cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CRTC1 nuclear localization in the hippocampus of the pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus model of temporal lobe epilepsy

cAMP response-element binding protein (CREB)-dependent genes are differentially expressed in brains of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients and also in animal models of TLE. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of CREB regulated transcription in TLE. However, the role of the key regulator of CREB activity, CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1), has not been explored in epilepsy. In the present study the pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE) model of TLE was used to study the regulation of CRTC1 during and following SE. Nuclear translocation of CRTC1 is critical for its transcriptional activity, and dephosphorylation at serine 151 residue via calcineurin phosphatase regulates cytoplasmic to nuclear transit of CRTC1. Here, we examined the localization and phosphorylation (Ser151) of CRTC1 in SE-induced rat hippocampus at two different time points after SE onset. One hour after SE onset, we found that CRTC1 translocates to the nucleus of CA1 neurons but not CA3 or dentate granule neurons. We further found that this CRTC1 nuclear localization is independent of Ser151 dephosphorylation since we did not detect any difference in dephosphorylation of Ser151 between control and SE animals at this time point. In contrast, 48 h after SE CRTC1 shows increased nuclear localization in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the SE-induced rats. At 48 h after SE, FK506 treatment blocked CRTC1 nuclear localization and dephosphorylation of Ser151. Our results provide evidence that CREB cofactor CRTC1 translocates into the nucleus of a distinct subset of hippocampal neurons during and following SE and this translocalization is regulated by calcineurin at a later time point following SE. Nuclear CRTC1 can bind to CREB possibly altering transcription during epileptogenesis.
Calculated Risks of Impounding Reservoir Yield

A system of droughts risks is developed which governs the yield of an impounding reservoir. By using a frequency curve of annual events the probability that an event (drought in this case) of selected magnitude will not occur in any one year can be determined. The corresponding probability that this event will not occur during any "design period" of n years is the nth power of the one-year probability. This is based on the law of multiplication of probabilities. By considering various magnitudes and various design periods a system of governing probabilities or risks is calculated. This system of risks allows the engineer to exercise his judgment as to the severity of these drought risks as they might affect municipal pumpage or yield.
Initial investigation into the effect of an Active/Passive exoskeleton on hammer curl performance in healthy subjects

Assistive robotic devices are traditionally constrained by their power source. Entirely passive devices exist, but are limited by their fixed mechanical parameters. This work introduces a new device that can provide active and passive assistance. This device provides assistance in a passive mode, but retains the actively change this passive response. This paper examines the effect different passive parameter settings have on healthy subjects performing hammer curls. Passive parameter settings to either increase or decrease the number of curls a subject could perform were found. An average increase of 84% or a decrease of 33% in curls was produced by varying the passive parameters. These effects were seen across all six subjects. This indicates that there is potential for the Active/Passive framework to provide lightweight, energy efficient assistance.
The Occurrence of Bacillus Sordellii in Icterohemoglobinuria of Cattle in Nevada

It was anticipated that the identification of Bacillus sordellii (Hall and Scott) and Clostridium oedematoides (Meleney and others)1 would soon be followed by the recognition of this strongly pathogenic and toxigenic species in other localities and I now wish to record its occurrence in a fatal cattle disease in Nevada. It may be emphasized also that while this is only the third locality from which B. sordellii has been reported, it is the first instance in which it has been found associated with cattle, both the South American and the New York strains having been recovered from human material, though in the New York cases the organism was definitely traced to surgical catgut. The Nevada strains were sent to me by L. R. Vawter of the University of Nevada at Reno, who has been engaged for several years with Edward Records in the study of a disease in cattle in Nevada, colloquially called "red water disease,', or more technically "icterohemoglobinuria,,, whose etiology was for a long time obscure, but they have apparently proved it to be caused by a specific pathogenic anaerobic bacillus to which they have given the trinomial "Clostridium hemolyticus bovis." 2 I have examined two strains of this organism furnished by Dr. Vawter and it seems to be a new and distinct species not yet recognized elsewhere but it should probably be given a valid binomial designation, say "Bacillus hemolyticus." The strains which I have just identified as B. sordellii were recognized by Vawter as distinct from the common cause of icterohemoglobinuria and from other better known pathogenic anaerobes as the following excerpt from his letter dated February 13, 1929, shows.
The Food Service Worker in the Military Dining Facility: Job Satisfaction, Training, and Human Factors

Surveys and interviews were administered to both civilian and military food service workers at two Air Force bases to assess job satisfaction, opinions about environmental and equipment features relevant to potential human factors problems, and opinions about additional training. Results indicated that while military personnel were somewhat more unhappy about their work, civilian workers also expressed dissatisfaction. Overall, the workers were least satisfied with promotions, pay, and the work itself; and more satisfied with their co-workers and supervisors. In the human factors area, workers were particularly concerned with the heat in their kitchens and the inadequacy (both agewise and qualitywise) of their equipment. Several young military workers expressed a desire to leave the food service area. A recommendation for the inclusion of the worker-human factors analysis in future assessments of food service systems is made.
CENTRAL VISUAL PHENOMENA AS CLUES TO VITREOMACULAR TRACTION IN PATIENTS WITH NORMAL FUNDUS OCULI.

PURPOSE To report two cases where the primary visual complaints were central visual phenomena, with normal fundus biomicroscopy. METHODS History and clinical examination, fundus autofluorescence, and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography. RESULTS The authors report 2 patients, a 66-year-old woman and a 77-year-old woman, who complained of a central visual disturbance in one eye. Best-corrected visual acuity was normal. Ophthalmoscopy in the first case was unremarkable and showed minimal retinal pigment epithelial mottling in Case 2. Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography revealed vitreomacular traction with foveal distortion in both eyes, associated with small cysts in the inner retinal layers and in one patient disruption of photoreceptors. CONCLUSION Central visual phenomena are important clues for central vitreomacular traction, even in the presence of a normal fundus examination. The authors highlight the importance of performing spectral domain-optical coherence tomography evaluation in this setting before considering neurologic or systemic causes.
THE STRATEGIC MARKET PLANNING-IMPLEMENTATION INTERFACE IN SMALL AND MIDSIZED INDUSTRIAL FIRMS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

When marketing strategy objectives fail to materialize, is it because the strategy was unsound or the implementation was ineffective, or both? Findings from a two-stage exploratory study of marketing implementation in smaller industrial organizations suggest that the complex interactions between planning and implementation processes, and planners and implementas, impact eventual marketing effectiveness. Depth interviews with fifty managers most knowledgeable about their firm's marketing implementation processes shed light on the different ways in which the interactions are managed. Findings suggest that promoting closer interactions between market planners and implementas, or assigning the responsibility of both functions to a person or a group improves likelihood of strategic marketing success. Several implications likely to interest scholars and practitioners are discussed.
EXAMINING HYPOTHESES GENERATED BY FIELD MEASURES OF SEXUAL SELECTION ON MALE LIZARDS, UTA PALMERI

I examined sexual selection in the iguanid lizard Uta palmeri by measuring phenotypic selection in a cohort of males. Relative fitness was estimated by copulation rate from one breeding season, and I analyzed selection on five morphological traits (snout-vent length, mass, jaw length, head width, and head depth) and on male territory quality. Only territory quality and head depth were identified as direct targets of selection in a linear selection gradient analysis. Head depth was suggested to also be subject to quadratic selection. All traits exhibited significant directional selection differentials, suggesting indirect selection also was present because of the correlation of these traits with direct targets of selection. I used these results to generate hypotheses about the mechanisms of selection. For traits not identified as direct targets of selection (snout-vent length, mass, head width, jaw length), I could accept the null hypothesis of no female preference for the analyzed male traits; if these morphological traits were preferred by females in mate choice, they would have been identified as direct targets of selection. Exploring possible functional relationships within the cohort, I found that all five morphological traits contributed to explaining variation in territorial status. And in staged aggressive interactions between males that were similar in snout-vent length and mass, winning was associated only with greater head depth and not with head width or jaw length. Several possible interpretations of these results are presented. This study suggests that differential mating success arising from variation in territory quality gives rise to indirect selection on morphology. The possible mechanisms giving rise to the proposed direct selection on head depth require further study.
Polyomavirus nephropathy of the native kidney in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and pulmonary fibrosis.

Polyomavirus nephropathy is commonly seen in the renal allograft setting but is uncommon in native kidneys. This paper describes polyomavirus nephropathy that developed in the native kidneys of a patient following immunosuppressive therapy for rheumatoid arthritis/Sjogren's syndrome associated lung disease. The patient presented with dyspnoea and a slow steady rise in serum creatinine. Owing to chronic immunosuppression, calcineurin-inhibitor toxicity was suspected. However, renal biopsy revealed polyomavirus nephropathy. The treatment of choice, lowered immunosuppression, was complicated by exacerbation of the patient's lung disease. This case highlights features of polyomavirus nephropathy in the native kidney, as well as the difficulty in its treatment when immunosuppressive treatment is necessary for medical comorbidities.
The Form and Content of Human Rights Film: Teaching Larysa Kondracki’s The Whistleblower

This essay argues that the consistent association of human rights film with historical accuracy as a means of raising awareness has led human rights education to focus on filmic content, with fiction films being used primarily as case studies about particular atrocities or as opportunities to discuss more general ethical issues. While the subject matter of human rights films is certainly a major component of human rights education, I maintain that this singular focus prohibits students from examining how a film is situated within a specific matrix of geopolitical power relations and cultural presuppositions. This presumption of truth thus normalizes a westernized worldview, obscuring its ideological foundations and the geopolitical structures that give human rights discourse its universality and function. Using Larysa Kondracki’s The Whistleblower as a teaching case study, this essay demonstrates how an attention to stylistic and generic conventions helps us understand how a film may educate about a particular human rights issue while at the same time propagate the very logics of geopolitical inequality that are implicated in its emergence.
PREPARATION AND APPLICATION OF THE MODIFIED Fe_3O_4 MAGNETIC FLUID

A kind of modified magnetic fluid-Fe3O4 which is used to observe the domain structure with film was prepared by chemical reaction method. The formation conditions and the factors of affecting its magnetic properties were analyzed. The results show that the stable Fe3O4 forms easily when the ratio of FeCl2.4H2O,FeCl3.6H2O and NaOH is 1: 1: 6(ratio of mole). In the reaction process, the main factors of affecting the size of Fe3O4 particle and magnetic properties of Fe3O4 fluid are the quality of water and the speed of agitation. The experiment on the Si-Fe coated sheet shows that the observation with film can be achieved with this magnetic fluid, and this magnetic fluid has the advantages of excellent ability of waveshaping, good reappearance and stable magnetic property. Without any treatment, its magnetic property does not change after preservation for one week, and after pure water-washing to pH=7 and insulated from air, it can be preserved for longer time.
State of Study on Shape-Memory Polyurethane

The state of study on shape memory polyurethane was described by introducing memory mechanism of shapememory polyurethane, mathematic model, influence factors on shape memory and current development of research and theories. The application fields and development of shape memory polyurethane were introduced.
157: Versatility of major histocompatibility complex class II dextramers for detection, and functional characterization of antigen-specific, autoreactive CD4 T cells in the mouse models of autoimmune diseases

Tetramers are useful tools to enumerate the frequencies of antigen-specific T cells. However, unlike CD8 T cells, CD4 T cells – especially self-reactive cells – are challenging to detect with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II tetramers because of their low frequencies, and low affinities of their T cell receptors to MHC-peptide complexes. In our efforts to improve the sensitivity of MHC class II tetramers, we recently created next-generation tetramers, designated ‘dextramers’. The dextramer reagents were helpful tools to detect and study the functionalities of autoreactive CD4 T cells in several murine autoimmune disease models. These include experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induced with proteolipid protein 139–151, and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35–55; and myocarditis induced with cardiac myosin heavy chain (Myhc)-α 334–352 and coxsackievirus B3 (CVB). Here, we report five key findings. (i) dextramers and not tetramers, permitted us to enumerate the precursor frequencies of antigen-specific CD4 T cells ex vivo in the brain and heart by flow cytometry; (ii) direct staining with dextramers was sufficient to detect antigen-reactive T cells in situ by confocal microscopy; (iii) using Myhc-α 334–352 dextramers, for the first time, we showed that CVB infection leads to the generation of pathogenic cardiac myosin-specific CD4 T cells; (iv) dextramers were powerful tools to derive antigen-specific T cell hybridomas including evaluation of T cell markers, T cell receptors and their vβ usage in a single step by flow cytometry; and (v) characterization of pathogenic potential of dextramer+ cells based on cytokine-secretion and chemokine receptor expression led us to conclude that autoreactive T cells sensitized with antigens derived from different organ systems do not have common cytokine signatures. The implications of these observations will be discussed.
Refined treatment of single-edge diffraction effects in radiometry.

This work treats diffraction corrections in radiometry for cases of point and extended sources in cylindrically symmetrical three-element systems. It considers diffraction effects for spectral power and total power in cases of Planck sources. It improves upon an earlier work by the author by giving a simpler rendering of leading terms in asymptotic expansions for diffraction effects and reliable estimates for the remainders. This work also demonstrates a framework for accelerating the treatment of extended sources and simplifying the calculation of diffraction effects over a range of wavelengths. This is especially important in the short-wavelength region, where dense sampling of wavelength values is in principle necessitated by the rapidly oscillatory behavior of diffraction effects as a function of wavelength. We demonstrate the methodology’s efficacy in two radiometric applications.
Late results after repair of tetralogy of Fallot

Three hundred eleven patients up to 17 years of age underwent repair of tetralogy of Fallot from 1964 through 1970. Age of early death group versus early survivor group was 6.1 versus 7.5 years (p = 0.03), and the right ventricular–to–left ventricular (RVILV) pressure ratio was higher for the early death group—0.663 versus 0.569 (p
Truthiness: Challenges Associated with Employing Machine Learning on Neurophysiological Sensor Data

The use of neurophysiological sensors in HCI research is increasing in use and sophistication, largely because such sensors offer the potential benefit of providing "ground truth" in studies, and also because they are expected to underpin future adaptive systems. Sensors have shown significant promise in the efforts to develop measurements to help determine users' mental and emotional states in real-time, allowing the system to use that information to adjust user experience. Most of the sensors used generate a substantial amount of data, a high dimensionality and volume of data that requires analysis using powerful machine learning algorithms. However, in the process of developing machine learning algorithms to make sense of the data and subject's mental or emotional state under experimental conditions, researchers often rely on existing and imperfect measures to provide the "ground truth" needed to train the algorithms. In this paper, we highlight the different ways in which researchers try to establish ground truth and the strengths and limitations of those approaches. The paper concludes with several suggestions and specific areas that require more discussion.
Using and misusing statistics: what do we know about the effects of race on the impact of β-blockers?

> “The common errors … are not due to an absence of knowledge of specialized statistical methods or of mathematical training, but usually to the tendency of workers to accept figures at face value without considering closely the various factors influencing them—without asking themselves at every turn ‘what is at the back of these figures? What factors may be responsible for this value? In what possible ways could these differences have arisen?' That is constantly the crux of the matter.” > > A. Bradford Hill, 19371 Comparison of the response of patient subgroups to proven therapy is fraught with danger. Whether considering the possible benefits of carotid endarterectomy in women, various antihypertensive therapies in very old patients, or β-adrenergic blockade in black patients, the results of randomized studies may be inconclusive. Article see p 202 There are many reasons for the difficulties we face in applying large studies to our patients. First, studies are powered for the overall population. Thus, we should not expect all subgroups to show benefit. The lack of benefit in a subgroup may merely be the consequences of an underpowered analysis. Second, subgroups may vary in many characteristics, some of which might explain a different finding than seen in the overall study. Lack of compliance, socioeconomic differences, varying severity of disease, comorbidities, and genetic variation could all contribute to a differential subgroup response. Third, the artificial nature of studies might not represent an effect of a drug when real-world follow-up and …
Epilepsy-Associated KCNQ2 Channels Regulate Multiple Intrinsic Properties of Layer 2/3 Pyramidal Neurons.

KCNQ2 potassium channels are critical for normal brain function, as both loss- and gain-of-function KCNQ2 variants can lead to various forms of neonatal epilepsy. Despite recent progress, the full spectrum of consequences as a result of KCNQ2 dysfunction in neocortical pyramidal neurons is still unknown. Here, we report that conditional ablation of Kcnq2 from mouse neocortex leads to hyperexcitability of layer 2/3 (L2/3) pyramidal neurons, exhibiting an increased input resistance and action potential frequency, as well as a reduced medium afterhyperpolarization (mAHP), a conductance partly mediated by KCNQ2 channels. Importantly, we show that introducing the KCNQ2 loss-of-function variant KCNQ2I205V into L2/3 pyramidal neurons using in utero electroporation also results in a hyperexcitable phenotype similar to the conditional knockout. KCNQ2I205V has a right-shifted conductance-to-voltage relationship, suggesting loss of KCNQ2 channel activity at subthreshold membrane potentials is sufficient to drive large changes in L2/3 pyramidal neuronal excitability even in the presence of an intact mAHP. We also found that the changes in excitability following Kcnq2 ablation are accompanied by alterations at action potential properties including action potential amplitude in Kcnq2 -null neurons. Importantly, partial inhibition of Nav1.6 channels was sufficient to counteract the hyperexcitability of Kcnq2 -null neurons. Therefore, our work shows that loss of KCNQ2 channels alters the intrinsic neuronal excitability and action potential properties of L2/3 pyramidal neurons, and identifies Nav1.6 as a new potential molecular target to reduce excitability in patients with KCNQ2 encephalopathy. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT KCNQ2 channels are critical for the development of normal brain function, as KCNQ2 variants could lead to epileptic encephalopathy. However, the role of KCNQ2 channels in regulating the properties of neocortical neurons is largely unexplored. Here, we find that Kcnq2 ablation or loss-of-function at subthreshold membrane potentials leads to increased neuronal excitability of neocortical L2/3 pyramidal neurons. We also demonstrate that Kcnq2 ablation unexpectedly leads to a larger action potential amplitude. Importantly, we propose the Nav1.6 channel as a new molecular target for patients with KCNQ2 encephalopathy, as partial inhibition of these channels counteracts the increased L2/3 pyramidal neuron hyperexcitability of Kcnq2 -null neurons.
Teaching peer-to-peer programming methodologies in introductory computer science courses to facilitate collaborative programming paradigms

Many sophisticated collaborative technologies and social computing systems are connected to a growing cyberculture that continues to emerge among today's population of students. This type of collaboration is so prevalent in popular Web 2.0 computer systems, that it makes sense to begin to incorporate some type of coverage of such systems into CS 1 and CS 2 course material. Learning how to write collaborative software using peer-to-peer programming models can help introductory students understand collaborative systems better and it might encourage more students who are active users of these systems to major in computing disciplines in order to pursue related computer programming career path. Very few CS 1 and CS 2 textbooks contain content related to the development of collaborative software systems, presumably because of the extreme complexity involved in developing software that communicates with other software over a network. In this paper, a centralized peer-to-peer system framework is presented that offers a simple way to incorporate class work and projects that involve collaborative programming and networking paradigms at the level of introductory Computer Science courses.
A Big Data Primer

The aim of this chapter is to describe the history of big data and its characteristics—variety, velocity, and volume—and to serve as a big data primer. Many organizations are using big data to improve their operations and/or create new products and services. Methods for generating data, how data is sensed, and then stored, in other words data collection, will be described. Mobile and internet technologies have transformed data collection for these companies and new sources are emerging at an unheard of speed. Due to the explosion of data, the teams needed to manage the data have evolved to include data scientists, domain experts, computer scientists, visualization experts, and more. The ideas of intellectual property are also changing. Who owns the data, the products generated from the data, and applications of the data? Challenges and tools for data analytics and data visualization of big data will be described, thus, setting the foundation for the rest of the book.
Past 15-year trends in lifetime cocaine use among US high school students

Abstract Background Most recent research on adolescent drug use has focused on alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Less is known about the recent epidemiology of adolescent cocaine use, which has serious health consequences. Purpose To describe recent trends in cocaine use by U.S. high school students, and identify differences in lifetime and repeated use across sex and racial/ethnic groups. Methods We used data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) from 1999 to 2015. We estimated the prevalence of lifetime cocaine use (LCU) and repeated lifetime cocaine use (RLCU) across years by race/ethnicity and sex and tested for linear and quadratic trends. Results The prevalence of LCU decreased from 1999 to 2015 (9.54%–5.19%). RLCU also decreased (5.13%–2.84%). Despite the overall decline, LCU and RLCU both rose between 2009–2015 (LCU:2.78%–5.19%, RLCU:1.58%–2.84%). Boys had higher rates of LCU and RLCU than girls (LCU:6.42% vs 4.65%; RLCU:3.69% vs 2.18%). American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic adolescents had the highest overall prevalence of LCU. Black adolescents’ LCU patterns differed from other racial/ethnic groups. The prevalence of LCU among Black boys increased over time, while the prevalence for Black girls remained consistently low. Conclusions Adolescent cocaine use is less common today than in the 1990s. However, rates of adolescent cocaine use have risen across all racial/ethnic groups in the past few years. Public health efforts should address at risk groups with particularly high or rising rates of cocaine use.
In-Situ Printing of Conductive Polylactic Acid (cPLA) Strain Sensors Embedded into Additively Manufactured Parts using Fused Deposition Modeling

Author(s): Ouellette, Brittany Joy | Advisor(s): Todd, Michael D | Abstract: Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology has been around for decades, but until recently, they have been expensive, relatively large, and not available to most institution. Increased technological advances in 3D printing and awareness throughout industry, universities and even hobbyist has put increasing demand to substitute AM parts in place of traditionally manufactured (subtractive) designs; however, there is a large variability of part quality and mechanical behavior due to the inherent printing process, which must be understood before AM parts are used for load bearing and overall structural designs. This research detailed in this thesis paper presents a technique to additively manufacture conductive polymer strain sensors into 3D printed polymer-based in order to measure internal strains. Methods to assemble the coupons for data acquisition and tensile loading and unloading are also detailed in this report. Several variables are explored in order to understand the effects of user-defined printing parameters on the strain sensor sensitivity, and stability while being subjected to unidirectional tension loading.Findings from this study report that there is a strong correlation between part, or coupon strain and resistance measured by the conductive strain sensor. Although several variables were explored in this study, the gauge factor and repeatability varied significantly, thus preventing clear definition between changing variables and the measured results.
Particulate Guanylyl Cyclase A/cGMP Signaling Pathway in the Kidney: Physiologic and Therapeutic Indications.

The particulate guanylyl cyclase A (pGC-A)/cGMP pathway plays important roles in regulating renal physiological function and as well as in counteracting pathophysiological conditions. Naturally occurring peptide pGC-A activators consist of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), b-type NP (BNP), and urodilatin (URO). These activators bind and activate pGC-A, generating the second messenger cyclic 3′,5′ guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). Cyclic GMP binds to downstream pathway effector molecules including protein kinase G (PKG), cGMP-gated ion channels, and phosphodiesterases (PDEs). These mediators result in a variety of physiological actions in the kidney, including diuresis, natriuresis, increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and organ protection, thus, opposing renal cellular injury and remodeling. Downstream proteins regulated by PKG include collagen 1 (Col-1), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and apoptosis-related proteins. In addition to their physiological regulatory effects, pGC-A/cGMP signaling is critical for preserving renal homeostasis in different renal diseases such as acute kidney injury (AKI). Regarding therapeutic options, native pGC-A activators have short half-lives and their activity can be further enhanced by advances in innovative peptide engineering. Thus, novel designer peptide pGC-A activators with enhanced renal activity are under development.
The gammawarp filterbank: A frequency-warped implementation of the dynamic compressive gammachirp filter

This paper presents an alternative method for implementing a dynamic compressive gammachirp (dcGC) auditory filterbank. Instead of using a cascade of second-order sections, the new approach uses digital frequency warping to give the gammawarp filterbank. In the warped implementation, the unit delays in a conventional finite impulse-response (FIR) filter are replaced by first-order allpass filters. The set of warped FIR filter coefficients is constrained to be symmetrical, which results in a filter phase response that is identical for all filters in the filterbank. The dynamic variation in filter response is provided by interpolating the outputs of three linear filters adjusted for low-, medium-, and high-input signal levels. The gammawarp filterbank offers a substantial improvement in execution speed compared to previous dynamic gammachirp filter implementations. For a linear filterbank, the gammawarp execution time is comparable to that of a gammatone or linear second-order section gammachirp implementation for 32 bands, but there is a processing time advantage that increases as the number of bands is increased. For a dynamic compressive gammachirp filterbank, the gammawarp implementation is 27 to 47 times faster than the dcGC MATLAB code of Irino.
Star formation, massive stars, and super star clusters in nearby galaxies

Abstract The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) will enable studies of star formation in nearby galaxies with a level of detail never before possible outside of the Milky Way. Because the earliest stages of stellar evolution are often inaccessible at optical and near-infrared wavelengths, high spatial resolution radio observations are necessary to explore extragalactic star formation. The SKA will have the sensitivity to detect individual ultracompact HII regions out to the distance of nearly 50 Mpc, allowing us to study their spatial distributions, morphologies, and populations statistics in a wide range of environments. Radio observations of Wolf-Rayet stars outside of the Milky Way will also be possible for the first time, greatly expanding the range of conditions in which their mass loss rates can be determined from free-free emission. On a vastly larger scale, natal of super star clusters will be accessible to the SKA out to redshifts of nearly z ∼ 0.1. The unprecedented sensitivity of radio observations with the SKA will also place tight constraints on the star formation rates as low as 1M⊙ yr−1 in galaxies out to a redshift of z ∼ 1 by directly measuring the thermal radio flux density without assumptions about a galaxy’s magnetic field strength, cosmic ray production rate, or extinction.
Inhaled Epoprostenol Through Noninvasive Routes of Ventilator Support Systems.

Background: The administration of inhaled epoprostenol (iEPO) through noninvasive routes of ventilator support systems has never been previously evaluated. Objective: Describe the use of iEPO when ...
Nonlinearities, Smoothing and Countercyclical Monetary Policy

Empirical analysis of the Fed’s monetary policy behavior suggests that the Fed smooths interest rates — that is, the Fed moves the federal funds rate target in several small steps instead of one large step with the same magnitude. We evaluate the effect of countercyclical policy by estimating a Vector Autoregression (VAR) with regime switching. Because the size of the policy shock is important in our model, we can evaluate the effect of smoothing the interest rate on the path of macro variables. Our model also allows for variation in transition probabilities across regimes, depending on the level of output growth. Thus, changes in the stance of monetary policy affect the macroeconomic variables in a nonlinear way, both directly and indirectly through the state of the economy. We also incorporate a factor summarizing overall sentiment into the VAR to determine if sentiment changes substantially around turning points and whether they are indeed important to understanding the effects of policy.
Mechanisms of the Origin of Life

Any theory purporting to account for life cannot avoid facing the fundamental question about how life originated on this planet. One of the most physically realistic models of the origin of biological information (and hence of life) that I know of was proposed by P. W. Anderson and his coworkers (1983, 1987) (see Fig. 13.1). The model was based on thermal cycling (i.e., the cyclical changes of the temperature on the surface of the earth due to its daily rotation around its axis) of an RNA “soup” presumed to be present somewhere on the primordial earth surface some 3.5 billion years ago. The following quotation from Anderson (1987) describes the key ideas behind his model:
MICROSTRUCTURAL DESIGN OF 7×50 ALUMINUM ALLOYS FOR FRACTURE AND FATIGUE

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the microstructural design of the 7050 and 7150 aluminum alloys for the control of recrystallization, grain and subgrain morphologies, fracture toughness, fatigue crack initiation and fatigue crack growth of these alloys. An investigation of the evolution of the microstructure during primary, secondary and intermediate thermo-mechanical processing has been carried out. The study of the recrystallization behavior, the grain morphology and the sub-grain morphology has been carried out. Other microstructural features such as the morphology of the constituent particles, as the formation of primary hydrogen porosity and its evolution during intermediate thermo-mechanical processing have also been studied. The paper discusses the effect of these microstructural parameters on the fracture and fatigue behavior of these alloys.
1,1 Dimethyl 4 Phenylpiperazinium

1,1 Dimethyl 4 Phenylpiperazinium (DMPP) is a selective ganglionic stimulant used as a research tool. DMPP stimulates nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on sympathetic ganglia, chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, and parasympathetic ganglia. It has little effect on muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on the neuromuscular junction. High doses cause a desensitization block of ganglionic transmission. DMPP is not available for therapeutic use.
Home Care for Children with Cancer

Children with leukemia from the time of remission to full recovery or death will more often reside in their own home than in the hospital. Competent professional nursing can provide the support needed to the family throughout the experience. While all periods of treatment will be covered, home care of the dying leukemic child will be emphasized. The feasibility of home care as an alternative to hospitalization for children dying of cancer was studied. The home care system was defined as nurse-directed with a consultant physician and did not entail extensive participation by other health professionals. Of 58 children cared for at home during the 2-year project, 79% died at home and 21% died in the hospital or en route to it. The findings, as shown by interview data, suggest that home care at the end stage of life is a viable alternative for children dying of cancer and for their families. Overall, the study has demonstrated that physicians will refer patients, and that children and parents agree to participate. It further demonstrated that home care nurses can be recruited and that they can secure needed equipment, supplies, and medications. No clear criteria have emerged that would rule out the home care alternative for any child dying of cancer.
Game-Based L2TL

This chapter covers a bit of the theory, research, and practice of game-based L2TL as an introduction to the practice of developing a digital game intended for L2 learning. The first section offers a brief history and synopsis of the state of the practice. Especially useful for L2 educational game designers, the second section presents the implications of gameful L2TL research on the practice. The third section is a practical description of nine activities would-be designers can undertake to plan a game before programming.
Abstract WP71: Multicenter ALADIN: Automated Large Artery Occlusion Detection in Stroke Imaging Using Artificial Intelligence

Introduction: Large vessel occlusion (LVO) may account for up to 40% of all acute ischemic strokes (AIS) and may be associated with worse patient prognosis, being responsible for 60% of dependency ...
DEEP IN THE BRAIN: Identity and Authenticity in Pediatric Gender Transition

Based on an ethnography of clinical practices around gender-nonconforming and transgender children in the United States, this article explores the cultural and scientific notions of identity that shape this field. It examines the practice of diagnosing true gender identity in the clinic and situates the search for the foundation of identity in the inner depths of the self, and in children as harbingers of authenticity, as part of a broader cultural history. It addresses the scientific substantiation of the faith in innateness (“born this way”) and interiority (“from within”) of identity, as well as their political appeal. This article challenges the often taken-for-granted association of science with materialism—and the distribution of matter-idea along the nature–culture axis—by demonstrating the idealism that drives the siting of identity in the brain. Finally, it questions the assumption that it is the appeal of nature and biology that underlies the cultural attachment to entities such as the gene and the brain as locations for the origin of identity in the contemporary United States. Rather than the nature–culture dyad, this article argues that the internal-external dyad more accurately captures and explains this cultural attachment.
Hand-held echocardiography in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

BACKGROUND When performed by cardiologists, hand-held echocardiography (HHE) can assess ventricular systolic function and valve disease in adults, but its accuracy and utility in congenital heart disease is unknown. In hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), the echocardiographic detection of depressed right ventricular (RV) systolic function and higher grade tricuspid regurgitation (TR) can identify patients who are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality and who may benefit from additional imaging or medical therapies. METHODS Children with HLHS after Stage I or II surgical palliation (Norwood or Glenn procedures) were prospectively enrolled. Subjects underwent HHE by a pediatric cardiologist on the same day as standard echocardiography (SE). Using 4-point scales, bedside HHE assessment of RV systolic function and TR were compared with blinded assessment of offline SE images. Concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was used to evaluate agreement. RESULTS Thirty-two HHEs were performed on 15 subjects (Stage I: n = 17 and Stage II: n = 15). Median subject age was 3.4 months (14 days-4.2 years). Median weight was 5.9 kg (2.6-15.4 kg). Bedside HHE assessment of RV systolic function and TR severity had substantial agreement with SE (CCC = 0.80, CCC = 0.74, respectively; P < .001). HHE sensitivity and specificity for any grade of depressed RV systolic function were 100% and 92%, respectively, and were 94% and 88% for moderate or greater TR, respectively. Average HHE scan time was 238 seconds. CONCLUSIONS HHE offers a rapid, bedside tool for pediatric cardiologists to detect RV systolic dysfunction and hemodynamically significant TR in HLHS.
Broadband acoustic metamaterial design using gradient-based optimization

We present a semi-direct method for broadband metamaterial design using gradient-based optimization by means of multiple scattering theory. As application of the method we design acoustic metamaterial based on a gradient-based minimization of total scattering cross section (TSCS) from a set of cylinders by incrementally repositioning them so that they eventually act as an effective cloaking device. We obtained an analytical formula for the gradients of the TSCS with respect to positions of a set of cylinders in closed form rather than relying on finite differences. We defined the broadband gradient vectors with respect to positions which can be found in terms of the individual single frequency gradients. The root mean square of a set of TSCS from a set of cylindrical obstacles is minimized over a range of frequencies. As another application we model broadband wide-angle acoustic lens by maximizing the absolute pressure at a focal point and analytically evaluating its derivative with respect to the cylinder positions. We optimize the cost function for a given set of wavenumbers and incident angles, while supplying the gradients. We illustrate how the analytical form of gradients of the objective function enhances the modeling and accuracy of the optimized solution.
Ab Initio Determination of a Low Resolution Molecular Envelope by Direct Methods

There is considerable variety in the methods by which low resolution phasing has been attempted (Podjarny & Urzhumtsev, 1997). These include clustering of electron density histograms (Lunin et al, 1990), refinement of random positions for a small number of large scatterers (Podjarny & Urzhumtsev, 1997) or a large number of essentially point scatters (Subbiah, 1991), and experimental contrast variation (Bentley et al., 1984; Carter et al, 1990). I will be concerned here only with the latter approach and its use in determining an envelope for the B. stearothermophilus tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS).
Socially just practice in groups: a social work perspective: by C.D. Garvin and R.M. Ortega, Los Angeles, Sage Publishing, 2019, 292 pp., $90.00 (softcover)

In Socially Just Practice in Groups, Charles Garvin and Robert Ortega draw on their decades of experience with social justice and with group work, presenting a text that is timely, relevant and ess...
The impact of mental health diagnoses on perceptions of risk of criminality

Background:Previous research has examined the relation between mental illness (MI) and perceptions of dangerousness, but less research has focused on its relation to perceived risk of criminality. ...
Effects of apodization smoothing and denoising on spectral fitting.

Abstract Purpose Visual review of individual spectra in magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) data benefits from the application of spectral smoothing; however, if this processing step is applied prior to spectral analysis this can impact the accuracy of the quantitation. This study aims to analyze the effect of spectral denoising and apodization smoothing on the quantitation of whole-brain MRSI data obtained at short TE. Methods Short-TE MRSI data obtained at 3 T were analyzed with no spectral smoothing, following (i) Gaussian apodization with values of 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 Hz, and (ii) denoising using principal component analysis (dnPCA) with 3 different values for the number of retained principal components. The mean lobar white matter estimates for four metabolites, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), spectral linewidth, and confidence intervals were compared to data reconstructed using no smoothing. Additionally, a voxel-wise comparison for N-acetylaspartate quantitation with different smoothing schemes was performed. Results Significant pairwise differences were seen for all Gaussian smoothing methods as compared to no smoothing (p Conclusion Mild Gaussian apodization (≤2 Hz at 3 T) can be applied with minimal (1%) errors in quantitation; however, smoothing values greater than that can significantly affect metabolite quantification. In contrast, mild to moderate dnPCA based denoising provides quantitative results that are consistent with the analysis of unsmoothed data and this method is recommended for spectral denoising.
Time Course of Changes in Sorafenib-Treated Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Suggests Involvement of Phospho-Regulated Signaling in Ferroptosis Induction

Ferroptosis is a form of regulated, non-apoptotic cell death characterized by excessive lipid peroxidation that can be triggered by inhibition of the cystine-glutamate antiporter, system Xc−. Sorafenib, an FDA-approved multi-kinase inhibitor drug that is used for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has been shown to induce ferroptosis. Protein phosphorylation changes upon sorafenib treatment have been previously reported in patient studies and in cell culture. However, early phosphorylation changes during induction of ferroptosis are not reported. This work highlights these changes through a time course from 7 to 60 min of sorafenib treatment in human (SKHep1) HCC cells. A total of 6,170 unique phosphosites from 2,381 phosphoproteins were quantified, and phosphorylation changes occurred after as little as 30 minutes of sorafenib treatment. By 60 minutes, notable changes included phosphosites significantly changing on p53 ({"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"P04637","term_id":"269849759"}}P04637), CAD protein ({"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"P27708","term_id":"50403731"}}P27708), and proteins important for iron homeostasis, such as FTH1 ({"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"P02794","term_id":"120516"}}P02794), HMOX1 ({"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"P09601","term_id":"123446"}}P09601), and PCBP1 ({"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"Q15365","term_id":"42560548"}}Q15365). Additional sites on proteins in key regulatory pathways were identified, including sites in ferroptosis-related proteins, indicating the likely involvement of phospho-regulated signaling during ferroptosis induction.
5 – CASE STUDIES

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews some case studies under varied themes. The themes for which case studies are provided are the Cholesky factorization, Cholesky factors after rank-one modifications, Gaussian elimination, Gaussian elimination with iterative improvement, Gauss-Jordan elimination, Householder transformations for least-squares problems, rational qr methods, downdating the qr factorization, the characteristic polynomial, the representations of symmetric matrices, and finally the variants of the Gram–Schmidt method. Automatic roundoff analysis using the software can reproduce a part of Wilkinson's error analysis of Gaussian elimination. Instability is easily diagnosed when nothing is done to control the growth of entries in the successive reduced matrices.