cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Research on the Selection of Legal Form in China's Overseas Investment Enterprises

Mainly taking joint enterprises and foreign enterprises as examples,the paper probes into the issues of legal risk of legal formations selection for enterprises that overseas direct investment of enterprises concerns and the solutions,which is of great significance. Which enterprise form is suitable depands on the different national legal provisions in different countries. What most investors concern is to adopt appropriate form in order to avoid unfavorable factors. Even though joint enterprises have their specific advantages and functions,they have some inherent instabilities,which requires to cope with different cultural conflicts,competitions for corporate control, problems of related party transactions and standoff over important decisions. It's better for joint enterprises to take company form. Most foreign-funded enterprises have independent legal person qualification,and a limited liability company as a parent company may be proper for overseas investment.
Senior middle school students eyesight situation analysis in Hui Xian City,2013

Objective To understand the status of the low vision Hui Xian city high school students,and to provide basis for further to do a good job of preventive care.Methods Then extract Hui Xian city a key high school and ordinary high school students in the investigation.Results A total of 7 485 students,two high school sighted,765 people,accounting for 10.22 %;Poor vision of 6 720 people,accounting for 89.78 %.The mild low vision 803,accounting for 11.95 %;Moderate low vision 2 463,accounting for 36.65 %;Severe low vision 3 454,accounting for 51.40 %.Key high school low vision rate was 93.21 %,the average high school low vision at a rate of 86.73 %,the key high school is higher than the ordinary high school,the difference was statistically significant(x2= 93.04,P0.05).One,two,three students of malvision is respectively 88.75 %,89.97 %,92.21 %,the difference was statistically significant(x2= 30.19,P0.05).Boy the poor vision rate was 87.67 %,the girl the poor vision rate was 91.17 %,the girls than boys,the difference was statistically significant(x2= 35.60,P0.05).Conclusions 2013 Huixian city high school students the poor vision rate is higher,and higher year by year,girls than boys.
ANALYSIS OF MONITORING RESULTS OF THE MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE AIR IN THE OPERATING THEATRES FROM 2007 TO 2012

Objective To know the states of the microbiological quality of the air in the operating theatres in ShanDong province and propose effective measures for improvement with the aim of reducing the rate of surgical site infection.Methods An on-the-spot sampling and the microbial examination methods was used to examine the air bacterial counts in some of the operating theatres in ShanDong province form2007 to 2012.Results The precipitating bacterial colony counts was 110.5±231.2CFU/m3(under static condition) and 706.3±1019.0CFU/m3(under dynamic condition). There was significantly difference in the operating theatres of different levels(P0.0001) and the higher the level of the operating theatres the less the total number of colonies. Total number of colonies was no difference(P0.05)between the same levels of operating theatres in the different levels of the hospitals. Under static condition, the total colony number of planktonic bacteria from laminar air flow operating rooms was higher than that from ordinary ones(219.5±254.0CFU/m3vs≤35.4±80.0CFU/m3). The total colony number of planktonic bacteria under dynamic condition was 376.4±546.4CFU/m3and was higher than that under static condition.Conclusion The microbiological quality of the air in the operating theatres was low and thus, control of air contamination should be efficiently managed by infection control teams.
Microvascular hemodynamics in the sickle red blood cell perfused isolated rat lung

In this study the effects of alveolar hypoxia on pulmonary microvascular hemodynamics in sickle red blood cell (HbSS-RBC) perfused rat lungs were studied under conditions of high and low oxygen tensions and compared with lung perfused with rat (HbRat) and normal human (HbAA) RBC controls. Independent of the RBC suspension (hematocrit 5%) used, ventilation with the room air gas mixture did not result in any significant differences in the pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa), capillary pressure (Ppc), total pulmonary vascular resistance (RT), or angiotensin II pressor response. Ventilation of HbSS-RBC perfused lungs with a hypoxic gas mixture significantly increased the Ppa, Ppc, and RT above that which was seen in HbRat and HbAA controls. The increase in RT occurred mainly in the pulmonary artery independent of RBC suspension. In addition, no significant accumulation of lung water occurred in HbSS-RBC perfused lungs compared with HbRat and HbAA controls, as indicated by the change in capillary filtration coefficient and wet-to-dry lung weight ratio. In conclusion, deoxygenation of the HbSS-RBC and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is additive in altering pulmonary microvascular hemodynamics.
Psoriasis: recent advances in diagnosis and management.

The tendency to psoriasis is latent, requiring a causative constellation before lesions become evident. Large, coherent scales which reveal dull, reddish papular lesions when removed are characteristic. Some 29 unusual forms of psoriasis have been differentiated; the intertriginous type may be the most difficult to diagnose. Psoriasis is treated topically and systemically and with physical therapy.
Discerning worldviews: Pedagogical models for conceptualizing worldview distances:

As in all disciplines, missiology employs models to describe various complex phenomena such as Winter’s E-Scale and P-Scale of cultural distance, Engel’s model of the “spiritual-decision processes,...
Quantitative Approaches to Researching Gender and Militaries

This chapter provides an overview of the literature that examines gender in the military using quantitative approaches, and presents the key elements of a quantitative research design. In doing so, it seeks to both emphasize the value of quantitative approaches in answering certain kinds of questions in gender and military studies, and critically reflect on the weaknesses and limitations of adopting such an approach, particularly in terms of the operationalization and measurement of concepts, data availability and access.
The Neuroendocrinology of Anorexia Nervosa

The syndrome of anorexia nervosa, with its striking juxtaposition of psychological and physiological features, has, since the earliest clinical descriptions (Morton 1689; Gull 1874; Lasegue 1873) eluded a comprehensive and integrated understanding of etiology and pathophysiology. Clinical thinking about anorexia nervosa has largely proceeded along two somewhat divergent lines: the first, originating with Simmonds’ report in the early years of this century of a wasting syndrome associated with pituitary lesions in a postpartum woman (Simmonds 1914), has directed itself toward the uncovering of a primary central nervous system abnormality which gives rise to anorectic behavior; the second, advanced by such clinicians as Bruch (1973) has concerned itself with the detailed description of patients and their typical family backgrounds, intrapsychic conflicts, and cognitive distortions. As work has continued, it has become increasingly clear that consideration of both psychological and physiological aspects of the illness is essential, and that there is likely to be no simple unifactorial etiology. To complicate matters further, a marked increase in the incidence of anorexia nervosa over the past decade (Herzog and Copeland 1985), along with the progression of the related syndrome of bulimia from psychiatric “zebra” to everyday occurrence on college campuses (Zuckerman et al. 1986), has not only underscored the importance of epidemiologic and sociocultural analysis in attempting to understanding eating disorders, but has added a rapidly increasing clinical incentive to the already compelling theoretical interest which anorexia nervosa has always inspired.
Is There a Dark Side to Mindfulness? Relation of Mindfulness to Criminogenic Cognitions

In recent years, mindfulness-based interventions have been modified for use with inmate populations, but how this might relate to specific criminogenic cognitions has not been examined empirically. Theoretically, characteristics of mindfulness should be incompatible with distorted patterns of criminal thinking, but is this in fact the case? Among both 259 male jail inmates and 516 undergraduates, mindfulness was inversely related to the Criminogenic Cognitions Scale (CCS) through a latent variable of emotion regulation. However, in the jail sample, this mediational model also showed a direct, positive path from mindfulness to CCS, with an analogous, but nonsignificant trend in the college sample. Post hoc analyses indicate that the Nonjudgment of Self scale derived from the Mindfulness Inventory: Nine Dimensions (MI:ND) largely accounts for this apparently iatrogenic effect in both samples. Some degree of self-judgment is perhaps necessary and useful, especially among individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children: Preliminary Treatment and Gender Effects

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an efficacious treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, but the effect of CBT on physiological indicators is largely unknown. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is an established parasympathetic marker of self-regulatory capacity and stress responsivity. The present study tested if and how resting RSA and RSA reactivity changed following treatment among a sample of children (n = 48) who experienced at least one traumatic event and presented with PTSD symptoms. RSA reactivity was measured in response to personalized trauma-related scripts. Results indicated that changes in RSA after treatment were dependent on pretreatment resting levels of RSA, with individuals with high and low pretreatment resting RSA levels appearing to converge over time in both resting RSA and RSA reactivity by the 3-month follow up. Specific to RSA reactivity, a sex difference was evident, as following treatment, females showed less RSA withdrawal whereas males showed more RSA withdrawal. PTSD symptoms were significantly reduced after CBT but symptom change was not associated with pretreatment resting RSA levels. Overall, these results suggest that there may be multiple physiological patterns within children with PTSD and the direction of the physiological changes after CBT may depend on initial differences in resting RSA levels.
Interdependence of attachment styles and relationship quality in parent-adolescent dyads.

Abstract The current study examined how attachment styles of parents and adolescents may jointly influence the quality of their relationship. Parent-adolescent (Ndyads = 77) pairs were recruited from a Midwestern town in the United States. The mean of adolescents' age was 16.25. Both members reported their attachment styles, relationship closeness, and relationship discord. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) showed that both members' attachment avoidance was associated with self-report lower levels of closeness. Parents' attachment anxiety was related to relationship discord. Parents with higher avoidant attachment reported lower closeness when adolescents were higher in avoidant attachment. Higher parents' anxious attachment was related to higher relationship closeness when adolescents were higher on anxious attachment. Such an association was negative when adolescents had lower anxious attachment. Higher parents’ anxious attachment was related to greater discord when adolescents were lower on anxiety attachment. This study reveals the complex dyadic dynamics of relationship quality in parent-adolescent pairs.
Gold-Titania Catalysts for Low-Temperature Oxidation and Water Splitting

In this brief perspective we summarize the main results emanating from our research with gold-titania catalysts. We first discuss the development of new Au@Void@TiO2 yolk-shell nanostructures, describing the basic steps involved in their synthesis and analyzing their advantages in comparison with more standard supported catalysts. We then introduce the two catalytic processes that we have studied with the help of such nanostructures: low-temperature oxidations, and the photocatalytic splitting of water to produce molecular hydrogen. During our exploration of the use of Au@Void@TiO2 samples to increase catalyst stability against metal nanoparticle sintering, we discovered that the treatment of the amorphous titania in these Au/TiO2 systems with sodium hydroxide creates new titanate sites that promote carbon monoxide oxidation at cryogenic temperatures. The new catalysis was shown to involve at least two different adsorption sites on the titania phase. In connection with the photocatalytic generation of molecular hydrogen, we acquired several compelling pieces of evidence to challenge the accepted interpretation of the role of the metal in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of the semiconductor. Instead of trapping the electrons generated by photon absorption on the titania and directing the reduction steps, we argue that the main contribution of the gold (or platinum) nanoparticles is to promote the recombination of the hydrogen atoms formed by reduction of protons at the semiconductor surface. We finish our presentation with some brief suggestions for new designs of yolk-shell-based nanostructures and new applications for gold/titania catalysis.
Macrophages dispose of catecholamines in adipose tissue

Recent research has identified sympathetic neuron–associated macrophages in adipose tissue that take up and degrade catecholamines released from neurons. Obesity and aging enhance this system, decreasing responses to cold stress and starvation.
Intersecting Sectors? The Connection Between Nonprofit Charities and Government Spending

In this paper, we articulate that rent-seeking behavior by nonprofit charities and budgetary discretionary behavior by public agents should lead to a positive correlation between nonprofit charity and government spending. Using a large national database of government spending that we merged with charitable spending, we empirically test our research question. Overall, we find a positive correlation between spending by both sectors that is unequivocal and nontrivial, thus supporting the rent-seeking theory of nonprofit charities’ behavior. When we examine spending by the sectors by specific areas of service provision to determine public budgetary reallocation, our results indicate positive associations in legal and judicial services, libraries, and public welfare spending – supporting the rent-seeking explanation. However, we found no correlations between spending by the two sectors in several important areas of service provision, including education, health, hospitals, and housing. The lack of correlation in these areas might be indicative of government failure theory rather than rent-seeking. Importantly, the positive association between charitable and government spending suggests that public spending may increase beyond optimal levels – leading potentially to tax burdens that are greater than necessary, crowding out of private enterprise, and spending patterns that are difficult to alter in light of fiscal shocks.
Cosmological Black Hole Observations and Kant's Transcendental Aesthetic

Kant put forward the notion of the Transcendental Aesthetic (TA) in his manuscript ${\it A\; Critique\; of\; Pure\; Reason}$. In this note I review the TA in light of the detection of gravitational wave radiation. While the notion of the TA has been refuted in many different ways since its introduction, I argue that this simple proof by contradiction is of interest pedagogically and philosophically. I hope this elucidation may be useful in introductory science courses and in science communication more generally.
Mechanism of Change in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Body Image and Self-Care on ART Adherence Among Sexual Minority Men Living with HIV

Body image disturbance is a common problem reported among sexual minority men living with HIV, and is associated with poor antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Recently, a novel integrated intervention (cognitive behavioral therapy for body image and self-care; CBT-BISC) was developed and pilot tested to simultaneously improve body image and ART adherence in this population. Although CBT-BISC has demonstrated preliminary efficacy in improving ART adherence, the mechanisms of change are unknown. Utilizing data from a two-armed randomized controlled trial (N = 44 sexual minority men living with HIV), comparing CBT-BISC to an enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU) condition, sequential process mediation via latent difference scores was assessed, with changes in body image disturbance entered as the mechanism between treatment condition and changes in ART adherence. Participants assigned to CBT-BISC reported statistically significant reductions in body image disturbance post-intervention, which subsequently predicted changes in ART adherence from post-intervention to long term follow-up (b = 20.01, SE = 9.11, t = 2.19, p = 0.028). One pathway in which CBT-BISC positively impacts ART adherence is through reductions in body image disturbance. Body image disturbance represents one, of likely several, mechanism that prospectively predicts ART adherence among sexual minority men living with HIV.
Evolution, Revolution, and Reform in Vienna: Franz Unger's Ideas on Descent and Their Post-1848 Reception

Unger (F.) fut un des professeurs nommes a l'Universite de Vienne lors de la reforme de l'enseignement apres la revolution de 1848, dont l'A. decrit et analyse la nouvelle theorie sur l'evolution
Diffractive production of charm from flavor-excitation diagrams

A perturbative quantum-chromodynamics (QCD) analysis of heavy-quark production in hadron collisions is shown to account for the observed diffractive ..lambda../sup +//sub c/ production. The dominant graphs are flavor excitation by gluons (qc-bar..-->..qc-bar and gc-bar..-->..gc-bar) of charm. The source of the charm is QCD evolution of the structure functions of the incoming hadrons. Estimates are made for the ..lambda../sup 0//sub b/ cross section.
Chemotherapy in Previously Treated Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

While advanced non-small cell lung cancer often responds to chemotherapy, it eventually develops resistance and remains incurable. Recent studies indicate that each of docetaxel, pemetrexed, and the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor erlotinib may prolong survival and improve quality of life for some patients with tumor progression during or after front-line chemotherapy.
Delay-Adaptive Full-State Predictor Feedback

Adaptive control in the presence of actuator delays is a challenging problem. Over the last 20 years, several control designs have been developed that address this problem. However, the existing results deal only with the problem where the plant has unknown parameters but the delay value is known. The remaining theoretical frontier, and a problem of great practical relevance, is the case where the actuator delay value is unknown and highly uncertain (of completely unknown value). This problem is open in general even in the case where no parametric uncertainty exists in the ODE plant.
Behavioral Applications in the Assessment of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a clinical problem of epidemic proportions in Western societies (Julius & Schork, 1971). It is a physiological state which, if sustained, leads to vascular damage and cardiomegaly. Among its eventual sequelae are such catastrophic effects as renal parenchymal damage, cerebral vascular accidents or myocardial infarctions. Furthermore, sustained high blood pressure accelerates the development of atherosclerosis and the complications of diabetes mellitus. Because a number of investigators have shown that the autonomic nervous system plays a role in the expression of the elevated pressure (Engel & Bickford, 1961; Frohlich, Tarazi, & Dustan, 1969; Esler, Julius, Zweifler, Randall, Harburg, Gardiner, & DeQuattro, 1977), a number of behavioral scientists and behaviorally oriented clinicians have tried to bring their skills to bear on the management of hypertensive patients. Some of the questions that have been addressed include the role of social Stressors in the development (Gutman & Benson, 1971) or morbidity of hypertension (Henry, Ely, Stephens, Ratcliffe, Santisteban, & Shapiro, 1971); the role of behavioral management techniques in improving patient adherence to medical advice (Haynes, Sackett, Gibson, Tayler, Hackett, Robers, & Johnson, 1976); and the role of behavioral techniques in the control of blood pressure (Frumkin, Nathan, Prout, & Cohen, 1978; Seer, 1979; Shapiro, Schwartz, Ferguson, Redmond, & Weiss, 1977). Before one can undertake to investigate the role of behavioral modification techniques in the control of hypertension, he needs first to establish a reliable method for assessing blood pressure. Clearly, before one can hope to measure the effectiveness of an intervention, he first must define a set of outcome measures on which to base his conclusions about therapeutic effectiveness, and he must then establish a baseline for these measures so that the effectiveness of his intervention can be assessed accurately. It will be the purpose of this paper to consider these two questions.
Light Guides and Techniques of Transmission

It is obvious that for the use of the laser as a biomedical tool, it must come off the optical bench and be flexible. The goal of the laser surgeon is to be able to manipulate the laser beam as accurately and precisely as he does a scalpel. In fact, he would like to call this an optical scalpel.
Identifying Robust Subspaces for Dynamically Consistent Reduced-Order Models

Nonlinear models for large/complex structures are hard to simulate for parametric studies of long-time dynamical behaviors. Reduced order models (ROMs) provide tools that both allow long-time dynamical simulations and reduce data storage requirements. In data-based model reduction, there is usually no consistent way to determine if the obtained ROM is robust to the variations in system parameters. Here, we use two concepts of “dynamical consistency” and “subspace robustness” to evaluate ROMs validity for parametric studies. The application of these concepts is demonstrated by reducing a nonlinear finite element model of a cantilever beam in a two well potential field. The resulting procedure can be used for developing and evaluating ROMs that are robust to the variations in the parameters or operating conditions.
Abstract 3609: Differential gene expression is associated with response to chemoradiation and relapse-free and overall survival in rectal adenocarcinoma

Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation is a standard therapy for stage II-III rectal adenocarcinoma, and the degree of pathologic response observed upon resection informs prognosis. However, there is a need to identify novel biomarkers of response to chemoradiation and survival after chemoradiation, particularly using modern next-generation sequencing methods. Methods: We prospectively collected pretreatment endoscopic tumor biopsies from 43 patients with stage II-IV rectal adenocarcinoma prior to neoadjuvant chemoradiation with concurrent fluoropyrimidine. Tumor samples were fresh frozen, and subsequently RNA was extracted, paired end libraries for mRNA sequencing (RNASeq) were prepared using TruSeq RNA Access library prep kits (Illumina), and samples were sequenced on Illumina HiSeq. Differentially expressed genes were determined using DESeq2 and Ingenuity pathway analysis (Qiagen) was performed. Additionally, the association between “claudin-low”-like gene sets established in breast and bladder cancers and clinical outcomes was determined. Results: Among the 36 patients with adequate RNA quality, 7 had a pathologic complete response (pCR) and 29 did not, with 22 differentially expressed genes with false discovery rate (FDR) Conclusions: There are multiple differentially expressed genes associated with response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation in rectal adenocarcinoma. EME2, which forms an endonuclease that cleaves stalled replication forks, was one of the most differentially expressed genes overexpressed in patients with pathologic complete response and thus is a rational target for further investigation. Extension of “claudin-low” gene expression signatures to rectal cancers may serve as a new prognostic biomarker. Further investigation into the association of gene expression subtypes and responses to neoadjuvant chemoradiation is warranted. Citation Format: Michael S. Lee, Cheryl Carlson, Benjamin F. Calvo, Bert H. O9Neil, Dante S. Bortone, Benjamin G. Vincent. Differential gene expression is associated with response to chemoradiation and relapse-free and overall survival in rectal adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3609.
Dual-Band Multi-Receiver Wireless Power Transfer with Reactance Steering Network

Wireless power transfer (WPT) via near-field magnetic coupling is an enabling technology for many applications including consumer electronics and electric vehicles. A few WPT standards have been established with frequencies ranging from kHz to MHz. MHz operation offers smaller size and higher tolerance to coil misalignment, and kHz operation offers higher efficiency and higher power rating. This paper presents a dual-band multi-receiver (DBMR) WPT architecture targeting applications with very wide load impedance variation. The key innovation is a novel reactance steering network (RSN) that can seamlessly compensate an arbitrary load impedance for radio-frequency (RF) power amplifiers. The proposed approach is generally applicable to a variety of high-frequency power conversion applications. A dual-band reconfiguable WPT system that can efficiently power multiple 100 kHz and 13.56 MHz receivers across a very wide misalignment range is built and tested to validate the proposed RSN technique.
Monetary Cost of the MyPlate Diet in Young Adults: Higher Expenses Associated with Increased Fruit and Vegetable Consumption.

Background. Cost is a commonly reported barrier to healthy eating. This is a secondary research analysis designed to examine the food expenditures of young adults on a university campus following the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate guidelines for fruits and vegetables. Methods. Meal receipts and dietary intake were recorded weekly. Anthropometrics and clinical assessments were recorded before intervention. Researchers rated compliance based on the participant’s dietary food log, receipt matching, food pictures, and reports during weekly 1-hour consultations. Results. Fifty-three young adults (18–30 years old) at-risk of, or diagnosed with, metabolic syndrome (MetS) were enrolled in the study, with 10 excluded (n = 43) from analyses due to enrollment in a fixed cost university campus dining meal plan. A two sample t-test assessed differences in food costs and regression analysis determined associations between food cost and diet compliance while controlling for confounding factors of age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Diet compliant subjects (n = 38) had higher weekly food cost at $95.73 compared to noncompliant subjects (n = 5) who spent $66.24 ( ). A regression analysis controlling for age, sex, BMI, and geographical region also indicated cost differences based on diet compliance ( ). Conclusion. Results indicate an ∼$29.00 per week increase in food cost when eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables. These findings can contribute to research incentive design, program planning cost, and determining effective interventions to improve diet in this population.
A Code of Conduct for Peer Reviewers and Editors

In the past few decades, peer review has come to dominate virtually all professionally respectable academic and scientific publications. However, despite its near-universal acceptance, no code of conduct has been developed to which peer reviewers and their editors are encouraged to adhere. This paper proposes such a code of conduct.
Dangerous and distinctive properties bias category judgments late in development

When faced with entities with potentially ambiguous category membership, adult category judgments are strongly biased toward dangerous and distinctive properties. For example, a cyanide-water mixture is categorized as cyanide. We used a developmental approach to better understand this cross-domain effect, which we term the asymmetric categorization of mixtures (ACM). According to ACM, attention is biased toward perceived dangerous or distinctive properties, making them prominent in conceptual representation. We consider whether ACM is driven entirely by low-level processes of attention, or whether ACM might require the integration of attention with causal-explanatory reasoning. We argue that ACM requires forms of reasoning that only emerge robustly in middle childhood. Across three studies (N = 270), we find that ACM emerges only after the 7th year for liquids (Studies 1 through 3), and even later for race (Studies 1 and 3). Results are discussed in terms of competing theoretical accounts of ACM. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Characterizing wear behaviors of edible hydrogels by kernel-based statistical modeling

Abstract Hydrogels are used in multiple industries; although hydrogel deformation and wear behaviors can be a good indicator for their functionality, there are no available models for characterizing hydrogel deformation–wear behaviors. This study characterized wear behaviors of casein (3–5% w/w, 200 mM NaCl), κ-carrageenan (0.8–1.2% w/w, 100 mM NaCl), and whey protein gels (13% w/w, 50–150 mM NaCl) at room temperature (20 °C) under several normal forces (0.1–1.5 N). A kernel-based model was used to characterize hydrogel wear behavior by separating the deformation–wear process deformation-dominant, constant wear rate, and failure regions. Higher normal force and lower polymer concentration showed higher constant wear rates and lower durability. The kernel model was able to characterize hydrogel wear-deformation behaviors and is useful for industrial applications.
Automatic Adjustment and Optimization of Desulphurization Slurry Supply for 335 MW Unit

Generally, single PID loop was adopted in desulfurization and slurry supply control strategy in power plant. There is no feedforward, and the influence of the boiler load and SO 2 concentration change on the slurry adjustment is not considered. When the original slurry supply is automatically put into operation, the SO 2 concentration in the desulfurization outlet fluctuates greatly due to the mismatch between the set pH value and the operating conditions. The instantaneous NOx often exceeds 35 mg/m3, resulting in less automatic injection time, and the operating personnel mainly adjust the slurry supply by manual means. In this paper, based on the original control strategy, the feedforward and corresponding blocking logic are added, so that the slurry supply can be automatically adjusted in the whole process including CEMS purging and pH meter rinsing, which not only improves the automation level of the auxiliary machine, but also reduces the labor intensity of the operating personnel.
Kinin-Forming Activity in Cecal Contents of Germ-Free and Conventional Mice

Recently, a substance was isolated from the cecal contents of both germ-free and conventional rodents that stimulated the smooth muscle of the perfused rat uterus.1 Further studies identified this substance as cecal kallikrein possessing musculotropic activity both by direct and indirect kinin-forming action.2
Evaluation of cancer patients comfort with and interest in interacting with various social robot configurations in a clinical environment.

e14112Background: Our group is interested in designing and programming social robots that augment our staff capabilities in performing different cognitive tasks in the clinic. This study examined p...
Continuous Improvement of the Institutional Review Board at One Completely Online University: A Transferable Framework.

To protect human subjects to the fullest extent possible, stakeholders must make time to reflect as well as engage in continuous-improvement efforts regularly using a rigorous framework. At one com...
Partially Coherent Object Length Estimation: Information-theoretic Analysis

We analyze the fundamental limits of source angular extent estimation for direct imaging and mode-sorting measurements as a function of source coherence length. We demonstrate that mode-sorting outperforms direct imaging in the sub-Rayleigh regime.
Digital Coherent Control of a Superconducting Qubit

Superconducting qubits are conventionally controlled with shaped microwave pulses from a microwave carrier tone. This works well for small systems, but is difficult to scale up to the millions of qubits needed for a general-purpose quantum computer. Instead, the authors suggest irradiating a qubit with trains of quantized flux pulses derived from single flux quantum (SFQ) digital logic. The pulses are generated by an SFQ driver circuit cofabricated on the qubit chip. This work opens the door to tight integration of a quantum array with a classical coprocessor, to lower wiring heat load, latency, and overall system footprint.
Nonlinearity parameter estimation based on quantifying excess ultrasonic attenuation

The attenuation coefficient has potential in tissue characterization. Previously, it was observed that the accuracy of estimates of the attenuation coefficient slope (ACS) obtained using the spectral-log-difference technique (SLD) degraded due to nonlinear distortion. Based on these observations regarding estimates of the ACS, (i.e., the difference between ACS estimated at high and low pressures, which is called excess ACS in this work), a heuristic approach was devised for determining the nonlinearity parameter, B/A, of a medium. A total of 16 numerical phantoms using the k-Wave simulation package were constructed having spatially random distributions of acoustic density in a 3D grid to generate backscattered signals. To estimate ACS values from the phantoms, we used the SLD technique. The uniform numerical phantoms varied in their properties with B/A values of 6, 8, 10 or 12 and ACS values of 0.3, 0.7, 1.1 or 1.5 dB/cm/MHz. A focused source (f/2) with 1” focal length transmitted a 3.5-MHz centered Gaussian pulse at two different source pressures: 100 kPa (quasi-linear) and 1.3 MPa (nonlinear). Using one of the 16 phantoms as a sample (‘sam’) and another one as a reference (‘ref’), we obtained 240 separate ACS estimates using the SLD for both the low and high pressures. The excess attenuation estimated was related to values of the Gol'dberg number, Γ, which is a parameter that predicts the degree of nonlinear distortion in plane waves. The excess ACS versus log10(Γsam/Γref) had a correlation coefficient of 0.96. The results indicate that a larger mismatch of Gol'dberg numbers between sample and reference resulted in larger excess ACS estimate. Therefore, whenever a large excess attenuation was observed, the Γ mismatch was also large. Using each of the 14 residual phantoms as a second reference (‘ref2’) with assumed known B/A and ACS leads to (ExcessAttsam)/(ExcessAttref2) ≈ log10(Γsam/Γrer)/log10(Γref2/Γref) from which up to 3360 B/Asam could be estimated. Errors for estimated B/A were small (≤10%) and high (2≥50%) for 31% and 22% of 1536 cases when the phantoms (‘sam’, ‘ref’, and ‘ref2’) had different preset ACS values. When the ACS was identical among the phantoms, the errors for the estimated B/A were relatively small (≤10%) and high (≥50%) for 46% and 6% of 96 cases, which can be explained by having better correlation.
1700 nm optical coherence microscopy enables minimally invasive, volumetric, deep tissue optical biopsy of the mouse brain in vivo

Neuroimaging techniques aim to image deep, with high resolution and minimal invasiveness. Here, we present a label-free optical microscopy approach that achieves a unique balance between these competing goals. Specifically, we design a high numerical aperture optical coherence microscope centered near 1700 nm, where ballistic attenuation in the mouse brain is minimized. Dynamic focusing and image fusion are employed to balance speckle reduction against multiple scattered light reduction. Imaging through the thinned skull to preserve intracranial pressure and minimize inflammation, we present volumetric imaging of cytoarchitecture and myeloarchitecture across the entire mouse neocortex and some sub-cortical regions.
Assembly-Line Plaintiffs

Around the country, state courts are being flooded with the claims of massive repeat filers. These large corporate plaintiffs leverage economies of scale to bring tremendous quantities of low-value claims against largely unrepresented individual defendants. Using recently developed litigation-analytics tools, this article presents the first nationwide study of these “assembly-line plaintiffs,” examining millions of cases across hundreds of jurisdictions. It documents the pervasive nature of this litigation, finding that in many court systems just the top ten private filers account for between one fifth and one third of all civil litigation. This pattern raises serious concerns. Drawing on existing empirical literature and a sample of 1,000 recent case dockets, the article describes how these cases turn state courts into near-automatic claims processors for large corporations, transferring assets from mostly absent defendants without significant scrutiny of the underlying claims. These defendants, moreover, are often particularly vulnerable low-income consumers or members of other marginalized groups. And although many concerns raised by this litigation overlap with those related to unrepresented litigants more broadly, the structural features of assembly-line litigation—its one-sidedness, high volume, and low claim value—present distinctive challenges. The article concludes by considering a few specific potential reforms designed to meet those challenges: assessing a surcharge on frequent filers as a form of congestion pricing; enabling common defenses to be asserted as affirmative causes of action to facilitate aggregation; and moving courts away from one-case-at-a-time adjudication toward a more investigative, administrative-agency-like model.
Slanted Images: Measuring Nonverbal Media Bias During the 2016 Election

Using nearly one million images from the front page of news websites during the 2016 election period, I show how computer vision techniques can identify the faces of politicians across the images and measure the nonverbal emotional content expressed on each face. I find strong evidence for nonverbal media bias in both the choice of which politicians to cover and the emotional content of the images used. Liberal websites devoted 40 (14) percent of their visual political coverage to Donald Trump (Hillary Clinton) compared to 30 (25) percent among conservative outlets. Websites whose consumers are politically aligned with a candidate also portray the candidate with more positive emotions and less negative emotions than non-aligned websites. Moreover, I find evidence for important dynamics across the election cycle, with the partisan gap in who to cover increasing significantly after the primaries.
MicroRNA expression profiles differentiate chronic pain condition subtypes

Chronic pain is a significant health care problem, ineffectively treated because of its unclear etiology and heterogeneous clinical presentation. Emerging evidence demonstrates that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the expression of pain-relevant genes, yet little is known about their role in chronic pain. Here, we evaluate the relationship among pain, psychological characteristics, plasma cytokines, and whole blood miRNAs in 22 healthy controls (HCs); 33 subjects with chronic pelvic pain (vestibulodynia, VBD); and 23 subjects with VBD and irritable bowel syndrome (VBD + IBS). VBD subjects were similar to HCs in self-reported pain, psychological profiles, and remote bodily pain. VBD + IBS subjects reported decreased health and function; and an increase in headaches, somatization, and remote bodily pain. Furthermore, VBD subjects exhibited a balance in proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, whereas VBD + IBS subjects failed to exhibit a compensatory increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines. VBD subjects differed from controls in expression of 10 miRNAs of predicted importance for pain and estrogen signaling. VBD + IBS subjects differed from controls in expression of 11 miRNAs of predicted importance for pain, cell physiology, and insulin signaling. miRNA expression was correlated with pain-relevant phenotypes and cytokine levels. These results suggest that miRNAs represent a valuable tool for differentiating VBD subtypes (localized pain with apparent peripheral neurosensory disruption vs widespread pain with a central sensory contribution) that may require different treatment approaches.
MO-F-CAMPUS-I-05: Quantitative ADC Measurement of Esophageal Cancer Before and After Chemoradiation

Purpose: We investigated whether quantitative diffusion imaging can be used as an imaging biomarker for early prediction of treatment response of esophageal cancer. Methods: Eight patients with esophageal cancer underwent a baseline and an interim MRI studies during chemoradiation on a 3T whole body MRI scanner with an 8-channel torso phased array coil. Each MRI study contained two axial diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) series with a conventional DWI sequence and a reduced field-of-view DWI sequence (FOCUS) of varying b-values. ADC maps with two b-values were computed from conventional DWI images using a mono-exponential model. For each of DWI sequences, separate ADCall was computed by fitting the signal intensity of images with all the b-values to a single exponential model. For the FOCUS sequence, a bi-exponential model was used to extract perfusion and diffusion coefficients (ADCperf and ADCdiff) and their contributions to the signal decay. A board-certified radiologist contoured the tumor region and mean ADC values and standard deviations of tumor and muscle ROIs were recorded from different ADC maps. Results: Our results showed that (1) the magnitude of ADCs from the same ROIs by the different analysis methods can be substantially different. (2) For a given method, the change between the baseline and interim muscle ADCs was relatively small (≤10%). In contrast, the change between the baseline and interim tumor ADCs was substantially larger, with the change in ADCdiff by FOCUS DWI showing the largest percentage change of 73.2%. (3) The range of the relative change of a specific parameter for different patients was also different. Conclusion: Presently, we do not have the final pathological confirmation of the treatment response for all the patients. However, for a few patients whose surgical specimen is available, the quantitative ADC changes have been found to be useful as a potential predictor for treatment response.
On the structure of α-lactalbumin: II. Amino acid sequences of four peptides formed in the peptic hydrolysis of the native protein

Abstract The amino acid sequences of four peptides isolated from a peptic digest of α-lactal bumin have been established and are as follows: Peptide I: NH2-Tyr.Gly.Ser.Gly.Asp.Thr.Glu.Ala.Ileu.Val-COOH Peptide II: NH2-Lys.Val.Gly.Ileu.Asp.Tyr-COOH NH2 Peptide III: NH2-Leu.Lys.Asp.(Leu.Gly)Lys.Tyr-COOH Peptide IV: NH2-Leu.Lys.Glu.Arg.Asp.Leu.Lys.Gly.Tyr-COOH.
Genotype-by-sequencing of the plant-pathogenic fungi Pyrenophora teres and Sphaerulina musiva utilizing Ion Torrent sequence technology.

Summary Genetic and genomics tools to characterize host–pathogen interactions are disproportionately directed to the host because of the focus on resistance. However, understanding the genetics of pathogen virulence is equally important and has been limited by the high cost of de novo genotyping of species with limited marker data. Non-resource-prohibitive methods that overcome the limitation of genotyping are now available through genotype-by-sequencing (GBS). The use of a two-enzyme restriction-associated DNA (RAD)-GBS method adapted for Ion Torrent sequencing technology provided robust and reproducible high-density genotyping of several fungal species. A total of 5783 and 2373 unique loci, ‘sequence tags’, containing 16 441 and 9992 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified and characterized from natural populations of Pyrenophora teres f. maculata and Sphaerulina musiva, respectively. The data generated from the P. teres f. maculata natural population were used in association mapping analysis to map the mating-type gene to high resolution. To further validate the methodology, a biparental population of P. teres f. teres, previously used to develop a genetic map utilizing simple sequence repeat (SSR) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers, was re-analysed using the SNP markers generated from this protocol. A robust genetic map containing 1393 SNPs on 997 sequence tags spread across 15 linkage groups with anchored reference markers was generated from the P. teres f. teres biparental population. The robust high-density markers generated using this protocol will allow positional cloning in biparental fungal populations, association mapping of natural fungal populations and population genetics studies.
PORE-WATER PRESSURE CHANGES DURING SOIL LIQUEFACTION

An analytical procedure is presented for evaluating the general characteristics of pore-water pressure buildup and subsequent dissipation in sand deposits both during and following a period of earthquake shaking. It is shown that in layers of fine sand, excess hydrostatic pressures may persist for an hour or more after an earthquake. However evidence of subsurface liquefaction may not appear at the ground surface until several minutes after the shaking has stopped and the critical condition at the ground surface may not develop until 10 min-30 min after the earthquake. However, for coarse sands and gravels with an impedance of drainage due to the presence of sand seams or layers, pore pressures generated by earthquake shaking may dissipate so rapidly that no detrimental build-up of pore pressure or a condition approaching liquefaction can develop. Improving the drainage capability of a sand deposit may thus provide an effective means of stabilizing a potentially unstable deposit. Analyses of the type described also provide the means for assessing whether subsurface liquefaction will have any serious effects on structures supported near the ground surface.
Diffusion Data for Silicate Minerals, Glasses, and Liquids

Diffusion is an integral part of many geologic processes and an increasing portion of the geologic literature is devoted to the measurement, estimation, and application of diffusion data. This compilation is intended to be a guide to recent experimentallydetermined diffusion coefficients and, through the papers cited, to important older literature. To provide a context for the tables, a brief summary of the equations required for a phenomenological (macroscopic) description of diffusion follows. Although the equa tions for well-constrained experiments are relatively straightforward, the application of the resulting diffusion coefficients to complex geologic problems may not be straightforward. The reader is urged to read one or more diffusion texts [e.g., 99, 121, 32, 147, 13.51 before attempting to use the data presented here.