely recognized as a disjointed mess. One source of significant confusion in that body of law is the Court’s formal maintenance of different tests for purposes of analyzing state tax laws and nontax laws. That bifurcated approach is conceptually problematic and leads to inconsistent and questionable results. This Article argues that the Court should eliminate its dual tests and recognize a unified dormant Commerce Clause. The Article traces the history of the Court’s dual tests and explains the erosion of the substantive differences that have existed between them, including in the Court’s recent decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair. The Article also shows how acceptance of a unified test would resolve multiple tensions that exist under the Court’s current doctrine and how application of a unified test would have changed the Court’s approach in several controversial cases. Notably, the Article also shows how acceptance of a unified test would help to properly situate the Court’s internal consistency test. State tax statutes can, and should, be evaluated under the same general framework as nontax statutes. The state interest in taxation can be adequately protected within that more general framework, and applying a unified dormant Commerce Clause would help to streamline the doctrine and produce more consistent adjudication between substantive areas of law.
Non-isothermal injection-induced geomechanics in a porous layer confined with flexible sealing rocks

Abstract Non-isothermal injection of fluids deep into geological strata results in coupled alterations in in-situ temperatures and pore pressures, inducing deformations within the target rock and surrounding media. This paper presents new closed-form thermo-poroelastic solutions for spatiotemporal pore pressure, temperature, and displacements induced in a porous continuum confined with flexible sealing rocks, during early stages of injection when the rock temperature adjacent to the wellbore is within a transient state. Reservoir response in the direction perpendicular to flow is incorporated using the Winkler model. A comprehensive analysis reveals the duration of the transient state for various rocks to be rather substantial. While temperature profiles obtained from the proposed solutions are fairly similar to those of conventional solutions, thermal-induced pore pressures are demonstrated to be very different, resulting in a distinct geomechanical response of the confined layer specifically near the wellbore region. Vertical confinement is found to be notably influential on thermal-induced geomechanical response of a confined porous layer.
Better days: aging and athletic attitude

Plato famously characterized philosophy as practice for dying and death; contemporary philosophers in bioethics have produced a vast literature on the quest for a good death. Yet there is a relativ...
Surgery for Complicated Diverticulitis

Patients with acute diverticulitis can present with a wide spectrum of disease that ranges from a mild attack of diverticulitis to peritonitis. This review discusses the appropriate preoperative work-up and operative management of patients with complicated diverticulitis. A thorough management protocol is presented in algorithm form.
COVID-19 opens a window of reflection for comparative health systems and global health research

The Covid-19 crisis that led to the loss of thousands of lives and initiated one of the most complex social and economic upheavals has also a created a window of reflection for health systems researchers to revisit our major concepts, frameworks, and underlying assumptions. This commentary reviews two literatures that remain rather separate: comparative health policy and global health. First, I examine whether convergence in circumstances brought about by the spread of Covid-19 creates opportunities for learning “about” as well as unpacking the motivations of policy actors and how they use the cross-national information. However, given the emphasis on national policy actors and processes, this literature may overlook the importance of global actors, institutions and ideas. Second, global health differentiates itself with an emphasis on multilateralism as a political positioning and its multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral approach. However, the global health field is also challenged to consider its mission, political standing on multilateralism, changing relationships between North and South and its commitment to multidisciplinary approach. I argue that health systems scholars should use the window of opportunity created by Covid-19 pandemic to reexamine their methodologies and rearticulate their positioning by acknowledging the voice and agency of the Global South.
One Ring to Rule Them All: Mitochondrial Circular RNAs Control Mitochondrial Function.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of a wide variety of biological processes, but the roles of mitochondrial circRNAs are largely unknown. In this issue of Cell, Zhao et al. (2020) reveal that mitochondrial DNA-encoded circRNAs interact with ATP synthase subunit β (ATP5B) to inhibit the output of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and the activation of liver fibroblasts, which regulate the pathogenesis of liver disease.
Predictors of Delayed Recognition of Critical Illness in Emergency Department Patients and Its Effect on Morbidity and Mortality

Purpose:Timely recognition of critical illness is associated with improved outcomes, but is dependent on accurate triage, which is affected by system factors such as workload and staffing. We sough...
Cosmological fluctuations on the light cone

In studying temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background Weinberg has noted that some ease of calculation and insight can be achieved by looking at the structure of the perturbed light cone on which the perturbed photons propagate. In his approach Weinberg worked in a specific gauge and specialized to fluctuations around the standard Robertson-Walker cosmological model with vanishing spatial three-curvature. In this paper we generalize this analysis by providing a gauge invariant treatment in which no choice of gauge is made, and by considering geometries with non-vanishing spatial three-curvature. By using the scalar, vector, tensor fluctuation basis we find that the relevant gauge invariant combinations that appear in the light cone temperature fluctuations have no explicit dependence on the spatial curvature even if the spatial curvature of the background geometry is nonvanishing. We find that a not previously considered, albeit not too consequential, temperature fluctuation at the observer has to be included in order to enforce gauge invariance. As well as working with comoving time we also work with conformal time in which a background metric of any given spatial three-curvature can be written as a time-dependent conformal factor (the comoving time expansion radius as written in conformal time) times a static Robertson-Walker geometry of the same spatial three-curvature. For temperature fluctuations on the light cone this conformal factor drops out identically. Thus the gauge invariant combinations that appear in the photon temperature fluctuations have no explicit dependence on either the conformal factor or the spatial three-curvature at all.
Inquiries on the Everyday Online Conversations of Design: Typologies, Comments, and Threads

ABSTRACT In this article, the author explores the nature of design writing in the online environment by looking at everyday conversations of design: the written conversations that occur as a combin...
How Useful can the Voigt Profile be in Protein Folding Processes

The analytical expression for the Voigt profile, along with its simplified forms for the Gaussian and Lorentzian dominance, is presented. The applicability of the Voigt profile in the description of anomalous diffusion phenomena, ubiquitous in different fields of science including protein folding, is discussed. It is shown that the Voigt profile is a good descriptor of the processes occurring in protein folding and in the native state. The usefulness of the Voigt profile in deriving important information of the diffusive motions in proteins from a quasielastic incoherent neutron scattering experiments is illustrated.
Transgender Polyvictimization in the U.S. Transgender Survey.

Relative to cisgender people, transgender individuals not only are at an elevated risk of experiencing at least one form of physical or sexual violence, but also at an increased risk of polyvictimi...
Effect of UNOS policy change and exception status request on outcomes in patients bridged to heart transplant with an intra-aortic balloon pump

BACKGROUND Intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP) are used to bridge select end-stage heart disease patients to heart transplant (HT). IABP use and exception requests both increased dramatically after the UNOS policy change (PC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of PC and exception status requests on waitlist and post-transplant outcomes in patients bridged to HT with IABP support. METHODS We analyzed adult, first-time, single-organ HT recipients from the UNOS Registry either on IABP at the time of registration for HT or at the time of HT. We compared waitlist and post-HT outcomes between patients from the PRE (October 18, 2016 to May 30, 2018) and POST (October 18, 2018 to May 30, 2020) eras using Kaplan-Meier curves and time-to-event analyses. RESULTS A total of 1267 patients underwent HT from IABP (261 pre-policy/1006 post-policy). On multivariate analysis, PC was associated with an increase in HT (sub-distribution hazard ratio (sdHR): 2.15, p < .001) and decrease in death/deterioration (sdHR: 0.55, p = .011) on the waitlist with no effect on 1-year post-HT survival (p = .8). The exception status of patients undergoing HT was predominantly seen in the POST era (29%, 293/1006); only four patients in the PRE era. Exception requests in the POST era did not alter patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS In patients bridged to heart transplant with an IABP, policy change is associated with decreased rates of death/deterioration and increased rates of heart transplantation on the waitlist without affecting 1-year post-transplant survival. While exception status use has markedly increased post-PC, it is not associated with patient outcomes.