cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low-Power Content-Based Video Acquisition for Super-Resolution Enhancement

Motivated by the optimization of power and improvement of video resolution, this paper proposes a content-based adaptive sampling system for video acquisition. Blind sampling suffers from the lack of resolution and blurring. However, use of a priori knowledge can provide intelligent sampling function that will reduce the blur artifacts. This paper proposes an information theoretic criteria-based sampling function. Higher sampling is proposed at high motion and edge regions while lower sampling at the low-frequency regions. This helps in providing better resolution with lower power consumption. Previous researches focus on enhancing the coding performance after the video acquisition stage. The proposed adaptive sampling scheme naturally performs super resolution without requiring extensive postprocessing. The proposed scheme has been tested on ten exemplary video sequences. Quality of the proposed adaptive sampling method is over 10-16 dB better than the coarsely sampled video. The power savings is ap 30-40% compared to acquiring the full resolution video.
Path Selection Based on Service Curve Measurement in MANETs

In this paper, we propose an application/middle-layer, QoS-aware path selection mechanism that works in conjunction with a network-layer routing protocol for MANETs, which jointly considers both measured network capacity and application traffic profiles. The scheme, called Service Curve based Path Selection (SCPS), works by periodically probing alternative available end-to-end paths, estimating service curves for each path, and then selecting an appropriate path based on application QoS requirements. NS2 Simulation results show that SCPS can effectively improve application traffic end-to-end performance in most scenarios.
Simulation and stability of a crab cavity

A feasibility study of the stability of a superconducting crab cavity for a B Factory was carried out. The study was done for the two trapped modes: the longitudinal TM010 and transverse TE111. It was found that for both modes the voltage induced by the beam bunches will be less than +or-20 kV for the TM010 mode and +or-1 kV for the TE111. Using the ZAP code it is shown that a stable frequency regime for the TM010 mode can be found in which the worse growth time is eight times larger than the radiation damping time. For the TE111 mode the high energy ring is stable while the low energy ring will have to be stabilized by the feedback system. >
Role of corticosteroids in the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Abstract Background: Evidence exploring the use of corticosteroids for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has targeted various stages of disease progression, from preventing ARDS in high-risk patients to halting disease evolution once ARDS has developed. Objective: The aim of this review was to evaluate randomized, controlled trials describing the role of corticosteroids in preventing and treating ARDS. Methods: English-language randomized, controlled trials were identified using MEDLINE via PubMed and EMBASE searches (key terms: acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute lung injury , and corticosteroids ; years: 1968-January 2008). Results: A total of 10 trials were found and included in this analysis. Trials describing the role of high-dose corticosteroids compared with controls in preventing ARDS found no benefit, with the range of occurrence of ARDS in at-risk populations from 14% to 64% and absolute increases in mortality from 4% to 31%. Conflicting evidence was found for treating late-phase ARDS with corticosteroids, with 13% hospital mortality among patients receiving corticosteroids versus 63% with controls ( P = 0.03) in one small study, but no significant difference was found when evaluating 60-day mortality (corticosteroid group, 29.2% vs control, 28.6%) in another investigation. The use of highdose corticosteroids for the treatment of early phase ARDS was not associated with significant differences in 45-day mortality (methylprednisolone, 60% vs control, 63%).However,onetrialfoundthatmethylprednisolone taper for early ARDS was associated with significant improvement in lung function or extubation (69.8% vs 35.7%; P = 0.002), fewer days on mechanical ventilation (median, 5.0 vs 9.5; P = 0.002), higher intensive care unit survival (79.4% vs 57.4%; P = 0.03), but similar rates of hospital survival (methylprednisolone, 76.2% vs control, 57.1%; P = NS). Conclusions: Data from clinical trials did not support the use of short-course, high-dose corticosteroids for preventing ARDS or for the treatment of early ARDS. Longer-course corticosteroids have not conclusively been associated with improved survival in the treatment of late-phase ARDS but have provided some benefits in other markers of disease severity in this setting and in early phase ARDS. Published trials support the administration of low- to moderate-dose corticosteroids in the treatment of early (
A C-Reactive Protein Mutant That Does Not Bind to Phosphocholine and Pneumococcal C-Polysaccharide

C-reactive protein (CRP), the major human acute-phase plasma protein, binds to phosphocholine (PCh) residues present in pneumococcal C-polysaccharide (PnC) of Streptococcus pneumoniae and to PCh exposed on damaged and apoptotic cells. CRP also binds, in a PCh-inhibitable manner, to ligands that do not contain PCh, such as fibronectin (Fn). Crystallographic data on CRP-PCh complexes indicate that Phe(66) and Glu(81) contribute to the formation of the PCh binding site of CRP. We used site-directed mutagenesis to analyze the contribution of Phe(66) and Glu(81) to the binding of CRP to PCh, and to generate a CRP mutant that does not bind to PCh-containing ligands. Five CRP mutants, F66A, F66Y, E81A, E81K, and F66A/E81A, were constructed, expressed in COS cells, purified, and characterized for their binding to PnC, PCh-BSA, and Fn. Wild-type and F66Y CRP bound to PnC with similar avidities, while binding of E81A and E81K mutants to PnC was substantially reduced. The F66A and F66A/E81A mutants did not bind to PnC. Identical results were obtained with PCh-BSA. In contrast, all five CRP mutants bound to Fn as well as did wild-type CRP. We conclude that Phe(66) is the major determinant of CRP-PCh interaction and is critical for binding of CRP to PnC. The data also suggest that the binding sites for PCh and Fn on CRP are distinct. A CRP mutant incapable of binding to PCh provides a tool to assess PCh-inhibitable interactions of CRP with its other biologically significant ligands, and to further investigate the functions of CRP in host defense and inflammation.
Growth of fiber optic eutectics and their applications

Abstract A literature survey of binary phase diagram was undertaken to find a system which could undergo a eutectic reaction at a composition capable of yielding high refractive index fibers imbedded in a low refractive index matrix. A correlation between molecular weights of the fiber and matrix-forming phases was found. This led to the discovery of several potential fiber optic eutectic systems of which the MgF 2 -9mole%MgO binary system was undirectionally solidified. The resulting microstructure was examined to determine the spacing, diameter, homogeneity, volume fraction and grain boundary alignment of the fibers. Light transmission through the fiber phase was demonstrated.
Sediment pore water collection methods for trace metal analysis : a review

Collection and analysis of pore water has become an important aspect of many environmental programs. Pore water analyses are used for toxicity identification, sediment quality assessment and diagenetic studies. This paper reviews the four commonly used methods for collection of pore water and potential artifacts from their use, particularly in the preparation of samples for trace metal analysis. Two of the methods, centrifugation and squeezing, are ex situ, requiring the removal of sediment from the natural environment. The other two, dialysis and suction filtration, are used in situ. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and usage must be determined by the individual researcher. The handling of most samples should be conducted in an inert atmosphere until pore water samples are acidified because oxidation has been shown to significantly alter sample speciation. Significant errors have also been found to result from temperature alteration. Sample contamination by fine particles is important in all methods as differentiation of particulate and soluble components is based on membrane pore size.
Associations Between Psychological, Physical, and Sexual Intimate Partner Violence and Health Outcomes Among Women Veteran VA Patients

Women veterans experience high rates of lifetime intimate partner violence (IPV) and suffer a variety of trauma-related health conditions. The purpose of this study was to identify health status and health risk behaviors associated with experiences of psychological, physical, or sexual IPV among women veterans receiving care at a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center. We conducted surveys with 249 women veteran patients and examined health factors associated with each form of violence. Sexual IPV victimization had the most pronounced associations with adverse health. In multivariate analysis, controlling for age, race, and income, women veterans who experienced sexual violence victimization were close to or more than three times as likely as those who experienced no IPV to report poor or fair overall health, a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety, difficulty sleeping, cigarette smoking, and problem drinking. Those who reported psychological violence only (...
Measurement of the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of Arab-American adults toward cancer screening and early detection: development of a survey instrument.

The purpose of this study was to examine knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of Arab-American adults toward cancer screening and its early detection by using a new measure designed to assess these factors. In the United States, breast cancer is the second-most common cancer among women; it accounts for one of every three cancer diagnoses and is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. Cervical cancer is the second-most common malignancy in the world, with more than 471,000 cases each year. Prostate cancer presents a health risk for men that may be controlled by early detection. In the West, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed major cancer and the second leading cause of death among men. 1
Facile synthesis of diphenylethylene end-functional polyisobutylene and its applications for the synthesis of block copolymers containing poly(methacrylate)s

Abstract The convenient synthesis of methoxy-free 1,1-diphenylethylene end-functionalized polyisobutylene (PIB–DPE) has been accomplished by capping living PIB with 1,4-bis(1-phenylethenyl)benzene, followed by hydride transfer reaction with tributylsilane. The proposed method eliminates the need for methylation of the capped living PIB in which large excess of dimethylzinc must be used, resulting in a large amount of inorganic salt contamination. The obtained PIB–DPE was quantitatively lithiated with 1.5-fold excess n-butyllithium in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at room temperature. The methine proton at the chain end remained intact during the lithiation procedure. The resulting macroanion efficiently initiated the polymerization of alkyl methacrylates. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-b-PIB-b-PMMA, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA)-b-PIB-b-PHEMA and poly(tert-butyl methacrylate) (PtBMA)-b-PIB-b-PtBMA have been prepared with high blocking efficiency by the proposed methodology. Complete hydrolysis of PtBMA-b-PIB-b-PtBMA into poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA)-b-PIB-b-PMAA was realized in THF/1,4-dioxane, as confirmed by FTIR, 1H NMR, and DSC analyses.
In Vitro and In Vivo Activities of PD 0305970 and PD 0326448, New Bacterial Gyrase/Topoisomerase Inhibitors with Potent Antibacterial Activities versus Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Positive and Fastidious Organism Groups

Received 23 October 2006/Returned for modification 21 November 2006/Accepted 11 January 2007 PD 0305970 and PD 0326448 are new bacterial gyrase and topoisomerase inhibitors (quinazoline-2,4-diones) that possess outstanding in vitro and in vivo activities against a wide spectrum of bacterial species including quinolone- and multidrug-resistant gram-positive and fastidious organism groups. The respective MICs (g/ml) for PD 0305970 capable of inhibiting >90% of bacterial strains tested ranged from 0.125 to 0.5 versus staphylococci, 0.03 to 0.06 versus streptococci, 0.25 to 2 versus enterococci, and 0.25 to 0.5 versus Moraxella catarrhalis, Haemophilus influenzae, Listeria monocytogenes, Legionella pneumophila, and Neisseria spp. PD 0326448 MIC90s were generally twofold higher versus these same organism groups. Comparative quinolone MIC90 values were 4- to 512-fold higher than those of PD 0305970. In testing for frequency of resistance, PD 0305970 and levofloxacin showed low levels of development of spontaneous resistant mutants versus both Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Unlike quinolones, which target primarily gyrA and parC, analysis of resistant mutants in S. pneumoniae indicates that the likely targets of PD 0305970 are gyrB and parE. PD 0305970 demonstrated rapid bactericidal activity by in vitro time-kill testing versus streptococci. This bactericidal activity carried over to in vivo testing, where PD 0305970 and PD 0326448 displayed outstanding Streptococcus pyogenes 50% protective doses (PD50s) (oral dosing) of 0.7 and 3.6 mg/kg, respectively (ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin PD50s were >100 and 17.7 mg/kg, respectively). PD 0305970 was also potent in a pneumococcal pneumonia mouse infection model (PD50 3.2 mg/kg) and was 22-fold more potent than levofloxacin.
Treatment options for metastatic tumors to the choroid

Metastatic tumors are generally considered to be the most common intraocular tumors. These tumors may metastasize from a variety of different primary sites with breast carcinoma being the most common primary malignancy in women and lung cancer being the most common primary malignancy in men. Treatment options for these patients include systemic therapy, conventional external beam radiation, plaque brachytherapy, proton beam irradiation, photodynamic therapy, transpupillary thermotherapy, and laser photocoagulation. Overall, treatment of patients with metastatic tumors to the choroid has proven to be effective in both improving the patient's visual acuity and quality of life.
The effects of lathyrism on renal chemistry, anatomy and function.

SummaryA significant increase was induced by lathyrism in the small fraction of collagen-like material solubilized from rat glomeruli. An increased affinity and staining by PTA of fibrils within the GBM of lathyritic rats was found by electron microscopy, and also probably reflects an alteration in the collagen-like moiety of the GBM by APN, a material known to affect the cross-linking of collagens. No change in total proteinuria was found in lathyritic rats, nor other major changes in renal structure by conventional microscopy, electron microscopy, or specialized stains of the sialoprotein layer of the glomerulus. Further study of physicochemical alterations induced in the GBM combined with methods to evaluate glomerular permeability, may reveal the location and nature of the filtration barrier.
Optimization and adaptation of consensus penalty terms for the attitude synchronization of spacecraft formation

This paper focuses on the temporal adjustment of the consensus weights used to enforce attitude synchronization of spacecraft formation. Earlier works utilizing constant synchronization gains are revisited and extended to the case of edge-dependent synchronization gains; such a general case includes the node-dependent gains and the already examined case of constant gains. Furthermore, adaptation schemes for the time-variation of the synchronizing gains in constructed via Lyapunov redesign methods. Such an adaptation aims to adjust the individual gains in proportion to the distance between the states of neighboring spacecraft. Numerical studies examine the effects of both constant and adaptive gains, which further support the theoretical predictions. Additionally, the numerical studies help provide insights on the choice of optimal gains by penalizing a combination of the deviation-from-the-mean and the rotational kinetic energy.
Survival, Growth, and Recruitment of Bigtooth Maple (Acer grandidentatum) in Central Texas Relict Communities

ABSTRACT: Bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum Aceraceae) is found in scattered relict populations across the southern Intermountain West of North America. The quadrat procedure was used to examine the woody plant population in a mesic site (canyon bottom near stream), a thirty-year-old deer exclosure (slightly upslope), and a xeric site (more upslope with shallower soil) at Lost Maples State Natural Area in Central Texas. All woody plants were identified, categorized as trees, saplings, or seedlings, and counted. The circumference of trees was measured. Bigtooth maple had the highest density of all seedling species, with its highest density at the mesic site and lowest in the exclosure. Both sapling and tree densities were highest in the exclosure. The mesic site did not contain bigtooth maple trees. Bigtooth maple total basal area was higher in the exclosure than at the xeric site, which had larger but fewer trees. Additionally, fifteen first-year seedlings were planted inside the exclosure and at the xe...
Evaluation on the treatment and prenvention of leprosy in the past 47 years of Zhushan county,Hubei province

Objective To analyze the epidemiological factors and status of leprosy in Zhushan County and provide scientific basis for the elimination of leprosy. Methods Detection rate,incidence and prevalence of leprosy were collected and statistically treated over the past 47 years. Different stages of the disease and different ways of finding patients,deformity rate and cost were compared and calculated. Descriptive epidemiological analysis was performed.Results Patients were distributed in 17 towns,most patients were in the four towns in the southeast part. The youngest patient was 4 years old,whereas the oldest was 74. The majority of the patients were from 20 to 39 years old,accounting for42. 28%,and the incidence of male was higher than that of female,the ratio of male to female was 1. 73∶ 1; most patients were peasants,accounting for 83. 74%; the main source of infection was within the family,friends and neighborhood contact,each accounting for 45. 53%. The cure rate was 98. 23%,the deformity rate was 43. 90%. Economic,health and living conditions were the main factors affecting the prevalence of leprosy. Conclusions Leprosy was effectively under control after years of active prevention. In order to consolidate the achievement,personeel in charge of prevention and treatment should be stable,the training of medical workers should be strengthened,and the ability of medical personnel to discover leprosy patients should be enhanced. Physical examination for foci contacts,was the most important proactive approach to discover leprosy patients. At the same time,monitoring period should be extended,as the maximum incubation period reached up to 10 years. People with close contacts with leprosy patients should be detected,isolated and treated timely,so as to reduce the transmission and the occurrence of deformity,and to consolidate the outcome.
Abstract IA25: Deep sequencing of circulating tumor DNA for personalized cancer detection and monitoring

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) represents a promising biomarker for sensitive, specific, and dynamic detection of disease burden in cancer patients. Additionally, ctDNA analysis allows non-invasive access to cancer genomes and therefore can be used for non-invasive tumor genotyping and monitoring of resistance mutations. In this presentation I will describe technical aspects of ctDNA detection and emerging clinical results from recent studies employing ctDNA analysis. Citation Format: Max Diehn. Deep sequencing of circulating tumor DNA for personalized cancer detection and monitoring. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research; Oct 17-20, 2015; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(2_Suppl):Abstract nr IA25.
Measuring landscape integrity (LI): development of a hybrid methodology for planning applications

Landscape integrity data-sets represent a measure of a landscape's naturalness, or its inverse, the level of human modification. Generally referred to as human footprint modeling, a hybrid approach was developed here by incorporating distance, density, and spatially explicit fuzzy logic methods for quantifying the impacts of anthropocentric infrastructure on the landscape. Integrity scores varied markedly across this large and heterogeneous landscape. A comparative analysis among peer data products revealed that this model exhibited the highest level of correlation when compared to an independently derived expert survey of expected scores. Moreover, differences in correlation were found to be statistically significant in two cases indicating robust model performance. Data products such as these may be leveraged to quantify the nature and extent of human modifications on the landscape, identify highly natural areas for conservation purposes, and may serve as an overarching umbrella for guiding and coordina...
Abstract A052: Inhibition of triple-negative and Her-2 resistant breast cancer proliferation and migration by Annexin A2 antibodies

Introduction: The triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) phenotype, which lacks the presence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ErbB-2 or Her-2), is highly aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy. In fact, some of the patients under hormone deprivation and/or Herceptin therapy acquire resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new diagnostic as well as therapeutic markers for treatment of such patients. Herceptin, an immunotherapy directed against the Her-2 receptor, inhibits cancer growth and progression in Her-2 positive breast cancer by blocking the downstream survival pathways. In these cells however, the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is significantly low. Interestingly, EGFR expression is significantly increased in triple negative and Her-2 resistant breast cancer thereby contributing to cancer growth and progression. Present studies were designed to investigate whether or not Annexin A2 (AnxA2), a calcium dependent phospholipid binding protein, regulated EGFR downstream signaling pathway and if the functions of EGFR can be inhibited by the AnxA2 antibody in TNBC and Herceptin resistant cancer cell lines. Methods: AnxA2 function at cell surface of the triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and Her-2 resistant breast cancer cell line JIMT-1 was blocked incubating with AnxA2 antibody (2μg/ml) after 12h of serum starvation. The cells were treated with/without EGF (50ng/ml) for 20 min after 2h of antibody treatment. The cell lysate was analyzed for pEGFR and EGFR mediated downstream signaling by Western blotting. Cell migration was analyzed by scratch wound healing assay. Results: The results of the present study indicate that AnxA2 interacts with EGFR at the cell surface and plays an important role in the regulation of EGFR mediated downstream signaling. Treatment of MDA-MB-231 and JIMT-1 cells with AnxA2 antibody causes significant decrease in EGF-induced phosphorylation of EGFR at Y845 and Y1068 sites. Our results also demonstrate that blocking cell surface AnxA2 functions causes the downregulation of proteins such as pAKT, and pERK1/2 which are regulated by EGFR resulting in lower cell survival, proliferation, and migration. Conclusions: Our data indicate that association of AnxA2 with EGFR in the membrane domain plays a positive regulatory role in keeping EGFR signaling events in an activated state in both triple negative and Her-2 resistant breast cancer cells, thus making AnxA2 an important therapeutic target. Citation Format: Pankaj Chaudhary, Jamboor K. Vishwanatha. Inhibition of triple-negative and Her-2 resistant breast cancer proliferation and migration by Annexin A2 antibodies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research: Genetics, Biology, and Clinical Applications; Oct 3-6, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2013;11(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A052.
Safety and Efficacy of Doxorubicin Drug-Eluting Embolic Chemoembolization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Supplied by Extrahepatic Collateral Arteries

Abstract Purpose To assess safety and efficacy of doxorubicin drug-eluting embolic (DEE) transarterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by extrahepatic collateral arteries. Materials and Methods Records of 177 patients with HCC who underwent 338 consecutive DEE chemoembolization procedures from 2011 to 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. A subgroup of 16 patients (13 men, 3 women, median age 66 y) underwent 24 procedures for 17 HCCs via extrahepatic arteries and was included in the study. Median tumor size was 3.1 cm (range, 1.0–10.3 cm). Extrahepatic collaterals included right inferior phrenic (19 procedures; 12 patients), adrenal (4 procedures; 3 patients), and cystic arteries (2 procedures; 2 patients). Radiographic response was assessed by Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria. Complications were defined by National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Results DEE chemoembolization achieved stable disease in 6 (35.3%), partial response in 6 (35.3%), and complete response in 4 (23.5%) HCCs. Disease progression was ultimately observed in 8 tumors (47.1%), with mean time to progression of 8.3 months after chemoembolization (range, 2–13 mo). Three minor and 5 major complications occurred in 8 patients; 2 minor complications were rash in vascular distribution after right inferior phrenic artery DEE chemoembolization. The 5 major complications were transient hepatotoxicity that resolved within 4–80 days; 1 was accompanied by pleural effusion requiring hospitalization. A mean 13.4 months after DEE chemoembolization, 67% of transplant candidates proceeded to liver transplant. Conclusions DEE transarterial chemoembolization via extrahepatic collaterals was effective and facilitated bridging to transplant. It was generally well tolerated; transient hepatotoxicity was the most common major complication.
Small high power, fast switching transmit-receive switches for MRI

A study using a PIN diode switched version of a linear balanced duplexer (LBD) for use in a 7 T (298 MHz) magnetic resonance imaging application is described. A LBD TR switch was fabricated on FR-4 and modeled using a SPICE-based electrothermal model of the PIN diode and shows good insertion loss and isolation at 298 MHz. The simulations are verified with experimental data that show good agreement with the model.
Small-Molecule Probes Reveal Esterases with Persistent Activity in Dormant and Reactivating Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the deadliest bacterial pathogen in the world. An estimated one-third of humans harbor Mtb in a dormant state. These asymptomatic, latent infections impede tuberculosis eradication due to the long-term potential for reactivation. Dormant Mtb has reduced enzymatic activity, but hydrolases that remain active facilitate pathogen survival. We targeted Mtb esterases, a diverse set of enzymes in the serine hydrolase family, and studied their activities using both activity-based probes (ABPs) and fluorogenic esterase substrates. These small-molecule probes revealed functional esterases in active, dormant, and reactivating cultures. Using ABPs, we identified five esterases that remained active in dormant Mtb, including LipM (Rv2284), LipN (Rv2970c), CaeA (Rv2224c), Rv0183, and Rv1683. Three of these, CaeA, Rv0183, and Rv1683, were catalytically active in all three culture conditions. Fluorogenic probes additionally revealed LipH (Rv1399c), Culp1 (Rv1984c), and Rv3036c esterase ...
Assessing the Merits of Decentralization: A Framework for Identifying the Causal Mechanisms Influencing Policy Outcomes

Decentralization is a structural change designed to influence policy outcomes by changing the policy-making process. Critical to assessing the merits of decentralization is an articulation of the causal mechanisms through which it alters the motivations and behavior of officials which, in turn, influence policy decisions. This article offers a new theoretical framework that explicates these causal mechanisms. It yields two sets of hypotheses. The first posits causal relationships between decentralization and the mix of resources and constraints that a government faces when addressing a policy problem. The second set of hypotheses explores how these resources and constraints influences decisions makers’ preferences, incentives, and capacity. This framework captures the potential ways through which decentralization could alter policy outcomes, pointing to a new research agenda that will allow scholars to empirically sort through the mixed and inconclusive findings on decentralization's impact. Related Articles Debrah, Emmanuel. 2016. “Decentralization, District Chief Executives, and District Assemblies in Ghana's Fourth Republic.” Politics & Policy 44 (1): 135–164. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12146/abstract Meza, Oliver. 2015. “Why Does More Pluralism Reduce Expenditure? The Case of How Mexico's Old Institutions Affect Waves of Democratic Reform.” Politics & Policy 43 (5): 723–753. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12131/abstract Waheduzzaman, Wahed, and Sharif As-Saber. 2015. “Politics and Policy in Achieving Participatory Governance in a Developing Country Context.” Politics & Policy 43 (4): 474–501. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12121/abstract Related Media Decentralization and Development: Making Local Governance Deliver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v = P0NsYY2nK_A&index = 9&list = PLWa1aGn9LnaIpr767I7rHC1evmsnC6tw7 Federalism and Decentralization MOOC, Leiden University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v = cWrSladgwxs World Bank's Decentralization page. http://www1.worldbank.org/publicsector/decentralization/what.htm
Warburg meets epigenetics.

We are all taught in biochemistry class that in the presence of oxygen, cells will use the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle to efficiently generate adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) via oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). However, in 1924, the biochemist Otto Warburg observed that cancer cells do not follow this rule ( 1 , 2 ). In fact, even in the presence of oxygen, cancer cells will depend on glycolysis (so-called aerobic glycolysis) to inefficiently generate ATP from glucose. More recently, there has been great interest in the observation that effector T cells will also use glycolysis to generate ATP in the presence of oxygen ( 3 , 4 ). On page 481 of this issue, Peng et al. ( 5 ) make an important link between aerobic glycolysis and epigenetic regulation in T helper 1 (TH1) cell differentiation.
iTRANS: Proactive ITS Based on Drone Technology to Solve Urban Transportation Challenge

Transportation has become the latest field for disrupting innovation, as were telecommunications or computers in the last decades. We are seeing significant advances in the development of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles and an immense surge of shared mobility services, such as bike-sharing and ride-sourcing services like Uber- all promising to improve the life of the average urban commuter. There are significant obstacles to the deployment and/or full utilization of these technologies, however, which could be mitigated with an additional layer of transportation system monitoring. This chapter introduces the use of unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV), or drones, as the cornerstone of an advanced and proactive new intelligent transportation system (ITS) called, iTRANS. This new approach will reveal important traffic variables that are currently unpredictable, as well as solve most jurisdictional conflicts of interest, and regulatory constraints. Furthermore, iTRANS is designed to be one of the main tools to complete a successful transition from a dysfunctional transportation system to an optimal linear programming one in which transportation supply and demand is proactively managed through advanced ITS software. This sophisticated ITS system, connected to open software platforms, would gather and integrate all available information from the different modes of transportation, allowing real-time traffic management of the entire transportation system, as a whole. In addition, this chapter addresses the current technologies, urban transportation challenges related to autonomous vehicles, and describes the multifaceted approach of iTRANS and how its application would be advantageous in the deployment of autonomous vehicles. In a nutshell, this provides a systematic approach that 21st century engineers could use to create more eco-friendly, affordable, safe and sustainable transportation environments.
Characterization of written languages using structural features from common corpora

For more than 5,000 years, we have been communicating using some form of written language. For many scholars, the advent of written language contributed to the development of societies because it enabled knowledge to be passed to future generations without considerable loss of information or ambiguity. Today, it is estimated that we use about 7,000 languages to communicate, but the majority of these do not have a written form; in fact, there are no reliable estimates of how many written languages exist today. There are three main families of written languages: Afro-Asiatic, Indo-European, and Turkic. These families of languages are based on historical family-trees. However, with the amount of data available today, one can start looking at language classification using regularities extracted from corpora of text. This paper focus on regularities of 10 languages from the mentioned families. In order to find features for these languages we use (1) Heaps’ law, which models the number of distinct words in a corpus as a function of the total number of words in the same corpora, and (2) structural properties of networks created from word co-occurrence in large corpora for different languages. Using clustering approaches we show that despite differences from years of being used in separate countries, the clustering still seem to respect some historical organization of families.
Raising the speed limit from 75 to 80 mph on Utah rural interstates: Effects on vehicle speeds and speed variance

Abstract Introduction In November 2010 and October 2013, Utah increased speed limits on sections of rural interstates from 75 to 80 mph. Effects on vehicle speeds and speed variance were examined. Methods Speeds were measured in May 2010 and May 2014 within the new 80 mph zones, and at a nearby spillover site and at more distant control sites where speed limits remained 75 mph. Log-linear regression models estimated percentage changes in speed variance and mean speeds for passenger vehicles and large trucks associated with the speed limit increase. Logistic regression models estimated effects on the probability of passenger vehicles exceeding 80, 85, or 90 mph and large trucks exceeding 80 mph. Results Within the 80 mph zones and at the spillover location in 2014, mean passenger vehicle speeds were significantly higher (4.1% and 3.5%, respectively), as were the probabilities that passenger vehicles exceeded 80 mph (122.3% and 88.5%, respectively), than would have been expected without the speed limit increase. Probabilities that passenger vehicles exceeded 85 and 90 mph were non-significantly higher than expected within the 80 mph zones. For large trucks, the mean speed and probability of exceeding 80 mph were higher than expected within the 80 mph zones. Only the increase in mean speed was significant. Raising the speed limit was associated with non-significant increases in speed variance. Conclusions The study adds to the wealth of evidence that increasing speed limits leads to higher travel speeds and an increased probability of exceeding the new speed limit. Results moreover contradict the claim that increasing speed limits reduces speed variance. Practical applications Although the estimated increases in mean vehicle speeds may appear modest, prior research suggests such increases would be associated with substantial increases in fatal or injury crashes. This should be considered by lawmakers considering increasing speed limits.
Abstract MP85: Lifestyle and Biologic Factors and Risk for Recurrent Coronary Heart Disease Events

The 2011 American Heart Association guidelines recommend lifestyle modification and risk factor management for secondary coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention. We determined the association of lifestyle behaviors and clinical management risk factors with recurrent CHD events among participants with electrocardiographic evidence or self-reported CHD history from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study (n=30,239). Ideal health factors (normal waist circumference, physical activity ≥4 times/week, DASH diet adherence, not smoking, systolic/diastolic blood pressure (BP) Of the 4,174 REGARDS participants with CHD history, the mean age was 68.8 (SD=8.9) years, 35.1% were women and 34.1% were black. Over a median follow up of 4.3 (maximum=6.9) years, 447 (10.7%) participants had a nonfatal or fatal recurrent CHD event. After adjustment for demographics, clinical factors, and co-morbid conditions, participating in physical activity ≥4 times/week versus no activity and not smoking versus current smoking were associated with a reduced risk for recurrent CHD events (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] 0.48 (0.34-0.68) and 0.45 (0.35-0.56), respectively). In contrast, DASH diet consistency, normal waist circumference, LDL-C and normal BP were not associated with statistically significant reductions in risk for recurrent CHD events. More ideal health factors were associated with a lower risk for recurrent CHD events (Figure). The hazard ratio for each additional ideal health factor was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.69-0.84). If these observations are causal, then if all people with established CHD participated in physical activity 4+ times/week and did not smoke, 40.5% (95% CI: 11.0-63.4) of recurrent CHD events could be avoided. This analysis suggests that secondary prevention to lower the risk of recurrent CHD events should emphasize physical activity and smoking cessation.
Trace Uranium Partitioning in a Multiphase Nano-FeOOH System

The characterization of trace elements in minerals using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy constitutes a first step toward understanding how impurities and contaminants interact with the host phase and the environment. However, limitations to EXAFS interpretation complicate the analysis of trace concentrations of impurities that are distributed across multiple phases in a heterogeneous system. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD)-informed EXAFS analysis was employed to investigate the immobilization of trace uranium associated with nanophase iron (oxyhydr)oxides, a model system for the geochemical sequestration of radiotoxic actinides. The reductive transformation of ferrihydrite [Fe(OH)3] to nanoparticulate iron oxyhydroxide minerals in the presence of uranyl (UO2)2+(aq) resulted in the preferential incorporation of U into goethite (α-FeOOH) over lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH), even though reaction conditions favored the formation of excess lepidocrocite. This unexpected result is sup...
HL-PCM: MLC PCM Main Memory with Accelerated Read

Multi-Level Cell Phase Change Memory (MLC PCM) is a promising candidate technology for DRAM replacement in main memory of modern computers. Despite of its high density and low power advantages, this technology seriously suffers from slow read and write operations. While prior works extensively studied the problem of slow write, this paper targets high read latency problem in MLC PCM and introduces an architecture mechanism to overcome it. To this end, we rely on the fact that reading different bits from an MLC cell takes different latencies, i.e., for a 2-bit MLC, reading its Most-Significant Bit (MSB) is fast, while reading its Least-Significant Bits (LSBs) is slower. We then propose Half-Line PCM (HL-PCM), a novel memory architecture that leverages this non-uniformity in reading MLC PCM’s content to send a requested memory block to the processor in different cycles–it sends half of a memory block to the processor ahead of the other half. If the processor requested a word belonging to the first half, it can resume its execution on receiving the first half, while the other half has not sent yet and scheduled to be received by the memory controller later. HL-PCM is easy and simple to implement, i.e., it needs minor modifications at memory controller, the search/evict policies at last level cache, as well as data layout in main memory. Our experimental results show that the proposed design improves the average memory access latency by 33–43 percent and program’s execution time by 23 percent, on average, while incurring negligible overhead at memory controller and PCM DIMM, in a 16-core chip multiprocessor (CMP) running memory-intensive benchmarks.
Molecular, Local, and Network-Level Basis for the Enhanced Stiffness of Hydrogel Networks Formed from Coassembled Racemic Peptides: Predictions from Pauling and Corey.

Hydrogels prepared from self-assembling peptides are promising materials for medical applications, and using both l- and d-peptide isomers in a gel’s formulation provides an intuitive way to control the proteolytic degradation of an implanted material. In the course of developing gels for delivery applications, we discovered that a racemic mixture of the mirror-image β-hairpin peptides, named MAX1 and DMAX1, provides a fibrillar hydrogel that is four times more rigid than gels formed by either peptide alone—a puzzling observation. Herein, we use transmission electron microscopy, small angle neutron scattering, solid state NMR, diffusing wave, infrared, and fluorescence spectroscopies, and modeling to determine the molecular basis for the increased mechanical rigidity of the racemic gel. We find that enantiomeric peptides coassemble in an alternating fashion along the fibril long axis, forming an extended heterochiral pleat-like β-sheet, a structure predicted by Pauling and Corey in 1953. Hydrogen bonding ...
The new pragmatism, antiessentialism, and what is the universal: it’s the situation all the way down

A well-known scientist once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: “What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.” The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, “What is the tortoise standing on?” “You’re very clever, young man,” said the old lady. “But it’s turtles all the way down!”
A FIRST LEVEL APPROXIMATION MODEL OF THE DYNAMIC ELASTICITY OF A PARTIALLY BIORESORBABLE COMPOSITE INTERNAL FIXATION SYSTEM

The objective of this work is to develop a first level approximation hybrid model that predicts the rate of reduction of the elastic modulus for a composite internal fixation plate. The first level model combines a modified composite theory in which the bioresorbable constituent moduli and volume fractions are time-dependent, with predictions from a Finite Element (FE) model, but ignores viscoelastic effects. The FE model is used to predict relationships between geometrical constraints (material interfaces), while a theoretical combined elastic modulus is determined using the Reuss model. The composite internal fixation device design comprises Poly-L-lactide and Hydroxyapatite (HA/PLLA) and Titanium. The geometrical relationships established by the FE static model are combined with the theoretical mathematical model in order to predict the rate of decrease of the elastic modulus of the composite device. The first level model predicts that the composite plate modulus decreases at a rate that appropriately ...
Quality of Life and Patient-Centered Outcomes

Patient-centered care is a major design feature of twenty-first-century healthcare, and actionable strategies are needed to operationalize it in clinical practice. The use of research-based questionnaires, soliciting information on patients’ symptoms, functional status, quality of life, and health behaviors, enables the use of patient-centered information in care and quality improvement. The application of patient-reported outcomes in practice includes several areas in the care of individuals: screening and monitoring, facilitating patient-centered care during patient-provider encounters, enabling patient engagement in self-care, and assisting in decision-making about treatment options. Patient-reported outcomes can also enhance communication between members of multidisciplinary care teams, monitor and manage the health of populations, and assess and improve the quality of healthcare. Current challenges to, and future trends in, the widespread use of patient-reported outcomes in healthcare include the growing number of questionnaires soliciting information on patients’ experiences and the consistent use of the resulting data to improve health and healthcare for individuals and populations.
Chapter 11 Externalities and Growth

Abstract Externalities play a central role in most theories of economic growth. We argue that international externalities, in particular, are essential for explaining a number of empirical regularities about growth and development. Foremost among these is that many countries appear to share a common long run growth rate despite persistently different rates of investment in physical capital, human capital, and research. With this motivation, we construct a hybrid of some prominent growth models that have international knowledge externalities. When calibrated, the hybrid model does a surprisingly good job of generating realistic dispersion of income levels with modest barriers to technology adoption. Human capital and physical capital contribute to income differences both directly (as usual), and indirectly by boosting resources devoted to technology adoption. The model implies that most of income above subsistence is made possible by international diffusion of knowledge.
Hemothorax, Pneumothorax, and Empyema

Pneumothorax (PTX), hemothorax (HTX), and empyema are the most common pleural-based problems encountered by the acute care surgeon. Timely recognition and intervention can usually abort what would otherwise be highly morbid disease processes. This chapter discusses the presentation, diagnostic features, and current treatment strategies for these entities.
An evaluation of bridging methods using race data from Census 2000

The question on race from Census 2000 was different from previous censuses because it allowed respondents to select one or more races to indicate their racial identities. Because of this change, the race data from Census 2000 are not directly comparable with data from earlier censuses. Researchers can use `bridging' methods to assign more than one race respondents to single race categories to maximize the comparability of Census 2000 race data with earlier censuses. This paper uses several bridging methods to generate race population estimates and analyzes the variability in those estimates across six single race groups.