cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of CFAR processors in homogeneous background

Five different constant false alarm rate (CFAR) radar processing schemes are considered and their performances analyzed in homogeneous and nonhomogeneous backgrounds, the latter specifically being the multiple target environment and regions of clutter transitions. The average detection threshold for each of the CFAR schemes was computed to measure and compare the detection performance in homogeneous noise background. The exponential noise model was used for clear and clutter backgrounds to get closed-form expressions. The processor types compared are: the cell-averaging CFAR, the 'greatest of' CFAR, the 'smallest of' CFAR, the ordered-statistics CFAR, and a modified ordered-statistics processor called the trimmed-mean CFAR. >
p75 neurotrophin receptor regulates agonist-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction

A member of the TNF receptor family, the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) has been previously shown to play a role in the regulation of fibrin deposition in the lung. However, the role of p75NTR in the regulation of pulmonary vascular tone in the lung is unknown. In the present study, we evaluated the expression of p75NTR in mouse pulmonary arteries and the putative role of p75NTR in modulating pulmonary vascular tone and agonist responsiveness using wild-type (WT) and p75NTR knockout (p75−/−) mice. Our data indicated that p75NTR is expressed in both smooth muscle and endothelial cells within the pulmonary vascular wall in WT mice. Pulmonary artery rings from p75−/− mice exhibited significantly elevated active tension due to endothelin-1-mediated Ca2+ influx. Furthermore, the contraction due to capacitative Ca2+ entry (CCE) in response to phenylephrine-mediated active depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores was significantly enhanced compared with WT rings. The contraction due to CCE induced by passive store depletion, however, was comparable between WT and p75−/− rings. Active tension induced by serotonin, U-46619 (a thromboxane A2 analog), thrombin, 4-aminopyridine (a K+ channel blocker), and high extracellular K+ in p75−/− rings was similar to that in WT rings. Deletion of p75NTR did not alter pulmonary vasodilation to sodium nitroprusside (a nitric oxide donor). These data suggest that intact p75NTR signaling may play a role in modulating pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by endothelin-1 and by active store depletion.
Disrupted Sleep the Night Before Breast Surgery Is Associated with Increased Postoperative Pain

Abstract Despite the best available clinical care, pain after surgery is a virtually universal patient experience that can have pervasive negative consequences. Given the large variability among patients in postoperative pain levels, research on novel modifiable risk factors is needed. One such factor suggested by recent experimental studies indicates that disruption of even a single night's sleep can increase subsequent pain in healthy volunteers. In this preliminary clinical study, we tested the hypothesis that poor sleep the night before surgery would predict heightened postoperative pain. Patients (n=24) scheduled for routine breast-conserving surgical procedures for the diagnosis or treatment of cancer were recruited and wore an actigraphy device providing objective, validated measures of sleep duration and disruption (low sleep efficiency). Pain severity and interference with daily activities for the week after surgery was assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory. As hypothesized, multiple regression analyses revealed that lower sleep efficiency was a significant predictor of greater pain severity and interference, controlling for age, race, and perioperative analgesics as appropriate. Sleep efficiency was not significantly related to measures of depressed mood, emotional upset, or relaxation assessed on the morning of surgery. Patients with sleep efficiency in the lowest tertile had clinically higher levels of pain (>2 points) compared with patients in the highest sleep efficiency tertile. Sleep duration had no significant effects. This preliminary clinical study supports the possibility that sleep disruption on the night before surgery may increase patients' experience of pain after surgery. Research to investigate the mechanisms underlying these effects and to explore the possible clinical benefits of interventions to improve patients' sleep before surgery is now warranted.
Peptides in Seminal Fluid and Their Role in Infertility: A Potential Role for Opiorphin Inhibition of Neutral Endopeptidase Activity as a Clinically Relevant Modulator of Sperm Motility: A Review

Infertility is a devastating medical condition that adversely affects emotional health and well-being of couples who desire pregnancy and parenthood. The overall demographic data suggest that the indication for more than one-third of assisted reproductive technology cycles performed in the United States includes male factor infertility. There is increasing recognition of the role that peptides present in seminal plasma have in determining sperm motility. Several recent studies suggest that peptidases, such as neutral endopeptidase (NEP) and aminopeptidase N (APN), impose significant adverse effects on sperm motility. Interestingly, several recent studies demonstrate that there is an endogenous NEP/APN inhibitor peptide called opiorphin in human seminal plasma. Our pilot studies suggest opiorphin promotes sperm motility and may positively influence sperm motility parameters in some cases of males infertility characterized by asthenozoospermia.
Effect of observer poles on step responses

State feedback using an observer is a technique for placing the poles of a linear system at desired locations. An application of such technique is to stabilize an unstable system by placing the new system poles in the left half plane. When the desired system poles are achieved by using observer state feedback, the step response parameters such as peak time, settling time, and percent overshoot are no longer controlled by the desired dominant system poles. The observer poles can change these parameters. This paper intends to elucidate this effect through computer simulations. A set of experiments were conducted with observer poles gradually farther away from the desired system poles. With the observer poles being pushed deeper into the left half plane, the observer states can track the system state faster. It is expected that the step response parameters will be closer to those dictated by the dominant poles. But such improvement was only minimally observed in the simulation results.
The effects of future urban development on habitat fragmentation in the Santa Monica Mountains

A site suitability model of urban development was created for the Santa Monica Mountains in southern California, USA, to project to what degree future development might fragment the natural habitat. The purpose was to help prioritize land acquisition for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and examine to what extent projected urban development would affect distinct vegetation classes. The model included both environmental constraints (slope angle), and spatial factors related to urban planning (proximity to roads and existing development, proposed development, and areas zoned for development). It implemented a stochastic component; areas projected to have high development potential in the suitability model were randomly selected for development. Ownership tracts were used as the spatial unit of development in order to give the model spatial realism and not arbitrarily `develop' grid cells. Using different assumptions and parameters, the model projected the pattern of development from ∼5 to ∼25 years hence (based on recent development rates in the area). While <25% of the remaining natural landscape is removed under these scenarios, up to 30% of core (interior) habitat area is lost and edge length between natural vegetation and development increases as much as 45%. Measures of landscape shape complexity increased with area developed and number of patches of natural habitat increased four- to nine-fold, depending upon model parameters. This increase in fragmentation occurs because of the existing patterns of land ownership, where private (`developable') land is interspersed with preserved park lands.
Substituent Effects in CH Hydrogen Bond Interactions: Linear Free Energy Relationships and Influence of Anions.

Aryl CH hydrogen bonds (HBs) are now commonly recognized as important factors in a number of fields, including molecular biology, stereoselective catalysis, and anion supramolecular chemistry. As the utility of CH HBs has grown, so to has the need to understand the structure–activity relationship for tuning both their strength and selectivity. Although there has been significant computational effort in this area, an experimental study of the substituent effects on CH HBs has not been previously undertaken. Herein we disclose a systematic study of a single CH HB by using traditional urea donors as directing groups in a supramolecular binding cavity. Experimentally determined association constants are examined by a combination of computational (electrostatic potential) and empirical (σm and σp) values for substituent effects. The dominance of electrostatic parameters, as observed in a computational DFT study, is consistent with current CH HB theory; however, a novel anion dependence of the substituent effec...
Unbiased Monte Carlo for optimization and functions of expectations via multi-level randomization

We present general principles for the design and analysis of unbiased Monte Carlo estimators for quantities such as α = g (E (X)), where E (X) denotes the expectation of a (possibly multidimensional) random variable X, and g (·) is a given deterministic function. Our estimators possess finite work-normalized variance under mild regularity conditions such as local twice differentiability of g (·) and suitable growth and finite-moment assumptions. We apply our estimator to various settings of interest, such as optimal value estimation in the context of Sample Average Approximations, and unbiased steady-state simulation of regenerative processes. Other applications include unbiased estimators for particle filters and conditional expectations.
Novel Acellular Scaffold Made from Decellularized Schwann Cell Sheets for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Extracellular matrix surrounding Schwann cells and neurons provides critical determinants of cellular phenotype during development as well as essential cues in stimulating and guiding regrowth. Using cell sheet technology, we developed a novel scaffold enriched with native extracellular matrix from Schwann cells. Schwann cells were grown into sheets and layered onto polycaprolactone fibers for support. Upon decellularization of these constructs, extracellular matrix remained with few traces of nucleic acids. This method of deposition of extracellular matrix provided more protein than traditional seeding method after decellularization. Additionally, the isolated matrix supported proliferation of Schwann cells better than covalently bound laminin. The proliferation and differentiation of Schwann cells grown on decellularized sheets were complemented by upregulation of Erbb2 and myelin protein zero. Laminin expression of β1 and γ1 chains was also elevated. PC12 cells grown on decellularized sheets produced longer neurite extensions than aligned polycaprolactone fibers alone, proving potential of these scaffolds to be used in future peripheral nerve regenerative studies. Peripheral nerve injuries present a serious clinical need with approximately 50 % of surgical cases achieving only some restoration of function. In order to better guide regenerating nerves, supporting cells of the nerve tissue were grown into sheets and subsequently decellularized, leaving a myriad of surrounding protein as a scaffold. Constructs have been shown to support cell growth and neurite extension in vitro. Future projects will combine various cell types present in the nerve tissue as well as stem cells to fully support and reconstruct architecture of the peripheral nerves.
Abstract 56: Shifting AAV Mediated Expression Profile to Heart by an Integrated Transcriptional Targeting Strategy

Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors are promising platforms for cardiac gene transport, but their broad tropism is a drawback after systematic delivery. To divert gene expression of AAV6 or 9 to heart, an integrated transcriptional targeting strategy was explored. By comparing cardiac GFP expression of scAAV6 and 9-CMV-GFP in C57/B6 or Balb/C mice, a heart-bias in C57/B6 and liver bias in Balb/C was seen. This makes the native liver biased tropism of AAV6 or 9 in Balb/C mice more suitable for the transcriptional targeting study. Luciferase (Luc) gene expression driven by cardiac specific promoters; brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), cardiac ankyrin repeat kinase (CARK), myoglobin (Myo), alpha cardiac actin (a-CARD), Troponin I (Tni), and Troponin T (Tnt), were compared to CMV promoter post retro orbital injection of 2.5x1010 viral particles of AAV6 or 9. In contrast to the previously reported heart biased signal seen in C57/B6 mice, signal was observed mainly in the liver of Balb/C mice. In vitro Luc activity, mRNA abundance and viral genomes (VG) assays were performed in liver and heart samples. Surprisingly, ∼10 folds higher Luc activity and RNA abundance in heart were observed for Tnt, Tni and a-CARD promoters than CMV promoter post AAV9 delivery, while a reduction of 100 fold was observed in liver. Copy number assay revealed six fold higher VG in liver than in heart for all promoters used including CMV. This indicates Tnt, Tni and a-CARD promoters have strong heart biased activity, without a tropism change as determined by VG copy numbers. To further develop the transcriptional targeting strategy three copies of mir122 binding site were inserted into the 39UTR of AAV9-CMV-Luc and Balb/C mice were injected with 5x1010 viral particles. This resulted in ∼30 fold less Luc activity when compared to AAV9 without mir122 binding sites, with no change in VG copy number. In conclusion, in a mouse strain biased for liver expression after systemic delivery, transcriptional targeting to heart can be accomplished by using strong cardiac biased promoter integrated with mir122 binding sites in the 3’UTR.
All solution-processed lead halide perovskite-BiVO4 tandem assembly for photolytic solar fuels production

The quest for economic, large-scale hydrogen production has motivated the search for new materials and device designs capable of splitting water using only energy from the sun. Here we introduce an all solution-processed tandem water splitting assembly composed of a BiVO4 photoanode and a single-junction CH3NH3PbI3 hybrid perovskite solar cell. This unique configuration allows efficient solar photon management, with the metal oxide photoanode selectively harvesting high energy visible photons, and the underlying perovskite solar cell capturing lower energy visible-near IR wavelengths in a single-pass excitation. Operating without external bias under standard AM 1.5G illumination, the photoanode–photovoltaic architecture, in conjunction with an earth-abundant cobalt phosphate catalyst, exhibits a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 2.5% at neutral pH. The design of low-cost tandem water splitting assemblies employing single-junction hybrid perovskite materials establishes a potentially promising new...
Role for PKC in the adenosine-induced decrease in shortening velocity of rat ventricular myocytes.

We previously demonstrated that both adenosine receptor activation and direct activation of protein kinase C (PKC) decrease unloaded shortening velocity (V max) of rat ventricular myocytes. The goal of this study was to further investigate a possible link among adenosine receptors, phosphoinositide-PKC signaling, andV max in rat ventricular myocytes. We determined that the adenosine receptor agonistR-phenylisopropyladenosine (R-PIA, 100 μM) and the α-adrenergic receptor agonist phenylephrine (Phe, 10 μM) increased turnover of inositol phosphates. PKC translocation from the cytosol to the sarcolemma was used as an indicator of PKC activation. Western blot analysis demonstrated an increased PKC-ɛ translocation after exposure to R-PIA, Phe, and the PKC activators dioctanoylglycerol (50 μM) and phorbol myristate acetate (1 μM). PKC-α, PKC-δ, and PKC-ζ did not translocate to the membrane afterR-PIA exposure. Finally, PKC inhibitors blockedR-PIA-induced decreases in V max as well as Ca2+-dependent actomyosin AT...
Cholesteatoma of the Renal Pelvis: Endoscopic Management

We report 2 cases of renal cholesteatoma, 1 of which was associated with inactive renal tuberculosis and the other with urinary stone disease. Both cases were managed by endourological techniques. The diagnosis of cholesteatoma was suspected at ureteroscopic examination of the renal pelvis and it was confirmed by histological examination of biopsy material in both cases. Treatment consisted of endoscopic extraction of the keratinous debris from the collecting system. In 1 case this was achieved with the ureteroscope and in the other case the nephroscope was used.
Are the cohesive zone models necessary for delamination analysis

Abstract We develop a dual-purpose damage model (DPDM) that can simultaneously model intralayer damage (ply failure) and interlayer damage (delamination) as an alternative to conventional practices that models ply failure by continuum damage mechanics (CDM) and delamination by cohesive elements. From purely computational point of view, if successful, the proposed approach will significantly reduce computational cost by eliminating the need for having double nodes at ply interfaces. At the core, DPDM is based on the regularized continuum damage mechanics approach with vectorial representation of damage and ellipsoidal damage surface. Shear correction factors are introduced to match the mixed mode fracture toughness of an analytical cohesive zone model. A predictor–corrector local–nonlocal regularization scheme, which treats intralayer portion of damage as nonlocal and interlayer damage as local, is developed and verified. Two variants of the DPDM are studied: a single- and two-scale DPDM. For the two-scale DPDM, reduced-order-homogenization (ROH) framework is employed with matrix phase modeled by the DPDP while the inclusion phase modeled by the CDM. The proposed DPDM is verified on several multi-layer laminates with various ply orientations including double-cantilever beam (DCB), end-notch-flexure (ENF), mixed-mode-bending (MMB), and three-point-bending (TPB).
The importance of a good handshake.

![Figure][1] Everyone should know how to give a proper handshake, but my experience at countless meetings, interviews, and networking events has proven that many do not. It is never too late to learn this simple but important skill. ...those who scored highly with the handshake raters were
The importance of recurrent reproductive events for Ruppia maritima seed bank viability in a highly variable estuary

Abstract Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) that recruits from seed may be favored over species that maintain populations through clonal reproduction as estuaries become more dynamic under upstream hydrologic changes and sea level rise. We examined recruitment in an SAV species Ruppia maritima (wigeongrass) at the hydrologically variable Everglades-Florida Bay ecotone. We hypothesized that the R. maritima seed bank depends upon large reproductive events occurring at least annually. Vegetation biomass, nutrient allocation, sexual reproduction, seed set and sediment seed bank viability were examined when reproductive meadows were present and following senescence. Within a meadow, total seed bank densities were high (>20,000 m−2). However, 85% of seeds had germinated, leaving a small persistent seed bank, and most germinations did not successfully produce seedlings. Only 25% of intact (potentially viable) seeds were viable (
Life in Fāṭimid Egypt

Egypy was the only land of the once far-flung Fāṭimid domain where the successors of ‘Ubaydullāh al-Mandi impressed the stamp of their cultural characteristics. The precarious relationship that held the several provinces of north-western Africa and Western Asia to Cairo militated against the possibility of leaving in those regions peculiarly Fāṭimid traces. In the cultural history of Egypt the Fāṭimid together with the preceding Ikhshidid and Ṭūlūnid periods may be described as the Arabo-Persian era as distinct from the Perso-Turkish, which covered the Ayyūbid and Mamlūk periods. The pre-Ṭūlūnid period may be described as purely Arabic. The Ayyttbid dynasty, which supplanted the Fāṭimid, introduced to Africa the spirit and culture of the great Saljūq empire, noticeable in its art and industry and its political and intellectual movements. Under the Fāṭimids, however, it is the influence of Persian culture that is paramount. But the backbone of the populace throughout medieval and modern history was composed of Arabicized Copts. This populace remained under the ultra-Shi‘ite regime Sunnite at core, as can be inferred from the facility with which Ṣalāḥ-al-Dīn restored official orthodoxy.
Buckling of Shallow Arches

The exact solution to the nonlinear problem of the buckling of a shallow, circular arch subjected to a uniform pressure or a concentrated load is given. In addition an explicit bifurcated equilibrium path is presented. The buckling loads, according to several criteria, are found and their range of validity is investigated in detail. It is shown that even if the smallest buckling load is associated with an asymmetric bifurcation this alone is not a sufficient condition for the asymmetric buckling criterion to govern the problem.
Insight into the Unexpectedly Rapid Degradation of Dihydroxyacetone‐Based Hydrogels

Biodegradable hydrogels are an important class of biomaterials with a diverse range of applications. In some cases, a rapid hydrogel degradation rate is advantageous. Polycarbonate hydrogels based on dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a natural metabolite, have been reported to undergo surprisingly fast hydrolytic degradation. In the present work, insight into the key features of DHA that contribute to the observed degradation rates is gained. In vitro degradation (mass loss) of three different chemically cross-linked polycarbonate hydrogels is investigated to shed light on the role of the ketone functional group, as well as the carbon-chain length between the ketone and carbonate bonds. The ketone is found to be the major cause of rapid degradation. Also, mass loss is accelerated by increased temperature and pH, offering insight into potential tuning parameters and storage conditions. The results show that DHA is a promising monomeric unit for the design of rapidly degrading, biocompatible, and functional biomaterials.
Modeling the Impact of Silicon Photonics on Graph Analytics

Silicon photonics is an emerging technology that delivers higher ratios of bandwidth to power than today's electrical interconnects. This paper explores whether graph-based analytics, increasingly important for high performance computing, can benefit from photonics' energy-efficient bandwidth. We select two contrasting photonically-enhanced systems projected for 2020. We sketch optical and electrical interconnect variants at different points along similar performance-to-power curves. We model applications and graphs that exhibit four distinct workload characteristics: compute- bound, bandwidth-bound all-to-alls, bandwidth-bound neighbor exchange, and latency-bound. We present quantitative results that project execution time and energy on large graphs (1 trillion edges). Our results show that for these workloads, interconnects with efficient optical interconnects can be over-provisioned if their bandwidth is too high. However, interconnects with similar efficiency but lower power present an opportunity for energy savings. We also show that even though optical interconnects do not improve on electrical link latencies, they can substantially increase the performance of latency-bound applications.
In vivo gene expression : Contributions to infection, virulence, and pathogenesis

Pathogenic bacteria are distinguished by their ability to proliferate within host cells or fluids that are forbidden to commensal species. Viewed from this perspective, bacterial products that lead to enhanced growth and persistence at these sites are key attributes that determine a microbe’s pathogenic potential (Falkow 1996; Heithoff et al. 1997). Many virulence determinants that contribute to this unique ability share a common phenotype, i.e., induction in host tissues. In this review, we will describe two complementary genetic strategies developed in Salmonella typhimurium that allow the isolation of bacterial genes induced or required during infection. The identification of such genes and the products they encode provides a means to understand their contributions to infection, virulence, and pathogenesis.
Impact of non-menthol flavours in tobacco products on perceptions and use among youth, young adults and adults: a systematic review.

Objective This systematic review examines the impact of non-menthol flavours in tobacco products on tobacco use perceptions and behaviours among youth, young adults and adults. Data sources English-language peer-reviewed publications indexed in 4 databases were searched through April 2016. Study selection A search strategy was developed related to tobacco products and flavours. Of 1688 articles identified, we excluded articles that were not English-language, were not peer-reviewed, were qualitative, assessed menthol-flavoured tobacco products only and did not contain original data on outcomes that assessed the impact of flavours in tobacco products on perceptions and use behaviour. Data extraction Outcome measures were identified and tabulated. 2 researchers extracted the data independently and used a validated quality assessment tool to assess study quality. Data synthesis 40 studies met the inclusion criteria. Data showed that tobacco product packaging with flavour descriptors tended to be rated as more appealing and as less harmful by tobacco users and non-users. Many tobacco product users, especially adolescents, reported experimenting, initiating and continuing to use flavoured products because of the taste and variety of the flavours. Users of many flavoured tobacco products also showed decreased likelihood of intentions to quit compared with non-flavoured tobacco product users. Conclusions Flavours in most tobacco products appear to play a key role in how users and non-users, especially youth, perceive, initiate, progress and continue using tobacco products. Banning non-menthol flavours from tobacco products may ultimately protect public health by reducing tobacco use, particularly among youth.
Optical Properties and Structural Relationships of the Silver Nanoclusters Ag32(SG)19 and Ag15(SG)11

The recent discovery of stable Ag nanoclusters presents new opportunities to understand the detailed electronic and optical properties of the metal core and the ligands using ultrafast spectroscopy. This paper focuses on Ag32 and Ag15 (with thiolate ligands), which are stable in solution. The steady state absorption spectra of Ag nanoclusters show interesting quantum size effects, expected for this size regime. Using a simple structural model for Ag32, TDDFT calculations show absorption at 480 nm and 680 nm that are in reasonable correspondence with experiments. Ag32(SG)19 and Ag15(SG)11 have quantum yields up to 2 orders of magnitude higher than Au nanoclusters of similar sizes, with an emission maximum at 650 nm, identified as the metal–ligand state. The emission from both Ag nanoclusters has a common lifetime of about 130 ps and a common energy transfer rate of KEET ≥ 9.7 × 109 s–1. A “dark state” competing with the emission process was also observed and was found to be directly related to the differen...
Brain extracellular matrix and nerve regeneration.

Over the past five years, we have made some progress in our studies on the composition of brain extracellular matrix. As in previous work on GFA protein, a major component of glial scars, the motivation for these studies was to find out why axons do not regenerate in mammalian CNS. In fact, we started doing research on brain extracellular matrix because the experimental evidence suggested that the glial scar per se, could not explain the riddle of CNS regeneration (Bignami et al., 1986).
Texas Bull Nettle (Cnidoscolus texanus) Exposures Reported to Texas Poison Centers.

Objective Texas bull nettle ( Cnidoscolus texanus ) is covered in bristly hairs similar to stinging nettle. Contact with the plant may result in intense dermal pain, burning, itching, cellulitis, and allergic reaction. This study characterizes C texanus exposures reported to a large state-wide poison center system. Methods Cases were C texanus exposures reported to Texas poison centers during 2000−2015. The distribution of cases was determined for patient demographics, exposure circumstances, and patient outcome. Results A total of 140 C texanus exposures were identified. Twenty percent of the patients were aged ≤5 years, 21% were 6 to 12 years, 5% were 13 to 19 years, and 51% were ≥20years; and 51% of the patients were male. Eighty-one percent of the exposures occurred at the patient's own residence, 11% in a public area, 2% at another residence, and 1% at school. Seventy-eight percent of the patients were managed on site, 13% were already at or en route to a health care facility, and 6% were referred to a health care facility. Eighty-eight percent of the exposures resulted in dermal effects: irritation or pain (56%), erythema or flushing (31%), edema (27%), pruritus (24%), rash (19%), puncture or wound (19%), and hives or welts (11%). Conclusions C texanus exposures reported to Texas poison centers were most likely to be unintentional and occur at the patient's own residence. The outcomes of the exposures tended not to be serious and could be managed successfully outside of health care facilities.
An efficient fully-implicit multislope MUSCL method for multiphase flow with gravity in discrete fractured media

Abstract The first-order methods commonly employed in reservoir simulation for computing the convective fluxes introduce excessive numerical diffusion leading to severe smoothing of displacement fronts. We present a fully-implicit cell-centered finite-volume (CCFV) framework that can achieve second-order spatial accuracy on smooth solutions, while at the same time maintain robustness and nonlinear convergence performance. A novel multislope MUSCL method is proposed to construct the required values at edge centroids in a straightforward and effective way by taking advantage of the triangular mesh geometry. In contrast to the monoslope methods in which a unique limited gradient is used, the multislope concept constructs specific scalar slopes for the interpolations on each edge of a given element. Through the edge centroids, the numerical diffusion caused by mesh skewness is reduced, and optimal second order accuracy can be achieved. Moreover, an improved smooth flux-limiter is introduced to ensure monotonicity on non-uniform meshes. The flux-limiter provides high accuracy without degrading nonlinear convergence performance. The CCFV framework is adapted to accommodate a lower-dimensional discrete fracture-matrix (DFM) model. Several numerical tests with discrete fractured system are carried out to demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the numerical model.
Role of serum urate in neurocognitive function and dementia: new evidence contradicts old thinking.

In ARD, Latourte et al used the data from a community-based prospective French cohort study of healthy 4931 elderly people 65 years or older, examined at six clinical visits (including cognitive examinations) over 12 years, and analysed 1598 participants with a baseline serum urate level (serum uric acid (sUA)), no diagnosis of dementia, a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of >24 and at least one follow-up visit.1 Dementia was diagnosed in a 3-step process, screening using the MMSE and the Isaacs Set Test by trained psychologists, additional neuropsychological testing by a physician, and adjudication based on criteria by an independent committee of neurologists. Dementia developed in 110 subjects during the 13 357 person years of follow-up. Multivariable-adjusted HR with the highest (≥5.8 mg/dL in men, ≥4.9 mg/dL in women) versus the lowest sUA quartile (≤4.37 and ≤3.51 mg/dL, respectively) was 1.79 for incident dementia (95% CI 1.17 to 2.73; p=0.007). A strong association was seen with vascular or mixed dementia (HR=3.66 (95% CI 1.29 to 10.41), p=0.015), and no significant association was noted with Alzheimer’s disease (HR=1.55 (95% CI 0.91 to 2.61), p=0.10). Several important aspects of this study need to be carefully considered while interpreting findings: (1) patients on urate-lowering therapies (ULTs) were excluded; (2) there was no significant association between sUA levels and MRI markers of cerebrovascular disease or hippocampal volume; and (3) the association between sUA and vascular or mixed dementia was no longer significant, when adjusted for interim strokes. The authors carefully noted that these findings were not generalisable to hyperuricaemia or gout cohorts or to those younger than 65 years. When one examines other studies in this area, the evidence is contradictory. Some studies showed that hyperuricaemia was associated with a lower risk of dementia,2–4 while other studies showed an opposite effect.5–10 A major limitation is that most of these studies providing the evidence …
Scar burden, not intraventricular conduction delay pattern, is associated with outcomes in ischemic cardiomyopathy patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Background Patients with nonspecific intraventricular conduction delay (IVCD) benefit less from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) than patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB). Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether post-CRT outcome differences in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) relate to intrinsic QRS pattern and/or scar burden. Methods We analyzed 393 consecutive ICM patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35%, QRS duration >120 ms, and LBBB or nonspecific IVCD who underwent single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging and CRT-defibrillator implant. We compared scar burden; QRS duration; LVEF change; risk of death, transplant, or ventricular assist device; and risk of appropriate device shocks between LBBB and IVCD patients, using multivariable analyses to determine relative associations between QRS pattern vs scar burden and outcomes. Results Nonspecific IVCD is associated with greater scar burden and narrower baseline QRS duration than LBBB. IVCD patients demonstrated less QRS narrowing with CRT than LBBB patients, even when excluding IVCD patients with QRS duration Conclusion IVCD is associated with greater scar burden than LBBB in ICM CRT-defibrillator recipients. Scar burden, not QRS pattern, is independently associated with adverse clinical outcomes.
Pharmacoeconomics: Principles and Basic Techniques of Economic Analysis

Economic analysis of health care, and of clinical medicine in particular, has attracted increasing attention in recent years. In part, this may reflect a growing perception that health care spending is reaching inordinate levels. Most people would agree with the view that investments in maintaining, promoting, or restoring health care are well spent. However, finite health care resources confront potentially limitless demands and, at some point, choices must be made. Economic analysis informs the process of making such choices, both among different health care technologies and between health care and other forms of investment and consumption.
Functionally Graded Materials in Engineering

Functionally graded materials (FGM) are composite materials formed of two or more constituent phases with a continuously variable distribution. The variations in the phase distribution may be reflected in their volume or weight fraction, orientation, and shape. In the majority of studies of FGM in engineering, the authors aim to achieve their goals with only one of these factors, the volume fraction being a typical variable. The variation of the phase volume fractions may be exclusively through the thickness of the structure and/or in any other direction, such as in-surface coordinates of a plate or shell.
Chinese Special Needs Adoption, Demand, and the Global Politics of Disability

This article explores three related phenomena: first, the abandonment and institutionalization of children with disabilities in China that increased disproportionately in the 2000s; second, the important relationships between such abandonments, culture, economics, and politics in contemporary China; and third, the relationship between such abandonments, the increasing rates at which Chinese orphans with disabilities are being adopted to Western countries through Inter-country Adoption (ICA), and the global politics of ICA and disability. Although the rise in the proportion of ICA from China of "children with special needs" is widely acknowledged, the reasons for the recent increase in abandonments of children with disabilities have been largely analyzed from the perspective of Chinese cultural views regarding disability (Holroyd 2003; Qian 2014), market economics (Wang 2016), the lack of Chinese government support for services for families (Shang 2008), as well as government coercion (Johnson 2016), thus, relatively divorced from the demand side of ICA. However, this article highlights the relationship between the disproportionate abandonment of children with disabilities in China and their increasing rate of ICA from China, arguing that discrimination toward persons with disabilities, or ableism, is not merely operative in abandonments of Chinese children with disabilities, but also embedded in the global politics of ICA.
Essential Medicines: Why International Price Discrimination May Increasingly Be the Wrong Solution to a Global Drug Problem

The theoretical appeal of international pharmaceutical price discrimination derives from its ability to place essential medicines within reach of patients in low-income countries, while simultaneously allowing industry to recoup its significant research and development costs by selling the same drugs at much higher prices in high-income countries. Unfortunately, there are a number of challenges to the international price discrimination of drugs that makes this approach unlikely to lead to desired results. These include the arbitrage challenges (Internet sales, pharmaceutical tourism, reference pricing, and an absence of patent protection), fairness and political challenges, and effectiveness limitations (even low prices are not low enough to enable access for a majority of poor people). This article explores these challenges, and concludes by contrasting the recent success of advance market commitments (AMCs).
Spin-dependent magneto-thermopower of narrow-gap lead chalcogenide quantum wells

A semi-classical analysis of magneto-thermopower behaviour, namely, the Seebeck and Nernst effect (NE) in quantum wells of IV-VI lead salts with significant extrinsic Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) is performed in this report. In addition to the spin-dependent Seebeck effect that has been observed before, we also theoretically predict a similar spin-delineated behavior for its magneto-thermal analog, the spin-dependent NE. The choice of lead salts follows from a two-fold advantage they offer, in part, to their superior thermoelectric properties, especially PbTe, while their low band gaps and high spin-orbit coupling make them ideal candidates to study RSOC governed effects in nanostructures. The calculations show a larger longitudinal magneto-thermopower for the spin-up electrons while the transverse components are nearly identical. In contrast, for a magnetic field free case, the related power factor calculations reveal a significantly higher contribution from the spin-down ensemble and suffer a reduction with an increase in the electron density. We also discuss qualitatively the limitations of the semi-classical approach for the extreme case of a high magnetic field and allude to the observed thermopower behaviour when the quantum Hall regime is operational. Finally, techniques to modulate the thermopower are briefly outlined.
Representation-Oblivious Error Correction by Natural Redundancy

Storage systems have a strong need for substantially improving their error correction capabilities, especially for long-term storage where the accumulating errors can exceed the decoding threshold of error-correcting codes (ECCs). In this work, a new scheme is presented that uses deep learning to perform soft decoding for noisy files based on their natural redundancy. The soft decoding result is then combined with ECCs for substantially better error correction performance. The scheme is representation-oblivious: it requires no prior knowledge on how data are represented (e.g., mapped from symbols to bits, compressed, and combined with meta data) in different types of files, which makes the solution more convenient to use for storage systems. Experimental results confirm that the scheme can substantially improve the ability to recover data for different types of files even when the bit error rates in the files have significantly exceeded the decoding threshold of the ECC. The code of this work has been publicly released.
Anti-Social Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy. (2018): , by Siva Vaidhyanathan. New York: Oxford University Press, 276 pp., $24.95 (hardcover), ISBN: 9780190841164.

Each chapter of this comprehensive survey addresses one aspect of Facebook: the pleasure it provides, the surveillance it conducts, the attention it grabs, its belief in its own benevolence, its ro...
Anticipatory and Compensatory Postural Responses during Perturbed Standing in Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury

Anticipatory postural adjustments (APA) and compensatory postural adjustments (CPA) are neuromuscular responses generated to stabilize the body and achieve balance during perturbations. The impaired sensory integration after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can limit the ability to perceive perturbations and potentially affect the ability to generate APA and CPA responses. The main objective of this investigation is to explore the existence of APA and CPA generation in tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius (GAST) muscles during base of support perturbations in healthy controls (HC) as well as individuals with TBI. The secondary objective is to explore the effectiveness of a novel computerized biofeedback based intervention (CBBI) at improving APA and CPA responses in individuals with TBI. We observed that all three groups – HC (n=5), TBI-control (n=5), and TBI-Intervention (n=4) showed the presence of only CPA responses for the TA muscle, however, these responses were longer and variable for both TBI groups, compared to the short and consistent responses of the HC group. The GAST was involved in both APA and CPA for all groups. After the 4-week CBBI period, the TBI-I group showed increased APA responses for both TA and GAST. Further, the TBI-I group showed reduced CPA responses for both TA and GAST after the intervention. The elevated and longer CPA responses of TA and GAST and lower APA responses of GAST could suggest impaired postural control. Due to their significance and potential link to the balance dysfunction, these mechanisms need to be studied comprehensively in larger samples in order to effectively optimize the rehabilitation approaches for improving balance and avoiding falls in individuals with TBI.
Enhancing proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance via graphene oxide surface synergy

Abstract Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are one of the most promising energy solutions in meeting the soaring global energy demand and relieving the environmental concerns associated with greenhouse emissions. Cost and durability are two main obstacles hindering the successful commercialization of PEMFCs. Here, we propose a solution which could significantly enhance durability, reduce PGM catalyst, and increase tolerance to impure hydrogen sources thereby reducing cost and increasing convenience by allowing operation in ambient conditions. We show that applying a coating of 1 μg/cm2 of graphene oxide (GO) directly onto the Nafion membrane or electrodes enabled a 60% enhancement of the maximum power output to 0.78 or 0.76 W/cm2, using only a total of 0.15 mg/cm2 Pt catalyst. Durability tests were carried out complying with the DOE2020 protocols, indicating that the enhancement persisted even after 30k cycles, where the maximum power decrease was only 9%, as compared with 18% in the control sample, and the decrease in voltage at 1.5 A/cm2 was only 13%, as compared with 70% of the control sample. In addition, blending of 0.1% CO gas into the input H2 stream reduced the power by 72% in the control, while only 26% power reduction was observed in the coated PEMFCs. Also, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements exhibited a decrease in resistance of only 13%, while the active Pt surface area of the electrode with GO coating after 30k cycles was 17.5% higher than the control and the minimal DOE requirement.
LA CONSTITUCION Y LAS FUERZAS ARMADAS EN ALGUNOS PAISES DE AMERICA DEL SUR Y ESPAÑA

Este trabajo describe las misiones y normas que las constituciones de Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Espana y Uruguay asignan a las Fuerzas Armadas en relacion con los poderes civiles. Algunas tienen su origen en regimenes autoritarios mientras las otras definen sistemas democraticos, y su comparacion en este respecto puede contribuir a reflexionar sobre los obstaculos y posibilidades para el establecimiento de mecanismos de control civil.
Simulated medication adherence: First and second-year pharmacy students' perceptions of adhering to a multi-drug medication regimen.

Abstract Background and purpose Through a realistic medication adherence activity, the objective was to improve students' ability to identify non-adherent patients, build empathy toward patients, and prepare them to provide patient-centered care. Educational activity and setting First- and second-year student pharmacists completed a two-month activity, which required adherence to a pre-specified medication regimen. Prior to starting, a survey was administered to assess students' perceived difficulty and success of the medication adherence activity. Upon completion, students were asked their perceived success and difficulty with the activity, challenges to maintaining adherence, and lessons learned from the project. Changes in perceived difficulty and success were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Challenges and lessons learned were coded for similar themes and frequencies. Findings 298 student pharmacists completed the pre- and post-survey (response rate 99%). Students' perceived difficulty of adherence was higher on the post-survey (median on post = 7.0 (out of 10) versus median on pre = 6.0, p = 0.023). Students' perceived success was higher on the presurvey (median on pre = 8.0 versus median on post = 6.0, p Summary Students participated in a “hands-on” medication adherence activity. Students found that medication adherence is more difficult than perceived. Future research should examine the long-term impact of students maintaining empathy toward patients and provision of medication adherence services.