cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neoglacial fluctuations and sedimentation of an iceberg-calving glacier resolved with tree rings (kenai Fjords national park, Alaska)

Abstract The McCarty Fjord iceberg-calving glacier and its land-terminating tributaries have fluctuated with some asynchroneity during the past two millennia. During advance, McCarty Glacier shed outwash along the fjord, and into ice-dammed tributaries inundating forests. A radioacarbon framework has revealed at least two major late Holocene glacial advances that occurred following a poorly documented expansion about 3600 BP. These two later advances are resolved within this fjord with tree-ring dating of in situ and transported tree trunks. The first event was an early medieval expansion of the McCarty trunk glacier beyond midfjord about 596 A.D.; this followed an interval of tree growth of at least 206 years. Tributary glaciers probably also advanced at this time. However, continuous tree-growth occurred in the distal (southern) tributary valleys during this advance, while northern tributaries were being dammed by the advancing trunk glacier. The down-valley extent of this expansion is thus constrained to a position within 12 km of the present contracted ice margin. The tree-ring refined chronology shows that a second McCarty ice expansion began in the 9th century, and reached midfjord by 900 A.D., and continued to advance through the Little Ice Age. In contrast, expansions of land-terminating glaciers here began after 1300 A.D. in concert with mountain glaciers worldwide. A log from a diamict cross-dated with a living tree-ring chronology shows that McCarty Glacier was advancing within a kilometer of its Little Ice Age maximum at 1790 A.D. Since about 1905 A.D., dramatic ice retreat has uncovered more than 20 km of McCarty Fjord.
Systemic Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract The author conceptualizes the treatment of children and their families based on an integration of family systems theory and attachment theory. Theoretical foundations are examined with an emphasis on the application of attachment theory as it relates to working with children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This article adds to the literature in both ADHD and attachment by providing a different perspective for clinicians working with families who have a child diagnosed with ADHD.
A single nucleotide polymorphism assay for the identification of unisexual Ambystoma salamanders.

Unisexual (all female) salamanders in the genus Ambystoma are animals of variable ploidy (2N-5N) that reproduce via a unique system of ‘leaky’ gynogenesis. As a result, these salamanders have a diverse array of nuclear genome combinations from up to five sexual species: the blue-spotted (A. laterale), Jefferson (A. jeffersonianum), smallmouth (A. texanum), tiger (A. tigrinum) and streamside (A. barbouri) salamanders. Identifying the genome complement, or biotype, is a critical first step in addressing a broad range of ecological and evolutionary questions about these salamanders. Previous work relied upon genome-related differences in allele size distributions for specific microsatellite loci, but overlap in these distributions among different genomes makes definitive identification and ploidy determination in unisexuals difficult or impossible. Here, we develop the first single nucleotide polymorphism assay for the identification of unisexual biotypes, based on species-specific nucleotide polymorphisms in noncoding DNA loci. Tests with simulated and natural unisexual DNA samples show that this method can accurately identify genome complement and estimate ploidy, making this a valuable tool for assessing the genome composition of unisexual samples.
Scalable multimedia authentication

Advances in wireless communication and mobile computing and networking are providing us with growing business opportunities and demands for multimedia services. Consumer networks, increasingly used for multimedia information and commercial content delivery, are destined to be heterogeneous. Meanwhile, for many multimedia services, security is an important component to restrict unauthorized multimedia content access and distribution. This suggests the need for new cryptography system implementations that can operate at different data rates, i.e., be scaled to various multimedia content, different network topology, changing bandwidth, and diverse receiver device capabilities. Content authentication is one important security tool for secure multimedia content communication. Conventional message authentication schemes do not offer suitable scalability for this new set of applications. In this paper, we study the design of scalable media data stream authentication when proxy caching is used and present a framework for multimedia authentication that supports various kinds of scalability.
Computation of reflected images from extreme ultraviolet masks

With EUV lithography emerging as a promising technology for semiconductor device fabrication with critical dimensions <EQ 100 nm, it is of importance to understand the image formation process in detail. The proposed setup includes a reflective mask consisting of an absorbing material over- coated on a stack of multilayers and 4X de-magnifying optics. In this paper we consider the reflective mask alone i.e. excluding the condenser system and the optics and characterize the reflective properties of the extreme ultra violet mask. In particular, we show the effects caused due to diffraction, non-uniformities in the multilayer stack due to substrate defects, and partial spatial coherence. Several simulation examples are presented.
Hyperspectral imaging using acousto-optic tunable filters

Hyperspectral imaging holds great promise for object detection and recognition due to the richness of the spectral content in images from such objects. Ordinary broad-band imagers integrate the spectral information over the entire spectral band of coverage when used without any spectral filtering. In general, the spectral details in the images can be obtained by using an optical filtering element such as a filter wheel, a grating, or an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF). Since each task of detection and object recognition may require only a limited set of specific spectral bands based on the object as well as the background, it is best to choose a filtering optical element that has high-speed spectral selectivity with high resolution. Of all the optical filtering elements available, only an AOTF offers this capability. Such capability greatly reduces the amount of data collection and processing. In this paper, we present hyperspectral images obtained in the laboratory and from field tests, using visible-to-near-IR (VNIR) AOTF imagers. The imagers use a tellurium dioxide, TeO 2 , AOTF cell that covers the spectral band from 450 to 1000 nm with a spectral resolution of 10 nm at 600 nm, a charged coupled device (CCD) camera, image-forming optics, frame grabber board, rf electronics, and control and processing software. The imager used for outdoor testing is equipped with a variable phase retardation plate to obtain images with polarimetric signatures (patent pending). The spectral and polarimetric imaging capabilities of the AOTF imager were successfully tested to discriminate targets and backgrounds in various environments.
A Review of Nuclear Testing by the Soviet Union at Novaya Zemlya, 1955–1990

The Novaya Zemlya Test Site was used by the Soviet Union for many different types of nuclear weapons tests and nuclear effects tests. Taking our information principally from numerous books and papers in Russian published from 1988 to 2003, we describe the test site history and facilities, the early underwater tests, the many atmospheric tests from 1957 to 1962, and the underground tests in adits and shafts from 1964 to 1990. Each test often entailed several nuclear explosions fired simultaneously. We describe the largest group underground test (about 4.2 mt on 12 September 1973), which was conducted in a unique combination of horizontal adit and vertical shaft; and comment briefly on radioactive releases, which were substantial for some tests. In many but not all cases, the Soviet Union's nuclear tests at Novaya Zemlya followed similar tests conducted by the United States.
Spectroscopic Detection of the 3.934 Micron Line of Si IX in the Solar Corona

We report the detection of the line of Si ix using the McMath-Pierce telescope on Kitt Peak. 22 3 2s 2 pP 1 r 0 Observations were made of the solar disk and at various heights above the limb between 2002 May 13 and 17, under nonideal sky conditions, using the 13.5 m vertical spectrograph and an InSb single-diode detector. We report a new rest wavelength for the line and discuss its potential use as a diagnostic of coronal magnetic fields using ground-based telescopes. Our observations give mm, consistent with earlier less accurate l p 3.93434 0.00007 rest values, but it places the blue wing of the line under a strong telluric line. In the active regions observed, the NO 2 line’s intensity is comparable to or larger than predicted in earlier work for the quiet Sun. Subject headings: Sun: corona — Sun: infrared
H 2 O and O 2 molecules in amorphous SiO 2 : Defect formation and annihilation mechanisms

Interstitial water and oxygen molecules are ubiquitous impurities and participate in various defect formation processes in thermally grown SiO2 films and synthetic silica glass. Using results of first-principles calculations we report the types of defects ~including different possible charge states! that H2O and O2 molecules may form in bulk amorphous SiO2. We calculate their formation energies and, in the most interesting cases, the energy barriers in order to map out the most likely defect formation scenarios. In particular, we show that water molecules may form double silanol groups ~Si-OH! as well as H3O 1 and OH 2 ions at a low energy cost with a barrier of about 1.5 eV. The formation energies of other defects emanating from H2O interstitials are, however, too high to be thermally activated. We found that O2 molecules may form ozonyl ~Si-O-O-O-Si! linkages with an energy barrier of ;2.4 eV. An explanation for the oxygen isotope exchange observed in thin SiO2 films near the Si-SiO 2 and SiO2-vacuum interfaces is suggested based on the energy barrier for ozonyl formation being commensurate with the O2 diffusion barrier close to the Si/SiO 2 interface and the O2 incorporation energy from vacuum. We also explain the different creation rates of E8 centers in wet and dry oxides by studying the annihilation mechanism of neutral and charged oxygen vacancies.
The leg drop pendulum test under anesthesia part II: normal vs. limbs with spasticity

Data from leg drop pendulum test of twenty limbs is presented. Ten of the limbs were without disability and ten were of children with spastic cerebral palsy. All data was collected while the subjects were under general anesthesia and had been given muscle relaxants. It was clear from visual inspection of the data that all spastic reflexes were removed under anesthesia. All data was fit with a second order linear equation and optimized for values of stiffness (K) and damping (B). These two parameters were then plotted against limb mass and the data was fit with 2nd order polynomials. Results show that the spastic group had slightly elevated values of stiffness and damping than the nondisabled control group but overall the shape of the curves were the same.
Determination of colloidal gold nanoparticle surface areas, concentrations, and sizes through quantitative ligand adsorption

Determination of the true surface areas, concen- trations, and particle sizes of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is a challenging issue due to the nanoparticle morphological irregularity, surface roughness, and size distributions. A ligand adsorption-based technique for determining AuNP surface areas in solution is reported. Using a water- soluble, stable, and highly UV-vis active organothiol, 2- mercaptobenzimidazole (MBI), as the probe ligand, we dem- onstrated that the amount of ligand adsorbed is proportional to the AuNP surface area. The equivalent spherical AuNP sizes and concentrations were determined by combining the MBI adsorption measurement with Au 3+ quantification of aqua regia-digested AuNPs. The experimental results from the MBI adsorption method for a series of commercial col- loidal AuNPs with nominal diameters of 10, 30, 50, and 90 nm were compared with those determined using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and local- ized surface plasmonic resonance methods. The ligand adsorption-based technique is highly reproducible and sim- ple to implement. It only requires a UV-vis spectrophotom- eter for characterization of in-house-prepared AuNPs.
Crawling deep web entity pages

Deep-web crawl is concerned with the problem of surfacing hidden content behind search interfaces on the Web. While many deep-web sites maintain document-oriented textual content (e.g., Wikipedia, PubMed, Twitter, etc.), which has traditionally been the focus of the deep-web literature, we observe that a significant portion of deep-web sites, including almost all online shopping sites, curate structured entities as opposed to text documents. Although crawling such entity-oriented content is clearly useful for a variety of purposes, existing crawling techniques optimized for document oriented content are not best suited for entity-oriented sites. In this work, we describe a prototype system we have built that specializes in crawling entity-oriented deep-web sites. We propose techniques tailored to tackle important subproblems including query generation, empty page filtering and URL deduplication in the specific context of entity oriented deep-web sites. These techniques are experimentally evaluated and shown to be effective.
Effects of moderate heart failure and functional overload on rat plantaris muscle

It is thought that changes in sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) of skeletal muscle contribute to alterations in skeletal muscle function during congestive heart failure (CHF). It is well established that exercise training can improve muscle function. However, it is unclear whether similar adaptations will result from exercise training in a CHF patient. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether skeletal muscle during moderate CHF adapts to increased activity, utilizing the functional overload (FO) model. Significant increases in plantaris mass of the CHF-FO and sham-FO groups compared with the CHF and control (sham) groups were observed. Ca(2+) uptake rates were significantly elevated in the CHF group compared with all other groups. No differences were detected in Ca(2+) uptake rates between the CHF-FO, sham, and sham-FO groups. Increases in Ca(2+) uptake rates in moderate-CHF rats were not due to changes in SERCA isoform proportions; however, FO may have attenuated the CHF-induced increases through alterations in SERCA isoform expression. Therefore, changes in skeletal muscle Ca(2+) handling during moderate CHF may be due to alterations in regulatory mechanisms, which exercise may override, by possibly altering SERCA isoform expression.
Same-sign Higgsino Production at the CERN LHC: How Not to Hunt for Natural Supersymmetry

We examine the prospects for detecting light charged Higgsinos that are expected to be a necessary feature of natural supersymmetry (SUSY) models via $pp\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{W}}_{1}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}{\stackrel{\texttildelow{}}{W}}_{1}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}jj+X$ processes arising dominantly from ${W}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}{W}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ fusion at LHC13. The signal will be a pair of same-sign leptons ($e$ or $\ensuremath{\mu}$) in events with two relatively forward, hemispherically separated jets with a large rapidity gap. We find that even though the Higgsinos have a full-strength $SU(2)$ gauge couplings to $W$ bosons, the LHC13 cross section for the production of same-sign Higgsino pairs is smaller than 0.02 fb over most of the interesting range of natural SUSY parameters, even before leptonic branching fractions of the chargino are included. This cross section is strongly suppressed because the two neutral Majorana Higgsinos can be combined into a single Dirac neutralino if the bino and the winos are much heavier than the Higgsinos, as is the case in natural SUSY models: in this limit, Higgsino couplings to $W$ bosons exhibit an emergent (approximate) $U(1{)}_{\text{ino}}$ global symmetry that suppresses same-sign Higgsino production by vector boson fusion. We conclude that this channel is not a viable way to search for natural SUSY even at the high luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider.
Three New Species of the Tropidurus spinulosus Group (Squamata: Tropiduridae) from Eastern Paraguay

ABSTRACT Tropidurus Wied, 1825, is one of the most ubiquitous lizard genera endemic to South America. Herpetologists from different regions of the continent have progressively mapped new populations, including undescribed species hidden under widely distributed nominal taxa. Currently, four monophyletic species groups are recognized in Tropidurus (T. bogerti group [monotypic], T. semitaeniatus group [four species], T. spinulosus group [five species], and T. torquatus group [16 species]), but none have been comprehensively revised taxonomically. During a collection expedition carried out in Paraguay in 2013, I recognized three new, distinct morphotypes among populations of the Tropidurus spinulosus group formerly assigned to T. guarani Alvarez et al., 1994. To delimit these new taxa, I analyzed coloration patterns, and quantified meristic and morphometric variables, comparing freshly collected samples with specimens housed in five museum collections. In this paper, I describe and illustrate the allopatric ...
At the interface of silica glass and compressed silica aerogel in Stardust track 10: Comet Wild 2 is not a goldmine

In Stardust tracks C2044,0,38, C2044,0,39, and C2044,0,42 (Brennan et al. 2007) and Stardust track 10 (this work) gold is present in excess of its cosmochemical abundance. Ultra-thin sections of allocation FC6,0,10,0,26 (track 10) show a somewhat wavy, compressed silica aerogel/silica glass interface which challenges exact location identification, i.e., silica glass, compressed silica aerogel, or areas of overlap. In addition to domains of pure silica ranging from SiO2 to SiO3 glass, there is MgO-rich silica glass with a deep metastable composition, MgO = 14 ± 6 wt%, due to assimilation of Wild 2 Mg-silicate matter in silica melt. This magnesiosilica composition formed when temperatures during hypervelocity capture reached >2000 °C followed by ultrafast quenching of the magnesiosilica melt when it came into contact with compressed aerogel at ~155 °C. The compressed silica aerogel in track 10 has a continuous Au background as result of the melting point depression of gold particles <5 nm that showed liquid-like behavior. Larger gold particles are scattered found throughout the silica aerogel matrix and in aggregates up to ~50 nm in size. No gold is found in MgO-rich silica glass. Gold in track 10 is present at the silica aerogel/silica glass interface. In the other tracks gold was likely near-surface contamination possibly from an autoclave used in processing of these particular aerogel tiles. So far gold contamination is documented in these four different tracks. Whether they are the only tiles with gold present in excess of its cosmochemical abundance or whether more tiles will show excess gold abundances is unknown.
Divergent antiviral roles of amphibian (Xenopus laevis) macrophages elicited by colony-stimulating factor-1 and interleukin-34.

Macrophages are integral to amphibian immunity against RVs, as well as to the infection strategies of these pathogens. Although CSF-1 was considered to be the principal mediator of macrophage development, the IL-34 cytokine, which shares no sequence identity with CSF-1, is now believed to contribute to vertebrate monopoiesis. However, the respective roles of CSF-1- and IL-34-derived macrophages are still poorly understood. To delineate the contribution of these macrophage populations to amphibian immunity against the RV FV3, we identified the Xenopus laevis IL-34 and transcriptionally and functionally compared this cytokine with the previously identified X. laevis CSF-1. The X. laevis CSF-1 and IL-34 displayed strikingly nonoverlapping developmental and tissue-specific gene-expression patterns. Furthermore, only CSF-1 but not IL-34 was up-regulated in the kidneys of FV3-challenged tadpoles. Intriguingly, recombinant forms of these cytokines (rXlCSF-1, rXlIL-34) elicited morphologically distinct tadpole macrophages, and whereas rXlCSF-1 pretreatment decreased the survival of FV3-infected tadpoles, rXlIL-34 administration significantly prolonged FV3-challenged animal survival. Compared with rXlIL-34-elicited macrophages, macrophages derived by rXlCSF-1 were more phagocytic but also significantly more susceptible to in vitro FV3 infections. By contrast, rXlIL-34-derived macrophages exhibited significantly greater in vitro antiranaviral activity and displayed substantially more robust gene expression of the NADPH oxidase components (p67phox, gp91phox) and type I IFN. Moreover, FV3-challenged, rXlIL-34-derived macrophages exhibited several orders of magnitude greater up-regulation of the type I IFN gene expression. This marks the first report of the disparate roles of CSF-1 and IL-34 in vertebrate antiviral immunity.
The Dirac Measure as Applied to the Solution of Difference Equations by Means of Transforms

(1959). The Dirac Measure as Applied to the Solution of Difference Equations by Means of Transforms. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 66, No. 6, pp. 483-485.
On two-way observer and its application to the verification of infinite-step and K-step opacity

We investigate the verification of the properties of infinite-step opacity and K-step opacity for partially-observed discrete event systems. A system is said to be infinite-step opaque (respectively, K-step opaque) if the intruder can never determine for sure that the system was in a secret state for any instant within infinite steps (respectively, K steps) prior to that particular instant. We derive a new separation principle for state estimates which characterizes the information dependence in this opacity verification problem. A new information structure called the two-way observer is proposed. Based on the two-way observer, we provide new algorithms for the verification of infinite-step opacity and the verification of K-step opacity, respectively. We show that the proposed verification algorithms have lower computational complexity than the known algorithms in the literature.
Error Analysis: Past, Present, and Future.

This commentary will take an historical perspective on the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA) error analysis, discussing where it started, where it is today, and where it may be headed ...
Promoting global understanding: The rewards and challenges of faculty–student collaborative research

Collaborative research is an integral part of interdisciplinary anthropological inquiry. Applied anthropological perspectives and collaborative research are instrumental in gaining greater understanding of cultural beliefs. Students from East Carolina University in the Global Understanding program obtain a broad educational background that emphasizes cultural diversity by completing a collaborative project with a student from a partner university. Collaborative projects on cross-cultural definitions of success are discussed to demonstrate the strengths and challenges of faculty–student collaborative research. Another program offered at East Carolina that is an example of faculty–student collaborative research is the Peru Study Abroad. Students engage with local community members to gather cultural data on various topics that yielded fascinating results that helped students to understand the Andean worldview. The rewards and the challenges of faculty–student collaborative work will be discussed in terms of student learning outcomes and cultural beliefs. [higher education, collaborative research, cultural beliefs]
Novel Predictors of Esophageal Toxicity With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for Central Lung Tumors

Purpose The aim of this study is to report on clinical and dosimetric endpoints for development of esophagus toxicity (ET) in patients treated with thoracic stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).
Mechanism-Informed Refinement Reveals Altered Substrate-Binding Mode for Catalytically Competent Nitroreductase

Nitroreductase (NR) from Enterobacter cloacae reduces diverse nitroaromatics including herbicides, explosives, and prodrugs, and holds promise for bioremediation, prodrug activation, and enzyme-assisted synthesis. We solved crystal structures of NR complexes with bound substrate or analog for each of its two half-reactions. We complemented these with kinetic isotope effect (KIE) measurements elucidating H-transfer steps essential to each half-reaction. KIEs indicate hydride transfer from NADH to the flavin consistent with our structure of NR with the NADH analog nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NAAD). The KIE on reduction of p-nitrobenzoic acid (p-NBA) also indicates hydride transfer, and requires revision of prior computational mechanisms. Our mechanistic information provided a structural restraint for the orientation of bound substrate, placing the nitro group closer to the flavin N5 in the pocket that binds the amide of NADH. KIEs show that solvent provides a proton, enabling accommodation of different nitro group placements, consistent with the broad repertoire of NR.
Feminist Jedi and a politically correct empire: Popular culture and transformative bridges in alternative media content

This article explores the role of writing about popular culture in politically motivated alternative media. In our study, we engaged in different forms of textual analysis in order to investigate three kinds of articles about Star Wars: The Force Awakens in conservative and liberal alternative media. Specifically, we conducted a close reading of reviews of the film, opinion articles about the film and ‘fluff’ articles about the film. Essentially, we found that the three types of popular culture articles were necessary for the establishment of strong transformative bridges that allowed for intersections between activist alternative media and mainstream media. In addition, we also found the ideological assumptions embedded within the fluff articles to be the most important aspect of this bridge; these ideologies about culture and consumerism allowed for the strongest intersections to emerge.
Non-local formulation for transport and damage in porous media

Abstract We present a novel damage-poroelastic model for analyzing the failure response of porous media in geomechanics applications. In this new approach, a gradient non-local permeability that leads to non-local transport and consequently non local damage, is introduced. Damage evolution is a function of an equivalent strain measure that is computed from non-local permeability using an inverse permeability–strain constitutive relation. A monolithic, mixed finite element method is proposed to solve the coupled system with a displacement–pressure–regularized permeability ( u − p − κ ) element formulation. The system is linearized and solved using Newton’s method and a backward Euler scheme is used to evolve the system in time. A consistent Jacobian matrix and residual vector are derived analytically and a bilinear damage model is used to evolve the damage. Numerical examples considering hydraulic fracture problems in 1-d and 2-d and damage enhanced consolidation are presented and discussed. The proposed non-local model results are compared with local damage–permeability models. While the local models are shown to suffer from mesh dependence and non-physical spurious oscillations in strain, permeability and fluid pressure evolution, the proposed model is reliable and seems to overcome all these limitations.
Simulatenous glucose sensing and powering of glucometer

Although recent research has theoretically demonstrated that enzymatic glucose biofuel cell can be used to power a contact lens-based glucose sensor, such a practical system does not exist. Here, we developed a novel closed loop system consisting of a charge pump circuit and a step up DC converter circuit that is powered by a single enzymatic glucose biofuel cell at physiological conditions. This system is capable of simultaneously sensing glucose with a sensitivity of 86.42 Hz/cm2.M and producing a steady 3.25 V dc output supply to drive low power devices such as commercially available glucometer. Moreover, this system relies on a novel glucose sensing technique which involves the monitoring of the charge/discharge frequency of the transducer capacitor as opposed to the invasive technique currently employed by commercially available glucose monitoring systems that require the implementation of battery-operated potentiostat.
Differential Methylation of Syncytin-1 and 2 Distinguishes Fetal Growth Restriction from Physiologic Small for Gestational Age.

Objective The retroviral genes encoding Syncytin-1 ( SYN1 ) and Syncytin-2 ( SYN2 ) are epigenetically regulated, uniquely expressed in the placenta and critical to placental function. We sought to determine if placental expression and methylation patterns of SYN1 and SYN2 from pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR) differed from physiologic small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) controls. Study Design Placental biopsies were obtained from AGA, SGA and FGR neonates delivered at >36 weeks gestation. SGA and FGR were defined as birth weight SYN1 and SYN2 by EpiTyper and gene expression by RT-qPCR. Results We identified 10 AGA, 9 SGA and 7 FGR placentas. There was decreased methylation in SYN1 and SYN2 in FGR relative to AGA and SGA. When the sum of SYN1 and SYN2 methylation was used for prediction of FGR from SGA, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.9048 (0.7602, 1). Conclusion SYN1 and SYN2 methylation marks differ in FGR and SGA. We plan future studies to examine these markers in cell free DNA to determine if these methylation changes could be used as a biomarker for FGR.
Pharmacogenetics of Dopamine β-Hydroxylase in cocaine dependence therapy with doxazosin.

The α1 -adrenergic antagonist, doxazosin, has improved cocaine use disorder (CUD) presumably by blocking norepinephrine (NE) stimulation and reward from cocaine-induced NE increases. If the NE levels for release were lower, then doxazosin might more readily block this NE stimulation and be more effective. The NE available for release can be lower through a genetic polymorphism in dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) (C-1021T, rs1611115), which reduces DβH's conversion of dopamine to NE. We hypothesize that doxazosin would be more effective in CUD patients who have these genetically lower DβH levels. This 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial included 76 CUD patients: 49 with higher DβH levels from the DBH CC genotype and 27 with lower DβH levels from T-allele carriers (CT or TT). Patients were randomized to doxazosin (8 mg/day, N = 47) or placebo (N = 29) and followed with thrice weekly urine toxicology and once weekly cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. Cocaine use was reduced at a higher rate among patients in the doxazosin than in the placebo arm. We found significantly lower cocaine use rates among patients carrying the T-allele (CT/TT) than the CC genotype. The percentage of cocaine positive urines was reduced by 41 percent from baseline in the CT/TT group with low DβH and NE levels, as compared with no net reduction in the CC genotype group with normal DβH and NE levels. The DBH polymorphism appears play an important role in CUD patients' response to doxazosin treatment, supporting a pharmacogenetic association and potential application for personalized medicine.
The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Reproduction and Recruitment of Corals and Reef Organisms

The persistence of populations of marine organisms depends on the success of the dual processes of reproduction and recruitment. The production of offspring alone is inconsequential unless larvae and propagules can recruit, which often entails a period of development and distribution in the water column and subsequent selection of appropriate habitats. For fish, this may mean drifting in currents before responding to particular habitat cues. For corals and other benthic invertebrates, larvae must undergo site selection, settlement and metamorphosis into the juvenile form, and survivorship is directly linked to site choice and environmental conditions. Both biotic and abiotic factors affect population replenishment success, and hence, anthropogenic influences such as pollution, sedimentation and climate change can negatively affect critical processes such as reproductive synchronization in spawning species, successful embryological development, appropriate site selection, settlement, metamorphosis and in the case of reef building corals, acquisition of the required zooxanthellae partner. Effective management practices are essential for ensuring the persistence of populations of coral reef organisms of economic, cultural and ecological value.
NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF A CONFINED LAMINAR DIFFUSION FLAME

Publisher Summary The flame type of most practical combustion devices is the diffusion flame. Although diffusion flames are important in combustion applications, they have received relatively little attention in theoretical flame studies. Part of this neglect is because of the two-dimensional nature of the problem coupled with the complexities associated with the combined effects of transport phenomena and chemical processes. Theoretical models are needed, however, to obtain an understanding of the factors that influence flame structure and chemistry, in particular, pollutant formation during combustion. Many of the numerical studies that attempt to predict the concentration, thermal, and aerodynamic distributions established in diffusion flames employ a time dependent relaxation approach. In such methods, the governing equations are discretized using finite difference techniques and the solution is advanced in time until steady-state profiles are obtained. However, the slow relaxation of time-dependent methods to steady-state can make parameter studies employing complicated nonlinear transport properties and chemical kinetics extremely time consuming. Steady-state methods, on the other hand, have the potential of solving the diffusion flame equations in much less time. This chapter presents the development of a numerical method, which enables to integrate the two-dimensional, time independent equations directly.
Financial Accountability in Charitable Organizations: Mandating an Audit Committee Function

Charitable organizations have long enjoyed special benefits because the public has bestowed a special trust on them. This special trust is in danger of eroding due to abuse by some nonprofit executives and board members.1 One noted example of such abuse is the United Way scandal, in which the former president of United Way of America, William Aramony, was convicted of stealing over six hundred thousand dollars from the organization.2 As a result of the United Way scandal and others like it,3 the nonprofit sector has been under increasing pressure to find a way to hold charitable organizations and their boards accountable to the public.4 Resolving the board accountability problem is daunting. Any proposed solutions must weigh possible negative consequences to charities in serving their missions, or in relation to any one of their stakeholders, including donors, board members, corporations, the
Current Developments in Activation Analysis

Activation analysis is today used to determine ultratrace (ppb), trace (ppm), minor, and major levels of almost all the elements, in many sample matrices. A number of new developments in technique and applications are summarized.
Degenerative Hollow Visceral Myopathy Mimicking Hirschsprung’s Disease

Intestinal motility is a highly coordinated process and depends on smooth muscle contractility, the pacemaker activity evoked by the intestinal cells of Cajal, and the summation of the effects of the enteric and autonomic nervous systems on gut function. Crippling gastrointestinal dysfunction can result from a variety of abnormalities, involving these elements individually or in combination.
Generation of Point-contact State Space between Strictly Curved Objects

Isolated point contacts are most common between two curved objects that do not have line segment on their surfaces. This paper addresses how to represent concisely and generate automatically graphs of topological contact states made of isolated contact points between such curved objects. Information of contact states is useful for a wide range of applications, from robotic tasks involving compliant motion to virtual prototyping, haptic rendering, and dynamic simulation. The approach has been implemented with an effective algorithm.
Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell with Up-Regulation of MicroRNA-206 in the Treatment of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Newborn Mice

Background:: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease of preterm neonates with a few therapeutic options. Our previous studies suggested that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) therapy is effective in the treatment of BPD in mouse models. Furthermore, microRNA-206 (miR-206) suggested having a correlation with BPD by regulating the expression of fibronectin 1 (FN1). Objectives:: The aim of this study was to characterize the role of BMSCs with the up-regulation of miR-206 in the treatment of BPD in newborn mice. Methods: The BPD mouse model was induced by 60% oxygen. BMSCs transfected with miR-206 or negative control (NC) plasmid were administered on postnatal day 7 (P7) and every following week through an intraperitoneal injection (105 cells/animal) until P35. The mice were weighed and their lungs were weighed and prepared for histology. The expression levels of miR-206, FN1, and pulmonary surfactant-associated protein-C (SP-C) were determined through the quantitative polymerase chain reaction and under the immunofluorescence. The protein expression levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined by ELISA. Results: BMSCs with up-regulation of miR-206 reduced the degrees of pulmonary edema, improved pulmonary architecture, and attenuated inflammation in BPD mice compared to the NC plasmid group. Furthermore, the up-regulation of miR-206 in BMSCs down-regulated the expression levels of TGF-β and IL-6 in plasma samples and of SP-C and FN1 in the lung tissue of BPD mice. Conclusions: BMSCs with up-regulation of miR-206 are effective in the treatment of BPD in newborn mice, and the study introduced a novel idea for the treatment of BPD.
Association of NT-proBNP with clinical outcomes in children with systemic inflammatory response syndrome

Abstract N-terminal pro-brain type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has been reported to have an association with increased morbidity and mortality in adults with septic shock. The relationship between NT-proBNP levels and morbidity/mortality in children with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) has not been studied. This was a retrospective study. The inclusion criteria were children (
Managing Teams Effectively: Leading, Motivating, and Prioritizing Work

Leading teams effectively has never been more important for surgeons. Providing multidisciplinary clinical care, building collaborative research efforts, and engaging front-line personnel to address quality problems all rely on top-notch team leadership. Learning to effectively lead, motivate, and prioritize the work of a team are among the most important mental models for surgeons to know. In this chapter, we will discuss three models that each addresses an important aspect of managing teams. First, we will discuss the Fundamental State of Leadership and learn how to enter this mindset. Second, we will discuss how to effectively motivate and get the best from individuals on your team. Third, we will review a well-known framework for prioritizing work, but will reconsider it in the context of teamwork.
Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate induces peripheral neuropathy and alters inflammation and mitochondrial biogenesis in the brains of mice

Mounting evidence suggests that antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs may contribute to the prevalence of HIV-associated neurological dysfunction. The HIV envelope glycoprotein (gp120) is neurotoxic and has been linked to alterations in mitochondrial function and increased inflammatory gene expression, which are common neuropathological findings in HIV+ cases on ART with neurological disorders. Tenofovir disproxil fumarate (TDF) has been shown to affect neurogenesis in brains of mice and mitochondria in neurons. In this study, we hypothesized that TDF contributes to neurotoxicity by modulating mitochondrial biogenesis and inflammatory pathways. TDF administered to wild-type (wt) and GFAP-gp120 transgenic (tg) mice caused peripheral neuropathy, as indicated by nerve conduction slowing and thermal hyperalgesia. Conversely TDF protected gp120-tg mice from cognitive dysfunction. In the brains of wt and gp120-tg mice, TDF decreased expression of mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). However, double immunolabelling revealed that TFAM was reduced in neurons and increased in astroglia in the hippocampi of TDF-treated wt and gp120-tg mice. TDF also increased expression of GFAP and decreased expression of IBA1 in the wt and gp120-tg mice. TDF increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α in wt mice. However, TDF reduced interleukin (IL) 1β and TNFα mRNA in gp120-tg mouse brains. Primary human astroglia were exposed to increasing doses of TDF for 24 hours and then analyzed for mitochondrial alterations and inflammatory gene expression. In astroglia, TDF caused a dose-dependent increase in oxygen consumption rate, extracellular acidification rate and spare respiratory capacity, changes consistent with increased metabolism. TDF also reduced IL-1β-mediated increases in IL-1β and TNFα mRNA. These data demonstrate that TDF causes peripheral neuropathy in mice and alterations in inflammatory signaling and mitochondrial activity in the brain.
Multi-Excitation Magnetic Resonance Elastography of the Brain: Wave Propagation in Anisotropic White Matter

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has emerged as a sensitive imaging technique capable of providing a quantitative understanding of neural microstructural integrity. However, a reliable method for the quantification of the anisotropic mechanical properties of human white matter is currently lacking, despite the potential to illuminate the pathophysiology behind neurological disorders and traumatic brain injury. In this study, we examine the use of multiple excitations in MRE to generate wave displacement data sufficient for anisotropic inversion in white matter. We show the presence of multiple unique waves from each excitation which we combine to solve for parameters of an incompressible, transversely isotropic (ITI) material: shear modulus, μ, shear anisotropy, ϕ, and tensile anisotropy, ζ. We calculate these anisotropic parameters in the corpus callosum body and find the mean values as μ = 3.78 kPa, ϕ = 0.151, and ζ = 0.099 (at 50 Hz vibration frequency). This study demonstrates that multi-excitation MRE provides displacement data sufficient for the evaluation of the anisotropic properties of white matter.
Modeling Agent Behaviors for Policy Analysis via Reinforcement Learning

Agent-based Models (ABMs) are valuable tools for policy analysis. ABMs help analysts explore the emergent consequences of regulatory and policy interventions in multi-agent decision-making settings. But the validity of inferences drawn from ABM explorations depends on the quality of the ABM agents’ behavioral models. Prior approaches for specifying behaviors have limitations. This paper examines the value of reinforcement learning (RL) models as adaptive, high-performing, and behaviorally-valid models of agent decision-making in ABMs. We discuss the value of RL for modeling agents’ utility-maximizing behaviors in policy-relevant ABMs. We address the problem of adapting RL algorithms to handle multi-agency in games by adapting and extending methods from recent literature. We evaluate examples of such RL-based ABM agents via experiments on two policy-relevant ABMs: a Minority Game ABM, and an ABM of Influenza Transmission. The RL behavioral models can outperform the default adaptive behavioral models. We also run analytic experiments on our RL-equipped ABMs: explorations of the effects of dynamic behavioral heterogeneity in a population, the impact of social network factors on adaptability, and the emergence of synchronization in a community. Our results suggest that the RL formalism can be an efficient abstraction for behavioral models in ABMs.
Grassmann, Hermann Günther 1809–1877

Hermann Gunther Grassmann was born on April 15, 1809, in Stettin in Pomerania, near the Baltic Sea (today Szczecin in Poland), the third of 11 children of a pastor and high school mathematics teacher and his wife. After passing through high school, Grassmann moved to Berlin to study theology, with later addition of mathematics and sciences. In 1844, he published his major work in mathematics, Die lineale Ausdehnungslehre, ein neuer Zweig der Mathematik (Linear extension theory, a new branch of mathematics) [1], a general calculus of vectors. Ausdehnungslehre was not a success, apparently clearly ahead of its time.
Low-carbon economic dispatching of power system with demand side resources and carbon capture equipment under carbon trading environment

As the most important source of carbon emissions, the power industry has huge potential for carbon emission reduction.Based on the traditional dispatching model, this paper comprehensively considers power generation-side resources and low-carbon demand side resources, such as demand response(DR), electric vehicle(EV) and distributed generation(DG), to coordinate dispatching. Simultaneously carbon capture equipment is introduced to establish carbon capture unit which participates dispatching in power system.Basd on above, the cost of carbon trading is introduced into the low-carbon economic dispatching goals. And the low-carbon economic dispatching model including demand side low-carbon resources and carbon capture equipment is established under the carbon trading environment. A simulation example is used to analyze the impact of the introduction of demand side low-carbon resources and carbon capture equipment on the economic and low-carbon benefits of the power system. The results of the simulation example have verified the feasibility and superiority of the proposed model.