cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anaphylaxis in a health maintenance organization: International Classification of Diseases coding and epinephrine auto-injector prescribing

Abstract Background Accurate estimates of the incidence of anaphylaxis are limited. Current International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision ( ICD-9 ) codes complicate accurate diagnosis of anaphylaxis and assessment of appropriate epinephrine prescribing. Objective To quantify the incidence and demographic character of patients with anaphylaxis-related ICD-9 codes in a large health maintenance organization and analyze epinephrine prescribing and dispensing rates. Methods All patients included had at least 12 months of continuous membership over a 4-year period from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012 and were selected based on anaphylaxis-related ICD-9 codes (N = 159,172). This algorithm was extrapolated from a previous study that used expanded ICD-9 codes to identify more cases of anaphylaxis. Individual chart reviews found that many expanded ICD-9 codes represented unconfirmed cases of anaphylaxis and therefore were excluded, resulting in analysis of 52,405 patients. Results Incidence of anaphylaxis over 4 years was 2.07%, with female predominance (56.5%) over male predominance (43.5%). Epinephrine was prescribed in 16.2% of total cases. Highest rates of epinephrine prescription were for traditional ICD-9 codes 995.0 (other anaphylactic shock) and 995.60 to 995.69 (anaphylactic shock caused by food) at 49.3% and 58.6%, respectively. Of the cases in which an epinephrine auto-injector was prescribed, it was dispensed 95.9% of the time, independent of copayment amount. Conclusion Low epinephrine auto-injector prescribing rates in cases of anaphylaxis suggest the continued difficulty in the diagnosis of anaphylaxis and could result in suboptimal treatment of potential future episodes.
Ultraviolet Second Harmonic Generation in Aluminum Nitride Microring Resonators

Aluminum nitride, with a bandgap of 6.2 eV, and a χ(2) of ~10’s of pm/V can generate ultraviolet photons. This article describes using aluminum nitride microring resonators to produce second harmonic photons below 400nm.
Anger outbursts in unipolar depressive disorders

Approximately one third of depressed outpatients present with "anger attacks", sudden spells of anger accompanied by symptoms of autonomic activation such as tachycardia, sweating, flushing, and tightness of the chest. These anger attacks are experienced by the patients as uncharacteristic of them and inappropriate to the situations in which they occur. Depressed patients with anger attacks are significantly more anxious and hostile, and they are more likely to meet criteria for borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, and antisocial personality disorders than depressed patients without anger attacks. Treatment studies suggest that antidepressant treatment of anger attacks in depression is helpful and sage. Anger attacks disappear in 53-71% of depressed outpatients treated with antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline and imipramine. In addition, the rate of emergence of anger attacks after treatment with fluoxetine (Prozac) (6-7%) is no different from the rates observed after treatment with sertraline (8%) and imipramine (10%), and lower than the rate with placebo (20%). Finally, one can hypothesize that antidepressants that affect serotonergic neurotransmission, known to be involved in the modulation of aggressive behavior in animals and humans, should be particularly effective in this population. Larger placebo-controlled studies, comparing selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as fluoxetine with relatively noradrenergic tricyclic antidepressants such as desipramine, may help us understand whether depressed patients with anger attacks show a distinctive responsiveness to drug treatment.
Synchronous or Metachronous Hairy Cell Leukemia and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Case Series and Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION: Concurrent hairy cell leukemia (HCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is rare; management is inadequately described in the literature. METHODS: Retrospective chart review and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Five patients are described. The first patient developed synchronous HCL and CLL and was treated with rituximab for 13 months with HCL in remission and stable CLL. The second patient developed HCL and was treated with cladribine. His disease recurred seven years later which was re-treated with cladribine. Seven years later, he developed asymptomatic CLL. The third patient developed CLL, managed expectantly, then developed HCL ten months later and was treated with cladribine. Although his HCL went into remission, there was a slow redevelopment of CLL for which expectant management was done. The fourth patient developed concurrent CLL and HCL, received cladribine, with subsequent development of worsening abdominal lymphadenopathy and was lost to follow-up. The last patient developed concurrent HCL and CLL, and was also diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma; this patient was also lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The development of concurrent HCL and CLL may indicate a common origin. Patients with HCL may subsequently develop CLL, thus mimicking a relapse of HCL. Therapy requires individualized approach including watchful waiting in asymptomatic cases. Rituximab may be useful to treat both disorders simultaneously.
Inverse Estimation of Cohesive Fracture Properties of Asphalt Mixtures Using an Optimization Approach

Tensile cracking in asphalt pavements due to vehicular and thermal loads has become an experimental and numerical research focus in the asphalt materials community. Previous studies have used the discrete element method (DEM) to study asphalt concrete fracture. These studies used trial-and-error to obtain local fracture properties such that the DEM models approximate the experimental load-crack mouth opening displacement response. In the current study, we identify the cohesive fracture properties of asphalt mixtures via a nonlinear optimization method. The method encompasses a comparative investigation of displacement fields obtained using both digital image correlation (DIC) and heterogeneous DEM fracture simulations. The proposed method is applied to two standard fracture test geometries: the single-edge notched beam test, SE(B), under three-point bending, and the disk-shaped compact tension test, DC(T). For each test, the Subset Splitting DIC algorithm is used to determine the displacement field in a predefined region near the notch tip. Then, a given number of DEM simulations are performed on the same specimen. The DEM is used to simulate the fracture of asphalt concrete with a linear softening cohesive contact model, where fracture-related properties (e.g., maximum tensile force and maximum crack opening) are varied within a predefined range. The difference between DIC and DEM displacement fields for each set of fracture parameters is then computed and converted to a continuous function via multivariate Lagrange interpolation. Finally, we use a Newton-like optimization technique to minimize Lagrange multinomials, yielding a set of fracture parameters that minimizes the difference between the DEM and DIC displacement fields. The optimized set of fracture parameters from this nonlinear optimization procedure led to DEM results which are consistent with the experimental results for both SE(B) and DC(T) geometries.
A spatially second order alternating direction implicit (ADI) method for solving three dimensional parabolic interface problems

Abstract A new matched alternating direction implicit (ADI) method is proposed in this paper for solving three-dimensional (3D) parabolic interface problems with discontinuous jumps and complex interfaces. This scheme inherits the merits of its ancestor for two-dimensional problems, while possesses several novel features, such as a non-orthogonal local coordinate system for decoupling the jump conditions, two-side estimation of tangential derivatives at an interface point, and a new Douglas–Rachford ADI formulation that minimizes the number of perturbation terms, to attack more challenging 3D problems. In time discretization, this new ADI method is found to be of first order and stable in various experiments. In space discretization, the matched ADI method achieves the second order accuracy based on simple Cartesian grids for various irregularly-shaped surfaces and spatial–temporal dependent jumps. Computationally, the matched ADI method is as efficient as the fastest implicit scheme based on the geometrical multigrid for solving 3D parabolic equations, in the sense that its complexity in each time step scales linearly with respect to the spatial degree of freedom N , i.e., O ( N ) . Furthermore, unlike iterative methods, the ADI method is an exact or non-iterative algebraic solver which guarantees to stop after a certain number of computations for a fixed N . Therefore, the proposed matched ADI method provides a very promising tool for solving 3D parabolic interface problems.
Abstract 287: Identification of a Novel PKCα Isoform in Heart Transcriptome via RNA Deep Sequencing

The Protein kinase C (PKC) family of Ca2+ and /or lipid-activated AGC kinases are important regulators of multiple cellular responses including cell growth and programmed cell death. Among these, PKCα is the predominant conventional PKC isoform in heart and has been implicated to have a major impact on cardiac function, hypertrophic response and heart failure. Earlier studies have revealed that the conserved AGC-C-terminal tail containing active site cleft is responsible for regulating AGC kinase activity. The phosphorylation events in AGC-C-terminal tail mediate the activity of kinase by regulating kinase maturation, translocation and substrate interaction. In a genome-wide RNA-Seq analysis in mouse heart, we have identified a novel isoform of PKCα-- due to the insertion of a novel exon in its C-terminal tail. This novel exon has a highly conserved sequence from mouse to human, suggesting a conserved role in PKCα regulation. Tissue analysis showed that this PKCα isoform with Novel Exon (PKCαNE) has enriched expression in heart and skeletal muscle, indicating the involvement of a muscle specific alternative splicing event. The insertion of this novel exon lies between the kinase C-Lobe Tether and Active Site Tether. Biochemistry study in cells showed that both PKCα and PKCαNE were activated and translocated from cytosol to membrane and nucleus in response to PMA. However, upon IGF-1 treatment, PKCαNE showed no activation and could not translocate to either membrane or nucleus in contrast to PKCα. To further explore the mechanism for PKCαNE activation, we have determined the phosphorylation events of this novel isoform. Interestingly, the PKCαNE showed a decreased phosphorylation level at the Turn Motif , which could directly impact its activation and maturation. In summary, we have identified a novel isoform of PKCα that is enriched in heart and skeletal muscle. The PKCαNE isoform has different activation profile and its biological significance in cell signaling in physiology and diseases remains to be further explored.
Chapter 2 – Choosing a Research Problem

In this chapter, we survey some of the ways in which scientists think about problems to investigate and how they choose specific studies to undertake. We briefly mention some of the positive attributes of good studies and reassure the reader that many good research questions may be worth pursuing even if they involve leaps of logic, face contradictions, or disagree with accepted experimental findings. The concept of Strong Inference is discussed, in which the investigator attempts to identify an experiment that tests an outcome that would ONLY be predicted by one hypothesis and would not plausibly be expected to occur according to any other hypothesis that they can formulate. However, a broader, much more widely applicable version of Strong Inference is to regard a scientific study as a court trial. That is, the job of the scientist is to persuade his or her peers in the scientific community that their findings are valid beyond a reasonable doubt—that their interpretation of their findings is more believable than any other explanation that can be envisioned. We discuss the pitfalls of designing experiments that have multiple degrees of freedom, and show how this can be overcome by conducting experiments that combine multiple approaches and multiple methods. Finally, we argue that hypotheses can be valuable for stimulating scientific progress even when they are not ultimately found to be “true.” Wrong, neglected, or erroneous findings may lead (sometimes decades or centuries later) to new breakthroughs, when viewed in a new way.
Development of a Surveillance Definition for United States-Mexico Binational Cases of Tuberculosis.

Objectives:Consistently collected binational surveillance data are important in advocating for resources to manage and treat binational cases of tuberculosis (TB). The objective of this study was to develop a surveillance definition for binational (United States–Mexico) cases of TB to assess the burden on US TB program resources.Methods:We collaborated with state and local TB program staff members in the United States to identify characteristics associated with binational cases of TB. We collected data on all cases of TB from 9 pilot sites in 5 states (Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas) during January 1–June 30, 2014, that had at least 1 binational characteristic (eg, “crossed border while on TB treatment” and “received treatment in another country, coordinated by an established, US-funded, binational TB program”). A workgroup of US state, local, and federal partners reviewed results and used them to develop a practical surveillance definition.Results:The pilot sites reported 87 cases o...
3D-printing and vibration (including resonance)

The material contained in this paper focuses on using 3D printing of relatively simple, flexible structural components and plane frames. The relatively high resolution of modern 3D printers facilitates the production of slender structures, and thus provides an opportunity to exploit geometric parameter variations to enhance a practical understanding of stiffness and vibration. This approach has proved successful in initial inclusion in both the classroom via demonstration models, as well as in the lab in which elementary facilities can be utilized to acquire data. An especially useful facet of this approach is the assessment and justification for modeling simplifications, e.g., judging the circumstances under which the familiar sway assumption is valid in portal frames. Furthermore, minor parametric variations can be easily incorporated into sensitivity studies, and the production of multiple copies of essentially the same geometry promotes an effective use of statistical measurement uncertainty. We then extend this approach to forced vibration, with examples including the vibrating reed tachometer and sympathetic resonance.The material contained in this paper focuses on using 3D printing of relatively simple, flexible structural components and plane frames. The relatively high resolution of modern 3D printers facilitates the production of slender structures, and thus provides an opportunity to exploit geometric parameter variations to enhance a practical understanding of stiffness and vibration. This approach has proved successful in initial inclusion in both the classroom via demonstration models, as well as in the lab in which elementary facilities can be utilized to acquire data. An especially useful facet of this approach is the assessment and justification for modeling simplifications, e.g., judging the circumstances under which the familiar sway assumption is valid in portal frames. Furthermore, minor parametric variations can be easily incorporated into sensitivity studies, and the production of multiple copies of essentially the same geometry promotes an effective use of statistical measurement uncertainty. We then ...
Neuroprotection by Melatonin after Germinal Matrix Hemorrhage in Neonatal Rats

Background: Germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH) is a devastating neurological disorder of very low birth weight premature infants that leads to post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant known to reverse free-radical mediated injury in the brain. This study investigated the effect of melatonin treatment after GMH injury.
Short-Term Temporal Changes in Myocardial Strain in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

Background Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) is an acute heart failure syndrome. Despite an often rapid recovery in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), TC is associated with morbidity and mortality in select patients which may be due to persistent abnormalities in myocardial mechanics. Strain echocardiography quantifies myocardial deformation and is a sensitive marker of myocardial dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term temporal changes in LVEF and myocardial deformation between presentation and close follow-up. Hypothesis Improvement in LVEF will occur prior to improvement in myocardial strain at short-term follow-up. Methods Patients with an ICD9/10 diagnosis code of TC were identified using the Northwestern University Enterprise Data Warehouse. All TC patients with echocardiograms at presentation and within 21 days of presentation were included. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) was performed using Tomtec Arena 2.21 software to assess LVEF, LV peak global longitudinal strain (GLS), global radial strain (GRS), global circumferential strain (GCS), as well as RV fractional area change (FAC) and peak free wall strain (FWS). Statistical analysis was performed using a paired samples Student's t-test with a p-value Results The study cohort included 80 patients with 80% females and mean age 65.6 ± 15.4 yrs. Patients were grouped by timing of follow-up echocardiogram: within 3 days, between 4-10 days, and between 11-21 days from presentation. Compared to baseline echocardiogram, there was significant improvement in LVEF (29.0% vs 37.6%, p = 0.001) and GLS (−10.6% vs −12.7%, p = 0.022) in patients with follow up echocardiograms within 3 days ( Table 1 ). Significant improvement in GCS (−15.3% vs −21.7%, p = 0.005) and GRS (24.2% vs 32.0%, p = 0.035) was not seen until 4-10 day follow up. At 21 day follow-up, significant improvement in RV FAC (27.5% vs 34.5%, p = 0.008) and RV FWS (−13.6% vs −18.4%, p = 0.002) was noted. Conclusion In our single-center cohort of TC patients, improvement in LVEF and GLS was noted relatively early after initial presentation. The improvement in GCS and GRS occurred later, indicating persistent cardiac dysfunction despite improved but not fully recovered LVEF. Furthermore, recovery in RV dysfunction occurred after improvement in all LV parameters. These persistent abnormalities in myocardial mechanics provide further insight into myocardial recovery in TC and the potential for improvements in risk stratification and management of these patients.
The microbiome in SLE pathogenesis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the embodiment of a multi-organ autoimmune disease, results from hyperactivation of host-defence pathways and immune recognition of the most fundamental building blocks of life. In 2018, key advances have placed intestinal immunity and dysregulated expansions of candidate pathobionts at the forefront of SLE pathogenesis.
Complications of Interventional Therapy for the Management of Low Back Pain

Interventional treatments available to address chronic low back pain have grown in their variety, but every procedure has associated risks. Complications from interventional procedures can be divided into three broad categories: complications associated with all interventional techniques, complications arising from the employed medications, and complications unique to certain procedures. For interventional pain procedures, the most relevant medications include local anesthetics, steroids, and contrast agents. Each of these medications can cause patient harm when overdose occurs, and at times, their inherent physical properties may also cause complications. Notwithstanding patient-related factors, the risk of any interventional pain procedure relates to the anatomical site involved and the type of instrumentation required. The practitioner must be aware of common and rare complications in context of all of these factors in order to implement measures to avoid them, as well as quickly identify and manage them should they occur. In addition, pain management physicians must be aware of all these possible complications so that an accurate risk-benefit discussion can be held with patients during the consent process. Further, patient care cannot truly be optimized unless practices are constantly refined to reduce the risk of possible complications.
Model for the Closed-System Fractionation of a Dike Formed by Two Pulses of Dolerite Magma

Elemental variations along a profile perpendicular to strike of an exceptionally wide (342-m) dolerite dike near Pageland, South Carolina, USA, were studied in order to determine the crystallization history of the dike. Although the modes show no systematic variation across the dike, the elemental concentrations generally exhibit overall trends about the approximate center of the dike with several superimposed subsidiary anomalies. The initial changes in concentration of the elements in the outer two meters of the dike margins are thought to represent a gradation from the chilled magma to the first differentiate. The other subsidiary inflections are interpreted as representing mixing of two magma pulses. A closed-system fractionation model for each pulse of magma can be tested by assuming the chemical composition of the final solid to be that of the final liquid and determining the composition of the “solids” (including entrapped magma) at various percentages of crystallization. The liquid line of descent can be back-calculated until the original magma composition is determined — simply a weighted average composition for that pulse. The calculated initial composition of each pulse and the composition of rocks from the dike margins compare quite favorably, indicating that the dike is the result of two magma pulses with essentially the same composition that have each undergone crystal fractionation as a closed system, with minor mixing at the boundaries between the two. It appears that the dike composition at the present level of erosion is representative of the overall composition.
Impact of Aldh1l1 Knockout On Metabolic Phenotype in Mouse Liver

ALDH1L1 (10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase), an enzyme of folate metabolism, is highly expressed in liver. This enzyme metabolizes 10-formyltetrahydrofolate to produce tetrahydrofolate (THF) ...
Evaluation of CORDEX-RCMS and their driving GCMs of CMIP5 in simulation of Indian summer monsoon rainfall and its future projections

Climate models are widely used for global and regional assessment of climate change. The present study aims to assess the ability of regional climate models (RCMs) of the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) and their driving global climate models (GCMs) of Coupled Models Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) in simulating the Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) over India (1979–2005). The assessment of CORDEX-RCMs driven by the boundary conditions from GCMs is necessary to know the capability of RCMs in the simulation of ISMR over India. The spatiotemporal analysis of ISMR is performed for past periods to understand its characteristics while attempt is made for future projected changes over the homogeneous rainfall region of India. The study reveals that RCM REMO2009 (MPI) and its driving GCM MPI-ESM-LR are close to the observed rainfall of Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC). Further, it is noticed that the biases in REMO2009 (MPI) and GCMs viz. MPI-ESM-LR and GFDL-CM3 are of comparable amplitude making them suitable for future projection of ISMR for 2016–2045 under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 at 99% and 95% confidence levels. In the simulation of REMO2009 (MPI) and its driving GCM (MPI-ESM-LR) under RCPs 4.5 and 8.5, an excess of rainfall is possible over the parts of Peninsular India (PI) and West Central India (WCI) while a deficit over the North West India (NWI). The simulation of the GCM, GFDL-CM3 depicts an excess of rainfall over NWI, PI, and deficit over WCI under both emission scenarios.
Further characterization of a ribonucleotide-polymerizing enzyme from Histoplasma capsulatum. II. Possible role in cellular metabolism.

Abstract An enzyme, ribonucleotide polymerase, isolated from the yeast phase of a fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum has been found to stimulate the incorporation of dTMP in the reaction catalysed by DNA polymerase from H. capsulatum and E. coli . The stimulation is dependent on the amount of ribonucleotide polymerase added. The data indicate that protein-protein interaction is responsible for the increase in DNA synthesis. It is suggested that ribonucleotide polymerase may be involved in supplying short RNA primers for DNA polymerase.
Understanding the Diverse Performance Measures of Nonprofits: A Quantitative Study of Performance Measurement Adoption

Given that nonprofits embrace diverse perspectives when adopting performance measurement, one key area of scholarly attention is understanding what leads nonprofits to embrace different performance...
THE ROLE OF FISH COOPERATIVES IN DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTION AND MARKETING FISH SYSTEMS

In view of the role of fisheries cooperatives in the development of fish production and marketing systems, the fisheries sector is an important sector in the national economy, accounting for 6.7% of the total value of agricultural production, 19% of the total value of animal production in the period 2004-2015 ), The study aimed to identify the role of cooperative societies as one of the cornerstones of the fisheries sector development strategy. It is one of the civil society organizations that has increased interest in it to participate in the development process. Egypt is one of the developing countries suffering from increasing population. Energy The statistics indicate that Egypt is one of the most important fish producing countries from fish farming activity. The output of this activity in 2015 is estimated at 1,175 million tons. The study includes six sections , The study relied on following the extrapolation method in the economic analysis in terms of descriptive, quantitative approach and quantitative analysis, while the results of the study to many of the results and therefore the study recommends the following recommendations.
Automatic Generation of Multiple Exit Parsing Subroutines

The parser construction method presented here might be characterized as the offspring of the successful marriage of LR(k) methodology [4] with the transition diagram systems of Conway [2]. Like transition diagram systems, the parsers constructed by the method presented here, called the LLP(k) method, consist of small, finite state automata linked by "subroutine calls" and provide a mixed top-down/bottom-up parse. Transition diagram systems with one exit state per diagram correspond to top-down parsers and have been extensively studied [6,9,10]. Like Conway's transition diagrams, however, LLP(k) subroutines can parse multiple non-terminals simultaneously and return an indication of what they have discovered. It has been shown [7] that transition diagram systems composed of such multiple exit diagrams can parse all deterministic context free languages. Further, LLP(k) parsers can be realized as directly executing (non-interpretive) subroutines. The method has been implemented [8]. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.
What Do People Find Incompatible With Causal Determinism

Four studies explored people's judgments about whether particular types of behavior are compatible with determinism. Participants read a passage describing a deterministic universe, in which everything that happens is fully caused by whatever happened before it. They then assessed the degree to which different behaviors were possible in such a universe. Other participants evaluated the extent to which each of these behaviors had various features (e.g., requiring reasoning). We assessed the extent to which these features predicted judgments about whether the behaviors were possible in a deterministic universe. Experiments 1 and 2 found that people's judgments about whether a behavior was compatible with determinism were not predicted by their judgments about whether that behavior relies on physical processes in the brain and body, is uniquely human, is unpredictable, or involves reasoning. Experiment 3, however, found that a distinction between what we call "active" and "passive" behaviors can explain people's judgments. Experiment 4 extended these findings, showing that we can measure this distinction in several ways and that it is robustly predicted by two different cues. Taken together, these results suggest that people carve up mentally guided behavior into two distinct types-understanding one type to be compatible with determinism, but another type to be fundamentally incompatible with determinism.
Serum alpha-1 acid glycoprotein concentration in pregnancy and with oral contraception

Abstract With the use of the technique of single radial immunodiffusion, α 1 -acid glycoprotein levels were found to be decreased in the sera of pregnant women and in the sera of women ingesting oral contraceptives. Lower levels were detected in cord sera which, in turn, were more marked in the premature infant. As this protein is known to bind progesterone and to be elevated in the presence of tissue destruction or inflammation, sera from premature and toxemic patients were analyzed, but no significant differences in α 1 -acid glycoprotein concentration were noted when compared to the level encountered in normal term pregnancies.
Intelligence, Dataveillance, and Information Privacy

The extent and scope of intelligence activities are expanding in response to technological and economic transformations of the past decades. Intelligence efforts involving aggregated data from multiple public and private sources combined with past abuses of domestic intelligence functions have generated significant concerns among privacy advocates and citizens about the protection of individual civil liberties and information privacy from corporate and governmental misuse. In the information age, effective regulation and oversight are key components in the legitimacy and success of government domestic intelligence activities.
The impact of a rigid axisymmetric indentor on a viscoelastic half-space

Abstract The dynamic impact of a rigid axisymmetric indentor on a viscoelastic half-space is considered. The problem is reduced to single integral which is solved numerically. This solution suggests an analytic approximation from which all stresses and displacements can be calculated with minimal error.
Model selection for ecologists: the worldviews of AIC and BIC

Ecologists frequently ask questions that are best addressed with a model comparison approach. Under this system, the merit of several models is considered without necessarily requiring that (1) models are nested, (2) one of the models is true, and (3) only current data be used. This is in marked contrast to the pragmatic blend of Neyman-Pearson and Fisherian significance testing conventionally emphasized in biometric texts (Christensen 2005), in which (1) just two hypotheses are under consideration, representing a pairwise comparison of models, (2) one of the models, H0, is assumed to be true, and (3) a single data set is used to quantify evidence concerning H0. As Murtaugh (2014) noted, null hypothesis testing can be extended to certain highly structured multi-model situations (nested with a clear sequence of tests), such as extra sums of squares approaches in general linear models, and drop in deviance tests in generalized linear models. This is especially true when there is the expectation that higher order interactions are not significant or nonexistent, and the testing of main effects does not depend on the order of the tests (as with completely balanced designs). There are, however, three scientific frameworks that are poorly handled by traditional hypothesis testing. First, in questions requiring model comparison and selection, the null hypothesis testing paradigm becomes strained. Candidate models may be non-nested, a wide number of plausible models may exist, and all of the models may be approximations to reality. In this context, we are not assessing which model is correct (since none are correct), but which model has the best predictive accuracy, in particular, which model is expected to fit future observations well. Extensive ecological examples can be found in Johnson and Omland (2004), Burnham and Anderson (2002), and Anderson (2008). Second, the null hypothesis testing paradigm is often inadequate for making inferences concerning the falsification or confirmation of scientific claims because it does not explicitly consider prior information. Scientists often do not consider a single data set to be adequate for research hypothesis rejection (Quinn and Keough 2002:35), particularly for complex hypotheses with a low degree of falsifiability (i.e., Popper 1959:266). Similarly, the support of hypotheses in the generation of scientific theories requires repeated corroboration (Ayala et al. 2008). Third, ecologists and other scientists are frequently concerned with the plausibility of existing or default models, what statistician would consider null hypotheses (e.g., the ideal free distribution, classic insular biogeography, mathematic models for species interactions, archetypes for community succession and assembly, etc.). However, null hypothesis testing is structured in such a way that the null hypothesis cannot be directly supported by evidence. Introductory statistical and biometric textbooks go to great lengths to make this conceptual point (e.g., DeVeaux et al. 2013:511, 618, Moore 2010:376, Devore and Peck 1997:300–303).
HIV: Roadmaps to a vaccine.

More than 30 years since the AIDS pandemic began, there is still no effective vaccine. But analysis of broadly acting, potent human antibodies obtained from single cells suggests a rational approach to vaccine development. See Article p.469 Hua-Xin Liao et al. followed the evolution of an HIV-1 virus, and the concurrent co-evolution of a CD4-binding-site broadly neutralizing antibody (BnAb), from the time of infection of a single African patient for a period of more than 3 years. The neutralizing antibody, of CH103 lineage, is a new type of BnAb that binds in a completely loop-based manner that differs from that of VRC01 class monoclonal antibodies — the CH103 lineage is less mutated, with fewer unusual macromutations and may be easier to induce. This work has implications for HIV vaccine development, suggesting viral strains that might generate broadly neutralizing antibodies within the host.
Phospholipid concentration in cocoa butter and its relationship to viscosity in dark chocolate.

Fats extracted from chocolate liquor with a polar solvent, chloroform-methanol, was found to be 0.65% phospholipid. The evidence indicates that the phospholipids are associated primarily with the nonfat solids since concentrations were much lower in fat recovered with nonpolar solvents, hydraulic pressing and centrifugation. Seven of the 11 commercial cocoa butters analyzed had phospholipid concentrations between 0.05% and 0.13%. The highest concentration found was 0.57%. The reduction in viscosity caused by the addition of these butters, 14% by weight, to chocolate was related to the phospholipid concentration in cocoa butter. The higher the phospholipid level, the greater was the viscosity-reducing effect of the cocoa butter.
Impact of long work hours on police officers and the communities they serve.

Background Police officers in the United States often are overly fatigued because of long and erratic work hours, shift work, and insufficient sleep. These factors likely contribute to elevated levels of morbidity and mortality, psychological disorders, and family dysfunction observed among police. Fatigue-related impairments to officer performance and decision making can generate unexpected social and economic costs. Methods Information was gathered from the literature and analysis of government data as well as meetings with sleep researchers, police executives, and union officials in order to understand the causes and consequences of police long work hours. Results and Conclusions Long work hours and shift work threaten police officer health, safety, and performance. This situation is aggravated by understaffing associated with demographic shifts and new threats to homeland security. Ongoing research suggests that the police may be a useful model occupational group for basic and applied research on sleep, fatigue, and human performance.
Interpreting the trauma ultrasound: Observations in 62 positive cases

The purpose of this study was to review all positive trauma abdominal ultrasound examinations, to determine a standard imaging protocol that would provide rapid patient evaluation, and to assess the ability of ultrasound to predict the need for emergent laparotomy.
Comparing Norms of Polynomials in One and Several Variables

Abstract We study Nikolskii-type inequalities for theLpnorms of an algebraic polynomial in one variable, defined either by a contour integral or by an area integral over a Jordan domain in C . Further, we generalize the one-dimensional results to the case of polynomials in several variables over product domains in C m,m > 1.
Momentum-transfer resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy of solids: problems, solutions and applications

Abstract The critical issues in experimental momentum-transfer ( q ) resolved EELS in TEM are outlined. It is shown that despite the presence of various multiple scattering events, meaningful information about the symmetry of electronic states can be obtained. Such q -resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy of the valence band transitions in BaBiO 3 has revealed that the dispersion of the optical gap (∼ 2 eV) with q is anisotropic and that an optically forbidden transition is present at 4.5 eV. The oscillator strength of the forbidden transition is stronger for q along [100], but weaker along [110]. A molecular orbital model is proposed and the forbidden transition is assigned to be the excitation from the O 2pσ non-bonding states to the empty Bi (6s) state. The model is in good agreement with the physical properties of the transition.
Sodium Polyethylene Sulfonate Effects on Serum Lipids and Blood Coagulation

This investigation was undertaken in view of the interest lately aroused in the association of plasma lipids with atherosclerosis. Observations on the antilipemic and anticoagulant activities in man of sodium polyethylene sulfonate, a new drug with heparin-like properties, are presented. Alteration of the serum lipoprotein patterns of these patients observed during the course of the drug administration is also described.
Extension to Markov processes of a result by A. Wald about the consistency of the maximum likelihood estimate

In this note the proof of the consistency of a maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) obtained by Wald in [7] in the case of independent and identically distributed random variables is extended to the case of Markov processes.
Characterization and localization of prostaglandin E1 receptors in rat liver plasma membranes

Methodology for measurement and characterization of prostaglandin binding to membranes has been developed. The binding assay was used to study the presence of prostaglandin receptors in high purified cell fractions derived from rat liver. High affinity binding receptors which have a saturation value of 1.0 pmole/mg protein and a dissociation constant of 1.2 nM were found exclusively in the plasma membrane. High affinity receptors were not found in cell fractions containing nuclei, rough microsomes. Golgi complex or mitochondria. The binding by other prostaglandins was competitive with prostaglandin E1. Competitive binding studies were used to obtain dissociation constants for prostaglandins F1α, F2α, B1, B2, A1, A2, and 15-keto prostaglandin E2 which were 1100, 100, 300, 180, 16. 16 and 700 nM, respectively. Eicosa-5.8.11.19-tetraynoic acid, an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis did not bind appreciably to the prostaglandin E receptor, whereas two prostaglandin analogues, which have high physiological activity compete effectively with prostaglandin E1 for the receptor. Thus, the binding receptor for the E-type prostaglandins is highly specific both with respect to cell localization as well as the type of substrate. Numerical routines for the fitting of the data and a procedure for the determination of the specific activity of the labelled prostaglandin are provided.
Mössbauer effect measurements on superconducting indium

The amplitude and width of the Mossbauer’s resonance in57Fe has been measured for57Fe as a very dilute impurity in metallic indium. The resonance amplitude is found to remain substantially unchanged in the temperature interval 0.35 °K/4 °K, showing that the Dehye’s temperature of In increases by less than 3 °K in this temperature range. Specific heat measurements on In had indicated a possible Debye’s temperature change of 12 °K. As the source is cooled from 300 °K to 4 °K the resonance amplitude increases by only 50% in contrast to the minimum of 500% calculated from the Debye-Waller’s factor.
Optimal control of distributed parameter systems defined on a semi-infinite spatial interval

The optimal control problem with quadratic cost criteria is solved for the class of systems described by a scalar parabolic partial differential equation where the spatial differential operator is linear, is of arbitrary order, and is defined on the real line x ≥ 0. The control is applied at the boundary x = 0 and throughout the interior x > 0. The Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the problem is solved by applying elementary matrix methods to obtain an expression of Greens formula which involves the boundary control explicitly. The Riccati equation is formulated and, for the ease where the spatial operator is self-adjoint, the spectral representation of the Riccati equation is derived. Previous results have shown that the spectral representation of the Riccati equation for a self-adjoint differential operator on a finite spatial interval, possessing only a point spectrum, consists of an infinite set of bilinear ordinary differential equations. The new results presented here for the case of an operator on a se...
A Comparative Study of State-of-the-Art High-Performance Spectral Test Methods

This paper observes that a number of new methods have emerged for efficient and effective testing of data converters, but there is no work comparing their strengths and weaknesses. The authors describes recent methods in detail, highlighting important aspects and contrasting their abilities to perform various test measurements.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE AUTOXIDATION OF LIPIDS IN MECHANICALLY DEBONED FISH

Hemoglobin, myoglobin, total heme pigments, and nonheme iron concentrations were measured in phosphate buffer (pH 7.1) extracts of mechanical and hand deboned mullet, Mugil cephalus, to determine the factors which induce a greater prooxidant activity in mechanically deboned fish. Mechanical deboning increased the hemoglobin and nonheme iron contents but had very little influence on the amount of myoglobin in the deboned fish flesh. Oxygen uptake studies using oleic acid as a substrate revealed that the hemoprotein content had an influence on the prooxidant activity of the buffer extracts of the deboned fish. Studies using purified myoglobin and hemoglobin as prooxidants indicated that myoglobin had a greater catalytic effect than hemoglobin on the oxidation of oleic acid. It was concluded that, in addition to the concentration of total heme pigments, the hemoglobin to myoglobin ratio should be considered when determining the influence of hemoproteins on the oxidative stability of deboned fish.
Serum Vitamin E and Oxidative Protein Modification in Hemodialysis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background Patients with end-stage renal disease have increased circulating concentrations of oxidatively modified circulating proteins. Therefore, we examined the ability of vitamin E α (α-tocopherol) to alter levels of these modified proteins. Study Design Randomized clinical trial. Setting & Participants 27 clinically stable patients treated by means of hemodialysis in 4 freestanding outpatient dialysis units. Intervention Oral administration of 800 IU of vitamin E α or placebo daily. Outcomes & Measurements Plasma levels of α- and γ-tocopherol and oxidative protein modifications reflecting 2 pathways for protein-oxidant damage. The advanced glycation end product pentosidine reflects glycoxidation. The lipid peroxidation products iso[4]-levuglandin E 2 , (E)-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, and (E)-4-oxo-2-nonenal are formed through covalent adduction. Results Circulating levels of all oxidative protein modifications were increased in patients with end-stage renal disease. Supplementation with α-tocopherol caused α-tocopherol levels to rise (13.2 ± 3.7 to 27.3 ± 14 μg/mL), but γ-tocopherol levels to decrease (4.1 ± 1.6 to 3.5 ± 1.1 μg/mL). Control values were unchanged. There was no effect on oxidative protein modifications (placebo versus treatment; mean for pentosidine, 15.6 ± 11.4 (SD): 95% confidence interval (CI), 8.2 to 23.1 versus 21.3 ± 9.0 pg/mg protein; 95% CI, 16.1 to 26.6; iso[4]-levuglandin E 2 , 8.31 ± 2.55; 95% CI, 6.77 to 9.85 versus 8.46 ± 2.37 nmol/mL; 95% CI, 7.09 to 9.84; (E)-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, 0.51 ± 0.11; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.57 versus 0.51 ± 0.08 nmol/mL; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.56; (E)-4-oxo-2-nonenal, 189 ± 44; 95% CI, 162 to 215 vs 227 ± 72 pmol/mL; 95% CI, 183 to 271). Limitations Sample size was adequate to show changes in α- and γ-tocopherol levels in response to treatment. However, power was insufficient to show an effect on oxidative protein modifications. Conclusions Intervention of oral supplementation with α-tocopherol did not result in changes in circulating oxidative protein modifications. A larger study may be required to show an effect in this clinical setting.
Investigation of the Potential Relationships Between Plasma Voriconazole Concentrations and Visual Adverse Events or Liver Function Test Abnormalities

This study investigated the relationship between plasma voriconazole concentrations (pVC) and risk of visual adverse events (VAEs) or liver function test (LFT) abnormalities using longitudinal logistic regression. Seven-day mean pVC were calculated from 2,925 plasma samples (1,053 patients); in each 7-day period, the presence or absence of VAEs/abnormal LFTs was analyzed as a binary outcome variable. There was a relationship between pVC and risk of VAE (P = .011) and a weaker, but statistically significant, association with risk of aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), or bilirubin but not alanine transaminase (ALT) abnormalities. The odds ratios of LFT abnormalities per 1 mug/mL pVC increase ranged from 1.07 to 1.17. Maximum weekly occurrences were 10%, 8%, 5%, and 14% for AST, ALT, ALP, and bilirubin abnormalities, respectively. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis indicates that individual pVC cannot be used to predict subsequent LFT abnormalities.
Technological Advances in Minimally Invasive TMJ Surgery

The technologic advances in temporomandibular joint arthroscopy and arthrocentesis have given oral surgeons a treatment for patients who have not responded to conservative and pharmacologic treatment without the surgical risks and long-term recovery of open joint surgery.