cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiorgan failure during a sickle cell crisis in sickle/β+-thalassemia

Abstract In contrast to the chronic nephropathy associated with sickle cell syndromes, acute renal failure and multiorgan dysfunction caused by acute sickling crisis are encountered infrequently. The authors present the first case of extensive multiorgan failure during a sickling episode in a patient with sickle/β + thalassemia. The authors also review the interaction of the thalassemias with sickle cell disease and outline the distinctive course of their patient in comparison with previous reports.
Axonal regrowth upregulates β-actin and Jun D mRNA expression

When quiescent cells are perturbed, mRNAs encoding proteins that regulate gene transcription and the cell cycle are expressed at higher levels. Jun and Fos are examples of proteins that mediate mitogenic signals and influence differentiation. In neurons, axon interruption (axotomy) increases the content of actin, tubulin, Jun D, and c-Jun proteins in association with increases in actin mRNA levels. Jun D protein binds to gene promoter regions, and its expression has been linked to several aspects of cell differentiation. Because Jun D and β-actin messages have been described as “constitutive” in expression, we wanted to know whether these messages were responsive to axotomizing lesions of the sciatic motor nerve. We crushed the right sciatic nerve in Sprague-Dawley rats and extracted mRNA from the half spinal cord that serves each leg. At 4 days, Northern blots showed a 2.3-fold increase in β-actin mRNA and a 2.5-fold increase in Jun D mRNA in the right hemicord. In situ hybridization showed either an undiminished or increased concentration of both mRNAs in motor neurons ipsilateral to the lesion at 4 days, even though many had enlarged two-to threefold. By introducing Fluoro-Ruby at the axotomy site, we were able to show that only the axotomized neurons had enlarged. We conclude that aspects of axonal regeneration resemble the embryonic program for neuronal differentiation and are reinitiated by axotomy. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
SO( N) higgs problem with adjoint+vector representations and non-linear potentials

Abstract Using the recently devised geometrical method, we analyze the quartic Higgs potential for SO(N) adjoint+vector representations. The minimum energy solutions are found to correspond to maxi-maximal little groups, but not all such groups are used. However, in the complete orbit space (including invariants not employed in the Higgs potential) we find that their strata have somewhat equal geometrical status of being low dimensional singular subspaces, i.e., cusps, edge curves, two-dimensional surfaces, etc. We also consider simple scalar potentials which are nonlinear with respect to orbit parameters and show that the directional extremum often, though not always, remains monotonic in orbit parameters within the orbit space and consequently the absolute extremum is likely to occur on the most protrudent portions of the orbit space boundary. Thus we clarify the range of validity of the Michel-Radicati conjecture and the Gell-Mann-Slansky conjecture.
Evaluation of proton beam radiation sensitivity of proliferating choroidal endothelial and retinal ganglion cells with clonogenic assay

Context: Proton beam therapy offers the advantage of precise delivery with limited damage to the healthy tissue and is being tested in the management of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, the dosages tested are empirical and not based on preclinical studies.Objective: In this study we evaluated the effects of varying doses of proton beam radiation on choroidal endothelial cells (CECs) and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) using clonogenic assay to determine differential sensitivity.Materials and methods: Each cell type has different efficiency to replicate (plating efficiency (PE)). PE of CEC (RF/6A) and RGC (RGC-5) grown in culture flasks was determined by plating 250 cells each (without any treatment) and counting the number of colonies after 13 days. Radiation induced sensitivity was determined by exposing the semi-confluent RF/6A and RGC-5 cells to proton beam at the doses of 0 (control), 2, 4, 8 and 12 cobalt gray equivalent (CGE). The ability of the cells to repair and replicate ...
Molecular dynamics simulation of La2O3-Na2O-SiO2 glasses. II. The clustering of La3+ cations

Abstract Clustering of high-field strength rare-earth ions in silicate glasses has been experimentally observed for a wide range of concentrations. Clustering has also been observed by molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations over a range 1–10 mol% in soda silicate glasses. Although there have been numerous experimental studies, atomic-level details of the mechanisms that lead to clustering remain unclear. Coupling experiment with MD simulations is essential to uncovering the factors that lead to clustering. In this work, MD computer simulations are used to verify that clustering found in previous MD simulations is not an artifact of the simulation method. This work also provides clues as to the mechanism of atomic-level clustering.
Rotator cuff tendinosis in an animal model: role of extrinsic and overuse factors

The rat shoulder animal model has been used previously to study the role of intrinsic injury (modeled as an acute insult to the tendon), extrinsic injury (modeled as external subacromial impingement), and overuse factors on rotator cuff tendinosis. These studies demonstrated that it is possible to produce rotator cuff tendinosis with any one of these factors in isolation. The current study uses the rat shoulder model to study the roles of extrinsic compression, overuse, and overuse in combination with extrinsic compression, on the development of rotator cuff tendinosis. The results of this study demonstrate that the injury created by overuse plus extrinsic compression is greater than the injuries created by overuse or extrinsic compression alone, particularly when important biomechanical variables are considered. While ineffective in causing a change in supraspinatus tendon properties in animals with normal cage activity, extrinsic compression had a significant and dramatic effect when it was combined with overuse activity. Without an additional factor, such as overhead activity, the extrinsic compression alone may be insufficient to cause tendinosis. The results of the present study support the role of multiple factors in the etiology of some rotator cuff injuries. © 2002 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC2002: 8719Rr, 8719St
Multimode quantum state tomography of slow light in rubidium vapor

Slow and stopped light systems form an important piece of the photonics puzzle by acting as memory devices. When used with few-photon light levels, these devices are fundamental to applications in quantum information science, quantum computing, and quantum communication. We report on our progress implementing a technique 1 for measuring the quantum state of light that has been stored in a warm-vapor slow-light system. This technique does not require careful mode matching can in fact be used to optimize the measured eld mode without a prior knowledge of the stored light.
Strengthening the United States' database protection laws: balancing public access and private control.

This paper develops three arguments for increasing the strength of database protection under U.S. law. First, stronger protections would encourage private investment in database development, and private databases have many potential benefits for science and industry. Second, stronger protections would discourage extensive use of private licenses to protect databases and would allow for greater public control over database laws and policies. Third, stronger database protections in the U.S. would harmonize U.S. and E.U. laws and would thus enhance international trade, commerce, and research. The U.S. should therefore follow the European example and develop two tiers of protection for databases: 1) protection for creative databases under copyright law; 2) protection for non-creative databases through a special type of sui generis protection. In order to balance private control of data and public access to data, sui generis protections should define a “fair use” exemption that permits some unauthorized extraction of data for private, educational, and research purposes, provided that such extraction does not adversely impact the economic value of the database.
A biosystematic study of the Interiores species group of the genus Vernonia (Compositae)

The taxa of the Interiores species group are treated as two species, one of which is divided into two subspecies.Vernonia missurica, a widespread taxon, has large flower heads (32-58 flowers per head), obtuse involucral bract tips, and a characteristic flavonoid Chromatographic profile.Vernonia baldwinii ssp.baldwinii, occurring throughout the Ozarks and Ouachitas, andV. baldwinii ssp.interior of the Central Plains possess smaller flower heads (17-34 flowers per head), acute or acuminate involucral bracts, and a different Chromatographic profile.Vernonia baldwinii ssp.baldwinii is distinguished from ssp.interior by the recurved involucral bract tips and by the possession of more flowers per head. Morphological data reveal that an intergradation zone exists between the population systems of the two subspecies along the edges of the Ozarks and Ouachitas. Although much gene exchange occurs between these two taxa, they maintain a level of genetic integrity that permits their ready recognition throughout wide ranges. All three taxa have a gametic chromosome number ofn = 17 and hybridize extensively with sympatric species.
The evolution of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.

To summarize this report, it seems that the neurosurgical family has grown up. The children have gone their several ways to elaborate upon the teachings of their mentors and the old folks are being put on the shelf out of the way of the hustling young nut crackers anxious to get to the operating room. If you doubt this conclusion, note that at the Toronto Congress, only 4 of the 37 officers—the old guard—were listed to present papers on the scientific program. One wonders if the experience and wisdom of the older members is not being lost. Is there not a place on the broadening program for invited presentations by senior members?
REDUCTION BY CHLORPROMAZINE OF PYLORUS-LIGATION ULCERS IN THE RAT.

RECENT research indicates that chlorpromazine is an effective inhibitor of gastric secretion1–3 and reduces starvation ulcers in mice4. This investigation was undertaken to determine quantitatively the extent of ulceration in the fore-stomach and glandular stomach of the pylorus-ligated rat after treatment with chlorpromazine.
The Semantics of Lexical Underspecification

In this paper, I examine the mechanisms responsible for enabling underspecified lexical forms to acquire a determinate and unique interpretation in the composition of the sentence. In particular, I study the behavior of several classes of lexical items exhibiting degrees of systematic or logical polysemy. These words present an interesting challenge to conventional treatments of polysemy and full specification in natural language semantics. Extending the analysis of these classes presented in Pustejovsky (1994,1995), I elaborate the formal mechanisms responisible for capturing the syntactic and semantic behavior of nouns such as lecture, prize, book, and lunch, and verbs such as read, rent, and break. I argue that members of these classes must be represented as complex types, as they do not allow for simple conjunctive typing; furthermore, these nouns and verbs display a peculiar behavior regarding the quantificational force of the type which is absent from other nominal and verbal classes. I conclude by discussing the consequences of this analysis for a theory of semantic underspecification.
Repeating tests: different roles in research studies and clinical medicine.

Researchers often decide whether to average multiple results in order to produce more precise data, and clinicians often decide whether to repeat a laboratory test in order to confirm its validity or to follow a trend. Some of the major sources of variation in laboratory tests (analytical imprecision, within-subject biological variation and between-subject variation) and the effects of averaging multiple results from the same sample or from the same person over time are discussed quantitatively in this article. This analysis leads to the surprising conclusion that the strategy of averaging multiple results is only necessary and effective in a limited range of research studies. In clinical practice, it may be important to repeat a test in order to eliminate the possibility of a rare type of error that has nothing to do analytical imprecision or within-subject variation, and for this reason, paradoxically, it may be most important to repeat tests with the highest sensitivity and/or specificity (i.e., ones t...
Adaptive subcarrier and power allocation in OFDM based on maximizing utility

This paper investigates adaptive resource allocation on the downlink of multiuser OFDM networks to achieve both multiuser diversity and fairness. Utility functions are applied to quantify the level of users' satisfaction derived from the radio resources they occupy. We formulate cross-layer optimization problem as one that maximizes the sum of the utilities over all active users subject to the feasible rate region, which is determined by adaptive resource allocation schemes deployed and the current channel conditions. We present the conditions for optimal subcarrier assignment and power allocation based on utility, and investigate the optimality properties as well. It is also shown that the inherent mechanism of balancing spectral efficiency and fairness is associated with concave utility functions.
Patterns of Recovery from Severe Mental Illness: A Pilot Study of Outcomes

We performed a pilot study examining the patterns of recovery from severe mental illness in a model integrated service delivery system using measures from the Milestones of Recovery Scale (MORS), a valid and reliable measure of recovery outcomes which ranges from 1 to 8 (8 levels). For purposes of presentation, we constructed an aggregate MORS (6 levels) where the levels are described as follows: (1) extreme risk; (2) unengaged, poorly self-coordinating; (3) engaged, poorly self-coordinating; (4) coping and rehabilitating; (5) early recovery, and (6) self reliant. We analyzed MORS data on individuals followed over time from The Village in Long Beach, California (658 observations). Using Markov Chains, we estimated origin-destination transition probabilities, simulating recovery outcomes for 100 months. Our models suggest that after 12 months only 8% of “extreme risk” clients remain such. Over 40% have moved to “engaged, poorly self-coordinating.” After 2 years, almost half of the initial “extreme Risk” clients are “coping/rehabilitating”, “early recovery” or “Self reliant.” Most gains occur within 2 years.
Sexuality in children and adolescents with disabilities

This review presents a discussion of the sexual development of children and adolescents with disabilities, described in the framework of body structure and function, individual activities, and societal perspectives presented in the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Issues of sexual development, gynecological care and contraception, sexual functioning, societal barriers, sexual victimization, and sexuality education are presented. Overall, adolescents with disabilities seem to be participating in sexual relationships without adequate knowledge and skills to keep them healthy, safe, and satisfied. Although their sexual development may be hindered both by functional limitations and by intentional or unintentional societal barriers, the formal and informal opportunities for teenagers with disabilities to develop into sexually expressive and fulfilled persons do exist. Health care providers are urged to increase their awareness of this unmet need and to implement strategies that promote the physical, emotional, social, and psychosexual independence of children, teenagers, and young adults with disabilities.
Atmospheric impact processes

Abstract Recent advances in the understanding of impacts on planets with an atmosphere have focussed mainly on the physics of the plume of melt and vapor ejected from the crater and its interaction with the ambient atmosphere. It is now becoming clear that such plumes, if sufficiently energetic, may expand at greater than escape velocity and thus eject a portion of the target planet's atmosphere into interplanetary space. Less energetic plumes can spew projectile material over a large portion of the impacted planet and may be responsible for the formation of the tektite and microtektite fields found on the Earth. The impact of the 10 km diameter asteroid or comet that ended the Earth's Cretaceous era 65 Myr ago may have caused global wildfires as a result of the reentry of
Knowledge-based risk assessment and cost estimation

A knowledge-based method for software project risk assessment and cost estimation has been implemented on multiple platforms. As an extension to the Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO) [Boehm, 1981], it aids in project planning by identifying, categorizing, quantifying and prioritizing project risks. It also detects cost estimate input anomalies and provides risk control advice in addition to conventional COCOMO cost and schedule calculation. It extends previous work by focusing on risk assessment, incorporating substantially more rules, going beyond standard COCOMO, performing quantitative validation, and providing a user-friendly interface. Results of the validation are promising so far, and the method is being used at Litton Data Systems and other industrial environments. It will be undergoing further evaluation and enhancement as part of an integrated capability for software engineering to assist in system acquisition, project planning and risk management. >
The Impact of NDE Unreliability on Pressure Vessel Fracture Predictions

This paper reviews the significant variables of flaw depth, length, location and orientation required for fracture mechanics evaluations of pressure vessel integrity. Results of calculations emphasize pressurized thermal shock (PTS) and the significance of flaws located at or near the inside surface of the vessel. In this study the impact of flaw length is also evaluated. The influence of vessel cladding is emphasized, with the relative significance of flaws through the clad and at various depths below the clad being addressed. 21 references, 5 figures, 2 tables.
Leakage power reduction in dual-Vdd and dual-Vth designs through probabilistic analysis of Vth variation

The noise sensitivity of low power circuits is rapidly increasing with the increasing levels of process variability and uncertainty. In this work, we study the problem of leakage power minimization in dual-Vdd and dual-Vth designs in the presence of significant Vth variation. The impact of the uncertainty in Vth on leakage power and timing are studied through probabilistic analytical models. We develop probabilistic models for timing slack and leakage power considering threshold variations with the objective of achieving an optimal selection of Vth. An analysis of the models indicate that, in the presence of variability, the value of the second Vth must be about 30mV higher than the Vth value obtained without considering variability. We show that our proposed method for the selection of Vth yields the lowest leakage power ratio of the dual-Vdd and dual-Vth versus the single-Vdd and single-Vth designs. In addition, the proposed models can be used to determine the ideal values for the second Vdd and Vth values in the context of variability for a variety of process conditions.
Loop shaping with closed-loop magnitude contours on the Bode plot

A weakness of classical loop shaping (of open-loop frequency responses) is that the closed-loop frequency response is implicitly rather than explicitly shaped. This paper defines fsbode and ftbode contours which are added to open loop Bode plots. The contours are gain and phase valued functions of frequency, found using a frequency-dependent desired magnitude for closed loop sensitivity or complementary sensitivity functions. The closed loop magnitude attains this frequency-dependent desired value at frequencies where the open-loop response intersects the contour. The paper shows a design example and presents an extension of the concept to SISO components of more general (MIMO) feedback systems with H/sub /spl infin// objectives.
Irreversibility-based Measure of Slowly Evolving Anomalies

This paper presents formulation and experimental validation of a novel real-time analytical tool for detection of slowly evolving anomalies (e.g., incipient faults and their growth) in dynamical systems. The measure of anomaly is built upon the concept of thermodynamic irreversibility (i.e., deviation of the system trajectory from the respective reversible path of equilibrium state transitions) and is derived as the distance of the estimated system states from the respective (ideal) equilibrium states on the evolution trajectory. The proposed anomaly detection method has been applied to track fatigue damage growth in test specimens of polycrystalline (e.g., 7075-T6 Aluminium) alloys subjected to cyclic loading. The results of experimentation on a laboratory test apparatus are presented to validate the theoretical concept in both crack initiation and crack propagation phases.
Two open states of P2X receptor channels.

The occupancy of the ATP binding sites of P2X receptor (P2XR) channels causes the rapid opening of a small cation-permeable pore, followed by a gradual dilation that renders the pore permeable to large organic cations. Electrophysiologically, this phenomenon was shown using whole-cell current recording on P2X2R-, P2X2/X5R-, P2X4R- and P2X7R-expressing cells that were bathed in N-methyl-D-glucamine-containing buffers in the presence and/or absence of small monovalent and divalent cations. The pore dilation of P2X4R and P2X7R caused a secondary current growth, whereas that of P2X2R showed a sustained kinetic coupling of dilation and desensitization, leading to receptor channel closure. The pore size of the P2X7R open and dilated states was estimated to be approximately 0.85 nm and greater than 1 nm, respectively. The P2XR pore dilation was also observed in intact cells by measurement of fluorescent dye uptake/release, application of polyethylene glycols of different sizes, and atomic force microscopy. However, pore dilation was not observed at the single channel level. Structural data describing the dilated state are not available, and the relevance of orthosteric and allosteric ligand interactions to pore dilation was not studied.
Automated classification of evoked quantal events

We provide both theoretical and computational improvements to the analysis of synaptic transmission data. Theoretically, we demonstrate the correlation structure of observations within evoked postsynaptic potentials (EPSP) are consistent with multiple random draws from a common autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) process of order (2, 2). We use this observation and standard time series results to construct a statistical hypothesis testing procedure for determining whether a given trace is an EPSP. Computationally, we implement this method in R, a freeware statistical language, which reduces the amount of time required for the investigator to classify traces into EPSPs or non-EPSPs and eliminates investigator subjectivity from this classification. In addition, we provide a computational method for calculating common functionals of EPSPs (peak amplitude, decay rate, etc.). The methodology is freely available over the internet. The automated procedure to index the quantal characteristics greatly facilitates determining if any one or multiple parameters are changing due to experimental conditions. In our experience, the software reduces the time required to perform these analyses from hours to minutes.
An efficient control point insertion technique for leakage reduction of scaled CMOS circuits

Leakage power reduction is extremely important in the design of scaled CMOS logic circuits. The dominant leakage components of such circuits are the subthreshold leakage and the thin-oxide gate leakage. This paper describes an efficient leakage reduction method that considers both these components, and is based on the selective insertion of control points. The selection is based on the leakage reduction potential and the delay insensitivity of the candidate gates. Simulations on the ISCAS85 benchmark circuits show that this method results in /spl sim/67% leakage reduction with no speed degradation when control points are added to 93% of the gates compared to the leakage of the baseline circuit whose inputs have been subjected to the minimum leakage vector.
School Culture and the Well-Being of Same-Sex-Attracted Youth

This study assesses how variations in heteronormative culture in high schools affect the well-being of same-sex-attracted youth. The authors focus on the stigmatization of same-sex attraction (rather than identity or behavior) to better understand how heteronormativity may marginalize a wide range of youth. Specifically, the authors use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine how variation across schools in football participation, religious attendance, and urban locale affects same-sex-attracted adolescents' depressive symptoms, self-esteem, fighting, and academic failure. The results suggest that though same-sex-attracted youth are at greater risk for decreased well-being, these youth are at higher risk in nonurban schools and in schools where football and religion have a larger presence. Results vary for boys and girls: The urban locale of a school has a larger impact for boys, while school religiosity has a greater impact for girls.
Photo-induced electron transfer processes in doped conjugated polymer films (Presentation Recording)

With increasing knowledge of the role of the different phases in the bulk heterojunction organic solar cell, the primary site for charge generation is now considered to be the mixed phase, and not the clean interface between neat polymer and neat fullerene. To gain a better understanding of the primary charge generating and recombination steps in this region of the system, we focus our studies on the role of the solid-state microstructure of neat polymers and light-doping of these polymers with a variety of electron-accepting dopants at low concentration. This presentation will describe some recent work on the doping of polythiophene and polyfluorene derivatives with fullerenes, phthalocyanines and perylenes, which provide a range of reduction potentials that serve to control the driving force for electron transfer processes. Results from flash photolysis, time-resolved microwave conductivity (fp-TRMC), femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (fTA) and photoluminescence spectroscopy will be presented.
Direct‐Acting Antiviral Agents for the Hepatitis C Virus‐Infected Chronic Kidney Disease Population: The Dawn of a New Era

The introduction of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents with cure rates of >90% has changed the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in dramatic fashion. An extensive literature has documented the efficacy of these agents in the general population; however, patients with chronic kidney disease have been largely excluded from these trials. Recently published studies conducted in patients with chronic kidney disease are now demonstrating that the DAAs will also offer safe and effective therapy for the HCV-infected patient with CKD as well. As effective treatment protocols are offered to larger numbers of HCV-infected CKD patients, the decision regarding when is the most opportune time to treat, especially for the patient being considered for kidney transplantation will become of greater significance. Nephrologists will need to take a lead in these clinical decisions as obtaining a sustained viral response prior to transplant will effectively eliminate the patient as a candidate to receive a kidney from a hepatitis C virus-positive donor and the benefit of the shorter waiting times accompanying this strategy.
Damage and recovery of forest structure and composition after two subsequent hurricanes in the Yucatan Peninsula

Abstract. Hurricanes are important disturbances shaping tropical forest structure. In the last 35 years the frequency and intensity of these events have changed, and it is predicted that intense hurricanes will become even more frequent with continued ocean surface warming. In 2005, the northeastern region of the Yucatan peninsula was hit by two subsequent category-5 hurricanes (3 months apart), Emily and Wilma. I conducted vegetation surveys to evaluate forest structure and composition soon after each disturbance and after one year, determining number of species, number of stems, basal area, and type of impact presented (defoliated, snapped, or uprooted), for all stems ≥ 5 cm DBH in two different forest stand ages (8–15 yr and > 30 yr). Number of species and basal area varied by forest stand age and survey; stem density decreased after the hurricanes. The highest percentage of damaged individuals was after the second hurricane (60%), but one year later this percentage was greatly reduced (13%). In all su...
Measurement of Uranium Isotopes in Particles of U3O8 by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry-Single-Stage Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (SIMS-SSAMS).

A commercial secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) was coupled to a ± 300 kV single-stage accelerator mass spectrometer (SSAMS). Positive secondary ions generated with the SIMS were injected into the SSAMS for analysis. This combined instrument was used to measure the uranium isotopic ratios in particles of three certified reference materials (CRM) of uranium, CRM U030a, CRM U500, and CRM U850. The ability to inject positive ions into the SSAMS is unique for AMS systems and allows for simple analysis of nearly the entire periodic table because most elements will readily produce positive ions. Isotopic ratios were measured on samples of a few picograms to nanograms of total U. Destruction of UH+ ions in the stripper tube of the SSAMS reduced hydride levels by a factor of ∼3 × 104 giving the UH+/U+ ratio at the SSAMS detector of ∼1.4 × 10–8. These hydride ion levels would allow the measurement of 239Pu at the 10 ppb level in the presence of U and the equivalent of ∼10–10 236U concentration in natural urani...
Need for a Working-Factor in Evaluating Freezing Point Results on Raw Milk Samples

The legal upper base for taking action in cases of water adulteration of milk is generally accepted as - 0.525°H. Henningson (2), in a study of 660 samples of milk known to contain no added water and representing 22 states in the U.S. and four Canadian provinces, found (at the 95% confidence limit) only 1% probability of a naturally-occurring milk sample falling above that level. Yet at a mean value of - 0.540°H, as noted in this same study, such base allows for 3% added water for the "average" dairy farm. The present study, made on samples without knowledge of their purity (lack of added water), tends to confirm this potential. At the same time it suggests the likelihood that, on a practical basis, a "working factor" set at some lower value could be useful to the dairy industry in coping with the problem of added water in milk.
A Markov chain based pruning method for predictive range queries

Predictive range queries retrieve objects in a certain spatial region at a (future) prediction time. Processing predictive range queries on large moving object databases is expensive. Thus effective pruning is important, especially for long-term predictive queries since accurately predicting long-term future behaviors of moving objects is challenging and expensive. In this work, we propose a pruning method that effectively reduces the candidate set for predictive range queries based on (high-order) Markov chain models learned from historical trajectories. The key to our method is to devise compressed representations for sparse multi-dimensional matrices, and leverage efficient algorithms for matrix computations. Experimental evaluations show that our approach significantly outperforms other pruning methods in terms of efficiency and precision.
The Influence of Online Social Networks (OSNs) on undergraduate’s Performance

The Online Social Networking (OSN) sites have become increasingly popular over the past few years. Major Online Social networking sites like Face book, Twitter, Myspace, You Tube and LinkedIn have positioned with Millions of users and still growing attracting thousands of new users daily. This study tries to explore the influence of Online Social Networks use, on University students’ performance.
CHAPTER 213 – Signal Transduction by G Proteins—Basic Principles, Molecular Diversity and Structural Basis of Their Actions

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with the mechanism of activation/deactivation, and the actions of the heterotrimeric G proteins responsible for transducing the binding of a signaling molecule to its seven-transmembrane receptor into cellular responses. The process by which the extracellular ligand–receptor interaction leads to changes inside the cell is commonly referred to as “signal transduction” and a ligand is the extracellular signal whose message is transduced into an intracellular signal of a different chemical nature. The signals generated in this way are second messengers, such as ions entering through ligand-gated ion channels; signaling molecules derived from the receptor itself; products of the activation of the receptor's intrinsic enzymatic activities; tyrosine phosphorylation, first of self and then of proteins recruited to the phosphorylated receptor, as happens when EGF, PDGF, and insulin bind to their respective homodimeric receptors; and sequential serine/threonine phosphorylation, also first of self and then of cytosolic transducing proteins such as R-SMADs by phosphorylated receptor I, as it happens in response to interaction of the TGF β and bone morphogenic protein (BMP) family of signaling molecules with their heteromeric receptors. The use of heterotrimeric G proteins as signal transducers constitutes yet a different type of signal transduction process.
Using Fuzzy Measures to Construct Multi-criteria Decision Functions

We are interested in the formulation of multi-criteria decision functions based on the use of a measure over the space of criteria. Specifically the relationship between the criteria is expressed using a fuzzy measure. We then use the Choquet integral to construct decision functions based on the measure. We look at a number of different decision functions generated from specific classes of measures.
Probing the application range and selectivity of a differential mobility spectrometry–mass spectrometry platform for metabolomics

Metabolomics applications of differential mobility spectrometry (DMS)-mass spectrometry (MS) have largely concentrated on targeted assays and the removal of isobaric or chemical interferences from the signals of a small number of analytes. In the work reported here, we systematically investigated the application range of a DMS-MS method for metabolomics using more than 800 authentic metabolite standards as the test set. The coverage achieved with the DMS-MS platform was comparable to that achieved with chromatographic methods. High orthogonality was observed between hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and the 2-propanol-mediated DMS separation, and previously observed similarities were confirmed for the DMS platform and reversed-phase liquid chromatography. We describe the chemical selectivity observed for selected subsets of the metabolite test set, such as lipids, amino acids, nucleotides, and organic acids. Furthermore, we rationalize the behavior and separation of isomeric aromatic acids, bile acids, and other metabolites. Graphical abstract Differential mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (DMS-MS) facilitates rapid separation of metabolites of similar mass-to-charge ratio by distributing them across the compensation voltage range on the basis of their different molecular structures.
Prevention of Crime and Delinquency

Prevention of crime is an ancient objective. In the first century A.D., Seneca exhorted his fellow Greeks, “He who does not prevent a crime when he can, encourages it,” and Cicero added, “Every evil in the bud is easily crushed.” Since Seneca and Cicero, the cloak of prevention has been wrapped around a large body of interventions, lending to these interventions an air of au courant fashionableness and providing them insulation against the stormy blasts of critics who decry their ineffectiveness, expense, or unfairness.
Dissociation of Polyatomic Molecules by Infrared Lasers

In recent years, dissociation of polyatomic molecules through the use of infrared lasers has become a subject of much interest. Since the dissociation energy is much greater than the energy of a single photon, this is obviously a multiphoton process. Also, it was shown that this reaction is isotopically selective. Finally, the size of the molecule plays an important role in the reaction rate. In this talk I shall present a simple model that incorporates current theory to explain this process.
An International Perspective on Biotechnology and Nutrition

The new tools of biotechnology will have a broad and diverse impact on world agriculture and human nutrition. For industrialized countries, biotechnology may provide solutions to food safety problems, as well as lead to improved nutritional qualities of some agricultural products. It may also lead to the development of new products with unique nutritional qualities. In the medium-term, the most important contribution of biotechnology for developing countries will be continued improvement of the yields of basic food crops. Improved nutritional qualities of traditional crops also hold great promise for combatting malnutrition, but these applications are likely to take longer to develop. Special efforts in research, training, and technology transfer will be necessary if the developing world is to fully benefit from the new products of agricultural biotechnology.
Resemblance and Universals

Although the phenomenon of resemblance does not play the central role in the history of realism enjoyed by the phenomenon of predication, distinguished realists have contended that the analysis of resemblance provides us with the resources for constructing an argument for the existence of universal. In fact, we find a number of such arguments in the writings of realists. In this chapter, I want to examine three of them. The first argument I shall consider played an important role in the debate over universals in the early part of this century; the locus classicus for this argument is Chapter IX of Russell’s Problems of Philosophy.
Chapter 3 Integrative Short-Term Treatment of the Borderline Patient

Abstract The realities of current practice necessitate that clinicians engage in briefer forms of treatment with borderline patients despite the fact that long-term treatment has been considered the treatment of choice because of their entrenched and pervasive personality difficulties, severe developmental arrests, and history of trauma. Most short-term treatment models are ill-suited for work with the borderline population because they favor highly motivated and well-functioning patients who have circumscribed problems. Nevertheless, there is a considerable body of practice principles that can be adapted to brief treatment with borderlines. This paper reviews the clinical features of borderline disorders and current views on their origins and treatment and then describes the components of an integrative short-term treatment framework.
DDFlow: visualized declarative programming for heterogeneous IoT networks

Programming distributed applications in the IoT-edge environment is a cumbersome challenge. Developers are expected to seamlessly handle issues in dynamic reconfiguration, routing, state management, fault tolerance, and heterogeneous device capabilities. We introduce DDFLOW, a macroprogramming abstraction and accompanying runtime that provides an efficient means to program high-quality distributed applications that span a diverse and dynamic IoT network. We describe the programming model and primitives used to isolate application semantics from arbitrary deployment environments. Using DDFLOW leads to portable, visualizable, and intuitive applications. The accompanying system runtime enables dynamic scaling and adaptation, leading to improved end-to-end latency while preserving application behavior despite device failures.
Food and Beverage Options at Highway Rest Areas in North Carolina: A Mixed-Methods Audit and Geospatial Approach

INTRODUCTION Each year, millions of people purchase food at highway rest areas. Rest areas are potential sites for health promotion because they are operated by the public sector; they are frequently visited by professional truck drivers, who have a disproportionate burden of chronic disease; and they are easily accessible. To our knowledge, no research has systematically examined the healthfulness of food offerings at rest areas. The objective of this study was to determine the accessibility and healthfulness of food and beverages offered at highway rest areas in North Carolina using a mixed-methods audit and geospatial approach. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional audit of all rest areas offering foods and beverages in North Carolina (N = 30) in summer 2018. We used the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey-Vending (NEMS-V) to record the 1) type, price, and size of all foods and beverages and 2) healthfulness of items offered (based on NEMS-V categorization). Two researchers independently double coded NEMS-V data. We used geospatial analysis to examine proximity of rest areas to food stores. We analyzed data by using univariate and bivariate analysis. RESULTS The mean number of vending machines per site was 8.0 (range, 2-12, standard deviation, 2.8). The healthfulness of offerings varied across sites. Most food items (88.1%; 2,922 of 3,315) and beverage items (63.7%; 1,567 of 2,459) were classified as least healthful. Cold beverage machines had a greater percentage of healthful items (38.2%; 778 of 2,036) than snack machines (11.4%; 374 of 3,270) (P < .001), mainly because of water and diet soda in beverage machines. CONCLUSION Policy changes are needed to increase the number and presentation of healthful food options at highway rest areas. Policy changes could provide travelers with more healthful options conveniently located along their travel route.
Perturbo: a software package for ab initio electron-phonon interactions, charge transport and ultrafast dynamics

Abstract Perturbo is a software package for first-principles calculations of charge transport and ultrafast carrier dynamics in materials. The current version focuses on electron–phonon interactions and can compute phonon-limited transport properties such as the conductivity, carrier mobility and Seebeck coefficient. It can also simulate the ultrafast nonequilibrium electron dynamics in the presence of electron–phonon scattering. Perturbo uses results from density functional theory and density functional perturbation theory calculations as input, and employs Wannier interpolation to reduce the computational cost. It supports norm-conserving and ultrasoft pseudopotentials, spin–orbit coupling, and polar electron–phonon interactions for bulk and 2D materials. Hybrid MPI plus OpenMP parallelization is implemented to enable efficient calculations on large systems (up to at least 50 atoms) using high-performance computing. Taken together, Perturbo provides efficient and broadly applicable ab initio tools to investigate electron–phonon interactions and carrier dynamics quantitatively in metals, semiconductors, insulators, and 2D materials. Program summary Program Title: Perturbo CPC Library link to program files: https://doi.org/10.17632/34m2p6v79t.1 Developer’s repository link: https://perturbo-code.github.io Licensing provisions: GNU General Public Licence 3.0 Programming language: Fortran , Python External routines/libraries: LAPACK , HDF5 , MPI , OpenMP , FFTW, Quantum-ESPRESSO , Wannier90 Nature of problem: Computing transport properties from first-principles in materials, including the electrical conductivity, carrier mobility and Seebeck coefficient; Simulating ultrafast nonequilibrium electron dynamics, such as the relaxation of excited carriers via interactions with phonons. Solution method: We implement the first-principles Boltzmann transport equation, which employs materials properties such as the electronic structure, lattice dynamics, and electron–phonon collision terms computed with density functional theory and density functional perturbation theory. The Boltzmann transport equation is solved numerically to compute charge transport and simulate ultrafast carrier dynamics. Wannier interpolation is employed to reduce the computational cost. Additional comments: Hybrid MPI plus OpenMP parallelization is implemented to run large calculations and take advantage of high-performance computing. Most results are output to HDF5 file format, which is portable and convenient for post-processing using high-level languages such as Python and Julia.
Speech Enhancement and Recognition using Kalman Filter Modified via Radial Basis Function

In this paper, a Radial Basis Function-based Kalman filter has been utilized to perform speech enhancement of an audio signal. Moreover, in order to accomplish speech recognition, correlation after detecting signal envelop has been applied. Based on the simulation result, it shows that using the radial basis function-based Kalman filter (non-linear functions to estimate Q parameter) should lead to obtain better results.
Pelvic Pain in the Transgender Man

The purpose of this review is to update readers on the multifactorial nature of pelvic pain with specific considerations for the female to male (FtM) transgender patient. Secondary effects of testosterone therapy include both genital and musculoskeletal changes that may contribute to the development of pelvic pain. Hysterectomy is therapeutic for gender affirmation and underlying pain conditions. Postsurgical pain from further pelvic reconstruction may be the result of the reconstruction itself, surgical scarring, or prostheses. Pelvic pain is a common condition with many contributing factors. For the FtM patient, pelvic pain may be present at any point in the transition process. Pain conditions may be pre-existing or occur as a result of medical or surgical treatment of gender dysphoria. Research is needed on sex hormone-specific influences on the development of pelvic pain and mitigation strategies for treatment-specific development of pelvic pain in the transgender population.
Neovaginal Canal Dissection in Gender-Affirming Vaginoplasty.

Purpose:Gender-affirming vaginoplasty creates the vulva and vaginal canal for individuals assigned male sex at birth who have gender dysphoria. Dissection of the neovaginal space can be particularl...