cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSES OF HISTORICAL DATA

Although the typical study in psychology involves the quantitative analysis of contemporary research participants, occasionally psychologists will study historical persons or events. Moreover, these historical data may be analyzed using either qualitative or quantitative techniques. After giving examples from the subdisciplines of cognitive, developmental, differential, abnormal, and social psychology, the distinctive methodological features of this approach are outlined. These include both data collection (sampling, unit definition, etc.) and data analysis (both qualitative and quantitative). The discussion then turns to the advantages and disadvantages of this research method. The article closes by presenting the reasons why (a) psychologists will probably continue to use historical data and (b) quantitative analyses may eventually replace qualitative analyses in such applications.
Vascular protection by chloroquine during brain tumor therapy with Tf-CRM107.

Tf-CRM107 is a conjugate of transferrin and a point mutant of diphtheria toxin that selectively kills cells expressing high levels of the transferrin receptor. Tf-CRM107 has been infused intratumorally into patients with malignant brain tumors. Although approximately half of the patients exhibit tumor responses, patients receiving higher doses of Tf-CRM107 may develop magnetic resonance image (MRI) evidence of toxicity indicative of small vessel thrombosis or petechial hemorrhage. Consistent with these clinical results we found that intracerebral injection of Tf-CRM107 into rats at total doses >0.025 mg causes brain damage detectable by MRI and histology. To widen the therapeutic window of Tf-CRM107, we explored ways to prevent this damage to the vasculature. We reasoned that the vasculature may be protected to a greater extent than tumor from Tf-CRM107 infused into brain parenchyma by i.v. injection of reagents with low blood-brain barrier permeability that block the toxicity of TfCRM107. Chloroquine, a well-characterized antimalarial drug, blocks the toxicity of diphtheria toxin and Tf-CRM107. Systemic administration of chloroquine blocked the toxicity of Tf-CRM107 infused intracerebrally in rats and changed the maximum tolerated dose of Tf-CRM107 from 0.2 to 0.3 mg. Moreover, chloroquine treatment completely blocked the brain damage detected by MRI caused by intracerebral infusion of 0.05 m go f Tf-CRM107. In nude mice bearing s.c. U251 gliomas, chloroquine treatment had little effect on the antitumor efficacy of Tf-CRM107. Thus, chloroquine treatment may be useful to reduce the toxicity of Tf-CRM107 for normal brain without inhibiting antitumor efficacy and increase the therapeutic window of Tf-CRM107 for brain tumor therapy.
Selective reduction of xylose to xylitol from a mixture of hemicellulosic sugars

The biocatalytic reduction of D-xylose to xylitol requires separation of the substrate from L-arabinose, another major component of hemicellulosic hydrolysate. This step is necessitated by the innate promiscuity of xylose reductases, which can efficiently reduce L-arabinose to L-arabinitol, an unwanted byproduct. Unfortunately,due to the epimeric nature of D-xylose and L-arabinose, separation can be difficult, leading to high production costs. To overcome this issue, we engineered an E. coli strain to efficiently produce xylitol from D-xylose with minimal production of L-arabinitol byproduct. By combining this strain with a previously engineered xylose reductase mutant, we were able to eliminate L-arabinitol formation and produce xylitol to near 100% purity from an equiweight mixture of D-xylose, L-arabinose, and D-glucose.
The emerging transnational dimension of organisational and individual identity: transnational technical communities as economic actors

An important feature of globalisation is the formation of ‘transnational technical communities’, groups of immigrants active in both home and host country technical networks. Viewed through the lens of identity, such communities demonstrate the intriguing interpenetration of individual identities and organisational identity. Further, building on the insight that such communities may be emerging as economic actors in their own right, we conceptualise them as a new type of knowledge conduit between nations. As such, their emergence has important implications for multinational corporations (MNCs), which have hitherto been viewed as the primary knowledge conduit between nations, suggesting the need for MNC managers to pay attention to the evolving identities of their own enterprises.
Numerical investigation of the flow in the cathode melt droplet of electric arc

The role of electromagnetic forces and the forces of viscous friction with the arc plasma flow in the flow formation within the cathode melt is considered within the framework of numerical modelling; a comparative estimation of the separate influence of each of the above forces is carried out. The melt flow pattern is found to form mainly by electromagnetic forces. The character of the effect of electromagnetic forces is determined to a considerable extent by the ratio of the radius of cathode attachment of the arc on the melt droplet and the rod cathode radius.
GABA receptors and nitric oxide ameliorate constrictive collagen remodeling in hyperhomocysteinemia.

Elevated plasma levels of homocysteine (Hcy) are associated with vascular dementias and Alzheimer's disease. The role of Hcy in brain microvascular endothelial cell (MVEC) remodeling is unclear. Hcy competes with muscimol, an γ-amino butyric acid (GABA)-A receptor agonist. GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Our hypothesis is that Hcy induces constrictive microvascular remodeling by altering GABA-A/B receptors. MVEC from wild type, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) knockout (−/−), heterozygote cystathionine β synthase (CBS−/+), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout (eNOS−/−) mouse brains were isolated. The MVEC were incorporated into collagen (3.2 mg/ml) gels and the decrease in collagen gel diameter at 24 h was used as an index of constrictive MVEC remodeling. Gels in the absence or presence of Hcy were incubated with muscimol or baclofen, a GABA-B receptor agonist. The results suggested that Hcy-mediated MVEC collagen gel constriction was ameliorated by muscimol, baclofen, MMP-9, and eNOS gene ablations. There was no effect of anti-alpha 3 integrin. However, Hcy-mediated brain MVEC collagen constriction was abrogated with anti-beta-1 integrin. The co-incubation of Hcy with L-arginine ameliorated the Hcy-mediated collagen gel constriction. The results of this study indicated amelioration of Hcy-induced MVEC collagen gel constriction by induction of nitric oxide through GABA-A and -B receptors. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Air Force thermal battery programs

There are two thermal battery programs ongoing at WPAFB: a large thermal battery to supply emergency power for aircraft and an advanced weapons battery. The contractor for the large thermal battery is Eagle-Picher Technologies (EPT) of Joplin. Mo. The objective of this program is to develop a large thermal battery (ca. 100 lbs.) that can supply safe, reliable power for an aircraft during an emergency situation where the usual electrical power and hydraulic systems are no longer functioning. The technical challenges for this battery are to build a large, safe, reliable thermal battery that can activate in two seconds or less, generate 270 V, and can supply two 56 HP pulses of 30 seconds each and maintain a steady state power of 21 HP for 19 minutes between the two pulses. The second program, the advanced weapons battery, is being developed by SAFT, Cockeysville. Md. The goal of this program is to develop a small six-minute, 30 V thermal battery that can produce 88 Wh/kg.
Parallel-vector computation with high-p element-by-element methods

A basic element-by-element formulation of the finite element method is presented. This is coupled with a bi-conjugate gradient iterative solver with Jacobi and block type preconditioners. A variety of performance calculations for linear and nonlinear test problems are presented. Results include parallel-vector perfor-mance studies on the Cray YMP and the Alliant FX/8.
Source Separation and Density Estimation by Faithful Equivariant SOM

We couple the tasks of source separation and density estimation by extracting the local geometrical structure of distributions obtained from mixtures of statistically independent sources. Our modifications of the self-organizing map (SOM) algorithm results in purely digital learning rules which perform non-parametric histogram density estimation. The non-parametric nature of the separation allows for source separation of non-linear mixtures. An anisotropic coupling is introduced into our SOM with the role of aligning the network locally with the independent component contours. This approach provides an exact verification condition for source separation with no prior on the source distributions.
Performance characteristics of continuous yeast‐alcohol fermentors with no mechanical stirring

Continuous fermentation of grape juice was studied in three basic kinds of nonmechanically stirred fermentors, classified according to the direction in which flow is applied against settling: upward-flow, slant-flow, and horizontal-flow. Fermentation kinetics were found to be zero-order, thus rate was directly proportional to cell density. Completeness of fermentation depends upon yeast characteristics (growth rate flocculation), fermentor geometry (settling depth, flow path length), and upon flow velocity. Fermentor analysis demonstrated that to achieve complete fermentation in the minimum juice holding time, efficient cell retention as well as rapid yeast growth and fermentation rates are required. Fermentor design and operation are discussed in the light of this analysis.
Exacerbation of verapamil-induced hyperglycemia with glucagon

To evaluate the effects of verapamil intoxication and glucagon treatment on blood glucose levels in an intact canine model, 15 mg/kg verapamil was administered intravenously over a 30-minute period to mongrel dogs under pentobarbital anesthesia. Animals in the experimental group subsequently were administered 2.5 mg glucagon followed by an infusion of 2.5 mg per hour; control group animals were administered an equal volume of saline. Blood glucose was assessed before verapamil administration (baseline), and at 10 minutes (time 10) and 60 minutes (time 60) after completion of the verapamil infusion. Glucose values were compared between control and experimental groups using Dunnett's method (P = .05). At baseline, no animals were hyperglycemic and there was no difference in glucose levels. Animals in both groups became hyperglycemic after verapamil infusion. At time 10, the experimental group had significantly higher glucose levels (265 +/- 17.1 mg/dL) than the control group (209 +/- 18.3 mg/dL). By time 60, there was no significant difference between glucose values in the control (262 +/- 31.4) and experimental (246 +/- 24.8) groups. It was concluded that verapamil intoxication consistently resulted in hyperglycemia in this model. Glucagon therapy was associated with an early but nonsustained exacerbation of verapamil-induced hyperglycemia.
Market mechanisms for Value of Information driven resource allocation in Sensor Networks

This paper examines the possible uses of different market mechanisms for resource allocation at different levels of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) architecture. The goal is to maximize the Value of Information (VoI) for WSN users. We discuss three different levels of WSN architecture. The lowest level focuses on individual nodes and their basic functions of sensing and routing. We give an example showing how the use of auctions at individual nodes can help to efficiently perform these functions. The middle level focuses on services that are abstractions of applications running on sensors. Complex applications are composed automatically from basic ones. We discuss the use of switch options to address some of the challenges arising in such dynamic service composition. Finally, we consider the highest level - network deployment and sharing - and conjecture that options may be valuable in creating proper incentives for rational deployment and sharing of WSNs.
Bilateral limb phase relationship and its potential to alter muscle activity phasing during locomotion.

It is well established that the sensorimotor state of one limb can influence another limb and therefore bilateral somatosensory inputs make an important contribution to interlimb coordination patterns. However, the relative contribution of interlimb pathways for modifying muscle activation patterns in terms of phasing is less clear. Here we studied adaptation of muscle activity phasing to the relative angular positions of limbs using a split-crank ergometer, where the cranks could be decoupled to allow different spatial angular position relationships. Twenty neurologically healthy individuals performed the specified pedaling tasks at different relative angular positions while surface electromyographic (EMG) signals were recorded bilaterally from eight lower extremity muscles. During each experiment, the relative angular crank positions were altered by increasing or decreasing their difference by randomly ordered increments of 30° over the complete cycle [0° (in phase pedaling); 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180° (standard pedaling); and 210, 240, 270, 300, and 330° out of phase pedaling]. We found that manipulating the relative angular positions of limbs in a pedaling task caused muscle activity phasing changes that were either delayed or advanced, dependent on the relative spatial position of the two cranks and this relationship is well-explained by a sine curve. Further, we observed that the magnitude of phasing changes in biarticular muscles (like rectus femoris) was significantly greater than those of uniarticular muscles (like vastus medialis). These results are important because they provide new evidence that muscle phasing can be systematically influenced by interlimb pathways.
Sorting Through the Wealth of Notions

The opportunity to better inform the readership of International Security on the important contributions of a rational choice perspective is most welcome. We and Stephen Walt agree on many issues. He says that “[social science] requires theories that are . . . logically consistent,”1 and that “formal techniques facilitate the construction of precise and deductively sound arguments” (p. 8). Walt asserts, correctly we believe, that “the formal language of mathematics can impart greater precision to an argument, and helps guard against inconsistencies arising either from a failure to spell out the causal logic in detail or from ambiguities of normal language” (p. 14) and that the “virtues [of formal theory] should not be dismissed lightly” (p. 15). We agree completely with these views. Walt raises issues worthy of fuller discussion. He contends, and we agree, that “the central aim of social science is to develop knowledge that is relevant to understanding important social problems. Among other things, this task requires theories that are precise, logically consistent, original, and empirically valid” (p. 8). We discuss how the rational choice approach to security studies contributes signiacantly in these ways. Additionally, we address some misrepresentations in Walt’s article.
Do Price-Earnings Ratios Drive Stock Values?

Does a high price-earnings ratio indicate high or low earnings growth or higher or lower future stock prices? Data for the S&P 500, the MSCI World Index, the Europe Index, and the EAFE are examined using regression analysis. The results suggest that subsequent prices rise but subsequent yields decline with high P/E ratios. Adjusted for statistical issues such as autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, unit roots, and non-stationarity, the findings suggest that P/E ratios may not have as great an impact on prices as once expected, and that they have no impact whatsoever on subsequent yields.
Controlled Laboratory Comparison Study of Motion With Football Equipment in a Destabilized Cervical Spine: Three Spine-Board Transfer Techniques

BackgroundNumerous studies have shown that there are better alternatives to log rolling patients with unstable spinal injuries, although this method is still commonly used for placing patients onto a spine board. No previous studies have examined transfer maneuvers involving an injured football player with equipment in place onto a spine board.PurposeTo test 3 different transfer maneuvers of an injured football player onto a spine board to determine which method most effectively minimizes spinal motion in an injured cervical spine model.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsFive whole, lightly embalmed cadavers were fitted with shoulder pads and helmets and tested both before and after global instability was surgically created at C5-C6. An electromagnetic motion analysis device was used to assess the amount of angular and linear motion with sensors placed above and below the injured segment during transfer. Spine-boarding techniques evaluated were the log roll, the lift and slide, and the 8-perso...
The Unexpected Influence of Precursor Conversion Rate in the Synthesis of III–V Quantum Dots

Control of quantum dot (QD) precursor chemistry has been expected to help improve the size control and uniformity of III-V QDs such as indium phosphide and indium arsenide. Indeed, experimental results for other QD systems are consistent with the theoretical prediction that the rate of precursor conversion is an important factor controlling QD size and size distribution. We synthesized and characterized the reactivity of a variety of group-V precursors in order to determine if precursor chemistry could be used to improve the quality of III-V QDs. Despite slowing down precursor conversion rate by multiple orders of magnitude, the less reactive precursors do not yield the expected increase in size and improvement in size distribution. This result disproves the widely accepted explanation for the shortcoming of current III-V QD syntheses and points to the need for a new generalizable theoretical picture for the mechanism of QD formation and growth.
Terror at the Taj Bombay: Customer - Centric Leadership, Multimedia Case

On November 26, 2008, heavily armed terrorists launched a series of attacks throughout the western-Indian city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). One of the locations attacked was the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, which was occupied by the terrorists for over three days, resulting in the deaths of 34 people and 28 people injured. However, the Taj received praise in the aftermath of the attacks for the selfless actions of the staff in placing the safety of the hotel's guests before their own and working to save the lives of its guests. This case seeks to address how leaders develop a customer-centric organization, as well as how an organization saves its flagship brand after a crisis. Learning Objective: The case may be of interest to faculty interested in branding and marketing strategy and the challenges of developing a customer-centric business, as well as faculty interested in crisis management and leadership in the aftermath of a devastating attack on a brand.
The Experience of Women Veterans Coming Back from War

Issues surrounding mental health are common for women veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The goal of this phenomenological study was to document themes in the stories gathered from eight women veterans who had come back from war. Themes in the stories were: arriving with mixed sentiments; evolving to a changed view of self; permeating aggravation; confounding broken relationships, frequent deployments, and change in military status; remembering war experiences; and seeking opportunity for what is possible. Mental health issues can be observed in the themes. Including story as part of the mental health visit with veterans may be beneficial to veterans as they deal with the transition of coming back.
Large-scale, sequence-discriminative, joint adaptive training for masking-based robust ASR

Recently, it was shown that the performance of supervised timefrequency masking based robust automatic speech recognition techniques can be improved by training them jointly with the acoustic model [1]. The system in [1], termed deep neural network based joint adaptive training, used fully-connected feedforward deep neural networks for estimating time-frequency masks and for acoustic modeling; stacked log mel spectra was used as features and training minimized cross entropy loss. In this work, we extend such jointly trained systems in several ways. First, we use recurrent neural networks based on long short-term memory (LSTM) units – this allows the use of unstacked features, simplifying joint optimization. Next, we use a sequence discriminative training criterion for optimizing parameters. Finally, we conduct experiments on large scale data and show that joint adaptive training can provide gains over a strong baseline. Systematic evaluations on noisy voice-search data show relative improvements ranging from 2% at 15 dB to 5.4% at -5 dB over a sequence discriminative, multi-condition trained LSTM acoustic model.
Identification of acute brain failure using electronic medical records

Abstract Purpose Up to 80% of critically ill patients have acute neurologic dysfunction syndromes. We evaluated interrater reliability between the examination by the investigator and the charted assessment by the nurse because the accuracy and reliability of detailed data sets extracted from the electronic medical records represents a keystone for creating EMR-based definitions. Materials and methods We conducted a prospective observational study of intensive care unit (ICU) patients to assess the reliability of charted Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU, Glasgow Coma Scale (GSC), Full Outline of Unresponsiveness, and Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) scores, and a composite measure of ABF defined as new-onset coma or delirium. Trained investigator blinded to nursing assessments performed the neurologic evaluations that were compared with nursing documentation. Results A total of 202 observations were performed in 55 ICU patients. Excellent correlation was noted for GCS and Full Outline of Unresponsiveness scores on Bland-Altman plots (Pearson correlation 0.87 and 0.92, respectively). Correlation for Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU was also high ( κ = 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70-1.01). Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale had good agreement when scores were dichotomized as oversedated (less than − 2) vs not oversedated, with κ = 0.76 (95% CI, 0.54-0.98). Investigator assessment and nurse charting were highly concordant ( κ = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.71-0.99). Conclusion Neurologic assessments documented on the EMR are reliable.
Note on Reliability and Congruent Validity of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test with Disadvantaged Preschool Children

Because of its non-verbal nature, ease of administration and scoring the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test has been used widely with Head Start children. Here are reported data on reliability and validity of this test for a preschool, disadvantaged sample enrolled in a full-year Head Start program. During the 1967-68 academic year 159 Ss were individually administered the Peabody; Form B was given in the Fall and Form A in the Spring. During the 1968-69 academic year for another 143 children Form A was administered in the Fall and Form B in the Spring. Reliability coefficents based on IQs were .58 and .48 respectively (see Table 1 ) .
Euler's Theorem for Polyhedra: A Topologist and Geometer Respond

In their stimulating paper [1], to which we here make a friendly and constructive response the authors, Branko Grunbaum and Geoffrey Shephard, introduce the interesting geometric concept of polyhedral set, generalizing the familiar notion of polyhedron, but confining themselves, for their present purposes, to subsets of 1R3. They discuss dissections of such sets, especially relatively open convex dissections of bounded polyhedral sets and show, by easily accessible arguments, the nice properties of the Euler characteristic X relative to such dissections. They are thereby led to a formula for X(P), namely, Theorem 4 of [1],
Powered by DFT: Screening Methods That Accelerate Materials Development for Hydrogen in Metals Applications

CONSPECTUS: Not only is hydrogen critical for current chemical and refining processes, it is also projected to be an important energy carrier for future green energy systems such as fuel cell vehicles. Scientists have examined light metal hydrides for this purpose, which need to have both good thermodynamic properties and fast charging/discharging kinetics. The properties of hydrogen in metals are also important in the development of membranes for hydrogen purification. In this Account, we highlight our recent work aimed at the large scale screening of metal-based systems with either favorable hydrogen capacities and thermodynamics for hydrogen storage in metal hydrides for use in onboard fuel cell vehicles or promising hydrogen permeabilities relative to pure Pd for hydrogen separation from high temperature mixed gas streams using dense metal membranes. Previously, chemists have found that the metal hydrides need to hit a stability sweet spot: if the compound is too stable, it will not release enough hydrogen under low temperatures; if the compound is too unstable, the reaction may not be reversible under practical conditions. Fortunately, we can use DFT-based methods to assess this stability via prediction of thermodynamic properties, equilibrium reaction pathways, and phase diagrams for candidate metal hydride systems with reasonable accuracy using only proposed crystal structures and compositions as inputs. We have efficiently screened millions of mixtures of pure metals, metal hydrides, and alloys to identify promising reaction schemes via the grand canonical linear programming method. Pure Pd and Pd-based membranes have ideal hydrogen selectivities over other gases but suffer shortcomings such as sensitivity to sulfur poisoning and hydrogen embrittlement. Using a combination of detailed DFT, Monte Carlo techniques, and simplified models, we are able to accurately predict hydrogen permeabilities of metal membranes and screen large libraries of candidate alloys, selections of which are described in this Account. To further increase the number of membrane materials that can be studied with DFT, computational costs need to be reduced either through methods development to break bottlenecks in the performance prediction algorithm, particularly related to transition state identification, or through screening techniques that take advantage of correlations to bypass constraints.
Hydrocarbongeneration Macerals of Paleogene Source Rocks in Jianghan Basin

Jianghan basin is famous for lowmature oils under saline environmentFullscale analysis of organic petrology on the samples of Paleogene source rocks shows that the oils are believed to be from Qianjiang formation and Xingouzui formation The maceral content of both formations ranges from 04% to 83% by volume, averaging at 15% It is obviously lower than that of Paleogene in other basins of east ChinaTheir macerals are rich in sapropelinite,relatively rich in vitrinite and exinite , lack of inertinite, with mixture inputs of lower aquatic algae and terrestrial higher plants Alginite is a main hydrocarbongeneration maceral for lowmature oil in this basin The quantity of organic matters hidden in mineralbituminite groundmass is more than a half of the total organic matter and, consequently, deserves extra attention
The selection of drugs in office surgery.

The aim of this article is to suggest a rational, effective, and safe drug regimen that will satisfy the needs of both patients and surgeons in an outpatient ambulatory surgical setting. Commonly used drugs and local anesthetics are discussed.
Consumers’ Security Concerns: Does it Exist in the Context of Adopting RFID in the Healthcare Industry?

This study seeks to investigate consumers’ concerns with personal privacy, and security threats to personal information (Ohkubo et al 2005; Smith 2005). The context is potential consumers’ behavioral intention to adopt the RFID technology in the healthcare arena, and the research question explored is: Do patients have privacy concerns resulting from the application of RFID based tracking in the healthcare arena? While existing literature talks about consumer privacy issues in general as being incumbent upon the deployment of technology (Hossain and Prybutok 2008), or of adoption of RFID by the healthcare industry (Lee and Shim 2007), no research has been done specifically concerning the privacy of patients in the healthcare arena.
Reallocation of Public Sector Resources

The structure of incentives generates the signals that guide the allocation of resources and influence the division of investment among natural, physical and human capital. The structure of incentives cannot, however, determine the speed of response — the elasticity of supply — to economic opportunities. That depends on other things: initial conditions, institutional arrangements, the capabilities of people and government initiatives. In this chapter we shall focus on the role of government and in particular on the way government expenditure can contribute to human development.
Inflammasome activation in chronic glomerular diseases

Background The intracellular multiprotein complex termed the inflammasome functions as a platform of pro-inflammatory cytokine production such as IL-1β and IL-18. Under certain conditions, however, the inflammasome produces non-canonical effects such as induction of cell death, pyroptosis and cell metabolism alterations. Objective In mammalian cells, several types of inflammasomes were identified, but the most widely studied one is the inflammasome containing NOD-like receptor with pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3), which has recently been reported as a central pathogenic mechanism of chronic degenerative diseases. Many activators or risk factors exert their actions through the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome to produce a variety of functional changes in different cells including inflammatory, metabolic or survival responses. Several molecular signaling pathways are shown to mediate the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, and they are related to the modifications in K+ efflux, increased lysosome leakage and activation of cathepsin B or enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. In the kidney, inflammation is believed to mediate or promote the progression of glomerular sclerotic pathologies resulting in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). NLRP3 inflammasome activation may turn on glomerular inflammation and other cell damages, contributing to the onset of glomerular injury and ESRD. This inflammasome activation not only occurs in immune cells, but also in residential cells such as endothelial cells and podocytes in the glomeruli. Summary This review briefly summarizes current evidence of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and related molecular mechanisms in renal glomeruli. The possible canonical and non-canonical effects of this inflammasome activation and its potential implication in the development of different glomerular diseases are highlighted.
Sentiment Analysis on User Reviews Through Lexicon and Rule-Based Approach

Computers need data and humans need information. The process of converting data into useful information needs analysis to be done onto it. Reviews of customers are valuable as they are an important source of data for multiple purposes. However, these feedbacks are subjective, so extraction of information is not an easy task. This paper presents a different method of sentiment analysis research on reviews. The main focus is the data mining from multiple trustworthy sites and categorization of this data. The results are efficient and better than available multiple approaches. The paper concludes with recommendations and future work for giving a new direction to ontology-based opinion mining.
Low temperature growth of Germanium buffer films by ion beam sputter process

Low temperature (≤450°C) ion beam deposition was employed to grow polycrystalline Germanium (Ge) films on Si (100) crystal, polymer film, and glass. The effects of deposition temperatures and energies of sputtered atoms on the crystal quality of Ge films were studied. XRD characterization of the material showed that at above 300°C, Ge films had a phase transition from amorphous to polycrystalline structure. Samples deposited at 1000eV beam energy had the best crystallinity Successful results have been achieved by growing up to 600 nm thick poly-Ge film layers at 450°C substrate temperature on plastic and glass substrates.
Burden of Hand Maladies in US Emergency Departments.

BACKGROUND Hand conditions commonly present to the emergency department (ED), yet data are lacking regarding the magnitude of hand-related conditions in the emergency setting. The purpose of this study is to describe the burden and quantify the health care resource utilization of hand conditions seen in EDs across the United States. METHODS Using the National Emergency Department Sample, we identified all ED encounters by patients at least 18 years of age that were associated with a hand condition in 2009 to 2012. The primary outcomes were prevalence, etiology, and associated health care charges for specific categories of hand conditions. RESULTS The final sample included 34.4 million ED encounters associated with a common hand condition generating $180.4 billion in health care charges. The volume of hand-related presentations varied in a predictable and cyclical manner, peaking in July and waning in December of each year. Trauma was the most common etiology (77.5%) predominantly due to falls (26.2%) and lacerations (19.7%). Over 4 years, the volume of ED encounters rose (5% increase, P < .001) and as did the resulting health care charges (24.6% increase, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Our study confirms that hand-related conditions contribute significantly to ED volume and consume a growing quantity of health care resources in the United States. The volume of patients presenting to EDs with hand-related conditions fluctuates cyclically throughout the year. Open wounds are the most common cause of presentation and mostly occur in young adults, followed by joint pain, contusions, and fractures.
Hippocratic Databases: Current Capabilities and Future Trends

Hippocratic databases (HDBs) are a class of database systems that accept responsibility for the privacy and security of information they manage without impeding legitimate use and disclosure. HDBs ensure that only authorized individuals have access to sensitive information and that any disclosure of this information is for proper purposes. They empower individuals to consent to specific uses and disclosures of their information and to verify the enterprise’s compliance with its privacy policies. HDBs also employ technical safeguards to ensure the security of the information they manage. Further, they use advanced information sharing and analytics to enable enterprises to gain maximum value from information without compromising security or individual privacy. In this chapter, we outline the founding principles of a Hippocratic database, describe several technologies that advance these principles, evaluate the state of the art in HDB-enabling technologies, and suggest opportunities for future research.
Note: Smith v. Obama: A Neo-Classical After Action Review

After receiving orders to deploy in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, U.S. Army Captain (CPT) Nathan Michael Smith became concerned that without a more explicit Congressional Authorization for the Use of Military Force, those orders might be unconstitutional. With the advice of Yale Law School Professor Bruce Ackerman, CPT Smith took it upon himself to sue the issuing authority, his very own Commander-in-Chief, to determine the validity of those orders. Given those circumstances, this Note evaluates CPT Smith's decision to sue President Obama by utilizing neo-classical professional theory. Ultimately, this Note concludes that for junior military officers, at least, the decision to sue one's very own Commander-in-Chief in a United States District Court does not conform to neo-classical professional norms. For junior military officers that find themselves in similar circumstances to CPT Smith, this Note concludes by providing a better way forward.
The Pathogenesis of Methylhydrazine Sulfate Induced Distal Tail Gangrene

Finely divided methylhydrazine sulfate was fed to 42 rats at a concentration of 300 mg per kg of ground commercial diet. After 42 days most of the rats developed hyperkeratosis and edema of the terminal 2-6 cm of the tail. Twenty-five rats fed longer than 98 days all developed tail tip gangrene varying in length from 0.4 to 2.5 cm. Since 24 control rats which were fed the ground commercial diet grew satisfactorily and did not develop any alterations in the skin of the tail, the tail tip gangrene is ascribed to the presence of MHS in the diet. In view of the presence of epidermal hyperplasia and edema in every instance, and the occurrence of acute folliculitis in a majority of test rats, the tail tip gangrene is believed to be due to epithelial alterations rather than an injury of the blood vessels. This experimental model may prove useful for epidermal studies, because MHS fed rats are active and energetic. Secondly, the MHS skin changes apparently can be produced more rapidly than with diets deficient in unsaturated fatty acids.
On robust forward invariance of sets for hybrid dynamical systems

Forward invariance with robustness to disturbances for hybrid dynamical systems modeled by hybrid inclusions with state-dependent conditions enabling flows and jumps is studied. In particular, we study forward invariance notions that apply to systems with hybrid inputs and disturbances with nonlinear dynamics, for which not every solution is unique or may exist for arbitrary long hybrid time. Given state-feedback laws, notions of robust forward invariance of sets for closed-loop system are introduced. Sufficient conditions in terms of the objects defining the system are presented. One result using Lyapunov-based conditions removes the usual Lipschitz constraint on continuous dynamics. A bouncing ball example is given to illustrate major results.
Performance guarantees of spectral methods for passive sensing of multiple channels

We study passive sensing of time invariant systems, which is cast as a multichannel blind deconvolution problem. In a particular scenario where the unknown channel impulse responses are time limited, spectral methods based on the commutativity of convolution have been proposed in 1990s, but these classical methods suffer from noise sensitivity. Inspired from the observation that certain applications allow extra priors on the coefficients of the impulse responses, the authors proposed a modified spectral method from the classical methods for improved noise tolerance and provided non-asymptotic error analysis. In this paper, we provide a sharpened error bound by using recently developed analysis tools. A Monte Carlo simulation confirms that the empirical performance of the spectral method is aligned with the new error bound.
Phase-Change Memory Device Architecture

In this chapter we review the main categories of device architectures that have been studied and realized in order to exploit the phase-change mechanism in electronic devices.
Quantum Oscillation from In-Gap States and a Non-Hermitian Landau Level Problem

Motivated by recent experiments on Kondo insulators, we theoretically study quantum oscillations from disorder-induced in-gap states in small-gap insulators. By solving a non-Hermitian Landau level problem that incorporates the imaginary part of electron's self-energy, we show that the oscillation period is determined by the Fermi surface area in the absence of the hybridization gap, and we derive an analytical formula for the oscillation amplitude as a function of the indirect band gap, scattering rates, and temperature. Over a wide parameter range, we find that the effective mass is controlled by scattering rates, while the Dingle factor is controlled by the indirect band gap. We also show the important effect of scattering rates in reshaping the quasiparticle dispersion in connection with angle-resolved photoemission measurements on heavy fermion materials.
Generalized Finite-Difference Time-Domain method with absorbing boundary conditions for solving the nonlinear Schrödinger equation on a GPU

Abstract Explicit absorbing boundary conditions (ABCs) are presented for the recently developed Generalized Finite-Difference Time-Domain (G-FDTD) method for solving the nonlinear Schrodinger equation so that the method can be used for unbounded domains when the analytical solution along the boundary is unknown. The ABC scheme results from the Box-like discretization of Engquist–Majda one-way wave equations. Using the energy-weighted wave-number parameter selection method, the ABCs are made to be adaptive. By simulating the impact of solitons onto the computational boundary, the reflection coefficient is numerically shown to be function of the incoming soliton’s wave number and other simulation parameters. Furthermore, a parallelized algorithm is developed for implementing the G-FDTD method with ABCs. The algorithm, when implemented on a GPU, is shown to give a 200-times speedup for large simulations as compared with a CPU. Examples are given to show the applicability of the algorithm.
Studies of antibody-antigen interactions by capillary electrophoresis: A review

Antibody-antigen interactions are vital in immunoassay development and can determine detection limits and analysis times. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a powerful technique that can be used to quantify antibody-antigen interactions. These CE methods range from simple separations of a premixed antibody and antigen sample applied as a short plug to allow for separation of complex, free antibody, and free antigen to more complex systems which inject complexed samples in the presence of antibody or antigen; or even injections of antibody and antigen sequentially. The objective of this review is to identify and describe various CE techniques which have been used to study antibody-antigen interactions. A brief discussion of linear and nonlinear curve fitting is also included.
High-performance millimeter-wave beamformers with built-in self-test

•Phased arrays are the enabling technology for 5G-mmW; however, research is needed to find new architectures having improved performance, reduced cost, and built-in test capabilities: — Power efficiency and/or size of array: •By using improved SiGePA techniques, including harmonic termination, we can improve the back-off efficiency by ∼5X. •Reconfigurablity of array: — By using Dual-Vector Doherty, we can reconfigure the TX between a Doherty mode with improved efficiency and class-AB with improved linearity. — Built-in Self-Test of arrays: •By using code-modulated interferometry, we can extract amplitude and phase responses of all elements in parallel using a simply power detector.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus and the Paradoxes of Postcolonial Redemption

As a postcolonial text, Purble Hibiscus critiques the associated violences of Christian religion, colonial forces, and patriarchal domination. Yet it also complicates this indictment through parallel critiques of Igbo culture through contrasting characters whose own beliefs manifest the proliferated possibilities of a secular age: Not repudiation of Igbo culture or of Christianity, but a dynamic process of critique and embrace that exemplifies the cultural hermeneutics suggested by West African theologian Mercy Amba Odyoye. To do justice to the text, readers in a Western location must resist the urge to overlook either side of this risky and difficult paradox.
Complement Component 3 (C3) Is Transcriptionally Regulated By TWIST1

C3, a central component of the complement system, is a plasma protein that is synthesized in the liver. We have found that malignant epithelial cells are also able to synthesize and secrete C3. The regulation of expression of the C3 gene in malignant cells is not well understood. We found that C3 is highly expressed in various cancer cell lines (Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia: CCLE) and cancerous human patient tissues (The Cancer Genome Atlas: TCGA). We then explored which transcription factors were responsible for regulating C3 gene expression in ovarian cancer cells. To determine C3 transcription factors, we performed a gene promoter analysis, which identified a TWIST1-binding consensus motif on the C3 gene promoter. The TWIST proteins (TWIST1 and TWIST2) are well known transcription factors are associated with more advanced, invasive and metastatic lesions. There is significant evidence suggesting that TWIST1 promotes tumor progression. To investigate whether TWIST1 is a transcription factor of C3 in human ovarian cancer cells, we performed a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis and confirmed TWIST1 binding at the C3 promoter ([Figure 1A,][1] [1B][1] and [1c][1]). The C3 promoter binding affinity is 5.83-fold higher in Twist antibody used pull down compared to the IgG control (n=3, p=0.001, t-test, [Figure 1C][1]). To investigate the functional effect of TWIST1 binding to C3 promoter, we performed a Luciferase reporter gene analysis, showing that a mutant TWIST1 binding site on the C3 promoter decreases luciferase reporter gene activity (control vs. C3 vs. mC3=1 vs. 3.3 vs.1.8, n=3, p=0.01, t-test, [Figure 1D ][1]and [1E][1]). ![Figure 1][2] Figure 1 C3 is a target gene of TWIST1. Next, we manipulated expression of the Twist1 gene in ovarian cancer cells and monitored its effect on C3 gene expression. Small interfering RNAs (siRNA) against Twist1 drastically reduced C3 expression (n=3, p=0.01, t-test, [Figure 1F][1]); on the other hand, transducing these cells with lentivirus containing Twist1 increased C3 expression (n=3, p=0.01, t-test, [Figure 1G][1]). Therefore, we conclude that there is a positive correlation between expression of C3 and TWIST1 in ovarian cancer cells. Taken together, these data provide evidence that a novel transcription factor of C3, TWIST1, upregulates C3 expression in malignant cancer cells, leading to an increase in cell proliferative potential. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [1]: #F1 [2]: pending:yes
Electrolyte Solutions, Plasmas, and Screening

Our development of statistical mechanics of interacting particles has implicitly referred to systems having short-ranged forces between the particles. If the forces are of sufficiently long range (to be precise, if they do not fall off more swiftly than r −4) the cluster integrals would not converge. (See Problem 21-1.) Forces of range longer than r −4 are significant under a variety of conditions. The Coulomb and gravitational potentials give r − 2 forces. Coulomb interactions are important for, e.g., electrolyte solutions and melts, chemical equilibria of zwitterions, weak organic acids, polyelectrolyte solutions, free electrons in liquid ammonia, and plasmas. Many-particle systems with dominant gravitational forces include stars in clusters and galaxies in the Universe.
Building A Bridge Between AB Initio and Semiempirical Theories of Molecular Electronic Structure

The phenomenal increase in computer capabilities, new theoretical developments, and advances in algorithms have sparked a likewise phenomenal increase in the capabilities of ab initio electronic structure methods for accurately describing molecular electronic structure. Thus, ab initio electronic structure computer “packages” are now available to the general scientific community, and their usage is in a rapid stage of growth. While there is a concomitant increase in the sizes of molecules that may be accurately treated with ab initio methods, interesting molecular systems always exist that far exceed the capabilities of the most advanced ab initio electronic structure approaches. Consequently, many approximate and semiempirical electronic structure methods are and must always continue to be necessary for describing the electronic properties of these large systems.