cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Curcumin nanoparticles attenuate cardiac remodeling due to pulmonary arterial hypertension

Herein, we investigate whether curcumin nanoparticles (Cur NPs) are effective for the treatment of monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension in Sprague Dawley rat. Echocardiography was performed at the start of the study and 28 days after MCT injection. Compared to MCT only animals, Cur NP administration was associated with reduced right ventricular (RV) wall thickness and a decreased right ventricle weight/body weight ratio. Cur NPs also attenuated MCT induced increase in RV mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-1β. These changes were also associated with decreased RV expression of nitrotyrosine, fibronectin and myosin heavy chain-β.
Are things ever as they seem

Traditional teaching is that convergence resulted from accommodation, and this relationship could be used to help manage patients with exotropia by prescribing overcorrecting minus lenses to stimulate accommodative convergence. The relationship between accommodation, convergence, and its role in managing exotropic deviations always seemed straightforward. In this issue of the Journal of AAPOS, Brodsky and colleagues present a creative and thoughtful hypothesis that turns our prior understanding of the relationship between accommodation and convergence on its head. It is based on prior work by Horwood and her coinvestigators. All strabismologists and orthoptists are intimately familiar with how to calculate the accommodation to accommodative convergence ratio (AC/A). Most are less familiar with the concept of the convergence accommodation to convergence ratio (CA/C)—specifically the accommodation that is driven by convergence. Although the common methods for calculating AC/A ratios have proven clinically useful, they are also somewhat flawed, because they are “stimulus” AC/A ratios. This means that the calculation assumes the amount of accommodation occurring is equal to the stimulus to accommodate. So for a gradient AC/A calculation, it is assumed that if one introduces a lens of 1D or 2D power, the patient in fact accommodates 1 D or 2 Ds more, respectively; for a heterophoria calculation based on comparing the change of alignment when fixation changes from 6 M to 1/3 M, it is assumed that the patient is accommodating 3 D more for the latter measurement. This contrasts with “response” AC/ A calculations, which involve measuring how much accommodation actually occurs. Such calculations require equipment not routinely found in the clinic. Similarly, determination of the CA/C requires special equipment which is probably why most clinicians are not accustomed to calculating it. Using excellent methodology, Horwood and Riddell and Horwood and colleagues published some fascinating observations
Healthreach and Habla (B)

In 2004, there were 50 million non-English speakers in the United States and an additional 22 million who had marginal English proficiency. Many had no health insurance or access to low-cost, affordable health care. This case describes the dilemma faced in 2004 by Jim Zimmerman, the executive director of the Illinois-based HealthReach clinic, which served the area’s uninsured poor, in deciding what initiatives to continue funding. One of these was Healthcare Access by Language Advocacy (HABLA), a medical interpretation program developed in 2001 to bridge the language gap between the volunteer medical staff and their Hispanic patients, many of whom spoke little or no English. This had proved an invaluable program, but Zimmerman’s funds were tight.
Management of the Violent Patient in an Emergency Situation

The management of an acute episode of violence by a psychiatric patient is probably one of the most demanding actions in psychiatry in terms of clinical competence and emotional impact on the clinician. In such situations, consideration of the safety of staff and other patients is paramount. Interventions available to the clinician in the management of acute violence include verbal intervention, restraint, seclusion and medication. This article offers guidelines for how to communicate with the patient. Issues of countertransference and emotional reactions to patients are addressed. The author has worked to develop national guidelines for the psychiatric use of seclusion and restraint in terms of indications, contraindications, implementation, review by the physician and the monitoring and care of the patient by staff.
Cost and Efficiency of Alternative Land-Retirement Programs

Costs of alternative land-retirement programs aimed at controlling supply in U.S. agriculture are estimated by applying interregional competition linear programming models to problems of production allocation under conditions of production capacity in excess of that necessary to meet specified demand levels. The crops considered are wheat, the four major feed grains, soybeans, and cotton. Both voluntary programs, allowing concentrations of diverted land in areas of least comparative advantage, and mandatory programs, requiring proportional participation in all regions, are considered. The study shows that total program costs can be minimized by concentrating land diversion in regions of least comparative advantage. Such a program would lead to large concentrations of diverted land in production areas of the Southeast and the Northern Great Plains. Mandatory programs requiring proportional land diversion in all regions lead to relatively high costs for land retired in the highly productive areas of the Great Plains, the Corn Belt, and the Pacific Northwest.
The uniqueness of metrical structure: rhythmic phonotactics in Huariapano*

This article argues that, contrary to some recent proposals, a given phonological form may be organised into at most one array of metrical structure at a time. The bulk of the paper is dedicated to a case study of Huariapano, a language that has been claimed to motivate multiple, coexisting but autonomous, layers of metrical parsing. I show that this conclusion is premature: both stress and segmental patterning in Huariapano can be modelled within a single system of constituency, once context-dependent variation in foot form is taken into account. The reanalysis developed here also draws on the idea that foot-initial syllables may be targeted by augmentation or fortition processes even when unstressed. Independent evidence for foot-initial strengthening is furnished by segmental phonotactics in a range of other languages.
Online Travel Mode Identification Using Smartphones With Battery Saving Considerations

Personal trips in modern urban society usually involve multiple travel modes. Recognizing a traveler's transportation mode is not only critical to personal context awareness in related applications but also essential to urban traffic operations, transportation planning, and facility design. While most current practice often leverages infrastructure-based fixed sensors or a Global Positioning System (GPS) for traffic mode recognition, the emergence of the smartphone provides an alternative promising way with its ever-growing computing, networking, and sensing power. In this paper, we propose a GPS-and-network-free method to detect a traveler's travel mode using mobile phone sensors. Our application is built on the latest Android platform with multimodality sensors. By developing a hierarchical classification method with an online learning model, we achieve almost 100% accuracy in a binary classification of wheeled/unwheeled travel modes and an average of 97.1% accuracy with all six travel modes (buses, subways, cars, bicycling, walking, and jogging). Our system (a) could adapt to each traveler's pattern by using the online learning model, and it performs significantly faster in computation than the offline model, and (b) works with a low sampling frequency for sensing so that it saves the smartphone battery.
Moving “Past Matter”: Challenges of Intimacy and Freedom in Spike Jonze’s her

Spike Jonze’s her (2014) is a film that perfectly illustrates the crumblingborders between personhood and technology and echoes speculative realism’s callto “unshackle” objects from the “gaze of humans” (Bryant 19). My paper exploresthe ways in which the film’s central relationship, between a man and his O.S.,questions our nostalgic privileging of corporeality and offers an alternativefreedom — and perhaps even spirituality — in the boundlessness of technology.With help from the work of object-oriented ontologists Jane Bennett, TimothyMorton and Levi Bryant, I argue that herreveals that an awareness of the limits of consciousness, rather than ourcynical nostalgia for intimacy, is the inevitably human disease that plaguesus.
Exercise training in patients with COPD

Exercise is a useful therapeutic intervention for many COPD patients. The progressive stress test is the single most important means of clinical evaluation, although a thorough physical examination and preexercise ECG are also mandatory. The exercise program is prescribed according to duration of exercise and the maximal load reached by the patient during testing. As tolerance builds, exercise time, speed, and grade level are increased. Patients who exercise routinely should be watched carefully for problems, such as hypoxia, hypertension, abnormal right-sided cardiac function, and air tapping. Supplemental oxygen is required for those who are hypoxic.
Benefits of screening mammography: a review for the primary care physician.

Background Screening mammography, particularly for women in their 40s, has become a confusing issue for many physicians. Recent scientific and political controversies regarding screening guidelines have added to this confusion. Methods Many randomized clinical trials have shown the benefits of mammographic screening for women over the age of 50, and recent studies show a statistically significant benefit for women in their 40s as well. Understanding the screening controversy requires an understanding of the principle of screening for disease, the epidemiology of breast cancer, and the results of the many randomized clinical trials, particularly recent data from the Swedish two-county trials. An appreciation of the improvements in mammographic quality in recent years, and in the education of the radiologists who interpret these studies, will also heighten clinical acceptance of this screening technique. Results Both the American Cancer Society and American College of Radiology endorse annual mammographic screening for women over age 40, and there is compelling evidence to support these recommendations. Conclusion Radiologists, primary care providers, surgeons, and pathologists should work together to enhance the benefits of and access to screening mammography.
The α-invariant and Thompson's conjecture

In 1981, Thompson proved that, if is any integer and is any finite subgroup of , then has a semi-invariant of degree at most . He conjectured that, in fact, there is a universal constant such that for any and any finite subgroup , has a semi-invariant of degree at most . This conjecture would imply that the -invariant , as introduced by Tian in 1987, is at most . We prove Thompson’s conjecture in this paper.
Wide-Field Retinal Imaging of Retinal and Choroidal Inflammatory Diseases

Diagnosis of uveitis can be challenging. Research in advanced imaging modalities is currently a very active field, with the promise of improving our ability to detect and treat the wide spectrum of uveitic disease.
Signal detection strategies and algorithms for multiple-input multiple-output channels

In today's society, a growing number of users are demanding more sophisticated services from wireless communication devices. In order to meet these rising demands, it has been proposed to increase the capacity of the wireless channel by using more than one antenna at the transmitter and receiver, thereby creating multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels. Using MIMO communication techniques is a promising way to improve wireless communication technology because in a rich-scattering environment the capacity increases linearly with the number of antennas. However, increasing the number of transmit antennas also increases the complexity of detection at an exponential rate. So while MIMO channels have the potential to greatly increase the capacity of wireless communication systems, they also force a greater computational burden on the receiver. Even suboptimal MIMO detectors that have relatively low complexity, have been shown to achieve unprecedented high spectral efficiency. However, their performance is far inferior to the optimal MIMO detector, meaning they require more transmit power. The fact that the optimal MIMO detector is an impractical solution due to its prohibitive complexity, leaves a performance gap between detectors that require reasonable complexity and the optimal detector. The objective of this research is to bridge this gap and provide new solutions for managing the inherent performance-complexity trade-off in MIMO detection. The optimally-ordered decision-feedback (BODF) detector is a standard low-complexity detector. The contributions of this thesis can be regarded as ways to either improve its performance or reduce its complexity---or both. (1) We propose a novel algorithm to implement the BODF detector based on noise-prediction. This algorithm is more computationally efficient than previously reported implementations of the BODF detector. Another benefit of this algorithm is that it can be used to easily upgrade an existing linear detector into a BODF detector. (2) We propose the partial decision-feedback detector as a strategy to achieve nearly the same performance as the BODF detector, while requiring nearly the same complexity as the linear detector. (3) We propose the family of Chase detectors that allow the receiver to trade performance for reduced complexity. By adapting some simple parameters, a Chase detector may achieve near-ML performance or have near-minimal complexity. We also propose two new detection strategies that belong to the family of Chase detectors called the B-Chase and S-Chase detectors. Both of these detectors can achieve near-optimal performance with less complexity than existing detectors. (4) Finally, we propose the double-sorted lattice-reduction algorithm that achieves near-optimal performance with near-BODF complexity when combined with the decision-feedback detector.
ON THE SOLUTIONS OF NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS AND THE THEORY OF HOMOGENEOUS ISOTROPIC TURBULENCE

The present paper is a further development of our previous work in solving the wholeproblem of the homogeneous isotropic turbulence from the nitial period to the final period ofdecay. An expansion method is developed to obtain the axinlly symmetrical solution of theNavier-Stokes equations of motion in the form of an infinite set of nonlinear partial differen-tial equations of the second order. For the present we solve the zeroth order approximation.By using the method of Fourier transform, we get a nonlinear nitegro-differential equationfor the amplitude function in the wave number space.It is also the dynamical equation forthe energy spectrum. By choosing a suitable initial condition, we solve this equation numerically. The energyspectrum function and the energy transfer spectrum function thus calculated satisfy the spec-trum form of the karman-Howarth equation exactly. We Lave computed the energy spectrumfunction, the energy transfer function the decay of turbulent energy, the integral scale, Taylormicroscale, the double and triple velocity correlations on the whole range from the initialperiod to the final period of decay. As a whole all these calculated statistical physicalquantities agree with experiments very wall except a few cases with small discrepancies at largeseparations.
Food groups associated with measured net acid excretion in community-dwelling older adults.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Acid-producing diets have been associated with adverse health conditions. Dietary acid load can be estimated from dietary intake data, but the available methods require a full dietary assessment. We sought to identify a simpler means to estimate 24-h urinary net acid excretion (NAE), a robust measure of net endogenous acid production, using self-reported intakes of fruits, vegetables (acid-neutralizing foods), grain and/or protein (acid-producing foods) acquired by two different methods in community-dwelling older adults. Identifying food groups associated with NAE by using a method not requiring a full diet assessment could have a broad clinical application. SUBJECTS/METHODS Fruit, vegetable, protein and grain servings/day were estimated with a widely used food frequency questionnaire (study A, n=162, 63±8 years). Differences in their intakes across NAE categories (<5, ⩾5 to <15, ⩾15 to <50, ⩾50 milliequivalents (mEq)/day) were analyzed using analysis of variance. The findings were verified in a second study, which estimated dietary intakes, using a more detailed record-assisted 24-h recall (study B, n=232, 67±6 years). RESULTS Fruit intake was significantly associated with NAE in both studies. In study A, fruit intake was 9% lower with each categorical NAE increase (unstandardized beta=-0.21, P=0.01) and 7% lower with each categorical NAE increase in study B (unstandardized beta=-0.18; P=0.02). Grain intake was positively associated with NAE in study B only (unstandardized beta=+0.14; P=0.01). Vegetable and protein intake were not associated with NAE in either study. CONCLUSIONS The inverse association between fruit intake and NAE suggests low self-reported fruit intake may be an indicator of acid-producing diets in older adults.
Biologically inspired motion detection neural network models evolved using genetic algorithms

In this paper we describe a method to evolve biologically inspired motion detection systems utilizing artificial neural networks (ANN's). Previously, the evolution of neural networks has focused on feed-forward neural networks or networks with predefined architectures. The purpose of this paper is to present a novel method for evolving neural networks with no predefined architectures to solve various problems including motion detection models. The neural network models are evolved with genetic algorithms using an encoding that defines a functional network with no restriction on recurrence, activation function types, or the number of nodes that compose the final ANN. The genetic algorithm operates on a population of potential solutions where each potential network is represented in a chromosome. The structure of each chromosome in the population is defined with a weight matrix which allows for efficient simulation of outputs. Each chromosome is evaluated by a fitness function that scores how well the actual output of an ANN compares to the expected output. Crossovers and mutations are made with specified probabilities between population members to evolve new members of the population. After a number of iterations a near optimal network is evolved that solves the problem at hand. The approach has proven to be sufficient to create biologically realistic motion detection neural network models with results that are comparable to results obtained from the standard Reichardt model.
Variability of CD36 Expression on Platelets Is Determined in Part by Genetic Polymorphisms and Can Influence Platelet Function.

CD36 is a cell surface receptor previously characterized on phagocytic cells as a scavenger receptor, on microvascular endothelial cells as a negative regulator of angiogenesis, and on fat, muscle and epithelial cells as a transporter of free fatty acids. Although it was first identified on platelets and termed glycoprotein IV or IIIb, its role in platelet biology has only recently been determined. Our group has shown that CD36 functions as a signaling receptor on platelets, recognizing oxidized lipoproteins and endothelial-derived microparticles, and augmenting activation and aggregation in response to low doses of agonists. The CD36 gene is highly polymorphic; in addition to the well characterized null mutations common in Asian and African populations, there are numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions/deletions, including some in the promoter region at putative transcription factor binding sites. Systematic studies relating CD36 deficiency or CD36 polymorphisms to arterial thrombosis, coronary disease or cerebrovascular disease are limited. The goal of this study was to characterize the relationship between common CD36 genetic polymorphisms, platelet expression levels, and platelet function. Initial studies of 32 normal healthy volunteers revealed that platelet CD36 expression was highly variable, ranging from as low as less than 2000 molecules per platelet to more than 14,000 molecules per platelet. Individual donors showed consistent levels of CD36 expression on repeated analyses over time. Western blot analysis of selected subjects showed that surface expression levels correlated closely with total CD36 expression. To assess the functional consequences of this variability in CD36 expression we studied platelets from donors with high, medium and low levels of expression. Platelet reactivity to oxidized LDL (oxLDL) was analyzed by flow cytometric measurement of alpha granule secretion (anti-P-selectin antibody binding). We found a strong correlation between platelet activation by oxLDL and level of CD36 expression. To determine the relationship of CD36 genetic polymorphisms with expression levels we measured platelet surface CD36 expression in a population of 550 successive subjects recruited through the Cleveland Clinic Cardiac Catheterization lab. As with the normal volunteers, this group also showed a wide variability in platelet CD36 expression. We then identified 10 SNPs with allelic frequencies >5% from the International HapMap consortium database that “tag” major areas of linkage disequilibrium and genotyped DNA isolated from the 550 subjects using a PCR-based method. Three SNPs were significantly associated with CD36 expression (p values
Speaking plates: text, performance, and banqueting trenchers in Early Modern Europe

Dining and banqueting in Renaissance Europe have traditionally received a great deal of attention in historical scholarship, especially within the fields of food history and museum studies. This article intervenes in this much-debated topic through an investigation of banqueting trenchers, objects which have received almost no scholarly attention. Specialized plates used in after-dinner, sweet banquets, trenchers were decorated with pictorial images and accompanying mottos and epigrams. While they may have originated in the context of lavish banquets enjoyed by the social elite, this paper examines their wider use further down the social scale. This article reveals that trenchers required specific oral recitations as well as a repertoire of corporeal acts from diners who engaged with them at the table. In doing so, it analyses over three hundred extant trenchers held in European and North American collections, as well as a wide variety of literary and non-literary textual documents, including almanacs, poetry, and — most importantly — Thomas Middleton's largely ignored city comedy No Wit Like A Woman's (1611), in which trenchers are performed on stage. The essay argues that trenchers facilitated entertainment and lively conversation, both much desired at banquets, however the series of physical manipulations required to use trenchers also produced ‘performances’ of sociability.
Neurocognitive and somatic recovery curves following concussion in female interscholastic soccer players

Objective To measure the acute effects of SRC on cognition and symptoms over a 7-day time course in interscholastic female soccer players. Design Prospective. Setting Soccer fields. Participants 36 interscholastic female soccer players were equally divided into concussed [CON] (age 16.3±1.4 yr.) and non-concussed [NOCON] (age 16.1±1.3 yr.) groups. Intervention A 17-item SRC-symptom checklist was completed resulting in a total symptom score (SX). Neurocognitive performance [ANAM] throughput scores [higher scores better] (SRT1, SRT2, MSP, MTH, CPT1, CPT2, ST6) was also measured. The CON and NOCON were evaluated on five occasions: baseline, day 1 [D1], day 3 [D3], day 5 [D5], and day 7 [D7]. Outcome measures Data from the 8 outcome variables were analysed using the multivariate approach to a repeated measures ANOVA Main results Significant (p Conclusions CON subjects exhibited robust symptoms and neurocognitive deficits in the days immediately following SRC. Similar to American football, our recovery curves represent an initial decline with gradual improvements in the days succeeding post-injury and reinforce the need for clinicians to be cautious in the 7-day period post-concussion and depend on cognitive rest to aid recovery. Competing interests None.
Design of Generalized Pipeline Cellular Array in Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata

Cellular arrays have been the topic of interest in computer arithmetic and architecture for the last four decades. In this letter, an overall quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) design for a generalized pipeline cellular array is presented. QCA is one of the promising emerging nanotechnologies that are being considered as possible alternatives to complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology due to the physical limitations of CMOS. The QCA designs for arithmetic cell and control cell used in the pipeline array are discussed in detail. The equivalent majority logic networks to these cells are generated using the best existing majority logic synthesis method in order to obtain the optimal majority networks which require fewer QCA cells and clock zones compared to other synthesis methods. The proposed array can perform all the basic arithmetic operations such as squaring, square rooting, multiplication, division, etc., which could be quite valuable in considering future large-scale QCA designs.
A brave new world?—Understanding U.S.-China coproductions: collaboration, conflicts, and obstacles

ABSTRACTThe unprecedented growth in U.S.-China film coproductions and Chinese companies’ high-profile investment in Hollywood studios and U.S. cinemas signal a shift in global power relationships and a reshaping of the global media structure. Combining textual and document analysis with interviews of policy makers and film professionals in China and Hollywood, this article explores the implications of U.S.-China coproduction for global communication. The article proposes three ways of understanding coproductions: as a market-driven and profit-seeking partnership, as a policy and power negotiation, and as a brave experimental adventure. This article contends that the current state of U.S.-China coproduction manifests the contradiction between desire and reality. Although coproductions have the potential to create a space for a new global culture, to develop innovative communication models, and to achieve a China-U.S. consensus, the fulfillment of these potentials will require a steadfast effort and the com...
Convection at Atmospheric Conditions

Most of the intuition on which the design of current two-phase thermal management devices, such as heat pipes, is based on studies of convection at atmospheric conditions. The strength of the two main forces driving convection, buoyancy and thermocapillarity, is most commonly described in terms of the nondimensional parameters
Detailed Reaction Mechanisms for the Oxidative Coupling of Methane over La2O3/CeO2 Nanofiber Fabric Catalysts

This study develops and validates detailed reaction mechanisms to represent oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) over a La2O3/CeO2 nanofabric catalyst. The reaction mechanism includes 39 reversible gas-phase reactions and 52 irreversible surface reactions among 22 gas-phase species and 11 surface species. The paper uses model-based interpretation of spatially resolved concentration and temperature profiles as measured in a laboratory-scale packedbed reactor. The reaction mechanisms are validated for inlet feed compositions in the range 7< CH4/O2 < 11. The results are supported by a reaction pathway analysis that provides insight about the relative contributions of gas-phase and surface reactions to form the desired C2+ and the undesired COx products. The results provide new quantitative insights on the complex nature of the OCM chemistry, which can assist practical process and reactor development.
Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and compliance estimation and mapping using pulse wave imaging (PWI) in healthy, stenotic and post-endarterectomy carotid arteries in vivo

Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV), a surrogate marker of arterial stiffness, is associated with cardiovascular mortality and vascular atherosclerotic burden. The Bramwell-Hill equation links PWV with arterial compliance. Pulse wave imaging (PWI) is a noninvasive technique developed by our group for tracking the propagation of pulse waves along the arterial wall at high spatial and temporal resolution. It has been previously enhanced to track piecewise PWVs (pPWVs) and produce PWI compliance maps. This study aims to use PWI to characterize the carotid arteries of healthy, atherosclerotic and post endarterectomy subjects and assess its utility as a monitoring tool.
New directions for ocean nutrients

The elemental ratios of marine phytoplankton and organic matter vary widely across ocean biomes, according to a catalogue of biogeochemical data, suggesting that climate change may have complex effects on the ocean’s elemental cycles.
Drug Repositioning to Accelerate Drug Development Using Social Media Data: Computational Study on Parkinson Disease.

Background: Due to the high cost and low success rate in new drug development, systematic drug repositioning methods are exploited to find new indications for existing drugs. Objective: We sought to propose a new computational drug repositioning method to identify repositioning drugs for Parkinson disease (PD). Methods: We developed a novel heterogeneous network mining repositioning method that constructed a 3-layer network of disease, drug, and adverse drug reaction and involved user-generated data from online health communities to identify potential candidate drugs for PD. Results: We identified 44 non-Parkinson drugs by using the proposed approach, with data collected from both pharmaceutical databases and online health communities. Based on the further literature analysis, we found literature evidence for 28 drugs. Conclusions: In summary, the proposed heterogeneous network mining repositioning approach is promising for identifying repositioning candidates for PD. It shows that adverse drug reactions are potential intermediaries to reveal relationships between disease and drug.
Discrete variational inequalities

The inequalities considered are for discrete quadratic functionals motivated by the theory of the second variation for discrete variational problems. They are discrete versions of classical integral inequalties associated with quadratic functionals. Connections are made between positive definiteness of discrete quadratic functionals and discrete analogues of Jacobi conditions and Sturmian theorems for associated three term recurrence relations $$- {K_n}{y_{n + 1}} + {B_n}{y_n} - K_{n - 1}^T{y_{n - 1}} = 0.$$ These equations arise in the study of symplectic continued fractions.
A Method for Knowledge Modeling: Application of Unified Modeling Language (UML) to Knowledge Modeling

Since knowledge management (KM) is considered to be an important function of a successful business operation, many organizations are embracing KM. The success of a KM project is dependent upon its contents. This article presents a method for building an effective knowledge model that can help businesses to analyze and specify knowledge content. The method takes a decision-oriented view. For the modeling language of the method, Unified Modeling Language (UML) has been chosen. The method is applied to the vessel scheduling process in a maritime shipping company. The steps and rules are explained using an example, and the strengths and weaknesses of the method are discussed.
Dietary arginine uptake by the splanchnic region in adult humans.

To determine the uptake of dietary arginine and leucine by the splanchnic region, two experiments were carried out, each involving four healthy young adult men who received a diet supplying 1 g protein.kg-1.day-1 for 7 and 10 days before conducting a primed constant tracer infusion protocol. In study 1, subjects received for 8 h (3-h fast; 5-h fed state, achieved by a constant intragastric infusion of the diet formula) L-[5,5-2H2; guanidino-15N2]arginine ([M4]Arg), L-[guanidino-13C]arginine ([13C]Arg), and L-[5,5,5-2H3]leucine ([2H3]Leu) simultaneously by an intragastric infusion on day 7 and a repeat of this protocol on day 10 except with tracer administration given by vein. Plasma arginine fluxes were essentially the same for the two arginine tracers but differed significantly with route of administration. In study 2 the subjects received on day 7 a constant intravenous infusion of [13C]Arg and [2H3]Leu and a simultaneous intragastric infusion of [M4]Arg and [1-13C]leucine. On day 10 the routes of administration of these tracer pairs were reversed. During the fed state in study 1, splanchnic uptake of dietary arginine was 31 +/- 10 and 34 +/- 8%, based on the [13C]Arg and [M4]Arg tracers, respectively, and it was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than for leucine, which was 10 +/- 6%. In study 2, splanchnic uptake of dietary arginine, estimated from a series of tracer-protocol combinations for the fed state, was approximately 38% compared with a lower (P < 0.01) value of approximately 15% for leucine.
Short-lived pause in Central California subsidence after heavy winter precipitation of 2017

The Tulare Basin in Central California is a site of intensive agricultural activity and extraction of groundwater, with pronounced ground subsidence and degradation of water resources over the past century. Spatially extensive observations of ground displacements from satellite-based remote sensing allow us to infer the response of the aquifer system to changes in usage and to marked recharge events such as the heavy winter rainfall in 2017. Radar imagery from the Sentinel-1a/b satellites (November 2014 to October 2017) illuminates secular and seasonal trends modulated by changes in withdrawal rates and the magnitude of winter precipitation. Despite the increased precipitation in early 2017 that led to a marked decrease, or in some areas, reversal, of subsidence rates, subsidence returned to rates observed during the drought within a matter of months.
Chapter 21 – Sensitivity in cellular automata: Some examples

Publisher Summary One-dimensional cellular automata are simple to understand and easy to simulate, yet can produce interesting patterns. This chapter considers examples of how slight changes in the initial state of some automata can give rise to considerably different final states. The chapter discusses one-dimensional, binary automata with the neighborhood of a cell consisting of the two cells immediately on either side of it. Often it is convenient to consider the cells as indexed by the integers. The dynamics of the automaton can be viewed by taking the initial arrangement of live and dead cells as the first generation, and then producing the second generation, determining the state of each cell from the states of its neighbors. The chapter shows how the final pattern produced by particular one-dimensional cellular automata can depend on the starting configuration of live and dead cells. In particular, the chapter highlights that slight changes in the initial state can lead to different universality classes (in the sense of Wolfram) for the final state. A peculiar anthropomorphic pattern appears in one of the experiments.
Effects of concrete grinding residue (CGR) on selected sandy loam properties

Abstract Concrete Grinding Residue (CGR) is a slurry waste generated from diamond grinding of fresh concrete pavement surfaces. Fresh CGRs are mostly disposed along the roadside which can impact the chemistry of soils and vegetation growth along the roadways. To understand the effects of CGR on soil chemical properties, sixteen controlled experimental plots (2-m by 2-m for each) classified as sandy loam or clayey sand were established and applied with four different CGR rates: 0, 2.24, 4.48, and 8.96 kg m−2. Soil samples were collected at various times, one month, six months, and twelve months, after CGR application to measure pH, electrical conductivity (EC), alkalinity, metal concentration, water-extracted cation exchange capacity (WE-CEC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and percentage base saturation (PBS). The results of statistical analyses indicated that the CGR applications impacted the chemical properties of soil, and the impact of CGR became greater with an increase in the CGR application rate. In addition, the CGR impact decreased with soil depth. For the CGR application rate of 8.96 kg m−2, soil pH, alkalinity, EC, WE-CEC and ESP increased by 24%, 392%, 219%, 219% and 106%, respectively, while PBS decreased by 16%. CGR also increased concentrations of Ca, K, Mg, Na, Al, and Fe in soil by at least 50%. However, the changes in soil properties such as pH and PBS did not persist twelve months after the CGR applications. The primary findings indicate that, although CGR can change some soil chemical properties significantly, changes may not have long term negative impacts on the soil and plant environment.
Peer Feedback Processes in the Game Industry

A wide variety of design strategies, tools, and processes are used across the game industry. Prior work has shown that these processes are often collaborative, with experts in different domains contributing to different parts of the whole. However, the ways in which these professionals give and receive peer feedback have not yet been studied in depth. In this paper we present results from interviews with industry professionals at two game studios, describing the ways they give feedback. We propose a new, six step process that describes the full feedback cycle from making plans to receive feedback to reflecting and acting upon that feedback. This process serves as a starting point for researchers studying peer feedback in games, and allows for comparison of processes across different types of studios. It will also help studios formalize their understanding of their own processes and consider alternative processes that might better fit their needs.
Thrifty, Rapid Intestinal Monolayers (TRIM) Using Caco-2 Epithelial Cells for Oral Drug Delivery Experiments.

Caco-2 monolayers are the most common model of the intestinal epithelium and are critical to the development of oral drug delivery strategies and gastrointestinal disease treatments. However, current monolayer systems are cost- and/or time-intensive, hampering progress. This study evaluates two separate methods to reduce resource input: FB Essence as a fetal bovine serum (FBS) alternative and a new, 3-day Caco-2 system deemed “thrifty, rapid intestinal monolayers” (TRIM). Caco-2 cells were cultured with FB Essence and compared to cells in 10% FBS for proliferation and monolayer formation. TRIM were compared to commonly-used 21-day and Corning® HTS monolayer systems, as well as mouse intestines, for permeability behavior, epithelial gene expression, and tight junction arrangement. No amount of FB Essence maintained Caco-2 cells beyond 10 passages. In contrast, TRIM compared favorably in permeability and gene expression to intestinal tissues. Furthermore, TRIM cost $109 and required 1.3 h of time per 24-well plate, compared to $164 and 3.7 h for 21-day monolayers, and $340 plus 1.0 h for the HTS system. TRIM offer a new approach to generating Caco-2 monolayers that resemble the intestinal epithelium. They are anticipated to accelerate the pace of in vitro intestinal experiments while easing financial burden.
Fit-for-purpose treatment of produced water with iron and polymeric coagulant for reuse in hydraulic fracturing: Temperature effects on aggregation and high-rate sedimentation

Abstract Reusing produced water for hydraulic fracturing simultaneously satisfies challenges of fresh water sourcing and the installation/operation of an extensive disposal well infrastructure. Herein, we systematically and rigorously investigate produced water treatment for reuse during hydraulic fracturing. Highly saline and turbid produced water from the Permian Basin was treated by adding chlorine as an oxidant, FeCl3 as the primary coagulant, and an anionic polymer to induce high rate sedimentation to generate “clean brine” by removing suspended solids and iron over a range of environmentally relevant temperatures. Mobile phone video capture, optical microscopy, and digital image/video analysis were employed to characterize floc morphology and measure its size and settling velocity. Conformational changes of the polymeric coagulant between 4 and 44 °C were inferred from viscosity and dynamic light scattering measurements providing clues to its performance characteristics. Floc settling velocities measured over the entire range of polymer dosages and temperatures were empirically modelled incorporating their fractal nature, average size, and the viscosity of the produced water using only a single fitting parameter. Juxtaposing the anionic polymer with the hydrolyzing metal-ion coagulant effectively destabilized the suspension and caused floc growth through a combination of enmeshment, adsorption and charge neutralization and inter-particle bridging as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Very high turbidity (≥98%) and total iron (≥97%) removals were accomplished even with very short flocculation and sedimentation times of only 6 minutes each suggesting the feasibility of this approach to reuse produced water for hydraulic fracturing.
The Utility of Preoperative Venous Testing for Lower Extremity Flap Planning in Patients with Lower Extremity Wounds

Background Although venous thrombosis is a leading cause of flap failure, the majority of lower extremity free flap planning is centered on arterial system evaluation. Preoperative identification of relevant abnormality in lower extremity venous systems by means of duplex ultrasound may aid in the diagnosis of clinically important abnormality that could affect lower extremity flap outcomes. Methods Between November of 2014 and August of 2017, 57 patients underwent preoperative lower extremity venous duplex imaging and free tissue transfer for lower extremity wounds. A retrospective review was performed to describe lower extremity venous pathologic findings, relevant patient demographic data, comorbid conditions, and outcomes. Discovery of venous abnormality helped guide recipient vein selection. Results Fifty-seven consecutive patients underwent 59 free flap operations to treat chronic lower extremity wounds. Venous duplex ultrasonography detected venous insufficiency (defined as >0.5 second of reflux) in 23 patients (39.0 percent), including 16 (27.2 percent) with deep thigh reflux, six (10.2 percent) with superficial calf reflux, and four (6.78 percent) with deep calf reflux. Deep venous thrombosis was found in four patients (6.78 percent) and treated with anticoagulation. The flap success rate was 98.3 percent. Five patients (8.47 percent) progressed to amputation. At a mean follow-up time of 15.1 ± 9.51 months (range, 1.67 to 35.2 months), 53 patients (89.8 percent) were able to continue community ambulation. Conclusions Lower extremity venous duplex testing before free tissue transfer may be useful for optimizing flap recipient vessel selection and for detecting potentially unknown venous abnormality. Development of free flap planning protocols incorporating preoperative vascular imaging is important to achieving good functional outcomes in this comorbid patient population. Clinical question/level of evidence Diagnostic, IV.
Differences in the Search Behavior of Cancer Detection Dogs Trained to Have Either a Sit or Stand-Stare Final Response

Recent literature has demonstrated that dogs have the potential to detect, and communicate the presence of, various human diseases. However, there is a lack of investigation into whether commonplace training differences within the field could influence a dog's behavior during a biomedical detection task. Here we report on the behavior of four dogs trained to alert to blood plasma samples taken from individuals with ovarian cancer. One hundred trials per dog were selected from routine video recordings collected over a period of 13 months. Videos were coded frame by frame to quantify sample checking, alerting behavior, and durations of alert. Dogs had previously been trained to elicit a final response behavior once they had located the target odor. Two dogs had a "sit" response while the other two had a "stand-stare" response. Alert behavior was categorized as true positive (a correct alert to a cancer sample) or false positive (an incorrect alert to biological and non-biological controls and distractors). Hesitations were also recorded, where the dog either checks the sample twice or, spends a longer duration of time sniffing the sample than a true pass without carrying out their final response. Results show individual variation in the total frequency of false alerts elicited. However, the rate of hesitations appears to be influenced by alert style, with stand-stare dogs carrying out 40 and 32, respectively (total = 72) and sit dogs carrying out 7 and 8, respectively (total = 15). The stand-stare dogs had a non-significant difference in the duration of their true and false positive alerts. In contrast, the sit dogs showed a significant difference (p < 0.001), maintaining their false alerts for, on average, two times the duration of their true alerts. Stand-stare dogs increased the duration of time spent in contact with the port when plasma samples were present, whereas sit dogs spent on average 0.3 s in contact with the port regardless of what sample type it contained. These findings suggest that the type of operant response a biomedical detection dog has been trained may influence their sample checking and response behavior.
Informatic tactics: Indigenous activism and digital cartographies of gender-based violence

The impact of crowdsourced data visualization in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#MMIW) movement over the last decade reveals how institutional systems of organizing and representing spa...
Role of c-Myc haploinsufficiency in the maintenance of HSCs in mice.

Here we report a dosage effect of c-Myc on hematopoiesis and its distinct role in mediating the Wnt/b-catenin pathway in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) and bone marrow niche cells. We showed that c-Myc haploinsufficiency led to ineffective hematopoiesis by inhibiting HSC self-renewal and quiescence, and promoting its apoptosis. We have identified Nr4a1, Nr4a2 and Jmjd3, which are critical for the maintenance of HSC functions, as previously unrecognized downstream targets of c-Myc in HSCs. c-Myc directly binds to the promoter regions of Nr4a1, Nr4a2 and Jmjd3 and regulates their expression. Our results revealed that Nr4a1 and Nr4a2 mediated the function of c-Myc in regulating HSC quiescence while all three genes contribute to the function of c-Myc in the maintenance of HSC survival. Adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) is a negative regulator of the Wnt/b-catenin pathway. We have provided the first evidence that Apc haploinsufficiency induced a blockage of erythroid lineage differentiation through promoting expression and secretion of IL6 in bone marrow endothelial cells. We found that c-Myc haploinsufficiency failed to rescue defective function of Apc-deficient HSCs in vivo but it was sufficient to prevent the development of severe anemia in Apc heterozygous mice, and to significantly prolong survival of such mice. Furthermore, we showed that c-Myc mediated Apc loss-induced IL6 secretion in endothelial cells, and c-Myc haploinsufficiency reversed the negative effect of Apc deficient endothelial cells on erythroid cell differentiation. Our studies indicate that c-Myc has a context-dependent role in mediating the function of Apc in hematopoiesis.