cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive video streaming in vertical handoff: a case study

Video streaming has become a popular form of transferring video over the Internet. With the emergence of mobile computing needs, a successful video streaming solution demands 1) uninterrupted services even with the presence of mobility and 2) adaptive video delivery according to current link properties. We study the need and evaluate the performance of adaptive video streaming in vertical handoff scenarios. We use universal seamless handoff architecture (USHA) to create a seamless handoff environment, and use the video transfer protocol (VTP) to adapt video streaming rates according to "eligible rate estimates". Using testbed measurements experiments, we verify the importance of service adaptation, as well as show the improvement of user-perceived video quality, via adapting video streaming in the vertical handoffs.
The Protective Effects of Ischemic Postconditioning in Experimental Stroke

In contrast to ischemic preconditioning, which is sublethal ischemia and reperfusion performed before stroke onset to mitigate its effects, ischemic postconditioning refers to the protective effects of reperfusion interruption performed after the restoration of blood flow following stroke. This chapter focuses on the protective effects of ischemic postconditioning in various ischemic models, including in vivo focal and global ischemia models as well as in vitro oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) models. Different triggers used to mimic the effects of ischemic postconditioning are discussed, including brief, repetitive reperfusion/occlusion of blood vessels, a single period of brief ischemia or hypoxia, and application of neurotoxic or anesthetic agents. In addition, the chronic protective effects of ischemic postconditioning and the therapeutic time windows are summarized. Furthermore, the potential for a combination of ischemic pre- and postconditioning to generate synergistic effects is explored. Last, the underlying protective mechanisms of postconditioning, such as the Akt cell survival pathway, MAPK pathways, and PKC pathways, among others, are discussed. This chapter therefore offers a comprehensive review on the progress of research in ischemic postconditioning for stroke.
Multichannel scheduling and its connection to queueing network control problem

We consider the multichannel scheduling problem where the data rate offered by a channel is heterogeneous across users and the transmission time of a packet is random. The objective is to schedule the transmissions of all users over multiple channels to maximize the average weighted throughput of the network. Based on a Markov Decision Process formulation, we show that this problem is in general EXP-hard. To obtain computable performance benchmarks, we consider preemptive policies as well as the saturation mode in which a simple polynomial time algorithm is shown to be optimal. Both lead to upper bounds for the original problem. Low complexity approximation methods are then developed to achieve efficient solutions. Furthermore by drawing a connection to the queueing network control problem which is known to be EXP-complete, we obtain sufficient conditions under which the complexity of the queueing network control problem is reduced to polynomial-time.
Premature switching in graphene Josephson transistors

Abstract We investigate electronic transport in single layer graphene coupled to superconducting electrodes. In these Josephson transistors, we observe significant suppression in the critical current I c and large variations in the product I c R n in comparison to theoretical predictions in the ballistic limit. We show that the depression of I c can be explained by premature switching in underdamped Josephson junctions described within the resistively and capacitively shunted junction (RCSJ) model. By considering the effect of premature switching and dissipation, the calculated gate dependence of product I c R n agrees with experimental data. Our discovery underscores the crucial role of thermal fluctuations in electronic transport in graphene Josephson transistors.
Immigration Generation Status and its Association with Suicide Attempts, Substance Use, and Depressive Symptoms among Latino Adolescents in the USA

This study investigated the relation between suicide attempts and immigrant generation status using the Latino subset of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a school-based, nationally representative sample. This study also examined whether generation status predicted risk factors associated with elevated suicide behaviors, namely illicit substance use, problematic alcohol use, and depressive symptoms. Finally, hypothesizing that elevated depressive symptoms and substance use mediate the relation between immigrant generation status and suicide attempts among Latino adolescents, a path model was tested. Our findings revealed immigrant generation status was a determinant for suicide attempts, problematic alcohol use, repeated marijuana use, and repeated other drug use for Latino adolescents. US-born Latinos with immigrant parents (i.e., second-generation youth) were 2.87 (95% CI, 1.34, 6.14) times more likely to attempt suicide, 2.27 (95% CI, 1.53, 3.35) times more likely to engage in problematic alcohol use, 2.56 (95% CI, 1.62, 4.05) times more likely to engage in repeated marijuana use, and 2.28 (95% CI, 1.25, 4.17) times more likely to engage in repeated other drug use than were foreign-born youth (i.e., first-generation youth). Later-generations of US-born Latino youth with US-born parents were 3.57 (95% CI, 1.53–8.34) times more likely to attempt suicide, 3.34 (95% CI, 2.18–5.11) times more likely to engage in problematic alcohol use, 3.90 (95% CI, 2.46, 6.20) times more likely to engage in repeated marijuana use, and 2.80 (95% CI, 1.46, 5.34) times more likely to engage in repeated other drug use than were first-generation youth. Results from the path analysis indicated that repeated other drug use may mediate the effect of generation status on suicide attempts.
Genetic Adaptation Associated with Genome-Doubling in Autotetraploid Arabidopsis arenosa

Genome duplication, which results in polyploidy, is disruptive to fundamental biological processes. Genome duplications occur spontaneously in a range of taxa and problems such as sterility, aneuploidy, and gene expression aberrations are common in newly formed polyploids. In mammals, genome duplication is associated with cancer and spontaneous abortion of embryos. Nevertheless, stable polyploid species occur in both plants and animals. Understanding how natural selection enabled these species to overcome early challenges can provide important insights into the mechanisms by which core cellular functions can adapt to perturbations of the genomic environment. Arabidopsis arenosa includes stable tetraploid populations and is related to well-characterized diploids A. lyrata and A. thaliana. It thus provides a rare opportunity to leverage genomic tools to investigate the genetic basis of polyploid stabilization. We sequenced the genomes of twelve A. arenosa individuals and found signatures suggestive of recent and ongoing selective sweeps throughout the genome. Many of these are at genes implicated in genome maintenance functions, including chromosome cohesion and segregation, DNA repair, homologous recombination, transcriptional regulation, and chromatin structure. Numerous encoded proteins are predicted to interact with one another. For a critical meiosis gene, ASYNAPSIS1, we identified a non-synonymous mutation that is highly differentiated by cytotype, but present as a rare variant in diploid A. arenosa, indicating selection may have acted on standing variation already present in the diploid. Several genes we identified that are implicated in sister chromatid cohesion and segregation are homologous to genes identified in a yeast mutant screen as necessary for survival of polyploid cells, and also implicated in genome instability in human diseases including cancer. This points to commonalities across kingdoms and supports the hypothesis that selection has acted on genes controlling genome integrity in A. arenosa as an adaptive response to genome doubling.
Development of palladium L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and its application for chloropalladium complexes

Abstract X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a synchrotron-based experimental technique that provides information about geometric and electronic structures of transition metal complexes. Combination of metal L-edge and ligand K-edge XAS has the potential to define the complete experimental ground state electronic structures for metal complexes with unoccupied d manifolds. We developed a quantitative treatment for Pd L-edge spectroscopy on the basis of the well-established chlorine K-edge XAS for a series of chloropalladium complexes that are pre-catalysts in various organic transformations. We found that Pd–Cl bonds are highly covalent, such as 24 ± 2%, 34 ± 3%, and 48 ± 4% chloride 3p character for each Pd–Cl bond in [PdCl 4 ] 2− , [PdCl 6 ] 2− , and PdCl 2 , respectively. Pd(2p → 4d) transition dipole integrals of 20.8 (SSRL)/16.9 (ALS) eV and 14.1 (SSRL)/11.9 (ALS) eV were determined using various combinations of L-edges for Pd (II) and Pd (IV) , respectively. Application of metal–ligand covalency and transition dipole integrals were demonstrated for the example of bridging chloride ligands in PdCl 2 . Our work lays the foundation for extending the quantitative treatment to other catalytically important ligands, such as phosphine, phosphite, olefin, amine, and alkyl in order to correlate the electronic structures of palladium complexes with their catalytic activity.
The MEMS 5-in-1 Reference Materials (RM 8096 and 8097)

The Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) 5-in-1 Reference Material (RM) contains test structures for five standard test methods on one test chip, so companies can compare their in-house measurements taken on the RM with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) measurements, thereby validating their use of the documentary standard test methods. Examples of NIST reference values are given for an RM 8096 monitor chip used at NIST for stability studies.
Probabilistic model for sensor fault detection and identification

A new Bayesian belief network (BBN) model with discretized nodes is proposed for fault detection and identification in a single sensor. The single-sensor model is used as a building block to develop a BBN model for all sensors in the process considered. A new fault detection index, a fault identification index, and a threshold setting procedure for the multisensor model are introduced. The fault detection index exploits the probabilistic information of the multisensor model, which, along with the proposed threshold setting procedure, leads to effective detection of faulty sensors. The fault identification index uses only the probabilistic information of the faulty sensor to determine in a discretized fashion the size of faults that should be analyzed within a moving time window to identify the fault type. Single-sensor model design parameters (prior and conditional probability data) are optimized to achieve maximum effectiveness in detection and identification of sensor faults. The single-sensor model and optimal values of design parameters are used to develop a multisensor BBN model for a polymerization reactor at steady-state conditions. Its capabilities to detect and identify bias, drift, and noise in sensor readings are illustrated for single and simultaneous multiple faults by several case studies.
Optimal Output Transition for Settling Control in Hard-Disk Drives with Dual-Stage Actuators

The settling problem in hard disk drives (HDD) is an output transition problem - given an initial state x(0), the goal is to bring the output to a desired value y(tf) = -y and hold it constant after the end of settling, t > tj. This article develops the direct solution to the optimal output transition (OOT) problem for seek settling, and develops a method to use post-actuation inputs to optimize the seek settling cost. The approach is illustrated with simulations on an example dual-stage system model. Simulations are also used to illustrate the reduction in the computational burden for online implementation by using linear combinations of precomputed inputs.
The Role of Design Artifacts in Design Theory Construction

As a discipline evolves, intellectual issues come into focus, and the outcomes of systematic inquiry grow in importance. The discipline of design is facing such a time, as scholars, researchers, and practitioners are devoting attention to creating categories for design practice and design research, articulating methods and processes, and, in some cases, building new design theories. The field of Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) is also experiencing an evolutionary broadening in scope that creates the need for design research. Many designers working in the HCI research community have expressed an increased interest in research through design, a research approach that employs methods and processes from design practice. However, without an agreed form of practice, evaluation, and outcome, it is hard to consistently develop design theory from research to design outcomes. In this paper, the authors begin to identify specific outcomes of research through design that form the basis for theory production. They present the research through design process and two different approaches of research through design (philosophical and grounded) that can lead to formation of design theory. They identify that extensible, systemic approaches to research through design are the most promising ones for developing design theory, and illustrate with examples.
Tax in Kind to Reduce Supply and Increase Income without Government Payments and Marketing Quotas

Theoretically, a tax in kind can be used to reduce supply and increase net farm income. Applied through a share payment to government, private marginal costs are increased and supply is decreased. The government also has a food fund to be used for aid or similar purposes. The mechanism requires neither government payments nor compulsory market quotas to lessen supply. However, compulsory sharing is necessary to prevent "free riders." Variants of the mechanism would include a gross sales tax collected in conjunction with income taxes. The mechanism provides a policy alternative with interesting potentials in income distribution.
Culture, Economic Development, and Quality of Life: A Speculative Comment on the Case of Kerala, India

. Kerala State, India, had a per capita income of abott $290 for 1985, about the same as other Indian states. But Kerala has a Physical Quality of Life Index of 79 (compared to 43 for India). Saudi Arabia has a per capita income of $8,850 for 1985 but a PQLI of 28. How come? Of course, per capita income does not measure income distribution and India is a plural democracy while Saudi Arabia is an authoritarian monarchy. But the critical factor may well be culture.
Ocean acidification increases the vulnerability of native oysters to predation by invasive snails.

There is growing concern that global environmental change might exacerbate the ecological impacts of invasive species by increasing their per capita effects on native species. However, the mechanisms underlying such shifts in interaction strength are poorly understood. Here, we test whether ocean acidification, driven by elevated seawater pCO2, increases the susceptibility of native Olympia oysters to predation by invasive snails. Oysters raised under elevated pCO2 experienced a 20% increase in drilling predation. When presented alongside control oysters in a choice experiment, 48% more high-CO2 oysters were consumed. The invasive snails were tolerant of elevated CO2 with no change in feeding behaviour. Oysters raised under acidified conditions did not have thinner shells, but were 29–40% smaller than control oysters, and these smaller individuals were consumed at disproportionately greater rates. Reduction in prey size is a common response to environmental stress that may drive increasing per capita effects of stress-tolerant invasive predators.
Studies of Lipoxygenase Function

Many lipoxygenase inhibitors including curcumin are currently being studied for their anti-carcinogenic properties. Curcumin is a naturally occurring polyphenolic phytochemical isolated from the powdered rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa that possesses anti-inflammatory properties and inhibits cancer formation in mice. Recently it was shown that the soybean lipoxygenase L1 catalyzed the oxygenation of curcumin and that curcumin can act as a lipoxygenase substrate. In the current study, we investigate the fate of curcumin when used as a soybean lipoxygenase L3 substrate. By use of X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry, we have found an unoccupied electron mass that appears to be a unusual degradation product of curcumin (4-hydroxyperoxy-2methoxyphenol) located near the soybean L3 catalytic site. Understanding how curcumin inhibits lipoxygenase may help in the development of novel anti-cancer drugs used for treatment where lipoxygenases are involved.
Measuring nitrification inhibition by metals in wastewater treatment systems: Current state of science and fundamental research needs

AbstractWastewater treatment is an important step within the water continuum as it reduces the risks associated with microorganisms as well as organic and inorganic compounds. From a chemical standpoint, treatment effectiveness is generally linked to carbon and nutrient (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) removal. A critical step in nitrogen removal is initiated by the conversion of ammonia to nitrate, a process that is carried out by nitrifying microorganisms. Nitrification is considered a key step as it removes the toxic effect of ammonia, while the resulting nitrate can be further converted into N2 gas (by autotrophic or heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria), which is not harmful to the environment. As nitrification is susceptible to a wide range of inhibitory substances, measuring the effect of potential inhibitors on nitrification rates is relevant to maintaining the performance of treatment plants. In this review we discuss the primary methods used to measure nitrification inhibition, their applications, and ...
pBR322 vectors having tetracycline-dependent replication.

Few Escherichia coli cloning vectors are available that can both be stably maintained and efficiently cured. One such vector is pAM34, a pBR332 derivative constructed by Gil and Bouche (1991). Replication of this plasmid is driven by the lacZYA promoter under control of a gratuitous inducer. However, lac operator-repressor interactions are also used to regulate many expression systems which limit the utility of pAM34. In this report pAM34 has been modified by replacement of the lac regulatory elements with those of the transposon Tn10 tetracycline resistance module. This resulted in medium copy number plasmids that are dependent on the presence of tetracycline (or less satisfactorily, anhydrotetracycline) for replication. The tetracycline-dependent plasmids are rapidly lost in the absence of tetracycline and plasmid loss is markedly accelerated when the host strain expresses a tetracycline efflux pump.
Reterritorializing economic governance: Contracts, space, and law in transborder economic geographies:

All large firms exploit regulatory variation across jurisdictions by exporting activity to strategic locations around the globe. Less well known are the ways major economic players bring other juri...
Differential expression of angiotensin II receptors during early renal morphogenesis

Angiotensin II (ANG II) and its receptors, AT1 and AT2, may modulate kidney development. To define the temporal and spatial distribution of AT1 and AT2 receptors and their mRNAs during nephrogenesis, fetal, newborn, and adult rat kidneys were studied using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and radioligand binding autoradiography. AT1 expression was minimal at embryonic day 14 (E14), highly expressed at E20, and persisted into adulthood. Conversely, AT2 expression was easily detected from E14 through postnatal day 7 but was undetectable by postnatal day 28. At E14, 76% of the receptors were AT2, 24% were AT1, and both were found in the undifferentiated mesenchyme. By E17, AT1 comprised 40% of the receptors and localized to mature nephron segments, whereas AT2 remained within both condensed mesenchyme and differentiating epithelia. The dissociation constants for AT1 and AT2 were 0.45 +/- 0.09 nM and 0.73 +/- 0.15 nM, respectively, at E17, similar to adult values. By E20, AT1 and AT2 colocalized to the outer medullary stripe, deep nephrons, medullary rays, and blood vessels, while AT2 continued to predominate in the actively differentiating cortex. The presence of both subtypes of receptors capable of binding ANG II during early nephrogenesis and the time-dependent and structure-specific regulation of receptor localization confirm a regulated developmental program for receptor expression and suggest important roles for AT1 and AT2 in renal morphogenesis.
Discovery of Selective Small-Molecule Inhibitors for the β-Catenin/T-Cell Factor Protein-Protein Interaction through the Optimization of the Acyl Hydrazone Moiety.

Acyl hydrazone is an important functional group for the discovery of bioactive small molecules. This functional group is also recognized as a pan assay interference structure. In this study, a new small-molecule inhibitor for the β-catenin/Tcf protein–protein interaction (PPI), ZINC02092166, was identified through AlphaScreen and FP assays. This compound contains an acyl hydrazone group and exhibits higher inhibitory activities in cell-based assays than biochemical assays. Inhibitor optimization resulted in chemically stable derivatives that disrupt the β-catenin/Tcf PPI. The binding mode of new inhibitors was characterized by site-directed mutagenesis and structure–activity relationship studies. This series of inhibitors with a new scaffold exhibits dual selectivity for β-catenin/Tcf over β-catenin/cadherin and β-catenin/APC PPIs. One derivative of this series suppresses canonical Wnt signaling, downregulates the expression of Wnt target genes, and inhibits the growth of cancer cells. This compound repre...
Impact on Splitting Tensile Properties of the Early Age Shrinkage-compensating Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete

To analyze early age shrinkage compensation steel fiber reinforced concrete( SCSFRC) in impact dynamic fracturing under load conditions,this paper adopts HCSA expansion agent( dosage of 8%) and indentation corrugated steel fiber( volume content 1.0%) of the sample preparation 7 d concrete impact on splitting tensile test.Through theoretical analysis,it is concluded that under dynamic load,dynamic tensile strength of concrete specimen,the formula of strain rate and strain,and by using the finite element analysis software ANSYS/LSDYNA,simulate the specimen in the SHPB experiment device when the impact dynamic fracturing process.Experimental results show that characteristics of SCSFRC and ordinary concrete specimen overall similarity,along the central axis compression on the surface of the impact damage sequence is made from two ends to the center of development,consistent with the finite element software calculation results.Can be seen from the stress strain diagram,splitting tensile strength of steel fiber on concrete improve significantly,the dynamic splitting tensile strength of 5.30 MPa for SCSFRC specimen by strain rate at 2.25 s- 1,the dynamic splitting tensile strength of 4.48 MPa for ordinary concrete by strain rate at 2.21 s- 1,the strain rate of similar cases,SCSFRC splitting tensile strength than that of ordinary concrete increased by 18.3%,and SCSFRC has a complete failure pattern.
An Analysis of Sentinel Lymph Node Detection in 29 Cases with Cervical Cancer

[Purpose]To investigate safty and influencing factors on sentinel lymph node(SLN)detection with methylene blue in cervical cancer.[Methods] Between Jan.2004 and Jan.2005,29 patients with cervical cancer stage Ⅰb toⅡb underwent SLN detection with methylene blue.The accuray and false-negative rate of SLN predicting pelvic lymph node metastasis were evaluated based on post-operative pathology.[Results] A total of 41 SLNs were identified successfully in 23 of 29(79.31%)patients.The positive rate of SLNs detection in cases with and without preoperative chemotherapy was 79.17% and 80.00% respectively.SLNs were most commonly found in obturator fossa.[Conclusion] SLNs detection for cervical cancer with methylene blue dyeing was safe and the most common site was obturator fossa.
National Grid procedural test requirements for commissioning of multifunction numerical protection relays

This paper identifies National Grid's best practice in respect of commissioning procedures and processes which have been developed through years of experience to commission multifunction relays. Collectively these processes and procedures safeguard the security of the transmission system and prevent the unwanted operation of multifunction numerical protection relays due to incorrect settings. The processes and procedures outlined in this paper have been developed based on the experience of those involved in the commissioning process, and system incidents, which have occurred due to deficiencies in the commissioning process.
A tool set to allow rapid screening of dog families with PRA for association with candidate genes

Objective To develop a method to rapidly screen candidate genes for association with recessively inherited progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in pedigrees of dog in which a causative mutation has not been identified. Animal studied Thirteen PRA-affected dogs were used in this study. Procedures Two microsatellite markers (MS) were designed flanking 45 candidate genes. MS markers were analyzed for heterozygosity and allelic richness. Two dog breeds, in which the causative mutation has been identified (Entlebucher Sennenhunds [ES] and PDE6A-mutant dogs [PDE6A]), were used to validate the MS marker panel. One breed in which the causative mutation is currently unknown (Old English Sheepdog [OES]) was investigated in this study utilizing the MS panel. Results Marker heterozygosity excluded 38 of 45 and 41 of 45 candidate genes (ES and PDE6A, respectively) with each true culprit gene remaining on the list of nonexcluded candidate genes. Additionally, 41 of 45 genes were excluded for OES. Conclusions This tool set was used quickly and efficiently to narrow down 45 candidate genes for recessively inherited PRA in two types of dogs with known mutations and one type of dog with an unknown mutation.
Self-Organizing Neural Architectures for Vision, Learning, and Robotic Control

Self-organizing neural architectures are described for the visual perception of static and moving forms, for autonomous real-time learning of multidimensional associative maps, and for adaptive control of variable-speed multi joint motor trajectories. Motion filtering and segmentation are carried out by a motion Boundary Contour System. Associative learning is accomplished by a Vector Associative Map, which provides an on-line alternative to the off-line properties of Back Propagation for error-based learning. Trajectory formation is carried out by a Vector Integration to Endpoint model.
Some Mechanistic Aspects of Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase

Water is involved in the carboxylase reaction in 2 distinct ways (Fig 1.) Besides its stoichiometric involvement, it hydrates both substrates. While carbon dioxide has long been recognised as the active species, no information is yet available on how the enzyme handles the geM-diol form of RuBP. The equilibria and kinetics of interconversion of the keto and gem-diol forms of RuBP have been studied by NMR and UV spectroscopy. As Table I indicates the equilibrium is temperature dependent, higher temperatures favoring the keto form.
Measurement of the ambient gamma dose equivalent and kerma from the small 252Cf source at 1 meter and the small 60Co source at 2 meters

NASA Langley Research Center requested a measurement and determination of the ambient gamma dose equivalent rate and kerma at 100 cm from the 252Cf source and determination of the ambient gamma dose equivalent rate and kerma at 200 cm from the 60Co source for the Radiation Budget Instrument Experiment (Rad-X). An Exradin A6 ion chamber with Shonka air-equivalent plastic walls in combination with a Supermax electrometer were used to measure the exposure rate and free-in-air kerma rate of the two sources at the requested distances. The measured gamma exposure, kerma, and dose equivalent rates are tabulated.
Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF-1alpha) Has a Crucial Role in Microvascular Regulation in Transgenic/Knockout Sickle Mouse Models.

In sickle cell anemia (SCA), abnormal red cell rheology, hemolytic anemia and chronic hypoxia will impact endothelial function and result in compromised microvascular regulation. In SCA, chronic hypoxia and hypoxic events are likely to activate hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), a transcriptional factor that is involved in regulation of several genes including genes for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vasoactive molecules (e.g., inducible NOS, neuronal NOS, heme oxygenase [HO-1], endothelin). However, the status and role of this critical factor remains unexplored in SCD. We hypothesize that in SCA, chronic hypoxia caused by intravascular sickling (hemoglobin S polymerization), low hematocrit and vaso-occlusive events will induce HIF-1alpha, which will lead to activation of vasoregulatory genes and affect vascular tone mechanisms. To this end, we have explored the expression of HIF-1alpha: under normoxic conditions in transgenic-knockout sickle BERK mice (express exclusively human alpha- and beta S-globins; severe pathology) and in transgenic sickle (NY1DD) mice (mild pathology) subjected to prolonged hypoxia. In BERK mice, low hematocrit coupled with intravascular sickling will contribute to chronic hypoxia. We selected the cremaster muscle preparation used for our microcirculatory studies in BERK mice that have shown in vivo sickling, red cell adhesion and frequent episodes of transient ischemic events (Kaul et al. JCI, 2004). Western blotting of cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts of rapidly excised cremaster muscle from normoxic C57BL and BERK mice was carried out using mouse-reactive anti-HIF-1alpha antibodies. HIF-1alpha positive bands were detected at 90 kDa. Densitometric analysis confirmed average increases of 1.6-and 2.3-fold, respectively, in cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts of BERK mice (P
The effect of delaying radiation therapy for systemic chemotherapy on local-regional control in breast cancer.

Background. It remains controversial as to whether the administration of chemotherapy prior to radiation following the surgical treatment for localized breast cancer compromises local control.
Kinship Verification on Families in the Wild with Marginalized Denoising Metric Learning

With our Families In the Wild (FIW) dataset, which consists of labels 1, 000 families in over 12, 000 family photos, we benchmarked the largest kinship verification experiment to date. FIW, with its quality data and labels for full family trees found worldwide, more accurately is the true, global distribution of blood relatives with a total 378, 300 face pairs of 9 different relationship types. This gives support to tackle the problem with modern-day data-driven methods, which are imperative due to the complex nature of tasks involving visual kinship recognition– many hidden factors and less discrimination when considering face pairs of blood relatives. For this, we propose a denoising auto-encoder based robust metric learning (DML) framework and its marginalized version (mDML) to explicitly preserve the intrinsic structure of data and simultaneously endow the discriminative information into the learned features. Large-scale experiments show that our method outperforms other features and metric based approaches on each of the 9 relationship types.
Improving the asthma disparity gap with legal advocacy? A qualitative study of patient-identified challenges to improve social and environmental factors that contribute to poorly controlled asthma.

Objective: To identify challenges that disadvantaged adults with asthma face in mitigating social and environmental factors associated with poor symptom control. Methods: Using a community-engaged ...
Evaluation of 25% Poloxamer As a Slow Release Carrier for Morphine in a Rat Model.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate poloxamer as a slow release carrier for morphine (M) and potential tissue irritation after subcutaneous (SC) poloxamer-morphine (PM) injection in a rat model. Based on the result of a previous in vitro work, 25% poloxamer, with and without morphine, and saline were administered in 14 rats’ flanks. Blood for morphine concentrations was automatically sampled at multiple preprogrammed time points using the CulexTM unit for 48 hours. Skin tissues from the injection sites were harvested and evaluated for histopathological changes. Following M or PM administration, it was determined that the half-life (t½) was significantly longer in the PM (5.5 ±7.2 hr) than M (0.7± 0.8 hr) indicated a slow dissolution of poloxamer with morphine. The tmax was within 15 minutes and Cmax was approximately 3 times higher with M than with PM, reaching 716.8 (±153.7 ng/ml) of plasma morphine concentrations. There was no significant difference in total area under the curve and clearance of M vs PM. Histology inflammatory scores were similar between M, PM, and poloxamer but were significantly higher than saline control. We concluded that 25% poloxamer was capable of increasing the t½ of morphine, without a significant tissue irritation.
Coal and coal byproducts: A large and developable unconventional resource for critical materials – Rare earth elements

Abstract Rare earth elements (REEs) are critical materials and provide significant values to national security, energy production, environmental protection and economic growth. The supply of REEs in U.S. solely relies on import as domestic production of REEs was ceased because of the environmental concerns during mining and lack of competitiveness. Nonetheless, unconventional REEs-containing resources, including produced water, acid mine drainage, and coal and coal byproducts (C&CBs) contain significant amounts of REEs. However, the concentrations of REEs in these resources are several orders of magnitude lower than that of REEs ores. Thus, extraction of REEs from these materials is challenging. Here we report REEs extraction with environmentally friendly method that successfully concentrated REEs from 312 ppm in fly ash to 99.4% in the final product. Especially, the five critically important REEs (Dy, Eu, Nd, Tb, and Y) account for up to ∼63% of the total weight of all REEs in the final 99.4%-purity product. Coal fly ash is one of the major solid coal utilization byproducts, representing great potential resources for REEs extraction. Extraction of REEs from these unconventional resources could be the way to secure domestic supply of these critical materials.
Loss of biliverdin reductase-A promotes lipid accumulation and lipotoxicity in mouse proximal tubule cells

Obesity and increased lipid availability have been implicated in the development and progression of chronic kidney disease. One of the major sites of renal lipid accumulation is in the proximal tub...
An efficient cross product representation of the constraint satisfaction problem search space

Constraint satisfaction problems involve finding values for variables subject to constraints on which combinations of values are permitted. They arise in a wide variety of domains, ranging from scene analysis to temporal reasoning. We present a new representation for partial solutions as cross products of sets of values. This representation can be used to improve the performance of standard algorithms, especially when seeking all solutions or discovering that none exist.
Financial advice and individual investors’ investment decisions

Findings from previous studies generally indicate that relying on advice from financial advisors is associated with investment decisions. This study uses data from the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finan...
Free energy of {{\widehat{D}}_n} quiver Chern-Simons theories

We apply the matrix model of Kapustin, Willett and Yaakov to compute the free energy of $ \mathcal{N}=3 $ Chern-Simons matter theories with $ {{\widehat{D}}_n} $ quivers in the large N limit. We conjecture a general expression for the free energy that is explicitly invariant under Seiberg duality and show that it can be interpreted as a sum over certain graphs known as signed graphs. Through the AdS/CFT correspondence, this leads to a prediction for the volume of certain tri-Sasaki Einstein manifolds. We also study the unfolding procedure, which relates these $ {{\widehat{D}}_n} $ quivers to $ {{\widehat{A}}_{2n-5 }} $ quivers. Furthermore, we consider the addition of massive fundamental flavor fields, verifying that integrating these out decreases the free energy in accordance with the F-theorem.
Social Comparison and the Idealized Images of Advertising: Revisited

The purpose of this study was to research possible conclusions from hypotheses based on the belief that idealized advertising images force young women to compare their attractiveness to ads which tends to lead to feelings of negative self-worth. These comparisons include clothing ads, advertisements for personal care/cosmetics, and the effects of residency placement. Consideration was given to Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale. This scale was the measure for individual perception of the self, and used as 1he guide for ad comparisons along with questions based on social comparison theory. Social comparison theory is related to the concept that consumers compare themselves with persons portrayed in ads or idealized images.
Insertion Reactions of Heteroallenes (CS2 and CO2) into the Ru-H bond of Cp′Ru(PTA)(PR3)H Complexes (PTA = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane)

Abstract Insertion of CS2 into the Ru-H bond of Cp′Ru(PTA)(PR3)H, where Cp′ = Cp (C5H5−); Cp* (C5Me5−); Dp (C8H9−); Ind (C9H7−); or Tp ([HB(C3N2H3)3]−) and PR3 = PTA (1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) or PPh3, resulted in a series of air-stable Cp′Ru(PTA)(PR3)(SC(S)H) complexes. All compounds were characterized by multinuclear (1H, 13C, 31P{1H}) NMR spectroscopy, IR, and HRMS. The synthesis, isolation, and X-ray crystal structures of the CS2 insertion products TpRu(PTA)(PPh3)(SC(S)H) and CpRu(PTA)2(SC(S)H) are described. The rate of CS2 insertion for the series of Cp′Ru(PTA)(PPh3)H complexes varied with the Cp′ ligand with the order found to be Cp* > Tp > Dp ∼ Cp >> Ind. The insertion of the structurally similar CO2 was also explored; however, the products, Cp′Ru(PTA)2(OC(O)H) (Cp′ = Cp, Dp), were unstable relative to the loss of CO2 and concomitant reversion of the starting ruthenium hydride.
Evidence of bilinearity in the relationship between rate of neuromuscular excitation and rate of force development.

Abstract The purpose was to examine the relationship between the rate of neural excitation (rate of rise in the electromyogram, EMG) and the rate of isometric force development (RFD) to determine whether surface EMG measures can detect nonlinearity that is expected due to underlying motor unit discharge behavior and the summation of progressively larger motor unit potentials throughout recruitment. Due to interest in obtaining a change point, a bilinear model was hypothesized to provide the best fit of the EMG-RFD relationship compared to a linear model, exponential model and log-transformed data. 21 young adult participants performed isometric dorsiflexion contractions to 40% of their maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force. Contractions were performed in RFD conditions ranging from slow (20 %MVC/s) to fast (peak volitional rate). The Akaike Information Criterion supported nonlinear best fit models in 16 of the 21 participants with the greatest overall support for the bilinear model (n = 13). The bilinear models indicated a mean change point at 204%MVC/s. The present data do not identify the specific motor unit control mechanisms at play and the influence of amplitude cancellation on the electromyogram must be carefully considered.
IDENTIFYING THE NUMBER OF COMPONENTS IN GAUSSIAN MIXTURE MODELS USING NUMERICAL ALGEBRAIC GEOMETRY.

Using Gaussian mixture models for clustering is a statistically mature method for clustering in data science with numerous successful applications in science and engineering. The parameters for a G...
Reduction of IL-6 gene expression in human adipose tissue after sleeve gastrectomy surgery.

Objective There is increasing evidence that immune cell interactions in adipose tissue contribute to the development of metabolic dysfunction. Pro-inflammatory cytokines have been shown to mediate insulin resistance, and the presence of macrophages is a salient feature in the development of obesity. The present study aimed to evaluate adipocyte size and macrophage activation in women before and 3 months after laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). Methods Subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue biopsies were obtained from women scheduled to undergo VSG. Histological evaluation of adipocytes and macrophages was performed as well as cytokine expression quantification before and after VSG-induced weight loss. Results Weight loss following VSG resulted in a reduction in adipocyte size as well as a decrease in interleukin (IL)-6 cytokine mRNA expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue. There was no change in the presence of crownlike structures after weight loss. Conclusions Early weight loss after VSG is associated with a reduction in adipocyte size and a decline in IL-6 gene expression in local adipose tissue. Macrophage infiltration and crownlike density structures persist in adipose tissue from tissues impacted by excess body weight 3 months after VSG-induced weight loss.
State Assessment and Fault Prediction Method of Distribution Terminal Based on SDAE and Hierarchical Bayesian

State Assessment and Fault Prediction mechanism of distribution terminal is the premise of ensuring safe and reliable operation of power grid. However, the sample size of fault rate data of distribution terminal is usually small and the data is missing seriously, so it is difficult to accurately evaluate and analyze the fault rate data. A reliability assessment and prediction model based on stacked denoising autoencoder and hierarchical bayesian is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the quantile method is used to detect abnormal values of distribution terminals. Then, features of fault data is extracted by stacked denoising autoencoder(SDAE), and the Hierarchical Bayesian(HB) model is used to evaluate the failure rate data of distribution terminals. Finally, the evaluation method is compared the traditional prior distribution and the second-order linear regression. The results show that the proposed method improves the accuracy of fault assessment by 5.37% and 10.09%, the accuracy of prediction by 10.23% and 19.94%. The proposed method has higher reliability, prediction efficiency and evaluation accuracy.
Why are physical activity breaks more effective than a single session of isoenergetic exercise in reducing postprandial glucose? A systemic review and meta-analysis.

Previous studies revealed that interrupting sitting time with short, frequent physical activity (PA) breaks were more effective than a single session of isoenergetic exercise in reducing postprandi...
Risk and Asymmetry in Development Ethics

Risk is implicit in economic development. When does a course of economic development ethically balance risk and likely benefit? This paper examines the view of risk we find in Amartya Senâ€™s work on development. It shows that Senâ€™s capabilities approach leads to a more sensitive understanding of risk than traditional utility theory. Senâ€™s approach also supplies the basis of an argument for risk aversion in interventions that affect economic development. Senâ€™s approach describes development as aiming at freedom. The paper shows how this claim can be made compatible with the social and relational basis of African communitarianism.
Rapid Invasive Species Detection by Combining Environmental DNA with Light Transmission Spectroscopy

Invasive aquatic species introductions cause tremendous environmental and economic damage. Conservation and management efforts will benefit from rapid, inexpensive, and accurate on-site methods to detect harmful aquatic species to prevent their introduction and spread. Here, two technologies, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling and Light Transmission Spectroscopy (LTS), were combined to address this need. Specifically, eDNA filtering and extraction methods were used to isolate DNA from: (1) lake water samples that were seeded with a microscopic fragment of five high-risk invasive species and (2) untreated samples from lakes infested with the invasive zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. LTS was then used to detect size shifts resulting from hybridization of PCR products with nanobeads covered with species-specific oligonucleotide probes. The results demonstrate that coupling eDNA sampling with LTS species detection can provide a sensitive and real-time solution for screening real-world water samples for invasive species.
Cognitive Content-Specificity for Anxiety and Depression: A Meta-Analysis

A review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the empirical evidence for the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis. The cognitive content-specificity hypothesis is a component of Aaron Beck's cognitive theory of emotional disorders (A.T. Beck, 1976) in which he postulates that affective states can be discriminated on the basis of unique cognitive content. The majority of investigations of this hypothesis have involved the assessment of self-reported cognitive features associated with anxious and depressive symptomatology. Across the 13 studies meeting the inclusion criteria, all effect sizes, even divergent relationships, were significantly different from zero indicating that depressive and anxious cognitive content shared significant variance with both depression and anxiety. More specific effect-size contrasts indicted that depressive cognitive content did display significant specificity, being more strongly related to depression than anxiety. Finally, the cognitive content measures were found to be highly correlated. These findings are generally inconsistent with the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis. Theoretical and psychometric recommendations are offered to address these issues in future cognitive content-specificity research.
Theory of the Recursive Dyadic Green's Function for Inhomogeneous Ferrite Canonically Shaped Microstrip Circulators

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the upgrading of the theory for electromagnetic circulators, which are realized currently in the planar configuration compatible with integrated circuit technologies. The electromagnetic theory is presented by retaining the complete set of equations describing the electromagnetic and physical phenomena, such that one obtains that are commonly referred to as full-wave electromagnetic solutions. This is extremely desirable in microwave and millimeter wave applications where the propagation characteristics and field behavior require a realistic modeling of frequency dispersion. The circulator configuration examined is purposely limited to the circular cross-section type in order to make use of canonical solution properties of partial differential equations. Use of magnetic and electric walls, where they are reasonable to constrain the electromagnetic field, is done to make the problem more tractable and elegant. Numerical results found with the recursive Green's function approach used, employing a two-dimensional model, typically take a few seconds per frequency point.