cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Approaches to Testing New Treatments in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: Insights from the CRISP and HALT-PKD Studies

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an inherited systemic disease characterized by a prolonged subclinical course of gradual renal cyst expansion, resulting in massively enlarged kidneys and renal failure by the fifth to sixth decade. Renal cyst expansion results in intrarenal ischemia and activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and relates to the development and maintenance of hypertension in ADPKD. Hypertension relates to disease progression in ADPKD with regard to renal volume, proteinuria, cardiovascular complications, and progression to end-stage renal disease. Novel magnetic resonance imaging methods developed in the Consortium for Radiologic Imaging for the Study of Polycystic Kidney Disease (CRISP) provide accurate estimates of change in renal volume over a short period of time in ADPKD patients with intact renal function. In CRISP an increase in renal volume of 63.4 ml/yr was found. PKD1 status, male gender, hypertension, reduced renal blood flow, and proteinuria are associated with increased renal volume and change in renal volume over time. HALT-Polycystic Kidney Disease (HALT-PKD) is designed to test whether blockade of RAAS and/or rigorous blood pressure control play a role in slowing renal progression during early (using magnetic resonance imaging methods developed in CRISP) and during late (using measures, including composite of time to doubling of serum creatinine, onset of end-stage renal disease, or death) phases in ADPKD. Findings from CRISP and the rationale for interventions in ADPKD are described, and the design of the HALT-PKD clinical trial is outlined.
Signal-to-noise ratio and the isolation of the 11 March 2011 Tohoku tsunami in deep-ocean tsunameter records

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tsunami forecasting capability under collaborative development between the National Weather Service, the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, the National Geophysical Data Center, and the National Data Buoy Center depends on rapid isolation of a deep-ocean tsunami signal during tsunami propagation. Typical tsunami signal-to-noise ratios in the deep-ocean are such that de-tiding based on a combination of standard tidal harmonic predictions and carefully constructed filters are necessary to isolate the tsunami from records dominated by local tides and environmentally induced background noise. The unprecedented amplitudes measured at deep-ocean tsunameter sites offshore Japan during the propagation phase of the 11 March 2011 Tohoku tsunami provide an atypical scenario of high signal-to-noise ratios by which to evaluate the historic nature of this tsunami in terms of signal isolation for the forecasting of tsunami amplitude and inundation along Pacific Basin coastlines. Tsunami isolation for real-time forecasting during the more typical event scenarios of 27 February 2010 Chile and 29 September 2009 Samoa require specific techniques to minimize impact on the tsunami signal.
Film Bulk Acoustic-Wave Resonator (FBAR) based ultraviolet sensor

This paper described ultraviolet (UV) radiation sensing using ZnO based Film Bulk Acoustic-wave Resonator (FBAR). The resonant frequency upshifted when there was UV illumination on the FBAR. For 365 nm UV light, the frequency upshift was 9.8 kHz with an intensity of 600 µW/cm2, and the detection limit of the sensor was 6.5 nW. The frequency increase of the FBAR UV sensor was proposed to be due to the density decrease of ZnO film upon UV illumination. When UV was incident on the ZnO film, it can cause oxygen desorption from the ZnO surface, resulting in density decrease of the film. This study has proven the feasibility of detection of low intensity UV using ZnO film based FBAR.
Betaine improved adipose tissue function in mice fed a high-fat diet: a mechanism for hepatoprotective effect of betaine in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Adipose tissue dysfunction, featured by insulin resistance and/or dysregulated adipokine production, plays a central role not only in disease initiation but also in the progression to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Promising beneficial effects of betaine supplementation on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have been reported in both clinical investigations and experimental studies; however, data related to betaine therapy in NAFLD are still limited. In this study, we examined the effects of betaine supplementation on hepatic fat accumulation and injury in mice fed a high-fat diet and evaluated mechanisms underlying its hepatoprotective effects. Male C57BL/6 mice weighing 25 ± 0.5 (SE) g were divided into four groups (8 mice/group) and started on one of four treatments: control diet, control diet supplemented with betaine, high-fat diet, and high-fat diet supplemented with betaine. Betaine was supplemented in the drinking water at a concentration of 1% (wt/vol) (anhydrous). Our results showed that long-term high-fat feeding caused NAFLD in mice, which was manifested by excessive neutral fat accumulation in the liver and elevated plasma alanine aminotransferase levels. Betaine supplementation alleviated hepatic pathological changes, which were concomitant with attenuated insulin resistance as shown by improved homeostasis model assessment of basal insulin resistance values and glucose tolerance test, and corrected abnormal adipokine (adiponectin, resistin, and leptin) productions. Specifically, betaine supplementation enhanced insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue as shown by improved extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 and protein kinase B activations. In adipocytes freshly isolated from mice fed a high-fat diet, pretreatment of betaine enhanced the insulin signaling pathway and improved adipokine productions. Further investigation using whole liver tissues revealed that betaine supplementation alleviated the high-fat diet-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress response in adipose tissue as shown by attenuated glucose-regulated protein 78/C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) protein abundance and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase activation. Our findings suggest that betaine might serve as a safe and efficacious therapeutic tool for NAFLD by improving adipose tissue function.
Characterization of New Static Independent-Gate-Biased FinFET Latches and Flip-Flops under Process Variations

Brute-force sequential circuits with reduced clock load and simpler circuitry are widely used in the state-of-the-art integrated circuits. In this paper, new brute-force independent-gate FinFET sequential circuits are evaluated for power consumption, speed, and noise immunity characteristics at different process corners under parameter fluctuations in a 32 nm FinFET technology. With the independent-gate FinFET latches and flip-flops, the total active mode power consumption, the clock power, and the average leakage power are reduced by up to 47%, 32%, and 37%, respectively, while maintaining similar speed and data stability as compared to the circuits with tied-gate FinFETs across different process corners. Furthermore, the area is reduced by 20% with the new sequential circuits due to the smaller transistors as compared to the circuits with tied-gate FinFETs.
Proposed avionics architecture for Air Force Air Mobility Command aircraft to meet CNS/ATM and GATM requirements

Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft must meet military requirements for transport missions anywhere in the world while also addressing emerging Civil Aviation Authority requirements for Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) for operation in the Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) environment. An architecture designed to meet these requirements must accommodate existing avionics to the maximum extent possible to minimize costs and must also incorporate new avionics that take advantage of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS)/Non Developmental Items (NDI) and open system architectures to be able to incorporate the growth necessitated by these emerging requirements. This paper describes a generic architecture designed to meet these requirements for a tanker/transport platform. The architecture is designed so that future upgrades for these evolving requirements could be met with minimal impact to the aircraft. The implementation of this architecture is primarily a systems engineering effort in managing the human machine interface necessary to provide a seamless integration of GATM and navigation safety equipment including an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), a Communication Management Function (CMF), a Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR), a traffic collision and avoidance system (TCAS), new communications radios, a new displays subsystem and existing flight management systems that are modified, as necessary, to support Required Navigation Performance (RNP) objectives.
Rapid generation of spatially and temporally controllable long range concentration gradients in a microfluidic device

The ability to rapidly generate concentration gradients of diffusible molecules has important applications in many chemical and biological studies. Here we established spatially and temporally controllable concentration gradients of molecules (i.e.proteins or toxins) in a portable microfluidic device in an easy and rapid manner. The formation of the concentration gradients was initiated by a passive-pump-induced forward flow and further optimized during an evaporation-induced backward flow. The centimeter-long gradients along the microfluidic channel were shown to be spatially and temporally controlled by the backward flow. The gradient profile was stabilized by stopping the flow. Computational simulations of this dynamic process illustrated the combined effects of convection and diffusion on the gradient generation, and fit well with the experimental data. To demonstrate the applications of this methodology, a stabilized concentration gradient of a cardiac toxin, alpha-cypermethrin, along the microchannel was used to test the response of HL-1 cardiac cells in the micro-device, which correlated with toxicity data obtained from multi-well plates. The approach presented here may be useful for many biological and chemical processes that require rapid generation of long-range gradients in a portable microfluidic device.
Correlation Between Mandibular Central Incisor Proclination and Gingival Recession During Fixed Appliance Therapy

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine whether proclination of mandibular central incisors during fixed appliance therapy results in gingival recession. Complete records of 67 patients (39 female and 28 male patients; mean age, 16.4 years; age range, 10–45 years) were used in this retrospective case-control study. Using pretreatment and posttreatment lateral cephalograms, the change in mandibular central incisor inclination was measured to divide the patients into an experimental group (proclination) and a control group (no proclination). Changes in clinical crown length were determined from pretreatment and posttreatment study models, and changes in gingival recession were determined from intraoral slides. Eight of the 67 patients exhibited a measurable increase in gingival recession of at least 0.5 mm, and 27 patients had an increase in clinical crown length of at least 0.5 mm. Statistical analyses showed no correlation between mandibular central incisor proclination and gingival recession ...
Gelsolin Modulates Phospholipase C Activity In Vivo through Phospholipid Binding

Gelsolin and CapG are actin regulatory proteins that remodel the cytoskeleton in response to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2 ) and Ca 2+ during agonist stimulation. A physiologically relevant rise in Ca 2+ increases their affinity for PIP 2 and can promote significant interactions with PIP 2 in activated cells. This may impact divergent PIP 2 - dependent signaling processes at the level of substrate availability. We found that CapG overexpression enhances PDGF-stimulated phospholipase C γ (PLC γ ) activity (Sun, H.-q., K. Kwiatkowska, D.C. Wooten, and H.L. Yin. 1995. J. Cell Biol. 129:147–156). In this paper, we examined the ability of gelsolin and CapG to compete with another PLC for PIP 2 in live cells, in semiintact cells, and in vitro. We found that CapG and gelsolin overexpression profoundly inhibited bradykinin-stimulated PLC β . Inhibition occurred at or after the G protein activation step because overexpression also reduced the response to direct G protein activation with NaF. Bradykinin responsiveness was restored after cytosolic proteins, including gelsolin, leaked out of the overexpressing cells. Conversely, exogenous gelsolin added to permeabilized cells inhibited response in a dose-dependent manner. The washout and addback experiments clearly establish that excess gelsolin is the primary cause of PLC inhibition in cells. In vitro experiments showed that gelsolin and CapG stimulated as well as inhibited PLC β , and only gelsolin domains containing PIP 2 -binding sites were effective. Inhibition was mitigated by increasing PIP 2 concentration in a manner consistent with competition between gelsolin and PLC β for PIP 2 . Gelsolin and CapG also had biphasic effects on tyrosine kinase– phosphorylated PLC γ , although they inhibited PLC γ less than PLC β . Our findings indicate that as PIP 2 level and availability change during signaling, cross talk between PIP 2 -regulated proteins provides a selective mechanism for positive as well as negative regulation of the signal transduction cascade.
Global microwave land surface emissivity retrieval at the AMSR-E microwave frequencies

Land emissivity is a key boundary condition particularly when used in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models. The objective of this study is to develop a global land emissivity product using AMSR-E passive microwave data. This work investigates the impact of the difference in penetration depths between passive microwave and thermal temperatures on the retrieval of land emissivity. AMSR-E frequencies (6.9, 10.7, 18.7, and 36.5 GHz) have been used to retrieve land emissivity. Composite clear sky skin temperature (DX) produced by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) was used. Moreover, information on water vapor and air temperature obtained from the ISCCP database (TOVS data) was used to calculate the upwelling and the downwelling atmospheric brightness temperatures as well as the atmospheric transmission. Instantaneous land emissivity maps have been developed at different AMSR-E frequencies. A monthly composited map was developed for each frequency. The analysis of the obtained maps has shown an acceptable agreement with the global pattern of land use/land cover. Also, a significant difference between ascending and descending overpasses emissivity was found in deserts and high topography regions.
SU(2)-Invariant Spin Liquids on the Triangular Lattice with Spinful Majorana Excitations

We describe a new class of spin liquids with global SU(2) spin-rotation symmetry in spin-1/2 systems on the triangular lattice, which have real Majorana fermion excitations carrying spin $S=1$. The simplest translationally invariant mean-field state on the triangular lattice breaks time-reversal symmetry and is stable to fluctuations. It generically possesses gapless excitations along three Fermi lines in the Brillouin zone. These intersect at a single point where the excitations scale with a dynamic exponent $z=3$. An external magnetic field has no orbital coupling to the SU(2) spin-rotation-invariant fermion bilinears that can give rise to a transverse thermal conductivity, thus leading to the absence of a thermal Hall effect. The Zeeman coupling is found to gap out two-thirds of the $z=3$ excitations near the intersection point and this leads to a suppression of the low-temperature specific heat, the spin susceptibility, and the Wilson ratio. We also compute physical properties in the presence of weak disorder and discuss possible connections to recent experiments on organic insulators.
In vitro accumulation of technetium-99m-sestamibi in human parathyroid mitochondria.

Abstract Background. Technetium-99m-sestamibi (sestamibi) is the imaging agent of choice for preoperative parathyroid localization. The subcellular localization of sestamibi uptake in enlarged parathyroid glands in patients with hyperparathyroidism has not been determined. This study investigated the mechanism of retention of sestamibi by human parathyroid tissue. Methods. Twenty-three freshly harvested and 15 cryopreserved parathyroid glands excised from patients with primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism were analyzed for subcellular localization of Tc-99m-sestamibi. Tissues were incubated with 100 μCi of sestamibi and isolated for mitochondria by differential centrifugation, and the integrity of subcellular fractions was quantified with the mitochondrial enzyme marker, succinate dehydrogenase. Results. Ninety-two percent of sestamibi activity was associated with mitochondria. Furthermore, after adding the mitochondrial uncoupler, carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), to fresh parathyroid tissues, 84.96% and 73.86% of sestamibi was released from the mitochondrial and tissue fragment components, respectively. In addition, sestamibi activity in the mitochondrial component of cryopreserved human parathyroid tissue decreased to the same amount as the CCCP-treated group. Conclusions. These data confirm that mitochondrial activity is the major component of sestamibi uptake by human parathyroid tissue in patients with hyperparathyroidism. (Surgery 2001;130:1011-8.)
If at First You Don 't Succeed, Try, Try, Try Again: The Third Circuit Strikes Down Prevailing Wage Rule Once More in Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas v. Perez

In _Comite de Apoyo a Los Trabajadores Agricolas v. Perez (CATA IV)_ , the plaintiffs challenged the Department of Labor's (DOL) prevailing wage methodology. While the DOL permitted employers to submit private wage surveys to calculate prevailing wage rates, these surveys featured wage rates that were significantly lower than those reported by government surveys. In light of these disparities, the Third Circuit held that the DOL’s methodology violated the agency’s statutory mandate to protect the American workforce. The Third Circuit’s decision in _CATA IV_ follows a line of cases that have systematically rebuked the DOL’s rulemaking processes. Following _CATA IV_, the DOL must implement policies that reflect the congressional mandate prescribed by the H2–B visa program. While this politically fraught issue is far from resolved, the Third Circuit has repeatedly expressed its distaste for H–2B employers that abuse regulatory loopholes, the most recent example of this dissatisfaction manifesting in the court’s _CATA IV_ opinion. This Casebrief discusses the Third Circuit’s ruling in _CATA IV_ and examines the practical implications of that decision.
America, Its Jews, and the Rise of Nazism

Preliminary Table of Contents: Introduction Part 1: Incoming 1. "Amerika du hast es besser": The German-Jewish Immigrants in America 2. A Community Transformed: The Influx from the East Part 2: A Growing Divide-"We" and "They" 3. Hard Times in the "Goldene Medine": The Jewish Question in the American Context 4. A Crisis of Faith: Anti-Semitism in Weimar Germany Part 3: A Scant Political Voice, 1933-35 5. The Jewish Leaders vs. the Voice of America 6. Cooptation of Protest: Trying to "Break Through" 7. Jewish Power: The Demise of a Myth Part 4: Crisis and Patriotism, 1936-1942 8. FDR: "The Greatest Friend We Have" 9. "On Being an American": (In Place of a) Conclusion
A Bacterial Quorum-Sensing Precursor Induces Mortality in the Marine Coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi

Interactions between phytoplankton and bacteria play a central role in mediating biogeochemical cycling and food web structure in the ocean. However, deciphering the chemical drivers of these interspecies interactions remains challenging. Here, we report the isolation of 2-heptyl-4-quinolone (HHQ), released by Pseudoalteromonas piscicida, a marine gamma-proteobacteria previously reported to induce phytoplankton mortality through a hitherto unknown algicidal mechanism. HHQ functions as both an antibiotic and a bacterial signaling molecule in cell-cell communication in clinical infection models. Co-culture of the bloom-forming coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi with both live P. piscicida and cell-free filtrates caused a significant decrease in algal growth. Investigations of the P. piscicida exometabolome revealed HHQ, at nanomolar concentrations, induced mortality in three strains of E. huxleyi. Mortality of E. huxleyi in response to HHQ occurred slowly, implying static growth rather than a singular loss event (e.g., rapid cell lysis). In contrast, the marine chlorophyte, Dunaliella tertiolecta and diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum were unaffected by HHQ exposures. These results suggest that HHQ mediates the type of inter-domain interactions that cause shifts in phytoplankton population dynamics. These chemically mediated interactions, and other like it, ultimately influence large-scale oceanographic processes.
Hyperfine-Structure Constants and g J Values of I 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 5 Atomic States of Nd 1 4 3 , 1 4 5

The atomic-beam magnetic-resonance technique has been used to extend the hyperfine-structure and $g$-value results of Smith and Spalding to all five members of the $4{f}^{4}6{s}^{2}^{5}I$ ground multiplet of $^{143,145}\mathrm{Nd}$. The eigenvectors derived by Conway and Wybourne by fitting the excitation energies are reasonably consistent with the new data. The extent to which the hfs is affected by small components in the eigenvectors is investigated. Empirical values for the radial integrals that appear in the hyperfine structure are compared with predictions based on nonrelativistic Hartree-Fock and on relativistic Hartree-Fock-Slater calculations. The empirical value found for the dipole integral least susceptible to distortion by configuration interaction is within (1-3)% of the value calculated relativistically. Differences between theory and experiment are substantial for some of the other integrals, however. The values of the electric-quadrupole moments of $^{143,145}\mathrm{Nd}$ are found to be -0.56(6) b and -0.29(3) b, respectively.
Substituting Law for the Lash: Emancipation and Legal Formalism in a Mississippi County Court

After emancipation white southerners tried to use law to do what they had before done extralegally: discipline Black labor. That they did this through a system of laws that northerners called Black Codes is well known. In Mississippi and in many other southern states, they also created a system of inferior courts to control Blacks. But whites found legal culture an unwieldy tool. At the trial level of jurisprudence, formal procedures and customs allowed Black defendants and victims opportunities they had never had under the slavery regime. Legal formalism provided Blacks new access to the criminal justice system and, at the same time, undermined whites' immature confidence in law as an instrument of their domination over Blacks. The role of inferior courts in Presidential Reconstruction has been obscure.' But contemporaries interpreted the new inferior courts as central to southern whites' efforts to use law to control Black behavior. The records of these inferior courts, little studied by Reconstruction scholars, offer a glimpse of the workings of an important if overlooked provision of the Black Codes. More generally, they throw open a window on efforts by an elite class to mobilize law to its own ends.
Beta-Blocker Use Is Associated with Higher Renal Tissue Oxygenation in Hypertensive Patients Suspected of Renal Artery Stenosis.

Background: Chronic renal hypoxia influences the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance (MR) is a non
How Plato Started Philosophy

The meaning breaking of the concept “fond of wisdom” in ancient Greece was a symbol of the starting of philosophy, in which Plato was the great forerunner. How did Plato start philosophy? The article discusses this problem from the three themes in Republic, such as “against poets”, “light root metaphor” and “philosopher as king”. The first two themes reflected the dimensions of language and subject in the road of approaching philosophy respectively and the last one actually fixed the central position of philosophy in human culture. Plato made the concept “fond of wisdom” become philosophy(metaphysics) which laid the foundation of western thought.
Visions of Religion: Experience, Meaning, and Power, by Stephen S. Bush, New York: Oxford University Press, 2014, xi + 259 pp., ISBN 978-0-19-938740-3, $78 (hardcover)

Visions of Religion offers a long-overdue call for the integration of approaches to the study of religion that prioritize experience, meaning, or power to make the case that all three are important...
Exploring Configurations of Affordances: The Case of Software Development

Affordances have been increasingly used in the information systems literature to account for the usage and effects of information technology. However, a review of the literature shows that the construct has remained nebulously defined, rarely used in anything but singular forms and with little consideration of context. This has resulted in a lack of cumulative research on affordances. We propose that affordances need to be considered not only individually, but also as configurations of multiple affordances. Through a sociomaterial sequence analysis of two software development teams ‐ one waterfall and one agile - we build a framework for the study of affordance ecologies. We highlight four dimensions of affordance ecologies: clustering, spread, concentration, and alignment. As such, we develop a general grammar for describing interactions between multiple technologies and actions in the form of affordance configurations that can aid scholars in analyzing variance in practice intertwined with technology.
Literary Geography and Sovereign Violence: Resisting Tocqueville's Family Romance:

The initial impetus for this article is Alexis de Tocqueville's discussion of the influence of democracy on "the American family," from which the epigraph on social versus kindred ties is taken. Restricting his observations to a comparison between the traditional aristocratic family in Europe and white bourgeois families in nineteenth-century "America," and perceiving what he regarded as a spirit of equality prevailing "around the domestic hearth,"2 Tocqueville imagined, simultaneously, a breakdown of "all the old conventional rules of society"3 and a closer family bond (especially between fathers and sons) . Such a bond, he noted, reflects an affection and intimacy not afforded by the patriarchal, commandbased relationships in aristocratic families. An inspection of Tocqueville's travel notes reveals that his remarks about the "American family" are based primarily on his encounters with those who hosted him: white, well-to-do families. His initial experiences of American domesticity took place when he and Beaumont went "out into society" in the evenings in New York. Among the "several American families" they saw "fairly often" were the families of Mr. Prime, a banker who, Tocqueville noted, "is the richest businessman in New York," and the family of Mr. Livingston, "the Prime Minister of the United States."4 The scope of Tocqueville's generalizations about US domesticity becomes evident when one escapes the confines of his narrow gaze at "the
Fission Product Buildup and Decay

Nuclear fission products are the atomic fragments left after a large atomic nucleus undergoes nuclear fission. Typically, a nucleus that has a large atomic mass like uranium could fission by splitting into two smaller nuclei, along with a few neutrons. This process results in the release of heat energy, such as kinetic energy of the nuclei, and gamma rays. The fission products themselves are often unstable and radioactive, due to being relatively neutron rich for their high atomic number, and many of them quickly undergo beta decay. This releases additional energy in the form of beta particles, antineutrinos, and gamma rays. Thus, fission events normally result in beta radiation and antineutrinos, even though these particles are not produced directly by the fission event itself.
Exact-memory and memoryless control of linear systems with time-varying input delay using dynamic IQCs

Input delay is an important type of actuator nonlinearity in control systems. In this paper, we will address the output-feedback control synthesis problem for linear systems with time-varying input delay under the integral quadratic constraint (IQC) framework. A new exact-memory control scheme is first proposed, which consists of a standard linear output-feedback control law and an internal delay loop. The delay loop is embedded in the controller structure so as to reproduce the input delay behavior of the plant. By using quadratic Lyapunov functions incorporated with dynamic IQC multipliers, the resulting dynamic output-feedback delay control synthesis problem is fully characterized by a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which are convex on all design variables including the scaling factors associated with the IQC multipliers. Moreover, the corresponding result on memoryless control is also derived for the case when the plant input-delay information is not available for feedback control. An application to network systems has been used to illustrate the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed approach.
Influential Players in Twitter Networks of Libraries at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

Abstract This study presents an analysis of Twitter networks from academic libraries housed in medium-sized, primarily undergraduate universities. Previous investigations on this topic have used networks of followers, i.e. attention, to show that accounts associated with a library's home institution are the prime influencers in library Twitter networks. That is, they are in key positions to disseminate library-related information. The library itself was found to be positioned to contribute to the institution-wide conversation as well. Networks of followers, however, are susceptible to unwanted influence from inactive users. The present study utilizes networks constructed from tweeting behavior to identify influencers. These networks are, thus, insensitive to inactive followers. The results are compared to those of the previously published follower networks. The behavior networks are significantly smaller and contain far fewer interactions than the follower networks; however, institutional accounts are found to be the principal influencers in these networks as well. Additionally, the social network analysis allows for the quantification of relationship strengths. The closest relationships are between library/institutional and library/student accounts. The former demonstrates that the libraries are active participants in the university-wide exchanges on Twitter and the institutional accounts often include the libraries in their messages.
Kinetic Modeling of Receptor-Ligand Binding Applied to Positron Emission Tomographic Studies

Abstract Receptor density and the kinetics of binding of 11 C-labeled opiates have been estimated in various brain regions in baboons by fitting a simple compartmental model to measurements of total radioligand concentration as determined by positron emission tomography (PET) using a weighted least squares procedure. In the present study, the sensitivity of the predictions for each parameter value was determined by calculating the effect of small changes in that parameter value on the goodness of fit between computed and measured data sets for two brain regions, striatum and cerebellum
Effect of Interval Between Actuations of Albuterol Hydrofluoroalkane Pressurized Metered-Dose Inhalers on Their Aerosol Characteristics

BACKGROUND: Albuterol hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) either alone or with a valved holding chamber is used to treat bronchoconstriction. Delays between actuation and inhalation are common. Currently, the recommended interval between actuations of an albuterol HFA is 60 s. Using a shorter interval when multiple actuations are ordered will improve productivity in the hospital setting. METHODS: We studied aerosol characteristics of albuterol HFA (Ventolin, ProAir, and Proventil) with a cascade impactor calibrated at 30 L/min. We studied pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDI) alone, coupled to a nonelectrostatic valved holding chamber, and coupled to the valved holding chamber but introducing a 10-s delay between actuation and measurement. We tested intervals between actuations of 60, 30, and 15 s (not for delay scenario). The variable of most interest was fine-particle mass. Albuterol was measured by spectrophotometer (276 nm). RESULTS: Variations in fine-particle mass from 60-s values were 15% for Proventil (pMDI alone with a 30-s interval and pMDI/valved holding chamber with delay and a 30-s interval). Adding a valved holding chamber increased fine-particle mass for all brands (ProAir 7–12%, Ventolin 26–35%, and Proventil 44–47%). The introduction of a 10-s delay reduced fine-particle mass for all brands (ProAir 34–39%, Ventolin 39–42%, and Proventil 27–32%). Comparison of fine-particle mass among brands showed that Proventil was > ProAir > Ventolin. CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing the interval between actuations from 60 to 30 and 15 s does not seem to affect the aerosol characteristics of ProAir and Ventolin. Although some changes were noticed for Proventil, the pMDI outperformed Ventolin that had the lowest fine-particle mass. The use of a valved holding chamber increased fine-particle mass, but introducing a 10-s delay between actuation and inhalation significantly reduced fine-particle mass.
Luminescence from various N centers in additively colored KCl crystals

Abstract Luminescence has been used as a tool in an attempt to sort out several different color centers which absorb light in the N -band spectral region in additively colored KCl crystals. Crystals in which the R and N bands have been maximized by relatively long exposures to light in the F -band spectral region at room temperature luminesce in a manner which is consistent with the identification of a major portion of the N 1 band at 0.96 μ and all of the N 2 band at 1.02 μ with R-center transitions. Annealing these crystals at 85°C apparently produces two distinct centers which absorb at about 0.96 μ. The emission band of one of these centers peaks at 1.44 μ and exhibits a 〈100〉 transition moment, while the other center emits around 1.3 μ with a 〈110〉 (or 〈121〉) transition moment. The former center is apparently produced also in unannealed crystals containing maximized R and N bands by bleaching in the n 1 band at room temperature. A fourth center whose absorption band coincides with the N 1 band is the F + 3 center; a few of these centers form in the early stages of normal F aggregation.
Programs, Materials, and Techniques

A variety of items covering a wide range of interests is presented this month. Gaye McNutt of the University of Texas-Austin reviews a two-kit spelling program:Continuous Progress in Spelling.User suggestions are considered in this review. Materials developed for teaching English as a second language are useful for older students who need interesting reading at a low level of complexity. Oxford University Press, a primary distributor of these materials, publishesReading and Exercise SeriesandEnglish in Focus —samples of the rich resources offered by this field to learning disabilities. For the very severe language/learning disorder, theNon-Speech Language Initiation Program (NON-SLIP)is recommended because it by-passes the auditory-vocal channels of communication. ThePacemaker Primary Curriculumis seen as an excellent resource for the person who works with primary-age LD children or with their teachers (grades K-3). It is an excellent example of a planned, structured program designed to extend for an enti...
Introducing perennial biomass crops into agricultural landscapes to address water quality challenges and provide other environmental services

The world is faced with a difficult multiple challenge of meeting nutritional, energy, and other basic needs, under a limited land and water budget, of between 9 and 10 billion people in the next three decades, mitigating impacts of climate change, and making agricultural production resilient. More productivity is expected from agricultural lands, but intensification of production could further impact the integrity of our finite surface water and groundwater resources. Integrating perennial bioenergy crops in agricultural lands could provide biomass for biofuel and potential improvements on the sustainability of commodity crop production. This article provides an overview of ways in which research has shown that perennial bioenergy grasses and short rotation woody crops can be incorporated into agricultural production systems with reduced indirect land use change, while increasing water quality benefits. Current challenges and opportunities as well as future directions are also highlighted. WIREs Energy Environ 2018, 7:e275. doi: 10.1002/wene.275 This article is categorized under: Bioenergy > Climate and Environment Bioenergy > Systems and Infrastructure
Surgery Reduces Risk of Complications Even in High-Risk Veterans After Endoscopic Therapy for Biliary Stone Disease

In otherwise healthy patients, randomized trials have shown reduced mortality with cholecystectomy (CCY) when compared to non-operative management after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for biliary stone disease. These findings may not apply to veterans with multiple comorbidities, who have an increased risk of postoperative complications. Our study assessed the benefit of CCY among veterans with multiple comorbidities. Medical records of patients undergoing ERCP for biliary stone-related diseases from July 2008 to December 2016 were reviewed. Among patients who did not undergo CCY, risk of postoperative complications or death with CCY was estimated using the American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program risk calculator. Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and American Society of Anesthesiologists classification system (ASA) were used to assess patient’s functional status. The primary outcome was incidence of recurrent biliary events or death with non-operative management, compared to estimated risk of serious postoperative complications or death with CCY. A total of 152 patients met inclusion criteria, 81 of whom did not undergo CCY. Patients managed non-operatively were older and less medically fit than patients who underwent CCY. Biliary complications recurred in 23 patients managed non-operatively, including 3 deaths due to cholangitis. Among patients with CCI ≥ 3 and ASA ≥ 3 who were managed non-operatively (n = 43), the risk of serious biliary events was significantly higher than estimated risk of serious postoperative complications with laparoscopic CCY (26 vs 5%, p < 0.001). Our study suggests that non-operative management is associated with a higher risk of complications than laparoscopic CCY, even among veterans with significant comorbidities.
Savannah River Plant Thorium Processing Experience

Some experience in /sup 233/U--Th processing is available from past operations at government sites and may be of interest to the current reevaluation of thorium fuel cycles. In five separate campaigns between 1964 and 1970, the Savannah River Plant processed approx. 240 tons (MT) of thorium, irradiated as aluminum-clad metal and oxide and recovered approx. 580 kg of total uranium. Satisfactory processing routes were devised for a solvent extraction plant that normally processes enriched uranium and previously was a Purex plant. In the initial campaigns, a dilute tributyl phosphate (TBP) flowsheet recovered only uranium, and thorium was sent to waste. In later campaigns, a modified Thorex solvent extraction flowsheet recovered both uranium and thorium. Satisfactory processing required specific attention to the slow dissolving rate of ThO/sub 2/, the presence of highly radioactive /sup 233/Pa, solvent extraction flowsheet constraints to avoid formation of two organic phases in the thorium--TBP systems, the ingrowth of gamma-emitting daughters of /sup 232/U, and /sup 233/U criticality.
Biologic basis for modified condylotomy in the management of temporomandibular joint degenerative diseases

The biologic basis for treating temporomandibular joint internal derangement with modified condylotomy rests in the ability of this procedure to improve or normalize disc position and favorably alter the course of osteoarthrosis and internal derangement. Data presented here favor modified condylotomy over other disc-preserving treatments for temporomandibular joint internal derangement.
Van der Waals and Capillary Adhesion of Polycrystalline Silicon Micromachined Surfaces

Microelectromechanical systems are especially sensitive to adhesion as a result of their large surface area-to-volume ratios, small surface separations, and compliant components. Interfacial forces that can contribute to the overall adhesion between micromachined surfaces include van der Waals, capillary meniscus, electrostatic, and solid bridging forces. In this chapter, we focus on van der Waals and capillary meniscus forces between polycrystalline silicon micromachined surfaces and describe a joint experimental-modeling technique that examines in depth when these forces are active and how they change with different processing and environmental conditions. In the experiments, microcantilever test structures were brought into contact with a landing pad in an environmental chamber. Adhesion energies were extracted from measured deflection profiles using finite element analysis. As roughness increased, the adhesion at a given relative humidity (RH) decreased, while the RH at which adhesion abruptly jumped, or the threshold RH, increased. Once the jump occurred, the adhesion increased toward the upper limit of \(2\gamma \cos \theta \), where γ is the liquid-vapor surface energy and θ is the contact angle. A detailed model based on the topography of the polysilicon surfaces as measured by atomic force microscopy was developed. Below the threshold RH, the adhesion could be modeled with only van der Waals forces active. Above the threshold RH, the adhesion was modeled by assuming that capillary menisci had nucleated. It was found that the effect of asperity plasticity was small while the effects of topographic surface correlations and disjoining pressure were important. Several possible mechanisms that might explain the threshold RH are examined.
The utility of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in US military personnel

Sleep disturbances are endemic in military personnel with nonclinical populations averaging 6 hours of sleep. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), however, has not been validated in this popu...
Pediatric brainstem glioma. Post-radiation clinical and MR follow-up.

Thirty-four pediatric patients, twenty with presumed and fourteen with biopsy or autopsy proven brainstem gliomas were imaged by CT and MR before radiation therapy. Twenty-eight patients received radiotherapy. Of these, eighteen fit the protocol for combined clinical and MR post-treatment evaluation. No cases of radionecrosis were seen at autopsy. This study shows that MR can demonstrate tumor response to radiation therapy, tumor progression prior to clinical deterioration, post-treatment cyst formation and hemorrhage. Although MR clinical correlation was not optimal on six week post-treatment evaluation, 4–10 month post-treatment MR scanning correlated well with clinical evaluation. MR appears useful in post-therapeutic monitoring of tumor response.
How Do College Students Estimate Their Drinking? Comparing Consumption Patterns among Quantity-Frequency, Graduated Frequency, and Timeline Follow-Back Methods.

This exploratory study was designed to compare several commonly used measures of alcohol use among college students in order to appreciate how estimations of college drinking may he affected by the type of assessment tool used. Consumption patterns of 42 college student drinkers were compared using a quantity frequency measure, a g-aduated frequency measure, and a timeline follow-back (TLFB) interview. Within subject repeated measures were used to compare drinking variables across the two self report measures and the interview procedure. The results showed that both the specificity of the measure, as well as the type of administration, result in significant differences on variables that describe the quantity of alcohol consumed. Measures of frequency appeared to be less dependent on these assessment factors.
Electronic Cigarette Use and Cigarette Abstinence Over 2 Years Among U.S. Smokers in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study

Introduction Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) could benefit public health if they help current smokers to stop smoking long term, but evidence that they do so is limited. We aimed to determine the association between e-cigarette use and subsequent smoking cessation in a nationally representative cohort of US smokers followed for 2 years. Methods We analyzed data from adult cigarette smokers in Waves 1 through 3 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study. The primary exposure was e-cigarette use at Wave 1. The primary outcome was prolonged cigarette abstinence, defined as past 30-day cigarette abstinence at Waves 2 and 3 (1- and 2-year follow-up). Results Among Wave 1 cigarette smokers, 3.6% were current daily e-cigarette users, 18% were current non-daily e-cigarette users, and 78% reported no current e-cigarette use. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, daily e-cigarette use at Wave 1 was associated with higher odds of prolonged cigarette smoking abstinence at Waves 2 and 3 compared to nonuse of e-cigarettes (11% vs. 6%, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08 to 2.89). Non-daily e-cigarette use was not associated with prolonged cigarette smoking abstinence. Among Wave 1 daily e-cigarette users who were abstinent from cigarette smoking at Wave 3, 63% were using e-cigarettes at Wave 3. Conclusions In this longitudinal cohort study of US adult cigarette smokers, daily but not non-daily e-cigarette use was associated with higher odds of prolonged cigarette smoking abstinence over 2 years, compared to no e-cigarette use. Daily use of e-cigarettes may help some smokers to stop smoking combustible cigarettes. Implications In this nationally representative longitudinal cohort study of US adult cigarette smokers, daily e-cigarette use, compared to no e-cigarette use, was associated with a 77% increased odds of prolonged cigarette smoking abstinence over the subsequent 2 years. Regular use of e-cigarettes may help some smokers to stop smoking combustible cigarettes.