cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stabilizing a previously centrally planned economy: Poland 1990

Stabilization in Poland Guillermo A. Calvo and Fabrizio Coricelli We examine the dynamics of the January 1990 stabilization programme in Poland, focusing on the substantial and sudden collapse in industrial output, and inflation persistence. We discuss three, non-mutually exclusive, explanations of these phenomena: (1) excessive initial stocks of inventories, (2) an exogenous fall in household demand and (3) tight credit We conjecture that tight credit was at centre stage: it helped to magnify the fall in output, and to coordinate such a fall across sectors. We base such a conjecture on the existence of substantial credit segmentation, and on the underdevelopment of private credit markets, The latter may explain the substantial shrinkage of interenterprise credit, compounding the initial contraction of bank credit They argue that credit tightness is reflected in firms offering wages below the programme's ceilings, especially given that firms are controlled by Workers' Councils. This conjecture is further strengthened by the fact that wages increased, and even went beyond the programme's ceilings, as credit expanded during the year. We argue that the wage hike may be the reason why credit expansion did not result in a major output recovery, and inflation persisted during the year.
Noninvasive Assessment of Atherosclerosis in Nonhuman Primates

Atherosclerosis is a progressive and degenerative disease of the artery wall which begins relatively early in life, years if not decades prior to the onset of clinical signs and symptoms. One of the major challenges which face investigators in this field of research is to establish the validity and reliability of noninvasive methods which can detect atherosclerotic plaques before they become severe enough to result in tissue ischemia, and to determine whether or not atherosclerotic lesions can be monitored both in terms of rate and direction over time. Although several methods of direct arterial visualization are available currently, high-resolution B-mode ultrasound imaging appears to have the most advantages. This technique is noninvasive, relatively inexpensive, and can visualize not only lumen contour and configuration, but also the atherosclerotic plaque in the underlying wall. Preliminary experiments in animal models suggest that lesions as small as 0.5 mm in the carotid arteries can be detected using this method. Whether or not atherosclerotic plaques can be monitored over time, however, has not been demonstrated.
Smoke-Free Laws in Bars and Restaurants: Does Support Among Teens and Young Adults Change After a Statewide Smoke-Free Law?

b ABSTRACT Objective. We assessed changes in levels of support for smoke-free bars and restaurants among teens and young adults before and after implementation of a statewide smoke-free law. Methods. We measured support for smoke-free bars and restaurants among teens and young adults aged 16-24 years living in Minnesota (n52,785) and five comparison states ( n5404), up to 12 months before and up to six months after Minnesota's smoke-free law went into effect in October 2007. We com- pared changes in support among three subgroups—Minnesota participants who lived with a previous local smoke-free law, Minnesota participants who did not live with a previous local smoke-free law, and participants from the com- parison states—before and after Minnesota's statewide smoke-free law went into effect. Results. Support for smoke-free restaurants and bars among participants in Minnesota and comparison states increased after Minnesota's smoke-free law went into effect. Minnesotans, both those living with and without a previ- ous local smoke-free law, showed similar increases in support for smoke-free restaurants as participants in comparison states. However, Minnesotans living without a previous local law showed larger increases in support for smoke-free bars than both those in comparison states and those living in Minnesota with a previous local smoke-free law. Conclusions. Our study employed a more robust design than similar studies and focused on the teen and young adult population. Our results will help advocates and policy makers demonstrate how public support for smoke-free laws increases following smoke-free legislation, particularly among those who were not previously living with a local smoke-free law.
The Role of Group 14 Element Hydrides in the Activation of C–H Bonds in Cyclic Olefins

Formally, triple-bonded dimetallynes ArEEAr [E = Ge (1), Sn (2); Ar = C6H3-2,6-(C6H3-2,6-iPr2)2] have been previously shown to activate aliphatic, allylic C–H bonds in cyclic olefins, cyclopentadiene (CpH), cyclopentene (c-C5H8) and 1,4-cyclohexadiene, with intriguing selectivity. In the case of the five-membered carbocycles, cyclopentadienyl species ArECp [E = Ge (3), Sn (4)] are formed. In this study, we examine the mechanisms for activation of CpH and c-C5H8 using experimental methods and describe a new product found from the reaction between 1 and c-C5H8, an asymmetrically substituted digermene ArGe(H)Ge(c-C5H9)Ar (5), crystallized in 46% yield. This compound contains a hydrogenated cyclopentyl moiety and is found to be produced in a 3:2 ratio with 3, explaining the fate of the liberated H atoms following triple C–H activation. We show that when these C–H activation reactions are carried out in the presence of tert-butyl ethylene (excess), compounds {ArE(CH2CH2tBu)}2 [E = Ge(8), Sn(9)] are obtained in...
Strategic Management and Determinism

Contingency theories of management and economic theories of industrial organization both contribute to a mechanistic view of the strategic manager as “analyst.” In this view, the secret to managerial effectiveness is through the application of scientific laws or principles, be they “laws of organization” or “laws of the marketplace.” This paper argues for a view of strategic management as a creative activity and suggests a dialectic between free will and determinism in conceptualizations of strategic behavior.
Expanding the Disciplinary Expertise of a Middle School Mathematics Classroom: Re-Contextualizing Student Models in Conversations With Visiting Specialists

This article examines how conversations during design reviews in which 8th-grade mathematics students shared population models with visiting specialists expanded the disciplinary expertise of the classroom. Re-contextualizing is a conversational exchange that visiting specialists initiated to invite groups to consider their models in novel contexts. Analysis of 14 design reviews in 2 classrooms showed that re-contextualizing resulted in both the elaboration of ideas students already understood and new contributions to students' understandings of mathematical aspects of population modeling. This article presents case studies of 2 groups that differed in terms of their interest in the curricular task and the level of conceptual integrity of their population models. Despite these differences, the re-contextualizing exchanges that emerged in their design reviews led to new insights for both groups and provided them with opportunities to try on ways of thinking and acting like population biologists.
Bridging the Inflection Morphology Gap for Arabic Statistical Machine Translation

Statistical machine translation (SMT) is based on the ability to effectively learn word and phrase relationships from parallel corpora, a process which is considerably more difficult when the extent of morphological expression differs significantly across the source and target languages. We present techniques that select appropriate word segmentations in the morphologically rich source language based on contextual relationships in the target language. Our results take advantage of existing word level morphological analysis components to improve translation quality above state-of-the-art on a limited-data Arabic to English speech translation task.
Some determinants of attitudes toward substance use in an urban ethnic community.

Personal interview responses of a stratified random sample of 411 non-institutionalized black adults, 18 yr. of age and older, who resided in a large northeastern city showed sex, age, marital stat...
Gape size and evolution of diet in snakes: feeding ecology of erycine boas

The Macrostomata accounts for more than 85% of extant snakes and is characterized by increased mobility of the jaws and increased gape size. We used stomach contents of museum specimens and specific literature records to describe the food habits of a basal clade of macrostomatan snakes – the erycine boas (Erycinae) – with an emphasis on the North American Charina bottae. Mammals, lizards, birds, and squamate eggs composed 66%, 17%, 7%, and 5%, respectively, of the prey of C. bottae. Smaller C. bottae fed on squamate eggs and lizards, whereas larger snakes added mammals and birds to their diet, and ceased to take squamate eggs. Ten of 12 snakes with multiple prey had eaten nestling birds or mammals, and snakes that ate multiple prey were not significantly larger than those that had single prey. Charina trivirgata and C. reinhardtii also prey on mammals, whereas species of Eryx feed mainly on mammalian prey, but also eat lizards and occasionally birds. Evolutionarily more basal groups of snakes primarily feed on elongate prey, which suggests that innovations of the feeding apparatus of macrostomatans allowed these snakes to eat heavier and bulkier prey, particularly mammals. Erycines appeared and diversified at approximately the same geological time as rodents, suggesting that rodents perhaps constituted an abundant prey resource that favoured the diversification of early macrostomatans.
Containment in Realism

German Realist literature is known for its lingering descriptions and seemingly uneventful plotlines. A classic approach to this period (roughly 1848–1900) is to view it as producing a conservative...
Expression and Association of the Yersinia pestis Translocon Proteins, YopB and YopD, Are Facilitated by Nanolipoprotein Particles

Yersinia pestis enters host cells and evades host defenses, in part, through interactions between Yersinia pestis proteins and host membranes. One such interaction is through the type III secretion system, which uses a highly conserved and ordered complex for Yersinia pestis outer membrane effector protein translocation called the injectisome. The portion of the injectisome that interacts directly with host cell membranes is referred to as the translocon. The translocon is believed to form a pore allowing effector molecules to enter host cells. To facilitate mechanistic studies of the translocon, we have developed a cell-free approach for expressing translocon pore proteins as a complex supported in a bilayer membrane mimetic nano-scaffold known as a nanolipoprotein particle (NLP) Initial results show cell-free expression of Yersinia pestis outer membrane proteins YopB and YopD was enhanced in the presence of liposomes. However, these complexes tended to aggregate and precipitate. With the addition of co-expressed (NLP) forming components, the YopB and/or YopD complex was rendered soluble, increasing the yield of protein for biophysical studies. Biophysical methods such as Atomic Force Microscopy and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy were used to confirm that the soluble YopB/D complex was associated with NLPs. An interaction between the YopB/D complex and NLP was validated by immunoprecipitation. The YopB/D translocon complex embedded in a NLP provides a platform for protein interaction studies between pathogen and host proteins. These studies will help elucidate the poorly understood mechanism which enables this pathogen to inject effector proteins into host cells, thus evading host defenses.
Audiologic evaluation of the otitis media patient

Because of the complexity and variability in the expression of otitis media, its effects on auditory function are diverse. The various influences of otitis media on auditory function are described within this article, including acoustic reflex, audiometry, and tympanometry.
Interferon treatment for chronic hepatitis B or C infection: costs and effectiveness.

INTRODUCTION With recognition that resources are limited, health care payers and policy makers have increasingly turned toward economic analyses to determine whether particular therapies are an efficient use of economic resources. Both chronic hepatitis B and C infections can progress to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma over time. Interferon treatment has been shown to eradicate viremia, but only does so in a proportion of treated patients. It has potential side effects, has no proven long-term benefit on complications and is relatively expensive. OBJECTIVE To determine the cost-effectiveness of interferon treatment by estimating the lifelong economic and clinical outcomes associated with interferon therapy versus standard care for patients with either chronic hepatitis B or C infection. METHODS Computer cohort Markov model simulation to project the lifelong impact of the loss of hepatitis B or C viremia resulting from interferon on cirrhosis, life expectancy, and costs. The natural history of hepatitis B and C was based on published studies. Efficacy estimates for the loss of viremia were based on meta-analysis of published data. Using a societal perspective, economic estimates were based on cost of care data for patients with hepatitis and from estimates regarding the frequency of health resource utilization provided by expert panels. RESULTS For 20 year old patients with either hepatitis B e antigen positive chronic hepatitis or histologically mild chronic hepatitis C infection, interferon should be cost saving, extending life and reducing lifetime expenditures and morbidity. Life expectancy should increase by 4.8 to 3.1 years for patients with chronic hepatitis B or C, respectively. Lifetime costs should be reduced on average by $6,300 to $6,900 for each patient treated with interferon. CONCLUSION Chronic infection with hepatitis B or C can result in liver failure and death. Although only effective in a proportion of treated patients, interferon for chronic hepatitis appears to be an efficient use of societal resources so that economic reasons should not limit its use.
Surgical Correction of Far Advanced Otosclerosis

The patient with far advanced otosclerosis (a nonmeasurable bone-air gap) may appear superficially to be suffering from profound or total sensorineural impairment. Only by a careful history and examination can a proper diagnosis be made. Stapedectomy has produced satisfactory results in 46 per cent of these cases in our hands.
Theoretical Approach to the Configuration Mixing in Sm Chalcogenides

We discuss the approach to the properties of the Sm chalco-genides based on an essentially localized or excitonic picture of most of the Sm 5d-electrons in the collapsed phase, with a small number (≈ 0.1 electron per Sm) occupying the free-electron-like states at the bottom of the 5d-band. The way this picture can lead to the observed results on volume and degree of mixing vs. pressure, as well as electrical conductivity, magnetism, and specific heat is reviewed. In addition, it is shown that this model, in the case of SmS can lead to the observed plasma edge frequency and furthermore predicts strong optical absorption at low energies (≈ 10-1 ev.). We give a comparison of the above picture with the more common models where all the 5d-electrons (~.7 per Sm in SmS) occupy free-electron-like states, and a critique of the latter.
Orientation & Judgment in Hermeneutics

In what direction does hermeneutics continue to evolve, coming to fruition in the nineteenth century as a method for interpreting texts, and, while achieving a singular focus in the twentieth centu...
In situ stress magnitude and rock strength in the Nankai accretionary complex: a novel approach using paired constraints from downhole data in two wells

We present a method to simultaneously constrain both far-field horizontal stress magnitudes (S hmin and S Hmax) and in situ rock unconfined compressive strength (UCS), using geophysical logging data from two boreholes located 70 m apart that access the uppermost accretionary prism of the Nankai subduction zone . The boreholes sample the same sediments and are affected by the same tectonic stress field, but were drilled with different annular pressures, thus providing a unique opportunity to refine estimates of both in situ stress magnitudes and rock strength. We develop a forward model to predict the angular width of compressional wellbore failures (borehole breakouts), and identify combinations of S Hmax and UCS that best match breakout widths observed in resistivity images from the two boreholes. The method requires knowledge of S hmin, which is defined by leak-off tests conducted during drilling. Our results define a normal to strike-slip stress regime from 900 to 1386 m below seafloor, consistent with observations from seismic and core data. Our analysis also suggests that in situ values of UCS are generally slightly lower that commonly assumed on the basis of published empirical relations between UCS and P-wave velocity.
Disorders of potassium homeostasis in critically ill patients

Disorders of potassium homeostasis can be life-threatening. This is especially true in critically-ill patients, in whom concurrent disorders may exacerbate the adverse effects of both hyper- and hypokalemia. Alterations in potassium balance are usually multifunctional in origin. Four broad categories encompass the most common diseases and syndromes seen in the intensive care setting: pharmacologic agents, acid-base disturbances, hypomagnesemia, and renal insufficiency. The various influences that disturb the serum potassium concentration may either potentiate or counter-balance one another. The most important clinical manifestations of disorders of potassium homeostasis are those involving the heart: both hyper- and hypokalemia can be associated with lethal arrhythmias. Neuromuscular, renal and metabolic effects are also seen. Severe hyper- and hypokalemia, irrespective of cause, should be treated as medical emergencies.
Human Skin Gene Expression, Attributes of Botanicals: Angelica sinensis, a Soy Extract, Equol and its Isomers and Resveratrol

Because of its accessibility, skin was one of the first organs to be examined by gene technologies. Mircoarray/mRNA techniques have demonstrated the valuable aspects of this methodology for the elucidation of and the quantification for changes in human skin related-genes. It is important to review/understand how botanicals influence human skin gene expression (by stimulation or inhibition of certain genes) and to compare these biomarkers to the known mechanisms of skin aging. This review covers how human skin genes are modulated by 1) enhanced wound healing with an extract of a well-known medicinal plant in Asia, Angelica sinensis, 2) UV sunlight exposure that represents the main cause of photoaging or extrinsic skin aging and subsequent protection by a soy extract, 3) equol and their isomers that stimulate collagen and elastin while at the same time inhibit aging and inflammatory biomarkers and 4) resveratrol, the most high profile phytochemical known by the general public that displays some properties similar to equol with the additional benefit of stimulating the anti-aging surtuin or SIRT1 biomarker. Thus, the protective influences of botanicals/ phytochemicals elucidated herein provide potential applications to improve human skin health.
Molecular Genetics of Nodulation of Soybean by Bradyrhizobium Japonicum

The Gram-negative, aerobic, soil bacteria of the root nodule group comprise two taxonomically distinct genera; the fast-growing Rhizobium species and the slow-growing Bradyrhizobium species (1). All species of rhizobia have the ability to infect leguminous plants and establish a nitrogen fixing symbiosis. The genetics of this process has been intensely studied in several fast-growing Rhizobium. The initial interactions of plant and symbiont that lead to establishment of the symbiosis requires at least two sets of genes. One set (nodABCDIJ), the so-called “common” nodulation genes due to their sequence homology between species, encodes functions necessary for the early events of nodulation (2, 3, 4). A second set of genes, nodEFGH, imposes on the plant-symbiont interaction a degree of specificity; these genes determine the host range of the particular rhizobia (5, 6). Induction of the above nodulation genes takes place in response to the presence of the plant. Induction appears to be due to the Rhizobium sensing plant produced flavones (7, 8). Induction also requires that a functional nodD gene be present (7). In addition, Rostas et al. (9) have identified a 47 bp sequence upstream of all the known nodulation genes of R. meliloti that is essential for nod gene induction. This sequence has been termed the Nod Box.
Epilepsia Partialis Continua

Epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) refers to prolonged, focal, and repetitive motor seizures resulting from a variety of inciting etiologies. The differential diagnosis is broad and treatment is based primarily on the causative etiology. Prognosis varies according to the nature of the underlying disease. EPC can cause continuous or intermittent involuntary movements that can be misinterpreted as a movement disorder.
What Counts? Who is Counting? Teacher Education Improvement and Accountability in a Data-Driven Era

This chapter offers an overview of policies for reform and accountability in teacher education, addressing the role of evidence, and the opportunities for improvement within the field of teacher education. It focuses upon efforts to utilize tests or assessments and data-driven methodologies to inform government, the public, and educators. The discussion draws from the manner in which these issues have played out in the United States, to contrast with approaches and opportunities in the Australian context. The unsatisfying outcomes of many past initiatives in the United States point to the need to improve reform and accountability efforts in order to maximize the chances for meaningful change in education. The chapter concludes with a call for reflection and action within teacher education itself, arguing a “window of opportunity” exists, particularly in Australia, to develop a more confident way forward in the context of present reforms.
Workers in Poverty: An Insight Into Informal Workers Around the World

Gloss, Carr, Reichman, Abdul-Nasiru, and Oestereich (2017) present compelling arguments on a moral/humanistic need for I-O psychologists to consider workers that are living and working in deep poverty. Their case nicely shifts focus to large percentages of global workers who heretofore have only been represented minimally in the scholarly discourse in our field. I would like to accomplish two goals in this commentary. First, I would like to present a brief historical perspective on why industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology's focus has been on POSH workers. Second, I will provide conceptual extensions to Gloss et al.’s (2017) focal article by presenting some insights into the world of informal workers.
Binary classifier calibration using an ensemble of piecewise linear regression models

In this paper, we present a new nonparametric calibration method called ensemble of near-isotonic regression (ENIR). The method can be considered as an extension of BBQ (Naeini et al., in: Proceedings of twenty-ninth AAAI conference on artificial intelligence, 2015b), a recently proposed calibration method, as well as the commonly used calibration method based on isotonic regression (IsoRegC) (Zadrozny and Elkan, in: Proceedings of the ACM SIGKDD international conference on knowledge discovery and data mining 2002). ENIR is designed to address the key limitation of IsoRegC which is the monotonicity assumption of the predictions. Similar to BBQ, the method post-processes the output of a binary classifier to obtain calibrated probabilities. Thus, it can be used with many existing classification models to generate accurate probabilistic predictions. We demonstrate the performance of ENIR on synthetic and real datasets for commonly applied binary classification models. Experimental results show that the method outperforms several common binary classifier calibration methods. In particular, on the real data, we evaluated ENIR commonly performs statistically significantly better than the other methods, and never worse. It is able to improve the calibration power of classifiers, while retaining their discrimination power. The method is also computationally tractable for large-scale datasets, as it is $$O(N \log N)$$O(NlogN) time, where N is the number of samples.
Quasidensity: A Survey and Some Examples

In three previous papers, we discussed quasidense multifunctions from a Banach space into its dual, or, equivalently, quasidense subsets of the product of a Banach space and its dual. In this paper, we survey (without proofs) some of the main results about quasidensity, and give some simple limiting examples in Hilbert spaces, reflexive Banach spaces, and nonreflexive Banach spaces.
Theory of Sequential Monte Carlo

In the previous chapter, we introduced the basic framework of sequential importance sampling (SIS), in which one builds up the trial sampling distribution sequentially and computes the importance weights recursively.
Chromatin and Regulation of Gene Expression

The human genome is approximately three billion nucleotides in composition and, if stretched along a single, continuous strand, would span almost two meters. The organization of this entity within the confines of a nucleus is an essential challenge for every eukaryotic cell. Darkly staining nuclear material was observed by early microscopists and called chromatin, which later proved to be the structural answer to this problem. Chromatin structure and its place in regulated gene expression, cellular homeostasis and loss of function in disease form ever-expanding and fundamental interests for basic scientists, as well as clinicians. This chapter addresses the basics of chromatin structure, how regulation by chromatin structure has been studied, the specifics of activated, repressed and silenced chromatin, identification of chromatin remodeling complexes and histone modifiers, and their functions in regulation of gene expression.
Bonus versus Penalty: Does Contract Frame Affect Employee Effort?

We conducted an experiment in which participants acted as employees under either a bonus contract or an economically equivalent penalty contract. We measured participants’ contract preference, their degree of expected disappointment about having to pay the penalty or not receiving the bonus, their perceived fairness of their contract, and their effort level. Consistent with Luft (1994), we find that employees generally preferred the bonus contract to the penalty contract. We extend Luftŕss work by demonstrating that loss aversion caused employees to expend more effort under the penalty contract than under the economically equivalent bonus contract. That is, employees were more averse to having to pay the penalty than they were to not receiving the bonus, and consequently they chose a higher level of effort under the penalty contract to avoid paying the penalty. However, we also find evidence of reciprocity in that employees who considered their contract to be fairer chose a higher level of effort. Because our participants generally considered the bonus contract fairer than the penalty contract, reciprocity predicts higher effort under the bonus contract, a result opposite to our finding. Our overall result that employee effort was greater under the penalty contract is explained by the fact that, while higher perceived fairness did increase effort, this effect was dominated by the more powerful opposing effect of loss aversion. We discuss the implications of these results for explaining why in practice most actual contracts are bonus contracts rather than penalty contracts.
Wear particles and osteolysis

Abstract: Osteolysis with subsequent implant loosening is considered to be the most frequent cause of revision joint replacement surgery. Osteolysis is characterized by progressive periprosthetic bone resorption secondary to the biological response to wear particulate debris. Initially, osteolysis was referred to as ‘cement disease’ since it was considered to be the result of fragmented cement. However, with better understanding of the pathophysiology of the osteolytic process, it has been observed to develop from a combination of foreign body cellular responses to wear particulate debris from various origins – metallic, polyethylene and polymethylmethacrylate – with varying contributions of these different wear debris. This chapter provides a brief overview of the basic science related to osteolysis; the mechanism of generation, consequences and clinical implications of different types of wear particulates; and the future trends in clinical and basic science research to mitigate or circumvent osteolysis.
Hypertensive emergencies and resistant hypertension

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), hypertensive emergency is defined as severely elevated blood pressure (>180/120 mmHg) with target organ damage [1], which includes left ventricular failure and pulmonary edema, acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, aortic dissection, acute kidney injury, encephalopathy, or eclampsia (Tables 44.1 and 44.2). Approximately 25 % of patients that present to the emergency department with hypertensive emergency have no previous history of hypertension [1]. The American Heart Association recommends a reduction of mean arterial blood pressure by not more than 25 % within the first hour and then, if clinically stable, to about 160/100 mmHg within next 2–6 h. Hypertensive emergencies are treated with intravenous blood pressure medications (Tables 44.3 and 44.4).
Linguistic-Mathematical Statistics in Recent Romanian Poetry

“Mathematics is logical enough to be able to detect the internal logics of poetry and crazy enough not to lag behind the poetic ineffable” (Solomon Marcus).
Impact of metastasectomy in the multimodality approach for BRAFV600E metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): The Mayo Clinic experience.

e15045Background: BRAFV600E mutations are present in 7% of mCRC patients (pts) and portend a poor prognosis. Data guiding initial treatment decisions are limited. This study investigates the manage...
Drug Resistance Mutation L76V Alters Nonpolar Interactions at the Flap-Core Interface of HIV-1 Protease.

Four HIV-1 protease (PR) inhibitors, clinical inhibitors lopinavir and tipranavir, and two investigational compounds 4 and 5, were studied for their effect on the structure and activity of PR with drug-resistant mutation L76V (PRL76V). Compound 5 exhibited the best Ki value of 1.9 nM for PRL76V, whereas the other three inhibitors had Ki values of 4.5–7.6 nM, 2–3 orders of magnitude worse than for wild-type enzymes. Crystal structures showed only minor differences in interactions of inhibitors with PRL76V compared to wild-type complexes. The shorter side chain of Val76 in the mutant lost hydrophobic interactions with Lys45 and Ile47 in the flap, and with Asp30 and Thr74 in the protein core, consistent with decreased stability. Inhibitors forming additional polar interactions with the flaps or dimer interface of PRL76V were unable to compensate for the decrease in internal hydrophobic contacts. These structures provide insights for inhibitor design.
The effects of cytosporone‐B, a novel antifibrotic agent, on vocal fold fibroblasts

Objectives/hypothesis Our laboratory recently described NR4A1 as an endogenous inhibitor of TGF-β-induced vocal fold (VF) fibrosis. Our prior report described the temporal expression of NR4A1 during VF healing in vivo and the effects of NR4A1 knockdown on fibroplastic cell activities in vitro. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that cytosporone-B (Csn-B), an NR4A1 agonist, may hold significant therapeutic potential. Study design In vitro. Methods Human VF fibroblasts were exposed to TGF-β1+/-Csn-B. Expression of genes related to fibrosis were quantified. In addition, contraction was assayed as a surrogate for the fibrotic phenotype in our cell line. Results TGF-B1 stimulated COL1A1 and ACTA2, as expected. Csn-B significantly downregulated TGF-β1-mediated upregulation of these genes (P = .009, P = .03, respectively). Csn-B had no effect on genes related to TGF-β/Smad signaling. Csn-B also decreased the TGF-β1-mediated contractile phenotype in our cells (P = .004). Conclusions NR4A1 is an endogenous inhibitor of fibrosis in the vocal folds and Csn-B, as an NR4A1 agonist, may evolve as an ideal, therapeutic candidate for this challenging condition. Level of evidence NA Laryngoscope, 128:E425-E428, 2018.
Predictive Fuzzy Markov Decision Strategy for Autonomous Driving in Highways

This paper presents a model for lane changing in highway driving. It consists of two main parts; threat assessment by assessing the interaction between traffic participants captured in terms of fuzzy logic and a decision making approach based on the concept of Markov Decision Process (MDP). The combined system forms a predictive Fuzzy Markov Decision Process (FMDP). A model predictive control (MPC) scheme for trajectory generation/control complements this decision process. Multiple driving scenarios are evaluated in a visual simulation environment to verify the potential use of the proposed method and reported in the paper.
Comedy as a Route to Social Change: The Effects of Satire and News on Persuasion about Syrian Refugees

Using a pretest–posttest and delayed recontact experimental design with a national sample, this study examines shifts in U.S. public attitudes about Syrian refugees after watching a topical satiric...
Enhancement-mode Al0.85Ga0.15N/Al0.7Ga0.3N high electron mobility transistor with fluorine treatment

Enhancement-mode Al0.7Ga0.3N-channel high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were achieved through a combination of recessed etching and fluorine ion deposition to shift the threshold voltage (VTH) relative to depletion-mode devices by +5.6 V to VTH = +0.5 V. Accounting for the threshold voltage shift (ΔVTH), current densities of approximately 30 to 35 mA/mm and transconductance values of 13 mS/mm were achieved for both the control and enhancement mode devices at gate biases of 1 V and 6.6 V, respectively. Little hysteresis was observed for all devices, with voltage offsets of 20 mV at drain currents of 1.0 × 10−3 mA/mm. Enhancement-mode devices exhibited slightly higher turn-on voltages (+0.38 V) for forward bias gate currents. Piecewise evaluation of a threshold voltage model indicated a ΔVTH of +3.3 V due to a gate recess etching of 12 nm and an additional +2.3 V shift due to fluorine ions near the AlGaN surface.
Mesothelium and Malignant Mesothelioma

The mesothelium is an epithelial structure derived from the embryonic mesoderm. It plays an important role in the development of a number of different organs, including the heart, lungs, and intestines. In this publication, we discuss aspects of the development of the mesothelium, where mesothelial structures can be found, and review molecular and cellular characteristics associated with the mesothelium. Furthermore, we discuss the involvement of the mesothelium in a number of disease conditions, in particular in the pathogenesis of mesotheliomas with an emphasis on malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM)—a primary cancer developing in the pleural cavity.
Newton's Radii, Maupertuis' Arc Length, and Voltaire's Giant.

SummaryGiven two arc length measurements along the perimeter of an ellipse—one taken near the long diameter, the other taken anywhere else—how do you find the lengths of major and minor axes? This was a problem of great interest from the time of Newton's Principia until the mid-eighteenth century when France launched twin geodesic expeditions—one to the equator near Quito, the other to the Finnish arctic led by Maupertuis—so as to determine whether the earth was lemon-shaped, as the French Academy long contended, or like a mandarin orange as Newton promised. We give a simplified version of Newton's argument, and show how an elliptical profile model for the earth's shape together with an arc length measurement determines the amount of flattening of the earth at the poles. We conclude by speculating why Voltaire made his giant Micromegas exactly 23 miles tall.
Urine Growth Differentiation Factor-15 is Not an Independent Biomarker of Cardio-Renal Interactions in Patients with Heart Failure

Introduction Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is a stress-responsive biomarker that is elevated in patients with heart failure (HF) and carries prognostic value. However, conditions other than HF can increase levels, making plasma concentration non-specific for HF. In diabetic patients, urinary GDF-15 has been associated with worse kidney function, but its role in HF remains unknown. Therefore, we sought to determine if urinary GDF-15 might provide unique cardio-renal information in patients with HF. Hypothesis Urinary GDF-15 will be associated with diuretic efficiency and survival, independently of plasma GDF-15. Methods GDF-15 was measured in 171 patients with heart failure treated with IV diuretics in the outpatient setting. Pre and post diuretic spot urinary GDF-15 (n=166) was measured using the Mesoscale Assay platform (MesoScale Diagnostics, Gaithersburg, MD, USA). Urinary GDF-15 was normalized to urine creatinine. Diuretic efficiency was defined as sodium excretion per doubling of loop diuretic dose. Results Plasma GDF-15 was weakly correlated with pre-diuretic urinary GDF-15 (r= 0.21, p=0.019) and modestly correlated with post-diuretic urinary GDF-15 (r=0.50, p Conclusion Plasma, but not urinary, GDF-15 was independently associated with diuretic efficiency and survival. This suggests that urinary GDF-15 does not provide specific cardio-renal information, likely because it is mainly filtrated from plasma rather than produced in the kidney.
A Bivariate Exponential Distribution

We introduce a new bivariate exponential distribution that is analytically tractable and easily implementable. Some of its properties are discussed. Explicit expressions of the expected value of the larger and of the smaller of a pair of correlated exponentials are also provided. An application to tandem queues offers several interesting implications.
Assessment of Silver-Nanoparticles-Induced Erythrocyte Cytotoxicity through Ion Transport Studies.

Background/aims Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most frequently used nanomaterials in industrial and biomedical applications. Their functionalization significantly impacts their properties and potential applications. Despite the need to produce, investigate and apply them, not much is known about the toxicity of silver nanoparticles to and their interaction with blood components, such as erythrocytes. Here, we report on the effect of two negatively charged AgNPs (Creighton, and Lee-Meisel) on ion transport in human red blood cells (HRBCs). Methods HRBCs were obtained from blood of adult donors, which was either expired, fresh or refrigerated for variable lengths of time, and from fresh or refrigerated cord blood. Rb+ and K+ ions were measured by atomic emission and absorption spectrophotometry, respectively. Erythrocyte hemoglobin optical density (Hbc OD), was determined at 527 nm to estimate RBC volume in the same tubes in which Rb+ and K+ were measured. Cellular Rb+ uptake and intracellular K+ concentrations, [K]i, were calculated in mmol/L of original cells (LOC) per time. Rubidium, a potassium ion (K+) congener used to measure K+ influx, [K]i, and Hbc ODs were determined in the presence and absence of several concentrations (0-150 µg mL-1) of spherical AgNPs of an average diameter of 10 nm, at different time points (0-60 min). Results Creighton AgNPs inhibited Rb+ influx and depleted the cells of K+ independently of the source and in a time and dose-dependent manner. In contrast, Lee-Meisel AgNPs caused ~ 50 % Rb+ influx inhibition and ~ 15 % K+ loss with larger interindividual variability than Creighton AgNPs. The loss of K+ from HRBCs was entirely accounted for by an increase in extracellular K+ concentration, [K]o. Enhanced dark field optical microscopy in conjunction with CytoViva® hyperspectral imaging helped visualize AgNPs internalized by HRBCs, thus pointing to a potential cause for their cytotoxic effects. Conclusion These findings indicate that HRBC K+ homeostasis is an early and sensitive biomarker for AgNPs toxicity and is a function of their surface functionalization.
Physical Activity and Mortality among Male Survivors of Myocardial Infarction.

Purpose An inverse association between physical activity (PA) and risk of CHD has been seen in many studies, but evidence for benefits of PA after myocardial infarction (MI) in reducing mortality is limited. Methods Using data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study cohort, we followed male survivors of MI. Short- and long-term changes in PA from before to after MI were calculated, and participants without ambulation impairment were classified into maintained low, decreased, increased, or maintained high PA categories. Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mortality across PA and PA change categories. Results During a mean of 14 yr of follow-up of 1651 incident nonfatal MI cases, we documented 678 deaths, 307 were due to cardiovascular disease. The adjusted HR for all-cause mortality comparing ≥21 with ≤1.5 MET·wk of PA before MI was 0.73 (95% CI = 0.59-0.89, Ptrend = 0.03). Compared with men who maintained low PA before and after MI, men who maintained high PA had a 39% (95% CI = 25-50) lower risk of all-cause mortality, and those who had a long-term increase in PA from before to after MI had a 27% (95% CI = 6-43) lower risk. Walking for ≥30 min·d after MI was associated with a 29% lower mortality (HR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.58-0.84), independent of walking pace, and walking pace after MI was inversely associated with mortality (HR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.49-0.92). Conclusions Maintaining a high PA or having a long-term increase in PA from before to after MI was associated with lower mortality among male MI survivors. Walking time and walking pace after MI were each inversely associated with mortality.
Chapter 15 – Textile Recycling

Textiles are nearly 100% recyclable, yet for a variety of reasons many textiles end up in the landfill. In recent years, special attention to value-added products made from recycled textile materials is on the rise as consumers, policy makers, engineers and industry experts focus on environmental stewardship, strategic partnerships and holistic approaches that contribute significantly to the recycling process. This chapter describes the recycling process and the various categories that are considered as recycling companies manage the plethora of textiles that enter the recycling stream. By recycling textiles, the punitive costs of landfill are avoided. In addition, the recycling process contributes significantly to employment, charitable contributions and positive environmental impact.
Using mental health first aid to promote mental health in churches

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an evidence-based intervention to increase knowledge about mental illness and self-efficacy in addressing mental health problems. This pilot study explored the imp...
Cosmic rays from multi-wavelength observations of the Galactic diffuse emission

Cosmic rays (CRs) generate diffuse emission while interacting with the Galactic magnetic field (B-field), the interstellar gas and the radiation field. This diffuse emission extends from radio, microwaves, through X-rays, to high-energy gamma rays. Diffuse emission has considerably increased the interest of the astrophysical community due to recent detailed observations by Planck, Fermi-LAT, and by very-high energy Cherenkov telescopes. Observations of this diffuse emission and comparison with detailed predictions are used to gain information on the properties of CRs, such as their density, spectra, distribution and propagation in the Galaxy. Unfortunately disentangling and characterizing this diffuse emission strongly depends on uncertainties in the knowledge of unresolved sources, gas, radiation fields, and B-fields, other than CRs throughout the Galaxy. We discuss here the diffuse emission produced by CRs and its uncertainties, and the comparison of this predicted emission with recent multi-wavelength observations. We show insights on CR spectra and intensities. Then we address the importance for forthcoming telescopes, especially for the Square Kilometre Array telescope (SKA) and the Cherencov Telescope Array (CTA), and for missions at MeV.
Is Quantum Mechanics Compatible with an Entirely Deterministic Universe

A b s t r a c t It will be argued that 1) the Bell inequalities are not equivalent with those inequalities derived by Pitowsky and others that indicate the Kolmogorovity of a probability model, 2) the original Bell inequalities are irrelevant to both the question of whether or not quantum mechanics is a Kolmogorovian theory as well as the problem of determinism, whereas 3) the Pitowsky type inequalities are not violated by quantum mechanics, hence 4) quantum mechanics is a Kolmogorovian probability theory, therefore, 5) it is compatible with an entirely deterministic universe.
Partial Information Decomposition via Deficiency for Multivariate Gaussians.

Partial information decompositions (PIDs) extend the concept of mutual information to three (or more) random variables: they decompose the mutual information between a "message" and two other random variables into information components that are unique to each variable, redundantly present in both, and synergistic. This paper focuses on the PID of three jointly Gaussian random vectors. Barrett (2015) previously characterized the Gaussian PID for a scalar message in closed form - we examine the case where the message is a vector. Specifically, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of unique information in the fully multivariate Gaussian PID. We do this by drawing a connection between the notion of Blackwell sufficiency from statistics and the idea of stochastic degradedness of broadcast channels from communication theory. Our first result shows that Barrett's closed form expression extends to the case of vector messages only very rarely. To compute the Gaussian PID in all other cases, we provide a convex optimization approach for approximating the PID, analyze its properties, and evaluate it empirically on randomly generated Gaussian systems.