cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accelerated development of human monocyte-macrophages cultured on Plastek-C tissue culture dishes

Many investigators have found that the surface on which cells are cultured can be an important factor in their adherence and subsequent growth. To enhance the development of monocyte-macrophage cultures, we have grown these cells on polystyrene tissue cultureware that has been treated with gas plasma to induce a positively charged culture surface (Plastek-C cultureware from Tekmat). Human monocyte-macrophages grown on Plastek-C tissue cultureware demonstrated a greater cell protein content during culture development as compared to monocyte-macrophages grown on standard polystyrene tissue cultureware. Part of the reason for enhanced development of human monocyte-macrophage cultures on Plastek-C cultureware seemed to be due to a higher density of cells maintained during the initial stages of culture development.
A flamelet time scale model for non-premixed combustion including chemical kinetic effects

Many flamelet models for turbulent non-premixed combustion assume that a turbulent diffusion flame behaves locally as a steady, one-dimensional, laminar, strained flame. While this assumption works well in many practical applications, it fails to take into account unsteady chemical kinetic effects that occur at low Damkohler numbers. Commonly used methods to account for unsteady effects are the RIF formulation [1] and conditional moment closure models [2]. These models are computationally expensive, as equations for detailed chemistry must be solved. A new, efficient, flamelet based model that incorporates unsteady effects is proposed.
Protein Kinase G-dependent Cardioprotective Mechanism of Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibition Involves Phosphorylation of ERK and GSK3β

Sildenafil, a potent inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) induces powerful protection against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. PDE-5 inhibition increases cGMP levels that activate cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). However, the cause and effect relationship of PKG in sildenafil-induced cardioprotection and the downstream targets of PKG remain unclear. Adult ventricular myocytes were treated with sildenafil and subjected to simulated ischemia and reoxygenation. Sildenafil treatment significantly decreased cardiomyocyte necrosis and apoptosis. The PKG inhibitors, KT5823, guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphorothioate, 8-(4-chloro-phenylthio) (Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPs), or DT-2 blocked the anti-necrotic and anti-apoptotic effect of sildenafil. Selective knockdown of PKG in cardiomyocytes with adenoviral vector containing short hairpin RNA of PKG also abolished sildenafil-induced protection. Furthermore, intra-coronary infusion of sildenafil in Langendorff-isolated mouse hearts prior to ischemia-reperfusion significantly reduced myocardial infarct size after 20 min ischemia and 30 min reperfusion, which was abrogated by KT5823. Sildenafil significantly increased PKG activity in intact hearts and cardiomyocytes. Sildenafil also enhanced the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, phosphorylation of Akt, ERK1/2, and glycogen synthase kinase 3β. All these changes (except Akt phosphorylation) were significantly blocked by KT5823 and short hairpin RNA of PKG. These studies provide the first evidence for an essential role of PKG in sildenafil-induced cardioprotection. Moreover, our results demonstrate that sildenafil activates a PKG-dependent novel signaling cascade that involves activation of ERK and inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3β leading to cytoprotection.
The World-Wide Oceanic Rise-Ridge System

About half the length of the * oceanic ’ rise-ridge system is centred in ocean basins. On the other hand, almost the whole system is approximately disposed in circles around continental shields. Exceptional heating of the system is indicated by high heat flow and the extrusion of extraordinary volumes of flood basalts. The concentration of volcanoes, however, is little greater than normal for ocean basins. Longitudinal normal faulting and transverse wrench faulting are characteristic of the system. Both types formed early in the life of the system and are still active. Wrench faults offset belts of normal faulting and the crests of rises and ridges in many places but are not themselves known to be offset by normal faults. The ancient Darwin Rise has subsided in the southwestern Pacific. Its history differs in some respects from other rises although it too was heated and faulted. A hypothesis of origin of the system is briefly discussed.
Understanding process-of-care delays in surgical treatment of breast cancer at a comprehensive cancer center.

Few studies have examined care processes within providers’ and institutions’ control that expedite or delay care. The authors investigated the timeliness of breast cancer care at a comprehensive cancer center, focusing on factors influencing the time from initial consultation to first definitive surgery (FDS). The care of 1,461 women with breast cancer who underwent surgery at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center from 2011 to 2013 was studied. The interval between consultation and FDS was calculated to identify variation in timeliness of care based on procedure, provider, and patients’ sociodemographic characteristics. Targets of 14 days for lumpectomy and mastectomy and 28 days from mastectomy with immediate reconstruction were set and used to define delay. Mean days between consultation and FDS was 21.6 (range 1–175, sd 15.8) for lumpectomy, 36.7 (5–230, 29.1) for mastectomy, and 37.5 (7–111, 16) for mastectomy with reconstruction. Patients under 40 were less likely to be delayed (OR = 0.56, 95 % CI = 0.33–0.94, p = 0.03). Patients undergoing mastectomy alone (OR = 2.64, 95 % CI = 1.80–3.89, p < 0.0001) and mastectomy with immediate reconstruction (OR = 1.34 95 % CI = 1.00–1.79, p = 0.05) were more likely to be delayed when compared to lumpectomy. Substantial variation in surgical timeliness was identified. This study provides insight into targets for improvement including better coordination with plastic surgery and streamlining pre-operative testing. Cancer centers may consider investing in efforts to measure and improve the timeliness of cancer care.
Dehydration-Melting and Fluid Recycling during Metamorphism: Rangeley Formation, New Hampshire, USA

reflect the dewatering of structurally lower levels after nappe emMuscovite and biotite dehydration-melting reactions near the peak placement. If so, then nappe emplacement occurred at T~475°C. of metamorphism played a significant role in the reaction and fluid history of the Rangeley Formation in southwestern New Hampshire, USA. Evidence for in situ melting includes: (1) the consistency among theoretical phase equilibria, observed reaction textures, and the inferred P–T conditions; (2) disseminated, centimeter-scale,
Posttransplant anemia in solid organ recipients.

Posttransplantation anemia (PTA) is a prevalent sequela of solid organ transplantation and a potential independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in kidney transplant recipients. There are multiple causes of PTA, some of which are associated with early phase anemia ( 6 months). Although impaired kidney function contributes to PTA, it is only one of many factors that result in anemia in transplant recipients. Other causes include iron deficiency, medications, infections, acute rejection, inflammation, and erythropoietin deficiency. Unlike in the predialysis chronic kidney disease population, the impact of anemia after kidney transplantation outcomes is unknown. This is in large part due to the absence of controlled trials that address whether correction of anemia improves allograft function or patient morbidity and mortality. Current guidelines recommend evaluation for hemoglobin level of less than 12 g/dL and treatment when the value falls less than 11 g/dL and a target of 11 to 12 g/dL. Additional treatments may entail removing the cause of the anemia, nutritional supplementation, and/or an erythrocyte stimulating agent.
A hybrid approach to recognize handwritten alphanumeric characters

The design characteristics of a hybrid approach involving expert systems and neural networks to recognize isolated handwritten alphanumeric characters is presented. The optical character recognition (OCR) system was designed to recognize the wide variation in writing style of alphanumeric characters consisting of uppercase characters, lower case characters, and numerals, a total of 62 characters. Issues concerning the performance and speed of the algorithms of the OCR system are addressed since the total character set is of significant size. The overall OCR system architecture consists of subsystems which were designed with considerations for hardware implementation. The key subsystems utilized the Hough transform for feature extraction, and neural networks and Dempster-Shafer theory for classification. >
A normal-calcium, low-protein, low-salt diet reduced recurrence of renal stones over 5 years.

Source Citation Borghi L, Schianchi T, Meschi T, et al. Comparison of two diets for the prevention of recurrent stones in idiopathic hypercalciuria. N Engl J Med. 2002 Jan 10;346:77-84. 11784873 (A...
Interaction of plasma cloud with external electric field in lower ionosphere

Abstract. In the auroral lower-E and upper-D region of the ionosphere, plasma clouds, such as sporadic-E layers and meteor plasma trails, occur daily. Large-scale electric fields, created by the magnetospheric dynamo, will polarize these highly conducting clouds, redistributing the electrostatic potential and generating anisotropic currents both within and around the cloud. Using a simplified model of the cloud and the background ionosphere, we develop the first self-consistent three-dimensional analytical theory of these phenomena. For dense clouds, this theory predicts highly amplified electric fields around the cloud, along with strong currents collected from the ionosphere and circulated through the cloud. This has implications for the generation of plasma instabilities, electron heating, and global MHD modeling of magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling via modifications of conductances induced by sporadic-E clouds.
The spectral sensitivities of the dorsal ocelli of cockroaches and honeybees; an electrophysiological study.

The spectral sensitivities of the dorsal ocelli of cockroaches (Periplaneta americana, Blaberus craniifer) and worker honeybees (Apis mellifera) have been measured by electrophysiological methods. The relative numbers of quanta necessary to produce a constant size electrical response in the ocellus were measured at various wave lengths between 302 and 623 mµ. The wave form of the electrical response (ERG) of the dark-adapted roach ocellus depends on the intensity but not the wave length of the stimulating light. The roach ocellus appears to possess a single photoreceptor type, maximally sensitive about 500 mµ. The ERG's of bee ocelli are qualitatively different in the ultraviolet and visible regions of the spectrum. The bee ocellus has two types of photoreceptor, maximally sensitive at 490 mµ and at about 335 to 340 mµ. The spectral absorption of the ocellar cornea of Blaberus craniifer was measured. There is no significant absorption between 350 and 700 mµ.
An Interesting Property of the Sample Mean under a First-Order Autoregressive Model

Abstract The unweighted sample mean is examined as an estimator of the population mean in a first-order autoregressive model. It is demonstrated that the precision of this estimator deteriorates as the number of equally spaced observations taken within a fixed time interval increases.
One approach to combination of FCA-based local conceptual models for text analysis — grid-based approach

Formal concept analysis (FCA) is one of the approaches which can be applied in process of conceptual modeling in domain of text documents. FCA can be used for formal analysis of data tables and identification of similar objects - clusters (concepts). Extension of classic FCA (binary table data) is one-sided fuzzy version that works with real values in the object-attribute table (document- term matrix in case of vector representation of textual documents). Computational complexity of creation of concept lattices from large context is considerable. This paper describes one simple approach to creation of simple hierarchy of concepts. Starting set of documents is decomposed to smaller sets of similar documents with the use of clustering algorithm. Then one concept lattice is built upon every cluster using FCA method and these FCA-based models are combined to simple hierarchy of concept lattices using agglomerative clustering algorithm. For our experiments we used GHSOM algorithm for finding of appropriate clusters, then 'upper neighbors' FCA algorithm was used for building of particular concept lattices. Finally, particular FCA models were labeled by some characteristic terms and simple agglomerative algorithm was used for clustering of local models, with the metric based on these characteristic lattices terms. We have used this approach also to extend it for Grid-based solution in which time consuming building of several local models is distributed between grid computing nodes and then it leads to speed-up of computing of final model.
Consensus in Ethics and Public Policy: The Deliberations of the U.S. Human Fetal Tissue Transplantation Research Panel

Should the U.S. federal government provide funds for scientists to pursue research on the treatment of various diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, using tissue from deliberately aborted fetuses? In November 1989, Dr. Louis Sullivan, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), announced the indefinite extension of the moratorium (in effect since March 1988) on the use of federal funds in such research, despite the majority recommendation (usually described as a “consensus”) of the Human Fetal Tissue Transplantation Research Panel and the unanimous recommendation of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health. In this essay I want to explore the role of consensus in the deliberations of the Panel, on which I served as a member, and in the broader societal debate and policymaking — both to illuminate the ethical and political controversy in the U.S. about human fetal tissue transplantation research (hereafter HFTTR) and to explore some issues surrounding consensus on national governmentally-appointed bodies to examine ethical and policy questions in biomedicine.
Linearizing high power amplifiers with emphasis on GaN

The trades involved in the decision to include linearization in the design of a microwave high power amplifier will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on the use of predistortion linearization, and particularly on its application with amplifiers employing recently available microwave GaN FET power devices.
An approach to the introductory computer science course for non-majors

The course described in this paper is intended for students who are not majoring in computer science or mathematics. In a typical semester students majoring in such diverse fields as dietetics, sociology, psychology, elementary education, accounting, broadcasting, physical education, music, industrial technology, english, business administration, chemistry and secretarial science are enrolled in the course. Virtually the only common element in the background of the students enrolled in the course is their lack of a previous university course in either mathematics or computer science. The highest level of mathematical education that may be expected is first year high school algebra; occasionally even that expectation is too high. 4 For students with this background many of the available textbooks are not satisfactory. This paper will attempt to further clarify the nature of the course by stating its objectives, by discussing the choice of a language for the course, by discussing what topics normally included in available textbooks are not desirable, and finally by suggesting topics which are desirable in an introductory course for non majors.
Analysis of inflorescence organogenesis in eastern gamagrass, Tripsacum dactyloides (Poaceae): the wild type and the gynomonoecious gsf1 mutant

Inflorescence organogenesis of a wild-type and a gynomonoecious (pistillate) mutant in Tripsacum dactyloides was studied using scanning electron microscopy. SEM (scanning electron microscope) analysis indicated that wild-type T. dactyloides (Eastern gamagrass) expressed a pattern of inflorescence organogenesis that is observed in other members of the subtribe Tripsacinae (Zea: maize and teosinte), family Poaceae. Branch primordia are initiated acropetally along the rachis of wild-type inflorescences in a distichous arrangement. Branch primordia at the base of some inflorescences develop into long branches, which themselves produce an acropetal series of distichous spikelet pair primordia. All other branch primordia function as spikelet pair primordia and bifurcate into pedicellate and sessile spikelet primordia. In all wild-type inflorescences development of the pedicellate spikelets is arrested in the proximal portion of the rachis, and these spikelets abort, leaving two rows of solitary sessile spikelets. Organogenesis of spikelets and florets in wild-type inflorescences is similar to that previously described in maize and the teosintes. Our analysis of gsf1 mutant inflorescences reveals a pattern of development similar to that of the wild type, but differs from the wild type in retaining (1) the pistillate condition in paired spikelets along the distal portion of the rachis and (2) the lower floret in sessile spikelets in the proximal region of the rachis. The gsf1 mutation blocks gynoecial tissue abortion in both the paired-spikelet and the unpaired-spikelet zone. This study supports the hypothesis that both femaleness and maleness in Zea and Tripsacum inflorescences are derived from a common developmental pathway. The pattern of inflorescence development is not inconsistent with the view that the maize ear was derived from a Tripsacum genomic background.
Unequal error protection for noncoherent random linear network coding

Since random linear network coding (RLNC) is susceptible to various errors, error control for RLNC is important and has attracted a lot of attention recently. Previous error control schemes for RLNC provide uniform error protection to all the packets in a session. However, in practice packets often have different significance and hence require different levels of protection. Furthermore, uniform error protection may be unnecessary or infeasible in some scenarios. In this paper, we investigate unequal error protection for RLNC. In particular, based on a novel signal space decomposition, we propose a new error control scheme that provides different levels of protection to two classes of packets transmitted to the same set of destination nodes.
The Role of the UN in Environmental Problem

During the first quarter century of the United Nations its non-political work has doinated by one subject—the economic development of the less developed countries. In this period “progress”tended to be measured in terms of gross national product (GNP), and “cooperaton” usally meant what the rich countries could do for the poor through aid, trade technical assistance.
Material Culture and Geography: Toward a Holistic Comparative History of the Middle East

The study of material culture and geography is relatively new and underdeveloped in most fields of history, but this underdevelopment is particularly acute for the history of the Middle East since the rise of Islam. Although, for most historians, the period when nearly everything in Middle Eastern history was ascribed to Islam has passed, and there is a new awareness of socioeconomic factors, discussions of these factors often overstress trade or center almost exclusively around dependent relations with the West, virtually ignoring specific internal developments in Middle Eastern material culture and ecology that help explain Middle Eastern history. This essay will suggest what may be learned from such studies by drawing attention to some of the relevant conclusions of works written on these subjects. It will also show how study of material culture can illuminate phases of development and decline in the Middle East and suggest some reasons why the West overtook and passed the Middle East economically.
A RUNX2-HDAC1 co-repressor complex regulates rrna gene expression by modulating UBF acetylation

The osteogenic and oncogenic transcription factor RUNX2 downregulates the RNA polymerase I (RNA Pol I)-mediated transcription of rRNAs and changes histone modifications associated with the rDNA repeat. However, the mechanisms by which RUNX2 suppresses rRNA transcription are not well understood. RUNX2 cofactors such as histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a key role in chromatin remodeling and regulation of gene transcription. Here, we show that RUNX2 recruits HDAC1 to the rDNA repeats in osseous cells. This recruitment alters the histone modifications associated with active rRNA-encoding genes and causes deacetylation of the protein upstream binding factor (UBF, also known as UBTF). Downregulation of RUNX2 expression reduces the localization of HDAC1 to the nucleolar periphery and also decreases the association between HDAC1 and UBF. Functionally, depletion of HDAC1 relieves the RUNX2-mediated repression of rRNA-encoding genes and concomitantly increases cell proliferation and global protein synthesis in osseous cells. Our findings collectively identify a RUNX2–HDAC1-dependent mechanism for the regulation of rRNA-encoding genes and suggest that there is plasticity to RUNX2-mediated epigenetic control, which is mediated through selective mitotic exclusion of co-regulatory factors.
A Comment from a Practitioner Perspective

This comment analyzes the 12 Grand Challenge Problems (GCPs) against the background of current reality in schools in the Bavarian part of Germany. The GCPs share a euphoric view on the benefits of technology-enhanced learning emphasizing the personalization of learning experiences and the increase in efficiency as well as quality of learning. However, there are still many barriers for technology-enhanced learning in current school practices on a less grand level than the proposed GCPs such as lacking internet access or legal restrictions. Another by the GCPs less addressed but crucial aspect for fostering the widespread implementation of technology-enhanced learning in everyday school practices is to get teachers aboard.
The Islamic Principles of Social Justice: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Nonviolent Civil Disobedience:

The idea of nonviolent civil disobedience is to act against injustice and unjust laws. This has been Mahatma Gandhi’s motivation, as well as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s. For an Islamic religious authority of Maulana Azad’s stature and caliber to embrace nonviolent activism for the sake of social justice, it is a significant change in the course of action in Islam against oppression. The concepts of justice/injustice, oppression, and social justice need to be examined in historical context, beginning with early Islamic history, followed by the period of British colonial rule and the Indian struggle against it as led by Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Azad. This article analyzes the principles of Maulana Azad in the struggle against injustice, and how that compares to the principles and practices of Islamic militancy and jihadism. The latter are viewed as illegitimate, while Maulana Azad’s Islamic credentials render his acceptance of nonviolent civil disobedience as far more legitimate.
Male prairie voles display cardiovascular dipping associated with an ultradian activity cycle

Mammals typically display alternating active and resting phases and, in most species, these rhythms follow a circadian pattern. The active and resting phases often are accompanied by corresponding physiological changes. In humans, blood pressure decreases during the resting phase of the activity cycle, and the magnitude of that "nocturnal dipping" has been used to stratify patients according to the risk for cardiovascular disease. However, in contrast to most mammals, prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) have periods of activity and rest that follow an ultradian rhythm with period lengths significantly <24h. While rhythmic changes in blood pressure across a circadian activity cycle have been well-documented, blood pressure patterns in species that display ultradian rhythms in activity are less well-studied. In the current study, we implanted pressure-sensitive radiotelemetry devices in male prairie voles and recorded activity, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate (HR) continuously for 3days. Visualization of the ultradian rhythms was enhanced using a 1h running average to filter the dataset. Positive correlations were found between activity and MAP and between activity and HR. During the inactive period of the ultradian cycle, blood pressure decreased by about 15%, which parallels the nocturnal dipping pattern seen in healthy humans. Further, the duration of inactivity did not affect any of the cardiovascular measures, so the differences in blood pressure values between the active and inactive periods are likely driven by ultradian oscillations in hormones and autonomic function. Finally, specific behavioral patterns also were examined. Both the instrumented animal and his non-instrumented cagemate appeared to show synchronized activity patterns, with both animals displaying sleep-like behavior for more than 90% of the inactive period. We propose that the prairie vole ultradian rhythm in blood pressure is an analogue for circadian blood pressure variability and can be used to study the long-term effects of commonly prescribed drugs on blood pressure dipping.
Impacts of feeding lipid supplements high in palmitic acid or stearic acid on performance of lactating dairy cows

ABSTRACTEffects of feeding lipid supplements high in free fatty acids (FAs) of palmitate (C16:0) or stearate (C18:0) plus C18:1 cis 9&10 on milk yield and composition, apparent whole-tract apparent digestibility of FA, and the FA composition of milk lipids were studied. Four lactating Holstein cows with ruminal cannulae were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square assignment of four dietary treatments. Lipid supplements were enriched in free fatty concentrations of either palmitic acid (P) or stearic acid (S). The total mixed-ration contained 20 g/kg of lipid supplement that consisted of varying proportions of P to S. Treatments were: 100:0 P:S (P), 0:100 P:S (S), and two mixtures including 66:34 P:S (PS) and 34:66 P:S (SP). Milk yield and dry matter intake were not affected by lipid supplement, but the concentration and yield of fat in milk increased with increasing C16:0 in the lipid supplement. Increasing the C16:0 concentration in the lipid supplement increased its concentration in milk lipids while increasing C...
Ankle-Brachial Index Testing at the Time of Stress Testing in Patients Without Known Atherosclerosis.

Background Individuals referred for stress testing to identify coronary artery disease may have nonobstructive atherosclerosis, which is not detected by stress tests. Identification of increased risk despite a negative stress test could inform prevention efforts. Abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Hypothesis Routine ABI testing in the stress laboratory will identify unrecognized peripheral arterial disease in some patients. Methods Participants referred for stress testing without known history of atherosclerotic disease underwent ABI testing (n = 451). Ankle-brachial index was assessed via simultaneous arm and leg pressure using standard measurement, automated blood-pressure cuffs at rest. Ankle-brachial index was measured after exercise in 296 patients and 30 healthy controls. Abnormal postexercise ABI was defined as a >20% drop in ABI or fall in ankle pressure by >30 mm Hg. Results Overall, 2.0% of participants had resting ABI ≤0.90, 3.1% had ABI ≥1.40, and 5.5% had borderline ABI. No patient with abnormal or borderline ABI had an abnormal stress test. Participants who met peripheral arterial disease screening criteria (age ≥65 or 50–64 with diabetes or smoking) tended toward greater frequency of low ABI (2.9% vs 1.0%; P = 0.06) and were more likely to have borderline ABI (0.91 to 0.99; 7.8% vs 2.9%; P = 0.006). Postexercise ABI was abnormal in 29.4% of patients and 30.0% of controls (P not significant). Conclusions Ankle-brachial index screening at rest just before stress testing detected low ABI in 2.0% of participants, all of whom had negative stress tests.
The institutionalization of YouTube: From user-generated content to professionally generated content

This article explores the institutionalization of YouTube: its transformation from user-generated content (UGC) – oriented as a virtual village – into a professionally generated content (PGC) video...
Hybrid Intelligence for Semantics-Enhanced Networking Operations

Endowing the semantically-oblivious Internet with Intelligence would advance the Internet capability to learn traffic behavior and to predict future events. In this paper, we propose a hybrid intelligence memory system, or NetMem, for network-semantics reasoning and targeting Internet intelligence. NetMem provides a memory structure, mimicking the human memory functionalities, via short-term memory (StM) and long-term memory (LtM). NetMem has the capability to build runtime accessible dynamic network-concept ontology (DNCO) at different levels of granularity. We integrate Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Hidden Markov Models (HMM) to extract network-semantics based on learning patterns and recognizing features with syntax and semantic dependencies. Due to the large scale and high-dimensionality of Internet data, we utilize the Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH) algorithm for data dimensionality reduction. Simulation results using real network traffic show that NetMem with hybrid intelligence learn traffic data semantics effectively and efficiently even with significant reduction in volume and dimensionality of data, thus enhancing Internet intelligence for self-/situation-awareness and event/behavior prediction.
A Review of Nuclear Power within the United Kingdom

This article highlights some of the key technical issues associated with the connection of large modern nuclear power plants (NPPs) to the National Electricity Transmission Systems (NETS). First a brief summary of the evolution of NPPs is given. The importance of the electricity grid to the NPP and vice-versa is highlighted. The need for reliable and secure electrical supplies to power the safety systems of the NPP is of vital importance. Following the lessons learned from the post Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, a review of the newly proposed safety systems associated with the new generation of nuclear power reactor design is presented. These will possess multiple levels of redundant ‘passive’ safety systems to cater for the loss of all power supplies to the NPP and attempt to keep the reactor core cooled.
What Gives? Heidegger and Dreyfus on the Event of Community

“Custom is king of all,” Herodotus tells us in The History (3.38). While Hubert Dreyfus, as far as I know, makes no mention of this famous passage, the sense of nomos as “settled custom” (nenomistai) corresponds very closely with Dreyfus’ focus on the background practices of a specific historical community as the key to understanding Being in the world in Division I of Heidegger’s Being and Time. For Dreyfus, what has been the matter of thought, in both his interpretations of Heidegger and his own phenomenology in over five decades of work, has been the question of how the meaning of our world is given by a nexus of practices and awareness that flows beneath, or behind, our self-conscious, rational awareness. As Martin Woessner says in Heidegger in America, “Perhaps more than any other figure in American academic philosophy, Hubert L. Dreyfus has helped to carve out a secure place for Heidegger’s work in the United States” (Woessner 203).1 Dreyfus has done this by applying Heideggerian insights to subjects as diverse as artificial intelligence, expertise in fields such as nursing and piloting, and the application of ethical insight. The thread linking this work is the idea that coping, as manifested in our everyday practices, is what orients us to a shared world of meaning, in both things and actions, a coping that is always prior to rational analysis and the Cartesian faith that the self may be immediately transparent to itself.
Straying From the Righteous Path and From Ourselves: The Interplay Between Perceptions of Morality and Self-Knowledge.

The present research addresses the relationship between morally valenced behavior and perceptions of self-knowledge, an outcome that has received little attention in moral psychology. We propose that morally valenced behavior is related to subjective perceptions of self-knowledge, such that people experience lower levels of self-knowledge when they are reminded of their immoral behaviors. We tested this proposition in four studies (N = 1,177). Study 1 used daily-diary methods and indicates that daily perceptions of self-knowledge covary with daily levels of morally valenced behavior. The final three studies made use of experimental methods and demonstrate that thinking about immoral behaviors attenuates current perceptions of self-knowledge. The predicted relationships and effects generally persist when controlling for self-esteem. Based on our findings, we argue that perceived self-knowledge may play a functional role in moral self-concept maintenance and moral regulatory processes.
Process flowsheet optimization of chemicals production from biomass derived glucose solutions

Abstract A general framework of process flowsheet optimization is presented that is based on the implementation of surrogate-based models to represent the detailed units. The approach is applied on the production of hydroxymethylfufural (HMF), levulic Acid (LA) and formic Acic (FA) from biomass derived glucose solutions. Two production alternatives are considered and compared including reactive extraction and reactive adsorption. It is found that the products produced from reactive extraction are slightly cheaper than that from reactive adsorption while the capital investment of reactive adsorption is much lower than reactive extraction. Reactive extraction is more economical in terms of HMF production. In both cases, the dominant cost is from glucose feedstock and utility consumption. Higher concentration of biomass feedstock, higher reaction temperature and lower residence time is favored to decrease the minimum production cost.
Investigation of the Effect of Alumina Binder Addition to Pd/SO42––ZrO2 Catalysts during Sol–Gel Synthesis

We have incorporated alumina into palladium catalysts supported on sulfated zirconia (Pd/SZ) during sol–gel synthesis for application in a washcoat for NOx emissions control in natural gas-fired lean-burn engines. In situ incorporation of the adhesivity-enhancing “binder”, alumina, during the sol–gel synthesis of the Pd/SZ catalyst demonstrated significantly improved NOx reduction activity of the previously reported dual-catalyst bed when compared to the conventional ex situ mode of binder addition in a slurry. The effects of alumina addition during sol–gel synthesis of Pd/SZ on the structural, textural, and chemical properties of the resulting catalyst were examined in this study. The evolution of the crystal phase of zirconia during calcination of the Pd/SZ catalyst with the binder incorporated during the sol–gel process was studied using in situ XRD during calcination under air. Comparison of the crystal phase composition of the binder-free and binder-incorporated samples calcined at 700 and 900 °C dem...
Walther Rehm, Götterstille und Göttertrauer: Bern: Francke, 1951. Pp. 365. S.Fr. 19.50 (paper).

(1953). Walther Rehm, Gotterstille und Gottertrauer. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 65-66.
Therapeutic Approaches for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease: An Overview

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that robs the minds of our elderly population. Approximately one in every eight adults over the age of 65 and nearly half of those over 85 are afflicted with this disease. Aging and other risk factors (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes) in developed societies will impose an ever increasing socioeconomic threat in the future. Current medicines for AD patients are mainly symptomatic treatments and a huge unmet medical need exists to slow, stop or reverse the progression of this disease. A great deal of research has been dedicated to understanding the pathogenesis of AD from which come many ideas for intervening in its progression. They can be grossly categorized into those targeting the amyloid pathology, tau pathology, microgliosis (neuroinflammation) and functional deficits. Some of these ideas have been fast-tracked to clinical trials due to the availability of medicines with proven clinical efficacies for other diseases while others represent novel chemical entities. Our continued commitment in searching for efficacious treatments together with a healthier lifestyle will be important in fighting against the growing threat of this deteriorating disease.
Normal reference values for thoracic and abdominal aorta and main pulmonary artery dimensions by cardiovascular magnetic resonance: the Framingham heart study

Background Enlargement of the aorta or main pulmonary artery (MPA) is associated with cardiopulmonary disease, and an increased MPA-to-ascending aorta ratio is associated with pulmonary hypertension. We sought to determine mean and upper 90th percentile (p90) diameters of the thoracic and abdominal aorta and MPA in a longitudinally-followed adult cohort without clinical cardiopulmonary disease. Methods 1794 Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort members (65±9 yrs, 844 men) underwent ECG-gated, free breathing T2-weighted black-blood TSE at 1.5T (Philips Gyroscan NT, TR=3RR, TE=45ms, trigger delay=75ms (thorax) or 125ms (abdomen), 1.03x0.64-mm 2 in-plane resolution, THK=5mm, Gap=5 (abdomen) or 10mm (thorax)). Ascending (ASC) and descending thoracic (DTA) aortic and MPA diameters were measured at MPA-bifurcation level, abdominal (ABD) aorta was measured 5 mm above renal artery origins. We determined sex-specific mean, SD and p90 values for vessel diameters and MPA/ASC ratio in a healthy referent group free of hypertension (SBP≥140 or DBP≥90 mmHg or on medication), obesity (body mass index≥30 kg/m 2 ), emphysema, prevalent myocardial infarction or heart failure, and any smoking history. Men were compared to women using 2-sample t test. We also indexed vessel diameters to sex-and-vessel specific allometric powers of height (HT b ); b’s were determined by linear regression of log(HT) to log(diameter). Indexation to HT b was selected since indexation to HT or body surface area (BSA) resulted in significant inverse correlations of vessel diameters to HT and/or BSA.
Pectoralis Major Injuries: Return to Play Potential

The aim of this review is to present the most recent evidence for the assessment and treatment of pectoralis major (PM) tears and to provide the reader with practical guide for returning the athlete to play. The latest research supports the use of MRI in accurately classifying PM injury location and severity and informing appropriate surgical indications. Ultrasound evaluation can be a valuable modality in assessment but has limitations. Recent studies further support operative management of complete tears. MRI is the diagnostic imaging of choice. Non-operative management is recommended for low-grade partial tears. Operative repair is recommended for complete PM tears in athletes and young active individuals and can provide excellent results and full return to play at about 6 months, but may be earlier in certain cases.
Predicate callback summaries

One of the challenges to analyze, test and debug Android apps is that the potential execution orders of callbacks are missing from the apps' source code, however, bugs, vulnerabilities and refactoring transformations have been found to be related to callback sequences. Existing work on control flow analysis of Android apps focuses on analyzing GUI behaviors. Our observation is that orthogonal to GUI, the Android API methods also play an important role in determining the order of callbacks, and previously, the APIs were modeled manually in an ad-hoc way. This paper presents a complementary solution of constructing program paths for Android apps. We proposed a specification called Predicate Callback Summary (PCS) that represents the callback control flow information (including callback sequences as well as the conditions the callbacks are invoked) in Android API methods. Our experiments show we can compute PCSs with reasonable accuracy and scalability and use them to build inter-callback control flow graphs for apps. Our detailed experimental data are available at: http://www.cs.iastate.edu/~weile/toolsdata/SummarizeAndroidFramework/lithium.html.
Assessing the Situational Predictors of Drug Markets across Street Segments and Intersections

Objectives:This study examines the factors that are statistically associated with drug-dealing settings in Newark, NJ, and assesses whether there are systematic differences in these between street ...
Re: Gungor F, Kilic T, Akyol KC, et al. Diagnostic value and effect of bedside ultrasound in acute appendicitis in the emergency department.

In their introduction, Gungor et al described ultrasound as a technique for evaluation of patients with low prior probability of acute appendicitis. This testing protocol for appendicitis is being proposed to challenge and perhaps replace the current standard of care for imaging, CT scanning. Specificity of CT scanning is reported in the range of 92-98% and CT is generally felt to be more accurate than ultrasonography The finding of 95.8% specificity for their method appears competitive and may be arithmetically correct but is seriously flawed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Wearable electronics: Nanomesh on-skin electronics

Hollow, nanoscale metal filaments in open-mesh architectures provide soft, shape-conformal electrical interfaces to the skin as the basis for high-precision, irritation-free sensing platforms.
Discrete optimization via gradient-based adaptive stochastic search methods

Gradient-based Adaptive Stochastic Search (GASS) is a new stochastic search optimization algorithm that has recently been proposed. It iteratively searches promising candidate solutions through a p...
Efficient Two-Level Designs for Estimating All Main Effects and Two-Factor Interactions

Regular designs for a large number of factors require many more treatment combinations than there are lower order effects to be estimated. For example, 29−2 = 128 treatment combinations are require...
Na+/H+ antiporter in lacrimal acinar cell basal-lateral membranes

The first step in the formation of lacrimal gland fluid is believed to depend on transport systems which couple a flux of Cl- ions to the passive influx of Na+ ions across the acinar cell basal-lateral plasma membrane. The transport systems which mediate these fluxes have not yet been characterized, but a review of previous studies (Parod and Putney, Am J Physiol 239:G106, 1980) raises the possibility that Na+/H+ antiporters might represent a major pathway for Na+ influx. This conclusion is of interest, because antiporter mediated Na+ fluxes can, potentially, drive net Cl- fluxes. We have now examined a sample of basal-lateral membrane vesicles from rat exorbital lacrimal gland to verify the presence of a Na+/H+ antiporter activity. Imposition of an outward H+ gradient caused a 4.4-fold increase in the 22Na influx rate, while imposition of an outward Na+ gradient accelerated H+ uptake as determined by changes in acridine orange absorbance. All transport experiments were done in the presence of valinomycin and symmetrical K+ concentrations, eliminating the possibility of conductive Na+ or H+ fluxes driven by diffusion potentials. The pH gradient dependent Na+ influx was completely inhibited by 1 mM amiloride, indicating that it was mediated by a Na+/H+ antiporter similar to those described in other tissues. Comparison of the density distributions of Na+/H+ antiport and standard membrane marker enzyme activities confirmed that the antiporter was primarily localized to the basal-lateral membranes.
Netflix and Ill?: Emotional and Health Implications of Binge Watching Streaming TV

It has been suggested in some preliminary and somewhat anecdotal work that the effects of binge watching platforms such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime have been reported to include depression, chronic illness, weight gain, sleep disorders, and a suffering sex life. This study reports on analyses of survey data comprising college students and finds that increased binge watching shows differential and largely non-negative effects across emotional and health domains.
Activities Are Not Enough! Why Non-bank SIFI Designations Are Essential to Prevent Systemic Risk

Since the financial crisis, policymakers have developed two different approaches to systemic risk arising from nonbank financial firms such as insurance companies and investment banks. The first, dubbed an entity-based approach, empowers a public entity like the Financial Stability Oversight Council or Financial Stability Board to designate individual nonbank systemically important financial institutions for enhanced regulation and supervision. The second, known as an activities-based approach, seeks to regulate financial activities that can produce systemic risk. During the first several years after the crisis, governments and multi-national standard setters embraced both entity- and activities-based approaches to the problem of nonbank systemic risk. More recently, however, an emerging view has begun to dominate financial regulatory circles: that regulators should focus principally on an activities-based, rather than an entity-based, approach. This book chapter challenges this emerging consensus. It argues that, in the absence of entity-based designations, a purely activities-based approach will expose the financial system to the same risks that the world experienced in 2008. This chapter, which is substantially based on a more detailed law review article by the authors, focuses on the international dimensions of nonbank systemic risk regulation and the shift by multi-national standard-setters to an activities-based approach.
Robotic left-sided colorectal resection with natural orifice IntraCorporeal anastomosis with extraction of specimen: The NICE procedure. A pilot study of consecutive cases

Abstract Background Despite numerous benefits, only a small fraction of laparoscopic left-sided colectomy is accomplished without the need for an abdominal incision to retrieve the specimen and prepare for anastomosis. We report our early experience with a robotic approach using Natural orifice IntraCorporeal anastomosis with Extraction of specimen (NICE) to help overcome the technical limitations and challenges of this approach. Methods Twenty consecutive patients presented for elective sigmoid or rectosigmoid resection for benign and malignant disease and underwent the NICE procedure. Safety, feasibility and post-operative outcomes were analyzed. Results Intracorporeal anastomosis was accomplished in all patients. One patient required an abdominal incision to extract a bulky tumor. Mean operative time was 222 min (146–344). Mean time to first flatus and length of stay was 23 and 49 h, respectively. All but 4 patients were discharged home on post-operative day 2. One patient was readmitted with a pelvic fluid collection. Conclusion Robotic left-sided colorectal resection with NICE procedure is a safe and feasible minimally invasive approach and may facilitate greater adoption rates of this technique.