cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automation and Systems Analysis

Automation is one important aspect of advanced plant production systems within controlled environments. Building on the successful foundation of mechanization, automation is aiming at operating machines requiring minimum human supervision. This means that machines need to be equipped with human-like abilities of perception, reasoning/learning, communication, and task planning/execution. Examples of automation research at Rutgers University will be presented to illustrate each of these machine abilities. Systems analysis is a methodology which starts with the definition of a system and leads to the conclusion regarding the system’s workability, productivity, reliability, and other performance indicators. In implementing a plant based engineering system, proper and effective functioning of the entire system is the ultimate goal. The importance of systems level analysis is therefore obvious. To facilitate the analysis, an automation-culture-environment oriented systems analysis methodology, namely ACE_SYS, has been under development at Rutgers University in recent years. The purpose of ACE_SYS is to provide a concurrent science/engineering cyber environment for analyzing systems consisting of automation, culture of biological objects, and controlled environment. The plant based engineering systems studied at Rutgers University have evolved from greenhouses to integrated controlled environment plant production systems (CEPPS) and to the inclusion of phytoremediation and bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS for long duration space exploration missions). The term “phytomation” has therefore been created to describe the overall, more encompassing plant based engineering system concept. Representative phytomation systems will be described with emphasis on integration at the systems level.
Gasser, Herbert Spencer

American physiologist Herbert Spencer Gasser (1888–1963) shared the 1944 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with his collaborator, Joseph Erlanger (1874–1965), for their work on “the highly differentiated functions of single nerve fibers.” The award recognized their roles in developing the amplifier with cathode-ray oscilloscope as a basic tool of modern neurophysiology.
Exxonmobil and the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline (B): The Pipeline Becomes a Reality

This case picks up after the end of "ExxonMobil and the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline (A)," presenting additional facts and advances in the story, and setting up a new challenging decision to be made about the project.
Examining the Impact of Adaptively Faded Worked Examples on Student Learning Outcomes

the purpose of this study was to explore effective ways to design guided practices within a web-based mathematics problem solving tutorial. specifically, this study examined student learning outcome differences between two support designs (e.g. adaptively faded and fixed). in the adaptively faded design, students were presented with problems in which learning tasks and support were individualized based on student proficiency on key component problem solving skills (i.e. text comprehension, problem categorization, problem representation, solution planning and execution, and self-evaluation). in the fixed support design, students were presented with fully worked examples irrespective of proficiency levels. the tutorial was implemented in high school mathematics courses at a small rural independent school district in the southwestern area of the United states. a total of 35 high school students were randomly assigned to one of two tutorial designs. data were obtained through questionnaires, sur veys, student logs, and performance tests. Results indicated no significant differences in perceived mental effort and student achievement however, a significant difference was found in regard to tutorial study time.
Integrated optical diagnostics for miniature devices

Methods to perform optical diagnostics in MEMS and meso-scale devices are described. The techniques utilize waveguide technology whose materials are similar to those used for MEMS fabrication. To achieve maximum optical access, these waveguides are integrated into microdevices at the time of fabrication. Possible optical diagnostics include species concentration measurements, particulate detection, and droplet characterization. Owing to the small characteristic length scales involved, these measurements are not spatially resolved, but rather can provide and “on-off’ answer unobtainable without an integrated diagnostics approach. Also, micro-machined, in sitzl, diagnostic techniques suitable for on-board spacecraft health monitoring is discussed.
Visual and Genetic Components of House Fly Courtship

The visual components of courtship and mating behavior in the house fly, Musca domestica L., are examined through the use of a green-eyed, visually deficient mutant strain. The effects of light intensity and genotypic frequencies are considered in a series of five experimental mating schemes. Standard and reciprocal mating schemes illustrate that flies lacking ommatidial shielding pigments mate at a slower rate and less frequently than wild type flies under high (23,700 lux) light intensities. At low (90 lux) light levels, the gn/gn flies showed behaviors approaching normal. The degree of visual acuity is shown to effect the courtship and mating efficiency of both male and female flies. Three experimental mating schemes involving males of both mutant and wild genotypes at various frequencies and densities demonstrated the effect of genetic deficiencies on matess competition.
VISUALIZING MULTIVARIATE SELECTION.

Recent developments in quantitative-genetic theory have shown that natural selection can be viewed as the multivariate relationship between fitness and phenotype. This relationship can be described by a multidimensional surface depicting fitness as a function of phenotypic traits. We examine the connection between this surface and the coefficients of phenotypic selection that can be estimated by multiple regression and show how the interpretation of multivariate selection can be facilitated through the use of the method of canonical analysis. The results from this analysis can be used to visualize the surface implied by a set of selection coefficients. Such a visualization provides a compact summary of selection coefficients, can aid in the comparison of selection surfaces, and can help generate testable hypotheses as to the adaptive significance of the traits under study. Further, we discuss traditional definitions of directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection and conclude that selection may be more usefully classified into two general modes, directional and nonlinear selection, with stabilizing and disruptive selection as special cases of nonlinear selection.
The Selection of Thirteenth-Century Disputes for Litigation

Priest and Klein's seminal 1984 article argued that litigated cases differ systematically and predictably from settled cases. This article tests the Priest-Klein selection model using a data set of thirteenth-century English cases. These cases are especially informative because juries rendered verdicts even in settled cases, so one can directly compare verdicts in settled and litigated cases. The results are consistent with the predictions of the Priest-Klein article, as well as with the asymmetric-information selection models developed by Hylton and Shavell.
Theoretical Principles of Immunocryosurgery

Cryosurgery has been used increasingly to treat different benign, premalignant, and malignant skin lesions as well as a variety of internal malignancies. Proposed primary advantages of cryosurgery in comparison to other destructive/ablative modalities include minimal morbidity, easy application, and low cost. The fact that tumor remains “in situ” upon cryosurgery procedure has tremendous importance for an induction of antitumoral response triggered by natural absorption of malignant tissue, which releases hidden tumoral epitopes after intracellular cryoinjury. Many reports have shown distal disease regression after cryoablation of primary tumor as well as appearance of antitumor antibodies, specific cytotoxic T cells, or efficient antigen-presenting cells priming upon cryodestruction. Until very recently the literature has been controversial on the issue. Lately, cryoimmunological responses could be adequately measured due to a development of good, immunological assays. Cryoimmunology encompasses factors affecting success of cryoablation like time and amount of freeze, type of the tumor treated, ratio of induced apoptosis vs. necrosis or necroptosis, type of inflammatory infiltrate (macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils), relationship of T-regulatory cells vs. T cytotoxic cells, and change in the tumor microenvironment. However, the generation of antitumor immune response is complex and several factors may contribute not only to a positive response but also tilt it to the opposite direction, including immune suppression. Further directions would possibly include clarification and definition of ideal parameters for optimal destruction of tumor and induction of strong protective immunity with the obliteration of distant disease.
MEMS directional acoustic sensor for locating sound sources

The conventional directional sound sensing systems employ an array of spatially separated microphones to achieve directional sensing. However, there are insects such as Ormia ochracea fly that can determine the direction of sound using a miniature hearing organ much smaller than the wavelength of sound it detects. The MEMS based sensors mimicking the fly’s hearing system was fabricated using SOI substrate with 25 micrometer device layer. The sensor was designed to operate around 1.7 kHz, consists of two 1.2 mm × 1.2 mm wings connected in the middle by a 3 mm × 30 micrometer bridge. The entire structure is connected to the substrate by two torsional legs at the center. The sensor operates at its bending resonance frequency and has cosine directional characteristics similar to that of a pressure gradient microphone. For unambiguously determining the direction of sound, two sensors were assembled with a canted angle and outputs of the two sensors were processed to uniquely locate the bearing. At the bending resonant frequency (1.7 kHz) an output voltage of about 25 V/Pa was measured. The uncertainty of the bearing of sound ranged from less than 0.3 degrees close to the normal axis (0 degree) to 3 degrees at the limits of coverage (± 60 degrees) based on the 30 degree canted angle used. These findings indicate the potential use of a dual MEMS direction finding sensor assembly to locate sound sources with high accuracy.
The Application of Technology to Health: The Evolution of Telephone to Telemedicine and Telepsychiatry: A Historical Review and Look at Human Factors

Technology innovation has irrefutably changed communication, relationships, business, and healthcare. Telegraphy was applied to healthcare early in the 1700s and together with the telephone, began to have a significant impact by the 1900s. Some publications have outlined technology’s march into healthcare and particularly its transformation into telemedicine while others have similarly described its evolving role in psychiatric or mental health care. The use of technology to provide support to those suffering from illness was realized early and its capacity to facilitate care for the underserved, those at a distance, or those for whom care was inaccessible is captured in narratives, a few journal articles, letters, and in cartoons. Its application to mental and/or behavioral health services was initially embraced due to non-physical care dimensions. At the same time, however, psychological and human factors have propelled, transformed, and currently shape healthcare delivery via technology while the narratives of how and why people use technology inform and may direct our future work.
Learning from super-mutants: searching post-apocalyptic software ecosystems for novel semantics-preserving transforms

In light of recent advances in genetic-algorithm-driven automated program modification, our team has been actively exploring the art, engineering, and discovery of novel semantics-preserving transforms. While modern compilers represent some of the best ideas we have for automated program modification, current approaches represent only a small subset of the types of transforms which can be achieved. In the wilderness of post-apocalyptic software ecosystems of genetically-modified and mutant programs, there exist a broad array of potentially useful software mutations, including semantics-preserving transforms that may play an important role in future software design, development, and most importantly, evolution.
Scholastics, Pabulum, Clans, Transformation: A Journey into Otherness

International students’ identities are complex and so are their needs. Semistructured interviews with 13 of the lead researcher’s former students from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, who are multi-national, multi-lingual and pursuing degrees in law, business, economics, medicine, education, art and media, in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia elucidated this reality. Their experiences demonstrated scholastic and pabulum frustrations that were offset in part by constant communication with their clans in person and through various technologies. Though the current model of higher education often seeks to identify and categorize international students as a group, this study shows that international students are unique individuals. Recognizing their individuality, higher education institutions and policymakers can more appropriately respond to international students’ needs.
Trauma characteristics and sleep impairment among trauma-exposed children.

Abstract Trauma-related sleep difficulties are quite common and their functional and clinical importance are increasingly recognized. High rates of sleep problems have been documented among trauma-exposed adults, particularly those diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, research with trauma-exposed children is relatively limited. Research specifically with child samples is critical due to the numerous developmental and functional implications that may result from sleep impairment. Characteristics of the traumatic event may play a key role in understanding sleep difficulties, yet, these associations are not well understood among trauma-exposed children. The current study therefore investigated whether aspects of the traumatic event (i.e., type, nature, chronicity, age of onset, removal from home, and complex trauma) were related to higher levels of sleep disturbances among 276 treatment-seeking children ages 6–18 years ( M = 10.88, SD = 3.39; 63.4% female; 62.7% Black). Sleep problems were common in this sample. Domestic and community violence exposure were associated with higher levels of select sleep difficulties, as were interpersonal trauma, chronic trauma, a trauma that began early in life, and complex trauma. Nonetheless, type of trauma and characteristics of the traumatic event were largely unrelated to sleep problems on either caregiver’s or children’s reports. Removal from the home was not linked with sleep impairment. Although findings signify the relevance of sleep disturbances among trauma-exposed children, trauma characteristics may have limited influence on sleep problems.
Surface chemical heterogeneity modulates silica surface hydration.

An in-depth knowledge of the interaction of water with amorphous silica is critical to fundamental studies of interfacial hydration water, as well as to industrial processes such as catalysis, nanofabrication, and chromatography. Silica has a tunable surface comprising hydrophilic silanol groups and moderately hydrophobic siloxane groups that can be interchanged through thermal and chemical treatments. Despite extensive studies of silica surfaces, the influence of surface hydrophilicity and chemical topology on the molecular properties of interfacial water is not well understood. In this work, we controllably altered the surface silanol density, and measured surface water diffusivity using Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) and complementary silica–silica interaction forces across water using a surface forces apparatus (SFA). The results show that increased silanol density generally leads to slower water diffusivity and stronger silica–silica repulsion at short aqueous separations (less than ∼4 nm). Both techniques show sharp changes in hydration properties at intermediate silanol densities (2.0–2.9 nm−2). Molecular dynamics simulations of model silica–water interfaces corroborate the increase in water diffusivity with silanol density, and furthermore show that even on a smooth and crystalline surface at a fixed silanol density, adjusting the spatial distribution of silanols results in a range of surface water diffusivities spanning ∼10%. We speculate that a critical silanol cluster size or connectivity parameter could explain the sharp transition in our results, and can modulate wettability, colloidal interactions, and surface reactions, and thus is a phenomenon worth further investigation on silica and chemically heterogeneous surfaces.
Mindful Walking: Transforming Distant Web of Social Connections into Active Qualitative Empirical Materials from a Postmodern Flâneuse’s Perspective

Mindful walking is an effective way to make what is unfamiliar familiar and what is familiar unfamiliar, allowing the researcher to critically examine moments of research environment. This method was used to conduct an ethnographic case study of an art museum in the Midwestern United States in 2011, and further developed when returning to the same museum and community to conduct a follow-up study in 2015. The method will be further theorized using the concept of curious spectator or flâneur. By negotiating and renegotiating a researcher’s position in a real research setting, this chapter also demonstrates the nuanced, vulnerable, and subjective contemporary flâneuse, who strives to make an entangled research web a bit clearer and more visible to those who are not present in the research setting.
Face-enhancing compliments in informal conversations in Valencian Spanish

This article presents the results of an analysis conducted on politeness in informal conversations in Peninsular Spanish; more specifically, on the use of compliments in casual Valencian Spanish with face-enhancing effects. Face-enhancing compliments typically have the primary function of constituting and reinforcing the face of the addressee. The compliments that were analyzed consisted of positive comments about the complimentees’ belongings, people related to them, their actions, and their qualities. Most of these face-enhancing compliments were exchanged in situations defined by a high degree of communicative immediacy (Koch & Oesterreicher 1985) and conventionality. The settings where these compliments were produced, plus their discursive, structural and formal features, illustrate their formulaic nature. Among the most important of these features is the fact that there is a predominance of face-enhancing compliments (1) formulated as declarative, copulative and exclamatory sentences; (2) containing a short repertoire of adjectives with a positive meaning; (3) modified by intensifiers that help to reinforce and guarantee the face-enhancing effect of the speech act; (4) consisting of isolated utterances; (5) occupying a second turn position in adjacency pairs; and (6) that were rarely responded to with direct acceptances by their addressees.
Eigenstate Selection in Open Quantum Dot Systems: On the True Nature of Level Broadening

We show that transport in open quantum dots can be mediated by single eigenstates, even when the leads allow several propagating modes. The broadening of these states, generally localized in the interior, can be virtually independent of lead width. As such, the Thouless argument, invoked to suggest that all states should be unresolvable under these conditions, can in fact fail. Thus, any transport theory based on such assumptions (in particular, random matrix theory) must be called into question, as the fluctuations produced by these states can in fact dominate the conductance. These trapped states also produce interesting and potentially useful effects in coupled dot systems as well.
Optimal Ultrasonic Flaw Detection Using a Frequency Diversity Technique

The major problem in an ultrasonic flaw detection system is the presence of microstructure noise (clutter) resulting from scattering at grain boundaries. Ultrasonic grain echoes are random in amplitude and arrival time and often interfere and mask the flaw echo. Grain echoes are stationary and correlated from scan to scan in the same propagation path. An effective method of decorrelating grain echoes can be achieved by changing the frequency from scan to scan, a method known as frequency diversity. In practice frequency diverse grain echoes can be obtained by transmitting a broadband echo through the materials and bandpass filtering the received echoes over many bands of frequencies. At any given time the outputs of bandpass filters are the features representing information related to flaw or grain echoes. Although these outputs are random, the statistics of flaws and grains echoes are different. This situation permits application of statistical pattern recognition using a Bayes classifier. Experimental data and computer simulation have confirmed that flaw and clutter echoes over different frequency bands have a Gaussian distribution with different covariance matrices. For this situation the Bayes classifier is quadratic and provides optimal flaw detection performance. Presented here is the design of an optimal classifier with experimental and simulated results.
Women caregivers, women wage earners: Social policy perspectives in Norway

Abstract This paper assesses the connection between women's political representation and social policies affecting the welfare of the group of individuals most vulnerable to economic impoverishment, single mothers. In general, integrative wage labor and child-care policies are progressing at a faster rate in the small and homogeneous society of Norway as compared to the U.S.A. Norway, however, lags behind other Scandinavian nations in initiating some of the components of comprehensive child care policies, including mother's allowance, transitional benefit allowance, reduction in the gender gap in earnings, parental leave, day care, child support collection, and income disregard to enable welfare recipients to make successful transition into wage labor. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of feminist scholarship and activism, which first must impact values and philosophies underlying policy formulations before significant improvements in the welfare of mother-headed families can be accomplished.
Improving Computational Efficiency of Prediction in Model-Based Prognostics Using the Unscented Transform

Model-based prognostics captures system knowledge in the form of physics-based models of components, and how they fail, in order to obtain accurate predictions of end of life (EOL). EOL is predicted based on the estimated current state distribution of a component and expected profiles of future usage. In general, this requires simulations of the component using the underlying models. In this paper, we develop a simulation-based prediction methodology that achieves computational efficiency by performing only the minimal number of simulations needed in order to accurately approximate the mean and variance of the complete EOL distribution. This is performed through the use of the unscented transform, which predicts the means and covariances of a distribution passed through a nonlinear transformation. In this case, the EOL simulation acts as that nonlinear transformation. In this paper, we review the unscented transform, and describe how this concept is applied to efficient EOL prediction. As a case study, we develop a physics-based model of a solenoid valve, and perform simulation experiments to demonstrate improved computational efficiency without sacrificing prediction accuracy.
Impact of 1p/19q codeletion status on extent of resection in WHO grade II glioma: Insights from a national cancer registry.

Abstract Objective Traditionally, extent of resection (EOR) has been seen as a surgical parameter that can predict survival outcomes of surgically managed WHO grade II gliomas. The aim of this study was to evaluate if such an influence was potentially affected by 1p/19q codeletion status based on a national cancer registry. Patient and methods All adults diagnosed with grade II gliomas between the years 2004 to 2014 were queried from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The population was then divided based on 1p/19q codeletion status, and then Kaplan-Meier, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were utilized to evaluate the prognostic effect of EOR. Results In total, 1,498 grade II gliomas satisfied inclusion for analysis, with the 1p/19q non-codeleted in 705 (47%) cases, and codeletion in 793 (53%) cases. When the cohort was divided based on codeletion status, Kaplan-Meier modelling and univariate regression analyses indicated that gross total resection (GTR) was significantly associated with greater 5-overall survival (OS) in both 1p/19q non-codeleted and codeletion groups. Upon multivariate analysis which incorporated adjuvant therapy status, the significance of GTR was only retained in the 1p/19q non-codeletion group after post-hoc adjustment. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the survival impact of GTR in grade II gliomas may be affected by 1p/19q codeletion status within the first five years after surgery based on overall survival. Therefore, molecular diagnostics have potential clinical application in surgery outcomes, and validation of the reported findings will assist in surgical planning if such an association can be thoroughly established.
Compact Riemann Surfaces

In this chapter, we consider some facts concerning holomorphic line bundles (and their holomorphic sections) on compact Riemann surfaces. We first consider conditions that guarantee the existence of holomorphic sections with prescribed values. Unlike the open Riemann surface case (in which one has Theorem 3.11.5), a holomorphic line bundle need not have the positivity required for such a section to exist. For example, the space of holomorphic functions on a compact Riemann surface X has dimension 1, and a negative holomorphic line bundle on X has no nontrivial global holomorphic sections. After the above considerations, we consider the fact that a holomorphic line bundle is positive if and only if its degree is positive, and we then consider finiteness of Dolbeault cohomology. The Riemann–Roch formula is then proved (using finiteness). Finally, we consider the Serre duality theorem and the Hodge decomposition theorem, and some of their consequences. Different approaches to the above facts appear in, for example, Forster (Lectures on Riemann Surfaces, Springer, 1981) and Narasimhan (Compact Riemann Surfaces, Birkhauser, 1992).
Pulsed laminar falling films in vertical tubes: Maintaining a continuous liquid film with reduced film thickness

Abstract Falling-liquid-film heat transfer is important to a wide variety of industrial applications, including two-phase thermosyphons, falling-film evaporators in the food industry, heat exchangers in fuel-ethanol processing, and the chemical service industry. Particularly for laminar falling films, the heat transfer increases as the film thickness decreases, hence it is desirable to keep the films as thin as possible. This paper presents a periodically-pulsed flow concept to reduce the average mass flow inside a vertical tube. The technique provides thinner films than can be achieved with continuous flow. A drainage model is adopted to predict the film thickness as a function of flow rate and location along the tube. The concept is confirmed experimentally by measuring the film thickness in real time in a circular tube using a laser-based absorption technique. A new heat-transfer-based film continuity measurement is also integrated into the optical film measurement setup. Water at ambient temperature and pressure is used for this work. Film thickness reductions of up to 60%, and liquid-film volume-flow reductions of up to 80% compared to the minimum continuous-flow film have been obtained. The time-varying film thickness profile can also be controlled to a limited extent, which may be of interest for process industries.
Transylvian Clip Occlusion of an Enlarging High-Flow Tentorial Arteriovenous Fistula: 2-Dimensional Operative Video

Endovascular therapy is the primary treatment for the majority of tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVF). Surgical occlusion is an effective alternative when embolization is not possible. This video demonstrates microsugical occlusion of a right-sided tentorial dAVF in a symptomatic 45-yr-old male. The dAVF was fed directly by meningohypophyseal trunk. Venous drainage was retrograde through the sphenoparietal sinus, superficial sylvian vein, vein of Labee, and transverse sinus. The patient underwent a right-sided pterional craniotomy; the sylvian fissure was widely opened. Subarachoid dissection was performed until a large arterialized draining vein was identified exiting dura subtemporally. Intraoperative indocyanine green angiography confirmed the fistulous site and the draining vein was occluded and divided. The patient remained neurologically intact after surgery. Immediate angiography demonstrates complete occlusion of the dAVF. This video demonstrates the surgical access obtained through a transylvian approach for this tentorial dAVF. Occlusion of the draining vein, with or without resection of the fistula, is enough to permanently treat these lesions.
AUTOIMMUNE DIABETES IN A PATIENT WITH HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS ON ANTI-RETROVIRAL THERAPY WITH LITERATURE REVIEW.

ABSTRACT Objective Diabetes that develops in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals is typically classified as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although less commonly reported, it has been shown that autoimmune diabetes can also develop in this population. Methods We present a case of a patient found to have autoimmune diabetes following initiation of anti-retroviral therapy. Results A 68-year-old, African American man with human immunodeficiency virus had a nadir CD4 count of 2 cells/μL, which improved with anti-retroviral therapy. He was subsequently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus but developed worsening glycemic control. Further investigation demonstrated an elevated glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody level >250 IU/mL and a declining C peptide level from 1.82 ng/mL to 0.56 ng/mL. He was ultimately diagnosed with autoimmune diabetes that was treated with insulin glargine and insulin aspart with improvement in his glycemic control. Conclusion Autoimmune diabetes in this case was attributed to immune reconstitution after anti-retroviral therapy led to recovery from a significantly low CD4 count. While this phenomenon has been described in previous case reports, our case was unique in that autoimmune diabetes affected an older African American man, a different demographic than previously reported. Although the true mechanism of this association remains unknown, the recognition of autoimmune diabetes is crucial as it greatly impacts diabetes management. Abbreviations AIDS acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ART anti-retroviral therapy BMI body mass index DKA diabetic ketoacidosis GAD glutamic acid decarboxylase HIV human immunodeficiency virus IDDM insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus IRIS immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome LADA latent autoimmune diabetes in the adult T1DM type 1 diabetes mellitus T2DM type 2 diabetes mellitus
Macular crystalline inclusions in Sjögren-Larsson syndrome are dynamic structures that undergo remodeling

Sjogren-Larsson syndrome (SLS) is a rare genetic neurocutaneous disease caused by mutations in ALDH3A2 that results in deficiency of fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase and accumulation of fatty aldehydes...
The Effects of Fasting Status on the Relative Risk of Pulmonary Aspiration in Acute Care Surgery Patients

BackgroundAcute care surgery patients are often unfasted at the time of surgery, presenting a unique opportunity to study the effects of fasting on the risk of pulmonary aspiration. We aimed to det...
Single Metal Photodetectors Using Plasmonically-Active Asymmetric Gold Nanostructures

Plasmonic-based photodetectors are receiving increased attention because simple structural changes can make the photodetectors spectrally sensitive. In this study, asymmetric gold nanostructures are used as simple structures for photodetection via the photothermoelectric response. These single metal photodetectors use localized optical absorption from plasmon resonances of gold nanowires at desired wavelengths to generate temperature gradients. Combined with a geometry-dependent Seebeck coefficient, the result is a net electrical signal when the whole geometry is illuminated, with spectral sensitivity and polarization dependence from the plasmon resonances. We show experimental results and simulations of single-wavelength photodetectors at two wavelengths in the near IR range: 785 and 1060 nm. Based on simulation results and a model for the geometry-dependent Seebeck response, we demonstrate a photodetector structure that generates polarization-sensitive responses of opposite signs for the two wavelengths. The experimental photothermoelectric results are combined with simulations to infer the geometry dependence of the Seebeck response. These results can be used to increase the responsivity of these photodetectors further.
Better to brag: Underestimating the risks of avoiding positive self‐disclosures in close relationships

Introduction Capitalization, or disclosing positive news in close relationships, is interpersonally and intrapersonally beneficial and expected by relational partners. Why do some individuals avoid capitalizing? How do close relational partners react when they later discover that positive news was not directly disclosed to them?. Methods We conducted nine correlational and experimental studies using vignettes and recalled events (N = 2,177). Results We find that individuals who are concerned about being seen as braggarts tend to avoid capitalizing with their close relationships even when it is likely their partner would ultimately learn of the news. Yet, this concern may be relatively unwarranted and these individuals show a forecasting error: They overestimate how negatively their partner would react to disclosure and predict that their partner would react more positively if they discovered the news through external means; they neglect to predict that partners who later learn of the news and realize they were not disclosed toward in fact feel devalued. We discuss how this concern with bragging is linked to decreased extraversion, perspective taking, and empathy. Conclusion Uniquely in close relationships, being concerned about bragging may elicit negative relational outcomes, by hindering the positive self-disclosures that one's partners expect.
Extracellular sulfatases as potential blood-based biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer.

Purpose Non-small lung (NSCLC) is the deadliest cancer, with survival measured in months. Earlier diagnosis using a robust biomarker would likely improve survival. This study aims to determine whether blood levels of the extracellular sulfatases (SULF1 and SULF2) and their bio-activity can serve as novel biomarkers for NSCLC early detection. Materials and methods Using human plasma specimens from NSCLC patients, nonmalignant COPD patients, and healthy individuals, we determined the association between plasma SULF levels and the presence of NSCLC. We assessed the plasma SULF levels as a function of sex and age. We also evaluated the plasma levels of heparin-binding factors potentially mobilized by the SULFs. To increase test specificity of blood SULF2 as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of NSCLC, we investigated the presence of a tumor-specific SULF2 isoform released in the blood, which could be used as a biomarker alone or in multiplex assays. Results The median level of plasma SULF2 was significantly elevated in NSCLC patients than in healthy controls (∼2 fold). However, these data were confounded by age. Surprisingly, COPD patients also showed a dramatically increased SULF2 plasma level. We showed a significant increase in the median plasma levels of several HSPG-binding factors in early-stage NSCLC patients compared to controls. Furthermore, we revealed a significant positive correlation of the SULF2 protein level with the plasma levels of two HSPG-binding factors IL6 and IL8. We demonstrated that NSCLC cancer cells and tissues overexpress a SULF2 splice variant. We determined the presence of a SULF2 splice variant form in NSCLC plasma, which was not detectable in COPD and control plasmas. Conclusion Our findings highlight the potential for the plasma levels of SULF2 protein and its bio-activity as novel blood biomarkers for early diagnosis of NSCLC.
Full Conversion in Gas-Solid Reactions

As a gas diffuses through a porous solid, a reaction takes place between the gas and a species of the solid. The mathematical formulation consists of a coupled PDE and ODE. The reaction rate is taken as proportional C p S m , where C and S are the respective concentrations of the gas and reacting solid species. The case of constant porosity has been studied by Diaz and Stakgold [2], but here some of the results are extended to the case where the porosity increases as the solid is consumed. When m < 1 the solid is fully consumed in a finite time T. The principal goal of this paper is to obtain estimates for T.
Improving Nocturnal Fire Detection With the VIIRS Day–Night Band

Building on existing techniques for satellite remote sensing of fires, this paper takes advantage of the day–night band (DNB) aboard the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) to develop the Firelight Detection Algorithm (FILDA), which characterizes fire pixels based on both visible-light and infrared (IR) signatures at night. By adjusting fire pixel selection criteria to include visible-light signatures, FILDA allows for significantly improved detection of pixels with smaller and/or cooler subpixel hotspots than the operational Interface Data Processing System (IDPS) algorithm. VIIRS scenes with near-coincident Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection (ASTER) overpasses are examined after applying the operational VIIRS fire product algorithm and including a modified “candidate fire pixel selection” approach from FILDA that lowers the 4- $\mu\text{m}$ brightness temperature (BT) threshold but includes a minimum DNB radiance. FILDA is shown to be effective in detecting gas flares and characterizing fire lines during large forest fires (such as the Rim Fire in California and High Park fire in Colorado). Compared with the operational VIIRS fire algorithm for the study period, FILDA shows a large increase (up to 90%) in the number of detected fire pixels that can be verified with the finer resolution ASTER data (90 m). Part (30%) of this increase is likely due to a combined use of DNB and lower 4- $\mu\text{m}$ BT thresholds for fire detection in FILDA. Although further studies are needed, quantitative use of the DNB to improve fire detection could lead to reduced response times to wildfires and better estimate of fire characteristics (smoldering and flaming) at night.
Compressor Modeling and Active Control of Stall/Surge

The Moore-Greitzer formulation for compressor dynamics is extended to symmetric-flow compressor map shapes other than the cubic map treated by Moore and Greitzer. Two families of curves, odd-polynomial and even-polynomial families, are defined that provide a wide range of shapes in the stable-flow regime, and the amplitudes of flow asymmetry in steady rotating stall are calculated for members of both families. These calculations show that compressors capable of operating stably over a wide range of gas flows are likely to encounter larger asymmetry components when a stall does occur than compressors with narrower stable-flow regions. The paper also details a control strategy based on sensing of asymmetric axial flow components and the rate of change of mean flow, and shows that controlled bleed of high pressure air based on such measurements can be used to supress both stall and surge oscillations. This strategy provides suppression of oscillations while other control actions are taken to move from an unstable operating condition to a stable situation.
Intermediates of the gamma-glutamyl cycle in mouse tissues. Influence of administration of amino acids on pyrrolidone carboxylate and gamma-glutamyl amino acids.

GAMMA-Glutamyl transpeptidase, gamma-glutamyl cyclotransferase, L-pyrrolidone carboxylate hydrolase, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase, the enzymes of the gamma-glutamyl cycle, were found in mouse brain, liver and kidney. The activity of L-pyrrolidone carboxylate hydrolase was many times lower than the activities of the other enzymes, and thus the conversion of L-pyrrolidone carboxylate to L-glutamate is likely to be the rate-limiting step of the cycle. The specificity of gamma-glutamyl cyclotransferase from mouse tissues was similar to that from rat tissues. The concentration of pyrrolidone carboxylate and gamma-glutamyl amino acids, intermediates of the gamma-glutamyl cycle, was determined by a gas chromatographic procedure coupled with electron capture detection. Administration of L-2-aminobutyrate, an amino acid that is utilized as substrate in the reaction catalyzed by gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, led to a large accumulation of gamma-glutamyl-2-aminobutyrate and pyrrolidone carboxylate in mouse tissues. L-Methionine-RS-sulfoximine, an inhibitor of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, abolished the increase in concentration of pyrrolidone carboxylate. No accumulation of pyrrolidone carboxylate was observed after L-cysteine. The separate administration of several protein amino acids had little effect on the concentration of pyrrolidone carboxylate; however formation of small amounts of the corresponding gamma-glutamyl derivatives (e.g. gamma-glutamylmethionine and gamma-glutamylphenylalanine) was detected. These intermediates are probably formed by transpeptidation between glutathione and the corresponding amino acid, catalyzed by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. The concentration of pyrrolidone carboxylate increased significantly after administration of a mixture containing all protein amino acids, the highest increase occurring in the kidney. The results suggest that two separate pathways for the formation of gamma-glutamyl amino acids and pyrrolidone carboxylate exist in vivo. One of these results from the function of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase in glutathione synthesis. The other pathway involves the amino-acid-dependent degradation of glutathione, mediatedby gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Only very small amounts of free intermediates are apparently derived from the latter pathway, suggesting that the gamma-glutamyl amino acids formed in this pathway are either enzyme-bound or are directly hydrolyzed to glutamate and free amino acid.
The Effect of Age of Viewer and Gender of the Narrator on Children's Visual Attention and Recall of Story Ideas

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the age of viewers and the gender of the narrator in a film, and to examine the interaction between these two variables. Subjects in second and fifth grades were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. One group watched a film narrated by a female and the other watched the same film narrated by a male. As subjects watched the film, the experimenters measured their visual attention to the program. Recall of story ideas was also measured, using a multiple-choice test. The results indicated that the gender of the narrator influenced the recall of second-graders, but did not influence the recall of fifth-graders. Results suggest that older children pay greater visual attention to a program than younger children. Implications for developing audio-visual materials for children are discussed.
Rogue Wave Statistics and Dynamics Using Large-Scale Direct Simulations

Abstract : The long-term goal is to study the generation mechanisms and evolution dynamics of rogue waves using large-scale three-dimensional nonlinear phase-resolved wavefield simulations and to establish the foundation for future development of effective tools for prediction of rogue wave occurrences in realistic ocean wave environments.
Acculturation Stress, Social Support, and Self-Rated Health Among Latinos in California

This study looks at the effect of social support mechanisms as potential moderators and mediators of the relationship between stressful acculturation experiences and self-ratings of physical health. Data are from a sample of 3012 Mexican-origin adults aged 18-59 sampled under a probabilistic, stratified, cluster sampling design in Fresno County, California. While acculturation stressors (i.e., discrimination, legal status, and language conflict) all had a gross positive effect on the likelihood of rating oneself in fair/poor health, only legal status stress had a net effect. In addition, greater numbers of peers and family members in the United States, and a higher reliance on religious support mechanisms decreased the likelihood of reporting fair/poor health. However, levels of both instrumental social support and religious support seeking moderated the (nonsignificant, main) effects of discrimination on physical health. This study indicates that physical health is negatively associated with acculturation stressors and positively associated with social support; discrimination is only associated with poorer physical health among those for whom social support is lacking.
Development of artificial neural network models to predict daily gas consumption

The development of feedforward artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict daily gas consumption is the subject of this paper. A methodology based on network sensitivities and intuition is discussed. The methodology is applied to two regions in Wisconsin served by the Wisconsin Gas Company (WGC). Training results show that ANN models reduce prediction root mean squared errors by more than half when compared with linear regression models. The ANN predictions are compared with predictions made by WGC gas controllers for the first 97 days of the 1994-1995 heating season. The ANN prediction errors are 82.2% and 69.7% of the WGC estimate errors for the two regions.
A comparison of force and depth of skin indentation upon psychophysical functions of tactile intensity.

Tactile sensory intensities related to (1) force applied to the skin, and (2) depth of skin indentation were measured with a magnitude estimation procedure at various sites on the left hand of four human subjects. These same skin sites were measured for “compressibility”—that is, the indentation depths that resulted from controlled forces. Graphic examination of the magnitude estimation data indicated that, in most cases, growth of sensory intensity was relatively shallow at the lower stimulus intensities, and steeper at higher stimulus intensities. The “breakpoint” between the shallow and the steep legs of the psychophysical functions was routinely found between 0.30 and 0.40 mm of indentation, and between 12.0 and 20.0 mN of force. Two subjects consistently produced positively accelerating psychophysical functions, whereas the other two produced negatively accelerating or nearly linear functions above the breakpoint.Differences in skin compressibility did not systematically alter the exponent of the psy...
Non-linear duality invariant partially massless models?

We present manifestly duality invariant, non-linear, equations of motion for maximal depth, partially massless higher spins. These are based on a first order, Maxwell-like formulation of the known partially massless systems. Our models mimic Dirac–Born–Infeld theory but it is unclear whether they are Lagrangian.