cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preconditioned iterative methods for indefinite symmetric Toeplitz systems

Abstract Stable fast direct methods for solving symmetric positive-definite Toeplitz systems of linear equations have been known for a number of years. Recently, a conjugate-gradient method with circulant preconditioning has been proposed as an effective means for solving these equations. For the (non-singular) indefinite case, the only stable algorithms that appear to be known are the general O( n 3 ) direct methods, such as LU decomposition, which do not exploit the Toeplitz structure. We depict here some initial numerical results on the feasibility of circulant preconditioned iterative methods for the indefinite symmetric case.
Measuring Intratumoral Microvessel Density

Although Brem et al. (Brem, Cotran, Folkman, 1972) were among the first to suggest that the intensity of intratumoral angiogenesis may correlate with tumor grade and aggressiveness, the first clear-cut evidence that tumor angiogenesis in a human solid tumor could predict the probability of metastasis was reported for cutaneous melanoma. Srivastava et al. (Srivastava, Laidler, Davies, Horgan, Hughes, 1988) studied the vascularity of 20 intermediate thickness skin melanomas. Vessels were highlighted and the stained histologic sections analyzed with an image analysis system. The 10 cases that developed metastases had a vascular area at the tumor base that was more than twice that seen in the 10 cases without metastases (p=0.025).
An autonomous drone platform for student research projects

This paper describes a low-cost Micro Aerial Vehicle, capable of fully autonomous flight, that is well-suited as a platform for significant student research projects in a variety of areas. Autonomy is achieved via incorporation of a single board computer running Linux. While already very capable, this platform is further extensible with additional sensors such as laser rangefinders and infrared detectors. An available API aids in creation of software for vehicle control. Though we briefly outline a research project in which we used this vehicle, our focus here is on setting up the drone for use in research rather than on subsequent work.
End-user programming as translation: an experimental framework and study

One of the reputed advantages of end-user programming languages is that they support a given problem domain with a set of programming abstractions that are "just right" for the end-users who need to program within that domain. Green and Petre's (1996) cognitive dimensions framework accounts for this advantage in terms of the "closeness of mapping" dimension: the closer the programming domain is to the problem domain, the easier the programming task. This suggests that programming might be conceptualized as a process of translation, with "close" translations being more efficient and error-free than "distant" ones. While there appears to be a strong intuitive basis for this view, there presently exists little direct empirical evidence. To that end, we present an experimental framework for systematically exploring the "closeness of mapping" dimension within the programming domain of college-level textbook algorithms and data structures. A pilot study we conducted within that framework provides preliminary evidence in support of one of our hypotheses.
A Perfect Storm: Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Associated Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia.

Abstract Background Oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are becoming increasingly common in oncology practice due to ease of administration and patient preference. This class of medications is relatively unknown to emergency physicians. Case Report Here we present a case of electrical storm (ES) thought to be associated with ibrutinib, a TKI. The ES was unabated despite antidysrhythmic therapy and electrical cardioversion, and was treated with supportive care, which eventually included the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. This patient had no risk factors or apparent causes of recurrent ventricular tachycardia. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? ES has not previously been described with ibrutinib, but may be associated with off-target effects of the drug.
The CARE approach to reducing diagnostic errors.

Background Diagnostic errors appear to be the most common, costly, and dangerous of all medical mistakes. There has been a notable increase on the focus of error prevention as part of a growing patient safety movement. However, diagnostic errors have received less attention than other types of error. Our goal is to present a short mnemonic that can act as a checklist or posted reminder to help practitioners in dermatology or any field of medicine to avoid diagnostic errors. Methods To meet this goal, the authors reviewed the literature and discussed errors and potential errors they have experienced over 55 years of combined practice, to create a short mnemonic. Results The CARE method has helped the authors prepare and review their differential diagnoses in the relatively fast-paced practice of dermatology, but it has yet to be tested on a large scale. Conclusion The CARE (communicate, assess for biased reasoning, reconsider differential diagnoses, enact a plan) method is an efficient, recallable checklist that uses an educational approach to reduce diagnostic error while reminding us to simply “care” from a humanistic perspective. This method may help reduce preventable diagnostic errors and improve patient care.
The effect of heat release on the entrainment in a turbulent mixing layer

Direct numerical simulations of a temporally evolving compressible reacting mixing layer have been performed to study the entrainment of the irrotational flow into the turbulent region across the turbulent/non-turbulent interface (TNTI). In order to study the effects of heat release and interaction of the flame with the TNTI on turbulence several cases with different heat release levels, corresponding to hydrogen combustion in air. The combustion is mimicked by a one-step irreversible global reaction, and infinitely fast chemistry approximation is used to compute the species mass fractions. Entrainment is studied via two mechanisms: nibbling, considered as the vorticity transport across the TNTI, and engulfment, the drawing of the pockets of the outside irrotational fluid into the turbulent region. As the level of heat release increases, the total entrained mass flow rate into the mixing layer decreases. In a reacting mixing layer by increasing the heat release rate, the mass flow rate due to nibbling is shown to decrease mostly due to a reduction of the local entrainment velocity, while the surface area of the TNTI does not change significantly. It is also observed that nibbling is a viscous dominated mechanism in non-reacting flows, whereas it is mostly carried out by inviscid terms in reacting flows with high level of heat release. The contribution of the engulfment to entrainment is small for the non-reacting mixing layers, while mass flow rate due to engulfment can constitute close to 40 % of the total entrainment in reacting cases. This increase is primarily related to a decrease of entrained mass flow rate due to nibbling, while the entrained mass flow rate due to engulfment does not change significantly in reacting cases. It is shown that the total entrained mass flow rate in reacting and non-reacting compressible mixing layers can be estimated from an expression containing the convective Mach number and the density change due to heat release.
ACCESS TO THE SUN AND WIND: THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC SPACES IN THE CITY

ABSTRACT Although the importance of building form and spacing in the determination of micro-climates has been discussed by several authors (e.g., Robinette), their work does not include specific design recommendations based on human comfort. However, specific relationships between climate elements, architecture, and human comfort have been studied by Arens and others. Separately, the effect of building form on sun penetration (Knowles) and wind speed (e.g., Cermak) has been determined for some building configurations. However, the impact of specific city configurations on human comfort has, to our knowledge, never been systematically quantified.
Integral Transforms and the Fourier Bessel Series

It is not within the scope of this book to discuss the transform theory in detail; many books have been written on integral transforms. The reader will find an excellent summary of this theory with practical examples of its use in the book by J. Irving and N. Mullineux, Mathematics in Physics and Engineering. The theory of integral transforms is very important, integral transforms are useful in reducing inhomogeneous differential equations and boundary conditions into algebraic equations. The kernel, then, is represented by a set of orthogonal functions.
Nonneoplastic and Neoplastic Urethral Disease

The urethra, which carries urine from the urinary bladder to the external urethral orifice for excretion and provides the conduit for semen in males, may be involved by a broad spectrum of both neoplastic and nonneoplastic diseases, which may produce very similar clinical symptoms. This chapter reviews the clinical and pathologic features of urethral diseases organized by clinical setting: urethral stricture, male urethral cancer, female urethral cancer, and female urethral diverticulum.
Nonlinear Normal-Mode Initialization of Numerical Weather Prediction Models

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses nonlinear normal-mode initialization of numerical weather prediction models. Global atmospheric models in current use for numerical weather prediction are based on the so-called primitive equations of atmospheric flow. The primitive equations are sufficiently general to describe the horizontal propagation of relatively high frequency gravity waves, although these are found to be, at most, a minor component of observed atmospheric flow. The natural first step is to linearize the dynamics of the model, for convenience about a state at rest, and to distinguish, as in classical tidal theory, the linear gravitational and rotational modes of the system. As the dynamics are essentially nonlinear, it is found that nonlinear coupling of linear rotational to linear gravitational modes induces gravitational oscillations in spite of linear initialization. Knowledge of the error variance associated with the observation and analysis process defines a probability distribution localized in phase space about the observed state. Although the problem of nonlinear initialization has been satisfactorily solved for simple dynamic models, there remain a number of problems for more realistic models of the atmosphere.
Global change and the importance of fire for the ecology and evolution of insects

Climate change is drastically altering global fire regimes, which may affect the structure and function of insect communities. Insect responses to fire are strongly tied to fire history, plant responses, and changes in species interactions. Many insects already possess adaptive traits to survive fire or benefit from post-fire resources, which may result in community composition shifting toward habitat and dietary generalists as well as species with high dispersal abilities. However, predicting community-level resilience of insects is inherently challenging due to the high degree of spatiotemporal and historical heterogeneity of fires, diversity of insect life histories, and potential interactions with other global change drivers. Future work should incorporate experimental approaches that specifically consider spatiotemporal variability and regional fire history in order to integrate eco-evolutionary processes in understanding insect responses to fire.
Visualizing Tension and Growth in Model Membranes Using Optical Dyes.

Cells dynamically regulate their membrane surface area during a variety of processes critical to their survival. Recent studies with model membranes have pointed to a general mechanism for surface area regulation under tension in which cell membranes unfold or take up lipid to accommodate membrane strain. Yet we lack robust methods to simultaneously measure membrane tension and surface area changes in real time. Using lipid vesicles that contain two dyes isolated to spatially distinct parts of the membrane, we introduce, to our knowledge, a new method to monitor the processes of membrane stretching and lipid uptake in model membranes. Laurdan, located within the bilayer membrane, and Forster resonance energy transfer dyes, localized to the membrane exterior, act in concert to report changes in membrane tension and lipid uptake during osmotic stress. We use these dyes to show that membranes under tension take up lipid more quickly and in greater amounts compared to their nontensed counterparts. Finally, we show that this technique is compatible with microscopy, enabling real-time analysis of membrane dynamics on a single vesicle level. Ultimately, the combinatorial use of these probes offers a more complete picture of changing membrane morphology. Our optical method allows us to remotely track changes in membrane tension and surface area with model membranes, offering new opportunities to track morphological changes in artificial and biological membranes and providing new opportunities in fields ranging from mechanobiology to drug delivery.
Provider Perspectives of Medication Complexity in Home Health Care: A Qualitative Secondary Data Analysis:

A primary service provided by home care is medication management. Issues with medication management at home place older adults at high risk for hospital admission, readmission, and adverse events. This study sought to understand medication management challenges from the home care provider perspective. A qualitative secondary data analysis approach was used to analyze program evaluation interview data from an interprofessional educational intervention study designed to decrease medication complexity in older urban adults receiving home care. Directed and summative content analysis approaches were used to analyze data from 90 clinician and student participants. Medication safety issues along with provider-provider communication problems were central themes with medication complexity. Fragmented care coordination contributed to medication management complexity. Patient-, provider-, and system-level factors influencing medication complexity and management were identified as contributing to both communication and coordination challenges.
Chapter Six - Synthesis of Mass-Exchange Networks: A Mathematical Programming Approach

This chapter illustrates how mathematical programming (or optimization) techniques enable the designer to simultaneously screen all mass-separating agents (MSAs) even when there are no process MSAs; determine the minimum operating cost (MOC) solution and locate the mass-exchange pinch point; determine the best outlet composition for each MSA; and construct a network of mass exchangers which has the least number of units that realize the MOC solution. The target compositions are only upper bounds on the outlet compositions. Therefore, it may be necessary to optimize the outlet compositions. A short-cut method of optimizing the outlet composition is the use of “lean substreams.”
A Business Model Analysis of Mobile Data Rewards

Conventionally, mobile network operators charge users for data plan subscriptions. To create new revenue streams, some operators now also incentivize users to watch ads with data rewards and collect payments from advertisers. In this work, we study two such rewarding schemes: a Subscription-Aware Rewarding (SAR) scheme and a Subscription-Unaware Rewarding (SUR) scheme. Under the SAR scheme, only the subscribers of the operators’ existing data plans are eligible for the rewards; under the SUR scheme, all users are eligible for the rewards (e.g., the users who do not subscribe to the data plans can still get SIM cards and receive data rewards by watching ads). We model the interactions among a capacity-constrained operator, users, and advertisers by a two-stage Stackelberg game, and characterize their equilibrium strategies under both the SAR and SUR schemes. We show that the SAR scheme can lead to more subscriptions and a higher operator revenue from the data market, while the SUR scheme can lead to better ad viewership and a higher operator revenue from the ad market. We provide some counter-intuitive insights for the design of data rewards. For example, the operator’s optimal choice between the two schemes is sensitive to the users’ data consumption utility function. When each user has a logarithmic utility function, the operator should apply the SUR scheme (i.e., reward both subscribers and nonsubscribers) if and only if it has a small network capacity.
Effects of Solvent Vapor Modifiers for the Separation of Opioid Isomers in Micromachined FAIMS-MS

Opioid addiction is an escalating problem that is compounded by the introduction of synthetic opiate analogues such as fentanyl. Screening methods for these compound classes are challenged by the availability of synthetically manufactured analogues, including isomers of existing substances. High-field asymmetric-waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) utilizes an alternating asymmetric electric field to separate ions by their different mobilities at high and low fields as they travel through the separation space. When coupled to mass spectrometry (MS), FAIMS enhances the separation of analytes from other interfering compounds with little to no increase in analysis time. Addition of solvent vapor into the FAIMS carrier gas has been demonstrated to enable and improve the separation of isomers. Here we investigate the effects of several solvents for the separation of four opioids. FAIMS-MS spectra with added solvent vapors show dramatic compensation field (CF) shifts for opioid [M+H]+ ions when compared to spectra acquired using dry nitrogen. Addition of vapor from aprotic solvents, such as acetonitrile and acetone, produces significantly improved resolution between the tested opioids, with baseline resolution achieved between certain opioid isomers. For protic solvents, notable CF shift differences were observed in FAIMS separations between addition of water vapor and vapors from small alcohols. Graphical Abstract.
Oral Contraceptives and the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism

Oral Contraceptives (OC) were introduced in the 1960s and were a major advance in family planning technology for women. The first pills contained high doses of estrogen and progestin; 4 times more estrogen and 10 times more progestin than today’s OCs (Buttar and Seward, Enovid: the first hormonal birth control pill, 2009; http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/index.cfm?fuseaction=Search.DrugDetails). The first cases of cardiovascular events in OC users, including venous thromboembolism (VTE), myocardial infarction and stroke were observed soon after the pills were marketed (Records unit of the Research Advisory Service of the Royal College of General Practitioners 1967; Inman and Vessey, BMJ 2:193–199, 1968; Vessey and Doll, Br Med J 2(5599):199–205, 1968; Vessey and Doll, Br Med J 2(5658):651–657, 1969; Sartwell et al., Am J Epidemiol 90:365–380, 1969; Inman et al., BMJ 2:203–209, 1970). It was thought at that time that the high doses of hormone were responsible (Records unit of the Research Advisory Service of the Royal College of General Practitioners 1967) and consequently lower dose pills with different progestins were introduced with the goal to reduce the CVD risk. This next generation of OCs did lower the risk of CVD, VTE in particular, but more recently discussions around OCs and VTE risk have focused on progestin type after concerns were raised that newer, so called third and fourth generation OCs, might increase the risk of VTE compared to OCs containing the older progestin levonorgestrel (Meade et al., BMJ 280:1157–1161, 1980; Sitruk-Ware, Maturitas 47:277–283, 2004; WHO, Lancet 346:1582–1588, 1995; Jick et al., Lancet 346:1589–1593, 1995; Bloemenkamp et al., Lancet 346:1593–1596, 1995; Lidegaard et al., Contraception 57:291–301, 1998; Farmer et al., Lancet 349:83–88, 1997; Spitzer et al., BMJ 312:83–88, 1996; Jick et al., BMJ 321:1190–1195, 2000; Kemmeren et al., BMJ 323:131–134, 2001). Studies have since found that risks vary according to progestin formulation (Lidegaard et al., BMJ 343:d6423, 2011; Vasilakis-Scaramozza and Jick, Lancet 358:1427–1429, 2001; Seaman et al., Pharmocoepidemiol Drug Saf 13:427–436, 2004; Vasilakis et al., Lancet 254:1610–1611, 1999; Rubig, Climacteric 6:49–53, 2003; Heineman and Dinger, Drug Saf 27:1001–1018, 2004). Below, the history of OC development and its relationship to the risk of VTE is described from the 1960s when the pill was first marketed until the present day, many years and many OC formulations later.
Differential roles of usage patterns of social networking sites in political learning

Drawing on a national survey of 1266 South Korean adults, this study finds that social networking sites (SNSs) use for news is positively associated with knowledge about political issues. However, uses of SNSs for social interaction or recreation are not linked to political knowledge. The present study also finds that political talk and news reflection strengthens the association of SNS use for news and knowledge about political issues. The findings suggest a theoretical implication that the association between SNS use and political knowledge is contingent upon usage patterns and political reasoning.
Evaluating Novel Markers for Specimen Validity Testing

Context.— Synthetic urine products are commercially marketed for the purpose of specimen substitution for urine drug screens. These products are widely popular because they yield negative drug scre...
Dysregulation of neural excitability replicates physiological and functional changes in aging visual cortex

Abstract The mammalian visual system has been the focus of countless experimental and theoretical studies designed to elucidate principles of sensory coding. Most theoretical work has focused on networks intended to reflect developing or mature neural circuitry, in both health and disease. Few computational studies have attempted to model changes that occur in neural circuitry as an organism ages non-pathologically. In this work we contribute to closing this gap, studying how physiological changes correlated with advanced age impact the computational performance of a spiking network model of primary visual cortex (V1). Our results demonstrate that deterioration of homeostatic regulation of excitatory firing, coupled with long-term synaptic plasticity, is a sufficient mechanism to reproduce features of observed physiological and functional changes in neural activity data, specifically declines in inhibition and in selectivity to oriented stimuli. This suggests a potential causality between dysregulation of neuron firing and age-induced changes in brain physiology and performance. While this does not rule out deeper underlying causes or other mechanisms that could give rise to these changes, our approach opens new avenues for exploring these underlying mechanisms in greater depth and making predictions for future experiments.
Teaching Student Researchers in Higher Education: A Business Perspective

Research for undergraduates has been a focus for researchers for quite some time. The purpose of this study is understanding the variables involved that may increase research skills among the student population in higher education. This literature review includes peer-reviewed articles between the years 2008-2017. Time and money were a limitation. Future researchers should use different methodologies to better understand these ever-changing dynamics. Literature results include the instructor’s support inside and outside of class, partnerships with external organizations to increase student innovation, and conferences should be provided for students to present their data.
“Challenging public rhetoric justifying immigrants as ‘indecent’”

Elites employ various rhetorical strategies in public discourse, including on the topic of immigration. As such, those with influence rely on storytelling to shape views about the narratives relate...
Chapter 10 – Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most lethal form of malignancy. Most cases of lung cancer are attributed to cigarette smoking but many causes of lung cancer have been identified. Recently, there have been major breakthroughs in understanding the molecular mechanisms of lung cancer and the ability to identify mutations that can be therapeutically targeted.
A Substitution in cGMP-dependent Protein Kinase 1 Associated With Aortic Disease Induces an Active Conformation in the Absence of cGMP

Type 1 cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKGs) play important roles in human cardiovascular physiology, regulating vascular tone and smooth-muscle cell phenotype. A mutation in the human PRKG1 gene encoding cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1 (PKG1) leads to thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections. The mutation causes an arginine-to-glutamine (RQ) substitution within the first cGMP-binding pocket in PKG1. This substitution disrupts cGMP binding to the pocket, but it also unexpectedly causes PKG1 to have high activity in the absence of cGMP via an unknown mechanism. Here, we identified the molecular mechanism whereby the RQ mutation increases basal kinase activity in the human PKG1α and PKG1β isoforms. Although we found that the RQ substitution (R177Q in PKG1α and R192Q in PKG1β) increases PKG1α and PKG1β autophosphorylation in vitro, we did not detect increased autophosphorylation of the PKG1α or PKG1β RQ variant isolated from transiently transfected 293T cells, indicating that increased basal activity of the RQ variants in cells was not driven by PKG1 autophosphorylation. Replacement of Arg-177 in PKG1α with alanine or methionine also increased basal activity. PKG1 exists as a parallel homodimer linked by an N-terminal leucine zipper, and we show that the WT chain in WT-RQ heterodimers partly reduces basal activity of the RQ chain. Using hydrogen/deuterium-exchange MS, we found that the RQ substitution causes PKG1β to adopt an active conformation in the absence of cGMP, similar to that of cGMP-bound WT enzyme. We conclude that the RQ substitution in PKG1 increases its basal activity by disrupting the formation of an inactive conformation.
Population genetic structure and demographic history of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (Ixodida: Ixodidae): New evidence supporting old records.

Range expansions are a potential outcome of changes in habitat suitability, which commonly result as a consequence of climate change. Hypotheses on such changes in the geographic distribution of a certain species can be evaluated using population genetic structure and demography. In this study we explore the population genetic structure, genetic variability, demographic history of, and habitat suitability for Amblyomma americanum, a North American tick species that is a known vector of several pathogenic microorganisms. We used a double digestion restriction site-associated DNA sequencing technique (dd-RAD seq) and discovered 8,181 independent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 189 ticks from across the geographic range of the species. Genetic diversity was low, particularly when considering the broad geographic range of this species. The edge populations were less diverse than populations belonging to the historic range, possibly indicative of a range expansion, but this hypothesis was not statistically supported by a test based on genetic data. Nonetheless, moderate levels of population structure and substructure were detected between geographic regions. For New England, demographic and species distribution models support a scenario where A. americanum was present in more northern locations in the past, underwent a bottleneck, and subsequently recovered. These results are consistent with a hypothesis that this species is re-establishing in this area, rather than one focused on range expansion from the south. This hypothesis is consistent with old records describing the presence of A. americanum in the northeastern US in the early colonial period.
Social Inequities Between Prenatal Patients in Family Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology with Similar Outcomes

Introduction: Family Medicine (FM) physicians play a vital role in caring for vulnerable populations across diverse practice settings. The significant decline in FM physicians performing deliveries compounds the estimated shortage of 9000 prenatal care providers expected by 2030. This study investigated the social risk profile, as characterized by social determinants of health, of patients receiving prenatal care from FM versus Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/Gyn) providers. Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients receiving prenatal care between 2015 to 2018 at Penn State Health Hershey Medical Center comparing social determinants of health between FM and OB/Gyn. Results: A total of 487 patient charts were reviewed with final analysis completed on 215 charts from each cohort. When compared with OB/Gyn, prenatal patients cared for by FM were more likely to be younger (27 vs 29 years old; P Conclusions: Our work demonstrates that when compared with OB/Gyn at our institution, FM physicians provide care to a cohort of patients with an increased burden of social risk without compromise to care as evidenced by a lower C-section rate and similar gestational age at delivery.
Non-human primate token use shows possibilities but also limitations for establishing a form of currency

Non-human primates evaluate choices based on quantitative information and subjective valuation of options. Non-human primates can learn to value tokens as placeholders for primary rewards (such as ...
Classical modular group

In this chapter, we introduce the classical modular group \({{\,\mathrm{PSL}\,}}_2(\mathbb Z ) \le {{\,\mathrm{PSL}\,}}_2(\mathbb R )\), a discrete group acting on the upper half-plane that has received extensive study because of the role it plays throughout mathematics. We examine the group in detail via a fundamental domain and conclude with some applications to number theory. This chapter will serve as motivation and example for the generalizations sought later in this part of the text.
A mouse model of the regression of alcoholic hepatitis: Monitoring the regression of hepatic steatosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and NAD + metabolism upon alcohol withdrawal

This study aimed to develop a well-characterized mouse model of alcoholic hepatitis (AH) regression. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a Lieber-DeCarli (LD) control diet or LD containing 5% ethanol for ten days followed by one binge, which is the chronic-binge model of AH developed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. To determine AH regression, mice previously exposed to ethanol were put on LD control diet and metabolic and inflammatory features were monitored weekly for three weeks. Serum alcohol, total cholesterol, and alanine transaminase levels were increased in ethanol-fed mice, which declined to those of no ethanol controls within one and three weeks after ethanol withdrawal, respectively. Serum malondialdehyde was increased with ethanol feeding, but it was restored to no ethanol control levels within one week. Ethanol-induced changes in the hepatic expression of genes involved in lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, ethanol metabolism, and antioxidant response were restored to those of no ethanol controls after 3 weeks of ethanol withdrawal. Also, ethanol-induced hepatic inflammation was gradually decreased during the 3 weeks of ethanol withdrawal. Hepatic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels and the expression of enzymes involved in the NAD+ salvage pathway were decreased by ethanol feeding, which was mitigated after ethanol withdrawal. Ethanol significantly lowered hepatic sirtuin 1 expression, but its levels were restored with ethanol cessation. This study established a mouse model of AH regression, which can be used as a preclinical model to study the potential of dietary bioactives or therapeutic agents on AH regression.
The Case for Soft Switching in Four-Quadrant Power Converters

This paper discusses the use of soft switching techniques in isolated and non-isolated converters, showing that the new range of grid connected applications require higher performance power conversion than traditional voltage source converters can provide. The paper begins with a review of soft switching techniques, discusses the challenges of achieving soft switching in four quadrant converters, and shows the impact that soft switching can have on the next generation of multi-port converter applications, such as energy storage, PV/battery/grid systems and microgrids.
Redox Regulation in Cancer Cells during Metastasis

Metastasis is an inefficient process in which the vast majority of cancer cells are fated to die, partly because they experience oxidative stress. Metastasizing cancer cells migrate through diverse environments that differ dramatically from their tumor of origin, leading to redox imbalances. The rare metastasizing cells that survive undergo reversible metabolic changes that confer oxidative stress resistance. We review the changes in redox regulation that cancer cells undergo during metastasis. By better understanding these mechanisms, it may be possible to develop pro-oxidant therapies that block disease progression by exacerbating oxidative stress in cancer cells. SIGNIFICANCE: Oxidative stress often limits cancer cell survival during metastasis, raising the possibility of inhibiting cancer progression with pro-oxidant therapies. This is the opposite strategy of treating patients with antioxidants, an approach that worsened outcomes in large clinical trials.
Evidence for hybrid breakdown in production of red carotenoids in the marine invertebrate Tigriopus californicus.

The marine copepod, Tigriopus californicus, produces the red carotenoid pigment astaxanthin from yellow dietary precursors. This ‘bioconversion’ of yellow carotenoids to red is hypothesized to be linked to individual condition, possibly through shared metabolic pathways with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Experimental inter-population crosses of lab-reared T. californicus typically produces low-fitness hybrids is due in large part to the disruption of coadapted sets nuclear and mitochondrial genes within the parental populations. These hybrid incompatibilities can increase variability in life history traits and energy production among hybrid lines. Here, we tested if production of astaxanthin was compromised in hybrid copepods and if it was linked to mitochondrial metabolism and offspring development. We observed no clear mitonuclear dysfunction in hybrids fed a limited, carotenoid-deficient diet of nutritional yeast. However, when yellow carotenoids were restored to their diet, hybrid lines produced less astaxanthin than parental lines. We observed that lines fed a yeast diet produced less ATP and had slower offspring development compared to lines fed a more complete diet of algae, suggesting the yeast-only diet may have obscured effects of mitonuclear dysfunction. Astaxanthin production was not significantly associated with development among lines fed a yeast diet but was negatively related to development in early generation hybrids fed an algal diet. In lines fed yeast, astaxanthin was negatively related to ATP synthesis, but in lines fed algae, the relationship was reversed. Although the effects of the yeast diet may have obscured evidence of hybrid dysfunction, these results suggest that astaxanthin bioconversion may still be related to mitochondrial performance and reproductive success.
African Catechists and Charismatic Activities

Speaking the Word of God Catechists occupied critical positions in their respective societies during the years between the start of the war in 1914, the return of European religious officials between 1919 and 1921, and the reestablishment of a fully-fledged colonial government in 1922. They vigorously demanded adherence to the doctrines of the faith and challenged African men's claims of being powerlessness over obstacles. Catechists often attained significant notoriety in local villages, as they were performers, messengers, leaders, teachers, and disciplinarians. Their prayers, proverbs, songs and other communicative devices were often their own compositions or derivations of Holy Scripture, rather than products of local tradition. Indeed, some catechists did not even evangelize among their own societies or language groups, choosing to use their position as radical newcomers to provoke reassessments of convention. Joseph Nga and Jacob Nkodo, two catechists from central-southern Cameroon, spoke Beti dialects but worked in Bafoussam and Eseka, respectively, and believed their extralocal ventures proved their “fastidiousness” to their catechumens. Bulu catechists traveled to Ewondo territory in Abong Mbang, exhorted by American mission leaders who marveled, “Our native Christian leaders in true New Testament fashion are giving of themselves in this area, in fields other than their own, to make Christ known.” Baptist catechists Alfred Ejengele and David Nkumndab had origins in the region surrounding Nkongsamba but traveled north to the Grassfields plateau to convert new peoples. In the Grassfields, they competed with Catholic catechists from the south who they accused of trying to “take mission stations by force.” Thus, many catechists were not griots or repositories of longstanding practices and local knowledge. Rather, they were messengers of Good News coming from a foreign place. Pastor Modi Din Jacob affirmed he was a “vagabond for God…visiting all the churches of Bonaku, Lobetal, Edea, Eseka, Badjob, and Sakbayeme in order to feed and tend God's sheep.” Others also highlighted their identities as travelers and messengers, like the catechist Daniel Penjuna, who claimed he was “an assistant to our Savior Jesus Christ … in a difficult field,” and Pastor Paul Jocky, who described himself as a “traveling apostle.”
Aggressive Behaviors in Young Siblings: Associations with Executive Functions and Maternal Characteristics

Aggressive behaviors in early childhood are associated with multiple undesirable outcomes, including juvenile delinquency, academic failure, and substance abuse. This investigation employed a family study design to examine child, mother and sibling predictors of early-emerging aggressive behaviors. These predictors included several indices of executive functioning within children, depression symptoms and education level of mothers, and inhibitory control (IC) of siblings. The sample consisted of 95 families (191 children; boys = 100) with at least two, typically developing children between 30 and 66 months of age (M age = 45.93 months, SD = 12.40). Measures included laboratory-assessed working memory and IC, parent-reported aggressive behaviors, as well as self-reported maternal depression symptoms and education. Results revealed that children showed substantial sibling similarity in aggressive behaviors. Using multilevel regression analyses, low child IC and greater maternal depression symptoms were associated with increased child aggressive behaviors. Child working memory, maternal education, and sibling IC did not uniquely predict child aggressive behaviors. Moderation analyses revealed an interaction between maternal depression symptoms and maternal education, such that the effect of depression symptoms on child aggressive behaviors was particularly evident amongst highly educated mothers. The current analysis moved beyond a main effects model of maternal depression and extended previous findings on the importance of child IC to aggressive behaviors by using a multiple-child-per-family framework. A promising direction for future research includes assessing whether efforts to increase child IC are successful in reducing child aggressive behaviors.
Experimental and computational studies of flow in a simplified HVAC duct

The analysis of air flow in an automotive air–conditioning (A/C) duct is complicated by large cross–sectional area variations, abrupt changes in flow direction and flow maldistribution. In this study, the complex three–dimensional turbulent flow found in a generic A/C duct was investigated experimentally and computationally. Outlet flow split, exit velocity profile and surface pressure distribution along the duct were measured for use in validating computational flow capabilities. A three–dimensional Navier–Stokes code was utilized to predict the overall flow distribution and surface pressure. This work has validated the performance of the computer code for the overall flow prediction. The present study also identified the area of further improvements especially for the flow in regions of turbulent separation.
Classification by Codimension

The main purpose of this chapter is to classify all bifurcation problems (in one state variable) of codimension three or less. We find that there are eleven such singularities, which we call the elementary bifurcation problems. In the course of the chapter, we tabulate the following data for each of these eleven singularities: (i) Normal form (Table 2.1). (ii) Algebraic data (i.e., J(h), RT(h), T(h), a complement to T(h), codimension) (Table 2.2). (iii) Solution of the recognition problem for normal forms (Table 2.3). (iv) Universal unfolding (Table 3.1). (v) Solution of the recognition problem for universal unfoldings (Table 3.2). (vi) Equations for the bifurcation, hysteresis, and double limit point varieties (Table 4.1). (vii) Graphs of the persistent perturbed bifurcation diagrams (Figures 4.1-4.3). Thus the chapter should also be useful as a compact reference.
A Bayesian observer model constrained by efficient coding can explain 'anti-Bayesian' percepts

Bayesian observer models provide a principled account of the fact that our perception of the world rarely matches physical reality. The standard explanation is that our percepts are biased toward our prior beliefs. However, reported psychophysical data suggest that this view may be simplistic. We propose a new model formulation based on efficient coding that is fully specified for any given natural stimulus distribution. The model makes two new and seemingly anti-Bayesian predictions. First, it predicts that perception is often biased away from an observer's prior beliefs. Second, it predicts that stimulus uncertainty differentially affects perceptual bias depending on whether the uncertainty is induced by internal or external noise. We found that both model predictions match reported perceptual biases in perceived visual orientation and spatial frequency, and were able to explain data that have not been explained before. The model is general and should prove applicable to other perceptual variables and tasks.
Dynamic analysis of power delivery network with nonlinear components using matrix exponential method

In this work, we propose a matrix exponential-based time-integration algorithm for dynamic analysis of power delivery network (PDN) with nonlinear components. The presented method is an explicit method and is very competitive for applications compared to traditional low order approximation methods, such as backward Euler method with Newton-Raphson iterations (BE). The proposed method takes comparable number of time steps to complete the whole simulation. Second, the method takes only one LU decomposition per time step while BE requires at least two LU decompositions for the convergence check of solutions of nonlnear system. Moreover, our method does not need to repeat expensive LU decomposition operations when the length of time steps are adjusted for error controls. The experimental results validate our method's efficiency. We observe the reductions of total LU operation number and the simulation runtime.
Multidisciplinary control design for a two-dimensional airfoil with jets

Numerical simulation of a two-dimensional airfoil controlled by jets near the trailing edge is investigated. This simulation couples the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes equations with Euler’s equations of rigid-body motion and an active control system. Robust control design techniques were used to develop a controller for tracking altitude commands. Simulation of the controller with the coupled system showed good tracking performance for a step input command in altitude. However, the linear model was unable to capture the nonlinear nature of this system producing mild oscillations in the attitude, pitch rate, and vertical velocity of the airfoil.
A 25 watt RF MEM-tuned VHF bandpass filter

A VHF RF bandpass filter capable of a 25 watt input power, tuned through the use of Microelectromechanical (MEM) microrelays, is presented. The calculated filter through-put loss is less than 1 dB at any frequency of operation. The filter tunes a 3:1 frequency range using 14 frequency steps. The performance of a newly developed MEM microrelay for high power RF use is discussed. The development of the microrelay model and the use of a CAE tool in the filter development are presented.
Screening Saccharum Barberi and Sinense Accessions for Flood Tolerance and Biomass Production

This study evaluated the biomass production potential of Saccharum barberi (Jeswiet) and Saccharum sinense (Roxb. Amend. Jeswiet) accessions under short-term flooded conditions. Plots were arranged in a completely randomized design with 20 S. sinense and 29 S. barberi accessions, two flood durations with non-flooded controls and three replications of each treatment. There were no significant flood effects. However, in two individual accessions, ‘China’ and ‘Lu Cane’, sucrose production increased with additional flooding. The plant cane produced larger plants with a greater percentage of fibre and sucrose. Higher Brix values were obtained with the ratoon crop. Brix and fibre were negatively correlated with stem diameter. Stem length in S. barberi was the only physical characteristic that was correlated with sugar factors Brix and optical rotation. S. barberi accessions had high loadings for variables associated with sugar production and stem length, and fibre had moderate loadings for factor 1. Factor 1 explained 35 % of variance in the data. The second principal factor revealed high loadings for variables associated with plant size. Factor 2 explained 30 % of the proportional and together with Factor 1 explained 65 % of the cumulative variance in the data. Several accessions with low sucrose, high plot weight and low fibre were identified. These accessions make attractive selections in breeding for biomass production.
Psychometric Properties of the Abbreviated Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to develop an abbreviated version of the Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Questionnaire (PMCEQ-A) to provide a more practical instrument for use in applied exercise settings. In the calibration step, two shortened versions’ measurement and latent model values were compared to each other and the original PMCEQ using a three-group CFA invariance testing approach with previously collected exercise setting data (N = 5,427). Based on the model fit and reliability values, the 12-item version performed better than the 17-item version. The resultant 12-item PMCEQ-A’s CFA model estimates were then compared to the PMCEQ’s model values for two different, previously conducted studies of exercise settings (N = 414 and 770). The more parsimonious 12-item PMCEQ-A can be used by exercise psychology researchers to gain insight into members’ perspectives on the motivational climate and may lead to developing effective strategies to enhance members’ experiences and commitment.