cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D for Cancer Prevention: Global Perspective

PURPOSE: Higher serum levels of the main circulating form of vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), are associated with substantially lower incidence rates of colon, breast, ovarian, renal, pancreatic, aggressive prostate and other cancers. METHODS: Epidemiological findings combined with newly discovered mechanisms suggest a new model ofcancer etiologythataccountsfortheseactionsof25(OH)Dandcalcium.Itssevenphasesaredisjunction, initiation, natural selection, overgrowth, metastasis, involution, and transition (abbreviated DINOMIT). Vitamin D metabolites prevent disjunction of cells and are beneficial in other phases. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: It is projected that raising the minimum year-around serum 25(OH)D level to 40 to 60 ng/mL (100‐150 nmol/L) would prevent approximately 58,000 new cases of breast cancer and 49,000 new cases of colorectal cancer each year, and three fourths of deaths from these diseases in the United States and Canada, based on observational studies combined with a randomized trial. Such intakes also are expected to reduce case-fatality rates of patients who have breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer by half. There are no unreasonable risks from intake of 2000 IU per day of vitamin D3, or from a population serum 25(OH)D level of 40 to 60 ng/mL. The time has arrived fornationally coordinated action to substantially increase intake of vitamin D and calcium. Ann Epidemiol 2009;19:468–483. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Lipid mediated packing of transmembrane helices - a dissipative particle dynamics study

Interactions of transmembrane (TM) helices play a key role in many cell processes. The configuration and cross angle these helices adopt are traditionally attributed to specific residue interactions. We present a different approach, in which specific residues are disregarded, and the role of the membrane in TM helix packing is investigated. We introduce a coarse-grained model of TM helices and obtain their characteristic configurations in the membrane both as a single helix and as paired helices. Our analysis shows that hydrophobic mismatch has a substantial effect in determining not only the tilt angles of TM helices but also the cross angles between helix pairs, for a large range of hydrophobic mismatches. We discuss the origin of this effect as well as the deviations from the common trend. Additionally, we explore the effect of hydrophobic mismatch on the Potential of Mean Force (PMF) between TM helices and discuss the importance of helical geometry in forming crossed configurations. Our observations suggest that hydrophobic mismatch must be taken into account when analyzing configurations of TM helix pairs. Hydrophobic mismatch through its effect on helix tilt can explain many cross-angle distribution features, making the role of specific interactions in determining helix pair configurations less significant.
Role of TNFR1 in the innate airway hyperresponsiveness of obese mice

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) in the airway hyperresponsiveness characteristic of obese mice. Airway responsiveness to intravenous me...
Synthesis of Mitomycins

This chapter describes mitomycin syntheses published in the period 1984–1988 plus 1989 literature available by August 1. Mitomycin synthesis was intensively investigated in this period. It is characterized by a considerable variety of strategies and novel chemistry. The most significant accomplishment was an efficient new total synthesis of mitomycin С by way of isomitomycin A. Other achievements include syntheses of decarbamoyl 7-methoxymitosane by electrophile-initiated biscyclization and by a copper-catalyzed double cyclization of an azidoquinone. New methods for 9,9a-dihydromitosenes were based on photocyclization of a diene-bearing azidoquinone and on intramolecular Reformatsky or Wittig reactions. A stereoselective synthesis of a 1,2-aziridinomito- sene involved photochemical oxidation-reduction followed by palladium-catalyzed cyclization. Mitosenes were prepared by a variety of strategies including triazole photolysis, “criss-cross” annulation of a 2-[2-(l,3-dioxocyclopentanyl)]aniline, Madelung synthesis, and Dieckmann cyclization of a substituted pyrrolazene. Other approaches were based on thermal isomerization of a 1-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-2-vinylbenzene, palladium-catalyzed cyclization of a 6-allyl-5-allylamino-1,4- benzoquinone, and intramolecular cycloaddition of a nitrile oxide to a vinyl group. A 1,2- cyclopropano derivative was formed by 1,3-dipolar addition of a diazo group to an alkene, followed by elimination of nitrogen.
Stick slip and control in low-speed motion

Dimensional and perturbation analysis are applied to the problem of stick slip encountered during the motion of machines. The friction model studied is motivated by current tribological results and is appropriate for lubricated metal contacts. The friction model incorporates Coulomb, viscous, and Stribeck friction with frictional memory and rising static friction. Through dimensional analysis an exact model of the nonlinear system can be formed using five parameters rather than ten, greatly facilitating study and explicitly revealing the interaction of parameters. By converting the system of differential equations into a set of integrations, the perturbation technique makes approximate analysis possible where only numerical techniques had been available before. The analysis predicts the onset of stick slip as a function of plant and controller parameters; these results are compared with experimental data. >
Neutron Activation Cool-down of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor

Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) final operations and post-shutdown neutron activation measurements were made. Ionization chambers were used to follow TFTR activation during operations and after shutdown. Gamma-ray energy spectroscopy measurements were performed to characterize TFTR activation at accessible vessel-bays and on sample hardware removed from structures at various distances from the vessel. The results demonstrate long-lived activations from common, commercially available materials used in the fabrication and field engineering of TFTR. The measurements allow characterization of residual TFTR neutron activation, the projection of residual activation decay, and benchmarking of low activation issues simulations.
Vehicle Crashworthiness Design Via a Surrogate Model Ensemble and a Co-Evolutionary Genetic Algorithm

This paper presents a new method for designing vehicle structures for crashworthiness using surrogate models and a genetic algorithm. Inspired by the classifier ensemble approaches in pattern recognition, the method estimates the crash performance of a candidate design based on an ensemble of surrogate models constructed from the different sets of samples of finite element analyses. Multiple sub-populations of candidate designs are evolved, in a co-evolutionary fashion, to minimize the different aggregates of the outputs of the surrogate models in the ensemble, as well as the raw output of each surrogate. With the same sample size of finite element analyses, it is expected the method can provide wider ranges potentially high-performance designs than the conventional methods that employ a single surrogate model, by effectively compensating the errors associated with individual surrogate models. Two case studies on simplified and full vehicle models subject to full-overlap frontal crash conditions are presented for demonstration.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Does the Emotional Go/No-Go Task Really Measure Behavioral Inhibition? Convergence with Measures on a Non-Emotional Analog

This study tested the convergence of behavioral inhibition measures across emotional and non-emotional versions of the same go/no-go task in 85 college students. The two tasks differed only in the stimuli used for trial cues (i.e., circles versus facial expressions). Moderate correlations (r=.51-.56) between commission errors across the emotional and non-emotional tasks support the construct validity of behavioral inhibition. Further, parametric manipulation of preceding context had comparable effects on performance on the two tasks. Responses were slower and more variable, commission errors were more numerous, and perceptual sensitivity was lower on the emotional than the non-emotional task. A bias for happy faces on the emotional task resulted in faster responses and more commission errors for happy than sad faces despite marginally greater sensitivity for the latter. These results suggest that the basic neuropsychological constructs of the original go/no-go task were preserved in the emotional adaptation.
Low modularity of aminoacyl-tRNA substrates in polymerization by the ribosome

Aminoacyl-transfer RNAs contain four standardized units: amino acids, an invariant 3′-terminal CCA, trinucleotide anticodons and tRNA bodies. The degree of interchangeability of the three variable modules is poorly understood, despite its role in evolution and the engineering of translation to incorporate unnatural amino acids. Here, a purified translation system is used to investigate effects of various module swaps on the efficiency of multiple ribosomal incorporations of unnatural aminoacyl-tRNA substrates per peptide product. The yields of products containing three to five adjacent l-amino acids with unnatural side chains are low and cannot be improved by optimization or explained simply by any single factor tested. Though combinations of modules that allow quantitative single unnatural incorporations are found readily, finding combinations that enable efficient synthesis of products containing multiple unnatural amino acids is challenging. This implies that assaying multiple, as opposed to single, incorporations per product is a more stringent assay of substrate activity. The unpredictability of most results illustrates the multifactorial nature of substrate recognition and the value of synthetic biology for testing our understanding of translation. Data indicate that the degree of interchangeability of the modules of aminoacyl-tRNAs is low.
Algorithm and architecture: for non-linear noise filtering via piecewise linear compression

We present a novel non-linear filtering technique for random noise, based on the principle that random noise is hard to compress. In contrast to spectral filters, the proposed technique does not require a priori knowledge of the noise and signal characteristics. We demonstrate the technique by filtering additive random noise using a compression algorithm based on piecewise linear approximation. A single chip design of the filtering algorithm is also presented. It includes two multiplier-accumulator units, an adder, registers, and a short look-up table. The proposed implementation allows an output sample to be generated every four cycles on average. >
Framework of a new methodology for behavioral to physical design linkage [VLSI circuits]

A new framework for enhancing the knowledge-based linkage between behavioral and physical design of VLSI circuits is presented. The framework incorporates new abstractions and metrics that lead to more efficiently defined CAD algorithms by improving the handling of electrical and physical effects which are important in producing efficient layouts. This is accomplished by defining a new behavioral to physical design relationship (linkage) and defining a more useful set of heuristic measures related to electrical characteristics which impact layout. A measure of layout complexity also is derived which can be estimated early in the behavioral modeling process.
Sex Trafficking in Nepal Survivor Characteristics and Long-Term Outcomes

There has been little systematic research on therapy, rehabilitation, and social reintegration of women formerly trafficked into prostitution. This study examines characteristics and outcomes of Nepali sex trafficking survivors. Twenty case files of survivors rehabilitated in the shelter of an antitrafficking NGO were randomly selected. All individuals in the sample suffered somatic and behavioral sequelae. Three quarters of the survivors eventually returned to their villages to live. These results suggest that current rehabilitation and reintegration programs are producing positive results. However, there is need for more systematic diagnosis, record keeping, and outcome studies as well as education to reduce stigma and promote safe migration practices.
Right Answer, Wrong Question On the Clinical Relevance of the Cardiovascular History

According to Samuel Johnson, “It is as foolish to make experiments on the constancy of a friend as on the chastity of a wife.” Despite this sage admonition, Cheng et al challenge the fidelity of traditional algorithms for estimation of cardiovascular risk based on the quality of symptoms suspicious of angina, asserting that they seriously overstate the actual prevalence of disease.1 They base their conclusion on a study of some 14 000 patients referred for clinically indicated noninvasive coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) and enrolled in Coronary CT Angiography Evaluation for Clinical Outcomes: An International Multicenter Registry (CONFIRM). Symptoms were elicited largely through a self-administered patient questionnaire and categorized in a manner similar (but not identical) to that used in a number of cardiovascular guidelines.2,3 Article see p 2423 In a nutshell, the CONFIRM investigators observed that the prevalence of CCTA disease did not correlate well with the presence or type of symptoms. Asymptomatic patients stratified by age and sex had essentially the same prevalence of disease as similarly stratified patients with nonanginal discomfort, atypical angina, or typical angina. Though noting that their population was limited by the use of a self-administered patient questionnaire rather than a physician's history, and that secular patterns of referral might have changed over the 30 years since the introduction of these algorithms—or have been influenced by the availability of additional clinical information—they nevertheless discount these difficulties and leave us with the impression that symptoms don't matter. At the risk of seeming to construct a straw man argument, ask yourself, “Do symptoms matter?” Is a patient with chest pain more likely to have coronary disease than an asymptomatic patient? Assuming you answered this question in the affirmative, what CONFIRM says is only that noninvasive CCTA doesn't tell us the same thing …
The preparation and analysis of a new trinucleotide from yeast ribonucleic acid, containing two adjacent 2'-O-methylpentose residues.

Quantities of the order of 10mg of three alkali-stable trinucleotides were prepared from yeast ribonucleic acid. Analyses showed that they were of the type N1m-N2m-N3p, where m signifies 2′-O-methylation of the pentose residue. One, Am-Um-Gp, is newly described.
Levels of physical dependence on tobacco among adolescent smokers in Cyprus

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess tobacco dependence among Cypriot adolescents and examine its association to cigarette consumption and attitudes towards smoking.
Who is Charlie?: xenophobia and the new middle class

Charlie Hebdo (or Charlie Weekly) was renamed so in 1970 after the French government banned its parent publication, Hara-Kiri, in 1961 a year after it emerged, for mocking the death of Charles De G...
Taste and Smell Disturbance Resulting From Midodrine.

Objective:To report a case of dysgeusia and dysosmia following midodrine initiation.Methods/Case Summary:A 58-year-old male started midodrine 5 mg tablets 3 times a day for orthostatic hypotension. Two weeks after starting, he began complaining of dysgeusia and dysosmia. He also reported less of an appetite at this time but did not realize it was due to symptoms. He reported his symptoms as tolerable and chose to continue the medicine. At follow-up contact 7 days later, the symptoms were still present but diminishing.Main results/Discussion:Midodrine is used for symptoms of orthostatic hypotension. Dysgeusia and dysosmia are not common adverse events and are not included in the manufacturer’s labeling. There is only one other published case report of this reaction. Our patient only admitted to slight appetite suppression, but it may be more profound in some. The reaction may be dose related, but there is not enough information to make this conclusion.Principal conclusions:Using midodrine may result in dys...
Human Skeletal Remains from the Dobell Site

ABSTRACTThe skeletal remains of nine individuals from a site near Petrified Forest National Park, east central Arizona are described.
On/Beyond the Anthropocene

I extend the concept of nomad citizenship to individuals and groups operating within already-existing institutions. This extension is necessary because addressing ‘the Anthropocene’ will require not just social-movement war-machines but also intervention in and by states and other established institutions. I take as my point of departure Althusser's extended analysis of the ideological function of state apparatuses, expanding it beyond state apparatuses to institutions in general. Re-engineering Althusser through Deleuze and Guattari will require jettisoning his notion of ideology and rewriting his conceptions of both subjectivity and the mode of production.
Apartheid in Tolkien: Chaucer and The Lord of the Rings, Books 1–3 (1925–1943)

Tolkien’s repugnance toward apartheid (apartness) as defined in his retirement lecture suggests he deeply resented throughout his career being treated as set apart from others because he was a Roman Catholic South African-born medievalist and philologist—a friendly foreigner—whose family came from the rustic West Midlands in England. The medieval works by Tolkien introduce prototypes for the queer or “unnatural” in his anti-epic—namely, the Hobbits, Frodo’s conception of Farmer Maggot, and dark Strider, along with many others who appear increasingly strange the farther away from the “norm” of the rustic Shire in which they happen to live. Intolerance for difference—alterity—threatens community and leads, as Tolkien reveals, to war and devastation.
A Motion and Force Analysis System for Human Upper-limb Exercises

This paper describes a novel system that can demonstrate the potential to track and estimate the torques that affect the human arm of an individual that performs rehabilitation exercises with the use of Kinect v2. The system focuses on eliminating the jerky motions captured by the Kinect with the incorporation of robotic mechanics methodologies that have been applied in the field of robotic mechanical design. In order to achieve this results, the system takes full advantage of the dynamic and kinematic formulas that describe the motion rigid bodies. Lastly, a simulation experiment is depicted to demonstrate the results of the system.
Sensitivity of extremum seeking control methods to changes in initial conditions in antenna array applications

This paper presents the design of a system that controls a non-uniform antenna array. The control system reconfigures the antenna to find the position that produces the maximum objective, in this case, directivity. To create such a system, we assume to have N vehicles carrying dipole antennas. The vehicles are allowed to move along one dimension (1D). That is, each vehicle with its antenna has one degree of freedom. To implement and optimize the system, we will compare two algorithms, Perturbation-based Extremum Seeking Control (PESC) and Numerical Optimization based Extremum Seeking Control using Particle Swarm Optimization (NOESC-PSO). The sensitivity of the two methods to initial condition is examined via simulations.
A transdiagnostic examination of decreased intolerance of uncertainty and treatment outcome

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is characterized by negative beliefs and reactions to uncertainty. IU is present in emotional disorders and may be a mechanism of change in treatment . There are two components of IU, prospective and inhibitory IU, that may be differentially associated with outcome. The current study tested associations between pre- and post-treatment changes in the components of IU, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and treatment outcome in a large diagnostically heterogeneous partial hospital sample. Results suggested that social anxiety disorder was associated with greater pre-treatment prospective and inhibitory IU scores than those without the diagnosis. Results also showed that inhibitory IU predicted change in anxiety and depression symptoms and prospective IU and depression reductions predicted improvements in overall psychological health and psychological inflexibility. Only change in depression predicted improvement in interpersonal relationships throughout treatment. Clinical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.
Investigating contextual cues as indicators for EMA delivery

In this work, we attempt to determine whether the contextual information of a participant can be used to predict whether the participant will respond to a particular Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) trigger. We use a publicly available dataset for our work, and find that by using basic contextual features about the participant's activity, conversation status, audio, and location, we can predict if an EMA triggered at a particular time will be answered with a precision of 0.647, which is significantly higher than a baseline precision of 0.41. Using this knowledge, the researchers conducting field studies can efficiently schedule EMAs and achieve higher response rates.
c-Src plays a role in internalization of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) induced by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in SW480 colon cancer cells.

614 EGCG, the major biologically active constituent of green tea, inhibits activation of the EGFR and its downstream signaling pathways in several types of human cancer. We recently discovered that this inhibition is associated with internalization of the EGFR. Although the precise mechanism of ligand-induced EGFR internalization is still unclear, some reports suggest that a src family non-receptor tyrosine kinase may play a role in this process. Therefore, we hypothesized that a src family kinase may also play a role in EGCG-induced EGFR internalization. Using SW480 cells, we conducted a time course study and found that EGCG can activate c-Src in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Activation was detected with as low as 1μM of EGCG and within 10min. This time course is consistent with our previous findings that EGCG can induce EGFR internalization within 30min. We examined whether EGCG can bind to the c-Src protein by affinity chromatography using EGCG-coupled Sepharose beads. SW480 total cell lysates were applied to the EGCG affinity column and eluted fractions were analyzed by western blot analysis. c-Src was detected in the fraction containing proteins that bind to EGCG with high affinity. Next, we investigated the effect of EGCG on the level of cell surface EGFR using a quantitative ELISA assay, and found that EGCG 40μM causes a significant decrease in the amount of cell surface EGFR. This reduction was partially rescued by the src kinase specific inhibitor PP1. We confirmed these findings using fluorescence microscopy by demonstrating that combined treatment with EGCG and PP1 decreased the amount of internalized vesicles containing EGFR. Src family kinases have been shown to bind to and laterally activate EGFR, leading to stimulation of specific downstream signaling pathway and DNA synthesis. Therefore, we examined the phosphorylation status of EGFR by immunoblotting using site-specific and non-specific anti-phospho-tyrosine antibodies. In these studies, treatment with EGCG did not cause phosphorylation of tyrosine residues or increase total tyrosine phosphorylation of EGFR. Taken together, our studies provide the first evidence that EGCG can bind to and preferentially activate c-Src and that this activation may play a role in EGCG-induced internalization of the EGFR in SW480 cells. However, this activation of c-Src does not activate the EGFR and its downstream signaling pathways. Our findings suggest a novel mechanism by which EGCG inhibits the EGFR pathway. Further studies will be required to determine the significance of c-Src activation by EGCG with respect to its anti-cancer effects.
Resolution of Acute Arterial Occlusion and Residual Stenosis in a Newborn

Duplex ultrasound examination of the neonatal circulation is challenging to those who do it infrequently. Trepidation regarding pathology and concern for vessel size and interpretation present challenges for the typical Noninvasive Vascular Laboratory tasked with caring for the adult population. We present, herein, a challenging case of an acute iliac arterial occlusion in an 18-hr-old female and discuss the findings and technical perspective of the examination and its interpretation.
Medically Treatable Forms of Nystagmus

Several forms of nystagmus and nystagmoid disorders may be successfully treated by neurotropic agents which augment or depress the action of specific neurotransmitter substances. These disorders in...
Thanaviewing, the Aokigahara Forest, and Orientalism: Rhetorical Separations Between the Self and the Other in The Forest

The Forest depicts the journey of an American woman to Aokigahara Forest in Mount Fuji, Japan, Sara, who is searching for her lost twin sister, Jess. Known for its association with death, the real Aokigahara is used by the filmmakers as a horror film setting. The Forest provides a virtual lens through which audiences can experience a tourist site famous, in part, for the large number of people who commit suicide there. This chapter argues that the virtual representation of Sara’s journey through the forest constructs a narrative that exoticizes Asian culture and emphasizes entertainment and enjoyment at the cost of understanding and appreciation.
Student and Faculty Ratings of Task Difficulty in Predicting Performance on a Clinical-Skills Exam

The study compares student ratings of perceived difficulty for 10 objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) stations with faculty ratings of difficulty and actual student test performance. In 1995, 171 medical students completed the OSCE at the end of their third year. After the OSCE, students were asked to evaluate the difficulty of each station using a 5 point scale (5=Easy to 1=Too difficult). Faculty members had rated the difficulty of each station before the exam. Kendall (nonparametric) correlations were used to determine the associations among the ranked average difficulty ratings of students and faculty, and the ranked average test performance for each station. The student and faculty ratings of station difficulty did not correlate -.20, (p=.42). The student difficulty rating did not correlate with student performance (.13, p= .59) nor did faculty difficulty rating correlate with student performance (.27, p=.28). These results indicate that students and faculty do not agree on the relative level of difficulty of each task. The correlations of both student and the faculty ratings to actual performance (score) suggest that neither are very accurate predictors of actual performance.
Local governance of immigrant incorporation: how city-based organizational fields shape the cases of undocumented youth in New York City and Paris

City-based organizations and governments play an important role in incorporating undocumented immigrant youth. This article investigates how localities socio-politically incorporate these immigrants by examining the governance constellations and institutional logics of the organizational field that manages undocumented youth. Comparing sets of municipal and civil society organizations in different national settings, I use the two cases of New York City and Paris to ask how the ‘city-based organizational field of immigrant incorporation’ shapes citizenship experiences of undocumented youth. Data come from multi-level longitudinal ethnography over 8 years with two dozen undocumented youth and with organizations in each city as well as interviews with immigrant organization staff and other governance actors in New York and Paris. Organizational field dynamics in Paris provide a stronger possibility of citizenship and rights acquisition, evidence of socio-political incorporation. In contrast, New York’s robust and flexible labor market and ethnic and immigrant legitimacy offer its undocumented youth a marginalized socio-political incorporation. These findings support practice-based understandings of local governance of incorporation of undocumented youth.
New Interpretation of Na+-Ion Conduction in and the Structures and Properties of Sodium Borosilicate Mixed Glass Former Glasses

A new study has been made of the well-known sodium borosilicate glass system to improve the overall and detailed understanding of both the atomic level structures in these glasses and the correlation of these structures to their physical properties. The specific intent is to examine the isocompositional, Na2O content, variation of the Na+-ion conductivity with the mixing ratio x of the amounts of B2O3 and 2SiO2 (Si2O4, which keeps the number of glass former cations constant across this series) in these glasses. This study deepens our ongoing examination of the mixed glass former effect (MGFE) on the Na+ ion conductivity in these glasses. In doing so, we also report and examine the MGFE on the density, the mechanical moduli, and the glass-transition temperature, Tg. The most significant structural change that occurs in these glasses is the formation of large fractions of tetrahedral borons, B4, that leads to densification and strengthening of the glass structure and, as a result, causes what appears to the...
Abstract WP429: Choosing Wisely: Is 24 Hour ICU Monitoring Post-tPA Really Necessary?

Introduction: After treatment with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) or intra-arterial thrombolysis (IA lysis) patients are monitored intensely for evidence of change in neurologica...
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Older Patients

Aging is a risk factor for developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due, in part, to an increased collapsibility of the upper airways. As a result, the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing is higher in the elderly than in the general population. The clinical characteristics of OSA in the elderly can be distinct from the typical presentation of middle-aged adults and can include nocturia, cognitive dysfunction, and mild hypersomnia. Obstructive sleep apnea can be observed in older patients with a normal body mass index and can increase the risk of stroke, but the effect of OSA on mortality is still controversial. Among the therapeutic options, CPAP therapy is considered the best modality, even in older patients, and can improve cognitive function, decrease the frequency of nocturia, and possibly slow cognitive deterioration in patients with dementia. CPAP therapy should not be withheld based on age, since it is well tolerated, even in moderately demented patients. Further studies are needed to determine whether CPAP therapy can affect outcomes in an older patient population.
Target Identification, Lead Discovery, and Optimization

The selection of an appropriate target can make or break a radiopharmaceutical development program. Understanding the characteristics of a good target and creating ligands with high affinity, specificity, and ideal pharmacokinetics will lead to the creation of radiopharmaceuticals that will be invaluable to patient outcomes. In this chapter, we will introduce the notion of targeting, define the characteristics of the ideal target, and describe the most common ways used to identify and develop ligands specific to the target.
Isotopic Fractionation of Potassium by Diffusion in Methanol.

We present the results of experiments involving the isotopic fractionation by diffusion of K+ cations in methanol at 298 K along with supporting molecular dynamic simulations. The experiments, using glass Rayleigh fractionators filled with a methanol solution of KCl, constrain the ratio of the individual diffusivities of 41K and 39K (D41K/D39K) in methanol, and so the isotopic fractionation of K+ due to diffusion in methanol, to 0.9995 ± 0.0001. This isotopic fractionation is 25% of the fractionation resulting from K+ diffusion in water. This is consistent with published molecular dynamics simulations indicating greater hydrodynamic coupling between K+ ions and solvating methanol molecules compared to K+ ions and solvating water molecules.
Operating modes of a magnetized cold cathode plasma in helium 50–6400 mtorr

We characterize the operating modes of a magnetized cold cathode plasma in helium at pressures 50–6400 mtorr (6.7–850 Pa). We find at least three distinct modes: (i) a diffuse magnetron plasma with representative plasma voltage 250 V; (ii) a constricted mode with a bright spot at the cathode surface that moves slowly, with representative plasma voltage 50 V; and, (iii) a constricted mode with a bright spot at the cathode surface that orbits rapidly around the racetrack region defined by the magnetic field, with representative plasma voltage 80 V. The constricted-orbiting mode is of interest because it appears to be a cold-cathode plasma operating at unusually low voltage, and it is associated with a low rate of cathode mass-loss. We find that it appears only if the initial rate of current-rise is high, and if the cathode surface is smooth and featureless. It also appears to be correlated with cathode materials that form strong oxide films, that can dramatically increase the field emission of electrons from the cathode surface.
Challenges in predicting crack growth in structures operating in extreme environments

Abstract In creep-brittle materials, where there is competition between the evolution of crack tip stress fields due to time-dependent deformation and due to environment enhanced crack growth under sustained and cyclic loading, there are no unifying concepts that are currently available to characterize crack growth. This is a major gap in technology that currently exists and prevents the use of time-dependent fracture mechanics approach to an important class of high temperature materials such as Ni base alloys, directionally solidified (DS) materials, and single crystal (SX) materials. This paper critically reviews the promising approaches, and the needs for filling this technology gap. Recommendations for future work are made.
Stable or Changing?: Racial/Ethnic Compositions in American Public Schools, 2000 to 2015

Background/ContextTrends in district and metropolitan school segregation over the past several decades have been well documented, but less attention has focused on the racial/ethnic composition cha...
The Atlas of Reptiles of Iran. Omid Mozaffari, Kamran Kamali and Hadi Fahimi. 2016. Iran Department of the Environment, Tehran. 361 pp.

Herpetology in Iran is alive and well and experiencing an unprecedented period of productivity. Consequently, in recent years there have been several books dealing with the reptiles of Iran. Among these are works by Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2007), Kamali (2017) and Rajabizadeh (2018). Although each of these makes a valuable contribution, these books were published in Farsi only, limiting their usefulness to those outside of Iran. ...
Mechanisms of alumina growth via atomic layer deposition on nickel oxide and metallic nickel surfaces

We aim at elucidating the mechanism of the trimethyl aluminum (TMA) decomposition on oxidized nickel (NiO) and metallic nickel (Ni) facets in the absence of a source of hydroxyl groups. This TMA decomposition mechanism constitutes the earliest stage of growth of Al2O3 coatings with the atomic layer decomposition (ALD) method, which stabilizes nickel catalysts in energy-intensive processes such as the dry reforming of methane. Our first-principles calculations suggest thermodynamic favorability for the TMA decomposition on metallic nickel compared to oxidized nickel. Moreover, the decomposition of TMA on metallic nickel showed almost no differences in terms of energy barriers between flat and stepped surfaces. Regarding the impact of the CH3 radicals formed after TMA decomposition, we calculated stronger adsorption on metallic nickel facets than on oxidized nickel, and these adsorption energies are comparable to the adsorption energies calculated in earlier works on Al2O3 ALD growth on palladium surfaces. These results lead us to believe in the growth of porous Al2O3 coatings triggered by CH3 contamination rather than due to preferential TMA decomposition on stepped and/or defective facets. The CH3 radicals are likely to be thermally stable at temperatures used during Al2O3 ALD processes, partially passivating the surface towards further TMA decomposition.
Survey and analysis of major human parasitic diseases in Chongqing City

OBJECTIVE To investigate the epidemic of major human parasitic diseases in Chongqing City, so as to provide a reference for developing prevention and control strategies. METHODS According to the unified methods formulated by the national investigation scheme and stratified cluster random sampling, 36 rural pilots and 50 urban pilots were selected in Chongqing City. The number of the objects investigated in individual pilot was defined over 250. RESULTS Totally 22 263 residents were detected. The overall infection rate of intestinal parasites was 5.41%. The infection rates of Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm, Trichuris trichiura, and Enterobius vermicularis were 1.20%, 4.23%, 0.13% and 0.47% respectively. Only 0.22% of the infections were co-infections. The infection rate of overall intestinal parasites was statistically higher in the females than that in the males (χ2 = 15.19, P < 0.05), and the infection rates were significantly different among various age groups, occupations, education levels, and regions (χ2 = 15.19, 396.72, 421.07, 347.79, all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The infection rates of major human parasites in Chongqing show an obviously decreasing tendency compared with the rates of the past twice of national surveys. In the future, the controlling practices are obliged to focus on reducing the infection rates of soil-borne parasites.
Corrosion by Aqueous Piperazine at 40–150 °C in Pilot Testing of CO2 Capture

Corrosion data from two pilot plant activities of CO2 capture are presented. The pilot plant used 5 m (30 wt %) of aqueous piperazine (PZ) and the advanced stripper (PZAS). 316L stainless steel exp...
In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Carotenoids and Chlorophylls in a Diverse Collection of Spinach Accessions and Commercial Cultivars

Spinach, a nutrient-dense, green-leafy vegetable, is a rich source of carotenoid and chlorophyll bioactives. While the content of bioactives is known to vary with the genotype, variation in bioaccessibility is unknown. Bioaccessibility was explored in 71 greenhouse-grown spinach genotypes in fall and spring 2018/2019. Spinach was phenotyped for its greenness, leaf texture, leaf shape, and SPAD chlorophyll content. Postharvest, spinach was washed, blanched, and homogenized prior to assessment of bioactive bioaccessibility using a novel high-throughput in vitro digestion model followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector analysis. There was a significant variation in the bioaccessible content for all bioactives (p < 0.05), except for chlorophyll b (p = 0.063) in spring-grown spinach. The correlation coefficients of bioaccessible contents between seasons reveal that lutein (r = 0.52) and β-carotene (r = 0.55) were correlated to a greater extent than chlorophyll a (r = 0.38) and chlorophyll b (r = 0.19). The results suggest that carotenoid and chlorophyll bioaccessible contents may vary based on spinach genotypes and may be stable across seasons.
Optimization-Based Approaches for Affine Abstraction and Model Discrimination of Uncertain Nonlinear Systems

This paper presents novel optimization-based approaches for affine abstraction and model discrimination of uncertain nonlinear systems in the form of nonlinear (basis) functions with uncertain coefficients. First, we propose a mesh- based affine abstraction method to conservatively approximate the uncertain nonlinear functions in the sense of the inclusion of all possible trajectories by two affine hyperplanes in each bounded subregion of the state space. As the affine abstraction is an over-approximation of the original system, any model invalidation guarantees for the abstraction also hold for the original system. Next, we extend existing methods to solve the (passive) model discrimination problem for the piecewise affine interval models obtained from abstraction by leveraging model invalidation. It is shown that the model invalidation and discrimination problems can be recast as the feasibility of a mixed- integer linear program (MILP). Finally, the efficiency of the approach is illustrated with numerical examples motivated by intent/formation identification of autonomous swarm systems.
The Ratio Problem

We use the term "ratio problem" to describe the omitted variable and measurement error bias that can arise when a ratio is the dependent variable in an economic model. First, we show how bias can arise from the omission of two classes of variables based on a ratio's denominator. As an example, we demonstrate that the widely-cited "inverse-U" relationship between managerial ownership and Tobin's Q is reversed when these variables are included. Second, we show how measurement error in the ratio's denominator can produce bias. We provide empirical tests and solutions, and urge caution about ratios as dependent variables.
Rules for Recovery: Impact of Indexed Disaster Funds on Shock Coping in Mexico

Government provision of disaster transfers is typically hampered by liquidity constraints and by weak rules and administrative capacity to disburse reconstruction resources. We show that by easing these hurdles, Mexico's indexed disaster fund (Fonden) considerably accelerates economic recovery after a disaster. To estimate Fonden impact on recovery, as measured by night lights, we exploit the heavy rainfall index that determines program eligibility. We find that for one year after a disaster, eligible municipalities are 6 percent brighter than those ineligible, with gains likely concentrated among less resilient municipalities. We additionally document how Fonden rules shield resources from political abuse.
Exhaled Nitric Oxide Before and After Spirometry

Background: It has been described that individuals with hyperreactive airways disease and/or airway inflammation have higher concentrations of exhaled nitric oxide (ENO) than healthy individuals. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) have published guidelines on test performance. The guideline states that ENO be performed before spirometry because spirometric maneuvers have been shown to transiently reduce exhaled NO levels. This recommendation is based on limited evidence and in particular cites an article where they observed the ENO response in 10 health subjects. The cited study measured ENO 15 min before and after an FVC maneuver was performed. However the small number of subjects and the fact all the subjects were normal healthy volunteers limits the study9s ability to predict test behavior in patients. Methods: In our study we performed a clinically ordered ENO test in 33 patients after IRB consent was obtained. The subjects performed an ENO according to standard laboratory procedures before and 15 min after spirometry. Our goal is to further define the effect of spirometry on the ENO result and determine appropriate pre-test sequence. Question: Does performing spirometry before performing an exhaled nitric oxide (ENO) test decrease the results of an ENO? Hypothesis: Performing spirometry before completing an Exhaled Nitric Oxide (ENO) test will decrease the results of an ENO. Conclusions: In the patients we tested there is no statistical difference between the ENO results obtained before or after spirometry.
Emerging Nanoscience and Functional Artificial Nanoarchitectures

Nanoscience and nanotechnology—not so long ago only futuristic, speculative ideas—are now vibrant real areas of scientific research and engineering development. The excitement, and the private and public investment to back it, comes from nothing less than the promise of revolutionary advances in medicine, communications, and other areas of contemporary technology. Why? The most obvious idea is that miniaturization—ultimately, to the nanometer scale—makes things faster.
Acaricide Efficacy and Resistance in South Carolina Tomato Populations of Twospotted Spider Mite

Twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae) is a key pest of vegetable crops in the southeastern US. Spider mites can cause significant yield loss in tomato due to reduced photosynthetic capacity and direct feeding damage. Use of acaricides is the primary control method, but acaricide resistance is a serious concern. We sought to characterize efficacy of acaricides registered for use on tomato by conducting 2 field trials in South Carolina in 2015 and 2016. The most effective treatments were abamectin, fenpyroximate, and cyflumetofen. Bifenazate and bifenthrin had lower efficacy than other products, and acaricide resistance was a suspected cause. Therefore, 3 spider mite populations were collected from grower fields in 2017, subjected to concentration-response screening, and compared to a known-susceptible population. Probit analysis revealed that all populations were resistant to bifenthrin at levels that would likely result in field failure. All populations were resistant to abamectin, with the LC50 of 1 population above field rate. Resistance to acequinocyl and spiromesifen also was present in all populations, but LC50 values were well below field rate. Based on our results and known non-target effects of bifenthrin and abamectin on predatory mites, growers should avoid using these products for spider mite management. Poor performance of bifenazate in the efficacy study could not be attributed to resistance, although it is possible that the populations from the efficacy study were resistant and those screened for resistance were not. Many acaricides registered in tomato appear to be effective for mite management in South Carolina.
Lightweight Network Steganography for Distributed Electronic Warfare System Communications

This paper presents the application of a modified implementation of the StegBlocks TCP method as part of the Distributed Electronic Warfare System. The existing system is not equipped with a secure information communication mechanism for transmission between assimilated hosts and from hosts back to the server. The method implemented utilizes network steganography to provide covert data transmission through the network using network packets. The proposed implementation is compared to another implementation of the same method on the aspects of the implementations’ usability, versatility, and applicability. Discussion on how the proposed implementation is more suitable than the alternate implementation is presented. Future proposed improvements to the implementation are also discussed.