cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incremental image sequence enhancement with implicit motion compensation

The author describes a recursive technique to enhance image-sequences. This technique has the effect of motion-compensated temporal smoothings. It suppresses noise but does not blur the moving regions. The method does not require that the motion-field be explicitly computed in advance. Instead it incorporates an implicit model for temporal rate of change of intensity. Based on this model, the technique computes the optimal estimate of the instantaneous image intensity in an incremental fashion. The estimate improves over time. Experimental results are shown on image-sequences from various application domains. >
Polymer Surface Treatment and Coating Technologies

An overview of surface modification and coating techniques for plastics is presented for changing the surface properties to meet the performance requirements in a variety of applications. Surface modification and coatings are utilized for purposes of adhesion, wettability, biocompatibility, scratch and abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, barrier properties, and more. Methods for modification include physical processes, such as surface roughening and abrading; liquid chemical processes, such as acid etching; and reactive gas chemical processes. The reactive gas chemical processes covered include corona, flame, and low-temperature plasma. Surface degradation from reactive gas exposure is presented with respect to the sources, chemical mechanisms, and methods for characterization. Coatings for plastics, including paints, functional coatings, and metallization, are summarized.
An Analog Integrated-Circuit Vocal Tract

We present the first experimental integrated-circuit vocal tract by mapping fluid volume velocity to current, fluid pressure to voltage, and linear and nonlinear mechanical impedances to linear and nonlinear electrical impedances. The 275 muW analog vocal tract chip includes a 16-stage cascade of two-port pi-elements that forms a tunable transmission line, electronically variable impedances, and a current source as the glottal source. A nonlinear resistor models laminar and turbulent flow in the vocal tract. The measured SNR at the output of the analog vocal tract is 64, 66, and 63 dB for the first three formant resonances of a vocal tract with uniform cross-sectional area. The analog vocal tract can be used with auditory processors in a feedback speech locked loop-analogous to a phase locked loop-to implement speech recognition that is potentially robust in noise. Our use of a physiological model of the human vocal tract enables the analog vocal tract chip to synthesize speech signals of interest, using articulatory parameters that are intrinsically compact and linearly interpolatable.
Effect of multiple previous miscarriages on health behaviors and health care utilization during subsequent pregnancy.

Abstract Background Women with a history of miscarriage report feeling emotionally guarded during a subsequent pregnancy and may be at increased risk for pregnancy-related anxiety and greater health care utilization compared with women without a history of miscarriage. However, these behaviors have not been studied in women with a history of multiple miscarriages. Methods We examined the effect of a history of multiple miscarriages on health behaviors and health care utilization in 2,854 women ages 18 to 36 years expecting their first live-born baby. Self-reported health behaviors and use of health care resources during pregnancy were compared for women with a history of two or more miscarriages and women with one or no miscarriages. Findings Women with a history of multiple miscarriages were more than four times as likely to smoke during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.69; 95% CI, 2.63–8.38) compared with women without a history of multiple miscarriages. They initiated prenatal care earlier (7.0 vs. 8.2 weeks gestation), had higher odds of third trimester emergency department visit (aOR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.24–3.94), higher odds of hospitalization during pregnancy (aOR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.01–2.73), and twice the mean number of third trimester emergency department visits and hospitalizations during pregnancy. Conclusions Women with a history of multiple miscarriages may be more likely to smoke and may demonstrate increased health care utilization during a subsequent pregnancy. Compassionate, individualized, and supportive counseling by providers may address smoking and other health behaviors as well as increased health care utilization.
Device Modeling for Submicron FET Integrated Circuits

Phys!cal understanding of submicron device phenomena is key to the efficient use of these structures in circuit applications and to the invention of new device structures and concepts. Modeling activities are categorized in hierarchical levels of abstraction which extends the concept of hierarchical system simulation down to the fundamental levels of process modeling. Major emphasis in field-effect transistor (FET) modeling beyond the micron dimension is on the incorporation of geometry effects and high field transport on active devices. As geometry sizes shrink, the effects of both carrier types become important even in unipolar devices. For very large-scale integrated (VLSI) circuits at these geometries modeling of parasitic devices like interconnections and isolation are important in determining circuit operation and performance.
THE EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES OF ADULTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PROSE RECALL‐PART I

This paper reports a thorough investigation of reading habits and activities which may require skills used in prose recall tasks as they occur in the everyday lives of adults. Over the space of five weeks, fifty‐four participants (18 young, aged 18‐32; 18 middle, aged 40‐54; 18 older, aged over 62) kept structured diaries in which they indicated how they spent their time, as well as the specific materials they had read and how long they had spent reading each item. Analyses were performed on each of 23 reading variables and 20 activity variables. Part I of the paper considers whether there were age and vocabulary differences in activities. Results indicate that while such differences exist, primarily in the amount of time spent reading, everyday activities and reading habits were also related to the requirements of daily life‐‐school, employment, retirement. Part II of the paper uses a cluster analysis of the data to demonstrate that the patterning of everyday activities was more influenced by current sch...
Vaginal Stimulation and Progesterone in Relation to Pregnancy and Parturition

The comparative influence of vaginal stimulation (VS) and progesterone (P) administered at the time of insemination was studied in the golden hamster. Normally mated animals and animals receiving VS were the only groups showing 100% live deliveries. All animals treated with P without VS became pregnant but only 25% (5 mg group) and 13% (10 mg group) of these groups had normal deliveries. However parturition success was significantly increased by VS and P at the time of artificial insemination (p less than .05). The results demonstrate that vaginal copulatory stimuli are involved in triggering mechanisms inhibiting gestational ovulation and recurrent estrus. The adverse effects of exogenous P may be compensated for by simultaneous VS at estrus.
Effects of the lipase inhibitor orlistat on intake and preference for dietary fat in rats

Orlistat (Ols), a potent inhibitor of pancreatic lipase, was added to the fat source (1 or 4 mg Ols/g fat) of a macronutrient self-selection diet fed to adult female rats. The rats responded to the drug-induced reduction in fat absorption by decreasing their dietary fat intake and increasing their protein and carbohydrate intake in a dose-related manner. Total caloric intake also increased, but body weight gain was inhibited compared with the nondrug control group. When Ols was removed from the diet, nutrient selection, caloric intake, and body weight returned to control levels. In additional short-term experiments (30 min/day), rats developed a preference for a plain fat diet over an Ols-fat diet (4 mg/g fat) and also for a cue flavor paired with plain fat over a flavor paired with Ols-fat. Yet, when not given the choice, the rats consumed nearly as much Ols-fat as plain fat diet. These results indicate that, by reducing fat absorption, Ols reduced the attractiveness of dietary fat, although it did not make the fat diet aversive. In clinical use, lipase inhibitors may be effective in reducing dietary fat intake by reducing both the consumption and absorption of fat.
The Thymus in Lymphocyte Maturation

The immunological function of the thymus remained an enigma until 1961. Most biologists in the first half of the twentieth century considered the thymus to be either a vestigial organ or part of the endocrine system. Jacques Miller, investigating the mechanism by which murine leukemia virus induced leukemia, unexpectedly discovered that mice thymectomized at or shortly after birth failed to thrive and often succumbed to microbial infections. This observation prompted him to conclude that “the thymus at birth may be essential to life.” Subsequent studies showed that neonatally thymectomized mice have decreased lymphocyte counts in their peripheral blood and fail to reject foreign skin grafts. Some studies also demonstrated a defect in antibody production. Confirmation of an immunological role for the thymus came from clinical observations of individuals with a congenital absence of the thymus resulting in decreased immunocompetence and from studies on a strain of mice with congenital absence of a thymus. Along with the discovery of the role of the chicken bursa of Fabricius in the maturation of lymphocytes that synthesize and secrete antibodies, these studies led to the categorization of lymphocytes into functionally distinct T and B populations and the subsequent identification of several rare human immunodeficiency diseases.
De novo asymmetric synthesis of D- and L-swainsonine.

The enantioselective syntheses of both enantiomers of the indolizidine natural product swainsonine have been achieved in 13 steps from furan. The indolizidine ring system is installed by a one-pot hydrogenolysis of both an azide and an O-Bn group along with an intramolecular reductive amination reaction. The asymmetry of swainsonine was introduced by Noyori reduction of an acylfuran. This route relies upon an Achmatowicz rearrangement, a diastereoselective palladium-catalyzed glycosylation, Luche reduction, and a dihydroxylation reaction.
Unsteady aerodynamics of pitching low aspect ratio wings: A review of AVT 202 panel results (invited paper)

This paper is an overview of research results from the NATO-STO AVT 202 panel on “Extensions of Fundamental Flow Physics to Practical MAV Aerodynamics.” The focus is on the unsteady aerodynamics of pitching low aspect ratio wings. We present results from participating teams and discuss relevant flow physics. We consider translating and rotating pitching wings. The pitch motion is from 0 to 45 angle of attack and two pitch rates are considered: A fast pitch rate in which the pitch motion occurs over one convective time and a slow pitch rate in which the pitch motion is over 6 convective times. Unsteady force measurement, flow visualization amd PIV measurements of the velocity and vorticity fields were obtained by AVT 202 team members. Here we focus on unsteady force measurements and flow visualization results of the LEV, TEV and TV vortices.
Nitride stabilized PtNi core-shell nanocatalyst for high oxygen reduction activity.

We describe a route to the development of novel PtNiN core–shell catalysts with low Pt content shell and inexpensive NiN core having high activity and stability for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The PtNiN synthesis involves nitriding Ni nanoparticles and simultaneously encapsulating it by 2–4 monolayer-thick Pt shell. The experimental data and the density functional theory calculations indicate nitride has the bifunctional effect that facilitates formation of the core–shell structures and improves the performance of the Pt shell by inducing both geometric and electronic effects. Synthesis of inexpensive NiN cores opens up possibilities for designing of various transition metal nitride based core–shell nanoparticles for a wide range of applications in energy conversion processes.
Unusual organism causing pyocystis in an immunosuppressed haemodialysis patient

A 68-year-old man with end-stage renal disease and a history of orthotopic cardiac transplantation on chronic immune suppression therapy presented to the emergency department with fever and purulent urethral discharge. He was diagnosed with pyocystis (bladder abscess). Culture of the urethral discharge showedTrueperella bernardiae The patient improved after 3 days of bladder irrigation with normal saline and gentamicin. This case demonstrates that bladder abscess is a potential source of infection in an oliguric patient. This is the first report to describe the opportunistic pathogen,T. bernardiae, as the causative agent in pyocystis.
The Tupac Amaru Rebellion

As the Spanish colonial regime approached its end in the Americas, two great political upheavals shadowed the thinking of many among the independence- or autonomy-minded Creole elite there, as well...
Efficient sidelobe ASK based dual-function radar-communications

Recently, dual-function radar-communications (DFRC) has been proposed as means to mitigate the spectrum congestion problem. Existing amplitude-shift keying (ASK) methods for information embedding do not take full advantage of the highest permissable sidelobe level. In this paper, a new ASK-based signaling strategy for enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the communication receiver is proposed. The proposed method employs one reference waveform and simultaneously transmits a number of orthogonal waveforms equals to the number of 1's in the binary sequence being embedded. 3 dB SNR gain is achieved using the proposed method as compared to existing sidelobe ASK methods. The effectiveness of the proposed information embedding strategy is verified using simulations examples.
Surrogate-enhanced stochastic search algorithms to identify implicitly defined functions for reliability analysis

Abstract The paper proposes two adaptive stochastic search algorithms to locate and trace an implicitly defined function with samples that are used to construct a surrogate model for reliability analysis. Both methods begin by propagating a series of surrogate-informed stochastic processes toward the implicit performance function. Having located the function, the first method conducts a “global” tracing of the function while the second traces the function by propagating samples locally. A key feature of both proposed algorithms is that the surrogate model evolves continuously with the sample selection and is used to inform the selection of new samples such that it converges rapidly to an accurate representation of the limit surface. In the present implementation, an artificial neural network surrogate model is employed but the method can, in principle, be applied with any surrogate model form. Performance of the algorithms is illustrated through problems with highly nonlinear limit state functions and high dimensional non-Gaussian random variables.
Government as Monopolist

Neoclassical microeconomics is based on the models of competition and monopoly. In the competitive model, buyers and sellers face many alternatives, so the terms of exchange are set by the market. No actor can exert noticeable influence on the the terms of an exchange since the individual on the other side of the exchange can always trade elsewhere.1 In the monopoly model, the seller is able to keep competing sellers out of the market, so can influence the terms of the exchange. Beginning economics students tend to believe that monopolists can sell as much as they want for any price they choose, and their teachers try to convince them that monopolists can raise their prices only by selling less, since the law of demand dictates that there is an inverse relationship between price and quantity demanded.
Electron Probe Microanalysis and Microscopy: Focused Electron Beam Techniques and Applications in Characterization of Mineral Inclusions in Diamond

Electromagnetic lens-focused electron beam, commonly called electron probe, is widely used in microanalysis and microscopy [1-6]. For example, electron probe is exclusively used in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to acquire information of samples on images at microto nano-scales (BSE, SE, CL, etc.), chemistry (EDS, WDS, etc.), and crystal structure (EBSD). Electron probe, not parallel electron beam, is also used in STEM mode in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) to acquire similar information of samples (bright field, dark field, HAADF, EFTEM, EDS, EELS, electron diffraction, etc.) at nanoto pico-scales. All these techniques in microanalysis and microscopy use an electron probe as primary input signal to bombard a sample; and the signals detected can come from above the sample surface (SEM) or below the sample if an electron probe penetrates through the sample (STEM). Therefore, the techniques mentioned above all belong to electron probe microanalysis and microscopy or EPMM in short. In EPMM techniques, the electron probe scans across the sample and this dynamic process is different from the static process in the parallel electron beam techniques (TEM mode).
Period-3 Motions in a Two Degree-of-Freedom Nonlinear Oscillator

In this paper, periodic motions of a two-degree-of-freedom nonlinear oscillator are studied by using general harmonic balanced method. Stable and unstable period-3 motions are obtained. The corresponding stability and bifurcations of the period-3 motions are determined through the eigenvalue analysis. Both symmetric and asymmetric period-3 motions are found in the system with a certain set of parameter. Numerical simulations of both stable and unstable period-3 motions in the two degrees of freedom systems are illustrated. The harmonic amplitude spectra show the harmonic effects on periodic motions, and the corresponding accuracy of approximate analytical solutions can be observed.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Abstract 367: PAR3 Negatively Regulates PAR4-Mediated Gq Signaling Without Affecting the G12/13 Pathway in Mouse Platelets

Protease activated receptors (PAR) are G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) that are activated by proteolytic cleavage of the N-terminus. Mouse platelets use PAR3 and PAR4 to respond to thrombin. PAR3 itself does not signal, but it is a cofactor that enhances cleavage and activation of PAR4 by thrombin ∼ 10-fold. PAR4 is the signaling thrombin receptor and is sufficient to induce platelet activation at >10 nM thrombin. The aim of this study is to determine how PAR3 regulates PAR4 signaling in mouse platelets. In this study we show that platelets from PAR3 knockout mice (PAR3-/-) had a 1.6-fold increase in the maximum calcium mobilization at thrombin concentrations above 10 nM, compared to wild type platelets. The PAR3+/- had an intermediate increase (∼ 1.2-fold) in the maximum calcium mobilization. PAR3 -/- platelets also had an increase in PKC activation, as measured by serine phosphorylation of PKC substrates in response to thrombin (10-100nM). The PAR4 agonist peptide (AYPGKF) also induced an increase in maximum calcium mobilization and PKC activation in PAR3 -/- platelets, indicating that PAR3 may be influencing PAR4 at the level of the receptor. PAR4 is coupled to Gq and G12/13. PAR3 influences PAR4-mediated calcium mobilization and PKC activation which are both downstream of Gq. We next, determined the influence of PAR3 on PAR4 mediated G12/13 signaling by measuring the activation of small GTPase RhoA protein in response to thrombin (1-100nM). The level of RhoA activation measured was not different in PAR3 -/- compared to wild-type platelets in response to thrombin. In conclusion, PAR3 negatively regulates PAR4 signaling through the Gq pathway without affecting the G12/13 pathway. Since the increase of Gq signaling is independent of PAR4 agonist, PAR3 is influencing PAR4 signaling at the level of the receptors, perhaps by forming heterodimers. The crosstalk between platelet GPCRs may be a general mechanism for regulating platelet signaling and uncovering the details of these interactions may lead to novel insights for developing therapeutics.
Predicting Response to Cholinesterase Inhibitors in Alzheimer’s Disease

Cholinesterase inhibitors have been more extensively investigated for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease than other medications. Currently, tacrine is the only Cholinesterase inhibitor that is approved for marketing in the US, Australia and several European countries. Other Cholinesterase inhibitors that are currently in phase II and III clinical trials are likely to become available in the next few years. Although these agents have not been as effective as originally expected, they modestly improve cognitive function and functional activities in a subset of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Dismantling Cultural Beliefs, Policies, and Practices That Criminalize and Dehumanize Black Girls in U.S. Schools

M. W. Morris. (2016). Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. New York, NY: The New Press. 277 pages, $14.66 (hardcover), $18.95 (paperback). ISBN: 1620970945 or 9781620970942.Schoo...
Natural language instructions for human-robot collaborative manipulation

This paper presents a dataset of natural language instructions for object reference in manipulation scenarios. It comprises 1582 individual written instructions, which were collected via online cro...
Skeletal muscle transplantation

Skeletal muscle is a tissue adapted for the generation of mechanical force, and a principal objective for the clinical transplantation of skeletal muscle is to restore force generation to a region in which the resident skeletal muscle has for some reason (e.g. denervation, trauma, pathology) lost is functional capacity (Frey and Freilinger, 1986; Freilinger and Deutinger, 1992; Frey and Giovanoli, 1995). In the research setting, muscle transplantation represents a convenient tool for producing the degeneration and regeneration of muscle fibers (Carlson et al., 1979; Carlson and Faulkner, 1983). Transplantation has an advantage over many other muscle regeneration models in that whole muscle physiology can be readily performed on the regenerates. In addition, transplantation of muscles into inbred hosts can be used to investigate the effects of different host environments on the process of muscle regeneration.
The X-ray Nova GRO J0422+32 in Decline and Quiescence

We have followed the X-ray nova GRO J0422+32, spectroscopically and photometrically, throughout the decline to quiescence.
MOVIE: Multi-Omics VIsualization of Estimated contributions

The growth of multi-omics datasets has given rise to many methods for identifying sources of common variation across data types. The unsupervised nature of these methods makes it difficult to evaluate their performance. We present MOVIE, Multi-Omics VIsualization of Estimated contributions, as a framework for evaluating the degree of overfitting and the stability of unsupervised multi-omics methods. MOVIE plots the contributions of one data type against another to produce contribution plots, where contributions are calculated for each subject and each data type from the results of each multi-omics method. The usefulness of MOVIE is demonstrated by applying existing multi-omics methods to permuted null data and breast cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Contribution plots indicated that principal components-based Canonical Correlation Analysis overt null data, while Sparse multiple Canonical Correlation Analysis and Multi-Omics Factor Analysis provided stable results with high specificity for both the real and permuted null datasets.
Analysis of spliceosome dynamics by maximum likelihood fitting of dwell time distributions.

Abstract Colocalization single-molecule methods can provide a wealth of information concerning the ordering and dynamics of biomolecule assembly. These have been used extensively to study the pathways of spliceosome assembly in vitro. Key to these experiments is the measurement of binding times—either the dwell times of a multi-molecular interaction or times in between binding events. By analyzing hundreds of these times, many new insights into the kinetic pathways governing spliceosome assembly have been obtained. Collections of binding times are often plotted as histograms and can be fit to kinetic models using a variety of methods. Here, we describe the use of maximum likelihood methods to fit dwell time distributions without binning. In addition, we discuss several aspects of analyzing these distributions with histograms and pitfalls that can be encountered if improperly binned histograms are used. We have automated several aspects of maximum likelihood fitting of dwell time distributions in the AGATHA software package.
Finer‐scale habitat predicts nest survival in grassland birds more than management and landscape: A multi‐scale perspective

Birds may respond to habitat at multiple scales, ranging from microhabitat structure to landscape composition. North American grassland bird distributions predominantly reside on private lands, and populations have been consistently declining. Many of these lands are enrolled in U.S. federal conservation programmes, and properly guided management policies could alleviate declines. However, more evaluative research is needed on the effects of management policies juxtaposed with other multi‐scale habitat features. Furthermore, research focused on nest survival is arguably more valuable because habitat associations with avian densities can sometimes be deceptive. We investigated nest survival of a grassland facultative (red‐winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus) and obligate species (dickcissel Spiza americana), and two nesting communities (ground and above‐ground nesters) relative to management and multi‐scale habitat (nest‐site characteristics, in‐field microhabitat, patch metrics, and landscape context). Our study was conducted on private lands in Illinois (2011–2014) and directly linked to policy‐based management (discing, herbicidal spraying, spray/interseeding) and landowner decisions. Multi‐scale models explained more variation in nest survival compared to single scales or management in three of four analyses (blackbirds, dickcissels, and above‐ground nesters). Finer‐scale habitat variables, such as nest‐site characteristics, were more often in top and among the competitive models relative to landscape factors. Compared with other management types, discing (i.e., tractor‐pulled disc harrows removed approximately 50% of vegetation) displayed distinct effects and positively influenced nest survival in above‐ground nesters. Also, greater proportions of a field managed cumulatively and yearly, regardless of type, generally improved nest survival for dickcissels and above‐ground nesters. All groups except above‐ground nesters had generally higher nest survival in native‐grass dominated fields. Synthesis and applications. Habitat practitioners can improve nest survival for certain grassland birds by directly affecting in‐field microhabitat vegetation and structure. However, characteristics associated with specific nest locations often drive nest survival. We suggest habitat managers and agency staff promote native grass practices and management, such as discing, to enhance nest survival of grassland bird populations. Management will likely be most effective in favourable unfragmented grassland landscapes with less surrounding forested areas, which also promote other important responses (e.g., colonization and persistence) of target species.
“If I don’t have children, they will know that I’m sick”: fertility desires of women and men living with HIV in Iringa, Tanzania

As safer conception services are expanded and integrated into HIV care systems, these services will need to address cultural, social, economic and medical concerns of women and men living with HIV. We conducted interviews with 30 HIV-positive women, 30 HIV-positive men, and 30 healthcare providers that examined factors specific to the experience of living with HIV that influence fertility desires in Iringa, Tanzania. HIV-related factors fell under five themes: knowing one could prevent mother-to-child transmission; reaching an ideal family size in the context of HIV-related infant mortality; concealing one's HIV status; being able to provide for children; and managing HIV disease progression. Integration of safer conception counseling that includes locally-tailored messaging around desired family size, health risks, stigma and financial considerations into safer conception services will help people living with HIV reach their reproductive goals, while reducing the risks of HIV transmission.
A new hybrid robust control of MEMS gyroscope

To control microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscope axis, we propose and investigate a new robust sliding mode controller (NRSMC). The sliding surface in the phase space converges to the equilibrium point within a finite period from any initial state. However, the main drawback of this control system is the chattering phenomenon, which is undesirable for the MEMS system. To solve this problem, we suggest a novel hybrid control system which improves trajectory tracking and eliminates the chattering. The dynamic stability of NRSMC against external disturbances is proved by applying the Lyapunov theory. The effectiveness of the proposed control method is verified by numerical simulation with a random noise applied to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed control system.
Inflammation Triggered by Saturated Fat Ingestion Is Linked to Insulin Resistance and Hyperandrogenism in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Context Inflammation and insulin resistance are often present in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Objective We determined the effect of saturated fat ingestion on mononuclear cell (MNC) nuclear factor-κB (NFκB) activation; NFκB, inhibitory-κBα (IκBα), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) gene expression; and circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) in women with PCOS. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Academic medical center. Patients Twenty reproductive-age women with PCOS (10 lean, 10 with obesity) and 20 ovulatory controls (10 lean, 10 with obesity). Main outcome measures Activated NFκB, NFκB heterodimer subunits, IκBα and TNFα messenger ribonucleic acid content and NFκB p65 and IκBα protein content were quantified in mononuclear cells (MNC), and CRP was measured in plasma from blood drawn fasting and 2, 3, and 5 h after saturated fat ingestion. Insulin sensitivity was derived from oral glucose tolerance testing (ISOGTT). Androgen secretion was assessed from blood drawn fasting and 24, 48, and 72 h after human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) administration. Results In response to saturated fat ingestion, women with PCOS regardless of weight class exhibited lipid-induced increases in activated NFκB, NFκB, and TNFα gene expression and plasma CRP and decreases in IκBα protein compared with lean control subjects. Both PCOS groups exhibited lower ISOGTT and greater HCG-stimulated androgen secretion compared with control subjects. Lipid-stimulated NFκB activation was negatively correlated with ISOGTT, and positively correlated with HCG-stimulated androgen secretion. Conclusion In PCOS, increases in NFκB activation and circulating CRP and decreases in IκBα protein following saturated fat ingestion are independent of obesity. Circulating MNC and excess adipose tissue are separate and distinct contributors to inflammation in this disorder.
Principles of Economics and Marketing

The potato market is a complex, dynamic economic system. It can be viewed as a chain linking producers on one end to consumers at the other. Fresh packers, processors, wholesalers, transporters, retailers, and restaurants make up some of the other links in the chain. The information presented here is mostly from the growers’ perspective, but it should also be useful for potato science students.
Robotic-Assisted Complex Pulmonary Resection: Sleeve Lobectomy for Cancer.

The use of robotic assistance for complex pulmonary resections such as segmentectomy and sleeve lobectomy has steadily increased in recent years. These operations are technically challenging as the...
Digital Phenotyping of Emotion Dysregulation Across Lifespan Transitions to Better Understand Psychopathology Risk

Ethical and consensual digital phenotyping through smartphone activity (i. e., passive behavior monitoring) permits measurement of temporal risk trajectories unlike ever before. This data collection modality may be particularly well-suited for capturing emotion dysregulation, a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology, across lifespan transitions. Adolescence, emerging adulthood, and perinatal transitions are particularly sensitive developmental periods, often marked by increased distress. These participant groups are typically assessed with laboratory-based methods that can be costly and burdensome. Passive monitoring presents a relatively cost-effective and unobtrusive way to gather rich and objective information about emotion dysregulation and risk behaviors. We first discuss key theoretically-driven concepts pertaining to emotion dysregulation and passive monitoring. We then identify variables that can be measured passively and hold promise for better understanding emotion dysregulation. For example, two strong markers of emotion dysregulation are sleep disturbance and problematic use of Internet/social media (i.e., use that prompts negative emotions/outcomes). Variables related to mobility are also potentially useful markers, though these variables should be tailored to fit unique features of each developmental stage. Finally, we offer our perspective on candidate digital variables that may prove useful for each developmental transition. Smartphone-based passive monitoring is a rigorous method that can elucidate psychopathology risk across human development. Nonetheless, its use requires researchers to weigh unique ethical considerations, examine relevant theory, and consider developmentally-specific lifespan features that may affect implementation.
Witnessed Incivility and Perceptions of Patients and Visitors in Hospitals.

Research has examined instances of incivility witnessed by physicians, nurses, or employees in hospitals. Although patients and visitors are members in hospitals, witnessed incivility from their pe...
Expendable Bodies: Examining the Connection Between Ecoracism and Embodied Toxicity to Advance Eco-Social Justice Activism

Although current literature in the environmental humanities establishes the existence of ecoracism and embodied toxicity, the discourse does not explicitly identify the connection between these two phenomena. This research paper argues that ecoracism, as seen in instances such as the violation of indigenous rights experienced by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe or the infringement of corporations on the sacred land of Maunakea, creates expendable bodies that are either invisible or negligible to the public. In this system, the suffering of the oppressed groups similarly goes unseen. This process can be specifically traced to instances of embodied toxicity, in which the contamination of communal land, water, or air with toxic waste is ignored by lawmakers. This research proposes a new framework for discussing toxic pollution by linking the creation of expendable bodies under ecoracism to the normalization of embodied toxicity. Further, upon examining contributions from prominent scholars of eco-social justice activism, this work illustrates the ways in which this new lens can be applied in order to advocate for those who suffer from embodied toxicity.
Modeling and Design of Distributed Systems; Methods and Algorithms

Abstract Mathematical programming techniques to predict cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow fields and drug transport in the human brain are presented. In addition, advantageous use of distributed mathematical models to accelerate design and development of a novel volume sensor for hydrocephalus treatment is demonstrated. CSF flow in the brain can be measured analytically in three dimensions, but quantitative interpretation requires a distributed inversion problem. In the example of a volume sensor, medical imaging and rigorous mathematical analysis lead to optimal sensor design and optimal placement for highest sensitivity. Finally, prediction of drug transport in the brain leads to improved treatment options for patients suffering from neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Infusion parameters such as flow rate and drug catheter position need to be optimized in three dimensions to achieve maximal therapeutic thresholds in the desired target area of the soft brain tissue. This example constitutes a three dimensional design problem with partial differential equation constraints. Our systematic modeling approach may improve the simulation and design of disease treatment options.
Markets With Infinitely Many Commodities

We have defined commodities as physical goods which may differ in the location or time at which they are produced or consumed, or in the state of the world in which they become available. If we allow an infinite variation in any of these contingencies, then we are naturally led to consider economies with infinitely many commodities.
Alfven ion-cyclotron heating of ionospheric O(+) ions

Transversely heated ionospheric ions, in particular O(+) ions, are often observed flowing upward along auroral field lines. Currents observed in association with the transversely heated ions can drive shear Alfven waves and electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves unstable which can, in turn, be resonantly absorbed by the ions to produce the heating. Particle simulations are used to examine self-consistently the excitation of these waves and the associated heating. It is shown that the growth of the electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves quickly becomes suppressed as the ions become heated and the dominant wave fields are those of the shear Alfven wave. The resultant transverse ion heating is larger and faster than that produced by solely electrostatic ion-cyclotron wave heating. Due to trapping of ions by the shear Alfven wave, the temperature of the O(+) ions remains comparable to that of the H(+) ions.
Structure‐guided analysis of catalytic specificity of the abundantly secreted chitosanase SACTE_5457 from Streptomyces sp. SirexAA‐E

SACTE_5457 is secreted by Streptomyces sp. SirexAA-E, a highly cellulolytic actinobacterium isolated from a symbiotic community composed of insects, fungi, and bacteria. Here we report the 1.84 A resolution crystal structure and functional characterization of SACTE_5457. This enzyme is a member of the glycosyl hydrolase family 46 and is composed of two α-helical domains that are connected by an α-helical linker. The catalytic residues (Glu74 and Asp92) are separated by 10.3 A, matching the distance predicted for an inverting hydrolysis reaction. Normal mode analysis suggests that the connecting α-helix is flexible and allows the domain motion needed to place active site residues into an appropriate configuration for catalysis. SACTE_5457 does not react with chitin, but hydrolyzes chitosan substrates with an ∼4-fold improvement in k(cat)/K(M) as the percentage of acetylation and the molecular weights decrease. Analysis of the time dependence of product formation shows that oligosaccharides with degree of polymerization <4 are not hydrolyzed. By combining the results of substrate docking to the X-ray structure and end-product analysis, we deduce that SACTE_5457 preferentially binds substrates spanning the -2 to +2 sugar binding subsites, and that steric hindrance prevents binding of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in the +2 subsite and may weakly interfere with binding of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in the +1 subsites. A proposal for how these constraints account for the observed product distributions is provided.
Ending the ROLAP/MOLAP debate: usage based aggregation and flexible HOLAP

Summary form only given, as follows. Over the past few years, OLAP vendors have engaged in a debate regarding relational versus multidimensional data stores. This debate has obscured the more significant problems facing today's OLAP customers: managing the exponential growth generated by multidimensional pre-aggregations, and architectural support for a wide array of OLAP data models. Microsoft discusses several aspects of its upcoming OLAP Server product, placing special emphasis on these areas. Solutions for managing voluminous pre-aggregates are discussed in the context of understanding of the dynamics of the data explosion problem, and a partial aggregation scheme that is adjusted according to user query needs. Flexible Hybrid OLAP is discussed as a compelling solution to a wide array of user needs and data requirements, with a focus on understanding the many different meanings associated with Hybrid OLAP and the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Laying Low the Shibboleth of a Free Press

As American newspapers came under various forms of financial strain in the 1940s, arguably the most significant threat facing the industry during this period was an onslaught of media criticism in conjunction with a series of attempted state interventions. This paper fleshes out recurring themes of 1940s media criticism and shows how they coincided with moves toward regulating the press, which had begun in the late 1930s. Using historical methods, including close readings of newspaper, trade press, and activist literature and other materials that shed light on debates around press reform, this critical revisionist history brings into focus a formative period in the American press system's development. The history that emerges from this archival evidence does not simply bring previously under-researched areas into focus; it also questions the presumed natural laissez-faire arrangement between the American government and the press—an assumption that largely remains intact to this day.
Determining U.S. Commitments in Afghanistan

As the Obama administration's tenure winds down and the United States withdraws nearly all of its troops from Afghanistan, debates about the nature and scale of future U.S. involvement in Afghanist...
Emotional and behavioral responses to romantic jealousy expressions

This study focused on the emotional and behavioral responses experienced and expressed by targets of jealousy expressions. Participants (N equals;226) reported their perceived emotion intensity and likelihood that they would respond with specific messages in response to romantic jealousy expressions. The results showed that targets of romantic jealousy expressions responded with both positive and negative emotions and messages, experienced positive emotions most intensely in response to positive communication, negative affect expression, and suspicious behavior, experienced negative emotions most intensely to violence, negative communication, suspicious behavior, and manipulation attempts, responded with integrative behavior in a variety of conditions, acted most aggressively when faced with violent expressions, and that the valence of targets’ emotions predicted the direction of their responses.
The role of the porcelain inlay in restorative dentistry.

Porcelain inlays coupled by a silane treatment to composite resins which were used as cementing media and in turn retained by an undercut were evaluated as to their marginal integrity and retention against conventionally restored teeth. These included restorations in teeth with undercuts of resins, composites, and porcelain inlays cemented with zinc oxyphosphate cements. The evaluations were determined by isotope penetration during thermal cycling (180 cycles from 12 to 50°C), scanning electron microscopy of sectioned restorations, and mechanical pull tests. The results showed improved retentive qualities and markedly improved resistance to marginal penetration. Improved adaptation of the composite to the tooth surface was produced by the mechanical action of seating the porcelain inlay.
Repetitive DNA of microtus agrestis

Abstract DNA from the European field vole Microtus agrestis was sheared to fragments approximately 500 nucleotides in length in a French pressure cell and fractionated according to repetitiveness on hydroxyapatite. Four fractions, amounting to 26% of the total DNA, were obtained at Cot values between 2×10−4 and 8×10−1. Analysis of the fractions by density gradient centrifugation in CsCl and determination of base composition and melting profiles, revealed the presence of 3 main components: two minor highly repetitive components, representing about 5 and 3% of the total DNA and rich in GC and AT, respectively, and a major component of intermediate repetitiveness with a base composition similar to that of total DNA.
Molecular mechanism of decreased glutathione content in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Tat-transgenic mice.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) progressively depletes GSH content in humans. Although the accumulated evidence suggests a role of decreased GSH in the pathogenesis of HIV, significant controversy remains concerning the mechanism of GSH depletion, especially in regard to envisioning appropriate therapeutic strategies to help compensate for such decreased antioxidant capacity. Tat, a transactivator encoded by HIV, is sufficient to cause GSH depletion in vitro and is implicated in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma and B cell lymphoma. In this study, we report a decrease in GSH biosynthesis with Tat, using HIV-1 Tat transgenic (Tat+) mice. A significant decline in the total intracellular GSH content in liver and erythrocytes of Tat+ mice was accompanied by decreased γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase regulatory subunit mRNA and protein content, which resulted in an increased sensitivity of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase to feedback inhibition by GSH. Further study revealed a significant reduction in the activity of GSH synthetase in liver of Tat+ mice, which was linearly associated with their GSH content. Therefore, Tat appears to decrease GSH in vivo, at least partially, through modulation of GSH biosynthetic enzymes.
Computation of Flow and Heat Transfer in Turbine Blade Cooling Passages by Reynolds Stress Turbulence Model (Keynote Paper)

Numerical predictions of three-dimensional flow and heat transfer are presented for non-rotating and rotating turbine blade cooling passages with or without the rib turbulators. A multi-block Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes method was employed in conjunction with a near-wall second-moment closure to provide detailed velocity, pressure, and temperature distributions as well as Reynolds stresses and turbulent heat fluxes in various cooling channel configurations. These numerical results were systematically evaluated to determine the effect of blade rotation, coolant-to-wall density ratio, rib shape, channel aspect ratio and channel orientation on the generation of flow turbulence and the enhancement of surface heat transfer in turbine blade cooling passages. The second-moment solutions show that the secondary flow induced by the angled ribs, centrifugal buoyancy, and Coriolis forces produced strong nonisotropic turbulent stresses and heat fluxes that significantly affected flow field and surface heat transfer coefficients.Copyright © 2002 by ASME