cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effective isotope labeling of proteins in a mammalian expression system.

Isotope labeling of biologically interesting proteins is a prerequisite for structural and dynamics studies by NMR spectroscopy. Many of these proteins require mammalian cofactors, chaperons, or posttranslational modifications such as myristoylation, glypiation, disulfide bond formation, or N- or O-linked glycosylation; and mammalian cells have the necessary machinery to produce them in their functional forms. Here, we describe recent advances in mammalian expression, including an efficient adenoviral vector-based system, for the production of isotopically labeled proteins. This system enables expression of mammalian proteins and their complexes, including proteins that require posttranslational modifications. We describe a roadmap to produce isotopically labeled 15N and 13C posttranslationally modified proteins, such as the outer domain of HIV-1 gp120, which has four disulfide bonds and 15 potential sites of N-linked glycosylation. These methods should allow NMR spectroscopic analysis of the structure and function of posttranslationally modified and secreted, cytoplasmic, or membrane-bound proteins.
Equivalence and Preorder Checking for Finite-State Systems

Abstract This chapter surveys algorithms for computing semantic equivalences and refinement relations, or preorders , over states in finite-state labeled transitions systems. Methods for calculating a general equivalence, namely bisimulation equivalence, and a general preorder are described and shown to be useful as a basis for calculating other semantic relations as well. Two general classes of algorithms are considered: global ones, which require the a priori construction of the state space but are generally more efficient in the asymptotic case, and local, or on-the-fly ones, which avoid the construction of unnecessary states while incurring some additional computational overhead.
Use of Phosphorothioates to Identify Sites of Metal-Ion Binding in RNA

Single atom substitutions provide an exceptional opportunity to investigate RNA structure and function. Replacing a phosphoryl oxygen with a sulfur represents one of the most common and powerful single atom substitutions and can be used to determine the sites of metal-ion binding. Using functional assays of ribozyme catalysis, based on pre-steady-state kinetics, it is possible to extend this analysis to the transition state, capturing ligands for catalytic metal ions in this fleeting state. In conjunction with data determined from X-ray crystallography, this technique can provide a picture of the environment surrounding catalytic metal ions in both the ground state and the transition state at atomic resolution. Here, we describe the principles of such analysis, explain limitations of the method, and provide a practical example based on our results with the Tetrahymena group I ribozyme.
A Theory of Employment Systems: Micro-Foundations of Societal Diversity

(2000). A Theory of Employment Systems: Micro-Foundations of Societal Diversity. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 995-997.
Association of higher total nucleated cell dose with improved survival in patients receiving donor lymphocyte infusion after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

7028 Background: Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) after allogeneic stem cell transplant is an established therapy for disease relapse. Long-term survival after DLI remains poor, and identification o...
Distribution of Xenomyrmex floridanus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Florida and the West Indies

Abstract Xenomyrmex floridanus Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a small arboreal ant known only from peninsular Florida and the West Indies. Xenomyrmex floridanus colonies nest in plant cavities, particularly in hollow twigs and dead branches. I compiled and mapped >100 site records for X. floridanus, documenting the earliest known records for the 4 geographic areas where it occurs: peninsular Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba, and Jamaica. Records of X. floridanus range from Gainesville, Florida (29.7°N) in the north to Pedro Cross, Jamaica (18.9°N) in the south. Xenomyrmex floridanus shows striking evolutionary convergences in morphology and behavior with Monomorium floricola (Jerdon) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an Old World tramp ant species that has spread worldwide through human commerce. Both species are tiny, thin, and short-legged, a morphology that allows them to nest in very narrow plant cavities. In addition, both are slow moving and have an exceptional ability to cling to surfaces, a capacity that p...
High-speed quantitative phase imaging using time-stretch spectral shearing contrast (Conference Presentation)

Photonic time-stretch microscopy (TSM) provides an ideal platform for high-throughput imaging flow cytometry, affording extremely high shutter speeds and frame rates with high sensitivity. In order to resolve weakly scattering cells in biofluid and solve the issue of signal-to-noise in cell labeling specificity of biomarkers in imaging flow cytometry, several quantitative phase (QP) techniques have recently been adapted to TSM. However, these techniques have relied primarily on sensitive free-space optical configurations to generate full electric field measurements. The present work draws from the field of ultrashort pulse characterization to leverage the coherence of the ultrashort optical pulses integral to all TSM systems in order to do self-referenced single-shot quantitative phase imaging in a TSM system. Self-referencing is achieved via spectral shearing interferometry in an exceptionally stable and straightforward Sagnac loop incorporating an electro-optic phase modulator and polarization-maintaining fiber that produce sheared and unsheared copies of the pulse train with an inter-pulse delay determined by polarization mode dispersion. The spectral interferogram then yields a squared amplitude and a phase derivative image that can be integrated for conventional phase. We apply this spectral shearing contrast microscope to acquire QP images on a high-speed flow microscope at 90-MHz line rates with <400 pixels per line. We also consider the extension of this technique to compressed sensing (CS) acquisition by intensity modulating the interference spectra with pseudorandom binary waveforms to reconstruct the images from a highly sub-Nyquist number of random inner products, providing a path to even higher operating rates and reduced data storage requirements.
African American males from female-headed households: Using family resilience to navigate their way to college

ABSTRACTA grounded theory method was used to uncover essential resources in African American males’ (N = 22) social ecologies that increased the likelihood of college enrollment. Specifically, few studies have examined African American males’ perspectives regarding the role that single-mother families play in contributing to their resiliency and helping them eventually enroll in college. This study’s findings indicate how participants’ families’ (mostly their mothers) non-negotiable expectation of college attendance served as the backbone of the resiliency processes that encouraged precollege socialization for participants, including practicing authoritative parenting, providing hands-on assistance during the application process, and setting an example by attending college themselves (if possible). Implications for helping professionals include providing support to African American male students, their families, and their teachers are provided to offset possible systemic racism in K–12 education that had ...
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPMENT OF DISSOCIATED OPTIC NERVE FIBER LAYER APPEARANCE IN THE PIONEER INTRAOPERATIVE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY STUDY.

Purpose:To assess the relationship of dissociated optic nerve fiber layer (DONFL) and intraoperative membrane-peeling dynamics as visualized using intraoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT), and to evaluate the functional implications of DONFL.Methods:This was a post hoc analysis of eyes unde
Deterministic Optimal Control

We turn now to nonlinear systems with nonquadratic payoffs. We cannot hope for closed-form (explicit) solutions. However, since optimal control is an optimization problem, it is natural to look for necessary conditions of optimality for an optimal control. We explore this question in this section. Since it is a dynamic optimization, the role of time in expressing the necessary condition is important.
The Optimal Model: Linear Programming

This is not a book on Linear Programming (LP). This is a book on decision making. It is a book on behavior, specifically resource-allocation behavior. But just as people’s decision making under choice cannot be studied in the absence of an understanding of Bayesian math, neither can people’s decisions about the allocation of resources be understood without an understanding of LP. LP is the mathematical model used in Operations Research and Management Science to find the optimal solution to resource-allocation problems when certain variables are known. This chapter will provide the reader with a very fundamental introduction to LP but it is far beyond the scope of this book (and the ability of the authors) to provide a comprehensive tutorial on all aspects of LP. Hundreds of books have been written on the topic since Dantzig’s 1963 Linear Programming and Extensions. But if the reader wishes to explore the topic in depth, one very authoritative place to start would be Linear Programming (Dantzig & Thapa, 1997).
Altered expression and localization of 5-lipoxygenase accompany macrophage differentiation in the lung

The alveolar macrophage (AM) exhibits a greater capacity to synthesize bioactive leukotrienes from arachidonic acid than does its circulating precursor the peripheral blood monocyte. Macrophage dif...
Alcohol First Use and Attitudes Among Young Children

We describe the attitudes and first use of alcohol by children, grades 3-6, who participated in the Bogalusa Heart Study, 1993-94. Questionnaire data reflected that more than one-third of the children had experimented with alcohol at the time of the study. The dominant environmental factor in experimentation was family modeling, and the dominant personal factor was curiosity, regardless of race, gender, or grade. Most children believed that alcohol use can lead to accidents, that drinking has negative social consequences, and that alcohol use hurts only if done to excess. Indications are that young children generally have negative attitudes regarding alcohol use, and that public and family alcohol education efforts need to be more specific about deleterious effects of even low levels of alcohol use in the young.
The Genesis and Genetics of Sexual Behavior

Sex and mating are key evolutionarily maintained elements of human behavior. They are closely interwoven with social structure and altruism. Yet in humans and other species they are surprisingly subject to phenotypic variation and genetic influence. Biological determinants of sexual behavior have been identified and in several species it has been found possible to reprogram sexual behavior, even with a single genetic switch. Identification of genes influencing human sexual behavior, including homosexuality, has lagged.
MODE OF ACTION OF CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON PESTICIDES ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

ABSTRACT Hyperexcitation of various parts of the nervous system as a result of intoxication with p,p′-DDT and its oxetane derivative, 2,2-bis-(p-ethoxyphenyl)-3,3-dimethyloxetane (EDO), is due to repetitive discharges in nerve fibers which in turn are caused by an elevation of the depolarizing after-potential that follows the action potential. The increase in depolarizing after-potential is due primarily to a sustained flow of sodium current. In the crayfish and squid giant axons poisoned with DDT or EDO, the peak sodium current associated with step depolarization of the membrane is followed by a sustained sodium current, and the tail current upon repolarization is greatly enhanced and decays very slowly with a multiple exponential time course. The peak amplitude of sodium current is either kept constant or decreased slightly. It appears that a fraction of sodium channel population is modified by DDT or EDO to be kept open for a long period of time. The rate at which the modified open state is reached is slower than the rate at which the normal channel fully opens. A kinetic model is proposed to account for the interactions of DDT and EDO with the sodium channel. The insecticides bind to the sodium channel when it is at the open state to yield the modified open state which inactivates very slowly. The modified open state can also be reached from the closed insecticide-bound state. It is concluded that the sodium channel of the nerve membrane is the major target site of DDT and its derivatives and that modification of the channel leads to hyperexcitation of the entire nervous system which forms the basis for the symptoms of poisoning of animals.
Self-disclosure in psychotherapy supervisors: gender differences.

Objective: This article will explore the possible reasons for gender differences found in self-disclosure in psychotherapy supervisors. Method: Trainees and supervisors in the Brown University Depa...
Robert Mayer, Walter Scott and Fame: Authors and Readers in the Romantic Age

Review by Caroline McCracken-Flesher (University of Wyoming) of Robert Mayer, Walter Scott and Fame: Authors and Readers in the Romantic Age. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. Pp. xi, 221. £55.00; $90.00. ISBN 9780198794820.
Variations in the management of acute Bell's palsy.

Abstract Objective To identify presiding practices among neurotologists (ORL) in the care of acute Bell's palsy, and to compare them to neurologists' treatment patterns. Study design and methods Cross-sectional survey study. Subjects Neurotologists and neurologists. Results Ninety-one responses to the survey were obtained. The majority of participants (87.9%) always prescribe steroids. ORL were more likely to prescribe higher doses (≥60 mg) than neurologists (89.7% vs. 58.0%) (p = 0.001). Anti-viral medication was initially prescribed by 46.2% of respondents (56.1% ORL vs. 38.0% neurologists; p = 0.085). An MRI was always ordered by 17 participants (18.7%), while an MRI was sometimes ordered by 45 participants (49.5%). ORL were not only more likely to always order an MRI (24.4% vs. 14.0%), but also more likely to never order an MRI (43.9% vs. 22.0%) (p = 0.009). Laboratory blood work was never ordered by 45.1% of respondents, with 70.7% of OTO and 24.0% of neurologists indicating that they would never order labs (p Conclusions ORL almost always prescribe steroids, prescribe antivirals around 50% of the time, and only sometimes obtain imaging for acute Bell's palsy. Compared to neurologists, ORL are more likely to order high dose steroids (≥60 mg), more commonly prescribe antivirals, and are less likely to order laboratory blood work. Regarding the treatment of acute Bell's palsy, there are discrepancies both within otolaryngology, and between otolaryngology and neurology, despite recently published guidelines from both specialties.
A fast divide-and-conquer sparse Cox regression

We propose a computationally and statistically efficient divide-and-conquer (DAC) algorithm to fit sparse Cox regression to massive datasets where the sample size $n_0$ is exceedingly large and the covariate dimension $p$ is not small but $n_0\gg p$. The proposed algorithm achieves computational efficiency through a one-step linear approximation followed by a least square approximation to the partial likelihood (PL). These sequences of linearization enable us to maximize the PL with only a small subset and perform penalized estimation via a fast approximation to the PL. The algorithm is applicable for the analysis of both time-independent and time-dependent survival data. Simulations suggest that the proposed DAC algorithm substantially outperforms the full sample-based estimators and the existing DAC algorithm with respect to the computational speed, while it achieves similar statistical efficiency as the full sample-based estimators. The proposed algorithm was applied to extraordinarily large survival datasets for the prediction of heart failure-specific readmission within 30 days among Medicare heart failure patients.
Matthew D. Miller. The German Epic in the Cold War: Peter Weiss, Uwe Johnson, and Alexander Kluge: Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2018, 237 pp., ISBN 978-0-810-13732-5

The three epics discussed in The German Epic in the Cold War are not easy reads. At a cumulative page count of over five thousand pages, Die Asthetik des Widerstands, Jahrestage, and Chronik der Ge...
Rationale and design of the granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor in peripheral arterial disease (GPAD-3) study.

Abstract Background Lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a public health problem and many patients with PAD experience claudication despite adequate medical and/or surgical management. Mobilization of endogenous progenitor cells using Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) is a novel therapeutic option that has shown promising results in experimental models and phase I/IIA clinical trials. The GPAD-3 trial will study the effect of two successive administrations of GM-CSF at 3-month interval for improving claudication among patients with lower extremity PAD. Methods We plan to recruit 176 patients in this ongoing randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase IIB trial. After screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria, eligible subjects undergo a 4-week screening phase where they perform subcutaneous placebo injections thrice weekly and walk at least three times a day until they develop claudication. After the screening phase, eligible subjects undergo baseline testing and are randomized 2:1 to receive 500 μg/day of GM-CSF subcutaneously thrice weekly for three weeks or placebo injections. After 3 months, follow-up endpoint testing is performed and subjects in the GM-CSF group receive the second administration of the drug for three weeks while subjects in placebo group receive matching placebo injections. All participants undergo endpoint testing at six-month and nine-month follow-up. The primary endpoint is change in 6-min walk distance between baseline and 6-month follow-up. Conclusion GPAD-3 explores a novel approach to address the need for alternative therapies that can alleviate symptoms among patients with lower extremity PAD. If successful, this study will pave the way for a pivotal Phase III trial.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuron development in vertebrates

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are master regulators of the reproductive axis in vertebrates. During early mammalian embryogenesis, GnRH1 neurons emerge in the nasal/olfactory placode. These neurons undertake a long-distance migration, moving from the nose to the preoptic area and hypothalamus. While significant advances have been made in understanding the functional importance of the GnRH1 neurons in reproduction, where GnRH1 neurons come from and how are they specified during early development is still under debate. In addition to the GnRH1 gene, most vertebrate species including humans have one or two additional GnRH genes. Compared to the GnRH1 neurons, much less is known about the development and regulation of GnRH2 neuron and GnRH3 neurons. The objective of this article is to review what is currently known about GnRH neuron development. We will survey various cell autonomous and non-autonomous factors implicated in the regulation of GnRH neuron development. Finally, we will discuss emerging tools and new approaches to resolve open questions pertaining to GnRH neuron development.
Correction to: Bariatric efficiency at an academic tertiary care center.

This article was updated to correct Adel Alhaj Saleh’s name, incorrectly displayed as Adel A. Saleh. It is correct as displayed here: Adel (first name) Alhaj Saleh (last name).
Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndromes (RCVS) are a group of conditions characterized by reversible multifocal cerebral artery narrowing and dilatation, typically heralded by acute, severe, and recurrent ‘thunderclap’ headaches. RCVS can develop spontaneously or in diverse clinical settings such as childbirth or after exposure to vasoconstrictive drugs. Brain imaging shows no parenchymal lesion in more than one-third of patients; the rest develop ischemic stroke, parenchymal hemorrhage, convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage, or reversible brain edema. RCVS can be instantly recognized by a characteristic constellation of acute headaches and neurovascular imaging findings in the appropriate clinical setting. It is important to exclude mimics such as aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and primary angiitis of the central nervous system. The clinical course is self-limited and benign in more than 90%, but a minority can develop progressive vasoconstriction resulting in widespread strokes, brain edema, and even death. Treatment is empirical and includes simple observation and calcium channel blockers. Recurrence of an episode of RCVS is rare.
Anita Brenner. Una escritora judía con México en el corazón

Sobre: Marcela Lopez Arellano, Anita Brenner. Una escritora judia con Mexico en el corazon , Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes/Centro de Documentacion e Investigacion Judio de Mexico, Mexico, 2016, 430 pp.
Syringe Service Program Utilization, Barriers, and Preferences for Design in Rural Appalachia: Differences between Men and Women Who Inject Drugs.

Background People who inject drugs (PWID) in rural areas of the United States have had limited access to syringe service programs (SSP). Rural SSP have recently surged, but accompanying research is...
Independent Gaussian Distributions Minimize the Kullback-Leibler (KL) Divergence from Independent Gaussian Distributions.

This short note is on a property of the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence which indicates that independent Gaussian distributions minimize the KL divergence from given independent Gaussian distributions. The primary purpose of this note is for the referencing of papers that need to make use of this property entirely or partially.
Spectral Attention-Driven Intelligent Target Signal Identification on a Wideband Spectrum

Due to the advances of artificial intelligence, machine learning techniques have been applied for spectrum sensing and modulation recognition. However, there still remain essential challenges in wideband spectrum sensing. Signal processing in the wideband spectrum is computationally expensive. Additionally, it is highly possible that only a small portion of the wideband spectrum information contain useful features for the targeted application. Therefore, to achieve an effective tradeoff between the low computational complexity and the high spectrum-sensing accuracy, a spectral attention-driven reinforcement learning based intelligent method is developed for effective and efficient detection of event-driven target signals in a wideband spectrum. As the first stage to achieve this goal, it is assumed that the modulation technique used is available as a prior knowledge of the targeted important signal. The proposed spectral attention-driven intelligent method consists of two main components, a spectral correlation function (SCF) based spectral visualization scheme and a spectral attention-driven reinforcement learning mechanism that adaptively selects the spectrum range and implements the intelligent signal detection. Simulations illustrate that because of the effectively selecting the spectrum ranges to be observed, the proposed method can achieve > 90% accuracy of signal detection while observation of spectrum and calculation of SCF is limited to 5 out of 64 of spectrum locations.
Congress and Congressional Power

The relationship between American law and politics is perhaps nowhere more apparent than on Capitol Hill. Given this context, here we first explore Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce. Next, we turn to Supreme Court decisions on three constitutional issues: (1) congressional membership, (2) privileges and immunities, and (3) the conduct of investigations. We then analyze cases pertaining to Congress’s delegation of power to the president and the executive branch, followed by an examination of the Court’s interpretation of Congress’s taxing and spending power. Finally, we look at the extent to which the Court has overruled congressional legislation over time.
A solitary hypothalamic metastasis from prostatic cancer mimicking a giant thrombotic aneurysm and presenting with intraventricular hemorrhage and acute hydrocephalus: a case report

Despite the high prevalence of prostate cancer, its brain parenchymal metastasis is not common and intracranial hemorrhage due to such a metastasis is even less common. This report presents a challenging case of solitary brain metastasis secondary to prostate cancer that gave rise to intraventricular hemorrhage and acute hydrocephalus mimicking a giant aneurysm. A 77-year-old man with a history of prostate cancer, hypertension, and morbid obesity presented to the emergency room with a severe headache. He was afebrile with a blood pressure of 144/79 mmHg, alert, without any sign of sensory or motor deficit. Shortly after admission, he became unresponsive and was immediately intubated. His blood tests revealed hypernatremia at 154 mmol/L; otherwise, the lab data including the COVID-19 screening proved normal. The cerebral CT and MR images, with and without contrast, were interpreted as a giant thrombotic aneurysm extending to the suprasellar region by the emergency radiologist. Also, moderate intraventricular hemorrhage, acute hydrocephalus, and sub-ependymal interstitial edema were observed. Upon further evaluation of the images, the lesion was determined to be an exophytic hemorrhagic hypothalamic mass, and the subsequent biopsy was consistent with prostate cancer metastasis. The exophytic hemorrhagic hypothalamic metastasis can mimic a ruptured aneurysm on imaging. Given the improved survival of patients with prostate cancer, radiologists may encounter such unusual cerebral metastases from prostate cancers more frequently in the future.
Best Management Practices in Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Mechanical Systems in Data Centers

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the challenges faced during the project definition, design, construction, and maintenance phase of mechanical systems projects for new Data Centers or existing Data Centers. Construction industry professionals, design professionals, data center management, and engineering personnel were surveyed. The survey questionnaire comprised of 27 questions and focused on the following themes: general information and respondent’s area of knowledge and experience, overall management challenges in data centers, challenges specific to data center mechanical systems, standard management practices and processes employed in data center mechanical projects and recommendation and suggestions to arrive at best management practices in mechanical systems projects for data centers. The results of the survey were evaluated to arrive at best management practices to better assist in building reliable data centers.
Night shift schedule causes circadian dysregulation of DNA repair genes and elevated DNA damage in humans.

Circadian disruption has been identified as a risk factor for health disorders such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Although epidemiological studies suggest an increased risk of various cancers associated with circadian misalignment due to night shift work, the underlying mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. We sought to investigate the potential mechanistic role that circadian disruption of cancer hallmark pathway genes may play in the increased cancer risk in shift workers. In a controlled laboratory study, we investigated the circadian transcriptome of cancer hallmark pathway genes and associated biological pathways in circulating leukocytes obtained from healthy young adults during a 24-hour constant routine protocol following 3 days of simulated day shift or night shift. The simulated night shift schedule significantly altered the normal circadian rhythmicity of genes involved in cancer hallmark pathways. A DNA repair pathway showed significant enrichment of rhythmic genes following the simulated day shift schedule, but not following the simulated night shift schedule. In functional assessments, we demonstrated that there was an increased sensitivity to both endogenous and exogenous sources of DNA damage after exposure to simulated night shift. Our results suggest that circadian dysregulation of DNA repair may increase DNA damage and potentiate elevated cancer risk in night shift workers.
Synthesis and styrene copolymerization of novel trisubstituted ethylenes: 8. Dichloro and difluoro ring-substituted octyl phenylcyanoacrylates

Novel trisubstituted ethylenes, dichloro and difluoro ring-substituted octyl phenylcyanoacrylates, RPhCH=C(CN)CO2CH2(CH2)6CH3 (where R is 2,3-dichloro, 2,4-dichloro, 2,5-dichloro, 2,6-dichloro, 3,4-dichloro, 2,3-difluoro, 2,4-difluoro, 2,5-difluoro, 2,6-difluoro, 3,4-difluoro, 3,5-difluoro) were prepared and copolymerized with styrene. The ethylenes were synthesized by the piperidine catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation of ring-substituted benzaldehydes and octyl cyanoacetate, and characterized by CHN analysis, IR, 1H and 13C NMR. All the ethylenes were copolymerized with styrene in solution with radical initiation (ABCN) at 70C. The compositions of the copolymers were calculated from nitrogen analysis.
P86 Impact of Healthy Meal Kits on the Home Food Environment of African Americans with Low Income

Background The Home Food Environment (HFE) consists of the home's physical and the sociocultural environments and plays a key role in the healthfulness of one's diet. No known studies have evaluated the impact of healthy meal kits on the HFE of African American (AA) adults with low income. Objective To determine the impact of a 6-week healthy meal kit intervention on the HFE of AA adults with low income and with children. Study Design, Setting, Participants Participants were recruited for a 6-week healthy meal kit study. Participants received 1 meal kit each week with 3 meals, which included recipe cards, necessary ingredients, a nutrition handout, and a cooking tool. At baseline, all participants completed a demographic survey and the USDA 18-item Food Security Module. Participants also completed the HFE tool at baseline and post, assessing foods available in the home; food preparation tools; grocery shopping practices and frequencies; non-home food sources; eating and screen viewing; cooking self-efficacy, attitudes, and behaviors; and social supports. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Descriptive statistics were used to describe participant demographic and food security information. Linear Mixed-Model analysis with an unstructured covariance was used to analyze significant changes in the HFE survey from baseline to post. Results Participants (n = 36) were on average 43 years old, female (89%), had some college (47%), and had 2 children living in the home. Low or very low food security was reported by 68% of participants, and 48% of participants had an annual household income of less than $25,000. Eating and screen viewing significantly decreased from baseline to post (P = 0.04). No significant changes were found in any other HFE items. Conclusion Meal kits may promote a healthy HFE, but additional efforts are needed to improve the overall HFE. Future meal kit studies should should incorporate more education on improving the HFE to see more of an impact.
Model based approximation methods for reinforcement learning

The thesis focuses on model-based approximation methods for reinforcement learning with large scale applications such as combinatorial optimization problems. First, the thesis proposes two new model-based methods to stabilize the value-function approximation for reinforcement learning. The first one is the BFBP algorithm, a batch-like reinforcement learning process which iterates between the exploration and exploitation stages of the learning process. For the exploitation part, this thesis investigates the plausibility and performance of using more efficient offline algorithms such as linear regression, regression trees, and SVMs for value-function approximators. The thesis discovers that with systematic local search methods such as Limited Discrepancy Search and a good initial heuristic, the algorithm often coverges faster and to a better level of performance, compared with epsilon greedy exploration methods. The second method combines linear programming with the kernel trick to find value-function approximators for reinforcement learning. One formulation is based on SVM regression; the second is based on the Bellman equation; and the third seeks only to ensure that good moves have an advantage over bad moves. All formulations attempt to minimize the number of support vectors while fitting the data. The advantage of the kernel methods is that they can easily adjust the complexity of the function approximator to fit the complexity of the value function. The thesis also proposes a model-based policy gradient reinforcement learning algorithm. In our approach, we learn the models P( s'|s, a) and R(s'| s, a), and then use dynamic programming to compute the value of the policy directly from the model. Unlike online sampling-based policy gradient algorithms, it does not suffer from high variances, and it also converges faster. In summary, the thesis purposed model-based approximation algorithms for both value function based and policy gradient reinforcement learning, with promising application results on multiple problem domains and job-shop scheduling benchmarks.
Clinical evaluation of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ambulance dispatch-based syndromic surveillance system, New York City.

Since 1998, the New York City Department of Health has used New York City Emergency Medical Services (EMS) ambulance dispatch data to monitor for a communitywide rise in influenzalike illness (ILI) as an early detection system for bioterrorism. A clinical validation study was conducted during peak influenza season at six New York City emergency deparments (EDs) to compare patients with ILI brought in by ambulance with other patients to examine potential biases associated with ambulance dispatch-based surveillance. We also examined the utility of 4 EMS call types (selected from 52) for case detection of ILI. Clinical ILI was defined as fever (temperature higher than 100°F) on history or exam, along with either cough or sore throat. Of the 2,294 ED visits reviewed, 522 patients (23%) met the case definition for ILI, 64 (12%) of whom arrived by ambulance. Patients with ILI brought in by ambulance were older, complained of more severe symptoms, and were more likely to undergo diagnostic testing, be diagnosed with pneumonia, and be admitted to the hospital than patients who arrived by other means. The median duration of symptoms prior to presenting to the ED, however, was the same for both groups (48 hours). The selected call types had a sensitivity of 58% for clinical ILI, and a predictive value positive of 22%. Individuals with symptoms consistent with the prodrome of inhalational anthrax were likely to utilize the EMS system and usually did so early in the course of illness. While EMS-based surveillance is more sensitive for severe illness and for illness affecting older individuals, there is not necessarily a loss of timeliness associated with EMS-based (versus ED-based) surveillance.
Evaluation of Laboratory and Field Experimentation Characterizing Concrete Crosstie Rail Seat Load Distributions

As higher demands are placed on North American railroad infrastructure by heavy haul traffic, it is increasingly important to understand the factors affecting the magnitude and distribution of load imparted to concrete crosstie rail seats. The rail seat load distribution is critical to the analysis of failure mechanisms associated with rail seat deterioration (RSD), the degradation of the concrete surface at the crosstie rail seat. RSD can lead to wide gauge, cant deficiency, and an increased risk of rail rollover, and is therefore of primary concern to Class I Freight Railroads in North America. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have successfully characterized the loading environment at the rail seat using matrix-based tactile surface sensors (MBTSS). Previous research has proven the feasibility of using MBTSS in both laboratory and field applications, and recent field experimentation has yielded several hypotheses concerning the effect of fastening system wear on the rail seat load distribution. This paper will focus on the analysis of data gathered from laboratory experimentation with MBTSS to evaluate these hypotheses, and will propose a metric for crosstie and fastening system design which considers the uniformity of the load distribution. The knowledge gained from this experimentation will be integrated with associated research conducted at UIUC to form the framework for a mechanistic design approach for concrete crossties and fastening systems.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Process Study of Oceanic Responses to Typhoons Using Arrays of EM-APEX Floats and Moorings

Abstract : Between 2009 and 2010, as a part of The Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) program, we deployed four surface moorings and three subsurface moorings in western Pacific on the prevailing path of tropical cyclones, based on the analysis of paths of historical tropical cyclones. Each of surface moorings was equipped with meteorology sensors on the surface buoy and underwater CTD sensors. Each of subsurface moorings was equipped with one 75-kHz ADCP, capable of measuring current velocity in the upper 500 m. In Sept 2010, an array of seven EM-APEX floats was launched from C130 one day before the eye of Typhoon Fanapi hit the center of the float array. EM-APEX floats measured temperature, salinity, pressure, and horizontal velocity. In Oct 2010, another array of seven EM-APEX floats were launched from C130 one day before the eye of Typhoon Megi hit the southern end of the float array. The thermal evolution of the cold wake of Typhoon Fanapi, 2010, was studied (Mrvaljevic et al., 2013). The cold wake formed by Typhoon Fanapi was 2.5 C cooler than the surrounding water, and extending to 80 m, twice as deep as the preexisting mixed layer. Four days after the formation, the cold wake was capped by a think warm surface layer. The thickness of the subsurface capped wake, decreased with time toward its background value with an e-folding time of 23 days, almost twice the e-folding lifetime of the SST cold wake (12 days). The wake was advected several hundreds of kilometers from the storm track by a preexisting mesoscale eddy. These observations reveal new intricacies of cold wake evolution and demonstrate the challenges of describing the thermal structure of the upper ocean using sea surface information alone. D Asaro et al. (2014) studied the cold wake response and air-sea fluxes. The strengths and properties of cold wakes depended most heavily on the nondimensional storm speed.
Pragmatic Arguments in the Qur’an for Belief

Unlike other scriptures, the Qur’an engages man as he is, that is, man as a composite of opposing tendencies. It guides the believer as much as it strives to save the disbelieving skeptic. In speaking to the skeptic, the Qur’an uses all the resources of rhetoric that have a chance of softening his disbelief and bringing him back to his spiritual home. This essay examines two sets of pragmatic arguments in the Qur’an for belief, both based on a system of divine accountability: in one the accounting occurs in afterlife, in the other it occurs in this life. In presenting the first argument, the Qur’an anticipates Pascal’s wager. This argument is later taken up by ‘Ali, Islam’s fourth orthodox caliph, and Al-Ghazzali. Further, it is shown that religions generally, and Islam in particular, contain the premises for enunciating Pascal’s wager.
Some thoughts on normal, or standard, values in clinical medicine.

Clinical medicine, for all its achievements, is built on the logically inconsistent dichotomy of health and disease. Our first function as physicians is somehow to decide whether a patient belongs in an ill-defined category of healthy individuals, or to the general class of nonhealthy individuals. Unless we are content to act on general impressions, we proceed by first dismembering the patient bit by bit until he is not a person at all, but rather an association in time and place of assorted discrete attributes or characteristics. Each of these attributes is considered as being normal or not, either separately or in relation to a few others. If the right combination of abnormal attributes can be found, the patient is then re-assembled as a member of a particular class of previously defined diseases, or becomes the first member of a new class. If no such combination is apparent, he is reborn as healthy, at least for the present. My apparent facetiousness is not intended to obscure the fundamental fact that we have not found any other satisfactory way to arrive at intelligent decisions. On the contrary, in the historic development of quantitative medicine, we have deliberately cultivated just this approach in contrast to the impressionistic approach. With ever increasing numbers of attributes becoming available for forming judgments, the responsibility for understanding what we are doing becomes greater and greater, both for those who elect to define these attributes and for those who plan to use them in the conduct of medical practice.
Effect of estrogen and progesterone on the time-course of tubal ovum transport in rabbits.

Abstract Experiments were designed to establish the detailed time-course of ovum transport through the rabbit oviduct, as well as the sites at which estrogen and progesterone exert their effects on egg transport. Whole oviducts were cleared in benzyl benzoate, and the eggs located in situ. Histologic sections were cut distal and proximal to each egg or egg cluster, in order to locate the eggs anatomically (isthmus, ampulla, or ampullary-isthmic junction). The microscopic anatomy was then correlated with the per cent of the distance from the fimbria to the uterotubal junction traversed by the ova. The pause of ova at the ampullary-isthmic junction seen in the controls was prolonged by estrogen. Progesterone, in contrast, seemed to exert its influence at both the ampullary-isthmic junction and the proximal isthmus. Ova were never found in the 10 per cent of the oviduct closer to the uterotubal junction.
Cognitive Models for Spatial Representations in Congenitally Blind, Adventitiously Blind, and Sighted Subjects.

Congenitally blind, adventitiously blind, and sighted subjects’ informal verbal response to questions about furniture arrangements verbally described by the experimenter were analyzed. From their a...
Digital realizations of the real-time coherent signal-subspace transformation for array signal processing

A family of real-time preprocessors for general arrays is presented to improve the performance of direction finding and beamforming techniques in the presence of multipath. The preprocessors are based on the time-domain realizations of the coherent signal-subspace transformation (CSST) matrices. The array structure includes a time-domain CSST preprocessor followed by a commonly used narrowband direction-finding and/or beamforming algorithm. The performances of direction-finding and beamforming algorithms with and without CSST preprocessing are compared. >
Short-pulse photolytic iodine laser

ABSTRACT A compact, short pulse photolytic iodine laser (PIL) system designed for use as a source in Ranian conversion experiments isdescribed. The single-shot, flashlamp-pumped laser outputs 10 Joules in a 3 s FWHM pulse at a wavelength of 1.315 tmand uses n-C3F71 as the renewable laser fuel. Laser design and performance characteristics are presented.Keywords: Photolytic iodine laser, COIL, 1.315 tm. 1. INTRODUCTION Recent interest in efficient Raman conversion of chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) wavelengths has prompted thedevelopment of a cost-effective, surrogate source to conduct Raman conversion experiments at 1 .3 15 jtm. Previous workwith a COIL has demonstrated gain switched output using current-pulsed magnetic gain suppression'. This technique hasbeen used recently to demonstrate pulsed COIL operation with laser pulse widths on the order of 3 .ts and repetition rates upto 10 kHz2. However, to efficiently convert the gain-switched COIL output within a Raman gain medium, high peak poweroutput is required. One way to accomplish this would be to injection seed the gain-switched COIL with a single narrowpulse, (<iOns) at the COIL lasing transition. A train ofmicro pulses residing within the envelope ofthe 3 ts gain-switchedmacro pulse would result. This technique has been demonstrated with the narrow pulse output of an OPO operating at theCOIL lasing transition, seeding a low-pressure, quadrupled YAG-pumped atomic iodine laser3. Since a COIL is anexpensive device to operate, a flashlamp pumped photolytic iodine laser (PIL) was designed and built to provide single pulseoutput of 10 joules in 3 p.ts to indirectly investigate the injection seeding and Raman conversion of a magnetically gainswitched COIL.
Comparison of a special-purpose algorithm with general-purpose algorithms for solving geometric programming problems

We study the performance of four general-purpose nonlinear programming algorithms and one special-purpose geometric programming algorithm when used to solve geometric programming problems. Experiments are reported which show that the special-purpose algorithm GGP often finds approximate solutions more quickly than the general-purpose algorithm GRG2, but is usually not significantly more efficient than GRG2 when greater accuracy is required. However, for some of the most difficult test problems attempted, GGP was dramatically superior to all of the other algorithms. The other algorithms are usually not as efficient as GGP or GRG2. The ellipsoid algorithm is most robust.
Rapid simultaneous radioimmunoassay for triiodothyronine and thyroxine in unextracted serum.

Abstract A three hour radioimmunoassay for the simultaneous measurement of triiodothyronine and thyroxine in 25λ of unextracted serum has been developed. 8-anilino-1-napthalene sulfonic acid has been used to inhibit binding of the two hormones to thyroxine binding globulin. Comparisons of thyroxine with those obtained by competitive protein binding assay and triiodothyronine with those determined by our previously developed radioimmunoassay afford excellent agreement. The speed, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of this assay renders it highly attractive for routine clinical determinations and for research applications as well.