cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of whole‐rock MnO content on the stability of garnet in pelitic schists during metamorphism

Garnet-bearing mineral assemblages are commonly observed in pelitic schists regionally metamorphosed to upper greenschist and amphibolite facies conditions. Modelling of thermodynamic data for minerals in the system Na2O–K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O, however, predicts that garnet should be observed only in rocks of a narrow range of very high Fe/Mg bulk compositions. Traditionally, the nearly ubiquitous presence of garnet in medium- to high-grade pelitic schists is attributed qualitatively to the stabilizing effect of MnO, based on the observed strong partitioning of MnO into garnet relative to other minerals. In order to quantify the dependence of garnet stability on whole-rock MnO content, we have calculated mineral stabilities for pelitic rocks in the system MnO–Na2O–K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O for a moderate range of MnO contents from a set of non-linear equations that specify mass balance and chemical equilibrium among minerals and fluid. The model pelitic system includes quartz, muscovite. albite, pyrophyllite, chlorite, chloritoid, biotite, garnet, staurolite, cordierite, andalusite, kyanite. sillimanite, K-feldspar and H2O fluid. In the MnO-free system, garnet is restricted to high Fe/Mg bulk compositions, and commonly observed mineral assemblages such as garnet–chlorite and garnet–kyanite are not predicted at any pressure and temperature. In bulk compositions with XMn= Mn/(Fe + Mg + Mn) > 0.01, however, the predicted garnet-bearing mineral assemblages are the same as the sequence of prograde mineral assemblages typically observed in regional metamorphic terranes. Temperatures predicted for the first appearance of garnet in model pelitic schist are also strongly dependent on whole-rock MnO content. The small MnO contents of normal pelitic schists (XMn= 0.01–0.04) are both sufficient and necessary to account for the observed stability of garnet.
Physician responses to a hospital policy allowing them to not offer cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether physicians followed a hospital policy permitting them to not offer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to patients considered unlikely to benefit from this therapy. DESIGN: Prospective series. SETTING: San Francisco General Hospital, a university-affiliated public hospital. PATIENTS: Attending physicians were interviewed about patients admitted over a period of 5 consecutive months for whom do-not resuscitate (DNR) orders were written. Only the first patient for whom each physician wrote a DNR order was included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Responses of physicians to questions regarding their initiation of DNR orders for these patients. RESULTS: Sixty-nine physicians responded to questions about DNR orders written for 69 patients. Fifty-seven of these physicians said that they were aware of the hospital policy, and 49 of the 57 physicians said that they generally agreed with it. Thirty-three physicians felt that CPR should be offered only to patients likely to benefit from it. In contrast, 36 physicians said that CPR should be offered to all patients, regardless of benefit. CPR was offered to 41 patients and 15 surrogates; 27 of these patients were considered to be unlikely to benefit from CPR. CONCLUSION: Despite a policy that allows them to do otherwise, physicians usually offered CPR to patients, regardless of benefit. Most physicians believed that CPR should be offered to all patients. These findings suggest that policies such as that of San Francisco General Hospital may not be compelling because physicians hold attitudes that are inconsistent with the policies.
Applying an empirical hydropathic forcefield in refinement may improve low-resolution protein X-ray crystal structures.

BACKGROUND The quality of X-ray crystallographic models for biomacromolecules refined from data obtained at high-resolution is assured by the data itself. However, at low-resolution, >3.0 A, additional information is supplied by a forcefield coupled with an associated refinement protocol. These resulting structures are often of lower quality and thus unsuitable for downstream activities like structure-based drug discovery. METHODOLOGY An X-ray crystallography refinement protocol that enhances standard methodology by incorporating energy terms from the HINT (Hydropathic INTeractions) empirical forcefield is described. This protocol was tested by refining synthetic low-resolution structural data derived from 25 diverse high-resolution structures, and referencing the resulting models to these structures. The models were also evaluated with global structural quality metrics, e.g., Ramachandran score and MolProbity clashscore. Three additional structures, for which only low-resolution data are available, were also re-refined with this methodology. RESULTS The enhanced refinement protocol is most beneficial for reflection data at resolutions of 3.0 A or worse. At the low-resolution limit, ≥4.0 A, the new protocol generated models with Cα positions that have RMSDs that are 0.18 A more similar to the reference high-resolution structure, Ramachandran scores improved by 13%, and clashscores improved by 51%, all in comparison to models generated with the standard refinement protocol. The hydropathic forcefield terms are at least as effective as Coulombic electrostatic terms in maintaining polar interaction networks, and significantly more effective in maintaining hydrophobic networks, as synthetic resolution is decremented. Even at resolutions ≥4.0 A, these latter networks are generally native-like, as measured with a hydropathic interactions scoring tool.
China’s economic reforms and growth prospects

Conventional wisdom attributes China’s rapid economic growth to its model of state capitalism, which combines direct state ownership of the commanding heights of the economy and indirect state control of the rest of the economy through industrial policies and the allocation of credit through state-owned banks. This article argues that China’s growth since 1978 is largely due to the result of the expanding role of markets and the rise of private business. If China systematically adopts the economic reform agenda endorsed by the Chinese Communist Party in the fall of 2013, it likely will avoid a sustained period of much slower growth that some have forecast.
Altered calcium signaling in colonic smooth muscle of type 1 diabetic mice

Seventy-six percent of diabetic patients develop gastrointestinal symptoms, such as constipation. However, the direct effects of diabetes on intestinal smooth muscle are poorly described. This study aimed to identify the role played by smooth muscle in mediating diabetes-induced colonic dysmotility. To induce type 1 diabetes, mice were injected intraperitoneally with low-dose streptozotocin once a day for 5 days. Animals developed hyperglycemia (>200 mg/dl) 1 wk after the last injection and were euthanized 7–8 wk after the last treatment. Computed tomography demonstrated decreased overall gastrointestinal motility in the diabetic mice. In vitro contractility of colonic smooth muscle rings from diabetic mice was also decreased. Fura-2 ratiometric Ca2+ imaging showed attenuated Ca2+ increases in response to KCl stimulation that were associated with decreased light chain phosphorylation in diabetic mice. The diabetic mice also exhibited elevated basal Ca2+ levels, increased myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 expression, and significant changes in expression of Ca2+ handling proteins, as determined by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting. Mice that were hyperglycemic for <1 wk also showed decreased colonic contractile responses that were associated with decreased Ca2+ increases in response to KCl stimulation, although without an elevation in basal Ca2+ levels or a significant change in the expression of Ca2+ signaling molecules. These data demonstrate that type 1 diabetes is associated with decreased depolarization-induced Ca2+ influx in colonic smooth muscle that leads to attenuated myosin light chain phosphorylation and impaired colonic contractility.
Relationships between physiological and fish population responses in a contaminated stream

Relationships between toxicant exposure, physiological effects, and population-level responses were investigated in redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus) from a stream receiving chronic inputs of mixed contaminants. Elevated levels of detoxification enzymes, which provided evidence of direct toxicant exposure, were associated with low lipid levels, histopathological damage, and reduced growth for fish at the upper three sites in the contaminated stream. Decreased fecundity, exhibited by fish at the upper site, might have been due to the reduced capacity of the liver to manufacture yolk proteins. Reduction in lipid pools due to metabolic drains might have decreased the amount of physiological useful energy needed for growth resulting in smaller age-specific sizes of fish at the upper three sites. This approach for investigating relationships between contaminant exposure, physiological effects, and population-level responses such as growth and size distributions could serve as a model for designing biomonitoring studies and for stimulating further research to improve our ability to evaluate the ecological significance of chronic contaminant stressors on aquatic ecosystems.
Up-regulation by human recombinant transforming growth factor β-1 of collagen production in cultured dermal fibroblasts is mediated by the inhibition of nitric oxide signaling

Abstract Background: Hypertrophic scarring remains the most disabling sequela for burn survivors. Little is known about its pathogenesis. Collagen accumulation, however, has been consistently observed in burn hypertrophic scars (HS). Study Design: We have studied collagen production in the dermal fibroblasts derived from HS, which has developed for 9 months to 2 years. Reconstructive surgery was performed to remove HS from which the fibroblasts were cultured. Similarly, the normal cells were grown from the patient's donor site (DS), which provided autografting to the HS site. Collagen production in HS and DS fibroblasts was compared and analyzed in minimal essential amino acid medium containing 5% fetal bovine serum with inclusion of L-ascorbic acid (100 μg/mL) and β-aminopropoinitrile (100 μg/mL) by monitoring a 20-h [ 3 H]proline incorporation into bacterial collagenase III-digestible protein in the conditioned media. Results: We failed to detect any significant difference in collagen production in vitro between HS and DS. Irrespective of the fibroblasts from HS or DS, collagen production was substantially stimulated by human recombinant transforming growth factor β-1 (TGF-β1) (20 ng/mL) by approximately 250% after a 3-day pretreatment. In contrast, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) at 100 μM exhibited significant suppression (68%), which was rescued by hemoglobin (10 μM). TGF-β1 significantly decreased nitric oxide (NO) production by 55%. In contrast, NO level drastically increased by 350% following SNP treatment. Epidermal growth factor showed no effect on either collagen production or NO level. The linear regression analysis shows a significant inverse correlation (r = 0.72; p Conclusions: The dermal fibroblasts derived from HS were not different from normals with respect to collagen production and their responses to regulations. The inhibition of collagen production was achieved by a cGMP-dependent NO action. TGFβ-1 inhibited NO/cGMP signaling to ensure its stimulatory effect on collagen production in the dermal fibroblasts.
The effect of bias on the advancement of working mothers: Disentangling legitimate concerns from inaccurate stereotypes as predictors of advancement in academe

Drawing from social role theory, it is theorized that stereotypes about working mothers will drive biased perceptions about their attitudes toward work and family that will partially account for the `maternal wall'. Survey responses from a sample of 166 junior faculty members with children and 93 of their senior colleagues suggested that parent gender influences superiors' ratings of junior faculty's work involvement, commitment, and flexibility. Moreover, after accounting for self-reports of these attitudes, senior colleagues' ratings partially explained the relationship between parent gender and advancement. Thus, this research provides evidence of maternal bias by demonstrating gender differences in perceptions of work—family attitudes that influence success.
Duty hours vs professional ethics ACGME rules create conflicts

In July 2003, the new duty hour requirements promulgated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) went into effect. Broadly stated, the rules limit residents to 80 hours a week and no more than 24 hours on call at a time. They provide a 6-hour window for transfer of patient care and didactic activities for residents who are post-call. In addition, residents must not take call more than every three days and must have one day in seven free from patient-care responsibilities. The purpose of the rules is to improve patient safety by ensuring that residents will be well-rested and less likely to make mistakes when taking care of patients. The impetus for change is the increase in the severity of illness in patients admitted to the hospital, the increased public attention to the issue of medical errors in general, and the subsequent threat of federal legislation.1 In addition, the ACGME points to sleep studies that link sleep deprivation to declines in cognitive functioning as another reason for implementing the new rules.1 The relative strengths and weaknesses of the rules in improving patient outcomes are debated in other essays.2 My purpose here is to evaluate the new rules in light of their …
Self-organizing network services with evolutionary adaptation

This paper proposes a novel framework for developing adaptive and scalable network services. In the proposed framework, a network service is implemented as a group of autonomous agents that interact in the network environment. Agents in the proposed framework are autonomous and capable of simple behaviors (e.g., replication, migration, and death). In this paper, an evolutionary adaptation mechanism is designed using genetic algorithms (GAs) for agents to evolve their behaviors and improve their fitness values (e.g., response time to a service request) to the environment. The proposed framework is evaluated through simulations, and the simulation results demonstrate the ability of autonomous agents to adapt to the network environment. The proposed framework may be suitable for disseminating network services in dynamic and large-scale networks where a large number of data and services need to be replicated, moved, and deleted in a decentralized manner.
Effect of increased vacuum and aspiration rates on phacoemulsification efficiency

Purpose To evaluate the effect of vacuum and aspiration rates on phacoemulsification efficiency. Setting John A. Moran Eye Center Laboratories, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Design Experimental study. Methods Formalin-soaked porcine lenses were divided into 2.0 mm cubes, and 0.9 mm 30-degree beveled 20-degree bent tips were used with micropulse ultrasound (US) (6 milliseconds on and 6 milliseconds off) and a peristaltic flow system. Vacuum levels were tested at 200, 300, 400, and 500 mm Hg, and aspiration rates were tested at 20, 35, and 50 mL/min. Efficiency (time to lens removal) and chatter (number of lens fragment repulsions from the tip) were determined. Results Increasing vacuum increased efficiency only when going from 200 mm Hg to higher vacuum levels. Increasing aspiration increased efficiency at all points measured (25 mL/min versus 35 mL/min, P P = .012; 25 mL/min versus 50 mL/min, P Conclusions Vacuum improved efficiency only up to 300 mm Hg and was more dependent on increasing flow. Similarly, chatter correlated with 200 mm Hg vacuum only and was more correlated with flow. Limitations of this study include use of only 1 US power modulation and hard nuclear material. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Breeding biology and incremental benefits of outcrossing for the restoration wildflower, Hedysarum boreale Nutt. (Fabaceae)

Northern sweetvetch (Hedysarum boreale Nutt.) is an herbaceous perennial legume of the Rocky Mountains, USA, whose seed is desired for rehabilitating degraded plant communities. Through experimental pollinations, the necessity of pollinators was shown by the failure of autogamy, despite stigmas first becoming receptive in the bud in close proximity to the dehiscing anthers. Nonetheless, the species proved to be self-fertile, initiating as many fruits through selfing as outcrossing. Incremental benefits of outcrossing only later manifested in superior fruit development, seed maturation and seed germination. Farming of H. boreale can yield abundant viable seed if adequately visited by pollinating bees.
Status Epilepticus in the PICU: Quieting the Storm

Status epilepticus (SE), defined by either a prolonged seizure or a prolonged period of recurrent seizures without a return to baseline in-between seizures, is a neurological emergency frequently encountered in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Pediatric SE, in addition to itself leading to PICU admission, occurs commonly in critically ill children. The clinical manifestations of SE are increasingly being recognized as presenting in a widely heterogeneous manner, particularly in the PICU. Subtler presentations can include altered mental status with or without suggestive motor movements. Thus, the initial fundamental task in managing pediatric SE is astute recognition and diagnosis, which often requires both clinical acumen and electroencephalography. This, in turn, allows for prompt management with concurrent evaluation and treatment. In this article, we will review the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of SE occurring in the setting of the PICU, with a focus on bringing the reader up-to-date on these topics.
To Lie or Not to Lie: To Whom and Under What Circumstances

This research examined adolescents' judgments about lying to circumvent directives from parents or friends in the moral, personal, and prudential domains. One hundred and twenty-eight adolescents (12.1-17.3 years) were presented with situations in which an adolescent avoids a directive through deception. The majority of adolescents judged some acts as acceptable, including deception regarding parental directives to engage in moral violations and to restrict personal activities. Other acts of deception were judged as unacceptable, including deception of parents regarding prudential acts, as well as deception of friends in each domain. In addition, lying to conceal a misdeed was negatively evaluated. Most adolescents thought that directives from parents and friends to engage in moral violations or to restrict personal acts were not legitimate, whereas parental directives concerning prudential acts were seen as legitimate. Results indicate that adolescents value honesty, but sometimes subordinate it to moral and personal concerns in relationships of inequality.
Sonographic determination of the thickness of the peritoneum in healthy children and paediatric patients on CAPD.

widely neglected. Only a few studies have been performed to assess the presence and expansion of pathoBackground. Prolonged peritoneal dialysis and frequent episodes of peritonitis lead to structural changes logical processes such as abdominal tumours [1], tuberculous [2] or meconium [3] peritonitis, and to and thickening of the peritoneum. Ultrasonography investigations may provide the opportunity to detect investigate anatomical structures such as ligaments or recessus [4,5]. The interest in morphology and function morphological changes early, but no systematic investigations have been performed yet. of the peritoneum has increased since chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) has become a routine Methods. Normal values of peritoneal thickness were obtained by systematically examining 131 healthy chil- procedure for the treatment of patients with terminal renal failure [6‐10]. The peritoneum has frequently dren (0‐15 years) by ultrasound. Parietal peritoneal thickness was best measured at the sternal‐umbical been studied by histological and histomorphometrical methods [11‐15] to understand the morphological and line distal from the xiphoid. Growth charts with 95% intervals were prepared.The data of 26 patients with physiological changes, but systematic ultrasound studies are missing. end-stage renal failure (5‐18 years) were compared to those of the normal children. The aim of this study was to determine whether ultrasonography of the peritoneum can be performed Results. The variation coeYcient for the consecutive measurements was only 5%, interobserver error was in a reliable and reproducible fashion. In addition, it was ascertained whether the thickness of the peritonapproximately 7%. Whereas gender did not have any influence, peritoneal thickness was significantly correl- eum depends on age, gender, and body size, and whether patients on CAPD and haemodialysis show ated to age, weight and most obviously to height (r= 0.81; P<0.001). Children treated only by haemodia- significant changes in the thickness of the peritoneum. lysis had normal values, while an increased thickness, loss of movement, and adhesion of the two peritoneal Subjects and methods layers were found in children on CAPD. These changes were only noted in patients who had a history of An equal distribution, concerning age, height, and weight, peritonitis. of 131 healthy children (70 girls and 61 boys) ranging from Conclusion. Ultrasound examination is a simple, non- 0 to 15 years were included in the study. Children with a invasive and precise method to measure the peritoneal history of surgery involving the peritoneum and children changes in children on CAPD. who complained about abdominal pain during the examination, or a few days before, were excluded from the study.
The discursive construction of ‘good parenting’ and digital media – the case of children’s virtual world games

This article investigates ways discourses which are present on the virtual world gaming websites and in popular press produce constructions of ‘good parents’ and ‘good websites’ for children, and i...
The Dismantling of Calliobothrium (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea) With Erection of Symcallio n. gen. and Description of Two New Species

Abstract: This paper aims to resolve the dual composition of the triakid shark–hosted tetraphyllidean genus Calliobothrium—an issue that has been recognized for over a decade. As it stands, this genus includes a number of large species with laciniate proglottids, most of which bear 3 suckers at the anterior margin of each bothridium, but it also includes a number of species that lack proglottid laciniations and bear only a single sucker per bothridium, most of which are relatively small. Discovery of 2 new species, 1 of each form, parasitizing the whitespot smoothhound shark, Mustelus palumbes, off South Africa, prompted the first molecular analysis of the genus. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses of 28S rDNA (D1–D3) sequence data generated for specimens of both new species as well as of 2 known species of the laciniate form (Calliobothrium australis and Calliobothrium cf. verticillatum) and 3 known species of the non-laciniate form (Calliobothrium violae, Calliobothrium riseri, and Calli...
Nitric oxide regulation of asthmatic airway inflammation with segmental allergen challenge.

Abstract Background: Despite evidence of increased nitric oxide (NO) in asthmatic compared with healthy individuals, the role of NO in airway inflammation is unclear. Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine the in vivo effects of localized allergen challenge on airway NO levels and transcription factor activation. Methods: In this study localized allergen challenge was used as a model of asthmatic exacerbation to determine the relationship of NO to airway inflammation. Results: With allergen challenge, asthmatic patients had a rise in airway NO levels, whereas NO levels in healthy controls did not change. The increased NO in asthma with allergen challenge compared with healthy control subjects was associated with an increase in inflammatory cytokines (GM-CSF and macrophage inflammatory protein-1) in epithelial lining fluid and eosinophilic infiltrate in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) and biopsy specimens. To investigate the mechanisms of cytokine gene expression, activation of the transcription factors activator protein-1 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in cells from BAL were evaluated. Activator protein-1 was not activated before or after local allergen challenge. In contrast, NF-κB activation was less in BAL cells from asthmatic patients with increased NO in comparison with controls. Conclusion: Our studies are the first to suggest an inverse correlation between NF-κB and airway NO in a localized segmental allergen challenge model in allergic asthmatic patients. The current study demonstrates that activation of the inflammatory response (eg, cytokines, cellular infiltrate) in allergic asthmatic patients is temporally associated with increased airway NO. We propose that NO that is up-regulated by cytokines is part of an autoregulatory feedback loop (ie, allergen challenge stimulates inflammatory cytokine production, which in turn stimulates NO production, and NO down-regulates cytokine production). (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;104:1174-82.)
Contribution of Bordetella bronchiseptica Filamentous Hemagglutinin and Pertactin to Respiratory Disease in Swine

Bordetella bronchiseptica is pervasive in swine populations and plays multiple roles in respiratory disease. Most studies addressing virulence factors of B. bronchiseptica are based on isolates derived from hosts other than pigs. Two well-studied virulence factors implicated in the adhesion process are filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and pertactin (PRN). We hypothesized that both FHA and PRN would serve critical roles in the adhesion process and be necessary for colonization of the swine respiratory tract. To investigate the role of FHA and PRN in Bordetella pathogenesis in swine, we constructed mutants containing an in-frame deletion of the FHA or the PRN structural gene in a virulent B. bronchiseptica swine isolate. Both mutants were compared to the wild-type swine isolate for their ability to colonize and cause disease in swine. Colonization of the FHA mutant was lower than that of the wild type at all respiratory tract sites and time points examined and caused limited to no disease. In contrast, the PRN mutant caused similar disease severity relative to the wild type; however, colonization of the PRN mutant was reduced relative to the wild type during early and late infection and induced higher anti-Bordetella antibody titers. Together, our results indicate that despite inducing different pathologies and antibody responses, both FHA and PRN are necessary for optimal colonization of the swine respiratory tract.
Bioinspired nanocarriers designed to enhance intracellular delivery of biotherapeutics

The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries have developed a wide variety of potential therapeutics based on the molecules of biology: DNA, RNA and proteins. While these therapeutics have tremendous potential, effectively formulating and delivering them has also been a widely recognized challenge. A variety of viruses and toxins have evolved multi-functional biopolymer complexes to solve this problem by directing uptake and enhancing biomolecular transport to the cytoplasm from the low pH endosomal compartment. Here, we have designed and synthesized bio-inspired, pH-responsive polymeric carriers that mimic the multifunctional design of biology. These nanocarriers target and direct cellular uptake, as well as enhance cytosolic delivery by disrupting endosomal membranes in pH-dependent fashion. We show that the encrypted polymeric carriers significantly enhance the delivery oligonucleotides and peptides to the cytoplasm of cultured hepatocytes and macrophages, demonstrating the potential of this approach to therapeutic and vaccine development.
Wandering Wombs and “Female Troubles”: The Hysterical Origins, Symptoms, and Treatments of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a common, chronic gynecological condition characterized by the presence of tissue that resembles the lining of the uterus located outside of the uterus. This displaced tissue resul...
Health screening of newly resettled refugees in a primary care setting

Since October 2008, the Medicine/Pediatrics Primary Care Center (MPPCC) has been working with Rhode Island's refugee resettlement agency to coordinate medial care for newly resettled adults and adolescent refugees. The process includes obtaining extensive screening labs and providing immunizations. This review discusses the results of selected screening tests for latent TB, stool parasites, vitamin D, and vaccine-preventable diseases, such as hepatitis, performed as part of the initial intake exam during the first two years of operation of the MPPCC Refugee Clinic.
Temperature Effect on Fiber Optical Sensors for Dry Cast Storage Health Monitoring

The increasing number, size, and complexity of nuclear facilities deployed worldwide are increasing the need to maintain readiness and develop innovative sensing materials to monitor important to safety structures (ITS). Assessing and supporting next generation nuclear materials management and safeguards for future U.S. fuel cycles with minimum human intervention is of paramount importance. Technologies for the diagnosis and prognosis of a nuclear system, such as dry cast storage system (DCSS), can improve verification of the health of the structure that can eventually reduce the likelihood of inadvertently failure of a component. In the past decades, an extensive sensor technology development has been used for structural health monitoring (SHM). Fiber optical sensors have emerged as one of the major SHM technologies developed particularly for temperature and strain measurements. However, the fiber optical sensors and sensing system has not been developed with adequate solutions and guideline for DCSS applications. This paper presents an experimental study of temperature effect on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. The reflective spectrum of FBG sensors on the structure was measured with a tunable laser source. The shift of FBG reflective spectrum reflected the thermal expansion on the structure. The shift of the spectrum due to the temperature effect was correlated to the temperature changes. In addition, the FBG sensing methodology including high frequency guided ultrasonic waves (GUW) under different temperatures were also performed to check the performance of high frequency, small strain sensing. The potential of FBG sensors for DCSS applications was explored. The paper ends with conclusions and suggestions for further work.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Homeostasis and its disruption in the lung microbiome

The disciplines of physiology and ecology are united by the shared centrality of the concept of homeostasis: the stability of a complex system via internal mechanisms of self-regulation, resilient ...
The role of spinal GABAergic circuits in the control of phrenic nerve motor output

While supraspinal mechanisms underlying respiratory pattern formation are well characterized, the contribution of spinal circuitry to the same remains poorly understood. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that intraspinal GABAergic circuits are involved in shaping phrenic motor output. To this end, we performed bilateral phrenic nerve recordings in anesthetized adult rats and observed neurogram changes in response to knocking down expression of both isoforms (65 and 67 kDa) of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65/67) using microinjections of anti-GAD65/67 short-interference RNA (siRNA) in the phrenic nucleus. The number of GAD65/67-positive cells was drastically reduced on the side of siRNA microinjections, especially in the lateral aspects of Rexed's laminae VII and IX in the ventral horn of cervical segment C4, but not contralateral to microinjections. We hypothesize that intraspinal GABAergic control of phrenic output is primarily phasic, but also plays an important role in tonic regulation of phrenic discharge. Also, we identified respiration-modulated GABAergic interneurons (both inspiratory and expiratory) located slightly dorsal to the phrenic nucleus. Our data provide the first direct evidence for the existence of intraspinal GABAergic circuits contributing to the formation of phrenic output. The physiological role of local intraspinal inhibition, independent of descending direct bulbospinal control, is discussed.
Triply Resonant Hyper-Raman Spectroscopy

The normally weak process of hyper-Raman scattering should be greatly enhanced when the excitation is both one- and two-photon resonant. This triply resonant process is explored both theoretically and experimentally for organic nonlinear chromophores.
Alcohol Modulation of the Postburn Hepatic Response

The widespread and rapidly increasing trend of binge drinking is accompanied by a concomitant rise in the prevalence of trauma patients under the influence of alcohol at the time of their injury. Epidemiological evidence suggests up to half of all adult burn patients are intoxicated at the time of admission, and the presence of alcohol is an independent risk factor for death in the early stages post burn. As the major site of alcohol metabolism and toxicity, the liver is a critical determinant of postburn outcome, and experimental evidence implies an injury threshold exists beyond which burn-induced hepatic derangement is observed. Alcohol may lower this threshold for postburn hepatic damage through a variety of mechanisms including modulation of extrahepatic events, alteration of the gut-liver axis, and changes in signaling pathways. The direct and indirect effects of alcohol may prime the liver for the second-hit of many overlapping physiologic responses to burn injury. In an effort to gain a deeper understanding of how alcohol potentiates postburn hepatic damage, the authors summarize possible mechanisms by which alcohol modulates the postburn hepatic response.
Attraction of Hylobius radicis and Pachylobius picivorus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to ethanol and turpentine in pitfall traps

Environ. Entomol. 18(3): 351-355 (1989) ABSTRACT Pitfall traps were used in field tests to evaluate the relative attractiveness of red pine, Pinus resinosa Aiton, volatiles, turpentine, ethanol, and combinations thereof to adult Hylobius radicis Buchanan and Pachylobius picivorus (Germar). Traps baited with a combination of ethanol and turpentine caught significantly more of both species of weevils than any other bait tested. Only overwintered H. radicis were attracted to the baits. The sex ratio for weevils captured in all traps was 9.1:1 females/males for H. radicis and 1.7:1 for P. picivorus. A significant relationship was observed between numbers of H. radicis captured in pitfall traps placed in plots of Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris L., and percentage incidence of foliar symptoms.
Probability of IV antibiotic retreatment within thirty days is associated with duration and location of IV antibiotic treatment for pulmonary exacerbation in cystic fibrosis

Background There are few objective data to guide management of cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary exacerbations. We studied intravenous (IV) antibiotic treatment failure as defined by a need to retreat patients with IV antibiotics within 30 days of completion of a prior IV antibiotic treatment for pulmonary exacerbation.
Research on the mode of company-agent government-investment projects

Agent construction system will cut the government's expenditure down and to increase investment's benefits.Based on the comparison of agent construction mode(ACM)and the self-construction mode(SCM)and combined with domestic and foreign re- search,this paper discusses the operation modes of agent-construction system from the viewpoints of promoting competition,nourishing agent-construction enterprises,setting up a supervisory and encouraging mechanism,and its connection with the government procure- ment system etc.A new agent construction mode is set up on the basis of it.
Nonparametric and Distribution-Free Methods

This chapter discusses nonparametric and distribution-free methods. The main advantage of nonparametric and distribution-free statistical tests is that they do not require the population(s) being sampled to be normally distributed, and therefore, are applicable when gross nonnormality is suspected. The primary disadvantage of these methods is that when normality does exist, they are less powerful than the corresponding parametric tests. The power efficiency of a nonparametric or distribution-free test is almost always less than 100%, and sometimes much less. Thus it is wasteful to use these methods when parametric tests are applicable. The rank-sum test finds out the difference between the locations of tw o independent samples. The Kruskal-Wallis H test figures out differences among the locations of two or more independent samples. The Wilcoxon test finds out the difference between the locations of two matched samples. The median and sign tests are used primarily to obtain a quick approximation of the results of more powerful tests when samples are large. The median test is used to compare the locations of two or more independent samples. The sign test is used to compare the locations of two or more matched samples.
A Novel Method to Correlate a Rocket Launcher Finite Element Model Using Experimental Modal Test Measurements and Identification Algorithms

The structural dynamics of a launcher system used to guide the initial trajectory of target test missiles is considered. Launcher induced body rates alter the trajectories of target vehicles at egress which can detrimentally affect the successful execution of flight test missions. As a result, flight mission analysts must have the capability to accurately reproduce the dynamic response of the launcher system to evaluate its effect on launch vehicle egress. Accurately reproducing this response requires a high fidelity finite element model that is correlated to modal survey test data. An experimental modal survey of a modified Nike-Hercules launch system is conducted and modal parameters are determined using conventional and output-only methodologies. A model correlation procedure is proposed and utilized that incorporates these experimentally determined modal parameters in conjunction with a set of correlation criteria to improve the accuracy of a high-fidelity launcher finite element model. After several iterations of the model correlation procedure, the model is able to accurately reproduce the dominant dynamic behaviors observed in the modal survey tests, especially at the key location of the launcher tip. This approach provides a basis for future launcher simulation and modeling efforts.
Photon steam engines

Modern society relies heavily on the conversion of heat into mechanical work. The first heat engines were responsible for the industrial revolution, but behind the scenes they were also fuelling the development of ther-modynamics. In 1824 Sadi Carnot's interest in improving the performance of steam engines led him to think about the efficiency of a heat engine in a new and fundamental way. He concluded that the maximum efficiency of a heat engine that absorbs heat from a reservoir at a given temperature, T2, and rejects heat to another reservoir at a lower temperature, T1, is ν=1T1/T2. In other words it is impossible to extract work from a single heat bath – a rule that we now know to be a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics.
Combining case-based and rule-based reasoning: a heuristic approach

In this paper we discuss a heuristically controlled approach to combining reasoning with cases and reasoning with rules. Our task is interpretation of under-defined terms that occur in legal statutes (like the Internal Revenue Code) where certain terms must be applied to particular cases even though their meanings are not defined by the statute and the statutory rules are unclear as to scope and meaning. We describe this problem, known as statutory interpretation, provide examples of it, describe the need for melding case-based and rule-based reasoning, and discuss heuristics used in guiding reasoning on such problems. We conclude with a discussion of our on-going work to model this mode of expert reasoning.
Family history of lung cancer in never smokers with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its association with tumors harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations.

7579 Background: Inherited susceptibility to lung cancer is an understudied subject, however it has been described among never smokers (<100 cigarettes/lifetime). Never smokers with NSCLC comprise an important subgroup of patients enriched for tumors harboring oncogene aberrations in the EGFR and ALK genes. We aimed to better characterize the incidence of family history of lung cancer in the setting of routine tumor genotyping among never smokers with NSCLC. Methods: Clinicopathologic data plus tumor genotype (EGFR, KRAS, ALK) from 230 consecutive never smokers seen at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute was compiled. We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of a family history of any cancer and lung cancer in these patients. Results: In our cohort, the average age was 56 years, 67% of the patients were women, 75% were white, 41% had advanced NSCLC and 87% had adenocarcinoma histology. In these tumors, 98/230 (43%) had an EGFR mutation, 16/155 (10%) had KRAS mutations an...
A simulated Annealing-based optimal design of STATCOM under unbalanced conditions and faults

This paper presents an approach for optimal design of Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) in electric power systems. The underlying optimization problem is to identify the STATCOM controller's parameters using the Simulated Annealing (SA) optimization technique. The performance of the proposed SA-based controller design is compared with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique and Genetic Algorithm (GA)-based STATCOM design under different operating conditions and faults. The optimal design of the controller with SA optimization approach provides an acceptable post-disturbance and post-fault performance to recover the system to its normal situation. The advantage of the proposed technique to enhance the voltage profile in steady state operation and under different possible disturbances is confirmed through the time-domain simulations with MATLAB/SIMULINK platform.
Fractional Differentiation: Leibniz Meets Hölder

We discuss how to estimate the fractional derivative of the product of two functions, not in the pointwise sense, but on Lebesgue spaces whose indices satisfy Holder’s inequality
Culture, Ethnicity, and Medicine

Culture is a part of who we are and how we manage our health and illnesses. During training, most physicians are confronted with people who represent cultures and values that are remarkably different from their own background.
Facilitating the Exploration of Open Health-Care Data Through BOAT: A Big Data Open Source Analytics Tool

Big Data Analytics is the use of advanced analytic techniques on very large data sets to discover hidden patterns and useful information. Many governments publicly release significant amounts of health data, including hospital ratings and patient outcomes. We propose applying Big Data Analytics to understand open health data. Ideally, citizens would use this data to choose hospitals or evaluate care options. There are major challenges, including merging data from disparate sources and applying interpretive analytics.
Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava: Incidence and Management in Patients Undergoing Repair of Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection:

Introduction:A association between partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection (PAPVC) and systemic venous anomalies has been described in the literature, but the true incidence is yet to be eluc...
A Hybrid Embedding Approach to Noisy Answer Passage Retrieval

Answer passage retrieval is an increasingly important information retrieval task as queries become more precise and mobile and audio interfaces more prevalent. In this task, the goal is to retrieve a contiguous series of sentences (a passage) that concisely addresses the information need expressed in the query. Recent work with deep learning has shown the efficacy of distributed text representations for retrieving sentences or tokens for question answering. However, determining the relevancy of answer passages remains a significant challenge, specifically when there exists a lexical and semantic gap between the text representation used for training and the collection’s vocabulary. In this paper, we demonstrate the flexibility of a character based approach on the task of answer passage retrieval, agnostic to the source of embeddings and with improved performance in P@1 and MRR metrics over a word based approach as the collections degrade in quality.
Delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI of Cartilage

Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) was first described in 1996 as a nondestructive technique for quantitative measurements of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) concentration in articular cartilage samples [1]. Its translation to clinical platforms as a means of interrogating the molecular aspects of cartilage was demonstrated in 1997 with illustrative examples of apparent molecular degeneration in cartilage that was grossly intact morphologically [2]. Since then, over 150 reports of dGEMRIC involving in vitro and clinical studies have been published. These reports demonstrate the potential for molecular imaging techniques to illustrate new paradigms in the understanding of cartilage disease. However, along with the expanded applications come questions regarding appropriate protocols, possible sources of measurement and interpretation errors, and insight into directions for future study. This chapter describes the theoretical basis of dGEMRIC, protocols, pitfalls, and opportunities, focusing on the clinical aspects. Further details can be found in several reviews [3–7].
Electrostatic Properties for Protein Functional Site Prediction

The development of computational tools for the prediction of protein function from the three-dimensional structure is a very important problem in the post-genomic era. To date there are over 9,900 structural genomics protein structures in the Protein Data Bank and most of these are of unknown or uncertain function. Methods for the identification of the residues in a protein structure that participate in the biochemical function provide key information about the function of the protein. We and others have developed computational methods for the prediction of functionally important residues in proteins. The focus of this chapter is on protein function at the atomic level, i.e. catalysis and recognition. Methods that utilize computed electrostatic properties, specifically THEMATICS and POOL, are described.
Salt Loading in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats Further Elevates Blood Pressure Despite Enhanced Release of Atrial Natriuretic Peptides and Exaggerated Natriuresis

It has been suggested but not established that atrial natriuretic peptides (ANP) may have a role in the mechanisms of hypertension and associated exaggerated natriuresis during volume expansion. The present investigation was undertaken to examine the influence of chronic salt loading on the circulating plasma levels of ANP in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and to study the concomitant changes in blood pressure as well as urinary excretion of sodium. Normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were studied as controls under the same protocol.