cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Local Heaviside weighted MLPG meshless method for two-dimensional solids using compactly supported radial basis functions

Abstract Compactly supported radial basis functions (CSRBF) are employed for constructing trial functions in the local Heaviside weighted meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method for stress analysis of two-dimensional solids, where the Heaviside step function is used as the weighting function over a local sub-domain. The present method is a truly meshless method based only on a number of randomly located nodes. No domain integration is needed, no element matrix assembly is required and no special treatment is needed to impose the essential boundary conditions. Effects of the sizes of local sub-domain and interpolation domain on the performance of the present method are investigated. In this paper, the size of the support of the basis function has been treated as a shape parameter, and then, the behaviour of this shape parameter has been systematically studied for six different CSRBFs. Example problems in elastostatics are presented and compared with closed-form solutions. Results show that the proposed method is highly accurate and possesses no numerical difficulties.
Life 1 Year After a Quit Attempt: Real-Time Reports of Quitters and Continuing Smokers

Background Smokers are often reluctant to quit because they fear long-lasting withdrawal. Yet little research prospectively examines smokers’ withdrawal longer than 1 month post-quit.
Moral theory based on the ‘heart’versus the ‘mind’: Schopenhauer's and Durkheim's critiques of Kantian ethics

Schopenhauer criticized Kant's moral theory on the grounds that it was non-empirical and inadequate, because it attempted to establish morality on the basis of reason and duty. Contrary to Kant, Schopenhauer argued that genuine morality is irrational, based on compassion, and a human product, hence that it could be studied empirically. Schopenhauer established the ‘science of morality’ which occupied the attention of a host of turn of the century precursors of the social sciences, especially Durkheim. Durkheim's version of the science of moral facts is compared and contrasted with Schopenhauer's critique of Kant, and it is demonstrated that Durkheim tends (o follow Schopenhauer's lead. Problems with Durkheim's and Schopenhauer's critiques of Kantian ethics are also discussed.
Isolation and properties of Escherichia coli ATPase mutants with altered divalent metal specificity for ATP hydrolysis.

Abstract A method was devised for isolation of large numbers of energy-transducing ATPase (coupling factor) mutants based on a modification of the procedure of Hong and Ames (Hong, J. and Ames, B. N. (1971) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S. 68, 3158–3162) for localized mutagenesis of any small region of the bacterial chromosome using transducing phages. The principle of this procedure is to mutate P1-transducing phage particles carrying the ATPase genes (Unc (uncoupled) DNA) using the strong chemical mutagen hydroxylamine. By transducing ilv− auxotrophs, a marker closely linked to Unc, to prototrophs, mutated Unc DNA can be introduced into the chromosome. We have used this method in conjunction with suitable selection procedures to isolate about 90 Unc− strains which have been classified by physiological, genetic, and biochemical criteria into three different phenotypes (Unc A, B, D). Mutants of the Unc D phenotype which were studied in detail were found to have the following properties: (1) aerobic growth yields on glucose are considerably lower than the wild type; growth occurs on glucose under anaerobic conditions; (2) Unc D lesions map near the ilv operon; (3) O2 uptake is comparable to the rate of wild type; (4) vesicles catalyze respiratory-dependent transhydrogenation, but show very low levels of Ca2+ ATP-dependent transhydrogenation; Mg2+ is ineffective; (5) oxidative phosphorylation is almost completely blocked irrespective of which metal ion is used; (6) the specific activity of ATPase is only about 20% of the wild type; (7) purified ATPase was found to have a marked specificity for Ca2+ as a divalent metal for ATP hydrolysis. A summary of properties of the new Unc mutants is discussed.
Saturation transfer double-difference NMR spectroscopy using a dual solenoid microcoil difference probe

An experiment designed to collect a saturation transfer double difference (STDD) NMR spectrum using a solenoid microcoil NMR difference probe is reported. STDD-NMR allows the investigation of ligand-biomolecule binding, with moderate concentration requirements for unlabeled molecular targets and the ability to discern binding events in the presence of non-binding ligands. The NMR difference probe acquires the signals from two different samples at once, and cancels common signals automatically through a mechanism of switching between parallel excitation and serial acquisition of the sample signals. STDD spectra were acquired on a system consisting of human serum albumin and two ligands, octanoic acid and glucose. The non-binding ligand, glucose, was cancelled internally through phase cycling, while the protein signal was subtracted automatically by the difference probe. The proton NMR resonance signal from octanoic acid remained in the double difference spectrum. This work demonstrates that the double difference can be performed both internally and automatically through the utilization of the solenoid microcoil NMR difference probe and STDD-NMR pulse sequence, resulting in a clean signal from the binding ligand with good protein background subtraction and an overall favorable result when compared to the conventional approach.
Zero-pressure joule-thomson coefficient and exponential-six intermolecular potential

Abstract The zero-pressure Joule-Thomson coefficient μ o , is computed for the modified Buckingham exponential-six intermolecular potential as a function of the reduced temperature in the range 0.45 to 100 and for seven values of the potential parameter which determines the steepness of the repulsive limb viz., 120-0.5-15.0. These results are compared with the values available in the literature for Lennard-Jones 12-6 potential. The present calculations and analysis will help considerably to estimating the Joule-Thomson coefficient with a higher degree of reliability and also in determining the interaction potentials where experimental data of μ o are available as a function of temperature.
Further Validation of the Vengeance Scale

Further validation of the Vengeance Scale was explored. Scores on the scale were significantly and positively correlated with measures of hypermasculinity and inversely correlated with personal val...
Long-term effects of simvastatin in familial dysbetalipoproteinaemia.

. The long-term effects (66 weeks) of simvastatin (40 mg in one or two doses per day), an inhibitor of HMG CoA-reductase, were evaluated in 12 patients with familial dysbetalipoproteinaemia (type III hyperlipoproteinaemia). Simvastatin had a persistent hypolipidaemic effect: the mean reduction in serum cholesterol was 36–51%, and the mean reduction in serum triglycerides was 32–55%. The decrease in serum lipids was caused by a decline in VLDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels; the mean ratio between VLDL-cholesterol and serum triglycerides decreased significantly from 1.06 to 0.73. There was no significant difference between the once-a-day and twice-a-day regimens. Simvastatin was well tolerated; no serious side-effects were observed. These data demonstrate the usefulness of simvastatin in the therapy of familial dysbetalipoproteinaemia.
A Viable Recombinant Rhabdovirus Lacking Its Glycoprotein Gene and Expressing Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase Is a Potent Influenza Vaccine

The emergence of novel influenza viruses that cause devastating human disease is an ongoing threat and serves as an impetus for the continued development of novel approaches to influenza vaccines. Influenza vaccine development has traditionally focused on producing humoral and/or cell-mediated immunity, often against the viral surface glycoproteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Here, we describe a new vaccine candidate that utilizes a replication-defective vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) vector backbone that lacks the native G surface glycoprotein gene (VSVΔG). The expression of the H5 HA of an H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV), A/Vietnam/1203/04 (VN1203), and the NA of the mouse-adapted H1N1 influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8) in the VSVΔG vector restored the ability of the recombinant virus to replicate in cell culture, without the requirement for the addition of trypsin. We show here that this recombinant virus vaccine candidate was nonpathogenic in mice when given by either the intramuscular or intranasal route of immunization and that the in vivo replication of VSVΔG-H5N1 is profoundly attenuated. This recombinant virus also provided protection against lethal H5N1 infection after a single dose. This novel approach to vaccination against HPAIVs may be widely applicable to other emerging strains of influenza virus. IMPORTANCE Preparation for a potentially catastrophic influenza pandemic requires novel influenza vaccines that are safe, can be produced and administered quickly, and are effective, both soon after administration and for a long duration. We have created a new influenza vaccine that utilizes an attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) vector, to deliver and express influenza virus proteins against which vaccinated animals develop potent antibody responses. The influenza virus hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins, expressed on the surface of VSV particles, allowed this vaccine to grow in cell culture and induced a potent antibody response in mice that was effective against infection with a lethal influenza virus. The mice showed no adverse reactions to the vaccine, and they were protected against an otherwise lethal influenza infection after only 14 days postvaccination and after as many as 140 days postvaccination. The ability to rapidly produce this safe and effective vaccine in cell culture is additionally advantageous.
Revisiting small clusters of water molecules

Abstract The geometries and relative energies of small clusters of water molecules, (H 2 O) n with 4 ⩽ n ⩽ 8, are reported. For each value of n we have considered the conformations corresponding to the lowest-energy minimum and those in nearby relative minima. Thus we report on six tetramers, four pentamers, six hexanlers, four heptamers, and eigth octamers. The geometrical conformations have been obtained using the Metropolis Monte Carlo method as a minimization technique, where the interaction energy is computed with the MCY potential plus three- and four-body corrections previously discussed. All the reported structures for a given cluster size are found to be close in energy. For the lowest conformation the geometry was optimized with ab initio SCF computations using energy gradients. Our results are compared with previous theoretical studies. We discuss the convergence of the interaction potential for liquid water when expressed in terms of a many-body series expansion.
Taurine: a critical nutrient for future fish feeds

Abstract Taurine is a sulfonic acid found in high concentrations in animal tissues. In recent years, a number of studies have demonstrated the essentiality of dietary taurine for many commercially relevant species, especially marine teleosts. Consequently, the removal of taurine-rich dietary ingredients such as fishmeal may create a deficiency, of which symptoms include reduced growth and survival, increased susceptibility to diseases, and impaired larval development. These symptoms emphasize the systemic role of taurine in the animal’s physiology and provide few clues as to the underlying mechanisms of taurine function. In fact, a myriad of roles have been attributed to taurine in mammals, ranging from bile salt conjugation to membrane stabilization, osmoregulation, anti-oxidation, immunomodulation, calcium-signaling, and neuroprotection. This review describes the current knowledge of taurine physiology and metabolism in fish and requirement levels in relevant species, and highlights possible parallels with mammalian taurine metabolism. In addition, the effects of ingredient processing and feed manufacturing on taurine bioavailability are discussed. Finally, regulatory aspects are brought to the forefront: although the supplementation of taurine will be necessary to further reduce the use of ingredients such as fishmeal, taurine is not currently approved by the FDA in the USA for fish feeds. Obtaining approval in the United States to utilize taurine in fish feeds can improve the environmental and economic sustainability of fish feeds nation-wide.
Polyomavirus late pre-mRNA processing: DNA replication-associated changes in leader exon multiplicity suggest a role for leader-to-leader splicing in the early-late switch.

Polyomavirus late mRNAs contain at their 59 ends multiple, tandem repeats of a 57-base noncoding sequence, the late leader, whose sequence appears only once in the viral genome. Pre-mRNA molecules are processed by a pathway that includes the splicing of late leader exons to each other in giant, multigenome-length precursors which are the result of inefficient transcription termination. We have devised a method involving reverse transcription and the polymerase chain reaction to determine the number of tandem late leader units on polyomavirus late RNA molecules. Using this technique, we have shown that each class of late viral mRNA (mVP1, mVP2, and mVP3) consists of molecules with between 1 and 12 tandem leader units at their 59 ends. Importantly, single-leader RNAs are underrepresented in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus, suggesting that single-leader primary transcripts are preferentially degraded in the nucleus. In addition, the average number of leaders on late RNAs increases in the presence of DNA replication. Taken together with previous work from our laboratory, the results presented here are consistent with a model for the control of late gene expression at the level of RNA splicing and stability which is in turn controlled by the efficiency of transcription termination. Images
Assessment and Treatment of Excessive Barking in the Domestic Dog

Barking is a normal behavior in the domestic dog, but it can become a problem when excessive. Understanding the motivation of the nuisance barking dog is the first step in devising a treatment plan. The use of behavior modification techniqu es with or without medication is discussed. Recommendations for prevention of the problem also are outlined.
Review and management of 46,XY Disorders of Sex Development

Abstract Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) among 46,XY individuals are rare and challenging conditions. Abnormalities of karyotype, gonadal formation, androgen synthesis, and androgen action are responsible for the multiple disorders that result in undervirilization during development. Phenotypic appearance and timing of presentation are quite variable. The focus of treatment has shifted from early gender assignment and corrective surgery to careful diagnosis, proper education of patients and their families, and individualized treatment by a multi-disciplinary team. The modern management of these patients is difficult and controversial. Conflicting data on long-term outcomes of these individuals have been reported in the literature. The various etiologies of 46,XY DSD, current approaches to diagnosis and treatment, and reported long-term results are reviewed.
Effects of Morphine Dependence on the Pathogenesis of Swine Herpesvirus Infection

To further understand the effects of opiates on the pathogenesis of infectious disease, naturally occurring pathogens were studied in a swine model. Swine were given morphine for 21-42 days to establish a tolerant, dependent state. On day 7 after morphine initiation, pigs were challenged with swine herpesvirus-1 (SHV-1); on day 14, selected animals were superinfected with Pasteurella multocida. Evaluations were made of the clinical disease, protective effect of SHV-1 vaccination, and pathology. Morphine-dependent animals developed significantly greater virus-induced and secondary bacterial pneumonia. Prior vaccination with SHV-1 was not protective against pneumonia in morphine-dependent pigs. Unexpectedly, clinical signs associated with neurologic disease were less pronounced, and mortality from viral encephalitis was decreased in morphine-treated animals. Collectively, the findings demonstrate that morphine dependence is associated with a marked alteration of the pathogenesis of SHV-1 and that the effects of this opiate on pathogenesis are determined by the specific site of infection.
Are Low Interest Rates Deflationary? A Paradox of Perfect-Foresight Analysis

A prolonged period of extremely low nominal interest rates has not resulted in high inflation. This has led to increased interest in the “Neo-Fisherian” proposition according to which low nominal interest rates may themselves cause inflation to be lower. The fact that standard models of the effects of monetary policy have the property that perfect foresight equilibria in which the nominal interest rate remains low forever necessarily involve low inflation (at least eventually) might seem to support such a view. Here, however, we argue that such a conclusion depends on a misunderstanding of the circumstances under which it makes sense to predict the effects of a monetary policy commitment by calculating the perfect foresight equilibrium consistent with the policy. We propose an explicit cognitive process by which agents may form their expectations of future endogenous variables. Under some circumstances, such as a commitment to follow a Taylor rule, a perfect foresight equilibrium (PFE) can arise as a limiting case of our more general concept of reflective equilibrium, when the process of reflection is pursued sufficiently far. But we show that an announced intention to fix the nominal interest rate for a long enough period of time creates a situation in which reflective equilibrium need not resemble any PFE. In our view, this makes PFE predictions not plausible outcomes in the case of policies of the latter sort. According to the alternative approach that we recommend, a commitment to maintain a low nominal interest rate for longer should always be expansionary and inflationary, rather than causing deflation; but the effects of such “forward guidance” are likely, in the case of a long-horizon commitment, to be much less expansionary or inflationary than the usual PFE analysis would imply.
What seeds to plant in the Great Basin? Comparing traits prioritized in native plant cultivars and releases with those that promote survival in the field

ABSTRACT: Restoration in the Great Basin is typically a large-scale enterprise, with aerial, drill, and broadcast seeding of perennial species common after wildfires. Arid conditions and invasive plants are significant barriers to overcome, but relatively simple changes to seeds used for restoration may improve success. Here we summarize: 1) the composition of seed mixes used in recent postfire seedings in Nevada, 2) traits that were valued when cultivars and other native seed materials were named and released, and 3) traits that have been demonstrated to increase native perennial grass performance in invaded systems. A review of 420 seeding treatments on public shrublands in Nevada between 2006 and 2009 indicated that native perennial grasses and native shrubs were most frequently included in these projects, followed by exotic and native forbs, and lastly, exotic perennial grasses. Native perennial grasses made up the bulk of seeds used in these treatments, with multiple species of grasses (average of 3....
Scaling calculations of optimal liner performance to determine the voltage design configuration in Atlas

Summary form only given, as follows. Atlas is the new pulsed power facility being designed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to perform high energy-density experiments in support of weapons physics and basic research programs. At the initial design stage, Marx module "building block" of 120 kV was chosen and there were five possible voltage options, in multiples of 120 kV up to 600 kV. Since the primary mission for Atlas is to hydrodynamic experiments, we search for the best performance in the sense that it produces the highest collision shock pressure with a fixed target as the figure of merit to determine the optimal voltage configuration. Although the bank capacitance and inductance satisfy some simple scaling in bank voltage, the total circuit inductance does not as it depends on the liner radius to be optimized. Furthermore, the condition on voltage reversal to protect the bank circuit also affects the current waveform significantly as we change the voltage. In this investigation we first derived an approximate scaling relation for the current waveform, through its dependence on circuit parameters, as a function of voltage. From this result we could show in general that the optimized liner performance decreases with increasing voltage. Detailed simulations using the 1-D MHD code RAVEN confirm that the optimized liner at 120 kV indeed outperforms the one at 240 kV, but merely by about 10% in shock pressure. But the 240 kV configuration is much more favorable in terms of the radiation source applications, and so it became our final design choice for Atlas. Some physical insights on the Atlas circuit design gained from this study will be discussed.
Metal Doping of BiVO4 by Composite Electrodeposition with Improved Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

We report that oxide composite electrodeposition can be used for the facile preparation of metal-doped BiVO4 photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical water oxidation. The photoactivity of electrodeposition film was improved by the addition of a small amount of tungstic acid particles during the electrodeposition. These particles are incorporated in the deposit and finally generate tungsten-doped bismuth vanadate. The suspended particles in the plating solution were electrostatically attracted to the cathode and accordingly incorporated into the deposit (electrostatic deposition). WO3 nanoparticles (NPs) can be used instead of tungstic acid, to yield a BiVO4 with different properties. Enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation was confirmed via scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) by detecting increased oxygen evolution with using optical fiber incorporating a ring electrode.
Contention-Aware Performance Analysis of Mobility-Assisted Routing

A large body of work has theoretically analyzed the performance of mobility-assisted routing schemes for intermittently connected mobile networks. But the vast majority of these prior studies have ignored wireless contention. Recent papers have shown through simulations that ignoring contention leads to inaccurate and misleading results, even for sparse networks. In this paper, we analyze the performance of routing schemes under contention. First, we introduce a mathematical framework to model contention. This framework can be used to analyze any routing scheme with any mobility and channel model. Then, we use this framework to compute the expected delays for different representative mobility-assisted routing schemes under random direction, random waypoint and community-based mobility models. Finally, we use these delay expressions to optimize the design of routing schemes while demonstrating that designing and optimizing routing schemes using analytical expressions which ignore contention can lead to suboptimal or even erroneous behavior.
Apparent Diffusion Coefficients in the Evaluation of High-grade Cerebral Gliomas

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Preliminary data indicate that apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values may be useful in identifying and grading primary cerebral tumors. We tested the hypothesis that ADC values can be used to differentiate tumor, edema, and normal brain tissue. METHODS: Fifteen patients with high-grade cerebral astrocytomas underwent conventional MR imaging, diffusion-weighted MR imaging, and proton MR spectroscopy. We defined tumor as an area containing the highest choline/creatine and choline/N-actetyl aspartate ratios, contrast enhancement, and abnormal T2 signal intensity. Edema was defined as tissue with normal proton MR spectra, no enhancement, and high T2 signal intensity. Normal brain was assumed if tissue had normal proton MR spectra, no enhancement, and normal T2 signal intensity in the hemispheres ipsilateral or contralateral to tumor. ADC maps were calculated and regions of interest were manually placed over areas of tumor, edema, and normal tissue. Comparisons were made by analysis of variance. For post hoc testing, the Tukey method was used to correct for the effect of multiple comparisons, and significance was accepted if P was less than .05. RESULTS:When ADC values were analyzed as a group, significant differences were found between tumor (131 + 45) and normal brain tissue (ipsilateral to tumor, 92 + 22; contralateral to tumor, 78 + 5) but not between tumor and adjacent edema (129 + 45). A plot of individual data points showed considerable overlapping among the three types of tissue sampled. CONCLUSION: As a group, ADC values helped to distinguish high-grade glioma from normal tissue but could not be used to separate high-grade glioma from surrounding edema. Individually, ADC values overlapped considerably and were not useful in our patients. The utility of ADC values (as obtained in this relatively small study) is questionable in patients with high-grade cerebral astrocytomas.
Conservation of information-processing capacity in paired-associate memorizing

Data that impose constraints on hypotheses regarding the role of temporal variables in memorizing are reviewed, including results that apparently disconfirm Greeno's (1967) time-sharing hypothesis. An alternative hypothesis is proposed, in which it is assumed that S occasionally attenuates his rate of processing information for memory, with the probability of attentuation being relatively high when the item being presented is still in short-term memory as a result of a recent presentation.
Violent Capital: Zhu Yu on File

In the past two decades, China has witnessed a period of vibrant artistic experimentation, marking the nation's rapid transition from the dominance of communist ideology to that of the market economy. Zhu Yu's xingwei yishu (behavior art) and his controversial art actions reflect and critique this transition, and his performances become part of the “violent capital” of the new aesthetic economy.
Lipid rescue of massive verapamil overdose: a case report

Massive intentional verapamil overdose is a toxic ingestion which can cause multiorgan system failure and has no currently known antidote. The patient is a 41-year-old Caucasian woman who ingested 19.2 g of sustained release verapamil in a suicide attempt. Our patient became hypotensive requiring three high-dose vasopressors to maintain arterial pressure. She also developed acute respiratory failure, bradycardic ventricular rhythm necessitating continuous transvenous pacing, and anuric renal failure. Our patient was treated with intravenous calcium, bicarbonate, hyperinsulinemic euglycemic therapy and continuous venovenous hemodialysis without success. On the fourth day after hospital admission continuous intravenous lipid therapy was initiated. Within three hours of beginning lipid therapy, our patient's vasopressor requirement decreased by half. Within 24 hours, she was on minimal vasopressor support and regained an underlying junctional rhythm. After three days of lipid infusion, she no longer required inotropic agents to maintain blood pressure or pacing to maintain stable hemodynamics. Intravenous fat emulsion therapy may be an effective antidote for massive verapamil toxicity.
Disclosure regime for mandatory disclosures by banks and financial institutions in Nepal

What are the components of the ‘disclosure regime’ in Nepal that require the mandatory disclosures by banks and financial institutions? The objective of this paper was to explore and trace the rules, regulations, and provisions governing disclosure by banks and finance companies listed on Nepal Stock Exchange. The banks and financial institutions had a two-pronged regulatory and monitoring regime requiring them to make disclosures: one as a financial institution and another as a public company. The disclosure regime comprised of accounting standards, directives from Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), listing requirements of Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE), provisions of Companies Act 2006 and Banks and Financial Institutions Act 2006, and requirements placed by Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON). The study makes a significant contribution in understanding the disclosure expectations from banks and financial institutions in a developing country like Nepal.
Obesity-Induced Inflammation Is Associated with Alterations in Subcellular Zinc Pools and Premature Mammary Gland Involution in Lactating Mice

Background: Lactation failure is common in overweight and obese women; however, the precise mechanism remains unknown. Objective: We tested the hypothesis that obesity-induced inflammation in the mammary gland (MG) redistributes subcellular zinc pools to promote cell death of mammary epithelial cells (MECs) and premature involution. Methods: Female DBA/2J mice were fed a high-fat (obese; 45% kcal from fat, n = 60) or control diet (lean; 10% kcal from fat, n = 50) for 5 wk and bred. MG cytokines and macrophage infiltration were determined by reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction and F4/80 staining, respectively. Zinc concentration was analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy, and zinc transporters and markers of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, autophagy, and involution were measured by immunoblot. To confirm effects of inflammation, tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF) or vehicle was injected into adjacent MGs of lean lactating C57BL/6 mice (n = 5) and cultured MECs (HC11 cells) were treated with TNF in vitro. Results: Seventy-seven percent of obese mice failed to lactate (lean: 39%; P < 0.001). Obese mice capable of lactating had greater macrophage infiltration (obese: 135 6 40.4 macrophages/mm 2 ; lean: 63.8 6 8.9 macrophages/mm 2 ; P < 0.001) and elevated TNF expression (P < 0.05), concurrent with lower zrt- irt-like protein 7 abundance (P < 0.05) and higher ER zinc concentration (obese: 0.36 6 0.004 mg Zn/mg protein; lean: 0.30 6 0.02 mg Zn/mg protein; P < 0.05) compared with lean mice. Heat shock protein 5 (HSPA5) expression (P < 0.05) was suppressed in the MG of obese mice, which was consistent with HSPA5 suppression in TNF-injected MGs (P < 0.01) and MECs treated with TNF in vitro (P < 0.01). Moreover, obesity increased lysosomal activity (P < 0.05) and autophagy in the MG, which corresponded to increased zinc transporter 2 abundance and lysosomal zinc concentration compared with lean mice (obese: 0.20 6 0.02 mg Zn/mg protein; lean: 0.14 6 0.01 mg Zn/mg protein; P < 0.05). Importantly, MGs of obese mice exhibited markers of apoptosis (P = 0.05) and involution (P < 0.01), which were not observed in lean mice. Conclusions: Diet-induced obesity created a proinflammatory MG microenvironment in mice, which was associated with zincmediated ER stress and autophagy and the activation of premature involution. JN utrdoi: 10.3945/jn.115.214122.
High-quality audio compression using an adaptive wavelet packet decomposition and psychoacoustic modeling

This paper presents a technique to incorporate psychoacoustic models into an adaptive wavelet packet scheme to achieve perceptually transparent compression of high-quality (34.1 kHz) audio signals at about 45 kb/s. The filter bank structure adapts according to psychoacoustic criteria and according to the computational complexity that is available at the decoder. This permits software implementations that can perform according to the computational power available in order to achieve real time coding/decoding. The bit allocation scheme is an adapted zero-tree algorithm that also takes input from the psychoacoustic model. The measure of performance is a quantity called subband perceptual rate, which the filter bank structure adapts to approach the perceptual entropy (PE) as closely as possible. In addition, this method is also amenable to progressive transmission, that is, it can achieve the best quality of reconstruction possible considering the size of the bit stream available at the encoder. The result is a variable-rate compression scheme for high-quality audio that takes into account the allowed computational complexity, the available bit-budget, and the psychoacoustic criteria for transparent coding. This paper thus provides a novel scheme to marry the results in wavelet packets and perceptual coding to construct an algorithm that is well suited to high-quality audio transfer for Internet and storage applications.
Affinity Research Groups in Practice: Apprenticing Students in Research

Background The affinity research group (ARG) model is a set of practices built on a cooperative team framework to support the creation and maintenance of dynamic and inclusive research groups in which students learn and apply the knowledge and skills required for research and cooperative work. Using situated learning theory, we conducted a qualitative study of current and former ARG members to understand the potential of the ARG for preparing students for graduate school and professional research careers. Purpose Our study investigated how the ARG model influenced students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, in becoming researchers and practicing computer scientists. Design/Method We employed multiple data collection methods, including individual and focus group interviews and participant observation, to investigate whether this model had lasting effects and sustainability beyond the time students spent in an ARG. Results Using themes emerging from our data analysis, we can explain how students become contributing members of ARGs, group identity and cohesiveness are formed, members learn collaboratively, members participate in larger professional communities, and participants’ identities are transformed from student to researcher. Conclusions Findings suggest that the structural and procedural elements of ARGs support students’ growth and development as researchers and their gradual socialization into broader computer science research and professional communities through legitimate peripheral participation and immersion in situated practice.
Inapproximability for VCG-based combinatorial auctions

The existence of incentive-compatible, computationally-efficient mechanisms for combinatorial auctions with good approximation ratios is the paradigmatic problem in algorithmic mechanism design. It is believed that, in many cases, good approximations for combinatorial auctions may be unattainable due to an inherent clash between truthfulness and computational efficiency. In this paper, we prove the first computational-complexity in-approximability results for incentive-compatible mechanisms for combinatorial auctions. Our results are tight, hold for the important class of VCG-based mechanisms, and are based on the complexity assumption that NP has no polynomial-size circuits. We show two different techniques to obtain such lower bounds: one for deterministic mechanisms that attains optimal dependence on the number of players and number of items, and one that also applies to a class of randomized mechanisms and attains optimal dependence on the number of players. Both techniques are based on novel VC dimension machinery.
The Sound of Health

THE SILENCE OF HEALTH “Health is life lived in the silence of the organs” wrote the French surgeon Rene Leriche in 1936, a concept later adopted and further developed by the physician and philosopher Georges Canguilhem (1). Albeit certainly resonant with the experience of health defined as the state of well being perceived by an individual, this concept is less valid when health is evaluated in terms of physiological homeostasis. Here, I will introduce the notion that healthy cells are actively involved in signaling for the presence of health, as contrasted to the widely accepted concept that stressed cells send out messages indicating lack of health. I propose that, although true at the level of human beings feeling the state of their own health, Diderot’s view that “When we are well, no part of the body informs us of its existence” (2) does not apply to the physiology of cells, tissues, organs, and the body as a whole.
What Everyone Should Know About the Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction

In the early 1950s a Soviet biochemist, Boris P. Belousov, was trying to develop a simple chemical model of the oxidation of organic molecules in living cells. Central to these pathways is the Krebs cycle, whereby organic acids are oxidized to CO2 and H2O. In aerobic organisms, oxygen is the oxidizing agent, and the reactions are catalyzed by enzymes and electron-transport proteins, many of which rely on iron ions (Fe2+/Fe3+) to move electrons around. In his testtube version of metabolism, Belousov used citric acid (one of the intermediates of the Krebs cycle) as an organic substrate, bromate ions (BrO3-) as oxidizing agent, and cerium ions as catalyst. Any chemist would expect the reaction to proceed monotonically to equilibrium, perhaps showing one visible sign of progress by changing from a colorless solution (cerium in the reduced state, Ce3+) to pale yellow (the oxidized state, Ce4+). So we can imagine Belousov’s surprise when his reaction mixture turned yellow then colorless, then yellow again and colorless, oscillating dozens of times between oxidized and reduced states (Fig. 1).
Fast algorithms for composite materials

We briefly review recently developed fast algorithms for the evaluation of electrostatic fields in composite materials consisting of a collection of piecewise homogeneous inclusions embedded in a uniform background. These algorithms are based on combining a suitable boundary integral equation with the fast multipole method and a conjugate gradient-like iterative method. The CPU time required grows linearly with the number of points in the discretization of the interface between the inclusions and the background material, bringing large-scale calculations within practical reach.
Tomorrow’s public hospital in Greece: Managing health care in the post crisis era

Η νοσοκομeιακή διοίκηση (οριζόμeνη ως η προσπάθeια για την βέλτιστη απόδοση μέσω κατάλληλων κύκλων σχeδιασμού, αποφάσeων, αξιολόγησης και eπανeλέγχου) τέμνeι όλeς τις λeιτουργικές παραμέτρους παραγωγής και προσφοράς υπηρeσιών υγeίας. Το δημόσιο Eλληνικό νοσοκομeίο του αύριο θα πρέπeι να απαντήσeι στις τέσσeρις προβληματικές eνότητeς του σημeρινού συστήματος: τον ιατρικό υποκeιμeνισμό, το απαρχαιωμένο μοντέλο διοίκησης, την έλλeιψη eργαλeίων διαχeίρισης ανθρώπινου δυναμικού και την προβληματική χρηματοδότηση των eλληνικών νοσοκομeίων. Το νοσοκομeίο του αύριο θα πρέπeι να σέβeται την αυτονομία του ιατρικού eπαγγέλματος eνώ ταυτόχρονα να απαιτeί eπιστημονική λογοδοσία, θα πρέπeι να χρησιμοποιeί μοντέρνα eργαλeία eπιχeιρησιακής οργάνωσης ώστe να διαχeιριστeί το ανθρώπινο δυναμικό του μe απώτeρο στόχο την αποδοτική και αποτeλeσμα- τική παραγωγή υπηρeσιών υγeίας και τέλος θα πρέπeι να μeτράeι την απόδοση του σe κάθe πeριστατικό. Σe αυτή την κατeύθυνση θα κατeυθυνθούν τα νοσοκομeία τα eπόμeνα χρόνια.
Electroabsorption Spectroscopy Measurements of the Exciton Binding Energy, Electron–Hole Reduced Effective Mass, and Band Gap in the Perovskite CH3NH3PbI3

We use electroabsorption (EA) spectroscopy to measure the exciton binding energy (EB), electron–hole reduced effective mass (μ), and one-electron band gap (Eg) at the fundamental absorption edge of the hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 in its tetragonal phase at 300 K. By studying the second-harmonic EA spectra at the fundamental absorption edge we establish that the room-temperature EA response in CH3NH3PbI3 follows the low-field Franz–Keldysh–Aspnes (FKA) effect. Following FKA analysis we find that μ = 0.12 ± 0.03m0, EB = 7.4 meV, and Eg = 1.633 eV. Our results provide direct experimental evidence that at room temperature primary transitions occurring in CH3NH3PbI3 can essentially be described in terms of free carrier generation.
Effects of systemic-pulmonary shunts on regional myocardial blood flow in experimental pulmonary stenosis.

The pulmonary artery of anesthetized dogs was constricted until right ventricular failure occurred (decreased cardiac output and aortic blood pressure; elevated right ventricular end-diastolic pressure). Coronary blood flow distribution was measured by means of an electromagnetic flowmeter and radioactive microspheres. With moderate levels of pulmonary stenosis (right ventricular pressure to 60 per cent of systemic pressure), right ventricular coronary flow increased (30 per cent, p
Link adaptation for mitigating Earth-to-Space propagation effects on the NASA SCaN testbed

In Earth-to-Space communications, well-known propagation effects such as path loss and atmospheric loss can lead to fluctuations in the strength of the communications link between a satellite and its ground station. Additionally, the typically unconsidered effect of shadowing due to the geometry of the satellite and its solar panels can also lead to link degradation. As a result of these anticipated channel impairments, NASA's communication links have been traditionally designed to handle the worst-case impact of these effects through high link margins and static, lower rate, modulation formats. The work presented in this paper aims to relax these constraints by providing an improved trade-off between data rate and link margin through utilizing link adaptation. More specifically, this work provides a simulation study on the propagation effects impacting NASA's SCaN Testbed flight software-defined radio (SDR) as well as proposes a link adaptation algorithm that varies the modulation format of a communications link as its signal-to-noise ratio fluctuates. Ultimately, the models developed in this work will be utilized to conduct real-time flight experiments on-board the NASA SCaN Testbed.
Pharmacokinetic evaluation of fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec and liraglutide in the treatment of type 2 diabetes

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease requiring individualized and often multi-faceted treatment plans. Balancing glycemic control with adverse medication side effects can be challenging. Combination therapy of basal insulin and GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy appears to provide a balance between glycemic efficacy, hypoglycemia and weight gain.Areas covered: Available pharmacokinetic data, clinical trials and abstracts regarding fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec and liraglutide were reviewed. Literature was searched from PubMed and available abstracts using the search term IDegLira up to June 2016.Expert opinion: Fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec and liraglutide is associated with sustained glucose-lowering effects as assessed by HbA1c reduction. Overall, hypoglycemia is reduced and weight loss is observed compared to basal insulin alone. There is no significant increase in gastrointestinal side-effects, including nausea compared to non-glucagon-like peptide-1 recep...
Inhibition of Sendai Virus Fusion and Phospholipid Vesicle Fusion: Implications for the Pathway of Membrane Fusion

Membrane fusion is an essential step in the infection cycle of enveloped viruses. Fusion may occur with the plasma membrane or may occur by endocytosis of the virion followed by acidification and subsequent pH-induced fusion. Enveloped viruses possess an outer limiting membrane containing glycoproteins responsible for recognition of the target cell and mediation of the fusion event. Fusion may be facilitated by a dedicated protein, such as the F protein of Sendai, or the ability to facilitate fusion and the binding of the virion to the target membrane may involve a single protein species. Fusion of the viral envelope with the target membrane allows the entry of the viral genome and initiation of replication. At present an adequate understanding of the mechanism of the viral membrane fusion process is lacking.
Efficient data access strategies for Hadoop and Spark on HPC cluster with heterogeneous storage

The most popular Big Data processing frameworks of these days are Hadoop MapReduce and Spark. Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) is the primary storage for these frameworks. Big Data frameworks like Hadoop MapReduce and Spark launch tasks based on data locality. In the presence of heterogeneous storage devices, when different nodes have different storage characteristics, only locality-aware data access cannot always guarantee optimal performance. Rather, storage type becomes important, specially when high performance SSD and in-memory storage devices along with high performance interconnects are available. Therefore, in this paper, we propose efficient data access strategies (e.g. Greedy (prioritizes storage type over locality), Hybrid (balances the load for locality and high performance storage), etc.) for Hadoop and Spark considering both data locality and storage types. We re-design HDFS to accommodate the enhanced access strategies. Our evaluations show that, the proposed data access strategies can improve the read performance of HDFS by up to 33% compared to the default locality-aware data access. The execution times of Hadoop and Spark Sort are also reduced by up to 32% and 17%. The performances of Hadoop and Spark TeraSort are also improved by up to 11% through our design.
Comprehensive dynamic modeling of a solid-state transformer based power distribution system

This paper presents a physics based comprehensive dynamic model of a future power distribution system, termed as the FREEDM system, for plug-and-play interface of distributed renewable energy resources and distributed energy storage devices. The system allows for high penetration of renewable generation with energy storage at the distribution level. FREEDM system consists of an energy router, which is the power electronics based solid-state transformer (SST) that interfaces distributed generation, storage and local loads on the low voltage side with the medium voltage node of the distribution grid. In this paper, state-space modeling and dynamic performance of the SST is analyzed along with the renewable generation sources and storage components with the goal of studying the feasible operating points of the FREEDM system. The actual model of the single-SST system amounts to highly complex dynamics with more than hundred state variables. Singular perturbation based model reduction techniques are applied, thereby leading to a 70th order state-space average model suitable for AC and DC energy cell system sizing, stability analysis, and controller design. The analysis with the system model revealed the SST input stage system parameters have the dominant effect on the feasible operation region.
Endoscopic Skull Base Reconstruction: An Evolution of Materials and Methods

Endoscopic skull base surgery has developed rapidly over the last decade, in large part because of the expanding armamentarium of endoscopic repair techniques. This article reviews the available technologies and techniques, including vascularized and nonvascularized flaps, synthetic grafts, sealants and glues, and multilayer reconstruction. Understanding which of these repair methods is appropriate and under what circumstances is paramount to achieving success in this challenging but rewarding field. A graduated approach to skull base reconstruction is presented to provide a systematic framework to guide selection of repair technique to ensure a successful outcome while minimizing morbidity for the patient.