cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sampling, Weighted Exponentials, and Translations

Now we will apply the machinery of bases and frames to analyze specific types of sequences that arise in many situations in applied harmonic analysis and other areas. This chapter focuses on sequences closely related to the trigonometric system, which forms an orthonormal basis, while Chapter 11 is devoted to Gabor systems and Chapter 12 to wavelets.
In-network coherence filtering: snoopy coherence without broadcasts

With transistor miniaturization leading to an abundance of on-chip resources and uniprocessor designs providing diminishing returns, the industry has moved beyond single-core microprocessors and embraced the many-core wave. Scalable cache coherence protocol implementations are necessary to allow fast sharing of data among various cores and drive the many-core revolution forward. Snoopy coherence protocols, if realizable, have the desirable property of having low storage overhead and not adding indirection delay to cache-to-cache accesses. There are various proposals, like Token Coherence (TokenB), Uncorq, Intel QPI, INSO and Timestamp Snooping, that tackle the ordering of requests in snoopy protocols and make them realizable on unordered networks. However, snoopy protocols still have the broadcast overhead because each coherence request goes to all cores in the system. This has substantial network bandwidth and power implications. In this work, we propose embedding small in-network coherence filters inside on-chip routers that dynamically track sharing patterns among various cores. This sharing information is used to filter away redundant snoop requests that are traveling towards unshared cores. Filtering these useless messages saves network bandwidth and power and makes snoopy protocols on many-core systems truly scalable. Our in-network coherence filters are able to reduce the total number of snoops in the system on an average by 41.9%, thereby reducing total network traffic by 25.4% on 16-processor chip multiprocessor (CMP) systems running parallel applications. For 64-processor CMP systems, our filtering technique on an average achieves 46.5% reduction in total number of snoops that ends up reducing the total network traffic by 27.3%, on an average.
Determining the Morphology and the Interaction Between Terminally-Anchored Polymer Layers

Using a two dimensional self-consistent field theory, we investigate the interactions between two planar surfaces that are coated with terminally-anchored homopolymers. One surface is coated with A chains and the other is covered with B homopolymers. The chains are grafted at low densities and the B polymers are chosen to be solvophobic, while the A chains are relatively solvophilic. We determine the morphology of the layers and the energy of interaction asthe surfaces are compressed. Our results provide guidelines for controlling the interaction between polymer-coated colloidal particles.
Updated estimate of limits, on the production rates of 't Hooft-Polyakov magnetic monopoles

Magnetic-monopole pair production rates are examined for both pointlike and composite ('t Hooft-Polyakov) monopoles. For composite monopoles we obtain updated estimates for the suppression factorF 2 which shows thatF 2≈10−30–10−150. Composite monopoles are therefore not likely to be produced in man-made accelerators. Alternate sources for composite monopoles are briefly discussed.
Exercise Testing in the Congenital Long QT Syndrome

The QT interval, a temporal measure of ventricular repolarization, normally shortens in response to an exercise—induced increase in heart rate. Paradoxical prolongation of the corrected QT interval (QTc) during exercise has been associated with myocardial ischemia since the early 1950s (1). A recent investigation has shown that exercise—induced prolongation of the QTc predicted myocardial ischemia with a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 93% as assessed by nuclear perfusion imaging even in patients who were unable to reach their target heart rates (2). Prolongation of the QTc in the setting of ischemia has been theorized to be due to an impaired response of ischemic myocardium to catecholamines or to an abnormal flux of calcium ions (2). Despite this and other compelling evidence for the use of an abnormal QTc response to exercise as a marker of ischemia, it has yet to gain widespread use in noninvasive laboratories and cardiologists’ offices.
Neddylation regulates T cell responses. (TRAN3P.914)

Post-translational modifications (PTM) of proteins regulate cellular processes by proteasomal degradation. PTM of Cullin-RING ligase (CRL) protein via neddylation and the presence of its critical adapter element, sensitive to apoptosis gene (SAG) protein, modulate the process of neddylation-dependent ubiquitination. The role of neddylated proteins in regulating T cells is not known. We explored the role of neddylation in T cells by utilizing two different, but complementary approaches. We generated a T-cell specific knockout (SLCK-KO) of SAG (critical for the neddylation process) and utilized a small molecule inhibitor specific for neddylation (MLN4924). Phenotypic analysis of thymic and splenic T cells from SLCK-KO showed no differences when compared to WT. In vitro analysis of SLCK-KO T cells, with either allo-splenocytes or non-specific CD3/CD28 antibodies demonstrated reduced activation (CD69, CD44), proliferation, and secretion of T helper signature cytokines (IFNγ, IL-4, IL-17) (P<0.003). In vivo studies utilizing multiple MHC disparate models of BMT (B6→BALB/c, B6→B6D2F1), demonstrated that SLCK-KO T cells in the recipient animals caused reduced severity of GVHD and increased survival (P<0.01). Similar results were obtained in vitro and in vivo with small molecule, MLN4924. Our results demonstrate a novel biological role for neddylation in regulating T cell functions in vitro and in vivo.
Land and Environment: The Oromo in the Horn of Africa

The central argument of this paper is that the Oromo had a repertoire of environmental knowledge that encompassed the ecological zones of the Horn of Africa. This unique knowledge of the environment’s ecological niche helped them adapt to most of the zones of the region. The same experimental knowledge also made them preservers of the environment as the first documented studies appeared in the 1940s. The Oromo remained mobile across the ecological zones for millennia unlike the other regional inhabitants. The Abyssinians dread lowland with a notion of infestation gradient. The Nilo-Saharans whose duffy negativity made then adapt to the lowlands mainly lived along major river valleys. Thus. most inhabitants of uplands and lowlands have unique resources to be utilized by the Oromo. The paper will be based on primary and secondary sources.
Risk/Benefit Analysis of Intracoronary Thrombolytic Therapy in Evolving Myocardial Infarction

Intracoronary streptokinase administration during acute myocardial infarction is a time-consuming and potentially dangerous technique. However, it does appear to be beneficial in terms of reduced mortality and improved left ventricular function. We have prospectively studied 258 patients with acute myocardial infarction of whom 180 were subjected to acute cardiac catheterisation and intracoronary streptokinase administration. The remaining 78 either refused the protocol or met exclusion criteria and were studied prospectively as a control group. Patients with anterior myocardial infarction demonstrated a most profound improvement in both mortality and myocardial function with intracoronary thrombolytic therapy. Patients with inferior myocardial infarction demonstrated an improvement in left ventricular function with successful coronary reperfusion, but did not achieve a statistically significant improvement in mortality compared to controls. Time from onset of pain to reperfusion up to 18 h after onset of pain did not affect improvement in left ventricular function or survival. Patients more than 65 years of age did not show a difference in survival when treated with thrombolytic therapy compared with controls of similar age group. However, patients less than 65 years of age treated with intracoronary streptokinase therapy demonstrated a mortality of 4% compared to 18% in similar controls. Two patients may have died as a direct result of intracoronary thrombolytic therapy, but no patients died as a result of bleeding complications. Thus, the most striking results with intracoronary thrombolytic therapy during evolving myocardial infarction are seen in patients with anterior myocardial who are less than 65 years of age. Time from onset of pain to reperfusion and presence of Q waves on initial electrocardiogram do not affect the observed outcome of this intervention.
Final analysis of a phase II study of modified FOLFIRINOX in locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer

Background Modifications of FOLFIRINOX are widely used despite the absence of prospective data validating efficacy in metastatic disease (metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC)) or locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). We conducted a multicentre phase II study of modified FOLFIRINOX in advanced pancreatic cancer to assess the impact of dose attenuation in MPC and efficacy in LAPC. Methods Patients with untreated MPC or LAPC received modified FOLFIRINOX (irinotecan and bolus 5-fluorouracil reduced by 25%). Adverse events (AEs) were compared with full-dose FOLFIRINOX. Response rate (RR), median progression-free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) were determined. Results In total, 31 and 44 patients with LAPC and MPC were enrolled, respectively. In MPC, efficacy of modified FOLFIRINOX was comparable with FOLFIRINOX with RR 35.1%, OS 10.2 months (95% CI 7.65-14.32) and PFS 6.1 months (95% CI 5.19-8.31). In LAPC, efficacy was notable with RR 17.2%, resection rate 41.9%, PFS 17.8 months (95% CI 11.0-23.9) and OS 26.6 months (95% CI 16.7, NA). Neutropenia (P Conclusions In this first prospective study of modified FOLFIRINOX in MPC and LAPC, we observed decreased AEs compared with historical control patients. In MPC, the efficacy appears comparable with FOLFIRINOX. In LAPC, PFS and OS were prolonged and support the continued use of FOLFIRINOX in this setting.
Ammonium Azide under High Pressure -- a combined Theoretical and Experimental Study

Efforts to synthesize, characterize, and recover novel polynitrogen energetic materials have driven attempts to subject high nitrogen content precursor materials (in particular, metal and nonmetal azides) to elevated pressures. Here we present a combined theoretical and experimental study of the high-pressure behavior of ammonium azide (NH4N3). Using density functional theory, we have considered the relative thermodynamic stability of the material with respect to two other crystal phases, namely, trans-tetrazene (TTZ), and also a novel hydronitrogen solid (HNS) of the form (NH)4, that was recently predicted to become relatively stable under high pressure. Experimentally, we have measured the Raman spectra of NH4N3 up to 71 GPa at room temperature. Our calculations demonstrate that the HNS becomes stable only at pressures much higher (89.4 GPa) than previously predicted (36 GPa). Our Raman spectra are consistent with previous reports up to lower pressures and at higher pressures, while some additional subtle behavior is observed (e.g., mode splitting), there is again no evidence of a phase transition to either TTZ or the HNS.
Mixed Depression in Bipolar Disorder: Prevalence Rate and Clinical Correlates During Naturalistic Follow-Up in the Stanley Bipolar Network

Objective:DSM-5 introduced the “with mixed features” specifier for major depressive episodes. The authors assessed the prevalence and phenomenology of mixed depression among bipolar disorder patients and qualitatively compared a range of diagnostic thresholds for mixed depression.Method:In a naturalistic study, 907 adult outpatients with bipolar disorder participating in the Stanley Foundation Bipolar Network were followed longitudinally across 14,310 visits from 1995 to 2002. The Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Clinician-Rated Version (IDS-C) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were administered at each visit.Results:Mixed depression, defined as an IDS-C score ≥15 and a YMRS score >2 and <12 at the same visit, was observed in 2,139 visits (14.9% of total visits, and 43.5% of visits with depression) by 584 patients (64.4% of all patients). Women were significantly more likely than men to experience subthreshold hypomania during visits with depression (40.7% compared with 34.4%). Patients with o...
“Make Sure You’re Not Getting Yourself in Trouble:” Building Sexual Relationships and Preventing Sexual Violence at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Sexual violence continues to present a problem on college campuses nationwide and among members of the U.S. military. This study attended to patterns of response in how students (cadets) at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) discussed sexual and romantic relationships, both potential and actual, in order to examine how, if at all, they enact their sexuality-related values. Constructivist grounded theory was used to analyze semistructured interviews with three male and three female cadets from each of the 4 years of the undergraduate program, in which they are intended to become “leaders of character” who will serve as Army officers. Findings indicated limitations in cadets’ access to developing and implementing sexuality-related skills within this context. Cadets’ fear and distrust erected barriers to their pursuing their desires; the ways in which cadets avoided getting in trouble for sexual harassment or sexual assault shifted responsibility from a potential perpetrator onto a potential victim; and ...
PSAC: privilege state-based access control

We propose an access control model specifically developed to support fine-grained decision semantics for the results of access control decisions. To achieve such semantics, the model introduces the concept of privilege states and orientation modes in the context of a role-based access control system. The central idea in our model is that privileges, assigned to a user or role, have a state attached to them, thereby resulting in a privilege states based access control (PSAC) system. In this paper, we present the design details and a formal model of PSAC tailored to database management systems (DBMSs). PSAC has been designed to also take into account role hierarchies that are often present in the access control models of current DBMSs. We have implemented PSAC in the PostgreSQL DBMS and in the paper, we discuss relevant implementation issues. We also report experimental results concerning the overhead of the access control enforcement in PSAC. Such results confirm that our design and algorithms are very efficient.
Quality of Service

WSNs are used for a wide range of applications such as environmental sensing, clinical monitoring, and military surveillance. As in traditional data networks such as the Internet and Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs), the different applications of WSNs demand that certain service requirements be met for optimal performance.
Acquired haemophilia A: an unusual postoperative complication

An African-American man aged 65 years with multiple malignancies in remission was admitted for small bowel obstruction. He was treated with laparotomy following failure of conservative management. Postoperatively, he developed intra-abdominal bleed, which persisted, despite surgical haematoma evacuation. Further haematological workup revealed isolated prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) with reduced factor VIII (FVIII) activity and raised FVIII inhibitor titre. Assuming acquired haemophilia A (AHA), FVIII inhibitor bypassing activity and corticosteroids were started with subsequent resolution of the bleeding from the surgical site. The patient remained free of bleeding episodes at 3-month follow-up and the aPTT normalised. This case report highlights the association of surgery with AHA and summarises the treatments with underlying mechanisms.
Ab Initio Thermodynamics and the Relationship Between Octahedral Distortion, Lattice Structure, and Proton Substitution Defects in Malachite/Rosasite Group Endmember Pokrovskite Mg2CO3(OH)2

Divalent metal hydroxycarbonates with M2CO3(OH)2 stoichiometry are widely used in industry and are abundant in nature as the malachite/rosasite group of minerals. Essential to their performance as catalytic precursors and in nanoelectronics, these materials and minerals exhibit a high degree of cation ordering in mixed metal systems due to differences in distortion of the octahedral metal sites. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations on pokrovskite Mg2CO3(OH)2 in the rosasite structure and Mg analogues of monoclinic and orthorhombic forms of malachite determine that the octahedral sites are innately distorted, and that d9 Cu(II) Jahn-Teller distortion accommodates this distortion rather than causes it, leading to the significant preference of Cu for the type I octahedral sites. This distortion also leads to a high propensity for formation of cation vacancies charge balanced by proton substitution. Ab initio thermodynamics is used to determine that there are conditions under which proton substitution defects are slightly more stable than the stoichiometric structure, consistent with the widespread observation of such defects in pokrovskite in nature. Pokrovskite itself is most likely to form under CO2-rich/low water conditions, particularly those utilizing supercritical CO2 for carbon sequestration and is sufficiently thermodynamically stable to trap CO2 under geological conditions. Low temperature and high water concentration promotes the formation of proton substitution defects, which has implications for synthesis of any material where octahedral strain may be relieved by proton substitution defects.
Induction of Geometric Actions

We prove that, in some situations, an induced action from a normal subgroup preserves a geometric structure. Combined with known geometric rigidity results, this result implies certain rigidity statements concerning the full diffeomorphism group of a manifold. It also provides many examples of actions on Lorentz manifolds. Combining these with a small number of well-known actions, we get the full list of connected, simply connected Lie groups admitting a locally faithful, orbit nonproper action by isometries of a connected Lorentz manifold. We give an example of a connected nilpotent Lie group with no complicated action on a Lorentz manifold. We show that, if a connected Lie group has a normal closed subgroup isomorphic to a (two-dimensional) cylinder, then it admits a locally faithful, orbit nonproper action by isometries of a connected Lorentz manifold.
Challenges in Interpreting Germline Mutations in BARD1 and ATM in Breast and Ovarian Cancer Patients

Next-generation sequencing promotes identification of mutations in non-BRCA1/2 genes in hereditary cancer families. The contribution of mutations in moderate penetrance genes to hereditary cancer risk is not well established. Here, we report a family with early onset breast and fallopian tube cancer that was identified as carrying germline mutations in BARD1 and ATM genes. Loss of heterozygosity studies suggest a causative role of the BARD1 mutation in the development of primary peritoneal cancer, but fail to confirm an association between germline ATM mutations and breast cancer development in this family. Complexities in interpreting implications of mutations in moderate-risk cancer susceptibility genes are discussed.
Dematin Is Essential for Calcium Mobilization in Platelets

Abstract 365 Dematin is an actin binding protein that was originally identified in the human erythrocyte membranes; however, dematin polypeptides are detectable in many non-erythroid cells. In erythrocytes, dematin is located at the spectrin-actin junctions thus linking the skeleton to the plasma membrane. This junctional complex serves to maintain both erythrocyte shape and membrane stability. Dematin is phosphorylated by multiple protein kinases, including the cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C, and its actin bundling activity is regulated by phosphorylation. Dematin is also an excellent substrate of calpain-1, a calcium-dependent cysteine protease. Because of the functional similarities between the core components of the membrane skeleton in erythrocytes and platelets, we sought to investigate the physiological function of dematin in platelets. The remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton is known to regulate platelet activation and secretion of platelet granule contents. Western blotting demonstrated abundant expression of the ∼52 kDa polypeptide of dematin in both human and mouse platelets. To evaluate the functional role of dematin in platelets, we utilized the dematin headpiece knockout (HPKO) mouse model previously generated in our laboratory. Headpiece domain of dematin is an actin binding module sharing sequence similarity with the villin-family of cytoskeletal proteins. Importantly, the in vivo deletion of the headpiece domain of dematin resulted in substantial diminution of calcium mobilization in response to multiple agonists of platelet activation (Fig. 1). The reduced calcium mobilization in HPKO platelets was associated with significant inhibition of the platelet aggregation and granule secretion pathways. The HPKO platelets exhibit decreased activation of both the integrin αIIbβ3 receptor and RhoA upon platelet stimulation. Moreover, the HPKO platelets display aberrant morphology upon spreading on the fibrinogen and vWF-coated surfaces. Consistent with these findings, the HPKO mice show a significant clot retraction defect associated with a general tail bleeding phenotype. Mechanistically, the basal level of cAMP remained unaltered in the HPKO platelets suggesting the independence of the observed phenotype upon changes in the cAMP concentration. Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that dematin is associated with two platelet membrane compartments known to be involved in calcium fluxes, i.e., the dense tubular system (DTS) and the plasma membrane. Studies are currently in progress to identify the dematin-associated complex in platelets by Western blotting and proteomics approaches. Together, these results unveil dematin as a novel regulator of calcium homeostasis in platelets with functional implications for the development of new anti-platelet therapies. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The extreme El Niño of 2015–2016 and the end of global warming hiatus

Slower rates of increase in global mean surface temperature (GMST) after 2000, dubbed “global warming hiatus,” recently gave way to a rapid temperature rise. This rise coincided with persistent warm conditions in the equatorial Pacific between March 2014 and May 2016, which peaked as the 2015 extreme El Nino. Here we show that the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) tightly controls interannual variations in atmospheric heating rate in the tropics (r > 0.9), allowing us to construct a simple, physically based model of GMST variations that incorporates greenhouse gas emissions, ENSO forcing, and stratospheric sulfate aerosols produced by volcanoes. The model closely reproduces GMST changes since 1880, including the global warming hiatus and the subsequent temperature rise. Our results confirm that weak El Nino activity, rather than volcanic eruptions, was the cause of the hiatus, while the rapid temperature rise is due to atmospheric heat release during 2014–2016 El Nino conditions concurrent with the continuing global warming trend.
Context-aware system design

The Internet of Things envisions a web-connected infrastructure of billions of sensors and actuation devices. However, the current state-of-the-art presents another reality: monolithic end-to-end applications tightly coupled to a limited set of sensors and actuators. Growing such applications with new devices or behaviors, or extending the existing infrastructure with new applications, involves redesign and redeployment. We instead propose a modular approach to these applications, breaking them into an equivalent set of functional units (context engines) whose input/output transformations are driven by general-purpose machine learning, demonstrating an improvement in compute redundancy and computational complexity with minimal impact on accuracy. In conjunction with formal data specifications, or ontologies, we can replace application-specific implementations with a composition of context engines that use common statistical learning to generate output, thus improving context reuse. We implement interconnected context-aware applications using our approach, extracting user context from sensors in both healthcare and grid applications. We compare our infrastructure to single-stage monolithic implementations with single-point communications between sensor nodes and the cloud servers, demonstrating a reduction in combined system energy by 22-45%, and multiplying the battery lifetime of power-constrained devices by at least 22x, with easy deployment across different architectures and devices.
The Top 100 Law Reviews: A Reference Guide Based on Historical USNWR Data

The best proxy for how other law professors react and respond to publishing in main, or flagship, law reviews is the US News and World Report (USNWR) rankings. This paper utilizes historical USNWR data to rank the top 100 law reviews. The USNWR rankings are important in shaping many – if not most – law professors’ perceptions about the relative strength of a law school (and derivatively, the home law review). This document contains a chart that is sorted by the 10-year rolling average for each school, but it also contains the 5-year and 15-year rolling averages. This paper also describes my methodology and responds to a series of frequently asked questions. The document was updated in April 2020.
Visual Psychological Anthropology and the Lived Experience of Disability

Ethnographic film is a powerful medium currently under-used and under-theorised in psychological anthropology and the cross-cultural study of disability. Using a process oriented analysis of The Bird Dancer, an ethnographic film about a Balinese woman with Tourette syndrome, this chapter provides a novel exploration of how anthropologists can render the lived experience of disability onscreen, capturing and communicating both the richness of the lives of people with disabilities and the sociocultural dynamics that limit them. A reflective consideration of the key narrative strategies used in the film illustrates how critical disability concepts can be applied in transnational contexts by combining visual and psychological anthropology methodologies. The insights offered have implications for educational and translational documentary film and the cross-cultural study of disability.
A Novel PNPN-Like Z-Shaped Tunnel Field- Effect Transistor With Improved Ambipolar Behavior and RF Performance

To suppress the ambipolar behavior and improve RF performance in tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs), a Z-shaped (ZS)-TFET is proposed. The proposed ZS-TFET is more scalable than other vertical band-to-band-based TFETs and provides higher ON-state current ( ${I} _{ {\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}}$ ), larger ON/OFF current ratio ( ${I} _{ {\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}}/{I} _{ {\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle OFF}}}$ ) and lower subthreshold swing compared to conventional TFETs. These advantages stem from the tunneling junction in the ZS-TFET being perpendicular to the channel direction, which facilitates the formation of a relatively large tunneling junction area. The ZS body makes use of both vertical and horizontal fields while suppressing the lateral parasitic tunneling current. In addition, by using a ZS gate in the proposed device, the energy band diagram near the source is modulated to create an N+ source pocket which creates a downward band bending of the potential, similar to PNPN-like structures. Finally, the proposed structure significantly improves the analog/RF figure-of-merit.
The temporal evolution process from fluorescence bleaching to clean Raman spectra of single solid particles optically trapped in air

Abstract We observe the entire temporal evolution process of fluorescence and Raman spectra of single solid particles optically trapped in air. The spectra initially contain strong fluorescence with weak Raman peaks, then the fluorescence was bleached within seconds, and finally only the clean Raman peaks remain. We construct an optical trap using two counter-propagating hollow beams, which is able to stably trap both absorbing and non-absorbing particles in air, for observing such temporal processes. This technique offers a new method to study dynamic changes in the fluorescence and Raman spectra from a single optically trapped particle in air.
Deeply scaled VLSI analog transistor design and optimization

Analog performance optimization of 14nm node FinFET has been studied using calibrated Sentaurus TCAD tools. Graded channel (GC) design, source/drain parasitic reduction and high mobility channel material have been used to improve the external transconductance (g m_ext ) of FinFET. Graded channel design induces a more uniform inversion charge density and velocity distribution along the channel, which increases the average carrier velocity. An optimized doping profile in the gate underlap region can reduce the gate underlap parasitic resistance from 2000Ω/Fin to 365 Ω/Fin. Combining the improved average carrier velocity and reduced parasitic resistance, the extrinsic trans-conductance (g m_ext ) of Si/SiGe GC 14nm FinFET is 2x of that in the experimental homojunction 14nm FinFET. A further 50% improvement in g m_ext has been observed by using high mobility GaAs/InGaAs as the channel material of GC FinFET.
Abstract 18677: Correlation of Cytokine Levels After Cardiac Arrest With Clinical Outcomes and Brain Regional Saturation of Oxygen (rSO2)

Introduction: The Post Cardiac Arrest syndrome (PCAS) cytokine storm is associated with mortality and neurological deficits. The magnitude of PCAS cytokine storm reflects the ischemic burden during...
The role of wall shear stress in microvascular network adaptation.

Traditionally, structural adaptation of the microcirculation to physiological states with increased blood flow has been associated with changes in oxygen transport or metabolism. Recent findings in the literature suggest that long term changes in blood flow per se may influence vessel growth (Hudlicka, 1988). Chronic fluid retention with elevations of cardiac output result in progressive increases of the arterial vascular resistance and hypertension. Vascular wall hypertrophy of the larger arteries and arterioles has been repeatedly demonstrated. More recently, it has been observed that small arterioles of skeletal muscle tissue disappear over time (rarefaction) which may also contribute to the elevations of the total peripheral resistance (Lombard et al, 1989). Clues to these mechanisms may be found in studies related to long term adaptation of large arteries (Langille and O’Donnell, 1986) as well as acute dilation of arterioles in response to increased wall shear stress which has been suggested by other investigators (Davies, 1989).
Opioid Inhibition in Locus Coeruleus

1. Inhibition of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons by opioids is mediated by hyperpolarization associated with an increase in potassium conductance. However, opioids caused an outward current even at potentials more negative than the potassium equilibrium potential in the majority of LC neurons recorded in brain slices cut in the horizontal plane. 2. Whole cell and intracellular recording were made from LC neurons in the slice preparation and currents were measured with a switch clamp amplifier. 3. Local application of [Met]5enkephalin (ME) by iontophoresis resulted in two different effects depending on the site of application. Iontophoresis of ME close to the cell caused an outward current that reversed polarity near the potassium equilibrium potential. Whereas application at a distance > 200 microns resulted in an outward current that did not reverse polarity even at strongly negative potentials. 4. When potassium conductances were blocked with internal Cs and/or external Ba, the opioid current was reduced to < 15% of control. 5. Low sodium solutions were used to reduce sodium-dependent conductances. These solutions hyperpolarized LC neurons themselves, decreased outward currents caused by ME, and shifted the reversal potential of the ME induced current to less negative values. 6. Electrotonic coupling of LC neurons in neonatal animals is thought to synchronize spontaneous activity. In this study, synchronous activity in cells from adult animals also was observed, suggesting that electrotonic coupling in the LC persists into adulthood. 7. Carbenoxolone, an agent thought to block electrotonic coupling, had no effect on the action potential, spontaneous activity, or the resting conductance but blocked electrotonic coupling between LC neurons in neonates, blocked synchronous activity in LC neurons from adult animals, and shifted the reversal potential of the opioid current to the potassium equilibrium potential. 8. All results are consistent with the hypothesis that LC cells are electrotonically coupled. Such electrotonic coupling at the level of the nucleus locus coeruleus would mediate synchronous regulation of noradrenaline in widespread areas of the brain.
Design of the anti-HIV protease inhibitor darunavir

Abstract The development of HIV protease inhibitors (PIs) and their inclusion in highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAARTs) marked the beginning of a treatment breakthrough in the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The HAART treatment regimen can cut HIV viral load to undetectable levels. Nonetheless, the rapid emergence of HIV drug resistance has continued to seriously compromise long-term treatment options for HIV-infected patients. Our structure-based design strategy to develop PIs that specifically target the enzyme's backbone atoms has resulted in a number of very potent inhibitors with superior drug resistance profiles. Of particular note, our development of stereochemically defined bis(tetrahydrofuranyl) urethane as a high-affinity P2 ligand has led to the development of exceedingly potent inhibitors. One of these inhibitors, darunavir, has shown exceptional potency against the HIV-1 virus and superior activity against multi-PI-resistant viral strains. Our backbone binding strategy was corroborated with detailed crystal structure analyses of darunavir-bound protease complexes which revealed a series of conserved interactions between the inhibitor and key backbone atoms of HIV-1 protease. Darunavir first received accelerated US Food and Drug Administration approval in 2006 for highly treatment-experienced patients with little therapeutic options. It has now become a leading PI in the fight against HIV infection and drug resistance.
Thinking Tri-laterally About Business Processes, Services and Business Models: An Innovation Perspective

We propose a new, integrated “way of thinking” about processes, services and business models. The starting point of this paper is that “getting things done” is the set of services the organization employs. These services are often broken, ineffective and/or misaligned with client/users needs. Any attempt to pre-emptively or reactively respond to market change or internal transformations must invariably rely on some of these (broken) services while, at the same time creating new ones that, in turn, make use of pre-existing services as building blocks. It is argued that services (both internal- and external-facing) are two things: a business process (the “how” of a service), and a mini-business in its own right (the “why” of the service). Each service has clients (the “who”) that, through choice or mandate, solve some, or all, of a problem they have. In short, a service (and its underlying process) represents a “value proposition” to the service consumer (client) that enables them to “get their job done.” A service is, in effect, a mini-business or “business within a business” and therefore is implicitly governed by a business model of the process/service owner, the “CEO” of that business. Adopting this perspective affords a fresh way to view “process” innovation. It can be top-down by considering its business model. Or middle-out, where a specific service for an internal or external client is examined for innovation potential. Or bottom up, where the business process that delivers the service is modified and, in so doing, alters the characteristics of the service being delivered to the client.
Agent-Based Model for Developmental PatternFormation with Multiscale Dynamics and Varying CellGeometry

Cells of the embryonic vertebrate limb in high-density culture undergo chondrogenic pattern formation, which results in the formation of regularly spaced “islands” of cartilage analogous to the cartilage primordia of the developing limb skeleton. In this chapter a discrete, multiscale agent-based stochastic model is described, which is based on an extended cell representation coupled with biologically motivated reaction-diffusion processes and cell-matrix adhesion, for studying the behavior of limb bud precartilage mesenchymal cells. The model is calibrated using experimental data, and the sensitivity of key parameters is studied.
Geographically Opposing Responses of Sea Urchin Recruitment to Changes in Ocean Climate

Sea urchins are voracious herbivores that influence the ecological structure and function of nearshore ecosystems throughout the world. Urchin population growth rates may be particularly sensitive to climate change because adult reproduction and larval development can vary greatly with food availability and temperature, and the transport of their larvae, which spend months feeding in the plankton, are affected by changes in ocean currents. Yet how climate alters sea urchin populations in space and time by modifying larval recruitment and year-class strength remains untested. Using an unprecedented spatially replicated 27-year dataset we illustrate how ocean temperature and climate oscillations differentially affect larval recruitment of the purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) and give rise to geographic asynchrony between northern California (positive) vs southern California (negative). Importantly, we found a strong correlation between larval recruitment and regional year class strength suggesting that recruitment variation plays an important role in controlling population dynamics. These results are the first to show that climatic fluctuations shape broad-scale patterns of sea urchin larval recruitment and are likely to control dynamics of both populations and marine ecosystems that vary over the geographical range of their distribution.
Hierarchical Energy Management Strategy for a Community of Multi Smart Homes

In this paper., a hierarchical energy management strategy for a community of multiple smart homes is proposed. This strategy reduces the stress on the power grid caused by uncoordinated energy scheduling of smart homes. Different stochastic operational conditions for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs)and household battery storages are considered. First., cost-effective day-ahead energy schedules under these operational conditions are calculated by individual home energy management systems (HEMSs). Then., a centralized decision making unit determines the day-ahead schedule for each household with the aim of reducing the stress on the grid. Comprehensive results obtained from simulations show that the proposed hierarchical energy management strategy not only maintains a low energy purchase cost for each individual household., but also smooths the overall grid power profile requested by all smart homes combined.
Plebeian Modernity: social practices, illegality and the urban poor in Russia, 1906–1916

In this dense exploration of lower class life and culture at the end of the tsarist empire, Ilya Gerasimov investigates ‘plebeian society’, a realm of ordinary, impoverished people in urban setting...
Impact of a pharmacist-driven education initiative on treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria.

Purpose The results and methods of a pharmacist-driven multifaceted educational intervention on the appropriate management of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) within an emergency department (ED) are reported. Methods A retrospective, single-center cohort study was conducted to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention aimed at reducing the rates of mismanaged ABU within an ED at a Level 1 trauma center. The education involved a multifaceted approach directed by pharmacists and involved a handout and algorithm communicated through in-person discussions, emails, and general distribution. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this education the preintervention and postintervention rates of inappropriate treatments were determined through a retrospective chart review. The primary outcome was the difference in the frequency of inappropriately treated ABU between the preintervention and postintervention periods. Results A total of 268 patients were included in the study for review (134 in each group). There was a 16.5% reduction in the frequency of patients that had ABU inappropriately treated as a urinary tract infection in the postintervention period compared with the preintervention period (31 [23.1%] versus 53 [39.6%], p = 0.004). Conclusion Pharmacist-driven education was effecitive in reducing the rates of inappropriately used antibiotics for ABU within an ED.
Use of the PROMIS® Depression scale and the Beck Depression Inventory in patients with heart failure

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated agreement between the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System® (PROMIS®) Depression scale and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) in patients with heart failure and comorbid major depression. METHOD The BDI-II and the computerized adaptive test version of the PROMIS® Depression scale were administered at baseline to 158 participants in a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavior therapy for major depression in patients with heart failure. A crosswalk table (Choi, Schalet, Cook, & Cella, 2014) was used to transform the PROMIS® scores into "linked" BDI-II equivalent scores. Bland-Altman plots, histograms, and scatterplots were used to visualize the agreement between these scores at baseline and 6 months, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for each occasion to quantify the agreement. Treatment effects and change scores were also examined. RESULTS The measures agreed moderately at baseline (ICC = 0.52, p < .0001) and strongly at 6 months (ICC = 0.77, p < .0001), but on average, the linked and observed BDI-II scores differed by 3.1 points at baseline (p < .0001) and -0.17 points at 6 months (p = .78). The discrepancies were considerably larger in many individual cases on both occasions. CONCLUSIONS The PROMIS® Depression scale is likely to play an important role in research on depression in patients with heart failure, but for now, it should be used in addition to rather than instead of the BDI-II in studies in which the BDI-II would ordinarily be used. Additional research is needed to evaluate the validity and utility of the PROMIS® Depression scale in patients with heart failure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Five-Year Follow-up after Face Transplantation.

Five-Year Follow-up of Facial Transplantation Facial allograft may restore form and function to patients with severe facial disfigurement for whom other satisfactory therapeutic options are lacking...
Why men's health?

The question of why a new international focus on men’s health was never more poignant than currently in the time of a new pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. The early and mid-term data from thi...
The distributional impacts of the reduction in remittances in Central America in COVID-19 times

Abstract COVID-19 has generated several quarantines and economic lockdowns as the main public policy responses that dramatically affected the dynamic of economic growth and labor markets worldwide. These effects impact remittance inflows to developing countries, in particular those coming from the US, which affect poverty reduction paths in Latin America. Using data from the US labor market and economic performance indicators of the US and remittance recipient countries, this paper estimates the distributional impacts of the change in remittances post-COVID-19 for the region that most rely on remittances, Central America. Results suggest that after COVID-19, remittance inflows are expected to decrease 14 % in the region during 2020 and that effects are heterogeneous among countries: El Salvador and Nicaragua are expected to be the most affected countries while Panama is expected to be the least affected one. The model allows to estimate impacts in other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, due to the lack of household survey availability, this paper only explores the distributional impacts of the change in remittance inflows in Central America. The expected impacts on poverty are also heterogeneous. While poverty in El Salvador is expected to increase by 6 % due to the change in remittances, poverty in Guatemala is expected to increase by 1 %. Results are robust to different specifications.
Nanosensors for Heavy Metal Detection in Environmental Media: Recent Advances and Future Trends

Heavy metal pollution has long been an environmental and health problem for thousands of years. Although heavy metal contamination has been well studied and regulated nationally and internationally, remediation of heavy metal polluted environmental media remains a complicated challenge, as exposure to heavy metal continues. Novel heavy metal remediation has become a hot topic being vigorously researched in environmental science and engineering. The emergence of nanotechnology over the last two decades offers new solutions to the existing problems of the environment. Fabricated nanosensors are well recognized to be highly selective and sensitive toward certain heavy metal pollutants. Optical properties including light extinction, intensity, and scattering can be substantially altered and enhanced as a result of surface plasmon resonance phenomenon possessed by metallic nanostructures such as gold, platinum, and silver, and/or achieved by inner filter effect. Moreover, novel nanosensors could act as fluorescence quencher to produce strong fluorescence signals, or act as surface catalyzer to generate autonomous motion. These distinct mechanical, chemical, and electrical properties make many nanosensors promising candidates for environmental remediation. A variety of nanosensors, for example, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and nanojets, has been designed and applied for heavy metal detection. In this review, we present a brief overview of the recent advances in the fabrication of novel nanosensors that provide potential solutions to heavy metal remediation. We also intend to provide perspective on strategies that are needed to assess and reduce the potential hazard of manufactured nanomaterials in a sustainable manner.