cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous passive broadband vibration suppression and energy harvesting with multifunctional metastructures

The research presented in this paper focuses on a unique multifunctional structural design that not only absorbs vibration at desired frequency bands, but also extracts significant amounts of electrical energy. This is accomplished by first designing an array of low-frequency resonators to be integrated into a larger host structure. This array of resonators can contribute not only to static requirements, e.g., stiffness, strength, mass, etc., of the host structure but the array also functions as a distributed system of passive vibration absorbers. Structures having these distributed vibration absorber systems are known as metastructures. Here, the authors present a unique absorber design referred to as a zigzag beam, which can have a natural frequency an order of magnitude lower than that of a basic cantilever beam of the same scale. It will be shown that the zigzag beams can be designed with an added layer of piezoelectric material, which allows them to harvest significant amounts of electrical power as they suppress vibration of the host structure. This paper includes details of the fully-coupled electromechanical analytical and numerical models for energy harvesting metastructures. Experimental results used to validate the proposed modeling methods will be discussed. Lastly, results of a multi-objective design optimization will be presented and discussed. Results of the optimization study were able to show that allowing only an 82 % increase in the host structure vibration could yield more than a 1500 % increase in total power output. Other results show that the power output (or absorber motion) could be increased 241% without increasing host structure vibrations due to multiple design solutions existing at fixed host structure vibration levels.
Radiation hardening by software techniques on FPGAs: Flight experiment evaluation and results

We present our work on implementing Radiation Hardening by Software (RHBSW) techniques on the Xilinx Virtex5 FPGAs PowerPC 440 processors on the SpaceCube 2.0 platform. The techniques have been matured and tested through simulation modeling, fault emulation, laser fault injection and now in a flight experiment, as part of the Space Test Program-Houston 4-ISS SpaceCube Experiment 2.0 (STP-H4-ISE 2.0). This work leverages concepts such as heartbeat monitoring, control flow assertions, and checkpointing, commonly used in the High Performance Computing industry, and adapts them for use in remote sensing embedded systems. These techniques are extremely low overhead (typically <1.3%), enabling a 3.3x gain in processing performance as compared to the equivalent traditionally radiation hardened processor. The recently concluded STP-H4 flight experiment was an opportunity to upgrade the RHBSW techniques for the Virtex5 FPGA and demonstrate them on-board the ISS to achieve TRL 7. his work details the implementation of the RHBSW techniques, that were previously developed for the Virtex4-based SpaceCube 1.0 platform, on the Virtex5-based SpaceCube 2.0 flight platform. The evaluation spans the development and integration with flight software, remotely uploading the new experiment to the ISS SpaceCube 2.0 platform, and conducting the experiment continuously for 16 days before the platform was decommissioned. The experiment was conducted on two PowerPCs embedded within the Virtex5 FPGA devices and the experiment collected 19,400 checkpoints, processed 253,482 status messages, and incurred 0 faults. These results are highly encouraging and future work is looking into longer duration testing as part of the STP-H5 flight experiment.
Proteomic anaysis of aged microglia: shifts in transcription, bioenergetics, and nutrient response

Age is the primary risk factor for many diseases. As such, age is a critical co-factor for examination in order to understand the progression and potential intervention in disease progression. Studies examining both the phenotype and transcriptome of aged microglia demonstrated a propensity for the development of a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Less well studied is the concomitant blunting of anti-inflammatory aspects of microglial function with age which also impact plasticity and repair in the CNS. This study utilizes mass spectrometry-based proteomics to compare primary microglia from young and aged animals. This study revealed alterations in three clusters of inter-related proteins. The three pathways were inflammatory signaling, mitochondrial function, and cellular metabolism. Analysis of these clusters identified the protein rapamycin-insensitive companion of mTOR (RICTOR), a component of the mTORC2 complex, as a novel upstream regulator of several biological functions that are altered with age and potentially linked to phenotype development. A decrease in mTORC2-dependent AKT S473 phosphorylation, as assessed by insulin growth factor (IGF) treatment, was observed in aged microglia. This novel finding was confirmed by genetic manipulation of the microglial cell line. BV2 cells with diminished RICTOR displayed a phenotype that was strikingly similar to that of aged microglia. This finding is particularly relevant as the mTOR pathway already has a number of pharmacological modulators used clinically. The results suggest that microglia from aged mice show changes in cellular metabolism and energy regulation that might underlie the alterations in inflammatory signaling. Modulation of one pathway identified in our bioinformatic analysis, RICTOR, may provide an avenue by which deleterious aspects of the aging microglia can be attenuated. If successful, this could mean potentially delaying or diminishing the progress of diseases for which progressive inflammation is involved.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Reclassification of Risk for Incidence of Heart Failure: The Veterans Exercise Testing Study.

Background—It is well established that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is inversely associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. However, little is known regarding the association betwee...
On the melt line slope of alloys

Abstract An equation is derived that gives the slope in the temperature-pressure plane of the boundaries of the melt region for certain metal alloys. This equation is in terms of the macroscopic thermodynamic properties that can be determined by atmospheric pressure experiments. The equation includes terms that are not present for a pure material. When these terms are omitted, the result reduces to the well-known Clausius-Clapeyron equation. Numerical results are given for the aluminum alloy 2024. The predicted melt slope is 60–70% higher than that for pure aluminum. This example illustrates that it may be important to distinguish between the behavior of pure metals and alloys in studies involving the behavior in the melt region, as, for example, in recent studies of dynamic response at elevated temperatures.
Liver transplant–related anastomotic biliary strictures: a novel, rapid, safe, radiation-sparing, and cost-effective management approach

Background and Aims Biliary strictures after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) are typically managed by sequential ERCP procedures, with incremental dilation of the stricture and stent exchange (IDSE) and placement of new stents. This approach resolves >80% of strictures after 12 months but requires costly, lengthy ERCPs with significant patient radiation exposure. Increasing awareness of the harmful effects of radiation, escalating healthcare costs, and decreasing reimbursement for procedures mandate maximal efficiency in performing ERCP. We compared the traditional IDSE protocol with a sequential stent addition (SSA) protocol, in which additional stents are placed across the stricture during sequential ERCPs, without stent removal/exchange or stricture dilation. Methods Patients undergoing ERCP for OLT-related anastomotic strictures from 2010 to 2016 were identified from a prospectively maintained endoscopy database. Procedure duration, fluoroscopy time, stricture resolution rates, adverse events, materials fees, and facility fees were analyzed for IDSE and SSA procedures. Results Seventy-seven patients underwent 277 IDSE and 132 SSA procedures. Mean fluoroscopy time was 64.5% shorter ( P P P P 95%, and low adverse event rates did not significantly differ. Conclusions SSA results in shorter, cost-effective procedures requiring fewer accessory devices and exposing patients to less radiation. Stricture resolution rates are equivalent to IDSE, and adverse events do not differ significantly, even in this immunocompromised population.
Catalytic, Enantioselective Synthesis of Polycyclic Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Sulfur Heterocycles via Rh-Catalyzed Alkene Hydroacylation

Enantioselective synthesis of polycyclic nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur heterocycles by rhodium-catalyzed intramolecular alkene hydroacylation is reported. The intramolecular hydroacylation reactions generate 1,4-dihydrocyclopenta[b]indol-3(2H)-ones and 3,4-dihydrocyclopenta[b]indol-1(2H)-one in moderate-to-high yields (65–99%) with good-to-excellent enantioselectivities (84–99% ee). The catalyst system also promotes alkene hydroacylation of 3-vinylfuran-, 3-vinylbenzothiophene-, and 3-vinylthiophene-2-carboxaldehydes to generate the corresponding ketone products in moderate-to-high yields (71–91% yield) with excellent enantioselectivities (97–99% ee).
Brentuximab Vedotin for Patients With Refractory Lymphomatoid Papulosis: An Analysis of Phase 2 Results.

Importance Brentuximab vedotin is a monomethyl auristatin E–conjugated monoclonal antibody directed against CD30. It represents a potential treatment for the CD30+lymphoproliferative disorder lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP), which currently has no approved treatment. Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of brentuximab vedotin for the treatment of LyP. Design, Setting, and Participants In this study conducted at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from May 10, 2011, to March 31, 2017, a total of 12 patients with LyP received brentuximab vedotin. All patients were 18 years or older with a diagnosis of LyP and were also required to have scarring, more than 10 lesions, or active lesions on the face, hands, or feet. Nine patients were enrolled in a physician-initiated, open-label, single-center, phase 2 clinical trial of brentuximab vedotin for CD30+cutaneous T-cell lymphomas and LyP from 2011 to 2013. Three patients were later treated outside of the trial from 2013 to 2017. Five patients continued to be followed up as of March 2017. Interventions Intravenous brentuximab vedotin 1.8 mg/kg infused over 30 minutes every 21 days. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point was the overall response rate. Complete response was defined as zero lesions, and partial response was defined as a 50% or greater reduction in lesion count from baseline. A relapse was defined as loss of partial response. Results All 12 patients (8 men and 4 women; median age, 46 years) responded to brentuximab vedotin, and 7 exhibited a complete response. Time to response was 3 weeks in all patients. The median duration of response was 20 weeks (range, 6-103 weeks). For 5 patients who relapsed, the median time to relapse was 12 weeks (range, 6-41 weeks). One patient who relapsed was retreated and has remained in partial response for more than 23 months. Grade 1 to 2 neuropathy occurred in 10 patients but resolved in 5. Adverse events of grade 3 or higher were neutropenia (n = 2) and dizziness/vertigo (n = 1). Three patients withdrew owing to adverse events. Conclusions and Relevance Brentuximab vedotin is effective in treating LyP (overall response rate, 100%; complete response rate, 58%), but its use should be reserved for patients with truly severe and refractory LyP. More work is needed to optimize its dosing to minimize adverse events, such as peripheral neuropathy. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT01352520
A Close Encounter Problem of Random Walk in Polymer Physics

The mechanical properties of polymeric materials are dominated by the entanglements of; long chain-like polymers. The entanglements impose severe restrictions on the molecular motions of polymers.
Recolher as âncoras em busca da liberdade: Gênero e viagem em Nísia Floresta (Europa, 1856-1885)

Resumo A escritora brasileira Nisia Floresta (1810-1885) deixou o Brasil em 1856 com destino a Europa, onde passou a viver ate o fim de seus dias. Nesse periodo, publicou uma serie de textos, dentre os quais dois relatos de viagem. Neste artigo, analiso sua trajetoria enquanto viajante e escritora na Europa. Atraves da literatura que produziu e de outras fontes historicas sobre seu percurso, procuro demonstrar como Floresta deixou o Brasil em buscar de uma liberdade de genero que lhe permitisse escapar das amarras da vida familiar e da sociedade patriarcal. Meu argumento e de que a viagem foi para sua vida e sua pena uma experiencia libertadora. No entanto, seus escritos revelam tambem uma tensao, ao enfatizar e defender as expectativas da sociedade burguesa e patriarcal para as mulheres de sua condicao como ideais a serem defendidos.
The measurement of intraesophageal pressure and its relationship to intrathoracic pressure.

Abstract An intraesophageal pressure recording balloon was described. The importance of the use of helium in any pressure recording system in which a gas is used as a pressure transmitting medium was demonstrated. It was shown that intraesophageal pressure changes are quantitative reflections of intrathoracic pressure changes when the esophagus is relaxed. This was demonstrated by comparing the change in intraesophageal pressure with the change in intrapulmonary pressure, and by direct measurement of the intrapleural pressure simultaneously with intraesophageal pressure. It is concluded that the use of intraesophageal pressure is a safe and accurate method of measuring changes in intrathoracic pressure.
National treatment times in oropharyngeal cancer treated with primary radiation or chemoradiation.

Abstract Objective To characterize treatment delays in oropharyngeal cancer treated with radiation in a national sample, identify factors associated with delays, and associate treatment delays with survival. Materials and Methods We included adults in the National Cancer Database treated for oropharyngeal cancer with primary radiation or chemoradiation 2010–2013. We characterized diagnosis-to-treatment initiation, radiation treatment duration, and diagnosis-to-treatment end intervals as medians. We examined delays for association with patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics and with overall survival with multivariable logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression, respectively. Results 4089 patients were included; 12% received radiation alone and 88% chemoradiation. The incidence of human papilloma virus-associated tumors was 64%. Median durations of diagnosis-to-treatment initiation, radiation duration, and diagnosis-to-treatment end were 35, 50, and 87 days, respectively. Human papilloma virus-positive tumors were linked to decreased delays in radiation treatment duration and diagnosis-to-treatment end (OR = 0.72 (0.60–0.85), p Conclusion These median durations can serve as national benchmarks. Diagnosis-to-treatment end interval is associated with overall survival in all patients, and radiation treatment duration in patients with human papilloma virus-negative tumors. These intervals could be considered quality indicators for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with primary radiation or chemoradiation.
Strategic plant choices can alleviate climate change impacts: A review.

Abstract Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) uses biodiversity and ecosystem services to reduce climate change impacts to local communities. Because plants can alleviate the abiotic and biotic stresses of climate change, purposeful plant choices could improve adaptation. However, there has been no systematic review of how plants can be applied to alleviate effects of climate change. Here we describe how plants can modify climate change effects by altering biological and physical processes. Plant effects range from increasing soil stabilization to reducing the impact of flooding and storm surges. Given the global scale of plant-related activities such as farming, landscaping, forestry, conservation, and restoration, plants can be selected strategically—i.e., planting and maintaining particular species with desired impacts—to simultaneously restore degraded ecosystems, conserve ecosystem function, and help alleviate effects of climate change. Plants are a tool for EbA that should be more broadly and strategically utilized.
Why do migrants remit

This paper examines primary incentives of remitting. Using estimated bilateral data on remittances, this paper demonstrates that a rise in the home (remittance‐receiving) country's gross national income (GNI) per capita leads to fewer remittances and that a rise in the host (remittance‐sending) country's GNI per capita motivates migrants to remit more. Real exchange rates and real interest rates have no effect on remittances. These results indicate that altruism is an important and critical component of motivations behind remittances. However, altruism alone does not appear to be a sufficient explanation of the motivations behind remittances. Other incentives such as loan repayment and investment play a non‐negligible role in this regard as well. The degree of altruism is higher for migrants from developing countries in comparison with migrants from developed countries, and it is higher when we define remittances as “personal transfers” rather than “personal transfers and compensation of employees.” The results of the vector error correction model show if remittances deviate from the equilibrium relationship, they will eventually revert.
Genetic manipulation of the obligate chemolithoautotrophic bacterium Thiobacillus denitrificans

Chemolithoautotrophic bacteria can be of industrial and environmental importance, but they present a challenge for systems biology studies, as their central metabolism deviates from that of model organisms and there is a much less extensive experimental basis for their gene annotation than for typical organoheterotrophs. For microbes with sequenced genomes but unconventional metabolism, the ability to create knockout mutations can be a powerful tool for functional genomics and thereby render an organism more amenable to systems biology approaches. In this chapter, we describe a genetic system for Thiobacillus denitrificans, with which insertion mutations can be introduced by homologous recombination and complemented in trans. Insertion mutations are generated by in vitro transposition, the mutated genes are amplified by the PCR, and the amplicons are introduced into T. denitrificans by electroporation. Use of a complementation vector, pTL2, based on the IncP plasmid pRR10 is also addressed.
The Many Beginnings of Bioethics: A Comparison of American and Ibero-American Bioethics and the Possibility of a Global Bioethics

Ibero-American Bioethics: History and Perspectives allows one to contrast the establishment and development of a distinctly Ibero-American bioethics with that of the American tradition. Essays such as, “The Environment and Bioethics: A Brazilian Perspective,” immediately stand out to the American reader because, as is mentioned in a number of the essays in this volume, American bioethics has defined itself as a distinctively medical, or biomedical, ethics in contrast with the Ibero-American or Latin American approach, which espouses more of a “life ethic.” From the Ibero-American perspective, bioethics not only includes medical ethics, but also focuses on ecology and human values. Thumbing through any American anthology of bioethics one will find topics relating to reproductive issues, genetic enhancements, end-of-life issues, resource allocation, research ethics, organ donation, and more, but one will be hard pressed to find an essay on environmental ethics, for instance. In addition to issues of social justice, such as poverty or world hunger, environmental ethics would be found in an “applied ethics” anthology or as an independent topic of study. This seemingly insignificant observation, serves to indicate a discontinuity in the term “bioethics” as it is used by the two traditions in addition to an alternative understanding and structure of what bioethics is and what it consists of.1
Control of Signaling by Tyrosine Phosphatases

Extracellular stimuli, such as peptide hormones, growth factors and cytokines, regulate diverse biological functions; including cell cycle progression, proliferation and differentiation, the immune response, and cytoskeletal reorganization, by altering the levels of protein phosphorylation. The initial and crucial event for most signaling pathways inside the cell is protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Indeed, many transmembrane receptors for peptide hormones and growth factors possess intrinsic protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity (see Chapters 4 and 5). Receptors for cytokines (see Chapters 6 to 8) lack intrinsic kinase activity but associate with non-receptor PTKs inside the cell. Levels of cellular protein tyrosine phosphorylation are regulated by two opposing activities catalyzed by PTKs and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). PTKs have been studied extensively for the past two decades [1]. However, the importance of PTPs has not been fully appreciated until recently. The addition or removal of a phosphoryl moiety from tyrosine residue(s) in a protein can generate novel recognition motifs that regulate protein-protein interactions, control protein stability, and most importantly, modulate enzyme activity. Phosphorylation is usually regarded as an “on” switch to activate a signal transduction pathway, while dephosphorylation as an “off” switch. However, this is not always the case. As will be discussed below, PTPs can exert both positive and negative effects on a signaling pathway (see Chapter 1). Often, the critical factor is the balance of phosphorylation, which dictates the extent and duration of an extracellular signal event. To fully understand the fundamental role of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in complex and critical signal transduction pathways, detailed studies of both PTKs and PTPs are required.
Effects of flow sheet implementation on physician performance in the management of asthmatic patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This project focused on increasing compliance, in a large family practice group, with quality indicators for the management of asthma. The objective was to determine if use of a flow sheet incorporating the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines could improve compliance with those guidelines if the flow sheet was placed in patients' medical records. METHODS After review and selection of 14 clinical quality indicators, physicians in the practice implemented a flow sheet as an intervention. These flow sheets were inserted into the records of 122 randomly selected patients with asthma. Medical records were reviewed before the flow sheets were placed in the records, and again approximately 6 months later, to determine if there was a change in compliance with the quality indicators. RESULTS Improvement of documentation was demonstrated in 13 of the 14 quality indicators. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that compliance with asthma management quality indicators can improve with the use of a flow sheet.
One Center's Experience with Hybrid Technique for Lumbar Spine Instrumentated Surgeries: Evaluation of Different Instrumentation Systems and Their Management.

Background Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been providing many solutions in spine surgery, and several technical variations and instrumentation systems are available. The aim of our study is to investigate the best system to perform a hybrid technique in lumbar spine fusion procedures. Methods Sixteen patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to 1 of the 4 groups reported later. The first step in any case was midline incision, fascia exposure, and, using trocars, intravertebral transpedicle Kirschner wires (KWs) positioning through the fascia. Group definitions were A) KWs were affixed to surgical towels; B) screws with metal extensors were placed and KWs removed; C) screws with plastic extensors (K2M) were placed and those extensors were affixed to surgical towels; and D) screws without extensors or tulips (Nuvasive) were positioned. We locked the system at the end of procedure, after posterior decompression and translumbar interbody fusion cage placement. Procedures’ features were rated using properly designed questionnaires by surgeons. Results Metal extensors were rated lower than other systems in any aspect. C and D groups’ procedures were higher rated than those in A and B in all examined fields. Furthermore, group D’s procedures were reported more comfortable during facetectomy, diskectomy, and cage placement. Surgeons reported Precept Modular (Nuvasive) as the most comfortable and useful system in the hybrid technique. Conclusions Precept Modular seems to be the most useful system when performing hybrid technique in lumbar fusion procedures. Furthermore, it results in the only one that provides the opportunity to easily and quickly switch from minimally invasive surgery to open surgery, avoiding muscles’ injuries.
The substrate lends a hand.

Duramycin is a small post-translationally modified peptide with antibody-like affinity for phosphatidylethanolamine. As it turns out, the same functionality that is essential for duramycin activity helps to catalyze the formation of its conformationally constrained and compact polycyclic architecture.
When Is Seeking Safety Functional? Taking a Pragmatic Approach to Distinguishing Coping From Safety

Abstract Currently, most exposure-based treatments call for clinicians to assess for and remove all safety behaviors during exposure tasks. However, the notion that safety behaviors are detrimental across all scenarios has recently been challenged, and research regarding the effects of safety behaviors on exposure outcomes is limited and inconsistent. In clinical practice, classifying a strategy as a safety behavior can be a complex and challenging endeavor, particularly when distinguishing between harmful safety behaviors and helpful coping behaviors. We outline an approach that emphasizes the pragmatic truth criterion and uses functional outcomes to classify behaviors as serving either safety or coping functions. Our focus on doing what “works” simplifies decision-making for clinicians and maintains the focus of treatment on enhancing functioning. We propose a model for using functional outcomes to distinguish between safety and coping behaviors and illustrate our approach through case examples.
Exploring Lexical Forms: First-Generation Consumer Health Vocabularies

The Consumer Health Vocabulary Initiative (http://consumerhealthvocab.org/) is a multi-disciplinary effort to facilitate the research and development of consumer health vocabularies (CHVs). We are currently investigating different types of lexical forms used in lay expressions (i.e. words and phrases): consumer-friendly display forms, consumer forms that have different semantics in professional and lay contexts and consumer forms not covered by professional health terminologies. The next step will address lay and professional conceptual differences in second-generation CHVs.
Obstetric and Bleeding Complications in Pregnancy with Von Willebrand Disease: Results from Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database 2003-2011

Abstract Introduction: Prior studies suggest that women with Von Willebrand Disease(vWD) are at an increased risk of bleeding and obstetric complications during pregnancy. This study was undertaken to determine the risk of complications occurring during pregnancy for women with vWD using Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) Database from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(AHRQ). Method: We queried the NIS database for the years 2003- 2011, to identify all pregnancy-related discharges for women between 18-50 years of age. The pregnancy-related discharge records were identified by using the International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision (ICD-9) and were classified as to whether they were an admission during pregnancy or postpartum. ICD 9 code used for vWD was 286.4. Binary logistic regression was used to compute adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval(CI) after adjusting for potential confounders such as age, race, primary payer, hospital location, teaching status and patient comorbidities. Results: There were 15,258 pregnant women with vWD among 40,617,511 pregnancy related discharges. Women with vWD were slightly older than those without (28.01±6.08 vs 27.95±5.98, p Conclusion: Pregnant women with vWD have increased risk of bleeding complications, hypertensive disorder and need of transfusion. High incidence of cesarean section in patients with vWD could likely be explained by planned cesarean section in this high-risk group. There was no increased risk of fetal or maternal mortality in women with vWD. This cross sectional study would help to understand the magnitude of these complications so that they could be managed optimally during antenatal period. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings. Download : Download high-res image (228KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Tedizolid is a promising antimicrobial option for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections in cystic fibrosis patients.

Background Tedizolid is a protein synthesis inhibitor in clinical use for the treatment of Gram-positive infections. Pulmonary MRSA infections are a growing problem in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and the efficacy of tedizolid-based therapy in CF pulmonary infections is unknown. Objectives To evaluate the in vitro and in vivo activity of tedizolid and predict the likelihood of tedizolid resistance selection in CF-background Staphylococcus aureus strains. Methods A collection of 330 S. aureus strains (from adult and paediatric patients), either of normal or small colony variant (SCV) phenotypes, gathered at three CF centres in the USA was used. Tedizolid activity was assessed by broth microdilution, Etest and time-kill analysis. In vivo tedizolid efficacy was tested in a murine pneumonia model. Tedizolid in vitro mutants were obtained by 40 days of exposure and progressive passages. Whole genome sequencing of clinical S. aureus strains with reduced susceptibility to tedizolid was performed. Results MRSA strain MIC90s were tedizolid 0.12-0.25 mg/L and linezolid 1-2 mg/L; for MSSA strains, MIC90s were tedizolid 0.12 mg/L and linezolid 1-2 mg/L. Two strains, WIS 441 and Seattle 106, with tedizolid MICs of 2 mg/L and 1 mg/L, respectively, had MICs above the FDA tedizolid breakpoint (0.5 mg/L). Tedizolid at free serum concentrations exhibited a bacteriostatic effect. Mean bacterial burdens in lungs (log10 cfu/g) for WIS 423-infected mice were: control, 11.2±0.5; tedizolid-treated (10 mg/kg), 3.40±1.87; linezolid-treated (40 mg/kg), 4.51±2.1; and vancomycin-treated (30 mg/kg), 5.21±1.93. For WIS 441-infected mice the (log10 cfu/g) values were: control, 9.66±0.8; tedizolid-treated, 3.18±1.35; linezolid-treated 5.94±2.19; and vancomycin-treated, 4.35±1.7. Conclusions These results suggest that tedizolid represents a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of CF-associated MRSA/MSSA infections, having potent in vivo activity and low resistance potential.
Tur\'an numbers for hypergraph star forests

Fix a graph $F$. We say that a graph is {\it $F$-free} if it does not contain $F$ as a subgraph. The {\it Turan number} of $F$, denoted $\mathrm{ex}(n,F)$, is the maximum number of edges possible in an $n$-vertex $F$-free graph. The study of Turan numbers is a central problem in graph theory. The goal of this paper is to generalize a theorem of Lidický, Liu and Palmer [{\it Electron.\ J.\ of Combin.}\ {\bf 20} (2016)] that determines $\mathrm{ex}(n,F)$ for $F$ a forest of stars. In particular, we consider generalizations of the problem to three different well-studied hypergraph settings and in each case we prove an asymptotic result for all reasonable parameters defining our "star forests".
Simultaneous Detection of Anomaly Points and Fiber Types in Multi-Span Transmission Links Only by Receiver-Side Digital Signal Processing

We experimentally demonstrate simultaneous localization of optical excess loss points and spans with different dispersion in multi-span fiber links using a neural-network based digital backpropagation.
Blood serum concentrations of selenium in female llamas (Lama glama) in relationship to feeding practices, region of United States, reproductive stage, and health of offspring.

Serum Se and vitamin E concentrations were determined twice in each of 35 female llamas from a high-Se region and 96 female llamas from a low-Se region of the United States. The first determination was taken at a random time during gestation and the second shortly after parturition. At the time of postpartum sampling, a sample was also taken from the cria. Dietary information was collected from each llama owner and a subjective estimate of strength and vigor was assigned by the owner to each cria studied. The mean blood serum concentrations of Se in llamas during gestation and at parturition were 213 and 203 ng/mL, respectively. The mean serum Se concentration was 113 ng/mL in neonatal cria. Among herds, serum Se means varied for the cria (P .3) or cria (P > .2). However, there were very few weak or stillborn cria in this study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Aftermath of Takings

Our nation will face monumental challenges as we confront crumbling infrastructure, new technologies, and climate change adaptation. Eminent domain is a powerful tool that not only impacts local neighborhoods when used for new infrastructure, but is also a tool that communities will adapt to increase their climate change resilience against rising sea levels, drought, wildfires, and other severe weather events. Lawmakers will likely employ both public and private eminent domain as we face all of these challenges concurrently, rather than successively as we have experienced infrastructure developments in the past. This Article presents a responsive and flexible approach for dealing with the aftermath of future eminent domain while protecting long-term property rights against the pernicious eminent domain issues that have arisen in the past. This article reviews our historic experience with the aftermath of private eminent domain where private redevelopment projects failed to bring the benefits promised to communities, and explores the aftermath of decommissioning old infrastructure including abandoned railroad lines, unsafe dams, unused wells and mine, and abandoned energy infrastructure, such as energy transport lines, power plants, and wind farms. This Article argues that in our future uses of eminent domain, we should avoid racial disparities and discrimination through increased scrutiny of state and local exercise of condemnation power, adequately consider environmental impacts and injustices, and learn from our past mistakes by adopting a revised structure for future eminent domain enabling new or improved infrastructure. The proposed approach for future infrastructure eminent domain actions focuses on acquiring property by fee simple title and applying the public trust doctrine for dealing with the aftermath of eminent domain actions particularly in regards to excess, unused, abandoned, or decommissioned property interests.
Bringing Evolutionary Thinking into Economics and Finance: Advice for an Aspiring Economist

This piece provides advice to an aspiring economist about why and how to bring evolutionary thinking into economics and finance. It was written as part of a series, “Advice for an aspiring economist,” for This View of Life. In this series scholars provide their informal perspectives about evolution and economics.
Monte Carlo filters for adaptive detection in fading channels

A novel adaptive Bayesian receiver for signal detection in flat-fading channels is developed based on the sequential Monte Carlo methodology. The basic idea is to treat the transmitted signals as missing data and to sequentially impute multiple copies of them based on the observed signals. The imputed signal sequences, together with their importance weights, provide a way to approximate the Bayesian estimate of the transmitted signals and the channel states. It is shown through simulations that the proposed sequential Monte Carlo receivers achieve near-bound performance in fading channels without the aid of any training/pilot symbols or decision feedback. Moreover, the proposed receiver structure exhibits massive parallelism and is ideally suited for high-speed parallel implementation using the VLSI systolic array technology.
In Reply: Head Circumference Growth in North American Negro Children

The purpose of our publication was to augment the fragmentary data currently available for the growth of North American Negro children beyond infancy. The children in this study were from low income levels with an annual income less than $3,000 for a family of three. We characterized the children as normal and healthy in the sense that they were "free from any chronic and debilitating disease or congenital anomalies." According to Webster9s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary "healthy implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease"–obviously these words may convery different shades of meaning depending upon the context of usage and the interpretation of the reader.
Mycoplasma gallisepticum--induced alterations in cytokine genes in chicken cells and embryos.

Abstract Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) was used to infect the MSB-1 cells, the HD-11 cells, and chicken embryos. The RNA from these cells and the embryonic spleen cells were extracted and assayed for the expression of cytokine genes using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that MG infection suppressed the expression of the IL-8 gene in the MSB-1 cells and enhanced the expression of the IL-8 and IL-6 genes in the HD-11 cells; a slightly increased expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β) in MG-infected spleen cells was noted. Because of the divergent response in cytokine expression in different cell types, more work needs to be done before a correlation between the cytokine gene expression and the pathogenesis of a disease can be made.
Universal grammar and mental continuity: Two modern myths

In our opinion, the discontinuity between extant human and nonhuman minds is much broader and deeper than most researchers admit. We are happy to report that Evans & Levinson's (E&L's) target article strongly corroborates our unpopular hypothesis, and that the comparative evidence, in turn, bolsters E&L's provocative argument. Both a Universal Grammar and the "mental continuity" between human and nonhuman minds turn out to be modern myths.
The Multiplier Concept and Monetary Restraint: A Comment

Jack Vernon's recent paper in this Journal 1 argues that the ordinary money stock multiplier in a linear IS-LM model is inappropriate for evaluating the strength of monetary restraint in greater than full employment equilibrium. He considers the IS curve irrelevant beyond full employment real income and proposes a modified multiplier based on an expenditure function with no induced consumption (or taxes) beyond full employment real income. Unfortunately, Vernon fails to consider the implied economic behavior of his analysis or to recognize its implications in terms of markets implicitly omitted in ordinary IS-LM analysis. The result is that his interpretation either is invalid or is inconsistent with economic behavior. According to Vernon, with the curve LM, in Figure I, the relevant
Additional evidence on the association between the investment opportunity set and corporate financing, dividend, and compensation policies

Abstract This paper presents additional evidence on the relation between the investment opportunity set and financing, dividend, and compensation policies. Our results are based on a sample of 237 growth firms and 237 nongrowth firms. We find that growth firms have significantly lower debt/equity ratios and exhibit significantly lower dividend yields than nongrowth firms. We also find that growth firms pay significantly higher levels of cash compensation to their executives and have a significantly higher incidence of stock option plans than nongrowth firms. However, controlling for firm size, the incidence of bonus plans, performance plans, and restricted stock plans does not differ between growth and nongrowth samples.
Structure, composition and pitting behavior of sputtered Al, Al&.zbnd;Cr and Al&.zbnd;Ta films

Single phase Al&.zbnd;Cr (4 at% and 9 at% Cr) and predominantly single phase Al&.zbnd;Ta (10 at% and 17 at% Ta) alloy films were prepared by sputtering the corresponding alloy composite targets. The deposition procedure used in this study yielded homogeneous and fine crystalline structures (grain size < 40 nm). These alloy films exhibit superior pitting resistance compared to bulk Al in chloride solutions. The dependence of the pitting potential of Al alloys on the nature of the alloying element is discussed.
New synthetic routes to leukotrienes and other arachidonate derived epoxy eicosatetraenoic acids (epete's). Exclusion of the hydroxy epoxide pathway for leukotriene biosynthesis

Abstract Synthetic hydroxy epoxides 3 and 5 have been utilized for the synthesis of the methyl esters of leukotriene A ( 4 ) and 14,15-EPETE ( 6 ) and for the demonstration that the acid corresponding to 3 is not an intermediate in leukotriene biosynthesis.
Density-dependent growth in invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans).

Direct demographic density dependence is necessary for population regulation and is a central concept in ecology, yet has not been studied in many invasive species, including any invasive marine fish. The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is an invasive predatory marine fish that is undergoing exponential population growth throughout the tropical western Atlantic. Invasive lionfish threaten coral-reef ecosystems, but there is currently no evidence of any natural population control. Therefore, a manipulative field experiment was conducted to test for density dependence in lionfish. Juvenile lionfish densities were adjusted on small reefs and several demographic rates (growth, recruitment, immigration, and loss) were measured throughout an 8-week period. Invasive lionfish exhibited direct density dependence in individual growth rates, as lionfish grew slower at higher densities throughout the study. Individual growth in length declined linearly with increasing lionfish density, while growth in mass declined exponentially with increasing density. There was no evidence, however, for density dependence in recruitment, immigration, or loss (mortality plus emigration) of invasive lionfish. The observed density-dependent growth rates may have implications for which native species are susceptible to lionfish predation, as the size and type of prey that lionfish consume is directly related to their body size. The absence of density-dependent loss, however, contrasts with many native coral-reef fish species and suggests that for the foreseeable future manual removals may be the only effective local control of this invasion.
The Influence of Language Set on Ear Preference in Phoneme Recognition

Summary Language expectation (L) and non-language expectation (NL) groups were tested for recognition of dichotically presented CVC nonsense syllables differing in medial vowel or initial stop consonant. Each group comprised 58 right handed S s with no history of hearing defect. Both L and NL groups showed superior recognition for consonant varied syllables presented to the right ear. Group L showed right ear superiority in recognition of vowel varied syllables while group NL showed left ear superiority for the same syllables. The reversal of ear superiority in the recognition of vowel varied syllables is interpreted as being due to increment or decrement of right ear performance rather than to bilateral functional asymmetry of the brain.
Ten Important Words Plus: A Strategy for Building Word Knowledge

In this strategy, students individually select and record 10 important words on self-adhesive notes as they read a text. Then students build a group bar graph displaying their choices, write a sentence that summarizes the content, and then respond to prompts that ask them to think about words in powerful ways. Several prompts are suggested, each emphasizing the meaning, manipulation, or application of selected words in various contexts. This strategy is based on principles of effective vocabulary instruction as it involves repeated exposure to words active engagement with words study of words with instructional potential This strategy fosters word knowledge as well as comprehension of text with its focus on word meanings and important ideas in text. This article is also the source for a Class Acts podcast. Download “Teaching key vocabulary” from www.reading.orgresourcespodcastsindex.html
IMAS—an integrated manufacturing data administration system

Abstract A typical manufacturing facility uses a set of heterogeneous computer systems to support various design, planning, and manufacturing activities. These systems usually consist of different hardware (computers, NC machines, robots and workstations), software (operating systems, programming languages) and application systems (analysis packages, simulators, database management systems, file management systems). The databases of these systems are often different in their logical and physical structures since they are established using different data management facilities and their structures are tailored to support the various design and manufacturing activities. In Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), these systems need to be interconnected to allow sharing of hardware and software resources and the timely delivery of data to these component systems. This paper describes the architecture of an Integrated Manufacturing Data Administration System (IMDAS) which provides the users and application software with a unified view of the global database that is physically distributed among dissimilar component systems. The IMDAS provides a high-level semantic view of the global database using a semantic association model OSAM ∗ and a high-level language for global data manipulation to enable the user or the application software to access the global database easily and meaningfully.
Lake Michigan air quality: The 1994―2003 LADCO Aircraft Project (LAP)

Abstract The goal of the 1994 to 2003 LADCO Airplane Project (LAP) was to study ozone formation over Lake Michigan so that equitable regional control strategies could be devised. This paper for the first time documents LAP in the peer-reviewed literature. Dye et al. (1995) found that the atmosphere over Lake Michigan is stable in the summer due to the airwater temperature difference, which creates an efficient reaction chamber for ozone formation. They also hypothesize that the southwest winds characteristic of ozone-conducive conditions transport ozone further north over the lake before it crosses the shoreline onto land. This statistical analysis of LAP data support the hypothesis of Dye et al. Below 200 m above the lake, ozone formation is VOC-limited in the morning and becomes NOx limited in the afternoon. Above 200 m, ozone formation is NOx-limited throughout the day. The onshore NOx and VOC diurnal cycles peak during the early morning rush hour and are clearly linked to traffic patterns. Over the lake, VOC and NOy concentrations peak during the mid-morning rather than the early morning, supporting the hypothesis that the land breeze transports VOC and NOy over the lake. The diurnal NOx pattern over Lake Michigan is less clearly defined than the VOC pattern possibly as a result of emissions from five coal-burning power plants located on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Using a “photochemical clock” model, we estimate the climatological average hydroxyl radical concentration over the lake to be (9.43 ± 5.88) × 106 molecule cm−3 near Chicago and (8.43 ± 3.68) × 106 molecule cm−3 near Milwaukee.