cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A small isochronous ring for experimental study of the longitudinal space charge effect in isochronous cyclotrons

We intend to build a small, low-cost, low-energy isochronous ring for experimental study of the space charge effect in isochronous cyclotrons and synchrotrons at the transition gamma. The paper describes the main physics issues to be addressed by the ring and the ring design. It also presents results of beam dynamics simulations in the ring.
Projection Retrieval for Classification

In many applications, classification systems often require human intervention in the loop. In such cases the decision process must be transparent and comprehensible, simultaneously requiring minimal assumptions on the underlying data distributions. To tackle this problem, we formulate an axis-aligned subspace-finding task under the assumption that query specific information dictates the complementary use of the subspaces. We develop a regression-based approach called RECIP that efficiently solves this problem by finding projections that minimize a nonparametric conditional entropy estimator. Experiments show that the method is accurate in identifying the informative projections of the dataset, picking the correct views to classify query points, and facilitates visual evaluation by users.
Theoretical study on the static performance of piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites with 2-2 connectivity

The static equilibrium conditions have been derived for piezoelectric-ceramic-polymer composite structures. Rigorous solutions are obtained for a 2-2 composite of lamellar configuration. Under a uniaxial stress or an electric field the strain profile becomes inhomogeneous due to different elastic stiffness of the two components (hard piezoelectric ceramics and soft polymer). The stress transfer between the two components is identified as due to an additional shear stress produced at the ceramic-polymer interface, and the amplification factor is defined for the enhancement of the response of the active piezoelectric ceramic resulting from this stress transfer. It is shown that this enhancement effect not only depends on the volume percentage of the active component but also on the aspect ratio of the two components. >
Desulfurization of bituminous coals: fluidized bed gasification of coal/phosphoric acid mixtures

The processing of coal:phosphoric acid mixtures using mild temperature (932°F) fluidized bed conditions is presented. Phosphoric acid promoted the desulfurization of the bituminous coals, producing chars that contained less than 20% of sulfur originally in the coals. Gaseous H2S was the primary sulfur-containing gaseous product. Pyritic sulfur was eliminated from the coal at a temperature as low as 410°F, whereas about 70% of the organic sulfur was removed from the coal at 932°F. In comparison with literature data, organic sulfur remaining in the char is suggested to contain thiophenic speciation. Phosphoric acid also decreased greatly the swelling character of the coals, and altered dramatically the yields of gas, condensate and char relative to that obtained during the processing of coal without acid.
Superconductivity in inhomogeneous granular metals

A model of elongated metal ellipsoids imbedded in a granular metal is treated by an effective medium approach to explain the observed temperature dependence of the normal-state conductivity of superconducting granular aluminum. Josephson tunneling is thus still required to account for the superconductivity. The model predicts the same kind of contrasting behavior on opposite sides of the metal-insulator transition as is found in the recent scaling treatment of Anderson localization.
Linear Combinations, Products and Ratios of t Random Variables

Results on linear combinations, products, and ratios of t random variables are reviewed. We believe that this review will serve as an important reference and encourage further research activities in the area.
Tension dependent nucleosome remodeling at the pericentromere in yeast

Nucleosome positioning is important for the structural integrity of chromosomes. During metaphase the mitotic spindle exerts physical force on pericentromeric chromatin. The cell must adjust the pericentromeric chromatin to accommodate the changing tension resulting from microtubule dynamics to maintain a stable metaphase spindle. Here we examine the effects of spindle-based tension on nucleosome dynamics by measuring the histone turnover of the chromosome arm and the pericentromere during metaphase in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We find that both histones H2B and H4 exhibit greater turnover in the pericentromere during metaphase. Loss of spindle-based tension by treatment with the microtubule-depolymerizing drug nocodazole or compromising kinetochore function results in reduced histone turnover in the pericentromere. Pericentromeric histone dynamics are influenced by the chromatin-remodeling activities of STH1/NPS1 and ISW2. Sth1p is the ATPase component of the Remodels the Structure of Chromatin (RSC) complex, and Isw2p is an ATP-dependent DNA translocase member of the Imitation Switch (ISWI) subfamily of chromatin-remodeling factors. The balance between displacement and insertion of pericentromeric histones provides a mechanism to accommodate spindle-based tension while maintaining proper chromatin packaging during mitosis.
Infusion of Nanotechnology in Chemistry Courses Through Laboratory Redesign and Vertical Threads

Chemistry occupies a unique place in the university curriculum and is required by a wide variety of other disciplines because of its general utility. Unfortunately, the laboratory portion of the course does not always reflect the diversity and excitement of new research in and interesting applications of chemistry since the laboratory experience is designed to help the student master fundamental concepts. At Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) we are attacking this problem with the implementation of two series of nanotechnology based “vertical threads” throughout our chemistry curriculum. The vertical threads begin in the freshman year and provide continuity throughout the rest of the curriculum. Experiments direct the student’s attention towards modern applications of chemical technology while providing chemical fundamentals expected in traditional laboratory exercises. By seeing these recurring threads at ever increasing levels of complexity, students build upon knowledge gained about nanotechnology with each additional laboratory course. The approach used at AASU created two experimental “vertical threads” which are woven into the educational experience from the bottom-up in both the curriculum and the chemical methodology. Experiments performed in the freshman chemistry lab reappear in expanded forms in subsequent years as part of new experiments that mimic the biological, industrial and medical applications of nanotechnology. We have concentrated our efforts in two areas: magnetite nanoparticles thread, and the chalcogenide nanoparticles thread. Magnetite nanoparticles are prepared by freshmen students while more advanced students modify these nanoparticles for real-world applications. Chalcogenide nanoparticles are synthesized by junior and senior level students and their spectroscopic properties are studied. Senior and undergraduate research students are involved in green synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles as well as the use of ZnS, CdS and ceria nanoparticles for photocatalysis applications. The upper division students learn numerous instrumental techniques (i.e. UV-VIS, Fluorescence, FT-IR) within the context of nanotechnology. All students are presented with pre-laboratory and background materials that address the needs for new materials, new techniques for biomedical analysis and drug delivery as well as the environmental impacts of nanotechnology.
Seeing the World Dimly: The Impact of Early Visual Deficits on Visual Experience in Schizophrenia

Deficits in early visual processing are well documented in schizophrenia, using methods such as contrast sensitivity. Higher, integrative stages of functioning, such as susceptibility to visual illusions, have been evaluated less extensively. For example, patients show increased susceptibility to (ie, are more easily affected by) the Muller-Lyer illusion but decreased susceptibility (ie, are less easily affected by) to stereopsis based upon binocular disparity. The basis for pattern of illusion response and interaction between sensory and integrative stages of processing, however, is unclear. We tested a group of 38 patients and 28 control subjects in contrast sensitivity, the Muller-Lyer and Poggendorff illusions, as well as a subgroup in stereopsis and the Ponzo illusion, Sander parallelogram, and Hermann grid illusions. We predicted that patients would be more susceptible to tests that become more apparent with increased contrast (Muller-Lyer illusion), less susceptible to tests that become less apparent with increased contrast (stereopsis, Ponzo illusion, Hermann grid), and equally susceptible to contrast-insensitive tests (Poggendorff illusion). Additionally, the Hermann grid was tested at varying levels of contrast. Patients demonstrated significant deficits in contrast sensitivity, especially to brief, low spatial frequency stimuli, and the predicted differential response to the tested illusions. Additionally, poor performance on stereopsis and the Hermann grid significantly correlated with decreased contrast sensitivity (all P's <.01). Muller-Lyer illusion and stereopsis performance were also inversely related (P < .01). This study replicates and expands upon previous findings with visual illusions. Our results offer a unifying explanation for disparate studies and suggest that deficits in early sensory gain affect subsequent integrative processes.
Risk Sensitive Control of Complex Dynamical Systems

While classical models of risk in insurance and financial markets have been effectively treated by the methods of stochastic and adaptive processes, a wide variety of new technologies will require qualitatively different methods which emphasize risk due to constraints on spatial and temporal distribution of information, risk due to scale, and risk due to extreme sensitivity to changes in operating conditions. This paper explores elements of risk in complex dynamical systems which arise from sensitivity to operating conditions. It is argued that complexity based risk of this type is an essential part of what makes competitive athletics interesting. To explore this proposition, a simple interval mapping game is proposed. Analysis of the game dynamics shows that complexity based risk cannot be completely eliminated although it is possible to plan play strategies to manage it.
Transcriptional basis for exercise limitation in male eNOS-knockout mice with age: heart failure and the fetal phenotype.

Endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) is pivotal in regulating mitochondrial O2 consumption (Vo2) and glucose uptake in mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of age- and gen...
Neuro-Ophthalmologic Manifestations of Epilepsy

This review summarizes the major neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations of epilepsy. Positive or negative visual manifestations such as hallucinations or visual loss may be seen. There is considerable overlap of the visual manifestations with migrainous aura and transient ischemic attack (TIA), making a detailed history important for accurate diagnosis. Oculomotor manifestations, such as tonic eye deviation, are often recognized to have localizing value. Nystagmus or repetitive blinking may be present and offer clues in clinically subtle seizures.
Dance and Social Structure: The Ubakala of Nigeria

Among the Ubakala, social organization is manifested by the movements of a dance-play and by who may participate in it.
Internet Control and Auto-regulation in Singapore

This paper sets out to consider the use of new media technologies in the city-state of Singapore, widely acknowledged as one of the most technologically-advanced and networked societies in the world. Singapore is well-known as a politically censorious and highly-regulated society, which has been subjected to frequent and fierce insults and criticisms by those hailing from liberal democratic traditions. Indeed, much has been said about how the Singapore polity resonates with a climate of fear, which gives rise to the prevalent practice of self-censorship. This paper examines how certain groups in Singapore attempt to employ the Internet to find their voice and seek their desired social, cultural and political ends, and how the regulatory devices adopted by the highly pervasive People Action's Party (PAP) government respond to and set limits to these online ventures whilst concomitantly pursuing national technological cum economic development strategies. It concludes that the Internet in Singapore is a highly contested space where the art of governmentality, in the forms of information controls and 'automatic' modes of regulation, is tried, tested, and subsequently perfected.
Local Politics and the Demand for Public Education

This paper expands on the school finance literature by using a political fragmentation index to calculate how political power affects educational spending in Virginia, USA. The methodology allows the comparison of different political voices relative to each other and the consideration of the role of the distribution of political power. Political fragmentation is considered across several different dimensions, including race, age, income and political parties. Using a demand for local public goods model, it is found that, along with traditional demand variables, the interest-group pressures dominated by the primary beneficiaries (teachers and students) increase educational spending while higher income and a larger percentage of African-Americans in the population reduce educational spending.
Proposed Revision of the Standard Weight (Ws) Equation for Redear Sunfish

ABSTRACT Weight-length data were compiled from 289 redear sunfish Lepomis microlophus populations. We applied the regression-line-percentile (RLP) technique to weight-length data for 150 redear sunfish populations to develop a new 75th-percentile standard weight (Ws) equation. The proposed RLP Ws equation, log10 Ws = −4.968 + 3.119log10TL where Ws is the standard weight in grams and TL is the total length in millimeters, is valid for fish >70 mm TL. The English-unit equivalent, log10Wg = −3.263 + 3.119log10TL where Ws is the standard weight in pounds and TL is the total length in inches, is valid for fish >3 in TL. We used the remaining 139 independent populations to evaluate the current [log10 Ws = −5.164 + 3.227(log10TL)] and RLP Ws equations for any length-related biases. We confirmed that the current Ws equation is length-biased. That is, relative weight (Wr) values significantly decreased with increasing fish length for far more populations (N=45) than they increased (N=7). We tested the proposed RLP...
Surrender and Community Study: The Study of Loma

I was in ‘Loma’ in 1940, 1942, 1944, 1948, and 1960. Loma is a Community in northern New Mexico: a group of people whose lives are significantly bounded by that habitat (by the same walls, moenia). For a long time my question has been: what does this mean? More particularly, following my longest and most important stay in Loma, my questions have come to be: what did it mean to study these people? What was the nature of my research, my contact with Loma? What did it mean to collect ‘field notes’? What was their meaning? Who was I to have gone to Loma, what had I done there, what was I to have done? What had I inquired into? How had I gone about it, how was I to have gone about it?
A Responsive Defense Mechanism Against DDoS Attacks

Distributed Denials of Service (DDoS) attacks are among the most serious threats on the Internet. With large-scale DDoS attacks, it is necessary to stop malicious traffic closer to the attack sources with minimal disruption of legitimate traffic. A responsive defense mechanism that filters potential attack traffic and prevents it from reaching the victim network is developed. First we investigate the features of network traffic that can be used for discriminating attacks from normal traffic, and then use the identified features to develop an accurate and robust signature-based filtering model that forms the basis of a responsive defense mechanism. A Bloom filter based mechanism is proposed to efficiently implement and disseminate the signature-based model; it helps reduce the communication overhead and the computation and storage requirements at the upstream routers that check for malicious traffic. The approach is verified and evaluated using the DARPA dataset. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in blocking attack traffic and allowing most of the legitimate traffic at upstream routers.
Crystallographic Characterization of II–VI Semiconducting Nanostructures via Optical Second Harmonic Generation

We demonstrate the utility of optical second harmonic generation (SHG) polarimetry to perform structural characterization of noncentrosymmetric, single-crystalline II-VI semiconducting nanowires, nanobelts, and nanoflakes. By analyzing anisotropic SHG polarimetric patterns, we distinguish between wurtzite and zincblende II-VI semiconducting crystal structures and determine their growth orientation. The crystallography of these nanostructures was then confirmed via transmission electron microscopy measurements performed on the same system. In addition, we show that some intrinsic material properties such as nonlinear coefficients and geometry-dependent optical in-coupling coefficients can also be determined from the SHG experiments in WZ nanobelts. The ability to perform SHG-based structural characterization and crystallographic study of II-VI semiconducting single-crystalline nanomaterials will be useful to correlate structure-property relationships of nanodevices on which transmission electron microscopy measurements cannot be typically performed.
Nutrient Contribution and Release Kinetics of Vermicompost Amended Pine Bark

The composting of organic waste materials using earthworms yields the value-added product vermicompost (VC). The use of VC as a growing substrate amendment for containerized horticultural crop production is a sustainable nutrient management approach which can benefit crop production by providing plant nutrients and improving crop growth. In order to provide nutrient management guidelines for users of VC amended container substrates, a study was conducted to quantify nutrients supplied to substrates solution and to develop nutrient release kinetic models to predict plant available nutrient based on total initial loading rates. Experimental treatments and results were expressed on a volume basis (4-L container) for easy interpretation and application by growers of crops in containers.
How we treat decubitus ulcers.

When decubiti result from simple epidermal injury, sound nursing care, padding or a pressure mattress will usually help clear ulcers, especially if the patient is mobilized early. But when skin, fat or muscle becomes necrotic or if bone or joints are infected, the physician may have to debride the wound, use other surgical technics, or order the patient placed on a Stryker frame.
Activated Alumina Adsorption Law in River Course Arsenic Pollution Government Application

Taking the management of arsenic pollution in Picang flood diversion channel in Jiangsu Province as an example,introduces the application of the activated alumina absorbent to the arsenic polluted rivers,and makes a discussion about the pollution background,the technological level of pollution management,the processing plan and the procedure.Consequently,this method is proofed to has effects to the management of arsenic pollution with a large quantity and a low or moderate concentration.It can be adopted under similar circumstances in the future.
System erosion and countmeasures for the reuse of city sewage regenerated water for circulating water in power plant

In view of the quality of the city's sewage regenerated water, combined with the technical and material characteristics of circulating water system, the possible erosion problems on circulating water system resulted from the reuse of reclaimed water were analyzed in the following aspects: materials of condenser, circulating water pipeline and material of condenser pipe, concrete members of water cooling tower and industrial cooling water system. Based on the analysis results, the countmeasures for erosion problems were proposed, such as material selection of condenser, the treatment scheme selection of circulating water scale fouling, disinfection and aquatic plants eradication treatment, the gluey ball cleaning system, operation and shutdown management of condenser, the anticorrosion treatment of carbon steel, ammonia removal and process selection for industrial cooling water.
Identifying Democracy: Citizenship, DNA, and Identity in Postdictatorship Argentina

In 1984, eight-year-old Paula Logares was called into a judge’s chambers and was told the man and woman she lived with were not her parents. Her parents had been disappeared during the dirty war, a...
Fragile X tremor ataxia syndrome and white matter dementia

AbstractObjective: Fragile X tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease in which dementia is common and disabling. The pathogenesis of dementia in FXTAS is poorly understood, but the salience of executive dysfunction and slowed processing speed, the frequent presence of the middle cerebellar peduncle sign on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and striking neuropathological alterations of white matter all suggest that myelinated tracts are significantly involved. This paper considers the role of white matter disease in FXTAS dementia, particularly with regard to the concept of white matter dementia (WMD). Method: A focused review of FXTAS in relation to known white matter disorders is provided to propose that the concept of WMD may illuminate the basis of dementia in FXTAS. The putative pathogenetic contribution of white matter involvement in other neurodegenerative diseases is also considered. Results: Considerable evidence supports the importance of white matter disease in th...
The Orbit Method and Unitary Representations for Reductive Lie Groups

Publisher Summary The orbit method pioneered by Kirillov and Kostant seeks to construct irreducible unitary representations by analogy with quantization procedures in mechanics. A classical physical system may sometimes be modeled by a configuration space M, a manifold the points of which represent the possible positions of the bodies in the system. The corresponding phase space is the cotangent bundle T'M, the points of which represent the possible states (positions and momenta) of the bodies in the system. In this setting, a classical observable is a function on T*M. The quantum mechanical analog of this system is based on the Hilbert space L2(M) of square-integrable half-densities on M. A quantum mechanical observable is an operator T on L2(M); the scalar product (Tv, v) is the expected value of the observable on the state v. Some connection between classical and quantum observables is provided by a symbol calculus; an interesting quantum observable is often a differential operator on M, and the corresponding classical observable is related to the symbol of the differential operator.
A Mathematical Method for Determining Radiation Exposures Surrounding Technetium-99m-MDP Patients

Radiation surveys of 16 technetium-99m- (99mTc) MDP bone scintigram prostate cancer patients were obtained at 5 min, 4 hr, and 24 hr postadministration at survey distances of 1 ft (30.5 cm) and 3ft (~100 cm) from the patients. Patients with and without bone metastases were investigated. The data obtained were used to generate linear regression equations relating the radiation exposure between time periods as a function of body surface area (BSA). An example is provided where equation-generated radiation exposures for individuals are calculated around a hypothetical 99mTc-MDP bone scan patient at various times and distances. Such equations can be used prospectively or retrospectively for estimating radiation exposures surrounding 99mTc-MDP bone patients. The equations generated, which are applicable to the majority of all bone scan patients, approximate for the extremes of human morphology; a tall and slender or short and obese person. The relatively simple equations will be helpful for determining radiation exposures for a specific population of nuclear medicine patients.
Key role for neutrophils in radiation-induced antitumor immune responses: Potentiation with G-CSF

Radiation therapy (RT), a major modality for treating localized tumors, can induce tumor regression outside the radiation field through an abscopal effect that is thought to involve the immune system. Our studies were designed to understand the early immunological effects of RT in the tumor microenvironment using several syngeneic mouse tumor models. We observed that RT induced sterile inflammation with a rapid and transient infiltration of CD11b+Gr-1high+ neutrophils into the tumors. RT-recruited tumor-associated neutrophils (RT-Ns) exhibited an increased production of reactive oxygen species and induced apoptosis of tumor cells. Tumor infiltration of RT-Ns resulted in sterile inflammation and, eventually, the activation of tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells, their recruitment into the tumor site, and tumor regression. Finally, the concurrent administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) enhanced RT-mediated antitumor activity by activating RT-Ns. Our results suggest that the combination of RT and G-CSF should be further evaluated in preclinical and clinical settings.
Hemodialysis Access Catheters

Greater than 60 % of patients with end-stage renal disease initiate dialysis by a central venous catheter, and approximately 20 % of all dialysis patients are undergoing dialysis via a central venous catheter at any point in time. Given the widespread use of central venous catheters for dialysis access, this chapter will serve as a comprehensive overview of the topic, including a review of both tunneled and non-tunneled catheters, site selection, techniques for placement, and management of device-related complications.
Taking the sage off the stage identifying obstacles to student-centered instruction on the Thai-Myanmar border

Myanmar is in a time of great educational transition and reform. The education system continues to lag behind in terms of international educational standards and ranks 172 nd out of the 173 countries surveyed in the Central Intelligence Agency’s educational expenditure rankings (CIA, 2011). To gain insight into the instructional practices used in Myanmar’s high schools, as well as high schools in the surrounding refugee and migrant schools on the Thai-Myanmar border, participants (N = 19) from Myanmar studying Education as a major at a Thai university responded to a mixed methods survey which asked them to reflect and quantify the common instructional practices that occurred during their high school education. It was found that the methods of learn-all-by-rote and conformity to a set standard were reinforced through the use of narrow instructional and evaluative methods. Participants believed that memorization was necessary to advance in the school system due to the nature of required standardized tests. Inadequate teacher preparation and authoritative power-distance were reported to hinder the introduction of new, student-centered instructional methods. The suppression of independent thought and authoritarian teaching style were identified as common practices in Myanmar, migrant and camp-based high schools. In order for student-centered and critical thinking approaches to be realized, this study concludes that all educational stakeholders must be involved with careful consideration of the culture, traditions and values that influence classroom practice.
Sex Trafficking of Minors

Sex trafficking is an increasingly recognized global health crisis affecting every country and region in the world. Domestic minor sex trafficking is a subset of commercial sexual exploitation of children, defined as engagement of minors (<18 years of age) in sexual acts for items of value (eg, food, shelter, drugs, money) involving children victimized within US borders. These involved youth are at risk for serious immediate and long-term physical and mental health consequences. Continued efforts are needed to improve preventive efforts, identification, screening, appropriate interventions, and subsequent resource provision for victimized and high-risk youth.
A Low-Cost and High-Energy Hybrid Iron-Aluminum Liquid Battery Achieved by Deep Eutectic Solvents

Summary This work demonstrates a low-cost, high-energy Fe-Al hybrid liquid battery that takes advantage of the desirable properties of deep eutectic solvents (DESs). The strategy of additive enables the full charging and discharging of the Fe-Al battery with long cycle life while the stable stripping and deposition of Al is achieved. Using Fe(210) catholyte at a concentration of 5 M, the Fe-Al battery can deliver a high energy density of approximately 166 Wh L −1 with an average operating voltage of 1.41 V. Furthermore, by dissociating the iron complexes in Fe(126) DES, the Fe-Al battery can achieve the full charge and discharge over 60 cycles without degradation. Here, an all-DES-based liquid battery is proposed with an ultrahigh concentration of redox species, resulting in high energy density. The DES maintains reduced lattice energy and depressed freezing point and provides a new platform for developing green redox species based on new chemistry.
PROMIS GH (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Global Health) Scale in Stroke: A Validation Study.

Background and Purpose— The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement recently included the 10-item PROMIS GH (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Global Health) scale as part of their recommended Standard Set of Stroke Outcome Measures. Before collection of PROMIS GH is broadly implemented, it is necessary to assess its performance in the stroke population. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of PROMIS GH in patients with ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods— PROMIS GH and 6 PROMIS domain scales measuring same/similar constructs were electronically collected on 1102 patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes at various stages of recovery from their stroke who were seen in a cerebrovascular clinic from October 12, 2015, through June 2, 2017. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to evaluate the adequacy of 2-factor structure of component scores. Test–retest reliability and convergent validity of PROMIS GH items and component scores were assessed. Discriminant validity and responsiveness were compared between PROMIS GH and PROMIS domain scales measuring the same or related constructs. Analyses were repeated stratified by stroke subtype and modified Rankin Scale score Results— There was moderate internal reliability (ordinal α, 0.82–0.88) and marginal model fit for the 2-factor solution for component scores (root mean square error of approximation, 0.11). Convergent validity was good with significant correlations between all PROMIS GH items and PROMIS domain scales ( P 0.5) was demonstrated for 8 of the 10 PROMIS GH items. Reliability and validity remained consistent across stroke subtype and disability level (modified Rankin Scale, Conclusions— PROMIS GH exhibits acceptable performance in patients with stroke. Our findings support International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement recommendation to use PROMIS GH as part of the standard set of outcome measures in stroke.
APPROACHES TO ANALYSE AND OPTIMIZE PROTEIN HYDROLYSATES

Publisher Summary The use of acid-soluble protein hydrolysates for the development of protein-enriched products, such as nutritive beverages, can be severely limited by their taste characteristics and by the nutritional quality reflected in their amino acid composition. Unmodified proteins in general are not totally soluble in the pH range of 3 to 7. The conversion of proteins into pH 4.5-soluble hydrolysates possessing desirable properties must be achieved in high yield, a result that also favors the economics of the process. Bitterness is perhaps the most objectionable taste generated by proteolysis and much effort has been directed toward understanding this attribute by isolation and characterization of individual peptides from protein hydrolysates. From such studies, proposals to relate bitter taste to the composition or to the partial sequence of peptides have been made. All these hypotheses implicate amino acid residues having hydrophobic side chains as determinants of bitter taste. This chapter discusses how the degree of bitter taste of a hydrolysate relates to process parameters such as the yield of hydrolysate, the amino acid composition of the protein used as substrate, and the specificity of the proteolytic agent.
A systematic assessment of key design and performance characteristics of drug exposure registries requested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

PURPOSE The purpose of the study is to evaluate contributions to postmarket safety assessments and identify potential factors for enhancing implementation and utilization of registries in regulatory decision-making. METHODS Registry documents (e.g., protocols, reports) submitted to the FDA were identified up to January 2016 through an extensive, systematic review of internal records and resources. We characterized nonpregnancy drug exposure registries based on prespecified design elements, performance, and regulatory impact. RESULTS A total of 65 registries were identified: 56 registries were open and 9 closed. Among open registries, 20% were pending, 14% delayed, and 16% ongoing less than ≤3 years. Most registries (82%) examined safety issues that originally arose from clinical trials; most frequent safety issues investigated included infections, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and liver toxicity. Although 74% of registries ascertained baseline health conditions and monitored concomitant medication use, fewer (45%) considered drug exposure duration or dosage. Thirty-seven percent of non pending registries had enrollment below sample size expectation. Seventeen registries published findings in journals/conference proceedings, 13 from open registries. Three closed registries generated results that contributed to product label changes. High-performance registries scored higher in design metrics related to sample size considerations (76% versus 62%) and adequate analysis plan (53% versus 35%), and interim report submission (76% versus 65%). There was a significant difference in proportion of registries with clear primary objectives between high versus not high performing registries (100% versus 78%). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests clear objectives, patient accrual/retention efforts, adequate analysis plans, and interim reports contribute to the performance of drug exposure registries.
Sensitive Brain Tumor Detection Using GNS Nanoprobe

Malignant brain tumors are one of the most lethal, heterogeneous, and difficult cancer forms to treat (Tagami et al in Nanomaterials in Pharmacology. Humana Press Inc., New York City, 2016 [1]; Han L et al in ACS Nano 10:4209–4218, 2016 [2]; Rutka et al in ACS Nano 8:9716–9722, 2014 [3]; Kircher et al in Nat Med 18:829–834, 2012 [4]; Kohler et al in J Nat Cancer Inst 103:714–736, 2011 [5]). For the most common malignant glioblastoma (GBM), an advanced grade IV astrocytoma, the median overall survival (OS) is only 15 months with current standard therapies (Krex et al in Brain 130:2596–2606, 2007 [6]). Tumor size has been found to be an independent prognostic factor and patients having small tumors when diagnosed have been reported to show longer OS and better prognosis (Mohammadi et al in J Neurosurg 126(3):1–9 (2016) [7]; Dempsey et al in AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 26:770–776, 2005 [8]). Therefore, novel methods for sensitive brain tumor detection offer an important prospect for significant improvement of patients’ outcomes. The current routine brain tumor diagnosis method is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with and without contrast agent enhancement (Schellinger et al in J Neurol Oncololgy 44:275–281,1999 [9]; Sze et al in Am J Neuroradiol 11:785–791, 1990 [10]). The size limit for brain tumor detection with MRI scan has been found to be 3–5 mm and it is highly challenging for MRI to detect a brain tumor less than 1 mm (Erdi in Radionuclide Ther 21:23–28, 2012 [11]; Yuh et al in Am J Neuroradiol 16:373–380, 1995 [12]). Positron emission tomography (PET) provides a sensitive 3D imaging modality (several orders of magnitude more sensitive than MRI for contrast agent detection), and has been applied in clinics for cancer detection using fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) radiotracer due to higher glucose uptake in tumors than in normal tissues (Fletcher in J Nucl Med 49:480–508, 2008 [13]; Rohren et al in Radiology 231:305–332, 2004 [14]; Phelps in J Nucl Med 41:661–681, 2000 [15]; Bradley et al in Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 59:78–86, 2004 [16]; Boellaard et al in Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 37:181–200, 2010 [17]; Antoch et al in Radiology 229:526–533, 2003 [18]; MacManus et al in Radiother Oncol 91:85–94, 1999 [19]). However, PET imaging using [18F]FDG is not ideal for brain tumor detection due to the high glucose uptake in normal brain tissue, resulting in low tumor-to-normal (T/N) ratio and high false positive rates (Shreve et al in Radiographics 19:61–77, 1999 [20]). To date, no study has demonstrated the feasibility of submillimeter brain tumor detection using noninvasive diagnostic modalities. Sensitive submillimeter brain tumor detection is still an unmet clinical need of critical importance. Our GNS-based nanoprobe for PET imaging has potential to provide a novel method for early brain tumor detection.
Tensorial Analysis of Integrated Transmission Systems; Part III. The "Primitive" Division [includes discussion]

Part III of the series lays down the foundations for the co-ordinated technical and economic study of several interconnected transmission systems. In particular, it establishes the basic equations of one isolated "primitive" division before it is interconnected with several others. The study merely introduces additional reference frames number 3.1 (between frames numbers 3 and 4) or frame number 6.1 (after frame number 6) that replace the several tie lines, extending between two neighboring divisions, by one "hypothetical" tie line carrying the resultant interchange power (the "sum" power) between the two divisions. All measurements and all numerical calculations, previously performed for each individual division, are taken over unaltered. The only change consists of the introduction of C3.13 (or C6.16). The concept of "tensor" equivalent circuits also is introduced to simplify the eventual representation of the large variety of power flow that may exist between the component divisions of an interconnected system. Numerical calculations of I2R losses in the component divisions of a large interconnected power system are given in a companion paper1 for various power-interchange conditions.
Abstract 692: Systemic inflammation and survival in colon and rectal cancer patients: Results from the ColoCare Study

BACKGROUND Systemic inflammation is an established risk marker for colorectal cancer that may also predict survival. We investigated associations between systemic inflammation and overall survival in a prospectively followed cohort of colorectal cancer patients. METHODS Pre-operatively collected serum samples from n=228 newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients (stage I-IV) from the ColoCare Study were utilized to measure CRP, SAA, IL-6, IL-8, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 (Meso Scale Discovery platform). We used Cox proportional hazard models to investigate associations of biomarkers with overall survival after 24 months follow-up overall, and in analyses stratified by colon (n=92) and rectal tumors (n=136). Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, tumor stage and neo-adjuvant therapy (y/n). RESULTS After 24 months follow-up n=45 patients (20%) were deceased. CRP was significantly associated with increased risk of death in colon (HR:1.27; 95% CI: 1.03-1.57; p Value =0.02) but not rectal cancer (HR:1.06; 95% CI: 0.87-1.29; p Value =0.55). A doubling of circulating sICAM and sVCAM concentrations was significantly associated with increased risk of death in colorectal cancer (sICAM: HR:2.82; 95% CI: 1.57-5.05; p Value =0.0005; sVCAM: HR:3.70; 95% CI: 1.93-7.10; p Value Value Value =0.35). Circulating IL-6 and IL-8 were not associated with increased risk of death in colon and/or rectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS Inflammatory biomarkers are significantly associated with increased risk of death in colorectal cancer patients. Our data suggest that the role of inflammation in disease progression may be particularly strong relevant in rectal cancer. Keywords: colorectal cancer; inflammation, biomarkers, overall survival, Citation Format: Jennifer Ose. Systemic inflammation and survival in colon and rectal cancer patients: Results from the ColoCare Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 692.
Conclusion: Instructions for Dismounting from Sejanus’s Golden Horse

The argument of this book has been that the writing of The Querist can be explained by showing how Berkeley deployed the evolving matrix of philosophical and semantic concepts he developed in the previous three decades to solve the class problematic he and his circle faced in 1734 – 35 and to create a strategy of capitalist development in Ireland. Al¬though commentators from Karl Marx to Jean-Joseph Goux have noted the conceptual affinity between Berkeley’s theory of money and his “idealist” philosophy, few have noted how the Querist’s form of money was over-determined by the class dynamics of early eighteenth-century Ireland.2 The problematic Berkeley and his circle faced was complex, since it involved three powerful social forces: the British state’s imperial economic policy, the Anglo-Irish gentry’s consumption im¬pulses, and the Irish Catholics’ stubborn passive refusal of work. Of the three, the last posed the greatest and most paradoxical problem. For its solution required not the all-too-familiar repressive attitude to “native” Irish workers exhibited since the days of Elizabeth, but rather their excitation and the development of their powers to labor. After all, the Cromwellian experiment in the 1650s of transforming Irish labor wholesale into chattel slave labor did not prove promising.
PHOTOVOLTAICS STATE-OF-THE-ART

The field of photovoltaics has made tremendous strides over the last ten years toward becoming a viable economical power source to meet human needs. The price of photovoltaic modules for terrestrial applications has decreased by more than a factor of 10 over that time period to a level of $5/peak watt (U.S.$) at the manufacturer's dock. This price level makes them more attractive than many other power sources, such as diesel generators, for remote sites. This can be especially true for many of the applications in the Latin American countries. The technology is in such a state of development that it is reasonable to assume that the price of photovoltaic modules will decrease about another factor of 5 to 10 in the next 10 years. At that price photovoltalcs becomes economically attractive for most parts of the world.
Measuring cachexia—diagnostic criteria

Cancer cachexia is characterized by the loss of lean body mass with or without the loss of fat and is associated with increased susceptibility to treatment related toxicities, decreased quality of life, functional impairment, and increased cancer-related mortality. Uncontrolled symptoms which impair nutritional intake, metabolic derangements including elevated energy expenditure and increased catabolism, and chronic inflammation contribute to the development of cancer cachexia. Weight loss in cancer patients is not readily reversible by conventional nutritional support. The definition of cachexia and sarcopenia are evolving with time, as well as the assessment of weight loss in cancer patients. Clinicians should assess all cancer patients regardless of history of weight loss for risk for malnutrition at presentation and periodically throughout the trajectory of illness-pre-cachectic, cachexia, and refractory cachexia stage. For cancer patients with weight loss, assessments of BMI and percentage weight loss, symptoms which impact nutritional intake, quality of life, physical function, biological markers, energy expenditure, and body composition are ideally needed in order to measure cachexia and implement therapeutic interventions.
Joint Analysis of Multiple Phenotypes in Association Studies based on Cross-Validation Prediction Error.

In genome-wide association studies (GWAS), joint analysis of multiple phenotypes could have increased statistical power over analyzing each phenotype individually to identify genetic variants that are associated with complex diseases. With this motivation, several statistical methods that jointly analyze multiple phenotypes have been developed, such as O’Brien’s method, Trait-based Association Test that uses Extended Simes procedure (TATES), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and joint model of multiple phenotypes (MultiPhen). However, the performance of these methods under a wide range of scenarios is not consistent: one test may be powerful in some situations, but not in the others. Thus, one challenge in joint analysis of multiple phenotypes is to construct a test that could maintain good performance across different scenarios. In this article, we develop a novel statistical method to test associations between a genetic variant and Multiple Phenotypes based on cross-validation Prediction Error (MultP-PE). Extensive simulations are conducted to evaluate the type I error rates and to compare the power performance of MultP-PE with various existing methods. The simulation studies show that MultP-PE controls type I error rates very well and has consistently higher power than the tests we compared in all simulation scenarios. We conclude with the recommendation for the use of MultP-PE for its good performance in association studies with multiple phenotypes.
A Multiple Input-Multiple Output (MIMO) Adaptive Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE) with Cancellation for Wideband Space-Time Communications

A new receiver structure able to deliver high data rates in a multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) frequency selective wireless environment is proposed and investigated in this paper. The optimal solution for the finite-length MIMO decision feedback equalizer (DFE) with cancellation is derived and used to illustrate the potential of this architecture for space-time communications. LMS and RLS adaptive algorithms are also presented for the MIMO architecture. The convergence and performance of these adaptive algorithms is analyzed through simulation results. The proposed adaptive solutions do not require channel identification, are less computationally intensive than their optimal solution counterpart, and allow the proposed MIMO receiver to seamlessly adapt to channel changes.