cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Further studies on the genus Orthotylus (Heteroptera: Miridae) in the Hawaiian Islands, with descriptions of thirty-four new species.

Abstract Thirty-four new species in the plant bug genus Orthotylus are described from the Hawaiian IsIands. The new species and their host plant associations are as follows: O. metrosideri, from Hawaii, on Metrosideros polymorpha; O. nestegiae, from Hawaii, on Nestegis sandwicensis; O. sophorae, from Hawaii, on Sophora chrysophylla; O. sophoroides, from Maui, on Sophora chrysophylla; O. perrottetiae, from Kauai, on Perrottetia sandwicensis; O. perrottetiopsis, from Maui, on Perrottetia sandwicensis; O. antidesmae, from Hawaii, on Antidesma platyphyllum; O. melicopi, from Hawaii, on Melicope hawaiiensis; O. coprosmopsis, from Hawaii, on Coprosma menziesii; O. coprosmicola, from Molokai, on Coprosma foliosa; O. coprosmaphila, from Maui, on Coprosma montana; O. pilo, from Molokai, on Coprosma foliosa; O. hedyotiella, from Oahu, on Hedyotis acuminata; O. hedyotivorus, from Oahu, on Hedyotis terminalis; O. hedyotioides, from Maui, on Hedyotis terminalis; O. hedyotiphila, from Maui, on Hedyotis hillebrandii; O....
Efficient Labeling of EEG Signal Artifacts Using Active Learning

Electroencephalography (EEG) has been widely used in a variety of contexts, including medical monitoring of subjects as well as performance monitoring in healthy individuals. Recent technological advances have now enabled researchers to quickly record and collect EEG on a wide scale. Although EEG is fairly easy to record, it is highly susceptible to noise sources called artifacts which can occur at amplitudes several times greater than the EEG signal of interest. Because of this, users must manually annotate the EEG signal to identify artifact regions in the data prior to any downstream processing. This can be time-consuming and impractical for large data collections. In this paper we present a method which uses Active Learning (AL) to improve the reliability of existing EEG artifact classifiers with minimal amounts of user interaction. Our results show that classification accuracy equivalent to classifiers trained on full data annotation can be obtained while labeling less than 25% of the data. This suggests significant time savings can be obtained when manually annotating artifacts in large EEG data collections.
Normal Posterior Mitral Leaflet Motion in Mitral Stenosis

In classical mitral stenosis (MS) a reduced early diastolic closing motion of the anterior mitral leaflet (AMD is associated with anterior motion of the posterior mitral leaflet (PML), parallel to AML, Reduced diastolic motion of AML is also caused by reduced left ventricular compliance or primary pulmonary hypertension. In these cases, however, the PML moves normally, posteriorly, away from the AML. Posterior motion of PLM has been used to exclude MS. We report 16 out of 167 cases of MS in whom the PML moved posteriorly in normal direction. In these cases, echocardiograohic diagnosis of MS was made by (a) thickening of the mitral leaflets and (b), reduction of absence of atrial wave of AML, when in sinus rhythm. The degree of MS or mitral insufficiency did not correlate with the direction of the PML motion. We suggest that the PML motion depends on the type of MS: Cuspul versus Commissural or Chordal. While in most cases the PML moves anteriorly, its posterior motion should not exclude MS.
The Down Home Caf

The Down Home Caf, a profitable 23-unit chain of family-oriented restaurants in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, have had slowly declining same-store revenue growth during the past three years. Although research suggests that patrons give the Down Home Cafhigh marks on food quality and value, growth may have been hurt by the lack of ambiance and brand image. Research indicates they are in target consumers consideration sets, although perhaps not a first choice. In order to generate growth, the executive team is focusing on ideas to generate repeat business and increase the underperforming dinner and weekend meal occasions. Down Homes advertising agency has encouraged management to step back from a short-term strategy and consider developing a more comprehensive approach. The agency presented analysis that has broken down the Down Home customer base into ten decision-making segments according to dining occasion, and is pushing management to adopt an overall branding strategy.
The Role of A and A’ States in the Geminate Recombination of Molecular Iodine

The photodissociation and recombination dynamics of solution phase molecular iodine have been extensively studied both theoretically and experimentally. The simplicity of the reaction, I2→I+I→I2, along with iodine’s well understood spectroscopy [1],have resulted in numerous picosecond laser experiments [2–6] as well as molecular dynamics[5], generalized Langevi n[7] and other theoretical studies.[8–10] Despite these efforts, several fundamental questions have remained unanswered. For example, the rate of vibrational relaxation in the ground electronic state has not been directly determined. However, recent experimental [5] and theoretical [5,7,8] studies have suggested that vibrational relaxation may take ~100ps. Furthermore, recent rare gas matrix isolation studies by FLYNN[11] and theoretical studies by MILLER[9] have suggested that recombination into excited electronic states may be an important relaxation mechanism. The results presented here will further address these questions of electronic and vibrational relaxation.
Diegogattaite, Na 2 CaCu 2 Si 8 O 20 ·H 2 O: a new nanoporous copper sheet silicate from Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, Republic of South Africa

Diegogattaite (IMA2012-096), Na2CaCu2Si8O20·H2O, is a new mineral from the Wessels mine in the Kalahari manganese fields of South Africa. It occurs as a minor phase with other copper-bearing silicates, Cu-rich pectolite, sugilite, quartz, aegirine and undifferentiated Fe-Mn oxides. Diegogattaite is pale turquoise through teal blue. It is found as sub-mm sized grains in a main crystalline patch 3–4 mm in size, and is currently known from only one sample. The mineral is transparent with a vitreous lustre and may have a good cleavage on {001}. It is brittle, with an uneven fracture and a very pale-blue streak. It is non-fluorescent in short- and long-wave UV light and has an estimated Mohs hardness of ∼5–6. Diegogattaite is biaxial (–), α = 1.598(2), β = 1.627(2), γ = 1.632(2); 2Vmeas = 44.0(6)°, 2Vcalc = 44.5°; dispersion: strong r < v, orientation: X = b, Y ≈ ⊥(001), Z ≈ a; pleochroism X colourless << Y ≈ Z blue green. The calculated density is 3.10 g/cm3. Electron-microprobe analysis gave: Na2O 8.07, CaO 7.3, CuO 20.5, FeO 0.36, SiO262.4, H2O(calc) 2.34, total 100.97 wt.%. A charge-balanced formula on the basis of 21 oxygen a.p.f.u. is: Na2.00Ca1.00Cu1.98Fe0.04Si7.99H2O21. Diegogattaite is monoclinic, space group C2/m, a = 12.2439(6) A, b = 15.7514(4) A, c = 10.6008(3) A, β = 125.623(2)°, V = 1661.87(10) A3 and Z = 4. The five strongest lines in the X-ray powder pattern are [dobs in A (Iobs)(hkl)]: 4.25(75)(002,22,220), 3.951(77)(040), 3.261(100)(31,13), 2.898(89)(042,03,003), 2.332(66)(331,43,62,260,043). The crystal structure of diegogattaite was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to final agreement indices of R 1 = 0.027, wR 2 = 0.071 and GoF = 1.090. It represents a completely new silicate topology based upon a double-sheet of SiO4 tetrahedra composed of connected 6482 cages. The structure of diegogattaite is related to those of synthetic nanoporous Na-Cu-Si-O-(OH)-H2O (CuSH) compounds, which are of interest to the solid-state chemistry community as potential ion-exchangers, catalysts and molecular sieves. The structure of diegogattaite forms a bridge between these structures and those of the gillespite-group minerals, including wesselsite. The close spatial association of wesselsite and diegogattaite suggests a possible reaction between them that may point to a synthetic route for the production of novel alkaline-earth-based nanoporous copper silicates.
A comparison of alternative high-definition display technologies to CRT

Over the past 18 months, high-definition (HD) home entertainment systems have become available to the U.S. consumer, albeit with a substantial price tag. These systems are based almost exclusively on direct view and rear projection cathode ray tube (CRT) technology. More recently however, a number of manufacturers have made announcements portending the arrival of high-definition television (HDTV) projection systems based on alternative display rechnologies such as transmissive and reflective liquid crystal display (LCD), and digital light processor (DLP) technology. Many of these announcements promise excellent image quality, but demonstrations of prototype systems have shown that there is much variability in subjective image quality from system to system. This paper examines some of the image quality characteristics of representative samples of several LCD and DLP-based projection display technologies as compared to those of CRT-based HD sets. Modulation transfer function (MTF) characteristics are compared, as well as quantitative image quality metrics, using several established methods.
Host-Parasite Relations in Agapema Pupae (Lepidoptera, Saturniidae)

In diapausing pupae of some saturniid moths, carbon dioxide is given off in brief “bursts” alternating with long periods in which the release rate is much lower (for literature see Buck and Keister, 1955). In studying this phenomenon some incidental observations were made which appear to have interesting implications in regard to host-parasite relations during development, and which, it is hoped, will have heuristic value. The presentation has benefited greatly from suggestions of Drs. Raimon Beard, Dietrich Bodenstein, Leigh Chadwick and Curtis Sabrosky.
Transformation Kinetics and Ferrite-Pearlite Ratios in a 65-45-12 Ductile Iron

Dilatometry has been extensively used to study the transformation behavior of steels. This paper outlines the use of Gleeble dilatometry to characterize the transformation kinetics and ferrite-pearlite ratios in a 65-45-12 ductile iron. Samples were heated to 900°C (1650°F) and cooled at constant cooling rates ranging from 2 to 2000°C/min (3.6 to 3600°Flmin). The dilatometer results were analyzed and transformation temperatures and the ferrite-pearlite ratio in the final microstructure were determined. The information was also used to estimate the continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) curve for 65-45-12 ductile iron. The agreement between the ferrite-pearlite ratio predicted from the dilatometry results and metallographic analysis of dilatometry specimens was excellent.
Hollywood in the Heartland: A Review Essay

Review of: "The Book of Iowa Films" by Marty S. Knepper and John Shelton Lawrence and the exhibition "Hollywood in the Heartland," curated by Leo Landis, at the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 27, 2014, to December 2016.
Abstract 96: Facilitation of the VA Hospital To Home (H2H) Initiative to Reduce Readmissions for Heart Failure: CHF QUERI

Objective: Reducing readmission rates for heart failure (HF) patients is the primary goal of the VA and its' Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) QUERI. It is also the goal of Hospital to Home (H2H) national quality improvement (QI) which has 3 key focus areas: (a) medication management; (b) symptom management; and (c) early follow-up after discharge. According to Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory (2003) social networks significantly affect performance and innovation. Additionally, the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services(PARIHS, 2008) framework emphasizes the function of dynamic relationships among evidence, context and facilitation. The CHF QUERI formed the HF Provider Network consisting of 720+ providers (members) from 150 VA facilities to improve the quality of HF care. In January 2010 through the HF Network the “VA H2H” QI initiative was launched to facilitate the implementation of the national H2H initiative at the VA facilities with focus on H2H's 3 key focus areas. Through e-mails, web-based meetings and conference calls members were encouraged to (1) enroll own facility on national H2H website and (2) initiate and/or plan new projects focusing on the VA H2H initiative. Methods: A total of 122 VA facilities were identified with >100 discharges during 2007-2008. In Spring 2010 and then Spring 2011 members at all facilities were asked to complete surveys to find out (1) enrollment status and (2) number and description of projects initiated and/or planned for the VA H2H initiative, and other ongoing projects focusing on reducing HF readmissions. Results: Altogether 77 (63%) facilities enrolled on the national H2H website. With a survey response rate of 75% (92 facilities) altogether 529 projects were reported focusing on: Medication management=150 (29%); Symptom management=148 (27%); Early follow up=155 (30%); and Other areas=34 (14%). A total of 120 (22%) projects were initiated and another 93 (18%) are being planned based on the VA H2H initiative, and 316 (60%) are ongoing projects to reduce HF readmissions. Conclusions: Supporting the Rogers (2003) and PARIHS (2008) frameworks, these findings demonstrate the successful facilitation of the VA H2H initiative by the CHF QUERI through its HF Provider Network in terms of increased enrollment and significant number of initiated and/or planned VA H2H projects. Impact: Facilitation of non-mandated QI initiatives is crucial to improve the quality of care for HF patients.
Progress on Clinical Research of Microbicides for Preventing HIV Infection

The AIDS epidemic becomes more and more serious in the world.A defining feature of the epidemic in the current decade is the increasing burden of HIV infections in women.Microbicides will be a new female-controlled method for preventing HIV.According to mechanism of action,microbicides being researched in the whole world are divided into five categories,including more than 60 microbicides.Among them,18 are at clinical trial stage.Six microbicides that enter large scale phase III trials will go to market in 2010.
The Analysis of Ligating the Upper Artery of Uterus to Preventing 38 Cases of Bleeding After Caesarean Operation

Objective To explore the significance of ligation of the ascendant branch of uterine arteries in prophylaxis and treatment of hemorrhage during cesarean section.Methods The indication,methods and effects of ligation of the ascendant branch of uterine arteries were analysed in 27 cases of hemorrhage during cesarean section and 11 cases of suspected postoperation hemorrhage during 1999-2003.Results Of the 38 patients, 8 were performed unilateral ligation and 30 performed bilateral ligation. The effects of hemostasis were satisfactory. Hematoma in the broad ligament occurred in 1 case. There was no late postpartum hemorrhage.Conclusions The method is simple, rapid and effective in controlling bleeding.But the locus, depth, width of ligation and unilateral or bilateral must be noted.
Model flight test research on flight characteristics of compound lifting-body aircraft

In order to understand flight characteristics and aerodynamic interactions between different lift surfaces of compound lifting-body aircraft,a flight demonstrator has been developed on the basis of subscale model aircraft and a series of flight tests has been conducted.The flight test results show that,the transition flight between rotary-wing flight mode and fixed-wing flight mode is completely controllable and the transition process is smooth,there is no adverse interference between lift surfaces of rotary wing and fixed wing.
The Destruction of Cultural Heritage: A Crime Against Property or a Crime Against People?

The destruction of cultural heritage has played a prominent role in the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq and in the recent conflict in Mali. This destruction has displayed the failure of international law to effectively deter these actions. This article reviews existing international law in light of this destruction and the challenges posed by the issues of non-international armed conflict, non-state actors and the military necessity exception. By examining recent developments in applicable international law, the article proposes that customary international law has evolved to interpret existing legal instruments and doctrines concerning cultural heritage in light of the principles of proportionality and distinction and a definition of intentionality that includes extreme negligence and willful disregard. As a result, international law may more effectively foster the preservation of cultural heritage for future generations.
Mixed Boundary Value Problems

This chapter is devoted to the study of mixed boundary value problems in electromagnetic scattering theory. Mixed boundary value problems typically model scattering by objects that are coated with a thin layer of material on part of the boundary. We shall consider here two main problems: (1) the scattering by a perfect conductor that is partially coated with a thin dielectric layer and (2) scattering by an orthotropic dielectric that is partially coated with a thin layer of highly conducting material. The first problem leads to an exterior mixed boundary value problem for the Helmholtz equation where on the coated part of the boundary the total field satisfies an impedance boundary condition and on the remaining part of the boundary the total field vanishes, while the second problem leads to a transmission problem with mixed transmission-conducting boundary conditions. In this chapter we shall present a mathematical analysis of these two mixed boundary value problems.
Incidence of hypersensitivity reactions (HSR) in patients receiving reduced doses of dexamethasone as prophylaxis for carboplatin and paclitaxel in gynecologic malignancies.

TPS9663 Background: Paclitaxel has been used in combination with a platinum agent as part of standard of care for the treatment of gynecologic malignancies. A major clinical concern with the use of...
Monocytes and Macrophages

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease characterized by an inflammatory response within the joint resulting in cartilage and bone destruction. Infiltration of mononuclear cells, including monocytes and macrophages, in synovial tissues is characteristic of RA. The role of macrophages is essential in the development of a normal inflammatory immune response and host defense. In addition to their functions against infectious agents and tumor cells, and as antigen-presenting cells, macrophages secrete and respond to multiple cytokines and other mediators that control key events in the initiation, resolution, and repair processes of inflammation and the immune response (Table 1). Although macrophages are essential for these events in innate and adaptive host defense, persistent activation of this population may have negative consequences.
High-Resolution Diffusion Tensor Spinal Cord MRI Measures as Biomarkers of Disability Progression in a Rodent Model of Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Disease in the spinal cord is a major component of disability in multiple sclerosis, yet current techniques of imaging spinal cord injury are insensitive and nonspecific. This study seeks to remove this major impediment to research in multiple sclerosis and other spinal cord diseases by identifying reliable biomarkers of disability progression using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a magnetic resonance imaging technique, to evaluate the spinal cord in a model of multiple sclerosis, i.e. the Theiler's Murine Encephalitis Virus-Induced Demyelinating Disease (TMEV-IDD). Mice with TMEV-IDD with varying levels of clinical disease were imaged using a 9.4T small animal MRI scanner. Axial diffusivity, radial diffusivity, and fractional anisotropy were calculated. Disability was assessed periodically using Rotarod assay and data were expressed as a neurological function index. Correlation was performed between DTI measurements and disability scores. TMEV-IDD mice displayed significant increased neurological deficits over time when compared with controls (p<0.0001). Concurrently, the values of fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity were both decreased compared to controls (both p<0.0001), while radial diffusivity was increased (p<0.0001). Overall, fractional anisotropy changes were larger in white matter than in grey matter and differences were more pronounced in the ventral region. Lower disability scores were associated with decreased fractional anisotropy values measured in the ventral (r = 0.68; p<0.0001) and ventral-lateral (r = 0.70; p<0.0001) regions of the white matter. These data demonstrate that DTI measures of the spinal cord contribute to strengthening the association between neuroradiological markers and clinical disability, and support the use of DTI measures in spinal cord imaging in MS patients.
Characterization of the Cutaneous Bacterial Communities of Two Giant Salamander Subspecies

Pathogens currently threaten the existence of many amphibian species. In efforts to combat global declines, researchers have characterized the amphibian cutaneous microbiome as a resource for disease management. Characterization of microbial communities has become useful in studying the links between organismal health and the host microbiome. Hellbender salamanders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) provide an ideal system to explore the cutaneous microbiome as this species requires extensive conservation management across its range. In addition, the Ozark hellbender subspecies (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi) exhibits chronic wounds hypothesized to be caused by bacterial infections, whereas the eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) does not. We assessed the cutaneous bacterial microbiome of both subspecies at two locations in the state of Missouri, USA. Through 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing, we detected more than 1000 distinct operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the cutaneous and environmental bacterial microbiome. Phylogenetic and abundance-based dissimilarity matrices identified differences in the bacterial communities between the two subspecies, but only the abundance-based dissimilarity matrix identified differences between wounds and healthy skin on Ozark hellbenders. The higher abundance of OTUs on Ozark wounds suggests that commensal bacteria present on the skin and environment may be opportunistically colonizing the wounds. This brief exploration of the hellbender cutaneous bacterial microbiome provides foundational support for future studies seeking to understand the hellbender cutaneous bacterial microbiome and the role of the bacterial microbiota on chronic wounds of Ozark hellbenders.
Descartes, matemática e o mundo físico

Abstract The author's purpose in this article is to explore a different Descartes from the one presented by most commentators. In spite of the conventional wisdom, based mostly in Descartes' correspondence with Mersenne, the author presents a Descartes that is able to see, what Galileo and others saw, how mathematics can function in a physical theory.
Evaluation of the Life Satisfaction and Subjective Happiness Scales With Mexican American High School and College Students

In the current study, we investigated the psychometric properties of two meaningful measures of subjective well-being among Mexican American high school and college students. Participants completed the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) or Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) as measures of subjective well-being. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate structural validity. A modest one-factor structure was found for the SWLS and SHS. Internal consistency was good (.81) and acceptable (.77) as measured by coefficient alpha. Findings provide support for the reliability and validity of the SWLS and SHS as measures of subjective well-being with Mexican American students. A discussion regarding the psychometric properties and implications for research is provided.
Investigating mechanical, dielectric, and electromagnetic interference shielding properties of polymer blends and three component hybrid composites based on polyvinyl alcohol, polyaniline, and few layer graphene

To achieve the suitable set of synergistic mechanical, dielectric, and electromagnetic interference shielding properties, polymer blends based on varying the concentration of conductive polymer polyaniline (PANI) in insulative matrix of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as well as hybrid composites by adding few layer graphene (FLG) in PVA/PANI polymer blends are prepared using solution casting method. In PVA/PANI blends, by increasing the concentration of PANI, dielectric constant (e′), dielectric loss (e″), and total shielding efficiency (SET) of PVA are enhanced from 4 to 80, 0.72 to 164, and 2.5 to 30 dB at 100 Hz, respectively, at the considerable loss of its mechanical properties particularly the tensile strength from 23.9 to 8.5 MPa. For hybrid composites of PVA/PANI/FLG, mechanical as well as dielectric and EMI shielding properties are remarkably enhanced at very low loading levels of FLG. The incorporation of small amounts of FLG in PVA/PANI-10 wt%, the e′, e″, and SET are increased from 4 to 7,907, 0.5 to 406,947.5 and 2.5 to 99 dB at 100 Hz, respectively, along with the considerable increase in the mechanical properties such as tensile strength from 15.7 to 36.3 MPa and modulus from 0.1 to 0.96 GPa at the loss of strain. In comparison to PVA/PANI blends, hybrid composites of PVA/PANI/FLG become a promising system for microwave absorption applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Self-Aligned, Gate Last, FDSOI, Ferroelectric Gate Memory Device With 5.5-nm Hf 0.8 Zr 0.2 O 2 , High Endurance and Breakdown Recovery

We demonstrate a nonvolatile single transistor ferroelectric gate memory device with ultra-thin (5.5 nm) Hf0.8Zr0.2O2 (HZO) fabricated using a self-aligned gate last process. The FETs are fabricated using silicon-on-insulator wafers, and the ferroelectric is deposited with atomic layer deposition. The reported devices have an ON/OFF drain current ratio of up to 106, a read endurance of $>10^{10}$ read cycles, and a program/erase endurance of 107 cycles. Furthermore, healing of the transistor after gate insulator breakdown is demonstrated.
Tibetan/English code-switching practices in the Tibetan diaspora classrooms: perceptions of select 6th grade teachers

The role of the mother tongue-based schooling of Tibetan children has been debated passionately in the Tibetan Diaspora since 1985. Dharamsala, India, the seat of the Tibetan Diaspora, is the research site. Tibetan children are instructed in all school subjects in the Tibetan language up until 6th grade at which time the language of instruction is switched to English. Teachers play a vital role in helping students overcome linguistic barriers associated with this transitional phase. Hence, this study sought to identify intentionality and frequency with which 6th grade Tibetan teachers alternate the language of instruction between English and Tibetan and their reasons for doing so in different content areas. A questionnaire was administered to 21 (9 male, 12 female) 6th grade Tibetan teachers in two different schools. It was noted that 57% of the participants engaged in intentional code-switching ‘sometimes,’ while 33% indicated ‘frequently.’ As predicated, teachers teaching lexically dense math and science subjects reported that they used intentional code-switching 100% during their instruction, while social studies teachers intentionally utilised this method only 50%. Over half of the respondents (53%) stated that they employed code switching as a scaffolding strategy, especially for conceptual understanding and reinforcement.
The Roles and Impacts of Technical Standards on Economic Growth and Implications for Innovation Policy

The Roles and Impacts of Technical Standards on Economic Growth and Implications for Innovation Policy
Emerging Roles of Nitric Oxide Synthase in Bacterial Physiology.

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent inhibitor of diverse cellular processes in bacteria. Therefore, it was surprising to discover that several bacterial species, primarily Gram-positive organisms, harboured a gene encoding nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Recent attempts to characterize bacterial NOS (bNOS) have resulted in the discovery of structural features that may allow it to function as a NO dioxygenase and produce nitrate in addition to NO. Consistent with this characterization, investigations into the biological function of bNOS have also emphasized a role for NOS-dependent nitrate and nitrite production in aerobic and microaerobic respiration. In this review, we aim to compare, contrast, and summarize the structure, biochemistry, and biological role of bNOS with mammalian NOS and discuss how recent advances in our understanding of bNOS have enabled efforts at designing inhibitors against it.
Draft IEEE standard for DC microgrids for rural and remote electricity access applications

Beneficial public engineering standards meld market needs and engineering expertise. They also codify sound design, embrace legacy systems, and frequently include testing specifications for quality. These standards then attract companies to implement solutions, promote market development, and lower costs. The draft IEEE 2030.10 standard targets sustainable DC off-grid and remote power, in both the developed and developing world. In much of the developing world, the investments needed to supply standard wired AC power remain financially unfeasible. IEEE Smart Grid community, with contributions from IEEE Smart Village, has assembled a team defining engineering standards for DC Microgrids. This paper will address the market needs that are understood, the plan for assembling the technical, including testing standards. The planned architecture includes a scalable network of sources, storage, power management and loads. The architecture can support a home, a network of homes, and joint use buildings. The working group needs: standards development engineers, marketing support and manufacturers to implement the resulting products.
S-100 Proteins

AKT Protein kinase B BCL2 B-cell lymphoma 2 CCL2 Chemokine CC ligand 2 CREB Camp response element-binding protein DLC1 Deleted in liver cancer 1 EGF Epithelial growth factor EMT Epithelial mesenchymal transduction ERK Extracellular regulated kinases ESCC Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma FGF-1 Fibroblast growth factor 1 IDC Invasive ductal carcinaoma Jab1 c-Jun activation domain-binding protein-1 KLF Kruppel-like factor miR155 MicroRNA 155 miR29b MicroRNA 29b MMP9 Metalloproteinase 9 MMTV Mouse mammary tumor virus. Ndr Nuclear Dbf2-related kinase NF-kB Nuclear factor-kappa B OSCC Oral squamous cell carcinoma PI3K Phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases PyMT Polyoma middle T-antigen RAGE Receptor for advanced glycation end product ROS Reactive oxygen species SP Sp transcription factor STAT Signal transducer and activator of transcription Stat3 Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 TAMs Tyro-3 Axl, and Mer tyrosine kinase receptors TGF-b Transforming growth factor beta TLR4 Toll like receptor 4 TNF Tumor necrosis factor VEGF Vascular endothelial growth factor
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Cluster-Ion Impacts

Bombardment with beams of heavy molecular ions (cluster ions) has shown initial promise in a wide range of applications. Since little intuition has been developed about how the results are affected by the relevant experimental variables, e.g., cluster type, mass, and energy, these attempts at establishing feasibility may be quite far from being optimal in the choices of these parameters. I propose here that simulations based on molecular dynamics techniques may play a very important role in the efficient design and accurate interpretation of the next generation of such experiments. In addition to the impact this will have on applications in materials science, these calculations and the relevant experiments that follow may be important in determining the lifetimes of small grains in the interstellar medium.
On TRACS: Dealing with a Deck of Double-Sided Cards.

TRACS (Tool for Research on Adaptive Cognitive Strategies) is a new suite of card games played with a special deck, where the back of each card is a clue to the front of the card. This design simulates the clue/truth structure of real world domains like medicine and warfare, where truths (fronts of cards) must be diagnosed from clues (backs of cards) in order to make decisions (cards to choose, chips to bet, etc.). Here I present the cards and rules of TRACS. I also discuss how the games have been used for computational investigations of memory limits and Bayesian inference. The methods for these studies include human experiments and agent simulations, both of which are facilitated by the unique features of TRACS. The products of TRACS research include a computational model of memory limits and a decision support system for Bayesian inference.
CHAPTER IV – Nucleases

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on nucleases. Nuclease is a general term for all enzymes, except the deaminases that attack the nucleic acids, or their decomposition products. Nucleases include three classes of enzymes. The first enzyme is the depolymerizing enzymes or polynucleotidase, which depolymerize the high-molecular weight plant and animal nucleic acids and form mononucleotides. In this reaction phosphoric acid is not set free. At present there exists a considerable amount of uncertainty about the exact action of these enzymes. The second enzyme is the nucleotidases or nucleophosphatases, which are phosphatases that split mononucleotides into phosphoric acid and nucleosides. The third enzyme is the nucleosidases that split nucleosides into purine or pyrimidine bases and sugar. Probably they are all phosphorylases. Purine nucleosidases occur in the spleen, lungs, liver, and heart. Traces are present in the small intestines and in the blood, whereas traces of nucleosidases are present in higher plants.
Acute Mitral Regurgitation Secondary to Papillary Muscle Tear: Is Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair a New Paradigm?

Severe mitral regurgitation (MR) secondary to papillary muscle tear is an infrequent but overwhelmingly morbid and often fatal complication of acute myocardial infarction occurring in 1% to 3% of patients.1 In-hospital mortality without surgical correction can approach 80%2; however, even with surgical correction, papillary muscle tear carries a mortality rate between 19% and 53%.2–5 While consideration of emergent surgical correction continues to be indicated6 with undeniable impact on mortality, outcomes have remained poor over time, with a mortality of nearly 40% in a contemporary evaluation of clinical outcomes.5 Additionally, over 50% of patients with severe MR complicating acute myocardial infarction are declined for surgical intervention because of ongoing instability, shock, or the presence of comorbidities that make surgery of prohibitive risk.2 Thus, although mitral valve repair is necessary for these patients, surgical correction remains an imperfect and incomplete solution. The emergence of percutaneous interventions for valvular heart disease have offered opportunities for many patients that previously were without therapeutic options.7–9 Specifically, in patients with severe chronic MR with elevated surgical risk, the development and advancement of the MitraClip has offered an alternative to high or prohibitive-risk surgical intervention. With MitraClip as a viable alternative to mitral valve replacement or repair for high-risk patients with chronic MR, is it time to consider its possible use in the setting of those high-risk patients with acute MR secondary to myocardial infarction? If so, an optimal approach for decision-making and management of these patients needs to be developed, incorporating procedural aspects and considerations of percutaneous versus surgical repair. We describe a clinical case of a patient with severe MR after acute myocardial infarction and discuss the management for such patients in the current era of percutaneous intervention for valvular heart disease. An …
Two-stage ball milling of recycled machining chips to create an alternative feedstock powder for metal additive manufacturing

Abstract To explore alternative and sustainable feedstock production for metal additive manufacturing, stainless steel powders were fabricated from recycled machining chips by ball milling. To achieve the desirable powder characteristics for additive manufacturing, the effect of ball size on the powder morphology change and particle size reduction was investigated through both theoretical analysis on the maximum deformation depth in the powder during ball milling and extensive experimental work. The modeling results suggest that large balls (diameter = 20 mm) efficiently break up machining chips to coarse powder particles while small balls (diameter = 6 mm) effectively modify the powder morphology to near-spherical. Therefore, a two-stage ball milling approach, i.e., using large balls at the initial stage of milling followed by a second stage of milling with small balls, was proposed in experiments and successfully converted machining chips to powders with near-spherical shape and particle sizes ranged from 38 to 150 μm. In addition, the nanoindentation hardness of the ball milled powder created from machining chips is 56% higher than the gas atomized powder. To verify the usability of the ball milled powder created from recycled machining chips in additive manufacturing, single tracks have been successfully deposited via laser engineered net shaping.
Patient and partner illness appraisals and health among adults with type 1 diabetes

In a study of 199 couples in which one person had type 1 diabetes, we examined how patient appraisal of the diabetes as shared versus individual was associated with collaborative, supportive and unsupportive behavior and whether patient shared illness appraisal was most beneficial for health when it occurred in the context of supportive behavior. We assessed illness appraisal among patients with type 1 diabetes and their partners and had patients complete relationship and health measures. Results showed partners were more likely than patients to hold shared illness appraisals. Patients' shared appraisals were associated with more collaborative and instrumental support, more emotional support, less protective buffering, and more overprotective behavior. When patients and partners were consistent in their shared appraisals, support was highest. Regression analysis showed collaborative and instrumental support, as well as emotional support, was related to better psychological and physical health when patients held shared compared to individual illness appraisals.
The LACE+ index fails to predict 30-90 day readmission for supratentorial craniotomy patients: A retrospective series of 238 surgical procedures.

Abstract Objective: The LACE + index (Length of stay, Acuity of admission, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score, and Emergency department visits in the past 6 months) is a tool utilized to predict 30–90 day readmission and other secondary outcomes. We sought to examine the effectiveness of this predictive tool in patients undergoing brain tumor surgery. Patients and methods: Admissions and readmissions for patients undergoing craniotomy for supratentorial neoplasm at a single, multi-hospital, academic medical center, were analyzed. Key data was prospectively collected with the Neurosurgery Quality Improvement Initiative (NQII)-EpiLog tool. This included all supratentorial craniotomy cases for which the patient was alive at 90 days after surgery (n = 238). Simple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the ability of the LACE + index and subsequent single variables to accurately predict the outcome measures of 30–90 day readmission, 30–90 day emergency department (ED) visit, and 30–90 day reoperation. Analysis of the model’s or variable’s discrimination was determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve as represented by the C-statistic. Results: The sample included admissions for craniotomy for supratentorial neoplasm (n = 238) from 227 patients, of which 50.00% were female (n = 119). The average LACE + index score was 53.48 ± 16.69 (Range 9–83). The LACE + index did not accurately predict 30–90 day readmissions (P = 0.127), 30–90 day ED visits (P = 0.308), nor reoperations (P = 0.644). ROC confirmed that the LACE + index was little better than random chance at predicting these events in this population (C-statistic = 0.51−0.58). However, a single unit increase in LACE + leads to a 0.97 times reduction in the odds of being discharged home with fair predictive accuracy (P Conclusion: The results of this study show that the LACE + index is ill-equipped to predict 30–90 day readmissions in the brain tumor population and further analysis of significant covariates or other prediction tools should be undertaken.
Associations between young adult marijuana outcomes and availability of medical marijuana dispensaries and storefront signage.

Aims We investigated associations between the density of medical marijuana dispensaries (MMDs) around young adults' homes and marijuana use outcomes. Design Secondary data analysis. Setting Los Angeles County, CA, USA. Participants A total of 1887 participants aged 18-22 years, surveyed online in 2016-17. Measurements Outcomes were past-month marijuana use (number of days used, number of times each day), positive expectancies and perceived peer use. Density was measured as the total number of MMDs and number of MMDs with storefront signage indicative of marijuana sales, within 4 miles of respondents' homes. Findings Eighty-four per cent of respondents had 10 or more MMDs within 4 miles of their homes. Multiple linear regression analyses that adjusted for individual-level socio-demographic characteristics and neighborhood socio-economic status indicated that living near a higher number of MMDs was associated with greater number of days used in the past month [β = 0.025; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.001, 0.049; P = 0.04] and higher positive marijuana expectancies (β = 0.003; 95% CI = 0.001, 0.007; P = 0.04). Living near more MMDs with storefront signage had a four- to six-fold larger effect on number of times used per day and positive expectancies, respectively, compared with associations with the total MMD count. Adjusting for medical marijuana card ownership attenuated the association with number of days used in the past month and positive expectancies, and an unexpected association emerged between higher MMD density and fewer number of times used each day (β = -0.005; 95% CI = -0.009, -0.001; P = 0.03). Conclusions For young adults in Los Angeles County, living near more medical marijuana dispensaries (MMDs) is positively associated with more frequent use of marijuana within the past month and greater expectations of marijuana's positive benefits. MMDs with signage show stronger associations with number of times used each day and positive expectancies.
Towards a characterization of apparent contradictions in the biomedical literature using context analysis.

Abstract Background With the substantial growth in the biomedical research literature, a larger number of claims are published daily, some of which seemingly disagree with or contradict prior claims on the same topics. Resolving such contradictions is critical to advancing our understanding of human disease and developing effective treatments. Automated text analysis techniques can facilitate such analysis by extracting claims from the literature, flagging those that are potentially contradictory, and identifying any study characteristics that may explain such contradictions. Methods Using SemMedDB, our own PubMed-scale repository of semantic predications (subject-relation-object triples), we identified apparent contradictions in the biomedical research literature and developed a categorization of contextual characteristics that explain such contradictions. Clinically relevant semantic predications relating to 20 diseases and involving opposing predicate pairs (e.g., an intervention treats or causes a disease) were retrieved from SemMedDB. After addressing inference, uncertainty, generic concepts, and NLP errors through automatic and manual filtering steps, a set of apparent contradictions were identified and characterized. Results We retrieved 117,676 predication instances from 62,360 PubMed abstracts (Jan 1980-Dec 2016). From these instances, automatic filtering steps generated 2236 candidate contradictory pairs. Through manual analysis, we determined that 58 of these pairs (2.6%) were apparent contradictions. We identified five main categories of contextual characteristics that explain these contradictions: (a) internal to the patient, (b) external to the patient, (c) endogenous/exogenous, (d) known controversy, and (e) contradictions in literature. Categories (a) and (b) were subcategorized further (e.g., species, dosage) and accounted for the bulk of the contradictory information. Conclusions Semantic predications, by accounting for lexical variability, and SemMedDB, owing to its literature scale, can support identification and elucidation of potentially contradictory claims across the biomedical domain. Further filtering and classification steps are needed to distinguish among them the true contradictory claims. The ability to detect contradictions automatically can facilitate important biomedical knowledge management tasks, such as tracking and verifying scientific claims, summarizing research on a given topic, identifying knowledge gaps, and assessing evidence for systematic reviews, with potential benefits to the scientific community. Future work will focus on automating these steps for fully automatic recognition of contradictions from the biomedical research literature.
“The Question Remains… Of Your Place”: Challenging Reductive Identities in Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced”

Ayad Akhtar’s play Disgraced asks its audience to examine the “place” of minorities in the United States. This essay argues that the play deliberately invokes certain stereotypes about Islam and Mu...
Visualization of Both Sides of the Bowel Wall

Visualization of both sides of the bowel wall is a finding of pneumoperitoneum and is also known as Rigler’s sign. An important associated finding to search for is pneumatosis intestinalis and pneumobilia.
Computationally Efficient Surface Conductivity Graphene Model for Active Metadevices

We present our computationally efficient approach to modeling tunable graphene-based active metadevices, where the integral multivariate surface conductivity is reformulated in the time and frequency domains with physically interpretable and fast-to-compute integration-free terms. The derivation is built on an expansion to power series of $ {z}= -\text {exp}(-\mu /k_{B}T)$ that converges very fast for non-zero chemical potential values. The model reveals interesting decomposition of graphene response into a universal constant term plus a damped oscillator (digamma functions in the frequency domain) plus non-oscillating correction terms for near-zero potentials. The number of terms in that series is analyzed theoretically for a given accuracy. In practice, only a few series terms are required, making our approach very efficient for simulation of active metasurfaces compared with direct integration of Kubo’s formulas. A simple performance test comparing run times with our code versus the numerical integration of the original Kubo’s formulas demonstrates a speedup exceeding 103. The proposed models can be critical for the initial ellipsometric characterization of graphene and advanced global optimization of graphene-controlled metadevices.