cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 43: Renal Hemodynamic and Excretory Responses to Systemic Administration of Interleukin-10 in Anesthetized Mice

Recent studies have demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-10 (IL-10) is normally present in plasma and its protein is constitutively expressed in the renal tissue. However, the possible role of IL-10 in the regulation of renal hemodynamics and excretory function is not yet clearly defined. In the present study, we have examined the systemic and renal responses to intravenous administration of incremental doses of recombinant mouse IL-10 (0.015, 0.075 and 0.15 ng/min/g ; 45 min in each dose) in anesthetized mice (n=5). To determine the specificity of IL-10 actions, the responses to the middle dose were also assessed in the presence of its receptor antagonist, (mouse IL-10 Rα antibody; 1.5 ng/min/g; RD 98±1.9 to 89±3.9, 88±2.6 and 84±3.3 mmHg) and renal vascular resistance (RVR, 13.5±1.1 to 9.1±0.6, 7.1±0.5 and 7.1±0.5 mmHg/mL/min/g), increases in RBF (7.4±0.5 to 9.7±0.6, 10.6±0.5 and 9.8±0.6 mL/min/g) and GFR (1.06±0.05 to 1.45±0.13, 1.51±0.13 and 1.53±0.28 mL/min/g) without significant changes in urine flow (6.6±0.5 to 5.3±0.5, 5.5±1.1 and 5.3±1.1 μL/min/g ) or sodium excretion (0.58±0.08 to 0.52±0.18, 0.57±0.19 and 0.69±0.26 μmol/min/g). Administration of IL-10 receptor antagonist alone did not cause significant changes in MAP (90±3.7 to 89±5.3 mmHg), RVR (11.5±1.9 to 11.6±3.0 mmHg/mL/min/g), RBF (8.8±1.3 to 10.4±2.5 mL/min/g), GFR (1.06±0.08 to 1.20±0.19 mL/min/g) or other renal parameters. Infusion of the middle dose of IL-10 in the receptor antagonist pretreated mice failed to cause significant changes in RBF or GFR or other parameters confirming the specificity of its receptor activity in the mediation of observed renal responses to IL-10 infusion. These data suggest that the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 exerts vasodilator and hyper-filtration effects in the kidney but minimally influences the renal excretory function.
Evaluation and Management of Voiding Dysfunction Following Surgery for Mesh Excision

Despite high success rates of midurethral slings for treatment of stress urinary incontinence, there is a known risk of de novo post-operative voiding symptoms. No clear management strategies exist to guide counseling or treatment specifically for persistent voiding dysfunction following sling revision or excision. The varying definitions of “voiding dysfunction” in the literature limits the ability to draw conclusions about the optimal treatment for a particular patient. While sling revision appears to be successful in treating urinary retention, there is less evidence on efficacy in patients with primary complaints of urgency, frequency, and voiding symptoms. There is limited evidence regarding third line overactive bladder (OAB) treatments in patients with refractory non-obstructive OAB after prior sling surgery. Resolution of obstructive and storage symptoms after sling revision is variable, and patients may require further intervention. Development of standardized definitions for voiding dysfunction and incomplete emptying is necessary to clarify evidence-based treatment recommendations.
Combinatorial Nonlinear Goal Programming for ESG Portfolio Optimization and Dynamic Hedge Management

Compared to their fundamentally weighted counterparts naively diversified investment portfolios that embrace environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) factors are known to experience enhanced long-term investment performance. This paper introduces a combinatorial nonlinear multiple objective optimization model to diversify the short-term ESG portfolio. The expectation of long-term wealth creation from an ESG portfolio is also examined. This latter investment objective is explored by implementing a discrete period ESG portfolio re-balancing with attached dynamic hedging. Post simulation, we report comparatively higher Sharpe ratios and lower VaR metrics for the multiobjective and dynamically hedged ESG portfolio investment style.
Integrated molecular and clinical analysis for understanding human disease relationships

We jointly examined gene-expression and electronic health record data for 104 diseases to identify unbiased clusters of molecularly and clinically related diseases. We performed gene expression meta-analysis of 41,000 samples and computed diseases9 clinical profile similarity using 2 million patient records. Based on molecular data, we observed autoimmune diseases clustering with their specific infectious triggers and brain disorders clustering by disease class. In contrast, the electronic health records based clinical profiles clustered diseases according to the similarity of their initial manifestation and later complications. Our integrated molecular and clinical analysis identified diseases with under-appreciated, therapeutically actionable relationships, such as between myositis and interstitial cystitis. This global understanding of relationships between diseases has potential to identify disease causing mechanisms and offer novel therapeutic targets.
Prevalence of Positional Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients Undergoing Polysomnography and the Effect of Sleep Stage

Determining whether sleep apnea is positional or not has important therapeutic consequences as discussed elsewhere in this book. In this chapter, we will discuss the prevalence of positional sleep apnea in patients with sleep apnea, factors that make positional sleep apnea more likely in a patient with sleep apnea, and the effect of sleep stage on positional sleep apnea. Using the standard definition for positional sleep apnea, the prevalence varies from 56 % to 71 %. Using a stricter definition where sleep apnea is only observed in the supine posture, the prevalence varies from 23 % to 27 %. Positional sleep apnea is substantially more common in patients with milder disease. Positional sleep apnea is present during both REM and NREM sleep.
A common neural circuit mechanism for internally guided and externally reinforced forms of motor learning.

The complex skills underlying verbal and musical expression can be learned without external punishment or reward, indicating their learning is internally guided. The neural mechanisms that mediate internally guided learning are poorly understood, but a circuit comprising dopamine-releasing neurons in the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) and their targets in the basal ganglia are important to externally reinforced learning. Juvenile zebra finches copy a tutor song in a process that is internally guided and, in adulthood, can learn to modify the fundamental frequency (pitch) of a target syllable in response to external reinforcement with white noise. Here we combined intersectional genetic ablation of VTA neurons, reversible blockade of dopamine receptors in the basal ganglia, and singing-triggered optogenetic stimulation of VTA terminals to establish that a common VTA–basal ganglia circuit enables internally guided song copying and externally reinforced syllable pitch learning. Intersectional gene ablation, pharmacology & song-triggered optogenetic stimulation of VTA terminals together show a common VTA–basal ganglia circuit enabling internally and externally guided juvenile song-copying and adult pitch learning in finches.
In Situ Inner Lumen Attachment of Heparin to Poly(ether sulfone) Hollow Fiber Membranes Used for Microdialysis Sampling

An in situ chemical surface modification method to attach heparin to the inner lumen of a single hollow fiber poly(ether sulfone) (PES) membrane incorporated into a commercial microdialysis sampling device is described. The immobilization process uses gentle, room-temperature conditions with the enzyme laccase (E.C. 1.10.3.2) and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4HBA). The resulting functionalized inner membrane surface with a carboxylic acid functional groups allowed for (1-ethyl-3-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl) carbodimide)/N-hydroxysuccinimide) EDC/NHS chemistry to attach heparin to the membrane surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements suggested successful attachment of 4HBA polymers and heparin onto the PES membrane. The microdialysis extraction efficiency after membrane surface modification was measured with model compounds fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled dextrans and lysozyme and the cytokines acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) and CXCL1 (KC/GRO). This work demonstrates an in situ metho...
A vibrational entropy term for DNA docking with autodock

DNA interacts with small molecules, from water to endogenous reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, environmental mutagens and carcinogens, and pharmaceutical anticancer molecules. Understanding and predicting the physical interactions of small molecules with DNA via docking is key not only for the comprehension of molecular-level events that lead to carcinogenesis and other diseases, but also for the rational design of drugs that target DNA. We recently validated AutoDock, a popular docking method that includes a physics-based scoring function and a Lamarckian Genetic Algorithm, for the prediction of small molecule geometries upon physical binding to DNA. In this work, we added a vibrational entropy term based on the docking frequency to the scoring function in order to improve the accuracy of the best (lowest) score geometry. We found that in four small molecule-DNA systems the inclusion of the vibrational entropy term decreased the root-mean-square-deviation from the experimental crystallographic structure. Including the entropy term also preserved the successful prediction of the binding geometry compared to the crystallographic structure for the rest of the small molecule-DNA systems. We also improved the method of creating clusters of docking geometries and emphasized the importance of the length of the search process for similar vibrational entropy terms.
Abstract 206: Intestinal LXR Directs Absorbed Lipids to Storage

Post-prandial hypertriglyceridemia has emerged as a cardiovascular risk factor with limited therapeutic options. We have taken genetic and physiological approaches to identify and characertize nove...
Heat/mortality sensitivities in Los Angeles during winter: a unique phenomenon in the United States

Extreme heat is often associated with elevated levels of human mortality, particularly across the mid-latitudes. Los Angeles, CA exhibits a unique, highly variable winter climate, with brief periods of intense heat caused by downsloping winds commonly known as Santa Ana winds. The goal is to determine if Los Angeles County is susceptible to heat-related mortality during the winter season. This is the first study to specifically evaluate heat-related mortality during the winter for a U.S. city. Utilizing the Spatial Synoptic Classification system in Los Angeles County from 1979 through 2010, we first relate daily human mortality to synoptic air mass type during the winter season (December, January, February) using Welch’s t-tests. However, this methodology is only somewhat effective at controlling for important inter- and intra-annual trends in human mortality unrelated to heat such as influenza outbreaks. As a result, we use distributed lag nonlinear modeling (DLNM) to evaluate if the relative risk of human mortality increases during higher temperatures in Los Angeles, as the DLNM is more effective at controlling for variability at multiple temporal scales within the human mortality dataset. Significantly higher human mortality is uncovered in winter when dry tropical air is present in Los Angeles, particularly among those 65 years and older (p < 0.001). The DLNM reveals the relative risk of human mortality increases when above average temperatures are present. Results are especially pronounced for maximum and mean temperatures, along with total mortality and those 65 + . The discovery of heat-related mortality in winter is a unique finding in the United States, and we recommend stakeholders consider warning and intervention techniques to mitigate the role of winter heat on human health in the County.
David Oliver: Constant structural reorganisation won’t improve or transform healthcare

NHS leaders and politicians seem to have an endless obsession with organisational restructuring. The King’s Fund has produced narrated animations of the NHS “organogram,”12 showing the bewilderingly complex accountabilities created by the 2012 Health and Social Care Act3 and subsequent new organisational forms and workarounds, such as integrated care systems emerging from NHS England’s Five Year Forward View .4 In May 2018 a report presented at a meeting of the boards of NHS Improvement and NHS England set out why and how the two bodies should work more closely.5 In the same week the health policy analyst Nick Timmins, in The World’s Biggest Quango ,6 reflected on how differently NHS England now operates from the …
Understanding the predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors influencing the use of a mobile-based HIV management app: A real-world usability evaluation

Abstract Objective To conduct an in-depth analysis of users’ experiences using an HIV self-management app. Materials and Methods We conducted four follow-up focus groups at the end of a 3-month randomized feasibility trial. All focus group sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed. A thematic analysis was conducted to explore emerging themes. All of the themes were categorized into three factors of the PRECEDE component of the PRECEDE-PROCEED framework. For a finer granularity of analysis, the codes of each theme were broken into positive, negative, and neutral codes by study group. Results 36 participants, including 24 from the intervention group and 12 from the control group, participated in the focus group sessions. A total of 14 themes organized by the PRECEDE factors were identified from focus group transcripts. Five themes related to predisposing factors were: 1) ease of app use; 2) user-friendly functionality; 3) self-efficacy for symptom management; 4) design preference of illustrated strategies with videos; and 5) user-control (convenience vs. security). Four themes related to enabling factors were: 1) information needs of symptom management; 2) symptom-tracking; 3) fit in lifestyle/schedule/living conditions; and 4) additional languages (e.g., Spanish). Five themes related to reinforcing factors were: 1) communication with healthcare providers; 2) individual-tailored information visualization; 3) social networking; 4) individual-tailored information quality; and 5) improvement in quality of life. Discussion and Conclusion Usability evaluation in a real-world setting enabled us to measure users’ actual experiences when interacting with the app during their everyday lives. Our work highlights the importance of using mobile technology for persons living with HIV, specifically those with low income/housing instability, and adds to the body of literature on the potential for implementation and dissemination of symptom self-management strategies through a mobile platform.
Fluorescent site-specific labeling of Escherichia coli expressed proteins with Sfp phosphopantetheinyl transferase

Fluorescent tagging of proteins has become a critical step in optical analysis of protein function in vitro and in living cells. Here we describe a two-tag system for expression and isolation of a protein of interest from Escherichia coli and subsequent site-specific fluorescent labeling with Sfp phosphopantetheinyl transferase (Sfp synthase). In the example presented, adenoviral protein E3-14.7 K (E14.7) was expressed as a tripartite fusion protein with a fluorophore-targeting peptide tag and a chitin-binding domain. This system allows for rapid isolation of the recombinant fusion protein from crude bacterial cell lysate via a single chitin column. Sfp synthase-mediated labeling with fluorophore conjugated to coenzyme A-SH (CoA-SH) resulted in covalent attachment of a fluorescent dye to a specific residue of the peptide tag via a phosphopantetheinyl linker. The fluorescently labeled E14.7 fusion protein was analyzed with a fluorescence imager and subsequently transfected into mammalian cells for imaging with a fluorescence microscope.
What’s all that noise—Improving the hospital soundscape

Hospital noise levels regularly exceed those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is uncertain whether high noise levels have adverse effects on patient health. High levels of noise increase patient sleep loss, anxiety levels, length of hospital stay, and morbidity rates. Staff conversation and auditory medical alarms are amongst the leading noise producing stimuli, with combinations of stimuli accounting for much of the high noise levels. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey shows a slight improvement in overall hospital noise levels in the United States, indicating a minor reduction in noise levels. Alarm ambiguity, alarm masking and inefficient alarm design contributes to a large portion of sounds that exceed the environmental noise level in the hospital. Improving the hospital soundscape can begin by training staff in noise reduction, enforcing noise reduction programs, reworking alarm design and encouraging research to evaluate the relative effects of noise producing stimuli on the hospital soundscape.
Insight to Improve α-L-Arabinofuranosidase Productivity in Pichia pastoris and Its Application on Corn Stover Degradation

α-L-arabinofuranosidase (ARA) with enhanced specific activity and in large amounts, is needed for a variety of industrial applications. To improve ARA production with engineered methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris, a genetically modified ara gene from Aspergillus niger ND-1 was investigated. Through codon optimization and rational replacement of α-factor signal peptide with the native propeptide (MFSRRNLVALGLAATVSA), ARA production was improved from 2.61 ± 0.13 U/mL to 14.37 ± 0.22 U/mL in shaking flask culture (a 5.5-fold increase). Results of N-terminal sequencing showed that secreted active ARA of recombinant strain p-oARA had theoretical initial five amino acids (GPCDI) comparable to the mature sequences of α-oARA (EAEAG) and αp-oARA (NLVAL). The kinetic values have been determined for ARA of recombinant strain p-oARA (Vmax = 747.55 μmol/min/mg, Km = 5.36 mmol/L), optimal activity temperature 60°C and optimal pH 4.0. Scaling up of ARA production by p-oARA in a 7.5-L fermentor resulted in remarkably high extracellular ARA specific activity (479.50 ± 12.83 U/mg) at 168 h, and maximal production rate 164.47 ± 4.40 U/mL. In studies of corn stover degradation activity, degree of synergism for ARA and xylanase was 32.4% and enzymatic hydrolysis yield for ARA + xylanase addition was 15.9% higher than that of commercial cellulase, indicating significant potential of ARA for catalytic conversion of corn stover to fermentable sugars for biofuel production.
Model Selection in ARMA(p,q) Processes

In practice, the form of the underlying process that generated the data is unknown. Should we estimate an AR(p) model, an MA(q) model, or an ARMA(p,q) model? Moreover, what lag lengths of p and q should we choose? We simply do not have good a priori reason to suspect that the data generating process is of one type or another, or a combination of the two. How is a researcher to proceed? Which sort of model should we estimate?
(285) Opioid Prescription in the Emergency Department for Patients with Axial Pain: Comparisons by Age Group

Older adults are at higher risk than younger adults for axial pain conditions such as neck and low back pain. A common treatment pathway for patients with axial pain is the emergency department (ED), yet a paucity of research exists on ED treatment and subsequent outcomes for older adults with axial pain. This preliminary analysis investigated the role of age in a common treatment for axial pain in the ED – opioid prescription. Included in this analysis were patients visiting a university health system ED for a new episode of axial pain between January 2013 and December 2017. Patients were categorized based on age group (younger= less than 60 years; older= 60 years and older) and if they were prescribed opioids (yes/no). Differences based on axial pain region (neck/upper back versus low back) were also assessed. Associations between age group and opioid prescription for different axial pain regions were quantified using adjusted odds ratios (OR; 95% CI) derived from logistic regression which accounted for sex and age X axial pain region interaction. A total of 22,684 patients were assessed and the opioid prescription rate was 63%. The opioid prescription rate for older age was 68% and was 62% for younger age. Among those with neck/upper back pain (n=9,809), older age was associated with opioid prescription (1.16; 1.04, 1.28). Similarly, among those with low back pain (n=12,875), older age was associated with opioid prescription (1.44; 1.30, 1.58). Study findings suggest older adults seen in the ED for axial pain may have a greater likelihood of opioid prescription compared to younger adults, particularly for those with low back pain. Future studies among older adults with axial pain seen in the ED will elucidate the influence of opioids on recovery, as well as downstream health risks.
PET/CT Imaging of Human TNFα Using [89Zr]Certolizumab Pegol in a Transgenic Preclinical Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) drives inflammation and bone degradation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Some RA patients experience a rapid clinical response to TNFα inhibitors such as certolizumab pegol (CZP) while other patients show limited to no response. Current methods for imaging RA have limited sensitivity and do not assist in the selection of patients most likely to respond to immune-mediated therapy. Herein, we developed a novel positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer for immuno-PET imaging of TNFα in transgenic human TNFα-expressing mice. CZP was modified with p-isothiocyanatobenzyl-deferoxamine (DFO) and radiolabeled with Zr-89. The biological activity of [89Zr]DFO-CZP was evaluated by HPLC and binding assay using human recombinant TNFα (hTNFα). The feasibility of specific immuno-PET imaging of human TNFα was assessed in a transgenic mouse model of RA that expresses human TNFα. This model resembles the progression of RA in humans by maintaining lower levels of circulating hTNFα and exhibits chronic arthritis in the forepaw and hind paw joints. The dosimetry of [89Zr]DFO-CZP in humans was estimated using microPET/CT imaging in Sprague Dawley rats. [89Zr]DFO-CZP was isolated with radiolabeling yields of 85 ± 6 % (n = 5) and specific activities ranging from 74 to 185 MBq/mg (n = 5). Following size exclusion purification, the radiochemical purity of [89Zr]DFO-CZP was greater than 97 %. [89Zr]DFO-CZP retained high immunoreactivity with more than 95 % of the radioactivity shifted into higher molecular weight complexes. Images showed increasing uptake of the tracer in forepaw and hind paw joints with disease progression. No uptake was observed in the model previously administered with an excess amount of unmodified CZP and in normal control mice, demonstrating in vivo specific uptake of [89Zr]DFO-CZP. The feasibility of immuno-PET imaging of human TNFα with [89Zr]DFO-CZP has been demonstrated in a preclinical model of RA.
A survey assessing the early effects of COVID-19 pandemic on oral and maxillofacial surgery training programs.

Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has specific implications for oral and maxillofacial surgeons because of an increased risk of exposure to the virus during surgical procedures involving the aerodigestive tract. The objective of this survey was to evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) training programs during the early phase of the pandemic. Study Design During the period April 3 to May 6, 2020, a cross-sectional survey was sent to the program directors of 95 of the 101 accredited OMFS training programs in the United States. The 35-question survey, designed by using Qualtrics software, aimed to elicit information about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on OMFS residency programs and the resulting specific modifications made to clinical care, PPE, and resident training/wellness. Results The survey response rate from OMFS program directors was 35% (33 of 95), with most responses from the states with a high incidence of COVID-19. All OMFS programs (100%) implemented guidelines to suspend elective and nonurgent surgical procedures and limited ambulatory clinic visits by third week of March, with the average date being March 16, 2020 (date range March 8–23). The programs used telemedicine (40%) and modified in-person visit (51%) protocols for dental and maxillofacial emergency triage to minimize the risk of exposure of HCP to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) was experienced by 51% of the programs. Almost two-thirds (63%) of the respondents recommended the use of a filtered respirator (i.e., N95 respirator) with full-face shield and stated that it was their preferred PPE, whereas 21% recommended the use of powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) during OMFS procedures. Only (73%) of the programs had resources for resident wellness and stress reduction. Virtual didactic training sessions conducted on digital platforms, most commonly Zoom, formed a major part of education for all programs. Conclusions All programs promptly responded to the pandemic by making appropriate changes, including suspending elective surgery and limiting patient care to emergent and urgent services. OMFS training programs should give more consideration to providing residents with adequate stress reduction resources to maintain their well-being and training and to minimize exposure risk during an evolving global epidemic.
Optimizing IoT and Web Traffic Using Selective Edge Compression.

Internet of Things (IoT) devices and applications are generating and communicating vast quantities of data, and the rate of data collection is increasing rapidly. These high communication volumes are challenging for energy-constrained, data-capped, wireless mobile devices and networked sensors. Compression is commonly used to reduce web traffic, to save energy, and to make network transfers faster. If not used judiciously, however, compression can hurt performance. This work proposes and evaluates mechanisms that employ selective compression at the network's edge, based on data characteristics and network conditions. This approach (i) improves the performance of network transfers in IoT environments, while (ii) providing significant data savings. We demonstrate that our library speeds up web transfers by an average of 2.18x and 2.03x under fixed and dynamically changing network conditions respectively. Furthermore, it also provides consistent data savings, compacting data down to 19% of the original data size.
In vivo reprogramming of NG2 glia enables adult neurogenesis and functional recovery following spinal cord injury

Adult neurogenesis plays critical roles in maintaining brain homeostasis and responding to neurogenic insults. However, the adult mammalian spinal cord lacks an intrinsic capacity for neurogenesis. Here we show that spinal cord injury (SCI) unveils a latent neurogenic potential of NG2+ glial cells, which can be exploited to produce new neurons and promote functional recovery after SCI. Although endogenous SOX2 is required for SCI-induced transient reprogramming, ectopic SOX2 expression is necessary and sufficient to unleash the full neurogenic potential of NG2 glia. Ectopic SOX2-induced neurogenesis proceeds through an expandable ASCL1+ progenitor stage and generates excitatory and inhibitory propriospinal neurons, which make synaptic connections with ascending and descending spinal pathways. Importantly, SOX2-mediated reprogramming of NG2 glia reduces glial scarring and promotes functional recovery after SCI. These results reveal a latent neurogenic potential of somatic glial cells, which can be leveraged for regenerative medicine.
Confinement and graded partition functions for N = 4 SYM

Gauge theories with confining phases at low temperatures tend to deconfine at high temperatures. In some cases, for example in supersymmetric theories, confinement can persist for all temperatures provided the partition function includes a grading by $(\ensuremath{-}1{)}^{F}$. When it is possible to define partition functions that smoothly interpolate between no grading and $(\ensuremath{-}1{)}^{F}$ grading, it is natural to ask if there are other choices of grading that have the same effect as $(\ensuremath{-}1{)}^{F}$ on confinement. We explore how this works for $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM on ${S}^{1}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{S}^{3}$ in the large $N$ limit at both small and large coupling. We find evidence for a continuous range of grading parameters that preserve confinement for all temperatures at large coupling, while at small coupling only a discrete set of gradings preserves confinement.
Mechanical, sensory, and consumer evaluation of ketogenic, gluten‐free breads

Ketogenic, gluten-free breads comprised of almond flour, oat bran fiber, or combinations of both were compared. The textural properties, sensory attributes, and consumer acceptance were analyzed on each bread containing 100% almond flour (AF), 66.7% almond flour with 33.3% oat bran fiber (AOB), 66.7% oat bran fiber with 33.3% almond flour (OBA), and 100% oat bran fiber (OB). AF and AOB breads had a more open crumb structure composed of cells between 1-4 mm2. OBA and OB had a significantly dense crumb pattern made up of more cells less than one millimeter squared. Quantitative-descriptive analysis (QDA) and consumer acceptance testing was conducted 24 hr after baking and mechanical endpoints were evaluated 24, 72, and 120 hr after baking. AF and AOB breads were preferred over OBA and OB breads in QDA evaluation and consumer acceptance scores. Greater percentages of oat bran fiber resulted in a bread that was less moist, firmer in texture, and chewier with trained panelists. In both sensory evaluations, higher amounts of almond flour resulted in higher values in eggy flavor while increased amounts of oat bran fiber correlated with higher values in earthy flavor. Mechanical testing identified higher percentages of almond flour resulted in bread that was less firm and less chewy. Over time, all variations with almond flour became softer and less chewy, while the OB bread increased in firmness. Sensory cohesiveness did not correlate with the mechanical equivalent, identifying a need to re-evaluate the parameters used to calculate this objective endpoint.
Efficient Identification of Critical Faults in Memristor Crossbars for Deep Neural Networks

Deep neural networks (DNNs) are becoming ubiquitous, but hardware-level reliability is a concern when DNN models are mapped to emerging neuromorphic technologies such as memristor-based crossbars. As DNN architectures are inherently fault-tolerant and many faults do not affect inferencing accuracy, careful analysis must be carried out to identify faults that are critical for a given application. We present a misclassification-driven training (MDT) algorithm to efficiently identify critical faults (CFs) in the crossbar. Our results for two DNNs on the CIFAR-10 data set show that MDT can rapidly and accurately identify a large number of CFs-up to 20× faster than a baseline method of forward inferencing with randomly injected faults. We use the set of CFs obtained using MDT and the set of benign faults obtained using forward inferencing to train a machine learning (ML) model to efficiently classify all the crossbar faults in terms of their criticality. We show that the ML model can classify millions of faults within minutes with a remarkably high classification accuracy of over 99%. We present a fault-tolerance solution that exploits this high degree of criticality-classification accuracy, leading to a 93% reduction in the redundancy needed for fault tolerance.
Chapter 8 Tunneling Infrared Sensors

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a new miniature Golay cell IR detector that is fabricated by silicon (Si) micromachining techniques, allowing miniaturization and integration with electronics as needed for arrays. The deflection of the membrane is detected by a tunneling displacement transducer, which measures variations in a quantum mechanical tunneling current between the moving membrane and a fixed tip. The tunneling transducer offers the required sensitivity with very simple circuitry and enables the development of a miniature, robust, sensor assembly. While the use of a tunneling displacement transducer may seem to be unnecessarily complicated, its implementation in this device is quite straightforward. Golay cells have been designed that use capacitance displacement transducers to detect the membrane deflection. Miniaturization of such detectors has been limited by the performance and cost of miniature capacitive displacement transducers. This device is made by bulk micromachining techniques similar to those used for the research described later in this paper. Although these authors have presented some preliminary sensitivity results, it seems the noise in their device is not as low as necessary to be competitive with other uncooled sensors.
Effect of Prostaglandin E1 Administration on the Liver Glycogen Synthetase and Phosphorylase Systems

Abstract The effects of intravenous administration of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on the glycogen synthetase and phosphorylase systems in rat liver have been studied. It was found that PGE1 caused a significant decrease in synthetase I activity that was not influenced by alterations in nutritional status or presence or absence of adrenal glands. Furthermore, β adrenergic and ganglionic blockade did not diminish the response of the synthetase system to PGE1. PGE1 promoted a significant increase in liver phosphophosphorylase activity in fasted intact rats which could be completely inhibited by ganglionic blockade and partially inhibited by β adrenergic blockade. Following PGE1 there occurred a significant decrease in liver phosphophosphorylase activity in fasted adrenalectomized rats. It was concluded that the in vivo effects of PGE1 on the synthetase and phosphorylase systems are mediated through different mechanisms. Preliminary evidence suggests that the effect on the synthetase system may be mediated, at least in part, by a direct inhibitory action on synthetase D phosphatase. The effect of PGE1 on the phosphorylase system is considered to be mediated secondarily through a reflex release of adrenal catecholamines.
The Linear Algebra of the Sales Comparison Approach

This study presents the sales comparison approach to value as a system of linear algebra equations. The difference between appraiser and academician views of this system of equations is shown to pi...
Book Review: The Laws of Capitalism

The past year has seen the surprising ascent of French economist Thomas Piketty to “rock star” status.1 The reading public’s appetite for his economic treatise seems motivated by a growing unease about economic inequality and an anxiety that the “Great Recession,” which followed the financial crisis of 2008, defines a new economic normal. The seemingly plutocratic response to the crisis has become the focus of angry attacks by protesters on both left and right,2 but their criticisms have had little practical effect, even while subsequent events have confirmed their fears. In 2010, the United States Supreme Court sealed the union of corporate money and politics in Citizens United v. FEC,3 which subsequent judgments have further entrenched.4 Meanwhile, the response to the crisis in Europe has suggested that Brussels now operates as an arm of finance capital and that monetary union is more likely to prove the undertaker of European social democracy than its savior.5
Making Do in Making Drugs: Innovation Policy and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Drug recalls, contamination events, and shortages are on the rise, but drug companies still rely on decades-old manufacturing plants and processes. Contrary to widespread perceptions, drug manufacturing is typically expensive, inefficient, and non-innovative. Drug companies spend much more on manufacturing than on research and development, but the industry lags far behind the innovative manufacturing found in other industries. This lack of innovation in drug manufacturing stands in stark contrast to the innovation present in drug discovery. Drug discovery is the focus of a calibrated innovation policy that combines patents and the regulatory regime. Manufacturing lacks such attention, and the costs are great, both in dollars and in human lives. This article addresses the previously underappreciated role of manufacturing in innovation studies and policy. The stagnation of pharmaceutical manufacturing results from regulatory barriers and ineffective intellectual-property incentives. As a result of the difficulty enforcing manufacturing process patents, manufacturers tend to rely on trade secrecy instead, which reduces innovation. Making matters worse, regulation actively impedes innovative changes to manufacturing methods through substantive and procedural barriers across the lifespan of a drug. To address these challenges, this article suggests several direct regulatory reforms. It also proposes novel ways that regulation can be used to change the function of intellectual property incentives, which fit particularly well in the drug manufacturing context but could be extended to different areas of innovation policy. For example, FDA could be charged with operating a system of temporary market exclusivity for manufacturing innovation parallel to the patent system. Alternately, FDA could require disclosure of manufacturing methods to drive the industry from opacity and trade secrecy towards transparency and patent protection for innovation. A better targeted and more effective innovation policy could improve the current sad state of drug manufacturing with potentially immense economic and health benefits.
Building web applications with Servlets and Javaserver pages

Servlets and JavaServer Pages provide the ability to dynamically generate web pages using the Java programming language. Among other benefits, the use of Java on the server-side allows the web developer to directly implement object-oriented designs, utilize multiple threads of execution, and employ JDBC to communicate with a database. This tutorial will introduce Servlets and JavaServer Pages through UML diagrams, code samples, and an example web application.
Outcomes Using Grafts from Donors after Cardiac Death

Background Previous reports suggest that donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver grafts have increased primary nonfunction (PNF) and cholangiopathy thought to be due to the graft warm ischemia before cold flushing. Study Design In this single-center, retrospective study, 866 adult liver transplantations were performed at our institution from January 2005 to August 2014. Forty-nine (5.7%) patients received DCD donor grafts. The 49 DCD graft recipients were compared with all recipients of donation after brain death donor (DBD) grafts and to a donor and recipient age- and size-matched cohort. Results The DCD donors were younger (age 28, range 8 to 60 years) than non-DCD (age 44.3, range 9 to 80 years) (p 40 years) was shown to increase the risk of IC (p = 0.006). Conclusions Careful selection of DCD donors can provide suitable donors, with results of liver transplantation comparable to those with standard brain dead donors.
Investigation of the interactions between alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers and a liquid overlayer using impedance spectroscopy

We report on changes in the complex impedance response of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) that result from the growth of an alkanethiol monolayer on the electrodes of the device. The purpose of this work is to understand the evolution of the interactions between alkanethiol–gold monolayers and a liquid overlayer as a function of time after initial deposition by evaluating the position, shape, and linewidth of the impedance spectra associated with the monolayer formation. We relate the complex impedance response of the QCM to the mass and viscosity of the monolayer through an established equivalent circuit model. The data show the organization of alkanethiol SAMs occurs at approximately the same rate for aliphatic chain lengths in the range of C9–C16, as long as the thiol is readily soluble in the solvent system used. Our data are consistent with SAM annealing being mediated by the sulfur–gold adsorption and desorption equilibrium. Additionally, we have found that examination of a C18 SAM is limited by the deposition conditions and thiol solubility. Bulk deposition was confirmed visually and related to the evolution of the peak position and shape changes with deposition time.
Numerical predictions of mechanical behavior of innovative pothole patching materials featuring high toughness, low-viscosity nano-molecular resins

As asphalt pavements age and deteriorate, recurring pothole repair failures and propagating alligator cracks in the asphalt pavements have become a serious issue to our daily life and result in high repair costs for pavement and vehicles. To solve this urgent issue, pothole repair materials with superior durability and long service life are warranted. In the present work, revolutionary pothole patching materials reinforced with nano-molecular resin with high toughness and high fatigue resistance have been developed to enhance their resistance to traffic loads and the service life of repaired potholes. In particular, DCPD resin (dicyclopentadiene, C10H12) with a ruthenium-based catalyst is employed to develop controlled properties that are compatible with aggregates and asphalt binders. A micromechanics-based model is developed in this paper to predict the mechanical behavior of these innovative nano-molecular resin reinforced pothole patching materials by indirect tensile test (ASTM D6931). Irregular coarse aggregates in the finite element analysis are modeled as three sizes of randomly dispersed multilayer-coated particles. The overall properties of asphalt mastic, which consists of fine aggregates, asphalt binder (PG64-10), cured DCPD (p-DCPD) and air voids, are theoretically estimated by the homogenization technique of micromechanics. An elastic damage model, based on a continuum thermodynamic framework, is incorporated within an initial elastic strain energy-based formulation. Numerical predictions are compared with suitably designed experimental laboratory results.
Ancillary consequences of employee theft

Abstract The majority of research on employee theft considered the characteristics and predictors of workplace misconduct. When consequences were considered, research centered on the economic losses arising out of workplace offending. This article addresses the ancillary consequences of employee theft. Interviews were conducted with 457 business owners, managers, supervisors, and other employees to assess their experiences with employee theft. By fully understanding the costs, businesses can be prepared to carry out strategies that would offset many of the negative consequences resulting from workplace misconduct.
RHEOLOGICAL MODELING OF UHT MILK GELS USING A CONE AND PLATE CREEP-RELAXATION TEST1

The gelation of UHT steam injected dairy products was investigated by determining rheological model constants. Fat percentages of the products were 0.5, 3.25 and 10.5. Each product was processed at 143 °C for 6.9 s and stored at 24 °C. At four week intervals, from 55 to 85 weeks storage, cone and plate creep-relaxation data was collected Three element rheological models were developed for each test date. Empirical relationships were derived relating the elastic and viscous constants to storage time for each fat content. The strongest parameter for all samples was the series elastic constant. The viscous constant was next with the Kelvin elastic constant being much weaker. All constants for all samples increased over storage time as gelling progressed (apparent viscosity increased). The lower the percent fat, the sooner gelling started and the faster the rate. The gelation of UHT milk was examined and found to depend heavily on the percent fat.
Genetic variation in the carbonic anhydrase isozymes of macaque monkeys. II. Inheritance of red cell carbonic anhydrase levels in different carbonic anhydrase I genotypes of the pig-tailed macaque, Macaca nemestrina.

The inheritance of red blood cell levels of carbonic anhydrase isozymes (CA I and CA II) has been studied in different carbonic anhydrase I genotypes of the pig-tailed macaque, Macaca nemestrina. Quantitation of CA I isozymes in a series of animals indicates that the total CA I concentration is the sum of the average effects of each CA I structural allele and that the average effects are independent of the various allelic combinations. The relative average effects were 0.32:0.95:1.0 for the CA Ia, CA Ib, and CA Ic structural genes, respectively. It is also demonstrated that the level of CA II is related to the CA I genotypes. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that each dose of CA I-deficiency gene present decreased the CA II concentration by approximately 30%, with this decrease in CA II level being solely related to the dose of CA I-deficiency gene and not to the level of CA I. The CA I-deficient animals produce CA I products that are similar to the common CA Ia, CA Ib, CA Ic electrophoretic types. Limited mating data indicate that the CA I components in CA I-deficient animals are inherited codominantly.
Linguistic profiles of dyslexic and good readers

Linguistic profiles of 60 boys with average intelligence were examined at kindergarten, grade 2, and grade 4. The subjects were 7 dyslexic, 7 mildly dyslexic, 30 average, and 16 good readers, defined in terms of the discrepancy between standardized reading and intelligence scores. Across the three ages, reader groups did not differ in language comprehension, but did differ in confrontation and rapid automatized naming (RAN), three syntactic measures, and verbal memory. Group strengths and weaknesses were, with few exceptions apparent in kindergarten and maintained throughout. The kindergarten tasks which most effectively predicted reading group membership at grade 4 were giving letter sounds, and rapid naming; these predicted 4th grade reading group at close to 100 percent accuracy. The study, together with a further comparison of average and high IQ good readers, provides an interesting contrast between the role of RAN and Confrontation naming in reading.
Clustering and interrelationships of high, low, and very low-density lipoproteins in hypolipidemic children and adults: the Cincinnati Lipid Research Clinic's Princeton School Prevalence Study.

Abstract The aim of this study, encompassing 146 children and 42 adults having total plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, or both (less than or the same as) age-, sex-, and race-specific 5th percentile levels, was to better define the interrelationships of low-, high-, and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterols (C-LDL, C-HDL, C-VLDL) within hypolipidemic individuals, using multivariate cluster analysis. For both children and adults, the C-LDL distribution was gaussian; the C-HDL and C-VLDL distributions were skewed to the right. The C-HDL and C-VLDL distributions were unimodal and gaussian after square root and log transformations, respectively. After consolidation of lipoprotein clusters in both children and adults into six groups by virtue of C-LDL, C-HDL, and C-VLDL in three dimensions, a numerical majority of both children (75%) and adults (95%) had predominant hypobetalipoproteinemia accounting for their hypocholesterolemia. This hypobetalipoproteinemia was accompanied by C-HDL in the 50th percentile or higher in 80% of children and in 93% of adults. Moreover, there were a nontrivial number of both children and adults having the combination of exceptionally low C-LDL and high C-HDL levels. There were few to no major cluster groups characterized by simultaneous depressions of all three lipoproteins, and only a modest number characterized by depression of both C-LDL and C-HDL with high C-VLDL. In view of the positive and negative associations of C-LDL and C-HDL, respectively, with coronary heart disease events, a majority of hypolipidemic subjects may putatively be at sharply reduced risk for development of atherosclerosis.