cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Convexity vs. compensator order for the discrete-time, mixed-norm control problem

This paper address the issues of convexity and compensator order in mixed-norm optimization. The optimal H/sub 2//l/sub 1/ control problem is formulated as a convex problem, and result in a compensator which is of arbitrarily high order. Because it is usually impractical to implement a very high order compensator, a fixed-order method is used to find compensators of a specifiable order. However, the fixed-order method results in a non-convex optimization problem in which there are local minima. The non-convexity and local minima resulting from the fixed-order problem are examined using the Pareto-optimal H/sub 2//l/sub 1/ curves and compensator eigenvalue traces for varying compensator order. It is shown that it requires a discontinuous jump in the design variables to move from one local minimum to another. While these discontinuities can cause problems, several methods for dealing with them are suggested.
Safety of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the literature supporting the safe use of mineralocorticoid antagonists (MRAs) in patients with end-stage renal disease who are receiving hemodialysis.DATA SOURCES:A review of the literature was performed using MEDLINE (1950 through week 2 of February 2012) using the key words and MeSH terms mineralocorticoid antagonists, aldosterone antagonists, spironolactone, or eplerenone combined with dialysis, renal disease, or kidney disease.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:Studies eligible for inclusion evaluated the impact of MRAs on serum potassium levels in patients with end-stage renal disease receiving hemodialysis. Data related to the patient populations and outcomes of interest were extracted from each publication.DATA SYNTHESIS:Ten studies were included in this review (spironolactone, 9; eplerenone, 1) and reported on the impact of MRAs on potassium levels in this population. In aggregate, the studies, with spironolactone doses ranging from 25 mg 3 times/week after dialysis to 300 ...
BUILDING HUMBOLDT'S LEGACY: THE HUMBOLDT MEMORIALS OF 1869 IN GERMANY

Abstract In 1869, the hundred-year anniversary of Alexander von Humboldt's birth, there were a number of memorial events within German-speaking Europe. In affirming Humboldt's importance, late 19th century liberal natural scientists also promoted their own intellectual pursuits, arguing for the central importance of natural science within both contemporary culture and human history. Humboldt's memorializers used his image to argue for an intimate connection between scientific, moral, and political progress. Within this broad consensus, Humboldt's meaning could be defined in a number of ways, and memorial speakers' own scientific and political commitments shaped their picture of the famous scientist. At the same time that scientists were asserting Humboldt's overwhelming importance for the history of Western culture, however, changes within natural science itself were making it harder to articulate arguments for his universal intellectual significance.
Something old, something new: Marrying 2 approaches to resect an ectopic parathyroid adenoma

From the Section of Endocrine Surgery; and Section of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn. Disclosures: Authors have nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication May 16, 2015; revisions received Aug 22, 2015; accepted for publication Sept 28, 2015. Address for reprints: AnthonyW. Kim, MD, Section of Thoracic Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, 330 Cedar St, BB 205, New Haven, CT 06520 (E-mail: anthony.kim@yale.edu). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2016;151:e33-4 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2016 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.09.105
What's in an Interest Rate?

One of the great mysteries of finance is "what determines an interest rate?" The most basic framework is a supply and demand framework for loanable funds. Those who supply (i.e., save) have their reasons while those who demand (i.e., those who borrow) have their reasons. In this brief note we look at the determinants of the 10 year Treasury yield.
Investigation of Tip Vortex on Aerodynamic Performance of a Micro Air Vehicle

Tip vortex induces downwash movement that reduces the effective angle of attack. When a wing has a relatively low aspect ratio, such as that employed by the micro air vehicle (MAV), the induced drag by the tip vortex is relatively large and therefore the aerodynamic performances of the vehicle are deteriorated. In this paper we study the MAV wing aerodynamics using the endplate to help probe the tip vortex effects. The investigation is facilitated by solving the Navier-Stokes equations around a rigid wing with a root chord Reynolds number of 9x10. It is confirmed that with modest angle of attack, the endplate can reduce the downwash, and therefore increase the effective angle of attack and the lift. However, as the angle of attack becomes higher than 15, the wing tip vortex is stronger and the endplate can no longer affect the vortex structure to improve lift. Furthermore, drag also increases along with the endplate.
Dedicated to Our Executive? The Influence of Dedicated Institutional Investors on CEO Succession

We examine the influence of dedicated institutional investors on CEO succession. We integrate the extant findings regarding executive succession and recent research concerned with the time horizons and influence of outside institutional investors to examine the critical governance decision of CEO succession. We theorize and find that dedicated institutional investors are positively related to executive succession and the selection of outside successors following the turnover event. We extend this finding to consider boundary conditions that may influence the relationship between dedicated institutional investors and CEO succession. In particular, we highlight the moderating influence of prior firm performance and incumbent CEO origin on the relationship between the percentage of dedicated institutional investors and CEO succession. We test our hypotheses with a sample of Fortune 500 firms from 2000 and 2011.
Potassium adaptation in hypothyroidism: changes in transport adenosinetriphosphatases

To evaluate whether hypothyroidism alters the adaptive responses of renal transport adenosine-triphosphatases (ATPases) to modifications in dietary K content, we examined the activities of Na-K pump and H-K pump in hypothyroid rats under basal conditions and after dietary K changes. Hypothyroidism led to a decline in Na-K pump activity in all three nephron segments examined [proximal convoluted tubule from 2,333 +/- 103 to 1,099 +/- 32, medullary thick ascending limb from 4,344 +/- 119 to 1,613 +/- 61, and cortical collecting tubule (CCT) from 1,133 +/- 45 to 640 +/- 38 pmol.mm-1 x h-1; all P < 0.01 vs. euthyroid] along with morphological changes manifest in a decrease in tubule diameter. K loading led to an increase in Na-K pump activity in the CCT of both euthyroid (from 1,133 +/- 45 to 2,269 +/- 74, pmol.mm-1 x h-1, P < 0.01) and hypothyroid (from 640 +/- 38 to 1,118 +/- 67 pmol.mm-1 x h-1, P < 0.01) animals. Furthermore, in euthyroid rats, 3 wk of K depletion led to a major increase in H-K pump activi...
IK of rabbit ventricle is composed of two currents: evidence for IKs.

The delayed rectifier K+ current (IK) in rabbit heart has long been thought to consist of only a single, rapidly activating, dofetilide-sensitive current, IKr. However, we find that IK of rabbit ve...
Relationship between dose schedule and charges for treatment on National Wilms' Tumor Study-4. A report from the National Wilms' Tumor Study Group.

National Wilms' Tumor Study-4 was designed to evaluate the efficacy, toxicity, and cost of administration of different regimens for the treatment of Wilms' tumor. The charges for treatment with dactinomycin and doxorubicin administered by two different schedules were calculated using current charges in Buffalo, N.Y. An annual savings of approximately $779,259 could be achieved by the use of the short, pulse-intensive (i.e., single-dose) treatment regimens for all children with Wilms' tumor of stages I-IV/favorable histology. The pulse-intensive administration schedule for the treatment of children with Wilms' tumor permits administration of chemotherapy at a substantially lower total treatment cost.
Ventilatory long-term facilitation in unanesthetized rats.

We tested the hypothesis that unanesthetized rats exhibit ventilatory long-term facilitation (LTF) after intermittent, but not continuous, hypoxia. Minute ventilation (V˙e) and carbon dioxide produ...
Methods for Detection of Protein–Proteinnl and Protein–DNA Interactions Using HaloTag ™

HaloTag is a protein fusion tag which was genetically engineered to covalently bind a series of specific synthetic ligands. All ligands carry two groups, the reactive group and the functional/reporter group. The reactive group, the choloroalkane, is the same in all the ligands and is involved in binding to the HaloTag. The functional reporter group is variable and can carry many different moieties including fluorescent dyes, affinity handles like biotin or solid surfaces such as agarose beads. Thus, HaloTag can serve either as a labeling tag or as a protein immobilization tag depending on which ligand is bound to it. Here, we describe a procedure for immobilization of HaloTag fusion proteins and how immobilized proteins can be used to study protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions in vivo and in vitro.
The mental age deficit: explanation and treatment.

Mildly and moderately retarded persons perform in many psychological tasks, by definition, at lower levels than do nonretarded persons of equal chronological age (CA), but they also perform often at lower levels than do younger nonretarded persons of equal mental age (MA). "MA deficit" appears to derive in large part from experience, especially in four domains: (a) behavioral incompetence; (b) deficient cognitive structures, including the special case of communicative incompetence; (c) relative task-extrinsic motivational orientation; (d) negative social ecology, i.e., unproductive person-setting matches. The very experience of being retarded makes one more so. Treatment designed at least to overcome the MA deficit should be focused on these domains.
An Error Estimation for the Implicit Euler Method Recommended for Use in the RELAP4 Family of Codes

A simple estimation of the absolute value of the error in the dependence of the step number performed for the implicit (backward) Euler method has been derived for the case of a single ordinary dif...
FAME: Fault-attack Aware Microprocessor Extensions for Hardware Fault Detection and Software Fault Response

Fault attacks are a known serious threat to embedded software security. We propose FAME, a low-cost and flexible approach to defend embedded software against fault attacks.FAME offers a combination of fault detection in hardware and fault response in software. A hardware fault detection unit continuously monitors the system status. When a fault injection is detected, an alarm signal triggers a secure trap mechanism that passes the control to a software trap handler. The trap handler applies a suitable fault response policy, which may include a broad variety of responses such as clearing sensitive data or issuing system-wide alerts. This enables a targeted, fast fault detection as well as an application-dependent, user-defined fault response.FAME requires much lower overhead than traditional countermeasure techniques in software or hardware. We demonstrate a prototype implementation of FAME using a modified LEON3 processor, and we analyze the hardware and software overhead to thwart setup-time violation attacks. The hardware area overhead is 7.4% and 14.2% in the number of LUTs and registers, respectively. The overhead of the software trap handler on top of an AES-128 program is 0.59%--0.71% in footprint and 1.01%--2.35% in performance, depending on the security policy. In contrast, traditional countermeasures that use redundant hardware or software against similar faults have at least double overhead.
Question-based spatial computing — a case study

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) support spatial problem solving by large repositories of procedures, which are mainly operating on map layers. These procedures and their parameters are often not easy to understand and use, especially not for domain experts without extensive GIS training. This hinders a wider adoption of mapping and spatial analysis across disciplines. Building on the idea of core concepts of spatial information, and further developing the language for spatial computing based on them, we introduce an alternative approach to spatial analysis, based on the idea that users should be able to ask questions about the environment, rather than finding and executing procedures on map layers. We define such questions in terms of the core concepts of spatial information, and use data abstraction instead of procedural abstraction to structure command spaces for application programmers (and ultimately for end users). We sketch an implementation in Python that enables application programmers to dispatch computations to existing GIS capabilities. The gains in usability and conceptual clarity are illustrated through a case study from economics, comparing a traditional procedural solution with our declarative approach. The case study shows a reduction of computational steps by around 45 %, as well as smaller and better organized command spaces.
Personality as a Mediating Variable in the Pathogenesis of Mood Disorders: Implications for Theory, Research, and Prevention

It is widely believed that affective episodes arise from predisposing personality attributes. This position was most directly articulated by Kretschmer (1936), who believed that “the endogenous psychoses are nothing but accentuation of normal types of temperament.” While Kretschmer, as a faithful follower of the Kraepelinian tenets (1921), emphasized constitutionally determined temperamental contributions, much current theorizing has focused on learned characterologic attributes, believed to be the legacy of developmental vicissitudes (Chodoff 1972). Ideally, the study of personality in a given patient should precede the first affective episode as affective states may bias or even mask the patient’s personality profile. Even during euthymic periods, personality structure is altered by the illness episodes or the treatments provided for them. For these reasons, very few studies have succeeded in prospectively assessing the contribution of personality to mood disorders. However, despite the methodologic barriers, many interesting findings on the relevance of enduring personality characteristics to mood disorders have been recently reported.
Surface functionalized atomic layer deposition of bismuth vanadate for single-phase scheelite

Monoclinic bismuth vanadate is one of the most promising oxide photoanodes for solar – assisted water splitting. To date, the atomic layer deposition of bismuth vanadates has relied on the catalytic codeposition of BiPh3 with VTIP to produce vanadium-rich compounds that undergo spinodal decomposition to multiphase mixtures upon crystallization. A surface functionalization (SF) step of ROH/VTIP/H2O was developed to inhibit V2O5 deposition for adjustable Bi : V stoichiometry. Ethanol, 2-propanol, and methanol were each found to inhibit V2O5 deposition, in order of increasing effect. Applying this SF step with ternary Bi–V–O depositions (ROH/VTIP/H2O/BiPh3/H2O) enabled composition tuning. The use of methanol enabled 45.9 : 54.1 Bi : V atomic ratio as-deposited, and was crystallizable to phase-pure scheelite, depending on the thickness. The resulting films were applied towards photo-assisted water splitting with a hole-scavenging sulfite where films up to 60 nm thick were free from apparent charge transport limitations. The optoelectronic properties were markedly improved by a novel photoelectrochemical activation step.
Optimization of data processing with the Akinetic swept-laser: algorithm to automatically adjust the A-scan synchronization delay

The Akinetic swept-laser (Insight, Lafayette, USA) is an all-semiconductor compact and tunable laser source for optical coherence tomography (OCT). Wavelength sweeps with this source are composed of valid data sections interleaved with invalid data sections. The source provides a precise trigger for each wavelength sweep and a “data valid vector” (DVV) file which identifies the indices of the valid data points in a recorded interferogram. In order to identify valid data in real time during acquisition, a delay must be precisely adjusted between the trigger and the wavelength sweep. Optimizing this delay becomes tedious when changing the interferometer configuration in a multi-purpose OCT system. The source provides tools to do this, but they are not automated and require a sample with a single clean reflection. We developed a simple and robust algorithm, integrated in our OCT data acquisition and treatment software, for finding the optimal delay correction that must be applied to accurately identify the valid data obtained with the Akinetic swept-laser. It can perform optimization either from the laser spectrum or from an interferogram and facilitates delay readjustment when the interferometer configuration is modified.
Orientation Control of Interfacial Magnetism at La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/SrTiO3 Interfaces.

Understanding the magnetism at the interface between a ferromagnet and an insulator is essential because the commonly posited magnetic “dead” layer close to an interface can be problematic in magnetic tunnel junctions. Previously, degradation of the magnetic interface was attributed to charge discontinuity across the interface. Here, the interfacial magnetism was investigated using three identically prepared La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) thin films grown on different oriented SrTiO3 (STO) substrates by polarized neutron reflectometry. In all cases the magnetization at the LSMO/STO interface is larger than the film bulk. We show that the interfacial magnetization is largest across the LSMO/STO interfaces with (001) and (111) orientations, which have the largest net charge discontinuities across the interfaces. In contrast, the magnetization of LSMO/STO across the (110) interface, the orientation with no net charge discontinuity, is the smallest of the three orientations. We show that a magnetically degraded inte...
fastQ_brew: module for analysis, preprocessing, and reformatting of FASTQ sequence data.

Next generation sequencing datasets are stored as FASTQ formatted files. In order to avoid downstream artefacts, it is critical to implement a robust preprocessing protocol of the FASTQ sequence in order to determine the integrity and quality of the data. Here I describe fastQ_brew which is a package that provides a suite of methods to evaluate sequence data in FASTQ format and efficiently implements a variety of manipulations to filter sequence data by size, quality and/or sequence. fastQ_brew allows for mismatch searches to adapter sequences, left and right end trimming, removal of duplicate reads, as well as reads containing non-designated bases. fastQ_brew also returns summary statistics on the unfiltered and filtered FASTQ data, and offers FASTQ to FASTA conversion as well as FASTQ reverse complement and DNA to RNA manipulations. fastQ_brew is open source and freely available to all users at the following webpage: https://github.com/dohalloran/fastQ_brew .
Improving efficiencies of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticle based solar cells on flexible glass substrates

Abstract In spite of its mechanically inflexible structure, millimeter thick soda-lime glass is generally used for fabrication of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin film solar cells; improvements in sintering of the chalcogenide absorber layer from intrinsic sodium doping and subsequent higher device efficiency make soda-lime glass the preferred substrate. Thin and flexible Corning® Willow® Glass provides a unique advantage in contaminant-free fabrication of flexible solar cells, as it can be processed at the elevated temperatures (c.a. 500 °C–550 °C) needed for high performance thin film solar cells. In this study, we report successful lab-scale fabrication of CZTSSe solar cells on flexible glass substrates from nanoparticle inks of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS), and identify necessary process changes to bridge device performance to standard devices fabricated with soda-lime glass (SLG). Since the sodium concentration in Willow Glass is negligibly small, supply of sodium to the absorber film during selenization was explored. Soaking coated CZTS films in sodium chloride prior to selenization was found to have a detrimental effect on power conversion efficiency (PCE). Alternatively, sodium doping with a thin NaF film on top of the CZTS nanoparticles films prior to selenization resulted in slightly improved device performance. The addition of a 10 nm thick NaF layer slightly increased the average device efficiency from 6.2 ± 0.3% to 6.4 ± 0.4% with a record 6.9% PCE based on total cell area. The increased efficiency results from higher Voc due to the sodium doping. While these initial results demonstrate the potential of Willow Glass as a flexible support for nanoparticle based photovoltaic devices, there is a need to continue developing improved processing methods to further enhance PCE values.
Lead and sulfur isotope composition of trace occurrences of Mississippi Valley-type mineralization in the U.S. midcontinent

Abstract Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) Zn-Pb mineralization in the U.S. mid-continent has formed in numerous widely dispersed trace occurrences and in a few large ore deposits that have been mined. Based on similarly high fluid inclusion salinities and high homogenization temperatures relative to inferred burial depth, the trace MVT occurrences and MVT ore deposits may be genetically related by having precipitated from the same regional groundwater flow system mobilized by Pennsylvanian-Permian tectonism. The purpose of the present study was to test the robustness of this inferred genetic relationship by characterizing the Pb and S isotope composition of trace MVT occurrences in light of the much more thoroughly studied MVT ore deposits. Lead and sulfur isotope compositions have been obtained for trace MVT occurrences from three broad regions of the U.S. mid-continent: the Forest City basin (FCB), the Illinois basin (ILB), and the Greater Upper Mississippi Valley (GUMV) region. Lead isotope compositions of trace MVT occurrences from each of these three areas define discrete linear trends that are similarly oriented but not strictly collinear with one another or with the Pb isotope trends of MVT ore deposits, suggesting that trace MVT occurrences in each of these three regions derived their Pb from separate pairs of end-member Pb sources. An exception is the GUMV trace MVT occurrences and the Upper Mississippi (UMV) district ores, which appear to have collinear Pb isotope trends and thus may be the most closely related genetically with respect to sources of Pb. All of the trace MVT occurrences have radiogenic Pb suggesting derivation from Precambrian igneous basement rocks and not from the formations that host trace MVT mineralization. Trace MVT occurrences tend to have less radiogenic Pb than the MVT ore deposits, although trace MVT occurrences from the GUMV region are the most heterogeneous and can have Pb that is as radiogenic as the MVT ore deposits. Regionally, Pb isotope compositions of trace MVT occurrences tend to become less radiogenic southwestward and southward, but do not correlate with host rock age, and by proxy, distance from the Precambrian basement. The sulfur isotope compositions of sphalerite and galena from the trace MVT occurrences are light compared to the MVT ore deposits and likely reflect incomplete reduction of marine sulfate reservoirs or derivation from organic matter. The Pb and S isotope compositions of the trace MVT occurrences do not correlate well, suggesting that Pb and S were not transported together in the same fluid.
An Evolving Experience: An Investigation of the Impact of Sporting Event Factors on Spectator Satisfaction

The sport stadium experience continues to evolve around the world, with elements such as food, music, stadium lighting, and enhanced scoreboards becoming more prevalent. The current study investiga...
Case 2: Red Toes in a 17-day-old Boy

1. William Sears, MD, MHS* 2. Cristina Perez, MD* 3. Andrew Shriner, MD* 1. *Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, IN A previously healthy 17-day-old boy is admitted to the hospital due to erythema of bilateral halluces. On the day of admission, he first was taken to an urgent care facility for this issue, where the mother was advised to bring him to the pediatric emergency department for the evaluation of possible herpetic whitlow. His mother first noticed that both of his big toes were becoming progressively “more red than usual” over the past week. He is eating, urinating, and defecating normally. There has been no fever, diarrhea, vomiting, inconsolability, or rash, and he is developing normally. He is not exhibiting signs of experiencing pain. Mom does occasionally get fever blisters. She has not trimmed the toenails in question due to inability to access them. On presentation he is afebrile and his vital signs are within normal limits. He appears well. Physical examination is significant only for erythematous …
Nuclear Positioning Requires a Tug-of-War between Kinesin Motors.

The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton is a dynamic network of self-assembling highways that, together with the help of motor proteins, promotes intracellular transport and the formation of magnificent structures such as the preprophase band, mitotic spindle, and phragmoplast ([Nebenfuhr and Dixit, 2018
Transforming Social Science: Integrating Quantitative, Qualitative, and Action Research

During the twentieth century, the social sciences have been riven by paradigm controversies—so much so that physical and natural scientists often view this apparent disarray as prima facie evidence that social studies do not deserve the name science. For example, behaviorist and gestalt psychologists argued past one another well into the third quarter of the century; rational choice economists and political scientists, on the one hand, and institutional economists and political theorists, on the other, have tended to turn away from one another; and physical anthropologists and quantitative sociologists can talk to one another more easily than either group can to cultural ethnologists or qualitative sociologists.
Economía e instituciones en el pensamiento de Antonio Rosmini: coincidencias y diferencias con la tradición liberal

Antonio Rosmini (1797-1855), verdadero gigante del pensamiento, permanecio incomprensible y asombrosamente oculto para el lector general durante casi un siglo y medio. La obra del «roveretano» —como se llama a Rosmini por su nacimiento en Rovereto, al norte de Italia— sufrio el conflicto del penoso parto de la modernidad dentro del seno de la Iglesia y la cultura catolicas del siglo XIX. Sus casi cien tomos —que van desde la Metafisica hasta la Economia pasando por la Antropologia, la Etica, el Derecho y la Politica— fueron objeto de numerosos estudios predominantemente italianos, durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX y todo el siglo XX. Asi, su obra esta comenzado a ser realmente descubierta para el mundo entero en este principio del siglo XXI. Pero, ?por que traemos a colacion a este filosofo catolico en relacion al tema de economia e instituciones? En primer lugar, porque, a diferencia de muchos catolicos de la era moderna, Ros-mini no compartio un ideal medieval-corporativo de la sociedad ni rechazo todos los cambios introducidos por la modernidad, especialmente el papel cada vez mas importante de la economia, del mercado y de la nueva ciencia de la economia politica. En efecto, Rosmini fue un pensador catolico sui generis que no podria de ningun modo ser clasificado entre quienes consideraban despectivamente estos resultados de la modernidad como meros productos de una mentalidad burguesa o utilitarista. Si bien respeto y amo la tradicion, no compartio la vision de los catoli-cos tradicionalistas que sostenian la oposicion esencial entre las realidades economicas y el ideal religioso de la vida. Pero tam-poco podria ser ubicado entre los catolicos «sociales» que siem-pre vieron al mercado como enemigo irreconciliable de la justi-cia social y de la caridad cristiana. Rosmini fue uno de los primeros grandes pensadores catolicos que, en pleno lanzamiento de la era industrial y de la nueva economia politica, y despues de los casi dos siglos transcurridos desde el ultimo gran proyecto de etica economica cristiana de la escolastica espanola, encaro un proyecto de sintesis e integracion entre las esferas de la economia, la etica y la religion en perspectiva moderna.
In Vitro Evidence for Smooth Muscle Crossbridge Mechanical Interactions

Force production and shortening in smooth muscle result from the cyclic interaction between myosin crossbridges and actin filaments. Although the crossbridge mechanism in smooth muscle is qualitatively similar to that in skeletal muscle, smooth muscle has the unique ability of sustaining prolonged contractions with very little energy expenditure (Butler and Siegman, 1983). This economy of energy consumption may reflect a modulation of crossbridge cycling rate within the time course of a contraction. Investigators have postulated that this modulation is related to the regulatory processes that govern the crossbridge’s interaction with actin.
Drug-induced and antibody-mediated pure red cell aplasia: A review of literature and current knowledge

Anti-erythropoietin (EPO)-induced pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is an uncommon, potentially life-threatening condition in which the bone marrow stops manufacturing red blood cells. In the past few years, reports of drug-induced, anti-EPO antibody-mediated PRCA have increased substantially, with most cases attributed to the use of one erythropoiesis-stimulating protein, Eprex. A literature review was undertaken to document the reports of drug-induced PRCA, with all drugs and drug regimens. The sudden increase in reports of antibody-mediated PRCA is discussed.
Completion of meiosis in Drosophila oocytes requires transcriptional control by grauzone, a new zinc finger protein

Mutations in grauzone or cortex cause abnormal arrest in Drosophila female meiosis. We cloned grauzone and identified it as a C2H2-type zinc finger transcription factor. The grauzone transcript is present in ovaries and at later developmental stages. A Grauzone-GFP fusion protein is functional and localizes to nuclei of both nurse cells and follicle cells during oogenesis. Three lines of evidence indicate that grauzone and cortex interact: reducing cortex function enhanced the grauzone mutant phenotype; cortex transcript abundance is reduced in the absence of grauzone function and Grauzone protein binds to the cortex promoter. These results demonstrate that activation of cortex transcription by grauzone is necessary for the completion of meiosis in Drosophila oocytes, and establish a new pathway that specifically regulates the female meiotic cell cycle.
Chemotherapy in Pediatric Patients

Brain tumors are now the most common malignancy affecting children and the proportion of cancer deaths due to central nervous system tumors has doubled in the last 25 years (Bleyer 1999). Use of adjuvant chemotherapy has facilitated outstanding improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for children with primitive neuroectodermal– posterior fossa medulloblastoma. In contrast, tumors affecting infants and children less than 3 years of age at diagnosis remain difficult to treat effectively with surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, though recent studies demonstrate the utility of adjuvant chemotherapy as a means to delay radiation during the critical neurodevelopmental window when radiation is associated with permanent neurocognitive sequelae. Other tumors, such as brainstem glioma and ependymoma, appear to be less sensitive or insensitive to the currently available chemotherapeutics.
Pediatric Aspects in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Children and adolescents make up from 15 to 20% of all newly diagnosed individuals with inflammatory bowel disease. Approximately 20% of pediatric patients are less than 10 years of age at diagnosis, and most of the remainder are in their pre-teen or teenage years. Rarely, children develop IBD in infancy or early childhood. Colonic disease, whether ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s colitis, predominates under the age of 10 years, with small bowel involvement in those with Crohn’s disease becoming more common as children are diagnosed at a later age. Most children with ulcerative colitis have pancolonic inflammation at diagnosis; in Crohn’s disease ileocolonic disease is most common followed by colonic only and then small bowel only. Moderate to severe disease at presentation is seen in the majority of children. Specific indices geared to children have been developed to measure disease activity, the Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (PCDAI) and the Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (PUCAI). Diagnosis is usually straightforward and utilizes similar methodologies as in adult patients. Management of pediatric IBD, however, has additional goals besides induction and remission of symptoms. In particular careful attention needs to be paid to ensuring normal growth and development in this population. Over the past decade there has been decreasing emphasis on the use of corticosteroids and increasing utilization of immunomodulators (thiopurines, methotrexate) very early after diagnosis. The use of anti-TNFα antibodies is quite common in pediatric patients and is now used as primary therapy in selected individuals with more severe disease and growth failure at presentation. The use of combinations of potent immunomodulatory agents in young patients may pose some additional risks as witnessed by the recognition of a possible relationship between thiopurines, anti-TNFα antibodies, and the development of hepatosplenic T cell lymphoma.
Secrecy Rate Analysis for Pilot Contamination Attacks in Massive MIMO With Limited RF Chains

Pilot contamination attacks in training-based massive multiple-input multiple-output systems with limited radio-frequency chains are investigated. A lower bound for the achievable secrecy rate in the presence of a multi-antenna active eavesdropper is derived in closed-form. Thereby, the secrecy rate loss due to the active attacks over the passive eavesdropping is quantified. Moreover, the secrecy rate loss due to hybrid precoding over the full-dimensional digital precoding is derived.
The Simulation of Quantum Radar Scattering for 3D Cylindrical Targets

We first developed a new computing method that can solve the simulation of quantum radar scattering for 3D cylindrical targets. As far as we know so far, it has not been reported. Here we introduced the three-step computation process of orthogonal projected area and verified the method for a typical 2D cylindrical target. Finally, we presented the quantum radar cross section (QRCS) results of a 3D cylinder and compared them with the classical radar cross section.
Delineating Pathways to Death by Multisystem Organ Failure in Patients with a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

Purpose Multisystem organ failure (MOF) is the second leading cause of death in patients undergoing LVAD therapy. In actuality, MOF is a composite of adverse events (AEs) rather than a singular diagnosis. The objective of this study is to identify the key AEs preceding mortality attributed to MOF. Methods We analyzed 3,765 AE's in 554 patients (2006-to-2015) with a continuous flow LVAD whose death was reported due to MOF in the INTERMACS database. For each patient (pt), all AEs that preceded the endpoint death were identified and chronologically ordered into sequences. Hierarchical clustering, a machine learning algorithm for clustering, was used to create a descriptive model of the proportions of each adverse event sequence antecedent to MOF (Figure 1). Results Two major groups of adverse event sequences were identified: Group 1 (118 pts, 1,461 AEs) and Group 2 (436 pts, 2,304 AEs). Group 1 (Grp1) was temporally distinguished from Group 2 (Grp2) by having a longer median time to death (10 months vs 2 months) and a greater median number of AEs per pt (11/ pt vs 5/pt). In both groups, the most common AEs preceding death were renal and respiratory failure (86% Grp1 and 75% Grp2). Unlike Grp2, Grp1 had more prolonged sequences of recurrent bleeding (66% of pts) originating mainly from the GI tract (51%). Grp 1 also had recurrent infections in 65% of pts that were categorized as bacterial pneumonia in 32%. Furthermore, the predominant sequence in Grp1 that led to MOF was bleeding-to-infection-to-death in 83% of the pt's AE sequences, whereas MOF most commonly (62%) followed renal failure or respiratory failure, in Grp2. Conclusion This study used a state of the art machine learning approach to identify two predominant types and sequences of AEs that incite MOF associated mortality. One group died of bleeding and repeated infections with a longer survival while the second group died very early following renal and respiratory complications.
Synthesis and Separation of Diastereomers of Ribonucleoside 5'-(alpha-P-Borano)triphosphates.

Nucleoside boranophosphates, in which one of the phosphate oxygens is replaced by a borane group, are isoionic and isoelectronic analogues of naturally occurring nucleotides. Boranophosphates also ...
Ultra-Precision Liquid Level Sensing Using Impedance Spectroscopy and Data Analytics

Level sensors find use in various applications for liquid-level monitoring in tanks, containers, and vessels. In this paper, an impedance spectroscopy-based sensing platform has been reported, employing a co-axial sensing probe. The supporting electronics was developed using the MSP 432 microcontroller unit (MCU) from Texas Instruments (TI) and a newly designed Impedance Analyzer-Analog Front End (IA-AFE), also developed at TI. Different signal processing and data processing methods were employed for coaxial probe impedance modeling and their results discussed. The sensor can be used for conductive as well as non-conductive liquids, including liquids with low dielectric constant. Successful measurements of liquid levels were shown for water ( ${\epsilon \sim 80}$ ) as well as vegetable oil ( ${\epsilon \sim 3}$ ). The developed sensing platform can measure water level with the accuracy of about 1.2 mm across a 400-mm-long sensing probe while exhibiting a maximum error under 0.6 mm for oil over 150-mm range. The proposed level sensing system provides an accurate and economical solution for level sensing, which is cheaper than the commercially available level sensors while outperforming the accuracy compared with the present state of the art, to the best of our knowledge.
Protecting the urban forest: Variations in standards and sustainability dimensions of municipal tree preservation ordinances

Abstract Trees help create sustainable urban systems by providing important functions aligned with the three dimensions of sustainability, i.e., environment, economy, and society. Yet urban forest loss remains a problem in expanding metropolitan regions. To accrue urban forest services, municipalities have enacted tree preservation ordinances (TPO) to regulate tree removal. These ordinances describe not only how cities manage their urban forests but also what urban forest services they value. The goals of this research are to locate cities with TPOs in Texas, compare the scope and intent of these ordinances, and assess the extent to which they reference the sustainability dimensions of urban forest services. We documented the parameters, extent, and conditions of tree protection found in TPOs via descriptive statistics and examined their statements of purpose for references to urban forest services through a quantitative content analysis (QCA). We found 60 municipalities possess TPOs, and most are in rapidly growing metropolitan areas. Our results indicate variations occur in their scope and intent. The majority of TPOs protect trees on private property but many also contain exemptions that potentially limit their effectiveness. Over half of TPOs contained a statement of purpose with references to one or more of the sustainability dimensions of urban forest services. Communities across metropolitan areas place more emphasis on the environment and society dimensions of sustainability. Overall, our results suggest that more communities should enact TPOs with less exemptions, and the sustainability dimensions of urban forests should be explored with equal vigor and stated more clearly so that all stakeholders are equipped with a better argument of not only why to write TPOs but why to enforce them.
Frequency stability analysis of pulsar‐aided clocks

This paper discusses the use of a pulsar signal in clock calibration. The analysis method is presented from the perspective of filtering theory, where Hadamard variance is used to analyze the frequency stability of both the stand-alone and the pulsar-aided clock systems. The aided clock is constructed using a steady state Kalman filter and accounts for the fractional power spectral density of the pulsar timing noise. The results of this simplified analysis indicate that the frequency stability of the aided clock has noticeable improvement at large averaging time due to the suppression of the random walk frequency noise in the stand-alone clock.
Validation of an alloy design strategy for stable Fe–Cr–Al–Nb-X ferritic alloys using electron microscopy and atom probe tomography

Abstract The Fe–Cr–Al–Nb ferritic alloys strengthened by A2B Laves phases, with superior oxidation and corrosion resistance, are being considered for high temperature operation within fossil-fired steam power plants to increase process efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. In this study, new sets of alloys based on Fe–30Cr–3Al–1Nb (in weight percent) were designed with (i) a high microstructural stability of Laves phase precipitates in a BCC-Fe matrix and (ii) reduced precipitate free zones along the grain boundaries, targeting an operating temperature of 700 °C. Two alloys with titanium or tungsten additions were down-selected through thermodynamic calculations with a design strategy to maximize the amount of Laves phase at 700 °C and lower the BCC solvus temperature. To validate this design strategy, the candidate alloys were cast, heat treated and aged at 700 °C, and the resulting microstructure was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. The alloys with titanium addition (1 wt%) showed monotonic precipitate coarsening. On the other hand, the alloys with tungsten addition (6 wt%) showed a reduced coarsening rate of Laves phase precipitates in the matrix up to 1008 h aging, whereas an acceleration of the precipitate coarsening after that. Atom probe tomography of this alloy revealed the formation of a core-shell precipitate structure with a Nb/Si rich core and W-rich shell, while the alloy with Ti-addition did not show the core-shell structure. The detailed characterization results revealed that the core-shell structure was strongly correlated with the observed two-step coarsening mode in the tungsten containing alloy.
Hospital Readmissions After Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Hospitalization.

Background Influenza infection causes substantial morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about hospital readmissions after an influenza hospitalization. The aim of our study was to characterize frequency of hospital readmissions among patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza. Methods We conducted a retrospective study using Tennessee Emerging Infections Program Influenza Surveillance data from 2006 to 2016 and the concurrent Tennessee Hospital Discharge Data System. We analyzed demographic characteristics and outcomes to better understand frequency and factors associated with hospital readmissions. Results Of the 2897 patients with a laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalization, 409 (14%) and 1364 (47%) had at least 1 hospital readmission within 30 days and 1 year of the influenza hospitalization, respectively. Multiple readmissions occurred in 739 patients (54%). The readmission group was older, female predominant, and had more comorbidities than patients not hospitalized. Pneumonia, acute chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma exacerbation, septicemia, acute respiratory failure, and acute renal failure were the most common causes for readmission at 30 days. Underlying cardiovascular disease, lung disease, kidney disease, diabetes, immunosuppression, and liver disease were associated with increased risk of readmission during the subsequent year. Conclusions After an admission with laboratory-confirmed influenza, there is a high likelihood of readmission within 30 days and 1 year adding to the morbidity of influenza.
Fibromixosarcoma in a child: a case report

The case of a six-year old boy’s with intracranial hypertension and cranial deformities is reported. Radiological examination showed signs of intracranial hypertension and a large osteolitic area in the left posterior parietal region. Cerebral cintilography showed many abnormal captation areas. Pneumoencephalography showed deformation of the ventricular system without dilatation. Angiographic study gave images of tumoral compression by meningite processes. Craniotomy in the osteolytic area showed an infiltrating tumoration between dura and piamater, reaching frontal, temporal and bilateral parietal areas. Histopathological [...]