cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Skeletal reactions of n-hexane over pt-nay, pt/SiO2, hy, and mixed Pt/Sio2 + hy catalysts

Abstract The activity and selectivity of three samples of 8% Pt-NaY calcined at 633, 723, and 823 K, respectively, have been probed with n -hexane as the model reactant at 603 K and subatmospheric pressures in a glass closed-loop reactor. These catalysts were compared with 6.3% Pt/SiO 2 (EUROPT-1), HY, and a physical mixture of the latter two. The activity of all Pt-NaY catalysts is superior to EUROPT-1 and they deactivate more slowly. The selectivity pattern of all Pt-NaY samples is closer to that characteristic of monofunctional Pt catalysts, as opposed to the pronounced acidic character of pure HY and the mechanical mixtures. The sample calcined at 633 K, which has the highest dispersion and probably contains Pt particles anchored to the support as [Pt n - H x ] x + entities, shows the highest aromatization selectivity. The sample precalcined at 823 K with the lowest dispersion has a pronouncedly high skeletal isomerization selectivity. The isomerization pathway may be related to the C 5 cyclic route on metal sites that are more abundant on the larger crystallites of this catalyst and are more easily accessible with its partially collapsed zeolite framework. Characteristic differences between samples in the response of their catalytic performance to changes in hydrogen and hydrocarbon pressure are discussed.
Some chemical studies on a strain of white clover mosaic virus.

Abstract The WDC-17 strain of white clover mosaic virus was found to contain 9.4% RNA and the protein subunit to consist of about 133 amino acid residues, each subunit having a molecular weight of approximately 14.3 × 103. The C-terminal amino acid residue appears to be arginine and the next, lysine. No N-terminal amino acid could be detected by the fluorodinitrobenzene method. White clover mosaic virus RNA was found to have a high adenylic acid content and low amount of guanylic acid. The ratios for Ap, Gp, Up, and Cp were approximately 33:16:22:28, respectively.
Glycol methacrylate embedding of bone and cartilage for light microscopic staining

A method is described for embedding bone and cartilage in glycol methacrylate (GMA) for light microscopy. Dehydration-infiltration of the hard tissue is with aqueous GMA solutions minimizing solvent and dehydration artefact, and polymerization is by UV light in the cold to minimize thermal damage. Over fifty stains, enzyme localizations and related histochemical methods for 0.5-3.0 micrometer thick sections of GMA embedded tissue are listed. The increased resolution plus the localization of cellular and extracellular chemical moieties is now easier and more accurate providing an improved method for the study of the musculo-skeletal system by light microscopy histochemistry.
The Mechanism of Recovery of Residual Oil By Elastic Waves And Vibrations

Elastic waves have been observed to increase productivity of oil wells, although the reason for the vibratory mobilization of the residual organic fluids has remained unclear. Residual oil is entrapped as ganglia in narrow pore constrictions because of resisting capillary forces. A finite external pressure gradient, exceeding an “unplugging” threshold, is needed to carry the ganglia through. We show that vibrations help overcome this resistance by adding an oscillatory inertial forcing to the external gradient; when the vibratory forcing acts along the gradient and the threshold is exceeded, instant “unplugging” occurs. This mechanism predicts the mobilization effect to be proportional to the amplitude and inversely proportional to the frequency. We observe this dependence in a laboratory experiment, in which residual saturation is created in a glass micromodel, and mobilization of ganglia is monitored using digital photography. We also directly demonstrate the release of an entrapped ganglion by vibrations in a computational fluid-dynamics simulation.
Low Concentrations of Cerebrospinal Fluid GABA Correlate to a Reduced Response to Phenobarbital Therapy in Primary Canine Epilepsy

In this study, we investigated whether pretreatment cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurotransmitter concentrations of gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) and glutamate (GLU) were correlated with response to phenobarbital treatment in dogs with primary epilepsy. Eleven untreated dogs, 6 males and 5 females, with a median age of onset of seizures of 3 years (range: 0.5–5 years) were selected for therapy based on progressive or serious seizure patterns. The median interval between the first observed seizure and start of phenobarbital therapy was 485 days (range: 101–1,765 days). All dogs were purebred, with the exception of 1 male dog. Oral phenobarbital was started at 2.5 mg/kg every 12 hours. Trough serum phenobarbital concentrations were measured at 15, 45, 90, 180, 360, 540, and 720 days after the start of treatment. There was no difference in the mean trough serum concentration or in the mean number of seizures recorded between each time period of phenobarbital measurement over the 2-year evaluation. No correlation was found between CSF GLU, GABA, or GLU: GABA ratio and the total number of seizures recorded before or after initiation of phenobarbital therapy. Lower CSF GABA concentration, however, was correlated with a lower seizure frequency difference (the total number of seizures before phenobarbital therapy minus the total number of seizures after phenobarbital therapy for an identical time period of evaluation) and lower percentage reduction in seizures: ([total number of seizures before phenobarbital therapy minus the total number of seizures after phenobarbital therapy] divided by the total number of seizures before phenobarbital therapy) X 100. There was no correlation between CSF GLU and the seizure frequency difference and percentage reduction in seizures. A negative correlation between the CSF GLU: GABA ratio and seizure frequency difference was found. Thus, dogs with an initial lower CSF GABA concentration before phenobarbital therapy did not respond as well as did dogs with a higher CSF GABA concentration.
Three-dimensional branching-type models of flow through porous media

The total path followed by the various fractions of a spot of dye injected into a porous medium through which flow is occurring is considered to be represented by various types of three-dimensional branching configurations (“graphs”), the mass of the dye being distributed on the “free vertices” of the graphs. The graphs are generated according to two different cyclic random procedures. Using each procedure one can obtain samples of graphs generated in a given number of cycles. Statistics is done over such samples of graphs. One class of models gives the following relation between the coefficient of longitudinal dispersion D and the average pore velocity v, and between the coefficient of lateral dispersion Dlat and v: D∼v1.2∼v which are in good agreement with the experimental results.
Connective tissue. XV. Amino acid composition of soluble collagen of pig uterus.

Summary1. 1 M NaCl-soluble and 0.5 M acetic acid-soluble collagen were purified from pig uterus. The total yield was approximately 0.03% of the weight of the wet tissue. 2. After heat denaturation, the α- and β- components were separated on Sephadex G-200 and CM-cellulose column. Like the finding in human uterine collagen, less α- and more β- components were found in the salt soluble collagen of pig uterus than in the skin of the rat and human being. However, more α- and less β-component were found in the uterine collagen of pig than in that from the human being. 3. Pig uterine collagen contained a somewhat higher level of hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine than dermal collagen of rat and human being.
In vitro evaluation of dentinal tubule penetration and biomineralization ability of a new root-end filling material.

Introduction Capasio is being developed as a new generation of endodontic material with potential use as a root-end filling material. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of Capasio and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) to penetrate human dentinal tubules and examine the interaction of Capasio and MTA with a synthetic tissue fluid (STF) and root canal walls in extracted human teeth.
Downregulation of cell surface molecules during noncytopathic infection of T cells with human immunodeficiency virus.

Abstract Noncytopathic infection of human T-lymphoid cell line CR-10 with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (CEM-N1T isolate) resulted in a gradual loss of cell surface receptors for OKT4/OKT4A (HIV receptor), OKT8, OKT3, and OKT11 but not for OKT9 (transferrin receptor) within 10 days after infection. Surface receptor decline was accompanied by a rapid increase in HIV antigens and mRNA expression. Multireceptor downregulation was also observed in three T-lymphoid cell lines (MT-4, CEM, and HBD-1) cytopathically infected with the HIV/N1T virus and in HUT-78 cells infected with the HIV/SF-2 isolate. HIV-infected and uninfected CR-10 cells contained similar levels of mRNAs coding for T3, T8, T9, T11, HLA-A2, and HLA-B7 proteins. By densitometry, fully infected CR-10 cells showed approximately 75% reduction in T4 and tubulin (beta chain) mRNA levels when compared with uninfected CR-10 cells. No such reduction was detected in HIV-infected MT-4 and HBD-1 cells. A T-cell receptor gene (beta chain) rearrangement study revealed that no distinct CR-10 subpopulation was selected out upon infection with HIV. Our results suggest that the reduction in cell surface receptors observed between 1 and 2 weeks postinfection cannot be directly attributed to similar reductions in mRNA levels coding for these receptor proteins. We conclude that HIV infection induces posttranscriptional downregulation of several T-cell surface receptors.
Exceptional tunability of THz reflectance in graphene structures

We propose and demonstrate a graphene-based device achieving extraordinary control of terahertz (THz) wave reflectance. The advantages of graphene based switchable THz devices include low cost, facile fabrication and excellent tunability, thus promising for THz system applications.
Annual patterns within tree rings of the Arctic middle Eocene (ca. 45 Ma): Isotopic signatures of precipitation, relative humidity, and deciduousness

The spectacular preservation of middle Eocene (ca. 45 Ma) wood allows for intra season sampling of stable carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen in order to reconstruct the paleoseasonal environment of this Arctic forest (paleolatitude 78.6° ± 1.6° N; present latitude 80° N). Carbon isotopes in bulk organics and cellulose reveal striking annual patterns interpreted as the seasonal switchover from stored to actively acquired carbon associated with deciduous growth in these unusual conifers. Oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes of cellulose and cellulose nitrate allow for the calculation of changes in relative humidity and in the isotopic value of plant-available water. Clear annual patterns of increasing relative humidity resulting from tissue growth and concomitant transpiration are apparent, as is the systematic increase in the reconstructed oxygen isotope value of environmental water, refl ecting progressively increasing temperatures during the growing season.
Phase synthesis of antennas for a given radiation pattern in one plane using piecewise linear aperture phase distribution

A phase-only method for the synthesis of planar aperture antennas for a given complex radiation pattern in one plane is reported. The problem is reduced to determining an appropriate aperture phase distribution in the form of a ruled function and solved for apertures with rectangular shape and an arbitrary amplitude distribution and for apertures of arbitrary shape and amplitude distribution. This method can be used for controlling the pattern of phased-array antennas. Results of computer modeling are presented.
Test generation in a parallel processing environment

The availability of low-cost, high-performance, general-purpose parallel machines has made parallel processing viable for the development of CAD (computer-aided design) applications. The authors identify the key issues that surface when an attempt is made to parallelize the test-generation process. They illustrate how different test-generation strategies can be mapped onto different classes of parallel machines, including loosely coupled distributed systems, distributed-memory systems with message-passing architectures, and tightly coupled multiprocessor systems with shared global memory. Parallel test generation using a single heuristic and using multiple heuristics is considered. The performance of these mapping strategies is predicted by using uniprocessor turnaround times and an estimate of the communication delays. >
Effect of armature banding on the commutation of a d.c. machine

The effect of metallic armature bandings on the commutation of a d.c. machine is investigated. Based on a simplified electromagnetic field analysis, it is shown that the bandings act like quasi-interpoles, and thus affect commutation. An experiment is described to support the validity of the analysis, therefore justifying the fact that bandings affect commutation, as observed qualitatively.
Evolving policy geometry for scalable multiagent learning

A major challenge for traditional approaches to multiagent learning is to train teams that easily scale to include additional agents. The problem is that such approaches typically encode each agent's policy separately. Such separation means that computational complexity explodes as the number of agents in the team increases, and also leads to the problem of reinvention: Skills that should be shared among agents must be rediscovered separately for each agent. To address this problem, this paper presents an alternative evolutionary approach to multiagent learning called multiagent HyperNEAT that encodes the team as a pattern of related policies rather than as a set of individual agents. To capture this pattern, a policy geometry is introduced to describe the relationship between each agent's policy and its canonical geometric position within the team. Because policy geometry can encode variations of a shared skill across all of the policies it represents, the problem of reinvention is avoided. Furthermore, because the policy geometry of a particular team can be sampled at any resolution, it acts as a heuristic for generating policies for teams of any size, producing a powerful new capability for multiagent learning. In this paper, multiagent HyperNEAT is tested in predator-prey and room-clearing domains. In both domains the results are effective teams that can be successfully scaled to larger team sizes without any further training.
Elderly Hispanics More Likely To Reside In Poor-Quality Nursing Homes

The proportion of Hispanics age sixty-five and older who are living in nursing homes rose from 5 percent in 2000 to 6.4 percent in 2005. Although segregation in nursing homes seems to have declined slightly, elderly Hispanics are more likely than their non-Hispanic white peers to reside in nursing homes that are characterized by severe deficiencies in performance, understaffing, and poor care.
Interdecadal Variability in a Hybrid Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Sea Ice Model

Interdecadal climate variability in an idealized coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea-ice model is studied. The ocean component is a fully three-dimensional primitive equation model and the atmospheric component is a two-dimensional (2D) energy balance model of Budyko-Sellers-North type, while sea ice is represented by a 2D thermodynamic model. In a wide range of parameters the model climatology resembles certain aspects of observed climate. Two types of interdecadal variability are found. The first one is characterized by northward-propagating upper-ocean temperature anomalies in the northwestern part of the ocean basin and a westward-propagating, wavelike temperature pattern at depth. The other type has larger-scale temperature anomalies that propagate westward in both the upper and deep ocean, along the sea ice edge. Both types of oscillations have been found previously in similar models that do not include sea ice. Therefore, the oscillation mechanism does not depend on sea-ice feedbacks nor is it modified very much by the inclusion of sea ice. For some parameter values, the interdecadal oscillations are self-sustained, while for others they are damped. Stochastic-forcing experiments show that, in the latter case, significant interdecadal signals can still be identified in the time series of oceanic heat transport. The periods of these signals, however, do not closely match those identified in a stability analysis of the deterministic model when linearized about its steady state. The authors show that linearization around the actual climatology of the stochastically forced integrations provides a better match for some of the modes that were poorly explained when linearizing about the deterministic model's steady state. The main difference between the two basic states is in the distribution of climatological convective depth, which is affected strongly by intermittent atmospheric forcing.
Triboelectrostatic Separation of Fly Ash with Different Charging Materials

A combination of mechanical sieving and triboelectrostatic separation were used to separate fly ash. The results indicate that a simple separation of unburned carbon from fly ash is achievable at particle sizes of 74 and 44 microns. Subsequently, triboelectrostatic separations were conducted via a louvered plate separator. The results show that the final carbon content in the products, which can be as low as 1.5 % or as high as 60 % with different mineral components, can be further adjusted with the combination of sieving, louvered plate separator with a tribocharger made of different materials (copper and Teflon), and the location on the louvered plate where the fly ash particles were collected.
Assessment of oocyte quality in polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis by spindle imaging and reactive oxygen species levels in follicular fluid and its relationship with IVF-ET outcome

Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine meiotic spindle in oocytes along with reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in follicular fluid of women undergoing IVF and to correlate these findings with embryo quality and pregnancy outcome. Materials and Methods: 167 women aged 25-35 years with endometriosis (Group A), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) (Group B) and tubal block (Group C) were included. Long protocol downregulation using recombinant follicular stimulating hormone was used for ovarian stimulation. Aspirated follicular fluid containing mature oocytes were analyzed for ROS levels and the oocytes were assessed for the presence of meiotic spindle using Cri-OosightTM Polscope. Fertilization, embryo quality, endometrial assessment, and final pregnancy outcome were assessed. Results: Meiotic spindles were visualized in a higher proportion of mature oocytes retrieved from women with endometriosis (66%) as compared to those with PCOS (50.5%) and tubal block (62.3%). ROS levels were also observed to be significantly less in the follicular fluid of oocytes in women with endometriosis (Group A) as compared to the other two groups (P ≤ 0.001). However, pregnancy rates were observed to be lower in Group A (32%) than Groups B (39%) and C (44%), respectively. Within each group, oocytes with spindle visualization yielded a higher number of Grade 1 embryos (P < 0.05) as well as lower ROS levels in follicular fluid (P ≤ 0.001) as compared to those where spindle could not be visualized. Conclusions: There was good correlation between spindle imaging and ROS levels as reliable predictors of oocyte assessment. Women with endometriosis had low ROS levels and good spindle imaging results suggesting a possible role of endometrial receptivity accounting for lower pregnancy rates in these women. Poor oocyte quality, as reflected by higher mean ROS levels and low number of oocytes with spindle visualization, could be the factor impeding pregnancy in women with PCOS as compared to women with tubal block.
OPTICAL MEASUREMENT OF LARGE SPHERE DIAMETERS BY MEANS OF SCATTERING

A simple method is demonstrated to determine the diameters of dielectric spheres from 0.2 to 1.0 mm by observing the scattering of visible light. Theoretical calculations show that there is an approximately linear relationship between the size of the scattering sphere and the number of maxima and minima in the scattered field as a function of angle when the radius in the 200-1000-wavelength region.
Network Coding aware Rate Selection in multi-rate IEEE 802.11

Network coding has been proposed as an alternative to the conventional store-and-forward routing paradigm for data delivery in networks. When deployed in a multi-rate wireless network, network coding has to interact with rate adaptation. When multicasting packets (a requirement of network coding) in a multi-rate IEEE 802.11 wireless network, one must use care when selecting the transmission rate to use. We refer to this problem as rate selection. We analyze the performance of network coding for a small set of scenarios representative of common topologies in a network that lead to coding opportunities. Based on this analysis, we present our Network Coding aware Rate Selection (NCRS) algorithm which takes into account transmission rates used for unicast links to all multicast targets. Simulation results show that in a multi-hop wireless network, network coding with NCRS achieves up to 24% more gain over routing than network coding with other rate selection algorithms.
STORM: Lightning-Fast Resource Management

Although workstation clusters are a common platform for high-performance computing (HPC), they remain more difficult to manage than sequential systems or even symmetric multiprocessors. Furthermore, as cluster sizes increase, the quality of the resource-management subsystem — essentially, all of the code that runs on a cluster other than the applications — increasingly impacts application efficiency. In this paper, we present STORM, a resource-management framework designed for scalability and performance. The key innovation behind STORM is a software architecture that enables resource management to exploit low-level network features. As a result of this HPC-application-like design, STORM is orders of magnitude faster than the best reported results in the literature on two sample resource-management functions: job launching and process scheduling.
Social conflict and social change with development of a health education complex

Social conflict theory is used as the framework in which the controversy surrounding the establishment of a medical/dental school complex in the heart of the black community of Newark, New Jersey, is examined. The roles of community leaders, medical/dental professionals and state and federal officials are scrutinized. The implications of the outcome of the struggle for understanding conflict theory as a health educational tool are discussed. Language: en
Beyond cognitive-behavioral therapy for fibromyalgia: addressing stress by emotional exposure, processing, and resolution

I comment on the well-designed trial by Alda and colleagues reported in a recent issue of Arthritis Research and Therapy which demonstrated some benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for fibromyalgia (FM). CBT in this and other studies provides statistically significant but rather modest benefits for FM. This may be because CBT does not directly address the high rates of victimization, post-traumatic stress disorder, and emotional avoidance experienced by a substantial number of patients with FM. Interventions that encourage emotional exposure, processing, and resolution of stressful or traumatic experiences and relationships hold potential for larger effects for many patients and need to be tested.
POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL) HYDROGELS: REINFORCEMENT OF RADIATION-CROSSLINKED NETWORKS BY CRYSTALLIZATION.

Aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions were crosslinked via electron-beam irradiation to form transparent hydrogels of varying crosslinking densities. Typical crosslinked hydrogels with anti M/sub c/ between 3500 and 8000 were weak, easily shattered, nonextensible materials with very low tensile moduli (up to 70 psi) and tensile strengths at break (less than 10 psi). Reinforcement by induction of partial crystallization was accomplished by a two-stage drying process, consisting of a slow dehydration stage at room temperature and an annealing stage at elevated temperatures, which was mainly responsible for the introduction of the crystallites. The swollen hydrogels after the annealing process had crystallinities widely varying between 30 and 65 percent and polymer volume fractions between 30 and 60 percent, depending on the temperature--time history of the specimen. These materials showed greatly improved mechanical properties (modulus, ultimate tensile strength, tear strength), as compared to the uncrystallized hydrogels.
SPLIT-OPERATOR METHODS FOR COMPUTING STEADY-STATE REACTING FLOW-FIELDS

The present research determines the effectiveness of using split-operator methods for solving steady-state reacting flow-fields. Presented in the paper are three different schemes: a fully-coupled implicit scheme, a Strang-splitting scheme and a consistent-spl itting scheme, both with implicit transport computation. The effect of splitting errors on the convergence and solution accuracy is investigated analytically using a one-dimensional scalar equation. Results for a two-dimensional reacting shear-layer and burner flame simulations are shown comparing convergence characteristics of both splitting schemes, and the accuracy with respect to the original discretized equations. Finally, methods for improving the efficiency of the consistent-splitting scheme are discussed, as well as a simple method of parallelizing the scheme.
Using Cumulative Prospect Theory to Explain Anomalous Crop Insurance Coverage Choice

Farmers’ decisions about how much crop insurance to buy are not generally consistent with expected utility maximization. Taking into account both marginal risk benefits and marginal subsidy effects suggests that most farmers have chosen lower coverage levels than would be predicted by standard models. By modeling financial outcomes as gains and losses, cumulative prospect theory offers an alternative framework to perhaps better understand farmers’ purchase decisions. The role of the reference point that defines outcomes as either a gain or a loss, the degree of loss aversion, curvature of the value function, and the probability weighting function in determining optimal crop insurance coverage levels are explored for three representative farms calibrated to 2009 conditions. Loss aversion and how crop insurance is framed through choice of the reference point are shown to be the key factors that determine whether predictions from prospect theory are consistent with observed crop insurance coverage choices. When crop insurance is framed as a tool to manage farm risk then optimal choices under prospect theory are not consistent with observed choices. If crop insurance is framed as a stand‐alone investment where a loss is felt if the indemnity received is less than the premium paid, then prospect theory can generate optimal coverage level choices that are largely consistent with observed decisions. This result is shown to be robust to changes in parameterizations as long as loss aversion is maintained and if curvature of the value function is accompanied by decision weights that overweight low probability outcomes.
Additional Ciset Operations

In this chapter we introduce four additional operations on ciset and study various properties of those operations. We also introduce a new partial order ≤ on ℭ.
Thompson EJ: Proteins of the Cerebrospinal Fluid. Elsevier Academic Press, New York.

This book on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins is primarily focused on immunoglobulins. The book was written as an extension of a meeting on multiple sclerosis to provide a more extensive consideration of the CSF.
Breaking Out of Section 1201(a) Liability: Why Jailbreaking the iPhone Constitutes Fair Use Under Copyright

This essay evaluates whether utilizing substantial portions of Apple's copyrighted iPhone firmware in third-party programs, without permission, constitutes a fair use under copyright law. Provided it does, the question then becomes whether the Librarian of Congress should grant a proposed exception to section 1201(a), which would allow programmers to circumvent technological access controls which prevent users from installing third-party programs on their iPhones - a practice known as "jailbreaking." Because section 1201(a) permits an exemption to the anti-circumvention statute only when "non-infringing uses" are likely to be stifled, the decision whether jailbreaking is a fair use or a prohibited use can be dispositive of the outcome.
Contingency checking and self-directed behaviors in giant manta rays: Do elasmobranchs have self-awareness?

Elaborate cognitive skills arose independently in different taxonomic groups. Self-recognition is conventionally identified by the understanding that one’s own mirror reflection does not represent another individual but oneself, which has never been proven in any elasmobranch species to date. Manta rays have a high encephalization quotient, similar to those species that have passed the mirror self-recognition test, and possess the largest brain of all fish species. In this study, mirror exposure experiments were conducted on two captive giant manta rays to document their response to their mirror image. The manta rays did not show signs of social interaction with their mirror image. However, frequent unusual and repetitive movements in front of the mirror suggested contingency checking; in addition, unusual self-directed behaviors could be identified when the manta rays were exposed to the mirror. The present study shows evidence for behavioral responses to a mirror that are prerequisite of self-awareness and which has been used to confirm self-recognition in apes.
Seasonal Affective Disorder and Personality, Age, and Gender

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a recurring depression, understood as having a biological aetiology probably related to a lack of sunlight during the winter months, although a variant has also...
Fragrance material review on cis-β-damascone

A toxicologic and dermatologic review of cis-α-damascone when used as a fragrance ingredient is presented.
A Consult Service to Support and Promote Community-Based Research: Tracking and Evaluating a Community-based Research Consult Service.

Purpose This study describes the design, operation, and evaluation of a community-based research (CBR) consult service within the setting of a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) institution. To our knowledge, there are no published evaluations of a CBR consult service at a CTSA hub. Methods A CBR consult service was created to support faculty, health-care providers/research coordinators, trainees, community-based organizations, and community members. A framework was developed to assess the stages of client engagement and to foster clear articulation of client needs and challenges. A developmental evaluation system was integrated with the framework to track progress, store documents, continuously improve the consult service, and assess research outcomes. Results This framework provides information on client numbers, types, services used, and successful outreach methods. Tracking progress reveals reasons that prevent clients from completing projects and facilitates learning outcomes relevant to clients and funding agencies. Clients benefit from the expert knowledge, community connections, and project guidance provided by the consult service team, increasing the likelihood of study completion and achieving research outcomes. Conclusion This study offers a framework by which CTSA institutions can expand their capacity to conduct and evaluate CBR while addressing challenges that inhibit community engagement.
Private proximity detection using partial GPS information

With the proliferation of GPS-enabled mobile devices, location based services have gained in popularity. In particular, proximity-based services are commonly used to help a user interact with other users nearby. However, these services endanger the privacy of users as the location information is provided to the service provider. This paper proposes a novel private proximity detection scheme based on partial GPS range measurement information. We develop an efficient algorithm for proximity detection and theoretically analyze the false alarm performance. Simulation and empirical results validate this scheme and evaluate its performance.
Communication Challenges and Strategies of U.S. Health Professionals Caring for Seriously Ill South Asian Patients and Their Families.

Abstract Background: While effective communication is important in the care of seriously ill patients, little is known about communication challenges faced by healthcare providers serving U.S. patients of South Asian origin, one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States. Objective: Researchers sought to examine communication challenges faced by healthcare providers serving seriously ill South Asian patients and their families and present strategies recommended by providers for effective communication. Design: Researchers conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative data obtained through focus groups and individual interviews with 57 healthcare providers, including physicians, social workers, nurses, chaplains, and others drawn from different healthcare settings in one Midwestern city. Results: While acknowledging the considerable diversity within the U.S. South Asian community, participants discussed three types of communication challenges they often encounter when serving this popula...
Getting some space: Infants' and caregivers' containment and support spatial constructions during play.

Abstract Using a cross-sectional design, we examined the containment and support spatial constructions infants spontaneously create and those they observe when playing with a nesting toy. Infants ( N = 76) of 8, 13, or 18 months played alone for 2 min and then played with a caregiver for another 2 min. At 8 months, infants created few relations; at 13 months, they inserted objects, resulting in containment, and stacked objects, resulting in support; at 18 months, they created more than three times more containment relations than support relations, a result replicated in a second study. In contrast, caregivers created more support relations than containment relations, regardless of infant age, but labeled containment more than support. The results highlight differential exposure to containment and support in infant solitary and dyadic play. By 18 months, infants gain greater firsthand experience with containment, a relation that is further reinforced by caregiver labeling.
Surgical Robotics: Past, Present and Future

The evolution of robots in surgical practice is an intriguing story that spans cultures, continents and centuries. The idea of reproducing himself with the use of a mechanical robot has been in man’s imagination in the last 3000 years. However, the use of robots in medicine has only 30 years of history. Surgery has traditionally required larger incisions to allow the surgeon to introduce his hands into the body and to allow sufficient light to see the structures being operated on. Surgeon directly touched and felt the tissues and moved the tip of the instruments. However, innovations have radically changed the performance of surgical procedures in operating room by digitization, miniaturization, improved optics, novel imaging techniques, and computerized information systems. These surgical procedures can be done by manipulating instruments from outside the patient, by looking at displays of direct electronic images of the target organs on the monitor. The robot completes the transition to the Information Age. The surgeon is immersed in this computer-generated environment (called “virtual reality,” term coined by Jaron Lanier, 1986) and sends electronic signals from the joysticks of the console to the tip of the instruments, which mimic the surgeon’s hand movements [1].
Optimal Transfer Policies with Imperfect Monitoring

Abstract This paper provides a model for controlling local economies by the national economy. In particular, it investigates how imperfections in monitoring a local economy by the national economy can influence the transfer schemes designed to motivate the local economy to be productive and then honestly report its performance. A binary state world in considered. With imperfections only in the high state, the transfer scheme is such that when the local economy reports the high output, monitoring is not useful. With imperfections only in the low state, it is seen that a low transfer occurs when there is an agreement that the low ouput has been realized. When imperfections exist in both the states, it is seen that the results are identical to those with imperfections only in the high state. However, these results do not induce the high productivity from the local economy when the income spread between the two levels is small.
Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Early Detection of Soybean Diseases

As the interest in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) has increased, so has the interest in the application of these systems for use in agriculture. A variety of sensors, including Multi-Spectral, Near-Infrared, Thermal, and True-Color have the potential to benefit farmers when mounted to a UAS. But as this is an emerging field, there is little data available to demonstrate their use for early detection of plant diseases in crop production. In 2016, a preliminary study was launched to examine the potential of using aerial imagery from UAS to detect diseases in soybean crops. Two irrigated fields in Alabama were selected: Experiment 1, a 50-hectare field, and Experiment 2, a 5-hectare field. Each trial consisted of replicated plots using two foliar fungicide treatments and an untreated control. Aerial imagery (multi-spectral and true-color) was collected on a biweekly basis during this study. Using multi-spectral imagery, both the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Red Edge Index (NDRE) were generated and compared to direct observations in the field. Disease severity of soybean rust, charcoal rot and Cercospora leaf blight were monitored on a biweekly basis and correlated to the UAS imagery. Preliminary results indicated plant stress can be detected using UAS imagery. In Experiment 1, stress associated with charcoal rot was visible in the NDRE imagery. This was of interest because at the time of flight, while it was noted that plants were yellowing, the root and stem disease itself had not been identified by direct observation. In Experiment 2, soybean rust was observed by direct observation and in both the NDRE and NDVI imagery. Soybean rust did have a negative impact on yield in Experiment 2, however severe drought conditions may have negated the yield loss likely caused by the development of charcoal rot in Experiment 1.
Biomimetic Platinum-Promoted Polyene Polycyclizations: Influence of Alkene Substitution and Pre-cyclization Conformations.

Results of kinetic experiments and quantum chemical computations on a series of platinum-promoted polycyclization reactions are described. Analyses of these results reveal a reactivity model that reaches beyond the energetics of the cascade itself, incorporating an ensemble of pre-cyclization conformations of the platinum–alkene reactant complex, only a subset of which are productive for bi- (or larger) cyclization and lead to products. Similarities and differences between this scenario, including reaction coordinates for polycyclization, for platinum- and enzyme-promoted polycyclization reactions are highlighted.
Diseño arquitectónico con el cine: articulaciones narrativas y temporales

Algunas practicas recientes han reconocido que el proceso de diseno arquitectonico proporciona una fuente de nuevas practicas de dibujo contextualizando nuestra experiencia cenestesica del espacio. Podemos plantear la hipotesis de que sobre una vision renovada del diseno arquitectonico en el mundo del cine, enriquecera el valor del diseno arquitectonico en el poder de la invencion sobre los procesos artisticos. En consecuencia, podemos obtener resultados que son un sintoma de progresion temporal basado no en cronologia o sucesion, sino mas bien en una topologia entrelazada o serializacion superpuesta, rasgo caracteristico del cine.
To Draw or Not to Draw: Recognizing Stroke-Hover Intent in Non-instrumented Gesture-free Mid-Air Sketching

Drawing curves in mid-air with fingers is a fundamental task with applications to 3D sketching, geometric modeling, handwriting recognition, and authentication. Mid-air curve input is most commonly accomplished through explicit user input; akin to click-and-drag, the user may use a hand posture (e.g. pinch) or a button-press on an instrumented controller to express the intention to start and stop sketching. In this paper, we present a novel approach to recognize the user's intention to draw or not to draw in a mid-air sketching task without the use of postures or controllers. For every new point recorded in the user's finger trajectory, the idea is to simply classify this point as either hover or stroke. Our work is motivated by a behavioral study that demonstrates the need for such an approach due to the lack of robustness and intuitiveness while using hand postures and instrumented devices. We captured sketch data from users using a haptics device and trained multiple binary classifiers using feature vectors based on the local geometric and motion profile of the trajectory. We present a systematic comparison of these classifiers and discuss the advantages of our approach to spatial curve input applications.
Phrenic motor neuron adenosine 2A receptors elicit phrenic motor facilitation.

KEY POINTS Although adenosine 2A (A2A ) receptor activation triggers specific cell signalling cascades, the ensuing physiological outcomes depend on the specific cell type expressing these receptors. Cervical spinal adenosine 2A (A2A ) receptor activation elicits a prolonged facilitation in phrenic nerve activity, which was nearly abolished following intrapleural A2A receptor siRNA injections. A2A receptor siRNA injections selectively knocked down A2A receptors in cholera toxin B-subunit-identified phrenic motor neurons, sparing cervical non-phrenic motor neurons. Collectively, our results support the hypothesis that phrenic motor neurons express the A2A receptors relevant to A2A receptor-induced phrenic motor facilitation. Upregulation of A2A receptor expression in the phrenic motor neurons per se may potentially be a useful approach to increase phrenic motor neuron excitability in conditions such as spinal cord injury. ABSTRACT Cervical spinal adenosine 2A (A2A ) receptor activation elicits a prolonged increase in phrenic nerve activity, an effect known as phrenic motor facilitation (pMF). The specific cervical spinal cells expressing the relevant A2A receptors for pMF are unknown. This is an important question since the physiological outcome of A2A receptor activation is highly cell type specific. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that the relevant A2A receptors for pMF are expressed in phrenic motor neurons per se versus non-phrenic neurons of the cervical spinal cord. A2A receptor immunostaining significantly colocalized with NeuN-positive neurons (89 ± 2%). Intrapleural siRNA injections were used to selectively knock down A2A receptors in cholera toxin B-subunit-labelled phrenic motor neurons. A2A receptor knock-down was verified by a ∼45% decrease in A2A receptor immunoreactivity within phrenic motor neurons versus non-targeting siRNAs (siNT; P < 0.05). There was no evidence for knock-down in cervical non-phrenic motor neurons. In rats that were anaesthetized, subjected to neuromuscular blockade and ventilated, pMF induced by cervical (C3-4) intrathecal injections of the A2A receptor agonist CGS21680 was greatly attenuated in siA2A (21%) versus siNT treated rats (147%; P < 0.01). There were no significant effects of siA2A on phrenic burst frequency. Collectively, our results support the hypothesis that phrenic motor neurons express the A2A receptors relevant to A2A receptor-induced pMF.
Environmental Factors Affecting Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

A number of environmental factors affect the incidence and progression of autoimmune thyroid disease. Exposure to excess iodine, certain drugs, infectious agents and pollutants, and stress have all been implicated.
Robust Sparse Phase Retrieval from Differential Measurements Using Reweighted $L_{1}$ Minimization

We consider the problem of sparse Fourier phase retrieval where the goal is to recover a sparse signal from the magnitudes of its Fourier transform. In our earlier work, it was shown that using a certain differential measurement model, it is possible to perform sparse Fourier phase retrieval with near-minimal sample complexity. Such measurements are realizable using interferometric imaging techniques and can remove the ambiguities inherent in Fourier phase retrieval in the noiseless setting. However, in presence of noise, such a differential measurement model can potentially lead to noise amplification and degrade the performance as sparsity increases. To address this issue, we propose to use a reweighted $l_{1}$ minimization algorithm in conjunction with our differential measurement model. Reweighted $l_{1}$ minimization has been successfully adopted in compressed sensing where it shows good performance in presence of large sparsity. We demonstrate a sparse phase retrieval algorithm based on reweighted $l_{1}$ minimization which shows superior performance in low Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) and high sparsity regime. 11This work was supported in parts by NSF NCS-FO 1734940, and by the University of California, San Diego
Prevalence of Distress Associated With Difficulty Controlling Sexual Urges, Feelings, and Behaviors in the United States

Importance The veracity, nomenclature, and conceptualizations of sex addiction, out-of-control sexual behavior, hypersexual behavior, and impulsive or compulsive sexual behavior are widely debated. Despite such variation in conceptualization, all models concur on the prominent feature: failing to control one’s sexual feelings and behaviors in a way that causes substantial distress and/or impairment in functioning. However, the prevalence of the issue in the United States is unknown. Objective To assess the prevalence of distress and impairment associated with difficulty controlling sexual feelings, urges, and behaviors among a nationally representative sample in the United States. Design, Setting, and Participants This survey study used National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior data to assess the prevalence of distress and impairment associated with difficulty controlling sexual feelings, urges, and behaviors and determined how prevalence varied across sociodemographic variables. Participants between the ages of 18 and 50 years were randomly sampled from all 50 US states in November 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures Distress and impairment associated with difficulty controlling sexual feelings, urges, and behavior were measured using the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory–13. A score of 35 or higher on a scale of 0 to 65 indicated clinically relevant levels of distress and/or impairment. Results Of 2325 adults (1174 [50.5%] female; mean [SD] age, 34.0 [9.3] years), 201 [8.6%] met the clinical screen cut point of a score of 35 or higher on the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory. Gender differences were smaller than previously theorized, with 10.3% of men and 7.0% of women endorsing clinically relevant levels of distress and/or impairment associated with difficulty controlling sexual feelings, urges, and behavior. Conclusions and Relevance The high prevalence of this prominent feature associated with compulsive sexual behavior disorder has important implications for health care professionals and society. Health care professionals should be alert to the high number of people who are distressed about their sexual behavior, carefully assess the nature of the problem within its sociocultural context, and find appropriate treatments for both men and women.