cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Utility of B-natriuretic peptide in the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function: comparison with tissue Doppler imaging recordings.

Abstract Background Although Doppler echocardiography provides assessment of abnormal left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling dynamics, its inherent limitations suggest the need for additional measures of diastolic dysfunction. The ratio of mitral velocity to early diastolic velocity of the mitral annulus (E/E′) derived from tissue Doppler imaging is associated with the mean LV end diastolic pressure (LVEDP). Because data suggest that B-natriuretic peptide (BNP) reflects ventricular pressure, we hypothesized that BNP levels correlate with indices of LV diastolic function by tissue Doppler imaging. Methods and results Doppler recordings of the mitral inflow and tissue Doppler imaging of the mitral annulus were obtained in 108 patients referred for echocardiography. BNP levels were measured by a rapid immunoassay and blinded to cardiologists making the assessment of LV function. BNP levels were higher when elevated E/E′ ratios derived from tissue Doppler imaging were identified. Patients identified with elevated LVEDP, defined as E/E′ >15 (n = 16), had the highest BNP levels (463 ± 80 pg/mL). Those with normal LVEDP, as predicted by E/E′ 15 was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82 to 0.96; P 15. Conclusions BNP levels correlate with the E/E′ ratios from tissue Doppler imaging ( r = 0.48) and can reliably provide estimation of LV filling pressures. Although BNP levels do not correlate well with E/E′ ratios across the full spectrum of values, the combination of BNP levels along with E/E′ ratios from tissue Doppler imaging may be a better predictor of elevated LV filling pressures in patients with suspected diastolic dysfunction.
The key role of tapering in spectrum estimation

A number of advantages of employing a taper (or data window) prior to computing the Fourier transform of an observed stretch of time series are reviewed.
Toll-Like Receptor 2-Dependent NF-κB Activation Is Involved in Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae-Induced Monocyte Chemotactic Protein 1 Up-Regulation in the Spiral Ligament Fibrocytes of the Inner Ear

Inner ear dysfunction secondary to chronic otitis media (OM), including high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss or vertigo, is not uncommon. Although chronic middle ear inflammation is believed to cause inner ear dysfunction by entry of OM pathogen components or cytokines from the middle ear into the inner ear, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Previously, we demonstrated that the spiral ligament fibrocyte (SLF) cell line up-regulates monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) expression after treatment with nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI), one of the most common OM pathogens. We hypothesized that the SLF-derived MCP-1 plays a role in inner ear inflammation secondary to OM that is responsible for hearing loss and dizziness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the signaling pathway involved in NTHI-induced MCP-1 up-regulation in SLFs. Here we show for the first time that NTHI induces MCP-1 up-regulation in the SLFs via Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-dependent activation of NF-kappaB. TLR2(-/-)- and MyD88(-/-)-derived SLFs revealed involvement of TLR2 and MyD88 in NTHI-induced MCP-1 up-regulation. Studies using chemical inhibitors and dominant-negative constructs demonstrated that it is mediated by the IkappaKbeta-dependent IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and NTHI-induced NF-kappaB nuclear translocation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the binding of NF-kappaB to the enhancer region of MCP-1 is involved in this up-regulation. In addition, we have identified a potential NF-kappaB motif that is responsive and specific to certain NTHI molecules or ligands. Further studies are necessary to reveal specific ligands of NTHI that activate host receptors. These results may provide us with new therapeutic strategies for prevention of inner ear dysfunction secondary to chronic middle ear inflammation.
Prolyl Oligopeptidase Is Involved in Release of the Antifibrotic Peptide Ac-SDKP

N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) is a ubiquitous tetrapeptide hydrolyzed almost exclusively by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Chronic treatment with Ac-SDKP decreases cardiac and renal fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in hypertensive rats. However, very little is known about endogenous synthesis of Ac-SDKP, except that thymosin-beta4 may be the most likely precursor. Two enzymes are potentially able to release Ac-SDKP from thymosin-beta4: prolyl oligopeptidase (POP) and endoproteinase asp-N. POP is widely present and active in several tissues and biological fluids, whereas endoproteinase asp-N appears to be lacking in mammals. Therefore, we hypothesized that POP is the main enzyme involved in synthesizing the antifibrotic peptide Ac-SDKP. We investigated in vitro and in vivo production of Ac-SDKP. Using kidney cortex homogenates, we observed that Ac-SDKP was generated in a time-dependent manner in the presence of exogenous thymosin-beta4, and this generation was significantly inhibited by several POP inhibitors (POPi), Z-prolyl-prolinal, Fmoc-prolyl-pyrrolidine-2-nitrile, and S17092. Long-term administration of S17092 in rats significantly decreased endogenous levels of Ac-SDKP in the plasma (from 1.76+/-0.2 to 1.01+/-0.1 nM), heart (from 2.31+/-0.21 to 0.83+/-0.09 pmol/mg protein), and kidneys (from 5.62+/-0.34 to 2.86+/-0.76 pmol/mg protein). As expected, ACE inhibitors significantly increased endogenous levels of Ac-SDKP in the plasma, heart, and kidney, whereas coadministration of POPi prevented this increase. We concluded that POP is the main enzyme responsible for synthesis of the antifibrotic peptide Ac-SDKP.
BunnyBolt: a mobile fitness app for youth

BunnyBolt is an interactive, maps-driven exercise game for youth. The app encourages physical activity by disguising in-app exercises with a youth-friendly storyline. Unlike games like Zombies, Run!, that lack a child-friendly fitness component, or games like FitQuestLite that cater too much towards children, BunnyBolt combines the fun of an interactive game with the practical concerns of workouts for an engaging app that is beneficial for all ages. Though our primary audience is youths who own smartphones, BunnyBolt's quick ten-minute workouts are appropriate for all ages. When developing this mobile application, our hope was to harness the elements of an engaging video game, and integrate it into an application that would encourage children to go outdoors and exercise. We used MIT App Inventor's block programming language to create the framework of our application. It is our hope that our game could become open source, and that it would inspire users to use MIT App Inventor to program their own episodes and continue the story. We believe that this sort of collaboration would not only improve the game, but also help the app grow in a way that encourages collaboration and engagement from its users. Furthermore, our app harnessed gamification principles to establish a reward system in the form of badge icons that users can collect. These additions in our game will be implemented with HTML5, Javascript, and Python and we will use Google App Engine to locally store data. We hope these aspects will give users an incentive to not only keep playing the game, but also to excel at it. In this paper, we will discuss the integration of location technologies like GPS with fitness related technologies, when considering the parameters of youth-targeted mobile app development. Our paper will also describe development goals, the structure of the game, and initial testing.
Real investment, capital intensity and interest rates

In a growing economy the cash flows from investment projects can be expected to be rising over time. In this paper we explore the interactions of growth and uncertainty of cash flows with variable capital intensity in the decision to invest. We derive simple replacements for the usual neoclassical optimal investment rules based on IRR or NPV. We show that the ability to vary capital intensity raises the specter of perverse responses of investment to interest rates. Variable capital intensity is a sufficient condition for the perverse responses that can occur when growth rates are high or uncertainty is high. An empirical analysis of a panel data set on residential investment in the 1980sconfirms the predictions of the model and finds that about 40% of the observations fall in the positive response region.
Serum Erythropoietin and Aging: A Longitudinal Analysis

OBJECTIVES: To determine the changes in serum erythropoietin with age in patients with and without anemia and to assess the importance of certain comorbidities on changes in erythropoietin level and the development of anemia. DESIGN: Clinical history, hematological parameters, and serum erythropoietin levels were examined at 1- to 2-year intervals for 8 to 30 years. SETTING: Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA), National Institute on Aging. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-three BLSA participants. MEASUREMENTS: Complete blood count and serum chemistries were performed at the time of each visit, and archived serum samples were used for erythropoietin level. RESULTS: Although all subjects were healthy and without anemia at the time of initial evaluation, some developed chronic illnessFmost notably hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Erythropoietin levels rose significantly for the group as a whole, and the slope of the rise was found to be greater for those who did not have associated diabetes mellitus or hypertension. During the subsequent years, subjects who developed anemia but did not have hypertension or diabetes mellitus had the greatest slope in erythropoietin rise over time, whereas those with hypertension or diabetes mellitus and anemia had the lowest erythropoietin slope. CONCLUSION: The increase in serum erythropoietin with aging may be compensation for subclinical blood loss, increased red blood cell turnover, or increased erythropoietin resistance of red cell precursors. It is suspected that, with very advanced age, or in those with compromised renal function (e.g., diabetes mellitus or hypertension), the compensatory mechanism becomes inadequate and anemia results. J Am Geriatr Soc 53:1360–1365, 2005.
Measured Human Dosimetry of 68Ga-DOTATATE

Measured human dosimetry of the 68Ga-labeled synthetic somatostatin analog 68Ga-DOTATATE has not been reported in the peer-reviewed literature. 68Ga-DOTATATE is an investigational PET/CT imaging agent that binds with high affinity to somatostatin receptor subtype 2, found on many human cancers, most classically neuroendocrine tumors but also others. Reporting of measured dosimetry of 68Ga-DOTATATE could be useful for investigations for diagnosis, staging, and restaging of somatostatin receptor–expressing tumors. Methods: We performed measured dosimetry with 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT scanning in 6 volunteer human subjects as part of an Institutional Review Board–approved biodistribution investigation of the use of this radiopharmaceutical for possible future use in the diagnosis of indeterminate lung nodules or lung cancer. Five subjects were imaged at 3 time points, and 1 subject was imaged at 2 time points. Dosimetry was then measured for the whole body and for specific organs. Results: There were no observed adverse events to the radiopharmaceutical in the immediate or delayed time frames, with a follow-up of 1 y. One patient had stage IV non–small cell lung cancer and remains alive but with disease progressing on treatment. For the other 5 patients, it was ultimately proven that they had benign nodules. The measured dosimetry shows that the critical organ with 68Ga-DOTATATE is the spleen, followed by the uroepithelium of the bladder, the kidneys, and the liver, in that order. Organ-specific and whole-body dosimetries for 68Ga-DOTATATE were similar to but often slightly greater than those for 68Ga-DOTATOC or 68Ga-DOTANOC but less than those for 111In-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-octreotide. Conclusion: No toxicity was observed in our 6 patients, and no adverse events occurred. The measured human dosimetry of 68Ga-DOTATATE is similar to that of other 68Ga-labeled somatostatin receptor analogs.
ODYSSEUS: description of and results from a strong-strong beam-beam simulation for storage rings

ODYSSEUS is a simulation of the beam-beam interaction in e/sup +/e/sup -/ storage ring colliders which is specifically intended to reveal the dynamic collective behavior of the colliding beams. This program is a true six-dimensional strong-strong simulation in which the electromagnetic fields of longitudinal slices of the colliding beams are recalculated for each slice collision. Broadband wake fields are included. No constraints are placed on the distribution of particles in the beams. The program achieves its speed through adaptively choosing between alternative electromagnetic field calculation methods. Benchmarking tests and various results are presented.
Material properties of Thera-Band Tubing.

Background and Purpose . Thera-Band Tubing has been used in rehabilitation to provide resistance for exercise and splinting. However, the forces required to stretch the tubing have not been thoroughly quantified. Therefore, the therapist cannot assess, with certainty, how much force is applied when using a given length and type of Thera-Band Tubing. The purpose of this study was to quantify the material properties of Thera-Band Tubing. Methods . Force versus percentage of strain for all types of Thera-Band Tubing was measured during elongation in a mechanical testing machine. Results . The material is very compliant and displays nonlinear behavior in the initial stretching phase and linear behavior after 50% elongation. Discussion and Conclusion . From the data obtained in this project, plots that can provide the therapist with information about the forces needed for exercises with Thera-Band Tubing were generated. These data should allow therapists to make better choices about which size of tubing to use for each patient.
Statistics of link blockage due to cloud cover for free-space optical communications using NCDC surface weather observation data

Cloud opacity is one of the main atmospheric physical phenomena that can jeopardize the successful completion of an optical link between a spacecraft and a ground station. Hence, the site location chosen for a telescope used for optical communications must rely on knowledge of weather and cloud cover statistics for the geographical area where the telescope itself is located.
Transmission properties of hollow glass waveguides for the delivery of CO/sub 2/ surgical laser power

Hollow glass waveguides are an attractive fiber delivery system for a broad range of infrared wavelengths, including the 3-/spl mu/m Er:YAG and 10.6 /spl mu/m CO/sub 2/ lasers. The losses for these waveguides are as low as 0.1 dB/m at the 10.6-/spl mu/m wavelength for waveguides with a 700-/spl mu/m bore. The guides are suitable for delivering laser powers well in excess of 100 W. Continuous power delivery for over 250 h is possible for powers less than 35 W. When stored under normal laboratory conditions, the loss is seen to change only slightly over a period up to two years.
Preliminary evaluation of an in vivo fluorometer to quantify algal periphyton biomass and community composition

AbstractThe bbe-Moldaenke BenthoTorch (BT) is an in vivo fluorometer designed to quantify algal biomass and community composition in benthic environments. The BT quantifies total algal biomass via chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentration and may differentiate among cyanobacteria, green algae, and diatoms based on pigment fluorescence. To evaluate how BT measurements of periphytic algal biomass (as Chl-a) compared with an ethanol extraction laboratory analysis, we collected BT- and laboratory-measured Chl-a data from 6 stream sites in the Indian Creek basin, Johnson County, Kansas, during August and September 2012. BT-measured Chl-a concentrations were positively related to laboratory-measured concentrations (R2 = 0.47); sites with abundant filamentous algae had weaker relations (R2 = 0.27). Additionally, on a single sample date, we used the BT to determine periphyton biomass and community composition upstream and downstream from 2 wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF) that discharge into Indian Creek. We foun...
A Framework for Identifying Compromised Nodes in Sensor Networks

Sensor networks are often subject to physical attacks. Once a node's cryptographic key is compromised, an attacker may completely impersonate it, and introduce arbitrary false information into the network. Basic cryptographic security mechanisms are often not effective in this situation. Most techniques to address this problem focus on detecting and tolerating false information introduced by compromised nodes. They cannot pinpoint exactly where the false information is introduced and who is responsible for it. We still lack effective techniques to accurately identify compromised nodes so that they can be excluded from a sensor network once and for all. In this paper, we propose an application-independent framework for identifying compromised sensor nodes. The framework provides an appropriate abstraction of application-specific detection mechanisms, and models the unique properties of sensor networks. Based on the framework, we develop alert reasoning algorithms to identify compromised nodes. The algorithm assumes that compromised nodes may collude at will. We show that our algorithm is optimal in the sense that it identifies the largest number of compromised nodes without introducing false positives. We evaluate the effectiveness of the designed algorithm through comprehensive experiments
Is There Variation in Crossover Interference Levels Among Chromosomes From Human Males

We demonstrate that recent data from human males are consistent with constant interference levels among chromosomes under the two-pathway model, whereas inappropriately fitting shape parameters of Gamma distributions to immunofluorescent interfoci distances observed on finite chromosomes generates false interpretations of higher levels of interference on shorter chromosomes. We provide appropriate statistical methodology.
The metal coordination in Ni+(CO2)n and NiO2+(CO2)m complexes

Abstract Ni+(CO2)n and NiO2+(CO2)m ion-molecule complexes are mass-selected and studied with infrared photodissociation spectroscopy. Dissociation is inefficient until clusters exceed a critical size of n=4 for Ni+(CO2)n and m=2 for NiO2(CO2)m+. Dissociation of larger clusters terminates at these same critical sizes. Just beyond the critical size, the infrared spectra exhibit new vibrational bands associated with ligands not coordinated to the metal. These observations indicate that the coordination of Ni+ ions with respect to CO2 binding is exactly four, and that the coordination for NiO2+ is two CO2 ligands, making the overall coordination around the metal the same value of four.
Food‐Related Odor Probes of Brain Reward Circuits During Hunger: A Pilot fMRI Study

Food aromas can be powerful appetitive cues in the natural environment. Although several studies have examined the cerebral responses to food images, none have used naturalistic food aromas to study obesity. Ten individuals (five normal-weight and five obese) were recruited to undergo 24 h of food deprivation. Subjects were then imaged on a 3T Siemens Trio-Tim scanner (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) while smelling four food-related odors (FRO; two sweet odors and two fat-related) and four “nonappetitive odors” (NApO; e.g., Douglas fir). Before the imaging session, subjects rated their desire to eat each type of food to determine their most preferred (P-FRO). Across all 10 subjects, P-FRO elicited a greater blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response than the NApO in limbic and reward-related areas, including the bilateral insula and opercular (gustatory) cortex, the anterior and posterior cingulate, and ventral striatum. Obese subjects showed greater activation in the bilateral hippocampus/ parahippocampal gyrus, but lean controls showed more activation in the posterior insula. Brain areas activated by food odors are similar to those elicited by cues of addictive substances, such as alcohol. Food odors are highly naturalistic stimuli, and may be effective probes of reward-related networks in the context of hunger and obesity.
Rate and time of GA4/7 treatment affect vegetative growth and flowering in a genetic line of Aquilegia × hybrida Sims

Aquilegia ‘Rose-White’ flowered from seed in about five months without vernalization. GA4/7 treatment increased stem height, induced earlier flowering, and increased the number of flowers/ plant. Each of these responses, however, was dependent upon both rate (10, 25, or 50 ppm) and timing of application (4-, 8-, or 12-leaf stage). Treatment at the 4-leaf stage resulted in earlier flowering at all rates, had no effect on stem height, but reduced the number of flowers/plant and total leaf area. Treatment at the 8-leaf stage induced earlier flowering at all rates, and increased both the number of flowers/plant and plant height (50 ppm), but had no effect on total leaf area. Treatment at the 12-leaf stage had no effect on time of flowering, but increased the number of flowers/plant, plant height (50 ppm) and total leaf area, at all rates. A rate of 50 ppm at the 8-leaf stage is the optimal treatment resulting in earlier flowering with increased plant height and number of flowers/plant. # 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Byzantine fault-tolerance and beyond

Byzantine fault-tolerance techniques are useful because they tolerate arbitrary faults regardless of cause: bugs, hardware glitches, even hackers. These techniques have recently gained popularity after it was shown that they could be made practical. Most of the dissertation builds on Byzantine fault-tolerance (BFT) and extends it with new results for Byzantine fault-tolerance for both quorum systems and state machine replication. Our contributions include proving new lower bounds, finding new protocols that meet these bounds, and providing new functionality at lower cost through a new architecture for state machine replication. The second part of the dissertation goes beyond Byzantine fault-tolerance. We show that BFT techniques are not sufficient for networks that span multiple administrative domains, propose the new BAR model to describe these environments, and show how to build BAR-Tolerant protocols through our example of a BAR-Tolerant terminating reliable broadcast protocol.
Moving Beyond Childhood Adversity: Association Between Salutogenic Factors and Subjective Well-Being Among Adult Survivors of Trauma☆☆The findings and conclusions in this chapter are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the California Department of Education.

Using a model of pathogenesis, the health consequences of childhood trauma are well documented. However, less is known about salutogenesis among adults who go on to survive childhood trauma. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study data were utilized to examine the associations between modifiable behaviors (smoking abstinence and physical activity) and personal resources (attaining education and social support) with self-rated health and depressed affect among 5069 adult trauma survivors. The findings indicate that both modified behaviors and personal resources such as education level and social support are associated with positive health outcomes and reduced likelihood of depressed affect. These findings may provide insights into the health promotion paradigm for survivors of childhood trauma.
PR1 peptide vaccination for patients with myeloid leukemias

7017 Background: PR1 is a nanomeric HLA-A2-restricted peptide derived from the myeloid leukemia-associated antigens proteinase 3 and neutrophil elastase. Methods: Sixty-six HLA-A2+ patients with ac...
Addressing Cardiovascular Risk as Part of Physical Therapist Practice-What about Practice Recommendations for Physical Therapists?

Physical therapists routinely make decisions as to the intensity and type of exercise or physical activity they prescribe as part of a plan of care. Exercise is an important component of an evidence based treatment for many conditions treated in physical therapy settings, and is an essential component of improving health.1 While the benefits of exercise are evident, exercise may present health risks to patients with certain cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic diseases. Therefore, it is important that physical therapists make sound decisions to identify which exercise interventions are appropriate and safe for individual patients. Physical therapists in acute care or cardiac and pulmonary settings are guided by American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines2 for activity restrictions, client monitoring, and medical clearance. Recommendations for exercise decision making or medical clearance in outpatient or community based physical therapy settings are limited. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines for pre-exercise screening and risk stratification are intended for community settings, but it is unclear whether this system is applicable in outpatient physical therapy practice settings.3 This commentary will review some implications and limitations of using the ACSM risk stratification system and medical clearance guidelines in outpatient physical therapy practice.
Targeting the anti-tumor function of B cells in non-small cell lung cancer patient tumors (TUM9P.1008)

Understanding the function of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in NSCLC patient tumors will contribute to the development of rationally designed treatments and an increase in the current 18% survival rate. We hypothesize that TIL-Bs help generate potent, long-term immune responses against cancer. We used un-manipulated, primary human B cells from fresh tumor and tumor adjacent lung tissue to determine the phenotype and function of TIL-Bs in NSCLC patients. The total number of B cells at the site of the tumor versus the tumor-adjacent tissue was increased compared to other immune subsets. In analyzing the markers of activation and exhaustion, we observed a spectrum of activation of TIL-Bs. Further, we observed that TIL-Bs present autologous tumor antigens to CD4 TILs in a subset of NSCLC patients. These data suggest that some patients have functional TIL-Bs and some patients have nonfunctional TIL-Bs; TIL-Bs that could not present tumor-specific antigens had higher expression of B cell exhaustion markers. Lastly, we are combining blockade of the immune inhibitory PD-1:PD-L1 pathway in our antigen presentation assays because PD-1 expression is increased on CD4 TILs in our NSCLC patient tumors. Results from this study will advance the understanding of the anti-tumor function of TIL-Bs in solid tumors and will develop a model of B cell exhaustion in human cancer. Ultimately, we will predict which TIL-B functions to target in future NSCLC immunotherapies.
How does 3D endovaginal ultrasound compare to magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of levator ani anatomy

Introduction and Hypothesis To compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to 3D endovaginal ultrasound (EVUS) in the evaluation of major levator ani defects in women with pelvic floor disorders. Methods A total of 21 subjects with pelvic floor with complaints of pelvic floor disorders were included in this study. EVUS imaging of the levator ani muscle (LAM) was performed in all subjects, and the LA muscle groups of interest evaluated were the puboanalis (PA), puborectalis (PR), and pubovisceralis (PV) muscles. The right and left subdivisions were evaluated separately, and classified as (i) normal, normal with only minor irregularities, grossly abnormal, or absent, or (ii) by the levator ani deficiency (LAD) score and classified by no defect (complete attachment of muscle to the pubic bone), 50% detachment or loss, and completely detached or complete muscle loss. Paired data were analyzed with McNemar's test or Bowker's test of symmetry. Results When unilateral LAM subdivisions were classified as “normal,” “normal with minor irregularity,” “grossly abnormal,” and “absent,” there were no significant differences between MRI and EVUS by categorization of LAM defects. Comparing “normal” versus “abnormal,” there was no difference between imaging modalities. When compared by LAD score evaluation, there were no differences in the categorization of unilateral defects between MRI and EVUS. Conclusions Endovaginal 3D US is comparable to MRI in its ability to identify both normal and abnormal LAM anatomy. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
BEETLES USE BUBBLES TO STICK UNDERWATER

![][1] Geckos have attracted attention for their sticky-but-dry toe-pads, capable of clinging to smooth surfaces in the air or under water. But who would have guessed that land-dwelling beetles are also remarkably good at sticking underwater? Terrestrial beetles' feet are a model of
The Inconsistency of the Usual Galilean Transformation in Quantum Mechanics and How To Fix It

It is shown that the generally accepted statement that one cannot superpose states of different mass in non-relativistic quantum mechanics is inconsistent. It is pointed out that the extra phase induced in a moving system, which was previously thought to be unphysical, is merely the non-relativistic residue of the “twin-paradox” effect. In general, there are phase effects due to proper time differences between moving frames that do not vanish non-relativistically. There are also effects due to the equivalence of mass and energy in this limit. The remedy is to include both proper time and rest energy non-relativistically. This means generalizing the meaning of proper time beyond its classical meaning, and introducing the mass as its conjugate momentum. The result is an uncertainty principle between proper time and mass that is very general, and an integral role for both concepts as operators in non-relativistic physics.
The embedding dimension of the formal moduli space of certain curve singularities

For curve singularities which can be deformed into complete intersections the vector space dimension of T1 is estimated. Thus in the case that T2 is trivial we prove a formula of Deligne on the dimension of smoothing components with purely local methods.
Efficient Exciton Relaxation and Charge Generation in Nearly Monochiral (7,5) Carbon Nanotube/C60 Thin-Film Photovoltaics

We report on photovoltaic diodes based on bilayer heterojunctions between nearly monochiral, polymer wrapped (7,5) semiconducting carbon nanotube photoabsorbing films and C60. The internal quantum efficiencies (IQEs) for exciton dissociation and subsequent charge collection at the nanotubes’ visible E22 and near-infrared E11 and E11 + X resonances are 84% ± 7%, 85% ± 5%, and 84% ± 14%, respectively. The high IQE at each transition shows that recombination losses during relaxation and/or direct dissociation of “hot” E11 + X and E22 excitons are negligible. A peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 34% is achieved at the E11 transition. Zero-bias photoresponsivity is invariant up to short-circuit current densities of at least 23 mA cm–2, indicating negligible losses via trion, charge-exciton, and charge–charge recombination relaxation pathways. An open circuit voltage of 0.49 V and power conversion efficiency of 7.1% are achieved in response to monochromatic excitation of the diodes at the E11 transition....
NUMBERS AND VIABILITY OF CERTAIN AIRBORNE FUNGUS SPORES.

Airborne fungus spores were studied for numbers and viability by hour-long samples from 5 AM to 9 PM in 2 series; the first on 20 days from June to September, 1959, and from June to mid-August, 196...
Water-gas shift reaction on metal nanoclusters encapsulated in mesoporous ceria studied with ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Metal nanoclusters (Au, Pt, Pd, Cu) encapsulated in channels of mesoporous ceria (mp-CeO2) were synthesized. The activation energies of water–gas shift (WGS) reaction performed at oxide–metal interfaces of metal nanoclusters encapsulated in mp-CeO2 (M@mp-CeO2) are lower than those of metal nanoclusters impregnated on ceria nanorods (M/rod-CeO2). In situ studies using ambient-pressure XPS (AP-XPS) suggested that the surface chemistry of the internal concave surface of CeO2 pores of M@mp-CeO2 is different from that of external surfaces of CeO2 of M/rod-CeO2 under reaction conditions. AP-XPS identified the metallic state of the metal nanoclusters of these WGS catalysts (M@mp-CeO2 and M/rod-CeO2) under a WGS reaction condition. The lower activation energy of M@mp-CeO2 in contrast to M/rod-CeO2 is related to the different surface chemistry of the two types of CeO2 under the same reaction condition.
Hand Washing Quality among Biosafety Level 2 Research Laboratory Workers

Soap and water hand washing (HW) is recommended as the standard microbiological practice for removing transient microbes from laboratory workers’ hands. The effectiveness of HW in preventing pathogen transmission depends largely on the technique used by the individual, but little is known about laboratory workers’ compliance with recommended HW protocols. This study evaluated the quality of HW performed by research workers (N = 93) in 21 biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) laboratories at a large university. Study personnel measured the quality of workers’ HW by direct observation while subjects performed their regularly assigned work tasks. Five HW quality indicators as well as hand and wrist jewelry use were measured using an existing tool designed for use in the healthcare setting and modified for this study. A total of 49 soap and water washes were measured during 118 hours of observation. Duration of scrubbing was 9 seconds or less in 41 (84%) cases. Soap was used in 45 (92%) washes, but in 25 (51%) cases where soap was used, lathering was not visible to the observer. Subjects covered dorsal, wrist, palm, and interdigital areas as recommended in only 16 (33%) cases. In 29 (59%) HW events subjects turned off the faucet with bare hands. Hand or wrist jewelry was worn by 60 (65%) participants while in the containment lab. In this study, four of five HW quality indicators were poorly performed. Poor quality HW may result in low reductions of transient pathogens on workers’ hands, and may explain many laboratory-associated infections where the route of transmission is otherwise unknown.
Principles of Minimum Force and the Parachute Regiment in Northern Ireland, 1969–1972

ABSTRACTDeveloping literature on Operation Banner, the codename for the British military operation in Northern Ireland, has indicated that the conduct of soldiers deployed was not always in line with principles of minimum force. Adherence to these principles would seem to have been essential to the success of the operation given the initial deployment of the soldiers was in the role of military aid to the civil power. This article will examine the role of one of the British Army’s most aggressive units, the Parachute Regiment, and will show how the responses of the regiment to the demands of the operation in Northern Ireland were frequently in contravention of minimum force principles.
Design and Implementation of Information Integration Message for Distribution Network Management Systems Based on IEC 61968

Information integration for the distribution network management system is able to provide a unified and complete view of information and help the event decision-making.By analyzing the message characteristic of IEC 61968 standard,in view of the information integration needs in construction of distribution network management system,a kind of message format suitable for the loosely coupled heterogeneous system with application services integrating and information sharing is given.The proposed message format is verified on information integration of the distribution network operation and maintenance system.The results show that it can effectively solve the information transmission among heterogeneous systems.
Self-control assessments of capuchin monkeys with the rotating tray task and the accumulation task.

Recent studies of delay of gratification in capuchin monkeys using a rotating tray (RT) task have shown improved self-control performance in these animals in comparison to the accumulation (AC) task. In this study, we investigated whether this improvement resulted from the difference in methods between the rotating tray task and previous tests, or whether it was the result of greater overall experience with delay of gratification tasks. Experiment 1 produced similar performance levels by capuchins monkeys in the RT and AC tasks when identical reward and temporal parameters were used. Experiment 2 demonstrated a similar result using reward amounts that were more similar to previous AC experiments with these monkeys. In Experiment 3, monkeys performed multiple versions of the AC task with varied reward and temporal parameters. Their self-control behavior was found to be dependent on the overall delay to reward consumption, rather than the overall reward amount ultimately consumed. These findings indicate that these capuchin monkeys' self-control capacities were more likely to have improved across studies because of the greater experience they had with delay of gratification tasks. Experiment 4 and Experiment 5 tested new, task-naive monkeys on both tasks, finding more limited evidence of self-control, and no evidence that one task was more beneficial than the other in promoting self-control. The results of this study suggest that future testing of this kind should focus on temporal parameters and reward magnitude parameters to establish accurate measures of delay of gratification capacity and development in this species and perhaps others.
Health Professions Students’ Lifelong Learning Orientation: Associations with Information Skills and Self Efficacy

Objective – This study aimed to investigate the relationships among health professions students’ lifelong learning orientation, self-assessed information skills, and information self-efficacy. Methods – This was a descriptive study with a cross-sectional research design. Participants included 850 nursing students and 325 medical students. A total of 419 students responded to a survey questionnaire that was comprised of 3 parts: demographic information, the Jefferson Scale of Lifelong Learning (JeffSLL-HPS), and an information self-efficacy scale. Results – Findings of the study show a significant correlation between students’ lifelong learning orientation and information self-efficacy. Average JeffSLL-HPS total scores for undergraduate nursing students (M = 41.84) were significantly lower than the scores for graduate nursing students (M = 46.20). Average information self-efficacy total scores were significantly lower for undergraduate nursing students (M = 63.34) than the scores for graduate nursing students (M = 65.97). There were no significant differences among cohorts of medical students for JeffSLL-HPS total scores. However, for information self-efficacy, first year medical students (M = 55.62) and second year medical students (M = 58.00) had significantly lower scores than third/fourth year students (M = 64.42). Conclusion – Findings from the study suggest implications for librarians seeking ways to advance the value and utility of information literacy instruction in educational curricula. As such instruction has the potential to lead to high levels of information self-efficacy associated with lifelong learning; various strategies could be developed and incorporated into the instruction to cultivate students’ information self-efficacy.
Nonparametric transformations for both sides of a regression model

One way to model heteroscedasticity and skewness of the error distribution in regression is to transform both sides of the regression equation. If it is possible to transform the regression equation to result in normally distributed errors, then we can obtain more efficient parameter estimates and valid prediction intervals. One problem with this approach is that the choice of transformation is usually restricted to the power or shifted power family. Often there is no scientific basis for this model and the limited flexibility of this parametric family may miss important features of the distribution. A more comprehensive approach is to estimate the transformation by using nonparametric methods based on maximizing a penalized likelihood function. This maximization problem leads naturally to a spline estimate for the log-derivative of the transformation. An algorithm for computing the estimate is given along with results on the existence and uniqueness of the estimate. This nonparametric method is illustrated by using a non-normally distributed fisheries data set.
A Proteome-Derived Longitudinal Pharmacodynamic Biomarker for Diffuse Systemic Sclerosis Skin

In this study we systematically investigated alterations in the serum proteome of patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis and identified differentially expressed proteins that correlated with disease severity. Our goal was to identify a combination of serum proteins that would provide a biological measure for the extent of skin disease and that could be combined into a longitudinal pharmacodynamic biomarker. We found that 16% of the sera proteins analyzed by SOMAscan aptamer technology, from two cohorts of patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, were identified as differentially regulated between diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis and controls and correlated with modified Rodnan skin score. This dataset showed tumor necrosis factor-α, IFN-γ, transforming growth factor-β, and IL-13 as potential upstream regulators of the serum protein patterns in the sera of patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. By ELISA, two analytes (ST2 and Spondin-1) best described longitudinal change in modified Rodnan skin score, using linear mixed models. This model was then validated in three independent cohorts. In this study we discovered a large array of proteins not previously associated with systemic sclerosis that provide insight into pathogenesis and potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, we show that two of these proteins can be combined to form a robust longitudinal biomarker that might be used in clinical trials to assess changes in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis skin disease over time.
Widths in 15 C and 15 F

Earlier data for the reaction $^{13}\mathrm{C}$(t,p) have been analyzed to extract widths for several states of $^{15}\mathrm{C}$. Results affect predictions of widths in $^{15}\mathrm{F}$.
Investigation of various solution strategies for the time-spectral method for incompressible, viscous flows

Abstract Time-spectral methods show a huge potential for decreasing computation time of time-periodic flows. While time-spectral methods are often used for compressible flows, applications to incompressible flows are rare. This paper presents an extension of the time-spectral method (TSM) to incompressible, viscous fluid flows using a pressure-correction algorithm in a finite volume flow solver. Several algorithmic treatments of the time-spectral operator in a pressure-correction algorithm have been investigated. Initially the single time instances were solved using the Jacobi method as preconditioner. While the existing fluid code is easily adapted, the solver shows a fast degradation in stability. Thus the solution matrix was reordered with respect to time and a block Gauss–Seidel preconditioner was applied. The single time blocks were directly solved using the Cholesky algorithm. The solver is more robust, but the current implementation is inefficient. To alleviate this problem an approach, coupling all time instances and control volumes, was developed. For the complete time and spatial system two different treatments in the preconditioner were researched. To outline the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed solution strategies the laminar flow around the pitching NACA0012 airfoil was investigated. Moreover, unsteady simulations using first and second order time-stepping techniques were used and the time-spectral results were compared to regular time-stepping approaches. It is shown that the time-spectral implementations solving the whole temporal-spatial system are faster than the regular time-stepping schemes. The efficiency of the time-spectral solver decreases with increasing number of harmonics. Furthermore, with a small number of harmonics the lift coefficient over time is not accurately predicted.
Microenvironment in determining chemo-resistance in pancreatic cancer: Neighborhood matters

Every year, nearly 300,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer worldwide, and an equivalent number succumb to this disease. One of the major challenges of pancreatic cancer that contributes to its poor survival rates is the development of resistance to the standard chemotherapy. Heterogeneity of the tumor, the dense fibroblastic stroma, and the aggressive biology of the tumor all contribute to the chemoresistant phenotype. In addition, the acellular components of the tumor microenvironment like hypoxia, stress pathways in the stromal cells, and the cytokines that are secreted by the immune cells, have a definitive role in orchestrating the chemoresistant property of the tumor. In this review, we systematically focus on the role played by the different microenvironmental components in determining chemoresistance of pancreatic tumors.
Effects of three triazine metabolites and their mixture at environmentally relevant concentrations on early life stages of marbled crayfish (Procambarus fallax f. virginalis).

Abstract The sensitivity of early life stages of marbled crayfish (Procambarus fallax f. virginalis) to chronic exposure of one out of three triazine metabolites (terbuthylazine 2-hydroxy – T2H, terbuthylazine-desethyl – TD, and atrazine 2-hydroxy – A2H) and their mixture at maximal environmentally real concentrations was evaluated under laboratory conditions. The effects were assessed on the basis of mortality, growth, development, oxidative stress biomarkers, antioxidant enzymes activity and histopathology. Single metabolites (T2H – 0.73 μg/L; TD – 1.80 μg/L; A2H – 0.66 μg/L) and their mixture were not associated with negative effects on mortality, behaviour and early ontogeny, however, two metabolites (TD and A2H) and mixtures caused significantly lower growth and significantly higher catalase activity of early life stages of marbled crayfish. No histopathological changes of gills were observed after exposure to all tested triazine treatments, however, apparent histological differences in structural cells organization such as superiority in numbers of lipid resorptive cells were recorded in after exposition to TD and mixture. In conclusion, this study shows potential risk of using triazine herbicides in agriculture due to effects of their degradation products on non-target organisms.
A novel integrated workflow for evaluation, optimization, and production predication in shale plays

Abstract This paper adopts and improves the existing workflows for integrated production data analysis. Clarkson (2013) presented an integrated production data analysis workflow through incorporating existing models and methodologies. Despite great achievements, some additional improvements are required to address the complexities associated with reservoir/fluid properties in shale plays. Some of the improvements are as follows. A new iterative algorithm is introduced toward integrated evaluation, prediction, and optimization of production in shale plays; the production contribution from unstimulated parts of the matrix (outside SRV) is considered; a new multi-phase productivity index is proposed; a new mechanistic formulation is presented to describe Dynamic-Drainage-Volume (DDV) for both early transient-linear flow and late compound-linear flow regime; a new pressure-saturation relation is established through relating fluid properties to production history. Moreover, geomechanics effects are coupled into material-balance model by introducing the pressure-dependent rock and fluid properties. The optimization of fracture and well spacing is achieved in Niobrara shale oil.