cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Classical Limits and Critical Properties

The classical limit is constructed for systems whose dynamical group is a compact Lie group. The static, thermodynamic, and dynamic properties of such model systems are studied by estimating the ground state energy per particle, the free energy per particle, and the dynamical orbits. These estimates are made by applying a variational principle to the expectation value of the hamiltonian, the free energy, and the lagrangian Operators in the coherent State representation. The expectation values are easily computed in the classical limit. The critical behavior is studied by investigating the behavior of the minima as a function of the parameters which appear in these operators. Relationships among these critical properties (“crossover theorems”) are exhibited. Examples are used to illustrate the concepts which are introduced.
Production of interleukin-6 by anterior pituitary cells in vitro.

We recently reported that the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a potent stimulator of anterior pituitary hormone release in vitro. Since IL-6 is not normally detectable in the blood, we hypothesized that IL-6 may be produced by the anterior pituitary in situ and thereby affect hormone secretion through paracrine or autocrine mechanisms. The present study demonstrates that cultured anterior pituitary cells spontaneously secrete large quantities of IL-6 in vitro. IL-6 was detectable in the incubation medium within 2 h, and by 8 h of culture had attained concentrations of 2000–4000 U/ml-4 × 105 cells. IL-6 production was stimulated by phorbol myristate acetate (10–100 nM) approximately 2-fold and by lipopolysaccharide (0.001–10.0 μg/ml) 4-fold during 4-h incubations. In contrast, the cytokine recombinant human IL-la had no effect on IL-6 release by cultured pituitary cells. Freshly dissected hemipituitary tissue also secreted more than 3000 U/ml IL-6 during a 4-h incubation. This secretion was enhanced 3-fol...
Anomalies in Geomagnetic Variations across the Central Gulf of California

Summary Geomagnetic field variations have been observed at four stations in the central Gulf of California and at one Pacific coast station at the same latitude. The four Gulf stations comprise two pairs of stations on opposite sides of the Gulf; one pair, at El Barril and Bahia Kino, was placed across what was thought to be a long section of transform fault in the Gulf and the second pair, at Mulege and Guaymas, was placed across the Guaymas basin which is a proposed site of an ocean ridge type spreading centre. Variations in the vertical component of the magnetic field show almost complete reversal on opposite sides of the Gulf in the frequency range 0-25-4.0 c hr-'. Analysis of the data indicates that induced electric currents flow in and under the Gulf of California. Models for 1 chr-l suggest that the surface conductor alone is insufficient to account for the surprisingly large anomaly between El Barril and Bahia Kino. Although only a small number of data points is available it is thought that this anomaly indicates the possible existence of a spreading centre between these two stations. The suggestion is therefore made that the fracture pattern for the central Gulf of California includes a spreading centre at the San Pedro Martir basin. A consequence of this is that the fracture pattern must change with time. No explanation of this changing fracture partern is attempted but its occurrence would account for the presence of the many islands in the Gulf of California.
Probabilistic modeling based vessel enhancement in thoracic CT scans

Vessel enhancement in volumetric data is a necessary prerequisite in various medical imaging applications with particular importance for automated nodule detection. Ideally, vessel enhancement filters should enhance vessels and vessel junctions while suppressing nodules and other non-vessel elements. A distinction between vessels and nodules is normally obtained through eigenvalue analysis of the curvature tensor which is a second order differential quantity and so is sensitive to noise. Furthermore, by relying on principal curvatures alone, existing vessel enhancement filters are incapable of distinguishing between nodules and vessel junctions. In this paper we propose probabilistic vessel models from which novel vessel enhancement filters capable of enhancing junctions while suppressing nodules are derived. The proposed filters are based on eigenvalue analysis of the structure tensor which is a first order differential quantity and so are less sensitive to noise. The proposed filters are evaluated and compared to known techniques based on actual clinical data.
Adaptive protocols for parallel discrete event simulation

This paper reviews issues concerning the design of adaptive protocols for parallel discrete event simulation (PDES). The need for adaptive protocols are motivated in the background of the synchronization problem that has driven much of the research in this field. Traditional conservative and optimistic protocols and their hybrid variants are also discussed. Adaptive synchronization protocols are reviewed with special reference to their characteristics regarding the aspects of the simulation state that influence the adaptive decisions and the control parameters used. Finally, adaptive load management and scheduling strategies and their relationship to the synchronization protocol are discussed.
Scaling existing lock-based applications with lock elision

Enabling existing lock-based programs to achieve performance benefits of nonblocking synchronization.
The Translation of Transcription

See related article, pages 1132–1141 Defining the factors that mediate the phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is important in the identification of new therapeutic targets for vascular diseases that are associated with VSMC phenotypic modulation. This modulation is characterized by a switch from a quiescent “contractile” state to an activated “synthetic” state and is an integral part of the acute response to vascular injury.1 This phenotypic switch is the result of a complex pattern of gene regulation suggesting an important role for regulation at a transcriptional level. As such, transcription factors involved in this regulation may be “druggable” targets for the prevention and treatment of vascular diseases. In this issue of Circulation Research , an article by Fujiu and colleagues2 adds an important new chapter in a translational story that began with the identification of Kruppel-like zinc-finger transcription factor 5 (KLF5) and its role in transcriptional regulation of VSMCs. KLF5 is a key determinant of smooth muscle phenotype3 through regulation of expression of a number of proteins associated with a quiescent or contractile phenotype including SMemb/non-myosin heavy chain-B (NMMHC-B), platelet-derived growth factor-A (PDGF-A), and smooth muscle α-actin. This new study demonstrates that inhibition of this transcription factor may represent an exciting new modality to prevent or treat the vascular response to …
Commercial Yellow Sticky Strips more attractive than yellow boards to western cherry fruit fly (Dipt., Tephritidae)

Bright yellow sticky rectangles made of paper boards were previously identified as the most effective traps for capturing western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Dipt., Tephritidae). However, no data on the effectiveness of commercial sticky yellow plastic traps against R. indifferens have been reported. In tests conducted in sweet cherry trees [Prunus avium (L.) L.] in Washington state (USA) using ammonium carbonate as the chemical lure, commercial plastic ‘Yellow Sticky Strips’ made of translucent high-impact polystyrene captured ~two or three times more flies than commercial sticky yellow-folded Pherocon® AM and Alpha Scents boards. Yellow Sticky Strips also minimized captures of non-target flies and bees per surface area compared with Pherocon®AM and/or Alpha Scents boards. Trap size and adhesive type were not factors for greater catches of R. indifferens. However, more flies were caught on the shade-facing side of Yellow Sticky Strips, which was brightly illuminated, than on the shade-facing side of boards, which was darker, suggesting differential light passage was a factor. The Yellow Sticky Strips could be very useful for monitoring R. indifferens in detection programmes and based on the results of this study can replace yellow boards. They are also useful because they are relatively unattractive to non-target insects.
Disability and Sexuality: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Level of Comfort Among Certified Rehabilitation Counselors

This study investigated certified rehabilitation counselors’ (CRCs) attitudes, knowledge, and comfort in addressing disability and sexuality issues. One hundred ninety-nine CRCs completed a modifie...
The Scope on the Pope: Three Jesuit Views

Much has been written about Pope Francis and his first year of his papacy. These three distinctly Jesuit resources provide the inside story of the man who has inspired a world weary of conflict and desperate for a new kind of leadership.
Societal Adaptation to Climate Change

Abstract Human societies have adapted to environmental changes throughout their existence. Indeed, humans have combined adaptation and control to survive. If the environmental changes are insurmountable, humans adapt by migration, or if they remain in the same area, employ changes in shelter, diet, agriculture and other needs. They may also change the environment to maintain conditions, such as erecting structures to prevent flooding, survive storms and irrigate soil. Climate will indeed change in the coming decades. Some changes will be the result of natural events, such as solar activity, and some will result from human enterprises, including the emissions of greenhouse gases. Several of the array of actions that may be available for these adaptations are discussed in this chapter.
Crack Growth in GR-S Tread Stocks. Relation to State of Cure and Composition

Abstract A quantitative relation has been established between rate of crack growth and temperature rise, as determined in the Goodrich flexometer test, for GR-S tread stocks compounded with normal quantities of EPC or MPC blacks. This is shown in Equation 1. The relation is valid for all variations which affect the state of cure—that is, time of cure, sulfur or accelerator variation, retarding or activating softeners, etc. For other variations in the tread composition, such as an increase or decrease in the loading of the EPC or MPC black, Equation 2 holds. This relation is valid for all other known recipe modifications which do not involve carbon blacks other than EPC or MPC. Improvements in the balance between flex-cracking and rise in temperature, obtained by compounding or by an improvement in the polymers, may be expressed as the ratio of the observed flexing life to the calculated flexing life using the equation appropriate to the case. This ratio is termed the quality index. Coarser blacks substitu...
Bargaining While Learning About New Arrivals

We study dynamic bargaining with uncertainty over the buyer’s valuation and the seller’s outside option. A long-lived seller makes offers to a long-lived buyer whose value is private information. There may exist a short-lived buyer whose value is higher than that of the long-lived buyer. The arrival of the short-lived buyer, if she exists, is determined by a Poisson process. We characterize the unique equilibrium. The equilibrium displays interesting price fluctuations: in some periods, the seller charges a high price unacceptable to the long-lived buyer, in the hope that the short-lived buyer will appear in that period; in the other periods, he offers a price attractive to some values of the long-lived buyer. The price dynamics result from the interaction between two learning processes: exogenous learning about the existence of short-lived buyers, and endogenous learning about the long-lived buyer’s value.
DNA Methylation Analysis in Human Cancer

The functional impact of aberrant DNA methylation and the widespread alterations in DNA methylation in cancer development have led to the development of a variety of methods to characterize the DNA methylation patterns. This chapter critiques and describes the major approaches to analyzing DNA methylation.
Book Review: Rebuilding Native Nations: Strategies for Governance and Development, Miriam Jorgensen, ed., 2007

This article is a book review of REBUILDING NATIVE NATIONS: STRATEGIES FOR GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT, by Miriam Jorgensen (ed). University of Arizona Press, 2007.
OUTCOMES OF TRANSCATHETER CLOSURE OF POST-MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION VENTRICULAR SEPTAL DEFECT

As care and outcomes for acute myocardial infarction (MI) continue to improve, ventricular septal defect (VSD) remains a very serious mechanical complication of acute MI that is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Patients with post-MI VSD are often late presenting acute coronary syndrome
Molecular mechanism of flip-flop in triple-layer oleic-acid membrane: correlation between oleic acid and water.

We perform all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to study a pure oleic acid (OA) membrane in water that results in a triple-layer structure. We compute the pressure profiles to examine the hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, and to estimate the surface tension (≈34.5 mN/m), which is similar to those of lipid membranes. We observe that the membrane of OAs having a large diffusion coefficient (0.4 × 10–7 cm2/s) along the normal to the membrane is an ideal model to study oleic acid flip-flop. In the model, the membrane contains a middle layer serving as an intermediate for water and OAs to easily migrate (flip-flop) from one to other leaflets. Water molecules surrounding OA head-groups help to reduce the barriers at the hydrophobic interface to trigger flip-flop events. Within 500 ns, we observe 175 flip-flop events of OAs and 305 events of water traversing the membrane. The ratio of water passing rate (kH2O = 0.673 ns–1) to OA flip-flop rate (kOA = 0.446 ns–1) is 3/2. The ratio of the totally correlated ...
The effect of adjustable suture techniques on scleral resistance.

■ BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The effect of adjustable suture strabismus surgery techniques on the ease of the postoperative adjustment has not been determined. An in vitro animal model was developed to compare several intraoperative variables with the ability to adjust the sutures. ■ MATERIALS AND METHODS: The amount of force required to advance and recess the suture was measured using different sutures, suture coatings, needles, and scleral tunnel techniques. ■ RESULTS: Scleral tunnels placed at an angle to the muscle insertion caused significantly greater scleral resistance as compared with tunnels placed perpendicular to the insertion. Although differences were noted in the scleral resistance with different needles, suture coatings, and suture materials, there was a considerable overlap of the effect. ■ CONCLUSIONS: Scleral tunnels placed perpendicular to the muscle insertion and parallel to the plane of action of the muscle offer the best technique for minimizing scleral resistance. Other less important factors include shorter scleral tunnels, larger needles, and special suture coatings.
‘Woman’ and ‘Lady’ and ‘Vous’ and ‘Tu’

Dummett’s pair ‘woman’ and ‘lady’ also presents a more complex picture than the notion of style seems capable of handling. On the one hand, one can view ‘lady’ in certain contexts merely as a polite synonym for ‘woman’. Yet, it is precisely a difference in ‘sense’ that inclines one to think of ‘lady’ as a mere stylistic variant of ‘woman’. Both are comparable with reference to adult female persons. However, as compared with ‘woman’ — correlative with ‘man’ — which emphasizes the essential properties of the adult female person, ‘lady’ — correlative with ‘gentleman’ — connotes the additional qualities inherent in gentle breeding, a gracious nature, and a cultivated background. This makes for a preference when such things as exalted social position or refinement are involved, to the extent that an actual contrast may be invoked — cf. ‘She may be a woman, but she’s no lady’.
Regulation of mRNA Turnover

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how mRNA decay can be triggered and highlights some recent studies on regulation of mRNA turnover in mammalian cells. mRNA turnover is a complex set of cellular processes regulated by mechanisms independent from transcription. Regulation of mRNA turnover is important for controlling the abundance of cellular transcripts and thus the levels of protein expression. mRNA degradation in the cytoplasm can be initiated by deadenylation, decapping, or endonucleolytic cleavage within the message to generate 5′ and 3′ fragments. mRNA decay pathways in eukaryotic cells involve multiple steps and are more complicated than simply creating free ends by the three theoretical ways followed by exonucleolytic digestion. The importance of deadenylation in regulation of gene expression is further emphasized by two recent developments. First, a group of abundant, evolutionarily conserved small silencing RNAs, termed microRNAs (miRNAs), are capable of promoting decay of their mRNA targets by accelerating deadenylation, thereby achieving gene silencing. Second, non-translatable mRNA-protein complexes (mRNPs) are found in RNA processing bodies, a newly discovered cytoplasmic domain related to translation repression and mRNA decay. Both translation and stability of mRNAs are affected by deadenylation. The importance of deadenylation in mRNA turnover can be observed in all major mRNA decay pathways, including decay directed by AU-rich elements (AREs) in the 3′ UTR, the rapid decay mediated by destabilizing elements in protein coding regions, the surveillance mechanism that detects and degrades nonsense containing mRNA, and the default decay pathway for stable messages such as β-globin mRNA.
The Relationship of the Metabolism of Anticancer Agents to Their Activity

‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’[1]
International Headache Society Criteria

A prospective study involving 72 children with recurrent headache, designed to determine whether the diagnosis of headache type made intuitively by each of 4 neurologists would have met the IHS diagnostic criteria, is reported from the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Children’s Hospital and University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, and the Division of Pediatric Neurology, Children’s Hospital, Calgary, Canada.
Inter-symbol interference in high data rate UWB communications using energy detector receivers

Inter-symbol interference (ISI) is known to be a major factor complicating the realization of high data rate ultrawideband (UWB) communications. In the literature, methods for suppressing ISI in UWB systems employing complex receivers exist. In this paper, considering the low cost requirement along with the need for high data rates, we propose a modified, on-off keying (OOK) based low complexity energy detector receiver capable of eliminating ISI. The presented receiver utilizes an ISI cancellation algorithm depending on decision feedback equalization (DFE) and it is advantageous in that it does not suffer from error propagation. The results obtained demonstrate a considerable gain in the symbol detection performance of the UWB system.
Role of microRNAs in cardiac development and disease (Review)

Heart disease-related deaths are the highest in most societies and congenital heart diseases account for approximately 40% of prenatal deaths and over 20% of mortality in the first few months after birth. Congenital heart disease affects approximately 1% of all newborns and is the causative factor for more deaths within the first year of life as compared to all other genetic defects. Advances in treatment approaches increased life expectancy and led to an expansion of adult population with clinical manifestation of congenital heart defects in up to 90% of the children born with congenital heart diseases. Regulation of cardiac gene expression involves multiple independent enhancers that play a critical role in maintaining a restricted and specific pattern of gene expression in the heart. Cardiac transcriptional pathways are intimately regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs), which are small, regulatory RNAs, approximately 22 nucleotides in length, also coded by specific genes. These miRNAs act as suppressors of gene expression by inhibiting translation and/or promoting degradation of target protein-coding mRNAs. There are several miRNAs involved in the development of heart and dysregulation of specific miRNAs is associated with congenital and other cardiac defects. Stress responsive cardiac hypertrophy is orchestrated among other factors, by specific miRNAs. miRNAs such as miR-499 are considered useful as biomarkers of a given heart disease. Therapeutic application of miRNAs is also envisaged considering the small size and specific effects of these molecules. In this review, we addressed different roles of miRNAs in the development and diseases of the heart.
Collagen-like proteins of pathogenic streptococci

The collagen domain, which is defined by the presence of the Gly-X-Y triplet repeats, is amongst the most versatile and widespread known structures found in proteins from organisms representing all three domains of life. The streptococcal collagen-like (Scl) proteins are widely present in pathogenic streptococci, including Streptococcus pyogenes, S. agalactiae, S. pneumoniae, and S. equi. Experiments and bioinformatic analyses support the hypothesis that all Scl proteins are homotrimeric and cell wall-anchored. These proteins contain the rod-shaped collagenous domain proximal to cell surface, as well as a variety of outermost non-collagenous domains that generally lack predicted functions but can be grouped into one of six clusters based on sequence similarity. The well-characterized Scl1 proteins of S. pyogenes show a dichotomous switch in ligand binding between human tissue and blood environments. In tissue, Scl1 adhesin specifically recognizes the wound microenvironment, promotes adhesion and biofilm formation, decreases bacterial killing by neutrophil extracellular traps, and modulates S. pyogenes virulence. In blood, ligands include components of complement and coagulation-fibrinolytic systems, as well as plasma lipoproteins. In all, the Scl proteins signify a large family of structurally related surface proteins, which contribute to the ability of streptococci to colonize and cause diseases in humans and animals.
Rapid, Photomediated Healing of Hexaarylbiimidazole-Based Covalently Cross-Linked Gels

The intrinsic healing of covalently cross-linked polymer networks is commonly effected via the utilization of backbone-borne functional groups able to reversibly cleave or rearrange, thereby enabling mixing and coreaction of network strands that bridge contacted interfaces; however, such materials often exhibit slow healing rates and are susceptible to creep under load. To address these deficiencies, we incorporated hexaarylbiimidazole (HABI) functionalities, groups that are homolytically cleavable, to yield relatively low reactivity lophyl radicals under UV or visible light irradiation and which, in the absence of light, spontaneously recombine without significantly participating in deleterious side reactions, into the backbone of poly(ethylene glycol)-based polymeric gels. Whereas the network connectivity of these HABI-incorporating gels was stable in the dark, they exhibited significant creep upon irradiation. The influence of swelling solvent on the reaction kinetics of backbone-borne HABI photolysis ...
Tissue Variability and Antennas for Power Transfer to Wireless Implantable Medical Devices

The design of effective transcutaneous systems demands the consideration of inevitable variations in tissue characteristics, which vary across body areas, among individuals, and over time. The purpose of this paper was to design and evaluate several printed antenna topologies for ultrahigh frequency (UHF) transcutaneous power transfer to implantable medical devices, and to investigate the effects of variations in tissue properties on dipole and loop topologies. Here, we show that a loop antenna topology provides the greatest achievable gain with the smallest implanted antenna, while a dipole system provides higher impedance for conjugate matching and the ability to increase gain with a larger external antenna. In comparison to the dipole system, the loop system exhibits greater sensitivity to changes in tissue structure and properties in terms of power gain, but provides higher gain when the separation is on the order of the smaller antenna dimension. The dipole system was shown to provide higher gain than the loop system at greater implant depths for the same implanted antenna area, and was less sensitive to variations in tissue properties and structure in terms of power gain at all investigated implant depths. The results show the potential of easily-fabricated, low-cost printed antenna topologies for UHF transcutaneous power, and the importance of environmental considerations in choosing the antenna topology.
Improving Emotion Recognition using Class-Level Spectral Features

Traditional approaches to automatic emotion recognition from speech typically make use of utterance level prosodic features. Still, a great deal of useful information about expressivity and emotion can be gained from segmental spectral features, which provide a more detailed description of the speech signal, or from measurements from specific regions of the utterance, such as the stressed vowels. Here we introduce a novel set of spectral features for emotion recognition: statistics of Mel-Frequency Spectral Coefficients computed over three phoneme type classes of interest: stressed vowels, unstressed vowels and consonants in the utterance. We investigate performance of our features in the task of speaker-independent emotion recognition using two publicly available datasets. Our experimental results clearly indicate that indeed both the richer set of spectral features and the differentiation between phoneme type classes are beneficial for the task. Classification accuracies are consistently higher for our features compared to prosodic features or utterance-level spectral features. Combination of our phoneme class features with prosodic features leads to even further improvement. Index Terms: emotion recognition
Incorporating Scale-Dependent Fracture Stiffness for Improved Reservoir Performance Prediction

We present a novel technique for predicting dynamic fracture network response to production-driven changes in effective stress, with the potential for optimizing depletion planning and improving recovery prediction in stress-sensitive naturally fractured reservoirs. A key component of the method involves laboratory geomechanics testing of single fractures in order to develop a unique scaling relationship between fracture normal stiffness and initial mechanical aperture. Details of the workflow are as follows: tensile, opening mode fractures are created in a variety of low matrix permeability rocks with initial, unstressed apertures in the micrometer to millimeter range, as determined from image analyses of X-ray CT scans; subsequent hydrostatic compression of these fractured samples with synchronous radial strain and flow measurement indicates that both mechanical and hydraulic aperture reduction varies linearly with the natural logarithm of effective normal stress; these stress-sensitive single-fracture laboratory observations are then upscaled to networks with fracture populations displaying frequency-length and length-aperture scaling laws commonly exhibited by natural fracture arrays; functional relationships between reservoir pressure reduction and fracture network porosity, compressibility and directional permeabilities as generated by such discrete fracture network modeling are then exported to the reservoir simulator for improved naturally fractured reservoir performance prediction.
A model for 3D-printed microstrip transmission lines using conductive electrifi filament

New research on wearable electronics, domotics, flexible circuits, and RF applications on conformal surfaces have used the advancements of material science and additive manufacturing technology. Parallelly, the limited design specifications of industrially available PCB substrates (i.e., flat substrates) has stimulated a de novo exploration for more complex electronic circuits with versatile geometries. In this paper, the development of a microstrip transmission line using additive manufacturing technology and Electrifi conductive filament is reported for the first time. The simulated and measured transmission properties of the design are also compared and presented.
Stress, Substance Use, and Yoga in the Context of Community Reentry Following Incarceration:

This field report provides a rationale for the potential of yoga to support reductions in stress and substance use among people returning to the community from jail or prison and describes an agenc...
COMPASS: compact array storage with value index

Efficient array storage is the backbone of scientific data processing. With an explosion of data, rapidly answering queries on array data is becoming increasingly important. Although most of the array storages today support subsetting of an array based on dimensions efficiently, they fall back to full scan while executing value-based filter operations. This has lead to an interest in approximate query processing, but such methods can have substantial inaccuracies.This paper presents COMPASS, an array storage system with integrated value index support. Our approach efficiently encodes arrays as bin-based indices and corresponding residuals describing elements in each bin. Our query processing method uses bin-based indices, with residuals decompressed as needed, to ensure that accuracy is not sacrificed. Our evaluation shows that compared with current array storage systems such as SciDB, our method achieves a smaller storage footprint, but most importantly, can perform filter operations an order of magnitude faster on low selectivity queries. Meanwhile, COMPASS maintains comparable performance on high-selectivity queries or dimension-based subsetting operations.
Blindness and Visual Impairment: Global Perspective

The last 30 years have seen a dramatic shift in global economies and a rise in the number and wealth of so-called “middle-income” countries. Notwithstanding the terrible toll of HIV-AIDS, survival rates have generally improved and with it an increase in the proportion of deaths due to chronic diseases as the infectious diseases decline (World Health Organization 2011). The World Health Organization (WHO) now has to face a rising epidemic of illnesses like diabetes as seriously as it has faced epidemics of infections like cholera or yellow fever (World Health Organization 2011).
Design of Chemically Modified and Recombinant Hemoglobins as Potential Red Cell Substitutes

Modified cell-free hemoglobin derivatives have been under study as potential red cell substitutes for nearly three decades (Winslow 1992). These derivatives are prepared by treatment of hemoglobin with some chemical reagent to yield a product that possesses a property considered desirable for a blood substitute. The degree of sophistication of these derivatives has, in general, increased in proportion to our knowledge of hemoglobin itself.
Cyclooxygenase-1 suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced changes in rat gastric inducible nitric oxide synthase.

Objective Both nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) have inducible isoforms that are up-regulated during inflammatory states. However, the interaction between these enzymes is not clearly understood. The objective was to clarify the interactions between NOS and COX in the rat gastric mucosa in the presence and absence of lipopolysaccharide. Design Laboratory study. Setting Medical school laboratory. Subjects Female Sprague-Dawley rats. Interventions We used nonselective and selective COX inhibitors to determine the role of COX on inducible NOS (iNOS) expression in the gastric mucosa. Measurements and main results The nonselective COX inhibitors salicylate and indomethacin enhanced the expression of iNOS in the rat gastric mucosa and exacerbated gastric injury in the presence of lipopolysaccharide, effects reversed by exogenous prostaglandin E2. Selective COX-1 inhibition with SC560 similarly increased gastric iNOS expression and exacerbated gastric injury, while the selective COX-2 inhibitor NS398 had no effect on iNOS expression or gastric injury in the presence of lipopolysaccharide. Conclusions These data suggest that COX-1 derived prostaglandins exert an inhibitory effect on gastric iNOS during endotoxemia, and this may represent a potential cytoprotective mechanism not previously recognized for this enzyme, since up-regulation of iNOS is deleterious in some tissues.
Toward Dynamic. Multiprocessor Real-Time Threads

Publisher Summary This chapter describes some of the research issues and solutions surrounding the development of a real-time threads package for multiprocessor systems. The package involved is based on Mach threads and has been implemented on standard UNIX platforms and on 32-node BBN Butterfly multiprocessor. It has also been used as a portable basis for the construction of parallel real-time applications and multiprocessor operating system kernels. The essential idea underlying real-time threads is that the schedulability of a thread should be guaranteed before it is actually run, not only at the time of program compilation but also at the time of thread creation. Specifically, the real-time threads package guarantees the schedulability of threads being created prior to their execution, assuming that thread deadlines, start times, and maximum execution times are known. The second main idea underlying real-time threads is that minimum functionality should be offered by the threads package itself. Specifically, when scheduling, guarantees cannot be made by the package's underlying algorithms.
Epistemic Reductionism and the Moral-Epistemic Disparity

In previous work, I defend the following disparity between moral and epistemic facts: whereas moral facts are irreducibly normative, epistemic facts—facts such as that someone is epistemically justified in believing something—are reducible to facts from some other domain (such as facts about probabilities). This moral-epistemic disparity is significant because it undercuts an important kind of argument for robust moral realism. My defense of epistemic reductionism and of the moral-epistemic disparity has been criticized by Richard Rowland (2013) and Terence Cuneo and Christos Kyriacou (2018). This paper aims to rebut these criticisms and, more generally, to clarify and strengthen the case for epistemic reductionism and the moral-epistemic disparity.
Research and Implementation of Service Auto Expansion and Fusing Technology for Dispatching and Control System

With the rapid development of the ultra-high voltage power grid, the service structure of the current power grid dispatching and control system has been unable to meet the urgent needs of the dispatching organization for service state perception and service control. A service management center is set up to realize real-time monitoring of the dynamic quality information of the service and obtain the health of the dispatching system service. The service automatic expansion and contraction technology to cope with the peak of service requests is proposed, which automatically increases or decreases service entities and makes full use of system resources. The service fusing technology that calls for competition is proposed, and service fusing decision algorithm and self-healing mechanism are proposed, which can effectively prevent the systemic risk from the extreme situation from the system service call level, and ensure the smooth operation of the system as a whole. At present, the research results are running well in the verification system, and the service control level of the dispatching and control system has been effectively improved. The next step of the project promotion will provide a powerful guarantee for the security, stability and efficient operation of the power grid dispatching and control system.
On the prevalence of racial discrimination in the United States.

Boutwell, Nedelec, Winegard, Shackelford, Beaver, Vaughn, Barnes, & Wright (2017) published an article in this journal that interprets data from the Add Health dataset as showing that only one-quarter of individuals in the United States experience discrimination. In Study 1, we attempted to replicate Boutwell et al.’s findings using a more direct measure of discrimination. Using data from the Pew Research Center, we examined a large sample of American respondents (N = 3,716) and explored the prevalence of discrimination experiences among various racial groups. Our findings stand in contrast to Boutwell et al.’s estimates, revealing that between 50% and 75% of Black, Hispanic, and Asian respondents (depending on the group and analytic approach) reported discriminatory treatment. In Study 2, we explored whether question framing affected how participants responded to Boutwell’s question about experiencing less respect and courtesy. Regardless of question framing, non-White participants reported more experiences than White participants. Further, there was an interaction of participant race and question framing such that when participants were asked about experiences of less respect or courtesy broadly, there were no differences between non-White participants and White participants, but when they were asked about experiences that were specifically race-based, non-White participants reported more experiences than White participants. The current research provides a counterweight to the claim that discrimination is not a prevalent feature of the lives of minority groups and the serious implications this claim poses for research and public policy.
The strong symmetric genus spectrum of nilpotent groups

Let S denote the set of positive integers that appear as the strong symmetric genus of a finite nilpotent group. We show that if g is not congruent to 6 (mod 8), then g∈S. Using this result and som...
The Compact Tension, C(T), Specimen in Laminated Composite Testing

Use of the compact tension, C(T), specimens in laminated composites testing is investigated by considering two examples. A new computational methodology that scales up constituent material properties, stress, and strain limits to the structure level is used to evaluate damage propagation stages as well as the structural fracture load. Damage initiation, growth, accumulation, progressive fracture, and ultimate fracture modes are identified. Specific dependences of C(T) specimen test characteristics on laminate configuration and composite constituent properties are quantified.
Nanoemulsions Enhance in vitro Transpapillary Diffusion of Model Fluorescent Dye Nile Red.

While the feasibility of transpapillary drug delivery has previously been established, localized transport via the mammary ducts may be improved with tailored drug delivery formulations. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of nanoemulsion encapsulation on transpapillary delivery in vitro. Nanoemulsion formulations composed of isopropyl myristate and Tween 80 encapsulating a fluorescent dye were applied topically on porcine nipples using a Franz diffusion cell. A combination of dye extraction and fluorescence image analysis was used to quantify the total amount of dye retained within the nipple and to characterize the penetration routes. After diffusion for 6 hours, the amount of dye deposited in the nipple was proportional to the formulation’s water concentration. The 90% water formulation deposited significantly more dye via both the stratum corneum and mammary ducts, while the 80% and 70% water formulations moderately increased ductal penetration, but minimally altered stratum corneum penetration as compared to the control solution. Similar trends were found after diffusion for 48 hours; however, the overall impact was diminished, likely due to the nanoemulsion’s topical instability. This study indicates that drug delivery vehicles, nanoemulsions specifically, enhance delivery of encapsulated molecules via the stratum corneum and mammary ducts in a formulation-dependent basis.
Alteration of the cell-virus relationship in vitro with 6-mercaptopurine.

Abstract Heteroploid human cells were infected with a low multiplicity of vaccinia virus in vitro and treated immediately or after 48 hours with 6-mercaptopurine, 3 μg per ml. Simultaneous treatment inhibited viral multiplication completely. Infected, untreated cells synthesized abundant virions which resulted in eventual destruction of the cell population. Infected cells were also treated with 6-mercaptopurine in a sequential manner for limited 12-hour intervals during the initial 36 hours of Multiplication. Viral multiplication was diminished during each of these brief periods of treatment. Delayed treatment of infected cells after 48 hours of elapsed viral replication produced an initial decline in viral synthesis per host cell. However, this interruption of viral multiplication was followed by slow recovery of the synthetic capacity of the cell population in spite of continued treatment with 6-mercaptopurine.
Fenton-Inspired C-H Functionalization: Peroxide-Directed C-H Thioetherification.

Substoichiometric iron mediates the thioetherification of unactivated aliphatic C–H bonds directed by resident silylperoxides. Upon exposure to a catalytic amount of iron(II) triflate, TIPS-protect...
Mentally Challenging Occupations Are Associated With More Rapid Cognitive Decline at Later Stages of Cognitive Aging.

Objectives Engaging in mentally challenging activities is associated with reduced risk for cognitive impairment and dementia; however, its association with rates of cognitive decline has been inconsistent. The aim of this study is to test whether working in mentally challenging occupations is related to rates of cognitive change at later older adulthood. Method The sample consisted of 1,520 individuals (baseline mean age = 78.6 ± 5.1, range = 64-100) from the Einstein Aging Study. Occupation information of each participant was collected retrospectively and linked with the substantive complexity of work score from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Cognitive changes in memory, speed, and executive function (EF) domains were represented using two time metrics (i.e., time from retirement, time from study enrollment). Results Results from mixed models showed that occupational complexity was associated with significantly faster rates of cognitive decline in speed and EF in the "time from retirement" model but not in the "time from baseline" model. Despite faster cognitive loss, the protective effect of occupational complexity persisted for decades after retirement due to higher initial levels of cognition. Discussion The result suggests that protective factors for cognitive health may be associated with delayed onset but more rapid cognitive decline afterwards at later stages of cognitive aging.
GP155 Are clinical prediction rules in paediatrics validated? a literature review

Aims To identify and appraise the geographical and temporal transportability of externally validated clinical prediction rules (CPRs) in the paediatric population. Methods A Medline search was conducted from 2000–2015 for publications involving the derivation, internal or external validation of a CPR in children aged 0–21 years. Validation studies were included if they described a CPR which was developed within this time frame. Results 193 studies were identified for inclusion. The selected studies describe 133 CPRs, across more than 10 paediatric specialities. 63 CPRs were not validated (47%). Of the 70 validated rules identified (53%), 25 were internally validated, 8 were cross validated and 53 were externally validated. Only 13 CPRs (10%) were both internally and externally validated and 21 CPRs (19%) were externally validated more than once. 15 internally validated studies used split sample methodology while only 5 performed bootstrapping regression methods. Of the 87 studies measuring external validity, the majority of studies (66%) were performed at a different site to the derivation. Only 5 studies were performed at the same site while 22 did not disclose this information. 43 externally validated studies included populations that were recruited in a different country to the derivation and 27 of those were on a different continent. Only two externally validated studies were shown not to have temporal transportability. Performance of the rules in validation was poorly reported, and if reported usually underperformed in comparison to the original. Conclusion While many CPRs are developed, they are often not validated externally. Of those that have been validated, it is often difficult to uphold the same level of performance. The majority of externally validated CPRs assessed in this study meet geographical and temporal transportability which is a crucial feature in the CPR’s ability to uphold performance amongst different populations.
Consequences of chronic bacterial infection in Drosophila melanogaster

Even when successfully surviving an infection, a host often fails to eliminate a pathogen completely and may sustain substantial pathogen burden for the remainder of its life. Using systemic bacterial infection in Drosophila melanogaster, we characterize chronic infection by three bacterial species from different genera - Providencia rettgeri, Serratia marcescens, and Enterococcus faecalis-following inoculation with a range of doses. To assess the consequences of these chronic infections, we determined the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes, survival of secondary infection, and starvation resistance after one week of infection. While higher infectious doses unsurprisingly lead to higher risk of death, they also result in higher chronic bacterial loads among the survivors for all three infections. All three chronic infections caused significantly elevated expression of antimicrobial peptide genes at one week post-infection and provided generalized protection again secondary bacterial infection. Only P. rettgeri infection significantly influenced resistance to starvation, with persistently infected flies dying more quickly under starvation conditions relative to controls. These results suggest that there is potentially a generalized mechanism of protection against secondary infection, but that other impacts on host physiology may depend on the specific pathogen. We propose that chronic infections in D. melanogaster could be a valuable tool for studying tolerance of infection, including impacts on host physiology and behavior.
Comorbidities As Risk Factors for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Their Accrual After Diagnosis.

Abstract Objective To determine the prevalence of comorbidities in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), discover which comorbidities might predispose to developing RA, and identify which comorbidities are more likely to develop after RA. Patients and Methods We performed a case-control study using a single-center biobank, identifying 821 cases of RA (143 incident RA) between January 1, 2009, and February 28, 2018, defined as 2 diagnosis codes plus a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. We matched each case to 3 controls based on age and sex. Participants self-reported the presence and onset of 74 comorbidities. Logistic regression models adjusted for race, body mass index, education, smoking, and Charlson comorbidity index. Results After adjustment for confounders and multiple comparisons, 11 comorbidities were associated with RA, including epilepsy (odds ratio [OR], 2.13; P=.009), obstructive sleep apnea (OR, 1.49; P=.001), and pulmonary fibrosis (OR, 4.63; P Conclusion Inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, and VTE might predispose to RA development, whereas cardiovascular disease, VTE, and obstructive sleep apnea can result from RA. These findings have important implications for RA pathogenesis, early detection, and recommended screening.