cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disabling repetitive behaviors in Parkinson's disease

We report on 6 patients with Parkinson's disease who developed severe repetitive behavior, 2 with pathological gambling and 4 with cleaning, rearranging, and ordering rituals. The onset of repetitive behaviors was not associated with changes in antiparkinsonian medications, the behavior did not improve after reductions in dopaminergic therapy, and thus they seem to be part of the underlying illness. The disabling cleaning/rearranging/ordering behaviors had associated features of hypomania, occurred exclusively during motor on periods, and often occurred nocturnally. The repetitive behavior responded poorly to serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Certain atypical antipsychotics may be of benefit.
Environmental influences on hormonally induced spermiation of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana

Frog pituitaries, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and gonadotropinreleasing hormone (LH/FSH-RH) were tested to determine their effectiveness in eliciting the spermiation response in laboratory-reared male bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana). LH/FSH-RH gave the highest percentage of positive responses and the most rapid responses. Sperm acquired by cloacal sampling after LH/FSH-RH injections were fertile. Day length (14L:10D; 8L:16D, 25°) had no measurable effect on reproductive condition, growth or sensitivity to injections of LH/FSH-RH. Spermiation response to LH/FSH-RH was depressed at low temperatures (15°, 20° C) and testicular recrudescence appeared to be inhibited at warm temperature (30°C). Optimum spermiation responses were obtained at 25°C. A marked daily rhythm (unimodal) of spermiation response to LH/FSH-RH was observable. Injections given one hour before the onset and offset of a 12L:12D photoperiod (25°C) were respectively the most and least effective in stimulating spermiation. The peak and trough of the rhythm were attributed to changes in pituitary sensitivity to LH/FSH-RH and not changes in testicular sensitivity to LH. Age and size of bullfrogs utilized in these tests had no effect on spermiation response.
The Value of Collaboration and Partnerships in Cataloging

Public and academic libraries are facing ever greater challenges to their budgets, directly impacting the work that they do. The American Library Association reported in the 2012 State of America's...
Total Hip and Knee Replacement in the Mature Athlete

Context:Total hip replacement and total knee replacement are among the most successful and common surgical procedures in orthopaedics. These operations were traditionally reserved for older, sedentary patients. However, these are now being increasingly performed in patients expecting to return to athletic activities.Evidence Acquisition:The peer-reviewed medical literature was searched via PubMed from the years 2000 to 2013. Those studies pertinent to modern hip and knee replacement in an athletic population were selected for inclusion.Study Design:Literature review.Level of Evidence:Level 4.Results:There is a lack of high-quality evidence in the peer-reviewed literature relating to the replacement of hips and knees in younger athletic patients. Although many patients undergoing joint replacement are active in recreational activities, a minority engage in high-impact sports. Following surgery, overall activities tend to increase, but high-demand athletic activities may be limited by pain, functional outco...
Sound capture from spatial volumes: matched-filter processing of microphone arrays having randomly-distributed sensors

This report describes microphone arrays and parallel signal processing for high-quality sound capture in noisy, reverberant enclosures. The technique incorporates matched-filtering of individual sensors and parallel processing to provide spatial volume selectivity that mitigates effects of noise interference and multipath distortion. Truncated causal approximations to ideal matched-filters and arrays composed of randomly distributed transducers reduce complexity and improve the quality of sound capture. The method outperforms traditional delay-and-sum beamformers which provide only directional selectivity.
Movement and localization of RNA in the cell nucleus

The movement of various RNAs from their sites of chromosomal synthesis to their functional locations in the cell is an important step in eukaryotic gene readout, though one less well understood than the transcription, RNA processing, and various functions of RNA. The segregation of the many classes of RNA out into to their appropriate sites in the cell is, from a physical chemical point of view, a remarkable phenomenon. This paper summarizes investigations my colleagues and I have undertaken over the past 7 years to describe the intracellular traffic and localization of RNA in living cells. One approach we have developed is to glass-needle microinject approximately 0.01 pl of fluorescent RNA solutions into the nucleus or cytoplasm of cultured mammalian cells. This 'fluorescent RNA cytochemistry' approach has resolved intranuclear sites ('speCkles') for which premessenger RNAs (pre-mRNA) have high affinity and has revealed very rapid movements of certain other RNAs from their nucleoplasmic injection sites to the nucleoli. One of these rapidly trafficking nucleolar RNAs is the signal recognition particle (SRP) RNA, and further results indicate that the nucleolus is a site of SRP RNA processing or ribonucleoprotein assembly prior to export to the cytoplasm. In these fluorescent RNA microinjection studies, we have also used mutant RNA molecules to identify specific nucleotide sequences that function as targeting elements for the localization of RNAs at their respective intranuclear sites. In a second approach, we have used fluorescent correlation spectroscopy (FCS), a classical biophysical method for measuring molecular motion in vitro, coupled with confocal fluorescence microscopy to measure the movement of poly(A) RNA in the nucleus, with the interesting finding that these RNAs appear to move about inside the nucleus at rates comparable to diffusion in aqueous solution. Parallel experiments using the method of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) revealed a diffusion coefficient for intranuclear poly(A) RNA close to that measured by FCS. These results bear on the structure of the nucleoplasmic ground substance-an extremely controversial and unsolved problem in cell biology (29). The methods we have developed and these initial results represent the first major step toward a comprehensive understanding of RNA traffic in the cell nucleus.
Lack of CCR2 Results in Increased Mortality and Impaired Leukocyte Activation and Trafficking Following Infection of the Central Nervous System with a Neurotropic Coronavirus

In the present study, we evaluated the role of CCR2 in a model of viral-induced neurologic disease. An orchestrated expression of chemokines, including the CCR2 ligands monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/CCL2 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-3/CCL7, occurs within the CNS following infection with mouse hepatitis virus (MHV). Infection of mice lacking CCR2 (CCR2 −/− ) with MHV resulted in increased mortality and enhanced viral recovery from the brain that correlated with reduced ( p ≤ 0.04) T cell and macrophage/microglial (determined by F4/80 Ag expression, p ≤ 0.004) infiltration into the CNS. Moreover, MHV-infected CCR2 −/− mice displayed a significant decrease in Th1-associated factors IFN-γ ( p ≤ 0.001) and RANTES/CCL5 ( p ≤ 0.002) within the CNS as compared with CCR2 +/+ mice. Further, peripheral CD4 + and CD8 + T cells from immunized CCR2 −/− mice displayed a marked reduction in IFN-γ production in response to viral Ag and did not migrate into the CNS of MHV-infected recombination-activating gene (RAG)1 −/− mice following adoptive transfer. In addition, macrophage/microglial infiltration into the CNS of RAG1 −/− mice receiving CCR2 −/− splenocytes was reduced ( p ≤ 0.05), which correlated with a reduction in the severity of demyelination ( p ≤ 0.001) as compared with RAG1 −/− mice receiving splenocytes from CCR2 +/+ mice. Collectively, these results indicate an important role for CCR2 in host defense and disease by regulating leukocyte activation and trafficking.
Enantioselective Synthesis of (+)-Cephalostatin 1

This Article describes an enantioselective synthesis of cephalostatin 1. Key steps of this synthesis are a unique methyl group selective allylic oxidation, directed C−H hydroxylation of a sterol at C12, Au(I)-catalyzed 5-endo-dig cyclization, and a kinetic spiroketalization.
Why Not Invade North Korea? Threats, Language Games, and U.S. Foreign Policy

International relations theory has difficulty explaining how similar policies produce different outcomes. Iraq and North Korea have been identified as members of the “axis of evil” with weapons of mass destruction programs that threaten the United States. Yet in late 2002, the United States prepared to attack Iraq whereas it chose to negotiate with North Korea, even after North Korea admitted to a secret nuclear program in direct violation of its 1994 agreement with the United States. Moreover, a direct comparison with Iraq shows North Korea to possess the greater material capability to threaten the United States. I argue that a language-based constructivist approach can explain these differences in U.S. foreign policy where other theoretical approaches cannot. By examining the U.S. entanglement in intersected language games—the implementation of the 1994 Agreed Framework with North Korea and the enforcement of United Nations Resolutions in Iraq—it becomes possible to show how the United States could construct North Korea's nuclear program as a manageable threat that could be dealt with diplomatically.
Time-domain finite difference approach for the modeling of microstrip components

An attempt is made to establish the validity of the TD-FD (time-domain-finite-difference) method in modeling circuit components for MMIC-CAD (monolithic microwave integrated circuit/computer-aided design) method applications. Numerical results are presented for a microstrip open end on an alumina substrate ( epsilon /sub r/=9.6). It is shown that the TD-FD approach is capable of calculating the microstrip end effect over a large frequency range. This method, with minor modifications, can also be used to model other microstrip discontinuities. >
Analysis of an importance sampling estimator for tandem queues

We analyze the performance of an importance sampling estimator for a rare-event probability in tandem Jackson networks. The rare event we consider corresponds to the network population reaching K before returning to o, starting from o, with K large. The estimator we study is based on interchanging the arrival rate and the smallest service rate and is therefore a generalization of the asymptotically optimal estimator for an M/M/1 queue. We examine its asymptotic performance for large K, showing that in certain parameter regions the estimator has an asymptotic efficiency property, but that in other regions it does not. The setting we consider is perhaps the simplest case of a rare-event simulation problem in which boundaries on the state space play a significant role.
Experiencing Audio and Music in a Fully Immersive Environment

The UCSB Allosphere is a 3-story-high spherical instrument in which virtual environments and performances can be experienced in full immersion. The space is now being equipped with high-resolution active stereo projectors, a 3D sound system with several hundred speakers, and with tracking and interaction mechanisms. The Allosphere is at the same time multimodal, multimedia, multi-user, immersive, and interactive. This novel and unique instrument will be used for research into scientific visualization/auralization and data exploration, and as a research environment for behavioral and cognitive scientists. It will also serve as a research and performance space for artists exploring new forms of art. In particular, the Allosphere has been carefully designed to allow for immersive music and aural applications. In this paper, we give an overview of the instrument, focusing on the audio subsystem. We give the rationale behind some of the design decisions and explain the different techniques employed in making the Allosphere a truly general-purpose immersive audiovisual lab and stage. Finally, we present first results and our experiences in developing and using the Allosphere in several prototype projects.
Nest densities of cavity-nesting birds in relation to postfire salvage logging and time since wildfire

Abstract ABSTRACT We monitored the nest densities and nest survival of seven cavity-nesting bird species, including four open-space foragers (American Kestrel [Falco sparverius], Lewis's Woodpecker [Melanerpes lewis], Western Bluebird [Sialia mexicana], and Mountain Bluebird [S. currucoides]) and three wood-foragers (Hairy Woodpecker [Picoides villosus], Black-backed Woodpecker [P. arcticus], and Northern Flicker [Colaptes auratus]), after two wildfires (one partially salvage-logged and one unlogged) in western Idaho from 1994–2004. We estimated the relationship between nest density and time since fire, tested for statistical differences in nest densities and nest survival in the partially salvage-logged vs. unlogged wildfires, and tested for differences in nest survival between early (1–4 years after fire) and late (5–12 years after fire) postfire periods. Nest densities of open-space foragers and Northern Flickers generally increased with time since fire, whereas nest densities of Black-backed and Hairy...
Palliative Care and Chronic Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is a serious and ultimately fatal illness, and there is currently no cure except for cardiac transplantation. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. It is associated with marked impairments in health related quality of life, emotional and physical wellbeing. It is a leading cause of admission to acute care hospitals and subsequent readmission. Despite the high prevalence and high physical and psychosocial burden patients with CHF are underserved by palliative care and hospice programs. In this chapter we will describe the pathophysiological processes that underlie the functional complications of congestive heart failure, describe the natural history of congestive heart failure, the modes of demise of patients with CHF, its major subcategories: diastolic and systolic dysfunction. We will make recommendations for appropriate timing of referral to palliative care and hospice and describe the potential benefits for the inclusion of palliative care teams in the provision of care to patients with CHF and their families.
The effect of dietary fats on the serum lipoproteins of normal dogs.

SummaryThe serum lipoproteins of normal dogs were studied while on different dietary regimens including low fat and various high fat diets containing coconut, olive, safflower, or menhaden oil. The serum low density (beta lipoprotein) fraction was increased nearly threefold by feeding coconut oil in contrast to the other diets which, except for a small increase with olive oil, showed little effect on the lipoproteins. High density lipoproteins, while constituting the major fraction in dogs, did not respond to the diets. Reasonably good separation into alpha and beta lipoprotein by ultracentrifugation was demonstrated by electrophoresis of the fractions on polyacrylamide gels.
Devolutionary Federalism and Elazar's Typology: The Arkansas Response to Reagan's New Federalism

This article examines the relationship between the federal and state governments with regard to the Reagan administration's New Federalism. The underlying concern centers on the financial relationship among governments portrayed by Elazar's typology of federal aid. The focus of this investigation is directed toward the adjustments being made by the states to accommodate the financial and administrative changes occurring on the national level, as illustrated by the case of Arkansas. The analysis centers on two questions: 1) Has the New Federalism initiative achieved Reagan's goals of decentralizing governmental authority back to the states? 2) Has a major redirection in thefederal system been achieved by reducing thefederal fnancial obligation in the intergovernmental system? The changes being made in the federal system, as reflected by the adjustments occurring among the states, may signal an important realignment offederalism.
Glucose reabsorption in the newborn dog kidney.

SummaryNewborn puppies have greater glucose titration splay than do older dogs, with a resultant lower plasma glucose threshold. The greater splay coincides with continuing nephrogenesis in the newborn puppy and may be explained by increased glomerulotubular nephron heterogeneity. A linear relationship between TG and GFR at saturating loads applies to the newborn as well as to the adult dog. Tubular function appears to be more depressed than glomerular function in the young puppy.
Analysis on detection results of serum IgM antibody in suspected measles cases in A′ ba prefecture during 2007-2009

Objective To understand the collection rate of blood specimens and the laboratory diagnostic rate in suspected measles cases in A′ba prefecture during 2007-2009 and to explore the epidemiological characteristics of measles morbidity in order to provide scientific basis for further controlling and eliminating measles.Methods 435 suspected measles cases were reported during 2007-2009 were detected measles IgM antibody by using antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and the results were analyzed by combining with the epidemiological data.Results 824 suspected measles cases were reported in A′ ba prefecture during 2007-2009.435 blood specimens were collected from suspected cases.Along with the development and implementation of the measles surveillance work program,the specimen collection was increased year by year(37.7% in 2007,85.0 % in 2009).236 cases were measles antibody positive,the laboratory diagnosis rate was 53.6%.There was occurrence in each month all the year,the incidence peak mainly concentrated from February to July.The under 15-year-old age groups was the measles high-risk group,the 20-30-year-old age group had the trend of increasing incidence.In the measles immunization history analysis,41 cases had clear history of measles vaccine immunity,accounting for 25.3% of the total cases,114 cases had no immunization history accounting for 48.9% of the total cases and 81 cases had unknown immunization history(27.6%).Conclusion The serum specimen collection rate of suspected measles cases should be increased and the suspected cases should be diagnosed in time.The internal quality control should be strengthened and the accuracy of the test results should be increased.The preventive vaccination work management should be further strengthened,especially conducting reinforcement immunization on the immune blank to achieve the goal of basically eliminating measles until 2012.Besides,revaccination or reinforcement immunization in older age groups should be carried out.
300 EFFECT OF CHRONIC ETHANOL INGESTION BY RATS ON LUNG TIGHT JUNCTION PROTEINS.

Chronic alcohol abuse increases the risk of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) by ˜four-fold. Experimentally, chronic ethanol ingestion alters alveolar epithelial barrier function by increasing paracellular leak. While the clinical link between alcohol abuse and ARDS has been established, the cellular mechanisms by which this occurs are not known. We hypothesized that chronic ethanol ingestion alters the membrane expression of tight junction proteins, thereby perturbing the permeability of the alveolar epithelium. To test this hypothesis, we examined whole lungs of rats for changes in expression of several key tight junction proteins, including claudin-3, claudin-4, and claudin-5 after ingesting an isocaloric liquid diet 6 ethanol for 6 weeks. By immunoblot, we determined that chronic ethanol ingestion increased claudin-4 and claudin-5 protein expression in the whole lungs of ethanol-fed rats. In contrast, claudin-3 expression was decreased in the whole lungs of ethanol-fed rats as compared to controls. Thus, rather than an overall net decrease in expression, there were relative changes in the claudin expression profile that correlated with increased epithelial permeability due to chronic alcohol ingestion. Consistent with deficient lung barrier function, alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) isolated and cultured from ethanol-fed rats also had increased paracellular leak as compared to AECs from control-fed animals. By immunofluorescence, this difference in permeability correlated with changes in tight junction protein localization, as AECs isolated from ethanol-fed rats had prominent intracellular vesicles containing claudins, occludin, and ZO-1 as compared to control AECs where these proteins were mainly localized to the plasma membrane. We conclude that chronic ethanol ingestion interferes with tight junction protein expression and speculate that altered expression of these proteins leads to increased paracellular leak and alveolar fluid extravasation. This, in turn, may increase the susceptibility of the lung to acute inflammatory stresses. If this is the case, then alterations in tight junction protein expression may contribute to the higher incidence of ARDS in alcoholic patients. We speculate that interventions that restore the proper balance of tight junction protein expression have the potential to decrease the severity of acute lung injury in high-risk alcoholic patients.
Design and Implementation of the Remote Monitoring System of Water Quality Based on the Google Maps API

With the increasing scarcity of water resources,reclaimed water is becoming an important water resource for agricultural irrigation,while the parameters for monitoring reclaimed water is the key to its safe use.In order to monitor the impact of reclaimed water irrigation on groundwater and surface water for a long time,a remote monitoring system of water quality based on the Google Maps API,which can remotely monitor water quality parameters from multiple monitoring stations,is introduced in this paper.This system makes use of Google Maps application programming interface and ASP.NET technology,with B/S flexibility to implement roaming position in the monitoring stations,receiving real-time monitoring data,inquiring about historical monitoring data,managing and maintaining monitoring information.
ID: 114: Molecular determinants of agonist and antagonist signaling through the IL-36 receptor

The IL-1 family consists of 11 cytokines that control a complex network of pro-inflammatory signals. They also play a central role in numerous chronic inflammatory disorders and, accordingly, inhibition of these cytokines is an important therapeutic strategy. Agonist cytokines in the IL-1 family signal by binding their cognate receptor, followed by recruiting a receptor accessory protein. Conversely, antagonist cytokines bind their cognate receptor but prohibit recruitment of the co-receptor, precluding signaling. The IL-36 subfamily is the most diverse, including three agonists and one antagonist (IL-36Ra), yet least well characterized group within this family. Recently, IL-38 has been reported to act as another antagonist for the IL-36 receptor, IL-36R. Well balanced IL-36 signaling is a critical determinant of skin health and IL-36 can stimulate DCs and prime naive CD4 T cells for Th1 responses. IL-36 signaling has been presumed to function analogously to IL-1. Here, we have defined molecular determinants of agonist and antagonist signaling through IL-36R. We present the first crystal structure of an IL-36 agonist (IL-36gamma). Guided by this structure, we designed a comprehensive series of IL-36 agonist/antagonist chimeric proteins for which we measured binding to and signaling through its receptor. Moreover, we solved the crystal structure of IL-38. Contrary to recent reports, we show that it does not directly interact with IL-36R and, instead, may be an agonist for the IL-33 receptor, ST2. Our data reveal that the fine specificity of IL-36 signaling is distinct from IL-1 and that IL-38 is not a classical IL-36R antagonist.
Gate Turn-off Thyristors

Publisher Summary A gate turn-off thyristor (known as a GTO) is a three terminal power semiconductor device. GTOs belong to a thyristor family having a four-layer structure. GTOs also belong to a group of power semiconductor devices that have the ability for full control of on- and off-states via the control terminal (gate). The basic structure of a GTO consists of a four-layer-PNPN semiconductor device, which is very similar in construction to a thyristor. It has several design features which allow it to be turned on and off by reversing the polarity of the gate signal. In the on-state the GTO operates in a similar manner to the thyristor. If the anode current remains above the holding current level then positive gate drive may be reduced to zero and the GTO will remain in conduction. A GTO may be modeled with two transistors. However, a GTO model consisting of two thyristors, which are connected in parallel, yield improved on-state, turn-on, and turn-off characteristics.
Characterizing Earthquake Location Uncertainty in North America Using Source–Receiver Reciprocity and USArray

Abstract The Comprehensive Nuclear‐Test‐Ban Treaty community often uses calibration events with well‐determined origins to improve absolute locations of nearby seismic events by accounting for the biasing effects of unknown velocity structure, but the number of these ground‐truth events is limited. To provide additional constraints, source–receiver reciprocity allows us to use seismic stations as calibration events with known locations. The dense and uniform spacing of the USArray transportable array stations makes them ideal to measure the spatial coherence of mislocation vectors across North America and hence to assess how close calibration events (or stations) need to be to target events to improve locations for a given region. We use a grid‐search approach for the station “relocations,” using both teleseismic earthquakes and simulated regional events. Our results show that the mislocation vectors are spatially coherent for scales up to 500 km in many regions, but that in some places, such as regions that can be associated with strong velocity anomalies in the upper mantle, mislocation vectors exhibit large changes over short distances. Online Material: Figures showing station location and dislocations and travel‐time residuals.
“CUSP OVERLAP” VIEW FACILITATES ACCURATE FLUORO-GUIDED IMPLANTATION OF SELF-EXPANDING VALVE IN TAVR

Unlike TAVR with balloon expandable valve, standard co-planar “3-cusp” view may not be ideal for deploying self-expanding valve (e.g.CoreValve) as it requires elimination of parallax ofvalve frame during deployment. A co-planar view by overlapping right and left cusps may be a useful approach in
A Case Study of Workers’ Development in a Technologically Changing Work Activity

ABSTRACTThe study addresses the problem of how to characterize individual workers’ development while they are engaged in a work activity that is changing. The site of study was a machine shop. Machining work has undergone rapid technological changes, with many of the changes occurring within the working lives of individuals. The work expands our understanding of cognition and shows it as multifaceted, embodying knowledge and skill, as well as identity formation. The work also contributes to a better understanding of how knowledge and skills generalize from one situation to another.
Voluntary Youth-Serving Organizations: Responding to the Needs of Young People and Society in the Last Century

As many national youth-serving organizations have either celebrated their 100th anniversaries or are approaching their centennials, we take a step back to celebrate these organizations’ accomplishments, but also to examine how youth organizations have responded positively to the youth development philosophy and approach to programming. The focus of this paper is on those organizations in which participation by youth is voluntary.
State Updates and State-Transfer Operators in Computational Plasticity

Several aspects of computational plasticity pertaining to the formulation and implementation of implicit state updates are considered. We review a recently proposed method [1] for automatically extending small-strain state-update algorithms and their correspondent consistent tangents into the finite deformation range within the framework of multiplicative plasticity. The procedure, when it applies, operates at the level of kinematics and, hence, can be implemented once and for all independently of the material-specific details of the constitutive model. Next, we address the problem of formulating state-transfer operators in the context of adaptive meshing calculations. A recently proposed method [2] for defining variationally consistent transfer operators is summarized. As a new example of application, we develop a procedure for analyzing a growing crack which enables an arbitrary fixed mesh to be kept continuously focused about the crack tip. This in turn permits the accurate resolution of the evolving near-tip fields as the crack advances.
Road Load Identification and Accelerated Life Testing of Engine Mounts

Internal combustion engine mounts in a ground vehicle experience a very complicated loading situation. The loads mainly depend on the combination of engine vibration, engine torque, and vehicle motion especially in irregular road and maneuver conditions. Fatigue life estimation of rubber components is more complicated than metal components because of nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of rubber. Hence, analytical and numerical methods to estimate the loading and fatigue life of engine mount rubber components are not employed as often as in metal components. A new approach has been proposed to validate engine mount rubber components using accelerated fatigue life testing. Accurate identification of service loads is the key factor for a successful engine mount development and validation process. A multi-axial load sensor was developed to measure the engine mount loading in six degrees of freedom for a rear wheel drive heavy duty truck. Developed load sensors were installed onto a heavy duty truck and engine mount loading was measured during vehicle durability test. Measured loading data were processed using rainflow cycle counting technique to generate the accelerated fatigue life test profile. Failure of the engine mount rubber observed in vehicle durability test was successfully replicated in accelerated life test. This approach can also be employed for validation of different rubber components available in suspension and driveline sub-systems.
Novel passive Discrete Variable Stiffness Joint (pDVSJ): Modeling, design, and characterization

In this paper, the design and characterization of a novel passive Discrete Variable Stiffness Joint (pDVSJ) is presented. The pDVSJ is a proof of concept of a passive revolute joint with discretely controlled variable stiffness. The current realization is equipped on a passive single-DOF exoskeleton (TELEXOS-I) for future development towards applications in haptic-teleoperation purposed exoskeletons. The key motivation behind this design is the need of instantaneous switching between stiffness levels when applied for Virtual Reality (VR) or Remote Environment (RE) stiffness mapping applications, in addition to the need of low-energy-consumption. Altering the stiffness is achieved by selecting the effective length of an elastic rubber cord. This is realized by creating a new grounding point, thus changing the effective length. Three different levels of stiffness (low, moderate, high) can be discretely selected beside the zero stiffness. The novelty of this work lies in the method used to alter the stiffness of the variable stiffness joint, and the design of Cord Grounding Units (CGUs) which are responsible for selecting the effective length of the elastic cord. The main features of CGU are the fast response and the low-energy consumption. This is achieved through a linear solenoid actuator pushing a cam-cleat which will clutch the motion of the elastic cord, creating a new grounding point. This will limit the length of the cord between the cam cleat and the cord's fitting point on the joint. The solenoid's ON-Time is minimized as the cam cleat's design is passively self-locking the cord through the pulling force between the cord and the cam-cleat. The proposed physical-based model matched the experimental results of the pDVSJ in terms of discrete stiffness variation curves and the stiffness dependency on the behavior of the elastic rubber cord.
Popular Religion, a Chinese Superboy, and “The Investiture of the Gods”

This chapter introduces the keynote story of Nezha and provides ethnographic and sinological context. In particular, the author surveys scholarship on the story of Nezha and delves into some of the knotty intellectual and methodological issues that distinguish anthropological analyses of Chinese myth and religion from most sinological studies. In addition, the chapter provides an interpretive overview of Chinese popular religion by reviewing the author’s own fieldwork. A focal issue revolves around comprehending Chinese gods—the social dimensions of their multivocality and cultural construction of their efficacy or power.
The impact of natural disasters on youth: a focus on emerging research beyond internalizing disorders

This paper reviews youth outcomes following exposure to natural disaster, with a focus on three relatively understudied outcomes: externalizing behavior problems, physical health, and posttraumatic growth. Recent, high-impact studies focusing on each outcome are summarized. Studies highlighted in this review utilize innovative and comprehensive approaches to improve our current understanding of youth broad-based physical and mental health outcomes beyond PTSD. The review concludes with recommendations to advance the field of youth disaster research by exploring how disasters may impact children across multiple domains, as well as using cutting edge ecobiological approaches and advanced modeling strategies to better understand how youth adjust and thrive following natural disaster.
Communities ready for takeoff Integrating social assets for biofuel site-selection modeling

Although much of the social science literature supports the importance of community assets for success in many policy areas, these assets are often overlooked when selecting communities for new infrastructure facilities. Extensive collaboration is crucial for the success of environmental and economic projects, yet it often is not adequately addressed when making siting decisions for new projects. This article develops a social asset framework that includes social, creative, and human capital to inform site-selection decisions. This framework is applied to the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance project to assess community suitability for biofuel-related developments. This framework is the first to take all necessary community assets into account, providing insight into successful site selection beyond current models. The framework not only serves as a model for future biorefinery projects but also guides tasks that depend on informed location selection for success.
Medical History's Moment in Art Photography (1920 to 1950): How Lejaren a Hiller and Valentino Sarra Created a Fashion for Scenes of Early Surgery

Two groups of black-and-white photographs are found in medical rare book rooms and the collections of historically minded physicians. They were created by artists Hiller and Sarra to bring medical history to life for members of the health professions and, to some extent, for a wider public. These were not didactic illustrations for a textbook, but elegant scenes of great figures from Antiquity to the nineteenth century, evocation not documentation even though they were based on research. As pieces of fine art, cherished in portfolios or framed on the wall, the quality prints were intended to stimulate curiosity about the achievements of the figures portrayed. While familiar to some archivists and librarians, these photographs have received almost no attention in the scholarship of medical history. Only one short article examined them in 1983. In recent years these photographers have been given new consideration by scholars of advertising and photography. Using those works and primary sources, this article expands both men's biographies, and it explores their working methods, their artistry, and their achievements. An appreciation of these photographs enlarges our understanding of the place of medical history in American culture during the first half of the twentieth century.
Factors Affecting Follow-Up Compliance in Patients After Endovascular Aneurysm Repair.

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential factors affecting patient non-compliance after endovascular aneurysm repair. Method We performed a retrospective review of patients undergoing elective or emergency endovascular repair for thoracic, abdominal aorta, or iliac artery aneurysm at a single institution from November 2007 to March 2014. Compliance to follow-up at 1, 6, and 12 months was assessed. Factors evaluated included patient demographics, size of aneurysm, distance between the patient's residence and outpatient clinic, urgency of surgery, and time of year in which the follow-up visits were scheduled. Results During the study period, 205 patients (75% male and 25% female) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. One-month mortality was 1.1% for elective procedures and 16.1% for emergency procedures (p = 0.001). Overall mortality at 12 months was 6.3% and 32.3% for elective and emergency procedures, respectively (p = 0.0002). Highest compliance was observed at 1 month, with 184 patients (93%) attending. A significant decrease was seen at 6 (n = 102, 54%) and 12 (n = 89, 48%) months. At the 12-month mark, a larger proportion of minority patients were non-compliant compared with Caucasian patients. Confounders for non-compliance were analyzed using multivariate analysis, and statistical significance was found for widowed marital status (p = 0.008), travel distance >25 miles to the outpatient clinic (p = 0.032), and emergency repair of aneurysms (p = 0.022). Conclusion Despite emphasizing the importance of follow-up after endovascular aortic procedures, almost half of the treated patients were non-compliant. Our study identified travel distance, marital status, and urgency of surgery as factors that may affect patients' compliance to scheduled follow-up visits.
Multifidelity optimization under uncertainty for a tailless aircraft

United States. Air Force. Office of Scientific Research. Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (FA9550-15-1-0038)
Case 70: A Pregnant Patient for a Carpal Tunnel Operation

It is late in the afternoon in a large university hospital surgical operating suite. You, as a senior anesthesiologist, are stopped by a resident anesthesiologist who asks you to come urgently to an operating room. On the way to the room, the resident anesthesiologist tells you about the patient. The patient is an otherwise healthy 28-year-old pregnant female (24/52) scheduled to undergo a carpal tunnel release. A successfully working supraclavicular block has been placed without any sedation about 5 min ago. Unfortunately the patient now complains of difficulty in breathing. The resident also tells you that the operation is being performed since the patient has complained about intractable pain for several months and is worried that she will not be able to tend to her newborn child.
Dielectric elastomers: past, present, and potential future

Dielectric elastomer (DE) technology is based on the interactions of electrostatic charge with deformable polymer materials. While such materials and their electrical interactions have a long history of investigation, the discovery in the early 1990s that certain thin elastomer films, such as silicone films, were capable of supporting significant electric stress and producing large mechanical output increased interest in this phenomenon. This paper discusses the history of DE technology, presents developments, and considers future progress. Discoveries of large strain outputs with commercially available polymer films has allowed many researchers world-wide to research the technology and explore a wide range of applications. As the technology has matured, new modalities of the fundamental DE operation have emerged. In addition to actuators, researchers began to develop sensors and generators based on the technology. Additionally, explorations of the component materials, actuator geometries, electrode materials, packaging for environmental factors and high-voltage electronics are addressing the lifetime and other limitations of the technology. Examples addressing lifetime include: bistable and shape-memory configurations and self-clearing, carbon nanotubes electrodes. Improved modeling and failure mode investigations are also enabling the technology to progress. A number of commercial products based on DE technology have already hit the market. Although the impact of DEs thus far is well below that of other transducer technologies such as electromagnetics, their technical story and potential continue to expand.
The Economics of Species Conservation

A quarter of all species around the globe are threatened with extinction; this article reviews research in economics on how best to counter those threats. Normative research has developed useful to...
Polymorphisms in the CD154 and CD40 genes are associated with risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

4582 Background. There is strong evidence that dysregulation of the immune system increases risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), which might include imbalances in B- and T-cell homeostasis and unregulated T-cell activation. CD40 ligand (CD154), a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily, is a transmembrane protein expressed primarily on activated CD4 + T cells. Mutations in the CD154 gene, located on the long arm of the X chromosome, are associated with rare autoimmune disorders such as X linked hyper-IgM syndrome and Kawasaki disease. The CD154 receptor, CD40, is a major costimulatory molecule primarily expressed on B cells and antigen presenting cells. This receptor-ligand pair drives activation and proliferation of T-cells and induces B-cell differentiation, proliferation, isotype switching, antibody secretion and anti-apoptotic behavior in germinal center B-cells. In light of their important roles in immune regulation, we hypothesized that genetic polymorphisms in CD154 and CD40 may affect NHL risk. Methods. To test this hypothesis, 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CD40 and 5 SNPs in CD154 were examined using DNA from white non-Hispanic participants (n=308 cases, n=684 controls) in a population-based case-control study conducted in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1988-1995. SNP- and haplotype-specific data analyses were performed using age- and sex-adjusted unconditional logistic regression. Results. A reduced risk of NHL was observed among carriers of the homozygous variant genotypes CD40 -4983G>T (rs1009373; OR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.28-1.0) and CD40 1115C>T (rs1535045; OR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.29-1.0). Furthermore, the heterozygous genotype for CD40 14913C>T (rs1883838) conferred an increased risk for NHL (OR=1.5, 95% CI:1.1-2.1) and follicular lymphoma (FL) (OR=2.1, 95% CI:1.3-3.4). No differences were observed in genotype frequencies between cases and controls for CD40 -1C>T, a functional SNP associated with reduced CD40 protein expression. However, this SNP was in strong linkage disequilibrium with the CD40 -4983G>T and CD40 1115C>T SNPs. The homozygous genotype for CD154 3005 G>A (rs715762) was associated with a modest increased risk of NHL (OR=1.6, 95% CI: 0.97-2.7) and FL (OR=1.7, 95% CI: 0.80-3.8) in men, but not women. No other associations were found between CD154 or CD40 SNPs or haplotypes. Conclusions. These findings suggest that genetic variation in the CD154 and CD40 genes may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of lymphoma, although the underlying mechanisms involved require further analyses.
Second trimester serum cortisol and preterm birth: an analysis by timing and subtype.

We hypothesized second trimester serum cortisol would be higher in spontaneous preterm births compared to provider-initiated (previously termed ‘medically indicated’) preterm births. We used a nested case-control design with a sample of 993 women with live births. Cortisol was measured from serum samples collected as part of routine prenatal screening. We tested whether mean-adjusted cortisol fold-change differed by gestational age at delivery or preterm birth subtype using multivariable linear regression. An inverse association between cortisol and gestational age category (trend p = 0.09) was observed. Among deliveries prior to 37 weeks, the mean-adjusted cortisol fold-change values were highest for preterm premature rupture of the membranes (1.10), followed by premature labor (1.03) and provider-initiated preterm birth (1.01), although they did not differ statistically. Cortisol continues to be of interest as a marker of future preterm birth. Augmentation with additional biomarkers should be explored.
Hospital Costs Associated with Sepsis Compared with Other Medical Conditions

Sepsis is a condition that has become a main focus for health care organizations owing to the alarming cost of caring for patients, as well as the disturbing mortality rates, that accompany this condition. Sepsis is one of the costliest conditions billed to all payer groups: Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and uninsured patients. Health care organizations have implemented multiple strategies and best practices to improve the outcomes of patients with a diagnosis of sepsis.
Independent measurements of 129I content in environmental reference materials using accelerator and thermal ionization mass spectrometry

Abstract Iodine environmental measurement programs are in need of new materials with certified 129I activity. Frequently 129I measurements are validated in the literature using the standard material IAEA-375, Chernobyl soil, which is the only soil/sediment material with a recommended 129I activity. IAEA-375 has not been available for purchase since 2010. This study is an extension of previous work at INL to include four additional standard materials that are commercially available (NIST materials: RM 8704, Buffalo River sediment, SRM 2710a, Montana I soil, and IAEA materials: SL-1, lake sediment, IAEA-385, Irish Sea sediment). These materials have certified or recommended activities for a variety of radionuclides but not for 129I. This paper reports a comparison of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) data for 129I activity, as well as the 129/127I ratios for these standards to assist in identifying a suitable alternative for IAEA-375. Two independent chemical separation and mass spectrometric analysis techniques have been applied in an effort to corroborate the data. Both methods were validated via analyses of IAEA-375 for 129I and show good agreement with the recommended activity of 1.7 × 10−3 Bq kg−1 for 129I; (1.6 × 10−3 Bq kg−1 by AMS and 1.8 × 10−3 Bq kg−1 by TIMS) with both sets of results within the 95% confidence interval of the recommended value.
Gentle Space-Making: Christian Silent Prayer, Mindfulness, and Kenotic Identity Formation:

The practice of mindfulness has reached an unprecedented level of prevalence in the US and the UK, both in terms of widespread popularity and in terms of institutional support and investment. One p...