cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictive Model and Related Theoretical Analyses for the Ignition Distance of Primary Air and Coal Powder in a Boilers with linear Flow Pulverized Coal Burners

A practical model was put forward in this paper to theoretically calculate the ignition distance for primary air and coal powder for boilers with linear flow pulverized coal burners.Simultaneously,it points out that the concentration of volatile precipitation is far more valuable for engineering applications than ignition temperature.Additionally,various factors effecting ignition distance were analyzed and an interesting phenomenon is found that the pipe length of a coal-fired boiler affects the combustion to some extent.
Development of high performance shoes with human compatibility

It is reported that the rate of elderly person in the total population of Japan is about 21.5% in 2007. Thus, the recent society of Japan is called as “Elderly Society”. In the society, many elderly people work or enjoy walking to keep health. However, some problems with respect to stumble over of elderly people are occurred. That is to say, in recent years, accidents of bone fracture with elderly people increase because of tendency to fall by a little step in a house. As one of this cause, it is considered that a center of gravity position with foot parts is changed. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, we propose a new type of high performance insole by making use of sponge-core-soft rubber actuator (SCSRA). In this study, we indicate the structure of the insole. Further, the basic characteristics of the insole are clarified through some experimental results.
“That's just the American way”: The Branch Davidian Tragedy and Western Religious History

This essay examines religions role in the 1993 Branch Davidian tragedy and places the event in the West's religious history. Like diverse other religious groups, the Branch Davidians found freedom in the West for decades. That freedoms collapse in 1993 revealed limits to the regions tolerance.
Zeit der Suprasysteme — Zeit der Raubtiere

Es gibt Zeiten wie Goldrausch oder Internet. In solchen Zeiten kann jeder reich werden wollen. Eine solche Zeit halt viele Supramenschen aus. Sie dauert wohl nur nicht lange, wenn sich Raubtiere zu stark vermehren.
Development of an Activated Carbon-Based Electrode for the Capture and Rapid Electrolytic Reductive Debromination of Methyl Bromide from Postharvest Fumigations

Due to concerns surrounding its ozone depletion potential, there is a need for technologies to capture and destroy methyl bromide (CH3Br) emissions from postharvest fumigations applied to control agricultural pests. Previously, we described a system in which CH3Br fumes vented from fumigation chambers could be captured by granular activated carbon (GAC). The GAC was converted to a cathode by submergence in a high ionic strength solution and connection to the electrical grid, resulting in reductive debromination of the sorbed CH3Br. The GAC bed was drained and dried for reuse to capture and destroy CH3Br fumes from the next fumigation. However, the loose GAC particles and slow kinetics of this primitive electrode necessitated improvements. Here, we report the development of a cathode containing a thin layer of small GAC particles coating carbon cloth as a current distributor. Combining the high sorption potential of GAC for CH3Br with the conductivity of the carbon cloth current distributor, the cathode si...
Dispositional Mindfulness Predicts Adaptive Affective Responses to Health Messages and Increased Exercise Motivation

Feelings can shape how people respond to persuasive messages. In health communication, adaptive affective responses to potentially threating messages constitute one key to intervention success. The current study tested dispositional mindfulness, characterized by awareness of the present moment, as a predictor of adaptive affective responses to potentially threatening health messages and desirable subsequent health outcomes. Both general and discrete negative affective states (i.e., shame) were examined in relation to mindfulness and intervention success. Individuals (n=67) who reported less than 195 weekly minutes of exercise were recruited. At baseline, participants' dispositional mindfulness and exercise outcomes were assessed, including self-reported exercise motivation and physical activity. A week later, all participants were presented with potentially threatening and self-relevant health messages encouraging physical activity and discouraging sedentary lifestyle, and their subsequent affective response and exercise motivation were assessed. Approximately one month later, changes in exercise motivation and physical activity were assessed again. In addition, participants' level of daily physical activity was monitored by a wrist worn accelerometer throughout the entire duration of the study. Higher dispositional mindfulness predicted greater increases in exercise motivation one month after the intervention. Importantly, this effect was fully mediated by lower negative affect and shame specifically, in response to potentially threatening health messages among highly mindful individuals. Baseline mindfulness was also associated with increased self-reported vigorous activity, but not with daily physical activity as assessed by accelerometers. These findings suggest potential benefits of considering mindfulness as an active individual difference variable in theories of affective processing and health communication.
Relationship Between Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder and Sjögren's Syndrome: Central Nervous System Extraglandular Disease or Unrelated, Co-Occurring Autoimmunity?

Objective: Sjogren's syndrome (SS) patients may be affected by the neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a severe demyelinating syndrome associated with anti-aquaporin 4 antibodies (anti-AQP4 antibodies). The relationship between SS and NMOSD has been a sustained focus of investigation. Among SS patients, anti-AQP4 antibodies have been detected exclusively in those with NMOSD. It has therefore been speculated that NMOSD is not a neurological complication of SS. However, such studies evaluated small numbers of SS patients, often admixed with other inflammatory disorders. Methods: We compared frequencies of anti-AQP4 and SS-associated antibodies in 109 SS patients, including 11 with NMOSD, 8 with non-NMOSD demyelinating syndromes, and 90 without demyelinating syndromes. Results: When assessed using a fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) assay, anti-AQP4 antibodies were seen exclusively in those SS patients with NMOSD (72.7%), but not in SS patients without NMOSD (p<0.01). In contrast, anti-Ro52, anti-Ro60 and other autoantibodies were not more prevalent in SS patients with NMOSD versus those without. Anti-AQP4 antibodies were detected more frequently among NMOSD patients by FACS assay than with a commercial immunohistochemical (IHC) assay (72.7% versus 54.5%), despite assessment after a more prolonged period of immunosuppressive therapy (median 38 versus 5 months, p<0.01). Conclusion: The syndrome-specificity of anti-AQP4 antibodies, along with an otherwise similar antibody profile in SS NMOSD patients, indicates that NMOSD is not a direct central nervous system manifestation of SS. Anti-AQP4 antibodies can persist and be refractory to prolonged immunosuppressive therapy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Response to Comment on Qian et al. Metabolic Effects of Monounsaturated Fatty Acid–Enriched Diets Compared With Carbohydrate or Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid–Enriched Diets in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Diabetes Care 2016;39:1448–1457

We thank Schwingshackl and Hoffmann (1) for their insights and for putting our article into the broader context of other scientific literature. As the authors mentioned, our study sought to address a knowledge gap noted in a prior position statement regarding whether monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) are an important constituent of optimal nutrition therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes (2,3). Prior to our report, most …
The dynamics of active matter on ordered and disordered substrates(Conference Presentation)

Active matter or self-propelled systems have been attracting growing attention in biological systems such as swimming bacteria as well as artificial swimmers such as self-driven colloids. These systems exhibit interesting effects including an activity-induced self clustering that occurs even when all pairwise particle-particle interactions are repulsive. Due to the size scale of the active particles, tailored landscapes can be created for the particles by means of optical trapping. Using large scale simulations we examine an active matter system of self-propelled disks moving in confined geometries and in quasi-1D periodic and asymmetric saw-tooth landscapes. The system forms a dense cluster when the trapping sites are large, but still exhibits modes of motion along the edges of the clusters. We discuss how these effects could be related to a mechanical version of topological protection. For periodic quasi-1D traps we find that there can be a 1D ordering of the disks with motion occurring along only one dimension. For asymmetric substrates we find an active matter ratchet effect similar that observed previously; however, when strong interactions between the particles are introduced, we find that it is possible to obtain a reversal of the ratchet effect in which the net flow is in the direction opposite to the easy-flow direction of the substrate asymmetry. The ability to produce a reversal of the active ratchet effect suggests that it may be possible to set up a landscape in which different species of active matter particles move in opposite directions.
Mortality and Prehospital Blood Pressure in Patients With Major Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications for the Hypotension Threshold

Importance Current prehospital traumatic brain injury guidelines use a systolic blood pressure threshold of less than 90 mm Hg for treating hypotension for individuals 10 years and older based on studies showing higher mortality when blood pressure drops below this level. However, the guidelines also acknowledge the weakness of the supporting evidence. Objective To evaluate whether any statistically supportable threshold between systolic pressure and mortality emerges from the data a priori, without assuming that a cut point exists. Design, Setting, and Participants Observational evaluation of a large prehospital database established as a part of the Excellence in Prehospital Injury Care Traumatic Brain Injury Study. Patients from the preimplementation cohort (January 2007 to March 2014) 10 years and older with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (Barell Matrix Type 1 classification, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision head region severity score of 3 or greater, and/or Abbreviated Injury Scale head-region severity score of 3 or greater) and a prehospital systolic pressure between 40 and 119 mm Hg were included. The generalized additive model and logistic regression were used to determine the association between systolic pressure and probability of death, adjusting for significant/important confounders. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome measure was in-hospital mortality. Results Among the 3844 included patients, 2565 (66.7%) were male, and the median (range) age was 35 (10-99) years. The model revealed a monotonically decreasing association between systolic pressure and adjusted probability of death across the entire range (ie, from 40 to 119 mm Hg). Each 10-point increase of systolic pressure was associated with a decrease in the adjusted odds of death of 18.8% (adjusted odds ratio, 0.812; 95% CI, 0.748-0.883). Thus, the adjusted odds of mortality increased as much for a drop from 110 to 100 mm Hg as for a drop from 90 to 80 mm Hg, and so on throughout the range. Conclusions and Relevance We found a linear association between lowest prehospital systolic blood pressure and severity-adjusted probability of mortality across an exceptionally wide range. There is no identifiable threshold or inflection point between 40 and 119 mm Hg. Thus, in patients with traumatic brain injury, the concept that 90 mm Hg represents a unique or important physiological cut point may be wrong. Furthermore, clinically meaningful hypotension may not be as low as current guidelines suggest. Randomized trials evaluating treatment levels significantly above 90 mm Hg are needed.
Allergic Rhinitis and Migraine Headache

Allergic rhinitis and migraine are extremely common disorders that often share similar characteristics and clinical features. These diseases are comorbid per population studies. While they share common neural pathways and neurochemical mediators, a causal connection has not been documented. This chapter strives to explore the overlap of atopic disease and migraine, and provide a foundation for further study.
Localization and mobility of underwater acoustic sensor nodes

The Underwater Acoustic Sensor Network (UASN) is a network which consists of underwater wireless sensor nodes distributed randomly over the certain area of observation and communicate with each other using acoustic signals. UASN can be used in a wide variety of underwater applications, ranging from marine biology surveillance to earthquake and tsunami alert applications. Despite the fact that sensor networks are meant to collect data, in some applications, collection of data without a location of the occurrence becomes incoherent. Hence, localization for UASN has become an enthralling research topic in the recent years. However, there are several disadvantages of acoustic channel like propagation delay, limited energy sources, high bit error rate, and limited harvesting techniques underwater make the localization of UASN very challenging. Therefore, in this paper we have proposed a distributed localization scheme which employs two-way time of arrival estimation method to calculate distance and avoid the requirement of time synchronization
The effects of core-level broadening in determining band alignment at the epitaxial SrTiO3(001)/p-Ge(001) heterojunction

Chemical effects at the surface and interface can broaden core-level spectra in X-ray photoemission for thin-film heterojunctions, as can electronic charge redistributions. We explore these effects and their influence on the measurement of valence and conduction band offsets at the epitaxial SrTiO3(001)/p-Ge(001) heterojunction. We observe a clear broadening in Ge 3d and Sr 3d core-level X-ray photoelectron spectra relative to those of clean, bulk Ge(001), and homoepitaxial SrTiO3(001), respectively. Angle-resolved measurements indicate that this broadening is driven primarily by chemical shifts associated with surface hydroxylation, with built-in potentials playing only a minor role. The impact of these two interpretations on the valence band offset is significant on the scale of transport energetics, amounting to a difference of 0.2 eV.
Implementation of an Integrated Avionics Unit for a space vehicle

An enabling technology platform, the Integrated Avionics Unit (IAU), has been developed and provides a number of functions to a host space vehicle in a compact form factor, tailored for the varied demands of Class D micro and mini satellite missions. The IAU is capable of interfacing with a solar array to efficiently couple energy to the power system and provides for charging and discharging of a battery, as well as monitoring its state of health. The IAU provides appropriate power switching and distribution for multiple spacecraft sensors, actuators, and communication loads as well as for internal power regulation for its electronics and for a spacecraft sensor network. The inputs and outputs of the IAU are organized to reduce the complexity of space vehicle harnessing. The IAU provides processing for command & data handling (C&DH) functions, guidance navigation and control (GNC), sub-system communication, and specific processing of sensor data. The IAU also houses both volatile and non-volatile data storage and can process data from these memories into CCSDS compliant packets for downlink. The IAU also supports appropriate signal, control, and telemetry interfaces to spacecraft sensors, actuators, and communication devices. This paper describes the implementation of the IAU, opportunities for further efficiency gains, and potential future capability growth.
Mathematical methods for optimized solar forecasting

Abstract The higher penetration of renewable resources in the energy portfolios accentuates the need for accurate forecasting of variable resources (solar, wind, tidal) at several different temporal scales to achieve power grid balance. Solar generation technologies have experienced strong energy market growth in the past few years, with corresponding increase in local grid penetration rates. As is the case with wind, the solar resource at the ground level is highly variable mostly due to cloud cover variability, atmospheric aerosol levels, and indirectly, and to a lesser extent, participating gases in the atmosphere. The inherent variability of solar generation at higher grid penetration levels poses problems associated with the cost of reserves, dispatchable and ancillary generation, and grid reliability in general. As a result, high accuracy forecast systems are required for multiple time horizons that are associated with regulation, dispatching, scheduling, and unit commitment. Here we review the theory behind mathematical methods for optimized solar forecasting and a number of successful applications of solar forecasting methods for both the solar resource and the power output of solar plants at the utility scale level.
Longitudinally-Consistent Parcellation of Infant Population Cortical Surfaces Based on Functional Connectivity

Parcellation of the human cerebral cortex into functionally distinct and meaningful regions is important for understanding the human brain. Although there are plenty of studies focusing on functional parcellation for adults, longitudinally-consistent functional parcellation of the rapidly developing infant cerebral cortex at multiple ages is still critically missing for understanding early brain development. Due to the dramatic changes of the cortical structure and function in infants, it is challenging to both capture the meaningful changes of the boundaries of functional regions and keep the parcellation as longitudinally-consistent as possible. To address this problem, we propose a longitudinally-consistent framework to jointly parcellate a population of infant cortical surfaces at multiple ages. Specifically, first, a population-average representation of the functional connectivity profile is constructed at each vertex at each age. Second, the correlation of functional connectivity profiles between any two vertices on the average cortical surfaces is computed. Notably, this correlation computation is performed not only within the same age but also across different ages, weighted based on the age difference, thus forming a large comprehensive similarity matrix. Such similarity measurements encourage to assign similar vertices to the same parcels, even for the vertices on the average cortical surfaces from different ages, and thus hold the longitudinal consistency. Finally, we apply the spectral clustering method on the large similarity matrix to generate an initial joint parcellation for all average surfaces, and further employ a graph cuts method to produce the spatially-smooth longitudinally-consistent parcellations. The proposed method was applied to a longitudinal infant brain MRI dataset to jointly parcellate infant cortical surfaces at 7 different time points in the first 2 years of age. The results show that our parcellations not only capture the evolution of functional boundaries but also preserve the longitudinal consistency.
Quantifying autonomous vehicles national fuel consumption impacts: A data-rich approach

Abstract Autonomous vehicles are drawing significant attention from governments, manufacturers and consumers. Experts predict them to be the primary means of transportation by the middle of this century. Recent literature shows that vehicle automation has the potential to alter traffic patterns, vehicle ownership, and land use, which may affect fuel consumption from the transportation sector. In this paper, we developed a data-rich analytical framework to quantify system-wide fuel impacts of automation in the United States by integrating (1) a dynamic vehicle sales, stock, and usage model, (2) an historical transportation network-level vehicle miles traveled (VMT)/vehicle activity database, and (3) estimates of automation’s impacts on fuel efficiency and travel demand. The vehicle model considers dynamics in vehicle fleet turnover and fuel efficiency improvements of conventional and advanced vehicle fleet. The network activity database contains VMT, free-flow speeds, and historical speeds of road links that can help us accurately identify fuel-savings opportunities of automation. Based on the model setup and assumptions, we found that the impacts of automation on fuel consumption are quite wide-ranging—with the potential to reduce fuel consumption by 45% in our “Optimistic” case or increase it by 30% in our “Pessimistic” case. Second, implementing automation on urban roads could potentially result in larger fuel savings compared with highway automation because of the driving features of urban roads. Through scenario analysis, we showed that the proposed framework can be used for refined assessments as better data on vehicle-level fuel efficiency and travel demand impacts of automation become available.
Structural Stability of N-Alkyl-Functionalized Titanium Metal–Organic Frameworks in Aqueous and Humid Environments

We demonstrate that the highly photoredox active metal–organic framework (MOF) MIL-125-NHCyp exhibits crystalline and porosity stability in humid environments for more than 30 days as well as increased hydrophobicity compared to the unfunctionalized framework. This improved stability, in synergy with its high photocatalytic activity, makes this MOF a very promising candidate for large-scale applications in CO2 photoreduction.
Sphingolipids at the Crossroads of NAFLD and Senescence

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a group of liver disorders encompassing simple hepatic steatosis and its more aggressive forms of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. It is a rapidly growing health concern and the major cause for the increasing incidence of primary liver tumors. Unequivocal evidence shows that sphingolipid metabolism is altered in the course of the disease and these changes might contribute to NAFLD progression. Recent data provide solid support to the notion that deregulated ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate metabolism are present at all stages of NAFLD, i.e., steatosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, advanced fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Insulin sensitivity, de novo lipogenesis, and the resulting lipotoxicity, fibrosis, and angiogenesis are all seemingly regulated in a manner that involves either ceramide and/or sphingosine-1-phosphate. Sphingolipids might also participate in the onset of hepatocellular senescence. The latter has been shown to contribute to the advancement of cirrhosis to HCC in the classical cases of end-stage liver disease, i.e., viral- or alcohol-induced; however, emerging evidence suggests that senescence is also involved in the pathogenicity of NAFLD possibly via changes in ceramide metabolism.
Relationship between natural killer cell susceptibility and metastasis of human uveal melanoma cells in a murine model.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the susceptibility of human uveal melanoma cells to in vitro and in vivo natural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytolysis and to determine if NK cells influence metastasis from the eye. Methods. Four human uveal melanoma cell lines and one melanoma cell line derived from a metastatic lesion from a patient with uveal melanoma were tested for in vitro and in vivo NK cell-mediated lysis in a mouse model. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigen expression was evaluated by flow cytometry. The role of NK cells in controlling the metastasis of uveal melanoma cells from the eye to the liver was examined in nude mice. Results. Sensitivity to in vitro and in vivo lysis by human and murine NK cells was correlated with reduced expression of MHC class I antigens. Uveal melanoma lines expressing normal MHC class I antigen expression were insensitive to NK cell-mediated lysis, both in vitro and in vivo. Metastasis of uveal melanoma cells was inhibited by NK cell activity because disruption of in vivo NK function produced a sharp increase in the spontaneous metastasis of intraocular melanomas in nude mice. Conclusions. There is considerable variation in the susceptibility of human uveal melanomas to NK cell-mediated cytolysis. Susceptibility is closely correlated with reduced expression of MHC class I antigen expression. Disruption of NK cell function significantly increases the development of hepatic metastases from human uveal melanoma cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1995;36:435-441. Uveal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular tumor in adults. 1 Although primary uveal melanoma can be successfully treated by enucleation or radiotherapy, approximately 50% of patients with large uveal tumor will die of metastatic disease within 5 years. 2 The liver is the most frequently affected organ in patients with metastatic melanoma from the uveal tract, and hepatic metastasis remains the leading cause of death in patients with uveal melanoma. 3 " 5 Thus, preventing and treating hepatic metastases could have
Gallium-Suboxide Attack of Stainless Steel and Nickel Alloys at 800–1200°C

Failure of furnace parts composed of stainless steel or nickel-base alloys has been observed following treatment of gallium-containing compounds at 800 to 1200°C. This work examines the effect of gallium suboxide (Ga2O) and gallium oxide (Ga2O3) on the chemical and mechanical properties of 304 SS, 316 SS, and Hastelloy C-276 in an effort to elucidate a failure mechanism. Results indicate that all three materials are subject to attack by gallium compounds. Elemental segregation, oxidation, and Ga uptake all occur following exposure. Ga2O gas appears to play the dominant role in alloy attack under reducing conditions. Increasing temperature is shown to increase the magnitude of attack, as measured by oxide thickness and gallium-metal uptake. Calculations of the system thermodynamics suggest that Cr, Mn, Si, and V alloying components are responsible for metal oxidation and concurrent gallium absorption. A homogeneous, large (>30 wt.%) gallium uptake resulted in brittle failure of 304 SS. Therefore, exposure to gallium compounds can result in premature failure of iron- and nickel-base structural alloys.
Viscous Displacement in a Hele-Shaw Cell

A Hele-Shaw cell is a pair of parallel plates that are separated by a small gap 6 . The motion of a less viscous fluid displacing a more viscous fluid in this gap under the action of some imposed pressure gradient or gravity or fluid injection has been the study of intensive research over the last decade. (See Saffman1, Bensimon et al2, Homsy3, Pelee4 and Kessler, Koplik & Levine5 for reviews from a range of perspectives). This has been spurred by the newly discovered mathematical analogies between this flow and dendritic crystal growth, directional solidification and diffusion limited aggregation (see references 4,5), though Darcian flow through a porous medium was the original motivation6. In most Hele-Shaw cell studies to date, the geometry consists of a long rectilinear channel where the width of the cell is 2a , with b << a (Figure 1). In this case, the interfacial motion is caused by an imposed pressure gradient which causes the more viscous fluid at infinity to be displaced with velocity V . Alternately, gravity can effect the interfacial displacement.
A Semi-Automatic System for the Ultrasonic Measurement of Texture

The texture (preferred grain orientation) of rolled metal plates influences a number of important mechanical properties such as their ability to be plastically formed into complex shapes. X-ray diffraction techniques can characterize texture in great detail but are unsuitable for real time process control. Furthermore, x-rays only sample the properties of a near surface layer, whereas the average properties throughout the thickness may be of greater interest. This paper describes an alternate texture characterization approach based on ultrasonic measurements of the anisotropy of plate wave velocities. Relationships have recently been established between the macroscopic elastic constants of a rolled metal plate and the coefficients of an expansion of the crystallite orientation distribution function (CODF) in terms of generalized Legendre functions [1]. It has also been shown that these coefficients can be determined from velocity measurements of ultrasonic plate modes [2,3]. Here a system is described which implements these ideas in a semi-automated fashion as would be required for process control applications. The measurement system consists of two sets of EMAT transducers and associated electronics, one for SHO mode measurements and the other for SO mode measurements. Each set consists of one transmitter and two receivers, separated by a fixed distance and placed at a variable angle with respect to the rolling direction of the plate. The pair of received signals are digitized and processed to determine the coefficients W400, W420 and W440, which can, in turn, be used to make first order predictions of pole figures. These steps are reviewed in detail and future directions are discussed.
sGC-cGMP signaling: target for anticancer therapy.

The biologic endogenous production of cGMP was reported in the 1960s and followed by the demonstration of guanylyl cyclase activity and the isoforms of soluble and membrane-bound guanylyl cyclases. During the same period, cGMP specific phosphodiesterases also was discovered. Murad’s lab established link between the endothelium derived relaxation factor (EDRF) and elevated cGMP concentration in the vascular system. October 12, 1998, the Nobel Assembly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology to scientists Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro, and Ferid Murad for their discoveries concerning nitric oxide (NO) as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. In contrast with the short research history of the enzymatic synthesis of NO, the introduction of nitrate-containing compounds for medicinal purposes marked its 150th anniversary in 1997. Glyceryl trinitrate (nitroglycerin; GTN) is the first compound of this category. Alfred Nobel (the founder of the Nobel Prize) himself had suffered from angina pectoris and was prescribed nitroglycerin for his chest pain while he refused to take due to the induction of headaches. Almost a century after its first chemical use, research in the nitric oxide and 3′,5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO/cGMP) pathway has dramatically expanded and the role of NO/cGMP in physiology and pathology has been extensively studied. Soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) is the receptor for NO. The α1β1 heterodimer is the predominant isoform of sGC that is obligatory for catalytic activity. NO binds to the ferrous (Fe2+) heme at histidine 105 of the β1 subunit and leads to an increase in sGC activity and cGMP production of at least 200-fold. In this chapter, we reviewed the studies of sGC-cGMP signaling in cell proliferation; introduced our work of targeting sGC-cGMP signaling for cancer therapy; and explored the role of sGC-cGMP signaling in the chromatin-microenvironment.
The Relationship Between Alcohol Beverage Types and Violence

There is substantial evidence of an ecological association between off-premise alcohol outlets and violence. We know less, however, about how specific beverage types that are sold in the outlets mi...
Development of a patient preference assessment tool for cancer patients considering phase I research.

e17593 Background: We previously developed and tested a tool for physicians (PHY) to assess advanced cancer patients’ treatment-related preferences (Pentz ASCO abstracts 2011, 2012, 2013.) to infor...
Subjective methods to quantify temperament in beef cattle are insensitive to the number and biases of observers.

Abstract Associations between excitable temperament and many economically relevant traits have been established, resulting in an increased focus on docility in breeding programs in cattle. Several methods have been proposed to quantify temperament during normal handling procedures, which appear to differ in their usefulness and accuracy of measure. The objective of this study was to determine the merit of using chute score (CS), exit score (ES), and exit velocity (EV) to evaluate temperament in a production setting, by assessing (i) the impact of experience and number of observers on inter-observer reliability, and (ii) the repeatability of these measures. Over three consecutive years, a factorial design of two measurement protocols [frequent (F), infrequent (IN)], and three recording periods, each one month apart, was used. Each year, twenty commercial Bos taurus heifers, 2-wk post weaning, were randomly assigned to each protocol. Each day of observation, heifers were moved into a squeeze chute and their heads caught. A CS from 1 (docile) to 6 (aggressive) was assigned to loosely restrained cattle by as many as six observers of varying experience. When released from the chute, EV over a distance of 2 m was obtained, and an ES of 1 (docile) to 5 (aggressive) assigned by the same observers. Heifers were evaluated repeatedly over three months, with some heifers scored on as many as nine occasions. Inter-observer reliability was calculated using the irr package in R. Kendall's coefficient of concordance (KCC) and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for the average of two, three, or four experienced observers for all nine days of the study. Observers were then divided by experience [experienced (E), inexperienced (IE)] and compared to a benchmark observer using these same statistics. Repeatabilities were calculated using ASReml fitting protocol, event, and their interaction as fixed effects, body weight as a covariate, and sire and year as random effects. While reliability decreased with increasing number of observers for both measures, agreement was consistently higher when assessing ES compared to CS. Both measures had reliabilities indicative of acceptable agreement (ICCCS ≥ 0.74, ICCES ≥ 0.90; KCCCS ≥ 0.79, KCCES ≥ 0.93). However, inexperience reduced reliability of CS assignments, with more variation in scores than in E observers. All methods were highly repeatable. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of subjective methods for quantifying temperament on site. Their lack of susceptibility to individual bias in distinguishing behaviors makes them useful criteria for evaluating temperament in cattle.
Is It Working? Evaluating Environmental Policy (written by Jeffrey J. Cook)

Figuring out if environmental policy is working is more critical now than ever. This chapter provides an overview of how environmental policy is evaluated and the complexities of its evaluation. Much of policy evaluation has to do with the quantification of various variables, which is understandably complex in this policy realm. We consider how this is done, with a significant portion of this chapter devoted to both understanding how cost–benefit analysis and risk assessment are conducted. Our chapter’s voice and case challenge the contemporary notions of cost–benefit analysis through an examination of environmental justice. Our voices section notes the important work of Matthew Tejada. Our case study examines longitudinal research on commercial hazardous waste, defining for the reader, the intricate details of environmental justice in the United States.
Rewire: A Game About Neuroplasticity

Twenty years ago, Carol Dweck published a seminal article showing that students with a fixed mindset underachieve compared to students with a growth mindset. Many existing approaches promote a growth mindset by teaching about neuroplasticity, but include little interactivity and dynamism -- two important aspects in neuroscience education. We present Rewire, a web-based game that introduces students to neuroplasticity and growth mindset through constructionist approaches. Learners build neural networks using principles from neuroscience, such as Hebbian learning and myelination. In the process, they build an intuition for how the brain changes and grows through targeted effort and practice. In this paper, we reflect on the design mechanics that allow students to discover neuroscience principles, and the game's implications for future work in teaching students about growth mindset.
Imagine No Remediation: Evaluation of a Placement Policy Change

We describe the effects of a change in the mathematics placement policy at a large 4-year public university. The change resulted in a sharp reduction of the number of students placed in remedial courses, while the levels of academic preparedness of the students, the course content, and the instruction methods remained the same. This allows us to estimate the effects of remedial placement on the educational outcomes of the students. We find that a remedial placement policy that was based on a standardized test cut-score under-placed a large number of students into remedial courses. At the same time, we find that a placement policy based on BAT/CRT scores was placing under-prepared students into college level mathematics courses.
Electrospinning of cyclodextrins: hydroxypropyl-alpha-cyclodextrin nanofibers

This study summarizes the polymer-free electrospinning of nanofibers from hydroxypropyl-alpha-cyclodextrin (HP-α-CyD). The viscosity and conductivity of HP-α-CyD solutions were studied, and HP-α-CyD concentrations from 160% up to 240% (w/w) were examined in order to find the optimal conditions for the electrospinning of uniform and bead-free HP-α-CyD nanofibers. We further extend our study by considering some industrially relevant scenarios for the preparation of HP-α-CyD solutions for the electrospinning process. For instance, distilled water, tap water and salty water (i.e., 1% NaCl, w/w) were used for the preparation of HP-α-CyD solutions, which significantly change the solution conductivity, and its effect on the electrospinning of HP-α-CyD was examined. It was observed that the higher solution conductivity was the dominating factor for obtaining bead-free and thinner HP-α-CyD nanofibers from less concentrated HP-α-CyD solutions. Yet, electrospinning of HP-α-CyD from salty water having higher solution conductivity yielded less uniform HP-α-CyD nanofibrous web. Moreover, the HP-α-CyD solutions were stored for certain time period (1 h, 1 day, 2 days, 4 days and 8 days) prior to electrospinning in order to study effect of storage time of the HP-α-CyD solutions. There was no significant viscosity change for HP-α-CyD solutions over time (up to 8 days), and therefore, the electrospinning of HP-α-CyD solutions resulted similar fiber morphology regardless of storage period. In all cases, the electrospinning of HP-α-CyD nanofibers yielded self-standing nanofibrous webs in the form of flexible nonwoven structure.
Inhaled epoprostenol utilization pattern after implementation of an administration policy

Epoprostenol, a pulmonary vasodilator, is used to reduce pulmonary artery pressure. Its inhaled administration results in ventilation and perfusion matching with oxygenation improvement. Epoprosten...
Air: Kiseki / I Wish , 2011

Using the talents of two actual brothers of a well-known manzai comedy team, Kiseki/I Wish (2011) is a tale of children’s wishes but also a lesson that internal growth is more important than any kind of “miracle” (the literal translation of the film title). Set on the southern island of Kyūshū, I Wish was commissioned by the JR Railroad to commemorate the opening of the final part of the Kyūshū Shinkansen bullet train.
Role of Anions and Mixtures of Anions on the Thermochromism, Vapochromism, and Polymorph Formation of Luminescent Crystals of a Single Cation, [(C6H11NC)2Au].

Noncoordinating anions, which generally play a subordinate role in coordination chemistry, alter the structure, the luminescence, as well as the thermochromic and vapochromic behaviors of salts of the two-coordinate cation, [(C6H11NC)2Au]+. Thus whereas the yellow polymorphs of [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6) and [(C6H11NC)2Au](AsF6) contain single chains of cations and are vapochromic, yellow [(C6H11NC)2Au](SbF6) does not form the same polymorph and is not vapochromic but contains two distinct chains of cations connected through aurophilic interactions. Mixed crystals such as [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6)0.50(AsF6)0.50 have been prepared by adding diethyl ether to a dichloromethane solution containing equimolar amounts of [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6) and [(C6H11NC)2Au](AsF6). The initial (kinetic) product for the three combinations of anions ((PF6)-/(AsF6)-, (PF6)-/(SbF6)-, and (AsF6)-/(SbF6)-) was a precipitate of fine yellow needles with a green emission, which were gradually transformed at rates that depended on the anions present into colorless crystals with a blue emission. Whereas neither polymorph of [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6) nor [(C6H11NC)2Au](SbF6) is thermochromic, the colorless mixed crystal [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6)0.50(SbF6)0.50 is thermochromic and converts from blue-emitting to green-emitting at 87-95 °C. The temperature required to transform a crystal of the type [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6)n(AsF6)1-n from colorless (blue-emitting) to yellow (green-emitting) increases as the fraction of hexafluorophosphate ion in the crystal increases. The yellow crystals of [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6)0.75(AsF6)0.25, [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6)0.50(AsF6)0.50, and [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6)0.25(AsF6)0.75 are vapochromic, whereas the yellow crystals of [(C6H11NC)2Au](PF6)0.50(SbF6)0.50 and [(C6H11NC)2Au](AsF6)0.50(SbF6)0.50 are not.
Fractal kinetics of COVID-19 pandemic (with update 3/1/20)

Abstract We give an update to the original paper posted on 2/17/20 – now (as of 3/1/20) the China deaths are rapidly decreasing, and we find an exponential decline to the power law similar to the that predicted by the network model of Vazquez [2006]. At the same time, we see non-China deaths increasing rapidly, and similar to the early behavior of the China statistics. Thus, we see three stages of the spread of the disease in terms of number of deaths: exponential growth, power-law behavior, and then exponential decline in the daily rate. (Original abstract) The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to grow rapidly in China and is spreading in other parts of the world. The classic epidemiological approach in studying this growth is to quantify a reproduction number and infection time, and this is the approach followed by many studies on the epidemiology of this disease. However, this assumption leads to exponential growth, and while the growth rate is high, it is not following exponential behavior. One approach that is being used is to simply keep adjusting the reproduction number to match the dynamics. Other approaches use rate equations such as the SEIR and logistical models. Here we show that the current growth closely follows power-law kinetics, indicative of an underlying fractal or small-world network of connections between susceptible and infected individuals. Positive deviations from this growth law might indicate either a failure of the current containment efforts while negative deviations might indicate the beginnings of the end of the pandemic. We cannot predict the ultimate extent of the pandemic but can get an estimate of the growth of the disease.
Hcfc1a regulates neural precursor proliferation and asxl1 expression in the developing brain

Precise regulation of neural precursor cell (NPC) proliferation and differentiation is essential to ensure proper brain development and function. The HCFC1 gene encodes a transcriptional co-factor that regulates cell proliferation, and previous studies suggest that HCFC1 regulates NPC number and differentiation. However, the molecular mechanism underlying these cellular deficits has not been completely characterized. Here we created a zebrafish harboring mutations in the hcfc1a gene (the hcfc1aco60/+ allele), one ortholog of HCFC1, and utilized immunohistochemistry and RNA-sequencing technology to understand the function of hcfc1a during neural development. The hcfc1aco60/+ allele results in an increased number of NPCs and increased expression of neuronal and glial markers. These neural developmental deficits are associated with larval hypomotility and the abnormal expression of asxl1, a polycomb transcription factor, which we identified as a downstream effector of hcfc1a. Inhibition of asxl1 activity and/or expression in larvae harboring the hcfc1aco60/+ allele completely restored the number of NPCs to normal levels. Collectively, our data demonstrate that hcfc1a regulates NPC number, NPC proliferation, motor behavior, and brain development.
My Family Didn't Sign Up for This.

"Will buddies." That was an unfortunate phrase a friend of mine and I coined together during a shift early in the pandemic. He was a resident in our program just a couple of years ago and is now one of my attendings. While we were working a shift in the ED swarming with critically ill COVID patients, it came up in the "doc box" that we were both drafting our wills.
Occult Uterine Malignancy at the Time of Sacrocolpopexy in the Context of the Safety Communication on Power Morcellation by the FDA.

STUDY OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of occult uterine malignancy at the time of sacrocolpopexy with concurrent hysterectomy, in the context of practice pattern changes as a result of the 2014 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) power morcellation safety communication. DESIGN Retrospective chart review. SETTING Tertiary care referral center in the United States. PATIENTS A total of 839 patients who underwent sacrocolpopexy from January 2004 to December 2018. INTERVENTIONS All patients received a concurrent hysterectomy without a diagnosis of suspected or confirmed gynecologic malignancy before surgery. Trends of surgeries were compared before and after the 2014 FDA power morcellation safety communication. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Demographic and perioperative data were collected from the system-wide electronic medical record. Operative and pathology reports were reviewed to determine the method of specimen retrieval and specimen pathology results. A total of 238 patients (28.4%) had a hysterectomy at the time of sacrocolpopexy. There were no cases of occult uterine malignancy (0%, 95% CI 0%-1.6%). There was 1 case of borderline tumor of the ovary. The most common mode of hysterectomy over the 15-year period was laparoscopic hysterectomy (n = 84, 35.3%), followed by vaginal hysterectomy (n = 63, 26.5%). After the FDA communication, the most common form of hysterectomy changed significantly to vaginal hysterectomy (n = 35, 55.6%; p <.001). When comparing the first 2 years after the announcement (2014-2016) to the subsequent 2 years (2017-2018), there was again a significant increase in the use of laparoscopic hysterectomy in the latter time period (7.3% vs 40.9%; p <.001). CONCLUSION In this cohort of patients undergoing sacrocolpopexy with concurrent hysterectomy, the incidence of occult uterine malignancy was low. After the FDA safety communication, practice patterns with regard to the mode of hysterectomy changed, but the magnitude of these changes were transient.