cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impedance‐Based Structural Health Monitoring for Aerospace Applications

Various experimental studies have demonstrated that an impedance-based approach to structural health monitoring (SHM) can be an effective means of structural damage detection. Using the self-sensing and active-sensing capabilities of piezoelectric materials, the electromechanical impedance response can be monitored to provide a qualitative indication of the local health of a structure. The impedance method also has applications in the field of sensor self-diagnostics and validation for determining the operational status of piezoelectric active sensors used in SHM. This chapter presents an overview and recent applications of the impedance-based structural health-monitoring technique. Keywords: damage detection; piezoelectric transducers; sensor validation; impedance method; structural health monitoring; wave propagations
Human mesenchymal stem cell-derived matrices for enhanced osteoregeneration.

The methodology for the repair of critical-sized or non-union bone lesions has unpredictable efficacy due in part to our incomplete knowledge of bone repair and the biocompatibility of bone substitutes. Although human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) differentiate into osteoblasts, which promote bone growth, their ability to repair bone in vivo has been variable. We hypothesized that given the multistage process of osteogenesis, hMSC-mediated repair might be maximal at a specific time point of healing. Using a mouse model of calvarial healing, we demonstrate that the osteo-repair capacity of hMSCs can be substantially augmented by treatment with an inhibitor of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ, but efficacy is confined to the rapid osteogenic phase. Upon entry into the bone-remodeling phase, hMSC retention signals are lost, resulting in truncation of healing. To solve this limitation, we prepared a scaffold consisting of hMSC-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) containing the necessary biomolecules for extended site-specific hMSC retention. When inhibitor-treated hMSCs were coadministered with ECM, they remained at the injury, well into the remodeling phase of healing, which resulted in reproducible and complete repair of critical-sized bone defects in mice in 3 weeks. These data suggest that hMSC-derived ECM and inhibitor-treated hMSCs could be used at optimal times to substantially and reproducibly improve bone repair.
Older Gays and Lesbians: Surviving a Generation of Hate and Violence

Summary This article discusses the impact that coming of age in the Pre-Stonewall era has had on older gays and lesbians. Anti-gay hate and violence, within a historical context of homophobia and heterosex-ism, are examined. Risk factors, as well as coping capacities, for older lesbians and gays are explored. Research on the psychological adjustment and well-being of older gays and lesbians is reviewed, and suggestions for intervention with this population are proposed.
Improving Classification-Based Natural Language Understanding with Non-Expert Annotation

Although data-driven techniques are commonly used for Natural Language Understanding in dialogue systems, their efficacy is often hampered by the lack of appropriate annotated training data in sufficient amounts. We present an approach for rapid and cost-effective annotation of training data for classification-based language understanding in conversational dialogue systems. Experiments using a webaccessible conversational character that interacts with a varied user population show that a dramatic improvement in natural language understanding and a substantial reduction in expert annotation effort can be achieved by leveraging non-expert annotation.
It Seems Like Only Yesterday

I spent my childhood and adolescence in North and South Carolina, attended Duke University, and then entered Duke Medical School. One year in the laboratory of George Schwert in the biochemistry department kindled my interest in biochemistry. After one year of residency on the medical service of Duke Hospital, chaired by Eugene Stead, I joined the group of Arthur Kornberg at Stanford Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow. Two years later I accepted a faculty position at Harvard Medical School, where I remain today. During these 50 years, together with an outstanding group of students, postdoctoral fellows, and collaborators, I have pursued studies on DNA replication. I have experienced the excitement of discovering a number of important enzymes in DNA replication that, in turn, triggered an interest in the dynamics of a replisome. My associations with industry have been stimulating and fostered new friendships. I could not have chosen a better career.
The preference matrix as a course design tool

The preference matrix is a theoretical tool based on principles of evolutionary psychology. This paper briefly introduces the theory and then describes how the preference matrix has been applied as a pedagogical design tool for an artificial intelligence course. After making a preliminary assessment of this experience, the paper concludes with several discussion questions.
The Challenge of Attaching Dissimilar Materials

The goal of this introductory chapter is to illustrate examples of representative attachments of dissimilar materials in engineering and biology, and to place into context the deeper treatments of the mechanics and physiology of material attachments studied throughout the rest of the book. Examples are presented to demonstrate typical cases and problems associated with such joints. We include a brief discussion of the relevant fracture problem that should be addressed when designing or analyzing attachments of dissimilar materials.
Omalizumab and Allergic Reactions.

Question: I have a 45-year-old female patient with a past history of moderate persistent asthma, seasonal and/or perennial allergies, and chronic urticaria. She has been receiving allergy shots since 2009 and omalizumab injections since 2010. She recently transferred care to my practice. Her chronic urticaria has resolved since starting omalizumab, and her asthma is under good control without need for a daily preventative inhaler. My question is that over the past 6 months, this patient has been having allergic reactions to new triggers. She had no prior history of food or medication allergy. Six months ago, she developed perioral erythema and lip angioedema after eating peanut butter and almonds (on separate occasions) despite previously tolerating both peanuts and tree nuts regularly. Two months ago, she reported difficulty breathing (“felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest”) and lip swelling due to airborne exposure to peanut (colleague at her office was eating it). There has been no associated hives, difficulty swallowing, or wheezing. Two weeks ago she was cooking finned fish and developed generalized pruritus and had nonraised “red blotches” diffusely that resolved after taking diphenhydramine. She did not consume the fish but had eaten fish in the past without a reaction. Last week, she had a systemic reaction 30 minutes after receiving her IT injections (1:10 vials, 0.25 mL). She developed dizziness, generalized pruritus, was pale, and “did not look well” per my colleague who cared for her. Her vitals were normal throughout. She was treated with 0.3mL of IM epinephrine. She had never previously had any reactions to her IT injections. She had no preceding illness or local reaction at the site of injections. Obviously I am unable to perform any IgE-mediated testing, as she is on the omalizumab. I have recently sent a total tryptase level and c-kit mutation, which are both still pending. I wanted to see if there were any thoughts regarding the recent increase in
Preparation Does Not Guarantee Perfection

Of the many roles a hospital may serve for its community, one of the most significant is the manner in which it can respond to an external disaster. But given the multitude of variables that come into play when disaster strikes, establishing criteria to assess liability beyond anything other than meaningful efforts to prepare in advance puts our nation’s entire medical system in jeopardy. How a hospital responds to a natural disaster is always important, but how society subsequently views this response may define health care.
Pursuing Virtue and Expecting Progress: Nietzsche and Lecky on the Question of Cruelty

There is a division of opinion between a nineteenth century student of cruelty such as W.E.H. Lecky and some students of this topic in our day which indicates how far we have come since the ‘idea of progress’ was the unquestioned faith of the educated classes. The disagreement over the nature of cruelty in contemporary society reflects a disagreement over whether the modern West and its purposes was on the whole a sound project to which reasonable and thoughtful people could be dedicated, or whether there was something misconceived and futile in the whole idea of ‘the improvement of mankind’ from the start. In this paper I address Professors Baruchello and Hamblet on the question of cruelty making use of Nietzsche and Lecky in an effort to illuminate and provide insight into the discussion.
Attraction of female cabbage looper moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to male-produced sex pheromone

In a flight tunnel, female cabbage looper moths, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), flew upwind in response to live male cabbage looper moths in a cage. Males attractive to females exhibited a calling posture similar to that of females that released sex pheromone; the terminal abdominal segments were partially extruded and wings were spread and vibrating. The responses of females to hexane extracts of male cabbage loopers, male abdominal extracts, and extracts of male terminal genital hairpencils were similar to female responses to caged males. Attraction of females to male hairpencil extracts was greatest with females 3–6 d old. Female cabbage loopers were attracted to male hairpencil extracts throughout the scotophase but were increasingly responsive toward the end of the scotophase, indicating a natural peak response near dawn. The apparent role reversal in mate-finding strategy may be part of an as yet unknown aggregation behavior in males.
Processing Control and Cost in Bacteriology

Controlled processing was applied to lower respiratory, wound, and cervicovaginal exudates, and urine. The extent of processing was determined by assessment of quality in direct smears and/or by limits placed on complete identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of isolates in mixed cultures. Some specimens were not cultured; others were cultured, but certain isolates were identified by colonial morphologic features only. The time in minutes for performing 22 processing operations was determined. The average number of operations performed with processing control was established along with the total cost per minute of labor expended. A 19% reduction was observed in the time expended with controlled processing relative to projected time expended without processing controls. Urine specimens yielded the greatest saving. Processing control speeds recollection of poor-quality specimens, provides reporting of results of examination of all Gram-stained direct smears, minimizes reporting of information potentially misleading to physicians, and may reduce other health-care costs through improved patient care.
This Most Favored Nation: Reflections on the Vocation of America

As this line from "Casey at the Bat" indicates, the notion of the United States as a favored land was commonplace among Americans, widely believed and widely accepted. From the very beginning of its national life, it was repeatedly noted that the new nation was favored by geography, by the vastness of the land it encompassed, by its temperate climate, by the fertility of its soil, by the richness of its untapped resources, by its iso lation from the quarrels and corruptions of Europe. But these were only incidental aspects of the United States as a most favored nation.
Targeting of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells by Cre‐Recombinase Transgenes Commonly Used to Target Osteoblast Lineage Cells

The targeting specificity of tissue-specific Cre-recombinase transgenes is a key to interpreting phenotypes associated with their use. The Ocn-Cre and Dmp1-Cre transgenes are widely used to target osteoblasts and osteocytes, respectively. Here, we used high-resolution microscopy of bone sections and flow cytometry to carefully define the targeting specificity of these transgenes. These transgenes were crossed with Cxcl12gfp mice to identify Cxcl12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells, which are a perivascular mesenchymal stromal population implicated in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell maintenance. We show that in addition to osteoblasts, Ocn-Cre targets a majority of CAR cells and arteriolar pericytes. Surprisingly, Dmp1-Cre also targets a subset of CAR cells, in which expression of osteoblast-lineage genes is enriched. Finally, we introduce a new tissue-specific Cre-recombinase, Tagln-Cre, which efficiently targets osteoblasts, a majority of CAR cells, and both venous sinusoidal and arteriolar pericytes. These data show that Ocn-Cre and Dmp1-Cre target broader stromal cell populations than previously appreciated and may aid in the design of future studies. Moreover, these data highlight the heterogeneity of mesenchymal stromal cells in the bone marrow and provide tools to interrogate this heterogeneity. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Reduced Glutamate Channel Phosphorylation in Pain-Related Brain Areas in a Transgenic Model of Sickle Cell Disease

Abstract Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with chronic, debilitating pain beginning in childhood and persisting throughout life. SCD patients also tend to exhibit elevated rates of depression and anxiety disorders, indicating a possible connection between recurring pain episodes and affective or emotional dysregulation in this population. How SCD physiologically manifests within brain circuitry to mediate this link is currently unknown. In the current study, we utilized a transgenic mouse model of SCD to measure protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation of the AMPA glutamate receptor channel subunit GluR1 in specific brain regions associated with central nociception and the emotional dimension of pain, including the periaqueductal gray (PAG), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampus. Transgenic sickle mice (HbSS-BERK) expressing human sickle hemoglobin display significant mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia and exhibit reductions in GluR1 phosphorylation compared to littermate controls (HbAA-BERK) in the PAG, PFC, and hippocampus. This neuroadaptation is indicative of reduced excitatory transmission potential in these pain-associated areas. In comparison, GluR1 phosphorylation is unchanged in the dorsal striatum, a brain region not traditionally associated with pain or negative emotionality. Our data are consistent with other preclinical pain models that have linked chronic, peripheral pain conditions with compromised excitatory brain signaling. These results make a strong case for greater appreciation and investigation into mechanisms of possible affective disorder in individuals suffering from SCD. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Clustering Applications for 2-D Page Dynamic Protein Expression Profiles

Abstract For this work, protein spot profiles were obtained from 2-D PAGE for mixed substrate batch fermentation by metabolically engineered Zymomonas mobilis C25, and variations of hierarchical clustering and self organizing maps (SOMs) are applied to these profiles. The purpose of this was to compare the effectiveness of the algorithms and the robustness or insensitivity of genuine expression patterns to the type of classification method. Several protein spots were identified and showed coordinated patterns of expression. All methods were capable of separating the protein classes based on the expression profile with hierarchical clustering independent of the knowledge of cluster relation or number.
Seeing Indian, Being Indian: Diaspora, Identity, and Ethnic Media

ABSTRACTGrounded in the uses and gratifications theoretical framework, cultural proximity and social identity theories, researchers uncovered specific themes emerging from viewers of Indian television programming. The immigrant viewers actively chose ethnic programming, specifically Indian television available via the satellite dish, to feel a sense of gratification. That gratification came in the form of reinforcing their ethnic identity. One hundred Asian Indian immigrants from five major metropolitan U.S. cities (New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Chicago, and Houston) were interviewed. These participants had an average age of 68 and an average family income of $150,000. In spite of the fact that they have resided in the United States for 40–50 years, they still felt attracted to Indian programming, as it allowed them to stay informed about India and feel connected to their cultural roots.
NO and COX2: Dual targeting for aggressive cancers

A number of tumor-specific characteristics are known to associate with a cancer’s growth, metastatic potential, and response to therapy. Among these are mutational load and gene-expression patterns in the tumor cells and the interaction of the tumor cells with the many cellular and noncellular components that comprise the microenvironment of the tumor. One molecule that has received considerable attention in tumor biology is nitric oxide (NO), a short-lived locally acting but highly diffusible intra- and intercellular signaling molecule (1, 2). This attention is well warranted because NO can regulate almost every process important to carcinogenesis, including DNA damage/repair, cell proliferation, blood flow/angiogenesis, cell migration and invasion, cell death and survival, inflammation, and immune responses (3). However, nearly three decades of intense mechanism-based research has yielded a large number of conflicting results on the even basic question of whether NO is pro- or antineoplastic (1). This has led many to conclude that the role of NO in tumor biology is highly context-dependent and determined by the sources of NO, the level and duration of NO production, and the background phenotype of the tumor. However, an emerging theme with some consistency in human cancers is that the expression of the high-output inducible NO synthase (iNOS or NOS2) associates with poor outcome in many solid and hematological malignancies. For example, NOS2 can act as a poor prognostic indicator for survival in many aggressive cancers, including glioblastoma, melanoma, pancreatic, liver, esophageal, gastric, cervical, ovarian, prostate, and lung adenocarcinoma, with hazard ratios (HR) greater than threefold in most of these cancers (4⇓⇓⇓⇓–9). Similarly, NOS2 has been shown to be a predictor of poor survival in estrogen receptor-negative (ER−) breast cancer patients (10), especially in the subset of highly aggressive chemoresistant metaplastic breast cancers (11). Although expression of … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: billiartr{at}upmc.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Free-Energy-Based Protein Design: Re-Engineering Cellular Retinoic Acid Binding Protein II Assisted by the Moveable-Type Approach.

How to fine-tune the binding free energy of a small-molecule to a receptor site by altering the amino acid residue composition is a key question in protein engineering. Indeed, the ultimate solution to this problem, to chemical accuracy (±1 kcal/mol), will result in profound and wide-ranging applications in protein design. Numerous tools have been developed to address this question using knowledge-based models to more computationally intensive molecular dynamics simulations-based free energy calculations, but while some success has been achieved there remains room for improvement in terms of overall accuracy and in the speed of the methodology. Here we report a fast, knowledge-based movable-type (MT)-based approach to estimate the absolute and relative free energy of binding as influenced by mutations in a small-molecule binding site in a protein. We retrospectively validate our approach using mutagenesis data for retinoic acid binding to the Cellular Retinoic Acid Binding Protein II (CRABPII) system and ...
Risk of acute kidney injury in critically ill surgical patients with presumed pneumonia is not impacted by choice of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus therapy

Background: Vancomycin and linezolid are standard treatment options for nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia. While acute kidney injury (AKI) is commonly attributed to vancomycin, existing data has not definitely confirmed vancomycin as an independent risk factor for AKI. Aims: This study aimed to quantify the incidence of AKI in Surgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients receiving empiric vancomycin or linezolid for nosocomial pneumonia and to identify risk factors for AKI with a focus on MRSA antibiotic therapy. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of surgical ICU patients who received at least 48 h of vancomycin or linezolid for pneumonia was performed. Patients who received vancomycin were compared to those who received linezolid with a primary endpoint of AKI as defined by the risk/injury/failure/loss/end-stage renal disease (RIFLE) criteria. A modified RIFLE criteria assessing only changes in serum creatinine was also used. Results: One hundred one patients were evaluated (63 vancomycin and 38 linezolid). AKI occurred in 51 (81.0%) and 32 (84.2%) patients in the vancomycin and linezolid groups (P = 0.79), respectively. Using the modified RIFLE criteria, AKI occurred in 19 (30.2%) and 14 (36.8%) patients in the vancomycin and linezolid groups (P = 0.448). After adjustment for age, diabetes mellitus, Charlson comorbidity index, and concomitant nephrotoxins, there was no difference in risk of AKI between groups (P = 0.773). Conclusions: Patients who received empiric vancomycin or linezolid for nosocomial pneumonia experienced high, but similar rates of AKI. The results suggest MRSA antibacterial therapy in this setting may not be independently indicative of AKI risk, rather the risk is likely multifactorial.
Growth, survival and sunfleck response of underplanted red oaks (Quercus spp., section Erythrobalanus) along a topographic gradient in southern New England

Abstract An understanding of the regeneration niche is critical to our ability to refine silvicultural approaches aimed at regenerating and maintaining diverse, mixed species stands. However, few studies have directly tested differences in habitat associations among closely related trees of the same genus, particularly to assess habitat partitioning at the regeneration stage. To evaluate differences in regeneration niche, we established a common garden experiment with five red oak species (Quercus spp., section Erythrobalanus) under-planted across a topographic gradient (valley, midslope and ridge positions) in mixed hardwood forests of Southern New England. Represented were three red oak species common to intermediate site conditions of southern New England (Q. rubra L, Q. velutina Lam., and Q. coccinea Munchh.), and two species commonly associated with more extreme site conditions - Q. ilicifolia Wangenh. (xeric, skeletal ridge tops) and Q. palustris Munchh. (river floodplains). Seedlings were caged to prevent deer browse, and seedling height and survival were measured annually for nine growing seasons. Response to sunflecks, a primary source of light for advance regeneration-dependent species that establish in the forest understory, was measured using a LiCor 6400 photosynthesis system. Overall, survival was highest for Q. rubra, followed by Q. velutina, Q. coccinea, Q. ilicifolia and finally Q. palustris. The pattern among species held for all topographic positions, with higher survival rates on the ridgetops, and lower survival in valley positions. Height development was highest in the valley, intermediate in the ridge, and lowest in the midslope positions. Survival patterns were positively correlated with light availability, and negatively correlated with site fertility. Based on net photosynthetic rates, Q. rubra, Q. velutina, and Q. coccinea were more responsive to sunflecks than Q. ilicifolia and Q. palustris, and maintained higher photosynthetic rates over the measurement period. Greater survival of all species in upper topographic position reflects in part adaptations of the red oak group in this region to higher light and lower soil fertility conditions. But sunflecks likely play a critical role as well, judging from the positive correlation of survival with understory light (43–80% of which occurs as sunflecks), the strong height development in the light-limited valleys (where sunflecks should be most critical), and the clear alignment of species sunfleck response with species survival patterns. Differences among the oaks in photosynthetic response to sunflecks may thus help explain their habitat associations and contribute to niche partitioning among these related species. These findings have important silvicultural implications, particularly for enrichment planting of different red oaks and the timing of overstory removal treatments to facilitate establishment of regeneration for growth into the canopy.
Virtual Reality Interventions for Personal Development: A Meta-Analysis of Hardware and Software

Virtual reality (VR) has been repeatedly applied for personal development purposes, ranging from learning and training (cognitive outcomes), to psychological therapies (emotional outcomes), to phys...
Hemodynamic Monitoring: Pulmonary Artery and Arterial Catheterization

The bedside assessment of cardiac performance and ventricular preload is perhaps one of the most difficult and yet vitally important problems in critical care medicine. The traditional clinical signs of cardiac function such as blood pressure, jugular venous distension, skin perfusion, and skin turgor are unreliable in the ICU setting. According to the Frank-Starling principle, the vigor of cardiac contraction relates directly to muscle fiber length at end-diastole. This presystolic fiber stretch, or preload, is proportionate to end-diastolic volume. Left ventricular end-diastolic volume (preload) is therefore a major factor determining cardiac output. To make rational management decisions in terms of fluid and vasoactive drug therapy, the intensivist needs to correctly assess the patient’s preload.
Muscle Energetics, Fatigue, and Training

This chapter analyzes the sources and sinks of ATP during muscle contractions. The rate of ATP consumption depends on the intensity of activity, whereas the amount of ATP consumed depends on the intensity and its duration. Individual muscle fibers are either on or off, but total muscle activity depends on the recruitment and frequency of activation. The duty cycle is the fraction of time activated. The relative speed and amount of ATP regenerated through creatine phosphokinase, or glycolysis, or oxidative phosphorylation, is discussed. The source and fate of lactic acid during strenuous activity, and the meaning of “anaerobic threshold,” are discussed. The cause of fatigue in intense, short duration and submaximal intensity but long durations is discussed. The recruitment of satellite cells during hypertrophy during training is also discussed.
Educating For/Against Modernity, Arts and Technoculture

The chapter undertakes to tread the tenuous ground between modernity and the post-modern which has reverberated with debate in the second half of the twentieth century when both the theoretical framework and the political hegemony of the Western European tradition began to be challenged. This is achieved basically through an analysis of three issues of comparative concern between three as it were avatars of after-modernity engaged in this critical debate: Gandhi (in South Africa/Asia), Lyotard (in France) and Habermas (of the Frankfurt School, Germany); (i) the role of the intellectual in the critique of the project of modernity’s universality; (ii) via the intellectual and intelligentsia, the pragmatics of de-conditioning the ruse of tradition, the sway of the Enlightenment, re-educating ṛta (dharma, morality); and (iii) questioning the excesses of modernity’s handmade culture of technology. Eager to critique modernity, each protagonist in our inquiry seems to backtrack a little, either as a critical apologist for modernity, albeit unfinished (Habermas), deconstruct and rein in on after-modernity but without an interventionist pragmatics (Lyotard), or mildly dissimulate but actually shame modernity in an anti-Empire challenge (Gandhi). The strands here bespeak differend approaches in each to the question of education, interpreting discourse, its violence, and aesthetics. Yet the project of modernity remains un-‘liquidated’ in as much as the capitalist technoscience and globalization foreclose education in the arts. Eager to critique modernity, each protagonist in our inquiry seems to backtrack a little, either as a critical apologist for modernity, albeit unfinished (Habermas), deconstruct and rein in on after-modernity but without an interventionist pragmatics (Lyotard), or mildly dissimulate but actually shame modernity in an anti-Empire challenge (Gandhi). The strands here bespeak differend approaches in each to the question of education, interpreting discourse, its violence, and aesthetics. Yet the project of modernity remains un-‘liquidated’ in as much as the capitalist technoscience and globalization foreclose education in the arts.
Oxanosine Monophosphate Is a Covalent Inhibitor of Inosine 5′-Monophosphate Dehydrogenase

Reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are produced during infection and inflammation, and the effects of these agents on proteins, DNA, and lipids are well recognized. In contrast, the effects of RNS damaged metabolites are less appreciated. 5-Amino-3-β-(d-ribofuranosyl)-3 H-imidazo-[4,5- d][1,3]oxazine-7-one (oxanosine) and its nucleotides are products of guanosine nitrosation. Here we demonstrate that oxanosine monophosphate (OxMP) is a potent reversible competitive inhibitor of IMPDH. The value of Ki varies from 50 to 340 nM among IMPDHs from five different organisms. UV spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography indicate that OxMP forms a ring-opened covalent adduct with the active site Cys (E-OxMP*). Unlike the covalent intermediate of the normal catalytic reaction, E-OxMP* does not hydrolyze, but instead recyclizes to OxMP. IMPDH inhibitors block proliferation and can induce apoptosis, so the inhibition of IMPDH by OxMP presents another potential mechanism for RNS toxicity.
HF and CO2 Laser Measurements of Dispersion of the Nonlinear Susceptibility in Zinc-Blende Crystals

Measurements have been made of the nonlinear susceptibility for second harmonic generation (x(2)) of several zinc-blende crystals using pulsed HF and CO2 transverse-excitation lasers. This study was undertaken to determine the existence of dispersion in X(2) in regions of crystal transparency. Previous measurements of dispersion in X(2) have been restricted to absorbing regions because of a lack of suitable laser sources in the infrared. Analysis of the experimental data indicates increases in the magnitude of x(2)from 10.2 μm to 2.87 μm which greatly exceed those predicted by theoretical calculations of the dispersion of the nonlinear susceptibility in crystals with this structure. Single crystals of GaAs, CdTe and ZnTe were used in this experiment with the ZnTe crystal being used as a reference sample. Increases in X(2) on the order of 140% for GaAs and 70% for CdTe have been measured.
Development of a rubric for assessing delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, diabetic ketoacidosis and sepsis.

Objectives Using case review to determine whether a patient experienced a delayed diagnosis is challenging. Measurement would be more accurate if case reviewers had access to multi-expert consensus on grading the likelihood of delayed diagnosis. Our objective was to use expert consensus to create a guide for objectively grading the likelihood of delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, new-onset diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and sepsis. Methods Case vignettes were constructed for each condition. In each vignette, a patient has the condition and had a previous emergency department (ED) visit within 7 days. Condition-specific multi-specialty expert Delphi panels reviewed the case vignettes and graded the likelihood of a delayed diagnosis on a five-point scale. Delayed diagnosis was defined as the condition being present during the previous ED visit. Consensus was defined as ≥75% agreement. In each Delphi round, panelists were given the scores from the previous round and asked to rescore. A case scoring guide was created from the consensus scores. Results Eighteen expert panelists participated. Consensus was achieved within three Delphi rounds for all appendicitis and sepsis vignettes. We reached consensus on 23/30 (77%) DKA vignettes. A case review guide was created from the consensus scores. Conclusions Multi-specialty expert reviewers can agree on the likelihood of a delayed diagnosis for cases of appendicitis and sepsis, and for most cases of DKA. We created a guide that can be used by researchers and quality improvement specialists to allow for objective case review to determine when delayed diagnoses have occurred for appendicitis, DKA, and sepsis.
Selenium Enrichment in Pore Water of Estuarine Sediments Subject to Salt Marsh Vegetation Bioirrigation (Patos Estuary, Southern Brazil)

Selenium (Se), iron (Fe), and free sulfides contents in pore waters were measured to study the liberation of soluble Se in suboxic conditions. The sediment core was collected in a salt marsh in Patos Lagoon estuary (southern Brazil), and it was obtained during a brackish water period, in a low intertidal stand vegetated by Spartina alterniflora. The redox potential (Eh), pH, andacid volatile sulfides (AVS) content were also investigated. Pore water results sustained the idea that S. alterniflora roots promote oxygen penetration to depths of ca. 10 cm below the salt marsh surface, increasing Eh and lowering the pH in this interval. High Se concentrations (e.g., 16.9 µg L−1), that are above US. EPA environmental criteria, were observed in the pore water to depths between 10 and 20 cm and are associated to low AVS contents and high concentrations of free sulfides. In the first 10 cm the lowering of Se contents probably happens due the low pH and biological volatilization of the metalloid.
The "Baby Moses" Law: A Case for Improving Medicolegal Education for Pediatric Trainees.

Medicolegal education is not standardized for medical student or pediatric resident trainees throughout the United States. However, trainees will inevitably face patient encounters in which knowing...
The European Parliament

As multiple, overlapping crises have befallen the EU, the European Parliament (EP) has sought to enhance its own institutional standing and push for deeper integration. In some cases, it has succeeded by overcoming internal party divisions to articulate a single position on Brexit and to secure new formal oversight powers in the Eurozone crisis. The EP also acted nimbly on the EU’s behalf when member states were divided during the Ukraine crisis. However, these important gains for the EP still constitute “muddling through.” The EP may have secured a seat at the table but consistently struggles to drive the European response to crises: when the EP’s preferences differ from member states, it has been unable to achieve its desired outcomes.
The 1930 New York Yankees and the Issue of Hate Speech in Sports

The article reviews the history of penalties imposed on participants in sports for hate speech. It starts with a view of 'the Jake Powell case from the 1930's and continues through 2020.
Convergence Rates for Solutions of Inhomogeneous Ill-posed Problems in Banach Space with Sufficiently Smooth Data

We consider the inhomogeneous, ill-posed Cauchy problem $$\displaystyle u'(t)=Au+h(t), \; 0<t<T, \quad u(0)=\varphi $$ where − A is the infinitesimal generator of a holomorphic semigroup of angle θ in Banach space. As in conventional regularization methods, certain auxiliary well-posed problems and their associated C0 semigroups are applied in order to approximate a known solution u. A key property however, that the semigroups adhere to requisite growth orders, may fail depending on the value of the angle θ. Our results show that an approximation of u may be still be established in such situations as long as the data of the original problem is sufficiently smooth, i.e. in a small enough domain. Our results include well-known examples applied in the approach of quasi-reversibility as well as other types of approximations. The outcomes of the paper may be applied to partial differential equations in Lp spaces, 1 < p < ∞ defined by strongly elliptic differential operators.
”Naked and on Fire”: Examining Player Agency Experiences in Narrative-Focused Gameplay

Player agency is central to interactive narrative and games. While previous work focuses on analyzing player perception of agency through various lenses and phenomena, like meaningful choice and expectations, it is largely theoretical. Few user studies within games explore how players reason about and judge their own agency within interactive narratives. We present an interview study where participants rated their agency experiences within narrative-focused games and described their reasoning. The analysis suggests that agency perception depends on multiple factors beyond meaningful choice, such as social investment and genre-conventions. Participants described varying preferences and value judgements for different factors, indicating that individual differences have a deep impact on agency perception in narrative-focused gameplay. We discuss the implications of these cognitive variables on design, how they can be leveraged with other factors, and how our findings can help future work enhance and measure player agency, within interactive narrative and beyond.
Abroad in the World

Used as an opening case in a second-year MBA elective on global leadership, this case is a biographic description of an immigrant's journey in American business. The story reflects the transitions that a 24-year old immigrant experiences in her career and personal life in the United States. Excerpt UVA-OB-1009 Rev. Aug. 6, 2013 ABROAD IN THE WORLD Moving to Charlottesville, Virginia might bring Terry Samala closer to where she began. She had grown up on a first-name basis with her neighbors in the Philippine countryside, walking to school and living a relatively uncomplicated life. Having spent 30 years in the New York/New Jersey area while advancing through numerous corporate positions, each with an increasing level of responsibility, she was at the top of her field. Then in the spring of 2007, she had the opportunity to become associate dean of administration at the graduate school of business of a leading public university, a move with many implications for both her career and home life. Growing up in the Philippines As a child, being an accountant never occurred to Samala raised as she was in comfort with her three older sisters and brother on the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. Her father, charismatic and well-connected, was able to support his family without having to work full-time. Her mother grew up poor but was a gifted student, earning scholarships and always graduating at the top of her class. Samala believed she inherited her love for life from her father and her strong work ethic from her mother. . . .
Diels-Alder Cycloadditions for Peptide Macrocycle Formation.

Macrocyclization can confer enhanced stability, target affinity, and membrane permeability to peptide scaffolds, all of which are desirable properties for chemical probes and therapeutics. A wide array of macrocyclization chemistries have been reported over the last few decades; however, these often have limited compatibility with each other and across chemical environments, thus restricting access to specific molecular properties. In an effort to address some of these limitations, we recently described the use of Diels-Alder [4 + 2] cycloadditions for peptide macrocyclization. Among the attributes of this chemistry, we demonstrated that Diels-Alder cyclization can template diverse peptide secondary structures, proceed in organic or aqueous environments, and endow improved pharmacologic properties on cyclized peptides. Here, we present synthetic processes and characterization methods for the synthesis of Diels-Alder cyclized peptides.
Systematic Inequalities in Language Technology Performance across the World's Languages.

Natural language processing (NLP) systems have become a central technology in communication, education, medicine, artificial intelligence, and many other domains of research and development. While the performance of NLP methods has grown enormously over the last decade, this progress has been restricted to a minuscule subset of the world's 6,500 languages. We introduce a framework for estimating the global utility of language technologies as revealed in a comprehensive snapshot of recent publications in NLP. Our analyses involve the field at large, but also more in-depth studies on both user-facing technologies (machine translation, language understanding, question answering, text-to-speech synthesis) as well as more linguistic NLP tasks (dependency parsing, morphological inflection). In the process, we (1) quantify disparities in the current state of NLP research, (2) explore some of its associated societal and academic factors, and (3) produce tailored recommendations for evidence-based policy making aimed at promoting more global and equitable language technologies.
Credit to Capabilities: A Sociological Study of Microcredit Groups in India

1. The global trajectory of microcredit 2. Agency 3. Converting loans into leverage 4. The power of participation 5. Microcredit and collective action 6. Culture and microcredit: why socio-religious dimensions matter 7. Loans and well-being 8. Interpreting microcredit: beyond the salvation/exploitation alternatives 9. Epilogue: the future of microcredit.
PROBABILISTIC EVALUATION OF SAFETY OF SOIL STRUCTURES

The relationship was examined between the conventional factor of safety, and the probability of failure of soil structures and the results were presented in the form of easy-to-use charts. It was assumed that soil resistance, R, and applied load, S, were independent random variables following the versatile beta (Pearson's Type I) distribution. This model allowed a variation for R and S within a range of realistic finite limits. In contrast, the previously employed normal and lognormal distributions appeared to be poor models for the resistance or the load, or both, as they involved the possibility of a negative (normal) or infinite (normal and lognormal) value for R and S. Furthermore, the two beta distributions were assumed to be symmetric with fixed lower limits (equal to zero). Finally, the use of the developed charts was demonstrated in an illustrative example involving a practical foundation engineering problem.
Visual Information Seeking of Novice Drivers

ALTHOUGH NOVICE DRIVERS LEARN TO CONTROL AUTOMOBILES WITH A FEW HOURS OF PRACTICE, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR VISUAL INFORMATION SEEKING HABITS TAKES MANY MONTHS. FILMS OF NOVICE DRIVER EYE MOVEMENTS SUGGESTED THAT THERE ARE STAGES OF VISUAL LEARNING. TECHNIQUES NEED TO BE DEVELOPED TO TEACH DRIVERS WHERE TO LOOK BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY START DRIVING. /AUTHOR/
Designing Control Systems with Knowledge

It is generally accepted that object-based systems provide a simple and elegant paradigm for general-purpose programming that meshed well with data models. In this paper we propose to use the object computation model as the basis for automatic control system design environment. Typically, an automatic control system design environment consists of a set of control system design experts that cooperate with each other. In addition to experts there are a number of control systems that have been designed or are to be designed. We propose to construct a knowledge base between such an environment and the users of the environment; Consequently a user sees the environment as a large knowledge base, and he or she can create, modify, retrieve, or query the knowledge base through knowledge base operations. Furthermore, the knowledge base can help the users to manage the inter-relationships between entities that reside in the environment, to represent abstract knowledge about control system design, and it can derive more knowledge about a plant once a minimal set of characteristics is provided.
Mothers of survivors of childhood cancer: Their worries and concerns

Abstract Numerous studies have examined the psychosocial effects of childhood cancer on teenage and young adult survivors. Yet, there is relatively little research on the consequences of survivorship for the parents of these people. This study explored the realities of life for mothers of survivors of childhood cancer. Data from self-report questionnaires with 167 mothers of survivors and follow-up intensive interviews with 29 of them were analyzed. Findings indicated that mothers' worries were not so much a function of “objective” physical consequences of their child's illness. Instead, their worries were significantly related primarily to their own perceptions of their child's worries and the meanings they attached to their own and their child's cancer experience. The implications of the results for intervention with survivors of childhood cancer and their families include hospital-organized information and education programs; supportive counseling; meetings with other parents; and, for parents whose ch...
DRIVE: An Interpretive Simulation and Visualization Environment for Dynamically Reconfigurable Systems

Current simulation tools for reconfigurable systems are based on low level simulation of application designs developed in a High-level Description Language(HDL) on HDL models of architectures. This necessitates expertise on behalf of the user to generate the low level design before performance analysis can be accomplished. Most of the current simulation tools also are based on static designs and do not support analysis of dynamic reconfiguration.
ACTIONS OF ACUTE GAMMA RADIATION ON EXCISED WHEAT LEAF TISSUE. II. IMMEDIATE LETHAL DOSE EFFECTS ON CHLOROPLAST ULTRASTRUCTURE AND SUBSEQUENT RETARDATION OF NORMAL DISINTEGRATION IN DARKNESS.

Abstract Apical portions of wheat leaves were excised and given various acute, lethal doses of γ-radiation. Although extremely high doses (2 Mrad or more) produced immediate, detectable damage to chloroplast ultrastructure, 1 Mrad, despite its lethality, produced little or no immediate detectable damage to chloroplast ultrastructure. The 1 Mrad dose greatly retards the normal physiological deterioration of chloroplast structure that occurs in non-γ-irradiated leaf tips in darkness. The 1 Mrad dose also preserves the capacity of the leaf tissue to emit glow curves upon warming in darkness after illumination at − 196 °C, but prevents the normal emission of delayed light at room temperature after illumination. This indicates normal capacity to put energy from the photoreaction into electron traps in the photosynthetic pigment system exclusive of subsequent enzyme reactions. It indicates, further, an absence of normal energy storage in the photosynthetic system coupled to the enzymatic reactions of electron transport. The 2 Mrad dose, which produces immediate ultrastructural damage, also destroys subsequently even the capacity to emit glow curves. At the ultrastructural level, responses of other cellular organelles to the lethal doses were similar to the responses of chloroplasts. The effects of 1 Mrad on maintaining ultrastructure in darkness, which have parallel effects on chlorophyll retention, also have parallel effects on retention of insoluble nitrogen.