cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dark Hydrazone Fluorescence Labeling Agents Enable Imaging of Cellular Aldehydic Load

Aldehydes are key intermediates in many cellular processes, from endogenous metabolic pathways like glycolysis to undesired exogenously induced processes such as lipid peroxidation and DNA interstrand cross-linking. Alkyl aldehydes are well documented to be cytotoxic, affecting the functions of DNA and protein, and their levels are tightly regulated by the oxidative enzyme ALDH2. Mutations in this enzyme are associated with cardiac damage, diseases such as Fanconi anemia (FA), and cancer. Many attempts have been made to identify and quantify the overall level of these alkyl aldehydes inside cells, yet there are few practical methods available to detect and monitor these volatile aldehydes in real time. Here, we describe a multicolor fluorogenic hydrazone transfer (“DarkZone”) system to label alkyl aldehydes, yielding up to 30-fold light-up response in vitro. A cell-permeant DarkZone dye design was applied to detect small-molecule aldehydes in the cellular environment. The new dye design also enabled the m...
Next-generation sequencing methylation profiling of subjects with obesity identifies novel gene changes

Obesity is a metabolic disease caused by environmental and genetic factors. However, the epigenetic mechanisms of obesity are incompletely understood. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of skeletal muscle DNA methylation in combination with transcriptomic changes in obesity. Muscle biopsies were obtained basally from lean (n = 12; BMI = 23.4 ± 0.7 kg/m2) and obese (n = 10; BMI = 32.9 ± 0.7 kg/m2) participants in combination with euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamps to assess insulin sensitivity. We performed reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) next-generation methylation and microarray analyses on DNA and RNA isolated from vastus lateralis muscle biopsies. There were 13,130 differentially methylated cytosines (DMC; uncorrected P < 0.05) that were altered in the promoter and untranslated (5' and 3'UTR) regions in the obese versus lean analysis. Microarray analysis revealed 99 probes that were significantly (corrected P < 0.05) altered. Of these, 12 genes (encompassing 22 methylation sites) demonstrated a negative relationship between gene expression and DNA methylation. Specifically, sorbin and SH3 domain containing 3 (SORBS3) which codes for the adapter protein vinexin was significantly decreased in gene expression (fold change −1.9) and had nine DMCs that were significantly increased in methylation in obesity (methylation differences ranged from 5.0 to 24.4 %). Moreover, differentially methylated region (DMR) analysis identified a region in the 5'UTR (Chr.8:22,423,530–22,423,569) of SORBS3 that was increased in methylation by 11.2 % in the obese group. The negative relationship observed between DNA methylation and gene expression for SORBS3 was validated by a site-specific sequencing approach, pyrosequencing, and qRT-PCR. Additionally, we performed transcription factor binding analysis and identified a number of transcription factors whose binding to the differentially methylated sites or region may contribute to obesity. These results demonstrate that obesity alters the epigenome through DNA methylation and highlights novel transcriptomic changes in SORBS3 in skeletal muscle.
Optimal control of gene regulatory networks with uncertain intervention effects

Optimal control policies for Markovian gene regulatory networks assume that external intervention is 100% specific to control genes. In practice, however, this effect may be unpredictable in the sense that intervention may also target alternative genes. Our goal is to find an optimal control policy that performs well in such cases. We model this by an uncertainty class of controlled networks corresponding to different affected genes, governed by a probability distribution representing our confidence in the intervention specificity to each gene, and optimize relative to this uncertainty class.
Knowledge-based information management for biomedical applications

Abstract Current large-scale information sources (structural, textual and images) are designed to support general queries and lack the ability to support scenario-specific information navigation, gathering, and presentation. As a result, users are often unable to obtain the specific information they desire within a well-defined subject area. Today's information systems do not provide efficient content navigation, incremental approximate matching, or content correlation. In this talk, we will present the following innovative technologies to remedy these problems: 1) scenario-based proxies, enabling the gathering and filtering of information customized for users within a pre-defined domain; 2) knowledge-based context-sensitive navigation and matching, providing approximate matching (for structured data, text documents, and images) and similarity links when an exact match to a user's request is unavailable; 3) knowledge-based query expansion for improving document retrieval effectiveness; 4) content correlation of documents, creating semantic links between the document content with relevant documents in the information sources; 5) user models for customizing retrieved information and result presentation. A digital medical library is currently under development at UCLA using these technologies to provide customized information for the users. This will serve as a step toward the development of a future paperless hospital. The technologies we proposed are general in nature and can provide custom and scenario-specific information to many other domains (e.g. crisis management).
Pathology of Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic heart disease is a broad term encompassing several closely related syndromes caused by myocardial ischemia, an imbalance between cardiac blood supply perfusion and myocardial oxygen and nutritional requirements.
Judicial Independence and Political Competition: Comparing Democracies Over Time

Scholars of comparative courts have long been fascinated with variations in judicial independence across states, regimes, and time. Whether independence, in turn, depends on political competition remains an open question, as extant research has reached uncertain conclusions, often relying on questionable assumptions and data sources. This paper presents a formal model predicting the conditions under which legislative political competition causes a political power vacuum, which necessitates judicial independence and policy making. In short, when an ineffectual legislature cannot address a policy seeker's proposal, the courts can intervene, causing a de facto increase in judicial independence. Empirical results confirm these theoretically derived expectations, as aggregate measures of political competition across space and time cause significant changes in de facto judicial independence. Our findings have practical implications regarding when we might observe policy-seekers litigating issues rather than seeking legislation.
Abstract 245: Assessing Patient Knowledge and Satisfaction Following Stroke Video Education

Objective: To create a stroke education video and study its impact in stroke clinic with regards to patient satisfaction and knowledge acquisition. Background: Excellent medical care includes provi...
Midwestern Writers on Environmental Stewardship: A Review Essay

Review of: "A Sugar Creek Chronicle: Observing Climate Change from a Midwestern Woodland", by Cornelia F. Mutel and of "The Big Marsh: The Story of a Lost Landscape", by Cheri Register.
The role of the principal investigator in cancer clinical trials.

In summary, cancer clinical trials are not easy to run. Every PI should be well prepared to meet the complex challenges inherent in conducting clinical trials and be proud to be engaged in the search for a “cure” for cancer patients.
Use of Short-Term Test Data in Risk Analysis of Chemical Carcinogens

As the other chapters of this volume will attest, the area of risk analysis of chemical carcinogens is a new and emerging field of science that is intermingled with economic, societal, and political values. The concept that short-term tests, which will be defined and described later in this chapter, can affect the final outcome of a risk analysis is both recent and controversial. While we have not conducted a scientifically valid survey, we have done extensive sampling among highly credible and well regarded scientists whose pro fessional activities impinge on the boundaries of the area we call risk analysis. The question asked of them was, what is the value of short-term test data in risk assessment? Approximately 10% opined that risk analysis is valueless; the remainder were evenly divided between those believing that short-term tests have no value at all to risk analysis and those who view short-term tests as holding some promise and utility for risk analysis. Among the latter group, there were those who believed that short-term tests were useful for making qualitative judgments only and they should not have an impact on quantitative risk analysis. Others felt that the main value of short-term tests in risk assessment would be for classification purposes, that is, to determine whether a substance is a genotoxic carcinogen, thus prompting the use of a conservative nonthreshold linearized extrapolation model, as opposed to a risk extrapolation approach which envisions a threshold. Finally, there were others who said they believed that short-term test data could be valuable both for qualitative and quantitative assessments, but that it is too early and scientific experience is too limited to provide general guidance on the subject. They felt, however, that there have been and that there would be specific situations where short-term tests would prove invaluable in determining a final outcome.
Coupling Symbolic and Numerical Computation for Intelligent Simulation

For the past several years, expert systems technology has been gaining in popularity and acceptance in the engineering community (1), Applications range from diagnostic and repair domains to design assistance (2,3). However, common knowledge-based expert systems are often not well suited to dealing with numerical processing due to their focus on symbolic reasoning. In contrast, numerical techniques, required for most engineering applications, can provide rapid high precision solutions to mathematically-formulated problems, but they often cannot provide insight into the problem solving process or interpretation of the results. Therefore, since there is a need for results generation and results interpretation in complex problems, there is a need to couple symbolic and numerical techniques. Such coupled systems promise to integrate the explanation and problem solving capabilities of knowledge-based systems with the precision of traditional numerical computing.
An Ecological Perspective on Pathways of Risk, Vulnerability, and Adaptation

Prevention has become a central goal among those concerned with a wide array of human conditions (Cowen, 1996; Feiner, Jason, Mortisugu, & Farber, 1983). At the start of the 1990s, the Secretary of Health and Human Services called prevention the nation’s number one health and social priority (Healthy People 2000, 1990). The reasons for prevention’s emergence as a central priority on the national health agenda are quite clear. Simply put, after-the-fact, reconstructive approaches have proven to be inadequate to the task of reducing the crushing levels of social and health problems confronting the nation.
Linear Algebra Students' Understanding of Similar Matrices and Matrix Representations of Linear Transformations in a MATLAB-Assisted Learning Environment.

AbstractThe purpose of this research study was to understand how mathematics majors make sense of similar matrices, a linear algebra topic that is rich in internal and external connections, in a series of in-depth qualitative interviews in a technology-assisted (MATLAB) learning environment. The study was also an attempt to develop a cognitive theory in mathematics majors’ treatment of similar matrices and matrix representations of linear transformations in a computer-assisted learning environment by drawing primarily on three aspects of the experimental mathematics methodology, made possible by using modern digital tools to enhance learning: testing conjectures, suggesting proofs, and, computing lengthy hand derivations (Borwein & Bailey, 2003). The analysis revealed a diversity of innovative ways by which research participants coordinated analytic and computational (MATLAB) methods for understanding matrix similarity and its connections to the rest of linear algebra. The paper concludes by offering peda...
Defining Cybersecurity Law

The U.S. legal system lacks a consistent definition of the term “cybersecurity law.” This Article aims to fill that gap by defining “cybersecurity law.” Although “cybersecurity” is a commonly used term in legal circles, no scholarship has stepped back to define exactly what “cybersecurity law” is and the goals of statutes and regulations that aim to promote “cybersecurity.” By defining the scope and goals of this new legal field, policymakers can then examine how lawmakers could improve existing laws. Part II of this Article briefly describes the cybersecurity challenges that the United States faces by examining the cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment. Part III broadly examines current cybersecurity threats to the United States and defines “cybersecurity law” as a legal framework that “promotes the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of public and private information, systems, and networks, through the use of forward-looking regulations and incentives, with the goal of protecting individual rights and privacy, economic interests, and national security.” Part IV of this Article explains the current U.S. legal regime for cybersecurity and concludes that many of the most prominent cybersecurity laws only address a small portion of the broader legal framework. Part V examines the gaps in current U.S. cybersecurity law and suggests which areas of cybersecurity law policymakers could better address.
Abstract TP313: The Stroke Navigator: Using the Electronic Health Record to Improve Patient Care and Clinical Documentation

Introduction: Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs) provide the highest level of stroke care, and thus are held to rigorous standards by the Joint Commission to maintain certification. Meeting these ...
Forcibly Re-scrambled Randomized Response Model for Simultaneous Estimation of Means of Two Sensitive Variables

Recently, Ahmed et al. (Commun Stat Theory Methods 47(2):324–343, 2018) have introduced the idea of simultaneously estimating means of two sensitive variables by collecting one scrambled response and another pseudo-response. In this paper, we extend their idea to the simultaneous estimation of two means by making use of the forced quantitative randomized response model of Gjestvang and Singh (Metrika 66(2):243–257, 2007) but then re-scrambling the scrambled scores. This idea of re-scrambling already scrambled responses seems completely new in the field of randomized response sampling. The performance of the proposed forced quantitative randomized response model has been investigated analytically as well as empirically.
The synthesis of novel polycyclic heterocyclic ring systems via photocyclization. 11. Synthesis and total assignment of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of isomeric benzothienonaphthoquinolines using multiple inverse detected two‐dimensional NMR methods

Two novel heterocyclic ring systems, namely, [1]benzothieno[2,3-c]naphtho[1,2-f]quinoline and [1]benzothieno[2,3-c]naphtho[2,1-g]quinoline have been synthesized and characterized by inverse detected two-dimensional nmr methods. Unequivocal total assignments of the proton and carbon nmr spectra were made through the concerted utilization of HMQC (Heteronuclear Multiple Quantum Correlation) and a combination of HMBC (Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation) and HMQC-TOCSY (HMQC with proton TOtal Correlation Spectroscopy).
Covalently-assembled single-chain protein nanostructures with ultra-high stability

Protein nanostructures with precisely defined geometries have many potential applications in catalysis, sensing, signal processing, and drug delivery. While many de novo protein nanostructures have been assembled via non-covalent intramolecular and intermolecular interactions, a largely unexplored strategy is to construct nanostructures by covalently linking multiple individually folded proteins through site-specific ligations. Here, we report the synthesis of single-chain protein nanostructures with triangular and square shapes made using multiple copies of a three-helix bundle protein and split intein chemistry. Coarse-grained simulations confirm the experimentally observed flexibility of these nanostructures, which is optimized to produce triangular structures with high regularity. These single-chain nanostructures also display ultra-high thermostability, resist denaturation by chaotropes and organic solvents, and have applicability as scaffolds for assembling materials with nanometer resolution. Our results show that site-specific covalent ligation can be used to assemble individually folded proteins into single-chain nanostructures with bespoke architectures and high stabilities.
Surveillance endoscopy after tracheostomy placement in children: Findings and interventions

Objectives/hypothesis The Seattle Children's Hospital implemented the Trach Safe Initiative to improve airway safety in tracheostomy-dependent children (TDC). A key tenet of this initiative is surveillance endoscopy. The objectives of this study were to describe the prevalence of abnormal airway changes in TDC, identify risk factors for these changes, and describe the frequency of airway interventions. Study design Retrospective case series. Methods This is a review of children 0 to 21 years old who underwent tracheostomy and surveillance endoscopy from February 1, 2014 to January 1, 2019. Descriptive statistics were used to report the prevalence of abnormal airway changes and interventions following tracheostomy. Pearson χ2 tests and logistic regression were used to identify risk factors for the development of abnormal changes. Results There were 127 children identified. The median time from tracheostomy to initial surveillance endoscopy was 1.6 months (interquartile range = 1.3-2.4 months). At initial endoscopy, 86.6% of patients had at least one abnormal airway finding. The most common findings were subglottic edema/stenosis (57.3%), glottic edema (37.3%), and suprastomal granulation tissue (31.8%). Prematurity and a history of failed extubations were significantly associated with abnormal findings on endoscopy (odds ratio [OR] = 7.2, P = .01 and OR = 4.1, P = .03, respectively). Of those with abnormal findings, 32.7% underwent an intervention to improve airway patency and safety. The most common interventions performed were suprastomal granuloma excision (44.4%), steroid injection (22.2%), and balloon dilation of the glottis or subglottis (19.4%). Conclusions The prevalence of early abnormal airway changes in TDC is high, particularly in young children with a history of prematurity and failed extubation. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 130:1327-1332, 2020.
The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research Third Expert Report on Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Cancer: Impact and Future Directions

The Third Expert Report on Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Cancer: A Global Perspective by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) represents the most comprehensive, detailed, and objective analysis of the accumulated research in the discipline. The report provides a framework for public health efforts around the globe by governments and other organizations with the goal of significantly reducing the burden of cancer, enhancing health, and improving quality of life for cancer survivors. Coupled with the WCRF/AICR Continuous Update Panel reports on specific cancers, these efforts also provide guidance to healthcare practitioners engaged in counseling individuals who may benefit from diet and lifestyle changes. Most critically, this report defines priorities for future research efforts that will improve the evidence base of future recommendations both for population-based public health efforts and increasingly for more personalized strategies targeting individuals who are cancer survivors or at risk due to genetic predisposition or carcinogenic exposures.
Temporal microwave ghost imaging using a reconfigurable disordered cavity

We propose and experimentally demonstrate the principles for microwave temporal ghost imaging using a disordered cavity loaded with a reconfigurable metasurface. The metasurface behaves as a dynamically reconfigurable surface impedance distribution on one wall of the cavity, effectively perturbing the boundary conditions of the cavity and altering the cavity mode distribution. A microwave signal that passes through the cavity is thus modulated by the changing modal distribution. Assuming that this modulation can happen at a rate faster than the receiver temporal resolution, we show that we can recover the original signal by correlating the pre-recorded response of the modulated cavity with that collected by a slow receiver. This device may find applications in encrypting or compressing microwave signals at the hardware level.
Rapid cold hardening: ecological relevance, physiological mechanisms and new perspectives.

ABSTRACT Rapid cold hardening (RCH) is a type of phenotypic plasticity that allows ectotherms to quickly enhance cold tolerance in response to brief chilling (lasting minutes to hours). In this Review, we summarize the current state of knowledge of this important phenotype and provide new directions for research. As one of the fastest adaptive responses to temperature known, RCH allows ectotherms to cope with sudden cold snaps and to optimize their performance during diurnal cooling cycles. RCH and similar phenotypes have been observed across a diversity of ectotherms, including crustaceans, terrestrial arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. In addition to its well-defined role in enhancing survival to extreme cold, RCH also protects against nonlethal cold injury by preserving essential functions following cold stress, such as locomotion, reproduction, and energy balance. The capacity for RCH varies across species and across genotypes of the same species, indicating that RCH can be shaped by selection and is likely favored in thermally variable environments. Mechanistically, RCH is distinct from other rapid stress responses in that it typically does not involve synthesis of new gene products; rather, the existing cellular machinery regulates RCH through post-translational signaling mechanisms. However, the protective mechanisms that enhance cold hardiness are largely unknown. We provide evidence that RCH can be induced by multiple triggers in addition to low temperature, and that rapidly induced tolerance and cross-tolerance to a variety of environmental stressors may be a general feature of stress responses that requires further investigation.
Clinical impact of FDG PET/CT in alimentary tract malignancies: an updated review

The use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) is well established in the evaluation of alimentary tract malignancies. This review of the literature and demonstration of correlative images focuses on the current role of PET/CT in the diagnosis (including pathologic/clinical staging) and post-therapy follow-up of esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers. PET/CT provides utility in the management of esophageal cancer, including detection of distant disease prior to resection. In gastric cancer, PET/CT is useful in detecting solid organ metastases and in characterizing responders vs. non-responders after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the latter of which have poorer overall survival. In patients with GIST tumors, PET/CT also determines response to imatinib therapy with greater expedience as compared to CECT. For colorectal cancer, PET/CT has proven helpful in detecting hepatic and other distant metastases, treatment response, and differentiating post-radiation changes from tumor recurrence. Our review also highlights several pitfalls in PET/CT interpretation of alimentary tract lesions.
A Monolithic Resonant Switched-Capacitor Voltage Regulator With Dual-Phase Merged- LC Resonator

Fully integrated voltage regulation, while important for a number of applications, is challenging due to the limitations of on-chip passive components, particularly inductors. This work demonstrates a new direction in passive-component integration through the design and implementation of a silicon-integrated merged- $LC$ resonator, used in a resonant switched-capacitor voltage regulator. The merged- $LC$ resonator combines flying capacitance and inductance into a single structure to reduce ac resistive losses, achieving higher efficiency and power density. The voltage regulator is implemented in a 0.18- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS process and achieves 85.5% efficiency at 0.47 W without off-chip passive components. Light-load efficiency is extended through the use of OFF-time modulation (OTM); the design achieves $\mu \text{s}$ load transients.
Establishing Reference Values for Lean Muscle Mass in the Pediatric Patient.

OBJECTIVES Adults with decreased muscle mass experience worse outcomes and more frequent complications. The effects of sarcopenia on pediatric outcomes are unknown. Our objective was to define reference values for lean muscle mass in a healthy pediatric population to facilitate future studies on the impact of lean muscle mass on pediatric outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS Bilateral psoas muscle surface area was measured by computed tomography in a healthy pediatric population undergoing evaluation after trauma. Pearson correlation coefficients (PCCs) were calculated for age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), total psoas muscle area, and psoas muscle index (PMI; defined as psoas muscle area divided by height squared). Quantile regression was used to determine age- and sex-specific percentiles of psoas muscle area and PMI. RESULTS Analysis of 494 male and 288 female patients with available imaging (median age: 9.3 years, interquartile range: 5.4-13.4; 63.1% male) was performed. For males, age correlated strongly with total psoas volume (PCC = 0.87), height (0.95), and weight (0.88) and poorly with BMI (0.45). In females, age correlated strongly with total psoas volume (0.88), height (0.92), weight (0.88) and poorly with BMI (0.19). Gender-specific curves and charts were created using output from the quantile regression from reference values of the total psoas muscle area corresponding to the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles across all ages. CONCLUSIONS We created gender-specific reference charts for total and height-normalized psoas muscle area in healthy children based on age. These results can be used in future studies to establish the effects of sarcopenia in pediatric patients.
Mediators of discrimination in primary care appointment access

We examine how differences in questions asked and information provided by physicians' offices contribute to differences in new-patient appointment offers. Data is from a 2013-16 field experiment involving calls to a random sample of US primary care physicians on behalf of simulated new patients differentiated by race/ethnicity (Black, Hispanic, White), sex, and insurance. We find that the rates and stated reasons for denial of appointment offers differ substantially across patient groups.
Only sun-lit leaves of the uppermost canopy exceed both air temperature and photosynthetic thermal optima in a wet tropical forest

Abstract Tropical forests have evolved under relatively narrow temperature regimes, and therefore may be more susceptible to climatic change than forests in higher latitudes. Recent evidence shows that lowland tropical forest canopies may already be exceeding thermal maxima for photosynthesis. Height can strongly influence both the microclimate and physiology of forest canopy foliage, yet vertical trends in canopy micrometeorology are rarely examined in tropical forests. To improve our understanding of how climatological and micrometeorological conditions affect tropical tree function, we assessed vertical gradients of photosynthetic photon flux density, vapor pressure deficit, air temperature, leaf temperature, and the difference between leaf and air temperature (ΔT) in a Puerto Rican tropical wet forest. Both air temperature and vapor pressure deficit increased linearly with height. Leaf temperature, however, did not significantly differ across the shaded foliage from 0-16 m, while the uppermost layer (20 m) was up to 4°C hotter than the rest of the foliage and up to 5°C hotter than air temperature at the highest radiation intensity. As a result, leaf temperatures in the shaded middle canopy and understory showed nearly poikilothermic behavior (i.e., leaf temperatures = air temperature), while the uppermost canopy strata showed megathermic behavior (i.e., leaf temperatures greater than air temperature), revealing different thermoregulation strategies for sun-lit versus shaded foliage. In addition, the uppermost canopy was the only stratum to exceed mean photosynthetic temperature optima for this site (Topt = 30.2 ± 1.1°C). Because the upper canopy plays a disproportionately large role in whole-forest photosynthesis, continued warming could potentially weaken the tropics’ carbon sink capacity. However, the shaded leaves may be able increase carbon uptake with further warming because they appear to be able to maintain temperatures below photosynthetic optima, possibly with the help of radiation shielding provided by the uppermost canopy layer.
The State of Science and Technology Infrastructure in Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Science and technology (S&T) education is crucial to the achievement of socio-economic development ofany society and also a critical element in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).Standard laboratories and equipments as well as reagents are S&T infrastructures essential for providingqualitative education for producing national technological manpower. This study evaluates the condition ofS&T infrastructures in the Nigerian secondary schools. The study utilises primary data collected from publicand private secondary schools across the six geo-political zones in the country. Findings show that thereare inadequate teachers, laboratories and necessary equipment for teaching S&T related subjects in mostof the secondary schools in Nigeria. Also, electricity supply from the national grid to secondary schools ispoor because only 30% of them have light at most 4hours a day. The study therefore recommends theprovision of adequate funds and electricity generators for these institutions to enhance the teaching andoverall development of S&T education in Nigeria. In addition, adequate and qualified personnel (teachersand laboratory technicians) should be provided while good maintenance culture and improved security oflaboratories and equipment in secondary schools should be imbibed by all secondary schools in thecountry.
Design of the monitoring system for the internal state characteristic parameters of ultra-high voltage metal oxide arresters

At present, UHV surge arresters have a large number of sections and complex structures. The existing live detection and online monitoring technologies can no longer effectively determine the problem of deterioration of the internal resistance of the arrester. This paper studies the structure, power supply, temperature and humidity measurement and wireless transmission methods of measuring probes that can be placed in the arrester for a long time. By measuring the temperature, humidity and current data of each node, and sending it to the background wirelessly, it is more effective to judge the UHV Internal defects of the arrester. The method of internally measuring the temperature and humidity of the arrester node can improve the diagnostic ability of the internal defect and defect location of the UHV arrester, and realize the effective identification and location of the internal fault of the UHV arrester.
Epidemiological, Clinical, Microbiological, and Risk Factors of Pyogenic Liver Abscess: An 18-years Retrospective Single-Center Analysis.

Background: A pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is the most frequently observed subtype of liver abscess in the western world. The disease has been subjected to a remarkable change. We aimed to investig...
A Computational Framework to Analyze the Associations Between Symptoms and Cancer Patient Attributes Post Chemotherapy Using EHR Data

Patients with cancer, such as breast and colorectal cancer, often experience different symptoms post-chemotherapy. The symptoms could be fatigue, gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite), psychoneurological symptoms (depressive symptoms, anxiety), or other types. Previous research focused on understanding the symptoms using survey data. In this research, we propose to utilize the data within the Electronic Health Record (EHR). A computational framework is developed to use a natural language processing (NLP) pipeline to extract the clinician-documented symptoms from clinical notes. Then, a patient clustering method is based on the symptom severity levels to group the patient in clusters. The association rule mining is used to analyze the associations between symptoms and patient attributes (smoking history, number of comorbidities, diabetes status, age at diagnosis) in the patient clusters. The results show that the various symptom types and severity levels have different associations between breast and colorectal cancers and different timeframes post-chemotherapy. The results also show that patients with breast or colorectal cancers, who smoke and have severe fatigue, likely have severe gastrointestinal symptoms six months after the chemotherapy. Our framework can be generalized to analyze symptoms or symptom clusters of other chronic diseases where symptom management is critical.
DISCUSSION OF APPLICATIONS OF LIMIT PLASTICITY IN SOIL MECHANICS

This paper is a discussion of the original paper by the same title. In the original paper limit analysis was used to obtain upper and lower bounds for the active earth pressure against a verticle standing smooth retaining wall. The analysis assumed Coulomb's yield criterion with constant c and phi. It was shown by the coincidence of upper and lower bounds that the Coulomb solutions for frictionless walls are exact. The analysis was extended by the upper-bound technique to include the effect of wall friction on the active earth pressure. In this discussion it is shown that the application of this analysis requires that proper stress and velocity boundary conditions should be specified so that the meaning of each solution corresponding to a problem will be clear. These were not considered in the original paper. This discussion explains why they cannot be neglected and points out the erroneous conclusions that result when they are neglected.
Field Theory for Knowledge

In this chapter we show the spectrum of the possible field of research of the non Euclidean geometry and morphogenetic fields. The Green function extensively used in the solution of linear differential equation assumes a new geometric image and is extended beyond the traditional field of differential equations.
Premature white matter disease

Understanding the pathophysiology, imaging and correlative preterm outcome of white matter ischemic injury is important to improve neonatal clinical practices and to support preventative therapies. This article will focus on these topics in an attempt to provide greater understanding of premature white matter disease in this fragile age group.
Kardio-vasculäre Homoiostase unter physiologischen und patho-physiologischen Bedingungen

Die integrierte Wirksamkeit der verschiedenen kardio-vascularen Regulations-Mechanismen wurde in den vorangehenden Kapiteln systematisch behandelt. Ihr Zusammenhang und ihre funktionelle Zielsetzung wird aber erst voll verstandlich, wenn man sie an den vielfaltigen Anpassungsvorgangen des kardio-vascularen Systems an die — mit den Anforderungen des taglichen Lebens verbundenen — normalen Belastungen erlautert bzw. ihr Verhalten unter pathologischen Bedingungen betrachtet.
Fractal geometry in mosaic organs: a new interpretation of mosaic pattern.

Fractal geometries have been widely observed in nature. The formulation of mathematical treatments of non-Euclidean geometry has generated models of highly complex natural phenomena. In the field of developmental biology, branching morphogenesis has been explained in terms of self-similar iterating branching rules that have done much toward explaining branch patterns observed in a range of real tissue. In solid viscera the problem is more complicated because there is no readily available marker of geometry in parenchymal tissue. Mosaic pattern provides such a marker. The patches observed in mosaic liver are shown to be fractal, indicating that the pattern may have arisen from a self-similar process (i.e., a process that creates an object in which small areas are representative of, although not necessarily identical to, the whole object). This observation offers a new analytical approach to the study of biologic structure in organogenesis.
Classroom-based Language Assessment for Young Language Learners

In many countries, the age at which children officially begin to learn a foreign language in a classroom has been lowered (e.g., from middle school to elementary school) due to the belief that the earlier they start to learn a language, the more successful they will be in language learning (McKay, 2006; Pinter, 2006). Marinova-Todd et al. (2000) argue that this belief is supported by studies that show that age influences learning because “it is associated with social, psychological, educational, and other factors that can affect L2 proficiency” (p.28). In addition, in an ESL situation, many immigrant children not only have to learn the content of the classes which is taught in their non-native language, but also need to acquire that language as their second language.
Group Conflict, Prejudice, and the Paradox of Contemporary Racial Attitudes

The status of black Americans is the longest standing and most glaring exception to the American promise of freedom and equality. For this, as well as other reasons, social psychologists have long sought to shed light on the ways in which racial attitudes, beliefs, and values affect and are affected by patterns of black-white relations. Blackwhite relations now seem more complex and contradictory than ever before. From basic economic and demographic indicators to indicators of racial attitudes and beliefs, simultaneous patterns of progress, deterioration, and lack of change can be discerned.
Bipolar Janus particle assembly in microdevice

In recent years, there are significant interests in the manipulation of bipolar Janus particles. In this article, we investigate the transient behavior of the electro-orientation process and particle-particle interaction of ellipsoidal bipolar Janus particles in the presence and absence of a DC electric field. The bipolar particle dynamics is modeled with a body force term in the fluid flow equations based on the Maxwell stress tensor. This force is due to presence of bipolar surface charges on the particles as well as their interactions with an imposed field. An interface resolved numerical scheme that consider the finite size of the particle is adopted for computation of the electric and flow fields. Our numerical results show that in the absence of an electric field, particles can undergo self-orientation to reach an equilibrium position. The time taken to reach a stable orientation depends on the initial configuration and inter-particle separation distance. Bipolar particles experience forces only on their polar ends, a phenomena that is difficult to capture with noninterface resolved methods. When bipolar particles are exposed to an external electric field, they rotate to align along the external electric field direction. Depending upon the initial configuration, particles orient via clockwise or counter clockwise rotations to form head to tail chains. The time required to form particle assembly strongly depends on particle size and bipolar charge density. The present numerical algorithm can be applied to a wider class of dual-faced Janus particles.
‘Nothing's plenty. The vacuum in modern quantum field theory’ (1985) by I.J.R. Aitchison

Fundamental particles are excitation quanta of fields, and the vacuum state of no particles is the ground state of the system of all interacting quantum fields. The vacuum according to quantum fiel...
Positivity Properties and Stability of Solitary–Wave Solutions of Model Equations For Long Waves

(1992). Positivity Properties and Stability of Solitary–Wave Solutions of Model Equations For Long Waves. Communications in Partial Differential Equations: Vol. 17, No. 1-2, pp. 1-22.
Parent Involvement in Teaching Elementary-Level Chinese, Japanese, and Korean

A year-long, federally funded curriculum project between an elementary school and a state university is described in which international parents from the community were trained as instructors of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. In Phase 1 of the project, classes of selected students from Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4 were formed and taught by foreign-language education graduate students who were native speakers of the 3 Asian languages. In Phase 2, after the language classes were well established, videotapes were made to help train 3 selected native-speaking parents who, in Phase 3, took over instruction of the classes. Qualitative data that were collected by interviews and observations indicated that students were very positive and benefited greatly from this parent-involvement model, which can be used easily by other schools to establish programs to teach these critical, but less commonly taught languages.
Transcriptional and phenotypic changes in aorta and aortic valve with aging and MnSOD deficiency in mice

The purpose of this study was to characterize changes in antioxidant and age-related gene expression in aorta and aortic valve with aging, and test the hypothesis that increased mitochondrial oxidative stress accelerates age-related endothelial and aortic valve dysfunction. Wild-type (MnSOD+/+) and manganese SOD heterozygous haploinsufficient (MnSOD+/−) mice were studied at 3 and 18 mo of age. In aorta from wild-type mice, antioxidant expression was preserved, although there were age-associated increases in Nox2 expression. Haploinsufficiency of MnSOD did not alter antioxidant expression in aorta, but increased expression of Nox2. When compared with that of aorta, age-associated reductions in antioxidant expression were larger in aortic valves from wild-type and MnSOD haploinsufficient mice, although Nox2 expression was unchanged. Similarly, sirtuin expression was relatively well-preserved in aorta from both genotypes, whereas expression of SIRT1, SIRT2, SIRT3, SIRT4, and SIRT6 were significantly reduced in the aortic valve. Expression of p16ink4a, a marker of cellular senescence, was profoundly increased in both aorta and aortic valve from MnSOD+/+ and MnSOD+/− mice. Functionally, we observed comparable age-associated reductions in endothelial function in aorta from both MnSOD+/+ and MnSOD+/− mice. Interestingly, inhibition of NAD(P)H oxidase with apocynin or gp91ds-tat improved endothelial function in MnSOD+/+ mice but significantly impaired endothelial function in MnSOD+/− mice at both ages. Aortic valve function was not impaired by aging or MnSOD haploinsufficiency. Changes in antioxidant and sirtuin gene expression with aging differ dramatically between aorta and aortic valve. Furthermore, although MnSOD does not result in overt cardiovascular dysfunction with aging, compensatory transcriptional responses to MnSOD deficiency appear to be tissue specific.
High Strain Rate Properties of Cycom 5920/1583

Polymer matrix composites offer excellent properties such as high speci® c strength and stiffness, which make them attractive for many naval, aerospace, and automotive applications. Although they are candidate materials for many applicationswhere high strain rate loading is probable, little is known of the material responses to shock loading for most composite materials. Because mechanical properties vary signi® cantly with strain rate, the use of static properties in the analysis and design of structures that undergo dynamic loadings can, on one hand, lead to a very conservative overweight design or, on the other hand, can lead to designs that fail prematurely and unexpectedly. The use of dynamic material properties will ensure the design of composite structures, which are weight ef® cient and structurally sound when they are subjected to dynamic loads. A split Hopkinson pressure bar is used to obtain compressive mechanical properties of Cycom 5920/1583, an uniaxial cloth, E-glass/rubber toughened epoxy composite being used presently by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics for undersea structures. Yield stress, yield strain, ultimate stress, ultimate strain, andmodulus of elasticity values are presented and analyzed wherein the strain rates vary from 60 to 1150 s i 1 .
Tectonic and climatic controls of alluvial-fan size and source-catchment relief

The geometries of alluvial fans and their upland catchments subject to known rates of basin subsidence V and upland precipitation P , respectively, are compared with predictions from a quantitative analysis of an idealized landscape. We find that the dimensionless ratio V / P explains systematic trends in relative fan size and source catchment relief previously reported from environmentally wide-ranging regions worldwide, and contributes to the interpretation of recently reported observations of fan-like phenomena on Mars.
Does remifentanil shorten ventilator maintenance, midozolam prolong it, or both alter its duration?

Dear Sir: Rozendaal et al. [1] should not have concluded that the shortened ventilator weaning time associated with remifentanil use was because of the characteristics of this medication, without considering at least one other possible cause. Cortisol deficiency is present in 30–50% of patients receiving mechanical ventilation in some series [2, 3], and in them has been associated with more than a doubling of weaning time [2] and striking increases in mortality [3]. Acute and prolonged administration of benzodiazepines strongly inhibits cortisol production [4], with a single injection of midazolam at a dose of 0.07 mg/kg sometimes prominently inhibiting cortisol formation for more than a week [5]. Multiple studies suggest that benzodiazepine-induced lowering of cortisol levels may be enhanced by concurrent use of opioids and propofol, but cortisol levels during the use of remifentanil and propofol have not been investigated. In order to examine the possible effect of medications in each of their study arms on the duration of required mechanical ventilation, any cortisol levels measured in their patients, any administration of corticosteroid therapy to them, relationships between these values and the duration of mechanical ventilation, and withdrawal of patients from the study for any reason, including death, would help to clarify any contributions by remifentanil to the duration of ventilator support and other aspects of patient care.