cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Models for description of the influence of light intensity on the parameters of the transient photo-EMF of organic photoconductors

The aim of this work is a quantitative description of the connections between the excitation laser flash intensity and the parameters of the transient photo-EMF. The models suggested in this paper were checked by experimental data obtained from layers of the organic photoconductors N,N′-dimethylperylenetetracarboxylic bisimide (MePe, n-type photoconductor) and copper(II) phthalocyanine (CuPc, p-type photoconductor) dispersed in poly(vinyl butyrale) (PVB) as binder. The models used are valid both for a neglectable and for a real dark charge carrier concentration. Nevertheless, recombination is the most important pathway of charge carrier disappearance in both photoconductors. The models may also describe the influence of laser flash intensity if the sample is illuminated by continuous white xenon light additional to the laser flash and also if the laser is focused on a very small sample area. The model valid for a real dark charge carrier concentration yields the best reproduction of the experimental data. In the case of neglectable dark charge carrier concentrations this model may be simplified. Then it permits an estimation of the mobility ratio of electrons and holes μn/μp: for example at excitation wavelength λflash = 580 nm the ratio μn/μp amounts to 1.35 for MePe and 0.73 for CuPc.
Influenza vaccination and risk of hospitalization among adults with laboratory confirmed influenza illness.

Abstract Background Influenza vaccine is moderately effective for preventing influenza illness. It is not known if vaccination reduces the risk of subsequent hospital admission among patients with vaccine failure and laboratory confirmed influenza illness. Methods Patients in a community cohort presenting with acute respiratory illness were prospectively enrolled and tested for influenza during 8 seasons to estimate seasonal vaccine effectiveness. Hospital admissions within 14 days after illness onset were identified for all participants aged ≥20 years with laboratory confirmed influenza. The association between vaccination and hospital admission was examined in a propensity score adjusted logistic regression model. The model was validated by examining the association between vaccination and hospital admission in participants without influenza. Results Influenza was identified in 1393 (28%) of 4996 participants. Sixty-two (6%) of 1020 with influenza A and 17 (5%) of 369 with influenza B were hospitalized. Vaccination was not associated with a reduced risk of hospital admission among all participants with influenza [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.08; 95% CI: 0.62, 1.88]; or among those with influenza A (aOR = 1.35; 95% CI: 0.71, 2.57) or influenza B (aOR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.21, 2.15). Influenza vaccination was not associated with hospitalization after non-influenza respiratory illness (aOR = 1.14; 95% CI: 0.84, 1.54). Conclusions Influenza vaccination did not reduce the risk of subsequent hospital admission among patients with vaccine failure. These findings do not support the hypothesis that vaccination mitigates influenza illness severity.
Dynamic SIMS utilizing SF5+ polyatomic primary ion beams for drug delivery applications

Abstract The behavior of various biodegradable polymer films (e.g. polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid and polycaprolactone) as well as some model drugs (theophylline and 4-acetamidophenol) under dynamic SF 5 + primary ion bombardment is explored. A series of polylactic acid films containing varying concentrations of 4-acetamidophenol are also analyzed under similar conditions. The resultant molecular depth profiles obtained from these polymer films doped with drug show very little degradation in molecular signal as a function of SF 5 + primary ion dose, and it was found that the molecular ion signals of both polymer and drug remained constant for ion doses up to ∼5×10 15 ions/cm 2 . In addition, the polymer film/Si interface was well defined which may imply that sputter-induced topography formation was not a significant limitation. These results suggest that the structure of the biodegradable polymers studied here which all have the common main chain structural unit, RCOOR, allows for a greater ability to depth profile due to ease of bond cleavage. Most importantly, however, these results indicate that in these particular polymer systems, the distribution of the drug as a function of depth can be monitored.
Evolution of management of gout: a comparison of recent guidelines.

Purpose of reviewThere have been several guidelines on the management of gout over the last decade; however, inconsistencies between them create confusion for practitioners. This review highlights areas of agreement between guidelines and discusses data where disagreements exist.Recent findingsFor a
What Is Eastern Europe? A Philosophical Approach

This paper discusses Eastern Europe as a way of being traceable to a specific place or topos in between the West and its Others. By virtue of fitting neither one of the terms of the usual dichotomy it could provide novel insights into Western or European identity, as well as social and political problems, such as immigration. More precisely, Eastern Europe is an instance of the process of creating the self through the encounter with an other that is not radically other. Such a notion of Eastern Europe is developed from three sources: the Ancient Greek thinker Heraclitus, the Chicana theorist and writer Gloria Anzaldua, and Merab Mamardashvili, a philosopher from Soviet Georgia.
Emergency Department Observation Units and the Older Patient

An increasing number of emergency departments (EDs) are providing extended care and monitoring of patients in ED observation units (EDOUs). EDOUs can be useful for older adults as an alternative to hospitalization and as a means of risk stratification for older adults with unclear presentations. They can also provide a period of therapeutic intervention and reassessment for older patients in whom the appropriateness and safety of immediate outpatient care are unclear. This article discusses the general characteristics of EDOUs, reviews appropriate entry and exclusion criteria for older adults in EDOUs, and discusses regulatory implications of observation status for patients with Medicare.
Analysis of Synchronous Digital-Modulation Schemes for Satellite Communication

The multipath communication channel for space communication is modeled as a multiplicative channel. This paper discusses the effects of the multiplicative channel processes on the symbol error rate for quadrature modulation (QM) digital modulation schemes. An expression for the upper bound on the probability of error is derived and numerically evaluated. The results are compared with those obtained for additive channels.
Direct synthesis calorimetry of some binary alloys in the systems SiAs, GeAs and SnAs

Abstract The standard enthalpies of formation of SiAs, SiAs 2 , GeAs, GeAs 2 and SnAs have been determined by direct synthesis drop calorimetry in fused silica capsules at 1123 K (for SiAs), 1058 K (for GeAs) and 987 K (for SnAs). The following values of ΔH f o (298) (kJ mol atoms −1 ) are reported: SiAs, −5.4 ± 1.2; SiAs 2 , −3.7 ± 2.3; GeAs, −5.5 ± 2.6; GeAs 2 , −5.8 ± 3.2; SnAs, −9.5 ± 3.2. Using our measured values for the heats of reaction of the processes a As(s) + b Me(s) = c As x Me 1− x ( l ) at 1058 K for Ge and 987 K for Sn, we have calculated the liquid-liquid enthalpies of mixing for some alloys in these two systems. Adopting the sub-regular solution model, we have calculated the following approximate expressions for the enthalpies of mixing (kJ mol −1 ): ΔH 1−1 M (Ge-As, 1058 K) = (−9.86 – 2.77 x As ) x As x Ge ΔH 1−1 M ( Sn - As , 987 K ) = (−16.87 + 8.90 x As ) x As x Sn The calorimetric values for the solid and liquid alloys are compared with predicted values from Miedema's semi-empirical model. It is found that all of the predicted values are more than one order of magnitude more exothermic than our experimental results.
Molecular pharmacology of UK-118, 434-05, a permanently charged amlodipine analog

Abstract We studied the effects of UK-118, 434-05, a permanently charged form of amlodipine, on recombinant smooth muscle and cardiac L-type calcium channels to determine the distinct modulatory properties of the ionized form of amlodipine. We found that the short distance between the permanent charge group and the active dihydropyridine (DHP) ring of UK-118, 434-05 reduces the potency of this compound as an inhibitor of smooth muscle (α 1c–b ) L-type channels, and is similar to the effects of other charged DHP derivatives on cardiac (α 1c–a ) L-type channels. However, we found surprisingly that the tonic block of cardiac (α 1c–a ) L-type channels was more pronounced than the tonic block of smooth muscle (α 1c–b ) L-type channels. This result contrasts with the previously reported subunit-specificity of neutral DHP compounds, and suggests that interactions between the amlodipine charge group and site(s) on the L-type channel α 1 subunit distinguish the action of charged from neutral DHPs and may contribute to amlodipine's unique pharmacological profile.
Accounting for stochastic shadow values of time in discrete-choice recreation demand models

Abstract In this paper, a discrete-choice recreation demand model that explicitly accounts for a stochastic shadow value of time function is proposed. Using data from a survey of San Diego beach users, the stochastic shadow value of time, labor supply, and beach choice are jointly estimated. Results from this joint estimation approach are compared with the familiar two-step approach that estimates labor supply first and uses predicted values of time in the recreational site choice model. The approaches produce markedly different welfare measures, with the two-step model, which does not account for unobserved variability of time values, predicting significantly higher values. A Monte Carlo simulation illustrates how ignoring the stochastic nature of shadow value of time in discrete-choice recreation demand models can bias model parameters, and hence, welfare estimates.
A study of infrasonic anisotropy and multipathing in the atmosphere using seismic networks

We discuss the use of reverse time migration (RTM) with dense seismic networks for the detection and location of sources of atmospheric infrasound. Seismometers measure the response of the Earth's ...
Convexity properties in binary detection problems

The author investigates the convexity properties of error probability in the detection of binary-valued scalar signals corrupted by additive noise. It is shown that the error probability of the maximum-likelihood receiver is a convex function of the signal power when the noise has a unimodal distribution. Based on this property, the results of the optimal time-sharing strategies of transmitters and jammers, and of the optimal use of multiple channels are obtained.
The human B1 bradykinin receptor exhibits high ligand-independent, constitutive activity : Roles of residues in the fourth intracellular and third transmembrane domains

The B1 bradykinin (BK) receptor (B1R) is a seven-transmembrane domain, G protein-coupled receptor that is induced by injury and important in inflammation and nociception. Here, we show that the human B1R exhibits a high level of ligand-independent, constitutive activity. Constitutive activity was identified by the increase in basal cellular phosphoinositide hydrolysis as a function of the density of the receptors in transiently transfected HEK293 cells. Several B1R peptide antagonists were neutral antagonists or very weakly efficacious inverse agonists. Constitutive B1R activity was further increased by alanine mutation of Asn121 in the third transmembrane domain of the receptor (B1A121). This mutant resembled the agonist-preferred receptor state since it also exhibited increased agonist affinity and decreased agonist responsiveness. A dramatic loss of constitutive activity occurred when the fourth intracellular C-terminal domain (IC-IV) of the human B2 BK receptor subtype (B2R), which exhibits minimal constitutive activity, was substituted in either B1R or B1A121 to make B1(B2ICIV) and B1(B2ICIV)A121, respectively. Activity was partially recovered by subsequent alanine mutation of a cluster of two serines and two threonines in IC-IV of either B1(B2ICIV) or B1(B2ICIV)A121, a cluster that is important for B2R desensitization. The ligand-independent, constitutive activity of B1R therefore depends on epitopes in both transmembrane and intracellular domains. We propose that the activity is primarily due to the lack of critical epitopes in IC-IV that regulate such activity.
Diseases Manifesting in the Upper Genital Tract in Children and Adolescents: A Review

Some of the gynecologic conditions affecting children and adolescents are rarely encountered by providers who have not developed a specific expertise in the area, and hencemay pose diagnostic difficultywhen encountered. In a previous review, conditions affecting the lower genital tract of children and adolescent females were discussed. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of conditions of the upper genital tract affecting female children and adolescents, some of whichmay be encountered only rarely by themore generalized practitioner. Gynecological examination techniquesmust be tailored to the age of the patient. Several review articles deal with examination techniques for both prepubertal children and adolescents.
Structural effects of core-modified porphyrins in dye-sensitized solar cells

A series of core-modified porphyrins with different meso aryl groups (R1), anchoring groups (R2), and core atoms (X) were studied as light-harvesting sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). DSSCs were fabricated using these porphyrins as well as TiO2 nanoparticles with a particle diameter of around 25 nm. A dense layer of TiO2 was deposited as an interfacial layer on fluorine-doped tin dioxide (FTO) substrates. A TiO2 nanocrystalline film was then deposited on the dense layer by spin coating. The comparison of DSSC performance from different core-modified porphyrins was studied. The UV-vis absorption spectroscopy of porphyrin films attached on TiO2 and porphyrin solutions were also measured. The results indicated that both anchoring and meso aryl groups impacted on cell performance. The cell efficiency was correlated to the absorption of porphyrin films attached on TiO2 at the Soret band.
Choice of antiretroviral therapy differentially impacts survival of HIV-infected CD4 T cells.

HIV eradication strategies are now being evaluated in vitro and in vivo. A cornerstone of such approaches is maximal suppression of viral replication with combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). Since many antiretroviral agents have off target effects, and different classes target different components of the viral life cycle, we questioned whether different classes of ART might differentially affect the survival and persistence of productively HIV-infected CD4 T cells. In vitro infections of primary CD4 T cells using clinical isolates of HIV-1 that were either protease inhibitor susceptible (HIV PI-S), or resistant (HIV PI-R) were treated with nothing, lopinavir, efavirenz or raltegravir. Cell viability, apoptosis, and the proportion of surviving cells that were P24 positive was assessed by flow cytometry. In HIV PI-S infected primary cultures, all three antiretroviral agents decreased viral replication, and reduced the total number of cells that were undergoing apoptosis (P < 0.01) similarly. Similarly, in the HIV PI-R infected cultures, both efavirenz and raltegravir reduced viral replication and reduced apoptosis compared to untreated control (P < 0.01), while lopinavir did not, suggesting that HIV replication drives T cell apoptosis, which was confirmed by association by linear regression (P < 0.0001) . However since HIV protease has been suggested to directly induce apoptosis of infected CD4 T cells, and HIV PI are intrinsically antiapoptotic, we evaluated apoptosis in productively infected (HIV P24+) cells. More HIV p24 positive cells were apoptotic in the Efavirenz or raltegravir treated cultures than the lopinavir treated cultures (P = 0.0008 for HIV PI-R and P = 0.06 for the HIV PI-S), indicating that drug class impacts survival of productively infected CD4 T cells. Inhibiting HIV replication with a PI, NNRTI or INSTI reduces total HIV-induced T cell apoptosis. However, blocking HIV replication with PI but not with NNRTI or INSTI promotes survival of productively HIV-infected cells. Thus, selection of antiretroviral agents may impact the success of HIV eradication strategies.
Phenotypic Variation in Hereditary Breast Cancer: Cancer Control Implications

Objective: To study hereditary breast cancer pedigrees as models for the elucidation of the natural history of the disease, including early onset; bilaterality; and tumor associations in the heterogeneous variants to aid in its diagnosis and in targeting surveillance and treatment strategies. Setting: Oncology clinic and hereditary cancer institute. Patients and Other Participants: Physician- or self-referred probands. Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measure: Greater understanding of the diagnosis, surveillance, and treatment of hereditary breast cancer. Results: Eighteen pedigrees displayed the phenotypic variation of breast cancer's natural history, obligate gene carriers, and patterns of tumor combinations consonant with genetic heterogeneity. Conclusion: Hereditary breast cancer is an important public health problem accounting for about 9% of breast cancer cases. The recent identification of a molecular basis for the identification of a subset of hereditary breast cancer, and thereby the likelihood of the sequencing and cloning of the susceptibility gene(s), will enable targeting of surveillance and treatment measures toward patients at an inordinately high risk of developing cancer. Central to this entire process will be the identification of families with hereditary breast cancer. (Arch Surg. 1994;129:806-813)
Metabolism of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b] pyridine (PhIP) by liver microsomes and isolated rabbit cytochrome P450 isozymes

The cytochrome P450-dependent metabolism of the heterocyclic amine mutagen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) has been determined. We investigated the in vitro metabolism of PhIP by polycyclic hydrocarbon-induced mouse and rabbit liver microsomes, and by purified rabbit liver P450 isozymes. Following a 60 min incubation, 3-methylcholanthrene-induced mouse microsomes converted 36% of the PhIP to two major metabolites, N-hydroxy-PhIP and 4'-hydroxy-PhIP, with 43% total metabolism. Rabbit P450 form 6 and form 4 produced the same two major metabolites (20 and 5% total metabolism respectively). Additional metabolites were produced in low yields and amounts varied depending on the isozyme used (1-5%). Metabolites were not detected in incubations of PhIP with P450 forms 2 and 3C. N-Hydroxy-PhIP was found to be directly mutagenic to Salmonella TA98, while the 4'-hydroxy-PhIP was not mutagenic either with or without additional metabolic activation. These data suggest that the cytochrome P450IA isozymes are involved in the metabolism of PhIP by rabbit liver and that formation of N-hydroxy-PhIP is involved in the mutagenicity of PhIP.
Does Self-Efficacy Influence Leg Muscle Pain During Cycling Exercise?

This experiment examined the effect of a manipulation of self-efficacy beliefs on percep- tions of leg muscle pain during moderate-intensity cycling exercise among women. Low to moder- ately active college-age women (n 28) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions that were designed to either increase or decrease efficacy beliefs for engaging in moderate intensity physical activity. Efficacy was manipulated based on bogus feedback after a maximal incremental exercise test. Within 2-3 days after the efficacy manipulation, participants completed 30 min of cycling on an ergometer at 60% peak oxygen consumption. Perceptions of leg muscle pain, as well as work rate and oxygen consumption, were recorded during exercise. There was an initial relationship between baseline self-efficacy and pain ratings during a maximal incremental exercise test. Although the provision of bogus feedback was effective for manipulating self-efficacy, there was no differential effect on leg muscle pain intensity ratings during the 30 min bout of moderate-intensity cycling. The results imply that our manipulation of self-efficacy for prolonged exercise does not influence leg muscle pain during moderate-intensity exercise among low to moderately active young females. Perspective: We examined the influence of self-efficacy on muscle pain during exercise. Although we did not identify a significant influence of efficacy on pain, our research highlights novel research directions. Future research could potentially help identify self-efficacy as a means of decreasing pain during exercise and ultimately enhancing physical activity participation.
Why Is Infant Language Learning Facilitated by Parental Responsiveness

Parents’ responsiveness to infants’ exploratory and communicative behaviors predicts infant word learning during early periods of language development. We examine the processes that might explain why this association exists. We suggest that responsiveness supports infants’ growing pragmatic understanding that language is a tool that enables intentions to be socially shared. Additionally, several features of responsiveness—namely, its temporal contiguity, contingency, and multimodal and didactic content—facilitate infants’ mapping of words to their referents and, in turn, growth in vocabulary. We close by examining the generalizability of these processes to infants from diverse cultural communities.
Dry eyes: are new ideas drying up?

Dry eye syndrome is an ubiquitous ophthalmic condition effecting as many as 80% of the population over the age of 80.1 The ageing of the general population has highlighted a whole series of problems relating to qualitative and quantitative changes in the three layered ocular surface tear film. The tear film constitutes a clear uniform layer assisting the undistorted transmission of light rays, protecting the underlying structures and the feeling of normality2 achieved by reducing sensations from the richly innervated surface tissues. The syndrome is also expressed as a potentially debilitating condition afflicting in particular certain segments of the population such as contact lens wearers, individuals who have had refractive surgery, peri menopausal women and those subject to a variety of autoimmune conditions. More than 10% of the population demonstrates tear film abnormalities.3 Despite its pervasiveness, adverse life style and job performance associations, and overall direct and indirect financial impact, improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic modalities has not been forthcoming. The morbidity is significant but only a very small number of those afflicted are associated with severe blinding pathology and thus many may perceive the condition as an annoyance rather than a true public health problem which needs to be addressed. Our appreciation of the larger division of dry eye disease into aqueous deficient and evaporative related effects has not resulted in refinement of the …
Effect of Feeding Stabilized Beef Tallow on Milk Production and Composition

Summary Stabilized beef tallow was fed to lactating dairy cows and its effect on blood serum lipids concentration, milk production, and milk composition was observed. The concentration of blood serum lipids was significantly increased by feeding a concentrate mixture with 7% added beef tallow. Animals on the high-fat ration produced significantly more milk than those on the control ration. There were only minor differences in the composition of the milk produced by animals on the two rations.
Multi-state grid resource availability characterization

The functional heterogeneity of non-dedicated computational grids will increase with the inclusion of resources from desktop grids, P2P systems, and even mobile grids. Machine failure characteristics, as well as individual and organizational policies for resource usage by the grid, will increasingly vary even more than they already do. Since grid applications also vary as to how well they tolerate the failure of the host on which they run, grid schedulers must begin to predict and consider how resources will transition between availability modes. Toward this goal, this paper introduces five availability states, and characterizes a Condor pool trace that uncovers when, how, and why its resources reside in, and transition between, these states. This characterization suggests resource categories that schedulers can use to make better mapping decisions. Simulations that characterize how a variety of jobs would run on the traced resources demonstrate this approach's potential for performance improvement. A simple predictor based on the previous day's behavior indicates that the states and categories arc somewhat predictable, thereby supporting the potential usefulness of multi-state grid resource availability characterization.
Bamana sand divination : Recursion in ethnomathematics

Ethnomathematics can consider recursion in two senses of the word. Mathematically, recursion consists of iterated functions, a kind of discrete feedback loop. Anthropologically, recursion is used in reflexive ethnographic description in which modern analytic methods become part of their own investigation. By comparing the recursive structure of Bamana divination techniques to recursion in modern mathematics, we can investigate some of the complex relations that bind technology and culture in both modern and traditional contexts.
Hidden Markov models for face recognition

The work presented in this paper focuses on the use of hidden Markov models for face recognition. A new method based on the extraction of 2D-DCT feature vectors is described, and the recognition results are compared with other face recognition approaches. The method introduced reduces significantly the computational complexity of previous HMM-based face recognition system, while preserving the same recognition rate.
Power Allocation in Concatenated Trellis Coded Modulation

In this paper, power loading algorithms are presented for limited diversity fading channels with channel state information at the transmitter. Limited diversity channels are those that offer moderate levels of diversity (about 3-5) such as those encountered in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based indoor wireless networks. We propose our ideas in the framework of a recently proposed coding approach for limited diversity channels although key aspects of the paper are valid for any coding scheme. We develop the optimal transmitter loading algorithm and also a low complexity suboptimal algorithm based on a linear objective function that maximizes the effective signal to noise ratio of the coded system. We compare the performances of different coding approaches with the proposed power allocation algorithms. Simulation results supporting the ideas presented in this paper are given.
Active selection of labeled data for target detection

An information-theoretic approach is developed for target detection, with active training set selection, directly from the site-specific measured data. For the proposed kernel-based algorithm, a set of basis functions to characterize the signature distribution of the site are defined first; then we determine a parsimonious set of data, for which knowledge of the associated labels would be most informative to determine the weights for the basis functions. Both of them utilize the Fisher information criteria. The proposed framework is applied to subsurface target detection, with example results presented for an actual buried unexploded ordnance site.
microRNAs as oncogenes and tumor suppressors.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of non-protein-coding, endogenous, small RNAs. They are important regulatory molecules in animals and plants. miRNA regulates gene expression by translational repression, mRNA cleavage, and mRNA decay initiated by miRNA-guided rapid deadenylation. Recent studies show that some miRNAs regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis processes that are important in cancer formation. By using multiple molecular techniques, which include Northern blot analysis, real-time PCR, miRNA microarray, up- or down-expression of specific miRNAs, it was found that several miRNAs were directly involved in human cancers, including lung, breast, brain, liver, colon cancer, and leukemia. In addition, some miRNAs may function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. More than 50% of miRNA genes are located in cancer-associated genomic regions or in fragile sites, suggesting that miRNAs may play a more important role in the pathogenesis of a limited range of human cancers than previously thought. Overexpressed miRNAs in cancers, such as mir-17–92, may function as oncogenes and promote cancer development by negatively regulating tumor suppressor genes and/or genes that control cell differentiation or apoptosis. Underexpressed miRNAs in cancers, such as let-7, function as tumor suppressor genes and may inhibit cancers by regulating oncogenes and/or genes that control cell differentiation or apoptosis. miRNA expression profiles may become useful biomarkers for cancer diagnostics. In addition, miRNA therapy could be a powerful tool for cancer prevention and therapeutics.
Cloning and characterization of cDNAs encoding putative CTCFs in the mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae

One of the many ascribed functions of CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) in vertebrates is insulation of genes via enhancer-blocking. Insulation allows genes to be shielded from "cross-talk" with neighboring regulatory elements. As such, endogenous insulator sequences would be valuable elements to enable stable transgene expression. Recently, CTCF joined Su(Hw), Zw5, BEAF32 and GAGA factor as a protein associated with insulator activity in the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster. To date, no known insulators have been described in mosquitoes. We have identified and characterized putative CTCF homologs in the medically-important mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae. These genes encode polypeptides with eleven C2H2 zinc fingers that show significant similarity to those of vertebrate CTCFs, despite at least 500 million years of divergence. The mosquito CTCFs are constitutively expressed and are upregulated in early embryos and in the ovaries of blood-fed females. We have uncovered significant bioinformatics evidence that CTCF is widespread, at least among Drosophila species. Finally, we show that the An. gambiae CTCF binds two known insulator sequences. Mosquito CTCFs are likely orthologous to the widely-characterized vertebrate CTCFs and potentially also serve an insulating function. As such, CTCF may provide a powerful tool for improving transgene expression in these mosquitoes through the identification of endogenous binding sites.
Statics and Dynamics

When we rely on Newtonian mechanics in an “explanation,” have we really explained? After all, Newtonian mechanics is false, even though its falsity does not make (much) difference save at speeds approaching that of light. Suppose we say that Newtonian mechanics does not (now) explain. Then did it ever explain? And if so, why? If truth is a condition on explanation, then if Newtonian mechanics is false it never explained. And if our currently best theories turn out to be false, they will turn out never to have explained. This may not seem outlandish if one advocates an analysis of explanation in the ‘classic context’, in which our interest is in the rational reconstruction of scientific explanation in the context of justification. Nonetheless, as we saw in Chapter One, the proponents of explanation in the classic context always had one eye on scientific practice. As a result, the standard view of explanation has traditionally relied not on the truth of theories but rather on the claim that they be believed to be true. As such, Newtonian mechanics did explain but does not now. And our best theories explain now, even though they may turn out not to explain in the future.
Enstrophy Cascade in Physical Scales for the Three-Dimensional Navier--Stokes Equations

An enstrophy cascade is exhibited for the Navier--Stokes equations in physical scales independently of boundary conditions under physically reasonable assumptions on the flow.
Telepharmacotherapy for Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Patients.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study is to review and discuss the status of telepsychiatry practice, particularly as applied to treating children and adolescents with psychotropic medications, which is termed “telepharmacotherapy.” Methods: The literature pertinent to telepsychiatry practice is reviewed, followed by a presentation of the challenges to implementing telepharmacotherapy, potential solutions, current controversies, and future directions, combining insights from the literature with the authors' own experiences. Results: Telepsychiatry services for children and adolescents are expanding, and provide needed pharmacotherapy for patients who are underserved by available resources. The evidence base supporting the effectiveness of telepsychiatry practice and telepharmacotherapy is still emerging, and consists mainly of feasibility and satisfaction studies with limited outcome data. Although a number of challenges to this mode of care delivery currently exist, the authors outline potential ...
A critical examination of the US economy: the Orange County bankruptcy case

Fiscal irresponsibility and abuses in the proper use of derivatives resulted in the largest municipal failure in US history (at the time). Orange County's fiscal stress and its resulting bankruptcy were attributed to massive financial mismanagement by the county's treasurer, and his actions caused the loss of $1.6 billion. This being said, the 1994 bankruptcy of Orange County, California was caused by a variety of additional factors. This paper provides an analysis of the bankruptcy and explores the role of Robert Citron, the county's treasurer, as well as the influence of derivatives, the presence of political pressures, and the inadequacy of accounting reporting standards and regulatory organisations. Additionally, an analysis of the contemporary misuse of financial derivatives that helped spark the 2008 global financial crisis is also presented. An overview of the role of derivatives in the 2008 crisis is included to further highlight the disastrous consequences of their misuse. Areas of emphasis include the unregulated over-the-counter (OTC) derivative market and the lack of any informative reporting standards for such instruments. The paper concludes with a review of current accounting standards regarding derivatives, namely the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010.
A Unified Model for Hysteresis in Ferroic Materials

This paper provides a unified modeling framework for ferroelectric, ferromagnetic and ferroelastic materials operating in hysteretic and nonlinear regimes. Whereas the physical mechanisms which produce hysteresis and constitutive nonlinearities in these materials differ at the microscopic level, shared energy relations can be derived at the lattice, or mesoscopic, scale. This yields a class of models which are appropriate for homogeneous, single crystal compounds. Stochastic homogenization techniques are then employed to construct macroscopic models suitable for nonhomogeneous, polycrystalline compounds with variable effective fields or stresses. This unified methodology for quantifying hysteresis and constitutive nonlinearities for a broad class of ferroic compounds facilitates both material characterization and subsequent model-based control design. Attributes of the models are illustrated through comparison with piezoceramic, magnetostrictive and thin film SMA data.
Steady-State Accuracy Solutions of More Spacecraft Attitude Estimators

The steady-state accuracy of three single-axis spacecraft attitude estimators is studied. A generic m-measurement system is examined first. An equation providing steady-state accuracy is derived. The effects of scale factors on steady-state accuracy are also examined. Analytical steady-state accuracies with a priori scale factor estimates are derived. Numerical analysis demonstrates that both the scale factor and angular rate have significant effects on the resulting steady-state estimation accuracy. The last system examined is a full-state filter estimating an angle, its rate, and the gyro bias. While analytical solutions could not be determined, a numerical method for computing steady-state accuracy is identified. Approximations of torque perturbations are used to provide bounds on the dynamic process noise. The study of four current gyros demonstrates that the full-state filter is superior to the reduced-order filter for two gyros and inferior for another. The remaining gyro is shown to be in a gray area where spacecraft and mission-specific parameters will determine which filter is superior.
Synthesis and characterization of DAM-1 type materials

Vitamin E-TPGS (α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate) was found to be an effective template for the preparation of a novel hexagonal mesoporous silica referred to as DAM-1 (Dallas Amorphous Material-1). Depending upon the temperature and gel composition various morphologies can be achieved, including spheres, gyroids, discoids, hexagonal plates and rods. Characterization of these composites as well as a preliminary evaluation of DAM-1 as a drug delivery system under physiological conditions is also presented.
Reduced Rift Valley fever virus infection rates in mosquitoes associated with pledget feedings.

Abstract Infection rates were compared in Culex pipiens and Aedes taeniorhynchus after they fed on Rift Valley fever (RVF) viremic hamsters or ingested similar doses of RVF virus from blood-soaked pledgets. Infection rates were significantly lower for mosquitoes that ingested virus from a pledget than for those that ingested similar doses from viremic hamsters. The method used to prevent normal clot formation for the pledget feedings (i.e., defibrination by shaking with glass beads or addition of heparin) did not affect subsequent infection rates. Both inhibition of normal clot formation and freezing of virus after it had last been propagated were associated with significantly reduced infection rates with the pledget feedings. Laboratory studies using artificial feeding techniques may not give reliable estimates of the vector competence of mosquitoes for arboviruses.
The Effects of Lack of Joint Goal Planning on Divorce over 10 Years.

Given the negative consequences of divorce on health and well-being, it is important to try to identify its predictors. In the current study we used data from the National Survey of Midlife Development (N = 2801) to examine the longitudinal effects of lack of joint goal planning with a romantic relationship partner on divorce over a 10-year period. Multilevel regression analyses showed that lack of joint planning with the relationship partner was associated with a 19% increase in the odds of divorce, even when controlling for various demographic (i.e., age, gender, relationship length, number of children in the household), individual (i.e., neuroticism, positive affect, negative affect, physical symptoms, planning), and relationship (i.e., marital empathy, partner strain, partner disagreement, marital satisfaction, commitment). These results demonstrate the importance of considering one’s partner when making decisions and plans for the future, given that it has clear implications for relationship dissolution.
Considering virtual reality in children’s lives

Companies are investing billions of dollars into creating virtual reality (VR) hardware and content, and millions of people have already gained access to VR technology (Solomon, 2014; Somaiya, 2015...
TickTock: A Non-Goal-Oriented Multimodal Dialog System with Engagement Awareness

We describe TickTock, a conversational agent designed to engage humans on topics of its choosing and to carry on an interaction for as long as possible. Our prototype uses a database of talk show transcripts featuring guests from the film industry. To be an interesting companion Tick Tock uses immediate context from the last two turns to formulate queries into a database of utterances. The process is automatic. TickTock monitors user engagement and performs certain moves, such as topic shifts, based on its assessment of user state. Initially we used utterance content for monitoring and subsequently we begun to investigate non-language cues, such as prosody and visual cues to create a more robust engagement model based on multiple human communication channels.
Analysis of patients with esophageal cancer following trimodality therapy: Pathological complete remission (PathCR) versus non-PathCR.

4041 Background: Trimodality therapy (chemoradiation followed by surgery) continues to be the cornerstone treatment for localized esophageal cancer; predictive models for pathCR have been not been ...
Perioperative strokes after coronary artery bypass grafting with staged carotid endarterectomy: A nationwide perspective

Abstract Study Objective To examine the risk of perioperative stroke on in-hospital morbidity and mortality in staged coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and carotid endarterectomy (CEA) procedures. Design The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was used to extract data on all patients who underwent staged CABG CEA procedures. They were identified using the ICD-9 (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision-Clinical Modification) diagnosis and procedure codes. Setting Multi-institutional. Patients Patients who underwent staged CABG and CEA from 1999 to 2011. Interventions Staged CABG and CEA procedures. Measurements Various pre-operative, and perioperative risk factors and their association with in-hospital mortality and morbidity were studied. Main Results The study cohort was grouped into 2761 patients who underwent staged CEA and CABG. The average age of the patient population was 69years. An in-hospital mortality of 4.96% (137) was observed. Staged procedures showed a morbidity rate of 69.21%. Patients with perioperative strokes had a mortality rate of 16.73% following staged procedures. Other notable risk factors for mortality and morbidity were post-operative myocardial infarction (MI) and congestive heart failure (CHF). Conclusion Analysis of 2761 patients over a period of 12years (1999–2011) indicate perioperative stroke to be a strong post-operative predicator of in-hospital mortality and morbidity for staged procedures. Other significant factors such as advancing age, female gender and comorbidities like CHF, left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and post-operative MI should also be considered when determining patient risk. Further investigative studies on staged CABG and CEA procedures are needed for better patient selection and for implementing preventative strategies such as neuroprotective medication and neuromonitoring to minimize the risk of ischemic strokes.
Atrial fibrillation inducibility during cavo-tricuspid isthmus dependent atrial flutter ablation for the prediction of clinical atrial fibrillation ☆

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) and cavo-tricuspid isthmus (CTI) dependent atrial flutter (AFL) are two separate entities that coexist in a significant percentage of patients. Methods We sought to investigate whether AF inducibility during CTI AFL ablation predicted the occurrence of AF at follow up after AFL ablation. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results A total of 154 patients (male: 72%, age: 61±13) with AFL and without history of AF were included. All patients underwent successful CTI dependent AFL ablation demonstrated by bidirectional block. During ablation, AF was seen or induced in 28 (18%) patients. After a mean follow up of 34±24months a total of 50 patients (32%) were noted with clinically manifest AF. From the patients who had inducible AF during AFL ablation, 50% developed post-procedural AF. From those in whom AF could not be induced, only 29% were documented with AF after ablation. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that only age and AF inducibility during AFL ablation were predictors of AF. Univariate analysis (age p =0.038 and inducible AF p =0.032 with odds ratio of 1.030 [95% CI (1.002–1.059)] and 2.500 [95% CI (1.084–5.765)], respectively) and multivariate analyses (age p =0.011 and inducible AF p =0.016 with adjusted odds ratio of 1.043 [95% CI (1.010–1.077)] and 3.293 [95% CI (1.250–8.676)], respectively). Conclusion AF inducibility in patients undergoing CTI AFL without history of AF is a strong predictor of AF occurrence in the future. Appropriate cardiology follow-up must be encouraged in this high-risk population as stroke prevention strategies can be appropriately introduced in a timely matter especially in patients with elevated CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc scores (≥2).
Light to moderate alcohol consumption reduced mortality in women

Source Citation Fuchs CS, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, et al. Alcohol consumption and mortality among women. N Engl J Med. 1995 May 11;332:1245-50.
Introduction: Problems and Procedures of Comparative Gametology and Syngamy

Publisher Summary The purpose of this chapter is to state some of the basic and practical problems of reproductive physiology, to indicate the directions from which contributions toward their solution have been coming, and to note the further problems that emerge from continued investigation. The relation of these studies to human welfare is also to be considered here, although the surveys that are presented in the succeeding chapters are intended primarily as studies in basic biology apart from their possible utility in these directions.
Health Disparities in Adolescent Bariatric Surgery: Nationwide Outcomes and Utilization.

Abstract Purpose Bariatric surgery represents an appropriate treatment for adolescent severe obesity, but its utilization remains low in this patient population. We studied the impact of race and sex on preoperative characteristics, outcomes, and utilization of adolescent bariatric surgery. Methods Retrospective analysis (2007–2014) of adolescent bariatric surgery using the Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database, a national database that collects bariatric surgical care data. We assessed the relationships between baseline characteristics and outcomes (weight loss and remission of obesity-related conditions [ORCs]). Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and U.S. census data, we calculated the ratio of severe obesity and bariatric procedures among races and determined the ratio of ratios to assess for disparities. Results About 1,539 adolescents underwent bariatric surgery. Males had higher preoperative body mass index (BMI; 51.8 ± 10.5 vs. 47.1 ± 8.7, p 2 ; whites, Hispanics, and others, respectively p Conclusions Preoperative characteristics vary according to race and sex. Race and sex do not impact 12-month weight loss or ORC's remission rates. Minority adolescents undergo bariatric surgery at lower-than-expected rates.
Phalangeal Osteotomy Procedures

During the period of modern medicine, there has been a multitude of procedures described to address hallux valgus deformity. Most commonly these procedures have been used to address deformity of the first metatarsal. It is generally accepted that deformity can also be intrinsic to the hallux, and if present correction must be done at this level as well. When hallux osteotomies were initially considered, they were felt to be a primary procedure. Due to less favorable outcomes when done as a primary procedure, these are now considered to be adjunctive. Like any type of corrective osseous procedure, there have been multiple variations described for osteotomy performance as well as fixation of the bone. The intent of this chapter will be to discuss the history of phalangeal osteotomies in correction of hallux valgus, indications, preoperative evaluation, technical performance of several variations, perioperative management, and discussion of current evidence.