cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Comparison between the Single Plate and Angle Shear Connection Performance under Fire

The strength and stability of connections in a floor system is an integral part of a building structure. A connection is subjected to large compressive and tensile forces during heating and cooling phase of a fire, respectively. Since shear connections are only designed for gravity loads that produce shear, their behavior in a floor assembly at elevated temperatures needs to be investigated. This paper compares the behavior of three types of shear connections (single plate, single angle and double angle) under fire conditions using the finite element software ABAQUS. The single plate shear connection was validated by a full-scale building fire tested in Cardington. Adopting Eurocode and AISC provisions on the shear connection design, the Cardington connection was redesigned using the single and double angles. While the single plate connections can provide substantial rotational ductility and tensile strength, it could fail during cooling phase of a fire by bolt-hole bearing or bolt shear. The bolted double angle connections are generally more ductile in tension which is advantageous during cooling phase; however they are prone to develop prying forces which could cause the failure of the bolts. In all of the connection models, the beam near the connection experiences local buckling at elevated temperatures.
Caveamus surgeones: five great threats to surgery in the new millennium.

M ay I say before I begin my remarks what a privilege it has been to serve as president of the Western Surgical Association this past year. Dr Rudolph Matas summarized it best in his presidential address to the American Surgical Association in 1909 when he said, “Gentlemen, favored by your great kindness, I, the least worthy among you, hold as an exalted honor the trust you have reposed in me as the interpreter of your will.” I thank you for the trust and for what I consider to be one of the greatest honors of my surgery career. The Western Surgical Association has always been one of my favorite academic meetings, largely because of the people with whom I have had the privilege of rubbing shoulders.
Concept of depth dose functions for radiotherapy beams: definition and values for different energy beams.

Abstract Depth dose functions are defined and based on empirically observed interrelation of percent depth doses for different energy beams. By using this function, if the depth dose for a given source-surface distance (SSD), field size and depth are known for a standard beam energy, the corresponding depth dose for another beam energy can be derived. The results obtained are accurate to within ±1% in a considerable range of SSD, field size and depths used in routine radiotherapy. The formulation can be extended to hold at depths between the surface and depth of maximum but is somewhat less accurate than ±1% for depths up to two times the depth of maximum. This method is of considerable usefulness in computer dosimetry algorithms to save memory space and/or to increase speed by avoiding multiple table look up procedures. It is the particular importance in irregular field dose calculations for high energy beams where specific measured data for separation of primary and scatter components of dose are not available.
Glucose transporter isoform-3-null heterozygous mutation causes sexually dimorphic adiposity with insulin resistance.

We examined male and female glucose transporter isoform-3 (GLUT3; placenta)-null heterozygous+/− mutation-carrying mice and compared them with age- and sex-matched wild-type+/+ littermates. No diff...
GCM Hindcasts of SST Forced Climate Variability over Agriculturally Intensive Regions

The ability to forecast seasonal climate is of great practical interest. One of the most obvious benefits would be agriculture, for which various preparations (planting, machinery, irrigation, manpower) would be enabled. The expectation of being able to make such forecasts far enough in advance (on the order of 9 months) hinges on components of the system with the longest persistence or predictability. The mixed results of El Nino forecasts has raised the hope that tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures (SST) fall into this category. For agriculturally-relevant forecasts to be made, and utilized, requires several conditions. The SST in the regions that affect agricultural areas must be forecast successfully, many months in advance. The climate response to such sea surface temperatures must then be ascertained, either through the use of historical empirical studies or models (e.g., GCMS). For practical applications, the agricultural production must be strongly influenced by climate, and farmers on either the local level or through commercial concerns must be able to adjust to using such forecasts. In a continuing series of papers, we will explore each of these components. This article concerns the question of utilizing SST to forecast the climate in several regions of agricultural production. We optimize the possibility of doing so successfully by using observed SST in a hindcast mode (i.e., a perfect forecast), and we also use the globally observed values (rather than just those from the tropical Pacific, for which predictability has been shown). This then is the ideal situation; in subsequent papers we will explore degrading the results by using only tropical Pacific SSTs, and then using only
Health, wellness focus within resort hotels.

This study analyzes the rising importance of the development and enhancement of a health and wellness focus within resort hotels. Market trends, consumer demands, revitalization efforts, and bottomline impacts are examined as they relate to the resort spa industry of today.
Automatic Test Generation for Stuck-Open Faults in CMOS VLSI

Because of its relative low power dissipation, intermediate speed, and high density, CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) will emerge as one of the leading VLSI technologies. Therefore, testing CMOS VLSI circuits is very important. The conventional stuck-at fault assumptions are not sufficient for modeling some faults that are peculiar to CMOS circuitry, specifically the stuck-open faults. These faults are sequential in nature. This means that when a fault occurs in a combinational circuits, the circuit behaves as a sequential circuit. Therefore, special test pattern generation techniques are necessary to test this type of faults. In this paper, we present an algorithm which uses the conventional stuck-at list to detect some stuck-open faults. Some modifications of the conventional testing procedure are necessary. Such modifications and their associated programming effort are expected to be straight forward. For the stuck-open faults that cannot be detected by the conventional stuck-at test list, a second algorithm is described that generates the tests for such faults. The algorithm generates the test if such a test exists. If not, the fault is declared as undetectable. First, we will discuss the stuck-open fault and its peculiarity to CMOS circuitry. Second, we will describe the step-by-step algorithms used to generate a complete test list for this type of fault. Finally, a small example circuit will be used to illustrate the new test generation technique and some conclusive remarks will be given.
Graft polymerization of styrene on lithiated poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene ether)

Styrene has been grafted onto poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) (I) with the use of lithiated I as an initiator. In benzene solution, solvent metalation resulted in some polystyrene homopolymer. In tetrahydrofuran, however, only graft copolymer was formed. By forming a derivative with trimethylchlorosilane and examining by NMR, it was possible to establish the proportion of lithium scavenged by impurities, the amount of polymeric lithium which reacted with styrene, and the amount which did not. The chain length of the grafted polystyrene was also calculated. No crosslinking was found, except where a high ratio of lithium to styrene resulted in some unreacted ring-metalated polymer. In this case only, reaction with trimethylchlorosilane causes some crosslinking.
Improved sensitivity of TSM sensors using a composite Sensor-Actuator Hybrid Structure (SAHS)

Thickness shear mode (TSM) sensors are widely employed as biosensors. One of the most important operational parameters of biosensors is their sensitivity. Due to the fact that TSM sensors have maximum sensitivity at the center of the sensing electrode, there has been increased research efforts focused on the development of techniques for controlling the distribution of the measurand over the sensor surface. This paper discusses the improvement of TSM sensor performance via the construction of a simple, inexpensive, sensor-actuator hybrid structure (SAHS). The SAHS consists of a piezoelectric ceramic radial mode, ring-shaped, actuator affixed to a TSM AT-cut quartz sensor. The ring actuator operating at a given frequency generates a specific force-pattern over the TSM sensor surface. A finite element analysis (FEA) is used to simulate various force patterns, identify the appropriate ones and determine the corresponding driving frequencies of the ring actuator. The simulation results show that the SAHS is capable of concentrating micron and sub-micron sized particles to high sensitivity locations at and around the center of the sensor. A structure incorporating a ring-actuator (6.35 times 2.4 times 1 mm) with a TSM sensor, operated at 100 MHz, has been experimentally tested with micrometer sized inorganic particles, namely, polystyrene and silica, and biological bacterial spores, Escherichia Coli. The response of the sensor, to particle loading, has been improved by means of manipulation and clustering of particles. Furthermore, particle distribution over the SAHS was recorded and was consistent with the FEA simulation results.
Stochastic differential equations applied to the study of geophysical and financial time series

Abstract This work is devoted to the study of modeling geophysical and financial time series. We propose a stochastic differential equation arising from the superposition of independent Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes driven by a Γ ( a , b ) process. Superposition of independent Γ ( a , b ) Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes offers analytic flexibility and provides a class of continuous time processes capable of exhibiting long memory behavior. The stochastic differential equation is applied to geophysics and finance by fitting the superposed Γ ( a , b ) Ornstein–Uhlenbeck model to typical geophysical and financial time series.
Towards publishable event logs that reveal touchscreen faults

Federal standards require that electronic voting machines log information about the voting system behavior to support post-election audits and investigations. Our study examines interface issues commonly reported in touch-screen voting systems (miscalibration, insensitivity, etc.) and the voter interaction data that can be collected to allow investigation of these issues while at the same time preserving the right to a secret ballot. We also provide empirically derived metrics that can detect these issues by analyzing these data.
Annual Selected Bibliography

In 1977, when the first “Annual Selected Bibliography” appeared in Amasia Jmd, compiler Gary Okihio listed some one hundred eighty entries. The bulk of listings concerned Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans. There were only three entries for Pacific Islanders, two for South Asians, and there was no separate category listing for Southeast Asians. This year’s bibliography contains more than five hundred entries and reflects the changes which have occurred in AsianlPacific American communities during the past eight years. The number of citations for Southeast Asians now nearly equals those for Chinese and Japanese. And the number of listings for South Asians and Pacific Islanders has also grown. Nevertheless, as was the case in 1977, this year’s bibliography underscores the research areas requiring more attention. For example, there are only six articles concerning Samoans in America. And despite their rapidly growing numbers, Filipinos and Koreans in America also remain relatively understudied populations. Our organization of the bibliography by ethnic groups rather than by subject matter may obscure possible developing trends. For example, in recent years Asiadhcific Americans have become the focus of an increasing number of demographic studies. What patterns have emerged from these studies? And how are researchers interpreting these patterns? Similarly, how are the more traditional disciplines such as sociology and psychology studying Asian/Pacific Americans today? Is research still dominated by traditional “push-pull” immigration approaches and “assimilationacculturation” models-or have new theories begun to influence research questions?
Molecular Phylogeny of the Neotropical Genus Paradrymonia(Gesneriaceae), Reexamination of Generic Concepts and the Resurrection of Trichodrymonia and Centrosolenia

Abstract Paradrymonia Hanst. (Gesneriaceae) with 40 currently recognized species is a genus of facultative epiphytic herbs that inhabits the forest understory. The genus occurs throughout the Neotropics except for southeastern Brazil and the Caribbean. Monophyly of neotropical Paradrymonia and species relationships within the genus and closely related genera were evaluated based on molecular sequence data from the nuclear ribosomal (nrDNA) internal and external transcribed spacer regions (ITS and ETS), and the plastid (cpDNA) psbA-trnH intergenic spacer. Traditional Paradrymonia is resolved as polyphyletic and includes taxa in three clades. The clade that contains the type species is recognized as Paradrymonia sensu stricto (s. s.) and includes three species. The Paradrymonia s. s. clade is sister to a clade that includes species of Nautilocalyx, Chrysothemis, and most of the species traditionally recognized as Paradrymonia. Morphological characters useful for circumscribing generic boundaries include bea...
Forkhead box A3 mediates glucocorticoid receptor function in adipose tissue

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely prescribed anti-inflammatory agents, but their chronic use leads to undesirable side effects such as excessive expansion of adipose tissue. We have recently shown that the forkhead box protein A3 (Foxa3) is a calorie-hoarding factor that regulates the selective enlargement of epididymal fat depots and suppresses energy expenditure in a nutritional- and age-dependent manner. It has been demonstrated that Foxa3 levels are elevated in adipose depots in response to high-fat diet regimens and during the aging process; however no studies to date have elucidated the mechanisms that control Foxa3's expression in fat. Given the established effects of GCs in increasing visceral adiposity and in reducing thermogenesis, we assessed the existence of a possible link between GCs and Foxa3. Computational prediction analysis combined with molecular studies revealed that Foxa3 is regulated by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in preadipocytes, adipocytes, and adipose tissues and is required to facilitate the binding of the GR to its target gene promoters in fat depots. Analysis of the long-term effects of dexamethasone treatment in mice revealed that Foxa3 ablation protects mice specifically against fat accretion but not against other pathological side effects elicited by this synthetic GC in tissues such as liver, muscle, and spleen. In conclusion our studies provide the first demonstration, to our knowledge, that Foxa3 is a direct target of GC action in adipose tissues and point to a role of Foxa3 as a mediator of the side effects induced in fat tissues by chronic treatment with synthetic steroids.
Extending unified-theory-of-reinforcement neural networks to steady-state operant behavior

The unified theory of reinforcement has been used to develop models of behavior over the last 20 years (Donahoe et al., 1993). Previous research has focused on the theory's concordance with the respondent behavior of humans and animals. In this experiment, neural networks were developed from the theory to extend the unified theory of reinforcement to operant behavior on single-alternative variable-interval schedules. This area of operant research was selected because previously developed neural networks could be applied to it without significant alteration. Previous research with humans and animals indicates that the pattern of their steady-state behavior is hyperbolic when plotted against the obtained rate of reinforcement (Herrnstein, 1970). A genetic algorithm was used in the first part of the experiment to determine parameter values for the neural networks, because values that were used in previous research did not result in a hyperbolic pattern of behavior. After finding these parameters, hyperbolic and other similar functions were fitted to the behavior produced by the neural networks. The form of the neural network's behavior was best described by an exponentiated hyperbola (McDowell, 1986; McLean and White, 1983; Wearden, 1981), which was derived from the generalized matching law (Baum, 1974). In post-hoc analyses the addition of a baseline rate of behavior significantly improved the fit of the exponentiated hyperbola and removed systematic residuals. The form of this function was consistent with human and animal behavior, but the estimated parameter values were not.
House Mice (Mus musculus) in Natural and Disturbed Habitats in Kansas

The relative density of house mice ( Mus musculus ) was <0.05 individuals/trapline (20 stations with 15 m between stations) in mixed-grass prairie, planted grasslands, woodlands, and crop fields in north-central Kansas and in tallgrass prairie and woodlands in eastern Kansas. The only exception was in crop-field fencerows in north-central Kansas (0.29 individuals/trapline). Percent abundance of Mus in the rodent assemblage also was low (<0.5% of all rodents) in grasslands, woodlands, mowed hayfields, and roadside ditches, but not in crop fields (2.6% for a mixture of types of crop fields) or crop-field fencerows (4.1%). Percent abundance varied significantly ( P < 0.05) among different types of crop fields with the highest values in alfalfa fields and lowest values in wheat fields. Our observations suggest that Mus is seldom, if ever, common in grasslands and woodlands, and only infrequently common in crop fields such as sorghum fields with bales containing grain during winter.
Angle Domain Common Image Gathers Extracted From Reverse Time Migrated Images In Isotropic Acoustic And Elastic Media

We propose an alternative (new) method to produce common image gathers in the incident-angle domain by calculating wavenumbers directly from the P-wave polarization rather than using the dominant wavenumber, for obtaining the normal to the source wavefront. In isotropic acoustic media, the wave propagation direction can be directly calculated as the spatial gradient direction of the acoustic wavefield, which is parallel to the wavenumber direction (the normal to the wavefront). Instantaneous wavenumber, obtained via a novel Hilbert transform approach, is used to calculate the local normal to the reflectors in a stacked migrated image. The local incident angle is produced as the difference between the propagation direction and the normal to the reflector. By reordering the migrated images (over all common-source gathers) by incident angle, common-image gathers are produced in the incidentangle domain. Pand S-wave separations allow both PP and PS common-image gathers to be calculated in the angle domain. Unlike the space-shift image condition for calculating the common-image gather in the angle domain, we use a crosscorrelation image condition, which is substantially more efficient. The proposed method is a direct method, and the resolution of the local incident angles is higher than those of Fourier transform-based methods. In addition, this method is less dependent on the data quality than the space-shift method. The concepts are successfully implemented and illustrated with 2D synthetic acoustic and elastic examples.
Parametric Investigation of a Bleed Air Ice Protection System

Experimental and computational studies were conducted to investigate the performance of an inner-liner bleed air anti-ice system used in regional and general aviation business jets. The experimental study was conducted in a bleed air laboratory with a NACA 23012 airfoil equipped with a hot air anti-ice system. Extensive parametric studies were performed to investigate the effects of piccolo design, diffuser geometry, and hot air temperature and mass flow rate on system performance. All tests were performed using dry cold air flow to cool the exterior of the wing leading edge. Test measurements included wing skin temperatures and system internal air pressures and temperatures. Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes analyses were performed with bleed air systems installed in a NACA 23012 airfoil and a business jet section to explore internal flow behavior and to evaluate methods for enhancing heat transfer to the wing skin. Comparisons between the experimental and computational results obtained with the NACA 23012 bleed air system demonstrated good agreement in terms of system performance trends. The parametric studies conducted showed that skin temperatures for the inner-liner bleed air system investigated were sensitive to piccolo placement with respect to the leading edge and to piccolo hole pattern.
Women in ethnic news media

The representation of women in so-called mainstream media has been well studied; however, less is known about this representation in ethnic media, especially in North America where the ethnic media...
Size-Dependent Deposition, Translocation, and Microglial Activation of Inhaled Silver Nanoparticles in the Rodent Nose and Brain.

Background:Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are present in personal, commercial, and industrial products, which are often aerosolized. Current understanding of the deposition, translocation, and health-...
OUR INDUSTRIAL CLOTS: THEIR DEVELOPMENT, CHARACTERISTICS,AND PROBLEMS

The development of our industrial clots has the characteristics as the followings: they are all self-motivated, mostly by deriving, decomposing, innovating and imitating, mainly in the rural areas or small towns in Zhejiang or Guangdong Province, with the main products of consumable goods; they are composed of the non-public firms, mostly middle-or-small-sized; the government plays a very important role for the successful industrial clots. Some of our industrial competitive abilities stem from the development of the industrial clots, though only textile industry on its own improves its competitive abilities by industrial clot. More importantly, of course, our industrial clots pull the local economic growth and promote the industrializing and urbanizing of our rural areas.
Implementing Change in the Supply Chain

Due to the increasingly high level of competition in our global business environment, most firms are trying to increase their productivity by eliminating problems in their supply chain systems. The objective of supply chain management is to improve the coordination and synchronization of activities between all members in the supply chain. This will help establish a smoother and faster flow of materials and increase the visibility of information along the supply chain. The goal is to improve customer satisfaction through improved flexibility and lower costs. Therefore, structural alignments, policies, and/or practices that impair information visibility or disrupt the flow of materials must be removed from the process.
THE SYNDROME OF REVERSE PERISTALSIS

This chapter discusses the syndrome of reverse peristalsis. Vomiting is often preceded by reverse peristalsis in the small bowel. Regurgitation appears to be due to reverse waves in the stomach and esophagus. It can be produced by small doses of certain substances that in large doses are emetic. Some women regurgitate at the beginning of the menstrual period or during pregnancy, much as other women vomit at these times. Regurgitation appears at times to be produced by ripples spreading orad from a constipated bowel. Many nervous patients complain of a burning in the epigastrium that has nothing to do with the stomach, but is a paresthesia, probably in the skin. That heartburn is not necessarily due to acid running back into the esophagus is shown by the fact that many persons have heartburn without regurgitation and many have acid regurgitation without heartburn. Furthermore, heartburn occurs occasionally in persons with achlorhydria and even in persons without a stomach.
HSV Vectors in the Mammalian Brain: Molecular Analysis of Neuronal Physiology, Generation of Genetic Models, and Gene Therapy of Neurological Disorders

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses mammalian neuronal physiology using herpes simplex virus (HSV) vectors. Several basic principles apply for gene transfer studies of neuronal function. The introduced gene has a dominant phenotype for an effect on cell physiology to be apparent. Retroviruses are used as the primary vector for ex vivo approaches to neurological gene therapy in disease models ranging from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease to hereditary neurometabolic disorders. The inherent limitation of retroviral vectors in obtaining efficient and stable gene transfer in neurons has imposed major constraints on in vivo genetic intervention studies in the adult brain. The chapter provides characterization of a defective HSV-1 vector for efficient and stable gene transfer into neurons. In addition to the ability to study dominant positive or dominant negative mutants, the vector-encoded gene can be engineered to direct the protein to specific regions of polarized cells. A nuclear targeting signal can be used to restrict expression to the nucleus, whereas other sequences are used to target dendrites or to axons. Therefore, the vector system is used both to explore the effect of regional expression as well as to help define those sequences critical in the targeting process. HSV amplicon vectors are important to establish that a viral vector approach can complement more established methods to investigate neuronal physiology, to characterize regulation of gene expression in the brain, to generate novel genetic models of neurological diseases, and to increase chances for gene therapy in the nervous system.
Conflicts and Safeguards

As is well known, multinational corporations encounter a good deal of criticism and even hostility in their own parent countries, and more so in other capitalist host countries. But when the dealings of the Western and Socialist multinationals take them across the East-West demarcation line, the potential for conflict is virtually unlimited. The sources of conflict are compounded by the political, economic and legal differences between these basically opposing social systems. A particular decision under one system may be hastily interpreted by the unsympathetic affected party on the other side as a calculated, sinister act, although such a decision may be a logical and legitimate consequence of the social system in force. The memories of past grievances (real or imagined), the legacy of the Cold War and the difficulty of communication are even more likely to contribute to suspicion and mistrust.
Effect of AMD3100 on T Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Apheresis Products of Patients Undergoing Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Non Hodgkin Lymphoma.

AMD3100, a CXCR4 receptor antagonist, has been studied as a stem cell mobilization agent for the purpose of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in hematologic malignancies. Lymphocyte subset analysis of peripheral blood in patients treated with AMD3100 has been studied in healthy volunteers. To date, no reports exist describing the lymphocyte subsets of the autograft in patients undergoing AMD3100 stem cell mobilization for the purposes of ASCT in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Considering our prior work demonstrating the significant impact of autograft lymphocyte content on clinical outcomes of patients undergoing ASCT for NHL we set out to profile autograft lymphocyte subsets of patients undergoing mobilization with AMD3100. Using flow cytometry, we analyzed aliquots of apheresis products in 7 patients with NHL undergoing AHSCT who received AMD3100 in addition to G-CSF as a part of their mobilization regimen. These results were compared to 29 patients with NHL who had undergone stem cell mobilization with G-CSF alone. There were no significant differences between these two groups of patients in terms of sex, age, performance status, histology, LDH, and number of pretransplant chemotherapeutic regimens. CD34+ cells collected at apheresis did not differ significantly between the groups. However, compared with G-CSF alone, patients that received AMD3100 had an approximate 5-fold increase in CD4+ cells (0.62 x 109 cells/kg vs. 0.12 x 109 cells/kg, p = 0.0004 ), a 3.5-fold increase in the absolute number of autograft CD3+ cells (1.21 x 109 cells/kg vs. 0.33 x 109 cells/kg, p = 0.0017 ), and a 2.5-fold increase in CD8+ cells (0.48 x 109 cells/kg vs 0.19 x 109 cells/kg, p = 0.215 ). A significant increase was also noted in CD4+25+ cell compartment (0.17 x 109 cells/kg vs. 0.006 x 109 cells/kg, p = 0.0001 ). No significant difference was noted in the absolute number of autograft CD16+56+ NK cells. Finally, an increase in the autograft total absolute lymphocyte count (41.6 x 109 cells/kg vs. 2.88 x 109 cells/kg, p < 0.001 ) as well as peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte count at day 15 after AHSCT was observed in those patients who had received AMD3100 (0.79 x 109 cells/kg vs. 0.58 x 109 cells/kg, p = 0.04 ). The increased lymphocyte content of the autograft (total and subset) would suggest the potential of positive impact on clinical outcomes in patients mobilized with AMD3100. Indeed, none of the patients who received AMD3100 had relapsed disease at one year post-transplant (although two of these patients are currently 9 months and 11 months post-transplant respectively), whereas 10 of the 29 control patients had relapsed disease at one year. Further studies are necessary to confirm these observations and ascertain their clinical significance.
Psychological Characteristics and Pain Frequency Are Associated With Experimental Pain Sensitivity in Pediatric Patients With Sickle Cell Disease.

Abstract Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with episodes of severe vaso-occlusive pain beginning in infancy with a subset of patients with SCD transitioning to chronic pain. Response to experimental pain using quantitative sensory testing in these patients suggests altered pain processing. The objectives of this study were to characterize sensitivity to multiple modalities of experimental pain stimuli and to interrogate the relationship of psychological covariates, clinical pain burden, and pain-related outcomes to experimental pain sensitivity in children with SCD compared with healthy individuals of similar age and sex. Cross-sectional assessments of psychological characteristics were performed, and quantitative sensory testing methods were used to measure experimental pain sensitivity in children age 8 to 21 years. Anxiety, depressive symptoms, catastrophizing, and somatization were found to be associated with increased sensitivity to experimental pain stimuli. Increased frequency of painful episodes in SCD was associated with decreased sensitivity to heat pain and decreased mechanical temporal summation. These data suggest that careful consideration be given to psychological factors, age, sex, and clinical burden of pain when studying response to experimental pain in SCD. Perspective In this study of patients with SCD, a condition associated with recurrent acute or chronic pain, psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, and catastrophizing are associated with increased sensitivity to experimental pain stimuli. Further study is need to delineate the role of these factors in chronic SCD pain.
Stability of Discrete Event System Behavior

Abstract This paper studies the stability and stabilizability of Discrete Event Dynamical Systems (DEDS’s) in the framework of Ramadge and Wonham. We define stability and stabilizability in terms of the behavior of the DEDS’s, i. e. the language generated by the state machines (SM’s) used to model the DEDS. The notions of stability and stabilizability of DEDS’s are presented in a more general setting than in earlier works where they were defined in terms of legal and illegal states rather than strings. The notion of revarsal of languages is used to obtain algorithms for determining the stability and stabilizability of a given system. We also present an algorithm of linear complexity for computing the regions of attraction which is used for determining the stability and stabilizability of a given system defined in terms of legal states. This algorithm is then used to obtain more efficient tests of sufficiency of stability and stabilizability of systems defined in terms of languages.
Lithium-induced electrocardiographic changes: A complete review

Lithium has been used for the treatment of bipolar disorder for more than 6 decades. Reports of cardiac side effects resulting in both benign electrocardiographic (ECG) changes and near fatal arrhythmias have been reported in the literature. A systematic literature search was conducted on 2 electronic databases-PubMed and Medline-for the time period between January 1970 and March 2016 using the key word "lithium," along with "electrocardiography" or "ECG." All articles and their references were then screened by title for relevance by 2 authors and a librarian. A total of 406 articles were found on literature search, of which 56 met the screening criteria. T wave inversion was the most frequently reported ECG finding. Other findings include sinus node dysfunction, sinoatrial blocks, PR prolongation, QT prolongation/dispersion, and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Some cases have shown lithium-treated patients experiencing serious cardiac outcomes, such as ST elevation myocardial infarction, heart blocks, and the Brugada pattern. Electrical changes from lithium were found to be dependent on both duration of treatment and the serum lithium level. Although there are no standardized ECG guidelines, frequent monitoring of patients on lithium therapy can ensure the medication's safe use.
Inactivation of 4-Oxalocrotonate Tautomerase by 5-Halo-2-hydroxy-2,4-pentadienoates.

5-Halo-2-hydroxy-2,4-pentadienoates (5-halo-HPDs) are reportedly generated in the bacterial catabolism of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons by the meta-fission pathway. The 5-halo-HPDs, where the halogen can be bromide, chloride, or fluoride, result in the irreversible inactivation of 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase (4-OT), which precedes the enzyme that generates them. The loss of activity is due to the covalent modification of the nucleophilic amino-terminal proline. Mass spectral and crystallographic analysis of the modified enzymes indicates that inactivation of 4-OT by 5-chloro- and 5-bromo-2-hydroxy-2,4-pentadienoate follows a mechanism different from that for the inactivation of 4-OT by 5-fluoro-2-hydroxy-2,4-pentadienoate. The 5-chloro and 5-bromo derivatives undergo 4-OT-catalyzed tautomerization to their respective α,β-unsaturated ketones followed by attack at C5 (by the prolyl nitrogen) with concomitant loss of the halide. For the 5-fluoro species, the presence of a small amount of the α,β-unsatur...
Preoperative obstructive sleep apnea screening in gynecologic oncology patients

Background Women with a gynecologic cancer tend to be older, obese, and postmenopausal, characteristics that are associated with an increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea. However, there is limited investigation regarding the condition's prevalence in this population or its impact on postoperative outcomes. In other surgical populations, patients with obstructive sleep apnea have been observed to be at increased risk for adverse postoperative events. Objective We sought to estimate the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea among gynecologic oncology patients undergoing elective surgery and to investigate for a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and postoperative outcomes. Study design Patients referred to an academic gynecologic oncology practice were approached for enrollment in this prospective, observational study. Patients were considered eligible for study enrollment if they were scheduled for a nonemergent inpatient surgery and could provide informed consent. Enrolled patients were evaluated for a preexisting diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Those without a prior diagnosis were screened using the validated, 4-item STOP questionnaire (ie, Snore loudly, daytime Tiredness, Observed apnea, elevated blood Pressure). All patients who screened positive for obstructive sleep apnea were referred for polysomnography. The primary outcome was the prevalence of women with obstructive sleep apnea or those who screened at high risk for the condition. Secondary outcomes examined the correlation between body mass index (kg/m2) with obstructive sleep apnea and assessed for a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and postoperative outcomes. Results Over a 22-month accrual period, 383 eligible patients were consecutively approached to participate in the study. A cohort of 260 patients were enrolled. A total of 33/260 patients (13%) were identified as having a previous diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. An additional 66/260 (25%) screened at risk for the condition using the STOP questionnaire. Of the patients who screened positive, 8/66 (12%) completed polysomnography, all of whom (8/8 [100%]) were found to have obstructive sleep apnea. The prevalence of previously diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea or screening at risk for the condition increased as body mass index increased (P Conclusion The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea or screening at risk for the condition is high among women presenting for surgery with a gynecologic oncologist. Providers should consider evaluating a patient's risk for obstructive sleep apnea in the preoperative setting, especially when risk factors for the condition are present.
Weberian patrimonialism and imperial Chinese history

L'A. examine la notion de «patrimonialisme» elaboree par Weber. Il se demande si ce concept peut veritablement eclairer l'histoire de l'organisation sociale et politique de l'Empire chinois. Il envisage la signification de cette notion dans l'oeuvre de Weber et adresse un certain nombre de critiques a l'encontre des theses defendues par G. G. Hamilton qui rejette l'utilite de la notion de patrimonialisme particulierement dans le cas de l'Empire chinois. L'A. considere pour sa part que cette notion de patrimonialisme permet de mieux comprendre l'organisation politique et sociale de la Chine imperiale. Il estime en effet qu'elle permet notamment de mieux comprendre le fonctionnement de l'action politique et de l'activite de l'Etat dans ce cadre
A Content Analysis of Persuasion Techniques Used on White Supremacist Websites

The Internet has made it possible for people to access just about any information they could possibly want. Conversely, it has given organizations a vehicle through which they can get their message out to a large audience. Hate groups have found the Internet particularly appealing, because they are able to get their uncensored message out to an unlimited number of people (ADL 2005). This is an issue that is not likely to go away.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy in the Treatment of Large Common Bile Duct Stones

Retained stones in the common bile duct remain a clinical problem in 2% to 5% of patients undergoing cholecystectomy. Extraction through a T-tube or via an endoscopic papillotomy is successful in 85% to 95% of patients. There remains, however, a sizable group of patients who require reoperation with its attendant risk of morbidity and mortality. A recent study by Paumgartner et al. suggests that ESWL may be useful for fragmenting large common bile duct stones. A study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of ESWL in fragmenting common bile duct stones that were too large to be extracted via a T-tube or endoscopic papillotomy.
Feasibility of a Smartphone-enabled Cardiac Rehabilitation Program in Male Veterans With Previous Clinical Evidence of Coronary Heart Disease.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is recommended for patients with coronary heart disease, however, participation among veterans remains poor. Smartphones may facilitate data transfer and communication between patients and providers, among other benefits. We evaluated the feasibility of a smartphone-enabled CR program in a population of veterans. Qualifying veterans were prospectively enrolled in a single-arm, nonrandomized feasibility study of a smartphone-enabled, home-based CR program, featuring an app with daily reminders to exercise, log vitals, and review educational materials. A coach remotely monitored patients through an online dashboard and scheduled telephone visits. Clinical end points were assessed as an exploratory aim. After 21 veterans provided informed consent, 18 were enrolled and successfully completed at least 30days of the program; 13 completed the entire 12-week intervention. Mean (standard deviation) age was 62 (7) years and 96% were male. Program completers logged a mean (standard deviation) of 3.5 (1.4) exercise sessions and 150 (86) exercise minutes per week. The majority (84%) of program completers reported being satisfied overall with the program. Mean functional capacity improved by 1.0 metabolic equivalents (5.3 to 6.3, 95% confidence interval 0.3 to 1.7; p = 0.008) and mean systolic blood pressure at rest improved by 9.6mm Hg (mean difference 9.6, 95% confidence interval −19.0 to −0.7; p = 0.049) among completers. Smartphone-enabled, home-based CR is feasible in veterans with heart disease and is associated with moderate to high levels of engagement and patient satisfaction.
Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) Plasma Actuators for Flow Control in Turbine Engines: Simulation of Flight Conditions in the Laboratory by Density Matching

We address requirements for laboratory testing of AC Dielectric Barrier Discharge (AC-DBD) plasma actuators for active flow control in aviation gas turbine engines. The actuator performance depends on the gas discharge properties, which, in turn, depend on the pressure and temperature. It is technically challenging to simultaneously set test-chamber pressure and temperature to the flight conditions. We propose that the AC-DBD actuator performance depends mainly on the gas density, when considering ambient conditions effects. This enables greatly simplified testing at room temperature with only chamber pressure needing to be set to match the density at flight conditions. For turbine engines, we first constructed generic models of four engine thrust classes; 300-, 150-, 50-passenger, and military fighter, and then calculated the densities along the engine at sea-level takeoff and altitude cruise conditions. The range of chamber pressures that covers all potential applications was found to be from 3 to 1256 kPa (0.03 to 12.4 atm), depending on engine-class, flight altitude, and actuator placement in the engine. The engine models are non-proprietary and can be used as reference data for evaluation requirements of other actuator types and for other purposes. We also provided examples for air vehicles applications up to 19,812 m (65,000 ft).
Do habits influence the types of information that smartphone shoppers seek

Abstract Smartphones enable consumers to acquire information from non-store sources while shopping at traditional retail stores. Retailers need to respond to this development by first understanding the types of information that consumers seek with their smartphones and then crafting appropriate strategies. We propose that the types of information that a consumer searches for are affected by her habits resulting from her ownership and use of different types of electronic devices and her social capital. Specifically, we suggest that devices that allow for a specific type of information at home engender a habit of seeking similar type of information in other contexts such as the point of purchase. Consumers residing in rural areas and women are more likely to be in the habit of seeking information from friends and family because both tend to draw on their social capital for their decisions. Findings from our empirical analysis provide support to such effects.
Spatial Separation of Carrier Spin by the Valley Hall Effect in Monolayer WSe2 Transistors

We investigate the valley Hall effect (VHE) in monolayer WSe2 field-effect transistors using optical Kerr rotation measurements at 20 K. While studies of the VHE have so far focused on n-doped MoS2, we observe the VHE in WSe2 in both the n- and p-doping regimes. Hole doping enables access to the large spin-splitting of the valence band of this material. The Kerr rotation measurements probe the spatial distribution of the valley carrier imbalance induced by the VHE. Under current flow, we observe distinct spin-valley polarization along the edges of the transistor channel. From analysis of the magnitude of the Kerr rotation, we infer a spin-valley density of 44 spins/μm, integrated over the edge region in the p-doped regime. Assuming a spin diffusion length less than 0.1 μm, this corresponds to a spin-valley polarization of the holes exceeding 1%.
Multiple-Input–Multiple-Output (MIMO) MRI: Combining Parallel Excitation and Parallel Reception for Enhanced Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a critical role in visualizing the structure and functions of the human body. In order to accelerate imaging time and improve the image quality, radio-frequency (RF) coil receive arrays which are commonly employed to acquire the magnetic resonance signal. Similarly, multiple transmit coils have been shown to accelerate and refine the RF excitation. In this paper, we investigate the optimization of the total imaging time and image accuracy when considering both the transmit and receive coil arrays; we term this strategy as multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) MRI. Our RF pulse design method is modeled by minimizing the excitation errors while simultaneously maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the reconstructed MR image. It further allows a key tradeoff between the two optimizers. Additionally, multiple acceleration factors, varying numbers of receive coils used, maximum excitation error tolerance, and different excitation patterns are simulated and analyzed in this model. For a given excitation pattern, our method is shown to improve the SNR by 18–130% under certain acceleration schemes, as compared to conventional parallel transmission methods, while simultaneously controlling the excitation error within a desired scope (NRMSE ${\leq }$ 0.12).
Camptothecin Induces PD-L1 and Immunomodulatory Cytokines in Colon Cancer Cells.

Background: Immunotherapy has changed the options for the treatment of various cancer types, but not colon cancer. Current checkpoint blockade approaches are ineffective in a large proportion of colon cancer cases, necessitating studies to elucidate its mechanisms and to identify new targets and strategies against it. Methods: Here, we examined Programmed Death-Ligand 1(PD-L1), cytokine and receptor responses of colon cancer cells exposed to camptothecin (CPT), a clinically used topoisomerase inhibitor. Colon cancer cells were treated with CPT at concentrations of up to 10 µM, and the expressions of PD-L1 and immunoregulatory cytokine genes and receptors were analyzed. Results: PD-L1, a current immunotherapy target for various cancers, was shown to be upregulated in colon cancer cells independent of the cellular p53 status. In metastasis-derived SW620 cells, CPT most extensively upregulated cytokines with T-cell attraction or growth factor functions. Of those modulated genes, SPP1, IL1RN, IL1A, TNFSF13B, OSM, and CSF3 had the most clinical relevance, as their high expression was associated with poor cancer patient overall survival. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need to examine, in preclinical and clinical situations, the potential benefits of combining topoisomerase inhibitors with immune-checkpoint inhibitors.