cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bronchodilators in wheezy under 2-year-olds: when and which (if any)?

Amy is 13 months old and presented to the children's emergency department with a 5-week history of wheezing. Her parents explain that they have seen her general practitioner twice and attended the local walk-in centre three times over the last month. She has been prescribed antibiotics and salbutamol both of which Amy ‘hates’. On examination, she had a dry cough with mild respiratory distress. She has occasional crepitations and widespread wheeze. Parents smoke ‘outside the house’ but neither has asthma. She is their first child. Clinically, she is well but parents would like to know whether inhalers will help. Birth cohort studies have demonstrated that approximately one-third of the children aged between 1 and 5 years suffer recurrent episodes of respiratory symptoms including wheeze. Wheezing prevalence in UK children has increased from twofold to threefold during the past 40 years but may have stabilised or even peaked in the early 1990s. Fortunately, a majority of young children with wheeze tend to have only transient symptoms and do not have subsequently increased risk of asthma or allergy in later life. Nevertheless, childhood wheeze presents a major burden of morbidity during preschool years and there is significant progression from some childhood wheeze to adult asthma. More than 25% of an unselected birth cohort of children had wheezing that persisted from childhood into adulthood or that relapsed after remission. Despite the relative commonness of childhood wheeze, controversy and confusion exist over which treatments are effective. Doctors and nurses caring for these children face a dilemma regarding the treatment. Although bronchodilators are of clear benefit in older children with asthma, the anatomy and physiology in younger children are significantly different. In this article, we review the known physiology, the current evidence base and offer practical advice for those with a wheezy infant. We searched PubMed and Cochrane …
REACTIVATION OF THE BACILLUS SUBTILIS ANTI-SIGMA B ANTAGONIST, RSBV, BY STRESS- OR STARVATION-INDUCED PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITIES

sigma B is a secondary sigma factor that controls the general stress regulon in Bacillus subtilis. The regulon is activated when sigma B is released from a complex with an anti-sigma B protein (RsbW) and becomes free to associate with RNA polymerase. Two separate mechanisms cause sigma B release: an ATP-responsive mechanism that correlates with nutritional stress and an ATP-independent mechanism that responds to environmental insult (e.g., heat shock and ethanol treatment). ATP levels are thought to directly affect RsbW's binding preference. Low levels of ATP cause RsbW to release sigma B and bind to an alternative protein (RsbV), while high levels of ATP favor RsbW-sigma B complex formation and inactivation of RsbV by an RsbW-dependent phosphorylation. During growth, most of the RsbV is phosphorylated (RsbV-P) and inactive. Environmental stress induces the release of sigma B and the formation of the RsbW-RsbV complex, regardless of ATP levels. This pathway requires the products of additional genes encoded within the eight-gene operon (sigB) that includes the genes for sigma B, RsbW, and RsbV. By using isoelectric focusing techniques to distinguish RsbV from RsbV-P and chloramphenicol treatment or pulse-chase labeling to identify preexisting RsbV-P, we have now determined that stress induces the dephosphorylation of RsbV-P to reactivate RsbV. RsbV-P was also found to be dephosphorylated upon a drop in intracellular ATP levels. The stress-dependent and ATP-responsive dephosphorylations of RsbV-P differed in their requirements for the products of the first four genes (rsbR, -S, -T, and -U) of the sigB operon. Both dephosphorylation reactions required at least one of the genes included in a deletion that removed rsbR, -S, and -T; however, only an environmental insult required RsbU to reactivate RsbV.
On the rate of convergence of iterated exponentials

We study the asymptotic rate of convergence of the sequence of iterated exponentials \(\{ z_{1}=a, z_{n+1}=a^{z_{n}}, n \geq 1 \}\). We show that zn converges at a linear rate if a is in the interior of the Baker-Rippon convergence region and at a sublinear rate if a is on its boundary. A precise characterization of the rate is explored when the sequence converges sublinearly.
Exponential Family Predictive Representations of State

Many agent-environment interactions can be framed as dynamical systems in which agents take actions and receive observations. These dynamical systems are diverse, representing such things as a biped walking, a stock price changing over time, the trajectory of a missile, or the shifting fish population in a lake. Often, interacting successfully with the environment requires the use of a model, which allows the agent to predict something about the future by summarizing the past. Two of the basic problems in modeling partially observable dynamical systems are selecting a representation of state and selecting a mechanism for maintaining that state. This thesis explores both problems from a learning perspective: we are interested in learning a predictive model directly from the data that arises as an agent interacts with its environment. This thesis develops models for dynamical systems which represent state as a set of statistics about the short-term future, as opposed to treating state as a latent, unobservable quantity. In other words, the agent summarizes the past into predictions about the short-term future, which allow the agent to make further predictions about the infinite future. Because all parameters in the model are defined using only observable quantities, the learning algorithms for such models are often straightforward and have attractive theoretical properties. We examine in depth the case where state is represented as the parameters of an exponential family distribution over a short-term window of future observations. We unify a number of different existing models under this umbrella, and predict and analyze new models derived from the generalization. One goal of this research is to push models with predictively defined state towards real-world applications. We contribute models and companion learning algorithms for domains with partial observability, continuous observations, structured observations, high-dimensional observations, and/or continuous actions. Our models successfully capture standard POMDPs and benchmark nonlinear timeseries problems with performance comparable to state-of-the-art models. They also allow us to perform well on novel domains which are larger than those captured by other models with predictively defined state, including traffic prediction problems and domains analogous to autonomous mobile robots with camera sensors.
A new assessment of possible solar and lunar forcing of the bidecadal drought rhythm in the western United States

Abstract A new drought area index (DAI) for the United States has been developed based on a high-quality network of drought reconstructions from tree rings. This DAI is remarkably similar to one developed earlier based on much less data and shows strong evidence for a persistent bidecadal drought rhythm in the western United States since 1700. This rhythm has in the past been associated with possible forcing by the 22-yr Hale solar magnetic cycle and the 18.6-yr lunar nodal tidal cycle. The authors make a new assessment of these possible forcings on DAI using different methods of analysis. In so doing, they confirm most of the previous findings. In particular, there is a reasonably strong statistical association between the bidecadal drought area rhythm and years of Hale solar cycle minima and 18.6-yr lunar tidal maxima. The authors also show that the putative solar and lunar effects appear to be interacting to modulate the drought area rhythm, especially since 1800. These results do not eliminate the pos...
Bend it Like FIFA: Corruption On and Off the Pitch

Throughout 2015, many of FIFA’s (Federation Internationale de Football Association) top executives were arrested, facing charges of bribery, fraud, and money laundering. On December 21, 2015, FIFA’s own Ethics Committee decided to ban its long-serving president, Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, for eight years. FIFA has long been plagued by allegations of bribery, but has, until recently, been able to get around them, like a well-curved free-kick shot. Being organized as a not-for-profit organization while generating large revenues, FIFA has enjoyed the services of highly paid executives and employees. For-profit firms are regulated largely through the market process, with stockholders having strong incentives to maintain close oversight and demanding transparency of transactions, and being subject to takeover bids. Not-for-profit organizations receive far less oversight, but are subject to regulation from both the country where they are incorporated and the country where they operate. As a monopolist in rule-making and holding a world championship tournament for the world’s most popular sport, FIFA executives and board members are in a position to demand payoffs and/or can punish its adversaries with its venue selection or by banning national teams from tournament participation.
Numerical Model of Bond Strength Measurements

We have reported bond strength measurements of metal/ceramic interfaces using shock waves to separate the bond by spallation[1,2]. The technique relies on the interpretation of the free surface velocity of the metal film as it is spalled from the substrate. We answer several questions relating to the details of the interaction of the shock with the interface. Specifically, we examine the role of sound speeds in the measurements. We also calculate the plastic strain in the the bond region and verify the theory relating to the jumpoff velocity of the scab to the bond strength.
Editorial Life at a Small Regional Journal: Simultaneously at the Margins and in the Thick of Things

In this essay I discuss how my editorship of Sociological Focus, the official journal of the North Central Sociological Association, simultaneously places me at the margins, in relation to top-tier journals, and in the thick of things, in relation to the authors and reviewers who participate in the journal. All editors face issues related to the review process and, occasionally at least, struggle with decisions. Given the hierarchical nature of the discipline, however, editors of journals at the lower end of the rankings face additional dilemmas related to fairness and access. Concluding that the margin is a bustling place where lots of sociology gets done, I end with a strong plea that we protect our regional journals and keep them vibrant and inclusive. The easiest way to do that is for all of us to publish in them.
GW24-e1389 Rho Signalling and Cardiomyopathy

Objectives Rho associated coiled-coil protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) activity has been shown to closely associate with various cardiovascular diseases. Methods To define the pathological consequence of this constitutively activated ROCK∆1 accumulated in human failing myocardium in vivo , we generated transgenic mice expressing ROCK∆1 in cardiomyocytes to mimic the situation observed in human heart disease. Several genetic mouse models along with cell culture experiments were applied in this study. Results The ROCK∆1 transgenic mice developed fibrotic cardiomyopathy with diastolic dysfunction. Transgenic hearts displayed activated TGFb1 and NF-κB signalling and a release of a subset of cytokines, and were susceptible to angiotensin II stress. Treatment with a Rho kinase inhibitor attenuated the fibrotic phenotype. We elucidated the molecular mechanism underlying ROCK∆1-mediated fibrotic cardiomyopathy, and demonstrated that TGFβ1 was a new target gene of SRF (serum response factor). ROCK∆1 activated SRF through manipulating actin dynamic changes, which then facilitated TGFβ1 transcriptional expression. The SRF-mediated TGFβ1 transcriptional regulation was further demonstrated by genetic deletion of SRF specifically in mouse heart, which led to marked decrease in TGFβ1 expression. Conclusions This study demonstrated the pro-fibrotic role of truncated ROCK1 in vivo and provided an animal model to recapitulate human heart failure. Activation of TGFβ1 and NF-κB signalling along with a subset of cytokines released from cardiomyocytes induced cardiac fibroblast maturation, facilitated collagen deposition and macrophage infiltration. Both pathways synergistically contributed to Rho kinase-mediated pathological fibrosis. The study provided a new therapeutic and mechanistic insight into Rho kinase inhibitor treatment in heart failure.
Tuning the near-gap electronic structure of tin-halide and lead-halide perovskites via changes in atomic layering

Using density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations, we explore the extent to which achievable modes of atomic layering can tune the near-gap electronic structure of tin- and lead-halide perovskites with applications in dye-sensitized solar cells. We show that regardless of how atomic layering is achieved---whether by the growth of layered inorganic phases such as the Ruddlesden-Popper series, hybrid perovskites connected by organic linker molecules, or layered perovskite heterostructures---their band gaps can similarly be widened by several tenths of an eV or more. Because these classes of compounds are known to have band gaps spanning much of the visible region of the solar spectrum, the ability to controllably tune their near-gap electronic structure could further optimize their performance in solar energy conversion applications. Throughout this work, trends in band gap are explained based on the effects of atomic layering and quantum confinement on the character and energy of band-edge crystal orbitals.
Mg–Fe Thin Films: A Phase-Separated Structure with Fast Kinetics of Hydrogenation

In this paper we suggest a new approach to improve the kinetics of hydrogenation based on a material with a high density of interfaces between hydride-forming solid (HFS) and hydrogen-diffusing solid media (HDM). Such materials can be realized for phase-separated systems when synthesized in the conditions limiting kinetics of phase separation, e.g., in thin film deposition. Mg–Fe was selected as a model system: (1) It has phase separation; (2) MgH2 is a high-capacity hydride; (3) Fe has high diffusivity of hydrogen. Mg1-xFex thin films (x = 0–0.30) capped with Pd were prepared by electron beam codeposition and their hydrogenation/dehydrogenation kinetics and cycling properties were studied at 413 K. The structures of the thin films before and after hydrogenation during different cycles were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. It has been found that there is a substantial improvement in hydrogen absorption and desorption kinetics for the Mg1-xFex films in comparison to p...
Application Progress of Ultrasonic Technique in Petrochemical Industry

The applications of ultrasonic technique in petrochemical industry were introduced. Mechanism of reaction, process flow, process economy of ultrasonic emulsion breaking, treatments of petroleum waste water with ultrasonic, and ultrasonic oxidation desulfurization were discussed in detail. It was pointed out that ultrasonic cavitation would greatly increase reaction force and decrease the operations cost; therefore, it had good market opportunities.
Analysis on epidemic tendency and incidence prediction of viral hepatitis in Liaoning province

[Objective]To understand the epidemic characteristics of viral hepatitis in Liaoning Province,provide basis for formulating measures to prevent and control the disease. [Methods]The datas of the incidence and fatality rate of viral hepatitis in Liaoning Province from 1985-2012 were analyzed. [Results]The average incidence of the viral hepatitis in Liaoning Province was higher than in the country from 1985-2002. Since 2003,the average incidence of the viral hepatitis in Liaoning Province was lower than in the country. In recent five years,the average incidence was 84. 4 /100 000-94. 2 /100 000. The fatality rate was dropped gradually. The prediction of viral hepatitis incidence in the next three years were 85. 7903 /100 000, 83. 4492 /100 000 and 84. 7519 /100 000. [Conclusion] According the investigation results,the factors which affect the epidemic tendency of viral hepatitis are analyzed. The disease control agencies at all levels should make the viral hepatitis control and prevention as the focus work and do a good job of vaccination.
A Comparative Study Of The Outcome Of Isolated Chromosome 13q and Clonal Progression Detected By I-FISH Do Additional Cytogenetic Abnormalities Impact Survival In Multiple Myeloma

Background Chromosomal abnormalities detected by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (I-FISH) are an important prognostic marker in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Isolated chromosome 13q has been considered standard risk when identified by I-FISH and high risk by conventional cytogenetics. The impact of additional cytogenetic abnormalities with chromosome 13q identified by I-FISH in regards to prognosis has not been fully defined. In this report, we describe the outcome of patient’s with multiple myeloma with isolated chromosome 13q and 13q+ (additional cytogenetic abnormalities) identified by I-FISH at our institution between January 2003 and January 2013 and had I-FISH analysis prior to treatment. Methods The primary objective was to compare patient’s outcomes in regards to response, time to progression, and overall survival between patients who had an isolated 13q and 13q+ identified by I-FISH in the bone marrow plasma cells. Kaplan & Meier curves were generated to calculate overall survival (OS) between the two groups. Results Between January 2003 and January 2013, we identified 76 patients by I-FISH who had either an isolated 13q or 13q+ in patients with multiple myeloma (Patient characteristics [Table 1][1]). Of the patients with an isolated 13q abnormality 33% received a bortezomib-based regimen and 38% in the 13q+ group. Of the patient’s with a isolated 13q 38% went onto receive high dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) while 20% with a 13q+ received ASCT. African American patients with 13q consisted of 65% and 60% with 13q+ in our patient population. For the 13q or 13q+ who underwent high dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant OS was 85% compared to the non-transplant group 45% (p=0.01) ([Figure 2][2]). On follow up at a median of 2.5 years mortality occurred in 31% of the 13q patients compared to 62% in the 13q+ group. The overall survival at 5 years was 25% in the 13q+ group compared to 65% in the patient’s with an isolated 13q, With the 13q+ group having an overall poor OS (p=0.03) View this table: Table 1 Patient Characteristics and Outcome ![Figure 1][3] Figure 1 Difference in Overall Survival by Chromosome Abnormality. ![Figure 2][3] Figure 2 Difference in Overall Survival by Autologous Transplant. Conclusion Patients who harbor the 13q and additional cytogenetic abnormalities identified by I-FISH have a significant worse outcome compared to patients with an isolated 13q. These patients should be considered high risk and consideration for treatment with novel agents and autologous stem cell transplant followed by post-transplant maintenance therapy should be considered. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [1]: #T1 [2]: #F2 [3]: pending:yes
Effects of sleep deprivation on daytime sleepiness in primary insomnia

Study objectives This study investigated changes in MSLT scores and recovery sleep following total sleep deprivation in subjects with insomnia as compared to normal sleepers. Design Matched-groups design. Setting A sleep disorders center in a large medical center. Participants Ten individuals with psychophysiological insomnia and ten age- and sex-matched normal sleepers served as subjects. Interventions Subjects underwent total sleep deprivation after baseline polysomnography and MSLT. A post-deprivation MSLT was obtained, as well as polysomnography on the recovery night and an MSLT after the recovery night. Measurements and results Both groups showed significant decreases in MSLT scores following total sleep deprivation, as compared to baseline. Both groups had significantly shorter scores on a nighttime MSLT compared to a daytime MSLT. The insomnia group also showed a significant increase in total sleep time on the recovery night compared to baseline. Conclusions The MSLT is sensitive to changes in sleepiness associated with total sleep deprivation in individuals with primary insomnia.
The Role of Imaging in Cardiovascular Risk Assessment

Assessment of a patient’s cardiovascular risk remains challenging. Cardiovascular risk assessment should always begin with office-based assessment of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, including age, hypertension, dyslipidemia, tobacco use, and family history. The Framingham risk score provides an easy to use, well-validated tool which allows physicians to readily assess the composite of these traditional risk factors. However, traditional risk factors and the Framingham risk score may not always tell the whole story. An obvious example of this comes from the Framingham study itself, where 35% of cardiovascular events occurred in patients with what have traditionally been considered normal cholesterol values (total cholesterol < 200 mg/dl) [1]. In addition, family history of coronary heart disease (CHD), a potent cardiovascular risk factor, is not reflected in the Framingham risk score. In fact, while dramatic improvements in patient outcomes have occurred over the last two decades after the diagnosis of CHD, little progress has been made in reducing the rates of initial presentation with myocardial infarction or cardiac death [2]. Thus, while traditional risk factor assessment should remain the bedrock and uniform first step in cardiovascular risk assessment, additional ways to evaluate risk and the appropriate patients in whom to employ these techniques need to be identified.
MRI-Detectable Focal Lesions (FL) in Multiple Myeloma (MM) at Relapse Frequently Involve Novel Sites Not Involved at Diagnosis.

Abstract Macrofocal lesions (FL) in the medullary space are a hallmark of mm readily detected by MRI scans, both at diagnosis and at relapse. In this study we evaluated, among 25 patients enrolled in TT II, with FL at relapse and a preceding clinical CR (by M protein and marrow examinations) the relationship to presence and location of FL at diagnosis. On relapse, 17/25 (68%) had fewer FL, 5/25 (20%) had the same number of FL, 3/25 (12%) had more FL than on baseline examination. There was a general trend for the larger FL at baseline to still be present on relapse (Table 1). Despite the trend to fewer focal lesions on relapse compared to baseline, 11/25 (44%) of patients presented with FL in new sites that were not present on baseline. Finally, in relapsing patients, 4/25 (16%) presented with new sites of extramedullary tumor (EMD). These data establish that although there are usually fewer MRI-defined FL on relapse than on baseline examination, the vast majority of FL on relapse represent new areas of macrofocal disease that were not present at diagnosis. MRI FL Persisting from Baseline to Relapse (n=25) Size (cm) Baseline FL Present upon Relapse % 1/2 50 0.5–1cm 8/10 80 1–2 cm 13/18 72 > 2 cm 10/16 63 All Sizes 26/36 72
Temperature Effects on Charged-Particle-Induced Cross Sections

Methods of performing continuous energy or multigroup charged-particle transport in hot media are discussed. In particular, it is pointed out that if one is to properly calculate reaction and energ...
Optimization of an Enhanced Oil Recovery Process with Boundary Controls

Abstract We consider the problem of optimally determining the injected concentration histories for a micellar/polymer flooding enhanced oil recovery (EOR) system, so as to maximize the net profitability of the project. The state dynamics are described by a set of highly nonlinear partial differential equations with boundary control inputs. The theoretical characterization of the optimal control policy is obtained using a discrete variational formulation. The numerical optimum-seeking algorithm is formulated based on generating a maximizing sequence which converges to the optimum control policy. This sequence is generated by employing gradient or conjugate directions of search on the performance measure. Numerical calculations are presented to illustrate optimal policies. Specific results depend upon the physical chemistry as well as reservoir parameters. The method has been tested on the realistic linear core experiment used to design the Sloss field test of Amoco. Our optimization studies yield optimum injection strategies which improve the core flood performance by over 21%. The optimum value of the performance measure is about 81% of the greatest attainable economic value which corresponds to complete oil recovery at no chemical cost. This paper emphasizes the applicability of optimal control theory to a problem which is highly nonlinear, mathematically complex, and extensively large. The effectiveness of the approach has been established by numerical results.
Growth habit indicators from Permian Antarctic glossopterids

Abstract Glossopteridales dominated the Gondwanan landscape during the Permian with Glossopteris leaves in mats suggesting a deciduous nature. While a great deal of anatomical and morphological information is known about the glossopterids, growth habit indicators have been limited to wood anatomical analyses and the presence of leaf mats. In this study the relative and absolute abundances were calculated on impression specimens collected from the Skaar Ridge locality in the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica. Results indicate that material is parautochthonous with layers dominated by either Glossopteris leaves or scale leaves. Three morphologies of scale leaves are present, two of which are associated with reproductive structures and one probably representing bud scales. Only pollen organ-bearing leaves have been observed on the specimens indicating that glossopterids may have been dioecious since ovulate material is not observed in any layer. A second hypothesis is that the glossopterids are monecious, but shed pollen structures early in the season and ovulate structures in the fall with Glossopteris leaves and just have not been observed in the leaf mats. The results from this study will help fill in gaps currently present for the glossopterids in phylogenetic analyses to help resolve their true position in a phylogenetic context.
Abstract B36: A 1,5-diheteroarylpenta-1,4-dien-3-one inhibits TNBC cell growth by blocking AKT/mTOR/P70S6K pathway

One in 8 women will develop breast cancer during the course of her life. Recent developments in the field of drug development have provided a significant increase in progression free survival and decrease in mortality of this disease. However, one of the main problems in breast cancer remains the development of resistance to current treatments and relapse of the disease. Moreover, there is no known target for the treatment of the triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) subset, which is more aggressive than the other types of the disease. Therefore, it is imperative to develop new drugs that can block the activity of pro-survival signaling within the cancer cells and inhibit their growth, particularly in the TNBC subset. In an attempt to identify such drugs, we screened a panel of 13 compounds, containing the general structure of 1,5-diheteroarylpenta-1,4-dien-3-one (compounds 34 to 46), for their effectiveness in inhibiting the growth of both TNBC and ER+ breast cancers. The IC50s for these compounds were in the range of 63 to 8346 nM against various breast cancer cell lines. Interestingly, the most potent compound (# 34), (1E,4E)-1,5-bis(1-pentan-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-2-yl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one, showed its highest growth inhibitory activity in the TNBC cell line, MDA-MB-231, while also being effective in inhibiting the growth of ER+ cell lines to a lesser extent. Further investigations were then focused on this TNBC cell line. The mechanism of action of compound 34 was investigated by using a Human Phospho-Kinase Array, which revealed a significant decrease in p-P70S6K and p-mTOR. Additional assays confirmed the same results and also showed significant reductions in total mTOR and Total AKT as well as significant decreases in p-P70S6K and p-mTOR. Moreover, compound 34 treatment induced higher levels of p-c-JUN and p-P38, which may be indications of cell stress upon treatment. Overall our data indicate that compound 34 induces profound decreases in the activity of pro-survival pathways such as AKT/mTOR, which significantly inhibited growth of the TNBC cell line. Citation Format: Mohammad Atefi, Manee Patanapongpibul, Lynn Ma, Qiao-Hong Chen, Guangdi Wang, Yong Wu, Jay Vadgama. A 1,5-diheteroarylpenta-1,4-dien-3-one inhibits TNBC cell growth by blocking AKT/mTOR/P70S6K pathway [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Opportunities and Challenges of Exploiting Synthetic Lethality in Cancer; Jan 4-7, 2017; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2017;16(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B36.
Health Issues and Injury Risks Associated With Prolonged Sitting and Sedentary Lifestyles

Using a case study, this article reviews the health risks associated with prolonged sitting and the reasons sedentary workers are at risk for musculoskeletal injuries. Other health issues associated with prolonged sitting or sedentary behavior as well as the benefits of exercise are also explored. Finally, evidence-based interventions to reduce health risks associated with prolonged sitting may increase productivity.
Influence of Loss Aversion on NCAA Men's Basketball Bracket Predictions

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, known to fans as March Madness, is one of the most popular annual sporting events in the United States. Despite its economic impact on the sport i...
Micromagnetic analysis of crystallographic texturing and substrate-induced strain effects in NiFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 thin films

Abstract A three-dimensional continuum based micromagnetic model is developed to simulate the magnetization process in polycrystalline thin films and address the influence of crystallographic texturing, grain size and the substrate-induced strain on the spontaneous domain structure and hysteresis curves of NiFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 thin films. The model employs the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation along with mechanical equilibrium and Gauss' Law for magnetism to calculate the temporal and spatial distributions of the magnetic moments. Thus, this approach falls within the category of phase-field methods used for non-conserved systems. The finite element method is used to solve the partial differential equations in fully coupled fashion while using a different discretization method for each equation. The results demonstrate how the magnetization process is altered by adopting different microstructural orientations revealing stronger sensitivity in CoFe2O4 thin films than in NiFe2O4 thin films. Moreover, it is shown that the substrate-induced compressive strain favors in-plane magnetization, whereas the tensile strain switches the easy axis from the in-plane to the out-of-plane direction. The validity of the model is verified by comparing the results with recently published experimental data for sol-gel deposited NiFe2O4 thin films.
Development of castable nanostructured alloys as a new generation RAFM steels

Abstract Castable nanostructured alloys (CNAs) are being developed as a new generation of reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steels to overcome certain limitations of the current RAFM steels, such as their narrow operating temperature range and associated low strength at high temperatures. Six CNAs were developed and examined, exhibiting noticeably increased yield strength, tensile strength and creep resistance as compared to the current RAFM steels, which are comparable to ODS-Eurofer (0.3% Y2O3) at 650 °C. The enhanced strength of CNAs is also associated with a beneficial increase in Charpy impact upper-shelf energies, up to ∼2.5 times that of the current RAFM steels, with comparable ductile-brittle transition temperatures. A broad analysis of microstructure, alloy chemistry and grain size analyses clearly support the mechanisms that explain the mechanical property improvements of these CNAs, providing essential insight for further development of advanced RAFM steels to meet the challenges of future fusion reactors.
Joshua 4.0: Packing, PRO, and Paraphrases

We present Joshua 4.0, the newest version of our open-source decoder for parsing-based statistical machine translation. The main contributions in this release are the introduction of a compact grammar representation based on packed tries, and the integration of our implementation of pairwise ranking optimization, J-PRO. We further present the extension of the Thrax SCFG grammar extractor to pivot-based extraction of syntactically informed sentential paraphrases.
Correlation of fatigue and creep slow crack growth in a medium density polyethylene pipe material

The relationship between slow crack propagation in creep and fatigue in a medium density polyethylene pipe material was studied by increasing the R-ratio (defined as the ratio of minimum to maximum stress in the fatigue loading cycle) from 0.1 to 1.0 (creep). The study included characterization of the effects of R-ratio and temperature (21 to 80°C) on the mechanism and kinetics of slow crack propagation. With increasing R-ratio and decreasing temperature, the fracture mode changed from stepwise crack propagation, i.e. crack growth by the sequential formation and breakdown of a craze zone, to a “quasi-continuous” mode of crack growth through the preexisting craze. Despite the change in fracture mode, the damage zone, as characterized by the length of the main craze, shear crazes, and crack tip opening displacement, followed the same dependence on loading parameters, and crack growth rate followed the same kinetics. Crack growth rate (da/dt) was related to the maximum stress intensity factor KI, max and R-ratio by a power law relationship (da/dt) = B′K4I, max(1 + R)−6. Alternatively, crack growth rate was expressed as (da/dt) = B′KI4(t)Tβ(∈) with a creep contribution B‹KI4(t)›T, calculated by averaging the known dependence of creep crack growth rate on stress intensity factor KI over the period T of the sinusoidal loading curve, and a fatigue acceleration factor β(∈) that depended on strain rate only. The correlation in crack growth kinetics allowed for extrapolation to creep fracture from short-term fatigue testing. The temperature dependence of crack growth rate was contained in the prefactors B and B′. A change in slope of the Arrhenius plot of B′ at 55°C indicated that at least two mechanisms contributed to crack propagation, each dominating in a different temperature region. This implied that a simple extrapolation to ambient temperature creep fracture from elevated temperature tests might not be reliable.
Preparation of Well Defined Ceramic Powders

Sufficient evidence has become available to demonstrate that the sintering processes can be greatly affected by the physical and chemical properties of the starting powders. Specifically, the temperature of sintering and the quality of the final products will depend on the size, shape, and uniformity of the original particles. As far as the chemical aspects are concerned, in addition to the obvious expectation that the bulk composition should be essential, the surface characteristics in terms of active sites and charge can play an important role in the powder processing.
Continuous Probability Models

Every probability model we’ve seen so far has been discrete—the possible values are separated from each other as “discrete points” on a number line. With this section, we begin our study of the so-called “continuous” distributions. A continuously distributed random variable on an interval [a, b] is a random variable which takes on any possible value in the interval [a, b] of real numbers. Random variables whose values are measurements of time, weight, size, and so on, are typical examples of situations which may give rise to continuous distributions.
Virtual Bethel: Preservation of Indianapolis’s Oldest Black Church

This chapter offers a basic introduction to the principles behind three dimensional (3D) imaging, modeling and representation of spaces and objects, and how these can be used in research, and teaching and learning. The guide is based on a local heritage community-based research project involving a team of researchers from Media Arts and Information Science at Indiana University. The team used 3D modeling to create a virtual representation of the oldest black church in the city of Indianapolis, Bethel AME Church. The project establishes a virtual representation of the church’s sanctuary, which has been repurposed as part of a hotel. The aim is to create a virtual learning space that engages students in learning about the history of church, local African American history, and how to use archives.
FRI0317 Reasons for hospitalisation and immunosuppressant use in adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus admitted to a tertiary academic medical centre

Background An estimated 22% to 28% of US SLE patients are hospitalised each year.1 SLE and other connective tissue diseases have been ranked the sixth most likely conditions to result in 30 day readmission to the hospital.2 Objectives To determine if the number of SLE patient hospital admissions, primary reasons for hospitalisation, and mortality have changed over time. We also sought to evaluate changes in immunosuppressant use in these patients. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted on all adult patients with SLE admitted to the University of California San Diego Medical Centre in 2005 and 2013. Patients were identified by SLE billing code 710.0 of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Results The number of yearly SLE patient hospitalizations decreased from 178 to 86 between the two times of observation. Infection was the most common reason for hospitalisation accounting for 39.9% of hospitalizations in 2005 versus 31.4% of hospitalizations in 2013 (p=0.29). Lupus flare accounted for 9.6% of admissions in 2005 versus 8.1% of admissions in 2013 (p=0.722). SLE patient mean length of hospital stay decreased from 7.6 days to 6.4 days compared to all patient length of stay which decreased from 6 days to 5.75 days. Seven patients (3.9%) died during their hospitalisation in 2005 as opposed no inpatient deaths in 2013. Of the 261 admissions between 2010 and 2013, six admissions resulted in death (2.3%). Corticosteroid use decreased (79.8% to 61.6%, p=0.109), while hydroxychloroquine (27.0% to 59.3%, p Conclusions Hydroxychloroquine and leflunomide use in hospitalised patients more than doubled from 2005 to 2013 with statistical significance. Rise in mycophenolate mofetil use and drop in corticosteroid use trended toward statistical significance. Number of hospitalizations, length of stay, and mortality decreased. Infection was the primary reason for inpatient hospitalisation and there was a decrease in admission for both infections and SLE flares between the time points although this did not reach statistical significance. We hypothesise that changing medication prescribing patterns may have altered the rate of damage accrual and mortality in SLE patients, and plan to perform a national study to further evaluate SLE hospitalisation data on a larger scale. References [1] Chakravarty EF, Bush TM, Manzi S, et al. Prevalence of adult systemic lupus erythematosus in California and Pennsylvania in 2000: estimates obtained using hospitalization data. Arthritis Rheum2007;56(6):2092–2094. [2] Elixhauser A, Steiner C. Readmissions to U.S.Hospitals by Diagnosis,2010: Statistical Brief #153. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs. Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research. URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK52651/ [Accessed May 2016]. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Graph recurrence

For a graph G, a graph recurrence sequence x0, x1, x2,... of vectors is defined by the recurrence xt+1 = Axt, t = 0, 1,...., where A is the adjacency matrix of G and x0 is an initial vector. Each vector in this sequence can be thought of as a vertex labeling of G, the label at a given vertex at step t+1 obtained by summing the values at the adjacent vertices at step t. Based on graphical sequences, three concepts are defined: (1) for a graph to be determined by a set of vectors, (2) for two graphs to be m-equivalent, and (3) for the vertices of the graph to be separated by a set of vectors. Results concerning these notions are given, relations to the graph isomorphism problem are discussed, and numerous open problems are posed.
A nurse-led model increases quality of care in Parkinson disease

Recent molecular and genetic advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of Parkinson disease (PD) opened new possible therapeutic perspectives moving toward a precision medicine approach.1 Nevertheless, an unmet need in PD is an integrated approach to develop a global health strategy to improve safety and quality care. One approach should promote an active role for patients with PD and caregivers in their interaction with health care professionals.2 Such a model requires a redefinition of the patient–neurologist relationship, but also a nurse-focused strategy in which patients, working as partners with health care professionals, derive benefit from multifaceted, continuous management. The natural history of PD, as well as changes induced by pharmacologic treatment, make management of this chronic disease complex, requiring multidisciplinary approaches. For these reasons, professionals must collaborate to make coordinated decisions and share responsibilities.3 Indeed, for patients with chronic diseases, delivery of coordinated, integrated, and patient-centered care positively affects the clinical outcome, patient functioning, and quality of life.4 However, effective models of multidisciplinary collaboration in health care require further refinement and study.5
Subjective Social Status and Possible Selves Among Emerging Adult College Students

Possible selves and strategies serve a number of functions across the life span and are particularly relevant to emerging adulthood. Building on past research, which suggests that possible selves a...
LoRaIn: Making a Case for LoRa in Indoor Localization

In this paper, we analyze the feasibility of using LoRa, an emerging low-power wide-area networking technology, in indoor localization. We define seven criteria upon which a wireless technology's prospect as an indoor localization system depends largely. For comparison, we take two other popular wireless technologies (BLE and WiFi) that have been previously proposed in many modern indoor localization systems. We deploy these three technologies in multiple line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight indoor scenarios including corridors, open spaces, spaces with a varying number of walls, and across floors of multi-storied buildings. Considering the coverage, stability and regularity of signals, accuracy of localization, responsiveness, power, and cost–we conclude that LoRa is a feasible choice for indoor localization solution, especially in wide and tall indoor environments like warehouses and multi-storied buildings.
Expectancy-value beliefs, identity, and physical activity among adults with visual impairments

Physical activity plays a key role in health promotion and disease prevention, yet individuals with visual impairments do not generally engage in sufficient physical activity. The purpose of this s...
Iris-Fixated Posterior Chamber Intraocular Lenses in Children

p l n i a o PURPOSE: To report the short-term outcomes and omplications of iris-fixated posterior chamber intraocuar lenses (PCIOL) in the pediatric population. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational case study. METHODS: Twelve consecutive pediatric patients (17 yes) underwent placement of foldable iris-sutured CIOLs between September 1, 2004 and September 30, 007 by two anterior segment surgeons at a single cademic center. Outcome measures included change in isual acuity (VA) and complications. RESULTS: In our series, there was a higher rate of islocation of iris-sutured IOLs in patients with a history f ectopia lentis resulting from Marfan syndrome or ereditary or idiopathic causes than in patients being reated for aphakia resulting from other causes (45% vs %). Mean final VA improved by 0.23 logarithm of the inimum angle of resolution units from preoperative aseline. One eye of a Marfan patient sustained a retinal etachment eight months after dislocation of the PCIOL, nd one patient experienced iris capture of the IOL after urgery. CONCLUSIONS: Iris-fixated IOLs are reasonable alterative to transsclerally sutured IOLs to correct aphakia n pediatric patient. Dislocation of the IOLs can occur, owever, and there is concern for suture degradation over ime. The procedure should be considered with caution in ediatric patients. (Am J Ophthalmol 2009;147: 21–126. © 2009 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
A Study of Factors in the U.S. Automotive Industry that Influence Use and Procurement Outcomes for Electronic Supply Chain Management (eSCM)

The U.S. automotive industry is a critical component of the nation's economic growth because of its use of innovative technologies that provide strategic advantages for business and operational practices. This study focused on electronic supply chain management (e-SCM) in the automotive industry and used two factors, ease of system use (EOU) and perception of organizational usefulness (PU), to investigate its impact on procurement outcomes and the organization's decision to use e-SCM. An online survey was used to gather responses from 144 people employed in supply chain management within the U.S. automotive industry regarding perceptions based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). The results found that two variables, perceptions of organizational usefulness and ease of use, affected the final adoption of e-SCM systems within organizations. The study also found that individual experience and educational level were significant in predicting work outcomes, which are important for supporting continued innovation, sustainability, and industry success. Recommendations for future research include studies in alternative industries, such as agriculture, textiles, pharmaceutical and electronics, using a similar research model and survey instrument, as well as, research in automotive industries in other countries looking for similarities and differences with the U.S. based findings.
A modified Swanson method to determine permeability from mercury intrusion data in marine muds

Abstract The permeability of shallow marine sediments is an extremely important parameter to constrain, as it affects fluid and nutrient transport near the sediment-water interface, mediates mass exchange between igneous basement and oceans, and plays a role in seismicity along convergent margins. Determining the permeability of these sediments in the laboratory is difficult because existing methods typically require fully saturated, intact samples of large volume (tens of cm3), which are usually not collected with high spatial resolution in scientific ocean drilling operations. We demonstrate how mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) data may be used to predict the permeability of marine muds using a modification of the widely used Swanson method. Our results show that MICP measurements performed on small, irregular, and, most importantly, unpreserved samples can yield important permeability information. This will improve the spatial resolution of permeability data in the shallow marine subsurface and allow analyses to be performed on the significant quantities of existing legacy core.