cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Renal effects of atrial natriuretic peptide in a marine elasmobranch.

The effects of atrial natriuretic peptide on the renal function of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) in seawater were evaluated. A synthetic mammalian peptide, atriopeptin II (2 micrograms/kg), was injected intravascularly into unanesthetized, unrestrained fish prepared for renal clearance studies. The aortic pressure, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), urine flow rate (V), and urinary excretion of sodium, potassium, and total osmolytes were continuously monitored. Atriopeptin II significantly decreased mean aortic pressure (-12%), GFR (-40%), V (-66%), and the absolute excretion rates of sodium (-47%), potassium (-43%), and total osmolytes (-44%). However, the renal effects of atriopeptin II were temporally dissociated from the vasodepressor effect. Mean aortic pressure decreased quickly and returned to control values approximately 2 h after injection, whereas GFR did not decrease significantly until the third hour after injection. The decreases in renal water and solute excretion in response to atriopeptin could be accounted for by the decrease in GFR, since there were no significant changes in fractional water or solute excretion. Similar decreases in GFR were observed during constant infusions of a lower physiological dose of the peptide (80 pg.kg-1.min-1). The observed antidiuretic and antinatriuretic effect of synthetic atriopeptin in the dogfish contrasts with its putative role as a hormone mediating hypervolemic regulation.
Coase's First Question

Bruce Owen's recent Regulation article "Assigning Broadband Rights" (Summer 2004) considers two resources: "the right to control access to a local broadband system" and "the right to determine the technical standards that describe which transmissions will or will not be processed for local distribution." With each "right," he immediately moves to consider who, between the owner of physical assets and users of the network, should have the right he has identified. But should the resources that he has identified be subject to a property regime at all?
The Online Personal Action Plan: A Tool to Transform Patient-Enabled Preventive and Chronic Care.

Introduction Patient-facing online tools for managing preventive and chronic care can be a resource-effective way to increase patient agency in health promotion. Recently, Kaiser Permanente Southern California added the Online Personal Action Plan (oPAP) to the member web portal to better enable members to access information about prevention, health promotion, and care gaps. This study described Kaiser Permanente Southern California members who use oPAP, as well as how members use oPAP to close five different care gaps: hemoglobin A1c testing, pneumonia vaccination, and three cancer screenings. Methods Care gap closure rates between oPAP users and members not registered on the online patient portal between December 2014 and March 2015 were compared. Data were analyzed in 2015. A total of 838,638 cases (48.9% women; mean age, 49.5 years; 40.4% oPAP users) were examined. Results Adjusting for demographics, BMI, smoking status, health and insurance status, and number of open care gaps, oPAP access was associated with a somewhat greater likelihood of care gap closure within 90 days for select care gap types, particularly hemoglobin A1c testing and breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening among eligible members. The effect of oPAP access on care gap closure differed by certain ethnic minority groups. Conclusions Although healthcare organizations have developed approaches to managing and closing preventive care gaps, these efforts are resource intensive. Users of oPAP are more likely than non-registered members to close gaps, especially cancer screening tests. The oPAP appears to be an effective tool at improving patient engagement in preventive health care.
Controlled deposition of structured polymer films: chemical and rheological factors in chitosan film formation.

The technique of “spread coating” has been used to create thin films from solutions of deacetylated and butyl-modified chitosan polymer, and the effect of deposition rate on film thickness has been characterized. Results show that films of controlled thickness can be reproducibly produced and that hydrophobic modification of the polymer can extend the range over which a linear response between film thickness and deposition rate is achieved. Viscometry and fluorescence spectroscopy were also employed to characterize the micellar characteristics of solutions of both deacetylated and butyl-modified chitosan polymer. Although both deacetylated and butyl-modified chitosan solutions were found to have inter- and intramolecular interactions, as well as hydrophobic domains able to incorporate fluorophores, deacetylated chitosan was found to be more interconnected via intermolecular interactions at higher concentrations. These results are important as having the ability to understand how the introduction of hydrop...
Digital Blood Flow and Distensibility During Immersion in Cold Water.

The decreased distensibility of fingers immersed in ice water has been ascribed to increased venomotor tone(l). However, Edwards and Burton(2) found that there is an increase in volume of fingers immersed in ice water and have suggested that reduction in distensibility may be due to increased venous filling. In an attempt to determine the interrelationships between finger volume, digital distensibility, blood flow and venous pressure, studies have been made at different local and environmental temperatures.Methods. The experiments were performed on 2 subjects with bath temperatures (Tw) at 5, 9.5, 20 and 38.5†C and room temperature (Tr) of 12, 20 and 28†C. The subjects lay on a cot with the right hand placed in a 27 1 water tank. The tank was raised so that when the hand was in position the tips of the fingers were about 15 cm above heart level.Changes in finger volume were determined by a mercury-in-rubber strain gauge (3,4) compensated for temperature changes (5). The strain gauge was applied to the tip...
Efficient computation of unsteady planar internal viscous flows with moving geometry

AIAA, Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 34th, Reno, NV, Jan. 15-18, 1996 An efficient computational approach for the analysis of unsteady internal planar viscous airflows with geometry in relative rigid-body motion is presented. The efficiency of the computational approach is obtained through the use of a data-input structure based on a geometry model, a deforming multiblock structured grid, an automated localized dynamic grid generation method, and an explicit or implicit time-integration method. The approach has been coded into the programs DGNS2D and NPARC2D-DG. The features of the codes are described, and test cases are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and application of the codes. The application of interest is the analysis of the airflow through variable-geometry inlets for high-speed aircraft. Included is the analysis of the inviscid airflow during the unstart/restart operation of the NASA Variable Diameter Centerbody inlet. (Author)
Epidemiological Analysis of B Category Infectious Diseases in Meizhou City from 2003 to 2007

Objective To explore the trend of prevalence of B category infectious diseases in Meizhou city and provide the scientific basis for the control and prevention of infectious diseases.Methods Descriptive epidemiology was used to analyze the data of B category infectious diseases in Meizhou city during 2003-2007.Results During 2003-2007,16 types of 42 821 cases of B category infectious diseases were reported.The average annual incidence rate was 187.45 /100 000.The deadly diseases had 6 types and 163 death cases,with the average annual mortality rate of 0.71 /100 000.Respiratory diseases accounted for 58.65 of total cases and the average annual incidence rate was 109.94 /100 000,and was ranking the first position of various infectious diseases.Blood and sex transmission diseases accounted for 36.56 of the total cases,with the average annual incidence rate of 68.54 /100 000,and was ranking the second position of various infectious diseases.The infectious disease with the highest average annual incidence rate was tuberculosis,and the second was viral hepatitis.Rabies was the highest death toll of infectious diseases,accounted for 63.80 of total deaths.HIV infection rate showed an upward trend.Conclusion The infectious disease control and prevention strategies should focus on tuberculosis,viral hepatitis,rabies and HIV /AIDS.
Landscape Design Principles Course Teaching Reform——University City College of Jilin Architectural Case

Landscape design professional art and design principle is an important theoretical lessons. For students to establish the correct landscape design ideas,cultivate students'comprehensive ability is important. In this paper,"Theory and discuss designing parallel" teaching model,reshaping a more rational theory of independent college teaching mode,so that the landscape of professional theoretical teaching system more perfect.
Perinatal metabolism of vitamin D: transition from fetal to neonatal life.

Recent advances in the understanding of the metabolism of vitamin D are outlined: vitamin D metabolism during pregnancy, vitamin D and the placenta, vitamin D metabolism in the fetus, maternal deficiency of vitamin D, vitamin D and the neonate, osteopenia and rickets of prematurity, and vitamin D and lactation.
Using the Universal Design for Learning Framework to Support Culturally Diverse Learners.

This article describes the mechanism through which cultural variability is a source of learning differences. The authors argue that the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can be extended to captur...
Entre la poética y la política: asuntos de derechos humanos en La muerte y la doncella, de Ariel Dorfman

Una reciente discusion (2012) en torno a la obra dramatica La muerte y la doncella y la persona publica de Ariel Dorfman permite al critico Hernan Vidal poner en cuestion las bases ideologicas y concepciones literarias del autor chileno, celebre por su activismo y por el uso de sus obras para la discusion de los temas de derechos humanos, en especial en situaciones de justicia transicional. La propuesta de Vidal plantea la inoperancia de las formas romanticas literarias para poner en la escena (publica) temas de derechos humanos, contraponiendo a ellas una hermeneuticamaterialista.Este ensayo, a la vez que propone un estado de la cuestion, plantea, desde una perspectiva de la teoria de la recepcion aplicada a la obra dramatica de Dorfman y de una discusion pragmatista (Rorty, Nussbaum) sobre la fundamentacion de los derechos humanos, la inoperanciade una discusion sobre las bases ideologicas y politicas en torno a una obra o un autor dramatico, incluso si se trata de una «persona» publica, como en el caso de Dorfman.Ayudado por asertos brechtianos sobre la necesaria operatividad de un teatro politico, este trabajo busca cuestionar las bases naturalistas (idealistas y religiosas) que con frecuencia son aplicadas a una hermeneutica de derechos humanos a la hora de criticar los artefactos culturales y a sus autores.
Structural basis for induction of peripheral neuropathy by microtubule-targeting cancer drugs

Peripheral neuropathy is a serious, dose-limiting side effect of cancer treatment with microtubule-targeting drugs. Symptoms present in a "stocking-glove" distribution, with longest nerves affected most acutely, suggesting a length-dependent component to the toxicity. Axonal transport of ATP-producing mitochondria along neuronal microtubules from cell body to synapse is crucial to neuronal function. We compared the effects of the drugs paclitaxel and ixabepilone that bind along the lengths of microtubules and the drugs eribulin and vincristine that bind at microtubule ends, on mitochondrial trafficking in cultured human neuronal SK-N-SH cells and on axonal transport in mouse sciatic nerves. Antiproliferative concentrations of paclitaxel and ixabepilone significantly inhibited the anterograde transport velocity of mitochondria in neuronal cells, whereas eribulin and vincristine inhibited transport only at significantly higher concentrations. Confirming these observations, anterogradely transported amyloid precursor protein accumulated in ligated sciatic nerves of control and eribulin-treated mice, but not in paclitaxel-treated mice, indicating that paclitaxel inhibited anterograde axonal transport, whereas eribulin did not. Electron microscopy of sciatic nerves of paclitaxel-treated mice showed reduced organelle accumulation proximal to the ligation consistent with inhibition of anterograde (kinesin based) transport by paclitaxel. In contrast, none of the drugs significantly affected retrograde (dynein based) transport in neuronal cells or mouse nerves. Collectively, these results suggest that paclitaxel and ixabepilone, which bind along the lengths and stabilize microtubules, inhibit kinesin-based axonal transport, but not dynein-based transport, whereas the microtubule-destabilizing drugs, eribulin and vincristine, which bind preferentially to microtubule ends, have significantly less effect on all microtubule-based axonal transport. Cancer Res; 76(17); 5115-23. ©2016 AACR.
Multiple Bosses: Challenges and suggestions to improve organizational environments in academic settings.

Practice faculty members are often supervised by more than one individual, creating a reporting structure that mirrors a matrix organization. They are tasked with balancing administrative and teaching responsibilities established by the school with expectations of maintaining a pharmacy practice site. A matrix reporting structure offers opportunities for enhanced development, but risks of additional stress from the organizational complexity must be mitigated to reduce job dissatisfaction. Frequent and consistent communication, mutual agreement and alignment of expectations and priorities, and the ability to manage conflict and adapt to change will aid pharmacy practice faculty in managing the relationship between their primary employer (the school) and the contracted entity. Conflict of Interest We declare no conflicts of interest or financial interests that the authors or members of their immediate families have in any product or service discussed in the manuscript, including grants (pending or received), employment, gifts, stock holdings or options, honoraria, consultancies, expert testimony, patents and royalties. Type: Original Research
Variable nitrate concentration–discharge relationships in a forested watershed

The relationship between solute concentrations and discharge can inform an integrated understanding of hydrological and biogeochemical processes at watershed scales. Recent work from multiple catchments has shown that there is typically little variation in concentration relative to large variations in discharge. This pattern has been described as chemostatic behavior. Pond Branch, a forested headwater catchment in Maryland, has been monitored for stream nitrate (NO3−) concentrations at weekly intervals for 14 years. In the growing season and autumn of 2011 a high-frequency optical NO3− sensor was used to supplement the long-term weekly data. In this watershed, long-term weekly data show that NO3− concentrations decrease with increasing discharge whereas 6 months of 15-minute sensor observed concentrations reveal a more chemostatic behavior. High-frequency NO3− concentrations from the sensor collected during different storm events reveal variable concentration–discharge patterns highlighting the importance of high resolution data and ecohydrological drivers in controlling solute export for biologically reactive solutes such as NO3−.
Inverse Design of Perfectly Transmitting Eigenchannels in Scattering Media

Light-matter interactions inside a turbid medium can be controlled by tailoring the spatial distribution of energy density throughout the system. Wavefront shaping allows selective coupling of incident light to different transmission eigenchannels, producing dramatically different spatial intensity profiles. In contrast to the density of transmission eigenvalues that is dictated by the universal bimodal distribution, the spatial structures of the eigenchannels are not universal and depend on the confinement geometry of the system. Here, we develop and verify a model for the transmission eigenchannel with the corresponding eigenvalue close to unity. By projecting the original problem of two-dimensional diffusion in a homogeneous scattering medium onto a one-dimensional inhomogeneous diffusion, we obtain an analytical expression relating the intensity profile to the shape of the confining waveguide. Inverting this relationship enables the inverse design of the waveguide shape to achieve the desired energy distribution for the perfectly transmitting eigenchannel. Our approach also allows to predict the intensity profile of such a channel in a disordered slab with open boundaries, pointing to the possibility of controllable delivery of light to different depths with local illumination.
Interior tomographic imaging for x-ray coherent scattering (Conference Presentation)

Conventional computed tomography reconstructs the attenuation only high-dimensional images. Coherent scatter computed tomography, which reconstructs the angular dependent scattering profiles of 3D objects, can provide molecular signatures that improves the accuracy of material identification and classification. Coherent scatter tomography are traditionally acquired by setups similar to x-ray powder diffraction machine; a collimated source in combination with 2D or 1D detector collimation in order to localize the scattering point. In addition, the coherent scatter cross-section is often 3 orders of magnitude lower than that of the absorption cross-section for the same material. Coded aperture and structured illumination approaches has been shown to greatly improve the collection efficiency. In many applications, especially in security imaging and medical diagnosis, fast and accurate identification of the material composition of a small volume within the whole object would lead to an accelerated imaging procedure and reduced radiation dose. Here, we report an imaging method to reconstruct the material coherent scatter profile within a small volume. The reconstruction along one radial direction can reconstruct a scalar coherent scattering tomographic image. Our methods takes advantage of the finite support of the scattering profile in small angle regime. Our system uses a pencil beam setup without using any detector side collimation. Coherent scatter profile of a 10 mm scattering sample embedded in a 30 mm diameter phantom was reconstructed. The setup has small form factor and is suitable for various portable non-destructive detection applications.
KCa3.1 Channel Modulators as Potential Therapeutic Compounds for Glioblastoma.

Author(s): Brown, Brandon M; Pressley, Brandon; Wulff, Heike | Abstract: BackgroundThe intermediate-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel KCa3.1 is widely expressed in cells of the immune system such as T- and B-lymphocytes, mast cells, macrophages and microglia, but also found in dedifferentiated vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts and many cancer cells including pancreatic, prostate, leukemia and glioblastoma. In all these cell types KCa3.1 plays an important role in cellular activation, migration and proliferation by regulating membrane potential and Ca2+ signaling.Methods and resultsKCa3.1 therefore constitutes an attractive therapeutic target for diseases involving excessive proliferation or activation of one more of these cell types and researchers both in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry have developed several potent and selective small molecule inhibitors of KCa3.1. This article will briefly review the available compounds (TRAM-34, senicapoc, NS6180), their binding sites and mechanisms of action, and then discuss the potential usefulness of these compounds for the treatment of brain tumors based on their brain penetration and their efficacy in reducing microglia activation in animal models of ischemic stroke and Alzheimer's disease.ConclusionSenicapoc, which has previously been in Phase III clinical trials, would be available for repurposing, and could be used to quickly translate findings made with other KCa3.1 blocking tool compounds into clinical trials.
The Assets and Challenges of Formerly Incarcerated Latino Men’s Social Support Networks in Promoting Healthy Behaviors

After being exposed to high-risk environments in correctional facilities, formerly incarcerated Latino men (FILM) encounter new risks upon reentering their community of residence including drug use and sexual risk behaviors. Families and close social support networks are critical in potentially mitigating the stressors and risks associated with reentry and reducing the likelihood of recidivism. We conducted a study to examine the material and cognitive assets that familial networks can use to provide support to FILM to engage in health-promoting practices. This analysis is based on linear and logistic regression modeling of cross-sectional data collected through a computer-administered survey with dyads of FILM (ages 18–49, who had been in jail or prison within the past 5 years) and their nominated social network (n = 130 dyads). We found that both male and female social supports (MSS and FSS) have significantly higher levels of structural resources (education and employment) than FILM. Though FSS reported higher self-efficacy on health-promoting practices than FILM, contrary to what we predicted, FILM and FSS/MSS reported similar levels of mental health and behavioral risks. Our results suggest a number of limitations in designing family-based intervention strategies, but they also provided insight into the specificities needed to enhance the social support networks of FILM.
Nurse Perceptions of Artists as Collaborators in Interprofessional Care Teams

Increased attention is being given to interprofessional collaboration in healthcare, which has been shown to improve patient satisfaction, patient safety, healthcare processes, and health outcomes. As the arts and artists are being more widely incorporated into healthcare settings throughout the world, professional artists are contributing to interprofessional care teams. A secondary directed content analysis of interviews with 31 nurses on a medical-surgical care unit investigated the roles and impacts of professional artists on the interprofessional care team. The investigation utilized established domains of interprofessional care, including values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams and teamwork, and created the domain of quality of care. Findings suggest that artists are valued by nurses as members of the interprofessional care team, that they enhance the provision of patient-centered care, and that they improve quality of care by providing holistic dimensions of caring, including cognitive and social engagement, and meaningful interaction. The presence of artists on interprofessional teams provides a cost-effective and welcome resource for clinical staff and builds a culture in which creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration are more highly valued and activated.
An Investigation of the Psychometric Properties of the Early Identification System–Student Report:

An identified barrier to the widespread adoption of universal socioemotional and behavioral screening in schools may be that existing instruments may be too burdensome or costly to administer. As a...
Perceptions of Same-Gender and Different-Gender Intimate Partner Cyber-Monitoring

There is a paucity of research comparing perceptions of technology-facilitated partner monitoring or stalking between same-gender and different-gender relationships. As such, a randomized vignette study was conducted with 738 undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university, who read one of four stories of intimate partner cyber-monitoring (IPCM): same-gender IPCM with physical violence, same-gender IPCM without physical violence, different-gender IPCM with physical violence, and different-gender IPCM without physical violence. Results show that participants were significantly less likely to recommend the survivor break up with the abuser if the story described a same-gender relationship. If the story involved IPCM alone rather than also physical violence, participants were significantly less likely to label the abuse as “domestic violence,” more likely to recommend doing nothing, and less likely to recommend most of the assessed protective actions—including being less likely to recommend asking th...
Analysis and application of perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary conditions for computational aeroacoustics

The Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) was originally proposed by Berenger as an absorbing boundary condition for Maxwell's equations in 1994 and is still used extensively in the field of electromagnetics. The idea was extended to Computational Aeroacoustics in 1996, when Hu applied the method to Euler's equations. Since that time much of the work done on PML in the field of acoustics has been specific to the case where mean flow is perpendicular to a boundary, with an emphasis on Cartesian coordinates. The goal of this work is to further extend the PML methodology in a two-fold manner: First, to handle the more general case of an oblique mean flow, where mean velocities strike the boundary at an arbitrary angle, and second, to adapt the equations for use in a cylindrical coordinate system. These extensions to the PML methodology are effectively carried out in this dissertation. Perfectly Matched Layer absorbing boundary conditions are presented for the linearized and nonlinear Euler equations in two dimensions. Such boundary conditions are presented in both Cartesian and cylindrical coordinates for the case of an oblique mean flow. In Cartesian coordinates, the PML equations for the side layers and corner layers of a rectangular domain will be derived independently. The approach used in the formation of side layer equations guarantees that the side layers will be perfectly matched at the interface between the interior and PML regions. Because of the perfect matching of the side layers, the equations are guaranteed to be stable. However, a somewhat different approach is used in the formation of the corner layer equations. Therefore, the stability of linear waves in the corner layer is analyzed. The results of the analysis indicate that the proposed corner equations are indeed stable. For the PML equations in cylindrical coordinates, there is no need for separate derivations of side and corner layers, and in this case, the stability of the equations is achieved through an appropriate space-time transformation. As is shown, such a transformation is needed for correcting the inconsistencies in phase and group velocities which can negatively affect the stability of the equations. After this correction has been made, the cylindrical PML can be implemented without risk of instability. In both Cartesian and cylindrical coordinates, the PML for the linearized Euler equations are presented in primitive variables, while conservation form is used for the nonlinear Euler equations. Numerical examples are also included to support the validity of the proposed equations. Specifically, the equations are tested for a combination of acoustic, vorticity and entropy waves. In each example, high-accuracy solutions are obtained, indicating that the PML conditions are effective in minimizing boundary reflections.
Adolescent Sexual Health and Sexually Transmitted Infections: A Conceptual and Empirical Demonstration

Adolescents have a disproportionate burden of the negative outcomes of sexual activity, such as sexually transmitted infections (STI), unintended pregnancy, and sexual coercion. These outcomes contribute to short- and long-term poor health, fertility, and economics that may reverberate into adulthood. Traditional public health research appropriately addresses these outcomes of adolescent sexual behavior by focusing on promotion of abstinence, delay of initiation of sexual activity, and consistent use of condoms and contraception [1]. The proposed 2020 health objectives, which emphasize positive youth development, continue this public health focus on isolated adverse outcomes [2]. This isolated focus obscures the larger developmental significance of sexuality and sexual behavior, creating a perspective that adolescent sexual health is an oxymoron in that adolescents cannot be simultaneously sexual and healthy.
Tuning the Redox Potentials and Ligand Field Strength of Fe(II) Polypyridines: The Dual π-Donor and π-Acceptor Character of Bipyridine

The quintet-singlet energy difference (Δ EQ/S) in Fe(II) polypyridine complexes is often interpreted in terms of metal-ligand π interactions. DFT calculations on a series of substituted [Fe(bpy)3]2+ (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) complexes show the disparate magnitudes of substituent effects on tuning Δ EQ/S and reduction potentials ( E°). In this series, E° spans a much larger range than Δ EQ/S (2.07 vs 0.29 eV). While small changes in Δ EQ/S are controlled by metal-ligand π interactions, large changes in E° arise from modification of the electrostatic environment around the Fe center. Molecular orbital analysis reveals that, contrary to the typical description of bpy as a π-acceptor, bpy is better described as acting as both a π-donor and π-acceptor in [Fe(bpy)3]2+ complexes, even when it is substituted with highly electron withdrawing substituents. Overall, substituent modification is a useful strategy for fine-tuning the ligand field strength but not for significant reordering of the spin-state manifold, despite the large effect on metal-ligand electrostatic interactions.
Retrospective Cost Adaptive Control Using Composite FIR/IIR Controllers

For stably stabilizable plants, that is, plants that can be stabilized by asymptotically stable controllers, LQG controllers are often unstable. This typically occurs in the case where the plant is unstable or nonminimum phase (NMP). In this paper, we apply retrospective cost adaptive control (RCAC) to stably stabilize plants whose LQG controllers are unstable. RCAC is implemented by using a composite FIR/IIR controller consisting of a high-order FIR component and a low-order IIR component. Asymptotic stability of the IIR component is enforced at each step by reflecting its unstable poles into the open unit disk. These controllers are used for command following and disturbance rejection for Lyapunov-stable and NMP plants.
Use of acetaminophen for patent ductus arteriosus treatment: a single center experience

Purpose: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) continues to be one of the most common complications associated with preterm birth. Up to 70% of infants born before 28 weeks gestational age may require som...
Potential occupational hazards of additive manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing (AM), often called 3-D printing, is becoming a prominent part of modern industry due to its usefulness in accelerating product development and prototyping, as well as produci...
The Problem of Evil

This paper asks how the prospects of an afterlife might affect how we approach the problem of evil, which is doubtless the foremost intellectual difficulty that theists face. The paper considers four possible afterlife theories, asking not whether they are true but how, if they are true, they might affect the problem of evil. The four theories are “death ends all” (i.e., there is no conscious life after death for humans), immortality of the soul, reincarnation, and bodily resurrection. Next the paper proposes a theodicy which is partially based on the possibility of bodily resurrection. The crucial claim is that God will redeem all evil. Finally, the paper asks whether the existence of evil in the world might provide grounds for hope.
CONJECTURES ABOUT SIMPLE DYNAMICS FOR SOME REAL NEWTON MAPS ON ℝ2

We collect from several sources some of the most important results on the forward and backward limits of points under real and complex rational functions, and in particular real and complex Newton ...
Predicting 15O-Water PET cerebral blood flow maps from multi-contrast MRI using a deep convolutional neural network with evaluation of training cohort bias.

To improve the quality of MRI-based cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements, a deep convolutional neural network (dCNN) was trained to combine single- and multi-delay arterial spin labeling (ASL) an...
Multi-arm Avidin nano-construct for intra-cartilage delivery of small molecule drugs.

Abstract Targeted drug delivery to joint tissues like cartilage remains a challenge that has prevented clinical translation of promising osteoarthritis (OA) drugs. Local intra-articular (IA) injections of drugs suffer from rapid clearance from the joint space and slow diffusive transport through the dense, avascular cartilage matrix comprised of negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Here we apply drug carriers that leverage electrostatic interactions with the tissue's high negative fixed charge density (FCD) for delivering small molecule drugs to cartilage cell and matrix sites. We demonstrate that a multi-arm cationic nano-construct of Avidin (mAv) with 28 sites for covalent drug conjugation can rapidly penetrate through the full thickness of cartilage in high concentration and have long intra-cartilage residence time in both healthy and arthritic cartilage via weak-reversible binding with negatively charged aggrecans. mAv's intra-cartilage mean uptake was found to be 112× and 33× the equilibration bath concentration in healthy and arthritic (50% GAG depleted) cartilage, respectively. mAv was conjugated with Dexamethasone (mAv-Dex), a broad-spectrum glucocorticoid, using a combination of hydrolysable ester linkers derived from succinic anhydride (SA), 3,3-dimethylglutaric anhydride (GA) and phthalic anhydride (PA) in 2:1:1 M ratio that enabled 50% drug release within 38.5 h followed by sustained release in therapeutic doses over 2 weeks. A single 10 μM low dose of controlled release mAv-Dex (2:1:1) effectively suppressed IL-1α-induced GAG loss, cell death and inflammatory response significantly better than unmodified Dex over 2 weeks in cartilage explant culture models of OA. With this multi-arm design,
Method for Chance Constrained Optimal Control Using Biased Kernel Density Estimators

A method is developed to numerically solve chance constrained optimal control problems. The chance constraints are reformulated as nonlinear constraints that retain the probability properties of the original constraint. The reformulation transforms the chance constrained optimal control problem into a deterministic optimal control problem that can be solved numerically. The new method developed in this paper approximates the chance constraints using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling and kernel density estimators whose kernels have integral functions that bound the indicator function. The nonlinear constraints resulting from the application of kernel density estimators are designed with bounds that do not violate the bounds of the original chance constraint. The method is tested on a non-trivial chance constrained modification of a soft lunar landing optimal control problem and the results are compared with results obtained using a conservative deterministic formulation of the optimal control problem. The results show that this new method efficiently solves chance constrained optimal control problems.
Stimulation of the Gαq/phospholipase Cβ1 signaling pathway returns differentiated cells to a stem-like state

Phospholipase Cβ1 is activated by Gαq to generate calcium signals in response to hormones and neurotransmitters. Besides carrying out this plasma membrane function, PLCβ1 has a cytosolic population that helps to drive the differentiation of PC12 cells by inhibiting a nuclease that promotes RNA-induced silencing (C3PO). Here, we show that down-regulating PLCβ1 or reducing its cytosolic population by activating Gαq to localize it to the plasma membrane returns differentiated PC12 and SK-N-SH cells to an undifferentiated state. In this state, PC12 cells have a spherical morphology, resume proliferation, and express the stem cell transcription factors nanog and Oct4. Similar changes are seen when C3PO is down-regulated. This return to a stem-like state is accompanied by shifts in multiple miR populations. Surprisingly, de-differentiation can be induced by extended stimulation of Gαq where cells return to a spherical morphology and levels of specific miRs return to their undifferentiated values. In complementary studies, we followed the real-time hydrolysis of a fluorescent-tagged miR in cells where PLCβ1 or C3PO were down-regulated in PC12 cells and find substantial differences in miR processing in the undifferentiated and differentiated states. Taken together, our studies suggest that PLCβ1, through its ability to regulate C3PO and endogenous miR populations, mediates the differentiation of two types of cultured neuronal cells.
Gender Differences in Perceived Benefits of and Barriers to Use of Modern Contraceptive Methods in Rural Malawi.

CONTEXT Despite the extensive literature on women's perceptions about contraceptive methods, distinctions between specific methods have rarely been investigated, men have often been excluded and comparable data for contraceptive users and nonusers have typically not been collected. The lack of such information may limit family planning programs' effectiveness. METHODS Cross-sectional survey data from 1,162 women and 621 men were used to examine perceived barriers to and facilitators of use of contraceptive methods (the pill, injectable, subdermal implant, IUD and male condoms). Conditional logit regression analysis was used to examine associations between 13 method-specific perceptions and respondents' preference to use the male condom, injectable or implant among a subsample of 603 women and 295 men. RESULTS Men's and women's perceptions differed the most with regard to side effects, sexual pleasure and partner support. The likelihood that a woman preferred to use a method was positively associated with her perception that it does not have side effects, has a desired influence on menstruation, has no impact on conceiving a future pregnancy, is easy to use covertly and was recommended by a friend (odds ratios, 1.3-1.7). The likelihood that a man preferred a method was positively associated with his perception that it has a desired influence on his partner's menstruation (1.7) and that his partner is very supportive of its use (2.1). CONCLUSIONS Family planning programs and health care providers should engage with both women and men to counteract misperceptions or negative beliefs about contraceptive methods, and should work to provide accurate information to couples.
NASA Risk Management Metrics — Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Risk Management Process

The goal of Risk Management (RM) is to identify and mitigate problems before they become detrimental to a project. Lessening the impact to the project from risks being realized can result in substantial monetary savings for NASA, and is critical for projects to maintain schedules and forward momentum. Realized risks, or problems, that have either already occurred or are currently inevitable regardless of the risk management strategy, are categorized as “Issues” by NASA. The purpose of this research is to determine how well projects predict Issues from their inventory of risks. While one cannot examine Issues that were successfully prevented from occurring, we can examine if the Issues that did occur were foreseen. The researchers collected data from the project monthly reports for ten projects and compiled them in spreadsheets for further analysis. A column was created for each month to assemble a time line, recording when each Risk and each Issue were reported over the project life cycle. By organizing the Risks and Issues in this manner, the analysis examined if Issues all originated from previously identified Risks. We would propose that if all Issues were previously identified as Risks, this is an indication of a well-functioning RM process. In addition to providing this insight for each individual project, once completed for all projects, the data can be compared project-to-project, between projects of the same mission class, and between projects at specific life cycle phases. This is very valuable insight into individual projects and the overall RM process effectiveness, providing a path toward consistency, better effectiveness, and improved methods for tracking progress. For the set of projects reviewed, the results are helpful in understanding how well RM processes are documenting Risks before they become Issues, and therefore informing management of the potential problems before they arise.
Asymptomatic Bacterial Vaginosis: to Treat or Not to Treat?

The purpose of this review is to summarize current evidence for and against the treatment of asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis (BV) in women. Asymptomatic BV is common although its pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. In favor of treating asymptomatic BV is the large body of data supporting that it is sexually transmitted. Along these lines and similar to other STIs, treatment of BV, regardless of symptom status, should be considered to reduce adverse outcomes of infection (i.e., adverse birth outcomes, infertility, post-gynecologic surgery infections) and prevent further sexual transmission of BV pathogen(s) to sexual partners. One study has found that treatment of women with asymptomatic BV led to a significant reduction in incident chlamydial infections over a 6-month follow-up period, compared to observation-only women. Additionally, some women with asymptomatic BV actually have symptomatic BV but do not recognize these symptoms as an infection. Nevertheless, limitations of the trial regarding treatment of asymptomatic BV as well as the 2020 United States Preventative Task Force recommendation against screening and treatment of asymptomatic BV in pregnant women dampen enthusiasm for recommending treatment in this setting. Treatment of asymptomatic BV remains controversial. Additional studies are needed to further investigate the pathogenesis of BV, which will directly influence advances in its diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Comparison of void swelling of ferritic-martensitic and ferritic HT9 alloys after high-dose self-ion irradiation

Abstract Ferritic-martensitic (F/M) HT9 along with fully ferritic HT9 specimens were irradiated using self-ions to 600 peak displacement-per-atom (dpa) at 450 °C. To investigate and minimize the carbon contamination effect on void swelling, two identical F/M HT9 specimens were prepared: one without a coating and the other one with a tungsten and silver coating on the surface prior to irradiation. The specimen without a coating showed carbide formation in the matrix, resulting from carbon contamination during irradiation, with no voids observed. The coated sample did not form matrix carbides, and voids were observed within the irradiated region. The same coating was applied to the ferritic HT9, and void swelling results of both the F/M HT9 and the ferritic HT9 alloys were compared after irradiation. The F/M HT9 exhibited a maximum of 2.6% swelling, while the ferritic HT9 showed a maximum of 0.8% swelling at a 400–500 nm depth, equivalent to 334 local dpa. The results were correlated with the instability of carbides in the ferritic HT9 under irradiation. Carbides in the F/M HT9 and the ferritic HT9 are both M23C6, but the matrix carbides in the ferritic HT9 were less stable under the irradiation, compared to the ones on the grain boundaries in the F/M HT9. The study shows the impact of chemistry on the void swelling which overpowers the microstructural factors such as grain size and phase.
New Ideas for Efficient Generation of Coherent Near-Millimeter Wave Radiation

Production of efficient sources of coherent near millimeter wave (NMMW) radiation is an important unsolved prohlem. In the most efficient devices at present, optically pumped lasers and gas-discharge systems such as the HCN laser, excitation supplied at energy \hslash \omega ∼ leV produces NMMW photons of energy \hslash \omega ∼ 1−2 ev, the remainder of the excitation energy being trapped in the molecule. This leads to an intrinsic reduction ξ o = \Omega/ \omega ∼ 10−2 in power conversion efficiency, since in these systems, each excitation quantum yields at best one NMMW photon.
Cropping system and soil texture shape soil health outcomes and scoring functions

Abstract Inherent soil properties often define the soil's basic functions, but human management can have superimposing impacts on the quality of soil. It is therefore challenging to interpret Soil Health (SH) measurements in the context of a region's soils and cropping systems. We examined the effects of soil texture, a dominant inherent soil property, and cropping system on SH indicators for New York, USA soils. A dataset of 1,750 soil samples was analyzed for SH indicators including Soil Organic Matter (SOM), Permanganate-Oxidizable Carbon (POXC), Soil Respiration (Resp), soil protein (Protein), Available Water Capacity (AWC), Wet Aggregate Stability (WAS), surface and subsurface penetration resistance, and seven soil chemical properties. Measured physical and biological indicators were affected by both soil texture and cropping system. AWC measured on disturbed samples was mostly affected by texture (37.4% variance explained), while Resp, Protein, and WAS were mostly impacted by cropping system (11.7%, 14.7%, and 22.1% variance explained, respectively). POXC was equally affected by texture and cropping system. Pasture and Mixed Vegetable systems tended to have the highest biological and physical soil health, followed by Dairy Crop systems. Annual Grain and Processing Vegetable cropping systems tended to have the lowest soil health. The effects of cropping systems are presumably linked to differences in the carbon and nutrient balances and the amount of soil disturbance through tillage. New scoring functions based on soil texture classes and cropping systems were developed for New York State to facilitate interpretation of SH test results in the context of the production-specific environments.
Aligned: Sex Workers’ Lessons for the Gig Economy

This article centers the fight for sex workers' rights in responding to questions of how 21st Century gig work should be regulated. By focusing on the strategies of black and brown cis- and trans- folks in the fight for sex workers' rights, this article examines the regulation of gig work and of “acceptable” work more generally. It explores relationships between work, poverty, and power and suggests how to appropriately engage in movement building to forge a path forward by building coalitions between gig workers of all kinds.
The Medicalization of Society: On the Transformation of Human Conditions into Treatable Disorders

Medicalization : context, characteristics, and changes -- Extension : men and the medicalization of andropause, baldness, and erectile dysfunction -- Expansion : from hyperactive children to adult ADHD -- Enhancement : human growth hormone and the temptations of biomedical enhancement -- Continuity : homosexuality and the potential for remedicalization -- Measuring medicalization : categories, numbers, and treatment -- The shifting engines of medicalization -- Medicalization and its discontents.
Differential-Geometric Techniques for Solving Differential Algebraic Equations

A differential-geometric approach for the numerical solution of mixed differential-algebraic systems of equations is presented and a general local parametrization for such systems is constructed. Multistep ODE solvers are then applied for obtaining locally a numerical approximation to the solution of the differential-algebraic system. The class of local parametrizations considered in the paper contains as particular cases, the ‘tangent space’ parametrization and the local parametrization induced by the ‘generalized coordinate partitioning’. Applications for the numerical solution of the Euler-Lagrange equations are discussed in detail and computational results for a four-bar linkage mechanism are given.