cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fourier Transform of Periodic Signals

While the Fourier transform was originally incepted as a way to deal with aperiodic signals, we can still use it to analyze period ones! The tackle method is twofold. First we know that any periodic signals can be decomposed in terms of a Fourier series which is a summation of complex exponentials. Second we know that each exponential has the Fourier transform as a delta function in the frequency domain. By simply using superposition, then we would expect that the Fourier transform of the periodic signal to be comprised of a sequence of delta functions in the frequency domain, uniformly spaced by the fundamental frequency of the periodic signal in the time domain. We apply this on a few examples, including the periodic pulse, periodic hat function, periodic parabola function, and finally the periodic impulse function. We also derive the relation between the Fourier transform of the aperiodic version and that of periodic on. In essence in going from an aperiodic version to one that is periodic, the frequency spectrum collapses from a continuous one to a discrete one, while still maintaining the overall shape. Similar to before strong emphasis is put on graphics and visual to illustrate the essence of both aperiodic and periodic spectrums.
Resilience and ‘technicity’: challenges and opportunities for new knowledge practices in disaster planning

With increasing exposure to environmental catastrophes and natural hazards, the terminology of ‘resilience’ is becoming ubiquitous in the planning field. As a part of this continuing discussion, th...
What Does the Brain Tell about Scarcity Bias? Cognitive Neuroscience Evidence of Decision Making under Scarcity

Scarcity of an offering biases consumer decision making. Most existing scarcity effect research has relied on self-reports, whereas the scarcity-based urgency often makes it difficult for consumers to explain their own decisions. This study employs a neural experiment to collect brain activity and neural network metrics from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans of 12 consumers' brains at the moment of their purchase decision making upon exposure to 102 promotional stimuli with varying scarcity conditions. Findings reveal that scarcity enhanced activities at self-related brain regions, supporting the role of scarcity in elevating symbolic value information processing. When subjects decided to purchase, brain regions related to emotion (e.g., amygdala) were more active; whereas when they decided not to purchase a scarce product, brain regions involved in controlled processing were more active. This study unraveled the neural underpinnings of the scarcity effect on consumers' cognitive and emotional decision making.
On Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Local Controllability Along a Reference Trajectory

Consider an n — dimensional control system modelled by the differential equations $$ \dot x(t) = f(x(t) ,u(t)), (\dot x(t) = dx/dt) $$ (1) where f is smooth and an admissible control u is a piecewise continuous function taking values in a given set U having nonempty interior in Rm . Denote by a(t,q) the set of all points attainable at time t by solutions of (1) corresponding to admissible controls and initiating from q at time 0 . Let u* be a given control which generates a reference trajectory φ with φ(0) = p . The system (1) is locally controllable along φ at p if for all e > 0 ,φ(e)is an interior point of a(e,p) . Loosely speaking, this implies the ability to control the system to a full neighborhood of the reference trajectory over an arbitrarily small interval of time.
Rapid Stretch Injury to Peripheral Nerves: Biomechanical Results.

BACKGROUND Although most adult brachial plexus injuries result from high-speed mechanisms, no laboratory model has been created to mimic rapid-stretch nerve injuries. Understanding the biomechanical response of nerves to rapid stretch is essential to understanding clinical injury patterns and developing models that mimic the clinical scenario. OBJECTIVE To assess the influence of rate, loading direction, and excursion of stretch injuries on the biomechanical properties of peripheral nerves. METHODS The sciatic nerves of 138 Sprague-Dawley rats were dissected and subjected to rapid- and slow-stretch methods. Maximal nerve strain, persistent deformation, regional strain variation, and location of nerve failure were recorded. RESULTS Nerve rupture was primarily determined by weight-drop momentum >1 N/sec (odds ratio = 27.8, P < .0001), suggesting a threshold condition. Loading direction strongly determined maximal strain at rupture (P = .028); pull along the nerve axis resulted in nerve rupture at lower strain than orthogonal loading. Regional variations in nerve compliance and rupture location correlated with anatomic zones. Nerve branch anatomy was the largest contributing factor on maximum strain and rupture location. Rapidly stretched nerves are characterized by a zone of elastic recovery, followed by inelastic response at increasing strain, and finally rupture. CONCLUSION The large variation in previous results for nerve strain at rupture can be attributed to different testing conditions and is largely due to loading direction or segment of nerve tested, which has significant clinical implications. Nerve stretch injuries do not reflect a continuous variability to applied force but instead fall into biomechanical patterns of elastic, inelastic, and rupture injuries.
Characterization of Chest Wall Toxicity During Long-term Follow Up After Thoracic Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Abstract Purpose Chest wall (CW) pain and rib fractures are frequently diagnosed after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for malignant lung tumors. We hypothesize that multiple risk factors, including bone mineral density (BMD), are associated with CW toxicity, and that CW pain and rib fractures often evolve into chronic clinical problems. Methods and materials A total of 118 lung tumors treated with SBRT in 100 patients with a minimum follow-up period of 2 years were retrospectively analyzed. The incidence, clinical course, and related demographic, clinical, and dosimetric factors of CW pain and rib fractures were analyzed. In addition, BMD was assessed, and the radiographic appearance of radiation-induced rib fractures and their healing process were characterized. Results The median follow-up was 49 months (range, 24-106 months). CW pain developed in 33 of 118 treatments (28%) after, on average, 12.5 months (range, 0-50 months), and was more common in women (P = .04). The mean duration of CW pain was 25 months (range, 2-63 months), and 36% of patients never had resolution of CW pain. A total of 34 of 118 treatments (29%) resulted in rib fractures at a mean time of 22 months (range, 3-46 months); rib fractures were more common in women, African Americans, upper/middle lobe tumors, and patients with lower BMD (P Conclusions Several factors were associated with a higher risk of SBRT-related CW toxicity. Optimal CW sparing (eg, volumetric modulated arc therapy, lower dose per fraction) should be considered in this patient group without compromising tumor control. SBRT-induced rib fractures commonly heal abnormally and result in potential chronic CW pain.
Definition, Classification, and Epidemiology of Concussion

The term "concussion" is often ambiguous for patients and caregivers, and likewise for many practitioners the definition remains imprecise. Our understanding of concussion over the last several years has grown and evolved due to the extensive data that is now being collected, and similarly, our definition of the term should too. While there is now more data and literature becoming available regarding pediatric concussion, it seems that there remains a lack of clarity and agreement about the definition and classification of concussion. This article aims to provide a brief review of the available literature on pediatric concussion definition and classifications, and hopefully present the most recent precise and accepted definition and classification system. Surely the definition of concussion will continue to evolve as new knowledge develops.
A real-time vehicle-specific eco-routing model for on-board navigation applications capturing transient vehicle behavior

Abstract The paper develops a real-time vehicle-specific eco-routing model for use in on-board navigation systems for both conventional fuel- and battery-powered electric vehicles. The model uses a novel link cost function that retains all microscopic transient behavior along a link by capturing within-link speed, acceleration, and road grade variations. Specifically, eight vehicle-agnostic link-specific variables are transmitted to the cloud and fused with information received from other connected vehicles. The fused data are then sent back to the connected vehicles and used to compute vehicle-specific eco-routes (edge computing). The solution produces an energy-efficient dynamic user-equilibrium traffic assignment that is solved incrementally. A numerical experiment is first designed to test the model, demonstrating the benefits associated with vehicle-specific eco-routes compared to those produced by traditional models. The model is then implemented in a micro-simulation framework to evaluate the network-wide impacts of the proposed energy-efficient user-optimum incremental traffic assignment for different traffic demand levels. Results demonstrate that the proposed model produces lower network-wide energy consumption levels compared to traditional energy-efficient and travel time user-optimum traffic assignment methods for both conventional fuel and electric vehicles. Conventional fuel savings relative to travel time routing decrease with increasing traffic demand levels, while electric power savings do not vary monotonically with congestion levels. Energy savings relative to traditional eco-routing are also demonstrated to not vary monotonically with demand levels. Results of the study also demonstrate that the transportation network layout significantly affects the eco-routing system performance. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed model in real-world applications is discussed and presented.
Recovery of Polyphenols from Grape Pomace Using Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-Grafted Silica Particles and PEG-Assisted Cosolvent Elution.

Adsorption on a functionalized surface can be an effective way of purifying polyphenols from complex plant extracts. Polymeric resins that rely on hydrophobic interactions suffer from low selectivity, weak affinity towards polyphenols, and lack tunability therefore making the purification of polyphenols less efficient. In this study, a purification process for the recovery of polyphenols from grape pomace extract was successfully developed using hydrogen bonding affinity ligands grafted on silica particles and PEG-assisted elution solvents. Bare silica (SiO2) and polyethylene glycol (mPEG)-grafted silica microparticles with molecular weights of 2000 and 5000 were tested to determine their polyphenol binding and release characteristics. Functionalizing the surface of bare silica with mPEG ligands increased the adsorption capacity by 7.1- and 11.4-fold for mPEG-2000 and mPEG-5000 compared to bare silica particles, respectively. This was likely due to the introduction of more polyphenol binding sites with mPEG functionalization. Altering the molecular weight (MW) of mPEG grafted on silica surfaces provided tunability in the adsorption capacity. A complete recovery of polyphenols (~99.9%) from mPEG-grafted silica particles was achieved by utilizing PEG–ethanol or PEG–water cosolvent systems. Recovered polyphenols showed up to ~12-fold antioxidant activity compared to grape pomace extract. This study demonstrates that mPEG-grafted silica particles and elution of polyphenols with PEG cosolvents can potentially be used for large-scale purification of polyphenols from complex plant extracts and simplify the use of polyphenols, as PEG facilitates remarkable solvation and is an ideal medium for the final formulation of polyphenols.
2776 Uterine Volume Assessment as a Predictor of in vitro Fertilization Pregnancy Outcomes

Study Objective To investigate the association between uterine size and pregnancy outcomes in IVF cycles. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting University-affiliated fertility center. Patients or Participants Women with primary infertility Interventions Fresh ET. Measurements and Main Results Uterine volume was used as a surrogate for uterine size. Uterine measurements (length, width, thickness) were obtained in each woman. Uterine volume was calculated using the prolate ellipsoid volume formula (V=0.52 x L x W x T). Baseline demographics, IVF cycle characteristics and perinatal outcomes were measured. Term birth, defined by live birth >37 weeks of gestation was considered the primary outcome of interest. The odds of pre-term and term birth were estimated in each uterine volume quartile. A receiving-operator-characteristic (ROC) curve with a corresponding area-under-the-curve (AUC) was generated to assess the performance of uterine volume as predictor of term birth. The study included 261 patients with live singleton births. The median (IQR) age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and uterine volume for the study cohort was 34 (31-39) years, 163 (160-167) cm, 137 (122-155) lbs, 22.1 (20.3-24.9) kg/m2 and 55.5 (43.2-67.9) mL, respectively. The rates of term birth and pre-term birth were 224/261(85.8%) and 37/261 (14.2%). There was no difference in the baseline demographics or IVF cycle characteristics of women with term birth or pre-term births. The overall odds of term birth increased with uterine volume. Specifically, the odds of term birth in 4th quartile (highest uterine volume) were 3.4 (95% CI 2.1-7.4; P=0.01) times higher than the 1st quartile. Uterine volume was found to be a strong predictor of term birth (AUC=0.87). Conclusion Our findings suggest that baseline uterine volume is a strong predictor of term birth after fresh ET. These findings require prospective validation in larger sample sizes given the multifactorial nature of term birth.
Quantitating the epigenetic transformation contributing to cholesterol homeostasis using Gaussian process

To understand the impact of epigenetics on human misfolding disease, we apply Gaussian-process regression (GPR) based machine learning (ML) (GPR-ML) through variation spatial profiling (VSP). VSP generates population-based matrices describing the spatial covariance (SCV) relationships that link genetic diversity to fitness of the individual in response to histone deacetylases inhibitors (HDACi). Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) is a Mendelian disorder caused by >300 variants in the NPC1 gene that disrupt cholesterol homeostasis leading to the rapid onset and progression of neurodegenerative disease. We determine the sequence-to-function-to-structure relationships of the NPC1 polypeptide fold required for membrane trafficking and generation of a tunnel that mediates cholesterol flux in late endosomal/lysosomal (LE/Ly) compartments. HDACi treatment reveals unanticipated epigenomic plasticity in SCV relationships that restore NPC1 functionality. GPR-ML based matrices capture the epigenetic processes impacting information flow through central dogma, providing a framework for quantifying the effect of the environment on the healthspan of the individual.
Measuring the effect of tool design on exposure to physical risk factors among novice hand planters

The majority of reforestation in the southeastern United States is achieved using hand planting methods. Previous research suggests a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and other symptoms amon...
Unknown Tetrahydrocannabinol Edible Ingestion Resulting in Acute Stroke Presentation

Abstract Background Marijuana is a commonly used substance in the United States for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Detrimental health-related effects of marijuana continue to be a source of controversy. Case Report We describe a case of a woman who presented to the emergency department with acute right upper and lower extremity weakness and altered speech after accidental unknown ingestion of food containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This is a unique case in that we could find no other published report of focal weakness or motor stroke symptoms occurring in the setting of THC ingestion. We will discuss in detail the patient's medical history and timeline of events leading to her presentation to the emergency department. Marijuana contains the psychoactive substance THC and is becoming more commonly used for medicinal and recreational purposes in the United States and abroad. The use of THC is associated with changes in levels of consciousness, perception, and several other physiologic processes. We hope to increase awareness through this case report of accidental THC use by a female patient that resulted in a stroke code and potentially could have led to the use of tissue plasminogen activator. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? To the best of our knowledge, focal neurologic deficits associated with THC use have not been reported in the published literature. We hope that this knowledge will encourage physicians to consider THC intoxication as a cause of new onset extremity weakness.
Some hazards of motivational internalism: the practical case for externalism

Internalists and externalists disagree over how intimately normative judgment and motivation are linked. Proponents on both sides typically try to settle the issue by descriptively interpreting our...
Legacies of Lead: Estimating Home Buyer Response to Potential Lead Exposure

Excessive levels of lead in homes pose health hazards, but exposure is discerned ex post. As a precaution, local jurisdictions assign risk levels to neighborhoods based on contamination potential and require blood lead testing, leading to decreased desirability. This paper examines capitalization effects of lead risk disclosure from such an information-based policy, exploiting spatially varying implementation of a childhood lead reduction program identifying price effects via a triple-difference border discontinuity model. Information about lead risks lowers high-risk house prices by 7.7% while shifting neighborhood composition, suggesting the program altered risk perceptions, creating unintended consequences in the market.
Advances in genetic research and treatment of resistant ovary syndrome

At present, the research on resistant ovary syndrome (ROS) remains inconclusive. Due to its low incidence, there are many case reports but no large sample investigation, which have focused on the pre-gonadotropin receptor levels and partially on the receptor levels. The possible mechanism of ROS is that gonadotropin cannot effectively act on the follicles, so that the follicles cannot develop normally and stagnate in a resting state. ROS is likely involved in mutations in the gene of FSH receptor or its β-subunit, autoimmune processes, and transient down-regulation of gonadotropin receptors on vascular cells. ROS-related gene mutations are currently a hot topic, but due to the specificity of ROS cases it is difficult to continuously discover new gene mutations. This article reviews and analyzes the relevant literature, and summarizes the genetic etiology and the latest treatment strategies of this disease, in order to provide some reference for clinical studies. Key words: Ovarian insensitivity syndrome; Genetics; Gene mutation; Gene therapy
Assessment of Luminal and Basal Phenotypes in Bladder Cancer.

Genomic profiling studies have demonstrated that bladder cancer can be divided into two molecular subtypes referred to as luminal and basal with distinct clinical behaviors and sensitivities to frontline chemotherapy. We analyzed the mRNA expressions of signature luminal and basal genes in bladder cancer tumor samples from publicly available and MD Anderson Cancer Center cohorts. We developed a quantitative classifier referred to as basal to luminal transition (BLT) score which identified the molecular subtypes of bladder cancer with 80–94% sensitivity and 83–93% specificity. In order to facilitate molecular subtyping of bladder cancer in primary care centers, we analyzed the protein expressions of signature luminal (GATA3) and basal (KRT5/6) markers by immunohistochemistry, which identified molecular subtypes in over 80% of the cases. In conclusion, we provide a tool for assessment of molecular subtypes of bladder cancer in routine clinical practice.
Not so fast: do not ditch the data if you do not like them.

Citation:Hunasikatti M. Not so fast: do not ditch the data if you do not like them. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(11):1985.
Estimating the Effect of Depression on HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors Among People Who Inject Drugs in Vietnam: A Causal Approach

The burden of depression and HIV is high among people who inject drugs (PWID), yet the effect of depression on transmission risk behaviors is not well understood in this population. Using causal inference methods, we analyzed data from 455 PWID living with HIV in Vietnam 2009–2013. Study visits every 6 months over 2 years measured depressive symptoms in the past week and injecting and sexual behaviors in the prior 3 months. Severe depressive symptoms (vs. mild/no symptoms) increased injection equipment sharing (risk difference [RD] = 3.9 percentage points, 95% CI −1.7, 9.6) but not condomless sex (RD = −1.8, 95% CI −6.4, 2.8) as reported 6 months later. The cross-sectional association with injection equipment sharing at the same visit (RD = 6.2, 95% CI 1.4, 11.0) was stronger than the longitudinal effect. Interventions on depression among PWID may decrease sharing of injection equipment and the corresponding risk of HIV transmission. Clinical trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01689545.
A four-dimensional toric code with non-Clifford transversal gates

The design of a four-dimensional toric code is explored with the goal of finding a lattice capable of implementing a logical $\mathsf{CCCZ}$ gate transversally. The established lattice is the octaplex tessellation, which is a regular tessellation of four-dimensional Euclidean space whose underlying 4-cell is the octaplex, or hyper-diamond. This differs from the conventional 4D toric code lattice, based on the hypercubic tessellation, which is symmetric with respect to logical $X$ and $Z$ and only allows for the implementation of a transversal Clifford gate. This work further develops the established connection between topological dimension and transversal gates in the Clifford hierarchy, generalizing the known designs for the implementation of transversal $\mathsf{CZ}$ and $\mathsf{CCZ}$ in two and three dimensions, respectively.
Mechanical characterization of 304L-VAR stainless steel in tension with a full coverage of low, intermediate, and high strain rates

A 304L-VAR stainless steel was mechanically characterized in tension over a full range of strain rates from low, intermediate, to high using a variety of apparatus. While low- and high-strain-rate tests were conducted with a conventional Instron and a Kolsky tension bar, the tensile tests at intermediate strain rates were conducted with a fast MTS and a Drop-Hopkinson bar. The fast MTS used in this study was able to obtain reliable tensile response at the strain rates up to 150 s−1, whereas the lower limit for the Drop-Hopkinson bar was determined to be 100 s−1. Combining the fast MTS and the Drop-Hopkinson bar fully closed the gap within the intermediate strain rate regime. Using these four apparatus, the tensile stress-strain curves of the 304L-VAR stainless steel were obtained at various strain rates on each order in magnitude ranging from 0.0001 to 2580 s−1. All tensile stress-strain curves exhibited linear elasticity followed by a significant work hardening prior to necking. After necking occurred, the specimen load decreased and the deformation became highly localized until fracture. The tensile stress-strain response the 304L-VAR stainless steel was also strain rate dependent. The flow stress increased with increasing strain rate. The strain-rate sensitivity was also observed to be strain-dependent, possibly due to thermosoftening caused by adiabatic heating at high strain rates. The 304L-VAR stainless steel also showed a significant ductility (or elongation to failure). The true failure strain was determined with the minimum diameter of the posttest specimen. The results showed that the true failure strains were approximately 210% at low strain rates, but were significantly lower (~110%) at high strain rates. The transition of true failure strain occurred within the intermediate strain rate range between 10−2 and 102 s−1.
Exploring the landscape of sustainability performance management systems in U.S. local governments.

Abstract Municipalities around the globe are increasingly adopting and integrating sustainability goals into their service functions. As with many public programs, local sustainability initiatives benefit from regular and systematic assessment aimed at determining the extent to which efforts are achieving their performance goals. However, there currently is little understanding of how local governments are collecting and tracking data on their sustainability-related performance and to what extent they integrate its lessons into their sustainability management practice. This study helps fill this gap by investigating U.S. local governments’ sustainability performance management systems and provides empirical evidence on some of their key institutional and system characteristics. Our findings indicate that a significant number of U.S. local governments are engaged in sustainability performance assessment, but they vary in their ability to establish appropriate indicators as well as supporting mechanisms, indicating significant room for improvement in local sustainability performance management.
Drift Capacity at Axial Failure of RC Structural Walls and Wall Piers

AbstractA large number of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings constructed prior to the mid-1970s in earthquake-prone regions rely on lightly reinforced or perforated perimeter structural walls to re...
Incorrectness of the Second-Generation Vortex Identification Method and Introduction to Liutex

For a long time, scientists believe that vorticity reveal the essence of vortex since vorticity is a perfect indicator of rotation for rigid object although many experimental results do not support this point of view. Even though scientists do not doubt the correctness of vorticity, they have to develop some other vortex identification methods to improve the performance of detecting vortex. Under this situation, Q method, λci method and λ2 method are innovated. However, these methods are all scalars and not able to locate the swirling direction, and threshold is needed to be used to display vortex structures. To overcome these drawbacks, Liu proposed Liutex which can correctly represent the rigid rotation of fluids. The magnitude of Liutex represents the twice angular speed and the direction of Liutex is the direction of swirling axis. In this paper, the incorrectness of the classical methods is explained as well as the rationality of the definition of Liutex. A correlation research is done between vorticity, Q, λci, λ2 methods and Liutex based on a direct numerical simulation (DNS) case of boundary layer transition. The results show that the correlation between vorticity and Liutex is very small or even negative in strong shear regions, which demonstrates that using vorticity to detect vortex lacks scientific foundation and vorticity is not appropriate to represent vortex. In the last part of this paper, new vortex structure displaying methods including Liutex iso-surface, Liutex-Omega and Liutex core line are introduced.
Direct Oral Anticoagulant Adherence of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Transitioned from Warfarin

Background Reduced time in international normalized ratio therapeutic range (TTR) limits warfarin safety and effectiveness. In patients switched from warfarin to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs),...
The Design and Demonstration of an Actor-Based, Application-Aware Access Control Evaluation Framework

To date, most work regarding the formal analysis of access control schemes has focused on quantifying and comparing the expressive power of a set of schemes. Although expressive power is important, it is a property that exists in an absolute sense, detached from the application-specific context within which an access control scheme will ultimately be deployed. In this paper, by contrast, we formalize the access control suitability analysis problem, which seeks to evaluate the degree to which a set of candidate access control schemes can meet the needs of an application-specific workload. This process involves both reductions to assess whether a scheme is capable of implementing a workload, as well as cost analysis using ordered measures to quantify the overheads of using each candidate scheme to service the workload. We develop a mathematical framework for analyzing instances of the suitability analysis problem, and evaluate this framework both formally (by quantifying its efficiency and accuracy properties) and practically (by exploring a group-based messaging workload from the literature). An ancillary contribution of our work is the identification of auxiliary machines, which are a useful class of modifications that can be made to enhance the expressive power of an access control scheme without negatively impacting the safety properties of the scheme.
Phorbol ester-induced surface transferrin receptor modulation. No correlation with decreased cell proliferation.

Abstract Both phorbol ester or diacylglycerol (DAG) reduce cell surface transferrin receptor (TFR) number in CEM cells (a human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia line) and HL-60 cells (a human promyelocytic leukemia cell line). This effect occurs with a t 1 2 approx. 30 min and is mimicked by addition of phospholipase C to cell cultures. Although cell surface TFR number is reduced to 25–30% of the control level 5 h after phorbol ester administration, apparent cell proliferation (as measured by [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation) remains unaffected. Although independent of extracellular calcium (EGTA is slightly enhancing), the phenomenon is completely blocked by 30-min pretreatment with the calcium channel blocker diltiazem. Dilitazem pretreatment, while preventing receptor redistribution, does not completely block the phorbol ester-induced increase in TFR phosphorylation thought to be associated with receptor redistribution. Thus, calcium channel blockade effectively dissociates the effects of tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) on TFR internalization and phosphorylation. Our results also demonstrate that phorbol ester-induced effects on the TFR can be mimicked by the endogenous stimulator of protein kinase C, DAG, whether added directly to cultures or produced by the cells in response to exogenous phospholipase C. Furthermore, the phenomenon of TFR redistribution here described is not associated with a decreased proliferative capacity.
Assessment of Behavior and Personality in the Neuropsychological Diagnosis of Children

For many clinicians, behavior and personality have been traditionally evaluated by assessing behavior patterns and interpolating these behaviors as reflecting underlying personality variables (Martin, 1988). Behavior has been defined as the what a child does with personality defined as the why the child does what he or she does. Behaviors can be quantified and graphed fairly easily, whereas personality variables are more difficult to measure and are generally described qualitatively. Such differentiation is artificial and the boundaries between these concepts become blurred when observing a child. For the purposes of this chapter, behavior will be conceptualized as the outward expression of inner experience and personality will be viewed as the overarching principle encompassing behavior. Personality, therefore, is the constant principle across situations whereas behaviors may vary depending on situational characteristics (Martin, 1988). A discussion of distinctions between the concepts of behavior and personality is beyond thescope of this chapter. The interested reader is referred to further discussions by Martin (1988) and Lewis and Miller (1990).
Carbon isotope ratio mass spectrometry for detection of endogenous steroid use: a testing strategy.

Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) testing is performed to determine if an atypical steroid profile is due to administration of an endogenous steroid. Androsterone (Andro) and etiocholanolone (Etio), and/or the androstanediols (5α- and 5β-androstane-3α,17β-diol) are typically analyzed by IRMS to determine the 13C/12C ratio. The ratios of these target compounds are compared to the 13C/12C ratio of an endogenous reference compound (ERC) such as 5β-pregnane-3α,20α-diol (Pdiol). Concentrations of Andro and Etio are high so 13C/12C ratios can easily be measured in most urine samples. Despite the potentially improved sensitivity of the androstanediols for detecting the use of some testosterone formulations, additional processing steps are often required that increase labour costs and turnaround times. Since this can be problematic when performing large numbers of IRMS measurements, we established thresholds for Andro and Etio that can be used to determine the need for additional androstanediol testing. Using these criteria, 105 out of 2639 urine samples exceeded the Andro and/or Etio thresholds, with 52 of these samples being positive based on Andro and Etio IRMS testing alone. The remaining 53 urine samples had androstanediol IRMS testing performed and 3 samples were positive based on the androstanediol results. A similar strategy was used to establish a threshold for Pdiol to identify athletes with relatively 13C-depleted values so that an alternative ERC can be used to confirm or establish a true endogenous reference value. Adoption of a similar strategy by other laboratories can significantly reduce IRMS sample processing and analysis times, thereby increasing testing capacity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Communal Substitutionary Atonement

In this paper I develop and defend a new theory of the Atonement - the Communal Substitution Theory. According to the Communal Substitution Theory, by dying on the cross Jesus either takes on the punishment for, or offers satisfaction for, the sins of the human community. Individual humans have sinned, but human communities have sinned as well. Jesus dies for the communal sins. As a result, human communities are forgiven and reconciled to God, and through the event of communal forgiveness, individual human sins can be forgiven as well. Moving the focal point of atonement to communal sins has various advantages: well-known objections to satisfaction and penal theories are avoided, and many of the advantages of other theories of the atonement are organically integrated into the communal substitution theory.
Modeling the pyrochemical reduction of spent UO2 fuel in a pilot-scale reactor

AbstractA kinetic model has been derived for the reduction of oxide spent nuclear fuel in a radial flow reactor. In this reaction, lithium dissolved in molten LiCl reacts with UO2 and fission product oxides to form a porous, metallic product. As the reaction proceeds, the depth of the porous layer around the exterior of each fuel particle increases. The observed rate of reaction has been found to be dependent only upon the rate of diffusion of lithium across this layer, consistent with a classic shrinking core kinetic model. This shrinking core model has been extended to predict the behavior of a hypothetical, pilot-scale reactor for oxide reduction. The design of the pilot-scale reactor includes forced flow through baskets that contain the fuel particles. The results of the modeling indicate that this is an essential feature in order to minimize the time needed to achieve full conversion of the fuel.
Reducing stress and anxiety in caregivers of lung transplant patients: benefits of mindfulness meditation.

Background: Caregivers are a vital resource in the care of transplant candidates or recipients. However, few strategies have been tested that attempt to decrease the stress and anxiety they commonly encounter. Objective: To test the feasibility of using mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) techniques to decrease stress and anxiety in caregivers of lung transplant candidates/recipients who required admission to an acute care facility. Methods: 30 caregivers of lung transplant candidates/recipients were recruited during hospitalization of their significant other. Each completed the perceived stress scale (PSS) and state trait anxiety inventory (STAI) before and 4 weeks after receiving a DVD that demonstrated MBSR techniques. Participants were asked to practice MBSR techniques for 5–15 min a day for 4 weeks. Results: The participants had a mean±SD age of 55.6±13.6 years; 77% of participants were female and 93% Caucasian. The mean PSS and STAI (trait and anxiety) scores of caregivers were higher than population norms pre- and post-intervention. Scores for caregivers who stated they watched the entire DVD and practiced MBSR techniques as requested (n=15) decreased significantly from pre- to post-testing for perceived stress (p=0.001), state anxiety (p=0.003) and trait anxiety (p=0.006). Scores for those who watched some or none of the DVD (n=15) did not change significantly. Conclusion: Caregivers can benefit from stress reduction techniques using MBSR.
Rank-Based Analysis of Linear Models Using R

It is well-known that Wilcoxon procedures out perform least squares procedures when the data deviate from normality and/or contain outliers. These procedures can be generalized by introducing weights; yielding so-called weighted Wilcoxon (WW) techniques. In this paper we demonstrate how WW-estimates can be calculated using an L1 regression routine. More importantly, we present a collection of functions that can be used to implement a robust analysis of a linear model based on WW-estimates. For instance, estimation, tests of linear hypotheses, residual analyses, and diagnostics to detect differences in fits for various weighting schemes are discussed. We analyze a regression model, designed experiment, and autoregressive time series model for the sake of illustration. We have chosen to implement the suite of functions using the R statistical software package. Because R is freely available and runs on multiple platforms, WW-estimation and associated inference is now universally accessible.
CMOS integrated infrared sensor

CMOS integrated microsensors (CIMS) technology has been developed that combines bulk micromachining, pyroelectric materials and a commercial CMOS process to provide an integrated infrared sensor. This sensor system is based on a new sol-gel derived thin film fabricated on thin silicon micro electromechanical structure. The sensor has a peak responsivity of 2.33 V/W and a thermal time constant of 300 ms.
Variation of the slope of the tentorium during childhood

Neural structures in the posterior fossa grow at different rates during development. While there are computationally intensive approaches to analyze growth of the cerebellum and brainstem, there is a paucity of information about summary measures of normal posterior fossa development suitable for real-time clinical use. The present study investigates changes in the trajectory of the tentorium as measured by the occipital and tentorial angles at different stages of development. A retrospective study was conducted drawing from a Boston Children’s Hospital database of over 1500 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. The imaging study population included fetuses older than 20 gestational weeks and children between the ages of 0 and 10 years. Two parameters were measured for all subjects: (1) the tentorial angle (the angle between the tentorium and a line from the internal occipital protuberance to the tuberculum sellae) and (2) the occipital angle (the angle between the tentorium and a line from the internal occipital protuberance to the opisthion). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the study cohort. We reviewed 1510 brain MRI studies, and 367 studies met the inclusion criteria (125 fetal and 242 postnatal studies). During fetal development, the inclination of the tentorium showed an ascending course, while it plateaus after birth. During the second and third trimesters, the tentorial and occipital angles steadily increase reflecting the dynamic growth of the posterior fossa structures. Postnatally, the tentorial angle decreases and the tentorium slopes downward and plateaus, possibly due to stabilization of posterior fossa development and ongoing growth of the cerebrum. Together, these findings suggest that the tentorial angle can serve as an imaging biomarker of posterior fossa development during the second half of fetal life.
Inpatient obesity intervention with postdischarge telephone follow-up: A randomized trial.

BACKGROUND Obesity-related comorbidities frequently contribute to acute illness. Obesity interventions during hospitalization are not often utilized but may be effective. OBJECTIVE To examine whether inpatient weight loss intervention with postdischarge follow-up results in weight loss at 6 months when compared to control. DESIGN Prospective, randomized controlled trial. SETTING Academic medical center in Chicago, Illinois. PATIENTS Obese adult inpatients. INTERVENTION Intervention subjects viewed a weight education video, underwent personalized counseling, and set specific weight loss, dietary, and fitness goals prior to discharge. All participants were followed by phone over the subsequent 6 months. The trial was unblinded to participants, physicians, and investigators. MEASUREMENTS Primary outcome was weight change between groups at 6 months. Weight change from baseline and waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) were also assessed. RESULTS For 176 participants in the intention-to-treat analysis, mean baseline weight for the intervention group was 107.7 kg (standard deviation [SD] = 16.7) and 105.1 kg (SD = 17.4) for controls. Mean weight loss at 6 months was 1.08 kg (SD = 4.33) for intervention subjects and 1.35 kg (SD = 3.65) among controls. There was no significant difference in weight loss between groups at 6 months (P = 0.26). As-treated analysis yielded similar results. There were no differences in WHRs between the intervention and control at 6 months (0.04 vs 0.04, P = 0.59). CONCLUSIONS We found no difference in weight loss between the intervention and control groups at 6 months. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2014;9:515–520. © 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine
Autophagy and role in asthma.

Purpose of review Asthma is a common worldwide respiratory illness with significant morbidity and mortality. The disease is characterized by airway inflammation with involvement of multiple biological pathways. Genetic predisposition and increased susceptibility to severe respiratory viral infections are well known clinical features of asthma. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved cellular degradation process with significant impact on immunity and antiviral response. In this review we have described the role of autophagy in immune cell survival, proliferation and function. Autophagy has complex effects on immune response involved in inflammation, specifically Th2 immune response. Common respiratory viruses are associated with increased morbidity and mortality in asthmatic patients. Recent findings We describe recent studies showing the effect of autophagy on replication and immune response to common respiratory viruses. The role of autophagy in asthma has recently been investigated. Two studies have been published describing the association of autophagy with asthma. Genetic polymorphism in specific autophagy genes is associated with asthma and influences gene expression in an experimental in-vivo model. Summary These studies provide us with a window into the possible role of autophagy in asthma and offer new clues to pathogenesis. Modulation of autophagy has the potential to develop into a new therapeutic avenue to treat this common respiratory ailment.
Changing the Rules: Reconceiving Change in the Westphalian System

Is the Westphalian system changing? Disputes abound. This essay interprets the question of Westphalian change as a question about analytical vocabularies and frameworks. The essay seeks to inform a new vocabulary and to craft an analytical framework sufficiently robust and comprehensive to address large-scale change and to embrace the scope, scale, fluidity, and contested character of Westphalian practices. The method is “close reading” of prominent texts. The essay makes three contributions. First, it elaborates a vocabulary and taxonomy of rules and rule, crafts an analytic framework attentive to forms of social rule, and develops a rule-oriented form of constructivism. Second, the essay illustrates that a rules-orientation is intrinsic to many prevailing views on Westphalia and social change. Third, the essay applies the rules-orientation to material and ideational theories of social change. The essay concludes that one may understand large-scale change in terms of changes in the form of rule. Specifically, global relations among states and corporations increasingly rely upon coordination and collaboration rather than commands.
Trait verbal aggressiveness and the appropriateness and effectiveness of fathers' interaction plans

Previous research demonstrated that fathers' trait verbal aggressiveness was predictive of their adult sons' perceptions of the sarcasm, criticism, and overall aggressiveness contained in fathers' messages. The present study was undertaken to extend these findings by examining the empirical relationship between fathers' trait verbal aggressiveness and the appropriateness and effectiveness of their plans for interacting with oppositional sons. This was accomplished by soliciting trait verbal aggressiveness scores from fathers who subsequently generated plans in response to a five‐phase scenario. Fathers' plans were rated independently by separate participants for appropriateness and effectiveness at each phase of the interaction. Results indicated that fathers' verbal aggressiveness was inversely related to both plan appropriateness and effectiveness. In light of the moderate to large relationships detected, implications for theory and research in father‐son relationships are discussed.
The Impacts of Structural Difference and Temporality of Tweets on Retrieval Effectiveness

To explore the information seeking behaviors in microblogosphere, the microblog track at TREC 2011 introduced a real-time ad-hoc retrieval task that aims at ranking relevant tweets in reverse-chronological order. We study this problem via a two-phase approach: 1) retrieving tweets in an ad-hoc way; 2) utilizing the temporal information of tweets to enhance the retrieval effectiveness of tweets. Tweets can be categorized into two types. One type consists of short messages not containing any URL of a Web page. The other type has at least one URL of a Web page in addition to a short message. These two types of tweets have different structures. In the first phase, to address the structural difference of tweets, we propose a method to rank tweets using the divide-and-conquer strategy. Specifically, we first rank the two types of tweets separately. This produces two rankings, one for each type. Then we merge these two rankings of tweets into one ranking. In the second phase, we first categorize queries into several types by exploring the temporal distributions of their top-retrieved tweets from the first phase; then we calculate the time-related relevance scores of tweets according to the classified types of queries; finally we combine the time scores with the IR scores from the first phase to produce a ranking of tweets. Experimental results achieved by using the TREC 2011 and TREC 2012 queries over the TREC Tweets2011 collection show that: (i) our way of ranking the two types of tweets separately and then merging them together yields better retrieval effectiveness than ranking them simultaneously; (ii) our way of incorporating temporal information into the retrieval process yields further improvements, and (iii) our method compares favorably with state-of-the-art methods in retrieval effectiveness.