cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Catalytic deoxygenation of octanoic acid over silica- and carbon-supported palladium: Support effects and reaction pathways

Abstract Octanoic acid (OA) deoxygenation was investigated over silica- and carbon-supported palladium catalysts (each containing 5 wt.% Pd) at 235–300 °C and 1 atm in a continuous flow reactor. A commercial Pd/SiO2 (A) catalyst was active for OA decarbonylation (DCN) and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) at 260 °C under 10% H2; subsequent hydrogenation (HY) and DCN of the primary products, 1-heptene and octanal, respectively, produced n-heptane. Under equivalent conditions, a Pd/SiO2 (B) catalyst prepared using Pd(NO3)2 and Aerosil 300 produced n-heptane with very high selectivity (>99%) via DCN/HY. In contrast, a commercial Pd/C (A) catalyst was highly active and selective to n-heptane (>98%) and CO2 (65%) under these conditions. Moreover, CO2 selectivity and n-heptane yield increased with reaction temperature consistent with direct decarboxylation (DCX). Increasing H2 partial pressure resulted in markedly lower activity and CO2 selectivity; however, Pd/C (A) had negligible activity under He. Pd/C (A) exhibited greater water–gas shift (WGS) activity than Pd/SiO2 (A); however, differences in WGS activity alone cannot explain the observed support effect. A more highly dispersed Pd/C (B) catalyst was more active at 260 °C under H2 than Pd/C (A); however, under 10% H2, it had lower activity, CO2 selectivity (55%), and stability. Pd/C (A) and Pd/C (B) have very similar textural properties, but Pd/C (A) has a much higher Na content. By comparison, Pd supported on high-purity acetylene carbon black exhibited only DCN activity. These results indicate that carbon surface properties (e.g., polar functional groups, alkali metal content) influence the fatty acid deoxygenation performance of Pd/C catalysts.
SAT0319 Prediction models for progression of knee osteoarthritis in the multicenter osteoarthritis study (MOST)

Background Although individual risk factors for incident and progressive knee osteoarthritis (OA) have been identified, less is known about models to predict progression of knee OA. Objectives A prospective cohort study was conducted to identify predictors for progression of radiographic knee OA over 30 months. Methods The NIH-funded Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST) is an observational study of 3026 persons age 50 to 79 years with either symptomatic knee OA or at high risk of disease. Weight-bearing, fixed flexion, in-frame posterior-anterior knee radiographs were taken at baseline and 30-month follow-up clinic visits between 2003 and 2007. Knees were included with Kellgren/Lawrence (K/L) grades of 2 or 3 at baseline. Two outcome definitions were prespecified: (1) progression to K/L grade 3 or 4 over 30 months, or incident first knee replacement (KR); (2) tibiofemoral joint space narrowing (JSN) progression by 1 grade or more, or incident first KR. Fourteen potential predictors were considered for inclusion: body mass index (BMI), height, weight, race (white vs non-white), education (partial graduate/graduate, partial college or college, vs. high school or below), occupation (labor vs. non-labor vs. other), Western Ontario McMaster (WOMAC) knee pain subscale, WOMAC function subscale, baseline K/L grade or baseline maximal tibiofemoral JSN score, malalignment (varus vs. valgus vs. neutral), history of knee injury, depressive symptoms. Additionally, age and sex were forced into all models. We used a 10-fold cross-validation procedure to select logistic regression models using as criteria: (1) higher area under curve (AUC) measured as c-statistics; (2) higher positive predictive value (PPV). Results 1603 knees without missing data in any outcome or predictor parameters were included in this analysis. The best model to predict K/L progression based on AUC included age, sex, race, malalignment and WOMAC pain (c-statistic 0.59). The best model for K/L progression based on PPV using cut point of 0.25 included age, sex, BMI, weight and weight squared, and WOMAC pain (PPV 0.32). The best model to predict JSN progression based on AUC included age, sex, race, malalignment, WOMAC pain, and baseline maximal JSN score (c-statistic 0.55). The best model to predict JSN progression based on maximizing PPV at a cut point of 0.25 included age, sex, BMI, race, occupation, depression, WOMAC pain and WOMAC function (PPV=0.36). Conclusions Models including known risk factors have moderate power to predict progression of radiographic knee OA over a 30 month period. Disclosure of Interest B. Wise Grant/Research support from: Pfizer, Inc., Y. Zhang Grant/Research support from: Pfizer, Inc., N. Lane: None Declared, C. McCulloch: None Declared, D. Felson: None Declared, M. Nevitt: None Declared, J. Torner: None Declared, C. Lewis: None Declared, A. Sadosky Employee of: Pfizer, Inc., J. Niu Grant/Research support from: Pfizer, Inc.
Biphasic modulation of parallel fibre synaptic transmission by co-activation of presynaptic GABAA and GABAB receptors in mice

Key points Many excitatory synapses co-express presynaptic GABAA and GABAB receptors, despite their opposing actions on synaptic transmission. It is still unclear how co-activation of these receptors modulates synapse function. We measured presynaptic GABA receptor function at parallel fibre synapses onto stellate cells in the cerebellum using whole-cell patch-clamp recording and photolytic uncaging of RuBi-GABA. Activation of presynaptic GABA receptors results in a transient (∼100 ms) enhancement of synaptic transmission (mediated by GABAA receptors) followed by a long lasting (>500 ms) inhibition of transmission (mediated by GABAB receptors). When activated just prior to high-frequency trains of stimulation, presynaptic GABAA and GABAB receptors work together to reduce short-term facilitation/enhance depression, altering the filtering properties of synaptic transmission. Inhibition of synaptic transmission by GABAB receptors is more sensitive to GABA than enhancement by GABAA receptors, suggesting GABAB receptors may be activated by ambient GABA or release from greater distances. Abstract GABAA and GABAB receptors are co-expressed at many presynaptic terminals in the central nervous system. Previous studies have shown that GABAA receptors typically enhance vesicle release while GABAB receptors inhibit release. However, it is not clear how the competing actions of these receptors modulate synaptic transmission when co-activated, as is likely in vivo. We investigated this question at parallel fibre synapses in the cerebellum, which co-express presynaptic GABAA and GABAB receptors. In acute slices from C57BL/6 mice, we find that co-activation of presynaptic GABA receptors by photolytic uncaging of RuBi-GABA has a biphasic effect on EPSC amplitudes recorded from stellate cells. Synchronous and asynchronous EPSCs evoked within ∼100 ms of GABA uncaging were increased, while EPSCs evoked ∼300-600 ms after GABA uncaging were reduced compared to interleaved control sweeps. We confirmed these effects are presynaptic by measuring the paired-pulse ratio, variance of EPSC amplitudes, and response probability. During trains of high-frequency stimulation GABAA and GABAB receptors work together (rather than oppose one another) to reduce short-term facilitation when GABA is uncaged just prior to the onset of stimulation. We also find that GABAB receptor-mediated inhibition can be elicited by lower GABA concentrations than GABAA receptor-mediated enhancement of EPSCs, suggesting GABAB receptors may be selectively activated by ambient GABA or release from more distance synapses. These data suggest that GABA, acting through both presynaptic GABAA and GABAB receptors, modulate the amplitude and short-term plasticity of excitatory synapses, a result not possible from activation of either receptor type alone.
Optimization of very high level languages-I

SETL is a set-theoretically oriented language of very high level whose repertoire of semantic objects includes finite sets, ordered n-tuples, and sets of ordered n-tuples useable as mappings. This two-part paper studies the optimization problems associated with such a language. The first issue studied is that of copy optimization, i.e. the discovery of cases in which changes to a compound data object can be made 'differentially' without recopying the whole of the object. The second part of the paper sets forth techniques for the automatic discovery of relationships of inclusion and membership on which automatic data-structure choice may be based. The methods used extend known techniques of data-flow analysis and of logical program analysis.
Campaign Funds in the Presidential Election of 1936 1

A study of the financing of the 1936 campaign is particularly interesting since it may show what, if any, effect the “New Deal” program has had upon political alignments. Eventually, any radical shift in the support of a political party must be reflected in the sources from which it draws its campaign funds. In 1928, both major parties depended largely upon bankers and manufacturers for their contributions, although the Republicans received a larger proportion of their fund from manufacturers than did their rivals. In 1932, although the proportion of the Democratic fund coming from manufacturers dropped appreciably, Roosevelt's promises of a New Deal had no apparent effect upon the support of the bankers, who contributed as heavily as in 1928.
Fluorescent Dextran Diffusion Assay to Study Cardiac T-Tubules

T-tubules are membrane invaginations of cardiac myocytes critical for effective excitation-contraction coupling and are significantly altered in various diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying t-tubule remodeling remain largely unknown, particularly due to a number of limitations of currently available technologies. Therefore, we have developed an assay that employs the diffusion of fluorescent 3 KD dextran out of the t-tubule network of live intact isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes. To significantly improve the quality of measurements, dextran is applied locally using a patch-clamp pipette (∼2-3 μm diameter) under constant flow of washing solution through 0.5 mm ID capillary glass, which limits dextran filling of t-tubules to a small area of the cardiomyocyte. With 40X objective and small pinholes in the light paths, excitation is limited to ∼9-10 μm diameter area and fluorescence emission is measured from ∼5-6 μm diameter region using a photomultiplier. Upon cessation of dye application, fluorescence decline displays 2 major components: a fast component (τ ∼5-50 ms) corresponding to dye washout from the solution surrounding the cell and a slow component corresponding to dye diffusion out of the t-tubule system. In healthy mouse ventricular myocytes the slow component had a time constant of 1304 ± 98 ms (n=24). In contrast, “detubulation” by acute hyposmotic stress significantly decreased the time constant to 848 ± 99 ms (n=27, p<0.01) presumably due to shorter remaining t-tubule segments. In HEK293 cells, which lack t-tubules, the slow component has time constant of 210 ± 51 ms (n=5), suggesting that dextran unbinding from cellular membrane is significantly faster than its diffusion out of t-tubules. This technique allows for rapid (within seconds) repetitive measures of the diffusional constraints imposed by the t-tubule network and provides a novel tool for studying dynamics of t-tubule remodeling in various experimental conditions.
Keep on Keepin' On

Keep on Keepin’ On is a film about the legendary jazz musician, Clark Terry, or CT as he is affectionately known to his friends. Terry passed away on 21 February 2015 and left a void in the world o...
The Theory of Fuzzy Present Value (FPV)

In section 3.4 we discussed both discounting and compounding processes. The discounting process converts future-dated values into present value equivalence in the same time values for inter-temporal weighted aggregate where the weights are unit values of time points as seen by the current recipient. The compounding process on the other hand converts present-dated values into future value equivalence in the same future time for inter-temporal weighted aggregate as seen by the future recipient. The discounting process is an inter-temporal backward weighted aggregation with forward declining weights while the compounding process is inter-temporal forward weighted aggregation with forward increasing weights. The weights are defined more or less by time preference. The forward decreasing or increasing weights may be related to either benefit time or cost time respectively where the weights define the price of time in some meaningful sense as we have argued.
Transition Analyses in Reliability Theory

This chapter discusses many different problems in reliability theory that require the use of stochastic transition matrices in their analysis. The reason these matrices arise is that, in many stochastic problems, the effect of random occurrences is to cause a transition of the reliability properties from one condition to another. The problems in reliability theory for which transition analyses are useful or necessary are surprisingly varied. For instance, matrix methods are used to describe the degeneration of reliability in a chain of logic elements each with a binary output that has a given probability of being an incorrect function of its inputs. Another nonredundant application is in the analysis of voltage levels in a chain of physical circuits implementing binary logic. These circuits have an input/output voltage characteristic that is a function of random component parameters. Matrix analyses are equally fundamental in the analysis of redundant systems. One such application is the reliability analysis of a chain of restoring organs.
CHAPTER 336 – Development and Regulatory Signaling in the Pancreas

The word pancreas derives from the Greek words pan (meaning "all") and kreos (meaning "flesh"), because the ancients believed that the pancreas was a pillow of flesh that was destined to provide the stomach with a comfortable cushion. In fact, the manunalian pancreas is a complex organ that consists of acinar cells that synthesize and secrete digestive enzymes, duct cells that produce bicarbonate rich fluid, and islets of hormone-secreting cells that are dispersed throughout the exocrine tissue. These endocrine islets were first described by Langerhans in 1869, who initially believed them to be intrapancreatic lymph nodes. The concept that these islets may produce insulin arose following the discovery that pancreatectomized dogs develop diabetes mellitus. Eventually, an active pancreatic extract that was rich in islet-cell-derived insulin was used to treat Leonard Thompson, the first human to receive live-saving insulin therapy. This chapter delineates some of the aspects of pancreatic ontogeny and describes unique anatomic and cellular interactions that allow the pancreas to perform its complex functions.
Earthquakes, Fracture, Complexity

Earthquakes generally occur on preexisting faults; big earthquakes occur on big faults, little earthquakes occur on little faults. Several important general observations are: (1) No systematic observable precursory seismic or aseismic slip prior to an earthquake on or near the rupture zone, (2) low stress levels (coefficients of friction less than 0.1), (3) earthquakes nucleate on the deepest part of the rupture zone, (4) rupture propagates at about 60% of the relevant sound speed, (5) rupture occurs in self-healing (Heaton) pulses, (6) background earthquakes in a region satisfy power-law (fractal) frequency-size statistics, and (7) the rate of occurrence of background earthquakes is essentially constant. The classic approach to understanding earthquakes is to apply laboratory derived rate and state dependent friction laws and to model the stickslip cycle on a planar fault embedded in an elastic media. These models give results that are generally inconsistent with the observations given above. The fundamental differences between theory and observation have led to several new approaches to the earthquake problem: (1) That high-speed slip on faults results in nonfrictional behavior. One possibility is that the fault gouge fluidizes. (2) That fault-zone complexity plays an essential role in determining how ruptures propagate. This has led to stranded-cable analogies to the role of fault-zone asperities. Stochastic time-to-failure models are used for a hierarchical array of elements. (3) The earth’s crust is considered to be a complex medium with a fractal distribution of faults. When stressed the medium is subject to fluctuations which result in fractal frequency-size statistics for earthquakes. The generic model for this behavior is an array of slider blocks connected to each other and to a constant velocity driver by springs.
Data-Driven Classification of Screwdriving Operations

Consumer electronic devices are made by the millions, and automating their production is a key manufacturing challenge. Fastening machine screws is among the most difficult components of this challenge. To accomplish this task with sufficient robustness for industry, detecting and recovering from failure is essential. We have built a robotic screwdriving system to collect data on this process. Using it, we collected data on 1862 screwdriving runs, each consisting of force, torque, motor current and speed, and video. Each run is also hand-labeled with the stages of screwdriving and the result of the run. We identify several distinct stages through which the system transitions and relate sequences of stages to characteristic failure modes. In addition, we explore several techniques for automatic result classification, including standard maximum angle/torque methods and machine learning time series techniques.
Suppression of FGFR3- and MYC-dependent oncogenesis by tubacin: association with HDAC6-dependent and independent activities.

// Sara Ota 1 , Zi-Qiang Zhou 1 and Peter J. Hurlin 1, 2 1 Shriners Hospitals for Children Portland, Portland, OR 97239, USA 2 Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology and Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA Correspondence to: Peter J. Hurlin, email: pjh@shcc.org Keywords: fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR); histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6); MYC; cyclin D1; DNA damage Received: September 24, 2017 Accepted: November 09, 2017 Published: December 01, 2017 ABSTRACT Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) is amplified, translocated or mutated in a number of different human cancer types, but most commonly in bladder cancers. We previously found that the accumulation of FGFR3 is dependent on histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6). Here we show that HDAC6 loss or inhibition reduces FGFR3 accumulation in cells made tumorigenic by ectopic expression of a mutant activated version of FGFR3 together with the MYC oncoprotein and in a bladder cancer cell line whose tumorigenicity is dependent on expression of a translocated version of FGFR3. In tumor xenoplant assays, HDAC6 deficiency or small molecule inhibition by the selective HDAC6 inhibitors tubacin or tubastatin A was found to significantly impede tumor growth. However, tubacin was more effective at inhibiting tumor growth than tubastatin A or HDAC6 deficiency. The superior anti-tumor activity of tubacin was linked to its ability to not only inhibit accumulation of mutant FGFR3, but also to cause robust downregulation of MYC and cyclin D1, and to induce a DNA damage response and apoptosis. Neither HDAC6 deficiency nor treatment with tubastatin A altered MYC or cyclin D1 levels, and neither induced a DNA damage response or apoptosis. Thus while tubacin and tubastatin A inhibit HDAC6 with similar selectivity and potency, our results reveal unique HDAC6-independent activities of tubacin that likely contribute to its potent anti-tumor activity.
How to teach "modern C++" to someone who already knows programming?

The C++ programming language has undergone major changes since the introduction of C++11. 'Modern C++,' defined here as C++11 and beyond, can be viewed as a new language compared to C++98 (the version of C++ introduced in 1998). Many new features have been added to modern C++, including lambda expressions and automatic type deduction. The standard library has also been dramatically updated with constructs such as std::unordered_set and smart pointers. The traditional way of teaching C++ by first teaching C's low-level features, such as raw pointers and char * strings, is potentially ineffective when teaching modern C++. Based on this hypothesis, we updated the way in which we teach C++ at UW-Madison by teaching the most important high-level features (containers, iterators, and algorithms) first, and introducing the low-level features (raw pointers, dynamic memory management, etc.) only when they are necessary. In this paper, we present our experiences teaching modern C++ with this top-down approach. We find that with our new approach, students' perceptions about learning C++ are largely positive.
Hemingway's Cuban Landscape:

Hemingway tourism in Cuba represents an evocative geographical landscape of inquiry for two primary reasons. First, Hemingway tourism, and tourism in general in Cuba, exists side by side with the l...
Method of Stochastic Linearization Revised and Improved

There is a vast literature devoted to the stochastic linearization technique generated during almost three decades. Can anything new be said on this technique? The paper demonstrates that the answer to this question is affirmative. New versions of the stochastic linearization technique are described. The methods are based on the requirement associated with the mean-squares of the potential energies of the original nonlinear system and in their equivalent, linear counterparts. Two examples of the nonlinear systems are numerically evaluated. In one of the cases considered a new stochastic linearization criterion yields results coinciding with the exact solution.
Angioplasty Balloon, Stents, and Stent Grafts

Angioplasty is a controlled dissection created by exerting a dilating force on the internal surface of a vessel. It also leads to compression of an atherosclerotic lesion and stretching of the elastic components of the arterial wall. A biological response takes place with platelet and fibrin deposition at the area where the subendothelial surface is exposed. This is followed by an inflammatory response comprised of smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation and secretion of extracellular matrix. Following that, there is re-endothelialization and organization of the extracellular matrix and remodeling of the vessel with lumen preservation. However in many cases the inflammatory response is pernicious and results in lumen compromise.
Mechanisms of Cell-to-Cell Transmission of Pathological Tau: A Review

Importance Intracellular tau protein aggregates are a pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative tauopathies, including Alzheimer disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and Pick disease. Emerging evidence supports a model of cell-to-cell transmission of proteinaceous pathological tau seeds, which leads to recruitment and templated fibrillization of endogenous cellular tau followed by the spread of abnormal tau throughout the brain. These findings lead to the strain hypothesis, which predicts that distinct conformational strains or polymorphs of tau may underlie the clinical and neuropathological heterogeneity and cell-type specificity of tauopathies. In this review, we describe the evidence for propagation of distinct tau strains in cell culture and animal models of AD and mechanistic insights into cell-to-cell transmission of pathological tau. Observations Intracranial injections of synthetic tau-preformed fibrils and human brain-derived pathological tau into nontransgenic wild-type mice and transgenic mouse models of AD expressing β-amyloid and tau-amyloid deposits yield widespread pathological tau aggregates observed in neuroanatomically connected brain regions distant from the site of injection. Furthermore, when human brain–derived pathological tau obtained from distinct tauopathies (ie, brains with AD, PSP, and CBD) were injected into the brains of wild-type mice, they seeded tau pathology and faithfully recapitulated cell-type specific tau inclusions characteristic of each tauopathy in a time-dependent, dose-dependent, and injection site–dependent spread reflective of the connectome of the injection site. Conclusions and Relevance These findings provide compelling evidence that misfolded or pathological conformers of tau undergo cell-to-cell spread in a tauopathy strain-specific manner. Importantly, evidence to date supports that pathological tau strains do not behave like infectious agents, despite growing evidence that these tau strains undergo templated propagation and spread linked to the neuroanatomical connectome of the injection site.
14 Adult Mortality

Demographers play a vital role in documenting and explaining adult mortality patterns and trends so that policymakers have a credible scientific base from which to improve health and increase life expectancy. Consistent with that role, this chapter reviews the complex set of demographic, socioeconomic, social, behavioral, geographic, environmental, and biological factors that shape adult mortality patterns, risks, and causes, with a geographic focus on the United States. While the United States has witnessed remarkable declines in adult mortality over the past century, it has experienced increases in middle-aged mortality over the past several years and ranks poorly relative to other high-income countries. Given the key points made in this chapter, we conclude that future reductions in U.S. adult mortality rates will depend upon reductions in obesity, tobacco consumption, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, physical inactivity, and racial and socioeconomic inequality.
Effect of plant protection on the production of hydroponic lettuce (Lactuca sativa convar. capitata L.)

Purpose. In our experiment, the hydroculture cultivation of lettuce ( Lactuca sativa convar. capitata L.) was studied under various Mg treatments, and we used pesticide protection against cotton bollworm ( Helicoverpa armigera ). Methods. The biometric evaluations were calculation with variance analysis (Tukey-HSD method and the statistical tests were performed using SPSS v19 software). Results. Our results observations that plant protections (Actara 240 SC, tiametoxam) were successfully contra Helicoverpa armigera . The recording time (94 pieces H. armigera ) was on 5 th October 2015. The number of lettuces infected with the worms of the cotton bollworm was 9 (total) of end the research. When the lettuce was harvested (29 th October), we measured the weight of lettuces, counting the number of caterpillars of H. armigera and analysing variance on the calculation. The most infected lettuces with the caterpillar were calculated in the 150 and 200 mg/L Mg treatments. We measured 28 plants from each treatment area. The highest lettuce weight was found in the control group (186.1 g), while the lowest was among the 250 mg/L magnesium treatment. A Tukey statistical analysis was summarized. Conclusions. Despite the widely and commonly used traditional agricultural production technologies, hydroponic growing also has a great role in nowadays and in the future as well. In the course of our experiment we found that the easily purchased materials (rock wool, medium raw material) can be used cost-effectively in the hydroponic cultivation. Based on our results we found that the effect of plant protection (Actara 240 SC, 21.1% w/v thiamethoxam) was successful against cotton bollworm. Overall, the effect of insecticide treatments against Helicoverpa armigera protection was successful; the 56% infection on 5 th October was reduced to a 5% infection level on 29 th October. The lettuce was grown using hydroponic cultivation in our study. Their growth was steady, but there was a great deviation in head weight. While measuring the hydroponic lettuce we found that the magnesium treatment led to a significant decrease in head weight, compared to the control group.
Lossy DistFlow Formulation for Single and Multiphase Radial Feeders

A line loss approximation via parametrization is developed to improve performance of the simplified Baran and Wu DistFlow method, while maintaining a linear set of equations. The approach is evaluated on thousands of training feeders that are created to determine a numerically optimal setting for the parameterization. Feeders are generated using recent advances in synthetic network test case generation. The problem is formulated with the same structure as the simplified DistFlow, yet is more accurate given that line losses are explicitly expressed and quantified. The single-phase methodology is extended to multiphase systems by formulating matrix-vector equations that maintain an analogy to their single-phase counterpart. Results with approximated line losses are shown to also improve the accuracy of multiphase distribution system calculations.
A Contribution to Liapunov's Second Method: Nonlinear Autonomous Systems1

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the problem of stability of nonlinear autonomous systems by means of the second method of Liapunov. The approach to the problem of nonlinear systems with local stability is completely different as dvdt is imposed to be indefinite on a closed surface. The most important feature of theory is the possibility of an approximate identification of the limit surface, a possibility that is not straightforward in the other treatments. In the chapter, a method is developed for the construction of Liapunov's functions in the case of nonlinear autonomous systems in which the nonlinearity is representable in polynomial form. This method is based upon the use of a μ-function with some variable coefficients, which is called as generating μ-function. It is exposed that in the case of systems with limit cycles, the existence of dvdtindefinite on a closed surface is not only unnecessary but also extremely unlikely.
Analysis of a survey on status of iodine content in drinking water, edible salt and urine of children aged 8 -10 in Qingdao in 2008 - 2009

Objectives To identify the status of iodine content in drinking water,edible salt and urine of children aged 8- 10 after implementing "every village" project in Qingdao for providing basic reference for government's decision-making.Methods From March 2008 to July 2009,residents' living and drinking water samples were collected in 12 districts and counties of Qingdao,and iodide content was measured by cerous sulfate catalytic spectrophotometry.Urine samples of children aged from 8 to 10 were collected,in which the iodide content was quantitative tested by arsenic cerium catalytic spectrophotometry.Samples of household edible salt were collected to determine iodide content by direct titration.Results A total of 5067 water samples were measured,the median iodine content of water was 7.35 μg/L.A total of 1182 urine samples of children aged 8 - 10 were tested,and the urinary iodine content ranged from 4.6 μg/L to 5995.3 μg/L with a median of 200.6 μg/L.Besides,3504 household salt samples were tested,and the percentages of non-iodized salt,iodized salt and qualified iodized salt were 1.74％(61/3504),98.26％(3443/3504) and 96.32％(3375/3504),respectively.Conclusions Qingdao is situated in environmental iodine deficient area,and the iodine nutritional status of residents is appropriate owing to the implementation of universal salt iodization policy in Qingdao region.Comprehensive prevention and control measures to iodine deficiency disorders,including marketing iodized salt,should be implemented continually. Key words: Drinking; Urine; Sodium chloride, dietary; Data collection
Comparison of single- and multiple-item nightmare frequency measures

Nightmare frequency research usually relies on single-item measures. The current study compared some single- and multiple-item measures of nightmare frequency. Three single-item measures representing different response formats (binary, ordinal, and nominal) were compared with both an existing and newly devised multiple-item nightmare frequency scale, the Nightmare Frequency Index (NFI). To collect psychometric information on the new scale, 276 university students completed the NFI. A subsample of 146 participants completed additional measures of nightmare frequency and constructs previously related to nightmares. The NFI had adequate psychometric properties. Generally, nightmare frequency measures demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity. A higher-order nightmare frequency factor was found with all nightmare frequency measures contributing. Multiple-item measures had slightly higher average correlations than a binary single-item measure, but not ordinal or nominal single-item measures. The results are discussed in the context of choosing frequency measures for research
Trends of Diabetes-Related Hospital Admission in Emerging Adults in the State of California

Background: As adolescents with diabetes transition to adulthood, they may demonstrate poorer adherence to treatment regimens and may be vulnerable to complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or severe hypoglycemia. A number of important factors have been identified as risk factors for these poor outcomes, including loss of health insurance coverage, increased risk-taking behaviors, and difficulty coping with added responsibility. National data may inform efforts to improve health outcomes and prevent complications for vulnerable young adults during this challenging transition to independence. Objectives: To estimate the incidence of diabetes-related admissions and to describe the characteristics among youth and young adults with type 1 (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the state of California. Study design and method: This is a retrospective cohort study using the inpatient database from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development during the years 2014 to 2018. Individuals aged 13–24 years hospitalized with DKA, or hypoglycemia, were identified by ICD codes. Results: A total 28,754 admission encounters were recorded. Mean ages for T1D and T2D were 17.3±5.6 years and 17.9±4.6 years, respectively. Hospitalization rates increased with age with a significant rise during the transition to adulthood, from 70.3/100,000 population at age 17 to 132.2/100,000 population at age 19 in T1D. Among hospital admissions in T1D and T2D, 16.3% and 18.7% were Black young adults respectively (p <.001). More young adults were on public insurance when compared to youth (64.1% vs 45.1% in T1D; 68.4% vs 50.4% in T2D, p <.001), and approximately 48.8% and 41.6% were from the lowest income quartile in T1D and T2D respectively (p <.001). There was no difference in mean length of hospital stay, but hospital charges were higher among young adults with both types of diabetes when compared to youth ($41,370 vs $36,160 in T1D; $37,218 vs $30,991 in T2D, p <.001). More young adults were admitted for severe cases such as DKA or hypoglycemia with coma in T1D, with rates tripling from 0.3/100,000 population in youth to 1.0/100,000 population in young adults. Conclusion: We demonstrated a significant rise in admission rates during the transition to adulthood in individuals with T1D. Among admissions in both types of diabetes, there were significantly more Black young adults who were on public insurance with lower socioeconomic status. This population group had poorer health outcomes with higher incidence for moderate and severe complications, and they cost more hospital charges than the youth population with both types of diabetes. Our findings suggest that the US healthcare system fails many emerging adults with diabetes, particularly for people of color, and that improving the medical transition is crucial. More resources should be focused on this at-risk population from a healthcare system perspective.
Barriers to Real-Time Control of Stormwater Systems

AbstractReal-time control of stormwater infrastructure is an emerging technology that can improve stormwater system function. However, this technology has not been adopted widely, nor is it typical...
Design and validation of synthetic duty cycles for grid energy storage dispatch using lithium-ion batteries

Abstract Energy storage systems (ESSs) are a critical component of the electric grid, dispatching (charging and discharging) to performing grid applications such as frequency regulation, energy arbitrage, and peak shaving. Today, lithium-ion batteries are considered the best electrochemical ESSs in grid applications, and various cathode chemistries have been developed. On the electric grid, batteries can provide up to 13 ESS services, and different combinations of grid services and chemistries produce different battery aging and life performance under the given dispatch. Therefore, the characterization of each grid application dispatch can give an insight into optimal participation strategies for lithium-ion chemistries for each grid service. In this paper, an efficient algorithm is presented which uses a dispatch interval matrix to capture metrics in the ESS dispatch relevant to lithium-ion battery aging and performance, and implements unsupervised learning and dimensionality reduction on this matrix to produce characteristic duty cycles of the dispatch, from which synthetic duty cycles are produced that are suitable for laboratory testing and fast simulation. The algorithm is demonstrated for the dispatch under the grid application of peak shaving. Finally, an electrochemical-aging model is used to simulate a lithium-ion battery under both the original power dispatch and the synthetic duty cycle to validate the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper to retain the operating stress factors.
Hardware-in-the-Loop Experimental Validation for a Lab-Scale Microgrid Targeted by Cyberattacks

Information and communication technologies are being implemented in the power industry to develop smarter power grids termed as cyber-physical power systems. Along with the privileges of modern power networks such as reduced total operation cost, they may be negatively affected by cyberattacks including false data injection (FDI) attacks. As a case in point, an adversary can detour security systems, penetrate into the cyber-physical layer, and manipulate the information leading to security threats. This paper presents the development of a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed for a lab-scale microgrid (MG) located at Southern Illinois University Carbondale to study FDI cyberattacks and the corresponding imposed impacts on the operation of the MG. The proposed framework is established on an OPAL-RT platform, which is a real-time simulator incorporating software/hardware-based simulations, simultaneously. The developed HIL setup comprises data acquisition unit, controllers, and different analog/digital inputs/outputs. The MG contains wind turbines and photovoltaic modules and is able to operate in grid-tied and standalone modalities. The experimental results validate the effects of FDI cyberattacks on the lab-scale MG and verify the resilience of the targeted MG in different scenarios.
Recursive Self-Improvement for Camera Image and Signal Processing Pipeline.

Current camera image and signal processing pipelines (ISPs), including deep trained versions, tend to apply a single filter that is uniformly applied to the entire image. This despite the fact that most acquired camera images have spatially heterogeneous artifacts. This spatial heterogeneity manifests itself across the image space as varied Moire ringing, motion-blur, color-bleaching or lens based projection distortions. Moreover, combinations of these image artifacts can be present in small or large pixel neighborhoods, within an acquired image. Here, we present a deep reinforcement learning model that works in learned latent subspaces, recursively improves camera image quality through a patch-based spatially adaptive artifact filtering and image enhancement. Our RSE-RL model views the identification and correction of artifacts as a recursive self-learning and self-improvement exercise and consists of two major sub-modules: (i) The latent feature sub-space clustering/grouping obtained through an equivariant variational auto-encoder enabling rapid identification of the correspondence and discrepancy between noisy and clean image patches. (ii) The adaptive learned transformation controlled by a trust-region soft actor-critic agent that progressively filters and enhances the noisy patches using its closest feature distance neighbors of clean patches. Artificial artifacts that may be introduced in a patch-based ISP, are also removed through a reward based de-blocking recovery and image enhancement. We demonstrate the self-improvement feature of our model by recursively training and testing on images, wherein the enhanced images resulting from each epoch provide a natural data augmentation and robustness to the RSE-RL training-filtering pipeline.
Humanizing Information Systems—The Designer’s Responsibility

Since the very first meeting of the participants of this Institute, issues were raised, directly or indirectly, which, in my view, require further clarification, specific focus, study and analysis. You may recall Dr. Belkin’s concern with respect to design philosophy and goals for information systems; Dr. Winkler asked: “How do you recognize a good information system when you see one?”; Dr. Zunde pointed out that little work has been done on value theory; Dr. Debons raised the question whether objectives were necessary; Dr. King indicated the need to relate information systems to social systems; Dr. Samuelson asked that we pay more attention to humans—to artistic and aesthetic factors; Paul Zurkowski wondered whether information (and presumably its systems) is too important to be left to information science. The issues relating to societal and ethical values, to ultimate goals and objectives, to personal and moral responsibility for system design and operation are undeniably with us. We cannot escape these issues. We need to face them. I will approach my subject from a broad, historical point of view.
A note on the differences of the consecutive powers of operators

We present two examples. One of an operator T such that {T(T − I)}n=1 is precompact in the operator norm and the spectrum of T on the unit circle consists of an infinite number of points accumulating at 1, and the other of an operator T such that {T(T − I)}n=1 is convergent to zero but T is not power bounded. Let A be a Banach algebra and x ∈ A be power bounded. Denote by Γ the unit circle in C. The main aim of this note which may be regarded as an addendum to [2] is to answer a question stated there if the precompactness of {x(x− 1)}n=1 in A implies that 1 6∈ σ(x) ∩ (Γ \ {1}). The structure of σ(x) in this case has been investigated in [1] and [2] (see the references quoted therein). It was proved in [1] that {x(x − 1)}n=1 is precompact if and only if σ(x)∩ (Γ \{1}) consists of simple poles of x. The example that we present below shows that 1 can belong to the closure of σ(x)∩ (Γ \ {1}) and therefore the result quoted above is sharp. Example 1. Let λn = e. Define T : l → l by Ten = λnen, n = 1, 2, . . . , where en = (0, . . . , 0, 1, 0, . . .) is the nth standard basis vector of l . Then ‖T‖ = 1 and σ(T ) = {λ1, λ2, . . .}. We claim that {T(T − I)}n=1 is precompact in the algebra of bounded operators on l equipped with the operator norm. This fact can be deduced from the above quoted result of [1], however we will give a simple and direct proof. We will show that for every increasing sequence {nk}k=1 of positive integers we can choose a subsequence {mk}k=1 such that Tk(T − I) is convergent as k → ∞. We construct {mk}k=1 as follows. Since λ nk 2 attains only a finite number of values we choose a subsequence {n2k}k=1 such that λ n2k 2 = λ2 for some λ2. Then, since λ n2k 3 takes on only a finite number of values, we choose from {n2k}k=1 a subsequence {n3k}k=1 such that λ n3k 3 = λ3 for some λ3. We continue this process and define m1 = n1 and mk = nkk for 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 46H05, 46H30, 46H35. The paper is in final form and no version of it will be published elsewhere. [381]
A hyperspectral imaging system for in vivo optical diagnostics

This paper details the basic principles and instrumental systems as well as applications of hyperspectral imaging system in the biomedical field. The development of an HSI system that combines recent advances in several photonic technologies, including an AOTF, a 2-D CCD detector, and imaging fiber optics. The integration of these technologies leads to a versatile and powerful imaging system that can rapidly record spectral images of samples. This imaging system could find useful applications in medical diagnostics applications where rapid in vivo detection of complex samples is required. The HSI technique has the potential for in site optical diagnosis on tissue and it can be use for guidance of surgical intervention and treatment. The optical diagnostic approaches may either be an imaging modality or a spectroscopic modality. The spectroscopic diagnostics may also provide real-time assessment of tissue response to therapy.
A Dictionary of Neuropsychology

The Dictionary of Neuropsychology is a cross-referenced, alphabetical listing of terms, common medical abbreviations, diseases, symptoms, syndromes, brain structures and locations, and test instruments used in neuropsychology and their neuropsychological interpretations. Neuropsychological concepts and tests are defined and described as to applications in evaluation and treatment. Common medical terms and abreviations are defined to assist hospital therapists. Most topics are referenced to their original sources to ease the job of researchers. This book is a compendium of current findings and knowledge from the burgeoning field of neuropsychology. It will probably be most useful to practicing neuropsychologists, but professionals in other disciplines such as neurology, psychiatry, rehabilitation therapy, and other related fields will find the quick referencing to specific topics quite helpful.
Oral lesions in systemic lupus erythematosus: Do ulcerative lesions represent a necrotizing vasculitis?

Background: It has been suggested that oral lesions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be grouped clinically as erythema, discoid lesions, or oral ulcerations. Oral ulcerations have been said to foretell a severe systemic disease flare and the proposal that oral ulcers represent a mucosal vasculitis has been suggested to explain this hypothesis. Objective: Our objective was to test the hypothesis that oral ulcers in patients with SLE result from vasculitis. Methods: We studied 10 patients with American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for a diagnosis of SLE who had oral lesions of lupus (six prospectively and four retrospectively) clinically and by routine and immunofluorescence microscopy. Biopsy specimens were reviewed in a single-blinded fashion. Results: In our patients, no oral lesion, regardless of morphology, demonstrated vasculitis histologically. All lesions demonstrated an interface mucositis. Conclusion: Our data strongly contradict the hypothesis that leukocytoclastic vasculitis explains a possible unproven correlation between oral ulceration and disease flares in patients with SLE.
Hurricane Sandy, Disaster Preparedness, and the Recovery Model.

OBJECTIVE: Hurricane Sandy was the second largest and costliest hurricane in U.S. history to affect multiple states and communities. This article describes the lived experiences of 24 occupational therapy students who lived through Hurricane Sandy using the Recovery Model to frame the research. METHOD: Occupational therapy student narratives were collected and analyzed using qualitative methods and framed by the Recovery Model. Directed content and thematic analysis was performed using the 10 components of the Recovery Model. RESULTS: The 10 components of the Recovery Model were experienced by or had an impact on the occupational therapy students as they coped and recovered in the aftermath of the natural disaster. CONCLUSION: This study provides insight into the lived experiences and recovery perspectives of occupational therapy students who experienced Hurricane Sandy. Further research is indicated in applying the Recovery Model to people who survive disasters. Language: en