cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maintenance of adequate circulation during cardiac standstill using a mechano-cardiac compressor.

SUMMARY A method has been devised by which adequate systemic circulation could be maintained by mechanical cardiac compression for as long as 120 minutes. For this purpose a compressible rubber cuff, the mechano-cardio pulsator, was designed. This consisted of an inflatable compartment making possible selective pressure over the left ventricle and indirectly much lower pressure over the right ventricle, thus obtaining a satisfactory high peripheral systemic and a low pulmonic pressure. Long periods of massage were maintained without ill effect to the cerebral, coronary or pulmonary circulations. The myocardium could easily be restored to a normal rhythm at the end of the procedure. The possible clinical application of this method is discussed.
New Sources of Resistance to Gummy Stem Blight in Watermelon

Gummy stem blight, caused by Didymella bryoniae (Auersw.) Rehm, is a major disease of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai]. Plant breeders need sources of resistance that can be incorporated into adapted breeding lines to help control the disease. We tested all the available accessions from the USDA-ARS watermelon germplasm collection, including C. lanatus var. citroides (L.H. Bailey) Mansf., for resistance to gummy stem blight. The experiment was a randomized complete block with 1332 cultigens, two sites (field and greenhouse), two or four replications, and two to six plants per plot. The resistant check was PI 189225 and the susceptible check was 'Charleston Gray'. PI 279461, PI 482379, PI 254744, PI 526233, PI 482276, PI 271771, PI 164248, PI 244019, PI 296332, and PI 490383 were selected as the most resistant cultigens to be used in future breeding efforts. The most susceptible cultigens were PI 183398, PI 169286, PI 223764, PI 226445, PI 525084, PI 534597, and PI 278041.
Ultrastructural Characterization of Meiospores of Six New Species of Amblyospora (Microsporida: Amblyosporidae) from Northern Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquitoes

. The ultrastructure of meiospores of six different species of Amblyospora found infecting larval mosquitoes of Aedes abserratus, Aedes aurifer, Aedes cinereus, Aedes excruciates, Aedes sticticus, and Aedes stimulans are described. Meiospores of all species exhibited characteristics typical for the genus Amblyospora including: a single nucleus, a large posterior vacuole, a thick undulating exospore and thinner endospore, a bipartite and lamellate polaroplast with more tightly stacked membranes in the proximal region, and an anisofilar polar filament with distal coils reduced in thickness. Distinct differences were found in the arrangement and number/ ratio of coils formed by the broad basal and narrow distal portions of the polar filament. These differences, when quantified and averaged, were unique from all other mosquito-parasitic species that have been examined ultrastructurally. Information on parasite development, natural field prevalence and transmission to suspected intermediate copepod hosts is presented. The creation of six new species, Amblyospora abserrati, Amblyospora auriferi, Amblyospora cinerei, Amblyospora excrucii, Amblyospora stictici, and Amblyospora stimuli is proposed. Synonymies and complete host lists of all forms and species of Amblyospora described from mosquitoes are given.
Analysis of the movement of prescription drugs to over-the-counter status.

BACKGROUND: The transition of prescription drugs (Rx) to over-the-counter (OTC) status is a very complex and multifaceted process involving many parties and many issues. This article examines the regulatory history and process and presents a review of the issues involved, using recent Rx-to-OTC conversions as examples. FINDINGS: Data are presented on the growth of the OTC market and the impact recently switched products have had on this market growth. Drug product characteristics that make drug products amenable to OTC conversion are described. Reasons are presented for why more and more prescription drug products are being reviewed as candidates for OTC conversion. A list of high-profile Rx-to-OTC products is provided, along with a discussion of new proposals for OTC conversions and those products that have not been approved for OTC conversion. CONCLUSION: Conversion of prescription products to over-the-counter availability can have an impact on prescription-drug-benefit costs and on total health care costs. There are opportunities and limitations for managed care organizations in the coverage and promotion of OTC products as therapeutic alternatives to prescription-only drugs.
Comparison of Adherence to Guideline-Based Cholesterol Treatment Goals in Men Versus Women

Studies show women do not receive aggressive cardiovascular interventions and may not be given guideline-based treatment to reduce cardiac events. We describe cholesterol treatment in an academic practice of family and internal medicine physicians to understand factors associated with achievement of guideline-based treatment goals in women compared with men. Primary care patients aged 40 to 75 years were included if they were prescribed a statin, had a Framingham risk score of ≥10%, had diabetes, or had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Patients were classified into Adult Treatment Panel III categories and assessed to whether they were in compliance with Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Odds ratios of goal adherence between women and men were calculated, and a multivariate model for goal achievement was created. In 2,747 patients, women were less likely to achieve cholesterol goals (odds ratio [OR] 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70 to 0.95) despite having more prescriptions for statins (48% vs 39%, p
Geochemical bias in drill cutting samples versus drill core samples returned from the Reykjanes Geothermal System, Iceland

Abstract The wholerock major and trace element composition of drill cutting samples are compared to drill core samples from adjacent depths in the seawater recharged Reykjanes geothermal system in Iceland. The first appearance of alteration minerals and lithologies in drill cutting samples is a useful tool for interpreting broad subsurface characteristics. However, use of drill cutting samples for determining igneous affinity and elemental exchanges during hydrothermal alteration is problematic. Samples recovered from immediately above and below the cored intervals in wells RN-17B and RN-30 demonstrate that drill-cutting samples are biased towards preservation of least altered primary igneous minerals and more resistant alteration minerals, including albite, quartz, and epidote, with preferential loss of finer-grained and less resistant minerals including chlorite and actinolite. This selective recovery obscures elemental exchanges resulting from hydrothermal alteration processes. For some elements, compositional variations (enrichments and depletions) measured from 9.5 m of core exceeds that observed in ∼3000 m of cutting analyses. Concentration ratios of hydrothermally immobile elements including Zr, Nb, V, Y, HREE, Hf, Ta and Th in deep (>2245 m) spot drill core samples record bimodal, trace element-enriched and trace element-depleted precursor compositions similar to subaerial Reykjanes Peninsula basalts. The same elements in nearly 3000 m of drill cutting samples from well RN-17 overwhelmingly reflect the more common trace element-enriched igneous precursor, demonstrating that mixing of drill cutting samples obscures details of their igneous affinity. A new and different drill rig was used to deepen well RN-17 below 2266 m in a sidetrack hole (RN-17ST), which resulted in a change in drilling conditions, accompanied with an increased well deviation angle from ∼0° to ∼4°. Wholerock geochemical results for drill cutting samples from RN-17ST are homogenous for virtually every element; suggesting the change in drilling conditions resulted in extreme mixing of the drill cuttings. Anomalously high concentrations of Cu, Ni, Cr and Ta in some drill cutting samples likely reflects contamination of drill cutting samples by metal alloys used in drill bits and drill collars or more resistant spinel and sulfide phases.
Probabilistic Analysis of Turbine -Based Combined Cycle Space Vehicles

Current methodology for the conceptual design of space vehicles requir es the evaluation of a large number of different concepts and configurations early during the design process. With existing legacy codes , evaluating the mission -related and economic performance of all design combinations becomes prohibitively time consumi ng and design space limiting. To address these issues, a physics -based modeling approach has be en developed. This code, named Rapid Access -to -Space Analysis Code , can model multi -stage space vehicles with rocket and/o r airbreathing propulsion. Its sizing a nd synthesis procedure as well as its models are presented in this paper. Using RASAC, a probabilistic requirements exploration environment has been created for two -stage -to -orbit vehicle designs using a turbine -based combined cycle propulsion system.
Correction of Space Telescope Surface Figure Error Using a Deformable Mirror

Space telescopes and high resolution imaging satellites employ a large primary mirror to collect electromagnetic radiation. These mirrors used in space require lengthy and costly manufacturing and testing processes to ensure high accuracy operation in the space environment. In this paper, addition of a deformable mirror for correction of the wavefront aberration due to the mirror surface figure error is proposed. To test the ability to correct inherent surface figure aberrations using a deformable mirror, the Segmented Mirror Telescope (SMT) at the Naval Postgraduate School is used. A deformable mirror is added in the double-pass configuration with an interferometer and a SMT mirror segment to verify the surface figure improvement. Manual, iterative feedback, and constrained optimization control methods are implemented to achieve significant reduction of the surface figure error.
Macroscopic static and dynamic mechanical properties of Yule marble: The mechanical properties of a commercially purchased slab of Yule marble are investigated primarily as a function of strain rate, without consideration of the effects of other parameters

The static and dynamic tensile and compressive properties of Colorado Yule marble have been obtained from samples all secured from the same parent slab. Specimens were cored in the three principal directions of this transversely isotropic material, the axis of symmetry having been determined petrographically. Standard quasi-static and creep tests were performed, and both Hopkinson-bar and split-Hopkinson-bar tests were conducted for the collection of data at higher loading rates. Elastic constants evaluated for the material on the basis of the present investigation were compared with corresponding static and dynamic values from a previous series of tests conducted on a large block of Yule marble, and to dynamic constants for the same block determined in a separate investigation by means of wavespeed data secured from embedded crystal transducers. The behavior of Yule marble does not seem to conform to any well-known constitutive relation and is, thus, most easily characterized by suitable sets of experimental data.
DRw6 Polymorphism in American Blacks

The DRw6 “specificity” is found on a complex family of at least 10 related haplotypes. DRw6 haplotypes are expressed at a phenotype frequency of 45% in American Blacks. We have studied the polymorphism of HLADRw6-related haplotypes in the American Black population using serology, cellular typing, and DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Several unique DRw6-related haplotypes have been identified.
The Binding of 3-Methylcholanthrene to Macromolecular Components of Rat Liver Preparations

If [ 14 C] 3-Methylcholanthrene (3-MC) is incubated in vitro with the 9000 x g supernatant fraction of a rat liver homogenate in the presence of a pyridine nucleotide, and with the 100,000 x g supernatant liquid from the incubation mixture fractionated on Sephadex G-100, two ultraviolet-absorbing, radioactively labeled peaks are observed. Peak A is eluted in the void volume and has been shown to be at least partially composed of RNA. Peak B is partially excluded and is proteinaceous. Its formations is prevented by omission from the reaction mixture of microsomes or the pyridine nucleotide; the formation of peak A is unaffected by these procedures. The formations of peak B is greatly enhanced by treatment of the animals with 3-MC 24 hr before death, whereas the formations of peak A is only slightly stimulated. Under the same conditions some formation of peak A is observed in heart and kidney, but not in spleen; peak B formation, however, is completely absent in heart and spleen and very low in kidney. The relevance of the formation of these complexes is discussed with reference to enzyme induction by 3-MC in liver.
Excision of Duplicated Ectopic Ureter: Re-emphasis on Technique

Abstract: Excision of the residual duplicated ectopic ureter after partial nephrectomy is an uncommon but often difficult surgical procedure. The awareness of the benefits of the transvesical approach should be part of every urologist’s surgical knowledge.
Oversight of the Financial Stability Oversight Council: Due Process and Transparency in Non-Bank SIFI Designations

This is testimony given by the author before the House Committee on Financial Services on 19 November 2015 in connection with MetLife v. Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC). The author argues that the FSOC's SIFI-designation process represents a textbook case of a familiar finance-regulatory strategy, long upheld by our courts, aimed at dutifully discharging necessary Congressional delegation on the one hand while comporting with separation of powers and due process values on the other hand. He also argues that FSOC represents a quintessentially American, pragmatic solution to the long-festering 'silo' problem in American financial regulation, and that its designations of systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs), decided as they are by all of the nation's principal financial regulators, are entitled to great deference on grounds of (a) well-settled doctrine under Chevron, (b) the highly technical character of the problem with which FSOC deals, and (c) the exceptionally high stakes of failure adequately to monitor large, complex financial institutions.
Modulation of tryptophan hydroxylase stability: a possible mechanism for monoamine enzyme regulation

The instability of brain tryptophan hydroxylase (tryptophan5-monooxygenase: E.C.1.14.16.4), the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin, has been a bane to those workers who have attempted to study this enzyme in both crude and enriched preparations. At present no satisfactory purification procedure exists that yields stable enzyme in relatively abundant amounts. As a consequence, much remains to be understood about this important regulatory enzyme. Regarding the lability of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPOH) less as an impediment to our understanding of serotonergic systems and more as a source of understanding, I have begun a study of TPOH that focuses on the stability properties of this enzyme. I review here some of the salient features of this work, which suggest that stability may be yet another regulatable property of tryptophan hydroxylase and may represent a hitherto unrecognized but important mechanism for the control of transmitter levels in the neuron.
Microvessel manifold for perfusion and media exchange in three-dimensional cell cultures

Integrating a perfusable microvasculature system in vitro is a substantial challenge for “on-chip” tissue models. We have developed an inclusive on-chip platform that is capable of maintaining laminar flow through porous biosynthetic microvessels. The biomimetic microfluidic device is able to deliver and generate a steady perfusion of media containing small-molecule nutrients, drugs, and gases in three-dimensional cell cultures, while replicating flow-induced mechanical stimuli. Here, we characterize the diffusion of small molecules from the perfusate, across the microvessel wall, and into the matrix of a 3D cell culture.
Early predictors of maturing out of marijuana use among young men.

Abstract Objective Although several studies have delineated risk factors for adolescent regular marijuana use, few studies have identified those factors that differentiate who will and will not eventually stop using marijuana during young adulthood. This study examined the extent to which adolescent risk factors, including individual attitudes, temperament, and behaviors and peer, family, and neighborhood factors, could prospectively identify which adolescence-onset monthly marijuana users (AMMU) would stop using marijuana in young adulthood and whether race moderated these associations. Method Data came from 503 young men who were followed annually from the first grade through mean age 20 and then re-interviewed at mean ages 26 and 29. Young men who used marijuana at least monthly at least one year between ages 14 and 17 ( N = 140) were compared to their peers who had not tried marijuana by age 17 ( N = 244). The former group was divided into those who used at least weekly in adulthood ( N = 54) and those who did not use at all in adulthood ( N = 66) and these groups were compared to each other. Results Logistic regression analyses indicated that all except one of the adolescent risk factors significantly differentiated AMMU from nonusers. None of the predictors differentiated those who matured out from those who used weekly in young adulthood. Conclusions Future research on marijuana cessation should incorporate subjective life experiences, such as reasons for using and negative consequences from use, to help identify adolescents who are at risk for problematic use in adulthood.
Assessing Mental Models of Emergencies Through Two Knowledge Elicitation Tasks.

Objective:The goals of this study were to assess the risk identification aspect of mental models using standard elicitation methods and how university campus alerts were related to these mental models.Background:People fail to follow protective action recommendations in emergency warnings. Past research has yet to examine cognitive processes that influence emergency decision-making.Method:Study 1 examined 2 years of emergency alerts distributed by a large southeastern university. In Study 2, participants listed emergencies in a thought-listing task. Study 3 measured participants’ time to decide if a situation was an emergency.Results:The university distributed the most alerts about an armed person, theft, and fire. In Study 2, participants most frequently listed fire, car accident, heart attack, and theft. In Study 3, participants quickly decided a bomb, murder, fire, tornado, and rape were emergencies. They most slowly decided that a suspicious package and identify theft were emergencies.Conclusion:Recen...
Abstract 386: Rapid in situ RNA analysis of circulating tumor cells using magnetic micropore-based sorting and Turbo FISH

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death in the US, with a five year survival rate of only 6%. Recently, we have shown that circulating pancreatic cells can be detected at the onset of the disease cycle (pre-Stage 1). Thus, there is both a great need for early diagnosis and an opportunity, due to the early presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Currently, the gold standard for CTC detection cannot resolve these extremely sparse, heterogeneous CTCs, which do not have any single surface marker that allows them to be targeted. Additionally, conventional downstream analyses are limited to either protein expression of individual cells on-chip, which has limited sensitivity to relevant biomarkers, or genetic testing off-chip, which has limited practical clinical use. To address these challenges, we have developed a rapid ( A key innovation is the development of our magnetic micropore based sorting technique, which preserves the low cell-loss and specificity of microfluidic sorting but at >10x greater flow rates and an insensitivity to clogging, enabling use directly on whole blood. The TEMPO filter consists of an electroplated 1.25 μm NiFe, 30 μm pores, and 5.1×10E5 pores total. Using this chip, we have demonstrated extremely high sensitivity to rare cells (LOD ∼ 1 cell / 7.5 mL blood) and exponentially improved sorting efficiency by stacking multiple TEMPO filters in series. Furthermore, single molecules of targeted RNA in each individual CTC could be resolved. Citation Format: Jin A Ko, Neha Bhagwat, Stephanie S. Yee, Erica Carpenter, Ben Stanger, David Issadore. Rapid in situ RNA analysis of circulating tumor cells using magnetic micropore-based sorting and Turbo FISH. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 386. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-386
Abstract P69: Reduction of Contaminated Blood Culture Rates in a Cardiovascular Intensive Care Setting

Background: Blood cultures are an invaluable tool for diagnosing and guiding bacteremia therapy. The validity of culture results can be jeopardized when specimens are contaminated with bacteria fro...
A study on performance of a wet-mate DC connector under overvoltages

Due to diminishing oil and gas reservoirs in existing brownfield sites, offshore drilling activity continues to migrate into new oil and gas sites located in deeper water and further from the shore. For technical and economic reasons, processing of hydrocarbons is preferred on the seabed in ultra-deepwater sites instead of doing it on a host platform at the surface. Since the use of AC subsea transmission and distribution system to supply subsea process becomes impractical once beyond the critical length limit of AC submarine cables due to their capacitive charging current, a modular stacked DC (MSDC) subsea transmission and distribution system emerges as a promising technology alternative. Allowing only the faulty module to be retrieved for repair, wet-mate (WM) DC connectors are key to the reduction of downtime for the complete MSDC system. While there is no commercially available WM DC power connector, a time-dependent full thermo-electrodynamic model comprised of Poisson's equation, three charge continuity equations-one each for the positive and negative ions and one for the electrons-, and a thermal diffusion equation is developed to study the streamer initiation and propagation in the oil portion of a WM DC chamber. The envisaged geometry of a WM DC connector containing oil-solid insulation systems located in a cylindrical electrode geometry is considered for simulation. It is shown that the model developed can be used as an engineering tool to study the performance of compact designs of WM connector under overvoltages. In this regard, for the geometry considered for simulations, it is shown that a dielectric solid layer with a thickness of 1 mm is needed between moving contact and dielectric oil after mating to prevent streamer growth in the oil for a 4 p.u. overvoltage.
Human prostate vascular dynamics following castration: A study of primary human prostate xenografts.

2382 While the majority of CaP patients treated with hormonal therapy experience clinical regression of disease, essentially all will develop recurrent CaP, suggesting a response of the prostate tissue microenvironment to androgen ablation may have a critical role in facilitating recurrent growth. A previously described model of human angiogenesis in primary xenografts of CaP and benign prostate tissue was used to characterize the response of the human prostate vasculature to castration of the nu/nu mouse host. Human vessels in the xenografts were identified with a combination of human specific antibodies specific for CD31 and CD34. Endothelial cell proliferation or apoptosis was identified using antibodies specific for Ki-67 (proliferation) or activated Caspase-3 (apoptosis). The number of human vessels observed in the prostate xenografts at one month post-transplantation was between 2 or 5 fold greater than the number of vessels in the CaP or benign prostate tissue, respectively, before transplantation. Hosts were castrated at one month post-transplantation, and vascular dynamics were measured over the initial fourteen days post-castration. The number of human vessels identified by CD31/CD34 staining, and the percentage of human vessels containing at least one Ki-67 positive endothelial cell, was initially high, decreased to a low at four days post-castration, and increased markedly by day 14 post-castration. Conversely, the number of vessels that contained at least one activated Caspase-3 positive nucleus was initially low, increased to a peak about day 4, and decreased markedly by day 14. This finding indicates that circulating and/or microenvironmentally available androgens either directly or indirectly modulate prostate vasculature homeostasis. Further, our findings support the hypothesis that hypoxia follows androgen ablation induced vascular involution, and that the hypoxic response may drive an androgen-independent re-vascularization of the prostate in the absence of testicular androgen.
Bandwidth analysis of phase crossover and non-phase crossover frequency operations of HAIS

Scalar Holographic Artificial Impedance Surface (HAIS) is a modulated slow leaky-wave antenna whose surface impedance profile is obtained using holographic principle. The surface impedance modulation functions aid in the formation of the desired radiation pattern, polarization, aperture efficiency and bandwidth of the radiating structure. This paper compares the bandwidth of phase crossover and non-phase crossover frequency operations of scalar HAIS. It is shown that the non-phase crossover frequency operation provides an additional degree of freedom of structural modification to achieve desired polarization along with larger operational bandwidth.
Assessment of three plant-based biodiesels using a Daphnia magna bioassay

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that is gradually replacing petroleum-based diesel use. Although biodiesel is considered friendlier to the environment, the potential toxic effects of biodiesel to aquatic organisms are still uncertain due to the wide range of feedstocks used to generate the fuel. The aquatic cladoceran Daphnia magna (D. magna) has been commonly used as a lethal and/or sub-lethal toxicological model organism in ecological risk assessments for contaminated water environments. In this work, we evaluated whether significant differences exist in the sensitivity of freshwater aquatic life to different biodiesels. The acute toxicity of three plant-based biodiesels was investigated using D. magna over a 96-h period. In addition, diesel fuel was tested as a reference. Increased immobility was observed as time progressed following exposure. Testing revealed of the four fuel products, diesel proved most toxic to D. magna, with half maximal effective concentration (EC50) values of 4.7 μg/mL (24 h) and 3.4 μg/mL (72 h). Among the biodiesels, safflower methyl biodiesel was most toxic, with EC50 values of 1026 μg/mL (24 h) and 71 μg/mL (48 h). Our data indicate that although not all biodiesels were toxic, the short-term exposure of D. magna to sub-lethal concentrations of biodiesels affects their mobility and thus decreases their reproductive potential. Overall, this research provides insights into the sub-lethal effects of biodiesels on an aquatic organism.
Fouling-Resistant Hydrogels Prepared by the Swelling-Assisted Infusion and Polymerization of Dopamine.

Biofilm-associated infections stemming from medical devices are increasingly challenging to treat due to the spread of antibiotic resistance. In this study, we present a simple strategy that significantly enhances the antifouling performance of covalently cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and physically cross-linked agar hydrogels by incorporation of the fouling-resistant polymer zwitterion, poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (pMPC). Dopamine polymerization was initiated during swelling of the hydrogels, which provided dopamine and pMPC, an osmotic driving force into the hydrogel interior. Both PEG and agar hydrogels were synthesized over a broad range of storage moduli (1.7–1300 kPa), which remained statistically equivalent after being functionalized with pMPC and polydopamine (PDA). When challenged with fibrinogen, a model blood-clotting protein, the pMPC/PDA-functionalized PEG and agar hydrogels displayed a >90% reduction in protein adsorption compared to hydrogel controls. Further, ...
A novel MEMS stage for in-situ thermomechanical testing of single crystal silicon microbeams under bending

Abstract We present a novel silicon MEMS stage for in-situ bending test of micro/nanoscale samples at high temperature. The stage minimizes uniaxial state of stress in the sample, but maximizes the bending stress over a small volume such that high stresses can be reached without a premature failure by flaw induced fracture. A test setup is designed to carry the stage inside an SEM which enables to heat the sample up to 450 °C. A piezoactuator of the setup stretches the stage which translates into bending the sample. Sample is co-fabricated with the stage to avoid handling and misalignment problems. Analytical and finite element (FE) models are developed to predict the behavior of the bending stage and calculate the stresses in the sample. Single crystal silicon (SCS) micro-beams oriented along [0 1 1] are tested at room temperature under bending. They showed higher strength compared to the uniaxial tension test results. The calculated modulus of elasticity of the samples matches the value reported in literature. In addition samples with thickness 2– 5 μ m exhibited brittle-to-ductile transition (BDT) at 400 °C, about 150 °C below the bulk BDT temperature.
Methodological Principles of Uncertainty in Inductive Modelling: A New Perspective

It is argued that the concept of uncertainty plays a fundamental role in inductive (data-driven) systems modelling. In particular, it is essential for dealing with two broad classes of problems that are essential to inductive modelling: problems involving ampliative reasoning (reasoning in which conclusions are not entailed within the given premises) and problems of systems simplification. These problem classes are closely connected with the principles of maximum and minimum uncertainty. When models are conceptualized in terms of probability theory, these principles become the well established principles of maximum and minimum entropy. However, when the more general framework of the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence is employed, four different types of uncertainty emerge. Well justified measures of these types of uncertainty are now available and are described in the paper. The meaning of these four types of uncertainty is captured by the suggestive names “nonspecificity”, “fuzziness,” “dissonance,” and “confusion.” Since uncertainty is a multidimensional entity in evidence theory, the maximum and minimum uncertainty principles lead to optimization problems with multiple objective criteria.
Autoimmune Bullous Diseases of Childhood

Autoimmune bullous diseases of childhood (ABDC) are a rare group of heterogeneous conditions that result from autoantibodies targeting antigens necessary for mucocutaneous integrity. Depending on the severity and extent of disease, systemic therapy may be necessary. Treatment is aimed at controlling blistering while avoiding adverse reactions. There are several anecdotal reports of treatment options, but controlled and comparative studies are lacking, and all therapies are off-label in children. This chapter will discuss the non-topical management options of ABDC in more detail, including dosage, adverse effects, and monitoring guidelines. The approaches to treatment of several specific subtypes of ABDC are then elaborated.
The Quaternary Structures of SV40 Large T Antigen and Tumor Suppressor p53: Analysis by Gel Electrophoresis

Protein-protein interactions have become a major theme in molecular biology. In many cases, the homo-oligomeric structure of a protein is essential for the activity of that protein. For example, both SV40 large T antigen and the cellular tumor suppressor p53 have distinctive quaternary structures that determine their intrinsic functions. In other cases, hetero-oligomeric structures lead to the gain or loss of function of the interacting proteins. Again, T antigen and p53 are excellent examples of this kind of interaction. T antigen-binding blocks the function of p53 in the regulation of cellular proliferation (1–3), and p53 in turn may modulate T antigen’s replication functions (4–6). In view of the obvious importance of protein-protein interactions, simple techniques for the analysis of protein oligomers will be crucial to an understanding of their functions. Here, we review the use of gradient gel electrophoresis and protein crosslinking to analyze the quaternary structures of SV40 large T antigen, murine p53, and their complexes. This technique offers several advantages over conventional gradient centrifugation for analyzing quaternary structure. Multiple samples can be examined in parallel with resolution superior to that of gradient centrifugation. We have used purified proteins produced by a baculovirus expression system. The methods for these studies have been described previously (7,8).
Los contratos de investigación y desarrollo en el texto refundido de la Ley de Contratos del Sector Público

The research and development contract is a typical public sector contract as set out in Annex II of Royal Legislative Decree 3/2011, of November 14, approving the consolidated text of the Contract Law of the Public Sector, (TRLCSP, hereafter) as a category of service contract, and therefore, included in its objective scope. However, this statement that a priori seems simple is full of nuances and exceptions throughout the article that make the R&D contract one of those of more complex regulation and, therefore, prone to generate confusion and consequently large doses of legal insecurity. In this article the different figures of R&D contracts in the mentioned in the consolidated text are analyzed, making a first delimitation elementary of excluded contracts and contracts included in the law, to analyze then the differentiating elements of each categories that It will be essential to establish the rules and procedure to follow regarding the tender publicity and how to award the contract.
Distribution of segmental foot kinematics in patients with degenerative joint disease of the ankle.

Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the ankle is a debilitating chronic disease associated with severe pain and dysfunction resulting in antalgic gait alteration. Little information is available about segmental foot and ankle motion distribution during gait in ankle osteoarthritis. The aim of the current study was to dynamically characterize segmental foot and ankle kinematics of patients with severe ankle arthrosis requiring total ankle replacement. This was a prospective study involving 36 (19 M, 17 F) adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of ankle arthrosis ("DJD" group) and 36 (23 M, 13 F) healthy subjects ("Control" group). Motion data were collected at 120 Hz using a 3-D motion camera system at self-selected speed along a 6-m walkway and processed using the Milwaukee Foot Model (MFM). The SF-36 Health Survey and Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot scale were administered to evaluate functional levels. Findings include decreases in walking speed, cadence, stride length and swing phase, and reduced outcomes scores (SF-36 and AOFAS). Multisegemental motion in patients with ankle DJD demonstrates significant changes in foot mechanics characterized by altered segment kinematics and significant reduction in dynamic ROM at the tibia, hindfoot, forefoot, and hallux when compared to controls. The results demonstrate decreased temporal-spatial parameters and low outcomes scores indicative of functional limitations. Statement of clinical significance: Altered segment kinematics and reduced overall range of motion demonstrate how a single joint pathology affects kinematic distribution in the other segments of the foot and ankle and alters patients' overall gait. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1739-1746, 2018.
Primary aldosteronism with nonlocalizing imaging.

Background Unilateral primary aldosteronism is surgically curable. The goal of this study was to examine outcomes based on preoperative imaging findings. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with primary aldosteronism who underwent adrenal vein sampling. Patients were classified by imaging as localized (unilateral adrenal mass) or nonlocalized (no mass/bilateral masses). Outcomes were assessed as complete, partial, or absent clinical success. Results Of 446 patients, 74.9% were localized. There were no significant demographic or biochemical differences between groups; however the imaged tumor size was larger (median 1.3 vs 1.2 cm, P = .038), and rates of lateralizing adrenal vein sampling were higher (79.0% vs 62.2%, P Conclusion Primary aldosteronism patients with nonlocalizing imaging but lateralizing adrenal vein sampling benefit from adrenalectomy. Regardless of imaging findings, adrenal vein sampling is indicated to determine whether patients may be surgically curable.
W!NCE: eyewear solution for upper face action units monitoring

The ability to unobtrusively and continuously monitor one's facial expressions has implications for a variety of application domains ranging from affective computing to health-care and the entertainment industry The standard Facial Action Coding System (FACS) along with camera based methods have been shown to provide objective indicators of facial expressions; however, these approaches can also be fairly limited for mobile applications due to privacy concerns and awkward positioning of the camera. To bridge this gap, W!NCE re-purposes a commercially available Electrooculography-based eyeglass (J!NS MEME) for continuously and unobtrusively sensing of upper facial action units with high fidelity. W!NCE detects facial gestures using a two-stage processing pipeline involving motion artifact removal and facial action detection. We validate our system's applicability through extensive evaluation on data from 17 users under stationary and ambulatory settings.
Reacting and Non-Reacting Flow Fields on a V-Gutter Stabilized Flame

Particle image velocimetry measurements have been performed to determine the flowfield around a confined V-gutter bluff body in both nonreacting and reacting environments. The incoming flow to the V-gutter bluff body is a vitiated mixture with secondary liquid fuel being injected upstream through a fuel spray bar to mimic realistic conditions. The measurements capture instantaneous and mean flow structures formed in the wake region of a three-dimensional bluff body. In addition to the flow structures, the mean velocity components, mean out-of-plane vorticity, and the turbulent kinetic energy have been compared between the nonreacting and reacting test cases. The results show significant differences in the instantaneous flow structures. The nonreacting case results in asymmetric shedding of large-scale vortical structures which span the entire wake region, whereas the reacting case results in both symmetric and asymmetric shedding of smaller scale vortical structures which are flattened out within the shear layer. A comparison of the mean velocity components clearly shows that the reacting case results in a larger region of reversed flow, experiences an acceleration of the freestream flow due to combustion, and results in a slower dissipation of the wake region.
Exosomes of male reproduction

Exosomes are nanosized membrane vesicles secreted by wide variety of cells and found in abundance in biological fluids including semen. They contain cargo of lipids, proteins, microRNAs and mRNAs, and are known to play a major role in intracellular communication. Seminal exosomes mainly include epididymosomes and prostasomes. Most of the proteins associated with the epididymosomes are transferred to the sperm subcellular or membranous domains during their epididymal transit and are involved in the acquisition of fertilizing ability, modulation of motility and protection against oxidative stress. Proteins associated with prostasomes stimulate sperm motility and regulate the timing of capacitation to avoid premature induction of acrosome reaction. Furthermore, prostasomes protect the sperm from immune responses within the female reproductive tract. Overall, exosome-associated proteins play an indispensable role in maturation of spermatozoa and therefore, serve as an excellent biomarker in early diagnosis of male infertility.
On the fundamental resonant mode of inhomogeneous soil deposits

Abstract The problem of estimating seismic ground deformation is central to state-of-practice procedures of designing and maintaining infrastructure in earthquake-prone areas. Particularly, the problem of estimating the displacement field in a soft shallow layer overlying rigid bedrock induced by simple shear wave excitation has been favored by engineers due to its simplicity combined with inherent relevance for practical scenarios. We here derive analytical estimates for both the fundamental frequency and the amplitude of the first resonant mode of such systems by applying an intuitive argument based on resonance of single-degree-of-freedom systems. Our estimates do not presuppose a continuous velocity distribution, and can be used for fast assessment of site response in seismic hazard assessment and engineering design. On the basis of the said estimates of fundamental frequency and amplitude, we next propose a novel definition of “equivalent homogeneous shear modulus” of the inhomogeneous deposit, and we show that the response of the fundamental mode is controlled primarily by the properties of the layers contiguous to the bedrock. We finally discuss the validity of our argument, and evaluate the accuracy of our results by comparison with analytical and numerical solutions.
Upper limits on the probability of an interstellar civilization arising in the local Solar neighbourhood

At this point in time, there is very little empirical evidence on the likelihood of a space-faring species originating in the biosphere of a habitable world. However, there is a tension between the expectation that such a probability is relatively high (given our own origins on Earth), and the lack of any basis for believing the Solar System has ever been visited by an extraterrestrial colonization effort. From the latter observational fact, this paper seeks to place upper limits on the probability of an interstellar civilization arising on a habitable planet in its stellar system, using a percolation model to simulate the progress of such a hypothetical civilization's colonization efforts in the local Solar neighbourhood. To be as realistic as possible, the actual physical positions and characteristics of all stars within 40 parsecs of the Solar System are used as possible colony sites in the percolation process. If an interstellar civilization is very likely to have such colonization programmes, and they can travel over large distances, then the upper bound on the likelihood of such a species arising per habitable world is of the order of 10−3; on the other hand, if civilizations are not prone to colonize their neighbours, or do not travel very far, then the upper limiting probability is much larger, even of order one.
Bread (Rawls) + Freedom (Sen) = Social Justice? Religion and Economics in the Egyptian Spring

Many observers were surprised when Egyptians took to the streets first to overthrow the Mubarak regime, in early 2011, and then to overthrow the Muslim Brotherhood government, in mid 2013. Bayesian Network analysis of public opinion surveys is used to uncover dependence structures in respondents' attitudes. The analysis shows that the revolutionary moment leading up to 2011 was characterized by confounding of Islamism with redistributive egalitarianism, which was at the heart of Nasserist rhetoric that led to a failed experiment in Socialism. Muslim Brotherhood leaders had subscribed to this form of Islamism in the early twentieth century, but embraced less egalitarian models in later decades. Therefore, they pursued the same neoliberal economic policies of the Mubarak era, and thus demolished the 2011 Islamist-leftist coalition. Unlike in Turkey and Malaysia, theories of justice enshrined in today's neoliberal economic policies were strongly rejected in Egypt, where the middle class has fallen behind, and the public demanded greater redistribution. Moreover, Egyptians' apparent acceptance before 2011 of a variation on Washington-Consensus II policies plus redistribution was no longer in evidence by 2013. A viable social contract may be exceedingly difficult to find under these circumstances.
Moral encroachment and the epistemic impermissibility of (some) microaggressions

A recent flurry of philosophical research on microaggression suggests that there are various practical and moral reasons why microaggression may be objectionable, including that it can be offensive, cause epistemic harms, express demeaning messages about certain members of our society, and help to reproduce an oppressive social order. Yet little attention has been given to the question of whether microaggression is also epistemically objectionable. This paper aims to further our understanding of microaggression by appealing to recent work on moral encroachment—the idea that knowledge is sensitive to the moral stakes of believing—to argue that microaggression can be irrational in a distinctively epistemic sense, as it can involve relying on an epistemically unwarranted belief. This view suggests that the notion of epistemic justification may come apart from the notion of epistemic blame.
Characterization and mitigation of electronic crosstalk on InGaAs PIN 3D flash LiDAR imagers

This research presents methods and results of characterizing and mitigating electronic crosstalk on InGaAs PIN photodiode 3D flash LiDAR imagers, with the goal of significantly simplifying and improving the calibration system design. 3D flash LiDAR detectors use time to digital conversion (TDC) circuits to estimate the time of flight of a pulse when a detection threshold is met. As the underlying TDC circuits require more space and power, these circuits will cause, in high bus loading events, electronic crosstalk. These events are more likely to occur in situations where many detectors simultaneously trigger, something that can occur when viewing a flat object head-on with uniform illumination, thus limiting these sensors to image a full frame due to this simultaneous ranging crosstalk noise (SRCN). Solutions previously devised to mitigate this electronic crosstalk included using a windowed region of interest to mitigate additional noise by preventing triggering on all of the focal plane array (FPA) except the windowed region and using a checkerboard pattern for imaging the full frame. Here the electronic crosstalk is characterized, and mitigated, using a physical checkerboard target, leading to a more compact system design using a spatial light modulator and direct illumination.
Switched-Capacitor Integrator with Slew-Rate Enhancement and Low Distortion

A high accuracy, low distortion circuit technique is proposed to reduce the power consumption in switched capacitor circuits. The technique uses passive charge compensation for slew enhancement and correlated level shifting (CLS) to reduce the output swing for greatly improved linearity in switched capacitor integrators. The proposed technique is verified by implementing it in a single-bit discrete-time second-order delta sigma modulator. Simulation results show the SNDR is improved by 9 dB compared to the conventional architecture.