cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TCP ACK Congestion Control and Filtering for Fairness Provision in the Uplink of IEEE 802.11 Infrastructure Basic Service Set

Most of the deployed IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs) use infrastructure basic service set (BSS) in which an access point (AP) serves as a gateway between wired and wireless domains. We present the transport layer uplink unfairness problem that occurs due to uneven bandwidth sharing between upstream transmission control protocol (TCP) data and downstream TCP acknowledgment (ACK) packets. We propose ACK congestion control and filtering in the WLAN downlink to improve fairness between uplink flows. Through extensive simulations, we show that the proposed heuristic algorithms not only enhance both short- and long-term fairness but also increase channel utilization in the 802.11 WLAN. Another attractive feature for the proposed algorithms is the independence of the performance from variable TCP round trip times (RTTs).
The United States Alpha-1 Foundation Research Registry: Genesis, Impact and Future

The Alpha-1 Foundation Research Registry has a long history of facilitating research studies in the United States. The current contact registry is used to invite participants to research studies. However, the next generation of individuals diagnosed with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency may look quite different from historical cohorts. This paper uses data from the Alpha Coded Testing (ACT) study, a home genetic testing program in which deficient individuals are invited to participate in the Registry, to demonstrate the impact that selection bias can introduce into registry data. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure is rapidly declining in the United States. We queried whether consecutive non-smokers with or without childhood ETS in ACT (N = 801) had been diagnosed with COPD more often if deficiency genes were defined in subsequent testing. The prevalence of COPD was not different between cohorts with or without ETS exposure between normal (PiMM and PiMS), moderately deficient (PiMZ, PiMNull, and PiSS), and severely deficient (PiSZ, PiZZ, PiSNull, and PiZNull) genotypes. Surprisingly, age adjusted COPD Severity Scores in this cohort were higher for individuals with normal genotypes compared to moderately (P<0.001) and severely (P = 0.04) deficient genotypes. Ascertainment bias of testing within families (which yields the highest incidence of deficiency genotypes) also finds many family members without symptoms, even over the age of 40. We conclude that the future utility of registries will depend on accurate determination of testing mechanics. Larger database initiatives using the COPD Patient Powered Research Network are described.
A class of convergent algorithms for resource allocation in wireless fading networks

Optimal and reduced-complexity near-optimal algorithms are developed for the design of wireless networks in the presence of fading. The physical layer is interference-limited, whereby network terminals treat interference as noise. Optimal wireless network design amounts to joint optimization of application-level rates, routes, link capacities, power consumption, and power allocation across frequency tones, neighboring terminals, and fading states. The present contribution shows how recent results establishing the optimality of layered architectures can be realized in practice by developing physical layer resource allocation algorithms that are seamlessly integrated into layered architectures without loss of optimality. Specifically, the provably convergent algorithms yield (near-)optimal end-to-end rates, multicommodity flows, link capacities, and average powers. These design variables are obtained offline, and are subsequently used for control during network operation.
Escherichia Coli ADPglucose Synthetase Substrate-Inhibitor Binding Sites Studied by Site(S) Directed Chemical Modification and Mutant Enzyme Characterization

ADPglucose synthetase catalyzes the synthesis of ADPglucose from α-glucose 1-P and ATP (reaction 1) (1) ATP + a-glucose 1-P ⇌ ADPglucose + PPi ADPglucose is the glucosyl donor for starch synthesis in plants and for glycogen synthesis in bacteria and ADPglucose synthetase has been shown to be the major regulatory enzyme for a 1,4 glucan sythesis in bacteria as well as in plants.
Programming Models at Exascale: Adaptive Runtime Systems, Incomplete Simple Languages, and Interoperability

Applications running on exascale machines will be complex in many ways. They will involve dynamic and adaptive refinements, and will be composed of multiple, independently developed modules, often involving a multiphysics simulation. The programming models of this era must have several characteristics. First, they need to do away with the notion of processors, and automate resource management via adaptive runtime systems. Data structure-specific frameworks and domain-specific environments will be needed to further simplify programming. More importantly, parallel mini-languages need to be developed, such that each language captures only a restricted subset of possible parallel interactions, but allows for a simple expression of them. Coupled with interoperability and parallel composition, which must be supported in many ways, including message-driven runtime systems, this will create a productive ecosystem of parallel programming models for the exascale era.
Bubble CPAP may be safe and efficacious for neonates in low and middle income countries, but more evidence is needed.

Commentary on : Martin S, Duke T, Davis P. Efficacy and safety of bubble CPAP in neonatal care in low and middle income countries: a systematic review. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2014;99:F495–504.[OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2] Neonatal respiratory distress associated with prematurity, surfactant deficiency, sepsis and birth asphyxia, significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality globally. In high income countries, nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) initiated in the delivery room, compared with intubation and mechanical ventilation, reduces death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm babies born <32 weeks’ gestation.1 In low and middle income countries (LMIC) with limited resources, bubble CPAP may provide affordable, safe and effective respiratory support in hospital settings. The systematic review and meta-analysis examines the evidence for the efficacy and safety of CPAP (particularly bubble CPAP) as a primary respiratory support in neonates <28 days old with respiratory distress in LMIC hospital settings. Survival was the … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DArch%2BDis%2BChild%2BFetal%2BNeonatal%2BEd%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1136%252Farchdischild-2013-305519%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F25085942%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=ABST&journalCode=fetalneonatal&resid=99/6/F495&atom=%2Febmed%2F20%2F2%2F62.atom
Biology by the numbers on the Hawaiian Islands

One could imagine it might be hard to focus on science at a beautiful location such as the famous Waikiki Beach on Oahu Island, Hawaii. Amazingly, however, that's just what more than 330 participants did at the First Annual Winter Q-Bio Meeting at the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort from February 18–21, 2013. The interdisciplinary field of quantitative biology (q-bio) has expanded tremendously in the last several years, especially with the growth of systems and synthetic biology as integral components of q-bio. The organizers for this first Winter Q-bio meeting were led by Jeff Hasty (University of California, San Diego; San Diego, USA) and included Bill Ditto (University of Hawaii, Manoa, USA), William Hlavacek (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA), Alex Hoffmann (University of California, San Diego; San Diego, USA), Brian Munsky (New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, USA) and Lev Tsimring, (University of California, San Diego; San Diego, USA). The idea was to capitalize on the growing interest in the intersection of the physical and biologic sciences by bringing together scientists, from all different backgrounds and expertise, interested in quantitative principles of biologic systems. In this report, we've highlighted a few themes that we took home from the meeting.
Early detection and intervention in psychosis: an ethical paradigm shift

This paper will first posit the rationale for intervention before onset, then outline the current usual practice of treating schizophrenia and the determinants of that practice. Recent developments that permit or demand a change in this practice will then be elaborated. The article concludes with an elaboration of the currently known risks and benefits of early intervention research. The ethics of early intervention are undergoing a paradigm shift, a shift that supports early intervention research as being necessary to bring empirical balance to territory that is currently overpopulated with zealous opinions.
Probabilistic Voting in the Spatial Model of Elections: The Theory of Office-motivated Candidates

We unify and extend much of the literature on probabilistic voting in two-candidate elections. We give existence results for mixed and pure strategy equilibria of the electoral game. We prove general results on optimality of pure strategy equilibria vis-a-vis a weighted utilitarian social welfare function, and we derive the well-known “mean voter” result as a special case. We establish broad conditions under which pure strategy equilibria exhibit “policy coincidence,” in the sense that candidates pick identical platforms. We establish the robustness of equilibria with respect to variations in demographic and informational parameters. We show that mixed and pure strategy equilibria of the game must be close to being in the majority rule core when the core is close to non-empty and voters are close to deterministic. This controverts the notion that the median (in a one-dimensional model) is a mere “artifact.” Using an equivalence between a class of models including the binary Luce model and a class including additive utility shock models, we then derive a general result on optimality vis-a-vis the Nash social welfare function.
The Cholinergic Receptor System in the Frontal Lobe of Alzheimer Patients

The brain systems mostly affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are listed in Table 1 (Rossor et al., 1982; Bird et al., 1983; Davies, 1979). They include either neuronal populations which can be defined as cholinergic because of their enzymatic characteristics or projections from distant cholinergic neurons to cholinoceptive neurons. These cholinergic projections are particularly numerous in structures such as neocortex (frontal, parietal, temporal), hippocampus and amygdala but are also present in the locus coeruleus and raphe. Intrinsic cholinergic neurons present in other systems such as the striatum are less selectively damaged by the disease (Parent et al., 1984). The major brain cholinergic projections to the human neocortex originate in the nucleus basal is of Meynert in the substantia innominata (Coyle et al., 1983). This anatomical localization suggests that neurons with long projecting axons are particularly vulnerable to the disease while those with shorter projections such as in the striatum are more resistent. Besides AD, other degenerative disorders of the nervous system also involve cholinergic cell degeneration such as the Gerstmann Straussler syndrome, the Parkinson dementia complex of Guam and the Dementia pugilistica (Table 2).
Polychotomous multivariate models for coronary heart disease simulation. IV. The impact of physiological aging

This is an extension of a series of papers dealing with certain models used in the simulation of coronary heart disease. The current study investigates implications of including age as a risk factor in the models discussed in the preceding papers. The effects of using age as a risk factor were investigated in two ways. In one of these, age is interpreted as age of entry into the study; it is similar to the other risk factors in that it is assumed to be constant throughout the study. In the other, age is interpreted as the actual age; thus it increases during the course of simulations. Two polychotomous, multivariate risk functions developed in previous studies, the logistic risk and the Neyman exponential risk, were used to explore the effects of including age as a risk factor. The estimated risk coefficient for age was found to be statistically significant for both functions. The model performance was evaluated by comparing the observational data with outcomes simulated using Monte Carlo techniques. It was found that the logistic risk function failed to describe the observations either with age as a constant or with aging during the simulations. The models including the Neyman exponential risk avoidance fit the data well. The evaluation of the results indicates that aging during the simulations is better than using only the age as the constant value at entry to the study.
A Flat Composite Panel Design Advisory System Using Knowledge Based and Case Based Reasoning

A method of cooperatively using Knowledge Based and Case Based Reasoning is proposed to assist designers in the design of flat composite panel structures. A Prototype Design Advisory system is constructed of heuristic and experiential rules which are acquired from composites design experts, and published text which is implemented in the CLIPS Knowledge Based System shell. The system includes design cases of previous composites design scenarios implemented in a Case Based Reasoning System using DesignMUSE. The cases all depict design of composites applied to commercial and military aircraft. The application of heuristic rules and prior similar design cases is focused upon the early stages of the design process. It is believed that such a design advisory system can aid in preventing unforeseen mistakes during the design and manufacture of composite structures, can assist in predicting the results of candidate designs, and can ultimately reduce the design cycle time.
Markovian Decision Models for Reject Allowance Problems

Most manufacturing processes produce some defective items. To compensate for this, the total quantity produced in attempting to satisfy an order is larger than the order size. The excess is called a reject allowance. In this paper it is shown how the Markovian decision framework can be used to determine the amount to produce when production is, or can be, divided so that the products can be inspected before the production run is ended.
Isotretinoin in the Treatment of Granuloma Annulare

OBJECTIVETo assess the utility and safety of isotretinoin in the treatment of granuloma annulare (GA).DATA SOURCESSearches of MEDLINE (1966–January 2003), EMBASE (1989–January 2003), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970–2002), and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (1985–2002) were conducted. Key terms included granuloma annulare, isotretinoin, retinoids, and antioxidants.DATA SYNTHESISIsotretinoin may have proliferative and inhibitory effects on collagen synthesis that improve GA symptoms. Cases reporting use of isotretinoin in the treatment of GA were reviewed. Several reports detail the successful use of isotretinoin 0.5–1 mg/kg/day, primarily in the disseminated form of the disease. However, some patients required dosage decreases in response to drug-related liver function test elevations, and 2 instances of drug failure were identified.CONCLUSIONIsotretinoin should be reserved for patients with disseminated or refractory GA. Potential serious adverse effects associated with its use re...
Care provider assessment of intrathecal baclofen in children

Intrathecal baclofen is used increasingly to manage severe spasticity in children. Before implanting the baclofen pump, care providers typically ask how it will benefit their child. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of care providers about intrathecal baclofen for management of spasticity in 80 individuals (52 males, 28 females). The individuals were younger than 22 years at the time of implantation (mean age 11 years, SD 5 years; range 3 to 21 years). Participants had been implanted with the pump for a minimum of one year at the time of evaluation. The most common diagnoses were quadriplegic and diplegic cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injury. Most participants were at level IV and V on the Gross Motor Function Classification System. After pump implantation most participants had tone reduction on the Ashworth scale of 1 to 1.9 in the lower extremities and 0 to 0.9 in the upper extremities. Lower extremity range of motion was maintained in 43 of 51 individuals (84%) and lost in 8 participants (16%). Complications requiring surgery occurred in 63 of a larger group of 152 patients (incidence per patient-year of follow-up was 0.19). Thirty-one of the 80 children had orthopedic procedures after pump placement. Only one of these was unexpected and none had rapid progression of scoliosis. Most treatment goals were achieved. Goals most commonly chosen (decreased pain, prevention of worsening of deformity, and improved ease of care) were improved in 91%, 91%, and 88% of participants respectively. Ninety-five per cent of care providers agreed that they would have this procedure performed again (81% strongly agreed, 14% slightly agreed). All care providers reported improvement in scores on the Caregiver Questionnaire. This information has been helpful to families considering intrathecal baclofen therapy.
Glass transition in partially sulfonated polystyrene

The glass transition temperature Tg of partially sulfonated polystyrene has been measured dilatometrically as a function of degree of sulfonation. A semitheoretical relationship between Tg and degree of sulfonation has been derived by treating the strong-acid polymer as a highly polar copolymer of styrene and styrenesulfonic acid. The Tg of copolymer has been found to increase linearly up to 0.15 weight fraction of styrene-sulfonic acid wA as given by: where TgB is the glass transition temperature of loosely crosslined (1%) polystyrene matrix. Our experimental results agree well with theoretical relations developed on the basis of the iso-free-volume state of glass transition applied to sulfonated polystyrene. The marked linear increase in copolymer Tg with the styrenesulfonic acid is accounted for by the effect of progressively higher intermolecular forces due to the highly polar sulfonic acid substituents.
Rapid Child Growth Raises Blood Pressure in Adolescent Boys Who Were Thin at Birth

Catch-up growth in previously growth-restricted children is a suggested risk factor for chronic disease risk. We use data from 2026 Filipino adolescents to identify periods of growth that matter more for risk of high blood pressure (BP). Subjects were drawn from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey, which enrolled pregnant women and followed up their offspring through age 14 to 16 years. High BP was defined as the top 10% of residuals from gender-specific regressions of systolic and diastolic BP on age and height. After controlling for birth length, current body mass index, age, and height, the odds of high BP in males were significantly decreased with each kilogram increase in birth weight. The highest odds of elevated BP occurred among males who were relatively thin at birth but relatively heavy as adolescents. Larger weight increments from birth to 2 years decreased the odds of high BP in boys, whereas larger increments from 8 to 11 and 11 to 16 years increased the odds of high BP. Thinness at birth significantly interacted with growth rate after age 8, such that a high rate of weight gain increased risk only among boys who were in the lower two thirds of the body mass index distribution at birth. Results in girls indicated small or no effects of early growth. The synergistic effect on adolescent BP of rapid weight gain from late childhood into adolescence with thinness at birth is further evidence of fetal programming of BP in males and suggests long-term health risks associated with rapid growth, even in the absence of obesity.
Solvent models for protein–ligand binding: Comparison of implicit solvent poisson and surface generalized born models with explicit solvent simulations

Solvent effects play a crucial role in mediating the interactions between proteins and their ligands. Implicit solvent models offer some advantages for modeling these interactions, but they have not been parameterized on such complex problems, and therefore, it is not clear how reliable they are. We have studied the binding of an octapeptide ligand to the murine MHC class I protein using both explicit solvent and implicit solvent models. The solvation free energy calculations are more than 103 faster using the Surface Generalized Born implicit solvent model compared to FEP simulations with explicit solvent. For some of the electrostatic calculations needed to estimate the binding free energy, there is near quantitative agreement between the explicit and implicit solvent model results; overall, the qualitative trends in the binding predicted by the explicit solvent FEP simulations are reproduced by the implicit solvent model. With an appropriate choice of reference system based on the binding of the discharged ligand, electrostatic interactions are found to enhance the binding affinity because the favorable Coulomb interaction energy between the ligand and protein more than compensates for the unfavorable free energy cost of partially desolvating the ligand upon binding. Some of the effects of protein flexibility and thermal motions on charging the peptide in the solvated complex are also considered. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 22: 591–607, 2001
Neurotransmitter Release: Synchronous and Asynchronous

Because Ca2+ concentration in presynaptic terminals and Ca2+ sensitivity of the exocytotic machinery are the two most critical determinants of the speed of fusion, Ca2+ dependence of postsynaptic activity may serve to distinguish between four different modes of the underlying release process: the highly synchronous action potential (AP)-evoked response (with a KD of ∼10 μM); the asynchronous delayed response, as induced by high-frequency AP generation (KD of ∼1.5 μM); mini activity (KD <1 μM); and constitutively active release (no Ca sensitivity). This article discusses whether these forms of release have different functions and distinct origins.
Population Biology and Behavior of the Imperiled Philotiella leona (Lycaenidae) in South Central Oregon

ABSTRACT. The sole known metapopulation of Philotiella leona on the Mazama Tree Farm (MTF) and adjacent areas of the Winema National Forest (WNF) in the Antelope Desert of Klamath County, Oregon was surveyed and studied during 2011–2013. The flight period extended from mid-June to mid-late July or early August (35–47 days) with higher temperatures in 2013 associated with the shortest period. Populations of P. leona based on Pollard walk counts were 4–5 X greater at 4 MTF sites than a WNF site. Populations appeared to be twice as large in 2011 than 2012 or 2013. Greatest numbers were seen in late June-early July with a gradual decline thereafter. Flight activity was meandering and low to the ground and mostly occurred after midday, as did mating and oviposition. Nectaring was observed on 9 plant species with Eriogonum umbellatum most favored. A mark, release and recapture (MRR) study was conducted at one location (∼ 0.4 ha) in the MTF with 214, 95 and 105 adults marked in 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively....
Viscous glide in Ti3Al-base intermetallics

Recently, Mendiratta and Lipsitt investigated the creep behaviour of nearly stoichiometric Ti 3 Al (Ti-16 wt % Al) and Ti 3 Al + 10 wt % Nb (Ti-16 wt% Al + 10 wt % Nb) over the temperature range 550 to 825°C and at stresses between 69 to 312 MPa. In this communication, a suggestion is presented to explain the results of Mendiratta and Lipsett. It is proposed that the rate-controlling deformation mechanism in the low stress region (n=2 to 3) for the Ti 3 Al and Ti 3 Al + 10 wt% Nb alloys is due to the viscous glide of dislocations controlled by draging of solute atom atmospheres and not grain boundary sliding
Ultimate capacity investigation of prestressed composite beam

This paper examines the ultimate behavior of prestressed composite beams by plastic analysis method.The sections of beams are divided into two types based on the location of plastic neutral axis.The definition and calculating formulae of flexural resistance are given to determinate the ultimate capacity of the beams respectively. The results show that the ultimate capacities are equal under the same maximum eccentricity when the shape of the wires layout is linear,trapezoid or triangular.The ultimate capacity of prestressed composite beams is 27.7% higher than that of reinforced concrete ones.Moreover, the ultimate load of steel beams also increases.
A preliminary investigation of ARV drug on the treatment in drug-addicted HIV/AIDS patients

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of China-made ARVs in treating drug-addicted people living with HIV/AIDS(PLHA) and explore the appropriate time of treatment initiation.Methods Retrospective study was used to survey and follow up 114 drug-addicted PLHA who were identified in Beijing You'an Hospital between 2004 and 2007 and received 48-week ART.These PLHA were classified as AIDS patients or HIV infected persons(i.e.free of AIDS) according to the stage of disease progression.All PLHA received the same ART regimen consisting of three ARVs(i.e.NVP+D4T+3TC).Routine tests were performed to measure CD4 + T-lymphocyte count before and after ART.Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification(NASBA) was used to test the viral load(VL).Results CD4+T cell count showed an average increase of(182.39±90.70)/mm3 among the 114 drug-addicted PLHA.Viral load declined to less than 50 copies/ml in 85.71% of 35 drug addicted PLHA,with a decline of 2.5 logs.There was an evident difference of statistical significance in CD4+T-lymphocyte count between AIDS patients and HIV infected persons(P0.05).At 6 months,HIV infected persons had a more obvious decreasing trend in viral load than AIDS patients,but experienced a rebound in viral load at 12 months.Conclusion The use of China-made ARVs(NVP+D4T+3TC) in treating drug-addicted PLHA achieved good results.The efficacy was better in AIDS patients than in HIV infected persons.
The Shah’s Northern Navy (1924–1935)

On the way to conduct a botanical study of northern Persia, in March 1935, Mrs. Nancy Fullerton and her colleague, Miss Nancy Lindsay, both from the British Museum in London, reached Baku, where in Fullerton’s words, “oil wells showed like chessmen against the sky.” One late afternoon, the party boarded a “little ship” that hardly compared to a steamer in the English Channel and headed to Anzali. The ship was clean; it had very little deck space, though, but provided three classes of accommodation. The evening sail from Baku proved pleasant: The weather was warm, the sea was calm. And the water was made smooth and silky with the oil that trailed the ship for some distance. “We watched the stars come out like diamonds in a deep sapphire sky,” wrote Fullerton.
Cyclic Tests in Batch Mode of CO2 Adsorption and Regeneration with Sorbent Consisting of Immobilized Amine on a Mesoporous Silica

A series of CO2 adsorption tests were conducted in a fluidized bed vessel using an impregnated polyamine sorbent. This sorbent was cross-linked using a silyl derivative to improve its stability and hydrophobicity. The fluidization and adsorption behavior of this sorbent was characterized over a range of flows, temperatures, and CO2 concentrations. A Latin hypercube space-filling experimental design was implemented for each of three operating modes (nonreactive at ambient and flue gas temperatures, and in a reactive mode using 10–20% CO2) to evaluate hydrodynamics, thermal, and flue gas CO2 adsorption effects independently. It was found that the variable having the greatest impact on adsorption capacity was the duration of testing. The capacity degraded by about 10% over the 100 h of testing. The slope from all points in the hypercube matrix indicates the heat of adsorption is approximately 65.8 kJ/mol CO2, a value consistent with the literature.
Visualization of Radial Peripapillary Capillaries Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography: The Effect of Image Averaging.

Objectives To assess the effect of image registration and averaging on the visualization and quantification of the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) network on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Methods Twenty-two healthy controls were imaged with a commercial OCTA system (AngioVue, Optovue, Inc.). Ten 10x10° scans of the optic disc were obtained, and the most superficial layer (50-μm slab extending from the inner limiting membrane) was extracted for analysis. Rigid registration was achieved using ImageJ, and averaging of each 2 to 10 frames was performed in five ~2x2° regions of interest (ROI) located 1° from the optic disc margin. The ROI were automatically skeletonized. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), number of endpoints and mean capillary length from the skeleton, capillary density, and mean intercapillary distance (ICD) were measured for the reference and each averaged ROI. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess statistical significance. Three patients with primary open angle glaucoma were also imaged to compare RPC density to controls. Results Qualitatively, vessels appeared smoother and closer to histologic descriptions with increasing number of averaged frames. Quantitatively, number of endpoints decreased by 51%, and SNR, mean capillary length, capillary density, and ICD increased by 44%, 91%, 11%, and 4.5% from single frame to 10-frame averaged, respectively. The 10-frame averaged images from the glaucomatous eyes revealed decreased density correlating to visual field defects and retinal nerve fiber layer thinning. Conclusions OCTA image registration and averaging is a viable and accessible method to enhance the visualization of RPCs, with significant improvements in image quality and RPC quantitative parameters. With this technique, we will be able to non-invasively and reliably study RPC involvement in diseases such as glaucoma.
Viscous Dissipation in Jets

The slow decline of surface brightness along many large-scale jets indicates that their internal pressures are determined largely by dissipation. If dissipation arises from a viscous interaction between a jet and its environment, then the observed degree of collimation enables one to constrain the nature of the viscous stress. Simple phenomenological models of the stress account for the frequently observed “gaps” and provide a means of slowing down jets without their becoming decollimated.
Relationship Between Alcohol Use, Spirituality, and Coping.

Authors investigated a relationship between the frequency of alcohol consumption, spirituality, and coping with everyday life events in a cross-sectional, community-based sample of 320 adults in Ukraine, the country with one of the highest alcohol consumption levels in the world. Face-to-face interviews with participants took place in rural and urban locations across Eastern, Southern, and Central Ukraine. Results of the ordinary least-squares regression suggest that a higher frequency of alcohol consumption was related with the lower use of positive reappraisal (β = −.27, p < .001), higher use of escape-avoidance (β = .23, p < .01) and confrontive (β = .15, p < .05) coping strategies, lower spirituality (β = −.20, p < .001), and younger age (β = −.11, p < .05). On the whole, current findings suggest that specific coping behaviors, younger age, and lower spirituality are involved in higher frequency of alcohol consumption among Ukrainian adults.
Evaluation of feasibility of 1.5 Tesla prostate MRI using body coil RF transmit in a patient with an implanted vagus nerve stimulator

Purpose To assess risks of RF-heating of a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) during 1.5T prostate MRI using body coil transmit and to compare these risks with those associated with MRI head exams using a transmit/receive head coil. Methods Spatial distributions of radio-frequency (RF) B1 fields generated by transmit/receive (T/R) body and head coils were empirically assessed along the long axis of a 1.5 T MRI scanner bore. Measurements were obtained along the center axis of the scanner and laterally offset by 15 cm (body coil) and 7 cm (head coil). RF-field measurements were supplemented with direct measurements of RF-heating of 15 cm long copper wires affixed to and submerged in the “neck” region of the gelled saline-filled (sodium chloride and polyacrylic acid) “head-and-torso” phantom. Temperature elevations at the lead tips were measured using fiber-optic thermometers with the phantom positioned at systematically increased distances from the scanner iso-center. Results B1 field measurements demonstrated greater than 10dB reduction in RF power at distances beyond 28 cm and 24 cm from iso-center for body and head coil, respectively. Moreover, RF power from body coil transmit at distances greater than 32 cm from iso-center was found to be lower than from the RF power from head coil transmit measured at locations adjacent to the coil array at its opening. Correspondingly, maximum temperature elevations at the tips of the copper wires decreased with increasing distance from iso-center— from 7.4°C at 0 cm to no appreciable heating at locations beyond 40 cm. Conclusions For the particular scanner model evaluated in this study, positioning an implanted VNS farther than 32 cm from iso-center (configuration achievable for prostate exams) can reduce risks of RF-heating resulting from the body coil transmit to those associated with using a T/R head coil. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Occupational Concentration, Job Mobility, and Transition to Self-Employment

Some occupations are prevalent across a wider range of industries than others. This paper compares how occupational concentration affects the mobility of workers within and across industries. Empirical results suggest that occupational concentration increases the probability of finding a job in the same industry while hurting chances of changing industries. However, it increases the probability of transitioning into self-employment in another industry. These findings provide support for the idea of self-employment as a mechanism for overcoming structural barriers to inter-industry mobility.
AI assisted oral training of speech synthesis fluidity

In the quest for improved speech synthesis realism and fluidity, a complex synthesis model is inevitable. AI techniques can improve machine-human interaction for tuning such a system, and reduce iteration time while improving optimum parametric selection for the synthesizer. By modifying a universally accepted analysis tool, the spectrogram, a convolutional neural network can aid the trainer in developing an efficient and deterministic model.
Differential Gene Expression in Response to Salinity and Temperature in a Haloarcula Strain from Great Salt Lake, Utah

Haloarchaea that inhabit Great Salt Lake (GSL), a thalassohaline terminal lake, must respond to the fluctuating climate conditions of the elevated desert of Utah. We investigated how shifting environmental factors, specifically salinity and temperature, affected gene expression in the GSL haloarchaea, NA6-27, which we isolated from the hypersaline north arm of the lake. Combined data from cultivation, microscopy, lipid analysis, antibiotic sensitivity, and 16S rRNA gene alignment, suggest that NA6-27 is a member of the Haloarcula genus. Our prior study demonstrated that archaea in the Haloarcula genus were stable in the GSL microbial community over seasons and years. In this study, RNA arbitrarily primed PCR (RAP-PCR) was used to determine the transcriptional responses of NA6-27 grown under suboptimal salinity and temperature conditions. We observed alteration of the expression of genes related to general stress responses, such as transcription, translation, replication, signal transduction, and energy metabolism. Of the ten genes that were expressed differentially under stress, eight of these genes responded in both conditions, highlighting this general response. We also noted gene regulation specific to salinity and temperature conditions, such as osmoregulation and transport. Taken together, these data indicate that the GSL Haloarcula strain, NA6-27, demonstrates both general and specific responses to salinity and/or temperature stress, and suggest a mechanistic model for homeostasis that may explain the stable presence of this genus in the community as environmental conditions shift.
VERTICAL DIFFERENTIATION IN THE MARKET FOR SECURITY SOFTWARE

The market for security software has witnessed an unprecedented growth in recent years. A closer examination of this market reveals that, unlike a traditional software market, the use of vertical differentiation strategy is quite limited in this market. In this paper, we develop a quantitative model to explore the possible reason. Our model identifies a negative network externality effect as the primary reason for this divergence. Using our model, we show that, in this market, the vertical differentiation strategy would never be employed by a monopolist. We then extend our analysis to a duopoly competition and find that, although vertical differentiation may be adopted if the cost of development is sufficiently high, due to the presence of the negative network externality, the feasible region for differentiation is much more restricted when compared to a traditional market.
Über die Logik der Modalitäten

In diesem Kapitel untersuchen wir logische Modalitaten, wie Notwendigkeit, Moglichkeit, Unmoglichkeit. Wir fuhren „N“ als Symbol der Notwendigkeit ein; die anderen modalen Begriffe einschlieslich notwendiger Implikation und notwendiger Aquivalenz konnen mit seiner Hilfe definiert werden. Das modale System S2 wird durch Hinzufugung von „N“ zu unserem fruheren System S1 (§ 39) konstruiert; und die semantischen Regeln fur S2 werden aufgestellt (§ 41). Eine Analyse der in Modalsatzen vorkommenden Variablen zeigt, das sie als sich auf Intensionen beziehend interpretiert werden mussen (§ 40); daher mus eine Ubersetzung in Wortern entweder in Ausdrucken von Intensionen (in der Metasprache M) oder in neutralen Ausdrucken (in M′) gegeben werden (§ 43). Quines Ansichten zu der Moglichkeit der Kombination von Modalitaten und Variablen werden erortert (§ 44). Schlieslich werden die Hauptergebnisse der Erorterungen dieses Buches kurz zusammengefast (§ 45).
AN EVALUATION OF CARBON COATED DACRON AS A NONABSORBABLE SUTURE MATERIAL

Publisher Summary This chapter presents histologically and biomechanically the use of Biolite coated nonabsorbable (Dacron) suture used to repair the surgically incised canine medial collateral ligament and superficial tissues. Mechanical test results for baseline, 6 and 12 week sutures reflected a number of trends. The Ethibond suture broke at lower force levels than did comparable sizes of Mersilene or Biolite coated Dacron. This trend was shown to be statistically significant in the majority of cases for the time periods tested. The Mersilene and the Biolite coated Dacron had essentially the same breaking strengths. For any particular size and type of suture, the largest mechanical property variation was observed to occur when test specimens were cut from separate suture strands; however, the magnitudes of the fluctuations were small. All three types of suture showed a high retention of mechanical strength at 12 weeks. The chapter presents short term results of the histologic evaluation of tissue response to the three suture material types. The tissue grades in the medial collateral ligament and superficial tissues are given. The superficial tissue response was generally more cellular than that in the medial collateral ligament. There were no observed trends in the superficial tissue response to the different material types. However, the carbon coated dacron material was found to exhibit the least tissue response throughout the first 12 week periods in the medial collateral ligament.
Molecular Characterization of Fibroblast Growth Factor and Possible Role in Early and Late Embryonic Development

In recent years growth factors have been shown to influence the in vitro proliferation and differentiation of endocrine cells (1). It has been postulated that they could play an important in vivo role in local control mechanisms involving either autocrine or paracrine regulation of endocrine cell proliferation and/or differentiation (1). Through their ability to modulate each other’s activity, they are well suited to control the complex morphogenetic events taking place in various organs during embryonic development or in specialized endocrine organs such as ovaries or testis during the adult phase (2,3).
The efficiency of autoradiographic stripping film applied to tissue sections containing tritiated thymidine.

Tritium-labeled thymidine has been extensively used in recent years to investigate the kinetics of cellular proliferation in a variety of normal and pathological tissues. It is known that thymidine is incorporated into the nuclei of cells synthesizing DNA prior to mitosis [1] but little quantitative information is available on its uptake by single cells. Also dependent upon quantitative data is the problem of radiation dosimetry, from intranuclear tritium, a problem with more than theoretical significance since it has been shown that tritiated thymidine can produce radiation damage and death in some of the labeled cells [2, 3]. For these purposes, measurements of total tritium activity in tissue samples [4] are inadequate, because of the nonuniform distribution of thymidine in living tissue and the short range of the tritium beta particle. Under these conditions, 90% of the energy of the disintegrations is dissipated within the nucleus [5] and the customary calculation of radiation dose in terms of energy absorbed per unit mass of tissue is inadequate. In order to correlate dose with biological effect the distribution of dose on a microscopic scale must be considered.
Genomics and Bioinformatics of the PVC Superphylum

Whole-genome sequencing has become a powerful and informative approach for determining the genetic basis of known bacterial properties, predicting new properties, and enabling post-genomic tools. However, genome sequencing and annotation are most useful in the context of comparative genomic and evolutionary analysis, which allows the determination of phylogenetic relationships between extant organisms, provides insights into the evolution of different biological systems, and sheds light on processes accounting for organismal diversity. Genome sequence information is currently available for 20 species of Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Lentisphaerae as well as for a number of chlamydial species. In this chapter, we show how this information can be employed to infer molecular mechanisms underlying important ecological, physiological, and evolutionary characteristics of these bacteria and address general questions regarding mechanisms of genome evolution in the PVC superphylum.
The Effect of Curvature and Confinement on Gas-Phase Detonation Cellular Stability

Abstract We examine the evolution of cellular detonation patterns in a two-dimensional channel with yielding confinement on one side. It is shown that in a narrow channel of fixed width the number of cells first increase with decreasing level of confinement. Subsequently, with increasingly weaker confinement, the cells then grow in size and the total number of cells in the channel decreases. For sufficiently weak confinement, the flow becomes laminar with no detonation cells. We examine the relative importance of two fluid mechanisms underlying the observed evolution: global curvature of the detonation shock front due to induced flow divergence caused by the yielding confinement, and energy loss associated with transverse shock wave transmission to the confining material. In order to determine which effect is dominant, we compare two types of numerical calculations. One involves specialized calculations in which the explosive boundary, along which impermeable flow conditions are applied, is deflected through a range of specified angles upon detonation arrival. This set-up mimics the effect of yielding confinement in terms of induced flow divergence, but removes the transverse wave energy loss that would otherwise occur due to wave transmission into the confiner material. The second involves multi-material simulations which can account for transverse wave energy loss into the confining material. Shock polar theory is used to select confiner densities in the multi-material calculations that provide equivalent material interface deflection angles at the detonation shock to the angles imposed in the deflected solid wall calculations. We determine that the induced global curvature of the wave primarily drives both the evolution of the cellular pattern and eventual stabilization of the detonation front, characterized by laminar flow solutions. In wider channels, we show that the detonation front will likely remain unstable even for very weak confinement, as the mean curvature of the front only becomes significant near the edge of the explosive domain.
Understanding barriers and predictors of maternal immunization: Identifying gaps through an exploratory literature review.

Abstract Background The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices recommends that all pregnant women receive the seasonal influenza vaccine and the tetanus toxoid, diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine during every pregnancy. However, vaccination coverage rates are suboptimal among pregnant women in the United States, leaving these women and their unborn children at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases and their complications. Objectives We sought to understand the current landscape of published literature regarding maternal immunization, including barriers to and predictors of vaccine acceptance, and identify gaps in the research in order to inform strategies for future programmatic improvement. Methods We conducted a literature search using MEDLINE (OVID), PsychINFO, and CINAHL (Ebsco) databases. The search included published, English-language manuscripts that identified patient, provider, or system-level barriers to, predictors of, or interventions that improved uptake of maternal vaccines among pregnant women in the US. Studies were reviewed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Results We included 75 studies in our review. Pregnant women identified 25 different barriers to accepting recommended maternal immunizations; barriers related to vaccine safety perceptions were the most common. Healthcare providers identified 24 different barriers to vaccinating their pregnant patients. The most commonly cited barriers among healthcare providers were financial concerns. Eighteen different predictors of vaccine acceptance were identified. Receipt of a healthcare provider’s recommendation was the factor most frequently reported as a reason for vaccination among pregnant women. Conclusions We were able to identify gaps in the literature regarding maternal immunization and make recommendations for future research. Efforts to address the challenges of maternal immunization in the United States should include increasing the focus on Tdap, implementing more high-level assessments of safety perceptions and associated concerns, and determining most effective interventions.