cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of hair growth cycle on lipid composition of mouse epidermis and dermis.

SummaryWater and lipid composition of epidermis and dermis (including adipose and muscle layers) were determined during the anagen VI (growing) and telogen (quiescent) stages of the hair growth cycle. These stages of the hair growth cycle represent times of maximum morphological differences in thickness of the corium and adipose layers. Yet total lipid, phospholipid, neutral lipid, cholesterol esters, cholesterol and triglyceride content of epidermis during anagen VI and telogen stages of the hair growth cycle are not significantly different. The same is true for the lipid composition of the dermis. However, independent of hair growth activity, epidermis has a lower water content and a much greater level of cholesterol, cholesterol esters and phospholipid than dermis. The fast acting sterols of epidermis are limited largely to the esterified fraction.
Realism and Religion: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives

(2010). Realism and Religion: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives. Ars Disputandi: Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 60-62.
Visual potentials evoked by light-emitting diodes mounted in goggles.

The authors compared, in 20 subjects, the occipital potentials following pattern reversal stimulation to those following stimulation by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted 5 mm apart in 4 X 4 arrays inside goggles. The resulting waveform resembled that evoked by flash and varied between subjects, with the most useful measurements being those of differences between left- and righteye stimulation. Not all peaks occurred in each control. Thus the method appears to have only limited advantages over those previously available, although it may have applications in young, uncooperative, comatose, or anesthetized patients. Awareness of the limitations of the method should stimulate the search for more reliable techniques for use when pattern stimulation cannot be employed.
A Discussion about Standard Parameter Models of Synchronous Machine

Based on two different hypotheses, two different standard parameter models of synchronous machine derived from fundamental Park equations are introduced. The standard parameter models of synchronous machine are slightly distinct each other due to the different hypothesis. The impact of different standard parameter models of synchronous machine on power system simulation is analyzed by the simulations of a typical two-area power system. The simulations indicate that the simulation results are almost the same with normal condition, and are slightly different in the critical conditions of transient or small-signal stability. The difference of small-signal stability in critical condition is a little larger. Therefore, the influence of standard parameter models of synchronous machine based on different hypothesis should be considered in the comparison of simulations of different power system simulation software.
Change of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Insulin Levels of Simple Obesity Children and Its Clinical Significance

Objective To explore the relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP) and insulin(INS) levels of simple obesity children and its significance. Methods 58 cases of simple obesity children(experimental group) and 41 cases of healthy children(control group) were selected in this study. The levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and insulin, and body mass index(BMI)were detected and compared between two groups. Results The BMI, hs-CRP level and INS level of experimental group were(31.36 ± 4.33)kg/m2,(2.76 ± 2.05) mg/L and(34.11 ± 12.86) m IU/L respectively, significantly higher than(21.78 ± 3.27) kg/m2,(0.59 ± 0.91) mg/L and(18.10 ± 9.74) m IU/L of control group respectively(P 0.05). The hs-CRP level of experimental group was positively correlated with BMI(r= 0.615, P 0.05) and INS level(r = 0.236, P 0.05). Conclusions These simple obesity children begin to suffer from inflammatory reaction and insulin resistance, and hs-CRP and INS can be used as clinical indices to test if these simple obesity children suffer from the inflammatory reaction and insulin resistance.
Analysis of the interfacial properties of hexadecane m-xylene sulfonate

In this paper,three kinds of hexadecane m-xylene sodium synthesized in the laboratory were used to discuss respectively what impacts the structer,concentration and inorganic salt have on the interfacial properties.The results show that as the branched-degree increases,the minimum number of alkane carbon-nmin increases while the minimum value of interfacial tension decreases.As the concentration increases the value of interfacial tension firstly decreases then increases.The inorganic salt influence indicate that when the salt concentration increases,the value of interfacial tension rises after the first drop,ultra-low interfacial tension appeares in a suitable salinity scope.
Assessing unipolar mood disorders in women

Among unipolar mood disorders, major depressive disorder (MDD) has traditionally been the most widely studied. There is, however, an alarming lack of extant research on the more mild mood disorders. Recent findings indicate that, collectively, milder unipolar mood disorders, such as dysthymic disorder (DD), and conditions specific to women, such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and postpartum depression, functionally impair a large population of women. The course, mechanisms, and treatments of these illnesses are outlined, and specific areas of concern, including current available treatment applicability, gender differences in psychiatric testing, and the use of biological markers for the detection of illness, are detailed. Directions for future research are presented.
Central Nervous System Complications of Oncologic Therapy

Traditional and newer agents used to treat cancer can cause significant toxicity to the central nervous system. MRI of the brain and spine is the imaging modality of choice for patients with cancer who develop neurologic symptoms. It is important to be aware of the agents that can cause neurotoxicity and their associated imaging findings so that patients are properly diagnosed and treated. In some instances conventional MRI may not be able to differentiate posttreatment effects from disease progression. In these instances advanced imaging techniques may be helpful, although further research is still needed.
Methods and techniques for improving the figure of merit for wide tuning range quadrature voltage controlled oscillators

Next generation wireless devices will be required to support a wide variety of commercial standards and operate over a wide range of frequency bands. Two examples that are already receiving a lot of attention are software-defined and cognitive radios. Therefore, components that are capable of operating over ultra-wide frequency ranges are required. Quadrature oscillators are a major component in any communication system. They are often needed in RF transceivers to support spectrally efficient modulation techniques. Furthermore, modern telecommunication standards require very low phase noise oscillators and because of their outstanding noise performance, LC-oscillators, are a popular choice. Hence, a lot of effort has been invested in studying and improving the figure of merit (FOM) of wide tuning range LC-Quadrature voltage controlled oscillators (QVCO). So far this effort has been primarily focused on three areas, expanding the tuning range, improving phase noise performance, and reducing the power consumption. Although many techniques have been proposed and used successfully in the literature, a lot of them lack sufficient theoretical analysis. First, the recently proposed, inductive current tuning methodology for expanding the tuning range of QVCO beyond capacitive tuning only is fully analyzed. In addition, a new low phase noise architecture that employs current tuning technique is proposed. The phase noise, tuning range and power consumption of two existing architectures and the proposed one are compared. The three designs are simulated and their FOMs are calculated and compared to identify the highest FOM architecture. Next, a popular architecture that is being utilized in the recent literature for the purpose of improving phase noise and expanding the tuning range, the transformer-based (T-based)
The Crane equation uuxx=2

The boundary value problem uuxx=2 appears in Cranes theory of laminar convection from a point source. We show that the solution is real only when |x|/2. On this interval, denoting the constants of integration by A and s, the general solution is AV([xs]/A) where the Crane function V is the parameter-free function V=exp({erfinv([2/])x}2) and erfinv(z) is the inverse of the error function. V(x) is weakly singular at both endpoints; its Chebyshev polynomial coefficients an decrease proportionally to 1/n3. Exponential convergence can be restored by writing V(x)=n=0a2nT2n(z[x]) where the mapping is z=arctanh(x/)L2+(arctanh(x/))2,=/2. Another option is singular basis functions. V(1x2/2){10.216log(1x2/2)} has a maximum pointwise error that is less 1/2000 of the maximum of the Crane function.
VG5Q Inhibition Suppresses Proliferation of Endothelial and Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract Background: Angiogenesis is a process involved in the formation of new vessels, and is essential for tumor growth and metastases. Angiogenic factors are critical for the initiation of angiogenesis and maintenance of the vascular network. VG5Q is a newly discovered protein that acts as a potent angiogenic factor in promoting angiogenesis and has also been implicated in the vascular pathophysiology of Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. However, little is known about its role in cancer progression. Method: In this study, VG5Q expression was screened using RT-PCR and Western blotting in the following cancer cell lines: breast (MCF-7), renal (Caki, ACHN), mesothelioma (H2373, H2596), ovarian (OVCAR5), lung (H226, A549) and pancreatic (Panc-1, MiaPaCa). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOEC) were also screened. Results: All cancer cell lines expressed high levels of VG5Q that were comparable to the levels expressed in endothelial cells. The only exception was MiaPaCa cells. In order to understand the biology of VG5Q in cancer cells, we used siRNA knockdown of VG5Q expression in the mesothelioma cell lines H2373 and H2596. Gene-specific silencing of VG5Q resulted in markedly decreased proliferation, invasion, and soft-agar colony formation in these cells. Furthermore, VG5Q silencing increased apoptosis as seen by an increase in annexin levels. Conclusion: VG5Q silencing has profound effects on cancer cell biology, suggesting the hypothesis that the role of VG5Q may not be limited to angiogenic signaling in endothelial cells.
Atomic Layer Deposition of Zirconium Oxide for Fuel Cell Applications

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are an intriguing renewable energy source. Most SOFCs operate at high temperatures, around 1000 °C. One of the problems with them operating at lower temperatures is that it increases the resistance in the electrolyte layer. The focus of this project is to increase the efficiency of the electrolyte layer at the lower temperatures by decreasing the thickness of the electrolyte layer, in order to decrease the ionic resistance. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to deposit zirconium oxide, which is one of the promising components of electrolytes in small length scale fuel cells; the zirconium precursor was Tris(dimethylamino)cyclopentadienylZirconium (ZyALD) and the oxidant was 0.1 % O 3 in O 2 . Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to measure the thickness of the samples was. This paper also describes how ALD was used to vary the thickness from 32 A to 135 A. Our results showed that there was a constant growth rate of 0.87 ± 0.04 A/cycle, which can be used to control the film thickness. The error was calculated by taking the standard deviation of the growth rates for a varied number of cycles that were run.
Education at the Heart of Extremism

This chapter aims to explore the relationship between extremism and education through the case studies of Boko Haram, as an example of an extremist organization targeting education, and the phenomena of rising European right-wing nationalism and anti-immigrant extremism, ideologically based on miseducation and demagoguery. The first case study showcases how a distorted Islamic religious ideology feeds into an extremist attitude towards education. The second case study demonstrates how anti-immigrant discourses have led to the shrinking of public spaces and how misinformation and a lack of educated dialogue enable the rise of right-wing ideologies and violence towards immigrants. The cases are seemingly different, but at the heart of both are the concepts of control and exertion of power. Knowledge and information can be seen as some of the most valuable commodities in the modern world. The Boko Haram case study shows how education has been used as the main ideological block to inspire extremism, while the anti-immigrant and hate-mongering rhetoric in the West is examined as a popular tactic among politicians with which to garner the support of the disavowed masses. Under these circumstances, educating the public to think critically and evaluate the information they hear becomes key for enabling mature polity and overall social stability.
Automated detection and diagnosis of crohn's disease in CT enterography

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that has a variety of symptoms and that is increasing in prevalence. There is a need for diagnostic tools that would provide objective and reproducible measurements for guiding therapy. We developed a computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) scheme for diagnosing mural enhancement and for detecting small-bowel obstructions of Crohn's disease in computed tomographic enterography (CTE). The scheme was evaluated on 69 patients. The values of quantitative features calculated by CAD were significantly different in the case of Crohn's disease than in normal patients. The per-patient detection sensitivity for obstructions was 93%. The results indicate that CAD can be used to provide radiologists with reliable automated quantitative interpretation of CTE data.
Injuries of the Pancreas

Pancreatic injuries are relatively uncommon because of the high intra-abdominal position of the pancreas and its deep retroperitoneal location, which protects it from all but the most forceful abdominal trauma. In addition, because of its relationship to the aorta, inferior vena cava, and portal, splenic, and superior mesenteric veins, many patients with major injuries of the pancreas do not survive the lethal effect of massive hemorrhage long enough to reach the hospital alive. Pancreatic injuries account for only about 2% of all abdominal injuries.1,2
Ifat, Sultanate of

Ifat was the second sultanate to be formed in the region of Shawa, in what is currently central Ethiopia. It was Umar Walasma who founded the Walasma dynasty (1280–1520s), which spearheaded Muslim resistance to the expanding Christian kingdom. From the very beginning Ifat was the victim of its own contradictory policies. On the one hand, Ifat was the greatest beneficiary of the lucrative trade of central and southern Ethiopia. Important caravan routes in southern and eastern Ethiopia converged on Ifat, whose capital was the major center of trade in the region. Ifat's commercial prosperity attracted the attention of the powerful Christian king, Amda-siyon, who was determined to annex Ifat and other Muslim states to his rapidly expanding kingdom. On the other hand, the leaders of Ifat adopted aggressive policies toward the neighboring Christian kingdom, thus providing an excuse for Amda-Siyon to invade Ifat in 1329 and annex it in 1332. Although Muslim resistance in Ifat developed between 1363 and 1374, one of its leaders took the dramatic action of shifting the center of Muslim resistance to the eastern region of Ethiopia. This entry briefly explores Ifat's resistance to Christian domination. Keywords: 13th–16th ce ; Christianity; commerce and trade; Ethiopia; imperial history; Islam; Northeastern Africa; religious wars
The Impact Effect of Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility on Company Performance After the Financial Tsunami

This article discusses corporate governance after the recent financial crisis and its relationship with corporate performance by adding in the CSR variable. The empirical study investigates the top 50 Taiwanese electronics companies as denoted by Commonwealth Magazine, which are listed on the Taiwan Composite Stock Exchange or in the Over the Counter (OTC) market over the period 2009-2014. Company data come from the Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ) Database, while CSR winners are from Wealth Magazine CSR Awards. The empirical results show that corporate governance and corporate performance do have a significant relationship. In ROA, the cross effect of shareholding ratio and CSR is supported empirically, while in ROE, the cross effect of the largest shareholder ratio and CSR is supported empirically. Through the adjustment factor of CSR, managers are able to understand its deeper meaning and its correlation to corporate governance. While CSR activities cost companies a lot of time and money, fulfilling such social responsibility benefits are reflected in a company?s financial performance and can be used as a useful reference for decision-making.
Gyro-TWT amplifiers at UCLA

The status of three unique gyro-TWT amplifiers underdevelopment at UCLA will be presented. They include1) a slotted third-harmonic gyro-TWT, 2) a widebanddielectric- loaded gyro-TWT, and 3) an extremely highpower second-harmonic gyro-TWT.
Shade tolerance: an additional factor affecting the distribution of mountain beech and silver beech in New Zealand?

Increased shade tolerance and a lower thermal optimum for photosynthesis may give silver beech a photosynthetic advantage over mountain beech in cloudy regions of New Zealand, and possibly the understory. The geographic distributions of silver beech (Lophozonia menziesii) and mountain beech (Fuscospora cliffortioides) in New Zealand roughly correspond with precipitation gradients, with F. cliffortioides dominating in sunny and dry regions, and L. menziesii either dominating or co-dominating with F. cliffortiodes in regions that are more cloudy and moist. Previous research suggests that greater drought tolerance may account for dominance of F. cliffortioides in sunny/dry regions, while greater tolerance of low soil nutrients may render a competitive advantage to L. menziesii in wetter habitats vulnerable to nutrient leaching. In this short communication, we propose and provide preliminary evidence for an additional hypothesis—that greater shade tolerance and a lower thermal optimum for photosynthesis confers a photosynthetic advantage to L. menziesii relative to F. cliffortioides under heavy cloud cover, and possibly in the forest understory. Sunlight measurements were recorded under clear sky, partly cloudy, overcast, and understory conditions at four field sites in New Zealand where the species co-occur, and integrated into previously published photosynthetic light response curves to estimate predicted carbon gain at 10, 20, and 25 °C. Photosynthetic gas exchange measurements were sampled in the field to corroborate expected results. Consistent with our hypothesis, predicted carbon gain was significantly greater in L. menziesii under cool (10–20 °C), low-light ( 20 °C. We conclude that relative tolerance of cloud and canopy shade may be an additional physiological factor, in combination with those previously described in the literature, affecting geographic and ecological distribution of mountain and silver beech in New Zealand.
Connecting the Energy and Momentum Flux Response to Climate Change Using the Eliassen–Palm Relation

AbstractCoupled climate models project that extratropical storm tracks and eddy-driven jets generally shift poleward in response to increased CO2 concentration. Here the connection between the stor...
Factitious Angiogenesis: Not so Factitious Anymore? The Role of Angiogenic Processes in the Endothelialization of Artificial Cardiovascular Prostheses

Due to genetic predisposition and, even more frequently, due to habitual mistreatment, (e.g., by malnutrition, smoking, etc.), the human cardiovascular system is particularly prone to massive failure, (occlusion of the blood vessels due to atherosclerosis or thromboembolism, cardiac insufficiency due to myocardial infarct, congestive heart failure), and repair, (angioplasty, cardiac transplantation). Both the anatomical repair of malfunctioning blood vessels and/or their replacement by grafting autologous blood-conduits are only partially successful: a large percentage (up to 30%) of all angioplasty as well as (coronary) bypass procedures eventually fail mainly due to re-stenosis. Similarly, although the percentage of 5-year survivors after cardiac transplantation has dramatically risen since the introduction of potent immunosuppressants, there are increasing signs of long-term adverse effects of these drugs on other organs. Furthermore, the rejection process per se is not abrogated, and often it manifests itself in the form of accelerated atherosclerosis in the blood vessels of the transplanted tissues (Mills et al. 1992). Last but certainly not least, the availability of suitable donor hearts is extremely limited, so that, eventually, most of the potential cardiac transplant patients will never receive a donor heart and die while on the waiting list. Thus, there is an increasing world-wide demand for permanent cardiovascular prostheses, such as vascular grafts, cardiac assist devices or total artificial hearts. However, currently, the long-term use of such prostheses poses serious problems, such as neointimal hyperplasia and occlusion, sepsis, thromboembolism, and calcification. Most of these complications can be traced back to the inadequate hemocompatibility of the (polymeric) blood contacting surfaces in these devices. At the previous NATO ASI on angiogenesis we delineated the ongoing attempts by us and others to restore “nature’s biocompatible blood container” through “factitious angiogenesis”, i.e., by precoating the luminal surfaces of these prostheses with a functional, nonthrombogenic monolayer of autologous endothelial cells (ECs) prior to implantation (Lelkes et al.1992). In this chapter we discuss new evidence, indicating that endothelialization of the blood contacting surface in some cardiovascular prostheses may occur through “genuine” angiogenic processes.
The Caracas multiprocessor system

This paper presents the Caracas Multiprocessor (CMPS) System design, which is a current project of the IBM Caracas Scientific Center. The main characteristic of the CMPS is the combination of a bus architecture with a point-to-point interconnection network. The bus system is based on the Microchannel architecture. The processing elements are provided with an Intel 80286 processor, a dual-port memory, four transputer link adaptors, and some control logic. The communication between PEs can be established via bus by memory-to-memory block transfers and directly via serial links. The links are commuted with help of a programmable switch network. The host is connected via a Microchannel bus, and can be a system such as the IBM PS/2 or the IBM RISC SYSTEM/6000 computers.
Prime differential ideals in differential rings

Publisher Summary Throughout this paper, all rings are commutative with identity and all ring homomorphisms preserve the identity. Also, all differential rings are ordinary, i.e., possess a single derivation operator which is suppressed from the notation. If A is a differential ring and x ∈ A, then x(n) denotes the nth derivative of x; we note that x(0) = x. A subset of a differential ring is called differential if it contains the derivative of each of its elements.
Human low-affinity IgG receptor FcγRIIA polymorphism H131R associates with subclinical atherosclerosis and increased platelet activity in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Essentials Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are at increased risk for premature CVD. Platelet activity, vascular dysfunction and carotid artery plaque are associated with FcγRIIA genotype in SLE. FcγRIIA genotype was not associated with platelet activity or carotid plaque in healthy controls. FcγRIIA represents a link that connects platelet activity, vascular health and CVD in SLE. SUMMARY: Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease associated with an elevated risk of premature cardiovascular disease. Platelets express receptors contributing to inflammation and immunity, including FcγRIIA, the low affinity receptor of the Fc portion of IgG antibodies. The variation at a single amino acid substitution, H131R, in the extracellular binding domain alters the affinity for IgG, which may account for individual variation in platelet activity and platelet-mediated disease. Objectives This study was performed to investigate the association between FcγRIIA genotype, preclinical atherosclerosis, platelet reactivity and vascular health. Methods FcγRIIA was genotyped in 80 SLE patients and 30 healthy controls. Carotid ultrasound plaque, soluble E-selectin and platelet aggregability were evaluated in SLE and matched controls. Results Carotid plaque was significantly more prevalent in SLE patients carrying a variant allele compared to those with a homozygous ancestral allele (58% vs. 25%, P = 0.04). In contrast, prevalent carotid plaque was not associated with genotype in controls. Consistently, SLE variant FcγRIIA carriers vs. ancestral allele carriers had a significant increase in the levels of soluble E-selectin, which was not observed in controls. Monocyte and leukocyte-platelet aggregation and platelet aggregation in response to submaximal agonist stimulation were significantly elevated in SLE patients with the variant vs. ancestral genotype. Conclusions Carotid ultrasound plaque, soluble E-selectin levels and platelet activity were more frequently prevalent in SLE patients carrying variant FcγRIIA. The interplay between FcγRIIA-mediated platelet activation and endothelial cells might represent a mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in SLE patients.
Errors in Time-Series Remote Sensing and an Open Access Application for Detecting and Visualizing Spatial Data Outliers Using Google Earth Engine

Remotely sensed measures of productivity are frequently used to characterize global agriculture and vegetated ecosystems, and are often downscaled to describe local, remote areas where finer spatial and temporal resolution data are regularly unavailable. While data errors may propagate throughout any analytical procedure, those that are missed during delivery and preliminary data mining require more attention. Here, a collection of formerly and presently available global remote sensing products are compiled to demonstrate the temporal and geographic breadth of remote sensing uncertainty. Vegetation productivity measures are invaluable for monitoring global health, but erroneous estimates that go unrecognized may result in serious policy mistakes. It is eminently clear that generalizable and accessible a priori methods for anomaly detection are lacking and urgently needed so that data errors are recognized before public delivery and before widespread use. Simple yet effective statistics such as the modified Z-score, Tukey's outliers, and Geary's C are leveraged here to identify, locate, and visualize the types of outliers that remote sensing data users may elect to omit or correct. Contributing to the growing ensemble of Google Earth Engine methodologies, we propose this generalizable method of detecting spatial outliers for remote sensing error management by users across scientific domains.
Abstract 268: Patients >65 Years of Age With Acute Myocardial Infarction Are Less Likely to Undergo Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Have a Higher In-hospital Mortality

Background: Studies have shown that patients >65 years of age with ST-elevation myocardial infarction are less likely to undergo a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and are more likely to ha...
Model-Based Estimation of Individual Muscle Force Based on Measurements of Muscle Activity in Forearm Muscles During Isometric Tasks

Objective: Several forward dynamics estimation approaches have been proposed to estimate individual muscle force. However, characterization of the estimation error that arises when measurements are available only from a subset of the muscles involved in the movement under analysis, as is the case of the forearm muscles, has been limited. Our objectives were: first, to quantify the accuracy of forward-dynamics muscle force estimators for forearm muscles; and second, to develop a muscle force estimator that is accurate even when measurements are available only from a subset of muscles acting on a given joint or segment. Methods: We developed a neuromusculoskeletal (NMSK) estimator that integrates forward dynamics estimation with a neural model of muscle cocontraction to estimate individual muscle force during isometric contractions, suitable to operate when measurements are not available for all muscles. We developed a computational framework to assess the effect of physiological variability in muscle cocontraction, cross-talk, and measurement error on the estimator accuracy using a sensitivity analysis. We thus compared the performance of our estimator with that of a standard estimator that neglects the contribution of unmeasured muscles. Results: The NMSK estimator reduces the estimation error by 25% in average noise conditions. Moreover, the NMSK estimator is robust against physiological variability in muscle cocontraction and outperforms the standard estimator even when the validity of the neural model is compromised. Conclusion and Significance: In isometric tasks, the NMSK estimator reduces muscle force estimation error compared to a standard estimator, and may enable future applications involving estimation of forearm muscle force during coordinated movements.
Immunosuppression in Pediatric Liver Transplant

Immunosuppression in pediatric transplantation has evolved hugely within the last 30 years. Initially there were essentially only three drugs: cyclosporine, azathioprine, and prednisone. Currently most programs use induction regimens, and tacrolimus has become the maintenance immunosuppressive of choice.
GIS Investigation of the relationship of sex and season on the population distribution of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Charleston, South Carolina

The Charleston Estuarine System Stock (CESS) of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) has been the focus of population monitoring for the past 20 years. Photo-id studies have determined a...
Online Ticketed-Passes:

Reviews the arrival of and technology supporting online ticketed-pass programs in libraries. These programs allow library patrons to reserve single-day tickets to local attractions of all kinds. Offerings began with traditional museums but now include science centers, zoos, gardens, performances, tours, classes, and more. Further discussed is the new service delivery paradigm this represents: complementary to in-house offerings, librarians are brokering and facilitiating public access to non-library resources in their region to meet member needs.
Connections between 3′ end processing and DNA damage response: Ten years later

Ten years ago we reviewed how the cellular DNA damage response (DDR) is controlled by changes in the functional and structural properties of nuclear proteins, resulting in a timely coordinated control of gene expression that allows DNA repair. Expression of genes that play a role in DDR is regulated not only at transcriptional level during mRNA biosynthesis but also by changing steady-state levels due to turnover of the transcripts. The 3' end processing machinery, which is important in the regulation of mRNA stability, is involved in these gene-specific responses to DNA damage. Here, we review the latest mechanistic connections described between 3' end processing and DDR, with a special emphasis on alternative polyadenylation, microRNA and RNA binding proteins-mediated deadenylation, and discuss the implications of deregulation of these steps in DDR and human disease. This article is categorized under: RNA Processing > 3' End Processing RNA-Based Catalysis > Miscellaneous RNA-Catalyzed Reactions RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.
Developmental aspects of FXAND in a man with the FMR1 premutation

Author(s): Santos, Ellery; Emeka-Nwonovo, Chinelo; Wang, Jun Yi; Schneider, Andrea; Tassone, Flora; Hagerman, Paul; Hagerman, Randi | Abstract: BackgroundFragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) premutation can cause developmental problems including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social anxiety, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These problems fall under an umbrella term of Fragile X-associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders (FXAND) and is separate from Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative disorder.Methods/clinical caseA 26-year-old Caucasian male with the Fragile X premutation who presented with multiple behavior and emotional problems including depression and anxiety at 10 years of age. He was evaluated at 13, 18, and 26 years old with age-appropriate cognitive assessments, psychiatric evaluations, and an MRI of the brain.ResultsThe Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale (ADOS) was done at 13 years old and showed the patient has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An evaluation at 18 years old showed a full-scale IQ of 64. A Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) performed at 26 years old confirmed the previous impression of social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia disorder, and selective mutism. His MRI acquired at 26 years old showed enlarged ventricles, increased frontal subarachnoid spaces, and hypergyrification.ConclusionThis is an exemplary case of an FMR1 premutation carrier with significant psychiatric and cognitive issues that demonstrates Fragile X-associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders (FXAND) as separate from the other well-known premutation disorders.
Beyond Boltzmann: The Potential Energy Distribution of Objects in the Atmosphere

Estimates of the number and potential energy of molecules, aerosols, cloud droplets, insects, birds, planes and satellites in the atmosphere yield a distribution which is for potential energies below 10^2 kBT described by the Boltzmann distribution, but for the range from 10^2 kBT to 10^33 kBT by a power law with an exponent of approximately -1. An explanation for this surprising behavior is not found.
US Arctic policymaking under Trump and Obama

Though presidential personality and preferences heavily influence US Arctic policy, climate change and the perceived threat to US interests posed by rising international engagement in the north among great powers such as Russia and China are increasingly impacting US policy in the region. Recognising that these trends are likely to persist into the future, it is important to understand the US Arctic policymaking apparatus, how geopolitical and environmental factors affect the creation and implementation of such policies through the presidency and how the resulting presidential policies may impact US leadership in the region for years to come. Consequently, this article examines how the distinct styles and preferences of Presidents Obama and Trump interact with growing climate change and defence challenges in the region within the US Arctic policymaking process. We illustrate this interaction through examples at both domestic and international policy levels and then place it in the larger context of the differing presidential approaches to institutionalisation when setting policy. Ultimately, we conclude that not only do presidential priorities regarding climate change, rising international engagement, and institutionalisation critically influence Arctic policymaking, but how a future president views these issues will heavily impact the direction of policies affecting the region.
5 – Techniques and Tools for Optical Lithography

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with the explanation of techniques and tools for optical lithography. The image field of a step and repeat projection aligner or of a stepping and scanning projection aligner generally is much smaller than the wafer on which the pattern is transferred. These aligners expose a field on the wafer, then step to the next specified site on the wafer and repeat the operation. This chapter discusses the printing tools and their usage in the IC manufacturing world. A technical discussion of optical steppers deals with image quality and image placement. Image quality is concerned with the dimensional control of features of a desired size. Metal oxide semiconductor scaling rules generally maintain that final patterned linewidths, that is controlled within 10% of the nominal feature size and the accuracy of the placement of features should be within 20–25% of the minimum feature size. Optical lithography is the backbone and mainstay of the world's microchip production activity. In the optical arena, it is found that 1–5X reduction printers of the projection scanned and unscanned variety, is described in subsets according to coherent and noncoherent radiation, as well as by wavelengths ranging from visible to deep ultraviolet (UV), then extending to angstrom levels. Higher resolution or more energetic sourced tools are also well described.
Evaluating the Readability of Online Patient Education Materials for Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Background Patients, including patients with chronic pain conditions, increasingly turn to the Internet for health information. To facilitate comprehension, this information ought to be written at or below the 8th grade reading level, which is the average American adult’s reading level. This study measured the reading level of popular online sources for trigeminal neuralgia. Methods The top 10 search results for the search term “trigeminal neuralgia” were selected for inclusion. Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Index, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, Coleman-Liau Index, Automated Readability Index, and Linsear Write Formula were used to assess readability. One-way analysis of variance was used to test for statistical differences in average readability scores among the different web pages. Results Across the web pages, the average readability scores were as follows: Flesch Reading Ease, 42.1 ± 7.7; Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, 10.9 ± 0.9; Gunning Fog Index, 15 ± 1.5; Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, 10.9 ± 1.2; Coleman-Liau Index, 12.1 ± 1.3; Automated Readability Index, 11.9 ± 1.4; Linsear Write Formula, 12.4 ± 1.7. Results from one-way analysis of variance demonstrated no statistically significant difference in overall readability scores (F12,78 = 0.008; P > 0.05). Conclusions The writing of popular online education materials for trigeminal neuralgia is likely too complex for the average American adult to comprehend. This material should be revised to be readable at or below the 8th grade reading level. A variety of easily readable online education materials for trigeminal neuralgia can assist patients in understanding their illness and potentially improve patient decision making and outcomes.
Device perspective for black phosphorus field-effect transistors: contact resistance, ambipolar behavior, and scaling.

Although monolayer black phosphorus (BP), or phosphorene, has been successfully exfoliated and its optical properties have been explored, most of the electrical performance of the devices is demonstrated on few-layer phosphorene and ultrathin BP films. In this paper, we study the channel length scaling of ultrathin BP field-effect transistors (FETs) and discuss a scheme for using various contact metals to change the transistor characteristics. Through studying transistor behaviors with various channel lengths, the contact resistance can be extracted with the transfer length method (TLM). With different contact metals, we find out that the metal/BP interface has different Schottky barrier heights, leading to a significant difference in contact resistance, which is quite different from previous studies of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), such as MoS2, where the Fermi level is strongly pinned near the conduction band edge at the metal/MoS2 interface. The nature of BP transistors is Schottky barrier F...
Abstract 14363: Clustering of Multiple Cardiometabolic Risk Factors by Race/Ethnicity and Age

Introduction: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of death among Americans. The burden of cardiometabolic risk factor clustering in ethnic subgroups is not well desc...
Operational Transparency on Crowdfunding Platforms: Effect on Donations for Emergency Response

Online crowdfunding has emerged as a powerful tool to raise funds for emergency response. Crowdfunding campaigns can use two transparency tools to attract donors: updates and certification. Updates are additional messages that the organizer issues after launching the campaign and are a form of operational transparency when they communicate the campaign's work to donors. Alternatively, certification is a form of conventional transparency that ensures the campaign truly benefits a charitable purpose. Using an econometric analysis, we investigate the effects of transparency on donations. We study the direction of causality and mechanisms behind work-related updates by conducting experiments. Results from the econometric analysis using over 100,000 campaigns benefiting victims of emergencies reveal that both updates and certification have positive effects on donations. Each additional work-related word in an update (operational transparency) increases donations on average by $65 per month, while certification (conventional transparency) raises funds on average by $22 per month. Results from the experiments con rm the direction of causality; posting work-related updates in crowdfunding campaigns increases donations. Two mechanisms explain this effect: donors' enhanced perceptions of effort and perceptions of trust.
Risk-Aware Cost-Effective Design Methodology for Integrated Circuit Locking

We introduce a systematic framework for logic locking of integrated circuits based on the analysis of the sources of information leakage from both the circuit and the locking scheme and their formalization into a notion of risk that can guide the design against existing and possible future attacks. We further propose a two-level optimization-based methodology to generate locking strategies minimizing a cost function and balancing security, risk, and implementation overhead, out of a collection of locking primitives. Optimization results on a set of case studies show the potential of layering multiple locking primitives to provide high security at significantly lower risk.
The promise and perils of point process models of political events

Event data are increasingly common in applied political science research. While these data are inherently locational, political scientists predominately analyze aggregate summaries of these events as areal data. In so doing, they lose much of the information inherent to these point pattern data, and much of the flexibility that comes analyzing events using point process models. Recognizing these advantages, applied statisticians have increasingly utilized point process models in the analysis of political events. Yet, this work often neglects inherent limitations of political event data (e.g, geolocation accuracy), which can complicate the direct application of point process models. In this paper, we attempt to bridge this divide: introducing the benefits of point process modeling for political science research, and highlighting the unique challenges political science data pose for these approaches. To ground our discussion, we focus the Global Terrorism Database, using a univariate and bivariate log-Gaussian Cox process model (LGCP) to analyze terror attacks in Nigeria during 2014.
Nigeria, Nationalism, and Writing History

The second half of the twentieth century saw the publication of massive amounts of literature on Nigeria by Nigerian and non-Nigerian historians. This volume reflects on that literature, focusing on those works by Nigerians in the context of the rise and decline of African nationalist historiography. Given the diminishing share in the global output of literature on Africa by African historians, it has become crucial to reintroduce Africans into historical writing about Africa. As the authors attempt here to rescue older voices, they also rehabilitate a stale historiography by revisiting the issues, ideas, and moments that produced it. This revivalism also challenges Nigerian historians of the twenty-first century to study the nation in new ways, to comprehend its modernity, and to frame a new set of questions on Nigeria's future and globalization. In spite of current problems in Nigeria and its universities, that historical scholarship on Nigeria (and by extension, Africa) has come of age is indisputable. From a country that struggled for Western academic recognition in the 1950s to one that by the 1980s had emerged as one of the most studied countries in Africa, Nigeria is not only one of the early birthplaces of modern African history, but has also produced members of the first generation of African historians whose contributions to the development and expansion of modern African history is undeniable. Like their counterparts working on other parts of the world, these scholars have been sensitive to the need to explore virtually all aspects of Nigerian history. The book highlights the careers of some of Nigeria's notable historians of the first and second generation. Toyin Falola is Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin. Saheed Aderinto is assistant professor of history at Western Carolina University.
SU-E-T-419: Fabricating Cerrobend Grids with 3D Printing for Spatially Modulated Radiation Therapy: A Feasibility Study

Purpose: Grid therapy has promising applications in the radiation treatment of bulky and large tumors. However, research and applications of grid therapy is limited by the accessibility of the specialized blocks that produce the grid of pencil-like radiation beams. In this study, a Cerrobend grid block was fabricated using a 3D printing technique. Methods: A grid block mold was designed with divergent tubes following beam central rays. The mold was printed using a resin with the working temperature below 230 °C. The melted Cerrobend liquid at 120°oC was cast into the resin mold to yield a block with a thickness of 7.4 cm. The grid had a hexagonal pattern, with each pencil beam diameter of 1.4 cm at the iso-center plane; the distance between the beam centers was 2 cm. The dosimetric properties of the grid block were studied using radiographic film and small field dosimeters. Results: the grid block was fabricated to be mounted at the third accessory mount of a Siemens Oncor linear accelerator. Fabricating a grid block using 3D printing is similar to making cutouts for traditional radiotherapy photon blocks, with the difference being that the mold was created by a 3D printer rather than foam. In this study, the valley-to-peak ratio for a 6MV photon grid beam was 20% at dmax, and 30% at 10 cm depth, respectively. Conclusion: We have demonstrated a novel process for implementing grid radiotherapy using 3D printing techniques. Compared to existing approaches, our technique combines reduced cost, accessibility, and flexibility in customization with efficient delivery. This lays the groundwork for future studies to improve our understanding of the efficacy of grid therapy and apply it to improve cancer treatment.